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Zero decisively beat a Scorpion who had been heavily favored because of his surprising 2002 run. The writeup treats the result as the end of Scorpion's brief time as a serious contest threat and the start of Zero's strong career.

Sonic beat Zero but looked dramatically weaker than expected as Zero steadily cut into what began as a comfortable advantage. The writeup calls it a Pyrrhic victory that effectively ended serious Sonic-over-Cloud hopes.

Zero dominated Proto Man in a same-series matchup whose result the writeup warns should not be used to dismiss Proto Man as ordinary fodder. It treats the match as another example of the bracket manufacturing predictable company-based pairings.

SFF: The writeup explicitly describes Zero versus Proto Man as a first-round SFF blowout within the Mega Man family, arguing that Proto Man's poor result understates his standalone strength.

Zero handled Vercetti almost exactly as Board 8 expected in a match the writeup calls one of the contest's dullest. Its main significance was completing the obvious setup for Mega Man versus Zero.

Mega Man beat Zero as expected, but Zero resisted far better than a typical same-family opponent. The writeup argues that their distinct series fanbases may explain why the anticipated SFF barely appeared and why Mega Man looked vulnerable afterward.

Zero beat Ryu Hayabusa comfortably in a deliberately uneventful match after the previous day's chaos. The writeup nevertheless saw Ryu's late recovery as a mild warning that Zero might be somewhat overrated.

Zero dispatched Lloyd exactly as the bracket had seemed to prescribe from the start. The writeup mainly uses the match to reassess Lloyd's place among Tales characters and to leave Zero's real test for Mario.

Mario turned a mildly debated division final into an immediate rout of Zero. The writeup treats the result as a major SFF statement and a warning that Mario and Nintendo were much stronger than the old statistics suggested.

SFF: The writeup explicitly calls Mario's win an SFF beatdown and argues that Mario was able to suppress Zero far beyond ordinary expectations.

Luigi demolished a favored Zero in the kind of debated match he had historically failed to win. The writeup treats the result as both a personal breakthrough for Luigi and a serious embarrassment for the statistical consensus.

Zero took the expected first place while HK-47 beat the favored Lloyd for second in a weak and widely disliked fourpack. The writeup calls it the Jakpack of Suck and argues that Lloyd's inability to win here became emblematic of Tales characters' contest failures.

Crono and Zero advanced as expected, but Zero stayed close enough to make Crono look vulnerable before his anticipated showdown with Vincent. Raiden also emerged as a major disappointment after failing to separate convincingly from HK-47.

The anticipated Crono-Vincent showdown delivered a close race for the second advancing position, and Vincent ultimately broke through. The writeup treats the result as the first true breach of the Noble Nine and a major contest milestone.

Ryu Hayabusa and Zero were always the serious contenders, but Ryu's ability to take first made the match more interesting than expected. Dedede and Pit reinforced the writeup's view that Brawl alone could not manufacture contest strength.

Snake delivered another statement performance, while Zero and Vivi fought a much more entertaining battle for the second advancing spot. Zero survived, but Vivi's late resistance made the race memorable.

Snake controlled the match, while Mega Man and Weighted Companion Cube fought for the other advancing spot. The Cube's late surge completed another inanimate-object upset and ended Mega Man's run.

Rally: The writeup explicitly says Weighted Companion Cube rallied during its fight with Mega Man, producing the decisive swing that carried the Cube into the next round.

Zero comfortably defeated Marcus Fenix and continued what the writeup saw as a broader Mega Man-series rebound. Fenix, by contrast, is treated as another fading Xbox-era character whose strength had not lasted.

Auron won about as comfortably as expected, which the writeup saw as insufficient evidence for an upset of Squall. Zero's respectable showing instead reinforced the idea that his recent weakness had been exaggerated by bad Nintendo-heavy draws.

Zero dominated while Kratos Aurion and Boko spent nearly the entire match in a dead heat for second in the Expert Challenge ordering. Kratos survived by only a handful of votes after a photo-finish ending.

Zero won easily while Rikku gradually pulled away from Weighted Companion Cube for second in the Expert Challenge ordering. Strategic Mega Man fans voting away from Zero are discussed, but the outcome was never in doubt.

Mega Man survived both Zero's overlap and Charizard's late lead, then completed a furious final push to take the match. The writeup remembers the finish as the long-awaited close-match breakthrough for a character with years of contest heartbreak.

LFF · Rally: The writeup says Zero clearly drained Mega Man through their heavy overlap. It also describes a massive late Mega Man fan rally that overturned Charizard's lead in the final minutes.

Zero handled Primrose in a routine top-seed matchup, though the writeup gives Primrose credit for avoiding a complete collapse. Any possible benefit from the simultaneous Monika rally is described as unclear.

Zero beat Knuckles by almost exactly the sort of margin historical strength estimates suggested, ending another unlucky Knuckles run against elite opposition. The writeup treats Knuckles as legitimate despite yet another early exit.

Zero comfortably ended Wario's run through a weak part of the bracket and looked exactly like the reliable upper-midcard favorite expected of him. Wario's respectable share still surprised the writeup.

Pikachu beat Zero comfortably and won another division, continuing the mascot's standout run while most other Pokémon characters disappointed. The writeup sees Pikachu as clearly stronger than the rest of his franchise's field.