The sanctuary was behind them. Now, Guinaifen stood on the dirt-packed battle arena behind the lab, the sun beating down on her shoulders. Across from her, Gary smirked, tossing a Poké Ball with practiced nonchalance.
In the mobile version, this was a menu. In the PC version, it was a test of reflexes. But here, in the Real version, the weight of the moment was heavy. Guinaifen could feel her pulse thrumming in her fingertips.
"Show me what you've got, Gui! Go, Squirtle!" Gary shouted, his voice echoing across the yard.
The Poké Ball burst in a flash of white light, and the blue turtle materialized, snapping its jaw and sliding into a low stance.
"Right! Uh... go, Jigglypuff!" Guinaifen fumbled with the ball on her belt, nearly dropping it before hurling it into the center.
The pink puffball appeared, bouncing once on the dust before looking up at the opponent with wide, shimmering eyes.
"I declare the match begun!" Professor Oak shouted, his arm dropping like a starter's flag.
"Squirtle, use Bubble!"
"Wait, already?! Jigglypuff, move! Dodge it!"
Guinaifen's reaction was a second late, but the distance saved her. The stream of shimmering, translucent bubbles moved slower than a bullet, giving Jigglypuff just enough time to wobble to the left. The bubbles popped against the dirt where it had been standing a moment before.
"Gui, wake up! You're getting outplayed by an AI!""Channel your inner Ash! Focus!""Is she really going to lose the tutorial with a Full-Dive rig? I can't watch."
Guinaifen didn't see the comments. She was too busy watching Squirtle reset for another attack. She took a deep breath, trying to recall the stats she'd glimpsed in the Pokédex.
"Jigglypuff, close the gap! Use Pound!"
Jigglypuff had a limited arsenal: Sing, Defense Curl, and Pound. Sing took too long to wind up, and Defense Curl was purely reactive. If she wanted to win, she had to get aggressive.
"Jiggly!" the pink Pokémon chirped, its short legs churning as it charged.
"Squirtle, meet it head-on! Tackle!"
The two collided in a cloud of dust. Jigglypuff's glowing white hand slammed into Squirtle's shell just as the turtle lunged. It was a stalemate of raw force. Both health bars appeared in the air, slowly ticking down as they pushed against one another.
"Wait, look at the bars," a viewer noted. "Squirtle is losing health way faster. Why?"
Julian, watching from the studio, knew exactly why. In the "Real" version, base stats weren't just numbers—they were physical laws. Jigglypuff was essentially a living balloon of high HP. It could take a beating that would leave other Pokémon exhausted. Gary's Squirtle was sturdier in defense, but in a raw trade of blows, it couldn't match Jigglypuff's endurance.
Gary's AI registered the losing trade immediately. "Squirtle, back off! Use Bubble to create space!"
Squirtle suddenly retreated, causing Jigglypuff to overextend. It stumbled, its Pound hitting nothing but air.
"Jigglypuff, watch out!" Guinaifen cried.
She was a split-second too slow. A stray bubble clipped Jigglypuff's side, spinning it around. Guinaifen's heart leaped into her throat, but the health bar barely budged.
"Good... you're tougher than you look," she muttered, a sharp grin forming on her face. "Jigglypuff, don't let up! Keep the pressure on. Stay on his right side!"
The battle turned into a high-stakes dance. Gary adopted a kiting strategy, having Squirtle run circles around the arena while lobbing Bubbles to wear Jigglypuff down. Guinaifen stopped shouting commands for a moment, her eyes narrowed as she tracked Squirtle's movement patterns.
She wasn't a gamer anymore; she was a hunter.
"Now! Corner him on the fence!"
Jigglypuff lunged, cutting off Squirtle's escape route. Gary saw the trap closing.
"Squirtle, finish it! Bubble at point-blank range!"
The turtle opened its mouth, but instead of a torrent of bubbles, it let out a dry, raspy cough. A few pathetic suds flickered on its lips before vanishing.
It was out of stamina.
Jigglypuff didn't hesitate. It leaned back and delivered a massive, final Pound that sent Squirtle flying out of the bounds of the arena. The turtle landed on its shell, its limbs twitching feebly before it went still.
"Squirtle is unable to battle!" Oak announced. "The winner is Guinaifen!"
Guinaifen stood frozen for a second, her chest heaving, before she let out a piercing scream of triumph.
"We did it! Jigglypuff, we actually did it!"
She ran into the arena, scooping the pink Pokémon into a hug. The haptic suit conveyed the soft, bouncy texture of its body, making the victory feel more real than any trophy.
"The stamina mechanic! Did you see that? The Squirtle choked!""That was the most intense tutorial I've ever seen.""I'm sold. Julian Reed, take my money. All of it."
Across the Luofu, and deep into the stars, the skepticism was gone. The "Real" world of Pokémon was no longer a myth.
It was a destination.
"Well done," Julian whispered, watching the viewer count hit seven figures. "Now, the real adventure begins."