Arcade Stars Showdown! (For BrittanyW)

When her bestest best friend Sakura had told her about this arcade, Maddie had had to look up what a taiko drum was. Now, just two weeks later, the California girl could hardly remember a time when she wasn't racking up high scores on Kumi Taiko Superstar ♪♪. She had gotten compliments on her drumming skill from a dozen different people, including a couple of comments which she could only assume were compliments, seeing as how the ones giving her those compliments didn't speak any language other than Japanese. She had had a few would-be challengers to her dominance, including a series of particularly persistent schoolgirls from one of the nearby academies, but all had fallen before the might of Maddie Lux—track champion, wrestling star, and, now, taiko queen!

She was dressed in the clothes she had learned, through trial and error, were most comfortable to make the movements of the game in: a pink, tight-fitting T-shirt, a short, pleated navy skirt, and a thong underneath, with striped blue-and-white thighhighs and tennis shoes. Her typical baseball cap, of course, was completing the ensemble, as she thrashed about wildly, right side facing the drum, right hand swinging its drumstick backhanded, her left hand swinging in big arcs, moving like lightning when the cute little musical notes on the screen yelled to speed up, and giving it a more purposeful, pulsing rhythm when the notes slowed down. Of course, by the time she cleared Level 9, there were not very many slow moments.

But she didn't need them! Maddie swung with wild enthusiasm, her whole body moving, her butt thrusting out in a circle as she swung her hips to put more power behind her drumming, having the time of her life!

It had taken a long while to bring every single box and case from every game she had owned. Even more so as she has to rely on the delivery people to handle her mint condition boxes. A few delivery shenanigans had made the Briton trust less with home delivery. But after moving to Tokyo, she had less of a choice but to do so. At the very least, it had brought her enough time to set up 6 cupboards for her games around her apartment. All for their lovely arrival!

The games that she did get were mostly a random box of her favourites, games that she brought, box and all. A habit she had taken from her streamer father who also collected box arts, something that she cherished along with her father. They sell for a lot of money of course, but it wasn't really about the money why she would keep them in mint condition. There was a lot more to it for a collectionista like Mika.

Placing the games she does have in her cupboards, making sure they really fit inside, she stumbled onto a game that she hasn't played in a long time. Rhythm Heaven Fever. It reminded her of the time she spent with her cousins when they stayed at Christmas, both trying to get a high score over this music video game. The first one she would have got and one that she thrashed the cousins too (even going so far as to not play with her again because of her ultra-competitiveness) and that brought her to get the DS version when she's at school.

Feeling a sense of nostalgia, Mika ran a good stream of Rhythm Heaven Fever. And since this is her first time streaming in Japan, she managed to obtain the Japanese version of it. She remembered getting Phantasy Star Online 2 and had gotten the JAP version, which funnily enough was the reason why she started learning a bit of Japanese. It helps since most games she likes gets released in Japan first before it would hit the western world soon enough. And definitely helps to gain a lead on the leaderboard before US and Europe would get their chance!

Which is why she didn't have that much trouble in Japan when she first stepped foot here. Already meeting a lot of people, some English speakers and some aren't but she connected to the Japanese culture a bit faster compared to another Gaijin who doesn't have a clue of the language. One minigame included beating the taiko to the rhythm of the game. One question from Mika about what that drum really was soon brought her to another game that would fill her rhythm game love.

And that is what lead her to this particular arcade where the game cabinet was, one stream monster recommending it to her. Though as she pushed the door, one girl barged out crying, with another chasing after her. She couldn't pick out most of the conversation but the words "game", "ass-kicked" and "gaijin" was enough for Mika to connect the dots. A chat with some people soon told her of someone who has been racking high scores and beating pretty much anyone that wanted to challenge her. The supposed beast of the game that hasn't lost at all. Kumi Taiko Superstar ♪♪

Okay, now she had to meet this person.

Once she walked up to that particular game cabinet, her eyes soon stared in awe at the girl swinging and slamming the toy with wild enthusiasm. Just the way she had done it was enough to garner her attention, and she looked like an absolute master of the game. She was clearly enjoying herself, the girl was perhaps the same age as Mika. And an outfit that almost matched her own, Mika wearing a form-fitting navy blue t-shirt, a white pleated skirt, gold ribbons tying the dual ponytails on her head and red and white chucks.

