There was another possibility: the boy had no other Pokémon suited to assisting Lilligant.
"Jili..."
Walking down the street, Chansey listened to the talk about the competition around her, her heart heavy.
Shen Qi had a Style Technique. Shen Qi was amazing.
But... Shen Qi really had no other Pokémon suited to being an assistant.
Searching her heart, Chansey had to admit that if she assisted Lilligant, she would have no idea what to do or when, and Lilligant could not spare much attention to give instructions.
What... should I do, exactly...?
Chansey's eyes were full of uncertainty.
She was certain she had no real affinity for directly competing in races. At most, she could stay in her ball and coordinate with Shen Qi as she did now, or serve as his assistant, making herself useful through efficient soul-to-soul communication.
In other areas... what else can I help with?
If I could cook properly and make sure Shen Qi ate and drank well... how wonderful would that be?
Chansey looked helplessly at her hands. Why could she never learn even slightly normal cooking skills?
Only knowing survival-level cooking was just too much.
Speaking of cooking, Chansey always felt it was harder than racing.
After all, racing offered a straightforward sense of speed. Cooking... to Chansey, it was much like conducting a witch's potion experiments.
"Jili?"
As she walked, Chansey noticed the crowds streaming toward the beach.
White Cape extended across several cities, and one stretch with an observation platform was bustling. Some sort of event seemed to be taking place.
"Oh! It's the Pokémon Cooking Challenge!"
Local residents familiar with it quickly recognized what was happening.
Every year, when Vermilion City held the Autumn Race, several major businesses on Food Street seized the rare promotional opportunity and organized a cooking