In the Levincia Gym, Paldea
"I need to look into who this guy really is. I don't even recall hearing about this gym's name before..."
After losing to Aiden and having her win streak ended, Iono naturally lost all motivation to continue streaming.
But after signing off, she became even more curious about this "Azure Wings".
At least she was certain that there was no one like him among the eight major gyms in the Paldea region, so he must be from some other amateur gym.
"But to come up with two highly refined, completely original strategies—this definitely suggests he's a seasoned Trainer..."
"How have I never heard of him before?"
Although she had only recently taken over as the Gym Leader from her parents, she was well aware of the famous predecessors in the Paldea League.
The more she thought about it, the more this mystery intrigued her.
Iono had always been a woman of action—if a problem arose, she would find a way to solve it.
And the solution was quite simple—
As a Gym Leader, she naturally had access to the internal network of the league. Finding out the identity of this anonymous Gym Leader wouldn't be difficult.
However, what she discovered nearly drove her into despair.
"The Sunshine Gym... So there really are gyms in the league that aren't named after cities? Located in the remote town of Cabo Poco in the southern district... Such an isolated place..."
"Eh? This gym has been closed for half a year already?"
"The reason being..."
"The gym leader couple went missing during an exploration mission in Area Zero???"
Staring at the official Paldea League document, Iono was utterly stunned.
Anyone in Paldea knew about the major incident that occurred in Area Zero six months ago.
For nearly a decade, the exploration of the mysterious Area Zero had been a key focus of the league.
Under the guidance of Regional Professors Sada/Turo, previous expeditions had yielded significant results, successfully establishing multiple observation posts within the area.
They even uncovered the principles behind the miraculous phenomenon of Terastalization, leading to the mass production of Tera Orbs.
However, six months ago, the professor couple, disregarding opposition, ventured deep into the Tera Crystal Mines of Area Zero to construct a time machine—and then an accident occurred.
To this day, no one knows exactly what happened in Area Zero.
But after such a long time, those who went missing back then were likely...
Iono sighed. If she had known beforehand that the news would be so heavy, she might not have wanted to dig deeper.
Since the gym leader couple had gone missing, the current inheritor of the Sunshine Gym must be their child, right?
Sure enough, the information on the current gym successor had already been updated.
Aiden, 18 years old, Gym Leader of the Sunshine Gym.
His identity matched the streamer named "Azure Wings." There was no doubt—it was him.
So the guy who just defeated her was actually this young?
The same age as her?
Iono's pupils dilated instantly.
Though the world was never short of prodigies—even 18-year-old champions weren't unheard of—
Compared to the distant legends of other regions, this 18-year-old tactician named Aiden felt much closer to home.
An 18-year-old master of tactics.
If not for these unforeseen circumstances, he might already be competing for this year's championship title, right?
What a pity...
Perhaps just recovering from the shock of his parents' disappearance had consumed all his energy.
Maybe this attempt at streaming was his first step toward stepping out of the shadows?
Iono suddenly felt a pang of regret. Recalling her earlier thoughts of trying to capitalize on his fame, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of shame.
Given his hardships, she simply couldn't bring herself to compete with him anymore...
After losing to Aiden, her mindset had undergone a subtle shift.
After learning the true identity of "Azure Wings" through official channels, she couldn't help but genuinely admire this resilient young man.
Should she lend him a hand?
Just as she sighed and prepared to shut down her computer and stop thinking about this information—
A notification from PokéTV appeared.
"The video creator you follow, 'Azure Wings,' has just uploaded a new video!"
---
Midnight, 12:00 AM. Aiden was sound asleep, cradling Eevee in his arms.
The video he had previously edited and produced was now released on PokéTV via scheduled posting.
As soon as it went live, a flood of eager viewers rushed in.
[It's here It's here It's here!]
[It's only midnight you didn't think I'd be asleep, did you?]
[I was there live! The streamer's Explosion Spikes tactic made Iono surrender—I've never seen such a scummy strategy!]
Most of those waiting eagerly on PokéTV were fans from Aiden's live stream, ready for a more comprehensive and detailed tutorial they could use to climb the ranks.
Especially when Aiden mentioned in the video that this tactic had a limited shelf life—once everyone knew about it, it wouldn't be as effective—the audience fell silent for quite a while.
Everyone focused intently on Aiden's video lesson, and the density of comments noticeably decreased.
Since this tactic had only been used once, the footage clearly came from his battle against Iono.
Whether it was Skarmory, enduring type disadvantages to lay down crucial Spikes;
Or Bronzong, reversing the tide with Trick Room and finishing strong with Explosion;
Or Metagross, delivering one-punch knockouts and showcasing brutal beauty—
Each moment left a deep impression on the audience.
And Iono's decisive surrender at the end seemed to validate the viability of this tactic.
Soon, the video reached its conclusion, and Aiden delivered his final summary:
"In short, use Spikes to pressure the opponent's HP, creating a health advantage. After taking out one of their Pokémon, use Explosion to further widen the gap."
"'Can't take it anymore? Let's blow up!' That's the core of this tactic."
"Besides the Pokémon shown in the video, there are many other options you can add to your team. Adjust based on your own ideas."
[So Spikes can be used like this... build yoinked, time to climb the ranks!]
[Fam I suggest everyone adds more Pokémon with the Damp ability to their teams in the next few days—don't ask me why I know!]
[I never realized before, but does laying down Spikes really have such a huge impact on the entire match?]
Aiden's two streams were somewhat calculated—he chose tactics that were relatively simple, easy to grasp once you understood the principle.
After watching the video, many viewers declared themselves ready, eagerly preparing to enter ranked battles and climb the ladder using this informational edge.
As the video progress bar rolled to the end, Aiden preemptively addressed the audience's thoughts with a soul-searching question:
"After watching this video, I believe everyone now has a basic understanding of the importance of Spikes in singles battles."
"So, today's homework will help expand your thinking—"
"If Spikes are so annoying, what methods do we have to clear the Spikes laid by our opponents?"
The audience was clearly stumped by this question.
Without knowing the answer, what should they do?
Of course, go to the comment section to find the nerd, I mean expert~
------------------------------------------------------
Double Chapters Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)