SHADOWY GO
Chapter6: Summer of bewilderment.
It was the middle of July and summer break was only days ahead. Hikaru was glad that he will finally have some rest from all his classes, although he would have to finish a load of homework during the summer. What a crappy school; exam on the first day and now some summer break homework. I should've just gone to Haze, he grumbled to himself. The only reason he went to Sumida was because of basketball, they have the best basketball team in the area and he didn't even get to join the club. "They took the only happiness I have, those assholes!" Hikaru in a loud voice to no one in particular.
"Whose ass got the holes, Hikaru?" Sai asked bewildered.
"It's nothing Sai, it's not important now." Hikaru already resigned to the fact that he will never be in the team.
"Hikaru! Come out of there and help me set up dinner!" He could hear Akari hollering from the kitchen.
"And there's another one, she bosses me around so much, I should be paid."
"Hikaru! I know you can hear me, get your butt here!"
"Hikaru, we should go." Sai a little worried.
"Alright, alright." Hikaru rose from the bed and headed to the kitchen.
Akari handed Hikaru the dishes as soon as he got there. "Why can't you do this? It's not that hard to set up the table you know. It even takes less than a minute to do so." Hikaru asked after he finished setting up the table.
"I call it equal division of labor, but it could also be because... I miss my cute little brother!" Akari got her brother in a bear hug and tickled him mercilessly.
"Mom! Help me, oneechan is crazy!" Hikaru trying to get away in between laughters.
"You two, I don't know where you get all these energy." Their mother shaking her head in wonder.
"It's from your cooking, mom." Akari and Hikaru said simultaneously which made their mother smile.
Their father arrived at around six and they had dinner then. "It will be summer break soon but I don't think I will be able to get away from work." Their father informed them. He always wanted for the whole family to go on a trip and stay in an onsen ryokan in the countryside. They always go every year when their father's schedule allow. Other than the food, Hikaru thought onsen are for old people. "We could always go to the beach on a Sunday?" Their father asked.
"Don't force it, dad. I got lots of stuff to do this summer anyway." Hikaru while munching his food.
"I have cram school too." Akari added after she swallowed hers.
"Alright, alright. But let's check our schedule from time to time and see what we can come up with."
"My, so busy. I for one would like to go to the beach. When your father is free, we will all go, alright?" Their mother said firmly.
They were halfway through dinner when Hikaru felt a light tap on his forehead. "What?" It was her sister.
"Your spacing out again, don't think too hard."
"I was just wondering what internet cafe to go to, to do my research. I have a bunch of school work to do for the summer and I don't wanna have to go to the library. Not during summer, that's just lame. Do you know of any nice affordable place?"
"Well, there's one near the station which is cheap, 240 yen for an hour then 40 yen evey 10 minutes but they don't offer free drinks and the place is dirty."
"Then why did you have to mention it?"
"Because you like it cheap and the place is more your style."
"Don't look down on me, you..."
"And there's one which cost 500 yen for one hour, then it's 50 yen every 15 minutes, drinks are free and the ambience is very nice."
"More like your style, huh? But still isn't that a bit expensive?"
"Not if you pay 1500 for their package and that's 10 hours of usage."
"That's still more than I can afford."
"Not if your sister has a friend working there, it's not." Akari with her nose in the air.
"Would you stop torturing me and just tell me?" Hikaru bristled.
"Well Hitomi started working there last summer, and she never let me pay whenever I go there to use the internet."
"You think she'd let me use it for free too?"
"I'll give her a call tonight to see if she can help you. I'm not promising anything though."
"Where is this place anyway?"
"The block opposite the back entrance of our school, just go around it to your left, it's called Cyberspace Cafe."
xxxxxxx
A week later Hikaru was on his way to Haze. He got off at Waseda station since it's closer to the back entrance, and he had to walk twenty minutes more to get to the place. It was very nice indeed, lots of potted plants and vines and it has round tables instead of cubicles. It's more like a coffee shop than an internet cafe and it looks expensive too. It made him uncomfortable to enter. Akari was right, this is not his kind of place.
