Chapter 13: Then and There, Here and Now (4K) (Please Continue Reading QAQ)

This time, it took Cynthia a full thirty seconds to clearly explain the matter to Professor Oak.

After listening, Professor Oak looked utterly incredulous.

“Is something like this really possible?”

Previously, Cynthia had asked him to gather any information or clues about this Sky Dragon. Yet, despite Oak mobilizing all his resources and contacts to visit, inquire, and search ancient texts in the Hoenn region, he found nothing at all.

—Not even a single hair related to this mythical Pokémon.

But now Cynthia was telling him she had seen this legendary creature on the cover of a video game?

After a brief moment of disbelief, Professor Oak’s excitement quickly surged.

—The creator of this game didn’t just faithfully recreate the appearance of a fossil Pokémon but even used Rayquaza’s image for the cover art. This meant that the developer might possess much more information about rare Pokémon!

Moreover, the ability to produce such an accurate reconstruction of an ancient Pokémon proved that his expertise in fossil research far surpassed that of Oak and his team of researchers.

If only they could recruit this person or collaborate with him...

At that thought, Professor Oak’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.

“What’s the name of that game again? I want to give it a try.”

“Huh? Professor, you’re going to play too?” Cynthia was stunned on the other end of the call.

It wasn’t surprising—after all, Professor Oak was nearly seventy years old. The term “video games” hardly seemed to be in his generational vocabulary.

“Why? Just because my body’s old doesn’t mean my spirit is,” Oak chuckled over the phone. “Back in the day, I was a trainer just as skilled as you.”

Hearing this, Cynthia recalled that the world-renowned professor was once a champion-level trainer himself, before his passion for Pokémon led him down the path of research.

“In that case, I’ll send you the webpage link later, Professor,” Cynthia said. “But this game might be a bit challenging and requires serious dedication.”

“Heh, it’s just a game. What’s so difficult about that?” Oak laughed heartily. “Don’t underestimate this old man. I actually sneak in some gaming time now and then. This won’t be too hard.”

“Don’t worry, if I manage to clear it first, I’ll be sure to share that guy’s contact info with you.”

“Thanks a lot, Professor,” Cynthia replied.

For some reason, she found Professor Oak’s confident demeanor strangely familiar.

Isn’t this just like how she felt when she first started playing Emerald?

...

After ending the call with Professor Oak, Cynthia turned her attention back to Qishu’s live stream.

Watching for a while, she finally understood why the first Pokémon in the Rock-type gym, Lileep, was so challenging.

It not only possessed extraordinary resistances but also held an item that continuously restored its health. With the move Recover, it could restore half its HP, and combined with the status control from Confuse Ray, it was a truly tenacious opponent.

However, as a champion well-versed in many battles, Cynthia had encountered such Pokémon before. Some advanced trainers focused on defensive counterattacks, nurturing their Pokémon to endure and outlast opponents through high defense and recovery.

With her own team, facing such a Pokémon would not be too difficult.

But this was a game—and an early-stage game at that—where the Pokémon available to capture and train were quite limited. The difficulty of dealing with Lileep here was undoubtedly magnified dozens of times.

When Qishu’s Spinarak, confused, bit itself and fainted after losing its last health point, Cynthia couldn’t help but chuckle and turned off the stream.

She knew she shouldn’t laugh, but seeing Qishu blush furiously and stand at attention was too amusing to resist.

From watching the stream, Cynthia picked up crucial information.

The next gym was Rock-type, so she could prepare in advance.

For her Grovyle, this was good news—grass types have an advantage over rock types.

But she wasn’t confident Grovyle could overcome Lileep, whose typing seemed to be Grass/Rock. Because of the mutual resistance among grass types, Grovyle’s grass moves wouldn’t be as effective.

Therefore, she had to find a way to raise a Pokémon capable of countering Lileep.

Still, the most pressing issue was the tough rival waiting for her at the end of the route—the black-haired boy.

If she couldn’t get past him, she wouldn’t even make it out of the beginner village, let alone reach the gym.

With this in mind, Cynthia reopened her camera and microphone, sat back at her computer, and apologized to her viewers:

“Thank you all for waiting~ Sorry, I had to make a quick phone call.”

【No problem! We’ll wait as long as you need!】

---

The Pokémon Emerald game window finally popped up.

But instead of the usual opening animation, a notification box appeared.

Cynthia stared at the message inside, momentarily stunned.

An update notice?

Moreover, judging by the timestamp in the top-left corner, it seemed the update had just been released a few minutes ago.

Curious, she read:

【Dear players, please note the game has been updated! Current version: 0.2】

【Update details as follows:】

【1. Added a “Weather” system. In-game weather will change depending on region and time. Weather effects will influence outdoor battles and activate some non-battle mechanisms. Players are encouraged to explore.】

【2. Further enhanced the AI intelligence of Pokémon and NPCs, giving them more distinct personalities.】

【3. Optimized visual effects for Pokémon move animations, making them more impressive.】

【4. The map has expanded to “Battle City.” After clearing the first gym, players can proceed to Battle Island for the second gym challenge!】

...

