After seeing Nina and the others off, Lucas returned to his bedroom bathroom for a shower. After finishing, he lay on the bed, took his phone from Gengar, and saw that Joy had sent over the questions from the last Breeder assessment.
As Lucas clicked on it, he saw Gengar sit beside him, looking like he wanted to see it too.
"Do you even understand, you big oaf?"
He laughed and chided him, then moved the phone closer to Gengar.
"Kekeke~"
The questions were divided into multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and essay questions.
"This really is… a familiar feeling."
Lucas looked at the question distribution and couldn't help but complain.
"Kekeke?"
"It's nothing, let's look at the questions."
"Kekeke."
First question:
[Which of the following Berries cannot cure status conditions?]
[A. Sitrus Berry]
[B. Razz Berry]
[C. Cheri Berry]
[D. Pecha Berry]
Choose A at a glance, next question.
[Machamp cannot breed with which of the following Pokémon?]
[A. Gardevoir]
[B. Gallade]
[C. Azumarill]
[D. Lopunny]
"Hiss… there's no option for humans?"
Seeing this question, Lucas remembered the Shinny female Machamp… He forced himself to pull his thoughts back and continued looking at the next questions.
The questions included basic Pokémon Egg Groups, methods of using Berries and herbs, and properties and living habits of some common Pokémon.
Simply put, Lucas knew all of it. The subsequent essay questions were usually answered on the spot based on a Pokémon, which was essentially an interview.
Sighing, Lucas slumped onto the bed: "I thought it would be much harder…"
"Gengar, let's finish the exam early tomorrow and come back to clean the Breeding House early. We need to get the Breeding House open and start making money soon."
With his hands clasped behind his head and his eyes fixed on the ceiling, Lucas said this after handing his phone to Gengar.
"Kekeke~"
He tilted his head to look at Gengar, seeing him intently focused on the phone, Lucas said helplessly: "I really don't know if this is good or bad for you. Remember to go to bed early tonight, we have to wake up early tomorrow to clean the Breeding House grounds."
Hearing this, Gengar looked up at him, then turned off the phone, floated to the other side of the bed, and plugged in the charging cable.
"Good night, Gengar."
He smiled and tugged at Gengar's mouth.
"Ke… Kekeke~"
"Remember to turn off the light."
"Kekeke!"
The room plunged into darkness, only a crimson gaze and the white light from the bedside table were visible.
Lucas sighed silently in his heart, then closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep… Waking up in the morning, Lucas pushed open the balcony door, and the Breeding House grounds behind were filled with a thin mist.
"Good morning, Gengar."
Seeing Gengar float in from the floor, Lucas greeted him and then dragged him into the bathroom to wash up.
After washing up, Lucas quickly made some breakfast for himself and Gengar, then went to the warehouse to bring out the newly bought lawnmower.
"I wonder if this thing works well."
Arriving at the Breeding House grounds behind, dew still clung to the weeds, and the air was a bit chilly, making Lucas shiver involuntarily, especially with Gengar behind him.
The diurnal temperature range in the Sinnoh region was too wide.
He then fiddled with the lawnmower according to the instructions, adjusted it, and pressed a button; the lawnmower started with a rumbling Growl.
Wherever the lawnmower passed, it left behind a trail of dead weeds and the fragrance of fresh grass.
"Gengar, come and help me, help me move those big rocks."
Due to too many scattered rocks, the lawnmower kept shaking, so Lucas could only ask Gengar for help.
"Kekeke—"
Gengar heard Lucas's voice, put down the broom he was using to sweep weeds, floated towards Lucas, and then used psychic power to clear all the scattered rocks to one side.
With Gengar's help, the grassy area was quickly cleared. Afterwards, they went to the Lake area, where Gengar cleared all the fallen leaves, sending them to the planting area to be used as fertilizer. Since the Lake water was flowing, there was no need to refill or drain it.
By midday, Lucas looked at the much-improved grounds, feeling as if he had forgotten something.
After a quick look, he then took Gengar and ran back to the house, installed a large sun umbrella, and brought out a few lounge chairs and a small table.
A small afternoon tea spot was now set up.
"Indeed, rituals cannot be omitted."
Looking at the finally finished area, there were still some details that needed to be slowly cleaned up later.
After returning from the Breeder assessment in the afternoon, he could consider opening for business. There was already a place for trainers to board their Pokémon.
"Let's go, Gengar, let's eat. What do you want to eat?"
Lucas plucked off some weeds stuck to his pant leg and said.
"Kekeke~ ٩(º﹃º٩)"
Anything is fine~
After lunch, Lucas and Gengar sat on chairs in front of the counter, waiting for Jenny to arrive, holding a large wooden board listing the Breeding House's services.
A rumbling sound came from outside the door as Jenny stopped her police motorcycle at the entrance.
"Sister Reese."
Lucas handed the wooden board to Gengar and walked out.
"Let's go, I'll take you to the exam. How prepared are you?"
Jenny turned her vehicle around and asked.
"It's alright."
"Looks like you're quite confident. Let's go, get in."
Lucas got into the back seat, then instructed Gengar to look after the house, and followed Jenny to Twinleaf Town to take the Breeder assessment.
Arriving at the Pokémon Center, he greeted Joy, then followed Jenny to the adjacent Breeder Association.
Pushing open the door, the room was full of people, some the same age as Lucas, some older, and even some children.
Looking at the children, each seemingly around ten years old, Lucas then remembered that people here could start their journey with a starter Pokémon at ten, and some became League Champions in their teens.
Walking to his seat, Lucas sat down quietly and waited for the exam to begin.
As the test papers were distributed, Lucas quickly scanned them; they were very simple.
Right, the Beginner Breeder assessment wouldn't be that difficult.
He quickly finished writing his answers and, submitting his paper early, Lucas walked out of the examination room.
Since there was a second part to the exam, Lucas couldn't leave, so he wandered around bored.
Someone tapped him, and he turned around to see it was Jenny.
"Sister Reese, you can come in?"
Lucas was curious why Jenny would be here.
"I'm an officer, is there a problem with me coming in?"
Jenny showed her police ID and said with a smile.
"…"
That makes a lot of sense.
Even his exam qualification was obtained with Jenny's help, so it all made sense.
He was someone who used connections.
"Judging by your expression, the first exam went well?"
Jenny asked.
"No big problems."
"That's good then."