During this period, Northstar Games completely ignored the outside chaos.
The internet was screaming for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2, demanding new games, flooding the official account with private messages. But inside the company, things were calm, organized, and focused.
Mooncrest Studio and the music department had officially moved into their new floors after renovations were completed. It sounded dramatic to call it renovation, but in reality, it was mostly installing equipment, building new walls, setting up recording rooms, and upgrading wiring. The work finished in just over a month.
Once Mooncrest Studio and the music team were fully integrated into Northstar's internal structure, Vivian Frost and Ethan Reed both let out a long breath.
The merger was complete.
Northstar was now unified.
But before they could celebrate, new problems surfaced.
After Edgerunners ended, Northstar and Mooncrest had only rested for a little over a month.
Just over a month!
And the internet was already on fire.
It could only be said that Northstar had been too productive before. When fans didn't see any updates for thirty days, they immediately assumed disaster.
The comments were brutal.
"Stop pretending to be dead! When is Edgerunners Season 2 coming out?"
"Where's the new game? My wallet is ready! Why haven't you released anything?"
"Northstar, you've been slacking off too long!"
"Either make Season 2 or give us a new game!"
Every morning, when Vivian logged into the official account and saw tens of thousands of unread messages, she would stare blankly at the screen.
How was she supposed to read all that?
Even if she read until she fainted, she wouldn't finish.
So she ignored it.
But ignoring fans didn't silence them.
Instead, they became louder.
And because Vivian was annoyed by the fans, she went to annoy Ethan.
Ethan, in turn, went to check on development progress.
First, he went to the team building Street Fighter 3. He found Aaron Cole, who was deep in testing combat mechanics. Ethan tried explaining the feeling he wanted—the impact, the rhythm, the weight behind every punch.
Aaron listened carefully.
Then he shook his head and spread his hands.
A fighting game couldn't be rushed. It required endless iteration and testing.
It wasn't ready.
Street Fighter 3 couldn't be used to calm the audience.
So Ethan shifted targets.
If the gamers were hungry, maybe animation could distract them.
He went down to the third floor and found Rachel Quinn in her new office. It was only her third day as department head. Compared to her old life—running around looking for novel adaptation rights—this was paradise. Now she simply waited for assignments. Salaries were handled. Budgets were approved. No survival panic.
"Have you received any new work recently?" Ethan asked.
Rachel shook her head. "We're waiting for you."
Ethan nodded.
"Then get ready. Mooncrest is starting a new project. I'll give you the script this afternoon."
Rachel's eyes lit up instantly.
"Edgerunners Season 2?"
Ethan smiled and shook his head.
"No. We're making that electric yellow mouse you dislike."
Rachel froze.
They were really making it?
She had assumed Ethan was joking when he first mentioned it.
"Tell your team to focus," Ethan continued calmly. "We'll start with a trailer. The anime will release after the game."
Rachel stared at him, speechless.
A mouse.
Northstar was making a mouse.
---
Back on the seventh floor, Ethan searched for Daniel, but Daniel was buried in the 2077 project.
In just over a month, tens of millions had already been spent.
Northstar was no longer a small studio. With programmers, researchers, musicians, animators, artists, and support staff, the employee count was nearing two hundred.
2077 was a massive undertaking.
Right now, it was burning money to build experience.
Daniel understood this perfectly. He spent boldly. The team learned through trial and error. The foundation was becoming stronger.
But if Northstar didn't release a new game soon, even their impressive revenue wouldn't sustain such spending forever.
Motion capture testing was coming next.
More money.
Unknown amounts of money.
For the company's future.
For 2077's smooth development.
For silencing the fans.
Ethan made his decision.
I choose you, Pokémon.
He found Evan Cross.
Evan was one of the rising developers assisting on 2077. Young, capable, hungry to prove himself.
"A new project," Ethan said.
Evan hesitated. "I'd prefer to stay on 2077…"
Ethan placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"If we don't release something soon, 2077 will be forced to shrink. Daniel spends without mercy. Besides, 2077 has a long development cycle. You work on this for two or three months, then return. And when this game becomes popular, your name will be on it."
He looked Evan straight in the eyes.
"This is career gold."
Evan swallowed.
"Will it really be popular?"
Ethan smiled.
"Beyond your imagination."
Pokémon wasn't technically demanding. It wasn't about cutting-edge graphics or massive open worlds. It was about design, mechanics, and viral potential.
It was an IP machine.
A cultural phenomenon.
An empire.
"Take twenty people," Ethan continued. "You'll need artists. If you're short, borrow from Mooncrest. If Rachel complains, tell her I approved it."
Evan nodded.
"Understood."
---
When Ethan returned to his office, Vivian was playing Stardew Valley again.
That game really did have strange magic.
"Boss," Ethan said, "new game approved."
Vivian looked up.
"Street Fighter 3 isn't finished and we already have another game?"
Ethan picked up the black tea she had brewed.
Too sweet, as usual.
Vivian always added extra sugar.
She claimed it helped his brain.
"The new game," Ethan said calmly, "is for all genders and all ages."
"What game?"
"Pokémon."
Vivian blinked.
"The yellow electric mouse?"
"Yes."
She immediately stood up and gave him the computer.
Ethan opened the system interface and purchased two items:
Pokémon Generation 1.
And the first hundred episodes of the anime.
He closed his eyes.
Information flooded into his mind.
Ten minutes later, he opened his eyes and began typing rapidly.
Vivian dragged a stool beside him and stared in amazement.
She couldn't read as fast as he wrote.
Then suddenly, on the screen, a small creature appeared.
Round face.
Short limbs.
Lightning-shaped tail.
Rosy cheeks.
Bright eyes.
Vivian grabbed Ethan's arm.
"What is that?! It's so cute!"
Ethan didn't stop drawing.
"That's the yellow electric mouse."
Vivian froze.
"This is a mouse?"
Ethan drew the side profile next—plump body, tail raised like a lightning bolt.
Vivian's heart melted.
If mice looked like this, she would hug one to sleep.
"Stop screaming," Ethan said calmly. "Go get me a drawing tablet. I need to design many more creatures."
Vivian ran off instantly.
Then she paused and leaned back in.
"What's its name?"
Ethan replied without hesitation:
"Pikachu."
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