As the two Garchomps collapsed simultaneously, the first Poké Ball icons beneath both trainers' avatars on the screen dimmed at the same time.
The score stood at 1:1.
On the surface, both sides had lost one key Pokémon—a mutually acceptable outcome.
But in reality—
Most viewers could clearly see Teacher Azure's side had actually gained a slight advantage.
Even Cynthia on the other side of the screen instinctively frowned, lightly biting her thumbnail.
Garchomp was already renowned for its ferocious combat power. Coupled with Outrage—the undisputed Dragon-type ultimate move—it posed an immense threat to Dragon Pokémon.
Yet who could have predicted...
Aiden's Garchomp would be a bulk-focused setup?
Because late-blooming Pokémon generally possessed formidable strength, they were typically assumed to be the team's core attackers.
But this time, Aiden deliberately went against convention—and achieved excellent results.
Thus, his Garchomp not only tanked the attack without fainting but also leveraged its Rough Skin ability and held item to push the opponent's HP into KO range.
By this point, not just Cynthia but even the viewers could deduce its held item from the battle situation.
Rocky Helmet!
In Pokémon battles, Rocky Helmet had a fairly high usage rate—it was considered a popular item.
Its effect perfectly complemented defensive Pokémon, dealing partial recoil damage to opponents when hit by contact moves.
Combined with Garchomp's Rough Skin ability, a single hit could cause over 1/4 HP loss to the attacker.
A very peculiar setup—but entirely fitting Teacher Azure's established reputation.
As expected, Teacher Azure excelled at torturing with defensive teams—even Garchomp was played with his unique flavor...
Wasn't this also a form of personal style?
Finally, though it seemed like a 1-for-1 trade, the importance of the two Garchomps within their respective teams was clearly unequal.
Cynthia's team was extremely balanced. Without Garchomp—the strongest firepower—the offensive efficiency would instantly drop a tier.
Moreover, it likely occupied the precious Mega slot as the team's ace.
If not for fearing the speed contest, Mega Garchomp's combat power would be absolutely terrifying.
Just one Dragon Dance to compensate for speed deficiency, and it could easily become a team-sweeping machine.
Oh—Garchomp can't learn Dragon Dance?
Then never mind.
As for Aiden's side...
Though the bulk-focused Garchomp's role was now exposed, making the team's overall firepower seem slightly lacking.
But with Tyranitar and Excadrill—the perfect sandstorm duo—the core combat power remained fully intact.
Garchomp? No longer needed!
Furthermore, Aiden's remaining Pokémon all had decent self-preservation capabilities.
Cynthia's feared Skarmory hadn't even appeared yet. If it managed to set Stealth Rock or Spikes, this team would truly come together.
Given a chance to activate sandstorm, Aiden could definitely drag out the battle, gradually wearing down Cynthia's team's HP until they reached Excadrill and Scizor's KO thresholds.
Rather than offense, this team's soul seemed to lie in defense—slowing the pace and seizing opportunities to break through the opponent's defenses.
"Garch..."
Beside Cynthia, her Garchomp—who had watched the entire battle—lowered its head silently, not daring to look at its trainer.
It was already sweating bullets.
After this Mega Evolution "buyer's showcase," its position as the team's ace seemed about to vanish...
How could a Pokémon's speed decrease after evolution due to size changes?
A question mark slowly formed on Garchomp's pointed head.
Was this reasonable?
Which mischievous deity was responsible for this? The creator of Mega Evolution must be truly evil!
"A minor setback, but..."
Cynthia quickly regained composure, looking back at the large screen, a faint smile unconsciously curving her lips.
"To win this battle... this is just the beginning!"
The match continued. Both sides simultaneously threw out another Poké Ball.
On Aiden's side, seizing the opportunity, he unhesitatingly chose to send out the sandstorm ace—Tyranitar—to further consolidate his advantage.
As for Cynthia, she brought in Togekiss.
Aiden could roughly guess her reasoning.
