Xiao Meng's home.
To catch a thief, they needed the right bait.
"What kind of Berry does it steal most often?"
"Pecha Berries."
Li Wei immediately pictured the pink, peach-like Pecha Berries.
"Soft, sweet... so it likes sweet things."
Li Wei snapped his fingers. "Easy."
He took the Home Pokéblock Maker straight out of his backpack and made a batch of Pokéblocks with Pecha Berries.
Finally, the finishing touch-a drizzle of the good stuff~
[A serving of very sweet Pokéblocks drizzled with Honey]
Li Wei nodded in satisfaction. His usual standard.
Gulp~
The sound of someone swallowing suddenly rang out.
Under Li Wei and Lucario's gazes,
Xiao Meng's face visibly reddened.
Even her ears went red as she hurriedly explained, "Sorry, I really like sweet things!"
Li Wei and Lucario each ate one, then he handed her one too. "They're delicious. Let's go."
Xiao Meng's Berry orchard wasn't far from her house. She lived on the outskirts of Celestic Town precisely because it made growing Berries easier.
"Come on out, Arcanine, Metang!"
Xiao Meng blinked. "Oh, a silver Metang? Hello, Metang. I'm Xiao Meng."
"Yeah, I met Metang on this trip."
"Bika." Metang greeted her.
Metang had already seen Xiao Meng from inside the Luxury Ball yesterday.
"Xiao Meng, put these Pokéblocks somewhere that Pokémon often shows up."
"Okay."
[Ding! Gained 25 points of Pokéblock proficiency.]
?
Li Wei didn't call out Xiao Meng, who was still holding the food bowl.
He knew how to spare someone embarrassment.
"Let's hide first."
About half an hour later, Lucario, who had been scanning with aura the whole time, suddenly opened his eyes.
It's here.
[Ding! Gained 48 points of Pokéblock proficiency.]
"Move out. Surround it."
As the thief immersed herself in Pokéblocks unlike anything she had ever tasted, she had no idea she was already surrounded.
A brown Teddiursa with yellow around her mouth and a Crescent Mark on her forehead was feasting away.
Sitting down, Teddiursa stood about forty centimeters tall. She was a very cute Pokémon.
Lucario, Arcanine, and Metang had surrounded her, while Xiao Meng's Farfetch'd waved a leek and cheered from the outer edge.
"Quack, quack!" |•'-'•)و✧
You can do it, duck! You can do it!
Completely oblivious to being surrounded, Teddiursa sat on the ground licking her Honey-covered paws.
Teddiursa's information also appeared before Li Wei's eyes.
[Name]: Teddiursa [Gender]: Female [Ability]: Pickup (Has a chance of picking up items along the way.) [Moves]: Scratch, Lick, Fling, Baby-Doll Eyes, Fury Swipes [Strength rating]: Normal (Intermediate) [Assessment]: A growing Teddiursa.
"Go, Metang."
Li Wei had checked Metang's strength last night.
[Name]: Metang [Ability]: Clear Body (Prevents stat reductions caused by Pokémon moves and abilities.) [Moves]: Take Down, Magnet Rise, Confusion, Metal Claw, Bullet Punch, Zen Headbutt, Flash Cannon [Strength rating]: Elite (Advanced) [Assessment]: An Elite Pokémon with a promising future.
Pokémon strength ratings, from lowest to highest, were:
Normal, Elite, Veteran, Professional, Gym,
Master, Elite Four, Champion, Battle Legend.
Each rank was further divided into Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.
"Confusion, but don't hurt her."
Metang restrained Teddiursa with Confusion, though she showed no intention of resisting.
"Lucario, ask her where her mother is."
"Na, na."
Lucario shook his head. She says she hasn't seen her mother since she was born.
Li Wei frowned. "Pokémon Hunters... or something else?"
Unfortunately, without any other information, Li Wei couldn't tell.
Li Wei quickly made his decision. "Xiao Meng, do you want to catch her?"
Xiao Meng froze for a moment, then blinked. "Huh, me? Don't you want her?"
Li Wei shook his head. "If you don't want her, I'll take her to Officer Jenny, then decide where to send her."
Li Wei wasn't particularly interested in catching Teddiursa.
If Xiao Meng took her, she could guard the orchard after evolving.
Though there was the risk of the guard stealing the goods...
"I've decided to catch her!"
As Xiao Meng threw a Poké Ball, Teddiursa turned into red light and entered it.
The Poké Ball rocked from side to side on the ground, then stopped with a ding.
"I caught Teddiursa!"
"Quack, quack!"
[Ding! Side quest (Xiao Meng's troubles) completed. Rewards have been issued.]
Alongside the Diancite, Li Wei's system inventory now held a random item draw ticket.
"Thank you, Li Wei, Lucario, Arcanine, and Metang."
Li Wei waved a hand. "No need to thank us. We're practically family. Just ask if you need anything."
Li Wei's grandfather had practically raised Xiao Meng as his own granddaughter.
"Xiao Meng, come over for dinner tonight."
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble for Grandpa Lian...?"
"I'll cook. I've been learning from Grandpa lately."
"All right, then I have to come try it."
"Quack, quack!" We're in for a treat!
"Okay, I'd better get back to practicing my knife skills."
"Take care on the way!"
Early that morning, Gengar had gone out and bought a huge pile of groceries.
Li Wei watched Gengar's stubby hands rummage around that round belly, pulling out one bag after another...
Tap-tap-tap-tap-
The sound of a kitchen knife striking the cutting board rang out without pause.
His cooking proficiency was also shooting up, +1 after +1.
"You've improved a little. In a couple of days, you can start cutting meat."
Only when Xiao Meng arrived was Li Wei finally freed.
The old man looked at Teddiursa licking her paws and nodded. "A Teddiursa, eh? Ursaring can be quite good too, if raised properly."
Watching her lick her paws as though no one else existed,
Li Wei suddenly felt a little regret. "I'm just wondering whether she's really suited to guarding an orchard."
"It's fine. She just needs a little teaching."
The old man turned his gaze away from Teddiursa.
In that brief span, he had already worked out how to raise this Teddiursa.
It took talent to ignore everyone around her like that.
At the very least, it showed she could focus.
The old man looked at Xiao Meng and reminded her, "Come to me if you run into any problems. Don't worry about troubling me.
"I might not be able to solve everything, but it's better than leaving you on your own without knowing what to do."
"Yes, Grandpa Lian!"
Xiao Meng bowed deeply.
Despite saying he would cook, Li Wei hadn't actually earned the old man's approval yet, so he could still only work as a vegetable-chopping helper.
He wasn't even as good at chopping as the Farfetch'd beside him.
Duck-Duck Star Blade Technique! Quack, quack, slaughter them all!
Farfetch'd's leek could effectively help the ingredients absorb flavor,
so Li Wei had lost right at the starting line.
"Quack, quack!"
Farfetch'd furrowed those V-shaped brows and lightly tapped Li Wei's arm.
Lucario continued serving as the translator.
What're you doing? Pay attention to your chopping~
That evening, after walking Xiao Meng home, Li Wei finally had some free time and used the random Pokémon item draw ticket.
Before you continue