https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-345-Over-the-Ocean-Swims-a-Teddiursa-/12537504/
Chapter 346: Arrival in the Unova Region, Pokemon Breeders' Advanced Studies! The Mystical Energy Bl
Chapter 346: Arrival in the Unova Region, Pokemon Breeders' Advanced Studies! The Mystical Energy Blocks!
On March 28, 199, of the Pokemon League calendar, after a full day and night of sailing, Naoki and Adecu reached the Unova region aboard a luxurious cruise ship.
The grand vessel docked at Castelia City's port, and under the clear blue sky, tourists poured out like a tidal wave, flooding into the city.
In the distance, the port bustled with activity, surrounded by numerous cargo and fishing ships.
Pokemon, led by Conkeldurr, and workers were busy loading batches of goods onto the ships for transport elsewhere.
Fishermen returning from the open sea sorted their catch, packaging batches of fish to be sent to the town's restaurants.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew in from afar, sweeping off the fancy hats of some wealthy ladies, causing a stir in the crowd.
Naoki and Adecu's hair fluttered wildly in the wind. Adecu grinned and shouted over the wind, "Welcome to Castelia City! The relentless strong winds are a specialty here!"
"Is the Gym Leader here Burgh?" Naoki asked.
"Yes!" Adecu nodded. "But being a Gym Leader is just one of his jobs. Burgh's true identity is the owner of a mine development company. See that tall mountain up north?"
Naoki gazed into the distance as Adecu pointed out the northern horizon.
Looming in the far north was the imposing silhouette of a mountain range.
"That entire Mount Chimney is Burgh's business empire!" Adecu exclaimed.
"Wow!" Naoki couldn't help but exclaim.
The two disembarked from the cruise ship, and Adecu, familiar with the area, led Naoki away from the port and into the city. "The coal mined from that mountain powers the entire Unova region. Pretty impressive, huh? Burgh will be hosting a banquet in a few days, and we're invited!"
None of this was in the game, Naoki thought to himself, intrigued.
He listened intently, occasionally nodding, especially when Adecu mentioned that Burgh had a daughter.
"A daughter?"
"Yeah, I think her name is Iris or something like that. I've only met her a few times, so I can't quite remember," Adecu said.
"I see..." Naoki nodded, not probing further.
"Let's go! My friend is already waiting for us there. I'll take you to meet her!" Adecu said, checking a pager-like communicator.
"Okay." Naoki agreed obediently.
He followed Adecu through the streets until they reached a massive building.
On it was a sign that read, "Pokemon Breeders' Association, Castelia Branch."
Adecu strode into the building without pausing in the lobby. He led Naoki directly to an elevator and rode it upward.
With a soft "ding," the elevator came to a stop at the seventh floor.
Stepping out, they entered a cozy and tastefully decorated room.
A mature woman in casual attire and square-framed glasses stood elegantly by a cabinet, polishing the scales of a Alomomola.
The Alomomola seemed to be relishing the attention, its eyes half-closed in pleasure.
Under the woman's skilled care, the Alomomola's scales gradually became clean and tidy, even emitting a bright and beautiful sheen.
"Hey, Yuhui, long time no see!" Adecu greeted her with a beaming smile.
Hearing his voice, the woman, Yuhui, turned around, her gaze sweeping over Adecu and Naoki.
When she noticed the untroubled, relaxed smile on Adecu's face, free of any shadows, her expression turned to one of surprise.
"You seem to be in a great mood," Yuhui remarked with a knowing smile.
"That's because a problem that has been bothering me for a long time has finally been solved," Adecu replied, his smile stretching from ear to ear.
"Oh?" Yuhui was taken aback. "Is Volcarona alright now?"
Adecu nodded. "All thanks to Naoki here. The riding goat he bred produces a magical milk that healed Volcarona of all its internal injuries."
Riding goat? Milk? Yuhui was slightly taken aback, her eyes shifting to the young man beside Adecu in disbelief.
In fact, Adecu had sought help from many people, including top breeders like herself, to save Volcarona.
But even she had been unable to cure the Volcarona, and yet this young man had succeeded...
"Your name is Naoki, right?" Yuhui asked, her curiosity piqued.
Naoki nodded. "Yes."
"Are you also a Pokemon breeder?" Yuhui inquired.
