Online discussions about Pokémon: Blazing Flame and Pokémon: Emerald hadn't died down. If anything, they were getting even louder.
On the "Trainer Camp" forum, the trending thread titled [Dream Factory Gets Publicly Executed] had already passed a thousand replies.
[OP: Zubat Got Lost]
After watching Lisia's stream, Dream Factory took a beating! The gap is unreal!
[Floor 3: There's Only One Truth]
I have a bold theory. Did someone from another world make Emerald? It feels generations ahead of Dream Factory.
[Floor 9: Did Blazing Flame Shut Down Today?]
Latest battle report. Blazing Flame's downloads and active player counts are plummeting. App store rating down to 3.5. One-star reviews everywhere. Meanwhile, Emerald is still sitting at a perfect five stars.
[Floor 13 replying to Floor 9]
Pop the champagne. Let Dream Factory keep digging its own grave.
Meanwhile, at Dream Factory's headquarters, the top-floor conference room was thick with cigarette smoke. The air felt heavy, almost hard to breathe.
CEO Nova sat in the chairman's seat with a dark expression, fingers tapping the expensive mahogany table in a slow, uneven rhythm. Around him, the heads of development, operations, and marketing sat with lowered heads, avoiding his eyes.
"Let's hear it," Nova said. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a sharp impatience. "What's the situation with our game?"
A pale project manager in black-rimmed glasses stood up, forcing composure, and clicked the projector to display the launch data on the screen.
"Mr. Nova. Blazing Flame's first 24-hour numbers aren't good. Downloads are far below projections. Payment conversion is extremely low. Player retention is"
"Give me actual numbers." Nova snapped.
The manager flinched and listed a string of grim figures. Nova's face grew darker with each one.
"And player feedback. What are they saying?"
An operations manager spoke carefully. "Most complaints are about rough graphics, shallow content, and repetitive gameplay. And"
"And what. Spit it out." Nova slammed his hand on the table and stood.
Startled, she rushed the rest out. "They're also saying our monetization is too aggressive. That we're being greedy."
"Complaining about monetization." Nova looked half furious, half incredulous. "When they played Battle Road, Elite Champion, Hundred Trials Champion, they didn't complain. They spent money happily. Why now. What's different about Blazing Flame?"
To him, it made no sense. Dream Factory's monetization model had always worked. Players accepted it. Why were they resisting now?
Silence filled the room. Then a young technical supervisor murmured, "Boss"
"Because Emerald doesn't have any payment portal."
Nova froze. "What does that mean?"
The supervisor swallowed. "Emerald is a one-time purchase. ₽288. That's it. No in-game payments. Every Pokémon and item is obtained through exploration and collection."
Nova's mouth opened and closed, unable to process it. Other games might charge upfront, but they always added season passes, bundles, or limited-time rewards. A single purchase felt ridiculous in comparison.
"Are they insane." Nova shot up again. "Making a game without trying to maximize revenue. With that level of art and production cost, relying on ₽288 per copy to break even. How many would they need to sell. It's impossible."
He paced, muttering in disbelief. "Who in their right mind refuses more money." He couldn't comprehend that kind of thinking.
After several deep breaths, he forced himself calm. "Whatever. Blazing Flame was just a quick cash grab to ride the hype. Whether it succeeds or fails doesn't matter." He waved his hand dismissively. "Tomorrow we launch Fantasy Era, our real flagship. We've poured everything into marketing. The numbers will be solid. Everyone focus."
His eyes swept the room. "Overtime tonight. Make sure tomorrow's launch is flawless. Rex, Lilian, Evan. You were already behind last week. Did you clock out on time. Forget your bonuses this month. I'll have accounting dock them."
Faces went pale. No one dared to object. Dream Factory's overtime came with threats, not pay. Anger flickered behind several eyes, but no one spoke.
"What are you waiting for. Get to work." Nova barked.
Chairs scraped back as employees gathered their things and rushed out of the suffocating room.
Outside, a few younger programmers couldn't help grumbling under their breath.
