Monday, September 1, 1992
Zaboru continued working as relentlessly as ever. With the launch of ZAGE's first handheld device just around the corner, he was already finalizing promotional materials, ad campaigns, and flyers. This was no ordinary project—this was the very first handheld gaming device in the world, a technological leap he had kept tightly under wraps. The batteries powering the device, dubbed "Z-Batteries," were produced by Miyagi Batteries under Zaboru's direct guidance. He had taught them advanced manufacturing techniques years ahead of the current era's standards. Though he wasn't sure they could pull it off, the final results exceeded expectations. The Z-Batteries allowed for 9 to 10 hours of gameplay on fresh new batteries—which was already good enough for Zaboru.
The handheld itself matched the specs of the Game Boy Color from Zaboru's previous life. Sleek, durable, and beautifully functional, it was ready to revolutionize the market. And now, it was time to share it with the people who had helped make ZAGE into what it was—his employees.
Until now, no one at ZAGE had been aware of what Zaboru had been building. He had kept the project secret, instructing only specific departments to run unrelated R&D tasks without explaining the overall goal. The hardware development, system testing, and optimization had all been done by Zaboru himself, hidden away in his private workshop. Even Ayumi, his girlfriend and frequent visitor to his workshop, had no clue. Now, on the cusp of ZAGE's first birthday—September 19th, which Zaboru decided to be the same with the date ZEPS had launched—he decided to unveil the surprise.
All ZAGE employees gathered inside the newly acquired building's multipurpose room. It was the first floor of a two-story expansion space, recently renovated under Zaboru's direction. The ground floor was a sleek, modern hall meant for announcements and gatherings. The second floor was designed for relaxation—housing a gym, lounge, and even a row of ZEPS gaming booths for employees to unwind.
Yugo, head of quality control, leaned over to ask his twin sister Yuna, head of game development, "Hey, do you know what Boss-sama is planning to launch at the ZAGE birthday?"
Yuna shrugged. "How would I know? I'm not in R&D."
Nearby, Zanichi Renkonan, Zaboru's father and the newly appointed CTO which also become temporary lead of ZAGE R&D team, chimed in. "Even I don't know. He gave us small R&D tasks, but never explained the bigger picture."
"If even Senpai doesn't know," Shinsuke, head of marketing, said with a sigh, "then it must be something really big."
Sayuri, head of finance and Shinsuke's wife, nodded in agreement.
Moments later, Zaboru entered with a projector screen behind him and a mic in hand, grinning ear to ear.
"Hello, ZAGE family! I hope you're all having a great day! Today, I present to you a secret project I've been working on for months. Can anyone guess what it is?"
The room was filled with murmurs and confused expressions.
"Of course not! It's a secret!" he said, laughing loudly at his own joke Except Yugo who laughed really hard!No other one laughed. An awkward silence followed until a few employees forced some chuckles to lighten the mood. Zanichi's Zaboru father , Shinsuke, Sayuri , Kudou and Yuna hold their breath and try not to laugh , not because the Zaboru joke is funny , but because it's so lame!, and the fact Yugo laughed at it!.
Zaboru turned red, coughed, and continued. "Anyway... I want to talk about evolution. At first, we played games only in arcades—big, expensive machines that weren't accessible to everyone. Then came home consoles, like the Magnavox Odyssey and Atari. But those too faded after the market crash. Then came us—ZAGE. We launched ZEPS, and nearly a year later, we're still going strong."
The audience clapped, clearly invested.
Zaboru raised a finger. "But here's the thing: even home consoles have their limits. They need space, electricity, and a television. What if I told you that you could take gaming anywhere? What if you didn't need to sit in front of a TV anymore?"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sleek black device.
"Let me introduce to you the future of gaming: the ZGB—ZAGE Game Boy!"
Gasps rippled across the room. Zaboru held up the sleek black device, the room catching its first glimpse of the future in the palm of his hand. The ZGB was compact yet undeniably modern for its time—a rectangular handheld unit with clean lines, a crisp matte finish, and a screen perfectly centered between the inputs. It featured a four-directional pad on the left, two action buttons marked X and O on the right, and Start and Select buttons neatly aligned beneath.
Zaboru stepped in front of the connected camera, ensuring the audience could see what he was holding. As he flipped the switch, the screen came to life—Tetris loaded smoothly, the signature music playing faintly as colored blocks began to fall in perfect resolution. The feed projected clearly on the big screen behind him.
The room erupted in murmurs and widened eyes. Yugo and Zanichi looked at each other in disbelief. Even recent hires like Hideo Kojima and Satoru Iwata leaned forward, visibly captivated. Whispers of excitement passed from row to row. Zaboru stood proudly, his heart pounding.
Then, with a wide grin, he continued. "With our custom-built Z-Batteries, this handheld can last up to 9 to 10 hours. If you use regular batteries, you'll barely get 3 to 4 hours out of it. That's why these batteries are such a breakthrough—and they're exclusive to us. We've made sure this device runs long, smooth, and strong."
He glanced around at the captivated crowd. "I've already planned ad campaigns. We're going to launch this on our birthday—September 19th. That's right. The ZGB will be released on the day ZAGE was born."
A beat of silence followed, then more murmuring as the weight of his announcement settled in. "So, that's it for now! I'll explain more about how we'll roll this out as we go. Thank you for being part of this journey—now, back to work everyone!" Zaboru laughed.
The employees slowly dispersed, still buzzing with energy, whispering among themselves, speculating about games, hardware details , possibilities, and where this new leap might take ZAGE next. Many of the employees were already buzzing with questions, eager to catch Zaboru later for more details about the ZGB, its specs, potential game lineup, and how they could contribute to its development.
To be continue
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