"Emma Vale… Emma Vale?"
"Emma!"
"EMMA!"
Inside the crowded cafeteria of North River University, the air buzzed with chatter, clattering trays, and the low hum of students glued to their screens.
Emma Vale sat at one of the long tables, holding a book in her hands. Her delicate face was tight with irritation, brows slightly furrowed. Behind her glasses, her sharp almond-shaped eyes burned with frustration as she stared at her roommate.
Across from her, completely absorbed in her own world, sat Hannah Stone.
Hannah didn't even blink.
Her fingers tapped rapidly against her phone screen, her entire focus locked onto whatever was happening there.
Emma clenched her jaw.
"So you don't like games, huh? And now look at you…"
Still nothing.
Finally, Emma reached out and nudged her shoulder.
"Hannah!"
"Huh?"
Hannah snapped out of it, blinking in confusion as if she had just returned from another dimension.
"What?"
Emma slammed her book shut.
"We're going back to the dorm."
"Wait, wait!" Hannah quickly raised her hand. "I'm watching a fight!"
Emma frowned.
"A fight?"
Hannah's eyes lit up instantly.
"Yeah! There's a Gym battle happening right here in the cafeteria. Tons of people are fighting for control!"
Before Emma could respond, Hannah grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer, shoving the phone in front of her face.
Emma sighed but looked anyway.
On the screen was a list of usernames, flashing indicators, and a Gym status panel. Two players were locked in combat, their icons colliding as digital energy surged between them.
A Poké Ball spun in the middle, glowing faintly.
Even though Emma didn't play games, she wasn't clueless.
She immediately recognized it.
"A PK battle…" she murmured.
In today's world, it was impossible to completely avoid gaming culture. Even someone like Emma, who preferred books and quiet study, still absorbed fragments of it—from videos, posts, and endless discussions on the Official Blog.
Still…
She narrowed her eyes.
"That's it?"
Her tone was skeptical.
"This is the game everyone's obsessed with?"
She crossed her arms.
"Is this just… text-based? You're telling me this is what Northstar Games made?"
Her disbelief was obvious.
Hannah rolled her eyes.
"You haven't even clicked it!"
She tapped the screen.
A menu popped up:
Watch / View Info
Hannah selected Watch.
And suddenly—
The screen changed.
A vivid battle unfolded.
A small blue turtle—Squirtle—was dodging attacks from a Bulbasaur, water splashing across the screen as attacks collided.
Emma leaned closer, surprised.
"…Wait."
She adjusted her glasses.
"A Water-type beating a Grass-type? That doesn't even make sense."
Hannah groaned.
"That's not the point! Just watch!"
Emma blinked, still trying to process it.
"…What else is there?"
Hannah grinned.
"Location tracking. Real-world capture. You walk around and collect them."
She leaned closer, lowering her voice.
"Do you know what I felt when I saw a Pokémon appear in real life through my phone?"
Emma didn't respond.
"I wanted to fly straight to Sienna's brother and give him a kiss!"
Emma slowly turned her head.
"…What?"
Hannah waved her hands frantically.
"Not like that! I mean gratitude! Gratitude!"
Emma stared at her in silence.
Then sighed.
Before she could reply—
A loud shout erupted nearby.
"IT'S BACK! IT RESPAWNED!"
"A whole group of Caterpie at the North Gate! Hurry!"
"Are you insane?! Why are you shouting?! Now everyone knows!"
A group of students rushed past them, nearly knocking over chairs as they sprinted out of the cafeteria.
Emma watched them disappear.
"…They're serious?"
Hannah nodded thoughtfully.
"They're idiots."
Emma blinked.
"…What?"
"Caterpie isn't even worth it. Smart players wait near the lake in the evening. Psyduck has better spawn rates."
Emma didn't even know how to respond anymore.
Before she could gather her thoughts—
Hannah suddenly stood up.
"I'm going! Sienna and the others are already there!"
