"The USB has been plugged in." As Wu sat back onto the barren rocks with the giant girl lied on the ground in place, her eyes unfocused and her head dazed, he sent a message through the special Communication Cast created by Lera for himself, Ver, and Fatera with their entire operation during the Winter Wars. When Wu explained the special phrase, none of them had any idea what he's talking about. Lera thought it was some sort of a cooking tool while Ver's mind immediately traveled to some exotic sex toy that was once popular among the...rougher mercenary circles. However, that phrase actually meant Wu was in a position to disrupt the plans of his employer, and after threatening the giant girl with telling their employer the fact that she was the one to give in and provide all of the information, they reached a mutual agreement to both shut their mouths, as she departed and proceeded to drop off the mercenaries she knocked out to the Guild of Medics. There are no free medical treatments, and the Guild of Medics will gladly help those mercenaries before locking them up and holding them responsible for the fees after they recovered. With the sets of instructions for the 32 different locations of the Winter Wars one-on-one tournaments in hand, Wu then scanned through the list before catching his eyes on some of the key matchups. Then, his eyes traveled to the very first match of the next day... Ver VS Matty Joel. As Wu's cryptic message came through her communication Cast, a smile formed on Ver's face before she slowly rolled over onto her sides and closed her eyes. There were distant sounds of chatter from the other angsty contestants outside of her room, and the thin layer of futon under her body isn't exactly comparable to her comfortable bedding way back at home or in college, but it was still far better than any makeshift surface she had enjoyed over the years of working as a mercenary. And now, she's sleeping without a worry in the world in a resort in the middle of a mountain, atop a floating island, as a snowstorm raged outside. Isn't life just so spectacularly amazing? If she had never encountered Wu, and if she had never set her mind on obtaining the Token, she would have never been in this position. As she rolled over and yawned, she couldn't help but think about Wu and his smile. Over the months, the once cheery and innocent young boy had become more grizzled, yet the same optimism remained within him, at least for now. He is one that convinced her to join his side and one that allowed her to further control her own power. And tomorrow, she is going to demonstrate that very power to the entire world of High Humans watching. That includes her mother, her father if death hadn't collected him, and the rest of the Ethereal Realm. In preparation for the Ethereal Tournament that will decide the fate of her family and her realm in two years, she shall demonstrate her strength to the entire world. The next morning came by swiftly and quietly, and the relaxing atmosphere within the Winter Wars Resort had been ripped away by an aura of tension as the first fight of the Winter Wars neared. All 32 fights will be broadcasted by Principal Khan, as it is one of the biggest events of the year and one of the biggest one-on-one fighting tournament in the entire world, second only to the rarity that is the Ethereal Tournament. As Ver walked through the corridors with a piece of fruit still being chewed away and a tight black light armor wrapped around her body, she caught a trio of students talking to each other by the front gate of the resort. "You got this, Matty!" One of the girl with a rough red haircut said, rubbing Matty's head, "Do it for Yuna-sama!" "As if!" Matty grunted, but the girl overpowered his protest and kept on playing with his hair. He looked up at Ver as she approached before his expressions shifted slightly. "Ver!" Before Ver reached the door and the chariots that will take Matty and Ver separately to the battleground, Lera's voice came from behind her, "You got this!" "Of course." Ver smiled, waving her hand without turning. "You'd better wipe the floor with him, or ya are unworthy as my rival!" Fatera added, her arms wrapped around Lera like a big sister, "I will massage ya boobs if you win!" Ver rolled her eyes back towards Fatera as the bald girl laughed at her own hilarious joke. Lera sighed before dragging Fatera back into the restaurant so she can finish her mountain of cereals and Fatera did her meat sandwich. "So you are Ver?" Matty asked, shoving Yuna and Braka away, "I know it's weird, but good luck." "Keep it." Ver said, cracking her neck before tightening her armour, "I am here to win." "So am I..." Matty said as the door in front of them swung open, revealing the two chariots waiting for them, "So am I..." The mountain never looked as impressive as it was when the students were fighting near its bottom areas, but when it's entirety is covered in snow, there is an additional aura of epicness that surrounded it now that they are situated within, looking onto the countless Academy structures that dwarfs in comparison. With Matty and Lera each taking one chariot, they were able to stare at the view to their hearts' content. This whole perspective shift is emphasized by the massive opening atop a frozen lake where the areas of battle was set in. There were countless Scouting Eyes scattered throughout the vast open-air, and the voice of Principal Khan was accompanied by his excited expressions through a projection Cast over their heads. The chariots landed Ver and Matty Joel on opposite ends of the Lake, then as those