"See that! Who said streamers can't do it!" Yancy's voice rang out with excitement.
The golden words [Battle Victory!] splashed across the screen, and the chat exploded with comments, making her feel thoroughly satisfied.
"Who said Larvesta was useless? Who said I couldn't beat Expert difficulty? Come on, haters, speak up!"
The chat scrolled with mixed reactions:
[No wonder the stats are so high. Turns out they designed multiple ways to clear it.]
[The physics engine in this game has some seriously good details. Looks like the gameplay from the trailer is actually implemented.]
[Tch, lucky break.]
[Streamer, hurry up and find the herb. Don't get cocky.]
"Okay, okay, finding the herb now."
Yancy carefully maneuvered Larvesta around the two bugs still dazed on the ground and the scattered rocks.
Squirtle, walking behind, still seemed stunned from watching that boulder tumble down moments ago, his eyes a bit vacant. "Squirtle? You okay?" Yancy asked through her mic.
"Huh? Oh! I'm... I'm fine!" Squirtle shook his head hard, but his voice still sounded shaky.
"Yancy... that was... amazing! You figured out the best solution so fast, using rocks to crush them!"
So fast?
I've reset like seven or eight times, okay!
Yancy coughed at his words.
"Ahem, just doing what needs to be done. Let's go, we need to find that herb."
After that first battle, Yancy had gained a new understanding of the dungeon's difficulty level.
On the [Expert] difficulty she'd chosen, every step required more caution.
She no longer charged ahead recklessly like when she first entered.
Instead, she began carefully observing her surroundings: the tangled tree roots, hanging vines, webs glinting with an eerie silver light, and even patches of suspiciously soft, unstable ground. Everything became a point of focus.
The chat became her advisory board:
[Streamer, look left! Is there something under that root?]
[Don't go that way, I swear I just saw a green flash!]
[Watch overhead! There's a shadow, quick, use String Shot to pull down a branch and block it!]
Sure enough, near the entrance to F2, an Ekans lurking in the trees suddenly lunged down to attack. Prepared this time, Yancy reacted instantly and made her decision.
Her String Shot hit the target precisely.
Larvesta yanked backward, and the already rotting branch snapped with a crack, falling right into Ekans' attack path!
Though it didn't deal much damage, it successfully blocked Ekans' assault and bought time for Squirtle's Water Gun.
"Squirtle! Water Gun!" Yancy commanded immediately.
"Got it!" Squirtle's precise water blast sent Ekans flying into a tree trunk, draining over half its HP.
With such an advantageous opening, the battle naturally posed no real challenge.
Soon, a notification popped up:
[Battle Victory!]
"See? This is why observing your environment matters!"
Yancy picked up the berry Ekans dropped, watching her HP bar recover slightly in the status window while sharing her insights with the chat.
Relying on sharper environmental awareness and occasional trap usage, like using String Shot to trip up a charging Geodude, they stumbled their way through F2 and F3.
The wild Pokémon in the dungeon grew stronger, and their variety increased. Caterpie, Wurmple, Spinarak... mostly Bug-types.
Every single one was shrouded in a faint purple mist, eyes vacant, filled with aggression.
Each battle was nerve-wracking. Yancy even burned through all the berries she'd collected along the way just to barely scrape through.
Still, she felt her gameplay getting smoother, and her coordination with Squirtle improved noticeably.
Though Squirtle's dialogue remained a bit shy, his execution of battle commands was always sharp and on point, showing a competence that convinced Yancy this guy could genuinely hold his own in a fight.
She opened the team menu to check his stats and realized Squirtle's numbers were, in fact, significantly higher than her own character's.
At this point, she was starting to regret her choice.
If I'd known, I would've just picked Torchic at the start.
I wouldn't be struggling like this now. My Larvesta's already level four and still only knows String Shot.
If she'd started with a move like Ember, taking on these Bug-types in the dungeon would've been a breeze, right?
But the choice was made. She'd have to make do.
Soon, they stepped onto the final floor of the Silken Forest dungeon: F4.
The webs here were noticeably denser than the previous floors, and the light was dimmer.
Yancy stayed on high alert, guiding Larvesta carefully around the sticky threads on the ground.
"Silverroot Herb... silver roots, thin leaves, grows near damp tree roots..."
