-118- A Buff Shuckle? (Please Subscribe!) (1/3)

With the berry blender whirring frantically, Tongsi watched the color inside shift toward a reddish-brown hue. He picked up the Shuckle’s shell and poured the juice from within into the blender, causing the color to become even more vibrant.

After all eighteen types of berries had been processed, Tongsi produced the final two. One was a Nanab Berry, used for seasoning, and the other was the essence of the reddish-brown Pokéblock: a Hondew Berry. Neither was cheap.

Tongsi added the Nanab Berry first; under the blender's operation, it was instantly pulverized. Finally, he added the Hondew Berry. As it went in, the blender slowly began to wind down. The Hondew Berry acted like the final stroke of a brush, and as it melded with the mixture, the Pokéblocks began to form.

"Making Pokéblocks really is a magical process," Tongsi couldn't help but marvel. Seeing so many different berries ultimately fuse into individual blocks was truly a surprise.

When the first reddish-brown Pokéblock dropped into the collection tray, the tension in Tongsi's heart finally eased. He wanted this success so badly. The cost of failure was simply too high. Putting aside the price of the other berries, the Hondew Berry alone had cost him one hundred thousand points. With such a steep price, how could he afford to fail?

Fortunately, it seemed he had succeeded on his very first attempt. Tongsi picked up the reddish-brown Pokéblock and examined it closely. It looked somewhat similar to the pink-blue Pokéblock, though slightly larger than the one provided by the system. Since the system hadn't given him a sample of a reddish-brown one, he could only compare it to the pink-blue one. Compared to the finished product image on his data panel, however, they were largely the same, save for the size. After all, this was handmade, and his first attempt at that; it was bound to lack the refined perfection of a system-gifted item.

Tongsi didn't care much about appearances. If it looked good, that was a bonus, but he wouldn't force perfection. As long as the effect was good, that was all that mattered.

"According to the data panel, the effect of the reddish-brown Pokéblock is to enhance a Pokémon’s Attack stat," Tongsi mused, looking at the Shuckle before him. Perhaps he should let Shuckle try it first? It had worked as a juice press for so long—it deserved a reward, right?

"Shuckle?" The Shuckle looked at Tongsi, looking somewhat baffled.

Tongsi curled his lips into a grin that seemed to unnerve the Pokémon. "Come on, Shuckle, open wide." He knelt and fed the reddish-brown Pokéblock toward its mouth.

"Shuc-shuckle..." The Shuckle shivered all over, sensing that something bad was about to happen. *Does this star-pooper-scooper think I'm his test subject?*

"Shuckle, if my judgment is correct, this Pokéblock should boost your move power!" Tongsi’s words instantly hoodwinked the Pokémon.

"Shuckle!" Resolved, it decided to eat. What could go wrong? For the sake of its dream of becoming the King of Fighting, it would risk it all!

*Crunch, crunch.* The Shuckle bit down on the Pokéblock. As it chewed, it felt a wave of nausea, as if it were eating wax. *Ptui! This is disgusting...* The Shuckle regretted trusting the star-pooper-scooper. Was this even edible?

"What's wrong? You look... in pain? Is it not tasty?" Tongsi asked, feeling a bit strange.

*You tell me! You feed me garbage and then ask if it tastes good?* The Shuckle was getting angry. Suddenly, its body expanded, ballooning outward.

"SHUCKLE!!"

"Shuckle?" The Pokémon was bewildered. It had been genuinely angry about being used as a test subject, but just then, every inch of its body had sprouted massive muscles. Standing on two legs, its frame was packed with muscle, looking fierce and significantly larger than before.

*Muscular Shuckle.JPG*

"Shuckle! Isn't this change a bit too extreme?" Tongsi was shocked. The data panel had mentioned an attack boost, but it hadn't said anything about turning into a bodybuilder!

"Shuck-shuck!" The Shuckle moved around, feeling an endless supply of energy. It headed to the backyard, where all the other Pokémon were stunned the moment they saw it. Elekid looked confused, Eevee wondered who the intruder was, the three runaway brothers thought it was ugly, and Ludicolo asked if it wanted to dance. The watery team was taken aback, and the Magikarp looked on in silence.

"Shuck! Shuck-shuck!" Seeing their reactions, the Shuckle began to perform bodybuilding poses, showing off its new physique. It walked up to Elekid and—*CRACK!*—smashed a brick with a single chop. "Shuckle!" *Challenge!*

"Ele-kid?" *Are you serious?*

"Shuckle!" *Of cour—*

*THUD!* Before it could finish, Elekid landed a Brick Break, boosted by a gravity weight, sending the Shuckle crashing to the ground, yelping in pain.

"This guy..." Tongsi hurried to the backyard. He hadn't expected the Shuckle to be so arrogant. Yes, it had turned into a muscle-bound fighter, but the reddish-brown Pokéblock only boosted its Attack stat—nothing else! Without its shell, which was still in the breeding room, its defense was no better than a Magikarp's. It couldn't take a hit like that.

"Shuckle..." The Pokémon dragged itself back up. Tongsi realized it must have triggered its Sturdy ability, preventing it from being knocked out in one hit and leaving it with a sliver of health. "That ability is actually quite useful; at least it won't be killed immediately after showing off," Tongsi muttered, speechless. "Alright, enough. Let me introduce you: this is Shuckle—or rather, Shuckle after eating a reddish-brown Pokéblock."

The other Pokémon finally recognized it, but they remained bewildered. Why had the Shuckle turned into a muscle-bound hunk? The two Carvanha splashed frantically, as if begging for one too.