Chapter 431: This Week's Gym Assessment: Downwind Team!

As Qingyu went live, a large batch of viewers instantly flooded into the livestream room.

【Wow wow wow wow! Teacher Yu, have you been this diligent lately? Becoming the eighth gym leader of Paldea really is different!】

【After all, your status is different now—other gym leaders and Elite Four members, when they come, wouldn't they have to shout "Teacher Yu"? On this matter of prestige, Teacher Yu is still quite persuasive hhh】

【After watching Teacher Yu's livestream yesterday using the encirclement tactic, today there's another gym challenge to watch—so satisfying~】

For Qingyu, making the gym challenge public in front of all the livestream viewers actually has quite a few benefits.

Since last week's livestream where he set an example for the viewers, he has rarely received similar criticisms like "Is your Sunshine Gym's difficulty too high? How are others supposed to pass?" or "Trash gym, just trying to disgust challengers, right?"

After all, every move of every challenger is being clearly watched by the livestream audience, which often numbers in the millions.

From the first-person perspective, the viewers finally understood why Qingyu sometimes feels mentally exhausted—

You're being so obviously lenient, yet these challenging students are all truly clueless!

Even the fact that open-book exams allow using the Pokédex to openly collect information started from that challenger last week named Wu Li, and gradually became a "little trick" used by Paldea's newcomers.

These students have been challenging for so long, yet they're still not as quick-witted as that little kid from Beixiang Village who had a sudden flash of inspiration……

Truly the worst batch Teacher Yu has ever taught!

Even the Sunshine Gym

But perhaps it's also because of this that they feel ashamed, and recently the challengers have all started grinding away—beyond battles, they've even begun memorizing the Pokédex……

In a sense, Qingyu has also succeeded in encouraging learning.

To pass his own gym assessment, these students' current effort level feels like it has far surpassed last year's, even reaching a point where Qingyu himself is somewhat shocked.

And the most direct impact of publicly livestreaming the gym challenge is——

The approval rating of his Sunshine Gym on the Alliance App has miraculously started to rise!

If he just keeps working hard, maybe he can slowly climb from being Paldea's absolute worst to becoming truly number one?

Thinking of this, Qingyu fills with determination.

From today onward, Northern Expedition!

At that very moment, a knocking sound quickly came from outside the gym.

"Knock knock knock——"

"Teacher Yu, I'm here to challenge the gym again!"

The energetic voice of a boy outside the door made Qingyu's lips unconsciously curl up slightly.

As expected, just as he predicted, the first challenger (victim) has arrived, hasn't he?

Qingyu quickly walked forward and opened the door, and soon a boy wearing the winter uniform of Orange Academy, not tall in stature, appeared before him.

He somehow feels a bit familiar……

"Kato?"

After a moment's thought, Qingyu uncertainly uttered a name.

【This name sounds so familiar, I feel like I've heard it before……】

【Wasn't it the one who challenged the gym with electric fireflies last week?】

【Pfft—, I remember now—using the spirit of mischief to punish mischief, only to be given a live makeup lesson by Teacher Yu, right?】

【Wow, this person is talented—actually came back to challenge so soon?】

Last week there was a little genius who used Mischief Heart Electric Firefly against Soul-Stealing Eye, so his name stuck in Qingyu's memory instead.

Even among the students who passed the Sunshine Gym assessment, none left as deep an impression as him.

Even quite a few bullet comments in the livestream have noted him down.

He could be considered somewhat famous on Qingyu's side……

"Yes, yes!"

The boy named Kato quickly showed an expression of being honored and surprised, his eyes seeming to glow with light.

Indeed, last week my performance still left an impression on Teacher Yu, didn't it!

Although it might not be the good kind……

But being able to remember myself through heaven-defying operations is, after all, something worth being proud of!

As long as I pass Teacher Yu's assessment this time, I can definitely leave him a good impression!

Thinking this, Kato fills with confidence.

One day, I too will become as strong as Teacher Yu!

Noticing his gaze, Qingyu roughly guesses what this little student is thinking.

Students of this age, indeed, all have a bit of chuunibyo in their bones……

But it's not necessarily a bad thing—precisely because the children of this world have a passionate, forward-rushing spirit, that's how so many young champions have emerged who sweep through the Alliance at a tender age.

"Then, Kato classmate, as the first challenger in this gym assessment, let's start with the questions."

"Yes!"

Kato nodded heavily.

As a "veteran oil slick" who has challenged the Sunshine Gym multiple times, this procedure is still very familiar to him.

Although Teacher Yu's assessment looks extremely difficult at first glance, he has also correspondingly let out a lot of water.

