Essex took her time on the balcony.

It was exciting to see the other teams practicing, especially since they had such a good reason to. The buzz was across the entire academy, and all the second-years were elated it was finally their turn.

The annual academy tournament was approaching in only a week's time. Teams from across campus and all over Daysend were participating, all ready to duel it out in spectacular combat for the masses. It was a big event for a reason.

Essex would have joined the team's early practice, but she wasn’t in the best of spirits. Usually, she’d be out on her morning training routine, and initially, that was the plan.

But, considering what had happened the previous night at the formal...

…

…

…

...it was best for her to take this time for herself.

Realising it was nearly midday, she quickly got up to grab herself lunch, only for the door to open in front of her, revealing Harley coming into the dorm.

Harley briefly locked eyes with Essex, before shying away, keeping to herself, as Essex did much the same, making her best effort toward the kitchen in hopes of avoiding her.

Harley sat herself down at the couch, trying to distract herself from Essex, which thankfully came in the form of the rest of the team coming in soon after.

“...eah, I think they’re still setting up.” Julia said, cheerily hurrying through, before realising Harley and Essex were already there. “Hey! You guys excited for the tournament?”

Harley leaned over the couch. “Who wouldn’t be? How often do we get to spar against other teams?”

“Team Exemplary, Team Vanguard, Team Ferocity on numerous occasions...” Wess mentioned, coming in behind Julia. “Shall I go on?”

“Yeah, but this is way better. We’ll actually be on equal footing!” Sola cheered, coming in last. “And there’s an arena!”

“Actually, that’s a great point, Sola.” Julia said, turning to face everyone. “How about we head down to the tournament hall and see what’s up? We might meet some of our competition early.”

“Hell yeah!” Harley exclaimed, jumping up from her seat, only to catch Essex in the corner of her eye. “...yeah, that’s a good idea.”

“I also heard the slight rumour that Team Daybreak might be making an appearance.” Wess mentioned, as Julia’s eyes lit up.

“Seriously?! Here?!”

“Yes, apparently, they trained here not too long ago. Now they want to see who’ll be following them up.” Wess elaborated, as Julia started dancing around and celebrating to herself.

“Who’s Team Daybreak?” Harley asked, as Sola joined her side.

“They’re this new up-and-coming team with this crazy good track record!” Julia exclaimed. “Over the last three years, they’ve already killed fifty-eight Wailing in total and not a single mission of theirs has gone over three hours. Some people are even saying they might be the new Team Spectrum.”

“That’s high praise coming from you.” Harley remarked.

“Whoa! She’s smoking hot!” Sola exclaimed, pulling up a photo of the team on her tablet and reading aloud. “Victoria Knox, proud leader of Team Daybreak. ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger...’”

“They sound very accomplished. I wish to meet them.” Essex added, joining the team conversation after getting her food. “Perhaps they may have met some teams we’re familiar with.”

“Probably. The Venator industry’s surprisingly insular.” Julia added. “Maybe we can have a chat? It might be nice to have a team like them know about us.”

“I doubt we’d make much of an impression. What’s to say they’ll even give us the time of day?” Wess pointed out.

“Easy. They’re Venators. Venators are good people.” Julia reasoned, smiling to the others. “Regardless, whether they show up here or not, I still want to see the tournament hall getting set up.”

“Then what are we waiting for!” Sola exclaimed, hurrying to the door. “Come on! Let’s go already!”

“Alright, alright, calm down.” Harley said, nervously glancing in Essex’s direction, before joining Sola. “We can grab something to eat on the way.”

Sola beckoned Essex to join them, which she soon did, as Julia and Wess were left in the dorm room alone.

“You guys go ahead. We’ll catch up in a bit.” Julia excused, as Sola nodded back at her, before closing the door.

The moment the door closed, Julia and Wess collapsed.

“Oh my god, that was so hard!” Julia yelled out, now lying on the floor. “I’m sweating so much!”

“Who knew keeping this from them would be so draining?” Wess bemoaned, leaning against the couch while she worked on the stress in her forehead. “This is utterly painful...”

“I felt so bad pretending nothing happened.” Julia admitted, fanning out her flannel. “Oh boy, it’s hot in here...”

“You’re telling me.” Wess agreed. “But we can’t let them know...”

