[Viewer "Manager Ruby": Being able to eat is a blessing. Seeing it eat with such an appetite sweeps away all the gloom from that scare earlier. Miles, let it eat more. Recovering its stamina is the most important thing right now.]
[Viewer "Outlaw John Doe": Screen-recording this ASAP. If anyone ever tells me they want to raise a Munchlax, I'm throwing this video in their face and telling them to check their bank account first.]
Munchlax enthusiastically licked up the last crumbs and let out an earth-shattering burp of satisfaction. The cigarette in the courier station owner's hand had only burned halfway down.
Swallowing hard, the owner watched Miles look around for a trash can. He hurriedly reached out to take the empty woven sacks, stammering that he would handle the garbage himself.
In his mind, he already pictured Miles as a tragic youth -who, just to feed this terrifying money sink, would be forced to gnaw on cold steamed buns and wear tattered clothes, risking his life livestreaming on the streets for meager tips.
In the stream, an older fan who missed the start of the broadcast dropped a highlighted comment, asking what accident had Miles encountered today and why the chat was freaking out.
Stroking Munchlax's round belly, Miles softly explained the situation to the camera.
He recounted their sudden encounter with a completely frenzied Tauros at the street corner—how the behemoth charged at him like an out-of-control truck, and how Munchlax recklessly threw itself forward at the critical moment, using its own body to block the fatal strike.
As Miles delivered his calm but lingeringly fearful account, the station owner eavesdropping nearby instantly turned pale. The hand holding his cigarette trembled violently, dropping the burning butt straight onto the ground.
An intense wave of guilt surged over him.
In truth, this heavy shipment of Pokémon food had arrived at the station that very morning. But because it was so cumbersome, the owner deliberately delayed the delivery out of laziness, scheming to make the buyer carry it home themselves.
He never imagined his momentary laziness would nearly cost this young man his life under the horns of a rampaging Tauros. If something actually happened to the kid today, his conscience would be tortured endlessly.
The owner secretly swore to himself that from now on, no matter how heavy this young man's packages were, he would personally deliver them to his door..
[Viewer "Oh My": Omg, it was that dangerous?! Munchlax is so brave. It really protected its master with its life. This bond is too touching T_T]
[Viewer "No Drinking Late at Night": That bastard who let a Tauros run wild in the city center needs to be locked up. Thank goodness the streamer and Munchlax are safe. Surviving a disaster means good karma is on the way!]
[Viewer "Wild Electabuzz": I take back what I said earlier about Munchlax only knowing how to eat. This is definitely a top-tier Pokémon with true loyalty. Bro absolutely deserved that meal!]
[Viewer "Red Moon Descends": This is exactly why we treat Pokémon like family. In the face of danger, they're often way more reliable than humans.]
[Viewer "Frontline Melon Eater": Don't let that guy off easily, Streamer! Sue him to oblivion, otherwise he'll just do it again.]
[Viewer "Outlaw John Doe": According to Federation law, that's a massive public endangerment charge. The perp definitely won't get away with it. Glad you're safe, though. Now hurry up and show off that new move to calm our nerves!]
[Viewer "Miss Carrot": Donated Poké Ball x10! Just a little token of my appreciation. Use this to buy something delicious for Munchlax. It's the real MVP today!]
"Don't worry, everyone. That person was already taken away by the Pokémon Security Department, and the medical compensation was paid in full. It's over and done with, so let's not dwell on a buzzkill," Miles smiled, thanking the chat for their donations before steering the stream back on track.
"Taking advantage of today's opportunity, I'll show you all the new move Munchlax learned when pushed to its absolute limit. It's precisely because of this move that it didn't suffer fatal injuries. The move is called Defense Curl."
A minor commotion rippled through the chat.
To most people, Defense Curl sounded far too ordinary, even comical. It wasn't a dazzling offensive technique that spewed fire or blasted water, nor was it miraculous like Teleport. Judging by the name, it sounded like an acrobatic trick meant to look cute.
Facing the chat's doubts, Miles took on a serious expression and explained the mechanics.
In real Pokémon battles, Defense Curl was far more than just changing body shape. It was an advanced active defense technique. By curling its body to the absolute extreme, a Pokémon minimized its surface area while channeling its internal energy to form a high-density defensive aura over its skin. Not only did this massively increase his physical resistance, but it also cleverly utilized the circular curvature to deflect the kinetic energy behind an enemy's attack.
"Come on, Munchlax. Show everyone what you learned today," Miles commanded, stepping back half a pace.
Munchlax understood immediately. Its lazy demeanor vanished. Its massive, bloated body violently contracted inward with unbelievable flexibility. It hugged its knees, buried its head deeply, and in the blink of an eye, transformed into a solid, gray-blue sphere.
Immediately after, a visible gray-blue energy halo rapidly circulated over its body like rippling water.
Miles extended his fist and struck the energy sphere hard.
Thud! Accompanied by a muffled impact, Miles's fist didn't cause any damage. Instead, it was directly bounced back by an extremely resilient elastic force.
"See that, everyone? This energy shield isn't just as hard as iron; it's highly elastic. If Defense Curl hadn't dispersed more than half the force of that Tauros's charge, the consequences would have been unthinkable," Miles declared, generously praising Munchlax's bravery and talent.
Hearing its master's praise, Munchlax immediately dropped the Defense Curl and stood back up. It opened its large mouth, flashing two goofy lower fangs, and reached out a claw to bashfully scratch the back of its head.
In its simple, pure world, protecting its master and earning his approval was the happiest thing in the world.
After the demonstration, Miles checked the time and prepared to sign off, intending to head home and officially kick off tonight's online appraisal segment.
