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fostersffff · 5 years ago

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It’s nearly the end of the year, and barring me entering some kind of wild hyper-focused fugue state, I don’t believe I’ll be finishing any more games by the 31st. So with that said, instead of doing a strictly best/worst thing, here’s a list of awards- both positive and negative- I made up to assign to games that I felt were worth talking about in some way.

The Exceeded Expectations Award

A tight race between Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Devil May Cry 5. I really don’t think anyone was expecting Three Houses to be the smash hit it would become, but the surprising and exciting E3 timeskip trailer was followed by a steady steam of promising information about the gameplay and story that wound up coalescing into fantastic experience. Ultimately, DMC5 wins out for Hideaki Itsuno making the unbelievably bold claim that the game would “exceed fans’ expectations” to an audience with the second highest expectations in the history of the industry, behind only Final Fantasy VII Remake, and then actually delivering on that claim with one of the finest action game experiences I’ve had in recent memory.

The Most Clearly Sent Out To Die Award

Daemon X Machina. It didn’t stand a chance in it’s release window and was cannibalized by its own publisher putting out like three other high profile games both before and after it. As such, this game will most likely be remembered by people thinking back to E3 2018 and going “whatever happened to that really cool mech combat game?”, and by people who did play it for the weird crossover DLC like Code Geass and The Witcher 3.

The Most Overrated Game of the Year Award

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition. Yuri Vesperia is every bit as good a character as people said he was, but if this is the peak of the “Tales” series, it’s decidedly not for me. It was honestly kind of upsetting to see that this game occupied one of my “most-played” slots on Nintendo’s "Year in Review” page instead of Valkyria Chronicles 4.

The Least Overrated Game of the Year Award

A Hat in Time. A lot of the praise I saw for this game came from people who were disappointed with Super Mario Odyssey back in 2017, and as someone who gleefully played Odyssey like five times in a row, I figured it wouldn’t resonate with me in the same way, but it’s every bit as good as people said it was. The base game was perfectly satisfying on its own, but it was an absolute treat to see how well both the Seal the Deal and Nyakuza Metro DLC turned out and how much better Gears for Breakfast got with every aspect of the game over time. The only genuine problem I have with it are the technical issues present in the Switch port, the most severe of which have been patched out at this point, and while it’s still not the optimal way to play, the issues with Hat’s Switch port didn’t really impede my enjoyment at all. Speaking of which...

The Be Careful What You Wish For Award

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. I really love the Switch both in concept and execution, and up until August of this year I was adamant that all but the most technically demanding games should try to put out a Switch port. That’s changed thanks to the Switch port of Bloodstained: it was goddamn near unplayable at launch, and even with the multiple-month-delayed SUPER PATCH, I still encountered an unacceptable number of crashes and atrocious visual glitches while dealing with a compromised-under-the-best-possible-circumstances version of the game. It was so bad I genuinely considered stopping near the end to restart on the PC version, but I soldiered on. It’s a shame too, because in terms of actual content, Bloodstained is a success story on par with A Hat in Time or Shovel Knight, but it’s gonna be a while before I give a better optimized version of the game a whirl.

The Returning Champion Award

Capcom. The four-hit combo of RE2make, Devil May Cry 5, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, and the announcement of RE3make to close out the year following the kickoff of the Mega Man Apology Tour in 2018 firmly cements Capcom as being back after what felt like a full decade of mediocrity and disappointment across the board. Square-Enix gave them a run for their money here between Kingdom Hearts III, Dragon Quest Builders 2, Dragon Quest XI S, and Collection of Mana, but barring THE BLUNDER OF THE DECADE I think they’ve got this particular award in the bag for 2020.

The Dropped Ball Award

Super Mario Maker 2. I actually didn’t care all that much about no local multiplayer, but between that and the online multiplayer being offensively broken in terms of how awful the lag was, it seems like Nintendo let what should’ve been an evergreen Switch title flop to the ground and start gasping for air. Either that, or the original Super Mario Maker only succeeded because there was so little else to do with a Wii U. Granted, the recent Zelda update is super neat, but coming a full six months after launch with almost no fanfare when other Switch games like Splatoon 2, Mario Tennis Aces, and even Arms had more consistent post-launch support is such a strange and bad look.

The Stuck Landing Award

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove. After six and a half years, Shovel Knight has delivered on all of its Kickstarter campaign promises, and while the original game and the Plague of Shadows campaign were excellent, Specter of Torment, King of Cards, and Shovel Knight Showdown all went far above and beyond what people were expecting of Yacht Club Games by creating new stages with remixed music, wildly divergent gameplay mechanics, a fully fleshed out card game, and a Smash Bros.-tier multiplayer game. It’s the only game I can think of in my entire history of playing video games where the price has gone up over time and I’ve found myself nodding in agreement.

The Still Good One Year Later After The Hype Has Faded Award

Mega Man 11. Still excellent!

The Achievements In Localization Award

Another tight race, this time between Collection of Mana in recognition of Square-Enix deciding to localize a 23 year old game from scratch when a total remake is coming out in less than a year’s time, Judgment for having two separate scripts for the English dub and the Japanese dub’s subtitles, and Trails of Cold Steel III for NISA doing a genuinely terrific job that had no obvious cut corners in a game with this much text that was consistent with the naming conventions established by an entirely different localization company, even hiring back like 99% of the other company’s voice cast. Despite all of that praise for NISA, this one goes to Judgment for what I hope will become a standard in the industry.

The Worst Ending and Voice Acting Award

While I appreciate how committed to the joke WayForward was, the ending of River City Girls gets worse the further away I get from it, especially since they could’ve actually alleviated so many problems with one extra line of dialogue from Hasebe and/or Mami about how they were the ones who “abducted” Kunio and Riki (by sending them to the spa) and that they also sent the text that kicks of the plot just to fuck with Misako and Kyoko. Also: in general, don’t hire e-celebs to do voicework for your project if they are not actual voice actors, either by trade or by aspiration. At least most of them were kept to shopkeeper cameos, but I’ll never understand the decision to cast Big Capital-“Oi” Irish Brogue Jacksepticeye as recurring character Godai other than “CLOUT PLEASE”.

The Best Ending and Voice Acting Award

Dragon Quest XI S. This game should be front and center when conversations come up about having to earn a happy ending, because the ending you get when the credits roll is perfectly satisfactory... but you can do better. And not only can you do better, you can get what is effectively the most perfect ending that can be in the entire history of Dragon Quest as a gaming franchise, which sounds like a dramatic overstatement until you see it. And, to contrast the previous award, I really appreciate how DQXI’s voice cast didn’t include anyone I was familiar with and thus I never had the experience of “oh shit it’s x from y”, but this award exists in particular for Serena’s voice actress, Jessica Clark, and her reading of the line “I hate to ask, but would you mind awfully not going anywhere for a little while? I think I’m going to cry...”

The Most Wrong I Ever Was About A Story Award

Final Fantasy VIII Remastered. For years, I thoughtlessly regurgitated the opinion that “parts of FF8 are good, but it’s definitely a bad game with a lame romance and Squall is a terrible protagonist” based on the memory of playing the demo as a child and enjoying it, but seeing the internet at large bash it without mercy. I was wrong, because not only is it not bad, the central romance is totally compelling and Squall has become my favorite Final Fantasy protagonist, in the very same year that I finally also played Final Fantasy VII and came to terms with the fact that Cloud has been good all along, actually.

The 2019 Was A Ridiculously Good Year For Games In General Because I Didn’t Actually Play It That Much Despite The First Game Being My GOTY 2016 And This Game Is An Improvement In Every Single Possible Way Award

Dragon Quest Builders 2. I cannot believe how little of DQB2 I’ve played! And it’s so good!

#long post #video games

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sadisticsmiles · 7 years ago

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Beyond a Thief’s Power Episode 12

Bundles of Stress

Inside of what appeared to be a Japanese-style home, Sayuri was standing in front of a scroll that read: "Under the blue sky, the power to heal is near but far. Yet, it is obtained through many sources."

"It's not as easy as anyone thinks," the orange-haired magician noted. There seemed to be something on her mind, but she did not let on much about it. She stared at the scroll for a few more seconds. "...I better go now. It's about time I meet up with them."

