Cynthia stared at the cold white text on the screen for several long seconds, completely frozen.
A wave of indescribable frustration surged through her, as if something had lodged itself in her chest.
The feeling was like climbing a mountain with absolute focus, about to reach the summit and see the view beyond, only to have the ground give way beneath her feet.
All that anticipation and tension just plummeted into empty air.
Her brain took several seconds to process the information that "the game really does end here."
A soft sigh escaped her lips, mixing helplessness with intense unwillingness.
"It actually... stops here..."
Her fingers unconsciously traced across the keyboard, as if that could somehow make the frustrating prompt disappear.
She even instinctively moved the mouse and clicked several times on the now-useless interface, tapping the Enter key with a faint, unrealistic hope. But it was all futile.
The screen only displayed the glowing Emerald logo, with peaceful, melodious background music that formed a stark contrast to the world-shattering, suspenseful atmosphere from moments before.
That black shadow emerging from the Ultra Wormhole stuck in Cynthia's mind like a thorn.
Was it a never-before-seen Ultra Beast? Or some malevolent Legendary Pokémon?
Rayquaza had just gone through a brutal battle. What was its condition? Could it still respond?
Sootopolis City had nearly been destroyed and had just calmed down. Was it about to get blown up again?
Countless questions swirled and tumbled through her mind, but she couldn't find any answers.
This feeling of a story cutting off abruptly was even more intense than the emotions she'd felt during her final battle as Champion against her strongest opponent.
An urgent impulse to know what happened next kept welling up in her heart.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
As Sinnoh's Champion, she understood clearly that losing emotional control wouldn't solve anything.
Cynthia picked up the private communicator on her desk. Her first thought was to call Lance.
If that guy knew the game had such shocking content ahead and that it was stuck at such a critical point, his reaction would definitely be entertaining.
Plus, Cynthia wanted to share the intelligence about Rayquaza, Kyogre, and Groudon with him. That was the really big news.
But then, Cynthia's finger hovered over the call button without pressing down.
She imagined Lance also anxious and frustrated, and the corner of her mouth turned up slightly.
Such spectacular plot developments, especially the shock of Rayquaza's arrival, and this cliffhanger ending...
If she spoiled it for Lance in advance, she'd be robbing him of the chance to personally experience that heart-pounding content.
That didn't seem quite right. This subtle feeling of shared suffering and anticipation made her finally put down the communicator.
Unable to continue the game, her thoughts and curiosity desperately needed an outlet.
She stood up, her gaze turning toward the majestic silhouette of Mt. Coronet looming in the night outside her window.
Right, there... perhaps she could find something.
The information in the game was shocking, but that developer, called "Wind," had truly never lied to anyone.
Having just confirmed the legend of Kyogre, she now held enormous curiosity about the existence of "Groudon."
No sooner said than done.
Cynthia threw on her coat, and her figure once again melted into the Sinnoh night.
She made her way up Mt. Coronet with practiced ease, passing through the hidden trail partially covered in snow, arriving once more before the giant tree called the "Tree of Knowledge."
Skillfully opening the concealed door, she stepped into the passage inside.
She hadn't gone far when the shadows ahead twisted with familiar distortion.
[Kehehe...] An ethereal, mischievous laugh rang out as the Gengar guarding this ancient library slowly materialized, hovering in mid-air.
Its large red eyes curiously examined Cynthia, who had returned so soon.
[Cynthia? Back so quickly? Could it be that this old fellow's library is more comfortable than your Champion villa? Or did that 'Kyogre' lead you found last time get you into some new trouble?]
Cynthia responded to Gengar's teasing with a somewhat helpless smile. "I've indeed encountered something... that concerns me greatly. This time I want to look up records about 'Groudon.'"
[Groudon?] Gengar exaggeratedly stroked its round chin, putting on a thoughtful expression.
