Zaboru and Endo stepped onto the arcade stage as the crowd's anticipation reached a fever pitch. Meanwhile, Yumi, the ever-energetic presenter, shouted into the mic, "So guys! ZAGE's boss—and my boss—Zaboru is about to battle the current champion Hayabusa! Who do you all think is going to win!?"
The cheers erupted into a storm. Banners waved, and fans shouted both names, torn between the beloved champion and the enigmatic creator of the game they loved.
Endo was visibly nervous, wiping his palms on his jeans before gripping the arcade stick. In contrast, Zaboru looked calm and focused, wearing his iconic Z Helmet, his face unreadable. Endo took a deep breath and thought, What character should I use? I've mastered Ken, Guile, and E. Honda… but Guile is the one I know best. Okay. Let's go with Guile. He pressed the button and chose Guile.
Across from him, Zaboru selected Balrog the Boxer—a choice that shocked the entire audience. Balrog wasn't a popular pick, mainly due to his lack of projectiles and large hitbox. However, his range and speed made him deadly in the hands of an expert and Balrog really suited for an aggressive style.
The match began. At first, Endo played aggressively, trying to dictate the pace. Zaboru remained defensive, coolly absorbing the pressure. But when Zaboru saw an opening, he switched gears. Endo, sensing a counter, tried to retreat and spammed Sonic Booms, but Zaboru didn't hesitate. He charged straight in—absorbing hits from the Sonic Booms after the recoil end he quickly went up and used Balrog's fast dashes to close the distance. Once in range, he punished Endo with a brutal combo.
The crowd gasped. Balrog's flurry of punches landed clean, and Endo's Guile couldn't recover. Zaboru took the first round. Endo blinked, stunned. He had expected patience—not this relentless pressure. Endo thought that by switching to a defensive style, Zaboru would mirror him, waiting for another opportunity to go aggressive. But he was wrong. Zaboru completely defied expectations by sacrificing his health to land a devastating combo. It was risky, but it aligned perfectly with Balrog's playstyle—brutal, fast, and overwhelming.
The second round began. Endo decided to go all-in, rushing Zaboru with all the speed and aggression he could muster. But to his horror, Zaboru didn't play defensively—he fought back with equal aggression, matching Endo blow for blow. His inputs were lightning-fast, his timing perfect. Endo's jaw tightened. What speed! He's inputting faster than me…!
Zaboru's hands moved like a machine, effortlessly chaining Balrog's attacks. Endo tried to zone again, but Zaboru had already adjusted, weaving through projectiles and countering every move. Round two went to Zaboru.
The audience roared! Zaboru's Balrog was absolutely insane. Whenever there was even a slight opening, Zaboru executed high-speed combos with flawless precision. It was as if he could read Endo's mind. When Endo expected a low attack and crouched to guard, Zaboru would dash strike from the middle, rendering his defense useless. And when Endo tried to stand his ground, Zaboru would open with a crouch combo—one of Balrog's specialties. Endo was completely outmaneuvered and couldn't do a thing to stop it.
Now down two rounds, Endo found himself cornered. He was known for his mental composure, but now he was rattled. The third round began. Once again, Zaboru read Endo like a book. It was clear that he had fully dissected Endo's patterns. And with his cheat-like abilities—Enlightenment that enhanced his reflexes and Deep Memory Dive that gave him perfect recall—Zaboru was playing on another level.
In less than a minute, it was over. Zaboru had swept the champion 3-0.
In his free time, Zaboru had developed a custom-built Super Bot for Street Fighter—a training AI designed to play with near-perfect precision. He didn't create it for fun, but to challenge himself against something that could mimic flawless play. Now, all of that preparation was paying off. Even though the bot played at an inhuman level, Zaboru had occasionally managed to beat it—a feat that spoke volumes about his skill. The fact that he could win against such a machine was nothing short of insane.
Yumi yelled with electrifying energy, "What a blast! Zaboru just defeated our champion in a clean 3-0! Could it be that the ZAGE boss is the true champion after all!?"
The crowd exploded into cheers and applause. It wasn't that Endo had played poorly—Zaboru had simply played perfectly.
Endo stood up, still catching his breath. He extended his hand. "You're incredible, Zaboru-san. I've never seen input speed like that."
Zaboru smiled, shaking his hand. "Thanks. But don't sell yourself short—you're an amazing player. And you are very cool."
Endo's face lit up, and he shyly scratched the back of his head like an overjoyed fanboy hearing his hero speak. Being called with the iconic phrase "You are very cool" by Zaboru—the founder of ZAGE himself—was something else entirely. For Endo, a die-hard fan of Zaboru, it felt like a dream come true.
Zaboru grabbed the mic. "So now you know it wasn't a fluke when I beat the champions in previous events, right!?"
The crowd roared his name. "Zaboru! Zaboru! Zaboru!"
"But don't think our champion is weak," Zaboru added with a grin. "He just had the misfortune of fighting me!"
Laughter erupted throughout the venue.
"Okay! That concludes our E-Sports event. But don't leave just yet—Zankoku Band and I, now rebranded as Z&Z, are ready to perform!"
The stage lights dimmed, and the crowd erupted once more as Zaboru and the Zankoku Band—now known as Z&Z—took the stage. They launched into a powerful performance of their latest single, Butterfly, a great Digimon opening song from Zaboru's previous life. Fans danced and listened with pure joy, clearly enjoying the song
After the band exited, Zaboru was still in the spotlight. "Hold up! Don't go yet—I have one more surprise!"
The big screen behind him flickered to life, showing the bold title: Marvel vs. ZAGE.
The audience collectively gasped.
Zaboru's voice boomed: "Here's a little teaser—but for the full trailer, you'll have to wait until tomorrow! on TV Tokyo!"
Then a 35-second teaser played. Pixelated Mario squared off against Spider-Man Mario Throwing a fire ball while Spiderman Jumping and throwing webs at Mario. Ryu fired a Hadoken straight at The Punisher, while Moon Knight's throwing crescent blade clashed with Z-Red's fiery aura sword —all in fighting game style. The whole scene was fueled by high-energy rock music that amped up the intensity and got the crowd's adrenaline surging. Just as the action reached its peak, the screen cut to black—then flashed a bold title: MARVEL vs. ZAGE. As the teaser ended, the crowd erupted into a thunderous roar, buzzing with excitement and confusion. What had they just witnessed? What was coming next? They couldn't wait to find out.
Before the teaser ended, Zaboru waved and walked off stage, leaving fans shouting and buzzing with speculation. The executive from TV Tokyo grinned, already anticipating a spike in viewership the next day. Partnering with ZAGE, he thought, had truly been one of the best decisions they had ever made.
Now the fans are discussing what Marvel Vs ZAGE is all about and they can't wait to find out tomorrow!.
To be continued
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