Pokémon: Helping Pokémon Pays Off [31]
"Who's on air? It's me, Iono! Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening—hello~"
On the phone screen, a cute girl—with two little floating Magnemite perched atop her head—waved her long yellow sleeves as she greeted everyone.
"Surprised? It's me hosting again this weekend! Hehe~ If you like Iono, don't forget to subscribe to my Iono Zone livestream! Tons of perks are waiting for you. Watch me ○○-capture your eyeballs~"
Iono leaned forward slightly, touching her cheek with a playful laugh. The camera angle just so happened to highlight her rather generous figure—one that didn't quite match her petite height.
Watching this, Hoshino grumbled in annoyance. "If you don't know how to dress, just don't wear anything! I didn't wake up early on a Sunday just to watch you flaunt yourself. Hurry up with the morning lottery draw already!"
Every weekend morning, he would tune in to this TV show's live lottery draw. The prizes were excellent—first prize was an all-expenses-paid week-long trip to Levincia in the Paldea region.
Of course, that was just a pipe dream. What he really wanted was the third prize—those expensive gourmet ingredient gift sets. Unfortunately, he'd never won anything so far.
Now that his kitchen was up and running, and he had learned a bunch of recipes from Nai-chan, it was about time to put those skills to use. Nai-chan wasn't around these past two days, so he couldn't freeload meals—he had to cook for himself.
In the living room, Gengar sat on the coffee table, happily slurping up noodles. Since fully adjusting to her body last night, she could now feel hunger—no longer just a lifeless doll.
She still had all the abilities of a normal Gengar: she could eat and drink just fine, but she couldn't soak in water. She could also store things in her belly, though nothing too big.
"Gengar~"
Gengar lifted her empty bowl, signaling for more. Sitting beside her on the floor, Cyclizar raised not one but two bowls, demanding refills.
"Cyclizaaaar~"
"Alright, alright, there's plenty."
Hoshino put down his phone and took their bowls to the kitchen. Why not just get them Pokémon food? Well, in Kabukichō, no one eats that stuff—not even stray Pokémon would touch it. Even if he wanted to buy some, there wasn't a place that sold it.
He could already feel his expenses skyrocketing. The pressure was real, but pressure was also motivation! As long as he didn't get completely crushed…!
The large wooden signboard for his new Odd Jobs business was ready. After breakfast, he just needed Cyclizar to help him hang it up.
He had even set up a website for the business, posting the link in several popular trainer forums. Could Pokémon book commissions online? No way—pure wishful thinking.
The real purpose of the website was to get other trainers to pay for consultations. Making money required a multi-pronged approach! As someone who called himself a PokéScholar, he had to put his knowledge to good use.
After getting a phone with Rotom capabilities, he finally realized just how convenient it was.
It ran smoother than butter, let him argue on forums with floating chat windows, and even auto-detected and flagged "sensitive" images online—helping him step up when a hero was needed.
In short, it had a ton of useful functions. Most importantly, it had an incognito mode. As long as he wasn't dumb enough to expose himself, no one could track his browsing history—preventing any… "weaponized information" disasters.
After bringing the pot of food back to Gengar and Cyclizar, Hoshino plopped back onto the couch, phone in hand.
Iono was still rambling on with jokes about newbie trainers, but the show was finally wrapping up.
Then, with a dramatic wave of her hand, a golden-edged red treasure chest appeared in the bottom-right corner of the screen!
Hoshino reacted instantly, clicking as fast as possible. The chest burst open, spilling a pile of gold coins!
From within, a Gimmighoul—shaped like a gingerbread man—emerged, tossing a special coin into the air. It landed heads up. First Prize!
"???"
"!!!"
The surprise hit so hard that Hoshino froze. But as the shock faded, he quickly realized—wait, he was aiming for third prize!
"What's first prize again?"
He hesitated, then hurriedly checked the prize pool. If the grand prize was a vacation, then first prize had to be something good too.
"Today's first prize is… a set of rare gourmet ingredients sourced from Titan Pokémon in the Paldea region?!"
Another food prize! Hoshino immediately got excited. He had never tried something like that before, but it had to be leagues above regular ingredients.
