Cherreads

Chapter 408 - Chapter 408: Teacher Azure, Please Act Like a Human Being! (BONUS CHAPTER)

Question: What if one Mega Kangaskhan still doesn't feel oppressive enough on the battlefield?

Aiden answered with action:

Simple—bring out two.

As he spoke, his Trainer avatar on-screen raised the Key Stone bracelet on his wrist.

A dazzling spectrum of evolution light erupted across the arena—a pillar of radiance engulfing Kangaskhan's position.

When the glow faded, Mega Kangaskhan stood proudly revealed.

The baby, once sheltered within its mother's pouch, now stepped onto the battlefield—arms spread protectively as it let out a warning growl toward the opposing Azumarill and Togekiss.

It should have been a deeply moving moment—Aiden himself felt a flicker of warmth at this display of maternal bond.

Yet most viewers' attention was locked elsewhere—on Smeargle, standing not far away.

Following Aiden's command, Smeargle had been intently observing the Kangaskhan duo—nodding repeatedly with keen interest.

And now—its body began glowing white.

[Huh???]

[LMAO so Smeargle wasn't here for support after all? Just Transform? No big deal—wait, WHAT did you transform into?!]

[Bro what are you DOING—is transforming into Mega Kangaskhan even LEGAL???]

[Doesn't Mega Evolution require unity of mind between Trainer and Pokémon? Since when can you SHARE it with others?]

[Teacher Azure, PLEASE ACT LIKE A HUMAN BEING!]

Indeed—this Kangaskhan-centered strategy was so brutally straightforward that viewers' expressions twisted into pure disbelief the moment they grasped it.

Their shock was understandable.

Transform was an exceptionally rare move. Beyond Mew—the only other Pokémon Aiden knew who could learn it—only Ditto possessed this ability to mimic any Pokémon's form.

Ditto was a mimic Pokémon.

Lacking combat prowess of its own, it survived by blending into other species' groups through Transform—and even held the bizarre ability to breed across Egg Groups.

Theoretically, a single male Ditto could spawn entire populations of diverse Pokémon. In-game, it was the ultimate laborer of the Day Care.

Of course, Smeargle was another rule-breaker—capable of learning even Legendary-exclusive moves under the right conditions. So learning Transform by observing Ditto was… reasonable?

"Togekiss—Follow Me!"

"Azumarill—Belly Drum!"

The opponent reacted quickly—though his voice carried unmistakable uncertainty.

He'd assumed Aiden's Smeargle would lead with Spore, preparing Magic Coat to reflect it. This sudden twist caught him completely off guard.

Still—he rallied fast. Even if I can't stop Kangaskhan's Mega Evolution—I MUST prevent Smeargle from executing its move!

Otherwise… if it actually pulls off the transformation… that would be terrifying—

No wonder he's Teacher Azure. If Transform truly allows two Mega Pokémon on one side simultaneously… that's an entirely new tactical paradigm.

Fortunately—his Togekiss happened to be an excellent support Pokémon.

From Smeargle's behavior, Transform clearly required targeting a specific Pokémon—meaning Follow Me would work on it too!

If he disrupted Teacher Azure's rhythm, at least he wouldn't lose too humiliatingly!

Yet just as confidence returned to him—Aiden's next command sent ice through his veins.

"Kangaskhan—Fake Out Togekiss."

Belly Drum + Follow Me was notoriously difficult to counter—but Kangaskhan possessed the ultimate opener: Fake Out, guaranteed to flinch on turn one.

Mother and child struck in unison—two sharp smacks resounding through the arena as Togekiss recoiled, its impending move forcibly interrupted. The opponent's entire setup collapsed instantly.

Though honestly—the more shocking development wasn't Aiden predicting his moves…

[Teacher Azure, your Kangaskhan's damage is BROKEN—how did a 40-power Fake Out take nearly 1/3 of its HP?!]

[Suggest the above check Professor Oak's new video—Kangaskhan's ability is Parental Bond! The baby deals solid damage too, plus Mega Kangaskhan's base power isn't weak—this damage is, uh, NORMAL right?————]

[One adult + one baby gets Parental Bond—so my Falinks should hit FIVE times! Can we get a "Troop Bond" ability?]

[Machamp: Can I get "Fist Bond"? I can throw FOUR punches at once————]

Aiden too noted Kangaskhan's terrifying damage output—eyebrows lifting slightly.

So the game still uses the original Parental Bond version—the one that deals 1.5x total damage?

With numbers like this… victory had never felt so effortless—

Soon after Kangaskhan's dual Fake Outs created an opening for its ally, Smeargle completed its transformation.

A second Mega Kangaskhan materialized—identical mother-and-child configuration.

Upon Transform activation, Smeargle inherited Mega Kangaskhan's full typing—and crucially, its entire movepool.

Meaning—two identical Mega Kangaskhan now stood on one side of the field!

"As expected."

Aiden wasn't surprised—he'd "personally tested" this tactic in his past life, after all~

"Mega Evolution is fundamentally a temporary evolutionary state—and evolution itself is core to Pokémon biology."

"If this were Gigantamax or Terastalization, Transform couldn't replicate it. But Mega Evolution—"

"As long as the Pokémon believes it can happen… it will happen!"

As Aiden declared this with conviction, the opponent's Azumarill finally completed Belly Drum—then promptly consumed an Oran Berry from its pouch.

Belly Drum + Oran Berry—a classic combo.

HP lost to Belly Drum rapidly restored to a "safe" range.

But—was it truly safe?

Before the opponent could exhale in relief, Aiden issued his next command:

"Kangaskhan, Smeargle—Double-Edge Azumarill!"

Anticipating Togekiss might use Follow Me again to shield Azumarill, Aiden played conservatively.

