The Enigmatic ChallengerSummary
An anonymous entrant's show of overwhelming force captivates the crowd. Luca, cheered on by his hometown friends, discovers he must triumph over his next opponent, Daikokuten, if he hopes to face the nameless juggernaut.
Dialogue
Elisanne VS Ieyasu
Together: Haaaah!
Commentator: Ladies and gents, the real show is set to begin, and it promises to be a real barn- burner from the start! Which of these warriors will emerge victorious?!
Ieyasu: Your spear arm remains puissant as ever. But can you parry THIS?
Kimono Elisanne: Ngh... Gah!
Kimono Elisanne: The Wyrmclan's talons are sharp indeed...
Kimono Elisanne: But I am not bested yet. I have to win this...for the children! HYAAAH!
Ieyasu: That technique is...! *sputter*
Seimei: Ieyasu has fallen! The winner is...Elisanne!
Commentator: She's done it, folks! Elisanne has edged out a victory!
Ieyasu: Heh. Remarkably done. My will faltered before yours.
Kimono Elisanne: You're very kind. But I suspect the match would have ended differently if you'd truly set your mind to winning.
Ieyasu: Not in the least. This time, you had me squarely beat by the strength of your conviction. Now, let us return to the others to share the results.
Kimono Elisanne: Right. I believe the place I am meeting the prince is... Hm?
Ieyasu: Something is causing quite a stir over yonder. Perhaps we'd best hurry.
Kimono Elisanne: I've returned!
Notte: Welcome back, Elly! How'd the match with Ieyasu go? Did you stomp him? You totally stomped him, huh?
Kimono Elisanne: I won, but only just. Tell me: what's happened here? The crowd seems oddly agitated.
Ranzal: A real beast of a mystery entrant crashed the party. Whoever it is, they're layin' their opponents out like dirty laundry.
The Prince: It's quite something. Look there—you can see them walking toward the stage now.
???: ......
The Prince: That hooded cloak is doing a good job of obscuring their identity. The name they registered under is an obvious alias, too.
Kimono Luca: Plus, the matches are ending before you can even tell how they fight! It's no wonder the crowd's all in a tizzy because of it.
Ieyasu: Hm. Quite the curious tale. Still, they cut a familiar silhouette, somehow...
Gozu Tenno: Next, we'll have entrant numbers 13 and 68 lock horns in the ring! Fighters, to the stage, please!
Cleo: Goodness, I'm up next. It looks like I'll be facing... Oh.
Cleo: Well, this is quite the pickle. Entrant 13 is the one in the hood!
Everyone: What?!
Kimono Luca: Are you gonna be okay, Cleo?! You've got a plan, right? You've always got a plan!
Cleo: I, er... I'm afraid not. There's not much planning one can do without intel. I will simply have to try my best.
Cleo: Hear this, though: I am not entering that ring with any intention of losing. I will fight with all I have.
Cleo VS Nameless
Commentator: The second round is starting with a bang, folks! Can our mystery entrant keep up this legendary streak of one-hit K.O.s?
Seimei: Fighters, to your marks! And...begin!
Spectators: Yeaaaaah! Take her down, Nameless!
???: ......
Cleo: (This mystery combatant already has quite the following. I'm beginning to feel like the underdog here.)
Cleo: (Still, there's nothing I can do save fight to the best of my abilities. I need to watch my opponent closely and wait for an—)
Cleo: Huh?
Cleo: My body is— Gaaah!
Seimei: Out of bounds! Winner...Nameless!
Commentator: There it was! Blink and you'll miss it, folks! Nameless is on a roll and showing NO sign of slowing down!
Spectators: YEAAAAAH! WE LOVE YOU, NAMELESS!
Ranzal: The heck?! Even Cleo ate dirt in a second flat! Just who IS this schmuck?
Notte: Omigosh, poor Cleo! Are you okay?! Did they hurt you?! I'll go kick his shins in!
Cleo: *cough* No, I was only tossed around a little. Beyond that, I have no idea what happened to me.
Kimono Luca: I watched the whole thing and couldn't tell either. Gah! I need a plan, quick, or that so-and-so's gonna run away with this.
Sylvan Villager: What's the matter, Luca? Tournament looking tough?
Kimono Luca: Yeah, there's this crazy guy in a hood who's—wait, GUYS?! You're all here!
Sylvan Villager: After the big show you made to the elder, we decided to take pity and come cheer you on.
Cleo: *sigh* What did you do THIS time, Luca?
Kimono Luca: Nothing! I just dropped by the village before coming here to say hello! The elder hasn't been doing so hot lately, y'see.
Sylvan Villager: So this kid practically kicks down the elder's door, shouts about how he's going to win a tournament, and runs off again.
The Prince: Aha. That explains your enthusiasm. You made a promise to the elder.
Kimono Luca: Yeah. See, he's... Wait, how IS he? Is he here with you guys?
Sylvan Villager: No. He wanted to come, but he just wasn't in any condition to travel this morning. We made him stay back at the village to rest.
Kimono Luca: Gotcha... Well, all the more reason I need to win, then. And that means getting past this Nameless creep. The question is how.
Kimono Elisanne: You have time. Looking at the bracket, neither of us should bump up against them for a while yet.
Kimono Elisanne: Focus on the match before you now.
Kimono Luca: Yeah, I guess you're right. Lessee, next round I'm up against... Wait, DAIKOKUTEN?
Ranzal: As in, Princess Mitsuhide's pactbound dragon? They're lettin' dragons enter this thing?!
Ieyasu: Come to think of it, Mitsuhide should have been bid to come here just as I was. Why her dragon, then...?
Notte: Knowing her, she just punted the job to ol' Daikokes so she could go curl up for a nap.
Kimono Luca: That's...extremely plausible. Oh well. Human, dragon, or whatever else, I just have to go in there and wallop 'em!
Kimono Luca: So, uhhh... Anybody got any secret dragon-fighting tips?
The Prince: Er... Try your best?
Ieyasu: Maintain your focus and meet the challenge head-on.
Kimono Luca: Word. Strategy was never my style anyway. I'll just charge in headlong and we'll see who breaks first. Here goes nothing!
Kimono Elisanne: Hopefully neither of them will "break"...