The Never-ending Road: Chapter 51 – Awakening the Slumbering Lion
By Leitbur
"Wow," Waya said as he ran his hand over the lined wood of the board before him, "these are some really nice boards. Kaya both of them?"
Hikaru just nodded, his eyes staring down at his own board which held a partial recreation of Zama Oza's Game Five victory over Serizawa 9 – Dan in the Oza Finals, the game that had allowed Zama to retain his title. The most recent move depicted had ended up being the key move that allowed Zama to keep Serizawa's late game push at bay, a move that Hikaru had a strange feeling about in his gut, although what it was he didn't know.
Waya meanwhile continued, "Man, you sure are lucky, inheriting something cool like this. If my grandfather died I'm certain I wouldn't have gotten anything half as good as this. I guess you won't need to use that other board anymore, or are you planning to hold onto these for safekeeping?"
Still not lifting his head to meet the gaze of his friend, as he truly did not want to be discussing this topic, Hikaru simply said with a pained tone to his voice, "I'd rather have my grandfather back."
Frowning with a slight bite to his lip as he observed his friend, Waya turned away to look at the boards again. It appeared that Hikaru was still grieving, and it was the day after Christmas too. He was certainly running out of time to get out of this funk, especially if what Tsuzuki had mentioned to Morishita and him was true. Sliding one board to the side, Waya pulled the second, older board to him and began to brush off the dust that had accumulated atop it. "This sure is an old board, surprising it's in such good condition. Makes you kind of wonder what sort of matches this board has witnessed in its time huh? I mean it could have been around fifty, even a hundred years ago or more in the home of some daimyo or maybe even the shogun. That'd be pretty cool, don't you think?"
Glancing up with a lazy gaze, Hikaru said solemnly, "That's Torajiro's board."
Cocking an eyebrow, Waya replied, "Whose board?"
Closing his eyes with a slight sigh, Hikaru answered, "Torajiro Kuwahara's board, you know, Honinbo Shusaku. He owned that board."
His eyes widening at that statement, Waya sputtered back, "Sh-Shusaku? This is Shusaku's board, right here? Are you sure?"
Without opening his eyes Hikaru answered, "I'm sure."
Excitement shot across Waya's face as he returned his gaze to the board, eyeing it with a newfound reverence. "Wow, Shusaku's board! I take back what I said before, this wasn't a great inheritance; this is an unbelievable inheritance! Is this why you were always into Shusaku, because of this board?"
"Something like that."
Reaching out to touch the board, Waya hesitated a moment before gripping it firmly and lifting it up over his head, peering underneath to stare at the underside of the board. Opening his eyes now, Hikaru's brow contorted as he stared at his friend and said, "What're you doing?"
"I'm trying to find Shusaku's signature of course." Waya responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Where is it, I don't see anything."
"There isn't one, it's not signed." was Hikaru's reply.
Giving Hikaru a confused expression, Waya set the board down and queried, "Then how do you know it's Shusaku's board?"
Hikaru's response was firm and deliberate. "Because I do."
Unconvinced, Waya retorted, "Shindo, I know it's an old board, there's no question about that, but just because someone told you or your grandfather that it was Shusaku's board doesn't make it true. The seller could have been lying or-"
"It's authentic!" Hikaru interjected, power with a slight tint of anger apparent in his voice. "Trust me Waya, I know it's Torajiro's board, so leave it at that."
Staring at his friend for a long moment, Waya then shrugged his shoulders and moved his gaze to the pile of scrolls in the corner. There was no point in arguing with Hikaru when he had that look in his eye, and if anything it was just good to see a little life in him once again. Not that Waya wanted to be responsible for Hikaru's return to form, not in that way at least. Reaching for a scroll, Waya unclasped the tie on it and opened it up, hoping to escape the previous topic. "Hmm, not sure what to think about these. Any of them good?"
His eyes once more on the board next to him Hikaru pointed his finger up toward the wall behind Waya. Turning to look where Hikaru had pointed, Waya stared at a wall scroll hanging on the wall. Scratching his head, Waya wondered how in the world he hadn't spotted that one before. " 'You can play Go but don't let Go play you'," Waya read out loud. "Yeah, that's definitely a neat one, it's true too."
