Pokémon: Did you play Pokémon today?

Chapter 205 "Professor Oak: Snowball? What brings you back?"

"So you finally dare to come back! Don't you know there's no place for you in this house anymore!"

"Who are you? Where's Ash? Where's my beloved Ash? Give my dear Ash back!"

"Teacher Salty Fish! What are some ways to improve my fishing success rate? I've never won a fishing competition!!!"

"That handsome researcher is outrageous! His Gengar is practically untouchable! I've never been this powerless when I challenged the Elite Four!"

"If I had to say, it wasn't Gengar, it was Mew, so it's normal that it couldn't win. (laughs)"

Bai Zhou glanced at the comments scrolling through the live stream, sending the room number to Chi Hong while waiting to connect, and casually answering the viewers' various questions.

"Ash has an important league match tomorrow and needs to be in top form and get some rest, so the live stream for the end of the first playthrough of Pokémon will not be handed over to him for the time being."

He explained in a relaxed tone, his hands still busy.

"However, our old friend Crimson will still be online on time, so don't worry, the show's quality will be just as good."

"As for the fishing competition—"

Bai Zhou's lips curled into a smile that carried a hint of "crooked methods".

"I do have a 'shady' technique here, but I'm not sure if I should tell you—"

He deliberately dragged out his words, whetting the audience's appetite, before slowly saying:

"Actually, you can go to the port of Vermilion City and find that Magikarp uncle who shouts 'Buy it and you'll make a profit' every day, and bribe him with a little money."

"Let him give his overactive carp a little direction during the game, so that they—well, specifically favor your bait."

"While this might not allow me to catch other rare Water-type Pokémon, the sheer number of Magikarp and the accumulated points make it very promising to achieve a decent ranking and basic rewards."

"After all, the rules only say it's about who catches the most and rarest Pokémon, but they don't say you can't hire fish to bite, right?"

"And that 'handsome researcher' who gives many people a headache—"

Bai Zhou paused, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense, his eyes gleaming.

"In this major game update, we've laid out many interesting subplots, many of which are closely related to this mysterious researcher."

"I suggest everyone try interacting with him more, digging out information and hidden quests about him. You might be surprised and rewarded in unexpected ways!"

It wasn't that Bai Zhou was intentionally keeping people in suspense or playing the riddle-maker.

This game update has indeed planted a lot of foreshadowing and clues about "Team Rainbow Rocket".

He needs to throw out some bait first to fully stimulate players' enthusiasm for active exploration and community discussion, and to warm up for the big events to come.

The upcoming live stream plan is to directly interact with one of the most popular legendary Pokémon in the game, Mewtwo, in front of a large audience.

By leveraging the super hype surrounding Mewtwo, the "Rainbow Rocket" organization, which had been hiding behind the scenes, was naturally brought to light.

By doing this, they also created a live stream that generated a huge buzz, killing two birds with one stone.

Upon hearing these unconventional answers, which even seemed to "incite cheating," the live chat was instantly flooded with a massive number of question marks and exclamation marks.

"Six hundred and sixty-six! Fishing competitions can be played like this?! Bribing NPCs to make their Magikarp bite the bait—"

That's such a crazy idea!

"Following Mr. Salty's logic, does that mean other updates and events can also take a different approach? Can they exploit game mechanics and NPC characteristics to their advantage?"

"Enough said! Pokémon is the best!!! I'm going to go develop a new strategy right now!"

"In that case! I'm going to become the number one mining king of Tsukimi Mountain! I'll borrow (trick) all the NPCs out of their pickaxes! We'll take turns mining! Let's see who mines the most moonstones!"

"Even Mr. Salty Fish hinted at it—it seems the handsome researcher is indeed the most unique NPC in the entire Pokémon series! Mysterious identity, unfathomable strength, and always appearing in times of crisis to give people a strong sense of security—he's simply too perfect!"

"Regarding the matter of game developers personally teaching players how to reasonably exploit the rules (loopholes)"

While answering questions from the chat, Crimson successfully connected and entered the game room.

