The Battler: …
The Battler: @The Breeder
The Breeder: If you've got something to say, say it. What's with the constant ellipses?
The Battler: What do you think Brother Rei Akagi wants from us? I sent him a private message, but he didn't reply.
The Healer: Um… maybe Brother Rei Akagi is busy…
The Evolver: No way. He's just too lazy to respond to us!
The Breeder: Meet at the research institute. I just called to confirm—he really does want something from us.
The Battler: ?
The Evolver: Wait a second! During the half year he disappeared, why were you the only one who could contact him?
The Healer: Let's just meet up first… It's rare for Brother Rei Akagi to ask us for help…
The chat suddenly fell silent.
Half an hour later, at the Oak Pokémon Research Laboratory.
The Battler, the Breeder, the Evolver, and the Healer—
Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow.
The titles given to them by Professor Oak represented the unique abilities each of them possessed.
The original protagonist team of Pokémon Adventures gathered once again. For a moment, the four of them simply stared at one another.
Red broke the silence first. Pointing at the game cartridge Green had just taken out, he asked:
"So you're saying… Brother Rei Akagi turned my adventure into a game? And now he wants me to test whether it's actually fun?"
"Actually," Green replied, glancing at him, "it's not just you. Me, Blue, Yellow, Professor Oak, the Gym Leaders… even Brother Rei Akagi himself. Everything we experienced together is inside this game."
With practiced efficiency, Green inserted the cartridge into Red's special Pokédex, then connected it to an external display screen.
"There. Plugged in so we can all watch."
"Go ahead, protagonist."
Red scratched his head, took the Pokédex, and sat down in front of the screen. The other three gathered around.
He took a deep breath and pressed the start button.
Buzz—
The dark screen lit up.
A crude pixelated meteor streaked across it.
A simple but familiar electronic BGM began playing as the scene transitioned into a lush green forest.
Two Pokémon stood facing each other.
A Nidorino and a Gengar.
"That's the old man's Nidorino…" Green recognized his grandfather's Pokémon immediately.
But when his gaze shifted to the Gengar, the corner of his mouth twitched.
If his grandfather's Pokémon was here, then the identity of that Gengar was obvious—
The signature Pokémon of Agatha, the Ghost-type Elite Four member of Kanto.
Everyone knew the two of them had… a rather complicated past.
Green silently prayed that his grandfather's blood pressure would remain stable when he eventually saw this scene.
On screen, Gengar and Nidorino engaged in an intense and skillful exchange of moves. Their attacks collided back and forth in a tactical battle that left the four viewers completely absorbed.
Just as the finishing moves were about to clash—
The screen suddenly went black!
Then the main theme music burst forth—still rough, but unmistakably energetic.
The background image unfolded.
Silhouettes of Red, Green, and Blue appeared, standing in a triangular standoff.
Behind them loomed the powerful figures of Charizard, Venusaur, and Blastoise.
Large title text slammed onto the screen:
Pokémon: FireRed / LeafGreen
"When did we ever stand off like that?" Red asked, confused.
"And why is my Pokémon Venusaur…?"
Blue rolled her eyes and didn't bother answering.
"Idiot," Green said flatly.
"Games need artistic interpretation. The three of us obviously represent the elemental trio—Fire, Grass, and Water."
Red nodded slowly.
"Oh…"
He pressed confirm.
A series of basic settings and application notices appeared.
Red skipped through them immediately.
Who had the patience to read that stuff?
As the calm background music continued, Professor Oak appeared on screen and began delivering the opening speech they had already heard a thousand times.
"Now tell me—are you a boy, or a girl?"
Two options appeared.
Boy
Girl
Next to the options were two character portraits.
One showed a mysterious boy wearing a red-and-white cap, his face hidden as he stood with his back turned.
The other showed a confident girl in a wide-brimmed sunhat, standing with her hands on her hips.
"Is that supposed to be me and Blue?" Red blinked at his character portrait.
"Pretty cool…"
"Pick me! Pick me!"
Blue nearly pounced on the Pokédex.
"That outfit is amazing! Looks like Brother Rei Akagi actually has good taste!"
Red remained calm and decisively selected Boy.
"What is your name?"
Without hesitation, he typed:
Red.
He let out a sigh of relief, thinking that was the end of it—
But Professor Oak's voice spoke again.
"This is my grandson. You've grown up together. He is both your partner… and your rival."
"So… what is his name?"
The screen shifted.
A brown-haired boy with spiky hair appeared, hands in his pockets, looking arrogantly toward the screen.
Red had been wondering why Green hadn't appeared yet.
Seeing that he was allowed to name him, Red immediately grinned.
Well then—don't blame me!
He began typing with great seriousness.
But the moment the first character appeared—
WHACK!
Green's hand chopped down onto Red's head like a blade.
"Ow! What was that for?! Want to fight?!" Red shouted, clutching his head.
"Enter a normal name."
Green didn't even look at him. His eyes remained fixed on the screen.
There's no way I'm actually this flashy… Brother Rei Akagi, seriously…
Under Green's death stare, Red reluctantly typed:
Green.
Hmph. It wasn't that he was afraid of him.
It was just that Yellow was watching, and he needed to maintain his image.
The screen flashed.
Red appeared inside a warm and cozy bedroom.
Seeing "his own room" from a third-person perspective felt incredibly strange to Red.
Even though it wasn't actually his house, that didn't stop his curiosity.
First target—
The game console.
He interacted with it.
"Red is playing a video game… Okay! Let's go!"
He interacted again.
No further response.
Alright then. Time to explore something else.
Red walked over to the bed.
"The sunlight is bright and warm. Would you like to take a rest?"
Of course not.
He had just started playing!
Why would he rest?
"Red… maybe you should check the computer," Yellow suggested quietly as she leaned closer.
"I have a feeling there might be something there."
"Good idea."
Red moved Red to the computer and clicked.
"Red turned on the computer. What would you like to do?"
Two options appeared:
Item Storage
Mailbox
Red opened Item Storage.
Inside was a Potion.
"There really was something!"
The thrill of discovering hidden items during exploration made Red instantly hooked.
"Alright, stop messing around and go downstairs," Green urged.
He wasn't interested in these little Easter eggs. What he wanted to see was the world Rei Akagi had created.
Red headed downstairs.
The living room was larger and brighter, with more furniture.
On the sofa in front of the TV sat a gentle, elegant woman.
Red interacted with her.
"Mom: …Well, the TV already said so."
"Mom: Every boy eventually reaches the day when he must leave home."
"Mom: Oh right, Professor Oak next door was looking for you."
"Looks like the first story trigger," Green said confidently with his arms crossed.
"Let's go see the old man. I'm guessing it's time to pick the starter Pokémon."
"Wait!"
Blue stopped Red's eager hand.
"This room is huge—there must be more things we haven't discovered yet! The computer upstairs even had a Potion!"
Red thought about it.
She had a point.
He moved Red toward the television.
Interaction.
"The TV is playing a movie."
"Four boys begin their journey, walking along a railway track."
"…I guess it's time for me to go."