FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

_ Chapter 7 - Blood on the Game Room Floor _

"Well, that should do it," Hanbei said as he stood up and away from the console. "Enjoy, everyone!"

Roy gave his pal a confused glance. "Wha'chu talkin' 'bout, Bei-Bei? Don't ya want in?"

"Oh, sure, but I am going to be installing some new parts on my own stick first. Plus, I want to give you all a fair chance to get to know the game better before I join back in. It will be more enjoyable for me, that way," Hanbei smirked.

"Ah, it's like dat, huh?" the pink-capped koopa replied. "Trust 'n believe, tho! Ya ass is mine's! I've been waitin' far too long to get my chance to get ya back!!"

"Would it not be more correct to say: 'to lose to me, again'?" Roy's brothers started to chuckle at Hanbei's response.

Roy only proceeded to smile wider. "Keep talkin', blue boy! Ya gonna get yours!"

"Oooo..." Hanbei cooed. "What do you intend to do, big guy? Eat your spinach?"

"Awwwwwwww, shit!" Morton covered his mouth with both hands in mock shock.

"I do indeed believe that is a 'zing'!" Larry agreed.

"Aight, see? I know what yo' blue ass is tryin' to do! Get me all fired up, make me lose my cool, calm 'n collected composure!" Roy glared at Hanbei. "Well, it ain't gonna work dis time, partna! Jus' look forward to when you get dat come 'n da uppance! Straight from ME!"

"I look forward to it...Kumquat!" Hanbei snickered with amusement, as he went back over to the closet, leaving a fuming Roy in his wake.

"ARGH! I HATE IT WHEN YOU CALL ME DAT!" the pink-capped koopa shouted at his blue friend.

Meanwhile, Iggy and Lemmy immediately pounced on the now-available arcade sticks and were already beginning to play. The others, including even Wendy, immediately started to place claims for who was next in line.

Junior could afford to bide his time. Exercising patience meant that he could observe the others as they played the game. Picking out the basic patterns and play-styles of his brethren, as well as possibly being able to pin-point what changes may have been made to Guilty Gear XX, since its last revision, #Reload.

Besides, there still was the issue of having to play on arcade sticks. A notion that Junior was very apprehensive about.

_"Would be SO much easier if this was the PS2 port we were talking about here," Junior thought to himself. "I can actually USE a Dual Shock controller, for cryin' out loud!" _

Before too long, Junior found that so many matches ending with Time Overs and other lackluster victories was boring. Turning his view back towards the light-blue turtle, he noticed that Hanbei was diligently working within the innards of his own custom-made stick with a small TV in front of him. For now certainly, that seemed a much more interesting a subject than seeing another match that barely saw a combo numbering higher than 3 hits.

"Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan~" Junior crept up behind the bushy-tailed sea-turtle.

"Nani...?" Hanbei glanced behind him.

"Sup?" Junior smiled. "How's it going over on this side of the 'hood?"

"Just about done here," the older turtle replied as he resumed his task.

"And that is...?" Junior fished for details.

"What I am doing is replacing a few things in my arcade stick that should optimize my performance. The array of parts I have acquired should be able to not only make my inputs more precise, it will be able to make the overall rig run quieter. Not as 'clicky', as before."

"Ahhh," Junior said, with interest. "Want it so quiet you could hear a roach piss on cotton, right?"

"In so many words," Hanbei said with a bit of amusement. "Besides, the less clicks you hear, the less parts that are grinding together in a matter that will wear them out faster. That is a definite boon."

"Yeah, I bet your countrymen serve you well in this area, eh?"

"Well, honestly? The stick itself is actually a Korean model."

"You don't say? Sellin' out your fellow countrymen like that, nii-chan? How COULD you~?" Junior grinned.

"I can insure you it is nothing personal, just my preference. Korean sticks respond in the way that I prefer, as opposed to Japanese and American models."

"...There's a difference?"

"Oh, yes. I will not bore with you the intricate details, however. All that needs to be said is that the particular stick and parts I chose, are best suited to keep up with me and my inputs."

"Wow~. On that note..."

"Ah, yes. There is still the issue of you and arcade sticks, am I right?" Hanbei beat the red-haired koopa to the punch.

"Well, yeah. Before you left you promised to help me with how to better use an arcade stick! Especially when it comes to using your glorified MAME device! I say it's time to collect!"

The periwinkle turtle smirked. "Very well. What would you describe is your main problem with using an arcade stick?

"It always feels like I'm fighting against the thing. And I can't get anything I want to actually come out, if y'know what I mean!"

"Hmm," Hanbei mused. "If I were to wager a guess? It sounds as if, much like myself, you may require some thing with bit a more precision."

"Well, all I know is that when I tried to use one of Roy's sticks, it didn't quite work well for me," Junior added.

"Did you ever try one of my older ones?" The sea turtle asked.

"No. As a rule: while you were away, your stuff was off-limits to me, Roy and everybody else. Besides, I'm not the kind of guy to just touch another guy's equipment without permission! ...Or an invite!" Junior stated with a smile.

To that, Hanbei went back into the closet and soon emerged with another model, this one sporting an all white with blue color scheme, with the actual stick itself having a blue ball at the tip. Junior recognized that as Hanbei's oldest stick.

"I can insure you that this is still in top working condition," the sea turtle assured.

"Then what stopped you from using it?" Junior asked.

"It just was not able to keep up with me any longer," Hanbei mildly chuckled, as he hooked the stick up to the diagnostic station. "Anyway, give it a try."

As Junior took to Hanbei's older rig, he immediately noticed a difference as he tested the calibration of the unit. Everything was much smoother, as he imagined putting his favorite GG character through her paces.

"Your stick seems to react nicely to my touch, nii-chan," Junior smiled with delight.

"If you like it, it is yours. I was just going to take it apart and sell the parts on the market, otherwise."

"Oh, no you will not! I like playing with your stick, nii-chan! So much better than playing with my brother's!" Junior said, as he looked back towards the nearby Larry. "What would you say is the best way to try and work it?"

"Oh, well, I can not tell you that much. There are as many different ways to hold an arcade stick as there are playing styles, itself. You will have to find your own way."

"Well, maybe if I gently hold the knob this way...?" Junior said, as he changed the way his grasped the blue ball. "Or how about I use my fingers to run along the sides here? I just don't want to put too much pressure on the shaft, as we are dealing with sensitive material here!"

