Daisy stood in the village marketplace, dressed in her orange gi, doing a couple of stretches to loosen her muscles as she waited for Birdonna. 

Though it was close to the crack of dawn, the village was bustling with activity. The marketplace had been cleared of stalls, and the residents, instead of performing early-morning chores, were camping out around the perimeter of the marketplace. Goombas laid down blankets to lounge on, and Koopas pulled up chairs to sit in. Some of the Delfino Isle folk had even set up a breakfast kiosk, where they were frying up oden, or Japanese noodles, and offering them to spectators along with a head of fried corn. 

Daisy didn't know whether to be annoyed or flattered that the village had turned her beef with Birdonna into some big event; honestly, she was surprised that anybody gave a Koopa's shell about it. Toadobuki was right when he'd said that gossip spread fast down in this little village! 

Speaking of the old geezer, he was sitting on a checkered blanket on the sidelines, between an old Koopa and his wife, chatting conversationally as they snacked on fried corn and waited for the match to begin. As Daisy finished her toe-touches, the old toad waved her over. 

"Daisy, I'd like to you meet an old friend of mine," Toadobuki said, nodding to the old Koopa. 

The Koopa took Daisy's hand in her own and shook it slowly. "Name's Koopnamara, darlin'," he said. "Nice to meet'cha. This here be my lovin' wife, Yuri." 

"Hi," Daisy said, a little uncertainly. 

"Koopnamara is a fellow martial artist," Toadobuki explained. "He has a dojo on the other side of the island, right on the beach." 

"Eager to see what kinda tricks of the trade the Buki Master's shown ya," Koopnamara said, tugging at his white beard. "He and me...we got a problem with keepin' apprentices, ya see. So we never get ta see our fightin' styles rub off on the youn'yuns." He grinned at Toadobuki. "Now we've gotta chance to see what kindofa teacher ya've got here." 

"Uh, well, I'll do my best," Daisy said, a little confounded by the conversation. 

"Be careful out there, darlin'," Yuri said. "I hear those Birdos are a merciless bunch." 

"She'll do fine," Toadobuki assured Koopnamara's wife. He patted Daisy's arm and gave her an encouraging smile. "I have complete confidence in her ability." 

Daisy nodded, giving Toadobuki a determined grin. She didn't know why, but she felt like her sensei knew she had a trick up her sleeve. Maybe that's why they were both feeling so confident. 

Cheering suddenly arose from somewhere behind Daisy. She turned to see a crowd of Birdos marching into the marketplace. Each was wearing a colorful gymnastics leotard, so it looked as though a rainbow was moving along the thoroughfare. The Birdo at the front of the procession cupped her hands and yelled, "BIRDONNA HAS ARRIVED!!" 

The waiting crowd cheered as the rainbow-colored entourage continued into the center of the marketplace. Four Birdos in the middle were carrying a bamboo float where Birdonna sat, waving to the surrounding crowd like a queen gracing her subjects with her presence. 

Daisy's fists clenched. Oh, I can't wait to bring her down to size. 

After continually waving and blowing kisses to the crowd, Birdonna lifted her voice and said, "Where is the challenger? Where is Toadobuki's worthless apprentice?" 

Worthless! Daisy seethed. "I'm right here, Birdonna," she snapped. "What, are you blind?" She was in orange, for heaven's sake! 

Birdonna's eyes finally found Daisy, and her face wrinkled a little, as if she were looking down at a spider she was getting ready to squash. She daintily dismounted from her float, twirling something in her hand. It was a long, heavy rod. Daisy's own bo staff. 

"I'd choose my words more carefully if I were you, apprentice," Birdonna said haughtily as she stepped towards Daisy. "Karma doesn't usually favor the cocky ones." 

"Who's being cocky?" Daisy snorted. "And stop calling me that: apprentice. You're as much of an apprentice as I am." 

"On the contrary!" Birdonna continued to twirl Daisy's bo staff expertly, spinning it around her body and drawing oohs from the crowd. "I am no longer seen as a pathetic apprentice. In fact, I have now been crowned my village's martial gymnastics champion!" She turned to her Birdo friends, lifting her hands. "Am I wrong, kin?!" 

