(For details about the names, see the author's note for this chapter.)
Back Mountain.
Just after Li Wei caught the Shiny Metang, his Pokétch rang. It was a call from his father, Leon.
"Son!"
His round face still couldn't hide his handsome features. Leon's face filled the entire watch screen.
"Move over. Let me talk to our son."
Wen Hui elbowed her way in, successfully shoving Leon aside.
When the two walked together, people could easily assume that his Dad, Leon, was loaded.
His Dad had once been a handsome young man, too. He had just gotten a little plump these days...
Leon's voice came from the other end. "Son, when are you coming home? We've got something to discuss with you!"
"I'll be back soon. Go ahead and tell me."
Leon's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"The compensation for demolishing our old shop came through. Your mom and I want to open a Pokémon Day Care in Jubilife City, one with a yard where we can grow our own Berries!"
"It'll need renovating, though. That'll take about a month."
His mother shattered his Dad's dream with a single punch.
Both of Li Wei's parents were Pokémon breeders.
Jubilife City was the most economically and technologically developed city in the Sinnoh Region. It was crowded, and every inch of land cost a fortune.
Li Wei tallied up what his parents had earned over the years, plus the demolition compensation. But buying a Pokémon Day Care with a yard...
So my family was actually this rich?
"Do we have enough money?"
Leon chuckled. "Not quite, but we can borrow a little from your uncle."
Li Wei's uncle, Li Wen, also lived in Jubilife City.
He was a renowned Pokémon Style Designer who specialized in styling Trainers and Pokémon and designing clothes.
Basically, he was a designer and tailor.
"How much would we need to borrow?"
"About thirty million."
The bowl of ramen Li Wei had just paid for had cost 880.
Li Wei thought it over. Both his Dad and mother were advanced Pokémon breeders, and he knew Pokémon Breeding himself...
If all else failed, they could ask his grandfather to come out of retirement.
Li Wei nodded. "I'm behind you."
"Then we'll buy it!"
"Sure. I'll be home soon."
"All right, son. We'll talk when you get back."
A mechanical female voice suddenly sounded in Li Wei's mind.
[Ding. Binding system...] [Ding. Optional main quest detected: Pokémon Day Care on the rise!] [Starter gift pack opened...]
After giving the Shiny Metang's injuries some basic treatment with a Potion, Li Wei headed down the mountain to the Pokémon Center.
"Nurse Joy, sorry for the trouble."
Across from Li Wei stood Nurse Joy, dressed in a nurse's uniform, with long pink hair and a sweet smile.
Nurse Joys with almost identical appearances worked in Pokémon Centers across all the major regions.
Surprise flashed in Nurse Joy's eyes when she saw the Shiny Metang inside the Luxury Ball.
"You caught it? That's impressive!"
Nurse Joy had treated quite a few Pokémon that this Shiny Metang had thoroughly thrashed.
The Shiny Metang was on its way to becoming the undisputed boss of Back Mountain. Some people had even started privately calling Back Mountain Metang Mountain.
"Yes. It got a little dangerous."
"It's wonderful that you managed to catch it. We were wondering whether to put up a sign on Back Mountain warning Trainers to stay away. Leave it to Chansey and me."
"Lucky~"
Chansey patted its chest with its little stubby hands.
While waiting in the Pokémon Center, Li Wei finally had time to check out the system.
When he shifted his gaze to the exclamation mark, a virtual notification window and personal panel suddenly popped up before his eyes.
[System bound.] [Starter gift pack awarded: Super New Trainer physique, Appraisal Eye (beginner), and Random Pokémon Item Lottery Ticket ×1.]
His personal panel popped up next.
[Name]: Li Wei [Age]: 18 [Physique]: Super New Trainer (Physical capabilities greatly enhanced. Damage inflicted on you by Pokémon moves is reduced to 0.01%. You can take a Judgment head-on. If you throw a full-power punch, even Mewtwo will have to put up a defense.) [Special abilities]: None [Special cuisine Pokédex]: Locked [Skills]: Center of Attention (Master Tier): The brightest star in any crowd, complete with your own BGM and Spotlight. (Special skill; cannot be leveled up through experience.) Appraisal Eye (beginner): Provides basic information and identifies moves a Pokémon has learned. (Cannot be leveled up through experience.) Command (intermediate): You have mastered miraculous techniques such as Healing Roar, Dodge Quickly, and Now's the Time. (100/10,000) Pokémon Breeding (intermediate): Your Pokémon Breeding abilities are fairly good. (1,200/10,000) Pokéblock (intermediate): You can make delicious Pokéblocks tailored to a Pokémon's tastes. (2,500/10,000) Poffin (beginner): Your Poffins are truly Schrödinger's Poffins. Until they come out of the oven, no one can tell whether they're good or bad. (0/1,000) Cooking (beginner): Your knife skills are decent. You won't burn the food or poison anyone to death. (100/1,000) Ancient Language (beginner): As a native of Celestic Town, you are dragging down your fellow townspeople. This is quite unacceptable. (0/1,000)
As long as you give me stuff, roast me all you want.
He ignored the system's snark and continued reading.
[Main quests] (optional): 1. Pokémon Day Care on the rise: Join your family's Pokémon Day Care, build it bigger and stronger, and bring it to new heights! Stage one objective: Reach 100 satisfied customers (including Pokémon). Stage one rewards: Random Specialty Cuisine ×1, Random Pokémon Item Lottery Ticket ×1, Random Item ×1. [Side quests] (optional): 1. A mother's wish: Having watched Li Wei grow into an adult, Wen Hui now hopes her son will find a gentle, kindhearted girlfriend. Quest reward: Unknown. Awarded according to Wen Hui's level of satisfaction. 2. Roland's wish: Roland wishes to become a better mythology scholar and Trainer than her older sister, Cynthia. Please help her fulfill this wish. (See the author's note for this chapter.) Quest reward: Unknown. Awarded according to Roland's level of satisfaction. [Special notes]: 1. This system only provides guidance and will not force the host to accept quests. Please make your own choices. 2. Quests have no time limits and no penalties for failure. 3. Side quests expand as you make friends (including Pokémon). 4. The Random Pokémon Item list is available for viewing. (Click for details.)
Specialty cuisine?
Like the Pokémon curry in the Galar Region?
Or would the food I cooked glow?
"Whatever. I'll look into it later."
Li Wei opened the Random Pokémon Item list.
Whoa, you've even got Master Balls?
Key Stones, Lucarionite,
Electrium Z... Dynamax Bands, Tera Orbs.
Is this system Doraemon or Arceus?
Li Wei accepted both the main quest and the side quests.
He was going to help out at the Pokémon Day Care anyway, so he might as well accept them first. There were no time limits or penalties for failure.
There was only a single [Random Pokémon Item Lottery Ticket] in his inventory. Li Wei chose to use it.
Before you continue