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The Tres Magia were fighting the members of Enormeeta above the city. Nero Alice and Roboko were chasing Magia Magenta, although it was more like they were playing tag than fighting. Magia Baiser had her flower Schiavo attack Magia Azure, who kept destroying the monsters with her sword. Leopard unleashed a barrage onto Magia Sulfur, who blocked the bullets with her force field.
“Tres Magia,” Magia Baiser said and asked, “Why, oh why, do you keep fighting us, when you know it always ends the same?”
“Because of you assholes!” Magia Sulfur shouted, “If it weren’t for you messing things up every other day, we could just all live normal lives!” Suddenly, Magia Baiser realized something.
“Leopard, smoke bomb,” Magia Baiser said, and Leopard released a barrage of smoke bombs. When the smoke cleared up, the villains were gone. The Tres Magia looked around, still on edge.
“Do you guys sense them?” Magia Magenta asked.
“No,” Magia Azure answered, “They must have left.”
“Thank goodness,” Magia Sulfur said and sighed, “I’m getting tired of those freaks.” The trio landed in a remote location and transformed back, and once the civilians saw that the fight was over, things returned to normal relatively quickly.
A few days later, the Tres Magia were at Haruka’s house, and just hanging out, when Vatz appeared out of a white portal. The mascot’s appearance, and alarmed expression, immediately put the trio in high alert as well, and they prepared to transform if necessary.
“No, it’s not that kind of issue,” Vatz said and made a magical screen appear, showing a graph, “However, your merchandise sales have been decreasing.” The girls relaxed again, and Kaoruko sighed.
“So, what’s the big deal?” Kaoruko asked, “It’s not like that stuff does anything, right?”
“Not directly, no,” Vatz answered, “However, your merchandise sales allow us to monitor your popularity, meaning that a decrease indicates people are losing faith in you, and may even be swayed to evil.”
“This is bad,” Haruka said and asked, “What do we do? Do you think we should release new stuff?”
“That could be an option,” Sayo said thoughtfully, “So far, we have figurines, costumes, small household items like alarm clocks, and utility items like bags and such. Perhaps the people just have enough of those.”
“So, what do we do?” Kaoruko asked, “Should we release more niche stuff, like coasters?”
“If we want people to keep buying it, maybe disposable items are best,” Sayo said, “Something people use, but can’t reuse too often.”
“You mean like tissues?” Haruka asked, and while she imagined a box of regular white tissues, with their faces on the box, the other two imagined their faces on the tissues themselves. Sayo imagined her distorted face on a wet and messy tissue, while Kaoruko thought about Kiwi rubbing her face in unsavory places to get on her nerves.
“No,” Kaoruko and Sayo said in unison, although the latter was blushing much harder.
“Then, what should we do instead?” Haruka asked, “Do you think we could help with other stuff? I mean, we can fly, and have super powers, so there has to be something we can do.”
“That might attract Enormeeta, though,” Kaoruko said, “If we helped civilians with our powers directly, we’d just put them in danger.”
“I guess you’re right,” Haruka said and asked, “What if we released a video game?”
“A video game?” Vatz asked.
“Yeah,” Haruka answered, “I feel like that could be a good way to monitor people’s interest in us, since they would play it long after they bought it.”
“That’s actually not such a bad idea,” Kaoruko said, “If we run it online, we can definitely track the number of players.”
“But what would it be about?” Sayo asked.
“Us, obviously,” Haruka answered.
“It’d need a lot of replay value, though,” Kaoruko said, “A story mode wouldn’t really cut it for most players, since they’d just go the good route, and then maybe do an evil run to see how it turns out.”
“I think I know who we can ask,” Haruka said with a smile, “Let’s go, I’ll explain on the way.” They got ready to head out, told Haruka’s sisters where they were going, and Haruka called some of her friends to arrange a meeting and discuss things in person.
Haruka, Sayo, and Kaoruko entered the restaurant, and went to sit down at the same table as Utena, Kiwi, Korisu, Nemo, and Matama. Kiwi and Kaoruko immediately glared at each other, and Haruka and Utena chuckled, apologizing for their respective friend’s behavior.
“Hello, and thanks for coming,” Haruka said, “I’m sorry this is so sudden.”
