Day 1: Confronting the Inevitable...and Silliness

...It's time, meow.

Ooh, so this is it. Are you all ready?

Spirit, not strength, is most important to start a campaign. You must be mentally prepared to go to battle.

You can always get your body warmed up in battle, but there's no helping an unprepared mind, no!

If you need a shot of courage, we can always dance a samba! Come on, shake your hips with me! Olé!

No need to worry about me! The Paladins of Charlemagne are always ready for battle!

You kind of have to be when the others are a pack of crazy children who cause nothing but trouble...

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You have nothing to worry about either, Fujimaru.

I have a very good idea of your coaching skills now, thanks to all the training we've done.

I know you're every bit as trustworthy a mage as Lord Merlin!

Besides, we have our own glorious knightly ambitions that shine so bright!

I'm fighting to take back my stolen power, and Quetzalcoatl is fighting to take back her rightful Santa Claus power.

I don't think our opponents have the drive, or the NEED to win like us! Why, I bet they're just out to claim the Santa title on a whim!

With justice on our side, we can't possibly lose!

Hmm, I'm not so sure about that. It looked like there were all sorts of competitors in that promo, you know?

Here we are! Your opponents have already arrived, meow.

So they're still disguised. I guess we won't even know who they are until it's time to fight...!

Heh... You really cannot tell? How imprudent of you.

Hm...? Hmm... Wait, what!?

Hm? What is it, partner? Is something bothering you?

To be purrfectly frank, there's no reason for them to still be wearing those cloaks with the match so close at hand! It's just a mood thing, really.

Now go on! That ring on top of the pyramid is looking mighty empty!

Once you're up there, go ahead and reveal your true identities!

And please, try to hurry? There were sooo many matches today, and I'm dogI mean, cat-tired! Dark Kuku is really running this jaguar ragged!

All right then, let's get the final match of the first round of the Santa Tag Team Tournament underway! Our matchup is...!

Chaldea vs. England!!!

Who better to be the true Santa than the original? That you fail to grasp something so simple is deplorable.

It has been quite some time, Reindeer. Christmas has come once again.

This is only your first match, but you're already facing such a powerful opponent!

Although... Um, isn't her partner from France...?

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Do not say it, Reindeer. Remember, you are an honorary reindeer.

And since I could not find you anywhere, I had no choice but to hold auditions. This is the result.

He says his bloodline makes him an English prince, and he has an animal with which to draw my sleigh, and so I accept that he is qualified.

No way! It IS you, Bradamante! Hey heeey, how've you been? I'm doing great, thanks!

Whoa! It really has been forever, hasn't it, Stolfo?

I never expected to run into you here, but I could tell you were doing well as soon as I heard your voice. Phew.

...So, um...

He hasn't been making too much trouble for you all, has he?

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Hey! I'll have you know people really depend on me here!

By the way, Stolfo...

...is it just me, or are you even cuter now? Hmm, what's changed...

Oh, I've got it! It's your outfit! That's the one you got after Roland went nuts, isn't it!

It's adorable, right!? I always wanna be the cutest me I can be!

It really is! Rinaldo might not approve, but I think that outfit is great!

Say, uh, Bradamante? I just had a thought. If you're here with Master, not off on a journey... (Gulp)

...does that mean you and Ruggiero broke up?

D-don't be ridiculous, Stolfo! Of course I'm still looking for him!

Well, just in case, I'm pretty sure Master isn't his reincarnation or anything, okay?

I know that! Fujimaru and I are only together by...happenstance, I guess?

I am here to pay him back for saving my life, just like any holy knight would.

Don't worry, I have the greatest respect for him as a mage-slash-manager, especially as he knows Lord Merlin. I would never confuse him for Ruggiero.

Oh, okay! I just had to ask, since I know a kinda snaky girl who's reeeal big on romance, but in a, um, veeery different way.

That's right. It is both happenstance and destiny that brought us here today. And it seems this will be a showdown between the old Santa and the new, yes?

Old and new? Cursed Altera. What was she thinking, entrusting my role to this gaudy, flamboyant woman...

...Tch. I will admit that you must be the world's strongest Christmas tree. You certainly stand out.

However, the only song suited for Christmas is Jingle Bells! Your samba has no place here.

As the original Santa, it is my duty and right to test your powers personally!

I'm just here 'cause it sounded like fun!

I mean, reindeer get to wear Santa outfits if they want to, right? I think it'd look real cute on me.

So one member of the first tag team you will face turned out to be another fighter with clear reasons for wanting to become the true Santa, and the other turned out to be...well, Astolfo.

This is all my fault, yes.

So I'm going to clean up my own mess, and prove beyond all doubt I can be a great Santa! See for yourselves!

Santa's role has nothing to do with shaking one's booty! (The sound argument)

Ulp... I will hand out presents too, of course! But Santa should evolve with the times, yes!

Whoa! Things are really heating up now!

In the red corner, representing England, we have the Great Britain Combination! And in the blue corner, representing Chaldea, we have the Quetzal Sisters!

Are the fighters all set? Then let's get ready to jingllle!

Bouclier d'Atlante!

Aah! I can't see!

Now's my chance!

Sorry, Stolfo, but there's too much at stake for me to go easy on you.

There! All I have to now is wait for him to come back down, and

Huh? Why can't I move my lance?

