106 Chapter 106
In the Hoenn Region, you can find Rustboro City, a bustling metropolis located in the western part of Hoenn. Situated near Meteor Falls, this city serves as a vital commercial hub for the region. It is home to the prominent corporation known as the "Devon Corporation."
Initially established as an energy-focused enterprise, the Devon Corporation has expanded its reach into various industries. Remarkably, the gaming sector now contributes up to 25% of the company's financial earnings. One of their well-known products is the gaming platform called "ORAS," which has gained significant traction in overseas markets.
Among the multitude of games available on 'ORAS,' the real-time virtual game "Pokemon: Battle" reigns supreme as the top-ranked download. Every day, hundreds of new games are released on this platform, but only a handful manage to capture the players' hearts.
In August, an unexpected addition to the top ten new releases on the platform was a tower defense game.
Meanwhile, at the Trainer School in Rustboro City, students were discussing the game during class.
"Did you get a chance to play the game I recommended yesterday?"
"Ugh, my Sunkern always gets defeated by Rattata!"
"Haha, try placing Seedot in the front row; it's an ironclad strategy!"
Despite the bell signaling the start of class, the students couldn't stop chatting about the game.
"I've got my tablet with me; let's see how far I can progress!" one enthusiastic boy exclaimed.
"But we're in Roxanne Teacher's class right now..."
"No worries, as long as she doesn't notice!"
As the students chatted, a slender teacher entered the classroom.
She had a neatly tied bun on her head and fiery red hair, which flowed into two ponytails. Roxanne, appearing youthful, wore a wide skirt and pink stockings. She carried a stack of books as she walked to the front of the classroom.
After placing her teaching materials on the podium, Roxanne cleared her throat and began, "Today's lesson will cover the use and effects of Status Conditions..."
A wave of groans erupted from the students. "Not this again!"
"Our Teacher Luke thinks we can't handle this!"
"Why does it seem like Teacher Luke's fans are everywhere?"
Laughter filled the classroom.
Roxanne paused for a moment, then chuckled, "What's this? A new catchphrase? It seems like I'm falling behind on the latest trends."
The class leader kindly reminded her, "These are from a content creator on Bilibili who specializes in teaching tactics and team building!"
Roxanne sighed, "Just an amateur..."
"Teacher, Teacher Luke has already taught us about these Status Conditions!"
"Teacher Luke covered more about 'poisoning' than the textbook did!"
Roxanne appeared frustrated and muttered, "Well, let's turn to page 36 for now..."
Suddenly, Roxanne raised her eyebrows and swiftly approached two students engrossed in a discussion.
Confiscating their tablet, Roxanne triumphantly declared, "Both of you, come to my office after class!"
After teaching for so many years, she finally had a reason to confiscate something!
The two students looked dejected. "I was just about to defeat Professor Malamar!"
"Teacher, can I finish this level?"
"Playing games during class..." Roxanne muttered to herself, "I'll deal with this later!"
...
As the bell rang, Roxanne returned to her office, eyeing the confiscated tablet and computer with curiosity.
"What game is this?"
"It's 'Plants vs. Zombies'!" one student replied. "I downloaded it from ORAS today!"
"It only costs twenty yuan!" another boy added excitedly. "Roxanne Teacher, come play with us!"
Roxanne gave a sly smile. "I'm not interested in this boring tower defense game!"
Twenty minutes later...
"Roxanne Teacher, aren't you going to class? It started ten minutes ago," a faculty member reminded her.
"Wait for me to finish this level..."
Roxanne was startled and stammered, "What? Class has already started?!"
"I-I'll go right away!"
Roxanne hastily closed the tablet, but she forgot to save her progress, causing her to burst into tears.
"Can't this be paused? Why is it so addictive!"
Similar scenes were unfolding throughout Hoenn.
Due to the immense popularity of ORAS in the Hoenn Region, "Plants vs. Zombies" has also achieved great success internationally.
Luke, being a member of a chat group, received an early morning call from Wattson, the seasoned master of Mauville City.
Wattson humorously asked, "Luke, can you send me a guide or maybe a cheat code for this old fogey? I could use some help!"
Luke inquired, "Why would you need a cheat code?"
Wattson chuckled, "Haha, no worries, it's just for fun. I thought I'd let you know!"
"Plants vs. Zombies" had gained a surprising amount of traction. It had been released on August 1st, with no significant promotion, and yet, in just three days, it had risen to the top ten among newly released games. Priced at 20 yuan, it had already sold over 5,000 copies within this short period, and the game had achieved a remarkable 95% positive rating with numerous glowing reviews from nearly ten gaming critics.
This level of popularity and acclaim, even from seasoned game developers, was quite rare to witness.
"It's astonishing to see a small studio create such a game," remarked one reviewer. "It's a five-star masterpiece in terms of gameplay and overall quality!"
"As a fan of Teacher Luke, I started playing this game right after watching his video," another player added. "I initially thought it was a fan-made project, but it turned out to be this impressive! Definitely deserving of a five-star rating!"
"I've been battling Professor Malamar all night; I have to challenge a Gym in the morning... I'm exhausted," a dedicated player shared.
"Teacher Luke still plays games? And the games he creates are this much fun? I'm envious; it's worth every recommendation!" exclaimed another player.
"I asked my mom to buy a textbook for 20 yuan, and when she asked what it was, I told her it's a textbook that helps me remember Pokémon evolutions, Abilities, type advantages, and moves... It's 'Plants vs. Zombies'!"
Observing the flood of positive feedback and the constantly updating statistics in the background, Damien, Luke's partner, couldn't contain his excitement. He grabbed Luke by the hair and said, "Brother Luke, you're on fire!"
Remaining composed, Luke replied, "No need to get carried away."
Benefiting from the system's enhancements, Luke had successfully integrated elements from the Pokémon world into the game. Overall, he had every reason to be confident.
"It's thanks to your hard work as well," Luke added with a smile. "I may write the code, but remember, our relationship is based on employment, not just a partnership."
Damien nodded, appreciating Luke's honesty. Although he felt a hint of jealousy, he knew that without Luke's creative genius, he could never have created such an explosive game.
"From now on, I can finally put my name on the studio's staff list!" Damien said with an eager grin.
Luke agreed, "Of course!"
"By the way, have we decided on a name for our studio?" Damien asked.
Luke pondered for a moment. He had initially considered "GameFreak" since their work space was essentially a game room. However, he knew they needed to plan for the future when they might establish a full-fledged company.
With Pokémon's intellectual property in mind, he wanted a name that would resonate with people, even without the foundation of the FC era that made Nintendo so iconic.
As a pioneer in the SRPG genre, "Fire Emblem" was a tempting choice, but it wouldn't suit a chess-style game.
Considering that MOBA games were just emerging, Luke wondered if they could learn from successful experiences in that genre in the future.
He finally decided, "Let's call it 'Pokémon Studio.' Our main focus will be related to Pokémon, allowing those who can't access Pokémon directly to experience their charm!"
