Xia Chi had no interest in the noisy barrage of chat messages.
He didn't rush to queue for the next match either. Clearing his throat, he said,
"Ahem. Is Teacher Iono here? Um… boss, time to settle the bill?"
High Great Ball tier.
Pachirisu appeared.
Victory.
Under such harsh conditions—where at most two of the three requirements should've been met—Xia Chi had somehow pulled off the full set.
Even Iono, lurking behind the screen and watching quietly, had to admit that Xia Chi's bizarre tactics really did have something to them.
After sending over a Master Ball, she still typed stubbornly,
"Just consider it feeding a Growlithe. Keep going."
It wasn't just empty bravado. After watching a single match, Iono had already sensed the terrifying strength of this team.
Not the traditional, brute-force kind of power—but the kind that made you grit your teeth in frustration.
She wanted to see just how high the ceiling of Xia Chi's lineup really was.
The moment Iono surfaced from lurking, the chat instantly exploded with copy-pasted versions of her message. There was no way Xia Chi could miss it.
He rubbed his hands together excitedly—not because he enjoyed getting flamed, but because he knew:
"Sprigatito, we're about to get rich!"
Xia Chi scooped up Sprigatito, who had been sprawled atop the PC case soaking up warmth, and took a big sniff, grinning.
With Teacher Iono's very real, very generous financial incentives, Xia Chi threw himself into the matches with full focus.
And the team's strength was genuinely on point:
Incineroar and Rillaboom rotating double Fake Out,
Amoonguss dominating the field with Rage Powder and Spore,
Garchomp and Sylveon delivering brutal damage,
And Pachirisu… well, Pachirisu cheering everyone on.
In short, over the course of half an evening, Xia Chi used Iono's account to rack up six consecutive wins, dragging her from Great Ball Tier 4 to the doorstep of Master Ball rank.
Among the opponents were even Gym Leaders like Morty from Johto and Skyla from Unova.
During this time, the viewers also learned about the bizarre wager between Xia Chi and Iono.
Every time Pachirisu waddled onto the field to "participate" in another win, the chat hit peak density.
"Teacher Leaf, scamming Iono out of Master Balls like this—does your conscience really not hurt?"
"Garchomp MVP! Pachirisu just freeloading!"
"Don't say it—Teacher Leaf's about to wash Pachirisu white again. 'Why are you all so obsessed with damage output~'"
"…"
Comments like these filled the screen.
Teacher Iono not only handed over Master Balls without hesitation, she even helped generate top-tier stream content.
What an absolutely wonderful person.
Xia Chi sighed emotionally—at least in his heart.
Without realizing it, time slipped by amid the winning streak, creeping close to ten o'clock.
"Alright, alright, this really is the last match today. Win this one and we hit Master Ball rank—take it and end the stream!"
Xia Chi hit the matchmaking button and rubbed his temples.
Truth be told, Champion's Path was seriously brain-intensive.
If he had to compare it, it was like controlling two heroes in a MOBA at the same time.
You needed the reflexes and real-time execution of League of Legends, plus the instant judgment and macro sense of Dota.
But that was exactly why the game was so rich and engaging—and why so many top-tier Trainers played it.
For example, the final match of Xia Chi's stream tonight.
Qi Shu Qi Shu vs. Dragon's Storm!
Dragon's Storm?
That name sounded familiar…
Xia Chi thought for a moment, then grinned at the chat—which had suddenly surged again.
"That ID—could it be Raihan?"
"Ahhh! I matched with my husband!"
"Master Ball rank, #13—yeah, that really might be Raihan!"
"It's him! He just went live and matched into Lao Leaf on his first game, LMAO!"
"Raihan's really made it—getting to play Teacher Leaf."
"Isn't he that Hammerlocke Gym Leader from Galar who claims Champion-level strength?"
"Heh, just Galar folks hyping themselves up. Let him try fighting Lance or Alder."
"You mean the Lance who almost got swept by Leon's three Pokémon? Don't make me laugh."
"And whose fault was that? Didn't Galar pull strings and block Dragonite's visa?"
"Try coming to Kanto!"
"…"
——————
Looking at the chaotic chat, Xia Chi was speechless.
Looks like regional flame wars existed in every world…
Still, regardless of how the chat derailed, Xia Chi was certain of one thing:
This opponent was undoubtedly—
Leon's greatest rival.
The Hammerlocke Gym Leader.
The strongest Gym Leader.
Galar's current top powerhouse.
The Dragon-type master.
Dragon's Storm—Raihan!
Sure, the pile of titles made one want to say "Sorry, there aren't enough seats here," but Raihan's strength was very real.
Just look at his selection screen:
Duraludon, Flygon, Tyranitar, Salamence, Goodra, Kommo-o.
Five pseudo-legendaries out of six.
On the surface, it was a lineup dripping with raw stats—but beneath that, a full sandstorm team was lurking.
In short, this was the strongest opponent Xia Chi had faced so far.
Entering the team selection phase, Xia Chi grinned at the chat—only to find it suddenly being spammed.
"Win this one and I'll send ten Master Balls!"
No need to guess who that came from.
Xia Chi's gossip instincts kicked in immediately. Did Iono and Raihan have beef?
In both the games and the anime, Xia Chi couldn't recall any notable interaction between these two characters from different generations.
But who knew what kind of connections they had in this world?
That said, now clearly wasn't the time for gossip.
Xia Chi slapped down a promise.
"No problem, Teacher Iono. I'll take this one for sure!"
Then, without hesitation, he locked in:
Incineroar, Sylveon, Garchomp, and Pachirisu.
That final pick—Pachirisu—sent the chat into a frenzy of question marks.
Plenty of people thought Xia Chi was forcing the mascot in again purely for entertainment value.
Was that really the case?
…Alright, yes, it kind of was.
It was just a ranked game, after all. Losing wasn't a big deal. Winning meant huge profit.
And more importantly, neither Rillaboom nor Amoonguss were particularly suited for this matchup.
First, the entire opposing team was Dragon-type—Rillaboom's proud Grassy Glide would barely tickle them.
Second, while Amoonguss was filthy, Kommo-o's ability was very likely Overcoat, making it immune to Spore.
Its contribution might not even match Pachirisu's.
As for whether Pachirisu could recreate that legendary feat from the Pokémon World Championships—the White Devil standing firm against twin dragons—
Well.
That would depend on fate.
Amid the noisy chatter of the stream, both sides locked in their teams.
The battle officially began.
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