"These are the protocols for the Gen-2 hardware clusters and the AI personality matrix. Get the Artisanship Commission on the line; we're going live with the procurement."
Julian handed a digital tablet to Cai Xing, the screen glowing with a budget that would make a planetary governor weep.
"Boss... are you trying to bankrupt us in a single afternoon?" Cai Xing scanned the figures, her fox ears twitching in genuine shock. Even for a representative of the Sky-Faring Commission, seeing a trillion-credit profit earmarked for immediate expenditure felt like watching a star collapse.
"The Path of Elation doesn't reward those who hoard," Julian replied simply. He could feel the golden hum in his marrow; every time a new player logged in, his connection to the Aeon Aha tightened. He could now project a physical Pokémon for a full five minutes—a feat that would have been impossible a week ago. "If we want a true Pokémon world, we need the processing power to back it up. Proceed."
"Understood. But for the physical arenas and the urban integration on the Luofu, you'll need to clear it with the Diheng Division. Madam Yukong can open the door, but the ground-level bureaucracy is their territory."
Julian nodded. Ground-level logistics were a headache, but with a trillion Credits as leverage, even the stiffest ministers tended to find a way to "yes."
Guinaifen's Livestream: The Champion's Return
"Family members! The Kanto story was a warm-up. We crushed the Elite Four, we took down Lance, and now we're the first official Champions of the Open Beta!" Guinaifen cheered, her level 56 Charizard roaring behind her in the VR space.
She had blazed through the Indigo Plateau in record time. For the "cloud players" who hadn't bought the game yet, her stream was the ultimate window into the endgame.
"But being Champion isn't the end. Professor Oak just sent me a priority ping. There's a 'bio-energetic anomaly' in Cerulean Cave. They say it's a monster that defies all known data. Watch me become the galaxy's first Legendary Trainer!"
"Gui is getting cocky again."
"The League is just the tutorial, everyone knows that."
"I bet five Credits she doesn't even land a hit. LV70 is the rumored cap for the cave boss."
Guinaifen scoffed at the chat and trekked deep into the damp, glowing cavern. The atmosphere changed the further she went; the air felt heavy, saturated with a cold, psychic pressure that made her haptic suit hum with static.
In the center of a subterranean lake stood a bipedal, pale-purple figure. It looked like a fusion of man and feline, its tail thick and powerful, its eyes glowing with a terrifying, cold intelligence.
[Mewtwo — LV70]
[Type: Psychic | Ability: Pressure]
The moment the Pokédex flashed "No Data," the chat went silent.
"Level 70..." Guinaifen swallowed hard. "Jigglypuff, go! Use Hyper Voice!"
She knew Mewtwo was fast, so she opted for a sound-based move that couldn't be dodged. Jigglypuff took a deep breath, but before it could utter a note, Mewtwo's hand twitched.
[Mewtwo used Psychic!]
A wave of distorted air slammed into Jigglypuff. There was a sound like glass shattering as the pink Pokémon's mind was overwhelmed. It stood dazed, its eyes spiraling, unable to hear Guinaifen's commands.
"Jigglypuff! Snap out of it!"
Mewtwo didn't wait. A sphere of concentrated vacuum energy formed between its palms—an Aura Sphere. It launched with the speed of a railgun shot.
Bang!
Jigglypuff was sent skipping across the water like a stone, its health bar hitting zero instantly.
"Come back!" Guinaifen recalled her partner, her heart racing. "I didn't expect a one-shot... Charizard, it's up to you! Use Flamethrower!"
Charizard let out a blast of white-hot fire, a move that had melted Lance's Dragonite. But Mewtwo simply vanished.
"Teleport?!" Guinaifen gasped.
Mewtwo reappeared at Charizard's flank, its eyes glowing. It didn't use a Psychic move this time. It reached into the cave wall, telekinetically ripping out a jagged spire of stone and hurling it with the force of a meteor.
[Mewtwo used Rock Slide!]
"Dodge it!"
But Charizard was still mid-animation, the momentum of its fire breath pinning it in place. The massive rock slammed into its wing, the 4x weakness to Rock-type damage proving catastrophic. Charizard hit the ground with a dull thud, fainting instantly.
Guinaifen stood alone in the dark cave, her two strongest partners defeated in seconds. Across the galaxy, millions of viewers watched as the "Champion" was systematically dismantled by the Genetic Pokémon.
The Master Challenge suddenly felt a lot more dangerous.
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