[Well! You're making progress fast on this journey of yours! Last time it was the ocean one, and now you're bringing up the creator of the earth?] Though its tone was playful, when mentioning "creator of the earth," a deep gleam flashed through those red pupils that didn't escape Cynthia's notice.
Gengar floated closer, tilting its head with a probing look. [But, Cynthia, are you sure you're looking for 'Groudon'? Not some other creature? That great one's name isn't something you'd find in just any old storybook...]
"I'm certain." Cynthia nodded affirmatively, her expression serious. "In that special place, I saw very... very detailed descriptions. So I wanted to come verify them."
[Detailed descriptions? How detailed? More detailed than my pile of old relics?] Gengar's curiosity seemed piqued as it waved its stubby claws toward a darker corner deeper in the library.
[There, information about that one... should be in that area where even the dust is too lazy to move. Go look for yourself, but be careful not to choke on the scent of ages past, kehehe!]
With that, it did another nimble flip, apparently planning to go back to napping, but before its form merged into the shadows, it added: [However, I should warn you, records about 'Groudon' are nowhere near as numerous as those about 'Kyogre.'How much you find depends on your luck and perseverance!]
Cynthia thanked it and walked toward that section. The texts here were even more ancient, with many scrolls made of unusual materials, exuding the breath of time's passage.
She carefully brushed away accumulated dust and, by the light of nearby blue crystals, began to focus on reading.
To her surprise, she actually found a parchment scroll quite quickly.
And the image on that parchment... was the earth-shattering battle of the three legendaries!!
Below it were several hundred words of text.
The good news was that she could read this language!
Cynthia worked to cross-reference that shocking three-way battle from the game with these obscure, often fragmentary ancient texts.
Each time she found a description that corresponded to a scene from the game, even just a vague term, her heart raced faster.
She took out her notebook and carefully recorded more detailed information about Groudon and Kyogre.
Then Cynthia had another thought.
She directly picked up a blank parchment nearby, retrieved ink and pen, and began writing down what she'd seen and heard in the game.
Knowledge couldn't be endlessly taken without giving back. It needed to be shared to be passed down.
When she began writing about "Rayquaza," describing how it soared through the sky and used absolute power to quell the dispute between the two legendary Pokémon, even supplementing its slender, majestic form and powerful attack moves based on the game's CG, the Gengar that had seemingly left reappeared silently in the shadows of a bookshelf beside her.
[Oh? The dragon of the sky... You saw that one too?] Gengar looked at the text and simple drawings under Cynthia's pen, making an ambiguous clicking sound.
[You even recorded its fighting posture and the patterns on its body? Cynthia, these 'records' you saw are far too vivid and lifelike. That's not something you could make up through imagination alone. Kehehe... Now I'm truly interested in this 'special place' of yours.]
Cynthia put down her pen and looked at Gengar, asking seriously, "From what you're saying, Rayquaza truly exists, doesn't it? It really has... the power to judge those two?"
Childhood memories always made her feel like that had been a dream. If not for this game's appearance, she would have truly started doubting whether everything was just her childhood imagination.
Gengar floated to the top of a stone pillar and sat there, swinging its legs with a casual tone: [Exists? Kehehe... The world is so vast that there are always ancient beings that like to sleep in corners where no one can find them.
The dragon's shadow in the sky, I haven't heard any reliable news about it appearing in a very, very long time. As for its power...]
It drew out its tone, its red eyes looking at Cynthia. [Do you think something that ancient legends call the 'Judge of the Sky' would just be out there scaring children?]
It paused, then switched back to its playful tone: [But that's about all I know from old rumors. After all, I wouldn't dare fly that high to disturb its slumber!
If it had a bad temper when waking up and gave me one of those attacks, these old bones couldn't take it! Oh my...]
This attitude that seemed joking but actually contained confirmation and warning made Cynthia's heartbeat quicken.
Gengar didn't deny Rayquaza's existence and power.
It even implied in its own way that Rayquaza's position surpassed ordinary Legendary Pokémon.
