Chapter 46: Duo Queue, Battling the Hoenn Dual Champions! (Monthly Votes Requested!!)
As soon as Xia Chi spoke, the live chat exploded.
“Adorable? Who’s adorable?”
“Can’t keep it a secret anymore. Yes, I have a child with Teacher Shui Ye!”
“Lao Shui, what have you done! Remember, this is the peak of your career; romance will only hold you back!”
“Oh no, Lao Shui’s reputation is ruined, tragic!”
Facing the furious barrage of comments, Xia Chi calmly explained, “Don’t worry, the streamer’s life is already a wreck, no way the house will collapse. The adorable one is a friend of the streamer, someone everyone knows well.”
Just then, a Pokédex voice call popped up at the bottom right corner of the computer desktop, labeled: Qishu.
Comments flooded the screen: “???”
Xia Chi answered, and Qishu’s cheerful voice came through: “Ciao~ hello, good afternoon everyone! Wait, for those in Donghuang, it should be good evening. Seeing Qishu in Teacher Shui Ye’s stream—doesn’t it feel novel?”
The chat erupted even more.
“No, Qishu, don’t play with Shui Ye. People who play tactics have dirty hearts, and Lao Shui is as sly as they come!”
“Ay, Qishu dating? That can only happen ten years after I’m dead!”
“Wuwu, Shui Ye, you deserve this!”
“......”
Before Xia Chi could respond, Qishu said, “Qishu is here in the livestream. If you’re a fan, please don’t say things that trouble both me and Teacher Shui Ye~”
Xia Chi snorted lightly, “Don’t mind them, they’re just the usual trolls from my stream, jealous of how close you and I are. I’ll just block their messages with a level 5 badge.”
One plays the straight man, the other the foil. The chat quickly calmed down.
Some Qishu fans still wanted to scold Xia Chi, but with the badges in place, they had to send plenty of gifts to speak.
No gifts, and their frustration bottled up.
Send gifts, and it feels even more humiliating to give to someone you dislike.
Xia Chi’s “Dark Psychology” had cleverly cornered the trolls’ little schemes.
With the chat under control, they officially launched “Pokémon: Champion’s Path.”
——————
This game features a doubles mode, essentially a 2v2 battle.
However, this mode demands high coordination between teammates; a single misstep easily turns it into a “breakup kitchen,” so few play it.
Yet, the more complex the challenge, the more fun it gets. Xia Chi and Qishu clicked instantly and decided to abandon solo 1v1s for this doubles ranked mode.
Since there are two players, the team selection is a 3+3 system: each picks three Pokémon, then each selects two, with one player commanding one Pokémon in joint battle.
Xia Chi let Qishu pick three Pokémon first and watched to fill the gaps.
“Can I really pick anything?”
“Sure, you could even pick Magikarp.”
Xia Chi chuckled, “Whether we win, I can’t guarantee.”
“Heh heh~”
After some thought, Qishu settled on Mudbray, Toxapex, and Wash Rotom.
Xia Chi was curious, “Oh, you picked Wash Rotom? Haven’t seen you use it before.”
Qishu replied matter-of-factly, “You have to try new things sometimes. That time Pachirisu inspired me. Shui Ye, what do you think of this Pokémon?”
“Great. Its Levitate ability gives it only one weakness to Grass but many resistances. Functionally versatile—it can carry Taunt and Electroweb for support or Hydro Pump and Thunderbolt for offense. Except for a somewhat fragile HP pool, it’s nearly flawless. I always thought this Electric-type was seriously underrated, both in-game and in reality.”
This wasn’t flattery for the top-ranking wealthy player, but Xia Chi’s genuine opinion.
In a past life, Wash Rotom had been a staple in competitive battles—two words: very useful.
Xia Chi had planned to showcase it to viewers later in the stream, but Qishu beat her to it.
You can’t underestimate a Gym Leader’s sharp instincts and talent.
With that in mind, Xia Chi chose her three Pokémon: Rillaboom, Indeedee, and Shedinja.
The first two were solid picks, and thanks to Xia Chi’s strong promotion, Indeedee had become a common support in the current ladder environment.
But Shedinja baffled the audience.
Twenty percent of viewers asked, “What’s the use of Shedinja?”
The other eighty percent asked, “Who is Shedinja?”
Honestly, while previous picks like Durant, Pachirisu, or Psyduck were niche but familiar, Shedinja was beyond rare.
This was downright bizarre.
Xia Chi only smiled silently. Explain? Isn’t it easier to prove with in-game results?
With Pokémon selected and moves assigned, Xia Chi hit the matchmaking button.
Both Xia Chi and Qishu had high ranks, so it took a while to find an opponent.
But with Xia Chi chatting nonstop, the livestream remained lively.
After about fifteen minutes, the matchmaking success sound finally played.
Xia Chi focused and gasped. It was worth the wait—the opponents were the legendary duo: Brawly and Wallace.
One was a noble son and former Hoenn champion; the other, the artist of water and current Hoenn champion.
——————
What's more, Brawly’s championship wasn’t lost in battle but forfeited due to his obsession with digging for stones.
The presence of these two Hoenn champions instantly raised the stakes of the match, and Xia Chi hastily replaced the stream’s cover image with a screenshot featuring their IDs.
To attract fortune, every detail must be seized.
Now the chat no longer teased Xia Chi and Qishu but focused on these two stars.
“Wow, double champions on one team! Is this good luck or bad luck?”
“Obviously good luck! As long as the stream shines, Lao Shui can rake in the money beautifully!”
“Lao Shui, among the four of you, only one isn’t at the Gym Leader level. Who is it? So hard to guess!”
“Regardless, in this card face-off, though Lao Shui is weaker, his looks are just as good as the others.”
“......”
Qishu remained as energetic as ever, “Don’t worry, the opponents are strong, but Qishu will give it her all.”
“Get ready for an electric shock!”
No, what is this? Is this still my stream?
Why do I feel like the spectator here…
Xia Chi muttered inwardly.
After cheering, Qishu kept interacting with Xia Chi, “We’ll win, right, Teacher Shui Ye?”
Xia Chi twitched her mouth and nodded, “...Right, we’ll win!”
Brawly and Wallace’s six Pokémon were Metagross, Skarmory, Steelix, Milotic, Suicune, and Whiscash.
These were their signature Pokémon.
Xia Chi had intended to debut Shedinja to let viewers experience the charm of “Wonder Guard.”
But seeing Skarmory on the other side—a nasty hazard setter—she reconsidered.
After discussing with Qishu, they finalized their lineup: Toxapex, Mudbray, Rillaboom, and Indeedee.
With both teams set, the battle officially began.
(Please vote for me~)