Pokemon: Cheat System

A few minutes earlier, in Kai's Youtube livestream chatroom, the anticipation was palpable. Viewers, who had seen the stream announcement earlier in the afternoon, had been waiting for a while, and the chat was already a chaotic mess. 

"Where is the streamer? Where's Kai?" 

"Wait, did Kai get taken out in Hoenn?" 

"No way! Groudon and Kyogre are just minor obstacles for him—a single slide tackle and done." 

"New viewers, let me explain: this is the same streamer who posted in the forums, 'It's fine, I'll do it!' when talking about Groudon and Kyogre. And wouldn't you know it, Groudon and Kyogre actually woke up in Hoenn after that. He's the so-called 'Emperor of Humanity.'" 

"Who says humans don't have an emperor!" 

Ever since Kai's now-famous comment—"It's fine, I'll do it!"—went viral, his identity as a Pokémon streamer had been thoroughly unearthed by meme-loving netizens. 

Kai's die-hard fans were thrilled to see their beloved streamer's meme taking off. With their self-organized promotional efforts, they managed to draw plenty of new viewers—most of whom were curious about the "Emperor of Humanity" buzzword—into Kai's livestream, significantly boosting his traffic. 

Even now, with his stream still offline, the chatroom was filled with conversation and banter as viewers eagerly waited. 

For a relatively unknown second-tier streamer like Kai, this kind of pre-stream activity was undoubtedly a rare and fortunate occurrence. 

Just as the viewers started speculating about why he hadn't started yet, the blank screen flickered, and a familiar game interface appeared on stream. 

The majority of the screen displayed a Pokémon battle simulation from Pokémon Masters, an official online battle game that had gained massive popularity. 

Even Champions, Elite Four members, and Gym Leaders often used it to test their strategies. Meanwhile, Kai's upper body appeared in the bottom-right corner of the screen via his webcam. 

For small-time streamers like Kai, leveraging good looks to attract viewers and secure follows was a tried-and-true strategy. 

Fortunately, Kai was blessed with an unusually handsome appearance, which attracted an active female fanbase that formed a significant portion of his audience. His striking features—thanks to a combination of excellent genes and his age of eighteen—made him a certified heartthrob. 

His fair, flawless skin and refined facial features carried a subtle elegance that naturally appealed to many girls. His soft, slightly messy black curls gave him a casual charm, and his deep gray eyes left a lasting impression of sophistication. 

When he wore glasses, his sharp aura became more subdued, giving him a "good boy" vibe. Anyone who saw him couldn't help but think, What a handsome young man! 

On top of that, Kai followed a strict personal philosophy: "There are no weak Pokémon, only incompetent Trainers." Inspired by Pokémon manga like Pokémon Adventures, he recognized the physical demands of real-world Pokémon battles. As such, he maintained a disciplined fitness routine, which gave him an enviable physique and added to his appeal. 

His clean, stylish outfits showcased his good looks and figure perfectly. Sitting in front of the camera with a smile, Kai was nothing short of a lady-killer. 

Then again, perhaps he wasn't limited to just ladies. 

In fact, his livestream chat often featured viewers calling him "husband" or "wife," regardless of gender. Sadly, his talents didn't extend to the dance section of the platform. 

"Terribly sorry, everyone! I've been busy lately because, you know, I had to ride Rayquaza and deal with the awakened Groudon and Kyogre in Hoenn. It took a while, but I finally found time to stream again," Kai joked as he glanced at the chat, noticing both playful banter and genuine concern from his viewers. 

"The smile, AWSL!" 

"Streamer, can you walk us through the epic battle where you rode Rayquaza to take down Groudon and Kyogre? I'm a new fan who came here after reading your post!" 

"I was there! I was soaking in Groudon's lava when Kai's Caterpie evolved into Rayquaza and scared off both monsters. It was awesome!"

"Still calling him 'Little Kai'?" 

"Three years have passed—welcome back, Emperor Kai!" 

