[LOG] Brawling Guardian Dragons: Insert Coin To Play
WHO: Yuki Nagato, Tsuruya, Random Poor Souls Who Know Not Of What Horrors They Are Getting Themselves Into (NPC'd by Tsuruya).
WHERE: A nameless video game arcade in The World of Haruhi Suzumiya, close to North High School.
WHEN: Last night.
WHAT: Tsuruya bumps into Yuki Nagato outside of a video game arcade, and they go inside to take a look-see. Insanity ensues.
WATCH FOR: ... ... .... dear lord, man, everything.
And then, she really breaks loose. Clutching her stomach and throwing her head back. 'HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!' she lets out in a deep belly laugh, head bobbing up and down, before an arm drops, pointing at the foolish mortals who've dared to challenge Yuki. 'AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA, ahuh, ahuh...' She takes a breath. 'BWAAAAAH-HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!''>
The World of Haruhi Suzumiya
The principle gate to this particular plane leads one to a secluded portion of a park. The Gate appears to be labeled with a plaque marketing is as an 'unknown monument perhaps built by ancient indigenous peoples,' so more than likely, the denizens of this world do not know about the worlds beyond their own. Aside from that plaque, the area is pretty empty. However, it feels as though something is amiss: Although there are no physical obstructions, there is a constant, vague sense that anything that occurs near the Gate is being observed. Despite this, there are no apparent surveilance devices: No cameras, no tape recorders...just a feeling, basic and gnawing, that you are being watched.
The world beyond this is a far more peaceful one, although utterly mundane. The city the exit is placed in is apparently Nishinomiya in Japan's Hyogo prefecture.
Just a short way away from this park, well within biking distance, perhaps even walking distance for those in the mood for a little exercise, is North High School. Students matriculate from various nearby junior high schools to this place, occasionally much to their horror: The hill is nothing if not unforgiving, and an average morning's walk to school is often punctuated by several of the students grumbling about the climb.
Contents:
Tsuruya
As far as January days go, today is especially chilly, and while there's not a lick of snow to be found, the skies are as gray and cloudy as always- the perfect stay-indoors-and-drink-something-warm day, in other words. Those who are unfortunate enough to be outside (and sane enough to dislike cold weather) are typically bundled up, hustling as they try to finish whatever errands they need to run, and to get from point A to point Home or vice versa as quickly as possible.
Even humanoid interfaces aren't completely invulnerable from cold weather; though she gives no indication that the cold makes her uncomfortable (or affects her, for that matter), Yuki Nagato is as bundled up as anyone else, her school uniform covered by a bulky jacket which, in turn, further conceals her slender form from view- save for her legs, which remain bare. At the moment, Yuki isn't moving, nor does she appear to have a goal in sight.
For whatever reason, she is currently (heedless of the passerby flowing around her) standing in front of the local video game arcade, her gaze fixed on the large neon sign set above the entrance (which, indeed, proclaims 'ARCADE' in big bold letters).
Tsuruya is bundled up as well, quite stylishly! Designer coat from a major Western outerwear manufacturer, ever-so-stylish black winter boots that protect from the elements without being big and bulky, quite cheery yellow woolen scarf, earmuffs, and thin leather gloves. Genuine leather, too. It's not that she's trying to be ostentatious, really, this is just what she had in her closet. Her breath steams in the air, wafting up over eyelashes and hair. It's the perfect winter's day, except for one thing.
The gentleman walking at her side. Expensive coat. Suit. Haircut. Looking like he stepped out of a magazine ad from a swanky department store where everything has self-conciously European labels. "So I said to my stockbroker," he's saying, "that I would do no such thing. Diversify my portfolio into stable European funds only please, I told him. Invest in Japanese mutual funds? Hardly. Like, what, a 3 percent return on my investment over two decades? I'd sooner give my money to the Chinese, although of course we all know that's like putting it in a short-circuiting slot machine in Monte Carlo, eh-heh, eh-heh..." His simpering laugh is what finally causes Tsuruya, her head tilted slightly sideways with a vacant expression on her face, to swivel her eyes toward him. Not saying anything, mind you. "Ha, I see I've made you speechless, my little green chihuahua," he says with an affectionate grin.
Is this what I get for being born rich, she thinks. Friends chosen by my family's wine and cheese circle? Gravitating toward me at school because of our shared social status? "You got thats right, nyoro~n," she tells him, smiling wanly. In fact, the only friend Tsuruya ever chose for herself was Mikuru, a fact her mind proudly holds up to her as evidence that she's not completely divorced from control of her own fate.
And then, suddenly, salvation. Yet again. Spying Yuki across the street, she turns and spins toward her sidwalk companion. "Rokugo-kun! I've had a megas-great time todays. So now, um ... get lost, nyoro!" She points down the street.
"That's 'Rock'," he replies, looking bewildered. Women just didn't do that sort of thing to a man with his bulging bankroll and family connections.
"Whatevers!" she replies, running around to his back and pushing. "Go go go! Megas-quickly! I see, um, middle class peoples coming this way!"
Eventually she gets rid of him, then quickly dashes across the street, slowing to stand next to Yuki as she stares up at the arcade sign, an activity Tsuruya joins in for a moment. "Hi Nagatocchi! It's a pretty sign, nyoro~n," she says, clapping a hand to Yuki's back. "Maybe a little tackies! But that makes it charmings..."
Entranced as she is by the video arcade's gaudy sign (or studying it in a calculating manner- it's difficult to tell with the bookworm), Yuki Nagato doesn't appear to notice Tsuruya's entrance, her disposal of her erstwhile 'friend'-slash-sycophant, or the fact that she makes a (comparatively) silent approach and stands by her side.
On the other hand, Yuki doesn't appear to be surprised by Tsuruya suddenly being there and slapping her on the back; instead, the humanoid interface calmly turns and nods in silent greeting to her green-haired senior, as if she'd been expecting Tsuruya all along. Yuki doesn't offer any comment either way as to the sign's tackiness, though she does blink at the lolfang's following statement. "'Charming'?" she repeats softly, looking back to the sign and studying it further, as if trying to decipher this newly-discovered quality by eyesight alone.
After a few moments, and without another word, Yuki strolls into the arcade, not waiting to see if Tsuruya will be following.
Contrast if you will the cultural differences of an American arcade versus a Japanese arcade. In an American arcade, this would be a dirty, smoky chamber, lit very little beyond the illumination of the video arcade screens and filled largely either by video game enthusiasts, DDR geeks, little kids, or gang members clustered around the basketball games and the latest 3D fighters. A dozen faces would slowly, ever-so-slowly, lean sideways to surreptitiously get a look at the arrival of Yuki and Tsuruya, and conversation would diminish somewhat.
A Japanese arcade however is a place where teenagers congregate after school and engage in social activity, of course you still have the DDR geeks. It's well-lit with attentive staff and a friendly atmosphere! Well, mostly. Friendlier than the pachinko parlor down the street anyway. "Sure, charming!" Tsuruya repeats as she walks inside with Yuki, sighing as she encounters the refreshing heat of the interior. "Kitschy! Gaudy! In its own ways, it is an important landmarks of our popular cultures," she continues. "Who would respect an arcade signs that was cutting edge art decos? It would look totally out of place, nyoro~. That design embodies the concepts of 'arcade' so well that when you see its, you think of lights, and sounds, and cute stuffed animals you can get men to wins for you if you bat your eyes enough."
She turns to Yuki. "Do you want to plays a game, Nagatocchi? I've got money if you're shorts." Big toothy smile! "I bet you'd be pretty good at them! It'd be fun to watch."
Tsuruya's continued analysis of the arcade's sign goes about as unnoticed as the establishment's warmth. Slowly, calmly, Yuki Nagato takes in the sights and sounds of the arcade with that intricate gaze of hers. The cutesy toy-catching machines and the ever-popular rythm games are up closer to the front of the establishment, perhaps for the purpose of attracting passing couples unwilling to wade through crowds of Pure Gamer to get to their targets. Further in, many of the cabinets- racing games and fighters chief among them- are back-to-back, with the same games linked together for much more convenient, slightly more anonymous two-player mayhem (also convenient is the fact that being unable to see the other player and/or challenger means that any fist-punching and throttling can only take place after the battle is over). Back near the corners are the puzzle games, the shooters, and even one or two games dating from the sixteen-bit era.
"Money is not a problem at the current time," Yuki replies simply, unable to take her eyes off of the games. She blinks, wondering where her sudden feelings of 1) excited anticipation and 2) overwhelming curiousity came from. "... I have not played before," the humanoid interface murmurs succinctly. Yuki pauses, looking around at the veritable army of machines, constructed and programmed for one purpose only-- for a few seconds, there is a blanker look on her face than usual.
After a moment, Yuki strolls purposefully towards one set of back-to-back machines- one of the newer fighting games, produced by an up-and-coming company known for its deviations from the established norm long ago set within the genre. The title, apparently, is 'Brawling Guardian Dragons', though from the demos flashing across the screen, the game itself doesn't appear to have anything to do with those mythical reptiles whatsoever. Yuki turns towards Tsuruya, as if waiting for confirmation.
As soon as Yuki turns toward her, Tsuruya springs into action, turning around and throwing up her arms. "Ladies and gentlemens!" she calls out. "Boys and girls! Childrens of all ages! The management is PLEEEEASED to announce a special guest in the house tonight, nyoro~." Her arms swing sideways toward Yuki, seemingly mild-mannered and inoffensive. "As cutes as she is dangerous behind a joysticks, give it up - for Nagato Yuki-chan, also known as, 'Lady Deconstruction'!" A finger raises as she darts her eyes from side to side at the slowly gathering throng of no less than three people who were taking a drink break in between marathon sessions of ParaParaMax. "And tonight onlies, a special treat! The Lady Deconstruction is willing to face challengers in single combat!" Her arms are thrown up again. "Come one, come all, and face your DOOM! But if you WIN...." An eyebrow raises, fingers framing her chin. "... Immortality..."
Her presentation is met with a few overwhelmingly excited grunts! One guy scratches his head. "Uh... anything else? You got any swag? And hey, why's your hair green, you dye that or something?"
Tsuruya narrows an eye and POINTS! "You drives a hard bargain, citizen! We were saving this for the World Championships in Tokyo, but right here today, in Nishinomiya, anyone who can defeat Nagatocchi will win - ONE KISS!" A finger raises. "So ask yourselves this questions: are you man enough to place a sloppy wet one on the greatest gamer in the universes? ARE YOU? NYORO?"
There's a quick huddle, before the three turn back and nod. "Yeah sure, what the heck." As a group they move behind the machine across from Yuki, one sits, and they put a quarter in. The die is cast.
Tsuruya turns to Yuki, and inclines her head in confirmation. "Your victims are ready - Lady Deconstruction! WOOOSH!" She swings her arms back and forth in a one-woman cheering section.
For a few moments, Yuki calmly watches Tsuruya's spiel and more-than-impressive showwomanship, completely and utterly unconcerned about either the ludicrous overestimation of her skills /or/ the rising stakes. Without a word, she seats herself and Inserts One Credit as the green-haired girl continues talking, keeping her hands in her lap and staring impassively at the screen. There's a very high possibility that Yuki's relaxed posture and unflappable demeanor will, at the very least, lead people to believe that she has the utmost confidence in her playing skills. In truth, though, for all she knows, this could be standard procedure for normal arcade game players.
As she's called by her nickname, 'Lady Deconstruction' looks to Tsuruya once more as the other side prepares for battle. Impossibly calm, Yuki simply tilts her head in response before turning back to the game just as the screen switches over to 'Select Your Guardian'. However, the '1P' cursor blinks silently and remains stationary, even as the challenger chooses his own battler; Yuki's head swivels every few seconds as she studies each character square intently, as if she's able to discern their strengths, weaknesses, and capabilities just by looking at them. In due course, right before the 'Select Your Guardian' timer runs out, the cursor blurs over to settle on a fighter. Life bars slam into place, the background swirls into existence, the battlers make their entrance, and the scene is set... soon enough, the game starts.
SALVATION OR DESTRUCTION
ROUND ONE: READY?
FIGHT!!
Yuki's fighter sits on the left side on the screen, fidgeting quietly- 'Lady Deconstruction's' avatar of choice appears to be a frail-looking girl clad in bulky, medieval-style armor. So bulky, in fact, that the poor girl seems constantly fighting to keep her own balance, even as she struggles to keep her lance from wavering- it's difficult to tell what this character would be capable of. Of course... those familiar with the game might realize that Yuki has chosen 'Ruhtra', commonly accepted as being the game's weaksauce joke character.
Unaware of this slight problem, Yuki sends 'Ruhtra' wobbling over towards the challenger's own fighter- with a weak little 'ei!' of effort, the blonde knight girl whips out a weak punch, and then falls still. Two seconds later, there's another sad little 'ei!' and a weak punch. And again, and again, and again. If Tsuruya were to look over at Yuki, she might notice that the humanoid interface's playing style is... delicate. Two fingers on her left hand grip the joystick, and Yuki is currently using her right hand's index finger to experimentally poke at the 'weak punch' button. Not particularly encouraging, perhaps.
"Dude."
"Shut up."
"Dude!"
"Be quiet!"
"DUDE, she's TOTALLY playing with you!"
"SHUT UP!" And suddenly, his own character is slapped by Ruhtra with a weak punch, a corresponding 'Ei!' emphasizing her point. "Dammit!! I'm trying to concentrate, alright?"
"He's right, she's a killer," says the third. "She picked Ruhtra, okay? It's an INSULT. She's going to chew you up and spit you out in front of everyone!"
