"Ding."

  The elevator doors slid open smoothly, revealing a bustling but orderly office space. Men and women in sharp suits moved effitly around the area, each focused on their respective tasks. The low hum of work filled the air, faint versations as files were exged, the sound ing phones promptly answered, and the rhythmic clig 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 tless 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 excimed softly, her eyes lighting up with i as she took in the surroundings. "Kaminari, your family's pany is really focused on 'Pikachu.' There are so many of them around here!"

  "Yeah, it's like Pikachu paradise," Kyoka added, nodding toward the rge two-meter-high Pikachu posters that adorhe walls, along with various Pikachu-themed merdise and stickers scattered throughout the office.

  "Hey, what are those?" Kyoka asked, pointing toward some posters he 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 h 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 fusion making her look rather adorable.

  Kaminari chuckled. "That's just the species name for Pikachu and the others. They're what we call basion."

  Of course, Kaminari didn't mention that he had drawn these characters himself, at least, the inal three. Beyond those, he'd created basic sketches of several Pokémon and po leave the rest of the designs to his mother and a team of professional cartoonists.

  "They're really iing designs!" Momo said, clearly impressed. As someoh a keen business sense, she quickly grasped the potential behind what Kaminari's family was doing.

  Just Pikachu alone had built a successful pany. Expanding it into aire 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 dy from the prestigious Yaoyorozu family.

  "Dad, this is Kyoka Jiro and Momo Yaoyorozu," Kaminari introduced them formally. "They're my cssmates and members of the Pikachu Band."

  "Ah, very o meet you!" Kaminari's dad said, beaming. "Such lovely young dies. Please take good care of Kaminari!"

  "Hello, sir," Momo and Kyoka replied politely, both bowing iing.

  Kaminari's father practically glowed with pride. His son was clearly doing well, not only starting a band but alsing home such charming and capable friends. He couldn't help but think Kaminari was already much more aplished than he had been at his age.

  "Let's head down to the rec studio on the sed floor," his dad said, pointing to the elevator. "Dawu should have everythi up for you."

  He led the way, eager to hear the song Kaminari had posed 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 rec studio, which was sleek and well-equipped. Daas in charge of the teical side, had clearly taken his role seriously today. Instead of lounging around pying with his phone like usual, he was wearing a light-blue suit, his hair carefully styled, and he even had a pair of gsses that added a touch of professionalism.

  "Alright," Kaminari's father said as they settled into the studio. They all gathered around a low gss 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 exged ghen shook their heads. Momo answered, "Holy, 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 unched yet, so there wasn't much for them to know.

  "That's alright," he said, reag for a tablet oable. 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 s dispyed a bd-white ic cover featuring Pikachu perched on a young boy's shoulder, clearly a younger version of Kaminari himself, though with a much more "cute" and pyful look pared to his real-life self.

  "Wait, the manga's already out?" Kaminari asked, surprised.

  "Haha, not quite," his dad ughed. "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 g the chibi version of Kaminari on the s. "It's the first time I've known someone who became a ic boonist!"

  Momo giggled as well. "So, if this ic bees popur, will we start seeing Kaminari merdise, too? Maybe figurines?"

  Kaminari and his dad exged gnces, 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 ughed beside her.