Taking Flight, Laying the Foundation for the Future

Lin Mo was holding Feebas, basking in the tide of cheers and applause from the Gym audience, when the phone in his pocket suddenly began vibrating violently.

The nonstop notification sounds came as densely as beads strung together, while the buzzing vibration nearly made the phone jump out of his pocket.

He instinctively freed one hand and pulled out his phone. The moment the screen lit up, the densely packed notifications nearly made him drop it.

They were all livestream platform alerts: "Popularity Surge" and "Large Donation Received." The red numbers kept refreshing, making his eyes swim.

The most eye-catching pop-up read: "Your livestream room has been officially pinned to the homepage recommendations."

"What is this...?"

Lin Mo froze in place. As his finger scrolled across the screen, he saw two gold-glowing comments suspended at the top of the livestream interface. Beside them, the bright red online viewer count read "1,023,567," and was still climbing rapidly.

"The viewer count has broken a million!"

Only then did Lin Mo realize that Champion Steven and Master Wallace had dropped into his livestream room and had even specifically sent praise and donations.

Still holding Feebas, he hurriedly turned toward the camera and gave a deep bow, unable to hide the excitement in his voice.

"Thank you, Champion Steven and Master Wallace, for your praise, encouragement, and donations! This is such an incredible surprise!"

The instant Lin Mo finished speaking, a fresh wave of celebration erupted in the livestream comments. The dense flood of messages nearly drowned out the screen.

"What kind of background does the streamer have?! Champion Steven and Master Wallace both donated to him? That's insane!"

"Exactly! Hoenn's two champions are watching a rookie Trainer challenge a Gym? Am I dreaming?"

"Calm down, calm down. You must be new here! The streamer's Tyrantrum was a gift from Champion Steven, so this is totally normal!"

"I was curious too. I'm not surprised Champion Steven showed up in the streamer's room, but why did Master Wallace appear too?"

"Champion Steven and Master Wallace sending messages together... I feel like I've picked up on some unusual information!"

"The two champions aren't together right now, are they?!"

"..."

Just as the viewers continued speculating, Wallace's golden comment slowly drifted across the screen again. Its dazzling visual effects instantly drew everyone's attention.

[Wallace: Since we have this opportunity, let me announce something. I will be serving as a special judge for this Rustboro City Pokémon Contest. Registration closes in two days, and I look forward to seeing every Trainer bring their partners and show off their finest brilliance~]

"!!! Mr. Wallace is going to be a special judge?!"

"Rustboro City Pokémon Contest, here I come!"

"Streamer! Feebas absolutely has to enter! Even Master Wallace praised its skill control!"

"We have to go for it! Getting a personal evaluation from Master Wallace is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

"I'm going to see Master Wallace in person!"

"..."

The atmosphere in the livestream room completely boiled over. Viewers who had originally been focused on the battle instantly shifted to discussing the Pokémon Contest, driving the topic's popularity through the roof as related terms rapidly climbed the platform's trending list.

Watching the screen fill with anticipation, Lin Mo lowered his head to look at Feebas in his arms. He gently scratched the top of its head, his eyes full of amusement.

"See? The stage has already been set. Now it's time for you to put on a wonderful performance!"

Feebas swished its tail as though it half understood. Its purple scales reflected tiny glimmers beneath the Gym lights as it excitedly rubbed its head against Lin Mo's palm.

At that moment, Gym Leader Roxanne turned and walked out from the Gym's backstage area, holding a palm-sized silvery-white stone.

The stone was smooth and lustrous throughout, its surface covered in fine crystalline patterns. A faint flowing glow seemed to shimmer beneath the light, making it look especially exquisite.

"Take this." She held the stone out before Lin Mo, her tone sincere and gentle.

"This is a Hard Stone. It contains pure Rock-type energy, and if a Pokémon carries it, it can improve its sensitivity to Rock-type energy.

"Besides making it easier for Pokémon to learn Rock-type moves, it can also increase the power of Rock-type moves."

Lin Mo hurriedly waved his hands in refusal, sounding somewhat flattered. "Gym Leader, this is too valuable. I can't accept it..."

"Take it. It's not that valuable, really. It's an item that assists with the move training of Rock-type Pokémon. When certain Trainers particularly impress me during Gym challenges, I give them additional rewards besides a Badge."

Roxanne cut off Lin Mo's refusal. Her voice was firm yet warm. "Besides, Lin Mo, the recording of today's battle holds extraordinary value to me.

"Many students at our Pokémon Academy fall into a misconception. They believe that only Pokémon born powerful are worth raising. They place too much importance on winning and losing, even becoming impatient in pursuit of results.

