Miles leaned back in his plush gaming chair. Though his body appeared completely relaxed, his mind raced.
His gaze locked onto the edge of his screen like a scalpel, focusing entirely on the feed's half-open glass window.
In its reflection stood a chubby little boy wearing a brand-new, designer tracksuit, clutching a voice changer. His shoulders shook as he fought back a laugh. It was a vicious mockery of human empathy.
Miles's right hand hovered over the keyboard. His first instinct was to alt-tab and contact Officer Barrett from the City Pokémon Protection Bureau, whom he had just added as a friend.
Online fraud and exploiting public conscience—even if this little bastard was a minor and wouldn't be sent to make license plates in juvie, having Officer Barrett show up at his door based on the IP address for a "friendly police wellness check" would definitely scare him into wetting his pants.
But... Miles slowly pulled his hand back.
'Calling the cops right now would be letting him off way too easy,' he sneered inwardly.
If he just let the police handle it quietly, wouldn't the thousands of viewers in his chat—who were currently pouring out their sympathy and even preparing to donate—be kept completely in the dark?
Worse still, once they eventually found out they had been scammed, how much psychological damage would it inflict on these kind-hearted netizens? If a truly vulnerable person ever came to the stream needing help in the future, who would dare lend a hand?
Miles changed his mind. Rather than leaving it to the police to handle in the shadows, it was better to stage a thorough, public execution right here and now.
He was going to personally rip the hypocritical mask off this brat in front of thousands of viewers, exposing exactly what this "wolf in sheep's clothing" looked like.
His mind made up, Miles took a deep breath. When he looked back up at the webcam, the cold anger in his eyes vanished instantly.
In its place was the look of a deeply moved, endlessly sympathetic, and caring older brother.
"Little one..." Miles said, his voice dropping low and deliberately carrying a barely perceptible tremor, as if the tragic tale of patriarchal oppression had truly broken his heart.
"I just thought about it... your situation is truly heartbreaking. In this day and age, to think there are still parents so heavily biased, cruelly stripping a girl of her right to pursue her dreams."
He rubbed his temples, putting on a look of profound sorrow.
Seeing Miles's expression, the viewers assumed the streamer had been thoroughly moved by this pitiful "little girl," and the chat feed flooded with another wave of overwhelming sympathy.
[Viewer "LateNightIronLifter": Damn, even a veteran like Master Miles is tearing up. This poor girl has it so rough!]
[Viewer "ForestFawn": Master, you know people! Can you help her? If you start a gofundme, chat could easily chip in ten bucks each. We could buy her a decent Pokémon!]
[Viewer "BerserkPsyduck": Fr! A Caterpie's IVs are trash. If she has talent, we can't let her get buried!]
[Viewer "KeyboardDancer": Streamer, talk is cheap! Drop a donation link!]
[Viewer "AllNightGrinder": Look at his face, bro is cooking. Is he going to gift her a Pokémon himself?]
[Viewer "TeaSippingBadger": W streamer. Little sister, don't give up hope!]
[Viewer "Outlaw John Doe": Sympathy is cool and all, but don't act impulsively. The internet is full of fakes. Better safe than sorry.]
Watching the screen fill with well-meaning comments, Miles scoffed internally, but outwardly, he continued to cast his carefully prepared bait.
"Little one, here's the deal," Miles said, deliberately slowing his speech to enunciate every word.
"Privately, I happen to know a top-tier Pokémon Breeder in this city. Not only does he have access to a massive amount of high-quality Pokémon, but he's also a wealthy philanthropist."
"He runs a 'Dream Weaver Project' specifically designed to fund young people from impoverished backgrounds who have a burning passion for Pokémon battles."
Miles looked into the camera, his eyes so sincere he almost convinced himself.
"After the stream ends, I'll visit him personally and explain your situation in detail. Given his wealth and kind heart, he might... no, he will very likely sponsor you directly with a top-tier Starter Pokémon!"
Those words dropped like a blockbuster bomb on the other end of the call. The continuous, heart-wrenching sobbing that had been coming from the "girl" instantly stopped, as if someone had hit the pause button.
"R-really?!"
