Pokémon: Did you play Pokémon today?

Chapter 268 The Pokémon Company... what they sent me?

Galilee region, Motogakure city.

The Quanju Gymnasium, the gym owner's private lounge.

Rather than a lounge, it's more like a personalized e-sports room.

Top-of-the-line multi-screen surround-view PCs, a dazzling array of desktop computers, limited-edition gamepads, keyboards and mice with shimmering RGB lighting effects —

All the dream configurations for esports enthusiasts are available here.

The walls are covered with various popular internet memes, game character posters, and highly expressive graffiti, giving the entire space a trendy yet somewhat messy "otaku" vibe.

At this moment, the largest curved screen in the room is displaying gameplay footage from Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.

That was the Dragon Battlefield of A-Du, the last challenger to the Four Heavenly Kings before reaching the top of the championship.

In the scene, a cool, aloof man with bright red hair stands on the other side of the battlefield.

With a casual wave of his cape, he summoned the enormous and majestic Dragon Pokémon, Gyarados.

"This guy—"

Seeing this, Qibana, who was sitting cross-legged in his gaming chair, couldn't help but complain.

He bit into the lollipop in his mouth, and his fingers gripping the game controller twitched involuntarily.

He has challenged the Four Heavenly Kings many times in the game.

But every time I see this "Dragon-type Elite Four member" pull out Gyarados, a deep question always arises in my mind.

"Is he really a Dragon-type Elite Four member?"

Feeling utterly bored, he casually tossed the controller aside and nimbly jumped off the chair.

While stretching lazily, he complained to the air.

"So boring! Why are there fewer and fewer challengers lately? And their strength is so mediocre, not even enough to warm up my muscles!"

Before he could utter another word of complaint, there was a gentle knock on the door.

"Enter!"

Without turning his head, Cibana responded with a single word.

The door opened, and a dojo staff member carefully carried in a delivery box with the eye-catching "Rocket Express" logo.

It was placed respectfully on the table in the center of the room.

"Master Chibana! Your package is here!"

"express delivery?"

Chibana glanced at the package with a puzzled look, his brow furrowing slightly.

He didn't recall buying anything online recently, so where did this delivery come from?

He was about to ask for more details when he noticed that the staff member, as if afraid of disturbing him, had already nimbly left the room.

They even "thoughtfully" closed the door gently.

"Tsk—Am I that scary?"

Cibana touched his distinctive hair and muttered something under his breath.

He didn't pay much attention and turned to walk towards the bathroom next door, intending to take a shower to shake off the fatigue brought on by the game.

However, he had only taken two steps when the door was suddenly pushed open with a creak.

"We can talk about it later, I'm going to take a shower now—"

Cibana assumed they were still staff members and waved without turning his head.

"Okay, then I'll wait for you here."

A gentle and magnetic male voice came through, but the voice clearly did not belong to any staff member.

"Tsk."

Cibana turned around irritably and saw a figure walk into the room as if they knew each other very well and sit down on the sofa quite naturally.

The newcomer had striking long purple hair, and his distinctive beard added to his mature charm.

He was wearing a specially made championship outfit, but what was most eye-catching was his baseball cap with its brim turned up.

And—the champion's cape draped over his back, covered with the names of various sponsors and symbolizing supreme glory.

His identity is becoming increasingly clear.

It is none other than the undefeated legend of the Galar region, the current champion, Leon!

"Hahaha————"

Dan Di gave a slightly embarrassed laugh and scratched his thick, long hair.

"I didn't come here specifically to see you. I originally wanted to go to the Garrison Alliance headquarters in Miyagi City to talk to Chairman Loz about something, but for some reason—I ended up in Hammerlocke City, so I just came here to sit for a while."

"you----"

Seeing his self-righteous attitude of being lost, Qibana almost choked on his own words, but in the end he swallowed back his complaints and said angrily.

