Miles, usually known for his calm and aloof demeanor, almost broke character. His mouth twitched uncontrollably.
[Fate Entry (White): Broken-Winged Angel - An extremely rare bird Pokémon suffering from a severe congenital psychological disorder. As a darling of the sky, its subconscious and neural reflex circuits are cursed with an extreme, genetically rooted terror of having its feet leave the ground! Once its body is elevated more than fifty centimeters, its vestibular nerve plunges into severe chaos, triggering intense vertigo, tachycardia, stiff limbs, and even dry heaving! In its perception, the boundless sky is not its home, but a bottomless abyss ready to shatter it to pieces.]
'Good heavens...' Miles roasted the situation internally. 'A Flying-type bird actually has a severe phobia of heights?!'
'That's as absurd as a Water-type Gyarados telling me it's afraid of drowning, or a Fire-type Charizard saying it's afraid of getting burned!'
'It really is a big world out there. There's a weirdo for everything.'
Forcing down his surging urge to laugh at the sheer absurdity, Miles reassumed the air of a profound master.
He cleared his throat. His eyes reflected a deep gaze that seemed to see through all things in the world.
"Now, Miss Lexi, don't panic just yet," he stated plainly, pointing at the screen where the Pidgey was huddled into a shivering ball.
He began his analysis, laying the groundwork before dropping the hammer.
"First of all, I can tell you quite responsibly—those four thousand bucks you spent were definitely not wasted."
"Physically speaking, the overall condition of your Pidgey is absolutely top-tier."
"The glossiness of its feathers, the plumpness of its subcutaneous fat, and the jade-like hardness of its beak and claws all prove it was fed the highest quality food at the breeding center."
"Its bodily functions don't have any hidden defects or illnesses. In fact, it's almost excessively healthy."
Hearing his assessment, the chat immediately livened up.
Turning into armchair detectives, the viewers began a fierce and imaginative debate over the condition of this free-range chicken.
[Viewer "Midnight Heartbreak Club": Called it! This Pidgey's plumage is incredibly glossy! It looks like it was rubbed down with a whole tub of premium hair wax. Plus, that chubby build guarantees top-tier petting! Spending four grand on those superb looks and texture is a massive W in the pet market.]
[Viewer "Berserk Raichu": But what's the point of looking good, bros? If a bird can't fly, it's completely lost its soul! Did it eat so much at the breeding center that its wings can't generate lift for its fat body? Bro is a literal couch potato!]
[Viewer "Scientific Feeding Expert": Nah, don't make baseless guesses chat. From my professional breeding perspective, although this Pidgey is plump, the muscle lines on its wings are still very sleek. It's definitely not a physical weight issue. I think it's likely a hidden fracture in the wing joints or a highly obscure organic issue with its flight nerves.]
[Viewer "Outlaw John Doe": Terrifying if you think about it! Did that shady pet store owner use some illegal underground potion to permanently paralyze its flight nerves to stop it from escaping?! Miss Lexi, screen-record this immediately for evidence. I'll draft a professional cease and desist right now. We'll sue this shop into the ground!]
[Viewer "Frontline Melon Eater": Bro John Doe, chill. Master Miles hasn't given the final word yet. He just said its physical appearance is absolutely fine, so it must be some weird hidden illness that us mortals can't see. Waiting for the Master to drop the truth bomb!]
[Viewer "Tough Guy in Tears": Chat, hear me out... what if this isn't a Pidgey at all, but a lost penguin forced into a Pidgey fursuit by a scammer?! After all, Master Miles even identified a Mimikyu disguised in rags. A penguin disguised as a bird wouldn't even be top 10 weirdest things on this stream!]
[Viewer "Hardcore Data Analyst": All physical and physiological guesses were just ruled out by the Master's 'excessively healthy' comment! If all bodily indicators are absolutely perfect, yet it still can't use its most primal biological instincts, the only scientific explanation is... this Pidgey has a mental illness! Or rather, some insurmountable psychological trauma!]
[Viewer "Elden Ring Gold Lecturer": RIP to its ancestors! This is absolutely the most cursed joke in the Pokémon academic world this century! As the overlord of the sky, the nemesis of Fighting-types, and the supreme pride of Flying-types, it's actually afraid of its own feet leaving the ground?! If this Pidgey's ancestors knew, they'd bust right out of their Poké Balls!]
