Chapter 4: Team Rocket's Terrible Luck! (5,000 words)

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The next morning, Hua Lan City.

When Ling Feng woke up early and stretched in bed, seeing the unfamiliar ceiling above him, he couldn’t help but feel a bit dazed.

After a moment, he suddenly remembered something—he had moved!

The old, cramped rental room was now a thing of the past.

He exhaled deeply, got out of bed, ready to embrace a beautiful new day.

Just then, a series of notifications suddenly popped up before his eyes:

[Ding! Host, please note: Important character “Duo” has broken through the shock threshold. His threshold level has been upgraded to Lv. 2!]

Ling Feng: ??

Wait, buddy?

If memory serves, didn’t you just start playing the game yesterday?

How did your threshold suddenly jump to level 2 today?

Keep in mind, Qishu started playing days before Duo, and he still hasn’t broken through level 2.

—What’s going on with Duo? Did something happen to him in the game?

Ling Feng thought deeply for a while but couldn’t figure out what Duo had experienced in the game to cause such a breakthrough.

Then he shrugged it off.

Whatever, as long as Brother Duo’s emotional level goes up, not only will he get rewards, but the emotional points he obtains from Duo will increase too. Either way, it’s a good thing.

He glanced at the notification that had just appeared before him:

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have received a threshold upgrade reward: 1,500 emotional points and one random intermediate crafting module!]

Without hesitation, Ling Feng picked up the card and chose to use it.

The next moment, a brand-new module appeared before his eyes.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have obtained a new module: “Cross-Platform Bridging” (Intermediate).]

[Description: After acquiring this module, all non-virtual reality games developed by the Host can be run smoothly on devices such as smartphones, computers, consoles, and even sports watches. It eliminates compatibility issues, ignores device configurations to ensure smooth operation, and allows free cross-platform multiplayer and data synchronization.]

Reading the description, Ling Feng raised an eyebrow slightly.

Among all intermediate modules, this one probably isn’t top-tier, but it’s still quite decent.

After all, developing clients for multiple platforms and enabling cross-platform communication demands a great deal of time and energy.

Many excellent games can only be played on computers because of device limitations.

With this module, he no longer had to worry about such issues.

Not only does it allow data synchronization and free multiplayer across platforms,

but anyone who bought the game could play it anywhere—even during idle moments.

To exaggerate, the game could even be played on sports watches, educational devices, or even car infotainment systems.

Of course, this game wasn’t exactly meant for casual play at the moment.

That said, Ling Feng felt this module didn’t greatly enhance “Pokémon Emerald” since it was originally just a small game of a few hundred megabytes with modest device requirements.

Hmm...

But honestly, the Emerald game he was currently developing didn’t look like a mere mini-game at all.

He felt somewhat regretful after this reward draw.

Last time, he’d gotten a special module, which obviously had stronger effects than ordinary modules and also provided additional numerical bonuses.

According to the system, these special modules couldn’t be bought directly—they could only be obtained through draws.

He had no idea what the exact odds were for drawing special modules.

Lost in thought, Ling Feng opened the door, quickly freshened up, and came to the living room, greeting the Pokémon sitting at the dining table already eating breakfast.

“Good morning, Litwick, how was last night?”

“Flam! Flam!” Litwick kept eating without looking up. Ling Feng thought maybe it was just his imagination, but the Pokémon seemed a bit tired.

He didn’t pay it much mind.

—Maybe it was because after moving to the new home, Litwick was curious about everything around and played all night until exhausted.

Young Pokémon were like that; when they grew up, they'd lose some of that playful spirit. Ling Feng wasn’t going to interfere and let it be.

He stuffed a sandwich prepared by the housekeeper into his mouth and casually turned on the TV projector in the living room.

The current channel was the news, and at that moment, a female anchor sat upright, reporting a news story.

“This is your reporter with breaking news: Last night, a major incident occurred in the Kanto region. The Rocket Team’s massive secret base was raided and destroyed by League enforcement personnel!”

Ling Feng was stunned.

The Rocket Team?

He looked up and saw that during the broadcast, a corresponding image appeared in the top-right corner of the screen.

It showed a huge arcade hall in disarray, smoke rising everywhere, various machines broken and scattered about—the scene of a fierce battle.

A group of people wearing Rocket Team uniforms were being escorted out by official League law enforcement officers. Behind them were numerous Pokémon locked in iron cages and various strange devices and instruments.

