Isolde > Virgil
Virgil learned a lot in his unlife.
Shion was an even bigger idiot than he imagined.
Those who rule the universe are largely douches interesting in seeing people suffer over and again.
There really are no therapists.
And most importantly, that sometimes the best move is to look ahead, see the incoming trainwreck, and exit stage left at the middle of the story.
What was this trainwreck? Well, considering that the winner of his match gets to face the undisputed Lord of the Tentacle Monsters in the finals? I think we can all take a good guess at the general shape of the carnage.
Ike > Artea
He fights for his friends.
He's an elf.
Buddy cop show in the making? You bet.
Of course, we all know that the passionate cop who fights for the little guy and to keep his friends and family safe is, perhaps ironically, the loose cannon, the violent cowboy cop who likes the Bad Cop routine a little too much and, during the really dramatic bits, shoves his partner against the wall and dares, DARES him to "say that again".
Ike, being unaccustomed to acting, and Artea, being efficient, decided to practice their routine now, on the battle field. Afterall, DL medics were standing bye in case Ike got a little lost in the role. Which of course he did, winning the match, but really, that's nothing compared to a 5 year, multi-million television contract, right?