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Jubilife Breeding Center.
Piplup had settled into a small lake near Wayne's house, while Turtwig and Eevee roamed the enclosed grassy area dotted with bushes. Berry trees, carefully planted by Wayne's family, grew nearby.
These Berries would satisfy Piplup's natural foraging instincts.
Then again, after tasting the Pokémon food Wayne prepared, it was questionable whether Piplup would even want regular Berries anymore.
The weather had grown warmer with spring's arrival.
Before winter returned, they planned to construct a transparent greenhouse so Turtwig could stay comfortable during the cold months.
Leon's Scizor and Fumie's Ninetales would serve as the primary guardians of this area.
"Shay-min!"
Shaymin darted between the trees, playing hide-and-seek with Turtwig and Eevee.
This was Shaymin's favorite pastime.
"Shaymin, don't wander too far!"
"Shay-min!"
Watching Piplup, Turtwig, and Eevee safely settled in their new home, Wayne nodded with satisfaction.
"We still need to hire one more person. Alejandro shouldn't have to handle both Berry cultivation and Pokémon care."
Leon patted his chest confidently. "Leave it to me! I've already got someone in mind."
Wayne's confidence wavered the moment his father made that gesture.
Still, considering Leon's previous hires had worked out well, Wayne decided to trust him.
Currently, Wayne's mother Fumie and Claire, who had developed a keen interest in breeding, managed most of the breeding operations.
Wayne primarily provided theoretical guidance.
In truth, as long as Pokémon had suitable environments and appropriate temperatures, they would breed naturally.
It was simply their nature.
Late March arrived.
Spring had come in full force, and life bloomed everywhere.
Today marked Wayne's departure for Hearthome City to compete in the preliminary round of the Youth Breeder Competition.
Yesterday brought good news to Wayne's family—his grandfather had arrived.
Wayne's grandfather, Lionel, stood strong and robust despite being over seventy years old.
He had come specifically to support Wayne in the competition.
"Just focus on competing. Don't worry about the Breeding Center."
His grandfather showed tremendous support for Wayne's participation in the Youth Breeder Competition.
After all, both his grandfather and Wayne's parents had competed before, though none of them had claimed the championship title.
It remained a lingering regret for the family.
His grandfather wanted Wayne to win that championship.
It was Wayne's goal as well.
The Breeder Competition came with a side quest—Raise Fame.
This quest required Wayne to reach at least the top eight, with rewards determined by his final ranking.
This time, his grandfather didn't plan on leaving anytime soon. He intended to stay in Jubilife City, arriving with numerous bags in tow.
Yesterday, Gengar kept pulling luggage from its dimensional stomach, nearly frightening the customers.
Of course, Celestic Town would always be their hometown. They'd return there for holidays.
His grandfather had also brought Sister Eden along, suggesting she open a breakfast shop in the cafeteria.
Thanks to his grandfather's teachings, Sister Eden possessed extensive experience in Berry cultivation.
After running the breakfast shop each morning, she would transition into her role as the Breeding Center's Berry specialist, working alongside Alejandro.
His grandfather was treating Sister Eden like his own apprentice.
Leon took credit immediately.
"I'm the one who convinced your grandfather to bring Eden over. Pretty impressive, right?"
When Wayne mentioned needing someone for Berry cultivation, Leon had thought of his grandfather and Eden back in Celestic Town.
When it came to Berry cultivation, everyone else combined couldn't match his grandfather's expertise.
Even though his grandfather hadn't bred Pokémon professionally in years, his skills remained sharp.
At 7:30 AM, after finishing breakfast, Wayne prepared to leave.
"Good luck in the preliminary round, son!"
"Don't worry."
"Metagross, let's go."
Wayne climbed onto Metagross's back.
For just the preliminary round, his grandfather didn't seem concerned at all.
Wayne brought Lucario and his other Pokémon. He didn't need anything else—not even a bag.
Metagross flew at full speed, with Dragapult soaring alongside as an escort.
At 8:29 AM, Wayne arrived at the venue.
Hearthome City had devoted significant resources to hosting the Breeder Competition, cordoning off a massive area in the suburbs for the preliminary rounds.
Though the competition wouldn't start until 9:30 AM, the venue was already packed.
The site wasn't just filled with contestants but also their families and supporters.
The noise was incredible.
"Look! A Shiny Metagross!"
"That's Dragapult next to it!"
"It's Wayne!"
Even with the preliminary venue crowded with people, the silver Metagross and the widely acclaimed Master-level Wayne were impossible to miss.
Walking through the crowd, Wayne seemed to carry his own spotlight.
"Wayne, we're rooting for you!"
The unified and enthusiastic cheers drew everyone's attention to Wayne.
Some contestants looked bewildered.
"What's happening?!"
"He has fans at the preliminary round?!"
"Though he is pretty handsome."
A nearby companion explained with a smile. "You don't have an Eevee Video Network account, do you? He's an Eevee Video Network content creator. Here, let me show you."
Wayne's Eevee Video Network channel had already surpassed 200,000 followers.
He'd built quite a fanbase.
Upon learning Wayne was competing in the Youth Breeder Competition, his fans had organized cheering plans.
A male fan suddenly appeared before Wayne.
"Can we take a photo after the preliminary round? Or get your autograph?"
Wayne's mouth twitched. He wanted to ask whether the guy was here to compete or chase celebrities.
"Sure, that's fine."
Wayne occasionally posted updates on his video account when he was busy, requesting breaks.
"Thank you."
A staff member spoke through a megaphone, broadcasting repeatedly.
"Contestants participating in the preliminary round, please use the right entrance!"
After verifying his identity with his ID, Wayne received number 27.
Passing through the right entrance revealed an enormous competition venue filled with computer desks stretching as far as the eye could see. Hundreds of computers sat atop them.
This was just one session. The preliminary rounds would run for three full days.
Contestants only needed to participate for one day, thankfully.
This was merely one preliminary venue in Hearthome City. Considering the preliminary venues across multiple regions like Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn, Wayne estimated the total number of preliminary participants exceeded six thousand, possibly reaching tens of thousands.
The preliminary round consisted of two parts. The first was a written exam.
A recording played continuously throughout the examination room.
"Please find your seats. The written test begins at 9:30 AM. You have only twenty minutes for the exam. Please use your time wisely."
The test contained very few questions—only twenty multiple-choice questions worth five points each, plus one optional bonus question.
All questions covered basic Berry knowledge.
These fundamental questions would filter out many Trainers with insufficient knowledge.
Wayne finished the twenty questions quickly. Bored, he tackled the bonus question.
Design a Berry dish for Dragonite using at least three basic Berries.
Shouldn't this question go to someone who actually has a Dragonite?