"…So you're telling me this kid learnt how to make a Poke Block from scratch in one session?"
"Yes!"
"And he reached 98% purity in 8 attempts?"
"That's right!"
The middle-aged man sighed as he removed his glasses. Before him stood Eric and the teacher from before. He did not seem convinced by what the teacher said. I mean, who would believe such a thing?
"So...Eric was it? Nice to meet you, I'm Rudy." He greeted politely before asking, "Was this your first time making Poke Blocks?"
Eric nodded.
"Forgive me, but I'm having trouble believing this."
"As I said, even I was in disbelief, but I watched the kid carefully. That was truly his first time."
The teacher interjected dramatically, making the man scratch his head.
"Let's do it like this..." Rudy said helplessly as he opened a drawer on his desk and took out a crafting kit, and then he took out a few materials from his spatial storage.
"Since Mr. Colt is vouching for you that much, I'll demonstrate how to make a Basic fire-type Poke Block. Afterwards, you try it."
He looked at Eric once and then started creating the Poke Block with perfect precision. He was done in about 2 minutes and presented a basic fire-type poke block with 100% purity. He then passed the kit to Eric along with the materials.
"Now you try. Take as many attempts as you want until all these materials are finished." He said politely, though his eyes were untrusting.
Eric didn't really care much about this as he took the kit. He had used the system to analyse the process, since it was useful for him.
He started working on creating the poke blocks under the system's guidance.
A very similar scene happened as Eric continued his attempts one after the other.
First attempt: 28%
...Third attempt 60%
By this point, Rudy's eyes had gone from 'I can't wait for this to be over' to a complete 'what the f**k!'
6th attempt: 99%.
At this point, Rudy looked at Eric as if he wasn't human. In all his life as a breeder, he had never seen something like this. This was too ridiculous. He was renowned as a prodigy in the Breeder's world, someone who had reached the advanced level at only 25 years of age.
But what the hell was he seeing in front of him?
He slammed the table in front of him as he got up excitedly.
"Kid! Become my apprentice!"
Eric, and even Colt were surprised by this sudden change in energy.
Eric stayed quiet for a moment before answering, "Thanks, but my main profession is a Pokémon trainer. I won't be a breeder full-time. Do you still want me as an apprentice even then?"
"What?! But with your talent, you don't need to focus on battling at all! You will reach advanced level even faster than I, and then everyone will treat you with respect. There is no reason risking such a futur-"
"I've already decided on that. You can't convince me out of it."
Eric was adamant. For him, personal strength was most important. Breeders may enjoy a high position. But without personal strength, they would always be at someone else's mercy.
Seeing that Eric won't budge, Rudy sighed.
He then continued, "If that's what you want, I can't stop you. But my offer still stands. Be my apprentice. I am an advanced-level breeder and head of the Pewter City Branch of the Breeder's Guild. There are not many breeders my age who can compete with me, so think about this carefully."
"What does being your apprentice entail? I have no interest in taking on any responsibilities right now, and I value my freedom highly."
"That's not a problem. I am only interested in helping talents prosper. The more talented people in this field, the higher the chances of breakthroughs and advancements."
Rudy's eyes blazed with passion. It was clear that he was interested in seeing the breeder industry prosper and continue to advance. He cared a lot less about his personal achievements.
Eric thought about it and then agreed.
"Fine, I accept. But if you start pushing things on me, I'll quit immediately."
Rudy looked at Eric for a moment. Most people would kill for a chance to learn from him, and here was Eric, threatening to leave at the slightest inconvenience. Well, no matter.
"Got it. Now that we've made an agreemen-"
"One more thing. I'm in Pewter City for only 1 more week. After that, I will be occupied."
"Now wait a minute. One week is too little. To build a proper foundation, we'll need more time. Give me 3 months at lea-"
"Can't do. One week."
"2 mont-"
"1 week.'
"1 mon-"
"1 week."
Rudy sighed.
"Fine. 1 week. But that truly is too little, so be prepared. I'll grill into you everything I can. And after that, I'll give you books so that you can learn on your own. We can discuss doubts over the phone. That much is fine, right?"
Eric nodded.
"Great. Then follow me."
Rudy and Eric left the room, forgetting that Colt was still there.
Colt took a few moments to recover as things happened too fast. He wasn't too surprised, though. He knew Rudy's personality and knew that he would take Eric under his wing once he saw his talent.
This wasn't anything new for Rudy. He had taken many prodigies under his wing, all for the sake of seeing the field advance and prosper.
---
Rudy had brought Eric to his personal study. The place was filled with all kinds of books and equipment, much to Eric's delight. Knowledge was the one thing most important to him right now, and it was also the one thing he lacked. But with these many books...If Eric lets the system absorb all the knowledge here...just thinking about it excited him.
"I take it you like Books?" Rudy said from the side as he observed Eric.
"That's good. Knowledge is the foundation of a good breeder."
He then walked towards the bookshelves.
"I have a wide variety of books here, ranging from poke blocks to studies about different Pokémon species and so on. Except for certain information I keep with me, everything one needs to become a breeder is here."
He then looked towards Eric.
"You'll be spending most of the next 7 days here."
Eric nodded.
This would slow his progress in the short run, but it would allow him to bridge the knowledge gap he had with those from powerful backgrounds to an extent.
In any case, he had been in this world for 29 days, meaning he had already failed to break Red and Blue's record of reaching the intermediate level in 29 days. But it didn't matter. He couldn't risk his foundation for the future over ego-boosting accomplishments.
He would still beat Lance's record, though. That should get him a news article at least. The third person to beat the record of Kanto's current number one genius.
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