She turned around, bringing herself to the other world that awaited her, disappearing from Neon. She soon appeared inside Le Renard Noir with a sitting position and landed on one of the chairs near the bar counter. Her wings had also showed themselves again with a gentle movement, and vanished afterward. The guys and Rina had been busy setting the table up with reheated plates and dishes of food, and took notice of Sayuri's elegant arrival within a short amount of time.

"Uwa!" Kenshi's shouted in a surprised tone of voice. "Sayuri?!"

"Looks like you made it after all," Riki smiled in a pleasant manner. Something was a bit different about his usual sense of hospitality, though.

Takuto glanced at the firefighter. "Why are you so surprised? She told us she was going to be here, didn't she? There's really no need for you to get riled up at a time like this, Kenny."

"I-I know!" Kenshi stuttered. "I was just... a little out of it, okay?" His cheeks were clouded with pink blushes that made him look somewhat cute in a boyish way. "Not like I meant anything that would be a big deal, but it just happened."

Rina smiled when she saw her best friend. "Did you get your wound all healed up at home?"

Sayuri nodded. "It's not like I could get a scar from leaving it untreated, but it felt nice to be back in Neon. I suppose you went back home?"

"Well, I kind of had to," Rina smiled. She felt somewhat awkward when she brought her words up. "Mom was giving me stuff to bring to Le Renard Noir since I'm staying here. I moved out of my old apartment in this world and gave it away for free. It's always nice to be in our world again for a change, but I’m not sure about Riki over there." She turned her head to her left, looking at the government official who was sitting at the table the majority of the group was going to have their dinner at. "He's been like that for a while, so sulking's his specialty sometimes. On the other hand, he’s probably controlling his urge to drink while Mitsuki-san’s not right by him. They're always joined together by the hip, so there’s a disheartening atmosphere he emits when they're apart occasionally."

Sayuri blinked. "Like Takuji and Asuka? They're so in love that it makes the human girl living with them in Roppongi annoyed by watching their interactions with each other. What was her name? Kirie Kuroki? It's rare to see humans with vibrant eye and hair colors. But there's a dot in the center of both her eyes."

"Yeah," Takuto breathed. He was still as indifferent as ever. "That's called a pupil. Some people have a more prominent one in both of their eyes in this world, but magicians don't have them, do they?"

"That's because we're beautiful people," Sayuri replied as she turned her head toward Takuto. "Our eyes are fine the way they are."

The programmer smirked. "So I take it the girl you mentioned isn't good enough to compare to you guys because she can't land on your standards?"

"In a way, yes," the orange-haired girl agreed. "But I don't mean that she isn't attractive enough for human men in the looks department by her appearance. I get bothered by her pupils, or so you call them."

"I believe we'll be able to get along." Takuto continued to grin before giving a lighthearted smile. "Why don't you sit down with us? We could all eat together."

Hiro's eyes widened with an astonished look. "What's this? Takkun's actually being friendly to someone?"

"And not just anyone," Kenshi added. "He's being nice to Sayuri who's a girl. This is such a rare moment, I should have had my phone out to take a photo of his smile."

Sayuri tilted her head to her right side. "Is that a bad thing? We were only conversing with one another like anyone would. Don't take it the wrong way. I know your people tend to jump to conclusions, specifically with interactions between opposite sexes, but there's no need to bring up anything unnecessary." She looked up at Takuto and said, "Sorry, but I'll just sit by myself. I don't want to intrude on your dinner." She reached into the atmosphere with her left hand, which appeared to have vanished into thin air. It was definitely in an invisible pocket Takuto had taken note of before. Soon, Sayuri's hand came back out from her pocket and she was holding onto a glass cup with a cover on it; a white straw was right next to it as she held both objects near her. "Itadakimasu." She inserted the straw into the opening of the lid and took a drink of her beverage. Inside, there were clear but small spheres, and the beverage was indubitably a magnificent sight to Hiro and the other guys. Riki did not look like he was going to quit sulking, on the other hand.

"Wow, that's so cool," Hiro complimented the drink with sparkling eyes. "The drink and balls are clearer than lychee..."

Kenshi gaped at the glass. "Like a snow globe."

"More like a glittery diamond," Takuto commented.

While Rina smiled at the three of them, Sayuri blinked twice with her mouth on the straw. She stopped sucking up the transparent liquid shortly afterward. Pulling her lips away, she answered them. "They are diamonds."

"Huh?" Hiro was perplexed along with Takuto and Kenshi.

"Like I said," Sayuri continued, "The balls and the juice are diamonds. The balls themselves have solid coating like ice, but are more like a crystal. They're also very edible and delicious. I guess you can say when I'm drinking this it’s similar to when you restore your vital energy with water, since most of your bodies are made of it."

Hiro smiled, getting the gist of it. "So it's basically how a magician's body, blood and heart are made out of gemstones? I see. You're drinking that juice to refill your stamina and whatnot while you're here." He laughed, closing his eyes at the same time before reopening them. "I'm such a dummy; how could I not realize this sooner? Of course there were gemstones in there!"

Takuto sighed, looking down. "I feel like we all are for not remembering magician logic. Even the pocket is there for all of them!"

"Man, do I feel stupid," Kenshi belittled himself. "I haven't thought about any magician facts in a while when I could have."

"Don't feel too bad about it, Kenshi. It's not like you're going to die or anything," Rina assured with soothing encouragement. "You can do better when it comes to gaming, anyway."

Kenshi sweat-dropped. Then, he closed his eyes. "In real life, you mean. I had a hard time trying to escape from that anatomical model in one of the classrooms." He opened his eyes and sighed stressfully. "Do you know how many times I died trying during my current replay of the game?"

"Forty-two times?" Takuto guessed. "I'm not surprised."

Kenshi's eyes were ready to pop out from the sockets holding them in place. "How did you know? I didn't even say anything yet!"

"It's the meaning of life, Kenny," Takuto retorted. "If you want to live after dying in the game, you gotta aim for that number. That's why that game's a troll in the first place."

Again, Sayuri cocked her head to her right. "What game is this?"

"Oh, it's Mutilation Party1," Hiro answered. "It's one of Kenny's favorite horror RPG games for the PC, but got a remake for the GSP2 which has been renamed to Repeated Tale of Dread3. It's where a group of high school students and their homeroom teacher assistant are suddenly transported to another dimension that takes the form of an elementary school that used to be where their high school currently stands. It's full of gore and is also pretty gruesome. Anyway, let's eat together, Sayuri. You look so isolated by yourself." He grabbed Sayuri's free hand, escorting her to the table.

"Wait, Hiro—" Before she could completely object to the notion of sitting and dining with the Black Foxes, she was quickly taken to the table and was seated between Rina (on her right) and Hiro (on her left), placing her drink on the table in front of the orange-haired college student.

Atsumu dropped by with a delighted smile on his face. "The more the merrier, right? It's nice to have more company at the bar if I do say so myself. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sayuri. I'm Atsumu Kashiwabara. I'm like the guys' caretaker since I've looked after them when they were kids. I don't participate in the missions as much as I used to, but feel free to help them in their times of need. I'm counting on ya!" He beamed with glee like he was already high on laughing gas. It was even funny; although, no one really had an urge to spring out giggles.

Sayuri, Takuto, and Riki were the ones who could not find any humor from seeing the wavy-haired brunet's happy visage, and Sayuri froze in place. "..." Her expression was as stiff as a piece of cardboard when held in place. Within a matter of seconds, a blast of heat came to and from her face, giving it a bright red color, and her eyes began to spin counterclockwise. "Th-There's another human male here?!" Shortly afterward, she fainted, plopping on to Rina's left arm.

With the others (except for Rina and Takuto) stunned to see Sayuri collapse, Takuto said, "Hey, look. She died because of Beardy. That's new."

Peering into Sayuri's face from their seats, Kenshi and Hiro articulated simultaneously, "So cute..."

"Ahhh~!" Hiro squealed with ecstasy. "Can I wait until she wakes up so we can eat together? She's just too adorable to leave alone! I'm practically dying here!" He was putting in his best effort not to move around too much in his seat.

Riki stopped eating and placed his chopsticks down on his celadon green bowl. His eyes had been closed after the orange-haired magician had her own black out. He then opened them with a strict stare directed towards the youngest group member. "Hiro, quit looking at Sayuri's face and get back to eating. Your food will get colder each second you delay the process. Don't be childish at a time like this. You're an adult, which means you have to act like one. Therefore, do what you're told before going off to play." That was all the leader of the Black Foxes said before picking up his chopsticks once more, and going back to finish his meal. It didn't take long for him to complete the task of consuming his food and downing a glass of water. "Thanks for the meal." He stood up and picked up his dishes, setting them down in the kitchen sink. Next, he washed them quietly, dried them off with a towel, and put them back on the rack in which they belonged. Once that was over, he walked upstairs and went to the room he was staying in, sliding the door behind him.

