Chapter 14: Iono

Come to think of it, Aiden found himself quite puzzled.

At some point in his past life, spikes had gradually become associated with stall teams.

But in the early days of competitive gaming, spike-setting was actually a common counter to stall teams.

The reason was simple—

Spikes dealt percentage-based damage, so they inflicted far more harm on bulky Pokémon than on fragile ones. This could disrupt many tanks that relied on Leftovers to sustain themselves on the field.

During this era, one of the main tactical goals of setting Spikes was to lower the opponent's KO threshold.

The Spikes strategy Aiden had just used revolved around this core concept.

Of course, his lineup wasn't that straightforward.

What he'd shown earlier was merely an appetizer—at most, the first phase of a boss fight. It was already enough to handle opponents at his current rank.

After securing an easy victory, Aiden queued up for another match.

Since setting Spikes at the start was highly deceptive, the next few opponents never expected him to employ a hyper-aggressive strategy.

This unconventional approach allowed him to effortlessly secure another ten-win streak, and the matches finished even faster than yesterday's.

Three opponents surrendered upon seeing his Spikes, four were utterly crushed, and three DC'ed, resulting in automatic losses.

The efficiency was astonishing.

He had squeezed out an extra ten minutes.

Competitive games generally had a characteristic where winning and losing balanced out in terms of points, but a win streak significantly increased the score gain.

With two consecutive ten-win streaks, Aiden's ladder ranking soared, successfully reaching the Great Ball tier.

[Bro, including yesterday, that's 20 straight wins HYPE?!]

[He looks way too comfy, I wouldn't be surprised if he rushes all the way to Master Ball.]

[Even if he reaches Master Ball, I wouldn't be shocked. Honestly, I'm more interested in seeing these tactics tested in high-level matches!]

[Fair point.]

After nearly an hour of streaming, the number of viewers in Aiden's live chat continued to grow, quietly surpassing five digits without anyone noticing.

Seeing his plan completed, Aiden initially intended to end the stream.

But realizing there was still time, he quickly decided to play one more match.

Based on his experience from his past life, the final match of a winning streak often triggered a "smart match," pairing him against a skilled player capable of ending the streak.

However, compared to grinding points with win streaks, he preferred encountering truly skilled opponents.

Otherwise, the battles would be too boring.

Perhaps his willpower played a role. After a brief matchmaking process, the roulette stopped spinning, and his opponent's information appeared.

Trainer ID: Iono.

Below it, a small official verification label read: Paldea Levincia Gym Leader.

Well, well—another Gym Leader.

[Oh no, the streamer matched against Iono! Time to defect!]

[Iono is so cute; watching the streamer is just for fun, but for cuteness, it's all about Iono!]

[Subscribe to Iono's channel, thank you meow~]

The chat reacted even faster than Aiden, immediately flooding with praise for Iono.

Iono, look at the simps you've brought!

Seeing how 'real' the audience was, Aiden's gaze instantly sharpened.

It seemed that colleagues were indeed natural rivals.

He had originally planned to go easy on her, but now it was clear he had to go all out and show this crowd who the real top streamer was!

This wasn't just ordinary provocation—it called for a heavy punch!

…

Paldea region, Levincia City.

Iono wasn't in a good mood today.

The cause was a certain super-high-view-count tutorial video she stumbled upon after waking up at noon.

Due to the high popularity of Pokémon Champions during its launch, this wasn't particularly unusual.

After all, most trending topics these days were related to the game, and she herself had once luckily topped the charts.

But today's video had an absurdly high increase in views, even prompting Steven, the rarely-seen Hoenn Champion, to actively promote it.

Clearly, this was no ordinary content.

With a humble mindset, Iono decisively clicked in to watch.

However…

After finishing it, her mindset exploded.

Was this person here to steal her livelihood? How could they be so bad!

As a new streamer who had accumulated a significant fanbase within just half a month, she was well aware of her strengths.

Given that the Pokémon battle scene was still largely untapped, combined with her charming appearance, she had managed to attract a large audience.

Those who specialized in teaching weren't as skilled at streaming as her, and those who streamed didn't necessarily have better tactics!

Clearly, this niche was tailor-made for the great Iono-sama!

But now, a sense of crisis arose.

Another Paldea Gym Leader—though she'd never heard of this person before—their instructional tactics were clear and easy to understand, clearly showcasing skill far beyond her level as a pure newcomer.

Wouldn't this mean that a significant portion of battle-loving viewers would flock to him instead?!

If the remaining viewers stayed only because she was "adorable"...

How could she possibly promote her Levincia Gym's reputation?

Absolutely not!

Under the pressure of competition, Iono's stream today started much earlier than usual.

Today's Goal: Great Ball!

Hard work pays off—if she started putting in the effort today, there was no way this guy could surpass her!

Two hours later.

"Great, another victory!"

[Who dis? What did you do with the real Iono?]

[Came to watch the promos, are you really going to reach Great Ball today?!]

[You're in the promo match already, let's go!]

Though each match was tough, Iono, giving her all today, achieved a rare ten-win streak.

Just one more match—one more win—and she'd reach Great Ball, proving her true strength to her audience!

Her fiery gaze fixed on the nearly full progression bar, and Iono couldn't help but take a deep breath.

"Alright, let's finish today's final match with a perfect victory!"

As long as she reached that milestone, it would be Iono-sama's triumph!

With a racing heart, Iono's trembling hand clicked the matchmaking button, silently praying for an easy opponent in her promotion match.

The gears of matchmaking began to turn slowly, the metallic grinding sound circling three and a half times before the pointer suddenly froze.

Upon seeing the opponent's ID, Iono's eyes instinctively widened.

Trainer ID: Azure Wings!

Like her, below it was a small official verification label: Paldea Sunshine Gym Leader.

Talk about bad luck—they met so soon!

While marveling at this potential rival's rapid climb, having reached Great Ball in just two days, Iono also recognized her own progress!

Moreover, if she could defeat him, wouldn't that prove her strength surpassed his?

In doing so, she might even ride the wave to gain a massive boost in followers!

Hmm…

Now she absolutely couldn't afford to lose!

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