Okisato Tanabe vs Peter Morphy

Okisato sat in silence as he ate his breakfast the next morning. The day was finally here; Peter and him would face off.

"All the preparation, all the research, this is where I have to put it to use. Getting White is step 1, but thanks to both Rasputin and Peter's presence back in Tokyo when we fought with Tabemono gakuin, he's likely got the gist of how the opening functions. Even then, there's a chance I can get him. It's day 10 of the tournament, and he's been playing every day. He had two rest days, but it still shouldn't make much of a difference," he thought.

Mimoko and Iori both watched him from afar, wishing to interact with him for two different reasons, but feeling the need to give him space for this. This was a rematch he had been planning months for, so unless he himself approached them for emotional support, letting him be was best.

"I still think we should just go up n' say "kick his ass", but last thing I want is to be dubbed the one that fucked it all up with an interaction," Iori grumbled.

"I'd prefer to train with him given the importance, but in a sense, this is his training. I don't understand his opening, so me trying to steer him away from using it or trying to make sense of it might inflict self-doubt, which would ensure his loss to Peter-kun. Tanabe-kun might be at odds at times due to our disagreements in playstyle, but I know Tanabe-kun's serious when it counts. And this time, he's been furrowing his brow more than I've ever seen. He knows this is a daunting trial, but it's one he's longed to pass for years now. I want him to succeed, which is why I'll respect his space, especially since okaa-chan's the same," Mimoko sighed as she glanced over at Daria.

Okisato vs Peter was the marquee match on the men's side, but it could be argued that the Daria and Amelia matchup on the women's side was THE clash of the tournament. At 18 points a piece both gained from 9 perfect 4-0 wins, Japan and Norway were now in the sole lead for gold. This match would prove to be decisive, no matter the outcome. For Daria, there was more.

Like Okisato, Daria too had a rival she wanted to beat for years, but had yet to do. This would be the first public clash the two would have and as maestros, further heightening the grandeur and pressure. Even assuming the others managed to win 2 games, should one fail to win or draw to get the match victory, all would come down to Daria's game.

The men's side was even more daunting for Japan, as Okisato's victory would be a requirement just to ensure a draw at the very least, assuming the masked man beat Wiley like he said he'd do. Even Ginji was feeling relaxed with zero fear he'd need to do anything drastic to stop Japan from winning. Of course, anything other than injure Ryonosuke to the point where he could no longer compete.

This put more pressure on Zago as he knew that if the masked man and Okisato did their parts, he'd need to draw at the very least, otherwise the match would likely end in a draw as Ginji would certainly throw his game even if he was winning it, just to prevent the team from winning the match.

"If Tanabe-senpai wins his match, but I lose, the taste in our mouths would be awful. I have to win. Draw at worse, but losing is not an option," he thought.

Eventually, it came time to depart to the playing hall. Everyone headed for the bus, but the moment they got on, a problem occurred.

"Sorry everyone. Seems we're out of gas," the driver sighed.

"Huh? Let me take a look," Miralem growled as he strolled over.

Upon seeing the state of the console, his eyes lit up as a smile appeared on his face.

"Ah, this is easy. See this thing's got a needle thingy. If you're out of gas, and you got one of those, you can use a trick to get the car runnin'."

"What is that?"

To everyone's horror, Miralem whipped out a baton and smashed the glass of the console. Once it was out of the way, he physically moved the needle on the gas meter to the "full" side.

"See, works like a charm. Now start her up and get her rollin'."

Nearly everyone on board facepalmed, yet freakishly enough, the bus started up and began operating like it was on a full tank of gas. As such, everyone was able to get to the venue without issue, though as soon as the driver reached the venue and turned off the bus, it wouldn't start, even if he tried Miralem's trick. It was apparently a one-time only thing, meaning he had to phone in for some gas.

The misadventure behind them, team Japan entered the playing hall and made their way to their opponents. On the women's side, Japan found themselves at board 1 against Norway with team Hungary at board 2, particularly Zsa Zsa, glaring all the while at them.

"Someone sure wants to take a crack at us. But we're running out of rounds," Iori smirked.

"Even if we were to lose, I doubt we'd end up playing Hungary anyway. I guess that means we won't ever get to play on board 2," Mimoko sighed.

"Oh right, they get the second table cuz they're the hosts. But we're at table 1, er board 1... Whatever. Why would we wanna play at the lower board?"

"Zsa Zsa can hear you, and Zsa Zsa hates every second of it. Zsa Zsa has been dragging her team through the thick snow to get to the peak. Zsa Zsa will not rest until she has beaten you all," Zsa Zsa glared.

"Then focus on beating your opponents before you," Amelia growled as she approached Daria with her teammates. "It's finally come to this. The World stage, perfect scores going in, but I feel this will be completely decisive. No draws, one of us will finally beat the other."

"My thoughts exactly," Daria nodded.

The two then sat down at board 1 as the others sat down at their respective boards as well.

"Hmm? You're facing me?" Mimoko asked Inga.

"Got a problem with it!?" Inga snarled.

"Inga, manners," Jaana growled as she sat down at board 4 across from Iori.

"I get the strict milf? This some kind of joke?" Iori gasped.

"My apologies, but I feel I'm the only one present that can handle you other than the maestro herself.

"So that means I get the rookie," Tove grinned as she plopped down at board 3 across from Azenira.

"And I sit out with Tenju," Unni trembled as she sat down at a nearby chair next to Tenju.

...

Over in the men's section, Okisato took a deep breath before properly facing Peter.

"You've been restless. That could prove to be the difference you know," Peter grumbled as he read his book.

"I made one of my prizes for winning a DESPER match the ability to survive without sleeping. If I can't fall asleep, it doesn't effect me."

"Bluff or not, we'll see how it all plays out on the board," Peter declared as he set his book down and shook hands with Okisato.

"Yeah, and since I got White, it means there's a chance I can finally beat you," Okisato declared as the round began.