The rest of the battle had already entered garbage time.
Contrary to what the chat initially thought—that the streamer would "fight tooth and nail and barely defeat" Larry, the Elite Four member from Paldea—Aiden's assault maintained a relaxed pace, but it was still more than Larry's Flying squad could handle.
Even though Talonflame was built tanky, its damage after Bulk Up was still formidable.
Add in Acrobatics, which doubled in power after having the Flyinium Z stolen, created pressure nearly on par with Brave Bird.
Not to mention its speed and Gale Wings' advantage, allowing it to consistently seize the initiative.
At this point, the benefits of using Acrobatics over Brave Bird became evident.
Larry had no good way to deal with it. Even when Talonflame was severely wounded from life-or-death exchanges, it managed to recover through Roost.
Without Brave Bird's recoil adding HP pressure, Talonflame—its feathers blazing like flames—transformed into a legendary phoenix, single-handedly sweeping away the opponent's remaining Pokémon.
In the end, the score was set at 6:1.
A resounding victory for Aiden.
This win in the promotion match also meant that Aiden's rank had finally reached Ultra Ball.
[WTF Azure can even crush an Elite Four?]
[A tactic that can beat an Elite Four is definitely a good one—share it, quick!]
[I've learned it! Tomorrow I'll bring my Talonflame offline to solo-kill the streamer!]
Talonflame's display of brutal aesthetics left the audience in awe. Who would have thought that a mere regional bird could almost single-handedly take on an entire Elite Four team?
The strategy was incredibly straightforward:
Seize the opportunity to use Bulk Up for stat boosts, rely on Roost powered by Gale Wings for terrifying recovery efficiency, and then transform into an unstoppable bulldozer that obliterates everything in its path.
This actually seems doable!
However, although it may seem only a step away, he was still far from reaching the Master Ball rank, which required being in the top hundred.
After all, players in Ultra Ball were no slouches, and occasionally you'd encounter regional Leaders like Larry.
Aiden had confidence, but given his current pace, it would indeed take some time.
---
"Sure enough, I lost…"
Larry dropped the controller listlessly and collapsed onto the couch.
He had been so happy just moments ago, fresh off eating grilled rice balls after work.
Why did I even start this game?
Larry felt he might have made the worst decision of the night.
Still, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise—he had witnessed an interesting Flying-type tactic.
Not a bad outcome, right?
Larry sighed inwardly, suddenly remembering something he had been curious about since the start of the match—
Who exactly was this user with the ID "Azure Wing," hailing from which region, who came up with this new approach for Talonflame?
Even in practical battles, this tactic was highly viable.
Especially for Trainers engaged in prolonged battles, such as newcomers challenging Victory Road—it was an invaluable damage-control strategy.
He must be a very creative young Gym Leader, right?
Based on the match record, Larry clicked into "Azure Wing's" profile.
Then, his eyes widened instantly.
"Huh?"
Paldean Gym Leader of Sunshine Gym, Aiden.
So this guy was from our Paldea region?
Larry sucked in a sharp breath.
A wave of new Gym Leaders had recently appeared, but who knew there were still hidden experts?
Our Paldea truly is full of talent!
"But the Sunshine Gym…"
Unlike Kanto's overwhelming number of Gyms spread across the region, Paldea's Gym system was strictly controlled.
So he did have some impression of this Gym.
If he remembered correctly, the two Gym Leaders who joined the exploration team entering Zero Zone for protection were from this Gym, right?
After they went missing, their Gym Leader position should have been transferred to…
Larry immediately stood up, walked to the computer, logged into the League's internal network, and quickly found the identity information of this Sunshine Gym Leader.
Aiden, 18 years old.
Previously had no battle experience—a pure novice Trainer.
In fact, the Gym had been closed for half a year and was on Geeta's key assessment list.
Something didn't add up.
Larry furrowed his brow slightly.
Based on the tactical level this kid displayed just now, becoming a Champion might still be questionable.
But if it was just to be an ordinary Gym Leader, it should already be sufficient.
Could it be that the League's supreme leader—the Top Champion of Paldea, the one and only Sun—had misjudged someone?
The League was currently short on manpower; it would be a shame to let such excellent young talent go to waste.
Larry sighed, quietly took out his phone, and dialed a number.
"Hey, Geeta?"
"There's a young man you should pay attention to."
"As for why…"
"After watching the recording I'll send over, you'll find your answer."
---
Paldea, northwest of Mesagoza, Paldea League.
"This is the first time I've seen Larry call after work hours?"
A woman dressed in a sharp suit, slim yet exuding a commanding presence, sat at her desk, snapping her fingers toward another woman who had just hung up the phone.
"Larry recommended a newcomer to me."
Geeta smiled faintly and briskly walked over, her wildly growing black hair swaying slightly with each step.
"The person you just asked me to investigate—isn't his name Aiden?"
"Exactly, you're not suffering from early-onset dementia at your age, are you?"
Rika retorted sarcastically.
She should have been off work by now, but an unexpected event forced her to stay behind.
Sinnoh Champion Cynthia had visited Paldea today without notifying the League.
The visit itself wasn't unusual—after all, even Champions needed personal time.
However, Geeta felt this could be an opportunity to deepen cooperation with the Sinnoh League, so she specifically tasked Rika with investigating Cynthia's purpose for visiting.
The result? Cynthia had only stayed briefly at a nearly bankrupt Gym in Cabo Poco before leaving?
What could she possibly accomplish in such a short time?
It couldn't have been for matchmaking, could it…
Rika internally sighed, but then a sudden thought struck her, prompting her to glance at Geeta and ask instinctively:
"Does Larry's call have anything to do with this kid?"
"You guessed right—I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence either."
Geeta chuckled.
"Larry apparently encountered him in the game, thought Aiden was talented, and unusually reached out to me on his own."
"If it weren't for what happened today, I wouldn't have known Paldea had such a hidden gem. He's definitely worth keeping an eye on."
"Tsk…"
Noticing her expression, Rika lowered her head and massaged her temples, silently mourning for the unknown Gym Leader.
As the Top Champion of the League, Geeta was a highly responsible and capable leader, and the development of the Paldea League relied heavily on her planning.
But at the same time, she was also a ruthless workaholic.
It was one thing for her to overwork herself, but under the principle of "if it works, use it to death", there wasn't a single worker in the entire League who wasn't operating under overload…
Hopefully, the guy will be okay.
"Larry also sent me a recording of their match. Want to watch it together?"
Geeta gestured toward the computer behind her, extending an invitation.
"Absolutely!"
Rika didn't hesitate.
She was genuinely curious—just how much skill could someone possess to catch the eye of both Sinnoh Champion Cynthia and Elite Four Larry?
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