Chapter Eight: The Grand Tournament and the Energy Cube

“Um... where is the Pearl Shell Contest held?” Zhao Fang hesitated as he asked. He wasn’t particularly interested in the contest. In his previous life, he only participated in such contests in the game to earn rewards and collect ribbons. But now, in the real world, Zhao Fang felt it was better to focus on training his Pokémon and growing alongside them rather than taking part in any beauty contests.

If all else failed, he could always strengthen his own body, just like the man who could wrestle and hug a Snorlax. Making his body capable of fighting was important. Although Zhao Fang wasn’t sure whether he would end up clashing with the Aqua or Magma Teams in the future, in Hoenn—a region destined to face catastrophe—it was necessary for him to become stronger.

“It’s in Slateport City!” May said happily, holding a flyer in her hand.

Zhao Fang took it and glanced over. It was indeed a flyer promoting the Pearl Shell Contest in Slateport City. It also mentioned that Wallace would be there for a pre-competition performance. Wallace, being a Master Coordinator, was considered the champion of the Coordinator profession.

Zhao Fang knew that in the future, Wallace would also become the Hoenn region’s Champion, making him a double champion. He wondered how Yusuke managed to defeat such a formidable opponent.

Though Zhao Fang wasn’t too enthusiastic, he had promised May. Seeing the hopeful look in her eyes, he couldn’t bear to refuse. So, he decided to accompany her into Slateport City.

Zhao Fang had flown directly from Snowpoint City to Slateport City, saving himself a lot of trouble. Otherwise, if he had to take a ship back from Canalave City, it would have been an exhausting journey. Even though he no longer felt seasick, he still preferred to avoid long sea voyages.

“In a few days, I’ll be able to pick up Dialga. I wonder how it’s doing recently,” Zhao Fang mused, resting his chin on his hand as he sat on the bus, a faint smile playing on his lips.

His trip to Sinnoh had been fruitful. He had gained a deeper understanding of the mysterious Grey Cloak organization, obtained a scale from Giratina, taught Gyarados a new move, and the Ice Dragon had received guidance from a Champion Pokémon. The future looked promising.

He wasn’t worried about Dialga keeping up with him. After all, the Gengar in Cerulean Forest was a Ghost Master and the dominant Pokémon there. Under its tutelage, Dialga would surely progress rapidly.

Soon, the bus arrived in the heart of Slateport City. As they got off, May hurried toward the Contest Hall, and though Zhao Fang felt a bit headache-stricken, he followed her.

The Contest was a mechanism introduced in certain game generations, though it hadn’t seen much update since. Yet in Hoenn, Contests were immensely popular. Many trainers embarking on their adventures aspired to become Coordinators, and the Contest Hall itself was uniquely designed.

If a Gym’s decoration reflected the Gym Leader’s chosen type, the Contest Hall emphasized aesthetics above all. From a distance, Slateport City’s Contest Hall gleamed like a jewel, radiant and dazzling.

Inside the hall, Zhao Fang saw a bustling crowd. Some trainers were accompanied by Pokémon like Marill and Taillow. But what caught his eye most was a trainer standing beside a Incineroar.

As one of Alola’s starter Pokémon, Incineroar was quite popular. Its growth was like a living testament to the wonders of Pokémon evolution. When Zhao Fang first played Sun and Moon, he had immediately been drawn to the adorable Litten. Unexpectedly, it had evolved into a muscle-bound Incineroar, and the animation of its Flamethrower move always made Zhao Fang chuckle.

Thus, Incineroar earned the nickname “Bro Tiger.” Interestingly, the final form considered most beautiful was the seemingly ordinary Popplio; its evolution, Primarina, had captured many players’ hearts.

“Didn’t expect there to be Coordinators from Alola,” Zhao Fang murmured. This trainer must have traveled a great distance to be here; it was truly a challenge for him.

Zhao Fang glanced at May, who was busy greeting other trainers, then turned toward the Berry Blender machine.

The Berry Blender was an impressive device capable of mixing berries to produce Energy Cubes — items that could boost certain Pokémon stats, such as beauty or cuteness. Some wild Pokémon were even more attracted to specific Energy Cubes. Zhao Fang had wanted to try it before but had been preoccupied with the Silver Razz Berry and then had to travel to Cerulean City. Now, he finally had the chance.

The Berry Blender was much like the one in the games. There were five machines in the Contest Hall, surrounded by many onlookers. Zhao Fang noticed that while many watched, only a few actually operated the machines.

Curious, he approached and realized that those operating the machines were experienced veterans, charging fees based on the quality of the Energy Cubes produced. This puzzled Zhao Fang—was the Berry Blender that difficult to use?

Spotting a machine no one was using, he decided to give it a try. As he drew near, some people glanced at him but lost interest upon recognizing his face.

Unbothered, Zhao Fang pulled several berries from his bag, intending to experiment with the Energy Cube production.

Energy Cubes in the Pokémon world were quite fascinating. Zhao Fang recalled that different berry colors yielded different types of cubes. The most coveted was the Rainbow Cube, which required four berries of different colors.

With this in mind, he selected four differently colored berries and placed them into the Berry Blender, casually resting his hands on the machine.

[Berry Blender: Press the button precisely at 5.5 seconds after starting to obtain a powerful Rainbow Energy Cube.]