Roka Arena’s transformation is extensive as the lone grass field now looks like a concert being held on a playground. A giant stage dominates half of the field, complete with seating for people in the stands to come down to view. The other half is divided into four lanes, each containing a unique obstacle course for the first stage of the rounds. Our first competitors are preparing in the far left lane.

“In case you forgot, round one will be Yuuri and Saito of the Paranormal Club versus Kira and Hiro of the Games Club!” Roka announces, now standing on the stage, “The first course will see them traverse across to the other side!” She gestures to the setup, which appears to be an average set of monkey bars.

Saito yawns, “That seems straightforward…”

Yuuri takes a closer look. The “monkey bars” are missing the titular bars. Instead, a platform sits on top with holes cut out at intervals.

“I don’t think it’ll be that easy…”

“However!” Roka continues, “One person will lay up top and use their arms to guide the other person to the other side! Saito and Hiro will be the ones going across, while Yuuri and Kira will be up top!”

Yuuri looks worried at Saito.

Roka gestures to the end of the course to a covered object guarded by Lucy, “At the end, the teams will dance their hearts out and the winners will get this tied up redhead!”

Lucy pulls the sheet away to reveal Katsuki bound at the finish line. She looks at Yuuri with dead eyes.

Lucy leans in and whispers to Katsuki, “I’m sorry about this, Roka really wanted to play up the damsel in distress thing.”

Yuuri bites her thumb, her worry increasing tenfold upon seeing her best friend tied up.

Saito pats Yuuri on the shoulder, “Deep breaths. We’ve got this.”

“Are you sure?” she asks, “I don’t want to drop you or anything...”

Saito laughs, “It won’t be that far of a drop. I don’t think I could get hurt falling from this.”

Yuuri smiles, “You’re right! Let’s do this!”

“Get set... GO!” Roka smacks another button, causing a buzzer to ring out..

Kira bolts to the contraption and starts the climb. Yuuri is slow on the draw but right behind him. She puts everything together and dashes over, grabbing the bar. In one swift motion she leaps up top, drawing a strong reaction from the crowd as they cheer.

“Follow my lead!” Yuuri drops her hand down to Saito who takes hold.

Saito can feel her shifting around and soon, her second arm appears.

“Now!” she shouts!

Saito nods and swings forward, latching on to her arm. Following her commands, the pair keep a steady pace with the Games Club. The holes start close together, but the further they traverse, the further and further they get, leading to both sides playing a bit more methodically than intended.

Roka yawns from the stage. “This is boring!” She points out onto the field, “Open the pit!”

The ground beneath shudders as two panels slide away to reveal a shallow chasm filled with silver spikes.

Yuuri catches a glimpse and shrieks, her grip loosening on Saito.

Saito squeezes her hand, “Calm down! If you keep doing that, I will fall!”

“B-But…” Yuuri stammers.

“Just follow my lead and we’ll be fine,” Saito reassures her. “You’ll have to be quick though if you still want to win.”

Yuuri turns to see Kira and Hiro closing in on the finish line. She looks back down to Saito and nods.

“Let’s go then.” Saito begins issuing commands to Yuuri, who follows them with lightning-fast speed. Soon Kira and Hiro’s lead is erased as both sides pull even once again.

“Look at the teamwork between these two teams!” Roka exclaims, “But now they’ll have to swing down to the landing pad to win!”

“On the last hole, follow through with your arm!” Saito shouts.

Yuuri issues no response, laser-focused on her task. She slips her right arm down the final hole as Saito uses his momentum to grab and swing forward. Yuuri grips up top with her free hand and launches Saito forward with all her strength. He clears the gap easily, hitting the pad with a tumble.

Roka jumps from her seat. “The first stage goes to the Paranormal Club!”

Saito stands up just in time to be tackled to the ground by a flying Yuuri. The two tumble across the pad in a deep hug.

“Well done to both sides.” Lucy says as Kira and Hiro trudge to the end, “Now you will be given a song to dan-”

Saito cuts her off, “You seriously want us to dance after going across a pit of spikes?”

Lucy blinks. “They are inflatable Mr. Naoyuki. We would never endanger our students in such a way.”

