Without realizing it, Cynthia and Shion had been watching the grooming session for nearly an hour, yet Furfrou's grooming still wasn't complete.
Grooming a Pokemon was truly that time-consuming, and this was even with Furfrou fully cooperating.
If they encountered a Pokemon that refused to cooperate, they wouldn't finish washing it even after an entire afternoon of work.
It was Wayne's skill that allowed Furfrou to cooperate so willingly.
Compared to the Wayne of four or five years ago, his breeding expertise had grown tremendously.
From Cynthia's observation, Wayne was in no way inferior to the top-tier Breeders she specifically invited to her home to care for her Garchomp and other Pokemon.
With this thought in mind, Cynthia reached a decision.
"Shion, could you please help me make an appointment?"
Cynthia had no intention of receiving free service from Wayne; after all, his care required both time and considerable effort.
"Okay, no problem!"
Shion pulled out her phone and pressed the voice button.
"Kinsley, please help Cynthia book Wayne's Pokemon grooming service."
Kinsley's voice came through from the other end. "Okay, which Pokemon specifically needs grooming?"
There was silence for a while, as it was time to make a choice.
Cynthia's indecisiveness started to show.
Shion suggested softly, "How about... all of them?"
Shion had just opened up a whole new world for Cynthia. It turned out she could have them all groomed!
Cynthia's eyes lit up, and she waved her hand decisively.
"All of them."
"Did you hear that, Kinsley?"
"It's already booked! Tomorrow afternoon isn't available, and next Monday isn't available either, but other times work fine."
Hearing this, Cynthia asked curiously, "Why aren't those two times available?"
Shion could answer this question easily.
"Tomorrow afternoon, Wayne is filming the sixth episode—Mapo Tofu! And next Monday is reserved for his Senior Breeder assessment."
When mentioning Mapo Tofu, Shion couldn't help but swallow nervously.
Kinsley's voice came through the phone again.
"That's exactly right!"
Thinking about it, Shion couldn't help but clench her fists. "I want to eat Mapo Tofu tonight too!"
"What's the big deal? I'll make it for you."
At that moment, Wayne suddenly opened the door.
"Thank you, Wayne!"
After placing Furfrou into the large dryer, Wayne noticed Cynthia and Shion outside the window.
Cynthia smiled faintly. "I've booked your Pokemon grooming service. I'll be leaving Garchomp and the others in your care."
Everything else was fine.
However, thinking of Garchomp, Wayne's expression changed slightly.
It's time to bring out my perfect Energy Cube!
Wayne had achieved an extraordinary feat yesterday—creating a perfect-quality Energy Cube.
It had actually been consumed by Lucario and the others.
But Wayne was confident he could recreate it.
The probability was roughly fifty-fifty.
This confidence was also related to Wayne's Energy Cube skill being close to top-tier mastery.
Energy Cube (Advanced): details omitted (97,732 / 100,000)
Even though the skill hadn't advanced to top-tier yet, as proficiency increased, the quality of the Energy Cubes Wayne produced showed gradual improvement.
This proficiency was still rising steadily.
This was because Wayne's Energy Cubes were available for purchase.
Even if the Trainers who bought them only fed their Pokemon one Energy Cube per day, as long as the number of purchasing Trainers increased, it represented considerable proficiency gain for Wayne.
According to Wayne's estimation, his Energy Cube skill would definitely reach top-tier before the end of today.
Wayne nodded and smiled. "Leave it to me. I'll continue grooming Eevee first."
Cynthia gently stroked Shion's hair, which only reached her waist.
"You go ahead with your work. Shion can show me around."
Shion...
Recalling that Cynthia always called Celeste 'Little Celeste,' Wayne was too tired to complain.
[Ding! Gained Energy Cube proficiency: 451]
[Ding! Energy Cube proficiency is full. Your Energy Cube skill has been upgraded to Top-tier.]
Wayne, who was waiting for Eevee to dry, suddenly received a system notification.
Energy Cube (Top-tier): Your skill is on par with experts who have dedicated themselves to the art of Energy Cubes for decades, with a 50% chance of creating perfect-grade Energy Cubes. (121 / 1,000,000)
The improvement in his Energy Cube skill boosted Wayne's confidence significantly.
The Energy Cubes he created could now rival those made by masters who had immersed themselves in this craft for decades!
The accumulated experience of making Energy Cubes from before seemed to crystallize at this very moment.
Although he hadn't made any yet, Wayne had already identified where he had made mistakes when creating Energy Cubes previously.
His knife work could be refined, timing could be controlled more precisely, seasoning could be adjusted more carefully...
In his mind, Wayne's past Energy Cube creations replayed like a montage.
Wayne suddenly opened his eyes, and a brilliant light seemed to rise behind him.
At this moment, Wayne felt incredibly confident!
The daydream ended.
It wasn't time for Wayne to be proud just yet.
The busy afternoon passed quickly.
Time flew by, and evening arrived.
To welcome Cynthia's arrival, Leon and Wayne teamed up once again.
Leon prepared his specialty dish—Kung Pao Chicken, the sweet version.
This was because Cynthia preferred sweet flavors.
In truth, Leon himself also enjoyed sweet food, so he was more skilled with the sweet variation.
Metagross once again took on the task of pounding the beef balls.
"Meta! Meta!"
To display the results of its training in front of the powerful Cynthia, Metagross worked even harder than it had yesterday.
"If you use too much force, the meat will fall apart..."
Metagross looked distressed.
I'm still just a child.
"..."
Wayne was completely at a loss for words.
Where was your usual composure and dignity?
"It's okay, it will definitely be delicious."
Cynthia narrowed her eyes and smiled warmly, stroking Metagross's head.
"Can you eat spicy food?"
Cynthia pondered for a long moment. "If it's delicious, then yes."
"Then I'll add the normal amount. I'll just prepare some Smoked Sitrus Berry Juice tonight."
Wayne grabbed a handful of Sichuan peppercorns—slightly less than yesterday's amount.
"I want to drink it too!"
"Ga-ao!"
Alan and Incineroar burst out from seemingly nowhere.
When Levin and Fumie arrived, dinner was just ready.
"It's Cynthia!"
"Uncle Levin, Aunt Mika."
Levin wiped his increasingly shiny head and laughed heartily. "Have you finished designing your new outfit? Do you still need help? I can take a look at it later for you."
After Cynthia had proposed her design concept based on her new Pokemon, Uncle Levin had offered some suggestions and created a draft for her reference.
The outfit Cynthia was currently wearing, along with her accessories, were designed in the style of Garchomp.
Cynthia's lips curved into a slight smile. "It's already finished. Your suggestions were a tremendous help to me."
Cynthia placed her index finger to her lips. "But I'll only wear it during competitions, and it needs to remain a secret."
Levin nodded and smiled. "Then I wish you victory in the competition."
Fumie called out, "Let's chat while we eat—it won't taste good if it gets cold."
Looking at the table filled with dishes, Cynthia, whose appetite had been thoroughly awakened, put her hands together.
"Well then, I'll dig in!"