Nilotpala Cup: Debut Match

There are a lot of people over there. Are they looking for something?

I heard that the organizers set up loads of message boards for the audience to leave comments and interact with each other. It sounds like a good way to encourage discussion about the tournament.

I wonder if people will talk about me and Twirly-Whirly? If only I could use this experience in one of my papers somehow...

Paimon thinks that's a great idea! You always need a ton of information to write a paper, and you can't always get the info you need. But this time, you're the one providing yourself with the information! You can write whatever you want!

That's a nice idea, Paimon... But I'm from the Rtawahist Darshan. The kind of information I'm gathering now would only be of any use to someone in the Amurta Darshan.

Yeah... You could provide the information to Amurta students, maybe sell it to the highest bidder... Wait no, royalties! Charge royalties!

Mora is a secondary consideration... But I could make it a fair trade by getting the Amurta students to read through some advanced papers for me and figure out what Twirly-Whirly's kind likes.

If I can narrow the search, it'll make my life a whole lot easier. I won't have to buy hundreds of different things and get Twirly-Whirly to try them all...

Just thinking about it makes me wanna pass out...

Layla, that's an amazing idea!

Please get them to look into what Bongo-Head likes, too!

I'll do my best... When I get back, I'll write a letter and send it to the Amurta.

(Cyno's subordinate? Does that mean he's observing the arena...)

Little one, the pairings for the remaining 32 are out.

Huh? We'll be facing Souka next!

Ohh... I've been looking forward to this a lot...

What're you so excited about! Aren't you worried that we'll knock your budding author out of the competition? If that happens, Yae Publishing House's nice little journey in Sumeru will come to a very abrupt end!

Oh please, do your worst~ I never asked Souka to win in the first place. Besides, maybe suffering a humiliating defeat will give her the epiphany she so desperately needs.

After all, a life with no obstacles tends to narrow the mind. People end up believing that only they are on the right path. Sometimes, obstacles are more valuable than smooth sailing.

Yes, Ma'am...

Excellent. Ah, I'm looking forward to the next round... I'll await your good news~

Who are you!?

Oh, it's just you... I—I mean, if it isn't the tournament favorites!

What are you here for? I hope it's feedback on your Wisdom Orbs. Having any issues?

Geez, no need to be so impatient...

Hey! Take that back. I'm very busy, okay? If you can't provide any useful feedback, then run along and focus on the competition!

I'm busy gathering data to advance the efficiency and functionality of the Wisdom Orb!

What a grouch...

Well, maybe we don't have the time to talk to you either, hmph! Next time you want feedback, go climb a random hill somewhere and talk to some mushrooms!

Hah! Didn't know they put the bar for entry so low.

Let's go! This is gonna be over so fast — don't blink or you'll miss it!

Don't be nervous, Bongo-Head! It's only the qualifiers, these are teeny-tiny potatoes. Just think of them as stepping stones!

Great job, Bongo-Head! And everyone else too!

But how... How could my swift fighting style fail... Everyone, retreat, now!

Looks like the qualifiers are about to kick off... Elchingen's giving an opening speech.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Nilotpala Cup Beast Tamers Tournament is about to begin. I genuinely hope that everyone has fun in the competition, and wish you all the very best of luck.

At the same time, I ask that you bear in mind that this tournament is held in the spirit of friendly and fair competition. By all means give everything you've got, but respect your opponents at the same time. Don't lose your head — this is just a sport, not a fight to the death.

I have spent a considerable amount of time in my life searching for a way for humans and dangerous creatures to coexist. The Wisdom Orbs you now hold in your hands show me that it is indeed possible.

I sincerely hope that this event will show the potential of beast-taming to a wider audience. People need a way to avoid conflict and stay safe in the wild, and beast-taming can help us achieve this.

Ohh! So that's why Elchingen is putting his whole fortune into this. What an inspiring goal! But Kautilya, on the other hand... Eh...

Thank you for your speech, Mr. Elchingen! I'd like to add a few words of my own, if I may...

Welcome, beast tamers! The Wisdom Orbs in your hands are a truly ground-breaking invention, representing the culmination of centuries of technological innovation at the Akademiya. Actually, there are nine extraordinary technical breakthroughs that make them so exciting...

Kautilya... Everyone's eager to try them out for themselves. There's no need to delve into all the details right now.

...Oh uh... of course! Well, I'll explain everything to you all when I get the chance! I'm sure you'll get a sense of just how advanced this technology is when you start using it in the arena. Trust your Wisdom Orbs and have fun in the competition!

