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

Chapter 204 Ling Feng: I've Become a Super Rookie?
The light from the communicator screen shone on Du's face, revealing his tightly furrowed brows and undisguised seriousness.

Cynthia looked at him, her expression somewhat similar.

She raised her hand and gently tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear, her mind still heavy with the shocking images she had just witnessed.

"Yes, I understand how you feel." Her voice came through the speaker, calm yet thoughtful. "That black Pokémon and that fortress-like starship—when I first saw them, I was just as shocked as you were. They have completely overturned our understanding of the boundaries of Pokémon power and current technology..."

"That black Pokémon?" Lance keenly grasped the key point.

"You seem to know something about it? And that starship, that 'P' symbol is something I've never seen before."

“No, I don’t know it.” Cynthia shook her head, her gaze sharpening as if she were piercing through the screen and staring again at the chaotic sky that appeared in the game.

"Like the previous Ultra Beasts, this guy is probably similar to them, but it's obvious that he's much stronger."

"As for that starship, the symbol, and the fortress," she paused, her tone becoming somewhat grave, "after I came back, I went to the secret library and consulted all the myths and ancient texts in Sinnoh that I could access, but I found nothing. I guess it's not any organization we know of, but one thing is for sure, if they really appeared in the real world, they would be much more dangerous than Team Rocket."

"In the game, Team Magma and Team Ocean really did cause a huge uproar in Hoenn over Groudon and Kyogre. But now it seems... like a small fry compared to that," he said with a touch of melancholy. "Tell me, if these things happened in real life, what would we..."

He didn't finish speaking, but the meaning was already very clear.

The threat of dark organizations that originally required strict defense has instantly become a lower priority in the face of a potential force that can easily control unknown legendary Pokémon and possesses interstellar travel technology.

As Du finished speaking, a huge sense of bewilderment suddenly overwhelmed him.

Should the Kanto League shift its defensive focus from the remnants of Team Rocket to this seemingly peaceful starry sky?

Or rather, even if we did do that... in the face of such power, would these actions really make any sense?

At this moment, Cynthia seemed to fully understand his emotions.

That terrifying power was suffocating even through the screen; it felt more like a natural disaster than an enemy that could be fought.

"...I think it's because that level of power is far beyond our comprehension, and may even exceed our strongest limits, that there's no point in being on guard."

She remained calm, as was always the case with Cynthia at times like these, as if she had become a different person.

Her voice was grave. "We don't even know where they came from, what their purpose is, or when they will reappear. The most urgent task is still only one—to enhance our own power to the fullest extent, and that power must come from the game."

Whether it's the experience of Pokémon and unknown threats, or breakthroughs in reality.

Only with sufficient strength can we fundamentally cope with all the unknowns.

The league's regular forces are definitely not enough right now.

As soon as the words were spoken, both ends of the communicator fell into a brief silence, with only a faint crackling of electricity in the background.

After a moment, Lance seemed to want to break the heavy atmosphere and temporarily stop bringing up the previous matters. With a hint of curiosity, he asked, "Let's not talk about that. By the way, how did it feel to see Rayquaza in person? That's a real Sky Dragon. I know you've been chasing after that guy for a long time."

Cynthia clearly hadn't expected this turn of events, and paused noticeably for a moment.

A fleeting look of disbelief crossed her eyes, then she suddenly chuckled softly.

“Very good.” Her voice was soft, but unusually firm, with a hint of emotion and satisfaction. “I have finally seen him again. The ruler of the entire sky, who single-handedly repelled those two legendary Pokémon. This power is far more awe-inspiring than anything described in those classic texts and books. He is simply a living legend.”

Upon hearing this, Du sighed with regret and frustration at his own storyline: "Yes, it's a pity. The ending I saw was that he and that black monster from the Ultra Cave were captured by the starship. Even Rayquaza couldn't withstand that beam of light. I don't know if the game will arrange for us to rescue him later. Just thinking about it gives me a headache."

"Captured?"

