Chapter 21: Ten Consecutive Wins! Colliding with the Dodo Bird?

Such a title was something Ling Feng had deliberated over quite carefully. Since he intended to use live streaming to attract an audience, the stream's title had to be provocative enough to create a buzz. If he actually ended up losing, the worst-case scenario was simply giving away a 100,000-credit red envelope. But then again... losing was impossible! He would never lose in this lifetime!

...

As Ling Feng finished setting up his team and started the stream, he also initiated the matchmaking for the doubles format. Compared to singles, the doubles format offered far more room for maneuvers and team synergy, and naturally, it tested a player's command skills and understanding of battles more thoroughly, making it significantly more popular among players.

At that moment, Ling Feng was quickly matched with an opponent. The opponent's trainer avatar was a young boy wearing a straw hat, and his in-game ID was "Bug Types are the World's Best!"

Following the battle animation, the opponent sent out his starting Pokémon: a Beedrill and a Beautifly. Ling Feng realized this was likely a novice player, as the rest of his team consisted of Butterfree, Ariados, Dustox, and Venomoth. It was clear he truly loved Bug-type Pokémon. Thinking this, Ling Feng glanced at his own team, featuring a Pidgeot fully kitted for speed and holding a Choice Band.

*Well... brother, liking them is one thing, but you really should have considered defensive synergy.*

...

As it turned out, Ling Feng’s guess was correct. The opponent’s six Bug-type Pokémon didn't have a single move capable of dealing with Flying types. After a one-sided slaughter by his Pidgeot, Ling Feng easily won the battle. By this time, viewers had begun to trickle into the stream—about a dozen or so. Most of them had naturally been drawn in by the sensational title.

"A new streamer, huh? Is this challenge... serious?"
"Are you really giving away 100,000 if you lose? Waiting to see the streamer go bankrupt!"
"Why isn't the streamer using a webcam?"

Ling Feng wasn't bothered by the comments. "Yes, a zero-spending run to Master Ball rank with a 100% win rate. If I lose a single game, I’ll immediately give away 100,000 credits." He welcomed everyone to the stream and began matching for his next opponent.

...

"Path of Battle" was a global phenomenon of a game, with a massive player base. According to Dream Factory's statistics, the number of players was in the hundreds of millions. In such an environment, anyone stuck in the Poké Ball tier was either a complete beginner or someone whose understanding of competitive play was terminal—someone who was just there to mess around.

...

The opponents Ling Feng matched with that afternoon were naturally of that variety. Relying on his fundamental understanding of combat, he quickly secured a 10-game winning streak. His ranking points surged, reaching 1950; he was only one win away from reaching the next tier, "Great Ball."

After finishing his tenth battle, Ling Feng tabbed out of the game to add a few words to his stream title: [Current Win Streak: 10]. With the title change and his continuous victories, the number of viewers in the stream began to grow, reaching seventy or eighty. A few skeptical comments naturally started to appear.

"Zero spending to Master Ball? You're blowing smoke. If you can make it to Ultra Ball, I’ll gift you a Rocket right here on the spot."
"A perfect streak? Buddy, I don't think you understand the game's matchmaking system."
"People will say anything for traffic these days. They won't even do the giveaway when they lose..."

Ling Feng glanced at the comments but didn't respond. Instead, he set up a giveaway window. Such live-stream giveaways were monitored by the platform to ensure fairness. This meant that if he lost, the system would automatically draw a 100,000-credit red envelope for the viewers!

As soon as the giveaway window appeared, the atmosphere in the stream shifted instantly.

"6666! The streamer is playing philanthropist!"
"Even though the streamer is a nice guy, I’m really waiting here for you to lose..."

In truth, it wasn't surprising that the audience reacted this way. The matchmaking mechanism for "Path of Battle" was quite intelligent. When you won consecutively in a certain tier, the ranking points gained from each victory increased. Normally, it would take at least 50 net wins to advance from Poké Ball to Great Ball, yet Ling Feng was only 50 points away after just 10 wins.

However, the trade-off was that once a winning streak exceeded 10 games, the system would match you against other players who also held high winning streaks! And if you continued to win under those conditions, the game would skip several major tiers to match you against elite, top-tier players. This setting was designed to prevent people from "smurfing" in low-tier matches to climb the ranks maliciously. To the viewers, the challenge Ling Feng had set was an impossible task.

At this moment, more people flooded into the stream, drawn by the giveaway.

"Just got here, how good is this streamer?"
"I watched the last few games; the streamer’s skill is actually decent. Even though he’s using common Pokémon, his maneuvers and commands are quite good."
"Pfft, he's just smurfing in the Poké Ball tier. Once his win streak gets higher, his true colors will show."

As the chat debated, Ling Feng pressed the matchmaking button again. This time, the wait was much longer, taking over a dozen seconds to find a match. The opponent was a red-haired player wearing sunglasses, going by the name "Strongest Dragon Tamer"!

Seeing the name, Ling Feng couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. How was this any different from that "Bug Type" guy earlier?

First came the Bug-catching boy, and now a Dragon-catching boy? But soon, he noticed something strange. Why was this player's name so bright? Not only was the font animated, but it was also glowing with a dazzling red light...

At this moment, the stream’s chat exploded.

"Oh my god, it’s a Red-Name player! A completionist is here!!!"
"Hahahaha, streamer, you're done for. You matched with a whale."
"It's too late to force-quit now. Might as well just start the giveaway, streamer."
"Matched with a Red-Name after just a 10-game streak. My condolences."

Ling Feng glanced at the chat and quickly understood. No wonder the name looked so cool—they had spent a fortune on the game. To have a full collection of Pokémon unlocked in this game had to cost hundreds of thousands, right?

But... he shrugged his shoulders. So what if they spent money? It was exactly these spenders that he loved to beat!

...

Meanwhile, in the Johto region, Goldenrod City.

In a study within a villa, a red-haired man wearing a black cape sat before his computer. He had a handsome face and the aura unique to a powerful trainer. He was none other than Lance, the former Champion of Kanto and Johto and the current Dragon-type Elite Four member!

At that moment, the corners of Lance's mouth curled up; he was clearly in a good mood. This game, recommended to him by Red, was actually quite interesting. By spending a little money, he could experience Pokémon he had never raised or encountered before. Playing it occasionally in his spare time was quite enjoyable.

It was just that the skill level of these players in the lower tiers was too low, making the matches a bit boring. Since he had some rare free time today, he needed to climb the rankings quickly. Who knew... he might even get matched against an old acquaintance like Cynthia later...

As Lance mused, the "Match Found" screen popped up. Looking at the trainer avatar on the screen, which was so dark it was nearly invisible in the night, Lance couldn't help but reflexively read his opponent's name aloud.

"Quality... Human?"
"???"