While the chat room debated the merits of turn-based combat, Cynthia was already analyzing the mechanics.
"It lacks the visceral reaction speed of Battle Road," she admitted, "but it forces you to think. In a real battle, you can shout 'Dodge!' and maybe your Garchomp will spin out of the way. Here? You have to calculate the risk. You have to know your opponent."
She watched her Treecko dismantle a Poochyena with two Pounds.
"The animations are smooth," she noted. "The sprite work isn't static. Look at Treecko—it bounces on its heels. Poochyena snarls when it attacks. It has personality."
The battle ended. She returned to Professor Birch's lab.
[Professor Birch: Thank you, Strawberry Ice Cream! You saved my life! As a reward, please keep that Treecko.]
"A free starter," Cynthia smiled. "Generous."
Then, the rival appeared.
The boy she'd dubbed "Hat Boy" (Brendan) challenged her to a battle immediately.
It was easy. His Torchic was Level 5. Her Treecko was Level 6 after the Poochyena fight. She spammed Pound, he went down.
[Hat Boy: Whoa! You're tough! I'm gonna train harder! Smell ya later!]
He ran off. Professor Birch then told her to head north to Route 103 to find Hat Boy again for some "special training." He also gave her 5 Poké Balls.
Before leaving, Cynthia checked her menu.
[Treecko - Level 6]Nature: Timid (+Speed, -Attack)Stats: Speed is high. Special Attack is decent.
"Timid nature," Cynthia murmured. "That boosts Speed but lowers physical Attack. Since Pound is physical, I'm hitting softer than I should be. But once I learn Special moves... interesting. It even includes Natures."
She was impressed. Most games ignored Natures entirely because it was "too complicated" for casual players. This dev didn't care.
She headed north through Oldale Town. She stopped at the Mart—a blue-roofed building—and bought a Potion with her starting cash.
"Always be prepared," she told the stream.
She reached Route 103. Hat Boy was standing in a grassy clearing, looking at the water.
[Hat Boy: Hey, Strawberry Ice Cream! My Pokémon has gotten a lot stronger since we last met. Let's see who's better now!]
The battle transition swirled.
[Rival Hat Boy wants to battle!]
He sent out Torchic.
Cynthia checked the level.
Torchic - Level 9.
Her Treecko was Level 8.
"Okay," Cynthia said, leaning forward. "He leveled up fast. But one level shouldn't matter too much."
The chat was confident. "Ez clap." "Just hit him." "It's the tutorial rival. He's probably scripted to lose."
Turn 1
Cynthia: "Use Quick Attack!" Treecko vanished and slammed into Torchic.Torchic HP: 75% remaining.
Cynthia frowned. "That didn't do much."
Enemy Turn
Torchic used Ember!Torchic spat a small fireball.
It's Super Effective!
Treecko's HP bar didn't just drop. It plummeted. Green... Yellow... Red.
[Treecko HP: 4 / 28]
Cynthia's eyes widened. "What?!"
The chat panicked. "HELLO??" "DAMAGE??" "Is that Torchic on steroids?!" "That was almost a One-Hit KO!"
Cynthia's heart raced. "Okay. Okay. Calm down. I have a Potion."
Turn 2
Cynthia used Potion. Treecko recovered 20 HP.Treecko HP: 24 / 28.
"Safe," Cynthia breathed.
Enemy Turn
Torchic used Ember!Critial Hit!It's Super Effective!
[Treecko HP: 0 / 28]
[Treecko fainted!][You have no more Pokémon!][Strawberry Ice Cream blacked out!]
The screen faded to black.
Silence in the studio. Silence in the chat.
Then, Cynthia reappeared in front of the Pokémon Center.
[You scurried back to the Pokémon Center, protecting your exhausted Pokémon from further harm...][You dropped $240 in your panic.]
The chat exploded.
"ROBBED." "SHE GOT ROLLED BY THE TUTORIAL RIVAL." "This game is brutal!" "Level 9 vs Level 8 shouldn't be that huge of a gap! That Torchic has max IVs or something!" "And she lost money! The economy is in shambles!"
Cynthia stared at the screen, blinking slowly.
She had lost. She, the Sinnoh Champion, had lost to a tutorial NPC named Hat Boy.
A slow smile spread across her face. It wasn't a smile of frustration. It was the smile she wore when Garchomp finally met a worthy opponent.
"Interesting," she whispered. "Very interesting."
"Most games hold your hand," she told the stream, her voice steady. "They let you win. This game... it punishes you. It respects you enough to kill you."
She checked her wallet. $0.
"Okay. The plan changes. We grind."
Cynthia went into the tall grass on Route 101.
She battled Wurmple. She battled Poochyena. She battled Zigzagoon. She ran back to the Center to heal every time Treecko got low.
Ten minutes later.
[Treecko grew to Level 12!][Treecko learned Mega Drain!][Treecko learned Detect!]
[System: Level Cap Reached. You cannot exceed Level 12 before obtaining the first Gym Badge.]
"A level cap," Cynthia noted. "Smart. It prevents over-leveling to cheese the difficulty."
The chat nodded in approval. "Hardcore rules." "Okay, Level 12 vs Level 9. She has a Grass move now. Mega Drain heals her. She wins this." "Redemption arc starts now."
Cynthia marched back to Route 103.
[Hat Boy: Oh? You look ready. Let's go!]
The battle started.
[Rival Hat Boy sent out Torchic!]
Cynthia smirked. "Ready to lose, Hat B—"
She froze.
She looked at the level box above the Torchic.
Torchic - Level 13.
Cynthia: "..." Chat: "..."
"HE LEVELS UP WITH YOU?!" the chat screamed. "DYNAMIC LEVEL SCALING?!" "AND HE BREAKS THE LEVEL CAP?!" "THIS GAME IS CHEATING!"
Cynthia laughed. She actually laughed out loud, a clear, delighted sound.
"He's always one level higher," she realized. "The developer... 'Feng'... he anticipated players would grind. He made sure the rival is always a threat."
She looked at her Level 12 Treecko. She looked at the Level 13 Torchic.
"Strategy," she said, her eyes narrowing. "Brute force won't work. I have to outsmart him."
She hovered over the [FIGHT] button.
"Let's dance."
Show Some Supports By Giving Powerstones
Extra Chapters at 100,200,300 Powerstones