In this era where traffic reigned supreme and clickbait ruled, could a thoroughly ordinary boy's request to appraise a Caterpie for his sister really make a splash in a massive livestream with tens of thousands of viewers?
Most likely, he wouldn't even get the chance to have his name read by the streamer.
He had resorted to the most foolish, easily despised method of deception, all to fulfill a younger brother's pure desire to protect his sister.
After a brief pause, the chat feed exploded once more, but this time with a completely different emotional tone.
[Viewer "Steel-Hearted Chad": Damn it, this plot twist got sand in my eyes! This chubby kid might be a little bastard, but he's a real man! W little brother!]
[Viewer "Lost Fawn": Waaaah, I'm sorry, little brother! Big sis yelled at you way too loudly just now. You're amazing for braving all that scolding for your sister!]
[Viewer "Wild Electabuzz": Fuck! This bullshit patriarchal mindset! It's the adults' fault. Why should two kids have to bear the brunt of it?]
[Viewer "Manager Ruby": This is the complexity of human nature... Behind a lie hid the most sincere, selfless heart. Miles, help them out.]
[Viewer "Outlaw John Doe": Legally speaking, he's suspected of fraud. But morally speaking, I want to give him the 'Brother of the Year' award!]
[Viewer "Goji Berry Boomer": Sigh, kids from poor families have to grow up fast. This boy figured out the cheat code for internet clout. It's just survival wisdom forced out of him.]
[Viewer "No Drunk Nights": Master, stop holding out on us; we're taking this job! Isn't it just appraising a Caterpie? Even if it's a whole nest of bugs today, our stream will cover it all!]
Looking at the screen full of understanding and forgiving comments, Miles felt a complex mix of emotions and let out a deep sigh.
Ever since crossing over into this world, he had seen unscrupulous merchants who would do anything for money, and self-righteous fools who abused their Pokémon.
But this was his first time encountering a bratty kid like this—one who, for the sake of his sister's dream, was willing to bear the brunt of public scolding and even risk getting arrested by the police, all to scam a chance to connect to the stream.
Was he wrong?
Of course he was. He was dead wrong. The internet wasn't a lawless wasteland, and good intentions didn't justify deception.
But was he bad?
No. His heart was far purer than many of those hypocritical adults.
"Alright, dry your tears and stand up like a man," Miles stated plainly, retracting his previously overbearing aura.
Although his tone remained stern, it now carried a trace of an elder's warmth.
"I've seen your dedication to your sister. The chat has seen it too. But, let's keep things straight: a mistake is a mistake!"
Miles put on a stern face and spoke righteously. "When I said I had a rich friend willing to sponsor your Starter Pokémon, I was bluffing! I was lying to you! There is no rich friend!"
"I was just fighting fire with fire, to let you know how terrible it feels to have your hopes deceived!"
Hearing that he was completely cut off from getting a Starter Pokémon, a flash of obvious disappointment crossed the boy's eyes.
But quickly, he nodded in relief, letting out a breath.
"I know... Master, I know you're teaching me a lesson. I won't be greedy anymore. I don't expect a Charmander or a Squirtle."
"I just beg you, consider it.. helping my sister, and help us pick a slightly better Caterpie... I'm begging you!"
"I've always been clear about rewards and punishments," Miles said.
"You lied. Originally, there was absolutely no way I would give you this free appraisal perk, because I cannot foster this unhealthy trend of using lies to gain sympathy in my stream!"
His words caused the boy's heart to instantly plummet to rock bottom. Even the sister standing behind him closed her eyes in despair.
However, Miles shifted the conversation, his gaze falling softly on the trembling girl.
"But... I am willing to make an exception this once," Miles continued.
"Remember, I am definitely not appraising for you today because of your clumsy acting and lies, but because of your sister."
"It's because when she thought the police were going to arrest you, even though she was terrified to death, she didn't hesitate to stand bravely in front of you with absolute kindness!"
Miles's resounding words not only maintained his bottom line and principles as a Master appraiser but also directed all the goodwill and respect to the girl who had truly suffered grievances.
Cheers immediately erupted in the livestream.
Countless free little gifts drifted down like snowflakes as the viewers frantically smashed the like button for Miles's magnanimity and class.
[Viewer "Fist of Justice": W Streamer! The streamer's class is maxed out! With morals like these, you deserve to blow up!]
[Viewer "Melon Eater": Yes, yes, yes! Just for the sister's protective heart, we absolutely have to pick out a top-tier Caterpie for her!]
[Viewer "No Sleep Till Dawn": Master, hurry up and start! I can't wait to see if you can actually pick gold out of a trash-tier Pokémon like a Caterpie!]
