January 18th, Sunday.
By the time Aiden returned to Sunshine Gym, it was already afternoon.
Before starting his live stream, there was another important matter Aiden needed to address—
What would be next week's gym tactic?
Last week, he had already used Pokémon with the Prankster Ability like Sableye and Riolu. If this week's live stream featured Whimsicott as planned, it might feel a bit repetitive.
There were quite a few tactics that could be employed with Whimsicott.
After all, this Pokémon could learn an incredible variety of moves, not to mention its god-tier Prankster Ability for support roles.
In his past life, Whimsicott had consistently ranked highly in Doubles battles, even making frequent appearances in high-level competitive play.
Hence, it earned the nickname "Black-hearted Cotton."
Classic strategies like Tailwind teams, Trick Room teams, and even Sunny Day teams all had a place for Whimsicott.
When unsure which support Pokémon to use in doubles, choosing Whimsicott was almost always a safe bet.
However, gym challenges differed from online ranked battles. What could Whimsicott do in single battles?
Wait… Upon reflection, it did seem to have unique qualities.
Surrounding the Prankster Ability, it could employ numerous effective moves.
Offensively, it could set up +1 Leech Seed first turn, or use priority Substitute and Protect to stall. Defensively, it could provide Tailwind support for teammates, then retreat with U-turn…
It seemed feasible to use Whimsicott for assessments.
Perfect. Last week covered synergy defense; this week, let's discuss the importance of speed in battles.
Each week, teaching these orange-clad students with blank stares and clear, impurity-free eyes might lead to a significant leap in their abilities after a full course of lessons.
...
"Lucario…"
As usual, Lucario's first task upon returning to Sunshine Gym was to complete its daily training plan.
Due to taking a day off and evolving, its training intensity had significantly increased.
Running from Cabo Poco to Poco Path, Lucario finally encountered its first "experience pack" of the day.
"Growl!"
A slightly angry voice echoed from the cave, causing Lucario, who had been jogging at a steady pace, to instinctively stop.
Looking ahead, it recognized the somewhat familiar Houndoom.
Though it hadn't seen it for a long time, the scar left on Houndoom's forehead by that terrifying dragon-type energy meteorite remained.
Thus, Lucario recognized it immediately.
"Luca."
Lucario's eyes narrowed, instantly realizing the visitor's ill intentions.
Back when it hadn't evolved, it had helped its Trainer rescue Miraidon and Mabostiff from being surrounded by Houndoom and Houndour.
This incident also led Aiden and Arven to meet, temporarily making Miraidon a partner at the gym.
Dark-type Pokémon were notoriously vengeful, especially territorial ones like Houndoom, who had lost face in front of its subordinates.
Although it wasn't Lucario that had defeated it back then—it was that unbelievably powerful Pokémon flying in the sky—Houndoom apparently held a grudge against Lucario and now sought revenge.
Realizing this, Lucario's lips curled into a smirk. After a sinister grin, it immediately assumed a defensive stance.
Perfect timing to test the new moves it learned from the scrolls on the Isle of Armor!
"Awooooo!"
Canine Pokémon generally had a pack mentality. The cunning Houndoom didn't rush in but instead called out, quickly gathering a group of Houndour to surround Lucario.
"Luca?"
Facing the snarling pack, Lucario only sneered and extended its fists.
I'll take on ten!
"Woof!"
Seeing this, the first irritable Houndour couldn't hold back any longer and launched an attack, lunging at Lucario's leg.
However…
With a whoosh, a swift roundhouse kick struck with terrifying speed, sending the Houndour howling in pain and flying backward.
Dozens of Houndour witnessed this and simultaneously launched a fierce assault.
In the wild, ambush tactics were a strong point for Dark-type Pokémon. They excelled at using numerical superiority to gradually wear down opponents.
However, this time they seemed to have met a tough opponent.
"Luca Luca Lucario!"
Lucario's eyes sharpened, instantly gauging the attack speed of each Houndour.
In an instant, its fists and legs moved rapidly, unleashing a continuous flow of attacks akin to water. Each strike targeted the weakest part of the Houndour's abdomen.
Once their weak points were hit, the attacking Houndour were knocked down one by one.
The once-surrounded Lucario now faced only the scarred Houndoom.
"Grrr?!"
Houndoom never expected that in just over a month, the once-insignificant Riolu had grown to the point of instantly defeating all its subordinates…
But even so, Houndoom couldn't swallow this humiliation. It charged at Lucario with a roar.
If I can't beat that sneaky meteorite-throwing Pokémon, can I at least beat you?
Eat my Flamethrower!
Facing the flame-spitting Houndoom, Lucario didn't flinch. A straight punch shot forward.
At the moment the fist met the flames, several streams of water quickly enveloped its arm, intercepting the Flamethrower entirely.
