"We will need more tests to know the exact details," Ruan Mei said, looking over the numbers on the screen. "Still, based on this initial scan of Articuno, we will need materials touched by divine power."
"Without them, we can only create empty fakes that look the part but hold no true strength."
She looked at Julian with a calm gaze. "Do not worry. Once we finish testing all the legendary specimens, I will use my own supplies to make a small test batch of both regular and legendary Pokémon. But if you want to make more later, you will have to gather those rare materials yourself."
Hearing that she was willing to use her own private stock to build the first batch made Julian breathe a sigh of relief. He nodded right away with a grateful smile.
"That works for me. Thank you, Miss Ruan Mei."
Julian was not surprised that legendary Pokémon needed such heavy resources. These creatures controlled the weather and shaped land and sea. Expecting an artificial clone to wield that kind of power from birth without rare ingredients was impossible.
Luckily, the total number of legendary and mythical creatures was small, so even if each one took a lot of rare items, the overall cost would not spiral out of control.
Julian had no idea that Ruan Mei was feeling even more excited than he was.
In this universe, living beings that could hold universal rules and blend them safely were almost impossible to create.
Over the years, she had made countless attempts to bring fallen Emanators back to life.
Yet every single creation had died. The sheer weight of that higher power broke their bodies apart in moments. Even when the Aeon of Elation poured massive energy into making a creature to trick Nous, the insect quickly collapsed, proving that these divine rules were hard to bend.
Yet these legendary Pokémon seemed built to hold these universal rules naturally.
If Ruan Mei could clone them and help them carry that power without falling apart, she would take a huge step toward her personal dream.
Naturally, she kept these private thoughts to herself.
Because these legendary creatures were so special, Ruan Mei adjusted several machines with her own hands, setting up extra tests.
Julian went back to work, projecting each legendary and mythical species one by one.
Since their numbers were small, they finished every scan in just half a day, even with all the detailed checks.
Ruan Mei spent the rest of the night and the entire next day studying the reports while waiting for a supply delivery.
With nothing to do for the day, Julian sat down and pulled up the live stream for the Ocean Treasure Hunt, which was kicking off today.
Because it was a fun event with no barrier to entry, anyone could join.
People who were off work and players who had taken time off specifically for it logged in all at once, driving the player count past four billion.
Cai Xing had split the competition into over forty thousand zones, placing ten thousand players in each oceanic map to hunt for loot. The ocean was huge, so players had plenty of room to roam without bumping into each other right away.
However, the top treasure spots were fixed, and because players could attack each other and steal loot, those main zones were bound to turn into wild battlefields.
The moment the horn blew, players scattered. Some raided wild Pokémon nests on islands to beat the guardians and grab maps, while others searched the woods and reefs for loose charts before heading out to sea.
The truly valuable, top-tier maps were locked inside the main treasure chests themselves.
At first, the players kept to themselves, looking for their own loot and giving each other space. But as high-level chests were found, the best sites turned into giant brawls.
Attacks flew across the water and through the air. One second two players were trading hits, and the next second an attack came out of nowhere from a third group. It was chaotic and wild.
Confident players began hunting other trainers to take their hard-earned loot. Others set up traps along the routes to the turn-in spots, waiting to jump anyone trying to cash in.
The action was moving so fast that the broadcast team could barely keep up. In the end, they split the screen into several windows so viewers could choose which island or bay they wanted to watch.
Smart players quickly realized they needed help and began forming teams. They shared tasks: some guarded the perimeter, some snatched the chests, and others covered the escape.
They quickly won several major fights this way.
Seeing how well teamwork worked, the rest of the players followed suit.
Larger groups began pushing smaller groups around, and smaller groups banded together to fight back. What started as a simple treasure hunt quickly turned into an all-out team war, giving the viewers a fantastic show.
Julian pulled up the Astral Express feed to see how his friends were doing.
To his surprise, the whole crew, including Pom-Pom, had jumped in. Instead of picking a straight fight with the big groups, they decided to sneak in while everyone was busy fighting.
While two big teams clashed over a sunken vault, Stelle and Welt used quick strikes to distract the wild Pokémon guarding the prize. March stepped in with a Psychic-type move, floating the heavy chest to safety, and rushed toward the surface.
Their move did not stay hidden for long. Seeing an outsider slip away with the prize, the two fighting sides called a quick truce and turned all their attention toward catching March.
The Express crew had planned their escape well. Dan Heng and Himeko used Water and Flying-type moves to whip up giant whirlpools across the narrow channel, blocking the chase.
March broke through the water and tossed the chest up to Pom-Pom, who was sitting on the back of a Dragonite. The moment Pom-Pom caught it, the dragon shot into the sky at top speed.
Without traps set ahead of time, nothing could catch a Dragonite once it hit its stride, except for a few high-speed dragons.
Since this was a casual event, legendary Pokémon were banned, meaning no one on the field had the speed to catch up.
The Express crew had cleanly taken the best prize in the zone.
That single haul gave them enough points to send six people to the next round, locking in their spots early.
"Hehe, playing together is way more fun!" March cheered, walking onto the sandy beach in the player lounge with the rest of the crew right behind her.
"It has been a long time since we ran around like that," Himeko said, stretching on the warm sand in a red and white swimsuit with an easy smile. "A little exercise really lifts the mood."
"It is rare to find a game we can all enjoy together," Welt said. He wore beach shorts, a casual shirt, and sunglasses, taking a slow sip of cold milk tea with a relaxed grin. "Compared to the stress of the Grand Celebration, this feels much more like a real vacation."
"Stelle! To the ocean! The Astral Express moves forward!" Pom-Pom sat on Stelle's shoulders, pointing a tiny paw at the water and shouting loudly. It looked completely silly, but Stelle played along happily, running into the shallow water with Pom-Pom on her back.
"I never thought our conductor could be this loud," Dan Heng said, shaking his head with a small smile as he carried a surfboard, his Gyarados swimming nearby in the water.
"It is hard for Pom-Pom to step off the train," Himeko said softly, lying down on a beach chair to enjoy the sun. "In this virtual space, without any rules holding them back, they can finally run around and have fun."
"A big wave is coming, I am going in! Gyarados, let's move!" Dan Heng called out, jumping onto his board.
"Roar!"
"Wait for me! Don't leave me behind!" March shouted, kicking off her shoes and running straight into the bright blue water.
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