Pokemon: The Gameboy Effect

John blinked, staring down at the Pokeball resting in his palm. He glanced up at the ceiling, where a single bright incandescent bulb lit the room. 'So… where did this thing fall from? 'He was sure he hadn't bought a Pokeball. Aren't these things 200 Pokedollars even for an empty one at the official store?'

Just as John reached out to inspect the ball, there was a pop! It sprang open, and to his utter shock, a tiny orange-red chick hopped out, chirping excitedly and stretching its tiny wings.

"Geechi!! (≧▽≦)ゞ"

The Torchic blinked up at him with wide black eyes, visibly thrilled, bouncing up and down as if it were the most natural thing in the world to materialize from thin air. It nudged John's hand, nuzzling its soft, downy body against his fingers.

"Torchic?" John whispered, his heart pounding with a strange mix of excitement and disbelief as he felt the warmth of its feathers. 'Where… where did this come from?' He quickly checked his Gameboy, now convinced something extraordinary was happening. He had just caught a Torchic in the game. And now, here it was—real, warm, and standing before him.

With his heart racing, he picked up the device and opened the game again. His character was no longer in the usual Pokemon collection menu; he was standing in Littleroot Town in Pokemon Emerald.

John's mind raced. 'This… could this be real?'

Testing his theory, he maneuvered his character out of Littleroot Town, moving quickly through Route 101, then through Oldale Town, and finally to his rival May at the end of Route 103. According to the story, May would challenge him here.

But this time, something unexpected happened: an option to refuse the battle popped up. John hit [No] without hesitation. He had no time to play around right now—he needed to see what would happen next.

After chatting with May, he continued, returning to the laboratory, where Professor Birch handed the protagonist a Pokedex and five Pokeballs. And, as expected, his in-game mom handed him a pair of running shoes that would speed up his character.

He made his way back through Route 101, and after a few steps, the screen shifted into a battle sequence. A wild Zigzagoon, LV 2, appeared, just as in the standard version of Emerald.

"Okay, let's try this," John muttered, his heart racing. He directed Torchic to attack with Ember, and Zigzagoon's health bar dropped to the red zone. Seizing the opportunity, John threw an in-game Pokeball.

The Pokeball wobbled twice before the capture was confirmed.

[Zigzagoon (Normal)]

[Level: 2]

[Ability: Pickup (a chance to find items after battle)]

[Individual Values: Stamina (22), Attack (31), Special Attack (20), Defense (15), Special Defense (21), Speed (31)]

[Moves: Growl, Tackle]

[Held Item: None]

He glanced at the stats. Not bad—a 2 IV Pokemon for Attack and Speed. Useful, but not quite worth training just yet. John saved and exited the game. The screen went dark.

Suddenly, a series of soft thuds echoed in the room. Four empty Pokeballs, the one containing the newly-captured Zigzagoon, a Pokedex, and a pair of running shoes tumbled onto the floor in front of him.

His breath caught as he looked at the items in disbelief. "Even the items are coming out?" he whispered, exhilarated. His theory was right: every Pokemon and item he collected in-game could appear in the real world after saving the game.

He took a deep breath. When he first arrived in this world, he'd worried he had no "Cheat," no special advantage. Now, he realized he had it all along—he just hadn't known where to look.

Now, though? Now it was time to put it to use. Becoming a Trainer wasn't enough. He wanted more. He could become an Elite, a Champion, maybe even a Pokemon Master! This "Cheat" wasn't just a resource; it was the key to becoming the best.

With every rare Pokemon, valuable item, or precious artifact at his fingertips, resources would never be a problem again. He could aim for rare species, Shiny Pokemon, high-IV battlers, and even Legendary Pokemon. And in reality, each Legendary was powerful beyond belief—world-altering creatures. But in the game? Well, John smirked. In the game, they were still bound by turn-based mechanics. He could soft-reset and save, turning each capture into a guaranteed win. What was stopping him from spending a few hours, or even a year, on Entei if it came to that?

Who needed sleep when you had a dream? Grinning wildly, he grabbed his phone and ordered a box of Red Bull and a case of coffee.

Tonight, sleep could wait. Tonight, he'd catch them all—no matter what.