Cynthia's video was beautifully simple.
The entire thing centered on one message: "Even if you're not a trainer, you can still discover another version of yourself in Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team of Time."
That sentence said it all. This game wasn't about epic battles or deep strategic gameplay; it was about something else entirely.
In the video, Cynthia didn't bother explaining game mechanics. Instead, she shared her experience with that slow, sunglasses-wearing but surprisingly wise Totodile, along with all those unique partner stories from the comments section.
Her voice was gentle this time, like she was simply telling a story.
"This isn't a trainer's story," she said at the end, looking directly into the camera. Something different flickered in her usually calm, steady eyes.
"This is a chance... to become a Pokémon and start a brand new life in another world. Put aside everything you are and just experience it. I can't wait to see your playthroughs."
Just that one line, paired with the on-screen image of Totodile slowly adjusting its sunglasses while Chikorita dragged it away with Vine Whip in exasperated amusement, was enough to ignite the already blazing discussion.
[Holy crap! Cynthia's review is incredible!]
[Meeting another version of yourself... I'm tearing up, isn't this literally what I daydream about on my subway commute?]
[Wait, so Wind made this game to let us live a second life?!]
[Seeing that goofy Totodile makes me feel better about my partner, who only knows how to eat...]
[The concept just got elevated to another level! Wind is a genius!]
[So what's the actual leaderboard reward? Wind, announce it already! I'm dying here!]
The game was already popular, but Cynthia's video sent it into the stratosphere.
Within minutes, entries related to Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team of Time and Cynthia's video dominated the top ten trending topics across every major social platform.
Discussion exploded exponentially, and game downloads shot up in an almost vertical line.
Countless people flooded Wind Studio's official account, filling the comment section with questions and exclamations.
Then, Wind Studio's official account finally posted an update.
No complex announcement this time, just a pinned comment that appeared quietly beneath Cynthia's viral video:
[Given the unique nature of the recommended audience for this Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team of Time release, final leaderboard rewards will no longer be limited to in-game items. Top players will receive equivalent monetary or physical prizes.]
[Maybe it can help you step off the treadmill for a while and try another possibility in life.]
Real money and physical rewards.
Stepping off the treadmill, another life.
The combination of those words created an explosive reaction.
The comments erupted in a tsunami of "???" and "!!!", followed by even more frantic discussion.
[Did I read that right??? Wind is giving out ACTUAL MONEY?!]
[Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap! Real money!]
[Wait... does this mean if you're good enough at the game, you won't have to work?]
[Is Wind seriously encouraging us to quit our jobs and chase our dreams?!]
[Don't get carried away up there, but seriously, this reward is way more practical for us than rare items]
[Nothing more to say. I'm grinding this dungeon into dust.]
The line between reality and the virtual world blurred with that understated announcement.
The game's appeal suddenly gained a layer of tangible, real-world possibility on top of the fantasy adventure experience.
For Kairos, the decision was straightforward.
Real monetary rewards. For people trapped in offices, repeating exhausting routines day after day, this wasn't just a game anymore. It was like a once-in-a-lifetime chance to change their reality.
Meanwhile, in a cramped rental apartment buried in the urban jungle, the air was thick with the smell of old takeout boxes and instant ramen.
Light from a computer screen reflected off a young man's face. His expression was tired and numb, with dark circles under his eyes. He looked completely drained.
His name was Joe, an ordinary office worker, unremarkably, exhaustingly ordinary.
Even in the Pokémon world, overtime was still normal for regular people.
With no promotion or raise in sight, his life felt like a wound-up gear, monotonous, repetitive, suffocatingly oppressive.
As for dreams about the future, those had disappeared long ago.
He'd just finished another round of pointless report revisions. Joe was mechanically scrolling through his phone.
The trending topics were all about that game, along with Cynthia's video.
He didn't normally play games; he thought they were a waste of time. Or rather, he didn't have any time to spare in the first place.
Plus, games were just virtual anyway. Even that whole Emerald thing was just an opportunity for trainers, nothing to do with ordinary working people like him.
But the words "cash reward" caught his eye.
Almost like he was possessed, he clicked on Cynthia's video.
In the video, Chikorita cautiously exploring, Totodile's slow-paced analysis, and Cynthia's line about "meeting another version of yourself"; these scenes and words made him freeze.
Especially when Cynthia said, "Put aside everything you are and experience it," Joe's fingers tightened around his phone.
His eyes drifted to the pinned announcement from Wind Studio in the comments.
"Monetary or physical rewards"... "step off the treadmill"... "another possibility in life"...
He suddenly took a deep breath.
Step off... the treadmill?
Another... possibility?
He stared at the screen, his eyes dull, but somewhere deep inside, that nearly extinguished spark flickered back to life.
An impulse, one even he found unfamiliar, surged through him.
Whatever. He had nothing else to do tonight anyway.
Tomorrow would just be another repetitive day anyway.
Why not try it? Just for a few minutes. What did he have to lose?
With that somewhat self-destructive thought, Joe found the icon in his phone's app store. It was a simple badge made of leaves and claw prints, labeled Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team of Time.
Download. Install.
The progress bar slowly climbed, and his phone grew warm.
Finally, installation is complete. He took a deep breath, like he was about to step into an unknown realm, and tapped the icon.
The screen went black.
Then, a gentle, vibrant light appeared, not the harsh fluorescent glare of the real world, but something softer, like sunlight filtering through a forest, emanating from the screen.
He found it almost unbelievable. How could a phone screen produce light like this?
Just then, a melodious, ethereal music began to play.
Joe instinctively held his breath.
A line of text appeared before his eyes.
[Welcome.]
