Pokémon is stupid. Anyone over the age of eighteen who centered their identity and peace of mind around how much they love a soulless, heavily marketed video game franchise didn't deserve the title of "functioning adult". That was what Scarlet believed Pokémon encouraged in people, compulsive fanaticism, and she was pretty certain that devoting any sizeable amount of time to anything related to it was a complete waste of time. Nothing could change her mind on this so... why did Scarlet even feel tempted when an unexpected box was delivered to her front door?

The brown postal package rested on the kitchen counter, unopened. Her coffee got cold while she stared at it and she still didn't know what to do. There was a big pokéball drawn across its surface which, along with the timing of the delivery, told her everything she needed to know about it.

Scarlet sighed.

It was probably the new pokémon game that required a fancy hi-tech peripheral to work. Everyone on the internet was talking about it. Pre-orders had sold out in two minutes a few months prior and the lines for its release today were literally kilometric. Scarlet pressed her lips together. She hadn't ordered anything. Clearly, this package wasn't meant for her. Would re-selling it online be that bad?

Scarlet frowned. Of course it would. Some poor soul was most likely devastated right now because they didn't get their new game on time. Scarlet nodded to herself. She needed to figure out who it belonged to and return it to them as soon as possible.

As she inspected the package, she quickly found an envelope stuck to its side. It had a note that read:

"Dear Scarlet,

The only reason I'm sending you this is because your grandfather had requested

it in his will. Please give it a chance.

Love,

Dad

P.S. Watch the Nintendo Direct at noon for all the details. It's important!"

Scarlet chuckled. That made things a million times easier. She tore up the note, crumbled the envelope into a ball, and threw them both into her trash bin. Dumping the entire package was tempting, but Scarlet knew better than that. She gulped down her coffee and went into her bedroom with a blissful smile. Those peripherals were being sold for a grand on the internet. More than a month's rent!

Unfortunately, by the time she put on her uniform, Scarlet was nearly late for work. She sprinted out of her apartment complex unprepared, hoping to tame her unruly, jet-black hair without elbowing other pedestrians as she navigated the city. She eventually managed to tie her mane into a bushy ponytail, though, no matter how much she fought it, a loose strand kept popping out of her head when she finally reached the general superstore.

Randal, the current supervisor, glared at her from across the produce section. Scarlet cringed. She officially clocked in a minute after the start of her shift. Randal puffed up with indignation, waddled over to Scarlet, and grunted:

"I gave someone else your register."

Scarlet lowered her gaze. "Sorry."

"I'm gonna have to write you up."

"This is the first time in months..."

"Then keep it that way." Randal slicked back his thinning hair. "I know you feel like I'm being harsh, but a business can quickly turn dysfunctional when management can't trust employees to be responsible. I need more effort on your part, okay?"

Scarlet suppressed the urge to inform him he was only an assistant manager, choosing to instead just nod.

"Good talk" said Randall. "Now go help Charlotte out in the back."

Scarlet rolled her eyes and began to walk through the store, putting things back in shelves whenever she found something out of place. There were a lot of Pokémon tie-ins being pushed this season. Why was everyone obsessed with the damn things all of a sudden? Scarlet strolled past the different aisles feeling suffocated by the franchise. Pikachu-shaped pasta, Clefairy cookie molds (which oddly enough were indistinguishable from the cheaper Gengar cookie molds), Cyndaquil toasters, Wheezing cough syrup and… Alola-form Exeggutor tampons?

Scarlet shook her head. Marketing could be really silly sometimes. Actually, this wasn't that unusual now that she thought about it. Pokémon's relevance always came and went every few years depending on the zeitgeist, usually swelling when there was about to be a big leap between two generations, gameplay or technology-wise. Still, for the first time since she started working here, Scarlet felt happy to be welcomed by the stale smell of the dusty storage room. At least it meant she didn't have to see pokémon everywhere her eyes went.

Duncan ran into the bathroom to wash his face. His trembling hands made it hard to turn on the faucet. This wasn't happening. Millions of pokémon were about to flood the streets of every single metropolitan area on the planet and nobody understood why it needed to be stopped.

