The Promotion for Mewtwo Strikes Back Begins (4,000 Words)

After arranging the development work for "Golden Sun," Nakayama Takuya felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.

The renewed flame in Yuji Naka and Rieko Kodama's eyes gave him even more confidence in the future of Sega's RPGs.

Just as he was about to turn back to continue pondering the details of the <My Totoro> game, his assistant knocked on the door and handed him a letter of communication from Toho and Gallop.

The first Pokémon movie, <Mewtwo Strikes Back>, is finally starting its promotional campaign.

Even at the very beginning of the theatrical version's development, Takuya insisted that he had full control over the publicity and distribution plan. This proposal caused quite a stir in Toho's meeting room.

As an absolute giant in Japan film distribution, Toho has its own mature, almost rigid, publicity system. It is truly unheard of for a game company executive to interfere in their area of expertise.

"Manager Nakayama, we deeply respect your extraordinary achievements in the gaming industry." A senior publishing director from Toho spoke with impeccable politeness, yet his attitude was crystal clear. "But film promotion and distribution is our specialty."

Takuya simply smiled and gently pushed a document to the center of the conference table.

"I understand. But what we're promoting this time isn't just a movie."

"It's an extension of a social phenomenon that already has millions of core audiences. Our goal is not just to persuade passersby on the street to buy tickets."

Rather, it's about sending a clear signal to our players, to those children: the story you participate in, the emotions you invest, will reach their true climax on the big screen.

Toho remained unmoved, and the atmosphere in the meeting room became deadlocked.

In the end, it was Takuya made an almost arrogant suggestion that saved his plan from being shredded on the spot.

"How about this, everyone treat the launch promotion of the MD console as a rehearsal. I will demonstrate the power of my promotional plan."

Now, the promotional plan that was once questioned has undergone a complete change in mindset when it is reviewed again by Toho's top executives after experiencing the miracle of "Pokémon Invasion of Tokyo" and the frenzy of the Mega Drive launch.

The idea that directly targets the core players' psychology and then gradually ignites social discussion, combined with the crazy reality they have witnessed, forces them to admit that this young man's thinking is indeed frighteningly ahead of its time.

Toho finally agreed.

The first step of the publicity plan was launched almost simultaneously with the issuance of the initial contact letter.

Sega and Toho collaborated efficiently, and a poster with an extremely simple design was hung on the walls of all Pokémon Center across the country overnight.

The poster doesn't show any actual footage from the movie; it only features a huge, mysterious, pure white question mark.

Below the question mark was a line of text several sizes smaller, "A special invitation awaits every trainer."

The event has now begun. All Pokémon Electronic Pet players can obtain a movie invitation at the Pokémon Center.

A long line of children stretched out of the store, with the end of the line even extending outside the door.

Everyone's face was a mixture of tension and anticipation as they clutched their precious Poké Ball tightly.

"Next!"

A boy nervously stepped forward and handed his Electronic Pet to the staff member. The staff member skillfully used a special communication cable...

Connect the Poké Ball to the dedicated computer in the center. A soft "click" indicates a successful connection.

On the computer screen, the player's Poké Ball ID and the pixelated image of their Electronic Pet flashed by, and the data was uploaded in an instant.

At the same time, a special mark was silently written into the Poké Ball's storage chip.

This is precisely the storage space that Takuya insisted on reserving when he designed the Poké Ball, despite the immense pressure. It's a marking area specifically reserved for future Pokémon collaboration events.

"Alright, here's your invitation, trainer."

The boy took the hard card from the staff member, his face beaming with uncontainable joy.

The card's size was designed just right, allowing it to be perfectly attached to the pre-installed hook on the Poké Ball.

The front of the card features the impactful logo of "Mewtwo Strikes Back," while the back clearly displays the release date—July 22nd.

This is more than just a piece of paper; it's more like an officially certified certificate of participation.

The boy excitedly hung the card on his Poké Ball, turned around and rushed to his teammates, holding it high. "Look! Look! I got an invitation!"

Wow! Really! Let me see!

The news spread like wildfire, almost like a virus. Owning a Poké Ball with an invitation attached quickly became the latest trend and status symbol among players. Children who didn't get an invitation were anxiously scratching their heads, while those who did showed it off as their most precious badge.

