In Iono's livestream chatroom, the barrage of comments was still celebrating.
[Holy crap, One-Punch Bear!]
[Come on, man, you're not even pretending anymore? One Ice Punch and it's over!]
[Finally, we can say it! Urshifu: "Have you had enough?"]
[Wait, so it's not just his Pokémon-Lao Shui himself is cheating now? How did he pinpoint the real Greninja with that kind of precision guidance?]
[Lao Shui: Just because I never turned the cheats off means they're on?]
[I saw it coming, but Urshifu's explosive power is still terrifying.]
[Wrong! The scary part is Lao Shui's scheming. He tricked Greninja into becoming Ground-type, then hit it with a super-effective Ice Punch. Nobody understands Protean better than Lao Shui!]
[What if Nanu hadn't followed the script?]
[Then landing Thunder Punch would've still been a win. It's just a question of winning a little or winning a lot. Lao Shui never loses!]
[Urshifu: Six-Pokémon sweep progress (1/6), checked off!]
Unlike the comments, which were as excited as if it were New Year's, Iono was unusually composed, even wearing a hint of pride that suggested this was only to be expected.
"I really don't know what you're all so excited about~"
She tilted her head, her pink-and-blue hair swaying gently. "Tracking enemies with Aura, tricking their types, lethal combos-aren't those all routine for Teacher Shuiye?"
Her undisguised favoritism immediately changed the tone of the chat, filling it with good-natured teasing.
[Already defending him?]
[Iono-sama, you can barely hold back that smile!]
[Got it. This isn't Pokémon battle commentary. It's a "Xia Chi fan club" livestream!]
[Damn it, all this lovey-dovey stuff! (Flips table)]
Even Iono, with her extensive livestreaming experience and cheerful, outgoing personality, couldn't stop a blush from rising to her fair cheeks under that tidal wave of teasing.
She gave a slightly