For veteran livestream viewers who had already lived through Groudon's molten apocalypse, Kyogre's world-ending floods, and Rayquaza's suffocating pressure, this mountain-descending aura barely registered. They had built up a serious tolerance by now.
The chat exploded instantly, yet the mood was oddly relaxed:
[Here it comes! Titan-bro finally woke up!]
[Legendary Pokémon capture plan activated!]
[Newbies are still screaming "holy crap, so scary!" Veterans are like "relax, this is nothing."]
[Just finished watching the Three Legendary Pokemon fight, seeing Titan-bro feels nostalgic now]
[This pressure is way gentler than those three.]
[Rock Titan: Could I get a little respect here?]
[Go, We're cheering you on spiritually! (pulls out a tiny stool and sits)]
Even Cynthia felt the influence of the chat's calm energy. The heavy pressure pressing down on her seemed to ease slightly.
She steadied herself, eyes sharpening as she slipped fully into battle mode.
The battle began.
[Wild Regirock appeared! - Lv.80!]
[Please note: This is a Legendary Pokémon battle. The enemy unit possesses special trait effects!]
Seeing the two notifications, Cynthia froze for a split second. Regirock's level was lower than she had expected. As a Legendary Pokémon, it was only level 80. While it still far outclassed her team, she had assumed Legendary Pokémon would be level 90 or even 100 by default.
The final line made her frown.
Special trait effects?
What exactly did that mean?
There was no time to dwell on it. Cynthia sent out Dracovish first, counting on the type matchup. As the Rock Titan, Regirock should be Rock-type, which meant Dracovish's Water-type moves should be super effective.
"Dracovish, Fishious Rend!"
Dracovish let out a low roar as its massive jaws surged forward, water-laced force tearing through the air as it bit down on Regirock's rocky body.
But the familiar "It's super effective!" message never appeared.
Dracovish's steel-crushing fangs scraped against Regirock's body, kicking up sparks, yet the HP bar did not move at all, even with the bonus from striking first.
A cold system message appeared:
[Regirock's ability: Clear Body activated!]
[The move has been nullified!]
Cynthia stared in disbelief.
The chat erupted.
[??? Immune to type advantage attacks???]
[What kind of god-tier ability is this?!]
[So this is what they meant by special effects? There are actual mechanics?!]
[Titan-bro does not play fair!]
Before the shock could settle, another notification appeared.
[Regirock used Rock Slide!]
Boulders rained from the sky, and Dracovish's HP bar vanished instantly.
The sheer damage made Cynthia's heart jolt.
Dracovish was one of her bulkier Pokémon, yet it had been knocked out by a single Rock Slide.
She reacted instantly, recalling Dracovish and sending out Sceptile, who also had a type advantage against Rock-types.
Grass beats Rock. Another super effective matchup.
"Sceptile, Leaf Blade!"
Sceptile shot forward like a streak of green lightning, sharp claws wrapped in Grass-type energy as it slashed fiercely at Regirock.
The result was the same.
[Regirock's ability Clear Body activated. The move is ineffective!]
This time, Cynthia understood.
Type advantage moves could not damage Regirock at all.
Regirock retaliated immediately, once again with Rock Slide. This time, because of the resistance, Sceptile survived with about half its HP remaining.
Cynthia let out a quiet breath of relief. While offensive type advantages were useless, defensive resistances still mattered.
After a brief pause, she switched tactics.
"Dragon Pulse."
The attack landed successfully. Regirock let out a dull, grinding sound as its HP dropped slightly, not even a fifth of the bar.
Then another message followed right away:
[Regirock was hit by a special attack. Special Defense increased!]
The chat panicked.
[That defense is absurd!]
[It hits hard, and getting hit just makes it tankier?!]
[Water moves don't work, Grass moves don't work. Is her entire team locked out?]
Regirock's massive stone arm flared with blinding white light as it brought down a devastating Hammer Arm.
Sceptile's remaining HP vanished in an instant.
"Come back and rest, Sceptile."
Cynthia's expression darkened.
In just two minutes, she had grasped the full scope of the problem. Regirock was incredibly durable, immune to super effective attacks, and grew even sturdier when struck by special moves. Its offensive power was no joke either.
Her Pokémon could survive at most two hits, and those without Rock resistance might not survive even one, Victini included.
That meant each Pokémon had only one or two chances to act.
In that case, what about status moves?
She acted immediately. Cynthia sent out Ludicolo and chose Teeter Dance.
After the flamboyant routine ended, only one line appeared.
[Regirock's ability Clear Body activated. The move is ineffective!]
Next, she tried Victini with Will-O-Wisp, hoping to cripple Regirock's physical attacks. The system responded mercilessly:
[Regirock's Clear Body prevents it from being burned!]
Status effects were useless too.
Then something even worse happened. A red glow flashed across Regirock's body.
[Regirock used Curse!]
[It consumed some of its own HP and greatly raised its Attack, Defense, and Speed!]
Its HP dropped by half, but that already monstrous body now looked completely unbreakable.
Cynthia felt her heart sink. She sent out Swampert, testing physical damage output.
Type advantage moves still did nothing, leaving her with Rock Slide.
This time, Regirock's ability did not trigger another Defense boost, but after the earlier buffs, Swampert's Rock Slide barely scratched it.
Regirock answered with a crushing Hammer Arm.
Swampert's HP slammed to zero.
Ludicolo followed, but Cynthia quickly realized its moveset was almost entirely Grass- and Water-type, leaving only Zen Headbutt.
