Shiny Feebas

Lin Mo's gaze lingered on Feebas's data panel for a long time, especially on the words "Shiny." The excitement in his heart refused to settle.

Just then, the system's mechanical voice rang out again, explaining the rules for the Popularity Points lottery in detail:

"When your Popularity Points reach 1,000, you may conduct a Basic Draw; at 10,000, an Intermediate Draw; and at 100,000, an Advanced Draw.

Lottery rewards are random and include Energy Orbs, Technical Machines, all kinds of items, and more."

Lin Mo immediately understood. The rules were simple and clear: the higher his Popularity Points, the higher the level of lottery he could enter, and naturally, the better his chances of obtaining good things.

One thousand, ten thousand, one hundred thousand... Lin Mo silently memorized those numbers. Looking at his current total of 1,046 Popularity Points, just over the 1,000 required for a Basic Draw, anticipation immediately welled up inside him.

After being pulled ashore, Feebas seemed to have exhausted all its strength. It lay in the shallow water, gulping for air, its protruding eyes staring straight at Lin Mo with a hint of wariness and an inexplicable emotion.

Lin Mo steadied himself and carefully approached it. "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you."

He cautiously reached out, wanting to touch Feebas, but it suddenly twisted its body, as though trying to avoid him.

Lin Mo did not reach out again rashly. Instead, he slowly tilted the bucket beside him and gently lowered it into the shallow water.

The moment the rim touched the water beside Feebas, it flicked its tail fin uneasily again. Lin Mo held his breath and moved even more gently, gradually lifting the bucket. The current carried Feebas slowly into it, making barely even the sound of a splash.

"Alright, everyone, you've all seen today's catch. This little guy may look... well, very distinctive, but being able to fish up such a special Pokémon is already more than enough for me."

Lin Mo gave the camera a slightly tired but cheerful smile.

"It's getting late, so I need to take it back and get it settled first. That's all for today's stream. See you next time!"

The moment he finished speaking, comments immediately flooded the livestream:

"Ah, you're ending already? What is that thing? Does anyone know? I'm so curious!"

"Are you streaming tomorrow? I'm dying to see what happens next with this Pokémon!"

"I just followed! Streamer, you have to show it on camera tomorrow!"

"I already took screenshots! I'm going to find out exactly what species it is!"

"Something this unusual definitely needs a proper showcase tomorrow!"

"..."

Watching the scrolling comments, Lin Mo smiled and gently waved at the camera.

"Don't worry, I'll keep streaming tomorrow. We can talk more about it then. Get some rest, everyone. Bye-bye~"

With that, Lin Mo ended the stream.

Accompanied by the sound of waves hitting the shore and the faint splashing of Feebas swimming in the bucket, Lin Mo let out a long breath. The day's stream had been somewhat eventful, but the gains had been considerable.

He looked at Feebas in the bucket, then at the 1,046 Popularity Points on the system panel, and decided to conduct a Basic Draw right away.

"System, conduct a Basic Draw," Lin Mo silently said in his heart.

"A Basic Draw consumes 1,000 Popularity Points. Confirm?" the mechanical voice asked.

"Confirm."

As soon as he spoke, a virtual roulette wheel seemed to appear before Lin Mo. Various reward icons were arranged on it: Energy Orbs, Pokémon food, Technical Machines, and all kinds of items.

The wheel began spinning at high speed, and Lin Mo's heartbeat accelerated with it.

A few seconds later, the wheel slowly came to a stop, its pointer landing on a red icon—an Energy Orb.

"Congratulations, host. Reward obtained: Basic Energy Orb x1."

The moment the system notification ended, a fist-sized ball of green light appeared in Lin Mo's palm out of thin air. It was as translucent as condensed morning dew and radiated gentle waves of energy. Up close, it even carried a faint grassy fragrance.

As he focused on it, a line of pale blue explanatory text appeared before him—[Basic Energy Orb: A sphere of light containing weak but pure energy. When used on a Pokémon, it can accelerate growth.]

(Note: Energy Orbs of different grades contain different amounts of energy. Low-grade Energy Orbs become far less effective on Pokémon that have reached a certain stage of growth.)

The moment Lin Mo saw the Energy Orb's description, he was ecstatic. As everyone knew, a Pokémon's strength was determined by many factors, including Base Stats, skills, attributes, and more.

