Collision Course [+ Additional Levels]

Level Fifteen - Galaxy Beyond

"Huh. You know what, I think I just remembered all of what manga is," said the other guy.

"Oh, really?" Andrew asked, amused.

"Yeah. It's just," the guy cocked his head to one side, "been a minute."

Andrew chuckled. "Word."

He fell silent as he watched the guy play. After a minute or two, Andrew started to catch on to how he was playing. He easily leaped over all of the moving pans in his way on conveyor belts, and made it to the top in no time. He saw the guy's jaw clench as Donkey Kong swept the lady off her feet and climbed up a ladder into the next stage, and just figured that he must be really into the game, ready for the part of the level. When he entered the third stage, the guy gave a quick shake of his head, exhaled through his nostrils, and honed in on the game. Andrew couldn't help but become captivated by the gameplay. He seemed to hop aboard all of the right elevators at all of the right times, and even managed to snatch up all of the loose belongings of the damsel before he came up top, smoothly avoiding the springs. Then came the last stage, and he was just blown away. This guy had mad skills. He unscrewed the platforms and dodged enemies like they were nothing. The 'flaming goons' as Moe had called them earlier, barely affected him; it was like they weren't even there. And then when he grabbed the hammer, they actually weren't. They didn't stand a chance. He was amazing.

Then it was done. The platforms collapsed, and the big ape fell to his demise. A pink heart appeared above the reunited couple at the top.

He blinked, and let out a low whistle and raked his fingers through his hair. The whistle caused the gamer to turn his head. "What?" he was asked.

Andrew looked back at him, his hand sliding to rest on the back of his neck. "Wow, man. Just, wow." He gestured at the coin-op machine. "I've never seen someone fly through the first two screenlevels like that. That was absurd."

The guy's brows arched; he seemed unsure of how to respond.

"Like, absurdly awesome, dude," Andrew added, cracking a smile. He lifted a fist for him to bump. "Nicely done."

The other guy smiled back at him, and bumped it. "Thanks. What about you? How far have you gone in this game?" he asked with a glance at the screen. He seemed to be abandoning it to have a conversation with him.

"Well..." Andrew thought about it for a couple seconds. "I know I've made it up to level fifteen before, but that was a little while back," he said. He grinned, eyeing the arcade machine. "I'm glad that I got to play this again. After a bit of a warmup, I've got some of my ol' mojo back."

The other guy chuckled and nodded. "Yeah."

He let out a puff of air, blowing off some hair from his face. "I'm probably nowhere near your high score, though, the way that you play that thing."

The guy pointed at him. "Practice," he told him. "Lots and lots and lots of practice, for sure. That's the only way I've gotten this far."

"Of course," he replied with a small laugh.

"Well," the guy paused, thinking. "Ish."

Andrew cocked an eyebrow at him inquisitively. "'Ish?'"

The guy looked at him and pressed his lips together as if he shouldn't have said anything. "I mean, I've got, um..." He glanced at the coin-op machine, rubbing the back of his neck, and shrugged. "I know the game. Like, how it runs."

"Ah," Andrew stated understandingly. "Yeah, that's definitely gotta help."

The other teenager shrugged again, saying under his breath, "It certainly has its perks."