Pokémon, but cultural invasion.

The spring tree was watering the plants spoonful by spoonful; it wasn't water, it was all white Pokémon coins.

However, he didn't care. No matter how much money this method cost, it couldn't compare to the bottomless pit of the game console master.

Taking into account the training costs over the past month and the investment in game production, most of the funds raised through crowdfunding have already been spent.

Quanshu had never kept pets in his previous life, so the expenses for cultivating Salt Stone Treasure far exceeded his expectations.

TMs, training equipment, special Pokémon food, various berries and minerals...

He only recently realized that Xin Li seemed not to have considered the breeding costs when compiling this breeding guide.

It creates a kind of illusion that "the method is right there, and whether you have the ability to implement it is up to you."

Fortunately, the game has already been released, and Izumi will be able to collect a considerable sum of money when he returns to Deep Grey City tonight.

Just as midterms ended, I could take Saltstone to the best Pokémon restaurant in the city center for a lavish meal...

"Are you ready? We're leaving."

Lost in thought, Wang Hao walked over with his head and pointed wrist.

He glanced at the unidentified brownish-yellow liquid in the iron basin, then took a step back without making a sound, his expression quite grave.

Hajiquan, have you gone to any lengths to win the midterm exam? You've even brought in folk remedies for cultivation.

Wang Hao said with a hint of pity, "Don't be disappointed in your mental state. At least you're not like those guys in the next class who burn incense and pray to Buddha every morning."

"Let's go."

Spring Tree: ?

He had gotten used to this guy's daily nonsense, but the strength of the arm beside him had changed quite a bit.

A month ago, it was a greyhound with a height of about 80 centimeters, but now it is over 1.2 meters tall, and its explosive muscles make it look like a calf.

Izumi had to admit that an ordinary beginner Pokémon would undoubtedly be kicked to death by this Machop.

Other types of Pokémon require careful energy management, while Fighting-type Pokémon are purely about brute force and overwhelming power.

"What, are you surprised?"

Wang Hao turned around and said with a smile, "There are many kinds of talents in Pokémon in this world. Some can learn a move in no time, some evolve incredibly quickly, and some have terrifyingly strong battle intuition."

"And my wrist strength and drug resistance are its greatest talents."

"Tch~"

He raised his arms with wrist strength, exerting force to display his muscles; the bulging veins flowed with medicine and his hard work.

It turns out that flexing your muscles is effective.

After leaving the lounge and arriving at the gymnasium, the opponent randomly assigned by the school, after observing Wang Hao's arm strength for a while, chose to forfeit.

He was worried that his Pokémon had broken a bone, and the free medicine provided by the school wouldn't be enough to treat the serious injury.

The school will hire a professional medical team for the final exams, so having no worries is a good opportunity to give it your all.

The twenty battlegrounds proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Before it was Quanshu's turn, he and Wang Hao sat in the waiting area to watch the game.

The students' average skill level is equivalent to that of a novice trainer, but due to a lack of practical experience, they are even worse.

Watching their amateurish attempts at fighting, Quanshu suddenly thought of something.

The school's curriculum includes type advantages and disadvantages, the characteristics of various Pokémon, their base stats, move pools, environmental ecology, and natural habits.

It covers a very wide range of topics, touching on all aspects, but it doesn't teach combat skills.

He told Wang Hao about his doubts, and the latter looked at him as if he were an idiot.

"The school doesn't teach that. If you want to learn the details of battle, you can sign up for an off-campus training course for trainers."

"If you want to do real combat training, you have to go to the major clubs. Private matches in public places are illegal unless you report it in advance."

No wonder Izumi has never seen a single battle in the park near his home.

Upon closer examination, Pokémon battles are actually a very dangerous thing.

First, it can easily damage public facilities; second, the aftershocks of the attack may injure passersby; and finally, the explosions caused by the energy collisions are very disturbing to the public.

"Shouldn't we at least have a battle in the wild?"

Have you ever been to the wilderness?

Wang Hao shook his head regretfully and said, "Anyway, the wilderness around Zhijiang is a protected area, and no one is allowed to enter without permission."

"Illegal fighting... I really don't want to know such a realistic thing."

Quanshu's initial anticipation for today's test vanished almost entirely.

His opponent was an ordinary student from another class, whose Pokémon was a Meowth, and whose strength was only average.

From beginning to end, Izumi only gave one command—to strike.

Then he saw a nervous-looking Saltstone throw Meow Meow off the battle platform.

The student on the other side was still unconvinced and angrily ended the fight.

After the battle phase, the subsequent midterm exam will test the Pokémon's speed, attack power, move proficiency, and so on.

Ultimately, these results are compiled into a single report card.

After finishing all the projects, Izumi couldn't wait to go home and log into Deep Gray City.

It was around 2 a.m.

