Professor Oak's brow furrowed, a flicker of genuine contemplation crossing his face that sent a chill down Guinaifen's spine. It wasn't the canned animation of a quest-giver; it looked like a man actually reconsidering a professional recommendation.
"Are you certain, Guinaifen? Those three were specifically vetted for their temperament and ease of training. Stepping outside that selection... well, the wilderness of Kanto isn't always kind to the unprepared."
Guinaifen hesitated. She flashed back to the anime—Ash's scorched face after his first meeting with an uncooperative Pikachu. In the mobile or PC versions, a "disobedient" Pokémon was just a stat check. In the Real version, it meant getting physically shocked, burned, or ignored in the middle of a forest.
But the chat was screaming. Her "Whale" donor had dropped a hundred-thousand Credit ship for this test. She couldn't back down.
"I'm sure, Professor. I want to see who else is out there."
"Very well. Follow me."
Oak led her through the back of the lab and into a sprawling sanctuary. It was a masterpiece of environmental design: rolling grasslands bled into dense thickets, which bordered a crystal-clear lake. Dozens of Pokémon moved through the terrain—some napping in the sun, others chasing each other through the grass.
"Take your time," Oak said, handing her a Pokédex and a belt of empty Poké Balls. "I have research to attend to. Use the Dex to identify which ones are already registered to other trainers. The rest... well, let's see who chooses you."
As Oak walked away, the livestream's comment section went nuclear.
"Did you see that transition? He didn't just walk to a waypoint; he checked his watch!""The IPC's best virtual worlds feel like dollhouses compared to this. How is the computing power not crashing the Luofu's local net?""Arceus Studio must have some revolutionary compression tech. Silver Wolf, is that you?!"
In reality, Julian was watching the metrics with a smirk. The "magic" wasn't infinite power—it was an elegant trick Silver Wolf had dubbed the Protagonist Algorithm. The closer a Pokémon was to Guinaifen, the more "soul" the system poured into it. The ones in the distance were running on basic scripts, but the one currently sniffing Guinaifen's boots was utilizing a massive chunk of dedicated AI logic.
Guinaifen knelt in the grass. An Oddish had wobbled over, its blue, bulbous body swaying. It tilted its head, its red eyes wide with curiosity, before letting out a happy "Odd-ish!" and nuzzling into her palm.
"Oh... my heart," Guinaifen whispered, her streamer persona slipping for a moment of genuine wonder. "He's so soft. He feels... real."
"Catch it! The ultimate healing pet!""Don't do it! Have you seen what Gloom looks like? It drools honey and smells like a dumpster!""Just keep it as an Oddish! Power-leveling is for try-hards!"
Guinaifen spent the next twenty minutes lost in the sanctuary. She fed a Pidgey, watched a Poliwag splash in the shallows, and marveled at the sheer variety of life. There was no "robotic" repetition. Every interaction felt spontaneous.
Finally, she spotted a flash of pink behind a stack of haybales. She pushed the straw aside to find a Jigglypuff practicing its song into a hollow stick. It looked up at her, its massive teal eyes shimmering with a mix of defiance and charm.
"I choose you!" Guinaifen declared, ignoring the fans' demands for a "meta" pick like Machamp.
After confirming with the Dex that the Jigglypuff was a local resident of the lab's grounds, she officially registered it as her partner. The process felt weightier than a menu click; it felt like a pact.
She returned to the lab's main hall just as the front doors slammed open. Gary swaggered in, his signature smirk firmly in place as he tossed a Poké Ball up and down.
"Late as usual, Guinaifen? I've already picked a winner. How about we see if that pink puffball of yours is good for anything other than a pillow?"
Guinaifen squared her shoulders, the haptic suit humming as her heart rate rose. "You're on, Gary!"
"Finally! The first VR battle in history!""Ten million Credits says the Jigglypuff puts him to sleep in ten seconds!""Link Start, baby! Let's go!"