Evening.
While Wayne remained completely focused on his cooking practice, his grandfather quietly entered the kitchen, moving as stealthily as if he were conducting covert tunnel warfare operations.
If it weren't for Gengar's sudden arrival, which caused the kitchen's temperature to drop noticeably, Wayne might not have noticed his grandfather's presence at all.
Wayne quickly acknowledged him respectfully. "Grandpa."
The old man glanced at him briefly. "Continue with what you're doing."
Wayne was currently practicing the intricate preparation of Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish.
To properly practice making Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish, the staff members at the Breeding Center had eaten quite a lot of Wayne's practice attempts recently.
Because he had already practiced this dish dozens of times by now, Wayne skillfully used his sharp knife to slice diagonally and push the blade flat, carefully removing the central spine bone and all the rib bones from the fish meat.
After completing the cuts, the fish meat separated into long strips that were thicker in the middle sections.
The old man didn't offer any commentary yet. He simply watched quietly and attentively.
Wayne treated this entire process as if it were an important exam.
After thoroughly rinsing his knife clean, Wayne first sliced the fish with an angled knife technique, stopping precisely at the fish skin without cutting through.
Then he changed his cutting direction and used a straight knife approach, also going as deep as the fish skin but no further.
After finishing all the decorative scoring cuts, Wayne carefully picked up the prepared fish and showed it to his grandfather for inspection.
Seeing that the old man had no immediate objections or corrections, Wayne placed the fish meat into salted scallion and ginger water for marinating.
During this marinating process, Wayne prepared a smooth starch solution and placed the moisture-squeezed fish meat into it.
Wayne had seen recipe versions that used egg white or egg yolk, but those variations weren't included in the system's official video tutorial.
Wayne had also experimented with trying to improve the recipe. Even when both versions achieved B-grade quality, the texture genuinely wasn't as good as using the starch solution method.
Therefore, he now strictly followed the tutorial video's instructions.
Wayne then transferred the fish meat, now thoroughly covered in starch solution, to a plate of dry starch, evenly coating each individual piece of fish meat with the dry powder.
After carefully shaking off all the excess starch, he arranged the fish meat into its proper shape. At this stage, the fish was essentially ready and just needed to be deep-fried.
He sautéed tomato sauce with white vinegar, added water, incorporated sugar into the mixture...
Quick movements in, quick movements out—Wayne's practiced motions were very skilled and efficient.
He deep-fried the prepared fish in plenty of hot oil, using a spatula to shape it with precision.
Despite Wayne being completely focused on making the Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish perfectly this time, he still ultimately failed to reach his target.
The system evaluated: Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish (B-grade)
A Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish with improper seasoning balance and insufficient heat control.
The proper Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish's target grade was A-grade.
Wayne had not met the minimum required threshold.
Simply put, this particular dish was certainly edible, but it definitely wasn't the best it could be.
The old man took a small taste with his chopsticks, chewing thoughtfully.
"This dish is meant to have a pronounced sweet and sour flavor profile. Why did you add so much salt? You need to add more sugar instead."
"You were still too slow when stir-frying the sauce mixture, and you added too little water. Also, why didn't you bother filtering the tomato juice?"
"Filtering out the fine residue and pulp from the tomato juice makes the final dish look better and taste noticeably better."
The old man finally offered some praise. "The last part, when you stir-fried the sauce with a scoop of hot oil to activate the flavors, was executed quite well."
Actually, in the old man's experienced opinion, Wayne had already performed reasonably well with this complex dish. He didn't fully understand what specific aspect Wayne was still struggling to master.
Wayne thought honestly to himself: Actually, I don't know exactly what I'm practicing to improve either.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, Wayne immediately regretted it. If he actually said that out loud, his grandfather would surely scold him absolutely mercilessly.
However, the old man wasn't angry at all. He just snorted coldly. "Then it simply means your heat control technique isn't sufficient yet. Keep practicing diligently."
Alright then!
As the old man had accurately stated, the Intermediate Appraisal ability also confirmed to Wayne that his heat control remained lacking. In short, he still needed considerably more practice.
That would be enough practice for tonight. He'd try again tomorrow.
Gengar, who had been waiting patiently for quite a long time, stared intently at Wayne's dinner with obvious hunger.
"It's all for you, Gengar."
Wayne usually didn't eat late-night snacks himself. If the food wasn't for Gengar, it was typically for his father or Alan.
Gengar rummaged enthusiastically in his shadowy body...
Clang, clang, clang—
He produced a pair of chopsticks exclusively belonging to Gengar.
