Wild Nerd's Strange Life Saga

by WildMath55

The first part of the first season of Gensokyo Freelancer's History. Yasei found himself facing someone he didn't expect on his mission. Soon after that, he decides to leave Outside World and begin his journey to Gensokyo, the world where legends become reality. This is where his knowledge about Gensokyo will be tested. Can he survive? Will he challenge Yukari Yakumo in the end?

6. Gensokyo Tournament : Human Village

AN : Finally. After three weeks... This chapter took longer than I expected. That's because I took some reference from Shadow Fight 2. And I learned if the game has tournament arc, so I will implement one on this chapter. Tournament? Yeah. Yasei still needs experience, you know. And as I stated on previous chapter, Yasei's rank is still below Hotaru. (You're not kidding, right?!) That's because Hotaru already become Gensokyo resident when Yasei comes. I'll introduce my other OC here. (Not Iseya.) For reminder, I don't own any of the characters except Yasei and one other OC. Then, without further ado!

Wild Nerd's Strange Life Saga Chapter 5

Gensokyo Tournament : Human Village

Previously…

Yasei didn't expect that he would get tested by Keine and Yukari soon after he got his house in Human Village. It seems Keine already found out that he already has a spell card. Yukari already saw that coming, obviously. That's why she comes to the village to inform Keine about the new outsider (Yasei). On the test, Yasei almost defeated by Mystia, but thanks to his determination, he managed to create his first Fusion Spell Card, Pen Sign "Triathlon Rage". Then he heads back to the village, and when he is about to reach the gates, he is assaulted by Hotaru. Yasei managed to hold back, and after few events, they heads back to Human Village. And a new day is about to begin…

Yasei's House, Human Village, Gensokyo…

*Alarm sound* *clank* "So it's already morning… Better clean this house before I go out." Yasei gets up and cleans his new house. He couldn't do it because he was very tired last night. Checking his belongings that Yukari sends from his old house, he relieved because nothing is missing, and tidy it all. 'Good thing she even remembers to send the alarm clock as well…' Finally done with the cleaning, he changes his gakuran and wears a new one. Then he is about to go out when someone is knocking on the door. 'I wonder who is there…' Curious, Yasei opens the door, only to find Hotaru standing in front of his house.

"Morning!" Hotaru greets with a cheerful expression. "Morning. You seem to be in great mood, Hotaru." Yasei greets her back. He is now very curious. "Right. This time, I won't hold back!" As Hotaru said that, he became confused, and asks her. "Sorry, but what do you mean by that? I think we already agreed to ceasefire." The girl then handed a letter she got. Apparently she has two copies. "Here. There's a tournament in Human Village. I'm sure you will be excited to hear this." Hotaru explains the content of the letter as Yasei reads it. Soon after he realized what that means, he dashes to take his pen sets, and tries to confirm his deduction. "In other words, you said that you will join this as well, Hotaru?" The said girl nods, and she throws a table out of nowhere. Yasei only sighs, and jump over it easily. "Okay. I won't hold back as well, so you better prepare yourself." Then both of them do high five. Before Hotaru leaves, Yasei calls her. "Hey, you forgot your table." It seems she can be quite forgetful when it comes to her tables. Probably because her table flip habit. "Oh, sorry. Can you throw it to me?" Yasei sighs again, then he took the table and throws it to Hotaru, only to see her catch it with ease. "Thanks. I'll be waiting on the tournament venue." With that, she leaves.

"I got my hands full now… Better ask Keine-sensei about this." Yasei heads to Keine's school to get more detail about the tournament. As he reached the school, he could see Keine standing in the front gate. "Ah, you're here, Yasei." Yasei bows in response. (He's still doing that?) "Pardon my intrusion. Hope I don't disturb you on your daily basis, Keine-sensei." This time, just like Akyuu, Keine is barely able to hold her laugh. "Oh, you don't need to be that formal. You can just call me Keine. Besides, the class is off today. So, what is that you want to ask me?" Then Yasei asks Keine about the tournament. He also said that he will participate there. "I see… Certainly you will face a lot of fighters on this tournament. You do know about Yukari's game that happened in the past, right?" Yasei nods, understand what Keine means. "I assume that happens on the intermission between Gen 1 and Gen 2. This will certainly be tough." Amazed with Yasei's quick wit, Keine decides to tell him something. "There is one thing I must tell you before we continue."

A month after Wind God Chronicles Incident

"Hm? What's happened?" Keine quickly rushes to the gate after one of the guards calls her. After she arrives there, she saw a young boy trying to get in the village, but blocked by the guards. Using her powers as history searcher, Keine could see that this boy has no history in Gensokyo. Knowing what that means, she speaks to the guards. "Let me handle this." The guards obey and Keine took the boy to the village. She wondered why this boy is even in Gensokyo at the first place. And she decided to bring the boy to her school. Soon after they reached the school, she asks. "Tell me, what is your name?" The boy answers. "Hiroshi. Hiroshi Kato."

Present Time

"Hmm… That would be cruel for a child, indeed. Good thing you're there, Keine. But what does that have to do with- wait… Don't say…!" That reminds him with what one of the guards told him before. "Not many humans that can be this polite. And you're the first one after these decades." Keine saw the change in Yasei's face. Knowing what that means, she decides to confirm it. "You got that right. Hiroshi now is the leader of Human Village Guards. And he happens to get the guard duty the day you come here." Yasei silently listens to Keine, and then he asks. "So does that mean he will take part on this tournament as well?" Keine nods. She surprised at first, but she realized that Yasei is a fast learner. "This tournament actually invented to test the guards capability. Some strong fighters also participate as well. Today's event is the 10th tournament."

Yasei then shows the letter he got from Hotaru. "Is this letter happens to be the invitation to this tournament?" Keine examines the letter, and returns it to Yasei shortly after. "It is. Actually, I got high hopes for you, so I decided to invite you to this tournament. And it seems Hotaru will join as well. That means both of you will make your debut here." Yasei nods, and equips his pen set. "Thanks for giving me this, Keine. I'll make sure to not let you down." He wants to bow again, but Keine shook her head and smiles. "Do you forget what I told you before?" It seems he almost forget it. "Hehe… Sorry about that, Keine. Outside World habit." Yasei waves his hand to Keine, and he got his first tournament debut here. "Hiroshi Kato… Mizutani Hotaru… They will be tough adversary, for sure."