The executives were going to meet any second now. If Duncan didn't speak up now, there would be no going back. They needed to know the truth. Duncan dried himself and took a deep breath. This launch could permanently damage society forever. People would curse his name alongside history's greatest monsters because of the damming sin they were about to commit. After all, he was one of the lead developers of the project.

Duncan fixed his suit's collar, straightened his tie, and checked his watch. Five minutes to go. His hands wouldn't stop shaking. He had to focus and inform Mister Wilfery of his intentions before going inside. This stunt was going to cost Duncan his job either way, but he didn't want to go out burning more bridges than necessary. And really, Wilfery deserved to be treated with the same warmth and professionalism he always offered to his subordinates. Duncan exited the bathroom with more swagger than he expected. It was a foolish endeavor, but he found solace in his certainty that he was doing the right thing.

Duncan turned a corner on the hallway and shriveled up. Wilfery stood outside the conference room, chatting with some senior executives that had arrived for the meeting. Duncan swallowed and walked over to him.

The old businessman's eyes lit up. "Dunk!"

"H-hi, sir. Umm… Could I...?"

"Yes?"

"It's about the email I sent you. I never got a reply so I wasn't sure if you saw it."

Mister Wilfery hardened his expression. "Oh." He excused himself, ushering Duncan away from the executives. "I understand you have your worries, but I think you're overreacting a little."

"What?!"

Wilfery flinched.

Duncan silently apologized, lowering his voice. "So you read my message?"

"It's not a bug; it's a feature."

"It's playing god!"

Wilfery shook his head. "Believe it or not, this isn't up to us to decide."

"You're right." Duncan glanced at the senior executives entering the conference room. "It's up to them."

Wilfery sighed. "That's not what I meant…"

"Are you going to stop me?"

"No, no. If you truly believe you need to say something, feel free to do so. I won't protect you, though."

Duncan nodded.

"Well then," Wilfery gestured at the conference room, "shall we go?"

"Y-yes."

Shortly after both men entered the room, everyone settled into their cushy leather chairs. On the edge of the oval-shaped table, in front of every chair, there were pens, notepads, and glasses of water, with two full pitchers placed on the center in case anyone wanted a refill. The three senior executives sat next to each other at one end of the table, with a presentation screen being set up for them on the opposite end. Laura, the head of marketing, stood up and welcomed everyone to the meeting. She then started with the usual corporate speak about how influential the brand was while clicking through a slideshow behind her, pretty much confirming what everyone already knew: Pokémon was as big as ever, it made a lot of money every year, and that was a good thing for Nintendo. Duncan's attention wavered from her words. His growing anxiety wouldn't allow him to do anything else but worry. He didn't know what to tell these people. He didn't even know where to start.

After Laura finished her report, Andrew took her place with a slideshow of his own. He was one of the head designers in charge of competitive play and game balance, so he went on in detail explaining the intricacies of the new Global Pokémon League that was about to be established. A fair payment structure for the professional circuit, open inscription for ranked tournaments every month, and several former champions were already scheduled to compete in streamed exhibition matches later in the afternoon. If this plan was a success, pokémon training was going to be a legitimate profession in less than a decade!

Duncan wiped his brow, drank some water, and wept internally. They would have to scrap this entire system of organized play. And they would all hate him for it.

Andrew concluded his presentation. Everyone in the room stared at Duncan.

He widened his eyes, frozen.

"Dunk?" said Wilfery.

"Right." Duncan stood up. "Well…"

A senior executive arched an eyebrow.

"Everything's great" said Duncan, hating himself as soon as he opened his mouth. "The day one patch is already scheduled to go live when the Nintendo Direct finishes airing, and my team streamlined all the troublesome bugs in the combat engine. Now, obviously, it's impossible to guarantee that there won't be any... unexpected gameplay elements, especially since this is our first time using an artificial intelligence as advanced as this..." He took another sip of water and cleared his throat. "But… yeah, that's pretty much it."

"And the security measures?" said another senior executive.

