All of the previous analysis had been based on normal circumstances.
But this match?
Mind games?
Aarav let out a quiet chuckle.
Did they really think his dual starter lineup was just for show?
"Rillaboom, Incineroar—Fake Out, both of them!"
On the screen, the massive gorilla with deep-green foliage covering its head charged forward, swinging its drumsticks and striking before Grimmsnarl could even move.
Right after that, the fierce crimson tiger lunged out with a roar, slapping Hatterene with equal brutality.
Smack!
Smack!
The crisp sounds of two consecutive blows echoed across the battlefield, forcing both opposing Pokémon into a flinching state, unable to act.
A simple yet brutal double Fake Out.
No mind games.
Just denial.
The audience, who had never seen a double Fake Out opener before, erupted in laughter.
But doubts quickly followed.
"Fake Out barely does any damage and can only be used once. Isn't it just stalling time?"
Aarav said nothing.
He simply continued issuing commands.
"Target Hatterene. Rillaboom—Grassy Glide. Incineroar—U-turn!"
The flinch lasted only a brief moment.
Grimmsnarl quickly recovered and, relying on its Prankster ability, successfully activated Trick Room.
At the same time, Rillaboom slid across the battlefield like a charging beast, closing in beneath Hatterene's floating dress-like form.
As one of the signature moves that crowned Rillaboom as the king of Generation Eight starters, Grassy Glide was terrifyingly strong.
Before its nerf, its power rivaled Flamethrower, and on Grassy Terrain, it gained priority.
Every detail screamed raw numerical dominance.
Even though the game version had been slightly toned down, combined with STAB and terrain boosts, Rillaboom's powerful sweeping kick struck Hatterene with crushing force.
Its HP plummeted by nearly half in an instant.
Then Trick Room fully activated.
The battlefield's speed order twisted violently.
Hatterene, normally slow, moved first this time, unleashing a burst of Dazzling Gleam.
Incineroar, whose typing was disadvantageous, saw its HP drop visibly in a blink.
Fortunately, it immediately escaped using U-turn, retreating safely from the battlefield.
If not for Hatterene's Fairy typing balancing its resistances, a purely Psychic Pokémon might not have even endured that U-turn.
And the Pokémon that replaced Incineroar on the field was—
Amoonguss.
Seizing the brief lull in action, Aarav explained calmly:
"Second method to counter Trick Room: use slow Pokémon. If I'm slower than you, then your switch-in speed becomes slow too."
Trick Room reversed the speed order of all Pokémon on the field.
The moment Amoonguss entered battle, Grimmsnarl's movements visibly slowed.
In contrast, Amoonguss seemed to transform instantly into an agile mushroom.
Aarav gave another rapid command:
"Rillaboom—Wood Hammer, target Hatterene. Amoonguss—Spore on Grimmsnarl!"
Without a doubt, Amoonguss became the fastest Pokémon on the field.
Its mushroom cap trembled slightly, releasing a cloud of deep-green powder straight at Grimmsnarl's face.
The effect of Spore took hold immediately.
Grimmsnarl collapsed on the spot, falling into a deep, infant-like sleep.
Hatterene's Psychic attack followed, targeting Rillaboom, whose HP had already been chipped by Dazzling Gleam.
But unfortunately for the opponent, Psychic wasn't super effective.
It failed to take down the incredibly durable Gorilla of the Tapus.
Instead, Rillaboom retaliated with a devastating Wood Hammer.
With a cry of pain, Hatterene fell from the battlefield.
First Blood!
"666666—Water-sama never disappoints. Still disgusting as always."
"They're both huge and fierce Pokémon. How did Water turn them into such dirty tools?"
"Anyone still questioning the value of double Fake Out? Just copy Water's plays!"
"Can someone mute that Water fanboy mod? The licking is unbearable."
"…"
Aarav ignored the chat's teasing and stayed focused on the battle.
Pokémon: Path to the Champion emphasized real-time command far more than traditional turn-based battles.
And unlike real-world Pokémon, in-game Pokémon had no autonomy.
If the player stopped issuing commands, even Rayquaza might get bullied by a Caterpie.
Aarav quickly recalled the heavily damaged Rillaboom and sent out the final Pokémon from his reserves—
Pachirisu!
After all, every win with it meant one Master Ball.
If he didn't send it out now and the opponent surrendered, wouldn't that be a waste?
The appearance of the tiny electric squirrel sent the chat into frenzy—and the opponent froze as well.
After a moment, they recalled the fallen Hatterene and sent out Conkeldurr.
Aarav murmured thoughtfully:
"Conkeldurr, huh? Then their last Pokémon is probably Rhyperior."
Rhyperior was four times weak to Grass-type moves.
Naturally, it wouldn't dare appear under the firepower of two Grass-type Pokémon.
But whether it was Rhyperior or Conkeldurr didn't really matter anymore.
"Amoonguss—Spore on Conkeldurr!"
Both Pokémon were faster than Amoonguss normally.
But under Trick Room, their speed was reversed—they became slower than it.
Another cloud of deep-green spores burst forth, this time covering Conkeldurr's wrinkled face.
The raised concrete pillars slipped from its grasp as it staggered forward, then collapsed onto the ground.
At this point, both opposing Pokémon were fast asleep.
Which meant the opponent had only one option left—
Wait for one of them to wake up.
Switch in Rhyperior?
What—did they want even more Pokémon asleep on the field?
Unfortunately, luck was not on their side.
By the time Pachirisu's Super Fang and Amoonguss's Sludge Bomb bombarded the sleeping Pokémon, neither of them showed any signs of waking up.
Faced with this hopeless situation, the opponent remained silent for several seconds before finally choosing to surrender.
The massive word "Victory" filled the screen.
Aarav stretched lazily and improvised a playful verse:
"Amoonguss is too strong,
Puts Grimmsnarl to sleep, then Conkeldurr too—
Even Leon would despair."
"Absolutely cursed!"
"Utter despair!"
"Disgusting!"
"Born evil!"
"Opponent: How can there be such an annoying Pokémon like Amoonguss?!"
"They didn't even send out Rhyperior before surrendering—were they a Qishu fan?"
"What would Rhyperior even do? Slower than Amoonguss and bullied even harder?"
"In the end, they just lacked our Ant God! If they replaced Conkeldurr with Trapinch, Earthquake would've wiped everything!"
"True! Ant God forever! Ant Sect!"
"Ant Sect!"
"…"
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