Zhou Yuan decided to record the video while Growlithe was still asleep; otherwise, dragging it on like this wouldn't do.
After turning on screen recording, Zhou Yuan began his self-introduction:
"Hello, everyone! I'm A Yuan. It's been over four days since I last uploaded the Butterfree tactical video, and your enthusiasm has truly overwhelmed me. I received a request from Gym Leader Meng Boguang of the Bug-type Gym in the Yanhuang region, so I'm specially recording another video to introduce other tactics for Bug-type Pokémon."
"A Yuan will first introduce several tactical systems to everyone. First up is a superior alternative Pokémon to the Butterfree tactic from the last video."
Saying this, Zhou Yuan dragged Vivillon into the team editor and clicked match.
"This superior alternative is Vivillon. Like Butterfree, Vivillon is a very common Bug-type Pokémon; they just have different distribution regions."
"Both possess the Compound Eyes ability."
"Because Vivillon's speed is slightly faster than Butterfree's, choosing Vivillon will make it easier to gain a speed advantage when there's no Tailwind for support."
"Furthermore, as Vivillon grows, it can learn the high-power Skill Hurricane, and thanks to Compound Eyes, its accuracy is also quite high."
While introducing Vivillon, Zhou Yuan also used this tactic to sweep the opponent he was matched with.
"However, Vivillon's special defense is not as good as Butterfree's, so how to choose still requires you, the audience, to decide for yourselves."
After speaking, Zhou Yuan removed Vivillon from the team and added Durant and Dugtrio instead.
"Perhaps many viewers will find it strange. What can Durant and Dugtrio do? But regardless of the tactical aspect, Durant and Dugtrio are both high-attack, high-speed Pokémon, capable of holding their own even in an offensive team."
"But today, we're not using an offensive system. We're going to use the Truant ability."
"At this point, some viewers will surely ask, 'A Yuan, A Yuan, what good is Truant? Don't you see how rarely the extremely powerful Slaking is used because of its Truant ability? A Yuan, are you taking me for a fool?'"
Zhou Yuan paused to take a sip of water, then continued:
"Actually, no."
"Oh, matched with someone. Let's explain with a live battle."
Just as Zhou Yuan was about to elaborate, he saw that he had been matched with an opponent, and it was the familiar ID "The Crown Won't Fall."
"Haven't I seen this brother before? Why does he look a bit familiar?"
At this moment, Wang Jin Yu, far away at Magic City University, looked at his opponent, named "Lin Yuan Xian Yu," and rejoiced.
"I've been grinding points day and night, finally reaching this rank. After so many battles, I've finally encountered you again, haven't I? This time, I have experience. Watch me beat the crap out of you."
After entering the battle, Wang Jin Yu sent out the Pokémon he had specially prepared for Zhou Yuan.
"Go, Electivire."
Sitting in front of his computer, Zhou Yuan looked at the Electivire his opponent sent out and began to explain to the audience:
"Audience, look, I just felt that name was familiar. Now it seems he's indeed a victim of the Butterfree lineup. I guess his Electivire has the hidden ability Vital Spirit, meaning it won't fall asleep. This is actually a counter to Sleep-inducing lineups. It seems the opponent has some Tricks up his sleeve."
"However, today we're not playing a Sleep-inducing team. Go, Durant."
"Durant, use Entrainment."
Wang Jin Yu was still wondering why his opponent wasn't playing by the rules when he saw his Electivire dancing along with the opposing Durant, and then it became sluggish.
"What's going on? Electivire, use Fire Punch! Electivire? Electivire! Don't lie down! Get motivated!"
While Wang Jin Yu was once again demonstrating the traditional art of a Trainer, Zhou Yuan had already given his next command.
"Come back, Durant. Go, Dugtrio."
After sending out Dugtrio, Zhou Yuan began to explain.
"Audience, you can see that the opponent's Electivire, under Durant's influence, has changed from being full of spirit to being sluggish."
"This is because of Durant's Skill 'Entrainment,' which can forcibly change the opponent's ability to match its own. Under the influence of the Skill, Electivire's ability changed from Vital Spirit to Truant, and naturally, it no longer obeyed its Trainer's commands to battle."
"And the reason we switched to Dugtrio is precisely because of Dugtrio's ability 'Arena Trap.' Arena Trap prevents the opponent from escaping during battle, meaning it stops the opponent from switching Pokémon."
