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

Chapter 169 Mysterious NPC, A Different Plot Point? (4k)

"So... in our world, how many such divine pillars are there that could awaken at any moment?"

After Du said this, there was a moment of silence on both ends of the phone.
Cynthia spoke first, breaking the silence.

"The possibility you mentioned certainly exists. It seems we have even stronger reasons to continue playing, not just to investigate those unusual things, but also to explore the possibility of... possessing legendary power. We need to become stronger, both in the game and in reality, to deal with the problems that might arise in the real world."

"Agree."

Du seemed to agree.

"Intelligence and strength are both indispensable. I need to find a way to improve myself quickly. I'm still stuck at the gym, and I must get that type Null!"

“Yes, I can’t fall too far behind,” Cynthia said. “I’ve also encountered some new situations on my end, and I’m preparing to deal with them. Let’s keep in touch and share any new discoveries.”

After hanging up the phone, Cynthia refocused her attention on the game screen.

Her character had just received a text message from "Daigo" in the game, indicating that Team Aqua had been frequently active in an abandoned marine factory area on the northern outskirts of Celadon City, seemingly establishing a new temporary base and possibly plotting something.

Without hesitation, Cynthia immediately used Fly to head towards Celadon City, then used Surf to travel north of the city. Sure enough, deep within what appeared to be a deserted maritime industrial area, she discovered a hidden entrance, with a faint Aqua Team insignia nearby.

Infiltrating inside, the interior was a winding metal tunnel, filled with damp traces and stains mixed with engine oil. Unlike the previous island, it didn't seem to have been abandoned. Fleet Aqua members patrolled from time to time, and Cynthia had to fight her way through.

These team members' Pokémon levels were significantly higher than those of wild Pokémon, but they weren't too much of a problem for her main team.

The base was larger and more complex than I had imagined, with many areas requiring me to solve simple puzzles, such as using a robotic arm to move boxes to clear a path, using superhuman strength to push stone mechanisms, or finding keycards to open electronic doors in order to pass through.

Along the way, she noticed strange parts and metal plates piled up in some warehouses, and even in a huge dry dock-like area, she saw a huge, unfinished submarine mechanical skeleton that looked like a prototype. Apparently, the Aqua Fleet was secretly building something big, or perhaps... it was already finished.

Cynthia carefully observed her surroundings and continued deeper into the room, arriving at what appeared to be a command room or a VIP lounge. She vaguely heard conversations coming from inside, pushed open the door, and entered, her perspective shifting.

Inside the room, several members of Team Aqua were standing respectfully to one side. But sitting in the main seat with his back to the door was not the leader of Team Aqua who she had expected, but a burly man in a brown suit with a slicked-back hairstyle.

The man appeared to be talking to a senior officer of the water fleet, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable air of authority.

A dialog box starts popping up.

"...So, your progress is still too slow. This kind of efficiency cannot meet the expectations of both of us," the man in the suit said.

The Navy Navy officer seemed somewhat nervous: "No, I'm very sorry! But regarding materials and technology..."

Just then, Cynthia's character moved slightly and accidentally knocked over an empty bucket by the door, making a loud clatter.

"Who?!" Everyone in the room instantly became alert, their eyes all turning towards the door.

There was clearly no way to avoid this situation, so I simply had my character walk in openly and confidently.

The people in the room immediately went on alert. The man in the suit slowly turned around. Although it was a pixelated screen, Cynthia could still see a weathered yet dignified and imposing face with sharp, piercing eyes. Even though he was just calmly looking at Cynthia's character, she felt an invisible pressure from outside the screen.

Moreover, he wasn't wearing the Aquarion uniform, but a suit.

"Oh? It seems we have an uninvited guest." The man spoke, his voice deep and magnetic. He didn't seem flustered; instead, he seemed to have seen something interesting.

He turned his head and spoke calmly to the naval fleet officers beside him, who looked as if facing a formidable enemy:
"So, this is how your Aqua Team treats its guests? You let a guy like that sneak in?"