"OMG, remember when Kai's Lapras missed three Hydro Pumps in a row? That moment was burned into my memory. Poor guy took a vacation only to get caught up in a cataclysmic battle. His luck is so bad, but it's perfect for entertainment. Classic Kai!" 

Clearly, no one in the chat was taking Kai's explanation seriously. To them, he was just continuing his legendary meme-worthy nonsense. Instead, they laughed heartily at his misadventures in Hoenn, eagerly mocking his comically terrible luck. 

Suddenly, a glittering Master Ball animation flew across the stream. Covered in colorful, over-the-top effects, it lit up the screen, signaling a generous donation from a viewer. 

[What's today's livestream content, Kai?] 

The accompanying message from the donor popped up alongside the animation, catching everyone's attention. 

"Thank you for the Master Ball, boss! Looks like I can afford real food for the next few days instead of just dipping steamed buns in salty water," Kai quipped, scanning the donor's username. 

After realizing that this person was a relatively new viewer who had only started watching after Kai's trip to Hoenn but had already climbed to the top of the fan rankings, Kai's tone grew warmer as he transitioned into the main topic of the stream. 

"Today's content is a demonstration of Butterfree with a Focus Sash and Sleep Powder tactics, in honor of my Caterpie, which is about to evolve into Rayquaza." 

With that, the game began. 

Under the barrage of comments like, "This strategy is so dirty," "OMG, putting everyone to sleep, what a disgusting tactic," and "What kind of twisted genius came up with this Butterfree strat?" Kai coolly executed his strategy. 

In a double battle, he paired Butterfree with a powerful damage-dealing teammate and methodically used Sleep Powder to put every opposing Pokémon to sleep. By denying his opponent any chance to act, he mercilessly swept an opponent with the username "Cerulean Mermaid," securing an easy victory. 

"Sleep Powder is way better than Gigantamax Butterfree's G-Max Befuddle. With the Compound Eyes ability, the move's accuracy is nearly 97.5%, making it a surefire way to sleep your way to victory!" 

After utterly destroying his opponent, Kai, clearly enjoying his "dirty" success, even took a jab at Gigantamax Butterfree's signature move. 

The chat was stunned. 

"I remember Kai's starter Pokémon was a Caterpie. Is he planning to use this annoying tactic in real life?" 

"His opponent's probably ready for an IRL fistfight." 

"Too savage." 

"Wait, hasn't Kai had that Caterpie for ages? Why hasn't it evolved into a Metapod yet? Don't tell me he's seriously planning to evolve it directly into Rayquaza?" 

Seeing this speculation, Kai immediately got defensive. 

"What's wrong with not evolving?" he shot back. "Have you heard of Pryce, the Ice-type Gym Leader in Johto? He dominated with a Delibird and an unevolved Swinub!" 

Eventually, Kai's performance escalated into more bold proclamations. "Who knows? Next time we see Delibird, it might evolve into a Paradox Pokémon—a future form called 'Iron Bundle' with stats rivaling Legendary Pokémon!" 

Predictably, the chat exploded with comments roasting his naming skills before urging him to do another round of "Sleep Powder sweeping." 

"Don't worry, we'll keep tortur—uh, I mean battling," Kai reassured them. 

---

Meanwhile, in Cerulean City, a certain orange-haired girl with her hair in a side braid sat frozen, staring at the [Game Over] screen on her monitor. She couldn't recover from her shock. 

"What… what kind of suffocating strategy is this?" 

Minutes later, Misty—the Cerulean Gym Leader, also known as the "Mermaid of Cerulean"—finally started coming to her senses. 

Recalling how her Pokémon had been relentlessly put to sleep, one after another, unable to fight back as the opposing team wiped her out, Misty's expression twisted into one of pure agony. 

Normally, when faced with dirty tactics like these, Misty would curse out her opponent, win or lose. 

But this time felt different. 

"Kai?" 

As she calmed down, Misty stared at her opponent's username with a puzzled expression. 

"Why does that name sound so familiar...?"