With Garchomp already down, her small flyer was meaningless to keep around. Better to bring it out now to seize opportunities.
Besides Aura Sphere's extreme super-effectiveness against Tyranitar, it also had interference and support moves like Thunder Wave and Encore—at least stabilizing the situation.
And catching Tyranitar was clearly the scenario Cynthia hoped for most.
[Did Teacher Azure get countered again? Is the pressure from Champions really this overwhelming?]
[What else? Brothers who frequently battle Champions know—Champions come with the built-in Ability Pressure~]
[Matches of this absurd quality probably happen less than a few times a year—just watch and learn!]
[Tyranitar should switch out, right? Togekiss has Aura Sphere as its big finisher and should outspeed anyway—just take the loss...]
[The slight advantage he worked so hard for seems lost with one miscalculation—is this really top-tier play?]
The chat worriedly clenched their fists for Aiden.
However... Aiden's lips curled into a confident smile.
He didn't choose to rotate.
While everyone—including Cynthia—expected him to recall Tyranitar, Aiden unexpectedly used "Roar":
"Showcase your true strength, Tyranitar!"
As Aiden spoke, his trainer avatar on screen immediately raised its arm, gripping the Key Stone necklace on its chest, eyes becoming resolute.
The fierce sandstorm stirred by Tyranitar's appearance intensified the solemn atmosphere.
"I don't care about your tactics—Mega Evolve now!!!"
Aiden's roar synchronized with the Key Stone's glow. White light blossomed from Tyranitar blocking the trainer, ready to erupt into a sky-piercing beam.
[Not choosing to flee but going all-in??? Be rational, Teacher Azure!]
[This move is really cool—even feels a bit hype... but even after Mega Evolving, it still can't outspeed Togekiss, right?]
[It's fine—it's against a Champion anyway. Losing this match isn't a loss. Being cool is forever!]
[Do you want to be a coward your whole life or a hero for three seconds.jpg]
"Togekiss, Aura Sphere!"
After a moment's hesitation, Cynthia quickly reacted, decisively commanding.
Though she couldn't fully grasp Aiden's thinking, she certainly wouldn't miss this obvious opening.
After all, even with Tyranitar's excellent bulk, with its item obviously being a Mega stone, it shouldn't stand a chance against quadruple-super-effective Fighting-type moves—
Wait...?
Noticing the sandstorm obscuring the screen, Cynthia suddenly felt a bad premonition.
If she recalled correctly, Sandstorm not only continuously eroded non-Rock/Ground/Steel types but also boosted Rock-types' Special Defense.
With Mega Evolution and sandstorm bonuses combined...
Even a quadruple-super-effective Aura Sphere might not be impossible to survive!
Realizing this, Cynthia's pupils subtly contracted, then quickly relaxed, her gaze revealing clear amusement.
Such a bold move—and because it's counterintuitive, most people wouldn't react immediately.
Even if they did react, it would already be too late.
Yellow sand filled the air.
Viewers held their breath. Though just a normal ranked match, their hearts pounded as if they were in the arena themselves.
Amidst the dust, a white beam shot into the clouds, swallowing Tyranitar's figure.
Simultaneously, Togekiss—responding to Cynthia's command—quickly activated, its small white wings flapping rapidly as it gathered pure energy.
Identical to Lucario's earlier move.
The almost guaranteed-hit, high-power Aura Sphere locked onto Mega-evolving Tyranitar!
The energy roared through the air, tracing a cerulean arc before crashing into the brilliantly glowing evolution light.
With a "boom—" sound, the surrounding sandstorm grew even more violent, significantly reducing visibility.
Only Tyranitar's HP bar remained clearly visible.
As Aura Sphere connected, its HP began dropping rapidly.
However.
Contrary to viewers' expectations of an instant KO.
Though Tyranitar's HP dropped quickly, the momentum abruptly slowed after passing the halfway mark.