Somewhere in the gates…

"Wait, why we're here, Vaati?" A girl with maid outfit asking her companion. "It's been a long time since the last tournament I saw. I think this is also good for your training, Lucy." Apparently, they are the two girls mentioned in Cirno's flashback, Lucy Thesda and Vaati Star. They come to the village after hearing about the 10th tournament in Human Village, though it seems like Lucy is the one dragged there. "Are you sure about this? We're still- Ugh!" Vaati hits Lucy's back before the latter continues her words. "That's why we must keep a low profile. Don't even use your American accent." Then they wear their hoods and continue their walk until they reach the venue.

A familiar tengu could be seen in the sky as well. She didn't want to miss this event, for sure.

On the tournament venue…

Yasei is looking at the participants list. He already confirms that Hiroshi and Hotaru join the tournament. Then he looks at the other participants. "All of them are Human Village Guards members, aren't they…" He recognizes them as veterans of Sengoku Gensokyo, the game Yukari proposed on Gen 1 and Gen 2 intermission. They even have ranks as well. Here is the full list.

Human Village Guards' 10th Tournament Participants (* for notable guards)

Level 3 Guards :

· Chitose Sakurajima*

· Hibari Kouchin*

· Kaede Atsuki

· Kaiotsu*

· Kana Okasono*

· Kazutora

· Kenta Takahashi*

· Matsuru Tachibana*

· Suzaku Fujiyama*

· Warabe Nagauchi*

· Yuri Komagi*

Level 4 Guards :

· Ayu Isami*

· Ayumi Fujiwara*

· Boozer Rokusuke*

· Hikozaemon*

· Kaoru Mitsuki

· Kira Fuyumuro*

· Rei Kitahara*

· Soichiro Chiashi*

· Toshihachi Murao*

· Unkai Kaou

· Yui Morita*

Level 5 Guards :

· Fuushin

· Izou Shigeru*

· Koguki Yasuno*

· Kumiko Nakajima*

· Manahito Osamu*

· Naoki Endou

· Natsuki Kurose*

· Sakura Haruna*

· Sasuke Mikuri

· Shiho Utae*

· Toujin Ooishi*

· Tsubame Watase*

· Usami Mochibe*

Level 6 Guards :

· Ichirouta

· Izumi Uenohara

· Kazuma Matsuo*

· Remon Yamanami

· Souun

· Yumeta Ryo

· Yumetsugu Ryo*

Level 7 Guards :

· Chiyo Hamasaki*

· Jinpachi Anya

· Junpei Touji

· Koga Sahiakira

· Natsuki Hayama*

· Satoshi Mikagura*

· Sousuke Jinbara*

· Yukiko Yoshikuni*

Elite Fighters :

· Hiroshi Kato (Human Village Guards Leader)

· Mizutani Hotaru (Elite Table Flipper) (debut)

· Sugaku Yasei (Nerd Ace Hunter) (debut)

"There are a lot of names here, for sure." Lucy examines the participants list. Her eyes were averted to Elite Fighters part. "I never heard about these two before…" Vaati heard that, and she directs her eyes to the same point. "It seems there are two new fighters who will debut here. If you ask me about Mizutani Hotaru, she really lives up to her status. I wonder about the newest debut here…" Obviously, the new fighter she mentions is Yasei. Lucy is still examining the list while Vaati pats her soulder. "Don't just freeze there. We should move. Let's see how much we can learn from this tournament." That makes Lucy surprised. She didn't expect that Vaati would say it. "Wait, even you still need to learn?" Vaati nods and she replies with Patchouli's words. "There is always something that you can learn everywhere. That's what Patchouli said to me when I first learn magic. Let's go." With that, they go to the spectator seats. They arrived in time as the groups already set.

Tournament Groups

Group 1

· Souun (M)

· Kaede Atsuki (F)

· Jinpachi Aniya (M)

· Remon Yamanami (F)

· Ayumi Fujiwara (F)*

· Toshihachi Murao (M)*

· Soichiro Chiashi (M)*

Group 2

· Kaiotsu (M)*

· Naoki Endou (M)

· Chiyo Hamasaki (F)*

· Yumeta Ryo (M)

· Izou Shigeru (M)*

· Koguki Yasuno (M)*

· Mizutani Hotaru (F) (E)

Group 3

· Ayu Isami (F)*

· Koga Sahiakira (F)

· Hibari Kouchin (F)*

· Natsuki Hayama (M)*

· Sugaku Yasei (M) (E)

· Matsuru Tachibana (F)*

· Boozer Rokusuke (M)*

Group 4

· Fuushin (M)

· Kazutora (M)

· Kenta Takahashi (M)*

· Manahito Osamu (M)*

· Izumi Uenohara (F)

· Satoshi Mikagura (M)*

· Yumetsugu Ryo (M)*

Group 5

· Rei Kitahara (M)*

· Warabe Nagauchi (F)*

· Yuri Komagi (F)*

· Tsubame Watase (F)*

· Kazuma Matsuo (M)*

· Kira Fuyumuro (F)*

· Yukiko Yoshikuni (F)*

Group 6

· Unkai Kaou (M)

· Kana Okasono (F)*

· Yui Morita (F)*

· Junpei Touji (M)

· Toujin Ooishi (M)*

· Chitose Sakurajima (F)*

Group 7

· Ichirouta (M)

· Hikozaemon (M)*

· Sakura Haruna (F)*

· Hiroshi Kato (M) (E)

· Sousuke Jinbara (M)*

· Natsuki Kurose (M)*

Group 8

· Shiho Utae (F)*

· Usami Mochibe (F)*

· Kumiko Nakajima (F)*

· Sasuke Mikuri (M)

· Kaoru Mitsuki (F)

· Suzaku Fujiyama (M)*

Yasei is relieved with the drawing result. He did expect that Hotaru and Hiroshi will be placed in separate group. He then analyzes his group's opponents. "Level 3 guards, Hibari Kouchin and Matsuru Tachibana; Level 4 guards, Ayu Isami and Boozer Rokusuke; and Level 7 guards, Koga Sahiakira and Natsuki Hayama… I better save my weapon when I face Hiroshi and Hotaru." Then, he proceeds to his group's arena. (Rule : All fighters must knock out the opponents in their group until only two remains.)

Yasei didn't know that Cirno also came to watch the tournament as well.

In the group stage, most of the guards use martial arts, including Hiroshi. Hotaru is lucky because she can use her tables in this tournament. Yasei also get the same luck thanks to his Parkour martial arts. He got even better upper hand because he already beat Night Dwellers Trio (Rumia, Wriggle, and Mystia). And as expected, those three manages to reach Top 16. They even managed to be top ranker of their respective groups.

