Northstar Games — Seventh Floor.
Rachel Quinn had been waiting for this moment.
The instant Ethan Reed was called away by Luo Yang, she seized the opportunity, slipped upstairs, and entered the most mysterious place in the company—the small executive office.
Vivian Frost was sitting at her desk, quietly reviewing financial reports.
Rachel swaggered in like she owned the place.
Vivian glanced up once… then continued typing.
Rachel sniffed dramatically, walked up to the desk, and suddenly slapped it.
"Ha!"
Vivian didn't even flinch.
"Are you insane?" she said calmly. "If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, leave."
Rachel leaned forward with a mischievous grin.
"So? Any progress? Did he stay over? Did things… develop?"
Vivian's face flushed instantly.
"Develop your head!"
Rachel gasped dramatically. "You're almost twenty-six! You're heading toward thirty! You've never even dated properly. Are you trying to become an Archmage or something?"
Vivian fired back instantly, "You're the one acting like a lesbian gossip queen."
Rachel smirked. "If I were, do you think you'd still be safe?"
In truth…
Something had happened last night.
Not that kind of something.
But something.
Ethan had carried her home.
She had been genuinely drunk.
And yes—
He stayed the night.
On the sofa.
Using his jacket as a blanket.
When Vivian woke up that morning, she quietly walked out of her bedroom and saw him sleeping there, shoes neatly placed aside, jacket folded over his chest.
Her dress was still intact.
Slightly wrinkled.
But untouched.
He had only helped her remove her shoes.
That was it.
And that was what irritated her the most.
He was too much of a gentleman.
Sometimes…
Sometimes…
Being too proper was infuriating.
But could she say that out loud?
Absolutely not.
So when Rachel kept pressing her, Vivian only waved her off.
"Nothing dramatic happened. But… progress, maybe."
Rachel rolled her eyes and eventually gave up.
The rhythm between Vivian and Ethan was their own.
Not every relationship needed fireworks.
Some grew quietly.
And Rachel had no right to rush it.
She left, pretending to be disappointed.
October 20th
Pokémon had reached episode six on BiliZone.
View count: 40 million.
Not as explosive as Edgerunners.
But far more stable.
Fan engagement was extremely high.
Topic rankings remained near the top daily.
And most importantly—
The IP had officially begun printing money.
Toy manufacturers flooded Northstar with cooperation proposals.
Vivian carefully reviewed contracts and selected two southern manufacturers.
The agreement structure:
Minimum guaranteed payment + commission.
Northstar bore no manufacturing risk.
No inventory liability.
Pure profit.
Vivian signed confidently.
Film companies also approached them for movie rights.
This time—
She refused.
One year ago, she might have sold it for twenty million without hesitation.
Now?
Northstar wasn't desperate.
They had their own animation department.
Why not produce a Pokémon film themselves in the future?
Vivian had grown.
But good news was only half the story.
Problem One: Project 2077
After months of development, over 70 million yuan had already been invested.
Motion capture suits purchased.
Professional actors hired.
Yet movement animations were still stiff.
Unnatural.
Unacceptable.
And this was still only research phase.
Full production would burn even more.
Project 2077 was a monster.
Problem Two: Street Fighter 3
Luo Yang's fighting game had finally released.
First day sales: 50,000 copies.
Second day: thousands refunded.
Third day: more refunds.
The reason?
The barrier to entry.
Veteran fighting players dominated ranked matches immediately.
New players were crushed.
Refunds followed.
Fighting games required time.
Precision.
Practice.
And patience.
The genre had long left mainstream popularity.
Without arcades on every street corner, fighting games became niche.
To Vivian, the veterans were partly responsible.
They went full competitive mode immediately.
New players didn't stand a chance.
Luo Yang was devastated.
Meanwhile—
Evan Cross was thriving.
As Pokémon's chief programmer, his reputation skyrocketed.
He even received a million-yuan annual salary offer.
He ignored it completely.
He knew Pokémon's soul came from Ethan Reed.
He was just the builder.
Loyalty to Northstar was non-negotiable.
But for Rowan Young....
Seeing Evan succeed hurt.
Sixth Floor — Strategy Meeting
Looked exhausted.
"I failed you."
Ethan laughed softly.
"The game's quality is excellent. I'm satisfied."
Rowan Young shook his head.
"It didn't sell."
Ethan leaned back calmly.
"The problem isn't quality."
He had expected this.
Fighting games weren't dead.
They were under-promoted.
Later generations proved this.
Street Fighter 6 would sell millions at high prices.
Why?
Tournaments.
Streamers.
Competition hype.
The spectacle.
The community.
The back-and-forth intensity.
Fighting games thrived when people watched them.
Ethan smiled.
"I have a plan."
Rowan young looked up.
"We host a tournament."
Silence.
"The first Northstar Fighting Cup."
"Street Fighter 3."
"A prize pool of one million."
Rowan young blinked.
"One million?"
"That headline alone will attract attention."
"Offline venue. Live stream. Cross-promotion in all our games."
"Create buzz."
"The charm of fighting games lies in watching masters fight."
Ethan leaned forward.
"I've wanted to explore esports for a long time."
This wasn't just about Street Fighter.
This was long-term positioning.
Rowan young took a deep breath.
"Okay."
Preparations Begin
Venue: Fifth floor — temporarily borrowed from Nanshan Games.
Arcade machines installed.
Professional fighting sticks prepared.
Joystick manufacturers invited for sponsorship.
Everything moved quickly.
And at the end of October—
Northstar Games made a move.
Not a new game.
Not a new anime.
But something different.
On their Official Blog account, followed by five million fans, they posted:
Northstar Games:
We are proud to announce the first Northstar Fighting Cup this November.
Game title: Street Fighter 3.
Prize pool: 1,000,000 yuan.
Venue, rules, and registration details below.
The post exceeded 500 words.
It exploded instantly.
Official Blog trending list:
#7 — Northstar Fighting Cup
Across the country—
Veteran fighting players stood up.
How long had it been since there was a real tournament?
For the first time in years—
They felt something stir.
And their eyes turned toward one place.
Lumen City.
The battle was about to begin.
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