The morning sunlight was like molten gold, slowly streaming along the wooden walkway of Slateport City's harbor.
The salty, damp sea breeze, carrying a faint scent of seaweed, brushed past the slightly thin figure standing by the shore, stirring the strands of light-green hair hanging over his forehead.
Theo lowered his head to check the floating livestream device hovering beside him.
It was a personal filming tool generated by the "Livestream System" that had come with him when he crossed into this world.
It could rotate around him freely, recording from every angle in a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree panoramic view without any blind spots.
As a crisp notification sounded beside his ear, the number of viewers on the upper-right corner of his phone began rising at a speed visible to the naked eye—
10, 37, 129, 586…
The number continued to climb, and the scrolling comments surged across the bottom of the screen like a rising tide.
"Good morning, everyone," Theo greeted, his voice carrying the clear, refreshing tone uniquely found in teenagers.
The microphone clipped to his collar faithfully transmitted every syllable.
"The weather is great today. The long-awaited annual Water-Type Pokémon Swimming Race here in Slateport City is about to begin."
Theo shifted slightly to the side so the camera could get a clear view of the amber-colored sea behind him, glowing under the rising sun.
"Let me show everyone today's competition area first!"
The camera slowly panned across the shallow waters ahead—
a rectangular section of the sea outlined by floating buoys.
A red flag marked the starting point, and a bright yellow flag marked the finish line.
Instantly, the comment section exploded.
"Finally, the race is here! The streamer looks extra sharp today!"
"The sea in Slateport looks so clean! I'm jealous of people who live by the ocean!"
"Alright, place your bets! Let's see what rank Feebas will get!"
"I'm betting fifty dollars—Feebas takes first place! That's my partner I help raised online, okay? It can't lose to anyone!"
"..."
Theo glanced at the comments and couldn't stop the faint smile creeping onto his lips.
Lowering his gaze to the water, he saw a strangely shaped fish Pokémon anxiously swaying its tailfin.
This little creature had an unusually peculiar appearance—its body was a rare shade of purple, while its upper and lower fins, as well as its tailfin, shimmered with a light silver hue.
Its eyes were disproportionately large, its round mouth slightly puckered, giving it a clumsy, awkward look.
Its scales were arranged unevenly, some areas even appearing chipped or missing, making it look undeniably "ugly" yet at the same time, there was something innocently adorable about its expression.
Combined with its unique purple-and-silver coloration, it had become a rising celebrity in the Pokémon livestream community—a newly crowned "little internet star."
"Alright everyone, same old routine—let me introduce today's little protagonist first."
Theo aimed the camera directly at Feebas, his voice tinged with a gentle warmth.
"You should all be familiar with her by now—come on, say hello, Belle."
The Feebas nicknamed "Belle" seemed to understand him.
It suddenly flicked its tail, splashing a few droplets of seawater that landed directly on the camera lens, briefly blurring the entire screen.
The barrage instantly filled with laughter.
"Feebas is as lively as ever!"
"That splash was too accurate—did it do that on purpose?"
"Belle is… seriously, that name is something else. Streamer, your naming sense is… unique (maximum questionable instincts detected)."
"The person upstairs—'unique' is a perfect word choice!"
"To be honest… why do I think it looks prettier the longer I stare at it??"
Theo chuckled and wiped the lens with his sleeve.
But as his gaze fell onto Feebas again, a faintly complex expression flashed through his eyes.
Before he realized it, his thoughts drifted back to eight months ago.
Back then, he wasn't Theo Glenwood.
He had been an ordinary college student in another world.
A sudden car accident had robbed him of consciousness.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself lying in a shabby, worn-down house—
and his body had become that of a fourteen-year-old boy.
After carefully sifting through the memories flooding his mind, he discovered he had crossed over into a world where Pokémon truly existed.
He had become an orphan living in Slateport City, having just lost his only relative.
At that time, he had almost nothing—only a small allowance provided by the Pokémon League for orphans.
He couldn't even afford a proper Poké Ball, let alone dream of traveling the world and challenging gyms like Ash in the anime.
Fortunately, fate still left a sliver of hope.
Behind the old house he lived in were several sets of worn fishing equipment—left behind by its previous owner.
And at the same time, while he was still organizing the memories in his mind, a cold mechanical voice echoed in his ear:
[Livestream System Binding Successful]
That was Theo's golden finger.
It had one simple function:
Whenever he started a livestream on this world's entertainment platform, the number of viewers would convert into "Popularity Points," which he could use to draw rewards.
The rewards came in many forms—energy orbs, TM discs, and all sorts of useful items.
"Maybe I can livestream fishing for Pokémon at the seaside, attract viewers to earn popularity points, and begin my journey as a trainer at the same time?"
With that thought—
and also to earn enough money for basic living expenses—
Theo registered a streaming account and began livestreaming.
