After adding Brock to the group, it was already late at night.
As Brock skimmed through the group members, a shiver ran down his spine.
"Am I in a group with the Master-level players?"
Brock's expression turned serious as he muttered to himself, "This lineup is exceptionally impressive."
Gold was currently engrossed in a game in the Breeding House, accompanied by a stubborn Togekiss floating nearby.
"Congke!" (Can't you be serious?)
"Ahhhh, Togebo, you're disrupting me!"
Togekiss's Double-Edge attack sent Gold tumbling, and the Pokémon called out angrily before flying out of the window. Ambipom swung in from a nearby tree and gently laid the dazed Gold on his bed.
Rubbing his head, Gold noticed that Togekiss was coaching Pichu on how to clear a certain level. Gold smiled helplessly, knowing he had to tolerate the interruption.
Just then, his phone buzzed, and Gold glanced at the screen, exclaiming in surprise.
"Uncle with squinting eyes!"
Brock's eyelids twitched, his temples showing hints of blue veins.
"Why are you still awake at this hour?" Gold asked curiously.
"I'm here to inquire about Breeding experiences from Mr. Luke," Brock replied sincerely.
"Aha, you mean Teacher Luke? He's probably asleep now, you can contact him tomorrow!"
Brock nodded silently, casting his gaze over the list of Master Trainers and feeling a sense of awe.
"What an incredible Breeder," Brock murmured.
...
After adding Brock to the group, Luke went to rest.
It was early morning when the phone's vibrations roused him from his slumber.
The group was abuzz with discussions centered around the "Late Night Canteen" video Luke had released the previous night.
"I'm so hungry..." Yellow from the Viridian Forest lamented.
"I'll make breakfast at home, you're welcome to come over," Red offered.
Yellow from the Viridian Forest: "!!!?"
Gold's reaction was especially noteworthy: "What? Is that guy a Breeder too?!"
"Infusing emotions into cooking and enabling Pokémon to evolve is quite an advanced breeding technique," Brock explained.
Lorelei chimed in, "Kalos' Water Type Elite Four Siebold seems to employ a similar method."
Blue, on the other hand, looked puzzled.
He had never been a proponent of the so-called emotional energy, as he adhered to the evolutionary principle of survival of the fittest. In his view, emotions could cloud a Trainer's judgment.
Nonetheless, he couldn't deny that Teacher Luke's method seemed plausible.
"Aha, Gastly evolved!" Green exclaimed excitedly. "It happened in less than two months!"
"Evolution in just two months is quite remarkable," Brock commented, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"Mr. Luke might actually be a Master-level Breeder!"
...
Luke was dumbfounded.
Breeder? What were they talking about?
Gastly evolved just because it licked a plate, didn't it?
I'm not, I don't... stop talking nonsense!
Luke observed the lively discussion in the group and decided not to interrupt them.
"Never mind, let them enjoy it," Luke sighed.
He closed the chat group and checked his fan count on the management page.
Overnight, Luke's follower count surpassed 1 million, reaching 100,000. He had broken the threshold of a million followers.
At the same time, a system notification sounded.
[Achievement unlocked: 'Million Follower Content Uploader'!]
[Achievement reward: Premier Ball *1, Ability Upgrade Voucher *1]
This meager reward left Luke feeling a mix of frustration and disappointment.
For achieving a milestone of a million followers, all he got was a Premier Ball?
"Are they kidding me?!"
"Why not send a Master Ball instead!"
"Are you trying to shortchange me?!"
[Ding—To celebrate the remarkable achievement of the host, the system is awarding a precious Premier Ball as a reward.]
In reality, Premier Balls were not as commonplace as in games, where you'd often receive them as a bonus. In the Pokémon world, Premier Balls were manufactured in limited quantities and only distributed on special occasions by the Poké Ball Factory.
In terms of collectibility, Premier Balls were indeed highly valuable. However, Luke had no intention of trading any system items for personal gain.
"This item should remain on display."
As for the other reward, the Ability Upgrade Voucher, it was the first time Luke had encountered it.
Curiosity piqued, he touched the card, causing it to shatter instantly.
[Ability Upgrade Voucher successfully used!]
[Please select the Ability to upgrade: Cooking Lv2, Spirit Vision Lv1, Pokéblock Craft Lv4, Japanese Lv3]
While Pokéblock Craft had higher cost-effectiveness, Luke wasn't a Trainer, and Lv4 was sufficient for his needs...
Engaging in an internal struggle, Luke eventually sighed and reluctantly chose [Pokéblock Craft].
"Why do I have a feeling this is another scheme?" Luke mumbled to himself.
[Ding—Ability upgrade successful!]
[Pokéblock Craft Lv5: If you possess a deep understanding of Berries, you have a definite chance of crafting Pokéblocks of exceptional quality. (Comparable to a Coordinator Champion!)]
Even at Level 5, it doesn't guarantee a 100% success rate in creating perfect quality Pokéblocks, but the upgrade from "low probability" to "definite chance" is a significant improvement.
However, it still requires a fair amount of practice and experience to fully harness the potential of this Ability.
Though Luke's current level might not rival that of Coordinator Champion Wallace, he was confident in his ability to outshine coordinated Masters like Fantina.
Due to the early hour, Luke refrained from using the noisy Berry machine so as not to disturb his neighbors. Nevertheless, he could already sense the impact of the Ability upgrade.
"Fortune favors the cheeky!"
Luke moved to the adjacent room, intending to tease Haunter. However, his eyes widened in surprise.
"Jie jie~!"
Haunter was currently engaged in a vigorous boxing practice against the wall.
"Xiū xiū xiū—"
Haunter's ghostly claws, capable of detaching from its body, darted around the living room. They blended into the wall before soaring up to the ceiling, disappearing in an unpredictable pattern.
This was Haunter honing its moves, particularly its Shadow Punch.
"You're more of a special attacker," Luke commented, slightly exasperated. "What's the use of boxing for someone with your physical prowess?"
"Jie jie~?"
Haunter shot Luke a puzzled look, as if asking, "Are you giving me advice?"
Luke shrugged. "Never mind, forget what I said. Your happiness matters most."
Crossing his arms, he observed Haunter's boxing practice for some time before arriving at a conclusion.
The range for Haunter's ghost claws to detach from its body couldn't exceed five meters at most. Translated to the Attribute panel, this translated to a mere "D" range.
Although it boasted precision at the "EX" level, Haunter's physical attack was undeniably weak and negligible.
"Train as much as you want," Luke sighed, "I'll get you a set of dumbbells one of these days."
"Jie jie~!" Haunter's eyes gleamed with excitement, nodding eagerly.
Luke rubbed his temples.
No matter how hard it tried, there were limits to a Pokémon's abilities!
Haunter might be diligently practicing its boxing now, but was it possible that it also aimed to master sword dance move?
Despite Haunter's skepticism about the usefulness of boxing, Luke wasn't inclined to make it a combat-focused Pokémon.
Rather than dampening its enthusiasm, he preferred to let Haunter figure things out on its own.
"I'm heading to class. Do you want to come along?" Luke called out.
"Jie jie~!"
Haunter shook its head, adopting a boxer's pose and playfully waving its fists.
"Well... just avoid pounding on the house too much!"