"Well, like always, there were some leaks, but everyone still thinks the game will be played on a normal screen. Anyone who tried to jailbreak the PokéGloves would end up with a bricked unit before discovering it uses augmented reality."

"Good, good" said the senior executive.

Duncan faced Mister Wilfery. "I… believe that's the end of my report."

Mister Wilfery hunched forward. "Are you sure about that…?"

Duncan swallowed.

The three executives remained stoic.

Duncan couldn't breathe. There wouldn't be a second opportunity. "No sir, there's something else on my mind. A bigger worry."

An executive nodded. "Is the game not up to your standards?"

"N-no! The game itself is the most polished it could be. In fact, I was having trouble getting the playtesters to submit their reports because they couldn't stop playing."

"Then what's wrong?"

"The creatures themselves. Their battle AI is programmed to detect, respond and adapt to their trainer's emotions, building a behavioral model that's compatible with their personality. Because of this, after spending time together, trainers instinctively start treating these creatures as if they're actually real, which only makes the AI develop more complex behavioral patterns, which in turn strengthens their bond even more, until… well, they're almost indistinguishable from genuine Pokémon."

The executive nodded, impressed. "It seems like you and your team outdid yourselves. What's the problem?"

"You're not understanding him" said Wilfery. "What he's trying to propose is that these creatures might actually be alive."

Scarlet sneezed.

Charlotte bumped into her and dropped a box on her own toe. She shrieked backwards in pain, jiggling her curly blonde hair all around while jumping on her other leg.

Scarlet rushed to her aid, acting like a crutch until they both sat on a big crate. "Are you okay?"

Charlotte shook her foot. "Y-yeah, I'm fine." She placed some weight on it and winced. "Never mind. Just give me a moment."

Scarlet hung her head, weeping internally. It was her fault for sneezing. Why was she such a mess today? She then perked up and mumbled in a soft tone:

"Stay here. I'll finish the rest."

Charlotte widened her eyes. "Really? You sure about that?"

Scarlet nodded.

"It's so strange hearing you speak." Charlotte smiled at her, radiating genuine warmth. "You're really cool though!"

Scarlet waved it off as she picked up the two boxes and walked away. It wasn't an altruistic decision. She just didn't want to stand around awkwardly until that girl felt better. They also needed to finish the work anyways so it was the best course of action if they wanted to have their lunch break on time. That said, Charlotte's personality made it easy to not mind the extra workload. Although she was a somewhat recent hire, a cute bubbly teenager like her always lessened the misery of Randall's tyrannical rule with her whimsical naivete.

Scarlet navigated the dim labyrinth of shelves with her vision impaired. The boxes she carried blocked her line of sight. She sighed after reaching a dead end by accident. Right. Charlotte was the one familiar with the storage room. Everyone but her hated working back here because of how confusing it could get. Thankfully, Scarlet was able to backtrack and take a different turn down the corridor, only to discover an area full of pottery and gardening equipment. She frowned. Was she lost? Scarlet chuckled. Of course not. It got harder to deny that fact after wandering for another ten minutes, though. Scarlet placed the boxes on the ground. Her arms were getting tired.

A loud crash echoed throughout the storage room.

"DAMN IT" screamed Charlotte, far away.

Everyone in the room widened their eyes for what felt like a decade.

Duncan looked away, embarrassed.

"Though, to be more specific, he thinks they're sentient." Wilfery looked at him. "Isn't that right?"

"That's not… I don't even know what they are. I just think we might be on the verge of unleashing something irreversible upon the world."

An executive started laughing. "This is preposterous. It's just a game!"

"Yes," said another executive, "if it becomes too much of an issue, we can just shut the whole thing down."

Duncan slammed his hand on the table. "That's exactly what I'm trying to prevent!" He paused. They were shocked at his agitation. "I-I'm sorry, but if you do that after we launch the game, you could potentially be exterminating an entire species of new lifeforms. It's cruel and… and irresponsible."

"Wait" said Laura, "I thought they were holograms. They can't… feel, right?"

Duncan shook his head. "It's more complicated than that. While they don't have physical bodies, they do have to respond to external stimuli, so they're capable of distinguishing between harmful and pleasurable sensations. At the very least, the pokémon don't enjoy losing health points."