"I HEAR you, Junior!" Larry shouted back. "And lemme tell you! You're NOT funny! At all!"

"Whatever helps you execute the best strokes, Junia-kou..." Hanbei smirked.

"Aw, c'mon! Not you, too, B!" Larry pleaded. "I thought you were above his brand of juvenile humor!"

Hanbei only chuckled. "Whatever are you talking about, Larry? Your younger brother and I are merely talking about the intricacies of arcade-based hardware."

Larry stayed silent, but then proceeded to give Junior an "I've-got-my-eyes-on-you" hand gesture. Junior could only just reply back with his trademark smirk.

"Anyway, I really do like the way this one feels," Junior attested once again.

"Good," Hanbei replied. "It has served me well plenty of times. I hope it can do likewise for you."

Junior proceeded to gently disengage the stick's wires from the diagnostic machine, and gave it the once over. "Hmm, I suppose I could possibly give it a few custom decals and such down the road...yeah! Now, coming to join the fun, at last?"

"Thanks, but no. I still have a few more tests to run before I am satisfied."

"Good grief, nii-chan! You're only playing amongst family, here! It's not that serious!" Junior said.

"You should know me by now, Junia-kou," Hanbei replied. "I am indeed a perfectionist."

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't be so anal about things, that you lose sight of the fun, alright?" Junior stated as he made his way back over to others. "Alright, now I'm ready! I want in on rotation!"

"You're in luck, Beej! You'll be up after this match between Larry and Morton!" Iggy replied.

Junior was happier to see that it was the final round between his two immediate older brothers, with Morton's Slayer having a clear lead over the Larry's Venom. And after Slayer landed a clear hit of his Super attack at the end of a combo, the match was over.

"God damn, Mort!" Larry shouted.

"'Dat's how nasty my game is, SON! Dun hate!" Morton cackled. "A'ight, next in line, step right up! No need to shove, there be plenty of L.L.M.J to go 'round!"

"...Isn't that what your dietitian said too?" Junior grinned.

"Hah! I see how it is, Pimpin'! Now, c'mon over here and I'll see to yo' beatin'!"

Junior calmly stuck his newly acquired stick's cords into the ports, and then took a seat next to Morton.

"It's LOLI time!" Junior proclaimed, as he chose his favorite character, May.

"How fittin'! A lil' bitch for a lil' bitch!" Morton smirked.

"Keep talkin'!" Junior jeered back, and then the round commenced. Junior took the majority of the first round to get used to the stick in a real match. Naturally, Morton won that first round of play with little trouble. But it was an entirely different ballgame by the time things really started to "click" for Junior, and he was able to execute his May game even better than he did on a Dual Shock. From there, Junior mopped the floor with Morton throughout the next three rounds, culminating in summoning a whale for the finish.

Rendered absolutely speechless, Junior started to chuckle as his dark-brown older brother glared at him.

"Shut you right up, eh?" Junior said as he leaned over to get right into Morton's face.

"...Lizza, you gay!" Morton growled.

"If he only knew..." Junior thought to himself. However, to directly answer Morton's comment, Junior could only reply: "Don't hate~!"

"Exactly, Mort! Now kindly get ya brown ass up, 'n pass 'da stick to 'da lizza on 'da left!" Roy ordered. After Morton got up with a disgruntled huff, next up was Jimmy, who to Junior's surprise, also had his own stick ready.

"Hehe, I see how it is, lil' man!" Junior complimented.

"My bro and I practically grew up in the arcades back in Hong Kong, before Hanbei came along. Sometimes for fun, sometimes for the sake of doing a lil' husslin'," Jimmy gave a knowing wink.

"Hmm," Junior mused. "Well, then! Show me what ya got!"

The kid didn't disappoint. Jimmy played one of the best Zappa's Junior had ever seen. It definitely was a close one, but Junior's May proved that her player had plenty of tricks of his own to answer to the opposition.

"Good match!" Jimmy said graciously.

"You too!" Junior replied.

"So, ya seem to be doin' 'da damn thang, usin' my man's old rig!" Roy chimed in. "But are ya ready for 'dis?"

"Bring it, and whatever 'this' may be, while you're at it!" Junior replied, as his largest brother sat next to him and picked Sol Badguy. The two brothers, who looked to each other as great friends, exchanged "respeck knuckles", and then the fight was on.

It was clear that things were going southward the moment that Roy was able to get a "Dragon Install" off in the first round. From that point on, Junior's ass, as Roy put it, was "gettin' slammed 'n jammed". Junior was able to get one round to his credit, but Roy dominated the match otherwise.

Roy nudged his elbow into his little brother's side with a widening grin. "I serve up beat-downs on dis game like IHOP, 'cept wit' no syrup! Cuz there ain't nuthin' sweet 'bout what had jus' happened!!"

"Shut up, you lummox!" Junior laughed as he elbowed him back.

"'Lummox'? Who 'da fuck uses lummox as a come-back nowadays?" Roy guffawed.

"Bougie, uppity lizzas like Lude the Prude, and even Rerun , here!" Morton answered. "You know them! They the ones that think they better than us REAL lizzas! And use them five cent words to make themselves sound smarter, instead of just callin' a spade, spade!"

Junior rose to his feet, and then glared at Morton with a fiery fury that perfectly suited his crimson-colored eyes. "Now, lookie here. It's bad enough that I gotta take this kind of bullshit at school, where some of the guys think I'm some how not 'real' enough. Or otherwise don't act 'scaley' enough for their liking. But I'll be damned if I gotta take that from you, or any one else in this damn house!"

"Oh, it's like 'dat, fuzzy brows?" Morton threatened as he came closer to loom over the shorter Junior.

"You tell me, fat boy...!" Junior replied, standing his ground. Roy, however, was quick to reach a large arm between the two of them.

"Hey, hey, hey! Ain't gonna be none of dat shit up in DA MUTHAFUCKIN' SKYLAND, ya heard?! My name is Freakazoid , and I do decree dat dis is a HAPPY PLACE!"

"Hmmph," snorted Morton. "There ya go again, Roy. Always stickin' up for da baby who can't man-up and fight his own damn battles for hisself...!"

"You know what? Get up out the way, Roy! If this lizza wants me to prove him wrong THAT fuckin' badly...!" Junior said, his patience wearing thin.

"What did I just say?! WHAT DID I JUST FUCKIN' SAY!?!" Roy roared over the two of them. "Either y'all can shape up, or y'all BOTH can be jus' as quickly shipped OUT of DA MUTHAFUCKIN' SKYLAND! Dat includes you too, BJ! CUZ I AIN'T 'DA ONE TODAY!!"

Junior knew better than to call a bluff on his favorite older brother. So for now, he kept his mouth shut. Morton, however, seemingly had no interest in following suit.

"Like I jus' said! You always been stickin' up for the runt since back in da day! Why dun cha let him put his money where his mouth is, for once! See if he can throw down like a real lizza or not!"

"...Does da sayin' 'quit while you're ahead' mean anything to ya, dumbass?" Roy threatened.

"No, but I willin' to bet da reason Sid broke off the engagement with ya, was cuz dat pink-headed missile in ya pants wasn't fuckin' it right!" Morton barked back.

A brief and abrupt hush then came over the immediate vicinity. Roy's face did not betray any immediate anger, but everyone, including even the now-repentant Morton knew that a definite line was crossed.

"...Um...I didn't mean that, a'ight? It was just a joke!" Morton chuckled nervously. But his big brother just had a small smirk on his face, as his left hand then lashed out to ensnare Morton around the throat. Then, Roy started to lift his smaller brother into the air, his feet dangling helplessly beneath him.

"...ACK! Roy stop....!" Morton choked out.

"Roy...! Hold it!" Junior blurted out as he started to try and get Roy to release his vice-like grip. Roy just proceeded to use his mass to push Junior aside as he started to walk towards the door to his room, past Hanbei, who just continued to watch and observe.

"Lemme let you in on a secret, Mort. See, dis HAND OF MINE IS BURNING RED. Its LOUD ROAR tells me dat it's TIME TO GIVE A BITCH LIZZA HIS ASS-WHUPPING!" Roy shouted dramatically.

"Ack, aw shiiiii-!" Morton gasped for air, as the two disappeared behind the door. From their distance, there could only be heard the sound of Roy continuing to bellow dramatically, which was in direct contention with Morton's shouts of pain and pleading. After the clamor died down, Roy came back in the room, a lot calmer now.

"Apologies are due for da unscheduled 'lizza moment' in our program tonight," Roy said.

"Can't say I blame you in that particular instant. I've only been telling Morton's dumb behind since middle school that his 'Big Mouth' was going to get him bitch-slapped one day," Wendy sighed. "You didn't hurt him too badly, did you?"

"Nuthin' dat won't prevent him from gettin' his Marvin Gaye later on wit' dat pigeon he was talkin' to earlier. Oh yeah...!" Roy said, as he went back to the door and shouted out into the hallway. "YA BROWN ASS BETTER HAVE WHAT'S MINE WHEN YA COME BACK, OR ELSE YOU REALLY GOIN' GET IT NEXT TIME!" Then he shut the door with a loud slam before returning to the others.

"Um...Roy...?" Larry said nervously as he reached into his pockets.

"What?" Roy answered gruffly.

"Here...here's the money I owe you for the Hot Pockets I ate! In the interest of my own self-preservation!"

"Smart boy," Roy said, as he snatched the money from Larry's palm and put it into his own pocket. "Now, how 'bout we FINALLY get back to Guilty Fighting? Namely YOU, blue boy! I callin' you OUT!"

"I am busy right now," said blue boy responded from his position.

"Ain't dat much 'busy' in da whole gyat damn world! Get ya blue ass over here!" Roy ordered.

"Nani~? Kikoe nai~!" Hanbei taunted with a smile.

"He basically said, 'Whaaaaaaaat? I can't hear you~!'" Iggy translated.

"Lookie here, ya blue muthafuckah!" Roy shouted back, as a vein started to bulge on his rosy-colored brow. "Ya must think we ALL *NINTENDO CHARACTERS * UP IN HERE! Dat why you tryin' to play around like dis?!"

Lemmy started to interject, but paused as he chuckled to himself. "No. That's FAR too easy. Even I have some measure of self-restraint, thank you very much, writer-man!"

Hanbei snickered once more as he rose. "Now, that I have both gotten you adequately warmed up, Roy, as well as put the finishing touches on my 'weapon' of choice? I do believe I am ready to answer your challenge, my one true rival!"

"Now dat's what I'm TALKIN' 'BOUT!" Roy changed his mood immediately for the better.

"Aw, shucks! Y'all already know what this is!" Wendy grinned as she sat down on a near-by sofa with her brothers.

"Indeed! This is what we've been waiting for! The next legendary duel between our own 'Almighty Pink Craig' vs. 'The Blue Demon King: Ao Maoh'!" Iggy stated with dramatic flourish.

"Guilty Gear XX. Serious Business!" Larry chimed in.

"Yeah, boyee! And to give some extra insurance dat you come wit' it for realz...!" Roy said as he sat next to his best friend. "How 'bout we make for some high stakes? I'm puttin' da Favor Wager on da table!"

"Ooooooooooooooooo~!" Junior and his siblings cooed. Meanwhile, a distinctive glimmer appeared in the wartortle's brown eyes.

"Now, you have my attention," Hanbei replied.

"What's this about?" Billy asked.

"Well, you see, Bill. Around these parts, as you can probably imagine, money comes easy. So there's really no point in having 'money matches'. Or at least, not without it turning into basically a small-scale Monopoly game," Junior chuckled.

"Gotcha," Jimmy nodded.

"So, instead, another 'Roy 'n Hanbei'-inspired convention soon spread amongst our ranks. That would be the Favor Wager. Put that on the table, and if you win, you get to have the person do any one Favor for you."

"ANY favor?" Jimmy grinned.

"Well, within reason, of course," Lemmy added. "It is not the intention of those participating in the Wager to condone/abide in criminal activity or other acts of indecency. Insert other types of superscript-ese here, and etc."

"We actually have full-fledged documentation in the form of a charter that we all signed years ago! You both need to read it and sign it, before you can invoke the Wager for yourselves!" Iggy stated.

"Sheesh!" Jimmy exclaimed.

"Yeah! I thought the 'no-throwing' rules in that arcade back home were something else..." Billy agreed.

