Li Wei's room.
Li Wei looked at the messages that popped up from the system.
[Ding! Feraligatr is satisfied with the skin care. Mission objective: (100/100). Mission complete.] [Ding! Phase one of the main mission, Day Care on the Attack, is complete. Rewards have been issued.] [Obtained Random Specialty Cuisine-Mapo Tofu (grade B).] [Obtained Pokémon Item Prize Ticket ×1, Random Item-Skynet Surveillance System (available for use).] [Ding! Phase two of the main mission: A place of their own. Earn the approval of 1,000 customers (including Pokémon) at the Breeding Center. (37/1,000)] [Mission rewards: Random Item ×1, Random Specialty Cuisine ×1, Pokémon Item Prize Ticket ×3.] [Mission hint: Make customers genuinely believe that the Breeding Center is the best Pokémon Day Care/Breeding Center in Jubilife City.] Mapo Tofu (grade B): Numbing, spicy, savory, and aromatic. Eating it grants a small permanent increase to Special Attack (once only). Subsequent servings grant a temporary increase. (Click to view video details.) Daily preparation limit: (0/6) Friendly reminder: Given the host's current Cooking level, there is a chance of failure.
By now, Li Wei had figured out how the grades in the specialty cuisine Pokédex worked.
For Mapo Tofu, for instance, grade B was the minimum threshold.
Only a grade B dish would count as a success, but with good enough cooking skills, making a grade A dish was entirely possible.
Unlike Crab Roe Lion's Head, Li Wei had learned to make Mapo Tofu from his grandfather, so his chances of successfully reproducing it were higher.
Still, making Mapo Tofu would have to wait until tomorrow.
Li Wei turned his attention to the Random Item awarded by the mission-the Skynet Surveillance System, which sounded like a surveillance device.
It was exactly what its name suggested: a surveillance system.
Skynet Surveillance System: Monitors all public areas of the Breeding Center. Freely adjust the viewing angle and zoom in or out.
A dialog box popped up on the surveillance interface: [Use now?]
Li Wei selected yes.
A miniature virtual model, visible only to Li Wei, appeared in the air like a hologram.
Viewed from above, it stretched from the gate leading to Jubilife City on the western side, extending westward all the way to the fence at the easternmost edge.
Li Wei's eyes lit up as he explored the Skynet Surveillance System.
Even from inside his room, Li Wei could clearly see Luxray sleeping on a rock a kilometer away.
Luxray was dozing with paws tucked underneath, a snot bubble swelling and shrinking at the nose. It was unexpectedly adorable.
Up in a tree, two little Mankey hung from branches by their tails, fighting fiercely.
The Mankey were battling for their standing within the troop.
Around them, a group of Mankey waved their claws excitedly, looking all too eager to watch the trouble unfold.
The Miltank still diligently grazing at night was the roundest of the bunch.
His gaze shifted to the kitchen, where Comrade Leon was cooking himself some seafood instant ramen.
No wonder he was getting rounder and rounder!
Li Wei finally understood why his father hadn't slimmed down at all despite working hard every day.
Only public spaces could be viewed; all private areas were off-limits. It was certainly respectful of privacy.
"Luca?"
Lucario, who was meditating cross-legged on the floor, suddenly raised a head.
How strange.
"What's wrong?"
Lucario pressed a palm against the floor, eyes filled with puzzlement. It feels like something strange is watching me.
Arcanine raised a head and glanced around, but soon settled back down on the floor.
Metagross, meanwhile, was immersed in a sea of knowledge, still studying the "Metagross Breeding Manual" Steven had provided.
Li Wei hadn't expected Lucario's senses to be so keen. "Really? I don't feel anything."
But no matter how Lucario probed with Aura, nothing unusual turned up, so Lucario dismissed it as a false impression.
While Li Wei monitored the public areas, Lucario sensed nothing out of the ordinary.
Only when he tried to look at his own room did Lucario notice something strange.
To test his theory, Li Wei took another look at the kitchen. Lucario showed no reaction.
Looks like I'll be fine as long as I don't look at the room.
There was still one Pokémon Item Prize Ticket left in his inventory, and Li Wei chose to use it.
[Ding! Congratulations, host! You drew a Dragon Scale.]
Dragon Scales weren't particularly valuable. Dragon-type Pokémon such as Dragonite, Salamence, and Garchomp shed them regularly.
But this Dragon Scale caught Li Wei's attention because it was black.
Dragon Scale: A scale shed by a black Rayquaza. Can be held by Seadra for evolution or used to raise Dragon-type Pokémon.
Li Wei took back what he had just said. This Dragon Scale was quite valuable indeed.
A black Rayquaza!
Li Wei remembered the black Mega Rayquaza that had appeared in the Hoopa movie. That thing had been ridiculously powerful.
Li Wei didn't have any Dragon-type Pokémon yet. His favorites were Salamence and Dragapult.
Li Wei murmured, "If I get the chance, I could try catching one."
Li Wei then looked at another mission, [I really never meant to become a video creator]. His follower count had already passed eighty thousand.
Phase three had two mission objectives.
Account followers: (80,259/100,000) Videos with one million views: (4/5)
Completion seemed just around the corner.
Full of motivation, Li Wei began editing "Pokémon Trainer Career Guidance 05: Essential oil care."
Before he knew it, it was 11:30 p.m. After clicking upload, Li Wei stretched.
"Finally done. Time for bed!"
Li Wei's videos never contained anything that would fail moderation, and within minutes, the status showed that it had passed.
[Career Guidance 05 passed review. Upload successful.]
Before Li Wei went to bed, his friend sent a message back: [I'll find some time to come over in the next few days.]
Li Wei had asked his friend for help, hoping she could bring her Milotic over.
Regarding Feebas's problem, Li Wei planned to follow his grandfather's and Blue's advice and have a Milotic or another Feebas communicate with Feebas.
"Perfect. Time for bed. Lucario, turn off the lights!"
"Luca!"
The next day.
While washing up, Li Wei read the comments and on-screen messages on his fifth video.
The video opened with Li Wei's voice-over.
"What I want to tell everyone in this episode is: don't buy a huge pile of essential oils and stockpile them at home."
"Giving Pokémon essential oil treatments takes a long time, and it's exhausting."
"Different Pokémon also prefer different scents, so be careful about what you buy. That's all."
"If you want to give it a try, you can buy a citrus, woody, or floral scent. Just get one small bottle.
"You can buy it wherever you like. This isn't sponsored. All right, let's get into it."
Li Wei then scrolled through the comments below.
"Yay!"
"I'm an essential oil enthusiast too. When choosing and buying oils, make sure you try samples first..."
This episode covered a fairly niche topic, but its view count was still pretty good.
"Son! A customer's here! Come on out!"
Before you continue