Chapter 456: Internet Celebrity

Monday.

Water Mirror Grand Show venue.

Amidst the anticipation of countless spectators, under a blinding flood of spotlights, Vivian smiled, raised her right hand high, and her delicate, squeaky voice echoed throughout the arena.

"Invited by the South Wind, the North Wind, and the Sea Wind—sing, dance, Pokémon Super Show!"

"Thank you for waiting, ladies and gentlemen—I am your host, Vivian. The Water Mirror Pokémon Super Show is now officially underway!"

As her words faded, a wave of cheers and applause nearly shattered the dome; the audience stared eagerly downward, brimming with anticipation for the performances to come.

Vivian gripped the microphone in her right hand, smiled faintly, and walked over to the judging panel. "Allow me to introduce to you, Deputy Director of the Event Bureau, Mr. Patstein…"

The judges, as usual, were Patstein, the silver-haired middle-aged man active on the front lines of the Hoenn Super Show circuit; Mr. Yanase, a popular actor and member of the Pokémon Enthusiasts Club; and Miss Jo, from the local Pokémon Center.

These three represented diverse audiences and were a major ratings guarantee for the Super Show on both internet and television.

Vivian raised her right hand, pointing to the screen suspended above the center of the arena, where an oval ribbon with a green border and blue background appeared. "The Coordinator and Pokémon who win this competition will receive the Water Mirror Ribbon Badge. Those who collect five Super Show Ribbon Badges will earn the chance to compete in the Pokémon Super Show Festival!"

Still the same old routine.

But that didn't stop the audience from clapping wildly with fanatic fervor, craning their necks in eager anticipation for Baimu's appearance and his consistently outstanding performance.

That's right.

Ever since Baimu was recognized in the marketplace during a shopping trip, rumors spread like wildfire that he had come to Water Mirror City to challenge the Water Mirror Show.

Within half a day, tickets for the Water Mirror Show sold out completely; online scalpers flooded the market, prices multiplied many times over—and still, people bought them, a phenomenon usually seen only at regional shows or the Champion League.

The ticket-pulling power of a single Coordinator had reached this level—some might even think Baimu had already become a top-tier Coordinator—

In reality, even most top-tier Coordinators didn't have this kind of drawing power.

One could see countless spectators holding up banners and signs; the cheering squad, reminiscent of the one in Autumn Leaf Town, had grown far larger, with men and women alike coming as if to a concert, their synchronized chants echoing like Ash returning to Alola, everyone shouting for him as Champion.

Of course, Baimu was nowhere near that level—his fame was purely manufactured by the marketing efforts of Shanren, Team Aqua, and Team Magma, with the help of the Lucky Scale.

In other words, he was now no different from those internet celebrity stars of his past life—temporarily belonging to the group whose fame far outstripped their merit.

As a result, although it seemed he had fans everywhere, there were just as many who disliked him; it was just that in real life, everyone was relatively civilized and wouldn't point at someone's face and say, "I don't like you."

Preparation Room.

Many competing Coordinators whispered among themselves, their glances inevitably drifting toward the corner.

That seemingly secluded spot, yet one that seemed to draw countless beams of light.

There sat one of the brightest new stars of recent years—a man whose reputation in just half a year had rivaled that of top-tier Coordinators.

Some bolder ones quietly pulled out their phones and turned on the camera, yet dared not make a sound, for the Pokémon world had inherited many regulations from Nihon, including the ban on unauthorized recording.

"Ugh…"

Baimu paid no attention to the surrounding stares and lenses, sitting on the bench to adjust his tie; the Magma outfit had grown tight over the past few months—he'd have to find someone from Team Magma to alter the fit.

But none of that mattered. What mattered was the creature before him—

A Happiny wearing a golden circular crown of laurel leaves, a golden silk sash tied around its waist, and a beige silk stole draped over its shoulders, resembling a plump Muse goddess.

This was the 【Sacred Style】 skin from Pokémon: Let's Go.

Yesterday, while visiting Water Mirror Department Store with Inkay, he suddenly spotted this crown, and on a whim, bought the sash and stole as well, dressing it in a brand-new look for its performance.

Happiny's performance didn't require much movement; unlike Inkay, who danced wildly and constantly needed to avoid ice and fire, it wasn't suitable for wearing ornaments.

