Pokémon Breeder's Story

Chapter 28: The Breeder Certification Exam

The next day, as the first rays of morning sun shone through the breeding center's windows, Kenji, having rested for the whole night, began a new day of work.

The first thing he did after getting up was to go to the backyard and see if the Swampert and Quagsire fostered by the previous client had produced an egg. After searching all around the lake and in the grass and confirming there was no egg, Kenji left the backyard, opened the main door of the breeding center, and hung up the sign with the four large words "Now Open for Business."

Kenji looked up and around, his gaze sweeping over the roof and trees, but he didn't see any trace of the Taillow. The Taillow that had provided him with information hadn't come by for several days, which made Kenji worry that something might have happened to it, or that it might have been captured by another trainer. However, more than these speculations, Kenji felt it was more likely that it had found a place with better food than what his breeding center offered.

Kenji: "..."

He had been training the Clefairy for the past few days and hadn't had time to buy higher-quality, better-tasting Pokémon food. But he decided to let it go. Such things depended on fate. If the Taillow didn't come, he couldn't force it.

Just as he was about to go back inside, a familiar engine sound came from behind him. Kenji turned around and saw Jenny Jun speeding towards him on a police motorcycle.

Jenny Jun killed the engine at the breeding center's entrance, parked the bike, then took off her helmet and looked at Kenji.

"Officer Jenny?" Kenji was slightly taken aback.

Jenny Jun nodded and said, "There's a result regarding that matter from last time."

Kenji immediately understood what she was referring to. It was about her proposal to apply to the Hoenn League for a batch of Pokémon eggs for the breeding center!

"How did it go?" Kenji asked.

Jenny Jun opened her mouth, looked at Kenji, but seemed hesitant to speak.

Kenji: "?"

Jenny Jun finally spoke. "It's like this. The Hoenn League is very happy to approve our application, but they have one condition."

"Go on," Kenji nodded. Did they want money or something else?

Jenny Jun: "They said you must first prove to the Hoenn League that you have the ability to care for those eggs before they will release them to your breeding center."

Under normal circumstances, an ordinary person cannot run a breeding center because they simply don't know how to care for Pokémon of different types and species, nor do they understand anything about incubation. To run a breeding center, the owner must first become a Pokémon Breeder, even a junior-level one. If one isn't a certified breeder, it's not impossible to open a shop, but the League will not provide any Pokémon eggs. Everything must be hatched on one's own, and the difficulty is imaginable. Moreover, such a breeding center would be incomplete.

"In other words, if you want that batch of eggs, you need to first go to the Breeder's Association in Fallarbor Town, complete some tests, and register as a junior breeder..." Jenny Jun explained. The problem was, little Kenji had just turned ten this year and had been living in an orphanage. He knew nothing about being a trainer, let alone a breeder, and would have no way of passing those exams.

"..."

Kenji understood. So his shop had been a "black market" operation all this time!

Although he was a bit speechless, the Pokémon-related information from his past life and the breeding-related books he had read since transmigrating flashed through his mind. Kenji pondered for a moment, then looked up at Jenny Jun.

"Can I go to the Breeder's Association to see the content of the exam?"

"Of course, no problem!" Jenny Jun nodded. "Coincidentally, I don't have work this morning. Shall we go now?"

Kenji nodded. He went back to lock up the breeding center, then instructed Bewear to take good care of the Pokémon inside before riding on Jenny Jun's motorcycle to the Breeder's Association in Fallarbor Town.

And by coincidence, a breeder's examination was currently being held there. Jenny Jun used her connections to directly lead Kenji in to observe the exam.

There were a total of five people participating in the exam. They were currently in the first round: the written test. Jenny Jun handed a test paper to Kenji for him to look at.

Kenji looked down. The paper had two sides. The first side was multiple-choice questions.

[1. Which of the following Pokémon can Gardevoir NOT produce an egg with?]

[A. Machamp]

[B. Lopunny]

[C. Swampert]

[D. Muk]

Kenji: "..."

Of these four options, only option C, Swampert, did not belong to the Human-Like Egg Group.

"The question writer has a sick sense of humor..." Kenji complained internally.

Apart from the first one, the following multiple-choice questions were relatively normal.

[2. Which of the following status conditions can an Aspear Berry cure?]

[A. Burn]

[B. Poison]

[C. Paralysis]

[D. Freeze]

Kenji glanced over the paper and found that the content of this proficiency test was mostly basic breeding knowledge: Pokémon egg groups, types, ecological habits, and the application of some berries and herbs.

This made Kenji breathe a sigh of relief. For a transmigrator like him, these questions were quite simple. In that case, let's just get started! The sooner he finished, the sooner he could get back to work at the breeding center.

So Kenji looked up at Officer Jenny and asked, "Officer Jenny, can I participate in the exam now?"

Jenny Jun was taken aback, then asked with some surprise, "Are you sure? Do you know the answers to these questions?"

Kenji smiled and said, "I'm sure. I've been reading books on related topics these past few days."

Jenny Jun opened her mouth, looked into the boy's eyes, and ultimately chose to believe him. "Alright, in that case, I'll help you arrange it," she said.

She immediately found the person in charge of the Breeder's Association and said something to him. Immediately after, Kenji saw the old man look at him with a surprised expression. He vaguely overheard their conversation.

"Only ten years old? Never been to school? No breeding experience whatsoever? Okay, I understand. Since it's your request, I'll make an exception just this once!"

Soon, Kenji was arranged a seat in the examination hall. The person provided him with a test paper and a pen. Kenji looked it over twice and then began to answer at a rapid pace.

Outside the examination hall, Jenny Jun and the old man watched the situation inside.

"This child, is he really not just fooling around?" the old man asked.

Jenny Jun shook her head. Thinking of the look in Kenji's eyes just now, she said, "I believe in him."

The old man, however, had no expectations at all. Just turned ten, never been to school, no breeding experience, and hasn't even had his starter Pokémon for a week... If he can pass this exam, then from now on, I'll write my name backward!