Going to the Breeding House

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was June 24.

Fang Yuan had officially begun his summer vacation.

What he was looking forward to was that, in a little while, he would be going to a public Breeding House to buy a Beginner Pokémon Egg.

In China, there were four requirements to become a Trainer.

First, one had to be at least sixteen years old. Second, one had to pass the Trainer physical examination. Third, one had to pay taxes annually. Fourth, one had to own a Pokémon.

Fang Yuan was just the right age, and the school had organized the physical examinations. He had passed as well. Once he obtained a Pokémon Egg, he could take the Breeding House's certificate directly to the Pokémon Center to pay the registration fee.

Once the Pokémon hatched and he activated his identity information, he would be able to call himself a Trainer.

Professional Trainers had the right to use 95% of public facilities in every country for free. They needed to pass the Trainer Association's numerous assessments to obtain a license. The requirements were high, so the benefits were excellent.

The requirements for becoming an Ordinary Trainer were lower, but the benefits were not bad either.

Most importantly, at present, Trainer was the only identity private citizens could legally use to own Pokémon and Poké Balls.

In truth, the ability to enjoy discounted services at facilities such as Pokémon Centers and Friendship Stores alone was enough to make it impossible for Pokémon owners to refuse.

It could be said that Ordinary Trainer status was an essential pass. Otherwise, there would be nowhere to go when a Pokémon fell ill or was injured. Private Pokémon Hospitals were practically nonexistent in China, after all. All medical services were monopolized by the Pokémon Centers under the Trainer Association.

Over the past half month, Fang Yuan had been trying to learn more while also refining the Grass-type Pokémon training plan he had devised.

No one noticed Fang Yuan's changes. Even his parents found nothing strange. After all, even with two sets of memories, Fang Yuan was still himself.

"Son, are you ready? Don't miss the appointment time," Father Fang called from the living room.

"Just a moment." In his bedroom, Fang Yuan got dressed and looked into the mirror, trying to make himself appear as natural as possible.

"Coming!"

After replying quickly, Father Fang and Mother Fang, who were waiting in the living room, smiled at the same time. They could both hear the excitement in Fang Yuan's voice.

Father Fang and Mother Fang did not have much in the way of holidays, but they had both taken leave today for a simple reason: to accompany Fang Yuan to the Breeding House to purchase and reserve a Pokémon Egg.

At Fang Yuan's age, he had to be accompanied by a guardian.

Besides, without an adult to pay, Fang Yuan could not afford one himself. His entire savings were on that bank card where he kept his Lucky Money, and it seemed there was only a little over six thousand yuan left.

That amount might have been enough to buy an ordinary pet, but a Pokémon Egg was out of the question.

Fang Yuan really was excited. He had waited half a month for this.

Once Fang Yuan came out of his bedroom, the family stopped dawdling and set off immediately.

Flat City had five high schools. Of them, only Peaceful City First High School was jointly recognized by the Trainer Association and the Ministry of Education as qualified to train Trainers. There were around four hundred soon-to-be seniors in this year's class at Peaceful City First High School, and they would all be making appointments at the Breeding House over the next few days, choosing a date to buy Pokémon Eggs.

Along the street leading to the Breeding House, parents constantly arrived with students, while other parents hurried back with students carrying Pokémon Eggs.

Flat City was not small, but under these circumstances, running into acquaintances was unavoidable. Not long after leaving home, Fang Yuan immediately let out a surprised "Huh." He had run into someone he knew—a classmate from Grade 12 Class 12.

"Uncle Lin, Lin Jing." Fang Yuan grinned and stepped forward to greet them.

The man wore casual clothes and was about the same age as Fang Yuan's parents. The girl beside him was striking, with a heroic air and a particularly distinctive temperament.

"So you're Xiao Jing's classmate. Hello," Uncle Lin replied with a smile.

Father Fang and Mother Fang had met him a few times at parent-teacher meetings, and after the two families met, they immediately began exchanging polite conversation.

Fang Yuan had wanted to chat with Uncle Lin a little more, but seeing how enthusiastically his parents were talking, he could only helplessly turn to his classmate.

Uncle Lin was a legendary figure in Flat City—the captain of the Flat City Criminal Police Brigade. He had solved numerous Pokémon-related theft and murder cases and was extremely well-known in Flat City.

He was the first living Professional Trainer Fang Yuan had ever met...

"Fang Yuan, guess what I..." Lin Jing said to Fang Yuan.

"Growlithe," Fang Yuan said directly.

"You're no fun at all," Lin Jing said in a bored tone.

Having someone guess it before she could even finish was such an awful feeling.

"There's no need to guess..." Fang Yuan could not even be bothered to tease her. Uncle Lin had raised Lin Jing like a police officer since she was little; everyone in the class knew that. And Growlithe and Arcanine were practically standard issue for police officers in China.

Growlithe were clever, brave, and loyal, with keen senses of smell. Once they had smelled a scent, they would never forget it no matter what happened. They could detect another person's emotions through scent and were hailed as the Pokémon most suited to becoming police dogs.

Although this Pokémon was quite rare, with Lin Jing's family circumstances, reserving one would be effortless, and they could afford to raise it as well.

Running into his classmate was only an accident. Since they were headed the same way, the two families walked together for a while. However, when they neared the Breeding House, they had to part ways to find their respective guides.

After the Lin father and daughter left, Father Fang suddenly rubbed his chin. "Son, are you planning to date after graduation?"

"A waste of time," Fang Yuan replied calmly.

"I think this Lin Jing is quite good," Father Fang said seriously.

"I'm afraid she might not be interested in your son," Mother Fang said.

"..." Fang Yuan looked up at the sky.

His parents were great in every way, except they could be a little unreliable. It was exhausting.

"Are you Family No. 51, the Fang Yuan family?"

"That's us."

After arriving, Father Fang made a call. Before long, a bespectacled young man emerged from the Breeding House and approached them with a smile.

The moment Fang Yuan saw him, his spirits lifted. It was finally about to begin.

"You've all had a long journey. Please come with me. Oh, right, my name is Baishi." After finding his guests, the bespectacled young man from the Breeding House smiled again.

Public Breeding Houses and Pokémon Centers were both institutions under the Trainer Association. At present, the only places in China legally allowed to sell Pokémon and Pokémon Eggs were public Breeding Houses.

Buying or selling Pokémon through any other channel was illegal.

It was worth mentioning that the owners and most employees of Breeding Houses were certified Breeders who had passed the Breeder Association's assessments. They possessed extensive knowledge of Pokémon care, naturally including hatching and tending to them.

Therefore, every Pokémon Egg or Pokémon that could be brought to a public Breeding House for sale would have good potential and no illnesses. Of course, the price would naturally be a little higher...

Though it was called a "house," this place was actually enormous, like a plaza, with everything neatly categorized.

As they followed him inside, the three listened to the bespectacled young man's introduction and nodded repeatedly.

"Before coming here, I assume Mr. Fang, you must have looked into the types of Pokémon Eggs available at our Breeding House. Is there anything you have your eye on?"

"We don't understand these things. The child should choose for himself. The school has taught them about it, but he said he wanted to see things in person first," Mother Fang said.

"That works too. Let the child decide for himself," Baishi said.