Ding~ Your Beauty Increased by One Point (Please Follow!)

In the end, Xia Chen still signed Eevee up for this year's Piplup Cup.

No matter what, since Eevee wanted to participate so badly, he had to support it as its Trainer.

Xia Chen had also considered the scheduling conflict. He would be leaving for Kanto on the third, and by then, the Piplup Cup would already have reached the round of sixteen.

This was the round of sixteen for rookie Trainers across all of Zhijiang, including several surrounding small cities. Eevee and he probably would not make it that far.

So this time, participation was what mattered.

But if they really did make it that far... Forget it. No need to think so much. They could deal with it when the day came.

After filling in the information and paying the registration fee, Xia Chen received his qualifying-round number tag.

Number 63 in Zone E, held at Battle Park on September 20.

His luck was pretty good. He and Marnie were not in the same division, so he would not have to compete with her for the few qualifying spots.

There were still nearly two weeks before the qualifiers began, so Eevee still had room to improve.

Xia Chen put away his phone and rubbed the excited Eevee's head. "Now that we've signed up, we need to work hard. We have to make it into the main event at least!"

Eevee curled its lip. Such a low goal? Could you show a little more ambition, Trainer?

Do you know how precious that Pokémon Egg in this year's Piplup Cup champion prize pool is?

Fine. Xia Chen doesn't have as much information as I do, so I can only take all this on myself.

Sigh, I, Eevee, have sacrificed far too much for this family.

Though it thought that, Eevee still answered cheerfully.

"Eevee! (I guarantee we'll win the championship!)"

Unable to understand Pokémon speech, Xia Chen gratefully patted Eevee's head. What a sensible little cutie.

The morning was the best time of day. Early that morning, Xia Chen entered the kitchen and started tinkering with the Pokéblock machine.

After adding Brock as a friend, Brock had generously sent him his notes on making Pokéblocks. Though they were very basic and traditional techniques, that was exactly what Xia Chen lacked right now.

He had to admit, the difference between having a cheat and not having one was enormous.

If he had a cheat, his mind would probably be ringing with things like [Pokéblock Crafting Proficiency +1], right?

Instead, Xia Chen could only hear the roar of the machine. Lost in wild thoughts, he accidentally brushed the button that adjusted the rotation direction.

"Damn, I'm screwed!" Xia Chen hurriedly hit pause, trying to salvage the situation.

Each batch used hundreds of yuan worth of Berries. Though he had some savings now, there were plenty of places he would need money in the future. He could not afford to waste it recklessly.

"It's fine, it's fine. It only spun in reverse for a few seconds. The Berries probably didn't have time to react."

Xia Chen muttered words meant to fool himself. After readjusting the direction and speed, he pressed start again with a hopeful heart.

The machine began roaring again. This time, Xia Chen did not dare let his thoughts wander.

He stared intently through the transparent glass. At the instant the concentrated Berry juice was about to turn into Berry paste, he decisively pressed the solidifying button.

The roaring gradually weakened, and square Pokéblocks popped out from beneath the machine one after another. From the outside, they seemed no different from ordinary ones.

Xia Chen breathed a sigh of relief. At least he had not wasted those precious Magost Berries and Rabuta Berries.

He tasted one. It was still both sour and astringent. It was not exactly pleasant, but there was no helping it. Knowledge from his previous life told him that only blue blocks with an astringent taste could raise a Pokémon's Beauty.

So the taste... seemed no different either?

As everyone knew, if two things looked the same and tasted the same, then they were the same thing!

Holding the tray of Pokéblocks, Xia Chen walked outside and came before the aquarium.

As expected, Feebas was still sleeping soundly among the aquatic plants at the bottom of the tank that early in the morning.

Xia Chen tapped on the glass. "Feebas, breakfast time. You can go back to sleep after you eat."

Hmm. Why did that sound so familiar? Why did he suddenly feel like a loving mother waking up her lazy son?

Feebas seemed to be sleeping deeply. Xia Chen tapped several times before he finally poked his head out from the plants.

He drowsily blew out a string of bubbles. [Good morning, Xia Chen. I'm so sleepy. I want to sleep a little longer.]

Of course, Xia Chen was only imagining that. Feebas might not have been grumpy after waking up at all.

"Eat breakfast first. Then you can sleep." Xia Chen tossed a Pokéblock into the water.

Over the past two weeks, Xia Chen had proven through his actions that the Pokéblocks he made were no worse than those sold outside, so Feebas ate it without worry.

Though it was a little astringent, the overall sour flavor suited his tastes rather well. As expected of the man who had captured his stomach.

Feebas slowly savored his breakfast when a familiar voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

[Ding~ Your Beauty +1!]

Feebas froze. Beauty?

"What's that supposed to be?" Feebas asked in confusion.

[Beauty is a necessary condition for the host to evolve into Milotic. Only when your Beauty reaches a certain level can you evolve into Milotic.]

As though it knew everything, the system carefully explained the function of Beauty to Feebas.

"Evolve into Milotic?! Is it because of the Pokéblock I just ate?"

Hearing the topic he cared about most, Feebas instantly perked up.

[Yes. The special Pokéblock you just consumed can increase Beauty.]

The system gave an affirmative answer.

"Woohoo~" Feebas excitedly spun in circles on the spot.

Compared with something as vague and illusory as Yinglong, the possibility of evolving into Milotic made him much happier.

"Feebas, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with today's Pokéblocks?"

Xia Chen's worried voice interrupted Feebas's thoughts.

Something wrong? Of course there was something wrong—something seriously wrong!

Feebas excitedly swam to the glass, blowing out string after string of bubbles as he urged Xia Chen to quickly toss in the Pokéblocks beneath him.

Were these Pokéblocks? They were his miraculous medicine!

Seeing Feebas's actions, Xia Chen became even more worried. "Oh no, oh no, is Feebas foaming at the mouth? Did he get sick from eating the Pokéblocks? It only rotated in reverse for a few seconds. It shouldn't have happened... Forget it, I should make another batch."

Xia Chen's misunderstanding nearly made Feebas so angry his brain bled. He excitedly rammed his head against the glass, trying to make Xia Chen understand what he really meant.

Xia Chen was not stupid. Feebas's strange behavior made him think for a moment.

"Do you think today's one tastes better?"

Feebas nodded furiously.

Xia Chen scratched his head. Had the flavor changed?

Could there be something wrong with my sense of taste?

Unconvinced, he tasted another one, while Feebas watched from inside the aquarium with a bleeding heart.

Waaah, stop eating them! Leave some for me! You can't evolve into Milotic anyway!

Xia Chen smacked his lips, but he still could not taste any difference.

Since he could not figure it out, he decided not to bother. Fine, as long as Feebas liked them.

"If it tastes good, then it tastes good. Why are you so worked up? I'll make another batch with the same method tomorrow, all right?"

Feebas nodded again like a pounding garlic clove.

That was right, bro, exactly right!

Make this kind! If I eat anything else, I'll cough!

(Please Follow!)