Giving It My All 14: Chapter 14: Facing a Powerful Opponent, Raihan!
Giving It My All Xia Chi wasn’t interested in the chaotic bullet chat.
He didn’t rush to queue up for the next game either.
Clearing his throat, he said, “Ahem, is Miss Iono here?
Uh…
could the boss settle the bill?” Ultra Ball tier, Pachirisu on the field, and victory.
A clean sweep of all three harsh conditions, which normally seemed impossible to fulfill all at once, had actually been achieved by Xia Chi.
Even Iono, who was secretly watching from behind her screen, had to admit that Xia Chi’s bizarre tactics were actually legit.
After sending over a Master Ball, Iono typed back defiantly, “Just treat it as feeding a Growlithe.
Keep going!” It wasn’t pure stubbornness, though.
After watching just one game, Iono could faintly sense the sheer strength of this team composition.
It wasn’t the traditional kind of raw, explosive offensive power, but rather a frustrating, teeth-grinding kind of strength.
She really wanted to see where the upper limit of Xia Chi’s team was.
The moment the lurking Iono popped up, a massive wave of bullet chats copied and pasted her message.
It was impossible for Xia Chi to miss.
He rubbed his hands together like an excited fly.
It wasn’t because he enjoyed being teased, but because he knew…
“Sprigatito, we’re going to be rich!” Xia Chi picked up Sprigatito, who was warming herself on top of the PC chassis, took a deep sniff of her fur, and chuckled.
Motivated by Iono’s cold, hard cash donations, Xia Chi put 120% of his focus into the match.
The team itself was also incredibly solid: the pivoting double Fake Outs of Incineroar and Rillaboom; the powerful field control of Amoonguss’s Rage Powder and Spore; the brutal offensive damage of Garchomp and Sylveon; and Pachirisu…
well, Pachirisu’s cheerleading.
In short, over the course of half the night, Xia Chi went on a six-game win streak using Iono’s account, dragging her tier from Ultra Ball Rank 4 right to the cusp of Master Ball tier.
Among the opponents he faced were Gym Leaders like Morty of the Johto region and Skyla of the Unova region.
During this time, the stream’s viewers had also learned about the bizarre bet between Xia Chi and Iono.
Whenever Xia Chi sent Pachirisu onto the field to coast to another victory, the bullet chat would explode with activity.
“Master Shui, doesn’t your conscience hurt from scamming Iono out of Master Balls like this?” “Garchomp is the MVP!
Pachirisu is just a freeloading leech!” “Say no more.
Bro Shui is going to defend Pachirisu again in a bit: ‘Oh, why are you guys so obsessed with damage output anyway~'” “…” Countless similar comments drifted across the screen.
*Miss Iono not only sends Master Balls without hesitating, but she also helps create great content.
What a wonderful person!* Xia Chi thought warmly to himself.
Before he knew it, his win streak had carried him close to 10:00 PM.
“Alright, alright, this is definitely the last game for today.
If we win this, we hit Master Ball tier, and then I’m signing off!” Xia Chi clicked the matchmaking button and rubbed his temples.
Truth be told, *Path of Champions* was an absolute brain-drain.
If he had to make an analogy, it was like playing a MOBA game where you had to control two heroes simultaneously.
It required the reflexes and micro-management of League of Legends, combined with the split-second decision-making and macro-awareness of Dota.
Yet, that was precisely why it was so rich and thrilling, attracting so many top-tier trainers.
Take Xia Chi’s final match of the night, for example.
IonoZone VS Dragon Storm!
*Dragon Storm?
That nickname sounds a bit familiar…* Xia Chi thought for a moment, then looked at the bullet chat, which had suddenly surged again.
“Is that ID…
Raihan?” “Ahhh, he got matched with my husband!” “Rank 13 in the Master Ball tier.
It really is Raihan!” “Raihan’s moving up in the world, actually getting to play against Bro Shui, haha!” “Is that the Hammerlocke Stadium Gym Leader from Galar, who’s said to have the strength of a Champion in other regions?” “Heh, just Galarians blowing their own horn.
Try putting him up against Lance or Alder and see what happens.” “You mean Lance, the bird brain who almost got swept by three of Leon’s Pokémon?
Don’t make me laugh.” “You have the nerve to say that?
It was only because you Galar folks pulled strings to deny Dragonite its visa!” “Why don’t you try coming to Kanto and see?” “…” *** Xia Chi was left speechless by the chaotic banter.
It seemed regional flame wars existed in every world…
Though the chat had somehow veered off into an argument, Xia Chi was certain that his opponent this round was indeed— Leon’s rival, the Hammerlocke Stadium Gym Leader, the strongest Gym Leader, Galar’s current powerhouse, the Dragon-type Master, the Dragon Storm—Raihan!
Though he had so many titles it felt like there weren’t enough chairs in the room for all of them, Raihan’s strength was the real deal.
If nothing else, placing in the top three among all Gym Leaders worldwide would not be an issue for him.
Well, excluding Blaine from the *Adventures* manga who captured Mewtwo, with Giovanni first and Sabrina second, Raihan would likely be next.
Just looking at his luxurious bench made it clear: Archaludon, Flygon, Tyranitar, Salamence, Goodra, and Kommo-o.
Five out of his six Pokémon were pseudo-legendaries.
While the raw stats looked beautiful on paper, he also had a hidden Sandstorm core tucked away.
In short, this was the most powerful opponent Xia Chi had faced to date.
Entering the team selection phase, Xia Chi glanced at the bullet chat, only to find that the viewers had suddenly started spamming the screen.
“Play well this match!
If you win, I’ll send ten Master Balls!” Needless to say, they were copying a message from a certain generous sponsor-mommy.
Xia Chi’s inner gossip monger was instantly piqued.
Did Iono have a grudge against Raihan?
Though Xia Chi had no memory of any interactions between these two characters across their respective generations in the games or anime, he couldn’t be sure if they had some history in this real world.
However, now was clearly not the time for gossip.
Xia Chi made a solemn pledge, “No problem, Miss Iono.
Consider this game won!” Then, without hesitation, he locked in his lineup: Incineroar, Sylveon, Garchomp, and Pachirisu.
Locking in Pachirisu as his final pick sent a wave of question marks through the chat.
Many even thought Xia Chi was forcing the little mascot onto the team just for the stream’s views.
But was that really the case?
Okay, yes, it was.
It was just a regular ranked game, after all.
There was nothing to lose if he failed, and everything to gain if he won.
Furthermore, the deeper reason was that neither Rillaboom nor Amoonguss was particularly suited for this match.
For one, the opponent’s entire roster consisted of Dragon-types, meaning the Grassy Glide that “Tapu Rilla” took so much pride in would tickle them at best.
And while Amoonguss was dirty, the opponent’s Kommo-o likely possessed the [Overcoat] ability, making it immune to [Spore].
Amoonguss might not even be as useful as Pachirisu.
As for whether Pachirisu could recreate the legendary feat of the “White Demon” defying two dragons at the Pokémon World Championships…
that was in the hands of the heavens.
Amidst the noisy discussions of the bullet chat, both sides locked in their lineups, and the match officially began.