You're not allowed to play Pokémon!

Chapter 328 The Sandstorm team can only have one Mega Evolution user, and that is...

After confirming his participation in the Superpower Masters Tournament, Qingyu quickly persuaded Aiguanji's younger sister to be a temporary member of the team, and then submitted his application to participate in the Superpower Masters Tournament to President Yeci by phone.

Although Ye Ci seemed somewhat surprised by this, just as he had expected, he immediately gave an affirmative answer.

Local alliances strongly support actions that can expand regional influence, provided there are no obvious negative impacts.

After easily resolving the pre-competition preparations, Qingyu began to consider whether to give Indeedee and Mewtwo some pre-competition training so that they could get into form before the battle.

However, after thinking about it, he gave up.

Given Esper's move pool, he seems to be purely a support character, especially since he wasn't originally added to the Sunny Gym for competitive battles.

So, just let things take their course.

The time soon came to evening.

After dinner, it was almost time for the usual broadcast.

Throughout February, Qingyu focused on building teams around the weather, a field effect with extremely high tactical value and a huge impact on Pokémon battles, presenting viewers with both a powerful sunny day team and a variety of rainy day teams.

And today...

It's the Sandstorm team's turn.

For various reasons, Qingyu's understanding of the Sandstorm team is not very deep, and he has not used it many times.

However, for teams built around the four major weather conditions, sandstorms may actually be the easiest and simplest tactical system to learn.

Therefore, Qingyu didn't think for long before quickly coming to an answer.

……

At 6:30 p.m., when Qingyu started her live stream as usual, the viewers in the live stream room had already begun their team building activities.

The viewers who were waiting in the live stream room on time were basically the same group of people. After a few months, they had become familiar with each other and were chatting with each other through the scrolling bullet comments.

[Is it sandstorm teams' turn this week? Want to guess who Yu-laoshi's main team will be? I'll go first: Mega Tyranitar!]

[Dude, you banned the Sandstorm captain, so what are we guessing for...? A Sandstorm team without its leader is soulless!]

Garchomp fans are outraged. Both Garchomp and Mega Evolve are late bloomers, so why don't Garchomp deserve it?

[You're obviously not a long-time fan, bro. Teacher Yu has been Garchomp's number one hater for a long time. Back when he was a small streamer, he even made jokes about Garchomp.]

[The references are here. For details, you can check out a clip from that video by a user named "Yijia Mouse". I have a feeling Garchomp is going to be dragged out and rubbed into the past again today...]

[If I had to choose, there are quite a few options for Mega Evolution users, since there are three types related to Sandstorm. Even Steelix and Camerupt could probably make it into a Sandstorm team, right?]

Just as the chat was discussing, the screen suddenly went white, and then Qingyu's desktop and himself appeared on the live stream screen.

"Sandstorms and dragon dances, four times the weakness can withstand it, the prison is too reliable."

After a casual senryu opening line, Qingyu quickly flashed a handsome smile at the countless viewers in front of the screen.

"Hello everyone, today I'm going to bring you a tutorial video about the Sandstorm team."

Once the live stream started, the number of viewers skyrocketed, and the density of comments on the screen instantly exploded, almost covering the entire screen.

[Teacher Yu can even write senryu?! Professor Oak exclaims, "She's an expert!"]

[That's the most reliable one! Our Tyranitar is amazing! It has its own system, is tanky, and has high damage output. How can there be a Pokémon that requires so much skill to play?]

[As expected, Teacher Yu has already tacitly agreed that the Sandstorm Team's weather specialist is in jail. Hippo Beast's solo pusher is crying in the bathroom, sob sob sob...]

[Hippo Beast...you should cultivate for ten thousand years first, stand up and become Hippo Man before you try to steal the Sandstorm Team leader from Tyranitar!]

[Not the Giant Rock Monster? If you can't beat it, there's a massive explosion; nobody's going to survive!]

A single line of senryu not only highlighted the theme of this live broadcast, but also sparked a discussion among viewers about who should be the leader among the Sandstorm Brothers.

Aoba expressed great satisfaction with this.

It seems that the audience quite likes this style.

