Let you make a game, what the hell is Pokemon?.

Chapter 163: The Emergency Meeting at the Dream Factory, Giovanni and Team Rainbow Rocket! (4k)

Online discussions about "Pokémon Blaze" and "Pokémon Emerald" have not subsided but have intensified.

On the "Trainer Camp" forum, the post titled "Dream Factory Publicly Executed" has been trending and has received thousands of replies.

[Original Poster: The Zubat is lost]

[After watching Liuli's live stream, Dream Factory was thoroughly humiliated! The difference in performance is just too obvious!]

[3rd Floor: There's only one truth]

I have a bold guess. Could this game have been made by someone from another time? Otherwise, how come it seems to be several eras ahead of Dream Factory?

[9th Floor: Is Blazing Flame server shut down today?]

[Latest report! Downloads and online players for Blazing Inferno have plummeted! The app store rating has dropped to 3.5! It's all one-star reviews! Emerald, on the other hand, remains a solid 5 stars!]
[Post #13 replying to Post #9: Is Blazing Fire shut down today?: Great! Let's pop the champagne! Let Dream Factory keep going!]

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of Dream Factory Games.

The conference room on the top floor was filled with smoke, and the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Company boss Cui Yu sat in the main seat with a gloomy expression, his fingers tapping absently on the expensive mahogany tabletop. Below him sat several heads of the project, operations, and marketing departments, all with their heads bowed, avoiding his gaze.

"Tell me," Cui Yu said, his voice low but tinged with impatience. "What's the current state of our game?"

A pale-faced female project manager wearing black-rimmed glasses stood up with a stiff upper lip, operated the computer, and projected the data reports onto the large screen.

"Mr. Cui, the data for Crimson Flame after 24 hours of launch isn't good. Downloads are far below expectations, and the paying user rate is abysmal. Player retention is also..."

"Give me specific numbers!" Cui Yu interrupted him impatiently.

The project manager shuddered and rattled off a string of unpleasant numbers.

Cui Yu's face darkened further: "What about player feedback? What did they say?"

Another female manager in charge of operations cautiously chimed in: "The players' opinions mainly focus on the game's rough graphics, empty content, monotonous gameplay, and also..."

"What is it? Speak up!" Cui Yu slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.
The female manager was startled and spoke rapidly: "...And there's also the widespread criticism that our pay-to-win system is too ruthless! They say we're being greedy!"

"Questioning the pay-to-win aspect?" Cui Yu was so angry he almost laughed out loud, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"Why didn't they question us when they played our Battle Road, Elf King, and Hundred Refinement Champion games? They were always willing to pay. Why are they complaining about Blazing Flame this time?"

He really couldn't understand why Dream Factory, which had started with this mature pay-to-win model and had always been popular with players, was suddenly acting strangely this time.

A deathly silence fell over the conference room. After a while, a younger technical manager muttered, "Boss, because of Emerald... it... it doesn't have a recharge option."

"..." Cui Yu was stunned, his angry expression freezing. "No recharge option? What does that mean?"

"That's right. Emerald is a one-time purchase game costing 288 yuan. There are no pay-to-win items in the game. All Pokémon and items need to be explored and collected by the players themselves," the technical director explained.

Cui Yu opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time, as if he had heard something incomprehensible.

While other games also require spending money, once you enter the game, the season pass, item packs, and extra rewards all cost money. Compared to that, the amount of money players spend on purchasing the game is negligible.

"Are they crazy?!" He jumped to his feet, his voice filled with disbelief and incomprehension. "Making games not to make money?! To do charity?! How much would the art, programming, design, and development of that quality cost? Just to break even at 288 per copy? How many copies would they have to sell to make a profit? This is simply impossible!"

The more he thought about it, the less he understood. In his mind, making games was all about making money, and making more money. Why would someone forgo the easy revenue from in-game purchases to earn that hard-earned money from buy-to-play? Wasn't that just plain stupid?
"Besides, even if it's profitable, who would turn down more money?" he muttered to himself, as if trying to understand the thinking of a non-human being.

After taking several deep breaths, Cui Yu forced himself to calm down. He waved his hand irritably, as if trying to drive away something unpleasant.

