Tetsu said speechlessly, "What kind of business do you have that requires you to go out?"
Eichi did not hide the truth, "I am going to participate in the Junior Breeder assessment next Wednesday."
"What?!" Tetsu shouted, his face full of disbelief.
"Keep your voice down," Eichi warned.
Tetsu immediately realized his mistake and looked around. Seeing that the people nearby were staring at them, he lowered his head and whispered, "You've even studied breeding knowledge?"
"I've been studying breeding for a long time," Eichi replied.
"You didn't say anything earlier!" Tetsu complained.
"You didn't ask," Eichi countered.
"..."
Fine, it's all my fault.
Then Tetsu asked again, "Can you do it? Do you think you can pass the Junior Breeder assessment?"
"I asked Professor Kant. He said that with my strength, passing the Junior Breeder assessment shouldn't be a problem," Eichi said.
After hearing this, Tetsu said, "I feel so inferior being with you now. How are you so 'niubee'?"
Tetsu had learned the word "niubee" from Eichi.
Suddenly, Tetsu spoke up again, "No, I have to work hard too. Otherwise, I won't be able to catch up with you in the future."
Eichi just smiled and said nothing.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the weekend arrived. Today was the day to set off. Since the assessment would begin on Wednesday, they needed to depart in advance.
Eichi arrived at the plaza by the main gate. Professor Kant had told him to wait there.
The number of students in the breeding specialty for each grade at Silver Academy was not large. This year was the most populous, with three hundred students. In previous years, there were usually around one hundred. The vast majority of them would participate in the Junior Breeder assessment during their fourth year.
Approximately one hundred people went every year. This group also included students from other grades; some were third-years, and only a few were second-years. There were no first-years—excluding Eichi, since he was not a breeding specialty student.
When Eichi arrived, several people were already in the plaza. Eichi always arrived half an hour earlier than the scheduled time.
As time went by, everyone gradually arrived, and the plaza became crowded. Everyone was around fourteen or fifteen years old, and some were gathered together chatting.
Although Eichi was only ten years old, it was impossible to tell from his height alone, even though his face looked quite young.
During the wait, a purple-haired student nearby, perhaps bored from waiting, asked, "Classmate, which class are you in? I don't feel like I've seen you before. Are you a third-year?"
Eichi smiled but did not answer. The student took Eichi's silence as a confirmation and said, "That's amazing! Participating in the Junior Breeder assessment as a third-year."
Eichi did not deny it and said, "It's not that amazing. I just want to try and see if I can pass to gain some experience."
The purple-haired boy said, "That's the right attitude. Even if you don't pass, it doesn't matter. Just keep working hard."
"Mhm, thank you, Senior," Eichi replied.
"No problem," the purple-haired boy said.
At that moment, Professor Kant arrived. When the purple-haired boy saw him, he said with a look of surprise, "How is it Professor Kant? Professor Kant is actually leading the team this time! We're so lucky!"
He then excitedly told Eichi, "Junior, look, that's Professor Kant, a professor of our breeding specialty. He is one of the few Senior Breeders in the entire Silver Academy, and he specializes in Pokéblock production."
He added with a face full of envy, "I really want to become a Senior Breeder just like him!"
Eichi remained silent. Not far away, Professor Kant saw Eichi and waved, calling out, "Eichi, over here!"
The purple-haired boy looked at Eichi with a bewildered expression. Eichi gave him a polite smile and said, "Senior, I'm heading over now."
He walked to Professor Kant's side and greeted him, "Good morning, Professor Kant!"
He then greeted the other teachers standing next to Professor Kant.
Professor Kant smiled and introduced him to the other teachers, "Let me introduce you all to my student, Eichi."
One teacher looked at Eichi and asked, "Which grade is this student Eichi in? I don't think I've seen him before."
Professor Kant explained with a smile, "Of course you haven't seen him. Eichi isn't from our breeding specialty; he's from the combat specialty."
The teachers were astonished. "He's not from our specialty? It seems we have a little genius here!"
At that time, the sound of a vehicle came from the main gate. A large bus drove down, followed by several others. A total of four buses parked in the plaza, and the teachers began arranging for the students to board.
Professor Kant took Eichi onto one of the buses. Once everything was settled, the vehicle started moving.
On the bus, Professor Kant sat next to Eichi. He explained the upcoming arrangements: the bus would take them to the train station in Blackthorn City.
The school had already bought the tickets. They would take the train to Ecruteak City, where the school had booked a hotel. They would stay in Ecruteak City for one night and then take the train to Goldenrod City the next day.
Once they reached Goldenrod City, they would also stay in a school-booked hotel for a few days until the Junior Breeder assessment was over before returning.
Two days later, Eichi and the others finally arrived in Goldenrod City. As soon as they exited the train station, buses were waiting to take them to the hotel.
Sitting on the bus and looking out, Eichi saw rows of tall, luxurious buildings. Both the architectural style and the city's characteristics gave off a strong sense of advanced technology.
Eichi recalled the description of Goldenrod City from his books. Goldenrod City is a massive metropolis in western Johto. It is the largest city in the Johto region, rivaling Saffron City. It serves as the economic and technological hub of Johto. Additionally, places like the Goldenrod Radio Tower, Goldenrod Department Store, Goldenrod Game Corner, and Goldenrod Gym attract the attention of trainers.
At the same time, this was Tetsu's hometown. Eichi couldn't help but remember that when he told Tetsu the assessment was in Goldenrod City, Tetsu had been so eager to call his family and invite Eichi over as a guest. Eichi felt that if he had time, he would indeed visit.
After the bus reached the destination, Professor Kant led Eichi off the bus. Everyone from Silver Academy gathered in the lobby, where several teachers began a meeting.
They went over a long list of precautions and then gave everyone a room key card.
One person per room; the academy was truly wealthy and generous. Moreover, the hotel they booked was not cheap at all. The facilities were comparable to a five-star hotel from his previous life. Eichi found his room, which was right next to Professor Kant's.
In the evening, no one stayed in the hotel. Since they were here, they naturally wanted to go out and enjoy themselves. During this period, because of the Junior Breeder assessment, there were especially many people in town.