"Maybe I shouldn't be asking myself whether or not I can win the Mystic Carrot Bowl, maybe what I should actually be asking myself is if it's going to be rigged or not. I

Am honestly starting to think that what everyone is saying about the Mystic Carrot Bowl might be true. No, no, I have

Yet to see if it is or not. It's better to just see for myself first and foremost.

But, let's at least be a little honest. Maybe it could be rigged. What if I'm rigged to lose from the get go? What if the Mystic Carrot bowl is all just some kind of ploy?

Eh. It could be, couldn't it? No, no, come on Siorc, think positively!

I'm sure I'll win! It's not going to be rigged, right? Of course it won't be! I definitely

Shouldn't act like that's the end all be all of it all.

Haha, come on, it'll go fine. Why would it be rigged? There's no way it will be.

Of course not, it won't be! I need to calm down, just a little.

Unless? It is rigged? And if I win, they'll give me a worse name instead? No way, come on!

Let's just calm

Down! It'll go completely fine! Surely, it has to, right? There's

No way it won't!

This time, I'll get

A redo, and I'll finally get to be Farmer Bunny!

Soon, everything will go as planned! I

Know it will! It has to, right? I

Might not be all that strong, but I know I can do this!

Yes, that's right, of course I can! Why wouldn't I be able to do this? I'm

Sure there won't be that many buns that are all that powerful, right?

Everything is going to go completely fine!

Let's not doom and gloom! I'll become

Farmer Bunny for real this time!

I just have to power through this competition, make it through to the end, and bam! Once and

For all,

I'll get that redo I deserve! I

Can feel it now, the announcer will cry,

And the winner is, Unhappy Bunny!

Now, state your wish. And, of course, I'll

Wish, redo my naming ceremony!

I'm Farmer Bunny,

Not Unhappy Bunny!

That's right, that's how it's all going to go down! I'll finally

Have the name I deserve!

Everything I worked so hard for for one hundred years will finally be realized!

My true name will be awarded to me this time, and I'm not going to let anything stand in my way!

Yes, this time, for

Sure, I'll get

That redo! And, after that,

I can finally be fired from being the god's little plaything. I

Can feel it now! It's all

Coming together nicely!

All I have to do is claim victory! I wonder how many

Rounds the Mystic Carrot Bowl is going to be? I feel like at least five

Rounds? To be honest, I've never entered a tournament before

Or anything like that. Not even while I was still in school!

There probably won't be that many

Buns joining this competition, I don't think.

Or maybe there

Will be a lot of buns here? I don't know, I feel

Like there will probably at least be a little over two dozens.

Pretty sure for something like this, there needs to be at least

Enough to fill out a, uh, I think it'd be called a tree or something. A seeding system? I'm

Rather unfamiliar, I guess.

Hmm, what should I do if I

Am utterly defeated in the first round? Should I fight the gods?

Possibly. Maybe I

Should consider that. No! Why would I do that?

What good would that do for me? I

Have to at least try to make sense

Around here. What good would it do

Think such violent things?

I can't. I should probably focus on winning. But, I

Should probably still open the door to the Mystic Carrot Bowl possibly being rigged. Zhulong warned me, and so many others

Have, too. But, I have hope! This time,

Once and for all, I'll become Farmer Bunny!

Uhu, I can feel it now! I feel

Like it's finally coming together this time! I

Don't have long now! I have

Been training for the past six days, and I feel like

Everything is finally coming together!

After all of this is

Said and done and behind me, I can

Kiss Unhappy Bunny goodbye forever!

I'll never have to live with the god's divine mistake ever again!

Never, ever again! So, I'm

Going to win this!

I'll get that redo no matter what! I can

Feel it, all of this training will help me pull

It off! I can do

This, this is my

Last chance to get a redo! If I

Lose, I don't know what I'll do,

But, there's no chance I'll lose!

Everything will be

Fine, of course. I have to be positive!

After all, being negative

Is what the gods want! That's

Right, that's what all

Of them what out of me! But, if it's

Rigged, it's

Rigged, at least

I knew to expect that. I

Guess I should

Go and temper my

Expectations just a little. But, why be a

Downer? That's what the godbuns want!

