Just as he continued walking forward, this Luxray suddenly appeared.
Perhaps cats and dogs were natural enemies, because Riolu and Luxray started fighting without a word.
Riley knew Luxray was probably Yushu's Pokémon too.
But he hadn't expected Luxray to be so strong.
No, rather, it was as strong as Miltank.
It was just that Miltank focused on endurance and defense, while Luxray focused on burst power and speed.
What did that mean?
It meant Yushu didn't just know how to raise one type of Pokémon. He could devise different training plans based on each Pokémon's traits.
"Skree!"
A piercing cry suddenly rang out overhead.
Riley looked up and saw a Staraptor circling high in the sky, its sharp gaze fixed on them, the sudden arrivals in the yard.
"Bzzzz!!"
A buzzing sound followed close behind.
A Vespiquen arrived with dozens of Combee.
The Combee formed orderly ranks, quickly spreading out under Vespiquen's command to form a ring around Riley and Riolu.
The corner of Riley's eye twitched.
This setup... had he accidentally wandered into some military base?
He now seriously suspected that Yushu was a farmer on the surface, but was secretly training a Pokémon army.
"Stop! Stop fighting!"
Fortunately, Yushu's voice rang out in time, breaking the tense atmosphere.
When he saw that it was Riley fighting Luxray, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Good thing no one had been hurt.
Riley: So? Was I just that worthless?
Yushu beckoned to Luxray. "All right, Luxray. He's a guest."
Only after hearing Yushu's words did Luxray leisurely rein in the sparks on its mane.
Riley turned to look at Yushu, his eyes filled with complicated emotions.
"This is what you meant by farming...?"
Yushu scratched his head. "Uh... yeah. They're all doing farm work."
"You call this farm work? Not building your own private army?"
That Yushu was a sneaky one, calling his training methods farm work to outsiders.
Torterra used Grass-type moves to weed.
Fine! That counted as farm work!
He could chalk that up to being a little more thorough.
But what the hell was Luxray doing?! And that Staraptor, and Vespiquen leading dozens of Combee in battle formation-what kind of farm work was that?
A bug commando squad?
A Red Blood Cell special operations team?
"Don't be ridiculous. This is a legitimate livestock operation."
Yushu walked over to check Riolu's condition. Luxray had shown reasonable restraint.
It had hit Staraptor much harder.
"Don't just stand there. Come inside. I've got some Potion."
Riley followed Yushu inside.
Once inside, Yushu took out a Potion spray and gave Riolu some basic treatment.
This spray was specifically for electrical burns, and it worked extremely well.
There was no need to spell out who he kept it for.
He carefully sprayed Riolu's wounds a few times, then gently bandaged them with gauze.
Riolu resisted a little at first, but once it felt the cool comfort of the spray, it obediently stayed still.
It even narrowed its eyes in comfort, like a puppy being tickled.
"All done. A little rest and you'll be fine."
Yushu patted Riolu's head.
"Ri~" Riolu gave a soft cry.
Riley silently watched from the side. Seeing Yushu's practiced treatment only made him more certain of his judgment.
You kept special medicine at home, and you still claimed you weren't training Pokémon?
That was like someone carrying a wrench around while claiming to be a soccer player. Who would believe that?!
While Yushu treated Riolu, Riley wandered around the house.
His gaze settled on the Berry machine running on the kitchen counter. Its compartment door was half-open, revealing a freshly made batch of Pokéblocks inside.
Riley walked over to the counter, picked up a Pokéblock, and examined it in his palm.
Its color was even, its surface was highly glossy, and its cut edges were clean and neat. Up close, he could smell a fresh Berry fragrance, without any burnt odor or excessive astringency. By every measure, it was high quality.
He couldn't help asking, "Did you make these yourself?"
"Yeah. Want to try one? They're freshly made."
Yushu answered without turning around.
"I'll give it a try."
Riley put the Pokéblock in his mouth and took a gentle bite.
Clang!!!
The Pokéblock slowly melted on his tongue, releasing a gentle energy that flowed down his throat into his body, warming him all over.
He seemed to see a light, a dazzling light!
Like the first ray of the rising sun, warm and bright!
If he had to score it! Then it had to be!
A hundred pointsh!!!
Riolu watched Riley's blissful expression from the side, looking baffled.
It was just a Pokéblock. Was all that really necessary?
What a hopeless Trainer...
"You're a Breeder too?"
After a long while, Riley looked at Yushu in a whole new light.
Yushu spread his hands. "No. I haven't even taken the Breeder exam."
"Even someone like you hasn't passed?"
Riley's voice was full of disbelief.
Were Breeders facing that much competition these days?
Even this level wasn't enough to pass? Just how high were the Pokémon Breeders' Guild's standards?
"No, I mean I've never gone to take it."
Yushu corrected him. "It's not that I failed. I've never taken it at all."
Though he wasn't sure whether he could pass either.
"Then you could go take it."
Riley said earnestly, "The Pokémon League offers a lot of benefits for Breeders. You can also join the Pokémon Breeders' Guild and enjoy plenty of exclusive services."
Yushu asked curiously, "Exclusive services? Can I get discounts on things?"
"Well... I think so?"
Riley wasn't sure.
Yushu's eyes lit up. "I'm taking it! Breeder it is! What exactly does the exam cover?"
If he could save money, what else was there to say?!
Kaixin hadn't been very fair, keeping something this good from him! He'd have to have a proper chat with her when he went back.
Riley thought for a moment. "As far as I know, the Breeder assessment has a theory section and a practical section. The practical part is a little harder."
"But if you can make Pokéblocks of this quality, passing the practical section shouldn't be a problem. You'd just need to put some work into the theory."
Just hearing about the process left Yushu feeling a little numb.
That damned sense of familiarity. No matter which world he was in, there was no escaping exams.
The two sat down in the living room, and Yushu brewed two cups of tea.
It was fruit tea made from Wepear Berries he had dried himself, fragrant and mildly sweet.
After being sprayed with Potion, Riolu was already resting on the rug in the corner, its injuries much improved.
Yushu lifted his teacup and took a sip. "Riley, what are your plans next? Are you going to compete in the League Conference?"
"No, I'm not challenging the Pokémon League. I'm planning to rest in Solaceon Town for a few days, then head to Iron Island to train."
Riley replied after taking a sip of tea.
"Iron Island, huh."
Yushu recalled that Iron Island lay in the eastern waters of the Sinnoh Region, famed for its abundance of Steel-type Pokémon and ancient ruins.
That fit. In the original story, Riley trained on Iron Island year-round, then met Ash.
Did this guy treat Iron Island as his home, just like Red did with Mt. Silver?