The Birdos let out an uproar of cheers. 

"Champion or not," Daisy shouted over them, "you're going down, Birdonna!" She shifted into a fighting stands, fists forward, feet apart. "Let's do this." 

"Yes, let's, apprentice." Birdonna held the bo staff before her. "Your second defeat will only add to my acclaim!" 

The two began to circle one another slowly, sizing each other up. The Birdos cheers grew into an uproar that was taking up the surrounding crowd: "BIRDO-NNA! BIRDO-NNA! BIRDO-NNA!" 

Looks like the bets were on Birdonna winning this fight. Only a few people cheered for Daisy: 

"Go get 'er, darlin'!" Koopnamara cackled. 

"Show them what you're capable of, Daisy," Toadobuki shouted. 

Daisy struggled to clear all the noise out of her head and focused on Birdonna, waiting for the girl to make the first move. So far, the polka-dotted Birdo was watching her, her eyes narrowed, her stance confident and solid. 

Then, the bo staff was flying towards Daisy, one rock-hard end darting down towards her foot. 

Daisy yanked her foot out of the way, and the bo staff threw dirt up onto her gi. Before she could counter, Birdonna was striking again, this time at Daisy's chest. Daisy sidestepped automatically, then quickly ducked under a baseball-bat swing that might've put her in a coma.  

She stepped backwards, slightly stunned at her speed. Toadobuki was right: she had improved! 

The Birdos were booing her; Birdonna was smirking. 

"Is that what this entire match is going to be?" the blue Birdo jeered. "More dodging and running?" 

Don't get mad, Daisy said to herself even as irritation began to bubble in the pit of her stomach. Focus.  

Birdonna attacked again, this time coming in hard, spinning the bo staff rapidly about her body. Alarmed, Daisy backed up, holding her arms up. Out of the spinning came rapid-fire jabs that she barely dodged, twisting this way and that to avoid the brutal end of the staff.  

Birdonna was so quick with her strikes that besides barely dodging, Daisy couldn't find an opening to attack. Panic clenched her stomach: how was she supposed to win if she couldn't land an attack on Birdonna? 

Patience. She could practically hear Toadobuki's voice in her head. Keep dodging, and wait until she lets her guard down. 

Birdonna continued spinning and striking, and Daisy continued dodging. The Birdos continued booing. 

Suddenly, Birdonna landed a hit on Daisy's shoulder. It was so powerful that it made her spin and tumble to the dirt with a thud. The Birdos boos switched to cheering as Daisy got up to her feet, wincing as the pain that throbbing in her shoulder. That's gonna leave a mark. 

Birdonna was raising her arms triumphantly, soaking up the praise. "I believe that's a point for me," she sneered as she pointed the bo staff at Daisy.  

Anger threatened to spread up through Daisy's chest again, but she forced it down, sealing it tight in a box somewhere in her belly. "This isn't fencing, dunce," she snapped as she rotated her shoulder.  

Birdonna grinned. "Still with the arrogance," she tsked. "Suit yourself, apprentice - but it will be your downfall." With her friends cheering her on, the Birdo spun the staff again and moved in towards Daisy. Daisy lifted her hands as Birdonna swung the rod into swift overhead strike that landed in the junction of Daisy's crossed wrists.  

The blow reverberated through Daisy's body, almost making her lose her balance. But with a snarl, she thrust her wrists up, sending the bo staff smacking into Birdonna's mouth. The Birdo squealed and stumbled back, losing her grip on the weapon. Daisy snatched the rod up and spun it around until the end was facing her opponent. 

The Birdos booed once again, but the surrounding villagers began cheering for Daisy. She grinned as Birdonna regained her balance, her wide mouth contorted into a scowl. 

"Who's karma favoring now?" Daisy asked. 

"A tiny victory," Birdonna spat. "I'm just getting started, pathetic apprentice." She glanced over her shoulder at her friends. "Clubs!" she demanded. 

Obediently, her friends tossed her two sets of gymnastics clubs. Birdonna caught them rapidly and held them towards Daisy, two in each hand.  

"Now," she said to Daisy, "it's time to get serious."