Within just a few days, the news that <Mewtwo Strikes Back> would be released on July 22nd completely ignited among millions of Pokémon Electronic Pet players, becoming an unspoken, sacred agreement.

The first wave of promotional campaign was like a pebble thrown into a lake, precisely creating ripples in the Pokémon player community.

Takuya looked at the report submitted by his assistant; the number of Pokémon Center invitations being collected across the country was climbing at an alarming rate.

This is just the beginning.

A few days later, before the first wave of enthusiasm had completely subsided, a second, heavier "stone" was quietly thrown in.

Tokyo Shinjuku Station, Tokyo.

The crowds Ever Flowing like a surging river through the vast underground labyrinth.

A high school student suddenly stopped in his tracks, and his classmate next to him almost bumped into him.

"Hey, look what's that?"

Following the direction of his finger, the spot that originally belonged to the GG lightbox was now replaced by a transparent mechanical cocoon with a futuristic feel.

The object was about the height of a person, with a cylindrical lower half covered by a smooth metal shell. Several streaks of pale blue light flowed slowly through the gaps, as if it were alive. The upper half was a transparent, flexible tube, connected at the top to a large chassis next to it, from which light streaks flowed.

Through the tube and the liquid inside, you can see a curled-up creature, sleeping peacefully—it's a Pokémon!

Next to the cocoon was a small control panel with only a single round button that was flashing a faint light.

Not only at Shinjuku Station, but also at Shibuya Crossing and Ginza Shopping Plaza, these mysterious mechanical cocoons appeared almost overnight in Tokyo's most bustling corners.

My curiosity was completely ignited.

Finally, a bold young man, encouraged by his companions, placed his hand on the glowing control panel.

A slight vibration came from the control panel.

Immediately following, a slightly hoarse male voice, mixed with fatigue and fervor, flowed intermittently from the built-in speaker.

Intermingled with hissing signal noise, it echoed in the noisy environment.

"Our machine—"

The purpose of this machine, used for sampling, is to "first and foremost" clone Pokémon.

"As long as we can analyze the Pokémon's genetic sequence—"

"There's a way to clone another Pokémon."

"So, what do you think? The clones we made are more detailed than we imagined, aren't they?"

This is a legendary Pokémon that has been discovered.

Its name is Mew--

"We have successfully found the fossil of the Mew eyelashes!"

"After bringing it back, analyze its Pokémon's genetic sequence—"

"We used this machine to create Mewtwo."

"Creating the most powerful Pokémon in the world is our dream."

"However, Mewtwo's violent nature is unpredictable."

"It's over."

"With this research institute destroyed, the only way left to escape is to abandon this place."

The message ended abruptly in the summer.

The control panel screen went dark, leaving only the cloned Pokémon still asleep in its mechanical cocoon, like a silent witness. The crowd fell into a brief silence, before erupting into a huge murmur of discussion.

"Gene cloning?"

"Is this true? Creating new Pokémon using Mew's genes?"

A middle-aged man in a suit and tie slightly changed his expression. He thought of the term that had been repeatedly mentioned in the news recently—"Human Genome Project".

The ethical debate surrounding gene technology was instantly brought to the forefront of every ordinary person's mind by this mysterious mechanical cocoon, moving it from the distant parliamentary hall.

Is this merely a display of skill by an organization, or a serious social experiment?

The question spread like a virus.

The media, with their keen sense of smell, quickly swarmed in, their cameras and microphones aimed at those silent, mechanical cocoons.

A newspaper known for its gossip and investigations into strange and unusual events published a startling report after sending reporters to all its distribution points in Tokyo.

They discovered that all the cloned Pokémon released this time, from Bulbasaur to Dragonite, were exactly the same species as those in the previous "Pokémon Invasion of Tokyo" incident, with their Pokédex numbers all ending at 149.

This discovery instantly ignited another group of people.

"Number 149 again! Same as last time!"

"Let's go! Let's go look for them. The newspaper has marked all the locations! Let's see if we can find all kinds of cloned Pokémon this time!"

Pokémon enthusiasts sprang into action once again, each armed with a map and a newspaper, enthusiastically traversing the city, treating the search for cloned Pokémon as a grand puzzle game.

