Before we head on over with Ritsu and Bodhi to the Lunch Hero, we need to take a step back to the night before. Don't you want to know why Bodhi was up so late? They really were going hard on some research. Yes, they could have taken the opportunity to sneak out into the far reaches of the Dog Province and perhaps scraped together a drink or two. But after getting a taste of how this competition was going to go, Bodhi had become completely absorbed in getting Ritsu to the next phase. You could even say that this was their new obsession.

Bodhi the monk sat criss-cross applesauce on one of the hotel's lounge chairs. Atop the low coffee table before them was a shiny spread of magazines and crate of peach soda pop *smooth*. This was the caffeinated variety of peach soda that carried an extra kick. Bodhi had become quite fond of it in spite of the fact that it greatly reduced their capacity for sleep.

"Are these all the ones you can find?" the monk asked when Seven dropped off another short stack of magazines.

The gold-toothed sun clone pouted. "These are from my own personal collection! The rest is what I could find inside the waiting room at the dentist."

Bodhi glanced over the covers of the popular monthly magazine Upward Dog. It was known to feature credible Suns in the competitive scene. Some of the eight finalists had been featured several times among the ones Seven had brought. The features included Sun Zhaoling, Sun Tie Quan, Sun Terra, and Sun Yong Kid.

Seven asked if Bodhi needed anything else. The monk said they would be all right for now. Once Seven had left and they were finally alone, Bodhi opened their first can of peach soda pop *smooth* and got down to reading.

First on the list was Sun Yong Kid, who happened to be featured the least in the collection of magazines. The youngest contestant in the Sevenfold Peach Championship was fresh out of the Rat Province. There he was considered a local celebrity, much in the same way the citizens of the Rabbit Province regarded Sailor Sun.

In fact, in the Rat Province, Yong Kid wasn't called the Rookie. Rather, he was known as the Little Genius. He had earned this nickname by winning every ranked tournament held in his own province. Bodhi didn't find this surprising. Based on what their old cell mate, Billie, had told them, the Rat Province was bursting with young, up and coming talent. The more Bodhi read up on Yong Kid, the more it appeared that the sun clone's genius stopped right there at the border. Despite having competed in several events in other provinces, Sun Yong Kid hadn't made it to the finals of a single one.

"So the little brat has a chip on his shoulder," Bodhi mumbled to themself as they skimmed through Yong Kid's interview in Upward Dog.

Next on the list was Sun Terra. Her rise to popularity was pretty straightforward. She had been around for a while now and was considered a veteran in the competitive scene. Sun Terra's style was very direct and rooted in ancient martial arts. She was one step beyond what many would consider a traditional fighter, but at the same time, her style was capable of stealing the show. With those hard, punchy moves combined with the ability to make the earth bend to her will – not to mention how much experience she had performing under the pressure of an arena battle – Terra was an absolute force to be reckoned with.

Still... Bodhi was aware that this sort steadfastness and solid strength had its drawbacks. Sun Terra approached every challenge head on. Based on what the monk had read about Terra's past wins and losses, she was not one for subtlety or underhand plays. The fact that Sun Terra took everything so damn literally could be the difference between her coming in first place or completely tanking in a tournament. Still, the people loved her.

Having the crowd's love on your side was a strength all on its own. Bodhi didn't care how objective the judging panel claimed to be, when the crowd elevated the hype in the stadium just from the simplest gestures of the contender, that had an impact. A champion's popularity could absolutely influence a judge's decision in the long run.

It's all about momentum.

If Sun Terra did well in this trial, then her momentum would only build and build.

Bodhi sighed and brushed those magazines aside. They needed to move on to Blue Force. Thankfully, Like Terra, he was fairly predictable. Sun Tie Quan didn't necessarily have a reputation for being a dirty fighter, but he was aggressive. Bodhi guessed that he hailed from Shonen Playground and they were right. In fact, Blue Force, Sparkplug, and the Barefoot Sun all graduated at the same time from Sheer Will Academy with Tie Quan and Zhaoling graduating at the top of their class.

