Fifth Casino "Cirque du Requin"

I am Mephistopheles, the leader of this fine circus.

Oh, wait. Should that be ringleader? Ringmaster? Ah, who cares!

Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

We begin with leaping through not a flaming hoop...but an electric hoop!

Indeed. An alternating current hoop, specifically. Grarrr!

...As you can see, alternating current is extremely dangerous! Don't try this at home, kids!

There's nothing dangerous about it, you mangy plebeian! You just messed it up!

Oh yeah? Then you give it a try, you pompous elitist!

You bet I will! Just watch me jump through this direct current hoop!

I'll just switch this to this... Get a running start, and... Yaaah!

Drat! My cape got snagged!

Hahahahaha! What a lamebrain! What a maroon!

... ...

Hup, yah, hah!

... ...

You both have a long way to go.

We've been shown up!!!

Welcome!!!

Next, we'll be taking in a little show within a show...

...and watch as two delightful little girls pay a visit to Patchwork London.

What is the evil that awaits them there?

What is it they've come in search of so desperately?

Make sure you stick around to the very end to find out! Enjoy!

Oh, yes.

I trust this goes without saying, but video recording, photography, and the like are strictly prohibited.

After all, it's not a real dream if you try to preserve it for posterity!

And with that, let's begin.

Hop! Skip! Dance the night away! We're all going to the pot anyway!

Dolphin, O Dolphin, what is it you see, that makes you leap and squeak?

I cannot tell what it is you speak!

Does everyone have their chocolate bars? Between me, you, and Mr. Dolphin, we have three all together!

Now we're off to the moon for our picnic!

Hold it, you two.

It's a long, long way to the moon, don't you know?

But if you give me a chocolate bar, I'll be glad to send you aaall the way there.

Take one! Take one! Send us to the moon right now!

You got it! All right, hop into my cannon!

One little kaboom, and I'll have you there in no time!

Here we go!

Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile!!!

Huh? Are we on the moon now?

I thought there were supposed to be bunnies here...

...but I don't see so much as a single chicken!

My, oh my, I'm so sorry to hear that! You see, this is Venus.

I guess your cannon must have overshot! You're not the first kids to wind up lost here like that.

Anyway, welcome! We're glad to have you!

After all, we can always use more workers!

Nooo!

Hehehe, no more moon for you two. From now on, it's just work, work, work!

We love work. Work is fun. Work is life.

Happiness begins and ends with work.

What do we do, what do we do!? All we do here is work, work, work!

There's no cannon to get back, and no Stupid Mr. Napoleon to shoot us out of it!

Isn't there any way we can get to the moon!?

What's this? You two want to go to the moon?

Too bad! If you'd given me a chocolate bar, I'd've sent you there with a bang!

Then here, you can have mine! Please, send us to the moon!

You got it. (Nom nom)

Yummy!

All right, come here! I'll send you to the moon with one blast of Mt. Ooe Fireworks!

Here goes!

Encomium Moriae!

We're here! Oh my. Is this what the moon looks like?

Why yes, it is.

A delightful dreamlike moon world is waiting for you just up ahead!

However, I have to ask: Do you two have any chocolate bars?

Because it costs one chocolate bar per person to get into the moon world!

Oh no! Now what do we do? We only have one chocolate bar left!

Then one of us will have to stay behind. Artemis, please take Nursery to the moon world. I'll go back.

Have fun on the moon, Nursery!

Goodness no, I can't do that!

If you're not going, Jeanne, I'm not going either. Let's go back to the pot together!

Mr. Dolphin? What are you doing with that chocolate bar?

Ah! It snapped in half!

Heh heh hehe. Nice job, dolphin! You figured out how to make one chocolate bar into two!

You don't have a problem with that, do you, Artemis?

Not at all. Come on then, you two! You're both invited to the moon world!

Thank you, Mr. Dolphin! Thank you!

That picnic was so much fun! But, it feels like something's missing...

You too, Nursery? I was just thinking the same thing!

That's it! It's her!

We have to get back to the pot right away!

Yeah, you're right.

We can always come back to the moon world with more chocolate bars tomorrow!

Yes! And next time, we'll bring lots and lots of them!

We can bring Stupid Mr. Napoleon, and Mean-and-Nasty Ms. Ishtar...

...and Greedy Ms. Oni Ibaraki-Douji, and of course, Mr. Dolphin.

