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Playing With / Rival Final Boss

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Basic Trope: After dealing with the real threat, the protagonist finishes things with their rival.

  • Straight:
  • Exaggerated:
    • 1:
    • 2. Xian literally raids the Forelli Eatery and holds everyone there hostage for the sole ransom of fighting Nico, usually after he came back from beating the crap out of Don Cirri a few minutes ago.
    • 3. Upon her arrival back to school after quite literally saving the world, having dealt with every possible threat but Abigail, Becky gets a Pie in the Face, and once she clears that up, she witnesses an entire Death Course worth of pranks all set up by Abigail.
    • 4:
      • Daniel may have won the tournament, but somehow, on a completely different (and higher level) tournament, Johnny has won too. The former then challenges the latter to a match to prove who's the best of the best.
      • Daniel announces his plans of retirement, but Johnny does so seconds directly after, with the latter challenging the former to a retirement match to show who will be the one to go out with a bang.
    • 5. The moment Anderson's mecha falls off the skyscraper, a loud explosion is heard at most 5 seconds before the mecha should usually land (it's at least a 30 second fall). Suddenly, Bryan swoops in from the sky, and lands directly on the roof of the skyscraper, challenging Ricky to a mecha battle to the death.
  • Downplayed:
    • 1:
      • It takes a few months at best after the death of Evulz when Claidheamh finally shows up. Claidheamh has either grown stronger, or lagged behind in terms of Robert's skills, enough for it to be a rather uneven playing ground.
      • Claidheamh, having lost his enmity for Sir Robert, decides to visit him after Evulz is defeated, to participate in a friendly spar (doubles as Post-Final Boss and Lighthearted Rematch; Claidheamh isn't that serious about the rivalry, he just wants to see Sir Robert again).
    • 2. The contest between Xian and Nico is much more lighthearted, instead being either a game of tag, a food eating competition, or even just playing video games.
    • 3. Abigail is only Becky's rival in the debate club, as the two have a much friendlier relationship outside of debates. However, Becky has to attend to the last debate, and her final opponent is Abigail herself.
    • 4. Johnny decides to just simply settle the rivalry under wraps with Daniel, personally playing a match against him in some dingy, underground basement to truly settle the score. Could count as a Lighthearted Rematch.
    • 5. Bryan is only waiting for Ricky to come down; Due to Ricky and Anderson having similar mecha models (down to the paintjob), Bryan mistakes Ricky for Anderson, and tries to fight him into submission. It doesn't really matter if Ricky wins or loses; Once the cockpit is open, Bryan is shocked and profusely apologizes for mistaking Ricky for Anderson.
  • Justified:
    • 1:
      • Claidheamh had been going on his own adventures during Sir Robert's. You can even play as him after completing the game to experience his side of the story (as detailed in Played For Drama).
      • Sir Robert simply neglected to kill Claidheamh, as detailed in Zig-Zagged.
      • Claidheamh saw the opportunity to fight Sir Robert and his team once they dealt with Emperor Evulz, and since that old fool won't be interfering with their fights, Claidheamh can challenge Sir Robert without interference.
    • 2:
      • Xian has issues with Nico due to their restaurants having fierce competition, and since he came from a family of fighting, he believes that a duel between them will be the deciding factor on who deserves their restaurants' reputations.
      • Xian's simply a Blood Knight who sees Nico as a Worthy Opponent and wants to feel the rush and adrenaline of fighting someone who can match him.
      • Don Cirri had bribed, blackmailed, or coerced Xian into fighting Nico.
    • 3:
      • Abigail wants to deal with Becky due to Becky being in the Love Triangle involving Jacques, and believes a series of pranks will paint Becky in a bad enough light for Jacques to dump her.
      • Abigail was recently humiliated by Becky exposing her vileness to the whole school, which caused others to speak out against her. Feeling threatened, she decides to get Becky expelled with a series of pranks designed to frame Becky as the person doing the pranks.
    • 4:
      • Daniel had beaten the semifinals and so had Johnny. It's natural that these two would essentially be forced to come to blows in the finals.
      • As explained in Exaggerated 4, Johnny has won a completely different (and higher level) tournament at the same time as Daniel, which causes a debate to spark up on who's the superior sportsman. This causes Johnny to challenge Daniel (or vice versa) in order to determine the best of the best.
      • As explained in Downplayed 4, Johnny just wants to bury the hatchet, and thought a good game and a Lighthearted Rematch would be the best way to do so.
    • 5:
      • Bryan has been chasing Ricky all throughout the adventure. It's only after Anderson's death that Bryan finally catches up for once.
      • Bryan has heard that Anderson died, and thought that this was the perfect chance to finish Ricky off.
      • (From Downplayed) Bryan actually mistook Anderson's mecha for Ricky's. He thought the mecha who eventually came down from the skyscraper was Anderson's.
  • Inverted:
  • Subverted:
    • 1:
      • It appears Claidheamh is challenging Sir Robert to fight... But is immediately forced to lay down his sword by a vastly superior force, with everyone ready to maim and kill the brute if he even dares move a single millimeter forward.
    Sir Robert: Stand down, Claidheamh! This is for your own good! We have just defeated Emperor Evulz, and we are too strong for anyone the likes of you to take us on!
