Ever since the matter of him boosting Chen Zhenze to Great Ball gradually faded away, Xia Chi had not heard that word from him for a long time.
Coming out with it so suddenly today left Xia Chi completely dumbfounded.
"Come on, Aze, let's talk this out rationally-don't scare me like that."
Xia Chi retreated in slight apprehension behind Sprigatito.
Chen Zhenze pressed his palms together and said, "I'm begging you, hurry up and eat! Misdreavus said that until you sit at the table, nobody is allowed to touch their chopsticks!"
Clefairy, drooling, nodded frantically as well. "Clefa~"
Xia Chi finally snapped back to reality; so he had been taken captive by good food, but...
"Misdreavus made this?"
He pointed at the tempting roasted beef short ribs on the table and asked in disbelief.
"Myao!"
Carrying a large platter of vegetable and Berry salad out from the kitchen, Misdreavus nodded in confirmation.
"That's impressive, Misdreavus."
Xia Chi exclaimed in admiration as he sat down at the table. The smoky aroma of fruitwood charcoal, blended with the rich fragrance of marinated spices, made his appetite flare up instantly.
"Myao~"
Pleased by the praise, Misdreavus began spinning in circles in midair.
Chen Zhenze pleaded, "Big boss, stop praising her and hurry up and take the first bite!"
Xia Chi had never heard this fellow say that word with such genuine, natural sincerity before; this time, he truly owed it all to Misdreavus's blessing.
He couldn't help laughing and said, "Alright, let's dig in!"
The large chunk of beef short ribs had already been carved up by Misdreavus. With a gentle pull, the tender and juicy pink rib meat revealed itself before his eyes.
What more was there to say? Saying even one more word would be a sign of disrespect toward this perfectly charcoal-roasted beef short ribs made by Misdreavus.
Just devouring it was all that mattered!
The first bite went down; the charred, crispy outer layer shattered between lips and teeth, while the meat inside remained exceptionally tender.
Without needing any effort, the plump, rich fat melted away in his mouth, and the fresh, sweet, mellow taste of the beef slowly released a faint milky fragrance as he chewed.
"It was worth it!"
Chen Zhenze shouted out this phrase with tears practically in his eyes.
It was hard to tell whether it was worth the wait, or worth those few heartfelt cries of "big boss".
Sprigatito, who had always been rather averse to eating meat, was also clutching a beef short rib and munching on it furiously, utterly abandoning the elegance it usually maintained.
Watching this scene, Misdreavus narrowed her eyes into crescents with a smile.
Heh heh, serves you right for usually bullying me! Just watch how I bowl you over with deliciousness!
Wait a second, could this even be called payback? How come it felt like Sprigatito was still the one enjoying it the most?
Misdreavus thought about it for a moment and decided to give up on thinking.
Whatever, as long as Xia Chi ate happily!
After a satisfying meal to their heart's content, Xia Chi returned to his room.
Chores like washing pots, doing dishes, and cleaning up the aftermath were best left to Chen Zhenze and Clefairy, who had come over for a free meal.
Playing two matches today wasn't particularly exhausting, so Xia Chi didn't skip his stream like he did yesterday.
Just as he was getting ready to start broadcasting, a message arrived from his top-ranked rich benefactor.
Iono: "Congratulations on advancing! Are you streaming tonight?"
Xia Chi asked curiously: "I am. But how did you know I went to enter a tournament?"
Iono: "Someone posted about it in your fan chat. I saw it there."
Xia Chi: "?"
Xia Chi: "How come I didn't know I even had a fan chat?"
Iono: "Eh, how strange. Why would your fan chat have you in it?"
Xia Chi: "."
Xia Chi: "Are you even listening to yourself?"
Iono: "So, do you want me to add you? I'm an admin."
Xia Chi: "Never mind, you don't have to say anything else. Just spit it out."
Iono: "What was I about to say again? Oh right, did you forget something?"
Xia Chi: "Forgot to discipline you?"
Iono: "???"
Iono: "Play games with me, you jerk!"
