Hundred-Person Challenge

Heath took the opportunity to teach Farfetch'd a few things a chef needed to watch out for, starting, naturally, with how to prepare each ingredient.

"Farfetch'd, look. With chicken wings, we usually need to make scoring cuts so the marinade can soak in. Just make a few cuts like this to open up some slits." Holding a kitchen knife, Heath quickly scored the chicken wing several times while Farfetch'd watched attentively beside him.

"But some chefs these days care more about presentation. They tend to make less obvious scoring cuts, so the ingredient keeps its appearance while still absorbing the flavors." Heath turned his wrist and made a few more cuts in another chicken wing.

Compared with the first wing, whose flesh had been cut open and pushed outward, this one looked much more normal. If Heath hadn't deliberately turned it over, Farfetch'd wouldn't even have spotted the cuts.

Farfetch'd studied with a serious expression and a thoroughly earnest attitude, which pleased Heath. He didn't dislike slow learners, but he hated students who had talent yet were utterly lazy.

To Heath, talent was like money deposited in a bank. To withdraw it and put it to use, the account holder had to enter the password through effort and diligence. Farfetch'd was doing exactly that, taking every cooking lesson seriously.

Heath taught patiently while his hands flew through the ingredients he was preparing. It suddenly occurred to him that he might need to catch a Fire-type Pokémon someday. Then he could have that Pokémon help grill barbecue or roast other things.

On second thought, though, it wasn't very practical. Catching a Fire-type Pokémon just to cook was rather extravagant. Although he had only caught two Pokémon so far, Heath already understood why trainers had such a hard time.

Pokémon ate quite a lot, and there were also Potions to buy, along with the cost of nutrition and training needed to make them stronger. Dragon-type Pokémon, in particular, consumed enormous amounts of resources. Anyone who wasn't wealthy really couldn't afford to raise one.

Fortunately, Farfetch'd and Zorua were both relatively easy to feed and care for, saving Heath plenty of trouble.

Heath worked nonstop for over an hour, even with Farfetch'd helping chop ingredients. Later, he had also put Zorua to work as a server. Otherwise, he figured he might have needed another hour.

Still, seeing all the Officer Jennys enjoying their food brought a smile to Heath's face. Every town and city had Officer Jennys. They formed the backbone of local law enforcement and also suffered the highest casualty rates. Fortunately, Viridian City was relatively peaceful, so there hadn't been any major casualties.

Over his four years here, Heath had witnessed more than one farewell ceremony for a deceased Officer Jenny. Those had all taken place in other cities, though, with Officer Jenny Feng gathering the other Officer Jennys in the conference room to watch and pay their final respects.

"They don't have it easy." Heath sighed, then rolled his neck. Working for so long really had worn him out. He wondered whether his golden finger would give him a reward. Surely it would?

[You have served more than one hundred guests for the first time and earned the special achievement: Hundred-Person Challenge.]

Just as Heath was thinking that, a notification popped up, leaving him momentarily stunned. So the more people he served at once, the more of these so-called achievements he could earn?

Still, that Hundred-Person Challenge title sounded a little strange, especially when it involved him and over a hundred Officer Jennys.

[You have earned the special achievement: Hundred-Person Challenge. Reward: one special Lottery Ticket.]

A Lottery Ticket made of gold foil dropped into Heath's hand. Only the word "Lottery" was written across it, but then he noticed a line of fine print as well.

"Final interpretation rights belong to this golden finger. Hmm, very reasonable." Heath's mouth twitched. His golden finger certainly knew how to play that game.

[Lottery Ticket: Use to obtain one random item. (Note: items from other worlds may be obtained.)]

The description was short and to the point. Heath didn't hesitate. He would have to use the Lottery Ticket eventually, so he might as well do it now.

Still, the mention of items from other worlds gave him something to look forward to. Could this thing actually draw items from other worlds? If so, that would be incredibly powerful.

If he could get even one of the futuristic gadgets from a certain Doraemon's pocket, Heath figured he could make his fortune and reach the pinnacle of life. Then he could even raise six Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon without any financial strain.

A Time Machine, an Enlarging Gun, and so on-even an Anywhere Door would be a fantastic tool. Of course, other worlds had good things too. What Heath wanted most were the Magical Cooking Utensils from Cooking Master Boy.

For a chef, there could be no better reward. Those special cooking utensils were simply too powerful.

As Heath waited with a mixture of excitement and apprehension, the Lottery Ticket slowly dissolved. Then a very, very long blade dropped down in front of him.

Its blade was dark red, and black, spiked material covered its spine all the way to the tip. Heath froze for a moment. What was this thing?

[You have used a Lottery Ticket. You have obtained the Heaven-and-Earth Peerless Blade.]

Heath stared blankly at the text box before him. Feeling the weight of the blade in his hands, he couldn't help swallowing. What was going on here?

[Heaven-and-Earth Peerless Blade: A hero's blade born in pursuit of the title of strongest. Why must your next Monster Hunter be Monster Hunter?]

Reading the information displayed by his golden finger, Heath had mixed feelings. Was this really the Heaven-and-Earth Peerless Blade he was thinking of?

"Am I supposed to use this thing to sheathe, Iai Slash, and then Helm Breaker?" Heath's expression was complicated. He really couldn't understand why he had drawn a weapon like this.

The Heaven-and-Earth Peerless Blade, or Three Heavens Blade for short, was a weapon from Monster Hunter, another hugely popular game franchise from his previous life. It looked incredibly cool, and Heath had loved playing the games, but he had never imagined he would actually stand here holding this weapon.

Heath ran his hand over the longsword, then scratched his head. What was he supposed to do with it? It seemed he could only put it away for now. He certainly didn't want Sister Feng questioning him about where he had bought such a long weapon.

Just as Heath was about to make something for himself, Farfetch'd, and Zorua, a sudden crash rang out in the distance.

Well, the inspiration came from Arceus and Monster Hunter Stories. Judging by the information revealed so far, Arceus really did have that Monster Hunter feel of accepting a quest and leaving the village to complete it. Incredible.

So this scene might show up in the future:

Heath: "Sheathe! Iai Slash! Helm Breaker! I can ride Arceus now!" [Dog-head emoji, don't come for me]