"Find that feeling, and you'll gradually improve."
The clamor at the Cooking Challenge registration desk nearly drowned out their conversation as Shuckle and Chansey entered the registration queue.
Since they had arrived a little late, there weren't many spots left.
Shuckle waved her little tentacles toward the seats ahead, where the Pokémon teams that had advanced from the first round sat, including Electabuzz's team.
Her meaning was obvious. Shuckle wanted to be in the same group as Electabuzz, competing on the same stage to prove the strength of her love for her Pokémon Trainer.
"Naive!"
Since Electabuzz had advanced and also had local connections, and choosing a challenger wouldn't affect the overall fairness of the competition, the organizers soon agreed.
"Shuckle... they're really good."
Shuckle waved her little tentacles, reminding Chansey that her task wasn't to defeat the enemy, but to surpass herself and work her love for her Pokémon Trainer into her food.
In the second round, each group had twenty cooking stations, with twenty contestants cooking at once and judges awarding scores.
To prevent the judges from getting so full that it affected subsequent scores, the food festival had invited plenty of guests and randomly selected enough passersby to take turns tasting as judges.
Three groups of competitors went by, leaving the final group. Shuckle and Chansey were about to go on.
"Shuckle... there are so many of them on the other side."
The Cooking Challenge provided large workstations, which were some distance from the ingredient area, so up to four Pokémon were allowed to work together at a station.
The Weezing and Electabuzz team had added two new members: Torkoal and Raichu.
At a glance, they were Pokémon with exceptional natural advantages in grilling and deep-frying.
"Shuckle..."
"Don't be afraid. You have the tenacity to forge ahead