Chapter 149: Reaching for a First-Magnitude Star

Sylvia Goldberg. Female, 20 years old. If you asked anyone who the strongest pro gamer specializing in fighting games in America is, her name would almost certainly be the first one mentioned. The first time her name surfaced publicly was five years ago, in the amateur division of a certain fighting game tournament.
In that tournament format, she won her first match, second match, quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals... all of them with no-damage Perfects. And in the exhibition match against a pro gamer, she took two rounds entirely one-sidedly. With that joke-like Fact (Legend), the strongest fighting gamer, "Sylvie," let out a magnificent cry to the world.

Having made such a shocking debut, Sylvia Goldberg was scouted on the spot by the major multi-pro gaming team Zodiac Cluster. Within a year, a dedicated fighting game division named Star Rain was established—which could practically be said to have been created specifically for her. And for the five years since, she has continued to set brilliant records as the absolute brightest star among pro gamers......

"Wow, what's with that final boss?"

"It's less 'final boss' and more 'that one overpowered character who never loses once in the entire series,' right?"

"Ah, I get it."

She completely ignores death flags, indirectly corners the final boss, and overshadows the main character—she absolutely reeks of that kind of overpowered character energy. Plus, with her perfectly arranged facial features and the easily approachable, friendly expression she shows even in photo data... she's the type of overpowered character who would be insanely popular. The type of overpowered character who would beat the protagonist by triple the score to take first place in a popularity poll.

"The other three are normally quite strong as well, but if Sylvia Goldberg is a first-magnitude star, the rest are all second-magnitude... no, I have to say 2.5-magnitude. That's the level of player she is."

"And you're telling us we have a chance of winning against someone like that...?"

"Because a pro gamer gave us his seal of approval, I thought I was boarding a luxury liner. But now I feel like it's not even a sinking mud boat—it's a boat made of gravel."

"Well, it's true that if this were a game that was already released, we'd have no chance of winning. I've fought her several times myself, and aside from managing a draw exactly once, I've lost every other match... However, just for this specific event, we actually have a breakthrough."

Saying that, Katzo navigated his terminal away from the opponent team's profile photos and opened a new page. After a moment, the touch panel displayed the official website of a game, decorated with flashy, stylized text.

"Galaxia Heroes: Chaos... Releasing worldwide simultaneously this autumn... It's not even out yet."

"An exhibition team match under the guise of... 'actual gameplay footage' for this game. That's what we're doing at GGC the day after tomorrow."

"Seriously?"

Galaxia...? I've seen that somewhere... Ah.

"Is that the publisher of the American comic you forced me to read?"

"Exactly. It's the latest crossover title where you can control heroes and villains appearing in Galaxia Comics, regardless of which series they're from. And it's the second 'ShanFro-generation' title in the world, developed with technology provided by UES... Utopia Entertainment Software, the developers of Shangri-La Frontier."

Shangri-La Frontier. To think I'd hear that name here. With the name of the game I'm currently pouring the most passion into brought up, I could feel my expression hardening beneath the gas mask. The fighting game title, which I had previously thought had nothing to do with me, suddenly felt like it possessed a much heavier presence.

"It uses the exact same technology as ShanFro, albeit in a limited capacity. It's a title that stands alongside ShanFro, a game with technology so far ahead of its time it's practically an out-of-place artifact. An American company threw an absurd amount of money at UES for a joint development, supposedly a desperate move to revive the US gaming industry... But the manufacturer's ambitions for a comeback don't matter right now. What's important is that this game is basically an entirely different beast from its predecessor, Galaxia Heroes: Burst."

"I see... I think I'm starting to understand what Katzo-kun is getting at. In other words, for Miss Blonde-and-Blue and the rest of the Americans, it's a completely unexperienced game. But for us Japanese players, it's a game similar to ShanFro. We already possess the advantage of being used to it."

"Exactly. Both our team and theirs will be touching Galaxia Heroes: Chaos for the first time today... They only have two days to get used to the game system, but we already have the advantage of all the time we've spent playing ShanFro. That is the one and only breakthrough that will let us beat the number one fighting gamer in America."

From Pencilgon's deduction and Katzo's confirmation, I grasped the general idea. In short, for a game utilizing Shangri-La Frontier's technology, the simple fact that we play Shangri-La Frontier is an advantage in itself. And since Shangri-La Frontier is currently a "Japan-exclusive" service, that advantage is something the other side cannot possibly possess.

"So that's why you called us."

"I figured my friends who survived the Wethermon battle together would be more than enough to fill in as substitutes for pro gamers."

