After pushing open the giant boulder, the scorching passage hit her with a wave of heat more than double what she'd felt outside.
The air itself seemed to warp and distort, and the screen displayed melting, wavy patterns as if the display was being baked.
Iono instinctively shrank back, that feeling of unease growing stronger and stronger.
"Ugh… this feels… even hotter than the Emerald run?" she muttered to herself, carefully maneuvering her character along the narrow rocky path deeper inside.
From the depths of the cavern came the gurgling sounds of churning magma, the firelight painting the cave walls blood red.
The chat could feel the tension too:
[That temperature effect is maxed out…]
[Iono be careful! I've got a bad feeling about this!]
[Don't tell me there's actually something big hiding in here? Isn't Dark Phantom supposed to be a chill game?]
Just as she rounded a corner, the view opened up before her.
This was a massive lava cavern with a rolling pool of crimson magma at its center, heat waves rising in shimmering columns. And on an isolated black stone platform in the middle of the lava pool...
A massive, majestic figure stood there, still and silent.
It looked like an enormous lion, its thick mane seemingly made of flames, pure white and moving on its own in the heat waves like a burning banner!
Its body was covered in dark gold armor that glinted in the red glow of the magma.
Its four limbs were powerful and strong, each step leaving scorched marks on the stone beneath.
A tail wreathed in flames swayed slowly behind it, each movement sending up tiny sparks.
Its head was held high, eyes sharp and piercing, radiating an inviolable sense of sacred power and overwhelming strength!
Just watching it through the screen, Iono felt a crushing pressure emanating from it on a primal, instinctual level, making it hard to breathe.
This feeling, she knew it all too well!
After a brief moment of processing, Iono's eyes went wide, her mouth dropping open, her mind going completely blank, her fingers frozen on the keyboard.
What the...?!
She didn't even realize the sound she'd made. The chat exploded along with her, completely losing it!
[Holy crap!! Who the heck is THAT?!]
[A legendary?! That's got to be a legendary, right?! The presence!!!]
[Oh my god! So cool! So powerful! I can feel the pressure through the screen, my legs are shaking!]
[Something like THIS is in Dark Phantom?!]
[What Pokémon is that?! Does anyone recognize it?!]
[Never seen it! It's completely new to me!]
[That design, that aura—it's definitely a legendary!]
[I thought this was supposed to be a chill game??? And THEN THIS shows up?]
As both the stream and Iono were still in shock, a bold notification suddenly popped up, taking over the center of the screen:
[The Legendary Pokémon "Entei" has appeared!]
"Entei?!" Iono's heart skipped a beat.
A Legendary Pokémon! An actual Legendary Pokémon! Right here in Fiery Path!
Wait, isn't this supposed to be Dark Phantom? Since when do legendaries just show up like this??
Before she could react, the moment the notification disappeared, the battle screen forced itself in!
The background music instantly became intense and oppressive.
Entei's imposing figure took up most of the screen, its sharp gaze locking onto Iono's tiny character.
"Oh no!"
Iono jolted, barely snapping out of her shock.
She'd come in here completely unprepared, her team wasn't in optimal condition, and she hadn't even had time to switch to Pokémon that could counter or tank it!
Looking at Entei's imposing level 50, her scalp tingled, but she quickly recovered her composure.
Wait, this level doesn't seem as high as before. Does that mean… there might be a chance??
She immediately took a deep breath and sent out her Swampert, the highest-level and best-conditioned member of her team.
Swampert was Water and Ground type. This guy clearly looked like a Fire type. She could handle this!
The battle began!
Entei gave Iono no time to catch her breath.
With a low, rumbling roar, the entire cavern's temperature seemed to rise several more degrees, and a blast of scorching fire hot enough to melt steel came rushing at her!
BOOM!
It should have been even worse for most Pokémon.
But Swampert's Water and Ground typing let it resist the hit, so the Flamethrower only did half damage even though Entei's raw power made that "resisted" attack feel like getting slammed by a meteor.
How is that damage even fair?!
Iono's mouth twitched as she quickly had Swampert use Protect to tank the next move.
Fortunately, Entei's next move was Extrasensory, a Psychic-type attack that barely scratched Swampert's HP.
Iono seized the opportunity and immediately fed Swampert a potion, fully restoring its health.
Grind! She'd just have to grind it down slowly!
Iono gritted her teeth, her focus razor-sharp.
She discovered that while Entei's attack power was terrifying, its speed wasn't particularly fast, and its move pattern seemed to follow a rhythm.
From there on, Swampert used Earthquake and Surf for super-effective chip damage.
Blaziken's Speed Boost ability let it strike at the right moments with Double Kick to whittle down HP.
Zorua's attacks could deal some damage too.
Beldum's Zen Headbutt could even cause flinching, buying Iono precious time… provided it got a turn to act.
As for Larvesta… Iono glanced at its pitiful defenses and HP and couldn't bear to send it out as cannon fodder.
The battle process was, naturally, extremely nerve-wracking.
Several times, one of Entei's Flamethrowers or Fire Blasts nearly wiped out her Pokémon entirely.
Only through Protect, potions, and sheer luck did she manage to hold on.
When Entei's HP bar dropped into the red, Iono's Poké Balls were flying fast.
She'd burned through Great Balls and even regular Poké Balls, everything she could buy at this point in the game.
But each time, watching Entei struggle violently inside the ball made her heart leap into her throat, only to hear the click and pop as the ball burst open.
Capture failed.
"Ahhhhh! So close!"
"Are you kidding me?! It still won't stay in?!"
"Please! Get in there, buddy!"
Iono wailed at the screen, the chat equally tense.
[That catch rate is way too low!]
[Well, it IS a legendary!]
[Go Iono! Grind it out!]
[This feels more exhausting than a gym battle…]
After countless near-wipes and failed captures (the battle automatically reset to the cave entrance so she could try again), Iono threw her very last Great Ball in one final desperate attempt!
The red-and-white Poké Ball traced an arc through the air and hit Entei dead-on, right after Blaziken's final Double Kick had brought it down to red HP!
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The Poké Ball rocked wildly on the ground, red light flashing intensely, looking like it would burst open any second.
Iono held her breath, eyes glued to the screen, her heart nearly stopping.
The entire chat went silent in that instant, even the comments froze.
CLICK!
A crisp, heavenly capture sound effect rang out, accompanied by cheerful music!
A notification appeared on screen:
Successfully captured Entei!
"AHHHHHHHH!!!"
Iono shot up from her chair, arms flailing in wild excitement as she screamed into the mic loud enough to blow the roof off. "I did it! I caught it! I caught Entei!! A Legendary Pokémon!!!"
The chat absolutely exploded!!
[HOLY CRAP!!]
[She actually caught it?????]
[Incredible!!! Streamer you're amazing!!!]
[A Legendary Pokémon! Alive! Catchable!]
[Dark Phantom! The GOAT forever!!!]
[That's it, I'm playing this. I'm going to catch one RIGHT NOW!]
[I can't believe I got to witness this. My life is complete!]
[Streamer check its stats! Quick, check!]
Iono was completely over the moon, her hands trembling a little as she rushed to open her bag and pull up Entei's detailed info.
[Entei Lv.50]
[Type: Fire]
[Ability: Pressure (When this Pokémon enters battle, it pressures opponents, causing them to consume more PP when using moves)]
[Moves: Flamethrower, Extrasensory, Crunch, Fire Blast]
Most importantly, its HP, Attack, Special Attack, Speed… every stat was ridiculously high!
Miles ahead of even her highest-level team members, Blaziken and Swampert!
"…These stats… these moves…" Iono stared wide-eyed.
"Pressure ability! Sacred Fire! This… this is insane!"
She couldn't wait to use the game's party function to add Entei to her team.
Then she moved her character to a safe corner of the cavern and used the release command.
WHOOSH!
Entei's majestic, magnificent figure appeared beside her game character in a burst of sparks and particle effects, radiating powerful energy!
Even though it was just a game model, the lifelike details and overwhelming presence made Iono's heart race.
"Screenshot! I need screenshots! Photos!"
She excitedly used the game's built-in photo mode, circling Entei from multiple angles, snapping over a dozen pictures.
"This is my very first Legendary Pokémon! I'm playing Dark Phantom for the rest of my life!
This game is AMAZING!" The chat at this point was nothing but an ocean of envy:
[I'm so jealous I can't even!]
[That model! That presence! Perfect!]
[I'm heading to Fiery Path! Now! Immediately! Right this second!]
[Streamer go find a trainer and test out its power!]
And honestly, Iono was thinking the exact same thing. She glanced at the imposing Entei beside her and broke into a grin.
"Let's go! We're heading outside! Gonna find someone to test out Entei's power! I'll show you all what a legendary can do!"
She hurried her character forward, Entei following close behind, and turned toward the exit of the cavern.
But just as she stepped up to the Fiery Path entrance, the screen suddenly went dark!
A forced system notification popped up:
["Pokémon: Dark Phantom"Game Content Update Notice:
Dear player, thank you for your enthusiastic exploration! You have now experienced all content available in the current version. In order to bring you a more complete and exciting adventure ahead, the game will pause here and await future content updates. Once the update is complete, you may continue your journey! Stay tuned!]
"Huh??"
The wild joy on Iono's face froze instantly, replaced by disbelief and frustration.
Update? Pause?
I JUST caught Entei! I haven't even used it in a single battle yet!
She frantically mashed the keyboard and clicked her mouse everywhere, but the game screen didn't budge.
Only that notification remained, mocking her.
"AHHHHHHH!!!"
Iono let out a wail even more anguished than when she'd caught Entei, collapsing into her chair and clutching her head with both hands.
"No! How can you do this to me?! I haven't even gotten to enjoy it yet!!!"
The chat instantly shifted from an ocean of envy to an ocean of laughter (even if Iono probably wasn't finding it quite as funny):
[HAHAHAHAHAHA I'm dying!!]
[You finally catch a legendary and get force-logged out, how's that feel, streamer?]
[Devs: Surprised? Unexpected?]
[Peak comedy, tragedy edition!]
[Streamer: This is too cruel!]
[The devs really know how to leave you hanging!]
[That update timing… absolutely brutal!]
Iono stared at the chat's "hahaha"s mixed with sympathy, on the verge of tears.
All she could do was stare at the blacked-out game screen and voice her anguished protest:
"I've been praising you this whole time, and THIS is what you give me?"
She clutched her chest, wailing:
"Dark Phantom! You owe me big time!! How are you gonna make this up to me?!"
---
Meanwhile, in Cerulean City.
Sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting neat lines of light across the floor of Kairos's villa.
He'd just finished dealing with some loose ends following the New Game Festival and was calculating emotion point growth rates and forum user numbers.
The number in his mind showed he was already past 99,000, very close to the 100,000 goal.
Just then, the system notification chimed in his head.
[Ding! High-intensity emotional fluctuation detected!]
[Received +1500 emotion points from special player Cynthia!]
[Received +300 emotion points from cross-world special player Iono!]
"Hmm?" Kairos raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised.
Cynthia just dropped 1500 points in one go?
That kind of burst only happens after major story milestones.
She probably just finished that earth-shattering battle in Sootopolis City and the Necrozma and Team Plasma storyline.
As expected of a Tier 3 threshold player, the points she provides are seriously impressive.
In comparison, Iono's 300 points seemed a bit modest.
But Kairos wasn't disappointed. In fact, he found it kind of funny.
He could pretty much guess what Iono had been up to.
Either she'd been startled by one of Dark Phantom's surprises, like running into a high-level wild encounter, or she'd just finished an exciting battle, like catching something good.
300 points, for someone still at Tier 2 threshold like her, was actually a decent little haul.
"Man, once that threshold level goes up, it's a whole different game," Kairos mused aloud.
"Same emotional input, but the multiplier difference is so obvious."
Cynthia's single burst was worth five of Iono's.
Looks like he'd need to create more content that could stimulate other special players and help everyone break through together.
Before he could think more about how to push Iono further, a new notification sounded.
This time it wasn't points coming in, but a rather unusual prompt:
[Ding! Special information stream detected from World No. 1 (host's current world).]
[Content analysis: A package containing confidential industry information pointing to "Dream Factory" company, along with a clear job application intent, a "pledge of loyalty" information package directed at "Wind Studio." Sender identities verified: Former Dream Factory core employee group (Adam and four others).]
[Information package received and quarantined for safety. Host may review details at any time.]
"Pledge of loyalty? Job application?"
Kairos paused, not quite processing it yet.
Wind Studio? Wasn't that just a fake name he'd made up on the spot?
He called it a studio, but from start to finish it'd only ever been him.
Well, if you wanted to be technical, there was also one ghost.
But someone actually took it seriously?
And what's this about a pledge of loyalty?