Upon reading these updates, Cynthia was surprised.

If she recalled correctly, this game had only been released two days ago, hadn’t it?

How had there already been two updates in such a short time?

As she pondered, her eyes suddenly locked onto the second item.

Wait a moment.

—What does "enhanced AI" mean?

Since when did this game secretly have AI integrated?

...

Having played the battle road for over a year, Cynthia knew how difficult it was to implement intelligent AI in games.

Even big companies like Game Freak spent enormous time and resources to add AI to some PvE characters, but results were often underwhelming and riddled with bugs.

After all, AI was still a newly emerging field worldwide, and deep development in this area was extremely challenging for gaming companies.

Yet this Pokémon Emerald game—just one day apart—it suddenly boasted AI?

If it were any other game, Cynthia wouldn’t believe it.

But for this “Pokémon Emerald,” it was a different story.

She trusted that if the developer claimed it had AI, then it most likely did.

As Cynthia thought this, the chat began to flood with messages.

【What? There’s really AI?】

【Anyone who bought the game, please confirm if it’s true!】

【Don’t bother asking. Those who bought it are too busy playing to watch the stream. You know how fun this game is.】

【Is it love for the streamer keeping me here? No, it’s poverty preventing me from buying the game…】

Some viewers who had watched Qishu’s stream confirmed:

【There really is AI, and it’s super smart!】

【You’ll see for yourselves soon.】

The game’s debut stream had already exceeded most viewers’ expectations. Now, hearing about an AI feature added just a day later...

Even with proof from the stream, some viewers still found it hard to believe.

While the crowd doubted, Cynthia re-entered the game and moved her character out of the Pokémon Center.

She glanced at the on-screen prompt.

“Press E to voice or input commands to interact...”

Muttering to herself, she suddenly noticed Grovyle’s expression beside her had subtly changed.

Unlike the usual cool demeanor Grovyle always displayed, now it stood with narrowed eyes, arms crossed, chewing on a twig, clearly displeased.

Though pixelated, the graphics were refined enough for Cynthia to tell that her Grovyle was in a bit of a sulk.

Seeing this, she pressed E to try and pet Grovyle’s head.

---

The next moment, as the character reached out, Grovyle stepped back and jumped away!

“Chamo—”

It even let out a sound full of disdain.

The chat viewers were stunned.

Then the messages exploded.

【Holy crap! There really is AI! What’s the difference from a real Pokémon?】

【Hahaha, lost twice in a row, no wonder it’s upset!】

【Is this pre-programmed? Like it triggers after losing repeatedly to someone?】

...

Everyone’s focus varied, but Cynthia simply took a deep breath and pressed E again.

This time, she didn’t input a command but spoke sincerely:

“Grovyle, I’m really sorry about the losses earlier. It wasn’t your fault in those two battles.”

“I’ll work on improving our team so you won’t have to fight under type disadvantage but can instead showcase your strengths.”

“More than that, I promise that one day, no matter how strong or difficult the opponent Pokémon, you’ll be able to stand your ground!”

“So, please give me another chance, okay?”

After she finished, she stared intently at the Grovyle on the screen.

The Pokémon turned its head toward her character, slightly curled its lips, and softly wagged its tail, discreetly stepping closer.

“Chamo, cha.”

With this somewhat dissatisfied call, a message popped up on the screen:

【It seems Grovyle reluctantly agrees with you, but you’ll need to prove it through your actions.】

【Also, it warns you that if you send it against Fire-type Pokémon again, it will go on strike.】

The chat erupted once more.

If there had been any doubts about the AI’s authenticity, now they were gone.

How else could the game produce such rapid, precise, and genuine reactions?

【Damn, this AI is too advanced! It’s like a real Pokémon!】

【Even the narrator must be AI-powered, right?】

【This Grovyle is so tsundere, I love it. So that’s what it means for Pokémon to have unique personalities...】

【This makes Game Freak’s battle road AI look like a joke! Their stuff is basically artificial stupidity compared to this!】

...

Meanwhile, Cynthia was slightly dazed by Grovyle’s response.

Memories long buried suddenly surfaced.

Years ago, when she first received her starter Pokémon, she was just an ordinary little girl.

Back then, her Gible wasn’t the powerful and imposing Pokémon it was now, but a freshly hatched baby.

During an important early battle against a peer trainer, she had lost due to poor commands.

After the battle, Gible, like this Grovyle, stood with its hands on its hips, head held high, clearly sulking.

But young Cynthia immediately made a promise.

“Gible, don’t be mad... I shouldn’t have given those commands.”

“I’ll work hard to improve my skills and won’t hold you back, I promise!”

“One day, we’ll become really strong—stronger than any other trainer!”

These words made Gible curl its lips and grunt begrudgingly before coming closer.

What happened afterward is needless to say.

She eventually fulfilled that promise.

And now...

Looking at the Grovyle standing there with its arms behind its head and a pouty face, Cynthia let out a soft laugh.

At this moment, wasn’t this just like back then?

Could it be said that she had become a trainer once again?