And then, we can all have a picnic together!

Dad, Dad! Can we ask you for something!?

Oh? What is it, my little ange?

Can you give us lots and lots of chocolate so we can all go to the moon?

？！

Yes, it was a wonderful experience! Although, what was it, exactly?

It was like...a musical that was also a circus? I'm not quite sure how to describe it.

I wonder what they did for Napoleon's cannon and Ibaraki's fireworks?

I'm guessing they probably used magecraft to expand the nearby space just for those parts.

A Caster like Mephistopheles could have helped them with that.

Indeed. While that sort of thing would be within a mage's capacity, I doubt any spatial expansion they come up with could stand up to a Noble Phantasm.

...Though really, I still don't understand why Servants are putting on a play in the first place...

Is that what the kids are into these days...?

I'm guessing they probably used magecraft to expand the nearby space just for those parts.

A Caster like Mephistopheles could have helped them with that.

It was an impressive trick. Something only a Servant could pull off.

Man... I never thought about usin' my Noble Phantasm as an artistic expression. This has been real educational.

It got Toto-sama fired up, too. Hm? Feel like paintin' somethin'?

Sure! Once this is all over, I'll help ya out no prob!

So first, I gotta take care of one more Swimsuit Swordmaster!

Yes. That's why we came to the Cirque du Requin casino in the first place.

？！

Well, given everything that's happened so far, I doubt it'll exactly be straightforward...

If we'd let that stop us before, we wouldn't be here now.

Anyway, let's go apply for a meeting. Excuse me, you there.

Welcome to the Cirque du Requin Casino! Oh, my oh my.

Are you here to challenge the Swimsuit Swordmaster?

？！

I'll be the one doin' the challenging!

I'm Katsushika Oui...I mean, Katsushika Hokusai, the great swordfighter and famous ukiyo-e artist!

Now go on and take us ta the Swimsuit Swordmaster!

Hmm. You're supposed to bring a letter of challenge with you...

But, I guess it's okay. There haven't been any challengers lately, so Jeanne's been feeling kind of lonely!

Just give me a few minutes, okay? It would be very bad if a certain someone got too hungry!

A certain someone?

Hehe.

I know Jeanne is a big eater, but she'd never cause that much ruckus just because she was hungry.

Well, I'm sure it'll be okay. Jeanne should hold her back by force if necessary!

？！

Hehehe. There there, be good.

It looks like we have a Swimsuit Swordmaster challenger. Let's give them a good fight, okay?

Jeaaanne. Jeaaannne! Is everything okay now?

Yes, Marie, everything's fine! What did you want to see me about?

I was just showing these new challengers the way!

How's the tummy?

Oh the tummy's just fine. We've just had plenty to eat.

I don't know what they're talkin' about, and I'm gettin' chills down my spine for some reason...

...but I wouldn't be an Edoite if I turned and ran now! Hey! I'm here to challenge

Hello!

Play with me.

you...

... ...

... ...

... ...

？！

Thanks so much for coming! Welcome to the Cirque du Requin Casi

Huh?

I'm sorry, Jeanne. They just left.

Not again...

Why do all my challengers run away before we even have a chance to fight!?

If you ask me, I think it might be a certain someone's fault...

Who, this little guy? But Reece XP is cute, no?

Play with me.

Oh yes, perfectly adorable! Don't you think so too, d'Eon?

With all due respect, Your Majesty, I would refrain from comment!

Aww.

Why do you both look so disappointed!?

(Gasp, gasp...)

(Huff, huff...)

Agreed... There is no way...we can fight...THAT...

Was I hallucinating...

...or did a shark floating in midair really look at us with its lifeless eyes and say "Play with me"?

Hmm, what can I say? Life is full of mysteries♡

That's not a real answer, and you know it!

I had heard that Summer Jeanne was a little...different from her usual self...

But I still never imagined she was THAT different...

Forget having a screw loose! I'm not so sure there's any screws left in there at all!

I mean, partnering with a shark!? And what looks to be a great white, at that!?

？！

Agreed... There is no way...we can fight...THAT...

Of all the aquatic life she could have partnered with, I never expected a shark...

I had heard that Summer Jeanne was a little...different from her usual self...

But I still never imagined she was THAT different...

Hmm. Guess we'll just have to be even more careful going into this fight than we thought!

