Pokémon: I just became a Gym Leader, and Cynthia proposed to me.

Chapter 714 The Golden Orb That Can Make Creatures Giant

Li Shuwen didn't say anything, but his hands moved even faster.

He skewered the prepared fish with tree branches and grilled them over a fire.

Soon, the fish skin began to change color, and oil dripped out, making a sizzling sound.

The fragrance grew stronger and stronger, drifting further and further away, attracting the wild Pokémon in the mountains and forests to peek out curiously.

The first fish is cooked.

Li Shuwen handed it to Xiba.

Shiba took it, ignoring the heat, and took a big bite.

Then his eyes widened.

"Ugh—!!!"

He chewed, a complex expression on his face—surprise, enjoyment, and a hint of disbelief.

The fish melted in the mouth, and a warm sensation slid down the esophagus into the stomach, then quickly spread to the limbs and bones.

That power wasn't the feeling of fullness that ordinary food could provide; rather, it was like a gentle stream, flowing through the blood vessels, meandering through the muscles, and settling in the bones.

Shiba could clearly feel every muscle in his body trembling slightly, as if it had been injected with new vitality.

The hidden injuries accumulated in battle and the fatigue left by years of training were gradually melted away under the scouring of this power.

"This..." he murmured, "this fish..."

Li Shuwen then handed him a second one.

"Don't rush, eat slowly. There are different ways to prepare it."

Next, Li Shuwen demonstrated his amazing culinary skills.

Grilled fish, steamed fish, fish soup, pan-fried fish fillets, and fish porridge.

He used different methods to turn twenty silverfish from the earth's core into various delicacies.

Shiba couldn't stop eating.

With each bite, he could feel his internal strength increasing.

Xiao Gang also ate with great relish.

But when he ate the second one, his expression changed.

A burning sensation rose from my abdomen and quickly spread throughout my body.

His face began to flush, sweat beaded on his forehead, and his heart pounded as if it would burst out of his chest.

Li Shuwen glanced at him and placed his hand on his wrist.

The power of waveguide swept away everything.

"Don't eat it," he said. "This fish contains too much energy; your body can't handle it."

Xiao Gang was stunned for a moment, then looked at the remaining half of the fish in his hand with a face full of regret.

"But I can still eat..."

Li Shuwen shook his head.

"You're feeling like you're 'too weak to tolerate tonics.' If you keep taking them, it will cause problems."

Xiao Gang sighed and reluctantly put the half fish down.

Shiba laughed heartily.

"Xiao Gang, you're still too weak! Look at me, I've eaten seven or eight of them and I'm perfectly fine!"

As he spoke, a faint white light flickered around his body, a sign that his true energy was circulating rapidly within him.

Xiao Gang looked at his smug expression and his eyes turned red with envy.

Just then, a small figure hopped out of the grass.

That's a Pipi.

It has pink skin, a round body, and a pair of small wings on its back.

It hopped and skipped toward the three of them, holding a golden bead in its hand that sparkled in the sunlight.

His eyes were fixed on the silver fish at the center of the earth.

"Pipi~"

The soft, sweet calls drew closer step by step, a mixture of fear and longing.

Li Shuwen looked at Pipi and smiled slightly.

"Want some?"

Pipi nodded repeatedly, then proactively handed over the golden bead in his hand.

"Pipi~"

Pipi held the bead high and offered to trade it to you.

Li Shuwen took the bead and handed a grilled fish to Pipi.

"Eat up. There's more if you're still hungry."

Pipi took the fish, smelled it carefully, and then took a small bite.

The next second, Pipi's eyes lit up.

They started wolfing down their food, eating even more voraciously than Shiba.

Its tiny body managed to devour three whole silverfish in just a few minutes!

Xiao Gang was dumbfounded.

"This...this Pippi has such a good appetite..."

Shiba was also stunned.

"Eat even more than me?"

After finishing the three fish, Pipi patted its round belly contentedly, called out to Li Shuwen, and then hopped and skipped away into the grass.

Li Shuwen lowered his head and looked at the golden bead in his hand.

The first feeling upon handling it was not coolness, but warmth—a gentle and warm power originating from the same source as the Earth's core silverfish.

He examined it carefully.

They discovered that these were not ordinary gold beads.

Its surface is smooth and delicate, with a faint golden light visible flowing inside.

That power seeped into his body through his palm, circulated within him, and then…

Li Shuwen suddenly had a strange feeling.

It felt as if my body was getting bigger.

The feeling was amazing, like... like my body was being injected with an energy that could "grow".

He looked up at Shiba and Xiaogang.

"There's something wrong with this stone."

Shiba came closer.

"What's the problem?"

Li Shuwen described that feeling.

Shiba frowned.

"The feeling of getting bigger? You mean...?"

Li Shuwen nodded.

"The giant rock serpent of Mount Miacha grew to such a large size because it was nourished by ancient energy from underground. This energy is of the same origin as the energy of the lake water."

He looked at the uneaten silverfish from the subterranean earth.

"If you eat too much, it might make you bigger."

Xiao Gang gasped.

"If I keep eating, won't I turn into a giant?!"

Li Shuwen shook his head.

"Not that fast. But it's certainly possible." He paused. "So you can't just take it anywhere. You need to analyze its properties, adjust the formula, and control the dosage to ensure it's safe to take."

Li Shuwen looked at the golden bead. If he could fully unleash its energy using the power of the wave guide... perhaps... he could truly transform into an ancient giant...

Shiba grinned.

"That's too much trouble. Why not just completely digest the energy?"

He stood up, and his muscles quickly became flushed with blood, turning red like blocks of red-hot iron.

Fine beads of sweat seeped from his skin, evaporating when heated and turning into wisps of white steam that enveloped him.

He started making some strange gestures.

Those postures were contorted and bizarre, like yoga, or some kind of ancient martial art.

His body constantly shifted between those postures, stretching, compressing, twisting, and extending; with each shift, the swollen muscles would return to normal.

The steam is getting thicker and thicker.

Shiba's breathing became heavier and heavier.

But his muscles are returning to normal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Shiba let out a long breath and stood up straight.

As the steam dissipated, his bronze-colored, well-defined muscles were revealed.

His physique remained unchanged compared to before, but his imposing presence was even stronger.

"Done."

Shiba clenched his fist, a faint light swirling around the knuckles. "I feel like my strength has increased significantly."

He looked at Li Shuwen.

"Aren't you going to exercise a bit? You ate more fish than I did just now, didn't you?"

Li Shuwen shook his head.

"Need not."

Shiba was taken aback.

"No need? Then how will you digest it?"

Li Shuwen raised his hand, and a flash of white light disappeared from his palm.

"I'm better at using qi, so that after I eat it, it's already directly digested by my body."

Shiba's eyes widened.

"Direct digestion?! No need for exercise?!"

Li Shuwen nodded.

Shiba: "..."

"Let's go back and find Professor Oak."

……

Professor Oak's eyes widened as he listened to the three men's accounts.

"What?! There's an ancient civilization ruin right next to Pallet Town?!"