    • Claidheamh is fought directly before Emperor Evulz, and puts up a decent fight, but nowhere as tough as Emperor Evulz.
    • 2. Xian attempts to strike up a duel with Nico, but he's immediately shot a Death Glare at by the still very angry and exhausted Nico.
    Nico: Back the fuck off. Had enuffa' yer bullshit for today.
    • 3. Abigail tries to start a prank war with Becky... But it seems like she called it off.
    • 4. Johnny was supposed to be at the finals, but since he got into an accident, he's automatically disqualified, thus making Daniel the winner of the tournament by technicality.
    • 5. Bryan decides to just let Ricky have his moment and not try and spoil it for him.
  • Double Subverted:
    • 1. It appears Claidheamh had been training behind the scenes; He is completely unfazed by their threats.
    Claidheamh: Think ye can scare me tae surrenderin' THAT easy!? Go on then, lads an' lasses, THE MORE THE FOOKIN' MERRIER!!
    • Claidheamh still shows up directly after Emperor Evulz, and puts up a damn good fight, even tougher than Emperor Evulz.
  • Parodied:
    Xian: I have fought tooth and nail just to become the greatest rival any man has ever bore witness to! I have graduated at the top of my class in Rival School, and like my master, Claidheamh, before me, have become the last obstacle in your journey! Fall, weakling! Fall like the frail machiavellian Abigail, the cowardly mecha pilot Bryan, and the foolish powerhouse Johnny!
    Nico: I have-a no idea whaddaya sayin'. At all.
    • Of course, that doesn't mean that the other rivals don't get their own little insane speech about this "Claidheamh" and the whole Rival School.
    Johnny: Hah! Ya think I'd be lost in the mix of the others!? Don't be so dumb, Danny-boy! I went to that fuckin' RIVAL SCHOOL and had ta' compete with that slanty-eyed chink Xian, that wimpy broad Abigail, AND that pussy Bryan hiding in his mech! Yer no goddamn match for a guy who's been reforged into a piece of steel! BRING IT!
    Daniel: I'm sorry, who the hell are Claidheamh, Xian, Abigail, and Bryan?
    Abigail: Oh, poor Becky! You don't know the HELL I've been through in order to master my craft at rivalry! I Had to Be Sharp when dealing with those meatheads Claidheamh, Xian, and Johnny, not to mention that shrimpy Bryan with his stupid mecha, you don't know the HALF of how much I learned all these pranks! C'mon, who's gonna be the loser Covered in Gunge after this!? YOU!
    Becky: Claidheamh? Xian? Johnny? Bryan? Who In the Name of the Moon are THOSE?!
    Bryan: Hey Takamura! Long time no see, eh? You would not BELIEVE the insanity I had to face in Rival School just to be stronger than you. I had seen and experienced things that no human boy, girl, man, or woman has ever seen in their life. I've fought Xian, who managed to KICK MY FUCKING MECHA'S LIMBS OFF, Johnny, who can LIFT MY FUCKING MECHA WITH ONE FUCKING HAND! ONE! And Abigail, who I'm sure your mommy knows about, thankfully, only gave me a nice paintjob. NOT! I had to suffer such extreme humiliation with my mecha with her idiotic, glitzy "makeover" consisting of gunge and goo and horses drawn all over it, and let's not fucking MENTION that psychopathic teacher Claidheamh or whatever the fuck his name was called. I had gone through some FUCKED UP SHIT, just to let you know, and the fact that you still think you're one above me by beating Anderson!? HAH! IN YOUR DREAMS! LET'S ROCK!
    Ricky: Is this what my mom's told me about regarding rivals and their Rival School? I swear I might've heard those names somewhere before.

    • It all comes full circle when Claidheamh, Xian, Abigail, Johnny and Bryan all show up at a meetup.
    Claidheamh: 'Eyyy, there's me prize students! How are y'all?
    Xian: Yes, it is a pleasure meeting you all again. Believe it or not, I've actually managed to become a Final Boss.
    Abigail: Omigawsh, really!? I actually became a Final Boss, too!
    Johnny: Yeah, and so did I! Man, I can't believe just how far we've come!
    Bryan: Mhm, I've become a Final Boss myself. Imagine if we've never even met each other, how far could've we gone?

    Claidheamh: Tae hell with yew! I'm workin' fer Larry Lampshade! (Gives the director a powerful liver hook)
    Xian: I care not for the whims of fools like you! I work for Larry Lampshade! (Gives the director a spinning kick to the chest)
    Abigail: Fuck off, idiot! I've got protection and privilege from Larry Lampshade! (Gives the director a Groin Attack)
    Johnny: Like I give a fuck! I'm under contract by Larry Lampshade! (Gives the director a mighty suplex)
    Bryan: Fuck off, idiot! I've been employed by Larry Lampshade! (Gives the director a leg sweep)
  • Zig-Zagged:
    • 1:
      • Claidheamh's arrival is actually dependent on whether you killed him in the climax duel, as you can actually engage in battle with his so called "corpse" upon beating him, and engage in battle with it, where his corpse suspiciously has a meagre sliver of his HP left, hinting at the fact that he's Not Quite Dead.