Group Stage Result

· Jinpachi Aniya (1W)

· Remon Yamanami (1R)

· Mizutani Hotaru (2W)

· Chiyo Hamasaki (2R)

· Sugaku Yasei (3W)

· Natsuki Hayama (3R)

· Satoshi Mikagura (4W)

· Yumetsugu Ryo (4R)

· Yukiko Yoshikuni (5W)

· Kazuma Matsuo (5R)

· Junpei Touji (6W)

· Toujin Ooishi (6R)

· Hiroshi Kato (7W)

· Sousuke Jinbara (7R)

· Kumiko Nakajima (8W)

· Usami Mochibe (8R)

"Wait, I think I'm familiar with that boy's skill." Lucy suddenly speaks after the group stage ends. "Eh? You do?" Vaati is surprised when she hear that. She never thought that Lucy is familiar with Yasei's skill. "Yeah. I never thought that I could see parkour in Gensokyo… It seems I've underestimating him." Vaati only smiles. It seems she really proud that Lucy knew something that she didn't. 'Thanks for telling me the importance of learning, sister…' That thought reminds Vaati with her first day learning magic. And right now, she is training Lucy on her runaway trip. (Am I the only one thinking that Vaati always portrayed as trainer?)

Meanwhile…

'As expected. He really managed to pass the group stage. That means he didn't lying when he said he already pass the test.' Keine is also watching the tournament. She seems relieved that her expectations didn't betray her. This time, she comes with Akyuu, since the latter's apprentice also made her debut in this tournament. "It seems the boy you recommend is really good, Keine-san." Akyuu is complimenting Yasei's performance on this tournament. Events like this didn't bore her. In contrary, it's necessary for her so she could write improvements that Human Village Guards achieved. "Right, Akyuu-sama. But I don't know if Hotaru could fight as well..." Keine nods, agrees with Akyuu. Somehow, that reminds them with what happened yesterday.

Last night in Village Outskirts

"Hold it, Keine-sensei. Leave her to me." Keine is against this. She tries to stop both of them. "Wait a second! I can't let both of you fight!" Yasei only sighs, and he decides to rephrase his words. "Sorry, but I didn't said I'll beat her, Keine-sensei. I just said to leave her to me. On meantime, please call Akyuu to come here."

Present Day

"Look like he already knew about Hotaru's potential even before we do." Keine concludes with what Yasei said last night, and how she understands what he mean by that. "Indeed. And good thing Hotaru isn't reckless. I wonder what will happen if she doesn't have her sixth sense…" This time, it's Akyuu who nods. Then she asks. "There's still time until the finals begin. Shall we rest a little before coming here again?" Looking around, Keine realizes that the other spectators already leave the arena. "Might as well. I still must prepare for tomorrow's lesson. If you don't mind, Akyuu-sama, I'll take my leave." Keine bows lightly and goes back to the school. Soon after that, Akyuu decides to fetch Hotaru.

How about Cirno?

'No weapons in group stage… That way it could prevent fatal injury… Thanks for telling me how to fight fair, Vaati…' Flying in the sky, Cirno watches the tournament from above. She couldn't risk that her presence might harm the other spectators. (It seems Cirno really become smarter after Vaati teach her.) 'Still, I'd never expect that he choose to secure the spot by defending himself from incoming attacks… At least, he didn't go against rules.' Silently lands, Cirno looks at the group stage result. She is relieved because Yasei managed to pass it, as she suspected. 'I got a great rival, Vaati. If you saw the tournament, you surely agree with me.' Cirno then flies to the sky and wait for the finals.

Let's see what Lucy and Vaati doing in the village.

"Total defense… So he read the rule and uses it to his advantage…" Vaati tells her opinion about Yasei's tactic on the group stage. "Not to count that he even able to use parkour as well… He's very agile, I give him that." Lucy adds with her knowledge about Outside World sports. (Parkour is included, too?!) "Hiroshi Kato is famous for able to use many weapons proficiently, while Mizutani Hotaru is one of elite Table Flippers, and a gifted one, at that. Adding our opinions about the newest debut, Sugaku Yasei, I think he will give those two the real challenge. What do you think?" Vaati summarizes the knowledge she and Lucy gather about the Elite Fighters. It seems she decides to test Lucy's deduction. "Guess so. But it seems he defends on purpose. That's as if he already expects that he will face Hiroshi Kato and Mizutani Hotaru on this tournament." Lucy already spotted the 'hidden message' that Yasei leaves in this tournament. What a deduction… As expected from loophole finder.

"Who knows…? But considering the tournament system, you're right. No wonder my sister gives you good marks about your self-survival skills, Lucy. About your deduction, the three of them must reach semifinal as the requirement. That must be fulfilled." Then Vaati shows the Finals chart to Lucy after responding the latter's deduction.

Top 16

1. Jinpachi Aniya (1W) vs Chiyo Hamasaki (2R)

2. Sugaku Yasei (3W) vs Yumetsugu Ryo (4R)

3. Yukiko Yoshikuni (5W) vs Toujin Ooishi (6R)

4. Hiroshi Kato (7W) vs Usami Mochibe (8R)

5. Mizutani Hotaru (2W) vs Remon Yamanami (1R)

6. Satoshi Mikagura (4W) vs Natsuki Hayama (3R)

7. Junpei Touji (6W) vs Kazuma Matsuo (5R)

8. Kumiko Nakajima (8W) vs Sousuke Jinbara (7R)

Quarter Final

1. T1 Winner vs T2 Winner

2. T3 Winner vs T4 Winner

3. T5 Winner vs T6 Winner

4. T7 Winner vs T8 Winner

Semifinal

1. Q1 Winner vs Q2 Winner

2. Q3 Winner vs Q4 Winner

3rd Place : S1 Loser vs S2 Loser

Final : S1 Winner vs S2 Winner

"By the way, I feel sorry about what was happened to you, Lucy. That must be hard." Vaati shows her sympathy to Lucy since she also got transformed to a girl. (Whoa…) And she replies with a heavy tone. "Yeah. That damn scientist… She really ruined my chance to go back to Outside World. You know what? She just said it plainly, and I'm very pissed off because that. The only good thing is she's immortal and I don't need my glasses again." Vaati silently hear it, and she tells her story in return. "I see… At least you're better than me. I only realized that I've been transformed after Patchouli visits me in my shack. Not to count the one that did this was the person you hate most, Marisa Kirisame. For me, it's better than remembering my past in Outside World." That surprises Lucy. She totally didn't expect that Vaati was transformed by Marisa. "Sorry about that, Vaati. I think I gone overboard. I hope I can complete my training soon so I can beat that crap out of her."

