Miles leaned back in his chair, his long fingers gently tapping against the desk.
A calm, unhurried smile hung on his lips.
The consecutive, high-intensity appraisals he had just performed—ones that had even alerted the authorities—didn't leave him feeling exhausted.
Instead, his mind buzzed with an unprecedented level of excitement.
Even after the official police collaboration ended, the livestream's viewer count didn't recede like a fading tide.
Thanks to the platform's algorithmic push and the viewers enthusiastically sharing the stream, the channel experienced a massive surge in traffic.
The online viewer count comfortably broke past the thousands and was still climbing at a visible rate.
The chat feed rolled so fast it was almost blinding.
The screen was packed with viewers begging for appraisals and voice calls, all interspersed with dazzling donation effects.
[Viewer "Late Night Iron Lifter": Master, pick me! Pick me! My Machop has been shedding hair lately. I took it to the Pokémon Center and they said it was stress. I didn't even know Fighting-types had hair loss problems! Please check its pulse, Master!]
[Viewer "Melon Eater": Save your breath, bro, your Machop probably went bald from doing too many squats. Master, look at me! I paid a fortune for a Dratini, but I swear it looks exactly like a snake. Did I buy a fake?]
[Viewer "Keyboard Dancer": The streamer's aura is unmatched. The way he shut down those so-called experts earlier was too cool! I don't even own a Pokémon; I'm purely here to learn the tech and soak up the Master's good vibes.]
[Viewer "Berserk Psyduck": I've already shoved my Tauros in front of the screen! It's super nervous right now. Master, please pick my tag! I've got a Rocket donation locked and loaded, just waiting on your word!]
[Viewer "All-Night Cultivator": It's so rare to find a technical streamer who actually knows their stuff these days. Even if I don't sleep tonight, I'm camping here to see what the Master pulls off next!]
[Manager Ruby: Miles, watch your pacing. Back-to-back high-intensity appraisals are draining. Don't burn yourself out; just pick a few representative ones.]
[Viewer "Incarnation of Justice": Just came over from the police department's stream. Heard there's a god here who can spot Psychic-type mutants at a glance? Dropping a follow, waiting for the next visual feast!]
[Viewer "Outlaw John Doe": Am I the only one still reminiscing about that mutant Ponyta's absolute beauty? It was gorgeous. Streamer, hurry up and start the next round, I can't wait to see more Pokémon!]
Looking at the eager, passionate chat feed, Miles felt his mood soar.
Just as he was about to randomly select someone from the queue, a rather peculiar ID caught his eye.
Viewer "Mantis Shrimp Isn't Playful Today" is requesting a voice call with you.
Miles raised an eyebrow.
"Mantis Shrimp Isn't Playful Today? That name sounds pretty childish. Let's hope your Pokémon can bring everyone a different kind of joy."
Chuckling softly, he clicked his mouse and accepted the viewer's request.
Ding!
With a crisp notification chime, the livestream screen split in two.
The right side of the screen went black for a moment as the caller adjusted their camera.
After a brief shake, the image cleared up.
However, what appeared before the thousands of viewers wasn't some incredibly rare, priceless Pokémon.
Nor was it a majestic, battle-hardened beast.
It was an extremely common Caterpie—so common, in fact, that most people in this world actively despised them.
The lighting in the video was dim, suggesting the caller was in a cramped room with the main lights turned off.
The Caterpie rested on a battered, ancient-looking wooden desk.
Its body was a dull, lifeless dark green, and its yellow underbelly heaved with every breath.
The signature red, Y-shaped antenna on its head drooped pathetically.
The yellow, eye-like markings meant for camouflage were utterly devoid of luster.
It used its stubby front prolegs to desperately clutch a withered, yellowing leaf.
Its large eyes—black pupils surrounded by pale yellow sclera—were filled with an indescribable dullness and fear.
Opening its small mouth, it made soft crunch, crunch sounds.
It nibbled on the pathetic leaf with a mix of ravenous hunger and extreme caution.
"Well..."
Miles's eye twitched slightly as he stared at the screen.
He activated his System in his mind, his gaze locking onto the little creature's status panel.
[Target: Caterpie]
[Type: Bug]
[Gender: Male]
[Level: LV.4 (Juvenile)]
[Base Stats: D (195 - Near the absolute bottom)]
[IVs: C (65 - Completely mediocre, no redeeming qualities)]
[Ability: Shield Dust (Protected from the additional effects of moves. However, this ability is useless for it, as it cannot survive a single attack anyway.)]
[Nature: Lonely (Attack ↑, Defense ↓. Extremely insecure and desperately needs companionship.)]
[Moves: Tackle, String Shot]
[System Insight · Deep Analysis]
[Current Status: Extreme terror / Bone-deep loneliness / Abnormally ravenous appetite. (This is a Pokémon born at the very bottom of the food chain. It acutely senses the contempt and indifference of its environment. It eats desperately, not to evolve, but to use the act of swallowing to mask its inner fear and emptiness.)]
Taking in the dismal data and the heartbreaking status description, Miles sighed inwardly.
It was weak, pitiful, helpless, and a massive eater.
It didn't even have a single Fate Entry.
This was practically the definition of a bottom-tier tragedy in the Pokémon world.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, the chat feed exploded with confusion and mockery.
[Viewer "Kindergarten Food Snatcher": Oh, come on! I got all hyped up and you show me this? What is there to appraise about a Caterpie? You can grab a handful of these things in the grass behind my house. They wouldn't even be enough to fill a tooth gap if you stir-fried them!]
[Viewer "Grumpy Bro": Seriously! Is this caller just here to troll? We came to see the Master perform miracles, not to watch an insect documentary! Cut the feed and pick the next guy!]
[Viewer "Pokéball Collector": Have some mercy, chat, maybe this Caterpie is secretly a genius? Though looking at how shriveled it is, it probably can't even use String Shot properly. Utter garbage tier.]
[Viewer "Dreaming of Champion": Don't underestimate Caterpie, chat! If you raise it with love, it can evolve into Rayquaza! ]
[Viewer "Keyboard Dancer": Goddamn Rayquaza! How long are you guys going to keep that meme alive? This Caterpie is obviously malnourished. It probably won't even survive long enough to become a standard Butterfree.]
[Viewer "Melon Eater": Streamer, this is a pure waste of time. Just hang up, don't ruin the momentum you've built up!]
[Viewer "Outlaw John Doe": Wait, do you guys hear that? It sounds like someone is sniffing.]
Just as the observant viewer pointed out, a suppressed, intermittent sobbing could be heard clearly through the caller's microphone.
The owner's face remained off-camera.
"M-Master Streamer... hello..."
A slightly hoarse girl's voice, thick with tears, trembled through the screen.
She didn't sound very old—perhaps eleven or twelve.
She sounded like a startled deer, her tone heavy with deep-seated insecurity and timidity.
"Don't be nervous, little girl," Miles said, his brow furrowing.
He immediately swallowed the lighthearted jokes he had prepared, softening his voice to patiently guide her.
"Did you connect with me because you have a question? Do you want to know how to properly care for this Caterpie, or did you want me to look at its potential?"
"I... sob..."
Hearing Miles's gentle tone, the girl on the other end seemed to lose her battle to keep it together.
Her suppressed cries turned into heartbroken, wronged sobs.
"Master... I didn't know what else to do. I was too scared to ask anyone else. I was afraid they would laugh at me. I only dared to sneak on here and ask you..."
Between jagged breaths and the sound of her wiping her nose, the girl began to tell a story that made Miles's blood boil.
"My little brother... he's starting at the elite Pokémon Middle School in the city next month."
"To celebrate, my parents spent almost all our savings yesterday at an official, high-end breeding center to buy him a Charmander with incredible potential..."
"But... but I'm a year older than him. I'm supposed to start middle school this year, too."
She choked on her tears.
"But my parents said... they said studying is useless for girls, and becoming a Trainer is just a pipe dream."
"They told me to drop out and go work at the Pokémon food processing plant in town to earn money for my brother's tuition..."
As she spoke, she cried harder.
The Caterpie, sensing its owner's profound sorrow, stopped munching on its leaf.
It raised its small head and let out a soft, concerned squeak.
"I wanted a Pokémon too... I've dreamed of becoming a Trainer!"
"I begged them for so long. I even got on my knees..."
"Finally, my dad got annoyed. He went out to the tall grass behind the house, caught a random Caterpie, and threw it at me. He said this was my starter Pokémon..."
The camera angled down slightly, revealing a pair of feet wearing washed-out canvas shoes with frayed edges.
"Master... I know Caterpies are weak. I know I don't have the money to buy it expensive Pokéblocks."
"But... but it's my only friend in this house."
"Every night, I sneak out to gather vegetable scraps to feed it, and it's so well-behaved, it never runs away..."
"Master, I'm begging you. Please look at it."
"Does it have good potential? Does it have even a tiny, tiny bit of potential to become a strong Pokémon?"
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