"No." Naoki shook his head. "I'm just a ranch owner."
"......" Yuhui was perplexed.
Adecu laughed and explained, "Naoki is indeed a ranch owner, but he's also a formidable Pokemon trainer. He's here to learn how to make energy blocks to care for his Pokemon."
Yuhui snapped back to attention. Adecu had already informed her about this in a previous message.
"Since it's your request, leave it to me," Yuhui said without hesitation, smiling as she agreed.
"Then we're counting on you!" Adecu turned to Naoki. "Yuhui will teach you how to make energy blocks. I'll take this time to visit Burgh and inquire about the banquet details. I'll come back and meet up with you later."
The two went downstairs, and as they passed through the lobby, Naoki noticed several young people participating in some sort of assessment.
"That's the Pokemon Breeder Assessment," Yuhui paused and took Naoki forward to observe, asking, "Do you know what a Pokemon Breeder is?"
Naoki was taken aback for a moment before replying, "Someone who takes care of and nurtures Pokemon?"
"Yes and no." Yuhui smiled, "A Pokemon Breeder is someone who, among Pokemon trainers, specializes in the nurturing and health management of Pokemon."
"They help brush and groom Pokemon to make them look their best, and based on each Pokemon's unique needs, they create customized Pokemon food. For a skilled Breeder, these tasks are a breeze."
"Additionally, Breeders also include Pokemon researchers and Pokemon doctors. In essence, it's a profession that covers a very broad range of skills."
As they spoke, they reached the assessment area.
Naoki noticed that each of the young people had a Pokemon standing in front of them.
They circled their Pokemon, observing them intently.
"This is a crucial skill for aspiring Pokemon Breeders," Yuhui explained, "They learn to assess a Pokemon's condition by observing its appearance and demeanor, and then they provide corresponding optimization plans."
Naoki's interest was piqued, "Can you really tell all that just from their outward appearance and expressions?"
"Of course." Yuhui smiled and stepped closer to Golurk, who was standing by Naoki's side, and began to examine the unfamiliar Pokemon.
"It has a very strong Dragon-type energy... This Pokemon is a Dragon-type."
"Its body is robust, and its well-developed muscles and physique are a testament to the nutritious and energy-rich diet it receives."
"Its eyes are bright, indicating that this Pokemon is currently in a state of happiness. It seems to truly enjoy being by your side, and its eyes light up when it looks at you. This Pokemon must really like you."
"It seems you're taking good care of it!" Yuhui smiled, "If you regularly polish its scales, its condition will become even more perfect!"
"Clap, clap, clap!" Naoki applauded admiringly, "Miss Yuhui, you're amazing!"
"May I ask this Pokemon's name?" Yuhui inquired.
Naoki nodded and stroked Golurk's head as he introduced him, "His name is Golurk, and he's been by my side all this time."
"Golurk..." Yuhui murmured the name before continuing, "I'll remember that. Now, let's get started on making those energy blocks!"
Under Yuhui's guidance, Naoki entered a baking room.
The room was filled with specially designed machines and refrigerators.
Yuhui explained, "To make energy blocks, we need a dedicated Berry Blender. This machine mixes the berries placed inside and, after a series of processes, produces energy blocks that drop out from the exit."
The mention of a Berry Blender reminded Naoki of the Berry Mixer from the game.
He asked, "Does the machine make the energy blocks automatically?" If it was fully automated, then creating energy blocks seemed a bit too easy.
Yuhui shook her head, "While the machine is fully automatic, putting random berries into it will only result in energy blocks so disgusting that Pokemon will faint from eating them. You do grow berries on your ranch, right?"
Naoki affirmed, "Yes."
Yuhui continued, "Then you should know that different berries have different flavors, nutritional values, and uses. Some berries may be spicy but packed with nutrition, while others may be sweet but lacking in nutritional value."
"Qualified Breeders select berries with high compatibility and incorporate the strengths of all the berries. Only then can they create perfectly balanced energy blocks."
"Although there are hundreds of berries that can be combined, even a single different berry can sometimes lead to a drastic change in the effect of the energy block."
Intrigued, Naoki asked, "So, creating energy blocks involves randomly pairing different berries?"
Yuhui nodded, "You could say that. Here's a basic energy block recipe. Why don't you give it a try?"
