In the next moment, a dark figure shot out of the swirling void like a bolt of lightning and came straight for Cynthia’s character.
It was a tall, slender humanoid Pokémon, its body almost entirely white, with strange black structures around its head and the ends of its limbs.
Brilliant blue electricity crackled across its body as it moved with such incredible speed that it closed the distance almost instantly.
Cynthia instinctively held her breath.
Just before the violent current could engulf the screen, however, another streak of silver-white light burst forward from beside her character.
BAM!
A sleek, silver Pokémon slammed into the attacker like a silver missile, knocking it clean out of the air.
The strange Pokémon crashed into a distant tree trunk and let out a sharp screech.
It recovered almost immediately, electricity surging wildly around its body as it turned and leapt back into the Ultra Wormhole.
The distorted light flickered once, and the rift snapped shut behind it.
A blond teenage boy then walked into view and stopped in front of Cynthia’s character.
[Gladion: “Hey.
You all right?
Stay away from Ultra Wormholes.
Those things aren’t something you can handle right now, so don’t come near this place again for the time being.”]
[“If you want to enter an Ultra Wormhole someday…
get stronger first.
Going in unprepared will get you hurt.”]
With that blunt warning, Gladion turned and followed the silver Pokémon toward the direction the Ultra Beast had fled.
The two disappeared into the Ultra Wormhole together before it completely vanished.
The chat immediately started scrolling.
[PatchNotesWho: Wait, isn’t this different from the original story?
When did they update this?]
[AlolaDramaEnjoyer: Since when did Gladion get to look this cool?!]
[UltraReconGuy: That thing just now was Xurkitree, right?]
…
Cynthia stared at the now-empty clearing, lost in thought.
There was something strangely familiar about the Ultra Beast she had just seen.
Why?
She frowned and mentally went over its features again: the long humanoid body, the stark black-and-white coloration, the unusual structures that seemed to conduct electricity…
She thought about it for several seconds but could not place the resemblance.
‘Probably just a coincidence.’
Setting the thought aside, Cynthia continued playing.
After leaving the area and passing through the town to the west, she eventually arrived in Petalburg City.
It was a peaceful city surrounded by lush greenery, noticeably larger than Oldale Town.
The buildings had a simple, lived-in quality that gave the entire place a quiet, comfortable atmosphere.
Her character crossed the stone-paved streets and automatically headed toward the prominent Gym building.
Inside, a tall, composed-looking man came forward to greet her.
This was Norman, the Petalburg Gym Leader—and, within the game’s story, the player character’s father.
After a brief greeting, Norman began explaining the official rules used in Gym battles and Pokémon League matches.
[Norman: “There are several rules you’ll need to remember for official Gym and League battles.
You cannot use healing items from your Bag during battle.
Your Pokémon may not hold duplicate items.
In addition, certain Pokémon restricted by the rules cannot be used…”]
Cynthia read the explanation carefully and gave a small nod.
Those restrictions would undoubtedly make the game more difficult.
Preventing the use of healing items during battle meant every Pokémon’s HP and status had to be managed much more carefully.
Banning duplicate held items, meanwhile, forced the player to understand a wider variety of items instead of simply equipping the same optimal choice across the whole team.
The last rule caught her attention most of all.
Certain Pokémon were restricted?
What exactly did that include?
Was it referring to beings like the Ultra Beasts she had just encountered?
As for Norman himself, Cynthia searched her memory.
There was indeed a Gym Leader by that name in Hoenn.
Her knowledge of the region, however, mostly came from League records, and she had never met him personally.
If the game had accurately reproduced the identities of Hoenn’s Gym Leaders…
What about the Elite Four?
And the Champion?
Were they based on real people too?
The image of a certain old acquaintance surfaced in Cynthia’s mind.
‘Don’t tell me I’m eventually going to fight her in a video game…’
While she was thinking, the story continued automatically.
A timid boy entered the Gym and asked for help catching his first Pokémon.
After helping the boy named Wally catch a Ralts, Cynthia did not linger.