Saying that, Katzo... no, pro gamer Kei Uomi, smiled fearlessly and declared to us once more.

"Well then, let's begin the strategy meeting for the defeat of Star Rain, and the defeat of Sylvia Goldberg."

"...That being said, Sylvia's combat style can actually be explained very simply."

"Which is?"

"It's you, Sunraku."

Huh? Me? Also, don't point at people.
As I tilted my head at the sudden comparison, Katzo explained Sylvia's extremely simple and clear-cut battle style.

"A highly mobile attacker whose tension directly correlates with their player skill... Sunraku, she has almost the exact same playstyle as you."

".........Heeh."

"Her signature main character... Meteos. There's almost no doubt she'll use this character in the team match the day after tomorrow."

Saying that, Katzo selected an incredibly flashy hero from the character introduction screen on the game's official website. Clad entirely in a white suit with gold armor protecting vital areas, the full-face mask featured a distinctive pentagram-shaped set of goggles, making it look like a star was literally stuck to his face.
His name was Meteos... If I recall, the setting was something like a humble salaryman given the power of a meteor by the transcendent entity involved in the creation of the universe, "Galaxeus," to fight against conspiracies lurking in the world and threats from outer space...! The moment he received the power, he instantly gained a six-pack, the shading on his face grew intense, and he turned into a completely different level of handsome. I remember laughing about it while reading the comic, but in American comics where the fundamental equation is Power = Macho, it's a fairly common trope.

"The problem is figuring out which position Sylvia will take in the lineup..."

"Yeah, if they're seriously aiming for a win, she might be the vanguard. But since it's an exhibition match using actual gameplay footage, they'll want to build up some hype, so there's a chance she'll be the anchor."

"It's safest to assume she'll be the anchor, isn't it? More importantly, what's the playstyle of the other macho guys?"

Judging by the way Katzo spoke, it's a given that there's some kind of history between him and this Sylvia-whatever. If that's the case, it's obvious she wants to fight Katzo too. Our role is to deliver our pro gamer here in pristine condition all the way to the number one player in America. If so, what Pencilgon, Natsume-shi, and I need to strategize against isn't Sylvia-whatever's Meteos, but the other three players.

"I'll send you the materials regarding that later. Galaxia Heroes: Chaos should be installed on the hardware of the Full-Dive systems in your individual rooms, so I want you to play it today, even if it's just getting a feel for the controls. We'll have a proper strategy meeting starting tomorrow."

"Hmm... By the way, are the servers for this Galaxia whatever-it-is already up?"

"The exclusive servers for this hotel and the venue are already set up. However, the system is intentionally configured so the data of the Star Rain team staying at this hotel and our side... the Nitro Squad... won't match up."

Wait, the opposing team is staying at this hotel too? Actually, considering they're making money on par with professional athletes—and if they're the team standing at the pinnacle of the US—they're probably staying in the suite rooms.

"I see... So the four of us can actually fight against each other right now."

I muttered that deliberately, making sure she could hear me, and directed my gaze through my gas mask toward her... Natsume-shi.
I know. I know exactly what you're thinking. You're doubting whether a blatantly suspicious guy who smells like he's younger than you, and a charismatic model who, while famous, has highly questionable actual gaming skills, can really be useful assets, aren't you? That doubt is entirely justified. I'm not offended by being underestimated. But if we're going to team up, even if it's just for a day, we need to properly interact. And Katzo and Pencilgon understand that too.

"Including Natsume-chan, around what time is everyone planning to log in?"

"Factoring in preparations and stuff, 10 o'clock sounds like a good time to start, doesn't it?"

"I'm planning to log in around then as well."

"...You guys don't have to beat around the bush with all this roundabout maneuvering. You could just say, 'Let's fight at 10 o'clock'."

No, you don't get it, my dear Katzoson. It's much more hype when things are deliberately hostile like this, isn't it?

Author's Afterword

Megumi Natsume
A pro gamer belonging to the fighting game division Nitro Squad of the Cyber Battalion. Her in-game player name is Nu2meg (Nutmeg). It probably goes without saying, but she has a crush on Kei.
When a rival in the same team had to drop out due to family circumstances, she saw it as her golden opportunity, forcibly cleared her schedule, and successfully got closer to Katzo as a team member for this exhibition. While she was stressing over how to intercept the Assassin (Sylvia) from America, she hasn't been able to catch up with the abnormal situation of a gas mask weir—eccentric, and a charismatic model suddenly showing up.