“No, no, definitely not.” Julia assured, standing up again. “...about what part?”

Wess blinked. “What part? The drinking, the sex, the...state we were in this morning. None of it.”

“Right, right...” Julia agreed, looking to the side. “...but it wouldn’t be terrible if we told them some of it, right?”

Wess’ eyes drooped, as she slowly folded her arms.

Julia coughed. “It’s just, it would be a huge load off, and, you know, since we’re going into the tournament...”

“So we stress them out instead?” Wess argued. “You know the stigma around team members dating.”

“Yeah, but Harley and Sola are doing fine now.” Julia reasoned.

“Yes, but it can only be them.” Wess said, confusing Julia. “One relationship in serviceable, but when potential agents, agencies, clients, anyone, see a team with multiple relationships in it, they start to panic. It’s hard enough for five people to work together so frequently, but tying so much emotion to it means nine times out of ten, they’re going to collapse in on themselves.”

“...and that would look really bad going into the tournament.” Julia realised, as Wess nodded along.

“...if we do...tell them, it should be after the tournament.” Wess reasoned. “We can’t risk it getting out and scaring off necessary clientele.”

“...okay.” Julia agreed, mostly looking at the floor. “...I don’t want to have to lie to them like that, though. Especially for the next few months...”

Wess sighed out. “I don’t want to either. But...”

Wess made a point to link hands with Julia. “...it’s better than ruining this.”

Julia slowly smiled to Wess, as she shook her head. “It just had to be now, huh?”

“Better late than never.” Wess remarked, as Julia wandered over to their bunk bed.

“We did a good job moving the bed back. I didn’t even know the bunk bed could be separated like that.” Julia pointed out, barely recalling the previous night. “I must’ve moved it with my Whil, which is pretty impressive, considering I was drunk…”

“And we certainly gave it a workout.” Wess said, feeling a slight soreness in her back. “I remember inviting you to talk, but I don’t think we ended up doing much of that...”

Julia grinned at her. “This was better.”

Wess rolled her eyes. “You’re taking to this quite well. I’m starting to think you were hoping for this.”

“It’s a compliment.” Julia said, running her hand on the bed-frame, as Wess watched her taking her time.

“...we should join up with the others.” Wess said. “Best not make them curious.”

“Yeah.” Julia agreed, slowly joining her as they left, before turning to face her. “Hey, Wess?”

“Yes?”

“How good was it?”

Wess blushed immediately, as she avoided staring at Julia too much. “U-Uhh...well, you were there too. You tell me.”

Julia thought on it for a second, before bumping Wess’ side. “We could use practice.”

“...well, I thought as much.” Wess agreed, before hurrying ahead, ready to join up with the others.

———

“Come on...come on...argghhh!!!”

Rosalind slashed at the training post one last time, before scorch marks started to appear permanently on the seemingly impenetrable exterior. She smirked at her accomplishment, before tossing her sword in the air.

“Burn-proof, my ass.”

Just as she was ready to continue, her pocket started to vibrate, as she pulled out her tablet.

“Yeah, what? I’m training.”

“I just got a report from RC.”

Rosalind heard Wicker’s tone and stayed tight-lipped.

“Apparently, two of the packages I thought had disappeared during maintenance were taken out beforehand.”

Rosalind tried to hold her nerves. “Yeah...”

Wicker stayed quiet for a second. “Why?”

“...it was that thing.” Rosalind said. “You know the one who’s been breaking them out? I tried to stop it, but it managed to get those two loose. I had to use your device to kill them in the end. It was just marked off as happening during maintenance by accident.”

There was silence over the call.

“But you know who I saw helping it? That Venator Team from the academy.” Rosalind replied. “Team Valiant. They were out on some vacation during their break and helped it out before scurrying away.”

“A Venator team?”

“Yeah. I think it was like some nursing a bird with a broken wing type of thing for them. Prissy little do-gooders...”

The silence continued.

“...if this is your way of lying, it’s well-rehearsed.”

Rosalind could hear a seat reclining on the other end. “...Team Valiant.”

“You know, their th-”

“I’m well aware of them.”

Rosalind started wandering around her room. “They stopped me before. Back at the academy.” Rosalind answered. “They’re only going to keep getting in the way if we don’t do anything.”

Wicker pondered this.

“We know how to deal with Venators.”

“Rosalind?”