But Inkay was jealous—what Pokémon doesn't love gifts from its Trainer?

So Baimu bought Inkay a Solrock fox mask too, worn sideways, looking great; he'd originally planned to buy a Platinum Crown, but Inkay tried it on and found it too heavy—

Hah.

If Inkay wanted, it could lift him up effortlessly with one hand; it only found the crown annoying because it didn't want to lower its head to watch videos—it had picked up bad habits from Solrock.

Yet despite its "new clothes," Happiny couldn't escape its nervousness.

The stares of other competitors, the overwhelming crowd of cheering fans, and the upcoming performance made it hard to breathe; yet unlike Dragonite or Inkay, it wasn't good at being cute, so it simply stood before its Trainer, head bowed in silence, trying to calm itself through meditation.

"It's fine, you're solid—you've done this before."

He gently pressed both sides of Happiny's cheeks, squeezing inward with their remarkable elasticity, forcing its mouth open—looking comical and adorable.

"Ha, happy!"

Happiny flailed its tiny hands wildly, leaping backward a step to break free.

It wasn't its first time in a Super Show—but could performing with Inkay really be the same as performing alone?

What if its performance wasn't good enough to preserve its Trainer's and Inkay's past achievements—or worse, if it didn't even make it past the second round?

"Calm down, don't act like a newbie."

Baimu looked helplessly at Happiny; since evolving, its personality had changed a lot—it had become incredibly brave in every way—but before any "major" event, it still couldn't shake its habit of nervousness and overthinking.

It was just its nature—hard to change.

After a moment's thought, he suddenly clutched his arm and gasped sharply, "Ouch!"

"Happy?"

Happiny's attention was instantly drawn to his arm, watching him with concern.

Two days ago, Baimu had replaced Cresselia with Happiny to test a psychic training method he'd learned in dreams—just in case he had psychic abilities himself.

He'd held a special hope, but it ultimately failed; his right arm's muscles had been strained from excessive training in a short time, and he'd needed a full day to recover.

"It's fine, just a slight sting," Baimu was thoroughly satisfied with the effect of feigning pain; though exploiting Happiny's affection for him was slightly immoral, wasn't this just to help it relax?

On television.

Xiao Feng, who had fought him recently, appeared in a sleek outfit, sending out her predetermined performance Pokémon, Scizor.

As a Coordinator who had transitioned from being a Trainer, her performance was as clean, direct, and forceful as Ash's in the Ruby-Sapphire era or Baimu's earliest days in the Super Show.

Of course.

"Simple" was no longer a negative term in today's Super Show—everyone had become obsessed with flashy light-and-sound effects; audiences and judges, having watched one show after another, were tired of it, and now longed for performances that were humble yet revealed the true beauty of Pokémon.

That was precisely why Inkay's dance had earned high scores the moment it debuted.

And Xiao Feng and the Giant Scyther took the same path.

The Giant Scyther, modeled after a warrior, used its claws and wings to repeatedly strike the specially placed wooden stakes with the moves 【Bullet Punch】 and 【Steel Wing】; silver light flashed as wood chips flew, as if performing a blade waltz that stirred hearts and dazzled the eyes.

When the routine ended, the stakes had successfully transformed into the shape of Shuijing City's lighthouse, drawing another round of applause from the audience.

It must be said.

This performance was truly impressive—especially since the previous performer's light pollution was off the charts; in contrast, Xiao Feng's simple act felt refreshingly genuine and earned her a high score—

"How many have scored above 29 now…?"

Baimu gently stroked the face of the Happiny, recalling carefully.

In the first three contests, the judges had been unusually cautious; competitors scoring above 29 were rare. Why today, out of nowhere, were five such scores handed out like candy? The number of contestants hasn't increased at all.

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It might be eight advancing now.

He knew well that every Grand Contest where eight advanced in the first round was one of extremely high prestige, its ribbons more prestigious than those from town-level contests.

Honestly, ribbons themselves held no inherent hierarchy; five were all you needed to qualify for the Grand Festival.

But people who loved dividing things into tiers were everywhere, and since ribbons symbolized a Coordinator's honor, they naturally had to be ranked.

