Jubilife Breeding Center
Shortly after Lila arrived at the Breeding Center, her assistant Nami rushed over as well.
"President, honestly! I've told you so many times that you can't just leave me behind and wander off everywhere!" Nami said, dressed in her suit and clearly harboring deep resentment toward Lila.
"Haha," Lila laughed awkwardly. "But I did tell you the address, didn't I?"
Nami placed her hands on her hips, looking indignant. "Only because I called to ask where you were!"
When Nami had woken up that morning, she felt like the sky was falling. The President, who had been sleeping peacefully in the hotel, had suddenly vanished without a trace.
Fumie quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Alright, don't be angry. If you're not busy, why don't you both stay for lunch?"
Lila looked puzzled. "Won't that be too much trouble? Aren't you still conducting recruitment interviews today?"
Fumie shook her head. "The recruitment doesn't start until this afternoon, so it's perfectly fine."
"Well then, we'll stay," Lila replied with a smile.
"Come on, let's go see how Wayne has been taking care of Delcatty."
The three of them walked through the corridor to the building on the left side of the complex. Just as they arrived, they saw Delcatty preening itself in front of a mirror, its slender tail swaying gently back and forth. The Prim Pokémon's smooth, cream-colored fur shimmered beautifully under the light as it moved with characteristic elegance.
"You're so adorable, Delcatty!" Lila exclaimed.
In a flash that Wayne couldn't even comprehend, Lila had crossed the room and was beside Delcatty, rubbing her face against its soft fur with enthusiasm.
Ding, Lila is satisfied with Delcatty's fur care. Task progress (2/100).
Delcatty simply pushed her face away with one paw, looking rather helpless at the situation.
"Meow," it protested softly.
"How can you be so indifferent, Delcatty!" Lila pouted.
Fumie raised her index finger and explained patiently, "Delcatty doesn't like having its fur messed up after it's just finished bathing and grooming."
Wayne silently thought to himself: You're lucky it's only pushing you away and not scratching you.
Wayne picked up the grooming comb and carefully brushed Delcatty's fur until it was neat once again.
Nami and Wayne had met before, though they weren't very familiar with each other. Watching Wayne groom Delcatty's fur so skillfully, Nami felt inspired.
She mustered her courage and took out a Poké Ball. "Excuse me, could you help manage my Glameow's fur as well?"
Wayne nodded. "Of course. Let it out."
When Glameow emerged from its Poké Ball, its distinctive features were immediately apparent: large ears, a long spring-coiled tail, mostly blue-gray body fur, and white coloring around its mouth and paws.
"Your Glameow is quite well-bred," Wayne observed. He could tell from its demeanor that the Pokémon was in fairly good spirits.
Nami scratched the side of her face shyly. "That's mostly thanks to the President helping me. I'm still not very good at it on my own."
Lila put her arm around the slightly flushed Nami and smiled warmly. "Nami is excellent at her work, but she's still working hard to learn about Pokémon breeding."
Gathering her courage, Nami asked, "May I watch how you care for Glameow's fur? I'd really like to learn."
Wayne nodded. "Sure, no problem."
The process would be similar to grooming Delcatty, but there was one important prerequisite for Glameow.
"Does your Glameow have any special dietary needs or restrictions?" Wayne asked.
Generally speaking, Delcatty would flail about if its fur became messy, while Glameow tended to become irritable when hungry—each species had its quirks.
Nami thought for a moment and then shook her head. "Not really, though it does prefer sweet foods."
Wayne went to the adjacent room and retrieved two food bowls, filling each with a small amount of Pecha Berry Pokéblocks—one portion was drizzled with sweet honey, making it especially sweet, while the other was soaked in regular Moomoo Milk.
These were high-quality Pecha Berry Pokéblocks that Wayne had made in a hurry the previous night. He had prepared quite a few different flavors specifically to handle situations like this.
