Meanwhile, in a dormitory at Shanghai University in the Donghuang Region—
"What a shame. If there were a fifth move slot, and Tiger God could've used Protect there, that would've been a guaranteed checkmate."
Watching Incineroar's tragic fall on the screen, Ethan Vale smacked his lips regretfully while teasing the Sprigatito curiously staring at the monitor.
The chat immediately erupted, condemning his blatant humblebrag.
"LMAO, Raihan's face is probably pitch-black right now."
"He actually dared to set up Swords Dance? That takes guts—what if Draco Meteor just one-shots?"
"He had no choice. The overall Pokémon quality gap was too big. Sure, Incineroar and Pachirisu annoyed Raihan to death, but the raw damage just wasn't there. Without enough action turns, Swords Dance sweep was the only hope."
"That analysis sounds legit. What rank are you, sir?"
"Just a humble Red-and-White Ball Tier 2."
"…"
No time to banter with chat, Ethan Vale swiftly recalled the fallen Incineroar and sent out his final Pokémon—
Pachirisu.
The situation was critical. Not just because this was the deciding moment of the match, but because—
Garchomp.
Pachirisu.
Salamence.
Tyranitar.
This formation…
Wasn't this eerily similar to that world-famous image where Pachirisu ascended to godhood?
No way… am I about to recreate it in another world?
Looking at Pachirisu's still-healthy HP bar, Ethan Vale felt a spark of excitement.
Enough thinking. Just do it!
Focusing his mind, Ethan Vale shouted:
"Pachirisu, Follow Me! Garchomp, Rock Slide!"
As the strongest trainer in Galar under Leon, Raihan's mental fortitude was rock-solid. After a split second of rage, he forced himself to calm down.
A Swords-Danced Garchomp was terrifying, no doubt.
But it couldn't be ignored that Tyranitar's two Earthquakes had already taken nearly half of its HP.
That meant Salamence's Draco Meteor still had a chance to end everything.
"If his Garchomp is carrying Swords Dance, there's no way it has Protect. And Salamence is faster than Garchomp…"
After muttering through the logic, Raihan shouted as if he were in a real battlefield:
"Salamence, Draco Meteor—target Garchomp! Tyranitar, Earthquake!"
Champion's Path spared no expense on visual effects for moves like Draco Meteor and Leaf Storm.
Purple draconic energy gathered before Salamence, heralding a catastrophic storm.
And just as Raihan expected, Garchomp didn't Protect—whether from confidence or simply not carrying the move no longer mattered.
Because Draco Meteor was already unleashed.
Raihan leaned back into his sofa again, chuckling smugly.
I'll admit it, kid—you've got skills. But in the end… I'm still one step ahead.
He watched comfortably as the dazzling meteors streaked down across the center of the screen—
Then froze.
They weren't falling on Garchomp.
They were falling… beside it?!
Raihan shot upright like a startled carp, eyes bulging in disbelief.
The Draco Meteor, clearly aimed at Garchomp, had inexplicably crashed straight down onto Pachirisu's head instead.
On the TV screen, Salamence, Tyranitar, and Garchomp—three pseudo-legendaries—seemed to exist solely as background props.
All of them stared, dumbfounded, as the white electric squirrel endured an attack that should have utterly crushed it—
And survived, calmly and comfortably.
"Pachirisu used [Follow Me], drawing Salamence's [Draco Meteor]!"
The battle log text at the bottom of the screen wasn't large.
But it stabbed straight into Raihan's eyes.
You've got to be kidding me.
Follow Me?!
What kind of insane move set is this?!
Nuzzle.
Helping Hand.
Super Fang.
Follow Me.
Is this something a human would come up with?!
Raihan collapsed back onto the sofa in despair, watching helplessly as Garchomp—shielded by Pachirisu—used Rock Slide to effortlessly finish off Salamence and Tyranitar.
Was there even a need to keep watching?
Swords Dance plus super-effective damage—Salamence and Tyranitar, already injured, could have ten thousand lives and still wouldn't survive that.
As for Flygon, still waiting in its Poké Ball?
Just a spare training dummy for Pachirisu.
Once Ethan Vale got bored, he'd toss it to Garchomp like roadside trash and kick it to death.
Just end it… burn it all down…
The sunny Galar golden boy, completely shattered, chose to surrender, turned off his TV, and ended his stream at lightning speed.
All that remained was a rapidly growing viewer count and a chat in total uproar.
"Hahahahaha, rage quit! Raihan, you finally got yours!"
"Honey what's wrong, honey say something!"
"LMAO, Raihan's gonna dream of Pachirisu tonight."
"23:00 — It's fine, it's just a game.
03:00 — I… lost to a Pachirisu?!"
"Anyone aiming for the League should go challenge Hammerlocke Gym soon—Raihan's mentality is definitely broken right now."
"Not really. He's furious. The real question is—who is he gonna vent on?"
"Gotta say, 'Katyusha' really played well this match. Raihan's 'strongest Gym Leader' title feels kinda fake now."
"Wait, people actually think it was Katyusha playing?"
"No way, no way."
"Suye-sensei is insane! Follow Suye-meow! Follow Suye, thanks meow!"
"…"
"Thanks to Teacher Luna Volt for the ten Master Balls! Big spender, boss is generous—boss stay healthy!"
As the sun rose in the east and rain fell in the west, Raihan rage-quit in disgrace, while Ethan Vale began happily cashing in.
The most expensive Master Ball gift effects lit up the stream one after another. Fresh off an intense, high-pressure battle, Ethan Vale immediately thanked the donations.
Clearly, that match had really entertained Luna Volt. Ten Master Balls at ten thousand each—what kind of family background was this?
Oh, right. Famous Gym Leader and the biggest streamer in Paldea.
Never mind then.
At the same time, Ethan Vale's viewer count kept skyrocketing—not just from the ten Master Balls' traffic boost, but also because he'd feasted on the "blood buns" of both Luna Volt and Raihan.
One rage-quit on the spot.
The other now actively chatting in Ethan Vale's stream.
This wave? This wave was Qin Shi Huang grabbing a live wire—
Ethan Vale won so hard it wasn't even funny.
The atmosphere in the stream was unusually harmonious.
Fans, haters, passersby, and meme-hunters alike were all singing Ethan Vale's praises for that final match.
After all, to outsiders, he'd defeated the so-called strongest Gym Leader with a so-called "entertainment lineup"—
And in a way so dramatic it bordered on legendary.
By tomorrow, that match recording would probably be spreading like wildfire across the internet.
But amateurs watch for spectacle; experts watch for substance.
Even now, many high-level battlers were already analyzing Ethan Vale's bizarre-looking team.
A style emphasizing systems, support, rotation, and defensive synergy—
Very different from the popular culture of explosive beams and head-on slugfests—
Was beginning, from this very moment, to quietly seep into a battle environment that worshiped passion and brute force.
Not just in Pokémon: Champion's Path…
But perhaps, in reality as well.
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