Hiro pouted. "Riki's such a meanie. He's so unlike his typical self without Mitsuki around to keep him on a leash. Bummer."

Kenshi smiled gently. "Look on the bright side. It's not like he doesn't care about any of us. He's just really attached to Saionji. That's all it is."

"It goes to show that Riki's a kid himself," Atsumu proclaimed. "On the contrary, love is a powerful thing, even when you've been with the person you love for a long time. Nine years have already passed by, and before you know it, they'll be together for a whole decade. Each moment you spend with your lover is precious, and Riki's sending signals to everyone about how much he loves Mitsuki. Let him be. He had to let go of her hand so she can cook and help out with LRN. She'll be back in no time at all."

Hiro had puppy dog eyes as he looked at Atsumu. "I hope so. Mitsuki's presence tends to balance things out for all of us." His expression reverted back to normal in an instant. "See, women are so powerful. While Riki can lift a cupboard, Mitsuki has the ability to pick it up and throw it at a target. It makes me wish I could give him a piece of my mind with that."

Rina smiled as she glanced at the youth. "You don’t need to be stronger than Riki in terms of physical ability, Hiro. He hasn't done anything to deserve a fist fight, and he's not someone who would want you to waste the time you have to fill your stomach when it's empty, so it probably can't be helped that he had a harsh tone towards you. I'm sure Sayuri would've said something similar to Riki's words."

"Speaking of which," Atsumu brought up, "we should probably get her to bed. I'll save her drink in the fridge."

Kenshi grinned. "She'll like it better if it's cool, right?"

Takuto stared at said beverage. "Man, those diamonds are tough. They're not melting."4

"I'll go take Sayuri up to the room I stay in during the daytime whenever I’m here," Rina told the guys. She looked at the resting magician. "She's likely to be out for an hour or two, but she'll be fine. Boss only startled her a bit since she it's possible she didn't expect him to be part of our team." The blonde magician stood up from her seat, holding onto her best friend's body, carrying her like a princess or bride and taking her upstairs.

Takuto looked down. "That's not fair, and the drink's still on the table."

"Maybe you'll get another chance later," Hiro said. "It just wasn't the right time with Sayuri being knocked out."

"Whatever," Takuto mumbled, "It's not like I have any feelings for Rina anymore."

Kenshi laughed with a broad grin. "Hahaha! As if. You're totally heads over heels for her." He looked at the hacker of their band of thieves in the eyes and continued to smile with a lighter touch. "It's not like you two forgot about that kiss you shared a few days ago. You should be more honest about it since you're the one who planted your true feelings on her lips."

"Now you're just teasing me," Takuto grimaced.

"Hey, you deserved it," the firefighter threw back.

The hacker had to give in to that comment. Witnessing the other three go on with their lovely banter, Atsumu smiled silently, enjoying the time they spent together, but also noticed Takuto's soft smile and felt at peace.

So Takkun can smile after all when it comes to being cornered about his true feelings for Rina, he thought. Perhaps, they can both overcome the obstacles ahead of them and find comfort in one another the more their love shows. I would like them to resume from where they left off years ago, and become connected with the touch of their hands once again.

XXX

Later that night, Sayuri woke up in one of the spare rooms and saw Rina's visage in front of her, as if the latter were in deep thought. Without another moment passing by, the blonde smiled contently while she was still sitting on her lower legs.

"Looks like you're faring finely now," she told her best friend. "You've been out of it for some time. How about I bring your drink up for you?"

"What about you?" the orange-haired magician asked. “You didn’t go home after I fainted. I would’ve been fine if someone like Hiro or Takuto looked after me. I don’t need Mitsuki-san or Riki to, and I don’t trust the brunets in your group.”

Rina nodded. "We’re best friends, Sayuri. You’ve done more for me than I’ve ever done for you."

Sayuri sat up. "…Your circumstances and life are significant to my presence in this world, but I won’t abandon the things I’ve come to do for all the other magicians." At that time, she moved out of the bed away from where Rina was. She then faced the bed and smoothed out the sheets and pillow before she slid the door to step out in to the hallway. Hiro was about to slide it himself, and was caught by surprise when he saw the orange-haired magician; he was holding Sayuri's beverage in his right hand. Sayuri felt a sensation of gratitude flowing into her body as she stared at the young man who was under her age. "Hiro."

Hiro's smile did not waver as he gazed back into the Magician of Fate's eyes. "Yeah. I wanted to see how you were doing, so I’m glad you’re awake and feeling better. Boss said he’s sorry for giving you a scare at the table."

Rina glanced at the orange-haired pairing over her right shoulder and smiled gently, but faintly. Afterward, she faced the bed once again, and took her yellow and light brown cell phone out from her invisible pocket; the yellow portion was a strip in the middle while the light brown framed most of the area apart around the former color. The device gave a silent flip open for Rina to message someone in particular: Takuto’s name appeared on the screen.

To: Takuto Hirukawa

Subject: Leaving the Human World

Takuto, I’m going home for the rest of the night. I’ll message you again soon.

Rina stood up and teleported back to Neon, leaving Hiro and Sayuri to continue conversing.

Meanwhile, Kenshi and Takuto were in a separate bedroom. The spiky-haired brunet looked and smiled at his roommate, who had his fossil gray5 cell phone out. "Whatcha staring at on your phone, Takuto?"

Takuto did not return his friend's gaze, only stared at the phone. "Rina just messaged me."

Kenshi smiled, pleased with the response. "Wow. I haven’t heard you say that in a while. In fact, none of us have."

Takuto's eyes lowered with a hint of depression and sadness. "Even so, it's not like she's shown that she loves me. It’s only a message about her going home."

“Haha, what are you getting so disappointed for?” the spiky-haired brunet laughed. “You know what they say: Women are supposed to be mysterious. Us guys can’t figure out what’s on their minds!”

Kenshi frowned, entering his mind with thoughts that could not be spoken. Now that I think about it, I wonder how Sayuri feels. Is she interested in any guys right now? He was already blushing, but shook his head quickly. Maybe she’s still asleep. What should I do when I see her tomorrow? I don't think I'll be able to speak to her properly!

"Oh, and Hiro's girlfriend is doing well, if you're wondering," Takuto glanced at the flustered man. It seemed as if the twenty-four-year-old was back to his aloof self.

Kenshi was surprised. "Hiro has a girlfriend? Since when?"

"Kenny, you're so dense," the computer genius commented. "It should be as plain as day to you."

"Huh?" Kenshi didn't understand what Takuto meant, but it wasn't nothing. There had to be something behind the light blond's statement. However, he couldn't figure the answer out.

XXX

Rina was back home in Neon. Her mother, Mami Tokuhara, saw her appear in her (Rina's) bedroom. Said parent was also holding onto a light green laundry basket filled with her daughter's clothes, and had the same long blonde hair tied into a single low ponytail, but the hair length was longer and went past to her knees; she also had eyes the color of persimmons and a youthful appearance for her age since she was immortal [as all magicians were].

"Ara? You're home early," she said, puzzled at her daughter's return. "I thought you were going to stay at Le Renard Noir for a while."

Rina looked at her mom, turning her head to her left. "It’s a bit complicated, but I’ll be going back and forth soon."

"Well, are you hungry?" Mami inquired with the same expression. "Spending time in the Human World drains us of our powers and capacities to stay there for long, after all."

"I'm fine for now, Mom," Rina replied. “I’ll have dinner once I’m through with what I need to do.”

Mami placed the laundry basket on Rina's bed. She was staring at her daughter's clothes and began to fold each and every article from shirts to pants, skirts, dresses, and underwear. "How is Takuto doing these days?"

Rina's shoulders dropped slowly and she looked at the floor with a dispirited expression on her face. "I don't know anymore... It's hard for me to be around him since I went back to the Human World. He's not the same person he used to be, but..." An array of emotions shimmered in her eyes. "He really takes me by surprise."

