"Mom?!" Jui's voice was hoarse, his heart beat like an angry drum.
Frantically he searched their new apartment, but she was nowhere to be found. He wanted for tell her that this was a mistake. He wanted to say that they shouldn't have come here and should've stayed back home in the village where at least he knew his enemies. Here, their faces were new and new challenges awaited and that alone felt like he was being suffocated.
Jui's anxiety rose as the seconds passed. Homeschooling would be better than him facing the same problems over and over again. Maybe most of all, he wanted to be invisible…
Not to exist.
But that's when he saw his mother's letter. It had fallen off the in-table in their living room. It read:
"Jui, I'll be working late hours today. I finally got a second job waiting tables! Isn't that great! I made you some food in the fridge, so please don't forget to eat. I love you so much and I hope you find happiness in your journey today!"
Jui held that letter for a moment, gently placing it back on the in-table. His mother has made so many sacrifices for him to be here. Yes, he was afraid of the unknown…admittedly so, his past trauma resurfaced after a random kid's comments. But…could he really throw everything she sacrificed away just because he was unable to move on?
Jui walked over to the TV stand and picked up Strike. He looked the game over and sighed. If he could overcome his insecurities…if he could fight to love himself…maybe his outcome on life would change.
He popped in the disk and watched as the game roared alive on the TV. Strike was the embodiment of his story. In Strike, the object of the game is to gain points by eliminating your opponents. Jui's opponent were those who thought he was inhuman, something that could easily be erased…forgotten.
Jun his mother had called him once. Jun should be your gamertag because no one is more handsome than my son.
A tear left Jui's eyes as he remembered those words. He would show his village, his father, and the darkness that he faced that he would stand firm because he was not ashamed of who he was. He was a person, just like anybody else, who was fighting for their rightful place in history. And he would do that with videogames, the one thing that he held dear.
Jui played Strike regularly for weeks. He used his knowledge of gameplay from Zeem, and his passion and his drive to play with Saka, to push him through sleepless nights. He became obsessed with the videogame, so much so that his mother had to force him away from the screen. But…little by little she saw that the same smile that crossed his face as a boy returned, and that was good enough for her.
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Jui stood outside of the arcade, staring at the vibrant lights flicker amongst the setting sun. He was ready. He took the first steps by walking toward the Strike machines, hearing the crowd chanting Saka's name. He puffed out his chest after a heavy exhale, you know…he got this!
But when he got closer, he didn't pipe up after Saka's first match. He didn't go for it during his second…he just stood there and watched. Over and over again, Jui saw Saka defeat his rivals and the more he stood…the more he felt unsure of himself. So, instead Jui left and continued to play Rise of the Dead to calm his nerves.
Maybe, maybe after one game I'll finally be able to tell him I want to play.
But one game became two…and three. Jui watched his score double when he finally put down the gun and sighed. He didn't come here to shoot zombies, he came here to play—
"Saka!"
A slight pause and a curse ensued, "Where the hell did he go?!"
Jui felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up after he heard that. Whoever was talking was close…which meant…
Jui panicked, and backed away behind a pillar. Some kids started questioning why he was there, but he shooed them away, only to turn back and realize Saka was there! Standing right in-front of Rise of the Dead! But why?
He saw him pick up the gun and begin to play amid his friends calls. Honestly, he was good…but he didn't strategize enough to obtain the right weapons and perform the right combos to finish the game without losing his life a few times. Yet, when he finished he stared at the leaderboard for sometime.
"Jun? Who is this guy?" He scoffed.
Maichi spits, angrily walking over to Saka. "I've been looking all over for you, and you're over here?! Come on, lets go already."
"Chill, Maichi. I already ordered our food."
"Woohoo, I'm starving!"
As Maichi and Saka walked off, Jui looks over at the leaderboard. His eyes begin to widen. Saka was waiting for him. He was waiting to figure out who the mysterious "Jun" was that held onto the top spot!
So, Jui walked over to the Strike machine. He looked fear right into the eyes and grabbed a controller. He was finally ready to make his move.