Wayne pondered over the Smoked Sitrus Juice in the special recipe book.
Friendly reminder: The difficulty of this special dish is slightly higher than the player's cooking level, so there is a high possibility of failure.
Understood. It was another Schrödinger's situation.
On the market, there was Berry Juice, which was made from ordinary Sitrus Berries and indeed had the effect of restoring stamina.
Smoked Sitrus Berry Juice, however—Wayne had never heard of it before.
This meant that if Wayne asked the old man, he could probably only give Wayne some advice based on his experience.
Wayne clicked on the video details, and his vision immediately changed.
A woman spread fresh Sitrus Berries on a bamboo mat and smoked them with pine branches.
From sunrise to sunset, during the three-day smoking process, the woman turned them over once every half-day until the surface turned black and the inside was completely dry.
Soaking, simmering, turning from high heat to low heat, pouring out and adding water, then simmering again, adding roses...
Exiting the video, Wayne took notes on the entire process the woman used, including the precise simmering times.
"Great, I can try smoking them tomorrow once I buy the Sitrus Berries."
Although the system had kindly reminded him that he might fail, he would never improve if he didn't practice.
Another half month passed in monotonous training.
A new year arrived.
Wayne's parents, his uncle, and his Aunt Mika all returned to Celestic Town.
Only his cousin Vera couldn't come back due to work commitments.
Unlike the carefree and robust Leon, his uncle was dressed in a suit and tie, looking like a successful bachelor.
Although... his head was a bit bald.
After all, he was a famous designer and tailor. Hair loss was normal in his profession.
Seeing that Vera hadn't returned, Leon looked at his brother in confusion. "What's going on? She still can't come back?"
His uncle explained, "She went to the Eterna Historical Museum. I heard a new batch of inscriptions was unearthed, and even the Champion went to see them."
Leon dismissed this with disdain. "Historical Museum? We have ruins in Celestic Town too."
Mika gave Leon a glare. "The ruins in Celestic Town and the Eterna Historical Museum are not the same thing."
Wayne, who was silently observing, pondered this information.
Eterna Historical Museum...
He remembered it was where either the Lustrous Orb or the Adamant Orb was displayed, but he couldn't recall which one specifically.
These two Orbs were related to Dialga and Palkia, the gods of time and space in Sinnoh.
Speaking of the Space-Time Duo, besides the movies, Wayne also remembered Team Galactic.
Team Galactic had long been exposed.
No one had expected that a legitimate enterprise—which maintained a good public image and claimed to develop cosmic energy, with Team Galactic buildings in Veilstone City and Eterna City in the Sinnoh region—was actually a criminal organization.
After Team Galactic's defeat, Cyrus had disappeared without a trace.
The system suddenly "dinged" unexpectedly.
Wayne, who was silently observing, was startled.
Team Galactic should only have remnants left at most. They wouldn't make me deal with Team Galactic again, would they?
Fortunately, the system wasn't that cruel.
Side Quest:
[Meeting Across Time and Space] (Optional): The Sinnoh region, with its numerous ancient ruins, has left behind precious treasures in the long river of history.
The people of Celestic Town must strive to uncover the secrets of the ancient ruins and seek the traces of Legendary Pokémon!
[Phase One Quest Objective]: Meet one of Dialga, Palkia, Azelf, Uxie, or Mesprit.
[Quest Reward]: Choose one capturable Mythical Pokémon trace information × 1
Wayne, who was observing, almost froze in place.
The quest objective was to meet one of the Space-Time Duo or the Lake Trio, and the reward was information on the location of a Mythical Pokémon!
Having come to the Pokémon world, it would be a lie to say that Wayne wasn't interested in Legendary or Mythical Pokémon.
Darkrai, Diancie, Zeraora, Victini, Jirachi...
These were all Mythical Pokémon that Wayne really liked.
Especially since Wayne also possessed a Diancite.
Wayne had thought about catching them or, like Ash, forming friendships with them.
The opportunity to obtain one was right in front of him, and Wayne had to consider if this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
Rebuild the glory of Mythical Pokémon!
A Mythical Pokémon could also boost the Breeding House's reputation significantly.
Accept.
Wayne chose to accept without hesitation.
Even a moment of hesitation would be disrespectful to the opportunity!
The elders' conversation was very jumpy, and soon it shifted from his cousin Vera to Wayne.
Looking at the shiny Metang, his uncle exclaimed in amazement, "Wayne has even caught a shiny Metang! I remember the former Hoenn Champion Steven had a shiny Metagross."
Steven had long given up his Champion title and gone mining.
Leon slammed his fist into his palm excitedly. "Understood, understood! My son equals Steven, which means my son has the potential of a Champion!"
Wayne, who was observing, almost spat out his drink.
You guys are too good at making equations!
Fumie patted Wayne's shoulder. "Exactly, our Wayne's height and looks are no worse than Steven's."
Wayne's passive skill—Center of Attention (Master Level)—needed no further explanation.
His uncle nodded pretentiously. "Speaking of which, I've actually met Steven. Wayne really doesn't lose out to him in appearance."
"?"
Everyone shifted their gaze to his uncle.
Their faces showed the confusion of onlookers.
You can't just make things up, you know.
His uncle blinked innocently. "Haven't I told you this before?"
Everyone said in unison, "No."
His uncle stroked his chin and explained, "The current Hoenn Champion Wallace came to me to design Contest outfits, and the former Champion Steven also came along. I designed outfits for them, and they were quite satisfied with my work."
His aunt gritted her teeth. "You didn't even put up a sign saying you designed clothes for them!"
His uncle wiped his sparse hair, wanting to cry without tears. "That's too much work. I don't have much hair left—I'm already adding their names to my portfolio!"
"..."
Looking at her husband's sparse hair, his aunt couldn't say anything more.
Their argument, however, gave Wayne some inspiration.
Utilizing connections was indeed a good choice.
Having attended the Trainer School and traveled, Wayne still had some useful connections.
His uncle was indeed very busy. After two days back home, he had to return to work as a tailor.
He had received a new big order worth 5 million Pokédollars.
He had heard it was for a princess of some kingdom—Princess Salvia—to design a dress.
Before leaving, his uncle strongly supported Wayne's choice to study breeding and cooking.
"Wayne, you must study hard... Don't forget your grandfather's teachings, that way I won't get scolded by the old man!"
His uncle wiped his tears, also acting like a drama king, covering his face and weeping dramatically.
"..."
Uncle, you're being too dramatic!
You two brothers are both drama kings!
The old man, who happened to be passing by, gave his uncle a death glare like a strict homeroom teacher!
Fortunately, his uncle got into the car and started it in less than ten seconds.
"I haven't even gotten in the car yet!!!"
His aunt was left bewildered, standing alone in the wind.