anwhile, on New Island.
In the pale blue nutrient solution, wtwo floated with its eyes tightly closed.
Countless precision tubes were connected to its body, and even in slumber, its imnse psychic power pressed upon the entire space as though it were tangible.
On a nearby giant screen, the freshly concluded ability test data scrolled rapidly.
"Energy output stable, psychic wavelength continuously optimizing—far beyond expectations."
The lead researcher's voice carried barely suppressed excitent as he reported to the man seated on the sofa behind him.
"Boss Giovanni, congratulations. It's even more perfect than we imagined."
Giovanni sat with his legs crossed, one hand gently stroking the Persian at his feet. His gaze was fixed on the data, the corners of his mouth curving into a satisfied arc.
wtwo—Team Rocket's ultimate creation, their Legendary Pokémon born from ambition and obsession—was finally moving from blueprint to reality.
This would be Team Rocket's ultimate weapon, capable of redefining the very structure of the world.
"Good. Continue monitoring it. Record and analyze even the smallest fluctuation." Giovanni's voice was low and commanding. "Its controllability is the focus of the next phase."
"Yes, sir!" The researcher bowed respectfully.
Just then, the lab's alloy doors slid open. A senior executive hurried in, his expression grave and tinged with disbelief.
He saluted before speaking in a lowered voice, hesitating slightly.
"Boss Giovanni… regarding the incident where Base Seven in the Kanto region was suddenly raided and exposed by League investigators—we… we may have discovered the cause."
Giovanni's gaze shifted from wtwo to the executive, his eyes sharp as blades. "Speak."
The executive took a deep breath, as if still doubting his own report.
"According to intelligence sent back at great risk by our agents embedded within the League, the reason they were able to precisely locate and raid our base was because of… a ga."
The laboratory fell utterly silent. Even the faint hum of the instrunts seed to vanish.
The lead researcher pushed up his glasses, his expression clearly saying, you've got to be joking.
Giovanni's hand paused mid-stroke on Persian's fur. After two seconds of silence, he finally spoke—his tone cold enough to freeze the air.
"You said… a ga?"
"Y-yes, sir." The executive steeled himself and continued. "To be precise, it's a simulated-reality ga called Pokémon: Erald.
According to our intel, the ga's environnts accurately recreated our base locations—and even included so of our secret experintal content.
Cynthia and Lance discovered our base while playing it, which is how the League—"
"Absurd." Giovanni's voice remained calm, but those familiar with him could sense the turbulence beneath it.
Giovanni, the man who ruled Team Rocket's dark empire beneath Kanto, had weathered countless storms.
Yet now, soone was telling him his organization was under attack through… a ga? How could that possibly make sense?
But the executive's next words finally cracked the composure of the man who never flinched, even as mountains crumbled.
"Additionally, our agents in Hoenn have reported that Team Aqua's Admin Shelly and Team Magma's Admin Courtney have drastically reduced their operations.
Upon investigation, both they and their leaders—Archie and Maxie—seem to be completely addicted to Erald. Moreover, they've ordered all elite mbers to play the ga for… 'strategy research.'"
"—?" Giovanni's brow furrowed completely.
Even with his experience and calm, he couldn't help feeling a jolt of disbelief.
That Cynthia and Lance could locate a base through the ga—fine. Perhaps it stemd from an information leak.
But Archie and Maxie? Those two fanatics obsessed with expanding sea and land, both hooked on the sa ga—and even forcing their subordinates to play it?
What on earth was going on?
What exactly was this Erald?
The lab fell into a long silence. Giovanni's fingers slowly stroked Persian's soft fur as his mind raced, piecing together fragnts of impossible information.
A ga that could predict Team Rocket's secret bases. A ga that could make two rival leaders addicted at once.
There had to be sothing far deeper—so hidden value or secret—beneath its surface.
Otherwise, none of this made sense.
After several minutes, Giovanni raised his hand, stopping the executive from continuing.
"Enough." He stood, and Persian leapt gracefully off the sofa. "Have the intelligence departnt investigate this ga's creator and background. Mobilize all available resources."
"Yes, sir!"
Under the astonished gazes of both the researcher and the executive, Giovanni walked toward a private terminal in the lab, speaking in a voice devoid of emotion as he operated it.
"Get a ga account. I want to see what this ga truly is."
---
anwhile, on the Psyduck streaming platform—
In a livestream ranked among the top three in popularity, the chat scrolled like a torrent.
[Miss Lisia is adorable today too! What new ga are you trying?]
[Cheers for Lisia's beauty!]
[Strear, try Erald! It's blowing up right now!]
Before the cara sat a beautiful young woman with silky platinum-blonde hair and a delicate feather hair clip. She smiled sweetly into the mic.
She was Psyduck's newest breakout star—Lisia, a charming and lively strear who'd exploded in popularity for her beauty and personality.
"Good evening, everyone~ Thank you, 'Feather Ball Hits Your Forehead,' for the gift~!" Lisia made a heart at the cara, and the chat exploded in excitent.
"Tonight, we're checking out a brand-new release from Dream Factory—Pokémon: Blazing Fla! Supposedly a huge-budget ga with crazy marketing. Let's see what all the hype's about!"