Yes, that's what

Every single one of them wants out of me,

And I'm not going to let that

Happen! It'll all go fine! I'll get

That redo, I

Have chance here

At the Mystic Carrot Bowl!

This is my last chance,

I know if I lose this, there's no other way. Okay, there's

Still the option of fighting the gods, but

Why would I do that? I

Have to get what those Godbuns in that underground dance studio said to me? I

Absolutely cannot fight

The gods,

I know that will not end well.

Sure, I could maybe fight a few monsters

Here and there and a few buns, but the gods?

Of course not! I know I'll never have what it takes!

Ugh, come on now,

Let's just no think about that. No

Dooming and glooming! I'd

Better get my head in the game here.

Err, do I really want to do

All this? To be honest, I don't know anymore. I'm

Starting to think I should bow out. I

Keep asking myself

If this is really what I want. But, let's face it, I really

Need this redo! I can't let Unhappy Bunny be my destiny! I have to win,

Get that redo, and get the divine name

Meant for me!

Yes, that's right! I have to have

Some hope that this will go as planned!

Even though it's

Likely it won't! I

Feel like I am probably about to ram my head

Into a wall here, but it's fine, it's fine!

No matter what, I need to get my head in the game!

So, let's get day one over with!

There's no way I'll

End up losing the first round, right?

Aha, I keep telling myself that, but I just

Don't know."

Six days later.

Almost a whole week flashing by in the blink of an eye, the day of the first round of the Mystic Carrot Bowl arrived before the vampa even knew it. Waking up early that morning, the bun gave the farm one last round of maintenance before the buggy arrived. Family and friends waiting for him by the door, one last sea of words had come his way.

"Ya sure ya wanna compete in this?" Strix asked.

[Yes, I'm sure. Did you send mama an invitation to come to Frosaro?] A crackling voice asked through the Talkmaster B's speakers.

"Don't fret, I got that all covered," Strix responded. "But, are ya really sure ya wanna do this? Excabu and Sapphbu are in charge of this year's competition."

[It's fine, I'm sure it'll go alright. I'm going to win!] A crackling voice said through the Talkmaster B's speakers. He then turned the knobs again. [Please look after the farm for me while I'm gone!]

"We will, don't worry," Deigr said, she then sighed. "To think our little brother is competing in the Mystic Carrot Bowl. Try your best, okay?"

[I will.] A crackling voice said through the Talkmaster B's speakers.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Zhulong asked. "Just in case something happens."

"I'm pretty sure his mother asked us to go with him anyway, though, just in case she can't be there," Niquel said to Zhulong. "That being said, we're going with you. And, please, make sure you temper your expectations."

[I will. But, please, have faith in me, I know I can win!] A crackling voice shouted through the Talkmaster B's speakers.

Honk, honk.

Buggy waiting for him on the side of the road, the bun cracked his fingers. Here it is, the time has come. Susu waving, the bun buckled up. Frosaro, here he comes. Friends seated next to him, the bun crossed his fingers. Let this competition go fair and square. Iced over sports field area reached after a few hours, the bun's eyes grew wide. Oh, no, there sure are a lot of buns here, huh? Does he even stand a chance here?

"Finally, the last competitor has finally arrived, it sure took you long enough, you know that?!" an important voice shouted.

"Tch, look who it is! It's the pitiful mortal who keeps begging for a redo on his divine naming ceremony!" the second voice cried. "Listen here, buddy, you'll have to fight in the Mystic Carrot Bowl if you even so much as think we'll entertain that thought for even a second!"

Hovering over him with a look of disdain on their face had been a dark skinned important looking divine rabbit with crystally blue hair that barely reached below their chin. Braid in the middle of their bangs, their white robe almost looked too small for them for some reason. Eyes the same color as their locks, he tried to remember. Oh, this is Excabu, the Divine Rabbit of Excavation. Hadn't they lead the ancient buns from thousands of years ago to the mines? He believed so.

Staring at him with a look of wanting to punch someone had been a rather tall dark skinned divine rabbit with the same shade of crystally blue hair as the bun next to them. Locks pulled into a low lightning bolt shaped ponytail, what looked to be a permanent face of rage painted their eyes a new shade of teal. White robe slightly dirty, he swore the godbun rolled her shoulder just now. What was this one's name again? Oh, right, Sapphbu, the Divine Rabbit of Sapphire. Did she lead her people to valuable jewels too at some point? Probably.

