Chapter 103. Pokémon Promo Trailer, Launch!
It's already been more than half a year.
Staring a little dazedly at the phone wallpaper that hadn't been changed since the last festival, Sirin felt a twinge of mixed emotions.
She opened her chat app, scrolled skillfully through her contacts to that fixed spot, and tapped it.
Flipping through the chat history, the last conversation was still a routine holiday greeting from last month.
Taking the initiative to start a chat was impossible.
Every day she could only squeeze in a few lines with him in the group with her few close friends, catching a moment while everyone was talking together.
Of course, she considered that not "liking."
Just ordinary attention for a good friend.
Time had already slipped toward ten in the evening.
While she was spacing out, the on-screen bullet comments had started to get lively.
[Pufferfish, stop zoning out. The trailer just dropped!!]
[Knock knock knock—knew you'd be glued to your phone. Have Mother-in-law run the stream; you go be with your phone!!]
[Say, Schicksal and Shencheng have been warming up for so long already. Why has Anti-Entropy stayed silent till now? Don't tell me they're not up to it and got cold feet?]
[Or maybe they've been holding back something big?]
[Doesn't matter to me. I'm already hyped for Shencheng's new AR glasses. They come with the brand-new Sanguosha version built in. You can see Generals in real-time interaction. I can't wait to expand the territory of Eastern Wu!!]
["Discern the subtlest detail. Decide the fate of the realm."]
["Wait for the right chance. Strike once to destroy the enemy?"]
[WTF, for real!]
[Keep this up and I'm going to go leave five stars for Sanguosha!]
...
Seeing the flood of takes—some optimistic, some pessimistic—Sirin quickly noticed the frantic scroll.
She hurriedly turned off her phone screen and set it on the desk, then picked up the mouse and whispered, "Got it, got it, opening it now."
She found Anti-Entropy's homepage on the video site.
The top post was, indeed, a trailer released one minute ago.
She gently shook her head to shake off the distractions, turned off the full-screen barrage of comments, widened her eyes, and watched together with the livestream viewers.
She had been looking forward to this game—slated to launch alongside the AR glasses—for a long time.
"Mom, I'm heading out!"
At the very start of the promo, a boy around ten stood by the entryway.
He changed shoes, shouldered his backpack, put on a red cap, opened the door, and dashed out excitedly.
But very soon, he hurried back, stood before a cabinet, and opened a box.
Inside were a pair of glasses and a pair of gloves.
He put on the gloves first, then, full of anticipation, put on the glasses.
The scene cut.
He arrived at a wetland park.
A small river wound along.
Trees on the banks were lush and green.
Sunlight poured down, scattering dappled spots on the ground.
Wearing the glasses, the boy walked through this beautiful landscape.
Soon, in his field of view, a cute, cartoony creature like a caterpillar appeared.
It was lounging idly on a tree trunk.
He immediately softened his steps and crept up cautiously to this adorable little bug.
His finger tapped twice on a virtual interface.
A red-and-white little ball dropped into his gloved hand out of thin air.
Catching the bug off guard, he quickly swung his arm and threw the red-and-white ball.
The ball traced an arc through the air, then—thunk—hit the little bug right on the head.
Next, the red-and-white ball sprang open top and bottom.
A bolt of electricity sucked the little bug inside.
Then the ball snapped shut and fell to the ground as if gravity had vanished.
The boy didn't move.
He clenched his fists, eyes full of expectation as he stared at the ball.
The ball wobbled left and right.
The bug inside seemed to struggle.
But soon, with a light jolt, three golden little stars popped on the ball.
That capture-success indicator made the boy cheer out loud.
He dashed over, picked the ball up like a treasure, raised it high, and shouted happily, "Pokémon get da ze!!"
The camera pulled back.
First, it enveloped the whole Earth.
Then, in a flash, came a series of similar scenes.
At the foot of a volcano, two or three friends drove in together, chasing a fast-flying fire dragon.
Out at sea, a small blue seahorse poked its cute head out from the coral, curiously eyeing the divers not far away.
Deep in a forest, a dozen different green, adorable little creatures gathered together, horsing around and playing.
In the jungle around them, people in expedition gear were quietly closing in.
The cut jumped.
People broke into a run to escape.
Behind them, buzz—buzz—buzz blazed and flickered as one Beedrill after another, with spikes for hands, chased them down.
Familiar landmarks appeared one after another: the Great Wall, Yellowstone National Park, Mount Fuji, Lake Baikal...
Along with them were all kinds of cute creatures living among those places.
Just as everyone was dazzled and their anticipation peaked, the entire screen suddenly went pitch-black.
Then—clang!
Countless enormous searchlights blazed on.
A mountains-roar-and-sea-howl of cheers drowned the audience in an instant.
In an incredibly spacious arena, tens of thousands of spectators filled every seat.
They stood, waving what they held with all their might and shouting.
