Pokémon: Did you play Pokémon today?

Chapter 346 "Caller ID: Dr. Bai Zhou (His looks are only slightly less than mine)"

With the groundwork and explanations nearly complete, Cibana prepared to finish the "closing" and "rectify the name".

He downplayed his two previous "embarrassing" failures.

"Actually, in the previous two battles, the reason why I deliberately chose a less-than-optimal fighting style, and even feigned weakness, was that I ultimately suffered a regrettable defeat."

He spoke with such naturalness, as if it were the truth.

"It's to more comprehensively test this big milk tank's tactical system, and to more clearly demonstrate its characteristics, advantages, and possible countermeasures to everyone."

"Now, intelligence gathering is complete, and the tactical strategy is clear."

He controlled Hibiki to leave the Pokémon Center again, and the city's background music seemed to become more exciting.

"It's time to take back the badge that rightfully belongs to us."

"Intentional Failure," "Tactical Testing," "In-Depth Analysis," and "Everything Under Control"

"Huh??? Who was that who slammed their fist on the table in anger just now???"

"As expected of you, rhythm master Cibana! You even managed to salvage that!"

"I understand. Boss Qibana went to great lengths, even ruining his image to pave the way for us. I'm so moved, I could cry!"

"The streamer's skin is so thick that it can withstand ten rolls from the Milk Tank!"

"Where's your face? Chibana, where's your face? Oh, so being ugly means you don't need to be shameless, huh?"

Amidst a barrage of comments intertwining "understanding" and "fun," the show's impact exploded once again.

Kibana, controlling Hibiki, stepped into the Goldenrod Gym for the third time, and with complete focus.

This time, he was fully focused and gave it the same concentration he would have shown when facing Dan Di.

Battle begins!

The first move was a Cyndaquil, which used Quick Attack followed by Flame Wheel to cleanly and efficiently take down Clefairy without giving her any chance!

The moment Miltank appears, Raihane replaces the Pokémon!

Dratini enters the arena!

And it emitted electromagnetic waves the moment it appeared!

Hit! The giant milk tank is now paralyzed!

Speed ​​is greatly reduced, and there is a chance of being unable to act each round!

The most threatening "rolling" starting move is severely limited!

Then came Cibana's calm command.

Utilize Dratini's speed advantage, consume Dragon Rage, and seize the opportune moment when Paralysis takes effect and Miltank's actions are halted.

"Now! Dratini, lightning speed!"

A flash of white light!

The giant milk tank crashed to the ground!

Dratini, at only level 15, delivered the final blow to Miltank!

Clear the game without taking damage, even if it's a higher level!

The entire command was executed flawlessly, demonstrating an exquisite grasp of timing and circumstances.

This perfectly confirms all his previous arguments about "tactical countermeasures" and "trainer differences".

The live stream was instantly flooded with "666" and various gift effects.

"666! The Dragon Master has returned!"

"Paralyze and control speed, then execute with precision! Wouldn't it have been easier to win sooner if we had done this earlier? (laughs)"

"Dragonic: Who just said I'm a bad trainer?"

"See that? That's the difference between a professional player and an average player! (Even though I messed up twice just now)"

"The Flying-type Elite Four member of a certain region should take note! This shows the true value of a Dragon-type Master! (Tactical dig)"

The live stream chat was instantly flooded with exclamations and gifts.

Chibana casually tossed his forehead, accepting the praise from the audience with composure while selectively ignoring the comments that mentioned his two previous mishaps.

He was just about to say a few concluding, teacher-like lines to salvage his image.

In the game, Gym Leader Akane suddenly burst into tears!

Xiaoqian: Waaaaaah!!! That's so unfair! Taking advantage of my momentary lapse in concentration—and then—

That's so unfair!

Cibana: "???"

The confident smile on his face froze instantly.

Huh? You, me, what's going on?!

He excels at everything: playing against others, employing tactics, and even engaging in verbal analysis.

But asking him to deal with a girl who suddenly bursts into tears—

Qibana was at a loss and could only frantically try to control A Xiang as he spun around Xiao Qian.

I clicked the chat box again and again, wanting to say something comforting, but I racked my brains and still couldn't think of anything to say.

