The so-called Ultimate Emerald was actually a fan-made mod based on the original Emerald.
It added many Pokémon from later generations, new maps, and even altered some of the story. Among fan-made games, it was considered a masterpiece.
And the difficulty of this version was easily several times higher than the original Emerald. Every NPC had extremely smart AI that analyzed the player's team and Pokémon conditions before making decisions.
They could perform high-level actions like switching for defensive synergy, finishing moves, healing, and more — sometimes even outsmarting real players!
And due to strict level caps, players couldn't brute-force their way through with a simple level advantage.
Most players, when first experiencing this mod, would get stuck early on and had to look up guides just to progress.
As for Madman Mode, it was a hidden difficulty. Written as "madman," but actually meant hell — rage-inducing, soul-crushing difficulty!
And on top of this Madman Mode, Ling Feng had even more ideas — like further increasing the difficulty of major battles, and using the System to enhance NPC AI even more, allowing them to make flexible, adaptive combat decisions.
After all, this was a world where everyone was a Pokémon Trainer and Pokémon existed everywhere. If the difficulty wasn't raised, for some people… it would be far too easy.
And currently, Ling Feng's main goal in making this game was simply to torment— cough, to increase the challenge for players.
So, easy mode would have to wait for another day.
With that thought, Ling Feng opened the new game folder and mentally listed a few ideas.
"System, can these be implemented?"
[Yes. Begin production immediately?]
Ling Feng nodded.
"Start."
According to his expectations, with the System, his game production speed should multiply many times.
And indeed, his efficiency skyrocketed.
But to implement his ideas and improve the game's quality, he still spent an entire night tweaking and adjusting.
Before he realized it, dawn had arrived.
Morning sunlight spilled through the window as the city awakened in the twilight.
Ling Feng made the final edits to the game's title and description, dragged the folder into the website interface, took a deep breath, and clicked Upload.
This time, there was no red warning. Instead, four glowing green characters appeared:
"Upload Successful"!
He exhaled deeply in relief, pulled the curtains shut, didn't even bother turning off the computer, and collapsed onto the bed.
After working all night, he was exhausted. While pulling all-nighters had been routine for him in his previous life, his new body in this world was clearly much weaker — he really couldn't hold on any longer.
If he didn't sleep now, he might very well "transmigrate again."
I must sleep immediately.jpg
Seconds later, he fell asleep, steady breaths filling the room.
But in that same moment, within the shadow of the curtains… a figure suddenly slipped out.
It looked like a small white candle with a pair of dark green eyes. A deep blue flame flickered atop its head — eerie yet strangely beautiful.
But if one looked closely, the flame appeared weak, as though it might go out any moment.
This was a Ghost-type Pokémon, Litwick.
Despite its adorable appearance, Litwick fed on the life energy and souls of others.
It would light the flame atop its head, pretending to guide travelers, while quietly draining their souls…
At this moment, Litwick glanced around the room with confusion, swaying its small body.
So hungry…
If only there were something to eat…
Then its gaze locked onto the sleeping Ling Feng, and its eyes brightened.
This human's scent…
So sweet!
If it were just a little bit of soul, it should be fine, right?
Just a little nibble?
It was Saturday — according to Alliance law, most professions except service workers had the day off.
And in this world with such a primitive entertainment industry, watching livestreams has become a popular way to pass the time.
At this moment, on the largest streaming platform in the region — Psyduck Live — a long-silent channel suddenly went live again.
In an instant, like a tidal wave, users surged into the room. The viewer count shot past 100,000!
[She's here! She's here! My wife is here!!]
[AAAAAA SHE FINALLY STREAMED AGAIN!!]
[Wuu! Early bird Pidgey catches the worm!]
The stream opened with a desktop background featuring a striking image of Garchomp mid-battle.
Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers away, a woman sat before that very computer.
She had a tall, elegant figure.
Her gray eyes were like deep, tranquil lakes — calm and mysterious.
Her knee-length golden hair flowed like silken cream, shimmering softly in the morning sun.
She radiated natural warmth, but beneath it was a sharply honed confidence that only careful observation could detect.
She was — Sinnoh's reigning champion.
A legendary Trainer.
A woman standing at the apex of power:
Cynthia!
At this moment, Cynthia turned on her camera and smiled at her viewers.
"Good morning, everyone. The League finally gave me a day without missions, so I can spend time with you all."
"Did you miss me? I missed you."
The chat exploded again.
[I MISSED YOU TOO BABYYYY]
[She asked if I missed her. She has me in her heart!!]
[I was going to work today, but when I heard you were streaming, I quit on the spot.]
[I biked three hours from my village to the town internet café just to watch your stream.]
Cynthia laughed lightly at the flood of comments.
"You're all as lively as ever."
"Well then, it's a rare full-day stream — what would you like me to play?"
Suggestions poured in:
[I'll watch you play anything, Nana!!]
[Road to Battle! Your matches always teach me so much!]
[Maybe something else? I'm getting tired of Road to Battle.]
[What else? That Geodude-rolling-down-the-road trash game?]