---
Cerulean City, late at night.
The only light in the villa room came from the computer screen's dim glow.
Kairos leaned back in his chair, letting out a long breath, his fingertips lightly tapping the last key on the keyboard.
On the screen, two folders, [Dark Phantom] and [Emerald], sat quietly.
This past week, he'd barely done anything else. On one hand, he'd been working on the second playthrough of Ultimate Emerald; on the other, the first playthrough storyline for Dark Phantom.
Originally, he'd hired those people from Dream Factory to lighten his workload, but now it seemed like they could barely keep up with Mystery Dungeon's updates and operations. Sometimes he even had to check in on Mystery Dungeon himself.
Thinking about it, Kairos felt a bit regretful. If he'd known, he wouldn't have rushed things. Hadn't he just made more work for himself?
But on second thought, his progress updating all three games simultaneously had been pretty good lately, so it wasn't a total loss.
The first playthrough of Dark Phantom's main story was almost done, and he'd completed a lot of Emerald's second playthrough content.
Meanwhile, in the corner of the room, a dark figure floated over, Gengar.
He brought his face close to the screen, looked at those folder icons, and rolled his eyes.
Obviously, he'd helped Kairos quite a bit this week, and looking at those folders now made him uncomfortable.
Beside him, Chandelure floated closer too, its warm flames flickering gently, pushing back the night's chill.
Today, Chandelure had actually stayed home instead of wandering around, which was pretty unusual.
Kairos reached out. One hand felt Gengar's cool touch, while the other felt Chandelure's gentle warmth.
He was pretty satisfied with this life now, making games every day with two Pokémon for company.
A month ago, he really couldn't have imagined living like this.
Right then, he casually opened the system panel, wanting to check how the reaction to Cynthia's video had played out.
But when his eyes landed on the task panel, he completely froze.
On the task panel, the task bar that had been displaying [S-level Task: Traffic Diversion? Top Tier!] was now flashing with dazzling golden light.
[S-level Task: Traffic Diversion? Top Tier!]
[Have one of your games attract one million non-trainer players (Complete!)]
[Task Reward: Emotion Points +20000, SS-level Special Pokémon Item Blueprint x1, Special System Advanced Item Chest x1]
Complete? One million non-trainer players?
Kairos blinked, genuinely surprised.
This task hadn't been on the panel for long. He'd originally figured it would take at least two weeks to build momentum; after all, getting ordinary people interested in Pokémon adventure games takes time.
He'd had Cynthia promote it, emphasizing "experiencing another kind of life" and "meeting a unique partner," plus the real cash leaderboard rewards. He'd wanted to specifically appeal to those ordinary people whose edges had been worn smooth by life, but this was way faster than expected.
It looked like a Champion's influence combined with the lure of cash, in a world lacking entertainment, had an impact far stronger than he'd thought.
He clicked to claim the reward.
Buzz!
The system notification sounded.
[Congratulations, Host, obtained Emotion Points: 20000]
[Obtained SS-level Special Pokémon Item Blueprint x1]
[Obtained Special System Advanced Item Chest x1]
Kairos's eyes went straight to the treasure chest emanating mysterious purple light.
An advanced item chest. This seemed to be the first time he'd seen one.
Wonder what's inside?
With a thought, he opened it.
The chest lid lifted immediately, and a soft white light flashed.
A device appeared before Kairos with a distinctly antique, almost steampunk aesthetic.
The machine's body looked like a small furnace, with complex pipes connected to its sides and several crystal panels flickering with faint light.
The whole thing gave off a yellowish glow, its surface covered in indecipherable patterns.
At the same time, information appeared before Kairos.
[Obtained S-level Special Item: Ancient Revival Furnace (Prototype)]
[Effect: Can revive ancient Pokémon fossils, restoring them to living form. Activation requires energy consumption (can be charged with Emotion Points or specific ores).]
[Additional Function: Automatically scans and marks ancient Pokémon fossils within a 100 km radius (marking is one-time, locations will display on the map).]
[Special Note: Ancient Pokémon successfully revived by this item provide 500% increased Emotion Point gains for the host!]
Revive fossil Pokémon?
Kairos was stunned again.
If this thing ended up in the scientific community, it would be another bombshell.
After all, in this world, fossil research was still extremely preliminary.
Back when Cynthia showed Professor Oak that fossils in the game could be revived, his reaction was bigger than anyone's, and they were nowhere near actual revival research.
If this machine got out, the entire scientific community would probably experience an earthquake.
Magnitude 10.
And Emotion Point gains increased fivefold?
Kairos thought about it.
This machine had no immediate use for him. He wasn't an ancient scholar, and he wasn't particularly interested in fossils.
But if he looked at the bigger picture, he would give it directly to Professor Oak.
Yeah, giving this thing to him as a game reward couldn't be more perfect.
With Professor Oak using this machine for fossil revival and related research, it would definitely cause massive ripples throughout the scientific community. And that meant an influx of Emotion Points was practically guaranteed.
Just then, he noticed something beside the so-called Ancient Revival Furnace, a palm-sized, grayish stone sitting quietly.
This had to be a fossil. It was oval-shaped, with fine patterns covering its surface.
And it looked like something that had appeared with the machine.
Should he try it?
Kairos thought for a moment.
The description said the operation was simple, just charge and activate.
He picked up the Omanyte fossil and placed it on the machine's surface. A prompt immediately lit up before his eyes.
[Consume 1000 Emotion Points for revival?]
Kairos's eyebrows shot up.
1000 points? A bit steep...
But for him right now, it seemed manageable.
In that case, might as well try it.
He took a deep breath and selected confirm.
۞۞۞۞
~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones