An Idol from Six Years Ago
Akihabara, Sega's Building No. 1, was completely booked out today as the venue for the Tokyo Metropolis Area representative selection competition.
The air was filled with an atmosphere completely different from that small shop in Adachi Ward. There was no smell of smoke, only the tense sweat emanating from the athletes, and the unique smell of overheated wires and machines.
"Daigo, don't be nervous, just play like usual."
The arcade owner in Adachi Ward was wearing a suit today, which was unusual for him. Although his tie was crooked, he looked solemn and looked more like a father attending a parent-teacher conference.
Daigo Umehara nodded, his expression remaining unchanged.
His gaze, however, was drawn to two figures not far away, surrounded by a crowd.
One of them, wearing a red and white baseball cap, had a cheerful smile on his face and was chatting and laughing with the person next to him.
The other one appeared much quieter, wearing a simple T-shirt, with a clean and refined demeanor, and black-rimmed glasses.
Nagai Kenta! Bai Ye!
Daigo Umehara felt as if an invisible hand had squeezed his heart.
Although six years had passed, the appearances of these two people almost perfectly matched the images he remembered seeing on that small television in Aomori.
They were the first champions, the heroes who planted a seed in his heart that summer.
I never expected to meet you here, in this way.
Wow! It's Nagai and Bai Ye!
"They've come to participate in the King of Fighters of Fighters tournament too!"
The surrounding chatter confirmed his guess.
Nagai Kenta seemed to sense something, his gaze sweeping over, lingering on Daigo for half a second, before he was pulled aside to talk by an acquaintance next to him.
They probably just thought he was a kid who came along with the adults to watch the fun.
"Adachi Ward Representative, Daigo Umehara! Please proceed to Unit 3 in Sector C!"
The announcement of numbers came over the loudspeaker.
The arcade owner quickly nudged Daigo from behind. "Your turn, your turn!"
Daigo walked towards the competition area, where the staff had thoughtfully prepared his familiar beer crate.
His opponent, a stylishly dressed young man from Shibuya, was surprised to see that his opponent was a kid who had to stand on a box to reach the joystick. His expression changed from astonishment to barely suppressing laughter.
The surrounding audience members also murmured and chuckled.
"What's going on? Letting elementary school kids fight?"
Is there no one left in Adachi Ward?
"Haha, is this supposed to be the funniest part of today's match?"
The Shibuya youth cleared his throat and said to Daigo in a pretentious manner, "Little kid, can you tell the buttons apart? Want me to give you a free character?"
Daigo ignored him and silently inserted the coin to select a player.
Goro Daimon, Chang Koehan, Choi Bounge.
This is a combination that isn't considered strong in the current version, and is even somewhat strange.
"Pfft, they even picked a few ugly guys." The Shibuya youth laughed out loud, confidently choosing the most popular Japan Team at the time: Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido, and Goro Daimon.
The match begins.
The young Kyo Kusanagi launched a fierce attack right from the start, attempting to intimidate the kid with flashy combos.
However, on the screen, Daigo's Goro Daimon simply retreated steadily, blocking the attack, as solid as a rock.
The moment the young man's "Hundred Styles: Demon Scorcher" failed and revealed a flaw.
It moved.
Daigo's hands moved across the joystick and buttons in a blur of motion.
"Head Swipe!"
Hit confirmed.
"Super Breakfall!"
Cancel the straight line.
"Earthquake!"
Pursuit.
"Stump Throw!"
A simple yet precise combo, executed with lightning speed, instantly emptied half of Kyo Kusanagi's health bar.
The smile on the Shibuya youth's face froze.
The surrounding laughter abruptly stopped.
Everyone stared wide-eyed as the clumsy Goro Daimon on the screen seemed to transform into a sophisticated fighting machine in Daigo's hands.
In less than a minute, K.0...
The first role for Shibuya Seinen is gone.
Sweat began to bead on his forehead.
The second character, Benimaru Nikaido, was crushed to death in a corner by Daigo's Goro Daimon with an iron ball.
They barely touched the hem of each other's clothes.
The third character, a mirror match, Goro Daimon.
The young man completely lost his composure, and Daigo seized an opening, delivering a direct command attack, "Hell to Paradise Drop," that smashed him from head to toe.
K.0.!
When the word "Victory" appeared, the entire C area fell into a deathly silence for three seconds.
Then, a roar erupted, louder than in any previous match!
Holy crap! He took down three opponents in one go!
"Who is that kid? Is he really a primary school student?"
"Who just said there's no one in Adachi Ward? That guy's a monster!"
On the other side, Nagai Kenta and Bai Ye, who were preparing to go on stage, were also attracted by the huge noise from this side.
"What's going on over there?" Nagai Kenta asked curiously, looking over in that direction.
"I don't know, but it seems there's a really talented newcomer." Bai Ye adjusted his glasses and looked over as well.
Their gazes pierced through the throng of people and landed precisely on the small figure standing on a beer crate, expressionless as he picked up the crate he had just stepped down, ready to leave the arena.
Bai Ye's pupils contracted slightly.
He saw the finishing move of the child's last combo, and the calmness and precision reminded him of his suffocatingly powerful opponent Hokushin Genichiro, from the finals four years ago.
No, it has an even wilder edge than Hokushin back then.
Nagai Kenta laughed, patted Bai Ye on the shoulder, and said in a low voice, "Hey, did you see that?"
"It seems like a rather unusual ' Little Beast ' has emerged in Tokyo this year."
During the semi-finals, the air inside the venue was already scorching hot.
When the matchup between Daigo Umehara and Bai Ye appeared on the big screen, the atmosphere in the entire arena was instantly ignited.
On one side is Bai Ye, a long-established champion who won the championship four years ago alongside Nagai Kenta, known for his composure and precision.
On the other side is the mysterious newcomer who burst onto the scene in this competition, crushing all opponents at the age of ten, Daigo Umehara O.
"Daigo, do your best! Show the spirit of Adachi Ward!" The arcade owner clenched his fists nervously in the audience, his suit back already soaked with sweat.
Daigo simply nodded calmly and stepped onto his personal beer crate.
Across from him, Bai Ye stared intently at the small figure standing on the box, his eyes showing no sign of disdain.
He sensed a kindred spirit in this child—the calm and focus of a top predator.
The match begins!
Bai Ye's first character is Terry Bogard.
On the screen, the figure in the red hat and blue vest exuded immense pressure from the very beginning.
Wave! Power Wave roared out along the ground, attempting to block Daigo's movement.
However, Daigo's Goro Daimon simply retreated steadily, parrying, each step precisely calculated to maintain distance, like an insurmountable wall.
Bai Ye frowned slightly. He manipulated Terry to make a feint and then launched a sudden "Burn Knuckle" straight at the heart of the enemy!
Just as the fist was about to strike, Daigo moved.
With a slight wobbling of the joystick, Goro Daimon's body shifted to an incredible angle, perfectly avoiding the punch.
Alarm bells rang in Bai Ye.
It's too late.
Goro Daimon's large, fan-like hand had already grabbed Terry's body.
"Hell to Paradise Drop!"
On the screen, Terry is lifted high and then slammed to the ground, once, twice, three times!
K.0.!