And just like that—
She ran.
Emma stood alone in the cafeteria.
Looking around, she realized something unsettling.
Everyone… was playing.
Everywhere she looked, students were holding up their phones, scanning their surroundings, whispering, laughing, running.
She felt… out of place.
Is it really just me?
She hesitated.
She liked Pokémon too. Everyone did.
Pikachu alone was enough to melt anyone's heart.
And yet—
She had resisted.
Even earlier in class…
There had barely been any students.
The professor had walked in, glanced around, muttered "self-study," and left while staring at their phone.
Emma froze.
"…Wait."
"No way…"
Her eyes widened.
"The professor too?!"
A sudden wave of urgency hit her.
"Am I really the only one not playing?"
She quickly pulled out her phone.
Her fingers hovered over the download link.
For a moment—
She hesitated.
Then…
She tapped it.
---
A few minutes later—
The app installed.
Emma created her account.
She selected her avatar, customized her appearance, and entered her username.
Then slowly…
She raised her phone.
The camera activated.
Reality blended with the interface.
Her surroundings appeared—but layered with strange markers, glowing zones, and distant indicators.
A spawn point flickered not far from the cafeteria.
People were already gathered there.
Another marker blinked several kilometers away.
Emma tilted her head.
"…So far?"
She began walking.
Nothing.
No Pokémon.
Not a single one.
Her confusion grew.
"Shouldn't new players get one?"
Hannah had Squirtle.
Sienna had Charmander.
Where's mine?
Her frustration built.
"Did I join too late?"
She clenched her fist.
"This is unfair."
Just as she entered the dorm stairwell—
Her phone chimed.
"Pika… pi."
Emma froze.
"…What?"
She slowly raised her phone.
And there—
Standing on the stairwell floor—
Was a small, fluffy yellow creature.
Looking directly at her.
A living Pikachu.
Her mind went blank.
"This… this is real…"
All her doubts vanished instantly.
"Catch it—how do I catch it?!"
She panicked.
"Poké Ball! Poké Ball!"
For a split second, she instinctively reached into her pocket—
Then froze.
"…I'm an idiot."
She stepped forward.
The interface activated.
A Poké Ball appeared.
Her heart pounded.
She threw it.
The ball hit.
Shook once.
Twice—
Then burst open.
Pikachu jumped out.
"Pika!!!"
It bounced around, playfully punching the air.
Emma didn't hesitate.
She threw again.
This time—
The ball shook…
Once.
Twice.
Then—
It stopped.
Captured.
Emma stared at the screen.
Her breath caught.
"I… I caught it…"
Moments later, she released it again.
Pikachu sat there, rubbing its head, confused.
Emma covered her face with one hand.
"It's too cute!!!"
Then—
Her expression changed.
A thought flashed.
"This is worth showing off."
She immediately called Hannah.
"I CAUGHT A PIKACHU!"
Silence.
Then—
"WHAT?!"
And another voice—
"WHAT?!?!" — Sienna.
Emma grinned.
Hands on hips.
"You left me out… and I got the rarest one."
---
Meanwhile…
Inside Northstar Games headquarters—
Ethan Reed and Daniel Reed sat in a conference room, reviewing data streams.
"Increase rare spawn rates later—but for now, test stability first."
"Gym rewards stay high during testing. Early users get benefits."
The data was exploding.
Within hours—
The entire internet reacted.
The Official Blog was flooded.
Trending topics surged.
And then—
Ethan checked his phone.
Top trends:
1. Pokémon Go
2. Does Northstar Games have a strange obsession with students?
3. First Pikachu discovered at North River University
Daniel laughed.
"Looks like someone got lucky."
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"What's the spawn rate?"
"0.0001%. Only new players can trigger it."
Ethan leaned back.
"…So someone hit the jackpot."
He smirked slightly.
"Good."
Because this—
This wasn't just a game anymore.
This was a revolution.
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