"That's why I liked it. The calligraphy was done by Kawabata too." Hikaru added.
"Really?" Waya replied, impressed. "Just like the one in the Yugen no Ma. I've got to say I'm kind of envious. I bet there's probably more cool stuff in there too huh?"
"Probably," Hikaru answered, "I haven't gone through all of it just yet. Kind of brings up memories and well…"
"Yeah, I get ya."
"So," Hikaru said, looking to change the subject, "when are you and Isumi leaving?"
Smiling at his friend as this led into his main reason for coming over, Waya answered, "Our flight leaves in about three and a half hours. I actually can't stay much longer, but I wanted to stop by before I left."
"Training in China huh?" Hikaru replied with a serious expression. "Sounds interesting, not that I'm that interested in going. Where are you and Isumi going to be staying?"
"At some hotel near the Chinese Go building, the one in Beijing, Isumi knows the name. He said we probably won't be spending much time in our room though, that we'd be playing a lot of Go at the Chinese building."
Hikaru watched the expression on his friend's face morph into a joyous, anxious form as he talked about all the Go that he would soon be playing. It was clear to both of them that while he was talented and still growing, Waya had a lot of work to do if he wanted to be competing on the larger stages. His match against Hikaru was something of an exception to that as Waya had truly pulled out all the stops and played at a level Hikaru had never seen from his friend before. Sadly having reviewed several of Waya's games since then at the study group Hikaru had seen that Waya's strength had not lasted beyond his battle with Hikaru. That was one of the many reasons Waya was going to China now while his games were few, to gain the strength he felt he needed.
"Well I hope you two have fun and improve your games some. I guess there's some of the best players in the world there, so you should get to learn a lot."
Nodding with a proud smirk, Waya replied, "Yeah, while Isumi gave me the sense we'd be mainly playing against people our own age and such, he mentioned that Wang Xin 9 – Dan, Hua Songli 9 – Dan and other top pros show up from time to time too so it ought to be really enlightening. So I'll just learn from all of them now, and then come the Hokuto Cup you and I can breeze through the preliminaries and beat China in this year's tournament."
His eyes shifting away from his friend at that statement, Hikaru muttered, "I won't be breezing through the preliminaries."
His brow contorting as he struggled to make out what Hikaru had said, Waya asked, "What?"
"I said that I won't be breezing through the preliminaries with you. See… I won't be in the preliminaries."
His eyes widening in shock, Waya countered, "Won't be in it! Shindo, what's wrong with you? Don't you want to compete against China and Korea?"
His eyes shifting to meet his friend's eyes now, a hesitant look on his face, Hikaru replied, "You don't get it Waya, I won't be in the preliminaries. I got a letter from the Go Association over the weekend, both Akira and I have been pre-selected to participate in the Hokuto Cup this year. The preliminary will be played for the third spot only. Sorry."
As comprehension dawned on Waya, his mind became aflutter with countless thoughts. On the one hand he was quite happy for his friend, being seeded into any tournament, especially an international one with the reputation of the country on his shoulders was an honor, but on the other he was apprehensive. It made sense of course, Hikaru was in the Kisei League, had won twenty-three straight matches at one point, seeding Akira and not Hikaru would be ludicrous. But that left Waya new problems within the tournament itself.
Sure he would no longer need fear facing off against Hikaru in the preliminaries, but the number of available spots was now reduced to one, and Hikaru would not be there to help knock off the competition. That turned the Hokuto Preliminary into something else entirely, a tournament in and of itself with only the winner moving on to play for Japan. Ochi, Nase, Komiya, Sato, even that Kansai player Yashiro, they'd all be there, and he'd have to go through all of them if he wanted to sit next to Hikaru and Akira. Then again, that idea, of putting it all on the line and raising himself to stand next to Akira Toya and Hikaru Shindo on the international scene got the blood flowing in his veins, causing the slightest hint of a smile to curl onto his lips. "Well… I guess congrats then Shindo, no need to worry about us having to knock each other out in this tournament then huh? Besides, I think this makes it interesting."