I had no intention of seeing him again, but when it comes down to it, I really do love Takuto, she admitted to herself. More than anything and everyone else, he's the most important person in my life. I wonder if I'll be able to tell him how I feel about him again. It's been a few years since I said those special words. What makes me sad is that he keeps letting the things other people say to him get to him and denies them. I wish he would at least say how he feels around everyone else like how he used to.

She thought back to a short memory from a few years ago, to which the days were still warm and loving through the year.

~June 16, 2003~

It was a summer day back then. It had been two months and two days since Takuto and Rina started their romantic relationship with one another. Everyone was gathered inside Le Renard Noir, and they were helping out with the customers due to the amount of heat outside. The air conditioner was on full blast, but the blazing torridness didn't consummately dissipate from their skin.

Rina walked over to a table and was wearing the restaurant's uniform, while carrying a tray with a glass of iced tea on it and a bowl of katsudon. Once she arrived at the destined table, she set the drink and food down in front of the elderly man sitting there.

"Here you go," she smiled brightly; her smile flattered her pale skin that seemed to shine beautifully. "I hope you enjoy your meal."

The older man reciprocated the blonde's smiled and closed his eyes with satisfaction. "Thank you for always giving everyone your kind service, Rina-chan. If you weren't taken, I would have asked you to be my granddaughter-in-law."

Rina gave an eye smile. "What are you talking about? Your grandson already has a girlfriend. I couldn't possibly do something that defies my code of conduct. Otherwise, I would be a disgrace to my family. You should know by now that having feelings for a man who has a lover and going behind said lover's back with the same male is a felony for female magicians, and vice versa for male ones."

An arm wrapped around Rina's waist. It was Takuto who had a confident smirk and unlike his present self, he wasn't showing any snippy behavior with it. "Rina's heart belongs to me. She can't date anyone else, so she can only be friends with other guys. I won't let someone steal her away because her type is right here."

The old man opened his eyes, looking at both of them with light brown ones. Then, he chortled. "Hahaha! Is that so?" The laughter soon transformed into a concerned expression. "But Takuto-kun, Rina-chan's not suited for you, as well. Not only is she twelve days older than Hiro-kun, she’s a magician. It would be a bad occurrence if her parents found out about your relationship since she's still a minor, and at the age of seventeen! You're already in college, and she's still in high school. She hasn't turned eighteen yet, so she has to graduate from high school first, doesn't she? Aren't you two breaking the laws in her world? I'm worried something may happen to her if word gets out about it to the other magicians."

"Don't worry!" Hiro beamed as he went to the table. "Takkun will protect Rina at all costs! You can believe in him, so everything'll be A-okay!"

Riki smiled mildly. "Like our little mascot said, things will be fine for the both of them. As long as we can convince Rina's parents to approve of them dating, nothing will go wrong."

Hiro frowned, discouraged by the government official's first sentence. He turned his head to his right. "Hey! I'm the one who introduced Takkun to Rina, so why do I have to be the mascot?"

"Hehe. Isn't that what you are?" Takuto snickered evilly. "You're the one who looks like a little kid, and you're the youngest. Doesn't that title belong to you, anyway?"

The orange-haired high school student puffed his cheeks out. "Takkun, you're so mean! I can't believe I was on your side."

"Well, you are cute in everyone's eyes, Hiro," Kenshi stated. "It can't be helped that you're put on the spot."

It wasn't getting any better for the youth. "Kenny, not you too!"

Mitsuki came over and patted Hiro's head with her left hand. "Heehee! You're so adorable, Hiro. I don't think anyone could resist fawning over you." Her hair was longer, reaching to the middle of her lower legs.

Atsumu also joined in on the agreement with a nod, and his left hand was curled in. "You could work here forever after going off and finishing your college years. I'd love to have a full house every day after you attract more customers here. You can even bring a girlfriend if you'd like."

"That's not what I care about right now!" Hiro cried out in comical exasperation. "I don't want to be seen as a cute candidate for a mascot! I'd rather be known as an awesome and handsome young man!"

Everyone in Le Renard Noir burst out laughing when they heard that. The members of the Black Foxes and even the customers were amused by Hiro's desire to further mature his appearance. After catching their breaths, Rina and Takuto glanced at each other and smiled tenderly. Then they laughed again. Hiro felt embarrassed and awkward to be in the Le Noir Renard—so much that he ran out in tears. Atsumu and Kenshi sprinted after him, with Atsumu exclaiming, "Hiro, come back!," and Kenshi shouting, "Yeah! We didn't mean it!" Simultaneously, they said shortly afterward, "We're sorry!"

"Stay away from me!" Hiro was so fast he was out of sight in less than a minute.

The two brunets could not find him and had to give up on their chase. They felt bad for the humiliation the orange-haired member went through, and returned to the bar, waiting for him along with the others.

XXX

Back in the present, Rina closed her eyes and gave out a sigh.

"I really miss those times," she began.

Mami looked at her and tilted her head. "What's wrong? Do you want to go on a date with Takuto like you used to?"

Rina lifted her head and gazed back at her mother. "Yes, but I wasn't thinking of that."

"And?" The woman folding her daughter's laundry blinked once. "When are you two getting back together? It's been three years since your father and I received permission from Haonowa-sama to remit your punishment. Kousuke-sama was also there to plead for you to be excused. You know how compassionate he is. He couldn't have forsaken a fellow magician who loves Neon. Asking his grandmother6 to reconsider it was something he could do for you since he also knows the feeling of loving someone."

Rina nodded. "I know. It's not like I've forgotten but to ask a question like that, don't you think you should give me more time to reply to you? It's not like I don't want to get back together with Takuto; it's not as simple as you think, Mom."

Mami frowned. "Since when did you become so hesitant about your feelings? It's like you've changed all of a sudden."

In an instant, the kiss Takuto placed on her lips came to her mind, and Rina blushed. "D-Don't remind me of the reason!" Rina's eyes widened further when she saw what her mom was holding. "And this a bad time to be folding that!"

Mami's hands were softly gripping a single piece of light pink panties which were also lacy. She glanced at Rina with an unmoving expression. "It's only your underwear. I don't understand why I can't handle your laundry at a time like this. Besides, Katsurou isn't in here at the moment, so there's no need to get flustered about it. You must be thinking too much about Takuto that you've become stranger than before." She went back to folding the clothing that were still undone.

Rina was still flushed as she averted her eyes to her left without a movement from her head. "...I’m going back to the Human World now."

True to her words to her mother, Rina teleported back to the other side. She appeared downstairs in Le Renard Noir where it was dark. At a table, she sat down on a chair and took her flip phone out to type another message.

To: Takuto Hirukawa

Subject: Come Downstairs

Takuto, I came back. I’ll be waiting at one of the tables.

Takuto immediately saw his ex’s text, closed his phone, and glanced at Kenshi. “I’ll be back.”

The spiky-haired brunet blinked twice. “Where are you going?”

“I can’t say,” was all that came out of Takuto’s mouth before he stepped out and closed the sliding door. He was not in a rush, but he was calm and walked down the stairs to the first floor of the building. Once he was all the way down, he saw Rina’s back on his right and travelled to the other side of the table she was at, so they would be across from one another. Before he took a seat, he glanced at the table and saw a bronze, thick book and Rina’s full name on the cover. He stared at it for a few seconds, glanced back at Rina, who was already gazing at him, and finally sat down. “What’s this?”

“My book,” the blonde magician replied.

What’s with the short answer? Takuto thought.

Rina breathed slowly. “Takuto, our meeting here is for the sake of our roles as members of the Black Foxes. If we’re going to work on progressing forward,” she placed her left hand on the book, “you and I must prove our partnership to each other.”

“With your book,” the light blond flatly commented. “We’re already partners. Does it really take more than the words we’ve shared to each other after you came back?”

Rina added, “It’s because we’re partners that I want to do something to help out more.” A soft but small smile appeared on her face. “Since I came back to this world, I’ve done nothing to protect you and everyone else. I—“

“That’s not true,” Takuto cut his ex’s words off. “You’ve always been the one to protect all of us. In the past, it was always you who kept us from getting in trouble.”

Trouble with the missions and Neon, the light blond thought.

“We could’ve died several times before,” he continued, “but with you back with us, we were saved from death again during our missions. Yet, you’ve become weaker than when you left years ago. I don’t know what happened during our time apart, but I…” His gaze was more intense; there was something that had to be conveyed. Yet, he could not for the sake of lifting Rina’s burden of the love he held for her.

