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

Chapter 222 Ling Feng's Guidebook, Mirror Match!
The moment the encrypted communication file was downloaded, the air in the private room of the Golden City café seemed to freeze. Li Xuan's palms were slightly sweaty as he gripped the mouse. He took a deep breath and opened the document labeled "[Optimization Suggestions and Future Plans for 'Time Rescue Team']".

The moment the document loaded, everyone instinctively moved forward.

However, as the scroll bar rapidly shrank, their expressions gradually changed from initial excitement and anticipation to surprise.

—This is way too many words, isn't it?
Even engineering manuals for high-tech products don't have this many words!
The youngest planner on the team, named Wang Ke, reacted the most strongly.

He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "So many words... what is all this?"

This mysterious Wind Studios' leader has boundless creativity; he's truly a genius for creating games like Emerald and proposing concepts like Rescue Team.

However, when it comes to specific level design and numerical balancing, which require a lot of experience and data support, he still feels deep down that professionals with formal training and experience in large companies are more reliable.

Now, seeing such a detailed document thrown at him, he vaguely felt that he was being bossed around, and even began to doubt whether joining this studio, which he would never even meet, was the right decision.

Li Xuan frowned but didn't reply. He simply gestured for everyone to be quiet and then, as the most senior programmer, began reading the opening section of the document.

However, his first sentence stunned everyone.

[All core content for the first playthrough of "Time Rescue Team," including the main storyline, the hierarchical structure and monster distribution of all dungeons, the complete numerical system of skills and items, and even the recruitment conditions and evolution methods of Pokémon, has been finalized by me.]

Your task is to strictly follow this blueprint and utilize your technical skills to perfectly implement these designs. Only in the second playthrough or subsequent updates will you be allowed to freely explore based on your understanding of the game. Thank you for your understanding.

The private room was completely silent.

How could one person independently complete the entire core design of a game of this scale?

How could that workload be possible?

Wang Ke's dissatisfaction was instantly replaced by disbelief, and his mouth was slightly open.

He was beginning to seriously doubt whether this guy was exaggerating or had some misunderstanding about the complexities of game development.
There's no way one person could have done that alone, right?
Are they really going to exaggerate like that?

He began to feel that he might have really made the wrong choice.

However, as Li Xuan continued reading, the expressions on everyone's faces gradually shifted from doubt to shock, and finally to complete awe.

The document then elaborates on the specific optimization directions.

First, regarding map design, it's no longer simply about random generation; instead, the concept of "themed maze clusters" has been introduced. For example, the initial village will be surrounded by relatively easy mazes like "Fat Koopa Guild Forest" and "Sandshrew Cave," while as the story progresses, more challenging and visually striking areas such as "Dark Forest," "Stormy Seas," and "Lava Mountains" will appear.

Each dungeon community has unique traps, weather effects, and its own wild Pokémon colonies, and even hidden secret passages leading to special dungeons, and they are also interconnected.

Next up is the skill and item system, which is even more outrageous.

When Li Xuan read out, "Currently, there are approximately 1,472 skills planned for inclusion in the system, covering commonly used skills of all attributes and some special variations. Each skill has independent power, accuracy, PP value, attribute, range of action (single target, line, room, all-field), and special effect descriptions, as detailed in the appendix below,"
Everyone gasped.

This isn't even a design draft anymore, is it?
This is a complete encyclopedia!!
The item section lists over two hundred items, ranging from basic healing potions and tree fruits to "mysterious crystals" that can temporarily alter the terrain's attributes, and "friend bracelets" that can summon temporary teammates. Each item has detailed descriptions of its effects and how to obtain it.

The document emphasizes that these values ​​have been rigorously calculated to ensure the balance of the game throughout its early, mid, and late stages, and based on their experience, this seems to be true.

Next, we'll discuss the character designs and dialogue.