As long as he can, before the match, rely on a few example problems to see through the tactics Teacher Yu will use this week, he can gain a considerable advantage in the upcoming battle.

As Teacher Yu said, the strength gap in Pokémon battles is multifaceted—besides the difference in Pokémon strength, the disparity in trainer skill levels also leads to huge information gaps, making battles exceptionally difficult.

So, Teacher Yu uses this method to subtly make students realize this point, perhaps?

【To be honest, Sunshine Gym's signature mini-game is doing questions—when I first found out, I really wanted to laugh hhh】

【It's not that the students are uncompetitive—if they could all sense Teacher Yu's intention, there'd be no need to do questions, right!】

【Back when Sunshine Gym was still a regular gym, Teacher Yu's tactics were based on weekend livestreams; now that he's become the Champion's Path assessment official, advance leaking of questions really doesn't seem appropriate……】

So what kind of tactic will it be today? Single combat probably can't be used to surround, right?

Under the curious gaze of the audience in the live stream, Qingyu quickly took out a brand-new test paper and handed it to Kato, while the Rotom phone automatically aimed the camera at its content.

Kato took a deep breath, and before starting the questions, he took out his own Rotom phone and opened the Pokédex function.

As usual, the test paper still had five questions that were not particularly complex.

Question One: To boost a Pokémon's speed in battle, there are many methods—try listing three of them.

Question Two: If you want your teammates to also gain the speed-boosting effect, what other methods are there?

Question Three: What is the effect of the Wind Power trait of Thunderous Thunder Gull?

Question Four: Briefly describe how speed affects the power of Electric Ball moves.

Question Five: How to seize the initiative against an already activated Tailwind team?

After quickly reviewing the questions, Kato frowned, realizing the problems were not simple.

Although he is only a first-year student, through the Pokédex and his usual accumulation, he could quickly answer the first four questions.

So, Teacher Qingyu's questions today are already quite obvious—

Tailwind Team!

Although Qingyu did not specifically explain the practical use of this set of tactics in previous live streams, viewers who have watched a lot are certainly not unfamiliar with it.

Because Qingyu once mentioned an idea: using the Wind Wing trait of Arrow Arrow to achieve stable first-move Tailwind, thereby allowing teammates to always be one step ahead of opponents in double battles—a stable tactic.

However...

The application scenarios of Tailwind in double battles might be more numerous, right?

And the assessment on the Champion's Road is in single battle mode—activating Tailwind only gives oneself a speed boost; to let teammates benefit, active rotation is needed.

It seems like a loss no matter how you think about it?

While Kato was thinking this, the live stream's barrage quickly formed a similar opinion.

【Single battle Tailwind? Seems like I haven't seen Teacher Qingyu play it before—how did he suddenly pull out a new tactic!】

【There are actually quite a few gym leaders who play Tailwind—flying-type users on average are Tailwind masters. The Thunderous Thunder Gull hinted at in Teacher Qingyu's question is also one of the main forces of Miss Iono, the gym leader of Guangguang City. A Tailwind team indeed has decent destructive power……】

【Hahahaha, if Teacher Qingyu demonstrates this Tailwind team today, will Miss Iono end up getting hit even while lying down?】

【Iono: Oh no, they're coming for me!】

【Honestly, Teacher Qingyu seems to have let loose even more this time compared to last week's Underworld Tactics—this Tailwind team at least makes his plan obvious at a glance!】

The barrage began chatting loudly, and Qingyu beside them silently smiled.

I really haven't been wasting my time lately—this Tailwind system I brought out is already something these viewers can discuss and debate.

When I first started streaming, these barrage comments didn't even know how to break Trick Space, only knowing the stubborn move of Power Brick Fly.

Now they can actually analyze tactics proficiently and think about the feasibility of my team composition.

Their progress speed can be described as rocket-like.

Never mind whether they guessed right or wrong—just say whether they thought about it or not!

Once they form a basic battle awareness, their proficiency with more teams will naturally improve, and their level will rise accordingly.

"Teacher Qingyu, I've got it!"

While Qingyu was pondering, Kato, who had been meditating with his head down, suddenly clapped his hands and showed an expression of sudden understanding.

"I know how to clear this gym challenge now!"

Seeing Kato's confident expression, Qingyu immediately became interested.

"Go on."

"Sure!"

Kato nodded, and as he walked with Qingyu toward the battle field outside the gym, he excitedly shared his idea:

"The core of a Tailwind team is to speed up our side—if the incoming Pokémon isn't especially slow, we can generally maintain a speed advantage over opponents."

"Since that's the case, I'll just use Trick Space to handle it!"

"Because of Trick Space's effect, the faster a Pokémon is, the slower it acts—so we can completely reverse the pressure on opponents!"