After both sides executed their rotations, the faster Mega Metagross attempted another Hammer Arm—easily intercepted by Smeargle's Mega Kangaskhan.
Back and forth—the exchange amounted to nothing.
Now Aiden's side fielded Kangaskhan (Smeargle) and Scizor, while the opponent controlled Togekiss and Mega Metagross.
Though the battle had barely begun, the young Trainer sitting before his computer monitor already felt sweat drenching his back—each breath heavy with suffocating pressure.
On paper, Scizor's arrival put Togekiss in an awkward spot.
If it dared use Follow Me to draw aggro, the opponent's fist-sized Bullet Punch would instantly OHKO it.
But on the other half of the field, the situation tilted overwhelmingly in the opponent's favor—Mega Metagross clearly outsped the opposition, and Smeargle's Mega Kangaskhan, having taken a Meteor Mash earlier, was left on dangerously low HP. Even after one Intimidate drop, a single Hammer Arm would easily finish it off.
Trading Togekiss for Kangaskhan might even be a slight win for him.
But the problem was—he didn't dare gamble on whether Teacher Azure would rotate again.
With Incineroar waiting in reserve, if Scizor got recalled and they failed to eliminate Mega Kangaskhan, the entire board would collapse.
Yet if he kept worrying about the backline, Kangaskhan would become impossible to handle.
A cold bead of sweat rolled down the young Trainer's cheek. Time pressure forced him to abandon deep thought—he blurted out commands just before Aiden could speak:
"Togekiss—Follow Me!"
"Metagross—Hammer Arm Smeargle!"
Using Heat Wave might've reliably finished Smeargle, but Togekiss couldn't outspeed Mega Kangaskhan. In the gap, Kangaskhan would inevitably land another Crunch—leaving Metagross either dead or critically wounded. With Scizor still standing, a forced trade was highly likely.
If a sacrifice had to be made for victory… it would have to be Togekiss.
The thought filled him with shame.
He'd originally become a Trainer to catch cute Pokémon and travel the world with them—how had he become this?
And his prediction proved correct.
Immediately after, Aiden issued his own commands:
"Kangaskhan (Smeargle)—Sucker Punch!"
"Scizor—Tailwind!"
Togekiss moved first, successfully drawing enemy attention with Follow Me.
But just before Metagross's Hammer Arm connected, Smeargle sensed danger—it vanished in an instant, reappearing behind Togekiss to deliver a surprise strike.
Though resisted and thus dealing modest damage, it still left Togekiss clinging to a sliver of HP.
The arriving Mega Metagross then unleashed all four steel arms at once—Smeargle instantly reverted to its original form, HP bar emptied completely.
Now both sides had lost one Pokémon—the battlefield appeared balanced once more.
But in reality—
With Tailwind securing priority once again, Aiden's advantage had arguably grown.
Because even without Smeargle's fake Mega Kangaskhan… he still had the real one waiting in reserve!
Having just witnessed Mega Kangaskhan's earth-shattering power—and with Tailwind guaranteeing first strike—
The young Trainer's expression had gone numb. Only fine beads of sweat continued rolling down his forehead, splashing coldly against his nose.
What if I'd gambled earlier—chosen Heat Wave with Togekiss? Would the tide have turned completely?
For Scizor, a 4x super effective Fire-type move meant near-certain death on contact. If he'd possessed Teacher Azure's boldness to take that risk—
Now, only regret remained.
"To make the safest choice in such a short time—not bad skill."
Aiden nodded approvingly.
"But unfortunately… we've reached the point where only a desperate gamble offers any hope of comeback."
"Though even gambling probably wouldn't help much anyway—"
Of course, his confidence came from calculation—he wasn't the type of inspirational Trainer who left victory to rock-paper-scissors luck.
This team boasted two Mega Kangaskhan as stable damage dealers, supported by coverage partners. Scizor's primary role was enabling rotations—so survival mattered most.
And Scizor's notorious 4x Fire weakness was common knowledge.
Thus, Aiden had thoughtfully equipped it with the rare Occa Berry—mitigating any scenario where it might be forced to eat a Fire move.
No matter what—Scizor would successfully set Tailwind.
After the fake Kangaskhan fell, Aiden didn't immediately send out the real Mega Kangaskhan. Instead—he recalled it and brought back Incineroar.
Its return instantly extinguished Mega Metagross's fighting spirit—already weakened once by Intimidate.
Attack -1… -2…
Incineroar's Flare Blitz could instantly eliminate Metagross—and neither opponent Pokémon could possibly stop it.
Aiden now held infinite firing rights.
"Metagross—return."
"Togekiss—Protect!"
As Aiden prepared his move, the opponent didn't hesitate—making the correct call.
Azumarill had to eat this Flare Blitz—and Togekiss had to survive at all costs.
This was the only remaining path to victory!
If Azumarill could safely enter the field, neither Scizor nor Incineroar could threaten it. With Belly Drum + Follow Me as a late-game combo… maybe, just maybe, a miracle remained possible.
The idea was beautiful—but reality proved brutally cruel.
"Incineroar—Taunt Metagross!"
"Scizor—Bullet Punch!"
For Aiden, predicting endgame plays was actually simpler than reading openings.
Early game still allowed room for error—opponents often pulled mysterious, unpredictable moves (he'd seen plenty back in lower ranks).
But the more desperate the situation—the fewer viable options remained.
And in this scenario—
Only one path to comeback existed.
Aiden had anticipated it from the start—shattering that hope without hesitation.
Taunt itself lowered the opponent's Attack and Special Attack—useless against Azumarill about to Belly Drum and max its Attack.
