Today is February 28, 2046. Logan woke up early, or more precisely, he didn't sleep all night from excitement. Why didn't he sleep all night? Because yesterday Nintendo released a new title worldwide at the same time, and he snagged the limited edition version of the game and the console. With the courier due to arrive soon, how could he not be excited?
Since this is a special fifty-year anniversary work, it adopts a global simultaneous release, so even while in the United States he could get the game first. So yesterday Logan spent the whole day rushing to secure it.
Seeing the day had already brightened, Logan, with no sleepiness, got up and had a quick breakfast. Then he just sat on the balcony, staring blankly as the drone courier delivery approached. Waiting always feels incredibly long; Logan had already crouched by the balcony railing several times, peering out.
Finally, at ten-thirty, the delivery drone arrived. After confirming receipt, Logan could hardly wait to unwrap the package. This limited edition came with a Pokémon-themed stealth unit—a headset-style terminal device shaped like a Pikachu—and some Pokémon merchandise.
This limited setup didn't attract Logan much; what drew him in was the chance to be inside Pokémon World itself. After a quick check of the device's packaging, Logan strapped it on and prepared to dive into the game.
Upon entering the game, Logan's first sight was a white, foggy world, followed by a line of familiar narration. 1 second memory
"Welcome to Pokémon World! In this world, whether it's the sky, the sea, towering mountains, or forests, plains, or towns, you'll encounter incredible creatures called Pokémon. You'll live with the Pokémon here, grow with them, and share joys and sorrows. So please tell me, what is your name?"
Like the opening of previous Pokémon games, this feeling was very familiar to Logan, who had played every Pokémon title out there. Logan didn't hesitate and settled on his in-game name, because he had always played Pokémon games with this nickname, and this generation would be no exception.
"My name is Logan."
"Logan, since you are a Limited Edition player, you now have a choice to make. Do you want to accept this Pokémon egg?"
Pokémon egg? Logan hadn't expected the plot twist to go in that direction. There was no mention of such a benefit when he bought the edition. What's going on here?
"What Pokémon egg?"
"The Pokémon egg is an option exclusive to Limited Edition players. What Pokémon will hatch from it is unknown. It will randomly appear among all Pokémon in the current version whose Base stats are below 580. And the first Pokémon for players who choose the Pokémon egg will be the Pokémon hatched from the egg, so there will be no later scene where you choose the first Pokémon."
Hearing this, Logan finally understood. It's about choosing between First partner Pokémon and a random Pokémon hatched from the egg. At yesterday's unveiling, the official said that the current version of Pokémon World only has Pokémon from the first four generations, totaling 493, excluding legendary and pseudo-legendary Pokémon with Base stats above 580, with the rest randomly hatched. This sounds thrilling, because you might hatch a Caterpie, but you might also hatch a stronger Pokémon. It's like a gamble—up to you whether you want to take the risk?
If you don't choose the Pokémon egg, there will still be a later scene where you pick one of the first four generations' First partner Pokémon as your first Pokémon. For Logan, who has played all Pokémon games, that's not very novel. So Logan decides to test his luck, hoping for a Munchlax, an Aron, or something similar to pop up.
Just as Logan finished speaking, a Pokémon egg with blue patterns appeared before him. Logan gently extended his hands and cupped the Pokémon egg in his arms.
"Congratulations on receiving a Pokémon egg. As for what type of Pokémon it will hatch into, we'll just have to wait and see! Now, your adventure begins!"
As soon as the system's voice faded, Logan felt a bright light flare before his eyes, dazzling and intense. Even with his eyes closed, the discomfort lingered, but it didn't last long. When Logan felt the light no longer sting, he slowly opened his eyes.
But what greeted Logan when he opened his eyes was startling. At first, he thought a towering tree reached toward the sky, but upon a closer look, he realized it wasn't a tree at all. It was a colossal formation made of rock layers, resembling trees. The strange sight left Logan stunned yet familiar, as if he had seen something like it before.
Yet he quickly recovered from the astonishment, because he still held a Pokémon egg in his arms. He had to figure out how to hatch it as soon as possible. So he could only keep walking along the path, hoping to reach a town soon and find a Pokémon Center.
As he walked, Logan muttered inwardly: Why is this starting point so weird, just dumped at the side of a road? This is too casual! And after receiving the Pokémon egg, there wasn't any other trigger, totally different from the previous games. Yet he was really inside Pokémon World now. Looking up at the Pidgey flying overhead, and the Rattata popping up by the roadside, everything thrilled Logan.
With excitement in his heart, Logan reached the first town in Pokémon World. After asking around, he learned the town's name was Cameran Palace. He also realized his current location was between Pewter City and the north mountains of Mt. Moon in the Kanto Region.
Finally understanding where he was, Logan relaxed a little. Without hesitation, he hurried to Cameran Palace's Pokémon Center. When the living Joy appeared before him, Logan was incredibly excited and greeted Joy.
"Hello! Nurse Joy, I have a Pokémon egg here. Please help me check the health of this Pokémon egg!"
"Hello! Welcome to the Pokémon Center! Pokémon eggs are quite rare. Please hand the Pokémon egg to me with confidence, and I'll immediately check its health status for you!"
Logan gently handed the Pokémon egg from his arms to Nurse Joy, and then trailed behind Joy, wanting to confirm the Pokémon egg's condition himself. Nurse Joy didn't stop him and led Logan to the Pokémon Center's treatment room, where she connected the diagnostic apparatus to the Pokémon egg.