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Not everyone has enough time to take care of their own Pokémon eggs or assist in their training, and that's exactly why Day Cares came into existence.
The breeders at Day Care are actually the first teachers for Pokémon babies. These little ones, who've just arrived in the world and are still wide-eyed and clueless, learn all their foundational knowledge from them.
They have to carefully correct the bad habits of Pokémon babies, ensuring that when these Pokémon return to their trainers, they can perfectly integrate into daily life.
This is a process of domestication, not so different from the history Luther knows from his own world.
The earliest wolf packs eventually split; some broke away and came to live near humans. Over time, they were domesticated and became the first domestic dogs.
Domestication of Pokémon is actually much simpler. Even the children of wild Pokémon aren't particularly wild by nature, and with a bit of correction, they can live peacefully alongside humans.
That's why the first breeder a Pokémon baby encounters is so important. If a Trainer doesn't pick up their Pokémon promptly after it hatches, its personality and habits are often shaped by the breeder instead.
Mai said that although her job isn't physically demanding, it's mentally exhausting. She's always worried she might do something wrong, teach something poorly, or accidentally have a strange influence on the Pokémon babies.
'To be a teacher is to shoulder a heavy burden'; perhaps this is what that truly means.
Luther figured that his disagreement with the short-haired breeder in front of him was probably just a difference in approach. There was no need to convince each other; he understood the concept of "agreeing to disagree" well enough.
However, the breeder in front of him apparently didn't understand that. The moment she saw the Pokémon egg in Luther's arms, she began lecturing him.
Like saying that he was too rough in handling. Using the wrong tone of voice. The Pokémon around Luther looked too fierce; this could leave a terrible impression on a newborn Pokémon seeing the world for the first time.
After a whole round of criticism, Luther felt like he hadn't done a single thing to satisfy her. All he heard was "not good enough," "too poor," and nothing else.
Luther admitted he was a novice when it came to egg hatching, but hey, everyone has a first time.
His Pokémon are too fierce?
Luther looked at Marill who was eating her orange with aggressive gusto, like someone trying to prove she could still fight. So maybe "fierce" wasn't completely wrong.
Chansey was standing quietly to the side with Espurr and Jumpluff hanging from her, looking lost. Kirlia was helping Espurr peel an orange. It all looked peaceful and harmonious, like a calm little harem.
He got it now, no matter what he did, Luther was just wrong. His methods were wrong by default.
"Thanks for the advice, but I don't plan to change."
Luther sat down next to Marill, picked up an orange, and started peeling it, clearly done with the conversation.
Just as he finished peeling one orange, he felt something bump against his leg. He didn't even need to look to know that Corsola had hopped up onto the sofa, eyes closed and mouth open, waiting to be fed.
No words were necessary. Luther and Corsola had even bathed together before, after all, who knows how many times Corsola had jumped out of the tub behind the shower curtain to join Luther once the water was running?
He peeled the rest of the orange and handed it to Corsola. She chewed for a moment, then suddenly seemed to remember something. Holding half an orange in her mouth, she hopped out of the lounge, and soon returned, this time with a smaller Corsola.
"So this is the Corsola baby that can't manage without your care?"
Luther watched as Mai's Corsola fed the baby Corsola mouth-to-mouth. He peeled another orange and handed it over.
The orange disappeared, more accurately, it was taken away.
The short-haired breeder, holding a still-trembling Sentret, snatched the orange and shot a glare at Luther.
"Pokémon babies have regulated diets. Don't feed them random things on your own."
"Oranges are random things now? And I was feeding Mai's Corsola, not just any Pokémon," Luther replied, confused. "Okay, even if you misunderstood, then tell me this, when Mai's Corsola was feeding the baby Corsola, why didn't you stop it?"
"You know Mai?"
"What do you think? If I didn't know her, would I be feeding her Corsola oranges?"
Luther took a freshly peeled orange segment from Marill's hand and popped it into his mouth.
"So that's where your breeding methods come from, Mai taught you. No wonder you do things this way."
Luther frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Your way of teaching Pokémon babies is totally inappropriate, don't you know that?"
'After all this circling, we're back to the same point?'
"I suggest you hand over the Pokémon egg to me for hatching. I have far more experience than Mai." The female breeder clearly held little regard for Mai's abilities and continued, "I have a certificate issued by the official Breeder Association, awards from breeder competitions organized by the Joy Family, and a whole list of other honors."
"And Mai?" Luther asked.
The breeder stroked the Sentret on her shoulder and gave a dismissive snort.
"She doesn't have any certificates, no proof from the Breeder Association. She's just an enthusiast, nothing more." Then she added, "Do you even understand the difference between an amateur and a professional?"
"Sure," Luther replied quickly. "The amateur runs on passion, the professional makes a living from it. That's all it comes down to."
The breeder seemed pleased with the answer, smiling as she asked, "Then who do you trust more? The professional or the amateur?"
Luther gently touched Marill's springy tail and answered without hesitation: "Professional. I prefer professionals to do professional things, because that's the only way I feel I'm getting my money's worth."
"So you're planning to leave the Pokémon egg with us, then?"
"No rush. We've been talking for a while, but I still don't know your name."
"You can call me Betty."
"Alright then, Miss Betty. Let me be direct: even though I do trust professionals, if I ever decide to have someone else hatch the Pokémon egg, it'll still be Mai."
Betty frowned. "But you said you prefer more professional people."
"She is professional in my eyes," Luther shrugged. "How do you define the word 'professional'? For you, it must mean certificates, awards, qualifications, and all that just to be considered a peer."
"But in my opinion, professionalism is about patiently and carefully taking care of Pokémon babies. Love alone isn't enough; you also need skill and experience. And she's got both."
"And how can you tell she has them?" Betty still wore her look of disdain.
"From the Sentret on your shoulder. The Sentret you raised thinks it's normal to scratch the sofa to bargain for rewards and you don't see a problem with that. Meanwhile, Mai's Corsola won't even enter the rest area unless someone leads her in."
"Sure, you could say that's just a difference in personality between the babies, but to me, it's a matter of discipline."
"A person's qualities affect Pokémon babies, too, Miss Betty. To be honest, your professional ethics aren't quite up to Mai's level. Maybe working while carrying your personal emotions is the reason your Pokémon babies turn out the way they do?"
(End of Chapter)