The female anchor continued,

“Who would have thought that within the largest arcade entertainment center in Goldenrod City, there was a massive underground base? The League dispatched a large number of officers overnight to clean it up, arresting 135 Rocket Team members and confiscating over 100 illegal research instruments.”

“According to League reports, many captured Pokémon were found in the underground base undergoing illegal experiments.”

“The League will strictly punish such behavior according to the law, treat the Pokémon’s injuries, and find suitable homes for them, ensuring every Pokémon’s right to live.”

“The registered company for the arcade entertainment center has been sealed by the League. Our reporters will continue to follow up on this story.”

“Next, another news item: According to the latest astronomical research department findings, a red meteor shower may pass close to our planet in about a month.”

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Ling Feng sat stunned on the sofa, as if he had just pieced something together.

Connecting it to the notification about Duo’s threshold upgrade this morning,

Duo must have played his game last night, discovered the Rocket Team’s secret base in the arcade in Violet City, and then immediately sent people to investigate the Kanto region, right?

Wow, he really found it??

No wonder Duo’s emotions fluctuated so wildly that he broke through the threshold.

As a secret investigator for the League, learning from a game about the world’s largest dark organization’s secret base in an arcade, then actually finding it through investigation—it was no wonder his emotions were hard to calm down.

Ling Feng was speechless, his expression complex.

For the League, this was naturally a good thing, but for Sakaki, this was an “unforeseen disaster.”

Oh well, it’s not my business. I’m just a game developer.

Besides, even if they investigate, they won’t find anything on me.

Moreover, the Rocket Team’s cruel use of Pokémon for live experiments should indeed be stopped.

Thinking of this, an important thought flashed through Ling Feng’s mind.

Pokémon experiments?

Right.

The world he had traveled to was essentially a parallel universe.

Many things and characters were identical to the original work, but many others were different.

For example, Legendary Pokémon hadn’t appeared for centuries, and the number of trainers wasn’t as large as in the original.

So then,

What about Mewtwo—the only artificially created Legendary Pokémon and one of the power ceilings?

In the storyline of “Ultimate Emerald,” the secret base beneath the Violet City arcade was where the Rocket Team researched and created Mewtwo.

In the original story, Mewtwo was artificially created by the Rocket Team’s mad plans, possessing Mew’s genes but with vastly different, powerful combat abilities.

Some even rank it among the “Tier 1 Gods.”

So,

Has the Rocket Team begun creating Mewtwo now,

Or do they have no such plans,

Or have they already created Mewtwo?

Ling Feng fell into deep thought.

If it’s the second case, that’s easier to handle.

But if it’s the first or third, then things could get complicated.

In the original story, when Mewtwo was created, it initially had no self-awareness and was treated as a tool by the Rocket Team.

Later, by accident, it gradually awakened consciousness and successfully escaped their control, becoming a free individual.

In this world, Ling Feng couldn’t be sure if the Rocket Team had created Mewtwo and if events would unfold as in the original story.

If, in a world where the strongest trainers only reach Champion level and Legendary Pokémon have vanished, the Rocket Team had total control over Mewtwo’s power and kept it for themselves...

What would happen next was too frightening to imagine.

But, after all, he was just a normal game developer. There was no way he could get involved in such affairs.

Still, through his game, he could try to reveal more information about Mewtwo in the upcoming storyline.

He believed that once people like Cynthia, Duo, and other Gym Leaders and Elite Four saw this information, they’d take action in the real world...

Just like Duo’s raid on the Rocket Team’s secret base.

With that thought, Ling Feng shook his head slightly, feeling somewhat relieved.

But at the same time, a new question arose.

If Mewtwo’s situation in this world was uncertain, what about the other original characters?

Do Ash, Misty, and others exist here?

That would have to be explored later.

If Ash did exist, no matter what, he’d want to meet his old friend.

Maybe warn him to be careful in the finals, as there might be a Mega Charizard with the Water Absorb ability facing his Greninja...

As for the world he lived in now, one thing was clear: the Pokémon regions weren’t fully developed.

Some Pokémon had appeared, but their corresponding regions didn’t exist.

For example, the Crystal Bloom was exclusive to the Paldea region, but in this world, only Hoenn, Sinnoh, Kanto, and Unova existed.

If forced, there was a Paldea region where Qishu lived, but it was much smaller than in the original—like a truncated version...

As for regions like Alola or Kalos, they simply didn’t exist.