And here the opponent's critical flaw revealed itself:

Both Pokémon were painfully slow. Even with Belly Drum's power boost, Azumarill stood no chance of outspeeding two Kangaskhan—raw strength rendered useless without priority.

Moreover—both had already taken damage. Neither could possibly survive a Parental Bond Double-Edge. Aiden didn't even bother with Power-Up Punch for setup.

Once Togekiss fell, Azumarill—deprived of protection—wouldn't last a second.

The opponent clearly realized this too—reluctantly ordering dual Protects to stall both Mega Kangaskhan's assaults.

But both sides knew this was futile.

Against Gigantamax opponents, Protect stalling worked wonders—but Mega Evolution lasted the entire match. Delaying defeat was all it could do.

Next turn—Aiden repeated the command.

As two merciless Double-Edges launched, the opponent—who'd gained precious thinking time from his stall—suddenly had an epiphany:

Right! I still have Dragapult and Metagross in reserve!

Recalling Belly Drum Azumarill would waste the Oran Berry and 1/4 HP—but as long as it didn't get OHKO'd, he still had a chance!

Just before impact, he executed a double switch.

Dragapult—Ghost/Dragon-type—naturally immune to Normal-type Double-Edge. Metagross's Steel typing also minimized damage from the attacks.

Ultimately—at the cost of Metagross losing over 1/3 HP—the rotation succeeded. The opponent exhaled shakily.

Now… the tide will turn!

Dragapult possessed blistering speed—even Mega Kangaskhan couldn't match it. And as for Metagross—

He wasn't the only one who could Mega Evolve!

Though he longed to climb ranks with cute Pokémon, nearing Master Ball tier had taught him a harsh truth:

Cuteness had its limits. To grow stronger required more than intangible bonds—you needed the raw power only formidable Pokémon could provide!

Therefore—

For victory… I'll even abandon cuteness!!!

"Show me your strongest form, Metagross!"

"Mega Evolve!"

White light flashed—revealing Mega Metagross, a form Aiden knew all too well.

Its Steel body now paired with shocking speed—turn order instantly snatched away by the opponent's freshly switched Pokémon.

Yet Aiden remained perfectly calm—almost amused.

"Kangaskhan—return."

He immediately recalled Mega Kangaskhan—and before the opponent's attacks landed, sent out his most trusted ace:

Incineroar!

With its naturally imposing aura and fearsome visage, Incineroar's mere appearance made both Dragapult and Metagross visibly tense—their offensive drive plummeting.

Metagross normally possessed Clear Body—immune to Intimidate's effects.

But—it had just Mega Evolved! Its ability had changed to Tough Claws… making it vulnerable to Intimidate instead.

As for Dragapult—it could have Clear Body… but from its reaction just now, Aiden confirmed it ran Infiltrator.

Though Aiden's teachings had spread awareness of Intimidate counters, actually encountering them in battle remained rare. Who'd have thought today's opponent would walk straight into this trap—

Their subsequent Meteor Mash and Dragon Rush were effortlessly blocked by Smeargle's Mega Kangaskhan using Protect.

Though neither side took damage, the Intimidate drop significantly weakened both Mega Metagross and Dragapult's threat level.

Aiden gave no breathing room—immediately commanding:

"Incineroar—Fake Out!"

"Smeargle—Crunch on Dragapult!"

Dragapult resisted Normal-type moves—so Incineroar naturally targeted Metagross.

For Aiden, eliminating Metagross first was key. Once it fell, his real Mega Kangaskhan waiting in reserve would effortlessly sweep the remainder.

The opponent—understandably unwilling to gamble Metagross's survival in the chaos—played ultra-safe with another Protect.

As for Dragapult—Intimidated and desperate, it fired off a Meteor Mash, hoping to quickly eliminate the "fake" Mega Kangaskhan.

The meteor strike cratered Smeargle's forehead—costing it over half its HP. Yet its subsequent Crunch didn't target Metagross alongside Incineroar—

It aimed squarely at Dragapult!

"When you know the opponent's only comeback hope is Metagross… preserving it becomes their obvious priority."

"So sometimes—daring unconventional plays yields surprising results~"

Aiden murmured—explaining his read.

Beyond prediction, other factors guided his choice:

As a mental calculator, he knew Crunch wouldn't OHKO Metagross even with super effectiveness.

But against the notoriously frail Dragapult—

It was almost a guaranteed KO.

Well worth the gamble.

It was just a doubles teaching match anyway. Losing to a random player wouldn't matter—plenty more footage opportunities awaited.

After Meteor Mash, Dragapult entered its brief vulnerability phase—Kangaskhan's dual Crunch strikes landed instantly, erasing its remaining HP in one fell swoop.

Everyone knew Dragapult was a glass cannon—but one move eliminating a key opponent still stunned viewers.

[Crunch isn't even STAB and has mediocre power—how did it OHKO?! Even with weakness it's absurd!]

[That kind of power on ONE is already broken—WHO KNEW Teacher Azure had another "authentic" Kangaskhan waiting in reserve?!]

[Plus Kangaskhan has Incineroar backing it—Intimidate active means surviving even ONE is a nightmare!]

[Calculating opponent's trauma level—unplugging now wouldn't be shameful at this point!]

If viewers saw the match was utterly one-sided… how could the young Trainer opposite not realize it?

But—he'd already sacrificed his bond with cute Pokémon. If he retreated now, wouldn't he become a completely failed Trainer?!

Therefore—

"Please… lend me your strength once more, Togekiss!"

He quickly rotated his team—and Aiden mirrored the adjustment.

"Incineroar's value is greater in reserve. So what should we do now?"

"Simple—rotate~"

Aiden smiled gently.

Incineroar vanished from the field—replaced by his final bench Pokémon:

Scizor!

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