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The cafeteria was a two-story building, divided into a transparent kitchen and a spacious dining area.
It was remarkably spacious—even a Snorlax could fit comfortably inside.
The Breeding Center's predecessor had been a Pokemon Restaurant, but due to low foot traffic, it had been tearfully sold off.
However, at that time, there was no outside Wild Area—just this single building.
Everyone gathered together with their Pokemon, eating with enthusiasm.
Fumie softly said, "I won't fuss over you all; just help yourselves to whatever you like."
No one was chatting; their mouths were busy eating, and the table was a scene of clashing chopsticks.
All afternoon, Shion had been talking about how delicious Mapo Tofu was.
The steaming Mapo Tofu—red broth with white tofu—immediately caught Cynthia's attention.
She spooned some Mapo Tofu over her rice. The vibrant red sauce coated the grains, and the immediate aroma was a mix of spiciness and the numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns.
Cynthia took a spoonful and tasted it.
Cynthia was a true food enthusiast.
She had tasted countless delicacies, both grand and humble, but a dish that was both numbing and spicy yet left her feeling utterly satisfied afterward was truly a first.
Wayne placed an opened bottle of Moomoo Milk in front of her.
After sipping the Moomoo Milk and letting the scalp-tingling spiciness subside, Cynthia found the Mapo Tofu even more endlessly flavorful.
"Delicious."
"If it's too spicy, you can try the Candied Sweet Potato."
The Candied Sweet Potato had been made by Leon.
When it came to making sweet dishes, his father was a master.
The Candied Sweet Potato Wayne made still couldn't compare to his father's.
Though his father's couldn't compare to his grandfather's either.
Compared to spicy dishes, Cynthia still preferred sweet ones.
With a single lift of her chopsticks, a long, thin strand of sugar was pulled up—that was the essence of this dish.
It couldn't be called the absolute best, because Cynthia had eaten her grandfather's Candied Sweet Potato, and that was a Candied Sweet Potato with a soul.
Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and perfectly sweet.
Cynthia still remembered the sensation of eating her grandfather's Candied Sweet Potato for the first time.
That was the reason Cynthia had developed her sweet tooth.
Mid-meal, Cynthia suddenly remembered her Garchomp and the others.
Because she had come in such a hurry this time, Cynthia hadn't brought Pokemon food, so her Garchomp and the others were eating what Wayne had prepared.
She wondered if Garchomp would like it...
Until Cynthia saw Garchomp and Lucario licking their bowls completely clean.
The Gastrodon, who had just been teleported over, looked as if it wanted to devour its food bowl as well.
Glaceon, having finished eating, was already grooming its fur.
Ostensibly grooming its fur, its peripheral vision was actually fixed on the Energy Cubes in Wayne's Lucario's bowl, eyeing them covetously.
Cynthia was about to tell Glaceon not to beg for food, but unexpectedly, Lucario picked up its own food bowl and poured more than half of its contents into Glaceon's bowl.
"Lucario."
"Mia!"
Glaceon stopped pretending to groom its fur and began to devour its food. In no time, the Energy Cubes were at the bottom of the bowl again.
Cynthia couldn't help but be startled.
You're not usually like this!
Cynthia no longer had to worry about whether her Pokemon would adjust to the food.
What she should be concerned about was whether they would accept other Energy Cubes in the future.
Cynthia looked around the cafeteria.
Machamp was grabbing handfuls with each of its four hands, stuffing them rapidly into its mouth.
Metagross was using Confusion to control the Energy Cubes, levitating them one by one into its mouth.
All the Pokemon were focused on eating—so quietly that Cynthia didn't know how to describe the scene.
This indicated that the quality of the Energy Cubes Wayne produced was exceptionally high.
With this thought, Cynthia looked at the Energy Cubes in Jigglypuff's bowl, which was closest to her, and picked one up.
"Bori?"
The pink Pecha Berry cube was crystal clear, without a trace of impurity, and the sweetness emanating from it made Cynthia pause in surprise.
A perfect-quality Pecha Berry cube!
It was extremely difficult to purchase perfect-quality Energy Cubes on the market—even for Cynthia as a Champion.
The reason was simple: very few people could produce perfect-quality Energy Cubes.
A perfect-quality Energy Cube made from the most common Pecha Berry at that!
The energy content in Pecha Berries was relatively low. Basically, one needed to maximize the utilization of the energy within the Pecha Berry to create perfect-quality Energy Cubes.
Because Cynthia had still been out and about with Shion at the time, she hadn't witnessed Wayne's production process.
If this Pecha Berry cube had been made by her grandfather, Cynthia wouldn't have been surprised.
The crucial point was that Wayne had made it, and he was barely nineteen after the New Year.
A nineteen-year-old Energy Cube master—frighteningly young!
"Did you make this?"
Wayne nodded. "Yes, but I can't always produce perfect-quality ones. It's fifty-fifty."
Perhaps it was a temporary boost from his improved skill; everything he had made that afternoon had been perfect quality.
Wayne did not intend to sell perfect-quality Energy Cubes publicly, at least not to the general market.
Pricing them too high would make them difficult to sell, and pricing them too low would easily attract resellers.
This was also why perfect Energy Cubes rarely appeared on the market.
Perfect-quality Energy Cubes would only be custom-made for specific clients.
Cynthia returned the Pecha Berry cube to Jigglypuff.
"Even if it's partly luck, it's still very impressive."
Leon said proudly, "Of course! The most profitable product at the Breeding Center now is the Energy Cubes my son makes!"
The berries were grown by themselves, so the cost had already been reduced to the minimum.
Yet the high-quality Energy Cubes Wayne produced could sell for 19,800 Pokedollars per portion.
It was only because their family's Breeding Center was located in Jubilife City, where land was extremely expensive—otherwise, not many people would be able to afford it.
This also benefited from Wayne creating a video account, which helped expand their reputation significantly.
One portion equaled one bag. If used frugally, it could last two to three feedings, but if you encountered a big eater, it was just one meal's worth.
This price was quite normal in the industry.
To raise powerful Pokemon, both aptitude and high-quality food were essential.
There were also cheaper ways to raise Pokemon.
But if you wanted them to become strong?
Unless you were like Yellow, who had the advantage of Viridian Power.
If not, then you had to feed them properly.
Only high-quality food could quickly restore a Pokemon's stamina and support the energy expenditure during intensive training and move practice.
Red's Snorlax had monthly food expenses in the millions.
Wayne had seen discussions about it in chat groups—to be precise, it was close to two million Pokedollars.
Even if a bowl of ramen cost 880 Pokedollars, one million would still buy 1,136 bowls of ramen.
However, the price of Poke Balls was affordable—500 Pokedollars each. Anyone could buy them.
Looking at Garchomp, who was completely disregarding its image while rubbing its belly contentedly, Cynthia said seriously,
"I'd like to order Energy Cubes from you."
Wayne might not sell to others, but he could sell to Cynthia.
"Production isn't a problem, but transportation is. To ensure quality, they would need to be delivered once a week."
Poke Balls could be teleported, but Pokemon food could not.
"I'm mostly in Jubilife City, Eterna City, and Iron Island. Occasionally, I'll return to Celestic Town."
"Grrr!"
Dreepy made its presence known.
The two Lucario diligently translated.
(She can help with deliveries.)