What a total nerd... Doesn't he know there's a time and a place to talk tech? *sigh* Good thing Elchingen has enough situational awareness for both of them, otherwise this could have dragged on for a looong time...

The qualifiers have officially started. It's time to face our first opponent.

(Cyno? Has this tournament come to his attention, too?)

This Fungi-fighting is unlike anything else we've ever done before... and it's super fun!

That beast tamer and her Fungi work together pretty well. Almost as well as the two of us!

That's not what Paimon meant! Paimon just wanted to say that our opponent seems to have developed her own fighting style unique to her and her Fungus!

It'd be great if we were more tightly in-sync with Bongo-Head... Imagine if we could just look at him and he'd know exactly what to do, that would be amazing!

That's why it's so important to develop close connections with your teammates.

Miko! And Layla! How's it going for you so far?

Twirly-Whirly and the other shroom buddies were way stronger than I thought. Before I knew it, they'd knocked the opposition out...

When I got back to the arena, I saw Miss Yae's opponent running away like they'd just seen a ghost... Miss Yae said she needed to find you and discuss something, so I came with her.

Little Layla here breezed through her first battle, Souka won hers by a hair's breadth... but mine was rather disappointing. My opponent was a frightful bore.

Well, it's only just started after all. It'd be a bit of a crazy tournament if everyone in the qualifiers was a prize fighter!

But anyway, what was it you wanted to discuss with us?

You're getting smarter, aren't you, Paimon? I thought you'd need me to remind you, but no, you said it yourself: Our opponents will only get stronger as the tournament proceeds, so we mustn't let our guard down.

Why don't we keep up the momentum from our respective first-round victories? Let's give our Fungi some special training to strengthen our bonds with them.

Great idea, stay one step ahead of the game! Alright, guess it's shroom buddies' special training o'clock. Let's get to it!

The view here is wonderful. It smells of the rainforest here, and we're far enough away that no one will bother us.

Let's have some fun with our Fungi friends, then take a break to sample some of Sumeru's delectable snacks.

Yay! Snack time, snack time!

Wait a second... Aren't we here for training though? ...Or did you put something in the snacks that'll improve our bonds with our Fungi.

Even if I had that kind of power, I wouldn't dream of abusing it. I assure you, the dried fruits and pastries I brought are quite ordinary.

Perhaps you thought I'd planned an intensive training session for you? Heh, that won't be necessary. On the contrary, when you're constantly on edge, you miss quite a lot of important things.

Since the goal here is to bond with our Fungi, we should treat them as friends and create happy memories with them. Eating and having fun together are vital components of "friendship training."

Imagine if all the Traveler ever thought about was making you stronger, forcing you to build rock-hard muscles just to watch you send Mitachurls flying... Would you gladly comply?

Buffmon, hmm...

Why are you looking at Paimon like that? Ohhh, don't you dare try anything like that, or Paimon will... Paimon will ignore you for three days! No, five days!

See? You and he have a very strong bond, but that doesn't mean you'd be happy for him to inflict a rigorous physical training regimen on you. Do you really think the Fungi would be any more receptive when they've only just met you?

Huh... When you put it like that...

Miss Yae is right. Also, I'm curious to see what would happen if the Wisdom Orb is turned off... or malfunctions. I wonder if the Fungi will stay tamed, or not?

...You want to turn off the Wisdom Orb?

Yeah. It takes time for friends to get to know each other properly, and come to trust each other.

I can't always rely on this gizmo to communicate with Twirly-Whirly. It makes me feel like I'm giving orders...

Ah, yes: "True love cannot be controlled by external forces"... Little Layla's belief is a classic one.

But that would mean giving up control over the Fungi... Is that really a good idea?

Go ahead and give it a try, Little Layla. Don't worry, the little ones and I will be here to keep you safe.

Okay. Is everyone ready? I—I'm gonna do it.

Look at that... Now that it's turned off, Twirly-Whirly's moving around on its own again, but it's not attacking people nearby like it did before.

Perhaps the Wisdom Orb's technology doesn't allow people to "control" the Fungi at all... Maybe it simply adjusts the Fungi's temperaments, calming them down so that they're capable of forming connections with people.

If this theory is correct, Little Layla's wish may yet come true. Once you've gotten to know each other, you'll be able to freely communicate without using the Wisdom Orb.

Miko's right! Forget fancy-schmancy technology, the real breakthrough here is the power of friendship!

I'll do my best! I wanna learn all about Twirly-Whirly's likes and dislikes, then buy lots of snacks from the Almighty Merchant...