Finally, this quadruple-super-effective Aura Sphere that had viewers sweating bullets only managed to drain about 60% of Tyranitar's HP.
As the smoke cleared, the conspicuous white light had already vanished.
Amidst the yellow sandstorm, Tyranitar appeared—chest slightly charred but expression fearless, its fierce gaze calmly fixed on the opponent, revealing its new form.
The Sandstorm King, standing tall on the earth!
[??? Is Tyranitar this tanky? Even with timely Mega Evolution, surviving a quadruple-super-effective move? Unscientific!]
[I calculated it—actually close. Sandstorm boosts Rock-types' Sp. Def, plus old Tyranitar's bulk is terrifying. Quadruple weakness isn't that fatal after all.]
[Was this all in your calculations, Teacher Azure???]
Seeing Tyranitar still standing proudly, Aiden breathed a sigh of relief.
To be honest, this move involved some gambling.
He truly didn't want to hand over the hard-earned advantage.
Cynthia excelled at this playstyle. Once securing a favorable position, her suppression was terrifyingly oppressive.
So Aiden chose to trust Tyranitar's tankiness.
And the facts proved he was right.
In the sandstorm, Tyranitar's resistance to special attacks was incredibly strong. Coupled with Aura Sphere's limited base power, the combined damage wasn't as high as imagined.
Unless Cynthia's Togekiss held Choice Specs, there was little chance of one-shotting it. Otherwise, it could only watch Tyranitar Mega Evolve on the spot.
This was also why Tyranitar—despite numerous weaknesses—maintained stable usage before Urshifu's appearance.
With a self-generated sandstorm, it essentially only feared Close Combat and Knock Off. Even quadruple-super-effective Aura Sphere could be tanked physically.
Extremely reliable.
And in non-limited-4 rules, Togekiss's functionality improved qualitatively. Thus, Aiden was almost certain Cynthia wouldn't restrict its moveset with Choice Specs.
Now, victory was within reach—he was ready to counterattack!
"Tyranitar, Stone Edge!"
Aiden commanded decisively.
Togekiss's Fairy+Flying typing made it immune to Ground moves but weak to Rock-type attacks.
And Tyranitar's Stone Edge had more than enough power to be fatal!
With the Sandstorm King's roar, countless rocks were flung skyward by its powerful tail, targeting Togekiss mid-recovery.
Though Togekiss had decent bulk, double super effectiveness combined with Tyranitar's terrifying offensive desire instantly rendered it unable to battle.
The score changed to 2:1.
Aiden breathed another sigh of relief.
Honestly, every time he used Rock-type moves, he felt inexplicable pressure.
Though useful, Rock-type moves rarely had 100% accuracy. Occasionally, critical misses would spike viewers' blood pressure.
If Tyranitar's Stone Edge had missed, it would have died for nothing, turning his entire strategy into a joke...
Meticulous planning ruined by one damn miss, causing total collapse—anyone would rage-quit.
Fortunately today, Lady Luck seemed to be on his side.
[Hiss—counterattacked??? When Aura Sphere hit old Tyranitar earlier, I almost had a heart attack...]
[So cool and powerful—how can there be such a perfect Pokémon? From today, I'm Tyranitar's die-hard fan!!]
[To be fair, would normal people gamble like Teacher Azure—betting the opponent can't kill them? This is too reckless...]
[Rather than gambling, it's more like Teacher Azure's battle memory has become instinct. Precisely because he's confident he won't get one-shot, he dares such risky moves!]
[Fml ts getting me hyped! Teacher Azure the GOAT!]
For Aiden, this "damage-for-life" playstyle was actually rare.
Normally, he preferred more stable strategies with larger score gaps.
But precisely because of this "all-out battle," viewers were now electrified, getting hyped along with him.
Cynthia silently recalled the fallen Togekiss. Aiden did the same simultaneously.
Tyranitar had already exceeded expectations. With sandstorm active, the next to appear was naturally—
The sandstorm team's speed star, the sandstorm ace that kicked Garchomp out, the true ace and team core.
