Tsukasa Ryogoku Tests Lolo Orifice’s Coaching in Pokémon Champions Tournament Prep

SPECIALITE — Tsukasa Ryogoku of Specialite’s first generation spent a three-and-a-half-hour stream drilling for the Specialite Pokémon Champions tournament, which she said is set for this Saturday at 5 p.m. About two hours in, Lolo Orifice, the Specialite member who organized the event, joined as her coach. By the end, Ryogoku said she could not yet tell every Pokémon apart but now understood how to fight with her team.

Ryogoku opened by saying she had been lost at the team meet-up the day before, unable even to work out what to ask, and had studied from that night onward, including until about 3 or 4 a.m. after the previous stream. She walked through her six Pokémon: Gholdengo, Tinkaton, Sylveon, Kangaskhan, Gyarados and Zoroark. Her Gholdengo holds a Choice Scarf, which lets it move first but locks it into one move, so she planned to use Trick to disable a strong opponent. She said her team is weak to Fire, Ground and Fighting types. She had written notes on three default lineups, one of them built around Gyarados for strong Fire types and another for Ground types, and said she would send Zoroark out only as a last resort, to play the clown.

“I feel like I’m shining the brightest right now of everyone entering this Pokémon Champions tournament.” — Tsukasa Ryogoku, during a battle after the coaching session

She then tried the plans in casual matches, winning some and losing others, with Fake Out as an opening move she vowed never to forget. When Ryogoku asked Lolo for advice, Lolo said it was the first time she had coached anyone, and that Ryogoku was her first student. Lolo told her the lineups were sound and that Zoroark might never need to come out, though simply sitting on the team could make opponents wary. Her main advice was to send Sylveon or Tinkaton first, pull back to Gyarados when a physical attacker appeared, and keep Gholdengo for the end to hit with Shadow Ball rather than Trick. She also said that looking up an opponent’s base stats shows whether it attacks physically or with special moves, and that Fake Out is safe to use almost always, except against Ghost types and Archaludon. Against Golisopod, she suggested Intimidate followed by Waterfall and some luck.

Back in battle, Ryogoku said she felt she was shining the brightest of anyone in the tournament, opening with Fake Out and sending in Gyarados. She said she would send the match to Lolo, asking her to watch it rather than the last one of the day. Chat greeted Lolo’s arrival with cheers for the teacher, and praised Ryogoku’s reads in the later battle.

Ryogoku ended the stream to prepare for another stream at 9 p.m. She said she wants to memorize the type matchups among her own six Pokémon before Saturday, when she expects to play last for her team, and added that she felt she had improved enough to be comfortable there.