Vaati nods slightly, and she decides that they should go back to the venue. "We should go back before the finals begin. Those three might go all-out on this phase." Agreed with that, Lucy dashes to the seats while Vaati simply flies there. (Lucy can't fly, you know…)

On the backstage…

Yasei is training his parkour martial art skills when Hayama greets him. "You're still here? The finals is about to begin. Better prepare yourself." Yasei stops, and as he about to go to the arena, Hayama interrupts. "I would like to spar with you after you done with your fight." Both of them then proceed to participate in the finals. (Chart above.) 'This is it. I must go through two phase first before I face Hiroshi. Then, Hotaru, we will meet in final stage, and I won't hold back, so you better prepare yourself for it.' With a clenched fist, Yasei determines to reach the final and win the tournament.

Soon after the first fight finished, he enters the arena, and waiting for his opponent. 'Level 6 guard, Yumetsugu Ryo… Sorry for this, but I can't allow myself to lose here.' The bell is ringed after Yumetsugu enters and takes his fighting stance.

Then Yasei proceeds to fight swiftly, dodging all incoming attack with his ridiculous speed, and delivering some kicks. He didn't even use his parkour martial art skills this time, which is unusual. 'No time to waste! Better finish this fast!' And he got lucky, because he managed to evade Yumetsugu's front punch. 'Now!' While in squatting position, Yasei put his right hand on the ground, and double sweeps the ground. It makes Yumetsugu lost his balance and falling down. 'Hope he's okay… That's the only way I can think to make a safe KO.' (Safe KO? Never heard about it before…) Watching that, almost everyone surprised. They never thought that Yasei also capable of close combat. Only few that knows why.

"Wait Keine-san, you said that he was the secret weapon of his former guild?" Akyuu is surprised after hearing Keine said something about Yasei's past. "Not me, but Yukari said so when she came here two days ago. Knowing her, she probably peek him on his mission. And it seems she said the truth." Keine replies with what she learns from current events, and she continues. "I just never expect that someone this strong could perceive our existence. Good thing he knows about it as well."

The tournament continues as Hiroshi and Hotaru manages to beat their opponents as well. From their fighting style, they also have the same intention with Yasei. The only thing different is now Hiroshi is more serious here, while Hotaru uses her tables as tower shield, and kicks it one after another to her opponents. How about Yasei himself? He is currently sparring with Hayama, as he promised, until the latter's turn comes.

And too bad for Hayama, he lost against Satoshi Mikagura, his fellow Level 7 Guards. It seems his spar with Yasei drains a considerable stamina. Probably that's why Yasei didn't say anything when he saw Hayama's loss. Soon after all the eight fights ends, the Top 8 is listed in the Finals chart, updating it.

Quarter Final

1. Chiyo Hamasaki (T1) vs Sugaku Yasei (T2)

2. Yukiko Yoshikuni (T3) vs Hiroshi Kato (T4)

3. Mizutani Hotaru (T5) vs Satoshi Mikagura (T6)

4. Junpei Touji (T7) vs Sousuke Jinbara (T8)

Semifinal

1. Q1 Winner vs Q2 Winner

2. Q3 Winner vs Q4 Winner

3rd Place : S1 Loser vs S2 Loser

Final : S1 Winner vs S2 Winner

In the sky, a certain tengu already took Yasei's photographs. No need to ask how she did it. "The new fighter sure shows his skills. This better be good materials for my newspaper. I can't wait to see how the tournament goes on…" Without wasting the time, the tengu speeds as fast as possible to the venue, as the quarter finals is about to begin.

Meanwhile, at the entrance…

"I never thought that he actually decides to live here. Good thing mistress also orders me to see how he is doing. Knowing him, he would like to face any challenges." Sakuya seems surprised when she saw the house near the gates already has its owner. She then realized what that means. Not to count the current event, she already knew where Yasei is. When Sakuya is about to stop time, she is reminded with her fight with Yasei in Outside World, and how the latter is immune to her abilities. "No other choice, then…" Sakuya then decides to walk instead, in order to hide her presence from Yasei.

Back to the tournament. The first quarter final fight is Chiyo Hamasaki against Yasei. Both fighters enter the arena, and soon after they bow to each other, they began the fight.

At first, it seems like Yasei didn't strike Hamasaki at all. He just evades all of her attacks, just like he did in his fight against Yumetsugu. However, everyone is surprised, as Yasei began to attack Hamasaki with her own attacks. What's more is, he even manages to hit Hamasaki cleanly. 'A form of karate, is it? Good thing I was trained very well before I come here. Being a secret weapon once does have its advantage.' With that thought, Yasei then executes the karate move set he has inherited in Outside World, and takes the win. He is the first one qualified to semifinal.

Sakuya watched it all from a spot somewhere in the seats, completely hidden from all other spectators. 'He able to copy his opponent's move set and masters it in a blink of an eye… Combine it with his abundant knowledge about Gensokyo…Good grief, Yukari…' Knowing that, Sakuya thinks it should be better if she watch Yasei to get all info about his fighting skills.

On the other side, Hiroshi and Hotaru also managed to reach semifinal. Both of them are eager to see what Yasei is really capable of. In Hotaru's case, she already challenged Yasei, and she hope that he reaches the final, so they can resume their fight from yesterday. The last one qualified to the semifinal is Sousuke Jinbara. Apparently, both Hiroshi and Jinbara are from the same group, being top ranker and runner up respectively.

Semifinal

1. Sugaku Yasei (Q1) vs Hiroshi Kato (Q2)

2. Mizutani Hotaru (Q3) vs Sousuke Jinbara (Q4)

3rd Place : S1 Loser vs S2 Loser

Final : S1 Winner vs S2 Winner

The awaited semifinal is finally here. Since most of the semifinalists are Elite Fighters, with Jinbara as exception, they are allowed to use any weapons in their disposal. Yasei took out his pen set that he keeps until now, and equips it like knuckles. This is the exact same weapon style he used against Rumia. "All right. Glad the weapons are allowed now. I don't know much about Hiroshi, apart from what Keine told me. He will be a formidable opponent, considering his status as Human Village Guards Leader. Just in case, I'll take all pen sets in my disposal." Then he proceeds to go to the arena to face Hiroshi.

