Viridian City.
The night was deep.
In a corner of the city, under the dim light of a rented room, a handsome young man with black hair was staring death daggers at a folder on his computer screen named [Rainbow Eevee Match-3].
"It has to work this time..."
He took a deep breath, used his mouse to drag the folder into the upload zone of a website, and clicked the confirm button.
But in the next moment, a large red "X" popped up, accompanied by a notification box. The folder on the desktop vanished instantly.
[Unknown Error: 404, File Corrupted.]
"Damn it! Not again!"
The young man cursed angrily, slamming his hand on the table as he stood up.
His name was James Green. One week ago, he had transmigrated to this world.
The good news: This was the world of Pokémon, a world he knew and loved.
The bad news: His identity in this new life was a penniless orphan with no status, renting a temporary room on the outskirts of Viridian City, barely scraping by on odd jobs.
Coming to this world, James didn't have any grand ambitions of becoming a top Trainer. As long as he could partner with one or two Pokémon and live a life together, he would be satisfied.
However, reality was even crueler than he imagined. He was currently so poor his pockets rang empty; he couldn't even support himself. If he went out and tamed a Pokémon now, they would probably end up on the streets together.
——Picture a bowl in front of them: James responsible for crying, the Pokémon responsible for shouting.
To change this state of affairs, James—who had been a top-tier game producer in his past life—had spent his first day investigating the gaming industry of this world via the internet.
The results exceeded his expectations. Although everyone in this world possessed smartphones and computers, and the internet was quite advanced and accessible, the entertainment sector was a blank slate.
Whether it was movies, TV shows, novels, or games, everything was in a primitive and low-level stage.
For example, the number one game on the League's official "Hot List," which sold for a whopping ₽99, was called "Angry Stones."
It was actually just a racing game where you play as a Geodude rolling down a road—and the thing was single-player only, without even a multiplayer function.
If you were lucky enough to reach the later levels, the Geodude would evolve into a Golem... transforming into a fully insured, hundred-ton semi-trailer king of the road, letting passersby understand what it means to "live with force."
This situation initially filled James with joy.
With his abilities, in a world so starved of gaming culture, he could casually port a few masterpieces from his previous life and never have to worry about food or drink again.
But then, the problem appeared.
——When James spent two days creating a simple [Pac-Man: Starter Trio Edition] and tried to upload it, he found the upload failed, and the folder vanished into thin air.
At first, he thought his computer was broken. He remade the game, took a USB drive to the internet cafe downstairs, and tried again, only to encounter the exact same situation!
Refusing to believe in bad luck, he created a new [Lucario Gold Miner] mini-game, only to meet the same fate.
Counting the attempt just now, this was the fifth game he had made that had failed to upload and subsequently disappeared.
This was starting to give James a massive headache.
What do I do now?
Rent was due next week.
But he had spent all his recent time making games. The money he had on him, all combined, wasn't even enough to buy a bottle of Moomoo Milk at the supermarket downstairs...
Just as he was deep in thought, battling with his own anxiety...
A golden panel suddenly floated before his eyes!
Accompanying it was an electronic voice:
[Seven-day buffer period ended! Shielding function operating normally!]
[Ding! Congratulations Host, the "Strongest Pokémon Game Creation System" has been activated!]
[This System can provide you with high-efficiency game production technology, helping the Host become the strongest Pokémon game creator!]
[Novice Reward: Technology Module activated! Please check the panel!]
Taking in the information at a glance, James's gaze landed on the first line of text.
So the problems with the games I made this week were all because of this System?
The electronic voice sounded again, carrying a hint of pride:
[Ding! Please note, Host, since you have transmigrated here, to prevent space-time turbulence from erasing the Host's existence, you can temporarily only create games where the core content is related to Pokémon. Non-related games have been automatically shielded by the System. The Host need not thank this System.]
"...I really thank your whole family."
James silently recited every curse word he had learned in two lifetimes before taking a deep breath to assess the situation.
Simply put, this system before him could help him quickly produce games?
And they had to be games with Pokémon as the core content?
He looked toward the panel, where two cubes were shimmering with blue light.
[Pixel Game Module (Low Level) — Allows for the rapid creation of pixel-style content.]
[Programming Module (Low Level) — Allows for the rapid creation of small-volume, simple program content.]
[Unlocking other modules or upgrading existing modules requires Emotional Values. When others feel anger, shock, moved, admiration, etc., toward the games you create or toward you personally, you will obtain points.]
[Current Balance: 0]
Rapid creation of content?
James thought for a moment, opened the game development software on his computer, and visualized a pixel pattern in his mind.
In the next instant, a "Pikachu" made of yellow pixels instantly leapt onto the screen!
"This isn't bad at all..."
James's eyes lit up immediately.
Even though he was a top-tier game creator, the time and energy required to make a game alone was significant.
That was why he had chosen small-scale games to work on this past week.
Because creating those massive AAA games was impossible with just him alone.
Moreover, his major was Game Design, not Programming... there was a difference between the two.
Usually, James was responsible for proposing the direction, concept, and logic, while others in the company handled the coding.
But with the existence of this system, that problem was solved.
Not only that, as long as the games he made caused emotional changes in others, he could unlock more new modules, thereby creating even more advanced Pokémon games!
With this thought, James began to think rapidly.
Restricted to Pokémon core games, low-level programming, pixel limitations...
A specific game appeared in his mind.
[Pokémon: Ruby / Sapphire / Emerald Series]
This was a pure heavyweight, the Pokémon enlightenment for countless children, and the most classic entry of the handheld games.
With the current system conditions, making this game seemed just right!
But in that moment, a brand new idea suddenly surfaced in James's mind.
To unlock more modules and make higher-level games, I need to gain more Emotional Points.
Then... the authentic vanilla Emerald might be a bit lacking.
He sat at his desk, suddenly revealing a meaningful smile.
If there was one emotion gamers produced most often, it was definitely getting "red-faced" with rage and having a mental breakdown.
And even with Emerald, it was actually quite possible to achieve this!
James clicked his mouse and tapped his keyboard, and a brand new folder instantly appeared on the desktop—
[Pokémon: Ultra Emerald (Lunatic Mode Limited Edition)!]