With the Beat-Up team as the core, Aiden quickly finalized his lineup.
Whimsicott, Arcanine, Annihilape, Maushold, Indeedee (female form), and Dragapult.
Each Pokémon in this lineup had a very prominent role, and thanks to the earlier explanations, even the viewers could see that clearly.
The support Whimsicott, Justified Arcanine, and the Annihilape that Aiden claimed will have an unexpected effect.
Aiden had used Maushold before. This family-loving Pokémon from Paldea also knew Beat Up, while also providing some combat and support capabilities, making it quite versatile.
As for Indeedee… Aiden often included one in his team because of its ability to set up the battlefield at the start and use Follow Me, which suited his tactical style.
Finally, Dragapult was likely included to reliably suppress the opponent's speed, catching them off guard?
In summary, it was a very pure lineup.
[The Beat-Up team doesn't seem that shady. It's similar to last time's Weak Armor Onix; Teacher Azure is finally using normal tactics today...]
[Normal? Don't forget Whimsicott has the Prankster Ability. In Teacher Azure's hands, it can't possibly be normal!]
[That makes sense. Is Teacher Azure going to use 'shifty tactics' again?]
"Don't talk nonsense. What do you mean by shifty tactics? This is legitimate tactic demonstration!"
While interacting with the chat, Aiden began matching for doubles ranked battles.
Perhaps due to the influence of his recent streams or simply curiosity about this new doubles mode, the number of players in ranked doubles battles had surged, almost reaching half the number of singles matches shortly after going online.
Thus, the speed of matching opponents was faster than before.
After about half a minute, the match interface quickly disappeared, replaced by a prominent success popup.
Soon after, Aiden saw the image and ID of his matched opponent appear on his screen.
Her indigo-blue long hair, smooth as a waterfall, curved unnaturally behind her back. Her originally floor-length hair now barely touched her hips in an S-shape.
Her slender figure was clad in bold rose-red top and skirt, with visible black stockings covering her body.
Under her straight bangs, a pair of captivating crimson eyes pierced through the screen, seemingly staring directly at her opponent with an ethereal intensity.
Trainer ID: Psychic Sabrina
[Dayum! Judging by appearance, Sabrina looks really cute!]
[Ain't this the Gym Leader of Saffron City in Kanto? I heard if you fail to challenge her, she'll turn you into a doll and display you in the gym, so many trainers are too scared to challenge her]
[Your resolve is too low! Fighting such a beautiful lady would be worth it, even if you die!]
[Hope the simp is fine. This is a terrifying psychic who surpasses Alakazam and is practically a human Pokémon...]
"Tsk..."
Even Aiden was momentarily stunned.
How did he end up matched with Sabrina?
According to the current timeline, Team Rocket hadn't been dismantled by a certain prodigy yet.
He wasn't sure whether she was the somewhat self-isolated Gym Leader from the game or anime lines, or the villain star who joined Team Rocket in the manga...
You know, among the nine regions currently part of the League, Paldea and neighboring Galar were certainly oddities.
In the Pokémon world, each region typically had one or more ambitious organizations always ready to stir trouble, forming the main plotline of early Pokémon games through clashes with the protagonist.
The most classic example was the extremely evil organization "Team Rocket," spanning two generations and dominating the Indigo Plateau.
Of course, Aiden himself didn't need to worry about this part. After all, the two strongest "kids" in this world should already be on their journey.
If nothing went wrong, Team Rocket would probably be cleared out by a super rookie by next year.
Apart from Kanto and Johto's Team Rocket, other regional villainous organizations were also active during these years.
Some brothers, some... There were nine such villainous organizations in total, averaging one per region.
Among them, Galar's true villain was Chairman Rose, worrying about the depletion of Dynamax energy after 2000 and preparing to solve the crisis in one fell swoop.
Strictly speaking, he wasn't exactly a villain; his essence was still for the development of the League.
As for Galar's villainous organization, it was even more absurd.
The "Team Yell," formed to support Marnie of Spikemuth, committed numerous misdeeds to help the local idol Marnie become Champion.
Honestly, Aiden had once been an honorary member of Team Yell.
Marnie is just so adorable!
But such a hilarious reason for villainy paled in comparison to other regions.
