Until We Fight Again

“Fancy seeing you again. Not that I mind returning customers one bit. Although, I see that you want to get right down to business.”

The Server of Rye, Megu, greeted Ryuji and Grace as they awoke in Hypnagogia. One look at Ryuji’s face was enough for the info dealer to get the gist of the situation. It was no time for offers of pleasantries.

“Yes, I did happen to sell the legendary fighting data of the Yama Ryu. You wouldn’t believe how much commission that made me!”

Ryuji clenched his fists, but then, he promptly recalled how easily he could be neutralized in this place. The dream world was hardly his turf, no matter how strong he was in reality.

“Oh? Not going to pounce? I like them feisty,” Megu said with a grin, before whipping open his fan to hide his teasing look. “But I like them obedient even more. You get passing marks. Come with me.”

Megu led them back to the information center below the pleasure district. As they approached, the chair spun around to reveal a familiar face.

“Haru!”

Grace leapt forward, diving into Dr. Higashi’s awaiting arms. For a moment, Ryuji felt almost jealous, but he quickly brushed it aside.

“When are you going to learn to use the front entrance?” Megu quipped, clearly meant for the sudden visitor.

“And here, I thought a dream world yobai would get your blood pumping. That is, if you don’t mind an old acquaintance who ran off with your best friend.”

Megu approached Dr. Higashi, electricity firing between their eyes. Ryuji could tell that some sparks happened between them in the past, but whether they were good or bad ones was another story.

“I trust that you are keeping my dear Kasumi out of this mess?”

“Of course, can’t let the missus drag an unborn kid into a fantasy world such as this. There’s not enough research on children in the dream world as is, so she’s on official leave as per her boss.”

“Nice to see that you are using your power as hospital director sensibly.” Megu backed off and went back to an aura of indifference. Grace floated right up to him, receiving a headpat in response. “Then, what are you here for?”

Dr. Higashi crossed his arms, looking straight at Megu with determination.

“One is a fairy only as long as your wings aren’t seen. Time for that dream to end.”

Ryuji looked between the two of them, confusion evident on his face. His thoughts were interrupted by a fan closing with a hard tap.

“The time has come then,” Megu said.

“The time for what?” Ryuji interrupted.

“Grace was the one that unlocked our potential. If it weren’t for her, neither Dr. Higashi nor I would have found ourselves deep in dream research. Without her, none of this would have happened. But at the same time, we made a promise when we went our separate ways – to find a way to release Grace from the dream world.”

“Megu may have taken up the Server of Rye as a mantle, but that was merely to gather enough data until our wishes were mature enough to act. The patriarch of the Tenjou Clan left it to us to find a way of bringing Grace into reality somehow, and the two of us were on the same side from the very start.”

“But before that can be done, it looks like a few loose strings have to be tied off.”

Megu looked right at Ryuji, who immediately understood.

“Arabaki, and anyone else looking to use that tech for themselves.”

Dr. Higashi walked over and placed a hand on Ryuji’s shoulder.

“Correcto, dream tech was not invented so that Grace’s gifts can be exploited. It was invented to find a way to preserve people whose bodies had failed them, leaving a consciousness with nowhere else to go. Honjou Kazuhito jump started the research after his daughter, Miyabi, went into critical condition from an accident. But with him on his deathbed, what would happen when he is replaced?"

The succession of Chairman suddenly became vastly more important in Ryuji’s eyes. A man such as Arabaki becoming the next head of the Tenjou Clan would mean using Grace for his own benefit. He was already doing that by becoming a fighting clone of the Yama Ryu.

“Taking down Arabaki won’t be easy. The exchange I had with him already shows how dangerous this tech can be. If only a certain someone hadn’t given the enemy such a big advantage.”

“I may have provided him with data of your battles, but that’s it. I had nothing to do with the suit that he wears. That’s a little something special from the R&D division of his enterprise in robotics.”

Dr. Higashi perked up suddenly, like he thought of something.

“Wait, that’s it! Ultimately, he has to feed the algorithms into a program, and it has to spit out an action plan in response! There is a gap!”

“What do you mean, Doc? You know this science stuff is beyond me.”

Instead of answering, Dr. Higashi materialized a soccer ball on the ground and kicked it right at Ryuji’s head. It zoomed right past him and bounced against the back wall. Ryuji had tilted his head ever so slightly to avoid it.

“What was his reaction time, Megu?”

“A hundred and twenty milliseconds.”

