“Something wrong?
Not at all.
I was just curious to see someone so young.”
The old man called Birch examined Beautifly again, clicking his tongue in amazement.
“Curious about what?” Wally asked.
“You’re only ten, yet you’re already going to take the Breeder examination.
Isn’t that something worth being curious about?” the old man countered.
“I suppose so.”
Wally nodded.
The old man was somewhat surprised that Wally didn’t deny his guess about his age.
“Since you say you’re a Pokémon Breeder, then this Beautifly here was raised by you?”
Seeing that Wally showed no particular reaction, the old man asked another question.
“More or less.”
Although everyone at Verdanturf House had helped him, Wally had been responsible for most of Beautifly’s care.
“Impressive,” the old man remarked.
“…”
Even now, Wally still couldn’t figure out what the old man was getting at.
The man’s words had only left him more confused.
“Don’t be nervous.
Relax.
Just treat this as an ordinary conversation.”
The old man laughed heartily.
It had been a long time since he’d met such an interesting young person.
Although Beautifly’s upbringing looked rather rough from his perspective, if someone this young had achieved such results, that was another matter entirely.
For him to praise Beautifly’s upbringing meant that its Trainer had at least reached the level of a Junior Pokémon Breeder.
And Wally was still just a boy.
“Other than Joy, this is the first time I’ve met such an outstanding young person.
I really am getting old.”
Seeing that Wally still wasn’t reacting much, the old man sighed.
“Joy?
Is she a Pokémon Breeder too?”
Once Wally realized that the old man genuinely only wanted to chat, he relaxed as well.
There was nothing else to do anyway, so he might as well pass the time.
So much for the rule about not talking to strangers.
“If you’re ten, then you’re the same age as Joy…
Impressive.
Joy is also preparing to take the Breeder examination.
Perhaps the two of you might even become rivals.”
The old man sighed wistfully.
“…Is she on this ship too?”
Wally was speechless.
What were the odds of such a coincidence?
“She was still eating.
This old man finished his meal, so I came out to get some fresh air.”
The old man spoke naturally, then pointed in a certain direction with a smile.
“Look.
She’s coming out now.”
Wally instinctively followed the direction he pointed.
A moment later, a girl with pink hair tied back appeared before him.
Before Wally could say anything, the girl exclaimed in surprise,
“It’s you!!”
“Me?”
Wally was genuinely bewildered this time.
He had no idea what she meant.
“You two know each other?” the old man asked, equally surprised.
“Teacher.”
Seeing the old man, the girl called Joy greeted him respectfully.
“He’s the person I told you about.”
“You mean he’s the boy who noticed the problem with your potion?”
The old man was astonished as well.
He hadn’t expected such a coincidence.
Listening to their conversation, Wally finally understood.
“So it was you.”
The girl had been wearing a hat in Slateport City, with her face and hair mostly concealed, so Wally hadn’t recognized her immediately.
But now that he’d heard her voice again, it was unmistakably familiar.
“Let’s properly introduce ourselves.
My name is Joy.”
She held out her hand and playfully winked at Wally.
“Wally.”
Wally extended his hand without hesitation, and the two formally introduced themselves.
However, the surname Joy immediately caught Wally’s attention.
In virtually every inhabited area across the various regions, Pokémon Centers were staffed by members of the Joy family.
The girl standing before him also carried the surname Joy, which naturally made him wonder about her background.
The Joy and Jenny families were two ancient lineages whose histories could even be traced back to the founding of the Pokémon League.
At the same time, the way Joy addressed the old man also caught Wally’s attention.
“Teacher” wasn’t a title one used casually.
According to the old man, Joy was also preparing to travel to Verdanturf Town to take the Breeder examination.
A ten-year-old aspiring Pokémon Breeder, combined with the background implied by her surname, made Wally begin to suspect the old man’s true identity.
Perhaps he was also a highly accomplished Pokémon Breeder…
That would explain his reaction after hearing that Wally was going to take the Breeder examination.
“May I ask who you actually are?”
Wally looked at the old man and asked again.
Without knowing the other person’s identity, it was all too easy to end up misunderstanding the situation.
“Me?
Didn’t I already tell you?
My name is Birch.”
The old man smiled when he heard this.
“But I’m also a Pokémon Breeder.”
Hearing his explanation, Joy gave an exasperated expression and added for Wally,
“Teacher is a Pokémon Breeder as well, and he holds the highest title in the profession.”
A Master Breeder!
Hearing this, Wally was surprised, though it was also within the realm of possibility.
A Master Breeder should be among the most prestigious figures in this world, right?
How could he not understand what such a title represented?
Who could rightfully be addressed as a master?
The Elite Four could.
Regional Champions could.
Renowned Professors from the various regions could as well.
And above even the most accomplished Coordinators stood the Masters of Pokémon Contests.
Beyond all of them were Master Breeders.
The fact that Master Breeders could be addressed with the same degree of respect as these other figures spoke for itself.
A single comment from a Master Breeder regarding a Pokémon could even be worth a fortune.
“Please forgive my earlier rudeness, Professor Birch!”
Wally apologized for his earlier behavior.
Any master deserved respect, and besides, he had apparently misunderstood the old man.
The man’s curiosity had probably been nothing more than an elder taking an interest in a promising youngster.
“Hahaha, it’s nothing.”
Professor Birch laughed.
“So you’re the boy Joy told me about.
I was wondering why everything seemed so coincidental.
I’ve encountered several talented youngsters in a row, and you actually managed to catch Joy off guard.
Looks like you’ve got some ability yourself, kid.”
“I was just lucky.”
Wally was telling the truth.
To the other man, however, those words sounded like the humility of someone who wasn’t arrogant despite his accomplishments.
“I already had Teacher examine it, and he confirmed that it was indeed my mistake.”
Joy didn’t try to hide her error.
She admitted it quite frankly.
“There are still many things about Joy that I could learn from.
Even now, I can’t figure out the principles behind some of the potions she formulates.”
Wally shook his head.
His experience from his previous life told him that this sort of situation called for keeping a low profile.
“Hahaha, naturally.
Joy has me teaching her, and she also has considerable talent.
That’s how she managed to reach the Junior Pokémon Breeder level at the age of ten.”
Professor Birch smiled.
“But that’s precisely what makes you so unusual, young man.”
The evaluation from a Master Breeder finally gave Wally a clearer understanding of the old man.
His four years of intensive study hadn’t been as insignificant as he had sometimes feared.
Perhaps a ten-year-old Breeder really was something of a miracle.
After all, Wally had spent more than a decade as a student in his previous life.
Studying and analyzing information had become second nature to him, something deeply ingrained in him.
That gave him an enormous advantage over any child who hadn’t even reached ten years old.
While children his age were still playing in the dirt and playing hide-and-seek, how could they possibly compete with someone who had spent more than a decade undergoing an intensive education system?
That was why Wally’s advantage was simply unfair.