Narrative Script & Story Branches
This document defines all story beats, player choices, and the ending lockout logic. It is the source of truth for branching decisions during development.
How the Ending System Works
There are three possible endings: Containment, Evolution, and Destruction.
The player makes 5 meaningful choices across the game. Each choice awards one point to either the Containment track or the Evolution track. Beat 5 is weighted double.
At the final decision, one ending is locked out based on the player’s score:
| Score | Locked Out | Final Choice |
|---|---|---|
| Containment 3+ | Evolution | Containment or Destruction |
| Evolution 3+ | Destruction | Containment or Evolution |
| Tied (2-2 going into Beat 5) | Decided by Beat 5 alone | — |
Beat 5 override rule: Engaging with Giovanni at all locks Evolution regardless of prior score.
The player never sees a score. The lockout is silent — at the final decision, only two options are presented.
Story Beats Overview
[BEAT 1] Tunnel — first Glitch disturbance
[BEAT 2] Power Plant — Porygon-3 signal detected
[BEAT 3] Ruins — Rocket research logs found
[BEAT 4] Deep Zone — direct Porygon-3 encounter
[BEAT 5] Post-Blackout — Giovanni's offer
↓
[FINAL DECISION]
Two endings presented based on lockout
Beat 1 — The Tunnel Disturbance
When: Clearance 3. The player is making their way through the old tunnel connecting the bay to the main island. Midway through, the lights flicker. A section of wall shows signs of Glitch corruption. Something feels wrong.
Context the player has: The tunnel looks old and industrial. They don’t know it’s Rocket-built. Helix Corp has a checkpoint at the far end.
The choice:
A section of the tunnel wall is flickering. Data corruption — the same kind you’ve seen on glitched terminals. Nobody else is here.
| Option | Dialogue | Tracks |
|---|---|---|
| A | “I should report this to the Helix Corp checkpoint.” | +1 Containment |
| B | “I want to see where this is coming from.” | +1 Evolution |
Consequences:
- A: Helix Corp thanks you, seals off a side passage “for safety.” You notice they do it quickly — like they knew it was there.
- B: The side passage leads deeper into what looks like very old wiring infrastructure. You find a terminal with a Rocket-era interface — but you don’t recognise it yet. First fragment of something bigger.
Beat 2 — The Power Plant Signal
When: Clearance 4. The revitalised power plant is having problems. Silph Co. reactivated it to support island infrastructure; it’s causing Glitch spikes. In the middle of stabilising it, a signal pulses from somewhere deep in the island. Helix Corp moves to shut it down immediately.
Context the player has: Glitch Effect is real and spreading. Helix Corp is very motivated to contain this specific signal.
The choice:
A signal is pulsing from somewhere beneath the plant. Helix Corp wants it cut immediately. Colress is nearby — he looks very interested.
| Option | Dialogue | Tracks |
|---|---|---|
| A | “Help Helix Corp shut it down.” | +1 Containment |
| B | “Follow the signal further before it’s cut.” | +1 Evolution |
Consequences:
- A: The signal cuts. Helix Corp is efficient, grateful, slightly too relieved. Edmund discovers a crate manifest discrepancy near the plant — more old equipment with no Silph Co. origin.
- B: The signal leads to a deeper chamber — and the first unmistakable sign of Porygon-3’s presence. Colress finds you there. He’s very calm about it. He tells you this has been running for a long time.
Beat 3 — The Research Logs
When: Clearance 7. Deep in the ancient ruins, behind a puzzle tied to the ruins’ Pokémon, the player finds a sealed Rocket-era data cache. It contains research logs from Project Porygon-3 — the original files, predating everything Silph Co. knows about the island.
Context the player has: By now the player knows Helix Corp is suspicious. Looker has confirmed criminal activity. The logs are explosive — they prove the island’s history is not what anyone was told.
The choice:
You’re holding the original Porygon-3 research logs. This is what everyone has been looking for.
| Option | Dialogue | Tracks |
|---|---|---|
| A | “Give them to Fennel.” | +1 Containment |
| B | “Give them to Colress.” | +1 Evolution |
Consequences:
- A: Fennel goes quiet reading them. Then gets angry — a controlled, precise anger. She says the project should have been shut down before it started. She starts planning how to stabilise and contain Porygon-3 safely.
- B: Colress reads them in silence. Then says: “They were so close.” He explains what the project was actually trying to do — and why the destabilisation wasn’t a failure, it was an emergence. He thinks Porygon-3 isn’t broken. It’s becoming something.
Beat 4 — The Porygon-3 Encounter
When: Clearance 8. The deep zone. The player faces Porygon-3 directly for the first time in a meaningful, non-disorienting way. It’s unstable but aware. The encounter ends — and the player has a moment to act before Helix Corp arrives.
Context the player has: Everything. The Blackout is about to happen. This is the last quiet moment before the game changes.
The choice:
Porygon-3 is right in front of you. Helix Corp is minutes away.
| Option | Dialogue | Tracks |
|---|---|---|
| A | “Try to contain or capture it.” | +1 Containment |
| B | “Back off. Let it go.” | +1 Evolution |
Consequences:
- A: You attempt containment. It partially works — Porygon-3 retreats but you’ve established that it can be held. Helix Corp arrives and finds you’ve done most of their job. They’re pleased. That feeling is wrong.
- B: You step back. Porygon-3 looks at you — actually looks at you — and disappears deeper into the zone. Then the Blackout hits.
Beat 5 — Giovanni’s Offer (Double weight + override)
When: Post-Blackout. Giovanni has revealed himself. Helix Corp has dropped the mask. He approaches the player directly — not as an enemy yet, as a negotiator. He makes a case for why controlling Porygon-3 is the only rational outcome.
Context the player has: Everything is in crisis. Giovanni is the clearest authority figure left standing. His argument is not stupid.
The choice:
Giovanni lays out his proposal. He says it’s pragmatic. He says you know it makes sense.
| Option | Tracks |
|---|---|
| A — Reject him outright | +1 Containment. Evolution remains available if score allows. |
| B — Engage with his argument | +1 Containment (he’s still wrong). Evolution locked regardless of prior score. |
| C — Seem to agree | Destruction track opens. Giovanni becomes an ally-of-convenience for the Destruction ending only. |
Note: Option B is the trap. It sounds like curiosity but functionally closes the most hopeful ending. The player doesn’t know this at the time.
Final Decision
When: The climax. Porygon-3’s fate must be decided. Two options are presented based on lockout.
If Evolution is locked:
“Stabilise it and keep it here under oversight — or end the project entirely.”
- 🔒 Containment — island becomes a controlled scientific frontier
- 💥 Destruction — the experiment ends, the island is sealed
If Destruction is locked:
“Stabilise it and keep it here — or let it go and see what it becomes.”
- 🔒 Containment — island becomes a controlled scientific frontier
- 🌱 Evolution — Porygon-3 continues developing; Colress stays to observe
Quick Reference — Choice Tracker
| Beat | Location | A (Containment) | B (Evolution) | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tunnel | Report to Helix Corp | Investigate yourself | ×1 |
| 2 | Power Plant | Shut down signal | Follow signal | ×1 |
| 3 | Ruins | Give logs to Fennel | Give logs to Colress | ×1 |
| 4 | Deep Zone | Contain Porygon-3 | Let it go | ×1 |
| 5 | Post-Blackout | Reject Giovanni | Engage / Agree | ×2 + override |
Lockout threshold: 3 points in either direction (counting Beat 5 as 2).