"Miss Joy."
Lucas greeted Miss Joy.
Miss Joy also greeted Lucas, and at her request, Lucas called her Sister Linnea.
"Oh, right. Blissey and I bought you some food and put it in the fridge. Nina said you didn't prepare any food, so I just bought some casually for you. You can go to town later and buy what you like."
Miss Joy said.
Lucas was startled, then remembered that he hadn't bought food for today yesterday because he didn't have a fridge. He had planned to treat them to a meal, but he hadn't prepared any food himself.
What a mess.
Lucas gave an embarrassed smile, then he heard Blissey's voice from the kitchen.
"Happiny—"
Lucas walked into the kitchen and saw Blissey already preparing ingredients.
"Blissey, thank you for your trouble."
Walking over to Blissey, Lucas praised Blissey a few times, then together with Blissey, he processed the ingredients that Blissey and Miss Joy had brought, turning them into the standard four dishes and one soup of the Donghuang region, and also made Berry Juice from the berries obtained through the lottery.
After calling out to Nina and the others, Lucas moved the purchased round table to the open space in the back, set up the chairs, and Blissey walked over with the dishes, placing them on the table.
He gave each person a cup of Berry Juice, and each Pokémon, including Gengar, a cup of Moomoo Milk.
After finishing all this, Lucas sat down. The setting sun just happened to shine on them. The weather in Sinnoh was a bit cooler than in other regions; in midsummer, the evenings were already starting to get chilly.
"I didn't expect you to have such a hidden talent."
Nina couldn't stop eating. Swallowing the food in her mouth, she said.
"It's alright. After all, good food should not be wasted."
Lucas said, drinking the soup from his bowl.
Gengar and the others were also enjoying their meal. It's worth mentioning that most of the Pokémon's food was prepared by Blissey, with Lucas assisting.
When everyone had eaten their fill, with some food still remaining, Lucas asked Gengar if it could eat more. Upholding the traditional virtue of not wasting, Gengar opened its big mouth and poured all the food in.
Then it licked its face with its scarlet tongue.
"Gengar—"
Cool breezes swept over the people and Pokémon sitting on the messy grass. Looking at Gengar playing Play Rough with Growlithe, Blissey mediating nearby, and Nina and the others talking, Lucas felt a sense of peace for the first time.
He quietly watched all this, then called Gengar over and squeezed its round cheeks.
"It looks like Gengar really likes you, Lucas."
Miss Joy looked at Gengar, whose face was changing in Lucas's hands and was still laughing non-stop, and said, "And the cooking is very good. He's a very capable Breeder."
"Breeder?"
Lucas stopped his movements and asked in confusion.
Nina and Miss Jenny exchanged glances.
"Oh, right. Do you have a Breeder's license?"
Nina asked Lucas.
"Huh?"
Lucas was stunned. A Breeder's license? What's that? Oh, right, he remembered. Trainers need a Trainer's license, and Breeders also need to pass the Breeder's examination to become an official Breeder.
I just finished renovating the house and spent all my money, and now suddenly they say a Breeding House needs a Breeder's license? Can I still get a refund now?
Lucas asked nervously, "Um... does a Breeding House have to be run by a Breeder?"
"Not necessarily. Many private Breeding Houses are not run by Breeders."
Hearing Miss Jenny say this, Lucas breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's good, that's good."
"However, a Breeder's license proves to the Alliance that you have sufficient ability to take good care of the Pokémon in the Breeding House. At the same time, the Alliance offers certain benefits to Breeding Houses run by Breeders. For example, when purchasing Pokémon Eggs. In your situation, if you had a Breeder's license, proving you have sufficient ability to care for Pokémon, the Alliance would likely give you greater benefits."
A Qualified Breeder: Pass the Breeder's examination to become a qualified Breeder. This is an indispensable part of running a Breeding House.
Passing the examination will yield rich rewards.
Even without this task, Lucas decided to take the exam, because the benefit of purchasing Pokémon Eggs with a discount was a very compelling reason.
Each Alliance rescues many Pokémon Eggs every year. They give a portion to Professor's laboratories to serve as starter Pokémon for Trainers on their journeys, while another portion is entrusted to certain Breeding Houses for sale.
If you don't purchase Pokémon Eggs from the Alliance, you can only hatch them yourself or have others entrust them to you for sale.
For Lucas, who was currently short on money, saving where he could was important.
"I think you should take the exam, Lucas."
Miss Jenny suggested.
Lucas nodded.
"Coincidentally, there's a Breeder's examination at the Twinleaf Town Pokémon Center tomorrow afternoon. I'll just sign you up directly."
After Miss Jenny finished speaking, she pulled out her phone, asked Lucas for his information, and tapped on the screen a few times.
"Done."
"Eh... eh?!"
Lucas hadn't even reacted. He was already signed up? He didn't even know what the exam would cover.
"Special circumstances call for special measures. It's fine."
Miss Jenny clapped her hands and said.
"The exam content... is it difficult?"
Hearing Lucas's words, Miss Joy put her finger to her chin, thought for a moment, and said,
"How should I put it? It depends on the individual. How about this, when I go back, I'll find you some past exam questions, you can take a look."
"Thank you, Sister Linnea."
Lucas sincerely thanked her. He would get the questions tonight and pull an all-nighter studying.
Based on the Pokémon knowledge stored in his mind and his Cheat, passing a Breeder's examination shouldn't be difficult, right?
"It's nothing. We believe in you. Tomorrow, just go and get a feel for it. Passing next time will be fine."
Nina stood up and patted his shoulder. Miss Jenny and Miss Joy also nodded in agreement.
"Happiny—"
"Arf—"
"Gengar!!"
Gengar and the others also cheered Lucas on from the side, especially Gengar, who clenched its small fists and raised them upwards, though not quite over its head.
"I will work hard."
Lucas was a little moved and said with conviction.
Immediately after, Nina and the others began to clear the table. Lucas tried to help, but they pressed him back into his chair.
"You just sit there. We can't let you cook and clean up too."
Miss Jenny heard Nina's words, laughed, and then said, "It was quite delicious. Maybe I'll come over for free meals often in the future."
Miss Joy agreed, but because Nina's job as a lawyer required her to travel a lot, she probably wouldn't be able to come very often.
"You are always welcome here."
Lucas said.
From them, he could feel the care of an older sister for her younger brother.
And for them, this place was also a place they would always cherish in their hearts.
The setting sun passed over them, heading towards the distant horizon, leaving behind an evening breeze that swept over their bodies, leaving its mark on them.
More than a decade ago, it had also passed through here, caressing a grandmother and three little girls. Now, it caressed a young man and three girls.
Without exception, it left its mark on them, a mark like that of family.