"First! But there are no seats—"
"I came here from Professor Oak's stream redirect. Where's Pokémon: FireRed & LeafGreen? Hurry up and show it already! I'm in a hurry—super hurry Tyranitar mode!"
"I want to see Red! I want to see Green!"
"Streamer, streamer—why are you a Gastly?"
"Ahem."
Rei Akagi cleared his throat, pinched Gastly's cheeks to pull out a smile, and began answering selected comments from the chat.
"Why am I a Gastly…? Well, because after I died in my previous life, my resentment was too strong for my soul to disperse. Then I accidentally touched some poison gas and—boom—here I am."
"That voice… wow, I'm done for. Sorry, give me a second… alright, I'm back. Didn't take long."
"As everyone knows, Gastly is born from poisonous gas. Its body is 95% gas, and the remaining 5% is said to be the souls of people who died from poison gas. So the streamer isn't lying."
"Shaking, crying, cold… Am I the only one feeling sad for the streamer? Don't cry, baby, mommy loves you."
"Let me introduce myself. I'm the game producer of Pokémon: FireRed / LeafGreen. You can also call me… Salted Fish. Today's stream is to give everyone a preview of the game and show how it works."
Rei Akagi straightened up and returned to a professional tone. He began playing the previously released gameplay PV on his computer while explaining the footage in sync.
Gastly, sitting in his arms, nodded seriously in cooperation.
"Professor Oak is still connecting his channel to the livestream. Once everything's ready and we've built up the viewer count, we'll officially start playing. For now… let's talk about what Pokémon actually is."
Suddenly, several notifications popped up.
"Channel 'Iono's Curious Broadcast' has joined the Master Ball Tier."
"Channel 'Iono's Curious Broadcast' sent Master Ball ×1."
Highlighted Message:
"Salted Fish-chan! Salted Fish-chan! The gameplay PV for Pokémon: FireRed / LeafGreen is amazing!
PS: Why doesn't the map include the Paldea region? I don't understand! I really don't understand!"
"The boss is generous! May the boss live forever!"
"A Master Ball donation?! It's really Iono!"
"Mommy Iono… mommy… hehehe…"
"Boss, you've lost your mind!"
Rei Akagi instinctively shouted a classic line.
"Boss, you're confused—!"
Then he realized something.
"Oh wait, that donation was for me? In that case, everything's fine! Thank you, boss! Your confusion is perfectly timed!"
"Good morning, Iono-chan. FireRed and LeafGreen are based on Red's legendary adventure, and the story mainly focuses on the Kanto region, so that part couldn't really be changed."
"But don't worry. If the game performs well, we'll definitely release sequels. Maybe the Paldea region will appear in the future."
Rei Akagi scratched Gastly's head while answering the question.
At the same time, he secretly took out his phone, opened Iono's profile, and sent a private message.
Dreaming of Retirement Salted Fish:
Do you want the FireRed/LeafGreen Collector's Edition? Send me your address after the stream and I'll mail you a copy. Just remember to help promote the game on your stream.
Iono's Curious Broadcast:
Please please! I super, super want it!
Trading a collector's edition for promotion from Paldea's top-tier Gym Leader and super streamer.
What a massive profit.
Rei Akagi happily put away his phone.
Meanwhile, the chat was still exploding.
"So does that mean every region will eventually get its own game? Question! Who will be the protagonist in other regions? Could it be me?"
"Is this some kind of 'Don't Laugh Challenge'? Interesting. I already laughed."
"Pre-orders selling out so fast I can't sleep."
"So that means someday we'll get Gardevoir, Froslass, Lilligant, Gothitelle, Tsareena, Lopunny, Hatterene, and even Shiny female Machamp… wait, I'm about to faint."
"Someone restrain that guy. The screen's getting dirty."
"We do have plans to include Pokémon from every region eventually. Alright, back to the topic—let me briefly introduce Pokémon."
Rei Akagi smoothly steered the conversation back.
He took out a FireRed/LeafGreen game cartridge box printed with the silhouettes of Red and Green, opened it in front of the camera, and held up the cartridge.
"This is an open-world adventure game based on Red's legendary journey! With an open-world system, you can freely explore the entire Kanto region."
"Since Red is the protagonist, we have to mention Pokémon battles, which are a major feature of this game—"
"An unrestricted real-time command battle system."
"In real life, you might not be able to become a Pokémon Trainer for various reasons. But here, as long as you pick up a Pokédex, you can begin your journey to become a legendary trainer—anytime, anywhere!"
"Seriously? If the story is based on Red's adventure, then the Gym Leaders must appear in the game too, right? With so many real people involved… streamer, are you sure this isn't just some cheap reskinned cash-grab?"
"The guy above is an idiot! Professor Oak personally endorsed it! Red himself posted gameplay screenshots! Use your brain!"
"Open-world Kanto map! Real-time battle command system! Become a Trainer anytime! Each one of those features alone is huge—and you're telling me this game has all three?!"
The chat scrolled wildly, but it didn't interrupt Rei Akagi's sales pitch at all.
"For those of you who are already Pokémon Trainers, you'll enjoy an even deeper level of gameplay."
"Because the Pokémon distribution, habits, and ecosystems in the game closely match the real world."
"In other words, if you're interested in a certain Pokémon and want to learn more about it, you can observe and interact with it immersively in the game."
"You can even use Pokémon to practice your battle strategies and command skills."
"And here's a little secret—"
"The Pokémon knowledge in this game is completely authoritative. If you want to learn about moves, abilities, or Pokémon data, Pokémon is absolutely your best choice."
"Every Pokémon in the game has detailed information recorded."
"But keep in mind—for now, the game only includes Generation I Pokémon from the Kanto Pokédex, since the map is set in Kanto."
"???"
"Are you kidding? Simulating a real ecosystem? Recording moves and abilities for every Pokémon? Did you rob the Pokémon League's database or something? Actually—wait—even the League doesn't have that much data!"
"Even with Professor Oak endorsing it and two Leagues promoting it… this still sounds ridiculously exaggerated."
"If everything the streamer says actually works and isn't just hype… we might really be witnessing something revolutionary."
Along with the comments, countless small gifts flooded the screen.
"At this point someone might ask—'Streamer, you've been talking for so long but you only have one game cartridge. How are we supposed to play it?'"
"Ah! I've got it!"
"A Pokédex!"
Rei Akagi pointed dramatically upward and, like performing a magic trick, pulled out a Pokédex, placing it in front of the camera.
"Look! Just insert it like this!"
He slid the cartridge into the Pokédex.
"And the game program pops up. Now you can play normally."
"Of course, besides the Pokédex, other platforms can also run the game—but the experience will be reduced."
"And that brings up the next question: how do you obtain a Pokédex?"
"Today, during this livestream, I've decided to give everyone a special deal."
"The Pokédex doesn't cost 998, and it doesn't cost 888 either!"
"One price!"
"1,800! Link in the store!"
The chat instantly filled with question marks.
"Such a long wind-up, and then an instant attack?!"
"Impossible to defend against!"
"Completely unavoidable!"
"You still say you're not a product-selling streamer? There's literally a purchase link in the channel shop!"
"Order placed. Unpaid, awaiting shipment."
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