Inside Austin Black's room.
Austin stared at the notification window that had appeared in front of him.
Ding!
[Feraligatr is satisfied with the skin management. Task objective (100/100). Task completed.]
Ding!
[Main Quest: Advancing Breeding House Stage One completed. Rewards have been issued.]
[Obtained random special dish: Mapo Tofu (B-rank)]
[Obtained Pokémon item lottery ticket ×1. Random item acquired: Breeding House Monitoring System (usable)]
Ding!
[Main Quest Stage Two activated: A Place of Our Own]
[Objective: Gain the approval of 1,000 customers, including Pokémon, for the Breeding Center. (37/1,000).]
[Rewards: Random item ×1, random special dish ×1, Pokémon item lottery ticket ×3]
[Task hint: Make customers genuinely believe that the Breeding Center is the best Breeding House in Jubilife City.]
Mapo Tofu (B-rank)
Spicy and aromatic. After consumption, Special Attack receives a small permanent increase. The effect applies once. Later consumption grants temporary boosts.
(Click to view cooking tutorial)
Daily cooking attempts: 0/6
Reminder: Based on the host's current cooking skill, there is still a chance of failure.
By now, Austin had already figured out the ranking logic behind the Special Dish Pokédex.
For a dish like Mapo Tofu, B-rank represented the minimum success threshold. Anything below that meant failure.
With enough skill, however, reaching A-rank was completely possible.
Compared with Crab Roe Lion's Head, this dish gave Austin far more confidence.
His grandfather had personally taught him how to cook Mapo Tofu when he was younger, which meant his chances of recreating it were much higher.
Still, cooking would have to wait until tomorrow.
Austin then shifted his attention to the other reward.
Skynet Monitoring System.
Just from the name alone, the purpose was obvious.
It was a surveillance system.
Breeding House Monitoring System
Allows monitoring of all public areas within the Breeding Center. Perspective can be freely adjusted, with zoom-in and zoom-out functions available.
A confirmation window appeared.
[Use the system now?]
Yes/No
Austin selected Yes.
A holographic projection appeared in midair, visible only to him.
It looked like a miniature sandbox model of the entire property.
From a bird's eye perspective, he could see everything from the western gate that connected to Jubilife City all the way to the eastern fence line.
Austin leaned closer, curiosity rising.
Even from inside his room, he could clearly see a Luxray sleeping on a rock nearly a kilometer away.
The Luxray was curled up in a relaxed farmer's tuck posture. A small bubble of snot expanded and shrank with every breath, giving the powerful Pokémon an unexpectedly cute look.
High in the trees nearby, two small Mankey hung upside down from branches using their tails.
They were fighting fiercely.
This was clearly a status fight inside the troop.
Around them, several other Mankey waved their claws and cheered, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
Farther away, a group of Miltank grazed peacefully in the evening light.
One of them stood out immediately.
It was the roundest one in the entire herd.
Austin's gaze drifted toward the kitchen.
Inside, his dad stood by the stove cooking a bowl of seafood instant ramen.
Austin sighed.
He finally understood why Leon worked so hard every day but never lost weight.
The system only allowed observation of public spaces. Private rooms could not be viewed.
That restriction showed a high level of respect for privacy.
"Ryu?"
Ryu suddenly opened his eyes from meditation.
The Aura Pokémon had been sitting cross-legged on the floor.
Now he slowly looked around and said through aura.
(That feels strange.)
Austin glanced over.
"What's wrong?"
Ryu placed one paw against the ground. His eyes narrowed slightly.
(I feel like someone is watching.)
Agni raised his head and scanned the room briefly before dropping his head back onto his paws.
Zenith paid no attention at all.
The steel Pokémon remained completely absorbed in the Metagross Breeding Manual that Steven Stone had given it.
Austin did not expect Ryu's senses to be this sharp.
"Really? I don't feel anything."
Ryu extended his Aura outward, scanning carefully.
Nothing appeared out of place.
Eventually, he withdrew the Aura and assumed it had been his imagination.