Then…
"Luca Luca Luca!!!"
Upon closing in, a relentless barrage of precise strikes caught Houndoom off guard. It soon let out a few howls under Lucario's assault before collapsing and losing consciousness.
"Luca…"
Seeing all opponents defeated, Lucario reluctantly retracted its fists.
Indeed, real combat honed techniques better. The insights gained from those hundreds of punches rivaled half a day's training.
It was necessary to battle more wild Pokémon.
However, although it had once thought this Houndoom's combat power was terrifying, now it seemed mediocre.
Perhaps the Terastallization phenomenon that occurred on it back then greatly boosted its strength?
Therefore, compared to ordinary wild Pokémon, what it needed now were opponents proficient in Terastallization?
Lucario quickly set its future training goal—
Find wild Pokémon capable of Terastallization to further hone its battle skills!
"Luca…"
With this in mind, Lucario immediately closed its eyes, merging its consciousness into the Aura network of nature, sensing all the Aura within several kilometers.
As a creature naturally attuned to Aura, Lucario's perception had significantly improved after evolving.
Now, it was practically a walking Aura radar. No Pokémon, no matter how well hidden, could escape its detection.
Soon, Lucario sensed a Pokémon with distinctly different energy about a kilometer away, inside a pit.
That must be the mark of Terastallization, right?
Upon discovering the opponent, Lucario quickly determined the direction and jogged toward its next target.
If Aiden were beside it at this moment, he would have quickly realized—
Isn't this grinding Tera Raid Battles???
That day, the wild Terastallized Pokémon that had narrowly escaped Area Zero and hidden near Cabo Poco met their lifelong nemesis.
...
Night fell.
Since it was winter, the sun had set by five o'clock.
When Lucario returned to Sunshine Gym, Aiden instinctively glanced at it and then paused.
"Why are you covered in dirt?"
If it were some hyperactive Arcanine or the energetic Bagon at home, Aiden would find it normal.
But his Lucario didn't usually have a habit of roughhousing outside. At most, it went out for a run and battled some wild Pokémon for experience…
Given its personality, it shouldn't be this dirty, right?
"Luca…"
Lucario sheepishly scratched its head and revealed its left hand, which had been hidden behind its back.
A large sack filled with various-shaped Tera Shards appeared in Sunshine Gym, shimmering with colorful light in the night.
"Tera Shards?"
Aiden paused, quickly realizing.
"You went to Tera Raids to battle other wild Pokémon?"
Aside from Area Zero, these could only be found in caves inhabited by some wild Pokémon that mastered Terastallization in Paldea.
So, Lucario had gone solo grinding Tera Raids without him?
No wonder it was so dirty…
Aiden helplessly shook his head and patted Lucario's head a couple of times.
How had raising Lucario turned it into the Wild King of the server?
Well, if we accumulate more, we won't need to order Tera Shards anymore. Sunshine Gym will achieve Terastallization freedom…
"Pon?"
Ogerpon glanced and quickly removed its mask.
Indeed, the gems embedded in its mask looked very similar.
"Bui!"
Sylveon had no resistance to these sparkling fragments, immediately extending its ribbon to pick up the shiniest pink shard, bringing it close to admire carefully.
"Ba…"
Bagon also seemed very interested in these Tera Shards, quickly trotting over in a few steps.
Then, it opened its mouth wide and took a bite, swallowing half of one directly.
???
Aiden instantly reacted, reaching out to pry open Bagon's mouth, but he was too late.
After hearing the crunching sounds, Bagon contentedly patted its belly, seemingly very satisfied with the taste of the Tera Shard.
"…"
Wouldn't eating this stuff cause problems for a one-month-old Bagon?
Aiden couldn't help but worry about Bagon.
However, Tera Shards were essentially solidified forms of various elemental energies, not actual dirt. For Pokémon, they were akin to functional drinks.
Moreover, Bagon had only taken one bite, not much in quantity.
Occasional consumption should be fine, right?
Aiden quickly made a decision:
In the coming days, closely observe whether Bagon experiences any adverse effects from consuming too much energy.
...
6:30 PM.
Aiden's scheduled live stream time.
Last week, Aiden used Skill Swap to turn Slaking into a terrifying monster in doubles.
Before ending the stream, he had teased next week's live stream—
Whimsicott!
Many viewers were curious about the capabilities of this seemingly cute and harmless Pokémon.
Thus, even before the stream began, a group of viewers eagerly awaited in the chatroom.
[Teacher Azure is really punctual with starting and ending streams; not a minute early...]
[Every week's best meal feels incomplete without Teacher Azure's stream!]
[Hurry hurry hurry, I'm fkn hyped!]
[Chill bruh he's starting]
While chat was idly chatting, a sudden flash of white light appeared in the live stream, followed by Aiden's handsome face appearing on countless viewers' screens.
