Chapter 27: A Cinematic Cutscene of Astonishing Quality, Cynthia’s Martial Journey!

Page (1/3)

Staring at those two lines of prompts, Kishu was clearly a bit dazed. Honestly, she was pretty confused right now. An Electivire Mega Stone? What was that? — What did it mean by being able to play a unique role in battle? It was obvious she had never heard of such an item before. But according to the hints in the game, this should be an exclusive held item for Electivire, right? Or perhaps it was a consumable that could provide instant bonuses during battle? Whatever the case, since it was usable by Electivire, she decided to keep it for now. When Mareep evolved into Electivire, she would try equipping it and see how it worked. Thinking this through, Kishu shook her head slightly. She was helping this NPC not for the reward; even if he gave her nothing, she was doing it voluntarily. After all... who could resist helping a father desperately searching for his missing daughter? ... Meanwhile, in Tokiwagi City, Ling Feng, exhausted after finishing the day’s game content, lay down on his bed. The Candle Spirit hadn’t returned yet, probably out having fun somewhere. It wasn’t even midnight, but he couldn’t fall asleep, so he took out his phone and opened Kishu’s livestream to check on her game progress. Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered, he saw the moment she obtained the Electivire Mega Stone. This surprised Ling Feng. In this world, people weren’t very advanced in Pokémon development, so naturally, they were unaware of Mega Evolution. Thus, Ling Feng had prepared and planned some features in the game: not only would hidden Mega Evolution stones be scattered in various regions, but while creating the content for Kanaz City, he had added a small house in the lower left corner with an NPC searching for his daughter. Players willing to pay more than 10,000 in-game currency to help him would receive a Mega Evolution stone for any eligible Pokémon in their party. If the party had no Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution, a random stone would be given. On the surface, exchanging 10,000 for a Mega Evolution stone seemed like an absolute steal, but in fact, triggering this reward was quite difficult. It tested the player’s empathy and kindness. In the early stages of the game, earning such a sum was no easy feat. Someone like Kishu, who had thoroughly explored Kanaz City, had just barely earned over 10,000. These were all one-time earnings! Without this money, entering the next region would be extremely tough—unable to buy healing or status items, progress would be severely hindered. Therefore, very few would be willing to spend so much to help an NPC in-game. Yet, Kishu had done it! And her kindness had brought her the deserved reward. … That’s what you call good deeds being rewarded, right? Ling Feng’s lips curved slightly into a smile. He couldn’t help but look forward to Kishu’s reaction when she first succeeds in Mega Evolving Electivire. But to perform Mega Evolution, the Mega Stone alone wasn’t enough; another key item, the Key Stone, was required. Only by combining the two could the Mega Stone unleash its mysterious bonding power, allowing the Pokémon to Mega Evolve. — When should he arrange for players to obtain this item? Ling Feng pondered deeply. ... Meanwhile, on the Psyduck platform, Cynthia’s livestream reactivated. She sat before the screen, her gaze serious. Today was supposed to be a day off, but an abnormal disturbance had occurred in the Sinnoh region’s secret area in the afternoon, posing considerable danger, forcing her to intervene. After resolving the issue, much of the day had passed. There might be another mission tomorrow, so tonight she needed to push forward her game progress as much as possible. Cynthia took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Undoubtedly, with her understanding as Champion, her progress was likely among the top. But as videos of Pokémon Emerald and various news spread online, more and more players had purchased the game. Among them were those who would sit in front of their screens 24/7, eager to dive into the game completely... Page (1/3)

Page (2/3)

