Of course, none of that really mattered to Ethan Vale right now.
After nearly three hours of high-intensity streaming and a seven-game win streak, he was genuinely exhausted.
If his only goal were to farm donations, he could've easily switched to a more relaxing game—or even just watched videos with chat and still raked it in.
But that kind of "halfway, neither here nor there" content wasn't something Ethan Vale felt he could do as a serious Pokémon battle streamer.
"I'll post the detailed setup for today's doubles team in a status update later. Feel free to grab it yourselves,"
Ethan Vale said to the still-climbing viewer count.
"That's it for today's stream. If you enjoyed it, drop a follow—see you tomorrow at seven!"
Then he ended the stream at lightning speed.
No need to check—he already knew the chat was probably flooded with question marks.
Ignoring all that, Ethan Vale shut down the computer, scooped up the little companion that had been by his side the whole time, and took a deep sniff.
The Pokédex said that after soaking up enough sunlight, Sprigatito would give off a fresh, pleasant scent.
Turns out it wasn't lying at all!
A slightly unhinged look of satisfaction spread across Ethan Vale's face.
Sprigatito still wasn't fully used to this level of physical closeness with its new Trainer. By instinct, it pushed its soft pink paw pads against Ethan Vale's face in protest.
Ethan Vale didn't mind. He set it down and said,
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Sprigatito."
Sprigatito shook its head.
"Meow~"
While Ethan Vale had been streaming, it had been watching the game on the screen the whole time, so it hadn't felt bored at all.
If anything… it found it fascinating.
These battle ideas I've never seen before… maybe I can try some of them in real fights later?
Without realizing it, a door to a brand-new world was quietly opening in Sprigatito's mind.
After washing up, right before bed.
Ethan Vale was holding the warm, soft Sprigatito, planning to scroll through some short videos before sleeping peacefully.
Then, on the Piplup chat app, the cute little electric-frog avatar he'd added just yesterday started flashing nonstop.
Luna Volt: "You're really clocking out just like that?"
Luna Volt: "Ten Master Balls still aren't enough to make you work overtime?"
Even though she'd just dropped over a hundred thousand in gifts and was his top donor, Ethan Vale replied with perfect confidence:
Ethan Vale: "Didn't you say ten Master Balls for winning that match? Overtime costs extra."
Luna Volt: "."
Luna Volt: "Fine. Start a stream right now and I'll send more! (Morpeko grinding teeth.jpg)"
Ethan Vale knew when to quit while ahead.
Ethan Vale: "Just kidding, Luna Volt. You didn't say it earlier—if you had, with our relationship, I'd definitely have played a few more games."
Luna Volt: "You've got the nerve to say that! I didn't even have time to type before you ended the stream!"
Good thing I ended it immediately then, Ethan Vale thought—but replied instead:
Ethan Vale: "Next time, next time for sure."
Luna Volt: "No next time! Get online right now and spar with me—use today's lineup!"
Ethan Vale: "…"
Now he really understood it.
Luna Volt didn't become a streamer for money—she was just addicted.
With people this decisive, you can't ever say "next time."
Ethan Vale: "I streamed for hours today. Let's do it tomorrow. Playing against you is high-intensity—too tiring. I'm really wiped today."
On the surface, he said he was tired.
Under the hood, he slipped in a subtle compliment about Luna Volt's skill level.
—The Art of Social Interaction.
Working to serve the audience during the stream, then providing emotional value to the top donor afterward.
No wonder I earn this money, Ethan Vale sighed internally.
Luna Volt: "Alright, I'll book you for tomorrow~ (Clodsire smug pose.jpg)"
Judging by the suddenly sunny tone, she'd clearly been appeased.
Ethan Vale was about to close the chat and sleep when a message popped up that instantly woke him right back up.
Luna Volt: "By the way, do you want Sprigatito's training materials?"
Holy hell—this was like being handed a pillow the moment he got sleepy.
Even with the system's support, if Sprigatito itself became stronger, the boosts from bonds and equipment would only scale higher.
And individualized training data for a specific Pokémon? That was incredibly valuable.
Ethan Vale had actually considered asking Luna Volt about Sprigatito's training info before.
Among everyone he knew, she was by far the highest-level Trainer.
And Paldea—the region she came from—was Sprigatito's homeland.
As a signature starter Pokémon, even if Luna Volt herself hadn't trained one, she almost certainly had the connections to get top-tier data.
He'd held back before, thinking their relationship was just streamer and viewer—probably not close enough to ask for something like that.
After all, training data was a tricky thing.
You could say it was expensive—yet with the right connections, it might be given freely.
But you could also say it was priceless—because what you could buy on the market was usually just mediocre, generic stuff.
So Luna Volt bringing it up herself genuinely surprised him.
Was there really such a thing as a free lunch?
Ethan Vale didn't believe it. He probed cautiously:
Ethan Vale: "But… how did you know I caught a Sprigatito?"
Luna Volt: "You posted it on your Piplup Moments, didn't you?"
Ethan Vale thought back.
She was right—after registering earlier that day, he'd casually posted about it. Didn't expect Luna Volt to see it.
Luna Volt: "So? Do you want it or not?"
Unable to resist, Ethan Vale replied:
Ethan Vale: "I do!"
Luna Volt: "Then… what's the price? (Magnezone side-eye grin.gif)"
Seeing Luna Volt finally reveal her fisher's grin, Ethan Vale felt a little speechless.
As expected—never trust free lunches falling from the sky.
But the temptation was too strong. He lowered his stance:
Ethan Vale: "You name it. As long as I get Sprigatito's training data, I'll do anything!"
Luna Volt: "First—your way of addressing me needs more respect."
Ethan Vale: "Then… Luna Volt-sensei?"
Luna Volt: "Everyone calls me that. Too ordinary!"
Ethan Vale: "Then… Miss Luna Volt?"
Luna Volt: "A bit too formal. More intimate?"
Ethan Vale was at a loss and typed:
Ethan Vale: "You don't expect me to call you Mom, do you?"
Ethan Vale: "Just to get back at me, you'd really make me call you Mom? Huh, Luna Volt…"
Luna Volt: "What are you saying?! Who told you to call me Mom?! (Clodsire angry.jpg)"
Ethan Vale: "Relax, I didn't say I wouldn't."
Ethan Vale: "Press 1 to call Mom."
The "the other party is typing…" indicator stayed on for several seconds.
In the end, only a single message came through.
Luna Volt: "."
On Ethan Vale's side, seeing the silence, he patted the Sprigatito that had leaned closer and sighed dramatically:
"Sigh… Sprigatito, for this family, I've really sacrificed too much."
Sprigatito grinned at the phone screen, then shot Ethan Vale a look full of disdain.
Is this really for the family?
I'm embarrassed for you.
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