      • Different rivals, throughout the Tales of Troperia series, will either show up after the Big Bad is defeated, show up directly before the Big Bad's fight, show up after the Greater-Scope Villain is defeated, or not show up at all. Claidheamh's the only person who's not Zigzagging this trope.
    • 2. Xian seems to be challenging Nico to a fight... But it's actually a food eating competition. Then a week after that, Xian challenges Nico to another competition... But it doesn't involve fighting at all. This keeps going on for quite some time.
    • 3. Abigail, being the Master of the Mixed Message, repeatedly confuses Becky and frustrate her enough for the latter to be made into a complete fool.
    • 4:
      • Johnny has a 50/50 chance of losing the tournament semifinals, which results in this trope being zigzagged through different playthroughs.
      • Ditto, but for the other tournament.
    • 5. Bryan, just like Abigail (who he may or may not be the son of), being the Master of the Mixed Message, can't seem to make up his mind on whether to fight Ricky or not, also frustating him enough to make a fool out of the latter.
  • Averted:
    • 1:
      • Claidheamh doesn't show up at all, even when he vowed he will come back.
      • Claidheamh dies from his injuries at the end of the duel.
      • Claidheamh does show up, but enough time has passed for the rivalry to be water under the bridge, and he joins Sir Robert as the resident powerhouse of the team (Considering that the team hasn't really had a true powerhouse that utilized a strength based fighting style).
    • 2. Xian doesn't actually challenge Nico to a fight, as the two became Bash Brothers and having a Rivals Team Up moment (which may stay permanent) during their fight against Don Cirri.
    • 3. Abigail confronts Becky, and looks like she's going to challenge the latter to a prank war... Just to apologize for being such a rude bitch to her.
    • 4:
      • Johnny loses during the tournament Semifinals, thus preventing him from making it to the finals at all.
      • Johnny loses during the other tournament, thus preventing him from being able to challenge Daniel at all.
    • 5. Bryan lands on the Skyscraper's helipad... To tell Ricky that he's coming to take the latter back to base.
  • Enforced:
    • 1:
    • 2. The game was supposed to have a two player mode with Xian as the 2nd playable character (and there was even a Dueling Player Characters bit at the end) in the beta versions of the game, but due to time restraints (or creative decision), they simply opted to make Xian The Rival, and have him be the Final Boss as a Mythology Gag to how most 2 player Beat 'Em Up games would end.
    • 3. The Developer realized that they didn't pan anything out for the school. They picked Abigail as the Final Boss.
    • 4. The Developer knew that this trope would fit any sports game, natch.
    • 5:
      • The Developer wanted to throw one last curveball at the player before the game ends.
      • Or they wanted to have a twist by having Bryan randomly target Ricky.
    • It's The Developer's Creator Thumbprint for this trope to keep popping up in all of their games (regardless of genre).
  • Lampshaded:
    • 1. Sir Robert is amused at Claidheamh's arrival.
    Sir Robert: Claidheamh, I didn't expect you to arrive here. I thought you were dead!
    Claidheamh: Spare the discussin', Robby. Let this fight settle the score, ONCE AN' FOR ALL!
    • 2. Nico tries to talk Xian out of this.
    Nico: Xian, just-a give it up already! I've beaten up Don Cirri!
    Xian: No, this does not concern Don Cirri. This concerns OUR REPUTATION!
    • 3. Becky is annoyed with Abigail trying to do this dumb prank war.
    Becky: Seriously?...
    Abigail: Hey, at least I'm TRYING to do my best at humiliating your sorry ass!
    • 4.1. Johnny muses about the odds of him fighting Daniel at the finals.
    Johnny: Hey, ain't that hilarious! I'm fighting YOU in the finals! Well, get ready to taste some bitter defeat, loser!
    Daniel: Of course you'd be saying that, Johnny. I won't taste defeat THIS time...
    • 4.2 Johnny directly challenges Daniel to a match after the two have won their respective tournaments.
    Johnny: Hey man, I gotta have a good rival to keep me sharp. And besides, you've never really tasted true victory. Let's settle this!
    Daniel: You're gonna regret fighting me. Well, get ready to taste some bitter defeat, butthead!
    • 5. Bryan tries to snag the glory from Ricky.
    Ricky: Aw COME ON! Don't tell me you're trying to get the credit...
    Bryan: Sorry man. Gotta do what I must and take in that sweet, sweet glory!
  • Invoked:
    • 1:
      • Claidheamh, hearing about Sir Robert's defeat of Emperor Evulz, immediately makes for Emperor Evulz' castle.
      • (If following Parodied) Due to Claidheamh's tenacity, Emperor Evulz hires the former to finish Sir Robert off in case the latter dies.
    • 2. Don Cirri had bribed Xian into taking Nico's restaurant down in case Don Cirri's empire were to fall.
    • 3. Maou the Demon King possesses Abigail and causes her to start making all the pranks in the first place.
    • 4. Everyone knows that this trope is natch in sports, and either Johnny or Daniel challenge each other to a match.
    • 5. Anderson had bribed Bryan into aiding him against Ricky, or at least avenging him.
  • Exploited:
    • 1. Claidheamh takes advantage of the fact that Sir Robert was weakened by Emperor Evulz' fight, and finishes him off.
