Cave Exploration (4): Steven's Little Test

However, when the silver-haired man's sharp gaze fell on Lin Mo—

When he saw Lin Mo's light green hair and the Feebas in the inflatable fish tank strapped to his chest, curiously poking its head out to look around—

The intimidating pressure around the silver-haired man immediately receded considerably, and the severity in his eyes gradually softened.

A special figure surfaced in the silver-haired man's mind—

A man with the same light green hair, whose warm smile was like sunlight. Beautiful Water-type Pokémon were always at his side; elegant yet powerful, he had shone brilliantly on the stage of Pokémon Contests.

Wallace...

Lin Mo's light green hair, along with that unusual Feebas—the combination of the two instantly gave the silver-haired man an inexplicable sense of familiarity. His eyes curved with a smile, and he could not hide the grin at the corners of his mouth.

The silver-haired man's gaze became as gentle as water. Looking at Lin Mo, he spoke in a low, slightly husky voice tinged with warmth:

"Hello. Did you get lost in the cave? Do you need any help?"

That casual greeting left Lin Mo, hiding behind the rock wall, stunned.

Lin Mo's heart was still pounding in his chest. The pressure from that instant earlier had been far too terrifying, as if the air throughout the entire cave had frozen solid, making even breathing feel painfully sharp.

Just when he thought an awkward standoff was about to follow, or that he might even be driven away as an intruder, that frightening aura receded as swiftly as a tide, so quickly that he almost thought he had imagined it.

Lin Mo raised his head and met the silver-haired man's gaze. The other man's formerly sharp, scrutinizing eyes had become somewhat strange.

Lin Mo steadied himself, suppressing the doubts in his heart. He politely shook his head, his voice still slightly dry from the earlier tension.

"No, I'm not lost."

After a pause, Lin Mo pointed deeper into the cave and explained,

"I heard some roars coming from this direction while I was outside, and then I heard mining sounds. I was curious, so I came over to take a look."

After answering, Lin Mo cautiously asked,

"Excuse me, are you Champion Steven?"

The viewers in the livestream were also baffled by the sudden turn of events. But the moment they heard Steven's name, the chat exploded:

"Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Did I hear that right? The streamer asked if he's Steven?!"

"Do you even need to ask? Silver hair! Aggron! That aura! Who else could it be besides Steven?!"

"Oh my god! It really is Champion Steven! I've got goosebumps! That one look just now was so oppressive—no wonder he was once a man who stood at the peak!"

"Three years... Ever since Steven stepped down as Champion three years ago, he's rarely appeared in public. Who would've thought we'd run into him here!"

"Isn't the streamer's luck just ridiculous? A Shiny Feebas, Champion Steven—what kind of insane luck is this?!"

"Waaaah, that's Steven! He's still so handsome! His hair seems a little longer than before, but his aura is even more incredible!"

Inside the cave, upon hearing Lin Mo's question, the silver-haired man—Steven—smiled even more deeply. He nodded and admitted,

"Yeah, I'm Steven."

Those simple words carried an unquestionable certainty. Receiving the confirmation, Lin Mo felt a surge of excitement in his heart.

Steven!

He was someone who had left an indelible mark in the records of the Pokémon League!

Although someone else was Champion now, during his tenure, Steven had won countless fans with his powerful Shiny Metagross and his masterful battle skills.

"Hello, Champion Steven. My name is Lin Mo. I'm a Trainer who only recently started out."

Lin Mo hurriedly introduced himself, his attitude carrying the respect of a junior toward a senior.

"Lin Mo?"

Steven repeated the name, his gaze falling on Lin Mo's hair again as his eyes softened.

"Your hair color is quite unusual."

"Ah, this... I was born with it."

Steven smiled, his gaze passing over Lin Mo's shoulder and landing on the livestream device floating in midair.

The device was small and silver-white with smooth, streamlined contours. It hovered silently in the air, its camera steadily aimed at the two of them, recording the scene in real time.

Seeing this, Lin Mo quickly followed Steven's line of sight. He immediately understood and hurriedly explained,

"Champion Steven, this is my livestream device. Ever since I first started catching Pokémon, I wanted to record the process of growing alongside them. I never expected to gradually gain some viewers, so I've kept up the habit of livestreaming."

Lin Mo was afraid Steven might mind being livestreamed. After all, a legendary figure like Steven, who had not appeared publicly in so long, probably did not like receiving too much attention. So he immediately added,

"If you find it inconvenient, I can pause the livestream right now. I definitely won't cause you any trouble!"

As he spoke, he had already raised his hand, preparing to press the pause button on the device.

"No need." Steven waved a hand, his tone relaxed. "It's just people looking. There's nothing inconvenient about that."

His gaze returned to the livestream device. After examining it closely for a few moments, a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.

"Come to think of it, your device is rather special. It's compact, and its hovering stability is quite good. It looks very much like the kind of work produced in the smart city of LaRousse City."

Steven's gaze lingered on the livestream device briefly before sweeping over the scrolling comments on Lin Mo's phone screen.

Among the densely packed words were amazement at him, jokes about Lin Mo's luck, and countless people spamming Steven's name. Every line was filled with nostalgia for the past.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Steven. It's been a long time. I'm very happy to meet you all today."

That greeting was like a stone cast onto the surface of a lake, and the livestream immediately erupted into a frenzy:

"Aaaah, Champion Steven is greeting me! I need to take a screenshot!"

"I love you, Steven, waaaah..."

"..."

The number of viewers in Lin Mo's livestream surged wildly. What had been a stable audience of five thousand suddenly exploded, breaking one hundred thousand in less than a minute. The "Trending Recommendation" label at the top of the screen lit up rapidly.

After greeting the livestream viewers, Steven turned his gaze toward the Feebas inside the inflatable fish tank on Lin Mo's chest.

Inside the tank, Feebas was swishing its grayish tail and staring curiously at Steven with its round little eyes. From time to time, it bumped its head against the tank wall. Its silly appearance was adorably endearing, making Steven unable to suppress a laugh.

Looking at the unusual one-person, one-fish pairing of Lin Mo and Feebas, Steven took the initiative to ask how Lin Mo and Feebas had met.

With the eager anticipation of the newly arrived viewers in the livestream, Lin Mo began telling Steven about how he and Feebas had first met...

"So you came to the cave to catch a new Pokémon."

Steven smiled knowingly. After pondering for a moment, as though he had suddenly thought of something interesting, he abruptly changed the subject. A hint of teasing expectation appeared in his eyes.

"Since you're gaining practical battle experience and looking for new Pokémon partners, would you be interested in taking on a little test from me?"

Steven waved a hand and continued, "If you can meet my expectations... you've heard of the fossil revival project that Devon Corporation launched the year before last, haven't you?"