Chapter 17: The Progenitor Little Bird: I Have No Idea!?

A dazzling tri-colored light flashed, and among the feathers swirling through the air, the stamina bar above the Cubchoo instantly dropped to zero. It lost its ability to fight and was automatically recalled into its Poké Ball.

The battle interface reappeared. Both Couturier and Cynthia were down to their last remaining active Poké Ball.

This meant the battle had reached its final stage.

At this very moment, it was clear that the situation was quite unfavorable for Cynthia.

As the ace Pokémon of her team and the crucial element in this gym battle, the Cubchoo hadn’t even had the chance to use any moves before being instantly defeated by the Ancient Bird!

Though type disadvantage was a factor, that attack was not a critical hit. This alone was enough to reveal just how ridiculously powerful the Ancient Bird’s physical attack was.

Moreover, the last Pokémon left on Cynthia’s team, Grovyle, was also countered by the recent wing attack.

Seeing this, Cynthia’s heart sank.

Of course.

As the challenger, she could tailor her team to counter the gym leader’s types.

But conversely, the gym leader would have had ample time to prepare countermeasures in advance.

This Pokémon called the Ancient Bird was evidently a Flying and Rock type, and Flying types naturally counter Fighting and Grass types, which happened to be the weaknesses of Rock types.

It was the key defensive linchpin in Couturier’s strategy.

Cynthia shook her head slightly, realizing she likely wouldn’t be able to pass this time either.

Grovyle’s speed and physical defense were actually a bit lower than Cubchoo’s. Given both were at a type disadvantage, if Cubchoo couldn’t hold its own, Grovyle definitely wouldn’t stand a chance.

Still, the second challenge had been quite successful. Not only had she defeated two of Couturier’s Pokémon, but she had also seen the opponent’s last hidden card.

Or rather, every Pokémon in Couturier’s team was formidable and could serve as a trump card.

She only needed to decide how to deploy these three Pokémon depending on the opponent’s lineup.

With this thought, Cynthia prepared to exit the game and end the battle early.

After all, not long ago, she had promised Grovyle that she would find a way to bring out its strengths and avoid facing unfavorable type matchups as much as possible.

But in the next moment, the game screen suddenly shifted.

A red-and-white Poké Ball popped up suddenly and shook violently in front of her.

“Your Pokémon Grovyle wishes to take the initiative and battle!”

“Do you want to respond to its expectation?”

Seeing this, she was momentarily stunned.

The Poké Ball continued to shake, as if urging her on.

Her gaze hardened.

If her Pokémon wanted to battle, then as a trainer, how could she possibly avoid it?

Even if she lost, she must do so without regrets!

Backing down in the face of a strong opponent had never been her style. At the very least, she had to try once.

If she lost, next time she would return with her Pokémon and win back her honor.

With that, Cynthia pressed confirm. A flash of white light, and Grovyle appeared!

“Grovyle, the opponent is strong. You must give it your all!” she urged quickly via the interaction key.

“Cha-mo!” Grovyle responded with a spirited cry, full of fighting spirit.

In the next moment, Cynthia selected “Mega Drain!”

This was Grovyle’s most powerful move against Rock-type Pokémon and the highest power move it currently knew. Even without confirming if the opponent had Flying type, this was the best choice for the moment.

However, the next moment, Grovyle’s body did not glow with the usual emerald green light.

Instead, the Ancient Bird transformed again into a tri-colored flash and swiftly struck Grovyle with a fierce double wing beat!

Its speed was higher than Grovyle’s, granting it the right to move first.

Two notifications popped up simultaneously.

“The Ancient Bird used Wing Attack! It was highly effective!”

“Critical hit!”

This scene caused an outcry in the live chat.

“It’s over, it definitely can’t withstand this hit.”

“Yeah, this guy’s damage was already high, and it counters Grovyle. With a critical hit, it’s an instant knockout!”

“Looks like we’ll have to wait for the next time. But to get this far, the streamer really did their best…”

Meanwhile, Grovyle’s health plummeted rapidly to zero, continuing to drop at a shocking rate.

There was no doubt: its body simply couldn’t endure that attack.

Yet at this very moment, Cynthia, almost by reflex, pressed the E key and shouted loudly:

“Hold on! Grovyle! I believe in you!”

The words caught even herself by surprise.

It was just a game, after all… so why had she acted so instinctively?

Perhaps…

She really wanted to stand behind Grovyle right now, just like a true trainer, offering support and encouragement.

Cynthia shook her head slightly, her eyes reflecting a swirl of complex emotions.

Though this action seemed inexplicable, even if she could rewind two seconds, she would do the same.

Though… it might not have any real effect…

But in the very next instant...

“Buzz!!!”

A dazzling flame-like glow flickered in Grovyle’s eyes!

Bright, rainbow-colored text suddenly burst forth, accompanied by stirring music!

“At this critical moment, Grovyle responded to your expectations!!”

“Grovyle miraculously withstood the fatal attack. Could this be the bond between trainer and Pokémon?!”

Grovyle’s health bar flickered like a candle in the wind until only a sliver remained...

Then it abruptly stopped.

It did not faint!

In the next moment...

“Cha-mo!!”

With a roar from Grovyle, a powerful deep green light surged over its body, countless shimmering emerald specks swirling like a storm toward the Ancient Bird!

“Grovyle’s Overgrow ability activated!”

“Critical hit!”

Overgrow’s effect doubles the power of Grass-type moves when HP falls below one-third.

Combined with the double damage from a critical hit...

A quadruple damage effect was triggered, and the Ancient Bird’s health instantly vanished, completely wiped out!

“The Ancient Bird has lost the ability to battle!”

