Even after the competition had ended, the pier was still bustling with excitement. Many locals and tourists gathered around, and very quickly, they formed a circle around Theo. Almost all attention was focused on the Feebas cradled in his arms.
For most people, this was their first time seeing such a Pokémon in person. They whispered curiously about its appearance while taking out their cameras or phones, carefully adjusting angles to snap photos, afraid that any abrupt movement might startle the obedient little Feebas resting quietly in Theo's embrace.
Feebas seemed unaccustomed to receiving so much attention. It squirmed uneasily within Theo's arms, its small tail tapping lightly against his wrist as if seeking comfort.
"Thank you all for your support."
Theo smiled and nodded politely to everyone around him. He shifted his posture slightly so the cameras could capture both himself and the Feebas in his arms.
"Getting second place today was all thanks to Feebas' own hard work and of course, to everyone watching from the livestream, who has always been there with us."
He lowered his head to look at Feebas. His fingertips gently brushed over its slightly rough scales.
"See? Everyone's happy for you."
Feebas seemed to understand. It tilted its head, its bulging eyes blinking once—and then it suddenly snapped its tail with surprising force. The water droplets still clinging to its tail splashed directly onto Theo's face.
The familiar gesture made the surrounding crowd burst into laughter. In the livestream, the comment feed instantly flooded with "HAHAHA" and an avalanche of memes.
"Feebas is still as mischievous as ever!"
"That was definitely on purpose—revenge for the streamer holding it too tightly!"
"Why did Feebas suddenly look cute to me?? Is there something wrong with my sense of aesthetics?"
"+1, honestly the more I look at Feebas' little face, the better it looks…"
Theo wiped the water droplets from his face with his sleeve. His expression was helpless yet full of fondness as he looked at the little troublemaker in his arms.
"Alright, alright, we all know you're amazing. Stop messing around."
He then turned back toward the camera, his tone carrying a hint of excitement.
"I just checked the backend. The peak number of viewers in today's livestream surpassed twenty thousand! I'll give everyone a round of giveaway rewards later—thank you all so much for the support these past months!"
The comment section instantly exploded.
"Twenty thousand!! The streamer's really making it big!"
"Congrats!! That viewer count shot up so fast!"
"It's been almost a year already, why hasn't Feebas evolved yet? I want to see what it will evolve into! Does anyone know? Please educate us!"
The moment "evolution" was mentioned, the chat became even livelier.
"Yeah! Can Feebas even evolve? What does it look like after evolving?"
"Any trainers with Feebas experience? Come say something!"
Theo glanced at his phone screen. The chat was entirely flooded with questions about evolution. He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he gently stroked Feebas.
The little fish was nibbling on a small piece of Pokémon food, occasionally lifting its head to peek at Theo. It looked especially well-behaved.
Theo already had a new plan in mind:
Now that Feebas could skillfully use Water Pulse and Icy Wind, its capabilities were more than sufficient. It was the perfect time to take it to explore Granite Cave in Dewford Town.
Clearing his throat slightly, Theo lifted the raffle spinner prop toward the camera with a smile.
"Alright everyone, let's put the evolution topic aside for now and start the giveaway first. I've prepared twenty bottles of general Pokémon nutrient solution, and five sets of limited-edition Pokédex stickers. It's my way of thanking you all for supporting me and Feebas throughout this year.
Anyone who types 'Feebas is truly beautiful' in the chat will have a chance to join the raffle!"
"Streamer… how can you actually said that with a straight face!"
"For these prizes, I'll betray my conscience without hesitation!"
The viewers joked around, but within seconds, the screen was completely drowned in identical messages:
"Feebas is truly beautiful"
Scrolling so fast that the usernames were practically unreadable.
Feebas seemed fascinated by the sudden stream of text on-screen. It wriggled restlessly in Theo's arms, leaning its little face close to the camera, its bulging eyes staring at the rapidly flowing comments. Its tail tapped Theo's arm again, as if urging him to hurry up and start the draw.
"Alright, don't rush, I'm starting now."
Once all twenty winners were announced, the livestream erupted with cheers and dramatic wails.
Winners spammed "Thank you, streamer!", while the unlucky ones filled the chat with "tragic luck!", "next time for sure!", and other exaggerated self-mocking complaints.
"Okay, now that the giveaways are done, it's time to talk about something serious."
Theo's tone became slightly more serious as he pointed the camera back toward himself.
"In the coming days, I plan to take Feebas to explore Granite Cave."
"Dewford Town's Granite Cave? I read about it on the forums, it's supposed to be really deep and super dark. There's a bunch of Zubat in there, and they're pretty aggressive. Be careful!"
"Is this to find opponents for Feebas to train against? But the terrain inside is complicated, don't let Feebas get hurt!"
"I've been there! There are so many branching paths, it's really easy to get lost. Streamer, you should bring a guide or a detailed map!"
Theo read the concerned comments and nodded.
"Thank you all for the warnings. I've already prepared a simple cave map, lighting gear, and enough equipment. I won't go too far into any dangerous areas.
The main reasons I'm going are: one, to let Feebas train in a more complex environment and strengthen its actual battle experience. And two… maybe we'll come across a suitable partner."
He paused, gently rubbing Feebas on the head.
"Feebas has always been training and participating in competitions alone, and I can't help but feel it's a little lonely. If we can find a Pokémon in the cave with a compatible personality and abilities, then whether it's for daily training cooperation or for future gym challenges, we'll feel more confident."
The moment "gym challenge" was mentioned, the comment section lit up again.
"Gym battles? Streamer, are you finally planning to challenge a gym?!"
"We've been waiting so long for this!"
"Are you challenging Dewford's gym first? Or maybe you should go to Rustboro and challenge Roxanne, Water-types have the advantage there!"
"Let's be real, the person above just wants to see Roxanne in person."
"Streamer, what Pokémon are you planning to catch? I recommend Aron! Aggron is soooo cool!"
"Haha! If he catches an Aron, he'll go bankrupt! Even a year's worth of donations wouldn't cover its food expenses!" (Lmao)
Theo chuckled and replied:
"I haven't decided yet. I'll see what Pokémon we run into inside Granite Cave first. As for which gym to challenge, we can discuss it together in the stream later and decide then!"
He glanced up at the darkening sky.
"That's it for today's stream. We'll head out two days from now. When the time comes, I'll start a new stream and take everyone along to see what Granite Cave looks like."
After saying goodbye to the viewers, Theo ended the livestream. The nearby locals gradually dispersed as well, leaving only a few children still excitedly discussing the competition.
Once Feebas finished ingesting the Water Gem, Theo played with it for a while longer before finally returning it to the Pokéball. Together, they made their way back home.
When Theo and Feebas arrived at the small seaside house, the setting sun had already dyed the ocean surface in shades of gold and crimson.
(End of Chapter)