Saito takes off his bag and pulls out a square panel. With a flick of his wrist, it unfurls out into a long, imposing scythe, drawing another set of oohs and ahhs from the crowd. He walks back to the pit and pokes a spike with the blade. A loud pop echoes out as the rows of spikes slowly deflate. The steel shine they had earlier is revealed to merely be a coat of paint.

“What’d you do!?” Roka snaps, “We have to use those again you know! Get away!”

Lucy ushers Saito back to the finish line. “Both sides will now dance for bonus points. You’ve played those arcade dance game things correct?”

All four nod, but Hiro looks unsure of himself.

“It works exactly like that. Whoever has the most at the end will win this cute redhead!”

Katsuki struggles against her restraints, “Thanks for adding ‘cute’ to it, I think!?”

“Don’t lie to everyone like that,” Saito adds.

Yuuri flicks his forehead.

“Head to the stage now, and I’ll begin your song once both sides are in position.” Lucy gestures.

Both sides climb up onto the stage and see four glowing squares. Yuuri and Saito hop on without second thought. Kira and Hiro hesitate before stepping on.

The dance game’s screens light up in front of each competitor. The Rokadome’s big screen lights up behind them, showing a split-screen of all four competitors’ games. The music starts, a standard techno beat mixed in with some taiko drums for added flair. Yuuri and Saito take an early lead that catches the Games Club off guard. The Paranormal pair work in perfect rhythm with one another, not missing a beat. Kira and Hiro keep pace, keeping the game even.

The song speeds up and Hiro slows down. His foot slips, causing a miss, followed by another, and another. By the time the song concludes, Yuuri and Saito full combo the song with Kira and Hiro getting it about ninety percent accurate.

Lucy claps her hands, “Bonus points go to the Paranormal Club!” She unties Katsuki, who runs over to celebrate with Yuuri and Saito.

Katsuki bounces up and down with Yuuri in a hug. “You guys were great!”

Saito stretches, “Good thing it helps that Yuuri’s really buff.”

Yuuri stops celebrating. “Haha, what?”

Saito looks down, his face heating up. “You know...really strong. Couldn’t have made it across without you holding me.”

Katsuki shakes her head, “You should really work on your compliments dude.”

“Whatever.” Saito looks away, “Where do we go now?”

Lucy points to a roped-off section of the stands, “Those that are finished competing will rest there.”

Hiro and Kira walk over to the trio. Hiro bows to Saito and Yuuri.

“We’ll help you get into the stands,” Hiro says. “You two were really good out there... I’m Hiro, by the way.”

Katsuki stomps her foot. “Hey! There’s three of us here!”

“Uh, you were really good at being tied up.” Hiro says.

“Let’s just go,” Kira says. “The next round’s about to start!”

***

Lane Two is a large pool. Lucy and the competitors stand on a thin, sandy shore encircling it.

Roka stands on an inflated platform in the middle of the pool, mic in hand. “Next up, it’s Yamato and Haru of the Games Club against Kirie and Hotaru of the Paranormal Club!”

Haru plays to the crowd, trying to snake an arm around a Yamoto trying her hardest to get away from him.

“For this round, the two teams will have to drag their paddle boats into the water and make it across our lake! First one across gets this cute elf girl!”

The four new competitors look to Kirika, tied up on the opposite shore.

“Contestants, take your places!”

Haru stretches, “You ready for this Prez?”

Yamato weakly nods and turns to the Paranormal Club, flashing the duo a thumbs up.

“It looks like it’ll be a tough challenge...” Kirie trails off.

Hotaru pats her on the back, “Only thing we can do is give it our best!”

“Please take your positions,” Lucy says.

The teams make it to their boats and look for the best spot to hold. Hotaru climbs into his boat. His feet don’t even come close to the pedals.

He raises his hand, “Excuse me. This seat is too far back for me.”

Lucy checks, nods, and pushes Hotaru’s seat forward.

“T-Thank you,” Hotaru mumbles.

Yamato looks over, “Good luck to you both!”

Kirie waves, “Good luck to you too! Make sure he doesn’t put any moves on you.”

“W-What!?” Yamato panics.

