These belonged in the same category as potato chips and crispy yam chips. At 60b a bag, ordinary-grade Pewter Rice Crackers really were expensive for a puffed snack.
The real difference was that even food-grade Pewter Rice Crackers contained small amounts of nutrients similar to those in Pokémon Rations, processed into a form the human body could absorb.
The technology deserved praise.
Sensing Shen Qi's affection, Lilligant demurely accepted the bag, opened it, and took out a rice cracker.
[Here.]
"Ah~"
Shen Qi obligingly opened his mouth, waiting to be fed.
Lilligant froze, her face growing warm. She had only meant to offer Shen Qi the first cracker, not feed it to him herself.
"Come~ on~. My jaw's getting sore."
[Umm...]
Her trembling leaf hand reached forward. As the cracker approached his mouth, Shen Qi's expression grew increasingly smug.
Flustered and annoyed, Lilligant couldn't take the pressure anymore. She tossed the cracker forward and hurriedly pulled away.
"Ah-"
The Pewter Rice Cracker caught in Shen Qi's throat. Only after several coughs did he clear it. "You're trying to murder me!"
[Narrator: Lilligant used Fling. It's super effective.]
Only after making sure Shen Qi hadn't been hurt did Lilligant relax, muttering reproachfully...
The sea breeze swept through the woods. As the branches and leaves swayed, brilliant sunlight slipped through the gaps, leaving nowhere to escape the summer heat.
Looking down the slope from the high ground where Berry Forest stood, they could see stretches of sunlit beach drawing crowds of tourists.
In the game, players could see rows of reefs beyond the swimming areas at both ends of the suspension bridge. Even using Surf, they couldn't leave this area. It made sense to attribute that to the game's limited content; the map could only be so big.
In reality, there really were rows of rocks extending outward. The waves struck them before rolling inward toward the beaches near the suspension bridge, creating a sheltered stretch of sea with gentler currents, suitable for swimming.
The types of Pokémon Trainers here were much the same as in the game.
Tube girls and tube boys.
And... bikini ladies. (Not sure whether this picture can be posted.)
"Lilligant."
[Hmm?]
"Even after the Pokémon Photography activity ends, let's come here and have fun together."
The brief silence was nerve-racking, but fortunately, the narrator provided a spoiler.
[Narrator: Lilligant is really looking forward to it, but she also feels she shouldn't relax and enjoy herself so much before achieving her goal.]
"We'll work toward your goal together."
Reading the text prompt, Shen Qi anticipated Lilligant's concerns straight away.
[Hmm... if we're not busy, and we're in the mood, and the weather's nice...]
[...then we could consider going for a walk together.]
Happy and relieved, Shen Qi felt that Lilligant shouldn't be shackled by the young heiress's accident. She hadn't caused that tragedy.
Shen Qi also knew that mere verbal reassurance was meaningless. His actions had to match his promises, and they had to work toward it together.
["Speedy Hot Girl," Romance Scenario completion: 70%] [Completion has reached 70%. Awarding fourth-stage completion rewards.]
Chapter 49: Compatible Skill Slot
[Inspection Card] +1
Inspect a target Pokémon's detailed data.
[Skill Proficiency Card 1], [Skill Proficiency Card 2]
"Huh?"
Shen Qi had received a Proficiency Card 1 before. Since it had the number "1," he had figured there ought to be a "2." Today, he finally saw it.
[Skill Proficiency Card 2: Increases skill proficiency by 10%. Applicable to skills with proficiency above 100%.]
Above 100%...
It could go above 100%?
He looked up at the sky, where a wild Swellow streaked past.
This was a real Pokémon world. There was nothing strange about all sorts of exceptional individuals existing here. Focusing on a single skill, training it to its limit, then surpassing that limit-wasn't that exactly how proficiency could exceed 100%?
Like the "million sword draws" or "thirty years on plum blossom poles" found in so many stories.
Last came... [Compatible Skill Slot].
A special item tied to the "Speedy Hot Girl" scenario.
