Number! One! In! The! World!

"Sigh, actually we have quite a few excellent Pokémon designs, but unfortunately the cartridge capacity is limited, so we simply can't fit them all in."

Lin Lixin waved his hand.

Sooner or later, Gardevoir will be famous throughout the world!

As for now?

Let these guys gloat for a while.

"No, no, we've gone off-topic."

Seeing that the topic was veerging off course, Lin Lixin quickly steered it back on track, "Let's get back to business. The reason I invited you here was actually to ask if you'd be willing to play 'Red.' 'Red Red? '"

Mike was taken aback.

This is the officially recognized name of the main character in "Red/Green".

"Yes, play as Red, guard Mt. Silver. Only the world's best Pokémon Trainers can challenge you, and the winner—will become the new Champion."

Mike felt that the amount of information was far too much, leaving his head completely confused.

After thinking for a while, he suddenly came to his senses.

This is a recreation of a famous scene from Gold/Silver!

The game has been out for almost half a month now, and those who played it quickly have already completed it.

Even though Mike was trying to avoid spoilers, he still inevitably heard some rumors.

What he cared about most was probably the map that everyone was talking about so enthusiastically, which allowed them to return to the original game.

According to my friends, once you clear the Victory Road, Professor Elm will give you a ticket to travel to the map of the first game.

In fact—that wasn't just decoration; it was a real, complete map.

All the buildings and NPCs familiar to trainers are still there, and you can even clearly see the changes that have taken place over the past three years.

Only after collecting a total of 16 badges across two maps can a player truly become a skilled trainer.

Then----

Reach the summit of Mt. Silver, where you will encounter Red, the protagonist of the previous game, and engage in a final battle with him.

The fledgling trainer of yesteryear has now become a legendary trainer who has undergone advanced training at Mt. Silver.

The handover between the old and new protagonists was fully visualized at this moment.

Thinking about this, Mike suddenly realized what Lin Lixin wanted him to do.

This is so cool!

He acted almost like a reigning champion.

I want to do it!

Mike agreed without hesitation.

If he misses out on such a cool opportunity, he'll probably spend the rest of his life in regret.

But after agreeing, Mike hesitated and opened his mouth again.

"What's wrong?"

"Could I—postpone my job a few days later? I made plans with my friends to challenge the new Eight Gyms."

"Hmm? Of course, that's no problem. Actually, you'll only need to work for about a month in total."

Lin Lixin nodded.

This wasn't an unreasonable request, and he naturally wouldn't make things difficult for him.

After all, he only intended to find a suitable candidate to play the role, "to be in charge of the Mt. Silver," not to have the emperor press down on the golden toilet.

The one-month limited-time event is entirely designed to enhance everyone's sense of involvement, maintain momentum, and ensure a perfect coverage of the Christmas season.

December 7th.

When Mike returned to New Mexico after traveling all the way there, his group of trainer friends had already packed their bags.

They are about to embark on an extraordinary journey.

Starting in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and continuing all the way to Alaska and Hawaii.

Kitty Hawk, the place where the Wright Brothers completed their first test flight, is the starting point for humanity's conquest of the skies and the most suitable location for a Flying-type gym.

The Bug-type Gym is located in a subtropical climate zone, a haven for invasive species. Florida has the highest concentration of Bug-types in the US, with Iowa having the most, Louisiana the Ghost-type, and Texas the Fighting-type.

To conquer all eight gyms along the route, and considering the new badges for the original Eight Gyms, they'll need a high-speed, special forces-style battle.

Jimmy! I thought you weren't coming!

Mike noticed Jimmy among the group and went up to him, giving him a big bear hug.

"I sold my Flash Totodile; someone's willing to pay to buy it from GTS."

Jimmy shrugged, adopting a nonchalant attitude. "It's like winning the lottery."

Mike remained silent for a moment.

Of all these friends, Jimmy left the deepest impression on him.

He's a great guy who loves Pokémon.

To raise money to sell his beloved starter Pokémon, a rare Flash starter Pokémon, his mood must not be as light as it seems.

Despite receiving a substantial income, the feeling of being separated from my partners was truly unpleasant.

"Hey, what's the big deal? Give me the string! I'll send you a Flash Pichu."

GAMENOVA Headquarters.

"Phew, it's finally all over."

Lin Lixin stretched lazily, stood up, and stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

Looking at the bustling traffic on the highway in the distance, even he, who was usually carefree, couldn't help but feel a little sentimental.

"This is the last Christmas of the 1980s."

"----It's not like the dungeon will automatically refresh and spawn a big boss on January 1st."

Sam looked at Lin Lixin's long sighs and his pretentious, almost poetic, expression and really didn't know what to say to him.

