Saturday, September 20, 1991
After returning home from Bakudan Arcade, Sakaki wasted no time preparing for his gaming session. He eagerly turned on his ZEPS and launched Punch Out!! again. There was something he had been curious about—the "Additional" menu.
At first, the game only had two options:
New Game – which simply started a new playthrough.
Continue – which required inputting a passkey.
But now, there was a new option:
"Additional"
"Huh? What's this about?" Sakaki muttered, selecting the option.
The screen transitioned to a new menu with a single selection: "Input."
"Input? What the hell is this?" he wondered, clicking on it.
Suddenly, five empty slots appeared on the screen, allowing him to enter a combination of letters and numbers.
"What am I supposed to put in here…?" Sakaki scratched his head before something clicked in his mind.
"Wait!"
He remembered the enigmatic code he had written down from Doc before. Quickly, he grabbed his notebook lying nearby and flipped to the page where he had jotted it down:
L1GM4
"I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to input L1GM4 here… No idea what'll happen, though."
With cautious excitement, Sakaki entered the code and pressed confirm.
The screen flashed:
"L1GM4 Activated."
Then, a new "New Game" button appeared.
"A new game button!?"
Curious, Sakaki selected it.
The screen faded in, showing Little Mac looking sick, unable to compete. Doc appeared on-screen, looking dizzy as well, before searching for a replacement fighter.
He found one.
A mysterious boxer appeared—a fighter dressed in black clothes, wearing a gray helmet, with glowing eyes visible through the visor. His gray boxing gloves tightened as he stepped into the ring.
His name was…
Zabo-Man!
Sakaki's jaw dropped.
"What the hell!? You can play as another character!?"
Excited, he jumped right in and started fighting as Zabo-Man.
Unlike Little Mac, Zabo-Man was fast, powerful, and sturdy!
"Whoa! Little Mac feels weak compared to this guy!"
With ease, Sakaki obliterated Super Macho Man.
"Man, this game just became so much easier with Zabo-Man!"
However, just as he was expecting the final victory screen, a new stage appeared!
"Fantasy Circuit Unlocked!"
Sakaki blinked.
"Wait… there's more!?"
His first opponent appeared—
A yellow, round-headed fighter with a weird mustache.
His name?
PACQ-MAN!
Sakaki gasped.
"WHAT THE HELL!? PAC-MAN WITH A MUSTACHE!?"
The bell rang, and PACQ-MAN immediately rushed forward at lightning speed!
Sakaki barely had time to react before a rapid three-hit combo slammed into Zabo-Man.
"What the—?! He's so fast!"
PACQ-MAN weaved side to side in a strange, unpredictable pattern, almost as if he was moving along an invisible maze!
Sakaki struggled to land a hit.
"Damn, he's slippery!"
Whenever he got close, PACQ-MAN unleashed a chomp attack that knocked Zabo-Man back.
Sakaki gritted his teeth.
"Alright, if you're gonna play like that, I'll adapt!"
He started memorizing PACQ-MAN's pattern, dodging just before he attacked. After several tries, he landed a powerful counterpunch, staggering the yellow menace.
Seizing the opportunity, Sakaki unleashed a flurry of blows, finally knocking PACQ-MAN down.
"YES! DOWN YOU GO, YOU LITTLE YELLOW DEMON!"
PACQ-MAN tried to get up—but the count reached 10!
K.O.!!
Sakaki slumped in relief.
"That guy was ridiculously strong!"
But before he could celebrate, the next opponent appeared.
A massive figure stepped into the ring.
It looked like a slim Donkey Kong—but with a full beard, boxing gloves, and a cocky grin.
His name?
DK MAYWHEATHER.
Sakaki's eyes widened.
"Are you serious!?!?"
The match started, and DK Maywheather charged forward, throwing a devastating body blow—
WHAM!
Zabo-Man went flying across the ring!
Sakaki's mouth dropped open.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?"
DK Maywheather bounced on his toes, grinning confidently.
"Tch, he fights like a real boxer!"
Sakaki tried to dodge, but DK Maywheather's footwork was insane. Every time Sakaki tried to land a hit, DK dodged and countered with a precision hook.
Two punches—
K.O.!
"DAMN IT!"
Sakaki gritted his teeth.
It took him dozens of attempts, studying DK Maywheather's movements and timing his counters perfectly, but finally—
Zabo-Man landed a critical uppercut!
DK Maywheather stumbled, and Sakaki unleashed a devastating flurry of punches!
K.O.!!!
Sakaki threw his hands up.
"YES!!! FINALLY!!!"
But before he could even catch his breath, the screen flashed red.
A message appeared:
"FINAL CHALLENGE – PROCEED WITH CAUTION!"
Sakaki gulped.
"Oh crap… what now!?"
The next opponent appeared—
And Sakaki froze in shock.
It was Mario—but towering, incredibly muscular, and completely monochrome.
His name?
GIGA CHAD MARIO!
Sakaki burst out laughing.
"OH MY GOD! ZABORU MUST BE INSANE!!"
The fight began.
GIGA CHAD MARIO WAS UNSTOPPABLE!
He launched lightning-fast consecutive punches, shouting "ORA ORA ORA ORA!!" like a madman.
Sakaki couldn't dodge fast enough!
Even after playing for over an hour, he kept losing!
"AGHHH!"
But eventually, he memorized Mario's moves and started putting up a fight.
After several grueling matches, he finally landed the winning blow!
K.O.!!!
Victory!
The screen changed to Zabo-Man, who raised his gloved hand for a victory fist bump.
A message appeared:
"I knew you could do it! You're very cool!"
The credits rolled.
Every single name on the screen?
"Zaboru Renkonan"
Sakaki let out a deep breath and slumped back in his chair.
"I can't believe that was all hidden content… That was INSANE!"
Then he glanced at the clock.
00:00.
"Oh my god, I did it again…!"
He sighed.
"Whatever… tomorrow's Sunday, so I can keep playing! But I'll let the console rest for an hour first."
He stretched his arms.
"Time to eat. Then I'll play Excitebike!"
As he stood up to turn off the console, his eyes landed on the black and gray card with the "Z" logo and some words on the back.
His eyes widened.
"Wait… that card was a clue to finding Zabo-Man in Punch Out!!…"
A realization hit him.
"DON'T TELL ME… OTHER GAMES HAVE SECRETS TOO!?"
His excitement soared.
"Damn… I can't wait to find out! But first—FOOD!"
With that, Sakaki rushed off to eat—already counting down the minutes until his next gaming session.