After confirming this week's gym tactics, Aiden quickly stumbled upon some surprising information while researching online:
The usage rate of Sableye across various regions was extremely low—almost to the point where no Trainer would choose it as a partner.
Upon learning this, Aiden couldn't help but laugh.
The Pokémon world was still so pure and innocent. No wonder there were so many "unpopular" Pokémon.
Oh well, let me give you all a lesson and show you the true strength of these Pokémon!
Looking at the Poké Ball in his hand, Aiden's lips curled into an elegant smile as he turned his gaze toward Kieran, who stood stiffly with traces of pre-battle nerves, and said gently:
"Relax, it's just a gym challenge. Even if you don't earn my approval, it won't affect you at all—you'll have plenty more chances to challenge me in the future."
"Mm, mm!"
Regaining a bit of composure, Kieran's eyes grew resolute, and he tightened his grip on the Poké Ball in his hand.
Teacher Azure really is a kind person…
Like the sun beyond the cosmos, he silently inspired countless people. Even from thousands of miles away, his charm could still be felt.
The name Sunshine Gym truly fits perfectly.
"So, let's begin the gym battle with the goal of earning the gym badge."
Seeing Kieran regain some fighting spirit, Aiden quickly spoke.
Since Nemona, the only gym apprentice, had gone off to school, the Sunshine Gym had temporarily reverted to Aiden juggling multiple roles again.
"The challenger is Kieran from Kitakami."
"The battle rules are 2v2. The gym leader cannot actively switch Pokémon, but the challenger can freely switch."
"When all of one side's Pokémon are unable to continue battling, the other side automatically wins."
"Understood, Kieran?"
Aiden narrowed his eyes and smiled at Kieran, who was attentively waiting.
"Mm!"
Kieran nodded firmly.
"Before the battle begins, I have a few words for you."
Aiden smiled faintly, raising his arm to reveal the Poké Ball as he calmly spoke.
"You're different from the students who've challenged the gym before. It's clear from various details that your talent in Pokémon battles will take you far."
"But precisely because of that, to become an excellent Trainer, what you need most is—"
"To stay true to yourself."
As he spoke, Aiden lightly tossed the red-and-white ball in his hand.
As a (self-proclaimed) excellent gym leader, his opening remarks varied depending on the challenger.
In general, they were tailored to address the flaws he observed in each challenger.
Nemona was very confident but often overlooked her Pokémon's feelings, so she needed reminders about that;
Okamoto had been influenced by Naranja Academy's culture, which made him somewhat arrogant, but after one round of treatment from Teacher Azure, his eyes had cleared up;
As for Kieran…
This child was good in every way except for his lack of confidence. He easily fixated on small issues and gradually veered toward extremes.
So, he needed some proper "psychological therapy."
"Through this battle, let me feel your passion and strength, Kieran."
"The battle begins!"
Aiden quickly spoke, and the red-and-white ball he tossed emitted a beam of red light, summoning a ghost Pokémon with diamond-encrusted eye sockets and a purple body onto his side of the field.
[To be honest, Teacher Azure's opening remarks were pretty stylish. Is this how all gym leaders flex?]
[Now you understand why Teacher Azure gets so many bad reviews yet remains so popular—it's not just about learning; it's also due to his charisma and looks!]
[I'm seeing Teacher Azure in gym leader mode for the first time. I wonder if he'll go easy on this newcomer…]
[The earlier quiz was already going easy! That's just Teacher Azure's style—if you can't pass the basics, you won't succeed.]
[So it's Sableye after all—I wonder what tactic Teacher Azure will use.]
"Sableye…"
Kieran gazed at the mischievous ghost Pokémon scratching its head and smirking at him. After pondering for a moment—
"It's decided! You're up, Sentret!"
A Pokémon covered in brown fur with pink rabbit ears appeared.
Its body bore a pattern similar to Ursaring's circles, and its long, fluffy tail supported its body instead of feet, making it look more imposing despite its small stature.
Kieran's reasoning was simple. From the Pokédex, he had already roughly understood Sableye's stats.
His Sentret could directly ignore Sableye's Ghost-type attacks.
Although its Normal-type moves would also be ineffective against Sableye, his Sentret had learned moves of other types through TMs, so there shouldn't be any issues.
Seeing his starter, Aiden raised an eyebrow.
So Kieran was still using a baby team at this stage?