"Come on Hikaru, let's go inside." Sai as usual eager to explore new places.
"Alright." Hikaru not really up to it.
Hitomi was probably looking out for him because she saw him immediately, as soon as he opened the door. She went to him with a big smile on her face. "Hikaru kun, long time. I haven't seen you for ages, you're still a bit short but Akari was right, you're so cute!" This with a pinch on both his cheeks. Why do girls think cute should apply to a guy? Don't they know it's an insult to their musculinity? And did she really have to mention the word short? He's getting allergic to that word. But he didn't want to argue with her and make her mad though. He didn't want to kiss any discounts or freebies goodbye.
She led him to a more secluded corner near the restroom. The divider which created the illusion of a hallway to the restroom separated him from the view of the people going in or out of it. And with the vines that covered it and the tall potted plants, it hid him quiet nicely. Hitomi turned on the computer for him and bypassed the registering process. It seems all customer here needs to register to prevent internet crimes or whatever but it also tracked the hourly usage of the customer. Hitomi registered him as guest and whispered to him this was just between him and her and only during days she's working.
Hikaru was trying to enter the World Net Go server when it kept saying, check your internet connection again and again. He had to call Hitomi for help which was embarrassing for him.
"Oh, it does that when one of our browser enters a site for the first time. Our antivirus will kick in and block it until one of the computer geeks here verify it as safe or just disable the blocking feature. Here let me verify it as OK. World Net Go, huh? I didn't know you play." Hitomi was amused. "What a concidence, Yuuki plays go too."
Mitani Yuukihisa, Yuuki for short. Hitomi's little brother, they've seen each other quiet a lot when he still used to tag along whenever her sister, Akari goes to their house. Yuuki was not the friendly sort, well he was not unfriendly, just not interested in making friends.
"I really don't know how to play but one of my friends does and he suggested I check out this site. I'm doing my homework here for the summer, see? I brought all my stuff." Hikaru showing Hitomi his school stuff, just in case she doesn't believe him.
"You know, you really ought to have come to Haze. I mean Akari is there and you could have been close friends with Yuuki. Wouldn't it be cute? Your sister and I while you and Yuuki as best buddies too? Hitomi quiet thrilled at the idea.
"Well it seems a good idea to go to Sumida at the time." Hikaru finished lamely, He's sure not gonna tell her the reason why.
"OK, I need to work now. Call me if you need anything. I'll go get you something to drink in a while."
"Wait. I really don't have to pay?" Hikaru whispered to Hitomi's ear.
"No, but don't tell anyone OK?" Hitomi whispered back.
xxxxxxx
"Here we go." Hikaru as he started to open the page.
"What is it Hikaru?" Hikaru never told Sai anything about computer or the internet.
"Sai I'm going to explain this the best way I can but I don't really know how these things work, OK? We are, I mean you are going to play go in this box."
"Really Hikaru? In this box? How?" Sai getting real excited at the thought of playing go.
"I don't want you to interrupt me, so listen. People who have boxes like this can talk to each other and show them stuff using signals and the box converts it like this as you see it now. You get me so far?" Hikaru had to ask since he felt he's not making sense himself.
"I think so but I'm not sure."
"That's fine. Anyway, we are going in to this site, other people are too and the purpose is to find an opponent for you to play. You getting this?"
"There are people inside this box, Hikaru?"
"No, the people we are going to play with are just like us, in front of their own boxes. When we find an opponent and agree on a game, a go board will appear and then we can begin. I know it's too much for you take in but let's just start, you'll understand it then."
Hikaru registered to the site under a fake name and used his grandfather's address at the temple. Then he had to go back out again and create a new e-mail add too since it's asking for it. After registration, it asked for a username and Hikaru thought about all the cool names he could think of but they were all taken which pissed him off. Even his own name was taken.
