The above analysis was based on normal circumstances, but in this game…
Mind games?
Xia Chi chuckled.
Do you think my starting starter duo is just for show?
“Rillaboom, Incineroar, use Fake Out on them!” On the screen, the giant gorilla, its head covered in a dark green bush, rushed out waving its drumsticks.
It slapped Grimmsnarl before it could make a move.
Right after, the menacing red Incineroar dashed forward with a roar and slapped Hatterene as well.
*Slap!* *Slap!* The successive crisp slaps flinched both Pokémon, trapping them in the [Flinched] state where they were unable to use any moves.
A simple, unadorned double Fake Out completely shut down any mind games!
The viewers, having never seen a double Fake Out strategy before, were ecstatic, and a wave of “Hahahahaha” rolled across the bullet chat.
However, some raised questions.
“Fake Out’s damage is so low, and it can only be used once.
What use is it besides stalling?” Xia Chi didn’t reply, focusing entirely on commanding.
“Target Hatterene.
Rillaboom, Grassy Glide!
Incineroar, U-turn!” The flinch from Fake Out lasted only a brief moment.
Grimmsnarl quickly shook off the flinch.
Relying on its [Prankster] ability, which granted priority to status moves, it set up Trick Room.
Meanwhile, Rillaboom had already slid right under Hatterene’s skirt.
As the signature move that made Rillaboom the absolute king of Gen 8 starters, Grassy Glide was terrifyingly strong.
With damage comparable to Flamethrower before its nerf, and the trait of gaining priority on Grassy Terrain, every aspect of it showcased the pure beauty of raw stats.
The damage of Grassy Glide in this game was naturally its pre-nerf version.
Combined with the same-type attack bonus of the Grass type and the terrain boost, Rillaboom’s thick leg sweep directly dealt massive damage to Hatterene, whose physical defense was fragile.
Her health bar instantly dropped by nearly half.
Then, Trick Room successfully activated.
The speed of the Pokémon on the field was instantly inverted.
The sluggish Hatterene actually moved before Incineroar.
A burst of Dazzling Gleam erupted.
Incineroar, disadvantaged by the typing, saw its health bar visibly chunked by nearly half.
Fortunately, it immediately used U-turn to retreat from the battlefield and escape.
It was only because Hatterene’s Fairy typing mitigated the weakness; a pure Psychic-type Pokémon might not have survived that U-turn.
And the Pokémon replacing Incineroar was none other than Amoonguss.
Getting a brief breather, Xia Chi explained, “Trick Room counterstrategy number two: use low-speed Pokémon.
As long as I’m slow enough, your speed in Trick Room will be slower than mine.” The rule of Trick Room was to reverse the turn order of all Pokémon on the field.
The moment Amoonguss took the field, Grimmsnarl’s effective speed relative to it visibly slowed to a crawl.
In contrast, Amoonguss transformed into a highly agile mushroom.
Xia Chi quickly commanded, “Rillaboom, Wood Hammer on Hatterene!
Amoonguss, Spore on Grimmsnarl!” Amoonguss was undoubtedly the fastest on the field now.
Its mushroom cap shook, spraying a cloud of dark green powder right into Grimmsnarl’s face.
The effect of the Spore—uh, I mean, the sleepy tea—was instantaneous.
Grimmsnarl collapsed on the spot, falling into a baby-like slumber.
Hatterene’s Psyshock followed immediately, targeted straight at Rillaboom, whose HP had been chunked by Dazzling Gleam.
But unfortunately, the non-effective Psyshock failed to take down the incredibly bulky “Tapu Rilla.” Instead, the latter followed up with a devastating Wood Hammer, sending Hatterene off the field in a whimpering defeat.
First Blood!
“666, as expected of Bro Shui, still playing so disgustingly.” “They’re clearly two hulking, ferocious Pokémon, so why does Master Shui play them so sneakily?” “Is anyone still questioning the usefulness of double Fake Out?
Just copy Water God’s play and you’re set!” “Can a mod ban that Shui simp named ‘Water God’?
The bootlicking is making me sick.” “…” Xia Chi ignored the teasing in the bullet chat and stayed focused on the match.
*Pokémon: Path of Champions* emphasized real-time commands much more than the turn-based battles of his previous life.
Furthermore, the Pokémon in the game had no independent consciousness and wouldn’t move on their own like they did in real-world battles.
If the player didn’t give orders, a Rayquaza could genuinely get pinned down and thrashed by a Caterpie.
Quickly recalling the low-HP Rillaboom, Xia Chi sent out the last Pokémon in his reserve, who was also the “main character” of this team— Pachirisu!
No joke, winning a match with it meant getting a Master Ball!
If he didn’t bring it out now, what if the opponent surrendered?
The appearance of this delicate, tiny electric squirrel didn’t just send the bullet chat into a frenzy; even his opponent was stunned.
It took a good while before they recalled the fallen Hatterene and sent out Conkeldurr.
Xia Chi mused, “Conkeldurr?
Looks like their last Pokémon is probably Rhyperior.” Rhyperior was quad-weak to Grass, so it naturally didn’t dare to expose itself to the fire of two Grass-type Pokémon.
But whether it was Rhyperior or Conkeldurr, it didn’t matter anymore.
“Amoonguss, Spore on Conkeldurr!” Normally, both of them were faster than Amoonguss.
But under the still-active Trick Room, this reversed, making them both slower than Amoonguss.
The dark green spores sprayed out once more, this time targeting Conkeldurr’s wrinkled face.
The latter’s arms, which held concrete pillars high, suddenly sagged, and its body tottered before collapsing to the ground as it charged toward Amoonguss.
With this, both of the opponent’s active Pokémon had fallen into a baby-like slumber.
This meant the opponent’s only remaining option was to wait for one of their Pokémon to wake up.
What?
Swap in Rhyperior?
Did they think there weren’t enough sleeping Pokémon on the field?
Unfortunately, luck was not on the opponent’s side.
Even as Pachirisu’s Super Fang and Amoonguss’s Sludge Bomb repeatedly hammered them, they remained fast asleep.
Staring at this scene, the opponent fell silent for a few seconds before finally surrendering in frustration.
As the giant word “VICTORY” filled the screen, Xia Chi stretched and improvised a senryu poem.
“Amoonguss is great, Putting Grimmsnarl and Conkeldurr to sleep, Even Leon sighs.” *** “Most hardcore!” “Most despair-inducing!” “Most disgusting!” “Most degenerate!” “Opponent: How can a Pokémon as detestable as Amoonguss exist?!” “Surrendering without even bringing out Rhyperior?
Is the opponent a fan of Miss Iono?” “What use would bringing out Rhyperior be?
It’s still slower than Amoonguss in Trick Room.
Just to let Bro Shui bully them more?” “In the end, it’s because they didn’t bring our Lord Trapinch.
If they had swapped Conkeldurr for an even slower Trapinch, they would’ve wiped them all out with Earthquake long ago!” “Lmao, so true!
Lord Trapinch forever!
Trapinch-men!” “Trapinch-men!” “…”