Ai Xia had already thought everything through.
Once they reached their destination, he and his Caterpie would set up camp right between the dangerous and safe zones—fight if they could win, book it if they couldn't.
The spot he'd picked might have wild Pokémon roaming around frequently, but none of them were particularly threatening. Perfect for his little Caterpie to farm some easy EXP.
All he had to do was stand in the safe zone and call the shots.
Besides, Ai Xia worked out—he was tough as hell!
Maybe it was just his imagination, but ever since the System awakened, his daily training seemed to be doing wonders for his body.
At the very least, he wasn't scared of Caterpie's String Shot anymore.
Threads that could cocoon a full-grown adult without breaking a sweat were just a few annoying ropes to him now—annoying, but nothing he couldn't rip through with some effort.
He still remembered the look on Caterpie's face the other day when he casually tore apart the silk net it had woven (meant to be an electrified trap, though it wasn't charged yet).
Pure devastation.
The ultimate L.
As for the livestreaming equipment he'd used back then… well, that wasn't an issue.
Everyone knew the biggest hurdle for outdoor streaming was the gear itself.
Most setups were clunky, hard to carry, and only good for static shots—barely enough to capture a fraction of the action.
For trainers exploring the wild, dragging around a heavy piece of tech while dodging wild Pokémon wasn't just inconvenient—it was suicidal. The laggy footage and constant distractions were a death sentence.
Problem was, the most popular streaming content in the world was Pokémon. And nothing got viewers hyped like trainers braving the wilderness—something every aspiring trainer (who couldn't actually become one for whatever reason) ate up like candy.
Living vicariously through a screen wasn't so bad for them, huh?
But where there's demand, there's supply.
Rumor had it that Silph Co.—the same geniuses behind the Master Ball—had developed a special streaming drone to fill this niche.
Compact, portable, and packing a high-def camera, satellite internet, and a battery that just wouldn't quit, this thing could follow its user (thanks to a sensor tag) and broadcast professional-grade footage in real time.
Total sci-fi stuff.
Only downside? Price.
And its target audience was… weird.
Most low-level trainers weren't dumb enough to go live in the wild.
And your average streamer? Yeah, no—they'd get wrecked.
Meanwhile, the actually strong trainers who could wander the wild without worry? They weren't exactly the type to broadcast their training sessions for the world to see.
So unless you were a pro trainer and a full-time streamer, shelling out for one of these drones was pointless.
Prices had even dropped because of how few people bought them…
Otherwise, Ai Xia never would've been able to afford one.
"Playing with my life? Buddy, that's exactly my job!"—his exact words when he snagged the drone during a flash sale.
Even now, staring at the receipt made his soul weep.
But whatever. Caterpie would carry.
Today, this thing was finally getting some use.
Once he hit the training zone, all he had to do was hit Go Live, farm some wild 'mons, and the cash would roll in.
A Caterpie-only grind stream? Now that was entertainment gold.
'Hope no dumb viewers actually try to copy me and bring a real Caterpie into the wild to farm…'
Ai Xia sent up a quick prayer that his content wouldn't inspire any disastrous life choices.
Then, he typed up a stream announcement:
[Caterpie's Glow-Up: One Trainer, One Bug, and a Very Violent Training Session in Ancient Sword Mountain. No Scripts, Just Pain.]
--+--
Kanto Region, Cerulean City.
Ding!
Misty picked up her phone, eyeing the stream notification with a frown.
"Wild training? Really?"
As the Cerulean City Gym Leader—a top-tier trainer and idol known worldwide—she couldn't help but be intrigued by this streamer who'd swept her entire team without breaking a sweat.
After all, Red followed him.
It wasn't just her. Thanks to Red's influence, plenty of strong trainers across Kanto and Johto had checked out Ai Xia's videos.
That's the kind of pull Red had—the kind of exposure Ai Xia would probably never top.
Sure, the guy was ridiculously good-looking, but Misty had noticed something else—her logic was the same as Red's.
In a world where most trainers needed real battle experience to develop solid strategies, her brutal online matches against Ai Xia had convinced her: this kid was way stronger than her.
At least Elite Four level—that was her verdict after comparing him to her own strength.
She'd taken the loss with grace.
"Alright, let's see what you've got."
Curious, she hit Notify Me and dropped the link in a certain elite trainer group chat.
Cerulean Mermaid: "Yo, check it—that streamer from the Dayan region's doing a wild training stream."
Red: "...Saw it."
#1 Marill Fan: "HOLY CRAP RED TALKED."
Child of Viridian: "He's not mute, you know."
Dragon Tamer: "Oh, the kid Red follows? Huh. Wild training streams are rough—respect for trying it."
#1 Marill Fan: "Pretty sure this guy wiped Misty's team last night. Perfect match, no losses. LOL."
Cerulean Mermaid: "?"
Cerulean Mermaid: "Watch your back in Cerulean, punk."
Master of Watery Grace: "Dayan region?"
Buy Rare Gems @ Devon Corp: "WALLACE DAMMIT, YOU HAVE PAPERWORK."
--+--