Nodding, Hikaru smiled. Good, Waya was taking it better than he'd hoped, not seeing it as another shot to himself and the other young pros, as Hikaru being special and acting as if he were beneath the other lower Dans, something that he probably was at this point. Then again, there was still something missing.
"Oh, speaking of the Hokuto Cup, that reminds me…" Waya said as he reached for his coat that he'd set on the back of Hikaru's desk chair. Removing a Go magazine from an inside pocket, Waya flipped it to Hikaru and said, "Page 22, it's about Ko Yeong Ha."
His eyebrow cocking at the mention of that name, Hikaru began to flip through the pages while saying, "What about him?"
"I didn't know if you'd heard yet or not," Waya answered, "but last week Ko Yeong Ha did it, he won the Ch'eonweon Title. There's an article about his victory in there too along with the game record. The article doesn't have much that you couldn't pull from the game record, but it does have a few quotes from Ko Yeong Ha, particularly a rather long one on how he sees the current Go world. Kind of arrogant really. Anyway, thought you might be interested so…"
Hikaru nodded as he finally came to the page, his eyes glancing briefly over the game record before moving onto the article itself. He then inhaled deeply as his eyes found the part Waya had mentioned, and the young pro began to read.
"Damn, if only I hadn't been scheduled to play my own match that day, I could have been there to see you win the Ch'eonweon Title!"
Shaking his head with a childish smirk, Ko Yeong Ha leaned back on his hands and watched with amusement as Hon Suyon continued his pout. It wasn't the first time he'd done it either, having reacted this way after missing out on seeing him play Koyo Toya at the beginning of the year and two other of his Ch'eonweon finals matches against Jeong Jihon 9 – Dan. He had bared them out with the usual smile and laugh, knowing full well that it came from his desire to learn and gain strength. It was one of the reasons he liked Suyon so much, not just his talent that would place him in the elite of the Go world one-day, but the passion that fueled him.
"Come now Suyon, I'm showing you the game now, so don't be so uptight. Besides, this way you get to hear all of my thoughts on the match."
Frowning as he returned his eyes to the board, Suyon gritted his teeth and said nothing, trying to bring his focus back to the board. All it did though was make his body tremble more.
Noticing this, Yeong Ha's smile vanished as he said, "What is it?"
Hesitating a moment, Suyon then said, "It's your comments that piss me off."
Frowning himself now, Yeong Ha shot back, "Suyon, don't tell me your mad about that again. I answered the questions the reporters asked me, if you want to be mad at someone, be mad at the reporters for asking me those questions in the first place."
"It's not…" Suyon stopped mid-sentence, considered his words a moment then finished, "nothing, never mind."
"Come on Suyon, just say it if you had a problem with one of my statements."
Lifting his eyes up, Suyon answered, "It's not one of your statements, it's all of them lately. Ever since that whole mess with the misunderstanding by that reporter about Shusaku, you've been poking fun at the reporters, other players, and even the current perception of the game that one time. This isn't the Ko Yeong Ha I admire; you're better than this. It's like you're looking for a fight or something."
Chuckling at that, Yeong Ha lifted his right hand up to scratch and itch on his cheek, then answered with a smile, "Pick a fight huh? Maybe. I don't' know, it's just fun to play with people like that a little. Those out there who truly understand this game, who truly understand me and my strength, know the truth behind all of it. The rest, heh, let them think whatever they want."
"But Yeong Ha…" Pausing again to consider his words, Suyon then replied, "you're getting a reputation from this, and plenty of strong players won't understand, both here and abroad."
His smile dissolving once again, Yeong Ha said bluntly, "Suyon, say what you really want to say, not all this talk about vague, hypothetical players." He was already quite certain what all of this had been about, and while it had been fun to beat around it and play with his words until now, he was beginning to become bored of such games.
Inhaling, Suyon responded, "You could have been nicer when that reporter asked for your thoughts on Toya and Shindo's exploits in the Kisei League."
