Liam took a deep breath, forcing his excitement to cool.
It was easy to get drunk on success, especially after seeing the sales figures. But he knew better. This was just step one. Pokémon Emerald was currently in Early Access—a glorified demo.
To truly succeed, he needed more than just a quick cash grab. He needed fame. He needed Emotion Points.
He looked at the calendar on his computer.
[Alliance New Game Festival]
This was the battleground. A four-month-long competition where all new releases fought for the coveted Golden Poké Ball Award. The winner received massive promotion from the Alliance and instant legendary status.
The problem? The festival had already been running for three months. He only had one month left to catch up.
And to make matters worse, Dream Factory—the titan of the industry—had just announced they were dropping a surprise title in the final two weeks.
It was a power move. Dropping a AAA game at the last minute to suck up all the oxygen in the room. Most indie devs were already packing up, assuming the race was over.
"Dream Factory," Liam muttered, staring at the screen. "They have money. They have manpower. But they don't have soul."
He wasn't afraid. He had the System.
He glanced at the [Intermediate Module] list he couldn't afford yet.
[Brain-Computer Interface — Full Dive VR Module]
[Cost: 5,000 Points]
Full Dive VR. That was the holy grail. The technology that Sword Art Online promised but never delivered. And here it was, listed as a mere "Intermediate" tech.
"One day," Liam promised himself. "But first, I need to win this festival."
To win, he needed to finish the game.
He cracked his knuckles and opened the dev kit.
Yesterday, he had coded up to Petalburg City. In the original story, the player arrives here to meet their father, Norman, the Normal-type Gym Leader. But you can't fight him yet. You're too weak.
The real challenge begins in the next city: Rustboro.
There, players face Roxanne, the Rock-type Gym Leader.
In Liam's Ultimate Emerald, Roxanne wasn't just a tutorial boss. She was a gatekeeper. Her Nosepass and Cradily had ended countless runs in the original ROM hack.
"Time to teach this world about type matchups," Liam grinned. "And maybe induce a little trauma."
He activated his newly purchased [Intelligent AI Module].
"System, integrate the AI into all NPCs. Let's make them... lively."
The Next Morning.
On the Skitty streaming platform—the biggest rival to Psyduck—thousands of channels went live as the sun rose.
But one channel was growing faster than the rest.
[Channel Name: Your Electric Waifu Brings You 10 Million Volts!]
The screen flashed with neon colors, and a girl popped into the frame. She wore an oversized yellow and black jacket, her hair was a chaotic mix of pastel pink and blue, and her sharp teeth gave her a mischievous, shark-like grin.
"Ello, 'ello, 'ello! It's ya girl! Good morning, chat! Did you miss me?!"
The chat exploded.
[IONO! IONO!]
[My queen! You're finally live!]
[What's the event today? Can I be your Bellibolt?]
This was Iono. The Gym Leader of Levincia in the Paldea region, and a full-time professional streamer. Unlike Cynthia, who streamed as a hobby, Iono lived for the clout. She was the queen of engagement.
In less than sixty seconds, her viewer count broke 500,000.
"Hehe! Thanks for the Super Chats, guys!" Iono winked, leaning into the camera.
"So! Today was supposed to be a hiking stream, but..." She gestured to the window, where rain was lashing against the glass. "Nature said 'No.' But don't worry! Iono always has a Plan B!"
She snapped her fingers. "Bellibolt! Bring out The Box!"
A round, squishy green Pokémon waddled into the frame, carrying a cardboard box on its head. It looked like a giant avocado with eyes.
"Bellibolt~" it croaked, dumping the box on the desk.
"Thanks, buddy!" Iono patted its head. "Alright, chat! This is the Mystery Box of Content! Whatever I pull out, we do! No take-backs!"
The chat hyped up immediately.
[Do a cooking stream!]
[Karaoke! Sing the Jigglypuff song!]
[Prank call Geeta!]
Iono rummaged around in the box, her tongue poking out in concentration. She pulled out a crumpled slip of paper.
"And the winner is..." She unfolded it.
[Fan-Recommended Video Game!]
"Ooh! A gaming stream! Spicy!" Iono clapped. "Alright, let's pick a lucky viewer to choose the game!"
She ran a randomizer script.
"Congratulations to user [Starlight]! You're on the line!"
A voice crackled through the stream, sounding nervous. "H-Hello? Iono? Oh my god, I've been a fan for years! You're amazing!"
"Aww, thank you, darling! Your support powers my generator!" Iono beamed. "So, Starlight, what are we playing today? Make it good!"
The fan hesitated. "Well... yesterday, I was watching Cynthia's stream..."
Iono's ears perked up. Cynthia? The Sinnoh Champion?
"She was playing this new game," Starlight continued. "She seemed totally addicted to it. Like, she barely talked to chat. It's called... Pokémon Emerald?"
"Pokémon Emerald?" Iono tilted her head. "Never heard of it. Is it indie?"
She opened her browser and searched the New Game Festival page.
When the page loaded, Iono froze.
Price: 288 Pokédollars.
Genre: Pixel Art / RPG.
Status: Early Access.
The chat went wild.
[288?! For pixels?!]
[Bro, Starlight, did you get scammed?]
[Iono, don't buy it! It looks like shovelware!]
[Play Angry Stone instead! At least that's funny bad!]
Starlight sounded panicked. "Uh... maybe we can switch? I didn't know it was that expensive..."
But then, a few defenders appeared in the chat.
[No! It's actually good! I watched Cynthia play it!]
[Trust the Champion! She ignored a Super Chat just to beat a Gym Leader!]
[It's legit!]
Iono read the conflicting comments. Her streamer instincts tingled. Controversy meant views. Expensive trash meant rage content. It was a win-win.
"Now, now, chat! No fighting!" Iono raised a hand. "Starlight recommended it, so I have to honor the rules! Besides..."
She clicked [Purchase].
"If it's bad, I can just roast it for content! I'll be the sacrifice so you guys don't have to be!"
"Let's see if this pixel game is worth the price of a fancy dinner!"
She downloaded the file. It was small.
She launched it.
[Update Available: Version 0.1.1]
[Patch Notes:]
Added "Skip Opening Animation" function. (Thank goodness.)
Updated Main Map: Route to Rustboro City is open. First Gym Leader available.
AI OVERHAUL: Implemented Full Intelligent AI for all NPCs and Pokémon. Players can now interact via voice/text. Combat AI significantly improved.
Iono blinked, reading the third point.
"Full Intelligent AI?"
She laughed, a sharp, incredulous sound.
"Chat, look at this! This dev claims he has Full AI in a pixel game! Even Battle Road barely has functional AI, and that game is 100GB!"
She shook her head, grinning at the camera.
"Oh boy. This is gonna be a train wreck. I can smell the false advertising from here!"
She clicked [Start Game].
"Alright, chat! Let's expose this scam!"