Let you make a game, what the hell is Pokemon?.

Chapter 121 Maxim: Not a buddy, what the hell??

Chapter 121 Maxim: Not a buddy, what the hell?? (3k)

In the darkness, time passed in an unknown amount of time.

Cynthia's consciousness gradually returned when the pungent smell of disinfectant entered her nasal cavity.

Under the soft white light, she slowly opened her eyes, her blurred vision revealing a snow-white and unfamiliar ceiling.

She felt as if her body had been crushed by boulders, and her throat was so dry it felt like she had swallowed a handful of sand, making it difficult to even speak.

It seems like I'm lying in a hospital?

"Waaah!"

Just then, six shadows of different colors pounced at the same time. Garchomp gently rubbed its nose against her cheek, Glaceon placed its cool little paws on the back of her hand, Milotic carefully wrapped its tail around her wrist, and the three Pokémon, Lorelei, Gastrodon, and Rockruff, flanked the hospital bed on either side.

"Everyone."

Cynthia instinctively reached out to touch them, but found that even such a simple action caused her muscles to twitch wildly, making it impossible for her to do so.

Only then did she notice that her whole body was wrapped in bandages and that her left arm was still connected to an IV line.

"Miss Zhulan! You're finally awake!"

A familiar male voice rang in my ears, and a middle-aged man wearing round-framed glasses jumped up from a chair in the corner of the ward. He was none other than Maxim, the archaeological team leader.

He had dark circles under his eyes, clearly having waited there for a long time, but his eyes were now brimming with excitement.

Maxim frantically pressed the call button, nearly knocking over the water glass by the bedside, before rushing to the bedside and handing the glass to Cynthia.

"You've slept for a whole day and night!" Maxim said in a trembling voice. "Your Pokémon recovered even faster... They were all fully healed last night at the hospital thanks to Chansey's treatment."

Cynthia tried to sit up to reach for the water glass, but Garchomp immediately supported her back with its wings. This action almost aggravated her chest injury, and a sharp pain made her vision go black for a moment.
A dazzling light suddenly shone before Milos's eyes, and the glass of water was now quietly suspended in front of her.

Cynthia forced herself to drink a sip of water, and only then did she feel her throat feel a little better.

At the same time, memories from before he fell into a coma flooded back—the ruins, Regirock, that dazzling rainbow glow...
She shook her head.

"Where is Cattleya?"

“In the next room, she’s also completely exhausted and will need a long time to recover,” Maxim said, taking the empty glass. “But she should be in much better shape than you. Miss Joey said she just needs a couple of days of rest.”

Cynthia was silent for a few seconds, seemingly deep in thought.

"So, are the archaeological team members all alright?"

“It’s alright, thanks to you.” Maxim’s voice suddenly choked up. “You’re amazing.” His eyes became unfocused, as if he were seeing that unforgettable scene again—Cynthia standing in the crumbling ruins hall, bathed in rainbow light, she and Garchomp stood in front of everyone, facing off against that legendary giant Pokémon!

Cynthia's gaze suddenly sharpened; she finally remembered—Garuda's form had undergone a dramatic transformation amidst the rainbow-colored light! Its body grew taller, its dorsal fin split, and its forepaws transformed into incredibly sharp blades... its strength had also increased unimaginably in an instant!

So...that was
Mega Evolution?!
But Mega Evolution doesn't exist in the real world! Isn't that something that only happens in games??
etc.
As if struck by a sudden thought, Cynthia abruptly looked down at her neck—the necklace was hanging quietly on her chest.

She used all her strength to lift one hand, and with trembling hands, she took it off and opened it, examining it carefully under the light of the ward.

When Garchomp handed her this before they set off, she didn't pay much attention to it, thinking it was just a small trinket she had casually placed somewhere.

But now she realizes that's not the case.
The pendant of the necklace had been split in two, revealing a strange, iridescent gemstone at the top of the silver chain, and a translucent blue crystal with a spiral structure of alternating deep red and blue inside, resembling a glass bead.
The two items shimmered with a mysterious glow in the sunlight streaming into the room from outside the window, reflecting Cynthia's face within them.

Are these Mega Stones and Key Stones?!

Cynthia's breath almost stopped. She clearly remembered Garchomp saying it was found in the study, but how could such a thing possibly be in her study?
Wait, unless...
An absurd thought flashed through Cynthia's mind.

She closed her eyes and silently recited in her heart.

[Game Rewards!]

A familiar, semi-transparent gold interface with red text instantly unfolded before Cynthia's eyes. This window, which had suddenly appeared the night the leaderboard rewards were distributed, was now displaying all the rewards she had earned.

[Miracle Candy Gift Box (Intermediate) x2]

[Mega Evolution Gift Box Set x1]

[The above rewards have been distributed; please claim them!]

Cynthia felt a jolt in her heart, and her consciousness began to waver.

Mega Stone? Key Stone?!

Is this really a game reward?

She gripped the necklace tightly, recalling the appearance of Garchomp in her mind.

So... the incredible power of Mega Evolution... actually exists?!
Why didn't I see this so-called set when I claimed the rewards?
Just as Cynthia was rapidly thinking, a voice brought her back to reality.

"Miss Zhulan? Are you alright? Should we call Miss Joey to come and check on you?"

Maxim looked at the champion's suddenly pale face with confusion and couldn't help but speak up.