A long pause ensued as Yeong Ha's eyes turned away from his peer and moved about the room, glancing over the bookshelves, passed the computer in the other room and finally to the board before him. He had spent many hours in this room, chatting, studying Go, playing games, whatever he wanted really. So many games, so many discussions, but nothing quite as complicated as this.
At last he raised his eyes back to his companion and said, "Suyon, you may see Hikaru Shindo as your rival, but I don't. He may have had his reasons, but whatever they might have been the fact is that he skipped the match that would have moved him on into the next round of the tournament and that just shows the level of determination and commitment he possesses. Besides, when I played him earlier this year the difference in our skill was made quite clear."
Yes, it had been made clear indeed; clear that the difference between them was negligible. Hikaru had given him far more than he'd ever expected, forced his will upon the game and dictated to Yeong Ha how the game would progress at times. Dictated to him, Ko Yeong Ha, it was unheard of for someone a year younger than him to do such a thing. It was as if Hikaru had not even known just whom it was that he had been facing.
For years now Yeong Ha had been told that he was special, better than all the rest his own age. He was the prodigy, the future of the Go world once Koyo Toya's time had passed. He had felt the expectations of all those watching him, pointing him toward what he had come to accept as his destiny, and he had answered them well. Normal games had become a chore, a boring obligation that he was eager to put behind him. Such things were merely a distraction from his true aim, his true destiny. That was how he had seen the Hokuto Cup, as a fun little distraction, a game that he could use to amuse himself, to push away the mundane everyday happenings of his life.
Then Hikaru Shindo had come before him, with that fiery determination, that stubborn persistence that had refused to bow down to his moves until the very end. Yeong Ha had felt the pressure upon him that game, the urgency and dire stakes of his future, and the little upstart who had tried to snatch it away from him. For years now he'd known that he was alone, that it was his job to carry the Go world on his back, to be the center of that world that all other players looked to. He'd taken it all in stride, poorly hiding his contempt and lack of interest in the whole matter, as it was hard to get excited about something that he'd known for years. But now there was another, one just like him who had risen to challenge him for that position, to throw his universe out of orbit. He'd found something in that game, a dire desperation that he'd not felt before. His throne was no longer guaranteed, and while he'd never been all that interested in the throne before, the prospect of another rising to take it had brought an attachment to it that he'd previously been unaware of. After all, if he was not the one upon whom the world of Go would revolve around one day, then who was he?
It had been that laugh after the game that had truly angered him. To push him so hard, to take him to the brink of defeat and then to laugh at him and the whole game afterward had been too much. It was like it had been a game to him, like he didn't even care about the result; as if it had been nothing but an exercise to test out his strength. That was when his denial had truly arisen, after seeing that stupid grin on Hikaru's face after losing by half a point. A loss from Hikaru meant nothing, it was what everyone expected, but for him to lose to some unknown like Hikaru Shindo, to be forced to acknowledge the strength of his play, it would destroy all the hopes and plans everyone had for him. He refused to accept, to believe that Hikaru Shindo might be his equal, went out of his way to mention it and demonstrate it to show the world as much as himself that it wasn't true. Hikaru had just taken the motivation he'd been given to go beyond what he was otherwise capable of, the game was nothing but an apparition, a once in a lifetime event, it had to be.
And so he belittled the match, acting like it was one that he had been in complete command of despite the close score, giving the people what they wanted to hear, trying to convince them as much as he was trying to convince himself. That was all he could do now, lash out against and attack any notion that another his own age could challenge him, especially someone from Japan who were frankly on the outside looking in compared to Korea and China these days. If he didn't attack the idea at every turn, put on a confident face and reassure others as well as himself, he'd be forced into the alternative, that there was someone else who could disrupt his world and take it all away. Such an idea led to only one thing; fear, the doubting that his strength might fail him and cause him to fall. So at all costs, no matter how it might upset others, he had to keep that fear away, or else he was lost.
"Come on Suyon, enough talking about Shindo, let's get back to reviewing my game."
