For the next hour, Aiden stubbornly reused the tactic that had tormented Giovanni for nearly ten minutes—a strategy "certified" by a master—to test if he could break a few more opponents.
Yet——
In subsequent matches, Aiden suffered defeat after defeat.
"Nani?! How did your Drifblim—with no hands, no wings—use Knock Off?!"
"Whoa! Kricketune's most useful episode ever—you sang Perish Song?! Fine, take the win!"
"And this——you even thought of Amoonguss with Worry Seed? Okay, that one's actually standard."
"Great. So tonight's double battles queue was just a sniper squad targeting me!"
Even Aiden couldn't withstand the relentless assault from these formidable opponents. He retreated in defeat.
The reason? Simple.
This tactic relied purely on mechanics. While it seemed to create an invincible monster, its weaknesses were glaringly obvious.
With zero team synergy, the "Unbreakable Cicada" tactic had only one win condition: if countered, GG.
And since Pokémon Champions imposed no move limits, opponents packing unconventional counters turned this clever gimmick into a liability.
Honestly—anyone with half a brain could find multiple solutions.
Thus, Aiden rarely became the "Point-Distributing Santa," filling his stream with laughter.
[Hehe—Teacher Azure, karma's a dish best served live! Time for us to take revenge!]
[Teacher Azure: Fine, fine—you were supposed to brainstorm counters, not use them against ME!]
[Love this! More clips of Teacher Azure getting humbled—edit them for bedtime rewatching!]
[Happy? These are your star students, Teacher Azure~]
After another loss, with 7:30 PM nearing, Aiden merely shook his head at the chat's "in-your-face" taunts.
Truthfully—he felt pleased.
If viewers' minds sharpened this fast, didn't that prove he taught well? His students were nearly starving their own teacher!
Anyway—it was the season's end. Giving away some points? No big deal.
"You've all improved impressively——"
"But there's one thing you'll never beat me at!"
Before viewers could spam "???", Aiden cut the stream. Screens went black.
[??? Oh! He meant ending streams fast! Yeah, nobody beats you there——]
[Pfft—I thought it was that kind of "fast"——Anyway, preemptive sympathy for Champion Cynthia~]
[SHOCKING! Teacher Azure admits live: "I'm the world's fastest man!"]
[Fam—see you at midnight! Logging off!]
——
Monday, 12:00 AM Paldea Time
After days away, Aiden finally remembered his role as the Tactics Instructor—and uploaded a new video on time.
"Fake Invincibility? The Rock-Hard Sturdy Shedinja!"
Students who'd "eaten dinner" during the stream now swarmed in, hungry for one last "midnight snack."
[Live witness: Teacher Azure won two matches tonight. Took a massive point hit~]
[But today's victim? Viridian Gym Leader Giovanni! Matched too early—suffered the consequences!]
[TLDR: Teacher Azure confessed to being #1 in speed!]
Instantly, the video flooded with danmaku. Then Aiden's voice echoed from screens:
"Hello students! I'm your not-so-new-anymore streamer—Azure Wings."
——
"Today's tactic: Sturdy Shedinja, theoretically immune to all direct damage!"
"Though honestly—don't try this in real battles. Teacher Azure got absolutely wrecked~"
His opener had slightly changed.
But not much.
Four core Pokémon appeared on screen as Aiden explained:
"The logic is simple: exploit Shedinja's innate 1 HP to grant it Sturdy—making it ignore lethal hits."
"But Skill Swap can't transfer Shedinja's inherent Wonder Guard. So how?"
"Easy: Entrainment shares the Ability."
He circled two Pokémon: Audino and Lopunny.
"But wait—we need Sturdy. They don't have it!"
"Solution? Find a Pokémon with both Sturdy and Skill Swap."
"As it turns out—one exists."
Carbink's role was revealed.
"Thus—via Skill Swap + Entrainment—we create an 'invincible' Shedinja——"
"??"
The screen shifted—not to Shedinja crushing Giovanni, but to counters from later matches.
"I've said it before: no tactic is truly unsolvable. Not even Sturdy Shedinja."
"Viewers offered brilliant solutions—most defeated this tactic with creativity."
"So I'm genuinely proud of your growth under Teacher Azure's guidance~"
The "here-for-the-lols" crowd fell silent—then grew suspicious:
[Teacher Azure…being so sentimental? Not your style! A dirty-tactic master elevating the theme?!]
[Tears! Could this positive-streamer really be the one who invented Spore, Prankster, and all those troll tactics?!]
[Teacher Azure—ever wonder why we had to "grow"? If we don't hustle, your dirty tactics make Pokémon battles unplayable!]
[TEACHER AZURE HAS DONE ALL THE DIRTY WORK!!!]
Aiden hadn't anticipated this vibe—but thankfully, he'd kept the video short. He swiftly jumped to the summary:
"Many counters exist. Here's a quick recap—extra interaction beyond the stream~"
He pulled up a powerpoint. A basic skill for any Pokémon streamer.
"Abilities first: Mold Breaker ignores Sturdy outright. Weezing's Neutralizing Gas works similarly."