Wayne's Pokéblock-making skill had reached the Advanced Class level. As long as the berries used were up to standard, the Pokéblocks he produced never failed and were consistently high-quality.
As a former Pokémon Coordinator and Contest participant, Lila immediately recognized that these Pokéblocks were of exceptional quality. This was also evident from the drooling Glameow and from Delcatty, who was impatiently tugging at Wayne's pant leg.
"Were these made by Mr. Lionel?" Lila asked, impressed.
Fumie shook her head. "No, my father never makes Pokéblocks."
The old man had never taken to making Pokéblocks—Wayne had learned the skill entirely on his own.
Wayne placed the two portions of food in front of the Pokémon and looked up with a smile. "I made them myself."
Ding, gained 777 points of Pokéblock proficiency.
Ding, gained 888 points of Pokéblock proficiency.
It was clear that neither Pokémon had ever tasted Pokéblocks of such quality before, as the proficiency points gained were especially high.
A curious gleam flashed in Lila's eyes. "You can make high-quality Pokéblocks now? That's impressive for someone your age."
Lila knew that a single high-quality Pokéblock could easily sell for over 10,000 Pokédollars on the market. Even feeding a Pokémon just once a day would result in significant monthly expenses.
Wayne nodded modestly. "I seem to have some natural talent for making Pokéblocks."
Meanwhile, Fumie began mentally calculating the business potential of selling Pokéblocks. I'll need to get a proper business license...
As a Senior Breeder, Fumie had considerable knowledge about Pokéblocks and their market value.
Lila offered a helpful reminder. "Sister Fumie, even if you only sold Pokéblocks, your family wouldn't lose money. You should start preparing the necessary materials and permits soon."
Fumie smiled knowingly. "I've already thought of that."
As the family's financial expert and business strategist, Fumie had already considered it and was even planning the cultivation of berry crops.
"First, you brush the fur gently. Keep the water temperature at around 40 degrees Celsius. Since different Pokémon experience temperature differently, you need to let them test it first..." Wayne explained as he worked.
"If you don't have a professional dryer, use a hairdryer on the lowest power setting and keep it at a safe distance. Remember never to blow directly into their ears, as that's very uncomfortable for them."
Wayne carefully managed Glameow's grooming while providing Nami with detailed instruction.
Nami recorded the process with her phone, trying to capture every detail.
"It looks like you're recording the wrong focus," Lila commented with amusement.
She had glanced over and noticed that Nami's camera was focused entirely on Wayne's face instead of the actual grooming process.
Where's the video of Glameow's fur care? Why is the camera just pointed at Wayne?
"Ah, I'm so sorry! I just unconsciously..." Nami fumbled with her phone, her face turning red with embarrassment.
Being the center of attention was something Wayne had long grown accustomed to—it came with his natural charisma. He didn't let it distract him from his work.
Ding, Glameow is satisfied with your grooming skills. Task progress (3/100).
After the grooming was complete, Glameow began doing playful somersaults in place, movements that resembled a gymnast's routine. The Pokémon was clearly pleased with the results.
Lila chuckled. "I've watched the process once and understand the basics. I'll teach you properly when we get back to our office."
Since Lila and Nami spent most of their time in Celestic Town or traveling for business like they were now, they couldn't always be in Jubilife City. Although they maintained a good relationship with Wayne's family, Lila and Wayne's uncle were in the same profession, and staying in the same city would simply mean competing for the same clients.
"Could you send me this video?" Wayne asked.
There were surveillance cameras in the room, and with Nami's recording from a different angle, he now had footage from two perspectives. Wayne thought it would be an excellent opportunity to create an educational video.
Wait, why am I already thinking about making a second video... Wayne suddenly felt somewhat helpless at how easily he'd fallen into this pattern.
"No problem, I'll send it to you right now," Nami replied eagerly.
Wayne smiled appreciatively. "Thank you."
Without a doubt, Nami was also satisfied with Glameow's grooming results, and the task progress updated to (4/100).