After one battle ended, Aiden went on to play a few more matches.
Perhaps it was because the "military training" he had been doing recently finally bore fruit, or perhaps the tactic of Serene Grace Togekiss was widely known—half of the trainers chose to focus fire on his little airplane.
Then, the BOSS entered stage two.
Relying on the combination of the Pickup ability, the Fling move, and held items, Dedenne and Ambipom wreaked havoc in the doubles ladder, scaring away all opponents with their weak but relentless Fling attacks.
"Phew—thankfully I'm one step ahead."
After another opponent couldn't take the torment and decisively pulled the plug to escape, Aiden also let out a sigh of relief.
This stage-two combination was nearly unsolvable against Pokémon that were slow and lacked priority moves—it was practically an unbeatable strategy.
But the cost was obvious—
A match could drag on for an extremely long time.
In an hour, he only managed to play five ranked matches, which was ridiculously inefficient compared to his usual pace.
Even factoring in queue times for higher-ranked battles, the average match duration was much shorter than this lineup, and doubles games were supposed to be faster-paced than singles.
[Another poor soul driven to pull the plug…]
[Azure, have some mercy and switch to a tactic suitable for humans!]
[Fun tactics = when only you can have fun and your opponent can't even play?]
[No wonder students from Paldea like to leave bad reviews for Sunshine Gym—I finally understand now!]
Aiden leaned back in his seat, stretched, and glanced at the clock on his computer.
It was about time to end the stream.
Just as he was preparing to cast a "speed spell," say his closing remarks, and quickly shut down the stream, the door behind him suddenly opened.
"Aiden, do you want some fruit?"
Cynthia appeared in the room holding a fruit platter, walking over with a gentle smile.
[??? Whoa, something's off—there's a woman's voice in Teacher Yu's room!]
[Listening closely, it sounds like Sinnoh Champion Cynthia?]
[Impossible, absolutely impossible. The cold and aloof Cynthia we see on-screen would never sound so gentle—I refuse to believe it!]
[Teacher Yu, hiding cuteness is a capital offense! Are you really betraying the bachelor class?]
Aiden froze momentarily, then instinctively grabbed the Rotom Phone that had been circling around him as the live-stream camera and forcibly turned it off.
"Guys, I just remembered I left the gas on at home—I'm signing off now!"
After forcing out an awkward excuse, the live stream abruptly flashed white before plunging into darkness.
[??? Is it because the next part couldn't be broadcast? I've been Azure's fan for ten years—what's the harm in letting us see?!]
[He's really hiding cuteness—he promised to become the Battle King, didn't he?]
[Bros, given the circumstances, let's start with the bad reviews!]
[Good idea—let's drown him in bad reviews!]
…
"Did I interrupt your stream?"
After shutting down his computer entirely, Cynthia had already walked up to Aiden, set down the fruit platter, and tilted her head to look at him.
"…"
"Not really, it was about time to end anyway."
Aiden scratched his head.
To be honest, he wasn't sure what had possessed him earlier to blurt out such a lame lie.
This must be what they call…
When your mind is in disarray, your words falter?
Aiden's expression grew complicated as he accepted the colorful fruit platter from Cynthia and speared a piece of sweet banana-like fruit to pop into his mouth.
Everyone knows that berries in the Pokémon world often possess magical properties.
Nanab fruits are nutritious, not only restoring energy quickly but also having a unique calming effect on Pokémon's emotions.
Since humans and Pokémon are inseparable in this world, it should work on him too.
It wasn't until the explosion of juice hit his tongue that Aiden realized why banana-like fruits had such a calming effect.
The initial sweetness was pleasant, as most sweet-tasting berries tend to have good restorative effects.
But the gradually spreading bitterness that followed made Aiden sharply inhale, his thoughts instantly clearing.
So it forces clarity through taste alone…
But the effect was surprisingly effective.
After devouring a few more pieces, Aiden suddenly noticed Cynthia silently watching him with a soft smile.
"…Do you want to try some?"
After blurting this out instinctively, Cynthia blinked, seemingly surprised by his offer.
But after less than a second of thought, she decisively brushed aside a strand of hair covering her temple, leaning forward slightly.
Until her gaze was level with his.
"Ah~~~"
As Aiden stared at Cynthia's face, so close he could almost see the faint pink glow within her slightly parted, rosy lips.
Is she asking me to feed her?
Aiden's pupils began to tremble violently, but his body struggled to maintain composure as he calmly speared a piece of mango and extended it forward without missing a beat.
The moment the fruit touched her lips and tongue, the fork in his hand retracted like it had been shocked.
"It's pretty sweet."
Licking the juice from her lips, Cynthia smiled gently, her bright amber eyes radiating an intoxicating glow.
"…"
Aiden sat in his chair, unconsciously turning his head to avoid meeting her gaze.
Even her casual actions exuded charm.
As expected of this mature older sister.
Seeing Aiden turn away, the smile on Cynthia's face seemed to grow a bit wider before returning to its usual gentle expression. She spoke:
"Oh, I almost forgot why I came over."
"Remember to sleep early tonight—we'll head to Kitakami tomorrow so we can return to Celestic Town before New Year's."
"Alright."
Aiden nodded.
In addition to agreeing to visit Sinnoh again, he had also agreed to travel to Kitakami for hot springs as part of Cynthia's suggestion.
Although Kitakami belonged to Paldea, geographically it was closer to Sinnoh and Johto.
Thus, even if they spent a few days traveling in Kitakami, there would still be plenty of time to return to Celestic Town for the New Year.
…
That night, before going to bed, Aiden began looking up information about Kitakami online.
Overall, it matched his previous understanding.
Though Kitakami was technically part of the Paldea League, its geographical location made it difficult for the league to manage directly, granting the local residents a high degree of autonomy.
Aside from a vague tourism development plan proposed by Geeta, the village only connected with Paldea during the summer camp season when Naranja Academy students visited.
The main storyline here unfolded when the joint summer camp between Naranja Academy and Blueberry Academy began.
Very Pokémon-style governance.
But speaking of Kitakami, surely any player would be curious about that adorable yet mysteriously misunderstood "ogre"—Ogerpon, right?
Thinking of this, Aiden sighed.
I wonder if I'll have the chance to meet the kind-hearted Ogerpon this time…
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