After eating and drinking his fill, Austin returned to his room.
Leaning comfortably against Agni, Austin took out the three random Pokémon item lottery tickets from his backpack and used them one by one.
Ding!
Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a Metal Coat.
Ding!
Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a Speed Enhancer (Powerful Version).
Ding!
Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a Life Orb.
Three new items quietly appeared inside his backpack.
[Metal Coat]
When held, Steel-type moves are powered up. Can also be used as an evolution item.
Austin was very familiar with this item. Scyther can evolve into Scizor using a Metal Coat.
Beyond boosting Steel-type moves and triggering evolution, the Metal Coat also had uses in Pokémon breeding.
This was practically tailor-made for a shiny like Metang. Since Metang was already close to evolving, Austin decided it would be used during its upcoming training.
[Speed Enhancer (Powerful Version)]
Greatly increases a Pokémon's Speed. One powerful version is equivalent to six regular bottles.
In games, Austin remembered this item boosting Speed Effort Values by ten points.
But this was the real world. What kind of concrete changes it would bring remained to be seen.
"I'll give this to Ryu or Agni."
His gaze shifted to the final item.
[Life Orb]
Boosts the power of moves, but the user loses a small amount of HP each time it attacks.
Mentioning a Life Orb inevitably reminded Austin of Life Orb + Sheer Force Feraligatr—Dragon Dance into absolute chaos.
Dragapult was also a classic Life Orb user.
Among his current team, Agni clearly had the strongest vitality, making it the safest choice.
Austin quickly made his decision.
He handed the small blue bottle containing the Speed Enhancer to Ryu.
"Cario?"
(What's this?)
"A good item for improving speed. You'll understand once you drink it."
Ryu eyed the bottle suspiciously, clearly expecting something unpleasant, but still tilted his head back and gulped it down in one go.
"How does it feel?"
"Lucario.Cario."
(Sweet. Surprisingly good. I want to go outside and test it.)
"No rush. I'll test your speed properly tomorrow."
"Rio."
Next, Austin passed the Metal Coat—shaped like two stacked button batteries—to Metang.
"Metang, this one's yours. You can eat it directly."
The metallic energy contained inside the Metal Coat was obvious at a glance. Metang immediately recognized its value.
The Metal Coat could be ground into powder or consumed whole. Since Austin lacked the proper tools, he let Metang handle it the old-fashioned way.
"Tang!"
"Canine. Ninee~"
Agni stared at Austin with pitiful eyes.
(What about mine?)
"You've got one too. Here."
Austin took out the purplish-red Life Orb and handed it over.
"Slurp!"
Agni eagerly stuck out his tongue, giving it a lick before nodding in clear satisfaction.
"This isn't food. You just carry it with you."
Agni grinned proudly, wearing an expression that suggested complete understanding.
Austin could only hope that was true.
For Agni, licking or even chewing things like Fire Stones had never been an issue—but a Life Orb was different.
"Remember," Austin reminded him again, "this is not something you eat."
"ArcaNINE!"
(You can trust me!)
Even so, Agni continued lightly licking the Life Orb, clearly enjoying himself.
Shaking his head, Austin opened PokéStream on his Pokégear.
The video he had uploaded earlier that afternoon had unexpectedly gone viral.
His private messages were already sitting at 99+, and his follower count had climbed past 900.
Since this was his first upload, many people were probably still on the fence about following him.
Scrolling through the comments, Austin smiled.
"Saved to favorites. Maybe later."
"Time to submit feedback—nailed it on the first try!"
"Sent it to my girlfriend. She says it looks amazing and wants me to cook this next time."
Frequent PokéStream users quickly noticed a new UP creator in the food section.
The sweet and sour pork Austin made looked good in color, aroma, and presentation—and Agni licking the plate spotless was the strongest proof of its quality.
At this rate, Austin was confident he wouldn't even need a second video to break the 1,000-follower mark.
Completing the first small goal of the side quest [I Really Didn't Want to Be a UP Host].
Austin also planned to release his second video tomorrow.
As Austin drifted off to sleep, the notification popped up just as the 1,001st follower joined:
Ding!
Detected that the account has exceeded 1,000 followers. The first stage goal of [I Really Didn't Want to Be a UP Host] has been completed. Rewards have been issued.
Ding!
You have received Random Pokémon Item Lottery Ticket x1, Random Specialty Dish Recipe — Crab Roe Lion's Head (B-rank)."
[Second Stage Goal: Account followers exceed 10,000.]
[Quest Reward: Random Specialty Dish x1, Random Pokémon Item Lottery Ticket x2]
. . .
Early in the morning, the renovation crew arrived, accompanied by Machokes.
While washing up, Austin glanced at the Crab Roe Lion's Head recipe and its effects:
[Crab Roe Lion's Head (B-rank)]: Soft and tender texture, rich but not greasy, fresh and fragrant crab roe. After consumption, strength is slightly increased (permanent, one-time only).
«Click to view the detailed production video.»
Daily production attempts: (0/6)
Note: The cooking difficulty of this dish exceeds the Host's cooking level. Production is guaranteed to fail.
Austin muttered under his breath, "Why don't you just say 'don't waste food'?"
The system added a polite note at the end: Please improve your cooking skills before attempting, Host, and do not waste food.
"…humble enough," Austin thought.
He then chose to use the newly acquired Pokémon item lottery ticket.
Ding!
Congratulations, Host, you have obtained Moomoo Milk (High Quality) x1.
[Moomoo Milk (High Quality)]: One bottle restores energy. Consuming the entire bottle slightly increases stamina (one-time only). Humans can also drink it.
A permanent, small stamina boost from a single bottle wasn't much use for Austin. With his Super True Human physique, it barely mattered—he wasn't training for anything athletic anyway.
If there were ten bottles, that would have been a different story. Still, it was perfect for Agni, who carried the Life Orb. Austin decided to give it special treatment.
…
Two Machoke hung up the sign for Dark Crest Jubilife Breeding House, officially opening the Breeding Center.
"Yes, yes, exactly to the right! Perfect!"
Leon nodded in satisfaction.
Austin snapped a photo of the sign, sending it to Dai Yui and Mizuki, and posted it to his social media circle.
"I've posted the recruitment info. People should start coming for interviews soon."
He had edited and uploaded the job post the night before.
Leon clapped him on the shoulder. "Well done, son."
Not long after, the Breeding House welcomed its first customer.
. . .
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