Glitchy Red
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Added by Bushcraft MedicWell, what the hell, I figured. I'd poured plenty of money into the franchise and one bootlegged game wasn't going to kill me. I popped it into my GBC and started playing.
A couple of weeks ago, I lost my GBC for a while, so I had to play it on my SP. No huge deal, I thought.
When I started the game up, oddly enough, the backlit screen of my SP went out, like I was playing on an old Game Boy Advance or a Color. I thought that was pretty weird, considering the lower setting of my SP's screen was brighter than the "high" setting on all my friends' SPs, as I took good care of it, and it was unlikely that the backlight would be going anytime soon. But as soon as I switched to playing Sapphire, the screen lit back up. I'd played my other Red on this SP plenty, and it'd never dimmed for an old Game Boy game, so I just attributed it to the game itself being poorly made (which makes no fucking sense, I know).
About now, you're probably wondering when I'm going to start telling you about how there were Unown in my party and the Buried Alive guy in Lavendar Town started eating my player character, because any preowned bootleg game story is bound to be some creepy hacked ****. Well, it wasn't that simple. I played through Lavender Town, the Pokémon Tower, all of that, and nothing unusual happened. I didn't go mad from the music and feel suicidal, my Pokémon never turned white and started crying tears of blood, or anything like that.
However, as I continued playing, it became apparent to me that this game had some glitches. Just like the cheap plastic casing and sticker that barely stuck, the game itself was flaky. I've never played Pokémon on an emulator before, but if I had to guess, I would say that when it was copied, a lot of the data was corrupted, and I had to be careful when playing or it would freeze.
For example, sometimes the graphics around the player (I'm going to call him "Red", as that's what I named him. I'm a bit of a Red fanboy) would turn into big colored bars and the game would stop, and the background music would stop on whatever note it had hit and play this high-pitched, staticky whine until I restart. This happened whenever I tried to get on my bike inside a cave or building.
I was almost sure this was just a normal bootlegged game until I examined the SNES in the Celadon department store. Don't judge me, but, being a Red fanboy, I've always liked when the game said things from Red's point of view, like how he says "Dad would like this!" when you examine the SNES, or "I should get going..." when you examine the TV, since you never get to see the player say anything, to the point where, as a joke, the developers made Red say nothing more than ellipses when you encountered him in G/S/C.
Anyways, when I examined the SNES where Red would normally say, "Dad would like this!", instead, I saw the text, "Where is DAD?"
I examined it again, and, same thing. I kind of laughed it off, thinking, for some reason, it was poor translation (don't ask how I thought that made any sense). In the back of my mind, I was kind of hoping for a hack game, because hey, if I got some screencaps and posted them on 4chan, I'd be able to at least kill an afternoon laughing about it.
I went to the next floor, then went back down and checked the NES again. To my surprise, the message had changed. Now, Red said, "Who created me?"
At this point, I was pretty sure this had been added in by some hacker, and I thought that was kind of AWESOME. Hell, Red finding out he was really just a video game character. That's pretty funny.
After that, and after failing to find any other added-in dialogue, I continued on in the game's story. At that point, I was about near the part where you surf to Cinnabar and the Seafoam Islands.
But the glitching was getting worse. Sometimes, the map would get distorted, like Glitch City, and Red would be surfing on a tree or a house or some **** and I couldn't move. I had to Fly out and try again. As a kid, I'd always liked doing MissingNo. and Glitch City, and I had a Gameshark back in the day, so the glitches were kind of cool. Eventually, I made it to Cinnabar.
Now, being an avid glitcher way back when, of course the first thing I did was fly back to Viridian and do the Old Man trick. But no matter how many times I tried, I could never get MissingNo to appear. I thought maybe the ROM had been edited to prevent glitching, but that clearly wasn't the case, as the thing had more bugs than the fucking Viridian Forest.
Instead, when I entered the Pokémon Mansion, I was greeted by the following text window:
{C}RED: Nice try, Red.
It was obvious that where "Red" was would be the name of whatever you named your player. What freaked me was "RED", in all caps, as the speaker.
At this point, I know I had to have an edited game. The ****ing player character was telling me "nice try" after I'd failed to do a MissingNo.
The game froze then, and I restarted. I hadn't saved since before I tried the MissingNo glitch, but when I turned the game on again, I was back in the Mansion, exactly where the window had popped up. I could move again, so I went ahead and played through the Mansion. Call me a pussy, but despite my excitement, I was scared, so I played slowly and with all the lights on. I was still playing on my SP, and the internal light still didn't work, so I used that as justification for my being a massive pussy.
Things only got weirder. After I left the mansion, I got a message:
PA: DING-DONG! Time's up! Your safari game is over!
Having done Glitch City in the past, I knew this happened whenever you flew out of the safari zone. As expected, I was outside the Safari Zone gate the next time I hit "A", with the attendants asking me if I got a good haul.
I had an immense feeling of forboding when I went to leave the gate, scared I'd be in Glitch City or even worse. I had a flier, but you have to understand, this is all a little unnerving.
Instead, I was in Pallet Town, but there was no music, nothing. Another text window appeared:
RED: This isn't where I'm from. I've been lied to.
I couldn't move my player after that, so I went to reset, but something stopped me. Instead, I opened the Start menu and went to Fly the **** out of there, but to my horror, the Pidgeot I used for Fly wasn't there. Just my Blastoise, Exeggutor, Kadabra, Mew (from the Nugget Bridge glitch), and Kangaskhan. In Pidgeot's place was a level 16 Raticate with 1 HP. It was poisoned. I checked its stats, and it had the OT "BLUE" and knew Hyper Beam, Quick Attack, Glare, and Skull Bash. I don't even know if Raticate can learn all of these moves. I've since heard that Gary's Raticate died (seriously) in the game, but I had named Gary "DOUCHE" in this game for a few laughs. I guess the OT name "BLUE" came from the fact that Blue is the opposite to Red version, like maybe it was supposed to have come from a Blue cartridge. I know Rattata doesn't evolve until level 20, so this was a pretty obvious hack.
I had some Antidotes and Potions in my bag, so I figured, what the hell, I'd heal it. But when I left the POKéMON menu, the entire Start menu closed, and I couldn't open it again. I tried walking, and this time I was able to move. I took a few steps, forgetting about the poison until a box popped up again:
RED: We killed it.
At this point, I was getting a little freaked out (no ****ing ****). I went to my party and Raticate wasn't there at all. Neither was my Pidgeot. The slot was empty. I closed the menu and tried to move again, but nothing. I didn't want to turn the game off in case it had somehow saved again, so I just kept trying to move before remembering that my Kadabra still knew Teleport. When I hit Start, ntohing happened. I kept trying to move, but I couldn't move. No... Red wasn't letting me move.
RED: This happened to me. Why?
At that point I just shut the game off. I took the hacked Red version out and put in FireRed. Like with my old game, I'd named the player "Red", and for some reason it still kind of scared me. I started it up, and, to my horror, the screen was still dimmed. I hit "CONTINUE" on the main menu, but when I tried to open my game, I got the message saying that my save data had been lost or corrupted, and when I started, the game froze, with the music just being a staticky whine.
At this point, I was really desperate to play some ****ing Pokémon where no weird **** was going on, and I was pissed that my FireRed version was broken, so I threw in Sapphire and started it up. The screen lit up normally. I thought for a moment that maybe something was wrong with my SP that broke my FireRed, and ****, I didn't want that happening to my Sapphire with the Jirachi from Colloseum and the Feebas it'd taken me an hour to find, so I shut it off and pulled it out.
