Jubilife City Pokémon Center, lounge.
Li Wei and Da You chatted more, while the two young girls huddled together, successfully isolating the self-assured woman named Meiyue.
Meiyue exuded an aura of confidence, as if first place was already hers for the taking.
The young woman who entered, holding a printed paper, read with a smile:
"Li Wei 97 points, Rui Xi 88 points, Meiyue 81 points, You Zi 77 points, Da You 73 points. Congratulations on advancing to the second round."
"The second round of the exam will prioritize Pokémon selection based on the first round's scores."
Da You's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but blurt out, "Damn, what kind of monster are you?"
The two young girls named Rui Xi and You Zi also couldn't help but glance sideways.
They had thought Li Wei was just slacking off in the first round, but it turns out he's a genius?
Meiyue was very unconvinced. "How is this possible? It's too absurd!"
Li Wei completed a 97-point answer sheet in less than 40 minutes, which was beyond her comprehension.
The young woman calmly explained, "This is computer-graded. If you have any objections, you can apply to see Mr. Li Wei's test paper."
Meiyue immediately raised her hand: "I object!"
The slightly helpless young woman softly said, "Alright, please follow me."
Out of curiosity, Rui Xi and You Zi also followed along.
After seeing Li Wei's answer sheet, Meiyue remained silent.
"Aren't you going to say, 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don't bully a young girl for being poor'?"
Watching the silent Meiyue, Li Wei silently grumbled in his heart.
Meiyue suddenly realized that she seemed to have a villainous look on her face.
No one suspected Li Wei of cheating, because the test paper was randomly assembled from the entire question bank.
Before the exam, no one knew what the questions would be, not even the number of multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and true/false questions were clear.
Li Wei scoring 97 points could only mean he had the skill.
Da You, who was more than half a head taller than Li Wei, patted Li Wei's shoulder,
"As expected of someone whose family runs a Breeding House, a family legacy! I really need to go to your house for an interview in a couple of days."
Meiyue, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly asked, "Your family runs a Breeding House?"
Li Wei nodded: "Yes, I learned from my grandfather since I was young."
"No wonder."
The young woman spoke at the right time: "If Ms. Meiyue has no further objections, shall we proceed with the second round of assessment?"
The second round of assessment was very simple.
The young woman led them to a room where there were five Pokémon.
Electrike, Marill, Cherubi, Glameow, and Skorupi.
"Each person chooses one Pokémon to manage and then prepares a food item. Judges will specifically score this."
While the young woman was explaining, Li Wei looked around and noticed the presence of surveillance cameras.
They probably watch from the monitors.
"Please note, these five Pokémon are all quite picky eaters. According to the first round's scores, Mr. Li Wei will choose first."
Li Wei pointed to the small green-furred canine in the corner,
"I choose Electrike."
Li Wei's choice surprised them.
It would usually be easier to choose Marill, Cherubi, or Glameow.
Marill might just spray Water Gun at most, but Electrike, if unhappy, could shock people!
Choices were made in order of score, and by the time it was Da You's turn, only Skorupi was left.
Da You didn't find it difficult, clapped his hands and smiled,
"Come on, little Skorupi."
Looking at the tall Da You, Skorupi broke out in a cold sweat.
Skorupi, who had originally wanted to show off, obediently followed him.
Li Wei put on insulating gloves and chose a non-conductive brush from a variety of brushes.
"Electrike, come here."
Li Wei, sitting on the ground, took out an Energy Cube, instantly attracting Electrike.
When Li Wei took out the Energy Cube, the other Pokémon were instantly attracted as well,
especially Glameow, who unconsciously swallowed.
[Ding, obtained 109 points of Energy Cube proficiency]
Meanwhile, in the next room.
Several judges, including Joy, were intently watching the five examinees.
"Da You has a strong presence, even Skorupi is afraid of him."
"There are pros and cons. Being too imposing sometimes makes it difficult to get close to Pokémon."
"Wearing insulating gloves, using a non-conductive brush, Master Lien's grandson has very solid breeding knowledge."
"Yes, Electrike stores electricity in its fur, so brushing is an essential step. His steps are very correct."
"Now we just need to see how he brushes its fur. If he can't make Electrike feel at ease, it might get shocked."
An elder's eyes lit up: "Oh, it's a high-quality Energy Cube! It seems to be an Oran Berry Energy Cube for restoring stamina."
The quality of Energy Cubes is divided into four types: low, medium, high, and perfect.
As Li Wei's Energy Cube skill improved, he also had a chance to make high-quality Energy Cubes.
Joy was slightly puzzled: "Why Oran Berry?"
Oran Berry has a complex flavor, combining spicy, sour, bitter, and astringent notes, yet it creates a wonderful combination.
"If Li Wei made it himself, he truly is talented for his age."
"Could it have been made by Master Lien?"
"That's not impossible."
While the judges were discussing, Li Wei was already grooming Electrike's fur.
Besides the possibility of being shocked, grooming Electrike's fur was not difficult; he just needed to brush along the fur.
Throughout the process, Electrike's head remained resting on Li Wei's lap, cooperating no matter how Li Wei handled it.
Joy gave a score of 100,
"Fur management, full marks."
"Electrike's body language also shows it's very comfortable."
"Next, let's see how he prepares the food."
For food, he could make simple dishes, or more challenging Poffin and Energy Cubes.
There was an Energy Cube maker in the exam room, and Li Wei chose the one he usually used.
"He's going to make an Energy Cube."
Li Wei pulled out the inner lining, ensuring it was properly cleaned and free of odors.
Joy nodded slightly: "He even considered the mixing of flavors? He's very meticulous."
Li Wei had just used an Oran Berry Energy Cube and roughly determined Electrike's taste.
Continuing with Oran Berry would be fine; he definitely wouldn't make a mistake.
Among a pile of Oran Berries, he used Identification to select several good quality ones.
About 20 minutes later, the crystal-clear Energy Cube that dropped out surprised Li Wei.
Identification provided the answer.
[A nearly perfect Oran Berry Energy Cube]
Nearly perfect!
This was the best Energy Cube Li Wei had made to date.
The air was filled with fragrance, and the sounds of Pokémon swallowing were constant.
The elder suddenly stood up, his expression excited: "This Energy Cube is even better than the previous one!"
This judge specialized in Energy Cubes.
He clearly understood how difficult it was for someone of Li Wei's age to produce an Energy Cube of such quality.
"Don't you dare run!"
Da You grabbed Skorupi, who was trying to run over and sneak a bite.
"Everyone, have a taste."