The tournament format was a 32-player single-elimination bracket. Matches before the semi-finals were best-of-three sets, with each set being best-of-three rounds. Each round had a time limit of 99 seconds.
Since many players were friends, family, or colleagues, an anonymous system was implemented to prevent collusion or pre-match deals. Everyone chose a codename, and their in-game appearance reverted to the character's original model. During the matches, the screens in front of the players' booths were automatically shielded from outside view.
From the semi-finals onward, the format shifted to a best-of-five sets. At this stage, anonymity was lifted, and both the players' real names and their actual physical appearances would be displayed on the livestream screens.
Purhart and Hasana, though they hadn't signed up, saw the notification pop-ups. Purhart: "World... Fighting Championship?" Hasana: "Is this an Alliance competition? To select a grand champion of combat?"
Although the Troll had joined the Argent Dawn as a neutral figure and befriended many Alliance races in the Plaguelands, her perspective was still rooted in her life with the Darkspear tribe and the Horde. A flicker of vigilance naturally arose in her heart.
Wayne watched from the backend as the 32 players confirmed their codenames. He couldn't help but laugh at some of them. "Paladin from Northshire," "An Old Marshal," "I Once Defeated a Black Dragon," "Alliance Knight-Captain"—some people might as well have carved their real names on their foreheads.
Then there were the jokers. One person called themselves "I Am Truly Not a Pandaren." For the sake of fairness, even Wayne couldn't see who was behind the screen. Then there was "Milky White Snow-Child"—Wayne really wanted to know which "genius" came up with that one.
Before the matches began, the players collectively protested against Wayne's participation. "Wayne, you shouldn't compete!" "Exactly! If you play, what's the point for us?" "This is cheating! You're just trying to swallow the 200 gold prize money back into your own pocket!" "Yeah! Refund! We're not playing! Haha!"
Facing the outcry, Wayne compromised. It was agreed that Wayne would play only up to the quarter-finals. Regardless of his performance in the top eight, his opponent would automatically advance to the semi-finals. This guaranteed that the four players in the money rounds would not be Wayne. However, everyone agreed that this restriction was only for the first tournament because they were all new to the game; from the next one onward, the restriction would be lifted.
At 12:00 PM, the tournament began. The first round was the 32-to-16 elimination. To facilitate the livestream and help others learn, the 16 matches were split into four batches, with four games running simultaneously.
The matches generally went one of two ways: either a complete stomp where a strong player crushed a weak one 4-0, or a "clash of the scrubs" where two novices flailed wildly at each other.
Stronger contenders emerged quickly.
"The most ridiculous performances came from "Chen" using Guile, "Purple Star" using Falke, and Wayne—who was forced to use his real name—using Ryu. All three won their matches with "Perfect" victories, not losing a single drop of health.
Wayne's opponent was "Alliance's #1 Handsome Guy" using Dhalsim. Aside from one long-range kick that Wayne dodged at the very start, the Dhalsim player spent the entire match being hit, thrown, and knocked down repeatedly.
After the match, everyone asked: "Who was that Dhalsim?" The system revealed the identity: "Hahaha! You scrub!" the Westbrook quartet laughed—it was their friend.
The 16-to-8 round was more intense. Guile faced Akuma. Both characters were muscular powerhouses who used energy attacks. Guile tried to close the distance, using crouching kicks and overheads to force Akuma to guess high or low, hoping to start a combo. However, Akuma gave no openings, using quick retreats, Shoryukens, and Gohadokens to keep Guile back.
The fight turned into a projectile war. Guile countered with "Sonic Booms" and "Sonic Scythes." Raymond, who had already been eliminated, remarked: "Is this a shooting game?"
As Akuma became over-reliant on his projectiles, he fell into a predictable rhythm. Just as they had exchanged over 20 projectiles without stopping, Akuma prepared another one. Guile suddenly jumped with a heavy kick to Akuma's head, breaking his guard. Upon landing, Guile executed a back-throw, slamming Akuma into the corner.
Once the balance was broken, the weakness of "Void Shadow-Whisperer"—a lack of close-quarters experience—was exposed.Chen seemed possessed by a god of war, chaining light and heavy punches before launching Akuma into the air with a Flash Kick. Once the stun bar was full, he finished the match with a Critical Art: "Sonic Hurricane."
Chen won 2-0 to enter the top eight. The loser, Akuma, turned out to be Sandar—hardly a surprise given the Warlock-themed name. Meanwhile, Rainier, Jysette, Rainier, and Hicks were also eliminated.
In the quarter-finals, "Chen met "Grand Marshal," who played M. Bison, a heavyweight boxer. Bison tried to take a round to break Guile's perfect streak, but Chen laughed in his private box.
Chen laughed because he had identified his opponent through their habits. The player almost never jumped—a trait unique to Dwarves and Gnomes. Gnomes, in particular, only reached a Tauren or Troll's knees when jumping, so they naturally developed a "grounded" fighting style. Furthermore, due to their short legs, they rarely used kicks, focusing instead on footwork and distance control.
This M. Bison played as if he didn't know how to jump. His gloved fists rained down on Guile's blocking arms. Whenever Guile tried to retreat, Bison would dash forward with a charging punch. Chen was caught off guard initially. Bison found an opening, landed a series of medium punches into a "Dash Straight" five-hit combo, followed by an uppercut, and finished with a "Gigaton Blow" Super. The combo deleted three-quarters of Guile's health, drawing thunderous applause from the spectators.
Chen lost the first round, but from the second round onward, he used Guile's cross-up jumps to manipulate the distance, attacking from the air as he descended. This pinned the "non-jumping" Bison to the ground.
Chen made a 2-1 comeback, becoming the first player to enter the semi-finals.
Wayne, meanwhile, faced Ibuki, who was, of course. Tess didn't know the hidden meaning; she just thought turkey and rice crust sounded tasty.
Though Wayne couldn't advance, he used the match to train Tess, his Ryu raining down pressure to humble her overconfident heart. To the sounds of "Hadoken," "Shoryuken," and "Shinku Hadoken," Wayne dismantled Tess's defense but still "conceded" the spot to her for the semi-finals.
Additionally, "Bubbly Beer" (Zangief) and "Purple Star" (Falke) eliminated Verdan's Laura and Li Li's Cammy respectively.
The semi-final brackets were set:
McBride ("Bubbly Beer") as Zangief vs. Chen as Guile.
Amy ("Purple Star") as Falke vs. Tess as Ibuki.
Hasana watched the matches intently, recording everything in her mind. She was terrified. This was her first day at the cafe, and like many veterans, she still struggled to tell reality from the virtual world.
She was horrified to see that the Alliance had suddenly gained so many "super-warriors" capable of manipulating elemental and natural energies—something the Argent Dawn and the Horde knew nothing about!
She took out a Savory Deviate Delight from her bag and took a bite to maintain her disguise.
"I must report to the Warchief," she thought. "I must tell him that the Alliance's martial spirit has reached such a level."
"He must know that the Horde's lost dueling spirit, the 'Mak'gora,' must be revitalized!"
"Why should the World Fighting Champions all come from the Alliance!?"
"Hmph!"