Chapter 194: Rules for the Knight Selection

In addition to selling healing potions, the Pokémon Breeding House also offered a variety of special potions, such as Rock Slide Auxiliary Potion and Sleep Powder Auxiliary Potion.

(TN: Changed sleep-inducing potion to Sleep Powder Auxiliary Potion.)

Master Olai was particularly curious about these two unique potions and had been studying them recently.

Therefore, he didn't decline when asked to manage the Pokémon Breeding House. He took over the management duties and oversaw the sale of the potions. The pay was also quite decent.

"Arwoo~ Arwoo~ Arwoo~"

From a corner of the Pokémon Breeding House came the whimpering of a young Poochyena.

Hearing the sound, Link walked over with a smile. "You little glutton, are you hungry again?"

"Hold on a sec, I'll go get you some Pokémon food."

He patted the pup's soft fur, then headed into the back room of the Breeding House to fetch a bag of food.

Link poured some brown, pellet-shaped Pokémon food into the pup's bowl.

As soon as it saw the food, the Poochyena pounced joyfully and began gobbling it down, its face full of excitement.

While the Poochyena was eating, Link knelt beside it and checked on its injured leg.

For some unknown reason, the Poochyena had suffered a severe leg injury. After Aven treated it, he brought it to the Breeding House for recovery.

Even Master Olai, an experienced potion master himself, admired Aven's medical skills.

A broken bone like that—no one in Aspiration City could've handled it. But Aven had successfully set the bone and begun the healing process.

"Arwoo~ Arwoo~" The little pup continued eating happily, its joy softening the look in Link's eyes.

Such a lucky little guy, Link thought to himself, then stood up and grabbed a healing potion to help with its recovery.

Just then, as the Poochyena was eating, it suddenly stopped and looked toward the entrance.

Moments later, the wooden door opened and Aven walked in.

"Arwoo~ Arwoo~ Arwoo~!" The Poochyena barked excitedly at the sight of him.

"Hey there, looks like you're recovering well." Aven responded with a warm chuckle.

Link stepped forward and greeted him. "Lord Aven, the Poochyena is recovering very well. It should be able to run again in no time."

"Thanks for taking care of it."

Aven was quite pleased with Link. It was clear that he had a real knack for caring for Pokémon.

In fact, Aven had deliberately entrusted the injured Poochyena to the Breeding House as a way of testing Link's abilities.

And the results spoke for themselves—Link was well-suited to becoming a Pokémon Breeder. Aven had already decided to train him to become a qualified Breeder.

"I'm actually here to see you today," Aven said with a smile.

Link was a bit surprised—he hadn't expected that Aven was looking for him specifically.

"This is a special potion called Growth Fertilizer."

"When absorbed by Grass-type Pokémon, it can greatly enhance their strength."

"I'm planning to start selling this new potion at the Breeding House, so I came by to explain how it works and how to use it."

Just then, a rumbling noise came from outside. They turned to see Rhydon approaching from afar, carrying a huge crate in its arms.

Inside the wooden crate were numerous wooden test tubes, each containing a dose of the Growth Fertilizer.

"Growth Fertilizer? A special potion?" Link's whole body tensed. He could tell right away—this was something he'd never seen before.

When he first encountered potions like Rock Slide Auxiliary Potion and Sleep Powder Auxiliary Potion, he had already been amazed by how they could help Pokémon grow stronger.

But now, he was becoming more and more accustomed to the strange and wonderful potions Aven created.

"Yes," Aven confirmed. "This one is for Grass-type Pokémon."

"It can also be used on Berries to accelerate their growth and development."

"However, at this concentration, the Growth Fertilizer is only suitable for Pokémon. If you use it on plants, it could burn the sprouts."

"So be sure to explain this to customers when you're selling it. We don't want any accidents."

"Also, this potion isn't meant to be ingested. It should be poured into the soil so Grass-type Pokémon can absorb it through their roots."

"Remember, only Grass-types can benefit from this. If combined with Absorb-type moves, the effect will be even better."

