Hitoyoshi Utsugi, a good-natured middle school student, gets an invitation to fight in a battlefield, sent only to advanced players of the VR shooting game "VALD ONLINE." (Source: Anime News Network)

In a world where natural talent often dictates success, Ikoma is ready to walk away from his passion for basketball, convinced that his physical stature will always keep him from the top tier. His perspective is challenged when he encounters Reito Yugami, a high schooler who claims to be a professional in the high-stakes world of fighting games. Despite Yugami's own lack of "god-like" reflexes, he challenges a world-renowned genius to a high-stakes match to prove a point: that pure love for a craft can overcome any deficit in natural talent. In a battle decided by fractions of a second (0.017 seconds, to be exact), the two face off in a psychological and technical duel that forces Ikoma to reconsider what it means to truly commit to the things you love.

Collections of one-shots that won the monthly Hop Step Award from 1987 to 1996.