The magician gazed back in wonder. “…Takuto?”

The light blond looked down in response. “It’s nothing.”

Rina’s eyes continued to be fixated on her partner. But then… She gradually reached her left hand and arm towards the programmer, and held onto the back of his right one. Takuto looked back up at his ex-girlfriend in a somewhat astonished manner.

As they gazed again into each other’s eyes, Rina began to blush a bit. “Uh, I…” Once more, the memory of their last kiss flowed into her mind and her eyelids slightly raised. Yet, she reminded herself of her objective as a member of the Black Foxes, specifically of her role as Takuto’s partner. She glanced own at her book, pulled her left hand away, and placed it on the item before returning to look at the man in front of her with her flustered state. “A-Anyhow, I took my Book of Neon out to combine it with your laptop, Takuto. This book is what every magician has since their birth along with their cell phones, but these two items start a process of manifestation once the magician is conceived. As with many books, the purpose of the Book of Neon is to store information; however, the events are summarized. The cell phones contain memories along with information, but my book is the best option for aiding us. After all, communication other than telepathy is much appreciated7.”

“I see,” Takuto answered.

I was sort of hoping for something else to happen between us, he thought.

“Guess I have no other choice,” the light blond agreed to the procedure. “Let’s begin.”

Rina smiled; her blush had gone away by then. “Okay.”

As though their connection to one another had some unthinkable effect, the programmer’s laptop had teleported from the room he and Kenshi were lodging in, and appeared next to Takuto’s right hand and Rina’s Book of Neon. Takuto’s eyes widened while Rina smiled again. Simultaneously, the book and laptop resonated together emanating the sound of a heartbeat, and a yellow light glowed and encased from within and around them. Rina moved her hand away and they slid into the other—or rather, it seemed the motion was the laptop absorbing the entire book. Then, the former ceased in the center and the yellow light dissipated.

“Now,” the blonde magician spoke, “it’ll be easier for you to access the database.”

Takuto had been staring at the whole fusion process and felt amazement from it. His laptop gained a new source of knowledge waiting inside of it for him. The euphoria whelping up in his boy was because of Rina, the young woman he had an inseparable bond with. He turned his head toward her. “Thanks, Rina.” It was a rare sight, but he smiled with a fond facial expression that showed his serene eyes. He extended his right hand out and placed it on the Magician of Power’s head. “I owe my life to you.”

Rina felt the attraction they shared and her shoulders relaxed to go with her softening smile. “Of course.”

I’ve finally done something worthwhile for Takuto, she thought.

XXX

Sayuri and Hiro were still seated next to one another on the bed inside the room the former had rested in when she finished her drink. The two of them stood up, and Hiro smiled.

"Well, I'll be heading to my room now," he said. He put his right hand up and showed his hand in a motionless wave. "Goodnight, Sayuri. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Sayuri nodded and Hiro went to his destination, sliding the door open and shutting it behind him. The Magician of Fate squeezed her left hand and the bottle shattered into several tiny pieces of glass, landing in a trash bin in Neon.

Soon, Hiro was lying on the spacious bed in the room he was lodging in. He was on his right side next to the wall and giggled with a comfortable expression; the lights were turned off and the room was dimly lit by the moonlight from the slight crevices of the closed-curtain window.

"Ah, it feels so nice and cool," he commented while hugging the pillow his head was on with outstretched arms. "I'd like it to be this cold every time I stayed over here! Mm~." Just as he said that, he heard and felt something going into his sheets like the sound of a bird flapping their wings mixed with the lifting of the very same bedsheets. He opened his eyes gradually and saw Sayuri laying next to him; she was on her left side and her eyes were shut peacefully to fit the expression on her face. Astonished by her appearance, Hiro lifted his head and arms from his pillow a bit, and his eyes widened as he whispered, "Sayuri?! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be sleeping in the other room that's between where Kenny and Takuto are staying in and my room?"

Sayuri opened her eyes. "I wanted to stay with you tonight, Hiro. Out of everyone else, I feel at ease with you the most. Am I not allowed to be with you?" Her voice was soft when she confessed those words.

It was innocently charming and adorable how Sayuri wanted to be with him, and Hiro could not agree any less.

The younger man blushed. "W-Well... It's not like you can't sleep here, but if the others find out, they'll... misunderstand the situation."

"If that happens, I'll tell them it was because I was lonely," Sayuri replied.

Hiro put his head on his pillow and gazed at the magician by his side. "Really?"

"Un," Sayuri confirmed. "After all, I actually felt that way." She closed her eyes haggardly. "Goodnight, Hiro." Immediately, she drifted off to sleep, silently breathing.

Hiro felt his heart pounding as he looked at her visage. She was truly a beauty to behold.

Kenny's right, he thought. Sayuri really is a beautiful girl. Up close like this, I would had never known the real exquisiteness that she emits if she hadn't exposed her true appearance the night we went to get the cymophane. Rather than her look from when she worked at the café, the sides of her I never saw before until now don't feel as false as back then, and it warms my heart to see her the way she is, instead of the front she's had to put on in order to play the role of a girl who's unlike her character. I believe I finally understand that about her... A smile formed on his drowsy face. And there's something I just realized about myself along with that. How could I have not figured it out before? Kenny, you're a genius during the worst times, you know that? I should've said it sooner—that I...

His sleepiness soon caught up to him, cutting him off from finishing his thoughts.

XXX

The hours flew by and it was 7:45 a.m. that morning. Atsumu strolled down the hallway after washing his face, brushing his teeth, and arranging everything else in place for his facial appearance. He felt refreshed and was in a jolly mood as he went to wake everyone up, starting with Hiro. It didn't take a long walk before he was in front of the sliding doors to the college student's room. He knocked with the back of his left hand.

"Hiro~, are you awake?" he chimed. "It's almost time for me to prepare breakfast. Would you like to help me with getting everything ready?"

There was no answer, indicating that the youth was probably still asleep in his bed.

"Guess it can't be helped," the wavy-haired brunet smiled. Without another moment's haste, he slid the door open, and was shocked by what he saw.

Hiro was still in bed, of course. But he wasn't alone. Sayuri was lying next to him, and they were sleeping tranquilly next to one another. This unfortunately caused a misleading thought to manifest in Atsumu's mind.

"Hiro..." The thirty-five-year-old felt crushed on the inside.

Shinobu, he called to his late wife, our little boy's... become a delinquent. He's finally snuck a girl into bed with him. What do I do to fix this? Act and pretend it's nothing? Yeah, I think I'll do that. I'll just... make breakfast in the kitchen as always.

He turned around and walked away from Hiro's temporary room. Then, he slid the door shut as to not disturb the "lovebirds." The only thing he was blind to was the obvious fact that fabrics of clothing could be seen on Hiro and Sayuri’s bodies the time he saw them lying together.

XXX

1) A shout out to Corpse Party. With the remake Kenshi mentions, I'm just making the name for it up even though I know the remake is the PSP version of the game.

2) An obvious rename I did for the PSP; it was inspired by the slight name change seen in some of the anime, manga, video games, and visual novels I've watched, read and played/seen.

3) The remake for Mutilation Party is a shout out to Corpse Party Blood Covered: …Repeated Fear.

4) Takuto’s observation is straightforward and adds another fact to my magician logic in the story, as the clear balls do not melt like ice cubes.

5) I chose this particular color to match with Takuto’s pessimism.

6) Magicians refer to their grandmothers with the word sobo (祖母).

7) Rina means that she enjoys the convenience of having a cell phone.

#Takuto Hirukawa #Hiro Sarashina #Kenshi Inagaki #Riki Yanase #Atsumu Kashiwabara #love letter from thief x #LLFTX #voltage fanfic #voltage fanfics #voltage inc.

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lostinyourears · 7 years ago

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Fire Pro Roster Recap #2 : Fire Pro Wrestling Combination Tag

People seemed to enjoy the first one of these, so I thought I’d do it again! This time instead we are going back to basics. This time looking at the very first game in the series that released on the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16.

It has the smallest roster of the series as far as I know which is part of the reason I decided to do it next. Fire Pro Returns, I think has over 100 people in it and even some of the SNES games have huge rosters.

This one will be a good building block for later installments which retained many of these people that appeared in this 1989 original. I should point out that most of these games were not official and had these people under fake names, despite it being plainly obvious who they were suppose to be representing.