Yasei probably didn't realize that Lucy already found his intention before the finals. And it's not just that.

"This will be tough for him." Keine suddenly speaks. It seems she realized what will happen. Akyuu also get the same feeling. "Hope he managed to pull through it somehow…" In the other seats, Lucy and Vaati also waiting until both Yasei and Hiroshi make their entrance. And they got surprised soon after that. (Hey, what's happened?)

The person in front of Yasei right now, is a young man about his age, and he is wielding claws. Not just regular claws, but an elongated one. It seems like blades attached in his hands. He also has loads of weapons in his back. 'So he is Hiroshi… But wait, that claws' shape… I think I saw it before… Not to mention that the rule allows any weapons in disposal to be used… Just hope my knowledge about 'it' could be useful here…' Yasei took his fighting stance for precautions.

"Before we start our fight, I would like to congratulate you for passing the test Keine-sensei gave to you yesterday." Hiroshi is complimenting Yasei for his recent achievement. Note that he is present when Yasei is about to do his test. "Actually, I owe you one for that. Thanks for allowing me to enter in the first place. I don't know how it will end the other way…" Realizing what Hiroshi means, Yasei gives the former his gratitude. Both of them then bows to each other, and took their fighting stance.

Now it's Nerd Ace Hunter against the leader of the Guards.

Hiroshi begins with a swing from his claws. It managed to force Yasei to crouch. 'As expected. That claws' range is long enough to hit me after I evade sideward.' And he then decides to use his parkour martial arts. Soon after the claws is not in his range, Yasei runs to the side of the arena, then dashes to Hiroshi, jumps frontward, and tumbles before propels his foots, completing Tumble Axe attack sequence. Too bad for Yasei, Hiroshi defends with hand block. 'That speed… I could get hit if I didn't defend.' Yasei is pushed back, but he manages to balance himself, and lands swiftly.

Just as he landed, Hiroshi charges forward, thrusting his claws to Yasei, only to see him evade it with ease this time. Still on the offensive, Hiroshi then swings both of his claws. Yasei crouches again, and this time he tackles Hiroshi from below, make the latter almost lost his balance. Luckily, Hiroshi manages to regain his stance by thrusting his claws to the ground, and does a handspring. Then he suddenly talks. "That's quite unorthodox for someone like you." Yasei replies with the same tone. "And I think I'm familiar with that weapon." Then they resume their fight.

Both of them do the spinning attack at the same time! And somehow, they are even. But it's strange. Yasei was forced to crouch before. Then why he managed to even his footing with Hiroshi now? "Clever. I never thought that you would use your pens like that." Yasei only smirks after he heard that. It seems Hiroshi found out that he put his pens downwards between his fingers to his palm and using it on his spinning attack. "Found it out, right? I remember the time when Shadow fought Lynx after he beat all his bodyguards, and Lynx uses the same claws like the one you wear now."

BGM (Shadow Fight 2 OST – Black Warrior)

"Amazing. You even found out my weapons origin on this fight. Indeed. This is the claws of the first demon in Gate of Shadows, Lynx. And I assume you already heard about my past from Keine-sensei." Hiroshi is amazed after hearing that. He totally didn't expect that Yasei even able to identify his weapons accurately. The latter only nods slightly, as they fight. "Right. Keine is kind enough to give me chance to improve my skills here. And it's an honor to fight against a veteran like you."

On the seats, everyone is surprised and amazed as they see both Yasei and Hiroshi's feats. That fighting skills matches that of certain gardener, though their stats is still far below that. "To think even Hiroshi got a hard time facing him… It's the first time someone managed to make him use his weapons." Akyuu commented about the fight. She also surprised about how the fight goes on. "Gate of Shadows… I don't think I can found any history related to that place, just like I deduce that Hiroshi is, in fact, outsider. It does make sense that only Yasei and Yukari that knew about it. I just wonder why I never heard about it until now…" Keine is trying to get the meaning of the conversation between Yasei and Hiroshi a while ago, and her expression clearly stated that she has no idea that Hiroshi could obtain such weapon.

The same expression also struck both Lucy and Vaati. Lucy is lucky, as she somehow knew what kind of weapon Hiroshi has. Vaati however, totally has no idea about it. "I don't think I ever see that kind of weapon before…" Lucy replies with what she knows about Hiroshi's weaponry. "I assume that was some kind of boss weapon. You know that bosses tend to use some special weapons in games, right?" It looks like she deciphers it from Yasei and Hiroshi's conversation. (Lucy [Luke] was an ace gamer before Yukari teleports her [him] to Gensokyo.) Well, let's go back to the arena.

BGM (Shadow Fight 2 OST – Old Sensei)

Yasei is surprised as he saw Hiroshi took off his claws and wields a pair of one-handed swords. "Don't say… Is that Hermit's swords?" Hiroshi nods, and he tells Yasei that there are six boss weapons that he has in his disposal. "You already beat the first weapon. But there are still five weapons left. What is your choice?" Hearing that, Yasei puts the pens back, and took two black pens. He holds it like dagger wielder. "Then let me improve my skills as well. I'll give you a hint. A certain head maid already tested me before." Both of them tighten their weapons' gripping, and charges at each other.

Now it's Hiroshi's turn to jump. He is about to thrust the sword to Yasei when he found that the latter isn't there. As he lands and looks around, suddenly Yasei appears behind him and does a multiple spin jump attack. It hits Hiroshi cleanly, but strangely, no scratch is found on his armor. Soon after Yasei lands, he continues his offense. Hiroshi is preparing to defend, but as Yasei comes near, he suddenly gone, and Hiroshi got hit from the back. It makes the latter dumbfounded, but not for long.

"I see… No wonder Yukari teleports you here." That makes Yasei surprised. He didn't expect that Hiroshi also knew about Yukari. But he is reminded with what Keine told to her. "Same to you. Someone told me that a boy is stranded in a foreign village and the village head decides to keep him there and train him to defend the village in return." (Wait, did he just say something?) Hiroshi didn't affected by that in the slightest. "Close enough. But Keine-sensei isn't the village head. She's the guardian of Human Village. I only follow her path as my gratitude. So shall we move to the third weapon?" Hiroshi sheathes his swords back and took a pair of cleavers, while Yasei add two red pens in his grips, one for each hand. "I wonder how Butcher will see this…" Both of them took their fighting stance again.