Paimon wants to get to know the real Bongo-Head too! Let's try deactivating our Wisdom Orb, shall we?

(What makes the Wisdom Orb so effective? Is Kautilya in possession of some great technology unknown to other scholars?)

Traveler, Paimon, Miss Yae, do you and your shroom buddies want to join us? I think Twirly wants to play in the water over there.

You'd better be careful. Don't get too close to Blitzara when you're knee-deep in the water, or you might find yourself on the receiving end of a very unique lower-leg massage.

Bongo-Head is a Floating Hydro Fungus.

Right, Paimon almost forgot... Should we let Bongo-Head try something different? We could climb a tree together and see the view from the top?

You two go ahead! We want Bongo-Head to try something different since it's probably used to playing near water.

Oh, okay... Meet you back here later then. Hope you have a good time!

Bongo-Head, we can do whatever you want to do! Just let us know! Paimon'll probably understand you.

Ugh! Why isn't it responding? Guess Paimon'll have to try using delicious treats to win its affection!

Help! Help me!

Something's not right! Why are these Fungi so aggressive!

Did you hear that? It sounds like someone's calling for help!

Hurry! Let's go check it out!

What are you doing here?

Haniyyah? You saved the children?

I happened to be nearby. The children were mimicking what they'd seen the contestants doing, and ended up getting surrounded by wild Fungi. Fortunately, I heard the commotion and got here in time to save them.

That's so dangerous! Why are they trying to approach wild Fungi without a Wisdom Orb!?

It's hardly their fault. I was almost drawn in by the Fungi's cute appearance once, too... Luckily, I remembered my family's stern warnings, and the suffering that previous generations once endured, so I kept my distance.

People never used to be under any illusion about how dangerous the Fungi can be. But this Nilotpala Cup is changing people's perceptions, and now they're letting their guard down against the Fungi... a consequence that Elchingen failed to foresee.

I'm putting an end to this debacle, first chance I get.

The Wisdom Orb is the perfect tool for exterminating Fungi on a large scale. And once I win the tournament, they'll be mine to do with as I please.

What are you talking about, Haniyyah? "Exterminating Fungi"? Not in front of Pyro-1... Don't you care about its feelings?

You're taking part in the tournament too, aren't you? You even taught us a few tips and tricks. You're clearly enjoying the event...

I'm quite certain Pyro-1 would back me up if it was capable of realizing the past mistakes of its kind. But regrettably, it is just a pawn controlled by a gadget. It will never understand human sentiments.

As for why I taught you guys a few things... Don't you realize? I saw your potential, and wanted you to help me reach my goals.

Yet here you are now pleading the Fungi's case! You've gotten too deep in this absurd game. Looks like "Golden Comet" and "Silver Companion" don't deserve such a stellar reputation after all...

Wait, don't go! We turned off our Wisdom Orb just now, and we were playing with the Fungi and everything!

Looks like she's made up her mind...

Ooh my, such a stand-out personality, and with the perfect dose of obstinacy... I sense dramatic events just waiting to unfold.

Miko? Layla? Oh, you heard the cries for help too, huh...

We were just talking about her, as it happens. Little Layla told me that Haniyyah gave you some guidance when you first entered the tournament. But after you met Layla, she very abruptly left.

Looking at it now, she seems to be a classic case of a "wrong path" character. Blames the many for the mistakes of a few, and seeks to wipe them all out of existence...

She takes the "wrong path" because, in her eyes, it is the most effective and sensible method of achieving her goal.

Seems she's had some bad experiences with Fungi.

Fungi can definitely be aggressive and damage their environment, but some research also suggests that they're only acting in accordance with their nature, just like any other wild animals...

The Fungi have existed for a long time. No one knows what the ecological implications for the rainforest would be if they all got killed off suddenly.

Right! We shouldn't resort to extreme measures. No matter what Haniyyah has been through, we can't let her do this just because she wants to!

You intend to stop her achieving victory? I can't say I didn't expect that response from you. But I hear she's one of the favorites to win this tournament... Are you prepared to face such a formidable opponent?

We will train harder.

That's what you brought us here for, right? To get acquainted with our Fungi friends so we can cooperate better with them?

Wait... Did you know all this was gonna happen?

Hehe, it would be rather boring if I had arranged every last detail in advance. The chance encounter between you and Haniyyah came as quite a pleasant surprise.

Today's training ends here. The qualifiers should be over now. We should go and find out what to expect in the later stages.