After the Picatinny rail launched on the market, Nakayama Takuya made another trip to Hollywood.
In the conference room at Universal Pictures, producer Bob was practically vibrating with excitement as he waved his arms, spittle flying.
"We've already contacted the best action director in Hong Kong! After reading your outline, he said it's exactly the kind of project he's always wanted to shoot but never dared to. We've even finished the storyboards for the warehouse shootout. I swear, that pump-action shot of the Remington M870 is going to be a cinematic classic!"
Takuya listened quietly. When Bob finally paused to breathe, he spoke lightly:
"Bob, the framework is already fine. You won't need me for the rest."
Bob shrugged it off. "Relax. We're going to turn this into a cultural phenomenon—a trend."
Takuya simply nodded. He rose, turned, and walked out of the room under the gazes of Bob and the screenwriting team.
Some things only require lighting the spark; there's no need to guard the fire yourself.
In the car heading toward LAX, Takuya dialed the number of Sega of America's president, Tom Kalinske.
"Tom, it's me."
"Takuya? How'd it go?" Kalinske rubbed his temples. On the other side of his desk was a product brochure sent by Colt—page after page of firearm accessories. It made him feel like his company was drifting into a strange new industry.
"Everything's on track. The sharks in Hollywood have already begun tearing into the bait we tossed in." Takuya's voice remained calm. "You can put this matter aside for now."
"Put it aside?" Kalinske let out a helpless laugh. "Takuya, my CFO asked me yesterday why there's a consulting payment from Smith & Wesson in our account. How am I supposed to explain that we used a movie outline to move the entire American firearms industry?"
"Just tell him we're making an advanced cultural and technological investment."
Kalinske fell silent for a moment as he processed that. Then he sighed long and deep.
"God… I get it now. Movies create dreams, and we provide the tools to realize them. You're laying groundwork years in advance… for a game that doesn't even exist yet."
"I'm glad we understand each other." Takuya chuckled. "By the way—how about the World Cup ad placement?"
The sudden shift in topic almost made Kalinske lose his train of thought. He quickly grabbed another report.
"Fantastic! The Sega logo showed up alongside every goal replay across Europe. Our brand recognition there is climbing beautifully. Compared to your… flashy gun project, this kind of paid advertising is straightforward and efficient."
"Good. Keep it up. There's nothing left in the U.S. that needs my constant attention. I'm heading back to Japan."
After hanging up, Takuya let his mind rest as the palm trees blurred past the window.
Outside the VIP channel at Haneda Airport, a black Toyota Century was already waiting.
As soon as Takuya sat in the back seat, his assistant handed him a document. On the cover, the bold title stood out: "Pokémon Gold/Silver – First Month Sales Report."
"Sir, this is the report you requested. The final numbers were just confirmed."
Takuya leaned back against the leather seat and opened the file.
A series of dazzling numbers filled the page.
Japan: over 3 million units sold in the first month.
Worldwide: over 4 million units.
The report concluded—bolded for emphasis—that based on the trajectory of Red/Green and the current growth curve, global sales surpassing 10 million was already a certainty.
"Good job," Takuya said as he closed the file, his tone calm, as if this result was perfectly expected.
The assistant, however, couldn't hold back.
"President, the entire industry is losing its mind! Every third-party developer dodges us in the hallway—they don't even dare make eye contact!"
There was pride hidden behind the words.
Takuya smiled faintly and looked out the window.
From the anime collaboration, to the movie teaser, to the evolution of the electronic pet merchandise, Pokédex updates, the egg-hatching system—every cog had been tuned with precision, each one driving the massive machine called Pokémon with unstoppable force.
With two consecutive titles pushing toward the ten-million mark, "success" no longer described Pokémon.
It had become a golden idol—untouchable, immovable—standing at the very top of the global gaming industry.
And now, it was time to decide how that golden idol would evolve.
Takuya picked up the car phone and dialed the Starborn office.
The Pokémon division was now helmed by former Game Freak president Tajiri Satoshi and artist Morisugi Ken after Sega had acquired the company. Takuya had entrusted them with creature design and world-building. Additional staff had been assigned to prepare a weekly game-focused program for TV Tokyo.
"Tajiri-kun, it's me."
"President! You're back! Did you see the sales report? We did it!" Tajiri sounded so excited he was stumbling over his words.
"I saw it. You all did well." Takuya acknowledged calmly, then shifted tone. "But this isn't the time to celebrate. I need you to begin the next phase immediately."
"Yes! What are your instructions?"
"For the anime, I need you to plan an exit route for Ash."
"E–exit?" Tajiri froze.
"Yes," Takuya said firmly. "We can't have a ten-year-old child wandering the world for over a decade while still looking like an elementary schooler. It's unrealistic, and the audience will grow tired. Give him a proper ending—say, winning a league championship. Then introduce a new protagonist and begin a new journey. Over time, these generations of leads will make the world richer and more believable."
He paused, adding with a hint of humor:
"And the voice actor deserves a break, don't you think?"
That reasoning finally eased Tajiri's tension. He understood the real intention: safeguarding the long-term health of the franchise, preventing the entire IP from depending on one character—or one voice actor.
"I understand, President! I'll gather the writers immediately!"
"Good."
Takuya exhaled softly after hanging up.
He no longer needed to micromanage.
Now, he only needed to watch from time to time—just enough to make sure the team didn't lose their heads and steer things backwards.
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