"It's still not pain" said Wilfery. "Their bodies aren't at risk of sustaining any damage."

"Sure but…"

"It might be uncomfortable?" Wilfery shook his head. "New experiences are always like that. They're literally built to grow from it!"

"Umm excuse me," Andrew raised his hand, "I know this might sound silly, but how intelligent are they? Do they even know they're alive?"

"It's not like they can hold a profound conversation but…" Duncan sighed. "I discovered all of this yesterday when an abra asked a playtester an existential question…"

Andrew slid back into his seat. "Oh…"

"I know…" Duncan hesitated, but found some courage. "We need to cancel the launch."

Two of the senior executives had grown visibly uncomfortable throughout the discussion. The third one continued to chuckle in disbelief at everything he heard, but his tone sounded increasingly worried and desperate. Duncan smiled with faint hope. He might actually convince them.

Scarlet bolted in Charlotte's direction. That innocent sweet girl probably tried to keep working despite her injury. Scarlet heard rummaging up ahead. Oh no. She could be trapped under a pile of merchandise.

Scarlet turned right on an open section at full speed. Something tripped her. She strained but remained on her feet just to see Charlotte scavenging through a broken crate full of Eevee-themed backpacks that were scattered everywhere. Scarlet froze in her tracks, confused.

Charlotte opened another another backpack, inspected it for something, and flung it to the side with a frustrated grunt.

Scarlet walked up behind her. "What are you doing?"

Charlotte flinched and stood up, turning around. "Umm… I fell."

"Because of your foot?"

"Yup!"

"But you're standing there just fine…"

"R-right." Charlotte looked at mess she made. "That was… stupid." She sighed. "I'm gonna have to level with ya'."

"Sure."

"I hate this job."

Scarlet crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Go on…"

"The only reason I've been here is because I'm hunting for a very rare, and cute, promotional shiny Eevee and this was the only way of securing one."

"I'm waiting for this to start making sense."

"There's only supposed to be two codes per retailer." Charlotte grinned. "And they're each going for around three hundred bucks online. Help me and we can split 'em!"

Scarlet scratched her chin. That was actually a good offer. Too good, actually. "Why didn't you wait until I was gone?"

Charlotte hung her head. "They're being sold at the end of this shift and I can't find them here!" She pointed at the crate. "So yeah, I'm desperate."

"And you went through the trouble of getting a real job just to sell these?"

"What? No." Charlotte laughed at how ridiculous that sounded. "I just wanted a gray Eevee. Have you seen 'em? They're adorable!"

Scarlet rolled her eyes. A legitimate excuse, like an ailing family member or something similar, would've been preferable but at least it sounded more wholesome than simple greed. "I'll look the other way…"

"I'm not convinced" said Wilfery.

Duncan deflated.

"Why?" said Andrew.

Wilfery shrugged. "I don't see why any of this is bad."

Duncan blinked a few times. "Are you kidding me? We're a videogame company! We couldn't even deliver proper netplay for decades, and that was with basic, antiquated games! Unleashing and managing an entire ecosystem of newly sentient beings is way out of our field!"

"So?" said Laura. "Weren't we originally a playing card company? And then a taxi service? And then a love hotel chain…?"

A senior executive nodded. "The taxi service was actually profitable… until..." he frowned, "...unions."

Duncan rubbed his temples. "We're doomed."

"...if you stop looking for the codes" said Scarlet.

"What?" said Charlotte. "Why?!"

"I don't think you understand the consequences of what you're doing."

Charlotte stared at the floor, pouting. "It's not like I'm stealing anything."

"You're breaking into merchandise. If Randall found out, he would fire you on the spot."

"That's fine. I wasn't planning on returning after I got my Eevee."

Scarlet took a moment to process that. Was she insane? "You can't just leave a job on a whim like that."

Charlotte softened her face. "Why not?"

"It's irresponsible. How are you getting another job if this keeps following you?"

"Oh, don't worry!" Charlotte smiled, relieved. "That won't be a problem. I'm gonna be a pro gamer soon!"

