Season 33, Week 5
Ziggy
(Xenosaga Series)
 
Nigh-impenetrable metal body? Check. Arm blade that can go through EWGS hulls like they were butter? Check. Speed enhancers and handy healing techniques? Check. Strong offense not completely reliant on a single element? Check! Superhuman strength and nerve-wrecking toughness? Double check! Ziggurat 8 has all the tools needed to bring home a Middle championship, walking right over the dead body of the Holy Knight Delita. Although this medieval opponent may be the most dangerous he has faced in this season, he's still a creature made of flesh, who bleeds and cries in pain as his skin is severed. The best Delita can hope for is to die quickly as a mercy as his blade uselessly tinks the cyborg's flesh - this won't be a clean elimination. And this Middle title is as good as won.

V

S

The manipulative and cunning Holy Knight prevailed in a match against the fiery Killey; his final opponent in this season should be a cinch. Ziggy may be far more technologically able than the medieval knight of Ivalice, but no armor is impenetrable to his Holy Sword skills - much less the theoretically impressive metal flesh of a cyborg. Ziggy might be a fierce contender, but his cumbersome speed and middling offensive maneuvers will have Delita running circles and swords around him without much effort. The young king’s armor should fend off Ziggurat’s surprisingly feeble blows much more easily than the cyborg's metal flesh can withstand Holy Explosions. And, really, after all the madness Delita has done in his time (and this season!), dealing with an emotionless mechanoid should be child's play.


SnowFire
King Delita pondered his upcoming match. Sure, Lemina's oddsmakers seemed to be favoring him... but Ziggy had beaten everyone else so far. Plus he had an annoying habit of snapping people's necks. Delita liked his neck. Oh, sure, he'd probably win, and then be unable to speak at court for a month. That wouldn't do. There must be a better way...

"Psst. C'mere, your Highness. I have a proposition." The robes... the mask... it figured. Delita had been warned that the Kislev Battling Arena, where the match was being held tomorrow, tended to attract such types. "You won't win tomorrow. Not if you had strength ten times what you have now."

"Speak for yourself, old man. If you actually are old."

"Ziggy is cool. Calm. Collected. A dedicated investigator, with few weak human attachments to distract him. You, with your hatred of the nobles, your towering ambition? He'll read you like an open book. Just ask Miakis, who's now lost to two quiet types thanks to announcing her plans."

"Get to the point. If this is some ploy to get me to dress up as that pink haired girl I've seen him hanging about with, I'm not biting. And if the judges insist on a Suikoden duel, they're madder than usual."

"Very well. Try equipping this mantle tomorrow." The masked stranger threw a cloak at Delita. "I even have a spare mask, too. It may help you win the battle... up here," tapping his head as the masked stranger retreated into the shadows.

Delita considered asking the obligatory "why are you helping me" question, but didn't feel like the usual portentous answer.

---

The day of the match, Delita strode confidently into the ring, his long, kingly feather mantle flowing about him- except his cloak was now pitch black. Minor gasps of surprise at the odd choice came from the crowd, but none louder than from Ziggy's entrance.

"What - Voyager?! Die!"

Ziggy whipped out a rocket launcher out of nowhere and sent a cascade of rockets into the stands as Delita dived out of the way. Delita didn't even time to let loose a ranged Holy Explosion before Ziggy arrived with alarming speed and started smashing into Delita. Except... the attacks strangely didn't seem to hurt too much.

---

"Huh. That's odd. I guess because that was an Episode II plot attack, Ziggy's now stuck in his II form." Celes passed the plate of snacks to the other judges.

"And he's not even bothering to stock up. Out of character for him, really. Shame." Mithos returned to his crossword.

"And... that's it," Lemina said as Ziggy went down to a Lightning Stab coursing through his circuits. "Let me check my records... Hmph, this round didn't come off too well; that Voyager fellow sure bet heavily on Delita... wait a second. What was Ziggy screaming about incomprehensibly at the beginning of the battle?"

Voyager didn't get the money after all, but he was happy anyway.

Ziggy: 29
Delita Hyral: 47

Ralff
Ziggy is largely made of metal.
Delita has Lightning Stab.
Bye, Ziggy.