    • 2. Nico or Xian take the opportunity in this fight to absolutely tear the streets apart and pin the blame on the loser for causing so much damage.
    • 3. Jacques, seeing Becky and Abigail coming to school with the idea of pranking each other viciously, takes the opportunity to skip school.
    • 4. Johnny takes advantage of the fact that Daniel was tired and not in the right mindset, and subsequently finishes him off.
    • 5. Bryan's ego causes him to swoop in and fight Ricky, which gives Anderson ample time to get the hell outta there.
  • Defied:
  • Discussed:
    • 1.
      • Characters discuss Claidheamh's swift and sudden arrival after Evulz is defeated at the start of the former's final battle.
    Aireport: I sense a strong sense of vengeance within Claidheamh... We may have to finish the job, even if he is not all that important to our quest...
    Bartholomew: Goodness gracious, this Claidheamh has endurance like no other! Neither my weapons nor my spells can seem to hurt his spirit!
    Cassie: Ain't that a surprise! Little boy Claidheamh's back to serve as target practice for my mech!
    Diane: I swear, does this Claidheamh ever give up? I don't think even my strongest spells will scratch him!
    Emiko: Have none of my weapons worked? This Claidheamh won't stay down!
    Felicia: Oh, come ON! I thought my pets tore this idiot Claidheamh to shreds!
    Gordon: Claidheamh, I beg you, cease this foolish path of petty vengeance! Accept the fact that Sir Robert's simply better than you!
    Hans: This kid Claidheamh must either have the thickest skull I've ever shot into, or be on something insane... I planted at least 6 bullets between his eyes, how's he still alive?
    Ichiro: Claidheamh, I must commend you for your spirit and perseverance. What I cannot commend you on is your lack of virtues; You only fight out of the pitiful reason as revenge.
    Joseph: Claidheamh's still alive!? How did he survive my bear traps!?
    Kurt: Ah, Claidheamh's still alive. Thought my arrows didn't kill him then; But I'm dead sure they'll be killing him now.
    Lance: Gotta admit, he's one tough guy, that Claidheamh. I'll make sure to finish the job this time.
    Marcy: How'd Claidheamh, who I SWORE we killed, make the craziest come back!? I ought to scorch him to embers!
    Natalie: Aw man, not Claidheamh again! I don't wanna get beat up like last time...
    Oswalt: You will make a Worthy Opponent of my new poem, Claidheamh. I will grant you a magnificent death.
    Percy: Hohoho, it appears that Claidheamh is back again! This ought to be fun, hoo-hoo!
    Quirby: Wow, this Claidheamh's got such a heated rivalry that he chased us ALL THE WAY here! I'm definitely sure he's the last obstacle in our adventure!
    Sir Robert: (See Lampshaded)
    Shen: You have to be joking... I swear, I thought I beat Claidheamh so badly that he would never even think of crossing our paths again.
    Taiyun: Heheh, need some help with Claidheamh, Shen? Try some of my booze, you'll be making quick work of him in no time! *hic*
    Ulrich: Claidheamh only has his tenacity and grit, and nothing else. We will make light work of him.
    Vandal: Kurt, I can spare you some of my magical arrows if you want. At least it deals with Claidheamh much faster.
    Wanda: Such a fine specimen, this Claidheamh. I wonder how much more durable will he be as my minion?
    Xavier: This Claidheamh better be worth my money. I at least expect 2500 gold coins with his death.
    Yasmin: I will be sampling Claidheamh's bones and muscles after this. I NEED to know his source of durability.
    Zachary: Claidheamh... I was like you once. Angry. Arrogant. An annihilator. But you have to understand; You shouldn't fill yourself with delusions of being able to take us all on. I learned that a while ago. And I don't want anyone repeating the exact same mistake again. So stand down, Claidheamh. Don't make us regret sparing your life back at the center of town.

    • Claidheamh talks with other rivals about how he's been doing a good amount of time being the Final Boss for about all of Sir Robert's adventures.
    Claidheamh: An' so, in Sir Robert's, what, 7th adventure? Yeh, I think it was 7th adventure. Okay, so in the 7th adventure, y'all would not believe what actually happened; I DEFEATED Sir Robert an' actually settled the score wit' him! Like, I actually defeated him in combat an' proved I was the better of the two! Talk aboot an incredible feat! Normally, rivals like y'all would have tae live in the shadows of the hero, but me? I actually managed tae git oot of his shadow, an' prove tae everyone that I actually AM the better one! An' if I can beat me own rival, so can any of ya!

    Xian: Oh, of COURSE everyone must choose the most violent path.

    • 3. Abigail and Becky discuss on how to settle their feud with each other before Becky leaves to fight Maou the Demon King, in a hilariously light discussion akin to (but not exactly) Casual Danger Dialogue.
    Abigail: Okay, since you'd be fighting Maou, I don't think a full on magic war or even a brawl would work. I suggest we should do a prank war.
    Becky: Yeah, I wouldn't wanna cheat by zapping you to a crisp.

    • 4. Daniel announces his retirement plans, and seeks to have one last match before he goes out. So does Johnny.
    Daniel: As you all know, I'm currently opening up this challenge for my retirement match, so feel free to submit your applications.
    Johnny: Screw that! Consider that "open" challenge CLOSED! I'm going up against Daniel for our last match!

