MTL NOVEL Chapter 43: 43
Chapter 43: Exclusive Skill: Heart of Listening! Snorlax: Eat, Sleep, Love My Master! (Requesting Continuous Reading)
[Ding! This live stream has gained 4,887 Influence Points!]
[Current Reputation Level Upgraded to: Level 3, Guest Arrival!]
[To reach the next Reputation Level, you need 19,996 more Influence Points!]
[Would you like to claim the Reputation Reward Pack?]
The system prompt, though slightly delayed, finally arrived, pulling Ye Yinchuan away from his immersive embrace with Snorlax.
"Snorlax..."
Ye Yinchuan tried to pull away from the hug.
"Kaa-un?"
Snorlax looked a bit disappointed, its pitiful eyes seemed to say—
"Master was the one who wanted to cuddle first, so why is he letting go before Snorlax has had enough?"
Under the weight of this gaze, Ye Yinchuan suddenly felt like a scumbag!
"Don't worry, I'll hug you again before bed."
Ye Yinchuan patted Snorlax's head, and the latter's rabbit-like ears twitched in response. It stayed completely still, except for its ears, making it inexplicably adorable and a bit silly.
"Don't forget the snack under your armpit."
Seeing Snorlax still looking reluctant, Ye Yinchuan cleverly reminded it.
"Kaa-un!"
Snorlax immediately remembered and grabbed a handful of Pokémon food from under its arm, stuffing it into its mouth.
It didn't even chew. Who knew if it could even taste the flavor?
"Finish it before bed, and I'll give you fresh food tomorrow."
"Kaa-un!"
Every night, Ye Yinchuan had to clean Snorlax's underarm snack storage—just like humans brushing their teeth daily.
Since it was a warm and enclosed space, without regular cleaning, Snorlax would start to smell pretty bad.
This was one of the reasons why, besides being difficult to feed, many trainers found raising Snorlax troublesome...
Otherwise, with how cute Snorlax was, it should have been more popular.
After settling Snorlax down, Ye Yinchuan finally looked at the system prompt.
"4,887 Influence Points from this stream? Just a little short of another upgrade!"
He pondered.
The last stream earned 3,796 Influence Points, and this one had about a thousand more. Although the growth rate wasn't as dramatic as before, it was still a steady improvement.
"This means my stream's retention rate is good, and my audience is steadily growing. I just need the right breakthrough to reach the next level."
Considering this was only his third stream, his viewership, engagement, and even the donations were already impressive.
Ye Yinchuan was content. He knew success required steady progress—no one becomes famous overnight.
"Now, let's check the new Reputation Reward Pack!"
Compared to his stream's earnings, he was more excited about the system's reward for leveling up.
"Will it be a new ability? Or something else? 'Guest Arrival'... does that mean I'm starting to get regular viewers?"
Either way, the title seemed fitting, though he leaned towards the latter interpretation.
"Open it!"
These thoughts flashed through his mind, but his focus remained on the reward.
[You have claimed the Reputation Reward Pack and obtained an Exclusive Skill: Heart of Listening!]
[Exclusive Skill: Heart of Listening]
[Description: You can hear the inner voices of Pokémon, allowing you to better evaluate them and enhance communication. However, this ability is too powerful, so each use will continuously consume Influence Points.]
"Whoa! I can hear my Pokémon's thoughts? Does that mean I can finally understand what my Snorlax is thinking?"
His first reaction wasn't about using this skill for streaming.
Instead, he was thrilled about how much easier this would make daily interactions with Snorlax and how much closer they could become.
Pokémon were intelligent, but they still couldn't speak human language.
Well, except for Team Rocket's Meowth.
"I have to try this right away!"
[Would you like to activate the Exclusive Skill: Heart of Listening?]
[Current Influence Points: 4k+]
[Estimated Duration: 8+ minutes (can be turned off anytime)]
"Wait, what?!"
Ye Yinchuan nearly cursed.
Why did this feel like an expensive phone call? Just listening to Pokémon thoughts costs Influence Points?
And at this rate, 1,000 points only lasted two minutes?!
This was more expensive than international calls!
"Sigh... whatever. I have to try it. I can't resist."
He accepted his fate. Both "Super Influence" and "Heart of Listening" consumed Influence Points.
No matter how much he earned, it was never enough!
As soon as he activated the ability, the background noises around him became incredibly clear—but not in a chaotic way. Instead, he could choose which sound to focus on.
Ye Yinchuan turned to Snorlax.
At that moment, Snorlax had its back turned to him, looking rather sneaky—adorably dopey yet suspicious.
Then, Ye Yinchuan heard Snorlax's voice.
It wasn't in human language but rather its usual sounds, which somehow automatically translated into words he could understand. The experience was surreal.
"Kaa-un... food... all gone again..."
"So lonely... Master is too slow. Shouldn't we sleep together, kaa?"
"So boring... how many naps until I can eat again, kaa?!"
"Armpit... smells stinky! Sniff-sniff... kind of nice, though. Like leftover food scent, kaa!"
"Kaa-un! Must eat well every day to protect Master!"
Hearing these thoughts, Ye Yinchuan couldn't help but smile warmly.
Snorlax's inner world was surprisingly simple—
Eat, sleep, and love Master!
"Well, my name does have 'Yin' in it, so 'Master Yin' isn't entirely wrong."
He chuckled.
Oddly, the thoughts even had an accent. Maybe inner voices, like spoken language, carried personality and emotion.
Also... Snorlax had a habit of sniffing its armpit snacks?
Was this similar to how some people instinctively sniff their socks?
Ye Yinchuan had read somewhere that humans sniff themselves to check their body's health, so perhaps Pokémon had similar instincts.
"Alright, Snorlax, let's go wash up."
"Kaa-un!"
(Inner voice: "Kaa-un! Master is finally going to make me smell good and sleep together! I'll be his pillow so he can rest well!")
Ye Yinchuan blinked.
So, even a single sound from Snorlax carried so many unspoken thoughts?
Feeling Snorlax's love, Ye Yinchuan smiled gently as he began their nighttime routine.
During armpit cleaning—
"Master is so gentle, kaa! Snorlax must cooperate well, hmm!"
"So sleepy... but I must stay awake, kaa! If I fall in the bathroom, Master won't be able to carry me!"
Ye Yinchuan chuckled softly.
It was late, but his heart felt warm and peaceful.
[Influence Points Depleted! Heart of Listening is deactivating!]
The system alert rang, but Ye Yinchuan remained calm.
He could always earn more points.
Tonight, he just wanted to spoil Snorlax a little.
"Alright, Snorlax. Go lie down."
He patted Snorlax's round belly.
"Kaa-un!"
(Inner voice: "Finally, I can sleep! Kaa!")
Ye Yinchuan finished up, turned off the lights, and lay beside Snorlax.
Feeling the soft, warm body and hearing the steady breathing, he quickly drifted to sleep.
"Goodnight, Snorlax."
He had to cherish these peaceful nights—
After all, once Snorlax got any heavier, sleeping beside it might become a survival challenge!
(End of Chapter)