[Viewer "Gossip Marten": Chat, if we can't pick out a good one today, let's crowdfund and buy the sister a good one! We absolutely cannot let her dream die here!]
[Viewer "Manager Ruby": Miles, start your performance. Show everyone your true skills.]
"Alright, enough nonsense. Time is precious; let's get straight to the point."
Miles sat up straight, instantly entering the focused, professional state of a master appraiser.
His eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through the essence of all things in the world, narrowed slightly.
"You just said you wanted me to pick one out? But from the very beginning, your camera has only shown that single Caterpie lying on the table."
"Are there other candidates?"
Hearing Miles finally agree to help with the appraisal, the siblings on the other side of the screen were overjoyed.
The boy nodded excitedly, breaking into a smile through his tears.
"There are! There are! Please wait a moment, Master!"
The boy hastily grabbed the phone and turned around.
As he walked deeper into the house, he explained excitedly, "Even though my dad has a bad temper, to save trouble and stop my sister from bothering him, he just used a net to catch a whole burlap sack full of Caterpies from the back mountain yesterday!"
"He threw all those Caterpies into the abandoned woodshed behind our house, tossed in some rotten cabbage leaves, and told my sister to go in and pick whichever one she liked..."
Accompanied by the boy's footsteps, the camera feed shook.
Creaaak!
With a teeth-setting screech of friction, an obviously old, peeling wooden door was forcefully pushed open by the boy.
"Master, the rest of the Caterpies are in here! Pick whichever one you want! Whichever one you point to, we'll keep!"
As the boy finished speaking, the phone's flashlight instantly clicked on.
The harsh white light pierced the thick darkness of the woodshed.
When the camera finally focused on the scene inside, the thousands of viewers in the stream—who just moments ago had been boiling with passionate blood, ready to witness a miracle—collectively felt their scalps tingle.
Within a single second, they gasped in horror.
Many viewers who were eating late-night snacks spewed their instant noodles right across their screens!
Inside that dilapidated woodshed, measuring only a few square meters and piled high with various debris and scrap wood...
On the floor.
On the walls.
Even on the ceiling!
Densely packed, overlapping, and squirming were countless green, soft-bodied creatures!
Their plump green bodies reflected a nauseating, slimy sheen under the flashlight.
The red, Y-shaped antennae on their heads trembled with every wriggle of their bodies.
Most terrifying of all, the room was filled with a hair-raising, dense crunch, crunch, crunch sound of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of bugs simultaneously gnawing on rotten cabbage leaves!
How the hell was this a breeding room for backup Pokémon?
This was an absolute nightmare, a spider's lair guaranteed to instantly trigger both trypophobia and entomophobia!
[Viewer "Kindergarten Meal Snatcher": Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!!! My eyes! I'm blind! Turn it off! Turn it off now!!!]
[Viewer "No Drunk Nights": Barf—! Help! I'm absolutely terrified of caterpillars! Is this screen full of green trying to mentally pollute me?!]
[Viewer "Outlaw John Doe": Reported! I'm seriously reporting this stream this time! This is causing extreme physical discomfort!]
[Viewer "Wild Electabuzz": Mother of God... This dad is a ruthless man! Caught a whole sack? Was he stocking up goods to stir-fry for dinner?!]
[Viewer "Lost Fawn": Trypophobia sufferers died on the spot... Master, this job is too hardcore. Can you really pick a flower out of this pile of bugs?]
[Viewer "Keyboard Holmes": Looking for top-tier quality in hundreds of pieces of trash? This is like finding a needle in a haystack! Master, how about we just crowdfund instead? This is too harsh on the eyes!]
[Viewer "Cat Lover": Help, I feel like Caterpies are crawling all over my screen. I can't take it, I'm dipping out first. I'll come back when the picking is done!]
Looking at the horrifying scene on the screen—one terrifying enough to instantly drain an ordinary person's SAN to zero—and the wailing viewers in the chat, Miles couldn't help but gulp.
The corner of his mouth twitched violently.
'This fucking...' he thought.
It really was a grueling physical task. But he didn't back down.
"Chat, hold steady! Stop making a fuss! These are Pokémon, they are living lives!"
Miles shouted, feigning composure, though goosebumps had erupted all over his own arms.
He took a deep breath, his gaze turning fiery as he locked onto the sea of green bugs on the screen.
"Little One, hold your phone, slow down the camera, and pan across every single Caterpie from left to right, top to bottom."
"Do not miss a single one!"
Upto 20 chapters ahead on patreon :-
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