    • 5. Bryan is conflicted on who "Ricky" and "Anderson" are (since the two have similar mechas and paintjobs).
    Bryan: Argh! Who's Ricky, and who's Anderson!? I can't lock onto either targets without worrying about accidentally hitting Ricky! Screw this! Targets Ricky blindly
    Ricky: HEY! Bryan, that's ME you're hitting! Watch it!
  • Conversed:
    • 1. Alice and Bob are surprised at Claidheamh's return after Evulz is defeated.
    Alice, the RPG Player: Holy moly, Claidheamh's come Back for the Finale!
    Bob, the Other RPG Player: Had a hunch he was still alive... I don't think that we killed him during the duel.
    • 2. Charlie is surprised that there's still one last hurdle to hop in Nico's adventure.
    Charlie, the Beat Em Up Player: Woah, one last boss fight!? I bet this is gonna be tough...
    • 3. Daria is taken aback at the sudden change that Love Always Prevails takes by suddenly introducing a prank war system.
    Daria, the Visual Novel Player: WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON??? What on earth's up with this crazy prank war!?
    • 4. Ewan appears to have been anticipating the match from the very beginning.
    Ewan, the Sports Player: HAH! I Knew It! I knew that there was gonna be one last match with Johnny here!
    • 5. Felix wonders why the heck Bryan's targeting him even though it's clear that Ricky and Bryan have been on good terms.
    Felix, the Mecha Player: Wait, why's Bryan targeting me!? I thought it should be ANDERSON he's targeting!
  • Implied:
    • 1. The Fight with Claidheamh is never shown, as the credits roll after the defeat of Evulz, but there's an image of the aftermath of the fight during the credits. Depending on Sir Robert's level, either Sir Robert and the gang strain themselves trying to carry the defeated Claidheamh out of the castle if Sir Robert is level 50 or above, or Claidheamh carries all of the gang (who are all completely knocked out) on his left shoulder (lightest to heaviest, of course) while he walks and whistles leisurely out of the castle if Sir Robert is below level 50.
    • 2. Nico comes home to a Xian standing outside his restaurant. With no words spoken, the two assume fighting stances, and charge at each other, letting out kiais as they throw their attacks in a similar way to a a campy martial arts movie.
    • 3. The Collection Sidequest involves some rather... Strange objects. Buckets of paint? Ropes? Duct tape? Super glue? Freshly baked pies? Hooks? What on earth are these even meant for!? Well, after coming back to school after the defeat of Maou, two outcomes can play out: If Becky hasn't collected at least half of the items, she will be seen sullenly walking out of the school Covered in Gunge as Abigail laughs on. If Becky has, then the roles are reversed.
    • 4. Johnny and Daniel are last seen in some underground arena, well out of view from the general public in a post credits scene. What happens next depends on Daniel's skill at the end of the game.
    • 5. As Bryan's escorting Ricky out, a Traitor Shot ensues, with Bryan slowly lifting his gun up behind Ricky's back.
  • Deconstructed:
    • 1:
      • Due to Claidheamh completely underestimating Sir Robert's power at the end of the game, the former is swiftly squashed like a bug.
      • Claidheamh, after defeating a wounded Sir Robert, is derided as a coward for finishing off an already weakened opponent.
      • Claidheamh arrived with a wounded body, and an even more wounded pride. He doesn't care that Sir Robert just slain the most powerful being in the universe; Claidheamh is so focused on defeating, no, KILLING Sir Robert that he will pull ALL the stops just to settle the score. Even with his body reaching its absolute limits (or going even beyond that), a wounded pride over the most petty of squabblings is enough to drive Claidheamh to outright going all out in his fight towards Sir Robert.
    • 2. Xian attempting to destroy Nico's restaurant is what finally drives the already quick-tempered and jumpy Italian over the edge, leading to a ear piercing banshee-like shriek of rage and a horrendously brutal No-Holds-Barred Beatdown.
    • 3. Abigail and Becky have been fierce rivals for so long that Jacques simply decided to stay single or turn gay due to how intense the rivalry's become, possibly under their noses.
    • 4. Johnny had been outright sabotaging other opponents against Daniel in the hopes that he can invoke this trope. Due to his constant interferences, he's suspended from the tournament and the subsequent one as well.
    • 5. Bryan is called out for trying to get revenge on Ricky and is stopped before he can enact it.
  • Reconstructed:
    • 1:
      • Claidheamh learned from the previous times he's been beaten by Sir Robert. This time, things will be very, VERY different...
      • Claidheamh, knowing that he might be derided as a coward for finishing a wounded Sir Robert off, simply tosses him a full heal bottle. He wants Sir Robert at his best, after all.
      • Sir Robert simply decides to Let the Bully Win. Works even better if Claidheamh considers his defeat of Sir Robert as a hollow victory, as he sees it as a moral as to just accept the fact that he won't win at some things instead of having a cult like frenzy trying to be good at the thing that he knows he's not good at.
    • 2. Can't be reconstructed. Nico was having a particularly terrible day.
    • 3. Becky simply just manages to call for the hall monitors to catch Abigail in the act, getting her expelled. Jacques thanks Becky for stopping the madness, who asks him out for a date. He accepts.