"Forget it, Crimson Flame is just a distraction and a way to ride the wave of popularity anyway, so its success or failure doesn't matter." He sat down again, trying to calm his tone. "Tomorrow! Tomorrow we're releasing Fantasy Era, that's the main event of the year! We've spent so much on promotion, the numbers are definitely going to be good! Everyone, get your spirits up!"

His gaze swept over the group of employees below, who were now trembling with fear. His tone turned stern again: "Everyone, work overtime tonight! Make sure the launch tomorrow goes smoothly! Xiao Wang, Xiao Li, and you, Xiao Zhang, the project was already behind schedule last week. Did you leave on time again? Forget about your performance bonus this month! I'll have the finance department deduct it!"

The employees whose names were called turned pale, their lips moved, but they dared not refute. A suppressed anger and helplessness flashed in the eyes of many in the meeting room. Overtime was the norm, but at Dream Factory, overtime never came with extra bonuses or subsidies; there was only the threat of pay deductions for failing to meet performance targets.

"What are you all standing there for? Get back to work!" Cui Yu snapped impatiently.

The employees felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They silently packed their things, lowered their heads, and quickly left the suffocating conference room.

As soon as the door closed, several young programmers couldn't help but start muttering curses under their breath.

"Damn it! Cui the Skinflint! He wants the horse to run but doesn't want to eat grass! He makes so much work every day, why doesn't he give it a little more?"

"They deduct money at the drop of a hat! Is the poor quality of the Blazing Flame Dam the fault of us lower-level workers? It's because of the messy orders from above, who insist on rushing the project and making things chaotic!"

"Sigh, stop talking, you'll get yelled at if someone hears you. Let's hurry up and test tomorrow's project."

After walking a bit further away and making sure there was no management around, one of the programmers suddenly sighed and whispered, "Do you think that studio that makes Emerald can take down our company?"

Those nearby were startled upon hearing this, their faces showing surprise.

"Damn, you really dare to say that!"

"But to be honest, I really hope so." The programmer who spoke first lowered his voice, his eyes filled with longing. "Damn, if I could work at that studio, look at their technical skills, their designs, it's like a game-changer. It would be worth it to learn even a little bit!"

"And the game doesn't even have pay-to-win mechanics! You have to be incredibly passionate to make a game like that!" another colleague couldn't help but chime in. "Honestly, I'd go even if the pay was less than at DreamWorks. At least I'd enjoy the work and feel a sense of accomplishment. Anyway, it wouldn't be worse than being constantly exploited by that stingy Choi." "Sigh, what can you do? That studio is incredibly secretive. They don't even have a contact method. Sending my resume to their website email probably wouldn't get me anywhere. I'd like to join them myself."

After a few sighs, the group could only resign themselves to their fate and head to their workstations to continue working overtime for the company's big project the next day, even though they knew in their hearts that it was unlikely they could beat Emerald's other "Crimson Flame".

Meanwhile, at the Rockets' headquarters, in the private lounge.

Giovanni had obtained a brand new game account and device with no prior records. After dismissing everyone, he sat alone on the sofa and, following the rudimentary instructions provided by his subordinates, downloaded and opened the game called "Pokémon Emerald".

He wanted to see what kind of magic this game possessed that allowed the Alliance to precisely target his base and also drew Shui Wutong and Chiyansong, along with their subordinates, into the game.

The game started, and the screen lit up. Giovanni simply skipped over the initial process of selecting characters, choosing names, and receiving starter Pokémon with a blank expression; these basic settings seemed unremarkable to him.

However, just as he controlled his character to step out of the house, about to officially embark on his adventure—

The screen suddenly went black without warning!
"Hmm?" Sakaki was slightly taken aback, thinking that there was a problem with the equipment or the game.

But then the screen lit up again.

Lines of data that Sakaki couldn't see were quietly appearing and popping up in the game.

[Ding! A player with a special identity has been detected. The corresponding Easter egg opening CG has been generated!]

[Distribute immediately!]

At the same time, what appeared before Sakaki was not the quaint town he had just been in, but a pre-recorded, high-quality cutscene!

Under a gloomy sky, a massive metal structure, both technologically advanced and exuding an air of malevolence, floats in the air.

That wasn't a traditional airship, but a futuristic aerial fortress, its entire body covered in cold alloy armor, with countless cannons and signal lights flashing dangerously in the dim sky!
Sakaki frowned slightly, subconsciously assessing the situation from a professional perspective:

"This kind of engineering technology, this kind of floating fortress of this scale, is almost impossible to achieve with current technology. This game..."

