Pokemon: The Gameboy Effect

It was already 2 AM when John sat up in bed, eyes locked on the list of furniture options he'd been browsing for hours.

In the future, his secret base would become his personal sanctuary, a place where he could retreat and call his own. So, it only made sense to invest in the best furniture now. Even though he didn't plan on using it immediately, it was still important to start preparing for when the time came.

The next day happened to be Saturday, giving John the perfect opportunity to continue progressing with his journey. After getting up and making breakfast for his Pokemon, he set his sights on the Lavaridge Gym, eager to test the strength of its leader. If the challenge proved too difficult, he could always rely on his trusty Flash move to level up and gain an edge.

Since Lavaridge was a Fire-type gym, John decided to send Frogadier back into his team as the starting Pokemon. With Water-types having the advantage over Fire-types, he was confident Frogadier could handle the challenge. He had already experienced the benefits of type advantages during his battles at Dewford and Mauville Gyms, so this strategy was second nature.

To reach Lavaridge, John first had to cross Route 111 and then head up Route 113. As he ventured through Route 113, he noticed the distinct grayish hue coating the area—volcanic ash from Mt. Chimney had blanketed the route in a fine layer. The air felt thick, almost like smog, but much more oppressive. It was a harsh environment for many, but for certain Pokemon, it was an ideal haven.

The Pokemon found here were suited to the tough terrain. Slugma, Spinda, Sandshrew, and even the rare Skarmory could be found in this ash-covered land. John had a particular interest when he encountered Skarmory and quickly added it to his team. For now, he didn't plan to train it, but it would make a useful Flying-type mount for future journeys.

As John continued along the route, he came across people collecting volcanic ash. They crafted unique glass items, from tables and chairs to flutes with special effects. John was intrigued by these flutes and made a note to collect them.

There were five types in total. The blue, red, and yellow flutes each had the ability to counter a specific Contest condition: sleep, infatuation, and confusion, respectively. The best part? They were reusable, making them incredibly practical for long-term use.

The black and white flutes were more specialized. The Black Flute increased the likelihood of encountering higher-level wild Pokemon, while the White Flute did the opposite, encouraging more low-level encounters. While not as useful as the first three, John figured the White Flute would help speed up his encounters when farming for Shinies.

Feeling the need to collect all five flutes, John spoke with the craftsman who made them and purchased a bag to collect volcanic ash. As he walked along the route, he gathered as much as he could.

Afterward, John made his way to Petalburg Gym, following the path to Route 114. The route led directly to Meteor Falls, a place of both mystery and nostalgia.

Along Route 114, he encountered several trainers, including rare encounters with Zangoose and Seviper. There were also Swablu, the blue cotton bird that could eventually evolve into Altaria. But John wasn't interested in adding any of them to his team, so he pressed on, sweeping through the route without stopping.

By the time he arrived at Meteor Falls, it was already late afternoon. The constant barrage of trainer battles had drained him mentally, and he was ready for a break. He decided to catch a movie and enjoy some time by the nearby river once he had completed the day's tasks.

Meteor Falls itself held special memories for John. When he first played through the game, he had heard rumors that Mewtwo could be caught there, though that turned out to be nothing more than a myth. But the falls had their own charm, born from a meteorite crash that created the very formation of the area. Because of this, Psychic-type Pokemon like Solrock and Lunatone could be found in abundance here.

John also recalled that, deep within the falls, there was a place where Bagon could be caught. Unfortunately, he'd need the Waterfall move to access it, and without it, he could only dream of catching the rare Dragon-type.

As John wandered deeper into Meteor Falls, he saw a group of Fire Rock Team members surrounding a professor dressed in research attire. The scene felt oddly familiar.

[Team Magma Grunt: Ah, we've finally secured the meteorite. With this, we can trigger the eruption of Mt. Chimney!]

The professor's eyes widened as he saw John.

[Professor Cozmo: young man, help me!]

John raised an eyebrow, recognizing the scene from his previous playthroughs. Something told him this wouldn't be the last time he saw this particular character.

As the Fire Rock Team member turned toward John, a sinister grin spread across his face.

[Team Magma Grunt: Hah, slowpoke! Just like Team Aqua, you're a bunch of fools!]

John braced himself for a fight, but just as the tension peaked, an unexpected figure appeared. It was none other than Archie, the leader of Team Aqua, flanked by his loyal subordinates.

[Team Magma Grunt: Archie?! What are you doing here? Forget it, now's not the time to deal with Team Aqua. Let's go!]

Seeing the situation wasn't worth getting into, the Team Magma member fled, and Archie ordered his team to give chase. As Archie passed by, he gave John a fleeting glance but said nothing.

Now, only Professor Cozmo and John remained in the falls.

[Professor Cozmo: Quick! They plan to use the meteorite to cause an eruption at Mt. Chimney. If they succeed, the entire Hoenn region will be in grave danger!]

With that, John knew what had to be done next—he needed to head to Mt. Chimney to stop Team Magma.

As he prepared to leave, his phone suddenly rang. The caller ID read "Anna (Berry Club)."

It was the number Anna had given him when he joined the Berry Club.

"Hello?" John answered quickly.

(Anna: "Hey, John! The club activities are about to start. Where are you?")

John slapped his forehead in realization. He had gotten so caught up in his plans that he had completely forgotten about the club meeting.

("Sorry, I forgot! I'll be there in a minute,") John quickly apologized, hanging up.

He hurriedly saved his progress, grabbed his coat, and recalled back his Pokemon before racing to the botanical garden on his bike.