Akira Maeda : A wrestler who worked for many companies and is credited with being one of the pioneers of the shoot style. He worked for NJPW, Japan UWF(Which he co-created and was a promoter for) and he was even featured on World of Sports working for all 3 of those companies in the 80′s before 1991 rolled around Akira Maeda would found the wrestling promotion Rings, that would later shift focus in 1995 and become an MMA promotion.

Bad News Brown : The first talent on this list who was well known in North America. Bad News Brown was a pioneer for black talent in the industry often times called the first black heel. While that might be hyperbole, Bad News Brown’s effect on the industry should be well noted. He was most often a wrestler in NJPW starting there after his Olympic performance in Judo where he won a Bronze medal in 1976. He also won 2 gold medals in the Pan American games in 1967 and 1975.

Bruiser Brody : Another wrestler known by North American fans. He worked throughout the states and over in AJPW. He is a pioneer of the brawling style and considered one of the best if not the best brawler of the 80′s. Of course he cannot be brought up without talking about his tragic death in 1988 when he was stabbed several times by José Huertas González(promoter/booker) in a Puerto Rican shower for the show that night. One of the brave souls that tried to help Brody out was Tony Atlas, though because of heavy traffic outside the arena Brody didn’t get the medical treatment in time to save his life.

Dos Caras : The first person on this list who has wrestled a match in 2017. Dos Caras is a legend of Mexican wrestling and one of the first talents from Mexico to travel outside of North America and wrestle regularly elsewhere. Throughout the 80′s he wrestled in AJPW and NJPW while also working with UWA. He also innovated the Dos Cara’s clutch. He is brother to the other luchador in this game(Mil Mascara) and father to one of the biggest names from Mexico of the current generation Alberto Del Rio/El Patron.

Antonio Inoki : Oh boy! Inoki, how can I sum up such a massive and important career in a paragraph? Truth be told I can’t for him or any of these men, but here we go. Inoki is one of the most important wrestlers ever and is credited with the invention of the enzuigiri. When Inoki started down the wrestling path he train with Karl Gotch in old school catch wrestling. Inoki would name his own style of wrestling ‘Strong Style’ which is still used today by many Japanese talents.

Inoki is also credited as being a forefather of the modern MMA boom. Inoki use to fight people from around the world who all were trained in different fighting arts. Many of his fights were scripted, but still showed the world was interested in that kind of competition. Also, he fought Ric Flair in North Korea which drew 150,000 and 190,000 people for the two day event and is still the biggest wrestling show in recorded history.

I could go on for ages about Inoki as he has a long intriguing history. He ontop of the above listed things also was : founder of NJPW in 1972 which came about after Rikidozan’s(The original Japanese Wrestler/Promoter) Japanese Wrestling Association went defunct having NJPW/AJPW spring up in it’s place. Inoki owned NJPW out right until he sold the company to Yuke’s in 2005. Inoki is also a politician in his home country of Japan where he was elected to positions twice. That’s all for Inoki, if you want to know more feel free to look him up. I’d be surprised if there wasn’t books about the man who has a huge legacy.

Genichiro Tenryu : Genichiro like many wrestlers actually started in a different Martial Art. Sumo, which is of course very popular in Japan. Tenryu started his sumo training at the young age of 13 and would continue down that path for another 13 years before shifting his focus to the Puroresu ring. He would then be scouted by Giant Baba of AJPW. Tenryu would be sent over to Texas where he was trained by Dory Funk Jr and Terry Funk. In the early 80′s Tenryu would team with Jumbo Tsuruta collectively called "Kakuryu" (鶴 = kaku = tsuru (the "tsuru" in Tsuruta) + 龍 = ryū in Tenryū).

Tenryu would go on to become one of the most decorated players in AJPW history. The Tokyo Sports awards, a non partisan award for japanese wrestling achievements would give Tenryu Best bout/MOTY award an astonishing 9 times and call him MVP of the year 4 different times.

Jumbo Tsuruta : Another huge star for AJPW through the 80′s. Jumbo as mentioned above was a stellar tag team with Tenryu. He also had 7 MOTY’s from Tokyo sports and captured nearly anything of note in AJPW. He would sadly die in the year 2000 after complications from a kidney transplant, just short a year after his retirement in 1999. Though he hadn’t been in serious competition most of the 1990′s where he mostly worked 6 man tag matches that were comedic in tone.

Masa Saito : The journey man of Japan on this list, though many of these talents traveled around. Masa Saito was on another level working for various promotions connected to NWA, AJPW and NJPW.

As well as holding the WWF Tag Titles with Mr. Fuji, he also made it to the finals of the Pat O'Connor Memorial Tag Team Tournament at Starrcade '90: Collision Course which is noteable for being the big win early in the Steiner Brothers tag team. He is also the innovator of the Saito Suplex which is used in every promotion around the world now.

Saito might have had a better career with WWF had it not been for an incident at a Mcdonald's involving Ken Panterra and a rock thrown through the window by a young man that wasn’t Ken Panterra according to a radio interview with Panterra from 2012. The incident happened in 1984 and ended with both Panterra and Saito being charged with battery of a police officer.

Mil Mascaras : The other side of the Luchador coin and brother of earlier luchador Dos Caras. Mil Mascaras wrestled plenty for AJPW through the late 70′s and early 80′s becoming well known in Japanese wrestling circles along with his brother. He would have a match of the year from Tokyo sports in 1977 with Jumbo who was listed earlier. Mil Mascaras has a reputation of being hard to work with, but is still important for exposing Japan to Lucha Libre alongside his brother.

Riki Choshu : Riki Choshu innovated a move that would define early 90′s wrestling in the states and most don’t even know it. That move being The Sharpshooter or as Riki Choshu called it : Sasori-gatame.

Riki Choshu is also credited as being the first ever traitor heel in Japan. Turning on his friend Fujinami after being snubbed for the inaugural tournament for the IWGP Heavyweight championship in 1983. Riki Choshu is also one of the few people to do a clean sweep of the G1 Climax where he won every match in the tournament he had.

In 1998 Riki Choshu would retire, his final card he wrestled 5 matches in one night and won 4 of them. After his retirement he would focus more as a booker at NJPW where he spent most of his career. He has moved a decent amount post 2000 and even had a deathmatch in FMW shortly after his retirement. He has wrestled sparingly in the years since, but not full time.

Stan Hansen : You can’t talk gaijin(Japanese for Foreigner) and not mention Stan Hansen. The cream of the crop when it comes to American assholes in Japan. The man’s career started with a very good case of ‘turning Lemons into Lemonade’ when he accidently broke Bruno Sammartino’s neck via a botched powerslam. The bookers and Hansen rolled with it and instead claimed the break came at the end of one of Stan Hansen’s destructive lariats.

Stan Hansen would leave WWF shortly after that and have a brief run in NJPW where he participated in the first ever G1 Tag League with his partner Hulk Hogan.

He would move over to AJPW where he would make his name winning anything he could get his hands on. He also was awarded MOTY 3 times by Tokyo sports vs great talents Kawada, Giant Baba and Tenryu. He would also win Most Outstanding Foreigner in 1982 and most popular wrestler in 1980. He by no means invented the lariat, but many credit him with it’s incredible popularity in Japan.

Tiger Jeet Singh : Undoubtable the most famous wrestler to ever come out of India. Tiger’s life story is pretty incredible, arriving in Canada with 6$ in his pocket after immigrating from India. Tiger set out into the wrestling world and made perhaps the earliest debut on this list in 1965. His first huge match was in 1971 at Maple Leaf Gardens vs The Sheik(uncle of Sabu, not The Iron Sheik).

The next year while visiting Japan he got in a fight with Inoki. This seems a little too coincidental, as apparently it wasn’t staged. So Inoki... who just happened to be opening a wrestling promotion had Tiger come and they lived out their feud in the ring. 1979 saw Tiger team with Abdullah the butcher vs the Japanese Dream Team Inoki/Baba. Which would win him his only Tokyo Sports honor for MOTY.

Through most of his career Tiger would bounce back and forth between Japan and Toronto wrestling in both territories. He made his name in NJPW, however many of the belts he held weren’t the main belt as his era didn’t have one main world title.

The Road Warriors/LOD : WHAAAAAAT A RUSH! The two tag team technicians would get their start in Georgia Championship Wrestling before getting pushed hard for their unique look and presence. This caused some friction with other talents as the young duo weren’t seen as having paid their dues. Not that it mattered though as soon both were picked up by larger promotion Verne Gagne’s AWA. Where they would be Champions again as they were in GCW, during this AWA run they would start using Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” as their entrance theme.

