第34章 ciallo~(∠・ω<)(4k)

As the white light before her completely faded and she could finally see her surroundings, Iono froze in confusion.

She had only blinked... How had everything around her changed?

Before her was a completely unfamiliar place: warm yellow lighting, neat decor, wooden floors, and an enormous floor-to-ceiling window overlooking a forested mountain landscape.

The only thing it had in common with her Gym was a computer sitting on a table not far away... It looked very much like the one she used for streaming.

Iono could not help freezing again.

Th-this... where was this?

Before she could react, a white figure suddenly appeared in front of her.

G-Gengar?

A white... Gengar?

As Iono's mind went blank, the Gengar grinned and gave her a trademark mischievous smile.

"Geh heh!"

She instinctively reached for a Poké Ball, only to discover she was not carrying a single one.

And Bellibolt was not here either!

What was she supposed to do now?

Her legs went weak, and she nearly dropped straight onto the floor.

But upon seeing her reaction, the White Gengar immediately put away its smile. Rather than coming closer, it floated off to the side, backed away a few steps, and watched her cautiously.

"Geh heh?"

At the same time, a voice came from nearby.

"Welcome to the Origin Internet Cafe. I'm the owner here, Luo Chen."

Following the voice, Iono saw a black-haired young man emerge from behind the counter, smiling.

"Don't be nervous. It's very safe here."

As he spoke, he pointed at the White Gengar beside him.

"This is one of our staff. Although he's a Ghost-type Pokémon, he's actually very well-behaved, so don't worry."

At the same time, the White Gengar hurriedly nodded, as if confirming what the young man had said.

"Geh heh!"

Iono still had not quite recovered and did not know what to say for a moment. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself before she barely managed to speak.

"Um... may I ask... where is this?"

"Origin Internet Cafe, a place where you can use the internet."

Luo Chen answered simply.

"You're a special guest here. Logically speaking, you must have some problems you need solved. Otherwise, you wouldn't have appeared here."

He had already realized that Iono had likely been brought here by the Interdimensional Communicator he had just activated.

Sure enough, Iono froze when she heard that.

Problems she needed solved...

She fell silent for two seconds, then nodded.

"I... really do have... a problem."

She then told Luo Chen everything about her Gym's situation—the Levincia Gym was facing difficulties, no one was willing to come challenge it, her streams were failing to take off, and if this continued, the Pokémon League would revoke the Gym's operating rights.

By the end, her voice had noticeably lowered.

"And I haven't streamed long enough today. If I don't go back, my traffic will keep dropping, and then it'll be even more impossible..."

"I don't know how I ended up here, but please... can you send me back?"

As she spoke, Iono looked up at Luo Chen pleadingly.

Yet after hearing her out, Luo Chen showed a surprised expression.

In the original story, Iono was the Leader of the Levincia Gym in the Paldea region, as well as an incredibly popular streamer online.

It was precisely through streaming that she had made the Levincia Gym one of the most popular Gyms in the entire Paldea region.

But the Iono standing before him now seemed to come from another timeline altogether... Why was the situation completely reversed?

Hmm... Looking more closely, the Iono before him looked much younger than the one he remembered.

So this was rookie Iono?

That made what he needed to do very clear.

With that thought, Luo Chen shook his head.

"If that's the case, then you have even less reason to rush back."

"Huh?"

Iono looked utterly confused.

"If your streams aren't taking off, it usually isn't a traffic problem. Even if people come in, you haven't managed to keep them."

Luo Chen explained slowly.

"Our internet cafe specializes in streaming. When you use the computers here, your stream automatically starts, and the traffic is pretty good too."

As he spoke, he pointed at the computer.

"Not only that, our viewers are high quality. This is the perfect place for you to practice your streaming skills. Once you've improved, it won't be too late to go back and stream at your Gym."

"And I think quite a few people on this platform will like you."

Iono was still somewhat bewildered by Luo Chen's earlier words.

But when she heard the last sentence, she instinctively shook her head.

A lot of people liked her streams...

She had streamed at the Levincia Gym for so long, yet no one had ever wanted to watch. Even if she changed locations, it would probably be the same.

But then again...

She looked toward the computer in the distance.

So this internet cafe actually specialized in streaming? Was it some kind of streaming company?