"WILL YOU GUYS BE QUIET?" rasps the player, only to discover yet another weak punch smackin' the taste out of his character's mouth.
'Ei!' Ruhtra says cutely.
"DAMMIT! Again!" The player's forehead is visibly covered in beads of sweat, as he is acutely self-concious of the slowly gathering crowd of onlookers, many of them female, snickering as the poor boy gets repeatedly weakslapped. "She's just waiting, waiting for me to do something," he murmurs to himself. "I do something and she's going to combo me into a million pieces." He starts to hyperventilate. "But... but... guys, did you ever think... maybe it's all a put-on?" He looks up curiously to Tsuruya, for any evidence that her earlier expansive verbiage describing Yuki's skills were in any way an exaggeration - only to stare straight into large hazel-golden eyes blazing right back at him.
Her arms crossed, Tsuruya's upper lip curls up in a sneer. "Heh-heh-heh," she snickers, quite ominously.
A moment passes, and her face opens wide in a smile. "Ha ha ha!" she chuckles.
And then, she really breaks loose. Clutching her stomach and throwing her head back. "HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" she lets out in a deep belly laugh, head bobbing up and down, before an arm drops, pointing at the foolish mortals who've dared to challenge Yuki. "AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA, ahuh, ahuh..." She takes a breath. "BWAAAAAH-HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
The player clutches his head, quivering visibly, sweat pouring off his body. "My arcade reputation will be ruined!" he sobs to himself. "My entire youth, ruined! I'll have to spend my days in the library!" Tears pour from his eyes, waves crashing behind him as he clenches his fists and beseeches the heavens. "Fate no bakayarooooooo!" ;o;
*WHAP* 'Ei!' says Ruhtra cutely.
"DAMMIT!" wails the player, head falling to the cabinet, pounding the clear plastic in helpless frustration. "DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT!"
Heedless of the drama occuring on the other side of the cabinets, Yuki Nagato continues her experimentations with the various attack buttons, most notably the weak punch. The character's corresponding actions on the screen are studied with single-mindedly scientific interest- after a few moments, the humanoid interface is able to decipher that Ruhtra's sprite animations remain the same, no matter how much force the player herself might exert upon the attack buttons, or how long she might let her finger linger on the cheap plastic.
Very faintly, Yuki purses her lips. The cabinet's intricacies, while astounding, appear to be much more primitive than its shiny exterior and flashy graphics let on, completely lacking a tactile interface or any sort of synchronous/asynchronous direct data transmission/uploading systems that would have greatly facilitated gameplay. A pity, that. Undaunted by this setback, Yuki's index finger hovers over the weak punch button, ready to advance to the next stage of gameplay- slowly, her other fingers unfurl.
"There!" Ruhtra's gauntleted fist whips out in a slower backhand- a medium punch.
"Uwawawah!!" Ruhtra flails cutely, her lance swinging around in a slow, awkward arc around her head- a strong punch.
"Kya!" Ruhtra almost loses her balance, her feet lashing upwards before she finds her equilibrium again- a weak kick.
"Take this- aaah!" Ruhtra's lance sweeps across, the momentum sending the knight spinning in place- a strong kick.
And so on, and so forth. The attacks are coming more quickly than before, and while there is absolutely no rhyme or reason behind any of Yuki's methodical button presses, the damage just might start adding up.
Tsuruya leans forward eagerly, blinking her eyes, perching herself at the edge of an adjacent arcade cabinet to watch the aforesaid drama unfold. "I never knew arcades were so excitings!" she says. "Playing the games is only half the story, I see!"
The tableau unfolding before her is one of terrible tragedy in the face of overwhelming odds. The player has put his hands on his arms, and is sobbing uncontrollably at the terrible psychological defeat suffered at the hands of the indifferent Yuki Nagato. So thoroughly was he psyched out that he never even threw a punch. "Forgive me, Mama!" he cries. "Your son is not a man!"
His friend to one side, tears streaming down his eyes, clenches a fist in raw emotion. "Hang in there! Don't give up! You still have a chance!"
The third friend's head lifts, and he stands straight up. "I see what I have to do. I have to embrace my destiny! I need to take charge of the situation, and defeat all our enemies! YOOOOOOOOSHA!" He lifts his fists, aura blazing with energy, as his hair stands straight up, glowing golden! "I WILL AVENGE YOU, BUDDY!" he declares, shoving the first player out of his chair and into the arms of the similarly blubbing second friend. "No one can defeat the ParaParaMax Trio, that we call ParaParaParaMax, which has three 'Paras' because there's three of us! You face one - and you face us all! NOW FEEL THE WRATH OF SUPER-SAIYA-PARA-PARA-MAN! GRRRAAAAAAAAAAAA!" He takes a seat with furious drama and hot-bloodedness, glaring raw energy in Yuki's direction. Of course being that Yuki pays him absolutely no attention, instead his attention focuses on Tsuruya, who gasps, clutches her heart, and takes a step back.
"Such passions!" she gasps, hand flying to her mouth as if on cue. "Can he truly have the guts to face Lady Deconstruction? My heart is beating so fast!" Then of course she leans forward again excitedly to see what his opening gambit will be!
Time passes. Super-Saiya-Para-Man stares at the screen as his character gets hit. WHAP. 'Ei!' BONK. 'Kya!' SLAM. 'There!'
"UM." says the mighty video game hero. A dozen heads swirl in his direction. "I HAVE A CONFESSION TO MAKE," he says, rubbing a hand behind his spiky golden glowing head. "I'VE NEVER PLAYED A FIGHTING GAME IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. UM, IS IT HARD?"
Experimentally, he presses the weakpunch button. His character, a fearsome Black Knight, lightly smacks Ruhtra in the face with the hilt of his sword. 'Gruh!' says the Black Knight.
Tsuruya gasps, eyes going wide, hands to her cheeks. "OH MY GOSHES," she breathes, before pointing a finger. "MEGAS-TERRIBLE! You hit a GIRL!" She waves her arms up and down at everyone in the arcade. "You hit a GIRL! THAT'S JUST SO WRONG!" Heads turn in their direction, shocked at the exclamation. But eager to catch a glimpse of arcade-based domestic violence!
Super-Saiya-Para-Man erks, hands above the console. "WHAT? WHAT? WHAT'D I DO? WAS THAT BAD? OH MAN, I DIDN'T MEAN TO..." His head darts from side to side, shrinking under the public scrutiny. "IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, HONEST! SHE WAS BEATING UP MY BRO!"
GAME: Save complete.
"Fairly," Yuki murmurs quietly in response to Super-Saiya-Para-Man's revelation of his lack of fighting game experience. The quiet statement is more or less drowned out by the game, her opponent's loud voice, and--
"Aaaah!!" Ruhtra reels dramatically, crying out in pain as the Black Knight whips out his dastardly underhanded assault! Surprisingly enough, that light attack is more than enough to knock off a good sixth of his opponent's life bar- even worse, various parts of her armor slough off of her body with a clatter, dropping her lifebar even farther as her heart-patterned shorts and white shift are revealed for all the world to see. Sniffling in a mixture of horror and fear, Ruhtra clings desperately onto her weapon, looking just about ready to get knocked out.