BGM (Shadow Fight 2 OST – Sparring)

While Yasei and Hiroshi began the third round (literally), Cirno still observing the fight when she spots Aya somewhere near. 'That tengu… She insults my effort to find a cure for Vaati… Hold on, I already promised her that I shouldn't get taunted with hatred. Besides, I already got someone that accepts my challenge. I better save my energy for that.' Cirno then decides to ignore the tengu and continues to watch the fight. She didn't know that somewhere in the seats, Vaati also watching the semifinals.

"Wait, did you said you got a NDE (near-death experience)?!" Lucy is very surprised when she heard that. Vaati nods slightly and replies. "Right. Twice, even. You know, the first one is when I and Cirno ventures to SDM that become our former guild. And second is the Battle of Misty Lake. I was dumbfounded at first, but I realized that she somehow saves me. What happens that time is the thing only she knows. What I know afterwards, I'm now a Hourai immortal." Carefully listening that, Lucy reminds herself about how she was eager to find a way back to Outside World, and compares herself with Vaati, that accepts whatever happens in her life, and live through it. The second event began to filling Lucy's thoughts. She is trying to find what Vaati want to say there.

Battle of Misty Lake Aftermath

Cirno ran up to Vaati after Yuugi passed out, and she kneels to him, crying. "It's alright, Cirno." Vaati said quietly and he smiles, trying to comfort her. "No, it's not. It's my fault you're dying." Cirno cries heavily after she said that. She feels very guilty when she saw Vaati's bad condition. Slowly scratching her head, Vaati replies. "Cirno… I've not lived a good life, but at the very least I know, that you'll always be around to protect people." That only made Cirno cries heavier, and she couldn't let her friend die here. "Don't leave me… you're the only one who's ever cared!" Then Vaati says something that appears to be his last words. "Cirno… I'll be here until my very end, my story is closing."

Present Day

"But you're still alive now, Vaati. What do you mean by- oh…" Lucy is about to do a rebuttal before she finally found a part that most likely represents the entire flashback. Vaati smiles when she saw that, and reminds Lucy about the fight. "Glad you understand, Lucy. But the fight isn't over yet. It seems the new contender got few scratches on his outfit. Not to mention the guard leader still have three weapons to go." They continue to watch as Yasei and Hiroshi both replaces their weapons.

BGM (Shadow Fight 2 OST – Ship Battle)

Yasei could be seen holding black and blue pen, one each for each hand. Hiroshi already holds a naginata, and he reminds the former about the weapons. "The fourth demon in Gate of Shadows, Wasp, wields this naginata. I suppose you know what that means." And without even giving a chance, he charges at Yasei, with the blades pointed. Much to his surprise, Yasei fells, and executes Frontal Backflip Kick when he is about to hit the ground. Again, it made Hiroshi lost his stance. "Wall Pincer attack… It can't be replicated by someone other than Wasp herself." Yasei lands in crouched position, indicating the attack he just made is low one.

After regaining his stance, Hiroshi replies. "True. Only the true wielders that is capable of such feat. The players only able to use it like any regular weapons." Soon after that, both of them continue their fight. Not wanting to risk any more scratches, Yasei relies on his speed, just like what he did in group stage and his fight against Yumetsugu. This time, he managed to overwhelm Hiroshi. The latter's naginata didn't help much, as Yasei evades it easily despite its long range.

Sakuya watched it from the spot she chose for herself. 'He finally became serious…' That reminds her with her fight against Yasei before, and how he remains unscratched, thanks to the combination of his speed and also time magic immunity. Though, the stat degradations also takes part here, as Sakuya can't accelerate or slowing down time, only able to stopping time. (Why?) The time speed in Outside World is constant, and that's just like a remote with "Play" and "Pause" buttons only. She realized that well. It's also the reason why she decides to walks instead of stopping time. All residents of Gensokyo knew, outsiders bring their Outside World traits wherever they go. Yasei and Hiroshi is no exception.

BGM (Shadow Fight 2 OST – Shadow Lady) [I only took the music, mind you.]

Speaking about them, they changed their weapons again. This time, Yasei uses red and blue pens, still with the same format like before. And- Hey! Did Hiroshi just equip the fans?! In gauntlet manners, at that… "Surprised? I don't think I could throw these fans accurately, so as you can see, I'll use it like this." Hiroshi remarks about his weapon preferences. Yasei only give a slight blink (not wink), before replies. "True enough. I heard that fans were used as actual weapons by woman in ancient era. Hope Widow didn't see how you use that…" And you know what happens next…

Hiroshi attacks with horizontal slash combo from his fan-gauntlet. Yasei only steps backwards as each slash barely reaches him. When the last slash is executed, Hiroshi got surprised again, because Yasei is nowhere to be found. Knowing what that means, he turns back and defends… only to see the latter steps his feet on his block and lands. "Same tricks won't work twice, right? If that's what you think, I'm aware with that." Then Yasei proceeds to run to the side of the arena, dashes to Hiroshi, and do another Tumble Axe. The latter already expecting that, and he defends again. But Yasei just feints it like before, and connects it with a fall kick. Much to everyone's surprise, Hiroshi actually stumbles down because the kick force. (What a leg…)

Looking at the ground, Aya is amazed with Yasei and Hiroshi's endurance. They didn't show any signs of fatigues even after this long fight. 'I suppose that's what you would expect from Elite Fighters. It seems the next round will decide it. Hope I could get some good photo here.' Aya takes a note about the result of the previous rounds, and combines it with what she saw from this fight. After that, she took out her camera, and began to find an ideal spot for the photographing. She didn't miss the part when Yasei and Hiroshi changed their weapons for the last time, obviously.

BGM (Shadow Fight 2 OST – Burning Town #2)

"This is it. The last round of our fight. Before we begin, shall we exchange our names? My name is Sugaku Yasei. Pleased to meet you." Yasei bows to Hiroshi to show respect, and then equips all of his pens (black, red, blue) like knuckles. "Indeed. The last weapon I have here is Shogun's Katana, from the last demon in Gate of Shadows. You can call me Hiroshi Kato." Responding Yasei's action, Hiroshi returns the bow, then unsheathes the katana, and puts it in front of him, leaving the wakizashi on its sheath. Without any further words, they began the final part of their fight.