Over the seasons, Blue Force made a name for himself and his terrifying satellite quarterstaff. He was not a stranger to intimidation tactics – taunts, goading, and other petty forms of harassment, but he did so all within the rules. In fact, the oaf was a sucker for the rules and fairness. More specifically, ensuring that his actions were justified and his contenders getting away with nothing. When it came to events that had referees, they were either real chummy with Tie Quan, or they could barely tolerate him. In a few tournaments where he couldn't get the refs on his side, he made sure to discredit the event in later interviews.

Bodhi was less concerned with how much of a diva Sun Tie Quan could be and more interested in the details of his staff. After reading four articles, the monk noticed two things. One: There was very little on how Blue Force's staff worked and where it came from. And two: Bodhi never saw Blue Force holding it.

Slurp!

Bodhi took a loud drink from the can of soda pop, forgetting for a moment that it wasn't wine. They were so excited that they didn't care.

"Sifu! Still here? You've been at this thing for hours."

Bodhi looked up just as Seven flopped down on the cushion beside them. The gold-toothed sun clone offered a pre-wrapped submarine sandwich from the hotel snack depot. Bodhi peeled off the plastic wrap and tore into the sub before going into their theory about Sun Tie Quan. Seven listened to them closely, flipping through the old articles with renewed interest.

"Anyway, how much do you want to bet that Tie Quan can't even hold his staff?"

Seven was grinning, but he still looked like he needed more convincing. "You really think so?"

Bodhi nodded. "I don't think it's a coincidence that Tie Quan is never holding his staff or even touching it. It's always floating around him or halfway out of frame. It gives me the impression that his control over it is limited."

"In that case, he and our Ritsu have something in common," Seven mused.

"Yeah, right. The only thing."

Seven then asked how they could possibly use this information to their advantage. Bodhi admitted that they weren't sure.

"Sun Tie Quan has probably accounted for this and structures his play style accordingly. He's not going to let himself get caught unawares."

Sun Seven stuck around for a little while longer to chat with Bodhi. The spirits passed observations and theories back and forth on the subject of Sun Tie Quan until Bodhi was done with their sandwich.

The lamps were filling the hotel lounge with warm light, which meant that it was probably late. But Bodhi couldn't retire to bed yet. They still had work to do.

The monk pulled up the largest stack of magazines – ones all featuring Sun Zhaoling. The headline of Zhaoling's debut read: The sage who feels the truth of things through the soles of his bare feet.

It was obvious that Zhaoling never really went out of his way to pose for these spreads, but he definitely had presence; it could be felt through each and every image. Even though Bodhi knew nothing of the Barefoot Sun's staff, there was something about it that just seemed iconic.

Though Zhaoling was glamoured, his appearance still echoed his true essence of the lar gibbon – bleached blond hair that tapered in all the same places. His pale sideburns contrasted against his darker complexion, the exact shade of which was somewhere halfway between Ritsu's and Anari's. He was actually taller than Ritsu, but the weight of his long arms caused him to slouch a bit.

Ever since his graduation from Sheer Will Academy, Zhaoling has been managed exclusively by a team of sheep spirits. Bodhi thought this was interesting, but fitting seeing how sheep were widely known to be the utilitarian pragmatists of the spirit world. They were probably the biggest reason why Zhaoling hadn't acquired any notable flair to his appearance since leaving the academy.

Bodhi yawned. Damn. It's probably getting late.

They were getting too caught up in Zhaoling's journey to sagehood that they forgot to glean for the most important information – the Barefoot Sun's staff. Once again, Bodhi took in the staff's ornate sleekness, along with its shifting pattern of galaxies against the blackness of deep space. As if a miniature universe moved and breathed along its glassy surface.

