The moment a chat message shouted that his Aron was only level one, Leon was not surprised at all. After a quick look through the Team Editor earlier, he had already noticed that Pokemon·Champion included level settings that did not exist in reality. It felt very similar to games from his previous life.
It was probably a balance choice to simulate power gaps in battles. Ranked matches defaulted to the highest level, but he found that players could manually lower it. Because of this discovery, he became fully confident that the strategy built around Aron was absolutely workable.
And it was not just Aron. The other Hippowdon on his team was also level one.
"Relax, the streamer has his own plan."
Leon locked in his lead at top speed and confirmed the lineup for this match. The battle immediately began. The two lead Pokemon were Charizard and Hippowdon.
As soon as Hippowdon entered the field, its Sand Stream triggered at once. The sunny arena was quickly swallowed by blowing sand. Any Pokemon with Sand Stream would automatically create a Sandstorm when it appeared.
Only then did the chat belatedly realize that this Hippowdon was also level one. One could be a misclick, but two was clearly intentional. Facing a level one Hippowdon, the opponent even sent a "Slowpoke question mark" sticker.
Since matches usually assumed equal levels, seeing such a weak opponent left them confused. Leon immediately replied with a "Psyduck scratching head" sticker. His strategy only worked after being attacked, so he calmly handed over active and focused on interacting.
In truth, even if he wanted to move first, he could not outspeed the more agile Charizard. The level gap was right there. Before any real commands were given, the sticker exchange went back and forth without either side backing down.
"Charizard, Flamethrower!"
After several stickers, the opponent finally lost patience and ordered Charizard to unleash a blast of fire. The chat instantly exploded, questioning why he was joking around and warning that a Flamethrower like this was impossible to survive. Some viewers even complained that watching this was raising their blood pressure.
Despite the sarcastic praise, Leon remained completely calm. He did not issue any command and simply watched the flames rush forward. Sometimes, letting a Pokemon leave early was more useful than forcing it to stay.
The instant the attack landed, Hippowdon was blackened by smoke and its HP dropped to zero, collapsing heavily onto the ground. Leon thanked Hippowdon and recalled it, wiping away tears that did not exist. Even as a supporting role, setting up the weather meant it had done its job perfectly.
After the first exchange, Charizard also lost a small amount of HP under the raging sandstorm. In a Sandstorm, any Pokemon that was not Rock, Ground, or Steel type would take constant chip damage. At the same time, Leon made his next move.
"Go, Aron!"
The small steel-headed creature appeared, looking tiny within the sandstorm. The opponent showed no hesitation at all. "Flamethrower!"
Another stream of roaring flames shot from Charizard straight toward Aron. The chat was filled with disbelief, saying this was yet another level one and asking how he planned to win. Some guessed it was the Sturdy ability and began to feel that something unusual was about to happen.
They were right. This Aron did indeed have Sturdy. When a Pokemon with this ability was at full HP, it could not be knocked out in one hit, giving him a single chance to act.
Before the opponent could react, Leon smiled slightly and gave the order. "Aron, charge!"
The silver-bodied creature showed no fear as it rushed forward through the flames. When its steel head touched the Flamethrower, its green HP bar nearly vanished in an instant. A level one Pokemon was basically like a newborn, and expecting it to face a far stronger Charizard was clearly unreasonable.
The chat froze at the sight. With such a small body, charging straight in looked no different from suicide. Some viewers were about to type, but the next moment on screen left them completely stunned.
With its HP barely hanging on, Aron burst through the fire, the last sliver of red on its bar glaringly visible. Even the opponent hesitated for a split second, and Leon seized that opening. "Endeavor!"
The steel creature slammed its head with all its strength into Charizard's belly. The sudden impact nearly emptied Charizard's HP in one blow. Its bar was almost entirely black, with only a trace of red left at the very end.
At the same time, Aron's red HP bar shot straight back to full the instant the attack landed. The unbelievable scene left the entire livestream speechless. The chat flooded with confusion, disbelief, and accusations of cheating.
Most players were still beginners, as the game had only been out for a month. No one had ever seen something like this. A light bump from Aron had nearly wiped out Charizard in an instant.
Soon, some viewers realized what had happened. Charizard was not actually down yet. However, at that very moment, the sandstorm left behind by Hippowdon struck again.
Barely holding on, Charizard staggered as the sand battered it. Its last bit of strength was drained away, and it finally lost the ability to fight. The level one Aron stood firm as the battle swung completely around.