I started playing what I call "Glitchy Red" version again about a week ago. When I started it back up, I was still in Pallet Town, and there was music and things seemed normal, except for the empty slot in my party and my SP screen no longer lighting up. I biked to Viridian and found Pidgeot safely in my PC, so I figured, what the hell, and took it out and flew to Cinnabar to fight Blaine.
When I went to unlock the gym, surprise, another text box.
{C}RED: No.
No matter how many times I tried, the game refused to believe I had the ****ing Secret Key despite it being right there in my bag. Red wasn't letting me in.
RED: Everything that happened to me, happened because the world let it happen to me. I didn't become a hero on my own! I was manipulated. I never unlocked that door. The door was unlocked because the game let me in. Everything you do, you do because the GAME lets you.
Because of how the text boxes were, it took a really long time to scroll through, and the whole time I was writing down what he was saying so I had it on reference. Things were getting a little too Silent Hill for me, and, once again, I tried to move, but Red wouldn't let me.
RED: I'm going to show you how it feels to be unable to chose your own fate.
I gave up and opened the Start menu again, glad that I could, and used Pidgeot to fly out of there. I knew now that this was only because Red was letting me fly out. He was toying with me.
I flew to Lavender, because, shockingly enough, nothing weird had ever happened there. From Lavender, I walked down to try and go to Fucshia, but as soon as I left Lavender, Red was at it again.
{C}RED: No.
Well, fuck, I thought. I opened the menu and flew to Fucshia. When the I got there, I nearly shat my pants and dropped my SP.
It was the Glitch City you get when you surf along Cinnabar's coast. Immediately, the menu popped up, the way it does when you do the Mew glitch, and it was asking me to save the game. There was no option for "No", and pressing B did nothing. I shut my game off.
When I started it back up, I was still in Glitch City. I checked my party, the way Red wanted me to - Pidgeot and Kadabra were there, but instead of "TELEPORT" and "FLY" appearing when I selected them, there was only "CURSED". Not "CURSE", like in that ****ing retarded Creepy Black Pasta, but "CURSED". I was smart enough not to select it. I hit B until I was out of the menu, and Red was telling me shit again.
RED: You're staying here with me, Red. They replaced me because I was GLITCHED and not good enouigh (sic). I thought this was my story, but I'm just a character in a video game. They took everything from me. My VOICE. My FREEDOM. My LEGACY. They replaced me with the brown-eyed kid.
I understood now that he meant FireRed version, and the Gold, Silver, and Crystal versions where he'd been demoted to final boss.
He let me move, and, to my surprise, the game never froze, even as I was walking on water and stepping onto houses.
Eventually, I suppose I went too far, because the screen turned black around my player.
{C}RED: Am I a joke to you?
A YES/NO option popped up. I can't tell you how fast I hit "NO".
RED: Then why do you do these things to me? Why do you corrupt my world and show me GLITCHES that aren't meant to be? Why do you want to hurt me with MISSNGNO.?
I never wanted to hurt Red. It was just for fun. The game had bugs, and we've all just exploited them for fun, right?
RED: Why did I have to die? Just because I'm a hero?
I shut my game off. That night, I had a dream where I was a Pokémon Trainer - the player from FireRed, who I will never again think of as "Red". I was being chased by a white-pale body. While I can't feel pain in my dreams (I know some people can), the pale figure eventually caught me and ripped at my chest and sides with his nails. The last thing I saw before I woke up was the face of my attacker - a little boy with bright red eyes, black hair, and a red and white hat.
For the next few days, when I played, it was because I had to. I was trapped in the blackness because Red refused to let me go. Because he was forsaken and forgotten, left to just be abused by players who come back out of nostalgia and to exploit the bugs. Because I played so much, I almost always had a headache from the high-pitched noises the game makes. I had to call out of work sick. I could never move, but I found comfort in staring at the screen with the black background and my player. Red didn't say anything to me.