She continued onward and soon entered Petalburg Woods.
The moment she stepped beneath the trees, the lighting dimmed considerably.
Cynthia was examining the tangled forest scenery when the viewers suddenly began offering instructions.
[ItemFinder99: Streamer, try pressing the interact button in front of that tree!]
Interact with the tree?
Cynthia did not understand why, but she followed the suggestion.
A soft chime sounded.
[You found an Antidote!]
[You put the Antidote in the Bag.]
The chat immediately explained.
[HiddenItemHunter: This game has hidden items everywhere.
Trees, rocks, behind scenery—you name it.]
[RouteGuide: If you ever see one empty tile in the middle of a patch of grass, walk over and interact with it.
There’s usually something hidden there.]
[PotionHoarder: And don’t ignore the Poké Balls sitting on the ground.
Those are item pickups too.]
“Thank you.”
Cynthia quietly committed the information to memory and continued deeper into the woods.
Most of the Pokémon in Petalburg Woods were Bug- or Grass-types.
With Insane Mode active, their levels were noticeably higher than before, generally hovering around Level 14.
Even so, Torchic’s type advantage made the battles easy enough.
Since Torchic could no longer gain experience beyond the current level cap, Cynthia began actively avoiding patches of grass whenever possible.
Not far into the woods, she encountered her first roadside Trainer—a Bug Catcher.
He had three Caterpie.
At first glance, the team looked completely harmless.
The moment the battle started, however, Cynthia realized there was more to it than that.
The first two Caterpie were fragile, but each repeatedly used String Shot, steadily lowering Torchic’s Speed.
By the time the third Caterpie entered the field, Torchic had already lost most of its Speed advantage.
Then the final Caterpie scattered a cloud of dark gray powder.
[Caterpie used Sleep Powder!]
[Torchic fell asleep!]
[Torchic is fast asleep.
It can’t move!]
Thanks to the earlier String Shots, Torchic was already moving second.
Now it had been put to sleep before it could act at all.
Worse, Torchic remained asleep for three entire turns and came dangerously close to losing the battle.
It finally woke up and managed to finish the Caterpie with Ember.
Once the fight ended, Cynthia came away with two conclusions.
First, stat stages seemed far more important in this game than they were in real battles.
Repeated Speed reductions had an immediate and severe impact that could completely change how a fight played out.
Second, on this difficulty, even an ordinary Trainer standing by the roadside could not be taken lightly.
From that point onward, Cynthia approached every battle seriously.
She ended up making three separate trips back to the Pokémon Center before she finally defeated every Trainer along the path through the woods.
Partway through, another story event triggered.
A bespectacled employee of the Devon Corporation approached her.
[Devon Researcher: “I’m looking for a rare Pokémon…
Have you seen a Shroomish anywhere?”]
The moment he finished speaking, a man dressed like a pirate suddenly rushed into view and snatched the package from his hands.
[Team Aqua Grunt: “Ha!
We’ll be taking this!”]
Cynthia raised an eyebrow as the game transitioned into battle.
The Grunt had only one Zubat.
Its level was fairly high, but Cynthia got lucky this time.
Both attempts at Supersonic missed, allowing Torchic to defeat it with three Embers without much trouble.
The Team Aqua Grunt dropped the stolen package and fled, shouting one last threat as he ran.
[“You’ll regret this!
Team Aqua won’t let you get away with it!”]
Cynthia watched the fleeing sprite with a thoughtful expression.
Team Aqua?
What sort of organization was that?
She had never heard of them.
‘So they’re probably villains created for the game?’
That made sense.
Movies and television had antagonists; games presumably needed them too.
Meanwhile, the Devon employee thanked her repeatedly and told her to visit the Devon Corporation in Rustboro City someday.
If she did, he promised to reward her properly.
Once the event ended, Cynthia continued toward the exit of the forest.
Unfortunately, she had to cross one final patch of grass.
The screen suddenly darkened.
A Pokémon she had not encountered before appeared in front of her.
It was short and round, with a mushroom-like body covered in spots and a permanently displeased expression.