"Yet they forget that the most essential thing a Trainer should uphold is an unbreakable, deep bond with their Pokémon—to calmly and wholeheartedly uncover the limitless potential hidden within them."

As she spoke, Roxanne's gaze gently fell upon Feebas in Lin Mo's arms, her eyes full of undisguised approval and gratification.

"You and your Pokémon have perfectly demonstrated exactly that.

"Even a Pokémon like Feebas, one that many people overlook or even dismiss with prejudice, can still break through those biases and shine with its own dazzling brilliance as long as its Trainer is willing to offer sincere companionship and devote everything to guiding and nurturing it.

"This battle recording will make the finest teaching material for my classes. Please accept it!"

Holding the cool yet smooth Hard Stone, Lin Mo could feel the energy slowly flowing within it beneath his fingertips. Warmth filled his heart, and he no longer refused.

"Then... thank you for your kindness and gift, Gym Leader Roxanne. Feebas and I are truly grateful for your recognition and praise. We'll definitely work even harder from now on and never let down your expectations!"

"Oh, right." As though she had suddenly remembered something, Roxanne smiled and pulled out her phone. "Why don't we exchange contact information? If you ever have questions about raising Rock-type Pokémon or battle techniques, you can contact me anytime."

Lin Mo promptly nodded and took out his phone to add Roxanne's contact information. Looking at the new name in his contacts list, his heart was full of satisfaction.

After finishing today's Gym challenge, Lin Mo returned to the hotel.

His gaze settled on his system panel, where lines of numbers flickered with light and shadow, clearly displaying the remarkable results of today's livestream.

[Today's livestream duration: 58 minutes]

[Peak online viewers: 1,441,645]

[Total Popularity Points: 1,127,896]

In less than an hour, he had accumulated nearly a million Popularity Points—enough for ten Advanced Draws.

Lin Mo stared at the bright red numbers flashing across the panel, an indescribable surge of excitement and heat rising within him.

This rapidly growing popularity meant that his Live Streaming System had finally broken free of its previous constraints and could fully display its true potential.

Before this, he could only slowly accumulate Popularity Points through scattered snippets of his Pokémon's daily training. That sluggish growth rate had truly been worrying.

It was only after he encountered Champion Steven and revived Tyrantrum that his livestream viewer count finally took a turn for the better and began steadily rising.

Although it was worlds apart from the desolation of the beginning, compared to the hundred thousand Popularity Points needed for a single Advanced Draw, it would still have taken quite some time to save enough.

But today, during his battle with Gym Leader Roxanne, the sudden arrival, donations, and interactions of top champions Steven and Wallace had acted like two massive driving forces, instantly detonating the livestream's popularity and sending it straight to the peak of platform traffic.

The name "Lin Mo" became known to countless Trainers in an extremely short time, while his Popularity Points surged wildly, smashing through numbers he had never dared imagine before.

Lin Mo became even more certain that his plans for the future had been correct.

There was little point in repeatedly livestreaming monotonous, unremarkable daily training. It would be better to extend the intervals between streams appropriately and use short videos of his Pokémon's daily training to build up the audience's anticipation.

Then, during competitive occasions such as Gym battles and Pokémon Contests, he could showcase the results of his training and capture viewers' hearts through his Pokémon's outstanding performances.

Now, the tactical display in his first Gym battle had successfully drawn in a group of viewers who loved Pokémon battles. Next, he had set his sights on the Pokémon Contest.

As a rookie Pokémon Coordinator, he would let Feebas fully display the magnificent flair of its Water-Ice combination moves at the Pokémon Contest. With dazzling techniques, he would attract viewers who favored beauty and creativity, further expanding the livestream room's audience.

Lin Mo's Live Streaming System was now on the right track. All he had to do next was seize the opportunity presented by the upcoming Pokémon Contest and firmly capitalize on this wave of traffic.

He would make more viewers aware of and fond of his livestream room, accumulating enough Popularity Points for future Advanced Draws.

"Finally, I won't have to worry about Popularity Points for Advanced Draws anymore."

A relieved smile appeared at the corner of Lin Mo's lips as he murmured softly.

His finger briskly swiped across the glowing "Advanced Draw" button on the virtual panel. Without the slightest hesitation, he decisively performed ten draws.

Then, Lin Mo swept his gaze across the remaining hundred thousand or so points on the panel. With a thought, he invested them into an Intermediate Draw as well, hoping to obtain more moves and expand the move pools of Feebas and Tyrantrum.