"..."
Staring at the prominent red "Defeat" on her screen, all of Sabrina's thoughts condensed into a sigh.
This "Teacher Azure," just as she had heard, was indeed a battle expert proficient in various tactics and a renowned Gym Leader from the Paldea region.
As the saying goes, amateurs see the excitement, while experts see the essence.
Perhaps only Sabrina, as his opponent, truly understood what Aiden relied on to secure his victory.
From the very beginning, this wasn't a battle where both sides stood on equal footing.
Aiden knew this tactic inside out, as if he had faced the same lineup hundreds of times before.
Thus, within less than a minute of choosing his starting Pokémon, he could fully predict her tactical choices.
Hence, right from the start, he decisively anticipated Trick Room, using the same move to negate her lockdown while commanding that Pokémon called Annihilape to use Taunt to limit the effectiveness of her support Pokémon, Clefairy.
She didn't understand Aiden's team strategy, but he had already seen through every one of her moves.
With such outrageous prediction abilities, losing was somewhat expected.
Therefore, Sabrina didn't experience much emotional fluctuation.
Rather than being upset about losing a regular game, she was more interested in the tactics Aiden had used.
The Beat-Up tactic developed by Aiden might be even more powerful in real battles than in the game.
As everyone knows, the Indigo Plateau still upheld the ancient no-rules wild battle mode.
Not the more familiar singles or doubles format people were used to now, but rather 6v6 full-team battles where trainers could also be attacked, with absolutely no rules—pure chaos.
Although it was said that next year they would switch to the current mainstream Masters Rules to align internationally, most trainers wouldn't adapt quickly.
The combination of Beat-Up and Justified could quickly bring out a fully boosted Pokémon at the start, unleashing combat power in wild battles that would be quite astonishing, with significant practical applications...
Coincidentally, she also had a Gallade. Using an Ability Patch to temporarily change its ability might yield unexpected results.
Worth learning.
Moreover, for Officer Jenny and international police whose main combat force was Arcanine, this tactic was equally crucial!
What troubled these Gym Leaders wasn't their own strength.
The four known Rocket Executives weren't particularly strong, only at the level of elite Gym Leaders. Even a rookie Gym Leader like Sabrina could hold her own, and with some time, she could even defeat any of them one-on-one.
However, Rocket's numbers were overwhelming. They could concentrate their forces to harass a single city, while police and Officer Jennys across regions couldn't mobilize in time, always lagging behind.
That was the fundamental reason why Rocket was so troublesome.
If they could boost the combat effectiveness of the Jennys' Arcanines to handle multiple opponents in a short time until reinforcements arrived, Rocket's threat would obviously decrease significantly.
So, if this tactic could be popularized across the entire Indigo Plateau, perhaps the safety of each city could be ensured…
Realizing this, Sabrina quickly came to a conclusion—
Was the answer she had previously foreseen actually related to this Gym Leader from far-off Paldea?
Sabrina no longer hesitated and decisively opened Poké TV.
No search was needed; the homepage directly displayed "Azure Wings'" live stream.
Upon entering, Sabrina found that this Gym Leader Aiden seemed to be reviewing the previous tactics and discussing the key steps to victory with the audience.
"You might not feel much now, but once you have more tactics to use, the value of Taunt will soon become clear to everyone~"
"Since there are no move restrictions, finding ways to prevent the opponent from interfering and executing your tactics is an important aspect of battle, a point I'll emphasize repeatedly."
"To be honest, Miss Sabrina's doubles strength is among the top Gym Leaders, but once her tactics are disrupted, she would still be crushed even if both sides had Pokémon of equal strength, isn't that right?"
Just as Aiden delivered this "execution," Sabrina wasn't offended but instead nodded repeatedly.
Because he was right.
No wonder he understood various tactics so deeply; he must frequently discuss strategies with other excellent trainers, unconsciously bringing this habit into his streams.
Indeed, as rumored, he was an outstanding and generous Gym Leader.
But since she learned something from him, she couldn't leave without showing gratitude.
"Expanding one's thinking and learning tactics applicable in real battles—measuring this with money seems too vulgar."
After pondering for a moment, Sabrina quickly abandoned this idea.
"But I don't have any contact with this Teacher Azure, so a tip is the only way to express my thanks."
"So, where's the recharge function on Poké TV…"
After some exploration, Sabrina finally succeeded in expressing her gratitude to Aiden.
Meanwhile.
A flash of golden light suddenly appeared on Aiden's screen while he was reviewing the match with the chatroom, followed by countless Ultra Ball icons appearing in the lower left corner.
?
Aiden instinctively raised an eyebrow and looked at the notification below.
[User "Psychic Sabrina" tipped 100 Ultra Balls!]
"Sabrina???"
Aiden was momentarily stunned, blurting out instinctively.
How did Sabrina, who just lost to him, suddenly appear in his live stream to tip gifts?
Didn't that mean everything he just reviewed was overheard by her?
Doesn't this mean he's really being targeted...
No, it shouldn't be that serious, right?
