We finally arrived at the first city outside the village.
Although I was beaten half to death by a bunch of flying-type monsters along the way, fortunately my level was high enough that I was able to crush them all the way through with my stats.
[Obtain Pokégear Expansion Card #1 (Map)!]
[This is a map, Mike ]
[It can tell you your location, good luck!]
After a brief cutscene, an old man gave him an expansion card.
"Map card? So this thing can finally be used?"
Mike picked up the map card in his hand, a look of understanding on his face.
He had already tried connecting this thing along with the other expansion cards when he was testing them earlier.
Unfortunately, nothing happened; it only displayed "[Temporarily Unavailable]".
Now that it seemed he had finally unlocked the thing, Mike reinserted the map card.
As expected, it turned out exactly as I had imagined.
The game map slowly loaded onto the small LCD screen.
The resolution is low, and it's black and white.
However, thanks to the different shades of gray, Mike was still able to clearly distinguish the current state.
It seems I'm in a small town in the lower right corner, which should be Violet City where I am now.
This experience was truly unprecedented.
Now he doesn't need to open the Pokégear; he can see the content displayed on it simply by looking up.
To be honest, after experiencing so many great games, this generation of Pokémon's map didn't bring Mike many surprises.
No matter how innovative they are, it's impossible to create an entire fascinating Caribbean Sea like in " Pirates!!".
However, given the limited capabilities of an 8-bit system, this level of map is already unbeatable.
Among 8-bit games, perhaps only the Legend of Zelda, which was one of the first to use floppy disks, could reach this scale.
"Regardless, let's move forward with the game first."
With so little information available, it's impossible to discern the content of this work at all.
So far, apart from the Pokégear and the time system, he hasn't discovered anything else new.
A more emotionally intelligent way to put it is: an authentic Pokémon experience.
Low emotional intelligence, huh?
That's called squeezing toothpaste!
Come on, can't you come up with something more surprising? Is that all?
I don't know if it was intentional on the part of the developers.
Just when Mike was starting to feel disappointed, the situation finally changed.
And it's a dramatic change!
[ Mike received Mystery Egg from his grandfather.]
"Ring ring"
The screen showed a call from Professor Elm.
Professor Oak, an old acquaintance in the house, was just telling me to go back and find him.
Of course, we should go back.
But before that, Mike planned to investigate what was going on with the egg.
He would never believe it if you told him it was just a decorative little ornament.
It's called an egg, for crying out loud!
[Pocket][Item]
[ Mystery Egg ]: [Something left by Mr. Pokémon, an egg of unknown origin.]
"This icon----"
Looking at it, Mike suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.
Immediately, his eyes widened in surprise, and he exclaimed.
"SHIT! This is one too!"
Damn, Gamenova really knows how to hide things!
Holy crap, isn't this the level collectible that appeared in " Clefairy's Universal Gravitation "?!
In each level Clefairy needs to use changes in gravity to alter the world and help him collect eggs whose nature he doesn't know.
Is it a reuse of a resource library?
Mike shook his head and immediately rejected the idea.
He knew very well what GAMENOVA's style of doing things was like.
This was absolutely intentional!
Considering that information about the second generation of Pokémon had already been released along with the renovation of the Pokémon Center by then, this is quite surprising.
Mike immediately understood.
This must be a clue that Gamenova deliberately hid.
Ho-Oh is one, this egg is one, and even Pikachu, who made a cameo appearance in " Hamsterball," is one.
Whether it's "Gold/Silver" or anime, GAMENOVA has already established the projects and is gradually revealing them through its game works.
They just never noticed!
"But... what's the use of this thing?"
Since it's called an egg, it's probably born from Pokémon, and it should be able to hatch in some way.
After thinking it over, Mike realized that the plot hadn't progressed to that point yet, so he had no choice but to leave it for the time being and take it back to Professor Elm.
It's estimated that he'll release further information after he finishes his research.
I embarked on my journey again, but nothing particularly new happened along the way.
Having experience with "Red/Green", he can often guess what something is going to do just by looking at it.
Take, for example, this pitch-black cave right in front of us.
A simple conversation with the NPC trainer at the entrance reveals that you need to find a way to obtain a certain glowing skill.
This is actually a very typical example of a capability lock.
It was already being used extensively during the "Red/Green" era.
However, it was the Legend of Zelda that truly mastered this concept.
The journey was smooth sailing, and I even managed to catch a wild baby Rayquaza along the way.