Zen Headbutt dealt no damage at all.
Regirock countered with Ancient Power, knocking Ludicolo out as well.
Pelipper came next, but Hurricane counted as a special attack. Against Regirock's boosted Special Defense, the damage was negligible.
Cynthia looked at the battlefield. Regirock still had half its HP, but with Curse boosting its Attack and Defense and Dragon Pulse having raised its Special Defense, it stood like an unmovable fortress. She glanced at her remaining Pokémon and sighed.
Turning to the camera, she gave a helpless smile.
"Looks like I rushed in without thinking. There's not just a level gap, but the ability setup and move synergy make this thing a nightmare. Challenging it right now is asking too much."
The chat agreed.
[Totally fair, this Titan-bro is busted.]
[Level suppression plus ability lockdown plus self-buffs.]
[sis, go grind first!]
[Feels like you need a hard counter team or overwhelming levels.]
[If she could catch this thing, wouldn't she be unstoppable?]
[That's assuming she can beat it first!]
Cynthia nodded and decisively chose to flee.
The battle ended instantly. Back on the game screen, Regirock's seven red eyes watched her retreat in silence, making no move to pursue.
"You're right. I underestimated the difficulty of the second playthrough and the strength of Legendary Pokémon as challenge targets. I'll level up my team first, and probably do some more research on strategy."
Elsewhere.
The completion credits scrolled slowly across the screen. The character named "Dragon Types Are Supreme" stood at the peak of the grand Champion's Hall, bathed in cheers from the virtual world.
Lance removed his headphones, leaned back in his chair, and exhaled deeply.
It was over.
He had defeated Hoenn's Elite Four and Champion Steven, claiming the Hoenn League Championship.
As the Champion of the Kanto Elite Four, reaching the same height in another region's game felt novel, even a little unreal.
His gaze lingered on the partners who had carried him to the end. Appletun, his companion from start to finish; Aerodactyl, the perfect blend of speed and power; the elegantly soaring Altaria; Omastar, slow but terrifyingly strong in special attack and devastating in the right conditions; the ever-reliable Dragonite, capable of both offense and defense; and Ampharos, whose Electric-type power was overwhelming.
Among them, only Dragonite was a familiar partner from the real world. The other five were Pokémon he had never even encountered before, much less trained.
Their abilities, strategies, and training methods brought him experiences and insights he had never known. It truly felt like embarking on a completely new journey.
At first, his goal in playing this game had been simple: gather intelligence, especially regarding Team Rocket, disaster-level Legendary Pokémon, and Ultra Wormholes.
But from the moment he stepped into Littleroot Town, chose Treecko as his starter, met unfamiliar Pokémon, challenged wildly different Gyms, explored strange dungeons, resolved one crisis after another, witnessed the catastrophic Legendary battle in Sootopolis City, and finally stood atop the Champion's Hall…
The experience had far surpassed his original purpose.
The world presented by this game was vast, immersive, and irresistibly captivating.
Even knowing it was virtual, the joy of growing stronger alongside his partners and reaching the summit together felt completely real.
Lance couldn't help but sigh.
The feeling passed quickly.
He remembered the message Cynthia had sent him earlier.
After the first playthrough came the second, and it involved Ultra Wormholes.
As the Champion entrusted with protecting Kanto, and someone who understood just how dangerous Ultra Wormholes could be, this information was critical.
He straightened up, ready to dive deeper into the game.
At that moment, the credits vanished, replaced by a bold system notification:
[Congratulations to player "Dragon Types Are Supreme" for becoming the second player to complete Pokémon: Emerald's first playthrough!]
[You will receive the following special rewards:]
[Reward 1: TM - Draco Meteor]
[Reward 2: Special Item - Silver Wing]
Lance raised an eyebrow.
Second?
And there were rewards?
He knew better than anyone how valuable this game's rewards were.
The items and moves he had already obtained had pushed his real-world Pokémon dangerously close to a limit most could never reach, just a step away from the legendary tier.
Cynthia's Garchomp breaking through had likely relied on similar rewards.
As he watched, two softly glowing orbs appeared in his real-world room, floating silently in the air.
Inside one orb was a circular TM marked with the words "Draco Meteor."
Inside the other drifted a slender, beautiful silver feather, radiating a cold, elegant glow.
Lance did not hesitate. He reached out and touched the orb containing Draco Meteor.
It dissolved into his body like flowing water.
In an instant, profound understanding flooded his mind. The most violent expression of Dragon-type power, destructive strikes like meteors falling from the heavens, unfolded before him in perfect clarity.
This was not just learning a move. It was like being handed a key, unlocking deeper secrets of Dragon-type energy.
Lance's eyes lit up as excitement surged through him.
As a trainer who specialized in Dragon-types, he already possessed deep insight, but there had always been questions that required years of reflection to answer. Some had stumped him for a long time.
Yet in the moment the orb merged with him, those problems vanished.
His understanding of Dragon-type training had reached an entirely new level.
What that meant, and how significant it was, only he truly understood.
He then touched the second orb, gently grasping the silver feather.
It felt cool in his hand, carrying an indescribable sense of purity. Streams of refreshing energy flowed from his fingertips, washing through his body and clearing away lingering fatigue.
His heartbeat quickened. He could clearly feel the extraordinary power contained within the feather.
The only disappointment was that the game offered no explanation of its effects.
Even so, the value of these rewards far exceeded his expectations.
This game...
The same question rose in his mind once more.
Who, exactly, created it?