Uncle Hanson left quickly; he had taken time out of his busy schedule to pick up Austin and the others.
His shop wasn't too far from here, only about 30 minutes by the nearest train.
Buying such a large Breeding House had drained the family's savings over the years, leaving them owing Uncle 30 million Pokédollars.
But Austin remained optimistic.
After buying it, there was no rent pressure, and his parents could save a lot of money; at worst, they could just earn it back.
Especially with such good equipment here, as long as they could build a reputation, losing money was impossible.
"If worst comes to worst, I can still compete in the Pokémon Cup and the League."
If he could win the League Conference, he would also receive a hefty prize.
"Hmm... once I have a reputation, I can also get endorsements."
Austin immediately laid out a clear plan for himself.
Suddenly realizing something, he paused.
"Oh no, why am I as blindly optimistic as my dad?"
"Son, what are you saying about me?"
His dad appeared out of nowhere, nearly startling him.
"Nothing, just thinking about filming videos," Austin said, keeping a straight face.
Leon didn't notice the little white lie and patted his shoulder cheerfully.
"Go for it, son. Do well, Dad believes in you!"
Austin didn't respond. That three-part phrase—"Go for it, do well, Dad believes in you"—was his dad's standard line.
Noticing both of his parents fully geared up, Austin raised an eyebrow. "Are you going out?"
Compared to his optimistic dad, his mom seemed much more level-headed.
"We're heading to Jubilife City center to order some supplies. Want to come?"
Austin shook his head. "No, you go ahead. I'll research filming techniques and prepare for the Breeder assessment."
Before he could finish, Leon got into a black pickup truck, ready to start the engine.
"Then off you go, son. Good luck!"
His mom quickly got into the car as well, taking Machamp and Gardevoir along.
Machamp even waved with all four hands.
Austin waved back, coughing from a bit of exhaust, and muttered, "They never planned to take me, did they?!"
Used to being given freedom by his parents, he was already accustomed to moments like this.
The Breeder assessment was in two days, and Austin was brimming with confidence—so much so that he didn't quite know what to do with himself.
"I wonder where Ryu and the others went."
They had said they wanted to look around, but now they were nowhere in sight.
"Never mind, with their strength, it shouldn't be a problem."
Austin summarized his priorities:
"Advancing the Breeding House" and "I Really Didn't Want to Be an Uploader" were the tasks he could tackle immediately.
One required 100 satisfied customers and Pokémon at the Breeding House. The other required his account's follower count to hit 1,000.
Technically, the Breeding House was open now—but it had no customers yet, and the sign hadn't even gone up.
Besides putting up the sign, they also needed to hire staff, whether human or Pokémon.
Austin planned to discuss these things with his parents when they returned.
...
Back in his room, he opened his Pokégear. He had a PokéStream account from earlier, but hadn't posted anything yet.
Sitting in front of the screen, deep in thought, he muttered,
"How can I gain followers quickly? Should I make a scripted video, like 'I found a Shinx'?"
He didn't mention that from his window, he could already see several Shinx on a nearby hill—a wild Luxray family, numbering over a dozen.
The blue-skinned Luxray had most of its body covered in blue-black fluffy fur, and its slender tail ended in a yellow four-pointed star.
These Luxray were two sizes smaller than Agni and Ryu and were masters of Intimidate.
Austin knew he couldn't risk forced trades; there was no guarantee they wouldn't electrocute him with a Thunderbolt. Even with his Superhuman physique, a shock would still hurt.
Browsing PokéStream's homepage—Dance, Music, Animation, Sports, Food, Battles, Games—he focused on Battles, which featured real battle recordings.
High-view videos included Lance VS Lorelei, Leon VS Kabu, Cynthia VS Palmer—but he couldn't find Red VS Green.
He was a bit disappointed but found many of Green's Viridian Gym battles compiled by fans.
"Popular Supermodel Elesa!"
"Black Pearl Roxie!"
"Charmander Evolves!"
The site's sections were very detailed. After a brief dive into the universally appealing Dance section, Austin sobered up—most videos were Pokémon-related. Elesa, though a supermodel, was also a Gym Leader, proving Pokémon = traffic.
Austin realized scripted videos weren't safe. If exposed, he could be banned across the network, leaving him with nothing.
After thinking it through, he concluded that Food or Lifestyle content was his best bet. The Breeding House could tie into both.
The top Lifestyle video was "Professor Oak's Ranch."
"Maybe one day, the Breeding House can become Professor Oak's Ranch too," Austin dreamed.
He thought of his cooking skills and the many dishes his grandfather had taught him—passed down from his great-great-grandfather, who had arrived alone in Sinnoh.
Austin felt incredibly capable… until he noticed the empty refrigerator.
Only then did he remember: they'd just moved in, and there was nothing—even Pokémon food.
The weather was cold, not suitable for Smoked Oran Berry Juice, and the dried fruits he had prepped before were gone.
Austin had failed countless times making the juice before finally succeeding with his grandfather's guidance.
Facing the empty fridge, he grabbed his Pokégear.
Austin: Dad, buy more ingredients. I want to film a cooking video.
Dad: Alright, son, don't worry.
With nothing else to do, Austin looked at Shiny Metang guarding the house and Agni lying under a tree, then returned to reading.
…
Meanwhile, Ryu and the others moved through the suburbs of Jubilife City. It wasn't deserted; residents lived in large courtyards and villas with private entrances.
A neatly dressed man rode a Rapidash, galloping along the flat road. A well-dressed woman walked with a Growlithe. A young man cycled by, accompanied by a Wingull.
These were Ryu and their targets.
"Lucario!"
(Start the operation)
"Arcanine!"
"Tang!"
. . .
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