Hearthome City, preliminary round venue.
The first round of the Youth Breeder Competition preliminaries passed quickly, followed immediately by the second round.
"The ingredients have been placed in front of you. Please use them to prepare Pokémon food."
Every contestant received identical ingredients—no Berries included. This round tested pure cooking skills.
And you need to consider dietary restrictions, Wayne thought silently.
Since he didn't know which Pokémon would consume the food, creating the most universally palatable flavor was clearly the best strategy.
Wayne set aside all the green onions, ginger, and garlic. Most Pokémon disliked those strong flavors.
With so many people preparing Pokémon food here, the number of Pokémon eating it must be substantial.
Grass-type and Bug-type Pokémon were everywhere in this region.
Given the minimal amount of meat in the ingredients, Wayne deduced that Grass-type Pokémon were the most likely consumers.
The meat might even serve as a red herring.
Wayne finished quickly and raised his hand to signal completion.
The staff immediately labeled Wayne's dish and stored it in a warming container.
Scoring would be a joint effort between Pokémon testers and human judges.
Wayne couldn't leave yet. He had to wait until scoring concluded, and he'd learn on the spot whether he advanced to the next round.
When a large group of Oddish entered the testing area, Wayne knew he'd succeeded.
After combining scores from the written test and the Pokémon food preparation, the advancing contestants would be announced immediately.
The staff member revealed a warm smile.
"Contestant Wayne, number 27, congratulations on successfully advancing to the regional round seven days from now. The competition will still be held in Hearthome City."
Wayne received his regional round contestant card, which displayed the competition location and time.
"If your card is lost, please call or email us for a replacement."
"Thank you."
The woman suddenly pulled out a pen. "You're welcome. I'm actually your fan. Could you sign this for me?"
"No problem."
Although Wayne had many fans at the venue, he didn't need any special treatment. Reaching the top eight would be straightforward.
As for winning the championship? Wayne wasn't certain yet.
He needed to see his competition first.
Currently, it was only the preliminary round, so studying opponents wasn't necessary.
The competition ended quite early. After Wayne signed autographs for several fans, it was only 11:30 AM.
"Sorry, I have an appointment. Next time, I promise."
After that quick excuse, Wayne slipped away.
"Come out, Lucario!"
Lucario had been confined to its Poké Ball all morning, which must have been difficult.
However, Cynthia had invited Wayne to watch the Master League competition that afternoon, so returning home wasn't an option.
Besides, his grandfather was currently managing the Breeding Center, and with him in charge, nothing could go wrong.
When it came to making Energy Cubes, his grandfather couldn't match Wayne.
But regarding breeding expertise, Wayne couldn't even compare. He still had much to learn.
Especially after his grandfather joined the Center and Wayne saw his stats, Wayne realized how young and inexperienced he truly was.
His grandfather genuinely embodied lifelong learning!
Name: Lionel
Age: 73
Skills: Cooking (Master Level), Breeding (Master Level), Berry Cultivation (Elite Level), Fishing (Advanced), Apprentice Training (Intermediate)...
His grandfather possessed numerous skills, but the most impressive were his Master Level Cooking and Master Level Breeding—and he still had room for improvement!
His grandfather only held certifications for Alliance Expert Tier Breeder and Master Level Chef, but in reality, he'd been improving constantly over the years. His breeding skills had long since reached Master Level.
He was simply too unmotivated to get recertified.
After all, he was retired and living peacefully in Celestic Town.
Elite Level versus Master Level made no difference to him anymore.
Wayne had been somewhat proud of himself originally.
After all, he'd become an Advanced Breeder at such a young age, and his promotion to Elite Tier Breeder was imminent.
Blue and Cynthia both recognized his talents highly.
Wayne had even thought surpassing his grandfather was merely a matter of time, but now he understood his grandson still needed much more training.
His grandfather had long ago become an absolute expert. He just never bragged about it.
Now Wayne understood why Blue always addressed him as "Mr. Lionel."
It was definitely more than simple respect for an elder.
Wayne photographed his regional round contestant card, composed a message, and sent it to his father.
"I passed the preliminary round. I'm watching the Master League competition this afternoon, so I won't be home."
"Great job, son! Cynthia's match? Go ahead and enjoy yourself for a few days!"
Since the family opened the Breeding Center, Wayne rarely had personal time.
But this was because Wayne genuinely enjoyed the work.
Many breeding tasks were tedious, and persevering without passion was nearly impossible.
This was why Leon and Fumie prioritized a genuine love for Pokémon and breeding during recruitment.
Any knowledge could be learned gradually, but passion was extremely difficult to cultivate.
Wayne then opened Cynthia's chat.
"Are you in Hearthome City now?"
Cynthia replied quickly. "No, I'm in Solaceon Town. I won't arrive until five o'clock."
Cynthia's match didn't start until seven.
Arriving at five to prepare backstage, change clothes, and apply makeup would give her just enough time before going on stage.
"Okay, I'll contact you then."
Wayne had originally hoped that if Cynthia arrived earlier, he could treat himself to a meal on her tab.
Unfortunately, that wasn't happening.
Wayne headed to the mall to find lunch.
Wayne had hoped that visiting Hearthome City might lead to encountering rare Pokémon, but he'd found none so far.
However, while passing through Oreburgh City, his Scan ability (Advanced) had briefly alerted him that a rare Pokémon had appeared there.
At that time, Wayne needed to rush to the preliminary round, so he couldn't stay in Oreburgh City to search for Pokémon.
Wayne decided that after watching Cynthia's competition today, he'd take time to visit Oreburgh City and investigate.
Whether he found anything didn't concern him much. For Wayne, the joy was in the search itself.
While Wayne ate lunch, Lance called.
"The Shaymin situation has been resolved. We caught the buyer who hired the Pokémon Hunter, and news reports should air soon.
Unfortunately, the Pokémon Hunter escaped, but I injured her Salamence, so she should stay quiet for a while."
With the buyer canceling the commission, the Pokémon Hunter's motivation to capture Shaymin would decrease significantly.
Wayne recalled that Hunter J owned an invisible airship.
Other notorious Pokémon Hunters might possess them too, making capture incredibly difficult.
Wayne listened quietly as Lance finished speaking.
"You've worked hard, Lance."
Lance laughed heartily. "Don't mention it. This is an investigator's job anyway."
To ensure Shaymin's safety, Wayne hadn't brought Shaymin on this trip, leaving it safely at home.
But this matter was only temporarily resolved.
The existence of Pokémon Hunters remained a persistent threat, and if given the opportunity, Wayne wanted to help capture them all.
"If you ever need assistance, just ask—especially when catching Pokémon Hunters."
Wayne wasn't being nosy. He was being proactive.
The probability of becoming a target himself wasn't low.
Lance declined. "This is the job of investigators and International Police. Talk to me when you're willing to become an investigator."
Just then, the restaurant's bell suddenly chimed.