Everyone else wanted to destroy the world, but how come yours fell apart?
Hey, you're the worst batch of villains I've ever seen!
Wait... it seems our Paldea isn't much better?
Paldea, where Aiden resided, had no sense of crisis at all. Everything was easily resolved by the sole god-like figure, Chairman Geeta.
The protagonist just needed to attend school, run around, and aside from delving deep into Area Zero, there was virtually no danger...
Moreover, even the anti-bullying "villain organization" Team Star might not appear after his interference.
Today was another peaceful day in Paldea~
Of course, Galar and Paldea's safety couldn't be separated from the responsibility taken by the League Champions. Both Leon and Chairman Geeta diligently maintained the stability of the League, absolutely deserving to be considered model Champions.
This was probably why these two regions were so safe?
On the other hand, most other League regions couldn't be considered stable, especially Kanto and Johto, which hadn't produced a Champion for a long time, leaving the huge hidden threat of Team Rocket.
If it were the vengeful Sabrina from Team Rocket, it felt like winning would make her fixate on me...
But, perhaps it wouldn't make much difference for me?
After all, Kanto and Paldea were thousands of miles apart. Even if I win against Sabrina, she wouldn't cross the ocean to confront me offline, right?
Thinking of this, Aiden soon smiled.
Maybe I could even give this Gym Leader a little critique, helping her find issues in her command?
"There's also a difference among Gym Leaders. Today, let me show you who the strongest Gym Leader is!"
[Crazy, Teacher Azure, crazy!]
[The streamer hasn't lost to any high-level players recently. Both Elite Four members and Gym Leaders get brutally beaten—it's just outrageous!]
[Teacher Azure must be the Gym Leader who understands streaming the best, and the streamer who knows how to be a Gym Leader the most, lol.]
...
Kanto Region, Saffron City.
As the center of the Kanto region, connecting Cerulean City, Celadon City, Vermilion City, and Lavender Town in four directions, Saffron City was also the largest and busiest city in all of Kanto.
Not only did it have Silph Co., a world-leading manufacturer and the largest producer of Poké Balls, but it also boasted Kanto's most prosperous central business district and a maglev train station connecting multiple cities, as well as a different region, Johto.
Saffron City's importance to the Kanto region and even the Indigo Plateau was self-evident.
Therefore, it even had two adjacent gyms, jointly serving as the stronghold for the city's defense.
However, this arrangement was completely shattered a few years ago.
Because the daughter of the previous Saffron Gym Leader was so powerful that she alone could defend the entire city, the popularity of the other Fighting Dojo plummeted.
If it weren't for the power to issue badges, and some trainers challenging the Saffron Gym occasionally brushing up their records, it would have been completely abandoned long ago.
The fundamental reason for the rise and fall of these two gyms was none other than the current master of the Saffron Gym, the most powerful psychic in Saffron City and the entire Kanto region, Miss Sabrina, whose future was limitless.
"Hmm…"
Hugging a plush doll, Sabrina opened her sleepy eyes and instinctively used her telekinesis to open her bedside phone, suspending it in front of her.
"It's already noon…"
"Today seems to be… the day new trainers begin their journeys?"
After relaxing her mind on the bed for a few minutes, Sabrina suddenly recalled this matter.
From today onwards, the number of novice trainers challenging various city gyms should gradually increase.
But it shouldn't matter much to me, right?
After all, the recent rumor about "if you lose to the Saffron Gym, you'll be turned into a doll!" had already significantly reduced the number of challengers to the Saffron Gym.
As for the origin of this rumor…
Besides the leader of the neighboring Fighting Dojo accidentally letting it slip to regain some ground, it was probably just Team Rocket trying to pressure her into joining them.
But regarding this rumor, Sabrina was too lazy to clarify.
At least her workload had indeed decreased significantly, giving her more time to do what she liked.
It wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"How troublesome, I don't want to work…"
Sabrina sighed and reluctantly sat up from the bed.
"Whether it's gym challenges or Team Rocket, everything is so troublesome. Let's just destroy it all…"
Team Rocket had been a thorn in Kanto for a long time. It was even rumored that several gym leaders had succumbed to threats and joined them under duress.
