The first Northstar Cup had ended in overwhelming success.
For half a month, the tournament had dominated gaming discussions. And when it concluded, something unexpected happened.
New players flooded in.
They weren't good.
Most of them couldn't even execute basic combos properly.
But they had watched Northstar Moment #37.
They had seen Ethan Reed stand onge and parry the impossible.
And something inside them had stirred.
They wanted to challenge themselves.
They wanted to feel that heartbeat.
They downloaded Street Fighter III.
Sales numbers told the story clearly.
Before the sixth day of the tournament, sales had been steadily declining.
Then the highlight clip began circulating.
Clips were shared.
Streamers reacted.
Forums dissected the parry frame-by-frame.
And suddenly—
170,000 copies sold in a single day.
The numbers shocked everyone.
Luo Yang stared at the report, almost afraid to blink.
Ethan was smiling quietly in his office.
Vivian Frost?
She was practically glowing.
Because behind all the passion and nostalgia—
This was revenue.
And revenue meant expansion.
---
But surprisingly, after the Northstar Cup ended, the company did not aggressively continue the hype.
They let it breathe.
They let the moment ferment naturally.
Because Ethan and Vivian were already preparing the next wave.
Merchandise.
The first batch of Pokémon plush toys and figurines was about to hit the domestic market.
And at the center of it all—
Pikachu.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Pikachu was the soul of Pokémon.
Next came Squirtle.
When the Squirtle Squad arc aired in the anime, it even trended on the Official Blog because of Squirtle sunglasses memes.
There was something undeniably adorable about a small blue turtle wearing black shades with exaggerated coolness.
Especially during Squirtle's first appearance — it had this natural comedic charm.
Festive.
Playful.
Instantly lovable.
So the product line focused heavily on:
Pikachu
Squirtle
Charizard
Bulbasaur
Eevee
The factory sent Ethan a simple white mug with Pikachu printed on the side.
Vivian, however, received something much cuter.
A full Pikachu-shaped mug.
The chubby little feet acted as stabilizers.
The round yellow body formed the container.
The ears and upper face became the lid.
When placed down, Pikachu looked slightly dazed, as if daydreaming.
Vivian adored it.
She cradled it like a treasure.
Until one day.
Ethan, in a moment of questionable humor, casually remarked:
"You know… when you lift the lid to drink, it's like removing Pikachu's head."
After that—
Vivian used the cup much less frequently.
---
Later that afternoon, Ethan put down his phone in the office and rubbed his face.
Vivian looked up.
"You said your sister called you… wait. You have a family?"
Ethan stared at her.
"What kind of question is that? If I didn't have a family, how would I exist? Did I hatch from a rock?"
"You never talk about them," Vivian said softly.
Ethan sighed.
"My family… it's complicated."
Not in a tragic way.
Just… lively.
His younger sister was coming to Lumen City.
Alone.
And she was still in high school.
What were their parents thinking?
Letting a seventeen-year-old travel hundreds of kilometers alone?
From his memories, Luna Ash had always been the opposite of him.
Where Ethan was reserved, Luna was fearless.
Where he hesitated, she charged forward.
She was a social butterfly.
Put her in front of ten strangers and she would shine.
Put her on a stage and she would glow brighter.
She had recently secured guaranteed university admission due to outstanding grades and artistic achievements.
Which meant—
She now had nearly half a year of "vacation."
And she chose to spend it here.
With him.
Ethan felt a headache forming.
Let Luna meet Vivian?
He didn't believe for one second that Luna didn't know about his relationship.
Even with parental supervision, Luna was chronically online.
There was no way she hadn't seen the "Reed-Frost" pairing memes.
If she showed up and immediately called Vivian "sister-in-law"…
Ethan didn't even want to imagine the scene.
---
Meanwhile—
At the train station.
A tall girl with twin braids and bright eyes hoisted a yellow woven bag onto her shoulder.
The bag looked old-fashioned.
The contents? Local corn and homemade snacks.
"Mom! My brother's rich now! Why would he eat corn from home?"
Margaret Reed glared at her daughter.
"No matter how rich he is, he still eats!"
She adjusted Luna's collar.
"When you get there, don't cause trouble. Your brother's career is taking off."
"Who would cause trouble?" Luna grinned mischievously.
She slung the bag over her shoulder and strutted toward the platform.
The sight was amusing.
A beautiful seventeen-year-old girl carrying a giant yellow fertilizer bag.
People stared.
Luna didn't care.
In fact—
She felt proud.
Look at me.
Strong enough to carry this with one hand.
Aren't I amazing?
Margaret covered her forehead, already knowing what her daughter was thinking.
After watching Luna disappear into the crowd, she returned to the car.
Inside, Daniel Reed was adjusting the seat.
"This car drives so smooth," he said proudly. "Much better than our old one."
Margaret rolled her eyes.
"Your son spent over three hundred thousand on it. What more do you want?"
Six months ago, Ethan had transferred half a million back home.
It scared them at first.
They thought he'd gotten into trouble.
But Luna had explained enthusiastically.
"He's famous now! He's a game director! He makes tons of money!"
They didn't fully understand what that meant.
What exactly was Northstar Games?
What did a "game director" do?
They weren't sure.
But they knew one thing—
Their son was doing well.
And now, their daughter would see it with her own eyes.
Parents worry about many things.
Especially about their children's futures.
And especially—
Their romantic futures.
---
On the train, Luna Ash sat by the window.
The yellow bag rested by her feet.
She looked out at the darkening sky and grinned.
"Hehe~ Bro, I'm coming."
It had been three years since she last saw him.
Back then she was barely 1.5 meters tall.
Now she stood at 1.7.
She wondered—
Would he be shocked?
And then—
She thought of someone else.
Vivian Frost.
Her brother's rumored partner.
Her "sister-in-law."
Luna's grin widened mischievously.
This trip to Lumen City—
Was going to be very interesting.
---
Northstar had revived fighting games.
Now—
A different storm was approaching.
And it was wearing braids and carrying corn. 🔥
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