Silas had stayed up late the night before finishing a day's production of Pokéblocks and taking Eevee to the night market had taken more out of him than he expected.
He dragged himself out of bed, gathered a few Pokémon, and went down to the restaurant for breakfast.
"Good morning, Nurse Joy!" he called, sliding into a seat.
Nurse Joy looked more tired than usual; her eyes were a little glazed. She blinked and then smiled politely when she registered him. "Oh Trainer Silas, good morning."
Silas brightened. Because he had Level-2 Alliance authorization, Joy recognized him quickly.
He carried his tray over and, seeing the faint lines at her eyes, hesitated for a moment before asking, "Do you mind if I sit here?"
"Of course not," she replied, and gestured for him to sit.
He couldn't help asking, concerned: "You look worn out. Are you having trouble sleeping?"
Joy gave a small, rueful smile and rubbed the back of her neck. "In a few days I have the Breeder's Certification exam. I've been studying late into the night."
Silas blinked in surprise - a Breeder's Certification? He'd never heard of a formal Breeder's Guild exam in Petalburg.
After a few quick questions he learned that Kanaz City hosted a well-established Breeder's Guild, a professional organization for breeders: testing apprentices, collecting rare materials, and acting as a hub for breeder knowledge and trade.
Joy's mood brightened as she talked. "The Breeder's Guild also collects rare herbs and materials. Silas - you're an Trainer, right? If you ever find rare herbs in the wild, consider selling them to the Guild. They pay well."
Silas listened, intrigued. After breakfast he returned to his room and used his Alliance channel to unlock the Petalburg Gym library with his access code.
With Level-2 authorization and the library's clearance, he could finally read restricted volumes and the library held a surprising amount of material about breeders.
The Breeder's Guild, he discovered, wasn't some recent fad. Its origins stretched back a century: a collection of roles and trades devoted to Pokémon welfare and training Pokémon masseurs, care specialists, specialized trainers and, later, professional breeders.
Breeders made tailored training plans, crafted Pokéblocks and energy items, collected medicinal herbs, and served as an institutional bridge between Pokémon Centers, Alliance enforcement, trainers and city gyms.
In the Alliance emblem's "one big, five small" pattern, the Guild was one of those five important organizations.
Silas read on. Every Alliance region had a Breeder's Guild branch near the regional headquarters.
The Guild's status was high; breeders were strategic talent. Corporations, gyms and families all recruited promising apprentices. In short: Breeder certification mattered - socially and practically.
Three days. Nurse Joy had said the Rustboro branch's assessment was in three days. Silas felt the itch of opportunity.
A Breeder's certificate wouldn't stop him from making Pokéblocks, but it would make his life easier on the road: preferential treatment, official channels for selling crafted items, and freer access to resource networks. It was worth considering.
For the next three days Silas holed up in his Pokémon Center room.
Eevee tried her best to pull at his pant leg and drag him outside, but he gave firm refusals. "Eevee, be good. If I pass the exam, I'll make you even tastier Pokéblocks, okay?" he promised, and then returned to his notes.
He studied guild histories, ingredient charts, breeding techniques and sample exam questions.
He practiced identifying herbs by scent, reviewed the care protocols for different species, and tabulated Pokéblock recipes with precise ingredient ratios.
The Guild's exam tested both practical skill and professional knowledge: identification, formulation, handling, and an oral portion on ethics and Alliance regulations.
On the third morning he woke earlier than the rest of the Center. The lobby was livelier than usual -more trainers, more talk. The Breeder's assessment had clearly drawn a crowd.
Not all of them would be taking the test; many were recruiters, buyers, or hopeful apprentices looking for contacts. Silas felt the electric hum of opportunity in the air.
"Nurse Joy isn't at the desk," he noticed. The receptionist on duty was a different nurse pretty, composed. Even Joy, with her secure position and well-known family ties, had gone to the Guild to take the assessment.
That alone signaled how valuable the certification had become: even people already inside the system were "competing" for breeder recognition.
Silas stepped outside and summoned his Pokédex to hail a cab.
The city road to the Breeder's Guild was crowded with other hopefuls, carts laden with specimens and boxes of dried herbs, and the occasional recruiter from a corporate lab.
He tucked his notes into his bag, checked Eevee's Poké Ball once more, and rode toward Rustboro's Guild halls -ready to see what doors the Breeder's world might open.
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(End of chapter)