Communion with Red
"Uh..."
The Holo-Caster DM from Red flashed across Alex's screen, leaving him blinking at the screen in a daze—flooded with disbelief and exhilaration, his cursor hovering over the "accept" button like a trainer facing a Master Ball-tier challenge.
Red's Holo-Caster messages were terse yet crystal clear—conveying the Battle Legend's appreciation for Alex's streaming tactics with battlefield-level precision, an overture far removed from his usual Mount Silver solitude.
Was this divine RNG?
A Legendary-tier Carry Materializes!
Even Alex felt the weight of surrealism pressing against his Pokédex screen—like encountering a full-odds Shiny in Route 1 grass.
Let's be real—Butterfree's sleep-inducing strats weren't exactly Gen VIII meta material. The chat's astonishment stemmed purely from the chasm between competitive battlers crunching damage calculators and in-game trainers still relying on type-matchup guesswork. When you've got access to Smogon's movepool analytics, steamrolling NPCs with Gen I's janky 60% accuracy Hypnosis feels less like strategy and more like bullying preschoolers with a Trick Room team.
However, online battles and official Pokémon battles are fundamentally different experiences. The latter challenges trainers as rigorously as the former—if not more so, especially when factoring in the complexities of training and breeding Pokémon, where the difficulty escalates exponentially.
While Alex may not be a tactical mastermind, his uncanny battle instincts have proven sharp enough to sustain a streaming career through online matches.
Against all odds, what began as a modest streaming venture to scrape by unexpectedly caught the eye of Red—the battle prodigy himself—within mere days
"Alright, maybe we can leverage him to handle the Groudon and Kyogre situation."
A spark of inspiration lit up Alex's eyes—he'd already mapped out how to strategically align with this top-tier ally.
Honestly, having already made enemies with both Groudon and Kyogre, Alex wasn't exactly losing sleep over the prospect of Red showing up with a Poké Ball—hell, if push came to shove he could always bail. When you're already on the radar of ancient titans, what's one more battle maniac in your DMs?
Besides, given Red's battle-hungry nature—and since I can't step into the ring myself—Groudon and Kyogre's looming primal resurgence makes them perfect stand-ins. As living punching bags with sheer firepower, they'll deliver the challenge Red's been itching to find since his Mount Silver retreat.
"Now it all makes sense."
Exhausted by the constant pressure from Groudon and Kyogre, Alex found himself unexpectedly moved by Red's message, a wave of relief washing over him as his calculations proved correct.
"Truly worthy of the title 'Battle Legend'—absolutely brilliant."
In that fleeting moment of clarity, Alex found himself staring again at the crimson-and-gold ID blazing across his screen, his eyes brimming with the reverent gratitude one reserves for a battlefield medic who just revived your fainted starter.
"Got it!"
Alex slapped his thigh in sudden resolve, firing off a reply to Red's DM. The two even exchanged Line IDs—casually securing what any seasoned trainer would recognize as the digital equivalent of registering a rival's Trainer Card.
After some deliberation, Alex decided to brief Red on his next steps
[I'll be in the Hoenn region handling some business. If you're interested, Red, keep an eye on the news over the next few days.]
Right. To tackle the system tasks, Alex decided proactive measures were overdue."
While steadily powering up his Caterpie, he needed to hunt down breakthrough strategies—and scaling the Sky Pillar to seek out the true Rayquaza emerged as the most viable path forward, balancing calculated risk with legendary-grade payoff.
Reading Alex's message, Red raised an eyebrow.
"Hoenn only stabilized last month after Groudon and Kyogre's clash—Rayquaza's intervention, Team Magma/Aqua remnants still missing. Steven and Wallace have been combing Mach Bike trails for weeks."
Red furrowed his brow, musing over Alex's message—'He's heading to Hoenn now and wants me to track the news... Is he eyeing that Team Magma/Aqua remnant situation?'
Yellow blinked beside him, confusion mirroring his own. "But... the chat mentioned he already tried streaming in Hoenn last month. Got caught in Groudon vs Kyogre crossfire, had to retreat to Unova when his 'chill travelogue' plan imploded?"
"I'm aware of the situation."
Red nodded, his attention already split between Yellow's words and the seismic activity alerts blinking on his Holo Caster—Hoenn's tectonic plates shifting in patterns that mirrored Alex's cryptic travel plans.
"Then why's he making a beeline back to Hoenn now?"
"Likely a calculated reasoning beneath—top-tier trainers thrive on unorthodox plays."
Truth be told, Red couldn't parse Alex's methodology either—but in a world where elite battlers thrived on eccentricities (his own battle-honed hyperfocus barely passing as neurotypical by human standards), the anomaly became its own twisted brand of logic.