To put it bluntly, the 80s and 90s are just vague concepts.

It's just for the convenience of distinguishing between eras.

But in fact, even with this distinction, time is still a continuous concept.

It won't be any different just because it's a 10-year milestone.

"Tch, can you not ruin the mood? Can't you see I'm about to get to the point and elevate the discussion?"

Lin Lixin pursed his lips, his mind suddenly blank. "But you're wrong about one thing. In the early 1990s, a big boss really did automatically spawn."

"Ha?"

Sam looked at Lin Lixin with a puzzled expression, but judging from his smug look, he didn't seem to be talking nonsense.

You know, Lin Lixin is a very principled person. If he's not joking, then it must be true.

"Just wait and see, I reckon it'll be soon. President Nakayama was talking to me about it a few days ago."

Lin Lixin walked back to his seat, but his eyes fell on a Famicom (Nintendo Famicom) that he usually played on the table.

"Nintendo Nintendo, you've got a screw loose, all that stubbornness has backfired."

If we were to name the most unfortunate person in the upcoming 1990s...

The answer won't be Sega, nor will it be Atari.

It's Nintendo.

It created what is probably the most terrifying enemy Nintendo has ever seen in his life.

But it was a last resort.

In this timeline, the situation that Nintendo faces is far more complex than in the past.

If Nintendo were to relinquish the optical disc drive technology held by Sony, then Nintendo would only have one option left.

That means buying the flash memory chips from GAMENOVA.

That's even more disgusting than eating a dead fly.

However, if they choose Sony, they will completely lose Nintendo's monopoly strategic advantage.

Once Japan's dominance in the gaming world is broken, it's like the boss revealing its health bar.

He was surrounded by wolves in front, tigers behind, and a large group of traitors who could turn against him at any moment.

It can be said that what Hiroshi Yamauchi is facing now is indeed the most severe crisis Nintendo has faced since its founding.

Despite their largely overlapping market positioning, Nintendo still manages to generate substantial revenue.

But simply surviving was not what Hiroshi Yamauchi wanted to see.

Sega, whose ownership has since changed hands, is a prime example.

What Hayao Nakayama? He's nothing but a puppet.

"Given Yamauchi's personality, he's destined to follow the same path."

Lin Lixin knew Hiroshi Yamauchi very well. He was not Brother Satoru, nor was he a technical officer; he was a true head of a powerful clan.

He didn't possess the same sense of righteousness as Hayao Nakayama, who was willing to sacrifice everything for Sega.

Whether it's selling himself to Sony or bowing down to Gamenova, Hiroshi Yamauchi is destined not to choose that path.

Now, the only thing missing from this whole chain is the involvement of Philips, which also possesses optical disc drive technology.

Lin Lixin slowly opened his notebook and stopped at the page with the name [Ken Kumugiragi].

A young engineer who loves video games.

It was he who brought optical disc technology to Nintendo.

It was he who, after the "ultimate betrayal," led SCE to deliver a resounding slap to Nintendo's face.

Incidentally, it also brought an end to the reign of the Nintendo had ruled for an entire era.

All of this was inevitable; even with the enormous variable of Gamenova, the outcome would not have changed.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and Nintendo's problems didn't develop overnight.

Hiroshi Yamauchi's intense desire for control and the distorted industry ecosystem of power-driven wealth made Nintendo resemble a war machine.

It has to constantly plunder the Fortune of its subordinates in order to maintain this roaring but outwardly strong yet inwardly weak machine.

"It's been at most four years since PlayStation was born----"

Considering the timing and the butterfly effect brought about by the variable GAMENOVA, the fifth generation in this timeline will probably be born earlier than ever before.

Not to mention the 3D0 and Atari Jaguar, which are also eyeing the North America market.

"That's enough. GAMENOVA has done its best within its capabilities. Now all we can do is wait and see, and let time take its course."

Lin Lixin shook his head, trying to clear these thoughts from his mind.

Sony is a world-class giant, but isn't Gamenova one too?

Competing with Microsoft in terms of cash flow? Gamenova, a privately held company, is definitely outmatched.

Can GAMENOVA compete with Sony in industrial design? GAMENOVA, lacking industry experience and with only a few years of hardware expertise, is indeed no match for Sony, which has been deeply involved in the field for many years.

but----

In the realm of video games, Gamenova is unrivaled.

Thinking of this, Lin Lixin turned to look at Sam.

"By the way, how are the sales of Pokémon Gold and Silver?"

With the Christmas season more than halfway over, current sales figures are already a very good indicator.

Sam raised his eyelids slightly.

Their eyes met, Sam suddenly couldn't hold back anymore, his serious expression crumbling as he burst into laughter.

37.41 million units! Number One in the World!