While her opponents crying, posturing, and dancing around do not even appear to be worth a second of her attention, even Yuki Nagato finds herself looking up and blinking in surprise at Tsuruya's impassioned outburst- but only for a moment, as the humanoid interface turns back to the game, her cool eyes gleaming as she takes advantage of the crowd's sudden scrutiny.
"M-my father's armor! You will pay!!" Ruhtra suddenly exclaims, the wind rippling through her hair as she air-dashes back towards her opponent. And the lance swings around--
"Take this!" THWOCK. "Uwawawah!" WHUMPF. "Kya! Ei! There!" PAFF WHAP THUNK. "There! Ei! Ei! Kya! Uwaawah! Ei! Aaah! There! Ei! Ei! Ei! Ei!" THUNK WHAP WHAP PAFF WHUMPF PAFF THWOCK WHAP WHAP WHAP WHAP--
AIR COMBO- SIXTEEN HIT!!!
Slowly but surely, 'Lady Deconstruction's fingers start hitting the buttons faster, building up steam as they demonstrate a skill of /some/ sort. On the screen, Ruhtra's attacks crash through her opponent's defenses, the female knight doing /more/ damage than she did when her life bar was full. That done, Yuki begins embarking on her next phase of experimentation:
Joystick swiveling AND button-pressing.
"Blast Lance!" Ruhtra yells, hurling her lance at supersonic speed- at point-blank range. "Arc Impulse!!" The knight slams her gauntleted fists together, blasting the Black Knight with electricity. "Charge Spire! Fire Dragon! Armory Throw!" The game begins lagging as Yuki bombards the game with commands and button combinations, the inunduated screen's frame per second rating dropping to an all-time low while Ruhtra summons metal knives, battleaxes, a flame elemental, and tackles the poor Super-Saiya-Para-Man's character all at the same time. And then- the game freezes, but not due to a malfunction of any sort.
OVERDRIVE
An explosion of light envelops Ruhtra, and a new suit of ethereal golden armor slams down around her form. "MAKAIMURA'S WRATH!!" she roars, charging the Black Knight and-- Yuki Nagato remains impassive, even as she inputs the final command and consigns the Black Knight to more pain, concentrated destruction, and excitedly flashing lights than any individual should ever be exposed to.
Super-Saiya-Para-Para-Man, his hair wilting at the onslaught of feminine solidarity for the unfortunate Ruhtra, is however of course driven to a certain distraction at the after-effects of his half-hearted weak hit on the selfsame plucky Girl Knight. His spiky hair rises once again! "HEH-HEH," he says with a snicker. "SHE'S GOT LITTLE HEARTS ON HER UNDERWEAR..."
Tsuruya blinks, surprise on her face, as she leans over Yuki's screen. "What, reallies? Just what kind of games is this...?"
Meanwhile, the fallen friend of Super-Saiya-Para-Man raises an arm. "You fool! No!" he wails, in the arms of his similarly sobbing other bro. "You hit her! You took the bait! Now you're doomed!"
The two ParaPara men do their impression of Edvard Munch's The Scream, one on top of the other. "DOOOOOOOOOOOMED!" they say in stereo.
And sure enough - a moment later, Yuki Nagato unleashes hell. Lights flash on the screen, impact effects, the sounds of digital violence. Furious colors erupt on the walls as Ruhtra unleashes attack after attack. The other video games flicker as the drain on the Nishinomiya power grid becomes considerable! "I'm scared!" wails a girl in a seifuku. "Aieee!"
It's all Super Saiya Para Man can do to throw up his arms and yell in terror as a sudden burst of light and blasting wind shoots from the video game consoles and knocks him backward! Tsuruya hangs on tightly to Yuki's shoulders, laughing uproariously, her voluminous hair streaming behind her in a green deluge. "HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
Wind blows throughout the room, knocking over chairs, tables, and people, as lightning arcs around the room, video game machines exploding in showers of sparks! As Ruhtra changes into her gleaming golden battle armor and launches the Final Attack, a brilliant shaft of light erupts from the video game consoles and streaks into the sky, repelling the clouds around it, but then drawing them in in a torrential spiral. Panicked crowds outside run in terror! Ghosts from the Lost Ark of the Covenant screech throughout the city! The demon army of Ishida Mitsunari rises from the dead to unleash terror upon the living! Tidal waves! An earthquake! Locusts! Godzilla appears in Tokyo! Production begins on a second season of Cowboy Bebop! THE APOCALYPSE IS NIGH!
And then, quite suddenly, it's all over. "RUHTRA - VICTORY!" announces the machine in a metallic voice.
Tsuruya raises two fingers in a 'V', hand on her hip. "Lady Deconstruction wins again! But thank you all for playing."
Like a mighty oak tree standing its ground in the face the ensuing veritable hurricane of video game domination, Yuki Nagato remains rooted in place even as the very heavens bend to the force of her actions; her accomplishment of the unthinkable, achievable only by one or two others in the world, her pulling off what should not actually be possible:
Kicking ass with the joke character.
The high school student doesn't even flinch as her console erupts in a blinding pillar of light, data reformatting itself over and over again- the souls of all gamers within a fifteen-mile radius resonate to the beat of the ensuing sixty-eight hit combo that quickly links into the final attack, one that culminates with Ruhtra shattering the shackles of her once-sad destiny under the guidance of Yuki Nagato.
And then all is still. Upon second glance, the damage to the arcade wasn't as bad as it initially appeared- in fact, there doesn't seem to be any damage at all to the cabinets surrounding the 'Brawling Guardian Dragons' machines. How fortuitous and completely coincidental, indeed!
Yuki Nagato watches impassively as Ruhtra does an excited little victory dance. Then, the humanoid interface stands up as the game screen fades to black, and looks at Tsuruya. "... unique," murmurs 'Lady Deconstruction', before drifting over in the direction of... the racing game machines, which would very likely be expressing all sorts of fear if it were physically possible for them to do so.
Indeed, as the dust clears and people emerge from their hiding places and from under the cover of hands over their eyes, it would appear that the damage from the extreme conflagaration taking place in the Brawling Dragon Guardians video game was largely the result of mass teenage enthusiasm. That's the story and it is being stuck to.
"That looked really fun!" Tsuruya replies to Yuki excitedly, nearly jumping up and down. "So much colors! So much dramas. So much pretty lights and sounds and colors! I was moved."
As Yuki walks off, Tsuruya turns around, arms crossed, staring at the assembled throng imperiously. "Ladies and gentlemen. You will remember forever the things you have seens tonights! But the undefeated Lady Deconstruction must ever seek new challenges to test her unstoppable abilities. Having defeated the world of fighting games, she moves on now to the world of racing! Thank you for beings a great audience." She bows, then spins on her heel and flounces off behind Yuki, arms clasping behind her back.
