As the first rays of morning sunlight streamed through the windows of the daycare, Kawaki, fully rested, began a new day of work.
His first task was to check the backyard and see whether the Swampert and Quagsire left in his care had laid any eggs.
He scoured the lakeside and bushes, but after confirming there were no Pokémon eggs, he returned to the front, opened the daycare, and hung up the sign that read: "Now Open for Business."
Kawaki glanced around—roof, treetops—but saw no sign of the familiar Taillow.
That wild Taillow, who had previously provided him with valuable intel, hadn't shown up in days. Kawaki couldn't help but wonder if something had happened to it—maybe it was caught by another trainer?
But more likely… it probably found a place with tastier food.
Kawaki sighed.
He'd been so busy training the Clefairy that he hadn't had time to buy higher-quality Pokémon food.
Well, these things were all up to fate. If Taillow didn't show, he couldn't force it.
Just as he was turning to head back inside, the familiar roar of a police motorcycle echoed from down the path.
Layla Jenny rolled up to the daycare, killed the engine, took off her helmet, and looked at Kawaki.
"Officer Jenny?" Kawaki blinked.
She nodded. "I have an update about that thing we talked about last time."
Kawaki immediately realized what she meant—her offer to apply to the Hoenn League for a batch of Pokémon eggs for his daycare.
"How did it go?" he asked.
Layla Jenny hesitated. "Well, the League is happy to approve the request, but… there's a condition."
"Go ahead," Kawaki nodded. Money? Documents?
"They said," Layla Jenny continued, "you'll need to prove to the Hoenn League that you're capable of raising those eggs properly before they'll hand them over."
Fair enough.
In normal circumstances, ordinary people couldn't run daycares—they didn't understand the needs of different species, types, or breeding. They didn't know how to properly hatch eggs.
To legally run a daycare, the owner had to be a certified Pokémon Breeder—even a beginner-level certification would suffice.
Without that, a daycare wasn't considered legitimate. The League wouldn't provide anything—you'd be on your own for breeding, and it would be extremely difficult.
"In other words," Layla Jenny explained, "if you want those eggs, you'll have to go to the Breeder Association in Fallarbor Town and pass some tests to become a certified Breeder."
The problem was, Kawaki had only just turned ten this year, and had grown up in an orphanage. He had no formal education and no training experience. Normally, there was no way someone like that could pass the exam.
So technically, his daycare had been operating as an illegal shop all this time…
Kawaki sighed, but mentally reviewed all the Pokémon knowledge from his past life, plus the breeding books he'd studied since arriving in this world. After a moment of thought, he looked up.
"Can I go see what the exam looks like?" he asked.
"Of course," Layla Jenny nodded. "I'm free this morning—want to go now?"
Kawaki agreed. He locked up the daycare, instructed Bewear to look after the Pokémon, and hopped on Layla Jenny's motorcycle as they headed to Fallarbor Town's Breeder Association.
As luck would have it, the association was hosting a certification exam that very day.
Thanks to Layla Jenny's connections, Kawaki was allowed to observe the test.
There were five candidates participating. They were currently in the written portion—the first round.
Layla Jenny handed Kawaki a sample exam paper.
He glanced at the front page—it was multiple choice.
1. Which of the following Pokémon cannot breed with Gardevoir?
A. Machamp
B. Lopunny
C. Swampert
D. Muk
Kawaki: "…"
Clearly, only C. Swampert doesn't belong to the Human-like egg group.
These test makers really have a twisted sense of humor… he thought.
Thankfully, the other questions were more straightforward:
2. What condition does a Lum Berry cure?
A. Burn
B. Poison
C. Paralysis
D. Freeze
The rest of the test was focused on basic breeding knowledge—Pokémon egg groups, types, behaviors, and berry/herb usage.
Kawaki relaxed. For someone like him, a transmigrator, this stuff was a breeze.
Perfect. The sooner he passed, the sooner he could get back to running his daycare.
He turned to Layla Jenny. "Can I take the test now?"
Layla Jenny blinked. "Are you sure? You know the answers?"
Kawaki smiled. "Yes. I've been studying a lot lately."
Layla Jenny looked at the confidence in his eyes and decided to trust him.
She approached the head of the association and whispered a few words.
"…Only ten years old? No formal schooling? No breeding experience? Okay, fine… Since it's your request, I'll make an exception," the old man muttered.
Soon, Kawaki was seated in the testing room, a blank exam and pen in front of him.
He glanced at it and began writing at lightning speed.
Outside, Layla Jenny and the elderly proctor watched him from behind a glass panel.
"This kid… he's not just messing around?" the old man asked.
Layla Jenny shook her head. Thinking of Kawaki's determined eyes, she said, "I believe in him."
The old man, on the other hand, had zero expectations.
Ten years old. Never went to school. No experience. Barely caught his starter Pokémon a week ago…
"If this kid passes, I'll write my name backwards for the rest of my life!"