After dinner, Roy returned to his room with his two Pokémon and launched his "Squirtle emoticon pack" project.
"Squirtle, I'd like to take some pictures with you."
"Squirtle?" The Pokémon tilted its head questioningly.
What's the point of taking pictures?
After thinking for a moment, Roy took out his phone, searched for an image of Milotic—a nominee for the world-class Pokémon Beauty Contest—and showed it to Squirtle.
The Milotic in the picture radiated elegance and nobility, possessing a lady-like charm with its slender, graceful figure.
Even humans with no special connection to Pokémon could instantly recognize its beauty.
For Pokémon, the effect was even more powerful.
Even the normally aloof Riolu's eyes lit up with admiration.
Squirtle immediately displayed a "silly blushing" expression, staring directly at the Milotic in the picture.
Roy seized the opportunity to capture this reaction, mentally filing it away as potential emoticon material.
Later, Roy asked teasingly: "What do you think? Beautiful, right?"
"Squirt, Squirtle!"
Squirtle scratched its head bashfully, resembling a young boy who'd just seen a beautiful girl.
"I want to do something similar with you. Take photos, make some edits, and share them online so everyone can get to know you," Roy explained earnestly.
He recalled what Principal Finn had mentioned about Squirtle's past, knowing this particular Squirtle had a strong desire to "show off" and demonstrate its uniqueness.
Unfortunately, its thought process was somewhat simple.
It was like the difference between "famous detectives" who solved countless cases—some became Sherlock Holmes or Jimmy Kudo, while others could only manage to be Genta Kojima.
Character and ability weren't the only factors determining destiny—appearance played a significant role too.
"I'm confident I can make you famous and show everyone just how special you are!"
Hearing these key words, Squirtle immediately became excited.
"Squirtle!?"
"Of course it's true," Roy continued, striking while the iron was hot. "After you become famous, maybe you'll even meet the Milotic from the photo! Think about it—you could star in TV shows and movies together..."
Squirtle imagined spending time with Milotic, and its expression became dreamy.
It raised its stubby arm enthusiastically, clenched its tiny fist, and displayed a determined expression!
"Squirtle!"
Let's do this!
Perfect.
Roy smiled with satisfaction and pulled out a pair of sunglasses he'd prepared earlier.
Time to start with the "cool sunglasses" series of social media Squirtle emoticons.
With Squirtle's cooperation, Roy took over 100 photos in one session, carefully selecting about 20 of the best ones. Drawing on internet knowledge from his previous life, he edited them into a proper emoticon pack.
After checking the quality, Roy nodded with satisfaction.
Pokémon emoticons were common in this world, and all were cute.
As one of the starter Pokémon, Squirtle already had many emoticons available.
However, there had never been a Squirtle as perfectly round as Roy's.
Other Squirtle emoticons might be level three on the cuteness scale, but Roy's Squirtle was at least level eight—capable of melting hearts with just one glance.
Truly impressive.
After completing the preparations, Roy was ready to upload the images.
But where to post them?
After careful consideration, Roy finally remembered his Weibo account password.
He rarely used Weibo in his previous life, as the platform lacked content that appealed to young men like himself.
Most active users on Weibo were women.
This point remained consistent even in this different world.
Scrolling through the Weibo homepage, Roy saw posts about Pokémon beauty products, Pokémon skincare, Pokémon hair conditioners, gossip about celebrity Trainers, and upcoming movies and shows...
Occasionally, major national events or tactical battle analyses appeared, but these were far less common and generated significantly less engagement than the former topics.
The platform wasn't to Roy's personal taste, but he chose it anyway.
The reason was simple: it had many female fans.
"Geez, my troublesome charm," Roy sighed, looking at his account with 500,000 followers.
The popularity from the Nova Cup and media coverage around Redwood had made Roy somewhat famous, leading people to discover his social media accounts.
Most people merely recognized his name without paying special attention.
The only true fans were those who had watched the tournament and genuinely supported him.
Beyond that, there were those who followed him solely for his appearance.
Seeing that 92% of his followers were women—with 30% of them taking time to add him to their customized lists—while only 8% were men (with just two making lists), Roy deeply understood a fundamental truth:
Male fans provided little value, and their spending power was worse than negligible.
This observation was sincere, not deceptive.
Roy examined his Weibo page. The last time he'd posted anything was a photo of a picnic with Reece during his sophomore year of high school—it already had over a thousand comments.
Female fans were certainly enthusiastic.
However, their enthusiasm typically faded quickly. Many celebrities rose to fame through their support, only to fall like meteors shortly after.
Currently, the Nova Cup buzz hadn't yet dissipated.
But if Roy didn't manage his account well and failed to maintain engagement, it would soon become irrelevant.
After consideration, Roy selected his favorite "Squirtle blushing" image and made his first post:
"I'm thrilled that so many of you are following and supporting me! I'll be sharing my journey as a Trainer and some helpful tips here in the future. Thank you!"
Without pausing, Roy posted a second update:
"This is my second Pokémon, Squirtle, one of the three starter Pokémon. [image] Haha, it looks quite cheerful, doesn't it? I'll train it well."
The attached picture showed Squirtle with a silly smile, limbs outstretched, captured mid-jump.
The caption read: —Your little cutie has appeared.jpg
After posting these, Roy didn't wait for fan responses.
He set down his phone and looked at Squirtle and Riolu, who were sitting side by side watching "Wooloo and Mightyena" on television.
"Ahem." He deliberately coughed twice, walked over, and turned off the TV, met by disappointed looks from both Pokémon.
"Starting tomorrow, Squirtle will officially begin training. If you want to become special, you can't rely on photos alone—you need to grow stronger and show everyone your progress!"
"The same goes for you, Riolu. Although the Nova Cup is over, it's merely the beginning. If we want to reach your father's level, or even surpass him, we must face many more challenges!"
"Ri!"
With this motivational speech, Riolu and Squirtle were immediately fired up, their disappointment about missing the rest of the TV show quickly forgotten.
Roy chuckled inwardly. Such innocent, easily-managed Pokémon.
"Now, about your next training plan..."