Without realizing it, Cynthia and Shion had already stood outside the grooming room for nearly an hour.
Yet Furfrou's grooming session still was not finished.
Pokémon grooming was an incredibly time-consuming task, and this was with Furfrou cooperating perfectly the entire time.
If they encountered a Pokémon that refused to cooperate, they might not even finish washing it in a whole afternoon.
At the same time, it also showed just how skilled Austin was.
Compared to the Austin from four or five years ago, his breeding and grooming abilities had improved tremendously.
From Cynthia's perspective, Austin's skills were no worse than the top Breeders she hired specifically to care for Garchomp and her other Pokémon.
After watching silently for a while longer, Cynthia finally made a decision.
"Shion, could you help me make an appointment?"
Cynthia had no intention of taking advantage of Austin by asking for free grooming.
Pokémon care required both time and effort.
"Okay, no problem!"
Shion immediately took out her Pokégear and pressed the voice call button.
"Big Sis Daniella, can you help Champion Cynthia book Austin's Pokémon grooming services?"
Daniella's voice quickly came through the speaker.
"Sure! Which Pokémon need grooming specifically?"
There was a brief silence afterward.
Because Cynthia had fallen into indecision.
Shion quietly suggested,
"How about... all of them?"
At that moment, Shion opened an entirely new world for Cynthia.
So she could actually book every Pokémon at once.
Cynthia's eyes instantly lit up.
"All of them."
"Did you hear that?"
"It's booked already!" Daniella replied cheerfully. "Tomorrow afternoon is unavailable, and next Monday is unavailable too. Other times are open, though."
Cynthia asked curiously,
"Why are those two time slots unavailable?"
Shion immediately answered for her.
"Tomorrow afternoon, Austin is filming episode six on cooking Mapo Tofu. Next Monday is his Senior Breeder assessment."
The moment she mentioned Mapo Tofu, Shion subconsciously swallowed.
On the other end of the call, Daniella added excitedly,
"That's right."
Thinking about it made Shion clench her fists dramatically.
"I want to eat Mapo Tofu, even though it is soooo hot!"
"What's the big deal? I'll make it for you."
At that moment, the grooming room door suddenly opened.
"Thank you! You are the best."
After placing Furfrou into the large dryer, Austin noticed Cynthia and Shion standing outside the glass wall.
Cynthia smiled faintly.
"I already booked grooming appointments for my Pokémon. I'll leave Garchomp and the others in your care."
Most Pokémon were not a problem.
But the moment Austin thought about Garchomp, his expression shifted slightly.
Looks like it's finally time to bring out the perfect Pokéblock.
Yesterday, Austin unexpectedly created a perfect-quality Pokéblock.
Ryu and the others had already eaten it.
Still, Austin was fairly confident he could reproduce it again.
The success rate was probably around fifty percent.
This was closely connected to how close his Pokéblock skill was to reaching the top tier.
Pokéblock (Advanced): (97,732 / 100,000)
Even though the skill had not officially advanced yet, the quality of the Pokéblocks Austin produced was steadily improving as his proficiency increased.
And that proficiency was still climbing rapidly.
After all, Austin's Pokéblocks were already being sold publicly.
Even if every Trainer who purchased them only fed their Pokémon one Pokéblock a day, the sheer number of buyers generated massive proficiency gains for him.
According to Austin's own estimates, his Pokéblock skill would definitely reach the Top-tier very soon.
Austin nodded with a smile.
"Leave it to me. I still need to finish grooming Eevee first."
Cynthia gently stroked Shion's hair, which reached only to her waist.
"You go do your work. Shion can keep showing me around."
. . .
Ding!
[Gained Pokéblock proficiency +451]
Ding!
[Pokéblock proficiency has reached maximum. Your Pokéblock skill has advanced to Elite-tier.]
Austin, who was quietly waiting beside the dryer for Eevee's fur to finish drying, suddenly heard the system notification in his mind.
Pokéblock (Elite-tier): Your Pokéblock skill has reached the level of masters who have dedicated decades to the craft. You now possess a 50% chance of creating perfect-grade Pokéblocks.
(121 / 1,000,000)
The breakthrough instantly boosted Austin's confidence.
The Pokéblocks he created could now stand alongside the work of masters.
At that moment, countless experiences from his previous attempts at making Pokéblocks seemed to connect in his mind.
Even before making another batch, Austin already realized where his earlier mistakes had been.
His knife work could become cleaner.
The timing could be controlled more precisely.
The seasoning balance could still improve further.
One after another, scenes of his previous Pokéblock attempts replayed in Austin's mind like a movie.
Austin suddenly opened his eyes.
A dazzling aura seemed to rise behind him.
At this moment, Austin felt terrifyingly powerful.
…
The busy afternoon quickly passed.
By the time Austin noticed, evening had already arrived.
To welcome Cynthia's visit, Leon and Austin entered the kitchen together once more.
Leon prepared his specialty desserts, Mochi ball skewers, and cheesecakes.
Because Cynthia preferred sweet flavors.
Of course, Leon himself also liked sweet food, which made him especially skilled at pastry making.
Meanwhile, Zenith once again stood beside the kitchen counter, pounding mochi into balls.
In order to show off the results of his training in front of the powerful Cynthia, Zenith worked even harder than yesterday.
"If you use too much force, the texture will fall apart…"
"..."
Austin stood there silently, completely speechless.
Where did your usual dignity go?
"It's alright. I'm sure it'll still taste delicious."
Cynthia narrowed her eyes with a smile and gently rubbed Zenith's head.
"Can you handle spicy food?" Austin asked.
Cynthia thought carefully for several seconds.
"If it tastes good, then yes."
"Then I'll use the normal amount of spice tonight. I'll also make some Smoked Orange Berry Juice."
Austin grabbed a handful of Sinnohan peppercorns, though slightly less than what he used yesterday.
"I want some too!"
"Incineroar!"
Dai Yui and Incineroar suddenly appeared from nowhere like they had been waiting for this exact moment.
By the time Hanson and Anabella arrived, dinner was already prepared.
"It's Cynthia!"
"Uncle Hanson, Aunt Anabella."
Hanson rubbed his increasingly shiny forehead and laughed warmly.
"Have you finished designing your new competition outfit yet? Do you still need help? I can take another look later."
Back when Cynthia proposed a new outfit concept inspired by her newest Pokémon, Hanson had given her plenty of suggestions and even sketched out reference drafts for her.
The outfit Cynthia wore now, including many of her accessories, had originally been designed around Garchomp's aesthetic.
A faint smile curved at the corners of Cynthia's lips.
"It's already finished. Your suggestions were a huge help."
Cynthia raised a finger to her lips.
"But I'm only planning to wear it during the competition, so it has to remain secret for now."
Hanson nodded with a smile.
"Then I'll wish you victory in advance."
Amanda's voice soon echoed from the dining room.
"If you all keep talking, the food's going to get cold."
Looking at the table overflowing with dishes, Cynthia, whose appetite had already been completely awakened, clasped her hands together with a smile.
"Well then…"
"I'll dig in!"
. . .
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