Flint's One Hundredth Try

Aoki, sixteen years old, assessment item, assessment of junior breeders.

"Sixteen years old?" The middle-aged man was a little surprised.

He looked at Aoki's height and appearance.

Aoki was a little over 1.7 meters tall and looked about sixteen years old.

It was rare for someone so young to be a junior breeder.

After all, a breeder was not like a trainer.

As long as a trainer knew a little about Pokémon and had a Pokémon that could battle, they could call themselves a trainer.

But breeders were different.

Breeders needed to be much more knowledgeable about Pokémon than trainers. At the very least, they needed to understand most Pokémon species and be familiar with their characteristics.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to properly prepare Pokeblocks or provide other necessary care for Pokémon.

Although breeding centers primarily focused on producing Pokeblocks, breeders were also involved in Pokémon massage therapy and minor medical treatments.

The higher the level of a breeder, the more knowledge was required.

Therefore, while trainers could start at a young age, breeders were generally older.

They needed time to accumulate knowledge and experience.

The more they accumulated, the more they could master.

So sixteen was a common age for a trainer, but for a breeder, it was considered young.

Few people became breeders at sixteen unless they had family members who owned a breeding center and had trained them from a young age.

Either that, or they came from a prestigious family with extensive knowledge resources.

Otherwise, it would not be easy to acquire enough knowledge by sixteen.

"Yeah." Aoki nodded.

Of course, Aoki understood that sixteen was young for a breeder.

But he was only taking the junior breeder assessment for now—he would take the intermediate one later, which would truly surprise people.

That was also one of the main reasons Matsuda had encouraged Aoki to sign up for the breeder assessment.

The middle-aged man had originally wanted to say something, but he recalled Aoki's impressive results on the written test and decided against it.

"Then come with me."

He turned and motioned for Aoki to follow.

The two entered a room where four people were seated: a woman in her twenties, a boy around eighteen, and a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his thirties.

The middle-aged man with glasses said to Aoki, "This is the waiting room for the assessment. Sit here and wait until your name is called." Then, he walked into another room with Aoki's test paper and registration form.

Aoki found a corner seat and sat down silently.

He discreetly observed the others. They were likely here for the junior breeder assessment as well.

The middle-aged man in his thirties didn't seem to be taking the exam for the first time. His resolute expression was calm and composed.

The woman in her mid-twenties, however, seemed nervous. She was likely taking the assessment for the first time, which suited her age.

The eighteen-year-old boy showed no particular expression.

Aoki was a bit surprised to see someone as young as eighteen taking the junior breeder assessment. It wasn't easy to reach this level at his age.

As Aoki observed the others, they observed him as well. His young appearance stood out, yet he was sitting in the waiting room for the breeder's assessment.

The others were clearly surprised.

However, since they were strangers, they sat apart and didn't converse.

Breeder assessments weren't competitive—there was no need to eliminate others, only to prove one's own ability.

So, there was no hostility between them.

After a while, the door to the examination room opened, and a man in his mid-twenties walked out, looking dejected and disappointed.

The middle-aged man with glasses patted him on the shoulder in reassurance. "It's okay. You can try again next time. You were close, but you need to reinforce your Pokémon knowledge."

It was clear that he had failed the assessment.

Without looking back, he quietly left the room.

"Next, Mikako!"

"Yes!" The nervous woman, named Mikako, jumped up from her seat and called out.

"Don't be nervous. Your teacher said you should do fine. Just perform normally," the middle-aged man with glasses encouraged her.

With that, only three people remained in the waiting room: Aoki, the eighteen-year-old boy, and the calm middle-aged man.

After Mikako entered the examination room, the room grew even quieter.

Suddenly, the middle-aged man in his thirties stood up and approached the eighteen-year-old, seemingly intending to talk. However, the younger man ignored him completely.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man hesitated before turning away. As he stood, he glanced at Aoki, hesitated again, then walked over and sat beside him.

Aoki had been watching him and frowned slightly when the man sat next to him.

"Hello, little brother. My name is Flint. This might be my last attempt at the junior breeder assessment. Maybe I just don't have the talent for it. I'm better suited to being a trainer. Although it may be a bit presumptuous, would you mind exchanging contact information? It would be a keepsake for me."

Hearing this, Aoki was taken aback. "Flint? As in… Flint!?"

"Yes, Flint. Would you mind granting my request? I've collected contact information from ninety-nine other candidates. You'd be my hundredth. This is my final sentiment toward breeding—I plan to focus on being a trainer after this."

But Aoki wasn't really listening.

Flint?

Was this a coincidence?

Because Aoki recalled that Brock's father was also named Flint—and he had been a Gym Leader.

The Gym Leader of Pewter City in the Kanto region. A Rock-type trainer.

Flint… Had this guy actually taken the breeder exam?

"Are you from Pewter City?" Aoki asked.

Short hair, thick eyebrows, eyes nearly shut—this guy looked about 90% like Brock.

Flint was startled by the question. "Yes, little brother. Have you been to Pewter City?"

So it really was him.

The former Pewter City Gym Leader, Brock's irresponsible father.

He had already become a Gym Leader—why was he still taking the breeder's exam?

What a waste.