Even the two most senior gym leaders, Blaine and Giovanni, seemed to have become part of Team Rocket.
Regarding the choices of other gym leaders, Sabrina could understand to some extent.
After all, facing the unknown strength of Team Rocket with just a single gym's limited power was akin to hitting a stone with an egg.
It was precisely because they saw through this that Team Rocket could gradually infiltrate other cities, spreading its roots across the entire Kanto region and forming a terrifying underground network.
At this point, Team Rocket could probably only be eradicated by uniting the entire League's forces.
But…
Had the Indigo League, which hadn't produced a champion for years and had grown complacent, truly retained the ability to unify the entire region?
Rationally speaking, she should join Team Rocket without hesitation, at least ensuring the normal operation of Saffron City and avoiding becoming a target of Team Rocket.
But if she did that, wouldn't it be the same as becoming an accomplice of Team Rocket?
"If only I could use my psychic powers to find the answer…"
Sabrina sighed again.
Although foreseeing the future could reveal fragments of it, she disliked the feeling of "fate being predetermined" and rarely used this ability to observe her own future.
"Since it's come to this, let's play a game first."
Sabrina quickly gave up thinking and left the answer to her future self.
Anyway, it was midnight, and no one would challenge the gym at this hour. Plus, with the intricate teleportation maze inside the gym, even if someone did come, they'd be stuck wandering for a while.
(A/N: Saffron Gym was one of the earliest to use teleport traps, a classic design in Pokémon gyms.)
Moreover, she faintly sensed—
Perhaps her confusion would find an answer through this game.
A psychic's sixth sense was usually very accurate, so Sabrina decided to trust herself.
After a quick wash, Sabrina soon came to her console, opened Pokémon Champions, and began her journey in ranked doubles battles.
To maintain their highly active thinking abilities during battles, psychics generally engaged in doubles battles, keeping their minds sharp at all times.
Thus, since the start of the new season, Sabrina had been dominating the doubles ranked battles. Despite not playing many games, her rank was already quite high.
When she quickly matched with an opponent, she suddenly frowned.
The opponent's ID was "Azure Wings."
Even though Sabrina didn't spend much time online, she had vaguely heard of this "Teacher Azure."
He was said to be a very strong gym leader with his own understanding of battle strategies, which made him famous across the internet.
"Interesting."
Seeing the opponent's trainer image, Sabrina couldn't help but smile slightly.
Putting aside any fateful guidance or real-life distractions, let's enjoy a straightforward and exhilarating battle!
To say Sabrina disliked Pokémon battles would be incorrect.
The correct statement should be:
She detested battling stupid people and ordinary trainers, but when fighting skilled opponents, she became utterly engrossed.
Thus, even her aura subtly changed after the match was confirmed.
"So… let me see how capable gym leaders from other regions really are!"
Sabrina's gaze focused on Aiden's lineup.
The Pokémon he chose had excellent firepower and defensive synergy, clearly showing he was a master of doubles battles.
So, don't disappoint me!
...
Back to the live stream.
After the match confirmation screen disappeared, Sabrina's lineup quickly appeared before the audience in the live stream.
Clefairy, Gallade, Wobbuffet, Alakazam, Hatterene, and Torkoal.
"Interesting, a very standard Trick Room team."
After a glance, Aiden immediately judged.
So psychic-type gym leaders love Trick Room teams, huh?
But it made sense, since Trick Room was a psychic-type move!
Maybe these powerful psychics could manually create Trick Rooms themselves...
"The Trick Room setter Hatterene, besides being able to set up Trick Room, is also slow enough to qualify as an excellent Trick Room sweeper."
While thinking, Aiden quietly vocalized his thoughts.
"Typically, if you want to use this one, we need to include an Indeedee as support, using Follow Me to assist it in setting up Trick Room."
[Does Teacher Azure also know Trick Room teams?]
[Take notes, don't just stand there!]
[Sometimes I really feel that Teacher Azure might actually have psychic powers. Otherwise, how could he remember the tactics of so many Pokémon and apply them at any time...]
[Indeed, it feels like there's no Pokémon Teacher Azure doesn't know!]
The classic psychic sisters Trick Room system.
