Officer Barrett spoke as he pulled a thick stack of documents from the compartment of his silver briefcase, waving them in front of the camera.
The red ink stamping the pages belonged not only to the Municipal Pokémon Center but also bore the steel seal of the renowned Provincial Pokémon Research Institute.
To the average person, this was absolute truth—irrefutable hard evidence.
A look of genuine caution crossed Officer Barrett's eyes. He truly didn't want to see a talented young man ruin his future over a moment of online arrogance.
"The conclusions here are written in black and white: [Congenital Fire Sac Absence], [Hereditary Gene Breakage], and [Severe Misfire Syndrome]. Every single word was backed by experts using specialized instruments. For you to just open your mouth and claim the experts are wrong... isn't that a bit too arrogant?"
The livestream's chat feed instantly exploded, densely packing the screen with a barrage of text.
[Viewer "Kindergarten Lunch Thief": GG. Streamer really hit a brick wall this time! That's a report from a provincial institute. The credibility is off the charts.]
[Viewer "Peanut Gallery": Bro is in too deep and can't back out now. It's like telling a doctor you're fine, and they just slap a CT scan on the desk showing a terminal illness. Who do you believe?]
[Viewer "Grumpy Bro": The doctor, obviously! Streamer just has a slick mouth, but he's dead meat against actual scientific data. Just take the L and stop acting tough!]
[Viewer "I Love Rattata": NGL, I like the streamer, but I'm siding with Officer Barrett on this one. Science is rigorous. That Ponyta literally has no fire, that's just a fact.]
[Viewer "Manager Ruby": ...While authoritative institutions have a low misdiagnosis rate, it's not entirely zero. Still, to overturn the conclusions of so many experts, Miles, you need to show us something real.]
[Viewer "Passerby A": Sitting here waiting for the face-slap! I refuse to believe an unlicensed streamer knows more than white-bearded experts!]
[Viewer "Nutritious Yarn": Hang in there, streamer! If you can flip this case, I'll instantly drop a Rocket in the chat! I never go back on my word!]
Faced with the heavy stack of reports in Officer Barrett's hand and the overwhelming wave of doubt in the chat, Miles didn't show the slightest trace of panic.
On the contrary, the smile on his lips deepened, carrying a hint of disdain for their so-called "authority."
"Tests? Reports?" Miles chuckled softly.
He leaned forward slightly, staring straight into Officer Barrett's eyes through the screen. His tone was calm but resonated with absolute certainty.
"Officer Barrett, do you believe that sometimes, this so-called scientific testing is fundamentally flawed right from the starting line?"
"Flawed?" Officer Barrett paused. "How could it be flawed? Do instruments lie?"
"Instruments don't lie, but the people using them can be foolish," Miles said plainly, tapping his finger against his desk.
The crisp sound echoed through the mic.
"You used instruments calibrated to detect Fire-type energy on a Pokémon that isn't even a Fire-type! Of course, the only conclusion you'd draw is a 'missing fire sac'!"
Miles's voice rose, every word ringing out like a bell.
"That's as absurd as using a Geiger counter on a regular rock, finding no radiation, and declaring it a 'broken piece of uranium'!"
"Because it was never uranium to begin with! It's jade! A piece of priceless, flawless jade!"
He pointed directly at the trembling Ponyta on the screen.
"You asked me earlier what happens if the experts are wrong, Officer Barrett. Let me give you the answer right now."
"This Ponyta doesn't have 'Misfire Syndrome.' The reason it has no flames is because its typing underwent a fundamental mutation!"
"It is not a Fire-type!"
"It is a one-in-a-million Psychic-type variant!"
Boom!
The declaration hit the livestream like a depth charge.
[Viewer "Kindergarten Lunch Snatcher": Holy crap?! Psychic-type? Streamer, you're not joking, right? A Ponyta can mutate into a Psychic-type?]
[Viewer "Peanut Gallery": Cap! This is way too outrageous! That's like saying Pikachu is actually made of water! It totally violates biological common sense!]
[Viewer "Bald Cape Hero": Even though it sounds like total nonsense, if it really is a Psychic-type... wouldn't the value of this Ponyta skyrocket? Psychic is a premium typing!]
[Viewer "Boba-Drinking Squirtle": Streamer is betting his life on this! If he can't prove it, he'll never be able to shake off the fraud label!]
[Viewer "Forest Deer": You can do it, Master! I believe in you! Just like I believed my Gloom actually smelled good!]