Yancy muttered the quest hint while searching carefully. The chat joined in helping her look.
"Ah! Found it!"
Yancy's eyes lit up. Near the roots of a massive ancient tree, several thin plants with faint silver glows swayed quietly.
Their silver roots gleamed in the dim environment, impossible to miss.
"Yes! Quest complete!" Yancy excitedly moved Larvesta forward to collect them.
Just as Larvesta's feelers were about to touch the Silverroot Herb, a purple blur shot out from the shadows near the tree roots!
It was a Lv5 Spinarak! It opened its mouth and fired a [Poison Sting]!
"Watch out!" Squirtle darted in front of Larvesta, turning to take most of the poison stings on his shell.
"Thanks, Squirtle! String Shot! Wrap it up!" Yancy commanded immediately.
Larvesta's String Shot came through again. Though Spinarak dodged part of it, the attack still successfully lowered its speed.
Squirtle's Water Gun followed up.
While the damage wasn't enormous due to the level and type disadvantages, combined with Yancy constantly using String Shot to harass and limit its movement, they eventually defeated the guardian Pokémon.
By now, they'd both reached level four, so the fight wasn't as brutal as it had been at the start.
As the battle ended, Yancy walked up and pressed the interact button on the herb.
[Obtained Silverroot Herb!]
[Obtained Unidentified Item: ???]
"Huh? Found another unidentified thing?"
Yancy looked at the small stone emitting an eerie purple glow that appeared in her bag. "And this one's different from that white-glowing stone the Caterpie dropped earlier... This looks kind of... sketchy?"
The purple light immediately reminded her of the purple mist on the dungeon Pokémon.
The chat erupted in discussion:
[Yeah, definitely doesn't look like anything good.]
[Just looking at it feels off. That color...]
[Could it be related to the mist on those Pokémon? Are they dropping lore this early?]
"Whatever, let's just turn in the quest!" Yancy didn't dwell on it. She'd have to get it appraised eventually to find out.
This time, since they were already on the top floor, they didn't need the escape item to leave the cave.
She quickly found the stairs leading to the exit in a corner.
The pair left the dungeon smoothly and returned to the familiar forest edge.
After a brief transition scene...
Back in the lively Wigglytuff Guild hall, Squirtle seemed to revert to his earlier timid state, following carefully behind Yancy's Larvesta with his head down, as if afraid of being noticed.
Yancy headed straight for the registration desk manned by Inspector Gumshoos.
"Sir, we're back! Here's the Silverroot Herb!"
Yancy selected the option to turn in the quest.
Inspector Gumshoos took the silver-glowing plant, examined it closely, then looked up at Yancy and Squirtle.
Especially at Squirtle's attempt to practically curl into himself. Gumshoos frowned in displeasure.
He pushed up his round glasses, his tone as flat as ever.
"Mm, quest complete.
Though it's just a basic gathering mission, successfully retrieving it without team support proves you both possess the fundamental qualities needed to be rescue team members."
He pulled out two small green badges engraved with Wigglytuff's smiling face and handed them to Larvesta and Squirtle, respectively.
"From now on, you are certified members of the [Greenleaf Rescue Team] under the Wigglytuff Guild."
A system notification popped up at that moment.
[Title Obtained: Greenleaf Rescue Team!]
[Became Official Rescue Team Members!]
[Unlocked Guild Facility Access!]
Squirtle took the green badge, his paws trembling slightly. His face flushed red again as he murmured, almost to himself, "I... I really... became a rescue team member...?"
Watching his emotional reaction, Yancy felt unexpectedly moved.
"Of course, Squirtle. And this is just the beginning. We're going to become the best rescue team!"
"Alright, save the celebrating for later."
Inspector Gumshoos interrupted the moment, tapping a newly lit section of the counter.
"This is the main quest board for all official members. You can now take missions from here, starting with the most basic one-star rank. Remember to know your limits."
He paused, then added, "Also, if you have any items that need appraising, the appraisal shop is over there in the corner." He pointed with his paw.
The chat immediately updated:
[Here it comes!]
[Really is in the guild. Streamer, go check it out!]
Following Gumshoos' directions, Yancy guided Larvesta, with Squirtle in tow, through the bustling guild hall toward the somewhat isolated corner.
