Kaz

Kaz
Pronouns	he/him
Occupation	Ranked Coach

Kaz is the coach of the Raging Blazes, the Ranked Team of Jasper.

Personality

Kaz is outwardly full of bravado, speaking loudly with multiple exclamation marks. However, he reveals insecurities, believing that the people of his hometown hate him and recognizing that he loses Beastieball matches often. Although he became a coach to seem cool, he feels like an outcast and spends most of his free time volleying a ball with his Beasties.

Story

When the player visits Jasper's Beastieball Center, they find Kaz standing in the lobby. Upon interacting with him, he notices the player's Beasties and shouts, "YOU'RE A COACH, AREN'T YOU?!" He then immediately schedules the match and says, "Come on in... so EVERYONE in Jasper can watch you lose!!!!!" However, before the match can begin, Kaz expresses irritation and disappointment that no one showed up to watch. He insists that the player go out and convince people to do so, although he is skeptical anyone would want to. Suddenly, his spirits brighten and he emphasizes that the three most bored-looking people in Jasper will be sure to attend.

After convincing Kenta, Caroline, and Eda to go to the match, Kaz is excited to see how many people showed up and reschedules the match immediately.

During his match with the player, Kaz is fixated on the number of spectators, which now includes eleven people. At first, he shows great confidence in this, telling the player they're going down. However, he starts talking with the player between plays, saying, "Do you know how hard it is to be a bad coach?" and, "I can feel the judgement of everyone in Jasper..." Soon, he reveals a little more, confiding, "I might be an outcast in my own hometown... But!!! That's why we've been practicing!!! I just need to beat you, and maybe everyone won't hate me!"

If allowed to earn points, Kaz is dumbfounded and shows new enthusiasm, saying things like, "We might actually win this!!!" and, "It's happening...!" If Kaz wins, he will laugh and shout, "You totally got owned!!!!! By me!!!!" and try to convince the player to "take the L and go home," so that "there's no chance of [them] ever beating [him]." He has nothing to say when the player earns points against him.

Upon losing, Kaz is extremely disappointed, saying, "Oh... Now that everyone finally showed up for me... I really wanted to actually win for once..." To his surprise, though, the spectators shout "That was a great match!" and individually express what they liked about watching. After being validated by his hometown, Kaz's ego is revitalized and he shouts, "BWAhahahaha! I guess you got me this time... But maybe I had something even more important all along?! Too bad you don't... I feel sorry for you..."

Hangouts

After defeating Kaz, the player can speak with him in the lobby. He will be uncharacteristically nervous, unsure of what to say or how to ask. Eventually, he shouts, "AGH, just take this!!!" and gives the player his contact.

First Hangout

The player will have already earned a Level 1 bond with Kaz, presumably by defeating him in a Ranked Match. By spending 1 Social Battery, the player can invite Kaz to hang out. Despite initially being the one to suggest it, Kaz is surprised by the call, saying, "EH?? You actually wanted to hang out??" before quickly backpedaling to, "I mean: yeah! Of course you did!!!"

Kaz tells the player to meet him outside of Jasper, near the southern entrance. He tells them that this is where he normally goes to get away from the stress of living in a town where he feels hated. Then, remembering that they're supposed to be having fun, he explains that he usually likes to volley a ball with his Beasties. He then says, "I guess people theoretically could play sports with other people, right?" This opens up the minigame, in which the player must throw a Beastieball at Kaz, who will volley it back on contact. The player must jump with proper timing to keep the volley going, and the number of volleys will appear nearby after each one.

After letting the ball hit the ground, Kaz will comment on the number and start a short conversation. First, he will say that sports with another person is kind of fun, and then ask why the player became a coach. The player has the option to respond with "It seemed fun," "To save my hometown," or both reasons. If they respond with the second or third options, Kaz will sag and say "Huh... I wish I could save my hometown..." After reacting to the player's answer, he will reveal that he became a coach to be cool, since all of his heroes growing up were Ranked Coaches. Unfortunately, he has realized that being a coach does not make him feel cool at all, especially when he is losing. After adding, "Including to you," Kaz gets nervous and suggests bouncing another ball.

After the second round of volleying, Kaz says that he did hear about the League coming for the Rutile Nature Preserve, and was honestly relieved that it had not been Jasper. Still, it was big news for the town, and the pressure to raise his team's rank went way up. He expresses how difficult it is to raise one's rank when it is already so low, but that's what impresses him about the player. Seeing them start from the bottom and climb up the ranks makes Kaz feel like he can do it, too. After saying this, he calls for one more volley.

After the last successful volley, Kaz points out that he always plays this game with his Beasties, and since they, "never, ever miss," he had not realized how good his own skills have gotten, saying, "It feels good to be good at something for a change!" and that he's going to use this energy to practice even harder. After this, the player’s bond with Kaz raises to level 2, and they unlock his first set of favors.

Second Hangout

Calling Kaz after Celia returns to the Beastie Research Society lab will cause him to answer saying he's been "on the grind" and that you can meet him in Begonia. He stands waiting at the base of the great tree near the Railhouse.

Upon interacting with Kaz, he explains that he had arrived in town earlier to challenge Celia, but they weren't around to accept. He wagers that perhaps they're too scared to face him in a match. However, the player informs him that Celia has returned, and Kaz instantly becomes extremely nervous. He says, "You're saying I could actually challenge them? Uhh, well... that would be rude of me, probably!" He continues to make increasingly ridiculous excuses before admitting that he's afraid to challenge another coach. The player then has the option to encourage him, tell him to wait until he's ready, or call him pathetic.

After grappling with his insecurities a bit, Kaz insists that the player go and challenge Celia for him, claiming, "People who get other people to do things for them are way cooler. If you think about it, it's actually braver than asking them myself! I mean, if you think about it. I don't have time to think."

The player can find Celia in their lab. They regard them, saying, "Hmm...? The Raging Blazes want to challenge us, eh? Interesting. I have no idea who that is." They go on to say they're probably just getting old and out of touch, but they accept and schedule the match.

Kaz laughs when you return to tell him the news, saying all is going according to his plan. He then says, "They're just a bunch of science nerds... They can't be that tough!" before asking the player if they'll watch the match. The scene then transitions to the match on Celia's court. The only Beasties present are Crimson and Cherry for Kaz, and Toadstool and Champignon for Celia.

Before the match begins, Kaz shouts, "So! We finally meet on the field of sports!!!" He boasts about being "that coach you've been hearing about" and about the oncoming "vicious onslaught of sports terror." Celia just says, "Okay!" and swiftly wins the match by wiping Cherry in a single turn. Kaz only responds with, "oh," and disappears before the player can talk to him again.

Favors

Through the Contacts menu, you can ask Kaz favors to teach to any Beastie of your team one Play in exchange for 1 Social Battery, as long as the Beastie can learn the Play either via level or friendship.

Friendship level 2
Play	Type	Power	Description
Set	Volley	--	VOLLEY. Ally feels 1 JAZZED (POW x1.5).
Faith	Volley	--	VOLLEY. POW to ally.
Rally	Support	--	Entire field gets +3 RALLY (POW +50%, POW -25%).
Raw Fury	Spirit	65	ATTACK. Ignores target's shields and BOOSTS.

Trivia

• In Kaz's first hangout, he implies that humans playing sports together could be a strange and new concept, showing that Beastie-oriented sports like Beastieball (and potentially Basketjam) may be the uncontested norm.