"The time when we, the future of the Go world, have need to study those who have come before us is at an end. We are now segueing into a new era, one where we study not those of the past but rather one another." Pausing a moment as he scanned passed the reporter's intermingled comments, Hikaru then resumed reading the quote. "Go is a living game with new and improved strategies being born every day. Because of this a time can and must arrive when the players of one generation completely surpass the generations from before. That time is now. We have gleamed into the past and learned all there is to learn, applying it to the extreme of what it can be. Now we must look to each other, so that in studying and learning from the present we might shape a grander future in the world of Go.
"Here in Korea we have the highest level of Go, one that everyone else throughout the world looks to as a means to measure their ability. As such it is our responsibility, our obligation as ambassadors to the world of this great game is to continue to excel for the good of the game. This is the standard to which I hold myself, so that when those who truly wish to understand Go study the game records of Ko Yeong Ha the awe and inspiration they draw from my insights into the game shall push them to strive for the bar that I have set. It is with such a mindset that I have gained the Ch'eonweon Title, and the mindset I will take into the future games as I play the best in the world."
His eyes continuing to gleam down the paper, Hikaru then closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. Watching on, Waya bit his lip apprehensively. He had shown Hikaru this article for two reasons, the first being that he was certain that at some point someone would ask him what his thoughts were on the matter, and it'd thus be better if he were already aware of it, and not blindsided by it. The other reason however was the hope that it might help him rediscover that drive to play and succeed that had been missing within him since his grandfather's death. As his friend Waya knew that Hikaru hated to be underestimated or mocked, and Ko Yeong Ha had been mocking all of Japan with that statement.
However, looking at the somber, non-reactive expression on his friend's face now, Waya was beginning to worry if perhaps his plan had actually backfired. Such statements would likely only elicit two responses, either angered defiance and a desire to rise up and prove the statement wrong, or acquiescence and surrender to the truth of the statement. Normally Waya would have bet every last Yen of his money on Hikaru taking the challenge for what it was and striving to show his strength, but this current Hikaru, who was now questioning his place in the Go world, searching for himself, would he bow his head to such talk? Even as he thought it Waya watched as Hikaru's head lowered, eyes closed with a sort of melancholy coming over his face. This was not good, had he just driven his friend into even deeper depression? Damn, he never should have shown him the article. "Shindo I-"
Waya's words broke off as he saw Hikaru's body begin to tremble. Normally that would have been an even worse sign, if not for the other thing; the hair on the back of Waya's neck was standing on end, tingling with fear and awe. Then Hikaru's eyes opened and lifted up to stare into Waya's eyes, causing the seventeen year old to jump slightly as he saw that look in his friend's eyes, the look of a hungry predator.
Pulling his eyes away from Waya calmly, Hikaru returned his attention once more to the article in his shaking hands and gritted his teeth, the slightest beginning of a growl forming in the pit of his throat. Nothing left to teach, surpassing the players of the past, Hikaru had heard these words before, but new significance was added to the weight of them on his heart. It wasn't just Shusaku this time, not just the old masters, it was every player of the past that had just been disrespected, pro or otherwise. This wasn't just about demonstrating the strength of his friend and mentor anymore, this was an insult to the memory of those who had come before wishing for a great future for the game, his grandfather included.
His eyes moving to the other two boards in his room, Hikaru felt the fire within his soul blaze even brighter. A future, that both Sai and his grandfather had now entrusted to him. Sai had given it to him first, and with his death his grandfather had followed suit, a mission to connect the distant past with the far future, that was his goal, that was his true inheritance. Those gobans had been right there telling him all this time and he'd been blind and deaf to it until now; the hopes and dreams of those who came before him, the will to continue on had been passed to him, materialized but not embodied within those two boards.
Turning his gaze back to Waya, Hikaru closed the magazine and set it to the floor, and then with the slightest trace of rage within his voice said, "Waya… I'm going to destroy him, grind his bones to dust and leave him a huddled mass of goo in front of the board. We cannot forget the past… we will not forget the past, Shusaku, Grandpa, none of them, as long as they survive in our memories and hearts… I'm going to make him regret those words, Ko Yeong Ha will pay."
A shiver ran down Waya's spine at that last sentence. Man, when he was worked up like this, Hikaru could be really scary. Ko Yeong Ha had done it, he'd done what the rest of Hikaru's friends had been unable to do, he had awoken the sleeping lion within Hikaru's soul, and not just awakened, but whet it's appetite too. Ko Yeong Ha, you poor, arrogant fool, you might have just made the biggest mistake of your life.
"AKIRA!"
The door to the Go Salon slid open with authority as Hikaru stormed through, pulling the eyes of all the patrons to him as he did so. His eyes darting to the crowd of people surrounding one of the tables, Hikaru began to make his way over as several patrons moved back reveal Akira sitting there staring at him curiously.
"AKIRA!" Hikaru bellowed once more, "LET'S PLAY!"
Gazing at the approaching form of his rival from his seat, Akira felt a vindictive grin form on his face as he saw the fire within Hikaru's eyes, the electrifying intensity flowing off him. Hikaru Shindo 2 – Dan, The Judan Slayer, was back. "All right then, have a seat." As Hikaru moved to do so, Akira turned back to the board and began to return the stones that had been depicting his victory from yesterday against Fujisawa to their respective bowls.
Taking his seat across from Akira, Hikaru moved to help him finish clearing the board, taking one of the bowls as they finished. By now more patrons were beginning to make their way over, as it had now been some time since they'd seen these two play, and while some might never admit it, they too had missed these games. Lifting his eyes up to meet Akira's eyes, which now held the same intensity as his own, Hikaru felt his hard face soften as he said, "Akira, before we play, there's something I want to talk to you about. You see… I need to ask you a favor."
Author's Notes:
Yes everyone, you can rejoice, Hikaru is now over his depression. While it is true that he still feels a sense of sadness at the loss of his grandfather, perhaps even a slight bit of mourning still remaining, he has found himself and his reason for playing once again. I think this chapter will help us all flow nicely into the next arc quite well, and with the matches getting ready to resume once more we'll have plenty of action. I've actually had this chapter done for a few days now, but given the low number of reviews to my last chapter, I figured everyone must be on vacation for the 4th of July, so I delayed the release a couple days to give all of you time to get back home.
Many of you I know have been waiting to see the return of Ko Yeong Ha, and I will admit I've wanted to see him return too. This chapter and how it would play out came right on the heels of my decision to kill off Grandpa as I needed a way to both bridge the two arcs together as well as relieve Hikaru from his mourning. Talk about killing two birds with one stone. It also gave me the chance to go deeper into Ko Yeong Ha's head and explain to a degree the reasons he acts as he does.
Finally, the last line in the chapter, and yes I know, I never write three paragraphs before the Terms, but I thought I'd cut this one off now. I will not be revealing what the favor Hikaru is asking for is to you for a good while. This will be one of those mysteries that will be running a good ways into the next arc, called the Tengen Arc. It's called this due to this being the highest Japanese Main Tournament Hikaru will be playing in for most of the arc (Tengen runs through October if you get to the end, Kisei League starts again in June). Also, starting from this chapter a new side story will be starting following Waya and Isumi's adventures in China. Note this will be shorter than the Pro Exam side story (4 chapters tops) and will be far more condensed between releases. I will be trying my best to get chapters for both stories out in a timely manner. Also note, I will be posting the tournament brackets for the Tengen, Shinjin-O, and Hokuto Qualifier on the yahoo site for those of you who want to do the breakdowns, or even start betting pools amongst yourselves I suppose.
Terms:
Daimyo: Literally meaning "great name", the Daimyo were the greatest of the feudal rulers of Japan up until the end of the Tokugawa Era in the mid 19th century. It could also refer to the head of a clan, and it was from this group of nobles that regents, and shoguns were chosen. In the Tokugawa Era, the Daimyo were required to spend one year at their own estates and the following year in the Shogun's court in Edo (now Tokyo). Moreover their families were kept living in Edo at all times to better keep control over them, as should they try to rise up their families would likely have been killed. It was also this class that the samurai served.
