Chapter-8
"It's very easy for Pikachu to learn Iron Tail; just let Pikachu practice using its tail."
"For example, have Pikachu hit small branches, small stones, etc., with its tail."
"Pikachu is talented, so it won't take long for it to master the Iron Tail move."
Cale sipped his coffee and spoke calmly.
He had learned this method from watching Ash in the Pokémon anime. Ash's Pikachu mastered Iron Tail using this training and managed to defeat the Rock-type gym in the Hoenn Region.
[Real or fake? Can Pikachu really do it?]
[I've got it! I'll start streaming tomorrow—no one can verify this anyway, so let's make money first!]
[This is the first time I've heard that Pikachu can learn the Iron Tail move.]
...
Despite Cale's explanation, the viewers in the livestream were still skeptical.
"Believe it or not, it's up to you."
"Will, you just rewarded me with a Dragonite. If you reward me with two more, I'll tell you how to use Pikachu to defeat other Ground-type Pokémon too."
Cale wasn't fazed by the skepticism and continued trying to get more out of Will.
Meanwhile, Will was hesitating. He couldn't confirm if what Cale said was true or not. If it turned out to be a scam, he'd be on tomorrow's headlines as the fool who got duped. But what Cale said was intriguing, and Will was torn.
Just as he hesitated, two more Dragonites flew out on the screen.
[Leo: He's not lying, but I'd like to hear how Pikachu can deal with other Ground-type Pokémon.]
As Dragonite flew across the screen, another message from Leo appeared.
[Whoa, who's this? Two Dragonites out of nowhere!]
[Leo? That name sounds familiar.]
[Wait, isn't this Leo, the Electric-type Elite from the North China War Zone?]
[No way, the Electric Elite himself is here!]
[Leo said it's true, so it must be legit.]
[Looks like the streamer isn't a scammer after all!]
[Paying 2,000 Alliance Coins to learn Pikachu's tricks... count me in!]
[Hey, I'm freeloading this info!]
[Freeloading plus one!]
...
With Leo's endorsement, all the doubts about Cale were dismissed. The system in Cale's mind chimed in:
[Ding, your knowledge has been acknowledged. Reputation increased by one. Current reputation: 103,000.]
[Ding, your knowledge has been acknowledged. Reputation increased by one. Current reputation: 104,000.]
[Ding, your knowledge has been acknowledged. Reputation increased by one. Current reputation: 105,000.]
...
As the audience continued to pile into the stream, Cale's reputation points kept rising.
"Leo?"
Cale paused for a moment, recalling the information about Leo.
The world was divided into eight regions: Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Paldea, and Galar, each managed by four Elites, a Tower Master, and a Champion. Among these, Kanto was the strongest and housed the PIAT headquarters.
Leo was the only Electric-type Elite among the seven regions and the youngest Elite as well.
[Leo: So, can you explain how Pikachu can deal with other Ground-type Pokémon now?]
In his private villa, Leo was lounging on his bed, legs crossed, biting into an apple while watching the livestream. He was genuinely curious about what Cale would say next.
Leo had accidentally discovered that Pikachu could learn Iron Tail not long ago, so it surprised him that someone else knew this as well. Now, he was eager to learn more about how Pikachu could defeat other Ground-type Pokémon.
"Of course."
"You can teach Pikachu to practice Surf using a surfboard in a river or the ocean."
"This way, Pikachu can learn the Water-type move Surf."
Cale explained calmly.
Ground-type Pokémon are weak to Water-type moves, so if Pikachu mastered Surf, it could hold its own even against Ground-type opponents.
"Pikachu can actually learn Surf?"
Leo was stunned by Cale's answer, as he hadn't expected that Pikachu could learn a Water-type move in this manner.
"Streamer, do you have any other tips for Pikachu?"
Leo's excitement was evident as he eagerly asked for more tips.
"Of course. If someone tips me another Dragonite, I wouldn't mind sharing another trick for Pikachu."
Cale smiled, holding up a finger.
