When I was 11, I was racing through Mt. Silver’s seemingly endless corridors in Pokémon Gold & Silver , trying to reach the end before a family outing. Already dressed, I played while everyone else grabbed their coats, determined to see what awaited me at the peak. The path narrowed. A lone sprite stood at the summit — familiar, but uncanny. I’d spent hours controlling this very figure years earlier in Pokémon Red & Blue , yet at that moment I couldn’t quite process it.

My dad called out that it was time to go. I saved, and then pressed A anyway. The ellipses appeared. That’s when it clicked.

The battle screen flashed. His sprite centered, Red’s name appeared. And then, “Level 81 Pikachu.”

A shock ran through me. I shut off the game, jaw on the floor, and blurted out to my gamer dad that the hero from the first game was the final boss of this one.…