Although she had already realized this point, Iono also knew that things had come this far. She had bought the game, and she had given her word to the audience. Now, no matter what, she had to play it.
She sighed slightly in her heart and refocused her attention on the game before her.
"Is it the classic WASD keys for movement?"
Iono tested the key bindings and controlled the character to walk out of the truck. The scene before her eyes instantly made her widen them slightly.
She had played quite a few pixel games, but the visuals of this game were indeed made exceptionally exquisitely. They could even be described as a work of art!
The comments at this moment also expressed amazement.
[The art style of a pixel game can actually be this good? Are you sure this is an indie game by an individual creator?]
[This art is better than many games in my library... no wonder this game sells for so much!]
[But if it just looks good, that doesn't seem very useful, right? After all, the most important thing for a game is whether it's fun or not!]
Following the game's flow, Iono quickly completed the tutorial plot, which involved choosing a Pokémon in the grass above the town to help Professor Birch defeat the Poochyena.
After a brief moment of thought, she chose Torchic.
After returning to the research lab with Professor Birch, the moment Professor Birch offered to give her the starter Pokémon as a gift, a line of notification popped up in front of Iono.
[Please note: Intelligent Interaction Function Unlocked!]
[After pressing the 'E' key, players can use voice or input commands to interact. Any character or Pokémon in the game can be interacted with.]
Looking at this notification, Iono couldn't help but raise her eyebrows slightly.
Oh? For real??
But it feels... unlikely...
With the mindset of "I'll know if I try," she pressed the E key facing Professor Birch in front of her and spoke into the microphone.
"Hello, Professor Birch. I would like an Electric-type Pokémon as my starter. Is that possible?"
Regarding whether this wish could be realized, Iono actually didn't hold much hope in her heart.
Clearly, the matter of choosing a Pokémon in this game was set in stone; otherwise, it wouldn't have just arranged the three Starters for her to choose from.
However, in the next moment, to her surprise, Professor Birch nodded, and his voice rang out in reply:
"Ah? You like Electric-type Pokémon? You should have said so earlier! I actually do have a special Pokémon here."
"But if you want to receive it, you have to tell me why you like Electric-type Pokémon."
Iono froze completely.
"Eh? There really is Artificial Intelligence?"
Thinking about it again, she shook her head slightly.
No... it must have triggered a certain keyword, right? For example, the author set 'receive Electric-type Pokémon' as a keyword, thereby triggering this dialogue from Professor Birch...
But even so, to be able to achieve this level, the author of this game really put their heart into it.
Judging from the current situation, the performance of this game was much better than she had expected.
Meanwhile, the comments held similar views to Iono.
[This must be a pre-prepared answer. In that case, as long as there are enough prepared answers, it can count as a 'Lite Version' of AI, haha.]
[+1]
[But even so, in the end, it's not Full AI Coverage. This counts as false advertising. One lawsuit and they're done for!]
At the same time, facing the question Professor Birch just raised in the game, Iono's gaze suddenly became serious.
Although this was a virtual game, her love for Electric-type Pokémon was real.
She pressed the E key and answered word by word:
"Because I feel that Electric-type Pokémon are overflowing with passion. They possess speed and power like lightning. Being with them brings me endless happiness!"
However, in the next moment, Professor Birch's voice rang out, accompanied by applause.
"Good! I didn't expect you to have such a passion for Electric-type Pokémon!"
"Actually, I see Electric-type Pokémon the same way. And let me tell you a secret: my favorite Pokémon is Pikachu, because I think their lightning-shaped tails are simply too cute to resist."
At this moment, listening to the voice coming from the game, Iono suddenly realized something.
Wait!
If these answers were also pre-set by the author...
Then his considerations are a bit too thorough!
Moreover, for some reason, during this conversation, she didn't feel at all like she was facing a fake game NPC. Instead, it felt more like a real Pokémon Professor.
Could it be that these NPCs really possess independent consciousness?
Her mind raced. The best way to verify this was to ask a bizarre question that had nothing to do with the game itself!
A question the author couldn't possibly anticipate and that generic answers couldn't address!
Making a decision in her heart, she immediately pressed the E key.
"Professor Birch, off-topic question: do you think Miso Soup or Curry Rice is tastier? Please tell me the reason, is that okay?"
As soon as these words came out, in the game, Professor Birch's expression seemed to freeze for a moment, and a voice tinged with confusion followed.
"Eh? Why ask such a question all of a sudden?"
"...But if I must answer, I think Curry would be tastier. And potatoes and carrots are must-have ingredients."
"Also, I don't like adding chicken; I prefer beef a bit more. Curry stewed like that is the most fragrant!"
This answer made Iono's eyes widen, her heart shocked for a moment.
It's actually real!
The NPCs in this game really achieved Full Intelligent Coverage!
Otherwise, it's impossible for him to answer my question like that.
But how is this possible?
How can a pixel game of a few hundred megabytes achieve this level??
At the same time, the viewers also realized something was wrong.
[Holy crap, wait a minute, this really seems to be Artificial Intelligence?]
[Yeah, if it were pre-set answers and keywords, it would be absolutely impossible to achieve such a precise level!]
[Damn, you're for real??]
[Where's the guy earlier who said he was going to sue for false advertising? Come out here!]
While Iono and the livestream viewers were all in shock, in the game, Professor Birch's voice pulled everyone's attention back.
"Alright, getting back to the topic. Since you want an Electric-type Pokémon, I just thought about it, and there actually seems to be a little guy in the lab suitable as a starter Pokémon."
