"They are really serious, aren't they?" Alexander commented while holding up a certain Game Pak. He looked closely at the box art and spotted 8-bit Mario up against a brick.

"They really are serious." Old Sullivan nodded. "Which begs the question... on why aren't you?"

Alexander only shrugged because he didn't really see the need to. As Ledger Joker would say, why so serious?

"Well, that sure is a dizzying contrast to how you usually react to these things." Old Sullivan could still recount it. "You were tense during Dragonball's release and all the other things after that. There was even that one time when you hoarded newspapers because you really wanted to keep track of Back to the Future's prospects. Then there's that inexplicable chill you exuded when your Alex Creed persona was utilized as a bit of propaganda."

These were the moments that proved that Alex still had emotions. Him being able to shut it off now meant that he may just shut down his already rare smile. What's next after that?

The old man could only sigh as he looked at his relaxed and borderline apathetic grandson.

A heavy opposition for video game dominance is ramping up... yet nothing.

Nothing on the usual tension that the boy had0.

Old Sullivan should be proud but he was concerned yet he was also quite curious.

Everyone he knows, even himself for this matter, should be buckling when in his grandson's shoes.

Soldiering on, racking solutions, and coping. Sometimes with the use of harmful cheats and peculiar habits to make it go away.

The suspicious old man could only probe. "Did you somehow find some way to relieve that tension of yours?"

"Yep." Alexander nodded. Understanding where his grandfather was headed with this. "I'm taking illegal drugs. Downers, specifically for the current situation. Then, smoking. Smoking it out as tense smokers do. No alcohol though... I need to keep my mind sharp for the problems ahead, so maybe that's something for later."

"Oh, my old heart!" Old Sullivan was shocked. Or acting shocked.

Sarcasm sure did run in this family.

"If that shocked you, then you'll be more shocked to know that I also sleep with women." Alexander continued. "There's just too much tension with this Nintendo stuff, you see. Women just help."

"Haha!" Old Sullivan could only laugh at that. Alex almost never kids around like this and if he does, it sure is something.

"See." Alexander pointed out. "I just adapted and changed, grandpa. Just like you have. I made a story about prostitution and you had me do voice acting. Now, I just bantered around with sex and you found it funny."

It was Old Sullivan's turn to shrug at that. Admittedly, the boy just knew stuff, especially with their recent utilization of the porn industry. He wasn't really fully okay with but his old bones could no longer take that back.

"Besides, there's really no need to be so serious or tense about this Nintendo uprising." That's just how Alexander saw it. Sure, he was a bit blindsided but it's just for a tiny bit.

"I take it that you have some grand contingency that I've yet to know of then." That's how it usually is and the Old Creed was looking forward to whatever trick this boy had this time.

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"Truth be told, I actually don't have one." Alexander added. "Prepped, that is. Although, I'm sure I'll come up with one eventually."

"Are you that confident that you'll beat Nintendo and their NES?" On the fly and dallying. Those sure aren't conventional ways of doing things Old Sullivan's opinion. "Even with their whole low-pricing, blatant invasion in comic stores, head start in the big stores, and their full array of video game options to spoil whoever chooses their console."

"It'll be fine." Alexander appeased as he picked up a different NES Game Pak.

"Take this 10-Yard Fight game for example. It's a decent game but I'll just churn out a better one. Either something like an NFL series or inspired by that Madden fellow."

"For multimedia synergy's sake, I could even pick up something from the Football Protocol. Like Eyeshield 21. Comic book, animation, and then a video game."

"Isn't that already quite the combo? And that's just off the top of my head."

Alexander wasn't kidding.

For Nintendo's Soccer, he had a FIFA series. For ultimate franchising, he could go for the video games themed with something like Supa Strikas, Blue Lock, or whatever titles he had under the Soccer Protocols.

Same with Baseball. There's Diamond no Ace, Major, and all else he could plunder from the baseball manga selection and integrating-ly gamify the heck of it.

If Nintendo had Golf, Tennis, and all that... then he'll just bring up a superior game franchise and mix it up with something extra for manga-anime expansions. Or comic book-animation show in this case.

They have Kung-Fu Masters. Come on. Alexander already slotted Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and so on and so forth against something like that.

Pinball. Well, aren't there a lot of pinball video games? He could just take his pick from those and put Nintendo's version in its retrograde place.

For Excitebike, there's no manga to plunder for it but there's something like Biker Mice from Mars as a template, or just about any other motocross game will do.

Clu Clu Land. Ice Climber, Wrecking Crew. Alexander was sure to develop something that can top those. Wrecking Crew even gave him a Fix-it Felix and Wreck-it Ralph vibe, convincing him to try arcade gaming once in a while.

Maybe he'll also make Sugar Rush. So when the Wreck-it Ralph movie's come up, it'll warp everyone's mind for how much of an elaborate set-up it has.

Of course, there's still the NES Zapper games which are unique and quite a novelty. Alexander could still probably try it out even though he didn't really like such games or may not go through with it at all.

For R.O.B. games, well, Alexander can give Nintendo that. Though the robot buddy seems cool it's ultimately scrap.

Alexander could probably expound more on these but it would be needed since Old Sullivan already got his point.

The old man got his point alright. "I may have gotten used to things but I'm still doubly afraid at whatever wonder you come up from that bottomless mind pool of yours."

"So you're essentially just 16-upping all the 8-bit games they have." Then again, shouldn't they already know the threat of a superior console and games? How come Nintendo still went ahead with it? "Do you think that that'll work?"

"Of course, there's still the fact that Nintendo one-upped us on production, retail lobbying, and game selection... for now, that is."

Creed Games just needed to catch up and that's easy enough when you know what to work on.

Maybe competition really does bring out the best in everyone. It even encourages you to work on what you're worst at as well.

Alexander sure saw it that way. No matter how elegant and efficient he found Nintendo's strategy to be... there's still no denying that he found it futile.

Nintendo may have these elaborate strategies and renewed confidence but the great crux of this whole matter remains.

They were still on 8-bit and Alexander could count on that.

He could really 'count' on it cause there's still a great numerical and technical difference between 8 and 16.

They may have hedged all their bets on their 8-bit console now but wouldn't they shift to 16-bit at one point or another?

They may exclaim Nintendo power here and Nintendo power there... but isn't it just false bravado?

Sure, the NES is a legend that's desperate to show off what it could be... but isn't it still desperate nonetheless?

Creed just has something that Nintendo doesn't have.

Reworking something Sega once said. "Creed has what Nintendon't."

"Nintendon't?" Old Sullivan perked up with interest. "Haha! Maybe we should campaign with that."

"Maybe." Alexander wasn't too enthused.

After all, he had a separate and much more interesting idea in mind.

He re-held a Game Pak, with that good ol' plumber, of course.

On the other hand, he picked up a GameKey, with a freshly-finished blue hedgehog, of course.

One's from Nintendo and one's from Creed.

Should be enough to jumpstart what's to come, is it not?