Xia Chi had no interest in the chaos in chat.
He did not rush to start another match, either. Clearing his throat, he said, "Ahem, is Ms. Iono here? Uh... boss, time to settle the bill?"
A Great Ball match, Pachirisu taking the field, and a victory.
Under such strict conditions, where he should have been able to meet at most two of the three requirements, Xia Chi had actually hit the jackpot.
Even Iono, secretly watching from behind her screen, had to admit that Xia Chi's bizarre tactics had something going for them.
After sending him a Master Ball, Iono still stubbornly typed, "Just consider it a treat for a Growlithe. Keep going."
It was not just empty stubbornness. After watching a single match, Iono had already begun to see what made these Pokémon so strong.
It was not strength in the traditional sense of overwhelming damage, but the kind that made people grind their teeth in frustration.
She really wanted to know how far Xia Chi's lineup could go.
The moment Iono emerged from lurking, a flood of viewers copied her message. Xia Chi could not have missed it if he tried.
He rubbed his hands together excitedly like a fly, not because he enjoyed being insulted, but because he knew exactly what this meant.
"Sprigatito, we're going to be rich!"
Xia Chi scooped up Sprigatito, who had been warming up atop his computer case, buried his face in its fur, and chuckled.
With Iono's real-money tips spurring him on, Xia Chi threw himself into the matches with renewed focus.
The team itself was also exceptionally strong, with Incineroar and Rillaboom rotating their dual Fake Outs.
Amoonguss provided powerful field control through Rage Powder and Spore.
Garchomp and Sylveon dished out brutal damage.
And Pachirisu, uh... Pachirisu cheered them on.
In short, over the course of half an evening, Xia Chi racked up six straight wins on Iono's account, dragging her rank from Great Ball Tier 4 to the verge of Master Ball.
His opponents even included Gym Leaders such as Morty from the Johto Region and Skyla from the Unova Region.
During that time, the livestream viewers also learned about Xia Chi and Iono's bizarre wager.
Whenever Xia Chi sent Pachirisu out to coast to another victory, chat was always at its busiest.
"Mr. Shui, doesn't your conscience hurt, scamming Iono out of Master Balls like this?"
"Garchomp MVP! Pachirisu's a freeloading mutt!"
"Stop it, Prisoner Shui's about to defend Pachirisu again. 'Oh, why are you all so obsessed with damage~'"
"..."
Messages like these flooded the chat.
Iono not only sent Master Balls without hesitation, but also helped keep the stream entertaining. What a wonderful person!
That was Xia Chi's heartfelt assessment.
Before he knew it, his winning streak had carried him almost to ten o'clock.
"All right, all right, this really is today's last match. Win this one and we'll hit Master Ball tier. I'll end the stream after we take this!"
Xia Chi pressed the ranked matchmaking button and rubbed his temples.
He had to admit that Victory Road really taxed the brain. If he had to compare it to something, it was a MOBA where you had to control two heroes.
It demanded the reflexes and real-time execution of League of Legends, as well as the split-second judgment and big-picture awareness of DOTA.
But that was precisely what made it so rich and exciting, drawing so many top trainers to play.
Take the final match of Xia Chi's stream that night, for example.
Iono's Tall Tales VS Storm Dragon!
Storm Dragon? That username sounds familiar...
Xia Chi thought for a moment, then looked at the chat, which had exploded again.
"That username-is that Raihan?"
"Aaaaah, he got matched against my husband!"
"Rank 13 in Master Ball tier. Looks like it really is Raihan!"
"It is Raihan! He just started streaming, and his first match is against Prisoner Shui, hahaha!"
"Raihan's finally made it. He actually gets to battle Mr. Shui."
"Is that the Gym Leader of Hammerlocke Stadium in the Galar Region, the one they say could be Champion in another region?"
"Heh, just Galar folks blowing their own trumpet. Let him try taking on Lance or Alder."
"You mean that Doduo who nearly got swept by three of Leon's Pokémon? Don't make me laugh."
"You've got some nerve saying that. Wasn't it Galar pulling tricks and blocking Dragonite's visa?"
"Come try that in the Kanto Region!"
"..."
Xia Chi was speechless as he watched the chaotic chat.
Apparently, regional prejudice existed in every world.
Although the chat had somehow veered off into an argument, Xia Chi could confirm that the opponent he had been matched against was none other than-
Leon's rival, the Gym Leader of Hammerlocke Stadium, the strongest Gym Leader, Galar's current strongest, the Dragon-type master, Storm Dragon: Raihan!
His pile of titles might make someone want to say, "Sorry, we don't have seats for that many people," but Raihan's strength was the real deal.
If nothing else, placing him among the top three Gym Leaders should not have been a problem.
Well, excluding Blaine from Pokémon Adventures, who had caught Mewtwo, Giovanni came first, Sabrina second, and Raihan should have been next.
His lavish roster alone made that clear-Archaludon, Flygon, Tyranitar, Salamence, Goodra, and Kommo-o.
Five of his six Pokémon were pseudo-legendary Pokémon. On the surface, it looked like a collection of impressive stats, but a sandstorm team composition was hidden within it.
In short, this was the strongest opponent Xia Chi had faced so far.
When they entered team selection, Xia Chi glanced at chat, only to discover that everyone had suddenly started spamming the same message.
"Play this one seriously. Win and I'll send ten Master Balls!"
It went without saying that they were copying a certain generous benefactor's message.
Xia Chi's curiosity immediately flared. Did Iono have a grudge against Raihan?
Granted, Xia Chi could not remember any interactions between these two characters, who came from different generations, in either the games or the anime.
But he really could not be sure whether the two had crossed paths in the real world.
Still, this was clearly no time for gossip. Xia Chi pledged, "No problem, Ms. Iono. I'll definitely win this one!"
Then he selected Incineroar, Sylveon, Garchomp, and Pachirisu without hesitation.
His final pick of Pachirisu filled chat with question marks. Quite a few viewers even thought Xia Chi had forced the little mascot into the lineup again just for entertainment.
But was that really the case?
Well, yes, it was.
It was just an ordinary ranked game, after all. Losing cost him nothing; winning meant a massive payday.
Besides, the deeper reason was that neither Rillaboom nor Amoonguss was particularly suited to this match.
For one, the opposing team was entirely Dragon-type, leaving Tapu Gorilla's prized Grassy Glide with no punch.
And while Amoonguss was nasty, the opposing Kommo-o most likely had [Overcoat], making it immune to [Spore].
It might not even contribute as much as Pachirisu.
As for whether Pachirisu could recreate the god-slaying feat of that White Demon from the Pokémon World Championships, standing firm against two dragons, that would be up to fate.
Amid the clamorous discussion in chat, both sides finalized their lineups, and the match officially began.
Before you continue