Chapter 18 – Donkey Kong

[3rd POV]

For Apollo, the trip to Tokyo was much more comfortable than the trip to Moscow. Unlike last time, he didn't have secret service escorting him, and Apollo had the freedom to explore the city.

After eating some ramen from a local shop, Apollo immediately headed to Akihabara. Akihabara, also known as Electric Town, is a district in Tokyo. A hub for anime and manga culture with numerous anime-themed shops, manga stores, cosplay cafes, and arcades. Simply put, it's a must visit for anime enthusiasts (weebs).

"Ah, shit." He was quite disappointed to find a series of electronics stores. Realizing anime wasn't invented yet, he continued to look around.

As Apollo walked around the district, he, along with others, were attracted to the arcade. Stepping up to the Donkey Kong machine, he smiled. It had been a long time.

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The Donkey Kong arcade game was released by Nintendo in 1981. It marked the debut of the beloved character Mario (known as Jumpman at the time) embarking on a mission to rescue his girlfriend Pauline (not Peach) from the clutches of the giant ape Donkey Kong.

By navigating through a series of platform levels, Mario had to jump-over or smash barrels thrown by Donkey Kong, while climbing ladders and avoiding other obstacles. In subsequent levels, the gameplay becomes more challenging with more barrels being thrown and new hazards to being introduced.

This game established Nintendo as a major player in the gaming industry and set the foundation for the future of the Mario franchise.

The record for the game was set on July 31st, 1982, by Billy Mitchell, with a score of 874,300 points. In this universe, that record would not last.

"Holy cow, he's going to beat the record!"

"870,000?!"

"How long has he been playing this?!"

Apollo had been continuously playing the game for 13 hours. After another hour, he slammed all the buttons, purposefully losing the game with a score of 969,420. As the crowd cheered, Apollo sighed in relief. Another record set. Why did he feel like dabbing?

"My, my, what do we have here?"

Apollo turned around and found himself standing in front of Artemis. She wore a brown Soviet-style jacket and pants with red stars on the shoulders. Surrounding her were two men in suits, probably the KGB agents sent to guard her.

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[Main POV]

I decided to be nice. I felt kinda bad about my underhanded play in Moscow. "Hello Artemis, which arcade game are you here to play?"

Artemis looked at me, then giggled. "Oh, playing arcade games? Please, I don't waste my time on mere games. I prefer to engage in intellectually stimulating activities. While you're mindlessly pressing buttons, I'll be investing my time in more sophisticated pursuits. Unlike some monkeys, I have a refined taste for experiences that challenge my intellect and enhance my skills. I don't settle for mindless entertainment like the masses."

What an asshole.

As I started walking towards her, the two KGB agents tried to stop me. I simply grabbed their hands and squeezed as hard as I could. Okay, maybe not that hard, but hard enough to leave them wriggling on the ground in pain.

Artemis didn't flinch. She simply looked at her 'bodyguards' and whispered, "Oh, and what are you going to do to me?"

I stopped in front of her, looking straight into her eyes. Her silver eyes didn't waver, simply looking back at mine.

Not willing to waste any more time on her, I simply brushed past her and proceeded to leave the arcade.

"H-H-Hey. Wait, where're you going?"

I heard Artemis but didn't care. As I left someone tapped my shoulder. Turning around I was surprised to find a girl with black hair instead of red.

"Hi there!"

A wild Japanese girl appeared!

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[3rd POV]

Yuka Yamauchi, born in 1970, was the vivacious and spirited granddaughter of the legendary gaming pioneer, Hiroshi Yamauchi. Growing up in Kyoto, Japan, Yuka was exposed to the captivating world of Japanese culture at an early age. She spent countless hours sitting on her grandfather's lap, mesmerized by the sights and sounds of the gaming experiences he helped create.

From the moment she first picked up a controller, Yuka's passion for playing video games ignited. She immersed herself in the captivating narratives, thrilling adventures, and competitive challenges that the gaming medium offered. With each level conquered and high score achieved, Yuka's love for gaming grew deeper.

Yuka dedicated herself to honing her skills, mastering different genres, and exploring the vast array of titles available. She was especially proud of her 823,666 score in Donkey Kong. It was the culmination of hundreds of hours of practice, resulting in the highest score in the machine in Akihabara, a machine played by tens of thousands every year.

So, she was secretly horrified to find some random American kid break her record. As she continued to watch, her horror slowly turned into excitement. Not only did he break her record, but the world record. Yuka wondered if they could be friends.

Growing up as the heiress of the Yamauchi Fortune (which mostly just consisted of Nintendo), Yuka was rarely let out of her parent's sight. She was only afforded infrequent visits to Akihabara starting in 1981 with the excuse of checking out the games at the arcade (which her grandfather convinced her parents to allow). While there, she was unable to make any lasting friendships due to her irregular visits.

But she finally found someone who seemed to share her dedication for the finer things in life. It was undeniable. She could tell from the spark in his eyes that he too must've spent countless hours on Donkey Kong. Yuka wondered if he read Dragon Ball Z.

"Hi there!"

Waving with her right hand, she made a peace sign with her left while jumping in the air.

Apollo slowly raised is hand, "Hi?"

"You got the high score on the Donkey Kong machine, right? How'd you get so good? Do you play often? You're American, right?"

Yuka asked a thousand questions a second, leaving Apollo not a second to answer.

"What other games do you play? Have you read any manga? What are you doing in Japan? Hey! My grandpa runs an electronics company that makes games! You should come over! I'm sure you'll have a ton of ideas for improvements and bug fixes! After all, you're a gamer right?"

With that, Yuka grabbed Apollo's arm and dragged him down the street.

As they turned a corner, Artemis stuck her head out, watching the two of them walking away.

"That bitch!"