Excadrill!
In sandstorm, Excadrill's Sand Rush ability made its steps unbelievably light.
On Cynthia's side, she quickly sent out her third Pokémon.
The previously seen Milotic—already revealed to hold Flame Orb.
Unlike the earlier situation, Excadrill truly struggled against it. Grass+Poison Roserade would have been much easier to handle.
So this time, Aiden didn't stubbornly persist but decisively rotated.
Replacing it was Wash Rotom.
Facing sandstorm's hard counters, Wash Rotom and Scizor could effectively handle defensive duties while having their own specialties.
For example, Wash Rotom—against Water and Ghost types with few weaknesses—it not only had defensive capabilities but also packed decent-power Thunderbolt and Shadow Ball to threaten opponents' survival space.
However...
This time, Cynthia didn't fall for it.
Aiden openly intended to switch out Excadrill. Cynthia synchronized her command almost simultaneously, calmly ordering—
"Milotic, Dragon Tail!"
Dragon Tail—a less common Dragon-type offensive move.
Its power wasn't outstanding, but its special effect after hitting was incredibly absurd.
Like Whirlwind and Roar, Dragon Tail's force was so great it could forcibly switch the opponent's Pokémon by blowing them off the field.
Thus, just as Wash Rotom entered the field, Milotic's tail sent it flying, forcing another rotation.
Mega Tyranitar—who had already completed its mission—was forced back into action. Facing another type-advantageous Pokémon, its expression grew bewildered.
"Tsk..."
Aiden clicked his tongue inwardly.
To be honest, this wasn't good positioning.
However, as long as it wasn't Excadrill—which Milotic completely countered—he could accept it.
"Milotic, Hydro Pump!"
Cynthia again took the offensive first.
Unlike Aiden's hesitation when using Stone Edge, Cynthia's Hydro Pump command carried no hesitation—completely confident the move wouldn't miss.
And Milotic responded to her trust.
After a deep breath, Milotic unleashed a Hydro Pump directly at Mega Tyranitar on Aiden's field.
Normally, Aiden wouldn't worry much about this move.
But due to the previous damage-for-life trade, Tyranitar's HP wasn't healthy.
Now, whether it could tank another Milotic's Hydro Pump was uncertain.
"Tyranitar, Protect!"
Aiden blurted out.
Just before Hydro Pump connected, Tyranitar's small arms gathered energy, forming a transparent barrier that barely blocked the attack.
Simultaneously, the dual erosion effects of sandstorm and burn activated, making Milotic show signs of struggle.
"Come back, Tyranitar."
Aiden knew well—even with continuous HP loss, for a Pokémon that could use Recover, it was barely a tickle.
Thus, to solve it, he needed to break through directly.
Wash Rotom returned to the field. Cynthia's strategy remained unchanged.
The second Dragon Tail hit Wash Rotom, causing minor damage like spinning a top while forcing it out again.
[What are Teacher Azure and Champion Cynthia doing? I can't understand anymore...]
[Clearly, Cynthia doesn't want to face Rotom. She's using Dragon Tail to force switches. She has no other Pokémon on her backfield that can handle Excadrill now. If Milotic can't deal with it, the game might be over?]
[Ah? Seems true. Spiritomb is useless, Roserade might get one-shot, Lucario could faint anytime and can't outspeed Excadrill...]
[So... is Teacher Azure going to win?]
[Depends on how Milotic is handled. But Teacher Azure must have a solution by now.]
The main issue was Aiden currently had no good way to deal with this Milotic. Wash Rotom—its only counter—would get Dragon Tailed back immediately upon switch-in, randomly pulling up another lucky Pokémon.
Tyranitar was a bit slow, Excadrill couldn't handle it, Skarmory and Scizor's pressure seemed insufficient.
Overall, both sides seemed stuck—unable to make progress against each other.
So he decided to leave everything to the next switch.
