Happy New Year To Every One, Best Wishes For 2026!
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At first glance, it seemed Aiden's side was slightly at a disadvantage.
After Amoonguss drew all the aggro to itself, it not only suffered the effects of Encore, forcing it to endlessly repeat Rage Powder, but it also fell into paralysis from Thunder Wave. Its speed was greatly reduced, potentially affecting its move usage.
However...
There's no gain without sacrifice. Through Amoonguss's support, its teammate Salamence not only successfully completed its Mega Evolution but also seized the opportunity to use Dragon Dance once. This consecutive boosting gave its combat power a qualitative leap.
Moreover, for Amoonguss, these negative effects were almost negligible.
Its base Speed stat was only 30 to begin with—making it an excellent choice even for Trick Room teams. Whether it was slowed down or not made little difference.
In Pokémon battles, speed is a relative value. Higher speed means better first-strike capability, so reducing 100 Speed by even one point can be deadly. But reducing 30 Speed by 20 might actually be beneficial.
As for being locked into Encore...
Amoonguss's role in this battle was always to be the taunt tank, allowing Salamence to freely dominate the field. Even without Encore, Aiden would likely have continuously commanded it to use Rage Powder anyway.
The only thing to worry about might be bad luck with consecutive paralysis affecting the mental state, but his team had room for error.
Even if Amoonguss couldn't move, it would be extremely difficult for these two opponents to focus-fire and eliminate Salamence. Moreover, Salamence had Roost to steadily recover HP.
Ultimately, it came down to this issue—the Electric-type's burst ability was simply too weak, with little explosive power.
In his previous life, relatively common Electric-type attackers in battles were almost exclusively legendary Pokémon, which spoke volumes.
Since you can't beat me, it's my turn to strike back~
Aiden decisively commanded:
"Amoonguss, continue using Rage Powder."
"Salamence, use Dragon Claw on Emolga."
Rotom had significantly better durability—even with Dragon Dance + Mega Evolution, Salamence would struggle to one-shot it with Dragon Claw.
While Outrage had higher power, its side effect of move-locking and confusion after use would introduce uncertainty to their advantageous position—clearly more harmful than beneficial.
So better to eliminate Emolga first and establish numerical superiority.
"Come back, Emolga."
"Rotom, use Electroweb!"
Elesa on the other side reacted quickly, immediately recalling Emolga and replacing it with Luxray for defensive synergy + Intimidate, while commanding Rotom to cast sticky Electroweb toward Salamence and Amoonguss.
Due to Salamence's extremely high speed, Luxray was immediately hit by a rapidly approaching Dragon Claw as it appeared and bared its teeth to intimidate the opponent. Its HP was instantly reduced by nearly half.
Without rotation and Intimidate interference, the high-attack, low-defense Emolga definitely couldn't have survived this hit.
Rotom followed up, ready to act. Even though distracted by the Rage Powder sprinkled on its body, the Electroweb it launched still covered the entire half-field, precisely hitting Mega Salamence as it flew back to its half.
Rage Powder and Follow Me could absorb many single-target moves, but when facing area-of-effect attacks that included themselves as targets from the start, they had no effect.
Electroweb's base power wasn't actually high, and area attacks had reduced damage when hitting multiple targets. For both Salamence and Amoonguss, it was like an itch—barely any noticeable HP change.
However, Electroweb had a troublesome additional effect—
Because the sticky Electroweb greatly interfered with opponents' movements, it also reduced the target Pokémon's speed upon hitting.
Intimidate + Electroweb directly countered the Dragon Dance boost Aiden had just achieved.
But even without the boost, Mega Salamence was still the fastest Pokémon on the field, with very stable first-strike capability.
[How can Mega Salamence be so handsome—it was already a stat monster, and Mega Evolution further boosted its combat power. The pressure it exerts is too strong!]
[Are all pseudo-legendary Mega Evolutions this powerful? I heard Tyranitar and Metagross also have Mega Evolutions?]
[Isn't today's protagonist supposed to be Amoonguss? In doubles, it can absorb firepower and various dirty tricks for teammates, still taunting first even while paralyzed. The opponents are so disgusted they can only use AOE moves...]
[You're right—we wrongly blamed Amoonguss before. Though it has a somewhat creepy face, its back is inexplicably full of security. How can there be such a righteous Pokémon!]
"Amoonguss's role actually goes far beyond this, but because of Encore, it can only continuously repeat Rage Powder this match."
Aiden casually mentioned.
"However, the current situation probably doesn't need Amoonguss's help anymore. We can also find an opportunity to rotate it out and bring in Manectric to further pressure the opponent."
As he explained to the chat, he heard Elesa make her command—
"Luxray, use Ice Fang on Salamence!"
"Rotom, continue using Electroweb!"
Aiden immediately laughed.
No wonder she brought out Luxray—she was gambling that Amoonguss would be paralyzed by Thunder Wave and unable to properly use Rage Powder, then her Ice Fang full of ice chips would instantly KO Salamence...
Actually, there was a chance.
Mega Salamence's durability was quite good, but after being worn down by Rotom's Electroweb earlier, taking a quadruple-weakness Ice Fang might not be an instant KO but would come close. Rotom's Electroweb could then finish it off.
However...
Theoretically it was feasible, but actually executing this operation was somewhat unrealistic.
Was she treating me like an idiot?
While thinking this, Aiden immediately commanded:
"Come back, Amoonguss. And..."
"Salamence, use Draco Meteor on Luxray!"
Aiden suddenly spoke again, shouting with great momentum.
Salamence, already possessing first-strike capability, could easily suppress Luxray.
Perhaps Elesa made such a risky judgment because Salamence's Dragon Claw had only consumed about 40% of Luxray's HP earlier.
But... earlier he had commanded Salamence to use Dragon Claw precisely because with Dragon Dance boosting its damage, it was a safer choice.
After being Intimidated, Salamence's move options actually increased.
Why was Salamence called "Off-brand Rayquaza"?
Besides both being Flying+Dragon types, Salamence was also an excellent dual attacker with a wide move pool!
Generally, dual attacking isn't a good stat distribution template, but when Mega Salamence's base stats reached 700, a well-rounded build became one of the strongest distribution methods.
High Attack and Speed, sturdy build—even its Special Attack stat, which wasn't as needed, was as high as 120, exceeding most special attackers.
From Elesa's willingness to make risky moves and the power of the earlier Dragon Claw, her Luxray was likely built as an attacker.
So Aiden was confident that Draco Meteor would definitely eliminate Luxray.
After both sides made their commands, Mega Salamence took advantage of its speed to strike first. Dark purple dragon-type energy quickly accumulated on its head, condensing before transforming into a meteor that crashed toward the opponent.
Luxray, with a fierce expression and light blue energy gathering in its mouth, hadn't acted yet. It instinctively looked up at the approaching dragon meteor, then let out a frightened low growl.
Boom—!
Even without any boosting effects, Mega Salamence's Draco Meteor was terrifyingly powerful. In an instant, Luxray—charging up Ice Fang—lost strength and fell asleep.
Of course, high-power moves often had obvious side effects. After using Draco Meteor, Salamence's energy was temporarily depleted, and its Special Attack ability would be greatly reduced for a short period.
However, for Salamence that could dual attack, this wasn't really a problem—it didn't even need to retreat to rest.
Simultaneously, Aiden's virtual avatar extended its hand to recall Amoonguss, which was occasionally disturbed by electric currents, replacing it with the imposing Manectric.
Both of the team's Mega users now stood on the field, but unfortunately human power had limits. The newly arrived Manectric could only waste an item slot.
Those who frequently used Mega Evolution definitely knew that Mega Evolution consumed trainers' stamina terribly.
Therefore, simultaneously Mega Evolving two Pokémon was theoretically almost impossible unless the trainer had some special constitution.
But even if this prerequisite was met, it would still be difficult to execute in actual battles.
