A near-perfect pot of Smoked Apricorn Juice

Jubilife Breeding Center.

"You want me to make Smoked Apricorn Juice?"

Blue had made a request of Li Wei first thing that morning.

"That's right. Can you do it?"

Li Wei nodded. "No problem. It just takes a while to cook, so it'll have to wait until tonight."

Smoked Apricorn Juice required one batch cooked over high heat for forty minutes and another simmered over low heat for at least two hours, then the two were mixed together.

Blue recalled the tutorial video on Smoked Apricorn Juice he had watched the night before. It had indeed mentioned how long it took.

"All right."

After the day's lessons ended, Li Wei took Blue to the kitchen.

Blue wanted to learn how to make Smoked Apricorn Juice.

During the day, Blue taught Li Wei. At night, their roles were reversed.

"There are two key things to Smoked Apricorn Juice: dried Apricorns and heat control."

As his Cooking proficiency increased, Li Wei had reached the point where he simply couldn't mess up Smoked Apricorn Juice.

He could even teach someone while making it.

He put all the prepared ingredients into a clay pot, added water, and turned the heat up to its highest setting.

"The high-heat batch is pretty simple. Add osmanthus sugar and Honey, bring it to a boil, then stir slowly with a ladle. You don't need to count how many circles you make per minute. Just keep it moving."

After watching Li Wei stir with his left hand for twenty minutes, then his right for another twenty, Blue couldn't help commenting:

"This stuff is pretty tiring to make."

Li Wei smiled. "One drink, and you won't feel tired anymore."

Besides, he had the physique of a Super New Trainer. This wasn't tiring for him at all.

"The low-heat batch is a little trickier. You need to watch the heat, but you don't have to stir constantly like with the high-heat batch."

"Finally, add Osmanthus, Rose, and another spoonful of Honey. You can adjust that to suit your taste."

After two hours of simmering, the freshly made Smoked Apricorn Juice was ready.

The moment he lifted the lid, the scent of smoked Apricorns filled the kitchen, accompanied by a faint osmanthus fragrance.

Blue looked astonished.

He could actually smell distinct layers in a drink's aroma, like the top, middle, and base notes of a perfume.

This Oran Berry juice was a little beyond what Li Wei had expected.

[A near-perfect pot of Smoked Apricorn Juice]

The pot held roughly eight cups.

This was the first time Li Wei had made Smoked Apricorn Juice of this quality.

Li Wei couldn't help glancing at his personal panel.

Cooking (Advanced): Your cooking skills are sufficient to serve as a restaurant's head chef. (5,856/100,000)

This was his first time making Smoked Apricorn Juice since Li Wei's Cooking had advanced to the advanced level.

Li Wei murmured, "So that can happen?"

"What's wrong?"

"This batch turned out especially well."

Hearing Li Wei's words, Blue took a closer look.

"It does seem that way."

Blue could vaguely sense the difference between this pot and the one in Li Wei's video.

"It'll taste even better tomorrow morning after it's chilled."

Blue produced a spoon from somewhere.

"I want to try it now."

"Then be careful. It's hot."

"Awooo!"

Arcanine sprang into action!

Having caught the scent from Li Wei's room, Arcanine immediately squeezed out through the doorway.

" Luca?"

"Kang Jin?"

Lucario and Metagross were a little puzzled, but couldn't be bothered to follow.

Metagross, in particular, was still immersed in an ocean of knowledge.

Blue ladled himself a bowl, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and took a sip.

!!!

The instant it entered his mouth, Blue's eyes went wide.

How could Berry Juice this sublime, this extraordinary, this unbelievably delicious exist in the world?!

This guy absolutely couldn't be left... left in Sinnoh!

He ought to bring him to Viridian City or Pallet Town!

As someone from Kanto, Blue often drank Berry Juice from the Johto Region.

The Berry Juice he had drunk could have formed a circle around Professor Oak's backyard.

Berry Juice tasted good, restored stamina, and had a mild, lingering sweetness.

Smoked Apricorn Juice was completely different.

Blue had never tasted Berry Juice so fragrant, rich, delicate, and distinctly layered.

It was as though Berries were growing right in his mouth!

After the smoky Oran Berry flavor faded, it left a rose fragrance on his tongue, followed by a faint osmanthus scent.

"This isn't Berry Juice. It's a work of art!"

"..."

Li Wei stood beside him, dumbfounded. Wasn't that a little exaggerated? Then he drank a bowl himself, and...

"Holy shit!"

Even Li Wei himself was stunned.

Blue no longer cared about the heat and drank an entire bowl straight down.

After teaching all day and waiting here for nearly three hours, Blue had been a little tired.

But that bowl of Smoked Apricorn Juice swept away the entire day's fatigue.

He could battle Red ten times!

Provided his Pokémon could keep up...

"Awooo!" ┗|｀O′|┛ "Awoo~~"

(Step away from that bowl of Berry Juice and let yours truly have a go!)

Arcanine squeezed into the kitchen at lightning speed.

"You could smell it from there? Don't worry, there's some for you."

Li Wei also poured a cup for Xiao Rou, who was chatting with Feebas in the courtyard.

On that cold winter night, a cup of Berry Juice left Xiao Rou utterly amazed.

"┭┮﹏┭┮ Thank you, boss!"

"..."

Li Wei put the remaining smoked Berry Juice away to chill. Even in winter, it still tasted better chilled.

Li Wei thought back over the Smoked Apricorn Juice he had made this time. He hadn't done anything special.

It was simply a matter of good ingredients and his improved Cooking. In other words, Li Wei could reproduce it whenever he wanted.

"If I opened a drink shop, wouldn't I put everyone else out of business?"

Over the next few days, Li Wei continued studying Pokémon Breeding under Blue.

Blue truly lived up to the title of "the Breeder" personally bestowed on him by Professor Oak. Beyond his talent, he also possessed extensive theoretical knowledge.

This was a man with several academic papers to his name.

Li Wei studied one type at a time, putting what he learned into practice.

Blue never minded people watching and learning from the sidelines. As long as they didn't disrupt things, he even let them ask questions.

Seven days passed in a flash.

With seven days of instruction, plus the two hours of study Li Wei unfailingly put in every night, his Pokémon Breeding skill shot straight up to advanced.

The first-stage mission for Day Care on the Attack was almost complete as well. The number of customers satisfied with the breeding center had reached (91/100).

Li Wei looked at his personal panel.

Pokémon Breeding (Advanced): You have a thorough grasp of the fundamentals of most Pokémon and can accurately assess their condition. (11,542/100,000)

Once the final day's lessons ended, Blue said his goodbyes.

"It's time I headed back. I'm still the Viridian Gym Leader, after all."

Blue was quite satisfied with these seven days of teaching.

He had sampled plenty of dishes from Donghuang, which were rarely found in Kanto or even the Sinnoh Region.

Blue hadn't treated himself as their teacher, but rather as a friend. After all, they were all around the same age.

"Come visit Pallet Town or Viridian City whenever you have time."

Li Wei nodded. "I definitely will."

[Ding! Blue's Recognition completed. Reward...]