"I couldn't think of any more nice names, Sai. What about you? You have a name in mind?" Hikaru asked.
"Couldn't we just use our real names?"
"Are you crazy? This is our chance to get ourselves a real cool name. Let's see, Sephiroth... damnit, it's taken too!"
"What about Sai?" Sai asked.
"What about it? That's not a cool name at all."
"Hikaruuu... I want my own name not somebody elses!" Sai cried.
"OK, OK, let's try your name... S A I..." Hikaru typed the letters carefully.
"Oh look at that, it's not taken yet. Do you know what that means, Sai?"
"No, what does it mean Hikaru?"
"It means, your name is so lame nobody thought of using it." Hikaru said with satisfaction.
"Hikaruuu... meanie! meanie!"
xxxxxxx
AMERICA
(Telephone conversation)
"Yeah, mom. I'll be in Japan next month for about a week.
Yup, I was chosen as the American representative for the International Amateur Cup.
Well, it's about 50 countries. Each one has a representative. I came in first at the American qualifiers.
Yeah, of course. Asia is strong; Japan, China, Korea...
America? Last year we came in 7th.
But thanks to the internet, the go level around the world is increasing rapidly because you can always play against strong opponents.
And they say Japan is getting weaker. Ha, ha, ha... yeah, I'll try my best.
Oh! Well, what do you know. Someone just challenged me mom, gotta take care of it. Bye!"
"From Japan... I haven't seen this name before. Sai, is it? 30th kyu? And you want to challenge me? What a daring guy, alright..."
They nigiri and he got white and Sai made the first move. Thirty minutes later, he knew he was in trouble. He didn't quiet know what happened but his opponent's stone had formed a black net over his white. He thought it was going into white atari but one crucial move he didn't see coming just about killed it. There's no way in hell this guy is 30th kyu. He sent him a message thanking him for the game but Sai never answered.
xxxxxxx
HOLLAND
"Master, I'm here for my lesson." A young guy entered the go club and was hushed down by the others.
"Why? What's going on?" The place seems to be more quiet than usual.
"The master is training for next month's International Amateur Tournament." One of the students in there told him.
"Oh, well then I can't complain." The guy said good naturedly.
"It seems we're not good enough to be his practice opponents." The lady with the glasses joined in.
"This is his second consecutive year as the Holland representative. The master is incredible." Another one added.
"He's more than incredible, last year he was 6th. 6th!"
"This year he may be able to knock down the Asian wall."
The discussion was going back and forth when they heard a screech from their master's seat as he stood up. "Master, you finished already?"
"Oh! I get it, that was a pro." Their master laugh.
"A pro?"
"Master, did you loose?"
"Huge loss, it was so horrible my heart almost exploded." He grinned at his own defeat.
Of course, on the internet you never know who you're playing with and Asian pros sometimes play among the amateurs for fun. That guy is from Japan, his name is Sai. Is that really the strength of a pro? Is he really a pro? He must be, there's just no way he's not. He thought he understood when they said there's death in the hane but with Sai making those moves, he made the hane death itself.
xxxxxxx
"Hey Sai, let's stop for awhile. I'm so hungry I could eat my shorts." Hikaru rummaged inside his bag and took out his bento.
"Oh, Hikaruuu... I'm so happy, I feel like floating." Sai sounded ecstatic.
"Well for all you know you could be."
"Hurry up Hikaru, I want to play, I don't want to stop."
"Tell me something I do not know. Keep still OK? Every person is entitled to a thirty minute break."
"I'm sorry, Hikaru. It's just that I'm so happy playing with different opponents."
"Got fed up with Yuuichi san by any chance?
"No, it's not that. I'm like a teacher to him, I don't play to win."
"You mean you'd rather crush your opponent?"
"I just want to pit my skill against theirs."
"I didn't know you're such a blood thirsty ghost."
