It was already evening when Meng Boguang saw Zhou Yuan’s message, so he immediately replied to Zhou Yuan: “Sorry, A Yuan, I’ve been training all day and just saw your message. I’ll go watch the video now.”
Meng Boguang opened the link Zhou Yuan sent him and was surprised to find that the video, which had only been posted around noon, already had nearly a million views, with over ten thousand comments and bullet comments.
“A Yuan, you’re good! How long has it been, and the data is already so high? The videos my Gym’s official account usually posts don’t even have a third of that. Bug-types are truly miserable.”
With a hint of emotion, Meng Boguang began playing the video. As soon as it started, a row of bullet comments scrolled by:
“Welcome the birth of our King!”
“A salute to another rising Pokémon blogger!”
And so on, all similar.
The first part after the introduction was about Vivillon.
Meng Boguang watched this segment without much emotional fluctuation, as Vivillon’s tactics were the same as Butterfree’s, with only slight differences in speed and resistance.
But seeing a bullet comment scroll across the screen, Meng Boguang still smiled.
“Thanks to the blogger for the popular science! A few days ago, I was wondering what to do since I don’t have Caterpie here, and today this video came out. I’m going to confront Scatterbug now.”
Following closely was the Durant—Dugtrio system. As Zhou Yuan introduced this system, Meng Boguang raised an eyebrow. To be honest, he had never thought that a Durant with the Truant ability could be used for tactical effect in this way.
As the battle unfolded, the public chat was filled with the same bullet comment, sometimes even just one word: “Dirty!”
Then came all sorts of amusing bullet comments.
“The blogger is too dirty, but I like it! I’m going to challenge a Gym now.”
“Brother in front, don’t go! The Gym Leader’s methods are extremely cruel. Blogger, if you have any conscience, come see me at the hospital.”
Next, Shuckle appeared. When Zhou Yuan added Shuckle to the tactical team, the bullet comments were filled with question marks.
“???”
“∑(´△｀)?!”
“Can Shuckle be used for battle besides brewing Berry Juice?”
And once Zhou Yuan finished explaining this system in conjunction with the battle, another row of question marks scrolled by.
“Shuckle can be played like this?!”
“The streamer’s heart must be black. They’re getting dirtier and dirtier.”
“Shuckle: You made me brew Berry Juice, and now you want me to hit people.”
Although Meng Boguang had learned about systems that output damage using Trick, if he were to try it himself, he might not play as well as in the video. He immediately started complaining in the bullet comments: “How are you so skilled?!!!”
After the battle ended, Zhou Yuan was still explaining about the Pokémon Shuckle, and the public chat was filled with bullet comments sympathizing with the opponent:
“Tragic, the blogger’s opponent is truly tragic. He was also in the last Butterfree video and was farmed for three wins by the streamer.”
But more bullet comments expressed curiosity about the new system Zhou Yuan proposed:
“Shuckle-Egg system? What’s that? Shuckle and what egg? Exeggcute or Blissey?”
“No way, no way. Aren’t Blissey and Chansey a family of nurses? Can they also be used for battle?”
The video continued to play, and now it was time for the final tactic.
Hearing Zhou Yuan say in the video that he would demonstrate a team composed entirely of Bug-type Pokémon, Meng Boguang was also curious. Even his own team wasn’t entirely Bug-type Pokémon, just like Sinnoh Elite A Liu, who had a Drapion as a main force.
And when the Pokémon were chosen, Meng Boguang knew what was going on. A Yuan brought a Bug-type Pokémon Baton Pass team. Baton Pass teams have existed for a long time, but Bug-type Pokémon Baton Pass teams have always been lukewarm, and few people even know that Bug-type Pokémon have such a playstyle.
The reason for this is that Bug-type Pokémon generally have very low resistances and are easily knocked out during the stat-boosting process. Moreover, Baton Pass teams require a certain level of judgment from the Trainer regarding the situation. If not used well, they can simply be a pure sacrifice.
Since the video was edited, there was no tedious waiting time in between. After a static screen transition, Zhou Yuan’s line was heard: “When fellow townsmen meet, they stab each other in the back.”