As she launched the ga, dazzling CG animation and pounding electronic music filled the screen—undeniably the style of a major studio.
"Wow, it's pixel-style! That's pretty rare these days!"
Lisia quickly created her character and jumped into the ga.
"Oh oh! Newbie rewards—ten free draws right at the start! Let's see… wow! Sparkles! A trial card for Tyranitar! Only lasts three days, but still super lucky!"
The early ga sped by—until a large pop-up abruptly filled the screen.
[Supre Growth Package! Limited Ti Offer—only ₽128,000! Instantly unlock permanent Garchomp, exclusive equipnt, and max-level EXP books!]
"Uh…" Lisia blinked, hesitating.
"That's… a bit expensive? But for the stream's sake, and to show you guys what pay-to-win looks like… I'll do it!"
After the purchase, her Garchomp instantly maxed out in level, and the rest of the ga turned into mindless domination.
"Mm~ not bad! That instant-crush feeling is kinda satisfying!" she laughed, running across the bland map filled with recycled textures.
"Dream Factory really nailed the dopamine hit—it just takes… a lot of money."
But her viewers were less amused.
[That's it? Just grinding?]
[The map's so cheap—pixel art isn't supposed to look this lazy]
[Dream Factory never changes. The arena's gonna be whale city, just like Battle Road]
[Lisia, please try Erald before praising this junk!]
"Erald?" Lisia tilted her head.
"Oh, right—that indie ga everyone's been talking about lately, right?"
She smiled skeptically. "I heard it's by so unknown developer, so it can't compare in scale. But since you all want it so badly, let's give it a shot."
She wouldn't have tried it if not for the overwhelming requests—but curiosity won out.
She switched tabs, found Pokémon: Erald, and started the quick download.
"Alright, let's see what this so-called masterpiece is all about."
She created her character and entered the ga.
The opening was the familiar starter Pokémon selection—but the art made her pause.
"Huh? The pixel art's gorgeous—and the UI feels super clean and smooth."
It already looked better than she'd expected.
Five minutes passed.
"Seems pretty standard so far—starter Pokémon, heading out on an adventure…"
Ten minutes passed.
"Wait, what's with this rival?! How's he countering every move I make?"
Her easygoing smile faded.
"My attacks can miss? And why's his damage so high?!"
Once. Twice. Three tis.
She was defeated again and again, sent back to the Pokémon Center each ti.
Chat erupted in laughter.
[Hahaha, welco to the real Pokémon world!]
[No pay button here, strear~]
[Her expression's getting serious lol]
[The rival teaches lessons to all newcors—your turn, Lisia!]
Lisia took a deep breath. Frustration turned to determination.
She disabled the chat and focused entirely on the battle.
On her fourth attempt—after using Mudkip's Sand Attack to make the rival's Treecko miss three moves in a row—she finally won with just a sliver of HP.
"Ha— I did it!" she exhaled, smiling wide.
It was exhausting—like finishing a real battle—but the victory felt amazing.
That sense of challenge and reward… was sothing she'd never felt before.
She continued her journey: through the beautifully crafted Route 101, exploring Oldale Town, uncovering hidden items.
Half an hour later, Lisia was no longer just playing—she was captivated.
The dynamic background music that shifted with every scene.
The attention to detail—every patch of grass hiding sothing, every map encouraging exploration.
Clever puzzles, vibrant NPCs, witty dialogue…
Even regular battles required real strategy. No intrusive paywalls, no mindless stat inflation—just pure design, thoughtful detail, and a true sense of adventure.
She laughed, gasped, and smiled as she played.
"So you can go this way too?!"
"This soundtrack's insane!"
"This NPC's dialogue is hilarious!"
Finally, she stopped, leaned back, and looked at the cara, face glowing with shock and awe.
"I… take back what I said earlier. Everyone, this ga—this map design, this music, this atmosphere, this battle depth—they're on another level."
"I was wondering how an indie ga could compare to Dream Factory's blockbuster—now I get it. You can't compare them at all."
"Dream Factory made a pay-to-win dopamine machine. But this—this is a real Pokémon adventure."
The chat exploded:
['It slls so good' mont unlocked!]
[Welco to the Erald cult]
[Lisia finally discovered the treasure ga!]
And with that, Lisia—completely chard by Erald—forgot about Blazing Fla entirely.
Soon after, clips of her stream flooded the internet.
Her shocked "it slls so good" reaction was instantly turned into s and highlight reels:
"Dream Factory Publicly Executed," "When Indie Quality Destroys Corporate Greed,"
"Lisia: I Was Wrong—Erald is the Real God."
The videos spread like wildfire across social dia and forums, igniting the public's long-simring frustration with Dream Factory.
On the biggest gaming forum, Trainer Camp, the official Pokémon: Blazing Fla discussion board was exploding:
[Dream Factory's marketing budget just got obliterated by one indie ga!]
"After watching Lisia's stream, I can't unsee it.
Blazing Fla is an empty cash grab. The maps are barren, the story's childish, and the battle system's laughable.
Then you play Erald—the detail, the AI, the atmosphere… it's night and day.
Dream Factory's talent must've been eaten by a pack of Poochyena."
[Rational Discussion Tag: Is Blazing Fla straight-up plagiarizing Erald?]
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