“Your breeder skills are progressing more slowly than I expected.”
Master Victor’s gaze was intense as he scrutinized Terrance, who looked slightly embarrassed.
“Although you’ve reached the level of an Intermediate Breeder, it’s still just a fairly ordinary standard.”
During a round of questioning just now, Master Victor had dug out everything Terrance had done during this time.
Terrance felt helpless, having been pulled into a test shortly after they met.
“Isn’t it because I’ve been too busy these past two years…” Terrance laughed awkwardly, trying to change the subject.
Intermediate Breeder at fourteen years old…
Master Victor pondered. Honestly, it was enough. Terrance only needed to take that step on his own, and he would be more than qualified to inherit Master Victor’s knowledge as a disciple. All that was left was for Terrance to take that step on his own.
Although Terrance does not specialize in breeding, Master Victor was aware of the purpose behind everything Terrance had done over the past two years.
The main reason was the orphanage Old Green House from which Terrance came.
Although this had delayed time that should have been spent on his personal development, it made Master Victor admire Terrance’s character even more. If he were someone who forgot his roots after achieving some success, he wouldn’t be worthy of inheriting his knowledge.
When Master Victor brought Terrance into Crown Academy, a place brimming with a vast array of knowledge, he had essentially left Terrance to “grow” on his own.
From the very beginning, Terrance was one of the candidates in Master Victor’s mind for a disciple. Over time, he had also evaluated other suitable individuals.
In the end, however, he settled on Terrance. Although Terrance does not specialize in breeding and was still just a Junior Breeder, his rate of growth left Master Victor speechless.
A Top Coordinator, Gym Trainer, and possessing the skills of an Intermediate Breeder—achieving all these honors, it had to be said, Terrance is one of the rare prodigies Master Victor had ever encountered.
All of those people either had great backgrounds or exceptional talent. Terrance, coming from a humble background and having reached such heights with just a bit of guidance from him, was someone Master Victor could never forget.
Moreover, Terrance could now be considered an outstanding Trainer. As a researcher with his own battle capabilities, Master Victor deeply understood how advantageous this could be during expeditions in the wild.
“Come with me.”
Although Terrance already made Master Victor quite satisfied, as a Top Breeder, the matter of accepting a disciple was a major decision, and he still needed to test him again.
Victor had never married, had no children, and had dedicated his entire life to his field of study. After his death, most of his research gains would be returned to the Breeder Association and society to benefit Trainers, but some critical knowledge would need to be passed down privately.
For instance, the things he hadn’t fully researched required someone to continue his research and seek the truth in his stead.
…
…
This was a simple egg placed on a blue tray, appearing much more plain compared to the Swablu egg that had been immersed in nutrient fluid back then.
Terrance observed it curiously. This Pokémon Egg was a light bluish-white color, with small and large five-petaled flower-like patterns resembling snowflakes. If Terrance wasn’t mistaken, this was likely the egg of an Ice-type Pokémon.
“During the expedition at Mount Lanakila, I lent some help to a construction team working on a large-scale project there. This was their gift to me,” Master Victor said with a smile.
“I originally intended to refuse, but this egg caught my interest. Since it was picked up by the construction team, I decided to keep it…”
“This is an abandoned Pokémon Egg. The reason for its abandonment is likely because its parents are of different species. In Alola, Ninetales and Vulpix typically live in groups of two to five, helping each other and coexisting, making them semi-social Pokémon. In such cases, if love blossoms between two different species, it can cause quite a bit of trouble.”
Master Victor chuckled, leaving Terrance speechless. So… so this Pokémon Egg was of such importance because it was somewhat related to his field of research?!
“Wait a moment, Master Victor. Did you just say this is Vulpix’s egg?!” Terrance suddenly realized and exclaimed.
“That’s correct. The Vulpix in the Alola region have a different type compared to those in Kanto, as they’ve lived on the snowy Mount Lanakila for a long time.”
Master Victor pulled out a book from who-knows-where and tossed it to Terrance, letting him read for himself.
Terrance flipped through the table of contents, quickly scanning it, and opened the page about Alolan Vulpix.
Just as Master Victor had said, the description on the page matched his explanation.
In their region, Vulpix typically inhabited plains, grassy areas near volcanoes, and were common in Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn. They could also be found in Unova, though they were rare in Sinnoh.
In the Alola region, Vulpix has inhabited snow-covered mountains for countless generations, causing its form to change compared to Vulpix from other regions.
Terrance stared at the picture in the book, feeling delighted. Ice Vulpix was just too adorable. This trip was absolutely worth it!
Moreover…
“Because I don’t know which Pokémon is its father, I can’t prepare a suitable nutrient fluid. And since time is tight, there’s no way to research it now. However, I have prepared nutritional supplements specifically for Ice-type Pokémon during their hatching period. They should be perfect for Vulpix. Consider them a gift for becoming a Gym Trainer,” Master Victor said with a hearty laugh. Seeing Terrance’s look of surprise, he knew his gift was special.
If he had given Terrance a Kanto-region Vulpix’s egg, it might not have had the same effect.
But an Ice Vulpix—something Terrance had never seen before—made him extremely excited.
“By the way, Master Victor, about the evolution conditions for Ice Vulpix…” Terrance suddenly thought of something and asked with a puzzled tone.
Fire Vulpix evolves with a Fire Stone. For the Ice Vulpix, could it be…
“The Ice Stone. I don’t have one on hand for now, but if you keep an eye out, you should be able to buy one in Hoenn,” Master Victor replied.
“You can prepare it later when this Vulpix has grown enough to evolve.”
“No… I mean…”
“This is all just too coincidental.”
Terrance quickly walked over, grabbed his backpack, and took out a box to hand to Master Victor.
Opening the box in confusion, a blue, snow-like stone entered Master Victor’s sight.
“Its surface is as crystalline as jade, and it glows brilliantly. This is a very high-quality Ice Stone!” Master Victor exclaimed in surprise. He hadn’t expected Terrance to have something like this. Even with his status, acquiring such a high-quality Ice Stone would require significant effort because of how rare they were.
“It seems my luck is pretty good…” Terrance said with a smile. Naturally, this Ice Stone was the congratulatory gift he had received from Steven.
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