Night settled over Mount Coronet, blanketing the entire mountain range in darkness.
Every light inside the internet café had already been switched off, and the surrounding forest had grown quiet.
Then a shadow drifted out from between the trees.
It moved silently toward the café, its body barely visible beneath the moonlight while a pair of crimson eyes glowed faintly in the darkness.
The shadow circled the building once, seemingly examining it from every angle.
Eventually, it returned to the front entrance and extended one hand toward the door.
Bzzzt!
An invisible barrier flashed into existence, stopping its hand before it could touch the door.
The figure paused, then reached out again.
The barrier did not budge.
Instead, faint golden ripples spread across its surface and pushed the intruder’s hand away.
The shadow stared at the door, confusion flickering in its crimson eyes.
It floated around the outer wall of the café and tried one of the side windows.
The result was exactly the same.
Every possible entrance was protected by the same invisible barrier, sealing the entire building so completely that there was no way inside.
Eventually, the shadow returned to the front entrance and remained there for a long time, silently staring at the café.
Then it turned and slowly disappeared into the night.
Upstairs, Felix rolled over in bed, sleeping peacefully and completely unaware of what had just happened.
There was something else he failed to notice as well.
A red system window had silently appeared in the darkness before him.
[Today’s business hours have ended.
Final settlement commencing.]
[The worldline has undergone a minor change…
A certain event is now in progress.]
[Current Progress: 1%]
The notification remained suspended in the air for several seconds before quietly fading away.
…
At the same time, thousands of kilometers away in Kanto.
Beneath a sky covered in heavy gray clouds, waves rolled across the sea.
On an isolated island surrounded by turbulent water, an underground laboratory lay hidden beneath the earth.
The lights inside its cultivation chamber were dim.
Enormous cylindrical tanks stood in neat rows, each filled with pale green nutrient solution.
At the very center of the room stood a tank nearly three times larger than the others.
The liquid inside shifted gently.
Suspended within it was a purple embryo.
A man in a white lab coat stood before the tank, carefully observing the specimen while writing in a notebook.
[Artificial Pokémon Project X-23 — Creation Attempt #18]
[One week has elapsed.
The embryo displays no remaining signs of life.
This experiment is classified as a failure.]
[Conclusion: Genetic parameter sequence insufficiently accurate.
Embryonic development failed.]
After finishing his notes, the researcher let out a quiet sigh and left the laboratory.
He never saw what happened immediately afterward.
Within the green liquid, the purple embryo twitched.
…
The rest of the night passed quietly.
Morning sunlight slipped through the gap in Felix’s curtains and fell across his face.
He opened his eyes and stretched.
Sleeping in the mountains really was comfortable.
The air was clean, and he always woke up feeling refreshed.
The sky outside had not fully brightened yet.
A thin morning mist hung between the trees, while the calls of various bird Pokémon echoed from somewhere in the distance.
Felix got out of bed, washed up, and headed downstairs.
His first stop was the Berry Drink Dispenser.
Using the second recipe he had discovered yesterday, he made himself a can of Rawst Berry Soda before settling into the chair behind the counter.
The system interface appeared almost immediately.
[Good morning!
A new day has begun!]
[Main Mission Updated!]
[Main Mission: First Step Toward Expansion!
(C)]
[Objectives: Reach a total customer playtime of 5 hours and serve 2 unique customers.]
[Current Progress: Total Playtime — 1/5 hours]
[Unique Customers — 1/2]
[Rewards: Unlock additional feature “Internet Café Shop,” ×1 random special facility, ×5 Universal Emotion Points, ×1 C-Rank Mystery Box.]
Felix’s eyes lingered on the rewards.
This mission was considerably more generous than the beginner one.
And there was an Internet Café Shop?
If he had to guess, the different-colored Emotion Points he received yesterday were probably currency for that shop.
The real question was how he was supposed to finish the mission.
Five total hours of customer playtime should not be too difficult.
Cynthia had played for one hour yesterday, and if she returned every day with her available session time gradually increasing, he could probably reach five hours by the third day.
The second condition was more troublesome.
Two unique customers.
Felix rubbed his nose.
That might actually be difficult.
