At 11 PM that night, Sega Headquarters was brightly lit.
The Sales Supervisor, the man who had been holding a walkie-talkie earlier that day, watching the plaza full of people but unable to restock, feeling so heartbroken he almost fainted, was now holding a freshly printed report.
His hands were trembling slightly, not from fear, but from extreme excitement.
He cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound steady, but his tone still came out a bit off: "Everyone! The final data is out!"
The office instantly fell silent, and everyone's eyes focused on the paper in his hand.
"Across Japan, first-day sales—exceeded one hundred thousand units!"
"Wow ah ah ah!"
The emotions suppressed throughout the day erupted, and cheers and whistles almost blew the roof off.
Some people slammed their hands on tables, while others excitedly embraced each other.
The Sales Supervisor took a deep breath and continued to read aloud: "Among them, the Pikachu limited edition bundle sold over eight thousand sets!
Total game cartridge sales, one hundred eighty thousand boxes!
pokémon adventure: pokémon land single game sales—over one hundred thousand boxes!"
This meant that almost every player who bought an MD also purchased pokémon Adventure.
This bundling rate was simply a business miracle.
"North America and Europe will have to wait another week for aggregated data, but we are already invincible!" the Sales Supervisor shouted, then jumped up himself.
However, amidst the euphoria, a few people from the Marketing Department seemed out of place.
They gathered in a corner, and although they wore smiles, the tension in their brows had not completely dissipated.
When a champagne cork popped with a "pop," they only instinctively glanced at it before falling back into hushed discussion.
Takuya walked over with a cup of water and calmly asked, "Still worried about the plumber?"
The Marketing Department head paused, then nodded with a wry smile: "After all, it's super mario bros. 3.
Nintendo's sales for today haven't come out yet, and we..."
"So, our battle isn't over yet," Takuya interrupted him.
"Today is just the beginning."
He motioned for them to follow him to the small conference room next door.
"Go home and sleep well; it's not too late to inquire about the opponent's news tomorrow morning," Takuya said, leaning against the table.
"Tomorrow's promotion will follow the plan I prepared earlier."
He looked at the Marketing Department head: "Do you remember what I said earlier today? Valentine's Day."
The head's eyes lit up.
"Move all large pokémon inflatable models, except for those in Akihabara, to Chuo-dori in Akihabara Electric Town.
I want them to hang above that entire street."
"All of them?" someone instinctively asked, "Even the Snorlax from Ginza?"
"Yes, especially that Snorlax," Takuya's mouth twitched.
"It's big enough to block out a lot of unsightly things."
Everyone couldn't help but laugh, and the tension in their hearts immediately vanished.
"For street promotions, besides Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Psyduck, and the original three starter pokémon, I've prepared two new faces," Takuya held up two fingers, "Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀."
"Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀?" The Marketing Department staff were a bit confused, as the popularity of these two pokémon was far less than Pikachu's.
"Besides attracting customers normally, they have a special mission," Takuya's tone carried a hint of cunning.
"To give a small gift to every couple who comes together to buy an MD."
From his bag, he took out two palm-sized plush toys: a blue-purple Nidoran♂ and a light-blue Nidoran♀.
The bodies of the two toys were cleverly sewn together with a red string, looking intimately connected.
"We'll tell them this is a 'Proof of Love' exclusive to couples."
The conference room was silent.
The Marketing Department head picked up the pair of toys, turning them over and over, his expression changing from surprise to ecstasy: "Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! We're not just selling game consoles; we're selling Valentine's Day gifts!"
Takuya smiled: "Go rest.
I've already arranged the night shift."
The next morning, in the temporarily converted MD launch command center at Sega Headquarters, the air still carried the sweet lingering scent of last night's champagne, mixed with the bitter aroma of fresh coffee.
The fatigue from a night of revelry was visible on everyone's faces, but their spirits remained undiminished.
The Sales Supervisor had dark circles under his eyes, clutching a blank form, pacing anxiously back and forth in front of the whiteboard, occasionally glancing at the door.
Just past ten o'clock, a young man from the Marketing Department rushed in, panting, the fax paper in his hand crumpled.
"It's here!"
Everyone's gaze instantly focused on him.
The young man ran to the whiteboard, picked up a marker, took a deep breath, and wrote a number stroke by stroke, with such force that the pen tip squeaked.
Tokyo area, super mario bros. 3 first-day sales—78,566.
The office fell into an eerie silence.
Less than eighty thousand?
This number was like a stone dropped into a stagnant pool; it failed to create the expected ripple and instead stunned everyone.
It was too small, too unreal.
This was Nintendo's star.
"Did you make a mistake?" The Sales Supervisor was the first to speak; he couldn't believe his eyes.
"Could the information be wrong? Or is it just sales from a certain district?"
"No, this is the total sales for Tokyo that we've cross-referenced repeatedly," the young man confirmed.
Everyone exchanged glances, their expressions shifting from anticipation to confusion, and even a hint of unease.
Everyone understood that something abnormal implied something sinister.
Everyone's gaze, by unspoken agreement, turned to the calm young man in the corner, holding a coffee cup.
Takuya blew on the hot liquid in his cup, then shifted his gaze from the number on the whiteboard, scanning the perplexed faces of the crowd.
"Don't forget what happened on Wednesday," he said, his voice quiet but clearly reaching everyone's ears.
"Wednesday?" Someone didn't immediately react.
The Marketing Department head slapped his thigh suddenly: "The DQ Riot!"
"Right," Takuya nodded.
"Nintendo's core players in Tokyo are currently holed up at home, immersed in the world of dragon quest 3.
For them, saving the world is far more important than going out to buy a new Mario game."
He paused, a playful smile playing on his lips: "What's more, what day is today? Valentine's Day.
Why would single players go out and make themselves miserable?
Isn't playing dragon quest at home more fun?"
"Pfft—" A few single employees couldn't help but laugh in shared understanding, and the tense atmosphere in the office immediately lightened considerably.
"And our pokémon Great Adventure, with Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ as 'Proof of Love'," Takuya's gaze turned to the Marketing Department head, "will naturally not be rejected by couples.
With one rising and the other falling, the sales gap today will only widen."
The Sales Supervisor's eyes lit up; he finally understood.
It wasn't that Nintendo was weak, but that they were temporarily held back by another storm.
"In this way," Takuya put down his coffee cup, walked to the whiteboard, and picked up another colored pen.
Between their "first-day over one hundred thousand" and Nintendo's "less than eighty thousand," he drew a large "greater than" symbol.
"We have an excellent opportunity."
"Before Nintendo reacts, we will use this initial sales gap to create a storm of public opinion.
Let all media, all players see—super mario bros. 3 lost to pokémon Great Adventure."
He looked around at everyone, his tone becoming sharper: "I know that with the FC's massive installed base, Mario's sales will quickly catch up, even surpass us.
But by that time, the sales comparison between these two games will no longer be important to us."
"When many people believe we have won, our battle will already be over."