"Moves: Roar, Perish Song, Destiny Bond, Leech Seed, Curse, Bind—any forced removal tactic."
"Alternative: Swap its Ability. Skill Swap, Worry Seed—common solutions."
"Target its support: Knock Off or Thief to remove Safety Goggles. Or disrupt the Thunder Wave user."
"Other methods? Teacher Azure's out of ideas. You keep researching~"
The video ended abruptly.
In comments, viewers debated further:
[Seriously—does a counter exist that Teacher Azure missed?]
[Like——use Teacher Azure's old trick: Taunt + Disable to force struggle death?]
[Hah! You're a genius!]
[Behold—the "top student" of Teacher Azure's stream! Born for dirty tactics!]
[——Wait… are you insulting me?]
Harmony filled the chat and comments.
——
Meanwhile
As Aiden slept, Kanto welcomed dawn.
Blue—en route to Viridian Gym for his trial—received a pop-up:
[Your followed streamer "Azure Wings" uploaded a new video!]
?
Blue blinked, checked the time, and sighed:
"Right… it's Monday again."
"Spending so long at Viridian Gym… I've lost track of days——"
Recalling Giovanni's "special training," Blue felt tears welling.
Why did Kanto—seemingly average in strength—suddenly spike in difficulty the moment I started my journey?!
Every Gym Leader had unique tricks. And Giovanni—the strongest—used full power against a rookie——
HOW IS THIS FAIR?!
Yet… he needed this.
If he earned all eight Badges by challenging weaker Leaders, he'd be cannon fodder against the Elite Four.
Fail Giovanni's trial? Forget defeating the Elite Four… forget surpassing Red to lead Kanto!
Thinking of losing to Red——
Blue's resolve ignited.
Giovanni's just a hurdle. I'll clear it easily!
Gritting his teeth, Blue locked his phone—skipping Teacher Azure's tactics lesson.
I'll watch after beating Giovanni today!!!
He entered the Viridian Gym.
The Rocket-turned-Gym attendant waved him in, thinking:
The Boss's mood's grim today—silent, face like thunder. Will this kid survive?
His resilience impressed the Boss… which means expectations are even higher. Hope he's okay…
Blue reached the battlefield. Giovanni stood waiting.
"You're here."
Uncharacteristically, Giovanni spoke first—turning with a polite smile.
Yet Blue shivered.
Why does this "friendly" gesture feel like stepping into hell?
"The Kangaskhan tactic? You've endured enough. Breaking it is just a matter of time."
Giovanni's smirk turned provocative.
"From your 'Teacher Azure,' I learned raw power has limits."
"For a Champion aspirant like you? Matching my Pokémon's physical strength isn't enough. You must expand your mind—see Pokémon battles' infinite possibilities."
"So… ready for something more interesting?"
Giovanni rarely spoke this much. Clearly pleased.
But Blue's expression tightened.
Meaning——he's swapping tactics to torture me again?
Yet he couldn't refuse.
To become Champion, he must grow further.
"Bring it on!"
Blue flashed a fierce grin, Poké Ball in hand.
"My Pokémon and I? Our growth is nowhere near its limit, old man!"
"—Is that so?"
Giovanni's smile vanished. His eyes gleamed with amusement.
"Then begin."
"Lesson Two starts now, Blue kid."
"Go—Shedinja!"
——
Ten minutes later.
"Damn it——IMPOSSIBLE!"
Staring at the "monster" enduring relentless assaults yet standing firm, despair flooded Blue.
This is the "infinite possibility" Giovanni meant?
So bizarre!
A straight-laced Kanto Gym Leader… why does this feel like Teacher Azure's vibe?!
Did he learn this from Teacher Azure too?!
——
Remembering the video notification, Blue laughed bitterly.
Teacher Azure… I'm seriously begging you. Call off your powers!
The entire Kanto Gym Leader roster seems contaminated by you!!!
"Is this all your resolve?"
Giovanni's voice cut through the silence, laced with disappointment.
"If you face such an opponent on the path to Champion… will you surrender now?"
"Fail this trial? Forget being the Kanto Champion."
His words struck Blue like lightning.
Defeat gnawed at him—but a spark of defiance reignited.
No… this can't be the end!
Teacher Azure said: no perfect tactic exists. Even this Shedinja has a weakness!!!
Blue calmed. He scanned his remaining Pokémon:
Arcanine. Charizard. Rhydon. And——Alakazam?
Wait.
"Alakazam—Trick! Swap your Spoon for Shedinja's Safety Goggles!"
"Rhydon—Sandstorm!"
Command issued, Blue smiled at Giovanni's suddenly stiff expression.
"Take this, Boss Giovanni!"
"This is our final struggle!!!"
Alakazam's Psychic snatched Shedinja's Safety Goggles. Rhydon churned the arena into a gritty haze.
For most Pokémon, sand damage was trivial.
But for Shedinja? Fatal.
As Shedinja collapsed, Giovanni's shock melted into reluctant approval.
"Not bad."
"But——you're still far from ready."
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