"Remember to come back to your Poké Ball to sleep after you finish eating."
"Gengar!" the Ghost-type acknowledged happily.
"Remember to turn off the kitchen light when you're done."
Gengar picked up another bite eagerly. "Gengar!"
Wayne didn't need to wait there for Gengar to finish his entire meal. Gengar would wash his own dishes after finishing, as he always did.
May 3rd arrived.
It was time for the Round of 16 to Top 8 competition day once again.
This time, the event would be broadcast live, with all sixteen contestants competing simultaneously in the same venue to determine the Top 8 finalists on the spot.
Last night, under the expert guidance of Fumie, Wayne had used quite a lot of skincare products to prepare...
He genuinely didn't know if the products had worked effectively.
He should look at least a bit more radiant and camera-ready, right?
Wayne and Gold didn't depart for the venue until the afternoon, since the competition was scheduled to start at 8 PM.
Since only sixteen contestants remained in the competition, Wayne and Gold no longer needed to present their contestant identification cards. They could gain entry just by showing their faces to security.
However, they hadn't even warmed their seats in the waiting area before a staff member called them over. "Please come confirm the materials you ordered earlier."
Three days ago, the competition staff had informed all contestants what this particular round would involve: creating Pokémon food.
At that time, Wayne and Gold had been asked to submit detailed lists of the specific materials they would need.
Under the careful guidance of the staff member, Wayne and Gold arrived at a heavily secured, locked room that required three separate keys to open.
Gold looked stunned by the security measures. "Are they seriously playing it this intensely?"
The staff member smiled professionally. "Mr. Harrod values fairness above all else and will absolutely never allow cheating or any disruption of the competition's integrity."
Inside this secured room, there were sixteen locked boxes, each with the respective contestants' names clearly affixed to them.
Wayne and Gold each walked to their respective assigned boxes. Wayne simply glanced at his ingredients briefly. "The quality looks pretty good."
The chicken provided by the organizers appeared very fresh, clearly having been processed just recently, and the quality of all the other ingredients also met high standards.
Wayne glanced over at Gold, who had already finished checking and come over to his side.
"That was fast. You finished already?"
"Aren't you just as fast though?"
A question mark appeared over Wayne's head in confusion.
Wayne had been so casual about checking his materials because he possessed the Intermediate Appraisal ability and could accurately assess quality with just a single glance.
But why was Gold being so casual about it?
Although Gold definitely possessed natural talent, his specific talent was strictly limited to Pokémon breeding and egg hatching. It didn't provide him any particular bonus or advantage for creating Pokémon food.
Never mind, Wayne figured Gold probably didn't care much about the competition results anyway.
The Breeding Center had recently constructed a new recreation room for staff members to use and relax in during their breaks, and it featured a billiards table.
During these three days off from competition, Gold had spent his time either eating enthusiastically or playing billiards and video games.
He didn't look remotely like someone actively participating in a serious competition at all.
Although Wayne honestly wasn't in any position to criticize Gold's approach.
He had been basically occupied with managing the Breeding Center's daily affairs and operations, and then practicing his cooking skills afterward.
A voice interrupted their waiting. "Hello, would it be convenient to add me on your messaging app?"
Hearing the unfamiliar voice, Wayne, who had been casually scrolling on his phone alongside Gold, looked up.
What met his eyes was a young man wearing distinctive red half-rimmed glasses, sporting a messy mop of seaweed-like hair, and wearing a practical fanny pack with many grooming scissors attached to his waist.
Wayne recalled that in the previous competition round, this contestant had skillfully groomed a Furfrou.
"Mr. Joel?" Wayne asked, recognizing him.
Wayne recalled the contestant information he had carefully read earlier. In his memory, Joel should be twenty-nine years old—almost too old to participate in the youth competition category.
Seeing Joel extend his hand in greeting, Wayne stood up politely and shook his hand firmly.
Joel smiled warmly. "You still remember me! I'm truly honored by that."
Wayne nodded respectfully. "I remember the Furfrou you groomed during your performance. The styling design was very unique and creative."
Joel returned the compliment. "Your care and grooming work with Milotic also left a very deep and lasting impression on me."
After exchanging some polite compliments and pleasantries, the two contestants added each other on their messaging app.
Joel explained, "I'm still continuing my studies and training everywhere I can."
Wayne offered generously, "If you have time, please come visit my family's facility. My uncle specializes as a professional style designer."
As the three young men chatted together, a staff member pushed the door open.
"The competition is about to start. Please get ready and prepare yourselves."