The title of his first stream was direct and blunt:
[New Streamer: Attempting to Catch a Pokémon Partner with Just a Fishing Rod]
He still vividly remembered how embarrassing that first livestream had been.
Thinking it would be easy, he assumed he could casually fish up a Pokémon.
Reality slapped him hard.
He couldn't even handle the fishing rod properly.
It was only thanks to a few veteran fishing enthusiasts who clicked into his stream out of curiosity about his username that he managed to learn the basic techniques.
"Streamer, that's not how you use the rod. You're doing it wrong."
"The water there is too shallow. You won't catch anything good."
"You need to secure the bait properly. Otherwise it'll fall off the moment you cast it."
With their guidance, Theo began earnestly learning how to fish.
He streamed every day—chatting with viewers, sharing bits of his life.
Although his viewer count was small and donations were pitifully sparse, it gave him a glimmer of hope.
At that time, his biggest goal was to catch a Magikarp.
Among all water-type Pokémon, Magikarp was probably the easiest to capture.
And once it evolved into Gyarados, it would become incredibly powerful.
He had even planned it out:
Once he caught a Magikarp, he would save up for a Poké Ball, train it step by step, slowly build popularity, and eventually begin his path as a real Pokémon Trainer.
But he never expected that catching a Pokémon would be so difficult.
Catching small fish or shrimp was easy, but whenever a real Pokémon bit the hook, it escaped almost instantly, leaving him helpless.
Fortunately, after nearly half a month of practice, he finally grew more skilled.
Occasionally, a few viewers dropped by his stream, and his accumulated "Popularity Points" had finally reached nearly one thousand.
Then came that fateful afternoon.
The sky was overcast, and a steady wind rippled across the sea.
Just like usual, Theo cast his fishing line into the water.
As he watched the rippling surface and waited quietly for a bite, the system voice suddenly sounded in his mind:
[Congratulations, Host. Popularity Points have exceeded 1000. System officially activated. A newcomer's opportunity has been delivered.]
Before Theo could think further—
The fishing line jerked violently.
The force was so immense it nearly dragged him straight into the sea.
"Whoa! What is this thing?! It's so strong!"
Theo exclaimed in shock, gripping the rod tightly as veins bulged along his forearms.
The viewers watching were equally excited.
"That's a strong pull! Could it be a Shellder?"
"No way, Shellder isn't that strong. Maybe a Kingler?"
"Theo, hang in there! Don't get dragged into the water!"
Gritting his teeth, Theo held the fishing rod with both hands, engaging in a fierce tug-of-war with whatever creature was under the waves.
The fishing line vibrated violently, buzzing as if it might snap at any moment.
But unlike before, the Pokémon on the hook didn't spit it out.
It stubbornly held on, almost as if some strange power compelled it to stay hooked.
Using the techniques taught by his fishing mentors, alternating between slackening and reeling in the line—he battled for over ten minutes.
His arms ached so badly they were almost numb before he finally pulled the creature close to the shore.
After an exhausting struggle lasting more than ten minutes, he used up nearly all his strength before finally dragging the "big catch" out of the water.
When the figure broke through the surface—
Theo froze.
The viewers froze.
The entire chat went silent.
It was a bizarre-looking fish.
Its body was an unnatural shade of purple, plump and oddly shaped, its scales arranged crookedly.
Its bulging eyes and disproportionately large mouth, gaping open to reveal uneven teeth, made it look strange from every angle.
Theo immediately recognized what Pokémon it was.
But he didn't dare believe he had actually caught this of all things.
The chat remained stunned for a few seconds—
and then erupted like never before.
"What on earth—what IS that thing?!"
"My eyes… I think I'm poisoned. What is that horror??"
"That looks like a fish Pokémon, but it's definitely not Magikarp. And it's not any water type I've ever seen."
"Could it be… an undiscovered Pokémon?"
Theo's heart was pounding with excitement.
He recognized the Pokémon instantly, but instead of explaining it, he deliberately played dumb, pretending to be a clueless newbie, joining the viewers in their speculation.
After all, he had lived through an era dominated by internet hype in his previous life.
He understood exactly how to create buzz.
The unknown always attracts more attention—
and more attention meant more viewers, more popularity, and more opportunities.
As Theo stared at the strange fish Pokémon, a faint blue glow flickered across his vision.
The system's cold mechanical voice followed:
[Newcomer Opportunity acquired. Data Panel unlocked]
A transparent data panel materialized before his eyes:
[Pokémon: Feebas (Shiny)]
Type: Water
Category: Fish Pokémon
Ability: Swift Swim (Speed increases during rain)
Moves: Splash (Proficient), Tackle (Beginner)
Today's Livestream Duration: 1 hour 12 minutes
Peak Concurrent Viewers: 98
Total Popularity Points: 1046
(End of Chapter)