On paper, both grand finalists seemed completely matched in skill. But the brilliant design of Pokémon allowed the Master Diviner, Fu Xuan, to fully use her sharp mind and strategic planning. Anyone watching could feel the immense pressure crowding Silver Wolf, who usually dominated every match she played. Every single move she made was anticipated, as if Fu Xuan was reading her mind.
Even when Silver Wolf found a clever opening and dragged the battle into a tense final round, Fu Xuan stayed one step ahead. Using a brilliant Ally Switch she had kept hidden the entire game, she swapped her Pokémon's positions at the exact moment of impact. Silver Wolf's high-level Dragonite fainted instantly.
Lao Hu could tell just by watching that this was a pure battle of wits. Each player had to think ten or even a hundred steps ahead with every single move. If Mr. Welt Yang hadn't been explaining the hidden strategies, a regular viewer would have completely missed the brilliant logic behind their choices. But what really blew him away was just how fun it was to watch. Even if someone didn't understand the deep strategies, the pure visual excitement of the battle was deeply captivating.
On the other hand, the matches in Aetherium Wars felt completely stale. The game simply had too few moves and a tiny roster of monsters. The recent updates from the IPC corporate engineers were lazy and full of boring designs that nobody wanted to use. The strategy was always the same: guess what the opponent would do next, and counter it. It felt like a cheap, turn-based mobile knockoff compared to the masterpiece he was watching. There was no denying it. Aetherium Wars was a decent game, but compared to the magic of Pokémon, it belonged to a completely different era.
The chat in his own stream was completely wild now:
"What are we even doing here? After seeing this, I'm done with this game. I'm downloading Pokémon."
"That final Ally Switch was absolutely genius! Count me in for the switch."
"Aetherium Wars is just corporate trash! Pokémon is the only real game!"
"Hu, turn off this stream and download it right now. The corporate game is just a cheap copy anyway, so there is no shame in leaving."
"Exactly! This is all the fault of those stubborn managers in the Traditional Department. If they hadn't put up that firewall, we would have been winning badges weeks ago!"
"Everyone, let's flood the forums! We need to protest against the Traditional Department tonight!"
"That cheap copy stole so much of my money through gacha packs! Give me a refund!"
"Let's all request our transaction receipts and crash their tax servers! We are leaving anyway, let's give them something to remember!"
The community had completely turned their backs on the game. Before Lao Hu could say something to calm down his chat, Little Kitten's voice drifted through the call.
"Alright, big brother, I guess you've seen enough of the tournament, right? Do you want me to start a ranked match? If not, I'm going back to exploring the wilderness."
"Go ahead, sister," Lao Hu replied softly, his voice a bit dazed as he pulled his thoughts back. "Have fun on your journey."
He didn't really care about competitive battles right now, and watching a beginner fumble through simple moves wasn't what he wanted. He preferred to browse the official Arceus website to look for more tournament videos.
"Thanks, big brother!" Little Kitten smiled, her character walking back onto a winding dirt path. "Now, everyone, I'm going to take you to one of the most famous places from the anime: the Blue Full Moon Waterfall. According to the game lore, the full moon lines up perfectly over the waterfall at midnight, bringing out hundreds of wild Water-type Pokémon. A lot of players say the scenery in the actual game looks ten times better than the show. We need to get there before the morning comes."
Lao Hu nodded quietly, realizing she was a player who just loved the scenery. In this high-tech era, everyone knew that the real worlds in space were often barren and harsh. Even when a beautiful planet was discovered, human eyes usually couldn't appreciate it without special enhancements. Everyone also knew that game graphics were just an illusion. Usually, a player would get amazed for a few minutes before getting bored. So, his professional instincts told him that her slow-paced exploration stream would run out of viewers within a week. But just as he was about to close her stream and start his own Pokémon download, a sudden event happened on her screen.
A large herd of Miltanks suddenly wandered out from the trees, blocking the forest path with their round, pink bodies. Usually, these Pokémon were supposed to appear only in the northern ranches, so finding them in a thick forest was quite rare. Little Kitten ran over to check the lead Pokémon, and a bright message popped up on her screen:
WILDERNESS ADVENTURE TRIGGERED
Objective: [Helping Hand] — Find and help the panicked ranch owner herd the lost Miltanks back into their pasture.
