The kitchen.
Li Wei was about to do something big.
He still had a side quest: earn his grandfather's approval with Pokémon food.
Since he was better at making Pokéblocks, Li Wei had usually chosen to make those.
This time, Li Wei planned to make Poffins.
Lucario and Arcanine both preferred spicy flavors. Metang's tolerance for spice was average, but Metang was willing to eat it too.
He wouldn't use his last two Tamato Berries. He would use Cheri Berries instead.
After all, the system's assessment of his Poffin-making skills was: Schrödinger's Poffins.
Li Wei's principle was simple: if you were bad at something, practice more.
He also wanted to see how much experience making Poffins would earn him.
Half a month of relearning knife skills under his grandfather-scratch that, Sirfetch'd-had considerably improved Li Wei's concentration.
His cooking skills were still at the beginner level, but he had improved compared to before.
After all, he had spent over half a month watching the old man cook.
After crushing the Berries, he put them in a pot with cold water and stirred continuously as they heated. Once they formed a batter, he poured it into molds and put them in the oven.
That was the tricky part of making Poffins: heat control and stirring technique mattered enormously.
Heat control was also something cooking and making Pokémon food had in common.
Unfortunately, things didn't go his way. Li Wei failed three times in a row, with the failed batches sitting beside him.
The Appraisal Eye came in handy at moments like these.
After taking a bite, Li Wei silently dumped the batch into the trash.
This wasn't fit for human consumption!
Lucario looked at the failed batches in the trash with a hint of resignation.
Lucario clearly remembered Li Wei swearing over a batch of blackened Poffins that he would never make them again.
Seeing Li Wei's earnest expression...
Lucario decided to eat them gracefully, even if they tasted awful.
Wasting food was shameful behavior, unworthy of an elegant Pokémon!
Li Wei murmured, "It's all down to getting the heat wrong..."
The old man came into the kitchen just in time to see Li Wei working on his Poffin-making technique.
"Then I'll just have to concentrate."
Li Wei patted his cheeks and devoted his full attention to making Poffins, carefully analyzing exactly where his heat control had gone wrong. He didn't notice the old man's arrival at all.
As he stirred the Berry batter and watched the flame, Li Wei looked as reverent as someone offering incense...
Seeing Li Wei's expression, the old man nodded in satisfaction.
At the final stage, Li Wei stirred clockwise with a spoon, and a fragrant aroma filled the air.
Li Wei quickly poured the Berry batter into molds and placed them in the oven.
Ding.
The moment the oven opened, Lucario caught the aroma of Poffins.
He actually succeeded!
Lucario was a little surprised.
Arcanine twitched his nose, and tears of longing disgracefully dribbled from his mouth.
They looked like pink cookies. These were Poffins.
Poffins came in different colors depending on the color of the Berries used.
Li Wei's Appraisal Eye soon provided its assessment.
[A batch of spicy Poffins that was stirred too little and cooked a little too long.]
He had succeeded, but they weren't as good as the Pokéblocks he usually made.
At this level, earning his grandfather's approval would probably be difficult, wouldn't it?
Li Wei wasn't discouraged. He could take it one step at a time.
"They turned out well. Give them a try."
Lucario pressed both paws together in prayer.
Well then, let's eat.
Lucario picked one up. The instant Lucario bit into it, those tall ears suddenly twitched.
Delicious!
[Ding! Gained 13 Poffin proficiency points.] [Ding! Gained 12 Poffin proficiency points.]
Watching Lucario dig in, Li Wei rubbed his chin in thought.
In terms of quality, the Pokéblocks should have been better, yet the Poffins earned more experience.
"Why are you enjoying them so much?"
They're better than I expected.
Lucario had approached the Poffins prepared to face death, only to find that they tasted better than expected.
Li Wei had an idea. Does a Pokémon's satisfaction affect the proficiency I gain?
Li Wei nodded slightly. "I can make more Poffins from now on."
He beckoned to Arcanine and the others.
"Arcanine, Metang, come give these a try."
Sirfetch'd didn't eat spicy food, so Li Wei didn't call Sirfetch'd over.
Arcanine enjoyed them the most. As long as something was edible, that was good enough; otherwise, he wouldn't have grown so hefty.
"Bika."
Metang stared at the Cheri Berry Poffins for a long time with a resolute gaze...
That gaze was as determined as someone about to join the Party.
In reality, Metang was analyzing whether eating this stuff would be fatal.
Li Wei couldn't help covering his face. "Just eat it already."
Metang had never eaten Cheri Berries before, but the main issue was doubt about Li Wei's Poffin-making abilities.
After all, Metang already knew about Li Wei's "glory days."
Considering his trainer's feelings, Metang finally picked up a Poffin after a long hesitation and chewed a small bite as though marching to a heroic death.
Less than a second later, Metang's eyes lit up.
So good!
[Ding! Gained 8 Poffin proficiency points.]
"How does it taste?"
"Bika!"
Lucario promptly translated for Li Wei.
Metang says it's a little spicy, but delicious.
The corners of Li Wei's mouth lifted, and he nodded confidently.
"I do have a bit of talent, after all."
Behind him, the old man snorted.
"You didn't control the heat properly. You cooked the Berry Juice until it thickened too much, and your stirring wasn't good either. You're still a long way from having the heat control needed to make Super Rich Poffins."
Li Wei quickly turned his head. "Grandpa?"
Only then did Li Wei notice the old man standing behind him.
The old man's assessment surprised him even more.
It was almost identical to the Appraisal Eye's!
With just a glance, without even tasting them, the old man had accurately identified the flaws in his Poffins.
Was this what master-level cooking skills could do?
The old man asked another question.
"What did you learn from making Poffins this time?"
Li Wei's eyes lit up.
This was definitely his chance to complete the quest!
Li Wei gathered his thoughts.
"Cooking and making Pokémon food have a lot in common. Heat control, seasoning, and even knife skills can affect the result."
The old man nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad. That half month of practice wasn't wasted."
At the same time, the mechanical female voice sounded again.
[Ding! Side quest (Lian's Wish) completed. Obtained a random specialty recipe-Smoked Apricorn Juice.]
Li Wei blinked. "Grandpa, you're actually satisfied with these Poffins?"
With his hands behind his back, the old man snorted. "Even Gengar wouldn't eat them. But everything has a learning process. Being willing to learn is what matters most."
Li Wei nodded in understanding.
The old man wasn't satisfied with his Poffins, but with his dedication to studying and learning.
A faint smile appeared on the old man's face. "What would you like for dinner? I'll make it for you."
Training in the morning, cooking practice in the afternoon, and studying Pokémon raising at night.
His day was fulfilling and monotonous in equal measure.
Li Wei didn't return to his room until ten that night. He looked at the personal panel only he could see.
[Special Recipe Pokédex]: 1. Smoked Apricorn Juice, Grade C: Use Apricorns smoked for 3-5 days. Simmer with Honey, rock sugar, Osmanthus, roses, and other ingredients for two hours, then chill. (Click to view the preparation video.) Effect: rapidly restores stamina after consumption. One glass packs more punch than ten! Note: daily preparation count (0/10). Once the preparation limit is exceeded, the effect is equivalent to ordinary Berry Juice.
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