Steven ditched the Champion title to go grub around in mineshafts hunting meteorites.
Diantha is wholly consumed by her film and acting pursuits.
Alder takes perverse joy in leaping off 10-20 meter cliffs to startle passing novice trainers.
In comparison to other Champions' eccentricities, Alex's tendency to wander seems relatively normal.
"The stream hasn't moved for minutes. Where's Alex?"
"Why did he stop talking?"
"Oh no! Could Alex and Red—the Battle Legend himself—be wrapped up in some shady business?"
Meanwhile, as Alex's stream lingered in prolonged silence, the chat erupted with restless viewers bombarding the screen with increasingly absurd commentary.
Alex, realizing prolonged silence wasn't working, jumped into a new match. With Butterfree's Sleep Powder showering the field, the platform now boasted a fresh batch of sleep-deprived players.
Viewers in the stream gradually shifted from condemning the cheap strategies to endorsing them.
Through Alex's broadcast, everyone seemed to discover the twisted joy of underhanded tactics—winning became its own reward, each victory fueling all-day satisfaction regardless of sportsmanship.
"Alright, that's a wrap for today's stream. Catch you next time."
Alex glanced at the wall clock, fatigue tugging at his eyelids as he decisively clicked the 'End Stream' button
"Let's break down today's core strategy. Butterfree—evolving from the common Caterpie—has an accessible evolution line. Beyond Sleep Powder, its support toolkit includes Tailwind, Rage Powder, and Pollen Puff. When paired with survival moves and held items, it becomes a formidable support asset. For those inspired, mastering this build could streamline your next Gym Leader challenge."
Before logging off, Alex casually dropped more Butterfree tech.
"Preaching the cheap tactics he's abusing—Alex is basically the Cheap Tactics Champ now. Disgusting yet genius."
"I hate two types of people: those who use cheap tactics and those who stop others from using them."
"Classic double standards from toxic Pokémon trainers."
"Did the opponent disconnect immediately after having three Pokémon put to sleep in that battle?"
"That player is ready for real-life combat! Alex, flee now!"
Alex smiled slightly, ignoring the humorous comments.
"If time permits, I'll demonstrate strategies for Pokémon labeled as weak—beginning with Butterfree—to prove their unique strengths."
Alex's expression turned solemn.
"Remember: No Pokémon is inherently worthless—only trainers who fail to recognize their potential."
Speaking to this point, Alex couldn't help glancing out the window.
The Caterpie that had been relentlessly practicing 'Dragon Ascent' in the small yard now lay limp on the soft lawn, closed its eyes in brief relaxation after exhausting itself.
The Poffins Alex prepared for Caterpie had been fully consumed.
After all, Dragon Ascent—a Flying-type move exclusive to Rayquaza—demanded extraordinary stamina. Even with Caterpie's species lineage having gradually diverged from its original genetic blueprint, its limited constitution couldn't sustain repeated high-intensity executions of this legendary technique. Periodic rest and metabolic refueling became biological imperatives.
"Sigh..."
A tinge of bitterness crept into Alex's smile as he watched Caterpie—even as he streamed to earn income, the worm had been grinding away at mastering Dragon Ascent until its tiny body gave out. A pained sigh escaped him, equal parts pride and guilt twisting in his chest like a poorly executed U-turn.
"In future streams, I might explore new formats—like a Caterpie solo-clearing Viridian Forest. Stay tuned for that. See you next time."
After revealing his future streaming plans to the audience, Alex promptly ended the broadcast per streamer ethics, leaving viewers spamming frenzied comments in the chat.
"Your stream sign-off was too practiced. How many times exactly have you done this?"
"Startling—in this day and age, someone still dares clumsily wade into White Album-tier discourse?"
"I came for the 'No Matter, I'll Intervene' memes, but surprisingly this streamer's got substance—both skilled and principled. Actually learned something."
"This streamer truly has strategic vision—he doesn't blindly chase high-stat Pokémon. Beyond tactical theories, he demonstrates Butterfree's viability through masterful battle execution."
"Of course, Alex is a Red-certified Trainer!"
"How touching."
The chat erupted with notable reactions to Alex's closing statements.
At minimum, a portion of viewers had already committed his words to memory.
Let's face it—most of us aren't privileged. Our starter Pokémon came with modest quality, common species at best. That's why Alex's words hit home harder than a Critical Hit—he's preaching the gospel of the underdog trainers' union, turning Weedle-tier struggles into championship blueprints.
After all, this is the formidable trainer who can consistently defeat Gym Leaders with a Butterfree. A skilled individual is always trustworthy.
Before they knew it, many viewers had developed a sense of anticipation for Alex's streams, eagerly awaiting his next broadcast...