As everyone knew, Teacher Azure had an enormous fanbase.
Today's reigning global streaming star, Aiden's livestream hit seven-digit viewership within minutes of going live—its growth rate nothing short of terrifying.
Among these viewers were numerous elite trainers—even Gym Leaders, Elite Fours, and Champions from various regions.
Beyond learning Aiden's newly developed tactics, they'd long reached an unspoken consensus:
Battling Teacher Azure—win or lose—is always a gain!
Though offline matchups with Aiden were rare (cross-region Gym challenges felt too awkward), gaming sessions during his streams offered prime practice opportunities.
Thus, more familiar faces kept appearing across from Aiden—all intentionally sniping his stream.
Aiden understood this implicitly. Battling skilled opponents was far more engaging than casual players—a welcome challenge that sharpened his focus.
However…
Perhaps because this stream was so sudden, the usual Gym Leaders and Elite Fours were absent.
After waiting two or three minutes, the matched opponent—and trainer avatar—were unfamiliar to most viewers.
A confident youth with spiky, hedgehog-like hair appeared, his Trainer ID displaying "BLUE."
"..."
Seeing Blue's unmistakable face, Aiden's eyebrow twitched involuntarily.
'Oh?'
'Knowing I just finished a high-level Type Master Tournament, the game's assigning me weaker opponents for variety?'
Had this been future Blue—the Champion (or rather, Viridian Gym Leader)—Aiden would've been deeply troubled. Even among Champions, Blue was exceptionally strong.
Then again… losing to Red the cheater isn't shameful. Who wouldn't lose to him?!
But present-day Blue was still in his early journey phase. At most, he'd faced several Gym Leaders—though Sabrina mentioned his challenges were brutally difficult…
Smiling, Aiden realized:
'Still mastering his skills, yet trying to snipe me like the pros?'
'Time to give Blue a proper lesson!'
...
Kanto Region. Cinnabar Island.
In an unassuming hot spring inn, Blue sat before his computer, palms pressed together in prayer as he watched the matchmaking numbers scroll.
"Please… let me snipe Teacher Azure just once!"
"Before challenging Cinnabar Gym, I need him to evaluate my tactical improvements!"
Over a month had passed since he and Red last encountered Teacher Azure—escorting him to Pallet Town for Professor Oak's Pokédex certification.
In that time, Blue had grown significantly.
His childhood at Oak's Lab had ingrained deep familiarity with Kanto's native Pokémon. His team now reflected a mature trainer's depth—strategically tailored to counter specific opponents before battles even began.
But…
No one warned him Kanto's Gym Leaders all wielded unhinged tactics!
Brock's Rage Onix. Misty's Azumarill. Erika's spore-induced memory loss lasting days.
Koga's poison mastery. Lt. Surge's terrain-locking tactics forcing challengers to eat Thunder Waves. And worst of all—Sabrina's terrifying mix of stats and tactics…
Every Gym left Blue traumatized.
Ironically, he'd cleared Koga's Gym fastest—anticipating Minimize Muk and Toxic, he passed after just one loss.
The other similarly aged Gym Leaders fought like demons—zero mercy, straight from Teacher Azure's playbook!
So…
'If I don't study harder, I'll keep getting crushed!'
After enduring these trials, Blue now held six Kanto Gym Badges. Only Blaine of Cinnabar and Giovanni of Viridian remained.
Viridian Gym had mysteriously closed recently, so Blue came to Cinnabar to challenge next—determined to reach the Victoy Road before Red.
Having booked tomorrow's Gym challenge, he'd planned tonight's gaming session to refine tactics—when Teacher Azure's surprise stream appeared.
'Blaine's an old-timer… surely he doesn't watch Teacher Azure. My tactics will stay secret!'
With this thought, Blue began his sniping mission.
Swiftly, his wish came true.
When Aiden's avatar appeared, Blue's heartbeat skipped several beats.
Could this… be love at first sight?
Blue's grin widened. He slammed the confirmation button, entering the match.
"Teacher Azure—witness my growth!"
"My upgraded Sun team fears not even Blaine!"
"So against this pitiful Snow team—weak to Sun—victory is certain!"
...
After both confirmed, Blue's lineup displayed to thousands of viewers:
Ninetales, Arcanine, Venusaur, Charizard, Rhyperior, Heracross.
"A Sun team, it seems."
"Using Ninetales' Drought to boost offense while negating Water weaknesses—indirectly expanding coverage."
"Solid concept. But true strength depends on the trainer's execution."
Aiden immediately analyzed Blue's strategy.
Before inheriting Viridian Gym, Blue's starter Charizard naturally inclined him toward Sun teams.
'These Pokémon probably aren't all his main team…'
'Sniping me to test his lineup?' Aiden shook his head helplessly.
'Smart kid. But using me to practice Sun vs. Snow…'
'Blue's got quite the scheming mind.'
No matter.
"Earlier weather lessons covered speed's impact on weather setters," Pointing at Blue's lead Ninetales, Aiden began today's mini-lesson.
"Generally, slower setters like Torkoal gain advantage in weather wars."
