Minutes earlier on the Holo Caster livestream channel, viewers who had received Alex's broadcast notice in the afternoon were already bombarding the screen with chat barrages. The Galar League-approved broadcast's interface looked like a Dynamaxed Gastly swarm going berserk.
"Yo, where's the main character at? Chat, spam 'F' if you're ready to carry this stream!"
"Wait, did our streamer accidentally use Teleport in a cave? Chat, spam the coordinates before Team Rocket takes over!"
"Relax! Groudon and Kyogre are just warm-up opponents for Trainer Alex."
"New viewers: 'Is this the so-called 'Hero' who vowed No Matter, I'll Intervene' on the Pokémon Forum, only to awaken Groudon and Kyogre across Hoenn?'"
Needless to say, the online community quickly figured out Alex was a PokéTuber after his casual joke 'No Matter, I'll Intervene.'
Alex's die-hard fans, thrilled to see his catchphrase go viral, spontaneously launched promotions that not only drew casual viewers but also skyrocketed his channel traffic.
Even before going live, viewers exchanging banter had already flooded the darkened Holo Caster livestream screen with chat barrages.
"For a mid-tier PokéTuber like Alex whose streams usually draw modest crowds, this sudden surge of pre-live chatter across Holo Caster screens proved an unexpected boon.".
As viewers in the chat barrages were still speculating why Alex hadn't started streaming, the darkened Holo Caster screen flickered to life - revealing the familiar broadcast interface viewers knew from previous Galar League streams.
Pokémon Battlegrounds dominated the screen's prime space - the official Pokémon League battle simulator used by Champions, Elite Four, and Gym Leaders for strategy testing. Alex's upper body was camera-framed in the Holo Caster interface, positioned neatly in the lower-right corner.
Small streamers who understand platform algorithms often use their visual charisma as a secret weapon to turn random viewers into loyal followers.
Alex's fanbase shows remarkable gender diversity, with many followers expressing appreciation for both his content quality and charismatic on-screen presence.
Alex's refined facial structure and approachable charisma create an instantly recognizable on-screen presence that resonates across diverse audiences.
Alex's sun-kissed curls, forever dancing between youthfulness and disarray, cascaded around eyes that mirrored twilight seas—a natural harmony leaving first-time viewers momentarily speechless.
With glasses, Alex's features took on a bookish charm, creating an intriguing contrast with his usual dynamic stage presence.
Guided by the creed 'No weak Pokémon, only unprepared Trainers' (as championed in the Pokémon Adventures manga), Alex maintained rigorous standards. Inspired by the graphic novels' depiction of wilderness battles demanding peak physicality, his daily training regimen at the Battle Chateau forged a physique mirroring Elite Four members' battle-ready conditioning.
He never neglected his appearance. His crisp, tailored outfits accentuated his features and physique flawlessly—and thus, this captivating figure would settle before the camera, greeting his audience with a practiced smile that launched a thousand chatroom frenzies.
"My bad, chat! Had to ghost y'all after getting looped into Rayquaza-wrangling duty down in Hoenn—turns out babysitting a freshly woke Groudon and Kyogre eats your whole damn schedule. Barely clawed back streaming privileges!"
"Alex glanced at the barrage of comments scrolling across the screen. Noticing viewers were making meme references while also leaving concerned messages for him, he couldn't help but smile and responded with playful jokes to the audience's comments."
"This smile!"
"Could you share how you rode Rayquaza to battle Groudon and Kyogre? I'm a new fan who came here specifically after seeing your posts."
"I was right there in Groudon's magma pool when it happened—Alex's Caterpie suddenly evolved into Rayquaza and scared off both primal beasts! Absolute legend!"
"I'll never forget Alex's Lapras missing three Hydro Pumps in a row — pure comedy! Then he finally takes a vacation only to crash into the Groudon-Kyogre-Rayquaza showdown? Disaster-level bad luck sparking S-tier content. Some things never change — our boy's still the unluckiest soul in streaming history.
