With the level gap once again in Torchic's favor, the result of this battle was, of course, predictable.
—Treecko was knocked out by Torchic's two Embers.
And because both Pokémon had leveled up since the last fight, Torchic's first Ember this time took off two-thirds of Treecko's HP in a single strike—an even more exaggerated result than before.
When the screen faded to black again and Cynthia's character reappeared inside the Pokémon Center—with the upper-right corner displaying a glowing –1000 beside the money symbol—
Her livestream chat exploded.
[Damn, now I finally get what that guy meant by "I won't fall behind." Turns out he ALWAYS stays one level above the player??]
[The game dev is evil. Why the hell does the NPC level up WITH the player??]
[Hahaha, her money actually went negative. She's bankrupt!]
While the chat raged, Cynthia ignored all of it.
She had entered serious-thinking mode.
Clearly, the developer had predicted the player's most obvious strategy and shut down the "grind to win" route entirely.
If leveling wouldn't solve it…
Then there was only one option left:
Use a different Pokémon.
Treecko's greatest weakness against Torchic was obvious:
Type disadvantage.
Being hit by a super-effective STAB Fire-type move was something Treecko simply couldn't tank.
And to overcome type disadvantage—
Suddenly, Cynthia's eyes lit up.
Wait.
When she left the lab earlier, Professor Birch had given her five Poké Balls.
If she just caught a Pokémon in the surrounding grass—one that countered Torchic—
That would solve the problem!
But easier said than done.
Pokémon couldn't be caught arbitrarily in this game.
During her earlier exploration, she had already checked her bag and learned some rules:
Players had both a level cap and a Pokémon capacity limit for each area.
Right now, her party limit is 2 Pokémon.
And within the entire game, the maximum number of Pokémon she could ever carry was 15.
And once you caught a Pokémon, there was no release function.
You were forced to keep that Pokémon until the game was completed.
For a game, this was pretty hardcore.
But Cynthia actually felt… respect.
Even in a game, Pokémon were partners—
not disposable data to be abandoned once they outlive their usefulness.
Given this, she needed to plan carefully.
Her next Pokémon needed to:
Help her defeat the rival's Torchic, and
Be useful long-term in her adventure.
Cynthia began recalling all the Pokémon she had encountered…
—but then a sudden ringtone cut her thoughts.
Her phone.
She glanced at the caller ID and immediately picked up.
A voice only she could hear spoke urgently:
"Miss Cynthia, sorry to bother you during your vacation, but the Pokémon in the Distortion World have become restless again for some unknown reason.
We suspect a new distortion surge is forming.
The Veilstone City entrance needs your support!"
Cynthia's expression changed slightly.
She nodded.
"Understood. I'll be there right away."
She turned to her livestream.
"Sorry, everyone. Something urgent came up—today's stream ends here."
"I'll continue as soon as I'm free again, so please wait a little."
And with that, she shut down the stream.
The last thing on the black screen was the chat:
[NO— MY WIFE!!]
[Aaaa I was so into it!!]
[Probably League business.]
[Yeah, I heard things in the Distortion World aren't stable lately.]
[Nothing to do. We wait. Scatter, scatter.]
Some viewers left to watch other streamers.
Then someone suddenly sent a message that awakened everyone:
[Bros, I'm buying this game myself!]
[Holy—RIGHT. We can play it too!]
[Looks good as hell, I'm buying it now!]
Dozens of people who had just watched the stream became deeply interested in Pokémon: Emerald, going off to purchase it.
Others disagreed:
[Rich people… 288 is too expensive. I'll wait.]
[Same. My weekly allowance isn't even that much.]
[A pixel game for 288… looks promising so far, but what if it flops later? I'll hold off.]
288 was indeed steep.
For many, a pixel RPG at that price point required consideration.
But still—
After Cynthia's stream, the game's sales quietly skyrocketed.
Even if only 1% of her 200,000 live viewers bought it—
That was already 2,000 copies.
Meanwhile, above Canalave City—beneath the clouds—
A deep-blue blur streaked through the air like lightning.
A shark-shaped, streamlined, armor-like dragon Pokémon:
Garchomp.
Its body was sleek yet powerful, shaking with a pressure that could suffocate an amateur trainer.
And on its back—
sat a person.
Cynthia.
By League law, flying Pokémon over city airspace was forbidden to prevent accidents.
But as the Champion, she had the privilege.
And she did, after all, have an emergency to handle.
Yet her eyes were fixed on the distant sky, deep in thought.