If what he said was true, then this really was an opportunity.

After all, what she lacked most right now was streaming experience...

And no matter how bad it got, it could not possibly be worse than streaming at the Levincia Gym, right?

Although she did not understand why he had gone to such lengths and used such a strange method to invite an unpopular streamer like her to broadcast, Iono still made up her mind.

Then... I'll give it a try.

She took a deep breath, walked over to the computer, and sat down.

"After I... start streaming, what do I need to do?"

"Just so you know, I'm really not very good at streaming."

Iono turned and asked.

Luo Chen had already used the mouse to open the game window for her and replied,

"It's fine. Just stream."

"As for the content... just play this game."

Iono looked at the screen.

Ultimate... Pokémon Emerald?

So they had customers stream... to promote games?

As she pondered this, the screen and camera lit up with the game's launch. Her expression appeared in the upper right corner, accompanied by a title.

[Iono, the Electric-type Gym Leader of the Paldea region, is now live!]

The stream had already begun!

Realizing this, Iono's heartbeat instantly sped up. She lowered her head and began playing earnestly.

Once Pokémon Emerald's opening sequence ended and the beginner tutorial was over, Iono had just controlled her character out the front door when she saw the viewer count suddenly jump.

She glanced up at the stream's viewer count and went completely stiff.

[Stream viewers: 5]

She had only just started streaming and had not done anything, yet there were already so many people in her room!

She had never seen this kind of turnout since she began streaming!

She instinctively turned her head slightly and spoke softly.

"Welcome... everyone..."

However, her words got stuck halfway through.

It was fine when there was no one in the stream, but once she had to face so many people at the same time, she began to panic. Her throat tightened, and her mind went blank.

It's over. I messed it up again.

That was the only thought left in her mind.

A few seconds later, when she came back to her senses and thought the stream was about to fall silent again, she discovered that not a single viewer had left.

Not only that, the comments were flooding in like crazy!

[Oh? Did that company recruit another new streamer?]

[Another newcomer already? Let me see who it is... Holy crap, Iono!]

[Aaaaaah, this is what I wanted to see! Baby, you're finally here!!]

[ciallo~(∠・ω<) Good afternoon, streamer!]

...

Looking at those comments, Iono stood there in a daze.

Why did they all seem like they knew her?

And why were these viewers all so...

Enthusiastic?

After a pause, Iono spoke softly.

"Welcome... everyone?"

There were already seven or eight people in the stream, and the comments continued to refresh nonstop.

[Don't speak so quietly, streamer. Say a little more.]

[Her voice is exactly the same too, holy crap.]

[Hahaha, but this streamer looks like a total newbie. She doesn't look as much like the previous two, and she seems so nervous.]

[That's true, but I like her even more this way.jpg]

[Streamer, streamer! Do Iono's signature pose!]

Iono stared at those comments for several seconds.

Although she could not understand some of what they said, she could roughly tell that they... were actually complimenting her?

And someone had just asked her to do... Iono's signature pose?

What signature pose?

I don't even know!

The Iono in front of the screen did not react at all, and the chat began speaking up again.

[Raise both hands, one high and one low, then smile!]

[Yes, yes, hurry up, streamer!]

...

Iono hesitated, but seeing those eager comments, she gritted her teeth and simply did as they said.

She took a deep breath, then raised both hands. Her left hand lifted high, her sleeve flaring out, while her right hand lowered, forming a high-and-low pose.

Matching the pose, she showed her shark-like teeth and smiled at the camera.

Once she finished, Iono paused.

I feel like this pose makes me look kind of silly...

But the chat's reaction completely exceeded her expectations. It exploded instantly.

[Aaaaaah, she looks exactly the same!!]

[Hahahaha, it really is her!]

[So cute, awsl]

...

Iono stared at the screen, completely dumbfounded.

Huh?

Really... really?

They actually... liked it that much?

And... every word they said made it sound like they really knew her, yet they kept saying she looked like Iono.

But I am Iono herself, aren't I?

So strange... Was she really that famous outside Paldea?

Honestly, Iono could not quite make sense of it.

But there was one thing she was certain of—these viewers were sincerely expressing that they liked her!

A feeling she had never experienced before spread through Iono's heart, and without her noticing, much of her nervousness faded away.

"As long as... everyone likes it!"

As she spoke, she returned her attention to the game screen.

Come to think of it, this game seemed pretty interesting too...

After the beginner tutorial just now, she had already roughly understood what kind of game it was.

The screen showed another Pokémon world. She would control a little character along the roads, encounter wild Pokémon and Trainers who came to challenge her, just like she was really traveling.

And among the Pokémon that had appeared in the patch of grass she had just passed, there were several she did not recognize at all.

As Iono had Torchic use Ember on a wild Pokémon, she could not help asking the chat,

"Does this game... take place in the Hoenn region?"

The Hoenn region was quite far from the Paldea region. She had never been there, but she had heard the names of several towns there and knew of some Pokémon from the Hoenn region.

That starter Pokémon, Torchic, seemed to be one of the Hoenn region's specialties.

Sure enough, the chat immediately provided an answer.

[Yeah, Pokémon Emerald is Hoenn.]

[Why does it look like everyone this company hired has never played Pokémon? Where did they even find so many people who resemble the original characters but don't play Pokémon? I'm seriously speechless...]

[Streamer, trust me, this game is fun. It's a timeless classic.]

[Since you're playing Iono, catch more Electric-types. Why not clear the game with an all-Electric team?]

[Yep, there are even some Electric-type legendaries you can use later on...]

The number of viewers in the stream was still rising, already reaching thirty or forty people. The dense flood of comments made Iono's eyes spin, and when she saw the last one, she froze slightly.

"Legendaries...?"

..

Meanwhile, Luo Chen had already returned to his seat behind the counter.

He had just seen that things were starting to pick up on Iono's end, so she probably would not need him to worry about her for a while.

As for now, he could use this spare time to check out the shop function he had unlocked earlier.

With a thought, the system panel popped up.

When he opened the shop section, three different categories appeared before his eyes: Facilities, New Products, and Items.

First was the Facilities section. The top row currently contained several different buildings. Luo Chen's gaze swept over them, and the corresponding building information appeared before him one by one.

[Basic Facility: Internet Cafe Snack Cabinet]

[Basic Facility: Points Vending Machine]

[Special Facility: Pokémon Guest Reception Device]

..

None of these facilities listed any specific effects. It seemed he would only be able to see them after unlocking them, but from their names alone, Luo Chen could already make a rough guess at what they did.

For example, that Pokémon Guest Reception Device at the end...

It was currently the only special facility available for purchase. It was probably a building related to letting Pokémon use the internet...

As for whether it randomly summoned Pokémon like the Dimensional Communicator or had some other effect, he would probably have to exchange for it to find out...

His gaze settled on the building's icon.

[Exchanging for this building requires: Building Points x10, Emotion Points: 1 Red, 1 Blue, 3 Green]

Luo Chen raised an eyebrow.

Thanks to the earlier beginner's mission, he now had enough Building Points.

And if he remembered correctly, on the day Cynthia came to use the internet, the final settlement had been 1 Red, 1 Blue, and 3 Green.

Each type of Emotion Point seemed to correspond to a different player emotion, and the points settled that day happened to be exactly enough to exchange for this thing—not one more, not one less.

With so many people using the internet today anyway, there would definitely be a pile of new points credited to his account when the settlement came tonight...

After a brief moment of thought, Luo Chen made his decision and chose to exchange for it.

The next moment, the points on the panel instantly dropped to zero.

A flash of white light swept through one corner of the internet cafe.

Luo Chen looked up and discovered that, at some point, a massive red-and-white Poké Ball statue had appeared there.

[Congratulations, Host. You have unlocked the Special Facility: Pokémon Guest Reception Device!]

[This facility has the following effects]

[Pokémon Adaptation: Pokémon guests who come to use the internet will receive a play method automatically suited to their bodies, determined by their individual circumstances.]

[Pokémon Friendliness: Emotion Points obtained from Pokémon will receive an additional increase based on their strength, up to a maximum of three times!]

[Pokémon Summoning: This function will be additionally unlocked when the first Pokémon guest's computer-use evaluation reaches A+ rank.]

[After unlocking it, you may summon special Pokémon guests to the internet cafe. Receive them to obtain additional generous rewards!]