"Oh, and by the way, the Knight Selection is starting soon. The Breeding House may get really busy over the next few days. If you need help, ask Clerk Fessen."

Aven continued explaining the Growth Fertilizer with a smile. When Link learned it could also be used on plants, he was genuinely amazed.

Using potions on Pokémon was already rare—but potions for plants? That was something else entirely.

He could already imagine how his teacher would react. The old man was probably going to lose his mind again.

Lately, his teacher had often said, "Thank goodness I followed Aven to Fruitvale Village. Otherwise, I'd regret it for the rest of my life!"

…

Pete had been a member of the Patrol Team for a while now.

After weeks of training, he was finally allowed to carry out patrol duties like the other members.

But his dream wasn't just to be a patroller—he wanted to become a Knight!

With the arrival of the Knight Instructors in Fruitvale Village, the long-awaited Knight Selection was finally about to begin.

However, when the rules of the selection were announced, Pete found it hard to be happy.

The most important criterion for becoming a Knight was combat strength!

In one month, the Patrol Team would hold a public tournament. Only the top sixteen participants would earn the right to become Knights.

The format would be one-on-one battles—once one side's Pokémon could no longer fight, the match would end.

Thinking about the upcoming battles, Pete glanced down at his companion, a Gloom, and let out a sigh.

He had learned how to raise Gloom during his time with the Patrol Team. His Gloom had also successfully learned Absorb and Sleep Powder.

But his Gloom came from the abandoned orchard and was still weak.

Meanwhile, many other patrollers had captured Glooms from outside the village—much stronger Pokémon by comparison.

Pete's Gloom was way behind. Forget top sixteen—he wasn't even confident about making the top fifty.

How can I train Gloom more effectively? Pete wondered, frowning.

As he walked, he suddenly spotted his team captain, Peter.

Peter was doing his usual rounds with both his Gloom and Mightyena.

Ever since his Gloom had mastered Sweet Scent and could control its natural stench, Peter had finally been able to bring both Pokémon with him on patrol.

Peter was the strongest member of the Patrol Team and a seasoned combat veteran who had even served on the battlefield.

Maybe I should ask him for advice, Pete thought, taking a deep breath to steady himself.

"Captain, hello," he greeted.

Hearing the voice, Peter looked up from his thoughts. "Oh, it's you, Pete."

"Thank you for all your guidance recently, Captain," Pete said with gratitude.

Looking at his younger captain, Pete couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental.

Back when they were in Fruitvale Village, he had mocked Aven as a fool—leading to a fight with Peter.

Now, Aven was a noble earl, and Peter was captain of the Patrol Team and Aven's most trusted subordinate.

"You're part of the team. It's my duty to help you," Peter nodded. He still remembered the first outsider to join the Patrol Team.

After a brief chat, Pete finally asked, "Captain Peter, do you have any advice on how to train Gloom?"

Peter was stunned for a moment, then chuckled. "You're the tenth person to ask me that question lately."

Pete froze. He immediately realized—clearly, all the others were also gunning for the Knight Selection.

The pressure in his heart intensified.

"If you really want to make your Gloom stronger, I do know of one method," Peter said, smiling wryly.

"Head to the Pokémon Breeding House. They have a special potion called Growth Fertilizer that can help Gloom grow faster."

Hearing this, Pete's expression changed slightly.

Of course, he was familiar with the Breeding House—every villager in Fruitvale Village was.

The Pokémon food they gave their Glooms came from there. And even that food was already expensive.

That was just basic sustenance—he couldn't even begin to imagine how much this so-called Growth Fertilizer might cost.

Still, he made up his mind to go.

If it meant making Gloom stronger and earning a spot as a Knight, then the price was worth it.

(End of Chapter)

(TN: To those confused about names, Pete is from Eastgate village who later moved to fruitvale village while Peter is Texi's son a farmer in Fruitvale village. I regret not changing the names, I thought Pete was random npc.)