>>2387

>Wasn't it rigged from the start?

You'd be reasonable to think so but Bear has decoupled from the origin of thoughts in writing and wonderlanding. It just pours out without any consious effort or feedback. The mind has thoughts and we believe we are the ones making them but it's opaque to us what is actually generating these thoughts. Especially scenarios and wonderland evolution or storytelling. The last few of Bear's books didn't have outlines and though they're longer than they would be otherwise, they're better in his estimation then when he had clearly outlined outcomes and storyline, so when he writes a book or we do something like a competition, the subconscious mind determines decision points, results, reactions and outcomes. So though we will be choosing how we fight and what we do, there's no guarantee I'll choose better than Aleshe. There is a huge number of unseen variables too, like stamina, strength, random events and unknown results to actions. So there's a real risk I would fail if I'm not more prepared than Aleshe on paper and in addition, she's a black-belt in the story and I'm a novice under her, she's my sensei.

>What were the chances of losing to Aleshe and disappearing?

Right now in the story, Aleshe is incapacitated and in traction from her last bout so she's incapable of fighting so that's good for me, she'll be out long enough to get rusty while she trains me. If she was fully healed, her chances of success would be immeasurably close to 100%. Ulla is a high belt and close to a master's belt, plus she's naturally talented, genetically superior in some ways and ruthless, so she'd have a 50/50 shot against Aleshe in a fair masters bout (all moves are allowed up to and including deadly moves) but she doesn't fight fair, she's like a sociopath in some ways.

I wouldn't want to fight Ulla, she tortures her opponents and enjoys it, drawing out a match until they officially tap out.

So I have a lot of work I need to personally interject into the story but the current storyline projection doesn't give me much time, act 2 is coming and we believe Aleshe's not part of it.

>Now fight Bear

I will be sparing with a Bear persona in the book, he always writes himself in, but he's at my belt level and Shin-Jo is a mixed martial art so size and strength are matched well by agility and speed, so I'd give us a 50/50 shot but our matches are limited to exhibition so no dangerous moves, we wouldn't get hurt badly.