The answer soon revealed—
The Pokémon Dragon Tailed onto the field was Skarmory.
Though it had taken Lucario's Aura Sphere earlier, Skarmory's HP was still healthy thanks to Sitrus Berry.
Seeing it, Aiden's eyes immediately lit up.
He'd actually prepared to rotate Wash Rotom multiple times until Skarmory appeared.
After all, Dragon Tail's damage was minimal—barely a tickle for Rotom.
But unexpectedly, the critical turning point came so quickly.
Skarmory's appearance reignited Aiden's hope for a breakthrough.
"Skarmory, Tailwind!"
Aiden commanded almost without hesitation.
What allowed Milotic to pressure Tyranitar?
Clearly, the initiative gained from higher speed.
So besides dealing with troublesome Milotic, was there another solution?
Let Tyranitar outspeed the opponent to severely damage Milotic with Thunder Punch.
This was Aiden's answer.
"Milotic, Hydro Pump!"
Both commanded nearly simultaneously. Due to Milotic's slight speed advantage, its Hydro Pump charged first, targeting Skarmory mid-flight as it stirred strong winds with its wings.
Clearly, trainers who believed their moves wouldn't miss received constant affirmation from their Pokémon.
Hydro Pump connected again, reducing Skarmory's previously healthy HP to a dangerous level.
But as long as it lived, Skarmory could still contribute.
The strong wind from its steel wings formed stable airflow, providing consistent tailwind to Aiden's half-field team while drastically boosting their speed.
Seeing its low HP, Aiden briefly considered letting it use Roost to survive with priority.
But sacrificing for the team was more appropriate at this moment.
So...
"Skarmory, Spikes!"
Aiden commanded decisively.
The earlier Skarmory-Lucario battle ended in mutual destruction.
Based on his observations, Lucario's HP probably couldn't withstand even one layer of Spikes.
Thus, setting these Spikes would completely eliminate its chance of reentering to barely survive.
After all, Tailwind's duration was short. If Cynthia deliberately delayed, she might still force it onto the field.
As for Skarmory...
"Thank you, Skarmory—your voluntary sacrifice is meaningful!"
Aiden saluted, watching Skarmory muster its spirit, scattering its final Spikes from its feathers before being taken out by Milotic's next Scald.
[??? Teacher Azure—I beg you, have a conscience! What 'voluntary sacrifice'? Does Skarmory even agree?]
[It has no choice! For victory, Teacher Azure would even abandon his partners—a pure victory-seeking trainer. This determination—I approve!]
[Online antics are for fun. When challenging gyms offline, you'll see—Teacher Azure was just joking with you. In real matches, such sacrifices never happen...]
The score entered 2:2.
Though the match seemed intense, the outcome was nearly decided.
As Skarmory left the field, the sandstorm Tyranitar had summoned gradually dissipated.
However...
When Aiden sent out Tyranitar again, the clearing weather blurred once more as a yellow sandstorm quickly returned.
"Tyranitar, Thunder Punch!"
With Tailwind's significant speed boost, Mega Tyranitar's move speed would easily surpass Milotic's.
During the earlier back-and-forth, Milotic had repeatedly suffered sandstorm and burn erosion.
Coupled with previous damage, its HP had quietly dropped to a delicate threshold.
Due to the fast-paced rotation, Cynthia found no breathing room for Milotic to use Recover and quickly restore HP.
Thus, Tyranitar's type-advantaged Thunder Punch—even without STAB—would definitely finish it off!
"Come back, Milotic."
Cynthia had no choice but to recall Milotic.
If even Milotic was broken through, there'd be no Pokémon left to stop Excadrill.
Spiritomb replaced it, immediately hindered by Skarmory's final Spikes, losing part of its HP.
Plus Mega Tyranitar's Thunder Punch—the newly entered Spiritomb instantly lost half its HP.
Normally, Spikes were best set early.
But in this match, Aiden never found a good opportunity. Spikes were used only in the final stage.
