"This so-called Bug Relay simply refers to the Bug-type move 'U-Turn' team. As the name suggests, it simply uses only Bug-types that can use U-Turn to open up options when battling."
Aiden began his explanation with practiced ease.
"As everyone knows, the individual combat power of Bug Pokémon is quite average, and even a few strong ones obviously can't reverse the situation."
"So, if we shift to the mindset of a swarm, treating the entire team as a single entity to battle opponents, how strong would this pure Bug-type team be?"
In nature, insects are among the weakest creatures but manage to secure their ecological niche through numbers and group consciousness.
This is the power of the swarm!
[Bug Pokémon? Is the streamer finally willing to play Kricketune? Long-time fans of Kricketune collectively climax, shedding tears of emotion!]
[No way, does Kricketune even suitable for battle? I don't even bother catching a Kricketot when I see it on the road...]
[You should evolve it further first, become something like Kricketune-Man before coming back!]
[Kricketune-Man? Haha, then it's invincible!]
Prompted by Aiden, the audience immediately thought of Kricketune.
Kricketune, a Bug-type Cricket Pokémon.
First discovered in Sinnoh, it also has some distribution in Paldea.
It's a "popular" Pokémon that even young Bug Catchers are reluctant to train as their main Pokémon.
Whether in his previous world or the Pokémon world, Kricketune enjoys high popularity online.
Of course, the logic chains in both worlds are interconnected—
Because Kricketune is so weak that almost no trainers are willing to focus on training it, which ironically made it famous...
According to the national Pokédex data compiled by Professor Oak, the "number one hater" of Kricketune, Kricketune's total base stats are only 384 points. As a final evolution form, it is even lower than all second-stage evolutions of starter Pokémon.
In theory, this Pokémon should indeed have another stage of evolution.
However, to this day, no one has discovered its evolved form.
Perhaps Kricketune is waiting for an opportunity to make a stunning debut, but more likely, it really ends here.
"Chat's right; Kricketune is indeed a relatively weak Pokémon."
Aiden did not deny this view, as it was an objective fact.
"But if we can make a weak Pokémon useful, doesn't that prove my tactics are very suitable for them?"
"So..."
"Today's main player will be you, Kricketune!"
Aiden opened the team editor, and a lineup centered around Bug-type Pokémon quickly lined up.
Kricketune, Yanmega, Scizor, Scolipede, Scizor, Drapion.
Since he was commissioned by Cynthia to expand Aaron's thinking, Aiden mostly chose Pokémon that he remembered Aaron using.
[Well, if we look purely at the teammates, this team seems okay?]
[Wait, isn't there a traitor among us? What kind of bug is your Drapion?]
[Drapion had the Bug type before evolving, I mean if you round it up it makes it a Bug Pokémon LOL]
[Locking in Kricketune as the starter? Based on this alone, I, Madara, declare Azure as the one who respects Kricketune the most on the entire internet!]
As a Bug-type expert, Aaron's lineup almost gathered all the notable Bug Pokémon in Sinnoh.
Excluding Kricketune, the average base stats of this team were close to 500 points.
Quite high for Bug Pokémon.
Besides the extremely strong defensive synergy of Scizor and the violent DPS of Scolipede, Drapion was also quite popular in the Sinnoh region.
Of course, theoretically speaking, if you were to play a relay strategy, Yanmega with its Speed Boost ability would definitely be better as the starter.
But since he was playing Bug Pokémon, how could he not use the meme, Kricketune!
With this thought, Aiden embarked on today's ranked journey.
...
Sinnoh League.
Late at night, the lights in the office were still shining brightly.
"So sleepy..."
After stretching on his seat, Aaron yawned repeatedly while silently complaining.
"It's already past one o'clock; when will we get to see it..."
"Be patient; if you're really bored, help me with some work."
Lucian took a sip of coffee, calmly continued reviewing documents, and subtly glanced to the right.
"Exactly, I'm willing to stay up late with you; you shouldn't be the one complaining the most!"
On the other side, Flint tried to put his arm around Aaron's neck, seemingly helping him stay awake in his own way, though it looked a bit rough.
Aaron turned his head, skillfully dodging Flint's "loving hug," and sighed.
"You're right; after all, it's a tactical teaching streamer recommended by Big Sister, so she must have her reasons."
"However, I didn't expect that Big Sister actually knew him."
Aaron's screen was pitch black, with only the streamer's name faintly visible in the upper right corner.
"Azure Wings."
The player who once absurdly trounced Flint with a Minimize team.
His real identity was a gym leader in the Paldea region and apparently someone known to their Sinnoh League Champion, Cynthia.
Indeed, this is the only reason Aaron was at the league during off-hours.
League Champion Cynthia recommended him to check out tonight's live stream of Azure Wings, saying it might broaden his horizons.
Ever since the Elite Four assessment ended, Flint and Lucian became increasingly clear about their direction for improvement, but Aaron alone hit a bottleneck.
Even Big Sister didn't know how to solve this problem.
Given the hope of breaking through the bottleneck, Aaron naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity.
"Oh oh! It seems the stream just started!"
While Aaron was distracted, Flint's voice immediately brought his thoughts back.
Lucian, who was also drawn to attention, though his gaze shifted over, his hands never slowed down.
Being a psychic, multitasking was second nature to him.
As soon as the stream began, the popularity in the live room was unexpectedly high, which also confirmed that this streamer indeed had something special.
And when his lineup appeared, Aaron was dumbfounded.
Apart from Kricketune, wasn't this basically his lineup?
No wonder Big Sister specifically reminded him.
And...
Because of weakness, they need to rely on the strength of the whole?
Indeed, very characteristic of Bug Pokémon.
Just based on this statement, Aaron had already acknowledged this somewhat young-sounding streamer.
But how would Kricketune design tactics?
In games, unlike actual battles where breeding levels can overwhelm opponents, Kricketune has no advantages at the same level.
"Bug Relay Tactic?"
Lucian instinctively frowned.
As a psychic, he naturally hated bugs, and this name involuntarily reminded him of powerful Baton Pass tactics.
But Baton Pass isn't that simple; it requires extremely high situational control and rhythm management from the trainer, and a slight mistake could easily lead to failure…
The victory against Flint with the Minimize team last time had a certain element of luck, but this tactic relied entirely on fundamentals.
Does this unknown streamer really have this ability?
"Quick, look, matched with an opponent!"
After two minutes, Flint's voice broke the silence of the night again.
The matchmaking interface stopped spinning, and the opponent's information quickly appeared.
"Dragon Envoy..."
A man with red hair, a fluttering red and black cape behind him, and an extremely serious expression appeared on the screen.
Upon noticing the opponent's ID and appearance, Lucian froze in place.
He recognized the opposing trainer.
The head of the Kanto League Elite Four, the mighty Dragon Envoy, whose strength was no less than that of champions from other regions...
Lance!
"This is going to get interesting..."
Lucian's movements gradually slowed, and his lips unconsciously curled into a faint smile.
Undoubtedly, Lance was a veteran trainer who believed in the supremacy of strength, leading powerful Dragon Pokémon to the top of the world.
And what this "Azure Wings" used were the universally acknowledged weakest Bug Pokémon.
Would it be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, or...
An almost impossible underdog victory?
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