"But Ninetales isn't bad either."
"Speed's benefit radiates through entire matches—securing repeated priority."
"If weather control isn't contested, both Ninetales variants have solid speed. They can pressure opponents early—unlike the passive Torkoal."
Snapping his fingers, Aiden concluded:
"Ultimately—pick what fits your team best. Mastery comes from understanding core fundamentals."
[I-I don't know?! Teacher Azure's understanding is mine! If I could create tactics alone, why watch you?!]
[Teacher Azure: This is 1+1. This is calculus. You've mastered math. Now here's a rocket blueprint—what don't you understand?]
[After watching Teacher Azure, I was diagnosed with dementia… Mom, is there hope for me…]
As chat scrolled, Aiden refocused on Blue's team—quickly deciding:
"Though both use Ninetales, our Alolan variant is faster. Ironically, this puts us at a disadvantage in weather contests."
Kantonian and Alolan Ninetales differed only in stat distribution: Attack slightly reduced for Speed.
Usually beneficial—enabling Alolan Ninetales' swift Aurora Veil setup for team protection.
But here? Speed became a liability…
Tricky.
"More critically—Snow, most vulnerable to Fire, lacks Rain's protective effects. We must yield first-round advantage."
"Losing our sole weather setter, Alolan Ninetales, would cripple Snow teams—they rely entirely on its support."
"So our lead must be more defensive."
After brief thought, Aiden selected Incineroar.
The Snow trio members were non-starters—they'd get OHKO'd by Blue's Sun-boosted attacks.
And facing a Sun team, the best choice type-wise, Gastrodon, was not suitable to send out, because being 4x weak to Grass, it definitely couldn't withstand an instant Solar Beam.
Incineroar was safer. Even if Intimidate failed against Ninetales, it could use Parting Shot to force a switch, letting Alolan Ninetales reclaim weather.
This flexibility was precisely why Aiden included it in Snow teams.
With lineups locked, the screen flashed white—transitioning to an elegant battlefield.
Aiden and Blue's trainer avatars appeared, tossing two Poké Balls each.
As expected, Blue led with Ninetales. Drought activated instantly—brightening the arena.
But Aiden's choice clearly surprised Blue.
"Incineroar? Interesting choice…"
'He's planning to reclaim weather. But if he Parting Shots first, my Ninetales outspeeds Incineroar—I can't stop him…'
"Screw it."
Blue abandoned overthinking.
"Ninetales, use Nasty Plot!"
This is Teacher Azure! Out-strategizing him is suicide!
Overwhelming brute force beats skill—what if he never expected this?
Even if Incineroar Parting Shots, Nasty Plot's boost remains—devastating for Aiden's Alolan Ninetales.
"Incineroar—Parting Shot."
Both commanded simultaneously. Aiden realized too late:
'I've been outplayed?'
Unbothered, he smiled calmly—though his gaze sharpened.
Nasty Plot negated Parting Shot's disruption while boosting Ninetales' lethality.
'But I'm not limited to Alolan Ninetales. Reclaiming weather makes even boosted Ninetales manageable.'
On-screen, Blue's Ninetales sprouted black question marks above its head—eyes turning dangerously sharp.
Aiden's Incineroar seized the moment. Pointing at its opponent, it barked insults—darting to the field's edge before confused Ninetales could react. Aiden recalled it smoothly.
"Go—Alolan Ninetales!"
Without hesitation, Aiden sent out his Snow captain.
The Snow-white, ethereal Alolan Ninetales contrasted sharply with its fiery counterpart.
Above the field, frigid clouds gathered. The blazing sun vanished behind them.
Snowflakes began falling, accumulating rapidly.
With Sunny weather overwritten, Aiden exhaled.
'Half of my plan succeeded. Now let's see how much Blue knows about Ninetales.'
But he hadn't anticipated…
Blue had already resolved to abandon strategy—overwhelming Teacher Azure through relentless aggression to achieve the "beginner's luck beats master" upset.
Thus, both spoke at once:
"Ninetales—use Fire Blast!"
"Alolan Ninetales—Encore!"
Their voices overlapped. Both trainers froze mid-command.
Aiden thought: 'Since when did this calculating kid have a habit of going all-in?'
Blue's dilemma was worse.
Ninetales' last move was Nasty Plot. Before using a new move, Encore would lock it into repeated Nasty Plots—leaving it stranded with useless self-buffs.
Even with type advantage, it couldn't survive multiple turns of idling.
Blue had no choice but to recall Ninetales—forcing it to "cool off" in reserve.
'But then… all my early advantage vanishes!'
'I could've secured weather control, but the opponent's rotation wrecked it. Now I waste time recalling Ninetales…'
'Teacher Azure will absolutely seize this chance—using that Aurora Veil tactic he taught—to cement his lead.'
'Why does this feel like it's over before it began?'
Blue's lips twitched. He reluctantly recalled Ninetales.
Just as predicted—the moment his avatar initiated recall, Aiden commanded:
"Alolan Ninetales—Aurora Veil!"
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