At noon, everyone had an Italian-Soviet fusion lunch at Verchowod's house before heading out to skate together.
Speaking of it, entertainment was scarce.
In reality, these activities were far more fun than they would be after the internet became widespread. With a whole crowd bustling around together, anything was fun.
Before dinner, Dejan Lu made a special trip to the restaurant to pack up some food before returning home.
After dinner, Dejan Lu sat at the table and began drawing.
This piqued Monica's interest. Her mother was an art teacher, and she was quite knowledgeable about drawing.
"Is this a comic?"
Monica leaned over Dejan Lu's shoulder and asked.
"Yeah, for children."
"This mouse is called Pi... Pikachu?"
"That's right. They're called Pokémon, and they're distributed all over the world, just like animals."
Dejan Lu nodded.
After sketching several character designs, he immediately began writing the outline.
It did not matter where the story of Pokémon took place, so he set it in China.
"A ten-year-old boy from Cao County named Sun Xiaochuan dreamed of becoming a Pokémon Master. He begged his mother to let him attend Dr. Zhang's training camp, but he arrived too late and could only get a somewhat problematic Pikachu. Together, they set off on a journey..."
"Along the way, Xiaochuan gradually grew from knowing nothing at all. With his determination never to give up and his love for Pokémon, he defeated one opponent after another. Just when he thought he had become an outstanding trainer, he encountered an even more exceptional young man."
"Yamagami Toru was the son of a wealthy Japanese man. Dissatisfied with his compatriots being oppressed by capitalists, he attacked one such capitalist. Later, while eating a hamburger, he was reported by a waiter. This incident made him lose his trust in people. The disappointed youth hid aboard an ocean liner and fled to China, where there were the most Pokémon, intending to build his own Pokémon army and use force to change his homeland..."
"After a fierce battle, Xiaochuan narrowly defeated Archer. Believing he had lost his chance to save his compatriots, Archer fell to his knees and wept. Choking back sobs, he said, 'Japan has already lost hope. A banker's son becomes a banker, a congressman's son becomes a congressman, and ordinary people are oppressed forever. They don't even have the spirit to resist. Only force can compel them to reclaim their dignity.' Xiaochuan clenched his left fist, swung his right arm fiercely, and shouted, 'Don't be ridiculous! Force won't accomplish anything. If you're dissatisfied with your homeland, then work hard to change it. If you think people have lost their faith, then help them rebuild it...' After Xiaochuan talked him around, Archer regained his confidence and set off on the journey with him..."
"After countless hardships, Xiaochuan and his companions finally qualified for the tournament and won the championship. Only then did they discover that Dr. Zhang was the mastermind behind it all. He had given them Pokémon encyclopedias in order to collect Pokémon data, planning to develop a virus that would make all Pokémon sick and then harvest trainers around the world. Of course, Xiaochuan ultimately moved Dr. Zhang, while Archer set off on the journey home with his Pokémon, Charizard..."
After finishing the outline, Dejan Lu was very satisfied.
During the China-Japan honeymoon period, adding a Japanese character was a good idea and would be very helpful for promotion.
From the story's perspective alone, its logic was already quite solid.
Children would see passion and friendship, while adults could see deeper layers. It would no longer be the kind of story where every character acted purely out of love; most people had their own motives.
The protagonist still had the personality of a traditional Japanese manga lead, which was also quite appealing.
It did not matter at all what country the story took place in. The selling point of this work was Pokémon itself.
Pikachu could conquer the entire world.
In a few years, he could use this comic to squeeze a hefty sum out of Nintendo and begin an era of milking Nintendo for all it was worth.
With this one IP alone, he could live off Nintendo for the rest of his life.
Monica had been watching with great interest as he drew, which gave Dejan Lu even more confidence in his work.
From now on, you'll be the mother of Pokémon!
Perhaps one day, Lu himself could become a great manga artist.
After this one, he could draw something like Showa American Story. The Showa era was about to end anyway.
Stirring up cultural conflict was the most interesting thing of all.
The sense of disparity created by such a comparison was simply devastating.
If someone really evolved, flew to America, and became a male gunner, that would be pretty interesting too.
With that thought, Dejan Lu made up his mind.
Whenever he had the chance, he would give those filial sons some confidence and let them rebel against their biological fathers.
Ah, for the national awakening of the Japanese people, Lu was truly exhausting himself to the utmost.
Knock, knock, knock—
Only after opening the door did Dejan Lu see the club chairman. Roberto Mancini had also brought along a Japanese man.
Japanese people in work mode naturally wore a humble mask, making them easy to recognize.
"I thought you two had gone traveling."
Roberto Mancini complained.
In the past, Dejan Lu had always been the one to ask him out. He had even planned to take Dejan Lu out to see the world.
"Monica and I have both been busy."
Dejan Lu said.
Seeing Mantovani, Monica hurried into the kitchen to prepare coffee.
Paolo Mantovani warmly put an arm around Dejan Lu's shoulders and said, "Recently, the whole world has been full of news about you, yet the protagonist himself disappeared. Some English people even called the club to ask about you."
"They just want news."
Dejan Lu complained.
He had only spent three days at home drawing comics, yet it was as if he had been missing for ages.
"This is someone from Suzuki Group."
Mantovani introduced him.
The other man immediately gave a slight bow and extended his hand. "I am Tarumoto Koji, head of the European sales department at Suzuki Group. It is an honor to meet you today. Recently, I have often seen you in the media."
His Italian was decent, though it carried a slight Japanese flavor. He could not pronounce rolled Rs.
Just like how Japanese people pronounced "hamburger" as "hanbagu."
The moment he heard Suzuki Group, Dejan Lu knew they had come to give him money.
But he did not rush to speak, because Mantovani gave him a look.
After the three sat down, Monica served the coffee.
Tarumoto Koji said, "The company saw recent footage of you riding a Suzuki motorcycle onto the pitch. I must say, your temperament is highly compatible with Suzuki motorcycles. We sincerely invite you to become an endorser for our products."
"How much is the endorsement fee?"
Mantovani asked directly.
"We hope to bind ourselves closely with Mr. Dejan Lu and calculate the endorsement fee according to the team's results and his personal achievements." Tarumoto Koji quickly added, "The base endorsement fee is five hundred thousand."
"Dollars?"
Mantovani asked.
When transfer fees in Italian football were described as several million or tens of millions, they were calculated in dollars. Otherwise, in Italian lira, they would start at several billion.
"RMB."
Tarumoto Koji explained, "After all, Mr. Lu is only a player who has just arrived in Serie A. His commercial value is not that high."
"No, no, no." Mantovani waved his hand directly. "You cannot calculate it that way. Serie A is the best league, Dejan is one of our important players, and there is something else: his style is exactly what young people around the world like. Even without considering his future results, he has already greatly boosted motorcycle sales. These past few days, young people all over Genoa have been riding motorcycles. In 1984, Jordan, who had only just emerged, was already earning five hundred thousand dollars a year. I don't think Dejan is worth any less than Jordan."
Dejan Lu: ...
The chairman really had a lot of confidence in him.
But even if his football skills were no worse than Jordan's, Serie A's commercial value could not compare to the NBA's.
Endorsement fees for athletes were generally not high in this era. Only a small number of athletes possessed sufficient commercial value.
For example, Diego Maradona had endorsed Adidas, while Platini had endorsed Pepsi Cola.
Even a few years later, when Beckham became famous, Neville and other Manchester United players had hardly any commercial activities despite Manchester United being a top giant in terms of attention.
"How is that possible?"
Tarumoto Koji cried out.
Even though he had come prepared, that figure still startled him.
Mantovani shrugged and said, "You came to Dejan because you saw his future potential, but you are not the only company selling motorcycles. Dejan can choose BMW, Ducati, or Fiat. Even Japan has many brands. There's one called Kawasaki, isn't there?"
The old businessman was certain that Dejan Lu was unique in this regard.
That day, he had stood at the center of the pitch and witnessed everything firsthand.
If he had been twenty years younger, he would have felt the urge to buy a motorcycle and chase freedom himself. He did not believe replacing Dejan Lu with some Hollywood star could have produced the same effect.
Most importantly, this was only the beginning. Dejan Lu was still on the rise.
Having watched his performance in his debut, Paolo Mantovani had every reason to believe that he would become Genoa's Diego Maradona.
Thanks to Still Likes Sunny Days for the tip.
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