🎆 Happy New Year! 🎆
Thank you all for the amazing support throughout this year. 💙To celebrate the arrival of the new year, here is a special New Year code:
🎁 Code:NewYear: F3B16
📅 Code validity:
Start: December 30, 2025 at 11:55 p.m.
End: January 2, 2026 at 11:00 p.m.
Enjoy it and let's start this new year strong. 🚀✨Here's to an amazing 2026! 🎉
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"Cough, cough!"
In the end, all that commotion was stopped by Grandma Syl. Even her face showed a faint blush.
How embarrassing...
But soon enough, those present managed to play it off and move on. After all, they were all old foxes—what value did face still hold?
Meanwhile, old Matsuda sat with a calm expression, enjoying the show. If he didn't have absolute confidence in Cain, how would he have dared to sign so many unequal agreements?
"Ah... my foolish brothers..." he thought to himself.
With the first round of the exam concluded, none of the judges dared to underestimate Cain anymore. Even those in the stands sensed that something unusual was going on.
The second test followed the usual rules: the making of Pokéblocks.
As a breeder, the most valued skill was, of course, the creation of Pokéblocks.
Although Pokéblock making actually covered much more: such as the mixing of antidotes like the one Cain had prepared to cure Drake, as well as the preparation of all sorts of potions and tonics.
Grandma Syl, who had witnessed with her own eyes how Cain crafted that antidote, had a particular interest in seeing his Pokéblocks. And after watching him shine in the question round, her curiosity was even greater.
What would he be capable of in this test?
The exam consisted of the Breeders' Guild providing a sample Pokémon, and the candidate needed to create a suitable Pokéblock.
If it reached the quality of an advanced-level Pokéblock, it was considered a pass. And if he also managed a customized Pokéblock, that counted as extra merit.
The Guild already had a Pokémon prepared for the exam, but after what had happened in the first test, Grandma Syl had an idea.
"Is there any trainer present who would like to offer their Pokémon for the test? Don't worry, we'll make sure it suffers no harm," she said, raising her voice so that the entire audience could hear.
Cain was a little surprised, because the old woman had unconsciously used her psychic power when speaking, ensuring everyone could hear her.
"The president of the guild is also a psychic?" Cain thought, with new conjectures in mind.
"I volunteer!"
"Let me!"
"..."
At once, many in the audience stood up enthusiastically.
But Grandma Syl, after scanning the room with her gaze, ended up choosing none other than Steven, who had been sitting next to Cain.
There was no denying it: good looks always drew attention.
Steven was instantly delighted. No one knew Cain's abilities better than he did.
At first Cain had even tricked him, making him believe the Pokéblocks came from his master; later he discovered they had been Cain's own work all along.
That meant that, already at sixteen, Cain had secretly possessed the abilities of an advanced-level breeder.
How could he possibly fail now?
Steven naturally chose his Metagross.
"Oh... boy, your Metagross has been trained excellently. I'd wager the Pokéblocks you use for it are advanced-level customized versions, correct?" Grandma Syl observed with an expert eye.
Steven nodded.
"And who was the master who crafted them? It's impressive how he corrected Metagross's natural shortcomings," she remarked with sincere admiration.
Before Steven could respond, Grandma Syl added: "Don't worry. If the Pokéblocks he makes don't meet the standard, we won't allow your Metagross to eat them."
"That's..." Steven tried to speak, but was interrupted again.
"It's fine, trust our judgment. Cain, you may begin."
The old woman didn't notice Steven's odd expression, but Old Eizan did catch that change in demeanor.
Would something unexpected happen?
Although Cain had just solved a complex problem in the previous round, Old Eizan knew that theoretical knowledge didn't always translate to practice. And Pokéblock making depended, above all, on manual dexterity and experience.
But Cain showed no change in expression. He was already familiar with Steven's Metagross. Sooner or later, he would have to make it a special Pokéblock anyway, so he might as well do it right there.
"Are the requirements the same as before?" asked Cain.
Steven, calm, thought for a moment and replied: "In addition to the previous ones, I'd like you to strengthen its physical power. Its base strength is a bit behind the current pace."
Cain examined Metagross, felt several areas of its body, and nodded. "Indeed, it has fallen behind. You should've switched Pokéblocks long ago."
Grandma Syl and the others watched the exchange attentively.
Old Eizan gave a smirk of "I knew it." And old Matsuda, sitting at the side, smiled like a chrysanthemum in bloom.
"Are the materials ready?" asked Cain.
"I think so, and if something's missing I can fetch it immediately," Steven replied.
Cain shook his hand dismissively.
What Steven didn't have, he had already prepared himself.
"Ahem... Cain, the materials will be provided by the Guild," Grandma Syl clarified.
But Cain and Steven no longer had time to pay her any mind. Cain took out his entire set of tools.
Although he didn't feel comfortable working in front of so many people, as if it were a circus act, he decided that if it had to be flashy, he'd make it flashy until the end.
He placed the materials one by one on the table.
As soon as Grandma Syl saw Cain's tools, she knew they weren't ordinary. They weren't the kind found on the market, but rather instruments custom-made by master craftsmen, designed to Cain's own requirements.
They were tools commissioned from Team Heaven, built to his specifications, and they were extremely practical.
Cain set to work. His hands moved between the instruments, manipulating each piece of material until it was transformed into a refined ingredient.
Each component separately was recognizable to Grandma Syl and the others, but seeing them combined in that precise sequence, they couldn't guess what Cain intended to create.
However, they weren't just anyone: they soon understood what effects would result from the sum of all those elements. And the more they understood, the greater the surprise on their faces grew.
Was he live-creating an advanced-level customized Pokéblock?
And with such a complex mixture of ingredients?
The result had to be extraordinary!
Grandma Syl's expression grew brighter and brighter. And she noticed something even more astonishing: Cain wasn't using psychic power at all.
He was doing everything purely with technique!
That meant he wasn't even showing his true limit. Because a psychic could rely on their powers to perfect the crafting process.
Grandma Syl had assumed Cain had reached advanced level thanks to that advantage. But now she saw otherwise: it was entirely the result of pure skill.
Watching him craft a Pokéblock was like witnessing the birth of a work of art. Each movement of his fine, long fingers was like a note in a sublime melody, which together transformed into a grand symphony.
With Pokéblocks, Cain was composing a dazzling concert.
In less than half an hour, the customized Pokéblock for Metagross was complete.
And in that same span of time, Grandma Syl and the others had already calculated its effects from the combination of those ingredients.
A single thought crossed Grandma Syl's mind: An eccentric genius!
(End of chapter)