In the kitchen, Austin stood with quiet confidence as he prepared to make Crab Roe Lion's Head.
Crab Roe Lion Head
[Image]
Confidence lasted until the third attempt.
Three dishes in a row, all graded C.
On the surface, Crab Roe Lion's Head looked simple. The meat only needed to be minced finely, almost like tiny pomegranate seeds, then shaped into large, round meatballs.
Simple in theory.
In practice, every step was filled with small traps. The texture depended on the exact cut of the meat. The seasoning had to be balanced carefully. The heat had to be controlled with precision.
Even a slight mistake changed everything.
The dish in front of him displayed its evaluation.
[Plain Crab Roe Lion's Head. No Buff Applied]
Austin stared at the description.
For a moment, he had no words. Emotion arrived before speech.
He cooked the Lion's Head in a small bowl and slid it toward Dai Yui, who picked one up and tasted it.
"It's not bad," Dai Yui said. "Why do you look like someone just cancelled your League registration?"
He chewed thoughtfully.
The Lion's Head was still a little hot. The texture was slightly too soft, and the richness leaned toward greasy.
Even so, it remained edible.
Dai Yui had always served as Austin's official taste tester whenever new dishes appeared.
Even when his face turned green, he still forced himself to swallow with stubborn determination.
Austin leaned against the counter.
"Compared to the dishes I normally cook?"
Dai Yui wiped his mouth and shrugged.
"Those dishes are excellent. But if I had to rank them… Smoked Oran Berry Juice is still the best thing you've made."
Dai Yui had been amazed by that drink from the first sip.
Austin sighed.
It seemed he still needed time to master a proper Crab Roe Lion's Head.
For now, the dish would not appear in his tutorial video.
Apple Crisp (A-grade) was also unsuitable.
However, Austin had already promised a new episode after seven days of training. Breaking that promise was not an option.
Within minutes, he finalized the content for episode five.
He turned toward Dai Yui.
"Time to show the results of these seven days of training. Want to join?"
Dai Yui lifted a spoonful of soup.
"Doing what?"
"Pokémon essential oil treatments."
Dai Yui nodded.
"Incineroar trained extra last night. It should be exhausted."
After losing to Zenith the previous evening, Incineroar had slipped out of the Pokémon Center in the middle of the night and pushed through an intense extra training session.
Dai Yui had no choice but to accompany it.
Thankfully, the Pokémon Center stood right beside the Black Crest Jubilife Breeding House, which made things easier.
Austin and Dai Yui walked over together.
"Good morning, Nurse Joy. Chansey."
The nurse smiled warmly.
"Good morning. Treatments for Zenith and Incineroar are already finished."
"Thank you. We appreciate it."
She shook her head.
"Not at all. This is our job. Besides, we visit your place for meals often enough."
Both she and Chansey frequently stopped by Austin's home next door for lunch or dinner.
"Chans~"
Chansey held out a tray.
"Thanks, Chansey."
"Sey~"
"Alright, we'll head out now."
"Take care."
Before leaving, Austin contacted Mizuki through his Pokégear. Officially, he wanted to show the results of his recent training.
Mizuki saw through the excuse immediately.
"You just want me to help take care of Ryu, don't you?"
Austin planned to give Ryu, Agni, and Zenith full treatments.
Handling all three alone would be exhausting.
While Austin was still thinking of a reasonable explanation, Mizuki spoke again.
"Never mind. I learned quite a bit from you and from Mr. Blue recently. Consider this a return favor."
Dai Yui appeared beside him and said bluntly,
"You spoil him too much."
Mizuki ignored the comment completely.
Soon, the three of them entered the specialized treatment room.
Masks went on.
Seeing Dai Yui wearing one, Austin struggled to stay serious.
"Has anyone told you that you look like a bandit when you wear a mask?"
Dai Yui frowned.
"I think the mask is just too small."
On his large face, the mask looked almost like a toy version.
Mizuki burst into laughter.
"Is it really that funny?" Dai Yui asked.
Then he looked into the mirror.
Silence followed.
Austin quickly activated the recording device.
"Recording started."
After putting on gloves, Mizuki knelt beside Ryu and spoke gently.
"Ryu, shall we begin?"
"Luca."
Austin handled Agni and one-half of Zenith, while Mizuki assisted with the other half.
Zenith's injuries had already healed. The intense battle the previous night still left it slightly fatigued.
Agni and Ryu carried smaller issues. Weeks of training had created hidden tension in their muscles that was not visible at first glance.
Austin worked while speaking to the camera, explaining every step.
"Pay close attention to the Pokémon's condition," he said. "For example, look at Incineroar."
He gently pressed along the muscle lines.
"Its daily training is very intense. Because of that, it is likely that muscles are starting to accumulate fatigue. This is exactly when relaxation treatment becomes necessary."
Essential oil body care.
Traditional acupressure.
Austin demonstrated a set of techniques.
"Roar!"
Incineroar, which had been lying perfectly still, suddenly opened its eyes wide.
The reaction needed no translation.
It felt extremely comfortable, and I clearly wanted more.
For the entire morning, Austin, Rose, and Dai Yui continued the treatments for Ryu and the other Pokémon.
However, the filming was not finished yet.
They needed natural sunlight to properly display the results.
By noon, the sun was high and bright.
Agni and Incineroar stepped into the light.
Their fur caught the sunlight immediately. Every strand reflected a clean shine.
When Agni shook his head, the thick mane flowed with the wind, rising and falling in powerful waves.
"Nine!"
Incineroar played along with the filming.
It struck several exaggerated bodybuilding poses, flexing and turning. The muscles across its body looked relaxed rather than tense, full of strength and vitality.
Nearby, Zenith's metallic frame reflected the sun.
The alloy cross on its face gleamed intensely, polished so brightly it almost blinded Austin when he looked directly at it.
Ryu stood straight with arms crossed.
The posture resembled a soldier standing at attention, calm and disciplined.
Austin circled around Ryu slowly, making sure the camera captured every detail of the treatment results.
"All right," Austin said
The video featured three very different Pokémon types.
Short fur like Incineroar. Long fur like Agni. A completely metallic body like Zenith.
That variety alone made the tutorial valuable.
Austin still needed to edit the footage later that night.
The afternoon offered no free time.
He had promised five free Pokémon treatment sessions.
The schedule for the day was tight.
Austin intended to push hard for the final stage of the [Advancing Breeding House] mission.
Fortunately, he could now prepare Smoked Oran Berry Juice.
One cup worked better than six cups of ordinary drinks.
If necessary, he could still recover stamina with Moomoo Milk or Berry Juice. The effect was far weaker than his drink, but it helped.
Austin glanced at the scanned radar map.
Two green light markers remained completely still.
That meant they had settled in one place, so there was no need to rush.
Just then, Leon appeared in front of him with the proud look of someone expecting praise.
"Son, I picked the customers for you," Hanson said. "Random draw."
"Thanks, Dad."
The afternoon session soon began.
Five lucky winners arrived with their Pokémon.
The reputation of the Black Crest Jubilife Breeding House had grown steadily. More and more trainers were curious and wanted to try their services.
However, the breeding house also had one clear drawback.
The price.
For many trainers, it was simply too expensive.
Still, the five trainers selected today left extremely satisfied.
Their Pokémon were equally pleased.
Then the familiar system notification appeared.
Ding!
[Main Quest: Advancing Breeding House. Stage One objective completed.]
. . .
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