Okay, Rayquaza doesn't even exist in this world yet. Mike caught it purely to complete his Pokédex.
Anyway, we finally made it to the first dojo.
The Flying-type Gym is guarded by Gym Leader Falkner.
Mike stared at the Chikorita in his pocket, speechless for a long time.
It seems I'm destined to go all the way down the path of elemental advantage.
It's a pity I didn't see Pikachu on the way.
Otherwise, if we could catch one, wouldn't we be able to recreate some classic scenes from the anime?
It's obviously unrealistic to challenge a dojo right now.
Mike simply withdrew from the game, intending to rest at the Pokémon Center before considering further action.
Three years ago, there was a righteous young man.
[The evil Team Rocket has been disbanded!]
Mike was stunned.
This is just a random random NPC.
But what he said was anything but ordinary.
The boy who defeated the Team Rocket three years ago----
Isn't that the main character from "Red/Green"?
"Wait, so the worldview is continuous?"
In that sense, the game's timeline is completely synchronized with reality.
It's been about that long since the original "Red/Green".
Recalling the emotion he felt when he first played Pokémon, Mike couldn't help but feel a ripple of emotion in his heart.
That boy was the one I played, starting from Pallet Town, breaking through the Eight Gyms, challenging the Elite Four, and finally becoming the champion.
That Legend was written by himself.
They didn't disappear with each version update; instead, they truly became legends in the Pokémon world, passed down from generation to generation.
It's a pity that I can't get rid of my original Pokémon partners----
"Hiss----Huh?"
Thinking of this, Mike paused for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh.
"Holy crap! We've fallen for their trap!"
They fell for the mall's diversionary tactic.
I forgot to check out the Pokémon Center!
My Pokémon are still being fostered there!
Over time, his initial excitement about the GTS had worn off, so he basically stopped going there.
Only at occasional gatherings of like-minded people would he go fully armed to show off and impress others.
I was so focused on securing the starting position that I completely forgot about this.
Mike couldn't sit still any longer.
I've already got the game and can play it anytime, but Pokémon Center now, I don't know how long I'll have to wait in line.
Those with quick minds have probably already figured this out before him!
This is outrageous!
Alright, let's not rush to figure out how to deal with the Flying Gym. Let's go check out the Pokémon Center first.
As it turned out, Mike's guess was correct.
Of course, this refers to those who can't get in line.
Mike didn't finish until late afternoon.
Nothing new. According to the Pokémon Center staff, transferring previously stored Pokémon to Gold and Silver requires unlocking the relevant function in the game.
Aside from the two mysterious machines that were newly displayed in the store and were still covered with cloth, there wasn't much else.
I met up with a few well-known local trainers and we discussed our thoughts on the new game.
The conclusions reached by the group are very consistent and open to discussion!
"By the way, where are you guys in the game? I chose a Grass-type Starter, and it's been so tough for me this whole way, but Chikorita is really cute, hehe----"
"Wow, you're starting with a Grass-type? Just so you know, the first gym is a Flying-type."
"I know—otherwise I'd still be so engrossed in playing that I wouldn't know what the world is like."
Mike pursed his lips. He'd only come out for some fresh air because he was so frustrated from being beaten.
I'll get a few with suitable attributes when I get back later; they'll be taken down by Falkner sooner or later.
"I've already finished Sprout Tower and the Flying Gym. And let me tell you, even though Sprout Tower might seem like it's not part of the main story, you get the Hidden Machine HM05 after beating it—it's a [ Flash ] TM!"
"Wow, awesome, there are these kinds of things? So they're for going into those dark caves?"
"I guessed so. I couldn't see anything when I went in. I should be able to learn Flash from a Pokémon."
"By the way, did you guys get that [ Mystery Egg ]? I think—"
When a group of like-minded people get together, their conversations can go on and on.
They could chatter on and on for an entire afternoon over just the very beginning.
After finding a place to have a meal together, Mike bid farewell to his good comrades who had once searched for the mysterious No. 151 with him.
But as soon as Mike got home, he was dumbfounded.
He reopened the game and stared at the screen in silence.
The game is down!
Of course, it's not a black screen.
Instead—it got dark!
Mike remembered that when he played there that afternoon, the whole of Violet City was brightly lit.
But now it was pitch black everywhere; it was clearly nighttime.
Following the directions given by his friends, Mike found the legendary Sprout Tower.
only----
The atmosphere here feels different from what they described.