Jubilife Pokémon Center
Nurse Joy smiled as she handed the certificate to Austin.
"Mr. Austin Black, this is your Intermediate Breeder Certificate. If it's ever lost, you can apply for a replacement."
The certificate resembled an ID card. The front displayed his photo, age, and name, while the back carried the Sinnoh League emblem along with the assessment location.
Chansey stood beside her, beaming as it waved its stubby arms.
"Chansey~!"
(Congratulations!)
Austin accepted the certificate with both hands, his expression serious.
"Thank you, Nurse Joy. Thank you, too, Chansey."
Once everything was done, Austin immediately took out his Pokégear and called home.
Before he could even speak, his father's voice burst out on the other end like a string of firecrackers.
"Son! Did you pass the intermediate assessment? It's fine if you didn't—after all, you haven't even officially passed the beginner level yet. Your grandpa really pushed it, making you take the intermediate exam right away—"
"I passed."
"..."
Leon Black froze mid-sentence. All the comforting words he'd carefully prepared instantly became useless.
After a second, his voice rose sharply.
"You passed?! Then why didn't you say that earlier? You had your dad worried sick!"
"I called you the moment I passed."
Leon paused, quickly calculating the time.
"Huh? Then why does it feel like it took so long? Something's off."
"There were a few unexpected things in between. I'll explain when I get back."
"Alright! I'll wait for you at home."
"Beep, beep, beep—"
The call ended abruptly.
Austin lowered his Pokégear, sighing helplessly. His dad's hang-up speed was practically Extreme Speed.
Next, he video called his grandfather.
Unlike Leon, his grandfather, Alex, remained completely calm. Hearing that Austin had passed the assessment didn't even make his expression change.
"Got it."
In his grandfather's eyes, this result was only natural. If Austin hadn't passed, that would've been a real problem.
"Gengar! Gengar!"
A familiar purple figure suddenly squeezed into view beside his grandfather, grinning wildly. Gengar, who hadn't been seen for several days, was clearly eager to see Austin again.
"By the way," his grandfather added, "one of the examiners this time was an old man named Yasong. He said he's your friend."
His grandfather nodded calmly.
"We were rivals when we were young. Now we're friends."
After a brief pause, he added his only instruction.
"Stay at the Breeding House. Don't wander around. The teacher I arranged will come to find you soon."
"Beep, beep, beep—"
The line went dead.
Austin stared at the Pokégear, unable to help but complain under his breath.
They really were father and son. The speed at which they hung up was the same.
After boarding the train, Austin returned safely to the suburbs.
This time, he didn't have Agni to ride, so he had to walk the rest of the way. Fortunately, it was only about a kilometer.
The suburban roads were quiet and sparsely populated. As he walked, Austin casually observed the surrounding houses, roughly estimating how many people actually lived in the area.
"Oh?"
He suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the distance.
Agni.
A typical Arcanine stands around 1.9 meters tall when measured to the head, with a shoulder height of about 1.5 meters.
But Agni was far from typical.
His shoulder height alone was nearly two meters, and his build looked especially solid and imposing.
He wasn't fat—
He was just… unusually broad.
Standing near Agni was a stylishly dressed blonde woman with a Growlithe at her side.
Austin's eyes lit up.
"Agni!"
Hearing Austin's voice, Agni, and the blonde woman all turned their heads at once.
Agni froze for half a second—then recognition hit.
The moment he realized who it was, the large Arcanine broke into a run straight toward Austin.
Charging against the breeze, Agni's flaxen fur rippled wildly, his thick tail wagging with unrestrained excitement.
"Nine!"
"Hey—don't jump, don't jump!"
Agni always liked testing Austin's limits.
As usual, he tried to plant his two heavy front paws straight onto Austin's shoulders, claws scraping eagerly as if he were wrestling another Pokémon.
"What did you eat this time? And don't lick me if you've just eaten something weird!"
Austin, blessed with a physique that barely qualified as human anymore, used strength that rivaled a Machamp's to pin Agni in place before disaster struck.
"Ne?!"
Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
Agni was instantly subdued—utterly confused.
Austin laughed, flipping onto Agni's broad back and giving his massive, fluffy head a firm pat.
"Alright, take me to meet your new friend."
"Arcanine~"
The wind howled past them as Agni sprinted forward. In less than a minute, he came to a smooth stop in front of a beautifully decorated villa.
Bell, with the Growlithe sitting obediently beside her, was already waiting.
Austin glanced at the woman. Though stylishly dressed, she looked to be around the same age as his mother. He greeted her politely.
"Hello, I'm Austin Black—Agni's Trainer."
The blonde woman nodded with a warm smile.
"I met your parents yesterday. Just call me Aunt Bell."
She briefly explained how she'd run into Austin's parents while they were shopping, and how Agni had quickly become the bridge between them.
Austin nodded politely.
"Nice to meet you, Aunt Bell. You can call me Austin."
Bell pushed her sunglasses up slightly and said with genuine admiration,
"Your Arcanine is exceptionally well-bred."
"My grandpa helped a lot with that."
Bell smiled a little wider.
"You really are as modest as your mother described."
She looked at Agni, who was now squatting beside Austin, shamelessly rubbing his massive head against him.
"Agni likes you very much," Bell said softly. "And honestly, that's what matters most."
"If you have time, please come over more often," Austin replied. "My mom would be really happy."
Bell nodded.
"Of course. I'll bring Growlithe to visit."
From the very first night Agni appeared, Bell had already discussed things with her husband, Zorro.
A family capable of raising an Arcanine of this caliber was never ordinary.
Setting breeding skills aside, Pokémon like Agni were almost impossible to obtain—usually circulating only within the police system.
Zorro, the section chief of the Jubilife Police Headquarters and a Police Superintendent, had little trouble investigating backgrounds.
On top of that, the Breeding House project had been personally backed by the mayor of Jubilife City, something Zorro was already aware of.
That alone told Bell enough.
Austin's grandfather—an Elite-tier breeder.
An uncle renowned as a Pokémon-style designer.
A cousin named Vera, a 21-year-old researcher of ancient Pokémon history.
Parents who were both Senior Breeders.
And Austin himself?
A Lucario.
A Shiny Metang.
And an Arcanine raised to near-perfection.
Making friends with the Black family was a win with no downside.
Bell looked at Agni and asked gently,
"Do you want to come back with Austin, or stay here for now?"
"Nine~"
Agni glanced at Growlithe, his choice painfully obvious.
Austin chuckled.
"Alright, you can stay—but behave yourself. And remember to come back for dinner."
"Arcaninee!"
(You can trust me, great one!)
Bell laughed.
"Don't worry. Agni's been here three days already. Not only did he behave, he even taught Growlithe a few moves."
"Thank you for taking care of him."
. . .
Dusk settled in quietly.
Ryu returned after some adventuring, and Agni finally came home around dinnertime after a full day of chaos and fun.
To celebrate Austin passing the assessment, a bottle of champagne was opened.
His uncle raised his glass, laughing heartily.
"Congratulations to Austin for passing the Intermediate Breeder assessment! Keep it up!"
Austin quickly raised his own glass.
"Thank you, Uncle."
. . .
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