Cynthia froze, a hint of surprise flashing in her golden eyes. "Your Rayquaza was captured by that starship? On my side, after he dealt with the black monster, he disappeared into the depths of the sky. Only that black guy was captured."

"Isn't it the same on your end?" Wataru sat up straight instantly, keenly noticing a new question.

The two immediately realized something was wrong and began quickly comparing the details of the game's plot.

When Cynthia mentioned using the Gracidian Flower from her backpack at a crucial moment, instantly dispelling Rayquaza's fatigue and injuries, and suggesting he attack the weak point of Ultra Hole, Lance recalled his empty inventory and that despairing cutscene, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Damn, why didn't you tell me about this good stuff sooner?

But he would only think these words to himself; he would never say them directly.

"I see. I've never seen that kind of flower before; I probably missed it somewhere." Du pouted.

At this moment, he was also surprised by the ingenious plot design in the Green Game.

"On my end, Rayquaza was almost able to fight in the city when it was forcibly taken away by the starship's tractor beam. The different item reserves you have actually led to completely different outcomes. This game is getting more and more interesting, and the underlying concepts are constantly pushing my boundaries."

Cynthia nodded, her expression serious: "In that case, if I make any new discoveries or have any clues about the whereabouts of the starship or Rayquaza, I will let you know as soon as possible. The more information we have, the better prepared we can be."

"Thanks." Wataru accepted the information sharing, then changed the subject and became serious again. "Speaking of which, the influence of this game is growing. Since the last incident, I'm afraid every trainer in the world with a little bit of strength has a copy. Even the Elite Four champions have joined, as have those who aren't in the group."

"As a result, the competition on the leaderboard will only become more and more intense. Zhulan, you are currently firmly in first place on the progress leaderboard. Are you confident that you can hold on to it? Those guys behind you are no pushovers. I heard from the district that Daigo has practically been living in the game lately."

Upon hearing this question, Cynthia gave a meaningful smile, a smile that reflected the confidence and composure of a champion.

Instead of answering directly, she casually asked, "What about you? Are you confident you can catch up with me, or even surpass those who are right behind you? Like Cattleya? I think she'll probably get interested in this game soon too."

Du was taken aback, then laughed, a smile full of confidence.

"You're all champions, how could I be worse than you?"

"Anyway, it's all up to skill. I'm quite looking forward to seeing what surprises, uh, or rather, shocks this game will bring next." "Alright, see you later."

As Cynthia spoke, the communication ended and the screen went dark.

Du leaned back in his chair, gazing out the window at the bustling night view of Kanto, brightly lit yet serene.

However, the tension he felt from the previous events involving Team Magma and Team Aqua had been replaced by a greater and unknown sense of crisis, as well as a desire to improve his own strength.

Now it seems that some things have become more important.

Meanwhile, in a villa in Cerulean City.

Ling Feng stretched and let out a long sigh of relief.

After a morning of intense mental work, he finally completed the construction of a large amount of plot framework and key nodes for the sequel to The Dark Phantom up to the challenge of the Hoenn League. The screen was covered with dense scripts and event markers.

"Thankfully, we're all in Hoenn." Ling Feng stretched his stiff neck and glanced at the progress with satisfaction.

The regions in these two games are actually the same. The map, Pokémon distribution, and even some plot points of Emerald can be used directly. Only minor modifications, text adjustments, and atmosphere enhancements are needed. Then, the system can be used to convert the game to 3D, which more than doubles the efficiency and saves a lot of effort in building the basic world view.

Without this convenience, he wouldn't have been able to advance the Dark Phantom storyline to the Fire-type Gym in just two days.

However, he also knew very well that the true essence of this game would only truly unfold at the end of the first playthrough, when the player defeated the champion and thought it was a perfect ending.

The reason why "The Darkest Nightmare" is famous is because it involves parallel worlds, identity reversals, and a series of hidden plot explorations.

"Next, we need to focus on the post-production content, that's the main event, the part that will have the greatest emotional impact," he muttered to himself.

To be honest, he now increasingly feels that recruiting DreamWorks' programmers was a wise move.

As he plays more and more games, he'll only get busier, because not every game is like Darkest Nightmare where he can reuse assets from previous games.
"Let's keep busy for a while longer,"

Just as he was pondering whether to use the previous module to add a hidden Easter egg to the Dark Phantom, a prominent system notification popped up in the center of his vision, accompanied by a pleasant notification sound effect:

[Ding! Congratulations, host! The special player "Du" has raised his/her emotional threshold level to LV3!]

Ling Feng's eyes suddenly lit up.

It actually worked!

Rayquaza, as the most representative Dragon-type legend, appeared in that perilous can of food, displaying an invincible posture of absolute power that crushed the two gods. For Lance, a Dragon-type master who is obsessed with the power of the Dragon type, its destructive power goes without saying.

Ling Feng found it strange that the threshold didn't rise.
"I wonder if Qishu will be able to break through the threshold after reading this," Ling Feng pondered, stroking his chin.

Logically speaking, Rayquaza's appearance animation should have a dramatic effect on any player, but raising the threshold level again seems to require a "professionally matched" situation like Cynthia and Lance.

Cynthia is obsessed with mythology, and Lance is enamored with dragon-type powers; their core traits have been precisely addressed.

And what is Qishu's deepest quality?
What was the audience's reaction?

Electric-type Pokémon?

To be honest, Ling Feng still can't quite figure out what this Electric-themed gym owner and streamer is thinking. If this part of the story isn't enough, he'll need to observe more closely.

As his thoughts raced, reward information for breaking through the threshold popped up one by one!

[Ding! Special player "Du" has been detected to have increased their emotional threshold level to LV3. Congratulations, host, you have received an upgrade reward!]

[Reward 1: 5000 Mood Points!]

[Reward 2: S-rank system item [Story Branch Key] x1!]

[Reward 3: Unlock a special character ability related to the player's "Crossing" core trait - [Dragon's Majesty] (S+)!]

Three orbs of light immediately appeared before Ling Feng's eyes.

However, Ling Feng's burning gaze finally locked onto the last ball of light—the S+ power ball of light that emitted a dark golden hue and seemed to be surrounded by a dragon-shaped phantom, and he selected it directly!

A golden notification pops up!
[Special Ability: Dragon's Majesty] (S+)

[Description: Originating from a deep resonance with and recognition of the domineering will of Dragon-type life forms. Grants the wielder the majesty and influence of a legendary dragon god, capable of intimidating, guiding, and even forcibly commanding Dragon-type Pokémon.]

【Effect:
Dragon Domination: Possesses a strong natural aura of intimidation and affinity towards Dragon-type Pokémon. Wild Dragon-type Pokémon are significantly less aggressive towards you, making them easier to capture. The loyalty and bond levels of captured Dragon-type Pokémon are doubled, greatly increasing your bond with them.
Intimidation Field: Actively releases an invisible aura of dragon's might, suppressing the type of all non-Dragon-type Pokémon (including opponents) within its range, and even causing them to become cowardly or hesitant depending on their strength. It also has a slight psychic effect on Dragon-type Pokémon.

Ancient Dragon Power: Greatly enhances your strength, speed, reflexes, and stamina. You can also vaguely sense the presence and emotional fluctuations of nearby Dragon-type Pokémon.

Emotional Resonance: Increases the gain of Emotion Points from Dragon-type Pokémon (including Legendary ones) by 1000%. There is a very low chance of obtaining additional special rewards when discovering or guiding Dragon-type Pokémon to display powerful abilities or achieve key milestones such as evolution.

"The majesty of the dragon...?"

As Ling Feng softly uttered the name, a warm and powerful force suddenly surged into his body, subtly transforming his physique and even subtly influencing his temperament.

To be honest, the effect of this ability far exceeded expectations: Dragon affinity, active deterrence field, self-strengthening, and ten times the point gain.
Brother Du, you really gave me a great gift.

Ling Feng smiled and stretched his wrists with satisfaction. He felt full of energy, and his strength had increased many times over compared to before.

Hmm... how about we try something?
I wonder how far I am from becoming a true newcomer?

(End of this chapter)