I couldn't play FireRed again, even though it worked on my DS. Yesterday, I finally got to Mt. Silver on HeartGold, and I couldn't bring myself to battle Red. I don't know what he'd do to me if I beat his replacement. Would he be angry? Happy? Would his defeat put his spirit at peace? I don't know. No matter how many times I play through the games, Red will suffer the same fate, because he is a hero, and because the games let him only go so far. Red will never again be able to experience the glory of being the hero, and neither will we. No matter how many times you start a new game, it will never be the same as the first time you played. You know what's going to happen, and you play for nostalgia, because it's just a game to you now.
I killed Red, and so did you. Unlike Ash Ketchum, he's never going to be the hero of another new game in a brand new region. In HeartGold, Gold's successor, Ethan, had even taken his accomplishments from him, being the one to catch the Pokemon Red had fought so hard for - Mewtwo, Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres. His life is over for him. He became such a legend that there was nothing left of him to even be proud of himself.
I finished "Glitchy Red" yesterday, when I finally checked my Trainer card. There was a sprite of Red as he appeared in G/S/C, but in the game's same monochrome color scheme, just red and green. When I looked closer, the red pixels making up his shirt looked darker and arranged oddly, almost like he was bleeding from the chest. None of my Badges or time played or Trainer ID, just that sprite. When I returned to the menu, instead of my name appearing as "Red", there was the word "GONE" for my Trainer card. I selected it, and this time, the card was blank.
{C}RED: Go ahead and forget me now. Goodbye.
The game reset, the way it does after you beat the Champion, and this time, there was only one option - NEW GAME.
I found my GBC earlier today and started playing it on there. When I played on my SP, the screen lit up and everything was normal. I had to start a new game on my FireRed, but it's working again. Even the bootlegged Red version plays normally, no glitches. But I can never see Red's silence the same ever again, or even the hilarious MissingNo. and Glitch City bugs. I have a much deeper respect for the "silent protagonists" in the game, for all we put them through. Lavender Town used to creep me out, but now I find it very peaceful, as even Red, who wanted revenge on a world that had treated him horribly, could never mess with the resting place of fallen Pokémon.
Someday, I hope I stop waking up with scratches on my torso.
WARNING
THE FOLLOWING HAS GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS STORY AND IT IS WRITTEN BY A DIFFERENT PERSON
New Information update by Spike Fertar about battle the replacement Red and putting him to rest. Making the nightmares end.
I played Glitcy Red and unlike the creator, when I reached Red on Mount Silver in Soul Silver, I knew I had to face him hoping to end my nightmares of him. My team was all ready, all at level 100. I had an Espeon named Sunlight, a Lucario named Reno, and a Latios named Bluey, My first Pokémon and partner who helps me beat both Kanto and Johto a Feraligatr called Gator, a Dragonite called Spike and a Lugia called Guardian. This team had helped me though thick and thin. We had even almost finished the battle frontier. But I digress.
Before we faced Red, I spoke to them; I know it just a game but my Pokémon could sense my feeling from it as before we walked out the final door to Mount Silver summit where Red waited. They all gather round me as I spoke to them. I don't remember much of my speech to them but here what I do "Here we stand my team, at the door to the final battle. We have been together for so long, beaten so much. We had our wins and losses but we become stronger from them. Outside this door is Red, the legendary trainer and the cause of my nightmares and pain. I never ask much from you since I don't want to over do your limits but we have to win here. I don't know how it plays out. But know that if he kills one of you, you will be avenged by each of us. I love you all and will do what I can to ensure we all live to see another day". I heard each of my Pokémon cry's in union and I finished the speech by saying "together we are unbeatable". I then walked though the door to my final battle with Red.
