Chapter 106: Sawada Plays Sonic

Tuesday, November 26, 1991 – Night

Sawada, a new office worker, slumped into his chair, exhausted. He had been working overtime from Friday to Sunday, and now he felt like he was on the verge of collapse.

"I can't believe I haven't even had time to buy the new ZAGE games that released this Saturday..." he muttered to himself, sighing.

He glanced at a small bag sitting on his desk. Inside were three brand-new ZEPS games, still unopened. His tired expression softened into a smile. At least I can finally play them now. Playing ZEPS was one of the few things that brought joy into his otherwise monotonous life.

After arriving home, Sawada followed his usual routine—dinner, a quick shower, and then straight to his room. His small but cozy space housed two ZEPS consoles—one for playing and another opened up for study. The opened cartridges and scattered circuit boards showed his curiosity. He had a passion for technology, and he loved figuring out how ZEPS and its games worked. He had even started learning game programming in his free time, dreaming of one day creating his own game.

If I could make money selling games, I could say goodbye to this soul-crushing office job... he thought, sighing.

Shaking off the fatigue, he reached for the first game in his bag—Sonic the Hedgehog. He admired the box art, flipping through the manual and the latest issue of ZEPS Volume 3. A Z-Card slipped out from the case, featuring a special message:

"If you struggle very badly, I might help you."

Sawada raised an eyebrow. "Huh? So Zabo-man helps you in this game? Interesting. Anyway, let's play."

The moment he booted up the game, the upbeat and catchy music filled the room. The vibrant colors, fast-paced gameplay, and smooth controls pulled him in immediately. Sonic dashed through the lush landscapes, collecting golden rings and curling into a ball to strike enemies. The game was fun, energetic, and felt unlike anything he had played before, he can feel Sonic Speed in this game.

At first, he breezed through the early stages, enjoying the exhilarating sense of speed. But then he reached That Pit.

A bottomless pit loomed ahead. He made the jump—

And missed.

Sonic plummeted into the abyss.

"Damn it!" Sawada groaned as he respawned at the last checkpoint. Determined, he tried again.

Missed.

Again.

Missed.

Three times in a row. His frustration boiled over. "Come on! This is impossible!"

Just as he was about to throw his controller in frustration, something unexpected happened.

As Sonic fell for the third time, a new character suddenly appeared on the screen—a mysterious figure in a black and gray suit with a blue visor.

Zabo-man.

Without hesitation, Zabo-man swooped in, catching Sonic in mid-air before he hit the bottom. Gently, he placed him back just before the pit. A text box appeared:

"Try harder! I know you can do it! You're very cool!"

And with that, Zabo-man vanished.

Sawada blinked, then chuckled. "So that's what the Z-Card meant. If you fail three times in the same spot, Zabo-man helps you out. That's actually pretty cool."

With renewed determination, he attempted the jump again—this time, calculating his movements more carefully.

He made it.

"Yes! Finally!" he cheered, a triumphant grin spreading across his face. Zabo-man actually cheered me up.

Sawada continued playing, progressing through each stage and battling Dr. Eggman multiple times. The game was challenging but addictively fun. As he played, a thought began to take shape in his mind.

Could I work at ZAGE? He had always admired video games and ZAGE is company that make ZEPS, but tonight, something clicked. He didn't just want to play them—he wanted to create them and maybe working at ZAGE will let him know how to develop video games from scratch, because their Boss is Zaboru Renkonan , there always lot of his name on End Credit on ZAGE games.

It wouldn't hurt to submit my resume. Maybe, just maybe, I could turn my passion into a career...

He glanced at the clock. 11:00 PM.

Sighing, he stretched and turned off his ZEPS. "Good thing I checked the time. I have work tomorrow… which sucks."

As he lay in bed, his mind drifted to thoughts of game development, of working on something he truly loved. Maybe, just maybe, he could escape this office job and build a future doing what he loved.

With that dream in mind, he drifted off to sleep, Sonic's theme still playing faintly in his head.

To be continued...

*Author note : last chapter for today*