Inside the Levincia Gym's streaming studio, Iono took a deep breath, forcing down her excitement over the real-world rewards and the chaos outside. She refocused on her computer screen.
The icon for Pokémon: Dark Phantom sat there quietly, giving off a mysterious vibe that felt similar to Emerald but somehow different.
"Alright, alright! We've had our fun watching everyone lose their minds, and we've tested the rewards! Now let's get down to business and see what this new game's all about!"
Iono flashed her signature bright smile at the camera and clicked the launch icon.
After the familiar black screen, the title screen made her pause.
Unlike Emerald's opening with its sunny, warm orange hues, Dark Phantom's background showed a deep night sky with ghostly purple streams of light, and the music had this mysterious, distant quality to it.
The atmosphere pulled her right in.
"Oh? This vibe... It's pretty different, huh?"
Iono tilted her head, clearly intrigued by the new game.
Next came the opening sequence. Like Roy before her, she watched the cutscene about sleep, nightmares, and the conversation between two professors.
When she heard the name "Champion Iono," the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.
[Hahahaha, look how happy she is]
[Wake up, streamer! You're not actually the Champion!!]
[This opening story is intense. What's with all this light versus dark, World Tree stuff... Way more complex than Emerald's straightforward adventure, right?]
[The production quality seems way higher?]
When the game officially started, and her character woke up in Littleroot Town, Iono moved through it smoothly, talking to Mom and receiving the Pokédex and Poké Balls.
The polished graphics and responsive controls, similar to Emerald, helped her pick things up quickly. She kept sharing her thoughts as she played:
"Mm... the graphics are even a bit better than Fantasy Era, and the controls feel really smooth. Alright, let's do this! First stop: the first Gym!"
When choosing her starter Pokémon, she still went with her heart and wanted to pick an Electric-type, but discovered that this game apparently forced her to choose one of the three starters, honestly.
No choice. After thinking it over briefly, she went straight for Torchic.
"Let's go!"
Iono pumped her fist confidently.
Logically, having been through Emerald's brutal early game, she was bracing herself for a tough fight.
However, on the road to Petalburg City and later in the Gym battles against the students and even Gym Leader Roxanne, she noticed something clearly different.
"Huh? This Zigzagoon isn't that hard to beat?"
Iono watched as Torchic easily handled the wild Pokémon, looking a bit surprised.
When she entered Rustboro Gym and fought the students, the difference became even clearer. "Hmm... this NPC's move choices seem pretty basic, and the AI isn't very aggressive either. They're just standing there trading hits."
When facing Gym Leader Roxanne, although Roxanne's Pokémon still had that Rock-type durability, Iono felt way less pressure.
"Whoa, why does this feel so much easier?" She even had time to commentate. "Roxanne's using Geodude and Nosepass, and her strategy is way simpler too."
After a battle that wasn't too rough, she actually won her first Badge.
Iono was still a little stunned. That was way too easy, wasn't it?
After thinking for a moment, she turned to the camera. "Chat, did you guys catch that? This game, Dark Phantom, at least early on, seems to have way friendlier battle difficulty than Emerald! Feels more focused on story and exploration, you know?"
The chat immediately jumped on it:
[True! I watched the streamer's Emerald run, and she save-scummed for like half a day on the first Gym! Dark Phantom just got cleared first try!]
[Looks like Dark Phantom is more story-focused? They lowered the difficulty so more people can actually experience it?]
[That's awesome! Emerald almost made me rage quit. This one's perfect for casuals like me!]
[Maybe the devs got feedback from Emerald and adjusted the difficulty curve?]
[Go streamer! Push through the story faster. I want to see the dark side storyline later!]
[Speaking of which, Iono, why aren't you playing Emerald to compete for rankings? Can't you get physical rewards there? Why are you still on this new game?]
This comment immediately set off a chain reaction, pulling the conversation back to the real-world rewards.
[Right! With the time you're spending on a new game, wouldn't it be better to catch more rare Pokémon in Emerald and shoot for the top hundred? Maybe you could get top-tier rewards next month too!]
