"I don't want to spend my whole life tightening screws in a factory... I want to take it on a journey, to enter tournaments... As long as it has potential, even if I have to skip a meal every day, I'll raise it well..."
The girl's voice, humble to the dust yet carrying a heartbreaking stubbornness, echoed throughout the livestream.
If the viewers had been complaining earlier about the Caterpie being a waste of time, her miserable tale—like something out of a bitter, old-society melodrama—now pierced every warm-blooded listener like steel needles.
Anger, sympathy, and pity instantly blew up the chat.
[Viewer "Late Night Iron Lifter": WTF! I'm fuming! What era are we in? How is this sexist BS still a thing?! They bought the little bro a Charmander and just brushed the older sister off with a wild Caterpie? Is she even their biological daughter?!]
[Viewer "Fawn in the Woods": 😭😭😭 I'm literally crying IRL. That poor girl. Why can't girls be trainers? Why does she have to drop out and work to pay for her brother's tuition? So unfair!]
[Viewer "Berserk Psyduck": Catch these hands! Streamer, drop the coordinates! I'm pulling up on her parents! This is straight-up child abuse!]
[Viewer "Manager Ruby": For a child in that kind of toxic family environment to hold onto the dream of being a trainer is a miracle in itself. Miles, help her. Even if... even if it's just a white lie.]
[Viewer "Incarnation of Justice": As a legal professional, it truly pains me to hear about a child being deprived of their right to an education. Don't cry, little sister. DM me your address, and I'll help you contact CPS!]
[Viewer "Melon Eating Badger": Seeing those worn-out canvas shoes really broke me. What's wrong with a Caterpie? Caterpies have the right to live, and this girl has the right to chase her dreams! Streamer, please point her in the right direction!]
[Viewer "All-Night Cultivator": I know a Caterpie's ceiling is super low, but I'm praying for a miracle right now. Streamer, use those eyes of yours that can see through Mythical Pokémon and check if this Caterpie is a hidden god-tier variant!]
Watching the screen flood with righteous indignation and sympathy, Miles felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
In this seemingly glamorous Pokémon world, there were still countless dark corners untouched by the sun.
How could he not want to do exactly what the chat suggested?
He wanted to loudly announce that this Caterpie was a one-in-a-million peerless genius, encouraging the little girl to take it, mount a massive comeback, and slap the faces of her biased parents.
However, as a streamer who appraised Pokémon potential, he couldn't turn a blind eye.
The cold, hard data provided by the System left no room for falsehoods.
He couldn't lie to her.
Giving her false hope and letting her challenge professional trainers with a Caterpie that possessed absolutely zero battle potential wouldn't be helping her—it would be sending her to her death.
Miles took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the surging impulses in his chest.
He softened his gaze, adopting the patient, comforting tone of an older brother. "Little sister, don't cry just yet. Wipe your tears. I've carefully examined this Caterpie."
He paused to weigh his words, trying to reveal the cruel truth in the least hurtful way possible.
"First, I want to tell you that it's very healthy. Even though it's a bit malnourished, its vitality is tenacious. This shows you've taken great care of it. You are a very loving and responsible owner."
The girl's sobbing quieted slightly, as if she were listening intently.
"However..." Miles' tone grew heavy. "As an appraiser, I have to be responsible for you. I must tell you the truth. This Caterpie's IVs and overall potential are extremely, extremely ordinary. Its skeletal development and energy circulation network simply aren't enough to support high-intensity battle training."
"If you force it into fierce Pokémon battles, it will likely suffer irreversible, severe injuries. It might even... lose its life."
Watching the little bug munching on a leaf on the screen, Miles spoke softly. "Little sister, a Pokémon's value isn't measured solely by battling."
"This Caterpie has a lonely nature; it relies on you immensely. It may never become an invincible champion in the arena, but if you work together and safely raise it to evolve into a Butterfree..."
"...it will become the most loyal companion in your life—a lifestyle Pokémon capable of blowing away the gloom in your days. That's also a wonderful choice, isn't it?"
