"Meow. (Congratulations. You single-handedly got the entire Squirtle species trending.)"
After the match, Meownei browsed the notifications on her phone. The Galar Star Match had attracted plenty of attention. After all, most of its competitors were famous Trainers.
Trainers like these brought their own popularity with them and already had plenty of fans worldwide, not to mention Gym Leaders like Iono, whose main occupation was livestreaming.
The Galar Star Match generated revenue for the Galar Region, but it was also a battle for attention. In that battle, Squirtle had emerged as an unexpected contender in a thoroughly bizarre fashion.
His way of battling Alcremie had briefly dragged the entire species' reputation through the mud.
Right now, for instance, in an ordinary fire station in distant Kanto, several Squirtle stared at one another.
These Squirtle had once been the town's delinquent gang, but they had long since reformed and were now important helpers at the fire station.
Every day, they rushed between burning buildings, putting out fires alongside the firefighters and keeping the city safe.
Since many of the houses here were wooden, Water Gun could handle most fires. The Squirtle were far more useful than fire engines.
The fire station was very quiet today, which was a good thing for the Squirtle. It meant they could rest, and that the day had been peaceful, without any accidents.
Watching television was a good way for the Squirtle to pass the time. Not many Pokémon could use smartphones and computers proficiently, whereas televisions were relatively simple to operate.
Pokémon watched Pokémon battles too, and they generally supported either humans they knew or members of their own species.
A few minutes earlier, these Squirtle had been thrilled to watch one of their own showing off his skills in the arena.
Their excitement, however,