The Next Day.
Since they had finished eating quite late the previous night, Wayne only properly introduced Gold to the rest of the family during breakfast the next morning.
Unfortunately for Gold, despite his past achievements, even though he had once been a prominent protagonist in his own journey and proudly called himself a star Trainer...
He possessed virtually no fame among the general public.
Brother Alan, Claire, Shion, and the others...
Not a single person recognized him at all.
The primary reason was that Gold had never won a Champion title with sufficient prestige in any formal, widely recognized competitions. His only Champion title came from the All-Around Competition.
However, this particular All-Around Competition wasn't considered a formal major event—it wasn't even as significant or prestigious as Brother Alan's Pokémon World Martial Arts Tournament achievement.
"What! None of you recognize true talent when you see it!"
Was it really appropriate to compare oneself to merchandise or goods?
After they finished breakfast, Wayne asked casually, "Can you do me a favor today?"
Gold smoothed back his characteristically flowing fringe with practiced ease.
"Just tell me what you need."
Wayne pointed toward Turtwig's habitat area. "Help me look after and monitor my Turtwig, Piplup, and Eevee throughout the day."
Gold looked genuinely startled upon hearing such a simple request. "That's all you need? No problem whatsoever."
There was no particular need for Gold to help out with regular Breeding Center operations, but having him supervise the bred Pokémon was absolutely perfect.
After all, Gold was the trainer given the prestigious title of "Hatcher" by none other than Professor Oak himself.
Pokémon eggs hatched under Gold's careful supervision would develop better natural aptitude than their genetic baseline would normally suggest, as if they had received some special blessing during the hatching process.
This ability was Gold's unique, innate talent.
Moreover, it was something others deeply envied but could never obtain or replicate no matter how hard they tried.
Wayne was genuinely quite envious of Gold's special talent in this area.
The competition results hadn't yet brought significant fame to the Jubilife Breeding Center, but the facility would certainly gain a substantial publicity boost starting from the Top 16 round onward.
"Will the matches be broadcast live in three days?"
"Can we actually go to the venue to watch in person?"
"What's the atmosphere like there during competitions?"
Leon, Uncle, Brother Alan, and several others crowded together enthusiastically, asking their questions all at once in rapid succession.
Wayne recalled his experience. "Actually, the atmosphere is just decent—nothing particularly special. I do have Friends and Family tickets available, probably around five of them total."
"However, I'd still recommend you wait and attend after I reach the Top 8 round instead. Blue, Professor Oak, and Professor Rowan will all be attending as special guests then."
Wayne didn't particularly need others present to cheer him on, at least not necessarily during the Top 8 matches. He'd honestly rather they save their attendance for when he reached the grand finals.
"Professor Oak will actually be there in person?!"
Brother Alan's eyes literally lit up with excitement and anticipation.
This reaction was completely normal for Brother Alan. Most people displayed similar enthusiasm upon learning they'd meet Professor Oak.
This was especially true for Breeders, who were even more acutely aware of Professor Oak's legendary prestige and contributions to the field.
Wayne's grandfather, radiating the calm and composed aura of someone truly accomplished, stated matter-of-factly, "There's no need to go to the venue specifically for that. He will come here to visit."
The elderly man had already spoken directly with Professor Oak, who planned to visit the Breeding Center after the Breeder Competition concluded.
The visit served two purposes: first, for old friends to reunite and catch up after many years, and second, to personally meet Wayne.
Professor Oak had heard quite a bit about Wayne from Blue's enthusiastic reports, as well as from the old man's proud boasting about his talented grandson.
Brother Alan looked at Wayne's grandfather with an expression of pure admiration and awe.
"Wow! What an incredibly powerful presence and aura!"
Wayne said with mild exasperation, "Well, yes, that's true, but shouldn't the main reason for going to the venue be to cheer me on and support me?"
Claire adjusted her glasses with a practical expression. "Who actually goes to competitions just to cheer people on these days? I also want to see Professor Oak in person."
Although Wayne was still actively preparing for the upcoming Youth Breeder Competition rounds, the necessary daily work at the facility still had to be completed properly.
Wayne's grandfather only covered Wayne's shifts and responsibilities when Wayne wasn't physically present at home. Wayne couldn't simply dump all the work onto his elderly grandfather indefinitely.
Working diligently at the Breeding Center during daytime hours and practicing cooking techniques at night—that became Wayne's consistent schedule during this intensive preparation period.
Around ten o'clock in the morning, accompanied by surprised gasps from staff and visitors, Steven arrived at the Breeding Center dressed impeccably in a formal suit.
Upon seeing Wayne's grandfather, Steven's expression immediately became noticeably more serious and respectful.
"It's a genuine pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lionel. Please, just call me Steven."
The elderly man felt very pleased with this young and remarkably polite Champion. "Please stay for lunch. I'll prepare the meal personally."
Steven's face showed a faint, genuine smile. "That would be my sincere honor. It seems I'm truly in for an exceptional treat today."
Steven had scheduled a Pokémon maintenance appointment for the afternoon anyway, and he had already planned to arrive early enough for lunch.
After all, this was a culinary master personally certified and vouched for by both Blue and Wayne.
The old man directed his sons efficiently. "Leon, you and your brother go catch a few fish from the pond."
"Understood!"
The two brothers happily went off together to complete the task.
The wilderness area section of the Breeding Center featured a dedicated pond specifically for raising fish, which had been stocked with various species since the facility first opened.
This marked the first time the fish pond was being used to provide fresh ingredients for entertaining important guests.
The grandfather glanced toward Wayne. "You go and marinate the meat properly."
"Got it!"
When Wayne's grandfather gave instructions, absolutely no one in the family dared to disobey or question him.
"Alan, come along with me to select the other ingredients."
"No problem at all!"
Brother Alan acted precisely like a dutiful, genuine grandson, diligently following the old man without hesitation.
The grandfather wanted to take Brother Alan to the walk-in freezer to carefully select ingredients, primarily various cuts of pork.
Although the old man remained remarkably hale and hearty for his age, he was still over seventy years old and preferred not to enter the freezing cold environment himself.
Normally, whenever ingredients needed to be retrieved from the freezer storage, Wayne and the other younger family members usually handled that task.
Gold stood watching this entire scene unfold from the sidelines, completely dumbfounded.
"Why is Alan acting like this? It seems so unnaturally formal and eager."
The most peculiar thing was that none of the other family members seemed to find this behavior strange at all, as if everything was proceeding completely normally.
Wayne explained knowingly, "If you've actually tasted the dishes my grandpa prepares, you'd probably want to become his grandson too."
"Impossible! That's absolutely impossible for me!"
Wayne just smirked. Ah, men and their denials.
The two brothers who had gone fishing successfully pulled out an impressively large, heavy fish with a substantial head.
The fish head portion would be transformed into Chopped Pepper Fish Head by Wayne's skilled hands, while the fish tail section would be handled and prepared by Leon.
Wayne's grandfather served as the head chef for the lunch service, with Wayne and his father Leon providing assistance.
Watching Gold's increasingly gluttonous and eager expression, Wayne knew that the inevitable day of reckoning would arrive sooner or later.
However, Wayne genuinely didn't expect it to happen quite so quickly.
When Gold took his very first bite of the perfectly prepared Crispy Apple dish, he nearly dropped to the floor and hugged the old man's leg, desperately begging to be adopted as his grandson.
A classic "true fragrance" warning moment if there ever was one.
The Crispy Apple dish that Wayne still couldn't master properly was apparently child's play for his grandfather.
This particular dish appeared deceptively simple, and the preparation process wasn't particularly complicated or difficult, but achieving true excellence proved extremely challenging.
If Wayne possessed his grandfather's level of skill, he would gladly make Crispy Apple every single day without complaint.
The taste was perfectly crispy and refreshing, with just a subtle hint of natural sweetness. Steven looked genuinely amazed after taking his first bite.
"This is truly delicious—almost impossible to describe adequately in words. I originally thought such a harmonious dish shouldn't even be possible to create."
Gold deeply resonated with and understood this exact sentiment.
The very first time he'd heard about deep-fried apples as a dish concept, Gold had immediately assumed it must be some kind of horrific dark cuisine.
After actually eating the Crispy Apple masterfully prepared by Wayne's grandfather, Gold immediately and deeply understood the profound truth behind what Wayne had mentioned that morning.
So much so that Gold began acting more like a devoted grandson than Wayne himself—the actual biological grandson—almost giving everyone the distinct impression that he wanted to completely take over Wayne's position in the family.
"You've truly worked so hard, Grandpa! Please, let me ladle some soup for you!"
What a perfect picture of "Grandfather's Kindness and Grandson's Filial Devotion."
Wayne's father discreetly poked Wayne in the ribs.
"You should watch Gold carefully and learn from his example!"
Wayne responded with complete confidence, "Hmph, his efforts are completely useless. Grandpa only truly favors me since I'm the one who can actually inherit his legendary cooking skills."
The elaborate lunch spread included Eight Treasure Tofu, Four Happiness Meatballs, Braised Prawns in Oil, plus the Chopped Pepper Fish Head and Mapo Tofu expertly prepared by Wayne himself.
However, as Wayne had honestly stated, his cooking skills still fell considerably short compared to his grandfather's masterful techniques.
Steven smiled with genuine satisfaction. "Thank you sincerely for your generous hospitality. I've truly enjoyed an exceptional feast today."
Steven also now understood perfectly why Blue held the elderly man in such remarkably high regard. He absolutely deserved tremendous respect.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill to satisfaction, Steven made a practical suggestion. "Why don't we attempt practicing Mega Evolution this afternoon, since I'm already here at the facility anyway?"