    • 4.
      • Johnny simply just does his interferences less conspicuously.
      • Johnny doesn't even sabotage the opponents, he believes Daniel can handle himself.
    • 5. Bryan just plain doesn't care. After fighting off the reinforcements, he fights Ricky last.
  • Played for Laughs:
    • 1:
      • Normally, Claidheamh's fight would be a climactic showdown... If it weren't for the fact that he landed too hard on his left leg as he made his entrance, snapping out his left ankle, blowing out his left knee, and tearing out his left quads, weakening him severely and making him resort to a Hurt Foot Hop (although it's more like a Hurt Leg Hop).
      • Claidheamh shows up directly after Sir Robert banishes T'Veah Tir'opius, and now has Troperia by his side. It does NOT go well for Claidheamh.
      • From Parodied, but on a much smaller scale: In any other Tales of Troperia entry, if there's a rival who becomes this trope, they'll say that they hope their idol (and mentor) Claidheamh is proud of how far they've come, which heavily implies that Claidheamh is running a school for rivals, and that the highest possible achievement in that school is becoming this trope.
    • 2. The entire fight between Xian and Nico plays out like a batshit crazy fight scene in a campy martial arts movie, complete with fighting with furniture, a few practical jokes here and there, a couple of brief pauses to let off some pain from the multiple punch parries, and even a spectacular, Trash the Set-style finish.
    • 3. As it turns out, Abigail wasn't competing with Becky for Jacques' heart. Abigail only did it to get Becky's attention. During this revelation scene, Abigail says the below, complete with a Luminescent Blush and Bishie Sparkles as it focuses on Becky.
    Abigail: I-It's not like I even fantasize over dominating you or something! Sh-Shut up, idiot!
    Daniel: Hic Sh-Shut up, butthead... Shut up before I throw this stupid dart in your eye... hic
    Johnny: H-Hahah, as if! H-Hold on, I'm gonna... BLAAARGH!!!
    Bryan: You've killed Anderson, caused potentially MILLIONS of damage, AND destroyed the ice-cream truck with Anderson's mecha!? Kids like us LOVE ice-cream, and I can't believe that you... You... BETRAYED US! BY SMASHING THAT ICE-CREAM TRUCK! I was even going to get us ice-cream, and Your Favorite flavor, too! I can't let you get away with this, Ricky, AND I'LL DRAG YOUR SORRY ASS TO JAIL MYSELF IF THE COPS WON'T DO IT!!!
  • Played for Drama:
    • 1:
      • The story takes place through Claidheamh's eyes; Here, he's portrayed as a Brave Scot Barbarian Hero, who has a Doomed Hometown destroyed by Sir Robert, as well as a few nasty scars left by the supposed Knight in Shining Armor, all at the young age of 16. Claidheamh is scouted out by Emperor Evulz, soon puts him through severe Training from Hell just to be strong enough to help the youth enact revenge upon Sir Robert, being constantly being given attack therapy and serious gaslighting from his superiors, including but not limited to General Drake, the person who even got Claidheamh into Emperor Evulz' Castle in the first place, and Head Scientist Butcherstein, who also injects magic steroids to try and boost the boy's physical power, with varying yet never positive results. Claidheamh is at times sent out to attempt to defeat Sir Robert on several occasions; Only to fall before the Knight's blade, wounded, but not dead. He is dragged back in by the Mooks, and once he recovers, is yelled at and verbally (if not more often than not physically) abused by his own superiors, before being heavily tested on to try and produce better results. He also has some kind of sick relationship with Evulz that can easily be likened to as an abuser to his victim, with some certain implications that are never expanded upon. As the game's Climax Boss, Claidheamh is wounded so severely that he is seemingly killed. However, instead of going to Troperia's Paradise, an afterlife that he had heard so much about (a Fluffy Cloud Heaven), Claidheamh goes through a strange, nightmarish adventure through a twisted DreamLand, comprised of monsters that vaguely resemble Sir Robert and Co. as well as Evulz and his army, which implies that he's Not Quite Dead. Claidheamh eventually awakens to a mass fire, experiencing some serious PTSD, and spends a very long time walking from his resting position, the center of the empire's town market, to the throne room, picking up some items and learning more skills from fighting the few Mooks who lived (or rather survived, as during this time, General Drake, Head Scientist Butcherstein, and eventually Emperor Evulz are all slain as a result of Sir Robert and Co.'s assault) on his way there. He eventually comes face to face with Sir Robert, alone. The latter's friends appear to have perished in the fight against T'Veah Tir'Opius, the supposed Devil to Troperia's God, and it appears the battle didn't happen too long ago, judging by the warped debris and implications of a massive, intertemporal-universal-dimensional portal. It appears that both of these two rivals have gone through their fair share of trauma themselves. After a staredown between the two, in a Light/Darkness Juxtaposition with Sir Robert having Rays from Heaven albeit backlit, showing his outer light and his inner darkness, while Claidheamh is shrouded in shadows as his face is lit up by said Rays from Heaven, showing that deep down, Claidheamh is still just a kid who wants to do the right thing, the latter simply draws his claymore, and the former his Knightly Sword and Shield, engaging in a fierce duel. If Claidheamh loses, he simply lays there, quiet. His last thoughts ponder on how his life even got to this point; It shows a Really Dead Montage of Claidheamh's Doomed Hometown being burnt to the ground, the constant and relentless trauma he went through from his peers, and lastly, his fight with Sir Robert, before Troperia appears before him, shushes him and tells him to rest, before ending his miserable life with the Thumphammer. If Claidheamh wins, he begins walking out of the Castle, out of the Kingdom, and to a nearby port, all in perhaps the most serene moment in the entire game. Once he reaches the ports, Claidheamh looks onwards towards the seas, and takes a glance at a rowboat. He considers Starting a New Life in another land, and so, he hops on the rowboat, and rows out of the country, making a possible Sequel Hook as the credits roll.
