Chapter Three: The Big-Jawed Ant Is Useless!

This account was currently stuck in the promotion matches for the Super Ball rank, which is considered the mid-to-high tier of the entire ranked ladder. Players in this division were matched with evenly matched opponents every couple of seconds.

As the preparation phase began, Xia Chi started analyzing the opponent’s lineup.

“Charizard, Venusaur, Ninetales, Infernape, Magmortar... huh, they’re even bringing the only royal Fire Eevee. I’ll have to go easy on it later,” Xia Chi remarked. “This is a very common Sun Team in the ranked ladder, totally within our striking range.”

“The opponent will definitely be confused upon seeing our lineup at first, but they won’t be able to figure it out. What do we do in this situation? We send out their three most trusted generals: Charizard, Venusaur, and Ninetales.”

The single battle mode in Pokémon: Road to the Championship was also a six-pick-three format.

While speaking, Xia Chi decisively selected his three Pokémon: Brimmin, Mime Jr., and the core of the team, the Jaw Ant.

The battle began.

As expected, the player named “TortureYouLikeBreathing” sent out Ninetales first, while Xia Chi chose Mime Jr. for the lead.

The chat was still buzzing with debate.

“This lineup makes no sense—six Pokémon with no relation or synergy. What’s the point?”

“As an old fan of Water Jail, I don’t understand this lineup either, but I trust Water Jail!”

“Why not bring Mega Aggron, which counters Charizard? Watch as my big Charizard teacher solos three!”

Thanks to its striking appearance and solid combat power, Charizard still had many fans in this world and was respectfully called the Big Charizard Teacher.

Xia Chi said nothing, casually changing the livestream title to: [Jaw Ant’s 100% Win Rate in Super Ball Promotion Matches, Lose Once and Show Your Eloquence].

Then, unhurried, he returned to the game to command the battle.

The opponent’s Ninetales, due to its ability Drought, unsurprisingly changed the weather to sunny.

Ninetales was faster than Mime Jr., so just as Xia Chi ordered Mime Jr. to use Trick Room, a warm gust swept across the field.

This game’s global popularity was justified; both its visual effects and battle settings far surpassed those of Game Freak.

A blazing hot whirlwind swept across the screen, causing Mime Jr.’s head to tilt.

Mime Jr.’s ability Disguise activated—blocking all damage from one attack.

Then, Trick Room commenced!

Mime Jr. was indeed a bit of a niche Pokémon in this world; its unique Disguise ability was unknown to the opponent.

Taking no damage from the heat wave instantly made “TortureYouLikeBreathing” type two characters in the chat:

“Activated?”

Xia Chi chuckled, “Isn’t it obvious? What will you do when I follow up with a Reflect?”

Under Trick Room, speed order reversed.

Now moving first despite being slower normally, Mime Jr. set up Reflect, instantly creating a transparent wall that halves damage from special attacks.

This greatly reduced the damage from Ninetales’ second heat wave.

Even with the sunny weather boosting Fire-type attacks, Mime Jr. still took minimal damage.

This teasing play caused a subtle shift in the opponent’s mindset.

In theory, with Reflect up, a special attacker like Ninetales couldn’t perform well.

Yet, the opponent stubbornly kept Ninetales on the field, adopting a “fight to the last” stance.

Xia Chi took no mercy, leveraging his speed and Reflect advantage to launch a Shadow Ball barrage.

By the way, Pokémon: Road to the Championship’s battle system wasn’t strictly turn-based.

Under the player’s voice commands, Pokémon could move freely within the arena. Though their AI was limited, they obeyed the trainer’s instructions fully.

This real-time command system added fun and greater tactical depth, closer to real-life Pokémon battles.

Completely overwhelmed, the opponent’s Sun Team couldn’t showcase its strengths.

By the time Trick Room ended, both Ninetales and the highly anticipated Big Charizard Teacher had fallen.

The last Venusaur thought it finally had its chance to shine, taking on three opponents alone.

However, Brimmin’s second Trick Room shattered the dreams of this Sun-powered Venusaur.

Thanks to its Chlorophyll ability, Venusaur’s speed should have doubled in sunlight, but it now moved sluggishly, as if one leg had been broken.

Before the true spatial tactician, the Jaw Ant, could even enter the field, the opponent resigned.

“Victory!”

Stretching comfortably after an easy first win, Xia Chi glanced at the chat.

“No way, so that’s how Trick Room’s played?”

“Learned it, off to challenge the Evergreen Gym now!”

“Honestly, this tactic seems pretty effective against fast Pokémon.”

Like many strategies, Trick Room hadn’t received enough attention in this world.

The reason lay in the scarcity of Psychic-specialist trainers in reality.

Most Psychic-type Pokémon preferred using Teleport, a more flexible and convenient move to gain speed advantages.

This preference carried over into the game, so players rarely developed the Trick Room tactic.

Amid laughter and cheers, Xia Chi, on a winning streak, had reached the Super Ball rank promotion matches.

Though still some distance from the top-tier matches, this division was the ceiling for ordinary players.

If lucky, they might occasionally face renowned trainers.

Today, Xia Chi’s luck was evidently very good.

“After this match, I’m logging off. Let’s see who the last lucky challenger is.”

Just then, the opponent’s username caught Xia Chi’s attention.

“TreeTalesAgain?”

“Is it the real one?”

This game didn’t restrict duplicate names, so it was common for fans to use the same name as famous streamers.

At that moment, the chat promptly informed him:

“It’s them! I’m hanging out in Tree Tales’ stream right now!”

“From Tree Tales’ channel, guys! Let’s support this streamer!”

“Water Jail, Tree Tales is throwing down a challenge. She says she’ll make you cry!”

Xia Chi stroked his chin, his smile brightening.

“Make me cry? Interesting…”

Meanwhile,

In the Paldea region, Niangguang City, inside a high-end apartment,

A cute girl with pink-blue twin tails bit her shark-like teeth, glaring angrily at her computer screen.

A massive headpiece resembling a small Magnemite blinked above her, expressing her fury.

“That guy again!”

After confirming the situation in Xia Chi’s livestream, Tree Tales returned to her own game, issuing a bold challenge.

“Just watch, I’ve figured out a way to counter his sneaky tactics. This match, I’ll avenge my defeat!”

As she spoke, she glanced at the six Pokémon in her opponent’s reserve, eyes widening.

“Huh, he’s not using those usual Pokémon?”

Last time she faced Tree Tales, Xia Chi’s substitute poison defense tactic had tormented her into defeat, marking him as her number one internet rival.

Meeting again, she hadn’t expected Xia Chi to have “turned over a new leaf.”

“Could it be a change of heart? No, wait... what’s that Jaw Ant?”

Seeing the large brown-headed ant in the reserve, Tree Tales’ Magnemite headpiece tilted in confusion.

But she quickly waved it off, nonchalantly saying, “Whatever, what can Jaw Ant even do? It’s useless!”

With that, she quickly locked in her choices: Giga Volt Seagull, Roentgen Cat, and Dream Phantom.