Staring at the game icon with its distinctive style on the screen, Roy found himself genuinely torn.
At 288 pokedollars, it was definitely not cheap for some obscure indie game.
He usually streamed playthroughs of new games, mostly picking cheap or free ones to try out. If they sucked, no big deal.
"Man, this price... that's enough to buy two meals of premium energy bars for my Magneton," he muttered, scratching his head.
But soon, that feeling of being fed up with cookie-cutter mecha games, combined with the inexplicable pull of the icon and description, won out.
He made his decision.
Whatever, I'll just treat it as trying something new. Worst case, I'll refund it. I've got half an hour anyway.
Roy glanced at the time in the bottom left corner of his terminal, making note of when he purchased it, then clicked buy and download.
While the game was downloading, he smoothly activated his streaming equipment.
"Hey everyone, just finished training today, feeling a bit tired, so I'm just gonna chill with some new game."
Roy greeted the camera. The stream chat slowly started filling up with viewers, and comments began to roll in:
[Yo, Roy's not playing mecha today?]
[What game is this? Pokémon: Dark Phantom? Never heard of it.]
[That icon looks weird, doesn't seem like a normal style.]
[Price is 288? An indie game selling for that much? Streamer's got guts to buy it.]
[Turn-based game? No way Roy, you're actually playing this kind of dinosaur genre? Didn't those get phased out decades ago?]
The chat started scrolling, mostly questioning the game's genre and price.
Roy watched the download progress bar while responding, not quite as confident now.
"I don't really know what it's like either, just thought the description seemed pretty unique.
Something about a 3D engine, exploring legends of light and darkness. Figured I'd check it out. If it sucks I'll refund it."
Soon, the download finished.
Roy took a deep breath and clicked the launch icon.
After a brief loading screen, the display suddenly lit up.
Instead of the rough interface or crude opening he'd expected, what appeared before his eyes was an extremely polished, dynamic title screen.
Against a backdrop of deep night sky, stars twinkled, and a ghostly purple light streaked across like a comet, leaving behind the title "Pokémon: Dark Phantom."
The background music was melodious with a hint of mystery, instantly creating an atmosphere he'd never experienced before.
"...Wait, what?" Roy froze for a moment, his previously casual posture quietly straightening.
This is actually kind of polished.
[Holy crap? That interface quality!]
[This is really an indie game? Those art assets don't look like they came from a small workshop.]
[Music sounds pretty good, feels different from games nowadays.]
The chat started refreshing and scrolling.
Roy moved the cursor and clicked "Start Game."
The screen went dark, and then an opening cutscene began to play.
The camera first swept over a peaceful grassland, bathed in bright sunlight, with several never-before-seen, gentle and cute-looking creatures playing on the grass.
The level of detail in the visuals shocked both Roy and the chat. The swaying grass blades, the sheen of those creatures' fur, the glimmering river in the distance, all of it was incredibly realistic, even clearer and more vibrant than many top-tier virtual cinema productions they'd seen.
"Wait... this image quality... for 288?" Roy leaned closer to the screen in disbelief. "This is really real-time rendered gameplay? Not pre-recorded CG?"
[You've gotta be kidding me? This resolution!]
[My graphics card fan just started going crazy! This rendering precision is insane!]
[You can get this kind of visuals for 288? Did the platform mark the wrong price!]
His reaction wasn't exaggerated at all. Just this one segment of CG was enough to make the chat explode.
And while everyone was discussing intensely, the peaceful scene came to an abrupt halt. The screen suddenly darkened, and the music grew somber. The scene quickly switched to what appeared to be a laboratory, where two researchers in white lab coats were having a conversation.
A researcher with glasses and bizarre blue hair spoke first.
"Professor Birch, is there still no sign of them waking up?"
The middle-aged man beside him, apparently Professor Birch, nodded slightly, turning his gaze toward two large beds nearby, his tone heavy.
"That's right. There's no indication they'll wake up anytime soon. Similar cases have appeared in other regions.