Since Trick Room teams had the reputation of "even my grandma could reach Master Ball level," many people played this tactic for a while.
Using Indeedee's early-game super defense priority effect, it effectively prevented the Trick Room setter from being hit by Fake Out, plus Follow Me's taunt-absorbing ability, allowing teammates to mindlessly set up Trick Room in the first turn.
Yes, Follow Me and Amoonguss's Rage Powder were essentially status moves used on oneself, thus ignoring the Psychic Terrain's effect of preventing priority moves on the enemy.
Additionally, Hatterene's Magic Bounce ability meant that if it swapped places with Indeedee using Ally Switch, it could reflect the opponent's other control moves.
Thus, these two Pokémon, often paired together, were called the "Psychic Sisters."
Having seen this many times, Aiden naturally understood this doubles Trick Room system well.
"However, perhaps because Miss Sabrina doesn't know much about Indeedee, she chose Clefairy, which can also learn Follow Me in Kanto, which is also a decent choice."
"As for Gallade and Torkoal, they are also very common configurations for Trick Room teams."
"Alakazam might be a backup plan to break through Trick Room teams if the opponent counters it, utilizing Alakazam's high speed."
"And having Wobbuffet in the team… one can only say Sabrina isn't clean either!"
Its strength in doubles was hard to gauge, as it had no active attacking means and was purely a tank.
But if used well, it could definitely be annoying.
Especially in Trick Room systems, Destiny Bond could unexpectedly cause the opponent's mentality to explode.
No wonder she's a psychic—her heart is dirty.
After quickly analyzing the opponent's lineup, Aiden decisively locked in his starting picks.
Whimsicott + Annihilape, with Indeedee and Arcanine on the bench.
"If I'm not mistaken, Miss Sabrina's starters should be…"
"Clefairy and Hatterene?"
"The bench is probably Torkoal and Wobbuffet. Gallade and Alakazam won't have much impact in this match."
Aiden rested his finger on his chin, adopting a thoughtful pose, and boldly guessed the opponent's thoughts.
Both sides quickly confirmed their starters, and a massive white arena appeared on the screen.
In the center of the arena, Aiden and Sabrina's trainer avatars stood on their respective halves, focusedly staring at their opponent.
Soon, four Poké Balls were thrown out.
As Aiden expected, Sabrina chose Clefairy + Hatterene as her starters!
[Here it comes, Teacher Azure's signature prediction!]
[Teacher Azure used Future Sight, it was supereffective! Sabrina was predicted!]
[Hol up, who has psychic powers here? Why does it feel like Azure is the psychic gym leader...]
[Are you a psychic? I think I am!]
The chat praised Aiden profusely.
But Aiden obviously had no time to care about the chat now.
These psychics were no slouches in doubles battles. His battle with Wu Song had already given him a profound realization.
Though their understanding of battles might not yet match his experienced self, if he didn't take them seriously, he could easily stumble in unexpected ways.
"Hatterene, Trick Room."
"Clefairy, Follow Me."
The moment the battle started, the opposing psychic Sabrina immediately issued commands.
Seeing this, Aiden immediately smiled.
"As expected, the answer is simple."
"Whimsicott, we'll also use Trick Room!"
"Annihilape, Taunt!"
The four Pokémon sprang into action.
Hatterene and Whimsicott simultaneously gathered psychic energy, while Clefairy shone first, drawing the opponent's attention.
But for Whimsicott focusing on using Trick Room, it clearly had no effect.
As for the other Annihilape…
From the start, under Aiden's command, its target was this annoying Clefairy!
Clefairy didn't have Hatterene's Magic Bounce ability and would normally be affected by Taunt.
As a support Pokémon, once it was taunted, its value was instantly halved.
While Annihilape successfully taunted and controlled Clefairy, both Hatterene and Whimsicott had already finished charging.
Two identical psychic energies expanded outward toward the edges of the field but quickly disappeared upon contact.
[??? Can Trick Room be countered like this?]
[Seems legit. Using Trick Room twice reverses and then reverses again, so it's like neither side used it...]
[Impressive, quite scientific!]
"This is the most conventional way to counter Trick Room. Students, if you encounter a Trick Room team in the future, you can use the same approach to dismantle it."
