Steamroll Through the Elimination Rounds

Bai Ye nearly spat out his barley tea, both amused and exasperated. "Boss, playing games isn't about who has the biggest weapon!"

In this wondrous atmosphere, Daigo Umehara, like a dry sponge, frantically absorbed the experience of the two top masters.

Bai Ye taught him the most precise calculations, letting him know the risks and rewards behind each move.

Nagai Kenta taught him the most cunning psychology, showing him how to read his opponent's habits and how to lay the deepest traps with the simplest actions.

Daigo used to be Beast that only knew how to tear its prey apart with its claws and fangs.

And now, this Beast is learning how to set traps, how to conceal its presence, and how to kill with a single blow.

The last Saturday of August, at the Japan Budokan.

This place is no longer a sacred place for rock bands to scream, but has become a huge, dazzling electronic arena.

On the giant screen hanging high above, Sega's blue logo and TV Tokyo's logo complemented each other, while countless spotlights swept across the crowd, illuminating all sorts of eye-catching GG banners.

In a corner of the audience, Masao Umehara and his wife appeared somewhat at a loss.

Mrs. Umehara clutched her handbag tightly, looking at the young people around her waving glow sticks and shouting at the top of their lungs, feeling as if she had stumbled into another world.

Masao Umehara maintained his stern expression, but his sharp eyes, honed on construction sites, were now fixed on the small figure standing on a beer crate in the distance, on the players' bench.

"Uncle, Auntie, don't be nervous!" Mr. Sato, wearing his wrinkled suit, squeezed between the two, his face flushed with excitement. "See that? That's the aura of the national tournament! It's completely different from our little shop!"

Pointing to the stage, he spoke animatedly, spitting as he acted as a commentator. "Right now they're playing Virtua Fighter, but we're not watching that, it's boring. Later, when King of Fighters starts, watch how our Tokyo team utterly crushes them!"

Masao Umehara didn't speak, but simply grunted through his nose.

With a high-pitched shout from the commentator, the scene on the big screen changed, and the familiar title music of "The King of Fighters" resounded throughout the venue.

"It's here! It's here!" Sato exclaimed excitedly, slapping his thigh.

The Tokyo Representative Team's first match was against a team from Hokkaido.

Pioneer, Bai Ye.

He took a deep breath, stepped onto the battle platform, and looked as focused as if he were solving a complex math problem.

As the match began, Bai Ye's Mary played extremely steadily, every movement and every step was as precise as if measured with a ruler.

"Beautiful! You took advantage of the opponent's recovery time to execute a combo!" Nagai Kenta commented quietly from the audience.

In the end, Bai Ye single-handedly managed to drag the opponent's Pioneer and midfielders down with him.

"Well done." As Bai Ye left the field, Nagai Kenta patted him on the shoulder.

"Not bad," Bai Ye wiped the sweat from his palms. "His attack patterns are still a bit unorthodox; I almost fell for his tricks."

Nagai Kenta amused and exasperated. He shook his head and walked onto the stage.

As a key player, he faced the last remaining star of the Hokkaido team.

That was an extremely aggressive player who launched a fierce and relentless attack right from the start.

However, Nagai Kenta remained steadfast like a rock, unmoved by the winds and waves.

In a critical moment when he seemed to be pinned to the edge of the screen, his opponent made a habitual, heavy jump, attempting to end the game.

"Now." Nagai Kenta's eyes lit up.

His Kyo Kusanagi delivered a clean and crisp "Demon Scorcher" attack almost at the same time the opponent's character left the ground!

Rising Dragon! Incredibly precise anti-air attack!

K.0.!

The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause.

"We won! We won!" Sato jumped up in the stands, excitedly grabbing Masao Umehara's arm.

Masao Umehara was shaken so badly by his movements that he swayed to one side, but he didn't push him away; his gaze remained fixed on the players' bench.

The son didn't even appear.

The following rounds of the competition almost turned into an exhibition match between Nagai Kenta and Bai Ye.

A seasoned and composed individual who crushes opponents through psychology and experience.

A meticulously calculated strategy, using data and frames to dismantle the enemy.

Team Tokyo fought their way through the competition, sweeping their way into the semifinals.

The commentator's voice grew increasingly excited. "Incredible! The Tokyo Representative Team is simply too strong! Their Pioneer Bai Ye and midfielder Nagai have displayed overwhelming strength! We haven't even—we haven't even seen their star player, the eleven-year-old ' Beast ' Daigo Umehara, step onto the field yet!"

The camera then panned to the players' seating area.

Daigo Umehara remained standing to the side, expressionless, as quiet as an outsider.

"Hey," Bai Ye nudged Nagai Kenta with his elbow and complained in a low voice, "We're both working ourselves to the bone on stage, and this guy just sits there and makes money?"

Nagai Kenta smiled and said, "Isn't this good? Keeping this trump card up means the opponent has to guess and be afraid."

Just then, the matchups for the semi-finals appeared on the large screen in the center.

Tokyo Metropolis Government Team vs. Osaka Prefecture Representative Team.

When the word "Osaka" appeared, the smile on Nagai Kenta's face disappeared.

Bai Ye also gasped, instinctively flipping through his notebook.

The Osaka Representative Team, known as the "Three Gods of Naniwa," has a captain nicknamed "The Western Demon."

The camera panned across the Osaka team's bench, where a young man with an arrogant hairstyle and a smug smile was looking towards the Tokyo team from across the crowd.

He pointed his finger at Daigo Umehara and made a throat-slitting gesture.

The entire Budokan fell silent for a moment.

In the audience, Sato's cheers were stuck in his throat.

Masao Umehara's brows finally furrowed into a deep frown.

Semifinals, the final four.

All the spotlights were focused on the main stage in the center. When the words "Tokyo Metropolis" versus "Osaka Prefecture" appeared on the big screen, the air in the entire Budokan became scorching.

The Osaka team, known as the "Three Gods of Naniwa," is an undefeated legend in the Kansai Region.

The match begins, with Tokyo's Pioneer, Bai Ye.

However, Osaka's Pioneer, Kyo Kusanagi, played like a mad dog and completely disrupted Bai Ye's rhythm.

Without any strategy or regard for consequences, every attack resulted in injury for injury.

For the first time, Bai Ye's sophisticated calculation system failed in the face of absolute chaos.

On the screen, when Bai Ye's last character fell, he himself was somewhat dazed.

He only managed to eliminate the opponent's second character before he himself was defeated.

"It's alright, leave it to me." Nagai Kenta patted him on the shoulder and walked onto the stage.

As a key player for the Tokyo team, Nagai Kenta is facing off against Osaka's in-form second player.

He played with composure and experience, successfully winning a game back, but ultimately fell to the Osaka team's captain, the man known as the "Western Demon."