？！

Ugh, what are you all so scared of? Could you be any more pathetic?

So what if her dolphin was switched out for a shark? It's not like she's any different herself.

Well, if you're going to be so hopeless, I guess I'll have to help you out. I'll make sure you pay me back later.

Never mind the "mysterious." Also, don't use my real name in public. The paparazzi have ears everywhere.

I was watching their combination circus musical from the VIP stand. I was curious to see what it was like.

I guess I can see why people like it. It was certainly big and flashy, like a Hollywood blockbuster.

But, we all know it won't last. There's no better summer Vegas entertainment than a classy figure skating show.

？！

Anyway... Fujimaru, Hokusai, if you're going up against a shark, then you're going to want my help.

There is no creature from the sea that wouldn't submit to me!

Oh, yeah, good point.

Really, when you stop to think about it, it's just a shark, right? It shouldn't be THAT hard to deal with.

I dunno... I've never seen a shark float in midair before...

？！

Come on then, let's go back.

With my Leviathan Authority at my command, that shark may as well be a minnow.

Now come on! I'm going to show them what it means to truly dominate the ocean!

("Despite sensing a branch to a bad ending opening up, Batty decided to keep her mouth shut.")

I'm betting they're going to lose this one hard. Care to take me up on it?

Mouth! Urushut!

?

Oh good, you came back! And here I thought you'd left for good.

As if I would ever do that. No, I'm helping them as their stand-in bodyguard.

The fifth Swimsuit Swordmaster's head is going to be Mysterious Alter Ego Lambda's for the taking.

I don't care if she's got a shark or a giant squid. I'll have it filleted and ready for sale with just one kick.

What's with that look? You don't think I can do this?

Hm? You're being weirdly cautious about this. Are you scared of sharks or something?

？！

...Very well then. I suggest you steel yourself for what is to come.

I don't know why I'd possibly need to do that, but fine, whatever you say.

I certainly have no qualms about having the famous saint Jeanne d'Arc as my dance partne

You're wrong there. I'm not a saint at all.

？！

Oh come now, don't look at me like that. You don't want your big sister to be sad, do you?

...As I was saying, I'm not a saint by any means.

Oh really? Then do tell, what are you?

I just mentioned it. I am Fujimaru's...

...big sister.

Is that so. I see.

... ...Big sister?

Um... I'm sorry, I don't understand.

You're a Heroic Spirit, right? And a Servant? Not to mention you weren't even born in the same country?

Are you all right, Master? You look pale...

？！

Big sister, huh.

Huh, so you're Fujimaru's big sister.

How!?

This is so sad. I can't believe I have to fight my own little brother!

But, I guess there's nothing we can do about that now.

I guess I'll just have to pound it intoI mean, gently show you that a little brother can never hope to beat his big sister!

Did she just let her true feelings slip!? Oh man, she's the same type as Mecha Eli-chan, isn't she?

What in the world's all this mean!?

It means she'll do whatever it takes to win, even if she's fighting her own family!

All right, here I come.

Big Sister Beam!!!

What theAaah! Wh-what kind of beam is that!?

It's a beam born of my love for my little brother!

It makes it so every one of his Master Skills will be used on me.

Evade! Enhance! Recover! Ooh, you've made your big sister so happy!

Now it's your turn, Reece XP! Go ahead and chomp them up!

That's it! Ma-jaws-tic!

... ...

Are all beach saints soft in the head like this!? Does the salt air rust their brains or something!?

And don't even get me started on that pun! That was even harder to listen to than the dragon girl's singing!

C-come on, it couldn't have been THAT bad!

Hey! Don't you hide behind me, Master! Her eyes are freaking me out!

？！

So she brainwashed you? She did, didn't she!? Not even BB would go that far!

Khh... All right, I guess we don't have a choice then.

All of you, get Master to fall back. We'll have to settle this Servant to Servant!

Oh no you don't. Good little brothers know to listen to their big sister!

Wum wum wum!

？！

Dammit! Now what do we do!?

And now to finish this. Big Sister Bea

Chiyogami Squad Captain, go!

Use your nonlethal paper tank cannon to make Master go flying backwards at seventy kilometers per hour!

OSAKABE!

Kotarou, you take it from here!

Done and done!

Never mind that, Master. The important thing is that you're safe.

Hehehe. DMI.

？！

It would seem this is as far as we go this time, Lambda. Come on, let's get out of here.