The document explicitly states: "All Pokémon character illustrations, pixel animations, dynamic performances in dungeons, as well as all story dialogues, quest texts, and fun interactions between Pokémon, are handled by our unique 'super artificial intelligence' system, which can automatically generate high-quality and stylistically consistent visual resources and natural and fluent text content. You only need to provide the corresponding interfaces and resource locations."

One bombshell announcement after another left the former elites of Dream Factory speechless.

The slight sense of superiority they had previously felt due to their background in a large company had vanished.

Even Dream Factory can't do this kind of technology!
The messages, one after another, struck everyone's hearts like heavy hammer blows.

The document seemed to be nearing its end. Li Xuan scrolled the mouse, preparing to read the final summary.

However, his fingers suddenly stopped, and his shoulders jerked violently.

"What's wrong, Brother Li?" Wang Ke couldn't help but ask.

Others also cast questioning glances at them.

Li Xuan didn't speak, but slowly turned the laptop screen to show everyone the last few lines of text.

The few lines of text, written in a calm tone, stated: "The game 'Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team' will be released completely free-to-play upon completion. There will be no fees charged to players, no in-app purchases, and it will be a pure gift to all Pokémon fans."

"Huh?? Free???"

Wang Ke's voice even changed tone.

Li Xuan stared intently at the screen, as if trying to confirm whether he was seeing things.

The others looked at each other, their faces filled with absurdity and disbelief.

Such a massive amount of content, such meticulous design, and those unheard-of super AI results, all for free?
Someone murmured something under their breath.

"Let's not compare this approach to Dream Factory, let's just leave it at that."

"Well, there's really no comparison..."

At that moment, an unprecedented surge of energy quietly permeated the small private room.

"Let's do it, brothers!"

At the same time, Cynthia gently exhaled, dispelling the tension from her battle with Kagetsu in her mind.

The end of the road to victory was in sight. She guided her character through the last dimly lit passage, and suddenly the space opened up into a simply furnished hall with a trophy-shaped save point that shimmered in the center.

She went up and saved the game, then restored all the Pokémon in the team to their best health.

She had to take on four Elite Four members in a row—especially the last one, Ghost-type Elite Four member, Furuya, which took a tremendous toll on her.

The combination of that Windball and the Dream Demon was unpredictable and nearly caused her to lose her way several times.

After adjusting the moves and held items of Swampert, Sceptile, Rotom, Wobbuffet, Pelipper, and Ludicolo, she looked towards the large door at the far end of the hall, engraved with a Poké Ball pattern. Behind that door lay the Hoenn region's Champion Hall.

According to the game's lore, Daigo should be the one waiting for her.

Cynthia couldn't help but sigh.

This guy is someone I've known for a long time in the real world; we've even sparred a few times before.

I wonder how Daigo will perform in the game?

With that thought in mind, she pushed open the door.

The magnificent hall was brightly lit, and sacred and grand background music played.

However, the figure standing in the center of the hall with his back to her was not Daigo, who was dressed in a well-fitting suit and had light blue hair, as she had expected.

It was the back view of a woman wearing a black trench coat and with long blonde hair, her posture upright and familiar.

As the person slowly turned around, Cynthia's pupils contracted sharply, and her fingers gripping the game console tightened instinctively.

Because—that face was none other than her own!
A little earlier, in a villa in Cerulean City.

Ling Feng sat in front of the computer, the screen displaying the game editor interface for "Emerald".

He is setting up the final battle before completing the first playthrough – the championship battle.

According to the original game, the champion at this point should be Mikoli. For players who have already collected all eight badges and formed a complete team, the challenge is practically nonexistent.

As a result, Ling Feng felt that the ending was somewhat bland, lacking a climax that would leave a lasting impression even on top players.
His gaze fell on an icon that was flashing faintly on the system panel.

[Special Intermediate Module: Mirror Duel Module.]

Special Intermediate Module: Mirror Match Module.

[Module Effect: When this module is loaded into the game created by the host, the game can create a "perfect mirror" or "enhanced mirror" that matches the player's strength based on the player's actual level or game level as an opponent - this is the most profound self-challenge!]