You can't exactly say, "Don't cry, I'll let you win next time," can you?

In the live stream, Qibana's reputation, which he had painstakingly salvaged with his brilliant plays, was instantly reversed again by this sudden turn of events!

"WTF! He actually cried! Zibana, you're utterly wicked!"

"What a jerk! He won and then ran away, and even made the gym owner cry! He bullied a girl!"

"Hahaha! Cibana's panicked! He's panicked!"

"About the incident where I got so engrossed in a game that I made an NPC cry."

"Xiaoqian is so cute! Qibana, apologize immediately!"

""Excessive Attack""

Just as Qibana was scratching his head in front of the screen, not knowing what to do, Xiaoqian, who had been sobbing in the game, suddenly stopped on her own.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, then burst into laughter through her tears, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Xiaoqian: Pfft—I'm sorry, I lost my composure.

"Xiaoqian: Your match was truly amazing, I accept my defeat wholeheartedly, this badge is well-deserved—you're so awesome!"

"Ah-Xiang got the standard badge from Xiao Qian!"

The badge was successfully acquired after a system notification popped up.

Only then did Cibana truly breathe a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had just fought a fierce battle.

Women—what a hassle!

He couldn't help but think of a certain guy who always ran around with his Charizard, and his "troublesome" childhood friend.

I wonder how that guy Dan Di can put up with Sonia?

He shook his head, clearing his mind of irrelevant thoughts, and was about to say something to the camera to calm the emotions of the viewers in the live chat.

dong dong dong.

Suddenly, there was a light knock on the door behind him.

Chibana's voice stopped abruptly, and he turned his head towards the door with a hint of confusion.

"???"

"Who could it be? At this hour? Could it be the razor blades that Teacher Salty sent?"

"Livestream mishap?"

Cibana frowned and glanced in the direction of the door.

He remembered that he had instructed others not to disturb his live stream unless it was something urgent.

"Tsk—"

He clicked his tongue in annoyance, stood up, and muttered to himself as he walked toward the door.

"Didn't I tell you? Don't bother me while I'm enjoying my personal time unless it's something important—"

"Huh? Didn't you message me to come?"

The door opened, and the first thing to enter was a slightly teasing male voice.

"What? You're not welcoming me anymore?"

Qibana was taken aback, raising an eyebrow at the person in front of him with some surprise.

"Weren't you supposed to be inspecting safety hazards in other cities? What happened—"

"Thinking of supporting your live stream, I might as well maximize my work efficiency."

Dan shrugged, showing none of the arrogance expected of a champion.

As he spoke, he naturally squeezed through the door, and casually pushed the stunned Qibana into the room.

"Weren't you streaming? What's going on? Where are you in the game?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he seemed to feel that wearing a cloak indoors was inconvenient, so he casually took off the cloak and draped it over the back of the chair. Then, under the watchful eyes of Chibana and all the viewers in the live broadcast room, the undefeated champion of the Galar region let out a satisfied sigh without warning.

Then came a "Leap of Faith" that had absolutely no bearing on his appearance, making him look like a Snorlax who had given up the struggle.

He collapsed onto the soft, large sofa in the center of the room, even rubbing comfortably against the cushions!

Qibana didn't speak, but his eyes became very strange, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Then he silently extended a finger and pointed to the live stream screen that was still lit up next to him.

Dan Emperor:?

He didn't quite understand Cibaner's silent signal, and somewhat bewilderedly turned his head slowly in the direction of the finger—

Then, his gaze fell directly on the screen, on which was a high-definition, unedited image of himself.

!!!

Dan's entire body tensed instantly!

He sprang up from the sofa with almost instantaneous speed, his back ramrod straight.

All the relaxed expression on his face vanished instantly, replaced by that confident and composed "champion's face".

She even subconsciously raised her hand to tidy her collar and hair, which were actually not messy at all, to make sure that every detail of herself looked impeccable.

—If you ignore the sofa cushion beneath him, which still retains a clear human-shaped indentation.

At the same time, his eyes were frantically sending encrypted messages to the person next to him, Chibana.

What's going on?!

Why didn't you say you were live-streaming sooner?! And with your webcam on?!

