Chapter Four: The Strange Tree: I’m Not Playing Anymore!

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The battle began.
The starting Pokémon for each side were Wattrel and Mimikyu.
"Oh? Is that Mimikyu, the special Pokémon from the Alola region?"
As the Gym Leader of Levincia, Iono was quite knowledgeable about Pokémon.
"That Pokémon has a very powerful ability that can completely nullify our attack damage once, so we don't need to rush into a head-on clash. Wattrel, use Tailwind!"
She gently swayed her small hands under her oversized, punk-style sleeves and gave the camera a sweet wink.
"Iono-tip: Wattrel's ability, Wind Power, allows it to enter a 'Charged' state after using Tailwind!"
The sweet wink from the delicate beauty undoubtedly dealt massive damage to the fans in the live stream. Even the trolls who had wandered over from Xia Chi's stream were following the trend, spamming "awsl" in the chat.
Just as Wattrel finished using Tailwind, Mimikyu’s Trick Room followed immediately after.
"Wait, Trick Room?"
Iono furrowed her brows in surprise. "That move is a bit rare. It actually counters our Tailwind setup..."
Because the battles in *Pokémon: Champion’s Path* are conducted in real-time, there was no time for Iono to overthink it.
"Whatever, let's just play normally!"
Iono continued to command, "Wattrel, Air Cutter!"
"We need to be careful of Mimikyu's Disguise ability, so let's use Air Cutter to break it first."
Due to the Trick Room, the speed priority was reversed.
Before Wattrel could flap its glowing wings to get closer, a dark energy ball shot out toward it.
"Shadow Ball?"
Iono let out a huff, smiling. "This guy is finally using some normal moves."
The Shadow Ball on the screen connected, causing Wattrel to lose a small chunk of HP.
Iono didn't take it to heart; at this intensity, Wattrel could hold on for quite a while longer.
The Air Cutter successfully broke Mimikyu’s Disguise.
What followed was Iono's true offensive.
"Wattrel, Thunderbolt!"
On the screen, brilliant electric sparks erupted continuously.
Although Wattrel’s speed was significantly hindered, it was unleashing a powerful thunderous strike while in the "Charged" state.
"Shui, take my Thunderbolt!"
Following Iono’s sharp cry, the electric light on the screen reached its peak intensity and instantly exploded.
"Heh, my Wattrel has its Special Attack effort values maxed out. A little Mimikyu will definitely not be able to withstand this!"
Iono’s smug smile vanished in sync with the dissipating electric light.

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The camera shifted to the face of a sturdy, brown, big-headed ant standing firmly in the center of the screen.
"This... what is this? Trapinch?"
Iono’s wide-open mouth expressed her astonishment.
"That guy actually sent this first-stage Pokémon out onto the field??"
She hadn't ignored the Pokémon in Xia Chi’s reserves, but Iono had assumed this Trapinch was just there to fill a slot. After all, who would actually use a Trapinch as a main combatant?
She hadn't accounted for the fact that a Ground-type Trapinch would be immune to a Thunderbolt boosted by the "Charged" state.
At this moment, the chat in Iono's stream hit a peak.
"I'm dying of laughter, I knew 'Old Shui' would never let me down."
"I really like Iono's quote: 'What's the use of a Trapinch?'"
"Go, you big ant without antennae!"
Iono tried to stay calm. "It’s fine. Even if it survives that Thunderbolt, a Trapinch is still just a Trapinch—a Pokémon not even as good as Charmander. It can't pose a threat to our Wattrel."
A flustered Iono didn't realize that a Trapinch, which was slower than a Torkoal, could unleash such terrifying power under the effects of Trick Room.
Meanwhile, in a dormitory at Shanghai University:
"Rock Tomb!"
With the setup complete, Xia Chi launched an aggressive assault.
A massive, sharp pillar of rock instantly rose from the ground, striking directly at the Wattrel hovering in mid-air.
As mentioned before, *Pokémon: Champion’s Path* is not a simple turn-based game.
It is highly realistic to actual Pokémon battles. Whether it's tactical maneuvering or commands like "dodge it," players are given plenty of room to showcase their skills.
Because of this, the dual effects of Trick Room and Tailwind reversed the speed of the two Pokémon completely.
The audience watched as the brown, big-headed ant zipped across the field with lightning speed, dodging the Air Cutters.
Wattrel, which should have been incredibly agile, hung in the air like a target, relentlessly poked by the Rock Tomb.
With every rising pillar of rock, Iono, sitting before her computer, grew increasingly flushed with anger.
It wasn't that she didn't want to swap out Wattrel, but whether it was the Mismagius or the Luxray in her backline, both high-speed Pokémon could not escape this deadly Trick Room.
All Iono could do at this moment was try to stall until the opponent's Trick Room and her own Tailwind wore off.
"That guy is definitely going to set up another one as soon as Trick Room ends. The moment he swaps out the Trapinch is my best chance!"
Iono ground her sharp, shark-like teeth. "Once I deal with that Mimikyu, just wait until you see how I torture him!"
Empty threats could not change the situation on the field.
Wattrel’s durability was not high to begin with, and it was being repeatedly struck by the super-effective Rock Tomb.

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No matter how well Iono had raised it, Wattrel could not survive the duration of the Trick Room.
With a cry from the Trapinch, it helplessly plummeted to the ground.
Forced by the situation, Iono had to send out her second Pokémon, Luxray.
She muttered to herself, "Don't panic, don't panic. There's still a chance. Our Luxray has the Intimidate ability, which can lower that Trapinch's attack by one stage..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the Trapinch on the screen unleashed an Earthquake.
Iono’s vision went dark. "An Earthquake immediately? Is he not afraid that I might have switched to Mismagius?"
Mismagius has the Levitate ability, which grants full immunity to Ground-type moves.
Whether Xia Chi was guessing or predicting, this preemptive Earthquake hit the newly arrived Luxray squarely.
The bad news was that Trapinch’s ability was Sheer Force, which prevents stat drops, and this STAB, super-effective Earthquake almost one-shot the Luxray.
The good news was that Trick Room ended right after the Earthquake.
"Counterattack, starting now!"
Iono, who keenly grasped the opportunity, shouted, "Luxray, rush in, Ice Fang!"
Without the assistance of Trick Room, a Trapinch that only had raw power was no different from a sitting duck. A single Ice Fang would be enough to finish off the fragile Trapinch.
However, with a flash of light, the Trapinch instantly vanished from the screen.
Replacing it was a slender blue and pink figure: Hatterene.
"Did he switch in another Pokémon that can use Trick Room?"
The sudden switch didn't surprise Iono; she had already grasped the core tactic of Xia Chi's team—using Trick Room to create an offensive environment for low-speed Pokémon.
"Then I'll just finish you off before you can use Trick Room!"
Iono chuckled, "Luxray, Volt Switch!"
Amidst the flowing electric currents, Luxray charged toward Hatterene.
The previous Ice Fang had already dealt some damage, and as long as this Volt Switch connected, the Mismagius waiting in the back could finish it off with a super-effective Shadow Ball.
Iono was confident she could knock it out before Hatterene could set up Trick Room!
However, the light of a Pokémon swap flashed once again.
That brown, big-headed ant appeared on the battlefield once more.
And so, in the live stream titled "Iono-Streamer," there remained only one high-pitched, piercing scream, comparable to the screech of an Exploud.
"I'm not playing anymore!"