Pokemon: Cheat System

"Uh…"

After receiving a private message from Red, Kai was momentarily at a loss… or perhaps overwhelmed with surprise?

Red, though not the most talkative, had sent a straightforward message expressing his admiration for Kai's videos and streams, and his desire to be friends.

Was this a golden opportunity?

A super golden opportunity!

Even Kai himself felt it was somewhat surreal.

To be honest, the sleep-inducing strategy using Butterfree wasn't exactly a high-level tactic. 

The audience's amazement was simply due to the gap in perspective between game players and actual trainers. 

In his previous life, players with access to vast amounts of information could easily outmaneuver trainers who had to figure things out on their own.

However, online battles and real Pokémon battles were two entirely different things. 

The latter tested a trainer's skills in ways that the former couldn't, especially when considering the effort required to raise and train Pokémon. 

The difficulty of real battles far surpassed that of online ones.

Kai wasn't exactly a tactical genius either. At best, he had some unconventional battle instincts and could barely make a living by streaming online battles.

Who would've thought that his decision to start streaming to fill his empty wallet would catch the attention of Red, a top-tier legend?

"Well, maybe I can use this to help deal with Groudon and Kyogre."

With a quick thought, Kai decided to seize this opportunity.

A golden opportunity handed to him on a silver platter—why not take it?

After all, he was already carrying the grudges of two ancient Pokémon. 

Kai wasn't afraid of Red showing up with a Poké Ball to challenge him. If it came to that, he'd just go with the flow… What's a few more pursuers?

Besides, if Red wanted a battle, Kai couldn't fight him directly, but Groudon and Kyogre, who might return at any moment, would make excellent high-quality opponents—or rather, punching bags. Their firepower would surely satisfy Red's thirst for battle.

"Perfect, I'm starting to understand everything."

Having endured the pressure from Groudon and Kyogre for so long, Kai was almost moved to tears by Red's message.

Truly, the 'Battle Virtuoso' was amazing.

As his thoughts raced, Kai looked at Red's golden ID with a gaze filled with genuine reverence and gratitude, as if he were looking at a savior.

"Alright!"

With a slap on his thigh, Kai quickly responded to Red's message.

The two also added each other as friends on Line.

Afterward, Kai thought for a moment and decided to share some of his upcoming plans with Red.

[I'm planning to head to the Hoenn region soon to take care of some business. If you're interested, Mr. Red, you might want to keep an eye on the news during this time.]

Yes, to deal with the system's mission, Kai decided not to sit idly by.

While steadily improving Caterpie's strength, he needed to actively seek new ways to break the deadlock… Heading to the Cave of Origin to find the real Rayquaza seemed like the most reasonable and effective solution at the moment.

Meanwhile, upon seeing Kai's message, Red was slightly surprised.

"I remember the Hoenn region had some trouble with Groudon and Kyogre not long ago. Rayquaza also appeared, and Team Magma and Team Aqua, who awakened them, are still missing. Steven and Wallace have been worried about this for days."

Frowning, Red pondered Kai's words: "He says he's going to the Hoenn region and wants me to keep an eye on the news… Could he be targeting this incident?"

"Uh…"

Hearing Red's words, Yellow, who was beside him, also looked confused. "But… didn't the chat say that this streamer had already traveled to the Hoenn region recently? He just had bad luck running into Groudon and Kyogre's battle, which ruined his trip, so he returned to the Dayan Region?"

"I know about that."

Red nodded in response to Yellow's words.

"So why is he planning to go back to the Hoenn region now?"

"Maybe he has his own reasons. Powerful trainers often do unusual things…"

Truth be told, Red didn't fully understand Kai's actions either. However, considering that many top trainers in the world had their own quirks—and that he himself wasn't exactly normal—Red quickly let it go.

Steven voluntarily stepped down as Champion to go dig for rocks.

Diantha was obsessed with movies and acting.

Alder loved jumping off cliffs dozens of meters high to scare new trainers…

Compared to them, Kai's habit of wandering around seemed almost normal.