In the game, Sentret evolves into Furret at level 15. While real-world Pokémon evolution doesn't perfectly align, it's clear that its evolution conditions are very lenient.
If even Sentret hadn't evolved yet, Kieran's current level as a Trainer was apparent.
But then again, Kieran had probably just become a Trainer. His team was nothing like the "power-above-all" teams that used Dragonite and Pyroar later on.
It also showed that he hadn't turned dark yet.
After appearing, Sentret stared at Sableye for a moment and then softly called out to Kieran.
"Sentret, did you notice the item the opponent is holding?"
Kieran nodded, seemingly understanding his Pokémon's language.
"So the hint in the quiz was right—Teacher Azure's Sableye is holding a Choice Scarf, isn't it?"
Aiden paused, quickly realizing that this triggered the Ability Frisk.
Pokémon with Frisk have sharp observational skills and can quickly identify the opponent's held item upon entering the battlefield, informing their Trainer.
Though he didn't know how Kieran understood "Sentretese," it fit the Ability's description.
"Then, we'll strike first!"
Taking a deep breath, Kieran decisively commanded—
"Sentret, Charge Beam!"
Charge Beam, a common Electric-type move, not only deals damage but also has a high chance of boosting the user's Special Attack through energy accumulation.
Balancing offense and stat boosts, it sounded like a solid move.
But to Aiden, it felt somewhat underwhelming, as its effect wasn't as reliable as simply using Charge.
However, this move revealed Kieran's steady playstyle—gradually wearing down the opponent while strengthening himself, rather than rushing for an aggressive attack.
Unfortunately, this week's tactic was particularly effective against such a style…
Thinking this, Aiden shook his head.
"Sableye, dodge and use Trick!"
Following Kieran's command, Aiden's voice rang out.
"Jeh!"
Sableye smirked mischievously, easily dodging Sentret's beam attack. Then, it quickly conjured a ball of energy with its hands and pointed it at the opponent.
Using its innate psychic powers, Sableye seized the moment Sentret used its move to make the Sitrus Berry it was holding uncontrollably fly toward itself.
At the same time, it tossed its own Choice Scarf, wrapping it around Sentret's long tail.
To be safe, it even used psychic power to secure it tightly, ensuring it wouldn't fall off.
Watching this unfold, the audience was left speechless.
[Damn, Teacher Azure, can you act human? Using Trick to swap items and lock the opponent into Choice Scarf—this is too OP...]
[Just moments ago, the streamer looked so cool, but now he's pulling dirty tricks on a newbie. No wonder he gets so many bad reviews!]
[That's just how Teacher Azure is. We Naranja Academy students grew up under this kind of tactical torture...]
[Is that so? Sounds rough, hahaha!]
Of course, some more detail-oriented barrage comments noticed a more fatal issue—
[Come to think of it, didn't the quiz mention Disable?]
[True, Teacher Azure always pulls out weird moves. If I remember correctly, Disable's effect is... holy crap???]
[Teacher Azure, can you act human? He's still just a kid!]
The barrage quickly spotted something amiss, but the messages on screen obviously couldn't affect the ongoing battle.
Kieran's expression darkened as he quickly realized the true power of Trick:
If he hadn't used Charge Beam earlier and instead underestimated the opponent by attempting to boost stats, he'd now have to switch Sentret out!
Unless he switched and threw away the item, even switching would leave him with only one move option.
In battle, this would effectively eliminate almost all possibilities.
For an excellent Trainer like Teacher Azure, seizing such an opportunity would be effortless.
But...
"Sentret, I believe in you!"
"Keep using Charge Beam!"
Kieran made up his mind and gave a firm command.
To prove that he was no longer the weak version of himself, he decided to boost Sentret's morale with his own determination, allowing it to break through Sableye head-on!
"Chii!"
Sentret nodded and began charging energy again.
"Sableye, Disable."
At this moment, Aiden smoothly issued his next command.
"Jeh heh~"
Letting out a strange laugh, Sableye suddenly moved with eerie speed under Sentret's watchful gaze, firing an unbelievably fast energy orb that struck Sentret's abdomen.
The Prankster Ability quietly activated.
Sableye was naturally a master of mischief, notorious in the human world.
It's no wonder humans had a biased view of Dark-type Pokémon—many of them brought it upon themselves…
Though it didn't represent all Dark-types, being mischievous was indeed one of their traits.
