Building a Gaming Empire In 1984

"Hello, this is Silicon Oasis... Ethan! Ah, yes, yes, of course."

...

Meyer hung up the phone, hurriedly canceled his scheduled business meeting, and drove straight over to Ethan's office.

"Meyer, I'll have to trouble you again."

Ethan welcomed him inside. Even after becoming such close associates, Meyer still carried the same sense of awkwardness whenever he faced Ethan.

If Arnold and Brandon had been the biggest beneficiaries in terms of publicity thanks to GAMENOVA's momentum, then Silicon Oasis had also reaped good commercial rewards.

Among many other present distributors of GAMENOVA, Silicon Oasis benefited a little more as they were its first distributors and now they had grown their sales network throughout the West Coast.

"Trouble? Ethan, there's no such thing." Meyer waved his hand dramatically. "Just give the word. Whether it's new arcade machines or console games, I guarantee I'll sell every last one of them. Every single one and better than any other distributor ever will."

"Meyer, this time we're not selling anything. But I do need your help."

Ethan gestured for him to calm down and tone down the flattery. He accepted a folder Sam handed him and placed it on the table in front of Meyer.

Meyer's eyes followed his hand to the cover, where the title was clearly printed.

"Construction Plan for Pokémon Centers and the Eight Gyms."

"Po-ke-mon..."

Meyer sounded out the unfamiliar coined word, and learned a new thing, as Ethan told him it was a combination of "Pocket" and "Monster."

"Ethan, is Pokémon GAMENOVA's new game? You're planning to build dedicated themed stores for it?"

He hadn't even read the document yet, but he'd already guessed part of its purpose.

"You could say that."

Ethan nodded and opened the folder, beginning to explain what was, by any standard, an astonishing plan.

"I want every game store in every region to set aside a dedicated area for this thing and right now we have contacted every other major distributor across the country. So, just thought of giving you a heads up too. It's called a 'Pokémon Center.' As for how it should be laid out..."

As he spoke, Sam emerged from the back room carrying a machine Meyer had never seen before.

With a heavy thud, Sam set the machine down on the table, revealing its full appearance. The chassis was primarily bright red. On both the left and right sides were disk drive slots for inserting floppy disks.

On the back were a telephone line port and a standard power connector. On the front was an LCD display.

"What is this?"

Meyer stared at the machine in astonishment. Judging from its ports alone, it looked somewhat similar to the floppy disk fax machines currently found in game stores. But this thing was obviously far more than that.

"We call it the 'Pokémon Exchange Machine.'"

Ethan patted the device as he introduced it.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

At the moment, it was still just an empty shell. It wouldn't actually become operational until the console version of Pokémon had been completed.

With that said, Ethan continued turning the pages, explaining the Pokémon Center plans in full detail. By the time he had finished outlining every aspect of the current proposal, Meyer remained frozen in his chair.

He looked up at Ethan, then back at the machine on the table, suddenly feeling as though his brain wasn't quite keeping up anymore.

Games… Could they really be taken this far?

"Ethan... It won't be easy convincing those game stores to accept this proposal. But I'll do everything I can."

Meyer picked up the document and flipped several more pages.

"Then what exactly are these 'Eight Gyms'?"

"Well..."

Ethan smiled.

"You'll just have to wait until the time comes."

...

That day, several large game stores and arcades throughout California mysteriously cordoned off sections of their interiors for renovation. As time passed, this phenomenon gradually spread throughout the country.

Many curious players immediately began speculating that it had to be the work of the recently quiet GAMENOVA.

Some even sneaked into the construction areas when no one was looking, hoping to uncover the truth.

Unfortunately, all the reports from these undercover explorers revealed was that the interior design featured a clean, minimalist style.

There were no new machines. Nor were there any other suspicious clues.

Before long, GAMENOVA's next move completely confirmed that the entire project belonged to them.

Almost overnight, GAMENOVA made a bold move, purchasing eight buildings across the country and launching large scale renovation projects.

The interior design matched the style used in those arcade renovation areas almost exactly, differing only in their themes.

The locations of the eight buildings were equally intriguing, whether by design or coincidence.

The first was established near the Grand Canyon in Arizona, featuring extensive geological, archaeological, and massive prehistoric stone motifs.

The second was located in Chicago, America's third-largest city, beside the Great Lakes. The building included a public swimming pool, a small aquarium, and other aquatic facilities.

The third returned to California, situated within Silicon Valley's technology district. Circuit boards, transistors, and other technological elements decorated its walls and facilities.

The fourth was also in California, near Sequoia National Park, making extensive use of natural themes with stylized plants, vines, and forest-inspired decorations.

The fifth stood amid the Louisiana swamps, and its decor left people thoroughly puzzled. Unlike the previous locations, its interior was filled with bottles and jars everywhere, while unsettling chemical hazard warning signs covered the walls.

The sixth was established in Las Vegas, Nevada, built around themes of playing cards, magic, and illusion.

The seventh was located in New Mexico, featuring pottery craftsmanship and volcanic motifs.

The eighth and final building was constructed in Texas, showcasing a distinctly industrial aesthetic, complete with a replica oil derrick mounted on its roof.

A construction project on such a massive scale naturally caused an uproar throughout the gaming industry.

No one had expected that not long after GAMENOVA's spectacular comeback with Harvest Moon, they would create another sensation of this magnitude.

Electronic Games even published a special feature analyzing the project, marking the locations of the Eight Gyms on a map while speculating about GAMENOVA's true intentions.

"In my opinion, these eight buildings cover the eastern, western, southern, northern, and central regions of the continental United States. Clearly, this is GAMENOVA's attempt to establish its own chain of flagship stores."

"Under its previous business model, GAMENOVA always acted solely as a manufacturer. I believe this represents a major step towards becoming a completely self-sufficient company."

"As for why each building has a different theme? I believe it's because they were designed to match their local natural environments, with each theme carefully chosen to suit its surroundings. It's undoubtedly another thoughtful touch from the people at GAMENOVA."

...

"Ethan, take a look. This wording is fine, isn't it?"

Steve handed the pre-print sample to Ethan.

"Looks good."

Ethan nodded.

"Let's go with it."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!