"Just as the impromptu senryu said earlier, the absolute core of our Sandstorm team has been decided, and it is one of the late-blooming Pokémon, the Sandstorm King Tyranitar!"

"As for why it is the core... the reason is already contained in this senryu."

When it comes to Sandstorm teams, the unchanging core character is always Tyranitar.

While pondering silently, Qingyu quickly opened Pokémon Champion and dragged Tyranitar into the team as the first Pokémon.

As for its appearance, the audience had already guessed it long ago.

[As expected of Tyranitar as a weather controller, even his numerical values ​​have a certain beauty to them...]

Who wouldn't love a Pokémon that's both cool and powerful? Yu-laoshi's usual playstyle of using skillful tactics is just for fun; when it comes to actual strength, the stats really matter!

[If nothing unexpected happens, the Mega Evolution setter should also be Tyranitar, and then paired with Garchomp as a damage dealer, forming a standard Sandstorm duo?]

(Bangilas)
"As a pseudo-legendary Pokémon that has been the subject of much discussion, Tyranitar's stats are already very impressive."

"With its formidable defense and powerful attack capabilities exceeding 100 in all three dimensions, coupled with the strong offensive attributes of Rock and Dark, it can both attack and defend in battle."

"It can deliver powerful attacks and also boasts solid durability, making it quite versatile."

Qingyu continued to explain the tactical value of Tyranitar.

The combination of these two offensive attributes seems a bit off, exposing seven weaknesses, including a four-fold weakness to melee attacks, but...

Because of its excellent durability, the weaknesses other than its fighting style are not actually fatal to Tyrion.

It even has a special gameplay mechanic that focuses on improving combat power by exploiting weaknesses, using blood exchange to bring incredibly terrifying combat power, and can even easily wipe out entire teams.

"In addition, Tyranitar's own ability is Sandstorm, so it will likely bring a sandstorm weather when it enters the field, and it can also benefit from the sandstorm effect that raises the Special Defense of Rock-type Pokémon, further strengthening its defensive capabilities."

"Compared to other weathermen, Bangilas is far too versatile."

In fact, whether it's Sand Hippo, Giant Rock Monster, or Sand Snail Python, they all have their own unique uses when used as weather setters. However, in terms of general use, Qingyu still prefers to use the classic Tyranitar.

Although it is not a Dragon Pokémon, Tyranitar's design is based on the movie star Godzilla, so it also belongs to the Monster Egg group. Its move set is quite extensive, and it can even learn the noble Dragon Dance.

Aside from being easily killed in close combat, it is impeccable in every aspect.

The fusion of numerical values ​​and mechanics ultimately gave birth to the sole champion of this Sandstorm team.

That's why Qingyu said Tyranitar is the absolute core of Team Sandstorm.

This is not an exaggeration, but a statement of fact.

In the version following the release of Mega Evolution, Tyranitar further benefited from the version's advantages.

"As everyone expected, I chose Tyranitar as the Mega Evolution for the Sandstorm team."

Qingyu spoke up and continued to explain.

"In addition to the numerical improvement brought by evolution, the fact that the sandstorm ability is still present after evolution is also extremely important."

"Two sandstorms seem a bit wasteful; it would be better to give it a feature that can improve speed or output. But in reality, sometimes it can even turn the tide of battle."

"Because in the process of seizing the weather, Tyranitar can use Mega Evolution to trigger the Sandstorm ability again and regain the lost Sandstorm weather, which can almost guarantee that he will have the cover of the Sandstorm when he takes action."

For this alone, Tyranitar deserves this precious Mega Evolution slot.

"Of course... it's also related to the fact that another Mega user in the Sandstorm team was a little underperforming."

At this point, Qingyu couldn't help but smile slightly.

[Here it comes! After all these days, Teacher Yu has indeed started viciously attacking Garchomp again. How could this person be so mean!]

[It's not a cricket; you'll know once you've used it yourself. The feel is really bad, and my child has become withdrawn...]

[To be honest, Teacher Yu was right this time... At first, I thought Garchomp would be really strong after its Mega Evolution, but the feeling of being instantly killed by a Galarian Darmanitan's Ice Spike is indescribable, waaaaah!]

"I don't recall saying who it was, so why are you all guessing it's Garchomp? This time it has nothing to do with me!"

