Season 3: Chapter 221. Joseon vs. Japan (1)
"There was a reason for it!?"
The distorted voice, filled with indignation, pleaded that a reason for his tyranny existed.
[Footage from the incident]
The producers displayed footage from the incident.
— Lol "the incident" haha
— Is it a murder case or what? Haha
— He looks like a real criminal, haha
Shortly after the preliminaries began, the think tank members gathered in the meeting room.
[One day before the Joseon vs. Rome match]
They were preparing for the Rome match during the preliminaries.
"Remember when we scrimmed against Japan? We got pushed back in the early game..."
"It was hard to hit them with arrows because they were so agile and easily dodged."
Thud.
At that moment, the front door opened and someone entered the house. However, the meeting continued without anyone noticing.
"Was it the islander faction? That one?"
"Yeah. Even though they’re smaller in stature, people said it’s easier to hit their heads if you get close. Those who use agility well..."
Whoosh.
Someone appeared at the edge of the meeting room.
"Hey, isn't anyone eating?" Almond peeked in and asked.
He had come to eat together, but they were still in the meeting.
— Hahahahaha
— OMG haha
— Oh, so this is it haha
— What timing, haha
"Oh. Oh... time's flown by... Sorry about that. We'll be done soon."
"No, keep going. It's fine. I'll wait on the sofa."
"Is that so? We'll wrap it up quickly then."
Almond didn't mind since their house was nearby and watching the team meetings felt like a hobby.
He sat on the sofa and muttered, "There are all sorts of factions..."
— Haha
— The misunderstanding starts here...
— Is this real? Haha
Bzzzt.
The screen switched back to Almond's mosaic interview. His voice was still distorted.
"I misunderstood because of that. I didn't make it up."
His voice was full of injustice.
"I thought they were small because they couldn't eat meat due to the islander faction."
— He really sounds like a criminal, haha
— OMG
— He finally explained it after three tries, haha
— I admit...
— They’re smaller because they couldn't eat meat, haha
— Fact: There's a hypothesis that the average Japanese height is shorter due to periods of meat prohibition...
— True
— But honestly, it's hilarious haha
Almond successfully explained his situation, but serious background music started to play just as it seemed to end.
Dun dun... dun dun...!
— ?
— What’s happening?
— ??
Dramatic text appeared along with the music.
[Entangled Misunderstanding!]
Dun!
Almond's interview footage sped by.
"They're small. Really small. I mean, really small..."
— Hahahahaha
— This is like a trailer for a third-rate movie, haha
— "Really small," haha
Rattle!
A video of almonds spilling out of a jar played.
[The dice have been cast!]
— OMG
— The dice, haha
— Those are real almonds, haha
— "Almonds have been cast"
Dun!
[The Worst Conflict!]
Reactions from the Japanese community appeared.
— We apologize, but forgiveness is impossible.
— The statements must be countered.
— I can't believe he said such things. The worst. But his face is the best? Ugh.
— Almond's rude tongue needs training. With mine... ;)
— The rude provocation feels like northern etiquette. As expected, they are Joseon people after all, lol.
— Victory for Joseon is impossible anyway, so they’re talking now lol
— Huh? Small? Do you mean the nation of Joseon?
These translated reactions came from the actual Japanese community, but the extreme ones had been filtered out. The viewers laughed it off.
— Haha
— OMG
— The tone is dizzying
— "Almond's rude tongue," haha
— But it's entertaining, haha
The conflict video didn't end there.
Boom!
Gigantic letters appeared on a black background.
[The Time Has Come!]
Pang, in hiking gear, rode a bicycle at full speed.
— OMG
— What is this? haha
— He’s going so fast
— Korean Mad Max, haha
The music grew more intense and the screen transitions sped up while showing Gyeongbokgung, the Lotte World Tower, and Namsan Tower.
— Where is BTS, Bong Joon-ho, and Son Heung-min? Haha
— OMG, national pride
— Gyeongbokgung, Signiel, Namsan Tower, Almond, let's go!
As the music reached its climax, a gigantic dome stadium appeared.
[Kyocera Dome Osaka]
Then, the players could be seen walking toward the stadium. The camera prominently zoomed in on the word [KOREA] behind them.
— Wow
— Let's go
— Amazing
— Looks like the national team, wow
Boom!
The screen switched to the Japanese players entering. The camera also prominently zoomed in on the word [JAPAN] behind them.
— Oh, they showed Japan too
— Wow
— They really put effort into this Korea-Japan match, haha
— Wow
The music sped up toward the climax.
Boom!!
[Joseon vs. Japan]
Boom!!!
The Korean cheering squad in red and the Japanese cheering squad in blue appeared alternately.
“Waaaaa!”
“Joseon! Joseon is in the quarterfinals!!”
The commentators stood up and punched the air.
[Today at 7 P.M.]
“We're going!!!”
Boom!!!
With a loud burst of music, the title quietly appeared.
[Fake National Team]
[Fake Athlete]
The screen went black. Then, Almond’s earlier interview played.
“The goal is... to win.”
That was the last part.
Boom...!
The music played again as the video ended by mentioning the sponsors.
[Sponsored by Sports Drink Monster]
— Wow
— That was amazing
— Felt like watching a movie~
— One might think we won, haha. This is the Korea-Japan match
— Wow
— Is this the last episode of Fake National Team?
— How can anyone resist watching this? haha
— The Korea-Japan match is gonna be a movie
— This is insane
— Wow
— Where's "I am Iron Man"?