Finally arrives at the scene, both Reimu and Marisa looks at the climax of the fight. "So that's the boy you mention before, Marisa?" Reimu is asking about Yasei. Marisa nods, and points. "Yep. The one without swords, Reimu. You'll see what I mean." "Wait, is that Yasei over there?" That sudden voice managed to surprise them, and when they look around, Sanae is also there. "Really you, Sanae… Don't scare us like that, ze…" It seems Marisa almost got a shock because that. Reimu, still watching the fight, asks the newest member of Touhou Top 4, and who stands behind them. "I take that boy is your friend from Outside World, right?" Sanae nods, confirming the fact.

Noticing that they already got informed about the tournament, she decides to ask. "By the way, how you two knew about him, Reimu-san, Marisa-san?" Marisa is the first one to answer. "I was on the way to Reimu's place when I saw a danmaku. Curious, I decide to come nearer, only to find Rumia is trying to eat him. I was thinking of playing hero, when I noticed that Rumia is the one losing. You know what happens next." And suddenly, Sakuya appears on front of them. "Not to mention that he even able to fight on par with me in Outside World." This time, no one go surprised, as they know about Sakuya's power. Though, they still shocked with the fact that Sakuya, one of Touhou Top 4, got a hard time facing Yasei. "Whoa… Outsiders nowadays become stronger without us knowing it…" Reimu only sighs, and she states her point. "Discounting Sanae, which now become a member of Touhou Top 4, I also never expect that boy could be this strong. And from what I feel, he even able to recognize us easily if he see us. I also confirm that Yukari even put her eyes to him. There's no telling what she'd planning to do with him, but I'm sure that has something to do with Remilia." Sakuya nods. "That is correct. But I can't speak more than that."

(Oops, did I go too far?) Let's see the fight sequence between Yasei and Hiroshi.

BGM (Shadow Fight 2 OST – Citadel)

Hiroshi charges at Yasei and swings the katana horizontally. And to his surprise, the latter blocks it with his pens, and counters with a forward punch. It actually managed to tear some hole to Hiroshi's armor. (Hey!) Knowing that he can't lose his focus, he does the same trick like before. Yasei blocks it again, but this time he swings the wakizashi downwards. And it actually managed to force Yasei steps back with his ridiculous speed. "As I thought. Your speed alone is inhuman." Hiroshi smiles as he found out Yasei's hidden skill. "Huft… You found it out again… Then, without further ado!"

This time, Yasei is the one who strikes. Hiroshi prepares to defend with a spinning slash, but somehow the boy managed to even his footing again. Without wasting a second, Hiroshi wants to strike Yasei with upper slash, and it countered with double upper block. Then Hiroshi does a low slash. Just before he done that, Yasei already hit him with an uppercut, and chained it with a low punch. "This time, I won't hold back anymore." Hearing that exclamation, Hiroshi readying his katana and prepares for the final strike.

Both of them then charges at each other. Hiroshi is the first to launch his final strike. He swings his katana, and chained it with Daisho quadruple slash. And… no one is there! It was supposed to hit Yasei! Just how he managed to evade that point-blank attack?! As Hiroshi trying to look for him, he feels a presence. "Now you got me…" Just after he done saying that, he heard a reply. "Told you. I won't hold back now." And Yasei finish him with two downward spinning attack chained with double punches. The first semifinal ends with unexpected result.

Music ends here.

Soon after claiming the win, Yasei walks to Hiroshi, and he decides to help him stand. "Thanks. I know I was right about you." Hiroshi gives Yasei a gratitude for his sportive act. The latter replies with a bright tone. "Don't mind about it. I only want to train myself, that's all. Besides, we both still have one more fight in this tournament." Hiroshi realized what he means by that. "I suppose so. Good luck in the finals." Yasei replies with similar tone like before. "Same to you. And thanks again." They didn't seem to realize that the crowds are giving them applause because their sportive fight.

"Even Hiroshi-san lost against Yasei… I wonder how much he trains himself that time…" Sanae is amazed with the result. She also never expects that her friend could actually qualify himself to the final stage. "Glad Kanako-sama and Suwako-sama isn't lying." The rest of Touhou Top 4 is surprised after hearing that. They totally didn't know that Moriya crews already knew about Yasei even before he comes to Gensokyo. Then Reimu speaks to Sanae. "Huft… Now that's what even I didn't expect. I already told Yukari that I will have a word with him." Catching what she means, the latter nods, and makes a 'leave it to me' face. "Got it, Reimu-san. I'll call him after the tournament is over."

Back to the charts. Since Yasei already qualifies himself as the finalist, we will see the next fight going on before we go to the final. On the second semifinal, Hotaru also made an unexpected win, for beating Jinbara with only using Spinning Hina robot. (Any weapons is allowed, remember?) And the chart is updated, as listed below.

3rd Place (Group 7 Derby) : Hiroshi Kato vs Sousuke Jinbara

Final (Debuts Showdown) : Sugaku Yasei vs Mizutani Hotaru

To show respect to Hiroshi, let's skip the third place fight.

'Finally I'm here… The final stage. As promised, Hotaru, I won't hold back for real. Let's see which one is better, your tables or my stunts.' In the fighters' room, Yasei is changing his gakuran. Again. "First Rumia, now Hiroshi… Gensokyo sure is harsh… But that's why it's better for me to stay here. At least it has Human Village." He decides to put his pen sets in the room, and proceeds to go to the arena. This is where he and Hotaru will finish what they started.

And as expected, Hotaru is already waiting for him. "Let's resume the yesterday's fight, Yasei." She grins, and Yasei replies with same expression. "We'll settle it here and now, Hotaru."

Phew… That's quite a chapter. Let's see our character's status now.

Sugaku Yasei (my OC)

Title : Nerd Ace Hunter

Rank : Hard + (80% to Hard ++)

Species : Human

Skills : Inhuman agility, expert gunfight, parkour martial arts, Vector stunts

Fighting Style : Parkour style and pen fighter

Intelligence : Data gatherer class (Touhou Project + its fanbase, Walfas Fighters and Table Flippers)

Weakness : He is affected by Spell Card effect in duels

Equipment :

Black, red, and blue pen set; Night Hawk .50C; AK-47 (not used yet); Krieg 550 Commando (not used yet); Sun Shine Notebook (still recharging)

Spell Cards :

- Black Ink "Explosive Idea"

Black pen based spell card. This spell card serves as offensive cover. It's first shown in his fight against Rumia, and later on his test, he used this against Wriggle and Mystia.

- Red Ink "Murderous Barrage"

Red pen based spell card. This spell card serves as frontal attack. He made it after saw Wriggle's "Nightbug Tornado". He also used this against Mystia.