"Last time Hanbei won their last Favor Wager a few years ago, he got Roy to read the entirety of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms book over the course of a year!" Wendy laughed. "Imagine getting this LIZZA, who doesn't like to read any way, to sit down and read a 120 chapter, 800,000 word book! That's more than any bit of summer reading we got back in school!"

"I'll have ya know, WOMAN, that I actually ended up likin' 'dat damn book! Thank you very much!" Roy barked.

"Especially after I told you that it's the source material for the Dynasty Warriors games you love so much," Hanbei grinned.

"Fuck yeah! Got a whole new level of appreciation for dem games now! I knew it was sumthin' special the minute I read dat Xiahou Dun ate his own MUTHAFUCKIN' EYE after it got pierced by an arrow! Dat's so gangsta!" " Roy grinned back. "But still! Now is da time for revenge, partna! 'I'll put a stop to your so-called magic!'"

"And just what would you have me do, even in the case that you do win, Kumquat?" Hanbei asked with mild interest.

"Dat's for ME to know, 'n YA to find out when I win!"

"As my birth-father would put it: 'one should only boast about bets that you know you will win'."

"Whatever, lizza! Now! GUILTY FIGHT-O! READY...!" Roy bellowed as he selected Sol Badguy.

"Go...!" Hanbei replied as he picked Ky Kiske.

On screen, Junior saw the familiar antics of the two rival characters' sprites interacting with each other before the start of the match. But to his surprise, the X2 song "Noontide" was not playing. Instead, it was the classic song from Guilty Gear X that he immediately recognized as "No Mercy".

"Aw, shit! One of the best songs ever!" Junior smiled broadly, as he began to bang his head to the song.

"Fooling around in the dip-switch settings can yield nice results, for those who know what they are doing," Hanbei smirked.

"Eyes forward, blue boy! Just ya 'n me, now!" Roy commanded.

Once the announcer finished his little speech with "LET'S ROCK!", pink and blue clashed once more. Despite the fact that Junior had seen the two going at each other like this for years on end, this one ended up exciting him just as much as when he saw his first match-up between the two in Street Fighter when he was around 6 years old. It would be around that same time that he actually started getting into fighting games for himself. With two very capable "teachers" to show him the ropes, it hadn't been long before Junior was able to hold his own in arcades around the area, as well as when he played the games at friends' houses. At the time, he considered it a mark of pride that others considered him able to play just as well as many of the "big boys".

But it wasn't until a little game called Guilty Gear X started showing up in arcades around 1999 that Junior had perhaps turned what was formerly a casual past-time, into a passion. The Japanese Dreamcast version ended up being not only the first fighting game that Junior bought for himself, it was the first one that he put it in a number of hours tinkering away at combos in training mode. And by the time the GGX's successors landed on the PS2 years later, Junior's path was set and Guilty Gear XX was his game.

Meanwhile, from one nail-biting round to the next, both sides had two rounds under their belt. Junior could definitely see the beads of sweat that gathered on the pink dome of his older brother, while Hanbei remained ever calm. Both, however, had unmistakable smiles on their faces. More than anything else, including what was "at stake", the two were immensely enjoying themselves.

"This is it, ladies and gentlemen!" Larry shouted.

Roy kicked the match off by successfully "baiting" Hanbei into a Burst maneuver that immediately gave him a full meter of energy to play around with. He would soon put it to good use through a short combo that ended with Sol's Tyrant Wave super. However, almost immediately after that play, Hanbei set his own into motion, forcing Roy into a corner and trapping him with a relentless barrage of Ky's projectiles. With no meter left at that point, Roy was left with little choice but to see his life meter chipped away slowly and had to settle for trading evenly just to knock Hanbei's character away and escape.

Soon, time was running short and both sides were within their last quarter of health. The background music had even begun to loop again. With 20 seconds left on the clock, Roy attempted to try and rush at Hanbei's Ky one last time. However, Hanbei took advantage of Roy trying to rush by having Ky simply stick out his sword. Roy's Sol stumbled backward from his "staggered" status, which then was all that Hanbei's Ky needed to rush in and finish his opponent off with a fairly elaborate combo sequence.

"Aw, shit! NOOOOO!! Dis wasn't supposed to happen!!" Roy shouted out in defeat.

"A magnificent match, Roy. You kept me on my toes the whole time," Hanbei smiled.

"Yeah, mos' def'. Got me honest," said a down-trodden Roy. "...So, what will my 'punishment' be?"

"Oh, please. Like you just said, you ended up enjoying the last one. But in any case, my request of you will be much easier this time. Relatively speaking, at least..."

"Meanin' what?" Roy asked. Everybody else turned to Hanbei to see just what the sea turtle had in mind.

"We are all going to be playing more than a couple of video games over the course of this coming summer. That much is definite. But for you, especially, you will also be playing a number of other interesting games, while we watch your exploits. Games that could only be classified as kusoge."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh shit," Iggy smiled.

"What's this all about?" Junior asked.

"Basically, it is what it sounds like. 'Kusoge' is a shortening of 'kuso geemu', which literally translates to 'shit game'," Iggy said.

"Aw, fuck me!" Roy groaned.

"I have brought plenty back with me from Japan, and there will be plenty more coming in, across a variety of consoles. Your first assignment will be Cheetahmen II on the NES, followed closely by Bible Adventures."

"Arrrrrrrrrgggh!" Junior and his brothers uttered in 'sympathy pains' to Roy's plight.

"Hanbei...Bei-Bei...!!!" Roy started to plead on his behalf. "Is dis about Shaq Fu?! Cuz I told ya even back den dat I was sorry! Sure, I had *thought * it could have been a good game, but I'm man 'nuff to admit it was my bad! Have mercy!"

"Do not worry. You have already been forgiven for that. All the same though, my decision is final. For one day a week, throughout the entirety of summer, you must make time to play a designated kusoge of my choosing. For those games that involve two players, I even volunteer to be your 2nd player."

"Hell, I'm game too!" Junior smiled. "It'll be like MST-ing bad games!"

"...Fine!" Roy uttered at last. "At least it'll be sumthin' to do, I guess..."

"So, wait, there's no 'double-or-nothing' rule to play, either?" Billy interjected.

