The technological ceiling of the Amber Era was a jagged, unforgiving cliff. In the wake of the Emperor Rubert's Imperial Wars, the galaxy had developed a collective phobia of self-learning Artificial Intelligence. The IPC, the Xianzhou, and even the minor planetary governments had hard-coded "Shackles" into their systems. Modern AI could process data at lightspeed, but it couldn't feel, couldn't evolve, and certainly couldn't possess a "Soul."
For Julian Reed, this was the ultimate wall. To make Pokémon truly living entities, he needed technology that technically didn't exist in the public sector.
The only place that still openly researched true mechanical life was the planet Screwllum, governed by the 76th member of the Genius Society. But how does a game developer from the Luofu get the attention of a mechanical aristocrat who counts Aeons as his peers?
"I could wait for the Astral Express to arrive and ask the Trailblazer for a favor," Julian mused, leaning back in his office chair. "March 7th is a sweetheart; she'd help for a Rare Candy. And the Trailblazer... well, they're surprisingly easy to bribe with trash-tier loot."
He laughed, imagining Welt Yang's reaction. "I saved the world, but I've been surpassed by a pocket monster developer." The legendary hero would probably go bankrupt just trying to "Whale" for a shiny Charizard.
But the Trailblazers hadn't arrived yet. The Antimatter Legion hadn't even struck the Herta Space Station in this timeline. The "Story" was still in its prologue.
"Ruan Mei can grow biological life in a petri dish. Herta can slice her consciousness into a hundred puppets. But Stephen Lloyd..." Julian's eyes sharpened.
He remembered the lore. Stephen was the 84th Genius, the youngest of the quartet building the Simulated Universe. He was a recluse who spent his days working in a fruit shop, but more importantly—he was a hardcore gamer.
If there was anyone in the Genius Society who would understand the "Soul" of a game, it was the kid who designed the mini-games within Herta's grand experiment.
Julian immediately pinged Silver Wolf. "I need a back-channel to Stephen Lloyd. Can you crack the Space Station's directory?"
"You want to recruit a Genius?" Silver Wolf's voice crackled through the comms, sounding impressed despite herself. "You've got guts. I'm in the middle of a 'Stellaron Hunt'—mission protocols are tight right now. I'll get you the data once the script is finished."
"No rush. Just don't alert Herta. I don't need a moon-sized laser pointed at my office."
Julian hung up, a realization dawning on him. Silver Wolf was likely preparing to "Infiltrate" the Space Station to awaken the Trailblazer. The gears of fate were turning, and soon, the galaxy wouldn't just be playing Pokémon—it would be fighting for its survival.
The Final 32: The Roster of Legends
Three days passed in a blur of server-straining data. When the digital dust settled, the points competition for the Master Challenge was finalized. Julian pulled up the list of the top 32 Trainers invited to the Luofu.
"A few familiar names," Julian smiled, scanning the IDs.
Silver Wolf: Unsurprising. She was a co-creator and an apex gamer. She used her real handle, knowing that within Julian's ecosystem, the IPC couldn't ban her.Seeking Fortune: The Grand Diviner herself. Fu Xuan had been "outed" by her own subordinates in the Divination Commission, who had divined her identity through her playstyle. Instead of a scandal, it had led to a bizarre surge in office morale.Fruit Shop Part-timer: The researcher who had reverse-engineered the evolution of Magikarp. Silver Wolf had even requested a specific bracket draw just to face this player again, claiming they had "out-gamed" her in another title.Guinaifen: Against all odds, the street performer had clawed her way into the top 32. It wasn't through fan-donated points; the data showed she had won every match through sheer, stubborn grit.
"The Diviner, the Hacker, the Street Performer, and the Mysterious Scholar," Julian murmured, looking at the photos of the finalists. "The first Master Challenge is going to be a bloodbath."
As the invitation letters were dispatched via the Sky-Faring Commission's priority channels, Julian turned back to his screen. The Hoenn region awaited, and with it, the hope that a reclusive Genius in a fruit shop might hold the key to giving his world a heart.
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