"Sonia should really put a GPS on you, or at least have her follow you the whole time! Otherwise, I'm really afraid you'll get lost in the wilderness one day!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Dan simply laughed heartily, completely unconcerned.

His usual partner, Charizard, is a natural-born directionally challenged creature. It's understandable that he, the trainer, occasionally gets led astray—it's just how it is.

"Weren't you going to take a shower?"

Dante glanced at Chibana, who was standing still, and casually started a conversation.

"I'm not washing anymore!"

With a wave of his hand, Cibana's fighting spirit ignited instantly.

"Sparring with you is way more important than taking a shower! Let's go to the battlefield! Let me see if you've gotten any worse lately!"

As he spoke, he tried to pull Dan Di away.

"No, no, no! Stop!"

Dan Di hurriedly waved his hand and leaned back, making a gesture of resistance.

"I really can't stay long today! President Rose is waiting for me! Next time, next time for sure!"

Qibana stopped walking, somewhat annoyed, but he knew that Dante was telling the truth.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance and decided to sit down on the sofa with Dan Di.

Since there was nothing else to do, his gaze naturally fell on the delivery box on the table.

However, when his gaze swept over the sender's information on the waybill, he was visibly stunned.

"The Pokémon Company—something they sent me?"

He whispered the sender's name, then slammed his fist on his palm, a look of surprise instantly spreading across his face as he excitedly began to mutter to himself.

"I remember now! It was a player reward from the previous Pokémon official community event! Haha, it finally arrived!"

He rubbed his hands together excitedly, but then looked a little confused and scratched his head.

"But—what exactly were the rewards mentioned in the announcement? It's been so long I've completely forgotten!"

When Leon heard the words "The Pokémon Company," his purple eyes lit up instantly, and he unconsciously sat up straighter.

"The Pokémon Company? Is that the company that made Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen?"

He leaned closer, his tone revealing obvious curiosity and interest.

"Yes, that's right!"

As he agreed, Chibana couldn't wait to get started, roughly dismantling the outer packaging of the package.

Soon, a high-quality wooden gift box, entirely in black, was presented to the two of them.

The most prominent feature on the front of the box is the Pokémon Company's exclusive logo with a Poké Ball element.

Understated yet luxurious.

On top of the gift box, there was a clean white letter, with the words "Dear Player" printed on the envelope.

As Cibana looked at the ceremonial gift box, his eyes lit up.

He didn't rush to open it, but instead took out his phone first, skillfully adjusted the angle, and started recording.

"Unboxing an official Pokémon Company event reward! How could I not record a video to commemorate this!"

He flashed a smug smile at the camera.

"Haha, I can't wait to see what it is, and then I'll post it on the community forum and show it off!"

After setting up my phone to make sure I could film the entire unboxing process, I made sure it was working properly.

With a mix of joy and anticipation, he picked up the letter and showed its contents to the camera.

Dear player, hello!

Congratulations on winning first place in the official Pokémon FireRed/LeafGreen hidden story exploration event, thanks to your outstanding spirit of exploration and keen insight!

We would like to express our gratitude for your continued love and support of the Pokémon series!

We hope it brings you and your Pokémon friends more joy!

—From The Pokémon Company. The content is concise and clear, presented in standard printed font.

It seems that all players who participated in the event and won prizes should receive a thank-you letter with the same standardized format.

But to Cibana's surprise, there was additional handwritten content on the back of his letter!

The handwriting is unrestrained and free, clearly added later.

Please remember to leave a five-star review!

My dream is to retire and be a salted fish (just kidding).

—A Pokémon Company employee left a "five-star review?"

Zibana looked at the line of text, somewhat puzzled.

"Does this refer to—your evaluation of this award?"

He put the letter aside and refocused his attention on the mysterious black wooden box.

Meanwhile, Dan Di, unable to contain his curiosity, leaned almost half his body over, staring intently at the wooden box and bombarding it with questions.

