The examination room.
The room was in chaos, and the examination had to be temporarily suspended.
The judges, including Ms.
Joy, had all come over from the next room.
Levi had made enough Oran Berry Pokéblocks for several servings.
The Electrike, Marill, Cherubi, Glameow, and Skorupi were eating the Pokéblocks with great relish.
These Pokémon, supposedly with very picky tastes, didn’t look picky at all right now.
Ms.
Joy’s Blissey, Dayou’s Incineroar, and Mizuki’s Glameow had also run out.
The Incineroar held a handful in its left hand and another in its right, its eyes squinting in satisfaction.
“Hiss—roar!”
The notification sounds in Levi’s mind rang out one after another.
[Ding, gained 999 points of Pokéblock proficiency.]
…
[Ding, gained 999 points of Pokéblock proficiency.]
Levi had changed the proficiency notification to show the total sum at once.
[Ding, Pokéblock crafting has been upgraded to Senior Breeder level.]
Levi took a moment to look at the skills on his personal panel.
Pokéblock (Senior Breeder): You can create high-quality Pokéblocks that make Pokémon rave, with a certain probability of creating perfect quality.
(1,023 / 100,000)
The most excited old man picked up a crystal-clear Pokéblock and ate it.
The sour, sweet, spicy, and bitter flavors bloomed on his taste buds, reminding the old man of his youthful days…
“Roar!”
(Don’t fight me for it!)
The old man named Yasong gave Levi a thumbs up.
“The Pokéblocks I make aren’t as good as yours.”
Levi said modestly, “That was a fluke this time; they aren’t usually this good.”
Yasong smiled warmly.
“That just goes to show you have the ability.
Your future is limitless; perhaps you might even surpass your grandfather.”
The glitchy system dinged again, and a new main quest appeared.
[Main Quest]:
The Student Surpasses the Master (Optional): Surpass your grandfather and become a Grandmaster Level Breeder recognized by the Alliance!
[Because the host has passed the Intermediate Breeder examination, the rewards for Primary and Intermediate Breeder are now being issued: pokémon item lottery ticket * 3.]
[Stage 3 Quest Objective]: Become a Senior Breeder recognized by the Alliance.
[Stage 3 Quest Reward]: pokémon item lottery ticket * 3, random skill upgrade.
The rewards were certainly generous, but the difficulty was there too.
There was still Senior Breeder, Top Breeder, Master Level, and finally, Grandmaster Level.
His grandfather was a Top Breeder recognized by the Alliance; it wouldn’t be that simple for Levi to surpass him.
Levi chose to accept.
Levi looked at the old man Yasong.
“Do you know my grandfather?” Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Yasong nodded.
“Old friends.
We were even competitors back in the day, but I wasn’t as good as your grandfather.”
Levi didn’t press the matter and exchanged contact information with Yasong.
“Please give me more guidance in the future, Grandpa Yasong.”
Old man Yasong stroked his beard and laughed.
“I wouldn’t call it guidance; you might surpass me soon enough.”
Ms.
Joy smiled.
“Mr.
Levi, you have passed the Intermediate Breeder examination, and you received a perfect score on the second round.”
There was supposed to be a discussion process, but there was nothing to discuss regarding Levi’s result.
After eating the near-perfect Pokéblocks Levi made, the Pokémon food made by the other four was like chaff to Marill and the others, and they looked at it with disdain.
After Ms.
Joy coaxed them, Marill and Skorupi reluctantly tried it.
Dayou muttered, “If I’d known, I would have asked you to make yours later.”
Levi said awkwardly, “That really was a fluke this time.”
Dayou waved his hand.
“It’s fine.
My skills just weren’t up to par; it’s normal.”
Before the results were released, old man Yasong looked around at the four of them, pointed at the empty basin, and asked, “What did you learn from this Pokéblock?
There are bonus points for the right answer.”
Old man Yasong’s words gave the remaining four a glimmer of hope.
Although there were bonus points for the right answer, they just couldn’t figure it out.
A more confident Mitsuki tentatively asked, “As long as it’s delicious enough, there’s no such thing as a taste problem?”
Old man Yasong shook his head and then nodded.
“Not entirely correct, but partially.
Is a Pokémon’s taste important?”
Dayou nodded.
“Of course it’s important, otherwise why make Pokémon food in so many flavors?”
Old man Yasong looked around at the Pokémon gazing longingly at Levi, his eyes full of smiles.
“Important, but not entirely important.”
“Aside from the absolute bottom line of dietary restrictions, such as really being unable to eat spicy or bitter food, there really isn’t a taste problem.”
“Not all Pokémon have Telepathy.
Most of the time, we can’t fully understand a Pokémon’s taste.
Sometimes even the Pokémon themselves don’t know their own tastes.
You are the one making the Pokémon food; the decision-making power for the taste lies with you.”
“You have to consider the Pokémon’s taste, but you can’t consider it entirely; you still have to start from the direction you excel in.”
“Levi did very well.
He didn’t care about the staff’s reminders and just made what he was good at, while you all were constrained and felt somewhat tied down.”
Mitsuki, Dayou, and Yuko, who were named, recalled the moment and indeed felt a bit constrained.
“Thank you for your guidance, Mr.
Yasong.
We have benefited greatly.”
“Thank you, Mr.
Yasong.”
Old man Yasong smiled warmly.
“Alright, I’m off.
We need to go discuss the examination results.”
Dayou whispered to Mizuki, “Can I borrow your notes to copy?”
“Sure.”
Yuko quickly raised her hand.
“Me too!”
While they were copying, a “click” sound suddenly rang out, and a camera flash went off.
Levi held up his phone.
“Actually, there is a thing called a camera.”
“…”
Yuko’s face suddenly flushed red, from her neck to her ears.
“We know that!”
Dayou retorted, “You’re so smart, you’re going to have no friends.”
Mitsuki also secretly took a picture.
The results came out quickly.
In the end, only two people passed the examination: Levi and Mizuki.
Dayou did not pass.
Eleven people came to participate in the Intermediate Breeder examination; having two pass was already quite good.
Most of the time, it was hard for even one person to pass.
Mizuki, who had short, capable-looking hair, held up her phone.
“Let’s exchange contact information.
Is your Breeding House still hiring?”
Levi exchanged contact information with her.
“Yes, hiring starts tomorrow.”
“Remember to send me the address.”
After confirming they had added each other as friends, Mizuki hurried away.
Dayou nudged Levi and whispered, “Can a Primary Breeder come for an interview?”
“Yes, even without a license, it’s fine.
As long as you love Pokémon, you can learn slowly.”
Dayou laughed loudly.
“I love that about you.
I’m off; I need to go back and prepare for the next exam.”
The Incineroar also waved at Levi.
“Gaoo!”
The Incineroar had already started planning for Dayou to join the Breeding House, so it could eat the Pokéblocks Levi made!
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”