Just then, the curtain of the medical station was pulled aside.
Nurse Joy, dressed in her uniform with her Blissey beside her, stepped out with a warm smile.
She spotted Ethan sitting on the steps and spoke gently. "Your Charizard is really strong.
We've treated all the external injuries and cleared out the toxins. The main issue is exhaustion, so it needs plenty of rest. It's asleep now."
Ethan quickly stood up, a weight lifted from his chest. "Thank you, Nurse Joy."
"No need to thank me, it's my job." Nurse Joy shook her head, her eyes soft as she looked at him. "But you, young man. I heard you and your Charizard protected so many people during the chaos. That was truly remarkable."
Ethan lowered his head a little, staring at his hands.
He could still feel the sensation of the Poké Ball and the two stones. "I... I just did what needed to be done."
"Often, doing what needs to be done is the hardest thing," Nurse Joy said with meaning. She gestured inside. "Go have a look, just keep your voice down. Blissey will stay close to monitor its condition, so don't worry."
Ethan nodded, took a deep breath, and slipped quietly into the temporary medical station.
The room wasn't large, filled with the scent of disinfectant and medicinal ointments.
Charizard lay on a specially made cushion, sleeping soundly. Its chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. The wounds on its body had been carefully wrapped. Though it looked a bit battered, the overwhelming weakness was gone. The flame at the tip of its tail burned steadily, showing that its condition was stable.
Ethan crouched beside it, silent, simply watching.
The mysterious psychic sensation returned to him. He could still recall that moment when Charizard had stood before him, its unshakable determination to protect him at any cost.
It had not been from his command, but from the pure bond between them.
Ethan reached out and lightly touched the bandaged area near the base of Charizard's wing. His voice was quiet. "Sorry for making you worry... and thank you for not giving up on me."
Charizard seemed to sense something in its sleep, letting out a soft, satisfied rumble from its nostrils.
At that moment, Ethan finally made up his mind.
He touched the two stones in his pocket again. This time, there was no hesitation, only firm resolve.
He stood, gave Charizard a last look, then turned and walked out of the medical station.
Outside, the sunlight fell gently across the city that had only recently been thrown into chaos.
In the distance, League workers and volunteers were still busy, but order had largely been restored.
The faces of the people showed not fear, but relief.
Ethan did not head home. Instead, he turned toward the community center.
His steps were no longer heavy and dragging like they had been that afternoon. They were steady and decisive.
He was still going to the Trainer Center, but not to cancel the license that once carried his dream.
He was going to ask if the license he almost abandoned could be reactivated.
Maybe his journey as a trainer needed to continue.
Though... perhaps he would start with that game first.
That night, in the Sinnoh region, at League Headquarters.
In the highest-level conference room, the atmosphere was even heavier than last time.
Around the massive circular table sat many officials: League directors, regional heads, and champion representatives like Cynthia and Lance.
Numerous professors and senior researchers were also in attendance. The turnout was even larger than before.
Presiding over the meeting was the same white-haired, stern Chief Director. He tapped the table, his voice low.
"You all understand the situation. It has barely been any time since the last Game Rewards Materializing incident, and we already need an emergency meeting. This time, the situation is even more serious."
On the large screen behind him played footage of that afternoon's chaos on the city streets, along with blurry clips of the black Charizard in battle.
The video seemed to be taken from a survivor's phone, shaky and unclear, yet the overwhelming power could still be felt.
"First, the matter of the sudden appearance and disappearance of this void."
The Chief Director switched the display to a high-resolution image of the twisted purple vortex.
"We discovered similar phenomena before and temporarily named them black holes.
Also known as Ultra Wormholes. Based on residual energy readings, they are different from any known method of opening secret realms. They are extremely unstable and dangerous."
"What many of you may not know is that this is not the first time. There have been similar attacks in the past, all small-scale and in very remote areas. They were easy to contain."
"The earlier suburban incidents were barely suppressed in the news. But this time it appeared directly in a densely populated city center, on a large scale, causing serious casualties and destruction. There is no way we can hide this."
The conference room was filled with low murmuring.
A conservative director, a stern-faced middle-aged man, spoke first, his tone edged with frustration.
"Our priority must be stabilizing public sentiment and tightening media control. We must emphasize that the League can handle these crises. We cannot let public panic spread any further."
"Control? How do we control this?"
A progressive director immediately countered. He pointed at the image of the black Charizard, visibly agitated.
"Sir, look at this. Those invading aberrant Pokémon had individual energy levels around the Gym Leader tier. Even the Elite-tier Pokémon stationed near the city could not handle them. They were completely overwhelmed."
"If it had not been for this Charizard, transformed through unknown means and fighting desperately to buy time, the casualties would have been many times worse."
He swept his gaze across the room, his voice rising.
"What does this show us? It shows just how weak our current defense system is against unknown threats. And the turning point came from the rewards granted by that game."
