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Hearthome Television.
While scrolling through the list of the Top 32 competitors, Wayne noticed a familiar name.
Suzie.
The same Suzie who had entrusted her Vulpix to Brock's care.
She was someone Wayne felt he recognized but couldn't quite place at first.
However, among all the names on the list, Suzie appeared rather unremarkable aside from her good looks.
While all the contestants were certified Pokémon Breeders, Suzie's specialty lay particularly in Pokémon grooming. Making it into the Top 32 had been something of a lucky break for her.
Most observers didn't expect Suzie to advance into the Top 16.
Wayne and Gold chatted casually while browsing through their phones.
Brock began speaking. "Besides Wayne and Gold, there are several other highly anticipated contestants in this competition. First, there's Sasha from the Galar region."
Following Brock's introduction, Wayne glanced at the screen to see a black-haired girl with curly locks wearing a fashionable hat. She was accompanied by three Eevee, each sporting different colored bows.
From Wayne's experienced perspective as someone who breeds Eevee at home, these three Evolution Pokémon were in excellent condition.
"Then we have Lalami from the Kalos region... She's a very beautiful older woman."
The commentary continued.
Whitney couldn't contain herself any longer.
"Are you introducing Breeders or cataloging beautiful women?!"
So her Poochyena and Mantyke weren't going to get any introduction, were they?
Gold replied with a straight face. "Indeed, that's exactly what we're doing."
Gold's gaze unconsciously drifted toward a woman with long pink hair wearing a yellow hat.
According to the contestant profile, Lalami was twenty-six years old this year—exactly the type of older woman that both Brock and Gold admired.
As Wayne and Gold continued their conversation, a staff member pushed the door open.
"Here are the profiles of the judges for today's competition. Please take a look so you don't make any unfortunate mistakes."
Wayne and Gold exchanged glances, silently acknowledging that the staff member was being very thoughtful.
Their appreciation grew when they checked the information and realized they didn't recognize any of the judges.
The staff member also thoughtfully provided a brief introduction for each one.
"The first judge is Mr. Morikawa, who specializes in creating Pokéblocks and Energy Cubes. He's extremely particular about berry ratios and combinations."
"The second is Mr. Tetsu, who excels at Pokémon nutrition and cooking. He once resolved disputes between wild Pokémon groups using his gourmet food preparations."
Wayne was momentarily speechless, uncertain where to even begin commenting on that achievement.
"The third judge is Ms. Natalia, who specializes in Pokémon fur care and grooming techniques."
All three judges were around fifty years old with extensive experience in their respective fields.
Nurse Joy of Hearthome City didn't require an introduction since everyone already knew her.
"Next, each contestant will draw a number card. You'll appear in groups of four according to the number order you receive."
Sixteen people were destined to be eliminated in this round, so there would be no individual introductions beforehand.
"There will be two rounds in total. The first round focuses on Pokémon display and grooming. The second round's format is currently being kept secret."
Before the competition began, Gold quietly moved to sit next to Wayne.
He appeared to have suffered a significant blow to his ego. As a celebrity Trainer, Gold felt he had received rather unfair treatment during the registration process.
Wayne drew number twenty-four this time, placing him fairly late in the order.
Gold drew earlier, receiving number thirteen.
At four o'clock, the competition began promptly on schedule.
The first four contestants entered the stage together.
Wayne and Gold were probably the two most relaxed people in the entire venue.
Wayne held full confidence in his abilities, while Gold didn't particularly care about the final results.
The two of them positioned themselves backstage and began commenting on the contestants with great interest.
"That Eevee with the blue bow seems a bit underdeveloped compared to the others."
"Yeah, looks like it might be a congenital issue affecting its growth."
The Eevee wearing the blue bow was noticeably smaller than the two beside it.
After a wave of sponsor advertisements played across the screens, the host finally got to the main point.
"Pokémon fur management is a fundamental skill for any Breeder worth their salt. The first round will test this essential basic skill."
