[center][h2][color=BFBFBF]Zenkichi Hasegawa[/color][/h2]
Esaka, The Tiered City
Lvl 9 [color=BFBFBF]Zenkichi[/color] (58/90) -> Lvl 9 (59/90) 
Word count: 690 words[/center]


[i][b]Tekken, World Warrior, Mortal kombat, and King of Fighters.[/b][/i]

Zenkichi was currently in the midst of an existential crisis. These were video games, these people were [i]video game characters[/i]. To be fair, he wasn’t entirely certain about King of Fighters, though the name rang a bell, and World Warrior didn’t quite mesh with what he remembered of M. Bison, but yeah…these were video games he’d played in arcades as a teenager, just like Crazy Taxi. Just what the hell did Galeem do?

Were video games just coincidentally like the tournaments that happened in other actual worlds? The multiverse theory posited an infinite number of realities where [i]anything[/i] could happen, after all. That didn’t help explain Bowser, Peach, and Mario, but humans with special powers wasn’t exactly a huge stretch. He knew Geralt came from a world that had merged with others before. Maybe Galeem or some other Galeem-like being had done that? 

He didn’t know. All he knew is that he was doing his best not to have a panic attack in front of the other Seekers and their guide, or their new apparent ally, Terry. Pit’s caginess made the situation pretty clear to Zenkichi: they’d met before, and it looked like Terry had died. Poor guy. Though, this also wouldn’t have been exactly the same Terry Pit had known. He was a Terry with slightly different experiences. Who would be the same person deep down, but just a tiny bit different. 

A wave of melancholy hit Zenkichi as an image of Sandalphon, and then Aoi, came to his mind unbidden. Even if Galeem had brought Aoi into this world…he wouldn’t be the same man she knew before she died. And she wouldn’t be the same woman he remembered. Time, distance, grief, and his own changing priorities would have warped his memories of her. The same went for Sandalphon, if they didn’t find any way to extend her time. 

He shook off the thoughts, focusing on Azuma again. He caught the tail end of the explanation about making sure to sign up with a dojo. Figures. It was a way to keep track of people, and for fighters to associate in ways to boost their popularity. The fights might have been one-on-one, or so he assumed, but that didn’t mean people who got along couldn’t gather and root each other on, or train together and share techniques. 

As Terry offered his own reservations about Mortal Kombat, Zenkichi laughed in agreement. [color=BFBFBF]”Oh, yeah, no thanks. That one sounds horrifying.”[/color] He admitted without shame. He’d seen some stuff, but wanton slaughter wasn’t his thing. [color=BFBFBF]”Thanks for the pointers, at least. Name’s Zenkichi Hasegawa. Good to meet you. And don’t mind everybody running off. We’re more a…loose association of like-minded individuals who share a vaguely connecting goal than a band of traveling warriors searching for thrills and battle. They’ve all got things they’re looking to learn, or accomplish. And not all of them are exactly the sociable sort, ya know?”[/color] He tried to explain away the group’s scattering, hoping Terry wouldn’t at least take it personally. 

[color=BFBFBF]”As for me, I’m looking forward to a chance to make some money, let loose a little, and not have to worry about anybody really getting hurt. We’ve had a rough couple days, so something less…lethal…in its stakes is nice. Hence no Mortal Kombat.”[/color] Circling back to the tournaments, Zenkichi looked around. [color=BFBFBF]”As for me, I figure I’ll try and sign up with Azuma’s dojo. Seems like a good guy, and not half-naked…”[/color] He trailed off with a nervous chuckle, shuddering a little. [i]Gross.[/i]

When the topic of food came up, Zenkichi gave a half-hearted shrug. [color=BFBFBF]”Maybe. I’m sure some of these guys would like to. I’d prefer to get things settled, [i]then[/i] relax, personally. So, if you do end up sticking around, Terry, guess we’ll be seeing each other soon.”[/color] 

Bidding the fighter a vague farewell, he approached Azuma. [color=BFBFBF]”So, I was thinking about trying to sign up with your dojo, if you guys are accepting new members. Obviously you only know second-hand that we fought off that Seethe, so…is there like a tryout or something?”[/color]