"Dugtrio can then use the 'Hone Claws' Skill to boost itself while the opponent is affected by Truant. At the same time, Dugtrio also has the 'Protect' Skill. Even if the opponent's Pokémon occasionally gets motivated to fight, it will be blocked by Protect."
In the game screen, Dugtrio continuously honed its claws and boosted itself under Zhou Yuan's command, while Electivire finally mustered its fighting spirit at Wang Jin Yu's call, landing an Ice Punch on the protective shield created by Protect.
Then, Wang Jin Yu watched as his Pokémon were swept by the fully boosted Dugtrio.
For a time, the name of a certain Ultraman echoed endlessly in a certain dormitory at Magic City University.
After this battle, Zhou Yuan first evaluated his opponent for this match:
"This opponent has something, but not much."
Then he began to explain this lineup:
"So, is this lineup invincible? Not really. If you can defeat Durant faster before it acts, you can avoid being affected by the Truant ability. Or, if you've already been affected, switch Pokémon in time so that the opponent's Dugtrio can't trap the affected Pokémon and can't boost freely. That also counts as a way to break it."
"Some viewers might say that in such a situation, Durant should carry a Focus Sash, so that no matter what, it can achieve the ability interference. As the saying goes, 'You have your plan, I have my counter-plan.'"
"But isn't that precisely the fun of Pokémon battles? Countering each other's moves, gaining experience in battle, and becoming a better Trainer. Allowing yourself and your Pokémon to grow—that's the meaning and charm of battle."
Zhou Yuan spoke with emotion, opened the team editor, and added Shuckle and Whimsicott.
"This is the third tactical system I'm bringing you. Many of you surely know Shuckle, but besides brewing Berry Juice, what else can Shuckle do?"
"The upcoming battle will show you what role Shuckle can play in actual combat. Matched with an opponent! Huh? Why is it him again? Audience, let me say upfront that the opponent is absolutely not an actor I hired. Can it just be said that my luck is too good?"
Why did Zhou Yuan say that? Because the opponent he was matched with was none other than "The Crown Won't Fall."
Entering the battle, Zhou Yuan led with Whimsicott. Wang Jin Yu, whose lineup hadn't been adjusted, was about to give up when he encountered the same person. But then he saw Whimsicott as the lead, and thinking it was a Sleep-inducing system, he rejoiced.
"Hahaha, it's time for revenge! Go, Electivire, use Fire Punch!"
Zhou Yuan calmly gave his command:
"Whimsicott, use Trick Room."
And then he resumed his commentary.
"Trick Room can create a mysterious space that envelops the battlefield. During the duration of the space, slower Pokémon will move first. All Whimsicott needs to do is set up this Trick Room. To avoid excessive time consumption, it doesn't even need to carry a Focus Sash to survive; it can just switch out directly for Shuckle."
In the game screen, Whimsicott was struck in the face by a fist burning with raging flames, let out a cry of pain, and fell.
After Whimsicott fainted, Zhou Yuan sent out Shuckle.
"Shuckle, use Power Trick."
Two orbs of light, one blue and one red, rose from Shuckle's body, exchanged positions in mid-air, and then returned to Shuckle's body.
"Everyone should know that Shuckle's defense is particularly strong, and the Skill Power Trick swaps a Pokémon's defense and attack. At this moment, Shuckle's attack has already reached its maximum."
Just then, the opponent also used Earthquake, which immediately made Shuckle look listless, seemingly on the verge of collapsing, yet it stubbornly raised its head.
Zhou Yuan timely interjected his explanation:
"This is Shuckle's ability, Sturdy. When it takes a one-hit KO amount of damage, it will retain one last bit of HP."
Then Zhou Yuan began to command:
"Shuckle, give it back! Use Earthquake."
Along with the shaking of the game screen, the opponent's Electivire directly fainted. And after Electivire fainted, Shuckle miraculously recovered its spirits.
"It's Shell Bell. I gave Shuckle a Shell Bell," Zhou Yuan explained.
"Shell Bell can restore the holder's HP based on the damage it deals. Shuckle's HP cap isn't high to begin with; at most, two attacks can fully restore its HP. And once its HP is full, its ability can be put to good use again."
Since it was a 6-on-3 singles battle, the next two Pokémon quickly followed Electivire's fate, and at this point, Trick Room hadn't even ended yet.
Wang Jin Yu at Magic City University was speechless at this moment, and didn't want to speak. Three times, he had been utterly defeated by the same person in different ways, and all with very common, even seemingly weak, Pokémon. This made him fall into deep self-doubt.
