10: Chapter 9: He’s Playing You, Boss!
10: Chapter 9: He’s Playing You, Boss!
Chapter 9: He’s Playing You, Boss!
Sean walked through the bustling streets of Violet City.
The shops lining both sides of the road were a dazzling blur, and every single one of them looked incredibly expensive!
He stopped in front of a hotpot restaurant that looked slightly lower-end, turning to Gengar and Cyndaquil with a highly mysterious expression: “Heh heh~ Gengar, Cyndaquil, do you know how to enjoy the absolute top-tier delicacies in a shop while spending the least amount of money, or even no money at all?” “Ke-giah?” “Inaa?” Gengar and Cyndaquil cast bewildered glances at him simultaneously.
Sean gave a devious grin and laid out his perfect plan in its entirety.
Cyndaquil was completely shocked after hearing it, immediately wanting to refuse!
Gengar, however, was a completely different story.
Its eyes lit up as it rubbed its little hands together excitedly, once again erupting into that kindred-spirit, synchronized cackle of “Hehehehe / Ke-hehe” alongside Sean!
…
Once everything was ready, Sean walked into the hotpot restaurant with his chin up and chest out, while Gengar followed closely behind him, filming with his battle-damaged phone.
The restaurant boss, a middle-aged man, and the customers dining inside instantly cast puzzled glances their way.
“Ahem!” Sean cleared his throat and asked Gengar, “Gengar, how’s the angle?” Gengar closed one eye with utmost professionalism, adjusting the lens left and right: “Ke-hehe!
(Perfect!)” “Do I look handsome today!” “Ke-hehe!
(Drop-dead gorgeous!)” “Excellent, give me some lighting!” Gengar switched on the phone’s flashlight.
Sean immediately flipped his expression from a goofy grin to a serious battle face, instantly activating Sage Mode as he spoke directly into the camera: “Of all the treats in Violet City, your boy Silver checks out the pretty~” To avoid exposing himself, Sean had deliberately “borrowed” Silver’s name.
“Today we’ve come to this locally renowned hidden gem of a hotpot restaurant!
I heard the portions here are massive and filling, and it’s not just incredibly delicious, but also particularly affordable!” The restaurant boss, who had been completely bewildered a moment ago, instantly caught the keywords, his eyes snapping open into literal stars!
A food vlogger!
A live one!
Sean turned his head slightly, catching the boss’s reaction out of the corner of his eye.
Seeing that it was exactly as he anticipated, he immediately struck while the iron was hot, intentionally emphasizing his words as he said: “The host is visiting in person today, strictly to scope things out for our ONE MILLION!!!!
followers!” One million followers!!!
The slightly chubby boss felt his heart thumping wildly against his chest.
A vision of massive lines forming outside the hotpot restaurant, stretching all the way around the street corner, instantly flashed through his mind!
He immediately put on an incredibly radiant smile, quickly stepping forward to welcome Sean, this literal god of wealth!
“Hello, hello!
Welcome to the ‘Can’t Fly Hotpot Restaurant’!
May I ask what you’d like to order today?” Sean immediately put on a professional air and asked, “Hello, Boss.
Are there any specialty dishes in your shop?
Could you give me some recommendations?” Hearing this, the boss launched into a non-stop, passionate monologue about a massive array of things, from their secret broth base to imported ingredients, right down to their signature fatty beef and specialty seafood…
He wished he could read out every single selling point and menu item!
*(It feels a bit weird to eat Pokémon, so this book establishes that ordinary animals exist.)* Sean pretended to listen intently, nodding along in cooperation from time to time.
Then, he turned around to ask Gengar and Cyndaquil: “Gengar, Cyndaquil, what do you guys want to eat?” “Inaa?” “Ke-giah?
(How would we know anything about this?)” But Sean gave a highly contemplative nod, before pointing out the absolute cheapest all-vegetable combo on the menu.
“Hmm~ let’s just go with this one.” With that, he found a private booth and sat down.
The boss mumbled to himself: *Would a massive vlogger really just order this?* But recalling the scene from earlier, he figured maybe Cyndaquil and Gengar just wanted to eat vegetarian, which was why they ordered it.
Therefore, he didn’t dare slack off in the slightest, terrified of offending this traffic cheat code.
A short while later…
The boss brought out the cheapest vegetable combo, but he also threw in several extra heavy-hitter dishes on the house—signature fatty beef, premium beef tripe, king crab sticks, and more, completely packing the dining table.
Staring at this scene, the “mastermind” Sean’s lips twitched violently as he fought to hold back a smirk.
*No, I can’t laugh yet!!!* He feigned utter surprise and asked, “Um, Boss, I didn’t order any of these?!” The boss smiled and said, “Oh, oh, these are complimentary for you to sample.
Please, you absolutely must try our shop’s signatures!” “How could I possibly accept this?
You really went out of your way!” Sean offered a polite refusal.
“Ah, it’s a minor thing!
Just make sure to put in a few good words for my little shop in your video later, and we’ll call it even.” Seeing how enthusiastic the boss was, Sean could only accept it under the guise of “overwhelming hospitality” and feeling “deeply embarrassed.” The moment the boss walked out, Gengar was the first to break, letting out a muffled, suppressed “Ke-hehe” cackle.
Looking at Gengar’s face, Sean was instantly infected, “Pfft—heeheeheehee…” Beside them, Cyndaquil was scared out of its wits.
That restaurant boss was tall and built like a brick wall packed with muscle—his battle power was absolutely off the charts!