Baimu's three ribbons—two from major cities, one from a special format—were all of "top-tier" quality, effectively silencing many who were indifferent or even hostile toward him, preventing them from claiming that ribbons from small towns lacked technical merit.

"It's almost our turn."

He rose slightly, and countless eyes instantly turned toward him, as if he were the moon surrounded by stars.

Only Mi Ke Li gets this treatment, right?

Baimu muttered inwardly, glancing at the Happiny beside him taking deep breaths, "Ready?"

"Happy!"

Happiny raised its small hand to steady its grass-woven crown and nodded seriously.

No matter how nervous you are before the contest, it doesn't matter—once it begins, you must not panic. You must hold firm to the determination and belief that you will win, so as not to disappoint your Coordinator.

Only then can you truly take another step toward becoming a Champion!

Without doubt, it had never abandoned its resolve to become a Champion, steadfastly striving to be a perfect Pokémon skilled in battling, performing, healing, and daily life alike.

Happiny strode forward with confident steps; the exit bathed in Bai Guang resembled a gateway to a bright future.

I'm coming!

Inside the arena.

All manner of noisy sounds echoed endlessly.

The three judges silently drank water, moistening their dry throats after continuous commentary.

Year-end was approaching, and the Grand Festival would soon be held; to stir excitement, it was necessary to slightly lower scoring standards to attract audiences and Coordinators.

The Galar region's Lohz had set a strong precedent—every one of the new Gym Leaders he discovered was wildly popular overseas, not to mention the one known as the "World's Strongest Champion," Champion Dan Di.

This title had stirred widespread resentment and drawn increasing attention to Lohz's proposal regarding the 【Pokémon World Championship】.

"Who's the world's strongest? Let's settle it!"

The Coordinator world went wild—how could their Grand Contest scene fall behind? The board members at contest headquarters had been arguing for a long time, all eager to organize a grand event, but every idea they proposed was garbage.

It was frustrating.

Vivian stood on stage, holding a card; seeing the next performer, she smiled warmly and raised her microphone: "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr. Baimu and his Happiny, as they present their performance~"

Baimu! Happiny!

Patstein and Yanase's eyes flashed sharply; the audience fell silent for an instant, then erupted into madness—screams and shouts nearly shattered the arena's ceiling, the cheer squads leaping to their feet and dancing joyfully within the cramped space.

Responsible to say, over seventy percent of the audience had come solely for Baimu, paying tickets priced many times higher than usual.

Bei Lingyin, the perfume shop owner who had once met Baimu several times and later became president of his fan club, sat among the audience, barely concealing her excitement.

Finally caught up!

She had scoured all of Hoenn for news of Baimu, determined to witness his Grand Contest performance live; she'd missed him every time—until now. She treasured this moment deeply.

Beside Bei Lingyin sat the original founding members of the fan club—some wore cosplay outfits of Machamp and Baimu, others hugged Machamp plushies, even some had cosplayed as Machamp and Baimu themselves, clearly demonstrating their devotion to both.

Had it not been for the absurdity of buying out the entire venue, the fan club had originally planned to purchase every single ticket; in the end, Bei Lingyin cast the deciding no vote, preventing such a ridiculous outcome.

It had successfully salvaged Baimu's reputation from the brink.

Not long after.

Silhouettes began appearing in the contestant corridor, causing many eager spectators to instinctively fall silent, as if a chain reaction swept through the crowd.

When the main act finally stepped out, the arena fell into an eerie silence.

——

Quiet.

This was Baimu's first impression of the Shuijing Contest arena.

Though faint sounds—people leaving, pacing, whispering—drifted into his ears, they were only noticeable because the environment was so utterly still.

He bowed respectfully to the three judges, who smiled warmly, then surveyed the audience like a moat surrounding a fortress; had he not seen the spectators' faces straining to suppress their wild enthusiasm, and the glowing signs waving frantically above their heads, he might have thought he'd completely bombed.

What hadn't the genius Coordinator seen, having won three ribbons in half a year?

Okay.

This—he'd never seen anything like it.

"Too enthusiastic."

Baimu felt slightly overwhelmed; he'd planned to make his signature gesture a wave, fist pump, and silent pause—but the audience gave him no chance.

Fine then.

Good thing this performance was a singing act—silence suited him perfectly.

He took a deep breath, "Begin!"