Monday's minor incidents surprised Aiden but didn't disrupt Sunshine Gym's routine.
Over the next few days, he continued effortlessly defeating most challengers with Hippowdon and Sandaconda.
Since his appointment as a Victory Road examiner was confirmed, Aiden naturally raised his standards for students.
Though still running a sandstorm team, he showcased many unconventional tricks with these two Pokémon—tactics unorthodox enough to catch first-time opponents off guard.
Students endured this mix of pain and progress, struggling through battles while learning practical sandstorm strategies from Teacher Azure.
By Friday, some trainers even arrived with their *own* sandstorm teams, ready for direct confrontation.
Sadly, their strength still fell short. Aiden offered extra advice but refused to hold back.
After all—if challengers couldn't clear this "starting gym leader" stage even after a lenient first run… facing "Elite Four Aiden Phase 2" would likely shatter their spirits.
'What's this? Teacher Azure abandoned gimmicks for raw stats?'
'Forget it—I'm surrendering!'
Thus, this strictness was actually Aiden's mercy: preventing underqualified challengers from later emotional collapse.
Time flew. Students trained intensively before Aiden's tournament absence, while his own Pokémon prepared privately.
Indeedee now spent free time learning psychic techniques from Mewtwo whenever she wasn't cooking.
Aiden watched with interest but didn't interfere.
While he understood most types, psychic power was his blind spot. He trusted Mewtwo's judgment over his own.
He'd never planned for Indeedee to be a damage-dealer anyway—she'd likely just support Mewtwo. If she learned moves like Psychic or Expanding Force later, he could adjust his strategy.
So until her training bore fruit, he'd let the "cards fall."
...
March 8th arrived—Sunday.
With Indeedee joining the gym, meals visibly improved.
No more three-meals-a-day sandwiches. For days, no dish repeated.
Costs had doubled, but for Aiden and the Pokémon, it was worth every penny.
Indeedee's cooking had effortlessly won over the entire gym, crushing Aiden's "conspiracy" to reclaim kitchen control.
Especially for Miraidon.
Initially wary of a new housemate who ate even more "brazenly" than itself, Miraidon had… unsurprisingly embraced the culinary upgrade.
Now, it and Indeedee formed Sunshine Gym's "Top 2 Eaters."
After dinner, Aiden retreated to his bedroom for pre-stream prep.
Last week covered single-battle sandstorm strategies. This week would continue with doubles.
By now, Aiden had covered three of the four major weathers.
Though only basic applications, countless unconventional variations existed.
But his streaming goal had shifted: no longer "gimmicks" for gym publicity, but supplementing Naranja Academy students' tactical knowledge as an honorary teacher.
Yet even minor tactics from Aiden required Paldean students weeks to digest.
Some mentioned Team Star had documented his Sun/Rain team strategies from live battles for study purposes.
If even standard weather teams demanded such effort, Aiden's "full power" would overwhelm them.
Gradual progression was best.
Sandstorm doubles, however, inevitably centered on two Pokémon:
Tyranitar and Excadrill.
Why they were the ultimate "sandstorm brothers" only revealed itself in doubles.
Using them as the core, Aiden almost reused his old lineup.
But repeating the same team for two weeks felt lazy.
Streaming demanded fresh, eye-popping—or eye-rolling—content. Otherwise, what's the point?
He needed something new!
As Aiden pondered a suitable Pokémon, one suddenly flashed in his mind.
Got it!
He slapped his thigh.
This one's perfect—
Clefairy!
...
6:30 PM Sunday. One minute before Aiden's scheduled stream, viewers already flooded the chat, speculating about his lineup.
[Today's sandstorm doubles tutorial? Logically, it can't skip Tyranitar—Sandstorm without good ol' Tyranitar is heresy!]
[Hmm… but Teacher Azure used Hippowdon in gym battles. Maybe he'll pull some dirty tricks again?]
[If so, I bet he'll use the unused Gigalith!]
[Sandstorm guesses are so limited. Better predict if Teacher Azure will use Amoonguss or Whimsicott!]
[Both? I won't believe Teacher Azure's doubles team is conventional. Definitely not.]
[Bro if an Alolan Exeggutor appears later, I'll shank ya!]
As discussions intensified, the streamer finally appeared on-screen after a white flash.
"Hello everyone, this is Aiden~"
"As promised, today we'll cover sandstorm double battle team recommendations."
Aiden's sunny smile boosted viewer count instantly.
"But today's team features one Pokémon that might surprise you."
After a quick opener, Aiden paused before diving in—teasing his audience first.
Clearing his throat, he adopted a solemn tone:
"It hails from the moon—adorable, elegant Fairy-type, beloved by all."
"It's average in bulk, weak in offense, a pure supporter—but remarkably capable."
These clues hooked viewers, who began guessing the "wildcard" in Teacher Azure's lineup.
[Must be Sylveon! One of Teacher Azure's first mains. If he uses it, he's serious…]
[Could be Togekiss too—don't my little wings deserve love?]
["Beloved by all" screams Gardevoir! Doesn't quite fit, but I choose it!]
"Clever students, you've probably guessed who it is!"
Aiden paused, then grinned.
"That's right—it's today's star: Clefairy!"
His words triggered a storm of question marks in the chat.