Even the Kanto region's champions Red and Blue have shown these symptoms, but their condition is different from everyone else trapped in nightmares.
Their souls seem to be in a perpetually frozen state."
"So even if we had the legendary Cresselia's feather, I'm afraid it wouldn't help."
"I can still remember when he came to find me back then. I never imagined something like this would happen. Now, whether it's my daughter May or Norman's son..."
Listening to their discussion, Roy's face showed an expression of keen interest.
In all the games he'd played, this was the first time he'd encountered an opening like this.
Other games usually got straight to the point and had players start fighting, but this game felt completely different.
Champions, Kanto region, Cresselia... all terms he'd never heard before.
His instinct told him this game was probably going to be really interesting.
As he was thinking, the perspective shifted, and the screen showed the two beds in the lab.
A young man and woman lay there with their eyes tightly closed, seemingly asleep, but with no rising and falling of their breath.
Their bodies were even shrouded in a faint black mist, looking particularly eerie.
Roy was pretty sharp. Seeing this, he immediately caught on. So these are my characters?
As he pondered, the doctor called Colress who'd spoken first shook his head slightly.
"In that case, there's only one method left. Use this device. This is the last possibility to break the deadlock."
He pressed a button, and the floor tiles immediately shattered. A massive machine rose directly from beneath the ground, emitting a thunderous roar.
"This device is the result of my careful research during this time. It can gradually guide the memories of those who are sleeping, enhancing the mind's power to awaken their souls, allowing them to successfully wake up."
"Mr. Norman has already agreed to use this device on the current League Champion. It just depends on your willingness, Professor."
"The starting point of the guidance program is the day Champion Roy first arrived in the Hoenn region..."
The moment those words were spoken, Roy's expression changed dramatically.
He was certain he hadn't entered any identity-related information. How did this game know his real name?
And Cresselia... Hoenn region... Champion, what were those things?
Before he could think more, the man called Professor Birch on screen let out a soft sigh.
"Even someone as cautious and stubborn as Norman agreed to this... Though I don't want to take this risk, this is the only way now."
"I'm counting on you, Colress."
The next moment, Colress pressed the button in his hand. The machine roared, and startup light flooded the entire screen.
Then Roy found that his vision had actually fallen into complete darkness, and an ancient, weathered voice suddenly rang in his ears, beginning to narrate like a voiceover.
[This world... has had a creation myth passed down since ancient times.]
[From absolute nothingness... two opposing existences split apart.]
[And these two existences could not tolerate or reconcile with each other, engaging in endless conflict.]
[Finally, the scales tipped slightly to one side. That side became the primordial being, unfolding time and space, creating the world.]
[While the other side transformed into shadow, hiding in the darkness.]
[In the gap between them, the seed of the world was planted, connecting the finite and infinite. One side bears mind and soul, while the other bears reincarnation and rebirth.]
[Thus, the World Tree extended three main branches, named genera, creatio, abando. They intertwined, growing continuously, spreading infinite possibilities...]
During this lengthy narration, Roy couldn't help but feel somewhat bewildered. These terms were really too unfamiliar to him. They had a grand, lofty feeling, but he couldn't quite understand them.
Just as he was struggling to comprehend, his screen suddenly brightened. He was shocked to discover he was actually standing in a cosmic galaxy sparkling with brilliant stars.
The magnificent sight before his eyes made his brain stop thinking for that instant.
Because the imagery was truly too overwhelming and beautiful... as if he really was standing in the middle of the galaxy.
Before he had time to think more, he suddenly noticed there seemed to be three different massive circles (green, blue, and red) beside his character.
Dazzling light continuously emanated from within those circles, as if attracting him to approach.
Then the red circle suddenly erupted!
The CG ended, and the game officially began.
But the chat had already started discussing intensely.
[Holy crap, this game's opening content is unusual. Did anyone understand it?]
[It'd be weird if anyone could understand... but it seems pretty impressive.]
[Something about a World Tree? Darkness, light spiraling out of control or something... what the hell is this game even about?]