Viewers dismissed Alex's statements as his signature gag—the streamer's playful persistence in outlandish denials that regulars had come to expect, flooding the chat with eye-roll emojis and 'Here we go again' memes.
Conversely, when news of Alex's misfortunes in the Hoenn region reached the audience, it immediately provoked unanimous mockery from the entire chat.
"At that moment, an exquisitely crafted Master Ball suddenly flew across Alex's livestream screen, accompanied by multicolored, extravagant visual effects that filled the entire display, seemingly celebrating a generous donation from a 'boss' viewer."
[Streamer, what's today's stream about?"]
"Today's stream focuses on Butterfree's Focus Sash + Sleep Powder tactics, to celebrate my Caterpie that's about to evolve into Rayquaza.
With that, the game officially kicked off
"Amidst the barrage of chat comments like 'Disgusting tactics!', 'Terrifying—sleep-locked to oblivion!', and 'Who even figures out how to weaponize Butterfree like this?!!', Alex clinched victory in a Double Battle. Through ruthless coordination between his Butterfree's sleep-inducing strategies and an attacker, he forcibly put all opposing Pokémon to sleep. Even as his opponent—a player named 'CeruleanMermaid'—could barely execute moves throughout the entire match, Alex mercilessly swept their team, securing a decisive win."
"Sleep Powder's way more reliable than G-Max Befuddle! With Compound Eyes boosting it to 97.5% accuracy, you can status-lock opponents before they even pop a Full Heal!"
After effortlessly securing victory in the battle, a visibly pleased Alex—still riding the high of his opponents' frustration—casually demonstrated Gigantamax Butterfree's G-Max Wind Rage move during the post-match review.
A tsunami of flooded the chat before total speechlessness engulfed the stream.
"I remember Alex's starter Pokémon was a Caterpie. Could it be he plans to use these tactics in real battles going forward?"
"The opponent's prepping for a real-life brawl."
"That's too scary."
"However, Alex's Caterpie—obtained quite some time ago—has shown no signs of evolving into Metapod in any daily videos during this period... Could it genuinely be preparing to evolve directly from Caterpie into Rayquaza?"
Alex's eyes narrowed as he snapped
"What's wrong with not evolving?"
"Doesn't the Johto region's Ice-type Gym Leader Pryce—revered as 'The Eternal Glacier'—dominate the battlefield using just a Delibird and an unevolved Swinub?"
"Realizing his ramblings were incomprehensible to most anyway, Alex let loose and began showboating his superficial knowledge of Paradox Pokémon. 'Next time Pryce shows up,' he quipped, 'that Delibird might just manifest as the Future Paradox 'Iron Bundle,' dominating the battlefield with Sub-Legendary-tier Base Stats!'"
"True to form, after hearing Alex's latest rant, the live chat viewers first ridiculed his notoriously poor naming skills before immediately demanding he execute another round of his 'Sleep Powder sweep' tactic."
"Patience, we'll keep t0rtur1ng... ahem, battling."
...
Kanto Region, Cerulean City.
A girl with an orange side braid sat motionless in Cerulean City, Kanto, her eyes locked on the screen flashing [GAME OVER] in harsh crimson text. Her expression remained frozen somewhere between existential crisis and digital annihilation, as if her consciousness had temporarily short-circuited along with the pixelated defeat.
"Wh-what... what kind of stifling strategy is this?!"
A few minutes later, the Cerulean City Gym Leader—a girl known as the Mermaid of Cerulean—Misty finally managed to regain her composure.
The memories flooded back—her Pokémon hit with Sleep Powder the moment they took the field, succumbing one after another to drowsiness, rendered powerless as the opposing attacker swept her entire team. Misty's face twisted into an expression of pure agony, mirroring the infamous 'Pain Mask' meme from competitive forums.
In the past, whenever Misty encountered such infuriating tactics—win or lose—she'd inevitably launch into a tirade cursing the strategy and its user.
But this time... it was different.
"alex?"
As she gradually calmed down, Misty stared at the opponent's username with a skeptical frown. "'Why does this name sound familiar...?' she muttered