WHERE: A nameless video game arcade in The World of Haruhi Suzumiya, close to North High School.
WHEN: Last night.
WHAT: Tsuruya bumps into Yuki Nagato outside of a video game arcade, and they go inside to take a look-see. Insanity ensues.
WATCH FOR: ... ... .... dear lord, man, everything.
And then, she really breaks loose. Clutching her stomach and throwing her head back. 'HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!' she lets out in a deep belly laugh, head bobbing up and down, before an arm drops, pointing at the foolish mortals who've dared to challenge Yuki. 'AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA, ahuh, ahuh...' She takes a breath. 'BWAAAAAH-HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!''>
The World of Haruhi Suzumiya
The principle gate to this particular plane leads one to a secluded portion of a park. The Gate appears to be labeled with a plaque marketing is as an 'unknown monument perhaps built by ancient indigenous peoples,' so more than likely, the denizens of this world do not know about the worlds beyond their own. Aside from that plaque, the area is pretty empty. However, it feels as though something is amiss: Although there are no physical obstructions, there is a constant, vague sense that anything that occurs near the Gate is being observed. Despite this, there are no apparent surveilance devices: No cameras, no tape recorders...just a feeling, basic and gnawing, that you are being watched.
The world beyond this is a far more peaceful one, although utterly mundane. The city the exit is placed in is apparently Nishinomiya in Japan's Hyogo prefecture.
Just a short way away from this park, well within biking distance, perhaps even walking distance for those in the mood for a little exercise, is North High School. Students matriculate from various nearby junior high schools to this place, occasionally much to their horror: The hill is nothing if not unforgiving, and an average morning's walk to school is often punctuated by several of the students grumbling about the climb.
Contents:
Tsuruya
As far as January days go, today is especially chilly, and while there's not a lick of snow to be found, the skies are as gray and cloudy as always- the perfect stay-indoors-and-drink-something-warm day, in other words. Those who are unfortunate enough to be outside (and sane enough to dislike cold weather) are typically bundled up, hustling as they try to finish whatever errands they need to run, and to get from point A to point Home or vice versa as quickly as possible.
Even humanoid interfaces aren't completely invulnerable from cold weather; though she gives no indication that the cold makes her uncomfortable (or affects her, for that matter), Yuki Nagato is as bundled up as anyone else, her school uniform covered by a bulky jacket which, in turn, further conceals her slender form from view- save for her legs, which remain bare. At the moment, Yuki isn't moving, nor does she appear to have a goal in sight.
For whatever reason, she is currently (heedless of the passerby flowing around her) standing in front of the local video game arcade, her gaze fixed on the large neon sign set above the entrance (which, indeed, proclaims 'ARCADE' in big bold letters).
Tsuruya is bundled up as well, quite stylishly! Designer coat from a major Western outerwear manufacturer, ever-so-stylish black winter boots that protect from the elements without being big and bulky, quite cheery yellow woolen scarf, earmuffs, and thin leather gloves. Genuine leather, too. It's not that she's trying to be ostentatious, really, this is just what she had in her closet. Her breath steams in the air, wafting up over eyelashes and hair. It's the perfect winter's day, except for one thing.
The gentleman walking at her side. Expensive coat. Suit. Haircut. Looking like he stepped out of a magazine ad from a swanky department store where everything has self-conciously European labels. "So I said to my stockbroker," he's saying, "that I would do no such thing. Diversify my portfolio into stable European funds only please, I told him. Invest in Japanese mutual funds? Hardly. Like, what, a 3 percent return on my investment over two decades? I'd sooner give my money to the Chinese, although of course we all know that's like putting it in a short-circuiting slot machine in Monte Carlo, eh-heh, eh-heh..." His simpering laugh is what finally causes Tsuruya, her head tilted slightly sideways with a vacant expression on her face, to swivel her eyes toward him. Not saying anything, mind you. "Ha, I see I've made you speechless, my little green chihuahua," he says with an affectionate grin.
Is this what I get for being born rich, she thinks. Friends chosen by my family's wine and cheese circle? Gravitating toward me at school because of our shared social status? "You got thats right, nyoro~n," she tells him, smiling wanly. In fact, the only friend Tsuruya ever chose for herself was Mikuru, a fact her mind proudly holds up to her as evidence that she's not completely divorced from control of her own fate.
And then, suddenly, salvation. Yet again. Spying Yuki across the street, she turns and spins toward her sidwalk companion. "Rokugo-kun! I've had a megas-great time todays. So now, um ... get lost, nyoro!" She points down the street.
"That's 'Rock'," he replies, looking bewildered. Women just didn't do that sort of thing to a man with his bulging bankroll and family connections.
"Whatevers!" she replies, running around to his back and pushing. "Go go go! Megas-quickly! I see, um, middle class peoples coming this way!"
Eventually she gets rid of him, then quickly dashes across the street, slowing to stand next to Yuki as she stares up at the arcade sign, an activity Tsuruya joins in for a moment. "Hi Nagatocchi! It's a pretty sign, nyoro~n," she says, clapping a hand to Yuki's back. "Maybe a little tackies! But that makes it charmings..."
Entranced as she is by the video arcade's gaudy sign (or studying it in a calculating manner- it's difficult to tell with the bookworm), Yuki Nagato doesn't appear to notice Tsuruya's entrance, her disposal of her erstwhile 'friend'-slash-sycophant, or the fact that she makes a (comparatively) silent approach and stands by her side.
On the other hand, Yuki doesn't appear to be surprised by Tsuruya suddenly being there and slapping her on the back; instead, the humanoid interface calmly turns and nods in silent greeting to her green-haired senior, as if she'd been expecting Tsuruya all along. Yuki doesn't offer any comment either way as to the sign's tackiness, though she does blink at the lolfang's following statement. "'Charming'?" she repeats softly, looking back to the sign and studying it further, as if trying to decipher this newly-discovered quality by eyesight alone.
After a few moments, and without another word, Yuki strolls into the arcade, not waiting to see if Tsuruya will be following.
Contrast if you will the cultural differences of an American arcade versus a Japanese arcade. In an American arcade, this would be a dirty, smoky chamber, lit very little beyond the illumination of the video arcade screens and filled largely either by video game enthusiasts, DDR geeks, little kids, or gang members clustered around the basketball games and the latest 3D fighters. A dozen faces would slowly, ever-so-slowly, lean sideways to surreptitiously get a look at the arrival of Yuki and Tsuruya, and conversation would diminish somewhat.
