Jubilife Breeding Center.
Wayne retrieved the necessary data from the computer and sent it to Officer Jenny through Blue's contact information.
While waiting for Officer Jenny's assistance with the investigation,
Blue briefly explained to Wayne the reason behind his visit to Johto.
When Mr. Lionel was young, he had traveled extensively through the Kanto region and became close friends with Professor Oak.
Professor Oak taught Mr. Lionel advanced breeding techniques and methodologies.
In return, Mr. Lionel attempted to teach Professor Oak how to cook proper meals.
However, he only managed to successfully teach him how to boil instant ramen using an alcohol lamp.
Blue said helplessly, "Let's not mention that particular failure."
Mr. Lionel wasn't the type to boast about his past accomplishments. He was far too modest to talk about his brilliant achievements from years ago.
Mr. Lionel had even visited Pallet Town a few years back, so Blue had actually met him before.
However, Wayne had been completely unaware of this connection.
"Some time ago, Mr. Lionel called my grandfather, Professor Oak, with a special request," Blue explained.
"Originally, the plan was for you to travel to Pallet Town for advanced study. But Professor Oak said you were too busy managing the Breeding Center, so he asked me to come here instead."
Blue shrugged slightly, feeling somewhat exasperated. "I'm also the Gym Leader of Viridian City Gym, you know?"
As a dutiful and filial grandson, however,
Blue could only choose to make the journey personally.
Later, sitting in the living room with an ice-cold bottle of cola placed in front of each of them,
Blue leaned back comfortably on the sofa, crossed his legs, and asked casually, "Tell me about yourself. When did you first start breeding Pokémon?"
"I received a Riolu Egg two years ago. That was my first time breeding a Pokémon from scratch," Wayne replied.
Recalling Lucario's current condition and abilities, Blue nodded slightly. Achieving this level of development in just two years was quite impressive.
Blue was no longer relaxed and casual. He sat upright with a serious expression and stated clearly:
"Although I promised Mr. Lionel I would come, that promise was made through Professor Oak's request. As for whether I'll actually teach you anything...
I was still considering that decision. I figured if you turned out to be an incompetent fool, I would turn around and leave immediately."
Wayne's mouth twitched slightly.
Wouldn't it have been better for everyone if we'd just been polite to each other?
"I'm not officially your teacher, but for the next seven days, I will do my absolute best to instruct you. How much you actually learn will depend entirely on your own effort and dedication."
Blue glanced at his watch. "If you have no objections, we'll start this afternoon. I need to go prepare some materials first."
After saying this, Blue stood up and left the room.
"What are you... doing?"
Opening the door suddenly, Blue stared wide-eyed at the very suspicious-looking Leon with obvious confusion.
"Just passing by! Just passing by!" Leon stammered nervously.
Leon scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.
Wayne called toward the corner, "Dad, just come out already."
Leon had wanted to pretend he hadn't been eavesdropping, but his large frame took up too much space to hide effectively.
"Son! What were you and Blue just discussing?" Leon asked eagerly.
Leon had been crouching to eavesdrop, but with the door closed, he couldn't hear the conversation clearly.
"Grandpa Lionel asked him to teach me breeding knowledge. For seven days," Wayne explained.
Leon's usual casual demeanor vanished completely. He spoke in a deep, serious voice: "This is a former Champion we're talking about. You absolutely must learn everything you can from him!"
However, he quickly broke character, muttering softly under his breath, "Although he was only Champion for five minutes..."
"Don't worry, I understand the opportunity this represents," Wayne assured him.
Whether Blue was currently a Champion or not wasn't particularly important.
The most important thing was Blue's exceptional breeding abilities and expertise.
He had earned the prestigious title of 'The Breeder' directly from Professor Oak himself.
Blue had once cultivated an entire team strong enough to guard Viridian City Gym in less than a single year.
Even Red's Pokémon had been trained and refined by Blue at various points.
The two friends had once swapped their entire teams for a full week as a training exercise.
In fact, it was quite normal for their Pokémon to be exchanged back and forth even now.
The outstanding strength and battle prowess of Red's Pokémon could, to some extent, also be attributed partially to Blue's dedicated training efforts.
Conversely, Blue had learned about emotional bonds and deeper connections with Pokémon from studying Red's methods.
They were a pair of rivals and close friends who constantly encouraged and pushed each other to improve.
