The first gym was a puzzle. The leader, a gentle sprite of a woman named Violet, did not use Flying types. Her first Pokémon was a Weedle with the stats of a Mewtwo and the move “String Shot,” which in this ROM was a one-hit KO that also crashed the game if used twice. You lost. You reset. You woke up in bed. Your mother asked about the smell of burnt ozone.
The starter Pokémon were three: a Bulbasaur that knew “Guillotine” (now a Water-type move that healed the target), a Charmander whose ability was “Wonder Guard” (but whose typing was Ice/Rock, giving it seven weaknesses), and a Squirtle with base 255 Speed and a move called “Tackle” which, when analyzed, deleted the target’s sprite from the game’s memory. You chose Squirtle, because you wanted to survive.
You, a silent protagonist named Akira, woke up in your bed in New Bark Town. Your mother smiled. The clock read 10:00 AM. Everything looked right. But when you walked outside, the grass didn’t sway. It screamed .