After all, the core of Mega Evolution was the bond. Dividing your bond equally between two Pokémon sounded a bit like being a playboy, and carelessly doing so could easily drain yourself completely...
So being a trainer was indeed a genuinely high-risk profession!
After Aiden's actions were complete, Elesa's Rotom finally finished charging and once again cast Electroweb toward the opponent's field.
However, after Aiden's rotation, Electroweb's effect became somewhat awkward.
Though it still further restricted Salamence's speed, preventing it from stably securing first strike, and also chipped away some of its HP.
But Salamence's current teammate wasn't Amoonguss, which could only use Rage Powder to redirect aggro and had little counter against opponents.
As Electroweb fell, Manectric's Electric-type energy suddenly surged dramatically. Not only did it ignore the Electroweb entangling its body, but it also quickly absorbed all the energy from the move, causing its combat power to undergo a qualitative leap.
"One of Manectric's abilities is Lightning Rod. This ability might not be useful in singles, but in doubles against Electric-type Pokémon, its power is extremely exaggerated."
Aiden smiled faintly, explaining.
"It works somewhat similarly to Rage Powder. Lightning Rod absorbs all single-target Electric-type moves, not only causing no damage to Manectric but also boosting its Special Attack ability by absorbing energy."
"Similar abilities include Storm Drain, which work very well in doubles."
"Now, whether it's single-target or AOE Electric moves, Elesa needs to carefully consider before using them."
Doubles defensive synergy differed from singles in that teammates could also contribute to defense, enabling more interesting combination techniques.
If Aiden had normally chosen the Rain team core system, Manectric's Lightning Rod ability would have been even more effective, directly sharing half of Water-type's weaknesses.
Manectric was indeed somewhat niche in battles, but in the World Championships of his previous life, it had also had its moment in the spotlight.
This was also the main reason Aiden remembered it after the Mega Evolution update.
Using Lightning Rod, Intimidate ability changes, and hit-and-run strategies, teams with Manectric as the rotation core once advanced to the final day of the 2016 Pokémon World Championships.
Unfortunately, in the finals, it encountered Manectric's lifelong nemesis—
Raichu!
Lightning Rod's ability to suppress Electric types was indeed strong, and this ultimately came back to haunt Manectric like a boomerang, preventing it from even getting on the field...
However, Elesa clearly didn't have the Lightning Rod ability, allowing Aiden to confidently deploy Manectric to dominate the field.
Though not as comprehensive as Amoonguss, it was still enough to completely block the opponent's Electric-type moves.
The earlier Electroweb had already boosted Manectric's Special Attack. If they stubbornly continued using Electroweb, Manectric would definitely completely replace Salamence as the new monster, ending the match directly.
Therefore, after Manectric appeared, Elesa immediately fell into deep thought.
[No wonder Teacher Azure pulled out two Mega users—it turns out he had such considerations...]
[This must be so awkward for Miss Elesa—a pure Electric-type gym leader not allowed to use Electric-type moves!]
[Though it seems like a conventional strategy, why does it feel a bit dirty when Teacher Azure uses it...]
[It's fine—Teacher Azure has already gone easy. If Amoonguss kept throwing Spore, that would really be the killing move!]
Elesa's team had relatively monotonous offensive capabilities, so under Lightning Rod's interference, it was now extremely difficult to handle Salamence.
After careful consideration, she ultimately chose to take another risk.
"Oh, bringing out Ampharos?"
Aiden raised an eyebrow.
As expected, this Ampharos was likely Elesa's Mega user.
After all, there were only two Electric-types that could Mega Evolve—she really didn't have many good options.
Just as Aiden had anticipated, almost immediately upon appearing, Elesa decisively revealed her Key Stone. Pure white evolution light immediately covered Ampharos, quickly forming a light column.
After the light faded, the fur that had fallen off during evolution regrew. Mega Ampharos, having awakened its primal power, made its dazzling debut.
Ampharos was originally pure Electric-type. Only after Mega Evolution did it gain the Electric+Dragon dual typing—indeed posing some threat to Salamence.