Shroomish?
Cynthia blinked.
She knew this Pokémon, but there was one obvious question.
Hadn’t the Devon employee just called it rare?
The livestream chat reacted far more dramatically.
[ShinyLuckZero: WHAT THE HELL IS THAT LUCK?!
She actually found one?!]
[GrassTileCamper: I spent half an hour running around here before one spawned.
She walks into the grass once and gets it immediately?!]
[GymPrepCoach: Catch it!
Shroomish is really useful, and you can use it in the Gym coming up!]
…
Cynthia glanced at the chat, then back at the Shroomish on the screen.
After a moment’s consideration, she made her decision.
The game clearly encouraged players to build and expand their teams over time.
Sooner or later, she would need additional Pokémon anyway.
Shroomish also covered several of Torchic’s weaknesses, making it a sensible addition.
Cynthia used Peck once to weaken it, then selected a Poké Ball.
The red-and-white ball shook once.
Twice.
Three times.
Click.
[Gotcha!
Shroomish was caught!]
[Shroomish’s data was added to the Pokédex.]
…
After catching Shroomish with a single Poké Ball, Cynthia did not immediately move on.
Instead, she opened its summary page and began examining its stats and moves.
Naturally, the section she cared about most was its Ability.
A line of text caught her eye.
[Ability — Effect Spore: When the Pokémon is hit by a move that makes physical contact, there is a chance the attacker will become paralyzed, poisoned, or fall asleep.]
Cynthia looked mildly surprised.
That was…
Completely accurate.
Apparently, whoever had designed this game really did possess a respectable foundation of knowledge when it came to Pokémon Abilities.
…
The route through Petalburg Woods was not particularly complicated, and Cynthia soon emerged from the forest.
She noticed an NPC standing beside two Berry trees and immediately walked over to interact with them.
By now, she understood that talking to random people along the road could often lead to useful items.
Sure enough, after a brief conversation, she received something.
[TM09 — Bullet Seed]
The chat responded with the pride of parents watching a child learn to walk.
[OldGenPurist: Look at her.
She’s learning.
We don’t even have to tell her anymore.]
[GarchompEnjoyer: I’m so proud.
Our streamer is growing up.]
[RouteGuide: There’s also a Wailmer Pail inside the flower shop on the left.
Don’t forget to grab it.]
Cynthia followed their advice, collected the Wailmer Pail from the flower shop, then opened her Bag to inspect the item she had just received.
A green disc appeared on the screen.
[TM09 — Bullet Seed]
[Type: Grass]
[Power: 25]
[Category: Physical]
[The user forcefully shoots seeds at the target two to five times in a row.]
Cynthia knew the move.
What she did not understand was the disc.
Curious, she selected it.
The game immediately switched to the party screen.
Torchic was marked [Unable], while Shroomish displayed [Able!]
Cynthia seemed to realize what that meant.
She selected Shroomish.
The disc vanished, and a new move appeared directly in Shroomish’s move list.
[Bullet Seed]
Cynthia raised an eyebrow.
So these discs could teach Pokémon new moves almost instantly?
For Trainers, that kind of efficiency would be the stuff of dreams.
Unfortunately, nothing so convenient existed in reality.
The discovery was interesting, but Cynthia soon moved on.
After leaving the forest behind, she finally arrived at the next city—Rustboro City.
It looked much like the city she remembered from photographs and League records: a large settlement built against the mountains, its red rooftops gleaming beneath the sunlight while the architecture carried a distinctly modern, industrial character.
Cynthia did not spend much time sightseeing.
She healed at the Pokémon Center and headed straight for the Gym.
Before opening the doors, she checked her party out of habit.
Torchic, Level 15.
Shroomish, Level 12.
Both were at full health.
Everything looked ready.
Cynthia entered the Gym.
The chat immediately came alive.
[GymPrepCoach: HERE WE GO!]
[BattleFrontierPTSD: Wait, you’re seriously challenging it with only two Pokémon?]
[RareCandyDealer: I’m already laughing.]
