The title was pure clickbait. It clearly stated the content, set an impossibly high goal, and added a touch of provocation. It was the perfect recipe to trigger curiosity and skepticism in viewers.
As soon as the stream went live, the Piplup TV algorithm pushed the new room to a small group of users. Real viewers began trickling in.
The chat started drifting by sporadically:
[Kricketune Man? People still stan that thing? Is this guy stuck in Gen 4?]
[Delelelele-Whoop! (Imitating Kricketune's cry)]
[Random team to Master Ball? Streamer, you're capping hard with that title!]
[In one month? Bro, how many bottles of Moomoo Milk did you chug to get this high?]
[If any pro can actually hit Master with a random team in a month, I'll literally eat my screen!]
[Just another smurf stomping noobs in placement matches. He'll get exposed once he hits Great Ball tier.]
[LMAO, imagine if the system gives you an actual Kricketune. I want to see how you play that!]
[If the streamer actually wins, I'll send a gift!]
Shidou looked at the doubting comments. He wasn't angry; in fact, he smiled. This was exactly the effect he wanted. He cleared his throat and spoke into the mic: "Welcome, friends. Whether I'm capping or not, let the battles speak for themselves. Starting today, I'll be streaming ranked matches daily using only system-generated random teams. I'll also be doing some tactical breakdowns along the way."
[Breakdowns? Try winning a single game first!]
[Exactly. What kind of 'teaching' can you do with a random team? This is just for the memes.]
Shidou said no more. He clicked the "Pokémon · Masters" interface and logged into his newly registered "Kricketune Man Fan AG" account. He opened the team editor and decisively clicked the [Randomize Team] button.
The team began to refresh.
Seeing this page, Shidou suddenly recalled an old battle simulator he used to play. It would generate a team based on a trainer's personality and usage frequency to simulate what kind of squad you would actually have in the Pokémon world.
The plot of that simulator flashed in Shidou's mind.
[Simulator Content]
You are an ordinary boy, shy and introverted.
While your peers chose powerful Charmanders and Squirtles, you chose a timid Bulbasaur.
You traveled together, caught a similarly weak Foongus, and fished up a pathetic Wooper by the river, forming the "Weakling Trio."
But you kept losing matches. Nurse Joy felt sorry for you and gave you an Egg, which hatched into a Happiny.
Later, you encountered a fierce Skarmory. In battle, Bulbasaur responded to your heart and evolved into Ivysaur. Through Leech Seed, you finally exhausted the Skarmory and caught it.
After that, in a forest manor, you met a Rotom that loved crawling into washing machines.
As you traveled, your team gradually grew stronger—
Ivysaur evolved into Venusaur, and you unexpectedly obtained a Mega Stone.
Foongus evolved into Amoonguss, capable of tanking every hit, providing a massive sense of security.
Happiny likewise evolved into Blissey; your team finally had a reliable healer.
Finally, you challenged the secondary legendary Heatran at the volcano of Mt. Coronet, won, and successfully caught it.
You successfully assembled these six powerful Pokémon and participated in the League Conference as a "Pure Sunshine Boy." You shocked the entire crowd; not even Champion trainers were your match.
Because of your "Sunshine" playstyle, you were even harassed online after the tournament. People claimed you had masochistic tendencies and "affectionately" dubbed your team "Bird-Egg-Flower-Wash-Marsh-Steel."
But you didn't know what you did wrong. You were just a timid, shy, helpless "Pure Sunshine Boy" who wanted to win!!!
You really weren't a villain; you were just being "Sunny"!!!
...
Thinking about that "Sunshine" team, Shidou almost died laughing. If the game actually gave him that stall team, he wouldn't need a month—he could hit Master Ball in two weeks and teach these Elites and Champions what a "Pure Sunshine Boy" really was.
Swish!
As the team editor flashed, six Pokémon icons filled the slots.
Shidou scanned them. The composition wasn't bad:
Garchomp, Ferrothorn, Incineroar, Milotic, a... Wobbuffet, and finally a seemingly mediocre, even weak, Butterfree.
The chat immediately exploded with mockery:
[Pfft, Wobbuffet. Random teams never disappoint—always giving out the weirdest shit. How do you even play that? It only defends and never attacks.]
[I have never seen a single Psychic-type master use Wobbuffet.]
[Even the cute Caitlin and Lady Karen don't use it.]
[LMAO the funniest part is the Butterfree? Is that thing even viable? It's basically a free snack for the opponent.]
[Streamer, hurry up and re-roll. Two dead weights on the team, how do you play?]
[What can Wobbuffet do besides being a meat shield? The downsides of random teams are on full display!]
[It's gonna be embarrassing if you lose your first placement match!]
Shidou looked at the team, specifically Wobbuffet and Butterfree. His eyes lit up slightly.
Wobbuffet with the Shadow Tag ability?
And Butterfree's moveset...
Interesting... this team might actually work. These are the ones!
Shidou decisively confirmed the team.
Match found! Entering the battle loading screen.
Opponent ID: [I Love Grass Pokémon].
Shidou smiled. "Looks like we've got a Grass-type enthusiast."
...
Meanwhile, in Celadon City, Kanto.
The Grass Gym Leader, Erika, had just finished tending to her garden. She had recently heard from the Gym Leader group chat about a highly realistic online battle game called "Pokémon · Masters". Many of her colleagues were playing it; even Bruno was in there practicing Fighting-type strategies to counter Psychic-types. This piqued Erika's interest.
"I don't expect to hit Master Ball, but with my skills, reaching Great Ball tier should be no problem, right?"
With a "give it a try" attitude, Erika registered a new account. Her ID was, naturally, her favorite: [I Love Grass Pokémon].
After completing the basic tutorial, she started her first placement match.
The loading screen appeared. The opponent's ID made her giggle behind her hand. "[Kricketune Man Fan AG]? What a strange ID. The opponent must be an interesting trainer."
The battle screen unfolded, and the system began the team reveal phase.
Erika's side was a uniform line of Grass-type Pokémon: Venusaur, Vileplume, Roserade, Leafeon, Ludicolo, and Ninetales (holding Heat Rock) as the core Sun setter.
A very standard Sun-based Grass team.
Shidou's side looked like a "mishmash": Garchomp, Ferrothorn, Incineroar, Milotic, Wobbuffet, and Butterfree.
The chat immediately became active:
[Wow, it's a Grass expert! The team is so organized and wholesome!]
[I love Grass Pokémon too, especially Gardevoir.]
[To the guy above: Gardevoir is Fairy/Psychic!]
[↑ You're too innocent. You don't get why he likes Gardevoir (Dog face emoji).]
[The opponent has a Sun core. Venusaur has Chlorophyll and Leafeon has Leaf Guard. They are perfectly synced. This doesn't look like a placement match newbie; probably a somewhat famous trainer.]
[Now look at the streamer... what even is this? Are Wobbuffet and Butterfree here just to look cute?]
[The type matchups are a disaster. Not even Garchomp and Incineroar can save this.]
[I told you random teams were unreliable. How do you win this?]
[Streamer, just re-roll. This team is unplayable.]
Battle Mode: Single Battle 6-pick-3.
Erika chose: Ninetales (Lead), Venusaur, Leafeon.
Shidou chose: Wobbuffet (Lead), Garchomp, Butterfree.