But once Taunt landed… and Mega Kangaskhan reemerged—
The board collapsed completely.
Unlike Incineroar, Mega Kangaskhan's Double-Edge would effortlessly OHKO Azumarill. Togekiss—using Follow Me to protect its partner—would instantly fall to Scizor's Bullet Punch, leaving zero chance to interfere.
Even without switching out, Incineroar's Outrage would've achieved similar results. After two Belly Drums, Azumarill's HP would be too low to mount a comeback anyway—and Flare Blitz would render Belly Drum unusable.
From the moment the opponent chose to retreat from the twin Kangaskhan's pressure… he had already lost.
Staring at Aiden's majestic Mega Kangaskhan, the young Trainer's face flushed crimson—lips twitching uncontrollably.
I can't win. Absolutely can't win—
As long as Teacher Azure played normally—Bullet Punch would take Togekiss, and the too-slow Azumarill would become a sitting duck, easily eliminated.
Even the final reserve Mega Metagross couldn't outspeed Tailwind-boosted Mega Kangaskhan.
It's over.
Accepting defeat, the young Trainer stopped struggling—choosing clean surrender.
Simultaneously, he began mentally reviewing why he'd lost.
The answer was obvious.
His two prized lead Pokémon had failed to carry the team—forcing him into constant damage control for the rest of the match.
The Pokémon he loved most… had become his greatest burden at the critical moment—
A strangely bitter feeling.
But now—how could he grow stronger?
Amid flushed frustration, the young Trainer's eyes drifted to Aiden's team composition—and instantly widened in revelation.
Of course! Teacher Azure already gave me the answer!
Just because I love certain Pokémon… doesn't mean I have to bring them into ranked matches every day!
Even Teacher Azure's Pokémon are incredibly strong—but he doesn't use them to climb ranks. What does that tell you?
It tells you Teacher Azure is right!
If I want to climb… I can't be greedy anymore. Only by using stronger Pokémon and lineups can I reach Master Ball tier!
It's just a game… Maa-(ril)-chan and To-(ge)-chan will forgive me!
For victory—I'll even abandon my oldest friends!!!
As his conviction solidified, the flushed youth gradually calmed—gripping his mouse with renewed resolve as he navigated to his profile settings.
He changed his username to [Strength Is Everything!] and updated his bio to: "Only victory brings smiles—I refuse to lose!"
Only then did a satisfied smile return to his face.
"Teacher Azure's team composition was genuinely clever—two Mega Kangaskhan gave me a massive headache. So—"
"Yoink. This lineup is mine now!"
Phew—
Noting the opponent's surrender, Aiden—who'd been preparing a finishing blow—exhaled in relief. The smile that never left his face brightened further.
"What a thrilling battle~"
"Though improvised on the spot… it's great that the tactic actually worked."
[Thrilling for WHO? I only saw a kid getting psychologically demolished by Teacher Azure. ACT LIKE A HUMAN BEING!]
[Another genius youth loses his dream.]
[Look on the bright side—at least he got matched with Teacher Azure. Honestly, that's winning in itself—]
Comments quickly turned into a wave of righteous indignation against Aiden.
Yet even so—his tactic had left a deep impression.
[So THIS is how you get two Mega Pokémon on the field simultaneously? Does that mean other Mega users can be copied too?]
[Wait—it might not stop at two! Don't forget Teacher Azure's team had a Ditto too! Could it be THREE Mega Kangaskhan—]
[And there are still masters among us?]
[I'm starting to understand everything.jpg]
"I did say this team's logic was easy to grasp—just one look and it sticks."
Aiden nodded, not denying their theories.
This Transform tactic was simple in concept: use Transform to let Smeargle or Ditto mimic the "big bro," then—backpack on, march forward.
Other teams get one Mega user—we roll out three. More broken than cheating!
The only issue—
Finding a suitable "big bro" wasn't easy.
Beyond Kangaskhan, most Mega users lacked overwhelming power—and many had glaring weaknesses, making offensive/defensive balance difficult.
Hydreigon or Metagross might work… but Aiden still preferred Kangaskhan.
Why? Simple—un-nerfed Parental Bond was just too fun!
If you can play authentic 'Kobe' Kangaskhan and not smile… you should get diagnosed for depression.
And if the opponent stops smiling?
The smile hasn't vanished—it's just migrated from their face… to yours.
So—no need to worry about them.
[Learned! Off to climb ranks with Kangaskhan!]
[But aside from Teacher Azure's tactic—the opponent's strategy was kinda interesting too~]
[True! Never expected to see Azumarill in ranked play. Belly Drum + Huge Power combo at Great Ball tier?]
"Indeed—though a standard combo, it actually has nuance."
Glancing at the comments, Aiden casually analyzed the opponent's approach.
"Even with Huge Power, Azumarill's combat prowess remains mediocre—but after Belly Drum? Completely different."
"Belly Drum maxes its power—plus it's moveset making its sluggish speed irrelevant. Just endlessly spam Aqua Jet's blistering priority for explosive damage."
"As for defense—delegate that entirely to support partners like Togekiss. Using Follow Me to split aggro is a genuinely solid defensive synergy."
"If executed with full conviction… it might actually be a viable strategy. At least I'd slot in an Amoonguss in reserve instead of adding more damage dealers—"
Aiden murmured softly.
Monotonous? Yes. But many opponents genuinely struggle against this style.
Azumarill's three weaknesses—Grass, Electric, Poison—lack strong AoE coverage moves for efficient damage. Most of the time, you must control or eliminate Togekiss first to threaten Azumarill at all.
The logic was sound.
But after this battle with Aiden… he could only hope the poor kid didn't have his Trainer's heart completely shattered—
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