The Pokémon Center.
After Li Wei used the Random Pokémon Item Lottery Ticket, a board dotted with stars appeared before him.
The pearly-white point of light finally landed on a round, transparent stone with red and yellow at its center.
[Ding~ Congratulations, host! You have drawn Diancite against extremely low odds!]
?
Li Wei slowly typed a question mark.
Where am I supposed to find you a Diancie?!
A piece of Diancite had also appeared in his system inventory.
[Diancite: A mysterious stone that allows Diancie to undergo Mega Evolution when held.]
Li Wei took the Evolution Stone out of his inventory and examined it in his palm.
Li Wei knew quite a bit about Diancie.
A Mythical Pokémon from the Kalos Region, it was a mutated Carbink that sparkled with a pink glow.
A Carbink colony would only have one Diancie, but Diancie was not unique.
The only one he knew of lived in the underground kingdom in Kalos, but he reasonably suspected there were others elsewhere.
As long as he could find a Carbink colony,
he should have a chance of finding a Diancie.
His Appraisal Eye was only beginner-level. Perhaps a higher-level Appraisal Eye could identify a Carbink in the process of mutating?
Diancie had been one of Li Wei's targets all along.
The quests had all changed to "in progress,"
but he could not do any of them right now.
The Pokémon Day Care would have to wait, he had no prospects for a girlfriend, and Roland's wish was even further out of reach.
At twenty-two, Cynthia had already stood at the pinnacle of the Sinnoh League for years, and she was also a scholar with extensive knowledge of mythology.
As Cynthia's younger sister, Roland had a grand dream, but he had to admit it would be difficult to achieve.
Setting the quests aside for now,
Li Wei's main objective was to assess himself and figure out how to earn skill experience.
Li Wei clenched his fists, feeling the surging power within him. His physical capabilities had indeed improved.
A Super New Trainer? I'm about to take off!
"Bring me Bruno!"
Ahem. Just kidding.
Li Wei really could not beat Bruno yet.
The man's physique was no joke, and his fighting skills were unquestionably top-tier, perhaps even beyond Master level.
Appraisal Eye made up for Li Wei's lack of a Pokédex.
Li Wei used Appraisal Eye to take a look at Lucario.
[Name]: Lucario [Sex]: Male ♂ [Types]: Fighting, Steel [Ability]: Inner Focus (prevents flinching from an opponent's attacks) [Moves]: Swords Dance, Calm Mind, Aura Sphere, Meteor Mash, Bone Rush, Flash Cannon, Ice Punch, Thunder Punch, Bullet Punch, Force Palm, Protect, Quick Guard... [Strength rating]: Gym level (beginner) [Assessment]: With two of the three elemental punches mastered, Lucario already shows the makings of an Elite Four Pokémon!
Reality differed from the games. Pokémon were not limited to four moves.
His grandfather was a top-tier breeder, and Li Wei had taught Lucario Ice Punch and Thunder Punch, two of the three elemental punches.
"Luca."
Noticing Li Wei's gaze, Lucario rubbed his belly.
Li Wei nodded slightly. "Just a moment. I'll make it right away."
Li Wei put everything else aside and prepared food for Lucario and the others.
Li Wei always made his Pokémon Food himself. Ever since he was little, his grandfather had taught him to treat his Pokémon with care.
His grandfather's voice echoed in his ears:
"A good breeder must prepare food according to a Pokémon's training goals, development, physical condition, and individual tastes.
If you want to raise a good Pokémon... what it eats is especially important. You must never cut corners."
After Li Wei began raising Lucario and Arcanine, he gained a much deeper understanding of those words.
Raising Pokémon was, above all, about pouring in money.
To raise an Elite Four-level Pokémon, both talent and money were essential.
Even when Li Wei had only been raising Lucario and Arcanine, his expenses had been staggering.
Now that he had the system, perhaps it could help him raise his Pokémon to some extent.
"Spicy again today?"
Lucario wore a solemn expression. "Luca."
(Extra spicy, please! Sorry for the trouble!)
Li Wei's Lucario had rather unusual tastes. He loved spicy food, and the hotter, the better.
As a Berry expert, Li Wei knew plenty about Berries.
Very spicy varieties like Tamato Berries, Liechi Berries, and Spelon Berries were extremely rare and virtually impossible to buy on the market.
Li Wei settled for Pomeg Berries and Cheri Berries instead.
He put both kinds of Berries into the small home Berry Blender, and the turntable at its center began spinning...
About fifteen minutes later, translucent red blocks began dropping steadily from the machine's outlet. All that remained was to grind up some Berries and sprinkle the powder over them for seasoning.
Appraisal Eye showed Li Wei the Pokéblocks' information.
[Pokéblocks (spicy): A serving of reasonably tasty Pokéblocks made from a blend of Pomeg Berries and Cheri Berries.]
Li Wei had long since become adept at making Lucario's food. This was about his usual standard.
He also made separate portions for Arcanine and Metang.
Since he did not yet know Metang's preferences, Li Wei prepared a generally popular flavor.
If it did not suit Metang's tastes, he could grind other Berries into powder or use other seasonings to adjust it.
"All done. Dig in."
(Thank you! Let's eat!)
Lucario had been eager to start for ages. He tied on his napkin without prompting, sat at the dining table, and elegantly ate his Pokéblocks with a spoon.
Lucario's guiding principle in life was to be elegant.
As Lucario took his first bite, a system notification suddenly sounded.
[Ding, gained 7 points of Pokéblock proficiency.]
Li Wei looked at Lucario, watching his movements.
Noticing Li Wei's gaze, Lucario even remembered to lift his head. (It's delicious!)
Every time Lucario took a bite, another system notification sounded.
[Ding, gained 9 points of Pokéblock proficiency.] [Ding, gained 8 points of Pokéblock proficiency.]
After Lucario finished eating, Pokéblock Crafting in the skill list had changed.
Pokéblocks (intermediate): (2,598/10,000)
Li Wei had reached a conclusion.
When a Pokémon ate Pokéblocks he had made, his Pokéblock-making skill gained proficiency, seemingly with every bite.
Still, getting a notification for each bite was a bit much.
[Ding, would you like to switch to notifications showing total proficiency gained?]
That's pretty considerate...
After making lunch for Lucario and the others, Li Wei borrowed the Pokémon Center's kitchen.
As Li Wei chopped vegetables, another game notification sounded in his mind.
[Ding, gained 1 point of Cooking proficiency.]
If this had been a game interface, a constant stream of +1s would surely have been floating above Li Wei's head.
[Ding, gained 1 point of Cooking proficiency.]
If only solving practice questions worked like this. One question, +1. I'd get into a Project 985 university in no time.
Li Wei could not help having that thought.
[A bowl of vegetable and egg noodles with too much salt.]
Slander! I just like salty food!
Li Wei had only gone out this time to catch the Shiny Metang.
After collecting his Pokémon from Nurse Joy, Li Wei boarded the train home.
Before you continue