Monday, October 28, 1991 – Afternoon Lunch Break
Nobuo, the fifth-grader who first tried Super Mario in the park back then, had beco one of ZEPS's biggest fanatics. He had played every available ga on the console and loved them all. Though ga Man was a bit too difficult for him, he was determined to keep playing it. He couldn't wait to get ho and try again! But for now, it was lunchti, and he was deep in discussion with his three friends who also owned ZEPS—Ushino, Genta, and Yuko. The four of them were inseparable, unlike their other classmates who still hadn't convinced their parents to buy a ZEPS.
As they sat together, Nobuo eagerly asked, "Hey, have you guys beaten Punch-Out yet? Super Macho Man is insanely hard!"
Ushino nodded. "Yeah! I finally took him down. But I'm still wondering what the Z-Card clue ans for Punch-Out. 'Listen to what Doc says, and you will et .' What's that supposed to an?"
Genta chid in. "It's probably another hint about Zabo-Man, right? I've t him in Hang-On, Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Excitebike!"
Nobuo and Ushino nodded in agreent. They had encountered Zabo-Man in those gas, too.
But then, Yuko smirked smugly. "Hmph. You boys only found him in those four gas? That's nothing! Those were the easiest ones. Let guess—you haven't played ga Man enough yet, have you?"
The three boys turned red. "Y-Yeah, but ga Man is hard! We can't even clear the first stage!"
Yuko leaned back, looking completely unimpressed. "Tsk, tsk. Do you know that I've played all the ZAGE gas? I've t Zabo-Man in every single one."
Nobuo frowned. "Lies! You're just a girl!"
Yuko grinned. "Indeed, I am a girl. A girl who happens to be better at gaming than you three! Hahaha!"
Ushino and Genta bristled at the insult. "Oh yeah?! Then prove it! Show us how to et Zabo-Man in Super Mario Bros, Punch-Out, Mario Bros, Final Fight, and ga Man!"
Genta pulled out his treasured collection of Z-Cards. "Here! Tell us how!"
Yuko's smug grin grew wider. "Why would I?"
Genta and Ushino gritted their teeth, ready to argue back, but Nobuo stopped them. He clasped his hands together in mock reverence. "Please, Yuko... No—Yuko-sama! Teach us weaklings the way to Zabo-Man!"
Yuko laughed triumphantly. "Hahaha! Now that's the right attitude! Because you asked nicely, I'll tell you! Spread out those cards."
Genta carefully laid out all his Z-Cards on the table. There were nine in total, each featuring a different cryptic ssage:
Punch-Out! – "Focus on the words Doc says, and you will see ."
Excitebike – "I might visit you occasionally. I am like you, but I cannot fall."
Super Mario Bros. – "Treasure your life, and you will et ."
Donkey Kong – "When you et , I'll help you bonk."
Final Fight – "Defeat the Kidnapper Cyborg without a scratch, and you will et ."
Hang-On – "Continue to ride smoothly, and you will et . I'll cheer you on."
ga Man – "When you fight the Devil, at last, you will et ."
Mario Bros. – "When you are good enough, I will challenge you."
Pac-Man – "Enter your strongest state, then I might help you."
Yuko examined the cards and began her explanation. "The Z-Cards are hints from the ga developers about how to find the mysterious black-and-gray character we know as Zabo-Man. In so gas, like Pac-Man, ga Man, Hang-On, Donkey Kong, and Excitebike, he appears naturally as you progress. Sotis he helps you, sotis he's just a side character.
"For example, in Pac-Man, Zabo-Man appears when you eat a Power Pellet—he shows up as a black-and-gray character and takes out one of the ghosts. In Hang-On, he appears as one of rider if you reach 200,000 points. In Donkey Kong, he randomly pops up in stages to bonk Donkey Kong with a hamr. And in Excitebike, he's one of the racers, except he never crashes. As for ga Man... well, none of you have made it far enough to know, so I'll keep that a secret."
The three boys were speechless. That was how it worked? They had no idea!
Nobuo quickly asked, "Yuko-sama! What about the others?"
Yuko smirked. "In Punch-Out, if you pay attention to Doc's advice before the fights in so fights, you'll notice so of his word he said can be entered on the additional screen. Additional nu appear after you beat the ga ,if you put correct code from Doc you unlock a new circuit where you play as Zabo-Man himself!"
The boys' jaws dropped. "WHAT?! That's what the additional screen is for?!" Genta shouted. Ushino added, "Wait, doesn't it ask for a five-word password? What is it?!"
Yuko folded her arms. "Figure it out yourselves!"
The three boys groaned in frustration, but they were already planning to dig for clues later.
Yuko continued, "Super Mario Bros. is even harder. You need to beat the entire ga without dying once to unlock Zabo-Man as a playable character."
The boys' eyes widened in horror. "That's impossible! I haven't even finished the ga normally! The later levels are way too hard!" Nobuo whined.
Yuko shrugged. "That's your problem. Moving on!"
The boys gritted their teeth but kept listening.
"In Mario Bros., you need to score 300,000 points to unlock Zabo-Man as a hidden enemy. That's ridiculously high, but it's possible."
The boys' mouths hung open. 300,000?! They could barely reach 200,000!
"And in Final Fight, you need to beat the final boss without taking a single hit. Only then will Zabo-Man appear."
Genta groaned. "That's insane! The projectile attacks are impossible to dodge!"
Yuko smirked. "That just ans you three need to get good."
Then Ushino ask "Wait what is Zabo-man is Final Fight ? , is he ally , or enemy?"
Yuko grin and shrugs "Who knows? heheh"
Genta finally snapped. "How can i believe you! , Have you actually done all of this?! I don't believe you!"
Yuko snorted. "Believe whatever you want. The fact that I know all this proves I've experienced it firsthand."
Nobuo suddenly grinned. "How about this—we all go to my house this weekend, and you prove it! Show us you're really that good at these gas!"
Ushino and Genta imdiately agreed. "Yeah! Let's see if Yuko is the real deal or just bluffing!"
Yuko smiled confidently. "Fine. This weekend, I'll prove it to you."
And with that, the four best friends had made their plans.
Across town, similar discussions about Zabo-Man's mysterious appearances were happening between friends and families playing ZEPS.
To be continued...
*Author's Note: PO PO POWER STONE!
Anyway, just a quick note—I'll say this upfront: the gas I show often are mainly to highlight what I've improved on in those gas or to showcase Zabo-man's appearance!
I always have a blast writing Zabo-man because it's been my dream to have one character appear in lots of different stories as different entities!*
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