Faced with Caitlin's glaringly obvious Trick Room team lineup, Aiden didn't need much deliberation to decide his starting Pokémon.
It seemed that Psychic-type users particularly favored Trick Room teams, likely because this move could produce remarkable effects in certain situations...
However, in front of Aiden, Caitlin's Trick Room strategy was like that of a rookie.
The reason was simple—
With the Trick Room team, there were few Pokémon capable of outspeeding Aiden's Sunny Day team captain, Torkoal, and it was clearly impossible for Caitlin to achieve this.
Therefore, Aiden could confidently send out Torkoal as his starter.
Moreover, its Fire-type moves had significant counter-effects on Caitlin's two damage dealers, Bronzong and Metagross.
As for the other starter, Aiden didn't hesitate long before deciding.
He abandoned Charizard, who had dominated singles ranked battles with explosive firepower, and swiftly locked onto the more functionally versatile Incineroar.
The backline consisted of Charizard and Venusaur.
Since the opponent had no Water-type Pokémon, Lapras unsurprisingly fell out of favor.
As for Scovillain, its role somewhat overlapped with Venusaur, so it wasn't chosen either.
After locking in the Pokémon to be used in this match, Aiden didn't forget to explain the opponent's strategy once more to the audience.
"Judging by Caitlin's obvious Trick Room team lineup, I'm guessing she'll use Metagross and Gallade as attackers, while Bronzong and Gothitelle will serve as the Trick Room setter and support roles."
"The other one, Reuniclus, is decent both as an offensive or defensive Trick Room user."
"As for Sableye, although it can't use Trick Room, it has its own indispensable supportive functions."
"I'm not entirely sure about her starters—I personally lean toward this old woman stepping up to control the field with Shadow Tag. As for the other one... it might be Reuniclus?"
Aiden pondered for a moment, his tone becoming increasingly certain.
[Old woman... Is that referring to Caitlin? What kind of weird title is that?LOL hilarious but strangely fitting!]
[Azure has unleashed his signature skill again—his godlike predictive ability. Looks like he's getting serious, truly the slayer of cuteness!]
Bronzong and Metagross were Steel/Psychic types, placing them at a clear disadvantage against the Sunny Day team.
Unless Caitlin's Bronzong had the Heatproof ability, it was unlikely to debut...
Gothitelle, Caitlin's real-life ace, excelled in controlling the field with Shadow Tag upon entry. Its Fake Out paired with the Shadow Tag/Perish Song combo was also a specialty, which couldn't be ignored.
As for Reuniclus, though versatile, the tactics it could employ weren't numerous.
Besides it, Metagross and Gallade mainly relied on physical attack power, facing immense pressure from Incineroar's Intimidate ability.
Metagross was manageable; the common Clear Body ability made it hard for opponents to lower its stats.
But Gallade...
Unless Mega Evolution granted it the Inner Focus ability, it should just stick with Sharpness and be intimidated by the Tiger God!
And this was naturally impossible in the current version since Pokémon Champion hadn't implemented Mega Evolution yet...
Both sides quickly finalized their lineups, and a tall arena appeared on the screen. Aiden and Caitlin's virtual avatars each took their positions at the battlefield.
As their determined gazes met, four Poké Balls were swiftly tossed, and both sides' starter Pokémon made their dazzling entrances.
Unexpectedly, Caitlin's Pokémon appeared first, and Aiden only guessed half correctly this time.
Her ace, Gothitelle, did start, but the other Pokémon was a floating Bronzong with a sinister smile.
Upon landing, Gothitelle's shadow quickly merged into a mass, slowly expanding towards Aiden's side of the field.
Only a handful of Pokémon possessed the Shadow Tag ability, enabling this feat.
[Wow, Azure actually failed a prediction?]
[Come on, Teacher Azure must have done it on purpose. I think he's just afraid everyone will find out he can foresee the future, so he intentionally guessed wrong!]
[No need for that; the opponent isn't weak either. Miss Caitlin is an elite trainer preparing to challenge the Elite Four position in Unova—it's quite normal not to predict correctly.]
Undoubtedly, Caitlin was a formidable opponent.
At least this time, her prediction slightly outperformed his.
As long as Gothitelle stepped onto the field and used Shadow Tag, Aiden's Pokémon would immediately be locked, unable to switch directly.