Saying that, he moved to a machine, operated on it a few times, and a Poké Ball printed with a lightning bolt was instantly transported over.
"Take a look. Does this little guy suit your taste?"
Professor Birch opened the Poké Ball. White light flashed, and a Pokémon covered in pale white wool, resembling a sheep, appeared in front of him.
Although it was a pixelated image, it was still vivid and extremely cute.
This was a Mareep, an Electric-type Pokémon. Although it looked cute, the wool all over its body could store electricity, which could be released all at once when necessary!
The moment she saw the Mareep, Iono's eyes lit up instantly.
This was a Pokémon she had never raised or encountered before!
"I'll take him! Thank you, Professor!"
After receiving the starter Pokémon from the lab and leaving, Iono tried initiating conversations with several NPCs in the town, thoroughly verifying the conclusion she just reached—this game had indeed implemented full AI intelligence coverage...
Even including the Pokémon!
When Iono input the command "Pet the wool on Mareep's head," the character in the game really squatted down and reached out to pet the Mareep.
The latter narrowed its eyes, constantly letting out cheerful cries, enjoying Iono's petting.
It even ran over to rub against Iono's ankle, with heart symbols floating above its head.
The comments exploded again at this sight.
[Holy crap!! This works too?? With this kind of interaction, what's the difference from reality?]
[Didn't Dream Factory make a Pokémon interaction game before? Why do I feel like the Pokémon interaction in this Emerald is even better than what they made?]
[Are you sure this is a small pixel game?]
[This freedom is explosive!!]
Iono, who had plenty of gaming experience, naturally knew clearly what such game performance meant.
She had already made a judgment in her heart: This is definitely not a personal game from a small workshop, but a game secretly produced by a large game company with the scale of Dream Factory!
Although I don't know why they are hiding it like this, I have to say, I'm getting more and more excited about the content of this game!
Next, she spent a full two minutes petting the sheep at home before leaving Littleroot Town and embarking on her journey.
Unlike Cynthia's game progress before, this time she didn't battle the "Rival" at the top of the upper road. Instead, she simply found him and brought him back, receiving the Pokédex together at the Professor's place.
Incidentally, the name Iono gave her rival was "Banana King."
Viewers in the stream who had watched Cynthia's stream before immediately sent out questioning comments upon seeing this situation.
[What's going on? I was waiting for this rival to let the streamer experience the cruelty of the world... why did they suddenly not fight?]
[Yeah, did this update secretly change it? Damn it, I was waiting for this!]
These viewers naturally looked forward to seeing the streamer fail when hitting difficult levels.
However, when they happily waited for Iono to find the rival again, it turned out that "Banana King" didn't fight her this time!
Iono had already received the Pokédex and Running Shoes (which could speed up running) from the Professor. While opening the map and walking towards the new city, she revealed a somewhat regretful expression.
"Although this game has turn-based combat, I think it's quite interesting."
"I wonder when I'll be able to battle a Trainer..."
However, just as her voice fell, in the grass around the corner ahead, a cloud of grayish-brown fog suddenly exploded, completely obscuring the entire screen.
Within the fog, the silhouettes of three voices slowly emerged.
"Huh?? Is this some kind of easter egg?"
Iono was curious for a moment.
In the next moment, rousing and dynamic symphonic music suddenly rang in her ears.
Followed closely by a male voice.
"I think I heard someone asking a question, right?"
In the fog, a blue-haired man in a uniform stepped forward, revealing his form, a rose held in his mouth.
"Since you asked sincerely and earnestly!!"
Following closely, a red-haired woman strode forward, tossing her long hair, incredibly dashing:
"Then we will answer you with great compassion."
Against a dazzling galactic background, the figures of the two danced alternately, like an epic play!
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth, that's right!~"
A Meowth with a gold coin on its head popped out, revealing a smug smile, and delivered the final line.
At this moment, everyone in the livestream was instantly silent!
Only after several seconds did the comments surge out frantically.
[????]
[What is this??]
[Uh, why do I feel like laughing but also feel like it's kinda awesome?]
[Wait, Team Rocket? Isn't this that huge dark organization from Kanto? The one the League crushed into hiding two years ago!]
[Are you sure this is Team Rocket? Why do I feel like they are comedians?]
[Tsk tsk, this creator actually dares to use Team Rocket as NPCs. Should I call it creative or just bold...]
It wasn't strange for the crowd to react this way.
Although Team Rocket had largely vanished under the League's suppression in recent years, they were still the largest dark organization in the world, bar none.
In past gaming history, no one dared to put them into a game as villains because, undoubtedly, this was a provocation to Team Rocket!
But this game before them had directly stuffed three such characters in, calling them members of Team Rocket...
——Can these three guys really be considered Team Rocket members?
Also, is the company making this game not afraid of Team Rocket's retaliation?
However, at this moment, Iono's attention was elsewhere.
Her eyes lit up as if she had seen some rare treasure!
"Wah! Did that Meowth just talk?"
As soon as these words came out, the chat also came back to their senses.
[Right! That Meowth can talk!]
[What's the big deal? Isn't this a game? It's normal for Pokémon to talk in a game, right?]
[Exactly. It's not like there's really a Meowth that can talk in reality, right? If so, I'll eat my shoe!]
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, in a certain dark underground warehouse.
"Achoo!!"
A Meowth sitting on a sofa suddenly sneezed.
He reached out a claw, wiped his face, and looked delighted.
"Eh?"
"...Could it be that the Boss finally remembered me, meow?"