"Quick, quick, quick—fill in the shipping address… Wandering Street District, next to the alley… Expected delivery date? End of the year? …Huh? Delivery within six months?!"
His excitement instantly deflated. Six months?! What, did they have zero stock? Or were they waiting to slaughter something fresh?
"Tch, I'm never trusting TV lottery draws again. They're all the same. Next time, I'll try a different one—maybe I'll win a Lake Verity blade for Gengar or something."
Disappointed, Hoshino filled in his address and left it alone. If the prize ever arrived, it would just be a bonus—he might even forget about it by then.
But his disappointment didn't last long. Today, he had something far more important to do…
"Don't drop my signboard!"
From the street below, Slowking called up to the second floor, where a few Pokémon were helping Hoshino. Cyclizar held the signboard steady while Hoshino hammered in nails bit by bit. Braixen had also climbed up to assist.
A few meters long, the signboard was finally secured to the railing. Gengar sat on the railing, curiously watching the process.
After a long effort, the board was firmly in place. But Hoshino didn't remove the cloth covering it yet—there had to be a little ceremony!
Gathering on the street, they all turned to look up at the second floor. With a wave of his psychic power, Slowking pulled the cloth away. The real name of the business was finally revealed, its bold, black-painted letters standing out wildly.
Hoshino had spent half an hour brainstorming before finally settling on the name. It was also written on the small plaque inside the living room.
This was the simple yet momentous founding of a business that might one day become legendary:
yorozuya hoshi-chan.
No ribbon-cutting, no grand opening—just him, his Pokémon, and a dream.
Slowking looked at the sign and scoffed. "yorozuya hoshi-chan? Your naming skills are terrible—it reeks of plagiarism."
"It's a tribute! Get it? A tribute! Besides, at least I have some self-awareness. Unlike a guy who named his bar Slowking's Izakaya."
"Slowkiiing~"
Slowking couldn't even be bothered to argue. Looking around, he sighed. A new business opening, and barely anyone was watching. It was already doomed.
"You're really bold for opening this place. Just don't get yourself into trouble. This street hides a lot of things you can't touch—you've only seen the surface."
"…."
Hoshino knew he had a long way to go. He hadn't even met the Four Rulers of Kabukichō yet.
But he would. It was only a matter of time.
"You're really gutsy for opening this. Just don't end up wiping yourself out. This street has a lot of untouchable forces—you've only scratched the surface."
"..."
He wasn't wrong. In Kabukicho, Hoshino had only been operating in Slowking's area, where things were relatively normal.
But as a red-light district, there were definitely darker elements lurking deeper inside—probably entities even more terrifying than Slowking himself.
"The Four rulers of Kabukicho, huh... No rush, I'll take it slow. I'll build up this Odd Jobs agency!"
Hoshino hadn't even met the four district leaders yet. It was too early, but it was inevitable.
Seeing his determination, Slowking put his hands behind his back and shook his head. Then he slowly asked, "I actually have a job for you. Interested?"
"Huh? You actually need something?"
"Not me. Another guy does. He's been short on staff and even asked me to lend him braixen to help catch fish. I ignored him."
Hoshino pondered. Since his Odd Jobs agency was open, anything was fair game as long as there was payment.
"So, who's this guy?"
"A restaurant owner. He's an Octillery. Specializes in takoyaki."
"???"
"The weather's been getting colder, and Octillery like to sunbathe at Melemele Beach. Many got caught, so his supply has dropped. Business is booming on weekends, and he has no time to restock."
"Got it..."
Hoshino understood immediately. They just needed to gather some octopuses from the beach—easy enough.
"So, where's this octopus guy's place?"
"Near Smile Restaurant. But he's probably at Kala'e Bay catching octopuses right now. Just say I sent you—he won't give you trouble."
With that, Slowking and braixen left. A new business needed a little help, but not too much.
Hoshino understood. From here on, he had to build Star's Odd Jobs on his own!
"Let's go to Kala'e Bay!"
"Cycli!"
"Gengar~"
As they left Wanderer Street, a golden light flashed across the sky, vanishing in a bolt of lightning...
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