Her decision to bring out Bronzong under Sunny Day conditions quickly confirmed Aiden's suspicions—
Could it really be the Heatproof ability?
Bronzong had two decent abilities: Heatproof and Levitate, both of which could negate one of its weaknesses.
In practice, since it could float using magnetic fields, avoiding some Ground-type move damage, Aiden guessed Caitlin likely chose Heatproof based on this logic...
Hm, then it perfectly countered his Sunny Day team.
This could be considered intelligent matchmaking, right?
If it were another slightly weaker water friend, Aiden wouldn't be so sure if there was deception involved.
But with Caitlin as the opponent, it was almost certain this Bronzong had the Heatproof ability.
Given her solid skills and the generally sharp minds of Psychic users, she wouldn't dare face the Sunny Day team's firepower under type disadvantage!
However, even though it was slightly unexpected, Aiden quickly revealed a confident smile.
With the appearance of his two Pokémon, the game dynamics immediately shifted.
The Drought-ability Torkoal, upon landing, instantly brightened the sunlight above, noticeably increasing the screen brightness.
The weather changed to intense sunlight.
As for Incineroar, it immediately flashed an evil grin after landing.
Though hidden from view due to its back facing the screen, from the reactions of Gothitelle and Bronzong, they were clearly intimidated by its Intimidate ability.
"The Intimidate ability might have average effects in singles, but it's extremely powerful in doubles."
"The reason is simple—it can simultaneously intimidate two of the opponent's Pokémon, affecting any physical attackers!"
After briefly explaining, the countdown to battle began ticking down.
The battle was imminent.
"Incineroar/Gothitelle, Fake Out!"
At the end of the countdown, Aiden and Caitlin simultaneously commanded different Pokémon to use the same move.
Aiden's Incineroar targeted Bronzong, while Gothitelle targeted...
Incineroar!
Fake Out itself was a surprise move that exploited the unprepared state upon entry to intimidate the opponent. The speed of execution was incredibly fast.
And Gothitelle, being slightly faster than Incineroar, managed to catch up instantly before Incineroar could act, stunning it with a slap.
[Hahaha, Teacher Azure, you've met your match today! In gym challenges, Tiger God slapped many Pokémon!]
[Really, I don't believe for a second that Caitlin hasn't watched Teacher Azure's streams—this move is way too practiced...]
[Such decisive command, directly anticipating Teacher Azure's actions—even among the many "students" in Teacher Azure's live stream, she'd be considered a high achiever!]
Seeing this, Aiden wasn't worried.
This was just a probing move. Even if Gothitelle's Fake Out controlled Tiger God, the damage inflicted was negligible.
Moreover, his Torkoal hadn't acted yet.
Since Caitlin didn't choose to set up Trick Room in this initial exchange, what he needed to do was simple.
Shadow Tag's effect was indeed terrifying in battle. Once a Pokémon's shadow was locked by Gothitelle, it couldn't be recalled through conventional means.
This almost game-breaking ability, altering the fundamental logic of Pokémon battles, was possessed by only a few Pokémon—even certain Litwick died in development...
This indirectly proved how powerful the ability was.
However, Aiden had prepared some "unconventional means."
"Torkoal, Yawn!"
Torkoal yawned as a friendly gesture.
The target was obviously Gothitelle, which had Shadow Tag.
As a softer control move, Yawn would make the opponent gradually fall asleep.
Once affected, the Pokémon would soon succumb to drowsiness and collapse, leaving it vulnerable.
Simply put, it transferred the choice of switching out to Caitlin.
Not recalling Gothitelle would soon result in losing a combat-ready Pokémon;
If choosing to withdraw, Aiden could conveniently proceed with normal setup.
"Bronzong, Rock Slide!"
Seeing this, Caitlin immediately followed up with her command.
Bronzong didn't interrupt Torkoal's ability. Even opening Trick Room now, Torkoal still had some initiative advantage, at least faster than Gothitelle.
Thus, she decided to take a chance, hoping to flinch Torkoal with Rock Slide.
This was the main reason Aiden thought the Sunny Day team had little problem against Trick Room teams.
Because the initiative remained in his hands.
As a weather setter, Torkoal had both output capability and control moves. Without the restriction of four-move rules in battle, its advantages were further amplified...
If Trick Room were activated, the first-move flamethrower plus Incineroar's considerable output would leave Caitlin's side with no Pokémon able to withstand it.
So Caitlin's thinking was correct.
