Chapter 72 - Hong Kong Venture
The humid sea breeze of Victoria Harbour, tinged with a salty tang, brushed against Takuya Nakayama and his team.
Hong Kong’s vibrant cityscape mingled with its slightly dated industrial zones...
Ajal. posts
Chapter 71 - Hong Kong Strategy
His slender fingers tapped rhythmically on the desk, producing a steady, measured beat.
“Mr. Ishida, I’m well aware of the challenges you’ve outlined,” Takuya Nakayama said calmly, his v...
Chapter 70 - Stirring the Waters
Several influential gaming outlets published scathing investigative reports almost simultaneously.
The reports targeted Nintendo’s recently released Super Mario Bros. USA in North America.
...
Chapter 69 - North American Gambit
Unlike the stifled tension at Nintendo or Hudson’s desperate resolve, Sega’s headquarters buzzed with irrepressible excitement.
“Did you hear? In Akihabara, the lines for Fatal Fury arcade...
Chapter 68 - Aftershocks
Kyoto, Nintendo headquarters, president’s office.
The air in Hiroshi Yamauchi’s office was colder than Hudson Soft’s president’s office days earlier, as if September’s lingering heat w...
Chapter 67 - The Champion is Crowned
Hyogo Prefecture’s Anchor, Genichiro Hokushin, stepped slowly onto the battle stage.
Tall and lean, his face cold and sharp, his deep eyes betrayed no emotion, like an ancient well.
In earl...
Chapter 66 - Pinnacle Showdown
Sunday morning, Tokyo Budokan.
Outside, crowds gathered earlier and thicker than the day before, the air crackling with near-boiling excitement.
Young fans in Fatal Fury character T-shirts we...
Chapter 65 - Cutting Through the Ranks
Hakuya’s Andy Bogard started on the back foot, pressed hard by his opponent’s aggressive style. Hokkaido’s player wielded Terry Bogard like a tidal wave, chaining “Burning Knuckle” and ...
2025-09-20 12:00:40 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 64 - Finals Day One
The first weekend of August, Tokyo, Chiyoda Ward.
Morning sunlight hadn’t yet dispelled the thin mist, and the Budokan stood quietly in Kita-no-Maru Park. But this calm was soon shattered. Cro...
Chapter 63 - Hudson’s “Iron Collar”
Tokyo, Hudson Soft headquarters.
The air in the president’s office felt heavier than the early September heat outside.
Hiroshi Kudo, Hudson’s president, sat upright.
Across from him wa...
Chapter 62 - Undercurrents
Kyoto, Nintendo headquarters.
Hiroshi Yamauchi sat behind his wide desk, expressionless, as a subordinate delivered a report.
The subordinate, a middle-aged market intelligence manager, had s...
Chapter 61 - National Finals Preview
“What a match!”
“That high schooler was incredible—almost pulled off the upset!”
“Nagai’s just too seasoned, though.”
Hakuya slowly released the joystick, his chest heaving...
Chapter 60 - Semifinals
The tournament reached the semifinals.
Hakuya, battling through round after round, made it to the top four. His opponent’s name appeared on the big screen—Kenta Nagai.
The name carried we...
Chapter 59 - Regional Qualifiers
At Sega’s headquarters, in the top-floor conference room, Takuya Nakayama sat before a thick stack of documents and newspaper clippings.
These were detailed reports from the operations team, c...
Chapter 58 - Daigo Umehara’s First Time
Late July, in a coastal town in Aomori Prefecture, the afternoon sun, laced with the salty tang of the sea, lazily bathed the weathered streets.
Cicadas screeched relentlessly, the air thick and...
Chapter 57 - Boiling Arcades
Late July, Tokyo sweltered under sticky summer heat, like molten asphalt coating the city.
As summer vacation began, outside a major Sega-partnered arcade in Shinjuku, a buzzing crowd drowned ou...
Chapter 56 - Tournament Preparations
“Technically, we’ve pushed the arcade platform to its limits,” Yuji Suzuki said, his voice steady but brimming with unshakable confidence.
He looked at his team—young developers who pour...
Chapter 55 - Out Run
Back in his small apartment, Kenichi Tanaka closed the door, shutting out the outside clamor.
He exhaled deeply, finally free to resume his adventure.
On the TV screen, the pixel hero set out...
Chapter 54 - Dragon Quest
He couldn’t just leave his landlord standing at the door.
So, Kenichi Tanaka asked, “Mrs. Sato, want to try playing?”
“Oh? Is that okay?” Mrs. Sato replied, but she was already clos...
Chapter 53 - The First RPG
May 27, 1986. Dawn’s faint light pierced Tokyo’s morning mist.
An ordinary workday, the city’s pulse still stirring awake.
Yet, in Akihabara, Shinjuku, and outside countless electronics...
Chapter 52 - Peripheral Strategy
Takuya paused, his gaze sharp as he dissected the situation.
“More importantly, Pokémon is still just a concept. The anime and digital pet haven’t launched, so the IP’s true value isn’t...
Chapter 51 - Throwing Money
In the president’s office, GALLOP’s president, Akio Wakana, and Sega’s marketing representative, Mr. Suzuki, had finished initial pleasantries and were waiting.
Seeing Kunihiko Yuyama’s ...
Chapter 50 - Pokémon Kanto Saga
The meeting room door closed softly, muffling faint workplace chatter outside.
Only Takuya Nakayama and GALLOP’s core creative team, led by Kunihiko Yuyama, remained.
Takuya’s hefty docum...
Chapter 49 - Second Cross-Media Collaboration
The Pokémon planning seminar had just ended, and Takuya Nakayama, wasting no time, brought Group Leader Shimizu from the Third Development Department to the hardware development team’s office.
Chapter 48 - Pokémon
Late April, Sega headquarters, the new project planning seminar was about to begin.
The oval mahogany conference table was crowded, with more faces than usual.
Beyond executive directors and ...
Chapter 47 - Covert Maneuvers
A new revenue stream! At those words, the shareholders perked up, hushed whispers falling silent.
Over the past year, they’d seen Takuya’s money-making prowess. Projects like the handheld Te...
Chapter 46 - Planning the Next Generation
Following the Sega esports tournament announcement, mid-April.
Nintendo, with Enix, unveiled the Famicom’s new title, Dragon Quest.
Its tagline was blunt:
“Toriyama Akira’s designs!...
Chapter 45 - Esports
Takuya took the package, light in hand.
The sender’s address was Nerima, Tokyo, with the name clearly written: Masami Kurumada.
He understood.
Thanking the receptionist, he carried the m...
Chapter 44 - Breaking the Stalemate
Hayao Nakayama nodded slightly, not countering. He recalled Sega’s internal debates over console strategy.
Many still clung to the path of porting arcade hits to consoles, believing that alone...
Chapter 43 - Disk System and Save Files
Early February in Tokyo, the air still crackled with Fatal Fury’s scorching momentum.
Arcades buzzed, and anime discussions burned on.
Yet, the market’s winds were subtly shifting.
Fac...