First Round

Be happy, laugh happy, shout and scream happy.

This is the paradise I built, and it's all for you!

Now come! The most unforgettable time of your life is here for the taking!

Okay, big thank-you to Mayor Candela for that speech, just as sempiternally scorched with passion, alright. Moving on, time to introduce your contestants.

Lots of familiar faces this year and last year, but plenty of new ones too!

First order of business, they look like a lovey-dovey couple, they ARE a lovey-dovey couple, but they're a force on the fighting front!

Honey Summer!

The power of love brought us together.

The power of love brought us our love.

The power of our love is unmatched!

Even I can barely stand before that sparkly power of love! Let's see just how far love's legs can run!

Solo unit up next, the contestant who won the Stomach King Prelims, Mizuki!

Harmless as he looks, he ate through an entire restaurant warehouse. That bottomless stomach and that blue hair are begging to synergize with the ocean here.

Pacer-man!

Hallo, hallo, hey everyone.

Contestant Mizuki, would you like to say a few words to stir the hearts of the people?

Hm... I'll eat you all up once I'm tired of playing.

Ooooh! Contestant Mizuki, utterer of terrifying statements in completely normal voices! We look forward to seeing you out there!

Next up, it's a local team, led by Miss Rafaela, who may look cute, but she's got a giant, fiendish sickle. That's the kind of contrast this team's here to feed you.

Let's welcome up—the Grey Feathers!

Hello to you all.

Miss Rafaela, what do you have to say before the tournament?

Um... I'll do my best.

Ooh, alright, alright, sometimes it's the simple things that touch us deep! Grey Feathers, I think you'll go far!

Right after that, it's a newcomer to this competition, but the team that's drawn the most buzz!

They're the live scrimmage gatecrashers, winners with an attitude no-one could answer, the supernovas who've picked up Mr. Pancho's support!

They came from a place the City of Two Suns loves dearly—the Lungmen heroines, Miss Lin Yühsia, Miss Ch'en Hui-chieh, and we even get the local arms dealer, Mr. Ernesto, completing this team—

—LUNG wRATh!

Strong, fresh teams spike an appetite like nothing else, and their odds are sitting high! But! Do you truly dare to put your chips down on them?

*Sigh*.

Hah.

Alright, let's get your statement. Team leader?

Who's the leader?

Ernesto, you do it.

What?

There's no way Lin Yühsia's going to take what I say.

And you wouldn't take what I say either.

Er, alright.

In that case, we proclaim—we're going to carve our mark into this competition's history!

How was that?

Mediocre.

Agreed.

Thought so.

Massively assertive! Let's look forward to LUNG wRATh and their vivid display.

Moving on, our next team is...

Hey, Missy, this way.

Coming! Hey, watch my ice cream!

Really, this crowd is insane...

Just goes to show how much attention's on this contest.

Anyway, you see that? Ch'en's carrying some gun-ish thing for some reason.

Guess she's not planning to use her sword this time.

She's set herself up badly, hasn't she? She was about as good at firearms training as I was.

Wow. Excellence doesn't just grow on trees, okay?

Calling her swordsmanship 'excellent' undersells it.

Hey, Missy, I gotta say, you're an even bigger Ch'en fan than me, behind her back.

I'm just stating facts, okay.

Yeah, yeah. More importantly, though, seeing Ch'en without a sword is a sight to treasure. Let's go ask the organizers if we can get a recording of this.

Let's not. That would be hell.

What's to be so embarrassed about? We'll cut it into a flick. I've already got the title. It'll be 'Gunslinger Old Ch'en Grasps Great Lung Power.'

And I gotta say, you might have a talent for directing awful B movies.

I'm flattered. Oh, right, Missy. I've got something to talk to you about.

Not happening.

C'mon, I haven't even said what it is.

You said 'something to talk about' and I nearly threw up my ice cream. Nothing good comes out of that phrasing.

Hey. No, just, I saw the officials here had an event on for the spectators.

I looked into it. They let you guess who'll win. And there's a bunch of smaller ones, like who'll be first to get gold, who'll get eliminated earliest, and...

The way you use the word 'guess' absolutely floors me.

It's government-sponsored. Ship-shape and legal.

Ugh. What even goes for illegal in this city?

Yeah... good point, but right now we're just regular tourists, y'know? It's beyond our job descriptions.

I know.

And look, even if you want to laugh at Ch'en and Miss Lin, just suppose they do win, we won't be out of pocket, right?

Makes it a win-win, Missy.

Sigh*... I give in. Here's my card.

Mighty thanks, Milady.

Don't go splashing it about!

I hear you.

Alright, that's all forty teams.

Cameras and drones will capture the whole thing, ensuring you don't miss a single beautiful shot.

And this main stage isn't gonna stand alone, either. The officials have set up ten more, each one with its own dedicated presenter.

So you'll get every second, and with commentary just as brilliant to match.

Plus, once the opening ceremony begins, we've got a little wagering opportuntiy for you audience-siders, to make the competition that much spicier.

All spectators are invited to register your info on the government site, and you can make yourself a little extra cash!

For specifics on how it'll work, refer to your government-issued competition guides.

Now, then. All the competitors are in our starting district and readied up.

Round 1 will be a search—and a struggle—for pure gold in a partitioned-off area. Teams will then hand it directly to staff at the finish point.

But, they're also allowed to shoot for more! Whatever gold they get belongs to them!

Alright! Mayor Candela, fire off the salute and signal the start of this competition!

I declare—Round 1 has officially begun!

What now?

We split up.

And avoid working together. It seems we have yet another common understanding.

However, before that. We're already being watched.

We break out first.

Good.

Oooh, Round 1 of the championship has begun, and the highly anticipated LUNG wRATh has had three other teams cooperate to target them!

Either side is poised to fight!

Will LUNG wRATh once again show their true power, or will the teams united take the win? Let's hold on tight!