Aiden briefly added, then quickly smiled.
This round, it seemed both sides hadn't dealt any damage to their opponents, but in reality, his side had already won big.
After Annihilape taunted Clefairy, this Clefairy, which had been supporting Hatterene, lost its ability to protect its teammates and would likely be switched out directly.
As for Hatterene itself, it was unlikely to forcefully set up Trick Room again.
Thus, the next round would be his side's turn to strike!
"Whimsicott, use Beat Up!"
"Annihilape, unleash your ultimate rage and use Rage Fist on Hatterene!"
Aiden decisively commanded.
Although the Prankster ability couldn't affect offensive moves like Beat Up, Whimsicott's speed was sufficient to lead the field. After using the move, continuous little punches rained down on its teammate Annihilape.
With every punch, the dark aura around Annihilape surged further.
By the end, the overwhelming rage seemed to materialize, causing even the audience outside the screen to shiver involuntarily.
However, since there had been famous scenes like Cinccino slapping Onix, and Aiden had already explained the essence of this lineup beforehand, the audience's reactions remained relatively calm.
[Classic support Pokémon beating up their teammate. Teacher Azure will eventually get lynched by his own Pokémon!]
[Teacher Azure, dare you look into your Annihilape's eyes now? One glance might make it explode...]
[Beat Up? Isn't this the same as Onix's setup? Go ask my Rage Fist!]
[Rage Fist × Rage √]
[Although Whimsicott looks pretty cute, why do I feel like laughing when I see it smiling and continuously punching its teammate...]
[How can there be such an evil Pokémon like Whimsicott!]
[Actually, the cute Whimsicott probably doesn't want to attack its teammates. It's all Trainer Yu's fault. He's done terrible things!]
While Whimsicott continuously attacked Annihilape, building up its "favorability," Sabrina wasn't idle either.
However, she didn't recall Clefairy as Aiden anticipated but instead made a bolder command—
"Hatterene, Dazzling Gleam!"
"Clefairy, use Moonblast on Annihilape!"
Having lost the chance to set up Trick Room first, Sabrina didn't hesitate and directly chose to trade hits.
Though she wasn't sure about this Annihilape's combat power or what Aiden intended with this Beat Up tactic, surely the combined efforts of two Pokémon should KO it without much problem, right?
As for the other Whimsicott, it was clearly just a support Pokémon, so handling it later shouldn't be an issue.
With this thought, Sabrina chose to go head-on.
To this, Aiden responded:
"Oh ho, looks like you're pretty brave?"
Looking at Annihilape, whose eyes were already filled with killing intent, Aiden decisively commanded:
"It's time, Annihilape!"
"Unleash your anger!"
Unlike the previous Onix tactic, repeatedly triggering the Weak Armor ability and anger allowed Onix to temporarily boost its speed and attack to the maximum.
But Annihilape obviously had no means of acceleration.
Fortunately, the opponent was playing a Trick Room team. With Trick Room unable to naturally activate, the overall speed was very slow, giving Annihilape the chance to deliver a "serious punch."
Only seeing Annihilape suddenly burst forward, relying on speed to close in on the opponent before Hatterene could use Dazzling Gleam, and simultaneously throwing a fist filled with accumulated anger.
Boom—
Due to the terrifying power, this punch even created a spatial distortion effect, instantly draining Hatterene's health bar like a roller coaster, clearing it from full to empty, and blasting it away.
By the time Clefairy's Moonblast arrived, it only managed to take out half of Annihilape's HP.
[Whoa—what kind of power is that? How did such a big Hatterene get instantly KO'd???]
[Annihilape doesn't have the Justified ability, so how can it increase its combat power through Beat Up?]
[That punch felt so good, just like Angry Onix!]
[Black Feather speaks. Who said Teacher Azure only plays 'quality' tactics? This is pure brute force output!]
"In theory, Monkey Brother wasn't strengthened by Whimsicott's Beat Up."
Taking advantage of Sabrina's moment of contemplation, Aiden explained further.
"But its Rage Fist increases in power with each attack it receives, accumulating anger to enhance its effectiveness."
"This is what sets Annihilape apart from traditional Beat-Up teams."
