- Roll footage Round One and Two of Overlord challenge between Aya Hayashibara and Rand al'Tan. FLP/DU .5-0 al'Tan; LC/TH 1.5-0 al'Tan. -
Hayashibara: She raises her weapon up and spins it, only to have been slightly outmaneuvered by the better simple defense.
al'Tan: He ducked low as he looked for an opening. As he rose from the duck, he extended the longsword quickly in a centered attack.
Hayashibara: She opens her offense by striking low, only to find that his blade was quicker, striking over her attack.
Peter: If I recall, rounds one and two open with al'Tan taking a keen advantage of Overlady Hayashibara's occasional immodesty. See" the duels, I've found, are also primarily a psychological battle. It is one thing to disable a parry, say, with a slashing maneuver. But al'Tan catches his opponent off guard first and foremost by merely defusing Hayashibara's move with a clever exploitation of her openings. Thus it lowers her confidence down a peg, even if she won't show it.
Chris: YEAH! And uh' I really liked it when al"Tan did that thing. And then Hayashibara did that' other" thing.
Peter: Chris" You didn't watch the footage, did you?
Chris: Desperate House Elves was on last night.
Peter: And that excuses you how"
Chris: Have you seen some of the crap that these things do"
Peter: That doesn't make a difference, Chris. You have an obligation to prepare for these things. It's part of your job, and if you cant-
Chris: - Interrupting. - Why aren't you looking for the generator remote, Pete"!
Peter: - Shouting, frustrated. - I'm LOOKING!
- End footage Round 2. Roll footage Round 3 and 4. FCP/FSS 2.5-0 al'Tan; FSS/FCP 2.5-1 al'Tan. -
Hayashibara: She brings her weapon down, defending her lower body and readying a counter attack but is again out-maneuvered by the quicker defense of her opponent. She scowls slightly and steps back, re-examining her patterns. She steps to the side, then drives forward out of reach and launching a slicing attack to catch the challenger as she passes.
al'Tan: Slips to the side and manages to nick the Overlady before being out of reach. The longsword dipped but couldn't guard from her new position.
Peter: But in these next two rounds, we see that al'Tan begins relying too heavily on simply exploiting openings. When you look at truly successful swordfighting or dueling careers, you notice that the duelists who really prevail are the ones who change up their technique, both between duels and within one. There are always going to be scouters who mentally map out how a potential opponent moves to prepare for future duels, and while I wouldn't consider Hayashibara one of them, the important thing to take away from here is that the tiniest amount of keen observation will sabotage your efforts.
Chris: I disagree, though. Both Baron al'Tan and Overlady Hayashibara are notoriously cunning when it comes to changing up their technique.
Peter: Agree to disagree, as it seems I'm the only one who has actually seen the footage.
Chris: Aw, Pete. Are you still mad"
Peter: Is the power still out"
Chris: Ummm"
Peter: Am I still the only one doing real commentary"
Chris: Well"
Peter: Yes, I'm still mad.
Chris: Would it help if I sang to you?
- End footage Round 4. Roll footage, Round 5 and 6. SH/FLP 2.5-1 al'Tan; TH/TH 3.5-2 al'Tan. -
Hayashibara: She crouches low, placing one hand on the ring floor and raises her weapon as if to counter attack. This fails, but she was not struck, so it did work out. She rises and charges forward, striking out with her blade towards his mid-section and taking his blade in similar fashion.
al'Tan: Extending to match her movements, at least trading points.
Chris: HEY!
Peter: Did you find it"
Chris: No, but I found the Dr. Pepper I hid under the desk last week.
Peter: - Grumbling. - In the next two rounds, we finally see some thorough offensive action on the Overlady's part. Although, given the gap in points it seems to have been just a little bit rash.
Chris: Heck of a time to change up her technique, huh"
Peter: I imagine all the time the Baron spent flummoxing Hayashibara with his precarious offense actually paid off, as she didn't really seem to know what to do with herself here.
Chris: Did you know you left your coat over here"
Peter: If you touch it, Chris, I swear to-
- Loud thud. -
Peter: Chris" Chris, are you alright"
Chris: OH GOD! I'M BLIND!
- End footage Round 6. Roll footage Round 7 and 8. FDU/LC 4.5-2 al'Tan; FLP/HC 4.5-3 al'Tan. -
al'Tan: The longsword dips low once again, this time to strike. Switches and cuts into her defense.
