8

Ye Yinchuan's face showed deep contemplation, his gaze filled with confusion.

"Mr. Contrarian", grinning smugly, taunted, "What's wrong, streamer? Is my Squirtle too much for you? Or are you lost without your script, unsure of how to fool the audience now?"

"Be quiet, I'm thinking."

Ye Yinchuan's mind raced at full speed, but he still couldn't pinpoint the cause.

Seeing the livestream chat beginning to express doubts, he knew he had to stabilize the situation. Keeping his composure, he spoke in a steady tone:

"Your Squirtle, overall, is fairly… average. Whether in nature, skills, or individual stats, it's not particularly suited for battle."

That was Ye Yinchuan's diplomatic way of putting it.

A blunter way?

It was mediocre at best.

But out of respect for Pokémon, he chose to phrase it tactfully. No matter how annoying Mr. Contrarian was, he wouldn't be needlessly harsh—at least not in a way Squirtle could understand.

Hearing this evaluation, Mr. Contrarian sneered.

"That's all? That's your grand assessment? Are you sure you didn't miss something? If that's all you have, I really have to question your so-called expertise!"

Seeing Mr. Contrarian acting so smug, the chat quickly split into two camps.

One side—Ye Yinchuan's loyal supporters—stood firmly by him. People like Hu Luo Bo and Nutritional Yarn, who had watched the entire stream, were now his first wave of die-hard fans.

The other side—skeptical newcomers—were far less convinced:

[Seriously, the streamer's analysis was so generic it barely counts as an evaluation.]

[LOL, come on! Squirtle assessments are tough. They all look the same—what's he supposed to say?]

Unfazed, Ye Yinchuan replied calmly:

"Alright, I'll be direct. Your Squirtle has aquaphobia."

Silence.

Mr. Contrarian froze for a moment—then burst into uproarious laughter, pointing at Ye Yinchuan as if he'd just heard the joke of the century.

"HA! A Squirtle with aquaphobia?! Are you trying to make me laugh to death?! I was wrong about you! You're not a Pokémon appraiser—you're a comedian! A Water-type Pokémon afraid of water? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!"

The chat erupted:

[LMAO, did the streamer really just say that? A Squirtle afraid of water?!]

[This is next-level stupidity! Even a rookie knows this is nonsense!]

[Streamer, I'm actually disappointed. How could you say something so ridiculous?]

A few loyal fans defended Ye Yinchuan, but their voices were quickly drowned out.

Hu Luo Bo: [I believe in the streamer! If Gloom can stop being smelly, why can't Squirtle be afraid of water?!]

Nutritional Yarn: [I'm no expert, but I think it's possible. If not, well… just pretend I didn't say anything.] 😅

Spring Blossoms: [Humanity's knowledge of Pokémon is still less than 20%. Anything is possible!]

Ye Yinchuan knew this was a make-or-break moment—the chat's energy was skyrocketing, and the stream's popularity had reached a new peak.

But this situation was a double-edged sword.

If he failed to convince them, he'd lose a huge chunk of his audience.

But if he succeeded?

Then he'd gain a large, dedicated fanbase overnight.

To be honest, if Ye Yinchuan didn't have the Treasure Appraisal Eye, allowing him to see Squirtle's full status panel, he wouldn't have believed it either. A Water-type Pokémon… with aquaphobia? That sounded absurd!

Meanwhile, Mr. Contrarian, who had been worried about getting slapped with hard evidence and losing a 1,000-yuan Master Ball gift, instantly relaxed.

Seeing Ye Yinchuan make such an outrageous claim, flipping the chat's mood completely against him, Mr. Contrarian could hardly contain his glee.

He had won without even trying—Ye Yinchuan had dug his own grave!

Mocking him loudly, Mr. Contrarian eagerly waited to see panic and embarrassment on the streamer's face.

Unfortunately… that moment never came.

No matter how much Mr. Contrarian taunted, no matter how much the chat turned on him—Ye Yinchuan remained as calm as ever, even flashing a slight smile.

"Are you done?" Ye Yinchuan asked, his voice steady. "Laughed enough? Good. Now it's my turn."

His unwavering attitude infuriated Mr. Contrarian.

"Fine! Let's see what ridiculous excuse you come up with next!"

Ye Yinchuan's expression turned cold.

"Shut up. Show some manners. One more insult, and you're getting muted."

The sudden shift in tone stunned him.

Since when did a small-time streamer with barely 100 viewers get this bold?!

"…Fine," Mr. Contrarian grumbled. "But know this—the audience isn't stupid. If you keep spouting nonsense, people will flood your stream with hate until you quit for good."

A smug smirk crossed his face.

There—he had turned the chat against the streamer. Now, no matter what Ye Yinchuan said next, he'd lose!

But then Ye Yinchuan casually asked,

"…Doesn't it seem odd to you that your Squirtle never learned Water Gun?"

Mr. Contrarian's face paled.

"…How do you know that?"

Busted.

For the first time, uncertainty flashed across his face.

He hurriedly shut his mouth—but his reaction had already exposed the truth.

The chat instantly picked up on it:

[Wait a minute—if the streamer hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have noticed… but Squirtle really does keep stretching its neck?!]

[Oh damn, he's right! Mr. Contrarian, if the streamer is lying, then make Squirtle use Water Gun! Should be easy, right?]

[Hold on. Squirtle… can't use Water Gun?! Is it actually afraid of water?! Somebody pour a cup of water on it!]

Seeing the chat turning against him, Mr. Contrarian panicked and rushed to defend himself:

"My Squirtle, afraid of water? Impossible! Sure, it can't use Water Gun—but that just means it's dumb, not scared of water! I keep it in a fish tank every day! How could it be aquaphobic?!"

Saying it out loud, he suddenly felt more confident.

Yeah! It was his Squirtle—how could he not know if it was afraid of water?

"All of this is nonsense," he declared. "I can prove it to you right now!"

The chat exploded once again:

[Yeah, he raises the Squirtle—he'd know if it was afraid of water.]

[There's NO WAY a Squirtle is aquaphobic. That's just dumb.]

Even Ye Yinchuan's own fans started hesitating:

Nutritional Yarn: [Don't @ me! I already said I'm not an expert!]

Spring Blossoms: [Even if the streamer is wrong, we should be kind! 🤗]

Only Hu Luo Bo stood firm:

*[I still believe in the streamer! His evaluations haven't been wrong yet!]

Ye Yinchuan was genuinely surprised—his first true die-hard fan was a girl?!

Meanwhile, the chat boiled over:

[I'm losing my mind! WHAT IS GOING ON?!]

[Just get on with it already! SHOW US THE PROOF!]

Ye Yinchuan smirked.

"Alright. Show us its tank."

Mr. Contrarian confidently led Squirtle to the tank—brimming with water.

Then, without hesitation, he dropped Squirtle in.

Squirtle flailed in a panic, desperately stretching its neck—struggling to keep its nose above water.

Ye Yinchuan's expression turned ice-cold.

"…It all makes sense now."

"Dude, are you STUPID?! Why not just seal the lid while you're at it?!"

"SQUIRTLE. IS. A. LAND. TURTLE!!!"

Mr. Contrarian trembled, voice breaking.

"…Weren't we supposed to keep things civil?"