Compared to Trainers, true geniuses among Breeders were far rarer.
The reason was simple—
a genuine Pokémon Breeder required an enormous foundation of theory and accumulated experience.
That was why, in most cases, master-level Breeders in this world were almost always over fifty years old.
Breeding was a field that rarely produced prodigies, but that didn't mean prodigies didn't exist.
Some people were born with an extraordinary sensitivity to food, flavors, and even the physical condition of Pokémon.
Ethan was far too young to be a master-level Breeder.
Because of that, Ning Yunmei increasingly believed that Ethan was likely one of those exceptionally rare genius Breeders.
After all, he had identified flaws in her cooking with just a single bite.
Not only that—he had even pointed out ways to improve it on the spot.
Since she had finally met someone who could genuinely discuss cooking with her, Ning Yunmei immediately struck up an enthusiastic conversation with Ethan.
She even tried his suggestion of using Oran Berry juice to neutralize the heaviness of the braised pork.
Under Ethan's guidance, the final dish—both in flavor and layering—was several levels above the original version.
This left Ning Yunmei even more impressed with him.
Seeing her accept his suggestions so readily, Ethan was naturally delighted.
To be honest, at first, even he wasn't entirely sure whether his ideas would work.
It wasn't because he doubted the recipes in his mind—
but because people who inherited traditional craftsmanship were usually stubborn and rarely open to advice.
However, Ning Yunmei was clearly someone who embraced new ideas and listened to reason.
For Ethan, who needed a top-tier chef as long-term support, this was extremely satisfying.
Under his improvements, what had originally been a White-tier Opportunity dish was directly upgraded into a Green-tier Opportunity.
After eating it, both Gible and Tinkatink experienced noticeable growth.
Even Ethan himself felt his body become significantly stronger.
Time flew by.
Half a month later, at the Donghuang Academy Battle Arena.
"Mudkip—Water Burst!"
As Ethan's command rang out, Mudkip leapt forward, transforming midair into a surging mass of water.
Compared to ten days ago, Mudkip's mastery of Water Burst had become far more refined under Ethan's guidance.
At this moment, Mudkip resembled a medium-sized cannonball, rocketing straight toward Pawmi.
"Pawmi, Quick Attack! Dodge it!"
Qin Yingying shouted in alarm.
But Ethan had no intention of letting her gain the upper hand.
Watching Pawmi prepare to move, a faint smile curved Ethan's lips.
"Now—Gible! From underground, Sand Abyss!"
The moment Ethan's voice fell, the ground beneath Pawmi suddenly softened, turning into flowing quicksand.
Pawmi, which had been about to escape, found itself completely trapped.
On the other side, Jiang Wanyi tried to intervene—but it was already too late.
Her Liepard had also been caught in the quicksand, its movements severely restricted.
Under the gaze of both girls, Mudkip—like a fired shell—arrived instantly before Pawmi.
Bang!
With a sharp impact, Pawmi was smashed into the ground.
It lost all ability to continue fighting.
As Pawmi went down, Ethan's smile deepened.
"Now, Gible!"
"Sandstorm Dragon Vortex!"
From beneath the arena, Gible let out a furious roar.
The already unstable ground erupted into violent winds, sand whipping upward like a raging storm.
The spinning sand lashed Liepard relentlessly, like a whip wielded by an unseen hand.
Under the combined assault of Ground-type and Dragon-type energy—
and already exhausted from Sand Abyss—Liepard finally collapsed.
It, too, lost its ability to battle.
Watching both Pokémon fall, Ethan laughed lightly.
"Yingying, Wanyi—this 2v2 victory is mine."
The two girls exchanged glances, helpless expressions on their faces.
Though they were still unwilling to fully accept it, there was no denying the outcome.
"Little Ethan, the coordination between your Mudkip and Gible is just ridiculous!"
Jiang Wanyi exclaimed.
"One attacks while the other locks us down—there's no way we can even move!"
Qin Yingying nodded in agreement.
"Seriously. Their skill execution is insanely high. Sometimes I even wonder if they're really just Elite and Advanced-tier Pokémon."
Since returning to Donghuang Academy with Tyrantrum, Jiang Wanyi had abandoned her flirtatious best friend and chosen to train alongside Ethan.
After meeting again at the Chansey Restaurant, Qin Yingying had also grown close to him.
In just half a month, the two girls had battled Ethan over ten times.
They trained hard—but their record was nothing but losses.
Trying to save face, they challenged him to a 2v2 battle.
They thought that managing two Pokémon would weaken Ethan compared to 1v1s.
Instead, he became even more terrifying.
The synergy between Mudkip and Gible was simply flawless.
As they spoke, Ethan handed Gible—who had just emerged from underground—a piece of Ning Yunmei's special beef jerky, then gently patted Mudkip's head.
Only then did he smile and say,
"They're just working hard, that's all."
"I'm just playing a supporting role."
"Right, Tinkatink?"
Tinkatink giggled softly.
"Tin~"
In agreement.
Though disappointed by their loss, Jiang Wanyi and Qin Yingying couldn't deny Ethan's words.
Those two Pokémon really were strong.
As the girls recalled Liepard and Pawmi into their Poké Balls to rest—
A dazzling light suddenly erupted from Gible's body.
"After half a month of buildup…"
"Is it finally time to evolve?"
Ethan wasn't surprised.
Thanks to his improvements, the Pokémon meals Ning Yunmei provided were consistently Green-tier Opportunities.
For a naturally gluttonous Pokémon like Gible, this meant rapid growth.
In just half a month, Gible had gone from Lv.21 to Lv.30.
He was long overdue for evolution.
After completing the battle, the stored energy within him was fully activated—and evolution came naturally.
As Gible's evolution light flared—
Mudkip's smile instantly froze.
For a fiercely competitive Pokémon like Mudkip, it simply couldn't tolerate another Pokémon evolving in front of it while it remained stagnant.
And so—
Mudkip's body also erupted with brilliant light.
His strength surged straight to Lv.36!
Without any further delay—
Mudkip began evolving as well!
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