“Don’t worry, it’s fine,” Utena said, “We had nothing to do anyway.”
“Great. Now, about why I asked you to come,” Haruka said and asked, “Do you guys have any ideas on how to make a successful video game?” Utena and her friends looked at Haruka, mostly surprised at her unexpected request.
“You guys want to make a video game?” Nemo asked, “Why?”
“N- no reason,” Haruka answered, avoiding eye contact, then turned to Nemo and asked, “But hypothetically, how could we increase the chances that a lot of people play it for a long time?” Nemo leaned back and brought a hand to her chin, thinking about the question for a moment before sitting up straight again.
“Well, the easiest way would be an open world game,” Nemo answered, “That way, you have more space to put things, meaning players have more reason to explore. But you would need to reward exploration, and give players the means to navigate the world on their own terms.”
“On their own terms?” Haruka asked.
“Yes,” Nemo answered, “Games tend to have special locations where characters can traverse difficult terrain, or where items can be used, which tells players that there are no real secrets, since all the relevant spots are marked. If you instead let players use their traversal options wherever they want, it makes the world feel bigger, since they won’t know if any location will have treasure, so they explore more.”
“So, what kind of traversal option would you recommend?” Sayo asked, while Haruka took notes.
“Grappling hooks are pretty popular,” Nemo answered, “But special abilities are always nice, since it can give more depth to the setting if some abilities have non-combat purposes. Of course, if you give your players the choice between different classes, you need to give multiple classes the option to traverse the terrains.”
“And what about flight?” Haruka asked.
“That’s too powerful, since there aren’t a lot of places you can’t fly,” Nemo answered, “If you let the player character fly, you need to either add a time limit, or hide the secrets otherwise.”
“Okay, so a time limit, and not just putting things in high places,” Sayo said and asked, “Anything else?”
“You can use enemies with bolases,” Nemo answered, “Have your enemies throw bolases at the player if they fly, restraining the player if they’re hit and forcing them to land. The player can even take fall damage, and be immobilized for a while, adding another layer or two of danger.”
“Could we add flying enemies, too?” Kaoruko asked.
“Of course,” Nemo answered, “If you let the player loot defeated enemies, they can use the bolases, for example.”
“Any other movement options?” Sayo asked, “For example, how would players get over bodies of water?”
“That depends on you,” Nemo answered, “In some games, there are ways to freeze the water, while others offer ways to walk on water.”
“I see,” Haruka said, and kept taking notes. The two groups continued talking about this hypothetical video game, with the Tres Magia secretly using their telepathy to discuss what to ask next, and how to avoid giving away the fact that they were planning a video game about their alter egos, since that would all but guarantee that their identities were revealed once the game released.
A week later, the Tres Magia announced the development of their game in an interview, but to their shock, there were a few empty seats in the studio audience. The following interview, even more seats were empty, and then their audience was reduced to the most die-hard fans, including Utena. A month after their last battle against Enormeeta, not even Utena showed up to their final interview.
“So, it seems your fame has dwindled,” the interviewer said awkwardly, and asked, “Any idea why that could be?”
“Not really, no,” Magia Magenta answered, “But don’t worry, even if no one cares for us, we’ll keep fighting evil whenever it shows up.” Suddenly, a black portal opened on the edge of the stage, and the interviewer and the Tres Magia tensed up as Magia Baiser and Leopard walked out.
“Please, everyone, remain calm,” Magia Baiser said, holding up her empty hands, “We didn’t come to fight.” The portal closed behind the two villains, and the Tres Magia prepared to fight.
“Why’re you here?” Magia Sulfur asked, clenching her fists.
“This is an interview, is it not?” Magia Baiser answered, “We’re here to talk a bit, since it seemed unfair that you three get all the attention.” She looked at the interviewer, who got instructions over her headset.
“And you promise not to hurt anyone?” Magia Magenta asked, confusing the other two magical girls.
“Magenta, you can’t be serious,” Magia Sulfur said and asked, “What about the people here?” They looked back at the interviewer, who switched to her professional persona to hide her fear.
“Well, I just got word from my boss,” the interviewer said, “If it’s okay with you three, they’re welcome to join us.”
