Monday 6 May 1998 ZAGE Campus USA.
Zaboru was now already in America, working out of his office at the ZAGE Campus in California's Silicon Valley. His schedule was packed, as he had two major tasks to handle during this visit. The first was a small but important update for the ZAGE Forums, something he personally wanted to oversee. The second was assigning new work to Team Tempest, whose current project was nearing completion and was expected to be finished by the end of the week. That project was none other than the RTS title Battle Realms, a game that had consumed much of the team's time and energy over the past months.
Even with those responsibilities alone, Zaboru found himself extremely busy. After finishing his discussions and giving direction to Team Tempest in the United States, he still needed to prepare a detailed briefing for his Japanese teams. The topic of that briefing was critical to ZAGE's future plans — the ZAGE Game Boy Advance. He had recently received confirmation from his friend Ryo Miyagi, who was in charge of battery development for the handheld while also CEO Of Miyagi Batteries. According to Ryo, the batteries had completed their testing phase successfully and were now fully ready for the handheld development purposes.
With that confirmation in hand, Zaboru knew the timing was finally right. The development of ZAGE's next-generation handheld could officially begin development. As he reviewed his packed schedule, Zaboru couldn't help but feel a sense of momentum building. One project was closing, another was about to start, and the pieces were steadily falling into place for the next phase of ZAGE's expansion.
But that was for later. For now, Zaboru had just finished updating some of the ZAGE Forums utilities, adding something far more personal to him — a special section dedicated entirely to his own artwork.
The ZAGE Forums were already packed with content. There were sections for game discussions, game speculation, and deep game theories. Mods had their own dedicated space, and the community artwork section had grown into something incredibly lively. Players from all over the world gathered there daily, turning the forums into one of the most active gaming communities online. Even so, Zaboru felt there was still something missing. This time, he wanted to add a space that reflected his personal passion — a section where his own artwork could exist alongside the creations of the community, not as a corporate move, but as something genuinely personal.
Zaboru loved drawing even before he reincarnated. In his previous life, sketching and illustrating had always been one of his quiet hobbies. While he wouldn't call himself exceptional back then, he was still decent enough to understand composition, anatomy, and style. That foundation became something far greater after his reincarnation. With his Deep Memory Dive ability and his Enlightenment Body, Zaboru had effectively become a walking cheat code.
Through Deep Memory Dive, he could vividly recall the art styles of countless artists — the way they handled line weight, shading, perspective, and even subtle quirks that defined their work. Meanwhile, his Enlightenment Body enhanced his physical capabilities, aligning his movements perfectly with his memories. His dexterity, stamina, and precision improved by an insane margin, allowing his hands to move exactly as his mind intended without hesitation or fatigue.
Because of that, copying and reproducing artwork became almost effortless for him. Replicating a full manga panel from his previous life could take as little as fifteen minutes, even when faithfully preserving detail and style. Creating a fully colored illustration, complete with lighting and depth, would only take around twenty-five minutes. The speed itself was absurd, but what truly amazed Zaboru was the consistency — every piece came out exactly as he envisioned, without the usual trial and error most artists struggled with.
Over the years, Zaboru had always drawn purely to his own liking. Very few people knew about it — aside from his wife — that he had created countless illustrations in many different styles. From manga-style line art, to colorful cartoon compositions, and even surprisingly realistic pieces, Zaboru explored everything without restraint. In his personal workshops, both in Japan and in the United States, stacks of finished artwork quietly accumulated. Despite how polished and impressive many of those pieces were, most of them simply rested on paper, carefully stored away rather than being framed or displayed.
It wasn't that Zaboru lacked confidence in his work. If anything, he knew exactly how good it was. But until now, he had never felt the right moment to share it publicly. Perhaps someday he would exhibit them properly, maybe even hold a gallery of his own. Still, that was a plan for the future. For now, Zaboru decided that the best place to release them was through the ZAGE Forums, in a dedicated space he named "Zaboru Artwork."
He planned to post not only high-quality digital scans of each illustration, but also an image of himself alongside the physical artwork, grounding the pieces in authenticity and making it clear that these weren't corporate assets — they were personal creations. It was a small gesture, but one that reflected who he truly was beyond his role as ZAGE's founder.
Zaboru chose to post only artwork featuring characters and worlds that people in this world were already familiar with, knowing it would resonate better with the community. He deliberately refrained from showing any artwork based on ideas or characters from his previous life that had not yet been released by ZAGE, careful not to disrupt the natural flow of this world.
With that decision made, Zaboru leaned back in his chair, satisfied that the update was complete. His stomach growled in protest, reminding him how hungry he was. Letting out a small breath, he stood up from his seat, deciding it was finally time to look for something to eat.
Meanwhile in Japan, a certain college student who was deeply in love with all things ZAGE — and an enormous fan of Zaboru himself — was casually browsing the ZAGE Forums from his dorm room. His name was Raku Okoshu. Like many fans, checking the forums had become part of his daily routine, something he did almost unconsciously whenever he had free time.