Soon afterward, the quarterfinals began.
"Thank you for waiting, wandering mercenaries! This is the quarterfinal match between Joseon and Japan! Live from Osaka's Kyocera Dome! And I’m your caster, Kim Sang-Hoon!"
"And I'm OrangeKing, your commentator!"
***
“I'll take this!”
“One more Almond suit! One more! Extra large!”
A massive crowd gathered.
Even the money-crazy Ju-Hyeok thought he had overdone the advertising.
“Please, wait a moment!”
“Don’t break the line. The line. BornToB?”
“Yes!”
Everything sold like hotcakes. With the match starting, the extreme visual appeal of the Almond suit sold better than any other item. Ju-Hyeok's decision to stock up on Almond items had been correct. Monster's cheering items also sold out quickly.
“No more medium Almond suits?”
“Sorry, but instead...”
Redirecting them to the Monster items usually resulted in a purchase out of disappointment as the stall emptied out.
“Waaaaaa!”
The cheers from the stadium echoed even outside. The players finally entered.
“It’s over. Phew.”
Ju-Hyeok finally threw off his coat and sat down.
“Good job.”
“Thank you, BornToB. We almost sold everything even with the massive order. Hahaha!”
Ju-Hyeok burst into laughter.
“Awesome.”
Reaching the quarterfinals made them a huge profit.
***
"Ah! The players are entering! Interestingly, Best Yi Sun-Shin is starting for Joseon!”
Cookie couldn’t participate, so this was inevitable. Only those unaware felt surprised.
— For real??
— Huh?
— It’s true.
“Is it because of her username or her outstanding performance in the last match!? Whatever it is, it's exciting!”
— Because of the username, haha.
— The username must be part of it.
— Haha, gotta get that Yi Sun-Shin buff.
Thunderous cheers erupted as the Korean players entered.
“Waaaaa!”
“Wow! Look at that! The atmosphere is completely different today!”
Half the crowd was Korean.
“Yes! It's hard to tell whose home game this is! The country of ticketing or the country of doorcrashers! The land of morning calm, Joseon! The nation where the early bird catches the worm! Korea has reserved all these seats at someone else's home game!”
— They filled half, wow.
— Haha
— How did they do it?
— "The early bird catches the worm," haha
— Wow, amazing.
— I’m so jealous, haha
“This is amazing! Normally, our commentary space feels cramped!”
“Yes! Usually, it's mostly foreigners! I was hesitant to speak up! Honestly!”
“So today, we can really let loose!”
“Yes! We have to! This is the Korea-Japan match! The Joseon vs. Japan match! I studied Korean history to prepare for this!”
— He studied Korean history, not the game, haha
— OMG, haha
— Why Korean history? Haha
— Wow.
— Won’t he get assassinated? Haha
“Waaaa!” the crowd cheered again at OrangeKing’s words.
“This atmosphere is incredible! Honestly, this is the best I've ever felt while commentating on any game! It’s genuinely the best! It sounds cliché, but this is the first Korea vs. Japan match I've ever commented on! This is truly the best!”
— Haha
— So true, haha
— It’s rare, LOL
— This probably never happened in the Joseon era either.
— Haha
— The first since World War II.
“I agree! Feeling this level of excitement is a first for me as well.”
“And as we speak, the key player is up on the screen! OrangeKing, your thoughts?”
The key player appeared on the screen.
[Joseon]
[Almond]
Of course, it was Almond. His hexagon stat graph was almost entirely filled, except for one section labeled strategy.
“Ah! That Korean player looks familiar! His stats are nearly maxed out in every area except strategy! Who can argue with that?!”
“Yes! No one but Almond himself would disagree!”
“Would Almond disagree?”
“Yes! Almond thinks he’s a strategist! He’s quite sensitive about it!”
“Yes! Well, he does solve problems! So he’s a problem solver!”
— He does solve problems, haha
— Solving problems (physically), haha
— OMG, haha
— Try making me laugh in three syllables. "Strategist," haha
— But sometimes, he does seem like a genius.
— People who haven’t seen Almond’s Swift story mode won’t get it. He’s really smart. It’s just selective intelligence.
— The fact he believes that is hilarious.
“For Japan...”
[Japan]
[Ringo]
The screen showed Ringo, Japan’s commander.
“Ah, interestingly, their commander is the key player!”
Usually, a soldier was chosen. However, it was the commander for Japan.
“For Japan, that makes sense. They fight with organization and structure! They have a heavy feel to them like the Romans!”
“Yes. Plus, Ringo is famous as a chess champion!”
— For real?
— Chess champion, wow.
— Oh...
— A chess player?
— He must be great at tactical battles.
“Right. When it feels like you’ve won against Japan, you can still somehow lose! That's a common reaction!”
“Yes! He’s a master at positioning! His reputation as a commander is very high! Using his charisma, he builds up plays to secure wins! Japan focuses on advantageous battles!”
“Yes. It’s like their passing in soccer! Build up, build up, and then a quick finish!”
“Exactly! Now~ as we speak!”
Applause erupted from the audience as Ringo was introduced. Then, all the players entered their capsules.
“All the players are in their capsules! No anomalies here! Now, the quarterfinals! Joseon vs. Japan! Japan vs. Joseon!”
The caster stood up and threw an uppercut into the air.
“Start!”
[Current Viewers: 794,000]
“Begin!”
The quarterfinals finally began with record-breaking viewership.