"Rewards? Game companies actually give out rewards to real-world players? What are they? In-game items?"

"I remember the event announcement said that the reward was a rare item in the game called Magic Candy."

As he recalled the events, Chibana explained to Dante, his hand already resting on the clasp of the wooden box.

"It's said that if you feed it to a Pokémon, it will directly increase its experience points and level up!"

"But this thing doesn't exist in the real world at all!"

He added with a smile, his tone slightly teasing.

"I reckon The Pokémon Company will just make some souvenirs or chocolates shaped like 'Rare Candy' —"

Click.

The clasp on the wooden box was gently opened.

Just as the lid was lifted.

Just as he lifted the lid of the wooden box, a warm and dazzling golden light burst forth from inside!

"Hmm!"

Dan Di, who was craning his neck to watch, was hit in the face by this sudden "flashbang" and let out a muffled groan.

His handsome face scrunched up in a frown, and he instinctively closed his eyes.

The light lasted for several seconds before slowly fading away.

The two rubbed their eyes and stared intently into the box.

Inside the wooden box was a soft black velvet lining, on which ten crystal-clear diamonds were neatly arranged.

They present an "absolutely perfect" form, with golden light seemingly flowing and rotating slowly inside.

As the halo shifted, a gentle yet powerful surge of pure energy rippled outwards, instantly filling the entire room!

What's even more astonishing is that it's just by looking at it.

A rich, enticing aroma wafted into their nostrils—a pure scent that blended the sweetness of tree fruits with the energy of life!

Qibana, who was stunned in place, and Dante, who had just recovered, almost simultaneously swallowed a mouthful of saliva uncontrollably.

This aroma—it's so tempting!

"This...this should be...an energy cube, right?"

Dan Di composed himself, suppressing the agitation in his throat, and stared intently at the crystals that exuded an extraordinary aura, his tone filled with strong uncertainty.

"But—you felt the energy fluctuations emanating from here, didn't you? How could an energy cube reach this level?! Something just doesn't seem right!"

"No! Emperor Dan, you're wrong!"

After the initial shock, Chibana's eyes were ignited with incredible heat and excitement!

He could clearly feel the gentle energy contained within the crystal!

Used for Pokémon, containing unprecedentedly pure energy, and recalling the five-star reviews mentioned in the previous letter—

A bold, almost absurd idea struck him!

There seems to be only one answer!

He reached out with slight excitement and carefully picked up a warm, smooth crystal, feeling the gentle power flowing within it.

He then turned to Dante and announced in an almost affirmative tone.

"There's no mistake! Although it looks a lot like an Energy Cube, it's definitely not some souvenir! This must be the Rare Candy! That legendary item that can directly give Pokémon experience and level up in the game!"

"That's impossible!"

Dante blurted it out almost without thinking, his face clearly saying, "Are you kidding me?"

He is also a loyal Pokémon player, so of course he knows about the amazing item "Rare Candy".

But as a champion standing at the pinnacle of trainers, he understands the essence of Pokémon growth more deeply than anyone else!

The growth of a Pokémon requires daily hard training, carefully prepared nutrition, and a deepening bond with its trainer. How could there possibly be such a "cheating" thing as simply eating an item to ignore the accumulation and directly increase its level?!

This is a complete denial of the efforts of all trainers and Pokémon!

"Chibana, wake up!"

Dan tried to persuade the other party, and also persuade himself, with reason.

"These 'magic candies' are essentially cheat items designed to simplify the training process in the game!"

"In reality, the growth of Pokémon requires rigorous training day after day, a long-term bond, scientific nurturing, and the accumulation of battle experience!"

"How could something exist that allows you to level up just by eating one?! This completely violates the fundamental laws of our understanding!"

Cibaner did not immediately refute this.

Rationally, he knew that every word Leon said was absolutely correct; this was a consensus among all trainers.

But his emotions, and the real, strange energy emanating from the crystal in his hand, were frantically calling for another possibility.