After a quick glance at Iono's lineup, Qingyu already had a basic idea of how she would play.
Kilowattrel, Electivire, Bellibolt, Electrode, Luxray, and Mismagius.
"A standard monotype Gym Leader lineup. Not that I'm in any position to criticize."
Iono's team was extremely fast overall. Against his comparatively sluggish steel legion, her core strategy would inevitably be to seize the initiative and launch a swift offensive.
In the Pokémon world, every type had its own distinct characteristics.
The defining trait of Electric-types was speed.
There might be a few slow Pokémon among them, but their overall speed was downright absurd.
Speed was the one thing no martial art could overcome, and a certain electric pillar that had pushed the speed arms race into the stratosphere was the finest example.
Although Electric-type attacks weren't super effective against Steel-types, Electric-types firmly resisted Steel-type attacks.
Judging by typing alone, Qingyu was clearly at a slight disadvantage.
"But that's no big deal."
Qingyu nodded and quickly settled on his lead.
Once they entered the Battle Court, both trainers' virtual avatars threw out a Poké Ball.
Qingyu once again led with Skarmory, its body gleaming silver-white and its gaze sharp.
On Iono's side, a black-and-gold bird also hovered in the air. Sparks flickered across the electric sac beneath its beak as it swelled with each breath.
[Still leading with Skarmory against an Electric-type Gym Leader? Aren't you being a little too predictable, streamer?]
[You're not throwing the match, are you? Don't let that wicked woman cloud your judgment! You're a man aiming for Master Ball tier!]
[I won't let you call Iono wicked. She's my sweet little wife~]
[Anyone got dark yellow piss? Hurry up and wake this guy up. Don't let him taste anything sweet!]
"Skarmory, Stealth Rock."
Qingyu had no time to pay attention to the chat, which had instantly gone off the rails. He gave his command decisively.
Although Skarmory had performed very well earlier, it clearly wouldn't have much room to shine in this match.
Rather than saving it for the end, he might as well send it out at the start to contribute to the team.
As a sacrificial lead, getting two layers of hazards down would count as a success.
As Skarmory spread its wings, preparing to leave a little gift on the opponent's side of the field, Kilowattrel opposite it made the same motion.
"Kilowattrel, Tailwind!"
Hearing the command in that cute, girlish voice, Qingyu raised an eyebrow.
You call me predictable? Isn't Iono even more predictable than I am?
My team obviously can't outspeed hers, yet she's still wasting time and letting me lay another layer of hazards...
"You're really giving me that?"
Naturally, Qingyu wouldn't pass up such a free opportunity. Immediately after Stealth Rock, he ordered Skarmory to add a layer of Ground Spikes.
As the Ground Spikes scattered across the ground, Kilowattrel's attack arrived.
"Electro Ball!"
The lightning-fast Kilowattrel gathered a ball of terrifying voltage. It struck Skarmory precisely in an instant, accompanied by the sharp crackle of electricity.
As everyone knew, Skarmory was an excellent physical wall.
But against an Electric-type Pokémon that specialized in special attacks and had a type advantage over it, its bulk really didn't seem sufficient... did it?
Well, it was actually sufficient in one sense.
The instant the move hit, the HP bar above Skarmory's head nearly emptied outright.
But it didn't fall.
"Sturdy is still very useful in battle, especially for a utility Skarmory whose job is to set hazards."
Qingyu nodded.
At the same time, the damage from that Electro Ball gave him a rough idea of this Kilowattrel's build.
Skarmory had practically come out of that owing two extra lives. Its Ability had to be Wind Power.
Kilowattrel's signature Ability put it into a charged state when it was hit by a wind move or when Tailwind was used on its side of the field.
Tailwind already increased Electro Ball's power, and being charged doubled the damage of its next Electric-type move on top of that.
That would explain why Iono had chosen to open with Tailwind.
Still, since the attack was going to empty its HP bar either way, the excess damage didn't really mean anything.