"Good evening, everyone~"
[Oh oh oh, Teacher Azure, I missed you so much!]
[Attendance-wise, Teacher Azure is a professional; not a second early...]
[Are we talking about Whimsicott today?]
"Yes, just as I teased last week, today we're exploring tactics centered around Whimsicott!"
Aiden nodded while opening the team editor and dragging the shiny black Whimsicott into the lineup.
"Whimsicott is extraordinary among Pokémon with the Prankster Ability; it stands in a league of its own."
Someone once joked that Whimsicott needed ten move slots just for its moveset.
Aiden wanted to clarify: he wasn't joking.
Just look at Whimsicott's typing and Ability to know that this soft-looking little guy was anything but ordinary.
Grass + Fairy typing, primary Ability Prankster.
Generally speaking, having Prankster meant it was almost exclusively bound to a support role.
Grass typing itself boasted an exaggerated pool of status moves, let alone Whimsicott's mischievous nature aligning with Fairy-type traits, allowing it to learn some Dark-type moves.
One thing led to another, and Whimsicott's move pool became incredibly versatile.
The difference between Fairy and Dark types might be that Fairy-types, due to their cuteness, often got forgiven for their mischief, while Dark-types, with their menacing looks, weren't likable…
Even notorious troublemakers like Whimsicott were often indulged.
In the end, no matter the world, appearance was justice!
"There are many tactics revolving around Whimsicott. Today, we'll explore a straightforward yet brutally powerful strategy like Slaking's—Beat Up Team!"
[Beat Up? Is it the one I'm thinking of?]
[Probably the Dark-type move 'Beat Up.' This move is rarely seen in action...]
[Teacher Azure, will this tactic work?]
"When has Teacher Azure ever deceived you? Any tactic I bring out is absolutely reliable~"
Aiden smiled faintly and briefly explained.
"The Beat Up Team is a classic setup in Pokémon doubles battles."
"As the name suggests, the core of this tactic revolves around using the Dark-type move 'Beat Up' to relentlessly attack your teammate."
"It sounds abstract, but it works exceptionally well."
"When the team is fully set up, Beat Up can strike the teammate six times in one go."
"And because Beat Up is a Dark-type move, each attack provokes Pokémon with the 'Justified' Ability, boosting their combat power to the max."
"Sounds simple, right?"
[Whoa… Pokémon Champions should charge Teacher Azure for this. How does he come up with such abstract tactics?]
[Seems similar to last time's Onix & Cinccino. Will this recreate the classic five-hit scene again...]
[So, which Pokémon have the Justified Ability?]
"Not many Pokémon have the Justified Ability—only Arcanine, Absol, Lucario, and Gallade."
As he spoke, Aiden dragged Arcanine into the team.
Ideally, Cobalion would be the best fit for the Beat Up Team, one of Unova's Swords of Justice.
But clearly, people in this world knew very little about Legendary Pokémon. Forget about the Abilities of the Swords of Justice; they probably didn't even know there were four members in the trio…
Thus, they couldn't use them in games.
Compared to Arcanine, Cobalion's advantage lay in its speed and wider coverage. Its Rock Slide occasionally caused flinching.
However, Arcanine had the advantage of Extreme Speed for reliable cleanup, which was decent.
"Of course, as a Paldean gym leader, our tactics naturally include local Pokémon!"
"Besides the Justified Ability, the Beat Up tactic works wonders on a Pokémon unfamiliar to viewers from other regions."
As he spoke, Aiden quickly found a light gray figure in the team editor and dragged it into the lineup.
"Dun dun dun dun, here it is—Annihilape!"
[I haven't seen it, but it looks familiar somehow...]
[Wait? Doesn't this Pokémon look like Mankey?]
[Upstairs is correct. Annihilape is the evolved form of Primeape~]
While the chat discussed, Aiden quickly spoke:
"Annihilape, a Pokémon first discovered in Paldea just a decade ago. So, it's normal that other regions aren't familiar with it!"
"To obtain a Annihilape, first, you need to teach Primeape Rage Fist. After repeated practice to maximize its anger, Primeape may evolve."
"This move seems to be exclusive to certain Annihilape populations in Paldea, hence why humans hadn't discovered it earlier."
Finishing this, Aiden suddenly shifted tone, adding eerily:
"In a sense, Annihilape might have evolved into this unique form because it died from extreme anger..."
"Haha, just kidding~"
[??? Why did Teacher Azure suddenly start a supernatural show? Did I go to the wrong stream?]
[On one hand, it's kinda plausible, haha. Ghost-type Pokémon are basically spirits...]
[Is it possible that Annihilape is actually dead, and what controls its body is unresolved anger even in death...]
[Stop it, it's getting scarier!]
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