Most wanted her to play Road to Battle.
Cynthia nodded and clicked the red-and-white Poké Ball icon on her desktop.
"Alright then, Road to Battle it is."
Road to Battle was a simulation battle game released six months ago by DreamWorks Studios.
It was buggy, poorly maintained, and updates had been embarrassingly lazy.
But because it allowed players to freely assemble Pokémon teams and simulate realistic battles against others, it was revolutionary, with no real competitors on the market.
So even though players often complained bitterly, the game remained extremely popular.
Over the past six months, everyone played it — from ordinary civilians to Elite Four members and even Champions.
For Cynthia, not only did fans want to watch it, but it also allowed her — even as Champion — to conveniently test new Pokémon and team concepts.
However—
When she launched the game, she froze.
A message popped up:
[Fatal Server Error: Unable to Connect!]
The chat erupted in annoyance.
[Damn it, DreamWorks is slacking again.]
[Classic server crash. They make millions — if they spent even 10% on maintenance, this wouldn't happen.]
[mgcsml]
[Welp, no battles today.]
DreamWorks' terrible servers were a universal joke at this point.
Cynthia simply frowned and closed the game.
"Looks like we can't play that today. Any suggestions?"
Though she wasn't thrilled, she kept her gentle smile for the viewers.
[Angry Rock!]
[Pikachu Legend!]
[Let's watch a movie instead?]
The barrage continued.
Then, a red Super Chat caught her eye.
It came from an old supporter who had donated millions over time.
["Fish-Loving Cat": Nana, the League's official site is having a new-game promo event. Want to check it out?]
As the organization managing the world's internet, the League naturally oversaw the entertainment industry.
Cynthia noticed the event banner conveniently displayed beside her streaming panel.
She clicked it.
She'd been wanting to see if any new games were worth trying anyway.
But what she found was disappointing — generic, low-quality titles filled the page. Three of them were just reskinned "Angry Rock" clones!
—The Geodude was replaced with an Exeggcute, a Magnemite, and a Miltank.
Just as Cynthia was about to give up, a certain game cover caught her eye — and she froze.
Amid swirling mist, the silhouette of a massive dragon appeared, surrounded by golden runic light.
Even through the screen, she could feel the overwhelming majesty emanating from the figure.
This… impossible.
Cynthia's eyes widened.
Because she recognized that silhouette.
It was a Legendary Pokémon.
—The ruler of the skies.
The god of dragonkind.
Rayquaza.
She knew of Rayquaza only because she was Champion, had access to forbidden information channels, and was herself a Pokémon mythologist.
Ordinary people didn't even know such a legend existed — its records had vanished from history centuries ago.
Even the last ancient manuscript mentioning it was destroyed in a great fire.
And yet… here it was on a game cover?
Could this be a coincidence?
She dismissed the thought instantly.
Impossible.
Before the manuscript was lost, she had personally seen its contents.
The depiction of Rayquaza matched this shadow exactly.
Her eyes moved to the listed creator of the game:
[Feng]
She had never heard of such a developer. Likely an alias.
Cynthia pulled out her phone to search for the game's publisher — but there was no contact information, not even a company name. It was posted as an individual release.
Troublesome…
She originally wanted to contact the creator directly to ask about Rayquaza.
But without any contact info, finding them would be difficult — even with the League's help.
And the one friend she had who was good at finding people… was currently unreachable.
Deep in thought, Cynthia continued scrolling through the game's details.
The title appeared:
[Pokémon: Emerald (Test Version)]
What kind of name was that?
It was utterly unlike typical game titles in this world.
And the genre was listed as a pixel game — a common low-budget, low-tech category filled with shovelware designed to make quick money and run.
She checked the description. It was simple, no flashy marketing, just one line:
[Encounter and raise unique Pokémon, form your team, and begin a wondrous journey together.]
Below it were two red warnings.
The first:
[Warning! Non-professional Trainers are prohibited from playing! The developer is not responsible for high blood pressure, heart attacks, brain hemorrhages, or any other side effects!]
Cynthia raised a brow.
High blood pressure? Heart attacks?
From a video game?
That seemed… exaggerated.
She looked at the second red line:
[The first player to clear this test version may add the developer via a friend code and receive a prize of 100,000 yuan.]
Cynthia's eyes sharpened.
Contact information.
She didn't care about the game itself — it clearly wasn't revolutionary. Certainly not on Road to Battle's level.
She didn't care about the 100,000 yuan either — she was Champion.
But clearing the game would give her the developer's contact…
That she couldn't ignore.
If this creator could depict Rayquaza with such precision, they were no ordinary person.
They might hold more knowledge about Rayquaza.
As a lover of ancient myths, Cynthia could not risk missing such information.
She added the game to her cart and clicked "Buy."
But the payment window made her freeze again.
[Pokémon: Emerald (Test Version) — 288 yuan. Confirm purchase?]
288 yuan??
Even major titles had never dared exceed 100…
A pixel game daring to charge nearly 300??
Even Cynthia, normally calm and composed, couldn't keep her composure.
She didn't lack money, but…
This price was outrageous.