Chapter 24: An Unexpected Bonus?

Meanwhile, in Ling Feng's livestream:

He stretched, explaining to his audience: "Alright, that execution of the strategy was a success. The core concept is actually quite simple: first, deliberately use Glimmora’s charging of 'Meteor Beam' as a threat to draw the opponent's attention and force them to focus fire on it. This triggers its 'Toxic Debris' ability, poisoning the opponent’s current Pokémon and all subsequent ones they send out. At the same time, this acts as a diversion to cover Pidgeot, allowing it to set up Tailwind and exit, followed by bringing in two Pokémon with the 'Pickup' ability.

'Pickup' allows them to recycle the items they consume among themselves, creating an infinite loop. As for why I chose Dedenne and Aipom, it’s because their speed is among the best for Pokémon that can learn the move 'Fling.' Combined with the Tailwind boost, it allows 'Fling' to strike first, causing flinching and disrupting their actions. Of course... you could also just say it’s because Dedenne is cute and I wanted to see it on the field. It shouldn’t be too hard to get a crown hit on someone with such a cute Pokémon..."

As Ling Feng explained, on the screen, the Hydreigon and Goodra were already reduced to half health while unable to act. The opponent, unable to bear the humiliation, chose to surrender. As the victory screen popped up along with the rank-up animation, Ling Feng rubbed his nose and remarked with a hint of regret, "Eh? Running away already? I wasn't finished throwing things yet..."

At this moment, the chat in Ling Feng's livestream had completely exploded.

[What the...? You can use 'Pickup' like that?]
[Is the streamer a poet? How could he come up with such a heaven-defying strategy?]
[The damage isn't high, but the disrespect is extreme...]
[A full red-tier team just got steamrolled like that? Someone pinch my thigh and tell me I’m dreaming. The address is 26 Third Street, Saffron City, Kanto Region...]
[Today I finally learned that people really do laugh when they are completely speechless...]

Clearly, Ling Feng’s "advanced" tactical thinking was mind-boggling—not just in the game *Battle Road*, but even in real-world Pokémon trainer battles. Who would have thought that a move like "Fling" could be used so creatively?

Following his victory, Ling Feng tabbed out to change his stream title to "11-Win Streak" and added a note: "Reached Great Ball Rank." Just then, a series of notifications suddenly appeared before his eyes:

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Your actions caused the audience to feel surprise and shock, earning you 20 emotion points!]

20 points? Ling Feng glanced at the notification with little interest. The number of viewers in the room wasn't high, so the points generated were naturally sparse. He wasn't worried; as he built his reputation and the audience grew, the potential rewards from each stream would naturally increase.

But just as he was thinking, another golden notification popped up!

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Your actions caused the special individual "Lance" to feel intense surprise, frustration, and resentment!]
[Converted to 370 emotion points!]

Ling Feng paused, immediately realizing what had happened. *Wait... so the player named "Dragon Types are Number One" was actually Lance? No wonder he had so much money! And no wonder he chose a name like that!*

He also realized something else. So, in his very first match using this strategy, he had managed to troll the former Champion of the Kanto region? *No, no, why call it trolling? That’s called using rational and exquisite tactics to secure the final victory in a tense and exciting battle. Yes, that’s it.*

With that thought, Ling Feng checked the viewer count. Excellent, it was surging, reaching over seven hundred. He was less than three hundred away from the mission requirement of one thousand. Without hesitation, he hit the match button again.

*Now, bring out the next victim!*

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Lance was slumped in his computer chair, his expression dazed. As a dignified Champion, he had come to play a battle game, only to lose at the Great Ball rank? And it was a one-to-six sweep... Come to think of it, that "Glimmora" might have been handed to him on purpose!

It was like a veteran player with end-game gear getting kicked to death by a wild dog in a starter village. But a Champion is a Champion; facing defeat, he quickly adjusted his mindset and began analyzing the opponent's strategy.

The strategy was indeed exquisite. The interaction between the "Pickup" ability and the "Fling" move achieved a near-permanent control effect. But thinking carefully, the true core of the opponent's strategy wasn't those elements, but the "Tailwind" move! After all, only by striking first with "Fling" could one disrupt the opponent's actions with the flinch status. Tailwind, being a powerful team buff, took time to set up. Experienced trainers would usually stay alert for Pokémon capable of setting it up. But at that moment, he had been distracted by something else!

The Glimmora that was charging! No wonder the opponent started charging with Glimmora right away—the goal was to force him to focus his attention on Glimmora, thereby ignoring the presence of the Pidgeot! Now that he thought about it, he had been led by the nose the entire time, falling into a trap and losing as a result!

Lance frowned. Such strong tactical thinking, such exquisite battle strategies... Who was this opponent named "Quality Person"? Why had he never heard of them before? Regardless, one thing was certain: the opponent was an incredibly strong trainer in the real world. Perhaps, like him, they were a Champion from some region!

With that, Lance took a screenshot of the battle record and the ID "Quality Person," then posted it in a group chat titled "Champion and Elite Four Family."

[Dragon Types are the Best: Could you all take a look and see if you recognize this person? His tactics are brilliant, and I would like to exchange pointers with him.]

The next moment, the silent group chat suddenly became lively.

[Pear Blossom: Oh? Isn't that the game? You lost at the Poké Ball rank with your lineup? How embarrassing.]
[Dragon Types are the Best: Old hag, don't talk—you would have lost too!]
[Pear Blossom: Look, he's getting agitated again.]
[I Love Mining: Pfft.]
[Lorelei: Oh? What happened today? Why is it so lively?]