The number of bullet comments clearly increased here:
“Hhhh, God-level stab in the back.”
“Blogger, is your ‘stab in the back’ legitimate?”
Immediately following was the display of both sides’ lineups.
“Wow, Bug-type Pokémon fighting a Sunny Day team. How can they win?”
“If they can win this, I’ll eat my computer screen.”
“The brother in front is trying to Trick us into buying him food and drinks again.”
Not only did the bullet comments not favor this battle, but even Meng Boguang didn't think much of it. The type disadvantage was too severe, especially using a Baton Pass team, which already has a low margin for error, against a Sunny Day team.
But as the battle progressed, Zhou Yuan’s repeated predictions and judgments brightened Meng Boguang’s eyes. It wasn’t that he couldn’t do it himself, but even if he were in Zhou Yuan’s position, he couldn’t do better.
The direction of the bullet comments also shifted from the initial “Can they win?” to “ohhhhh,” until Zhou Yuan made his final switch and used Swords Dance in the video, at which point the bullet comments were overwhelmingly “ohhhhh.”
At the same time, there were also bullet comments calling back:
“Where’s that brother who said he’d eat the screen? Have you finished eating? Are you choking?”
Someone actually followed up with a reply:
“Choking, I’m choking to death (*⊙~⊙)”
But when Zhou Yuan’s words came out, both Meng Boguang outside the screen and the bullet comments inside the screen fell into a temporary silence. It wasn’t until Zhou Yuan finished speaking that the bullet comments began to erupt.
“Learned, learned!”
“Thanks for the blogger’s teaching, I’m going to confront my teacher now.”
“I’ve been hanging myself for ten minutes, but my Pokémon still don’t seem to want to save me.”
“Brother in front, have you ever thought that maybe your Pokémon think you like it that way?”
Meng Boguang was silent for a while, then finally blurted out a sentence: “Awesome.”
After the entire video finished playing, Meng Boguang looked at the neatly scrolling “Thank you, blogger, see you next time” on the screen, feeling a bit dazed. He had originally thought that it would be enough for A Yuan to produce a video of similar quality to the previous one, but he didn’t expect A Yuan to bring him such a big surprise.
This video provided many practical tactics and also contributed to the development of Bug-type Pokémon. Even A Yuan’s final words touched Meng Boguang himself.
Not to mention that A Yuan mentioned his name in the video, and the bullet comments at that time were all about wanting to challenge him. Meng Boguang could foresee that his Gym would welcome many Challengers in the coming period.
As he thought about it, Meng Boguang opened the comment section and began typing his thoughts:
“First of all, I’m very grateful to the blogger for bringing us these wonderful tactics.”
“From the blogger’s words in the video, it’s clear that the blogger is someone who has unique insights into the relationship between Pokémon and Trainer, and his insights are very useful for many novice Trainers. I also hope that every Trainer who watches this video can learn something from it.”
“If everyone can gain something from the video, then the purpose of my commissioning the blogger to make this video will have been achieved.”
“If everyone becomes interested in Bug-type Pokémon because of the blogger’s video and wants to raise Bug-type Pokémon, that would, of course, be an even better outcome. Please also treat your Pokémon well. As long as you believe in your Pokémon, you might just create miracles inadvertently.”
“Finally, all Trainers are welcome to challenge our Bug-type Gym. Bug-type Gym Badges can even add academic credits!”
After sending his comment, Meng Boguang opened his communication software and sent a message to Zhou Yuan:
“A Yuan, I watched the video. The quality is very high, surprisingly high. I had already planned what to give you as compensation, but now it seems it’s not enough. I need to raise your compensation by several levels.”
“Seeing how skilled you are in your insights, tactical arrangements, predictions, and rotations, you shouldn’t be an ordinary Trainer, right? But if you were a Gym Leader, I know all the Gym Leaders in the Yanhuang region, and there’s no one like you. After thinking it over, there’s only one conclusion.”
“You’re a lecturer at a university, aren’t you? You’re too young to be a professor, but this level of experience shouldn’t be something an ordinary student has. So, you’re most likely a teacher. Which school are you at? I’ll come find you in a while?”