"How could you two forget to invite me? Tch," another voice asked, clicking their tongue.

New face coming down to the party, the young adult studied them for a moment. Flapping down onto the battlefield had been a tall dark skinned important looking divine rabbit with short spiky pink hair that looked like it hadn't been brushed in days. Not like he could say anything about that, though, he supposed. Eyes the same shade, their face looked quite frozen for some reason. Locking onto them for a moment longer, he tried to remember. Which Godbun was this again? Oh, right, Eribu, the divine rabbit of erudition or something? What does that word even mean?

"Eribu, you're not in charge this year, get lost!" Sapphbu shouted.

"Oh, really? I want to watch this beggar over here get crushed!" Eribu shouted. He then locked eyes with the pitiful mortal. "Looks like your first round is about to begin, so hop to it!"

"Oh, and just so you know, if you lose this, we'll be giving you extra work, you little plaything!" Excabu shouted. "So, you'd better hurry up and run!"

"Bet he won't even make it to the semifinals!" Eribu shouted.

"Yeah! Let's toast to that!" Sapphbu shouted.

"And, the first round of the Mystic Carrot Bowl is underway!" An announcer bunny shouted. "Our first battle is between last year's winner, Agitated Rat, and the fierce newcomer, Unhappy Bunny!"

Sprinting onto the battlefield, the bun's eyes opened wide. Wait a second, just a minute! He has to fight last year's winner? How is that fair? He's absolutely going to get creamed! No, no, happy thoughts, Siorc, happy thoughts, he can do this. They can't be all that powerful, right? He's got this, he has to win, right.

"So, you're the newcomer, huh?" Agitated Rat asked. "Name's Pulao, you'd better not be a doormat!"

Opponent locking eyes with him, the bun gave the person a look in kind. Standing in the corner looking ready to throw him into parts unknown had been a short rat lady with long silver hair pulled into two low pigtails. Brown eyes looking like they've seen the word twice over, the bun looked at their shirt for a moment. Agitated Rat, huh, did they choose that as her name after she won last year's Mystic Carrot Bowl? Perhaps. Well, here goes nothing.

[I'll show you what strength looks like!] A crackling voice shouted through the Talkmaster B's speakers.

"Sure you will, let's get this started, then!" Pulao cried. "Start the coin toss!"

Coin tossed onto the battlefield, the young adult closed his eyes. If it's heads, he goes first, right? What if it lands on tails? It was a fifty fifty, he supposed. Metallic creature landing, a spotlight soon kicked over him. Now's his chance to get an advantage. Here goes! Earring blade ready to go, the bun locked eyes with the girl's tail. There's the perfect window of opportunity!

Tail given a good little slice, the bun blinked at the board in the corner as three fourths of his opponent's health bar dropped. Hold on, did that really do that much damage? Something is not right here. No, no, it's nothing, maybe all his training pulled off! That has to be it, right? Of course it was.

"Huh? You're pretty good, I wasn't expecting that!" Pulao cried. "But, I've got a little present for you! Take this!"

Little rat army joining the battlefield, the vampa's shield was out and ready. Oh, they thought that would be enough to stop him, did they? He's been fighting vermin for his entire life! Flapping upward, the bun's feet were ready. Take this, Vermin kick! Locking onto the opponent on the opposite side, he knew, he needs to aim for the enemy's chest! Three, two, one, and liftoff!

Teeth biting down on the enemy, a strange horn soon played onto the battlefield. Uh, what was that just now? Is it over already? How is this possible? Hand extended to him, nothing made sense. Hold on, that can't be all there is to it, right? No, this has to be a mistake. Can he have a do over?

"Fine, you beat me, but you'd better keep an eye on the rest of round one, got it?!" Pulao cried.

Sitting in the audience, not a single thing made sense as the day went on. Battles dragging on for much longer than his, the puzzle pieces kept piling up. First round coming to an end, the bun dragged himself to his accommodation for the evening. Plopping down onto his bed, one thought looped on repeat as sleep took him away.

Is this competition rigged?

No, of course not.

It isn't, right?