Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

The reason why a sixteen-year-old participating in the intermediate breeder exam caused such a stir is related to the Breeder Guild's position within the League. Although the Breeder Guild holds a relatively high position in the League, there is still room for improvement.

This is because there are too many advanced breeders. That's right, so many that no one respects each other's authority, and no one can represent the entire group of breeders. This lack of clear leadership results in numerous internal voices within the guild.

However, if someone who surpassed the level of an advanced breeder were to emerge, this situation would immediately change.

That's why the appearance of a sixteen-year-old like Cain, with the potential to be an intermediate-level breeder, carries a significant hidden meaning. If Cain manages to pass the exam, he will undoubtedly be treated as a treasure by the Breeder Guild, and no one will dare lay a finger on him.

As long as he grows properly, he will be the leader of the next generation of breeders, something everyone is hoping for. This situation has already been implicitly accepted by the guild's upper echelon.

Although there are certain differences and conflicts within the guild, they always remain united against outsiders. Breeders' combat capabilities are limited, and if they don't stick together, it would be more difficult to maintain their position of power.

Therefore, the emergence of someone who can represent all breeders is the hope of all advanced breeders.

Although Matsuda Takashi didn't have much ambition for power, when he learned that Cain had the ability to be an intermediate-level breeder, he didn't push him immediately into taking the exam.

It's worth remembering that power can sometimes be an advantage but can also cause a person to crumble under its weight.

Power is valuable, but what truly matters in this world is strength. Power without strength is like a castle in the air, always at risk of collapsing.

Cain, under everyone's gaze, sat calmly in his seat, showing no emotion or signs of nervousness, his expression serene. This made the ten examiners nod in approval. At the very least, the sixteen-year-old taking the intermediate breeder exam seemed to have a good attitude.

Cain began facing a round of questions from the ten advanced breeders. The questions were clearly much harder than before—not just a little more difficult but at least twice as challenging.

To avoid suspicion, Cain waited three to four seconds before answering each question. For particularly difficult questions, he pretended to think for a longer time.

This behavior made the ten advanced examiners nod in satisfaction again. On the other hand, some intermediate breeders observing the exam felt embarrassed, realizing they couldn't answer some of those questions.

Overall, the exam's Q&A session lasted about an hour, during which Cain was asked more than forty questions.

Typically, an intermediate breeder exam involves answering about ten to fifteen questions. It wasn't that they were trying to make it harder for Cain; it was just that each time they asked a question, Cain answered it correctly, which raised their enthusiasm, leading them to ask more questions than usual.

When they finally realized how much time had passed, the ten examiners exchanged glances and nodded in approval. Cain had demonstrated impeccable knowledge.

The next step was for Cain to produce an intermediate-level Pokéblock. If he managed to create one of standard quality, he would officially become an intermediate-level breeder.

They gave him a set of intermediate Pokéblock recipes to choose one randomly as part of the test. Cain picked a card at random.

"A Pokéblock for Ghost-type Pokémon," Cain read aloud. He frowned slightly. Pokéblocks for Ghost-type Pokémon are often the most difficult to craft at every level.

Then, he scanned the card with his system and began analyzing the results, calculating the best way to produce the Pokéblock. He pretended to study the recipe intently for about three minutes before setting the card down.

"Did he familiarize himself with the recipe that quickly? Maybe he's made it before?" the advanced examiners commented.

"Could be. Typically, getting familiar with an intermediate-level Pokéblock recipe takes over half an hour," said an elderly woman with white hair.

"Let's keep watching," Shiro Nakamura interjected, silencing the murmurs.

Cain began taking out the materials, arranging them in order. His system had already analyzed all the necessary steps to create the Pokéblock. All that was left was to follow the process.

Taking a deep breath, he began to work. His hands moved with incredible skill, each step flowing naturally and uninterrupted. It was as if he already knew by heart what to do at every moment, as if he had made this Pokéblock many times before.

Many observers believed Cain must have made this recipe before, given how familiar he seemed with each step. But among the ten advanced breeders, two appeared particularly puzzled: Shiro Nakamura and another guild member, Haruto Fujimoto.

"Old Nakamura, isn't this recipe the one you just developed?" Haruto Fujimoto asked, frowning.

With a serious expression, Shiro Nakamura nodded. "Yes, this is my most recent recipe for Ghost-type Pokémon. No one else has seen it before; this is the first time it's been included in intermediate breeder exams."

"If that's true, then there's only one possible explanation," Haruto Fujimoto said, his tone growing more serious. "He's a prodigy! A genius in Pokémon breeding!"

"But a genius like this... it gives me a bit of unease. Have you verified his identity?" Haruto Fujimoto continued.

Shiro Nakamura shook his head. "We'll do that once he's finished."

The other advanced examiners overheard this conversation, their faces showing astonishment. News quickly spread among those present that Cain was crafting this Pokéblock recipe for the first time—and doing so exceptionally well.

The mere fact that Cain, at only sixteen years old, was creating this kind of Pokéblock was already surprising. But it seemed reality was surpassing all expectations. Many intermediate breeders who considered themselves talented felt a bit ashamed.

It seemed the future would not belong to them, but to Cain. The young man was about to make a name for himself!

(End of Chapter)