Chapter Thirteen: Energy Cubes and Joy

“Let’s give it a try. If it doesn’t work, I’ll head straight back to the Pokémon Center in town for advice.” The leftover ingredients for the energy cubes didn’t even need Zhuyuehan to select them himself—Lapras had already picked out all the berries from her memory. Apart from the bland Oran berries, most were sweet. “Perfect, I like sweets too.” Zhuyuehan removed the stems and pits from the berries, washed them thoroughly, and tossed them all into the blending vessel. He covered it, eyes fixed intently on the container.

It felt less like simple cooking and more like a rhythm game—whether pure music or dance, the outcome was always twitching fingers. Ordinary energy cubes could be made with foolproof methods, but to craft higher-quality ones mechanically, there was only one way: rely on human skill.

“But I’m not great at games,” he mused. He played everything and was mediocre at all; back when he was young, he was always the one dragging down the team’s win rate. New friends wondered if he was joking. Old friends knew Zhuyuehan was genuinely bad.

He pressed the button; the energy cube machine whirred to life. The sound grew louder as he stared at the berry pulp inside, the shimmering Water Stone powder slightly obscuring his view. Once everything was thoroughly blended, Zhuyuehan decisively switched the output mode. The small internal blade slowly retracted, and the machine began spinning the pulp at a faster speed, wringing out any residue like a washing machine. The goal was to expel the nutrient-depleted pulp and impurities.

If spun too long, not even one energy cube would form. If too short, impurities would affect the quality. Zhuyuehan doubted the commercial machine’s precision, so he could only trust his own, entirely inexperienced judgment—more accurately, his uncanny luck.

He glanced at Lapras’s expectant face, then pressed the button again. “Blending off, cooling and shaping now.” A hiss of escaping air accompanied an enticing aroma.

Lapras’s eyes widened. Zhuyuehan remained calm outwardly, but was ecstatic inside. Lady Luck, you truly favor me!

Translucent pink spheres dropped onto the metal tray; each was dotted with sparkling blue flecks.

Zhuyuehan: ?

He picked up an “energy cube,” examining the plump pink sphere in his hand, falling into silence. Wait, why were his energy cubes spherical? Does “spherical energy cube” even sound right together?

Did Lapras’s Thunderbolt charge mess up the machine?

High EQ: High-purity energy cube (regional variant)
Low EQ: Looks like it didn’t turn out quite right

[Research Points: 30]

A jump of 10 points in one go? Zhuyuehan’s brows rose; he understood this achievement-collecting golden finger a bit better.

Lapras started calling excitedly, her large head moving in close.

Zhuyuehan pushed Lapras’s head away: “Don’t, don’t, don’t be greedy. If it upsets your stomach, let me try first.”

Lapras looked at Zhuyuehan seriously: “Woo!”

What was that supposed to mean? Lapras just wanted to test for poison, not eat out of greed! She’d never had a round energy cube before.

“Don’t worry, with my constitution, unless it’s a Pokémon with long-standing poison attributes, normal toxins probably won’t affect me.” Though Zhuyuehan wanted to stylishly flick the tray’s bottom and catch the cubes in their box, these were his first homemade products—best to show them a little respect.

He picked one up, and in the moonlight, the blue powder refracted a different glow. Beautiful, but not necessarily tasty.

He swallowed an energy cube—a bead, really—and a slightly gritty, icy sensation accompanied an explosion of sweetness and energy, flooding his body with a refreshing feeling like soaking in a clear stream.

It worked!

Seeing the smile on Zhuyuehan’s face, Lapras decisively reached out and gulped down most of the cubes.

“Woo!” Delicious! And full of energy!

Crystalline blue waves rippled over Lapras’s body. Her skin, dried out from strenuous exertion, became moist again thanks to the Water Stone’s power. Aside from her mental state, she had fully recovered!

Lapras stretched her neck and swallowed the remaining energy beads, shaking her head with satisfaction.

As everyone knows, some people still want to eat after they’re full—not from binge tendencies, but pure greed. The main meal might be too much, but other treats are always welcome. Gastric space expansion, activated!

