Chapter 56: A Surge in Popularity

Chapter 56: A Surge in Popularity

Not five minutes after the video was released, it was reposted to the forums.

Although they all spoke of hard work, compared to the standard, by-the-book interviews of the other three contestants, Basalt's interview video clearly struck a chord with the ordinary viewers' emotions and resonated more strongly.

"Wow! That handsome Basalt is so full of positive energy! Getting up at four o'clock every day to train, how does he keep it up? He's so persistent!"

"Right? We're both high school students, but I'm so far behind him. I think Basalt making it to the top four is well-deserved. Everything is the best possible arrangement."

"I love him, I love him! A handsome and hardworking boy, I can't handle it…"

"Hardworking boys will have good luck. I hope he can win the championship."

"I'm not pretending anymore, I'm laying my cards on the table. From now on, Basalt is my idol, official announcement!"

"Go, go, go, Baby Basalt~~ Big sis loves you!"

"Sisters, I've created a fan club for our handsome Basalt. Anyone interested can join. For the next match, let's all cheer for him together!"

"A fan club? I want to join, I want to join!"

"Count me in!"

"Count me in +1."

…

Once Basalt's video was released, his popularity completely exploded. Countless young girls who were casual viewers became dedicated fans. This was the benefit of establishing a persona; a popular persona has infinite power.

In terms of looks, Basalt was handsome, but was there a shortage of handsome people in the world? The world wouldn't miss one Basalt. But a boy who was handsome, hardworking, strong, and had a super fan-attracting persona? That was a rare resource.

Not only that, but besides the female fans who were attracted to his looks, some of the boys from ordinary families also slowly came to accept Basalt. If he were just ordinarily excellent, boys of the same age would be jealous of him due to peer-to-peer repulsion. But when Basalt became so excellent that those ordinary boys had to look up to him, that jealousy naturally turned into admiration.

As Basalt's popularity rose, an armchair analyst took advantage of the heat and posted an analysis of his strength. The key was that it was well-reasoned and convincing, which further boosted his popularity.

"Basalt's Drilbur is very strong. The seven moves it has displayed so far—Fury Swipes, Mud-Slap, Rapid Spin, Sand Tomb, Rock Tomb, Metal Claw, and Dig—cover the three directions of attack, defense, and control, which is quite complete at this stage."

"Especially the move Dig. This is a mid-to-high tier Ground-type move. Except for Pokémon that can fly, have the Levitate ability, or can counter with moves like Bulldoze or Magnitude, it's almost invincible at this stage."

"With Dig, Drilbur can attack or retreat, coming and going as it pleases. In the third round of the main tournament group stage, even the favorite contestant, Wade, was defeated by him. I don't think anyone will question Basalt's strength now, right?"

"Now let's talk about Basalt's semifinal opponent, Luke. Luke is also from First High. Although his strength is not bad, he is still a tier below the three main favorites."

"And his Meowth is also a close-combat Pokémon. It can't fly, it can't levitate, and it doesn't have psychic powers or any other counters. So I will boldly predict here that in the semifinals, Luke will be easily defeated by Basalt."

"In other words, Basalt has already secured at least the runner-up position. As for whether he can win the championship, I think the chances are slim…"

Afterward, this armchair analyst listed four or five reasons why Basalt couldn't win the championship, which were also quite well-reasoned. For example, if Basalt were to face Luna in the finals, her Smoochum knew Confusion and Sing, which Drilbur's Dig couldn't block. If he were to face Felix, it would be even worse. Not only could Gligar fly, making it immune to Drilbur's same-type moves, but it also knew Bulldoze, which was incredibly unfriendly to Drilbur.

Overall, however, the probability of Basalt facing Luna in the finals was relatively high. As for the reason… the Ground/Flying dual-type Gligar was 4-times weak to Ice. How painful do you think that would be?

…

Not long after the analysis post on Basalt's strength came out, another curious person on the forum dug up the identity and family background of the other three contestants.

Luna: The little princess of the Xu Corporation. She had more money than she could count. The only reason she was studying in Seaside County was to accompany her grandfather in his later years. Otherwise, with the Xu Corporation's financial power, there was no way she would be studying in a small backwater place like Seaside County.

Felix: The only son of the Professional-level trainer, Talon Xie. His family background was very good.

Luke: His parents were not very accomplished, but his maternal grandfather was also a Professional-level trainer who had founded a Pokémon Day Care after retiring and had a substantial family fortune. It was said that his Meowth was a descendant of his grandfather's ace, a Persian, and had outstanding talent.

Only Basalt's family were truly fruit farmers. His parents relied on a few acres of Oran Berry orchards on the back hills to make a living. Their family condition was very average, one might even say lower-middle class.

These two consecutive posts, while subjectively intended to ride the wave of popularity, objectively played a huge role in boosting Basalt's fame. This was something the two original posters had not expected. And with this post, everyone became particularly tolerant and forgiving towards Basalt. They felt that if he could win his next matches, it would be due to his hard work and talent. If he lost, it would be the result of the other contestants relying on their family status and background. Basalt wouldn't be losing to his opponent but to his opponent's family status and legacy.

Of course, some people also questioned Basalt's background. Because if he was really from an ordinary family, it seemed impossible for him to obtain a Pokémon like Drilbur, which was only available overseas. However, as soon as this argument appeared, it was basically viciously flamed into oblivion. The power of female fans was not to be underestimated.

Do you know how hard my handsome boy works? You're just here spouting nonsense, apologize to me!

…

At this time, Basalt was still cheering for his little mole, completely unaware of everything that was happening on the forum. Right now, he just wanted to make Drilbur master Screech as soon as possible to counter Smoochum's Sing.

Runner-up was not what he was aiming for. The championship was his ambition.

"This time, I must learn Screech and wipe the floor with Luna!"

Basalt clenched his fists, feeling a fire burning in his chest, full of motivation.

He trained until past eight in the evening. Drilbur was truly exhausted, as if its life force had been sucked out by a demon, unable to even stand up straight. Seeing that the mission had been more than accomplished, Basalt was also very satisfied. After feeding the little mole some more Pokéblocks to replenish its energy, he recalled it to its Poké Ball to rest well.

Riding his beloved folding bicycle, Basalt returned home.

He had just opened the door when he saw his mom sitting cross-legged on the sofa in the living room, smiling and video-chatting with someone on her phone. Listening to the voice, the other person was probably his second aunt, his mom's second sister.

"Oh, our family's great hero is back!"

Seeing Basalt appear, his mom quickly came over with a beaming smile.

Although he had originally wanted to wait until the competition was over to give his parents a surprise, in reality, it was impossible. Ever since Basalt entered the main tournament, the news had reached his mom's ears, and she had given him a good scolding for keeping it from them.

After that, his mom had been paying close attention to the news of the competition. It was only because the orchard had been too busy recently that she hadn't gone to the venue to cheer for him. Now it seemed she already knew that he had entered the top four and was announcing the good news to friends and relatives one by one.

Her own son was successful and had made her proud. How could she not show off a little?