Shogun: Short for Sei-I-Taishogun meaning "General of the Emperor's armies responsible for killing barbarians", the Shogun was the supreme military ruler of Japan. Since the Emperor was never killed off, as he was believed to have descended from the god Amaterasu, he was instead used as a figurehead, the Shogun for much of Japanese history ruling in his stead. The Emperor was thus left to deal with more spiritual matters, leading many foreigners to define the relationship as thinking of the Shogun as the king and the Emperor as the Pope.
In reference to Go, once a year the castle games were held in the Shogun's court in Edo, where some of the best players played for the Emperor. It should be noted that Shusaku never lost a Castle Game. The Meiji Restoration eventually overthrew the Shogun permanently in 1868.
Kawabata: Referring to Yasunari Kawabata, he was a writer who lived from 1899 until April of 1972 by his own hand, winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1968, becoming the first Japanese to do so. His self proclaimed greatest work was named, "Master of Go", also known as "Meijin", which is a slightly fictional story depicting a Go match from 1938 based on the retirement game of Honinbo Shusai, one that he covered himself as a reporter. An amateur Go player, Kawabata also wrote the calligraphy on the wall scroll that now hangs in the Yugen no Ma, where the titleholders play their matches.
Chinese Go Association: Established in the early 1960's after Go was recognized as a national sport, the Foreign Minister Chen Yi, who was a major Go fanatic, arranged to have five Japanese pros come to China establishing the Super Go tournament between the two countries. Japan's team won 32 of the 35 matches however, but over the years China began to catch up as new younger players arose. Interrupted by the cultural revolution, the Super Go tournament resumed in 1972, and by the 1980's China had turned the tables on Japan, removing the once untouchable superiority of Japan's Go players. The Chinese Go Association as it exists today was created in 1973, and until Korea's rise in the 1990's, dominated the international Go world.
Now onto questions. Me, a devil? Come now, don't say that. 'In this, though I cannot be said to be a flattering honest man, it must not be denied but I am a plain-dealing villain. If I had my mouth, I would bite; if I had my liberty, I would do my liking. In the meantime, let me be that I am, and seek not to alter me.' Ok, perhaps I've been reading too much Shakespeare lately. Still, if thou think me a devil then that is thy opinion, although pray thee, I do think myself made of better metal than that. Oh my, now I'm even talking like it, must move on.
Yes, that line was supposed to remind us of Hikaru's obliviousness. In any character development it is important that the writer move it along at a pace that does not seem forced or cause the person to seem out of character. The reader must be able to recognize Hikaru as the character he is, allowing for small changes here and there as growth, until at last you find a character that does not resemble the one you first met, but is still seen as that character. Such a thing is true in life too, as if you look at someone as an adult to when they were a child often it would be hard to recognize that person as the same child, but by following the journey that brought that person there, it begins to make sense. It is a difficult thing to do, especially in fan fiction, and many writers I find will get impatient and make the changes too quickly, thus causing a great deal of out of character behavior.
Just to point this out to those of you who might not realize it, I will pair Hikaru with whichever character I feel best fits the story itself, if I pair him with one at all in the end. I will not choose the Nase pairing because no one else ever writes the pairing, nor will I choose Akari because more people do choose it. Heck, if I were to go based on the popularity of pairings, Hikaru would be enjoying his time with Akira more than usual, but that won't occur due to my belief that it does not exist in the actual manga. If Nase or Akari win his heart, it will be due to events within the story, so if you really want to try and figure out who it will be, look to the story itself.
Next chapter we will be spending some more time in Akira's Go Salon, and with the new year coming around Hikaru's first match of the new year (don't get too excited, it's his Judan 1st Preliminary 1st Round match). All this will be building up to the Shinshodan matches, the Hokuto Qualifier Prelims, Hikaru's 1st Round Tengen Main tournament match, and the preliminaries for a certain international tournament. Before all that though we'll be starting the Waya side story, so enjoy.
Reviews went down, surprising given how often the romance sections bring out strong opinions, but I'll just blame it on the holidays and hope to see more reviews this time. After all, I can always use the motivation. R&R!