[Chat, stop watching, and go download Emerald right now! While everyone's playing, maybe you can still squeeze into the top 5%!]
[Pushing Dark Phantom's rankings now is the real play! I'll watch the stream to learn strats while playing myself. Double-dipping, I should at least hit top fifty, right?]
[Guy above is a genius]
[Actually, Emerald's concurrent player count is about to explode. The servers not crashing is already a miracle. And you want top fifty?]
[True, Dark Phantom is a new game. Now's the perfect time to get a head start. Once everyone else catches on and the sweats push ahead, it'll be way harder to catch up!]
[Who knows if this game will give out rewards later? And what kind? If it also gives physical items, now's the best time to jump in!]
[Makes sense! Seize the opportunity! I'm buying Dark Phantom right now!]
Watching the debate unfold in chat, Iono smiled. "Alright, alright, you all make good points. I'll definitely play Emerald and compete for rankings. But as a professional streamer, I need to be the first to explore this new game for you guys!"
"Plus, you saw it yourselves. This game might focus more on story, so it's less stressful to play and better for a chill experience. What if there's some incredible easter egg or mechanic hidden in here? Stick with me, and I guarantee you won't fall behind! Let's go, let's go!"
Her words reassured some viewers.
But online, the frenzy triggered by Emerald's remote reward distribution had turned into a full-blown tsunami.
Almost every streaming platform, social media site, and gaming forum was frantically discussing keywords like "Rare Candy," "reward distribution," and "appearing out of thin air."
Countless people who'd been on the fence completely lost it after seeing Iono's stream clips and screenshots of rewards posted by tons of players.
On the game app store, Pokémon: Emerald's download count began climbing in an almost vertical line, instantly shooting to the top of both the bestseller and trending charts.
It ruthlessly trampled the New Game Festival's flagship title, Dream Factory's Fantasy Era, which had been prepped for months across major platforms with a massive marketing budget, crushing it firmly into second place.
Meanwhile, at Dream Factory headquarters.
In the top-floor conference room, the atmosphere was ten times heavier than when "Blaze" had bombed.
Boss Nova's face was deathly pale as he stared at the big screen showing Fantasy Era's dismal launch data, alongside the glaring, runaway comparison charts of Emerald's download numbers and online buzz. His chest heaved violently.
"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?!"
Nova's roar nearly rattled the ceiling. He slammed the table hard, making the water glasses jump.
"Did our marketing budget get flushed down the toilet?! Network-wide promotion! Homepage banner placements! Three full months of buildup! And this is what we get?! Less than two hours after launch, and we're crushed by some indie game?! Huh?!"
The department heads kept their heads down, barely daring to breathe. The operations manager stood up reluctantly, his voice shaking. "President Nova... this... we really can't put all the blame on marketing. The main issue is... that Emerald game... it's..."
"It what?! Can it magically print money? Did it go free-to-play?!" Nova snapped.
"No... it... it's giving players physical rewards remotely!" A young technician couldn't help but speak up quietly.
"What the hell?!" Nova thought he'd misheard. He dug at his ears, his face full of disbelief. "Remote rewards? What rewards? In-game items?"
"No... not in-game items..." The marketing department head spoke with difficulty, pulling out his phone and bringing up clips from Iono's stream and trending news.
"It's... real things. Items that can make Pokémon stronger... Like something called 'Rare Candy' that levels up Pokémon when they eat it... and there's also Special Attack boosters that significantly increase Pokémon move power... These things all appeared directly on players' desks..."
Before he could finish, Nova snatched the phone and rapidly scrolled through the screen, watching the video of the red box appearing on Iono's desk out of nowhere, watching Bellibolt glow white after eating the candy, seeing the overwhelming online discussions and confirmations...
His face went from deathly pale to flushed red, then from flushed red to ashen gray.
"Bullshit!!"
He suddenly smashed the phone on the table, the screen shattering instantly.
