Renovations at the Pokémon Day Care were nearing completion, and Li Wei would be taking his Pokémon Breeder Exam in Jubilife City.
His month-plus of studying was also coming to an end, so his grandfather gave him a day off.
The day before leaving Celestic Town, Li Wei had planned to visit the Celestic Town Historical Research Institute.
He wanted to ask Professor Carolina about the deities of time and space and the Lake Guardians.
"Professor Carolina went to Eterna City. She probably won't be back for a while."
The security guard explained the situation to Li Wei.
Having grown up in Celestic Town and being acquainted with Professor Carolina's granddaughter, Li Wei could get by on a familiar face around town.
"All right, thank you."
With Professor Carolina attending a scientific conference in Eterna City, Li Wei would have to miss out on meeting her for now.
Instead, Li Wei went to see Xiao Meng. Teddiursa and Farfetch'd had become her two trusty guardians.
Having eaten plenty of the Pokémon food Li Wei made lately, Teddiursa and Farfetch'd were very welcoming.
Teddiursa even jumped down from a chair and tugged at Li Wei's pant leg, asking for food.
"Teddiursa, you can't do that!"
"It's fine. Here."
Li Wei had come prepared. He pulled out a handful of Pokéblocks and rubbed Teddiursa's head while he was at it.
"There's some for you too, Farfetch'd."
[Ding! Gained 31 points of Pokéblock proficiency.]
What Li Wei feared most was a Pokémon that wouldn't eat.
The bigger the appetite, the more welcome it was.
"Xiao Meng, call me if anything comes up. Come visit Jubilife City when you have time. I'll send you the address."
Xiaomeng smiled and showed him her chat history with his mother.
"No need. Auntie Wen Hui already sent it to me. I'll come when I have time."
"Great. See you."
Xiao Meng raised a fist in encouragement.
"Good luck with your Pokémon Breeder Exam! I know you can do it!"
"Don't worry."
Li Wei had signed up for the intermediate breeder assessment, and he was brimming with confidence.
After saying goodbye to his grandfather, Li Wei and his parents boarded a train bound for Jubilife City.
His grandfather had no intention of going to Jubilife City with them. He preferred staying in Celestic Town.
Before they parted, his grandfather gave him a solemn reminder:
"Don't neglect your breeding studies. I've found you a teacher. He'll give you a few days of lessons, so don't embarrass me."
Li Wei blinked. "A teacher? Who?"
If we're talking about famous breeders...
The first people Li Wei thought of were Blue, the Breeder, Professor Oak, and Brock.
Li Wei had long since heard about Blue and the others. Blue was already the Viridian Gym Leader.
Times have changed, old man.
This was the information age.
Blue's legendary five-minute reign as the fastest-ever Champion.
Red, the battle legend of Mt. Silver.
Trainers never tired of talking about their names and exploits.
What Li Wei wasn't quite sure of was whether Pallet Town had that ten-year-old competitor, Ash, with twenty-five years of experience under his belt.
He figured there probably was such a boy. After all, a "Jessie and James Ramen" chain had already appeared in Sinnoh.
But aren't Blue and Professor Oak a little too high-profile?
Inviting them to teach me?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
Li Wei immediately ruled them out.
His grandfather smiled like an expert who kept his achievements to himself. "You'll know when you meet him. He'll only come once you've passed the assessment."
Li Wei nodded helplessly. "All right."
"Geng~"
Gengar waved goodbye with a handkerchief held in its mouth.
"Quack, quack!"
(Give it your best quack!)
Standing with his hands behind his back, his grandfather watched them ride away before returning to the little courtyard.
Li Wei saw it all from his seat in the back.
"Dad, if we get the chance, let's bring Grandpa to Jubilife City."
"Your Elder Uncle and I want to as well, but your grandpa doesn't want to go. He just likes living in Celestic Town."
"If the circumstances aren't right, we'll make them right!"
As Li Wei said that, he seemed to radiate a dazzling light!
He looked full of determination, but in reality, he didn't have a single idea yet...
"Son, I believe in you!"
His dad was a master of motivational platitudes, offering all the emotional support anyone could ask for.
But emotional support was all he offered...
You might as well give me some bonus takeout coupons instead!
Wen Hui knew what the two of them were worried about. "Don't worry too much. Your grandpa's still fit as a fiddle."
Li Wei agreed with that.
Even now, his grandfather could grab a stick and chase him for ten blocks...
Jubilife City was quite far from Celestic Town.
Even the fastest maglev train took eight hours to get there.
Reclining on his soft sleeper berth, Li Wei looked at the personal panel before him.
[Constitution]: Super New Trainer (details omitted) [Specialty recipe Pokédex]: 1. Smoked Apricorn juice, grade C: Quickly restores stamina when consumed. (Click to view the detailed preparation process.) [Skills]: Breeding (intermediate): Details omitted (5350/10,000) Cooking (intermediate): Your knife skills are excellent, you have a grasp of basic heat control, and your seasoning is balanced. (1,217/10,000) Pokéblocks (intermediate): Details omitted (7,733/10,000) Poffins (intermediate): You can make Poffins that Pokémon enjoy based on their tastes. (109/10,000) Bag: Diancite, Tamato Berry ×2
Over a month of studying had been dull, but immensely rewarding.
His Poffins were no longer Schrödinger's Poffins.
Li Wei felt terrifyingly powerful now.
His rapid rise in breeding experience came from his grandfather spending over a month teaching him everything he knew.
Seeing how quickly Li Wei learned had prompted his grandfather to find him a good teacher.
His grandfather figured he should teach his grandson as much as possible while the boy still enjoyed learning. Who knew when he might lose interest again?
The huge increase in his Pokéblock proficiency was mainly thanks to his grandfather's Gengar.
Gengar's fourth-dimensional stomach was practically a bottomless pit.
Although Li Wei's Pokéblocks were nowhere near as good as his grandfather's, the old man simply wouldn't make any!
Gengar could only reluctantly settle for eating them.
With several Pokémon helping out, and Poffins carried everywhere to hand out on the spot... he had actually managed to grind both cooking and Poffin-making up to intermediate.
His improved breeding skills, coupled with a plentiful supply of Pokéblocks, had helped Lucario learn Extreme Speed.
The super-heavyweight Arcanine had learned Body Slam and reached Gym level (early stage).
The Shiny Metang had gone from an Elite-level Pokémon with a promising future to Veteran level (early stage).
Metang had successfully mastered Ice Punch, Protect, and Psychic.
Li Wei expected Metang to evolve in another month or two. Using a Steel Gem and a Metal Coat to supplement training could make it happen even sooner.
While Li Wei practiced, his grandfather occasionally gave Lucario and the others some extra coaching.
Both the main and side quests were still in progress. Li Wei only glanced at them before looking away.
He opened his phone and finally noticed the long string of messages his friend had sent.
[Akin: Get online and play already!]
[Akin: Waiting online. Urgent!]
[Akin: Boss, save this poor kid!]
[Li Wei: ...]
[Akin: You're only replying now? I thought you'd croaked! Wait, those dots are making me think of Red!]
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