She handed him a slip of paper.
Naoki took it and read:
[Nutritional Energy Block Recipe: Lecberry x1, Liechi Berry x1, Ganlon Berry x1. Effect: Pokemon that consume this energy block over a long period will have stronger bodies.]
"To make energy blocks, you first need to clean the berries.
Yuhui replied, "Some need to be peeled, some don't. For the Haban Berry, you need to remove the excess skin and only use the flesh, the same goes for the Babiri Berry. But for the Pecha Berry, you don't need to peel it. It depends on the characteristics of each Berry."
Naoki nodded in understanding. He carefully washed and peeled the Berries, then placed them into the Berry Processor.
After waiting for about fifteen minutes, a 'ding' sounded, and a dozen small energy blocks, about the size of glass marbles, dropped out of the exit of the processor.
Naoki picked one up. The next second, information about the energy block appeared in his mind.
[Strong Energy Block (C)
: Made from a combination of Liechi Berry, Ganlon Berry, and Haban Berry, this energy block has a sour taste.
Effect: Strength Polish lv1, Pokemon that consume this will become stronger, as the nutrients will enhance their bodies, gradually leading to muscle growth.
Evaluation: A very basic energy block, and a top choice for Contest Trainers participating in the Pokemon Super Contests.]
"It looks like you've succeeded on your first try!" Yuhui smiled. "These energy blocks have very few impurities, indicating that they are of good quality."
"Humans can eat these energy blocks too, right?" Naoki asked.
"Of course," Yuhui replied.
Upon hearing this, Naoki popped the energy block into his mouth and chewed. However, the sourness made him frown.
Yuhui giggled. "It's very sour, isn't it? It may be hard for us humans to stomach, but for Pokemon, it's a delicacy."
Naoki then fed one of the energy blocks to his Golurk, but it too was overwhelmed by the sourness, sticking its tongue out and salivating profusely.
Naoki: "......" Did I do something wrong?
Yuhui smiled. "It looks like you've successfully learned how to make energy blocks. From now on, keep experimenting and develop your own unique energy block recipes!"
"I have some other matters to attend to, but you can contact me via the phone over there if you need anything. Feel free to use the Berries here for your experiments." With that, Yuhui turned and left to attend to her own business.
Naoki wasn't worried. He now had a basic understanding of how to make energy blocks, and it was just a matter of practice to become proficient.
So, after Yuhui left, Naoki continued to experiment, attempting to create his own energy block recipes.
The process was not without its challenges.
The first attempt resulted in the Berry Processor malfunctioning and smoking due to the excessive amount of Berries used.
The second attempt produced energy blocks filled with impurities, and the taste was exceptionally bad. Golurk took one bite and immediately spat it out, almost fainting from the awful flavor.
For the third attempt, Naoki learned from his previous mistakes and chose Berries that he was more familiar with.
This time, he finally succeeded in making energy blocks once again.
[Nutrition Energy Block (D-)
: Effect: Provides Pokemon with some of their required nutrition. Evaluation: The compatibility of the Berries used is too low, resulting in poor-quality energy blocks.]
Looking at this hard-earned energy block, Naoki wiped the sweat from his forehead. Indeed, creating energy blocks without a proper recipe was extremely difficult.
This was not something that just anyone could do.
However, Naoki did not give up. He discarded the unpleasant energy blocks and continued to experiment.
Time passed, and the process of randomly combining Berries to create energy blocks was like a lottery, an addictive endeavor.
After countless failures, Naoki finally succeeded in making a second type of energy block.
It was a strange energy block, blue-pink in color with purple spots, resembling a poisonous mushroom. It looked terrible, and to make matters worse, it emitted a putrid odor.
As soon as Golurk caught a glimpse of this energy block, it backed away a few meters, leaning against the wall with a terrified look on its face.
Naoki: "......"
Was it really that scary, just because of an energy block?
As Naoki muttered to himself, he looked down, and information about the energy blocks appeared in his mind.
[Toxic Munchies (B+)
: A terribly flavored energy block that will knock out any Pokemon that eats it, except for Roselia, for whom it is a delicacy.
Effect: Roselia Special, Roselia's favorite flavor. Leaving it in the wild will attract Roselia with a certain probability. This effect only works on Roselia.]
(End of Chapter)
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