The Mystery of the Energy Cube

Holding the heated lunchbox, which contained the lunch that Wei Xin had prepared for himself and Laltras before leaving home.

Although Wei Xin could have simply heated up the food and let Ralts eat it himself.

But seeing the trainer so busy that he couldn't even eat, Ralts probably wouldn't be able to bring himself to eat even the most delicious food.

This is the real reason why Wei Xin insisted on having lunch with Ralts.

Besides, Ralts is only cute when it's young, you can hold it in your arms and feed it, pamper it, and wait for it to evolve into Gardevoir in the future...

All that's left is beauty.

Children grow up without you even realizing it, and as your father enjoys his old age, each day is one less to come.

"And you still say you're not a male mother?"

The senior students, carrying trays, sat down at Wei Xin's table and teased him.

"What male mom? That doesn't exist." Wei Xin picked up the thick omelet from the plate and fed it to Ralts. It was so delicious that Ralts held its face in its hands, and its two little legs couldn't stop kicking under the table. Wei Xin quickly denied it.

Then came a string of incomprehensible remarks, such as "I don't want a male mother," "Wa's move is too ruthless," "How dare you assume my gender," and "Ralts is so cute, what's wrong with spoiling her a little?" The dining table was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Seeing that Wei Xin's mouth was even harder than Mage's Steelix, everyone had no choice but to give up.

You can't pull someone drowning in love, just like you can't wake someone who's pretending to be asleep.

"Oh, right, the professor asked me to give this to you." Senior Sister Huang took out a plastic bottle from under the table, which contained small brown cubes. "These are super-powerful energy cubes."

"Now that Ralts has awakened its intelligence and is developing well, it can eat some Energy Cubes to strengthen its physique."

"Take two pills after each meal, morning, noon, and night. Remember to take your Ralts for some exercise afterward to aid digestion."

Looking at the food in the bottle, which resembled industrial dog food, Wei Xin asked, "Does Ralts really need to eat Energy Cubes?"

If it's just about nutrition, Wei Xin believes that the food he makes can provide the nutrients that Ralts needs.

Moreover, he remembered that in the game, the main function of the Power Cube, besides making the gluttonous Pokémon feel full like a compressed biscuit, was to make the Pokémon look cooler and more beautiful, and to make their moves more flashy.

But Ralts is already cute enough. If it gets any cuter, Mamoru will be in danger.

As if she could read Wei Xin's mind, the senior sister said, "Ordinary food is ordinary food, and energy cubes are energy cubes. They are used differently."

"The earliest energy cubes were developed to improve the physical condition of some Pokémon, with effects similar to face masks or skincare products."

"However, after several generations of modifications, the main function of Power Cubes on the market now is to enhance the power of Pokémon moves. As long as Pokémon consume Power Cubes of the corresponding type in the right amount, they can make their moves more spectacular and more powerful."

"It's like..." Senior Sister Huang couldn't find a suitable analogy for a moment.

"It's like protein powder that fitness enthusiasts drink, or supplements that professional athletes take after meals," said Senior Brother Hu.

"Then isn't that...doing drugs?" Wei Xin asked, hugging Laluras tightly in his arms.

He treats Ralts as his own son. If the price for Ralts to become stronger is the draining of his life force, he would rather spend time and energy finding other ways to make Ralts stronger.

Even if all else fails, there's always the system to back you up.

The system works like this: as long as the boxes pop up gold coins, Wei Xin will have to consider many things.

"Don't worry, the reason why Energy Cubes can be sold directly on the shelves is because they are food-grade products. As long as you don't foolishly let your Pokémon eat Energy Cubes as food, they won't cause any harm to your Pokémon's body," Senior Sister Huang said.

[For Ralts' sake, you're unwilling to let her take any risks at all. If this isn't love?]

"Our research center uses the best energy cubes, with resource utilization rates that are almost at the commercial limit. One cube contains a full 87 joules, just like the highest grade gasoline, which has the highest combustion rate," the senior student said.

[Alas, it's a pity that the top-tier Power Cubes are all foreign brands; the highest power level achieved by domestically produced ones is only 52 Joules.]

A joule refers to the total nutrient content in an energy cube, measured in standard units.

"Actually, it's okay if you accidentally eat too much. Just think of it as eating a slightly greasy braised pork." Senior Brother Hu picked up a piece of braised pork from his plate and placed it in front of Ralts: "Little Ralts, do you want some braised pork?"

Putting aside everything else, the food provided in the research center's cafeteria is always delicious and visually appealing. After all, everyone here is a highly skilled individual and deserves this treatment.

Ralts sniffed the glistening, fragrant braised pork in front of her, frowned slightly, and shook her head.

Your braised pork is indeed very fragrant, but it has no salt in it. How can it compare to the food made by my trainer?

Thinking this, Ralts awkwardly used a fork to take a thick omelet from her bowl. Without using her psychic powers, she imitated Wei Xin and fed the food to her trainer.

The treatment was exceptionally effective for Brother Hu, who has never been in a relationship.

[Is Ruxiu's mother here?]

Like a defeated dog, he swallowed the sour braised pork with his tail between his legs. Then, Senior Brother Hu changed the subject and asked, "Where's Lillie? I haven't seen her."

"Lillie just received a phone call and left the research center. She said she'd be back this afternoon," said Senior Sister Huang.

"Lillie is the eldest daughter of the Ether Foundation. Her family is very strict. It is said that her eating and sleeping are arranged in an orderly manner. It is rare for her to be free when she comes to our research center to work overtime."

That's not very free.

"It's okay, you'll be free in a while," Wei Xin joked.

Whether in anime, games, or manga, Lillie's mother, Lusamine, is an incurable Ultra Beast enthusiast.

In the end, without exception, they all fuse with an Ultimate Beast named Nihilego and are taken into the Ultimate Hole.

Nihilego: "Lillie, I'm going to take your mother away."

Wei Xin was also quite interested in this, not in Lillie's mother, but in the legendary Ultra Beasts, special Pokémon that lived in other worlds.

After Lusamine and Nihilego fuse, will XP be closer to a human or a Pokémon?

If XP is close to Pokémon...

The thought of his Pokémon Charm ability of 26 points sent chills down Wei Xin's spine.

"Quack, the chairman beat Wei Xin to his knees, he must be..."

Why bother with such a good imagination?

Speaking of Ultra Beasts, Wei Xin suddenly remembered that among the rewards he had drawn earlier was a picture of a beast called Taotie.

Taotie, one of the four ferocious beasts in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, is best known for its ability to eat, its love of eating, and its ability to eat anything. It also has an enormous appetite and is extremely aggressive.

These descriptions reminded Wei Xin of an ultimate monster, the Gluttonous King.

It is unknown whether there is any relationship between the Gluttonous King and the Taotie.

Just as Wei Xin was considering whether to go back and find some information just in case, Hu, a senior student who was eating while looking at the confession wall at the dinner table, suddenly spoke up.

"Look at the confession wall! There seems to be an explosion in the dormitories on the North Campus. It looks like a gas explosion."

"Another gas explosion. Last time, the Shanghai branch of the Ether Foundation was attacked, and it was also said to be a gas explosion. Did they set off gas like fireworks?" Sister Huang said.

Upon hearing this, Wei Xin stopped what he was doing, pondered for a moment, then looked down at Ralts and asked, "Did we turn off the gas when we left this morning?"