Misty was feeling a bit dizzy.
As soon as Misty heard the name Alex, she immediately recalled this irritating opponent—a rising content creator who streams Pokémon battles. Though he hadn't been streaming for long, his mastery of diverse tactics and exceptional battling skills propelled him to the Master Ball tier at a speed so fast it seemed almost cheat-like.
During her downtime, Misty had watched some of ALEX's streams recommended by a friend. The young battler's uncanny skill and camera-ready looks left a distinct impression, though she'd never admit it aloud.
"So it's him—"
With the recognition of who her opponent really was, Misty's simmering resentment melted away like morning mist off Cerulean's canals.
After all, his Pokémon mastery far surpassed ordinary trainers—even her own friend Red, the Kanto Champion revered as the Battle Legend, had openly praised his skills. Losing to him was only natural.
"Battle junkies, the lot of them—not one had the decency to go easy on a mermaid! No wonder that stone-faced battle freak Red kept rewatching this guy's streams."
Misty pursed her lips, grumbling about ALEX's clueless battle-obsessed antics—then abruptly stiffened. The "friend" who'd dragged her into this... was a certain someone she knew all too well.
Bingo—the so-called 'friend' who'd shoved ALEX's battle replays into her feed was none other than Red himself, the same battle-obsessed monolith who considered 'small talk' to be wasting XP.
Who is this Red guy anyway?
Hailing from Pallet Town—that unassuming cradle of prodigies in Kanto—Red had caught the eye of Professor Oak, the revered Pokémon professor, by age ten. Armed with a starter and driven by a battle intuition that bordered on precognition, he cut through the ranks: outgunned but never outmaneuvered against Team Rocket's kingpin, dismantling syndicates between breakfast and gym battles, until the Indigo League crown settled atop his cap. Now etched into Mount Silver's storm-lashed summit as Kanto's living legend, he waits—not for challengers, but for equals.
His legendary feats left even veteran trainers speechless, so much so that the circuit now whispers in unison: Red isn't just Kanto's Champion—he's the strongest there is.
When even Red—the Indigo League Champion who let his Pokémon do the talking—nodded grudging approval at ALEX's 'tactical chops.
"Wait—you're saying the whole server saw me getting curb-stomped by this guy on stream?"
The logic clicked into place—Misty's face crumpled like a stepped-on Pokéblock. Her humiliation wasn't just private; it had been broadcast with Lum Berry clarity to every trainer worth their badge.
As a Gym Leader tasked with evaluating trainers for the Pokémon League, Misty never dwelled on wins and losses—her focus was always on the bigger battle.
Online battles differ from Gym challenges. Focused on efficiently climbing the ranks, even Champions, Elite Four members, or Gym Leaders rarely hold back—they seriously bring their competitive A-game to these matches.
This was exactly what gnawed at Misty—the cold reality that streaming platforms turned every tactical slip into permanent, searchable humiliation.
If word got out that I got completely curb-stomped by some rookie kid in a full battle, my career as a Gym Leader would be over, right?
Misty knew most friends would brush off her loss—but Red? That battle-obsessive had cross-referenced every holo-cast, League-certified replay, and terrain analysis from ALEX's channel. Her defeat couldn't have dodged his Sceptile-sharp battle analytics.
The rumor mill's Whiscash was already thrashing—this secret wouldn't survive the next Tide at Cerulean Cape.
"Huh?"
As defeat weighed on Misty, her phone lit up—a message tagged 'Red' flashed on-screen.
...
Kanto Region, Pallet Town
"Even Misty lost?"
Back in Pallet Town, Red had planted himself in front of his computer, eyes glued to ALEX's stream. When Misty's crushing defeat via hypnosis strategy flashed across the screen, even the battle-hardened Champion's lips twitched—not quite a smile, but something dangerously close to interest.
After crafting a message to Misty—something along the lines of 'streamer's got serious chops, L's just part of the grind'—Red hit send before turning to someone nearby, his monitor still glowing with the battle replay.
"Wait... Misty couldn't beat this streamer either?"
Caught under Red's analytical gaze, the blonde girl in the straw hat felt a faint blush tinge her cheeks as she steered the conversation toward the stream's content with practiced composure.
Her name was Yellow de Viridian, the girl who could heal Pokémon with a touch—though she'd rather you called her by the wildflowers woven into her hat than any grand title.
"Yes."
The mention of ALEX sharpened Red's focus—he reacted with a rapid-fire tap on his Holo Caster, overlaying Yellow's analysis with battle logs in real-time.
"This streamer's theoretical knowledge not only surpasses most veteran trainers—even your average Gym Leader can't match his grasp of Pokémon synergy, from move sets to Ability triggers and held item optimization."
As the livestream showcased ALEX clinching a ranked winning streak with his Butterfree-centric squad, Red's steely gaze flickered—a telltale sign even his Charizard recognized as battle-ready ignition. "When an underestimated species becomes the tactical linchpin," he muttered, fingers already syncing the moth's Sleep Powder patterns to his Pokédex, "that streamer outclassing Misty follows Victory Road's law of the strongest.
"Frankly, even among the trainers we know—Misty included—few could rival him."
As a regular viewer of ALEX's streams, Red had long since dissected his strategies frame by frame.
Yet the streamer's battle algorithms hum with a Gym Leader's calculated ferocity, his strategic maneuvers now brushing against Elite Four-tier sophistication—a tactical ascent that's rewriting meta paradigms in real-time.
With perfectly timed moves and items flawlessly synced with his strategy, each Pokémon positioned precisely to fulfill their roles—even Red was impressed.
"The way he leverages Butterfree's meta mastery—that's next-level."
"Hmm... Unless he's actually a top-tier Butterfree specialist in real life, there's no way he'd have the instinct to squeeze out every drop of a Pokémon's potential like that."
Both Red and Yellow were veteran trainers of formidable skill. Their understanding of Pokémon battles went beyond surface-level tactics—having peered into the strategic depths, they now harbored intense curiosity about ALEX's methods.
A Trainer's strength ultimately rests on their Pokémon's capabilities—that bedrock truth hung unspoken between them as they analyzed ALEX's replays.
True tactical mastery blooms only in Trainers tempered by endless battles—each clash a hammer strike refining their strategic edge to razor sharpness.
A Trainer's true caliber surfaces even in online bouts—every decision, from switch timing to predictive reads, etching their battle IQ into the digital arena's meta fabric.
Behind the deceptively straightforward hypnosis tactics lies a Trainer's rigorously tested Pokémon knowledge and battle-tested expertise—every successful sleep chain proof of their mastery over species-specific sleep thresholds and turn-count micromanagement.
Red and Yellow took it as a given that ALEX must possess real-world mastery of both Pokémon training and competitive battling—how else could he engineer tactics so surgically precise?
"You could learn from his approach with Butterfree—it's not built to brawl head-on. Maximizing its support potential clicks way better."
Red turned to Yellow with a grin, laying out his analysis.
He knew Yellow had a Butterfree of her own—no slouch in battle, either.
If that Butterfree adopted ALEX's tactics and pivoted roles, Yellow would gain a gold-tier support—undeniably sharpening her competitive edge.
"Oh, okay... okay!"
Flushed but determined, Yellow nodded along to Red's suggestion—what sounded like genuine concern wrapped in his usual battle-logic delivery.
Whatever thoughts swirled in the smitten girl's mind, Red—oblivious to such undercurrents—was already locked onto ALEX's latest ranked match kicking off anew.
Drawing on his own experience, Red assessed ALEX's capabilities.
"His raw strength clearly surpasses Misty's. Combine that with battle instincts honed to tactical perfection—even some Elite Four members would struggle against him."
Misty remained blissfully unaware she'd become Red's go-to benchmark for gauging ALEX's prowess—a living metric quantifying the streamer's tactical altitude against Kanto's established forces.
"I'd give anything for a match with him."
Red's gaze burned into ALEX's screen, a hunter's grin cracking through his usual stoicism as the streamer queued another battle—untamed anticipation thrumming where most trainers would feel nerves.