Cynthia frowned.

Who is this person? With such an extraordinary aura, he is definitely not an ordinary NPC, but he is not a member of Team Aqua either.

However, anyone who can appear as a guest at the Fleet of the Seas base... is definitely not a good person!
Her character stepped forward, holding a Poké Ball, seemingly ready for battle.

The man in the suit seemed to have seen through her intentions. He slowly stood up, straightened his tie, and a smile appeared on his face.
"What, you want to fight? Young people are always so impulsive."

Before he could finish speaking, without even consulting the Fleet Aqua officers, he threw out a Poké Ball.

"Since that's the case, then I'll show you what true power is."

Amidst the rousing music, the game instantly transitions into a battle scene!
Across the field, a flash of light appeared, revealing an unusually large Beedrill with fierce eyes. Its level was 15 levels higher than Cynthia's current highest-level Pokémon.

[Mysterious figure: ? ? A challenge has arrived!]

[Level 75, Beedrill!]

Cynthia was startled; such a high level and a Bug-type!
There's only one choice left!

She immediately dispatched the strongest Pokémon in her team, Victini, a Mythical Pokémon she had captured by chance!
However, the battle was almost over as soon as it began.

The man didn't even use any fancy skills; his trainer form appeared behind Beedrill, and he simply said, "Mega Evolution."

The Key Stone on his wrist resonated with the Evolution Stone carried by Beedrill in the arena, and a dazzling rainbow light instantly enveloped Beedrill!
Its form underwent a dramatic change in the light, the poison needles on its arms became larger and more ferocious, like two deadly battle blades, and its entire body became more streamlined and full of explosive power!
Mega Beedrill!
The next second, just as Cynthia finished casting "Flamethrower," Mega Beedrill vanished from its spot like a ghost and reappeared in front of Victini in an instant!
Mega Beedrill used "Cross Slash"!

【A knowing blow! 】

Just one hit! Victini didn't even have time to make a move before its health bar was emptied instantly, and it collapsed with a mournful cry!
Cynthia's pupils contracted sharply as she stared at the screen displaying the message, "Victini has lost its ability to fight!" She was momentarily incredulous.

Victini was... instantly defeated in one move?!

Even though there is a difference in level between the two, Victini's base stats are already comparable to those of a legendary Pokémon!
Is this Mega Beedrill's offensive power insane? The rest of the battle was naturally a foregone conclusion; Cynthia's other Pokémon were like paper in front of Mega Beedrill, easily torn to shreds. The screen quickly went dark, displaying the word "Defeat."

However, the man in the suit did not take the opportunity to have the aqua team capture her or do anything else. He just glanced at her indifferently, as if he were looking at an insignificant speck of dust.

He recalled Mega Beedrill, turned and walked towards another exit of the room, leaving behind only a contemptuous remark, the same tone as the Team Rocket trio before, but with an even stronger sense of oppression:
"Hmph, you think you can stop all this, you little kid? Ridiculous."

After saying that, he disappeared at the end of the passage with two men who seemed to be his subordinates. The officers of the Aqua team looked at each other, ignored Cynthia, and quickly followed.

Cynthia looked at the screen; her character was standing in an empty room, but she herself didn't feel much defeat.

On the contrary, almost the instant the image of failure disappeared, she sat up straight in her chair, her dark eyes gleaming with excitement!
"That person..."

She muttered to herself, her fingers rapidly tapping the keyboard, activating the computer's playback function, and saving a screenshot of the man's face and image.

That aura, that power, and Mega Beedrill… he's definitely the leader of an organization! And probably an organization more secretive and powerful than Team Aqua or Team Magma!

The Alliance has been investigating the leaders of various dark organizations, but information about the supreme leader has been scarce, and photos are even rarer. Now, such an influential figure has actually appeared in the game, right before her!
This is incredibly valuable intelligence delivered right to our doorstep!!

She immediately picked up another communicator next to her, connected to the alliance's emergency contact channel, and sent the screenshot and a brief explanation of the situation.

