In his previous life, Qingyu had been a Pokémon battle streamer, so he was familiar with most strategies.
Throughout the history of Pokémon battles, very few strategies had formed an entire system around a single move.
Among those powerful, far-reaching strategies, there happened to be one simple, brutal move that had left a particularly deep impression on Qingyu.
It was Endeavor, the move Aron had just used.
Used properly, it could give even a level-one Pokémon a chance to sweep an opponent's entire team.
[What just happened? Am I seeing things, or did a level-one Aron just one-shot Charizard?]
[I wouldn't dare say a word.jpg]
The chat quickly recovered from its shock and began reviewing Qingyu's play.
[I looked up Endeavor. It brings the target's HP down to the user's current HP. That's how it took Charizard out instantly...]
[Sturdy plus Endeavor? No wonder he used a level-one Pokémon. Pretty interesting!]
[There's more to it than that, right? That Hippopotas that came out to set up Sandstorm was a smart pick, too. Without the sandstorm, Charizard wouldn't have died.]
[I get all that, but I'm more curious about how Aron healed back to full HP.]
"It's the Shell Bell. I gave Aron a Shell Bell to hold."
Qingyu nodded and volunteered the answer.
The viewers might not have been able to keep up with him, but they certainly weren't stupid. A little thought was all it took for them to piece together his strategy.
A weak level-one Pokémon used Sturdy to survive, dealt hefty damage almost like Destiny Bond with Endeavor, then used the effects of the sandstorm weather to finish the job, making its opponent drop dead in an instant.
The principle itself wasn't actually complicated.
But a Pokémon that could learn Endeavor, had the Sturdy Ability, and wouldn't get hurt by its teammate's sandstorm...
Only Aron and Donphan fit the bill in the entire Pokédex.
That was also why Qingyu had decided to use this strategy as soon as he saw the lineup.
Of course, if all this strategy could do was take down one Charizard with Endeavor, it wouldn't have shocked the viewers so much.
Being able to repeat it was the true essence of the Endeavor strategy.
"The Shell Bell restores a little HP every time the holder deals damage. How much it heals depends on the damage dealt."
Qingyu continued his explanation.
Seeing that his opponent seemed to have frozen up after that move and still hadn't sent out another Pokémon, he simply stretched.
"For a level-one Aron, that little bit of healing is more than enough to bring it back to full health."
"And the instant it returns to full HP, Sturdy becomes active again, letting it tank another hit and pull off that smooth little combo all over again."
As if to prove Qingyu's explanation, the fully healed Aron raised its head high on the screen, its eyes brimming with fighting spirit.
[Amazing! This strategy is pretty interesting. How did you come up with it?]
[After watching that, all I want to do is write a senryu: Sturdy and Shell Bell, Aron's a level-one god, Endeavor sweeps all.]
[A true level-one god. I'm jumping into ranked to crush everyone right now!]
Although the stream had only just started, the chat messages were rapidly growing denser.
Judging by the viewer count, roughly a hundred people must have witnessed Qingyu's absurd strategy.
In theory, Aron only needed to keep repeating Endeavor to wipe out the opposing team with ease.
Of course, that was only in theory.
There was clearly no such thing as a perfect strategy in Pokémon battles, and someone soon noticed the limitations of the Endeavor strategy.
[Hey, streamer! Your strategy is really strong, but wouldn't you be screwed if your opponent sent out Aerodactyl?]
As that message appeared, his opponent arrived at the same conclusion.
After a long period of deliberation, Aerodactyl was sent out.
Although it wasn't one of those exalted Dragon-types, as a Rock- and Flying-type Pokémon, it took no damage from the sandstorm. In fact, the weather boosted its durability.
However...
"Aron, Endeavor!"
Aerodactyl had barely entered the field and hadn't even had time to react when a little ironclad monster came charging headfirst toward it.
Although Aron was still at full HP, the level-one Pokémon's Endeavor remained devastating. Almost instantly, Aerodactyl performed a disappearing act with its health bar.
While Aerodactyl was still reeling from the collision, Qingyu immediately gave orders to his trainer avatar on the screen.
Aron, carried into a backflip through the air by its momentum, was recalled. Gardevoir, the ultimate waifu Pokémon, made a dazzling entrance and elegantly finished Aerodactyl off with Confusion before its attack could land.
Watching the score reach 2-1, Qingyu couldn't help smiling in satisfaction.
"The sandstorm might not be able to finish off certain Pokémon, but Aron still has teammates, doesn't it?"
Using the sandstorm to secure a knockout was only a convenient shortcut. Once the opponent was left barely alive, there were naturally countless ways to finish it off.
Compared with the three types immune to sandstorm damage, the Endeavor strategy probably had more to fear from Ghost Pokémon, against which the move wouldn't work at all.
His opponent in this match, however, clearly had none to offer that threat.
Despite the enormous gap in strength between their Pokémon, after Aron ran circles around the opposing team, it was his opponent who cracked first and promptly surrendered.
A huge victory icon filled half the screen.
The chat, which had been full of doubts before the battle, had long since fallen silent. It took quite a while for everyone to recover.
[Holy crap... Now I really believe you're a Gym Leader. If a beginner could come up with a level-one strategy this ridiculous, I'd eat shit.]
[That's more ridiculous than cheating. Aron is way too strong!]
[You have three minutes. I want a full tutorial for this strategy!]
Qingyu merely smiled without replying, immediately returned to the home screen, and resumed his climb up the ranks.
He knew perfectly well that, distinctive as the Endeavor strategy was, it was by no means unbeatable.
A multi-hit attack or a Ghost-type Pokémon could easily counter it.
The problem was...
This was a real Pokémon world, so gaining access to Pokémon was actually much harder than in a game. Without a Pokédex, many trainers didn't even know what moves Pokémon could use.
Let alone the little minnows in these low-ranked waters.
And so Qingyu took Aron on a rampage through the beginner tier, quickly racking up ten consecutive wins and advancing comfortably into the middle of the Poké Ball tier.
In less than an hour, he was already charging full speed toward the Great Ball tier.
"Easy peasy~"
After effortlessly winning another match, Qingyu leaned back in his chair and stretched comfortably. At the same time, he noticed that the viewer count in the upper-right corner had somehow climbed into four digits.
Quite a few gifts seemed to have come in, too.
Although everyone was broke, they were still generous enough to show a little support. Added together, the gifts made for a very respectable income.
It looked like his first stream had gone pretty well.
"Guys, I think that's enough for today. We'll keep climbing tomorrow!"
"If you haven't followed yet, hit that follow button. Likes and follows won't cost you anything! Tomorrow, I'll be climbing with other Pokémon and brand-new strategies. The goal is to reach the Master Ball tier this season!"
Qingyu hadn't actually streamed for very long, but he had spent nearly an hour using the same strategy. He figured the viewers were probably getting tired of it.
So, after giving them a little something to look forward to, he got ready to end the stream.
He had more strategies in his head than he could ever use. At this rate, he should be able to make a name for himself soon.
Just then, "Hardworking Nurse Joy," who had been silent for a long time, suddenly posted a chat message. Qingyu happened to catch it as he was about to sign off.
[Hey, streamer! Did you come up with tonight's strategy yourself? I couldn't find it anywhere on Poké TV!]
[If possible, could you make a tutorial video and post it online? I think lots of people would enjoy this kind of strategy!]
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