Maybe she just learned something from this battle, like Lurina before, so she specially came to the live stream to tip as a thank-you?
It wasn't self-praise, but Aiden was well aware that some of his live stream viewers were undoubtedly trainers from various regions, possibly even Elite Four members!
So there was no need to think of Sabrina as terrifying; just consider her a fellow trainer wanting to discuss tactics.
Instinctively wiping the cold sweat from his temple, Aiden thanked the gift as usual.
"Thanks to Miss Sabrina for the hundred Ultra Balls, wishing Boss immortality!"
"If Miss Sabrina has any questions, feel free to DM me. I'll reply after the live stream ends!"
[?? Teacher Azure instantly DMs fans? When is it my turn, I've been a fan of Teacher Azure for ten years!]
[Yo show your worth (money) first by tipping a hundred Ultra Balls!]
[Miss Sabrina is doing well, able to tip and private message our Teacher Azure!]
(T/N: I've seen some questions about the 'Ultra Balls' and other stuff that he's being tipped with. On Asian livestream platforms, they don't typically gift subs but instead virtual items like flowers, cards, watches, cars, yachts etc. that's worth a certain amount. For example, a flower can be anywhere between $1-$10, while a car might be worth anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000. In this case, if we're going by SV prices where 1 Ultra Ball is $800, 100 Ultra Balls means Sabrina tipped him with $80,000
Correct me if I'm wrong cause I'm not too familiar with it either.)
"Any questions can be directed to Teacher Azure?"
Far away in Saffron City, Sabrina suddenly furrowed her brows.
Aiden had already thoroughly analyzed their match, and she had learned a lot.
If there were any other questions, she did have some...
But should she really discuss this with this Gym Leader from Paldea?
Her most troubling issue was still whether to join Team Rocket to ensure the safety of Saffron City.
Her earlier premonition strangely came true...
Sabrina couldn't help but sigh, perhaps this was part of fate.
Since she couldn't find the answer herself, asking wouldn't hurt, certainly better than continuing to procrastinate.
Besides, even if something unexpected happened, Aiden in far-off Paldea wouldn't be affected.
Team Rocket's influence was limited to the Indigo Plateau; facing the united Paldea League, they wouldn't dare provoke trouble.
With this thought, Sabrina no longer hesitated.
She quickly exited the live stream, clicked on Aiden's profile, typed out her question as briefly as possible, and sent it.
Though Sabrina no longer appeared in the live stream, her presence seemed to signal something, quickly bringing another batch of lurking trainers out of hiding.
Thus, under Aiden's astonished gaze, his live stream room soon experienced a round of "Ultra Ball bombardment" in the next few minutes.
"Thanks to Brock for tipping one Ultra Ball... Why is it another Gym Leader from Kanto?"
[Brock - A man as steadfast as bedrock: Since Miss Sabrina took the lead, I, who benefited greatly from Teacher Azure's guidance, also want to express my thanks. The Weak Armor Onix tactic was incredibly beneficial, but alas, my wallet is thin, so I can only tip one Ultra Ball, apologies for the meager offering!]
As Brock said, as the Gym Leader of Pewter City responsible for taking care of his younger siblings, his League salary wasn't lavish.
His sudden appearance to tip showed that the previous tactic had genuinely helped him, right?
While Aiden was thinking this, another familiar trainer's name appeared in the lower left corner of the screen.
[User "Cerulean Mermaid" tipped 10 Ultra Balls!]
[Cerulean Mermaid: Miss Sabrina reminded me. After watching Teacher Azure's lessons for so long, I haven't thanked Teacher Azure yet~ I hope Teacher Azure can cover Rain teams again in future Pokémon tutorials!]
Hmm, no need to guess, this was definitely Misty, the Gym Leader of Cerulean City.
Others like Gardenia from Eterna Gym in Sinnoh, Lucian, Aaron, and Flint from Sinnoh's Elite Four, Whitney and Jasmine from Johto, and the familiar Nessa from Galar.
The live stream room suddenly turned into a gathering of Gym Leaders from various regions...
Through this incident, Aiden once again deeply realized one thing—
His current influence seemed to be much greater than he imagined!
...
Happy streaming time always passed quickly.
In this hour, Aiden easily won several matches using simple Beat-Up tactics paired with Whimsicott's various support moves.
"Well, that's all for today's live stream. Tomorrow, there should be a regular video update, and the Gym Challenges will continue to be streamed until the Victory Road ends~"
After leaving a farewell message, amidst the audience's cries of despair, Aiden immediately ended the live stream.
"Phew—, the effect of today's live stream seems pretty good?"
After taking a deep breath, recalling the various Gym Leaders popping up in the live stream, Aiden couldn't help but shake his head helplessly.
"Unconsciously, my influence has already broken through Paldea and Naranja Academy, spreading to many regions worldwide..."
"Is this considered a good thing?"
Though he wasn't sure what use these "connections" could be for now, at least he had more powerful trainers to exchange with.
"Oh right, I almost forgot I promised Miss Sabrina a review."
