Aven felt that the breeding house business had been going pretty well lately.
Aside from the Rock Slide Auxiliary potions purchased by the knights, the most popular service turned out to be the Sweet Scent training.
It all started with Peter, and then more villagers followed.
Only then did they realize that Gloom could actually control the stench it emitted, and they all flocked to Aven.
Those who wanted their Gloom to learn Sweet Scent were mostly members of the current patrol team—the first group who had initially caught a Oddish.
Naturally, Aven didn't refuse such business delivered to his doorstep and accepted all the orders.
After handling a few of these requests, he made a nice profit. One couldn't help but admit that services offered by a Pokémon breeding house were extremely lucrative.
Of course, making money was secondary. Helping villagers resolve family conflicts caused by Gloom was the true value of this breeding initiative.
Yeah… it's not like he was doing this to make a quick buck or anything.
"Whew, but this really is exhausting, raising so many Pokémon all at once," Aven said as he got up and stretched.
He started to think that in addition to the trainer program, it might be time to launch the Pokémon Breeder Apprentice Program. If he could train a couple of apprentices, it'd ease his workload.
With that thought in mind, his gaze shifted toward Petilil, who was busy mixing potions in the distance.
Lately, Petilil had taken on almost all the potion preparation tasks, which had really helped lighten his load.
Right now, for instance, Petilil was helping prepare potions for Rhydon and Tangela to aid in their Ancient Power training.
As a Grass-type Pokémon, Petilil was particularly sensitive to the ingredients in potions. At this rate, her potion-making skills might even surpass Aven's before long.
Knock knock knock.
Just then, the door suddenly opened.
After Aven called out "Come in," Fessen walked in with a notebook in hand, standing up straight.
"Fessen, is something the matter?" Aven walked to the window to open it, letting the potion smell disperse from the room.
"Lord Aven, I do have something to report…" Fessen said, looking a little odd.
He quickly explained the situation—it turned out that a villager named Pete had successfully earned the approval of a Gloom.
"Gloom's approval? That fast?" Aven showed some surprise.
This Pete wasn't a local, and it was only that very morning that Aven had issued the directive allowing everyone to catch Pokémon. And now someone already had one?
He couldn't help but suspect this villager might have already bonded with the Gloom beforehand, and only now came forward after being given official permission.
"Bring him here. I need to confirm it myself," Aven said.
After a pause, he changed his mind. "Actually, I'll go see him myself. I'd like to assess the bond between him and his Pokémon."
Pete was currently standing nervously outside the farm, with a Gloom by his side.
This Gloom didn't seem particularly well-developed; the reddish-brown flower on its head looked a little wilted, but its odor was certainly potent.
Nearby, passing villagers took one glance at Pete and his Gloom and simply walked away.
To the villagers of Fruitvale Village, seeing a Gloom around had long become a common sight—and its smell? They were all used to it.
"Gloom~" Gloom raised its head and looked at the passing villagers with curiosity.
Although it had heard from other Gloom living in the village that humans here didn't discriminate against them, it had still been worried when entering.
But once it arrived, it confirmed what the others had said: the people here truly didn't shun them.
In fact, when it first entered the village, some villagers even came up to greet it—and scolded Pete, saying, "You're raising your Gloom too poorly!"
From their words, Gloom could sense genuine concern.
This reminded it of what Aven once said: most humans are kind, and it's worth trying to connect with them. That's why it had come here.
At that moment, Gloom suddenly felt a large hand patting its head.
Startled, it looked up and saw the human who had chosen to become its partner.
"It's okay. I'll protect you," Pete said, smiling gently at Gloom.
He recalled how he had invited Gloom to join him. At first, Gloom seemed stunned, and he thought it would reject him like others had.
But to his surprise, Gloom agreed and decided to follow him into the human world.
That moment of trust filled him with purpose.
He had made up his mind—no matter what happened, he would treat this Gloom with the utmost care.
This Gloom had given him a chance to change his fate, and he wouldn't let it slip away.
"You two seem to get along quite well."
A warm voice suddenly reached Pete's ears.
Startled, he quickly stood up and turned around—only to see Aven standing there with a smile.
Pete was stunned for a second, then his eyes widened in recognition. This was the man he had once called a "fool."
"M-Master Aven!" Pete hurriedly greeted him.
"Gloo~!" Gloom by Pete's feet also perked up, cheerfully crying out.
It hadn't forgotten the man who once saved it. In fact, one of the reasons it came here was to see Aven again—and it hadn't expected to run into him so easily.
"Hello, Mr. Pete," Aven said with a smile as he greeted the lucky villager.
He then looked at Gloom and instantly recognized it as one of the Grass-types from the group he had brought back.
Having identified it, he looked at Pete again with some surprise.
He hadn't expected an outsider to be bold enough to approach the Grass-type tribe and successfully befriend a Pokémon.
Still, it was a good sign—maybe Pete's story could help encourage more villagers to bond with the Pokémon he had brought back.
"Gloom, how are you feeling these days?"
Crouching down, Aven smiled at Gloom.
Gloom enthusiastically nodded, clearly happy with Aven's concern.
"Come on, let's talk inside the farm."
Inside the farm, Pete—being a berry farmer himself—immediately noticed the lush berry trees, thriving even in winter. He clicked his tongue in amazement, his eyes filled with admiration.
"Would you like to register this Gloom as your first Pokémon?"
Once inside the temporary breeding house built near the orchard, Aven asked with a smile, shuffling through some documents.
"Pokémon?" Pete was confused.
Most people who came here showed the same reaction.
"Pokémon are just what I call tamed magical beast," Aven explained.
"To distinguish them from wild beasts, I refer to domesticated ones as Pokémon."
The explanation was simple and easy to understand. Pete nodded seriously. "Yes, I'd like to register Gloom as my first Pokémon!"
Aven nodded in return, then looked at Gloom. "And you, Gloom—are you willing to let Pete become your trainer?"
Gloom was momentarily stunned—it hadn't expected Aven to formally ask for its consent.
It looked up at Pete, who was watching nervously, and thought back to his gentle touch earlier.
With a determined expression, Gloom firmly nodded.
"Excellent. Congratulations—you're now partners," Aven said with a smile.
He then handed Pete a form.
"A Trainer Information Sheet?" Pete asked, puzzled, but still carefully filled it out.
The form asked for basic information like his name and age. In the Pokémon section, he wrote "Gloom."
Once finished, Aven carefully put the sheet away and handed Pete a small booklet.
A Trainer's Handbook.
Pete blinked in surprise. This was the third time he had heard the word "Trainer."
Opening the manual, he saw the first line: "A Trainer is someone who captures, trains, cares for, and lives alongside Pokémon."
He flipped through it briefly. The manual described what a Trainer was, as well as their duties and responsibilities.
"Pete, are you willing to become an official Pokémon Trainer?"
Aven's face turned solemn, as if he were conducting a sacred ceremony.
Moved by Aven's tone, Pete took a deep breath and nodded seriously. "I'm willing."
"Very well. Congratulations on becoming an Apprentice Trainer."
Pete noted the term—"Trainer" sounded like a title, similar to "Knight."
But the word "Apprentice" caught his attention. If he was an Apprentice now, did that mean there were ranks? What were the requirements for becoming official?
(End of Chapter)