Akechi arrived at Zaboru's office, his expression unreadable as he carried a sleek black suitcase in one hand. The mont he stepped inside, his sharp eyes locked onto Zaboru.
"Hello, Zaboru," Akechi greeted in his usual flat tone.
Zaboru glanced behind him, expecting to see Ayumi. "Yo, Akechi-san. Ayumi didn't co?"
Akechi shook his head. "Ayumi is on fire lately with creating her own ga. It seems she's been inspired by you, Zaboru."
Zaboru raised an eyebrow in surprise. He knew Ayumi was interested in ga developnt—after all, she had asked him to teach her while they were working on ZAS Arcade together—but hearing that she was fully invested was unexpected. A small grin crept onto his face.
"Well, good for her! Let her know that I'm happy to help if she needs it. She's been a big help to , after all."
Akechi nodded in acknowledgnt. "Got it." Then his gaze sharpened. "So, did you make any new gas this week?"
Zaboru leaned back in his chair and smirked. "Yeah, I made one."
Akechi's brows rose. He had expected Zaboru to make at least two gas—after all, he needed money. But once again, his predictions regarding Zaboru had been off the mark. This kid was truly sothing else.
"Then let's try it," Akechi said as he took a seat.
Zaboru nodded and inserted the cartridge into his Zeps. The screen flickered to life, and the title appeared in bold, blocky letters: Final Fight.
"This ga is called Final Fight, and it's an entirely new genre," Zaboru explained. "I call it the Beat-'Em-Up genre. Go ahead, Akechi-san, give it a try."
Akechi leaned forward, intrigued. As the ga began, a short introduction played, setting the scene: Jessica Haggar, the daughter of tro City's mayor, Mike Haggar, had been kidnapped by Belger, the leader of the Mad Gear gang. The mayor, alongside two skilled fighters, Cody and Guy, set out to rescue her by fighting their way through the city.
Akechi's eyes narrowed as he absorbed the narrative. A clear motivation, a strong villain, and an imdiate reason to start playing. It was simple yet effective.
Then the character selection screen appeared, showcasing three fighters: Cody, Guy, and Haggar. Each had their own distinct style and attributes.
Zaboru crossed his arms and explained, "Guy is a fast attacker but has lower damage output. Haggar is a slow powerhouse with high attack strength. And Cody is the balanced option, sowhere in between."
Akechi's mind raced. Three distinct characters with different playstyles? This level of design depth was leagues beyond anything in the current gaming industry. He exhaled through his nose, forcing himself to remain composed. He chose Guy, drawn to the speed-based playstyle.
As he started playing, the ga dropped him into the grimy streets of tro City, where thugs imdiately rushed at him. Akechi pressed the attack button, and Guy launched into rapid strikes, smoothly chaining them together. He dodged an enemy's punch and countered with a flying kick. Then, just as Zaboru had ntioned, he walked into an enemy and grabbed them. Without hesitation, he slamd them to the ground with a powerful throw.
Akechi was hooked.
For an entire hour, he played, completely imrsed. The variety in enemy types, the tactical movent, the ability to pick up weapons—everything about Final Fight scread polish and innovation.
When he finally glanced at the clock and realized how much ti had passed, he jolted upright, coughing to regain his composure.
"...Very impressive, Zaboru," Akechi admitted, still slightly dazed. "I like it very much."
Without hesitation, he placed the suitcase on the desk and slid it toward Zaboru. "Here's the 600k yen I promised you for last week's two gas."
Then, from inside his suit pocket, he pulled out another thick stack of cash—300,000 yen more.
"And here's another 300k for this Final Fight ga. You really exceeded my expectations with this one, Zaboru."
Zaboru took the money, grinning ear to ear. "Heh, thanks, Akechi-san."
Akechi picked up the Final Fight cartridge and stood up. "I'll be heading out. I want to play more of this at ho."
Zaboru gave him a casual wave. "Happy playing, Akechi-san. And thanks for the money."
Akechi nodded and quickly left.
As soon as he was gone, Zaboru threw his fists into the air and shouted with excitent.
"YEAH!"
900,000 yen! This was huge.
With this much capital, he could push his ga developnt even further and make his company alive!
To be continued...
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