Zhou Yuan was feeding Growlithe when he felt his phone vibrate. He picked it up and saw Meng Boguang sending him messages one after another.
“Why is Gym Leader Meng starting to make things up? I haven’t even said anything yet.”
Zhou Yuan was torn between laughter and tears as he replied to Meng Boguang:
“Meng Ge, you’ve got it wrong. I’m not a university lecturer. I’m at Shan City No. 2 Middle School.”
“Ah? No. 2 Middle School? A Yuan, my little brother, teaching in a middle school is a bit like a pearl being covered in dust, isn’t it? How about this, I’ll introduce you to a few universities. I’ll recommend you to them, and I believe they won’t refuse a talent like you.”
Meng Boguang felt a bit strange. Logically, someone with such awareness and ability would have already been hired by a Pokémon University. Even if their academic teaching ability was a bit lacking, they would still be more than qualified as a battle-oriented teacher.
Perhaps A Yuan hadn’t shown this side of his ability before, but it didn’t matter. As a Gym Leader, I, Old Meng, still know some people. Besides, with A Yuan’s ability, if I introduce him to those universities, they’ll owe me a favor.
Zhou Yuan was also stunned when he saw Gym Leader Meng’s reply. This misunderstanding was truly huge, and he had to clarify it as soon as possible.
After deliberating for a while, Zhou Yuan sent a message to Meng Boguang:
“Meng Ge, I’m actually a student. I’m not even an adult yet, so there’s no need to introduce me to work for now, haha. Thank you for your kindness, Meng Ge.”
After sending the message, Zhou Yuan waited for a long time, but there was no reply from the other side. He didn’t feel comfortable sending more messages to disturb Gym Leader Meng, so he simply continued feeding the puppy.
Growlithe: ヾ(ﾉ'﹃')ﾉ
Meanwhile, Meng Boguang, in Yun Dian City, was in shock.
“A… a student? From what he said, he’s still a high school student. This world is too crazy.”
After calming down for a while, Meng Boguang also thought of the most suitable reward for Zhou Yuan.
“A Yuan, do you want a starter Pokémon? Just say the word, and I’ll send it to you immediately.”
Are you a rancher too?
“Meng Ge, not for now. I already have a starter Pokémon. I’ll trouble you again when I need to catch my second Pokémon.”
“Good boy, Meng Ge will always have Pokémon ready for you. May I ask what your starter Pokémon is?”
“There’s nothing I can’t say. My starter Pokémon is Growlithe. But my family isn’t a wealthy one; I just have an elder who retired from the police force.”
Meng Boguang looked at the message and shook his head with a smile. This kid, if he were from a wealthy family, the compensation I give might not be easy to accept. Plus, with that last sentence, this kid just wants me not to have such a big psychological burden, and he’d be happy with just a little something. What a good kid.
He’s intelligent, capable, kind, considerate of others, and has a sincere heart that gets along well with Pokémon.
If it’s Growlithe, I’ll send him that.
“A Yuan, give me your address. I’ll send you something. This time, no more refusing. Consider it my reward for you directing traffic to my Gym in your video.”
Although the words were a bit convoluted, Zhou Yuan still understood Gym Leader Meng’s meaning. He thought about it and decided that what he said made sense. Plus, he indeed needed some resources to raise Growlithe. So he sent Gym Leader Meng his current address, which was Uncle Liu’s address.
Gym Leader Meng on the other side smiled again after seeing the address.
“I knew it, this kid is thinking of me. He’s already opened a ranch and still says he’s not from a wealthy family. This kid, I’ve found the loophole here, haven’t I?”
Gym Leader Meng’s impression of Zhou Yuan improved even further; it was now almost overflowing.
After sending the express package, Meng Boguang sent a message to Zhou Yuan:
“A Yuan, the compensation has been sent to you. It should arrive tomorrow. Please check for it.”
“Okay, thank you, Gym Leader Meng.”
After finishing his chat with Gym Leader Meng, Zhou Yuan held Growlithe in his left hand and Little Ka in his right, gently swaying them while singing a lullaby to the two puppies: “Rock-a-bye, rock-a-bye, to Grandma’s bridge we go. Grandma calls me her good baby…”