For now, not activating Trick Room at least allowed Gothitelle to seize the initiative.
As both sides' commands fell, Bronzong first threw countless shards of rock.
Unfortunately, its already mediocre output was further reduced by Incineroar's Intimidate, causing minimal damage.
Even with type advantage, it barely scratched Incineroar and Torkoal's HP.
Without the Serene Grace ability, it failed to trigger Rock Slide's flinch effect.
After blocking the attack with its sturdy shell, Torkoal finally faced no obstruction and immediately aimed at Gothitelle, exhaling a cloudy white mist.
Soon, Gothitelle's eyelids began twitching, looking ready to fall asleep at any moment.
To this, the barrage commented:
[Standard operation. Azure using relatively clean moves like Yawn makes me too lazy to even complain...]
[Exactly. I could guess Teacher Azure definitely had this tactic in mind, so it's no surprise at all!]
[Wait, why didn't the opponent activate Trick Room? Isn't this a Trick Room team...]
[Upstairs, if Trick Room activates, Torkoal would dominate the field. Of course, they can't activate it!]
[Did Bronzong skip breakfast? Rock Slide's power is too low!]
[I feel like starting with Metagross might be better, delivering a Body Press to instantly KO Incineroar!]
[Then get swapped out? Don't underestimate Azure's damage. Metagross can't withstand Torkoal's terrifying power...]
Thanks to Aiden's efforts, the audience's level clearly improved qualitatively.
Without any explanation from him, the barrage quickly discussed both sides' strategies thoroughly.
Soon, the second round of command clashes began.
"Come back, Gothitelle!"
As the advantaged side, Caitlin naturally chose a more conservative decision.
After all, once Gothitelle withdrew, the sleep effect would dissipate automatically, making the loss acceptable for her.
But stubbornly staying on the field to endure these two Pokémon's output would incur a higher cost.
Even holding defensively to stay on the field was meaningless. A sleeping Gothitelle equaled one less Pokémon on the field, turning the situation into a 2v1 disadvantage.
As Gothitelle withdrew, the shadow dominating the ground instantly receded, significantly reducing Aiden's pressure.
Aiden also decisively made a substitution.
Venusaur, one of Kanto's starter trio with Grass/Poison typing, entered the field.
Caitlin's side replaced Gothitelle with Gallade, the main attacker.
"Incineroar, Taunt!"
"Bronzong, Protect!"
Both sides' next commands came out almost simultaneously.
Since the only slow Pokémon in Aiden's team had withdrawn, activating Trick Room now would yield high returns.
Thus, Aiden couldn't let Caitlin have her way.
As a Fire/Dark-type Pokémon, Tiger God could use moves like Fire Fang besides Flamethrower, along with Knock Off and Taunt, which had good effects.
Although its usage rate in his past life wasn't particularly high, the main reason was...
It could learn too many moves, and other moves were equally useful—there simply weren't enough slots!
Protect was generally required in doubles, right? The highly effective control move Fake Out had to be included, along with Parting Shot/U-turn enhancing harassment capabilities, and Roar/Flamethrower each had their benefits.
Where was there room for Knock Off...
Besides, Z-Crystals and Mega Stones couldn't be knocked off anyway!
Taunt was similar. In most cases, Tiger God didn't need to bear the responsibility of taunting in the team.
Unless items like the Covert Cloak or Mental Herb, specifically targeting Tiger God, appeared, Incineroar's moveset was relatively fixed.
However, even under such targeting, Incineroar continued to dominate the usage charts...
Who wouldn't say:
Tiger God!
Unfortunately...
This time, Caitlin actually successfully predicted Aiden's thoughts.
Behind the Protect barrier, watching Incineroar's Taunt coldly, Bronzong remained unmoved.
After a series of operations, both sides essentially experienced nothing happening.
"Gallade, Sacred Sword!"
Seizing the opportunity, Caitlin immediately launched a strong attack.
Since Incineroar debuted early, its Intimidate ability hadn't affected Gallade, so its move power was unaffected.
Sacred Sword was already powerful, and combined with Sharpness and type advantage...
Incineroar would struggle to withstand it.
"Incineroar, Protect."
Aiden didn't stubbornly resist, immediately commanding it to block the opponent's move with Protect.
Simultaneously, he quickly spoke again—
"Venusaur, Earth Power!"
Having basically deduced Bronzong's Heatproof ability, Aiden needed to start applying pressure.
