"Hoo—"
After a hard-won victory, Aiden sighed in relief but still seemed somewhat unsatisfied.
This wasn't just because the mind games with Lucian excited him. He'd experienced battles of this quality before. Though the process was somewhat circuitous, his victory was ultimately quite stable.
The main reason was that Lucian had unveiled an item Aiden hadn't anticipated.
"Red Card Torkoal... quite interesting..."
Aiden couldn't help but mutter under his breath.
The appearance of the Red Card might have stemmed from Lucian's moment of inspiration, but it revealed some subtle shifts in tactical thinking.
As a young Sinnoh Elite Four member, Lucian was highly receptive to online battles. This was evident from the two times Aiden had encountered him in Pokémon Champion, where his team compositions had clearly evolved.
So the "battle wind of chaos" that had been blowing from Aiden's direction had, after spreading through the Pokémon world for some time, finally begun to significantly influence these elite trainers' thought processes.
Of course, Aiden had long known his stream had quite a few Gym Leaders and Elite Fours quietly watching. Most weren't hiding it—they'd often pop up to send him gifts as "tuition" for the knowledge they gained.
But this time was different.
Normally, Lucian's tactical style should have been more conservative, relying on Psychic-type support moves to disrupt opponents' rhythms, gradually securing victory.
Yet today, Lucian had made several extremely aggressive choices that completely contradicted Aiden's expectations.
So after taking this completely random Red Card Torkoal tactic, even Aiden—the opponent—wanted to applaud him and ask how he'd thought of it.
To be fair, the Red Card Torkoal tactic wasn't particularly practical—it was even quite crude. Even Lucian himself, its creator, seemed to not fully master it. But it had genuinely given Aiden a headache for a while.
The reason was simple.
This was a tactic Lucian had developed himself, so its first use created a significant information gap, catching opponents completely off guard.
Forcing a key Pokémon on your team to switch out with no preparation would absolutely shatter many trainers' mental fortitude in actual battles.
Perhaps this tactic was actually his preparation for the upcoming Psychic Master Tournament?
And Lucian's transformation sent Aiden a signal—
Many elite trainers had come to learn strategies from him, but those who had their "awakening" would eventually stop being confined to his basic teachings, starting to develop unique tactics with their own characteristics.
Perhaps using today's Lucian as a dividing line, the opponents he'd face in the future might start bringing out even more interesting tactics?
As for the quality of these tactics...
Aiden wasn't sure, but at least he was looking forward to encountering new tricks in the future.
However, seeing his somewhat peculiar expression, the stream viewers were amused.
[To be fair, though Elite Four Lucian lost, he might be the first trainer to actually 'annoy' Teacher Azure back?]
[I suggest other high-ranked viewers learn from him—more good tactics that can annoy Teacher Azure too!]
[Just thinking about the Psychic Master Tournament, where Teacher Azure and Lucian might end up annoying each other during battles... I can't help but laugh already...]
[All Teacher Azure's fault for developing these chaotic strategies. I feel like the entire battle environment is about to be ruined by him! (sad)]
[Teacher Azure—this prosperous world is as you wished...]
After glancing at the chat, Aiden realized he'd forgotten to announce a few things to his "loyal fans."
So, quickly composing his expression, Aiden straightened up and spoke seriously to the camera:
"By the way, there are a few things I need to announce."
"The first one I mentioned in last week's stream, but since students brought it up again, I'll repeat it."
"For the Psychic Master Tournament at the end of March, I'll also be participating. So this should be my last stream of the entire month."
"After all, it's my first time participating in a high-level Ultra Ball tournament. I really need to prepare well. The originally planned Hail team will have to wait—I'll get back to it after the tournament."
"Of course, offline gym challenges will continue next week. The Victory Road is already past its halfway point—Paldean students, keep working hard~"
As he'd said, Aiden actually had no idea about the outcome of this Master Tournament.
