The Exam Room
The room descended into chaos, forcing the assessment to be temporarily suspended.
The judges—including Nurse Joy—hurried in from the observation room.
On the table sat several portions of Oran Berry Energy Cubes made by Austin, more than enough for multiple servings.
Electrike, Marill, Cherubi, Glameow, and Skorupi were all happily munching away.
Even Joy's Blissey, Dai Yui's Incineroar, and Mizuki's Glameow couldn't resist and rushed over.
Incineroar grabbed a handful with his left hand, then another with his right, narrowing his eyes in satisfaction.
"Roar!"
Notifications flooded Austin's mind in rapid succession.
"Ding — gained 999 Energy Cube proficiency."
. . .
. .
.
"Ding — gained 999 Energy Cube proficiency."
Austin had long since adjusted the system settings to consolidate notifications.
Finally—
"Ding — Energy Cube craftsmanship upgraded to Advanced."
Austin briefly checked his personal panel.
Energy Cube (Advanced)
You can create high-quality Energy Cubes that Pokémon praise endlessly, with a certain probability of producing perfect-quality cubes.
Progress: 1,023 / 100,000
One of the elder judges—clearly the most excited—picked up a crystal-orange Energy Cube and tasted it himself.
Sweet, sour, spicy, bitter, and astringent flavors bloomed across his palate, pulling him back to memories of his youth…
"Incineroar!"
(Don't steal it from me!)
The elder, Yasong, laughed heartily and gave Austin a firm pat on the back.
"Your Energy Cubes are really good."
Austin replied modestly,
"This was an exceptional performance. I'm not usually this consistent."
Yasong smiled warmly.
"That alone proves your potential. Your future is limitless—perhaps you'll even surpass your grandfather."
The system glitched briefly before chiming again.
Main Quest Unlocked
Blue Is Better Than Blue (Optional):
Surpass your grandfather and become a Master-Level Breeder recognized by the Alliance.
Rewards Issued:
Because the Host has passed the Intermediate Breeder Assessment, rewards for Junior and Intermediate Breeder stages are granted:
• Random Pokémon Item Lottery Ticket ×3
Next Stage Objective
Third-Stage Goal:
Become a Senior Breeder recognized by the Alliance.
Third-Stage Rewards:
• Random Pokémon Item Lottery Ticket ×3
• Random Skill Improvement
The rewards were generous—but the difficulty was just as real.
Beyond Senior came Elite, then Master Level.
And above even that…
Grandmaster Class.
Austin's grandfather was already an Elite Breeder recognized by the Alliance. Surpassing him would be anything but easy.
Austin chose to accept the quest.
He looked at Elder Yasong.
"Do you know my grandfather, Alex?"
Yasong nodded.
"Old friends. Rivals, even though I was never as good as him."
Austin didn't press further. Instead, he took out his Pokégear and exchanged contact information.
"Please guide me in the future, Elder Yasong."
Yasong stroked his beard and chuckled.
"Guide you? At this rate, you may surpass me before long."
Nurse Joy smiled warmly.
"Mr. Austin Black, you've officially passed the Intermediate Breeder Assessment. The second round received a perfect score."
Normally, a discussion phase followed.
But with Austin's performance, there was nothing to debate.
After tasting the near-perfect Energy Cubes Austin made, the Pokémon food prepared by the other four candidates was instantly rejected.
To Marill and Skorupi, it felt like leftover dregs.
Only after persistent coaxing from Joy did they reluctantly take a bite.
Dai Yui leaned over and whispered,
"You should've made yours after everyone else."
Austin scratched his head awkwardly.
"This really was an exceptional performance…"
Dai Yui waved it off.
"It's fine. Being outclassed happens."
Before final results were announced, Elder Yasong glanced at the four remaining candidates and pointed at the now-empty basin.
"What did you learn from this Energy Cube?"
"There will be bonus points for correct answers."
Hope flickered in their eyes.
But if they couldn't answer, bonus points meant nothing.
Mieko spoke cautiously,
"As long as it tastes good enough, there aren't really taste issues?"
Yasong shook his head—then nodded.
"Not entirely correct, but not wrong either."
He continued calmly,
"Is taste important to Pokémon food?"
Dai Yui nodded immediately.
"Of course. Otherwise, why make so many flavors?"
Yasong looked at the Pokémon clustered eagerly around Austin, his eyes filled with amusement.
"Important—but not absolute."
"Aside from strict dietary limits—such as Pokémon genuinely unable to eat spicy or bitter foods—there are very few true taste taboos."
"Not all Pokémon can communicate clearly. Often, even they don't fully understand their own preferences."
"You are the one preparing the food. The final decision on taste rests with you."
"You should consider Pokémon preferences—but you must also rely on your own strengths."
"Austin did exactly that. He ignored excessive reminders and focused on what he excelled at."
"You, on the other hand, hesitated. You restricted yourselves."
Mieko, Dai Yui, and Brenda all fell silent.
They remembered feeling exactly that—constrained.
Mizuki, who had been furiously taking notes, finally set down her pen and bowed.
"Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Yasong. We've learned a great deal."
"Thank you," the others echoed.
Yasong smiled kindly.
"Very well. I'll take my leave—we need to finalize the assessment results."
As he walked away, Dai Yui whispered to Mizuki,
"Can I copy your notes?"
"Yes."
Brenda quickly raised her hand.
"Me too!"
Just as they leaned together, a sharp click sounded, followed by a flash.
Austin waved his Pokégear, grinning slightly.
"You know," he said, "there's something called a camera."
"..."
Brenda's face instantly turned red, the flush running from her neck all the way to her ears.
"We know already!"
Dai Yui muttered with a snort,
"At this rate, you won't have any friends."
Off to the side, Mieko quietly raised her Pokégear and snapped a picture as well.
The results were announced quickly.
In the end, only two people passed the Intermediate Breeder assessment:
Austin and Mizuki.
Dai Yui failed.
Out of the eleven participants, two passing was already considered an excellent outcome. Most sessions struggled to produce even a single successful candidate.
Mizuki, her neat short hair framing her face with glasses on, held up her Pokégear.
"Let's exchange contact information. Is your Breeding House still hiring?"
Austin nodded as he exchanged contacts with her.
"Yes. We start recruiting tomorrow."
"Good. Send me the address."
Once their contact info was confirmed, Mizuki didn't linger and left briskly.
Dai Yui leaned closer and nudged Austin with his elbow, lowering his voice.
"So… can I interview for a junior position?"
"Yes," Austin replied without hesitation.
"Even without a certificate, as long as you genuinely love Pokémon, you can learn step by step."
Dai Yui burst into laughter.
"I like that answer. Alright, I'm heading out—I need to prepare for the next exam."
Beside him, Incineroar raised a paw and waved at Austin.
"Neroar!"
Incineroar was already making plans.
If Dai Yui joined the Breeding House, then—
He'd get to eat Austin's Energy Cubes regularly.
That alone made the future look bright.
. . .
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