Though Bronzong's sturdy frame meant Earth Power wouldn't be fatal, under type disadvantage, it would still drain a significant amount of HP.
Caitlin seemed to have anticipated this—
Though Bronzong had just used Protect, she prepared a special move to minimize damage.
"Bronzong, Ally Switch!"
Upon hearing Caitlin's command, Aiden first froze, then instinctively blurted out:
"Nani? Ally Switch too?"
This move was something he knew inside out...
Ally Switch, a Psychic-type move, used mysterious powers to instantly swap positions between itself and a teammate.
At first glance, it seemed useless, but being an instant move gave it considerable priority...
In some situations, the synergy effect formed by this move was surprisingly good.
For instance, now.
Even as slow as Bronzong, using this move was faster than Venusaur triggered by Chlorophyll, instantly swapping places with teammate Gallade.
By the time Venusaur's move was executed, it obviously couldn't change direction anymore.
After Venusaur's Earth Power locked onto the enemy position, it soon struck Gallade, but the effect was rather average given Gallade's excellent Special Defense.
[Whoa, what kind of move is this? Azure looks stunned...]
[Azure, you've met your match today, hahaha!]
[Azure, what kind of move is Ally Switch?]
It wasn't surprising that chat didn't understand this move, even Aiden didn't react immediately.
In the Pokémon world, purely auxiliary moves like Ability Swap or Ally Switch were niches within niches, practically useless outside of doubles, so no one bothered to study them.
However...
Psychic users were typically all Doubles experts, so it made sense for Caitlin to think of Ally Switch.
"How could there be such a dirty move as Ally Switch!"
Aiden sighed helplessly.
Currently, the situation looked unfavorable for him.
This Ally Switch let the opponent successfully defuse danger. Aiden now needed to consider whether she would replicate that operation again.
However...
No big deal!
At worst, I'll only use AOE moves later!
"Gallade, Sacred Sword."
For Caitlin, the advantage was already quite large, so she directly chose to repeat her previous tactic, aiming to end the battle as steadily as possible without giving the opponent any chances.
While issuing commands, she decisively recalled Bronzong.
Rather than staying on the field to set up Trick Room, sending out Gothitelle to continue Shadow Tag would further expand the advantage.
Noticing her action, Aiden immediately raised an eyebrow and followed suit.
"Come back, Incineroar."
With the Old Woman's Shadow Tag lurking in the backfield, if Aiden still didn't react, all those years of battling would have been for nothing...
After recalling Incineroar, the roaring Charizard emerged from its Poké Ball.
Unsurprisingly, Caitlin sent out Gothitelle.
Shadow Tag activated again, locking the shadows of Aiden's two Pokémon, while Gallade charged forward with a hand blade.
However, for a Fire/Flying-type Charizard, this move was somewhat...
Painful, very painful!
Sharpness-enhanced Gallade wasn't joking around. This ability genuinely increased the power of cutting moves by 50%.
Thus, even though Flying-types resisted Fighting moves, this slash directly wore down nearly 70% of Charizard's HP.
From its sudden drop in HP after using the move, it was evident that Caitlin's Gallade even carried a Life Orb to further boost its lethality.
Had there been Stealth Rocks on the field, Charizard might have instantly fainted...
Fortunately, it was just a fatal wound—no big deal!
After Gallade's action, Aiden quickly spoke again—
"Venusaur, Knock Off!"
Seizing the opportunity of Gothitelle entering the field, Venusaur nimbly stepped up and extended its vine whip, directly striking Gothitelle's body.
Yes, Venusaur could learn Knock Off.
Though its physical attack power was mediocre, Dark-type moves countered Psychic-type Gothitelle, and the opponent's held item further boosted Knock Off's power, dealing nearly half of Gothitelle's HP in damage.
Meanwhile, it knocked away Gothitelle's Sitrus Berry, which Venusaur promptly crushed underfoot.
Witnessing this scene, viewers began commenting:
[Hiss—, are there ten thousand mind tricks combined from both sides? Why does everyone deceive so well...]
[I'm starting to lose track of what they're doing. Anyway, they're incredible...]
[Is this still Pokémon battling? It feels like every step of their tactics exceeds my expectations...]
[If you could predict that, Azure's reputation would be ruined...]
[It's rare to see Teacher Azure in such a suppressed situation. Will Miss Caitlin succeed in her revenge?]