Heh heh heh. You'll need to do better than that to get past my trusty hippogriff!

Ah! Astolfo's hippogriff just perched on the tip of Bradamante's lance! I can't believe how nimble it is!

Well, don't forget it can fly on its own.

(Staaare)

Hey, Stolfo? That's not MY hippogriff, is it?

Huh? Oh, err, good question. Ahaha, you know, I'm not entirely sure!

'Cause he looks an awful lot like the one I worked so hard to take from that evil mage Atlante!

So why are you going around riding him like you own him? Well!?

Hey, come on! I rode him after all that went down too, so I have just as much right as you do!

Then he really IS my hippogriff!? Get down here this instant so I can take a closer look at him!

I don't know... I mean

Do not let them distract you, Pinky! Look out above!

Huh!? You mean the other one's even higher up than me and my hippogriff!?

Sí! We luchadoras excel at airborne mobility! A bounce from the ropes is all I need to get so high up, yes!

There, that should be high enough! Present Nucadora!

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Oogh...

Dammit! Hold on, I shall come and

Oh, no you won't!

Kh...! My eyes...!

Nosotras ganamos! Ahh, I never get tired of hearing that three-count, no!

Phew. W-we won... Thank goodness...

Now then, Stolfo, where were we?

H-hey, come on, be reasonable. I can't give him back to you now; he's my Noble Phantasm!

...Fine, then just take good care of him, okay? Oh, but more importantly...

Ruggiero rode him too, right? So maybe there's still a little of his scent on him?

I think he used to sit around here... Or was it here? Ahh...

Squaaawk!?

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Hey, Master? You've prolly already figured this out by now, but Bradamante gets kinda...stupid sometimes.

Stolfo!

...A present drop, hm. It would seem you have at least the bare minimum of pride necessary for a Santa.

Very well, a loss is a loss. I concede, and we shall step aside for you.

But remember, this is only the beginning. From here on, you shall face all manner of aspiring Santas.

They may be Santas from the past, like myself, or they may be

No matter! I am the newest Santa, and the only one to deliver presents while dancing! I fear nothing!

Thank you for all your help, Fujimaru!

I was really able to relax and focus on fighting thanks to your orders.

Of course! He's not just a great manager, after all. He's also got what it takes to be a great trainer!

I agree with that, of course...but I must say, I was surprised how serious your opponents were about winning.

We should probably expect the other upcoming battles to be similarly challenging...

Good point. You never know what might happen in a battle, after all. We need to be ready for anything...

Ahh, my beloved gym! So good to be back! Thank goodness we didn't have to say goodbye after our first match!

There you are. I've been waiting for you.

Huh!? Who are you!?

I didn't come here to talk. I came to fight.

Nnn...?

Fou fou!

Oh good, you're finally awake.

...!

My apologies for getting so rough... I didn't mean to take it this far.

If you really want to apologize, why don't you start by taking off that disguise?

Oh, right. I only wore this because I wanted you to face me without bias.

Now that I've tested your strength for myself, it's no longer necessary. Pardon me...

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Martha? As in, the saint of Tarascon?

What are you doing here, Martha? Don't tell me you've entered the Santa Tag Team Tournament too...?

No, although I did come here with that in mind.

I thought if Saint Nicholas wasn't going to be teaching children right from wrong, it would fall to me instead.

I've noticed that, lately, people have been asking me why I'm carrying a cross, like they have forgotten that I am a saint at all...

...so I thought this would be a good opportunity to restore my original saintly image.

So, just to be clear, you're not in the tournament, right?

That's right. I sort of forcefully entered the prelims with Tarasque as my partner, but unfortunately, I failed to qualify.

What rotten luck. How could I have known a puppy would try to cross the tracks during the Train Attack event!?

Well, I couldn't just let him get run over, could I? What self-respecting saint could!? I had no choice but to stop the train in its tracks!

(Couldn't she have just grabbed the dog and run...?)

Fou fooou!

Now I understand. That story tells me everything I need to know about how trustworthy you are, yes!

But there's something I don't get. Why would a saint, pure of heart and perfect of body, want to ambush us?

Because I wanted to test your strength, obviously.

I may have failed to qualify, but I still have to give you a piece of my mind.

Not you, Quetzalcoatl; your religion and this samba thing are way outside my area. No, my business is with you!

M-me?

Yes, you. I used a secret move to spy...I mean, observe your first match...

...and you don't seem nearly as much like a holy knight as you should!

!

I can't stand seeing you not living up to your potential! I know that you can manage a much holier aura than that!

Don't you have some sort of divine protection? Something that could emit a blinding white light for kilometers whenever you make a move!?

I-I'm pretty sure I never had anything like that...

But, you do have a point. With over half of my power gone...

...I can't imagine I'm doing what I should as one of King Charlemagne's holy paladins...

I'm sure you're not. Which is why I'm here to help.

Huh?

Training you should proveif indirectlythat I am not just some rowdy town girl!

So it would benefit both of us!

So just say the word, and I'll teach you everything I know about my holy fighting style!

Y-yes! Please! I was just thinking I need to train for the upcoming battles!

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Olé! In that case, you're more than welcome here, yes! You can never have too many sparring partners!

This calls for a celebratory samba!

This is certainly an unexpected development, but it looks like the Chaldea team has a new staff member!

So let's take advantage of this to get in plenty of training for the next match!