I don't usually like posting, but I was weirdly inspired for this one, so here we go. In my head, I'm calling this #JunGaming
Super Smash Suffering (Write Himari losing to Jun in Smash… 50 times.)
It was finally time. Himari is
completely calm and collected as she marches up to Jun, brandishing her newfound prize like a weapon. The other
nerd connoisseur of technology squints for a moment at the game she picked up while on her mandatory outing with Rei - a small case with an assorted cast on the cover, and a small sticker in the corner that says "Featuring Vergil from the Devil Never Cry series!"
He quirks an eyebrow as she continues to proudly present her next game of choice. "Really? You're picking Smash Riot?"
She huffs. "Of course! It was only a matter of time, really. How can you say you've gamed with somebody if you've never beaten them up in Smash?
...besides, I can't find anyone that'll rematch me."
"...Well, it's your funeral," he replies with a faint shrug of his shoulders.
"Oho? Is that a
challenge I hear? Then let's up the ante! Best of five, loser has to wash the dishes for a week!"
"I already wash all the dishes, Himari."
"Well - I mean - whatever! That just means you have nothing to lose, right? Do you accept or not?"
"Sure, why n -" "Great! Then let's go!"
"Wait, at least let me finish cooking!"
Himari impatiently waits for Jun to set up the console and controllers, since she's still technically banned from interacting with technology too much. They'd played a few different games together by now, from cooperative to competitive, 4X's and RTS's to shooters and puzzle games, and while she'd admit that Jun was pretty good, Smash was one of her pride and joys. There was no way she'd lose.
After he
finally handed her a controller, she relaxed back into the couch as he settled into his own beanbag chair, one that was a horrific neon yellow that clashed with everything else in the room. She had no idea how he could stand the thing. It was comfortable, maybe? Not that she'd ever been allowed to try it, and somehow he always knew when she tried to sneak it - she was an assassin! How does he know?!
Nonetheless, they were finally ready to play, and she settled on a character she'd been putting in practice with recently, prior to her technical kidnapping/imprisonment/rescue. Ganondorf wasn't her usual style, but after his disastrous rankings in the previous game, Riot had given him a big glow-up and he was certainly interesting. Jun picked Yoshi, and they were off.
Round 1! Begin!
She lost. Hard. That stupid green lizard kept eating her then spitting her out off the edge of the map. She stared at the TV blankly until Jun finally spoke up.
"...I'll pick a different character."
"No no, it's fine! I'm just rusty, that's all. Been awhile, y'know?" Rusty, and she'd pick a character with a better recovery this time. Simple as that.
Round 4! Begin!
"No more Yoshi! What kind of weirdo mains Yoshi, anyway?"
Across from her, in his stupid, ugly chair, Jun was suspiciously silent.
Round 7! Begin!
"Why does Donkey Kong have so many grabs?!"
Round 11! Begin!
"Joker's a cheat character. Zero skill gameplay!"
Round 19! Begin!
"Stay on the ground and fight me like a man, coward!"
Round 28! Begin!
"..."
"..."
"It's fine. I'm fine. You're playing Sephiroth next, right? I'll just play Vergil, he's literally Sephiroth but better. Power creep's a helluva thing, right? Heheh."
"Maybe we should stop for now, Himari?"
"NO!"
Round 35! Begin!
She'd had enough. She bolted upright, flailing her arms about in a way that would've had her combat instructors smacking some discipline into her
(and keeping a tight grip on her controller because she wasn't an animal).
"That's it! You have to be cheating somehow! There's no way someone wins
thirty-five matches in a row without losing a single stock. I don't believe it!"
"...Get good."
She screams.
Round 40! Begin!
Jun rubs at his throat as she glares at the character select screen, carefully considering her next pick. They're both tired and hungry again, at this point, but she's determined. This is a matter of pride! And besides - "Those? Those were just warm ups. I've been analyzing your technique each and every round, and now I've deduced the perfect strategy to counter you. You'll never best me again!"
"Whatever you say." If his voice is a bit hoarse for reasons unexplained, neither of them comment on it.
Round 49! Begin!
"...This is impossible. You haven't even played your main yet, have you?"
"Uh, no."
"
Okay. Okay. Last round. One more. Final Destination. We both play our mains. No items. Typical tourney setup, right?"
Jun says nothing. He picks Little Mac. Her eye twitches.
Round 50! Begin!
"It's not fair! Why are you so much better than me at this game?!"
"Well... you know what they say, right? Talk shit, get hit."
"I hate you. I hate you so much. Touch grass and die."
"...So since you lost ten sets of five, does that mean you're doing the dishes for ten weeks?"
"..."
"...Hey, are you crying?"