Although most viewers didn't think highly of Pichu challenging Pewter Gym with a type disadvantage, Caster had created quite a few miracles along the way, and he'd accumulated a group of die-hard fans who believed in his abilities.
"Everyone, I'm an old fan of the streamer. The streamer might seem a bit unreliable, but he's got talent and skills.
All along this journey, my face has been repeatedly slapped by Magikarp and the streamer.
So this time, I'm betting the streamer can create another miracle. Go Pichu!"
"The streamer's a schemer; Pichu probably has some hidden trump card."
"Exactly, exactly! Besides, Pewter Gym isn't even that impressive. Magikarp won the Rainbow Badge, so maybe Pichu can win too."
"Go little Pichu!"
Casual fans and hardcore fans started arguing in the chat, the video's popularity kept climbing, and Caster was more than happy to see it.
...
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, Caster got up early and boarded the bus back to Cerulean City.
Not long after Caster left, a green Pokémon flew in from the sky, carrying a girl with light blue hair.
She wore a form-fitting outfit that showed off her perfect figure and revealed long, pale legs.
"What Pokémon is that? I've never seen it before!"
"It's a Flygon. That's a Pokémon from the Hoenn region."
When Clair landed, she immediately attracted quite a bit of attention at the Pokémon Center.
Several guys in particular were practically gawking.
Scanning her surroundings, Clair locked her gaze on the nearest guy. Before anyone knew it, a whip appeared in her hand. With a light flick of her wrist—
Crack!
The whip snapped in midair, then like a snake coiled around the guy and dragged him to Clair's side.
"Huh?"
This sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.
No one expected this beautiful girl to have such a wild side.
Only the guy caught by the whip was breathing hard, face flushed, with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
Is she going to interrogate me?
"Do you know Fishing Dreamer?" Clair demanded. "Where is he?"
"Fishing Dreamer? Who's that?"
The guy she was questioning looked totally confused.
"This guy!" Clair pulled out a photo of Caster.
After questioning several people, Clair learned with disappointment that Caster had already left, but no one knew where he'd gone.
"In that case, I'll wait for him at Pewter Gym!"
Clair's expression was displeased.
After rushing all this way, she still hadn't caught up.
What annoyed Clair most was that she'd applied to add Caster as a friend on PokéStation yesterday, but it still hadn't been accepted. This left her quite irritated.
She was, after all, a member of the Dragon Tamer family, a Gym Trainer at Blackthorn Gym in the Johto region, and had decent popularity on PokéStation with over a million followers.
Fortunately, she'd watched the video Caster posted last night and knew he was heading to Pewter Gym for a challenge, which at least saved her from searching for a needle in a haystack.
With that, Clair jumped onto Flygon and shot straight into the sky, disappearing into the horizon.
After Clair left, people started talking among themselves.
"That girl looked kind of familiar.
I remember now; she seems to be Clair, the Gym Leader from Blackthorn Gym in the Johto region."
"Clair from the Dragon Tamer family? Champion Lance's cousin?"
"That's her! It's definitely her! When she didn't have her whip out, I couldn't recognize her. But once that little whip came out, there's no mistaking it."
"Seems like Clair was looking for someone called 'Fishing Dreamer'? What a weird name!"
"Fishing Dreamer? I know him; he's a small-time streamer. His Magikarp is incredibly strong and even evolved into Gyarados yesterday. Wait—"
One viewer suddenly exclaimed, "I was wondering why Fishkid's Magikarp was so amazing, strong beyond belief.
Turns out this guy's connected to the Dragon Tamer family?"
That viewer's eyes lit up, feeling like he'd stumbled onto some major gossip. He immediately logged onto PokéStation and started leaving comments all over Caster's channel.
And so, Caster's channel popularity skyrocketed once again.
Unfortunately, Caster himself had no idea any of this was happening.
The old, rickety bus swayed and bumped along the road until Caster felt like his whole body was falling apart.
"After I finish with Pewter Gym, my next target is the Safari Zone to see if I can fish and catch the Dratini mother and child."
Caster looked south with a face full of hope.
That was the direction of Fuchsia City!
And the Safari Zone was near Fuchsia City.
If he could catch a Dratini, the quality of Caster's team would skyrocket.
Most importantly, once Dratini evolved into Dragonair, Caster would have a Flying Pokémon.
From then on, he wouldn't have to suffer on buses, and he'd be able to travel quickly to various places with greatly enhanced mobility.
"Pichu~"
Pichu, perched on Caster's head, was in high spirits, captivated by all the scenery outside the window.
Having grown up near the Celadon City Pokémon Center, Pichu had never been anywhere else, never seen so many landscapes or different types of Pokémon.
Everything felt fresh and exciting.
"Hungry? Have a cookie first!"
Taking Pichu off his head and cradling it in his arms, Caster smiled and pulled out a cookie.
"Pi~"
Pichu sniffed it, eyes immediately lighting up, then stuffed it right into its mouth.
It hadn't even swallowed before grabbing two more cookies, one in each paw, stuffing them in until its cheeks bulged like a hamster's, and only then did it start chewing enthusiastically.
"Look at you, always in such a rush!"
Caster's face showed both helplessness and sympathy, but he still comforted it: "I'm not going to take it from you. Eat slowly so you don't choke."
Caster's Pichu had probably been too weak before, with food always scarce, which was why it always ate so frantically and wildly, afraid of going hungry.
It formed a stark contrast with its soft, adorable appearance.
But now that it was with Caster, naturally it wouldn't go hungry anymore.
However, this eating habit would be hard to change in the short term.
"Pichu~"
After the three cookies were down, little Pichu finally felt full.
It scratched the back of its head looking at Caster, cheeks slightly flushed, a bit embarrassed.
"Rest a bit after eating!"
Caster smiled and placed the well-fed Pichu in his pocket, where it soon fell fast asleep.
Because in Caster's pocket, Pichu felt completely safe.
After Pichu fell asleep, Caster felt a bit bored and pulled out his phone, put on earphones, and started scrolling through videos.
As for private messages and friend requests, Caster really couldn't keep up; there were just too many.
He'd have to look at them when he had time and reply to as many as possible.
...
By evening, Caster finally arrived at his hometown of Cerulean City.
After staying two more days at his rental place, once the withdrawn money hit his account, Caster immediately headed to the Cerulean City store.
He first bought pokéblocks for his two Pokémon, then purchased a foldable bicycle and a small spatial backpack.
The thirty-plus thousand he'd just received hadn't even had time to cool down before Caster spent most of it.
Next, Caster returned to his rental to pack his luggage, then found his landlord to move out.
Taking one last look at the rental, Caster shouldered his backpack and resolutely got on his bicycle, leaving only his back for Cerulean City to see.
Caster's fishing journey had officially begun!