His thoughts returned to the present.
Looking at Sprigatito, which had just finished eating and still seemed a little unsatisfied, Ethan Vale suddenly said,
"Sprigatito, be my Pokémon."
This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment impulse brought on by the system's awakening.
Even without Brother System appearing today, Ethan Vale had already planned to extend this invitation to Sprigatito.
Unlike when they first met, he'd been making videos and streaming for a few months now, and had accumulated some savings—raising a Sprigatito would be no problem at all.
Not to mention that the current Ethan Vale was now a bona fide system-backed cheater.
Of course, those were secondary factors.
The most important reason was simple—he genuinely liked Sprigatito.
Whether in personality or looks, this little cat fit perfectly with Ethan Vale, a devout member of the Cat Cult.
As for its past of being abandoned by a Trainer, or the label of "useless" stuck to it?
Ethan Vale hadn't really cared to begin with—after all, he never planned to become a Pokémon Master.
And now?
Is that really something I, a proud system-holder, need to worry about?
So he made his move.
This long-planned straight-ball confession hit Sprigatito hard. The tongue that had been licking MooMoo Cheese sauce at the corner of its mouth froze in place, giving rise to an inexplicable urge to grab it and pull it out.
It took a good while before Sprigatito reacted. Its eyes widened, and as if to confirm what it had just heard, it asked,
"Meow-feh?"
Ethan Vale nodded with a smile. "Or to put it another way—how about I become your Trainer?"
Coming back to its senses, Sprigatito instinctively wanted to shake its head and refuse. But when it saw the seriousness in Ethan Vale's expression, it hesitated.
Ethan Vale wasn't surprised by its reaction.
Their time together had let him figure out this little cat's temperament quite well. Being abandoned in the past, combined with its naturally tsundere personality, had given it a kind of "avoidant attachment cat-ality."
In other words, Sprigatito wasn't very good at accepting goodwill from others.
Even their current routine of nightly feedings had only been established after Ethan Vale spent a long time wearing it down, forming a tacit understanding between one human and one cat.
But Sprigatito's hesitation didn't mean rejection—it meant fear.
Fear of forming a close bond with a human again, and a subconscious fear of being abandoned once more.
So Ethan Vale needed to give Sprigatito a reason.
"Do you remember when we first met, Sprigatito?"
"Meow-feh?"
Sprigatito froze for a moment, its mind immediately conjuring the pitiful image of Ethan Vale nearly collapsing from exhaustion back then.
"You were the first friend I made here, and my most treasured partner. You saved me that time—so now, I want to change you too."
Ethan Vale's voice suddenly grew firm as his gaze fixed on Sprigatito.
"Sprigatito, you don't want to leave that stage behind just like this, do you?"
Just as Ethan Vale had said before—he understood this little cat whose heart was wrapped in thorns.
Being abandoned hadn't crushed its dignity or will; if anything, it had made it even stronger.
Its solitary lifestyle, and its refusal to submit even when bullied by the Mankey, were proof enough.
Deep down, it still carried a desire to grow stronger—perhaps even more intense than before.
Ethan Vale's short sentence pierced straight into Sprigatito's heart.
Do I miss that stage?
The question lingered in its mind for less than half a second before vanishing.
The answer was, of course, yes.
Sprigatito loved the hot-blooded struggle of the battlefield.
In fact, most Pokémon were combative by nature.
If given the chance to step onto the battle stage again, it would never refuse.
As for whether Ethan Vale would be a good Trainer?
That wasn't even a question worth thinking about.
"Spending one night with Ethan Vale is happier than all the time I spent with my previous Trainer combined."
If Sprigatito could speak human language, that would be its most direct expression.
Ethan Vale's personality was at least ten thousand times better than that guy who treated Pokémon as nothing more than battle tools.
So what was there left to hesitate about?
With that thought, Sprigatito nodded firmly at Ethan Vale.
"Meow-feh!"
Ethan Vale didn't understand Pokémon language—but he understood body language.
Smiling, he extended his hand toward Sprigatito. "Then please take care of me from now on, Sprigatito."
Once it made a decision, Sprigatito never dragged its feet.
It placed its light-green paw atop Ethan Vale's outstretched hand, a rare smile appearing on its adorable face.
"Meow-feh!"
From now on, you're my Trainer!
[Detected that the host has captured their first Pokémon. Bond System activated.]
The cold, mechanical voice shattered the warm and gentle atmosphere.
Well—only for Ethan Vale. Sprigatito couldn't hear a single sound from the system.
While scratching the fluffy head of his newly captured little cat, Ethan Vale reviewed the newly unlocked Bond System in his mind.
[Current Pokémon count (1/6): Sprigatito]
[Currently activated bonds: 0]
[Pending bond: Grass Type (1/2) — After battle begins, bonded Pokémon gain 1% Physical Attack, Physical Defense, and HP per second, up to a maximum of 100%!
(With six Grass bonds, the cap increases to 200%. Upon reaching the cap, summon the Tree of Life on the battlefield!)]
[Pending bond: Dark Type (1/2) — Defeating opponents accumulates Fear stacks. Every 100 stacks grant 5% bonus damage and one Fear Chest. Opening a Fear Chest grants rewards!
(With six Dark bonds, Fear gained per battle victory is doubled!)]
[Pending bond: Speed-Type (1/2) — Bonded Pokémon's move power and energy cost are reduced by 30%, and move activation speed is increased by 50%!
(With six Speed bonds, move power is reduced by 20%, and activation speed is increased by 100%!)]
[Chosen Pokémon (can be activated using the [Chosen Emblem]): All attributes increased by 20%, gain exclusive move enhancements, and +1 additional bond!]
Ethan Vale fell into deep thought.
Isn't this just Teamfight Tactics'Eternal Forest and Conqueror synergies?
Brother System, aren't you afraid the Eastern Hemisphere's second-largest legal department will send you a lawyer's letter for this blatant copy-paste?
Do you really think Nanshan Pizza Hut is just for show?
…Oh, right. This is the Pokémon world. That red-scarf penguin has nothing to do with it here.
After silently finishing his complaints, Ethan Vale seriously analyzed Sprigatito's three bonds.
First was the Grass-type bond—a straightforward, brute-force boost to multiple stats.
It would be absolutely perfect for defensive Grass-types like Ferrothorn or Cradily.
Of course, the boosts to Physical Attack, Physical Defense, and HP would also be very useful for Sprigatito itself.
The appearance of the Dark-type bond was a bit odd.
Before its third-stage evolution, Sprigatito was purely a Grass-type Pokémon.
The only explanation was that Brother System's bond classification was based on a Pokémon's final evolution.
Either way, a scaling bond like Dark-type was far more suitable for a Sprigatito still in its early growth phase.
Of course, that was assuming—
Ethan Vale and Sprigatito could actually pull off a "win-streak farming" playstyle.