Hearthome Television.
Wayne's sense of smell was exceptionally sharp. Even setting aside the correct answers provided by his Intermediate Appraisal ability, he could still accurately discern eighteen of the twenty-one Berries.
He had possessed a keen sense of smell since childhood, which was precisely why his grandfather had encouraged him to learn cooking from a young age.
After writing down his answers for the ground Berry powder challenge, Wayne reluctantly took a sip of the mixed Berry juice.
Given Wayne's outstanding performance in the first round and his established reputation in the Breeding community, the attention of judges Morikawa, Tetsu Gorou, and Natalia was primarily focused on him.
They were eager to see exactly how many points Wayne could score in this challenging round.
"He finished already? That was incredibly fast."
"Is his sense of smell really that exceptional?"
Unlike tasting Berry juice directly, determining Berry varieties solely through scent was an extraordinary test of one's olfactory talent.
Either someone possessed this natural gift, or they didn't—there was no middle ground.
Tetsu Gorou frowned deeply with obvious disapproval.
"Who on earth came up with this particular question?"
Ms. Natalia shook her head helplessly. "Who else but Mr. Harrod himself, the chief organizer of the Breeder Competition?"
Recalling Harrod's distinctive style of management, the muscular Tetsu Gorou nodded in reluctant agreement. "Indeed, only he would devise such an eccentric and bizarre challenge."
"However, he does compensate extremely generously."
"This year's Champion will be truly blessed with rewards."
In previous years, the competition questions weren't entirely formulated by Mr. Harrod personally.
However, whenever he did take charge of creating the challenges himself, it signaled that Harrod was taking this particular competition very seriously indeed, and the prize rewards would definitely be exceptionally generous.
Although his questions tended toward the eccentric side, the man certainly compensated well for the difficulty!
Mr. Morikawa paused to recall the history.
"He inherited responsibility for the Breeder Competition from both his grandfather and father. This marks his tenth time organizing the event—it's definitely time for him to approach it with renewed seriousness."
While the judges were discussing these matters, Hearthome Television's broadcast signal connected through a special live feed channel to an extravagant mansion with sprawling estate grounds.
Harrod, who was currently the subject of the three judges' conversation, sat watching the live broadcast of the competition's second round.
Dressed impeccably in a crisp white suit, wearing a refined monocle, and sporting a neatly trimmed beard, the nearly fifty-year-old man maintained a remarkably well-proportioned and fit physique.
Harrod possessed extraordinary wealth—the kind that seemed genuinely inexhaustible.
His lifelong pursuit was singular and focused: to use his refined palate alongside his Pokémon partners to taste every culinary delicacy the world had to offer.
Therefore, he constantly sought to discover truly talented individuals who shared or could enhance this passion.
However, whether through the prestigious Chef Competition or the Breeder Competition, Harrod had never truly discovered that one perfect candidate he searched for.
Meanwhile, back at the competition venue, Wayne confirmed his initial assessment.
As expected, the Berry juice—a chaotic mixture of sixteen different Berry varieties—was simply not something any reasonable human being should consume.
Every single sip felt like absolute torture.
One small taste unleashed an overwhelming assault of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty flavors simultaneously attacking his taste buds.
Wayne could understand the general concept behind the challenge, but one question bothered him intensely.
Why on earth would someone add Cheri Berry to this mixture?
That particular Berry was notoriously spicy!
Wayne decided to abandon any pretense of thoroughly tasting the concoction. Let whoever wanted to suffer through that ordeal do so willingly.
If he continued forcing himself to drink this horrific mixture, he would probably end up vomiting everything he'd eaten the previous night.
He began confidently writing down the Berry names on his whiteboard.
"He's finished already? That quickly?"
"If his answers are actually correct, his natural talent must be..."
Wayne, now bored while waiting, glanced over at Gold positioned in front of him.
Gold at this particular moment wore an expression of heroic self-sacrifice, desperately pinching his nose while chugging the Berry juice down in massive gulps.
Burp~
Wayne could clearly tell that Gold had completely filled his stomach with the mixture.
As for whether Gold had actually tasted and identified anything meaningful—who could possibly know?
Wayne helplessly rubbed his forehead in secondhand embarrassment. Couldn't Gold have just taken careful small sips instead? Why torture himself by swallowing it in such enormous gulps?
This approach was so typical of Gold's impulsive personality!
Ding-a-ling—
As the competition segment ended with the sharp ringing of the timer bell, staff members promptly entered the stage area, accompanied by twenty-four Magnemite equipped with high-quality cameras.
The massive screen at the competition venue suddenly illuminated and divided itself into twenty-four separate grid sections.
"The scoring process will now take place on-site with complete transparency. We respectfully ask for the careful supervision of our esteemed judges and our wonderful audience present today."
The high-definition cameras carried by the hovering Magnemite could clearly capture each contestant's answer board in crisp detail, after which the staff would carefully score each response.
"First, we'll reveal the answers for the ground Berry powder challenge."
Wayne remained completely unflustered and composed throughout the entire process.
