After seeing Harrington off, Aiden began reflecting on the final few words he had left behind.
Does Champion Geeta intend to reopen Area Zero ahead of schedule?
From internal League documents, it was known:
The last time the two professors ventured deep into Area Zero for research, an accident occurred, and now the entire area had been overrun by various powerful Pokémon.
Some of these Pokémon were special creatures that had never appeared in Paldea before, only mentioned in Dr. Heath's notes. Their temperaments were far more violent than other Pokémon, posing a significant threat to humans.
Thus, after the escape of the first Pokémon resembling Donphan, the Paldea League quickly sealed off all entrances and exits to Area Zero.
According to the game's storyline, Area Zero should have reopened only after the protagonist became Champion, when every member of the protagonist's team reached Champion-level strength.
However, was Area Zero now set to open a year early?
Forget about the designated protagonists of Paldea, Florian/Juliana. Even Nemona, the future Champion, hadn't shown up yet...
Could my appearance really be causing this butterfly effect?
The more Aiden thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. After all, both he and Arven were bound to visit Area Zero sooner or later to see if they could uncover any clues.
And with his position as a Gym Leader, once Nemona became Champion, Sunshine Gym's combat power would likely suffice for exploring Area Zero.
Thinking this, Aiden silently noted it down in his mind.
Area Zero—the most hidden and dangerous place in Paldea.
Aside from various paradoxical Pokémon that theoretically shouldn't exist, there should also be another "Guardian Dragon of Paradise" within its depths.
In the vast cavern at the heart of Area Zero lay the Area Zero Underdepths, where Terapagos had lain dormant since ancient times.
It was precisely these coincidences that drew Heath deep into Area Zero centuries ago, and his writings influenced the two modern Pokémon professors of Paldea.
The discoveries made by the two professors in Area Zero eventually revealed the principles of Terastalization, but their attempts to locate the source of this phenomenon ultimately led to an accident.
Now, only a capable individual needed to conquer Area Zero to usher humanity's millennia-long exploration of it into a new phase.
Thinking this, Aiden couldn't help but sigh.
Though he spoke lightly about it, the cost of this process was clearly not small.
Heath, the pioneer, was still regarded as a fraud to this day;
Perhaps his companion, the man from Kitakami, had no choice but to flee with Ogerpon;
Even now, his own parents—the Gym Leaders—and the two professor couples along with many researchers likely had no chance of rescue.
Aiden didn't want to consider whether it was worth it. He only hoped that in the near future, he could personally bring this millennium-spanning journey of exploration to a reasonably perfect conclusion.
...
Night fell.
With the new semester approaching, Aiden began preparing new tactics to teach his online and offline students.
However, when he turned on his computer, he noticed—
Pokémon Champions had updated its season?
Last season, his performance was quite good, achieving a terrifying win rate of over 90% in singles, almost climbing straight from zero to the Master Ball rank.
This was despite sometimes deliberately playing suboptimal tactics for entertainment value. (Had to do it for the views lol) If he had taken every match seriously, perhaps he could have achieved a 100% win rate.
Had he not slightly neglected streaming after stabilizing the gym, breaking through to the Top 10 wouldn't have been difficult at all.
Still, even after the season reset, he only lost a bit of rank, remaining comfortably in the mid-tier of Ultra Ball.
As for doubles, since he started late, he hadn't played many matches, so his rank was only at Great Ball.
To balance both sides, Aiden decisively decided to stream a ranked doubles session tonight.
Aside from the seasonal update, Pokémon Champions had no major updates. However, the developers dangled a tantalizing carrot for players:
GF Studios officially partnered with Devon Corporation in Hoenn, planning to introduce the mysterious Mega Evolution phenomenon in an upcoming update this year, expanding the tactical options of the game.
(T/N: Guess what 'GF Studios' stands for lmao)
"Oh?"
Aiden raised an eyebrow.
Mega Evolution?
I'm familiar with this! Forget regular Pokémon—even the Mega Evolutions of Legendary Pokémon are crystal clear to me!
First, kick Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Garchomp out of the team!
Though this announcement was still just a promise, it subtly hinted to players—
If Mega Evolution is coming soon, how far can Z-Moves, Dynamaxing, and Terastalization be?
