"So, what are you guys planning to pick for your rewards?" Su Tingxi asked after polishing off a skewer of lamb kidneys.
When Fugui heard this, his face immediately fell. "I placed outside the top 600 — no reward for me…"
Su Tingxi shrugged. "Well, same here. I was outside the top 30, so no reward either."
Fugui's mood instantly lifted. "Oh, if you put it that way, I feel a lot better."
Su Tingxi seethed, then stuffed a chicken wing into Fugui's mouth. "Just eat! Too much talking!"
"For me, I'll probably pick Dragon Dance, Poison Jab, and Protect from the moves — and from the points pool, I'll go with Senior Shen Anduo's *Clamperl Breeding Methods*."
Tang Yunqin ignored their squabbling and said after some thought.
"Fo-for me, I'd probably go with the *Dhelmise Breeding Methods*… yeah, Ghost-type… *sigh*~"
You Youyu spoke up right after Tang Yunqin, but apparently the sentence was a bit long, so by the end she couldn't help letting out a long breath.
"What about the move tutors?"
"Not sure yet. We'll see…"
"Okay." Lu Ze nodded, then turned to Sui Yan. "What about you?"
"Volcarona!" Sui Yan swallowed his meat before answering, eyes sparkling. "*Volcarona Breeding and Move Preference* — I noticed that one the day I first enrolled."
"Come to think of it, you just saved me a ton of points. At the very least, I don't need to exchange for that book anymore — *Sunny Day Team Fire-type Pokémon Pros and Cons*."
Fugui nodded. "True, I don't need the one about Sandstorm teams either."
Lu Ze grinned. "Look at how many points I've saved you guys. Buying me dinner for a month isn't too much to ask, right?"
Sui Yan shook his head. "Not at all, not at all. The cafeteria. All you can eat."
Lu Ze's expression froze. "Fine. Bringing Snorlax."
"Brother, I take it back!"
"Ha ha ha!"
Sui Yan surrendered instantly, drawing hearty laughter from everyone.
Dratini gave the group a bewildered look, then glanced at the roast wing in its hand, envying Snorlax deeply.
That feeling of being too full to enjoy the delicious food right in front of you — who could understand?
Then it glanced at the plates piled high with various foods on the table, and felt like crying even more.
Should've paced itself earlier. *Sigh~*
"What about you, Lu Ze?"
Lu Ze held a skewer of roasted meat, chin in hand, thinking. "I've only got Fire-type and Water-type Gems available from the item pool. For points, I'll see if I can exchange for a Snorlax, Charizard, or Crobat breeding guide on the official site. I've already got ideas for Crawdaunt, and for Elekid I can just borrow from my grandpa's experience — no need to exchange for that one."
"Man, the rich. Points mean you can do whatever you want. *Gulp gulp!*"
Su Tingxi gave Lu Ze an envious look, then tilted his head back and downed a beer.
"Hopefully next competition I can earn some points too."
"For points, you can also exchange items you found inside the Black Mystery Zone at the school." Fugui said after a bite of meat, addressing Su Tingxi.
"The Black Mystery Zone, huh? Are there many suitable for our level?"
Fugui nodded. "Not really. The closest one is in Jinshi — not far, but not exactly close either."
"I've been pretty curious about the Black Mystery Zone too. How about we go check it out sometime?"
Lu Ze perked up at their discussion, and proposed to the group.
Fugui nodded. "Sure. National Day. The seven-day holiday should be enough time."
"Actually, I've been planning to take the Junior Trainer certification exam during that period. Anyone else want to come?" Sui Yan suddenly raised his hand.
"I was originally going to take it during the National Day holiday, but since you guys are going to the Black Mystery Zone, I guess I'll just take it early these next few days."
"Or I could take it after we get back. Either way works."
Sui Yan looked at Su Tingxi with a hint of helplessness. "Who knows how long we'll be gone? The seven-day holiday — we'd be lucky to make it back in time."
The Black Mystery Zone differed from a regular Mystery Zone in one key aspect: they were large. Generally about twice the size of a normal Mystery Zone.
This meant there was a good chance everyone would have to spend the night inside the Black Mystery Zone.
After all, the exits in a Black Mystery Zone were randomized — roughly once a week — so you couldn't just enter and pick when you wanted to leave.
On top of that, entering a Black Mystery Zone required paying a national tax. The per-person tax alone was no small amount, so leaving every night to sleep outside would be过分奢侈.
Additionally, the Black Mystery Zone was a source of Attribute Gems. But because the yield rate was low and the range of applications was wide, prices remained consistently high.
"We can figure it out later. We've still got half a month. Maybe one of us will have time on some weekend, go over, and just pass the exam then."
Lu Ze nodded. "True. No point thinking about it now. Come on — let's clink glasses."
"Cheers!"
They tapped their glasses together and drank in unison, then went back to eating and chatting.
By the time the case of beer was finished and the food was mostly gone, Lu Ze called the owner over for another round of skewers — some meat, tendon, wings, and so on — and settled the bill at the same time.
"Hey, Lu Ze, no need to be polite with me. Didn't I say tonight's bill was on young master Sui?"
Lu Ze shot a look at the grinning Sui Yan. "Don't push your luck. I was just worried Snorlax would bankrupt you."
At the mention of Snorlax, Sui Yan immediately backed down. "Alright, alright, never mind then. Much appreciated, young master Lu, for your generous mercy!"
Lu Ze couldn't help laughing. "Get lost. Help me carry these."
"Sure thing!"
Sui Yan cheerfully stepped forward, took the bags from the owner's hands, and started walking. His shameless little得意 demeanor made the people behind him want to hide their faces.
"Why do I even know someone like this?"
But it didn't take long for them to recover. Couldn't be helped — they were used to it.
They then headed toward the dorms, carrying food they'd bought for the Pokémon back at home.
Lu Ze returned to his own place. Sui Yan had chosen not to stay the night here — after all, Arcanine, Torkoal, and the others back at the dorm were still waiting to be fed.
"Hey there, little Ziyu."
" Uncle Ziyu, sorry to keep you waiting. Why didn't you give me a call?"
Lu Ze had barely arrived home when he spotted Zhuge Ziyu standing at the entrance with the two kids. He rushed forward to greet them.
Zhuge Ziyu smiled. "No worries at all. We just got here ourselves."
"Come on in — you guys eaten? I've got some takeaway BBQ here."
Lu Ze opened the door and led the three inside, addressing them.
Before Zhuge Ziyu could respond, the two kids behind him brightened up, then looked up at him with longing eyes.
"Haha, come come, sit here — there are some really tasty skewers."
Lu Ze waved the two over, then called Snorlax and the others over as well.
And just like that, two humans and a group of Pokémon gathered around the table and dug in.
Meanwhile, Lu Ze pulled Zhuge Ziyu aside and asked, " Uncle Ziyu… are those two… I mean, are they unable to speak?"
(End of Chapter)