"Oh, no!" Larry laughed. "We used to have that rule, but then it turned out that such really only benefited blue boy there. So we all agreed, even Hanbei, that wasn't necessary any more. Bastard had me reading Jane Eyre and then Tess of the d'Ubbervilles, Dammit!! That's not even something I would wish on my worst enemy! Maybe Junior, though..."

"I feel so very loved, Lawrence," Junior smirked. "Remind me to send you a 'Thank You' Bomb for Christmas this year."

Larry started to utter a retort for himself, but Billy had already made his way between the two Koopa brothers and was ready to take on Hanbei himself.

"No mercy!" Billy smiled brightly as he picked Faust.

"Of course not," Hanbei said with a small smile as he went to random select. He ended up with Eddie.

Junior saw that, much like his brother, Billy was very good and fought very valiantly against his mentor. But the upcoming 'shit-storm' that Hanbei set into motion with Eddie would be too much for the young Dracomon.

"Damn!" Billy uttered as he lost his last round.

"Language..." Hanbei calmly stated.

"Ooops, sorry!" Billy just as quickly apologized. "Good match, though! But I will beat you one of these days!"

"Keep practicing, and I am sure you will," his mentor smiled back.

And that continued to be the trend for the next few cycles. One after the other, challengers would line up for the chance to take on Hanbei. All would be defeated, even though Hanbei continued to select his character randomly. Nobody else dared to take Hanbei up at a Favor Wager in the meantime.

As he and Roy watched the proceedings happen, Junior was a bit surprised when Roy started chuckling mildly to himself.

"What's that laughing about, Roy?" Junior asked.

"Just look at blue, there. Eyes practically glazed over by this point. He won't dare say it, but he's bored out of his blue skull. Cuz nobody else's at his level, 'cept me! Soon as I get back in 'derre..."

It was Junior's turn to chuckle by that point. "You may yet get another chance at defeating 'Ao Maoh', big guy. But it won't be happening before I get MY turn."

"Hah! Good luck wit' 'dat, lil' man! Ya gonna need it!" Roy guffawed as he patted his youngest bro on the back.

"Awww, God Dammit it! You totally cheated, with your canceling bullshit!" Lemmy complained. "You're even worse then the damn computer! Nobody should be able to react that fast!"

"Believe it or not, I come from a long line consisting of some of the best 'Gamers' that this world has ever known," Hanbei stated with a bit of pride. "I guess it truly is in my blood."

"Or maybe you're just well on your way to being a Newtype!" Iggy chimed in.

"If I had a choice, I would rather be a Stand User..." Hanbei smirked.

"Nii-chan! It's time!" Junior proclaimed, his stick already back in the designated port. The red-haired youth and his periwinkle-colored teacher smiled at each other, and then Junior spoke once more.

"Honoo ga, omae wo yonderu ze!" Junior said dramatically.

"Nara moetsukiro, isagi yoku na!" Hanbei answered.

"Ha ha!" Roy laughed. "Y'all bringin' back 'dat KOF'98 love!"

"Dekino is always good," Hanbei replied.

"Now that I've got your attention, nii-chan...I'll be a hero and follow my brother's example! Favor Wager is on the table! Do you accept?"

"Ooo~! Lookit da big man!" Larry snickered.

"Now hold on thar, Bubba-Louie! Didn't think ya gonna go DIS FAR!" Roy called out.

"Ahem!" Junior cleared his throat, to silence any other possible interruption. "With all the ruckus I can't hope to hear Hanbei speak! Now...your answer, nii-chan?"

"I do accept your challenge, Junia-kou," Hanbei replied.

"Good!" Junior shot his trademark toothy grin as he selected May. "Now, gimme DAT I-NO!"

"My I-No?" Hanbei chuckled. "I think not. Let us have a little test, with you as the subject, shall we?"

"Lolwut?" Junior raised a bushy eyebrow. He, as well as everybody else in the room, did a double-take as Hanbei chose one of the two neglected-thus-far characters new to Guilty Gear through Slash, Order Sol.

"Awww, now Sol wants to be even more like his lover, Ky, and dresses like him! I wonder if he's picked up Ky's tea cup collecting habits now!" Lemmy laughed, much to Larry's dismay.

"Actually, according to the storyline, this version of Sol is from the past of the Guilty Gear universe, years before the events of X! Notice how he's using the sword that Kliff would eventually go on to use some years later, instead of the Fuuenken!" Iggy said.

"And they say I'm the one spouting off nonsense..." Lemmy rolled his eyes, chuckling all the while.

"Hmmm," Junior mused, with a bit of trepidation. This version of Sol was a character he had not had the chance to study up on, since his senior year kept him busy. "Is this one of those 'Ryu-Evil Ryu' type of deals here, or...?"

"You shall see for yourself. I have gotten to like this character, and was using him quite a bit over these last few months. He just might become my new main," Hanbei replied.

"Well, me 'n May are ready! Bring it!"

And with that, the game loaded up the new background stage for Order Sol, and began playing his theme song "Getting Down to Business."

"Mmm, I like the sound of this song!" the inner metal-head within Junior rejoiced.

"It is my favorite song, as well," Hanbei agreed. "Now get ready...!"

Junior tried his best to keep his cool, as the match began. However, the rest of his body wouldn't pay him heed, as his heart was already racing and his palms were getting sweaty. Such could probably only result when the young koopa was facing off against the best fighting game player he has ever known, and to date, never won a single match against.

He owed Hanbei a lot for teaching him the intricacies about fighting games, to a whole other level than what Junior could have fathomed in his younger years. For beyond perfecting the execution of a special move and memorizing a combo string, there was a meta-game that truly determines a gamer's mettle. It was a test to see how well you can recognize your opponent's patterns and get into your opponent's head. Or as Roy put it best: "Mind Games, son!" As a budding psychologist, this was just the type of thing that Junior found absolutely irresistible. After all, if he could figure out a way to deduce an aspect of a person's pathos through the context of a game, what more could he stand to accomplish through more conventional and unconventional means?

In that facet alone, Hanbei presented himself as Junior's toughest challenge. If Junior was to have any hope of holding his own against the only "teacher" that he could ever truly respect, he had to be on the top of his game in every facet. There was no room for scrub-like mistakes...

...And then he just allowed May to get Bursted on, giving Hanbei's Order Sol a full tension gauge at the very start of the match. Great, just great.