Dr. Higashi clapped his hands together in approval, a wide grin on his face.

“And that’s without Grace’s aid. I had my suspicions, but it’s no wonder the Yama Ryu is so powerful. That speed is near inhuman!”

“But what does that have to do with beating Arabaki?”

“It would be faster to show you.”

Dr. Higashi signaled to Megu, who let out a sigh before twirling his hands in the air like casting magic. All of a sudden, the back wall opened up and spotlights lit up down a path. It led to what looked like a caged arena in the distance.

“Leave it to you to recall scrapped plans. The coliseum will finally serve a purpose, I suppose. There’s simply no money in watching people beat the tar out of each other in a dream world where no one can really get hurt. There are already video games for that.”

Ryuji had a distinct feeling that he was meant to get into the ring. But as to who he was fighting, Dr. Higashi walked forward and threw off his white coat.

“Don’t give me that look, Yama Ryu. I could smell a competitive spirit from you back when we were escaping the hospital. Well, here’s your chance!”

Ryuji’s look of surprise slowly curled into a cheeky grin. That was, until Grace chimed in as well.

“Oo, oo! Me too! Let me join in on the fun!”

“Of course, the great Yama Ryu will have a taste of unlocking his potential through dream world training.”

Somehow, Ryuji got a pretty bad vibe from the duo. His deflated enthusiasm was hoisted on both sides by them as they dragged him forward into the mysterious arena while Megu waved at them with a sly grin.

v

Arabaki Shuji had one metric to go by in all of his decisions – fun vs. affordability. For that reason, he spent his business acumen on raising his capital, so that his ceiling for fun would be limitless.

As he looked down at his combat exoskeleton, he was felt a joy similar to a child unleashing a toy robot that took its first ride through a miniature model town, leaving behind unbridled destruction.

The broken glass in which his opponent fell through gave him a sense of satisfaction. It had all been worth it. The billions of yen that he spent to develop a hardy suit that moved like a superhuman had given him an edge in combat. Beating the Yama Ryu with copied moves was an extra bonus, showing that machine can easily overcome man.

The days of the traditional yakuza were numbered. He knew from the start that muscle and grit would no longer hold together a rapidly aging roster that stuck to old methods. New blood that integrated the shifts in society were necessary to stay relevant. Even in the shadows, the underworld had to change with the light.

The legend of the Yama Ryu ruling the streets had kept the Tenjou Clan from evolving. That was why Arabaki had to set up a counterexample. He had to beat the Yama Ryu at his own game, while showing the potential for the future.

“Heh, he’ll be back. I’m sure of it.”

Arabaki stepped back from the window, just in time for some remnants of the Shindou Family to walk in. They immediately dropped into defensive stances at the sight of the trashed office, before one of them spotted their injured boss against the wall.

“Oyabun!”

Paying Arabaki no mind, he rushed to his boss’s side. The others cautiously looked over to Arabaki, who pointed his chin the other way, before racing to join him. Arabaki had no interest in teasing a fallen officer. There was simply no fun in that.

Shindou’s men leered at him as he casually walked by, fear evident in their eyes at the exoskeleton suit wrapped around his body. They had known that the Yama Ryu had broken in the office not long ago. But with him absent now, the presumed victor before them instilled an awe that transcended families.

The Yama Ryu could be beaten. He had been beaten.

It was a feeling akin to a world-famous swordsman getting killed by a single gunshot. The mixed feelings of Shindou’s men would serve as a rumor mill to begin a new legend.

But first, Arabaki had to finish the job. He had collected some valuable data in his first test run against the Yama Ryu. A night of re-calibration would finish the job.

And if there was one thing he knew about his opponent, it was that he never knew when to give up. The moment when he mentioned Project Grace, he could feel Yamaoka’s blood boil. A man with that much fervor would come back for more. His descent down the hotel building spoke of a tactical retreat. He would be at his very best the next time.

Arabaki pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

“Kitty Meow Meow Cabaret. How can we be of service, nyaa?”

Arabaki dropped into a flirtatious tone, a grin on his face.

“Arabaki here. I’d like to buy out the club for the night. Champagne towers for all!”

“How wonderful, nyaa! I’ll let the girls know to give you top tier service for the night, nyaa! And maybe a little extra, nyaa!”

“I’ll be waiting, nyaa.”

Arabaki clicked off the phone and slid it back into his pocket. With a wide grin, he stepped into the elevator of the Keio Hotel.

A victory lap was needed after all his fun had seen its dividends.