Pepper and Katsuobushi's Retro Game Showdown – Part 2
In the digital coliseum of Buildifight's arcade cabinet, two fighters clashed in a test of skill.
"Man, you're tough as ever!" Kei growled.
"And you're way too fast!" Azusa shot back. "How much did you dump into Speed?!"
Bushikazzo's build character, Riel, glided on her Rejector Armor legs, skating with bursts of flame from the boosters. She closed the gap in a flash, her kick slamming into the combat gauntlets on Nobu=Nash's legs, controlled by A-Z.
But A-Z wasn't outdone. As the kick landed, he deliberately rolled with the impact, minimizing damage to Nobu=Nash's body and armor, springing back up instantly.
"You're annoyingly tanky!" Kei snapped. "How much have I suffered because of this guy?!"
"That's the point!" Azusa grinned. "Take it, take it, endure it, then boom! That's Nobu=Nash's style!"
"Your counterplay is borderline cheating! Tone it down!"
"Says the guy meta-gaming to death! Chill out yourself!"
"I have to meta to stand a chance!"
"Oh, is that so?!"
Bickering like rivals, Nobu=Nash parried Riel's aerial heel drop, unleashing a flurry of punches with the Rush technique, hammering Riel's Rejector Armor legs.
"Try this!" Kei countered.
Riel pulled back, accelerating with a lightning-fast turn to flank Nobu=Nash. She landed a Jet Kick to his back, staggering him. Unfazed, A-Z had Nobu=Nash grab Riel's armor with his left hand, dragging her down in a Takedown Drop, slamming both to the ground.
"Too bad, Bushikazzo! I planned for some hits!" Azusa taunted.
"I knew that, but it still pisses me off, A-Z!" Kei roared.
Amid their banter, both felt the same thrill: this is fun. Crafting hidden strategies, timing commands perfectly—the electric rush coursed through their nerves, every sense honed to win.
"Look, A-Z and Bushikazzo are duking it out!"
"No way! This is insane!"
"Goddamn, that's awesome!!"
Arcade patrons flocked to the cabinet, surrounding it. Some recorded the live feed on their phones, others cheered wildly, as the match lit up the big screen.
"Voltage is spiking, Bushikazzo," Azusa said.
"Love it, A-Z. It's heating up," Kei replied.
"Don't cry when you lose."
"Putting on a show's part of being a gamer, right?"
"True, but I'm not holding back!"
"Couldn't agree more!!"
"I'm gonna win!" they shouted in unison.
Nobu=Nash's gauntlets clashed with Riel's Rejector Armor, sparks flying, flames roaring, as the crowd's cheers shook the arcade.
Riel and Nobu=Nash were like the classic paradox of spear and shield.
Opposite builds: speed vs. endurance.
Opposite stats: attack vs. defense.
Bushikazzo's "strike first" against A-Z's "outlast and conquer."
Polar opposite players chasing opposite paths to victory.
Yet, their opposition let them understand each other's strengths and weaknesses—and strive to overcome them.
"Here we go!" Kei shouted.
"Tch!" Azusa grunted.
Riel's Rejector Armor erupted in steam and flame, unleashing a rapid-fire Gatling Stamp kick barrage, pounding Nobu=Nash's arm and leg gauntlets.
Nobu=Nash seemed helpless, barely guarding his head and torso as the onslaught continued.
"Is A-Z getting pushed back!?"
"Come on, fight back!"
"Go, Bushikazzo!!"
"Keep pressing! You got this!"
Despite guarding, Nobu=Nash's Health barely dipped, but prolonged assault risked an Armor Break on his gauntlets.
Still, A-Z refused to drop Nobu=Nash's guard, enduring Riel's relentless rush.
"This is it… No, wait!" Kei shouted, halting Riel's attack and pulling back.
"Why'd he stop!?"
"He could've closed it out!"
"No, Bushikazzo's call was right," a spectator said.
In the dusty coliseum, Nobu=Nash stood firm. Riel's Gatling Stamp damaged his gauntlets but barely scratched his Health.
"Nice move, Bushikazzo," Azusa said. "If you'd kept pushing, you might've won."
Every character, built or preset, had a Finishing Move powered by the Finishing Gauge. Nobu=Nash's gauge was near Level 3—a reversal point.
"He tanked that rush to build his gauge to Level 3!?" a spectator gasped.
"Exactly," another confirmed. "A-Z bet on Nobu=Nash's Health and Defense to endure, charging the gauge for a comeback."
"No way…!"
A defensive build's specialty: gauge management. Even if a Finishing Move missed or the gauntlets broke, Nobu=Nash's stats could rebuild the gauge. That was A-Z's plan.