In terms of tactical design and pre-match analysis, he was probably confident he was currently the world's only one of his kind—a glimpse could be seen from his predictions about other competitors during the Dragon-type Master Tournament.
But theoretical invincibility doesn't equal practical invincibility. After all, this was Aiden's first international competition—he was still just a "rookie" in this regard.
According to the Pokémon League classification system, besides the quadrennial Master Ball-level "Master Tournament," Ultra Ball tournaments were the highest level of competitive events.
Thus, participants in Type Master Tournaments were mostly regional Gym Leaders, Elite Fours, and renowned elite trainers.
He did have some experience battling Elite Fours, but this would be his first proper tournament.
So, the period before the tournament was crucial for team chemistry with Mewtwo and Indeedee.
For the time until the Psychic Master Tournament, Aiden's focus would be on this.
However, these words immediately caused the chat to explode.
[Ah? Nooo! A world without Teacher Azure's weekend streams to enjoy while chilling... I don't want such a world!]
[Hiss—Teacher Azure didn't mention it, but I almost forgot—this level of skill for a new Gym Leader? Debuting in the first year and going straight to Ultra Ball tournaments is too extreme!]
[Though I don't know how Teacher Azure gathered enough Pokémon, I don't recall him having any Psychic-types. Still, I hope Teacher Azure brings home the championship to make us viewers proud!]
[Go Teacher Azure! Just come back to stream earlier if you lose~]
After a few seconds of shock, the viewers quickly recovered, sending their blessings.
Though most replies weren't serious, seeing these encouraging messages made Aiden smile instinctively.
Just then, several "acquaintances" appeared, their presence marked by generous gifts and prominent messages in the stream. Aiden was taken aback when he noticed them.
[Mythological Scholar Cynthia: Do your best!]
[Fan Who Failed to Snipe Wallace: I wonder what Teacher Azure's actual battle skills are like? Truly looking forward to it~]
[Dragon Master Lance: Welcome to Johto, Teacher Azure. I'll be there to cheer you on.]
[RED: ...Do your best!]
Except for the last one—who maintained his internet persona, his name not yet widely known to the world—the identities of the other three needed no explanation.
However, since they'd all appeared in Aiden's stream before, the chat wasn't particularly surprised.
[Truly worthy of Teacher Azure—his stream is full of hidden tigers and crouching dragons. With just a gesture, two Champions and an Elite Four appear. For connections, I declare Teacher Azure the strongest!]
[Hey, they're all acquaintances! Especially Champion Cynthia—nothing to be surprised about~]
[Master Tournament? Viewer tournament! Just imagining others saying "Teacher Azure, I'm your fan!" before battles makes me laugh already!]
[Teacher Azure: To students I'm timid and obedient, to viewers I throw heavy punches!]
"..."
Aiden fell silent for a moment.
Why does it sound like I'm going to win easily? So confident in me?
But Aiden didn't dwell on this topic. After routinely thanking these "viewers" for their gifts, he quickly moved to the next subject.
"Ahem—what I'm about to say... someone in chat actually predicted it earlier."
"And that prophet—remember to keep your promise."
Clearing his throat, Aiden spoke seriously but with a hint of amusement.
"That's right, your most gentle and kind Teacher Azure is getting promoted!"
"Since Paldea has always had a vacant Elite Four position, the League asked me a few days ago if I'd be willing to temporarily serve as Elite Four, continuing to take on the duty of evaluating students."
"Of course, students know that Teacher Azure has always been diligent and conscientious. I have quite some insights on assessing students' abilities."
"After considering President Geeta's suggestion, I finally decided to accept."
As he finished speaking, Aiden could no longer suppress his smile, showing it proudly to the audience.
"So, after the first stage of the Victory Road concludes, Paldea's most excellent students might see me again during the summer vacation Champion assessment~"
[Ah??? Wait, Teacher Azure, you're really becoming an Elite Four?]
[WTF this is a nightmare—I don't want to hear this! "Beginner Gym" level Teacher Azure is already this unorthodox. Elite Four Teacher Azure—I can't even imagine...]
[Too terrible—it's Elite Four Teacher Azure. We're doomed!]
[Teacher Azure's Elite Four form has been unlocked. Will there be Champion form next? Teacher Azure, are you a level-up boss too???]
Paldean students clearly reacted with what could only be described as horror.
But thinking about it, this was normal.
As the unexpected initial Gym Leader who suddenly appeared in this Victory Road, Teacher Azure's gym style had undoubtedly left a deep impression on challenging students.
Before this, no Gym Leader had ever used so many different tactics against them. Most focused primarily on testing their partners' training level.
But with Teacher Azure, the situation was reversed.
Teacher Azure didn't particularly value students' Pokémon cultivation skills—or rather, he seemed to consider this basic trainer competence?
So the key to passing Sunshine Gym's initial checkpoint was demonstrating the qualities "Teacher Azure believes" a trainer should have.
Precisely because of this, very few students could clear Sunshine Gym at first. The high bad review rate began around that time too.
Only recently had students gradually adapted to this "trainers must also play a crucial role in battles" mode, and the clearance rate had begun to rise.
And now, when students have gone through countless hardships, finally graduating from Sunshine Gym, struggling to defeat the other seven gyms, and reaching the final Champion assessment...
YOU TRANSLATE THIS FOR ME!
WHAT! DOES! IT! MEAN! THAT! TEACHER AZURE ALSO LEVELS UP!!!
We finally found the reason Teacher Azure never cared much about Pokémon breeding/raising skills!
The lessons skipped during gym challenges will all be made up—and doubled—when facing Elite Four Teacher Azure...
Just thinking about it is terrifying!
At this thought, endless despair welled up in the students' hearts.
If Sunshine Gym's evaluation was purely mechanism-based, mainly testing students' understanding and counterplay of tactical thinking, then the Champion evaluation would be a comprehensive assessment of students' overall strength.
Why does it suddenly feel like a hell difficulty final exam...
Of course, Aiden had anticipated the students' reactions.
After all, it had been two months since Paldea's Victory Road began. He had a rough idea of the students' levels.
A significant portion still hadn't passed his gym. Some reportedly chose to train at other gyms first, leaving Sunshine Gym for last.
If even Gym Leader-form him was this tough, Aiden reasonably estimated that those who could collect all eight gym badges wouldn't be many.
As the students' panicked chat messages scrolled rapidly, Aiden quickly spoke again, adding a few more sentences:
"Don't worry, Teacher Azure isn't some demon. For truly excellent newcomers, this stage definitely won't be too difficult for them."
"Plus, there's another good piece of news. By the Champion assessment, my team will consist of my personally raised main Pokémon. Relatively speaking, they shouldn't be that hard to handle, right?"
"Also, to help students adapt in advance, after I return from the Master Tournament, Sunshine Gym will introduce a new challenge mode for students who have already cleared it. Everyone is welcome to practice early~"
[??? How is this good news? Teacher Azure's main Pokémon can compete in Master Tournaments. Coming to Champion evaluation would be pure overkill...]
[Uhh, theoretically Elite Fours should be around this level anyway. But Teacher Azure will definitely go easy, r-right…?]
[Why do I suddenly not want Teacher Azure to win the Master Tournament anymore? The stronger Teacher Azure is, the harder Elite Four Teacher Azure will be to face...]
[Hehe, luckily I haven't passed the first stage yet. Seems like I won't reach round two this year... wait, why does this feel like a good thing?]
[Teacher Azure, you can't do this! Can't you give us some hope???]
Noticing the students' suddenly reversed opinions, Aiden couldn't help but twitch his lips.
These students really dared to speak their minds.
Looks like after returning from Johto, I'll need to give my lovely students some extra training~
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