Chapter Five: Oh My, Teacher Big Spray Wins the MVP!

“Hmm, did they forfeit?”

As the word “Victory” appeared on the screen, Xia Chi stretched lazily, still savoring the thrill.

To be honest, the intensity and quality of this battle were leagues above the previous ones.

The reason a gym leader holds that title isn’t just because their Pokémon are powerful.

Their understanding of Pokémon battles also surpasses that of ordinary trainers.

If Xia Chi hadn’t anticipated that Qishu intended to use Volt Switch and Shadow Ball to instantly take down Brimwen, winning the match wouldn’t have been so easy, even if victory was ultimately his.

After Xia Chi captured the well-known streamer and gym leader, Miss Qishu, for the second time, his livestream’s popularity skyrocketed to an unbelievable level.

Many passersby, and even some regulars from Qishu’s stream, flocked over, gathering in one place.

The dense barrage of comments was a chaotic spectacle.

“Breaking news: Qishu just rage-quit and went offline!”

“Hilarious! Getting crushed by a big-jawed ant? Forget Qishu, even ordinary people wouldn’t sleep tonight.”

“Apologies, Great Big-Jawed Ant, for failing to provide you with greater entertainment...”

“Wait, can you really switch in Big-Jawed Ant in a situation like that? That’s insane!”

“I hereby announce I’m no longer watching Qishu’s stream; I’m joining Shuiye’s, the more authoritative channel!”

“Beautiful streamer’s ladder match encounter with Liao Shui—spatial tactics as monstrous as a legend, fighting with all might but still unable to win!”

“Not all-out effort.”

“Not a monster.”

“Not a beautiful girl.”

“...”

Along with the flood of comments came a substantial amount of attention and considerable high-value gifts.

After all, defeating a super popular streamer like Qishu head-on, and doing so with such theatrical flair, it was bound to explode in popularity.

“Thanks to the boss of ‘Qishu Exploded Today’ for sending ten luxury Poké Balls! So generous!”

While thanking the gift, Xia Chi responded to some questions in the chat.

“How do you feel about the famous gym leader Qishu being captured again after a week, this time by an unknown small streamer, Shuiye?”

“My take? Don’t spread hate, you all know that Qishu-sensei has always been the trainer I respect the most!”

Some meme comments are best left alone by those involved.

Xia Chi understood this well.

———

Thanks to these two “Qishu Blood Buns,” Xia Chi’s livestream took off.

He had nothing but respect for Qishu.

He picked another frequently asked question from the comments: “Was switching in Big-Jawed Ant a matter of luck?”

“Not really.”

Xia Chi replied seriously: “The situation was extremely dangerous for Qishu-sensei. Her only chance was to explode with a combo of Volt Switch and Shadow Ball to instantly knock out Brimwen. Even if I had misread her strategy, the advantage was still on my side.”

“...”

——————

In the Paldea region, an upscale apartment in Velo City.

Qishu, having rage-quit, lay on her bed with vacant eyes, her mind still filled with the image of that giant-headed ant moving like a whirlwind.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t accept losing to a Big-Jawed Ant.

After all, it was just a normal game ladder match—what was there to fuss about?

“But that tactic... it really is kind of powerful...”

Rolling over in bed, Qishu slipped out of her somewhat oversized and peculiar punk outfit, and playfully tapped her two fair, clean feet on the edge of the bed.

She scrolled through her phone, muttering: “Shuiye... Shuiye... Found it!”

Seeing the bright “Trending” tag next to the livestream, Qishu snorted: “Already in the top twenty in the battle zone? This guy, hmph...”

Although she knew much of this popularity was due to herself, Qishu didn’t mind.

Streaming was her passion, and she was happy to support talented juniors like Xia Chi.

Well... she might have been even happier if she hadn’t been captured by him twice.

So after going offline, she wasn’t there to cause trouble or settle scores—but simply to study this new tactic.

With this in mind, Qishu eagerly clicked into Shuiye’s livestream.

———

“Why do some people still say Mimikyu is useless? Is it useless just because it doesn’t deal damage? Why are you all so obsessed with damage output? It actually distorts the effort Pokémon put in. Do you even know what distortion and concretization mean?”

Seeing many comments still doubting Mimikyu, Xia Chi looked helpless.

“Let me give you an example. You all love playing Sunny Day teams with six Pokémon. You have Coal Turtle as the weather setter and Charizard as the damage dealer. Then Charizard just keeps hitting with Heat Wave and Blast Burn, dealing heavy damage. Coal Turtle sets up Sunny Day, yawns, or lays down Stealth Rocks, without dealing a shred of damage.”

“Then when the battle ends, you check the damage stats and say, ‘Wow, my Big Blaze Teacher knocked out three Pokémon and got MVP!’”

“Coal Turtle didn’t do any damage, just won by default! Coal Turtle is a free win dog! Can you really judge like that?”

Xia Chi’s apt analogy and infectious tone made Qishu, whose mood hadn’t been great, laugh out loud and immediately send the most expensive gift in the entire stream—a Master Ball.

The dazzling gift effect instantly took over the entire screen.

————

Xia Chi was stunned for a moment before reading aloud: “Thank you... Boss Qishu Qishu for the Master Ball? Eh? Is this ID really Qishu-sensei herself?”

The chat’s reaction to Qishu’s gift was even more enthusiastic.

“Over ten million followers? That really is Qishu herself!”

“Qishu-sensei insists Shuiye cover some medical expenses and still comes to send gifts? That’s some serious M energy, huh?”

“Even after rage-quitting, she still sends gifts to Liao Shui? Haji Qishu, you rascal...”

“Feels like she’s here to steal streaming techniques. Suggest renaming to ‘Qishu Qishu (Mentor Shuiye)’.”

Seeing the chat’s tone turning unfavorable, Xia Chi quickly cleared his throat and changed the subject.

“Don’t spread nonsense. This is the most respectful livestream for Qishu-sensei on the entire network. Mods, please give those troublemakers a 365-day ban.”

In truth, the stream currently had no moderators.

Qishu didn’t mind the teasing in the chat and honestly said, “That tactic really is quite interesting.”

Normally, Xia Chi wouldn’t be able to pinpoint Qishu’s comments amid the sea of messages.

However, the stream was flooded with repeated messages, making it easier to spot.

Seeing the Master Ball as a “tuition fee,” Xia Chi earnestly explained: “I call that tactic the Heavy Space Team. It’s a team with clear strengths and weaknesses. I won’t list the advantages here, but Qishu-sensei, you should be able to feel them.”

Qishu in front of the screen: “...”

Did you really have to be so talkative?

Xia Chi continued: “Of course, this tactic isn’t invincible. The most typical counters are Taunt or Knock Off, or any move that prevents the opponent from activating Trick Room.”

Far away in the Paldea region, Qishu gave a thoughtful “Oh.”

Indeed, Taunt prevents the use of status moves, including Trick Room.

This was not a hard-to-think-of countermeasure.

Even if Xia Chi hadn’t mentioned it, someone would soon come up with it once Trick Room teams gained popularity in the ladder.

Xia Chi then shifted gears: “Of course, there are counters to counter Taunt as well, such as replacing the Trick Room setter with a Hatterene with the Psychic Surge ability, but that’s the next level of strategy.”

“In short, due to the limitations of having only four moves and other factors, this game differs somewhat from real-world Pokémon battles. Tactics like Trick Room will have a big stage here.”

“I will continue bringing more tactical lessons to everyone.”

“All right, that’s it for today’s stream. See you tomorrow!”