"Hikaruuu..."
xxxxxxx
After he finished his lunch, they scrolled down to find another opponent. And Zelda caught Hikaru's eye. "Zelda? Zelda? As in Legend of Zelda? Hey Sai this one might be a kid. You wanna play him?" Really, Hikaru didn't need to ask.
"Yes, let's play him. So there are children here too?"
"I'm not sure, just assuming he is, basing on that name."
Zelda on the other hand didn't know what was coming when he accepted Sai's challenge. It was the first time he had seen the name and 30th kyu? You kidding me? But he accepted the challenge because when he checked the stat, Sai had played a total of six people and won all of them. "Prepare to die at the hands of Zelda." He was licking his chops for an easy win.
Forty minutes later Zelda resigned, and like the others he didn't quiet know what happened. He thought he had him, his white connected then broke under? What the hell! When did he put that black stone there? After that, it deteriorated fast, he couldn't get back. All his moves from then on are just an exercise in futility.
Zelda: Who are you? You're not 30th kyu.
"Hey Sai! Zelda wants to know who you are?" Hikaru laughed, he bet that kid was pissed.
"Are you going to answer him, Hikaru?"
"Yeah, let's mess with him a bit." Hikaru with mischief written all over his face.
Sai: It's my real name.
Zelda: You're not 30th kyu.
Sai: I'm not 30th kyu.
Zelda: Then what's your rank.
Sai: Captain.
Zelda: That's not a rank.
Sai: That's my level of strength.
Zelda: Are you a pro?
"Hey Sai, you know anything about this pro crap this kid talking about?"
"Well, I don't know. I've never heard of the word."
Sai: No.
Zelda: Are you a kid?
Sai: Only if you are.
Zelda: How long have you been playing go?
Sai: 1000 years.
Zelda: Get real!
Sai: It's the truth. I'm strong, aren't I?
Hikaru then disabled the chat feature. "Take that Zelda and weep!" Hikaru was giggling like crazy and moved on to the next victim. They were on their fourth when Hitomi told him she'd be off soon and that he'd better finish up too. Fifiteen minutes later, Hikaru gathered all his stuff and went to Hitomi to thank her and to ask if he could come again. "Of course, you don't need to ask Hikaru kun." Hitomi made Hikaru drank some iced tea before sending him home.
xxxxxxx
For weeks now, internet go players all over the world had began to notice a really strong player from Japan. They tried to find out who he is by calling their friends and acquaintances active in the go community. Some even checked if there's a pro or insei with that name in Japan but so far no luck. They can't even play him anymore since challenges will be issued left and right as soon as he log in and they would have to wait in line and hope it's their challenge that will get accepted. All they can do is watch as Sai defeats one opponent after the other. They watched his games with fascination and wondered, can anyone beat him at all?
Meanwhile, Hikaru didn't know the monster he unleashed over the net. Other than Yuuichi, he never had any contact with anyone who plays go. It would be a miracle if he picks up the newspaper, let alone Go Weekly magazine. He never tried to talk to his opponents online because he really have nothing to talk to them about and he doesn't know any language other than his own. Go for him was like basketball for Sai, and Hikaru often wondered how could anyone get hooked on a game so boring? But he promised Sai these games so he tries to enjoy them, and it's beginning to make sense a little from viewing all the games they've been playing especially with Yuuichi. He can even predict sometimes where Sai likes to put his stones and he made a guessing game of it. And he thought it very funny every time he guessed right, it never occurred to him that he had begun to understand the principle of the game.
xxxxxxx
September at the Nihon Ki-in also known as Japanese Go Association, the 20th World Amateur Go Championship is being held. The organizer breathes a sigh of relief thanking the gods it all went well with no one left behind or late. It's always difficult to organize international games since you have to deal with the embassy to get the visas for the players. Calling them to make sure they can make it and not drop off at the last moment, their flight schedule and accommodations. But it was all worth it when the actual games begin.
"Morishita sensei, thank you for being the referee for these four days."
"No problem. Organizing this tournament must be difficult.
"It's easy when they begin playing but it is tough making sure everyone can get in the country."
"Hey Waya!" Morishita called out to the boy moving about, he seems to be checking out every game being played by the amateur contestants.
"Yes, sensei?" As the boy approached them.
"One of your disciples?" The organizer asked.
"Yeah, I asked him to help out today. What's with the face Waya? I had you come here to play against the participants during the extra time in between matches. You aren't good enough against those amateur upper level, but the lower guys still need works. They came all the way to Japan, we might as well train them for as long as we can. Right?" Morishita reminded the boy why he was there.
"Waya here got through the pro exam prelims with 3 wins and 1 loss but..." Morishita as way of introducing the boy to the organizer.
"That one defeat was..." Waya trailed off as he got interrupted.
"Against Touya Meijin's son." Morishita laughing.
"Ah, Touya Akira kun? I heard he's taking the exam next year."
"Sensei, there's an incredibly strong guy..."
"Yeah, you mean Touya junior?"
"No! On the internet!" Waya hollered out.
"It's probably some pro." Morishita dismissed it as such.
"No, it's not. He's on even during tournament days." Waya insisted.
"Then it's an amateur. There are lots of strong amateurs in Japan. Shimano kun who's playing here is even with most pros."
"No! Stronger than that!"
"Stronger? How much stronger?"
"He's never been defeated..." He trailed off because what he really wanted to say was, stronger than you, sensei.
"That's enough, I'll listen to this later. Today is work."
xxxxxxx
Everything was quiet except for the sound of the stones as they were placed over the go board and some toned down hubbub of conversations, when a voice was heard exclaming, "No way, are you Sai?" And all hell broke loose. Those who heard it converged around the American and the Japanese amateur players.
"No, no. This morning another player asked me if I was Sai, I'm not. Who is Sai?" Shimano has never played internet go before.
"Nobody knows who he is, he never responds." This from a Chinese guy.
"It was about a month ago, I played him and I cannot compete at all." The American added.
"I've never played Sai but I watched his games often."
"I played Sai ten days ago and I was slaughtered."
"Please, please be quiet. Others are still playing..." The organizer tried to halt the inevitable.
"I also played against Sai..."
"Who is he? He's not normal..."
"Has something happened?" Ogata who arrived just now.
"Ogata san..."
"Ogata sensei..."
"Long time no see..." Shimano greeted Ogata, a little bit embarrassed by the commotion he started.
"You know Shimano, Ogata kun?" Morishita asked.
"He used to participate often at Meijin's go study sessions. I'm here to lend some support, Akira kun should be coming soon too. By the way, what's all this commotion?"
"It seems there is an unusually strong person on the internet." Shimano seems apologetic at the idea.
"Oh yeah, Waya has mentioned something like that." Morishita remembered his disciples excitement over it.
"I'm Lee Li Shin from China. I played him and I was crushed."
"Could this person be a pro?" Ogata asked.
"He can't be a pro, Sai is around often and doesn't choose his opponent. Would a pro have that much free time?" Lee replied.
"Sai, is that his online name?" Ogata asked.
"I'm Kim from Korea. I don't know Sai but I received a phone call from my friend Korean pro Yu 7-dan. He wants me to find out who Sai is. He said he's definitely Japan's top player."
"No, as I said he is not a pro." Lee insisted.
"Are you telling me that an amateur just beat a Korean pro 7-dan?" Kim argued and everyone was stunned. They knew Sai was strong but put like that, gives it another perspective.
"Are you talking about Sai? Waya joined in, he just did the unforgivable and left his opponent in the middle of a game, and it's a foreigner too. "He is not a pro..."
"Is something going on?" Akira who just walked in interrupted what Waya was about to say without meaning to.
"It has nothing to do with you, go away!" Waya got irritated at the interruption but more than that he just doesn't like this cold fish of a prodigy. "Sensei, I think this Sai is a kid." Waya continued on.
"No way!"
"A kid?"
"Why?"