Austin quickly realized what had happened.
When he monitored the public areas outside, Ryu detected nothing.
The moment Austin tried to observe his own room, Ryu immediately sensed the disturbance.
To confirm the theory, Austin switched the camera back to the kitchen.
Ryu remained completely calm.
Austin nodded slightly.
As long as I avoid looking into rooms, there won't be any reaction.
He still had one Pokémon Item Lottery Ticket left in his inventory.
Austin decided to use it.
Ding!
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a Dragon Scale.]
Dragon Scales were not rare items.
Dragon-type Pokémon such as Dragonite, Salamence, and Garchomp shed them periodically.
However, the scale Austin had received looked different.
It was completely black.
Dragon Scale
A scale shed by Black Rayquaza. Can be held by Seadra to trigger evolution. Can also be used in Dragon-type breeding.
Austin blinked.
He immediately withdrew his earlier assumption.
This scale was extremely valuable.
Black Rayquaza.
He remembered the legendary black Mega Rayquaza that appeared during the Hoopa incident. The creature's power had been overwhelming.
Austin did not currently own any Dragon-type Pokémon.
Still, two names had always been his favorites.
Salamence.
And Dragapult.
Austin turned the black scale slowly in his fingers.
"If I ever get the chance," he murmured, "I might try catching one."
Austin Black glanced at another system mission.
The quest titled I Really Didn't Want to Be an Up-Host had been progressing steadily. His account had already crossed eighty thousand followers.
Stage Three displayed two objectives.
Account followers: 80,259 / 100,000
Million-view videos: 4 / 5
Both goals were within reach.
Austin felt a surge of motivation.
He sat down in front of his computer and began editing the next video for PokéStream.
Pokémon Trainer Guide 05: Essential Oil Care.
The editing process took longer than expected.
When Austin finally glanced at the clock, it was already 11:30 p.m.
He clicked Upload, leaned back in his chair, and stretched his arms.
"Finally finished. Time to sleep."
Austin's videos always followed the platform guidelines carefully, so they usually passed review quickly.
Just a few minutes later, the notification appeared.
Pokémon Trainer Guide 05: Essential Oil Care approved. Upload successful.
Right before heading to bed, another message popped up on his Pokégear.
It was from a friend.
[I'll find some time to come over in the next few days.]
Austin had asked her for help earlier.
He hoped she could bring her Milotic.
Regarding the Feebas situation, Austin planned to follow the advice given by his grandfather and by Blue. The best solution was simple communication with Milotic or Feebas themselves.
Austin placed the Pokégear aside and yawned.
"Feeling good. Time to sleep. Ryu, lights out."
"Lucario!"
The room went dark.
. . .
The next morning.
Austin stood in front of the sink brushing his teeth while scrolling through the comments on PokéStream.
He was reading the feedback for the fifth video he uploaded the night before.
The video opened with Austin speaking directly to the camera.
"What I want to tell everyone in this episode is simple. Don't buy a huge pile of essential oils and stack them at home."
"Essential oil care for Pokémon is a long process. It also takes time and patience."
"Different Pokémon prefer different scents, so it's important to choose carefully."
"That's the key point."
"If you want to experiment, try small bottles first. Citrus, woody, or floral scents are good starting options."
"You can buy them from any shop you like. This video isn't sponsored."
"Alright. Let's move to the main topic."
Austin scrolled through the comment section.
Many viewers had already left detailed feedback.
@GardevoirSimp
Nice!
@TheBigThree
I'm also an essential oil fan. Everyone should try sample bottles before buying…
@Sinnohforlife
This episode is actually very useful.
The topic itself was somewhat niche, yet the video's views were still climbing steadily.
Austin nodded with satisfaction.
Then Leon Black's voice suddenly echoed from outside the room.
"Son, a guest is here. Come out quickly!"
. . .
Please do leave a review and powerstones, which helps with the book's exposure.
Feel like joining a Patreon for free and subscribing to 30+ advanced chapters?
Visit the link:
[email protected]/GRANDMAESTA_30
Change @ to a