In the game, the character "Xiao Chi" suddenly appeared next to "Xiao Bai".

He immediately performed a backflip with a clean and smooth move, showcasing the skill of a top player.

"Huh? Where am I—"

A slightly puzzled voice came from the voice channel; he seemed somewhat surprised by his sudden appearance in Pallet Town.

at the same time.

The melodious and nostalgic background music flowed out, its familiar frequency gently striking the heartstrings of all veteran players.

Through the perspective of "Xiaobai," players saw familiar scenes.

The soft sunlight bathed the entire quiet town, enveloping everything in a warm and cozy filter.

With lush green grass and scattered houses, this is Pallet Town, the place where all trainers' dreams take flight.

"Continuing from the storyline of our last live stream."

Bai Zhou skillfully controlled Xiao Bai, moving towards the target location while giving a brief recap of the previous events for the newly launched Crimson and viewers who might not remember the progress.

"After resolving the Silph Corporation incident in Goldenrod City, we should now head to Viridian City Gym to obtain the eighth and final badge. Then, we'll embark on the Champion Road challenge and make our final push for the League Champion title."

He briefly summarized the current progress of the game, then changed the subject, his tone becoming mysterious.

"However, before heading to the Viridian Gym, we can prepare for the ultimate challenge ahead. Pallet Town, the place where our dreams began, has many hidden gems that are easy to overlook."

He deliberately used a seductive tone to say:

"I'll take you all to find a very special Pokémon in a bit. Follow me, we'll head to Professor Oak's lab first."

As he spoke, Bai Zhou controlled Xiao Bai to summon Gengar, and jumped onto its round back.

Gengar let out a strange "Gaga" laugh and slowly carried Snow White down the small hill where they were, heading towards the research institute in the center of town.

Although Crimson wasn't quite sure what White Boat was planning, she immediately controlled "Little Crimson" to summon the majestic fire-breathing dragon, mounted it, and followed closely behind.

Along the way, the comments section also joined in the heated discussion about Pallet Town, with everyone speculating about the true purpose of Shiraishu's trip.

"I love exploring Pallet Town at my own pace! Although it's not as bustling and lively as other cities, you can really find random items while walking around here! The sense of surprise is amazing!"

"Help! Does anyone have a map or guide showing the locations of hidden Pokémon in Pallet Town? I really want an Abra!"

"Click on my profile to see my contact information. A travel guide for 20 yuan, I'm selling it to you cheap. (doge)"

"This place, Pallet Town, hasn't been thoroughly searched by all you 'scavengers' and 'strategy hunters' since the game's been out for so long? There are no guides online, so what hidden treasures could there possibly be? Salty Fish Teacher is really joking~"

"Don't be so hasty! Don't forget this major game update! What if this guy secretly slipped something new into Pallet Town again?"

"Pay attention to the keywords! Special Pokémon? Does it specifically refer to a legendary Pokémon? Could there be some legendary Pokémon hidden in Pallet Town?"

As the chat exploded with comments, familiar buildings appeared on the game screen.

That's where players first received their starter Pokémon, at Professor Oak's lab.

"As everyone knows."

Bai Zhou looked at the research institute and the endless hills, forests, and rivers behind it, and said in a teasing tone:

"Professor Oak's backyard"—nominally called a backyard, it actually refers to everything visible behind the research building. The area is...wow, it's comparable to half a wild plain! One can only say—the professor is indeed the professor; his wealth is astonishing.

Bai Zhou, controlling Xiao Bai, led Xiao Chi through the main gate of the research institute.

"I wonder if any of you trainers are aware of this."

He explained the tips and tricks as he walked.

"Those Pokémon that you sent back to Professor Oak through the computer system to help care for and store are not just cold data."

"You can come to the institute's backyard yourself and see them roaming freely in their respective ecological zones, and even interact with them."