She didn't lack any confidence in walking up towards her, some Japanese patrons looking and shaking her head, muttering some words thinking she's the next challenger. Though she was certainly different from the rest. Coming up as soon as she finished the level, Mika leaned in. "Well that's a pretty good score!" Mika grinned. "So you're that supposed Beast of Kumi Taiko Superstar that I've been hearing about..."

Now that was an accent that Maddie wasn't used to hearing around these parts. There were plenty of Japanese girls, speaking English or speaking Japanese, and there were Americans, too, who Maddie ran into both in the ring and out and about in this cosmopolitan heart of Tokyo. So far, she had not run into a single Brit, but that was about to change as that cute, kinda ridiculous accent chimed in from seemingly right on her shoulder.

Turning around with a big grin on her face, Maddie would put her hands on her hips, taiko drumsticks pointing outwards like a pair of wings or porcupine quills coming off of her flanks. She found herself face to face with a girl dressed, strangely, almost exactly like her—probably a secret admirer who had finally worked up the courage to approach her, when their attire was this similar. Together, they looked like background dancers in a 90's music video, but that look was, like, pretty damn in right now. Maddie lived just a few miles from Hollywood. She knew!

"Thanks!" Maddie would chirp, giving the pigtails-wearing girl a wink. "I mean, it's only the number three score up there on the high score board. But the other two are also me, so, y'know...I am pretty good!" She chuckled and shifted her weight from one leg to the other, then back again, a little too eager to keep completely still!

"I hadn't, like, heard anyone call me the Beast before, though. I totally like it!" She would give her fellow blonde a friendly clap on the shoulder. "So, do you wanna get my autograph or something?"

She figured there wasn't many Brits around here. Which perhaps made her feel special as soon as soon as she spoke up. Even other Japanese women were intrigued by Mika's British accent that flowed well out of her mouth. She figured that was more than enough to catch the attention of this skilled taiko player and to give her the time of day. Luckily, the brunette certainly did and she was greeted with a big grin that mirrored Mika's.

Speaking of mirroring, as the Briton looked up and down at this girl, she took a good look at her attire which surprisingly matched her own! Despite being a streamer, Mika still managed to follow trendy looks. This was much more comfortable, especially for days where she explores Japan. Her hands placed on her hips, although the difference is that she doesn't have the sticks in her hands. The twin pigtails would sure act like the wings she had described like a valkryie helmet!

"Oh well that's what the others called ya, love. So I say ya got yaself a pretty good reputation!" Mika chirped, her hips swayed side to side as she came in closer to the famed gaming beast! Her eyes grew wide once she heard that the other two top scores were also hers. "Wow! They sure are some bloody good scores!"

Mika would giggle as the brunette would give her a clap on the shoulder. Even more so as she asked if she wanted an autograph. "Teehee! Nah, love! Meeting you is good enough." She replied, looking from Maddie to the high scores in the leaderboard. "Guessing nobody came even close to beating your third best..." She would link her hand behind her back before leaning forward, getting real close to the Beast of Kumi Taiko Superstar. "You don't mind if I have a crack at this? Someone recommended me this game cause I love these kinds of games! And I reeealllllyyy want to try it out!"

It was a really comfy look. Colorful, dynamic, bold, but there was nothing that was a part of this look that wasn't something Maddie would lay around at home in. Evidently, this girl thought in a similar fashion, something that made Maddie giggle as the girl complimented her, marveled at her scores...generally acted like an adorable fangirl! Of course, she did make one request that was beyond what a mere fan would ask: she wanted to give the game a try herself.

Well, it was a public arcade, and Maddie technically didn't own the machine. The girl was being very gracious in asking if she could have a turn, and Maddie just could not deny this cute little British thing! She lifted one of the drumsticks up and lightly touched the girl's nose with it. "Boop!" she chirped, then giggled again as she handed the drumsticks to the Briton. "Go ahead! I wanna see what my number one fan's got!" she sang, pressing the sticks into the girl's hands before stepping to the side and wrapping an arm around the girl's waist, turning her to face the drums she would soon be beating! "If you can get within, like...a thousand of that third-best score, I'll buy you whatever you want at the snack bar! How 'bout that?"

