Chapter 4

As Lillie and I stepped through the glowing portal, the world around us shifted. The warm, familiar air of Kanto faded, replaced by a cool breeze that carried the scent of water and fresh grass.

I looked around, my eyes widening.

New Bark Town.

The houses, the gentle flow of the river, the iconic windmills turning lazily in the distance—this was unmistakably Johto. I had been here before, long ago, and seeing it recreated so vividly inside the game felt surreal.

Lillie scanned the area before turning to me. "So, each floor is based on a different region?"

"Looks like it," I said, grinning. "Which means the third floor will probably be Hoenn."

"Or maybe Alola," she replied. "Or Sinnoh. We don't know how this game chooses its order."

She had a point. If the game wasn't strictly following Pokédex order, then anything was possible.

Since New Bark Town didn't have a Pokémon Center, we had to head to Cherrygrove City first. It didn't take long—only a short walk through Route 29, where we saw Sentret and Hoothoot hopping through the grass.

Once we reached Cherrygrove, we found a Pokémon Center and sat down to discuss our next move.

"If we're going to survive," I said, opening my menu, "we need a team. A group of strong trainers who can watch each other's backs."

Lillie nodded. "A guild."

I smirked. "And I think we should call it—"

"The Pokémon Masters."

Lillie smiled. "That suits you. You've always wanted to be a Pokémon Master, after all."

With a few quick selections, I set up an official guild registration in the game menu.

[Pokémon Masters Guild Created!]

Leader: Ash Ketchum
Co-Leader: Lillie
Members: 2

I grinned. "Now, let's find more members."

That was easier said than done.

We started asking trainers around the Pokémon Center, but most avoided us. Some just looked uncomfortable, while others whispered as we walked by.

"Isn't that the Code Trainer?"
"He let Garrett die…"
"He's using his real-life skills to cheat!"

Lillie sighed, crossing her arms. "This isn't going to be easy…"

While searching for potential guild members, Lillie and I kept busy by completing quests scattered around Cherrygrove City and Route 30. Defeating wild Sentret, Pidgey, and Spinarak, gathering berries, and even delivering small packages between NPCs gave us Pokédollars and experience, but nothing too exciting.

Then we stumbled upon a special quest.

A local NPC in Cherrygrove mentioned that a man called Mr. Pokémon was looking for help at his house on Route 30. Seeing his name sparked a memory, and I immediately agreed to check it out.

The path to Mr. Pokémon's house was quiet, with only a few wild Pokémon encounters, and when we arrived, I was in for a huge surprise.

Inside, standing at the table, was Professor Oak.

"Ash! Lillie! What a pleasant surprise!" The NPC version of Oak smiled warmly as if he truly knew us. "I assume you're here to assist Mr. Pokémon?"

We nodded, and after a bit of in-game dialogue, Mr. Pokémon handed over a mystery egg as our quest reward.

"This is an extremely rare Pokémon Egg," he explained. "I have no doubt it will hatch into something special."

I grinned, instantly recognizing the pattern. This was no ordinary Egg—this was a Togepi Egg.

Lillie giggled. "You seem excited, Ash."

"Of course! This could be Togepi! I've raised one before, and they're incredible."

With the Egg secured, we started making our way back to Cherrygrove.

That's when we saw her.

Near the side of the route, a female trainer was locked in battle against an NPC. Her Pokémon? A Rowlet.

What caught my attention wasn't just her choice of Pokémon—it was how she battled.

The way she commanded Rowlet was swift and precise, almost like she had trained it for years. Her Rowlet dodged Totodile's Water Gun with perfect timing, then countered with a well-aimed Leafage attack that knocked the NPC's Totodile out cold.

Lillie and I exchanged glances.

"Should we talk to her?" Lillie whispered.

I nodded. "Yeah. Let's see what kind of trainer she is."

We approached cautiously, and the trainer turned toward us.

The moment I saw her face, my entire body froze.

She looked exactly like me.

Same black hair, same facial features, the only real difference was her longer ponytail. My eyes darted to her trainer name floating above her head.

Golly.

Lillie gasped. "No way…"

I had no idea what to say.

Who was she? And why did she look exactly like me?

Golly's eyes widened slightly as she took a good look at me, her surprise mirroring my own. But after a brief pause, her expression quickly shifted to emotionless neutrality.

She crossed her arms and asked in a calm, steady voice, "You're Ash Ketchum, aren't you? The Code Trainer who defeated the first-floor boss?"

I hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, that's me."

"Figured," she muttered, then tilted her head slightly. "But now, I have a question for you." Her piercing gaze locked onto mine. "Why do you have my face?"

I blinked. "Your face? I was just about to ask you the same thing!"

Her brow furrowed slightly, but her calm demeanor remained. "Where are you from?"

"Pallet Town, Kanto."

For the first time, her composure cracked. It was subtle, but I caught the slight freeze in her expression, the way her fingers tensed ever so slightly.

Lillie, sensing something off, carefully asked, "Where are you from?"

Golly was silent for a moment before responding, her voice lower. "I… don't remember much about my early childhood. But I do remember Pallet Town." She exhaled sharply. "I was abducted when I was little. Taken far away from Kanto."

Lillie gasped. "That's… awful."

Golly's voice remained emotionless, but there was a trace of bitterness beneath her words. "I don't know who my real parents are. But I was raised in Sinnoh, under the care of Cynthia, the Sinnoh Champion."

My eyes widened. "Cynthia?"

She gave a small nod. "Yes. She took me in and trained me, not just as a Pokémon Trainer… but as an International Police trainee. I've been working under them, preparing to become a full-fledged agent."

Lillie and I exchanged glances.

Not only did she look like me, but she was raised by Cynthia and worked for the International Police?

What was going on here?

Lillie hesitated before turning to me. "Ash… do you have a sibling?"

I blinked. "A sibling?" I shook my head. "Not that I know of… I've never had a brother or sister."

Lillie frowned. "But if Golly's from Pallet Town, and she looks exactly like you…"

I bit my lip. "If anyone would know, it'd be Mom."

Without wasting time, I opened my messaging system and started contacting Ray. If he could ask my mom, maybe I could get some answers.

While I was focused on the message, Golly shifted her attention to Lillie.

"You seem to know him well," Golly said, watching Lillie carefully. "Tell me. Who is Ash Ketchum?"

Lillie smiled. "He's Ash Ketchum, the boy from Pallet Town who traveled across the world." Her voice carried a hint of admiration. "And in the real world… he's the World Champion."

Golly's eyes widened slightly. "Champion?"

Lillie nodded. "Not just any Champion. The strongest."

Golly glanced at me, then back at Lillie. "I see."

But Lillie wasn't finished. "He's also special in ways beyond battle. He's met almost every Legendary Pokémon, helped stop world-ending threats, and even assisted the International Police on multiple occasions."

That made Golly freeze.

Her lips parted slightly, her expression finally showing something other than neutrality—realization.

"…Wait. You're that Ash Ketchum?"

I looked up from my menu. "Huh?"

Golly's grip on her Poké Ball tightened. "I should have realized it sooner. Cynthia has mentioned you many times… She always said you were special. That you were the one who…"

Her voice trailed off, but I already knew what she was going to say.

The one who defeated her.

Ash crossed his arms. "Wait… if you're with the International Police, then how did you end up in this game?"

Golly sighed. "I was suspicious of this game from the start. The International Police received an invitation, and something about it didn't sit right with me. Since I was still in training, they assigned me to investigate. But…" she exhaled sharply, "now I'm trapped here, just like everyone else."

Lillie frowned. "That means this game was reaching high-profile organizations before it launched."

Golly nodded. "Exactly. The Aether Foundation, Devon Corp, and even the International Police received copies. That's no coincidence." Her eyes narrowed. "And then there's Shadow Arceus. Is it connected to the creators of this game?"

Ash hesitated before answering. "I'm not sure… but I have a contact—Ray, one of the main developers. I've been messaging him, and he's working with Professor Oak to figure out what's happening."

Golly's sharp gaze locked onto his. "And? What does he know?"

Ash frowned. "Not much about Shadow Arceus. He was completely caught off guard when the virus took over. If he's telling the truth, then this wasn't part of the original game."

Golly's expression darkened. "Viruses don't just appear out of nowhere." She crossed her arms. "Which means someone inside the development team put it there."

Lillie's eyes widened. "A mole?"

Golly nodded. "There's no other explanation. Someone on the inside planted Eclipse Virus into the game before it launched."

Ash clenched his fists. "Which means… if we find the mole, we might be able to stop this from the outside."

Golly smirked. "Exactly."

A sudden notification pinged in my vision—a message from Ray.

Ray:
Ash, we found something. Professor Oak is trying to calm your mother down right now…
She confirmed that you do have a twin sister—but she was taken by Team Rocket when you were both three years old.

I froze, my breath catching in my throat.

A twin sister…?

I read the message again, as if my mind was refusing to believe it. My whole life, I thought I was an only child. But if what Ray was saying was true… then…

I turned to Golly, my heart pounding. "When… when were you taken?"

Golly's expression remained calm, but there was a faint tremor in her voice. "When I was three." She clenched her fists. "I could never forget that day."

Lillie gasped softly.

"I was taken by strangers… I remember the dark room, the cold air, the feeling of being trapped." Golly's voice was steady, but I could hear the pain underneath. "I was locked away for weeks, until one night, the cargo I was in landed in Sinnoh. I escaped… but I was completely alone."

She exhaled. "That's when Cynthia found me. She… saved me. She took me in and raised me as her own. I owe her everything."

Silence stretched between us as her words sank in.

I swallowed hard. "Golly… I think I know who you really are."

Her golden-brown eyes met mine. "And I think I already figured it out."

Neither of us said it out loud, but we both knew.

I took a shaky breath and stepped forward, my voice quiet but firm. "You're my sister."

Golly's mask of indifference finally cracked. For the first time since we met, her expression softened, her usually sharp eyes wavering.

"…And you're my brother."

For years, we had lived separate lives—me in Kanto, her in Sinnoh—never knowing the other existed.

I didn't care that we had just met. That didn't matter.

I did what felt right.

I pulled her into a hug.

She stiffened at first, but after a moment, I felt her relax slightly.

"…I never thought I'd have a family," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.

I held her tighter. "Well… you do now."

Lillie wiped a tear from her eye, smiling softly. "Welcome back, Golly."

For the first time in fifteen years, I had found my sister.

Here is the new chapter, and you can see that we have a special surprise: Golly appears in the game as well, and I hope you like this chapter.