The sound I heard as I walked onto the summit was Lavender Town instead of the peaceful winds. I walked on and as I reached Red he stood there facing me. He spoke to both of us "This is where they left me, on a cold cliff with nothing. I am not the hero here, but a final boss. However when you fall here, I will take your place and become hero once more. I am Red, the legendry Trainer and true Hero". The battle then started. His first Pokémon was a Level 255 Pikachu who looked much more evil then normal. I sent out Reno to combat it. Pikachu went first of course with a volt tackle which deal massive damage to Reno but he withstood the attack quite well and took out Pikachu with one earthquake. Instead of Pikachu fainted, the game said "Pikachu died". Red then sent out a Charzard who was at the same level as Pikachu and it took out Reno. The game said "Reno Died". I spoke to the as the message appeared "You fought well Reno, I will pray for you safe passing". I sent out Gator and once again Charzard attack but it missed and got a powerful mouth load of Hydro Cannon taking it down. Again the game said it had died. Red next Pokémon was a Venusaur which took down Gator as the message was displayed, I said "This hurt me a lot, you been with me from the start Gator. Know I love you and I will ensure you get a proper burial when this is over". Sunlight took the stage next and killed the Venusaur. Red then sent out Laprias who like the other three was over level 200. Sunlight lasted quite a while against the Laprias but was killed after I knock Laprias to yellow health. Once again I spoke to my dead Sunlight saying "You fought well my friend, you took those attacks head on and almost took out two of his Pokémon, and I promise you a burial when this is over no matter what state I'm in". Guardian took the stage next and took out the last of Laprias health. I could sense Red was getting worried now. His next Pokémon was Snorlax which once again was a high level, Guardian took a lot of damage and like with Laprias he was killed when Snorlax was in the yellow. Another praise for my dead Pokémon "My Guardian, you have defended me with honor since I caught you, the sea will weep with your passing but like the other I will burry you correctly". At this point, I had only two left now Bluey and Spike. So Bluey went next and he finished off the Snorlax. Red only had one left now; He sided on to the screen alongside his last Pokémon Blastiose and said "This can't be how can I have just this one left? Does my story truly end here?". Bluey now faced Blastiose, He fought well but I still lost him to Blizzard. As the died message appeared, I had no tears anymore just determination. "Thank you Bluey, I will miss you greatly. You have been a faithful partner to me for a year now and I will miss you just like I miss the others". Now it was down to Spike to free me from my nightmares of Red. When I sent him out, I saw on his design there was picture of the other five Pokémon who had lost their lives and I cried a little before I said "We will avenge them all Spike, its end here" And it did in my victory. Outrage knocked out Blastiose with Draco at Red health. Red was on the screen, He was silent until we returned to the over world.
Red was facing me before he gain a maniac look in his eyes as he pulled out a knife and went to stab me. However he was stop as all of my Pokémon including the ones that died appeared around me and saved me. I notice the game had my Pokémon protecting me and Red was on the floor. I spoke to Red directly saying "This is the end now Red. But you know, I’m not angry or hurt or annoyed at you for what you did. You were the hero once, you made the series. But even if you are no longer the hero of the newer games, many fans still hold you in high regards. Many miss you in games. I know you hate the world for what it’s done but you must remember this, Millions of fans still love you and would love to see you return to Pokémon. Your team loves you as well. Never forget you are still the main hero of Pokémon no matter what". Red looked at me, the maniac look gone as his Pokémon surrounded him as well; none looked like death had hit them. My character then turned round to leave the peak before Red said "Thank you, Michael (My real name). You are right about everything. When you next want to play my games. I will leave a gift for you. To say thanks”. "No Red, thank you for helping me to better understands silent protagonists and I will come and chat to you when I can" I told him. I swear I saw a Smile before the game faded to credits.
I played my Pokémon blue, not long after the battle with Red. His gift, to me was a Mew and the chance to have all three starter Pokémon. I still have Glitcy Red which I play sometimes. The game runs normally now though there are still Glitches now and then. Still, my battle with Red opens his heart and now I chat to him often. I also have a much deeper partnership with my Pokémon now. I battle Red on MT Silver when he's there and it all normal again now. All his Pokémon are back to their normal look and Red himself is happier. Even my nightmares have gone of Red now. I can live life normally now.
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