Chapter 22: It's About Time!

To be honest, the name truly left him stunned.

He knew Red, the "Battler," and he knew Blue, the "Trainer," but pray tell, who exactly was this "Quality Player"?

While Lance was momentarily bewildered, the in-game battle had already begun. In these high-level matches following a winning streak, the rules mirrored those of high-tier play: neither side could preview the opponent’s team composition. After a brief selection process, both sides sent out their lead Pokémon.

Lance deployed a Kommo-o and a Garchomp, while his opponent countered with a Glimmora and a Pidgeot. As the Pokémon entered the field, the chat in Ling Feng’s livestream began to scroll.

"As expected of a whale, starting off with two top-tier pseudo-legendaries..."
"Look at the streamer’s side, one blue-tier and one purple-tier... how is he supposed to win this?"

Judging purely by the quality of the Pokémon, Ling Feng was completely outmatched, yet he appeared entirely unfazed. Having grasped the game’s command mechanics over the previous ten matches, he issued his orders confidently via voice input.

"Pidgeot, use Tailwind! Glimmora, charge up Meteor Beam immediately!"

At his command, the Glimmora on the field instantly curled its body, and a dazzling radiance began to coalesce around it. The "Charging" command is visualized the moment the trainer issues it—partly to simulate the telltale wind-up of powerful moves in reality, and partly to give the opposing trainer a window to react. After all, moves that require time to charge are usually devastating.

Watching the screen, Lance fell into deep thought. He was familiar with Glimmora; if he wasn't mistaken, the opponent was charging a "Meteor Beam." It was an incredibly powerful move. While his Ground-type Garchomp could resist it, his Kommo-o would struggle to tank the hit. Furthermore, if the move landed, the opponent’s Special Attack would rise, making the Glimmora an absolute nightmare to deal with later.

The best strategy, therefore, was to focus fire on the Glimmora while it was charging—if not to knock it out instantly, then at least to interrupt the charge.

"Garchomp, rush in and use Stomp! Kommo-o, quickly use Boomburst to interrupt the Glimmora!" With that, Lance issued his orders.

As the inputs were finalized and the system counted down ten seconds, the four Pokémon on the field sprang into action. Pidgeot let out a cry and flapped its wings, whipping up a violent gale that surged toward the Garchomp and Kommo-o. It was the move "Tailwind," which significantly boosts the speed of allied Pokémon. In reality, this manifested as an increase in movement speed while creating a fierce headwind that hindered the opponent. In a 2v2 double battle, it was an undeniably effective team skill, and opening with it was standard practice.

However, upon seeing Pidgeot’s move, Lance immediately formed an assessment of this player known as "Quality Player."

*He must just be a lucky newbie on a winning streak; he doesn't actually understand how to battle.*

Normally, when using a charging move like "Meteor Beam," you either have your other Pokémon provide cover or wait for the perfect opening in the heat of battle. Having the Glimmora charge from the very start—without Pidgeot covering it, but instead using Tailwind—was simply too amateurish. In double battles, the most crucial element is the synergy and protection between the two partners. If you play them as individuals, failure is the only destination.

By now, Pidgeot had successfully set up Tailwind, and Garchomp was already charging forward, bearing down on the vulnerable Glimmora. Kommo-o roared, and a visible sonic ring struck the Glimmora first. Though the Glimmora’s health bar dropped by less than a quarter due to the Rock-type's resistance to Normal-type moves, the attack successfully disrupted the light gathering around its body.

A split second later, Garchomp arrived. It raised its claws and brought them down with a heavy stomp. The Glimmora’s health bar plummeted to zero. While "Stomp" had a low base power, it was a STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) move for Garchomp and dealt quadruple damage to the Rock/Poison-type Glimmora.

In a single turn, Ling Feng had lost a Pokémon. The chat exploded with commentary.

"Truly moving. This is what a whale looks like: all sweat and hard work!"
"It's not about the stats, it's just that the streamer's commands were terrible. Charging right in front of those two without Pidgeot's help? That's just a free kill, isn't it?"
"Yeah, even I wouldn't play this poorly. Charging with one and using Tailwind with the other... what was he thinking?"

Clearly, after the first round, no one believed Ling Feng could win. After all, Glimmora was the only purple-tier Pokémon in his entire team, and it had been sacrificed without achieving anything. How could he possibly fight back?

However, they were unaware of one thing.

Ling Feng sat before his screen, watching the purple light quietly drift from the Glimmora’s body to blanket Lance’s side of the field. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

*Perfect. The team's biggest damage dealer is ready. Tailwind is up, too.*

*The timing... is about right.*

Meanwhile, Lance naturally noticed the change on the battlefield. His side of the field was now shrouded in a purple haze, and both his Kommo-o and Garchomp were trembling slightly. Above their heads, the word "Poisoned" appeared in purple.

He wasn't surprised. Glimmora’s ability, "Toxic Debris," releases toxins into the opponent's field whenever it takes physical damage, poisoning any Pokémon currently on the field or switched in later. But there was nothing to fear; the ability had only triggered once. At this level of toxicity, his Pokémon would lose less than a tenth of their health each turn. With the numerical advantage, he simply needed to press the attack and finish the game quickly.

As Lance pondered his next move, "Quality Player"—having lost his first Pokémon—was granted the right to swap. Pidgeot and Glimmora were recalled.

The next moment, the two Pokémon that appeared before Lance caused him to freeze in shock.

*Huh?*

*Wait, who exactly are you two...???*