A Japanese arcade however is a place where teenagers congregate after school and engage in social activity, of course you still have the DDR geeks. It's well-lit with attentive staff and a friendly atmosphere! Well, mostly. Friendlier than the pachinko parlor down the street anyway. "Sure, charming!" Tsuruya repeats as she walks inside with Yuki, sighing as she encounters the refreshing heat of the interior. "Kitschy! Gaudy! In its own ways, it is an important landmarks of our popular cultures," she continues. "Who would respect an arcade signs that was cutting edge art decos? It would look totally out of place, nyoro~. That design embodies the concepts of 'arcade' so well that when you see its, you think of lights, and sounds, and cute stuffed animals you can get men to wins for you if you bat your eyes enough."
She turns to Yuki. "Do you want to plays a game, Nagatocchi? I've got money if you're shorts." Big toothy smile! "I bet you'd be pretty good at them! It'd be fun to watch."
Tsuruya's continued analysis of the arcade's sign goes about as unnoticed as the establishment's warmth. Slowly, calmly, Yuki Nagato takes in the sights and sounds of the arcade with that intricate gaze of hers. The cutesy toy-catching machines and the ever-popular rythm games are up closer to the front of the establishment, perhaps for the purpose of attracting passing couples unwilling to wade through crowds of Pure Gamer to get to their targets. Further in, many of the cabinets- racing games and fighters chief among them- are back-to-back, with the same games linked together for much more convenient, slightly more anonymous two-player mayhem (also convenient is the fact that being unable to see the other player and/or challenger means that any fist-punching and throttling can only take place after the battle is over). Back near the corners are the puzzle games, the shooters, and even one or two games dating from the sixteen-bit era.
"Money is not a problem at the current time," Yuki replies simply, unable to take her eyes off of the games. She blinks, wondering where her sudden feelings of 1) excited anticipation and 2) overwhelming curiousity came from. "... I have not played before," the humanoid interface murmurs succinctly. Yuki pauses, looking around at the veritable army of machines, constructed and programmed for one purpose only-- for a few seconds, there is a blanker look on her face than usual.
After a moment, Yuki strolls purposefully towards one set of back-to-back machines- one of the newer fighting games, produced by an up-and-coming company known for its deviations from the established norm long ago set within the genre. The title, apparently, is 'Brawling Guardian Dragons', though from the demos flashing across the screen, the game itself doesn't appear to have anything to do with those mythical reptiles whatsoever. Yuki turns towards Tsuruya, as if waiting for confirmation.
As soon as Yuki turns toward her, Tsuruya springs into action, turning around and throwing up her arms. "Ladies and gentlemens!" she calls out. "Boys and girls! Childrens of all ages! The management is PLEEEEASED to announce a special guest in the house tonight, nyoro~." Her arms swing sideways toward Yuki, seemingly mild-mannered and inoffensive. "As cutes as she is dangerous behind a joysticks, give it up - for Nagato Yuki-chan, also known as, 'Lady Deconstruction'!" A finger raises as she darts her eyes from side to side at the slowly gathering throng of no less than three people who were taking a drink break in between marathon sessions of ParaParaMax. "And tonight onlies, a special treat! The Lady Deconstruction is willing to face challengers in single combat!" Her arms are thrown up again. "Come one, come all, and face your DOOM! But if you WIN...." An eyebrow raises, fingers framing her chin. "... Immortality..."
Her presentation is met with a few overwhelmingly excited grunts! One guy scratches his head. "Uh... anything else? You got any swag? And hey, why's your hair green, you dye that or something?"
Tsuruya narrows an eye and POINTS! "You drives a hard bargain, citizen! We were saving this for the World Championships in Tokyo, but right here today, in Nishinomiya, anyone who can defeat Nagatocchi will win - ONE KISS!" A finger raises. "So ask yourselves this questions: are you man enough to place a sloppy wet one on the greatest gamer in the universes? ARE YOU? NYORO?"
There's a quick huddle, before the three turn back and nod. "Yeah sure, what the heck." As a group they move behind the machine across from Yuki, one sits, and they put a quarter in. The die is cast.
Tsuruya turns to Yuki, and inclines her head in confirmation. "Your victims are ready - Lady Deconstruction! WOOOSH!" She swings her arms back and forth in a one-woman cheering section.
For a few moments, Yuki calmly watches Tsuruya's spiel and more-than-impressive showwomanship, completely and utterly unconcerned about either the ludicrous overestimation of her skills /or/ the rising stakes. Without a word, she seats herself and Inserts One Credit as the green-haired girl continues talking, keeping her hands in her lap and staring impassively at the screen. There's a very high possibility that Yuki's relaxed posture and unflappable demeanor will, at the very least, lead people to believe that she has the utmost confidence in her playing skills. In truth, though, for all she knows, this could be standard procedure for normal arcade game players.
As she's called by her nickname, 'Lady Deconstruction' looks to Tsuruya once more as the other side prepares for battle. Impossibly calm, Yuki simply tilts her head in response before turning back to the game just as the screen switches over to 'Select Your Guardian'. However, the '1P' cursor blinks silently and remains stationary, even as the challenger chooses his own battler; Yuki's head swivels every few seconds as she studies each character square intently, as if she's able to discern their strengths, weaknesses, and capabilities just by looking at them. In due course, right before the 'Select Your Guardian' timer runs out, the cursor blurs over to settle on a fighter. Life bars slam into place, the background swirls into existence, the battlers make their entrance, and the scene is set... soon enough, the game starts.
SALVATION OR DESTRUCTION
ROUND ONE: READY?
FIGHT!!
Yuki's fighter sits on the left side on the screen, fidgeting quietly- 'Lady Deconstruction's' avatar of choice appears to be a frail-looking girl clad in bulky, medieval-style armor. So bulky, in fact, that the poor girl seems constantly fighting to keep her own balance, even as she struggles to keep her lance from wavering- it's difficult to tell what this character would be capable of. Of course... those familiar with the game might realize that Yuki has chosen 'Ruhtra', commonly accepted as being the game's weaksauce joke character.
Unaware of this slight problem, Yuki sends 'Ruhtra' wobbling over towards the challenger's own fighter- with a weak little 'ei!' of effort, the blonde knight girl whips out a weak punch, and then falls still. Two seconds later, there's another sad little 'ei!' and a weak punch. And again, and again, and again. If Tsuruya were to look over at Yuki, she might notice that the humanoid interface's playing style is... delicate. Two fingers on her left hand grip the joystick, and Yuki is currently using her right hand's index finger to experimentally poke at the 'weak punch' button. Not particularly encouraging, perhaps.
"Dude."
"Shut up."
"Dude!"
"Be quiet!"
"DUDE, she's TOTALLY playing with you!"
"SHUT UP!" And suddenly, his own character is slapped by Ruhtra with a weak punch, a corresponding 'Ei!' emphasizing her point. "Dammit!! I'm trying to concentrate, alright?"
"He's right, she's a killer," says the third. "She picked Ruhtra, okay? It's an INSULT. She's going to chew you up and spit you out in front of everyone!"
"WILL YOU GUYS BE QUIET?" rasps the player, only to discover yet another weak punch smackin' the taste out of his character's mouth.
'Ei!' Ruhtra says cutely.