Chibana shrugged, spread his hands, and gave me an innocent "It's my fault" look.

You rushed in and pounced on me, did you even give me a chance to speak?

"cough."

Dandi forcibly suppressed his embarrassment and tried to cover it up with a cough.

"I'm still live streaming right now. Why don't you sit closer, say hello to the viewers, and show your face?"

Qibana sat back in his gaming chair, watching his champion friend, who was unusually restless, with a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

This guy is the smartest.

Despite being the most popular person in the Galar region, he could talk fluently in front of thousands of audience members.

It's quite an interesting personality that he feels nervous and uncomfortable about things that expose his true, private side.

"Oh? No need, no need!"

Dandi quickly waved his hand, his body subconsciously shrinking further into the sofa, trying to minimize his presence.

"I can just sit here, this angle is fine too -- um, I can watch you play games and learn from you."

As he spoke, he reached out and nudged Chibana toward the monitor, signaling him to quickly return to his post.

Kibana didn't mind, and turned around with his force, picked up the game controller again, and prepared to continue his unfinished Pokémon journey.

But as his gaze swept across the real-time data on the live stream screen, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his eyes widened instantly!

During the live stream, the number of viewers was fluctuating around the million level.

While it's quite good for him as a dojo owner and internet celebrity, it's by no means explosive.

But now————

Five million three hundred and seventy thousand!

And this number is still jumping up and down like crazy!

In just a few minutes, its popularity increased more than fivefold!

What's going on?! What did I just do? Did I accidentally trigger some hidden data access code?

With a head full of questions, Qibana subconsciously looked at the rapidly scrolling barrage of comments.

"Leon! It really is Leon! Leon actually came to Chibana's livestream!"

"Waaaaah, Lord Dan is so handsome! He's already exhausted from a long day, but he still thought of coming to support his friend. He's so kind!"

"Leon truly deserves to be called the pride of Galar! I saw him inspecting the city's infrastructure and safety just an hour ago in Motostoke! I'm so moved!"

"Does anyone have the live stream recording from just now?! I'm willing to pay a high price! I screenshotted Dan's adorable, yet dejected, expression as he collapsed on the sofa! A collector's edition!"

Guang's article, "About the Undefeated Champion Being a Couch Potato in Private," discusses this topic.

"Chibana Museum Owner: Didn't expect that, did you? My livestream is still running!"

Alright, the case is solved.

If I'd known boosting popularity was this easy, I would have just tied this guy up and used him as background in the livestream. Why bother with all this fuss?

Most of the new viewers who flooded into the live stream were locals from Galar who had heard the news.

The "spectacle" that could generate such popularity is, in a way, barely normal.

With a blank expression, Kibana picked up the controller and controlled Hibiki to leave the Goldenrod Gym.

But before they could even take a few steps, the "new viewers" in the live stream couldn't sit still anymore.

"Hey you, the dark-skinned guy in front of the camera, yes, you! Could you please move to the left a bit? You're blocking our view of the streamer!"

"Where's the streamer? Why is he sitting so far back? I can barely see him! Can't he have some professionalism as a streamer? And who's that passerby in front of me?"

"Huh!? Isn't this Champion Dan's livestream? How come Kibana is suddenly making a guest appearance? As expected of his close friend and rival, he can even stand in on someone else's livestream?"

"Hey, your account is gone. This is clearly the live stream of the curator, Qibana."

"I don't care! Wherever Dan is, that's Dan's livestream! Kibana? I don't know him at all!"

"Popularity speaks for itself! Pill Emperor! Pill Emperor! Pill Emperor!"

Seeing these incredibly honest and poignant comments, Qibana's face visibly darkened.

A feeling of resentment, a mixture of "I knew it" and "I'm very annoyed," arose spontaneously.

Tsk—I'm annoyed—but not really annoyed!

How come this guy only showed his face and didn't even do anything, yet he gained such exaggerated popularity?!

All my hard work—stirring up ideas, researching battles, creating entertaining content—is only amounting to this much—

Is there no justice left in this world?!

"Hello!"

'

He suddenly turned his head and said to Dan Di on the sofa in an almost commanding tone, "Hey, stop lounging around and get me a glass of water! An iced one!"