She took a deep breath of air laden with the dust of time, her fingertips tightening slightly around the parchment in her hand.
Speaking of which, who exactly was that developer called "Wind"? Why could he so precisely recreate these legends that only existed in the most ancient secrets?
Various questions lingered endlessly, but right now, the frustration from the game being stuck at a critical point and her desire to explore the secrets behind Rayquaza dominated her thoughts.
She carefully put away her notebook and said to the Gengar hidden in the shadows: "Thank you for the warning. I'll be careful."
[Kehehe, no need to be so polite. Seeing you so full of energy makes this old fellow find it quite interesting.]
Gengar's voice came from all directions, carrying a hint of laziness.
[But, Cynthia, when pursuing ancient shadows, remember not to only look into the distance. Keep an eye on what's at your feet too. Some truths might be more... dazzling than you imagine. All right, all right, I'm going back to my sweet dreams. Happy exploring!]
As the voice faded, the library returned to silence, leaving only the glow of blue crystals.
Gengar's final, meaningful reminder left Cynthia thoughtful.
She took one last look at that section of bookshelves containing forbidden knowledge, then turned and resolutely left the secret library.
Since the game couldn't continue for now, whether she kept searching for clues in other intelligence or reexamined details from the real world that had been overlooked, she had to take action.
The shadow of Rayquaza and that unknown black figure emerging from the Ultra Wormhole hung over her head like a massive sword, urging her forward.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world.
Kairos sat in front of his computer, casually opening a movie from this world, thinking to relax a bit. But less than half an hour in, he couldn't help pressing pause.
Sparks and lightning flashed across the screen. The special effects for the Pokémon battles were actually pretty good, but the plot felt like it was written by a director who hadn't finished elementary school.
The actors' line delivery and expressions were wooden. He couldn't help shaking his head.
Honestly, they'd clearly spent quite a bit on the special effects, but the script and acting hadn't received any investment at all.
And this was number one at the box office?
He leaned back in his chair, feeling somewhat helpless.
Come to think of it, this world's entertainment industry, especially film and television, seemed to still be at a very primitive stage.
If he could bring over those classic theatrical releases from the Pokémon world, like "The Rise of Darkrai" or "Giratina and the Sky Warrior," with that level of storytelling and emotional expression, it would probably shake up the entire film industry!
Unfortunately, the system now clearly restricted him to only making games. He'd have to put aside those thoughts for now. It really was a bit regrettable.
Just as he was mulling over these things, a series of system notification messages suddenly popped up without warning in the upper right corner of his vision!
[Ding! This cycle's Awe Points have been calculated!]
[Emotional Points contributed by players from Parallel World PM-0734: 3,200 points!]
[Emotional Points contributed by players from the current world: 8,500 points!]
Kairos's gaze swept over these numbers as he stroked his chin.
The current world's points mainly came from Emerald's continued operation. Black Phantom hadn't had time to accumulate emotional points yet.
The figure of over eight thousand was within his expectations.
But what surprised him a bit was the parallel world's side. "Black Phantom" had only just been released, not even properly warmed up yet, and it had already contributed over three thousand emotional points.
This once again confirmed the system's rule: new players experiencing the game for the first time produced the strongest emotional fluctuations and provided the most points.
For veteran players, as their game experience deepened, their emotional thresholds kept rising.
It became much harder to provoke strong emotions from them, and the points decreased significantly, unless their emotional threshold level could be achieved.
However, judging by how long Cynthia had been stuck at level two, this clearly wasn't an easy thing.
Just as that thought flashed through his mind, a line of text with a distinctive, dazzling golden border popped out, nearly occupying the center of his field of vision.
[Congratulations, Host! Player "Cynthia's" emotional threshold level has been raised to LV3!]
Kairos suddenly straightened in his chair, momentarily stunned.
Huh??
Talk about timing!
No way, she just hit level three???