"Ding."
The elevator doors slid open smoothly, revealing a bustling but orderly office space. Men and women in sharp suits moved efficiently around the area, each focused on their respective tasks. The low hum of work filled the air, faint conversations as files were exchanged, the sound of ringing phones promptly answered, and the rhythmic clicking of keyboards typing out reports.
When the nearby employees spotted Kaminari and his friends, they greeted him with warm, familiar smiles but nothing too formal. After all, they'd seen him countless times over the years, he was the president's son, after all.
"Hmm... looks like Dad didn't mention anything about Momo," Kaminari mused quietly as he led Kyoka and Momo toward the president's office.
"Wow!" Momo exclaimed softly, her eyes lighting up with interest as she took in the surroundings. "Kaminari, your family's company is really focused on 'Pikachu.' There are so many of them around here!"
"Yeah, it's like Pikachu paradise," Kyoka added, nodding toward the large two-meter-high Pikachu posters that adorned the walls, along with various Pikachu-themed merchandise and stickers scattered throughout the office.
"Hey, what are those?" Kyoka asked, pointing toward some posters near the floor-to-ceiling windows. "They don't look like Pikachu."
Kaminari and Momo followed her gaze. The posters showed three unfamiliar Pokémon, each with a Poké Ball hovering above their heads, all in vibrant colors and unique shapes.
"Oh, those," Kaminari said with a smile. "Those are the starter Pokémon. The red one is Charmander, a Fire-type. The little turtle is Squirtle, a Water-type, and the green one over there is Bulbasaur, a Grass-type."
"Shu...ba? What does that mean?" Kyoka asked, tilting her head, her confusion making her look rather adorable.
Kaminari chuckled. "That's just the species name for Pikachu and the others. They're what we call basic Pokémon."
Of course, Kaminari didn't mention that he had drawn these characters himself, at least, the original three. Beyond those, he'd created basic sketches of several Pokémon and planned to leave the rest of the designs to his mother and a team of professional cartoonists.
"They're really interesting designs!" Momo said, clearly impressed. As someone with a keen business sense, she quickly grasped the potential behind what Kaminari's family was doing.
Just Pikachu alone had built a successful company. Expanding it into an entire Pokémon world with multiple characters? The possibilities were endless.
"Son!"
Kaminari's father appeared, having just been notified by his secretary that they had arrived. He strode over to greet them, his eyes lighting up as he took in the sight of Momo and Kyoka. Well, mostly Momo, he was eager to meet the young lady from the prestigious Yaoyorozu family.
"Dad, this is Kyoka Jiro and Momo Yaoyorozu," Kaminari introduced them formally. "They're my classmates and members of the Pikachu Band."
"Ah, very nice to meet you!" Kaminari's dad said, beaming. "Such lovely young ladies. Please take good care of Kaminari!"
"Hello, sir," Momo and Kyoka replied politely, both bowing in greeting.
Kaminari's father practically glowed with pride. His son was clearly doing well, not only starting a band but also bringing home such charming and capable friends. He couldn't help but think Kaminari was already much more accomplished than he had been at his age.
"Let's head down to the recording studio on the second floor," his dad said, pointing to the elevator. "Dawu should have everything set up for you."
He led the way, eager to hear the song Kaminari had composed as the potential theme for their first animation project. Given the success of Kaminari's earlier work, he wasn't too worried, it would probably be great.
Soon, they arrived at the recording studio, which was sleek and well-equipped. Dawu, who was in charge of the technical side, had clearly taken his role seriously today. Instead of lounging around playing with his phone like usual, he was wearing a neat light-blue suit, his hair carefully styled, and he even had a pair of glasses that added a touch of professionalism.
"Alright," Kaminari's father said as they settled into the studio. They all gathered around a low glass coffee table, sinking into the soft leather couches. "Before we dive into the song, how much do you two know about 'Pokémon'?"
Kyoka and Momo exchanged glances, then shook their heads. Momo answered, "Honestly, we don't know much beyond Pikachu and the few characters Kaminari just introduced."
Kaminari's father smiled, not at all surprised. After all, Pokémon hadn't officially launched yet, so there wasn't much for them to know.
"That's alright," he said, reaching for a tablet on the table. He tapped a few buttons before handing it to them. "Take a look at this. It'll give you a good idea of what the series is about."
Kyoka and Momo leaned in, curious. The screen displayed a black-and-white comic cover featuring Pikachu perched on a young boy's shoulder, clearly a younger version of Kaminari himself, though with a much more "cute" and playful look compared to his real-life self.
"Wait, the manga's already out?" Kaminari asked, surprised.
"Haha, not quite," his dad laughed. "We've only got the first two chapters finished. It'll take a while before the whole series is ready."
Momo picked up the tablet and scooted closer to Kyoka, both of them intrigued. They hadn't expected Pokémon to feature Kaminari as the main character.
"This is so weird," Kyoka said with a smile, her eyes sparkling as she glanced at the chibi version of Kaminari on the screen. "It's the first time I've known someone who became a comic book protagonist!"
Momo giggled as well. "So, if this comic becomes popular, will we start seeing Kaminari merchandise, too? Maybe figurines?"
Kaminari and his dad exchanged glances, both realizing that this could very well be a possibility. Kaminari turned back to the girls, grinning. "If they make figures of me, would you guys buy them?"
"Definitely!" Kyoka blurted out, then immediately blushed, realizing how quickly she'd responded. She tried to hide her embarrassment with a sheepish smile, while Momo laughed beside her.