As soon as Teacher Lu's livestream started, the viewer count instantly broke one million—and it was still climbing.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, various forces were stirring.
---
Goldenrod City, Team Rocket Base
A large group of Team Rocket members rushed back to their dorms, frantically connecting to the internal network and opening Teacher Lu's livestream.
"Damn, this one's a new strategy tutorial!"
"I heard Teacher Lu is one of us now. Is that true?"
"Pfft, come on. Last time, he even taught us how to use Growlithe—you really think he's on our side?"
"True… man, if only the newly appointed senior executive was actually Teacher Lu!"
"Keep dreaming! Just take notes before you fall behind!"
---
Mistralton City, Unova—International Police Headquarters
A woman in a professional uniform pushed open the door to a training room.
Inside, an entire class of rookies sat upright in their chairs, staring intently at the livestream projected on the screen.
The scene was so absurdly comical that a man in a brown trench coat struggled to hold back his laughter from where he leaned against the wall.
"What's so funny?"
The female officer's cold voice cut through the room.
"You sit down too and take notes. Learn properly."
The man, known by the codename "Looker", hesitated before reluctantly grabbing a seat.
Glancing at the notebook of the officer next to him, his eyes widened in shock.
The stream had only been live for ten minutes—yet this guy had already filled two pages with dense notes?!
"There's no time…" the officer sighed. "Too many key points… I can't keep up at all!"
"Teacher Lu's explanations are just too detailed!"
The Whole World Watching
The spotlight was firmly on this "ordinary-looking" streamer.
From Interpol, Team Rocket, the Officer Jenny family, the Joy family—to the high-ranking trainers lurking in their private group chat…
Even the biggest names were curious enough to tune in.
---
Private Chat Group
[Lorelei: @Blue, did Teacher Lu mention what today's strategy would be?]
Blue nodded.
[Blue: It should be a high-speed team composition.]
It had only been a little over a week since Blue had commissioned Lu Ye for this battle strategy.
Yet, in just a few days, Lu Ye had completely prepared the team composition, core mechanics, and execution plan.
Even Blue, a top strategist, was impressed.
[Blue: This strategy is perfect for the younger trainers in town. That's why I specifically asked Teacher Lu to handle it.]
[Green: Who's this lucky kid you're willing to lower your pride for?!]
Thinking about that determined young boy with bright eyes, a confident grin, and his faithful Pikachu, Blue sighed.
Because, honestly…
That kid reminded him too much of Red.
[Lorelei: Wait… hasn't Teacher Lu always used stall teams?]
[Green: If he accepted this commission, it means he's confident he can balance both offense and defense.]
[Erika: Come to think of it… Teacher Lu is already ranked in the top ten, isn't he?]
Her realization made the chat stir.
[Erika: That means… his opponents are going to be insanely strong, right?]
Since these were virtual projection battles, the trainers' command skills played a massive role.
Not to mention, just recently, Teacher Lu had defeated Caitlin.
With how the matchmaking system worked… there was a high chance today's battle could end in disaster!
[Lt. Surge: Once you hit the top ten, it's all just hardcore meta teams... Ugh, you strategists are all ruthless!]
[Steven: Not necessarily.]
The former world number one smiled lightly.
[Steven: I climbed to first place using only Metagross.]
Red, a dedicated livestream lurker, didn't play much himself.
Meanwhile, the previous #1 player was none other than Steven Stone—the rich and handsome champion.
[Gold: Pfft, well, that makes sense—it's your company's game after all, Steven!]
[Erika: [Kicks Gold out of the chat]]
Luckily, Yellow stepped in to rescue Gold before he could get permanently muted.
[Silver: …Let's just watch the stream.]
---
Back to the Livestream
The chaotic conversation faded as the stream's audio played through.
Lu Ye's familiar voice came through the speakers.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Teacher Lu."
"Today, we're running a new strategy—Tailwind Teams!"
And when it came to high-speed battles…
Lu Ye's first instinct was to go with a Tailwind strategy.
And why was that?
Because the core Pokémon of a Tailwind team was none other than Whimsicott—a Pokémon infamous for its annoying cotton fluff tactics.