“Ready?!” Roka’s voice booms through the speakers as she points a finger gun to the sky. “GO!” There’s a stock gun noise and fountains shoot off on either side of the lake.

Kirie takes advantage of Yamato’s confusion and begins to push before Hotaru can get out of the boat. He manages to stumble out and aid his teammate.

On the Games Club side, Haru seems to be doing all the pushing as Yamato hovers behind him.

“Could really use a hand here Prez!” He grunts.

She shakes her head, “Y-You can’t make me get closer!”

“Looks like there’s trouble on the Games Club side!” Roka narrates from the tiny island, “What happened before this race started?”

The Paranormal Club makes it to the water first. Kirie and Hotaru jump in the boat and take off...sort of.

“Slow down Kirie!” Hotaru shouts, “I can’t keep pace with you!”

“We can’t let that creep get near us!” Kirie points back to shore where Haru and Yamato have made it into the boat, but Haru is doing all the work as his president makes herself as small as possible.

“If we work together though, they can’t overtake us!” Hotaru tries to calm her down, before noticing their boat drifting towards the platform Roka’s on. “Slow down, let me catch up so we can go straight!”

Kirie slows her pace some but it’s too late as the boat crashes into the platform, causing Roka to lose balance and crash down into the boat.

“I’m not a part of this!” Roka screams, “Put me back!”

Kirie panics and paddles harder, freeing them from their makeshift dock but now spinning them in the opposite direction. Hotaru looks to see Haru and Yamato overtaking them.

“Kirie stop!” He tugs on her shirt sleeve. “We need to regroup or we’ll lose!”

“W-We can’t let him win! Think of what he’ll do to poor Yamato!” The boat spins around back to the direction they were going and she can now see the other team’s lead. Kirie climbs out of her seat and onto the back of the boat. She throws her jacket into the boat and unfurls her wings, eliciting more cheers from the crowd. Kirie steadies herself and begins beating her wings, using them to propel her forward.

“Is this legal?” Hotaru asks Roka, now sitting in Kirie’s seat.

“It’s cool, so I’ll make an exception just this once.” Roka tries to pout, but her eyes gleaming give away that she’s enjoying this.

Hotaru shrugs and puts a foot on each set of pedals turning both at once. With their combined effort, they catch back up to the Games Club and pass them just feet from the finish line.

“Well done Paranormal Club!” Lucy says next to Kirika, who is noticeably upset at being bound so close to the water, “However, it’s just close enough to where the bonus points from our dance-off will decide the winner of this round!”

Kirie high-fives Hotaru, giving Hotaru just enough time to back away before being struck by her wings. “Hey, watch it!”

She looks behind her and they quickly vanish from sight, putting her jacket on in the process. She looks around to see if anyone noticed, then heads towards the stage.

Lucy claps her hands. “You know the deal here, dance away to the song, highest combined score wins!”

Yamato adjusts her outfit to minimize any unnecessary movement while Haru stretches. On the other side, Hotaru tries to focus, and Kirie takes a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

The four step on their squares as the song doesn’t so much start as it does go into high gear. The tempo completely baffles Hotaru and Kirie, their lack of skill showing in their movements. On the Games Club Side, Yamato matches the song beat for beat, using it to escape her worries over Haru, who’s barely keeping up after expending his strength paddling the boat. By the end, Yamato full combos her song, with the Paranormal Club performing badly enough to where no one could challenge her.

Lucy claps, “Round Two goes to the Games Club!” She unties Kirika and pushes her over to Yamato, “You may claim your elf!”

Kirika digs into her pocket and pulls out her phone and taps away at the screen before bringing it to her ear, “Daddy, you cannot believe what this school is doing to me! They tied me to a pole and...and then they put me near this putrid body of water! I could feel myself sinking! I thought I was going to fall over and drown and be made into the butt of some horrible joke and and and…!” Kirika stops when she realizes that she’s ranting to a dial tone. She tucks the phone back into her pocket, “Papa…”

Yamato places a hand on Kirika’s shoulder, “Don’t worry. You’re safe with us!”

“Don’t touch me!” Kirika slaps Yamato’s hand away and marches off.

