The matter of Ultra Wormholes wasn't just a boulder weighing on Lance's heart—it was also constantly pressing on Cynthia.
Cynthia had always been the type not to dwell on negative emotions, preferring instead to stay optimistic and actively solve problems. So she forced herself to ignore the oppressive feeling the Ultra Wormholes brought.
What she hadn't expected was to actually find information and clues about Ultra Wormholes in this game called Emerald!
After a moment of silence, Cynthia sent a message in the game.
[So… do you believe this game can bring us change? Or that it can solve the Ultra Wormhole problem?]
Lance didn't immediately answer. After falling silent himself, his reply finally lit up:
[I don't know either… If it were any other game, I'd be sure none of it was real. But since it's this Emerald, I think maybe we really could get some new information and clues.]
[But even so, what then?]
[Ultra Wormholes will still appear as usual, and the Ultra Beasts that emerge will only grow stronger, until one day maybe we won't be able to fight them at all.]
Even through the screen, Cynthia could feel how heavy Lance's emotions were.
---
Thousands of miles away, in the Kanto region—
Lance leaned back in his computer chair, staring at the blinking cursor with a complicated expression.
Images from that night kept flashing through his mind.
Flames of destruction. Faces pale with fear. Everything else consumed, turning to ash before his eyes.
On countless nights, when the dreams returned, Lance would relive those scenes in his heart.
He kept questioning himself—why hadn't he arrived earlier that day?
If only he had gotten there sooner, maybe the people in that village… and the Pokémon… wouldn't have met such an end.
These damned Ultra Wormholes!
His fists clenched tight, then relaxed again in powerless frustration.
When he was young, he had believed that if he could just become Champion—if he could become the strongest trainer in the world—then he could protect everyone and let people live happily in this world.
But growing up had shown him the world was far crueler than he'd imagined.
Making everyone happy was impossible.
So he chose the next best thing: to do everything he could to protect those around him, at least making sure they wouldn't face danger.
That was the most he could give this world with his abilities.
But that night… he hadn't even managed that much.
A tightness filled his chest and his throat went dry. Lance pulled a cigarette from his pocket with practiced ease, lit it, and took a drag.
But just then, a series of new messages appeared in the chat window.
[Lance, I know you're in a bad state right now, and I know what you're thinking.]
[But what I want to say is that this game isn't just virtual.]
[Everything in it has roots in reality and truly exists.]
[Regarding Ultra Wormholes, it offers far more than just a few clues.]
[—It contains everything about Ultra Wormholes!]
[Look at this world in the game. Ultra Wormholes exist here too, but are their cities destroyed? Is everything shrouded in danger?]
[Gladion said he was part of an organization called the "Aether Foundation." When he talked about Ultra Wormholes, he treated it like an everyday matter—not tense at all.]
[That means Ultra Wormholes stopped being an unsolvable problem for them long ago. They've even found ways to counter them!]
Reading this, Lance suddenly crushed the cigarette in his hand—but in his eyes, a new flame had already ignited.
That's right.
Even the NPCs in this game had found ways to counter Ultra Wormholes.
How could he face this with nothing but negativity and despair at such a critical moment?
He leaned forward, typed into the chat box, and hit send.
[Cynthia, thank you. I understand what I need to do now.]
Her reply came quickly.
[Good. When you meet Gladion again, make sure to ask him about Ultra Wormholes. Every character in this game has their own intelligence—if you ask the right way, he'll definitely tell you.]
[As the game goes on… we'll encounter Ultra Wormholes more and more often.]
[I believe we will find ways to counter them!]
[Let's work hard together.]
…
[Yes, let's work hard together.]
Lance sent his reply, closed the chat, and took a deep breath.
At first, this game had just been something to escape into, a way to ease the pressure and shadows in his heart.
But from this moment on—
The situation was completely different.
His gaze sharpened, and he guided his in-game character back onto the journey!
---
After discussing Ultra Wormholes with Lance, Cynthia returned to the livestream.
"Sorry, I had something to handle just now… let's continue."
She guided her character left of Mauville City and soon arrived at Verdanturf Town.
Verdanturf Town was small, but despite its size it had everything: a Pokémon Center, shops, and even a deep red tent of unknown purpose.
Cynthia wanted to explore inside that crimson building but quickly discovered it wasn't open and had to give up reluctantly.
The sign at the entrance gave her the answer.
[Contest Tent]
Contests?
So… what kind of competition was this?
Cynthia grew curious.
---
After this brief interlude, Cynthia reached the entrance to Rusturf Tunnel.
Unlike Dewford's Rock Tunnel, this cave was brightly lit and didn't require Flash to navigate.
After running into several wild Geodude and Whismur, she made it to the center of the cave.
Just as Flannery had said, a man and woman stood separated by two huge rocks, gazing longingly at each other.
Cynthia released Bewear and had it use Rock Smash.
With two powerful punches, the massive stones shattered with a crash, collapsing into dust!
At once, red exclamation marks appeared above the couple's heads. Without hesitation, they rushed across the rubble and embraced through the swirling stone dust, tears streaming down their faces.
"Aisha, I never thought I'd see you again. I'm sorry… I shouldn't have gone so far away for work."
"It's okay, Silver. I know you did it for our family…"
According to the game's setting, they were a married couple. The wife lived in a small town near Rustboro City, while the husband had left years ago to earn money elsewhere.
But his work was too far away, and recently the couple could only look at each other across the blocked tunnel every day.
Now, thanks to the player, they could finally reunite.
The livestream comments flooded in.
[I love this kind of plot—give me more!]
[So sweet, my heart feels warm.]
[Long live pure love!]
…
The man then hurried over to Cynthia.
"Miss, I don't know how to thank you. Please accept this."
He handed her a disc, and a notification appeared:
[Congratulations! You obtained the HM: Strength. This skill can push extremely heavy rocks!]
[Would you like one of your Pokémon to learn this move?]
Cynthia thought for a moment, then had Bewear learn it.
No matter how you looked at it, it was much better than the Dark-type 60-power move "Brutal Swing" that Bewear originally knew.
However, after losing that skill, Bewear no longer had any Dark-type moves in its arsenal. It remained to be seen whether it could learn other high-power Dark-type moves in the future.
The reunited couple then ran off toward Rustboro City.
Cynthia followed the same path, leaving Rusturf Tunnel and emerging in front of the familiar patch of grass where she'd once caught Stufful and first challenged the Rustboro Gym.
Though only a few days had passed in real time, she felt a wave of nostalgia.
It was like returning to the place where her journey had begun.
But no matter what, people had to look forward—true both in reality and in games.
---
Cynthia entered Rustboro City again.
Even though it was her second visit, the livestream chat still reacted excitedly at the towering buildings.
[This city looks so prosperous—it makes me want to visit the real Rustboro!]
[I heard Devon Corporation's HQ is here—of course it's prosperous.]
[Don't they have a mineral exhibition every year? Wonder what month it is…]
…
Ignoring the chatter, Cynthia began a thorough search of the city.
Her previous gaming experience told her that every room could hide useful items, but she hadn't had time to search Rustboro properly before.
Now, she was determined not to miss anything—especially the HM "Cut."
Half an hour later, she had turned Rustboro upside down like Iono before her, finding sellable treasures such as Nuggets, Stardust, and a Big Pearl.
She even found a special item behind a tree near Devon Corporation: a worn golden crown.
[King's Rock]
Cynthia remembered it as a held item that gave attacks a chance to cause flinching.
But it wasn't considered very good: the chance was low, probably under 10%, and if the Pokémon wasn't faster than its opponent, the effect was useless.
Still, when she opened the info panel, she saw:
[Held Item: King's Rock]
[Description: A somewhat worn ancient crown. When held by a Pokémon, there's a 10% chance that moves will cause the opponent to flinch.]
Cynthia nodded slightly.
Not amazing, but even one flinch at the right time could change a battle.
Then her eyes caught another line:
[Certain specific Pokémon might undergo special changes when equipped with this item?]
She froze.
Special changes?
Could this mean King's Rock wasn't just a mediocre battle item, but also an evolution item for certain Pokémon?
She didn't know which ones yet, but the possibility made her pause in thought.
For now, none of her team needed it for evolution, so she simply gave the King's Rock to Grovyle.
---
Her biggest find, however, was the HM "Cut."
She had Grovyle learn it, since Bewear already carried two HMs.
Unlike in earlier games, Cut here had the added effect of a high crit rate—though Cynthia wasn't sure of the exact percentage.
After finishing her search, she prepared to leave Rustboro and head for Petalburg Woods.
She remembered some paths blocked by huge trees last time. Now, with Cut, she could open them.
Just as she was thinking this, a run-down little wooden house came into view.
From inside came the faint sound of a man sobbing.
Hmm?
Cynthia paused.
Someone crying?
After a brief hesitation, she guided her character inside.
She had to see what was going on…