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Breeding Center, Office
The Breeding Center genuinely didn't need bodyguards or security personnel—at least not at this stage.
The combination of Ninetales, Gardevoir, Machamp, and Scizor provided more than adequate protection.
"I'm sorry, my husband's personality has always been like this. If he offended you, please accept my apology on his behalf," Fumie said sincerely.
Leon had already been properly chastised by his wife.
Regarding the earlier mishap, Fumie offered Alan a genuine apology.
Alan chuckled good-naturedly and waved his large hand dismissively. "No, no, not at all! I actually really like Machamp. I take it as a compliment."
"I used to be a professional Pokémon Boxer, but I retired due to a leg injury. Don't worry, though—the injury doesn't affect my daily life or work capabilities."
"That makes sense," Leon said, nodding thoughtfully.
Looking at Alan sitting there like a towering wall of muscle, Leon silently acknowledged that the man's former profession was entirely believable.
Fumie quickly searched Alan's name on her phone and found an impressive list of his accomplishments. This was someone important enough to have his own entry on PokéWiki.
16th P1 Fighting Tournament Champion
19th Pokémon World Martial Arts Tournament Champion
...
27th Pokémon World Martial Arts Tournament Top 8
Alan had debuted at age sixteen, reaching his peak performance immediately and winning three consecutive championships. Later, due to his leg injury, he managed to reach the top eight five times in a row. After what fans dubbed the "five-times-eighth-place" streak, he chose to retire from professional competition.
Even now, Alan was only twenty-eight years old.
"What made you choose to become a Breeder, then?" Fumie asked, genuinely curious.
"I've loved working with and caring for Pokémon since I was a child. Becoming a Pokémon Boxer happened more by chance than intention," Alan explained warmly.
"I passed the Junior Breeder certification assessment, but when I attempted the Intermediate level..." He trailed off with a sheepish smile.
Alan lived comfortably, having secured numerous product endorsements during his professional fighting career. His decision to pursue breeding wasn't driven by financial need—it was purely motivated by passion.
Leon and Fumie wanted to hire people who genuinely loved Pokémon, and Alan was a perfect match for that criteria. Breeding knowledge could always be learned gradually over time.
"Welcome to Jubilife Breeding Center. You can come by anytime to complete the onboarding paperwork," Fumie said with a warm smile.
She added jokingly, "If you encounter any unreasonable customers, please help them understand proper behavior."
The service industry brought contact with all types of people, and there were always a few difficult ones in any crowd.
Alan laughed heartily. "Leave it to me!"
When dealing with problematic customers, having someone like Alan—essentially a human-sized Machamp—provided a significant advantage. Not to mention that Alan's extensive list of championship titles could intimidate even the most stubborn complainers.
Throughout the afternoon, Leon and Fumie continued conducting interviews, meeting with twelve candidates total. They weren't just hiring Breeders—they also needed general maintenance staff and cleaners.
However, only Claire and Alan truly met their standards and expectations.
Because the employment terms they offered were excellent and the Breeding Center's environment was appealing, they'd attracted numerous applicants. After all, people naturally sought better opportunities, and water flowed downhill.
Being a Breeder was demanding work, so candidates naturally gravitated toward positions offering higher pay and more comfortable working conditions. Working at a reputable center also gave Breeders more professional confidence when discussing their careers.
Leon and Fumie prioritized quality over quantity, especially since the center wasn't overwhelmingly busy yet.
Courtyard, Rockery Ornamental Fish Pond
The fish pond wasn't particularly large—approximately eight meters in diameter—with a hollowed-out decorative rockery structure positioned in its center.
Originally, the rockery had been empty, but now it housed one very shy Feebas.
Because Feebas still didn't dare to show itself to people, Wayne simply placed food near the pond's edge and quietly withdrew.
"I've left your food here. Please remember to eat," he said gently before departing.
Wayne received text messages from both Alan and Claire on his phone: "I will report for duty tomorrow."
Wayne replied to each of them with a simple: "Welcome."
Claire's response never came—like a stone dropped into the ocean.
However, Alan replied almost immediately: "Still as brief as ever, I see."
After finishing those messages, Wayne took a moment to check his social media feed. He quickly spotted Ethan's enthusiastic post.
Ethan had directly tagged Wayne's account with a caption announcing that Wayne had opened a Breeding Center in Jubilife City, inviting anyone with time to come try their services.