[Viewer "Pokémon Trainer Ash": A Psychic-type Ponyta? I think I read a record of something like that in an ancient text... could it be the legendary Galarian form?]
[Viewer "Manager Ruby": ...If it really is a Psychic-type, then everything else makes sense. Why the Fire Stone didn't work, why they couldn't detect fire elements. Miles, you've really handed the police a massive puzzle this time.]
Watching the frenzied scrolling of the chat and listening to Miles's claims, Officer Barrett's expression shifted violently.
Surprise, suspicion, and expectation all warred on his face.
He wasn't a professional Trainer, but even he knew what the "Psychic-type" meant. It was synonymous with mystery and power—a typing countless Trainers dreamed of acquiring.
"Psychic-type..." Officer Barrett muttered.
He jerked his head up, his gaze sharpening. "Miles, this is no joke. You claim it's a Psychic-type, but do you have proof? We can't just declare a mutation based on your word alone."
"Of course I have proof," Miles smiled confidently. "And proving it is actually quite simple."
"We don't need high-tech instruments, and we don't need blood tests."
"All we need..."
He paused, his gaze sweeping past Officer Barrett's colleagues until it landed on the young female officer who had been silently standing by, looking at the Ponyta with eyes full of heartache.
"...is a little game."
"A game?" Officer Barrett was entirely lost.
"Right," Miles instructed. "Officer Barrett, please find something light—like a ping-pong ball or a wadded piece of paper. Then, have the female officer who has been caring for the Ponyta step up to the enclosure."
Though full of doubt, Officer Barrett complied.
He grabbed a yellow ping-pong ball from a pen holder on the desk and motioned for Elara, the intern officer, to step forward.
She walked into the camera frame nervously. Dressed in a crisp police uniform with her hair tied in a ponytail, she looked sharp and heroic, but her eyes betrayed nothing but deep concern for the Pokémon.
"Hello, streamer. I'm Elara. I've been the one taking care of this Ponyta... can it really be saved?" her voice trembled slightly.
"Don't worry, Officer. Not only can it be saved, but it's about to give you a massive surprise," Miles said, his tone turning gentle and persuasive.
"Now, listen to my instructions. I want you to crouch down, look it in the eyes, and tell it not to be afraid."
"Then, Officer Barrett, I want you to stand three meters away, take that ping-pong ball, and throw it... right at the Ponyta!"
"What?!" Elara and Officer Barrett shouted in unison.
"Throw it? Isn't that just hitting it?" Elara panicked, immediately spreading her arms to shield the small creature. "It's already so pitiful, how can we bully it?"
The chat feed instantly turned into a wall of curses.
[Viewer "Animal Protection Society": Are you sick in the head, streamer? Animal abuse? What kind of test is this?!]
[Viewer "Grumpy Bro": Damn it, if you dare hit that thing, I'm crawling through the screen to hack you to pieces!]
[Viewer "Peanut Gallery": Hold up, guys. Bro definitely has a deeper motive. Let's just watch first.]
"Don't misunderstand," Miles quickly clarified. "I'm not asking you to hurt it. Just toss it lightly to give it a tiny sense of 'crisis'."
"Psychic-type Pokémon often require external stimulation to awaken their latent mental energy."
"This Ponyta in particular is deeply insecure; it has locked itself away. If we don't push it just a little, it will never realize how strong it truly is."
He looked directly at Elara, his tone entirely sincere. "Officer, do you trust me? More importantly... do you trust it?"
Elara looked at Miles's resolute gaze through the monitor, then turned back to the trembling Ponyta curled up in the enclosure.
So weak and helpless.
Yet, Miles had called it a powerful Psychic-type.
"Okay... I'll try!" she gritted her teeth.
She crouched down, her voice as gentle as coaxing a baby to sleep.
"Baby... don't be afraid. Big sister is here. That big brother over there says you're actually super strong, that you can use magic... Can you perform some magic for big sister?"
"When a ball flies at you, don't dodge. Try to use your mind... to stop it. Okay?"
The Ponyta seemed to understand her words.
It slowly opened its amethyst-clear eyes, flashing with confusion but dominated by an overwhelming trust in its owner.
Trembling, it tried to stand. Though its legs still wobbled, it stubbornly hoisted itself up.
"Officer Barrett, do it," Miles stated calmly.
Officer Barrett took a deep breath, pinched the ping-pong ball, and aimed at the Ponyta. He purposefully avoided its head, lightly tossing it in a gentle arc.
