"What?!!!"
Iono jumped up in shock. The pink Pokédex in her hand nearly flew out of her grip before she scrambled to catch it.
The sense of disappointment she had been feeling vanished instantly. Excitement burst through her voice, impossible to hide.
"Salted Fish! Are you serious? Forming a bond with an ancient overlord Pokémon?!"
From the other side of the call, Rei Akagi seemed to chuckle softly.
Because the pipeline they were hiding in was too narrow to properly inspect the two ancient Pokémon up close, he simply began explaining directly.
"These two ancient Pokémon— the one with wings is Aerodactyl, and the one with scythe-like forearms is Kabutops. Both were dominant predators in ancient times. Their combat power is extremely formidable."
He paused for a moment before adding:
"By the way, the legendary Red once formed a deep bond with an Aerodactyl. If you're interested, you can look up his early battle recordings—there should be footage of it."
"Aerodactyl! Kabutops! Salted Fish personally confirmed the strategy route!"
"I just searched the video! Red's Aerodactyl is insanely cool!!!"
"What are we waiting for, brothers? Log in! Target: Ancient Overlords!"
The important clues and hidden storyline inside the museum had already been uncovered.
Rei and Little Iono followed the original route and exited the secret passage.
Their next destination—
Mt. Moon.
Just as they were about to leave the limits of Pewter City, a familiar figure hurried toward them.
It was their old friend—
The Researcher Rei.
After a brief exchange of greetings, they learned about the Pokémon system features, and he handed over the Running Shoes, which Rei Akagi's in-game mother had asked him to deliver.
With that, the two officially set off toward Mt. Moon.
Route 3
This road connects to Route 4, eventually leading to Cerulean City.
And at the junction of these two routes lies the narrow entrance path to Mt. Moon.
"Iono, see that Youngster peeking around the big tree up ahead?" Rei Akagi said.
"Go challenge him. I'll show you what a speedrun strategy looks like."
As he spoke, Rei controlled his character and slipped into a patch of roadside grass. Rustling sounds came through the microphone as he fiddled with something.
"Got it!"
Iono nodded vigorously, flashing a confident smile. She immediately summoned Magnemite and strode forward to accept the challenge.
"Youngster: Hey! You were spying on me, weren't you? Let's battle! I'll show you how strong I am!"
The battle-start prompt sounded.
Just as Iono focused completely, preparing to command Magnemite—
Rei had somehow already circled behind the Youngster.
And in his hand—
Was a brick.
SMACK!
A dull, crisp thud echoed through the livestream microphone.
The Youngster didn't even groan. His eyes rolled back as he collapsed limply to the ground.
"Rei defeated Youngster!"
"Rei received 600₽ in prize money!"
"Done."
Rei Akagi's voice sounded calm and relaxed.
"There are a few more EXP packs up ahead. Let's rush through them."
Iono's eager battle-ready expression froze completely.
She stared blankly as Rei casually searched the unconscious Youngster for cash, then stood up as if nothing had happened.
B-Battles… could be done like this?
"Holy— that's dirty!"
"No-rules battles! Different from official League battles—trainers can attack each other directly!"
"This is nostalgia! My youth has returned!"
"Isn't that a bit… too much? That kid's totally knocked out!"
"In our era, no-rules battling was the mainstream!"
"666. Is this a robbery simulator or what?"
"Hm? Iono?"
Rei Akagi's voice snapped the streamer out of her shocked shutdown state.
The next second—
Iono's eyes lit up.
Her voice was full of excitement.
"I'm here! I'm here! Salted Fish! Next one! Let me do the next one! I want to sneak behind and bonk him!"
"No problem."
Rei Akagi agreed immediately, guiding Rei toward a Bug Catcher at the next intersection.
"But remember—fast, accurate, ruthless."
"It's over. She's completely corrupted."
"That pure innocent Iono is gone forever."
"Taking notes: Mt. Moon speedrun prep step—physically eliminate all trainers on Route 3."
After a long journey of… enthusiastic trainer "challenges"… ahem—
Rei and Little Iono finally reached the foot of Mt. Moon, turning off Route 3 and entering the winding path.
They had officially stepped into the Mt. Moon area.
While leading the way, Rei Akagi began explaining the location to Iono and the viewers.
"Mt. Moon is the main habitat of wild Clefairy. These little guys treat the moon as a sacred symbol. On nights of the full moon, they gather at the summit and perform a mysterious dance."
"Legend says the Moon Stones here were formed from ancient meteor fragments. They contain a unique energy that allows certain Pokémon to evolve…"
"But our destination this time isn't the summit. We need to enter the caves inside the mountain—"
Before he could finish—
A beam of devastating energy suddenly tore through the dense forest ahead!
Massive tree trunks instantly disintegrated into powder, carving a circular corridor straight through the woods.
Through the opening—
A colossal figure appeared.
A gigantic Gyarados, radiating violent rage.
Its massive jaws were still open, faint remnants of destructive energy lingering in its throat from the terrifying attack it had just fired.
And directly in front of it—
A beautiful orange-haired girl, her hair messy and body covered in scratches, was stumbling backward.
Standing before her was a heavily injured Starmie, stubbornly holding its ground.
But the trembling of its body revealed the truth—
It was already at its limit.
Gyarados — Lv.32
Ability:Moxie
(Boosts Attack after knocking out an opponent.)
"It's Hyper Beam!"
Iono instantly demonstrated the professional instincts of a Gym Leader, shouting in alarm.
Her hands didn't stop moving. Almost the instant she understood the situation, she summoned Pikachu.
"Pikachu! Quick! Use Electroweb to restrain Gyarados!"
In a flash—
A bolt of yellow lightning streaked through the blasted corridor.
Pikachu leapt high into the air, electricity surging wildly from the sacs in its cheeks, weaving together into a gigantic electric net that dropped toward Gyarados.
But a Gyarados driven into madness was not something a mere net could restrain.
Its bloodshot eyes shifted, locking onto the electric web.
Then its rigid body suddenly exploded with terrifying strength.
The net stretched violently, crackling with piercing electric sizzling sounds.
ROOOOAR—
A deafening roar shook the forest.
Gyarados endured the electric shocks and began spinning like a massive top.
Its armored scales ground against the net—
And ripped it apart.
Outrage.
A devastating Dragon-type move that trades sanity for overwhelming destructive power.
Breaking free from its restraints
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