My Pokémon Story of Seasons

Chapter 86 Overcoming Obstacles

That's enough!

With the five-minute time limit up, Old Jack and several volunteers began to examine the works of the 20 contestants one by one.

Almost all the contestants completed the vegetable-cutting part, with Tong Hua and the three people in front of him being the fastest, forming the first group.

Tong Hua silently observed the three men. One of them, with red hair and white hair, looked to be about the same age as Tong Hua. He was wearing a jacket with a logo and appeared to be a cook at the cafeteria.

The other one was a bit younger, around 14 or 15 years old, similar to Mumu and Huangyao. He also had a coin on his head and a towel tied to his sleeve, as if he was trying to hide something.

The last blue-haired burly man was quite exaggerated. He was at least 1.9 meters tall and had huge muscles. He didn't seem like a chef at all; he looked more like a fighter or wrestler.

These three people all seemed to be top-notch experts, making Tong Hua feel ashamed. Such a small village as Chicory Village was surprisingly full of hidden talents. However, just when Tong Hua thought that one of these three would become his final opponent, "It's cut too thick, I can't pass through it, it's unacceptable!"

"You too, you're unqualified!"

"You're no better; none of the three of you are up to standard."

Tong Hua: "?"

Tong Hua stared dumbfounded at the scene before her. "You three all looked so fierce, yet you all fell down in the first round?"

The blue-haired, burly man, who resembled a gourmet hunter, looked at the pile of lettuce in front of him that could barely be considered shredded, and scratched his head with a slightly helpless expression.

"I really shouldn't have tried things I'm not good at. I'd better go downstairs and wait for dinner to be served."

The boy with red hair and a white headscarf grabbed a shredded vegetable and started arguing with the village chief.

He took out a standard iron ring, threaded the shredded vegetables through it, and asked loudly.

"What did I do wrong? It's big enough to pass through!"

Old Jack shook his head and pointed to the iron ring and shredded vegetables in the red-haired boy's hand, saying, "Young man, you obviously forced these shredded vegetables in; they're broken in the middle."

Properly shredded vegetables should look like this.

As he spoke, he picked up the shredded vegetables that Tong Hua had cut, and with a gentle shake, the shredded vegetables slid smoothly across the iron ring like fine threads, drawing a beautiful arc in the air.

The red-haired boy's face immediately turned red: "This, this—"

"And you," old Jack turned to the boy with the towel tied to his sleeve, "cheating is no good."

The boy lowered his head in shame, ripped off the towel tied to his sleeve, and found a single ovum hidden underneath.

"Eeyyo——.——"

These psychic-type Pokémon can communicate with their companions through telepathy and use their psychic abilities to control the movement of objects.

Just now, it helped the little boy chop vegetables by manipulating his wrist.

"Using the power of Pokémon to cook is not inherently wrong. However, this is a competition, so the rules must be followed."

Go back and practice more. Next time, rely on your own abilities to compete.

The little boy blushed, nodded, and ran off the stage clutching the single ovum. Good-natured laughter and applause erupted from the audience.

Seeing this scene, and considering what the village chief had just said, Tong Hua couldn't help but start thinking.

The little boy using Pokémon as an aid is considered cheating, but his cooking skills, honed through cheat codes, are genuine.

It shouldn't be considered cheating, right?

"Yes, it definitely doesn't count." Tong Hua nodded confidently.

After the first round of competition, a short intermission was held to prepare for the second round. The remaining twelve people, including Tong Hua, went offstage to wait.

It seems that all the shredded vegetables were recycled, probably to be made into animal feed.

"You passed the promotion smoothly," Jessica said in a tone that showed no surprise whatsoever.

"Oh my god!" "Terrible!" "Fufu!"

The Pokémon acting as cheerleaders all gathered around Tong Hua.

"Yay!" Tong Hua flashed a peace sign in victory. "The first challenge was pretty easy, since it's just knife skills, which I practice every day."

Jessica smiled and handed her a glass of juice: "Don't get too cocky, there are still several rounds to go."

"It's okay, I have a lot of confidence in myself." Tong Hua took the juice and drank it all in one gulp.

"Ah, that's it." Sweet Wuni released a sweet fragrance to help Tong Hua relax as much as possible.

Tong Hua then lay down and comfortably slept on the back of the forest turtle.

The forest turtle's shell was covered in mud, slightly damp but very soft, and most importantly, it had a sun-dried smell, like a cotton quilt that had been sun-dried, which made Tong Hua feel drowsy as soon as she smelled it.

"Hoo—." Tong Hua closed her eyes, her breathing gradually becoming steady.

"Huh? Asleep?" Jessica asked, somewhat surprised. "I gave her regular juice."

What Jessica didn't know was that Tong Hua had actually fallen asleep because she had used the "Quick Production" skill to chop vegetables, which had depleted her mental energy, and she had also been hypnotized by the warm sunshine and the aroma of Tian Wu Ni.

However, seeing that Tong Hua was sleeping soundly, Jessica and the Pokémon tacitly did not wake him up.

It wasn't until more than ten minutes later, when the setup for the second round of the competition was finally completed, that Sweet Wu Ni and Foam Squirrel woke up Tong Hua.

"Hmm, how did I fall asleep?" Tong Hua woke up, still a little groggy, until Jessica next to her told her that the competition was about to start, and she suddenly realized what was happening.

The second round of the competition is about controlling the heat.

We took a little longer to set up in order to be prepared for fire safety.

Tong Hua rubbed his eyes and strode towards his cooking station. Each of the Pokémon behind him patted him on the back, cheering him on.

The sentiments conveyed to Tong Hua instantly brought him to his senses.

"The rules for the second match are still very simple," Old Jack said, standing at the front of the stage with a megaphone in hand.

"Each person has to do it three times, and they must fry a perfectly runny egg in a frying pan. Only the four people who make the best-looking runny eggs in the shortest time can advance."

After listening to the rules announced by Old Jack, Tong Hua couldn't help but examine the stove in front of him.

"They're using natural gas cylinders! How high-tech!"

Having not been to a stove that didn't require lighting a fire by herself for a long time, Tong Hua became excited.

"What a pity, it's only good for frying a soft-boiled egg."

Using my quick-cooking skills, I can fry three portions at once, making me the fastest person to finish.

"Everything ready?" Old Jack stroked his beard. "Then—begin!"

At Old Jack's command, all twelve contestants, including Tong Hua, lit the stoves.

Tong Hua took a deep breath and fixed her gaze on the frying pan in front of her.

Heat the pan, then pour in the oil!

The moment Tong Hua picked up the spatula, his profession instantly switched to chef. Then, he rapidly cracked eggs with one hand.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

The three eggs were cracked open almost simultaneously, and the yolks sizzled into the pan.

"Fry three at once?!" A contestant next to him stared wide-eyed, almost forgetting to flip his own egg.

Tong Hua ignored the surprised voices around her and focused intently on the changes in the pot.

He gently wiggled his wrist to spread the egg mixture evenly, ensuring that the edges of the egg white were crisp without burning, while the yolk remained perfectly semi-solid.

"turn!"

Tong Hua reflexively flicked her wrist, and the three fried eggs in the pan were flipped over at the same time!

The movements were absolutely perfect!

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Thanks to Tong Hua's rapid-cooking skills, all three Tangxin eggs were completed in just thirty seconds and neatly arranged on the plate.

Each one looks golden and tempting, with egg whites as crisp as lace and yolks trembling slightly, as if they might flow out at any moment.

"Done!" Tong Hua raised her hand to indicate.

At this point, most contestants had only completed one task.

Old Jack stepped forward, carefully examined Tong Hua's creation, cut it open, tasted it, and nodded in satisfaction: "A perfect runny omelet, and the speed is astonishing! No doubt, you advance!"

There was a moment of silence, followed by enthusiastic applause.

The remaining contestants felt increased pressure and sped up their movements. In their panic, some burned the egg whites, some broke the yolks, and some even accidentally flipped their eggs out of the air, causing a burst of laughter.

In the end, only three contestants managed to complete the Tang Xindan (a type of egg dish) within the allotted time, and they advanced to the semifinals along with Tong Hua.

Meanwhile, Tong Hua was happy about something else.

His cooking profession has finally reached level 20.

And as he expected, his cheat system unlocked new functions once again.

Congratulations! You've been promoted to "Master Chef"!

[Unlock Achievement: Mastery]

[The recipe catalog is now available!]