Swoosh—
The yellow ball soared through the air.
For a moment, time seemed to slow. Several thousand viewers held their breath as they watched.
Ponyta saw the incoming ball and instinctively wanted to shrink away, to hide. It was a habit born from the smugglers' abuse—when attacked, the only thing it could do was take the hit or run.
But then, it heard its owner's voice.
"You can do it! Catch it!"
A voice filled with pure encouragement.
Simultaneously, Miles's commanding tone flowed through the microphone, imbued with an almost magical cadence.
"Don't be afraid! You are not useless!"
"Inside you, there is a rainbow! That is your true power!"
"Look at the ball! Use your eyes! Use your will! Command it—STOP!!!"
Boom!
A thunderclap seemed to explode within Ponyta's mind.
It stopped dodging.
It snapped its head up, and those once cloudy, amethyst eyes suddenly erupted with a brilliant pink-purple glow!
Above its bald forehead, a phantom image of a single horn shimmered into existence.
Hummmm—!!!
An invisible wave instantly rippled outward from its body.
Just a fraction of second before the ping-pong ball was about to smack its nose... the ball froze.
It hung rigidly in mid-air, as if a giant, invisible hand had seized it firmly.
Soon after, the air surrounding the ping-pong ball began to radiate a faint pink luminescence.
That was... Confusion! Pure, unadulterated, high-grade Psychic-type energy!
Gasp!
A collective intake of breath swept through the police station office.
Officer Barrett's hand was still frozen mid-toss, his eyes bulging so wide they threatened to pop out of his skull.
Elara slapped both hands over her mouth as tears of absolute joy streamed down her face.
The chat feed? Utterly detonated.
[Viewer "Kindergarten Lunch Snatcher": YOOOO!!! It stopped! It really stopped! Is this magic?!]
[Viewer "Peanut Gallery": BRO IS COOKING!!! Mom asked me why I'm kneeling to watch a stream! This really is a Psychic-type! W Streamer!]
[Viewer "Grumpy Bro": I submit! I completely submit! The face-slap is too loud! Who said the streamer was capping earlier? Come out and take your L!]
[Viewer "Passerby A": Confusion! That's the Confusion move! This Ponyta actually knows Psychic powers! My god, the variant mutation is confirmed!]
[Viewer "Manager Ruby": ...Brilliant. Simply brilliant. Not only did you identify its typing, you successfully guided it to awaken its move. Miles, your skills are nothing short of miraculous.]
[Viewer "Forest Deer": Ahhhhh! The Ponyta is so handsome! That pink light is so beautiful! Streamer, I love you!]
[Viewer "Outlaw John Doe": Officer, I want to report a crime! Someone here is using a hack! Bro has unreal eyes!]
On the screen, the Ponyta appeared equally astonished at its own handiwork.
It blinked rapidly.
Under the command of its mind, the suspended ping-pong ball began bobbing up and down, doing loops and sharp turns through the air, completely enamoring the little horse.
The aura of insecurity and timidity that clung to it vanished into thin air. In its place stood newborn confidence—a joyous realization of 'Wow, I'm actually this strong.'
It whinnied cheerfully, turning its head to gently nuzzle Elara's palm with a forehead still faintly glowing pink.
"Baby... you are incredible! You really are a Psychic-type!" Elara threw her arms around it, crying tears of joy like rain on pear blossoms.
Watching the heartwarming scene, even Officer Barrett found his eyes growing red.
He turned to face the camera—to face the young streamer on the screen—and bowed deeply.
"Comrade Miles, I, Barrett, have truly had my eyes opened today," he declared, straightening up and offering a firm thumbs-up.
"Expert reports? Authoritative tests? In front of you, they're nothing but waste paper!"
"You're not just some civilian expert... you're a true appraiser!"
"If not for you, this Ponyta would have been buried. On behalf of the Pokémon Protection Bureau and Elara, thank you!"
Listening to Officer Barrett's praise and watching the chat scroll furiously with "W Master" alongside a flurry of donation rocket effects, Miles leaned back in his chair and exhaled a long breath.
This move wasn't just safe.
It was an overwhelming, total victory!
He calmly picked up his water cup, took a measured sip, and hid his merits behind a profoundly unfathomable smile.
"You flatter me, Officer Barrett. I only did what any Pokémon Appraiser should do."
"Every life has its own light; even if momentarily covered in dust, it will eventually illuminate the world."
"The future of this Ponyta is truly limitless."
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