As for the final Speed-Type bond, Sprigatito's compatibility with it was absolutely perfect.
Although it sacrificed a bit of move power, the boost in execution speed it provided was unparalleled.
After all, the principle of "under heaven, only speed cannot be broken" applied just as well in the Pokémon world.
And the [Chosen Emblem] that had come out of the Prismatic Orb naturally needed to be used on Sprigatito—his future "pillar of the court"—as soon as possible.
The main reason was that the Chosen Emblem provided an extra bond.
Otherwise, activating a bond would require catching a second Pokémon—and who knew how long that would take?
Thinking this, Xia Chi said in his mind, "Use the Chosen Emblem on Sprigatito."
[The Chosen Emblem is a one-time consumable. Once used, it cannot be reversed. Confirm usage?]
Xia Chi replied without hesitation, "Confirm."
[Please select Sprigatito's additional bond.]
Xia Chi stroked his chin.
You could choose the extra bond yourself?
He'd thought it would be random, just like in the game.
Logically speaking, if it were a three-way choice, the scaling Dark-type bond was clearly the most urgently needed right now.
Then a thought suddenly crossed his mind. "Can I choose all three?"
Brother System's response was firm and cold:
[Only one may be selected.]
Xia Chi shrugged. "Alright then—Dark-type."
[Usage successful. Your Sprigatito has been promoted to a Chosen Pokémon!]
As soon as the system's voice fell, Xia Chi saw Sprigatito collapse to the ground with a thud, followed immediately by steady, even breathing.
Xia Chi asked, "What's wrong with Sprigatito?"
Brother System calmly replied:
[Normal condition during Chosen promotion. Host need not be overly concerned.]
Xia Chi was speechless. So this was like a system update that forced a restart?
Still, the system was trustworthy. Without overthinking it, Xia Chi picked Sprigatito up and placed it on his bed, then returned to his desk.
Just as he was about to shut down the computer and call it a day, he noticed his streaming account's backend notifications flashing nonstop.
"Huh? So many DMs?"
To avoid harassment from haters, he'd set it so only viewers with a level-10 badge could send him private messages.
Under normal circumstances, even companion-type viewers would need to check in for over half a year to reach that level.
And Xia Chi had only been streaming for two or three months, so anyone who could DM him was definitely one of his generous benefactors.
Even so, every day there were quite a few private messages from girls coveting Xia Chi's looks.
Of course, there was also the possibility that they weren't girls.
When that happened, eye bleach was usually required.
But today's DM spammer was very clearly a girl—and a beautiful one at that.
None other than Iono, who had run into Xia Chi twice and been beaten into rage-quitting both times.
Xia Chi had only been away from the computer for a little over half an hour, and she'd already sent more than a dozen messages.
"Are you serious? You're already done streaming?"
"That space tactic was kind of interesting. Want to spar again?"
"Which Gym in Donghuang are you an apprentice at? Want to come to Levincia Gym for some exchanges?"
"Relax, I'm not trying to beat you up offline."
"."
"Type 1 to spam Master Balls."
Apart from the last message sent ten minutes ago, most of them were meaningless chatter.
So on the surface she was a lively, energetic cute-girl streamer—but in reality, a chatterbox?
Could it be that off-stream, Teacher Iono was constantly downing ice cream and fries?
After indulging in some ill-intentioned speculation, Xia Chi casually replied with a single "1."
Iono replied instantly:
"!"
"I'll spam Master Balls for you tomorrow."
"Get online—solo. I just built a new team. Let's clash with your Trick Room comp again!"
So… she'd been camping in front of the screen waiting for him to reply?
Xia Chi was momentarily speechless, then replied, "Let's call it a day, Teacher Iono. I've got an 8 a.m. class tomorrow."
Iono: "8 a.m.? What does that mean?"
Xia Chi: "An early class at eight, so I can't sleep too late."
This was, of course, a lie. Whether he had an early class or not, Xia Chi never went to bed early—this was just an excuse to avoid playing more.
Pokémon: Champion's Path used real-time command-based combat, and playing it for too long was genuinely exhausting.
Iono, however, took it seriously.
"I see… first time hearing that. Students in Donghuang really do have it rough."
Xia Chi could only reply helplessly, "Can't be helped—Dong University has its own national conditions."
The other side quickly sent back a "?"
Realizing the conversation had gone off the rails, Xia Chi changed the topic.
"To thank Teacher Iono for the Master Ball support, next stream I can build a custom team to help boost your account's rank. Any Pokémon you like?"
A custom team to help boost my rank?
I need you to boost my rank?
Thinking Xia Chi was being a bit too arrogant, Iono was about to refuse—when a bold idea suddenly popped into her head.
"Any Pokémon is fine?"
Xia Chi replied, "Yes."
A mischievous smile curled up at the corner of Iono's mouth as her fingers flew across the keyboard.
"Then I want to see Pachirisu!"
After being "captured" by Xia Chi repeatedly, Iono had developed a slightly twisted desire to see him embarrass himself on stream.
That was why she'd made such a harsh request.
Sure, Xia Chi had used Trapinch—a baby Pokémon—during today's stream.
From a pure data perspective, Trapinch's base stats were even lower than Pachirisu's.
But Trapinch had very clear strengths: high Attack and low Speed, making it a perfect fit for Trick Room teams.
Pachirisu, by comparison, was far worse.
Its Speed was mediocre, its offensive power almost nonexistent, and its defensive ability could at best be described as passable.
With such a featureless Pokémon, could Xia Chi really perform miracles in top-tier ranked matches?
If not for the fact that choosing Magikarp or Feebas—true trash-tier Pokémon—would be too deliberate, Iono would've asked him to use Magikarp.
Perhaps worried that her request was too unreasonable and Xia Chi might back out, Iono added some incentive:
"For every match Pachirisu appears in—if you win, I'll spam one Master Ball!"
One Master Ball per win?
On the other side of the screen, Xia Chi could only feel like howling.
So what you're saying is that a certain white devil that once won the Pokémon World Championships—
Can't dominate the top ladder of this tactically underdeveloped world?
Xia Chi replied:
"Deal. Boss is generous—thanks for the support!"
Iono: "."
Wait—why does this not match the script I had in mind at all?
That confident tone… why do I vaguely hear the cries of my wallet?
With Brother System's help, Sprigatito enjoyed a long-lost, baby-like quality of sleep.
It wasn't until the next morning, after Xia Chi returned from his early class, that it finally woke up.
"Meow-feh?"
Sprigatito opened its still-drowsy eyes. Its mind stalled for a good while before it realized it had woken up in an unfamiliar environment.
Where… is this?
Turning its head and seeing Xia Chi at the computer desk, Sprigatito slowly recalled what had happened the night before.
Right—I got a new Trainer?
Feeling the warmth of the soft bed around it, and Xia Chi's scent everywhere, a faint blush crept onto Sprigatito's cheeks, and a strange flutter rose in its heart.
Becoming a human's Pokémon again…
…didn't seem so bad after all.