The quest wasn't hard, but it took a lot of running around. To Lao Hu's surprise, the girl didn't complain about the delay at all. Instead, a look of pure joy lit up her face. She happily called out her Pokémon and worked together with them to herd the creatures, gently guiding them back toward the valley fields. This led to a lot of hilarious, unexpected moments. One stubborn Miltank casually sat down right on top of her Golem, while a tiny Sentret tried to roll a stray calf like a ball. The viewers in the chat couldn't stop laughing.
When the final gate clicked shut, the quest cleared, rewarding her with a dozen bottles of Moomoo Milk and a few basic items. Lao Hu watched as the girl opened a fresh glass bottle, taking a slow, deeply satisfied sip before resuming her walk. The pure look of happiness on her face made everyone in the chat wonder: What does that milk actually taste like?
A viewer asked the exact same question:
"What does it taste like, sister? The animation looks so real."
"The flavor is incredibly fresh and sweet, everyone," Little Kitten explained with a bright smile. "It's so smooth, and it doesn't taste artificial at all. Plus, the game gives you a warm, cozy feeling inside, like real elemental energy is filling your body. A single bottle of Moomoo Milk satisfies your hunger for the whole day, so you don't even need to touch your standard food rations."
After explaining, she went back to her relaxed tour, pointing out the rare flowers and wild Pokémon she passed. Whenever she found a beautiful view, she would stop and call out all her Pokémon to take a fun group photo against the cliffs.
"Oh no, look at the sky! I completely lost track of time," she gasped, looking at the deep orange colors painting the horizon. The waterfall was still several maps away. "Change of plans! We are taking the fast route. Pidgeot, let's fly!"
She tossed a heavy Ultra Ball, releasing a magnificent, large Pidgeot. The giant bird spread its massive wings, its feathers glowing in the golden sunset as it leaned down to let her climb into the saddle.
The casual players watching through Lao Hu's stream gasped in awe:
"Wait, you can actually use your Pokémon to fly around the open world map?!"
"Is this your first time seeing an Arceus game, friend? Why are you losing your cool over a basic hidden move?"
"Exactly! Whether you want to fly high in the sky, climb rugged mountains, or dive into deep ocean rifts, as long as your Pokémon is big enough and you have the right gym badge, you can ride them anywhere across the continent."
"If you manage to catch a Lugia, the game even lets you explore deep underwater caves."
"If you want the ultimate flex, there is a video where a player used Ho-Oh's power to paint a permanent rainbow over the Goldenrod City sky."
Looking at the chat, even the most stubborn Aetherium Wars fans had to admit that this kind of exploration belonged to a completely different world. In Aetherium Wars, exploration was completely dead and sterile. You just stared at flat textures to collect glowing data items before going back to matchmaking. There was nothing else to do.
But Julian Reed's game was a living world. The scenery wasn't just a background; every mile of the wilderness was full of smart, independent creatures that a player could touch, study, and bond with. The ways you could interact with your team completely outshined the combat, making players truly love their digital companions. On top of that, the world would randomly create fun little events based on how you played. Little Kitten's journey was peaceful, so the game gave her gentle, pleasant diversions rather than a competitive grind.
A few minutes later, the Pidgeot folded its wings, landing gently on a high ridge overlooking the Blue Full Moon Waterfall.
The moon had reached its perfect spot. A huge, pristine full moon hung right over the roaring crest of the crystal waterfall, surrounded by thousands of twinkling stars. Resting along the mossy banks of the lower pool were dozens of wild Poliwag, Staryu, and elegant Golduck, their eyes fixed on the silver light dancing on the water. The calm lake at the bottom acted like a perfect mirror, weaving the sky and the earth into a single, breathtaking view of absolute peace.
The pure, tranquil beauty of the scene completely washed over the viewers, bringing a deep wave of relaxation to the entire chat. The angry comments died out instantly.
Lao Hu quietly closed the stream link and went back to his main screen. He opened his browser, clicked straight onto the official Arceus Studio website, and started a maximum-speed download of the core Pokémon game files. While the download bar filled up, he opened another window and pulled up the first episode of the anime to learn the story behind his new game.
As for the Aetherium Wars application currently running on his main screen? Lao Hu reached out his hand and firmly hit the delete key, wiping the corporate trash from his hard drive completely. What even was an "Ether Front"? Sorry, everyone, we aren't familiar with it at all.
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