She didn't think that she needed to ask permission just to play a game which is made public for all to play, but manners first. A typical British thing.

Even though she didn't say the magic word, Maddie of course allowed her to go on ahead. Giggling a bit once her nose got bopped by the drumsticks, Mika grinned. She could get to do what she sought out to do. Gripping the drumsticks in her hands, the Brit made her way to the screen. The Japanese onlookers watched on as the other foreigner comes in to play the game.

Feeling an arm wrapped around her waist as Maddie gave Mika something that piqued her interest even more: a challenge. Once she heard that, something clicked inside of Mika. As she goes through the tutorial of the game, Mika swayed her hips, getting limber.

"That's a pretty fair deal, love!" Mika chirped. She looked up towards the leaderboard, seeing those top three scores on there. "Just a thousand, huh?" Third seems pretty high. But she is feeling peckish and getting something earned tasted even better than any other thing.

Although there was one true score that she was really looking for...

Maddie was glad to hand over the sticks to her fan, letting the girl have a shot at the game herself. There were a couple other Kumi Taiko Superstar ♪♪ machines right next to it, of course, and a second set of drums facing the opposite direction on each machine, but they were old-school, the sort of machines which didn't share their high score boards with each other. Only one of them had the sort of unbelievable, godlike scores that Maddie churned out: her favorite of the three machines, good ol' Lefty. If this girl—who Maddie just realized she hadn't gotten the name of—was going to take on the challenge that Maddie made to her, it was only fair to let her use the same sticks and the same drum set that Maddie always did!

The girl seemed to be doing pretty well through the tutorial, shaking herself out, moving those hips around as she tapped out the slow practice rhythms on the drums. She looked pretty natural, though. Maddie felt that maybe, possibly, the girl had a little more experience with the instrument, or at least the game, than she let on! Grinning, Maddie stayed close to the Brit, giving her the room she needs to maneuver freely and comfortably and not much more than that.

"Hey, not bad, not bad!" Maddie would compliment her. "So now you're gonna get into the real, officially serious stuff. So far your score is automatic if you complete it, but now it's gonna be based on how good your drumming is, so get ready, Miss Twintails...which I have to call you since, like, you never told me your name. You ready?"

It was a good way to get limber, using the tutorial to get used to the game. Sure, she could have used the other machines but those didn't have the best high scores on them. Plus this seems to be in better condition too. Which is good for Mika since she doesn't have to blame for anything faulty from the game. A missed input here, a glitch there...as a gamer and streamer, she knew of the pitfalls when it comes to these sort of things.

Maddie also seems to give her enough space needed too, which was also good. Having seen most taiko minigames, she got used to the mechanics of the game quicker than most. Her hips swayed to the slow rhythm of the drums, getting a good play about before she would have to get serious. Maddie even complimented her, which was also good too!

The Briton would soon remember that she hadn't introduced Maddie and told her name! That wasn't in good manners! But since the game was about to start, she would have to settle with "Miss Twintails" which as far as nicknames go, wasn't the worst she had heard.  "Oh yeah, I'm ready as I'll ever be!" The blonde let out ecstatically as she set the level of the game. The screen gives a countdown, and in under a second, the Brit's cheery demeanour changed slightly...it wouldn't be noticed by many but there was a competitive gleam in her eyes.

Then the game start.

And Mika soon slammed the sticks down onto the drums, following the notes on the screen. Seeing the way that Maddie had done it, the blonde would thrash about to get all the notes. It would seem like she is doing it in wild abandon but each movement was purposeful, unwasted...one would have thought she was an undercover pro but Mika had only picked up the game. Big arcs, lightning slams, she would make ancient taiko drummers of old proud!

The scores would go up as time goes on, and her movements would soon catch the eye of those around the arcade room. Twintails dance around with each of her movements like dancing ribbons. At times her skirt fluttered to the point that she shown little flashes here and there. She put in effort, especially as she got to Level 9 where there were no slow periods and it all ridiculously fast. Her stamina from her track days would serve her in this very day. She was in the zone! And nobody was going to stop her! She kept that up till the last long note, drumming hard and fast that would make Lars Ulrich cry.

