Looking at the rainbow-glowing "?" option on the screen, Yancy glanced at the display again.
By now, the chat had completely exploded. A dense wave of messages urging her on and poking fun nearly covered the entire livestream.
[Pick it already!]
[If the streamer hesitates for even one second, that's disrespecting the viewers!]
[Hidden option from Wind Studio! You have to pick it!]
[I'm betting fifty cents it's a Magikarp!]
[Magikarp +1!]
[Could also be a Ditto?]
[Hurry up, Yancy! You're killing me here!]
"Okay, okay! Chat, I'll listen to you guys!" Yancy took a deep breath like she was about to jump off a cliff.
Her mouse cursor landed on the sparkling question mark, and she clicked.
The screen instantly went dark, and a mysterious, ancient flute melody began to play.
A few seconds later, soft light reappeared, outlining the silhouette of a Pokémon.
The shape... wasn't Pikachu's round cuteness, nor was it Torchic's perkiness. It looked kind of like... a loaf of bread? The body was chubby and round, and it had... several legs.
When the light fully faded, a Pokémon appeared on screen.
Its body was covered in pale yellow fuzz, with three pairs of slender legs and a pair of massive, gorgeously glowing antennae on its head that looked like they were made of burning flames.
Its head also had another pair of tiny antennae, and its eyes were very round, giving it an innocent look.
Larvesta!
The entire livestream fell into brief silence, then exploded again.
[??????]
[What is that??]
[Holy crap! What kind of Pokémon is that? I've never seen it before!]
[It looks... so weird!]
[Pfft, hahahaha! A bug? Or a moth?]
[Those antennae are flames? They look so fragile! Like they'd break with one touch?]
[Weak! Looks totally useless! Even worse than Magikarp!]
[Streamer hit the jackpot! Entertainment value maxed out! Hahahaha!]
Yancy was stunned too. She stared wide-eyed at the oddly designed Pokémon on screen, one that could even be called unconventional-looking.
This didn't match any of the Pokémon she'd expected. Most importantly, what even *was* this Pokémon?
"Uh... this... Larvesta?" She read out the name that appeared on screen, her tone full of confusion.
Can this thing actually battle?
She reached out and poked at Larvesta's gorgeous but seemingly fragile flame antennae on the screen.
The chat became a sea of joy again:
[Streamer's having an existential crisis!]
[Wind: Surprised? Unexpected?]
[This start is hell difficulty confirmed!]
[Check the moves! Check the moves!]
[Blind guess it only knows Tackle!]
Though the starter Pokémon was unexpected, Yancy's interest was actually piqued.
This kind of entertainment value was exactly what she wanted!
She clicked confirm without hesitation.
[Welcome to a new world.]
[We wish you the best of luck.]
The text on screen faded, and the image plunged into deep darkness.
Yancy felt a slight dizziness, as if her consciousness was being pulled away.
When she "opened her eyes" again, what came into view was a beach made of delicate pixels, golden and warm.
The sound of waves crashing on shore and the cries of Wingull washed over her. The visuals and audio were perfectly conveyed.
From Larvesta's perspective, lying on this strange beach.
She tried using the movement keys.
The three pairs of legs lifted her body somewhat uncoordinatedly, and the pair of massive flame antennae on her head swayed gently, creating particle effects.
Just then, a voice full of surprise and concern came from nearby: "Hey! Are you okay? Why are you lying here?"
Yancy turned her head to see a Squirtle standing a few steps away, his round eyes full of curiosity.
He quickly walked over, bent down, and reached out his stubby arms as if wanting to help Yancy up.
The chat immediately reacted:
[Squirtle!]
[Holy crap, the Pokémon is talking!]
[Of course, this world only has Pokémon. How would they communicate without talking? By gesturing?]
[Good point! Makes sense!]
[The modeling detail is incredible. Squirtle's skin texture and water reflection are so well done!]
Just as Squirtle's hand was about to touch Yancy, a small microphone icon suddenly appeared on screen, and a system notification sounded: [Please state your name.]
Yancy paused in surprise.
