With the game officially launched and the gears for the next generation turning, Julian Reed finally spared a moment to check his long-neglected System.
"Hm? Over 900 million Game Points harvested already?"
The numbers in his vision flashed, confirming the data team's reports: in this opening window alone, Pokémon had moved 500 million units across all platforms. In his previous life, such a number would have been an impossible global miracle. In the Star Rail universe, it was merely a strong start.
The System's logic was simple: points were awarded for active players and positive reviews. To maintain an approval rating of over 90% across 500 million people was a testament to the game's quality.
Julian checked the "Redemption Shop" for the Johto Region data.
Pokémon Gold/Silver Data Unlock: 1,000,000 Game Points.Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald Data Unlock: 2,000,000 Game Points.
"Only a million?" Julian muttered.
The System was clearly still calibrated to the population of Earth. In this high-tech galaxy, a million points was a rounding error. He redeemed both Johto and Hoenn without a second thought. He also cleared the shop of high-definition assets for the second anime season and the upcoming Lugia and Entei movies.
While the "Remaster" AI he'd used before was decent, he now had the Credits to hire the best animators in the Xianzhou to build everything from the ground up.
As the initial sales spike began to level out—though the march toward the two-billion-unit mark remained steady—Julian began drafting the technical upgrade plan for "Generation Two."
"The Mobile and PC versions are stable," Julian noted, scribbling on his digital pad. "The real challenge is the VR Version's AI."
The first generation of Pokémon had been a miracle of optimization, but it had a glaring flaw: the Pokémon's intelligence was tethered to the player's local device. While this cost Julian nothing in server fees, it resulted in "Command Latency."
In a high-stakes battle, if a Trainer shouted "Use Thunderbolt!" during an enemy's Flamethrower, an under-processed Pokémon might try to attack the opponent directly instead of using the electricity to intercept the fire. It lacked the split-second "combat intuition" seen in the anime.
The solution was simple but ruinously expensive: Centralized Cloud Processing.
Julian wanted to connect every single Pokémon in the galaxy to a massive, high-speed AI cluster hosted on Xianzhou servers. This would give the creatures actual personalities—stubbornness, curiosity, or battlefield brilliance—rather than just being numerical stat blocks.
"Upgrading the intelligence for a billion players... that's at least 500 billion Credits in server infrastructure alone," Julian sighed.
He didn't stop there. He added a dynamic weather system and a four-season cycle for the VR world. In a virtual reality, weather wasn't just a visual filter; it affected the physical properties of the environment—humidity affecting Electric moves, wind resistance affecting Pidgeot's flight speed.
Intelligence & Personality Overhaul: 500 Billion Credits.Dynamic Seasons & Weather Engine: 1 Billion Credits.Model & Animation Remastering: 500 Million Credits.
Julian looked at the list. He had barely started, and he was already halfway through his trillion-credit windfall.
"And then there's the physical footprint," he whispered.
To truly make Pokémon a part of the galaxy's soul, he couldn't stay behind a screen. He needed Holographic Battle Arenas—physical locations where Trainers could meet, trade, and battle in front of cheering crowds.
He planned to start with the six ships of the Xianzhou Alliance. According to the Luofu's regional divisions, he would need roughly a thousand arenas to ensure every district had a local hub.
"One million Credits per arena... thirty to forty major districts... six ships..." Julian's pen paused. "That's another 200 billion for the Xianzhou rollout alone."
Then there was the cost of galaxy-wide marketing to bypass the IPC's remaining blockades, and the construction of factories for physical merchandise—real Poké Balls, plushies, and Pokédexes.
"A trillion Credits," Julian smiled bitterly, leaning back in his chair. "I thought I was the richest man in the Luofu. Turns out, I'm just a developer who can't afford his own dreams yet."
The pressure was immense, but as he looked at the 900 million points remaining in his System, he knew he couldn't stop. He wasn't just selling a game; he was terraforming the culture of the stars.
"Cai Xing!" Julian called out. "Contact the Artisanship Commission. I have a bulk order for a thousand holographic projectors. Tell them I'm paying in cash."