Mika would take a big gasp of air for her lungs, only then did she saw her scores. A habit she tends to have when she has tunnel vision at times. To her surprise, she wasn't even in the thousandth of Maddie's third-best score. Not even close.

She was better. She passed the third best score which would have been enough to win the deal. But that's not all. She had beaten Maddie's second-best score! In fact, even that wasn't all! In her first run, the Brit had gotten not just the third, not even the second-best...

But Maddie's highest ever score!

"OH MY GOD! I DID IT! I BLOODY DID IT!!" She jumped up and down so high and ran about somewhat chaotically! To get Maddie's exact score was amazing in of itself! She now wondered if she could get a better score if she worked on it! "Wooo! That's just fan-dabby-tastic, love! Let me do this..." She would type the letters of her name onto the high score, which coincidentally allowed four characters on it. "M...I...K..A...There ya go!" Mika would soon turn to Maddie. "So! About my reward..."

The girl was obviously not a rank amateur. All taiko games pretty much played the same—if you were a good drummer, you could slip into a coma for twenty years, wake up, walk into an arcade, and play the newest game at a near-expert level. The trick, of course, was getting to be a good drummer to begin with. Maddie was in the ninety-nine-point-nine-ninth percentile, and amazed her fans with the silly but important fact that, as a cute American girl, no one expected her to be so good at playing a traditional Japanese instrument.

Now, she loved a good competition. Competing was in her blood. She had had burping contests, ice cream eating contests, spanking duels, home run-hitting contests, wedgie wars, blindfolded one-legged obstacle course races...and those were all within just the last six months. She liked to be pushed to her limits, even if she always ended up on top.

Even so, she did feel a tiny twinge of jealousy when Miss Twintails—which, in lieu of any proper introduction, was now this girl's legal and official name—kept on beating level after level, the speed and complexity of the drumming ramping up and the Brit managing to keep up, her score rising higher and higher...all while the fans who crowded the arcade were whispering in awe at her skills. Another gaijin who exceled at the taiko drums, right here in this arcade...well, Maddie felt happy for the girl! Though she could tell she was starting to struuggle with Levels 9 and 10...but she got through them like a warrior, with only a few mistakes. And her score...

...was exactly the same...

...as Maddie's #1 highest score.

Wow.

Well, Maddie was impressed! She grinned as the girl jumped around, chuckling as she watched those twintails bobbing and then thrashing about all over the place—not to mention that white skirt which came dangerously close to flipping up high enough to show the whole crowd the girl's panties. As it was, Maddie was the only one close enough to get a quick glimpse, and, still laughing, she would move in as the bouncing girl put her name into the high score table, smoothing out the back of that skirt to keep those panties out of sight. "Not bad at all!" Maddie would say, congratulating M-I-K-A, whose name joined MLUX under the #1 line in gold lettering at the top of the high scores.

"Well, as far as the deal goes, technically you weren't within a thousand of the third-place score..." Maddie would begin, trying to sell it but failing as she couldn't help but smile. "Buuuuuuuuuuuuut I'm just so generous, I'll buy you something, anyway!"

That took a lot of effort than it seemed but Mika did it. Quite proud of herself the fact she got it in her first try, which seems to be quite a thing in her streaming days. Tends to bring that side of her when she sees the best high score in whatever game she would play at a given day. That and she wanted to impress the fellow gaijin next to her. She knew those drumming sessions certainly would come in handy one day!

The Brit would bounce to her own rhythm, Maddie smoothing out the back of the skirt so that the rest wouldn't have to get a peek of her panties. She was glad that Maddie was happy for her and she thought it was a good win. Even if Maddie teasingly pointed out that she technicallly didn't do what was required of her.

"Ah come on, love. It was better than that so I'd say that's a win! Getting the top score is better than winning that challenge, right?" Although it was another challenge she could definitely get into, an interesting and focused challenge to say the least! "Oh and my name is Mika, just like on the board, see?" She giggled, thinking her real name would be better than Miss Twintails. "Since you are offering, how about a cookie!"