Wayne accidentally liked the post while scrolling.
Since Wayne wasn't friends with Red, Blue, or the others on social media, he couldn't see if they had commented.
However, Wayne did notice a familiar name among their mutual friends: Lt. Surge, one of the former Team Rocket's three cadres and a Major who hailed from the Unova region.
He was also notably the first Gym Leader in the anime to suffer a genuine defeat against Ash Ketchum.
How embarrassing for you, Lt. Surge! Wayne thought with amusement.
Lt. Surge had long since reformed and was currently serving as the Gym Leader of Vermilion City Gym in Kanto. He had once ventured alone into the Mask of Ice's territory and successfully escaped, even managing to rescue Ethan and Silver in the process.
Wayne's post had received a comment from him as well.
"Captain Lt. Surge of the S.S. Anne: Very good! I'll definitely visit when I get the chance!"
Wayne had once traveled aboard Lt. Surge's ship, the S.S. Anne, and they'd become friends afterward.
Wayne assumed he was just being polite. After all, Lt. Surge was based in Vermilion City in the Kanto region—why would he travel all the way to Jubilife City in Sinnoh without good reason?
Meanwhile, Wayne's first video, which had gone viral, continued gaining momentum, with its view count steadily climbing.
When Wayne uploaded his second video, all his followers received an automatic notification.
"The missing content creator returns!" one comment read enthusiastically.
Wayne had edited out most of the parts showing his face, keeping the focus primarily on Delcatty and Glameow.
"Come on, distinguished guests, let's enjoy a bubble bath together," Wayne's voice narrated.
As Wayne pressed a Farfetch'd-shaped bath toy onto Glameow's head in the video, comments immediately began flooding in:
"Feeling the pressure from that stare!"
"Understood—that's the power seal keeping it calm!"
"So well-behaved during bath time! A true noble feline!"
"The content creator's technique is clearly excellent."
"Suggestion: try this with a group of Purugly for extra difficulty!"
"My Delcatty says the cat in the video is definitely purebred!"
"Did anyone else notice? The Pokéblocks the creator brought out were extremely high quality!"
Someone with a trained eye made an accurate assessment based on the crystal-clear appearance of the Pokéblocks.
Since Lila had reminded him about it, Nami had filmed a detailed close-up of Wayne grooming Glameow at the video's conclusion. The smooth, lustrous fur clearly indicated excellent care and maintenance.
Bathing Pokémon—especially fastidious species like Delcatty and Glameow—was an incredibly challenging task. Yet Wayne had delivered a masterclass demonstration through his skilled technique and patient handling.
"I'm going to try this method on my Meowth!"
"The creator is really good at sneaking in advertisements."
This successfully drew attention to the uniquely named Jubilife Breeding Center. Wayne's account bio included the physical address, making it easy for interested fans to locate the facility.
"Class representative here with notes: First step—gently comb the fur..."
Combined with the followers accumulated from his previous viral video, Wayne's new video's view count grew rapidly, and his follower count steadily increased as well.
Wayne selected a few interesting comments to reply to personally, then closed the app.
"Ten thousand followers are definitely within reach now," he murmured to himself with satisfaction.
The Next Day
Both Alan and Claire reported for duty early that morning.
Claire moved into the female staff dormitory without issue, but Alan's situation was far more impressive.
He had directly purchased a two-story house located just outside the Breeding Center—approximately eight hundred meters away.
The property paperwork was still being processed, but Alan had already moved in with all his belongings.
Upon hearing this news, Wayne leaned back in his chair in amazement, finally understanding what true passion and commitment looked like!
Alan enthusiastically showed off his "triple combo" social media engagement—he'd liked, subscribed, and shared Wayne's content.
"Your video is trending in the lifestyle section of PokéTube Network. That's actually how I discovered it," Alan mentioned casually.
The video featuring Delcatty and Glameow's grooming session had reached 700,000 views overnight, directly surpassing the first video's performance.
Claire, standing beside them, commented softly, "If you'd shown your face properly, the video probably would have exceeded a million views by now."
Wayne waved his hand dismissively. "I'm a technical content creator who relies on skill, not on appearance."
"Come on, let me give you both a proper tour of the Breeding Center," Wayne said, standing up and gesturing toward the door.