Even after clinging to life thanks to Sturdy, Skarmory could do little against Kilowattrel. After laying one final layer of Ground Spikes, it honorably completed its mission.
[It got plenty of hazards down, but giving Skarmory away like that still feels like it'll come back to bite you, streamer...]
[Matches between Gym Leaders really are more exciting. In those one-sided stomps earlier, it felt like the streamer didn't even have to think.]
[Tsk, losing the first point really hurts. Why do I feel like he's going to lose?]
"Tailwind, huh..."
After muttering to himself, Qingyu sent out his next key Pokémon without hesitation.
It was a plain, ancient-looking Bronzong, its surface marked by the passage of time.
"Domain expansion-"
"Trick Room, activate!"
The instant Bronzong appeared, it released a psychic field at Qingyu's command.
A strange space of psychic energy gradually spread from its body across the entire battlefield.
Kilowattrel, which had been preparing to repeat its previous attack and gather another Electro Ball, was soon enveloped in psychic energy. Its speed instantly dropped to an astonishing crawl.
As a battle-hardened player with years of experience, how could Qingyu possibly not know his own team's weaknesses?
But precisely because moves like Trick Room existed, being slow was by no means a disadvantage in battle.
Within the mysterious Trick Room, the effect of speed was completely reversed.
Kilowattrel, which had previously moved so fast that the naked eye could only catch its afterimages, now struggled to move an inch.
The lumbering Bronzong, on the other hand, became far faster.
Even if it couldn't dodge Electro Ball, it could take the hit with its superior bulk and swiftly retaliate with Rock Slide.
Although Bronzong didn't hit particularly hard, a doubly effective attack still hurt-
At the very least, Qingyu was confident Kilowattrel wouldn't survive a second hit.
When it rained, it poured.
With Tailwind working against her under Trick Room, Iono naturally surrendered the initiative to her opponent.
At this point, Iono knew she had only one choice.
Force a trade!
I can't let Bronzong set up another Trick Room. It's too much of a threat to my lineup!
"Kilowattrel, Electro Ball!"
"Bronzong, Rock Slide!"
Both commands rang out at the same time.
Bronzong used Rock Slide first. Countless rocks rained from above, all crashing into Kilowattrel's body as it struggled helplessly to dodge.
Despite taking a devastating hit, Kilowattrel still forced itself to gather one final Electro Ball.
Each side took a hit, and neither came out of the exchange well.
Kilowattrel fell straight out of the sky, unable to battle; Bronzong remained standing at the center of Trick Room, but its HP bar was nearly empty too.
The battle was brutally fierce.
[He actually thought of countering Tailwind with Trick Room. Did the streamer predict this too?]
[The score's back to 1-1. Even with Bronzong nearly out of HP, counting the hazards Skarmory left behind, they should be pretty evenly matched, right?]
[This is awesome! Now this is the kind of battle I wanted to watch. Give us another fifty turns!]
The battle between the two Gym Leaders had clearly drawn quite a crowd. Watching the dense stream of chat messages, Qingyu couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from lifting.
Of course, he certainly wasn't happy over those meaningless numbers.
Just thinking about the play he was about to make left Qingyu itching to burst into unrestrained laughter right then.
But not yet. He had to stay completely focused.
Until he confirmed which Pokémon Iono would send out next.
Qingyu stared fixedly at the screen, waiting for his opponent's next move.
"I choose you, Bellibolt!"
The instant Iono's command rang out, Qingyu's smile became positively radiant.
If Pokémon battling was an art...
Then today's artistic theme was-
"Explosion!"
Thanks to reader 20190724094115323 for the tip.
Diary of a flop, April 21.
This sequence was actually the first idea I came up with while preparing this new book, so while writing it, I couldn't stop grinning any more than the protagonist could. I nearly turned into Joey Wheeler. ()
Tomorrow is Tuesday, when they decide whether the book gets a recommendation slot. Let me shamelessly ask all you dear readers to catch up on the latest chapter tomorrow~
Before you continue