It seemed as if no matter what Junior tried to do with May, Hanbei had an answer that either negated Junior's attack, or completely snuffed it. Before long, May was already at half of her life gauge, while Order Sol had not even registered some degree of damage. Junior felt himself quickly getting frustrated, in spite of himself. And all the while, Order Sol was doing that weird, DBZ-like "Charging" thing, from time to time.

"What's up with that...?" Junior wondered to himself, briefly. But he didn't pay it much mind, as he immediately sent May somersaulting into the air, hoping to be able catch Hanbei on a cross-up. It was to no avail, as Hanbei used Order Sol's version of regular Sol's main anti-air attack. But instead of just being one hit, it ended up being a series of several, which sent poor May to bounce off the ground, where Order Sol was ready to finish her off with his own take on the Tyrant Wave.

"Shit...what the fuck was that all about..!?" Junior growled a bit.

"When Order Sol's able to charge up like dat, it makes it so that he can basically do powered-up versions of his specials 'n supers! Kinda like EX moves in Third Strike! Watch out for dat shit!" Roy coached from behind Junior.

"Right..." Junior made a mental note.

The second round of play went a bit more interestingly, as Junior changed up his tactics a bit. Less on trying to go for combo opportunities, and more for going for safer hits and set-ups that allowed him to go for May's unblockable, command grab. But Hanbei was relentless in his assault, quickly forcing Junior into a corner and then actually catching May off guard with a Dust Launcher that sent the little pirate girl careening into the sky above the arena. Thankfully, Junior still had some Burst that stopped Hanbei from doing some real damage, and stopped his combo attempt. Order Sol knocked flat on his back, Junior had May quickly rush over to try and put Hanbei in the corner for a change.

But before Junior could get too close, Hanbei's character was back on his feet and had activated a super that actually sent May into her stagger animation. Junior tried valiantly to shake out of it, but it was too late. Order Sol then began what seemed to be a sort of "Deadly Rave" type of attack, as Junior noticed that Hanbei was pressing a certain sequence of the buttons on his stick in a timed fashion that corresponded with the on-screen attacks. What Junior, or any other koopa in the room did not expect, was that this one would cost him the round entirely. For after the last hit of the attack, Sol did his Insta-Kill animation. May was blown away, leaving a stunned Junior in her wake.

Lemmy, Larry and Iggy all proceeded to visibly wince and seethe on Junior's behalf.

"Gyat damn, Hanbei!" Roy exclaimed. "You've already mastered that attack?!"

"He got so many people back in the arcades, that way!" Jimmy chucked.

Hanbei, however, remained silent and focused on the screen, nonplussed by what just occurred. Meanwhile, Junior's mind raced quickly as he assessed his present situation. The good news was, Hanbei had showed off a powerful trump card now, rather than later, so Junior at least knew to look out for it in the next round. The bad news was, taking all this time to try and "feel" Hanbei's new character out had already cost him two rounds of play, with one more for the blue side to gain before claiming victory. Now the pressure really was on the youngest of the Koopa family to perform. And he had no intention of going out like a punk.

"Smug blue bastard," Junior chuckled to himself. "The main thing behind doing that last attack was more to shake my confidence, than anything else. And well, it some what worked. But you're not out of the woods yet, Hanbei!"

Putting some of May's new attribute changes to this revision of Guilty Gear XX in his mind, Junior quickly took the offensive for round three. Recalling that all of May's dolphin-related attacks were much faster in Slash than they were in #Reload, it made much easier to keep the pressure on Order Sol. Now, Hanbei had to actively work to keep up with both the dolphins, as well as a big-ass anchor that Junior's girl was swinging around like nobody's business. A very close call, but it in the end, a regular throw was what ended the round in Junior's favor.

"Uh oh, is this the start of a come back...?" Wendy smiled.

"BJ's got some fight left in him, yet!" Lemmy sounded off his gong for no reason.

Round number 4 was now under way, with Junior and Hanbei furiously working over their arcade sticks as soon as the announcer said "Let's Rock". It worked well enough last round, so Junior continued to do a number of the same tricks involving timely usage of dolphins and anchor swings. Hanbei was not be to outdone though, and one time it cost Junior dearly as he ate a good deal of damage from Order Sol's other super, Savage Fang.

Undaunted, Junior persisted with his attacks. A charged-anchor hit actually caught Hanbei off guard, which then allowed Junior to follow him into the air, dealing out more damage with each somersault hit from May's special attack. As the two parties were right next to each other as Order Sol recovered, Hanbei activated his Tyrant Wave, but at the same time, May had called forth THE WHALE, which ended up snuffing out Hanbei's super. The damage of the whale, combined with it being a counter-hit, put Order Sol down again. The room lit up once more as the twins, as well as Junior's brothers and sister, shouted with delight with how that match ended.

"WE GOT OURSELVES A REAL MATCH, LADIES 'N GENTLEMEN!" Roy shouted. "GET HYPE!"

This was it! For all the marbles! Junior could now feel the sweat running down his green brow, and between his thick, red eyebrows. He didn't care, so long as it didn't get into his eyes. He couldn't even really hear Roy's random shouts of encouragements, because Junior was definitely in "the zone". He had come too far, and this close to finally defeating the 'Ao Maoh', to balk now.

Hanbei opened the round with Order Sol doing his 'one-inch punch', which blew May back as she tried to get in with her anchor. Junior used a Burst as he was knocked into the corner, but Hanbei had expected that and just blocked it, then continued a combo that ate into a 1/3rd of Junior's life.

"Let's see what you got, Bow J! Let's go, let's go!" Roy shouted some more.

"NEVER GIVE UP!" Iggy yelled.

"TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS!" Larry added.

"GO FOR THE HATCHES ON THE UNDERSIDE!" Lemmy added. Everybody who wasn't playing proceeded to look at him weirdly. "What? Seemed appropriate enough to me."

Despite all the cheering, Junior was finding it even more difficult to find anything close to an opening to exploit. Thanks to Hanbei's expert use of various Roman Cancels, there was little to no wasted movement in his attack patterns. May's life was now below half, with Order Sol still sitting pretty at more than seventy-five percent and about 30 seconds left on the clock. Junior was now practically in the same predicament that his older brother was in a short time ago, and unless he thought of something quickly, it was certain he would share the same fate.

Employing a change in tactics, Junior decided to have May go low, using mixing up over-heads and low sweeps with the Dust button to try and keep Hanbei guessing. And when Hanbei tried to answer with an attack of his own, Junior employed pixel-perfect timing in order have May do her Forward Punch after an instant-block, which sent Order Sol flying across the screen.

Junior proceeded to have start her rush down tactics, but stopped short as he saw Hanbei start up one of his supers. Again, Junior timed a block and then Forward Punched. Now forced into a corner himself as Junior continued his assault, Hanbei proceeded to block low. And that's exactly what Junior wanted him do. An over-head hit with May's anchor put Order Sol into a Dizzied status, with various shouts of surprise and delight now filling the room.

"You better kill me...!" Hanbei warned with a smile.

"Way ahead of you!!!" Junior said, as he triggered May's Insta-Kill mode.

Junior didn't waste any time after that. Soon, Order Sol was the victim of being stampeded on by May's little girlfriends, before being smashed underneath the weight of the ship's heavyset cook. Before even the colorful letters that made up "DESTROYED!" filled the screen, the room was filled with loud shouts praising the "underdog's" victory. None louder than those emanating from Junior himself!

"YES! FUCK YEAH!!! FUCK YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! I FINALLY BEAT YOU! I FINALLY BEAT YOU, HANBEI KAGAMI!!!" Junior shouted.

"Job well done, Junia-kou!" Hanbei smiled and clapped.

"WE CELEBRATING TONIGHT! GIMME A SOUR POWER, ROY!!!" Junior continued to shout at the top of his lungs.

"Which flavor?" Roy asked doing his best to prevent himself from laughing like a hyena.

"GYAT DAMMIT, IT DOESN'T MATTER! IT CAN BE FUCKIN' WATERMELON FOR ALL I CARE!" True to his little brother's request, he indeed handed Junior a watermelon-flavored fruit roll, which the younger koopa proceeded to unwrap, ball up the candy, stuff in his mouth and then spiked the candy's wrapper on the floor.

"Bowser Koopa, Jr.! You have just defeated the Ao Maoh for the first time in your life! How do you feel?!" Lemmy said.

"NOTHING'S KILLING MY BUZZ TONIGHT!! THANK GAWD FOR THE DOLPHIN! THANK GAWD FOR THE ANCHOR! THANK GAWD FOR THE LOLI!"

"Gyat damn, Bow J!" Roy laughed at his brother's antics. "I want you to be my new hype man! You can come out of da closet just as soon as I finish fuckin' 'n be all like 'YEAH! YA JUST GOT IT GOOD, GIRL! YEAH!!!'"

Junior, meanwhile, had gone on to switch the arcade console off with a huge smile plastered on his face.

"Well, damn, Junior! So much for any of us who wanted another turn!" Larry complained.

"NO! JUST NO! NO MORE GUILTY FIGHTING TONIGHT! I JUST SAID NOBODY'S GONNA STEAL MY HYPE TONIGHT!" Junior yelled at his immediate older sibling.

Amidst the various commotion that ensued on Junior's victory and excessive celebration, a small series of chuckling, followed by full-blown laughter then broke out. What nobody could expect was that it came from the light-blue turtle that was calmly dislodging his stick.

When Hanbei saw that all eyes were on him, he merely smiled and asked, "What?"

"He...Hanbei actually laughed!!!" Billy said, in complete shock.

"Pinch me, brother!" Jimmy ordered his sibling, who readily obliged. "OUCH! Not that hard!"

"Dun worry guys," Roy said aside to the twins. "I've hung around the guy for half o' my life, and seein' him laugh at ANYTHING is mos' def' an outstanding thing!"

"What's got you so tickled, Bei-by?" Wendy asked.

"Ah, nothing. But seeing the likes of Roy, and now Junior too, getting so animated over a game like this, is always so amusing."

"No saltiness over losing or what-not?" Billy asked.

"What is to be 'salty' about? I have had a very good round of matches, and one who could be described as my 'student' has finally bested me at his game of choice. I feel there is nothing for me to be ashamed about."

"Ahhh..." Jimmy nodded.

"Furthermore," Hanbei resumed his wry smirk. "I am not a Koopa. Therefore, by default, I have no ego to be bruised."

"HEY!" Everyone with the last name of Koopa in the room shouted together.

"Truly, you Koopas make it all too easy," Hanbei mildly laughed once more. He was soon joined by everyone else in the room.

A few more hours of gaming would ensue, following Guilty Gear being turned off. Even a few rounds of Wonder Bash Bros. Melee would be had, though the Koopas always felt compelled to show great displeasure whenever Hanbei picked Mario or Luigi.

"I have long since forgotten, but is there any particular reason why you guys hate two video game characters that regularly fight against a giant ox named Yukke that much?" Hanbei queried.

"I dunno. We jus' do!" Roy smiled.

"And besides, that live-action movie from the '90s SUCKED!" Iggy added.

Lemmy just decided to stay quiet, doing his best to stifle all his laughs.

"Any way, it's been fun, but it's seriously time for me to think about getting my beauty sleep," Wendy said, as she checked her cellphone. "And for that matter, you should too, Junior! You got your big day tomorrow!"

"If it's all cool with you, Roy, could I just camp-out here?" Junior asked.

"Eh, ain't no thang, Bow J. It'll be just like old times with ya, me 'n Bei-Bei! Plus two!" Roy smiled.

"Well, I'll be just in time for that raid with my guild!" Iggy grinned as his mind turned back to WoW.

"Ah, shit...I completely forgot to hit up Sylvia...!" Larry said, as he darted out the room.

"Farewell, my fans! Perhaps I'll be back to grace you with my antics in another chapter or two!" Lemmy laughed as he also made his exit.

"Now, BOYS!" Wendy said, as she turned back to Junior and Roy. "Remember! Don't stay up too late! Bei-by, I'm counting on YOU to be the voice of reason these two otherwise don't have!"

"Duly noted, Wendy," Hanbei smirked.

"Good! Have a good night, and I'll see y'all in the morning!" Wendy said before she took her leave, as well.

When Wendy O. was finally out of sight, and definitely out of ear-shot, Junior breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"Shit! The way she's acting, it's almost like it's HER prom, instead of mine."

"When it comes to girly-ass things like proms, it might as well be," Roy chuckled. "But take it in stride, lil man. Once it's done, it's done. You would've made your girlfriend happy, and den you can let 'dat ol' Senioritis set in."

"What's Senioritis?" Billy asked.

"Sounds like a sickness..." Jimmy added.

"In a way, it is. It is a 'condition' relating to how slackers in their last years of High School and College will try to justify coasting their way to graduation. Like a certain best friend I know..." Hanbei smiled.

"Ha ha ha..." Roy laughed a bit nervously.

"Anyway, I will not speak for any one else, but I am getting tired. The jet-lag has finally caught up to me," Hanbei yawned, with tired eyes.

"Us too..." Jimmy, as well as his brother, followed their mentor.

"Aight, dat's cool! Well, as ya can see, we got plenty of couch space to go 'round. But if ya really want to do da futon thing, dat's cool too! I've even got extra pillows and blankets in another closet! Junior, y'know what to do!"

"Right!" Junior mock-saluted, as he ran after Roy to get the amenities to help make their guests comfortable. After things were situated with Hanbei and the boys, Roy went over to his own bed, and took off the comforter, as well as two pillows.

"Not sleeping in your own bed, Roy?" Junior asked, as he set a place for himself on another sofa.

"Naw! I'll be wit' my homies over here!" Roy said, doing likewise. Then he snapped his fingers as he remembered something else. "Oh yeah! Bei-Bei! One mo' thing I almost forgot to show ya!"

"Hm?" Hanbei said as he looked over at his friend. Roy then proceeded to take off his trademark shades, strip out of his shirt and turned around, showing off his muscular back. Just below Roy's neckline, stylized letters spelled out the Koopa family name. It was Roy's souvenir from the trip the two made to the shop where Junior got his nose ring. Depending on how good it got to Roy, he said he could easily see himself adding more to it. But for now, this was just fine.

"Well, wha'cha think?" the pink-capped koopa said, trying to look back over his shoulder.

Junior's gaze panned over to the light-blue sea turtle, where for a moment, he could have swore he saw the wartortle's nostrils briefly flare up. But before long, the familiar smirk soon resumed on Hanbei's face.

"Hmm, I suppose if all you really wanted to do was just remind yourself and others what your last name was, a T-shirt or name tag would have been just as fine. It likely would have taken less time, to boot."

"Da fuck...!?" Roy stammered out as he turned around. "C'mon, Bei-Bei! Can't ya at least appreciate da artistic merit of da tatoo, or sum shit?"

Hanbei snickered, along with Junior with the boys. "Well, when you put it that way...it is nice, my friend. Definitely not what I would have guessed, if I was to put a bet on it."

"Really? What was you thinkin'?"

"The way you loved to talk to about your 'foot-long hotdog' so much in high school and college? I was almost certain a tattoo or piercing was going to find itself there..."

"Hell naw, dawg!" Roy laughed out loud. "Junior 'n I saw dis one Rex guy get his dick pierced while we was da shop. Dat was all she wrote for me! 'Sides, like I've always been sayin', Bei-Bei! My D is already a work of art itself! It dun NEED no extras!"

Hanbei snorted, unaffected.

"Vote for my dick!" Roy smiled a cheesy grin. Junior and the twins proceeded to laugh out loud.

"Do shut up, Kumquat," Hanbei rolled his eyes. Then he turned to Junior. "While I am on the subject of betting..."

"Eh?" Junior smiled.

"In all your excitement over your victory, you forgot to tell me what you wanted me to do as your prize for winning the Favor Wager."

"Oh! Oh yeah!" Junior grinned. "Well, honestly, nii-chan? I can't think of anything right now. Give me time to sleep on it, though! I'll have something for ya! And I'll make it a good one!"

"I'm sure you will," Hanbei smirked.

Following that, the guys took turns in the bathroom brushing their teeth, cleaning themselves up and then readied themselves for bed. Truth be told, the couch Junior was laying on wasn't the most comfortable person or thing he had tried to fall asleep on, but it would do for that night, certainly. Besides, there was nothing quite like camping out when Roy and Hanbei were together again. Indeed almost just like the "old times" that Roy spoke of earlier.

Junior took one last look around the room, and his sleeping brother and friends, before he allowed Morpheus to finally embrace him.

Some time later, the 17-year-old's eyes shot open to a still pitch-black room. Unfortunately, it was due to what had become a regular occurrence in Junior's life here lately. Nightmares, which only did more to contribute to Junior's on-going struggle with insomnia.

It was becoming more of a problem than Junior was willing to admit. However, he dare not speak of it to any one, as more than likely, there would be talk about putting him on certain medication or being forced to talk to some psychologist about his alleged problems. He wanted neither. After all, the latter was supposed to be his future career, after all. There would be plenty of time for him to argue with other psychologists later in life.

In any case, Junior felt how his undershirt was clinging to his frame because of his sweat, and it was clear that he was not going to get back to sleep that easily. Perhaps raiding Roy's fridge for a cold drink was in order. As he started to rise, he noticed that Hanbei was not in his respective sleeping spot and looked back to see that a faint light was emanating from Roy's bathroom. Perhaps sleep was not coming easily to Hanbei, as well?

Before Junior could consider his next move, he heard his brother's large form starting to stir on the sofa next to him. Reacting quickly, Junior slumped back down and stayed still, making it look like he was asleep. He then watched as Roy sprung up from his sofa and quickly made his way to the bathroom, somewhat closing the door behind him. With the heavy steps his flat-footed brother was making, it amazed Junior that the Draco twins were still asleep. Since Junior was awake anyway, he waited a short while, before slowly making his way towards the bathroom, where both of his role models had gone.

Junior paused. After he nearly got caught eavesdropping on them talking some years ago before Hanbei's departure, it had been quite a while since Junior gave in to his inner voyeur to "check up on them". On the other hand, beyond his own problems, Junior's thoughts often drifted to Roy's well-being, as well. He continued to ponder about his older brother since that fateful day years ago, yet all further attempts to try and get Roy to talk to him about the things that may have been on his mind were no good.

And so, perhaps for one last time, Junior used the available, sliver-like crack the door left as a covert means to get a view into the lives of the two men he had known for so long. It would be a most interesting encounter to be had at 2 AM...