The last Poké Ball icon above Couturier’s head dimmed, declaring Cynthia’s victory!

Then a prompt appeared:

“Huh? Grovyle’s appearance??”

A brilliant rainbow-like glow suddenly enveloped Grovyle’s body.

Within the radiance, Grovyle’s form blurred and began transforming rapidly!

—This was unmistakably the light of evolution!

Bathed in dazzling, multicolored light, Grovyle’s appearance underwent a complete transformation!

Its body grew taller and more slender, with a long leaf extending from its head to its back. Two forked, emerald green triangular leaves flanked its arms like weapons.

“Congratulations! Your Pokémon Grovyle has successfully evolved into Sceptile!”

As Grovyle finished evolving, Couturier appeared.

“That was a splendid battle. The bond between you and your Pokémon transcended even the hardness of rock, and I am truly impressed.”

“Here is the Kanaz Badge. With this, higher-level Pokémon will obey your commands. Also, take this…”

Couturier handed Cynthia a silver badge and then produced a disc.

“This is a TM—Rock Slide. Use it to deal damage to opponents while restricting their movement and lowering their speed. Make sure to use it well.”

“I look forward to our next match. Next time, I won’t lose!”

...

After speaking, Couturier left, marking the end of Cynthia’s gym battle.

Yet the live chat remained silent for a long moment, everyone immersed in the battle they had just witnessed, unable to recover.

After a few seconds of blank screen, the chat exploded with messages flooding the screen!

“666666, two wins in a row!!”

“No way, this game actually has a ‘bond HP lock’ mechanic?!”

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have doubted Miss Cynthia interacting with her Pokémon during the battle. I was wrong.”

“Ancient Bird: I didn’t stand a chance. They were shouting about bonds and friendship and just charged right at me...”

...

Meanwhile, Cynthia sat stunned in front of the screen, staring at the Kanaz Badge hanging over her character’s chest and the newly evolved Sceptile beside her, speechless for a time.

After a long moment, she pressed the interaction key and patted Sceptile on the back.

“You did great! Sceptile, and—congratulations, you’re stronger than before now!”

“Cha—”

Sceptile responded with a slightly proud expression, pouting. Clearly, its personality hadn’t changed much after evolving.

Cynthia looked at it and suddenly smiled.

—The trust and bond between trainer and Pokémon?

A profound sense of recognition surged within her heart.

Yes, few people knew this was the greatest power of all, bar none.

Without the bond between Pokémon and trainer, no matter how strong their raw power, they could never even unleash half their true potential!

She reached out and brushed back her hair.

This game really kept bringing her more and more surprises.

Well then...

She would continue on her journey.

Who knew what other challenges awaited her ahead?

She guided her character out of the gym.

...

At the same time, in the Kanto region, in Tokiwa City.

Ling Feng stretched lazily in front of his computer, letting out a long sigh.

He had to admit, ever since purchasing the efficiency boost module, his game development speed had significantly increased.

Within just a few hours, he had successfully completed the maps and NPCs for Bud Town, the Bud Gym, and the cave above the gym.

He had also taken the opportunity to create the nearby waterways and the sunken ship. Although players couldn’t access these early on, they would be needed later.

After uploading the new content, Ling Feng stood up.

Bud Town, home to the second gym challenge, wasn’t very large and had relatively little story content.

But the cave above it was the main event. According to his design, it involved the key character “Dai,” and Ling Feng had slipped in a little surprise.

However, players would only simply meet Dai there, just enough to get familiar with him.

Whether the surprise would be discovered depended on the player’s skill.

Speaking of which, after Bud Town and the cave, the next gym to challenge would be the Shijin City Gym.

Between Shijin City and Bud Town, there was another city: “Kaina City.”

Ling Feng planned to arrange a battle there between the player and the “rivals” Jin Yi and Shinji.

He hadn’t forgotten the childhood trauma from when he first played Emerald, choosing Marshtomp as his starter and arriving at the bridge above Kaina City, eager to challenge the next gym—only to be suddenly swept away by his rival’s Sceptile.

That had been one of his childhood shadows.

So naturally, Ling Feng wanted players in this world to “serve time” in that experience… or rather, to “experience” it fully.

With that in mind, Ling Feng stretched again.

Tonight he would finish the map and NPC battles around Kaina City. Tomorrow, he would work on Shijin City’s content.

For now, he would take a break and check how his game was selling.

He opened the sales backend and was stunned by the numbers.

“Over nine thousand copies sold already??”

Though the number didn’t seem huge, it had only been two days since the game launched.

During that time, Ling Feng hadn’t done any promotion.

The day Cynthia streamed the game, sales only increased by 2,000 copies.

This indicated the game was gradually spreading in the gaming community!

The upcoming sales growth would be exponential, increasing rapidly!

“Over nine thousand copies… at 288 each, after taxes and cuts, that’s at least over two million in revenue, right?”

Ling Feng muttered to himself, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

Two million!

Since crossing over, when had he ever been this rich?

He planned to withdraw the money soon and move out of this shabby rental with his Litwick.

While chuckling to himself, he suddenly remembered something important.

—With so many copies sold, he must have gained a good amount of emotion points, right?

He immediately opened the system panel and looked up.

The information refreshed quickly.

“Ding! The host has received emotional points from key characters ‘Cynthia,’ ‘Shiju,’ and ‘Professor Okido,’ reflecting surprise, curiosity, approval, and anger.”

“The three characters provided 80, 100, and 50 points respectively.”

Staring at the prompt, Ling Feng was momentarily stunned.

“Professor Okido??”

“That old guy… he actually plays games too?”

Imagining the scene, he clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, that really is… old but still vigorous…”