"DAMMIT! Again!" The player's forehead is visibly covered in beads of sweat, as he is acutely self-concious of the slowly gathering crowd of onlookers, many of them female, snickering as the poor boy gets repeatedly weakslapped. "She's just waiting, waiting for me to do something," he murmurs to himself. "I do something and she's going to combo me into a million pieces." He starts to hyperventilate. "But... but... guys, did you ever think... maybe it's all a put-on?" He looks up curiously to Tsuruya, for any evidence that her earlier expansive verbiage describing Yuki's skills were in any way an exaggeration - only to stare straight into large hazel-golden eyes blazing right back at him.
Her arms crossed, Tsuruya's upper lip curls up in a sneer. "Heh-heh-heh," she snickers, quite ominously.
A moment passes, and her face opens wide in a smile. "Ha ha ha!" she chuckles.
And then, she really breaks loose. Clutching her stomach and throwing her head back. "HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" she lets out in a deep belly laugh, head bobbing up and down, before an arm drops, pointing at the foolish mortals who've dared to challenge Yuki. "AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA, ahuh, ahuh..." She takes a breath. "BWAAAAAH-HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
The player clutches his head, quivering visibly, sweat pouring off his body. "My arcade reputation will be ruined!" he sobs to himself. "My entire youth, ruined! I'll have to spend my days in the library!" Tears pour from his eyes, waves crashing behind him as he clenches his fists and beseeches the heavens. "Fate no bakayarooooooo!" ;o;
*WHAP* 'Ei!' says Ruhtra cutely.
"DAMMIT!" wails the player, head falling to the cabinet, pounding the clear plastic in helpless frustration. "DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT!"
Heedless of the drama occuring on the other side of the cabinets, Yuki Nagato continues her experimentations with the various attack buttons, most notably the weak punch. The character's corresponding actions on the screen are studied with single-mindedly scientific interest- after a few moments, the humanoid interface is able to decipher that Ruhtra's sprite animations remain the same, no matter how much force the player herself might exert upon the attack buttons, or how long she might let her finger linger on the cheap plastic.
Very faintly, Yuki purses her lips. The cabinet's intricacies, while astounding, appear to be much more primitive than its shiny exterior and flashy graphics let on, completely lacking a tactile interface or any sort of synchronous/asynchronous direct data transmission/uploading systems that would have greatly facilitated gameplay. A pity, that. Undaunted by this setback, Yuki's index finger hovers over the weak punch button, ready to advance to the next stage of gameplay- slowly, her other fingers unfurl.
"There!" Ruhtra's gauntleted fist whips out in a slower backhand- a medium punch.
"Uwawawah!!" Ruhtra flails cutely, her lance swinging around in a slow, awkward arc around her head- a strong punch.
"Kya!" Ruhtra almost loses her balance, her feet lashing upwards before she finds her equilibrium again- a weak kick.
"Take this- aaah!" Ruhtra's lance sweeps across, the momentum sending the knight spinning in place- a strong kick.
And so on, and so forth. The attacks are coming more quickly than before, and while there is absolutely no rhyme or reason behind any of Yuki's methodical button presses, the damage just might start adding up.
Tsuruya leans forward eagerly, blinking her eyes, perching herself at the edge of an adjacent arcade cabinet to watch the aforesaid drama unfold. "I never knew arcades were so excitings!" she says. "Playing the games is only half the story, I see!"
The tableau unfolding before her is one of terrible tragedy in the face of overwhelming odds. The player has put his hands on his arms, and is sobbing uncontrollably at the terrible psychological defeat suffered at the hands of the indifferent Yuki Nagato. So thoroughly was he psyched out that he never even threw a punch. "Forgive me, Mama!" he cries. "Your son is not a man!"
His friend to one side, tears streaming down his eyes, clenches a fist in raw emotion. "Hang in there! Don't give up! You still have a chance!"
The third friend's head lifts, and he stands straight up. "I see what I have to do. I have to embrace my destiny! I need to take charge of the situation, and defeat all our enemies! YOOOOOOOOSHA!" He lifts his fists, aura blazing with energy, as his hair stands straight up, glowing golden! "I WILL AVENGE YOU, BUDDY!" he declares, shoving the first player out of his chair and into the arms of the similarly blubbing second friend. "No one can defeat the ParaParaMax Trio, that we call ParaParaParaMax, which has three 'Paras' because there's three of us! You face one - and you face us all! NOW FEEL THE WRATH OF SUPER-SAIYA-PARA-PARA-MAN! GRRRAAAAAAAAAAAA!" He takes a seat with furious drama and hot-bloodedness, glaring raw energy in Yuki's direction. Of course being that Yuki pays him absolutely no attention, instead his attention focuses on Tsuruya, who gasps, clutches her heart, and takes a step back.
"Such passions!" she gasps, hand flying to her mouth as if on cue. "Can he truly have the guts to face Lady Deconstruction? My heart is beating so fast!" Then of course she leans forward again excitedly to see what his opening gambit will be!
Time passes. Super-Saiya-Para-Man stares at the screen as his character gets hit. WHAP. 'Ei!' BONK. 'Kya!' SLAM. 'There!'
"UM." says the mighty video game hero. A dozen heads swirl in his direction. "I HAVE A CONFESSION TO MAKE," he says, rubbing a hand behind his spiky golden glowing head. "I'VE NEVER PLAYED A FIGHTING GAME IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. UM, IS IT HARD?"
Experimentally, he presses the weakpunch button. His character, a fearsome Black Knight, lightly smacks Ruhtra in the face with the hilt of his sword. 'Gruh!' says the Black Knight.
Tsuruya gasps, eyes going wide, hands to her cheeks. "OH MY GOSHES," she breathes, before pointing a finger. "MEGAS-TERRIBLE! You hit a GIRL!" She waves her arms up and down at everyone in the arcade. "You hit a GIRL! THAT'S JUST SO WRONG!" Heads turn in their direction, shocked at the exclamation. But eager to catch a glimpse of arcade-based domestic violence!
Super-Saiya-Para-Man erks, hands above the console. "WHAT? WHAT? WHAT'D I DO? WAS THAT BAD? OH MAN, I DIDN'T MEAN TO..." His head darts from side to side, shrinking under the public scrutiny. "IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, HONEST! SHE WAS BEATING UP MY BRO!"
GAME: Save complete.
"Fairly," Yuki murmurs quietly in response to Super-Saiya-Para-Man's revelation of his lack of fighting game experience. The quiet statement is more or less drowned out by the game, her opponent's loud voice, and--
"Aaaah!!" Ruhtra reels dramatically, crying out in pain as the Black Knight whips out his dastardly underhanded assault! Surprisingly enough, that light attack is more than enough to knock off a good sixth of his opponent's life bar- even worse, various parts of her armor slough off of her body with a clatter, dropping her lifebar even farther as her heart-patterned shorts and white shift are revealed for all the world to see. Sniffling in a mixture of horror and fear, Ruhtra clings desperately onto her weapon, looking just about ready to get knocked out.