On this end, Zhou Yuan was still explaining:
"There's more than just this one tactic for Shuckle. Shuckle can also be incorporated into other teams as a tank. The Shuckle-Blissey core is also a very effective tactic in doubles battles. We'll talk about that tactic when I record doubles videos in the future."
Zhou Yuan opened the team editor one last time, added three Bug-type Pokémon—Ninjask, Scolipede, and Beedrill—then clicked to start matching.
"Although the previous tactics involved Bug-type Pokémon, they weren't entirely composed of Bug-type Pokémon; they weren't 'pure.' Now, I'll show you a pure Bug-type Pokémon lineup."
"The core of this lineup lies in the first two Pokémon. Actually, the third Pokémon has no special requirements; any physical attacking damage dealer will do. I chose Beedrill because Beedrill is one of the most common Bug-type Pokémon. But Beedrill isn't useless; it also has a mainstream playstyle centered around Fell Stinger, but the length of today's video is sufficient, so I won't elaborate further."
With the victories in the previous matches, Zhou Yuan's ranking also entered the top one thousand. Upon reaching this rank, the opponents were no longer just weaklings. After all, the game is global, and most Trainers in the world use this game for virtual training. Their scores are very close; one moment you might be ranked 300, and after losing one match, you could drop to 800. Therefore, those who can enter the top one thousand generally have a certain tactical mind.
The increase in rank led to a significant increase in matching time. While waiting for a match, Zhou Yuan also took the opportunity to check on Little Growlithe, and after finding no signs of it waking up, he returned to his computer with peace of mind.
After waiting for a while, Zhou Yuan was matched with an opponent named "Blazing Sun," also a player from Shuangqing City.
"Oh, a fellow countryman. When fellow countrymen meet, they stab each other in the back."
After muttering to himself, Zhou Yuan began to analyze his opponent.
"Alright, audience, we've finally been matched with an opponent. I won't mention the opponent's ID, but it looks very hot. Their current rank is 943, which is a very suitable opponent. Let's look at their lineup."
"Torkoal, Darmanitan, Chandelure, Victreebel, Mantine, Whimsicott."
"It seems the opponent has a very classic Sunny Day team composition. Torkoal acts as the weather setter and can also set Stealth Rock. Darmanitan with Sheer Force and Chandelure act as attackers. Victreebel, with its Chlorophyll ability, can swiftly sweep Water-type Pokémon, while Mantine with Water Absorb can switch in without taking damage against Water-type Skills. Whimsicott is a secondary weather setter and also provides some support."
"Given that our team doesn't have any Water-type Pokémon, I speculate the opponent won't choose Victreebel and Mantine. And between Torkoal and Whimsicott, they will definitely choose Torkoal, whose Drought ability allows it to set Stealth Rock first."
While Zhou Yuan was analyzing his opponent, his opponent, Yun Duo, the daughter of the Fire-type Gym Leader in Shuangqing City, was also analyzing her opponent.
"Scolipede, Beedrill, Ninjask... Six Bug-type Pokémon, what is the other side trying to do? I've played so many matches, and this is the first time I've seen a lineup like this. In that case, I won't use Victreebel and Mantine, and Whimsicott isn't necessary either. I'll send out Torkoal to set up Stealth Rock."
While analyzing, Yun Duo also selected her Pokémon for battle, and both sides entered the battle phase.
After entering battle, Yun Duo, as Zhou Yuan expected, led with Torkoal to set up the weather.
"Go, Ninjask, use Swords Dance." After commanding Ninjask, Zhou Yuan began to predict his opponent's next move.
"What's the meaning of the opponent leading with Torkoal? It's about setting up the weather and laying Stealth Rock. So, I expect the opponent to command Torkoal to use Stealth Rock, and we can take this opportunity to boost ourselves."
In the game screen, Torkoal indeed laid Stealth Rock as Zhou Yuan had predicted.
"After I've boosted once with Swords Dance, plus Ninjask's Speed Boost ability also increased its speed, the opponent probably already guessed what I want to do. The opponent should have two guesses: the first is that I want to sweep after boosting, and the second is that I want to use a Baton Pass strategy. Regardless of the guess, the opponent will choose to use Yawn to force me to switch out. Here, we choose to use Protect to play it safe."
"Ninjask, use Protect."
On the other side, Yun Duo, seeing Ninjask's move, also began a calm analysis.
"This situation usually has two possibilities: one is that the opponent wants to sweep by boosting their Pokémon's stats, and the other is that the opponent wants to use a Baton Pass strategy. No matter which strategy, I can use Yawn to interfere."