"Eh?"

"Haven't you heard? Pokémon New Genesis and New Gaia are launching alongside a fully funded Esports league!"

Scarlet's face fell.

"Yup, that's right!" Charlotte lifted her head, smirking. "Nobody near my high school could ever beat me, so now that I've graduated, I'm diving head first into the competitive scene!"

Scarlet started walking away. This girl was a lost cause.

"H-hey! Where are you going?"

"To finish my job."

"So you're letting me get the codes?"

Scarlet stopped and turned around. "I'm obviously telling Randall..."

Charlotte gulped.

"...after I'm done with those boxes. If you're gone by the time he looks for you, it won't be my problem anymore." Scarlet closed her eyes in self-reflection. She wanted to leave and keep her mouth shut but the regret would destroy her if she didn't say anything now. "I won't lie to you. I think everything you're doing is incredibly stupid. It might derail your entire life. I know you feel indestructible, and I won't take that confidence away from you, but I can tell with a glance that you haven't played against someone stronger than you yet."

Charlotte glanced away. "Well, I mean-"

"And, even if you're talented, guess what? There's thousands of gamers out there with the same amount of skill as you with way more time and discipline."

Charlotte made a dejected frown. "You don't know that…"

"Why? You think you can apply yourself because it's Pokémon? You think it'll be fun?"

"Yeah! Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because it's still hard work."

Charlotte shook her head. "I don't mind as long as I love it."

"And what if you stop loving it?"

Charlotte chuckled with surprise, as if it hadn't crossed her mind. "T-that won't happen…"

"Okay then. Go ahead. Try to be the very best, like no one else before you. Just don't complain when your escape from reality becomes a prison."

Charlotte welled up with tears. "Yeah… Well, well… What do you know?!" She sniffed, shouted "You're just a bitter loser working retail!" and ran away crying.

Scarlet took a deep breath to steady her racing heart. It was the right thing to do. She never expected to get that emotional, though. A vague sense of pain lingered in her chest. Scarlet shook it off. That wasn't cruel. Charlotte would have to confront reality one way or the other. If she couldn't handle it when someone told her in good faith, it would shatter her spirit when facing it alone.

Wilfery cleared his throat, regaining the attention of the room. "I'm still struggling to see why you have such a hard stance against this. Nothing you've said sounds bad."

"Perhaps from a human perspective" said Duncan. "Unfortunately, we might inflict on them a great amount of suffering without even realizing it."

Wilfery raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"The average person can barely control their emotions. If the human feels bad enough, the pokémon's programming would make it feel it even worse than the trainer."

"So that's it? We're supposed to deprive these creatures the beauty of existence just because they could suffer sometimes?"

Duncan stood silent for a moment with his mouth agape. "No, I wouldn't-"

"Then let's put it to a vote." Wilfery acknowledged everyone else in the room. "Would anyone like to add anything else before we continue?"

"Yes," said Laura, "I just want everyone to consider this vote carefully, without any sentimentality clouding your judgement. We've invested seventeen years of research into this, and if what Duncan says is true, we're on the verge of creating an entirely new market for ourselves. No regulations. No oversight. We decide what's ethical because we're breaking new ground here. It belongs to us. This could be our most profitable venture in history!"

Duncan grimaced. That shouldn't be a factor here. Wilfery then said:

"All in favor of canceling or postponing the project?"

Duncan, Andrew, and one senior executive raised their hands. It wasn't enough.

"Then it's settled!" Wilfery stood up, brimming with joy. "Get everyone in the stadium ready for the Nintendo Direct. We're launching Gaia and Genesis!"

Scarlet went through the rest of her work in a strange daze. Charlotte never returned. Unfortunately, that meant Scarlet's lunch break was halfway gone by the time she found the appropriate location for the boxes. Her stomach grumbled. Maybe there was time for a snack. As she was about to exit the storage room, Randall opened the door and said:

"Oh! Back already from lunch? Good. I need you on the register. The Pokémon game is about to launch and we need all hands on deck."

"Actually, I was about to head out…"

Randall narrowed his eyes. "So you didn't punch out on time?"