"The screen hasn't moved for a few minutes. What's Kai doing?"

"Why isn't he saying anything?"

"Oh no, is Kai making some shady deal with Red?"

Meanwhile, as Kai remained silent for a long time, the chat in his stream started to get restless, with viewers spouting all sorts of wild theories.

Realizing that staying silent wasn't a good look, Kai quickly started the next battle… As Butterfree's Sleep Powder rained down, a few more players on the platform were left unable to sleep.

The viewers' attitude toward this "dirty" strategy gradually shifted from complaints to acceptance.

Everyone seemed to be enjoying the thrill of using underhanded tactics through Kai's stream… Losing didn't matter, but winning made their day.

"Alright, that's about it for today's stream. See you next time."

Glancing at the clock, Kai felt tired and decided to wrap things up.

"Today's strategy isn't too hard to pull off. The core of it, Butterfree, evolves from Caterpie, which is a common Pokémon, so raising one isn't too difficult. Besides Sleep Powder, it can learn useful support moves like Tailwind, Rage Powder, and Pollen Puff. Pair those with some survival skills and items, and it's a solid support choice. If you're interested, give it a try and challenge some Gym Leaders."

Before ending the stream, Kai shared some tips on using Butterfree.

"Using dirty tactics and teaching others to do the same—Kai's definitely the king of underhanded strategies. So dirty."

"I hate two kinds of people: those who use dirty tactics and those who won't let me use dirty tactics."

"LOL, classic double standards from a Pokémon trainer."

"Didn't one player disconnect after getting three of their Pokémon put to sleep?"

"That player's ready for a real fight. Kai, you better run!"

"Compound Eyes Sleep Powder—putting everyone to sleep. Butterfree, the ultimate troll."

"The best."

Kai chuckled, ignoring the playful comments in the chat.

"If I have enough time in the future, besides Butterfree, I'll try to bring you more strategies for Pokémon that are often labeled as 'weak,' to show that even they have their strengths."

As he spoke, Kai's expression turned serious.

"Everyone, remember this: there's no such thing as a useless Pokémon, only trainers who can't bring out their potential."

At this point, Kai couldn't help but glance out the window.

Caterpie, who had been practicing 'Dragon Ascent' in the yard, was now lying exhausted on the soft grass, eyes closed, taking a short break.

The energy blocks Kai had prepared for Caterpie were also gone.

After all, Dragon Ascent was Rayquaza's signature move, and its Flying-type nature meant that even though Caterpie's species was gradually deviating from its original form, its stamina wasn't enough to sustain repeated high-intensity use of the move. Rest and refueling were necessary.

"Sigh…"

Thinking about how Caterpie had been pushing itself to master 'Dragon Ascent' while he was busy streaming to make money, Kai's smile turned bittersweet, and he let out a sigh of sympathy.

"In the future, I might try some new streaming formats, like a solo Caterpie run through Viridian Grove. Stay tuned for that. See you next time."

After teasing the viewers with a preview of future streams, Kai, true to his craft, quickly ended the broadcast, leaving the chat in an uproar.

"That was such a smooth sign-off. How many times have you done this?"

"Wait, why is there suddenly a white screen?"

"I initially came for the memes, but this streamer actually has some skills. Both his gameplay and personality are solid. I've learned a lot."

"The streamer's got a great mindset. He doesn't just chase after powerful Pokémon. Besides the theory, he can actually pull off impressive strategies with Pokémon like Butterfree."

"Of course, Kai's a trainer endorsed by Red!"

"Tears."

The chat had a strong reaction to Kai's final words.

At least some people had taken his message to heart.

Most viewers weren't from wealthy backgrounds, and their starter Pokémon were of average quality, so they could relate to Kai's words.

After all, this was someone who could consistently take down Gym Leaders with a Butterfree. A skilled trainer was always worth trusting.

Unknowingly, many viewers had developed a sense of anticipation for Kai's streams, eagerly awaiting his next broadcast…