Upon entering the research institute, Bai Zhou did not let Xiao Bai explore aimlessly. Instead, he turned directly towards the corridor leading to the living area and headed to Professor Oak's private office.

"However, we can explore the vast backyard later. Now, let's go to the handsome researcher's room to get something. This thing is crucial to our next move—"

"Teacher Salty Fish".

Red, who had been quietly following behind, acting as both "bodyguard" and "atmosphere team member," finally couldn't hold back any longer and voiced his doubts.

"The handsome researcher's room, I remember—wasn't it always locked? I can't get in at all. I've tried before."

As a top veteran Pokémon player and Shiraishu's "number one victim" (crossed out) number one fan.

From the very first day of the game's release, Crimson became completely engrossed in exploring this virtual world.

On the game map, anywhere the character can reach.

Whether it's a hidden cave that requires surfing and super strength to reach, or a secret beach that harbors rare Pokémon, he has set foot in and explored almost all of them.

Not to mention the "Handsome Researcher's Room," a special location that is hotly discussed in player forums and is almost synonymous with Brother Bai Zhou.

He tried every possible way to get in and take a look.

After all, he was more aware of the value of the "Handsome Researcher" NPC than other ordinary players.

This is totally Bai Zhou's incarnation in the game!

Could his room be an ordinary room?

"Well--""

Bai Zhou was surprised that Chi Hong would ask this question, especially one with such a tricky and detailed focus, and asked back with a somewhat strange tone.

"How did you know the handsome researcher's room was locked?"

He paused, then asked with a hint of mockery:

"You went to try it on purpose? What were you planning to do? Steal something?"

"How can you call it stealing!"

Crimson's voice immediately rose, filled with obvious embarrassment and defensiveness, as he tried to maintain his image as an "honest trainer".

"How can you call a player's behavior in the game stealing? That's called exploration! Exploration, okay? It's about discovering hidden content in the game! It's every trainer's sacred right!"

Anyway, Chi Hong would never admit that it was because he had accumulated a little resentment towards Bai Zhou for all the times he had "tricked" him in the past.

I just wanted to see what good stuff this "handsome researcher" in the game had hidden in his room that was worth "stealing" to vent my "hatred".

Besides, can something that happens in a game be considered stealing?

He can do whatever he wants!

"Baba—you're right, it is exploration, a sacred exploration."

Bai Zhou suppressed a laugh and didn't continue to dwell on the topic, lest a certain legendary player turn red on the spot.

"Red is right. The handsome researcher's room is indeed locked and cannot be entered under normal circumstances. Therefore, we first need to find Professor Oak and stage a 'key-stealing' scene to borrow the spare key to the handsome researcher's room from him."

He successfully guided Xiaobai to Professor Oak, who was working at his desk in his office, triggering an interactive dialogue.

Professor Oak: Snowball? What brings you back?

Professor Oak put down his research materials and looked at Shiro in front of him with some surprise.

Professor Oak: Are you having some kind of trouble? Or perhaps—would you like to get another starter Pokémon from me?

Bai Zhou cleared his throat, spoke into the microphone, and in a sincere (and unwavering) tone, spoke on behalf of the game character Xiao Bai:

"Um, Professor Oak, I met a handsome researcher in Goldenrod City. He said he left something very important in his dormitory at the research institute and asked me to come back and get it for him. However, he said he left in a hurry and forgot his key, so he told me to come directly to you to get the spare key."

Professor Oak: Hey! This kid! Still so forgetful! He makes you go through all that trouble just to get something—

Honestly, you're just making things worse for me—wait a minute, let me find where he put the spare key to his room—”

After hearing Shiro's message, Professor Oak's face showed a mixture of amusement and exasperation. He muttered a complaint about how unreliable his capable assistant was.

He then began rummaging through the various drawers on his desk.

A moment later, he took out a simple-looking key and handed it to Xiaobai.

"Xiaobai got the key to the handsome researcher's room from Professor Oak! |

"Bai put the key to the handsome researcher's room into his important prop pocket."