Let's rewind to Sunday evening.
Aiden was pondering what lineup to run that day—something flashy enough to give his students, eagerly awaiting his "lessons," a fresh tactical surprise.
Just as he opened PokéTV to hunt for inspiration, a newly posted video caught his eye on the homepage:
[Unveiling the Mystery of Mega Evolution—Pokédex #115: Kangaskhan]
The title looked stiff and academic—normally, Aiden wouldn't have clicked it.
But two things gave him pause: first, "Kangaskhan" jogged a few amusing memories; second, the uploader was none other than "Samuel Oak."
The highest mountain in competitive battling, the longest river in academic research—even online, Aiden's follower count still trailed behind this venerable predecessor.
And Aiden knew well: Professor Oak's two longtime aces had always been Dragonite and Kangaskhan.
"I didn't expect Professor Oak would start researching Mega Evolution too."
Aiden raised an eyebrow.
From the start, he'd known that Pokémon Champions launching Mega Evolution early must have had strong backing from Hoenn and Kalos. After all, promoting a region's signature mechanic globally could only boost its prestige and international standing.
And once early hype took hold, no further push was needed—curious players would naturally gather and gradually unravel Mega Evolution's secrets on their own.
Now even Professor Oak had been drawn in, experimenting with these new tricks.
Come to think of it, Paldea's Terastalization was walking a similar path.
Worth studying closely.
So Aiden clicked.
Though produced by a team of researchers, the "Samuel Oak" channel maintained a warm, comedic tone—especially their razor-sharp roasts of the professor himself, delivered with the precision of a thousand rehearsals.
But when seriousness was called for, Professor Oak never failed to deliver.
"Unlike other Pokémon," his voice explained in the video, "Mega Kangaskhan's growth centers on the baby in the mother's pouch."
"The mother channels most of the Mega energy to temporarily mature her child, enabling it to battle independently—and fueled by the desire to protect its mother, the baby becomes fiercely competitive."
"The mother, joyful at her child's growth, gains renewed vigor."
"Perhaps gazing at her child's Mega-evolved back sometimes makes her ponder the inevitable day of parting—"
"At this moment, I feel compelled to compose a haiku!"
Kangaskhan mega evolves,
Fake Out and Power-Up Punch,
Parental Bond empowers both.
After watching, Aiden had only one thought: veterans truly know how to toggle between gravitas and levity.
What should've been hardcore science was effortlessly absorbed by viewers amid cheerful banter.
Especially Professor Oak's battle insights for Mega Kangaskhan—Aiden was impressed.
"No wonder he's a battle legend—he instantly conceived having mother and child use Fake Out and Power-Up Punch respectively for a free early boost—"
"Or using Fake Out on both opponents to single-handedly lock down two Pokémon—a terrifying advantage even in free-for-alls."
"Anyone facing such an unreasonable strategy in tournament would be stunned!"
"And he even covered Kangaskhan's other common moves—Return, Double-Edge, Sucker Punch—the whole spectrum."
Aiden's eyes gleamed with playful intent.
"Since that's the case… let's follow Professor Oak's lead and supplement Kangaskhan's in-game tactics. Time to play some good old-fashioned 'stat' battling after a long while."
When it comes to Mega Evolution—you can't skip the GOAT!
—
6:30 PM.
Normally, this hour belonged to the ritualistic "wait-and-curse-Teacher-Azure-with-anticipation" segment.
But today, Aiden had gone live far earlier than usual.
As viewers flooded the stream, he was already deep in Pokémon Champions, gesturing grandly at the team-builder interface.
"In short—today we're running a very formulaic doubles rank-climbing lineup!"
"In the Mega era, there's one Pokémon whose base stats might not impress—but after Mega Evolution, it undergoes total metamorphosis, leaping straight into the ranks of meta-defining team cores."
"That's right—it's—"
"Mega Kangaskhan!"
[?? Who are you? The Teacher Azure I know would NEVER go live early!]