Wayne posted a specific update on his social media:
[I'll be focused on intensive studying for the next seven days, so I'll be quite busy. I'll post Employment Guidance Episode 05 when I return.]
Blue also sent a message to Red.
[No time to chat. Teaching a student for seven days. Talk later.]
Red looked up at his computer screen, then down at his phone.
"Why are they both exactly seven days?" he wondered aloud.
"Never mind that. I'll just go find someone to battle!" Red decided cheerfully.
Ding!
[You have received a new Side Quest: Blue's Approval]
[Please earn Blue's genuine approval during the seven days of study. Quest Reward: Unknown.]
Wayne mentally selected "Accept."
That afternoon, in the back kitchen.
Before beginning the actual instruction, Blue explained the investigation results first.
"There's something suspicious about that Trainer's registered information. Officer Jenny said she's still conducting a thorough investigation."
"So the Feebas issue is most likely connected to this Trainer somehow?" Wayne asked.
Blue nodded slightly. "Highly probable. But let's not focus on that right now. Let's begin the lesson."
Blue immediately shifted into serious teaching mode.
Blue pointed toward a pile of ingredients he had specifically asked Fumie to help prepare and gather.
"Can you make proper Pokémon food from scratch?" he asked directly.
Wayne answered confidently, "Yes, I can."
Blue wasn't entirely sure what Wayne's actual skill level was yet.
"Show me then. You'll need to prepare it for my Arcanine. Its taste preferences are fairly typical among Arcanine as a species."
The process of making high-quality Pokémon food
was actually no simpler than crafting Pokéblocks or Poffins.
It comprehensively tested knife skills, precise cooking temperature control, and proper seasoning balance.
Wayne selected a plump duck from the ingredients—not a Farfetch'd, but an ordinary wild duck.
The first step would be deboning it completely.
Blue had specifically asked Fumie to choose a particularly plump duck. The meat quality was excellent, but the deboning difficulty was correspondingly higher.
Wayne's movements were clean, precise, and efficient. He showed absolutely no nervousness despite performing in front of Blue.
The moment Wayne finished and set down his knife, Blue pressed the stopwatch.
"Seven minutes and fifty-three seconds."
Wayne's deboning speed exceeded Blue's expectations significantly.
After the deboning was complete, the presentation looked perfect. Blue couldn't identify a single flaw in the technique.
"Very good. Much better than I initially imagined. Continue with the next steps."
Knife skills weren't particularly crucial in Pokémon food preparation—after all, most ingredients ended up minced anyway.
However, excellent knife skills were definitely a valuable bonus that reflected overall competence.
Wayne chopped various ingredients methodically, then added different seasonings according to the standard taste preferences of Arcanine as a species. He carefully minced everything into a fine paste.
After proper cooking, this would result in the pelleted form similar to commercial Pokémon food that resembled kibble.
During this entire process, temperature control was absolutely critical.
Cook too long and the meat would become tough and unpalatable. Use too high a flame and the pellets might fail to form properly or burst open during cooking.
Wayne finished by grinding various Berries into fine powder and sprinkling them evenly over the completed food.
Blue couldn't find a single flaw in the portion of food Wayne had prepared for his Arcanine.
"Come out, Arcanine!"
Blue threw a Poké Ball, and his Arcanine materialized. He then placed the prepared food directly in front of it.
"Eat," he commanded simply.
Blue observed Arcanine wagging its tail enthusiastically while burying its head in the food bowl. Then he looked up at Wayne thoughtfully.
"Your fundamental skills are extremely solid. Honestly, it probably wouldn't matter much even if you didn't study under me for these seven days."
Wayne shook his head modestly. "That's only because I also own an Arcanine myself, so I've practiced extensively with Fire-type food."
Wayne didn't dare become too proud or overconfident.
What if Blue actually decided to leave early?
He would have absolutely nowhere to cry then.
Blue's lips curved into a slight smile. "This afternoon, we'll begin with Ground-type Pokémon food preparation."
Blue appreciated students who possessed genuine talent yet remained humble and eager to learn.
Teaching such students was never particularly difficult or frustrating.
Blue truly shared everything he knew without reservation,
holding absolutely nothing back.
After taking over leadership of Viridian City Gym, Blue had obtained Giovanni's legendary training guide, "Secrets of the Earth," making Ground-type his particular area of expertise.
He explained to Wayne the exact proportions of ingredients and the precise ratios needed for optimal results.