...
Upon hearing that Aiden had returned to Paldea, many viewers guessed he'd go live tonight and were already waiting eagerly in his stream.
As a blinding white flash signaled the start of the stream, Aiden's computer screen appeared on the viewers' screens.
[Finally, you're here, Teacher Azure! You better make up for all the streams you missed during your break!]
[Teacher Azure is truly our V-card king. I almost thought you'd stay in Sinnoh and never come back...]
[Ain't gon lie, I got withdrawal symptoms man, you've gotta make it up to us!]
Aside from one stream he did while returning to Sinnoh, Aiden had mostly forgotten his identity as a "PokéTV mega-streamer" during his vacation.
The long holiday left his audience starving, eagerly awaiting his updates on interesting tactics.
"Sorry to keep everyone waiting. Today, let's do a doubles lineup tutorial to celebrate the new season. While we're at it, let's climb to Ultra Ball rank to match my singles tier."
Aiden smiled as he spoke, quickly triggering a barrage of comments.
[Nice, not even gonna pretend now—climbing to Ultra Ball is just a casual thing for you, huh?]
[I'm in Ultra Ball too!]
[To the one above: cap]
"Today, let's explore some experimental lineups. When it comes to doubles, modifying Pokémon is an unavoidable aspect."
As he spoke, Aiden opened the team builder and added a robust white figure to his lineup.
There's a Pokémon that shares the unfortunate fate of being overlooked like Regigigas.
Though it boasts stats comparable to a pseudo-legendary and has solid base stats, it's rarely used even among regular Pokémon.
That's right—it's—
[Slaking? Are you planning to have Slaking one-shot everything?]
[Seeing this Pokémon reminds me of Leader Norman's Slaking. If it weren't so lazy, it'd actually be terrifying. But...]
[Change its Ability first before using it in battle. Who would want to train a disobedient Pokémon?]
Slaking's appearance quickly sparked heated discussions in the chat.
This Pokémon was infamous, but mostly for negative reasons.
The reason was simple.
Slaking is arguably the laziest Pokémon in existence.
Its body contains absurd power, but instead of fulfilling its potential, it becomes lethargic after evolving, unwilling to participate in even basic training.
Due to this genetic flaw, its Pokédex entry describes its Ability as Truant.
This Ability forces it to slack off after using a move, potentially missing critical opportunities to attack, severely impacting the Trainer's mindset.
Aside from a few rare cases where this flaw was overcome, Slaking is widely considered one of the Pokémon least suited for training.
"The Truant Ability does indeed hinder its performance, but if I've chosen this Pokémon, I've already figured out how to modify it."
After building suspense, Aiden continued.
"What if Slaking gained a different strong Ability? How would its combat power change then?"
"Isn't that interesting?"
In fact, because of Slaking's unique traits, it became a standout topic in doubles battles in his previous life.
Namely—
How to unleash Slaking's full potential, even surpassing its limits.
Under the creativity of countless geniuses, several excellent solutions emerged, leaving a deep impression on Aiden.
Helping Pokémon reach their full potential is a testament to a Trainer's skill.
What, you don't want to battle?
Too bad!
At your age, can you sleep soundly without winning a battle?
[Modifying Slaking's Ability, huh? In doubles, with a partner, it might actually work!]
[Can we get a Sheer Force Slaking? One punch from that might KO even pseudo-legendaries!]
[As expected of Teacher Azure—today's antics seem intriguing?]
[Looks like we're going to use Skill Swap?]
"That's right. The soul of this tactic lies in the move Skill Swap."
Noticing one comment, Aiden nodded.
Skill Swap—a Psychic-type status move learned by many Pokémon. Its effect temporarily swaps Abilities between the user and the target.
In singles, because the opponent's Ability is unpredictable, this move often feels underwhelming.
Though it occasionally produces surprising results, its overall presence remains low.
However, in doubles, it's a completely different story.
For Pokémon like Slaking that desperately need Ability swapping, this move is practically divine!
And…
Among Pokémon that can learn this move, there are two particularly suitable partners for Slaking.
Medicham and Alolan Raichu
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