"This has to be a publicity stunt! Marketing tricks from that garbage Wind Studio! Photoshop! Special effects!! You idiots actually believe it?! What the hell is our marketing department doing? Why was there no advance warning? Why was there no response plan?! Were you slacking off again?! Did you pocket the budget?!"
As usual, he habitually directed his rage at his employees, attacking his staff with the most vicious assumptions and degrading language.
In the past, for the sake of keeping their jobs, most people would just take it.
But today was different.
A young programmer sitting in the corner wearing black-framed glasses suddenly stood up, his chair scraping harshly against the floor. His face was flushed red, not from fear, but from long-suppressed anger.
"You fat bastard! That's enough!" The young programmer's voice was hoarse from emotion, but his volume drowned out Nova's shouting.
"Even now you're still in denial! All you do is yell at us! Don't you know deep down what trash your games are?! Blaze was trash, and Fantasy Era is just trash in a different wrapper! Besides plagiarism, pay-to-win mechanics, and forced grinding, what else can you do?!"
The conference room instantly fell silent. Everyone stared at the young man in shock. Some eyes showed concern, but more eyes gleamed with long-suppressed approval and satisfaction.
Nova was stunned by this sudden rebellion. He pointed at the young man, his finger trembling. "You... what the hell did you say?! Say that again?! You're fired! Get out! Get out right now!"
"Fired? I've been wanting to quit for forever!"
The young man ripped off his ID badge and slammed it on the table.
"You think anyone actually wants to work for a terrible boss like you? Empty promises every single day, unpaid overtime, docking performance reviews left and right!
Nobody even wants to play the games you make! Look at that studio! They make fun games, don't rip people off, and even give players real stuff! That's what game development is supposed to be! What you do is just a cash grab!"
He got more and more worked up, practically shouting. "Let me tell you something, I'm sending my resume to that studio right now! Even if they only pay me ₽30,000 a month, I'd be happier working there! At least I wouldn't have to work for a clueless tyrant like you! Goodbye! And good riddance!"
With that, he didn't look back, striding toward the conference room door, yanking it open, and slamming it shut with a bang.
The entire conference room fell silent except for Nova's heavy breathing. His face cycled between red and pale as he pointed at the door, yelling at the remaining people. "Unbelievable! Total mutiny! Anyone else want to leave with him? Huh?! All of you..."
His words cut off abruptly.
Because he saw that after a brief silence, several core members of the project team exchanged glances, then quietly began packing up their laptops and files.
"Hey! What... what do you think you're doing?"
Nova's voice carried a barely detectable hint of panic.
A senior planner looked up, calmly meeting his eyes. "President Nova, I think Adam was right. Dream Factory's path may have really reached its end. Sorry, I'm resigning too."
"Me too."
"Count me in."
"This grind isn't worth it anymore."
One person took the lead, and more and more people stood up, silently and firmly walking toward the door.
Some didn't even bother collecting their things, leaving empty-handed.
No matter how Nova shouted, threatened, or even called out with a hint of desperation, he couldn't stop the flood of resignations.
Within just a few minutes, the conference room that could hold dozens of people had lost more than half its occupants, leaving only a few middle managers with pale faces who didn't know what to do, and Nova, whose face had turned completely gray.
Nova slumped in his chair, staring at the suddenly empty conference room, his eyes full of anger, frustration, and a trace of confusion and helplessness he'd never experienced before at this complete loss of control.
He was used to controlling everything, using intimidation and punishment to drive his employees.
He'd never imagined that one day, these people would so decisively abandon him all at once.
After the anger faded, a tremendous emptiness and panic washed over him.
The company's core team had collapsed instantly, the new game had flopped on launch, and the competition was thriving... Dream Factory, the empire he'd built with his own hands, really did seem to be finished.
He sat there in a daze for a long time. Finally, a series of complex emotions flashed through his eyes, ultimately settling on an absurd yet irresistible thought.
He muttered to himself, his voice so low only he could hear:
"That Emerald game... could it really be that incredible? Maybe... I should try it too?"
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~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones