The road to Vermilion City was supposed to be a scenic trek, a chance for the team to decompress after the absolute madness of the Cerulean Gym. But as the sun began to climb, painting the horizon in shades of bruised purple and gold, a familiar structure loomed ahead.
The Nugget Bridge.
In the games, it was a gauntlet of five trainers, a rite of passage that ended with a shiny piece of gold and a very sketchy job offer. In this world—my world—it looked like a tactical choke point. Five trainers were stationed at precise intervals along the span, their eyes sharp, their posture suggesting they weren't just here for "fun."
**[Main Mission: Defeat the Nugget Bridge Trainers & Capture the Recruiter]**
**[Reward: Manual for Pokémon Core, 1500 Points]**
I stared at the screen, my internal "G-Pro Investigator" sirens already blaring. "Nelly, the core manual is a foundational text for high-level energy compression. I need that if I'm going to get the rest of the squad into the Champion tier."
"A wise assessment, Host. However, I suggest you wipe the drool off your chin before you approach the first trainer. It ruins the 'Intimidating Specialist' aesthetic."
"Shut it, Nelly."
### The Confidence of a Queen
The first five battles were a tactical grind. I used this as a "Confidence Seminar" for Goldie. The shiny Charmander was still fragile, her tiny heart scarred by Cross's cruelty. Every time I called her out, she'd look at me with those wide, golden eyes, silently asking, 'Am I enough?'
"Goldie, use Smokescreen!"
The arena filled with thick, black soot. The opponent's Mankey coughed, swinging blindly.
"Now, Dragon Claw!"
Goldie lunged through the smoke, her claws glowing with teal energy. She struck true, and the Mankey went down. When the smoke cleared, the trainer offered a polite "Great match!" and handed over the prize money.
Goldie froze. She looked at the trainer, then at me, and her lip began to quiver. Big, fat tears rolled down her golden cheeks.
"Oh, sweetie, no," I whispered, kneeling to pull her into a hug. "He's praising you because you're good. You're amazing."
She let out a choked "Char-mander..." and buried her face in my shoulder. It killed me. Just how badly had that bastard treated her that a simple compliment felt like a shock to her system? I felt a cold, sharp spike of fury. One day, Cross would see her. And he would realize he threw away a star because he was too blind to see past a digital readout.
As the battles got tougher—Level 24 Pidgeotto and Level 25 Raticates—I swapped Goldie out for Sparky and Zubat. Goldie watched from the sidelines, her tail flame growing a little brighter with every victory we shared as a team. She was learning that here, we didn't win for a master; we won for each other.### The "Free" Lunch
Finally, I reached the end of the bridge. A man in a sharp, black suit stood there, smiling with the kind of practiced warmth you only see on used-car salesmen and cult leaders.
"Congratulations, young lady! A flawless victory!" He reached into his pocket and handed me a heavy, glittering Gold Nugget. "A prize for a truly exceptional trainer."
I turned the gold over in my hand. It was real. And it was heavy.
"You know," the man said, leaning in confidentially, "a girl with your talent shouldn't be struggling for single nuggets. Why spend your life sleeping in tents and eating canned beans? We're recruiting for a private organization. Team Rocket. We offer riches, luxury, and the kind of power that makes the League look like a playground. What do you say?"
I looked at the nugget. Then I looked at his eyes. There was no soul in them, just greed. I knew the "luxury" he was talking about—it was built on the backs of stolen Pokémon and broken trainers. Riches and luxury? In the real world, "free lunch" usually came with a side of "prison sentence" or "backstabbing."
I leaned in, mimicking his confidential tone. "Is there dental?"
The man blinked. "Pardon?"
"Dental. 401k? Paid vacation? Because 'riches and luxury' usually means 'disposable pawn who gets left behind when the police show up,'" I said, popping a 'P' with my bubblegum.
I didn't wait for his answer. I'd already triggered the "Silent Alert" on my G-Pro investigator cam the moment I stepped off the fifth battle.
"Are ya su—"
"Nope," I said, my face turning to stone. "No way I'm joining your shitty team. I prefer my soul intact, thanks."
His face contorted. The "charity" vanished, replaced by a snarling malice. "Then you'll just be another victim. Go, Arbok!"
The massive cobra materialized, its hood flared, a Level 30 Pseudo-Gym aura radiating from it.
"Eevee, let's dance," I said, releasing my little fox.
The battle was a tactical stall. I didn't want to knock him out too fast; I wanted the G-Pro tactical unit to catch him in the act of recruitment. Eevee was a blur of **Quick Attacks** and **Digs**, keeping the Arbok frustrated and distracted.
"Iron Tail, now!"
Eevee's tail turned to shimmering silver, slamming into the Arbok's head just as the sirens of the Officer Jenny squad wailed in the distance. The recruiter tried to run, but he was tackled by two Machokes before he could even reach his escape bike.
"Nice work, Recruit Regina," Jenny said, tipping her hat. "We've been trying to pin this bridge recruitment ring for weeks."
[Mission Completed: Team Rocket Captured]
[Reward: Core Manual + 1,500 Points Added]
### The King-Premium Luck
As the police were hauling the guy away, I noticed something glint in the grass where he'd been tackled. He must have dropped it during the struggle. I walked over, thinking it was a spare Pokéball.
I reached down, and my breath hitched.
It wasn't a Pokéball. It was a stone. But it wasn't just any stone. It was a jagged, translucent shard that looked like it was carved from the heart of a glacier. It pulsed with a rhythmic, cold light that made the air around it drop ten degrees.
**[Data Scan: King-Premium Grade Ice Stone]**
**[Value: 3,000,000 Pokedollars]**
I stood there, staring at the stone, and I realized I was actually drooling.
"Nelly... tell me I'm not hallucinating. Is that a King-Premium?"
**"Confirmed, Host. The rarity of a King-Premium evolution stone is 0.001%. It is the highest purity level recorded. This was likely a high-value delivery the recruiter was carrying for an Executive."**
Three million. Three. Million. I could buy a house. I could buy a private jet. I could buy enough Rare Candies to turn Nugget into a Blaziken by dinner time.
"Three... million..." I whispered, my eyes turning into dollar signs. My inner "Good Citizen" had a brief, five-second wrestling match with my inner "Slum Survivor." The Slum Survivor won by a landslide. Turn this in to the police? No way. The League would just lock it in a vault or give it to some Elite Four member's nephew.
"Finders keepers," I hissed, shoving it into my bag. "I'll just say Eevee stumbled on it in the grass. Who's going to prove me wrong?"
"Vee! Vee-ee!"
Eevee was currently pawing at my leg, her eyes wide and pleading. Ever since I'd shown her the research papers I'd drafted with Linda—the ones detailing the new "Eeveelutions" I'd discovered (Espeon, Umbreon, Glaceon, Leafeon)—she'd been obsessed with the idea of the "Winter Queen."
The world was currently in an uproar over my research. Linda had uploaded it under my name as the primary investigator. Releasing the "Fairy-type" Sylveon was too big of a risk yet—it would change the global meta too drastically—but the others? They were fair game.
"You want to be the Winter Queen, huh?" I looked at Eevee. She nodded vigorously, her tail wagging so hard she was practically lifting off the ground.
"Nelly, check her stats. Is she mature enough? I won't risk a premature evolution, even for a King-Premium."
**"Scanning... Eevee is at peak physical maturity for her stage. Her energy core is stable. The use of a King-Premium stone will not only evolve her but will also act as a permanent catalyst for her potential."**
I took a deep breath. "Do it."
I pressed the stone against Eevee's forehead. The world didn't just turn white; it turned into a crystalline explosion. Frost began to crawl across the bridge, turning the golden metal into a glittering ice-palace.
When the light faded, a new Pokémon stood there. She was elegant, her fur a pale, frosty blue, with diamond-shaped patterns and long, flowing ear-flaps that looked like regal ribbons.
**[EVOLUTION COMPLETED: GLACEON]**
* **Nature:** Modest (+Sp. Atk, -Attack)
* **Ability:** Snow Cloak
* **Hidden Ability:** Ice Body
But it was the next notification that made me scream.
**[STATUS UPDATE: GLACEON]**
**[POTENTIAL RANK UP: ELITE ——> PSEUDO-CHAMPION]**
"Shit... shit, shit!" I laughed, picking up the newly evolved Glaceon and spinning her around. "Nelly, you didn't tell me a Premium stone could jump their Rank!"
**"It is an undocumented effect of King-Premium purity, Host. It provides enough raw elemental energy to compress the Pokémon's core instantly. You are now in possession of a Pseudo-Champion Glaceon at Level 20."**
I looked at my team. A Pseudo-Champion Torchic. A Champion-potential Charmander. And now, a Pseudo-Champion Glaceon.
"Fate is a weird lady," I whispered, looking back at the Nugget Bridge. "She gives you a kick in the teeth one day and a three-million-dollar ice stone the next."
I hopped on my board, Glaceon trotting regally beside me, her paws leaving tiny frost-prints on the ground. Vermilion City was next. And with a Winter Queen on my side, the "Electric" gym was looking a lot less intimidating.