"You're really trying to run the Little Sheep into the ground."
[Compatible Skill Slot] [Can further increase skill strength and duration by up to 20%.]
Extending a buff's duration by 20% was fine. Increasing its strength by 20% really wasn't.
The Little Sheep couldn't even handle the full buffs as it was. A power-boosting skill at +2 levels already pushed it right to the edge of what he could drive. At +3 levels, he would need a substantial defensive boost before daring to try...
He simply had no use for this amplification unless he replaced the other power-related components to match these game items.
After they watched the sunset over the sea, parents' calls for their children to head home kept ringing out around them.
"Lilligant, let's head home too."
[Okay.]
After gathering their things, Shen Qi started the Little Sheep.
The route south from Island 3 to Island 5 was becoming familiar, followed by the mountain roads of Island 6, where he lived.
As soon as they entered the mountains, Lilligant's demeanor changed noticeably.
Her eyes became clear and focused as she carefully studied the road.
Mountain runs involved a huge number of variables. No matter how familiar someone was with a mountain road, every run would be different.
Fallen-leaf season, the aftermath of heavy rain, small animals darting out without warning...
Clearly, running in the wild was far riskier than racing on a professionally maintained track. That was also part of its appeal.
"Lilligant, how about helping me out for a run?"
[Narrator: Lilligant straightened up in excitement.]
Sure enough, she truly loved racing. With the tragedy and regret of the past few years added to the mix, her emotions surged all the more fiercely.
[Well... I suppose I'll play along.]
"Hold tight. I'm going to floor it!"
[Hmph. Let me show you what I can do.]
Lilligant gave Shen Qi an amused glance. A Little Sheep driver talking about acceleration to a Class B Car racer?
The road conditions were stable and humidity was low, so the [Adaptive Tire] switched to a slick.
He added a little [Racing Energy], helping the energy reservoir supply fuel with greater combustion efficiency.
The Little Sheep had been built for Small Merchants, who needed it to haul loads every day. Even if its top speed wasn't high, its torque had to be reasonably strong.
Plenty of low-end power meant fiercer acceleration.
Vroom-
The cheap engine's roar was followed by a surge of acceleration that pressed them back into their seats, completely at odds with the sound.
[Huh-?]
Lilligant let out a long, puzzled cry.
[There's something off about you!]
"How else would I have caught up with you back then?"
[No, no...]
After he had caught her that day, Lilligant had naturally assumed Shen Qi had replaced the Little Sheep's engine, and that Chansey's buffs had given him a fighting chance.
Now, riding on it, watching the dashboard and feeling its performance firsthand, she could tell the Little Sheep still had its distinctly underpowered stock engine. It only seemed a little stronger.
If someone was going to replace the engine, nobody would choose one only slightly better than the Little Sheep's original.
His moment of glory didn't last long. Once they reached a somewhat higher speed, no matter how hard Shen Qi held down the throttle, the power refused to rise, as if it were constipated. Lilligant became even more certain that this was an ordinary Little Sheep engine, perhaps with modifications to some other parts.
The tires, for instance...
[Your tires are pretty good.]
"An Acrobatics modification."
Shen Qi waggled his eyebrows beside her, then pursed his lips toward the Skill Slot. His meaning was obvious: he wanted Lilligant to give him a power boost.
[You're awfully demanding...]
Deep green Grass-type energy surged. Rather than recklessly applying a buff straight away, Lilligant first tested how the Skill Slot converted buff skills.
That was the difference experience made.
When they had chased Lilligant back then, Chansey had tossed skills directly into the Skill Slot without considering the difference between boosting a vehicle and buffing herself. As a result, the Little Sheep's power had fluctuated wildly for quite a while.
"Oh? This Skill Slot of yours is pretty good."
By now, Shen Qi had equipped the [Compatible Skill Slot], and the feedback Lilligant felt surprised her quite a bit.
She knew Shen Qi certainly couldn't afford to modify the Little Sheep's engine. Upgrading its tires and brakes counted as spending his money where it mattered most.
Before you continue