      • Claidheamh is repeatedly yelled at to stand down and lay his weapons down, but he doesn't listen. This is his one moment to shine, and Claidheamh is so deluded by his humiliating defeat at the hands of Sir Robert that he actively throws all caution to the wind and immediately tries to kill Sir Robert.
      • Claidheamh had trained himself to the point where he becomes a walking Hopeless Boss Fight if Sir Robert hasn't slain him in the middle chapter.
    • 2. Xian has his own perspective of view; A much grittier and darker tone in contrast with Nico's goofier and more light-hearted atmosphere (Ironic, considering that movies based around Italians are usually darker as Mafia Movies while movies based around Asian or more specifically Chinese come in the form of Campy Martial Arts Movies), where it's revealed that Nico was the one bullying Xian instead of the other way around. Xian, after hearing enough trash talk from Nico, finally snaps, and angrily challenges Nico to a fight in the street, right here, right now. If Nico wins, then Xian will take great shame in his loss, being Driven to Suicide over it, with Nico being hailed as a hero who refused to back down from a "bully", not knowing of Xian's death, and if knowing, then lambasting Xian as a thin skinned coward who picked the easy way out instead of dealing with his problems. If Xian wins, then he will be overcome by his own rage and promptly beat Nico with severe mortal strikes, killing the man within seconds, as Xian is branded as a murderer and locked up by the police for life.
    • 3. The only reason why Abigail's even mean to Becky was because Becky held a grudge for an honest mistake during a party that was a whole year ago. Abigail was simply having fun with her friends when she tipped over a big box of potato chip bags, which then caused a domino effect to go off, eventually busting down the chocolate fountain, spraying Becky with the stuff and humiliating her. Abigail tried to apologize, but Becky wasn't having it, and stormed out. 6 months pass, and Abigail has forgotten about the incident. Becky hasn't. While Abigail was merely using the restroom, Becky, wearing a shower costume, sprays Abigail with water, completely drenching her and ruining her dress, angering her. Abigail gives chase, but gets seriously injured by a car during said chase. While she didn't die, and in fact made a full recovery, she definitely felt that Becky was a complete bitch now, and decided to expose Becky's bitchy ways to the whole world.
      • (From Played for Laughs) Abigail doesn't know how to explain her true feelings towards Becky, and each "attempt" at catching Becky's attention only drives it further and further away due to it seeming less like an attempt at talking to Becky and more like a humiliating prank. The only attention Becky would possibly give to Abigail is filled with harsh words and hostility.
    • 4:
      • Johnny was pushed by his parents to adopt this mentality, being forced to believe that he's the best with the attitude, and that Nice Guys Finish Last. He's a good person deep down, but he was pressured into being like this by his parents. And once he's beaten by Daniel, Johnny falls into a depression, and is Driven to Suicide.
      • Daniel tries to sympathize with Johnny due to him being so pressured by his parents, but the latter rejects the former's pity.
      • (Counts as Subverted) Johnny was supposed to be this... But the match is canceled due to Johnny getting into a severe car crash, possibly resulting in a Career-Ending Injury.
      • (Optional continuation, counts as double subverted) When it seems that all is lost for Johnny, he pulls a daring (or rather delusional) escape from the hospital, and is either trying to convince the promoters that he's fine with playing despite his injury or (more logically, considering his condition) outright Feigning Healthiness. It's only revealed to the Daniel, the promoter, and the audience after the match that Johnny was indeed injured, due to him keeling over and outright dying on the spot.
    • 5. Bryan didn't actually come to the Skyscraper to fight Ricky. His mecha started acting up, and Bryan is essentially in Controllable Helplessness due to his mecha being hacked by Anderson's programmed virus, and to sell the idea that he's brainwashed, the cockpit is quickly filled with thick sleeping gas (that's normally used in a similar manner to how the H.E.V. Suit administers morphine) that both prevents Bryan from trying to "unhack" his mecha AND completely fog up his cockpit. Ricky has to damage Bryan's mecha in just the right spot directly under Bryan's cockpit in order for the emergency ejection to activate and spring Bryan out of the mecha. Unfortunately for Bryan, since this fight is directly after Anderson's, Ricky was prepared to completely blast Anderson's mecha with nothing but salvos upon salvos of rockets, and he was completely blindsided by Bryan's mecha suddenly becoming hacked and hostile.
    • Whenever any of the rivals fail to defeat their hero (from their perspective), a montage preparing for their suicide (via falling from a really high altitude) plays, complete with a somber rock ballad.