Thus, the Prankster Ability suited Sableye perfectly, making its moves so fast they were nearly imperceptible to the naked eye.
"Sen?"
Sentret instinctively closed its eyes but felt no harm.
However, when it quickly reacted and opened its eyes to prepare another Charge Beam, it realized something was wrong—
Why couldn't it charge energy anymore?
The Electric-type energy it had used effortlessly moments ago suddenly felt like it had fizzled out, completely inaccessible…
A wave of panic immediately rose in Sentret's heart.
Similarly, Kieran behind it felt fear as well.
"Choice Scarf and Disable…?"
Muttering to himself, Kieran pondered over the moves Aiden had used.
Using Trick to swap items, forcing Sentret to repeatedly use Charge Beam, was the first layer.
Then, the Disable from earlier…
Though a Normal-type move, Disable's execution was closely tied to Psychic abilities.
By observing the opponent's previous energy fluctuations, it temporarily locked the move they had just used, preventing its reuse for a short period.
This was the second layer.
Meanwhile, a mutually exclusive yet theoretically possible situation quietly unfolded in reality—
What happens when the forced-locking effect of the Choice Scarf and Disable, which prevents the opponent from using the same move, both take effect simultaneously?
Kieran suddenly shivered, looking at Sentret's back.
"Sentret, stop!"
He quickly gave a panicked command, but…
Perhaps due to the invisible influence of the Choice Scarf, Sentret stubbornly ignored its Trainer's command and still attempted to use Charge Beam again.
Seeing this, Aiden shook his head silently.
Still too young. At this point, he should have decisively recalled it.
Based on his current understanding of the Pokémon world, almost all moves Pokémon used required energy to function properly.
Using energy seemed to be an innate instinct for Pokémon.
Whether it was Special Attack-based beams and waves, physical close-combat moves, or support and interference-based status moves, all relied on energy conversion.
This was also the prerequisite for type matchups and immunities.
And once a Pokémon couldn't use energy properly, it was like having one of its senses sealed, causing it to unconsciously grow irritable.
Thus, what followed was…
After repeated failed attempts, Sentret instantly became enraged. Losing its ability to think, it charged forward, attempting to harm Sableye with sheer force.
Only in rare cases, when a Pokémon's energy was depleted and it could no longer use moves, would this desperate behavior manifest.
Though it looked intimidating, such attacks couldn't effectively harm the opponent and might even result in backlash from the energy.
This was evident from Sentret's struggling expression.
And this was the core of Aiden's tactic this time—completely locking the opponent's moves, forcing the Pokémon to waste its stamina in futile struggles.
[Unbelievable, directly preventing the opponent from using moves?]
[Teacher Azure is too terrifying. Using this tactic on a kid—does your conscience feel okay about this?!]
[No wonder the Sunshine Gym has so many bad reviews. I knew there had to be something fishy!]
For a Pokémon like Sableye, which had little combat power, this was the only way to secure victory.
Of course, the biggest feature of this tactic was—
Pure mechanics, no reliance on stats.
As long as the power gap wasn't massive enough to break through the move restrictions, any Pokémon would face the same outcome regardless of its level.
As Aiden had said earlier, after the difficulty of the Sunshine Gym increased, it would demand more from Trainers.
In other words…
Even after practically spelling it out, Kieran still failed to make the correct judgment and recall his Pokémon in time to cut his losses.
This alone demonstrated that his level as a Trainer was inadequate.
Perhaps his standards were a bit high, but…
Aiden shook his head helplessly.
Kieran himself had said he wanted to grow stronger.
In the game's storyline, the darkened Kieran only sought to grow stronger, aiming to achieve continuous victories.
There was nothing inherently wrong with this desire.
But pursuing strength while neglecting his true needs and creating obvious rifts with others was clearly unhealthy.
So, it was necessary to make him realize:
A Trainer is a magician who creates possibilities, not a berserker obsessed with victory.
Becoming stronger isn't limited to just increasing power and defeating everyone.
Hopefully, this preemptive "psychological therapy" would help him understand the true meaning of being a Trainer.
Looking at Kieran, who wore a look of terror and seemed to have already predicted what he would do next, Aiden quickly spoke again, preparing to add one final twist.
"Sableye—"
"Use Mean Look!"
(T/N: Bro's gonna push him over the edge istg)
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