As he scrolled through the familiar sections, something new caught his eye. In the artwork category, there was an additional field that hadn't been there before. Its title stood out clearly: "Zaboru Artwork." Raku blinked, his fingers freezing above the mouse.
"Huh?" he muttered under his breath. "What is this… Zaboru artwork?"
Curiosity immediately took over. Without hesitation, Raku clicked on the section. The screen refreshed, bringing him into a special gallery-like space. Instead of images, the page was filled with rows of artwork titles — each one neatly listed with a button beside it, waiting to be opened. Raku leaned closer to the screen, his eyes scanning the names one by one.
"Huh… Is this really artwork made by Zaboru?" he wondered aloud. He continued scrolling, noticing that none of the images were visible yet — only their titles and reveal buttons. The names alone were already enough to make his heart race.
"Mario and Friends Chilling."
"Megaman and Robo-Cop."
"Guns and Ninja."
"Charizard in the Sky."
"Alucard and Dracula Castle."
"JRPG Boys."
"ZAGE Ladies."
"The Fallout Wasteland."
"The Only Thing They Fear Is You."
There were many more titles beyond that, each one more intriguing than the last. Swallowing hard, Raku finally chose one at random and clicked it. The artwork loaded — and the moment it appeared on his screen, Raku was completely flabbergasted.
"Oh damn! The artwork is so damn cool!" Raku exclaimed without realizing how loud his voice was. His eyes were glued to the screen as he stared at Mario and Friends Chilling. The image was a vibrant, 3D cartoon-like illustration filled with life and warmth. Mario was sleeping peacefully on a tree branch, his hat slightly tilted, while Sonic stood below him with an annoyed, irritated expression, arms crossed as if questioning how Mario could nap so calmly. Nearby, Ness smiled gently, watching the chaos unfold.
Not far from them, Kirby and Pac-Man were chasing each other in playful circles, their movements frozen mid-action in a way that still felt lively. Hello Kitty and Hamtaro were carefully placing flowers on Pikachu's head as it slept soundly on the grass, completely unaware of the attention. Crash Bandicoot grinned widely, striking a ridiculous pose that perfectly captured his chaotic energy, while SpongeBob appeared nearby wearing an aquarium helmet, laughing loudly at Crash's antics. Beside them, Bulbasaur and Squirtle were laughing together, caught in a genuine moment of friendship. Above them all, floating gently in the sky, were the Powerpuff Girls, watching over the scene like playful little guardians while in tree far away there are Zabo-man giving thumbs up.
The entire composition radiated warmth, comfort, and joy — a celebration of ZAGE's many IPs coming together naturally. What touched Raku the most wasn't just the quality of the artwork, but the fact that he knew every single character. Each one carried memories, games, and stories he had grown up with. His chest felt strangely tight.
"This… this is so cool, Zaboru you are so cool" he muttered again, softer this time, almost reverently. Completely absorbed, Raku continued exploring more picture sections, scrolling eagerly from one artwork to the next, until he finally arrived at the section titled ZAGE Ladies. The moment he realized what it was, he felt his face grow hot almost instantly.
"Hot damn!" Raku yelped instinctively as he felt his nose start to bleed but its just illusion, his body jerking backward in surprise. He hurriedly covered his nose with one hand, eyes still locked onto the screen. The pictures were… undeniably cultured. Spread across the artwork were many famous ZAGE female characters, each posing confidently in their signature outfits.
Samus Aran stood proudly in her Zero Suit, sleek and powerful. Chun-Li's stance radiated strength and discipline, her muscles defined with respect rather than exaggeration. Mai Shiranui and Kasumi carried themselves with elegance and confidence, their movements frozen mid-motion as if caught between grace and combat readiness. I-No leaned casually with her trademark rebellious aura, while Morrigan Aensland exuded an overwhelming presence, both seductive and commanding at the same time.
Nearby, Kitana held her fans with regal poise, Shantae smiled with playful charm, and Lara Croft stood firm and adventurous, eyes sharp with determination. Alis Landale and Terra Branford completed the scene, their expressions calm yet resolute, embodying heroic strength rather than fragility. None of the characters were doing anything overtly sexual — and yet the artwork felt undeniably sexy. Not because of cheap fanservice, but because it perfectly captured their confidence, power, and individuality. Every line and curve felt intentional, matching each character's energy and appeal.
"IKUZO!" Raku shouted excitedly, completely forgetting about his hot nose as he leaned closer to the screen. His heart raced as he decided then and there that he was going to take his time. He wanted to observe every detail of Zaboru's artwork, one piece at a time. Even more intriguing was the comment section attached to each picture. Fans were already leaving reactions, discussions, and interpretations, and Raku eagerly began reading through them.
And just like that, the ZAGE Forums had received a new update — small in scale, perhaps, but deeply meaningful to the community. It wasn't just another feature. It was Zaboru himself, sharing a part of who he was, and Raku knew he wasn't the only one who felt that way.
To be continue
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