Qingyu raised an eyebrow and skillfully used the trick of shifting blame.

The kid who left the last comment was really unlucky.

Why is it that Mega Garchomp has a hidden ability called Pick Up?

Garchomp's base speed of 102 generally outpaces Darmanitan's 95, but Mega Evolution actually slows it down, making it easy to get one-shotted and vulnerable...

"Since all the haters in the comments are saying Garchomp isn't good enough, let's bring one along today to prove its strength!" "Of course, since Tyranitar has already taken the Mega Evolution slot, it'll have to play second fiddle~"

Sandstorm teams can only have one Mega Evolution user, and that is...

Bangilas!

[Garuda: Listen to this, is this even human language?]

[Teacher Yu seemed to have said nothing, yet it also seemed to have said everything...]

[If the champion of Bamboo Orchid were in the live stream right now, wouldn't that be hilarious? He'd better go home and kneel on a washboard!]

[Impossible, absolutely impossible! 】

In addition to Tyranitar and Garchomp, two Pokémon that matured late in life, Qingyu added Excadrill to his team.

With its sand-pulling properties and outstanding combat power, it is also one of the core members. In the sandstorm system, it will directly transform into a sharp blade, quickly seize the initiative, and cause the opponent to suffer casualties.

At this point, the main theme of the Sandstorm Brothers has been formed.

"In my opinion, the Sandstorm team is somewhat similar to the Rain team in terms of strategy, but they are also very different."

Looking at the three Pokémon in the lineup editor, Qingyu quickly added two sentences.

"Due to the different weather effects, the boost provided by sandstorms is more defensive and has little impact on opponents. It also does not directly increase output, so there is no need to put too many Pokémon of the corresponding type in the team."

"Just by looking at these three Pokémon, you can clearly see that Ground, Rock, and Steel types have obvious defensive weaknesses, especially their ability to form a defensive alliance against Fighting types."

"Therefore, just like in rainy weather, we also need to add some Pokémon to the team to expand our defensive capabilities."

This classic scene sometimes appears in games:
When the Sandstorm team was in dire straits, the Sandstorm activated by their teammates became the final straw that broke the camel's back, leading to their unfortunate defeat.

When he first got into Pokémon battles, the young Aoba also thought—

If sandstorms can cause problems for teammates, wouldn't it be better to use Pokémon that are not affected by sandstorms in the team?
It was a very simple idea, but now I think it's a bit naive.

Even a newbie like myself knows that sandstorms can ruin the game for teammates, so experienced players must know it even better, yet they still made that choice in the end.

Ultimately, the sandstorm's effects were somewhat underwhelming, forcing a compromise.

Sunny/rainy weather can boost the battle power of Pokémon of the corresponding type, and the benefits of gaining the initiative through abilities are very obvious.

But sandstorms are different. Apart from boosting the Special Defense of Rock-type Pokémon, they only have the effect of dealing continuous damage that is indiscriminate and ineffective.

Pure sandstorm teams have mediocre offensive capabilities and extremely poor defensive capabilities, so their strength is obviously not very high.

Rather than attributing the sandstorm's strength to the weather itself, it's more accurate to say that the three monsters—Tyranitar, Garchomp, and Excadrill—were powerful enough to form an incredibly strong sandstorm axis, which in turn supported half of the sandstorm's power in the early stages.

Therefore, since the explanation is about the Sandstorm Team, Qingyu will naturally focus on them.

The other three supporting characters were also quickly decided upon.

Clean up Rotom, Scizor, and Skarmory.

"The Washing Machine's defensive capabilities are very strong, and it also has a certain ability to disrupt. In a Sandstorm team, it can defend against many troublesome Pokémon."

"The positioning of Scizor is similar to before. At the same time, if the opponent is dragged into a slow pace, its Bullet Punch also has a certain finishing ability due to the continuous effect of Sandstorm."

"As for the final Skarmory..."

Qingyu paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Remember the spike-laying team I introduced before? When combined with sandstorm, it can further increase the opponent's zone defense losses and also further enhance the team's finishing ability."

Setting up spikes at the start is a very common tactic in singles, and this is a good opportunity to "review" the lessons for the students.

Sandstorm's battle mode is very flexible. When it's more offensive, you can use Tyranitar to quickly activate the weather, and then use the Sandstorm brothers' combat power to quickly defeat the opponent.
When facing lineups that are particularly troublesome for them, you can rely on Skarmory, a versatile shield user, to set up entrapment in the first position. This will not only establish an advantage but also prevent Tyranitar from being eliminated by a melee attack at the start of the game.

[Ugh—just hearing that gives me goosebumps! Teacher Yu, please don't remind me of the terrifying memories of being surrounded by toxic teams in ranked matches!]

Since Teacher Yu became popular, the ranked match environment has become increasingly outrageous... Teacher Yu has done all sorts of bad things!

[Teacher Yu, you're the best spokesperson for platform boots! I have a feeling that the usage rate of platform boots will skyrocket after today.]

Speaking of which... isn't Teacher Yu's ranking almost at the Master tier?

After the team was assembled, Qingyu quickly started matchmaking.

While waiting for his opponent, he glanced at the chat and then quickly looked at the top right corner of the ranking interface.

Although he doesn't usually play ranked matches and only spends about an hour a week streaming to climb the ranks, his win rate is still incredibly high.

Therefore, it was only after being reminded by the comments that Qingyu belatedly realized—

I've already reached 105th place, it seems like I'm about to become a Masters player, right?

The rank that can only be achieved by reaching the top 100 in the game's ladder corresponds to the number of participants in the first round of the Masters Tournament.

When he first started planning to use live streaming to attract visitors to his dojo, he came up with a somewhat clickbait-like name.

"From Zero to Master Ball!"

But with the success of both his live streaming and gym business, he has almost become the most famous trainer in the entire Padilla, and he had almost forgotten about this.

However, although I arrived a bit late, I'm almost at the small goal I set back then.

With my current points, this match will probably be my promotion match to Master rank.

Thinking of this, Qingyu's eyes suddenly sharpened.

That being the case...

Let's be a little more serious then!

Perhaps it was indeed because of the promotion matches, the matchmaking speed was much faster than Qingyu had expected, less than a minute.

After Qingyu decisively pressed the confirm button, the opponent's information quickly appeared before her eyes.

Her familiar long golden hair fluttered in the wind, and her black trench coat exuded a queenly aura, making the valiant woman on the screen appear majestic.

Behind her, a ferocious Garchomp stood with its eyes wide open, seemingly ready to attack at any moment.

Upon seeing the trainer's customized appearance, Qingyu was somewhat dumbfounded.

because……

The opponent's trainer ID: Myth Scholar Cynthia.

【Holy crap, is it really that coincidental? Just now Teacher Yu was criticizing Garchomp, and now Sister Cynthia is delivering the righteous punishment?】

[It's no coincidence. Considering the well-known relationship between Champion Zhu Lan and Teacher Yu, plus her occasional appearances in the live stream before... I have every reason to suspect that it was actually Sister Zhu Lan who was spying on Teacher Yu, specifically targeting her!]

[Okay, okay, this is exactly what I wanted to see! Isn't Teacher Yu known for beating up cute girls? Let's see if you dare to hit this cute girl this time!]

This is a real challenge for Teacher Yu; she might win the competition but lose her life!

[Croak! To witness such a clash of titans, complete with a post-match mini-drama, is worth the price of admission even if I die!]

"..."

After glancing at the comments, Qingyu's lips quickly began to twitch uncontrollably.

To be fair, these viewers seem to have a lot of faith in themselves, even believing they can easily defeat Zhulan in the game.

He has actually faced the champion very few times. If we don't count A-Wu, who is still considered a king, the two most memorable moments of his career were contributed by the acting champion, Mikkuri.

Moreover, both of his victories were achieved through some clever tricks.

It's not so much that Mikoli lacked ability, but rather that he was unlucky.

The first time I encountered the Salt King, who was purely there to torment me; the second time, I was completely blocked by the Sighing Wall of Nuts Dumbbell.

But this time, facing Zhu Lan, his lineup actually had no advantage at all.

Without a doubt, it was a clash of hard power.

To be honest, he wasn't sure if he could win the match.

but……

Now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to give it our all!

(End of this chapter)