Chapter 248 : Adaptability

The finals against Sheila-san were held immediately afterward.

Since we also had board games scheduled—just like last year—there wasn’t much time to waste.

I had actually wanted to test out combos beforehand, but Sheila-san was in the same situation: neither of us was fully prepared.

It would have been ideal to have two Switch consoles, but with only one available, we had no choice.

Depending on future Super Smash Bros. usage, I was considering the possibility of buying another Switch.

While thinking about that, the time for the finals arrived.

Sheila-san chose the character Min Min, who attacks using her extendable noodle arms.

This character didn’t exist back in the N64 era, so I wasn’t very familiar with her, though I’d fought her several times against the CPU.

She had long reach and versatile ranged attacks.

Her recovery was strong, making her undoubtedly one of the top-tier characters in terms of raw power.

Although I was initially thrown off by facing a character I’d never seen in real matches, I knew exactly how to respond, so I was still confident.

I used Yoshi’s high aerial mobility to dodge and weave, closing in for melee attacks while consistently dealing damage.

Yoshi’s flutter kick is powerful, accumulating damage and setting up for combos when the opponent begins to react.

Yoshi’s signature egg throw even has a meteor effect, allowing me to take the first stock and seize the early advantage.

Sheila-san tried to maintain distance, but this gave me the upper hand in the matchup.

Near the edges of the stage, Yoshi has more options and is overwhelmingly favored once he corners the opponent.

Min Min dealt significant damage per hit, so I did take quite a bit of damage… but I finished off the second stock with a combo into an aerial forward smash meteor.

At this point, my goal was clear: to aim for a complete victory without losing a single stock throughout the tournament—but I decided to play cautiously.

I moved carefully to avoid being launched while steadily dealing damage.

Although I eventually lost one stock, I created a situation where losing was virtually impossible.

Targeting the moment Sheila-san became hesitant under heavy damage, I connected combos and secured the third stock.

Sheila-san was formidable due to her practice and experience, but I was truly glad to have won.

Even if it was just a tournament among friends, winning feels amazing.

“Sato-san, you’re too strong…! I couldn’t find a single gap in your guard, and I lost every exchange.”

“You’ve also grown, Sheila-san. As for tactics, the only way to improve is to play more matches.”

If we could play online, I’m sure Sheila-san would be twice as strong.

With Helena being essentially the only real opponent, it’s hard for her to grow, so it was natural that I won in tactical exchanges.

“Being the runner-up is frustrating, but losing to Sato-san leaves no regrets. I’ll aim to take back the lead in the board games and go for overall victory!”

“Nu-hahaha! Sheila, you forget me! I also won alongside Satou, so in terms of points, I’m the top contender too!”

The one interrupting the conversation was the ever-energetic Yato-san.

Though boasting loudly, I didn’t think he’d perform particularly well in the board games.

After all, he’s not good at lying.

We’ll see how it goes, but for now, in terms of points, Yato-san and I are ahead, though I still consider Sheila-san the top contender.

“I won’t lose in board games either! There are prizes for each category this time, right?”

“Of course. There are prizes for the Smash Bros. category, the board game category, and for overall performance. So even those who didn’t do well in Smash, please give it your all.”

My announcement drew a loud cheer from the recreation room.

Everyone’s enthusiasm was a relief.

“Let’s get started right away. We’ve also stocked some new board games for this tournament, so we’ll begin with those.”

“…I’m excited. With a new game, everyone starts on equal footing.”

“Yes. Anyone has a chance to win, so make sure you understand the rules thoroughly.”

With that, the board game tournament began, leaving no time to bask in the glory of the Smash victory.

Even with everyone starting on equal footing, the experienced players naturally had an advantage.

Among the more experienced, Rose-san repeatedly achieved excellent results.

She wasn’t particularly good at lying, but her observation skills were sharp, making her excellent at catching cheats.

Even in luck-heavy games with unpredictable outcomes, she dominated and impressively won overall, despite it being her first participation.

As with Smash Bros., Rose-san’s adaptability was extraordinary.

Second place went to Sheila-san, narrowly missing first in both Smash and board games, just like last year.

Third place was last year’s champion, Ashros-san, who also proved to be strong in board games.

Yato-san, who had won the Smash tournament, finished near the bottom, while I placed mid-rank.

Thus, in the Smash category, I was second.

And since Rose-san won the board game category, she claimed overall victory, becoming the champion of this year’s tournament.

Sheila-san, despite finishing second in both categories, looked extremely frustrated.

Some of it was due to luck, but I still felt that she was the strongest in this tournament; strength includes a bit of fortune.

Next year, Sheila-san would surely get her revenge, but for now, Rose-san deserved full praise.

For a first-time participant to achieve this result on her debut play was nothing short of phenomenal—she was the undisputed overall champion.

Rose-san would now aim for consecutive victories, and the prizes would be awarded accordingly.