"Torkoal, use Yawn."
In the game screen, Torkoal let out a snoring bubble, which was blocked by Ninjask's Protect.
"【・_・?】"
"It blocked me?"
Zhou Yuan continued his analysis.
"The opponent's Yawn has been blocked by us. Now the opponent only has two choices: one is to switch, and the other is to continue using Yawn to force me to switch. If he chooses to switch, it's easy for me to seize the opportunity to boost. But if he keeps using Yawn, it will eventually hit, and once it hits, I'll have no choice but to switch."
"So the opponent will definitely choose to use Yawn, but that's not critical. Yawn doesn't take effect immediately after hitting. We can use Baton Pass to switch out after Yawn hits. What needs to be dealt with now is the Stealth Rock on the field, otherwise the Focus Sash of subsequent Pokémon will be ineffective. Therefore, Ninjask, use Defog."
Just as Zhou Yuan predicted, the Torkoal in the game screen used Yawn and hit Ninjask.
"It finally hit, forcing him to switch." Yun Duo breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time, she also chose to switch.
"Come back, Torkoal; go, Darmanitan."
At this moment, Zhou Yuan was explaining the situation on the field:
"Now our Ninjask has used Swords Dance once and Speed Boost three times. It has done well enough as a lead, and it's been hit by Yawn, so now we need to transfer the boosts with Baton Pass."
"Ninjask, use Baton Pass; go, Scolipede."
Scolipede, carrying Ninjask's boosts, came onto the field and faced Darmanitan.
"The opponent sending out Darmanitan is to take advantage of the Sunny Day's boost to Fire-type Skills and instantly knock out my Pokémon. Although I gave Focus Sash to all three Pokémon, directly using Swords Dance and taking damage won't maximize the item's benefit. But if I use Protect to endure another turn of damage, I can get another speed boost from Speed Boost."
"Scolipede, use Protect."
On the other side of the network, Yun Duo also gave her command:
"Darmanitan, use Flare Blitz."
The fluffy great ape charged forward, covered in flames, and crashed into the egg-shaped barrier around Scolipede.
"¯\_(ツ)_/¯, it's over, this match is lost."
Yun Duo clearly realized one fact: the opponent's Pokémon had almost maxed out its boosts and could easily sweep her team.
And that was indeed the case. Under Zhou Yuan's command, Scolipede used Swords Dance to increase its Attack, then survived Flare Blitz thanks to its Focus Sash, and then used Protect again to stall for another turn, maximizing its Speed with Speed Boost.
In this situation, Yun Duo was facing a Scolipede with nearly maxed Attack and Speed.
"Actually, at this point, we could sweep with just Scolipede, but a Trainer isn't just good because of one powerful Pokémon."
Zhou Yuan began to instill his philosophy using this opportunity.
"A true Trainer discovers the uniqueness of Pokémon. As long as you're willing to think, willing to strategize, and willing to combine them with tactics, even the weakest Pokémon can unleash great power when combined, and even the most ordinary Pokémon can play an extraordinary role."
"We cannot change the magnitude of a Pokémon's potential, but we can create an environment suitable for it to perform. That is what makes a true Trainer, and I hope all viewers can strive for this."
After speaking, Zhou Yuan had Scolipede use Baton Pass to switch out, causing the opponent's Flare Blitz to miss. He then sent in Beedrill, who used Swords Dance again to maximize its Attack. Although it was hit by Flare Blitz, it survived thanks to its Focus Sash, and then easily swept three of the opponent's Pokémon with its maximized Attack and Speed.
After the battle, Zhou Yuan clicked to match for the next game, but Yun Duo on the other end of the game fell silent. She had been defeated by a type disadvantage, and by Bug-type Pokémon, which were generally considered the weakest.
But Yun Duo also had to admit that the opponent Trainer's commands and predictions were unlike anything she had ever seen before, as if the opponent had an ear in her mind and could hear what she was thinking.
Yun Duo thought for a moment, copied the battle recording, and planned to show it to her father when he came home.
Returning to Zhou Yuan, after this battle, he matched for three more consecutive battles. Although there were occasional close calls, he ultimately won all of them, raising his ranking to within the top three hundred.
After reaching this point, Zhou Yuan was ready to end the video recording. Before ending, Zhou Yuan delivered his closing remarks:
"Happy times are always so short. Today's video ends here; any more would be impolite."
