9.

"I'm sorry—I couldn't hold back!"

Ye Yinchuan realized he had lost his composure. As a streamer, swearing on stream wasn't ideal—it made him seem unprofessional, and worst of all, he risked getting banned.

But Mr. Contrarian was just too dumb! His sheer level of stupidity exceeded Ye Yinchuan's expectations.

More than that, Ye Yinchuan felt genuinely bad for the poor Squirtle.

A perfectly fine Water-type Pokémon, and this idiot managed to give it aquaphobia?!

Unbelievable.

Ye Yinchuan could already imagine it—this little Squirtle, spending every single day struggling desperately in that fish tank, fighting for a single breath of air…

A timid-natured Pokémon, living in constant fear.

Every time it was put in the water, it was at risk of drowning.

Over time, it developed a psychological fear of water, along with depression.

And the reason it wasn't dehydrated?

Simple.

It had been choking on water this whole time—it was drinking it against its will!

This was downright tragic.

If he weren't a professional streamer, Ye Yinchuan would have torn into Mr. Contrarian with the most vicious insults imaginable.

The livestream chat erupted with fury:

[Bro, imagine being forcefully drowned every day. YOU'D be afraid of water too!]

[The truth is out—Squirtle really is afraid of water! And it's all because of this guy!]

[Streamer is INSANE—how did he even figure that out?!]

[How is it possible to be this dumb?]

[This is straight-up negligence—even if it's my first time raising a Pokémon, I'd still take the time to research proper care!]

Ye Yinchuan's credibility skyrocketed.

His biggest fans were the happiest:

Hu Luo Bo: [I TOLD YOU! I always believed in the streamer! Now you all see! If you haven't followed yet, DO IT NOW!]

Nutritional Yarn: [This is the magic of Kabigon Appraisal! The streamer said Squirtle had aquaphobia—and Squirtle actually had aquaphobia!]

Spring Blossoms: [Trust the experts. We should all have more respect for their knowledge!]*

"Stop standing around—pull your Squirtle out of the water!"

Ye Yinchuan snapped impatiently.

His stream's popularity was exploding, and his appraisal skills were now undeniable.

But that wasn't what he cared about right now.

What mattered was this Squirtle—it had suffered enough abuse.

Mr. Contrarian, now completely rattled, quickly scooped Squirtle out of the tank.

"Streamer… have I been raising Squirtle wrong this whole time? I thought all Water-types could swim!"

"Being able to swim doesn't mean they can breathe underwater, you idiot!"

Ye Yinchuan was exasperated.

But at this moment, he also had a sudden realization.

His livestream was more than just entertainment.

It was about educating people.

It was about helping Pokémon.

It was about preventing tragedies like this from happening.

Or at the very least, stopping them before they got any worse.

Glancing at his obedient little Snorlax, Ye Yinchuan felt a renewed sense of purpose.

"Streamer, I messed up! I was so ignorant—please forgive me!"

Mr. Contrarian finally admitted defeat, giving Ye Yinchuan a sincere thumbs-up.

"The one you really need to apologize to… is your Squirtle."

Ye Yinchuan was frustrated but hopeful. He genuinely wanted every trainer to treat their Pokémon well.

Realization dawned on Mr. Contrarian. He turned to his Squirtle, face full of guilt:

"I'm so sorry, Squirtle! I really messed up! I thought I was giving you the best care by filling the tank, but I didn't know… Ugh! I'm such an idiot!"

"Squirt! Squirt!"

Even though Squirtle was still terrified of water, it reached out weakly, patting its trainer's hand, as if to comfort him.

Seeing how gentle-hearted this Squirtle was, Ye Yinchuan's expression softened.

This little angel…

It didn't deserve this kind of suffering.

At least Mr. Contrarian wasn't a lost cause—just incredibly stupid.

Stupidity, however, was a form of cruelty in its own right.

His username alone—"Mr. Contrarian"—should have been a dead giveaway.

Clearly, he spent all his time arguing online.

Ironically, he was the biggest contrarian of them all—yet completely unaware of it.

"Alright," Ye Yinchuan sighed. "It's done now. Make it up to your Squirtle. Its aquaphobia isn't inborn—it can be cured with time and care."

Though still annoyed, Ye Yinchuan was willing to guide him toward being a better trainer.

The chat exploded again:

[Streamer is a class act! He's handling this like a real professional!]

[He's right—Squirtle is the real victim here. If not for the streamer, who knows how much longer it would've suffered? It might have even drowned one day!]

[Alright, I'm convinced—FOLLOWED. This was legendary appraising!]

Gifts poured in—

Berries, potions, beginner fishing rods—ranging from 1 yuan to 15 yuan.

Even 50-yuan Poké Balls started appearing.

Viewer donations were the truest form of support—real money.

Then, one particular message caught Ye Yinchuan's eye:

WildGale: [Hey streamer, I run a Pokémon clip channel. Can I post videos of your stream? I don't have many followers yet…]

WildGale: [Has gifted you a High-Grade Fishing Rod!]

This gift was worth 100 yuan—a huge show of sincerity.

Checking his profile, Ye Yinchuan saw only 200 followers—but he didn't look down on small creators.

After all, every content creator starts somewhere.

"WildGale, I saw your message. Feel free to post my clips—if anything, you'll be helping promote my stream!"

WildGale: [Thank you, bro!!!]

Meanwhile, the chat began pressing Mr. Contrarian—

Time to pay up.

He had promised to send a 1,000-yuan Master Ball if the streamer proved him wrong.

"No problem! I admit defeat wholeheartedly. I was wrong to doubt you, streamer!"

With that, he pressed send.

[Mr. Contrarian has gifted the streamer a Master Ball!]

On-screen, an iconic purple Poké Ball appeared, with two magenta "ears" and a big black "M" in the center.

Ye Yinchuan was thrilled.

This was his first high-value donation.

By the end of his very first livestream, he had already exceeded expectations!

Checking his viewer count—over 100 stable watchers, almost hitting 200.

The sense of achievement was immeasurable.

"Alright, next up—who's ready for another Pokémon appraisal?"

He kept going—continuing his appraisal streak.

Unknowingly, he had been streaming for five hours straight—7 PM to midnight.

Eventually, exhaustion hit.

"Alright, folks—that's it for tonight! See you all tomorrow at 7 PM sharp!"

Shutting off the stream, he was greeted with a system notification:

[Ding! You've gained 1,321 Influence Points!]

[Your Fame Level has risen to Lv.2 - Emerging Popularity!]

[You've unlocked a Fame Reward Package—claim it now?]

His eyes lit up.

He hadn't expected to level up his Fame so quickly!

Without hesitation, he claimed it.

[You've obtained the Exclusive Skill: Super Influence!]

And when he read the skill's description…

Ye Yinchuan's heart started racing.