Fortunately, it still worked—at least making Cynthia's defensive rotations uncomfortable while completely locking Lucario's entry.
As for Spikes removal...
Regardless of whether Cynthia's remaining Pokémon had the ability.
This was already the endgame—victory hinged on a single thought. The opening created to remove Spikes would be even larger.
Unable to clear Spikes, Lucario couldn't enter. With Tailwind's speed boost, Tyranitar posed a huge threat to the other three Pokémon.
The only relatively healthy Roserade couldn't possibly tank Tyranitar's Stone Edge.
As for letting Spiritomb use Destiny Bond to faint with Tyranitar...
Of course, this was possible—and seemingly the best solution now.
But actually, if Tyranitar traded with Spiritomb, another problem would emerge—
Who would handle Excadrill?
Milotic's HP was now very low—likely near its KO threshold. Even with Recover to barely survive, giving it a chance to use Swords Dance would still collapse the position.
Thus, it had become a complete dead end.
Sitting on the sofa, a hint of helplessness flashed across Cynthia's face.
"We seem to be losing."
"Garch?!"
Garchomp didn't fully understand trainer strategies, but one thing was clear—
If this battle against Aiden was lost, it would become the most problematic Pokémon on the team!
Occupying the team's only Mega stone, it only managed a 1-for-1 trade with Aiden's Garchomp—allowing him to send out Mega Tyranitar with greatly enhanced strength...
Though it wasn't its actual battle performance but a game replica, Garchomp still felt guilty.
Am I the mole???
"It's fine—losing to Aiden isn't necessarily bad."
Noticing Garchomp's increasingly distressed expression, Cynthia shook her head, then revealed a cheerful smile.
"Pokémon battles are only interesting with opponents!"
Just a game—victory or defeat wasn't that important to Cynthia.
More important was...
This opportunity might lead to more future sparring sessions with Aiden.
Compared to facing uneven-strength opponents in ranked matches, Aiden's skill was clearly more outstanding, offering more unique insights.
Thinking this, Cynthia smiled again.
The next few minutes entered garbage time.
First, the lingering Spiritomb used Destiny Bond to force a 1-for-1 with Tyranitar;
Then, Excadrill faced Milotic again.
The plot unfolded nearly as Cynthia had anticipated.
Unable to do otherwise, she commanded Milotic to continuously use Recover. Meanwhile, Excadrill seized the opportunity to complete Swords Dance.
Even with Milotic's Haze to clear stat boosts—
Both being meticulous top-tier trainers, neither would easily give the opponent an opening.
Before Haze triggered, the fully boosted Excadrill used its terrifying speed to strike first with Earthquake, eliminating this troublesome giant.
As for Roserade...
Facing a fully Swords Dance-boosted Excadrill, it was merely a matter of Iron Head finishing it off.
Lucario, the final Pokémon, lived up to expectations. Under Aiden's watchful eyes, it stepped on the Spikes and its HP vanished instantly.
[Damn, it even got ingrown toenails. Lucario's acting skills are impressive!]
[Woah, Teacher Azure actually won???]
[This match has meaning. Both sides know each other well—though the battle was tumultuous, the process was incredibly smooth. Match of the year—no doubt about it!]
[Excadrill? Garchomp's boss! No wonder Teacher Azure abandoned Garchomp, using this Pokémon as the Sandstorm core. There's definitely meaning behind it!]
[Excadrill: What sandstorm brother are you? Get a Sand Rush ability first!]
The match ended. Final score 6:3.
The score didn't seem close, but every step in the process was perilous.
Even though Cynthia seemed to have opportunities to reverse the disadvantage, Aiden's meticulous defense ultimately completely locked down her tactics.
A satisfying victory.
Now the only question was...
Staring at the prominent victory icon on screen, Aiden's expression showed no relaxation—his brows furrowed even deeper.
After winning against cute Cynthia in-game... should he really be happy about it?
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