What It Means to Be a Breeder

Katsumune was a veteran breeder who had become a top breeder years ago. Even now, he held an important position at the Breeder Headquarters.

He was also Jun's teacher. Born into the Joy family, Jun had been exceptionally bright from an early age and had shown particular talent for the profession of breeder.

"If I remember correctly, the best record at the Breeder Headquarters was also passing the junior breeder exam at ten, wasn't it?"

Looking at Terrance and Nurse Joy Jun beside him, Master Katsumune smiled faintly, somewhat eager to see how they would fare in the exam.

As a top breeder himself, he naturally knew how difficult it was for a child who had only just turned ten to become a junior breeder.

But that was precisely what made Terrance and Jun's remarkable talent so apparent.

Take the Joy family, for example. Every Nurse Joy qualified to work at a Pokémon Center was at least an intermediate breeder, yet on average, they passed the junior breeder exam at fourteen or fifteen-and that was with formal instruction within the Joy family.

So far, the youngest person on record at the Breeder Headquarters to pass the junior exam had been ten years old.

That was the best record since breeding had become a formal profession. People who applied for the breeder exam at just ten years old were as rare as legendary Pokémon.

Jun's case was understandable enough. She came from a good family and had been exposed to a wealth of knowledge from childhood. After she showed her talent, her family had even hired him to teach her, so it was plausible that she had reached a junior breeder's level at ten.

But that kid Terrance was a little frightening.

Katsumune was old and shrewd. From Beautifly's development and Terrance's clothes and habits, he could tell that the boy did not come from a particularly good background. That made him all the more impressed by Terrance's talent.

Being taught by a renowned teacher and being self-taught were two entirely different things.

Talented people emerged in every generation. He was getting old. Looking at Terrance, Master Katsumune felt a measure of admiration and a desire to nurture his talent.

If possible, he hoped to take Terrance as a disciple and pass his knowledge on to him.

The difference between Terrance and Jun was that Terrance was an ordinary person, while Jun had her entire family behind her. Katsumune had merely been hired to teach her the basics; they were teacher and student in that sense.

As for passing down the secret techniques he possessed as a master, that naturally required a formal master-disciple relationship. Katsumune was a very traditional old man.

Of course, Terrance was only someone he had stumbled upon. Before deciding what to do, he still had to examine Terrance's character and background. For now, he merely thought highly of the boy.

"Teacher?"

Nurse Joy Jun called softly to Master Katsumune, who had been lost in thought. She had noticed that the atmosphere seemed a little awkward.

"Oh, oh, it's nothing. I'm getting old, and my thoughts are a little slow, hehe." Master Katsumune stretched lazily, displaying none of the imposing presence of a top master.

"Terrance, you came out here alone, didn't you? Would you like to travel with us? We're all going to take the exam anyway, and we can look out for one another." Master Katsumune glanced around as he spoke.

Terrance was startled by the offer.

He had no reason to refuse.

To him, an invitation from a top master was an opportunity. For someone from a poor little place like Qinggu House, traveling with them could very well be the most important turning point in his life.

"It would be my honor to travel with you, Master Katsumune," Terrance said.

Katsumune smiled with satisfaction at Terrance's answer, while Nurse Joy Jun stared at him, wanting to see what was so extraordinary about this boy her age.

"Haha, good, then. It looks like we still have some time before we reach Qishui City, so why don't I ask you a few questions?" On a whim, the elderly Katsumune suddenly wanted to test Terrance's true ability.

Naturally, Terrance and Jun could not refuse.

And so Katsumune led the two youngsters into a room. After a moment's thought, questions came tumbling out of his mouth one after another. Fortunately, though some were tricky, they still fell within the scope of a junior breeder's knowledge, and Terrance could handle eight or nine out of every ten.

As Katsumune continued questioning them, he gained a general understanding of their abilities.

If there was a difference between Jun and Terrance, it lay perhaps in the amount of knowledge they had acquired.

With his teaching and her powerful background, Nurse Joy Jun had been exposed to far more knowledge and had practical skills far beyond Terrance's.

Terrance, however, had a better grasp of concepts and stronger powers of reasoning than Jun. In other words, he was very clever, quick-witted, and highly logical.

"You're both outstanding. The junior breeder exam won't be a problem for you," Katsumune said with a smile. He was very pleased with Terrance, and his words were mainly directed at him. After all, Nurse Joy Jun was his student, and he was already very familiar with her abilities.

"Amazing!" Nurse Joy Jun also expressed her approval of Terrance.

It was the first time the girl had admired someone her own age. Terrance's knowledge had amazed her.

After a moment of silence, Katsumune looked at the two exceptionally gifted newcomers and sighed. In recent years, outstanding trainers had emerged one after another, but the breeder field had been struggling to find successors.

Now that the new generation had outstanding fresh talent like Terrance and Jun, Katsumune, as a senior member of the breeder community, felt greatly reassured.

After some thought, Master Katsumune posed another question to the two newcomers. "What do you think a breeder is?"

This question was different from Master Katsumune's earlier ones, and both of them were taken aback.

After thinking for a few seconds, Terrance ventured an answer. "A trainer who helps Pokémon grow to their full potential?"

Nurse Joy Jun's answer was much the same as Terrance's.

Katsumune nodded and smiled. "That's a good answer, but would you like to hear my thoughts?"

"Of course," Terrance and Nurse Joy Jun said in unison.

After gathering his thoughts, Master Katsumune began, "To me, being a breeder encompasses many things. Helping Pokémon grow to their full potential, as you said, is indeed one of a breeder's defining traits, but there is more to it than that. In fact, each breeder generally specializes in a different area. Most members of Jun's family, for example, have made great achievements in medical care and maintenance. The best breeders of the kind you described can master Pokémon's habits and devise the perfect growth plan for them. The Pokémon they raise are in no way inferior in their development to the main Pokémon of top trainers. Some can even tell a Pokémon's potential and talent at a glance from its development."

"The most famous example is Master Aien. He once gave a boy guidance, telling him, 'Choose it as your starter Pokémon. As long as you don't prove too disappointing, you'll leave your mark on the world someday.' Later, that boy and his Pokémon went on to become one of the Elite Four."

"Then there's Master Ayaro. His greatest achievement was teaching a Snorlax that had been abandoned for its poor talent nearly forty moves spanning several types."

"So, in my view, breeders are an incredible bunch, every one of them."

Katsumune chuckled.

"What about you, Master Katsumune?!" After hearing those examples, Terrance asked without thinking.

"Me? I've always studied Pokémon heredity." Katsumune made no secret of his specialty.