It hurriedly raised a tiny claw, pressing it against its lips to signal a shushing motion.
*(Shh, shh—!)* Sean reacted instantly.
He let out a couple of coughs to force himself to look calm, continuing his vlogging in a volume that could be heard outside.
“Ahem, used phone recycling on Jigglypuff Jigglypuff…” The moment this professional ad read came out, the final shred of doubt inside the boss’s mind as he eavesdropped outside the booth completely vanished.
He happily had a waiter bring over a few more bottles of juice.
“Thank you very much, thank you very much!” Sean pressed his hands together in thanks, and after the waiter left, he casually shut the booth door.
Gengar peeked through the crack in the door.
Confirming the coast was clear, it locked eyes with Sean, and neither of them could hold it in any longer…
“Ke-hehe-hehe-hehe…” “Pfft-hahahahaha…” “Inaa!” Cyndaquil reminded them to keep it down.
“Dig in!” Sean gave a massive wave of his hand.
The one human, one ghost, and one mouse immediately fell upon the table full of spoils, eating like absolute beasts!
Sean mocked the way Cyndaquil was inhaling its food like a hurricane, making it a little angry…
Following all the laughter, cheerful chatter, and stuffing their faces, the entire crew slumped back in their chairs, their bellies as round as a Snorlax.
Sean said triumphantly, “Well?
Tasted pretty good, right?
Doesn’t rolling with me mean you get to live the high life?” “Ke-giah!
Ke-giah!
(You’re amazing!)” Gengar showered Sean with praise without holding back in the slightest, flashing two purple thumbs-up, its face completely filled with adoration!
The more level-headed Cyndaquil, however, looked a bit worried, “Inaa, inaa…
(Shouldn’t we get out of here quick to avoid any complications later…)” Once they had rested enough, Sean stood up and led his two little companions to the cashier counter by the entrance, preparing to settle the bill.
The moment the boss saw the “god of wealth” about to pay, he waved his hands frantically, his face completely piled with a flattering smile: “Oh, come on, forget it, what bill?
We’re all friends here.
Consider this meal my treat!” If this were yesterday’s completely penniless Sean, hearing those words would have prompted him to “politely decline” before ultimately utilizing “overwhelming hospitality” to leech the meal to the absolute end.
But right now, he had managed to secure his first pot of gold by selling “Evil-Dispelling Talismans,” so he at least possessed a bit of backing!
Furthermore, Sean knew deeply that one should always leave a way out—taking things to the absolute extreme was an easy way to invite disaster!
“Oh, come on~ how could I do that!” Sean feigned an upright attitude.
“No matter what, the basic cost of the meal still has to be paid~” He firmly insisted on only paying for the cheapest vegetable combo!!!
“The taste was absolutely fantastic, you’re a generous boss!” Before leaving, Sean even gave the man a sincere thumbs-up.
The boss’s heart bloomed with joy, looking as though he could already see the restaurant overflowing with customer traffic.
“Wait a minute!” The boss whipped out his phone, calling out to stop Sean.
“Um, little brother, I still don’t know your name yet, and what’s your ID account on Jigglypuff Jigglypuff?
I’ll have all my relatives and friends drop a follow for you!” Hearing this, Sean, Cyndaquil, and Gengar’s hearts clenched simultaneously!
A massive crisis!!!
The smile on Sean’s face froze instantly.
A bead of cold sweat rolled down his cheek, his heart pounding like a drum.
Cyndaquil nervously grabbed the cuff of Sean’s pants, while Gengar was so scared its body began to fluctuate.
Was their cover blown?!
Sean’s account currently had exactly one follower (and that single follower was literally his own alt account).
His only choice was to fabricate a fake, long ID to buy them some time to escape!
Sean immediately shot an escaping glance at Cyndaquil and Gengar, before saying: “Ah, ah, that…
my Jigglypuff Jigglypuff ID is ‘Silver’s Bizarre Adventure’!” Taking advantage of the split second the boss lowered his head to type the words, Sean was already fully prepared for a hundred-meter dash.
“Hey, Boss, I just remembered I haven’t fed my Donphan at home yet, so I’ll take my leave first!!” Before the words even fully left his mouth, Sean scooped up Cyndaquil with one arm, Gengar right by his side, and bolted out like an absolute Arcanine!
*A wild dog needs no gravestone; just run until you rot…* ???
The boss froze completely on the spot, utterly failing to process what had just happened.
A mischievous waiter who had witnessed the entire ordeal from the side held back a laugh, whispering a small reminder: “He’s playing you, Boss!” “Playing me?” the boss muttered to himself.
He stared at the ID that brought up absolutely zero results, and then at the pitiful amount of cash for the vegetable combo in his hand.
He understood everything in a single instant!
“Holy mother of crap!” His entire face turned a deep, furious shade of purple-red as he roared at Sean’s disappearing back: “You brat!
If I ever see you again, I’m going to beat you into a literal beef meatball!!!” Gengar, who had already run a massive distance away, even playfully spun its head around, making a hilarious, mocking face at the completely exasperated boss, before accelerating with a loud *whoosh* and vanishing completely.
…
Meanwhile, somewhere far away in Blackthorn City.
A stern-faced youth with prominent red hair, dressed in a deep purple jacket with red trim, suddenly let out a sneeze completely out of nowhere.
“Achoo!” He furrowed his brows, looking up at the sky in slight bewilderment.
“Who’s talking about me?” —