Judging from the situation, Aiden's side was indeed heavily targeted.
Charizard entered KO range upon entry, and Venusaur's attack didn't yield great results. Looking at the field, it was a total loss.
But Aiden quickly revealed a confident smile.
A mere 70% HP? Giving it away for free isn't a problem!
For Caitlin's Trick Room team, the crucial Trick Room move hadn't been used due to various reasons.
Thus, having completed the rotation flawlessly, Aiden had almost secured victory in advance!
Under Sunny Day conditions, Aiden's Charizard and Venusaur clearly outsped opponents, ensuring stable initiative unless Caitlin activated Trick Room.
Therefore, even being Shadow Tagged again posed no issue. Initiative was firmly in his grasp.
Now, the key point of both sides' final gamble lay in—
Will you activate Trick Room or not?
Gothitelle, having just debuted, regained the ability to use Fake Out again to control the field. But using this move would prevent timely activation of Trick Room.
As the team's damage dealer, surely Gallade couldn't waste a turn to activate Trick Room...
However, Aiden quickly made the choice for her—
"Venusaur, Solar Beam!"
Upon receiving the command, Venusaur immediately turned its gaze to Gothitelle. With a menacing look, the giant flower on its back began accumulating sunlight energy, instantly forming a powerful beam!
"Gothitelle, Protect!"
Caitlin reacted immediately.
Using Fake Out to control the field at this point was meaningless. Preserving Shadow Tag was the top priority.
Who knew what kind of configuration Aiden's Venusaur and Charizard had?
If both were full offense setups, Solar Beam + Heat Wave would leave Gothitelle unable to withstand regardless of which was hit.
Thus, she could only rely on Protect to endure a round.
Simultaneously, she swiftly retaliated.
"Gallade, Sacred Sword!"
Another Sacred Sword move, targeting Charizard, whose remaining HP was quite delicate.
"Charizard, Protect."
With a casual command from Aiden, both sides again experienced no events.
Time ticked by, but the intense sunlight showed no signs of ending, evidently lasting a while longer.
The perilous round earlier was successfully dragged out by Caitlin.
But what about the next?
Knowing Gothitelle had already used Protect, Aiden decisively issued a command—
"Charizard, Heat Wave!"
With wings flapping, a heat wave instantly surged towards Caitlin's half-field.
"Gallade, Gothitelle, Protect!"
Heat Wave was an area-of-effect move; even Ally Switch couldn't prevent damage to both Pokémon.
Her Gallade carried a Life Orb, and Aiden's Charizard did too.
Caitlin, who had peeked at the live stream, was well aware of how terrifying Charizard was under Sunny Day conditions, so she could only gamble at this point.
Good news: she succeeded.
The probability of consecutive Protects, approximately 1/3, gave Caitlin a breather.
But...
What difference did it make.
Since it was a standard fast-paced Sunny Day team, Aiden's Torkoal carried Heat Rock, greatly extending the duration of Sunny Day conditions.
Even stalling momentarily did nothing to change the overall situation.
Initiative wasn't on Caitlin's side, so she found herself in a quite passive position.
Moreover, with both Pokémon having used Protect, she had no resistance against the upcoming continuous bombardment of Heat Wave + Solar Beam.
Facing the ferocious assault, Gothitelle and Gallade successively fell.
The score thus reached 2:0.
Seeing this familiar scene, Caitlin couldn't help but furrow her brows slightly.
Had she... strayed too far again?
In a 6v6 singles mode, this score might still offer some hope.
But now it was Doubles. With only two Pokémon left on the field, Caitlin had no room to maneuver.
Without Trick Room, the incoming Reuniclus and Bronzong had no fighting chance.
Kanto's two starter trio members gathered under Sunny Day conditions, vividly showcasing the importance of speed to the audience.
Even if Caitlin endured the damage to forcefully activate Trick Room, it was too late.
With stable initiative gained through pulling and explosive firepower, the terrifying suppression of the Sunny Day team was fully demonstrated in Aiden's hands.
With another terrifying Heat Wave from Charizard, Caitlin's two Pokémon on the field were soon bombarded down by Aiden's exaggerated firepower.
And Charizard, due to continuous move usage, suffered backlash from the Life Orb. Already low on HP, it collapsed alongside them.
The score quickly settled at 4:1.
Thus, Aiden effortlessly pocketed this victory.
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