Hayashibara: She moves back down to a crouch and finds his blade waiting, connecting and placing her in a precarious position. She spends quality time with her mental experience and pulls out a defense that is able to send the attack away, allowing her to send her palm under the exchange to gain the point.
Peter: Which round are we on"
Chris: Thirteen!
Andrew: Eight.
Chris: Eight!
Peter: Right! I think this was most definitely my favorite round in this match, and I'm sure that anyone will agree with me why. It is in round eight that we finally see Hayashibara clue into the Baron's physical and strategic capabilities. And as my friend Chris has mentioned before, it is much, much harder to perform a reverse bookend than to actually perform a bookend. We see this here.
Chris: Aw, he called me his friend.
Peter: Furthermore, Hayashibara manages to get out some of that pent-up aggression by striking clean under al'Tan's upward swing, where he left himself completely open following an incomplete maneuver.
Chris: Hey, did you find it yet"
Peter: - Flatly. - Are the lights on"
Chris: No. Are they on where you are"
- End footage Round 8. Roll footage Round 9, 10, and 11. TH/LC 4.5-4 a'lTan; FSS/DU 4.5-4 al'Tan; LC/LP 5-4.5 Hayashibara. -
Hayashibara: Maintains her composure and levels her blade as she charges in, striking over the attack and bringing the match closer. She is no stranger to the need for mounting comebacks and there is no reason this defense should be much different.
al'Tan: Switches again and still can't hit her.
Hayashibara: She spins away, a short leap to the side while swinging out in an overhead arc, gaining nothing but also losing nothing. She brings her sword down after the previous position, her blade able to sneak in under the defense in order for her to gain the lead. She purses her lips, still displeased with her situation but in a better position.
Peter: The Baron attempts a ballsy move here: the double-reverse - a strategy that would have otherwise been enormously successful it Hayashibara weren't already geared toward his midsection.
Chris: Who can blame her" I hear al'Tan's got washboard abs. I imagine any woman would want to feel them. Wash their clothes on them. That sort of thing.
Peter: I doubt feeling up the Baron is what the Overlady has in mind, Chris. As evidenced by the way she butchers his ankles and verily rubs his prior bookending attempts in his face.
Chris: Ma-aaaan. Petey is bitter today!
Peter: Could have something to do with the fact that I'm going to have to wear an eye patch for a week.
Chris: Just pass yourself off as a pirate. All the cool kids do it.
- End footage Round 11. Roll footage, Round 12 and 13. SS/FDU 5-4.5 Hayashibara; CP/TH 5.5-4.5 Hayashibara. -
Hayashibara: She presses off with one foot, moving to the side to avoid a defense that is excellently performed, but does not exchange anything.
al'Tan: Drops and slides but cannot position for advantage as she moves. Extends and is parried away.
Hayashibara: After a great deal of consideration and numerical odds running through her statistical mind, she turns a light, low defense to turn aside his lunge to avoid being skewered and completes the initial defense.
Peter: And the conclusion of the match is ultimately as brilliant and as beautiful as its inception, as it seems Hayashibara's and al'Tan's techniques are completely reversed.
Chris: Maybe the kitten killer learned a thing or two. Or al'Tan forgot one.
Peter: The Baron forgot nothing - just got a little too eager there at the end, it seems. He was lunging before he had the opportunity to critically observe his opponent's position. As I said, it seemed their respective techniques were completely' FOUND IT!
- Lights come back on, and the camera is still focused on Chris, who is obviously almost completely naked behind the desk as his pants are strewn across the top of it. The only article he appears to be wearing is Peter Pham's suit jacket, which is on backwards. Peter is not in the shot, but his aggravated shout is heard from off screen. -
Peter: CHRIS!
- Chris raises his arms in triumph before brushing off the sleeves of his colleague's jacket. -
Chris: I've invented something new! It keeps you warm, and you wear it backwards for no reason whatsoever. I call it a Phammie!
Peter: Andrew, we can't possibly use this tape-
- Blackout again. Muttering. Long pause. -
Peter: What do you mean, no picture" What happened"
Andrew: I think the cameras malfunctioned"
Peter: Son of a"
- End tape. -