Quanshu was about to check the game's sales backend when he discovered that the live stream he hadn't logged out of at noon was still running.

"What does it mean?"

As soon as he entered, he saw Qishu's lifeless face.

"She hasn't been livestreaming since 5 pm, has she?"

Chapter 23 There are still experts

When Izumi first brought this game to port, the normal playthrough he designed took about six hours.

Even busy office workers can experience all the game's content in a week by setting aside just one hour each day.

The endless mode, which unlocks after completing the game, is reserved for hardcore players.

Considering that this is the first time players in the Pokémon world have encountered tower defense games, it is normal for their completion time to be extended by one or two hours without any strategy guide.

Qishu had already spent nearly nine hours, from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.

This made him start to wonder if there was something wrong with his game difficulty settings.

Unlike the eccentric tree on the screen, who looked utterly hopeless and like a salted fish, the barrage of comments was quite enthusiastic.

Because they had reached the final hurdle, Giratina.

"With the body of a trumpet bud, I challenge the gods!"

"The end of the journey, the end of the story."

"Come on, let me see whether the game is finished first or the streamer dies of exhaustion first."

As the premiere was about to conclude, viewers who had previously left received the news and returned to take photos.

The live stream reached its peak popularity, and Qi Shu, roused, pressed the start button.

The heavy, powerful piano and electric guitar sounds, along with the bright drumbeats, exploded together on the rooftop under the crescent moon and stars.

As night fell, a huge black shadow hovered among the clouds, and countless ghosts were surging toward the rooftop.

Brainiac Maniac progresses gradually, the power of each note comes together, propelling the barrage of comments into a tidal wave.

"My God, it's on fire!"

"This music is powerful!"

"This game reminds me of the passionate days of playing games when I was young."

Hearing a song that was similar to but different from the one in his memory, even Izumi was momentarily disoriented.

As the music reached its climax, childhood memories began to fade...

The night no longer has sunlight, nor does it need to consume sunlight, because each plant has volunteered to fight.

Qishu dragged a moving Snow Hat Monster directly from the top of the screen and placed it in the last row.

At the same time, a gigantic Giratina descended from the sky, its size seemingly too large to fit on the screen, with only its legs adorned with golden semi-circles visible.

Giratina stomped its foot, and black holes appeared out of thin air on all the roads, from which Gengar and Claydol began to emerge.

"Blizzard King!"

With increasing game experience, the ghosts' sudden attacks no longer cause Qishu to panic.

She put down the Blizzard King, and in an instant, snow fell from the rooftops, freezing the entire area.

Giratina was unaffected. He stomped his foot again, and countless ghosts crawled out, overlapping and gathering into a dark shadow.

The strange tree had to use the explosive plants that spawned in the movement bar.

Cherry Blossom, Chili Pepper, and Mischievous Thunder in its Emerald form... each burst of flames and lightning can take away an astonishing number of ghosts.

"That was so much fun! Absolutely so much fun!"

"The ghosts' offensive is relentless, while the plants provide an unlimited supply of firepower."

"The battle was exhilarating!"

Giratina sometimes flaps its wings and circles, its landing causing a tremor that temporarily halts the attacks of all the plants; at other times, it spews out a ghostly light, causing any plant hit to vanish in an instant.

He spread his wings, and the cursed doll descended from the sky, disappearing into the night while carrying the plants in the back row.

He turned and swept across, and none of the tanks in the front row were spared.

Logically speaking, with this kind of unreasonable attack pattern, the plant side should have been completely wiped out long ago.

But the continuous stream of plant cards managed to hold the line.

The strange tree gradually came to understand.

Some of the earlier levels were indeed very difficult, requiring considerable thought to pass, but the design of this final level clearly favored the player.

"I understand. The difficulty in the final moments is irrelevant. The key is to have fun and enjoy the game."

Giratina's figure vanished, and the next second it emerged from another dimension, crushing the plants along its path.

The vacant spot was quickly filled by the strange tree.

All sorts of grass-type moves flew across and shattered on the rooftop.

The raging flames and blinding lightning that exploded under the moonlight repeatedly illuminated her pinkish-blue pupils.

Qi Shu's lips unconsciously curled up, and he looked energetic.

“The visual impact of the Giratina is truly overwhelming.”

"Amazing, the screen even shakes when the BOSS dives down."

"I like it here."

After a long and fierce battle, perhaps exhausted, Giratina flew off the roof and into the distant sky, never to return.

A bewitching eye gripped the edge of the roof and waved a white flag in its hand.

A letter then fell to the ground.

To the tomb keeper:

alright, you win.

We will no longer consume your soul, nor will we leave the spirit world. Now we just want to make a music video with you.

Respectfully yours, Ghost.

Qi Shu almost laughed out of anger; these ghosts were actually quite cute.

After realizing they couldn't win, they wanted to sit down and film a music video together.

But no matter what, I finally beat the game.