Xia Chi had a sudden realization.
It seemed there was indeed such a matter. Back then, when Iono helped him obtain Sprigatito's breeding insights, one of the transaction conditions was for him to act as her gaming partner. If Iono hadn't brought it up, he really would have forgotten.
Xia Chi replied: "Of course I remember! Wasn't I just waiting for your summons? Why did you drag your feet for so long?"
Instead of reflecting on oneself, it was always better to shift the blame to someone else!
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean.
Inside a luxury apartment in Levincia, Paldea.
Thud-
Gritting her teeth, Iono drove down a pink fist, causing the soft belly of her Pawmot body pillow to immediately sink inward with a deep indentation.
Nearby, the real-life Pawmot currently charging its phone felt a chill run through its body, and instinctively sucked its own fluffy, chubby belly inward.
"Pawmi."
Clearly, her own trainer's Gothitelle hadn't even come over this month yet.
Over on her side, Iono was still mercilessly pounding the Pawmot plushie while muttering, "Just bullying me, they're always just bullying me."
"Pawmi~"
The custom exclusive notification ringtone for a certain someone suddenly rang out, and Iono immediately picked up her phone.
[I am the worst]: "Well, if one carries the dual identity of a powerful Gym Leader and a popular streamer, forgetting a few minor details is only natural. I'll be the one to remind you from now on!"
Iono let out a chuckle, her cute and exquisite face instantly clearing up from cloudy to sunny, and even the Pawmot plushie that she originally found annoying suddenly looked pleasing to the eye again.
She replied with a message: "Fine~ Are we playing tonight?"
[I am the worst]: "Guaranteed, bro, totally guaranteed. But is it okay if I stream it? I need to make up my hours for this month."
Iono: "Okie-dokie~ (Pawmot making a peace sign.jpg)"
[I am the worst]: "Alright, logging on!"
Ending the chat, Iono hummed an unknown little tune as she walked toward the gaming room: "It's not like it's some~ minor detail~"
"Pawmi."
"Duduo."
In the living room, Pawmot and Bellibolt looked at each other in bewilderment. Their trainer had been acting so strange lately.
Inside a student apartment in Shanghai University, Shanghai, Donghuang Region.
Having settled everything, Xia Chi started his stream right on schedule.
Whenever seven o'clock in the evening rolled around, Xia Chi's streaming channel would always become very lively.
Today was no exception.
Through Xia Chi's months of painstaking cultivation, the traffic drawn by his history-themed videos, and several high-profile encounters with fellow streamers, he was now a major streamer closing in on half a million followers.
The viewer count in his stream whenever he went live also stabilized at over ten thousand.
"Hello hello? Moshimoshi? Aloha? Can you hear me?"
As soon as Xia Chi adjusted his camera and uttered his first sentence, the bullet comments surged into motion.
"Voice emission incoming!"
"You actually turned on the camera today? Rare opportunity; I'm calling you out, prison water, though not by phone."
"May I ask if you are Mr. Xia Chi, a first-year student in the Pokémon Mythology major under the Department of History at Shanghai University in Shanghai, Donghuang Region? You have a delivery, please come collect it~"
"Oh lord! Doxxed!"
"That's actually not the case; prison water already had all his personal information exposed after participating in yesterday's tournament."
"Excuse me, irrelevant bystander, please move aside and stop blocking the streamer Sprigatito in the back."
"."
"Streamer, streamer, your battling tactics in reality are so wholesome, why do you use such shady tactics online?"
Finally catching a bullet comment he could reply to, Xia Chi said, "Ahem, this classmate asked a great question. Why is it that despite the streamer possessing such formidable strength, he still teaches shady-no, teaches interesting tactics?"
"It's because I know most of you don't have my raw strength. Once you reach my realm, you'll understand what they mean by 'Overwhelming Strength Overcomes All Skill'."
Ignoring the abusive commentary born of jealousy from the chat, Xia Chi cleared his throat and said, "We won't be climbing the ladder today, alright? Today's streaming content is: playing games with the cutie."
Before you continue