Miles spoke as tactfully as possible. It was the most honest advice he could give.
[Viewer "Low EQ": Bug is complete dogwater, gg go next.]
[Viewer "High EQ": It is more suitable as a lifestyle companion!]
The viewers in the stream immediately caught Miles' underlying meaning.
Cruel reality was often colder than fairy tales.
Although it left a sour taste in everyone's mouths, they understood Miles was doing this for the girl's own good.
[Viewer "Dancer on the Keyboard": Sigh, Streamer is right. You can't just ignore a Pokémon's well-being for the sake of a dream. Caterpie's ceiling is already right there, not to mention this one has garbage IVs.]
[Viewer "Melon Eater": Miracles don't happen every day. Little sister, face reality. Raise it well. Having a Butterfree by your side is a W too.]
[Viewer "Manager Ruby": Rational and gentle advice. Miles, you did the right thing.]
However, Miles' "high EQ" persuasion didn't seem to have the intended calming effect.
After a brief silence on the other side of the screen, an even more heart-wrenching, despair-filled wail erupted.
"Wuwuwuwu... Liars! You're all liars!"
"Even the streamer looks down on my Caterpie! I really am trash! I deserve to be bullied and work in a factory for the rest of my life! Wuwuwu..."
The girl's cries were agonizingly shrill. Accompanied by gasping and the sound of things smashing, it made everyone's scalp tingle.
The viewers were instantly heartbroken, frantically spamming the chat with comfort.
[Viewer "Fawn in the Woods": Sister, don't cry! He isn't looking down on you! He's just afraid your Caterpie will get hurt!]
[Viewer "Berserk Psyduck": Bro, my heart is breaking hearing this! Streamer, take another look! What if you missed something? Leave the kid some hope!]
[Viewer "Late Night Iron Lifter": Damn it, I can't take this anymore! Little sister, drop your CashApp! Your uncle here might not be a billionaire, but I'll pay to buy you a good starter Pokémon! Just stop crying!]
Watching the screen full of sympathy and listening to the tragic sobbing, Miles furrowed his brows tightly.
He opened his mouth, just about to say something to salvage the situation.
But right at that moment.
Because the 'girl' was emotionally waving her hands around, the previously fixed phone camera violently tilted and shook.
The lens panned away from the Caterpie, sweeping across the dimly lit room before landing perfectly on a half-open glass window to the side.
The moonlight outside was bright, turning the glass into a natural, dark mirror.
Miles' incredibly sharp gaze, enhanced by the System, swept casually across the screen.
In the very next second, all the sympathy, pity, and helplessness on his face froze.
Because he saw it plain as day!
In the reflection of that glass window, there was no tragic young girl wearing worn-out canvas shoes and suffering from sexist oppression!
Instead, the reflection prominently displayed a chubby little boy, around eleven or twelve years old, sporting a buzz cut and brand-new designer sportswear!
The boy was currently holding the phone with one hand, while the other held a small, black electronic device—a voice changer—pressed against his mouth.
The most outrageous part?
Even though the boy's mouth was producing the heart-wrenching wails of a crying girl through the voice changer, there wasn't a single teardrop on that chubby face reflected in the glass!
On the contrary, the corners of his mouth were turned up in a manic grin.
His shoulders shook violently as he tried to hold back his laughter, his face entirely plastered with the smug, arrogant look of a successful internet troll!
Boom!
Miles felt a rush of hot blood shoot straight to his head.
After all that...
The tragic backstory was fake!
The sexist parents were fake!
Even his damn gender was fake!
This was an absolute little scumbag with Oscar-level acting skills, using a voice changer to maliciously farm sympathy and donations from the internet!
"Heh... Hehehe..."
Miles' leaning body slowly sank back into his gaming chair.
The warmth in his eyes dropped to the freezing point at a visible rate.
The corners of his mouth ticked up, inch by inch, forming a bone-chilling, incredibly cold sneer.
Good.
Very good.
Today, I'll show you exactly what happens when you play with fire!
Upto 20 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/Vristikk