- Blue Ink "Precise Target"

Blue pen based spell card. This spell card serves as sniping precision. He made it after Mystia declares her "Ill-Stared Dive". He must move to the right destination after declares this to activate this card.

- Pen Sign "Triathlon Rage"

Yasei's first Fusion Spell Card. As it names implies, this spell card combines all pen based spell card effect in one. He used this as his last spell card in duel against Mystia.

Hiroshi Kato (my OC)

Title : Prodigal Shadow Fighter

Rank : Hard ++++ (Obvious, considering his status as Human Village Guards Leader)

Species : Human

Skills : SF2 Weapon Master

Fighting Style : Shadow Fight 2

Intelligence : All equipments in Shadow Fight 2

Weakness : He can't emulate SF2 Bosses perks

Equipment :

All SF2 Weapons, most notable is Lynx's Claws, Hermit's Swords, Butcher's Knives, Wasp's Naginata, Widow's Fans, and Shogun's Katana.

*Hiroshi is a pure fighter. That's why he doesn't have any spell cards.

Mizutani Hotaru (Bluyidark's OC)

Title : Fantasy Table Defender

Rank : Lunatic (Yeah. Still on that rank. Her status as finalist is the proof)

Species : Human

Skills : High accuracy of sixth sense, expert table flipper

Fighting Style : Table Flip!

Intelligence : Some knowledge about mythical creatures, thanks to her job as Hieda family assistant

Weakness : Sometimes she can be quite stubborn, which affects her overall performance

Equipment :

Wood tables (supplied by Yukari); Iron tables (supplied by Yukari); Spinning Hina Robot (bought from Nitori); Table missiles (modified wood and iron tables); Plush doll (in her color)

Spell Cards :

- Substitute "Plush Doll"

As it name implies, Hotaru sends a plush doll in her place.

- Level Up "Multiple Stacks"

Using a digital card, Hotaru can multiply her table.

- Spinning Hina "Table Crossfire"

Turn on this robot and it will launch many tables to all directions.

- Table Flip "Table Pick"

Hotaru throws her table in a manner so it could hit like a billiard cue tip.

- Table Flip "Table Gulliver"

Hotaru cages her attackers in a table cage.

- Table Flip "Table Missile"

Hotaru rides her table missile, and she jumps off of it to make a divebomb attack.

- Table Flip "Table Cannon"

Hotaru shoots out a cluster of tables. This card is used when Yasei and Keine is searching her.

- Table Dive "Wooden Chomp"

Hotaru throws two table at the same time, forming jaws shape, and it will grapple opponents if hit.

- Table Sign "Wall of Jericho"

Hotaru's best Spell Card so far. This spell card serves as ultra-defense fortress. It is based from the wall with the same name.

Lucy Thesda (Savato93's OC)

Title : Self-survival Combat Expert (Patchouli's test result)

Rank : Lunatic ++++ (Lucy already come to Gensokyo even longer than Hotaru)

Species : Hybrid (Human and Lunarian)

Skills : Loophole finder

Fighting Style : Unknown

Intelligence : Abundant knowledge about Gensokyo

Weakness : Extreme temperature change

Equipment :

Remington M870 Special (created by Patchouli with manual from Yukari)

*Just like Hiroshi, Lucy also doesn't have any spell cards.

Vaati Star (Vaati Star/Vaatis500' OC)

Title : Hourai Keymaster and Strategist

Rank : Extra ++ (Vaati is one of the earliest outsider ever known in Gensokyo)

Species : Magician and Hourai Immortal

Skills : Trainer, earth manipulation, lock and unlock anything

Fighting Style : Unknown

Intelligence : All tactics and improvements possible in the universe

Weakness : Isn't a fighter, better as support unit

Equipment :

RM870S rounds (Honestly, I don't know what Vaati got in her disposal. I only can imagine that Patchouli teaches her how to make these rounds for Lucy.)

Next Chapter Preview…

Hotaru accepts Yasei's challenge and gives him the invitation to join Human Village Guards' 10th Tournament. (Yasei : I never know that Human Village has local tournament…) Curious about it, he decides to ask Keine for confirmation, and he got some info about Hiroshi's past. (Yasei : Sorry about that, Hiroshi.) (Hiroshi : You don't need to. After all, you fought sportively.) With determination to settle the score he has with Hotaru, Yasei accepts to join the tournament and fought his way until the finals. (Yasei : One more, and that's it.) Many spectators are coming to watch this tournament, which is unusual. (Yasei : Yeah. Totally unusual.) How he will fare in the final stage? Who will win? Wait for the next chapter. Looking forward for it!

AN : Here we are. The first Tournament Yasei attends in Gensokyo. I originally planned to wrap all of the stages here, but I got trouble with the fighting scenes. So I decided to split it into two parts. And I also got few school programs. First, November 13th to 15th, my school got a test simulation. Then November 20th to 29th, the final exam. That leaves the national test. Sorry for the extremely long delay. I'll make sure to go back to my regular pace. I don't want to make the same delay like this and the third chapter. For the references, I took the tournament's participants from all human names I could gather from Sengoku Gensokyo, excluding Reimu, Marisa, Sanae (living god), Sakuya, Youmu (half-human half-phantom), Keine (were-hakutaku), Akyuu, Mokou (Hourai Immortal), and Lunarians (including Watatsuki sisters). Sengoku Gensokyo is strategy-themed Touhou fangames. That's why I put it plainly. And I did promise that I'll add one other OC. His name is Hiroshi Kato. More details in character status. If you ask me about the ending part, yeah, that's the first cliffhanger I ever made. Not sure if that qualifies or not. I'll leave that to you readers. Another reference is from Shadow Fight 2. I'm sure you know this game. Surprised about Lucy and Vaati's status added here? They too, will take important role here, just like Cirno. It seems I must remake my scenario list soon. Before I finish this, reviews, comments, critics, and advices are welcomed. See you on the next chapter.

PS : Sorry I didn't show how the third round between Yasei and Hiroshi going on. Hope few scratches on Yasei's gakuran is good enough to tell you why. That's my strategy for countering plot armor critics. Also, Hiroshi's name is written in western order. So, his romaji would be Kato Hiroshi. If someone in real life already has the same name, this is purely coincidental. If you notice, I've made three flashbacks on this chapter alone! Whoa... For RM870S, it's short for Remington M870 Special, Lucy's sole weapon. "Then, without further ado!" Yep. Yasei used it again here. The first one he used it is on Prologue. Did anyone noticed that I'm publishing this chapter right at the end of November? That's about it.