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Fortunately, the next match began soon, quickly diverting the attention of the live stream audience.
"The field has been changed. Up next will be Clair from Johto versus our Paldea Elite Four member Hassel!"
Aiden quickly resumed his live commentary state, quietly waiting for the upcoming battle.
The two competitors soon emerged from the player's tunnel.
"Judging by their demeanor, Mr. Hassel appears more relaxed. Clair, participating in a major tournament for the first time, clearly seems a bit nervous."
With just a glance, Aiden roughly deduced the mental states of both trainers.
Psychological factors can severely impact one's performance.
When a trainer is tense, they might not only fail to issue effective commands promptly, but this unease could also transfer to their Pokémon.
However, the true state of both sides would only be known once the match commenced.
Under the enthusiastic introduction of the host, both sides quickly took their positions and, with the sound of a whistle, released their Pokémon.
"Clair's starter is Kingdra!"
While providing commentary, Aiden silently mused:
I have a feeling she really will use my Sniper Kingdra tactic...
When I posted that video, Lance had mentioned Clair in the comments, urging her to learn the tactic.
A few days ago, when Lance visited, he explicitly said that the Bagon egg also conveyed Clair's gratitude.
So, could it be that Clair is also someone from my live stream?
Aiden raised an eyebrow.
Currently, there are already two competitors in the Dragon-type Master Tournament who have some connection to me. If we include Lance, it's almost half.
How did this Master Tournament turn into my friendly match?
To be honest, this feeling is actually pretty nice...
"Mr. Hassel's choice is... Duraludon?"
Aiden continued his commentary, but his voice paused shortly.
"Although this Pokémon is generally seen as the ace of the Galar Gym Leader Raihan, and Paldea itself does not have a habitat for Duraludon, however..."
"Due to frequent exchanges between Naranja Academy and Unova's Blueberry Academy, it's reasonable that Mr. Hassel went to Unova to catch a Duraludon, right?"
[That makes sense!]
[I'm a student at Naranja Academy. I heard that if your battling skills are sufficient, you can apply to be an exchange student in Unova!]
[Nice, sending them over to dominate, huh?]
In terms of geographical relations, Paldea is extremely far from the isolated Unova region—it's quite distant.
Clearly, Galar or Kalos would be much closer and more suitable.
But perhaps because Unova has many Pokémon that don't exist in Paldea, President Geeta made the decision?
After all, though Blueberry Academy was built relatively recently, thanks to the Terrarium, it indeed houses many rare Pokémon.
However, at this point, Duraludon shouldn't have been discovered to evolve yet...
It seems that Archaludon, the "late bloomer," only first appeared in the public eye when Drayton, that lucky guy, accidentally gave Duraludon a Metal Alloy.
As Aiden's thoughts began to wander, the two trainers on the field had already begun their first round of combat.
"The attribute combinations of these two Pokémon are top-tier, especially Duraludon, which can overcome its Dragon-type weakness through its steel body."
"For Kingdra, the threat of an impending Draco Meteor is significant."
Aiden thought for a moment and added:
"Even a Sniper Kingdra needs to charge up once to find the opponent's weak spot, so Clair should opt for a switch."
As soon as he finished speaking, events unfolded exactly as he predicted.
Hassel immediately commanded Duraludon to unleash a Draco Meteor to discourage, and Clair decisively opted for a switch.
The replacement was Gyarados.
Though its name contains "dragon" (In Chinese and Japanese) like Charizard and Aerodactyl, it is not actually a Dragon-type.
An anonymous Flying trainer has a rare red Gyarados, another one of his aces besides Dragonite.
However, due to recent public sentiment, he seems to deliberately reduce using this Gyarados.
The Draco Meteor hit Gyarados but didn't cause significant damage; instead, it ignited Gyarados' rage, quickly turning its eyes blood-red.
"Gyarados has a hidden benefit in walling: after taking a beating, it truly becomes fearless, possibly even able to compete with Mr. Hassel."
Right after Aiden finished explaining, Cynthia, who had been quietly listening, added:
"Gyarados can learn Earthquake, posing a considerable threat to Duraludon weakened by Draco Meteor."
Aiden was well aware of this, and he believed that both Clair and Hassel were equally cognizant.
After a Draco Meteor, even the steel-bodied Duraludon visibly wilted, prompting Hassel to decisively recall it.
Simultaneously, Clair seized the opportunity to command Gyarados to use Dragon Dance!
"Though initially a bit nervous, the adjustment speed was quick. After one Dragon Dance, Gyarados' threat level will become quite terrifying."
"Now, it remains to be seen whether Mr. Hassel has prepared a countermeasure."
Aiden focused his gaze on the Poké Ball in the debonair man's hand.
The answer was soon revealed—
A flash of red light later, Baxcalibur, the snow mountain ruler of the Paldea region and a late blooming Pokémon, appeared on the field.
Clair likely hadn't encountered this Dragon-type Pokémon unique to Paldea and didn't give it much thought.
Aiden quickly noticed this and promptly made a judgment:
"Clair's Gyarados is going to be a freebie."
The reason he said this was simple—
Baxcalibur may not know "Farmer's Three Punches" (Elemental Punches) like Dragonite, but it does know Thunder Fang!
And Gyarados' biggest weakness is electric-type moves, which deal quadruple damage.
The situation unfolded precisely as Aiden had envisioned.
Unaware of Baxcalibur, Clair decisively commanded her Gyarados, after one Dragon Dance, to use Outrage.
Though powerful as one of the Dragon-type ultimate moves, she clearly underestimated Baxcalibur's resilience...
After enduring Gyarados' fury, Baxcalibur's eyes narrowed, and it instantly countered with a Thunder Fang crackling with electricity, swiftly KOing Clair's Gyarados.
Without Gyarados to limit Duraludon, facing the fortress-like Duraludon standing tall on the opponent's field, Clair had no effective countermeasures left.
Ultimately, the score was a dismal 3:0, ending with Clair's swift collapse.
"The Sniper Kingdra strategy really isn't suitable for actual battles..."
Aiden sighed helplessly.
Among master-level trainers, almost no one would give Kingdra a chance to strengthen and charge up.
Clair was a bit too presumptuous.
With this, Cynthia's next opponent was determined—
Paldea's Dragon-type Elite Four member, Hassel!
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