It was exactly the kind of playstyle that suited him.
The Art of Tailwind
"So, what exactly is a Tailwind strategy?" Lu Ye explained.
"In simple terms, it's a strategy that revolves around boosting Speed with Tailwind."
"When it comes to Speed control strategies, Speed is everything—whoever moves first controls the match."
"And Tailwind takes that speed advantage to the extreme."
"Unless we run into a Trick Room team, the best way to play a Tailwind team is to go full throttle and smash through everything."
"The essence of a Tailwind team is simple—no thinking, just rush down the opponent's face!"
This was the first time Lu Ye had ever explained such a brainlessly aggressive strategy.
The chat was filled with a mix of confusion and excitement.
"LU BAO, GO DESTROY THEM!"
"I don't care about strategy—I just love watching Teacher Lu play like a complete menace!"
"Please, for once, let the matchmaking system punish him!!"
---
A Worthy Opponent Appears
The matchmaking screen spun, displaying the familiar text:
[Searching for an opponent of equal strength…]
Lu Ye's mind flashed through those words.
Then, when he saw his opponent's profile, his expression turned slightly… strange.
Have I been winning too much?
Lately, all my opponents seem to be Elite Four level or higher…
The opponent's trainer card appeared.
His outfit was incredibly stylish—
A bright orange headband, gleaming white teeth, tanned skin—
His whole aura screamed freedom and confidence.
A social media superstar, Galar's Dragon-type Gym Leader, and the fiercest rival of the unbeatable Champion Leon—Raihan.
The man known as "The Eighth Master", and the one closest to Leon's level.
If Galar had an Elite Four, Raihan would have an automatic spot.
The Chat Explodes
"Uh-oh… this isn't looking good for Teacher Lu."
"Is Raihan running a full Dragon-type team?"
"Casuals spotted—Raihan always runs a Weather Team, not just Dragons!"
Raihan walked onto the battlefield with confidence, his sharp, shark-like teeth flashing in a grin as he casually stuffed his hands into his pockets.
His in-game model was clearly based on official battle recordings, with even his expressions replicated perfectly.
As he entered the arena, the roar of the audience erupted, echoing through the virtual stadium.
Lu Ye glanced at the official ranking above Raihan's name—and at his team composition.
His expression turned even more complicated.
Raihan's team included:
Duraludon (Steel/Dragon)
Torkoal (Fire) — Drought Ability
Goodra (Dragon) — Hydration Ability
Flygon (Dragon/Ground) — Sand Veil Ability
…This one guy alone could set up Sandstorm, Rain, and Sunny Day.
Raihan, you still wanna claim you're not the "Weather Child"?!
That said, Raihan was still a near-Champion level strategist.
Lu Ye immediately began a mental pre-read.
---
Predicting the First Move
"Let's analyze the matchup," Lu Ye explained mid-stream.
"Given Raihan's team composition, he's most likely going to start with Sandstorm."
As the Poké Balls flashed open, Raihan sent out:
Flygon — The sandstorm initiator, capable of setting up the battlefield.
Duraludon — A tanky Pokémon with Steel typing, resisting Fairy moves.
"It's happening! Teacher Lu's pre-read is in action!"
"Sure, he can predict the move—but his luck is still garbage!"
Lu Ye smirked and raised his hand.
"Let's go, Whimsicott and Lapras!"
Whimsicott floated gracefully in mid-air, cradled by soft tufts of cotton.
With its Prankster ability, Whimsicott could activate Tailwind immediately, ensuring its team outsped the opponent.
Its Focus Sash also provided it some much-needed survivability.
Meanwhile, as soon as Lapras appeared, the chat instantly panicked.
"Wait a sec—Lapras?!"
"Isn't it technically a good pick because of its type advantage?"
"No, you don't get it—Lapras is an infamous troll in high-level play. Its accuracy is so unreliable it might as well be blind!"
"Oh no, Lapras is about to throw again!"
"LU BAO, YOU'RE IN DANGER!!"
The battle officially began.
Raihan, with a gleam in his eyes, clenched his fist.
His expression turned sharp and intense.
"Flygon, Sandstorm!"