"Hahaha! Fishboy's showing off now."
"Dummy streamer, you should've turned left to get to Celadon Gym. That route's closer. Turning right takes you completely the wrong way."
"The person above is brutally honest.
Fishboy's a fishing enthusiast; when he hooks a big fish, he could pass by his own house three times without going in.
Now that he's holding a championship trophy, of course he's gotta let everyone in Celadon City know!"
"It's not easy for Magikarp to win a prize. Let him show off! Let him show off!"
...
In the livestream, netizens cheerfully sent their comments.
Walking and showing off along the way, what should have been a ten-minute journey took Caster nearly an hour before he finally arrived at Celadon Gym.
Fortunately, his efforts paid off. As the hype fermented, his livestream viewer count finally reached a hundred thousand and was still steadily increasing.
The gym resembled a garden; even the exterior was covered with vegetation and flowers.
As soon as Caster entered, he smelled a refreshing fragrance that lifted his spirits.
"Hello, I'm here to challenge the gym."
Caster walked to the entrance with his phone in hand and stated his purpose.
By sheer coincidence, the person who came to greet him was none other than Misako, the green-haired girl with twin tails in a short skirt whom Caster had met at the perfume shop.
She immediately welcomed Caster warmly, smiling sweetly.
"trainer, your timing is perfect. Erika happens to be at the gym right now."
Led by Misako, Caster headed toward the gym's battle arena. Along the way, he could see female trainers of different styles everywhere; it was a scene full of feminine charm.
And Caster undoubtedly understood what his chatters needed.
His camera casually swept across some pristine white walls, rounded ceiling lights, curvaceous vases, and such, leaving the livestream viewers' eyes glued to the screen.
"This streamer gets it; he doesn't treat us chatters like outsiders."
"Celadon Gym is amazing! Celadon Gym must be challenged! Decided, I'm turning around right now and running to Celadon City."
"Bro above, you want to challenge the gym? I don't even have the heart to call you out. You're shameless!"
"Streamer, streamer, could you please ask if Celadon Gym needs anyone for watering and fertilizing? I can work for free!"
"Free? Friend offering to work free, please step back a bit. If there really is such a job, I'll pay to work there."
...
The chat began scrolling frantically, and many netizens' tone toward Caster became much more respectful.
Before long, Erika appeared gracefully, wearing a short skirt with the demeanor of a traditional Japanese beauty [Yamato Nadeshiko], a red headband on her head, looking gentle and elegant.
"Erika's here!"
"Mmm, wifey! My wifey! Come into my arms."
"Bro above, this is your wife? Then guess what I'm doing right now? Huh? Go on, guess! Think big!"
...
The moment Erika appeared, the chat scrolling became even more frantic, and the livestream's popularity skyrocketed directly.
This was Erika's popularity!
Truly worthy of being Kanto's sweetheart!
"Mr. Caster, although you know a lot about perfume, this is a gym challenge. I won't go easy on you."
Erika looked at Caster, her sweet smile suddenly fading as she said seriously.
"We'll use a limit of three Pokémon each. Whoever's Pokémon all lose the ability to battle first loses."
"No problem!"
Caster nodded solemnly.
But in reality, he only had one Magikarp.
"Go, Oddish!"
Erika raised her hand and threw the Poké Ball forcefully, though her body language showed a certain relaxation.
"Nado~"
Accompanied by a soft cry, a Pokémon appeared that looked like a small plant with the appearance of a dark blue plant bulb with round feet, sprouting five green leaves from its head.
It was the Grass and Poison-type Pokémon, Oddish!
"Go, Magikarp!"
Caster also threw his Poké Ball.
"Karu~"
Magikarp appeared and, after bouncing on the ground twice, stood upright, ready for action.
"Huh? Your challenge Pokémon is Magikarp?"
Erika on the opposite side looked rather bewildered.
She'd been a gym trainer for so many years and had encountered countless challengers of all kinds, but someone bringing out Magikarp for battle was truly a first-time experience!
"Even though we know Old Fish can't win, Magikarp, please do your best anyway!"
"If cheering worked, what would we need strength for? You can tell Erika's Oddish has been cultivated excellently.
Beating Magikarp probably only takes one Magical Leaf."
"Not necessarily! Erika doesn't know Fishboy's true capabilities. If she underestimates him, Magikarp still has a chance to win the first round."
"Erika, please go easy. Our Fishboy is scared of pain!"
...
In the livestream, netizens were very pessimistic about this battle.
After all, the terrain was unsuitable. What could Magikarp do on land?
The answer, of course, was absolutely nothing!
After her moment of confusion, Erika called out, "Mr. Caster, you're the challenger. According to the rules, you attack first!"
"In that case, I won't hold back."
Caster first grinned, then his expression became solemn as he shouted, "Magikarp, Tackle!"
BOING!
The moment the words left his mouth, Magikarp's body suddenly launched like an arrow from a bow, shooting straight toward the nearby Oddish.
Magikarp's explosive attack caught Erika completely off guard.
She hadn't expected Caster's Magikarp to have such strong jumping ability and be so fast.
"Nado~"
The already somewhat complacent Oddish couldn't dodge in time and was hit square-on.
Compared to Magikarp's oversized body, exceeding one meter in both length and height, Oddish's size was pitifully small, and more than half of it was just the leaves on its head.
It was like a soccer ball hitting a ping-pong ball; the two weren't even in the same weight class.
The small-bodied Oddish was immediately sent flying straight back, suffering heavy damage.
"Hahaha! Erika's stunned! At this moment, Erika's head must be buzzing, right?"
"Worthy of being the high jump competition champion; Magikarp's explosive power is really something."
"Why do I feel like what Magikarp used wasn't Tackle but Take Down? That power and momentum are terrifying!"
"For this first battle, Fishboy actually has a real shot at winning."
...
In the livestream, netizens laughed cheerfully.
Quite a few even took screenshots or screen recordings of Erika's bewildered expression, then made them into memes and posted them back.
Meanwhile, Magikarp didn't give Oddish any chance to catch its breath and react.
After the first Tackle, Magikarp's second Tackle was already charged and ready.
BOOM!
Oddish, whose body had been slammed against the wall, took the second Tackle and visibly caved in several inches.
"Nado~"
Immediately after, everyone saw Oddish's eyes turn into swirls.
"Sorry, Oddish. I was too careless."
Erika recalled Oddish with an apologetic expression on her face, then threw out her second Poké Ball with a serious look. "Weepinbell, it's up to you now."
Weepinbell was a Pokémon that looked no different from a plant.
It had a very large yellow trumpet-shaped head with a brown hook-tail, and two leaves growing on either side of the yellow flower.
"Weepinbell, use Razor Leaf!"
This time, Erika shed her contempt and launched the first offensive.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!...
Weepinbell's two leaf-like hands danced wildly, releasing a mass of sharp blade-like leaves that swept toward Magikarp not far away with tremendous force.
"It's over! As long as Erika gets serious, it's all over."
"Exactly! The Grass-type Razor Leaf is super effective against Water-type Magikarp.
Just one hit is enough to knock out over half of Magikarp's health. But since Magikarp got first blood, at least it's not too embarrassing a loss."
"Fishboy, go back and train some more! Or wait until Magikarp evolves into Gyarados; then there'll be a fight.
Next time you come challenge Celadon Gym, us chatters will still cheer you on."
"You think you're coming to cheer? I don't even have the heart to expose you!"
...
Watching the imposing Razor Leaf attack, the livestream viewers shook their heads, believing Caster's defeat was sealed.
۞۞۞۞
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