However, before he could finish speaking, he suddenly noticed something.

At the top of the fortress, a huge symbol made of the letter "R" emitted an ominous red light... and a dazzling glow that flowed like a rainbow!
Upon seeing the symbol, Sakaki's fingers, which were tapping the table, suddenly stopped, his body instinctively leaned forward, and a look of astonishment and disbelief flashed in his eyes.

R? This is not "

—That's clearly the Rockets' logo!

Although the styles and colors are different, the core design is exactly the same!
What exactly is going on?

As Sakaki's heart churned, the scene before him zoomed in.

On the steel fortress, countless personnel in uniform, all bearing the same "R" symbol on their chests, were working busily. Even more alarming, however, were several unknown Pokémon, each with a different form but radiating terrifying energy, roaming the sky and the ground! Their eyes were vacant, clearly controlled by some force!

Giovanni's breath hitched slightly. He had almost never seen those Pokémon on the screen, nor had he ever heard of any similar legends.

But the energy fluctuations emanating from them, even through the screen, made him feel an instinctive palpitation.

It was a sense of oppression far beyond that of ordinary Pokémon, even far beyond that of his latest masterpiece—Mewtwo—a sense of near-destruction!
These guys are definitely legendary Pokémon!
Just then, the screen zoomed in on a humanoid Pokémon covered in cold armor, with crimson eyes and strange pipes extending from its back. It simply hovered there, the surrounding space seemingly distorted, an invisible power and aura emanating from it.
Upon seeing that figure, Sakaki's pupils suddenly contracted, and he almost stood up.

Why does this Pokémon look and feel so much like Mewtwo?!
Moreover this force
He was deeply shocked. The stability and pure destructive aura displayed by this "Pokémon" that resembled Mewtwo seemed to be even more perfect and powerful than the Mewtwo that he was still testing!
The animation zooms in rapidly, penetrating the fortress's layers of defense, and finally focuses on a figure sitting on a tall throne with his back to the screen.

Although you can't see the front, the domineering and majestic aura emanating from that figure can be clearly felt even through the screen.

Just then, a striking line of rainbow text suddenly appeared in the center of the screen:

[The special organization "Rainbow Rocket"—the rulers of all legends, conquerors of all worlds, and controllers of the universe!!!]

Sakaki's pupils suddenly contracted, and his body involuntarily leaned forward slightly.

Rainbow Rockets?
Dominate these terrifying, unknown Pokémon? Conquer the world?

This organization, which uses a logo similar to Team Rocket, has actually achieved this level of success?!
The animation continues, with scenes changing to show how Team Rainbow Rocket crushes trainers from various regions with absolute power, and how they easily control those terrifying and incredibly powerful unknown Pokémon. Their technological level and military strength far exceed his current understanding of Team Rocket's strength!

The figure of Mewtwo flashed by again, unleashing a devastating burst of energy with a wave of its hand. The screen trembled, and the sheer power made Giovanni's heart pound.

The cutscene ends with the righteous trainers gathering together and launching a desperate charge against the evil fortress under extremely difficult circumstances, accompanied by a tragic and stirring background music.
When this unexpected special opening cinematic finally finished playing, the screen slowly dimmed, returning to the normal game opening screen.
Boss Sakaki remained in the same position for a long time without making any move.

His expression had changed from initial disdain and scrutiny to utter shock and solemnity, with even a hint of fanaticism that he himself was unaware of flashing deep in his eyes!

He has great ambitions, dreaming of Team Rocket ruling the entire underground world, and even further.

But he never dared to imagine that Team Rocket, or rather, an organization called "Rainbow Rockets," could have grown to such an extent!
He controls legendary Pokémon that even he fears, possesses technological and military power that surpasses his time, and conquers countless worlds.
The scene. The power. It's simply...
It's practically his deepest dream come true!
So what exactly is this "Rainbow Rockets" team?
He took a deep breath; his original intention of playing this game to gather intelligence had long since vanished.

He placed his hands back on the keyboard, his eyes becoming incredibly sharp and focused.

I have to keep playing!

In any case, he must see the contents of this "Rainbow Rocket Team" and figure out all its secrets.

Then become like that!
Since the Rockets were able to do this in a game
So why can't I be myself in real life?
(End of this chapter)