Chapter 1 Pokémon World
"In short, with current technology, it's impossible to develop any virtual reality games. This game called 'Pokémon World' is complete false advertising; it's probably just another trashy pay-to-win online game."
Send!
After clicking send, Chen Yan stretched comfortably and gulped down a few mouthfuls of soda.
He was a game content creator on Blue Star C-site. Although far from being a top 100 creator, he had over 100,000 followers and earned enough to live comfortably.
Since no major game releases had been released recently, and he had long since run out of his accumulated material, coupled with his fans' constant urging for updates, Chen Yan had to find a way to create a... oh no! a video.
So Chen Yan logged onto the Steam platform to see what new games were available. He wasn't expecting any good games; the last two months were the off-season for the game industry, and even though Steam was the largest game platform in China, the new games released in the last two months were mostly low-quality.
However, even the worst games have their uses. If he could find a game that was absolutely terrible, he could just play it for a while, give it a good critique, and he'd have a video ready.
"That's me for you,"
Chen Yan thought to himself, silently giving himself a mental thumbs up.
But then again, these games these days are all copying each other, so consistently bad they don't even inspire any desire to criticize.
Then he discovered a game called *Pokémon World*. He initially thought it was just another reskinned card game, but when he clicked on it, the page was incredibly clean.
No promotional CG, no gameplay footage, not even a single game image—just a pre-registration download link with a brief description:
"[This game is exclusively developed by Arceus Studio. Through the latest virtual reality technology, players will experience the same realistic feeling as in the real world, providing a fully immersive gaming experience and allowing you to start your second life. (The game is in closed beta; pre-registration slots are limited, first come, first served!)]"
Goodness, this game description made Chen Yan laugh out loud. He'd seen game developers make empty promises and exaggerated claims before, but this was the first time he'd ever seen a game description that was so obviously made up.
He glanced at the comments section; there were only three comments. Two were question marks, and one was questioning whether there was a bug in the Steam platform's review process.
Chen Yan didn't think it was a bug. Steam's review standards were always lenient; as long as it looked like a game, it could basically be listed. They didn't care how the game developers advertised it; you could get a refund within two hours of playing. If you thought the game was falsely advertised, you could just ask for a refund.
However, this game description was indeed a bit outrageous, but the more outrageous the better—he needed video material.
Thinking this, Chen Yan started screen recording, picked up his keyboard, and started typing away, criticizing the game in the comments section first—it would be good for the show, and it would also fill up his video length.
"Burp~"
After taking a few more sips of soda, Chen Yan clicked on the pre-registration link.
[Current number of reservations: 3]
[Game reservation: Yes/No]
"The game description is all made up, but the number of reservations is quite realistic. Oh well, I hope this game is uniquely bad, so I don't even want to complain about it."
Chen Yan moved the mouse and clicked "Yes".
"Knock knock!" There was a knock on the door.
"Come in." Ryan closed the panel in front of him and looked up at the person who came in.
"It's Uncle White. How is Scyther's injury?"
"After using the secret medicine you gave me, its injury has improved a lot, but it's very depressed now and doesn't want to eat. I'm afraid its body won't be able to take it." White said worriedly.
"Okay, I know. Let it rest for a while. I'll go see it this afternoon."
"You're going to see it? But young master, aren't you..." White hesitated.
"You mean I've always been afraid of magical beasts since I was little? That's true before, but after what's happened these past few days, I've figured it out. Only with the power of magical beasts can I protect my territory. Besides, didn't I just get rescued by one?"
"By the way, what about the little guy who saved me?" Ryan asked.
"You mean Sweet Bamboo? It's here now..."
"Mmm!"
White was about to answer when a purplish-red figure suddenly hopped in through the door. It looked around frantically, then its eyes lit up when it saw Ryan.
It hopped over to the table, then quickly spun the calyx on its head and flew behind Ryan to hide.
Then it cautiously peeked out, looking towards the door.
"Mmm~" |ω`)
"Uh, it's right here." White said somewhat awkwardly, "I clearly told Beedrill to watch it."
"Hiss!" Just as Beedrill was mentioned, it stormed into the doorway.
Sweet Bamboo immediately pulled its head back in and covered its eyes with the calyx on its head.
"Mmm~" (Can't see me, can't see me~)
But Beedrill had already smelled its fragrance, and if it hadn't been hiding behind Ryan, it would have already caught it.
"I was just about to go see this little guy, but I didn't expect it to come here on its own." Ryan turned to look at Sweet Bamboo.
"It's my fault for not keeping a close eye on it; I didn't expect it to escape and startle you," White said, glaring at Beedrill.
"It's alright. I already said that we'll need to rely on the power of magical beasts in the future, starting with this Sweet Bamboo."
"Your courage and sense of responsibility are admirable. The territory will definitely be restored and rebuilt under your leadership."
"This requires our joint efforts. Speaking of which, I hope you can take stock of the damage to the houses in the territory. After all, the weather hasn't warmed up yet, and I don't want my people to freeze to death on the streets."
"Yes, ma'am, I'll go right now." White turned and left with Beedrill.
"Alright, Beedrill's gone. How long are you going to hide?" Ryan carried Sweet Bamboo from behind him onto the table in front of him.
Sweet Bamboo secretly opened one eye, and seeing that Beedrill was really gone, it immediately jumped up happily.
"Mmm~ Mmm~" (Luckily it ran fast!)
Ryan looked at the creature in front of him that resembled a mangosteen. This was the first time he had seen a Pokémon so close.
Its purplish-red body was adorned with two yellow eyes, and the lower part of its body was white, like exposed fruit flesh, from which two small legs extended. Three sepals topped its head, making it incredibly cute.
Ryan reached out and touched Sweetie's sepals, feeling a plant-like texture on his fingertips. It had the body of a plant, yet it moved and hopped around like an animal—that was the magic of Pokémon.
"I never thought I'd be able to touch a real Pokémon." Ryan's hand trembled slightly, but he persisted, touching it again and again.
"Hehe~ (ˇˇ)" Sweetie comfortably squinted its eyes.
"Although I don't know why I was transported here, being able to pet a Pokémon feels pretty good." Ryan smiled self-comfortingly.
Then he focused on the back of his left hand, where a cross-shaped pattern appeared, followed by a panel that appeared before his eyes.
[Main Quest: At least three players have pre-registered to download the game (Quest Completed, Rewards Issued)]
[Main Quest: At least one player has officially logged into the game (Incomplete)
Rewards: Pokémon Food x100kg, Lottery Chance x3]
"Hopefully some players will log in tomorrow. Come to think of it, these past two days have felt like a dream,"
Ryan muttered to himself, his mind replaying the events of the past two days.
(End of Chapter)