Beldum had long been unable to hold back. The moment Lionel picked up the first chunk of ore, it immediately leaned in, aiming the small black hole beneath its eye at the mineral.
A faint shimmer spread across the ore's surface and was slowly "devoured" by the black hole, turning into specks of light that merged into Beldum's body.
The little creature narrowed its eyes in comfort, letting out satisfied "ding-ding" sounds as its silvery body gradually glowed, as though energy was surging within.
One piece, two pieces—Beldum absorbed the ore methodically, its luster brightening with every chunk.
When it came to the iron-nickel alloy coated in deep blue, its movements noticeably sped up.
The instant the alloy drew near it was yanked into the black hole; crackling sounds followed as faint electric-magnetic halos rippled across Beldum's body.
Iron items in the room—hangers, screws on the lamp base—were tugged by the force, floating slightly before settling again, as if echoing the changes inside it.
"Looks like these ores work wonders for you."
Lionel smiled at it. "Take your time, no rush."
Beldum seemed to understand; its absorption slowed, its red eyes gleaming with focus as it worked to control the newly emerging energy.
While Beldum focused on the ore, Lionel took out his phone and opened a previously recorded video:
In the clip Beldum lay beside a pillow, its small body wriggling.
Its red eyes blinked drowsily, fighting sleep until it finally toppled over, out cold.
He added a caption: "The Mauville Gym challenge starts the day after tomorrow! Then it's all up to our Beldum—see you in the stream!"
He attached the video and hit post.
Within seconds the comment section rippled like a pond hit by a stone, notification chimes sounding nonstop.
"Finally, a livestream! Those training clips from the desert left me itching—now we get real-time action!"
"Aww, Beldum is adorable! Struggling to stay awake, wriggling like that—so cute!"
"Can't wait for the Gym match! Good luck, host! Beldum, you've got this!"
"Host, you finally remembered you're a streamer! Short videos every day while the live room gathered weeds!"
"Miss the old days when you and Feebas streamed daily—back then it was still practicing Tackle. Time flies."
"Life's gotten too comfy, huh? Too lazy to go live? dog-head emoji"
Reading the teasing, expectant comments, Lionel couldn't help smiling.
He hadn't meant to neglect the stream; his Pokémon simply hadn't been strong enough for risky areas, and daily training streams felt monotonous.
Better to save the hype for key moments—Gym challenges, Pokémon Contests—so viewers had something to anticipate.
But things were different now.
Tyrunt had evolved into Tyrantrum, a huge power boost, and Feebas was one step away from evolution.
After the Mauville Contest and Gym challenge, plus stream popularity points, the team's overall strength would jump another level.
Then, whether exploring mountains or venturing into forests, they could handle whatever came.
Lionel's fingers flew across the screen as he replied seriously: "I never forgot you guys! The timing just wasn't right—streaming drills every day?"
"You'd get bored."
"But rest assured, once we're done in Mauville City, I'll stream a lot more."
"We'll tour the Hoenn region together, meet all kinds of Pokémon along the way—I won't let you down!"
He added: "This Gym match is Beldum's debut. The little guy's improved massively—its strength is totally on point. Stay tuned!"
The comments flared again: "Really? I'm camping in front of my screen with my stool ready!"
"Travel streams! Love it! I wanna see Lavaridge's hot springs, volcanoes, the ocean, and all the different city Pokémon!"
"Beldum's first battle—must support!"
"Don't you dare lie—if you don't stream we'll track your route and pester you in person!"
"So excited—start early! Stream the Mauville streets on the way to the Gym!"
Lionel chuckled, replied with a few "no lies" promises, then pocketed the phone—only to see Beldum had finished every last ore.
It hovered in front of him, red eyes sparkling, bumping his hand as if to say "I'm ready—praise me!"
"Well done."
Lionel rubbed its little head; the creature narrowed its eyes happily and chimed "ding-ding."
Night outside grew deeper; Mauville's neon lights painted flowing colors across the glass.
Glancing at the scrolling comments, Lionel looked at the eager Beldum and Feebas swimming on its own in the tank, full of anticipation.
Tyrunt's evolution was complete; the stage for Beldum and Feebas would soon begin.
Two days slipped through their fingers like sand.
When the first rays of dawn filtered through the hotel curtains in Mauville City, falling as a golden strip across the floor, the day to challenge Gym Leader Wattson arrived.
Lionel rose early, finished washing up, and tidied the room with quick, practiced moves.
He clipped the Nest Ball holding Tyrantrum onto his belt, then smiled at Beldum nearby still crunching ore.
Lastly, Feebas hovered in the air, manipulating water vapor to stay aloft.
——
——
The little Pokémon was using its own phone, totally absorbed in Wallace's Milotic's classic Contest performance, not even noticing Lionel approach.
Everything ready, Lionel took a deep breath and tapped the stream button.
Viewer numbers soared instantly, bullet comments flooding in: "Here we go! The day is finally here!"
"Wow, host actually listened—streaming the moment we step out. Thumbs up!"
"Front-row seat! Let's see if Beldum becomes famous today!"
"Where's Tyrunt? Where's my big baby? Don't see it!"
"I saw Feebas watching a clip!"
"I see Milotic in the video—practicing for the Contest? So intense, haha!"
"Look, shiny Beldum! Finally seeing the shiny silver on stream—so pretty!"
"Host, zoom in—I need a good look at Beldum!"
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