After an hour of streaming, he wondered if she was still online.
Aiden opened the backend; besides his previous private chat with Nessa, there was a new message from "Psychic Sabrina."
Upon opening it, Aiden was immediately dumbfounded.
He originally thought Sabrina would at most talk about their previous match or how to optimize Trick Room teams.
But her very first question left Aiden speechless.
[Psychic Sabrina: Teacher Azure, Team Rocket in Kanto wants me to join them. What do you think about this?]
[Psychic Sabrina: I probably shouldn't ask someone I just met this question, but... I believe you roughly know the predicament we're facing in the Indigo Plateau.]
???
Is this something I should be hearing?
Aiden was momentarily stunned but quickly realized.
From this question alone, it was clear that Sabrina had nothing to do with Team Rocket.
First, exclude the Special Episode manga plot.
In other words, most Gym Leaders in Kanto weren't in cahoots with Team Rocket?
That was interesting.
After some thought, Aiden quickly asked Sabrina a question:
[Azure Wings: Do you think other Gym Leaders face the same problem as you?]
Despite the nearly hour-long live stream, Sabrina quickly replied.
[Psychic Sabrina: Other Gym Leaders should also be threatened by Team Rocket. And as far as I know, Mr. Giovanni and Mr. Blaine have been forced to join Team Rocket.]
Since Aiden wasn't from Kanto, Sabrina didn't need to worry about him being a Team Rocket spy, so she spoke quite frankly.
"Giovanni joined Team Rocket?"
Seeing this somewhat darkly humorous answer, Aiden couldn't help but shake his head.
Sure enough, old cunning Giovanni was hiding very deeply.
Had he not been a time traveler knowing more information, he probably wouldn't have guessed that Giovanni, the Viridian Gym Leader maintaining local safety, was actually the true BOSS of Team Rocket...
Even his fellow Gym Leaders had no idea about this.
But maybe this could be utilized?
After some thought, Aiden quickly typed a few lines of text:
[Azure Wings: Miss Sabrina, my suggestion is…]
[Azure Wings: Pretend to join Team Rocket first. You might discover the intentions of other Gym Leaders in the process.]
[Azure Wings: If you can distinguish which Gym Leaders were forced to join Team Rocket and which were originally their accomplices, in the future when the League clears out Team Rocket, you can act as a mole and set up an inside job, how about that?]
Yes, Aiden's idea was simple.
Having confirmed that Sabrina was a "good person," and that the Gym Leaders currently lacked the strength to counter Team Rocket...
The safest course of action was to wait for the right moment.
He had a slight understanding about Team Rocket's situation through Mew and knew that Mewtwo had appeared in this world, seemingly being subtly influenced by Mew.
Eventually, Mewtwo would clash with Team Rocket and Giovanni. By then, not only would the Kanto Elite Four get involved, but Red and Green might also step in.
Aiden didn't know about others, but mentioning Team Rocket to Lance, the "Champion of Justice" of Kanto, would ensure they wouldn't be spared.
At that time, it would be much easier for Mew to take Mewtwo away.
"Hiss—wait?"
Thinking about this, Aiden suddenly realized...
Did this mean he would eventually have to go to Kanto?
It wasn't that he doubted Mew's abilities—it was just that he had gotten so close to Mew. He was genuinely worried that something unexpected might happen, harming Mew.
Team Rocket's original intention was to find Mew. Though the exact reason was unknown, judging from their decades-long search and even finding the fossilized eyelash of an ancient Mew, it was evident.
For Team Rocket, Mew had become their obsession.
If Mew really appeared before them, it would be hard for it to escape, especially considering whether Mewtwo would be able to stand up by then...
If something unexpected happened, not only himself but also Sylph Eevee, who had a great relationship with Mew, would be heartbroken...
"Sigh..."
Aiden sighed silently, making a mental note of this.
Next time Mew returns, he should ask it and learn about the situation in Kanto.
If he eventually had to help, the more intelligence he gathered, the better.
After some thought, Aiden added another line to Sabrina.
[Azure Wings: One more thing, be very careful of Giovanni from Viridian Gym!]
[Psychic Sabrina: …I understand. Thank you for the warning, Teacher Azure.]
Aiden sighed helplessly and got up from his seat.
Had he inadvertently become the mastermind behind Kanto's Gym Leaders?
No, that term was wrong; he should be called their "life mentor"!
"I just wanted to be a peaceful Gym Leader in Paldea, how did I get involved in Kanto's affairs again..."
Was this the so-called "the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility"?
Aiden didn't quite understand, but given the circumstances, all he could do was try to prevent the plot from following the original storyline.
If, under the condition that Mew had already established a certain connection with Mewtwo, it still became Team Rocket's tool and ended up in a destined battle with Mewtwo...
Wouldn't he, as a time traveler, be somewhat incompetent?
In the beautiful Pokémon world, these dark plots should all disappear. Mewtwo should reconcile with Mew, come to my house, and make dumplings together!
For some reason, such an absurd idea inexplicably arose in Aiden's mind.
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