"The first event of this competition is grooming and display. Work together with your Pokémon to showcase their natural charm to our judges and the audience watching at home!"
"The bottom eight contestants based on the first round's scoring will be directly eliminated from the competition."
Gold looked stunned. "They're playing it this intensely right from the start?"
Wayne turned his head with a helpless expression. "Don't you ever read the competition rules?"
Gold confidently ran a hand through his hair with practiced ease.
"No need to read them. Does a talented young Trainer like me, with my breeding skills, really need to worry about advancing past the first round?"
"With that kind of confidence, you're going to trip yourself up one of these days."
"Impossible! That's absolutely impossible!"
Gold felt a slight tingle on his scalp from the way Wayne was staring at him. Wayne looked at him as if he were looking at someone who had just sealed their own fate.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Wayne said quietly, "You're practically covered in death flags right now."
Could it be that today would be the day Gold's luck ran out?
While Wayne and Gold were talking, the four contestants on stage had already begun their demonstrations.
Sasha was carefully grooming the fur of her female Eevee, the one with the pink bow.
Also on stage was a young man named Yalou, who happened to be the grandson of Mr. Beckham.
Beckham was an elder skilled in creating Energy Cubes whom Wayne had met during his Intermediate Breeder assessment.
It wasn't that Yalou was particularly famous on his own. Rather, Yalou had approached Wayne earlier to chat and introduce himself.
Before long, the Pokémon grooming demonstrations of the four contestants on stage were completed.
Ms. Natalia pushed up her glasses and offered sharp commentary on Yalou's performance. "In terms of fur management technique, you're not quite there yet."
The host cooperatively played along, asking with curiosity, "Why is that? Wasn't the Stoutland very cooperative during the grooming?"
Natalia gave a slight snort. "The Stoutland was indeed very cooperative, but only because that Stoutland is his own Pokémon and trusts him completely. Despite that advantage, he still got the basic order wrong—using the wide-tooth comb before the fine-tooth comb, which is backwards."
Without question, Yalou received a low score from that judge.
"Conversely, Sasha performed excellently with her Eevee's fur management. She even took into consideration the issue of static electricity buildup in the fur."
Wayne didn't know if Ms. Natalia had any bias, but he had to agree with her assessment.
"Tate's work with Raichu was also well-executed. First, he brushed against the grain to remove dust and debris, then smoothed the fur in its natural direction to restore its natural luster and shine."
Tate bowed deeply toward the judges. "Thank you very much for your guidance!"
This was one of the significant benefits of holding the Breeder Competition.
Senior Breeders could pass down their accumulated experience and knowledge to the next generation.
Through variety shows and live broadcasts like this one, more and more Trainers could also learn about the finer points of Pokémon care and better understand their partners' needs.
The goal was to ensure that Trainers wouldn't be unable to even perform basic maintenance for their own Pokémon.
Ash Ketchum particularly needed to be criticized in this regard.
His bond with his Pokémon was second to none, truly invincible in strength. However, when it came to breeding knowledge and daily management, he relied almost entirely on Brock and Professor Oak's expertise.
Mr. Morikawa also offered his commentary on Sasha's performance.
"Your Eevee is very well-bred with excellent conditioning. However, you could apply specialized fur oil to the ends of the coat to repair any damaged or split fur strands."
After three more groups had finished their demonstrations, it was finally Gold's turn.
Before heading out to the stage, Gold flashed a charming, confident smile and boasted to Wayne, "Watch carefully how I, a celebrity Trainer, perform professional grooming."
For the first round, Gold had chosen his ace partner—his beloved Typhlosion nicknamed 'Explosion Taro.'
Despite all the metaphorical death flags he'd raised, Gold's fur management technique for Typhlosion was genuinely impressive and on point.
"As expected from the celebrity Trainer Gold! He's received a fantastic score from all the judges!"
In the first round, Gold temporarily held first place among all contestants who had performed so far.
Wayne gripped his Luxury Ball tightly in his hand.
"Milotic, it's our turn to take the stage."