1985 saw the two’s first tour of Japan where they quickly became fan favorites like every promotion they went to before. They squashed a monster team of Killer Khan and Animal Hamaguchi in a mere 4 minutes. Cementing their dominance early and capturing more tag gold the NWA International Tag Team Championship. They would be the last team to hold this belt as they lost it in a unification match with PWF World Tag Team champions Jumbo Tsuruta and Yoshiaki Yatsu to unify the titles as the AJPW World Tag Team titles.

That’s basically what they did of note in Japan before this game came out. They enjoyed that first run so much that whenever they had time between contracts with the big 3 : WWE/WCW/AWA they would go do a quick tour of Japan where they were normally welcomed with open arms. They like Hansen won an award just for foreigners in 1985 getting the Tokyo sports Special Foreigner Award.

The Gasper Brothers : This one I put last mostly because I have shit all to say about them. The Gasper Brothers were a brief tag team in 1988 that had some success. The two men were Cowboy Bob Orton and his real life brother Barry Orton. I can’t find any photos of them from this time or video so I don’t know if they looked like this or not. If anyone can find pictures I’ll put them here.

How's it play? Not well. I wouldn’t suggest anyone play this fire pro game... I’m not actually sure I’d recommend any of the TurboGrafix-16 versions when the Super Nintendo ones are right there. Hell, I think many wouldn’t even suggest those when the PS2 version Fire Pro Returns has probably the biggest roster and the most options.

Still, while I had fun playings Queen’s Special... this one was just brutal. Every time I tried to play I would just get wrecked by the computer. I really had a hard time getting any of the timing down and was more frustrated than having fun.

This series still might be the best wrestling you’ll get on a TurboGrafix-16 and would probably be cool to have just as a collector's item even if it’s not a very fun play. I saw that TurboGrafix has some other wrestling game and I might try that as it seemed less simulation and more arcade. If I try that I may put a review here on this blog.

#FirePro #TurboGrafix-16 #RosterRecap #BadNewsBrown #AntonioInoki #MilMascaras #DosCaras #TheRoadWarriors #TigerJeetSingh #StanHansen #RikiChoshu #MasaSaito #JumboTsuruta #GenichiroTenryu #BruiserBrody #AkiraMaeda #Puroresu

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sadisticsmiles · 7 years ago

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Beyond a Thief’s Power Episode 8

The Savior of the Night—an Intellectual Beauty from Faraway

Shortly after saving the guys from being blown away by the gusts of wind Sayuri used her wings to manifest, Rina's body began to slip off the cliff slowly. Within seconds, she fell unconsciously toward the sea. Takuto, Hiro, Riki, and Kenshi's eyes' widened when they witnessed Rina's body gradually make its drop.

"Rina!" Takuto shouted with the most tremors and vibrations stirring at his heart like a colossal storm and earthquake rumbling and traveling their way there with tremendous pelts. He felt as though it were the end of the world, seeing the love of his life go to her [possible] death in the treacherous waters which pounded with great force near what appeared to be the bottom of the mountain. With all his might, Takuto sought out the courage to confront his darkest fear and setting himself on utilizing what he could to meet it, narrowing his eyes sharply, clenching his fists. At that second, he decided he was going to fight everything in his way for Rina, and bolted right towards the edge of the cliff as fast as he could.

Hiro's heart stopped at seeing Takuto make a dash for Rina. "Takkun!"

"No!" Riki yelled, devastated just like Hiro was when Takuto was running at a fast pace. "Takuto!"

Kenshi understood within an instant as he watched Takuto go to save Rina, and his shocked expression converted itself into a form of acknowledgement for his friend, allowing his smile to show for the former. "Don't try to stop him now, Riki. Takuto's resolve has been put in stone and we can't change that from happening. He's risking everything for the woman he loves."

Although Riki was hesitant with anxiety and concern for Takuto, he knew what Kenshi said was true. "But…"

Takuto… Riki thought, still fearing for the light blond on their team of thieves. He felt as though the waves were slamming at his chest, but he had to hope for the murky, cloudy sky to dissipate before he could see the brighter side of all that was occurring with the rest of the Black Foxes.

Hiro's unrest was also displaying as he observed the scene with Kenshi and Riki. "…"

Rina… Takkun… he trailed off in the depths of his mind. Be safe.

Soon enough, Takuto jumped off the cliff, making his way down to where Rina was heading. She was a few feet ahead of him, but in a matter of seconds, he was able to catch up to her and put his arms around her body. It was a little after then that they hit the water with a loud splash; Rina was still in Takuto's embrace while they were underwater, but something happened shortly afterward, causing Takuto's eyes to widen.

Suddenly, the water they were in began to glow with a gorgeous blue-green light emanating from deep down the floor, spreading upward. Rina's body took in some of the enhancing light, and she opened her eyes. She saw Takuto in front of her and was staring at him with a mysterious expression on her face as if she were wondering why he was with her—holding her. Takuto, on the other hand, was gazing at Rina with astonishment, and the two of them were looking into each other's eyes. It was a few seconds later that Takuto realized something.

?! The notion came to him like he was being washed away by a tsunami. I'm breathing… underwater?! I wasn't even able to do that before, so why now?

Takuto blinked. He took note of the everlasting glow that surrounded him and Rina, and knew his eased breathing was due to the tranquil sensation within the water's renewed body. A soft smile appeared on his face as he glanced up in awe and admiration. However, his amazement only lasted for a few seconds.

"Takuto?" Rina called out. They were still underneath the surface of the water, but she made it seem facile when she spoke. "Can you stop staring at the water for a second and pull us up to the top already? We've been down here for a few minutes, but I would appreciate it if we went up so we can regroup with everyone before Boss gets worried."

Takuto snapped back to his senses and looked at Rina. "Oh. Right." He started to move his legs and found himself swimming up without any trouble. He came to another understanding as the two of them were nearing the surface.

I can swim now? He questioned himself. How is this possible? Don't tell me the shift in the water's color and sensation have something to do with my new abilities? If so, what exactly made this happen? I've never been able to swim very well, and like everyone else who's human, I wasn't able to breathe underwater. I could hold my breath before Rina and I went into the water, but now… I can do both—swim and breathe in it.

Soon, Rina and Takuto were above the water and they saw something different about the area they were in. It took Takuto by surprise, while Rina remained neutral.

"The whole place has changed?!" Takuto proclaimed. Taken in by the environment around him and Rina, he couldn't help but express his emotions. "There's greenery and the mountain's gone? What's going on here?"

Rina let out an exhale through her sealed off mouth right before she responded. "We should probably take a look at where we are. I believe our surroundings were altered when that light appeared."

Takuto gulped and nodded, taking heed of Rina's advice. "Yeah. It's really bothering me, but as long as I still have you with me, I'll be able to hang in there."

They were floating in a spring, which was like a large pond with the same blue-green water that had transformed the ocean into what it currently was. It didn't have a waterfall or anything else neighboring a small section of the liquid. It seemed they were also in a forest from the amount of trees that were close by. Nonetheless, the scenery was beautiful and breathtaking. At the same time, Riki and the others were running, trying to find the two of them.

"Damn it all!" Riki grit his teeth as he, Kenshi, and Hiro traveled further into the woods. "What's going on with this place? First, a blue-green colored light shone from where Takuto and Rina decked down to the ocean, and the next thing we know is that the mountain started to lower itself like a lever was pulled in some of those RPG PC games that Kenshi's downloaded at home. Then, the whole place was full of trees, precisely like the forest that was at the bottom—which, as we all took in our minds, is the foot of the region! How exactly was the mountain able to modify itself and sprout those plants (some of the trees that substituted the place of the mountain's area) from where we were in a matter of seconds, anyway?! All of this doesn't make any sense, so why do we have to go through a problem that involves getting into peculiar situations? It'd be easier if we had found those two by now."

"Hey!" Kenshi shouted a bit angrily while running along with Riki and Hiro to search for the ex-couple. "I'll have you know that Mutilation Party is one of the classics from the past decade or so; it's not like you can understand my passion for them, Riki, so don't lump my favorite games out, even if they are RPG games for the computer which a number of the best ones are downloadable from the 'net, of course."

