Chapter 567: Pokémon
May 3rd, 9 a.m.
Pokémon was released punctually on the Oras platform.
Many employees of Devon Corporation who had to work overtime specially requested time off.
All just to carve out a day to enjoy their own gaming time at home.
This game was based on the reputation of the Pokémon Company and invited trainers such as Professor Samuel Oak, Red, Green, and others to participate, maximizing the promotional effect.
The hype was almost comparable to that of a certain Cyberpunk blockbuster.
Of course, what ultimately decided the game’s lifespan was the quality of the game itself.
Could a conscientious company, originally specializing in single-player games, withstand the test of the market in one stroke?
Many fans who had already pre-ordered expressed their shock:
“No delays at all!” “This Labor Day holiday is all about Pokémon.”
“Buy early, enjoy early... then refund!”
Oras offered players a complete refund system, and freeloaders were ready to ‘enjoy first and refund later.’
In Hoenn region, in Violet City.
Old Man Ironspin, a veteran freeloader and modder, was the first to enter the game.
“Still can’t crack it.”
Ironspin scratched his head, “Could it still be encrypted with Rotom...”
However, this did not affect his enjoyment of freeloading.
“Start the game!” Ironspin shouted loudly and pressed the external controller.
The first thing to appear was the large Pokémon Company logo, a meteor falling, followed by a cutscene.
Haunter and Nidorino faced off, the battle animation in high definition, Haunter grinning wildly.
“Lu Ye really treats Haunter as the company’s mascot.”
Ironspin sighed, scratching his head, “Then what does this Nidorino mean...”
Fast-forwarding hurriedly, the game officially began.
On the screen, Professor Samuel Oak’s stern figure appeared. He cleared his throat seriously:
“First time meeting, allow me to introduce myself.”
Ironspin muttered, “We’ve met several times already.”
“I am the professor who studies Pokémon. Everyone calls me Professor Samuel Oak—”
The Poké Ball in Professor Oak’s hand opened, releasing a Charmander from the original FireRed version:
“In our world, Pokémon live. One hundred, two hundred, three hundred...”
“There are countless Pokémon in this world waiting for us to capture, battle, and explore!”
It was knowledge already well-known.
With Professor Oak’s distinctive voice and narration,
Ironspin unconsciously immersed himself, feeling a long-lost surge of passion.
That feeling... was like receiving his starter Pokémon for the first time, about to embark on a journey!
Many players shared the same feelings as Ironspin.
They might never become real trainers,
But at least in this game, they could collectively feel the charm of Pokémon, the emotions and bonds beyond the game.
Professor Oak smiled:
“Tell me your name—”
The screen popped up the protagonist’s prototype;
Ironspin was stunned:
“Isn’t this Red?”
Players exclaimed:
“So immersive!”
“As expected, it’s me, the strongest trainer!”
“The legendary trainer really started here!”
Far away at the secret base on New Island.
A man in a suit sat in a shadowed room, stroking the cat beside his knee.
Giovanni’s lips curved into a smile as a hint of anticipation rose in his heart.
“This seems interesting...”
Choosing the default name, entering the game.
“Red, huh—”
Professor Oak laughed heartily, “Also, this is my grandson, your friend and rival. His name is—”
The screen displayed Green, one hand in his pocket, his expression arrogant.
Players laughed:
“Hahaha, Green is publicly roasted!”
“If you’re born in Jingchu, you should have a Jingchu name...”
“Can even name your rival? It’s decided, Wang Lanhua!”
In the chat group, Green’s handsome cold face slightly cracked as he looked at the chat log.
A-Jin: “Hahaha, dying laughing, look at the name I gave!”
[Is he called ‘Grandpa A-Jin is really cool’?] Professor Oak pointed at his grandson and asked.
Green: “?”
Lance: “Red hot and dazzling.”
Misty: “Pfft!”
[Group member ‘A-Jin’ was muted by admin ‘Green’ for 24 hours.]
Officially entering the game.
Red’s character model shrank and finally appeared in a narrow room.
The room was simply furnished with only a bed, a game console, a computer, and a TV.
New players were curious about everything, as if rummaging around a residence could find some items.
When Ironspin operated the character to inspect the TV, a line of text appeared.
[A movie is playing on the TV;
four boys are walking on the railroad... It’s time for me to set off!]
Setting off, our journey with Pokémon began.
“Emotional.”
“Teacher Lu really understands Pokémon!”
“The overworked suddenly got moved... Life has many objective restrictions, but at least I can fulfill my dreams in the game.”