The café was buried deep inside Mount Coronet, with no human settlements anywhere nearby.
Meeting Cynthia yesterday had already felt like winning the lottery.
Going out and actively searching for customers was out of the question.
Felix leaned back in his chair and thought about it.
‘Maybe I could ask Cynthia to tell one of her friends about this place.
Next time she comes, she could bring someone with her.’
That seemed reasonable enough.
‘If she comes back today, I’ll ask.’
Felix was about to close the system interface when a small line of text near the edge caught his eye.
It was noticeably smaller than the other notifications and easy to miss.
[Worldline Change Triggered.]
[Current Event Progress: 1%]
Felix blinked and stared at it for a few seconds.
A worldline change?
What was that supposed to mean?
As if responding to his confusion, two additional messages appeared beneath it.
[Whenever the Host completes the final daily business settlement, changes to the worldline will progress according to that day’s business performance, increasing the completion rate of certain special events.]
[The progress of these special events may cause major changes to the world in which the Internet Café currently exists and will trigger corresponding Event Missions.]
Felix frowned after reading through the explanation.
So merely continuing to operate the café could gradually trigger major events in this world?
What exactly qualified as a major event?
Surely the system did not mean something on the level of Groudon and Kyogre waking up and trying to murder each other, Mewtwo going on a rampage, Ultra Wormholes appearing everywhere, or Team Rainbow Rocket launching an invasion.
Felix shook his head.
‘No way.
Absolutely not!’
If things escalated that badly, how was he supposed to keep running an internet café?
He spent a little longer browsing the system menus and familiarizing himself with the various interfaces before finally closing the panel.
With nothing else to do, boredom quickly set in.
His eyes drifted toward the café’s only computer.
He had no idea when Cynthia would arrive today.
‘Maybe I should play a little Emerald myself while I wait.’
Felix had barely stood up when he heard movement outside.
He looked toward the entrance.
The door opened and Cynthia walked in.
She was dressed differently today, wearing a long black coat that looked more formal than yesterday’s outfit.
Her blonde hair had also been neatly redone.
Her eyes swept across the café as soon as she entered, briefly pausing on the Berry Drink Dispenser before settling on Felix behind the counter.
“I’m here to use the computer.”
Felix took one look at her slightly disheveled appearance, the faint exhaustion on her face, and Garchomp standing behind her.
Then he blinked.
“You…”
“Don’t tell me you flew all the way here.”
Cynthia froze.
She had spent almost the entire previous night thinking about the internet café and had barely slept at all.
The moment dawn broke, she had climbed onto Garchomp and headed straight for Mount Coronet.
Only now, after Felix pointed it out, did she remember something rather important.
Yesterday, he had specifically told her that all she needed to do was find a door, say “Origin Internet Café,” and walk through it.
Apparently, in her hurry to return…
She had completely forgotten about it!
A brief silence filled the room.
Felix was eventually the first to speak.
“You’ve got two hours today.
Go ahead.”
He stepped out from behind the counter and powered on the computer, giving Garchomp a friendly nod along the way.
“Morning, Garchomp.”
“Gaar!”
Garchomp was clearly much more comfortable around Felix than it had been yesterday.
It even raised a claw and waved in greeting.
Cynthia sat down at the computer and took a slow breath before launching the game again.
Two full hours today.
She had no idea how much progress she could make, but she intended to use every minute efficiently.
Before she could begin, however, Felix walked over and set a can beside her.
“Have a drink.
It’s a new service the café unlocked.”
The moment he finished speaking, a notification appeared on Cynthia’s screen.
[Spend 1 Internet Café Point to redeem this beverage?]
Internet Café Points…
Was that the score she had received after yesterday’s session?
At the time, she had assumed they were nothing more than some sort of loyalty points, like the reward programs ordinary businesses used.
She had not given them much thought.
Apparently, they already had a purpose.
“Thank you.”
Cynthia accepted the can from Felix.
A notification confirming the point deduction appeared briefly before disappearing.
Truthfully, Cynthia had never been particularly interested in soft drinks.
Given the choice, she generally preferred wine.
The moment she opened the can, however, a rich, sweet fragrance immediately filled her nose.
Cynthia instinctively took a sip.
Her eyes widened.
