After chatting with Blue and the others for a while and learning more about the Breeder Competition,
Li Wei put down his phone and looked at the system's virtual panel. There was another side quest.
[Make a Name] (Optional): Represent the Jubilife Breeding Center in the 24th Breeder Competition and finish in at least the top eight! Reward: Based on your final placement.
Jubilife Breeding Center.
Afternoon.
Lucario mediated disputes while pouring his own food into Pichu's bowl.
"Pichu~" (๑＞＜๑)
Pichu happily buried its head in a food bowl almost as big as itself.
With its pair of large ears, Pichu was an adorable little pet that didn't even reach Lucario's ankles.
Dayou laughed. "Lucario really knows how to look after others."
Leon nodded. "Lucario was already good at looking after others back when he was a Riolu.
"He looked after Growlithe at first, too, and now that Growlithe has evolved into Arcanine, he's also good at caring for other Pokémon."
Arcanine was teasing a pink Jigglypuff with his large, fan-like tail.
"Jiggly~ Jiggly~"
(❁´◡`❁)✲ﾟ
Of course, this wasn't that Jigglypuff who sang.
Metagross and Drakloak, on the other hand, were rather at a loss with the Pokémon boarding there.
"Metang!"
(Beep beep, diligently recording!)
Metagross hovered in place, strings of text resembling code continually flashing through his dark red eyes.
Metagross was studying how Lucario and Arcanine cared for the Pokémon and recalling what Li Wei had done in the past.
(Be gentle... Smile...)
(Beep beep, learning successful!)
"Metang!" ୧꒰•̀ᴗ•́꒱୨
Drakloak simply gave up. Still a mama's boy, he flew back to his mother, Dragapult.
Of course, this was because Li Wei was busy.
That was also why Lucario and the others were babysitting.
Lucario had volunteered to take some of Li Wei's work off his hands.
They couldn't provide grooming treatments for Pokémon, but babysitting or teaching moves was well within their abilities.
Babysitting was also a paid service at the Pokémon Day Care, much like after-school care for students.
And that was how this scene had come about.
Mizuki pushed up her glasses and said sternly, "Why are you still chatting? Get to work!"
"On it!"
Comrade Leon instantly swung his hoe so fast it practically smoked.
Dayou clutched his cheek and cried out,
"Good grief~ The employee's telling the boss to get to work!"
Mizuki rolled her eyes at him.
"Quit wisecracking. You get moving, too!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Dayou stood ramrod straight at attention.
Although Leon was nominally the boss, he was usually so approachable that people who knew him didn't really treat him like one.
It wasn't Li Wei, either, but Wen Hui, who managed the accounts.
The Coronet Day Care's aggressive price war had affected the Breeding Center to some extent.
Business had been considerably worse over the past two days.
Still, Comrade Leon maintained his optimistic spirit and proposed renovating the outdoor grounds.
Some of the terrain needed fixing up,
as part of routine maintenance and targeted adjustments,
while another section needed tilling for planting vegetables.
Dayou was always the first to volunteer for this kind of work.
He would even get upset if someone tried to take it from him.
As for Leon, it was simply because he was too fat,
and his wife had specifically ordered him to pitch in.
"Huff, huff, huff~~~"
Leon was breathing harder than a bellows.
Watching Dayou beside him, drenched in sweat yet still brimming with enthusiasm, Leon leaned on his hoe in envy.
"Dayou, how do you keep yourself so fired up?"
Dayou scratched his head.
"Me? Well, you'd better pay attention."
"Sure, sure. Right away."
Comrade Leon pulled out a little notebook.
"Oh, that's the one for grudges. Let me get another."
"All right, go ahead."
Dayou clenched his fists.
"First, you go 'waaah' like this, then..."
Dayou suddenly threw back his head and let out an "Awooo!"
"Then, bam! Strength and fighting spirit come surging out!"
Beside him, Incineroar repeated the same routine along with Dayou.
"Holy shit, you're on fire!"
Watching flames erupt all over Dayou and Incineroar, Leon stood utterly bewildered in the wind.
"Machamp, we've still got a lot to learn."
"Champ! Champ!"
Li Wei really was busy, mainly with two things.
One was exercising with the Arcanine who had developed PTSD, taking him out to run through the wilderness.
Although Arcanine was frightened, he was still willing to run outdoors, which was good news for Li Wei.
Arcanine's case was much less difficult than Feebas's, mainly because Li Wei knew his triggers.
Arcanine's PTSD had been caused by flashbangs, combined with a group of Voltorb exploding at close range.
This had also made Arcanine prefer dark corners.
But as long as he avoided those triggers, Arcanine could still live like a normal Pokémon.
Li Wei didn't intend to restore Arcanine's confidence and send him back to the police force. Living like this was fine, too.
No matter how carefully he was protected or how much he recovered, Arcanine's symptoms were like a time bomb that could go off at any moment.
That made him unsuitable for missions. Sending him out would endanger both Arcanine and the other officers.
So Li Wei only hoped to treat his condition and let him live a normal life.
The other task was studying the Special Cuisine Pokédex. He had decided to make Mapo Tofu (Grade B) for his sixth video.
Li Wei had already registered for the Senior Breeder assessment, which he could take in five days.
He also planned to enter the 24th Youth Breeder Competition, held in Hearthome City.
The competition would not only let him grind proficiency,
but also improve the Breeding Center's reputation.
After all, breeders had to list their affiliated Pokémon Day Care or Breeding Center when registering.
As long as Li Wei made it into the top eight, the Jubilife Breeding Center's name would appear in broadcasts across multiple regions.
There was also the system's side quest, [Make a Name], whose reward depended on the final result.
If Li Wei won the championship, he would naturally receive the highest possible reward and make the Jubilife Breeding Center famous in one fell swoop.
Besides, Hearthome City was just east of Jubilife City.
It was a quick trip by train or Pokémon. Metagross could fly there at full speed in less than two hours.
As for Feebas's problem, Li Wei was still waiting for Milotic's Trainer to arrive.
"Strange. She isn't someone who breaks her promises. Why hasn't she come yet?"
Back then, she had agreed with Li Wei that she would come over after wrapping up her business in the next few days, but several days had already passed.
Li Wei shook his head. "Forget it. I won't rush her for now. After all, I'm asking her to come help me."
He began throwing himself wholeheartedly into developing Mapo Tofu.
During this time, he had watched the process of making Mapo Tofu countless times.
First, put the cubed tofu into salted water and simmer over low heat to remove the beany smell.
Heat the wok, add cold oil, then pour in the minced beef...
The seasonings needed another round of stir-frying, too.
When thickening the sauce for the first time, add the cooked minced meat and garlic shoots over the top; thicken the sauce three times in total.
Add a generous handful of ground Sichuan pepper.
Mapo Tofu (Grade B)
Li Wei couldn't help pumping his fist with a cheer. He had done it!
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