As soon as he finished speaking, ten Dragonites flew across the screen, the reward coming from none other than Will himself. He hadn't hesitated this time, wanting to outshine Leo after losing the spotlight earlier. He quickly sent ten Dragonites to Cale.
"It's really a good deal."
Looking at the ten Dragonites rewarded by Will, Cale was speechless.
He only asked for one, but the other party rewarded him with ten—clearly trying to steal the limelight from Leo.
"When Pikachu is practicing Surf, if you don't have a surfboard, you can have Pikachu use Double Team and then inject air into it, creating a Pikachu Double Team surfboard."
Cale calmly explained to the viewers in the livestream.
This was a special trick he learned from a particular chapter where Pikachu used Double Team when chased by Lance.
"Ahem!"
"Is this even possible?!"
After hearing Cale's explanation, Leo, who was watching, coughed, momentarily stunned, almost choking on his apple.
Not only him, but Will and other viewers in the livestream were briefly taken aback as well.
[???]
[Is this even real? Has anyone tried it?]
[I just tried it, and it's true…]
[I also tested it—this works!]
[The streamer is a genius, coming up with Christoph's unconventional idea of injecting air into Double Team.]
[If Pikachu's Double Team can do this, can other Pokémon's Double Teams do the same?]
[I definitely earned from this.]
...
Some quick-to-act trainers tested Cale's method as soon as he explained it. To their surprise, they found that using Pikachu's Double Team to make a surfboard really worked, just as Cale had said.
" do you have any more questions?"
Seeing the responses in the livestream, Cale turned his attention to Will.
After a brief pause, Will entered another question into his phone.
"Do you know how some Pokémon evolve?"
Will asked Cale.
Cale had gained a reputation as a walking Pokémon encyclopedia, known for uncovering Pokémon secrets. Will wanted to see if he really knew the mysteries behind certain Pokémon evolutions.
"Here we go!"
Cale thought to himself as he read Will's question.
The earlier questions were small, and the rewards weren't much. But the secret behind Pokémon evolutions—that's where the real money was.
"Of course I know, but it comes at a price."
Cale smiled.
Because Pokémon had appeared relatively recently in the world, there were many mysteries about them that had yet to be uncovered. Some evolutions, like Haunter evolving into Gengar, required the power of communication—something this world didn't possess yet, as it lacked a Pokémon trading system.
But there were wild energies that could sometimes trigger these evolutions naturally, like for Gengar or Pokémon such as Alakazam and Scyther.
Therefore, many trainers who had these kinds of Pokémon were often lucky enough to stumble upon their evolved forms in the wild.
Watching the exchange between Cale and Will, Lucy, another viewer in the livestream, felt uneasy. A bad feeling crept in.
Their family had stood strong for centuries, partly because they held secrets no one else knew—such as how to evolve Slowpoke into Slowking.
Their family's business, Century City, had been competing fiercely with Will's father's company, Panda. If Will got his hands on an evolution method like theirs, it could greatly impact their business.
"Money's no issue. I'll add you as a friend, and we can chat privately."
Will's eyes gleamed with excitement at Cale's reply.
His family had been trying to break into the Pokémon industry for a while but had always been blocked by Century City. With a secret like the Slowpoke-to-Slowking evolution, things could change drastically.
"My contact info is on my homepage."
"If you want to consult me about Pokémon-related issues, feel free to add me."
"Of course, this service comes at a fee!"
Cale smiled, using the opportunity to plug himself further.
He didn't need Will to tell him; he already planned to discuss such a large transaction in private. A deal like this done on the livestream platform would have too much of the profits taken by the platform.
"Reason becomes the greatest principal?"
"Is he a principal?"
Hearing Cale's voice, Leo quickly switched to Cale's homepage and found his contact info. Upon seeing Cale's nickname, Leo was surprised.
To think Cale was actually a Uni principal!
Instantly, Cale's phone notifications blew up as many viewers watching the stream added him, eager to get his contact info. Among them were lucy and Jess.
"I've received all your friend requests."
"I'll accept them all later."
"Any more questions?"
Seeing he still had time, Cale decided he would respond to everyone's inquiries after the stream.