…
The interior of the Gym was dominated by an impressive rocky battlefield.
Cynthia’s first opponent was a Hiker with a Level 14 Geodude.
As soon as the battle began, she chose not to attack with Torchic.
She immediately switched to Shroomish, took one Tackle on the way in, and selected Bullet Seed on the following turn.
[Hit 5 times!]
[It’s super effective!]
Geodude went down under the barrage.
As the victory jingle played, the chat began scrolling again.
[GarchompEnjoyer: Oh no.
She actually learned how to play.]
[RareCandyDealer: I was hoping she’d stubbornly roast Geodude with Ember for five turns and then ask why it wasn’t doing any damage.
My disappointment is immeasurable.]
[NewViewer404: I’ve been here for one minute.
Is she actually new to the game or not?]
[RealSimp: She’s Cynthia, Sinnoh Champion.
Don’t ask questions!]
[BattleFrontierPTSD: Relax.
We’ve barely started.
The hardest part right now is keeping a straight face.]
…
Amid the flood of comments, Cynthia gave a small nod as she reached her own conclusion.
The game really was designed to encourage players to build teams capable of responding to different situations.
This Gym appeared to specialize in Rock-types, while Petalburg Woods just before it contained plenty of Grass-type Pokémon that could be caught specifically to help deal with Rock.
That placement was probably intentional.
And since Cynthia already had Shroomish…
‘The Rock-type Gym Leader shouldn’t be too difficult either.’
With that thought, she guided her character deeper into the Gym.
On a raised stone platform ahead stood a young woman wearing a gray skirt and red tights.
[Welcome to the Rustboro Gym!
I’m Roxanne, the Gym Leader!]
[Allow me to demonstrate the sturdy strength and resolve of Rock-type Pokémon!]
Energetic electronic battle music kicked in as the Gym battle began.
Cynthia led with Shroomish.
If this was a Rock-type Gym, starting with a Grass-type was the obvious advantage.
Roxanne’s first Pokémon was a strange turtle with a dark, heavy shell across its back.
[Gym Leader Roxanne sent out Tirtouga!
Lv.
16]
Cynthia did not recognize the species, but the game displayed its typing in the corner of the screen.
Water/Rock.
A combination with a four-times weakness to Grass.
Cynthia selected Bullet Seed without hesitation.
Shroomish began firing a rapid volley of seeds.
Just before the first one connected, however, a flash of white light filled the field.
Tirtouga disappeared.
A small goat took its place.
[Gym Leader Roxanne sent out Skiddo!]
Cynthia paused.
She thought she had seen this Pokémon in the grass earlier.
If she remembered correctly, it was a Grass-type.
So Roxanne had specifically prepared an answer to Rock’s two most obvious weaknesses: Grass and Water.
That sort of preparation was hardly unusual among high-level Trainers.
Anyone who specialized in a single type eventually had to develop ways of compensating for its weaknesses.
Even so, Cynthia was not particularly concerned.
Torchic was a Fire-type.
She could simply switch it in on the next turn and gain the type advantage again.
Besides, Roxanne had spent her turn switching Pokémon, which meant Skiddo would have to take Bullet Seed for free.
The situation still favored Cynthia.
As she finished that thought, Shroomish’s Bullet Seed struck Skiddo squarely.
Then something happened that Cynthia could not understand.
Skiddo took no damage.
Not even a little.
Instead, a bright red aura suddenly flashed around its body.
[Skiddo’s Sap Sipper activated!]
[Skiddo’s Attack rose!]
Cynthia blinked.
‘Sap Sipper?’
What was that?
Before she could think any further, the next seed struck.
Another red flash appeared.
[Sap Sipper activated!
Skiddo’s Attack rose!]
Then another.
[Sap Sipper activated!
Skiddo’s Attack rose!]
Again.
And again.
Five hits.
Five activations.
Cynthia stared at the endless stream of notifications, then at Skiddo’s completely untouched HP bar.
Finally, her eyes shifted to the enormous red indicator displayed beside it.
[Attack +5]
Cynthia stared silently at the screen.