“Why did we have to win this one?” Haru grumbles as he and Yamato follow the elf.

***

Lane Three is divided into two paths, each with six high schooler-sized boulders in a straight line. At the finish, Roka sits atop a boulder nearly double the size of the ones on the course.

“We’re tied up heading into round three, which will be Aika and Sayaka of the Games Club taking on Yuudai and Akina of the Paranormal Club!”

The crowd cheers as the four competitors are outfitted with hardhats, safety goggles, and armed with sledgehammers.

Roka waves her hand across the field, “All you have to do is break down your boulders and make it to the finish for your prize!” Roka points below to where Lucy is standing next to a bound and gagged Mari.

“That prize will be this fluffy, pink hai-” Lucy stops and looks at Mari, “Who gagged her? Is she of age? Are we committing a crime?!”

“As long as she’s awake, she’s fine!” Roka shouts from her perch.

Akina stares daggers at Sayaka, “I’ll let you have the first strike, Rabbit.”

Sayaka’s eyes sparkle, “T-Thank you Akina!”

“Now go!” Roka yells down to the teams.

Yuudai and Aika beeline to their boulders. Akina tosses away her sledgehammer and gear.

Yuudai obliterates the boulder in front of him with a mighty swing of his sledgehammer, the crowd going wild. He turns to see Akina and Sayaka sizing each other up.

“Akina, are you coming or not!?” He yells to his teammate.

Aika notices what’s happening as well, “Sayaka, get over here and help me break this!”

Sayaka launches her sledgehammer at the boulder, demolishing it in one go. She reaches into a nearby portal and produces a wooden katana.

She locks eyes with Akina, “Ready when you are!”

Yuudai chips away at the second boulder.. “We can’t win with you fighting!”

Akina ignores Yuudai and charges at her opponent, “Show me that sword isn’t for show, Rabbit.”

Akia watches the fight unfold, “THIS IS STUPID!”

“If you lose,” Yuudai pants, lifting up the sledgehammer, “I won’t forgive you!” He smashes the second boulder to dust.

Akina’s expression darkens.

The fight rages on in between the lanes of boulders, drawing the attention of the fans who try to keep up.

“Looks like we have some extra fireworks for the show!” Roka says, trying to play the fight below off as her idea.

Yuudai crushes boulder three and stops to take off his jacket and shirt. The women in the crowd scream, underlaid by what sounds like giggling from the gagged pink hair girl nearby.

Yuudai goes back to work, taking down the fourth boulder with no issue. Aika finally breaks through boulder number two. She heaves with exhaustion, glaring pure malice at Sayaka and Akina clashing between the boulders like electricity itself.

“SAYAKAAAAAAA!!!” Aika screams and charges at her third boulder with a newfound ferocity. She hammers at her boulder with a hateful frenzy. Furious, she tosses her sledgehammer away and generates a strong gust of wind at the fourth boulder. It does nothing more than mess up her hair. “Sayaka! Get your ass over here and help me! I’m tiny and you left me to beat that gorilla man myself!” She points to the shirtless Yuudai.

Yuudai bellows and turns boulder five into dust with one overhead swing. “Phew, time for a break.”

Sayaka and Akina pass through the dust Yuudai’s swing made.

“Wah!” Yuudai falls on his butt.

“If this is all you have,” Akina dodges a slash from Sayaka “My father will skin you alive, Rabbit!” She palm heels Sayaka in the chest, sending her skidding back into Games Club’s lane.

Sayaka grunts and charges back in, her katana low. “I’m not done yet!”

“You talk tough,” Akina sidesteps Sayaka’s upward swing and knees her in the gut. “But that isn’t enough.”

Sayaka coughs and falls to her knees, holding herself up with a sword. “Don’t patronize me, Lady Gedou. I am iron!”

Akina brushes hair from Sayaka’s face. “Then for your sake, I must break you.” Akina grabs Sayaka by the neck, forcing the swordswoman to her feet before raining rapid-fire punches on her. “Your form is weak! Your sword is dull! You have no killing intent, Rabbit!” She smashes Sayaka into the ground, sending her skidding away several feet. “You walk into a den of wolves and I will not allow you to make yourself a meal!”