"As I said before, as Trainers, we must learn to consider our Pokémon, not just constantly demand that they serve us. Such a relationship is distorted. At the same time, don't look down on your Pokémon. Every Pokémon has its own reason for existence. Even if it might be a bit weaker in battle, there's always a place where it can shine."
"So, I ask all Trainers watching this video to have more confidence in your Pokémon, whether they are the so-called weakest Bug-type Pokémon or others. As long as you think carefully and have suitable tactics and environments, even the most common Caterpie by the roadside can become the most dazzling character in battle."
"Thank you all for watching. I'm A Yuan, and we'll see you next time."
After finishing the recording, Zhou Yuan cut out the boring waiting times from the video, then logged into A-site and submitted his video: "Bug-type Pokémon Can Also Be Dragons 【Pokémon Tactics 02】."
After uploading the video, Zhou Yuan opened his homepage again and found that his followers had exceeded fifty thousand. He then saw that it was because the first submitted video's play count had exceeded five hundred thousand, and his inbox was once again full.
Just then, the system's mechanical voice arrived belatedly.
"【Congratulations, Host, for completing video mission 5. Video play count exceeds 500,000. Energy Points + 500】"
"【Host's current Energy Points: 1910】"
Zhou Yuan watched his small treasury grow richer and was happy for Growlithe. He no longer had to worry about Growlithe going hungry, and for now, he didn't have to worry about Growlithe's initial training.
Just then, Growlithe in the next room woke up, and a chorus of "Woof!" sounds filled the air.
And as Zhou Yuan was playing with the two puppies, Xiao Shen, an A-site reviewer, received another video assigned by the system for review.
"This title immediately tells me it's someone familiar. 'Bugs as Dragons'? What a bold claim. I hope this isn't some sensational content, otherwise, the backlash from this video will be as big as the traffic the first video brought."
Although he said that, Xiao Shen still decided to carefully review it to help the blogger, to avoid any inappropriate content leading to criticism.
But as Xiao Shen was reviewing the video, he saw those tactics and felt that the blogger wasn't exaggerating. And after hearing the blogger's theory on Trainers and Pokémon, he felt that this video would definitely have a place on today's recommendation list.
After watching the video, Xiao Shen immediately approved it, then sent the video to his team leader, Luo Zhi, and at the same time, secretly took out his phone and followed "A Yuan Teaches You How to Play Pokémon."
Upon receiving the video, Luo Zhi also had some impression of the title, thinking it was just this blogger creating another interesting tactic. But he didn't expect there to be more than one tactic, and it also came with a truly deafening speech from the blogger, which even stunned Luo Zhi, who reviewed many videos every day.
If this blogger was just speaking empty platitudes, others were indeed working hard for it, and his words made sense upon closer thought, completely unlike those self-help platitudes.
Luo Zhi felt that this video was the best video of the past week. He first gave the video a beginner recommendation, and then sent it to the head of the review department.
"Director, please take a look. I think this video is quite good."
Director Wang of the review department was also curious after receiving the video. Not many videos passed the team leader's approval and reached him, especially when his subordinate said it was "quite good." Such a comment from that usually strict person was quite rare.
After watching the video, Director Wang had to admit that this blogger was indeed a talent, capable of devising enough practical tactics, and also had his own unique insights into the relationship between Trainers and Pokémon.
Compared to the videos from this recent period, this video stood out like a crane among chickens. It wasn't that the quality of other videos was bad, but that the quality of this video was exceptionally high. Although the editing was still a bit rough, its flaws did not obscure its brilliance.
Director Wang immediately gave instructions:
"Give this video a high-level recommendation and put it on today's recommendation list."
..........
Zhou Yuan received a notification when the video was approved, so he forwarded it to Gym Leader Meng with a message:
"Meng Ge, please take a look. I've uploaded the video you wanted. Does it meet your requirements and expectations? If not, I can make another one."
After sending the message, he glanced at the video's data. Since it had just been approved, the play count wasn't significant yet. Only two people were rushing to comment in the comment section, which surprised Zhou Yuan a bit. They were even faster than him, the creator. He had to admit that the audience was also exceptionally talented.
After doing all this, Zhou Yuan called Zhou Ba, saying he wanted to stay longer with Uncle Liu. Zhou Ba didn't refuse after hearing it, only saying, "Spend more time with your Uncle Liu, he's been quite lonely alone these past years." Then he asked and learned that Growlithe had hatched, and said he would come to see the puppy on the weekend.
The father and son chatted about various things, then Zhou Ba hung up, citing accompanying his wife, leaving Zhou Yuan alone with the two dogs, speechless.