Just then, the courier station owner, who had been watching silently from the sidelines, hurried forward. With a fawning smile plastered across his face, he blocked Miles's path.
"Little bro—oh, no, Master! I watched your stream just now and you explained things so logically. Since this is such a rare opportunity, I was wondering if I could ask you a favor? Could you appraise a Pokémon for me?" The owner rubbed his hands together, his tone laced with flattery. "Don't worry, I know the rules. I absolutely won't ask you to do it for free. Whatever the appraisal fee is, or however many donations I need to send, just name your price."
Looking at the owner's anxious demeanor, and then glancing at the chat going wild urging him to take the job, Miles smiled faintly.
"Boss, you're treating me like an outsider. Meeting by chance is fate. My stream focuses on free appraisals; I've never charged mandatory fees. Go bring out the Pokémon, I'll take a look for you."
Overjoyed by the word "free," the owner thanked him repeatedly before jogging into the back room.
A short while later, he emerged holding a transparent, temperature-controlled incubator with both hands, placing it carefully on the table in front of Miles.
Miles focused his gaze. Curled up inside the incubator was a petite feline Pokémon with pale, yellowish-white fur. The outer rims of its ears were deep black, and a dazzling gold coin was embedded right in the center of its forehead. A few long whiskers hung from its snout, and the tips of its four limbs were light brown, making it look as if it were wearing small brown gloves.
It was a classic Scratch Cat Pokémon—Meowth.
At that moment, the Meowth was huddled vigilantly in the corner. Its eyes revealed deep unease and defensiveness, clearly suffering from a severe stress response due to its constantly changing environment.
"Boss, this Meowth looks to be in excellent condition. All four limbs are sound, and its coat color is very pure. Why do you need it appraised?" Miles asked casually.
The station owner let out a heavy sigh, his face full of indignation. "Master, you don't understand. This Meowth doesn't even belong to me. It's a pet a customer bought online for a high price. But after keeping it for less than three days, that customer raised hell demanding a return, insisting that this Meowth was a defective product. The seller was also very firm, saying that once a live Pokémon is sold, it can't be returned unless there's a fatal disease—unless the customer is willing to bear the exorbitant live-transport shipping fees."
"As a result, that bizarre customer dumped the incubator right here at my station just to save on shipping. I call him and he doesn't answer; I text him and he doesn't reply. This is malicious abandonment!"
The owner looked at the pitiful Meowth with a flash of sympathy in his eyes. "I don't know much about Pokémon, so I just wanted you to take a look. If this Meowth is truly a defective like the customer said, I'll contact the local Pokémon rescue and have it taken in. If it's actually perfectly healthy, I'll just keep it myself and give it to my little niece as a playmate."
[Viewer "No Drinking Late at Night": Holy crap, this customer is total trash. Abandoning it at a courier station just because you don't want it? That kind of person doesn't even deserve to be a Trainer. Absolute scum.]
[Viewer "Outlaw John Doe": Malicious abandonment violates the Pokémon Protection Regulations. Boss, give me the surveillance footage and the tracking number. I'll draft the lawsuit for free and sue him to death.]
[Viewer "Frontline Melon Eater": But this Meowth looks perfectly healthy! The gold coin on its head is sparkling, too. What exactly is wrong with it that made the customer so sure it's defective?]
[Viewer "Sherlock on the Keyboard": If it's too good to be true, there's a catch. This Meowth definitely has a fatal flaw in its stats, otherwise the buyer wouldn't just eat the cost and abandon it. Streamer, quickly use your piercing eyes to scan it!]
[Viewer "Red Moon Descends": The tragedy of unregulated pet trading. Amateurs only look at the exterior. The moment it doesn't meet their profit expectations, they toss lives away like garbage.]
[Viewer "Wild Electabuzz": Could it have a garbage personality? Scratching and biting people for no reason? Or maybe a hidden genetic disease?]
[Viewer "Little Deer in the Woods": Meowth is so cute, how could anyone abandon it! Defective or not, it's a living, breathing life! Please don't send it to the rescue station, Boss, the environment there is awful.]
Watching the righteous indignation boiling over in the chat, Miles furrowed his brows. He felt extreme disgust toward this kind of behavior—treating living beings as bargaining chips and discarding them like trash the moment things didn't go their way.
"Boss, do you know exactly why that customer thought it was a defective ?" Miles asked.
The owner scratched his head, struggling to recall the customer's hysterical complaints over the phone. "That customer was cursing up a storm, saying this Meowth was born a piece of trash. He said it didn't even have the Pickup Ability. He kept it for a few days, and let alone picking up valuable gold or silver coins, it wouldn't even play with ordinary glass marbles. The customer decided it would absolutely never learn the wealth-bringing move 'Pay Day'. He felt keeping it at home was a pure waste of food, so he firmly refused to take it back."
The moment those words dropped, an uproar swept through the stream.
In the realm of commercial Pokémon trading, a Meowth's value was extremely polarized. If a Meowth possessed the Pickup Ability or showed an excellent talent for learning Pay Day, it became the wealth-beckoning cat dreamed of by countless merchant families, driving its price sky-high. But if it could neither pick things up nor learn money-making moves, then in the eyes of many, it completely lost its commercial value. It was reduced to an ordinary housecat.
A group of self-proclaimed 'know-it-all' analysts immediately flooded the chat.
[Viewer "Old Wang Who Knows Cars": Ah, so that's it. A Meowth without Pickup really is just a useless cat. The customer has garbage character, but his eye for business is pretty sharp.]
[Viewer "Sherlock on the Keyboard": A Meowth without commercial value has an extremely low cost-performance ratio. In the utilitarian-driven Trainer circles, being eliminated is just a cruel reality.]
Upto 20 chapters ahead on patreon :-
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