[Seriously, 9.5/10 this feels off—Teacher Azure isn't pulling troll tactics today? My youth is over…]
[Kangaskhan—Professor Oak covered it too, but it always felt invisible. Not many Trainers actually use it.]
[Well, Kangaskhan are herd Pokémon—they rarely interact with humans.]
[Occasionally Teacher Azure does go 'human' and plays obscure Pokémon to give us a lesson. Get used to it!]
"Don't underestimate Kangaskhan—especially after Mega Evolution. It can absolutely serve as a team core~"
Though Aiden praised it highly, his chat remained lukewarm.
He understood why.
Mega Kangaskhan's strength wasn't evident from the Pokédex alone.
Its base stat total is 490—not particularly high. Even after Mega Evolution, it only reaches 590—lower than the late-bloomers.
But stats are only one piece of the puzzle.
Abilities, movepool, typing, team synergy—all critically matter.
In his past life, there was a widely circulated meme: the "Los Angeles team." Its prototype was the star-studded, theoretically-strong Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA.
In Pokémon terms, the "Los Angeles team" typically referred to a core of Kobe (Mega Kangaskhan), Landorous Therian, Thundurus Therian, Cresselia, Heatran—and a flexible sixth slot (usually Sylveon or Amoonguss).
In this stable composition, four of the six members were Legendaries.
For Mega Kangaskhan to sit at the same table as gods—and serve as the team's primary damage dealer—spoke volumes about its strength.
Thus, Mega Kangaskhan's original counterpart was the true core of the Los Angeles Lakers, earning the nickname "Kobe."
With 'Kobe' synergizing flawlessly alongside multiple Legendaries, this "flawless" team boasted an extremely high ceiling and remarkable versatility—just glancing at their near-600 average stat total revealed virtually no weaknesses.
Though the lineup lacked a fixed playstyle and relied on adaptability—demanding high mastery—in Aiden's hands, after thousands of matches with this composition in his past life, he could absolutely unleash terrifying results.
Back then, if you didn't run this team, climbing ranks was nearly impossible!
For rank climbing—no shame.
Sadly, Pokémon Champions didn't include Legendary data. Using them was out of the question.
So Aiden had to settle for a budget version.
Soon, a team appeared before viewers:
Front and center was naturally the core—Kangaskhan, already locked into the Mega slot.
The rest were mostly familiar faces:
Aiden's ever-present Smeargle;
The Pokémon he dubbed "Universe's #1 Pokémon"—Incineroar;
Hydreigon, the Unova pseudo-legendary that, despite crippling Fairy weakness, still held competitive relevance;
Scizor for defensive synergy and cleanup—a reliable bench option most of the time;
And one utterly random Ditto.
"Kangaskhan is pure Normal-type—which makes it only weak to Fighting. And most Fighting-type moves are physical."
"So the best way to protect it is to bring an Intimidate user. And Incineroar offers far more than just Intimidate."
As he edited the team, Aiden explained:
"Hydreigon covers Kangaskhan's rough matchups—like Ghost-types."
"Scizor handles both defensive pivoting and cleanup—usually a dependable bench."
"As for Smeargle and Ditto—let's keep that a suspense for now."
The team looked slightly 'thin' on paper—but had all the essentials.
At least Aiden thought it serviceable.
[Seeing Smeargle makes me laugh—Teacher Azure still can't quit Amoonguss and Spore, always inventing new sleep tactics!]
[Trustworthy Smeargle—I fell asleep for three hours as a kid just watching it on screen!]
[Can Ditto even function in serious battles? Feels like a dubious pick—I thought it only knows Transform?]
[Does Incineroar's pick rate seem unrealistically high? Are Alolan Pokémon really that strong?]
[Teacher Azure's seal of approval—like Amoonguss, when you're clueless what to bring, just slot one in. With this philosophy I've already hit Great Ball tier!]
[Alright alright—wish you luck sniping Teacher Azure soon!]
To the viewers' predictions, Aiden offered only a mysterious smile—saying nothing more.
Because Smeargle's Sketch could record countless moves, theoretically it had no ceiling.
Spore for sleep was stable—but today's Smeargle had an even more absurd role.
Shivering with rage—can't Smeargle be the boss for once?
"How this team actually plays—you'll see in battle."
"Only through real combat can the core philosophy be demonstrated intuitively—so let's queue."
With that, Aiden decisively pressed 'Match—beginning today's ranked "torment" journey.
Because he often ran gimmick entertainment lineups in doubles, his rank wasn't as high as in singles—only floating in the upper Great Ball tier, still distant from Master Ball.
But precisely because of this, sniping him had become harder.
Matchmaking lasted under a minute before a success popup appeared—a spirited-looking young Trainer.
The daily "first match always features a familiar face" rule was broken. This opponent was clearly an ordinary random player.
Trainer ID: I Love Cute Pokémon Most!
For some reason, Aiden felt a vague pang of guilt.
If, like his ID suggested, this young player became a Trainer purely out of love for cute Pokémon—and even climbed to the relatively high Great Ball tier in-game—
Defeating him with Kangaskhan felt like it might shatter the beliefs this kid had clung to all along.
And judging by his age… he didn't look very old.
Making a child cry definitely clashed with Aiden's usual gentle, kind image.
But matchmaking had already locked in—no turning back now!
After a moment's hesitation, Aiden pressed Confirm.
The opponent, too, seemed to undergo lengthy deliberation—only committing to battle at the final second of the countdown timer.
Facing Teacher Azure was undeniably pressure-filled—but if he could learn something from it, that knowledge would become lifelong wealth.
Many students held this exact mindset—which was why they persisted in challenging Sunshine Gym despite countless losses.
Countless results proved it: battling Aiden truly accelerated growth.
Even Elite Four members and Champions had their blind spots pointed out by him.
As both sides confirmed, the opponent's team swiftly appeared:
Azumarill, Togekiss, Metagross, Dragapult, Tinkaton, Gardevoir.
At first glance—quite a few cute Pokémon. But mixed in were two powerful pseudo-legendaries. Overall combat strength was no joke.
Relying purely on cuteness to hold Great Ball tier in today's increasingly brutal meta was genuinely difficult.
But the moment Aiden saw the opponent's roster, his brows instinctively furrowed—and the corners of his mouth twitched upward into a faint smile.
This team—
Felt strangely familiar.
A subtle sense that after selecting his own lineup, he was destined to face opponents running these exact Pokémon.
Aiden blinked—without hesitation selecting his 4-of-6 for doubles:
Lead: Kangaskhan and Smeargle.
Backline: Incineroar and Scizor.
Soon, the opponent made their lead choice too.
The screen swiftly transitioned to the majestic central arena of Battle Castle.
Both Trainers' silhouettes materialized on either side—four Poké Balls simultaneously arcing through the air.
On Aiden's side, the Smeargle + Kangaskhan combo was already known to viewers.
The opponent's lead? Azumarill and Togekiss.
[Planning to have Togekiss use Follow Me to draw aggro, then Azumarill Belly Drum to max boost and start sweeping?]
[Gotta say—the opponent's ID looks unserious, but the playstyle's actually solid!]
[Hmm—truly not bad. No wonder they rank high in Great Ball tier.]
[Too bad they ran into Teacher Azure. Such a transparent tactic—he couldn't possibly miss it, right?]
After half a year of Aiden's continuous instruction, chat's analytical level had visibly improved—even instantly spotting the opponent's game plan.
As for Aiden—upon seeing the leads, he immediately, without hesitation, issued commands:
"Kangaskhan—Mega Evolve!"
"Smeargle—use Transform! Target the Mega-evolved Kangaskhan!"
Using Spore to cripple the opponent was stable—but in this team composition, Smeargle had an even more absurd purpose:
To have two Mega Kangaskhan simultaneously appear on his own side of the field!
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