But unfortunately...
"With Mega Ampharos's speed, even after being slowed by Electroweb, it can only follow behind Mega Salamence eating its exhaust fumes!"
Aiden smiled, quickly commanding again:
"Salamence, use Dragon Claw on Ampharos!"
"Manectric, use Hyper Voice!"
As soon as Aiden's command came out, Manectric—the fastest on the field—immediately acted, emitting a terrifying sound wave with shocking momentum that indiscriminately attacked Ampharos and Rotom on the opponent's side.
With his team's speed, if he wanted to chip away some damage during Ampharos's Mega Evolution, Elesa couldn't do much about it.
But Aiden didn't choose to do this. The reason was simple—
Mega Ampharos would actually be weak to Salamence's Dragon Claw, making it easier to handle than its original form.
Mega Salamence roared past. Its casually swung Dragon Claw instantly brought Ampharos's HP to critical levels. From appearance to defeat, it didn't even get to use any moves.
At this point, Elesa's side had completely lost its resistance.
Whether it was Emolga or Rotom, neither could do anything to this Manectric. Facing Salamence's powerful intimidation, they could only make symbolic resistance before being easily eliminated one by one.
Finally, ending with Salamence's Rock Slide, all four Poké Ball icons next to Elesa on the screen dimmed completely, and the match concluded.
Score 4:0—undoubtedly a complete domination. Aiden's Pokémon hadn't even consumed much HP.
[Teacher Azure is still too comprehensive—who would have thought of Rain team strategies without any Rain team cores, and the most ridiculous part is that he actually made it work so well!]
[Sympathizing with Miss Elesa's psychological shadow—does Teacher Azure go too hard? Does he just like bullying cute things...]
[To be fair, with Teacher Azure's proficiency with rain teams, even if he forced a rain strategy, he probably wouldn't lose. After all, with Manectric's Lightning Rod, Elesa wouldn't have any sweep opportunities anyway.]
[Learned—I'm taking Manectric to challenge Electric Gym Leader Volkner in Sunyshore City and mak him stare blankly!]
[Though Salamence did deal a lot of damage, at this moment, I must shout: Amoonguss gets MVP, Salamence is just a free loader!]
After Aiden's analysis of doubles strategies over this period, the audience in his stream actually understood one thing—
In doubles, attackers were certainly important, but compatible teammates were the core that allowed tactics to be stably executed.
It was basically because Amoonguss absorbed all the initial firepower, securing the Dragon Dance opportunity, that later led to Salamence's explosive output after Dragon Dance.
Otherwise, after being Intimidated by the rotated-in Eelektross, Salamence's combat power would have immediately dropped significantly, giving Elesa more opportunities accordingly.
With such hardworking teammates as Amoonguss and Manectric, even Cicada Man would...
Oh, that one really wouldn't work—better carry it away chair and all.
"Doubles strategy variations like this are very important. Knowing how to reasonably arrange combinations so your team has fighting capability against any opponent is what stably increases your win rate."
"Of course, there's another key factor for victory in the new version."
"Choosing the right Mega Pokémon."
Aiden made a simple summary, then continued.
"Mega Evolution is indeed powerful, directly boosting a Pokémon's base stats by 100 points, but..."
"Ultimately, most Mega Pokémon still need to be paired with corresponding systems to exert sufficiently strong pressure."
"Like Miss Elesa's Mega Ampharos—it might actually be better suited for Trick Room teams rather than pure Electric-type teams."
"However, there are many better options in Trick Room systems, like the previously mentioned Mega Camerupt that can perform well in Sun teams. I'll introduce it when I have the chance later!"
[??? Teacher Azure, are you doing cliff hangers again? People who regularly use cliff hangers get forcibly kissed by Jynx!]
[If Teacher Azure updated videos more diligently, Jynx could be replaced with Gardevoir.]
[Are you there? Can it be a shiny female Machamp instead, giving Teacher Azure a good reward!]
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