individual Casts disintegrated seemingly unprompted, they reformed into bracelets around the upper arms of Ver and Matty. "Welcome! Ver! Matty! And welcome to all of you watching from home!" Principal Khan said, his voice rumbling through the lake and sending thin surface level cracks over patches thin ice as powders of snow jumped in place, "Welcome to the first match of the Winter Wars One-on-One tournament! The rules are simple! You may win through either submission, or disintegration of the bracelet on the opponent, or most fun of them all...total annihilation, of the opponent! "There no rules, apart from the fact that the strong and the powerful are the only ones that rule! Without further adieu...let the tournament begin! First fight...start!" Before Principal Khan's voice dropped, Ver had already made her move. After training with Fatera nonstop for months on end, she came to realize the importance of taking the initiative in battles. During all of her defeats against the monster Channeler in sparring, the closest she had ever come to taking her down were the times where she had full control of the rhythm and pacing of the battle from the very beginning. And that's exactly her plan. With no information on how Matty Joel fights, she will then become the one to ask the questions, forcing Matty to provide the answers. As she dashed across the icy plains of the frozen lake, wind rushed past her ear as the occasional airborne snowflakes bounced off her body. Then, she crossed her arms before shooting out her high-pressure jets of water and let it cut diagonally across the ice, shaking Matty's footing and forcing him to leap backward. "And there she goes! Ver Fulgen Vaughan, a student that worked as a mercenary from the Ethereal Kingdom before coming here. Most notably...she was the one that ended the Summoned one and earned a Token as a result." Principal Khan said, his eyes glancing across the files as the initial stages of the battle unfolded. "And facing against her is Matty Joel, the very first student from the Down Under Place in the Academy, and he specializes in..." As Ver closed into Matty's personal space, he smirked lightly before cross his own arms two as his hands glowed brightly before...jets of high pressure water shot out from his palm. Ver hissed sharply, activating Whirlpool Purple and moving out of the line of fire, or water really, immediately before re-emerging far away from Matty. However, a purple whirlpool formed in the air right in front of her before Matty also came charging and blasted Ver backwards with a full-powered melee shot in the face. As Ver's body landed and rolled across the slippery ice, Matty straightened up and let out a satisfied laugh. "Just you watch, Principal!" Matty said, "Us fellas down under are nothing to scoff at!" "Hah...I remember how surprised I was when he pulled that trick on me." Yuna chuckled before she scratched her round post-breakfast belly button as Braka watched the battle closely, "Matty is strong, despite his looks." Braka glanced at Yuna and wondered why looks have anything to do with strengths, but he didn't question her. In the meanwhile, Fatera and Lera were totally tensed up at the counter-attack shown by Matty Joel. Ver's game-plan had been to take control of the fight as early as possible, but somehow, some way, Matty Joel was able to perfectly and instantly copy the original attacks of Ver's, countering her own aggression with his very own alongside the element of surprise. If Ver is all about delivering a devastating blow before the opponent is ready, then Matty is all about utilizing the counter-attack and catching his opponents off guard. If the flow of the battle continued like this, then Ver would be forced into the defensive in no time! "What the hell was that..." Ver grunted before she pressed herself up from the ground and extended her Kraken's tendril in order to sense the power of Matty. The concentration of the Wave within him isn't the most impressive she had ever seen, but there is a sense of layers within him. Instead of being someone with overwhelming natural talent, he instead, is just ridiculously skilled. So skilled that he could somehow copy Ver's attacks perfectly and use it against herself. But how is that possible? Ver reached up her hand and grabbed onto her eyepatch, ripping it clean off as the presence of the Kraken surged within her. A dark aura expanded out from her body and swept through the icy surface of the lake as Matty's eyes widened and he instinctively took half a step back, sensing the emerging threat within Ver. "What is this, little one? I thought you wanted to save me for later?" The Kraken asked, when Ver pointed a finger forward at Matty. "Do you have a brother or something?" "How dare you ask me such a question!" The Kraken slammed its tentacle onto the shattered rocks besides him in the dark abyss, "I am the one and only KRAKEN OF THE SEA!" "Ok." Ver said, dropping her hands, "So that's his ability. He can copy." "Then, see if he can copy this!" The Kraken said, connecting and synchronizing his own Wave with Ver's before a shockwave came out from Ver's body. Then, a voice that's a mix of Ver's and Kraken's came out from her mouth, "Whirlpool Black! Kraken One!" A black whirlpool emerged from Ver's back before a flaming tentacle surged from behind her back into the air. Ver pulled out her Sky-Splitting Sword and launched it straight up before tentacle snatched onto it and slammed it down on the ice in front of him. The flames sizzling and melting the ice upon contact. "READY YOURSELF!" Ver said, her eyes burning, "Try and copy this!"