Getting Along

Outside the place Terrance had chosen to stay stood a thick wooden stump. He had come across it in the forest by chance and happily carried it back.

Swablu was lying quietly in Terrance's palm, letting him examine it. Training a Pokémon had to begin with understanding it. Whether a trainer or a breeder, one needed a clear understanding of one's Pokémon's future role and development.

Once Swablu was fully grown, it couldn't possibly rely on Peck alone to take on the world. At most, Peck was a catalyst for Swablu's development and a temporary move to help it grow stronger for now. Swablu was bound to leave it behind in the future.

Before this, Terrance had looked up a great deal of information about Swablu. As things stood, there were only a few moves that a newly hatched Swablu was known to have successfully used.

Peck, Growl, and Feather Dance. Like most newly hatched Pokémon, it knew a pitifully small number of moves.

So for now, Terrance could only use Peck as the basis for training.

Before that, Terrance helped Swablu train its flying. As a Pokémon capable of flight, it needed to master Fly as soon as possible. Although it would become second nature quite easily as Swablu grew, time was short, so Terrance could only add it to the list of tasks.

Stamina training was also essential. It played an important role for the vast majority of Pokémon and couldn't be neglected.

Swablu had only just hatched, so the best stamina training for it was to keep flapping its wings and flying back and forth. This would be very helpful for its growth.

Besides that, the wooden stump Terrance had brought back came in handy for training Peck.

At first, Swablu's delicate beak could only leave a tiny white mark on the stump. It had no striking power at all.

But with repeated use, the light surrounding its beak began to grow noticeably brighter, giving Terrance hope.

Swablu had indeed lived up to Master Katsumune's assessment of its excellent potential. After using the simple move Peck a dozen or so times, it had already made noticeable progress. Though it was still a long way from using the move perfectly, this indirectly showed that Swablu was improving at a fairly good pace.

After each stretch of training, Swablu had to replenish its nutrients to keep up with this rapid progress...

"Don't rush. Relax and carefully feel the changes in the energy."

Swablu had accidentally failed to use Peck and crashed into the stump. Seeing its aggrieved gaze, Terrance comforted it.

Swablu hadn't been born long ago and couldn't sustain overly intense training, so Terrance had it stop after completing a certain amount.

This was only Swablu's first day of training. Although time was short, he couldn't push it beyond its limits.

Besides training, Terrance also spent time talking and chatting with Swablu.

Terrance lay on the ground, gazing at the blue sky, while Swablu settled on top of him. They lay there comfortably, enjoying a brief moment of leisure.

As they chatted, Terrance began telling Swablu about his own experiences.

"...And that's how Grandma Oran brought me to Qinggu House-"

"-A year ago, I met Beautifly. It was still a Wurmple at first, about like that little one you battled earlier..."

"...I wonder what everyone's doing now?"

"It's been a while since I left Qinggu House..."

"But it's not time to go back yet. If I get the chance, I'll definitely introduce you to everyone at Qinggu House."

Terrance told Swablu about his experiences, bit by bit, and Swablu listened intently. Sometimes he also talked with Swablu about the future. No matter how difficult the task, Swablu readily agreed to it, brimming with confidence. He couldn't tell whether it understood or not.

"Heh, it's getting late. Time to make something to eat."

The two had talked for a long time and still wanted to keep going, but Terrance's stomach began to rumble, leaving him no choice but to prepare some food.

Terrance thought his cooking was pretty good, though he didn't know whether he had honed it by cooking for himself in his previous life, gained the experience from looking after the children at Qinggu House, or whether the ingredients in this world were simply all excellent.

By the time everything was taken care of, night was about to fall again. This was Terrance's third night since entering Mt. Chimney, and it also marked the end of his first day with Swablu.

After spending the day getting used to each other, Terrance had gained a general understanding of Swablu's condition. He had also made fuller, more thorough preparations for tomorrow's special training, which would be much more demanding than today's tasks.

For the initial training, Terrance planned to have Swablu focus on practice. As for actual combat, he decided to put it off for a while.

Terrance didn't intend to take it easy himself, either. He had some books that Master Katsumune had prepared for him, which would be a good way to fill his spare time.

From now on, Terrance was already preparing for the intermediate breeder assessment. Like the beginner assessment, the intermediate assessment was held once a year. Compared with the beginner assessment, it introduced no new material; it merely imposed limiting conditions on what was already covered or explored some of the material in greater depth. It could be said that even someone who had just passed the beginner breeder assessment wouldn't fare miserably if they took the intermediate one now. However, the heart of the intermediate assessment was selecting the best of the best. If the candidates' overall standard that year wasn't particularly high, the number of places would definitely not be increased.

An intermediate breeder was qualified to apply to the League to establish a Pokémon Day Care. The most important condition for establishing one was that the applicant had to possess knowledge at the level of an intermediate breeder or above.

Of course, there were also some "illegal" Pokémon Day Cares outside the League system, most of them privately established. Although they could still operate, in terms of reputation, standards, and choices for entrusting Pokémon to their care, they weren't as trustworthy as Pokémon Day Cares with legitimate League certification.

Moreover, as the number of trainers grew, Pokémon Day Cares were sometimes established to swindle people out of their Pokémon, severely damaging the reputation of the industry. As a result, the League was also considering whether to raise the requirements for establishing a Pokémon Day Care and make it an occupation exclusive to breeders.

If becoming a beginner breeder was the first step, then becoming an intermediate breeder gave one the means to profit from one's knowledge.

"Get some rest." Terrance closed his notebook and smiled at Swablu, which was still beside him. He could tell that Swablu was already very tired after a day of training; the little one simply couldn't settle down to sleep because of him.

So Terrance put down his notebook and lay down as well.