"Appraisal shop, appraisal shop... Let me see where... Ah, here."
She spotted it in the corner: an inconspicuous little stall.
Behind the stall sat a Pokémon draped in a deep purple cloak.
Its form was strange.
The hood was pulled very low, almost covering its entire body, revealing only the tip of a bird-like beak and a few wisps of gray-white feathers.
"This looks... pretty mysterious," Yancy muttered quietly, moving Larvesta forward.
"Excuse me, sir? We'd like to get something appraised." Yancy selected the interaction option.
The Pokémon slowly lifted its head. From the shadows beneath the hood, a pair of eyes glowing with profound light shone forth.
Its voice was low and raspy, carrying a peculiar cadence.
"Oh? New Greenleaves... bringing... echoes from deep within the forest..."
Both Yancy and Squirtle froze at this opening.
The chat instantly scrolled:
[Whoa! That presence!]
[What Pokémon is that? A bird?]
[This voice acting is perfect. Total hermit sage vibes.]
[Starts talking in riddles. Even an appraisal shop is this extra?]
"Uh... hello, sir. We just got back from Silken Forest and picked up this..."
Yancy quickly pulled up the stone, emitting the ominous purple glow from her bag, and selected the option to display it.
The moment the purple stone appeared, the eyes beneath the hood narrowed sharply, a flash of keen light passing through them.
The bird extended a wing hidden beneath its cloak and made a slight gesture. The stone seemed lifted by an invisible hand, floating before it.
It didn't touch the stone immediately, only gazed at it intently.
After a moment of silence, its voice grew more grave:
"Chaos... corruption... Young rescuers, you have brought back... something extraordinary."
"This object is tainted by something it should not have touched."
The Xatu's wing traced invisible patterns around the stone. The purple glow seemed to ripple slightly with its movements.
"To safely remove this level of corruption... requires energy channeling and purification rituals." It looked up.
"So, for a preliminary appraisal... There is a material fee of fifty gold coins."
"F-fifty gold?!" Yancy repeated. She immediately opened her bag interface. The bottom right corner clearly displayed: Silver Coins: 10.
A hundred silver coins equaled one gold coin. She only had ten silver coins right now.
That's... way too much! That expensive?
This is highway robbery!
The chat exploded:
[Fifty gold?! On launch day?! The devs are insane!]
[Hahaha, streamer's face went green!]
[Makes sense, seems like a main quest key item.]
[LOL, broke streamer melting down live.]
[Guys above, it's not like you need to pay real money. Just earn it in-game.]
Squirtle also leaned over to look at the stone emitting its ominous aura, then softly consoled, "It's... It's okay! We... we can just take more quests! We'll save up in no time! Fifty gold coins... doesn't sound like that much..." His voice trailed off, clearly thinking that amount was, in fact, quite a lot.
Xatu seemed not to hear Yancy's shock or Squirtle's reassurance. It simply calmly pushed the purple-glowing stone back toward Yancy.
"When you have gathered sufficient gold coins, come find me again. Remember, until it is appraised, handle this object with great care."
With that, it lowered its head once more. The cloak's shadow re-enveloped its features, and it reverted to a quiet, unassuming corner fixture, saying nothing more.
Yancy stared at the purple stone in her bag that required fifty gold just to appraise, then at her pitiful balance, and let out a long sigh. Fine. Guess I'll figure out what this thing is later.
Just then, a notification appeared.
[Today's adventure time has ended.]
An animation began to play.
"It's getting late, Yancy. How about I take you to my place?"
"It's a bit small, and a bit old... but I think it's still livable!"
Squirtle spoke up.
The bug and turtle left the noisy guild hall behind.
Following a small path along the forest edge, they walked a short distance and arrived at a relatively open but rather desolate stretch of sandy ground.
Behind a few massive reef rocks stood a structure that could only barely be called a "hut."
It was crudely stacked from mismatched rocks of various sizes and shapes, with dried grass stuffed into every crack.
The roof was slapped together from several enormous leaves that flapped noisily in the sea breeze.
The most pathetic part was the door, a thick wooden plank that looked like it was barely hanging on. When a gust of wind blew, it started swinging back and forth.
Yancy was stunned.
Dude, this isn't just "a bit small and a bit old"!
This is straight-up condemned property!