"Nova the Slave Driver. Wants the horse to run but won't feed it. Piles on work every day and gives nothing back."
"Is Blazing Flame's failure really our fault. They forced the schedule."
"Quiet. If they hear us, we'll get chewed out. Let's just test tomorrow's build."
A little farther down the hall, one programmer sighed. "You think that studio behind Emerald could actually take down our company?"
His friend's eyes widened. "Holy crap. Don't say that so loud."
"Honestly, I hope so." the first said quietly. "If I could work there. Their tech, their design. It's on another level."
"Even learning a bit from them would be worth it."
"And they don't even monetize. The passion they must have. Even if the pay was lower, I'd go. At least it'd feel meaningful. Better than being squeezed dry here."
"But there's no way in. The studio's mysterious. No contact info. Probably ignores every email."
They sighed and trudged back to work, pushing through another night of overtime, even though most suspected Fantasy Era would end up just another Blazing Flame.
---
At Team Rocket headquarters, in a private lounge, Giovanni sat alone with a new device and a freshly made account. After dismissing his subordinates, he followed their crude instructions and downloaded Pokémon: Emerald.
He wanted to see for himself the power this game held. The kind that had trainers targeting his bases and dragging Archie and Maxie into full teams.
The game started. Character creation and the starter selection seemed ordinary, almost dull. Giovanni rushed through it, unimpressed. Everything felt routine. Until his character stepped outside and the screen suddenly went black.
"Hm." He frowned, assuming a glitch. Then the screen brightened again. Strange data streams flickered across it.
[Ding. Special identity player detected. Easter egg opening CG generated and ready.]
[Initiating delivery now.]
The scene shifted. Instead of the quiet town he had just left, a high-quality cutscene unfolded. A massive floating fortress bristling with weapons and glowing signal lights against a stormy sky. It wasn't just an airship. It was a fortress of steel and circuitry, humming with menace.
Giovanni's instincts kicked in. The scale of the structure, the detail. This was near impossible with current technology.
Then an emblem appeared on the fortress hull. A large red "R," refracting rainbow light.
Giovanni froze. He leaned forward, eyes narrowing.
"R." he whispered. It couldn't be.
The camera zoomed in. Uniformed personnel bearing the "R" insignia moved across the decks. Unknown Pokémon patrolled the air and ground, radiating immense power. Their eyes were hollow, controlled.
Giovanni felt his breath quicken. He had never seen these Pokémon before. Their presence alone exuded danger. Far beyond even his latest creation, Mewtwo. They were true Legendary beings.
The shot centered on a humanoid Pokémon with cables trailing from its back and crimson eyes that glowed like molten metal. Space itself seemed to warp around it. The aura was similar to Mewtwo's, yet purer. Stronger.
The scene panned deeper into the fortress. A figure sat on a tall throne, face obscured, posture radiating absolute authority.
Across the screen, a line of rainbow-colored text flashed.
[Special Organization. Team Rainbow Rocket. Masters of the Universe. Commanders of All Legends. Conquerors of Every World.]
Giovanni's pupils contracted. Team Rainbow Rocket. Commanding those monsters. Conquering worlds.
The animation showed their forces crushing trainers across regions, controlling unknown Pokémon with terrifying efficiency. Their technology and military power dwarfed anything Giovanni's Team Rocket had achieved.
That Mewtwo-like creature unleashed a blast of energy with a casual wave. The screen shook. The display of raw force made Giovanni's heart race.
When the cutscene ended and the normal title screen returned, he sat still for a long time. His earlier skepticism was gone, replaced by something sharper. Awe. Hunger.
He had always dreamed of Team Rocket dominating the underworld, maybe more. But never had he imagined it could reach this scale. Controlling Legendaries. Commanding world-spanning armies. Conquering countless worlds.
It was the image of his buried ambition.
His original plan to gather intelligence vanished.
Giovanni placed his hands back on the keyboard, eyes burning with focus. He needed to see more. He needed to understand everything about Team Rainbow Rocket.
And then. He would become that.
If Team Rocket could do this in a game.
Why couldn't he do it in reality.