“If it helps, you can hold on to this until after the interview,” Magia Baiser said, pulled her weapon from behind her back, and handed it to Magia Sulfur, with the handle facing the magical girl. Magia Sulfur hesitated, then took the whip, and looked at Leopard. Magia Baiser nudged her, and Leopard handed over her gun.
“Alright,” Magia Sulfur said, and relaxed again. The interviewer waved over some interns, who brought two additional chairs for the villains. They sat down, and Leopard immediately noticed the quality of the chair, shifting around in it.
“These things are great,” Leopard said, looking at Magia Baiser, then turned to the interviewer and asked, “Where did you get these?”
“Oh, I’m… not actually sure,” the interviewer answered and asked, “But anyway, why did you decide to come today?”
“Because I can answer your question from earlier,” Magia Baiser answered, “About the Tres Magia losing popularity.”
“Oh? Now I’m interested,” the interviewer said and asked, “What is it?”
“It’s us,” Magia Baiser answered with a devious smile, “A month ago, Magia Sulfur actually tipped me off to this, so I decided to run a little experiment, and test her hypothesis.”
“Wait, what do you mean?” Magia Sulfur asked, then thought back to that time, and gasped.
“So you remember,” Magia Baiser said, and explained, “When you said that you three could just live normal lives without us, I wondered how true that was. And as it turns out, you were right on the money.”
“I’m… not sure I follow,” the interviewer said and asked, “What does this mean, exactly?”
“It means that I hold the power to bring down this entire industry,” Magia Baiser answered, “Figurines, decorative plates, bed sheets, blankets and pillows, binders, bags, rugs, wall scrolls, posters, CDs, and so much more. Even this channel dedicates a large time slot to the Tres Magia. And without villains, it all crumbles.”
“Bullshit!” Magia Sulfur exclaimed and jumped up, “You’re just trying to screw with people again!” Magia Baiser remained unfazed, and glanced over to the audience.
“Well over half the seats are empty,” Magia Baiser stated, “You three haven’t done anything important in the past month. In another month or two, no one will care about you, and the people who make your merchandise will lose their jobs due to a lack of demand.” Magia Sulfur paused for a moment, as the realization set in.
“You,” Magia Sulfur hissed.
“And it is all thanks to your idea,” Magia Baiser said, “If you hadn’t said that, I would’ve never thought about it like that.”
“So, what do you want out of this?” Magia Magenta asked.
“I already have everything I want,” Magia Baiser answered, “In fact, I spent the past month coming up with new ideas for you three. So, look forward to it. However, I wouldn’t be opposed to having merchandise of myself and the others.”
“Well, we can’t really promise that,” Magia Magenta said, “But I actually like the thought, to be honest.”
“That’s… surprising,” the interviewer said, turned to Magia Baiser and asked, “By the way, can I touch those wings?” The Tres Magia, Magia Baiser, and Leopard looked at her, too stunned to speak for a moment, until Magia Baiser recomposed herself.
“Of course,” Magia Baiser answered, and the interviewer leaned over to feel the membrane.
“It feels different than I imagined,” the interviewer said.
“What did you imagine?” Magia Baiser asked, and the interviewer sat back down, but kept looking at her fingers a bit longer, really processing the sensation, and making sure nothing rubbed off on her.
“I expected something more cloth-like,” the interviewer answered and asked, “So, are they functional, or just for show?”
“Fully functional,” Magia Baiser answered and stood up, moving her wings a bit before sitting back down, “Of course, I don’t need them to fly, but they do add to the image.”
“I see,” the interviewer said. Afterwards, the interview continued as normal, with the interviewer asking Magia Baiser and Leopard several questions, such as their favorite or least favorite things, but also their motivations, which Magia Baiser decided to be very vague about, so as to not ruin her fun in the future.
Back in Nacht Base, Magia Baiser took Venalita’s phone, and responded to various companies asking for a cooperation with Enormeeta. After reminding them that cooperating with villains is a bad idea, she accepted, and asked the others what types of merchandise they would like of themselves. Once she had a decent list of three items per villain, she arranged to meet with the product designers. Two months later, the first series of Enormeeta merch was on store shelves.