The fruit flavor was unlike anything she had tasted before.
It was sweet without being cloying, carrying an unusually pure and natural freshness.
She took another couple of sips almost without thinking.
Then, just as she lowered the can, warmth suddenly spread through her body.
The fatigue vanished.
The dull heaviness left behind by a sleepless night disappeared almost instantly, and even the strain behind her eyes seemed to melt away.
Within seconds, Cynthia felt completely refreshed and full of energy.
Ever since becoming Champion, her days had been filled with League responsibilities, battles, research, travel, public appearances, and countless other obligations.
Being tired had become such a normal part of life that she barely noticed it anymore.
She could not remember the last time she had felt this rested.
‘Was that…
because of the drink?’
Cynthia immediately understood.
Garchomp had also noticed the sudden change in its Trainer’s expression and posture.
It tilted its head in confusion.
It had been a long time since Cynthia showed such obvious emotion.
Last night had already been strange enough.
Now this.
Ever since she entered this peculiar shop, she had almost seemed like a different person.
While Garchomp was doing its best to work through the mystery with its very serious dragon brain, another can suddenly appeared in front of its face.
“Garchomp, this one’s for you.”
Felix smiled.
Garchomp stared at the can.
Rather than accepting it immediately, it instinctively looked toward Cynthia.
Cynthia gave a small nod.
Only after receiving permission did Garchomp carefully take the can between its claws.
It brought it toward its mouth and cautiously tried a sip.
Its eyes immediately lit up!
Garchomp’s tail gave an involuntary little sway.
Then all caution vanished.
It tilted its head back and quickly drained the entire can.
The moment the last drop went down, however, Garchomp’s expression abruptly changed.
It lowered its head, scales rising slightly as a wave of hot air burst outward from its body.
Cynthia immediately turned toward it.
“What’s wrong?”
Garchomp looked just as surprised as she was and quickly growled an explanation.
“Gaar!”
Cynthia stared at it.
“You’re saying…
you got stronger?”
Garchomp nodded furiously.
For a moment, Cynthia could only look at it.
She had seen similar reactions before when Garchomp consumed valuable training resources she had prepared for it.
There was nothing inherently unusual about a Pokémon showing a visible response after absorbing something beneficial.
The problem was that Garchomp had stopped gaining any meaningful increase in raw strength years ago.
It had already reached the upper limits of what Cynthia understood as Champion-level power.
That had never stopped either of them from training.
Garchomp continued accumulating battle experience, improving its timing, sharpening its instincts, and refining its techniques.
But its fundamental strength had long since stopped increasing.
And now a single can of juice had accomplished what countless rare training resources had failed to do?
If someone had told Cynthia this yesterday, she would never have believed them.
After discovering that the archaeological ability she received from the café genuinely worked in reality, though…
At this point, almost anything that happened inside this place seemed slightly easier to accept.
Cynthia took a breath and nodded toward Felix.
“Thank you.
I still have some points left, so please deduct the cost of that drink from mine as well.”
Felix shook his head and glanced at Garchomp.
“No need.
That one’s on me.”
He smiled.
“I’ve always liked Garchomp.”
Garchomp visibly froze.
For a moment, it seemed genuinely unsure how to react.
Then it remembered Cynthia was standing right there.
Garchomp cleared its throat, edged a little closer to its Trainer, and immediately put on the sternest expression it could manage.
“Gaar.”
One can of juice was nowhere near enough to buy its loyalty!
This human was obviously suspicious!
And this entire place was definitely strange.
Before Garchomp could finish rebuilding its defenses, however, Felix started muttering to himself nearby.
“Rocky Helmet with Rough Skin is great for defensive switching and chip damage…
Choice Scarf or Choice Band works, and Swords Dance with Scale Shot is nasty too.
Hits like a truck, fast as hell, huge coverage…
It’s hard not to love Garchomp once you’ve actually used one.”
He sighed.
“Still can’t believe you don’t get Dragon Dance, though.
And Mega Evolution actually makes you ten points slower.
Game Freak really had it out for you.”
Garchomp stared at him.
“…?”
It had understood almost none of that.
And yet, for some reason…
Why did it feel like none of it had been particularly flattering?