"We already investigated the trainer, Ethan. His Charizard was originally only a Gym Leader tier. Those two stones let it unleash that kind of power. Does this not prove the importance of the game?"
"Absurd!"
The conservative director slammed his hand on the table.
"We cannot rely on a game with an unknown origin. That is the greatest threat of all.
Items that can directly boost Pokémon strength on such a scale will disrupt trainer balance and even shake the very foundation of the League. What we should do is restrict this power, investigate who is behind the game, not encourage its spread."
"Balance? Foundation? A black hole just tore open in a city. Citizens are fighting for their lives, and you are worried about balance?"
The progressive director was flushed with anger.
"Right now, the priority is strengthening our overall power to deal with the crisis. I believe we should encourage, even organize, trainers to participate in the game and collect resources."
"You are drinking poison to quench your thirst."
"You are clinging to outdated thinking."
The two sides grew louder, the tension rising like a lit fuse.
Cynthia, seated to the side in a crisp black coat, silently listened. Her fingers twirled a pen as her brows tightened, a faint chill flickering in her eyes.
The last meeting had been one thing. But now, with Ultra Wormholes opening in front of them and countless people hurt, these high-ranking officials were still prioritizing authority, balance, and internal interests.
It was truly...
Lance, sitting diagonally across from her, noticed her expression.
He also looked irritated by the bickering. His brows were drawn tight.
Seeing the argument escalate, he suddenly stood up. His low voice cut through every other sound.
"Enough."
The room fell instantly silent, all eyes on him.
Lance swept his sharp gaze across both sides.
"Tracing the source of the black holes, assessing their threat level, and creating a response plan is our primary task. As for the game..."
He paused. "It has already shown that it can strengthen our crisis response. Whether it is good or bad requires careful investigation and guidance, not pointless arguing. The priority is to deal with the disaster in front of us."
"I agree with Lance."
A professor pushed up his glasses.
"We are facing new threats. We need to unite every force available. Regarding the game, we should establish dedicated research teams while also strengthening our studies and monitoring of black holes."
The Chief Director looked at the group, took a deep breath, and raised a hand to stop the conservative director from speaking again.
"Champion Lance and Professor Koen are right. Arguing solves nothing. This meeting is adjourned for now."
He continued with a weary tone.
"Priority one is to deploy personnel for post-disaster reconstruction and relief. At the same time, all cities are to raise alert levels, especially in monitoring spatial fluctuations. We must prevent another black hole from appearing."
His gaze swept across the room, heavy.
"As for the game called Pokémon Emerald... whether we oppose it or support it, it is clear that its capabilities are far beyond our understanding or control. We can no longer decide how to deal with it on our own."
"Meeting adjourned."
People rose, each with their own thoughts. Cynthia and Lance stayed behind.
When they finally left and stepped onto the terrace, the night wind cleared away the suffocating atmosphere of the room.
The city below was lit beautifully against the dark sky.
"What do you think?" Lance leaned against the railing, staring into the distance.
Cynthia let out a soft breath, her long hair drifting in the breeze.
"Honestly, I have a bad feeling. The aberrant Pokémon this time were only around Gym Leader tier, yet they already pushed the city's defenses to the brink. What if next time, what appears is an Elite Four tier or even a Champion tier? Or worse, what if the numbers multiply?"
"After all, in the game, the Ultra Wormhole Pokémon were not just a Gym Leader tier."
Her calm voice landed like a hammer.
Lance fell silent, then nodded with a grave expression.
"Yes. This is only the beginning. We must strengthen ourselves quickly, not just us but the entire League."
He looked at Cynthia. "In Emerald, have you found anything new? Any clues about Ultra Wormholes? I can only ask you since your story progress is much further than mine."
Cynthia shook her head.
"The plot has not mentioned Ultra Wormholes again. My current storyline ends at the part where a massive Ultra Wormhole appears. That part is fascinating.
Though... with how vast this game's world is, with so many unknown regions and legends, more Ultra Wormhole content will definitely appear later."
Lance nodded. "This game is incredible. It's not just a tool for power. It's practically an intelligence network. Hard to imagine a game could reach this level."
"Indeed," Cynthia agreed.
They fell into a quiet moment.
After a while, Lance spoke again, his tone lighter and a bit curious. "By the way, what did you think of the latest storyline you mentioned? Go on, spoil it for me."
He knew Cynthia well enough. If she called a storyline interesting, it had to be something special.
A faint smile finally appeared on her face.
She remembered watching the clash between Groudon and Kyogre, then Rayquaza's descent to stop everything. Those breathtaking scenes still stirred her heart.
Cynthia turned to Lance, her smile lingering. "It's a secret. But I can guarantee one thing."
"The part you're about to reach will not disappoint you."
Lance stared at her rare smile, stunned for a moment, then grinned with clear anticipation.
"Even you won't tell me? You want to surprise me, is that it? Fine. In that case, I need to hurry and see it myself."
"See you later. Hopefully with more time."
"See you later."
۞۞۞۞
~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones