Bonus Chapter
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After her first victory, Cynthia left the Battle Factory. She wanted to experience the different facilities across the Battle Frontier and sharpen her skills. Next, she chose the Battle Roulette, a structure shaped like a giant spinning wheel.
The roulette rules were complicated. A massive wheel stood in the center of the arena, spinning randomly each turn and pointing to different effect zones. The variables could change everything in an instant.
Cynthia listened carefully to the explanation. Excitement built inside her as she began her first battle.
The wheel landed on "Fire-type moves prohibited." Her Victini went quiet.
But Cynthia didn't panic. Victini had other moves beyond Fire-types. The restriction wasn't devastating.
The roulette effects caused problems throughout the match. Still, Cynthia relied on sharp judgment and flexible strategy. She claimed a narrow but decisive victory.
She earned victory points and basic rewards: a Water Stone and the TM "Double Team."
Chat comments flooded in.
[GG]
[The streamer adapts so well!]
[What other random options does the roulette have? Curious]
After winning several roulette matches, Cynthia returned to the Battle Factory. She had accumulated Battle Points and felt ready for a real challenge.
This time, her target was the Frontier Brain.
The Factory's Brain specialized in Steel-type Pokémon. Cynthia studied the opponent's common team members. She combined her knowledge of doubles rules with her defensive strategy, developing new tactics.
Defeating this Brain would earn her the symbol representing Factory conquest, plus generous rewards.
But she didn't know how strong the opponent would be. If they used two legendary Pokémon, she'd need thorough preparation.
---
Meanwhile, Lance continued grinding deep within Victory Road.
Inside a cave where magma churned, the temperature was brutal. His Dragonite roared as thick lightning bolts struck a group of Magmortar, and they fell instantly. The experience bar crept upward.
Lance had discovered something valuable: monster groups spawned in Victory Road's depths. They provided far more experience than individual encounters.
[Lance is so committed to grinding, it's been almost half an hour]
[Experience pouring in, good spot, noted]
[Thunderbolt's area effect is really strong!]
But Lance's mind wasn't only on grinding.
While exploring a remote branch, he triggered a hidden cave entrance. No treasure waited inside, only a crumbling stone monument carved with faded text.
He moved closer. Text interpretation appeared on screen.
"...space...unstable ripples...ancient rifts...devour..."
Lance's eyes sharpened.
Space rifts? Unstable?
Could this relate to Ultra Wormholes?
The monument offered no additional information. Lance turned and left.
As he continued exploring, he reached the foggy graveyard area atop Mt. Pyre. After defeating Ghost-type Pokémon, he discovered a Quick Claw in an ancient stone niche.
Lance examined it. This item could increase priority move triggers. Maybe he could get the first strike against that white creature.
He shook his head. That thing's speed was ridiculous. This small boost wouldn't help.
After all, in non-turn-based combat, who knew what effect the Quick Claw would have?
When challenging a high-level Claydol deep in the Sky Pillar, he barely won. His reward was a Mental Herb.
Lance studied the item. It could remove one mental control effect. If that Pokémon had control moves, this might help. Against pure psychic damage, probably useless.
He put it away. Better than nothing.
He kept part of his attention on the chat, hoping to catch information about that mysterious Pokémon.
---
Back at the Battle Factory, Cynthia entered the Frontier Brain's battle room.
The grueling doubles match began.
The opponent led with Skarmory and Scizor. The strategy was clear: use Steel-types' extreme defense to limit her damage output, then let Scizor's offense eliminate her team.
Cynthia was prepared. She led with Swampert and Victini, both held massive advantages against Steel-types. Victini's Fire typing was especially deadly to Scizor.
She handled the battle easily. Her team had gained considerable levels in previous battles, which helped significantly. The opponent's level 80 Pokémon would have been much harder otherwise.
A system notification appeared.
[Obtained [Knowledge Symbol]!]
[Obtained BP Reward! Obtained TM [Earthquake]!]
[She won!]
[Cynthia is awesome!]
[First Frontier Brain kill!]
Cynthia taught Earthquake to Swampert immediately. The Pokémon glowed briefly and mastered the move.
She continued challenging other facilities. The content wasn't limited to two Pokémon anymore.
At the Battle Tower, she faced a veteran using a sandstorm team. The opponent led with Tyranitar setting up sandstorm, paired with Excadrill and Skarmory. The tactics surprised even Cynthia.
She relied on type advantages and multiple attempts to claim a narrow victory. The Battle Points and item rewards were substantial, proving her adaptability against different strategies.
---
While resting at the Pokémon Center in Mossdeep City, Lance overheard two trainers chatting nearby.
"Hey, did you hear? The Space Center has been detecting strange signal fluctuations recently."
"Yeah, the researchers are confused. They say it's like some kind of spatial interference. The parameters resemble what ancient documents call 'interdimensional rifts'..."
"Interdimensional rifts? Sounds scary. You don't think Team Rocket is up to something again? People all over Hoenn have been seeing Team Rocket members acting suspicious..."
Lance's ears perked up.
Spatial interference? Interdimensional rifts? Ancient documents?
And Team Rocket was mentioned!
Could Ultra Wormholes connect to Team Rocket somehow?
Lance recorded the conversation and sent it to Cynthia as a private message.
---
When Cynthia reported to Scott with her Knowledge Symbol, he congratulated her. Then he added something curious.
