After seeing Laura and the others out, Victor went back to his room, took a shower, and then flopped onto his bed. He took his phone from Gengar and saw that Nurse Joy had sent over the questions from the last Breeder examination.
Victor opened the file, and Gengar immediately sat down next to him, looking like it wanted to study too.
"Do you even understand this, you goofball?" he said, laughing as he scolded it, then moved the phone closer to Gengar.
"Gengar~"
The test was divided into multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and short-answer questions.
"Well, this brings back some... familiar feelings," Victor couldn't help but comment as he looked at the format.
"Gengar?"
"It's nothing. Let's look at the questions."
"Gengar."
First question:
[Which of the following berries does NOT cure a status condition?]
[A. Sitrus Berry]
[B. Persim Berry]
[C. Cheri Berry]
[D. Pecha Berry]
A, obviously. Next.
[Which of the following Pokémon can Machoke NOT produce an Egg with?]
[A. Gardevoir]
[B. Gallade]
[C. Azumarill]
[D. Buneary]
"Hiss... there's no 'Human' option?"
Seeing this question, Victor was briefly reminded of a certain shiny female Machoke... forcing the thought from his mind, he continued reading.
The questions covered the basics of Pokémon Egg Groups, the uses of various berries and herbs, and the typings and living habits of common Pokémon.
Simply put, Victor knew all the answers. The short-answer section at the end was typically a practical interview based on a real-life Pokémon.
With a sigh, Victor slumped onto the bed. "And here I thought it would be difficult..."
"Gengar, let's finish the exam early tomorrow and come back to finish cleaning the Breeding House. We need to get this place open and start making money," Victor said, handing the phone to Gengar as he laced his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling.
"Gengar~"
He glanced over at Gengar and saw it completely engrossed in the phone. Victor said with a sigh, "I really don't know if this is a good or bad thing for you. Remember to go to sleep early tonight. We have to wake up early tomorrow to clean the grounds."
Hearing this, Gengar looked up at him, turned off the phone, and floated to the other side of the bed to plug in the charger.
"Goodnight, Gengar," Victor said, smiling as he gently pulled at the corners of Gengar's mouth.
"Gen... Gengar~"
"Remember to turn off the lights."
"Gengar!"
The room plunged into darkness, leaving only a pair of crimson eyes and the white glow of the charging phone on the nightstand.
Victor sighed quietly to himself, closed his eyes, and quickly fell asleep.
...
The next morning, Victor woke up and opened the balcony doors. A thin layer of mist hung over the breeding grounds out back.
"Morning, Gengar."
Seeing Gengar float in from the floor, Victor greeted it and then dragged it into the bathroom to get ready for the day.
After they were done, Victor made a simple breakfast for himself and Gengar, then went to the warehouse to get the new lawnmower.
"I wonder how well this thing works."
He went out to the breeding grounds. Dewdrops still clung to the overgrown grass, and the air was crisp and cool, making Victor shiver—especially with a Gengar right behind him.
The temperature difference between day and night in the Sinnoh region was huge.
He fiddled with the lawnmower according to the instruction manual, and after setting it up, he pressed the start button. The machine roared to life.
Everywhere the lawnmower passed, it left behind a trail of cut grass and the fresh, fragrant scent of green.
"Gengar, come give me a hand. Help me move these big rocks."
The numerous rocks were making the lawnmower shudder and jump, so Victor had no choice but to call Gengar for help.
"Gengar—"
Hearing Victor's call, Gengar put down the broom it was using to sweep up grass clippings and floated over. It then used its psychic powers to move all the large rocks to the side.
With Gengar's help, they quickly cleared the main grass area. Next, they moved to the lake area, where Victor had Gengar clear all the fallen leaves from the water's surface and move them to the planting area to use as fertilizer. Since the lake's water was flowing, there was no need to drain or refill it.
They worked until noon. Victor looked at the much-improved grounds but felt like he was forgetting something.
After a moment, it hit him. He and Gengar ran back to the house, installed a large sun umbrella, and brought out a few lounge chairs and a small table.
The little afternoon tea area was now set up.
"Yep, you can't skip the important rituals."
Looking at the mostly finished area, he decided the finer details could be handled later.
Once he passed the Breeder exam this afternoon, he could start thinking about the grand opening. He now had a proper place for trainers to board their Pokémon.
"Let's go, Gengar. Time for lunch. What do you feel like eating?" Victor asked, picking some stray grass from his pants.
"Gengar~ ٩(º﹃º٩)"
"Anything's fine~"
After lunch, Victor sat with Gengar on the chairs in front of the counter, waiting for Jenny to arrive. He was in the middle of writing out the Breeding House's services on a large wooden board.
A roaring sound came from outside as Jenny pulled up on her police motorcycle.
"Jenny," Victor said, handing the wooden board to Gengar as he walked outside.
"Let's go, I'll take you to the exam. How are your preparations coming along?" Jenny asked, turning the bike around.
"They're okay."
"Sounds like you're pretty confident. Come on, get on."
Victor sat on the back of the motorcycle, told Gengar to look after the house, and then headed off with Jenny to Twinleaf Town for the Breeder examination.
Arriving at the Pokémon Center, he greeted Nurse Joy and then followed Jenny to the Breeder's Association building next door.
He pushed open the door and saw that the room was full of people. There were people his age, some older, and even some children.
Seeing the kids who looked to be around ten years old, Victor remembered that in this world, children could set off on their journeys with a starter Pokémon at that age. Some even became League Champions in their teens.
He found his seat and sat down quietly, waiting for the exam to begin.
When the test papers were handed out, Victor gave them a quick scan. They were very simple.
Right, it's just the exam for a preliminary Breeder's license. Of course it's not going to be that hard.
He finished writing his answers quickly, turned in his paper early, and walked out of the examination room.
Since there was a second part to the exam, Victor couldn't leave. Bored, he started wandering around the waiting area.
Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and saw it was Officer Jenny.
"Jenny? You can come in here?" Victor asked, curious as to how she got in.
"I'm a police officer. Is there a problem with me coming in here?" Jenny said with a smile, flashing her badge.
"..."
She's got a point.
Considering Jenny was the one who had gotten him into the exam in the first place, it all made sense.
I got in through the back door.
"Judging by your expression, the first part of the exam went well?" Jenny asked.
"There weren't any major problems."
"That's good to hear."