A Pokémon's level was one of the most important factors, but unlike game data, the real world did not divide strength according to the concept of "levels." Instead, it was determined by energy intensity.

This Energy Orb happened to correspond to an increase in energy intensity. It was simply the perfect way to make his Pokémon stronger quickly.

Lin Mo lowered his head and looked at Feebas in the bucket. It seemed drawn to the light, tilting its head as it curiously stared at the green glow with its little bulging eyes. Its tail swayed unconsciously, stirring ripples across the water.

Smiling, Lin Mo extended his hand toward the surface of the water and carefully loosened his fingers.

The green light seemed alive as it slowly sank into the water. The instant it touched Feebas's body, it transformed into countless tiny points of light and slipped into the gaps between its scales.

At first, Feebas only shuddered slightly, seeming a little confused.

But the next second, its eyes abruptly widened. Its already sizable eyeballs nearly bulged out of their sockets, and its mouth fell slightly open in utter disbelief.

Lin Mo held his breath as he watched a faint layer of green light appear over Feebas's body.

"How does it feel?"

Lin Mo asked softly, his fingers hovering above the water without daring to touch it.

Feebas suddenly flicked its tail and swam excitedly around the bucket. Its tail slapped the water, sending quite a few splashes flying, and several droplets even landed on Lin Mo's cheek.

The icy sensation made him freeze for a moment. Then he saw Feebas swim to the edge of the bucket and gently rub its head against his fingertips.

Lin Mo stroked Feebas while cautiously using a finger to lightly scratch its belly. Its scales were not particularly smooth, but the gentle warmth of the water softened them, making them unexpectedly pleasant to the touch.

Feeling ticklish, Feebas twisted its body from side to side. A faint smile, almost like the expression a human wore when tickled, slowly appeared on its fishy face. It looked especially endearing.

That small gesture felt like something had gently struck Lin Mo's heart. An indescribable warmth surged up from within, leaving even his fingertips with a soft, burning tenderness.

"Feebas, you're so cute!"

Feebas seemed to truly understand Lin Mo's praise. It nimbly spun around in the water, its tail fin drawing delicate ripples before it quickly swam back to his hand and lightly slapped the surface with its tail.

The tiny splashes landed on the back of Lin Mo's hand, cool and refreshing, yet they seemed to be joyfully responding to his compliment.

Feeling Feebas's affection, Lin Mo's heart warmed. He knew that he and this special Feebas had already formed a subtle connection.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, Lin Mo made up his mind: he would first withdraw the money he had earned from streaming, then quickly buy Feebas a fish tank, a Poké Ball, and food so it could stay by his side properly.

There was also one more important thing waiting for him to do—edit today's livestream footage.

Lin Mo knew very well that catching this Shiny Feebas today was a huge highlight. As long as he edited it well enough, it would definitely draw a massive wave of attention.

Lin Mo returned to his small house and began using the old computer in his room to edit the day's video.

He imported the livestream recording into the computer and began editing seriously.

Lin Mo made the tug-of-war struggle of reeling in Feebas the main focus, editing it into a thrilling sequence that made viewers feel as if they were right there.

At the end, he deliberately slowed down the close-up shots of Feebas so everyone could see its distinctive purple coloring and unusual appearance more clearly.

After finishing the edit, Lin Mo began considering the title.

A good title was the key to attracting viewers. After thinking it over and over, he typed out this title:

[New Streamer Lands a Huge Catch While Fishing at the Beach! Caught a Strange Fish Pokémon—Has Another New Pokémon Been Discovered?]

The title was eye-catching enough. Lin Mo nodded in satisfaction, then uploaded the video to his streaming account.

He believed this video would definitely bring him even more attention.

By the time the notification that the upload had succeeded popped up, the sky outside had already gone completely dark.

The sea breeze blew through the worn window frame, carrying the damp chill unique to the night. Lin Mo yawned and rubbed his slightly sore eyes.

Lin Mo glanced at Feebas floating quietly in the fish tank. The little fellow seemed exhausted; it was too lazy even to flick its tail, only occasionally blowing out a tiny bubble that spread ripples across the water's surface.

"Get some sleep first. Tomorrow will probably be busy."

Lin Mo spoke softly. After replacing Feebas's water with clean seawater and adding some food, he finally lay down on the creaking wooden bed.

He had thought his excitement would keep him tossing and turning, but exhaustion ultimately won out. Before long, he fell into a deep sleep.