When the console hummed to life, the title screen wasn't the cheery, watercolor sunrise he remembered. The colors were inverted—deep indigos and bruised purples. There was no music, only the low, rhythmic pulse of a heartbeat.

A dialogue box popped up from an NPC standing in the corner of his digital room—a Pokémon that shouldn't exist, a glitch of static and shadows.

"The DLC isn't extra levels, Leo," the sprite whispered in a text box that scrolled too fast to read. "It’s an open door."

Leo clicked "New Game." Usually, the game starts with a personality quiz to determine which Pokémon you become. This time, there was only one question: “WHO LEFT THE LIGHTS ON?”

The file sat in the "Downloads" folder like a digital Trojan Horse: PKM3-EUR-[DLCs]-LOADIINE-ZIPERTO.rar .

Behind him, in the real world, Leo heard the distinct, electronic chirp of a Pokémon cry coming from his dark hallway. He turned around, the glow of the TV casting a long, jagged shadow.