When I first started out playing the game, I visited the neighbourhood arcade almost daily to perfect my skills. Soon I got to a stage when there is less and less people worthy of beating there and the number of players also dwindled there as some are attracted to the newer games (That arcade is a very up-to-date one, and a large part of its patrons just go and play every new game there is irregardless of what kind it is).

Then once I went to town with my friends and went to the arcade there, same company as the above but just a different branch, and saw SS4 there. A large crowd blocks the narrow path where the SS4 machines are, and on both sets there are four people playing simultaneously. No one ever gets a chance to play against the computer, for he would be challenged by another person as soon as the last one is vanquished. And standing there for 2 hours, what I saw on the screens is more than what I ever knew about in the game. Amazing combos I never knew existed were used routinely there, and they were executed with perfect ease and utmost efficiency. I knew then that that is the place I want to pit my skills in, with the best players there is in the game and I will be striving to get into their ranks of being God-like players.

So I faithfully went downtown to the arcade every saturday after that, spending $5 or more in the process, honing my skills alone if no one challenges and will challenge anyone that is there playing already. Soon I got to know most of the regulars there in a silent manner. We recognise each other in person and know of each other's playing style although we never talked, and there is a unspoken greeting seemingly taking place when we settle down to challenge each other.

There is a proliferation of Genjuro Bust users there, 80% of people there will be expert Genjuro Bust users. Soon, I hate to see Genjuros used agaisnt me, cos they beat my ass off and showed totally no mercy at all. There's this Genjuro player who wear the same pair of spectacles as me, who I learned to fear and consider as a God. I have seen him, in one match, use the Blade Snag with perfect accuracy THREE times when a challenger's Ukyo try to run over to use a running C slash. Every combo he used reduces the opponent's life by half a bar, he had uncanny intuition on the opponent's next moves and had countless wins and perfect matches. The few times we were against each other, he totally slaughtered my Galford which, prior to his arrival, I have very much confidence in. But he totally demolished my characters and will dominate the machine so much that a large crowd may form at that place but he will get to play alone as no one dared to pit his skills against him or everyone just wanted to plagiarise his moves by observing him, that much respect he was accorded there.

He really spurred me on to hone my skills there. Soon, I was determined to challenge every Genjuro there is there, no matter how much better they are then me, so that I can learn how to beat them this way. My method of training worked very well, and soon I could defeat most of the Genjuros there as I knew of their tricks. I even got time to learn how to use Gaira Slash so well as to use him as one of my Genjuro-slaying characters too. But the thing is, he never turned up to challenge me not soon after I reached that level of skill. All my hard work seems to be in vain when I cannot get the chance to challenge him, to see if I can finally defeat him and get to his god-like status ranking.

Not long after, that up-to-date arcade did away with that game, and I no longer went to town for the arcade. But I will remember this learning process which enabled me to be this good in the game now, all because of the unspoken encouragement of this respected opponent.