Looking at the incredibly precise deduction from the viewer 'Hardcore Data Analyst', the corners of Miles's mouth curled up wildly.
Unable to suppress his amusement any longer, he slapped his thigh and laughed.
"This bro called Analyst, your deduction is incredibly precise!" Miles declared, his voice carrying a teasing tone he couldn't quite hold back.
He dropped the ultimate bombshell.
"This bird of yours has remarkable bone structure, vigorous vitality, and muscles so well-developed it could enter a bodybuilding competition."
"The reason it refuses to fly, even if it means death, is not because it's fat, nor because it was drugged."
Miles took a deep breath and announced loudly, emphasizing every word:
"It's because... this Flying-type Pokémon, a descendant of the overlords of the sky, is suffering from an extremely severe, congenital case of [Severe Acrophobia]!!!"
Boom!!!
The moment those words dropped, it was as if a ten-thousand-ton comedic nuclear bomb had detonated in the livestream.
After a brief dead silence, the chat feed was completely overwhelmed by earth-shattering laughter and shock. It refreshed so fast that the naked eye couldn't even catch it.
[Viewer "Squirtle Who Only Wants Freebies": LMAOOOO!!! Holy crap! Help! I'm literally crying! My stomach hurts! A bird with wings?! Has a freaking fear of heights?! Are you kidding me?! That's like a fish telling me it's afraid of drowning!]
[Viewer "Hardcore Data Analyst": GG to my scientific worldview! The logic I've built up over decades just crumbled to dust! I imagined ten thousand impossible possibilities, but this was the only one I missed! A bird afraid of heights? Did it accidentally format its biological navigation system in the womb?!]
[Viewer "Outlaw John Doe": W Streamer! I am prostrating myself before today's stream! If that scammer merchant knew he sold an acrophobic bird, he'd probably die laughing. Miss Lexi, I really can't help you with this one. The law doesn't protect this; it's no longer a product quality issue, it's a psychiatric category!]
[Viewer "Frontline Melon Eater": The contrast is insane! It has the plumpest, most gorgeous flight feathers in the world, yet deep down it holds the pure, grounded ambitions of a free-range chicken! This isn't a 'broken-winged runaway fairy', this is a 'runaway dirt chicken that would rather die than take off'!]
[Viewer "Overflowing Love Joy": OMG, even though it really is super funny, if you think about it, it's actually so pitiful. It was born with wings and should be soaring freely through the sky, but its soul is trapped by a fear of gravity. It must feel so desperate every time it stands in a high place!]
[Viewer "Veteran Breeder Old Wang": A bizarre tale! An absolutely peerless bizarre tale! This old man has studied Pokémon breeding for over thirty years, and such extreme psychological barrier cases are exceedingly rare even in textbooks! Master Miles's sharp eyes can see through flesh straight to the soul. A thousand times more venomous than the most precise psychological testing equipment! This old man bows in admiration!]
On the other end of the camera, Lexi stiffened like a wooden board by the toilet upon hearing the word "acrophobia."
She looked as if she had been struck by lightning.
She froze for a full half-minute before she managed to stammer in disbelief. "A-acrophobia?! M-Master, you're not joking with me, right? How can a bird be afraid of heights? What should I do then?!"
"I was counting on taking it to the park lawn this weekend, letting it fly in the sky while I chased it from below!"
"If it's going to be a free-range chicken forever, didn't I just spend four thousand bucks on a fluffy penguin?!"
Lexi's despairing wails echoed in the cramped bathroom stall.
Paired with her exquisite but utterly hopeless makeup, it instantly pushed the joyous atmosphere in the livestream to its peak.
The viewers, who had previously been guessing what terminal illness the Pidgey had, were now completely rolling with laughter.
[Viewer "Just Want to be a Quiet Melon Eater": The fluffy penguin analogy is a one-hit KO. Miss, your imagination is wilder than this acrophobic Pidgey. But thinking about it, a chubby, walking Pidgey really does look like a penguin.]
[Viewer "Late Night Cultivator": Spending four thousand bucks on a flightless Pidgey is definitely an L. But to be fair, this Pidgey's plumage is genuinely beautiful. Keeping it as a high-end poultry pet isn't a total loss—at least you don't have to worry about it flying away.]
[Viewer "Wild Pokémon Researcher": From a biological standpoint, a bird's fear of heights is indeed an extremely rare genetic reflex disorder or severe acquired trauma. To think Master Miles could see through its mental illness at a glance, just from its huddled posture and eyes! This terrifying insight far surpasses any precision Pokémon testing equipment on the market.]
[Viewer "Outlaw John Doe": First, the extremely self-conscious painted Mimikyu, and now an acrophobic grounded Pidgey. This livestream is practically an abnormal psychology research center!]
[Viewer "Wage Earner Who Can't Afford Tea Eggs": Streamer's appraisal ability is unmatched. Others look at bone structure; Master Miles looks straight through the soul. How is this a Pokémon appraiser? Bro is clearly a top-tier Pokémon psychologist!]
[Viewer "Pure Love Warrior Fell to the Ground": What's wrong with penguins? Flightless penguins are super cute too! If she despises it for not flying, sell it to me for fifty bucks! I'll cover shipping, and I promise to worship it like my own ancestor.]
[Viewer "Senior Pokémon Breeding Expert": If it really is severe acrophobia, this Pidgey probably suffered some extreme trauma at the breeding center, like falling from a great height during its fledgling stage. Since Master Miles could diagnose it, he surely has a solution.]
Looking at the diverse, imaginative comments in the chat, Miles picked up the thermos next to him.
He gently blew on the steam rising from the rim and slowly took a sip of warm water.
His expression maintained that unwavering calmness, as if a mountain collapsing before him wouldn't make him blink.
It was as though he could effortlessly resolve any bizarre or difficult ailment.
"Actually, there's no need for everyone to make such a fuss," Miles said, setting the thermos down.
His calm gaze locked onto the camera. His voice was steady and magnetic, carrying a strange power that seemed to soothe people's hearts.
"Although Pokémon possess extraordinary elemental powers and physical structures different from humans, they are also independent lifeforms with high intelligence and rich emotions."
"Since they have emotions, it's inevitable that they will develop psychological issues like fear, anxiety, and depression."
He gestured naturally. "Humans can develop thalassophobia from drowning, and bird Pokémon can naturally develop severe acrophobia from some unknown trauma."
"Within the realm of life sciences, this is completely logical."
Lexi could no longer be bothered to maintain her ladylike image.
She eagerly leaned her face close to the screen, almost pressing against the lens. Her large, watery eyes were filled with a thirst for knowledge and deep anxiety.
"Master Miles, since you've found the cause of the illness, you definitely know how to cure it, right?" she pleaded.
"I really don't want it to be a penguin that can only flap around on the ground for the rest of its life."
"It clearly has such a beautiful pair of wings. If it can never experience the feeling of gliding in the sky, how regrettable would its life as a bird be?"
There was a trace of genuine pity in Lexi's words.
She gently stroked the Pidgey, which was still trembling uneasily in her arms, feeling its faint but rapid heartbeat beneath its smooth feathers.
"Of course there's a solution. Moreover, in modern psychology, the treatment methods for this specific phobia are already very mature."
Miles gave a slight nod, putting away his previous teasing tone as his expression became extremely professional and rigorous.
"For this kind of severe congenital or traumatic psychological disorder, the most effective method is systematic desensitization therapy, which is what we commonly call exposure therapy."
Miles's gaze seemed to pierce through the screen, landing directly on the Pidgey. He began to break down the treatment steps in detail.
"Fear often stems from the unknown and a sense of losing control. This Pidgey is afraid of heights because its subconscious believes that the moment its feet leave the ground, there is a fatal risk of being smashed to pieces."
"What we need to do is use a gentle yet irresistible method to break this faulty cognitive loop bit by bit."
"Lexi, when you go back, don't rush to throw it into the sky; that will only worsen its stress response," he instructed firmly.
"Find a small stool or a thick book that's only a few inches high. Under the premise of absolute safety, place it on top."
"At first, it will definitely panic because its feet have left the ground. At this time, you must immediately feed it its favorite high-grade snacks or Pokéblocks, while soothing it with your gentlest voice."
He concluded with a confident smile.
"Through this positive food reward and emotional comfort, you need to forcefully establish a new conditioned reflex in its neural circuits, letting it understand that leaving the ground just a little bit is not only completely safe, but also comes with extremely delicious rewards."
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