"Close call," Kei said. "Your Level 3 finisher would've KO'd me. But thanks to your tanking, I hit Level 3 first…!"
Riel's gauge had already crossed Level 3, poised for a Finishing Move.
"Level 3 – FINISHING MOVE!"
"EXPLOSION CHARGE!!!!"
The cabinet's speakers blared as Riel's Rejector Armor unleashed all generators, roaring with steam and flame. Balancing like a figure skater, she spun at high speed, her body a red-and-white tornado in the coliseum.
As Nobu=Nash braced with his left gauntlet in a karate stance, Azusa sensed danger.
"Too slow!!" he shouted.
"What!?"
A red-and-white flash tore past Nobu=Nash's left side.
His left arm gauntlet shattered into pieces.
"What…?"
"What the hell was that!?"
"What did Bushikazzo do!?"
"It's not over yet!"
Riel's Finishing Move obliterated Nobu=Nash's left gauntlet, sending the crowd into a frenzy. A second strike hit, launching Nobu=Nash into the air, crashing back-first into the coliseum. His Health plummeted, and his gauge hit Level 3, but his health management was completely wrecked.
"So fast…!" a spectator gasped.
"I can't follow what's happening!"
"A-Z, watch out! Third hit's coming!?"
Riel pivoted at a sharp angle, a red-and-white streak racing toward the recovering Nobu=Nash.
"…So that's your trick, Bushikazzo!" Azusa realized.
As Riel closed in, A-Z made Nobu=Nash shield his head with both leg gauntlets.
"What's he doing!?"
"A-Z, what the hell!?"
"He's gonna get wrecked!!"
The instant he guarded, Riel's attack smashed the leg gauntlets, shattering them with a deafening crash.
"Now!!" Azusa shouted.
As the leg gauntlets broke, he rolled Nobu=Nash left, using his intact right gauntlet to tap Riel's left leg. Her balance faltered, nearly collapsing. As Bushikazzo made Riel brace with her right arm, scraping metal and dust clouds filled the arena.
When the dust cleared, A-Z and the crowd saw it:
Riel's Rejector Armor was now on her right arm.
Her right leg was bare.
"What!?"
"What's that!?"
"The armor's on her arm!?"
As the crowd gasped, A-Z had already pieced it together.
"Your Rejector Armor… it's a Dual-Link Adaptive Armor, switchable to the arm, huh, Bushikazzo!?"
Dual-Link Adaptive Armor: a special armor type that consumes extra weight capacity but allows switching between body parts. Mastered, it's a game-changer. Bushikazzo's Rejector Armor functioned as boosters on legs and a lance-like arm weapon. During Explosion Charge, the spin masked a shift from right leg to right arm, obliterating Nobu=Nash's gauntlets and Health with a high-speed rush.
"Figured it out, huh?" Kei said. "I was pretty confident in that blindside gimmick, but you countered well, A-Z. Still, I trashed all but your right gauntlet and wrecked your Health management.
This is the climax—I'm taking the win!"
On one side, Bushikazzo's Riel, with her Finishing Move and hidden trump card, dealt massive unexpected damage, cornering her rival.
On the other, A-Z's Nobu=Nash, with a maxed Finishing Gauge but broken Health management and only one gauntlet left, was on the ropes.
The match hurtled toward its final phase…
Sharpened Fangs Aimed for Victory
Nobu=Nash: A-Z's build character, inspired by Nobunaga Oda at Honnoji. Built for Health, Defense, and Technique, with arm and leg gauntlets and lightweight waist armor. Concept: "Take it, take it, endure it, then boom!"—a counter-focused, comeback-driven build.
Riel: Bushikazzo's build character, prioritizing Attack, Speed, and Break. Equipped with Rejector Armor, a Dual-Link Adaptive Armor pushing weight limits for massive boosts to speed and attack. On legs, it enables hovering and boosted kicks; on arms, it unlocks armor-destroying power at max speed, excelling in relentless offense. Inspired by Yasha, one of the Five Great Sodom from Sengoku ARMORS.
Commands: In Buildifight, players can freely customize move inputs for preset or built characters, optimizing for ease or situational use. Commands include Throw, Choke, Strike, and Grapple, allowing specialized builds like choke-only or hybrid throw-strike styles.
Finishing Moves: Damage taken, dealt, or blocked builds the Finishing Gauge, which powers strong moves at Level 1, 2, 3, or MAX. Higher levels yield stronger moves, customizable but with trade-offs: MAX moves are one-shot game-enders but can't be stacked, and Level 1 moves lose potency. At Level 3, players can chain from Level 2 to Level 1 or vice versa.
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