Following the game flow,
Next was going out to find Professor Oak.
Choosing a starter from Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander.
Young players did not realize this was a disguised difficulty selection.
Following Red’s growth path, choosing Bulbasaur was the easiest way to clear the game.
But if choosing Charmander... it meant hellish difficulty, tormented almost to death by Brock and Misty.
Lu Ye maliciously placed Charmander in the middle position.
Players showed strong enthusiasm.
“A real man must pick the flying Charizard!”
“I’ve always liked Charmander, dream fulfilled, thanks Teacher Lu!”
A-Jin also chose Charmander and curiously looked at Xiao Yin playing on a handheld console beside him.
“What did you pick?”
“Can’t I steal all the starters?”
Xiao Yin frowned slightly, clicking his tongue: “The freedom isn’t high enough yet...”
A-Jin: ?
After receiving the starter Pokémon,
On the game screen, Green walked forward with one hand in his pocket, suggesting a battle.
Players immediately got excited, cracking their knuckles.
“Watch me crush Squirtle with Charmander!”
An intense electronic BGM played, signaling the start of the Pokémon battle.
But when the battle officially began, players were stunned.
“WTF, this Squirtle is so strong?!”
“This AI even commands Squirtle to withdraw into its shell!”
“Squirtle bro, no, Squirtle bro!!”
Players who started with Charmander immediately felt the developers’ malice.
While A-Jin’s Charmander was being crushed by Squirtle on the ground,
The one who knew Red best, Giovanni,
Had already beaten the Rustboro Gym using Bulbasaur.
After victory, watching the evolved Ivysaur bathed in white light,
Giovanni was momentarily dazed.
“So... this is his growth path?”
A slight curve appeared at the corner of Giovanni’s mouth.
“Interesting.”
Time flew by.
Players immersed themselves in this game, enjoying the fun of growing alongside Pokémon.
Ironspin finally cleared the second gym, wiping sweat from his forehead, smiling.
“Oh no!” Ironspin shouted worriedly, “Forgot to refund!”
This was precisely a high-quality game that made people willingly pay.
Even refunders unconsciously immersed themselves, forgetting game time.
Both the details and the plot showed the Pokémon Company’s sincere effort.
Of course, for players who chose Charmander, the game was full of thorns and pain—
And even a little twisted pleasure from the hardship?
On major gaming forums, Pokémon soared to the top of the charts, receiving high scores in reviews.
[Story and gameplay perfect, soundtrack also amazing. Except the Violet Town BGM is a bit eerie...]
[Absolutely awesome! Teacher Lu’s games never disappoint!]
[Undoubtedly a perfect score. Off-topic, Karine’s side job is film queen, Wallace’s is contest master, and this champion’s side job is game developer—surprising.]
Many review media believed Teacher Lu’s new game had a shot at Oras platform’s Game of the Year.
On social media, a blockbuster tweet reignited public opinion.
[Dan Emperor: A champion-level single-player game, a masterpiece from Teacher Lu.]
Dan Emperor already had huge popularity;
now endorsing the new game attracted many users previously unaware.
Dan Emperor’s fans replied under the tweet:
“Why can’t my Charmander even beat Squirtle!”
“Using Galar’s champion Charizard to fight in Kanto? Someone’s got big authority upstairs!”
“No one knows how to eat properly better than the Galar champion!”
Meanwhile, Bilibili saw new trending videos related to Pokémon.
Opening game, columns, and meme sections.
Speedrunners, strategists, and even meme creators had their works.
“Fastest global speedrun record! Picking this Pokémon at start is right!”
“Detailed guide: Rustboro Gym tactics and counter strategies”
“Zhao Zhao’s Wonderful Journey”
Lu Ye also browsed these videos online, chuckling:
“The fans really are talented!”
He thought such memes wouldn’t appear in this world.
Unexpectedly, someone uploaded a video of their Charmander being suppressed by Squirtle to the meme section, complete with voiceover.
“Want an exciting Pokémon battle?”
“Please, I’m super brave, okay!”
“Is this Charmander well developed... let me check!”
For a time, calling Squirtle ‘Squirtle bro’ spread widely among players.
The fastest completion video surpassed Teacher Lu’s ‘Rainy Day Bye Bye Song team,’ topping the game charts.
“Cleared in just one day.”
Lu Ye was somewhat surprised, clicking the speedrun video.
According to the uploader, his main job was a veteran trainer.
