"I'm back."
With the creaking of the door as it opened, Bruce spoke calmly in the tone of the original owner.
What caught his attention was a spacious living room. Bruce estimated that the area of this living room was at least over 50 square meters.
Bruce's house is located in the city center. It's a large apartment of over 300 square meters, and the price is surprisingly high.
This is just the house specially bought by Bayne's father and mother for the convenience of commuting to work and for Bruce to go to school.
The grandfather of the original owner lived in a mansion on the outskirts, where they truly resided.
"I'm back!" Bayne Emma came out of the kitchen with an apron on and her hair tied up, looking surprised.
"We thought you wouldn't be back for a while," said William, who came out of the bedroom in loose pajamas with a smile.
Since William is the Psychic Gym Master, he usually finishes work around five or six in the evening.
Well, William can be considered a conscientious gym leader, unlike some gym leaders who often disappear and even hire robots to handle rivals for them. In short, some are more reliable than others.
"Yes," Bruce hummed with a calm expression. After changing into slippers, he entered the living room.
William and Emma had long been accustomed to his appearance; they exchanged glances, and Emma asked Bruce, "Bruce, have you submitted a Pokémon?"
Upon hearing this, Bruce took the Luxury Ball from his waist and held it in his palm.
"Alright!" Seeing this, William smiled and shouted loudly.
"What Pokémon is it? Can we take a look?" Emma asked softly, her face bright with a smile.
Bruce nodded, pressed the button, and when a red light lit up, Torchic appeared in the huge living room.
Seeing the unfamiliar surroundings before it, Torchic carefully observed its surroundings, its dark eyes appearing a bit sharp.
"Torchic, good boy." William looked at Torchic and nodded with a smile on his lips.
"What?"
Emma let out a small gasp, a sparkle shining in her eyes. She crouched down and observed the Torchic in front of her closely.
As a master breeder, Emma also has profound achievements in identifying Pokémon.
After a long while, Emma stood up, her eyes flashing as she exclaimed, "This Torchic has very good qualifications."
After saying this, Emma turned her head to look at Bruce and asked loudly, "Bruce, did you get this from the Pokémon Breeders' Center?"
"Yes."
"You're very lucky. This Torchic has excellent qualifications. Take care of it, and you'll have a bright future," Emma said.
A strange look shone in William's eyes. He first looked at Torchic, then turned his head to look at Bruce and said in a deep voice, "Of course, Pokémon's aptitude doesn't determine everything."
"I don't know if your teacher has said that Pokémon qualifications are not the only criteria for measuring a Pokémon's future."
"Aptitude determines the upper limit, but 99% of Pokémon can't reach their own upper limit."
"Only with the right breeding methods and the correct training methods can Pokémon reach their upper limit."
"Both are indispensable."
At this point, William paused and then continued in a relaxed tone, "I know you want to become a Pokémon researcher, but a Pokémon researcher doesn't conflict with being a trainer."
"Rather, this is a mutual achievement. The status of a trainer can help you better understand Pokémon."
"I understand." Bruce nodded.
At that moment, Delcatty, Emma's Pokémon, walked lightly toward Torchic. It swayed its tail and softly called to Torchic.
[Pokémon: Delcatty (Normal)
Ability: Cute Charm
Rating: Master
Level: Lv52 (Gym)]
The master-level aptitude and gym-level strength align with what William just said.
Ninety-nine out of a hundred Pokémon cannot reach the upper limit of their aptitude.
Bruce agreed with this statement. In this real Pokémon world, improving Pokémon's strength is very difficult, often measured in years.
According to the original owner's memory, William's most powerful Pokémon is a maximum-level Alakazam from the gym.
And William is already over forty years old, so his potential for improvement is small.
William's goal is to allow Alakazam to take this crucial step and reach the master level.
But this last step is like a chasm, impassable.
Yes, if a Pokémon wants to advance from the previous level to the next, it needs to overcome the level barrier, commonly known as a bottleneck.
The initial-stage bottlenecks are relatively easy to overcome, but once you reach the elite level, the subsequent bottlenecks become increasingly difficult, often trapping Pokémon for several years or even... a lifetime.
"Alright, let's get to know each other well."
"Go wash your hands and eat right away," Emma said.
"Okay." Bruce nodded and walked toward the bathroom.
After Bruce entered the bathroom, William and Emma exchanged glances and communicated in whispers.
"This Torchic has at least an Elite rating, which is very rare," Emma said.
"I know, but have you noticed that Bruce doesn't seem resistant to becoming a trainer?" William replied.
Emma thoughtfully considered Bruce's reaction at that moment and nodded, "It seems so."
"It's a good sign," William said excitedly, whispering, "With Bruce's psychic talent, as long as he becomes a trainer, his future is very bright."
"And my father is still planning that Pokémon for Bruce; as long as it's successful... it's expected to be Elite."
Emma nodded and said, "Whether Bruce wants to become a Pokémon researcher or a trainer, we must respect his ideas."
"Although our father hopes to have successors, the thoughts of the children are the most important."
In fact, Pokémon researchers are more important and hold a higher status than Trainers of the same level.
But this completely depends on talent; the competition is more intense than that of Trainers, and ordinary people can hardly have a bright future.
If Bruce becomes a trainer, they will definitely be able to use family resources and do their utmost to help him.
Not to mention Elite; at least Master Trainer is very promising.
But if Bruce wants to become a Pokémon researcher, they won't be able to do anything more than provide him with connections.
The two exchanged whispers for a while and only entered the kitchen after Bruce came out.
A moment later, Emma poured the energy cube into the food container in front of Delcatty and Torchic and returned to the dining table.
—Bruce, what are your plans for the upcoming vacation? —William's voice suddenly broke the silence at the table.
Bruce's thoughts shifted, and he calmly said, "Continue with the next stage of study."
Both of their faces darkened slightly.
But Bruce's voice continued to resonate in their ears.
"At the same time, make a breeding and training plan for Torchic to help it grow faster."
"Chirp?"
Hearing its name, Torchic looked up from the food bowl, its face filled with confusion.
William and Emma exchanged smiles upon hearing this.
To be Continued