Sayaka struggles to her feet, but collapses, prostrating herself before Akina.

Akina picks Sayaka up, brushing dirt and debris from the fallen swordswoman. “I will prepare you to walk into the wolves’ den, Rabbit. I swear it.”

Aika stares dumbfounded at her now unconscious teammate, “Tch.” She tosses her gear aside, grabs Sayaka’s collar, and begins dragging her to the stands.

Yuudai gets up and crushes the final boulder and makes it to the finish line. “Is...it over?”

“While you crossed the finish line, Miss Gedou hasn’t yet, so technically no one has finished,” Lucy responds.

“Oh…” Yuudai yells to Akina. “GET OVER HERE SO WE CAN FINISH!”

Akina sees Yuudai’s handiwork, rolls her eyes and strolls over. “You complain like a woman. All this was done without my help.”

Yuudai crosses his arms. “I wouldn’t be shirtless and sweaty if you’d help! Did you really need to fight your girlfriend?”

Roka clambers up a giant boulder so the crowd can see her. “And the Paranormal Club keeps winning!”

Akina places her fingertips on the giant boulder Roka is standing on, makes a fist and punches, reducing the boulder to rubble. “There, I helped. Now put your shirt back on crybaby.”

Yuudai runs up and catches a screaming Roka before she hits the ground, “You alright Principal?”

“I am…” Roka pushes Yuudai’s face away. “Now put me down you stinky man!”

Yuudai sets her down gently. He sniffs himself to see if she’s right.

Lucy dusts a sulking Roka off, “Well then, as for your dance-”

“We forfeit!” Aika yells, having moved Sayaka’s body an inch or two at best.

Lucy nods, “Very well. No bonus points will be awarded meaning Paranormal maintains a slight edge over Games Club. You also win…” Lucy sees Mari off her stand, breathing heavily and drooling through her gag at the shirtless Yuudai, “That. They don’t pay me enough to handle beasts in heat Mr. Akiyama, so go ahead and claim your prize.”

“Y-Yes ma’am!” Yuudai runs over and takes the gag out of Mari’s mouth, “Who did this to you?”

“Ah did,” Mari swoons. “Now lemme rub mah face on yer abs.”

“W-What?”

Mari stares at him with lust-crazed eyes. “Ah’m a dirty, dirty gal an’ Ah need ta get clean....”

Yuudai slings her over his shoulder and carries her back to the stand, trying to figure out how she gagged herself while tied.

***

Lane four looks less like competition grounds and more like ground zero. Junk, debris, and hazards are strewn across the length of the lane.

Lucy takes over commentary duty from a sulking Roka, “It’s anyone’s game as we go into the final round! It’ll be Kyo Sakuraba and Yamato Kirisaki of the Games Club versus Rina Warren and Susumu Yuuma of the Paranormal Club!

“It’s Suzaka!” The green-haired girl yells angrily towards Lucy.

“This final stage is the three-legged obstacle course. Both teams will have to navigate this perilous course and cross the finish line!” Lucy motions to the end of the course and Roka struggling to get there.

A dirty and exhausted Roka reaches the winner’s podium, covered in a sheet. “The winner will receive this other redhead!” Roka pulls the sheet away to reveal a bare pole and Cerys sitting on top of the podium.

“Took you guys long enough.” Cerys stands and stretches.

“How’d you escape!?” Roka balks.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I know I’m not.” Lucy says, tying the teams together, “Are both sides ready?”

“Let’s go!” Rina shouts.

“Yeah!” Suzaka adds.

Yamato and Kyo nod.

“On your marks...get set...GO!” Lucy claps.

Yamato and Kyo start off slowly and carefully, Rina sprints, dragging Suzaka with her.

“Slow down will ya!” Suzaka digs in her heels, “I don’t wanna die gettin’ there!”

Rina keeps trudging forward, slowed down by the metal maiden tied to her “Quit your crying and just follow me! I’ll blaze a path for us!”

“What, with your useless sparkler hands?”

Rina stops and gets in Suzaka’s face. “I’ve got no problem stopping right now and settling this like Akina did!”