      • 1. Claidheamh solemnly scales the highest mountain of Troperia; He reminisces about the past for a little bit, thinking about how all of this could've been avoided had Sir Robert not wreaked havoc all over the former's hometown. He then plants his sword as a reminder of who died at the top of the mountain, takes a few steps back, before sprinting and diving off of the mountain, falling face first onto the ground.
      • 2. Xian simply gets in his car, drives to the nearest bridge, and begins to climb it, bringing a twelve pack of beer to thoroughly try and get rid of his fear of death. As he downs all 12 cans, he simply gets up, and takes a drunken dive into the water.
      • 3. Abigail decides to jump off the roof of Troperville High in order to possibly garner what little sympathy others might have left for her after being repeatedly humiliated. Unlike Claidheamh, who was already depressed to begin with, or Xian, who had to drink his fear of death away, Abigail had to manually fight her fear of death, and even then, it came back just as Abigail leapt off the top of Troperville High, where she broke quite a considerable amount of bones, and was left to slowly writhe the last few minutes of her life away as the ambulance came.
      • 4. Johnny grabs a bike and begins to ride it all the way to a high mountain after losing the finals (or possibly even the match after both he and Daniel won the Elite Tournament and the Standard Tournament respectively), driven by fear of what his parents will do to him. Due to an unforeseen thunderstorm, Johnny decides that he'd preferably die than to be chewed out and considered a disappointment by his parents, and drives his bike off the mountain. And that's the last we see of Johnny, as we never get to see what happened to his body.
      • 5.1. Bryan, after losing to Ricky, simply decides to just start flying his mecha up to the sky. Once he reaches the stratosphere, he simply begins to fly downwards, and once gravity starts to pull him in, he stops using his thrusters, and awaits his falling doom.
      • 5.2. Bryan realizes that the sleeping gases had left him in such a terrible condition that if he would continue to keep living, the symptoms of having an overdose, such as respiratory problems, headaches, and the like, would be extremely agonizing to live through. Bryan then makes the decision to activate the self destruct option, wanting to have a quick death than suffer horrendously, or Ricky takes the option of giving Bryan a Mercy Kill. Either way, Ricky has just lost a friend because of Anderson.
  • Played for Horror:
    • 1:
      • Claidheamh decides to absorb whatever's left of Evulz' energy, and becomes a maniac who has a boost in health, strength, and speed, at the cost of his own mind.
      • Expanding on the first part of Played For Drama, Claidheamh's eyes bear nothing but a Thousand-Yard Stare as he fights Sir Robert to near death, showing just how much this Trauma Conga Line has had an impact on Claidheamh ever since his fateful Dangerous 16th Birthday when his Doomed Hometown was burned to the ground.
      • Claidheamh is a full on Rival Turned Evil. He'll do some of the most heinous things in order to settle the score with Sir Robert.
      • Claidheamh simply doesn't even care. He manually clawed his way through Evulz' castle, tearing everything down in his path (even his wounded peers and superiors, like General Drake and Head Scientist Butcherstein), and reaching Sir Robert through sheer humiliated fury. He doesn't even look like a human being anymore; His pride seems to be connected to his own humanity.
    Claidheamh: Let's settle this, Robby. I'm gonna have some fun shreddin' ya tae wee bits...
  • Plotted A Good Waste:
    • 1. Claidheamh is set up to be this Dumb Muscle rival who's only hired by Evulz because of both his immense, brute strength (if his title already including the word "Brute" wasn't obvious enough), and his heated rivalry with Sir Robert. However, as Sir Robert is about to celebrate the defeat of Evulz, Claidheamh swiftly comes crashing through, taking the powers of Evulz, and revealing his involvement in the orchestration of a good amount of events, from killing off Head Scientist Butcherstein, General Drake, and the other high ranking members in Evulz' inner circle, pinning the blame on "T'Veah Tir'Opius" suddenly coming out from an intertemporal-universal-dimensional portal and killing them off (which, as it turns out, is a complete pile of bullshit along with the existence of Troperia), to even the mass downfalls of Kingdoms all over the country, primarily the Kingdoms of Lampshadia, Subversia, Terragaia, and even a few rebellions in the overseas Kingdoms, such as the Country of Wikistan. Claidheamh then uses Evulz' power and goes full on One-Winged Angel.
    • 2. Xian is initially presented as the usual meek restaurant owner that nobody ever thinks about, but after Nico comes back after defeating Don Cirri, Xian has a Hidden Disdain Reveal of always being the Unknown Rival, before doing battle with Nico.
    • 3. Abigail isn't shown to do much aside from being another bump in Becky's road, but as it turns out, she made a deal with Maou that in case Maou fails to defeat Becky, then Abigail avenges him (Abigail and Maou have an Enemy Mine on Becky, so they take advantage of it).
    • 4. Johnny is a mere Jerk Jock who's in the same school as Daniel, and it appears that the current champion will be the Final Boss... However, when Daniel comes to the finals against the reigning champion, it's revealed to be Johnny himself.
    • 5. Bryan is presented as just a mere rival to Ricky, but as it turns out, Anderson had hired Bryan as a bodyguard. And Ricky just killed Anderson.
It's the main page, our greatest rival yet. We've come so far, haven't we? Let's settle this, once and for all!

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