Pokemon: Behold the Father of All Pokemons

Ethan scrolled through the online comments with unabashed amusement. Ignoring the countless praises and five-star reviews, he focused on the skeptical ones instead.

It didn't bother him; in fact, he found it fascinating. Whenever a new technology appeared, people questioned it before gradually getting used to it. The world had never seen anything like Squirtle and its uncanny ability to store and dispense water, so doubts were natural.

He took a sip of tea, his eyes skimming over another sarcastic comment that went something like this: "It's all video editing, nothing real about it." Ethan snorted quietly. Seeing is believing... so let's help them see.

"Annie?" he called out.

A moment later, Annie pushed open the office door. "Coming, Ethan!" she called, stepping in with light steps. Her slender figure and long, snow-white legs under her skirt caught his eye for a moment, but he cleared his throat and turned his attention back to work.

"Tell the marketing department," he said, "to prepare a live broadcast. We'll go to Lab #1 and show everyone what Squirtle can really do. I'm tired of these online trolls, especially Jerry, running his mouth again."

Annie nodded. "Got it. Live broadcast with Squirtle's water gun demonstration. That'll shut people up."

Ethan's lips curved into a smile.

He remembered Jerry's last cryptic joke, a string of letters someone had deciphered to mean, "The video editing is really top notch." He had barely given Jerry a thought, but this was as good a time as any to make him a laughingstock again.

"Off you go," he said, dismissing Annie with a wave of his hand. She hurried out, leaving him alone with his thoughts. Ethan opened his Weibo account and typed a short message:

Ethan (@EthanGraveOfficial):

"I've asked my staff to start a live broadcast soon. Tune in if you want to see Squirtle in action. Last time, Pichu's demonstration got a few faces slapped; it's funny how certain 'intersex' trolls keep jumping out to let me do it again. If you want to play guessing games, I'll see you on the live broadcast!"

Responses poured in within minutes. The overwhelming majority of commenters wholeheartedly supported Ethan and praised his confidence.

Most people knew exactly who he was referring to. A virtual mob of netizens began to mock Jerry in his own comment sections, fueling an online tug-of-war between the two factions. Meanwhile, the Pokémon Biotechnology Company's official Weibo announced the same upcoming livestream.

---

An hour later, a new live broadcast room opened on the Shark Live platform under the account "Pokémon Biotech." Thousands of curious viewers flocked in even before the stream began. Ethan also joined from his office computer, ready to see how the demonstration would go. This time, the staff would do the filming, and he could sit back as a spectator.

The feed went live, and the camera settled on a young woman holding a phone on a selfie stick. She introduced herself with a bright smile.

"Hello everyone! I'm just a regular employee of the Pokémon Biotechnology Company. This is our first live broadcast, and mine too, so I'm a little nervous. Thanks for all the gifts, wow, so many already!"

She laughed, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"You can call me Shina. That's what my coworkers call me. Also, I'm single, so please don't ask me about President Ethan's relationship status, I have no idea!"

The comments erupted in a barrage of "Cute!" and "We love you, Shina!" Her sweet voice and cheerful demeanor charmed many onlookers. She walked down a long corridor with another colleague trailing behind, occasionally tilting the phone to show the surroundings.

"This is our Lab #1, the oldest one, actually. There are hundreds of 'Pokémon' in here. Yes, we call them Pokémon, or 'Pocket Monsters,' something we learned from Ethan. He insists on that name.

Anyway, I didn't turn on any beauty filters, so if the camera looks a little blurry, it's just me being unprepared."

A wave of hearts and gifts swept across the screen. The number of viewers skyrocketed from a few thousand to over a hundred thousand in less than ten minutes. Shina marveled at the flying comments:

"So many of you are already here! Thank you for all your support. I'm sorry if I can't thank every single person right now. We have a special purpose for today's live broadcast, so I'll focus on that."

She pushed open a set of double doors, revealing a spacious breeding room. Inside, the camera panned over small creatures roaming freely, some curled up and dozing, others chasing each other in playful arcs.

"Ah, Pichu!" Shina exclaimed as she cautiously approached one of the tiny electric mice. She reached out to scratch its head, and the Pichu closed its eyes with a contented murmur.

"Honestly, I'm starting to wish I'd been assigned to the lab instead of the marketing department. Look how cute they all are!"

The chat exploded with comments, with many people typing "So adorable!" Others spammed "I want one!" or "I'd sell my house for Pichu!" The laughter stopped when the camera caught two turtles wrestling. One pinned the other on his back, face down. Before the audience could even make a joke, the downed Squirtle planted one hand on the ground and performed a surprisingly nimble somersault, flipping back upright.

"Hahaha, that's amazing!" Shina gushed, and the audience agreed, many noting how intelligent these creatures seemed, walking upright, performing acrobatics, and displaying a clear sense of consciousness.

Suddenly, a flurry of large, ostentatious gifts, virtual "mega-rockets", burst across the screen. Shina stopped her commentary to check the username of the generous donor.

"Wow! Thanks for the Mega Rockets! This is from… Ethan?" She laughed. "That's our big boss, everyone. Thank you for your support!"

Indeed, Ethan was sending a flood of gifts from his own account to draw even more attention to the stream. As hoped, a new wave of curious onlookers flooded in, pushing the number of viewers even higher.

---

Finally, it was time for the big reveal. Shina followed a lab technician to an open area just outside the breeding room, where a small Squirtle was waiting. The technician stepped in front of the camera and explained that they would be demonstrating the Water Gun, a signature move of Squirtle.

At the technician's nod, the little Squirtle took a deep breath and unleashed a stream of water that arced through the air with surprising force. The stream continued for several seconds before the technician signaled for it to stop, then handed the Squirtle a small tube of nutrients as a reward. There was no editing, no video trickery, just a live demonstration.

"As you can see," Shina said with a grin, "no CGI, no fancy editing, and definitely not a hoax. Hard to believe, right? But it's real. And believe me, when they're fully grown, the amount of water they can store will be even more impressive. Don't ask me to explain the science; Ethan has developed a unique genetic technology for this. Even the number one biotech giant, Northam Group, hasn't cracked it."

Hundreds of chat lines flashed by every second:

"Holy cow, it's real!" "I thought it was fake before, but now I'm convinced." "No wonder the fire department wants them, these guys can definitely help!"

Shina could barely keep up with the scrolling comments. She did her best to reply:

"Hahaha, I see a lot of people asking about the science. Sorry, I'm just an office worker, not a genetic engineer. But I promise you, everything is legitimate. Ethan prides himself on being transparent. I guess that's why he insisted on doing this livestream demonstration."

She ended with a playful wink at the camera. Meanwhile, Ethan, watching from his desk, let out a satisfied chuckle. The outpouring of astonishment in the chat told him all he needed to know; people now believed it. Even if Jerry tried to fan the flames, the recorded stream was there for all to see.

"Mission accomplished," Ethan muttered as he closed the chat. He didn't care if Jerry wanted to keep stirring up controversy; after all, seeing was indeed believing. The trolls had simply given him another golden opportunity to show the wonders of Pokémon live, unedited, and undeniably real.

Smiling to himself, he rose from his chair, thinking it might be time to reward the marketing department for their hard work. As for Shina, she looked absolutely thrilled, finishing the broadcast amidst a shower of digital gifts and hearts, her own eyes sparkling with excitement.

With Squirtle's triumphant demonstration, it was clear that the Pokémon Biotechnology Company had once again wowed the world, silencing the skeptics one Water Gun at a time.

...

Come one and all, and experience this magic trick, but you have to pay the price or there'll be no dice, so come on down to:

patreon.com/chibi_mon_mon