Waya could see that they didn't believe him, and he couldn't really blame them. He couldn't believe it himself either but after thinking about it for more than a month, and piecing together what little he knew, his guts told him it's a kid.
"Look, he was only around mid July until August, that's summer break. He played during the day too, I mean doesn't this guy work? And besides that, he replied to me and from our conversation he sounded like a kid." Waya explained.
And pandemonium broke again, this time with Waya in the middle. Their excitement was too much, they have someone who actually talked to Sai! Waya was grabbed, spunned, and questioned until he was dizzy.
"Look, look, slow down, slow down. I don't know anything OK? I just talked to him a little bit and then he was gone. I can show you if we have a computer. I'll access the archive of past chat records of my account, and then you can decide if he is a kid." And in less than five minutes they have Waya in front of a laptop computer.
"So his real name is Sai..."
"But what does he mean by captain..."
"1000 years? Really now..."
"He is not a pro. Is he really a kid..."
"Maybe he's the god of go..."
"...or a monster..."
They were so busy speculating as to Sai's identity that no one noticed Akira stiffened, his hands in a fist with knuckles white. He was staring at what little conversation Zelda had with Sai. The word captain was like a red flag to a bull. Ogata finally noticed Akira staring at the screen like he was hypnotized. He approached him and tried to look at what Akira was so transfixed about.
"What is it Akira kun?" Ogata had to ask because he cannot see it.
"He said his level is captain..." Akira whispered.
"Impossible, it couldn't be..." Ogata just remembered the game Akira showed them before. The game he lost to a boy who also claimed that his level was captain.
"Akira, you must show us that second game." Ogata didn't care if it sounded like an order but he needed to see that game.
xxxxxxx
That night in Touya Meijin's home, the same people except for Hiroyuki surrounded the goban and watched as Akira recreate the second game he played with the unknown boy. They couldn't believe what they were seeing, the second game was the exact opposite of the first one. This game has no mercy written all over it, it didn't try to secure any territories but get on with attacks, cutting through Akira's defenses before he could even make them. But what scared them is the power behind those moves. It was played with such tremendous knowledge, such confidence and fearlessness, only one word came to mind, invincible.
"That boy really played this, Akira kun?" Shirai just wanted to confirm.
"Yes, he did."
"Unbelievable, how could a kid acquire this kind of skill without a mentor?" Takayama wondered.
"What makes you think, he doesn't have any?" Ogata asked.
"Well, if somebody mentored him and gained this kind of skill then we would have heard about it."
"This isn't a skill of a boy, it's a skill acquired with experience." The Meijin talking more to himself, lost in thought.
"Yes, this skill is more like yours Touya sensei." Shirai agreed.
"So there is a great possibility that the boy Akira played before is this Sai who the amateur players are trying to find." Ogata said.
"It's him, I know it's him. He wrote down his level as captain and so did this Sai." Akira eyes focused on the board.
"But why is he hiding is what I want to know. With this kind of strength, what is he afraid of?" Shirai thinking what a waste of talent.
"I wonder if I can win against this kid." Takayama with his eyes glued to the board.
"I want to play him." The Meijin said to no one in particular.
"I want to play him too." Ogata seconded.
"He's my rival." Akira declaring himself.
"Ohhh? Akira kun you're good but this kid is a class of his own, you'll loose." Ogata with a hint of taunting in his voice.
"Then I'll get better, next time we face each other, I won't be so easy to defeat." Akira with deep conviction.
xxxxxxx
Hikaru and Sai, unaware of the disturbance they were causing went on with their lives in relative ease. Hikaru went back to their regular routine after summer break ended with Sai, still on high from playing so many games and Hikaru told him it should get him by until the next break. Sai's complaints to play had become less and less since he could see now, how Hikaru spends his time 24/7 and he was glad Hikaru even made time for him. So he became again the gentle sensei to Yuuichi, so different from the monster that ruled over internet go the previous month.
(End of Chapter6)