"Family members, we had some... technical hiccups this afternoon," Guinaifen said to her camera, her eyes bright with the thrill of being back online. The IPC's troll armies had managed to get her channel flagged for a few hours, but the platform had cleared her by evening. "Now, no more distractions. It's time for our first Badge!"
The chat was a war zone of bets. "A pack of spicy strips says she chokes against Brock.""No way. Her Jigglypuff is Level 23. She's going to steamroll a Level 12 Geodude. Easy Credits.""I'm putting a million Credits down on a loss. Any takers?"
Guinaifen ignored the gamblers and stepped onto the stone floor of the Pewter Gym. The air was cool and smelled of dust and pulverized rock.
"The rules are a three-on-three single battle," Brock announced, his voice echoing in the cavernous room. "Do you accept?"
"No problem! Let's go, Jigglypuff!"
"Then meet your first opponent... Geodude!"
Guinaifen grinned. Her Jigglypuff was nearly double the Geodude's level. Two heavy Pound attacks later, the rock-creature was back in its ball.
"You're good," Brock noted, his expression shifting from neutral to a sharp, knowing smile. "But let's see how you handle this. Geodude, second unit, go!"
Guinaifen blinked. The second Geodude was Level 15. That was higher than the PC version's stats. She managed to win, but her Jigglypuff was starting to breathe heavily. In the VR version, every lunge and dodge took a physical toll on the Pokémon's stamina.
"Your strength is impressive," Brock said, his tone dropping into a deeper, more serious register. "But a Trainer who relies only on levels will eventually find a wall they cannot climb. Witness the soul of the mountain... Onix!"
The ground shook as the massive stone serpent coiled into the arena. Guinaifen's heart sank as the HUD updated.
[Onix — LV21]
"Wait, twenty-one?!" Guinaifen screamed. "In the mobile version, he's only Level 15! This is cheating!"
"It's the Adaptive Mechanic!" a veteran player typed frantically in the chat. "Julian built a scaling system. If you over-level, the Gym Leaders match your pace. You can't out-grind the Bosses!"
Jigglypuff looked up at the towering Onix, its pink body trembling with exhaustion. Normal-type moves like Pound only dealt half-damage to Rock-types, and with the levels nearly equal, the fight was a death trap.
"I... I surrender," Guinaifen whispered, recalling her partner before Onix could land a crushing blow.
"A wise choice," Brock said, crossing his arms as Onix vanished in a beam of light. "Specializing in one partner is a beautiful thing, but a true Master understands the balance of the world. Use your Type-advantages, Guinaifen. Otherwise, you're just hitting a mountain with your bare hands."
Guinaifen slunk out of the Gym, her face burning with shame.
"The 'Pro' just got humbled by an AI.""Julian Reed is a genius. He's forcing us to actually learn the game.""Refund my spicy strips! I lost everything on that bet!"
While the fans debated the new mechanic, Guinaifen didn't waste time pouting. She pulled out her Pokédex and looked at a Mankey she'd caught earlier. Fighting-type vs. Rock-type.
"Alright," she muttered, her eyes narrowing. "Time to train the right way."
IPC Executive Suite
A high-ranking official slammed his fist onto his desk, staring at the perfectly smooth stream on Guinaifen's channel.
"What are you idiots doing?!" he roared into his Jade Abacus. "I told you to paralyze their servers! Why is she still playing? Why is the 'Arceus Accelerator' still tunneling through our firewalls?"
"Sir... it's the Xianzhou," a frantic voice replied. "They've deployed counter-encryption. Every time we shut down a node, three more pop up. It's like fighting a hydra."
The executive's face turned a bruised purple. "Then stop the code and target the creator. Find out who Julian Reed is—and find out what he's afraid of."