"You can actually talk? Their tech is as impressive as ever!" She immediately leaned toward the microphone and cleared her throat. Looking at the friendly Squirtle before her, she decided to get into character a bit.
Yancy thought for a moment, then spoke into the microphone: "I... my name is Yancy. As for where I came from... I... I can't remember."
The moment she finished speaking, something magical happened. The Squirtle who was about to help her up looked like he'd been electrocuted.
He jerked his outstretched hand back! He stumbled backward several steps, and his previously friendly, curious expression instantly turned tense.
His face visibly reddened at lightning speed, as if even the pixels were steaming!
"Ya... Yancy?" Squirtle's voice stuttered.
"You, you're a girl?! Ah, I was too forward! How rude of me! I'm so sorry!"
He frantically waved his stubby arms, even seeming to instinctively want to bow, but moved so hastily he nearly tripped himself.
The chat instantly exploded with laughter:
[Hahahaha! That reaction!]
[Squirtle: Pupils earthquake.jpg]
[He's blushing! He's actually blushing!]
[Damn, this AI response is amazing!]
[Socially anxious Squirtle?]
[That's literally me! Panics around girls I don't know!]
[Dude above, have some self-respect! Hahaha!]
[The way this Squirtle is characterized is perfect! Wind's AI has evolved again, hasn't it?]
[Think about it, the game can already send rewards remotely. Making this kind of AI is probably easy for them?]
Yancy was also amused by Squirtle's overly realistic reaction. Her earlier confusion had lightened considerably.
She just thought the character interactions in this game were fascinating.
She controlled Larvesta to shake her head, or rather, shake her entire body.
"It's okay! Thanks for your concern."
Only then did Squirtle calm down a little, but his face was still red, and he seemed too embarrassed to look directly at Yancy.
He scratched his head, trying hard to find something to say: "Um... my name is Squirtle!
My dream is to become a rescue team member as amazing as the pros at the Wigglytuff Guild! To help Pokémon in need!"
When he mentioned his dream, his eyes lit up, full of longing.
[Rescue team?] Yancy repeated.
"Yeah!" Squirtle nodded vigorously. "We take requests from everyone, enter dangerous dungeons, search for lost items, or rescue trapped Pokémon! Even though I'm still weak, I'll work hard!" His tone was full of determination.
At that moment, two options popped up on screen:
[Help Squirtle achieve his dream!]
[Leave alone and find other partners.]
Was there even a choice?
Yancy selected the first option without hesitation.
Being able to team up with such an interesting character was really fun, okay?
"That's great!" Squirtle jumped for joy, but quickly realized something and tried to make himself look more composed.
"Th-thank you so much, Yancy! Then... then shall we...?" He instinctively tried to extend his hand to show he was on board, but halfway through, remembering she was a girl, his hand recoiled like he'd been shocked. He awkwardly rubbed his bare head.
The chat was amused by this detail again:
[Hahaha he pulled back again!]
[This Squirtle hasn't talked to many girls, has he?]
[Too realistic!]
[So cute! I want to raise one!]
In this slightly awkward yet energetic atmosphere, something suddenly happened!
"Move! Move!" Along with urgent shouts, a Koffing emitting purple smoke and a Zubat flapping its wings came rushing past Yancy and Squirtle in a panic, stirring up wind.
Right after, a panting Caterpie chased after them. Seeing Yancy and Squirtle, he looked like he'd grabbed a lifeline: "Help, help me! Those two jerks ahead! They stole something really important from me! A really pretty stone!"
Squirtle immediately straightened up, his face serious: "Don't worry! Leave it to us!" He turned to look at Yancy, his gaze questioning. "Yancy, let's help Caterpie get his stuff back, okay?"
Options appeared on screen again: [Of course!]/[Refuse].
Yancy clicked [Of course!] without hesitation.
"Thank you so much!" Caterpie seemed really excited, pointing in the direction where Koffing and Zubat had disappeared. "They ran into the seaside cave over there!"
Squirtle immediately got fired up: "Alright! Let's chase them! Yancy, follow me!" He took off running toward the nearby cave entrance.