The specific mechanism of the module is as follows:

[The host can choose to copy the target: the player's strength in the game / the player's strength in the real world. ]

[Mirror Image: Advanced AI will 100% replicate the player's current team, items, skill configuration, and common tactical habits. Defeating this mirror image requires players to break through their fixed thinking or perform exceptionally well on the spot.]

[Enhanced Mirror Image: Super AI will use the player's team. The distribution of Pokémon individual values ​​and effort values ​​will be optimized to the theoretical limit by the system. The AI's decision-making speed will be faster and more accurate than that of the player!]

[Weakness Mirror: Super AI will specifically use a team that is perfectly countered by the player's strongest team/core strategy. Players will need to temporarily change teams or develop new strategies based on the current team situation!]

[Points Earning Rules: When a player is crushed and feels frustrated and unwilling, a certain amount of emotional points will be awarded. When they finally find a way to defeat the mirror, a large amount of positive emotional points will be awarded. The specific output will be determined by the actual difficulty of the mirror.]

[Supplementary Note: This module deeply analyzes players' real-life or virtual battle records, constructing highly realistic mirror images. The backend also records changes in the player's win rate and performance against the mirror image, providing a direct reflection of their progress. It is recommended that the host reward the player in-game or in real life upon their first victory over any mirrored opponent, creating a sense of joy and accomplishment, thereby catalyzing the generation of emotional points.]

That's right, he used this module to start the championship challenge!
Players will see a shadow that is exactly the same as themselves in skill level to fight against, and this mirror image imitates the current game strength of the player's team.

As the game progresses, when players challenge the champion again in the second playthrough, they will face their own team from the real world, and an enhanced mirror version of them!
Thinking of this, Ling Feng couldn't help but feel a little excited. He wondered what kind of reaction and expression the first person would have when they entered the champion's room and saw that the champion was someone who looked exactly like him.

That scene... must be quite interesting, right?
At this moment, inside the Hall of Champions.

The Cynthians were completely stunned.

She stared at the "champion" on the screen, whose appearance was exactly the same as her own, and for a moment she even forgot to operate the game.

Until the "Mirror Image Cynthia" on the other side sent out her first Pokémon - Ludicolo.

The battle begins instantly!

However, what followed put Cynthia under unprecedented pressure.

The opposing "self" had an extremely sharp command style, as if she could see right through her thoughts.

Just as she was about to have Swampert use Bodybuilding, Ludicolo interrupted her boost with a preemptive "High Five."

Just as she was planning to use Rotom's multiple attributes to launch an attack, the opponent's Wobbuffet would always appear at the perfect moment to disrupt her offensive rhythm!

These are six completely identical Pokémon: Swampert, Sceptile, Rotom, Wobbuffet, Pelipper, and Ludicolo.

The opponent, however, seemed to be able to maximize the synergy of these Pokémon, with every move selection and every rotation of defensive formations being terrifyingly precise.

Even she, the champion, was suppressed!

Despite repeated attempts and various opening strategies, Cynthia was unable to break through the mirrored wall of defenses.

The opponent was like a cold mirror, clearly reflecting back all her hesitations, habitual routines, and subtle flaws in her tactics, and then exploiting them.

And so, Cynthia lost match after match, and nearly three hours quietly slipped by.

With yet another defeat, Cynthia felt every cell in her body trembling!
This feeling of battling against her "perfect self" was not frustrating at all; on the contrary, it made her incredibly excited!

This kind of experience...
That's amazing!

Come again!

Another failure has arrived.

Facing the black screen, Cynthia took a deep breath and began to concentrate on analyzing the reasons for this failure.

Mirror seems to have a clear grasp of its own rotation patterns, and is particularly good at predicting when it will send out Pelippers to start rainy weather.

Since that's the case, let's try to use this in reverse!
—Again!
(End of this chapter)