Capítulo 115: There's Something Off About My Pokémon [115]
Lu Cheng's eyes widened. "Free access... nationwide?"
"Yes, nationwide," she confirmed, still smiling. "And you can even bring guests along—also free of charge."
Lu Cheng was stunned. This was a huge favor. Just entering today had already cost him 200 yuan, yet this card essentially granted him a lifetime pass.
Xiao Qing, however, didn't mention the card's other benefits. In fact, it signified Xiao Qing's student status, a title that allowed the holder to open Coordinator training facilities and classes with full credibility. Many Coordinators longed for a card like this, yet she handed it to Lu Cheng with ease!
Seeing his baffled expression, Cheri beside him couldn't help but grit her teeth in envy. I haven't even received that card yet!
"I can't accept this." Lu Cheng shook his head, declining with an apologetic smile. "I really don't know enough about Contests. My performance today must have looked amateurish—thank you for your guidance, though!"
Xiao Qing appreciated his polite demeanor, and his respect toward Contests made her smile all the more warmly. But, ultimately, Lu Cheng's focus was on becoming a Trainer.
Xiao Qing, seeing his sincerity, sighed and relented. "If you're set on the Trainer path, I won't pressure you otherwise," she said kindly. "However, should you have any questions about Contests, feel free to reach out."
Lu Cheng accepted her business card, nodding gratefully.
"But this card…" Xiao Qing gave him a knowing smile. "You have no reason to refuse it, do you?"
Seeing the playful look in her eyes, Lu Cheng could only smile in resignation. Elders truly know best.
---
As he bid Xiao Qing farewell, her knowing, encouraging smile left Lu Cheng feeling a little overwhelmed. Standing beside her, the blond woman cast him a suspicious glare, as though she were sizing up a competitor. Lu Cheng simply shook his head and headed into the hall, just in time to see Lu Ning finishing her own evaluation.
"How'd it go?" Lu Cheng asked with a smile.
Without a word, Lu Ning held up a pink ribbon and grinned.
"Congratulations! Does that mean you're treating me to a meal?" Lu Cheng teased.
"Didn't you win a ribbon too? Shouldn't you be treating me instead?" Lu Ning placed her hands behind her back, giving him a playful wink with a flash of her pearly smile.
This woman was no easy opponent! Lu Cheng shrugged and replied, "I'm not hungry yet."
Lu Ning didn't press further and instead fell into thought. "I heard there was a well-known Coordinator serving as a judge today. Too bad I missed seeing them…"
"Oh, by the way, where's the berry mixer?" Lu Cheng asked, "I looked around for ages and couldn't find it."
"You know how to make Pokéblocks?" Lu Ning asked, surprised.
"Not really," Lu Cheng admitted, rubbing his nose. "Just thought I'd watch and pick up a few tricks if I could."
Lu Ning sighed. "I tried learning Pokéblock-making before too. It's pretty tough, and I barely learned the basics myself."
She pointed to another hall. "The berry mixer is in a separate room. Since we're here anyway, I can take you over."
The Milotic Hall had an entire area set up specifically for berry mixers. One side displayed various berries for sale, while the other featured several large berry mixers. The square machines each had four buttons, allowing up to four people to operate them simultaneously. Berries were placed into the machine's compartment, then mixed in a central, transparent container. The mixing process was a true test of the operator's skill, requiring them to press the buttons in sync with the mixer's rotating pointer, hitting it as it passed the designated "sweet spot."
Among Coordinators and nutritionists, there was a tale about the "Perfect Moment"—the closer one's timing was to this so-called perfect point, the higher the Pokéblock's quality. The mixers even had variable speeds tailored to operators of different experience levels, with faster speeds theoretically producing higher-quality Pokéblocks.
There's also a curious phenomenon known among experts: while machines can technically meet all the criteria for Pokéblock-making, hand-made Pokéblocks always seem to taste better. Pokémon much prefer hand-crafted Pokéblocks, which explains the high demand for skilled nutritionists and breeders.
Lu Cheng glanced around. Five or six mixers were set up, but only the farthest one was occupied, where a short-haired woman was fully focused on her task.
"Want to go over? Isn't this why you came to watch?" Lu Ning whispered.
The two approached the woman, who didn't notice them, her attention fixed on the mixer. She loaded four berries, and the machine whirred to life. Since she was working solo, there was little margin for error, requiring full concentration. The pointer spun quickly, and just as it lined up with the sweet spot, she hit the red button hard. She seemed to hit it perfectly, releasing a sigh of relief.
Lu Cheng almost expected a big "Perfect!" to flash on the screen. Was this like a rhythm game? Just one button—who'd they think they were dealing with?
But after each press, the pointer sped up, eventually moving almost too fast for the eye to track. Before long, Lu Cheng noticed beads of sweat forming on her brow, and he realized she was operating purely by feel.
"This speed looks like the intermediate level," Lu Ning said in admiration. "When I practiced at home, I couldn't even handle the slowest speed without making a ton of mistakes."
"And she's doing it all by herself. Amazing!"
Her breath tickled his ear as she spoke, making Lu Cheng's ear itch slightly. He discreetly stepped back and continued observing the pointer closely. With his enhanced dynamic vision, he could easily track the pointer's path. Intermediate speed? This is it? Honestly, it doesn't look that fast.
With a click, the mixer finally stopped. The woman let out a long breath, wiped her brow, and gathered the Pokéblocks from the machine's output tray. Four berries had produced fewer than ten blocks, making Lu Cheng realize just how worthwhile it was to buy from Zhao Dachun, who charged 100,000 yuan for a box of Pokéblocks. Considering the cost of materials alone, it could easily run up to 50,000 or 60,000 yuan—not to mention the labor!
As she packed the Pokéblocks into a container, the woman noticed them watching and looked surprised.
"It's you two?"
---
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