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But... why would there be oxygen deprivation and depression?
Something wasn't right—more than not right, it was twelve degrees off from normal.
Lovy looked deep in thought, with a slightly puzzled expression on his face.
The loudmouth "ArgumentKing" grinned smugly."What's wrong, streamer? This Squirtle stumped you? Or without a script, you don't know how to bluff your viewers anymore?"
"Quiet. I'm thinking."
Lovy's brain was running at full speed, but for a moment, he couldn't figure out the reason either.
As the comment section began to fill with doubt, Lovy had to steady the situation. He put on a calm front and said:
"Your Squirtle... overall, it's just... average. Whether it's personality, moves, or stats—it's probably not battle material."
That was the high-EQ way of saying it. The low-EQ version? It's a pretty basic Pokémon.
Still, Lovy didn't want to hurt the Pokémon's feelings. Even if he disliked ArgumentKing, he wouldn't roast too hard—at least not in words the Pokémon could understand.
Hearing this, ArgumentKing burst into a mocking laugh.
"That's it? That's your professional take? You sure you're not missing something? If this is all you've got, it's hard not to question your skills!"
As ArgumentKing grew more arrogant, the livestream chat split into two camps.
One camp was Lovy's loyal supporters—like "MsCarrot" and "FiberNutrition"—who had been watching from the beginning and were quickly becoming Lovy's first true fans.
The other camp consisted of newcomers, and they were skeptical:
[comment] "That's it? What kind of evaluation is that? Might as well have said nothing!"
[comment] "LMAO! Come on! All Squirtles look the same. How is anyone supposed to evaluate them?"
Lovy kept his composure:
"All right then, I'll be blunt. Your Squirtle… has aquaphobia."
That one sentence stunned ArgumentKing for a moment—then he broke into over-the-top laughter, pointing at Lovy.
"HAHA! Squirtle with aquaphobia?! You must be joking! I misunderstood you. You're not a Pokémon appraisal streamer—you're a clown! Who says something that ridiculous?!"
The chat instantly exploded:
[comment] "I'm crying. Dude really said 'Squirtle has aquaphobia.' Somewhere, Professor Lanton is rolling in his grave!"
[comment] "I thought this guy was a pro. Turns out he's a total noob! At least know some basic facts, dude!"
[comment] "I'm disappointed. You had me interested, and then you come out with something this anti-intellectual?"
A few fans tried to defend Lovy, but they were drowned out:
MsCarrot: "I believe in Lovy! If Gloom can not stink, then Squirtle can be afraid of water!"
FiberNutrition: "I'm no expert, but I think it's possible for Squirtle to fear water. If not, ignore me. Again—not an expert!"
BlossomSpring: "We know less than 20% about Pokémon behavior. Anything is possible!"
Lovy knew the chat was heating up—numbers were spiking, momentum was building.
But momentum cuts both ways. It could gain him fans—or completely backfire.
If he didn't have his special skill, the "Eye for Appraisal," Lovy himself wouldn't believe a Water-type Pokémon could have aquaphobia.
ArgumentKing, who'd been worried about being exposed and having to send a 1000-yuan Master Ball gift, was now elated. The tides were turning in his favor, and he hadn't even lifted a finger.
He eagerly waited to see Lovy flustered and speechless.
Unfortunately for him, Lovy didn't flinch.
No matter how sarcastic the insults or how loud the backlash, Lovy remained calm—smiling, even.
"You done laughing? Got it all out of your system? Good. My turn."
ArgumentKing scowled."Fine! Let's hear what garbage comes out next!"
Lovy's smile faded as he snapped:"Shut your mouth. Who taught you to talk to people like that? One more insult and I'll mute you."
The sudden scolding made ArgumentKing freeze.Since when could a streamer with under a hundred fans be so bold?
"Fine, no insults. But remember, the audience sees everything. If you keep talking nonsense, people will come back every day to roast you—until you quit streaming!"
He clearly felt guilty but doubled down, appealing to public opinion.
"Don't you think it's odd your Squirtle can't learn Water Gun? And how it keeps stretching its neck all the time?"
Lovy had pieced it together by now.
"How do you know that?" ArgumentKing asked, stunned. His jaw dropped slightly, but he shut it quickly.
He refused to admit Lovy might be right—because if he did, he'd be admitting all his previous mocking was a joke.
Lovy didn't need to explain further—his opponent's reaction said enough.
Viewers in the chat were picking up on the clues:
[comment] "Wait! I hadn't noticed, but it is always stretching its neck!"
[comment] "He might be right! ArgumentKing, if you're so confident, make it use Water Gun!"
[comment] "Wait… it can't use Water Gun? Is it actually scared of water? Try showing it a glass of water!"
ArgumentKing started to panic."My Squirtle? Aquaphobic? Nonsense! It's not that it fears water—it's just dumb! That's why it can't learn Water Gun!"
He puffed up with confidence."I keep it in a fish tank all the time! How could it fear water?"
As he ranted, even Lovy's fans began to waver:
FiberNutrition: "Don't @ me! I said I wasn't an expert!"
BlossomSpring: "Could Lovy be wrong? He's human—we should be forgiving. [hug emoji]"
Only MsCarrot remained loyal:
"I still believe in Lovy! His appraisal skills are the real deal!"
Lovy didn't expect his first true fan to be a female follower.
Meanwhile, chat grew more chaotic:
NotASuperHero: "WTF is going on? It's back and forth every five seconds! This stream is giving me whiplash!"
KingRushRush: "Same! Need answers! Urgent!"
"Take it to the fish tank it usually lives in," Lovy said calmly.
Everyone perked up. That might just reveal the truth behind Squirtle's aquaphobia.
ArgumentKing, confident as ever, brought the Squirtle to his usual tank.
It was filled nearly to the brim with water. He dropped Squirtle in—splash!
Inside, the poor creature flailed wildly, stretching its neck, struggling to keep its nose above water…
Lovy's face darkened.
Case closed.
He finally understood the real reason behind the aquaphobia, oxygen deprivation, and the constant neck-stretching:
"You damn idiot… What the hell are you doing?! Why didn't you just seal the top too?! SQUIRTLE IS A LAND TURTLE, YOU MORON!"
ArgumentKing, in his Pikachu hood, trembled and whimpered,"I thought… we weren't calling names…"
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What are your thoughts on this fic? Should I continue?