Whenever there's a competition of some sort, there must always be a winner and a loser. So how do you always stay a winner? You keep winning, stupid. Say what happens when it comes to a battle of majority. To keep winning in that case, you just always have to side with the majority. To do that, you should throw away all your preferences and principles and just do what everyone else around you is doing. You should throw away your own opinions and turn yourself into a System that represents the greatest number of peoples' opinions.
Do so, and you'll become Observers of the World. They are the people through which history is stored. They are the people who are fated to continue surviving, the ones with the role of recording the history of the world. They stand tall and reliable in the world like a pillar planted in the earth as history gets carved into them. There being chosen ones like them will be a given thing in every world, even the world of the young Tir na Nog.
In Tir na Nog there is a legend about a certain sword, a sword that has two handles mind you. Some say it's a holy sword that shines in the earth while others say it pierces the earth. It's supposed to be something only those chosen by the next world can draw. Fergus mac Roich has drawn this sword, and him being Chosen By the World is indisputable.
Now let's talk a bit about Fergus's legend. To start off, he was born to be king of a country known as Ulster, loved and respected by his whole clan. Upon their urging, he turned his throne over to the child of his lover. However, this new king lost the favor of the clan, was restrained and betrayed to an enemy kingdom, and news of his death was given to Fergus. When a succession feud arose, the enemy queen Medb instigated him into attacking his home country. In a battlefield where many friends, foes, and heroes fell, Fergus mac Roich alone continued to survive. The heroes stayed true to their own beliefs and choices, but Fergus lived on as if guided by the world.
A thought came to Fergus at the end of his wanderings. All the heroes who lived long and honest lives had passed on to the next world ahead of him. This included his friend Setanta, the hero like the nigh irreplaceable sun born as a descendant of the heroes Balor and Lugh. They swore a certain friendship oath that they would compromise as to who would win on the battlefield. At that time, Fergus chose to live rather than battle it out. In the end, Setanta had met his end on some other battlefield. Fergus himself continued surviving while wandering in between love and friendship, and he kept that hero's youth in his memories. One day after all the heroes pass on, the light of his sword will return to the bottom of the lake.
Back to the present, the sparring continues and tunes in to Fergus making a strike at Shuuichi. Shuuichi complements Fergus for taking a bold step forward, but his actual swordplay leaves things to be desired. Fergus meanwhile is impressed that Shuuichi blocked his swing. Shuuichi talks about not being able to stand up physically speaking to a Transient, so he analyzes past to form tactics to use. And since Shuuichi is Fergus's senpai in terms of school placement, he won't let Fergus win against him that easily. Shuuichi also notes that Fergus starts hesitating when a match gets to the point of win or lose, and he takes a swing and declares he's won the match. You either express shock and surprise that Shuuichi won or compliment him for doing well. A and B has an extra line of Shuuichi laughing about how harsh you are.
Anyways, Shuuichi comments that his sword is not allowed to lose, so while it can't win against people beyond a certain level of skill, he can definitely win against someone who's just superficially using a sword style. You are confused by this and ask Shuuichi about that last part, so he takes a moment to think before saying that Fergus is wavering because he wants to be that way. In Fergus's own words, he'd prefer to have an adolescence like someone more than winning. Fergus doesn't say anything in response to this in his surprise, and Shuuichi says he needed to be aware of this before saying the sparring should continue to drive the point home.
Time passes by as Fergus and Moritaka train together. Fergus is briefly impressed that Moritaka would move so aggressively, so Moritaka says that while there may be physical differences between them he won't fall behind in terms of determination. Eventually Moritaka's turn is up and Fergus is panting. You say it's your turn next and prompt Fergus to put them up or ask if he's okay. C gets and extra line where Fergus laughs and says you're kind and that he's falling even more for you. But either way he comments that this is the first time he's fought like this, and the two of you begin your spar.
Eventually Shuuichi decides to call an end to the sparring match. As much as these battles took place in the app, you guys still have other matches to fight after this. You gasp out a thank you, say you're mentally exhausted, and say that was totally overboard. Shuuichi laughs and says that was the point. You either ask about this, say he said something similar earlier, or stay quiet. Moritaka hands Fergus a sports drink to rehydrate, which Fergus thanks him for before drinking.
Shuuichi asks Fergus how it felt to lose to everyone, so Fergus starts by yelling loudly before falling onto his back and shining like a star. He talks about how this sure is some kind of youth, what with being so tired from training that he collapsed, losing, and being surrounded by friends. He wonders aloud what to call all this before saying that fighting with your friends and losing is also a part of youth. Shuuichi laughs as he repeats the bit about losing is also youth, which freaks you out a little.
Moritaka finishes up his own drink before asking to talk with Fergus about something. Fergus asks if this is about love, which Moritaka desperately denies and says he already has his heart set on someone. Shuuichi reminds Moritaka to remember who he's talking to, to his embarrassment, and Fergus asks if this is about why he's using two swords. Moritaka notes that the way Fergus holds a shinai and moves suggests he wasn't originally a dual wielder. He's doing well now, but the signs of his original wield style are everywhere.
Fergus thinks for a bit and says Moritaka may be right. He then says that when he turned up in Tokyo though, he was carring two swords for some reason. You are taken aback by this and ask if Fergus really took up dual wielding because of that. Fergus admits that things felt weird at first, but he figured it wasn't a big deal and rolled with it. Shuuichi asks if he ever thought to question that, which Fergus loudly denies. You comment on how quick he was to answer that and say it's a wild response.
Shuuichi doesn't have a response to Fergus's denial, and Fergus starts talking about how sticking to your true self is more important than winning or losing when Shuuichi snaps and accuses him of BS. There will always be losers when it comes to a competition, and most would never say anything like that. Losing means having everything taken away from you and being rejected, so how can Fergus say all that and smile? He can say that because somewhere in his heart he believes he can beat you guys if he feels like it.
The remark seems to upset Fergus, though he doesn't say anything in response. Shuuichi says Fergus dual wielding is a sign that he can decide whether he wins or loses. However this also means that Fergus doesn't need to really try, and Shuuichi asks if he's ever thought that was insulting to his opponents. You interject and try to tell Shuuichi he's going too far, so Shuuichi laughs and says he may have overdone it. Fergus says nothing, and the app announces that it's processing the cancellation of the battle area and reverting all physical changes within.
Shuuichi says you guys have more matches to get to and prompts you guys to go. Fergus asks to talk to Shuuichi about one last thing to his surprise, and he asks why Shuuichi sparred with him. Shuuichi answers that he wants to see Fergus get serious. He may only care about his brother, but he's says being genuine about this point. You either comment that Shuuichi might be a better senpai than you thought he was, be suspicious of him, or ask if he's hiding something.
Shuuichi doesn't actually respond other than by laughing. Moritaka tells you two that they'll be watching you guys from the stands and excuses themselves. He and Shuuichi start walking away, and a moment later Fergus straightens up and calls out to Shuuichi by his full name to thank him for his advice and help. He even bows deeply to him, and Shuuichi says he doesn't lie and will be looking forward to the next match. It's precisely because he only cares about his brother that he genuinely feels this, and the episode part ends with him saying that they want to see how he fights as someone who has put down roots somewhere.
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