She was about to face dangerous Pokémon…
But all she could think about was that game.
Because, honestly?
The Distortion World Pokémon weren't dangerous to her.
But that game NPC?
That thing actually beat her.
The NPC leveling with the player…?
The first fight in the beginner zone is THAT tough…?
What about the later bosses?
How insane would they be?
She felt something she hadn't felt in a long time:
Anticipation.
She was also increasingly curious about the game's creator.
Unfortunately, she had no way to contact him.
And she couldn't let someone else beat the game before she did—
and get the creator's contact info first.
Distortion World?
Clear it quickly.
Then rush back and beat the game.
She made up her mind.
At that moment, her phone rang again.
But the caller ID was strange—
no name, no number.
Just scrambled symbols.
Cynthia froze.
Then her eyes brightened with delight.
She picked up immediately.
A lazy-sounding voice greeted her:
"Hello~ Miss Champion. Long time no see. Miss me?"
Cynthia blinked.
"You got out that quickly this time?"
"What, not happy to see me alive?"
The voice chuckled.
"This time, the 'Black Hole' had fewer weird creatures.
We handled it early."
Cynthia responded immediately:
"That's perfect. I need your help finding someone."
"Oh?
Someone worthy of the great Sinnoh Champion's attention?
A wanted criminal?
A crime lord?
A mad scientist?"
"No," Cynthia cut her off.
"A game developer."
Silence.
"...What?"
After several seconds:
"Cynthia, you DO know my hacking skills aren't meant for tracking down game developers so you can send them death threats, right?"
Cynthia realized how that sounded and quickly clarified:
"He might have clues about Rayquaza."
"He might be an individual or a studio—more likely a studio.
So I want you to investigate."
The voice immediately perked up:
"Ohhh, that's different.
Got it. I'll look."
"Thanks," Cynthia said. "Dinner on me later."
"No thanks between us—we've risked our lives together."
"But I WILL take that dinner.
Take me to that steakhouse by Pastoria's docks.
Anyway, I'll contact you once I find something."
She hung up.
Cynthia exhaled deeply.
With her help…
Finding the creator was only a matter of time.
But one thing at a time.
She still had to beat the game.
And she would be the first.
"Garchomp, accelerate."
"Graaah!!"
A sonic boom tore through the sky as the dragon vanished into the horizon.
Six hours later.
Kanto Region — Viridian City.
"Ahhh… that was a good nap."
Ling Feng opened his eyes, stretched, and reached for his phone to check the time.
What he saw instead made him freeze.
[Leyou Platform Notice:
Your game "Pokémon: Emerald" has sold 1823 copies today!]
The number kept climbing.
Ling Feng stared, dumbfounded.
Huh??
It hasn't even been 24 hours since launch.
How??
When he uploaded the game, he had wanted to set a low price—
since it was his first game, more of a public test than a real project.
But the system forced him:
Minimum price: 288.
He had been shocked.
Many players wouldn't touch a pixel game at that price.
Still, the system insisted
"一分钱一分货" — "You get what you pay for."
He reluctantly agreed.
Before going to sleep, he was mentally prepared for zero sales.
But now—
He was approaching two thousand.
What kind of situation was this?!
Are players in this world all rich??
Just then, a golden notification popped up:
[Ding! While you were sleeping, you received numerous emotional points:
Disdain, Shock, Expectation, Joy
Total: 720 points!]
[From livestream viewers: 320]
[From players who bought the game: 100]
[From "Important Character — Sinnoh Champion Cynthia": 300]
Cynthia?
A livestream??
Ling Feng instantly understood.
No wonder sales jumped!
She streamed his game.
THE Cynthia.
But… why did she even find his game?
Sinnoh's Champion actually plays games?
He shook his head.
He could figure that out later.
For now—
This was an amazing start.
The sales and emotional energy clearly showed that players AND Cynthia were hooked.
Time to open the system store and see what new modules he could unlock.
He still had so many features he hadn't implemented due to a lack of modules—
Just as he was about to open his system menu—
A chill ran down his spine.
A cold wind grazed his back.
Something… was behind him.
His hair stood on end.
He spun around—
Nothing.
"Huh? Am I sleep-dizzy?"
He rubbed his head.
"I'll go wash my face in a bit—"
But when he turned again—
He was face-to-face with a pair of dark green eyes.
And a faintly burning, eerie blue flame.
Inside his tiny apartment—
A sound exploded and echoed nonstop.
HOLY SHIT A GHOST AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!