[Teacher Azure, I get sandstorm teams—but what's with the Clefairy…]
[Ah? Clefairy? I'm laughing—I'd take Pikachu over this…]
[Is Clefairy even popular? Can't beat Pikachu's fanbase. Teacher Azure, what are you doing!]
[Why Clefairy? Feels scary when Teacher Azure pulls rare Pokémon—definitely some filthy tactic!]
[This isn't niche—it's straight-up cursed…]
"Not cursed—quite conventional actually."
Aiden chuckled, opening the team builder in Pokémon Champion without immediate explanation.
After slotting in Tyranitar, Excadrill, and Clefairy, he began introducing this "cursed" Pokémon.
"Clefairy—a species first discovered in Kanto's Mt. Moon, now sparsely distributed worldwide. Rare in games, rarely used even IRL."
Aiden expected this reaction.
His own shock when learning Clefairy's competitive viability had mirrored theirs.
What?!
For bulk, evolved Clefable clearly seemed sturdier. No movepool differences existed between them.
Yet paradoxically, Clefable faded into obscurity while Clefairy thrived as a support staple in the previous generation—all thanks to unique functionality.
"Two reasons to use Clefairy over Clefable."
"First: the item—Eviolite."
[Eviolite??? Yeah, it's used that way… but Teacher Azure, I'd forgotten this item existed…]
[Evolution potential's impact is huge! Boosting bulk but not offense feels awkward…]
[Maybe bulk matters most to Teacher Azure? Never seen him use stats monsters—just insane strategies!]
Viewers knew Eviolite well.
This item profoundly impacted certain Pokémon: boosting Defense and Sp. Def for those with evolution potential.
Designed benevolently—to give baby Pokémon stage time—it backfired for some.
Like Porygon Z, completely overshadowed by its pre-evolution.
Clefairy's case was less extreme but still owed much to Eviolite.
When activated, it was arguably the highest and most stable battlefield ROI item.
The sole drawback? As chat noted: bulk without offense could feel useless.
But… Clefairy was a pure supporter—why need offense?!
Thus, Eviolite became its perfect item.
"The second reason… involves a very obscure fact."
Aiden pulled up the Pokédex, displaying Clefairy and Clefable's entries side by side.
"Clefable's hidden ability is Unaware—a great ability. But…"
"What about Clefairy's hidden ability?"
"Exactly—Friend Guard!"
Friend Guard—an ability unknown outside double battles, and even rarer outside Paldea.
Beyond Paldea's "House Mouse" family (Maushold) and the Vivillon line, only a handful of baby Pokémon possessed this bizarre trait:
Clefairy, Jigglypuff, Happiny.
Their names evoked pure cuteness—zero combat credibility. And rightly so.
Yet in doubles, Friend Guard's effect proved invaluable.
"Pokémon with Friend Guard emit mysterious energy that bolsters teammates, reducing damage from all attack moves."
"Useless in singles, but in doubles, it significantly eases teammates' survival pressure."
Aiden explained smoothly.
Viewers remained skeptical.
[Hmm… Teacher Azure, I get it—but Clefairy faints too easily! Can't tank anything!]
[Why not use the OP 'House Mouse' instead? Teacher Azure's certified powerhouse—even abandons support for Technician offense~]
[Teacher Azure: If you're using House Mouse, why introduce new Pokémon? Makes sense, right!]
[Clefairy's this weird? Soon Teacher Azure'll explain every Pokédex entry's usage. Ridiculous…]
"True—Maushold has merits: high speed, similar movepool to Clefairy."
Aiden acknowledged this.
"But… don't underestimate Clefairy. This cute Pokémon has unique value. When have I ever lied to you?"
"Now—watch its performance~"
Core sandstorm brothers Tyranitar and Excadrill formed the foundation. Aiden built a full support/defense lineup around them: Indeedee, Amoonguss, and Scizor.
Standard choices for him.
"The pace of Double Battles is much faster than Single Battles. So the Sandstorm Team strategies need adjustment—no more DOT-focused setups."
"Unchanging sandstorm brothers, rotating supporters. This team adapts to different opponents."
"Generally, sandstorm-boosted Excadrill reliably pressures foes. If they counter with priority moves, Indeedee blocks them."
"Against Trick Room reversals, Clefairy and Amoonguss shine."
"How to predict opponents' tactics pre-battle? Basic battle sense—we won't dwell on it~"
Aiden's offhand remark sparked another question-mark storm.
[??? Is this human speech? Who has such insane fundamentals!]
[Teacher Azure: Predicting opponents is hard? Feels as easy as breathing. Can't be my fault you can't learn!]
[So… are most of Teacher Azure's teams unfriendly to beginners? Impossible to predict opponents…]
Aiden merely smiled at the chat.
Games—play enough, and mastery comes naturally. Soon, these students would understand.
Team set, Aiden queued with this seemingly-broken-but-actually-broken lineup.
Since singles/doubles ranks were separate—and Aiden rarely played doubles—his doubles rank wasn't high.
Still far from Master Ball promotion.
At least this time, he wouldn't face absurd opponents like Cynthia…
Aiden shook his head, waiting for matchmaking.
'Come to think of it—with the Psychic Master Tournament nearing, Psychic-type gym leaders might be grinding in-game for strategies…' He suddenly had this thought.
Matchmaking completed. Aiden pressed confirm.
Seeing the opponent, he grinned.
Huh? Isn't this Lucian?
After battling Sinnoh's Champion, the next challenger was a Sinnoh Elite Four?
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