"Ms. Emery, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Ethan gave a polite bow, despite the fact that Linda's expression toward him was anything but friendly.
The woman who had abandoned her studies for Bruce and stood by his side for the rest of his life was now actually standing in front of him.
Faced with Ethan's courteous greeting, Linda merely gave a perfunctory nod before turning her attention to the Street Fighter prototype cabinet against the wall.
The moment she noticed that the machine wasn't even painted, its cabinet hastily cobbled together from a few mismatched scraps of wood, her expression darkened even further.
She pulled Brandon aside and lowered her voice.
"If you're going to work with someone, couldn't you at least pick a real company?"
Even a giant like Konami had only managed to produce something as crude as Kung-Fu. It was hard to imagine a tiny studio like GAMENOVA doing any better.
Brandon, however, looked delighted. He had gone through so much trouble just to convince his mother to come. Once she actually played the game, she'd understand.
"Me? I'll pass. You play. I'll just watch."
But when Brandon invited her to try it herself, she flatly refused, crossing her arms with an expression that clearly said I'm not touching that machine.
Shannon, receiving no encouragement from her mother, simply stood beside her, curiously looking around.
"Then... Ethan, care for a match?"
Seeing no other option, Brandon invited Ethan to play instead.
After all, asking Sam would only result in endless Guile turtling attacks. It wouldn't exactly make for an exciting demonstration.
"Haha, then I won't hold back."
Ethan accepted, but his character choice caught Brandon completely off guard.
He picked Chun-Li.
"What? Lost your confidence already?"
"We'll see soon enough."
Brandon naturally chose Fei Long.
After all, today's main objective was to show his mother this character.
Yet Ethan had absolutely no intention of putting on an exhibition match. From the opening second, every attack came with lethal intent.
Startled, Brandon immediately had Fei Long block, back away, and establish proper spacing, quickly calculating a safe neutral distance.
But Ethan had been playing fighting games for years. While he might not have exceptional talent, he was no pushover.
Combined with Brandon's unfamiliarity with Chun-Li's moveset, Ethan managed to take the first round after an intense back and forth.
Behind them, Linda's face grew even darker. She had recognized immediately who Fei Long was modeled after.
But Bruce Lee... lose?
Impossible…. This was outright character assassination. Even worse than Konami's game.
Meanwhile, unlike her mother, Shannon wasn't nearly as stubborn. Instead, she found herself completely captivated by the game.
Her eyes remained fixed on Chun-Li's victory pose, sparkling with excitement.
Round Two.
Ethan couldn't help feeling surprised. Winning the first round had been far more difficult than it appeared.
After taking a beating early on, Brandon had already adapted, nearly figuring out Chun-Li's entire game plan.
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At the start of the second round, Ethan found himself unable to gain any advantage. Several kicks whiffed in succession.
As the timer ticked down, it was obvious that after eating a few more mid attacks, he'd lose on health. Seeing his Super Gauge completely full, Ethan made up his mind.
He threw out a raw Super.
"Shichisei Senkuu Kyaku!"
If it connected, it would easily break Brandon's crouching guard while dealing massive damage.
Click.
Almost instantly, Brandon pressed a button.
Ethan's heart skipped a beat, as it was too late, his Super was cleanly countered.
To make matters worse, Brandon immediately followed up with a command throw. Now it was Ethan's turn to suffer. He got pinned against the corner and mercilessly pummeled.
Now that Brandon understood the new character's capabilities, he no longer held anything back. Forget fancy technique, he poured on relentless offense.
A crisp battle cry rang through the speakers.
Bare-chested except for a pair of kung fu trousers, Fei Long whipped out a pair of nunchaku and unleashed an extended Super combo on Chun-Li.
The moment that iconic shout echoed through the room, Linda froze. Her eyes unconsciously followed Fei Long's movements across the screen.
Brandon had learned all of his martial arts directly from his father. Naturally, every movement, every tiny detail, bore an uncanny resemblance to Bruce Lee himself.
Even his instincts in combat carried traces of his father's style. As a result, the Fei Long under Brandon's control truly possessed a hint of Bruce Lee's spirit.
For a fleeting moment… Linda felt as though Bruce himself was standing on the other side of the screen, demonstrating his martial arts to the world once again.
K.O.!
As expected, once Ethan lost the advantage of unfamiliarity, he was quickly defeated in the second round.
But he didn't feel frustrated at all.
Because a familiar notification had just appeared beside his ear.
[Ding!]
[Mission Complete!]
[Reward Obtained]: +20 to All Attributes
[Bonus Objective Completed!]
[Reward Obtained]: Skill Gift Pack ×1
That could only mean one thing.
Ethan turned toward Linda.
"Ms. Emery, what do you think of the game?"
"Hmph."
She snorted, completely ignoring him. Her gaze remained fixed on Fei Long.
After a long silence, she finally spoke.
"I suppose it's... acceptable."
"And another thing."
"Bruce wasn't this weak."
"You need to buff him."
Brandon and Ethan exchanged smiles.
Looks like today's mission had been accomplished.
"Ethan... may I try it?"
Seeing the atmosphere finally relax, Shannon stepped forward, gave Ethan a small nod and asked politely.
"Of course. Be my guest."
Two minutes later…
K.O.!
With a beautifully executed Hazan Tenshokyaku Chun-Li completely emptied Fei Long's life bar.
The entire room fell silent.
...What was this? Had they just randomly discovered a fighting game prodigy?
By the end of the year, Konami's American arcade port project had finally reached completion.
Thanks to the arcade hardware's overwhelming performance advantage, the arcade version of Kung-Fu had received upgrades across the board. It was practically a complete remake.
Three brand-new stages.
New boss battles.
Far richer colors.
Higher-quality audio.
This time, Konami's goal was ambitious.
They intended to position Kung-Fu as a premium arcade title capable of competing with Contra.
"Sir, we've got a problem."
The vice president, who had been reviewing the inventory list for the first production run of arcade cabinets, looked up in confusion. Now was the perfect opportunity to ride the arcade boom and rebuild Konami's American presence.
What could possibly have gone wrong? His subordinate walked over to the television and turned the dial.
On the screen...
Brandon Lee, dressed in Bruce Lee's iconic yellow jumpsuit, stood on one side.
Opposite him stood Arnold Schwarzenegger, wearing a ridiculous bright blonde wig and a green camouflage military uniform.
The two rushed towards each other simultaneously.
Their fists collided head-on.
Then, in the center of the screen, an elegant title appeared in bold calligraphy.
STREET FIGHTER.