Chapter 8: Why Not Seal the Tank Completely? Squirtle's a Land Turtle!
Seeing Ye Yinchuan's thoughtful, puzzled expression, TrollKing grinned smugly:
"What's wrong, streamer? Stumped? Or without a script, you don't know how to fool everyone?"
"Shut up, I'm thinking."
Ye Yinchuan's mind raced, but he couldn't figure it out yet.
With the chat growing skeptical, he steadied the ship:
"Your Squirtle is… average. Its nature, moves, and IVs make it subpar for battles."
That was the polite version. The blunt version? Mediocre.
But since he didn't want to upset the Pokémon (even if he disliked its trainer), he kept it vague.
Hearing this, TrollKing scoffed:
"That's it? That's your appraisal? You sure you didn't miss anything? If this is all you've got, I can't take you seriously!"
The chat split into two camps:
One side staunchly supported Ye Yinchuan—like Miss Carrot and NutritionWool, who'd been there since the start.
The other side, mostly newcomers, voiced doubts:
[Seriously? He basically said nothing. Is this really an appraisal?]
[LOL, Squirtles all look the same. What else can you say?]
Facing the criticism, Ye Yinchuan stayed calm:
"Fine, I'll say it straight—your Squirtle has hydrophobia."
The chat exploded.
[LMAO, a WATER Pokémon scared of WATER? Streamer, are you a comedian?]
[Wow, I thought he was legit. How can you say something so dumb?]
[Streamer, I'm disappointed. This is anti-intellectual!]
A few loyal fans tried defending him but were drowned out:
[Miss Carrot]: I believe in the streamer! If Gloom can be odorless, why can't Squirtle fear water?]
[NutritionWool]: I'm no expert, but hydrophobia in Squirtles is possible. If not, ignore me—I'm not an expert!]
[SpringBlossom]: We've only scratched the surface of Pokémon knowledge. Anything's possible!]
Ye Yinchuan knew the drama was a double-edged sword. If he failed, he'd lose credibility. But if he succeeded? Instant loyal fans.
Honestly, without Treasure Appraisal Vision, he'd never believe a Water-type could fear water.
TrollKing, initially worried about being proven wrong, now reveled in Ye Yinchuan's "blunder."
The stream's mood had flipped. He'd done nothing, yet the streamer had shot himself in the foot!
But no matter how much he mocked, Ye Yinchuan remained unshaken, even smiling slightly:
"Done? Finished laughing? My turn."
His tone turned icy:
"Zip it! No more rude talk or I'll mute you!"
The sudden scolding stunned TrollKing. Since when could a no-name streamer talk back like this?
"Fine, no insults. But everyone's watching. Keep spouting nonsense, and you'll get flamed into oblivion!"
TrollKing shifted tactics, rallying the viewers against Ye Yinchuan.
"Aren't you curious why your Squirtle never learned Water Gun? And why it keeps stretching its neck?"
Ye Yinchuan had pieced things together during the chaos.
"How do you know?!"
TrollKing blurted out, then clamped his mouth shut.
He refused to admit anything, lest his earlier taunts make him look foolish.
Ye Yinchuan smirked. No explanation needed—the reaction said it all.
Observant viewers pounced:
[Wait, the Squirtle is stretching its neck!]
[Streamer called it! TrollKing, prove him wrong—make it use Water Gun!]
[If Squirtle's scared of water, pour some on it!]
Panicking, TrollKing snapped:
"My Squirtle's scared of water? Nonsense! It can't use Water Gun because it's dumb, not scared! It lives in a fish tank—how could it fear water?"
The chat erupted again:
[If it's yours, you'd know, right?]
[Squirtles can't fear water! I own one—they need water!]
[At worst, a hydrophobic Squirtle would be dehydrated. But this one looks fine!]
Even Ye Yinchuan's fans wavered:
[NutritionWool]: Don't @ me! Not an expert!]
[SpringBlossom]: Maybe the streamer messed up? We're all human!]
Only Miss Carrot stood firm: [I still believe in him!]
Ye Yinchuan was touched. His first die-hard fan was a girl!
"Show us its tank."
Ye Yinchuan's eyes gleamed. He was close to the truth—the problem lay in TrollKing's care.
TrollKing, oozing confidence, brought Squirtle to its tank and tossed it in.
The Squirtle flailed desperately, stretching its neck to keep its nose above water.
Ye Yinchuan's face darkened.
Mystery solved.
"YOU ABSOLUTE MORON! WHY NOT SEAL THE TANK COMPLETELY? SQUIRTLE'S A LAND TURTLE!"
TrollKing, scolded like a child, whimpered:
"You said no insults..."