Sometimes, fate was truly a strange thing, at least, that's what Yui thought.
Some actors stepped onto a dazzling path to stardom from the very day they debuted. Some newcomers were dismissed by their agencies after failing to gain popularity. But when it came to her, none of those patterns seemed to apply.
Standing at the center of the ring, or rather, the stage, Yui looked at the audience members who had already become completely entranced by her. As a rising star who had debuted as a singer, Yui's career could only be described as dismal.
Her debut single, "Natsu Shoujo," had received a lukewarm response, and the agency expected little better from the next few singles they had planned for her. Sometimes, Yui even wondered whether she simply wasn't cut out to be an idol.
The agency staff always told her to persevere patiently. That one day she would shine, reach the top, and become one of the greatest idols around.
Heh... Easy for them to say.
One day? When exactly was that supposed to be? Five years from now or ten? How many years did an idol's career even last?
Yui had thought her journey in show business might already be over. But not long ago, the agency she worked for had suddenly been acquired by a game company that seemed to have fallen from the sky.
Then she received an invitation from the company's CEO, Ethan, and found herself boarding a flight to California.
Was this all a dream? Yui gripped her microphone tightly and took a deep breath before suddenly revealing a brilliant smile.
Yes, one day, she would shine! And that day was today! Right now!
"Athena, Ikimasu! (Athena, here I come!)"
"Woooooo!!!"
The sweet, clear voice unique to a young girl, paired with an outfit that seemed to have stepped directly out of the game itself, captured everyone's hearts with a single sentence. Cute and innocent would always be king!
When the song ended, the cheers completely drowned out Yui's voice. She panted lightly, her cheeks flushed red with excitement and covered in tiny beads of sweat. Speaking English with an accent so thick it was nearly impossible to understand; she gave a brief self-introduction with the help of the commentators.
Afterward, she accepted the floppy disk Sam handed to her and raised it high towards both the audience and the cameras.
"Please support... Psycho Soldier Team!!!"
"I'll buy ten copies!!!"
Click.
The spotlights suddenly shut off in unison, leaving only a single beam shining upon her. Then another female voice echoed from somewhere unseen. Compared to Yui's, it carried a bit more fiery confidence.
"Hah? The Psycho Soldier Team? The KOF championship belongs to our Women Fighters Team!"
A second spotlight abruptly illuminated, projecting a silhouette standing at the entrance corridor onto the wall. It was magnificent, overwhelming and generous!
"Mai Shiranui, Sanjou! (Mai Shiranui, has arrived!)"
When some people look at others, they start from the top and move downward. Others prefer to look from the bottom upward, as both were personal choices.
But when faced with her, it was difficult not to start from the middle.
She walked gracefully through the corridor toward the ring. Amid the constant sounds of people swallowing hard from both sides, she reached into her cleavage and pulled out a floppy disk.
Unlike the Psycho Soldier Team disk, this cover featured three female characters with entirely different styles.
Mai Shiranui, Yuri Sakazaki, and King.
As a close-up of the floppy disk appeared on the screen, the broadcast suddenly transitioned into a pre-recorded promotional video. It showcased gameplay footage of all three members of the Women Fighters Team.
Mai Shiranui's bright red kunoichi outfit and her iconic tassel-like sash instantly made her the center of attention the moment the video began. NovaBox's multi-graphics coprocessor architecture provided support for far more active on-screen sprites than ever before.
Projectiles were sprites, moving characters were sprites, and even individual parts of a character could be sprites.
Sway... sway...
Watching Mai Shiranui's idle animation on the screen, Vivian awkwardly coughed.
"Ethan, this is the 'essential feature' you used our already strained graphical performance budget on?"
"This is art and the people love it."
Ethan folded his arms and nodded with satisfaction, as though he were admiring the greatest masterpiece in human history. This was the legendary queen of doujinshi material. So, simply seeing Mai Shiranui on screen was enough to awaken countless childhood memories.
While these thoughts passed through his mind, Sayuri Kokusho had already stepped onto the stage and stood opposite Yui Asaka.
"Everyone! Please support our Women Fighters Team!"
Down in the audience, John curled his lip. He didn't have a very favorable impression of this fiery newcomer who had barged in out of nowhere.
"What is she trying to pull? Does she think sexy is somehow superior to cute? What a joke."
If he had to choose one character expansion pack, he would definitely pick Athena's. As Athena's style was much more his type.
"Sexy doesn't even come close to cute! Right, Mike?"
"Huh?"
Mike struggled to pull his gaze away from Mai Shiranui.
"Sorry, what did you just say?"
"We hope everyone in the audience is ready, because next up is the community exhibition segment we've prepared especially for all the players who came here today!"
"But before that, after these commercials, we'll be right back!"
After all, it was still a television program. A full three-hour live broadcast naturally needed commercial breaks so the station could earn revenue.
Of course, every prime-time advertisement on Channel 29 this month had been purchased by GAMENOVA. For viewers watching from home, this was probably the perfect time to make a trip to the bathroom.
But for those attending in person, this was an absolutely critical moment. The first-round launch sale for the character expansion packs! Even though the game itself wouldn't officially hit major retailers until the following day after the show.
"Quick, Mike! Cover me! I'm going to grab as many Psycho Soldier Team expansion packs as I can!"
John, holding an all-access pass and already seated in the front row, immediately sprang to his feet upon hearing the announcement and dragged Mike towards where Yui was sitting.
"Ahem, I've got an idea, John!"
Mike slammed on the brakes and abruptly changed direction towards Sayuri Kokusho's side.
"I'll go grab the Women Fighters Team launch pack for you! That way we've got a chance at getting both!"
"Fuck, you're right! Split up!"
.....
"The ratings data for the first time slot is in."
Inside Channel 29's studio, an assistant rushed over and handed the freshly printed report to McCoy.
"4.5%?!!!Are you sure?!!"
"Sorry sir that's actually a printing error."
The assistant hurriedly apologized while pointing at the numbers on the report.
"The latest number is... 5%."
"Five percent?" He stared at the report in disbelief.
"Oh my God...."
McCoy felt as though he could barely remain standing, as his entire body felt weak.
Channel 29's highest-rated program in history had barely ever reached 2%. That number had been considered an untouchable peak, a record that belonged to the station's golden age.
But today, that record had been shattered so completely that it almost looked like a mistake. This wasn't just a revival, today Channel 29 had just reached a height it had never seen before.