Bonus Chapter - for reaching 400 power stones
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As the intense battle music kicked in and the game transitioned to the combat interface, a notification popped up in front of Cynthia's screen:
——[Strong Trainer: Paul has challenged you to battle!]
Seeing this, Cynthia immediately shifted into serious mode.
From her experience with this game, she knew that this kind of dramatic battle music and notification only appeared when facing powerful opponents—like Gym Leaders or major rivals.
In other words, this NPC was most likely going to be a tough opponent.
Meanwhile, the chat was buzzing with questions:
[Paul? Who's that? Never heard of him before. Has he appeared in the game?]
[No idea, probably just some random roadside NPC. Doesn't look too strong...]
[I wouldn't be so sure. Everyone who shows up this way in this game is serious business!]
[Absolutely. Emerald doesn't mess around with weaklings.]
While everyone debated the identity of this sudden challenger, Cynthia browsed through her team and ultimately chose to send out Ludicolo, who had the best type coverage.
Paul followed suit, tossing out his Pokéball. His lead Pokémon appeared.
It was a Pokémon with a body covered in orange lightning patterns and plug-like protrusions on its head—Electabuzz, an Electric type.
The protrusions on its head could discharge tremendous electrical power, and its physical strength was formidable. Among Electric types, it ranked among the top in offensive capability, making it extremely popular.
On the first turn, Cynthia initially wanted to use Mega Drain, but after brief consideration, she switched tactics and selected the move "Fake Out."
Since Ludicolo was a Water/Grass type and didn't fear Electric attacks, maintaining field presence wouldn't be a problem.
Whether the opponent chose to switch Pokémon or have Electabuzz attack, Fake Out would connect and force them to lose a turn—a guaranteed win either way.
Following her command, Ludicolo waved its hands, and a massive purple energy palm materialized out of thin air, striking Electabuzz hard.
Electabuzz's body clearly stiffened for a moment.
[Electabuzz flinched!]
——It didn't turn into a red light and disappear, but took the hit solidly, proving Paul hadn't chosen to switch Pokémon.
So on the second turn, Cynthia directly chose Mega Drain to trade blows with her opponent.
Electabuzz's potential moves like Fire Punch or Ice Punch couldn't threaten Ludicolo, so there was nothing to worry about.
However, the next moment, something unexpected happened!
[Electabuzz's Choice Scarf boosted its Speed!]
[Electabuzz used Volt Switch!]
Electabuzz's body transformed into a golden flash, striking Ludicolo hard and knocking off a third of its HP bar before turning into red light and returning to its Pokéball.
The replacement that came out was a Pokémon with a hard shell, its back covered with rocks and plants, resembling a turtle—Grotle, the evolved form of Turtwig from the Sinnoh region's starter trio.
Normally, Cynthia felt a special fondness for this Pokémon.
But appearing here? Not so much.
Against Ludicolo, its dual typing created perfect defensive synergy: neither Water- nor Grass-type moves could deal super effective damage. Combined with its exceptional durability, this was going to be troublesome.
Sure enough, just as Cynthia expected, when Ludicolo's Mega Drain hit Grotle, the latter's HP bar dropped by less than a quarter.
Then, a familiar scene played out—Grotle's body glowed with a brilliant white light, restoring a small portion of its HP.
[Grotle's Leftovers restored some of its health!]
Come on, does everyone have Leftovers?
Cynthia felt helpless, but after quick calculations, she made her judgment: even with Leftovers, Grotle would eventually lose to Ludicolo.
Its durability was incredible, but its offensive power was lacking. And Ludicolo didn't fear Grass or Ground moves. Plus, Mega Drain's healing far outpaced Leftovers.
With her assessment made, Cynthia once again selected Mega Drain. Dark green light emanated from Ludicolo, struck Grotle, and returned as light particles.
If Ludicolo weren't at full health, these particles would restore its HP.
But... Grotle wasn't planning any "war of attrition."
Instead of attacking, it retracted all four limbs into its shell, flipped backward, and began spinning rapidly in place. Dark gray light with red effects surged across its body.
[Grotle used Swords Dance! Its Attack sharply rose!]
The chat exploded:
[???]
[Wait, Grotle can learn Swords Dance??]
[So much for honest attrition—what's with the sudden setup?]
[Leftovers + Swords Dance? That's some quality gameplay, buddy...]
[That guy was right—Emerald doesn't mess around.]
Cynthia looked on with a complex expression. Swords Dance was one of the strongest physical attack–boosting moves and extremely difficult for bulky Pokémon to learn.
Was this proof that many Pokémon people thought couldn't learn it actually could? Or was it just because this was a game?
Either way, she didn't have time to ponder. A +2 Attack Grotle was a huge threat to Ludicolo.
Switching Pokémon was unwise—neither Stufful nor Grovyle could defeat it in two turns, and a boosted Grotle could devastate both.
There was only one solution.
Cynthia took a deep breath and clicked the top-right corner, restarting the game.
——These past two days had taught her one thing: sometimes giving up isn't shameful.
Unlike real battles, game battles could be retried endlessly. The cost? Remaining perpetually broke.
She logged back in and reentered the battle. This time, when Electabuzz's Volt Switch brought in Grotle, Ludicolo didn't attack—it danced.
[Ludicolo used Teeter Dance!]
[Grotle became confused!]
Yes—Cynthia had replaced Bubble Beam with Teeter Dance, a 100% accurate confusion move.
But confusion alone wasn't enough. On the next turn, she commanded Zen Headbutt, combining its 20% flinch chance with confusion to greatly reduce Grotle's odds of attacking.
It worked—Grotle flinched, then hit itself in confusion.
Though it managed to use Swords Dance later, its HP was already too low. Ludicolo finished it off and even restored all the HP lost to Volt Switch.
At this point, victory was leaning toward Cynthia. Paul had only three Pokémon—Grotle, Electabuzz, and one more.
When the last appeared, Cynthia frowned slightly—Froslass, the Ice/Ghost Pokémon.
Luckily, Ice moves were neutralized by Ludicolo's typing. Cynthia decided to use Teeter Dance again, but Froslass moved first.
[Froslass used Confuse Ray!]
[Ludicolo became confused!]
[Ludicolo hurt itself in its confusion!]
Even after dealing with Grotle, this fight was still challenging.
Two minutes later, after losing Ludicolo and most of Stufful's health, Cynthia finally won.
Paul reappeared, snorting coldly.
[I lost this time because my Pokémon were too useless.]
[Next time... I'll definitely come back with stronger Pokémon for revenge. Just wait.]
The chat erupted:
[What's wrong with this guy? Loses and blames his Pokémon—how does he have the nerve to call himself a trainer?]
[Exactly! I thought he had skill, but his character is garbage.]
[Go streamer! Next time you meet him, knock his teeth out!]
Cynthia knew there were two kinds of trainers like Paul:
Those who blamed their Pokémon to avoid admitting their own incompetence.
Those who pursued ultimate strength replaced any Pokémon that couldn't keep up.
She found both unacceptable. The most important thing was the bond with your Pokémon.
Lost in thought, she prepared to head to the Pokémon Center—until she realized her character couldn't move.
Music blared, and a familiar figure approached—her rival, the "Black-haired Boy."
[Oh, what a coincidence, Strawberry Ice Cream! You're here too?]
[Since our eyes met, let's battle!!]
Cynthia: ?
Look, I'm fine with battling—
But at least let me heal my Pokémon first!
Who fights back-to-back battles like this??
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~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones