Jubilife City was economically developed and densely populated, so even if each resident only owned one Pokémon on average, it still represented a huge market.
Not to mention the constant flow of people traveling from the towns surrounding Jubilife City, who were all potential invisible customers.
This was a vast and lucrative market, which had naturally led to dozens of Breeding Houses of all sizes operating throughout Jubilife City.
At its peak period, the total number of Breeding Houses had exceeded one hundred establishments.
Without a doubt, these Breeding Houses varied wildly in quality, and the phenomenon of bad money driving out good was unfortunately common.
Currently, the most famous and prominent Breeding House in Jubilife City was Coronet Breeding House, strategically located on the best street in the city center.
The fact that they dared to name themselves after Mount Coronet—which spans the entire Sinnoh region—clearly demonstrated the considerable strength and confidence of Coronet Breeding House.
It appeared to be simply a Breeding House on the surface, but behind it stood Coronet Company, which owned vast ranches and farms across the region.
Coronet Breeding House's reputation among customers was decidedly mixed.
Those who spoke well of it praised that Coronet Breeding House was cheap and affordable, while those who spoke ill of it complained they disregarded the Pokémon's physical condition and emotional feelings.
It wasn't that concerned Jubilife City residents hadn't tried reporting them to authorities.
However, no concrete violations or problems with Coronet Breeding House could ever be found during inspections.
The one who had just burst in shouting that something big was wrong was Alan.
This morning, he had gone to the city center on an errand.
Wayne, Wayne's parents, and the longtime employees of the Breeding Center all gathered together,
listening intently as Alan vividly explained the situation he had personally learned about.
"Coronet Breeding House's prices were already cheap to begin with, and now they're having a massive price-reduction sale!" Alan announced with concern.
"Besides Pokémon hair care and grooming management, they're now doing everything else we do. People started lining up early this morning before the doors even opened!"
The main service offerings of any Breeding House were just a few standard items. Once Wayne's family started breeding Pokémon as well, they would eventually cover all possible services.
Wayne nodded thoughtfully. This aggressive pricing might very well be the reason why the Breeding Center had been nearly deserted today.
Alan took a quick sip of water to wet his throat.
"They're starting a price war against us? What should we do in response?" Alan asked worriedly.
Leon also looked toward the thoughtful Wayne with concern.
"Son, should we seriously consider lowering our prices to match them?"
However, Fumie immediately shook her head firmly. "Absolutely not."
Wayne also shook his head in agreement with his mother. "Don't worry about matching their prices. Coronet Breeding House can't monopolize the entire market. Our customer base is fundamentally different from theirs."
The simple truth was they didn't have the capital reserves to engage in a prolonged price war.
Moreover, a price war was ultimately a tactic that harmed your enemy by a thousand but harmed yourself by eight hundred. Engaging in a direct price war with the well-funded Coronet Breeding House would only result in their loss.
Wayne said with quiet confidence, "Starting an aggressive price war right now only further proves their inner weakness despite their outward show of strength."
Claire, who was standing nearby, adjusted her glasses and nodded with analytical insight. "I've thoroughly researched Coronet Breeding House's business model. It's fundamentally not the same approach as ours."
"As for what's truly going on inside their operations, I haven't had direct contact, so I won't comment on that. But there are only two effective tactics they can realistically use against us:"
"Either slander our reputation, or actively disrupt our supply channels."
Claire, who had previous experience working at an unethical Breeding House, was unfortunately very familiar with these underhanded business tactics.
Claire's sharp deduction made Alan enthusiastically give her a thumbs up. "That's so impressive! You're amazing!"
"Ga-o!" Incineroar followed suit, mimicking its Trainer's gesture.
Claire simply shrugged. "You'd know these things too if you interacted more regularly with other Breeding Houses in the industry."
Alan quickly shook his head with determination. "No way! I'm not leaving this place. This is my first Breeding House job and my last one."
"That's exactly why I say you're lucky," Claire said with a slight smile.
In Claire's experienced eyes, Alan was an honest simpleton blessed with a simpleton's good fortune.
Wayne wasn't being simply optimistic about their situation, however.
"That said, a temporary period of reduced customer flow is absolutely inevitable, so everyone should be mentally prepared for that," Wayne cautioned realistically.
Leon displayed his characteristic optimistic spirit. "No matter what challenges come, we just need to do our very best!"
Fumie nodded in agreement. "If you have free time and aren't busy with customers, you don't have to stay in the Center completely. You can work on your own projects and training."
