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Chapter 29: Genius
🕑 Added 2025-09-13 12:35:11 +0000 UTCThe rustling sounds of pens scratching against paper filled the examination room as all the test-takers worked furiously.
Examiner Matsumoto looked at the six candidates before him, his gaze finally settling on the youngest one among them.
He had just received word about this boy.
This student who had suddenly joined the exam at the last minute was named Kawaki, a child who had only recently turned ten years old.
That wouldn't normally be a problem, but this was the testing site for the Junior Breeder certification!
He'd heard the kid had even pulled strings to get in...
Matsumoto grew even more skeptical.
Probably just some overconfident kid here to experience what a breeder exam was like, right?
Kawaki didn't pay much attention to what others thought of him.
He quietly kept his head down and worked through the problems. The questions on this test paper were all pretty simple, mostly testing the candidates' grasp of basic Pokémon knowledge.
Things like Pokémon abilities, preferences, ecological environments, and so on.
He finished answering everything in just half an hour and submitted his test paper to the examiner.
Officer Jenny was waiting outside, and as soon as she saw Kawaki emerge, she immediately asked, "How'd it go?"
"Already finished," Kawaki replied.
The written exam would take some time to get results, so during the wait, the two of them casually toured the Pokémon Association's ecological garden.
Here, Kawaki saw many Fire-type Pokémon.
Torchic, Numel, Slugma, Torkoal, Vulpix...
Officer Jenny watched this scene and explained, "The environment here simulates the volcanic regions inside Mt. Chimney, making it perfect for Fire-type Pokémon to live in."
Before them stretched a patch of crimson earth. White hot steam continuously rose from cracks in the ground, and in the distance was even a bubbling lava pool.
Slugma moved actively all around the area.
Meanwhile, an information board nearby introduced visitors and breeders to the principles behind this lava zone ecological area.
It used several expensive Fire Stones placed in special machines that would activate the Fire-type energy within the stones, raising the temperature of the surrounding area and perfectly simulating a volcanic habitat.
Kawaki nodded thoughtfully. He could reference this place later and create a special area in his backyard that would be suitable for Fire-type Pokémon to live in.
Officer Jenny looked at Kawaki with a hesitant expression.
After thinking it over, she finally decided to speak up: "Don't worry, even if you don't pass this exam, it's okay. Wild Pokémon occasionally leave eggs near Petalburg City, and when that happens, I'll find a way to collect them and give them to you to care for."
Even without official certification, she had some understanding of Kawaki's breeding abilities.
The little Growlithe was thriving under his care, and he kept the Daycare running smoothly.
Hearing this, Kawaki couldn't help but feel moved.
This Officer Jenny really was incredibly kind to him!
From what he knew, every member of the Jenny family was someone with a very strong sense of responsibility.
She probably really did see herself in a sisterly role?
Kawaki wasn't ready to call a stranger "Onee-Chan" just yet. He shook his head and said with a smile, "The results aren't out yet."
*
At the Breeder Association office.
A group of staff members were grading the test papers of the six candidates who had taken the Junior Breeder certification exam.
The elderly man who had spoken with Officer Jenny happened to pass by this area. He looked toward Matsumoto, and though he already had an answer in his heart, he couldn't help but ask, "How did that boy named Kawaki do? He didn't pass, right?"
After asking, the old man noticed something.
Matsumoto's face, which was usually stern and rigid, was now filled with complete astonishment.
As if he had seen something truly shocking.
Matsumoto looked at the test paper in his hands with disbelief and replied, "Mr. Yoshiki, you said earlier that this Kawaki really just turned ten, never went to school, and has no breeding experience whatsoever?"
Yoshiki: "?"
Seeing Yoshiki's confused expression, Matsumoto directly handed over the test paper.
Yoshiki reached out to take it and was startled to see the perfect score marked on it.
Yoshiki: "!!!"
"That Kawaki was also the only candidate in this breeder exam to get a perfect score!" Matsumoto was extremely surprised. "It's unbelievable! You have to understand, some of the questions on this paper cover knowledge that only Intermediate Breeders should know!"
And now, Kawaki had not only answered them, but answered them completely correctly!
"Huh? Mr. Yoshiki, what's wrong?" Matsumoto suddenly noticed that Mr. Yoshiki had gone silent.
Yoshiki: "..." Call me ikihsoy from now on!
But he didn't say this out loud. Looking at that test paper, Yoshiki was silent for a moment before speaking: "I'll personally handle the second round of testing!"
"What?"
Matsumoto was somewhat shocked. Mr. Yoshiki was Petalburg City's only Senior Breeder, someone capable of giving Pokémon new life.
But Yoshiki didn't respond. He thought back to how that kid named Kawaki had spoken with such confidence earlier.
No wonder... no wonder he was so certain of himself. Turns out he really had some serious skills.
This time, it was he who had misjudged the situation.
If that was the case, then let him see what this kid was really capable of!
Ten years old, perfect score on the Junior Breeder exam—if he could also ace the upcoming interview, that would prove this kid was a once-in-a-lifetime genius when it came to breeding!
Having made up his mind, Yoshiki immediately headed to the interview site.
*
The second part of the Junior Breeder certification was an interview. Candidates needed to observe Pokémon's physical characteristics, then analyze their condition and symptoms for the examiner, find the corresponding Berries and herbs from a pile of medicinal materials, mix them into medicines or juices, and provide treatment for the Pokémon.
The six candidates entered a room where six different Pokémon stood, with a large collection of Berries, herbs, and mixing tools behind them.
Old man Yoshiki stood at the front, his gaze lingering on Kawaki for a moment before he smiled and began:
"Candidates, what we're testing next is an essential ability for breeders: eyesight, which can also be called observation skills!"
"In our daily lives, we encounter all kinds of Pokémon. We need to have good observational skills to judge their condition, then provide targeted treatment or specialized care based on the situation."
"So today's test is focused on your powers of observation!"
"Now then, you can all see, can't you? Each of you has a Pokémon standing in front of you, and they've suffered injuries of varying degrees. You have ten minutes to observe their symptoms, then report to me, after which you'll find the medicinal herbs needed to treat them and provide care."
Kawaki's gaze swept over the six Pokémon before them.
They were: Lotad, Shroomish, Skitty, Mawile, Snorunt, and Beautifly.
The one assigned to him was a Mawile that looked very quiet and cute.