Rage Fist, a Ghost-type offensive move, initially had a base power of only 50 in the Pokémon database. However, it had a very powerful additional effect: converting its anger into strength, boosting the move's power when used.
The more hits it took, the greater the boost.
And Whimsicott's Beat Up could deal up to six hits, perfectly maxing out its power.
With Annihilape's combat power, this 350-power Rage Fist could instantly KO a significant number of Pokémon even with type disadvantage, let alone Hatterene, which it countered.
Without exaggeration, this punch sent Hatterene owing Aiden's side three bars of HP!
[POG Teacher Azure discovered such an absurd move, just outrageous!]
[Onix: The power isn't weaker than mine? Interesting!]
[I'm actually more curious about something else. How did Teacher Azure think of this tactic... Could it be that you spend every day thinking about beating up your teammates?]
"However, Annihilape's tactic does have obvious limitations."
Aiden added.
"Besides not being able to secure the first move consistently, hitting only one target also made it vulnerable to counterattacks."
"Since Annihilape only boosted the power of Rage Fist, it wasn't as flexible as a normal Justified Beat-Up combination."
"And due to type resistance, this move had no effect on Normal-type Pokémon, theoretically having blind spots."
"Of course, that's just theoretical. Since Annihilape's other type is Fighting, if it really encountered one…"
"Go ask my Close Combat!"
Opposite, Sabrina was clearly stunned by Annihilape's combat power. After hesitating for a bit, she sent out the Torkoal from the backfield.
[Why send out a lone Torkoal? The opponent clearly isn't a Sunny Day team…]
[Upstairs, Torkoal is a turtle-type Pokémon. Do you know how slow it is? Under Trick Room, almost no one can outspeed it!]
[And turtles don't need other Sunny Day team attackers. They are perfect output machines on their own. Other Sunny Day brothers aren't familiar!]
[Groudon, also known as Little Torkoal!]
"Torkoal, eh? It's indeed a very conventional choice for Trick Room teams."
"But… without Trick Room, do you still think you can go first?"
"Dream on!"
While skillfully using "Roar," Aiden continued commanding:
"Annihilape, use Rage Fist on Torkoal again!"
"Whimsicott, assist Annihilape!"
Two commands fell in quick succession, and a familiar scene unfolded again.
However, Torkoal was indeed quite sturdy, so to be safe, Aiden commanded Whimsicott to use Helping Hand, further boosting Annihilape's short-term combat power.
The fierce-eyed Annihilape took another step forward and soon approached the newly deployed Torkoal.
Another punch was thrown.
Boom—!
Thanks to the combat power boost from Helping Hand, this punch was even more exaggerated than before, the intense shock seemingly piercing through the screen.
"Even if Groudon came, it wouldn't withstand this punch, I guarantee it!"
Aiden smiled confidently, knowing full well that this Torkoal couldn't possibly survive this punch.
Torkoal with Focus Sash was too niche. Given Sabrina's confidence, she wouldn't use such an absurd configuration.
[Impressive, just slaughtering everything...]
[Though not as fast as the Onix setup, this punch feels like it cured even the toughest cases of gamer rage.]
[If you didn't laugh after watching this, you're this (thumbs up)]
[But there's still a problem… Did Teacher Azure forget about the opponent's Clefairy?]
[Right, Clefairy can use Moonblast again, and your Annihilape will be gone!]
"I'm not worried, why are you guys panicking? Think more about why Teacher Azure did this!"
Aiden smiled confidently, seeming to have everything under control.
Indeed, that was the case.
"Let me ask you, isn't a doubles battle 4v4? My monkey brother has already taken out two of the opponent's main Pokémon, so isn't it okay for him to retreat and cool off?"
"One-for-two is definitely a win for us. As long as Whimsicott is still around, the next Arcanine can also activate Justified ultra-fast with Beat Up."
"Miss Sabrina's backfield is probably a Wobbuffet. If I ignore it, doesn't that mean the opponent only has Clefairy?"
"Can three-on-one still result in a loss?"
As Aiden commented, Sabrina, as he predicted, commanded Clefairy to finally deal with this troublesome Annihilape.
However…
When she sent out the final Wobbuffet, Aiden also quickly sent out his reserve Pokémon—
The Legendary Pokémon Arcanine!