"No, no need." Cynthia forced a smile and quickly put away the necklace.

She can't explain anything about Mega Evolution right now; even she still feels like she's dreaming.

It was only then that she noticed the thick stack of documents and photos Maxim was holding, and instinctively asked:
"What are these?"

"Ah! This is our new discovery at the ruins!" The mention of archaeology instantly transformed Maxim, who excitedly spread photos and documents all over the hospital bed, showing them to Cynthia. "Look," he continued, "after you resolved the danger, our men found three hidden chambers behind the main hall! The first was filled with gold artifacts and jewels, the second contained numerous ancient scrolls recording a wealth of information about that ancient civilization, but what truly astounded us was the third—"

He searched around and pulled a close-up photo from the bed; it showed a bronze treasure chest covered in runes.

"This box contains five stone tablets, each corresponding to the location of a different temple besides the one in question! According to the parchment scrolls discovered at the same time, each of these temples is inhabited by one of five 'Guardians.'"

While listening to Maxim's eloquent explanation, Cynthia absentmindedly flipped through the photos.

She was actually more concerned with Regirock the Rock God than with these artifacts from ancient civilizations.

Judging from the battle records, Regirock's strongest ability is to absorb various energy attacks, but considering the performance of legendary Pokémon in the game, Cynthia always felt that this was not its true level of combat power.

This judgment is based on the strength of Garchomp after Mega Evolution. Although the power that Garchomp unleashes after Mega Evolution does exceed my understanding, it shouldn't be enough to directly overwhelm a legendary Pokémon like Regirock.

This situation... is as if... the Geo Regiment hadn't even woken up at all.

Suddenly, her gaze fell on a photograph taken from the hall—five statues surrounded the central square, but on the very center platform, there were traces of a huge statue that had once stood.

The sight made her heart tighten.

Within Emerald, the palace he discovered in the desert, based on his own speculation, most likely harbors an even more powerful legendary Pokémon, like Lugia, that commands several divine pillars.
Could it be that the position of the statue in the middle corresponds to that being?
But where is it now?
Cynthia felt a chill run down her spine, and a sense of foreboding washed over her.

—If a fully awakened Geo Regiment is already this terrifying, then the being I'm guessing about is even more terrifying!

I just hope my guess is wrong.
As she pondered, Cynthia's mind, which had cleared somewhat, suddenly snapped back to reality and remembered something.

Compared to this
She suddenly looked up and interrupted Maxim.

"What did you just say about how long I slept?!"

“A whole day and night.” Maxim was taken aback, not understanding why Cynthia suddenly changed the subject. This champion’s interest in ancient civilizations should be no less than his own, right?

Upon hearing this, Cynthia immediately reached for her phone on the bedside table, her fingers trembling slightly as she unlocked it with her fingerprint.

When he was downloading Emerald, he noticed a link to a mobile app on the official website and downloaded it without hesitation.

At that moment, she noticed a glaring red number "1" on the icon, indicating a new message notification.

But when he/she opened the app and entered the leaderboard interface, the content there made her pupils shrink in shock:

Your ranking has changed!

[Current Progress Ranking]:
No. 1 Passerby (Helps clear Mount Kama!)
No. 2 Electric-type champion (Clear the Greenwood City Gym!)
No. 3 Dragon-type champion (Currently challenging the Greenwood City Gym!)

No. 4 Strawberry Ice Cream (Weather Research Institute cleared!)
Sure enough, during the two days I was in the hospital, Watari and Kiki's game progress had already surpassed mine.

But if that were all, Cynthia could accept it. But where did this player called "Random Person" come from?

Her gaze sharpened instantly, and she made a decision.

"Garuda, let's go back!"

Without hesitation, Cynthia recalled all her Pokémon except Garchomp and abruptly threw off the covers.

She yanked the IV needle out of her hand, and a string of blood beads immediately seeped out from the back of her hand, but Cynthia didn't care about that at all. She grabbed her cloak from the chair, put it over her hospital gown, jumped barefoot off the cold floor, and ran straight out the window.

Garchomp understood, leaped out of the window, and waited for Cynthia to jump onto its back.

"Miss Zhulan! The doctor said your body hasn't fully recovered yet, don't run around!" Maxim panicked and stopped Shirona, his glasses tilting to one side.

He really didn't understand why Cynthia suddenly seemed to have been stimulated by something... One second she was lying down peacefully, and the next second she jumped off the hospital bed and wanted to leave.

“I have urgent business. It's about the ruins. Contact me by phone.” Cynthia’s voice regained its Champion’s authority. She gently pushed Maxim aside, leaped out of the window, and disappeared into the sky with Garchomp.

".?"

Maxim stood there, completely bewildered, not understanding what had happened.

And coincidentally, at that very moment, the door to the ward was suddenly pushed open.

A man walked in carrying a bouquet of flowers, a red cloak swaying gently behind him.

"Huh? Where's Zhu Lan?"

Du looked around at the empty hospital bed, a look of bewilderment on his face.

"Didn't the doctor say she just woke up?"

“She…she just suddenly ran away,” Maxim stammered, “She seemed to be in a real hurry.”

Du blinked, then suddenly looked enlightened, his tone full of relief.

"Oh, I see, she probably went to play games."

"???"

Maxim was completely dumbfounded.