Apparently Sun Zhaoling called his staff Nebula's Parting and claimed it was a gift from the luminaries. Another odd bolt in the machine of this sun clone's making. Why, do you ask? Because most spirits were very superstitious about accepting things made by luminaries. You see, their nature bias is thought to repel Luck.

This new information made Bodhi briefly forget about their fatigue. The skin around their eyes felt stretched and dried out, but they kept reading, eager to know why a sun clone would go into battle with a weapon that could possibly distance the wielder from a Lucky outcome.

In between paragraphs, Bodhi stole a quick drink of soda.

"Hold on? He... wait – he what?" The monk nearly spewed the fizzy drink over the cushions when they found out exactly what Sun Zhaoling was capable of.

The Barefoot Sun was blazing a trail as a champion who deliberately opted out of tapping into his Immortal State in order to gain rank. What was more, he had beaten clones while they were Radiant but he was not.

"Who is this guy?" Bodhi whispered. Clearly, Zhaoling didn't give a hoot about the strength and stamina of the Immortal State, neither in his opponents, nor in himself. What kind of crazy power was he packing that made him like this?

This variation of the Sevenfold Peach decided to remove every sun clone's greatest trump card. But what could Sun Ritsu do against someone whose strength never hinged on his ability to ascend?

Would his diamond body be enough?

Bodhi wanted to lie down. The food in their stomach wasn't settling and the overcaffeinated peach soda probably wasn't helping.

~

When it came down to how Bodhi felt about Ritsu's chances against these finalists, let me tell you where the monk's head was at. From their perspective, it was safe to believe that Sun Yong Kid was his own worst enemy. Sun Ritsu wouldn't have to really do anything. History proved that Yong Kid would eventually crack under the pressure and self implode before he could become a problem for Ritsu.

Then there was Sun Terra, who was definitely scary, but at least she was simple. Ritsu could overcome her as long as Bodhi could teach him enough about his own strength and how it matched against the Earthbound Sage.

Blue Force was going to be a pain in the ass, but his weakness, if Bodhi's observations were correct, was a pretty big one that could be exploited. Maybe with the help of Seven and Ham Song, Bodhi could nip that in the bud. Besides, Ritsu's guard was already up when it came to Blue Force, so all Bodhi had to do now was teach him how to beat his opponent to the punch.

Sun Ritsu's diamond body was going to be pretty useless in this round, but it might come in handy in some other way. Bodhi thought about it some more. They wished there was a way to get up close and personal with some of these other clones. If only Ritsu had been a sports fanatic and followed at least one of these Suns as they climbed through the ranks. The monkey needed to watch how a pro went about a tournament like this before jumping right into the game. Right now this all felt like a crash course, which only increased Bodhi's stress and unevenness of sleep, despite all of their mental exhaustion.

What was more, there was one sun clone in particular that made Bodhi especially nervous – Sun Zhaoling. That barefoot monster was on a mission to break the whole damn system! For what reason, Bodhi was too tired to think it through. Protected by a herd of no-nonsense sheep and equipped with a cosmic staff that totally disregarded the notion of favorable outcomes, it felt like Zhaoling was trying to make a point that up until now, was not much of a concern to anyone willing to pay attention to him. The judges and spectators probably thought that the Sevenfold Peach's new rules were leveling the playing field among the clones when in reality, it was giving Zhaoling all the advantage.

Sweet immortal peaches or not, Ritsu's inner Immortal was where he drew his strength in high pressure situations – there was no doubt about that. What was going to happen when he was up against a Sun who took away that security blanket?

The magazines crinkled under Bodhi as they shifted their weight and rose to their feet. They had a plan. These Suns may collectively pose a very complex problem for Team Lemon Lime, but thankfully, Ritsu was uncomplicated, willing to work hard, and more importantly, he had put his trust in Bodhi.

So that left the monk with no choice. Sun Yong Kid, Terra, Tie Quan, Zhaoling – it didn't matter. Any one of them could bring it. Sifu Bodhi wasn't afraid.

They'd simply take our nameless monkey king and make a monster out of him too.