Yancy quickly controlled Larvesta to follow. Honestly, watching this Pokémon run across the beach looked kind of bizarre.
Entering the cave, the light instantly dimmed.
Damp, cold air seemed to seep through the screen. The ground was covered with slippery moss, and occasionally water droplets fell from the cave ceiling. The BGM also changed to a slightly tense and mysterious melody with deep drum beats.
Yancy unconsciously held her breath. Though she knew this was the tutorial, the atmosphere really did create some tension. This studio's music was on point too.
The cave's interior structure wasn't complex. It was a grid-based dungeon where her character could move step by step with each turn, but the surrounding visual details remained gorgeous.
Puddles on the ground reflected faint light, moss textures on the walls were clear, and she could even see some blue glowing mushrooms as decoration.
They traveled through the dungeon corridors, going around several large rocks, and soon found the right path.
Thanks to the tutorial guidance, the route wasn't hard to find.
Without any obstacles, they reached the cave's third floor.
The space here was larger. On an open stone platform, they spotted Koffing and Zubat.
Koffing was smugly balancing a softly glowing, beautiful stone on his head while saying something to Zubat.
"Stop right there!" Squirtle rushed forward and shouted. "Give Caterpie's thing back!"
Koffing and Zubat turned around. Seeing only a Squirtle and a... bug, they immediately showed contemptuous smiles.
"Hmph? Just you two?" Koffing scoffed. "This stone belongs to us now!"
Zubat also let out a sharp cry: "Exactly! Try and take it if you can!"
The next moment, Koffing and Zubat's bodies instantly burst with red light representing hostility, and the battle interface deployed!
Yancy's eyes lit up. Finally! She controlled Larvesta to step forward, her face showing eager confidence.
She looked confidently at the move selection bar on screen. Finally about to start the first battle?
However, the next moment, she froze.
Because in the move list, there was only one lonely icon: [String Shot].
[String Shot]???
The confidence on Yancy's face instantly froze, turning into a giant question mark.
She looked again in disbelief. Really, just one [String Shot]!
"No way?! Only knows String Shot?!"
She blurted it out.
The chat instantly erupted into a sea of "hahahas":
[Hahahaha! I knew it!]
[String Shot! Of course it's a bug!]
[Attack power: 0! Assessment complete!]
[Streamer: Smile gradually disappears.jpg]
While Yancy stood frozen, staring speechlessly at the [String Shot] move icon, Koffing on the other side had already taken the initiative, spewing out a [Smog]! Purple smoke spread out.
"Watch out!" Squirtle shouted and positioned himself in front without hesitation. He took a deep breath, and a Water Gun shot out precisely! Whoosh!
The Water Gun not only dispersed the incoming smog but also struck Koffing hard before he could dodge!
Koffing rolled backward, crying out in pain. His HP bar dropped significantly.
Seeing this, Zubat quickly used [Wing Attack], but Squirtle nimbly dodged to the side. "Miss" appeared above his head!
"Attack now, Yancy!" Squirtle shouted while dodging Zubat's attacks.
Yancy snapped back to attention. Even though she only had String Shot, there was no other choice!
She immediately selected the [String Shot] move.
Larvesta shot a thin white thread from her mouth that smacked onto Koffing, who was trying to attack again.
[Koffing's Speed fell!]
Though it dealt zero damage, the control effect had some use, right?
The slowed Koffing became sluggish. Squirtle seized the opportunity and landed another precise Water Gun!
Zubat, seeing things going south, screeched and tried to pounce on the weakest-looking Larvesta.
Squirtle reacted incredibly fast, blocking in front of Yancy again. Another Water Gun shot out, directly knocking Zubat from the air.
This performance made the chat explode again.
[Holy crap, battle god turtle!]
[This Squirtle fights this hard??]
[Streamer got carried hahaha.]
Under Squirtle's tutorial-level powerful output, the battle was no contest.
Koffing and Zubat were beaten senseless. With their HP bottomed out, they hastily dropped the glowing stone and fled the dungeon as two red lights in disgrace.
[Battle Victory!]
A golden notification appeared.