While her opponents crying, posturing, and dancing around do not even appear to be worth a second of her attention, even Yuki Nagato finds herself looking up and blinking in surprise at Tsuruya's impassioned outburst- but only for a moment, as the humanoid interface turns back to the game, her cool eyes gleaming as she takes advantage of the crowd's sudden scrutiny.
"M-my father's armor! You will pay!!" Ruhtra suddenly exclaims, the wind rippling through her hair as she air-dashes back towards her opponent. And the lance swings around--
"Take this!" THWOCK. "Uwawawah!" WHUMPF. "Kya! Ei! There!" PAFF WHAP THUNK. "There! Ei! Ei! Kya! Uwaawah! Ei! Aaah! There! Ei! Ei! Ei! Ei!" THUNK WHAP WHAP PAFF WHUMPF PAFF THWOCK WHAP WHAP WHAP WHAP--
AIR COMBO- SIXTEEN HIT!!!
Slowly but surely, 'Lady Deconstruction's fingers start hitting the buttons faster, building up steam as they demonstrate a skill of /some/ sort. On the screen, Ruhtra's attacks crash through her opponent's defenses, the female knight doing /more/ damage than she did when her life bar was full. That done, Yuki begins embarking on her next phase of experimentation:
Joystick swiveling AND button-pressing.
"Blast Lance!" Ruhtra yells, hurling her lance at supersonic speed- at point-blank range. "Arc Impulse!!" The knight slams her gauntleted fists together, blasting the Black Knight with electricity. "Charge Spire! Fire Dragon! Armory Throw!" The game begins lagging as Yuki bombards the game with commands and button combinations, the inunduated screen's frame per second rating dropping to an all-time low while Ruhtra summons metal knives, battleaxes, a flame elemental, and tackles the poor Super-Saiya-Para-Man's character all at the same time. And then- the game freezes, but not due to a malfunction of any sort.
OVERDRIVE
An explosion of light envelops Ruhtra, and a new suit of ethereal golden armor slams down around her form. "MAKAIMURA'S WRATH!!" she roars, charging the Black Knight and-- Yuki Nagato remains impassive, even as she inputs the final command and consigns the Black Knight to more pain, concentrated destruction, and excitedly flashing lights than any individual should ever be exposed to.
Super-Saiya-Para-Para-Man, his hair wilting at the onslaught of feminine solidarity for the unfortunate Ruhtra, is however of course driven to a certain distraction at the after-effects of his half-hearted weak hit on the selfsame plucky Girl Knight. His spiky hair rises once again! "HEH-HEH," he says with a snicker. "SHE'S GOT LITTLE HEARTS ON HER UNDERWEAR..."
Tsuruya blinks, surprise on her face, as she leans over Yuki's screen. "What, reallies? Just what kind of games is this...?"
Meanwhile, the fallen friend of Super-Saiya-Para-Man raises an arm. "You fool! No!" he wails, in the arms of his similarly sobbing other bro. "You hit her! You took the bait! Now you're doomed!"
The two ParaPara men do their impression of Edvard Munch's The Scream, one on top of the other. "DOOOOOOOOOOOMED!" they say in stereo.
And sure enough - a moment later, Yuki Nagato unleashes hell. Lights flash on the screen, impact effects, the sounds of digital violence. Furious colors erupt on the walls as Ruhtra unleashes attack after attack. The other video games flicker as the drain on the Nishinomiya power grid becomes considerable! "I'm scared!" wails a girl in a seifuku. "Aieee!"
It's all Super Saiya Para Man can do to throw up his arms and yell in terror as a sudden burst of light and blasting wind shoots from the video game consoles and knocks him backward! Tsuruya hangs on tightly to Yuki's shoulders, laughing uproariously, her voluminous hair streaming behind her in a green deluge. "HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
Wind blows throughout the room, knocking over chairs, tables, and people, as lightning arcs around the room, video game machines exploding in showers of sparks! As Ruhtra changes into her gleaming golden battle armor and launches the Final Attack, a brilliant shaft of light erupts from the video game consoles and streaks into the sky, repelling the clouds around it, but then drawing them in in a torrential spiral. Panicked crowds outside run in terror! Ghosts from the Lost Ark of the Covenant screech throughout the city! The demon army of Ishida Mitsunari rises from the dead to unleash terror upon the living! Tidal waves! An earthquake! Locusts! Godzilla appears in Tokyo! Production begins on a second season of Cowboy Bebop! THE APOCALYPSE IS NIGH!
And then, quite suddenly, it's all over. "RUHTRA - VICTORY!" announces the machine in a metallic voice.
Tsuruya raises two fingers in a 'V', hand on her hip. "Lady Deconstruction wins again! But thank you all for playing."
Like a mighty oak tree standing its ground in the face the ensuing veritable hurricane of video game domination, Yuki Nagato remains rooted in place even as the very heavens bend to the force of her actions; her accomplishment of the unthinkable, achievable only by one or two others in the world, her pulling off what should not actually be possible:
Kicking ass with the joke character.
The high school student doesn't even flinch as her console erupts in a blinding pillar of light, data reformatting itself over and over again- the souls of all gamers within a fifteen-mile radius resonate to the beat of the ensuing sixty-eight hit combo that quickly links into the final attack, one that culminates with Ruhtra shattering the shackles of her once-sad destiny under the guidance of Yuki Nagato.
And then all is still. Upon second glance, the damage to the arcade wasn't as bad as it initially appeared- in fact, there doesn't seem to be any damage at all to the cabinets surrounding the 'Brawling Guardian Dragons' machines. How fortuitous and completely coincidental, indeed!
Yuki Nagato watches impassively as Ruhtra does an excited little victory dance. Then, the humanoid interface stands up as the game screen fades to black, and looks at Tsuruya. "... unique," murmurs 'Lady Deconstruction', before drifting over in the direction of... the racing game machines, which would very likely be expressing all sorts of fear if it were physically possible for them to do so.
Indeed, as the dust clears and people emerge from their hiding places and from under the cover of hands over their eyes, it would appear that the damage from the extreme conflagaration taking place in the Brawling Dragon Guardians video game was largely the result of mass teenage enthusiasm. That's the story and it is being stuck to.
"That looked really fun!" Tsuruya replies to Yuki excitedly, nearly jumping up and down. "So much colors! So much dramas. So much pretty lights and sounds and colors! I was moved."
As Yuki walks off, Tsuruya turns around, arms crossed, staring at the assembled throng imperiously. "Ladies and gentlemen. You will remember forever the things you have seens tonights! But the undefeated Lady Deconstruction must ever seek new challenges to test her unstoppable abilities. Having defeated the world of fighting games, she moves on now to the world of racing! Thank you for beings a great audience." She bows, then spins on her heel and flounces off behind Yuki, arms clasping behind her back.