Eliott Sett sat hunched over his worn desk, the dim light of his desk lamp casting long shadows on his textbooks and scattered papers. The clock on the wall ticked loudly in the silence of his tiny dorm room. A 21-year-old third-year college student, Sett was used to late nights and hard work. Balancing part-time jobs with school was a challenge, but it was one he accepted without complaint.

His phone, an old second-hand model, buzzed with the usual notifications, but Sett paid them no mind. His thoughts were elsewhere, his hands idly moving to open his emulator app. Pokémon Blaze Black 2 Redux flashed on the screen. A ROM hack. His escape.

He'd played this game more times than he could count. He wasn't able to afford the latest consoles or games, but his emulator was his gateway to worlds he could only dream of. Today had been no different—he'd fought gym leaders, collected badges, and explored the region. But now, after another exhausting day of work and study, it was time for one last run.

"Just one more battle," he muttered to himself. The familiar thrill of the game was comforting, even as the world outside his window seemed to grow colder and darker. The soft glow of his screen was all that illuminated his face as the journey continued in the game.

Suddenly, the screen flickered. It was subtle at first—a slight glitch in the pixelated world of Pokémon. But then, it grew, a strange shimmer in the air around the screen. A surge of dizziness overtook Sett, his vision blurring.

Before he could even react, everything went black.