After all, he'd had access to reference answers through his ability from the very beginning.
Gold in front of him, however—whether from being uncomfortably full or from pure nervousness—was still releasing occasional burps.
Wayne's neighboring contestant appeared even more anxious. Despite the air-conditioned studio environment, beads of sweat the size of soybeans flowed continuously from her forehead down to her neck, and her back was visibly soaked through with perspiration.
Wayne, maintaining his calm and composed demeanor, quietly observed the young woman beside him as staff members scored her responses, marking checks with a red pen.
"The final scores have been calculated, and we believe everyone can now see the complete results displayed on the big screen."
The ingredients between the two challenges overlapped somewhat, but each portion was scored completely separately.
With twenty-one Berries in the powder and sixteen in the juice, the maximum possible score was thirty-seven points total.
Wayne topped the entire leaderboard with an impressive thirty-five points.
He had deliberately chosen not to write down the two Berry varieties he genuinely couldn't identify through scent alone.
The distinctive flavors of those two particular Berries had been completely masked by the presence of other dominant ingredients, making accurate identification genuinely impossible.
However, even with this conservative approach, Wayne still held a commanding lead over all other competitors.
So much so that when his score was officially revealed on the display, every single person in the venue turned their attention directly toward Wayne.
The most remarkable aspect was that Wayne hadn't written down a single incorrect answer—his accuracy rate was absolutely perfect.
Second place went to Sasha, who scored a respectable twenty-seven points.
Third place belonged to a person called Nico, who managed twenty-three points.
Surprisingly, Gold secured a decent result by placing fifteenth overall with sixteen points, just barely managing to advance past the elimination threshold.
A visibly tense Gold breathed an audible sigh of profound relief.
"That was way too close! I genuinely thought I was completely done for!"
Among all the Top 16 contestants, Gold's handwriting was objectively the messiest and most illegible. If this competition footage were broadcast as a variety show later, he would probably be teased mercilessly about it for the rest of his life.
The reactions of other people couldn't be guaranteed with certainty.
However, Wayne knew that Silver, Blue, Whitney, and Lt. Surge would absolutely laugh about this incident for the remainder of their lives without question.
"Unfortunately, for the contestants ranked in the bottom positions, your journey will end here at the Top 32 stage. However, you will still receive consolation gifts for your excellent efforts."
"The Round of 16 competition will be held in three days' time. All sixteen qualified contestants are requested to attend punctually at the same scheduled time."
"The Round of 16 matches will be broadcast live with full coverage, and we would like to extend our sincere thanks to our generous sponsors for their strong support of this competition."
At the exact same moment, at Harrod's private residence, the wealthy organizer sat trembling with barely contained excitement.
He genuinely felt that his lifelong dream was finally within realistic reach.
This particular challenge question had been personally designed by Harrod himself and could not possibly have been leaked before the competition officially began.
Harrod always emphasized absolute fairness and complete impartiality in his competitions.
He didn't need additional money as motivation—because he already possessed more wealth than he could ever spend.
"Please investigate Wayne's background information thoroughly."
The butler dressed in an immaculate tailcoat smiled slightly with professional pride.
"Actually, sir, I've already completed a comprehensive investigation."
As Harrod's dedicated personal butler, Ron had already thoroughly investigated all contestant information and committed every relevant detail to memory.
This level of preparation and foresight was exactly the quality a truly excellent personal butler should consistently demonstrate!
He earned his substantial salary without any shame whatsoever!
Ron adjusted his glasses with practiced elegance, presented the carefully prepared material folder, and began his detailed explanation to Harrod.
After Wayne and Gold had both removed their stage makeup and changed back into casual clothes, Gold brought up an idea.
"Why don't you stay at my place during the competition? You helped promote my family's Breeding Center before, and I haven't had the chance to properly thank you yet."
Although Wayne frequently teased and tormented Gold playfully, Gold had genuinely helped Wayne tremendously, especially during the early challenging days of establishing the Breeding Center.
Red had originally noticed Wayne's social media account specifically because of Gold's enthusiastic recommendation and promotion.
Gold nodded his head repeatedly with obvious enthusiasm. "Sounds great! Perfect! Absolutely!"
Each round of the competition was scheduled three days apart. If Gold somehow managed to advance all the way to the finals, he would need to remain in Hearthome City for at least nine full days.
Although the competition organizers did provide complimentary hotel accommodations, the lodging happened to be called the Harrod Hotel...
However, staying at Wayne's family home meant Gold could also enjoy meals prepared by Wayne and his grandfather's expert cooking.
Gold had heard countless stories about how absolutely delicious Wayne's grandfather's home-cooked dishes were.
"Let's go right now! I still haven't had the chance to visit and pay my respects to your grandfather yet!"
"If you just want to eat his cooking, just say so directly and honestly!"
The two young Trainers each mounted their respective Pokémon for the ride home and simultaneously picked up their phones to check messages.
Gold typed confidently into the group chat: "Making the Top 16? Anyone with basic hands could accomplish that!"