The girl's voice coming through the voice changer still trembled slightly, but the unconcealed urgency and sheer greed completely betrayed the speaker's true emotions. Even the tearful choking sounded incredibly stiff and fake.
Miles watched the chubby boy in the glass reflection, whose eyes had instantly lit up and who was now so excited he was practically bouncing on his heels. His smirk deepened.
'Hook, line, and sinker.' Greed was always the best catalyst to make a scammer slip up.
"Of course it's true. When have I, Miles, ever lied in this stream?" Miles nodded earnestly before his tone suddenly turned serious.
"However... my wealthy friend has requirements for his charity. He needs to personally verify the living conditions of the person he's sponsoring to ensure they are genuinely poor. After all, nobody wants their goodwill exploited by a scammer, right?"
The person on the other side of the screen was clearly so blinded by the prospect of a free Starter Pokémon that they didn't even stop to consider the hidden meaning behind his words.
They scrambled to reassure him into the microphone, "Right, right, right! That's only fair! Master, don't worry, my family is really poor! Every word I said is true! I can film it and show you!"
"Good. Now follow my instructions," Miles instructed, his voice low and oppressive, like a director in absolute control of the set. "Pick up the phone you have propped on your desk."
The video feed shook slightly as the other party eagerly grabbed the device.
"Yes, just like that. Keep it steady, don't shake it." Miles kept his eyes glued to the position of the glass window, issuing precise commands. "Now, slowly step back from the desk. Step back, two steps... yes, keep it at that height."
The viewers watched this bizarre pacing in total confusion.
[Viewer "MelonEater": Wait, what is bro doing? I thought he wanted to see her room. Why is he making her step back?]
[Viewer "KindergartenBully": I don't get the Master's strat here. Is he trying to get a wide shot? The room is too dark anyway.]
[Viewer "BerserkPsyduck": Is it just me, or does Master Miles sound like he's interrogating a suspect rn?]
[Viewer "Manager Ruby": Something's fishy. I know Miles's style; he doesn't do things for no reason. Watch the screen closely, chat. There's definitely a catch.]
[Viewer "KeyboardDancer": Holy crap, Manager Ruby making me feel a chill down my spine in the middle of the night!]
[Viewer "AllNightGrinder": Holding my breath! Let him cook!]
[Viewer "EmbodimentOfJustice": Whatever it is, I hope he verifies it quickly so this kid can get her Starter!]
Miles ignored the confusion in the chat entirely. All his attention was locked onto the composition of the video feed.
"Alright, stop."
Seeing that the camera had pulled back to the perfect distance, Miles took a deep breath and delivered his final, fatal instruction.
"Now, holding the phone, slowly turn your body... about fifteen degrees to the left. Yes, right toward the window on your right-hand side... turn slowly..."
The brat on the other end, completely blinded by the lure of a Starter Pokémon, obeyed Miles's commands without question.
He turned his body, leaving himself completely defenseless, and pointed the phone's camera squarely at the half-open, highly reflective glass window!
In the instant the camera settled, illuminated by the cold moonlight, the pitch-black glass acted like a high-definition full-body mirror.
It perfectly reflected the figure standing before it.
It wasn't some pitiful young girl in worn-out canvas shoes, suffering under the yoke of a misogynistic family.
It was a pudgy little boy decked out in brand-new designer sportswear, rocking a pair of limited-edition sneakers!
He held the phone in his left hand, while his right hand maintained a death grip on a black electronic voice changer.
The greatest irony was that, because his back was to the light, he hadn't realized he was entirely exposed in the glass reflection. His chubby face still wore a smug, giddy grin at the thought of successfully scamming a Starter Pokémon.
Snap! Miles casually snapped his fingers in front of the screen.
The sympathetic facade vanished from his face, replaced by a bone-chillingly sarcastic sneer.
"Absolutely perfect. This living environment looks quite 'impoverished' indeed."
In that moment, the thousands of viewers in the livestream—who had their eyes peeled, waiting to witness a heartwarming scene of a rich philanthropist helping a Cinderella—fell into a dead, suffocating silence the second they saw the reflection in the window.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds passed.
Then, the livestream's chat feed detonated like a nuclear bomb, tearing across the screen at a terrifying speed that threatened to crash the servers!
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