By comparison, her available playtime was too limited... If not for these recent incidents that truly required her intervention, she might have applied for a few days off from the League... But she decided to make the most of every minute instead. With this thought, her game launched successfully, and a large crowd of viewers flooded back into the livestream chat. [Nana sis, latest news, next-door Kishu just found hidden items in Kanaz City for a long time and earned over 20,000 in one go!] [Big Daren, you actually dared to encourage the Champion to scavenge for trash!] [What’s wrong with scavenging? There’s a mysterious streamer using a trash-throwing strategy on the Battle Road today, 15 consecutive wins with a zero-spending team. Do you even understand the value of scavenging?] ... Cynthia glanced at the barrage of comments, feeling a little puzzled. Battle Road? Zero-spend streamer? Trash-throwing strategy? Never mind, ever since Pokémon Emerald’s release, Battle Road wasn’t as important anymore. She didn’t even have the heart to log on. Still, through these messages, she got one piece of information: near every city, there were hidden items to pick up or NPCs who could offer rewards after interactions. Now that she had taken the ferry with Grandpa Boji to advance her progress, going back to Kanaz City was out of the question. She could only keep an eye out for items along the way during her journey. Actively searching for them? She decided against it. Lost in thought, Cynthia suddenly noticed her screen went black. Then, a video CG began playing. This time, it wasn’t pixel art but a high-definition, high-frame-rate, flawless video—like a movie! — Clear skies and an endless, vast ocean rippled with white waves. A small boat leisurely sailed across the sea. In the sky, countless blue-and-white long-winged gulls joyfully fluttered, occasionally swooping down to snatch fresh fish from the water. Agate jellyfish drifted with the waves, a few goldfish leapt out, splashing water... The soft, soothing music paired with this dreamlike scene made Cynthia feel almost dazed. She even sensed a sea breeze blowing gently against her face... After a few seconds, the scene faded, and the in-game boat docked at a pier, bringing her back to reality. Was that just a game CG? The quality... the special effects... For a moment, she felt as if she were truly on the ocean! As Cynthia marveled, the chat exploded with messages. [Whoa, what kind of quality is this? Is this just a cutscene?] [I really felt like I was on a boat...] [Now I understand what burning budget means. That segment probably cost at least a million to make.] [If even a cutscene looks this good, why bother making a game? Just make a movie! With visuals like these, I’d watch it no matter the story!] ... Amid the flurry of comments, Cynthia slowly regained her composure. She thought she had some understanding and mental preparation for the game’s quality, but every new feature still managed to surprise her! With that, she shook her head slightly. According to the story, Cynthia helped an old man named Hatch in a tunnel above Kanaz City by retrieving his Wingull from Team Aqua members, earning his free ferry service to Mudport Town. Now, after disembarking Hatch’s boat, the scene of Mudport Town appeared before her eyes. This was an island town surrounded by the sea. The sound of sea breeze and vibrant electronic music combined with the town’s quaint, traditional buildings made even just standing there feel pleasurable. Although the town’s architecture and surroundings were beautifully crafted, compared to the previous level of CG, these scenes seemed less impressive... Cynthia wasted no time, opened the map, and found the local gym—the second gym she was to challenge: the Mudport Gym. Through battles on the way, her Pokémon had all reached level 19. Lotad had evolved into Lombre, getting one step closer to its final form, Ludicolo. Page (2/3)

Page (3/3)

However, she didn’t know where to find the Water Stone needed for Lombre’s next evolution... Considering the difficulty of the previous gym challenge, Cynthia didn’t expect to win on her first attempt. This trip was more about gathering information on the gym leader, at least learning about their first Pokémon to formulate suitable strategies. When she arrived at the gym’s gate, a young man in fighting attire stood blocking her path. “You’re here to challenge the gym, right? Our leader went to the Stone Cave for training. Please come back later!” “Of course, you can go find him there, but the Stone Cave is filled with dangerous Pokémon and is pitch black. If you don’t have the strength, I suggest you wait here.” Then the man returned to his post, silent. “Stone Cave...?” Cynthia murmured, opening her map to see a huge black shadow on the island. The cave was even larger than Mudport Town itself. It seemed she had to explore this cave and find the gym leader there before she could battle. Recalling the man’s warning about the cave, she decided to check the town for useful items first... After wandering through various rooms in town, she indeed found several useful items, including a held item called “Focus Band.” Its effect: when a Pokémon holding it takes fatal damage, there is a small chance it will remain with some HP. Cynthia’s expression grew complicated upon seeing it. This effect looked familiar... — wasn’t this a “bonded clutch” effect? Considering the upcoming battle difficulties, a clutch heal triggered at a critical moment could surely turn the tide. So this item should be quite useful. She equipped it on her team’s strongest attacker, Bewear. The other items included a pink healing potion restoring 200 HP, a Cave Rope for quick cave exits, and some various colored shards and Star Sand. She didn’t know their effects but visited a shop and found their prices reasonable, so she sold half. With the money, she bought some status-healing potions and HP restoration items, then entered the Stone Cave above Mudport Town. The cave seemed vast, and from the second level onward, Cynthia faced complete darkness. Her character could only see a small circle of light, exploring the terrain and environment to find the correct path. Along the way, she frequently encountered wild Pokémon attacks, such as Zubat, Sandshrew, and Geodude. Based on her years of field experience, these were common cave-dwelling Pokémon, confirming her belief that the game’s creator had a profound understanding of Pokémon habits. While exploring the second level, she suddenly met a person in a red uniform. Seeing the figure clearly, Cynthia frowned. — That eye-catching red “R” symbol, she knew even if it were burned to ashes! It was the emblem of Team Rocket! This game’s creator had dared to make Team Rocket an NPC? Wasn’t he afraid of the real Team Rocket coming after him? Then she reconsidered. After all, even she couldn’t find the identity of the game’s maker; Team Rocket probably had no way to reach him. Regardless, this showed the creator’s confidence. How else could he dare to use the world’s largest criminal organization’s image in his game? While pondering, the Team Rocket member challenged her! “Where did this kid come from? This isn’t a place for you!” A Poké Ball glowed, and a Zubat appeared before Cynthia’s eyes! Lightning icons flashed across the screen, and the battle began instantly! Page (3/3)