Chapter 16: You’re Banned From Playing Pokémon!

"Explosion!"

In the live stream's video, after hearing her opponent's decisive command, Iono clearly froze for a moment.

"Eh?"

Of course, even if she could react, there was no time to make any moves during the switch.

On-screen, Iono's virtual Trainer figure had already tossed out a Poké Ball.

A flash of red light, and the portly Bellibolt emerged from its red-and-white capsule.

As soon as it landed, the Stealth Rock and two layers of Spikes left behind by Skarmory took effect.

Though the spikes hadn't fully covered the field, their impact was still significant, reducing a portion of Bellibolt's HP right away.

After stepping on the spikes, the slow-reacting Bellibolt finally felt the pain and raised its head with a menacing glare.

But then, it froze again.

Wow, why is the opposing Pokémon glowing?

And what's with the beeping sounds…

Uh-oh!

"Bellibolt, Protect!"

Iono shouted immediately, but it was too late.

Within Trick Room, Bronzong, now grinning wickedly, moved like lightning.

As it approached Bellibolt, its body became enveloped in white light, radiating an overwhelming energy that seemed to burst through the screen.

BOOM—!

The blinding white light exploded out of the screen, and the audience instinctively shut their eyes at the deafening roar.

When the light gradually faded and they looked back at the live stream, both Bellibolt and Bronzong were lying on the battlefield, unable to continue fighting.

[Who used Flash? This ain't a cave bruh]

[Huh? Explosion already?]

[Bro, you've got to be kidding me—this move is absolutely disgusting…]

[I wonder how much psychological trauma this caused Iono LOLOL.]

Explosion—a move whose name alone suggested its terrifying power.

But as Aiden had said before:

Powerful moves often came with equally unbearable side effects.

Since Explosion's energy didn't discriminate between friend or foe, the Pokémon using it would immediately faint.

Though it appeared that Bronzong and Bellibolt had perished together, keeping the score tied at 2:2, the momentum had completely shifted to Aiden's side.

Bronzong was already low on HP, essentially just cannon fodder, so trading it for another Pokémon was a huge win.

Moreover, the pesky Spikes remained on the field.

"Luckily, I'm one step ahead."

Recalling the fainted Bronzong, Aiden smiled faintly.

"I thought today might not present an opportunity, but meeting a skilled opponent at the end is perfect timing to show you all the true potential of this lineup."

"Let me clarify beforehand—none of this reflects my personal will; it's purely a gaming gimmick. I strongly advise against using moves like Explosion in real battles—it can damage the bond between Trainers and Pokémon."

"I'm a devoted fan of Pokémon and would never harm them in real life!"

After delivering his "Universal Disclaimer," Aiden leisurely tossed out his next Poké Ball.

Since he'd already revealed his strategy, Iono would likely prepare accordingly.

Thus, his next choice should ideally be something capable of quickly taking out Mismagius.

The answer was obvious.

"Go, Metagross!"

Upon hearing this, some astute viewers instinctively glanced at his team composition.

After a brief moment of thought, they collectively slapped their thighs in shock.

[Holy crap, bro, what do you do for a living? Are you here to take revenge on society?!]

[Is this what I think it is… No wonder his lineup seems weird—is he really about to go full-on explosive against the opponent?]

[All of them can learn Explosion? WTF kind of team is this?]

[Yo mods, ban this dude from playing Pokémon!]

Aiden's lineup, seemingly revolving around Spikes to lower the KO threshold and achieve fast kills, had made everyone overlook one crucial point—

After the spikes wore down the opponent's HP, what better way to finish them off than with Explosion?

And in his seemingly simple lineup, over half of the Pokémon were "explosive experts???"

Besides the spent Bronzong, Forretress, Metagross, and Magnezone were also heavyweights—all masters of self-destruction.

This was practically a suicide squad!

"Go, Mismagius."

Though utterly disgusted by Aiden's tactic, her professionalism as a Gym Leader allowed Iono to quickly compose herself and face the upcoming battle.

Mismagius's Levitate ability let it avoid the effects of Spikes, so it still had decent health upon entering the field.

So you like explosions, huh? Go ahead and try exploding this Mismagius!

Explosion was a Normal-type attack, so unless the opponent had the Ability Scrappy, it would have no effect on Ghost-type Mismagius.

"Shadow Ball!"

"Knock Off!"

Both commands rang out simultaneously, and the chat paused mid-troll to observe the outcome of the match.

Due to the lingering effects of Trick Room, Mismagius's speed was somewhat hindered.

Thus, it was Metagross that struck first, swinging its iron fists for a critical hit.

Not only did it knock off Mismagius's Life Orb, but it nearly depleted its entire HP bar.

As for Mismagius's retaliatory Shadow Ball, it indeed dealt significant damage to Metagross.

"But it doesn't matter—it won't get another chance to act!"

As a long-standing pseudo-legendary powerhouse, Metagross's combat prowess was unmatched by Mismagius.

Aiden smirked, making the final judgment—

"Metagross, Bullet Punch!"

With a swift punch, the only Pokémon on Iono's side capable of resisting Explosion fell unconscious on the spot.

At this point, the outcome was sealed.

[Unwinnable matchup…]

[Fight or don't fight it's too troll either way!]

[SKILL ISSUE SKILL ISSUE SKILL ISSUE]

"We win."

Aiden flashed a confident smile.

He wasn't one to pop champagne halfway through the game.

Without 100% certainty, he wouldn't dare raise a flag prematurely.

But under the pressure of the spikes covering the field, Iono's remaining three Pokémon were powerless to resist. Even without Explosion, victory was assured.

Meanwhile, in Iono's livestream:

Iono's face turned pale, her eyes vacant, looking as if she'd been broken.

"We lost…"

Finally, she sighed, choosing not to struggle further and promptly conceding.

The opponent's tactics were simply monstrous. The timing of the Explosions was impeccable, leaving no room to react with Protect…

Whether it was tactical planning or predictive command, she had been thoroughly defeated by her opponent.

This guy was definitely no rookie—a total monster!

But precisely because of this, Iono couldn't help but start muttering to herself again:

"You've got this much skill, yet you're not competing for the currently vacant Paldea Elite Four seat? What are you doing battling us newbies on PokéTV instead?"

"Do you want to ruin the competitive scene?!"

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