SEC Chapter 81, No. 151: Clues
Chapter 81, No. 151: Clues
"So this is a new event similar to the previous Easter egg hunt?"
John looked at the badge in Mike's hand and remembered when he won the lottery.
Mike held the badge up to the sunlight and excitedly grabbed it.
"If I can collect all eight gym badges, I can challenge the 'Road to the Champions,' which is personally overseen by GAMENOVA headquarters!"
"Okay... so what?"
"When I defeat them all, I'll be inducted into the Hall of Fame and awarded a commemorative medal personally produced by GAMENOVA, complete with the signatures of the entire development team!"
"That's definitely worth a try."
John was startled; if that were the case, he was even considering giving it a try.
That medal was signed by the entire cast and crew of GAMENOVA!
"No, no, no, you don't understand, John. These are not the things I really care about."
Mike interrupted him, waving his hand, his gaze intense.
"The first 100 successful players will receive access to a closed beta test of the sequel!"
"WTF?!"
……
Never before has a game in the world achieved such a phenomenal sensation as Pokémon.
Online and offline dual-terminal marketing has completely broken down the boundaries between the virtual and the real world.
Whether it's the subway, an airplane, a restaurant, or a library, wherever there are people, you can always see players engrossed in playing NovaPocket.
In an era when mobile phones were still dominated by Motorola's iconic "big brother" style devices, the NovaPocket took over the niche of portable entertainment devices, becoming an essential electronic product to carry when going out.
Long journeys and tedious waits—it has its place in almost any scenario.
Lin Lixin, the creator of all this, is sitting in front of the camera, listening to an interview with Steve, the founder of Electronic Games.
"Regarding the handheld port of Story of Seasons, our hardware department is currently working on it."
"I'm really looking forward to it! I hope I can play it as soon as possible!"
Whenever the topic of "Story of Seasons" comes up, Steve still gets a little tense. He looks down at the manuscript in his hand and continues to ask:
"So, the next question is, we noticed that the logo at the beginning of Pokémon Red and Green, besides GAMENOVA, also features a company called Game Freak. Could you explain why?"
"GameFreak? That's a content incubation company we set up overseas, mainly responsible for the operation of other cultural and entertainment products besides games and some game-related products."
Lin Lixin's answer was very formal; although it provided a general explanation, Steve still felt completely confused.
"I can give you a little spoiler: there's new content about the Pokémon IP coming up before Christmas ends."
……
After the interview, Lin Lixin glanced to the side, where Sam, who had been waiting for a long time, smiled and waved the booklet in his hand.
The cover features the words "Pokémon Fun Festival" written in neon, with the Game Freak logo in the lower right corner.
Pokémon Fun Festival, also known as Clefairy's Tale.
This is a humorous comic book based on the Pokémon storyline.
In the original timeline, it had already begun serialization in 96.
In the early days of Pokémon's lukewarm reception, Clefairy successfully gave the struggling Game Freak a much-needed boost.
In this world, Pokémon, backed by GAMENOVA, has no shortage of marketing and promotion.
However, Lin Lixin still contacted Satoshi Tajiri and invited 28-year-old Kosaku Anakubo to help.
This comic series still has its significance.
Thus, this amazing manga, with Satoshi Tajiri as the series composer and Ken Sugimori as the supervisor, traveled across the ocean and arrived in Lin Lixin's hands.
"Mr. Steve, if you don't have any other plans later, why don't you stay and chat?"
Lin Lixin glanced at Steve, who was about to leave, then picked up the receiver on the table and made a phone call.
……
Just as the outside world was eagerly anticipating what the new Pokémon content mentioned in the interview was, Pokémon Centers across the country simultaneously launched new products, riding the wave of the Christmas shopping season.
The Story of Pipi
A serialized comic book produced by GameFreak, translated by GAMENOVA, published by Electronic Games, and distributed by Silicon Oasis.
Meanwhile, a company called ComicNova was officially registered in California, wholly owned by GAMENOVA, with partial shares held by Lin Lixin, Sam, GameFreak, ElectronicGames, and Silicon Oasis.
A graphic and text marketing alliance under GAMENOVA was officially established, binding the four companies together.
ComicNova's debut title, "Cippey Adventure," capitalized on the Pokémon craze and sold out immediately upon release.
Having learned from their previous experience of snapping up handheld consoles and cartridges, players gave it no time to breathe this time.
They sell out almost as soon as they are printed.
……
"This plot seems pretty much the same as in the game."
Mike, holding the newly published "The Story of Pipi," quickly flipped through two pages.
The character settings are almost identical, except that the protagonist's name is the same as the original "Red".
It even has a rival in the game, "Green," who competes with it for the Pokédex, and cleverly chose Charmander as its partner.
"However, the protagonist's partner is Pipi, who is incredibly useless."
"But we still have Pikachu, so it's not a big problem."
The two of them turned the pages one by one.
With its chaotic art style and swampy storyline, Mike never imagined that the first official Pokémon manga would have this kind of art style.
But it's surprisingly addictive.
If I had to put it into words, a whole host of designs that are completely different from the Pokémon style have actually created a wonderful chemical reaction, forming a strange sense of contrast.
This style unexpectedly aligns well with the tastes of the European and American markets.
"Stop, stop, stop! Turn it back!"
Mike suddenly called out to John, who was about to turn the page again, and frowned.
I have a feeling that I just swept past something incredible.
"Here, look here!"
Mike pointed to one of the pictures, which depicted several characters having a conversation.
At first glance, there seems to be no problem.
But John looked closely at where Mike was pointing.
"Is there a Pokémon hiding behind the tree?"
After seeing the trunk of an ordinary tree, he furtively peeked out half of his head, his ears resembling those of some kind of cat.
"Could it be Jigglypuff? No, Jigglypuff isn't this skinny..."
Since the comic was in black and white, Mike didn't have enough clues to deduce its identity and had to temporarily treat it as a typo.
But soon, a conversation aroused his suspicions again.
Legend has it that a mythical Pokémon was once sighted in this area.
Only with a pure heart and a strong desire to meet it can it appear.
What is this? An urban legend? (laughs)
Mike stopped John from turning the page, read it over and over again, his eyes wide with shock.
He recalled GAMENOVA's past habit of hiding numerous Easter eggs in their games.
"Perhaps there's a hidden Pokémon in Pokémon that has never been discovered..."
Mike muttered to himself,
"No. 151..."