A/N: Ooh look, four days. Let's make it four days then. Breeder!Hibiki was invented by chunni on LJ. Also, this story is my favourite of them all.
Characters/Pairings: Green-centric, various implied (Green/Hibiki this part)
Five Jobs Green Never Had (and One He Did)
3. Daycare Breeder
Green is a helluva good breeder, and he knows it. After all, he's the one Battle Factories in all the different Frontier regions order from for their perfect moveset, perfect IV Pokémon. He's the one who gets them those perfect results, every time. In fact, he's knows damn well that he's the best, and all the new technology in the most advanced regions can't seem to duplicate his breeding techniques.
How do you do it? they all ask. Name your price, any price. Just tell us how you get your perfect eggs.
Magic, he tells them, even though it's only half-true, and then slams the door in their faces. It's bad business to reveal trade secrets, after all. Maybe, one day when he's old and grey and all alone, he'll tell someone because he doesn't want the secret to die with him. (Green never really did like kids. He was a brat growing up, more than a handful for his grandfather and his sister, and he doesn't think he'd like to deal with that as well.)
Most of them, the technology companies and the other breeders, give up after a while, though they're mostly affronted by him even existing. After all, it's not like he's come from a prestigious family of breeders who'd been perfecting the technique for generations - he's just this kid that popped up out of nowhere who just happens to be a prodigy at breeding the best Pokémon - even if he is related to a famous professor.
What do you do? even his grandfather wants to know - for science of course, not to steal Green's business, but his grandfather is a scientist, which means he's going to write a damn paper on it or something and anyone will know anyway.
I'll tell you when I'm old and grey, Green snaps and neglects to even think about the fact that his grandfather probably wouldn't even be alive then.
But then, this kid shows up at his front door and won't leave.
"Hi, I'm Hibiki," he introduces himself. "I'm the grandson of the couple that runs the daycare in Johto."
Green doesn't even manage to get the words, "I don't care," out of his mouth before he slams the door in Hibiki's face.
When Green goes out to do errands the next morning, he finds that Hibiki's camped out in front of his yard.
"Go away," he seethes, but it's not like he can make Hibiki leave since Hibiki's on the road and not actually on Green's property.
"What are you doing?" Hibiki asks instead and watches him load five mystery eggs into a crate attached to the back of his bicycle, Green's own Eevee snuggling with them, asleep.
"None of your business," he snaps and bikes into town for some business.
When he comes back five hours later with a crateful of energetic, floppy-eared Growlithes smothering his Eevee, Hibiki's still there.
He doesn't even get the chance to tell Hibiki to go away again before the boy's run up to his bike and starting playing with the Growlithes. "So cute," he coos, wagging his finger at the litter. Eevee looks at him disinterestedly, and one of the Growlithes nips at his finger. "Ow," he yips, and pulls his finger back. "They really are strong," he says and turns to look at Green fondly.
"Yeah, well..." Green says and shrugs. He gathers the Growlithes in his arms to take them inside. Eevee jumps out of the crate and follows behind him. When Green turns around, Hibiki is standing at the edge of his grass and the road, looking at them curiously.
"Bye," Hibiki shouts and waves enthusiastically when he sees Green looking in his direction. Green just rolls his eyes and opens his door.
This continues to happen for the next week. And then the week after that, when Green hatches Skitties, and after that, when he hatches Mudkips.
Eventually, Green snaps at Hibiki, who just happens to be standing in front of his door. "What the hell do you want?"
Hibiki looks up at him, confused, and Green thinks, Cute, kid, real cute, but then Hibiki surprises him by saying, "I already have what I want."
Now it's Green's turn to look confused. "What?"
"I...I want to become a better Pokémon breeder. And I learn a lot by watching you work." (Green seriously hopes Hibiki isn't staring through his windows or something creepy like that.) "I mean, sometimes you're unsociable and can be kinda mean, but it's pretty clear you love Pokémon very much." Green doesn't even register the first part as an insult because it's so true, but no one's ever, ever acknowledged until now much he loves Pokémon.
"Um, thanks," he settles on. "But you don't - you never asked. Didn't you want to know?"
Hibiki shrugs. "I mean, of course. You never told anyone, even with bribes of money, so I didn't think you'd tell me." Green can't help but smile a little. "What they did wasn't respectful, though. They thought they could buy your secrets like it was a commodity. I wanted to earn your respect, earn the right for you to tell me." Hibiki pause for a moment then asks quietly, unsure of himself, "Even now, if I asked you how you did it, what would you tell me?"
"Magic," Green says, like he tells everyone. It's not really a lie, or at least Green doesn't think so, because there's got to be some magic in a little love, right? But maybe Hibiki will figure it out someday, and despite himself, Green opens the door and lets Hibiki inside.
to follow...