"Huh? Oh—okay."

Dan Di paused for a moment, then stood up stiffly and obediently went to the side to pour himself a glass of water, displaying a perfect sense of human interaction.

It wasn't that he resisted being watched; it was just that this was his first time doing a personal live stream, and he was somewhat at a loss.

Moreover, the thought that his true appearance had just been broadcast throughout Galar via live stream only added to his unease.

His strong sense of "idol image" and guilt for deceiving his fans made him restless.

He even thoughtfully asked a question.

"Would you like a cup? Or would you like to drink directly?"

"Just bring it here!"

Ciban took the water, unscrewed the cap, and took a big gulp.

Then, facing the live stream camera, he curled up a ridiculously smug smile.

"Chibana, what kind of attitude is that? Making the champion pour you water!"

"Damn it! I'm so envious! I want to drink Dan-di's water too!"

"Dan Di has such a good temper! He can tolerate this?"

"Gym Leader Kibana, you've gotten too cocky! Have you forgotten how Leon got a 6-0 thrashing in our last battle?"

"That's an exhibition match! An exhibition match, you understand?!" (Angry and embarrassed)

"Chibana: Dante? He's just my underling!"

The screen was filled with comments, most of which were insults, attacks, and slander against Qibana.

And blatant jealousy.

However, Cibana didn't care at all, and even felt a little amused.

You don't have to do anything; you just need to "order" the popular guy next to you, and the show's entertainment value and viewership will be maxed out!

This is much easier than all the tricks he used to pull off!

This feeling—it's absolutely amazing!

"If there's nothing else, I'll go back to my seat."

After pouring the water, Dandi seemed eager to return to the relatively safe "backdrop" position on the sofa, and said something in a low voice.

Before receiving a clear response from Chibana, his body had already begun to move backward.

Qibana glanced at him, too lazy to bother him any longer, and waved his hand to let him go.

But just as I was about to continue the game, the phone on the table suddenly rang, the screen lit up, and the caller ID appeared.

He originally wanted to just mute it.

After all, during a live stream, even the King of Heaven himself would have to sit in the back!

Caller ID: Dr. Shirazuki (His looks are only slightly less than mine)

Cibana froze instantly.

The next second, he grabbed his phone with lightning speed and answered it instantly!

"Hello? Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening!"

A lazy male voice came from the other end of the phone.

Upon hearing this, the first reaction wasn't from Qibana himself, but from the chat room comments!

Because they were so familiar with that tone!

"That voice—that old scoundrel! It's definitely that old scoundrel! It sounds exactly like the handsome researcher's voice! I'd recognize it even if I were ashes!"

"That old scoundrel deserves to die! On such an important launch day for HeartGold/SoulSilver, he didn't even do a live stream himself!"

It made me search everywhere for meal replacements, but these meal replacements are now rebelling!

"What does this mean? Why did Teacher Salty Fish suddenly call Qibana? Was Qibana arrested for his 'rebellion' remarks?"

"I can't believe it! Arrested on the spot! As an officially registered streamer, he openly incited fans to retaliate during a live broadcast!" The official producer, and the streamer himself overheard it all! Qibana, you've never done anything like this before!

"Regarding the incident where my boss called me during my live stream while I was complaining about him."

"Chibana: Danger!"

Upon seeing the rapidly scrolling speculations in the comments section, the previously nonchalant Qibana broke out in a cold sweat!

No way—it can't be that much of a coincidence—

Could it be that Bai Zhou really heard all of my "bold words" just now?!

Just as he was lost in thought, the microphone came through again.

"Ahem, stop guessing, I really am watching your live stream—"

"That was for the show! It really was for the show!"

Qibana immediately answered, his voice incredibly sincere and his attitude extremely humble.

This is the complete opposite of his arrogant and domineering demeanor when he was ordering Dan Di to pour water.

"That was just to liven up the live stream! Absolutely no other meaning whatsoever! My admiration for you is like a surging river—"

There's no way around it, the sunk costs are just too high!

He didn't know how much effort he had put in and how many "unequal treaties" he had to make to get this officially certified live streaming room title!

The sunk costs are enormous! We absolutely cannot afford to lose them!