Previously, Teacher Lu’s various strategy videos were the best guide for speedrunners.
“This is the world of the pros?”
“The difficulty of a game is judged by whether the developer can clear it.”
“Teacher Lu could probably solo the Elite Four using Substitute and Toxic... no way I can learn that.”
“Better just grind levels honestly... WTF, why is Giovanni’s level so high!”
The speedrun video reached Silph Co. building.
The uploader helplessly said: “Silph Co. building is, in my opinion, the hardest dungeon in this game.”
“First, Giovanni’s team average level was 5 higher than mine.”
“Relying on items and switching, I barely held the line... but after Giovanni’s Nidoqueen, there’s the terrifying ‘Earthquake’ move.”
“I suspect Teacher Lu modified Earthquake’s accuracy... it kills my Pokémon instantly every time!”
“Or maybe watching Teacher Lu’s videos too long affected my luck?”
A barrage of “2333” and sympathy comments flew by.
“Definitely an old fan speaking.”
“As everyone knows, Teacher Lu’s luck is unpredictable.”
Lu Ye was slightly stunned, smiling wryly.
I just adjusted Giovanni’s level to the proper range.
As for bad luck... this uploader is clearly slandering me!
Posting a question mark in the comments, Teacher Lu’s reply quickly rose to the top.
“Master Ball!”
“Teacher Lu, send money to the uploader!”
“Official reply, hahaha.”
That night, Pokémon topped the trending charts, and sales surged.
The revenue greatly exceeded Teacher Lu’s expectations.
The good news was that the baby dinosaur’s food expenses would not be a problem anytime soon.
Although the goal of early retirement was not achieved...
Letting more people feel the charm of Pokémon was Teacher Lu’s original intention.
“Yoji~~(￣～￣)”
In a villa in Goldenrod City, Larvitar was chewing on Sandshrew Rock.
This rare mineral was bought from Steven... costing Teacher Lu a lot of private money.
But with the new game’s excellent sales,
Teacher Lu got inflated and said he could keep buying Steven’s collectibles!
“Hey, Teacher Lu?”
From the microphone came A-Jin’s casual voice.
“That Doctor Show contacted us.”
“Said after Labor Day, when the crowd is less, they’ll head out to the ruins for investigation!”
Thoughtful planning. Lu Ye asked curiously:
“Is Xiao Yin still at your place?”
“Yeah, he’s coming with me.”
A-Jin glanced at the red-haired boy focused nearby, then whispered:
“He looks even more obsessed than me...”
Xiao Yin had always regarded Giovanni as his target to defeat.
Facing Giovanni directly, even in the game, might be Xiao Yin’s wish.
Lu Ye was stunned: “How far has he progressed?”
“He watched that speedrun guide... about to reach Silph Co.”
Before the words finished, A-Jin held his phone and looked at expressionless Xiao Yin.
Xiao Yin clenched his teeth tightly, gripping the controller fiercely, with ‘Blackout ahead’ flashing on the screen.
A-Jin’s expression was complicated: “Hey... don’t burn out too much...”
Xiao Yin’s eyes were resolute, staring at the man in the black coat on screen.
“Again!”
...
New Island, Team Rocket base.
Giovanni barely played the game.
Wearing a black coat, he slowly stood up, pulling his black hood over his head.
The game scenes corresponded to past moments.
But I am no longer the Giovanni of before.
At this moment, more important matters urgently needed my attention.
A virtual projection showed Matori’s tired face reporting:
“The data on the Unown Ruins has been organized...”
“Good work.”
Giovanni nodded slightly, “Open the control system of that airborne fortress.”
Matori was stunned, then bowed her head: “Understood.”
In the Pokémon world’s black technology, flying devices were not uncommon.
Take Giovanni as an example;
he had an airborne battleship.
This battleship was the very place he once fought Red.
The night wind howled as the base’s hatch opened.
The huge battleship disappeared into the darkness, its engine roaring like a beast in the night.
Giovanni held his black hood, closed his eyes.
Before him appeared a cold red-haired boy, a humble black-haired trainer.
Some things must be resolved by me personally.
Even if it’s a resurrected ancient god, I have the reason to stand before it.
Because.
Giovanni’s mind flashed with Xiao Yin’s figure.
Suddenly opening his eyes, sharp and fierce in the darkness.
I am Giovanni of the Earth.
“Full speed ahead.”
Giovanni stood on the ship’s deck, overlooking the sea of clouds, saying sternly:
“Target, Unown Ruins!”
...