“Looks like drama’s brewing on the Paranormal side!” a re-energized Roka says to the crowd, “Will they collapse right here?”

“Will you shut up!” Rina yells to the stage.

“Don’t talk to the Principal like that!” Suzaka shoves her.

Cerys facepalms, “We’re so fucked!”

Roka bounces with excitement, “What will finish first: Games Club or this fight?”

Rina and Suzaka stop arguing to see Yamato and Kyo closing in on the finish.

“Shit!” Rina says and takes off again.

Suzaka points, “There’s a better path that way! Take it!”

“Shut up and get ready to jump!” Rina snaps, “A straight line is always fastest!”

Rina jumps the first obstacle, the husk of a car. She fails to tell Suzaka who slams into the side of it, sending both girls tumbling over and free of each other.

Yamato and Kyo cross the finish line.

“And this stage goes to the Games Club!” Roka claps.

“Ow…” Suzaka rubs her side and stares death at Rina, “Why didn’t you tell me that was coming up!?”

Rina stands up, “Why weren’t you paying attention!?”

“I found a clear path we coulda took t’ beat them ya idiot!”

“It would’ve taken too long to get through! We would’ve lost!”

Suzaka shakes Rina, “We lost anyway!”

Lucy grabs both of them by the collar and pulls them apart effortlessly, “Save the infighting for later, you two have to dance.”

Rina groans, “Can’t we forfeit, like Aika did?”

“You can...but I don’t think your clubmates will want you to seeing as you can win with a good enough dance score.”

“Fine.” Rina says and looks over to Suzaka, “You better not hold us down.”

“I was gonna say th’ same thing t’ you.” She answers.

Lucy shoves both of them onto the stage where Yamato and Kyo are already in position. Rina and Suzaka don’t look at each other as they take their place on the platforms. The song kicks into life, a slow, old school hip hop beat. Everyone starts off easily, but after 10 seconds, the song turns on the afterburners, the tempo tripling in an instant. Rina and Suzaka manage to keep pace with Kyo and a struggling Yamato.

“Ready to give up?” Rina shouts at Suzaka.

“Not on your life!” Suzaka shouts back, picking up her pace.

Not to be outdone, Rina matches Suzaka’s intensity and doubles it. The crowd looks on, dumbfounded at the feats of one-upmanship occurring on stage. The song ends and the scores are revealed. Rina, Suzaka, and Kyo all finish with full combos. Yamato finishes at 97%.

“Ladies and gentlemen we have a winneeeeeer!” Roka yells into the microphone.

“Of course I’d win!” Rina crosses her arms.

“Yeah right!” Suzaka smirks, “I won!”

Roka hypes up the crowd. “Give it up for the Paranormal Club winning their debut match!”

The rest of the club joins the girls on stage to celebrate.

“We…” Rina says.

“Won…” Suzaka finishes the sentence.

The two look at each other for a moment before hugging each other, jumping up and down.

“We did it! We did it!” They both say, grinning like idiots.

“Weren’t you two about to kill each other 5 minutes ago?” Cerys asks.

Rina and Suzaka stop celebrating and think about it before shrugging.

“Who cares at this point!?” Rina says, “We pulled it off!”

“Yeah!” Suzaka joins in, “Why fight when you can party?”

Roka’s voice comes back through, “With this win, Paranormal will be promoted to the low tier dorms, and the Tennis Club will be relegated to the trash tier!

“Do we now get press conferences and stuff too?” Rina asks.

“You’re the nine AM match.” Lucy says, “Press conferences are saved for afternoon and evening matches.”

“Awesome! More time to celebrate!”

“Let’s have a big party!” Suzaka yells.

Rina puts an arm around her, “I like the way you think!”

Yuuri smiles at the pair, “It’s nice to see that you two are finally getting along!”

Rina laughs, “I guess a dance-off was all it took!”

Yuudai laughs along and stretches, “Well, time to go hit the showers and celebrate!”

Mari’s ahoge throbs, “Can Ah follow yew?”

With that, the Paranormal Club wave to what fans are left and head back through the tunnel in Roka arena, celebrating their first win at Zonzai High School.