Of course, Arcanine wasn't a true legendary creature; it was classified as such due to ancient legends in a certain region.
"Whimsicott, use Beat Up again!"
"Arcanine, use Flare Blitz on Clefairy!"
The same moves played out again. Clefairy's Taunt status hadn't worn off, and Wobbuffet had no means of interference.
Sabrina could only reluctantly have Clefairy attack again, while Wobbuffet used Destiny Bond, targeting Arcanine.
Knowing the opponent was powerless to turn the tide, Aiden could command decisively.
Whimsicott's little fists pounded its teammate again.
Even though the teammate had changed from Annihilape to Arcanine, its Beat Up move remained unchanged, solidly triggering Arcanine's Justified ability with every punch.
Arcanine's combat power soared, and after breaking its limits, it let out a sky-piercing roar. Its fur instantly ignited in raging flames as it charged fiercely toward Clefairy!
"Awooo!"
The signature move Flare Blitz of fire-type physical attackers already had formidable power, and with Arcanine's enhanced strength…
Clefairy had no time to react, instantly consumed by flames, its HP drained in moments.
As for the last Wobbuffet…
Aiden even maliciously waited a turn, delaying Destiny Bond's effect, then used Whimsicott's Prankster to preemptively use Taunt, preventing Wobbuffet from using any moves.
It could only be rammed by Arcanine, this "Ford F150" absolute dumptruck, collapsing after two consecutive attacks.
Within just a few minutes, Sabrina's Trick Room team collapsed at lightning speed.
The final score was fixed at 4:1.
But in fact, all the viewers knew that if Aiden had been a bit more restrained and not used such extreme tactics, letting Annihilape sacrifice itself…
Miss Sabrina might have been completely shut out!
[Whoa—, that's it?]
[It feels so easy. Could I do it if I tried?]
[Don't be ridiculous. Would you even know that this was a Trick Room team if Teacher Azure hadn't mentioned it?]
[I… hehe~]
[Too outrageous. Lightning-fast Arcanine with such terrifying power, another masterpiece no less impressive than Angry Onix!]
Gazing at the prominent "Victory" marker on the screen, the chat began flooding again.
"Phew, good thing I'm a step ahead."
Aiden wiped away non-existent sweat from his forehead, took a deep breath, and smiled again.
"How's that? This tactic is actually pretty simple, right?"
"However, in practice, it might not be as easy as it looks."
"For instance, what do you think was the key to this battle?"
As the designated "online class" for Naranja Academy, Aiden skillfully guided the chat to reflect on the previous battle.
[Beat Up? Without Beat Up, both Annihilape and Arcanine's power would be lacking, right?]
[I think it was Rage Fist. One punch knocking out the opponent's Pokémon was just too over-the-top!]
[It should be Trick Room. If we hadn't negated the opponent's Trick Room at the start, Teacher Azure's side wouldn't have secured the first move!]
[Hmm… why do I think it was Taunt?]
"Bingo~"
Finally seeing the answer he wanted, Aiden snapped his fingers and smiled:
"Congratulations to this smart little student, you got it right!"
"The key to this battle was actually the Taunt Annihilape threw out at the start."
What seemed like a compromise to avoid interference from the opponent at the start was actually the key to Aiden seizing control of the battle.
Besides mutually canceling Trick Room, restricting Clefairy allowed this Beat-Up tactic to function perfectly.
"After watching Teacher Azure's streams for so long, I believe everyone has some understanding of the role of support Pokémon in doubles."
"If we hadn't taunted Clefairy, moves like Follow Me, Ally Switch, or even another attempt would greatly impact our decisions."
"Only by eliminating Clefairy's interference could the opponent's sole Trick Room setter be threatened, with no chance to activate Trick Room again."
"Doesn't that make sense?"
Aiden smiled slightly, waiting for the chat's response.
[Hmm… it really does make sense?]
[Interesting. Is this why Teacher Azure emphasized Taunt early on? I learned something new!]
[Teacher Azure tried to teach me, and crazily enough, I think I actually understood...]
[With Teacher Azure's strategic insight, I feel like I've become incredibly strong!]
[Ranked battles, commence!]
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