"N-no. I wanted to finish-"

"That's not how the system works, Scarlet! We've been through this." Randall sighed. "That's two write ups in one day. What are you doing to fix this in the future?"

"I… I really don't know."

"Then I recommend you start figuring that out because you're on thin ice now. Which reminds me, where's Charlotte?"

"She uhh…" Scarlet paused. She had been trying to ignore the whole ordeal ever since it happened. Now that she was about to follow through on her word, the pit of her stomach tightened into a knot. "She broke a crate, I scolded her, and she left the store…"

"That seems excessive on both sides."

"I mean, she was looking for some exclusive Pokémon thing. I had to stop her."

Randall widened his eyes. "What… exactly…"

"An Eevee I think?"

Randall scowled. "And you didn't come get me?"

"But I was-" Scarlet furrowed her brow. Wait a second. "I never thought you'd care. Why weren't you angry about the crate?"

"I am!"

"No, you got angry over the Eevee."

Randall puffed up his chest. "Are you accusing me of something?"

"I'm pointing out facts."

"Why am I even-" Randall relaxed after a sudden realization. "I'd watch my mouth. You… you look awfully suspicious right now."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Suspicious of what?"

"Working with her to steal the promotional Eevees!"

Scarlet scoffed. "How? Charlotte didn't take them, idiot!"

"Really?" Randall smiled. "Why don't we go check?"

"So that's how it's gonna be, eh?" The reason Charlotte couldn't find the codes was because Randall had already taken them. Scarlet shook her head. "Don't bother. I'm getting lunch now."

"Sure, go ahead. You're fired!"

Azure could only stare in amazement after activating the PokéGlove.

The froakie blinked a few times, studying his surroundings. Although he was stylized to look more anime-cartoonish than naturalistic, his presence felt eerily authentic. The roar of the crowd vibrated through the ceiling of the locker room. Froakie hunched forward, terrified. It felt like an earthquake up there. They were probably revealing the true nature of the game right now.

Azure gave him a reassuring pat on the head. "There, there, little fella. It's okay. I'm nervous too."

Froakie eyed him in disbelief.

"Yes, really. To be honest, I haven't competed in front of a crowd for a long time."

Froakie tilted his head, curious.

"It's kind of a long story."

Froakie glowered at him with slight annoyance.

Azure chuckled. "Fine, I promise I'll tell you later, but we need to figure out some stuff before we go out there. Deal?"

Froakie nodded.

Another loud roar from the crowd. The Nintendo Direct would end soon. Azure wasn't given any instructions so it was up to him to figure out the controls now. He sighed. Dad had arranged this handicap. He was almost certain of it. Azure pressed the start button on the PokéGlove and a holographic menu materialized out of it. Then, after selecting the training mode, a glowing construct of hardened light appeared on his hands. A translucent GameCube controller.

Froakie straightened up, suddenly alert.

Strange. Azure tilted the left analog stick a bit and Froakie took a step forward. Could it be? He pressed the A button. Froakie did a quick jab. The B button triggered him to shoot a small squirt of bubbles.

Azure widened his eyes. Three-dimensional Smash Bros combat… with Pokémon training? Azure flicked the Y button as fast as he could. Froakie did a short hop.

Amazing!

Azure pursed his lips, deep in thought. Only one more thing to check. Froakie jumped and air dodged towards the ground, sliding backwards in an instant without turning around. Azure grinned. His inputting was awkward but this was a game changer.

Someone from the production crew entered the locker room. The match started in five minutes. Azure hadn't heard of his opponent. Apparently, he was the world champion of the previous main entry in the franchise.

Froakie shivered.

"Don't worry, Froakie." Azure picked him up and gently placed him on his shoulder. "A trainer's prestige comes from the number of battles fought; not won." They walked down the hallway together. The crowd grew louder the closer they got to the main stage. "It's just a game so, above all else, remember to keep it fun." He stopped in front of the entrance, glancing at his partner. "That said, we wouldn't mind winning, right?"

Froakie replied with an energetic thumbs up.

Azure mirrored him. "That's the spirit!"