Sunday morning, Budokan, Tokyo.
Outside the Budokan, the crowds gathered earlier and were more surging than the day before, and the air was filled with an almost boiling heat.
Young people wearing "fatal fury" character T-shirts were everywhere, their faces beaming with irrepressible excitement.
Beside the broadcasting vehicles of major media outlets, reporters had long set up their cameras, waiting with serious expressions.
Among the audience, discussions and predictions about the upcoming quarter-final matches rose and fell, creating a wave of excitement.
At the same time, in that small seaside town in Aomori.
Umehara Daigo, for once, got up early, just as the sun was climbing onto the window sill.
With an almost sacred sense of mission, he knocked on the doors of his friends' homes, house by house.
Several sleepy-eyed children were dragged out of their beds by him. Fortunately, everyone else in his friends' homes had gone to work in the fields, otherwise Daigo would surely have gotten into trouble when he returned.
They carried various snacks secretly scavenged from their homes—instant noodles, marble soda, chocolate bars—and marched grandly towards the electronics store on the street corner.
The owner of the electronics store also seemed exceptionally generous today, having moved the large television to the entrance early and specifically adjusted the antenna's direction to make the picture more stable.
Yesterday, Shirano, the high school big brother, achieving a three-person sweep on TV, and the commentator's line, "Tomorrow, the strongest fighter in all of Japan will be decided," were branded into their young hearts like an imprint.
"Hey, who do you guys think will win today?"
A chubby kid asked indistinctly, his mouth full of potato chips.
"It must be that big brother in the school uniform! He was so amazing yesterday!"
Another lanky kid said decisively, waving his small fist.
Umehara Daigo said nothing, just stared intently at the television screen, which had not yet lit up, his small palms slightly sweating from anticipation.
He only hoped that big brother could keep winning.
Fuji Television Headquarters, Director's Office.
Mr. Suzuki from Sega Market Department was also waiting here for Fuji Television's viewership data from yesterday.
The director looked at the freshly released viewership report in his hand, the smile on his face almost stretching to his ears.
Last night, after the highlights of the "fatal fury" competition were broadcast on the evening news, the viewership curve soared like a rocket, far exceeding expectations.
And today, it would be a full live broadcast.
"Suzuki, well done!"
The director patted Suzuki vigorously on the shoulder, his face flushed with excitement.
"This time's GG sponsorship, it's simply an unprecedented success!"
The commercial department, referencing the suggestions from the on-site recording team and the organizing committee, adjusted today's GG placement strategy overnight, adding many "insert-where-possible" fragmented time GGs. The list of sponsors increased by several names, and GG slots had become as precious as an inch of land.
Those shrewd businessmen had clearly sniffed out the enormous business opportunities hidden within this e-sports feast.
Inside the Budokan, exactly nine o'clock in the morning.
The drums of the quarter-finals officially sounded.
The lights focused on the central stage, and the atmosphere was even more solemn and tense than yesterday.
Every team that made it to the quarter-finals was a battle-hardened strong contender, and every player displayed extremely high competitive skill and steely psychological fortitude.
The intensity of the matches was far beyond what was seen yesterday.
Mistakes became extremely rare, and every offense and defense was filled with exquisite calculation and strategy.
The Tokyo team encountered strong resistance from the Osaka team in the quarter-finals.
Shirano, as the vanguard, still showed astonishing calmness and skill, but facing equally top-tier opponents, he failed to replicate yesterday's miracle of sweeping three opponents.
After a difficult victory over Osaka team's vanguard, he was caught by a tiny flaw by the opponent's more experienced core player and regrettably lost.
The Tokyo team's core player also fell into an unprecedented bitter struggle; both sides went back and forth, and the score was tight.
Ultimately, it was only through the stable performance of their captain, Nagai Kenta, like a steadfast pillar in the decisive game, that they narrowly advanced to the semi-finals with a slight advantage.
In the semi-finals, the Tokyo team once again faced a severe test, with their opponent being a strong team from Fukuoka.
The match process was similarly difficult, with every point fiercely contested.
History seemed to repeat itself, and the battle was once again dragged into the captain's match.
Nagai Kenta once again withstood immense pressure, and by relying on his rich experience and decisive moves at critical moments, he led the team to a narrow victory, barely making it into the final.
Shirano sat in the player's area, watching Senior Nagai fight valiantly on the stage, his heart filled with admiration.
He also clearly felt the terrifying pressure from national-level masters; the moves that were invincible in the regional qualifiers were repeatedly frustrated here.
He began to silently ponder how to deal with these more versatile and powerful opponents.
After a short break, the highly anticipated grand final finally began.
The Tokyo team's opponent was the Hyogo Prefecture team, who had also advanced through the rounds and shown great strength.
The vanguard and core players of the Hyogo Prefecture team were both top-tier users of Joe; their playstyle was extremely aggressive and oppressive, leaving a deep impression on all opponents in previous matches.
Shirano took a deep breath and once again appeared as the vanguard for the Tokyo team.
His opponent was the vanguard from Hyogo Prefecture.
The match began.
His opponent's Joe was indeed worthy of his reputation.
From the start, he launched a fierce assault like a storm, his "Hurricane Upper" almost completely blocking Andy's movement space, and the suppression from his "Tiger Knee" was even more cunning and ruthless.
Andy, controlled by Shirano, was once suppressed to the edge of the screen, his health dangerously low.
But he did not panic; relying on tenacious defense and an ultimate understanding of Andy's capabilities, he managed to find a moment to breathe during the opponent's combos.
A precise back-jump dodged a fatal whirlwind, followed by an unexpected "Flying Fist" that disrupted the opponent's rhythm.
Seizing the opportunity, Shirano executed a series of exquisite combos, instantly reversing the situation.
First round, Shirano narrowly won.
In the second round, the opponent adjusted their strategy, playing more cautiously, attempting to drag the match into a war of attrition.
Shirano also played with extreme patience, and both sides engaged in a fierce tug-of-war over health.
However, in a crucial offense and defense, Shirano seized a tiny misjudgment by his opponent and unleashed a combo.
Ultimately, Shirano narrowly defeated the vanguard from Hyogo Prefecture with a score of 2:1.
He stood up, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, his chest rising and falling slightly.
Immediately after, the core player from Hyogo Prefecture entered the stage.
This player's Joe had a completely different style from the vanguard, being more evasive and extremely skilled at controlling distance and wearing down opponents.
Shirano once again fell into a bitter struggle.
The opponent's Joe was as slippery as an eel, constantly harassing with long-range skills, and whenever Shirano tried to get close, he would immediately retreat, never staying to fight.
The prolonged war of attrition was a huge test of Shirano's stamina and energy.
In the second round, both sides had very little health left, and time was ticking away minute by minute.
In the final countdown, Shirano was declared the loser because his health was slightly lower than his opponent's.
There was an uproar from the audience.
In the decisive round, Shirano gritted his teeth; he no longer focused on frontal assaults but instead used "Shadow-Slicing Fist" for quick movement and "Kuupa-dan" for surprise attacks, constantly looking for openings in his opponent.
Finally, with an almost limit reaction, he caught his opponent during the recovery frames after they released "Hurricane Upper."
A dazzling combo, flowing like water, directly took away the opponent's last bit of health.
K.O.!
Shirano once again won a difficult victory with a score of 2:1, securing a valuable second point for the Tokyo team.
The Tokyo team was just one step away from becoming the national champion.
However, just when everyone thought the overall situation was decided, the tide suddenly turned.