[Don't rush, just watch the streamer play for a bit and we'll find out.]
At this moment, Roy discovered that after the dazzling red light flashed, his perspective seemed to have shifted to a small town full of pastoral charm. According to the game's prompt, this place was called Littleroot Town.
The scene changed, and he woke up in a room. His room was richly detailed, with a desk, bed, computer, everything was there. Sunlight from outside streamed in, warm and realistic.
"This... this is the world inside the game?" Roy tried controlling his character to walk around the room and touch objects. He found that this game's control scheme seemed very similar to other games, but the movement felt much smoother.
And the surrounding visuals made him exclaim in wonder once again.
"These lighting effects, these textures... this is absolutely absurd."
Following the game's guidance, he went downstairs to talk to his mom, then was urged to visit the professor next door.
Walking out the front door, the full view of this small town unfolded before him. Clean streets, uniquely styled wooden houses, lush trees in the distance, and occasional Pidgey or Taillow flying through the air.
The whole world was full of vibrant colors and life, a world apart from the metal and neon steel cities Roy was familiar with.
"My god..." Roy murmured to himself. "This environment... it's like the world from the archives before the disaster happened... Could this game be depicting the past we lost?"
The thought sent a shock through him. People in this world knew very little about the history before the Great Cataclysm.
The scene before him brought not just visual impact, but an indescribable sense of nostalgia and overwhelming emotion.
At the same time, the stream chat exploded once again.
[This town is so beautiful! So peaceful!]
[It's completely different from where we are...]
[Those little creatures flying around are Pokémon too? They look... pretty cute?]
[Streamer, go check it out!]
Roy followed the path forward and soon encountered the first combat segment.
Professor Birch had him choose a Pokémon from the grass for his first battle.
"Wait, isn't this the same guy from the lab?"
Roy muttered, his attention quickly shifting to the three unfamiliar figures that appeared before him.
Three Pokémon appeared on screen: the Fire-type Torchic, the Water-type Mudkip, and the Grass-type Treecko.
Obviously, Roy didn't recognize any of these three Pokémon.
"These are Pokémon I've never seen before, damn..."
Roy was somewhat excited for a moment. After brief consideration, he chose his favorite.
He chose Torchic.
The battle interface opened. It was still turn-based, but the 3D modeled battle scene and Pokémon movements were extremely fluid.
The skill effects, though initially just "Ember," "Tackle," and the like, were impressively rendered, lively and dynamic.
"Attack! Ember!" Roy glanced at the skill panel and, following the game tutorial, tried issuing commands by voice.
The Torchic on screen cutely jumped up, spitting out a small burst of flame that hit the opposing Poochyena, directly burning it until it yelped and ran away.
"This combat is real-time, just like in real life!"
Seeing this performance, Roy's interest was completely hooked.
From then on, he no longer worried about the refund window. He became completely immersed in this novel world, following the story and continuing the game.
Pokémon randomly encountered in the grass (Zigzagoon, Poochyena) each one was incredibly unfamiliar and fascinating to him.
He carefully observed their unique movements and cries, his eyes constantly gleaming with excitement.
Next, he discovered that his conversations with NPCs conveyed the living atmosphere of this world.
Those characters would issue simple quests guiding him to explore the town's surroundings.
For the first time, he felt the joy of "adventure," rather than simply "combat" or "quests."
This game mode focused on exploration, collection, interacting with various creatures, and experiencing the story. It was a completely new experience for him. This game actually has something going for it.
Ten minutes later, facing the camera, Roy's attitude had shifted from initial skepticism to excitement.
At this moment, the chat started refreshing.
[Streamer, didn't you say you'd refund it? You can still make it if you do it now]
[Yeah, in a bit you won't be able to. Refund quick, let us play it instead.]
[A man's gotta keep his word!]
Seeing these comments, Roy immediately coughed and cursed:
"Get out of here! this is fun, why the hell would I refund it!"
"Stop nagging, watch me keep playing!"
۞۞۞۞
~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones