"Uh..."
Receiving a private message from Red, Ai Xia was momentarily at a loss—or perhaps more accurately, floored?
Red wasn't much of a talker, but the meaning behind his message was straightforward: the so-called 'Fighting Man' really liked Ai Xia's videos and streams and wanted to be friends.
Was this... a golden opportunity dropping right into his lap?
No, not just any opportunity—this was a god-tier connection!
Even Ai Xia himself found it a little hard to believe.
Let's be real—Butterfree's sleep-inducing tactics weren't exactly high-level strategy. The reason his audience found it impressive was simply due to the gap in mindset between casual gamers and actual Pokémon trainers. Back in his past life, players armed with information superiority could easily outmaneuver trainers who had to figure everything out through trial and error.
But online battles and real Pokémon battles were two entirely different beasts. The latter tested a trainer's skills in ways the former couldn't even compare to—especially when factoring in Pokémon training. In that regard, the difficulty was on a whole other level.
Ai Xia wasn't some tactical genius, either. At best, he had some unconventional battle instincts, enough to scrape by as a streamer.
Who would've thought that his half-hearted attempt to fill his empty wallet by streaming would, in just a few days, catch the attention of a top-tier legend like Red?
'Well, this works out. Maybe I can even use his help to deal with the whole Groudon and Kyogre mess.'
His eyes gleamed as he immediately resolved to cling to this godly thigh.
A free opportunity like this? No way he was letting it slip.
Besides, he was already carrying the hatred of two Legendary Pokémon. At this point, he wasn't even scared of Red showing up with a Poké Ball to challenge him. Worst case, he could just... give up. What was a few more enemies on his tail?
And if Red really wanted a battle, Ai Xia might not be able to fight him directly, but there were two perfectly good high-quality punching bags—ahem, opponents—lurking around: Groudon and Kyogre. Their sheer firepower would definitely satisfy Red's battle cravings.
'Perfect. I'm starting to understand everything now.'
After suffering under the pressure of Groudon and Kyogre for so long, Ai Xia was practically moved to tears reading Red's message.
Truly worthy of the 'Fighting Man'—absolutely amazing.
As his thoughts raced, Ai Xia glanced back at Red's gleaming, golden ID, his gaze now filled with the kind of reverence and gratitude one would reserve for a savior.
"Alright!"
Slapping his thigh in excitement, Ai Xia quickly replied to Red's message.
They even added each other on Line.
After that, Ai Xia mulled it over before deciding to drop a hint about his next move.
[Ai Xia: I'll be heading to the Hoenn region soon to take care of some business. If you're interested, Mr. Red, you might want to keep an eye on the news around that time.]
That's right—to deal with his system mission, Ai Xia wasn't going to sit around anymore.
While steadily improving Caterpie's strength, he needed to actively seek a new way to break the deadlock. And right now, the most logical and effective solution was to head to the Sky Pillar and find the real Rayquaza.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Red was a little surprised by Ai Xia's message.
"Wasn't Hoenn just dealing with the Groudon and Kyogre incident not too long ago? Rayquaza showed up too, and Team Magma and Aqua—the ones who woke them—are still missing. Steven and Wallace have been stressing over it for days."
Frowning, Red pondered Ai Xia's words. "He says he's going to Hoenn and wants me to watch the news... Is he planning to get involved in this mess?"
"Uh..."
Beside him, Yellow looked just as confused. "But... didn't the chat say this streamer was already in Hoenn recently? He just had bad luck running into Groudon and Kyogre's fight, which ruined his trip and forced him back to the Kanto region?"
"I know about that too."
Red nodded. "So why is he going back now?"
"Maybe he has his own reasons. Powerful trainers tend to do unconventional things..."
Truth be told, Red didn't fully understand Ai Xia's logic. But considering how many top-tier trainers in the world had their own eccentricities—himself included—he quickly let it go.
Steven willingly stepped down as Champion to go dig for rocks like a madman.
Cynthia was obsessed with movies and acting.
And Alder loved jumping off cliffs twenty meters high just to scare unsuspecting rookie trainers...
Compared to that, Ai Xia just liking to wander around was pretty normal.
[The screen hasn't moved in minutes—what's Ai-sensei doing?]
[Why'd he go quiet?]
[Oh no, did Ai-sensei and Red just make some shady deal off-screen?]
Meanwhile, as Ai Xia remained silent, his chat was going wild. The viewers, left hanging, started spouting all kinds of nonsense.
Realizing he couldn't stay silent forever, Ai Xia quickly queued up another battle. With Butterfree spamming Sleep Powder like it was free, a few more players on the platform were about to have a sleepless night.
His audience's attitude toward the dirty tactics had gradually shifted from outrage to enthusiastic approval.
Everyone seemed to be embracing the joy of underhanded strategies. Losing didn't matter—winning made their whole day.
"Alright, that's about it for today's stream. See you next time."
Glancing at the clock, Ai Xia decided to wrap things up.
"Today's strategy isn't too hard to pull off. Butterfree, the core of the team, evolves from Caterpie—a super common Pokémon—so raising one isn't difficult. Aside from Sleep Powder, it can learn support moves like Tailwind, Rage Powder, and Pollen Puff. With some survival skills and items, it's actually a solid support option. Feel free to try it out yourselves—maybe even take on a Gym Leader or two."
Before ending the stream, he gave a quick rundown of Butterfree's uses.
[Not only does he use dirty tactics, but he teaches everyone else too. Ai-sensei is truly the Dirty Tactics King—disgusting.]
[I hate two kinds of people: those who use dirty tactics, and those who won't let me use dirty tactics.]
[LMAO, the classic Pokémon trainer hypocrisy.]
[Didn't someone just rage-quit after getting three of their Pokémon slept in a row?]
[That guy's probably on his way to throw hands IRL. Ai-sensei, run.]
[Compound Eyes Sleep Powder—put one to sleep, then the next. Butterfree, the ultimate troll.]
Ai Xia chuckled, ignoring the chaotic chat.
"If time allows, I'll try to showcase more tactics for Pokémon that people usually write off as 'weak.' I want to prove that even they have their own strengths."
His expression turned serious.
"Remember this: there's no such thing as a useless Pokémon—only trainers who can't bring out their potential."
At this point, Ai Xia couldn't help but glance out the window.
Caterpie, who had been tirelessly practicing Dragon Ascent (or rather, its improvised version), was now sprawled on the soft grass, exhausted. Its tiny body had given its all, and now it needed rest.
The energy blocks Ai Xia had prepared for it were all gone, too.
After all, Dragon Ascent was one of Rayquaza's signature moves—a Dragon-type attack. Even though Caterpie's lineage was slowly shifting, its stamina still couldn't handle spamming such a high-intensity move. Rest and proper nutrition were non-negotiable.
"Sigh..."
The thought of Caterpie pushing itself to the limit while he was busy streaming for money made Ai Xia's smile turn bittersweet. His heart ached as he let out a quiet sigh.
"In future streams, I might try something new—like solo-running Viridian Forest with just a Caterpie. Stay tuned for that. See you next time!"
Dropping that bombshell, Ai Xia masterfully ended the stream—leaving his viewers screaming into the void.
[That was the smoothest disconnect I've ever seen. How many times have you done this?]
[Wait, why is someone suddenly quoting White Album 2 in chat?]
[Came for the memes, stayed for the skill. This guy's legit—both as a trainer and a person. Learned a lot.]
[Love how he doesn't just chase after high-tier Pokémon. His theories are solid, and he actually makes underrated Pokémon like Butterfree work.]
[Of course—Ai-sensei is Red-approved!]
[I'm not crying, you're crying.]
The chat erupted over his final words.
At least some of them had taken his message to heart.
Most of them weren't from wealthy backgrounds, and their starter Pokémon were nothing special either. So Ai Xia's philosophy resonated deeply.
After all, this was the guy who consistently crushed Gym Leaders with a Butterfree. If he said weaker Pokémon had potential, who were they to doubt him?
Without realizing it, many viewers had already started looking forward to his next stream.
This was only the beginning.
--+--
T/N: If I do make any mistakes, I apologize.