“All right, all right. You’ve already had dinner,” Zhuyuehan said, a bit regretful since he’d only gotten one himself. “Careful or you’ll turn into a big, fat Lapras.”

“Woo!” Lapras was confident—this was just replenishing lost energy, so she wouldn’t get fat!

Zhuyuehan was surprised. “So you could eat more?”

Lapras thought about it, then honestly shook her head. Any more would burden her body. Becoming a big, fat Lapras was unlikely, but accumulating attribute energy inside could cause stagnation, which wouldn’t be healthy.

Zhuyuehan glanced at Lapras’s skin thoughtfully. Attribute energy stagnation—in Lapras’s natural ecology, moist skin might shift to dampness. That needed attention.

“All right, back to your ball for now. I’m heading to the Pokémon Center in town to see if there’s a grinder or something I can use.”

This outing was mainly to check Lapras’s move pool, and for breakfast preparations, Zhuyuehan doubted a Kirin-chi would conveniently appear near Iron House.

A flash of red light, and Zhuyuehan clipped the Poké Ball to his belt, chuckling at the distant, trembling bushes.

Honestly, it felt like all teammates were stealthily scouting, but one just stomped in, exposing their position.

“It worked well. Aside from the shape, this batch was a success.” Zhuyuehan left a pile of food behind, then made a speedy escape.

These Pokémon would surely be seen again; a little food wouldn’t hurt for goodwill. That way, in the future, I can pet whomever I want!

Zhuyuehan dashed to the Pokémon Center. The automatic doors slid open, and the Chansey with a little cap smiled and waved.

“Lucky~”

Zhuyuehan smiled back. “Lucky~”

Chansey: ?

Is this guy all right?

“Miss Joy, I’d like to ask about something.” Zhuyuehan approached the counter, politely greeting her. “Do you have any machines here that can grind Water Stones into powder?”

Chansey leaned closer, rising on tiptoe to sniff him. No illness detected—instead, a fragrant aroma lingered on him.

Passersby caught the scent as well; a few young trainers even blushed.

“What a lovely smell. I wish I could taste it. Is this the kind of body fragrance beautiful ladies have?”

Zhuyuehan turned around. “I’m a man. And it’s not body fragrance—it’s the scent of energy cubes. If you want to chat, let her come over.”

The young trainer, holding his newly healed Rattata, fled in embarrassment.

Miss Joy covered her mouth and laughed. “We do have grinders here—used for preparing various medicinal materials. If you’d like to borrow one, it does cost a fee.”

“That’s fine, I don’t mind paying.” Miss Joy, like Officer Jenny, is one of the hallmarks of the Pokémon world. From Zhuyuehan’s memory, it seemed only Brock could tell apart the subtle differences between the various Joys—like hair length, or, if he was being obsessive, even skin moisture levels, all meticulously recorded in his notebook.

That’s a legendary personal skill.

But with the Joy family’s vast influence, nobody really minds such quirks.

What struck Zhuyuehan most was that, in every generation, after the inevitable lost-in-the-wilderness storyline, you could always find a Pokémon Center glowing deep within the wilds.

When someone knocked on the Center’s door, there would always be a Joy and her partners to welcome them, offering meticulous care to both people and Pokémon.

When no one came, how did these Joys spend their days? For them, visiting trainers were rare opportunities to interact with humans.

A trainer might never meet many patrons who could gift evolution stones or move tutors—let alone the likes of Giovanni, who gave Red a permanent evolution stone in the special manga, clearly hoping to recruit him as a subordinate or foster son, a Rocket Godfather through and through.

Still, whenever you appeared at a Pokémon Center, the Joy who helped you was always the greatest comfort on your journey—always with her partners, always offering a warm smile.

Honestly, the few times Ash stumbled into a malfunctioning Center were exceptions; across the multiverse, it’s probably just the protagonist’s innate “event magnet” at work.

The Jenny family had a similar role, their efforts for the city visible to everyone. The Pokémon world didn’t have many irrational troublemakers. If any did show up, and weren’t stopped by a passing trainer, the best outcome was getting thrashed by the protagonist group and having a change of heart.