That intense emotion ignited a fire in viewers' hearts in a heartbeat.
Then, on the arena stage, a boy and a girl stood facing each other.
Their gazes at one another seemed to crackle with electricity, brimming with powerful fighting spirit.
At the very first sound of the referee's whistle, two red-and-white balls were thrown almost simultaneously.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!!"
A super-adorable yellow mouse had barely appeared when blue light flashed all over it.
It charged straight at the opposing fire dragon.
"Ancient Power.
Block it, Charizard!"
The fierce-looking Charizard roared.
The ground beside it suddenly collapsed.
Huge boulders were hoisted up by energy out of nowhere, then hurled at Pikachu at high speed.
Those heavy rocks clearly couldn't stop the nimble Pikachu.
With light dodges it slipped past and body-checked straight into Charizard's belly.
But that Quick Attack obviously didn't do much to the massive Charizard.
Bounced into the air, Pikachu, on command, chained into an Iron Tail.
Its lightning-shaped tail gleamed as it chopped down hard!
Charizard didn't meet it head-on.
It retreated with the motion, then, under orders, took straight to the sky.
"Charizard, Fire Blast!"
"Roooaaaarrrrr!!!!"
Crimson flames brewed in Charizard's great maw.
Pikachu's Trainer shouted at once, "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!!"
As Pikachu dropped and just planted its feet, it tensed its small body.
"Pika—chu!!!"
Gold lightning coiled over its body.
A blinding bolt met the descending, kanji-shaped blaze head-on.
With a boom that shook the whole arena, the crowd's excitement climbed yet another rung.
Next, the clamor gradually faded.
A deep, oppressive backing track rose slowly.
The boundless ocean heaved with raging waves.
A sky-faring giant whale with two arms blotted out the sun.
Every roar it gave raised endless surges that swallowed swaths of land.
At the heart of a searing volcano, a crimson colossus slumbered.
Lava flowed over its body.
Every breath came with endless hot wind.
Under its feet, the red land ceaselessly devoured the sea.
The screen split left and right.
They opened their eyes at the same time.
The world seemed cleaved in two poles—torrential rain on one side, a blazing sun on the other.
With casual strikes from the two titans, oceans evaporated and earth cracked.
Just as they were about to collide, the two extreme weathers were suddenly shredded by a raging, azure turbulence.
The camera turned to the sky.
A green divine dragon descended from the clouds.
With a ferocious bellow, vast energy gathered and drowned both giants without distinction.
Then, scene after wondrous scene unfolded for the viewers.
A seven-colored phoenix flying ever on high, bringing blessings to the land.
Scarlet feathers shed from its body, falling into the hands of boys and girls below.
A white giant bird hovering over the ocean.
With its voice, foul weather and surging currents gradually vanished.
Sunlight returned.
The sea calmed.
In frozen glaciers, a gray-blue dragon lay asleep.
By a small harbor on the coast, a blue and a red Pokémon—both like jet planes—soared in the sky.
A giant beast clenching a longsword in its mouth.
A body overgrown with moss.
A mechanical giant slumbering deep in the mountains.
A black dragon sealed underground, radiating an ominous aura.
And atop a sky-blotting, colossal tree, a pink little cat happily at play.
At last, the scene shifted to a pitch-black, rainy night.
A young man in a red cap had climbed to a cliff top.
The gale whipped his coat to snapping billows.
Without a word, one hand pressed the brim of his cap.
He raised his head, eyes resolute toward the ink-blotted sky.
In his other hand, he gripped a red-and-white little ball tight.
With a lightning bolt that slashed the heavens, the world flashed alight.
The young man's gaze tightened in an instant.
In the rolling heart of the clouds, a silver-white giant dragon slowly revealed its form.
And there, the image froze.
"Anti-Entropy Group."
"Fantasyland Company."
"Pokémon."
Three different logos emerged in turn, along with the words "Please look forward to it."
"Th-this..."
Sirin's hands trembled a little.
Right now she felt the blood surge to her head.
Her whole mind reeled.
The bullet comments, too, filled with layer upon layer of question marks.
The one who'd just declared for Shencheng's glasses immediately typed out a declaration of loyalty.
[Brothers, you all know I've always been an Anti-Entropy fan. Whether it's their cutting-edge tech or their meticulous service, I'm deeply, deeply enamored. So, naturally, I'll be choosing AR glasses made by Anti-Entropy. As for Schicksal and Shencheng Technology? Oh, I wish them a smooth sales season.]
Enjoyed the story? Support me and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at: Patr*eon*.com/Resium
Free members can read 10+ chapters ahead of webnovel
Paid member can read 150+ chapters ahead of webnovel
Stories Available
Honkai? No, This Is Daily Life
Hogwarts Pet Master
Pokémon: Who Let Him Leave Pallet Town!
Scrolling Yu-Gi-Oh! Shorts