The Poké Ball slowly opened, and Kyosuke's breathing almost stopped.
What came into view was a yellow head with pointy ears and red cheeks—a sticker of Pikachu's head!
Kyosuke's eyes instantly widened like copper bell, his mouth formed an "O" shape, and he froze on the spot.
The next second, he jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"Wah ah ah ah! It's Pikachu! Dad! It's Pikachu! I got Pikachu!"
His voice was distorted from excessive excitement, almost tearing off the roof of the toy store.
His father was also infected by his happiness and patted his head with a smile: "I told you, good children have good luck."
Then, Kyosuke impatiently pressed the power button, and a round, striped figure, dragging a lightning tail, appeared in the center of the screen.
"Pika! Pika!"
The crisp and highly recognizable electronic cry was like a sound from heaven!
Several children who were also choosing electronic pets nearby were immediately attracted by Kyosuke's cry.
When they saw the yellow electric mouse on Kyosuke's screen, they all let out envious gasps.
"Wow! It really is Pikachu!"
"What great luck!"
A chubby boy even came over and asked eagerly: "Brother, your Pikachu… can you trade it for my Rattata? I'll give you two extra candies!"
Kyosuke hugged Pikachu like a treasure, shaking his head like a rattle: "No trade! Not for any amount of candy!"
His small face was filled with unprecedented pride and satisfaction.
On Monday morning, the sun lazily crept into the classroom of Class Two, Grade Three.
Kyosuke practically floated into the classroom.
He stuffed his backpack into the drawer, yet with unusually gentle movements, he pulled out his new treasure—his Pikachu electronic pet—from his school uniform pocket.
He was planning to find the perfect moment, such as after his deskmate Kobayashi arrived, to casually "show it off."
Unexpectedly, there were already a few early arriving classmates gathered in a small group, excitedly discussing something.
The sound wasn't loud, but the excitement could be felt even across several desks.
Kyosuke curiously went over.
In the center of the crowd, several small heads were huddled together, each holding—an electronic pet!
"Look at mine! It's Charmander!"
A small boy with black-rimmed glasses, usually a bit dull, was now holding up his electronic pet high, and the Charmander on the screen was shaking the flame on the tip of its tail.
He had a proud look on his face, as if he truly owned a fire-breathing dragon.
"Mine is Squirtle!"
Xiaomei, with her braided pigtails, not to be outdone, also showed off her small blue turtle.
The Squirtle on the screen was adorably clumsy, blowing tiny water bubbles.
"Wow, Squirtle is so cute!"
"Charmander is cooler!"
The children chattered excitedly, exchanging notes on the Pokémon they had each drawn.
"My Bulbasaur learned to nod yesterday!"
"My Jigglypuff can even sing!" a girl with a soft voice said, and after speaking, she mimicked the electronic sound heard from the Poké Ball and sang, "Bo bo luo luo bo bo li bo bo li bo~".
They compared whose was better-looking, whose pet could perform more special actions, and shared bits and pieces of their weekend interactions with these little guys.
The pokémon electronic pet, like a whirlwind, swept through the entire class overnight.
It had clearly become the latest hot topic and social password.
Children without electronic pets could only watch enviously from the sidelines, unable to join the conversation.
Kyosuke's slight surprise was quickly replaced by a stronger sense of anticipation.
His Pikachu was not something an ordinary Charmander or Squirtle could compare to!
He cleared his throat, deliberately slowly, and under everyone's gaze, lit up his electronic pet.
"Pika!"
A piercing electronic sound rang out.
On the screen, the chubby yellow electric mouse was energetically shaking its two long ears.
The children who had been enthusiastically discussing Charmander and Squirtle instantly fell silent.
All eyes, in unison, focused on Kyosuke's palm.
"It's… it's Pikachu!"
The first to react was still the boy with glasses; his voice was filled with disbelief.
"Wow—! It really is Pikachu!"
"Kyosuke, you're amazing! You actually got Pikachu!"
"The protagonist's Pokémon from TV!"
Exclamations and envious gazes, one after another, surged towards Kyosuke like a tide.
The classmates who had previously shown off Charmander and Squirtle also lost half their momentum, looking at Kyosuke's Pikachu with complex expressions.
Kyosuke's small chest puffed out even more.
He tried to maintain a calm expression, but the smile he couldn't suppress at the corners of his mouth still revealed his inner ecstasy.
This feeling of being the center of attention was simply wonderful!
However, this feeling of being in the spotlight didn't last long, as it was soon time for class.
The first class was Chinese language.
Teacher Kinoshita's sweet voice echoed in the classroom, explaining new Chinese characters, their stroke order, and pronunciation.
But Kyosuke's mind, like a little bird just out of its cage, fluttered towards the little guy in his school uniform pocket.
Pikachu.
His Pikachu.
Just thinking of the name made Kyosuke feel a sweet, warm current surge from the bottom of his heart.
The envious glances of his classmates, Kobayashi's jaw-dropping surprise when he saw Pikachu, and that crisp "Pika!" when he lit up the screen—these scenes replayed repeatedly in his mind.
The corners of his mouth unconsciously curved into a satisfied smile.
He couldn't resist reaching into his pocket, his fingertips gently touching the cool, smooth surface of the Poké Ball.
It was as if he could feel the vibrant life force of the yellow electric mouse inside, even through the plastic casing. Especially since Sega had incorporated a tiny vibrator into the design of this version of the Poké Ball, allowing the Poké Ball to optionally trigger a shake when it was time for interaction. Whenever he felt the Poké Ball shaking in his palm, Kyosuke particularly wanted to take it out.
He could even imagine what his Pikachu was doing right now in that tiny LCD screen.
Was it shaking the Poké Ball with its little paws, reminding its trainer that it was time to feed it?
At the podium, Teacher Kinoshita was writing a new Chinese character on the blackboard, the chalk making a soft scratching sound against the board.
The classroom was quiet, with only the teacher's lecture and the subtle rustling of classmates occasionally turning pages.
A strong urge suddenly seized Kyosuke.
He wanted to see his Pikachu.
Just a glance.
To see if it was hungry, if the small tree fruit icon had appeared on the screen.
Or, if it, like him, was a little lonely and wanted to play a small game for a while.
Once this thought emerged, it quickly entwined his mind like a vine.
Kyosuke cautiously looked around; his classmates were all diligently looking at the blackboard, and Teacher Kinoshita was also turned sideways, writing on the board.
He moved his open Chinese textbook closer to him, forming a small barrier.
Then, he held his breath, and his other hand quietly pulled out the red-and-white Poké Ball from his pocket.
His movements were extremely light, afraid of making even the slightest sound.
He hid the Poké Ball under his textbook, revealing only a small corner, and aimed at the power button with the corner of his eye.
A gentle press of his fingertip.
The screen lit up in response.
A chubby, yellow little mouse with pointy ears and red cheeks appeared in the center of the screen.
It was Pikachu! It was energetically shaking its two long ears, its small eyes bright, as if smiling at him.
Kyosuke's heart could now only be described as "utterly satisfied."
Just as he was about to secretly proceed with the next step, such as feeding or interacting—
"Pika!"
A crisp and highly recognizable electronic cry suddenly rang out in the quiet classroom.