Fumie was already planning to discuss which Pokémon species they should start breeding during this slower period.
Vulpix? Eevee? Rockruff?
Or perhaps the classic starter Pokémon like Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur?
These were all extremely popular Pokémon species.
There would be no worry whatsoever about them not selling quickly.
Don't even think about Growlithe, though. They were strictly controlled by the League, and only a small authorized portion of Growlithe would be released for breeding.
Initially, they definitely couldn't breed too many different species at once.
If they were to start breeding operations, some preliminary preparations and infrastructure must also begin.
Wayne nodded with his own plans. "Perfect timing. I can go take the Senior Breeder certification exam during this period."
He still had an active main quest to complete.
Senior Breeder certification was one required part of it.
The Pokémon Item Lottery Tickets were another matter entirely. He was extremely interested in the random skill upgrades available inside the reward pool.
If his Master Level "All Eyes on Me" skill upgraded to the next tier, wouldn't his abilities soar dramatically?
But to be completely honest, what Wayne wanted to upgrade even more were his Breeding, Scan, or Eye of Appraisal abilities.
For Cooking, Energy Cube, and Poffin making, Wayne could grind proficiency on his own through practice.
His Energy Cube making skill, due to constant selling to customers, had almost reached maximum proficiency without him even realizing it.
Energy Cube (Advanced): (88,545/100,000)
The upgrade to Master level was just around the corner now.
Poffin making, because it wasn't sold externally and was simply consumed internally by the employees' Pokémon, was progressing a bit slower.
But this conservative approach ensured Wayne's reputation remained spotless.
He wasn't in a desperate rush to ascend to heaven with rapid growth. Taking things a little slower was perfectly fine.
He still had the Mapo Tofu (B-rank) and Crab Roe Lion's Head (B-rank) recipes that he hadn't successfully replicated to high quality yet. These were all culinary challenges he needed to eventually overcome.
Alan chuckled with his own ambitions. "Oh right! I need to sign up for the Intermediate Breeder assessment exam too!"
Claire raised her hand politely. "Aunt Fumie, I'm also somewhat interested in pursuing Pokémon breeding certification."
Fumie smiled warmly. "Then let's all study and take the exams together."
Shion was full of youthful energy. "I'll also study really hard!"
Kinsley said softly but with determination, "Yes, I'll also work hard to make sure customers are satisfied!"
With such a dedicated and loyal group of employees, Wayne absolutely didn't believe the Breeding Center wouldn't successfully get through this challenge.
As the saying went: Know yourself, know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in battle.
Wayne was putting this ancient wisdom into practice.
He was actively gathering detailed information about Coronet Breeding House's operations.
The constant stream of notifications in the chat group suddenly caught Wayne's attention.
Brock: "The 24th Youth Breeder Competition has been officially confirmed, and the finals will be held in Hearthome City in Sinnoh."
As the Gym Leader of Pewter City Gym, after various life experiences and events, Brock had also embarked on the professional path of a Breeder.
Silver: "Hearthome City? That's a bit far for me to travel. I still have daily work responsibilities at my Breeding House."
Brock: "The top 32 competitors start competing in Hearthome City. The preliminaries and elimination rounds are held in various regions, so you can compete locally first."
Lt. Surge: "It's not like you'll automatically get first place just by showing up and participating."
Red: "Breeder Competition? Forget it, I'll stick to Pokémon training instead."
Blue: "@Wayne, you should definitely participate in this competition. The rewards are extremely generous, and I'm one of the judges this year."
Wayne: "Why does that sound like I'd be going through the back door? I'll consider it."
Lt. Surge: "Beep beep, yellow card warning for driving once!"
Silver: "Beep beep, children shouldn't understand that reference!"
Silver and Lt. Surge have been muted by Blue for 5 minutes.
Only five minutes? Blue was being truly merciful today.
Wayne naturally knew all about this prestigious competition already.
It was the absolute top event for young Breeders, held once every three years, and only Breeders under thirty years old were allowed to participate.
His grandfather Professor Oak, his father Leon, and his mother Fumie had all participated in this Breeder Competition during their youth.
Speaking of which, Wayne's father and mother had left quite a significant mark on the Breeder Competition's history.
During the dramatic semi-finals of the competition, his father had publicly confessed his love to Fumie live on broadcast television.
His mother had, of course, agreed to the proposal, and then the two had gotten together and had been together ever since that moment.
A system notification suddenly chimed in Wayne's mind:
"Ding! New side quest detected..."