Meanwhile, in a dorm room at Shanghai University in the Donghuang Region.
"What a shame there isn't a fifth move slot. If the Tiger God could've used Protect there, that would've sealed the deal."
Watching the Tiger God's tragic silhouette collapse on-screen, Xia Chi clicked his tongue regretfully as he played with Sprigatito, who was staring curiously at the computer screen.
The chat promptly condemned this shameless humblebrag from someone who had already gotten more than his fair share.
"LMAO, Raihan's face has gone completely dark."
"He actually dared to set up Swords Dance there? What guts. Wasn't he afraid Draco Meteor would one-shot him?"
"He had to gamble. The gap between their Pokémon is too big. Sure, Incineroar and Pachirisu have been driving Raihan up the wall, but they're still seriously lacking in damage. If he can't get enough turns to attack, his only hope is a Swords Dance sweep."
"That analysis makes so much sense. May I ask what rank you are?"
"Nothing impressive. Poké Ball tier, rank two!"
"..."
With no time to interact with chat, Xia Chi focused on the battle and quickly recalled the fallen Incineroar.
Then he sent out his last Pokémon, Pachirisu.
The situation was critical, not just because this was the deciding moment of the entire match, but, more importantly, because...
Garchomp, Pachirisu, Salamence, Tyranitar.
Why does this positioning look so much like that World-Famous Painting that made Pachirisu a legend in a single battle?
Am I really about to recreate it in another world?
Looking at Pachirisu's still fairly healthy HP bar, Xia Chi felt a faint stir of excitement.
Whatever. Forget all that for now. Just get it done!
Pulling his thoughts back to the battle, Xia Chi called in a low voice, "Pachirisu, Follow Me! Garchomp, Rock Slide!"
As Galar's best Trainer after Leon, Raihan had a remarkably solid mental game. Mere moments after his burst of anger, he regained his composure.
Garchomp was certainly terrifying after a Swords Dance.
But Tyranitar's two Earthquakes had also shaved off nearly half his HP, and that couldn't be ignored.
That meant Salamence's Draco Meteor still had a chance to finish things decisively.
"If this guy's Garchomp has Swords Dance, he can't have Protect. And Salamence is faster than Garchomp."
After muttering through his analysis, Raihan shouted as though he were commanding a real battle, "Target Garchomp! Salamence, Draco Meteor! Tyranitar, Earthquake!"
Victory Road went all out on the visual effects for immensely powerful moves like Draco Meteor and Leaf Storm.
Purple dragon breath gathered in front of Salamence, seeming to herald a terrifying storm.
And just as Raihan had predicted, Garchomp didn't use Protect. Perhaps his confidence made him decide against it, or perhaps he didn't have it.
But none of that mattered anymore.
Because Draco Meteor was ready!
Raihan settled comfortably back onto the couch with a smug chuckle.
I'll admit you've got some skill, you little booster. Too bad I'm still one step ahead~
He watched contentedly as the dazzling Draco Meteor streaked across the center of the screen, then plunged down... beside Garchomp?!
Raihan sprang upright, staring slack-jawed as the Draco Meteor clearly aimed at Garchomp somehow landed on Pachirisu's head instead.
On the television screen, the three pseudo-Legendary Pokémon-Salamence, Tyranitar, and Garchomp-seemed to have become mere background scenery for this white electric squirrel.
They all stared dumbfounded as Pachirisu took a devastating move that looked as though it should have crushed the little squirrel.
Yet Pachirisu survived with effortless ease.
"Pachirisu used [Follow Me], drawing in Salamence's [Draco Meteor]!"
The battle log at the bottom of the screen wasn't large, but its glaring words made Raihan's eyes hurt.
You've got to be kidding me!
Follow Me?!
What the hell kind of move is that?
Nuzzle, Helping Hand, Super Fang, Follow Me-is that a moveset any sane person could come up with?
Raihan slumped helplessly back onto the couch, leaving Garchomp to easily finish off Salamence and Tyranitar with Rock Slide under Pachirisu's protection.
Is there even any point watching?
With Swords Dance and double damage from type advantage, Salamence and Tyranitar couldn't take that hit with a hundred thousand lives, not with their HP already so low!
And Flygon, who hasn't even left his Poké Ball yet?
Just Pachirisu's spare fucktoy...
Once Pachirisu gets bored, he'll get tossed to Garchomp like some roadside mutt to be casually kicked to death.
Just end it... Let everything be destroyed.
Utterly dispirited, Galar's sunny golden boy surrendered, switched off his television, and ended his stream at the speed of light.
All he left behind was a livestream chat boiling over with discussion as the viewer count continued to climb.
"HAHAHAHAHA, a rage-quit stream ending! Never thought I'd see the day, Raihan!"
"Hubby, what's wrong? Hubby, say something! Hubby!"
"I'm dying. Raihan's going to lift his blanket tonight and find nothing but Pachirisu."
"11:00 p.m.-It's okay. It's only a game. 3:00 a.m.-I actually lost to a Pachirisu?!"
"Any Trainers aiming for the League Conference should hurry over to challenge Hammerlocke Stadium in the next few days. Raihan's mental game must be completely shattered right now."
"Quite the opposite. Raihan's absolutely furious right now. Guess who he's going to take that anger out on?"
"Gotta say, Iono played really well this round. Looks like Raihan doesn't quite live up to that strongest Gym Leader title."
"Surely nobody still thinks that washed-up Iono was playing? Surely not?"
"Shuiye's too strong! Follow Shuiye, meow! Please follow Shuiye, thank you, meow!"
"..."
"Thanks to Iono for the ten Master Balls! What a generous boss! Wishing you good health!"
While one side basked in sunshine, the other stood in the rain. Raihan had ended his stream in humiliation, while Xia Chi happily began raking in the cash.
The special effects for Master Balls, the platform's most expensive gifts, flashed across the stream one after another. Fresh off an intense battle, Xia Chi went straight into thanking people for their gifts.
Looks like Iono really enjoyed that match. Ten Master Balls at ten thousand apiece, just like that? What kind of money does her family have?
Oh, she's a famous Gym Leader and Paldea's biggest influencer. Never mind, then.
Meanwhile, the viewer count in Xia Chi's stream kept rising, and it wasn't just because the ten Master Ball gifts were drawing people in.
He was also feasting on the attention generated at the expense of two major streamers whose names both started with "Rai" in Chinese-Iono and Raihan.
One had gotten so tilted by his defeat that he ended his stream, while the other was currently chatting away in Xia Chi's.
This was Qin Shi Huang grabbing a live wire-a truly electrifying win for Xia Chi!
The atmosphere in his stream was thoroughly harmonious, too.
Fans, haters, casual viewers, drama seekers, and trolls alike were full of praise for Xia Chi's performance in that last match.
After all, to an outsider, Xia Chi had beaten Raihan, the man hailed as the strongest Gym Leader, with a "just-for-fun team."
And he had done it in such spectacularly dramatic fashion. It was undeniably brilliant.
The recording of this match would probably spread like wildfire across the Internet before tomorrow even arrived.
But while amateurs enjoyed the spectacle, experts studied the technique.
At that moment, quite a few genuinely skilled battlers had begun examining Xia Chi's seemingly bizarre team composition.
A style that placed greater emphasis on tactical elements such as team synergy, support, switching, and defensive coverage was, from that moment onward, slowly beginning to permeate a battle environment that glorified passionate exchanges of firepower and hot-blooded close combat.
And its influence might extend beyond Victory Road itself, reaching further into the real world.
Before you continue