This particular issue of the newspaper sold out because it listed all the distribution locations.

The adults are discussing serious topics related to genetic ethics.

The children are on a city adventure in search of Pokémon.

Two seemingly parallel lines were strangely intertwined because of the same event, imprinting the name "Mewtwo" into the subconscious of the entire Japan society in an unprecedented way.

Late at night, a highly-rated talk show focused its camera on the hottest topic in the city. On the large screen behind the host, a pale blue light streamed through the gaps in a mechanical cocoon, displaying a curled-up, sleeping Squirtle. Inside the studio, a renowned sociology professor and a sharply dressed government official sat upright.

"Professor," the host turned to the gray-haired scholar, "What's your opinion on this event, which we'll tentatively call 'performance art'?"

The professor adjusted his glasses, his tone flat. "It's nothing more than commercial promotion. We did something similar earlier this year, I think it was to promote a new game. This time it's probably just a different gimmick, only the methods are more attention-grabbing."

"But this time the publicity is a little different." The host didn't let the topic go easily. He signaled the director to switch to the audio clip that flowed out of the mechanical cocoon, and a hoarse male voice echoed intermittently in the studio.

"The research institute was destroyed," "Escaped from the abandoned place"—Professor, this doesn't sound like ordinary GG words; it sounds more like—some kind of last words.

The professor twitched his eyebrows, seemingly unconcerned.

He waved his hand. "Young people love these exaggerated stories; the more outlandish they are, the faster they spread. It's just the basic logic of commercial advertising. These headlines aren't important; what's important is that it brings a serious issue to our attention—gene technology. This happens to coincide with the globally acclaimed ' Human Genome Project.'"

When the topic turned to their field, the professor immediately perked up. "Gene technology is a double-edged sword. The benefits are obvious: we can eradicate genetic diseases at their source, conquer cancer, and even slow down aging. Human lifespan and health will experience a qualitative leap."

"But the risks are equally enormous." He emphasized.

"First, there's the ethics. If you clone a 'person,' what is he/she? A product? A copy? Who are his/her parents? Does he/she have independent personality and rights? Current laws and morals cannot answer these questions."

"What's even more terrifying is biosecurity." The professor's expression turned grave. "Once the human genome sequence is fully deciphered, weapons targeting specific races or genes could emerge. Didn't the recording mention that cloned Pokémon called ' Mewtwo '? 'Its personality is violent and unpredictable.' If someone uses genetic technology to create a virus that targets only a certain race, or an uncontrollable 'super soldier,' it would be the end of all human civilization. This is not an exaggeration."

The host astutely picked up on the key words and turned his attention to the government officials who had remained silent.

"Sir, given that this matter involving 'genes' is so risky, has the government taken any measures? For example, have they contacted Sega, the Sega that created Pokémon?"

This question instantly heightened the tension in the room.

However, the officials obtained information from Sega before the program was filmed.

He cleared his throat and calmly delivered a standard official statement. "We have contacted Sega and confirmed that these installations are merely display models used for movie promotion and pose no harm whatsoever. Sega and Toho submitted complete documentation and contingency plans to the Tokyo Metropolis Metropolitan Government's Green Space and Landscape Division a month ago, so there will be no problems."

However, the Japan Academy is still researching and evaluating whether Japan will participate in the Human Genome Project.

Many adults watching the interview on television were plunged into deeper thought.

Just as the social discussion reached its peak, the joint promotional campaign between Sega and Toho finally revealed its true colors.

On the television screen, the interview program was interrupted by a "GG" message.

Amidst the stirring music, Mewtwo suddenly opened its eyes, its purple pupils filled with power and confusion.

The flames of the research institute explosion, the shattered mechanical cocoon, and that chilling question, "Who am I? Where did I come from?"

At the end of the scene, a huge movie title appears: <Mewtwo Strikes Back>.

Below is a line of smaller print: July 22nd, witness the birth of the strongest Pokémon.

All the previous mysteries and social discussions were answered at this moment.

"It was just a movie promotion!"

"My God! Sega's spending spree is incredible!"

The public's surprise quickly transformed into immense curiosity about the film. The serious discussions previously sparked by the mechanical cocoon now all turned into an intense anticipation of the film's plot.