Night fell.
After finishing the old man's lesson on breeding Fire-type Pokémon, Li Wei returned to his room.
On the cold winter night, Li Wei leaned against Arcanine, using the Pokémon as a pillow.
Arcanine didn't feel a thing. With that enormous head resting on those front paws, the Pokémon slept soundly.
Li Wei's Arcanine was the sort who was hardly ever home.
During the day, Arcanine roamed the outskirts, came back punctually in the afternoon, and spent the night eating and sleeping.
Most people in Celestic Town knew Arcanine.
In Jubilife City, though, Li Wei or Lucario would have to take Arcanine out for walks.
After taking a shower, Li Wei used the Random Pokémon Item Lottery Ticket he had earned from the side quest.
[Ding! Congratulations, host. You received Tamato Berry ×3.]
Seriously, are you a Berry dispenser too?
[Tamato Berry: A bitter, spicy, but highly nutritious Berry. When made into Pokéblocks, Poffins, or other Pokémon food, it can improve a Pokémon's Special Attack to a certain extent.]
Although he had gotten Berries, Tamato Berries were valuable and rare. He couldn't call that bad luck.
Besides, Tamato Berries were extremely spicy, and Lucario and Arcanine both loved spicy food.
They were a little bitter, but other Berries could be used to balance the flavor.
An idea suddenly struck Li Wei.
"Hey... couldn't I grow my own Berries?"
With Tamato Berries, price wasn't even the issue. They were incredibly hard to find on the market. At least, Li Wei had never managed to buy any.
The Berries commonly sold were things like Oran Berries, Pecha Berries, and Cheri Berries.
If he could grow them, he would have a steady supply of Tamato Berries.
Then couldn't we eat Tamato Berries for every meal?
"There's no rush. I'll ask tomorrow."
Early the next morning, Lucario woke Li Wei up.
(Time to train.)
Mornings were training time for Li Wei and his Pokémon.
They had skipped yesterday's session because he had gone to help Xiao Meng.
In particular, he needed to devise a breeding plan for Metang, currently the weakest member of the team.
Li Wei wasn't particularly interested in becoming a Champion, let alone a Battle Legend, but since he had caught these Pokémon, he had a responsibility to them.
Metang genuinely wanted to get stronger.
The reason Metang had agreed to Li Wei's request was that Metang had noticed how strong Lucario and Arcanine were.
Studying Metang's various stats was also part of how Li Wei developed a training plan.
Metang couldn't follow the Saitama Training Method the way Li Wei and Lucario did.
"Punch Arcanine. Full strength."
"Bika?"
"We're testing your strength."
Metang unleashed a full-power Bullet Punch!
It dealt an utterly insignificant amount of damage to Arcanine...
Arcanine stood there without retreating so much as half a step.
"Awooo~" (Are you tickling me?)
"Next, use Flash Cannon on Lucario."
"Lucario, defend with your aura."
Lucario braced both arms in front, and brilliant blue aura formed a defensive barrier.
It was something only a tiny handful of Pokémon like Lucario could do.
It was similar to the Pokémon move Protect, but not quite the same.
Silver light gathered in front of Metang, then a silver beam as thick as a thigh poured into the barrier.
"Next are speed and stamina. Ten laps back and forth across the yard."
Having stayed up all night, Gengar watched Li Wei and Metang's tests curiously.
Once Li Wei had a basic understanding of Metang's stats, he settled on a breeding plan.
For now, the main focus would be Psychic, the advanced form of Confusion, along with the Steel-type move Meteor Mash.
Metang's stamina was decent enough. Iron Defense, Light Screen, and Protect were all must-learns.
Lucario would lead the training.
Li Wei's responsibility was to provide them with suitable Pokémon food.
Although Metang's evolved form, Metagross, had far lower Special Attack than physical attack, Tamato Berries could still supplement the training.
As long as he had enough Berries, he could absolutely raise Metagross into a mixed attacker.
"All right, let's start training."
Three hours later, Li Wei went to find the old man, who was tending his vegetables.
"Growing Tamato Berries?"
"Yes. Do you know how?"
The old man gave him an irritated look.
"Who do you think you're talking to? But Celestic Town's soil isn't suitable. There's a reason Tamato Berries are rare.
"They're hard to grow, and you have to plant them at the right time. March to May at the earliest, though they're usually planted between June and August."
Li Wei pressed, "Then where would the soil be suitable?"
Identifying Berries was also an important part of Pokémon breeding lessons.
The old man listed the places for Li Wei.
"Eterna Forest, or beyond the Mountains North of Celestic Town. You can grow them in either place.
"The soil is the most important part. It has to be loose, well-aerated, and well-drained. Slightly damp, but never waterlogged.
"They also need six to eight hours of sunlight a day. In short, they're very difficult to grow. One little mistake, and their roots rot."
In front of the old man, Li Wei didn't dare call himself a Berry expert anymore.
He still had a long way to go as a Pokémon Breeder.
Only then did the old man realize something.
"After all that talk, do you actually have any Tamato Berries?"
"As a matter of fact, I do."
Li Wei took the Tamato Berries out of his backpack.
They looked a little like dragon fruit.
The old man, who had been thoroughly unimpressed a moment ago, raised his eyebrows with a surprised "Oh?"
"Tamato Berries of this quality... Leave one here. I'll try planting it in April or May. Do what you want with the rest."
"Sure thing. Thanks, Grandpa."
The old man merely gave him a cool look.
"Question time is over. Go practice."
That evening, Leon called to check on his son again.
Li Wei's parents pretty much let him do his own thing.
Li Wei answered the call.
"Son, why'd you suddenly go back to Celestic Town?"
"To learn from Grandpa. I'm planning to get my breeder's license."
"Son, don't do anything rash! Sure, we owe your Elder Uncle's family some money..."
Li Wei had previously helped out at home, but had never taken the certification exam.
"What are you talking about? Stop, stop, stop!"
Li Wei hurriedly put an end to his father's wild imaginings.
"I've realized that learning to cook and breed Pokémon is pretty interesting."
"That's wonderful!"
Running a Pokémon Day Care with a courtyard might be a little too much for just Leon, Selene, and their Pokémon.
Li Wei had previously shown little interest in Pokémon breeding, and they hadn't wanted to force him to take over or help out.
Now that Li Wei was willing to help of his own accord, they could save some money.
The family could stay together, too. Of course Leon was delighted.
"Son, you've finally grown up!"
Leon covered his face as though he were weeping with joy.
Li Wei pressed a hand to his forehead helplessly. "Hey, you're making it sound like I was an unfilial son before!"
The flesh on Leon's face jiggled with his smile.
"Study hard, son. Dad believes in you! I'm going to tell your mom the good news."
It was his sixteenth day back in Celestic Town.
Li Wei's knife skills had finally earned Sirfetch'd's grudging approval, and he had also signed up for the Pokémon Breeder Exam.
Renovations at the Pokémon Day Care were also in full swing. It would be ready to open in less than a month.
Next, Li Wei had something big to do!
Before you continue