[A lead has been discovered identifying a potential leader of a major dark organization. Male, with the following characteristics… Initiate a top-priority investigation immediately!]

After doing all this, she finally breathed a long sigh of relief and looked back at the game screen.

The story continues, and it seems that the members of Team Aqua have temporarily withdrawn from the base due to the man's departure and the possibility of an investigation by the Alliance.

Cynthia, controlling her character, leaves the Aqua Team base and, recalling previous clues, decides to head to her next target location—Mount Green.

However, when she successfully arrived in Green Ridge City, she found that the only way to the city was blocked by a group of people dressed in brown uniforms who looked like workers and some roadblocks.

The sign reads "Construction ahead, no passage allowed".

A young NPC standing by the roadside saw her character and took the initiative to run over and talk to her.

"Sister, are you going to Green Ridge City? What a coincidence, I heard that the road ahead was damaged by a landslide due to the earthquake and is currently under repair. However, many people are heading towards Shallow Beach Cave; I heard there's something even more exciting happening there. Would you like to go and see?"

Shallow caves?

Cynthia was slightly taken aback.

Wataru had just told her in detail about his experience there, encountering the frozen Regice and Mikuri. How come something else has happened now? And it sounds like the situation is different?
Could it be because of... the different game progression?

Did she choose different starting three Pokémon, or trigger different prerequisites, that led to the branching of the story?
Are they considered two different timelines?

Cynthia pondered this possibility thoughtfully, now feeling that the game's design was truly profound.

Despite her doubts, she decided to go and see. She turned her character and headed towards the shallow cave.

Upon re-entering the shallow cave, the atmosphere inside was completely different from what Watari had described.

There was no malicious coldness, but rather a frenzied energy aftershock and... icy chill.

To be precise, it's more like the lingering aura of some kind of more violent and unrestrained burst of energy.
A number of NPCs gathered in the cave to watch the spectacle, pointing and discussing the depths of the cave.

Cynthia pushed her way through the crowd and headed deeper into the cave. The further she went, the more obvious the signs of a fight became, with large patches of charred and frozen marks on the rock walls.

Soon, she heard angry roars and panicked cries from humans.

In a relatively open ice cave, she witnessed an astonishing scene:
A group of people dressed in strange black and white uniforms were frantically operating a device that looked like a huge energy emitter. The target of the device was a blue-gray dragon-type Pokémon that looked like it was standing on two legs!
One of his wings was an ice wing, and the other was a demonic giant claw. He was tall and imposing, exuding a kingly aura. Deep blue energy radiance constantly surged from his body. Clearly, the energy and power in the cave came from him!

Is this the Pokémon that Lance mentioned that was frozen in ice?
At this moment, the Pokémon appeared to be in extreme pain and anger. It struggled frantically, and its body continuously erupted with out-of-control ice and flame energy, freezing and shattering the surrounding rock walls.

"Quickly control it! The energy output is overloaded!" an NPC who looked like a leader shouted anxiously.

"No! The control signal has been jammed! It has broken free!" another member cried out in alarm.

The next second, the Pokémon let out a deafening roar and broke free from all energy restraints! Its crimson eyes locked onto those trying to control it, and terrifying ice-type energy gathered in its mouth!

"It's over!" The plasma team members turned pale.

Cynthia also held her breath, maneuvering her character to take two steps back, ready to deal with any attacks that might affect her.

At this critical moment, the NPC who seemed to be a minor leader, with a hint of regret, suddenly pulled out a cube-shaped object that emitted a strange seven-colored light from his pocket, and threw it hard towards the dragon!

"Damn it, there's no other way! We have to use this!"

The cube-shaped object flew near the dragon Pokémon and suddenly burst out with intense light, tearing through space!

A massive, eerie purple wormhole, its interior shimmering with strange starlight, appeared instantly above the dragon's head.

Upon witnessing this scene, Cynthia was suddenly jolted.

这 是
The ultimate hole?!
(End of this chapter)