But for Ling Feng, this was a good thing, because in the next game, he could better showcase these regions to players!

So, his next game would be based on the Paldea region, titled “Scarlet and Violet,” or on the Alola region, titled “Sun and Moon”?

As Ling Feng pondered, he suddenly felt a chill behind him!

Instinctively, he spun around, but there was nothing there.

“...Was it just my imagination?”

He rubbed the back of his head.

Just now, besides the chill, he had felt like something was watching him from behind.

But then he thought—this was broad daylight, and his villa was guarded by security.

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Plus, his identity was protected by the system’s confidentiality protocols, classified top secret. There was no need to worry about anyone showing up uninvited.

Ling Feng relaxed, stood up, and headed toward the bedroom.

What he didn’t know was,

Shortly after he left,

A shadow silently appeared at the living room window, crimson eyes watching the direction Ling Feng had just left.

Moments later, it vanished into thin air.

Sinnoh region.

After challenging the gym yesterday, Cynthia didn’t continue to Fuego Iron Town but ended her livestream and went out.

As a Champion, even without special missions from the League, there were daily matters requiring her attention.

Fortunately, the next day, she was lucky to have no special assignments and a whole day to play Emerald.

She smoothly logged into the game, opened her livestream, greeted the chat, and her character reappeared at the entrance of the Violet City Gym.

Following Iron Spin’s tips, she went to the room beside the gym, taught Bewear the move Rock Smash, then used it to break through two blocking boulders and continued northward in Violet City.

Not long after, her screen went dark.

A new CG scene activated.

It depicted an endless desert with a fierce sandstorm blowing.

An Ant King swayed its head, searching for lunch.

Desert Naya was rooted in the sand, struggling to absorb the last bit of moisture from the ground.

Cynthia even saw several unknown skulls scattered across the desert, carried away by the gusts.

The exquisite, realistic scene made her feel as if she were truly in a desert.

The CG ended, and the entrance to the desert naturally appeared on her screen.

But just as she was about to enter, her character was blown back by a howling wind.

A game prompt appeared:

[The sandstorm here is too intense! You cannot enter for now!]

Cynthia sighed and chose to head left instead.

Honestly, she was quite interested in the desert.

Usually, such remote places held many ancient artifacts and ruins.

After defeating several tough NPCs, she climbed to the foot of Smokespire Mountain.

From locals, she learned the only way up was via the nearby cable car.

But at the cable car entrance, two NPCs wearing red hats blocked the way.

This time, from the insignias on their clothes, Cynthia immediately recognized them.

They belonged to another major dark organization in Hoenn—the Magma Gang!

Unlike Team Aqua, they operated brazenly, often committing robberies and thefts in broad daylight.

Because of this, the Hoenn League enforcement had launched multiple large-scale crackdowns on them.

Fortunately, in recent years, their illegal activities had dwindled, and like Team Aqua, they had gone quiet.

Cynthia stared at the two men, lost in thought.

She already knew about Duo’s discovery of the Rocket Team’s secret base in Kanto via the game last night.

This was definitely not a coincidence—the game had truly provided clues about the villainous organizations.

If that was the case,

Then the story of “Water Wutong” should be true too!

What about the Magma Gang?

Might they also have a shocking plan like Team Aqua?

Suppressing her emotions, Cynthia controlled her character to approach and try to talk to the two NPCs, hoping to glean some information.

But they brusquely turned her away.

“Who’s this little kid? The boss said no one is allowed through here. Don’t bother us!”

“Yeah, you can’t pass until they return from Meteor Cave!”

Seeing these messages, Cynthia understood that, like before, she needed to trigger a certain event to proceed.

Meteor Cave, according to the map, required passing through a nearby tunnel, heading to the next city, Autumn Leaf Town, then traveling a long distance south.

So she entered the nearby cave.

Called the “Flame Shortcut,” the cave was extremely hot inside, with steam billowing everywhere.

Most Pokémon living there were Fire types, such as Torkoal, Rapidash, and Magmar.

With Bastiodon's Bubble Beam advantage, Cynthia passed through almost effortlessly.

But as she emerged from the cave, someone immediately confronted her.

A young man with strange hair covering half his face.

He had green eyes and appeared about the same age as Cynthia’s character.

Upon meeting, he spoke first, cheerfully:

“Hey, hello, nice to meet you. I want to ask you a question.”

“Do you know about the Ultimate Cave?”