บท 54: Plans for Pokémon
With the Dragon Kingdom's announcement, it was as if they had guaranteed the two-way exchange for "One Piece." This move stirred the enthusiasm of players who had been on the fence about joining the game.
In this world, players were already accustomed to games with entry fees and countless fancy in-game purchases. Even without an official statement, many players were depositing money into John's game, having built trust from his previous projects. Although the individual amounts were small, collectively, they were astronomical.
John checked the income in his backend and found that about 50% of players were spending real money in the game. In just over a day, the game had generated billions of dollars.
This payment ratio made other game companies envious. Their games often lost players after an initial fee, but John had figured out how to keep them engaged and paying.
"It's really like lying down and making money," John muttered to himself, marveling at the game's success.
He couldn't help but compare it to the "pay-to-win" model in the games from his previous life. Those companies were far more skilled at making people spend money, allowing players to feel like they were getting value. Here, it was simpler; players were willingly paying even without being cheated.
Most players spent modest amounts—enough to cover their living expenses in the game's world. According to the exchange rate John set, a player could live comfortably in "Pirate World" with a recharge of just tens or hundreds of dollars. Even purely playing for entertainment, it cost far less than other games, and players could play however they liked.
They could also withdraw their money anytime—well, unless they ran into pirates.
Meanwhile, the big players in the game industry reached a consensus and took swift action. Among the regular players, there were some who spent millions of dollars in-game.
John was aware that other game companies had sent people into his game, but he didn't care. He knew they'd try to cause trouble, but from his vantage point, he had a thousand ways to deal with them once they made their move.
What's more, Pirate World wasn't exactly easy to survive in.
The Dragon Kingdom quickly contacted John. He agreed to provide them with five Devil Fruits. Among these, John selected one from the Logia type, one Mythical Zoan, one Ancient Zoan, and two from the Paramecia type. These five Devil Fruits would be enough to bolster any major force in Pirate World, and top-level combat power was key.
Downstairs, the familiar sight of the dining table greeted John. His father, Michael, and his brother, Adam, were deep in conversation about transforming Seaside City.
"Beauty pageant?" John couldn't help but interrupt. Wasn't this just a beauty contest?
"Dad, are you going to hold a contest?" John asked directly.
"Oh? Tell me more about this kind of contest," Michael responded, his eyes lighting up with curiosity.
"Well, it's like a beauty contest," John explained, smiling. "The focus isn't on Pokémon's fighting abilities. Instead, it's about their charm. It's not just about looks, either. Pokémon can use their moves to create impressive displays to showcase their appeal. It could involve showing off their voice, acting cute, and so on. In the end, the audience and judges give them scores."
"It can work like that?" Michael said, clearly intrigued.
Adam immediately pulled out his phone to take notes.
"Didn't you already think of this?" Michael asked, giving John a strange look.
"Well, I had an idea, but it wasn't fully formed," John admitted with a grin. He had planned to introduce the concept gradually but hadn't expected Pokémon to grow this popular so quickly. The league competition had just started, and already his father was thinking ahead to a contest.
"If you have more ideas, feel free to share them," Michael urged, his face filled with anticipation.
"Actually," John hesitated, then continued, "there's more than just beauty contests. You could host events based on Pokémon's abilities. For instance, human sports could be adapted for Pokémon—like swimming, track and field, or even flying competitions. You could also form soccer teams, basketball teams, and more."
John paused and chuckled. "When you have enough events, you could hold a Pokémon Olympics. That would create a ton of jobs too."
Michael and Adam's eyes widened in shock and then excitement. They exchanged looks, as if a lightbulb had gone off.
Yes! They had been thinking about novel directions for Pokémon, but John's ideas were right in front of them. Reality itself offered endless inspiration. If successful, this could be just as big as the league competitions.
The traditional sports industry had so many opportunities. They wouldn't need to tap into all of them—just a few would be enough to cement Michael's position as the next leader of Eastflower Province.
"These are all areas you're good at," John said with a smile, "so I'll let you handle it."
Seeing their excitement, John sat down quietly, content to let them run with his ideas. His contribution was subtle, yet impactful.
A/N; Thanks for reading, donate some power stones for extra chapters.
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