"Well done, Champion! The Battle Frontier's purpose isn't merely to provide challenges, you know." He adjusted his sunglasses, and light reflected off the lenses. "The League has invested enormously here. There are deeper considerations. The Hoenn region harbors many ancient energies, some from 'outside.' Spatial fluctuations are one of our key monitoring targets. Your strength and insight may prove very helpful in the future."
Cynthia caught the key information immediately: spatial fluctuations and monitoring.
This pointed to Ultra Wormholes.
Scott, or rather the League, might possess more intelligence than what was revealed at the Mauville Conference.
As Cynthia challenged the Battle Pyramid, a chat comment drifted by:
[Just came from Lance's stream. Did you guys notice? Several cities on his end have seen Team Rocket NPCs wandering around, Route 110, Mt. Pyre entrance. Why aren't they in Kanto or Johto? What are they doing in Hoenn?]
---
Meanwhile, in the Kanto region.
"A year and a half?" Kairos stared at the information before him. His mouth twitched.
By the time the application came through, the opportunity would be gone.
He continued searching but found no method to bypass the permit requirement.
Just as he was about to give up, a forum post caught his eye: "Several Shortcuts for Legally Entering the Ghost World."
He clicked it. The poster seemed to be an experienced explorer.
The post detailed several methods for entering the Ghost World within legal frameworks. The simplest and most direct was to register as a bounty hunter, then accept a commission involving the Ghost World.
The explanation was clear. Many tasks involving the Ghost World were commissioned by officials or major organizations to the Bounty Hunter Guild. When executing such tasks, the guild provided temporary permits that expired upon completion.
"Bounty hunter..." Kairos's eyes lit up.
This route seemed feasible.
He searched for "Kanto region Bounty Hunter Guild." The map showed the nearest branch to Cerulean City was in Saffron City.
Even better, according to the information he'd found, Saffron City had a stable and relatively accessible Ghost World entrance.
His objective became clear: go to Saffron City, register as a bounty hunter, then accept a task to the Ghost World and slip in.
Decision made. Kairos shut down his computer and stood to stretch.
He looked at the overcast sky outside. A strange feeling arose in his heart.
How long had he been in this world?
He'd been holed up in this Cerulean City villa making games the whole time. Dark Phantom, Rescue Team, Emerald, the outside Pokémon world, the vast continents shown in the anime, the wonderful cities, the diverse trainers and Pokémon, he hadn't seen any of it with his own eyes yet.
His first real outing would be for a task. How unexpected.
Kairos shrugged. Once he finished his current projects, he'd explore. He'd see all of Kanto, no, the entire Pokémon world. Otherwise, coming to this world would be a waste.
But first, he needed to solve the transportation problem.
Cerulean City to Saffron City wasn't particularly far on the map. Still, traveling on foot or by ordinary transportation would take considerable time.
The solution was easy. He logged into a reputable Pokémon transportation rental platform.
Time was pressing, and he wasn't short on money. Kairos selected the most premium service: Dragonite Express, direct one-way trip, ultra-speed tier.
Less than ten minutes after payment confirmation, a deep, powerful sound of beating wings approached from above the villa.
Kairos walked outside with Gengar and Chandelure. He looked up and saw a sturdy Dragonite with orange-yellow scales descending onto the front lawn. Despite the overcast sky, its scales gleamed.
This Dragonite looked strong. Its eyes conveyed a certain honest nature.
After landing, it scratched its belly with a claw. A soft rumble came from its throat.
Kairos recalled Gengar and Chandelure, then climbed onto Dragonite's broad back. After settling in, he patted its neck.
"Let's go, to Saffron City. As fast as possible."
Dragonite responded. Its wings spread wide and beat powerfully. Its massive body lifted into the air.
But the speed after takeoff made Kairos frown.
This was considerably slower than expected. Given Dragonite's flying speed, it shouldn't be like this.
Wind howled in his ears, but the scenery below moved only slightly faster than a speeding car.
Was it being considerate of his flight experience?
"Dragonite, can you go faster? We're in a hurry."
Dragonite turned its head. Its huge eyes blinked. It let out a louder rumble.
"Roaar~"
It patted its round belly again with one claw. An apologetic and embarrassed expression crossed its face.
Kairos understood without needing his dragon-type affinity ability.
It was hungry.
He was instantly speechless.
Such an expensive service, and they don't even feed their employees? How cheap.
"Fine..." He sighed and rummaged through his spatial backpack. He pulled out a canister of premium energy cubes he usually prepared for his own Pokémon.
"Here, a little gift." Kairos popped open the seal. Rich energy fragrance wafted out immediately. He held the canister near Dragonite's mouth.
Dragonite's eyes lit up instantly.
It carefully took the canister with its claws, then eagerly lowered its head. Its tongue swept in, and more than half the energy cubes went down its gullet.
Roooaaaaar!!!
A satisfied, power-filled dragon roar echoed across the sky.
After eating, Dragonite's body seemed instantly fueled up. Its previously steady wings suddenly erupted with tremendous power. They became blurred afterimages, tearing through the air with sharp sonic booms.
Kairos only had time to grip the protruding scales on Dragonite's back before enormous force pressed him against the dragon.
The scenery stretched into blurred streaks of light. Wild wind hit him head-on, making it almost impossible to open his eyes.
Dragonite had been completely won over by those energy cubes. It was giving its full effort now.
What would have originally taken several hours felt like barely any time. The massive, prosperous silhouette of Saffron City was already clearly visible below.