Every beautiful phantom thief knows she who steals and runs away lives to steal another day.

This is so humiliating. I can't believe I have to retreat from this...this...circus!

This is all your fault, Master! You're the one who started calling her "big sister"!

You'd better be ready to face the consequences later!

Hey! Nobody mistreats my little brother on my watch!

Get her, Reece XP!

Play with me. Play with me. Play with me.

Kyaaa! It's coming after us like something out of a cheap horror game!

Dammit... I'm warning you, Jeanne d'Arc, I'm very good at holding a grudge! You're going to pay dearly for this!

No problem! I've got all the receipts right here whenever you feel like trying again!

Grr... Forget the same page. It feels like we're reading off completely different scripts! I can't stand it!

？！

I think we should be safe here...

Master, please, get ahold of yourself! Remember who you are!

？！

Thank goodness. It looks like he's back to his old self.

You were having a bad dream. ...A very, very bad dream...

You're putting it mildly. This was a nightmare.

That's the only way a Servant could be so convinced she was Master's big sister that she made him believe it too.

I'll say!

I can't think of any odd couple more unstoppable than a floating shark and a self-proclaimed big sister!

Especially when she can brainwash Ma-chan and turn him against us if we get too close.

How can she do that, anyway? Is that one of her Swimsuit Swordmaster abilities or something?

No, terrifyingly enough, I think that's just who she naturally is...

That, along with how nothing seems to phase her, makes her a truly formidable Swimsuit Swordmaster.

For multiple reasons...

...Huh? Um, Master?

I was so preoccupied with getting away that I didn't notice until now, but

Oh my, oh my! What sort of intruders do we have here?

Welcome, welcome! You're just in time for tea!

Yay! We know what goes great with tea!

Milk, sugar, and dis-mem-ber-ing♪

Ooh, are we doing improv now?

I've always wanted to try my hand at improv! Let's see...

Yes, and... Let's get them!

Does this mean we're on the stage!?

？！

Talk about being in the right place at the right time! Come on then, let's give them a good show!

Wonderful! If you could make this fight scene nice and flashy for the audience, why, that would just be to DIE for!

It's no accident that he punched that last word! Well, no matter. Let's do this! Awaiting your orders, Master!

Oh my, we lost! We lost the fight! Now we'll be banished to Venus, and never see the moon!

Venus? I heard a mean, nasty goddess lives on Venus!

Um, did I say mean and nasty? I meant beautiful and lovely!

Now then, let's take a short intermission before getting back to our story in progress on Venus!

(Go on, now's your chance!)

？！

(Now's our chance, Senpai!)

Phew...

Thank you for ad-libbing us out of that, Senpai.

Though I do feel bad for ruining their show...

Oh, don't worry about that, Mash!

Yeah, it's no biggie.

Servants crash this show all the time!

In fact, we've got a bunch of regulars who come to every show just to see what we'll improv next.

Honestly, you'd be doing us a favor if you crashed it again sometime!

That does sound like fun, but I'll have to pass. We need to focus on our swordmaster duel.

Oh, so you came to challenge Jeanne?

Make sure you keep your guard up around her. And around that shark.

I remember thinking she was smokin' hot...

...but then I got a warning sign in my head telling me it'd be super dangerous to get any closer.

Like the first time I met Artemis! Just like the first time I met Artemis!

I said it twice just to make extra sure you heard me.

I see.

Though I have to wonder, Lord Orion. You seem very proud of that fact, but...

What?

How is it that Lady Artemis did not raise any red flags for you?

Darrrliiing...

Gaaah! Man, it's been a while since we've done this, huh?

It has, hasn't it?

Then to celebrate, I'll hit you with my Lunatic Beam!

Your hardest-hitting weapon!? Heeeelp m

Oh, right, I almost forgot.

In your case, Fujimaru, you'll need a big sister countermeasure as well as a shark countermeasure!

Otherwise, you'll never stand a chance! Anyway, see you later!

？！

It's important that you know how totally ridiculous that sounds...

But, it doesn't change the fact that she's right.

We'll need a way to handle Jeanne d'Arc's big sister crap, or we'll never be able to beat her.

...Ugh, I can't believe this is a conversation I am having right now...

？！

Soft Cursed Sword Giselle!

You need to come up with a smart, solid plan to counteract her big sisterness. Got that, Master?

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