The [Breeding House] is one of the most important places within the Trainer Academy.
It serves as the repository for many students' Pokémon, especially first-tier trainers who have caught more than the six Pokémon that they can' carry with them.
These surplus Pokémon are placed in the Breeding House, where they receive top-notch care from professional breeders.
Many external breeding houses also offer similar services, but they are costly.
At the academy, an First-tier-level Pokémon can be fostered for around 3 million Pokédollars a month.
Premium services, like level advancement, come at even higher prices, often enough to bankrupt the average trainer.
Ashborn had chosen to attend [Imperial University] because the admissions office, led by Teacher Ben, had offered an exceptional deal: the ability to spend one billion Pokédollars at the Breeding House to purchase a blue-potential Pokémon.
This was a significant offer, as blue-potential Pokémon were future pseudo-champions, and the price was essentially a free giveaway.
Such Pokémon would usually fetch at least 50 billion on the market.
When Ashborn arrived at the Breeding House, "Stephanie" was already there, waiting to pick her own Pokémon.
She was also selecting a Pokémon of high potential, though hers was cyan-level.
She had waited just five minutes for Ashborn, and, unlike their previous interactions, she seemed much more agreeable.
After handing in their student ID cards, Ashborn and Stephanie were directed to different floors of the Breeding House—Stephanie to the second floor and Ashborn to the third.
Each floor housed Pokémon of different levels of potential, and Ashborn's blue-potential choices were on the highest floor.
Upon reaching the third floor, Ashborn was surprised to see "Teacher Ben", who had personally recruited him to Imperial University.
"Teacher Ben, what brings you here?" Ashborn asked.
"I knew you'd come to pick a Pokémon on the first day," Teacher Ben replied with a smile.
Ashborn was curious as to why he would wait for him, but soon enough, it became clear. "I just want to see which blue-potential Pokémon you'll choose," Ben admitted.
The staff then brought a booklet with detailed information about the five blue-potential Pokémon available: "Bagon (level 15)", "Growlithe (level 20)", "Treecko (level 10)", "Sandile (level 10)", and "Elekid (level 17)".
These Pokémon's parents were of high caliber, with at least one parent being blue-potential themselves.
Two of these Pokémon, Bagon and Elekid, were the offspring of champion-level Pokémon.
Imperial University had truly outdone itself by offering these rare, high-potential Pokémon to its students.
Teacher Ben offered to show Ashborn the Pokémon in person, which he eagerly agreed to.
The five blue-potential Pokémon were housed together in a [Mimic Room], a large area designed to simulate a natural environment where they could develop their personalities.
Keeping them together also prevented them from becoming withdrawn.
Inside the Mimic Room, the five Pokémon—Bagon, Growlithe, Treecko, Sandile, and Elekid—lived together in harmony.
Upon seeing Ashborn and Teacher Ben, the breeder in charge of the room called the Pokémon over.
Ashborn activated his [Eyes of Probing] and immediately confirmed their blue qualifications.
All of them were in top health, which was no surprise given the care they had received.
However, as a steel-type specialist, Ashborn quickly remarked, "It's a pity there are no steel-types here."
Teacher Ben was momentarily speechless at Ashborn's nonchalance. With a powerful roster of steel-type Pokémon already, he clearly wasn't interested in adding more.
The five Pokémon reacted differently to Ashborn's presence.
Bagon seemed indifferent, Growlithe wagged its tail eagerly, Sandile maintained a neutral expression, Treecko looked defiant, and Elekid appeared to taunt Ashborn with a cocky glare.
Each had its own personality, though it was clear Growlithe was the most friendly.
Teacher Ben expected Ashborn to hesitate—after all, choosing a blue-potential Pokémon was no small decision, and any one of these five could cause a frenzy in the outside world.
But Ashborn made his choice quickly.
"Growlithe, will you come with me?" Ashborn knelt down, extending his hand toward the eager Pokémon.
Growlithe, true to its friendly nature, immediately began licking Ashborn's palm.
There was no need for a battle to win its loyalty—Growlithe had already chosen Ashborn as its trainer.
"You'll need to take good care of it," the breeder said, his voice tinged with sadness.
He had raised Growlithe from an egg, and seeing it leave with its new trainer was a bittersweet moment for him.
He wasn't naive enough to think that Growlithe would be "happier" with a trainer, but watching it go was like watching a daughter leave to marry someone else.
The breeder felt as if he had just handed his beloved "child" over to someone else, and that child was now happily walking away without a second glance at her tearful "father."
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Adios