"A Breeder? You?"
Yushu blurted out without thinking.
"Hey, hey! What's with that look? Why do you look so unimpressed?"
Aili puffed out her cheeks, looking disgruntled, like a kitten whose fur had been ruffled.
"It's not that I'm unimpressed."
Yushu hurriedly waved his hands, unable to suppress a chuckle. "I mean, wouldn't having a Breeder like you working here be a waste of your talents?"
Kaixin herself was only a beginner Breeder. If Aili was a Breeder too, wouldn't opening her own shop be better than working for him?
Aili's face fell. "Actually, I hadn't finished. I'm not one yet, but I'm definitely going to pass the exam someday!"
"Oh, so you're at the prep stage."
Understanding dawned on Yushu.
Wasn't this just like those new graduates in his previous life who worked while studying for the civil service exams?
So that was a thing in the Pokémon world too.
Shuren let out a sigh of relief beside them.
He'd given him a scare. So she hadn't passed yet.
Noticing their looks, Aili sighed.
"You don't understand. The Breeder exam keeps getting harder these days. The pass rate is below thirty percent."
"The theory is manageable. It's the practical assessment that's the real hurdle. The examiner has you mix a medicine or make Pokéblocks on the spot, and even a slight deviation gets you eliminated. I want to build up some practical experience before taking the exam. That should improve my chances."
Yushu understood.
No wonder Kaixin had recommended her. A young woman studying for the exam was bound to have a solid grasp of the theory.
Yushu made his decision on the spot. "All right, you can stay. I happen to need someone who knows about Pokémon to prepare their food."
"Thank you, boss!"
Aili spoke happily, her eyes sparkling.
Seeing that the two had finished talking, Zongping spoke up. "Brendan, why don't you show them their working environment? Give them some idea of what to expect."
"You really do think of everything, Uncle Zongping."
Yushu agreed and turned to head farther into the ranch. "Come with me. I'll walk you through the work first."
He led the three of them across the yard toward the large barn.
"This is the area for the Mareep and Miltank. There are thirty of them at the moment. Aili, one of your main jobs will be looking after them."
"I've already settled on the feed formula, so just follow the proportions when feeding them. There's a machine for milking. You'll get the hang of it after I show you once."
Aili entered the barn and crouched down to examine one of the Miltank for a while.
"Their coats have a nice sheen, and they look pretty lively. You can tell they've been well cared for. Our food standards must be pretty high."
"They sure are. I even mix Pokéblocks into their food."
That was only possible because Yushu made the Pokéblocks himself and grew his own Berries. Otherwise, the food costs alone would have been too much for him.
"No wonder. I was wondering why they looked so much livelier than ordinary Miltank."
Understanding dawned on Aili. Feeding them Pokéblocks? This boss is pretty generous.
Zongping remarked from the side, "That must be quite an expense. Pokéblocks aren't cheap."
"It can't be helped. If you want returns, you have to invest first."
Yushu changed the subject and pointed toward the distant Berry orchard. "Shuren, you'll mainly be working in the Berry orchard and flower fields."
"Right now, we're growing Pecha Berries, Wepear Berries, Oran Berries, and Sitrus Berries. There's also a small vegetable patch. I'll be leaving all of that to you."
Shuren replied earnestly, "Yes, boss. Leave those to me."
That covered the main tasks. Neither of them needed to worry about herding; Staraptor was enough.
That silly bird might usually be unreliable, but he was quite conscientious when it came to herding.
Staraptor: ??? I'm not a sheepdog!
Next, Yushu explained their working hours and pay.
"Eight hours a day, from eight to noon and two to six. You get a two-hour lunch break, and you can either go home or stay at the ranch."
"The monthly wage will start at 5,000 Alliance Currency. If the ranch expands, that number will go up."
"And you can ask for time off if something comes up. If it's only a short absence, I won't dock your pay."
The two looked at each other.
Five thousand Alliance Currency? Given the cost of living in Solaceon Town, that wasn't low.
Clerks at ordinary shops in town probably earned around three or four thousand.
Yushu looked at them. "Anything else to add? If you have any requests, speak up. I'll consider them."
Aili thought for a moment. "We don't have anything to add. You've already arranged everything very well, boss."
The work was fine, the boss was friendly, and the pay was reasonable. What more could they ask for?
"Then welcome to Freewill Ranch!"
Yushu smiled.
At last, he was no longer a commander without an army.
"Yes, boss!"
The two hurriedly replied.
Watching from the side, Zongping nodded in approval.
Yushu was a good kid. Just over a month ago, he had been a greenhorn fresh back from the outside world. Now he was really getting into his stride.
He really did have the air of a boss.
After seeing Zongping off, Yushu had Aili and Shuren wander around the ranch to familiarize themselves with the surroundings, then climbed onto Luxray's back again.
"Come on. Let's go to the Pokémon Center."
"Roar!"
Luxray had resigned himself to his fate and set off again with Yushu on his back.
Eco-friendly travel: just one Pokéblock per hundred kilometers.
When he arrived at the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy greeted him with a smile as he entered.
"Hello, Yushu."
"Hello, Nurse Joy. I'm looking for someone."
Yushu glanced toward the lounge. Sure enough, Riley was sitting there with a book open in front of him. He closed it when he saw Yushu come in.
"Have you thought it over?"
He had known Yushu would come. Someone with ability wouldn't remain unmoved.
Yushu sat down opposite him and exhaled.
"It's going fine. I've hired people, but I need time to get things at the ranch in order."
Riley thought for a moment before replying, "No problem. Let's make it a month, then. We'll meet up on Iron Island."
A month? Yushu did some mental calculations.
That would give him enough time to get everything at the ranch sorted out. Aili and Shuren should also have fully mastered their daily work by then.
Then he could leave things in their hands without worry and head out to have some fun.
Yushu asked, "Right, what about you? What are your plans for this month?"
"I'm planning to visit the outskirts of Iron Island first and do some preliminary surveying."
Riley said, "Iron Island's terrain is quite complex. Heading deep inside recklessly could be dangerous. I want to get a clear picture of the outer areas first, so once you arrive, we can head straight into the core area."
"That sounds solid. Is there anything I need to prepare beforehand?"
"That sounds solid."
Yushu liked exactly this sort of thing.
The other person had already finished all the preliminary preparations. He just had to show up.
That was the benefit of having a reliable teammate.
Riley said, "Just prepare some essential supplies. Potions, Antidotes, Pokéblocks-you should already have all of those."
"All right, it's settled!"
My first dungeon run. This is pretty exciting.