Riki narrowed his eyes with some displeasure presenting itself with a single look. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Kenshi. No one really cares, but that's one of the reasons why you don't have a girlfriend, fiancée, or wife—and you're stuck with liking Sayuri for eternity, anyway." A sigh came out of his mouth before he continued his 'older brother' talk. "Geez, look at what you've done with your life. You refused to go for an ordinary girl who's human and didn't try to make a first move to go up and speak with any one of them when everyone was a bit younger a few years ago, and now that you've laid your eyes on a Magician of Fate, you've ruined any hope of loving a mortal girl and romancing her for the rest of who-knows-how-long you'll live, not to mention dating her for some time before getting married. Kenshi, what the heck is wrong with you?"

"It's not like I can help it, okay?" Kenshi said back. Then, he grumbled a little. "I just… felt a sense of responsibility for everything else before putting my own desires first. You know how I am. I want to help other people out rather than letting my desires drive the decisions in my life." A frown appeared afterwards. "That's the way I roll each day when I'm not busy with anything."

Hiro had his eyes closed with an uncomfortable smile on his face to which he was sweat-dropping. "Ahaha… Kenny, I don't think you should say the word 'roll' just because you're a firefighter by day. That sounds so wrong, and it makes you seem uncool. Well, not that you aren't, but maybe you could try keeping how you phrase things in moderation. Please?"

"What?" Kenshi's eyes popped open. "But I thought it was something anyone could say without having any flaws in their diction!" He frowned, lowering his head in depression. "Can't I even have some closure every once in a while? I know I'm not as great as Riki or Takuto, but hey, I've got to have something that makes me awesome, right?"

"…" Hiro didn't quite know what to respond with. Kenshi's last sentence as it was too weird to handle, so he only blinked. An idea soon came to his mind while he thought back to Riki's earlier complaints. His expression brightened and he answered. "But we might be able to find Rina and Takkun soon because of the mountain's elevation." Hiro paused and directed his next words to Riki. "However, Leader, I believe there was something that caused it. Perhaps it was the light we saw. Still, we'd better get to the end of this forest soon. I'm worried as much as you and Kenny are about those two."

Riki nodded sharply. "You're right. Who knows what could have happened to them. I'm only hoping we haven't lost them for good. They're too young to die now, Rina especially. She's the same age as you, Hiro. There's no way we'd ever be able to replace anyone on our team, and you're just as important as they are."

Hiro felt as though a small, thick, wooden stick had hit a bell in place of his heart when he heard Riki's words. Without a doubt, he was saddened by them. "Riki…"

At that point, their sprint came to a stop.

Riki's eyes lowered. "Of course… I'd be lying if I said you guys weren't precious to me." The leader of the Black Foxes steadily looked at the field of trees around the three of them. "We've all been together for a long time, but Rina and Mitsuki… They've known us for several years by now, but that doesn't mean they're not part of our team."

Hiro nodded with a smile, but it didn't give off any over-the-top enthusiasm. "Yeah. No matter what happens, they're still our comrades and associates. There's no way we could ever be the Black Foxes without them in our lives. It has to be the seven of us, or I won't think about going on another mission again."

Riki placed his hands on his coxals with a solemn expression showing on his face as he gave Hiro a look. "Hiro, did I hear you properly? You, promising to never go on another mission if all of us couldn't be together anymore? Are you out of your mind? Do you honestly believe they would want you to do something that endangers our code of conduct? Even if we were to lose them in the future, there is only one solution to keep our oaths as the Black Foxes, and that is to keep doing our parts as the noble thieves we're supposed to be. I don't want to say this, but I'll have to. If by any chance Mitsuki and/or Rina were to perish from existence, there's definitely no other method we could utilize to disband our group once and for all." Then, Riki gave his condolences to the youngest member on the team. "Sorry, Hiro, but I'm not going to leave the Black Foxes no matter what happens. I can't let those two down. I'm sure, in a way, you, Takuto, Kenshi, and even Boss, feel the same." He turned around, facing forward once more as the leader of the well-known band of thieves in all of Ginza and the rest of the world. "That's why… I won't turn back and reflect on any kind of despair all of us experience only to grieve over them. I know I'm a fool for saying this, but I'm going to keep moving forward because everything we've done so far has always contributed to a precious memory for the entire group. I don't want anyone to see me looking all depressed and hurt over something that's likely to happen to us, so I'm going to carry on our great-grandfathers' will. I may be stubborn and hard-headed, but that's what makes me who I am. Right?"

Realizing the meaning within Riki's words, Hiro's eyes widened with a sudden enthralled respect for the man who was six years his senior. "Riki…"

A smile formed on Riki's face. However, he did not look back as he said he wouldn't. "Ready to save the night?"

Kenshi nodded immediately after hearing the preparation Riki had. "Let's go. To reach Takuto and Rina, and bring them back home with us."

Hiro also nodded with a similar smile. "Yeah."

The three of them resumed their search for the ex-couple and kept running throughout the front path. Back to said two, they were still floating in the water, having taken in the location they were in. To Takuto, it was something to behold—a sight he could not rid himself of. In fact, he barely grasped what had happened to him and Rina, and was pondering on the subject.

That light we saw, he thought. What exactly was it?

He glanced at Rina and noticed something.

Rina's fine now, he continued, but she wasn't before we hit the water. Something's definitely related to this. But… what? What exactly was that light? I was able to gain a couple of new abilities thanks to it, but then when we came up, everything around us had changed. I hate to admit it, but the water was very… Takuto's eyes lowered with a touching emotion spurring within them. …warm, as if something had embraced me from the outside and enveloped my entire body from within.

"The water was pure and clear, wasn't it?" Rina spoke without giving Takuto a glimpse from her gaze with a straight posture of her body. "It was also beautiful, like Neon's portal up close. Yet, there was something different about it."

Takuto looked at Rina and blinked. "Huh? What do you mean by that?"

Rina allowed her head to (very) slightly drop, and she was staring at the water with an intense gaze. "When you and I fell in, our plunger caused the light to initiate itself, penetrating throughout the body of water that surrounded our bodies. If you recall the warmth from the light, it was as though someone's feelings poured into the water, spreading further around us. It was like I was at home—my real home again, and it was filled with nostalgia from the time I spent there, along with…" Her eyes sank a small fraction, but she resumed the rest of her words. "…Sayuri."

Hearing the Magician of Fate's name, Takuto's eyes widened a bit. "…?"

Rina's eyes narrowed affectionately in a platonic manner. "I'm sure… Sayuri had something to do with this. Try not to blame her if you can, Takuto. She's not the type of woman you may think she is. Rather, she's different like any other magician. You probably don't believe me, but what I'm telling you is the truth." Rina then closed her eyes. "Sayuri is much more resolute at this age, but deep down—"

Before Rina could finish her sentence, a figure swooped down and took hold of her and Takuto, pulling them out of the water in a swift motion. The figure, along with the two blond Black Fox members, landed on the ground in front of the spring pond, but were instead facing the forest's trees that lead there. And it was at that very second that Riki and the others finally stopped in their tracks once more after finally finding the rest of their team members safe and sound. Their eyes widened, but Riki was the most astonished one by the sight of the person who had 'rescued' the two soaking members.

"Mitsuki…?" Riki managed to utter as he stared at the female figure. "Is that really you?"

It was then uncovered who the beautiful woman was. She had long, dark purple hair that extended down to where her lumbars were. She also had deep magenta eyes and was quite beautiful and pretty, but had a shorter stature than Rina by a few centimeters, resulting in her being more of a loli out of the two females in the team. She had a bright smile adorning her visage as she looked back at the group of three in front of her. "It's been quite a short amount of time since I last saw you all, but here I am, ready as ever before. Rest assured, I really am back in Japan as of tonight. That alone should answer your inquiries, Riki." The woman closed her eyes and kept on smiling radiantly at the surprised leader of the Black Foxes.

Rina blinked as she stood on Mitsuki's right side after arriving safely on her feet with Takuto, who was on the dark purple-haired beauty's left.

"Mitsuki-san…?" she inquired.

"Mitsuki…" Takuto was amazed by her appearance. Like the other four members who had gone on the second mission in search of the orbs, he was surprised to see Mitsuki again.

XXX

~End of Part I~

#Takuto Hirukawa #Hiro Sarashina #Riki Yanase #Kenshi Inagaki #love letter from thief x #llftx #Voltage #voltage fanfics

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