Temper tantrum

If one were to look at Vlatka's face, they'd say without a doubt that she was angry. This was completely true, except, Vlatka's anger levels exceeded what were physically conveyed. Her teeth were locked together in a ferocious grit, her eyes bulging by the second, and her mind, a chaos in of itself.

Curses, revenge plans, and just plain animalistic screeches were rebounding like racquet balls within her mind. And when they finally found a way to erupt...

"UBIT ĆU TE! ODERAT ĆU TE I ZAKUCATI TI GLEŽNJEVE ZA POPREČNU GREDU I VUĆI TE CESTOM DOK TI SE SVA KOŽA NE OTKINE! UNIŠTIT ĆU TI ŽIVOT, POGUBITI TE U ZATVORU! JEBENO SI MRTAV [I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! I'M GOING TO SKIN YOU AND NAIL YOUR ANKLES TO A CROSSBEAM AND DRAG YOU ALONG THE ROAD UNTIL ALL YOUR SKIN RIPS OFF! I'LL RUIN YOUR LIFE, GET YOU EXECUTED IN PRISON! YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD]!" she shouted at the top of her lungs as she slammed her fists down on the chessboard, shattering it in half.

Ironically enough, it was Vlatka's anger that ended up calming Grgur's own anger down, as an angry Vlatka was the only thing that truly terrified every Croat out there. This wasn't the case years ago when Vlatka, then simply just another celebrity, got cancelled for her incendiary comments and actions. Society shunned her, but then came the DESPERs and Vlatka's chess prowess allowed her to come back as a full-blown tyrant. Now the woman who had once been justifiably been scorned and mocked, was a complete nightmare that could subject anyone to a war crime of an execution on a whim. But if she was pissed, it was a guarantee someone's head would fly, at least, in the boundaries of Croatia.

Everyone in the room suddenly felt a horrific chill run down their spines as a primordial aura of something beyond rage flooded the playing hall like a thick fog. "Vlatka Jurkovič, this will not go unpunished," Raymond calmly, but furiously stated as he slammed his cane down hard on the ground.

Vlatka still was too angry to process the fear she should have been feeling until Raymond approached her and groped her shoulders, squeezing until both shattered to powder, eliciting pained screams from Vlatka as she collapsed to the floor, her arms dangling at her sides.

"You will be issued proper medical attention once the board has been repaired. As for the others, resume play, but note that you are not to break the board. The pieces are durable enough to withstand being thrown around, but the boards themselves cannot withstand a concentrated hit. These are real physical boards, quite precious, so don't break them, or I'll break you in addition to the official disciplinary action the WWCF will take against you," Raymond warned as he sat down before the broken chessboard and began mending it back together.

"Well fuck. I knew it before, but now, I've hardwired it hardcore never to fuck with him," Iori thought as she headed out with the others.

The chessboard was eventually repaired within the hour with Vlatka receiving proper medical attention soon after. Her arms would be able to function properly in a day, but she was banned from competing for the rest of the tournament as a result of her outburst. And while Raymond had spooked her, her anger still remained.

"I want everything you can find on Ishikiridokoro front and center on sns. EVERYTHING! I don't care if it's real or not. I want something on her so bad, Interpol comes and arrests her," Vlatka snarled.

...

That night, the teams held an intense strategy meeting. The men were set to face America, while the women, Norway, setting up long-awaited clashes between Peter and Okisato and Amelia and Daria.

"No debate in the line-up. I'll handle Frish, Okisato, Peter, and Ryonosuke and Zago get the leftovers," the masked man stated.

"If Hubert is fielded, Zago should play him, since he'd probably beat Hobou-san if he played him," Okisato noted.

"Problem is Luigi's an even worse matchup. He's one of the top 10 players in the world and one of Magnus Carlsen's fiercest rivals. Levi he could probably handle, but those two could prove tricky. Remember, even if I and Okisato win, that's only 2 points. It would be a truly sour taste if we won on the higher boards yet lost on the lower ones."

"Then the answer's easy. Don't run the old man," Ginji sneered as he busted into the room.

"That is not for you to decide. You have no right to after what you've done," Ryonosuke scowled.

"Oi, who's the top player, you or ME!?" Ginji maniacally shouted as he grabbed Ryonosuke around the waist and hurled him into the air like a rolled up rug.

No one was able to react in time, leading to Ryonosuke hitting the ground hard, and howling in pain as he clutched his side.

"Now, he's out, and you're stuck with me," Ginji sneered.