Viridian City.
Night had fallen.
In a corner of the city, under the dim light of a rented room, a handsome young man with black hair stared intently at a folder called "[Rainbow Eevee Match-3]" on his computer screen.
"This time it has to work!"
He took a deep breath, dragged the folder to a website's loading area with his mouse, and clicked the OK button.
But the next instant, a large red X appeared along with a warning message, and the folder vanished from his desktop.
[Unknown Error: 404, Corrupted File.]
Damn it! Not again!
The young man cursed furiously, slamming his fist on the table.
His name was Ling Feng, and he had transmigrated to this world a week ago.
Good news, this was a world he loved and was familiar with: the world of Pokémon.
Bad news: he transmigrated into the body of an orphaned boy, penniless and without an identity, renting a temporary room on the outskirts of Viridian City, barely surviving on odd jobs.
Upon arriving in this world, Ling Feng had no intention of becoming a Pokémon Trainer. He would have been content to partner with one or two Pokémon and live together for the rest of his life.
But reality was far harsher than he had imagined. He was currently extremely poor, unable even to support himself. If he caught another Pokémon, they would likely end up on the streets together.
—A bowl in front of him; Ling Feng would cry, and the Pokémon would cry.
To change this situation, Ling Feng, a prominent video game developer in his previous life, researched this world's entertainment industry on the very first day after transmigrating.
The results shocked him. While everyone in this world had a mobile phone and a computer, and the internet was highly developed and accessible, the entertainment industry was virtually nonexistent.
Whether it's movies, TV series, novels, or video games, they're all in a rather primitive and rudimentary stage.
For example, the top-ranked game on the official League of Legends charts, priced at 99 yuan, is called "Angry Stone."
Essentially, it's a racing game where you play as a Geodude driving down the road, and it's even single-player, with no online multiplayer functionality.
If you're lucky enough to reach higher levels, Geodude will evolve into a Golem... becoming a heavily armored semi-trailer truck weighing hundreds of tons on the highway, giving passersby a taste of what it means to "live life to the fullest."
This situation immediately filled Ling Feng with joy.
With his skills, in a world with such a limited video game culture, even randomly importing a few major titles from his previous life would be enough to make a living.
But a problem arose.
—When Ling Feng spent two days creating a rudimentary version of "Pac-Man: Starter Kitty" and tried to upload it, he discovered that the upload failed and the folder disappeared.
At first, he thought it was a computer glitch, so he recreated the game, took a USB drive to the internet café downstairs, and tried again—only to encounter the same problem!
Undeterred, he created a new game, "Lucario Gold Miner," but it met with the same fate. (I searched for the game but couldn't find it; it must be a Chinese game.)
Including this last attempt, this was the fifth game he'd created that failed to upload and then disappeared.
This was giving Ling Feng a real headache.
What should he do?
The rent was due next week.
But he'd been working on games all this time, and all the money he had left wasn't even enough to buy a bottle of Moo Moo milk at the supermarket downstairs...
Just as he was pondering this, battling his own inner conflict...
A golden panel suddenly appeared before his eyes!
Followed by an electronic voice:
[The seven-day reservation period has ended! The protection function is working normally!]
[Ding! Congratulations, host, the "Strongest Pokémon Game Creation System" has been activated!]
[This system provides you with efficient game creation technology, helping you become the strongest Pokémon game creator!]
[The Novice Reward Technology Module has been activated!] [Please check the panel!]
After quickly reading the information, Ling Feng's gaze fell on the first line of text.
So, the problems with the game I've been creating this week are due to this system?
The electronic voice sounded again, with a hint of pride:
[Ding!] [Please note, host, that as a transmigrator, to prevent space-time disruption from eliminating you, you can only create games with Pokémon-related main content for the time being. The system has automatically blocked other types of games. You don't need to thank me.]
"Really, thank you to your whole family."
Ling Feng silently recited every swear word he'd learned before taking a deep breath and analyzing the situation.
In short, this system seems to help him create games quickly?
And it has to be a game with Pokémon as the main content?
His gaze settled on the panel, where two cubes glowed with a blue light.
[Pixel Game Module (Low Level): You can quickly create pixel-style content]
[Low Level Programming Module (Low Level): You can quickly create simple, small-scale programs] [Unlocking other modules or upgrading existing ones requires Emotion Points. These are earned when others experience emotions like anger, shock, excitement, or admiration toward your game or you.]
[Current Balance: 0]
Create content quickly?
Ling Feng pondered for a moment, opened his game creation software, and mentally sketched a pixelated image.
The next instant, a Pikachu made of yellow pixels appeared on the screen!
"Not bad!"
Ling Feng's eyes lit up.
Even for a top-tier game creator, the time and effort required to create a game independently are considerable.
That's why he's been focusing on small-scale games this week.
Because creating large-scale games on his own is simply impossible.
Furthermore, his profession is game creator, not programmer... there are differences between the two. Normally, Ling Feng only provides direction, ideas, and concepts; the programming is handled by other members of the company.
But with this system, that problem is solved.
Moreover, if the games he creates evoke emotional responses in others, he can unlock more new modules, allowing him to create even more advanced Pokémon games.
With this idea in mind, Ling Feng quickly began to consider.
He could only create Pokémon-centric games, with low-level programming and pixel limitations...
One game came to mind:
[Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald series]
This is a heavyweight, the introduction of Pokémon to the childhood of countless Pokémon fans, and the most classic handheld game.
With the existing system's conditions, creating this game seemed perfect!
But at that moment, a completely new idea suddenly arose in Ling Feng's mind.
To unlock more modules and create more advanced games, he needed to acquire more emotion points.
Well... the original Emerald just doesn't capture the essence.
He sat down at the table, a meaningful smile suddenly appearing on his face.
If there's one emotion players experience most often, it's undoubtedly weakness and guard breaking. (I didn't understand anything.)
And even Emerald can achieve that!
Ling Feng clicked his mouse and typed, and instantly a new folder appeared on his desktop:
[Pokémon: Ultimate Emerald (Crazy Mode, Limited Edition!)] (I couldn't find that game either; it must be a ROM hack.)
(End of chapter)