The instant the three options hovered high in the air, reflected across the retinas of people all over the world, the Pokémon world fell into a strange, restless agitation.
Rewards beyond imagination—and an unknown "random punishment."
Like a double-edged sword, they hung over everyone's head.
"What do I pick? That golden glow… doesn't it kind of look like a Fearow after evolution?"
"But there was a rainbow! And that sacred aura—how could it be something as vicious as a Fearow?"
"What if it's Zapdos? Pikachu just called down that kind of lightning. It wouldn't be strange for the God of Thunder to be drawn to it, right?"
Countless ordinary Trainers wavered and hesitated.
Greed burned, fear spread.
But in the eyes of the true elites, this question was a battle of knowledge and logic.
Hoenn Region — Devon Corporation Headquarters
Steven Stone set down the rare meteorite in his hand. Beneath his silver-blue hair, his keen eyes narrowed slightly.
"Option A—Shiny Fearow…"
He glanced at the Metagross resting beside him—a truly rare, silver-white shiny Metagross. Precisely because he possessed one, Steven understood the weight carried by the word shiny.
"Even if the silhouette bears some resemblance, encountering a shiny Pokémon in the wild is a one-in-tens-of-thousands probability. For a rookie Trainer who just set out… that chance is even lower than meeting a Legendary Pokémon."
Steven shook his head.
"And that pressure—something you could feel even through the screen—there's no way a mundane bird Pokémon could possess it. Option A is almost certainly a trap."
Kanto Region — Beneath Viridian Gym
Giovanni sat in the darkness, his fingers tapping the armrest in a steady rhythm. Cold rationality flickered in his deep-set eyes.
"Option C—Ho-Oh."
A hint of disdain curled at the corner of his mouth.
"A so-called God of Life that exists only in legends, unseen for centuries. Said to reveal itself only to those with pure hearts… Hmph. I've never believed in such illusory nonsense."
His gaze locked onto Option B.
"Then that leaves Zapdos."
As the leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni possessed intelligence far beyond the average person. He knew well that not all "Legendary Pokémon" were unique deities. Pokémon like Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres were, in fact, members of a species.
"A Zapdos drawn here by overwhelming lightning energy—logically, that makes the most sense."
His finger hovered above the virtual button.
But years of operating in the shadows had made him exceptionally cautious.
"The punishment is unknown… Better to observe for now. There will always be fools who rush in first."
As expected—
Less than three seconds passed.
[Ding! Vermilion City Trainer 'Someone豪' has successfully answered!]
Vermilion City — Inside a Luxury Villa
A dark-skinned boy with eyes full of arrogance and greed shouted excitedly:
"Hahahaha! A bunch of cowards! You don't even dare answer something this simple!"
He looked at the light screen with utter contempt.
"That guy called Ash just got lucky beating a Spearow flock. Legendary Pokémon? Don't make me laugh! How could a Legendary ever appear in front of a rookie?"
Brimming with confidence, he pressed what he believed to be the unquestionably correct option.
[Someone豪: I choose A! An overgrown Shiny Fearow!]
[Reason: The Spearow were defeated, so their evolved leader or elder coming to take revenge is the most reasonable explanation! Zapdos and Ho-Oh aren't things that would ever appear here!]
His answer caused quite a few ordinary Trainers—who had also been leaning toward A—to sigh in relief, while secretly regretting being too slow.
"Ahh, someone beat me to it!"
"That actually makes a lot of sense—beat the small ones, the big one shows up. That's how nature works!"
However—
The very next second, the previously neutral mechanical voice turned icy cold, like a verdict from hell.
[Answer… incorrect.]
That single word struck Someone豪's heart like a hammer—and echoed in the ears of the entire world.
Wrong?!
Before anyone could even react, the cruel punishment descended.
[Punishment executed: Revocation of Trainer qualification.]
[Additional punishment: Permanent prohibition from contacting any Pokémon. Permanent ban from this livestream.]
"What?!"
Inside the villa, Someone豪's face went deathly pale. Before he could even voice a protest, an irresistible, eerie force enveloped his entire body.
The Poké Balls at his waist suddenly popped open. The Pokémon inside glanced at him in terror—as if seeing something filthy—then fled without looking back.
Even worse, when he tried to grab his phone, he found that he could no longer touch any Pokémon-related icons on the screen.
Everything about Pokémon—every concept tied to them—was being forcibly stripped from his world.
"No!! That's impossible!! I'm the one who was going to catch Mew! I'm the future strongest—AAAHHHH!!"
With a shrill scream, Someone豪's name vanished completely from the chat member list.
Silence.
True, absolute silence.
If the earlier shock had come from witnessing a Legendary's image, then this terror stemmed from the tyrannical rules themselves.
In this world, being stripped of Trainer status—being unable to even touch Pokémon—
To them, that was worse than death. It was a literal death sentence.
"…Gulp."
The sound of countless people swallowing echoed across the globe.
Those who had just been thinking of testing their luck instantly recoiled, cold sweat soaking their backs.
Even Giovanni's pupils contracted sharply.
"What domineering punishment… The power behind this light screen far exceeds my expectations."
And yet—
At that very moment of universal dread, an elegant yet resolute female voice broke the silence.
[Ding! Kalos Champion 'Diantha' has successfully answered!]
Everyone stared at the chat in shock.
Who—who would dare step forward now, when a single mistake meant utter ruin?
On the light screen appeared Diantha's beautiful, confident face. Arms crossed, her eyes gleamed with intelligence.
[Diantha: Now that Option A has been eliminated, the answer is obvious.]
[Diantha: I choose—B. The Legendary God of Thunder, Zapdos.]
She paused, then calmly presented her reasoning:
[Reason: Option C, Ho-Oh, is the legendary deity of life and rebirth. Its appearances are said to accompany major historical upheavals, and for centuries it has existed only in legend—widely believed to be extinct.]
[Meanwhile, the scene just shown featured Pikachu releasing lightning powerful enough to alter the weather. To a Pokémon that governs the laws of thunder, such same-attribute energy would shine like a beacon in the dark. Being drawn here is entirely reasonable.]
As Diantha's words fell, the entire world held its breath.
Right—or wrong?
The fate of a regional Champion hung on that single answer.
Three seconds later—
The cold mechanical voice rang out once more.
But this time, to everyone's ears, it sounded like heavenly music.
[Answer… correct!]