“Yeah?”

“...I have a job for you.” Wicker said. “One to do with our good team.”

———

It was a pretty quiet walk to the academy’s tournament hall, but that let the trio appreciate their surroundings as they approached. A massive crowd of excited onlookers were gathered around the tournament hall, a massive stadium reserved solely for the academy’s yearly tournament, holding numerous rows of spectator stands surrounding its interior and a large central platform for the competitors.

The crowd seemed to be made up of plenty of Venator students, spectators, representatives from agencies and about as much security as you’d expect for a serious event like this.

Out of the three, Sola was easily the most starstruck. Tournaments were often broadcast on TV, more so than Venators actually fighting Wailing, so seeing the beginnings of a tournament in front of her, one she’d soon be competing in, was some of the most excitement she’d had in her degree so far.

Harley was somewhat feeling this to. The draw to fight in the tournament had been one of her personal desires for a while, and ideally, that’s all she’d be doing now. Frankly, it would work as a good distraction...

Similarly, Essex was interested in the prospect as well. Though the promotional aspect of the tournament had no draw for her, the opportunity to fight other skilled combatants was always appreciated. And even if it didn’t interest her, she’d be happy to help the team get their name out to any potential future clients.

Understandably, this wasn’t what was on either of their minds, as they continued closer to the tournament hall in silence, only occasionally glancing in the other’s direction, as Sola led the pack.

“Look! They've got stalls set up!” She let out, pointing frantically. “And they’re selling merch!”

Harley was caught off guard by Sola grabbing her hands, before indicating to the stalls.

“I’m gonna go off and buy some stuff. You can carry it for me, right?” Sola let out, as Harley found herself smiling.

“Yeah, no problem.” She agreed, as Sola ran off. “Get something big! I wanna push myself!”

Harley placed her hands on her hips, before realising she’d been left alone with Essex, as she tried to make herself comfortable.

Essex was staring at the commotion around them, before looking in Harley’s direction, then to the arena for a distraction.

“...we shall be competing soon.” Essex said.

“...yeah, yeah, we will be.” Harley said.

“Are you excited to compete?” Essex asked.

“It’s...yeah, I’ve been hoping to.” Harley replied, still avoiding Essex’s gaze, as Essex assessed her and sighed out, holding the base of her scythe.

“It is clear that being around you is making you uncomfortable.” Essex said, bowing to Harley. “I will leave you alone while we’re here.”

“No, Essex, wait.” Harley insisted. “I...I’m still...it only happened last night. I haven’t really...thought it all through yet.”

Essex nodded in agreement. “I understand. However, I still don’t believe me being here will help you figure anything out. Additionally...it would not help me understand it either. If you’ll excuse me.”

Essex quickly turned to leave, as Harley found herself lost for words, angry that she couldn’t explain herself any better.

“Hey, where’s Essex going?” Sola asked, just coming back with a giant stuffed elephant.

“...she just wanted to explore on her own.” Harley said, as Sola tried to look into her eyes.

“This is because of last night, isn’t it?”

“Of course it is.” Harley confessed. “We’re...not on the same page, and that’s weird. So it’s gonna be weird for a bit.”

Sola side-glanced Harley. “And how long is a bit?”

“As long as it needs to be.” Harley said, huffing out, before deciding to walk off. “I need some alone time...”

Sola watched Harley leave on her own, as she could already feel the pressure of what had happened last night seeping into her day-to-day, leaving her alone to take care of the elephant.

“Those two better work this out.” Sola mumbled to herself. “...maybe I should tell Julia and Wess...”

Sola thought better of it and shook her head. “No, we’ll deal with it and then tell them. No need to stress them out before the tournament...”

Sola sighed, before staring at the arena curiously. “I wish I was back at the orphanage...they would so know what to do...”

———

While it had been a while since she was last there, Rosalind felt weirdly comfortable arriving back at the academy. It helped that an army of Wailing weren’t tearing it apart, and that her job here was far less labour intensive.

However, that brought its own problems.

“Don’t kill them...you can’t go killing them...you’ll just draw attention to bla bla bla...”

Rosalind grabbed at her forehead, before kicking at the ground. “Wicker, you cryptic, self-satisfying, egotistical...”

She let out a breath, before turning her full attention to the Venator Academy tournament hall, a crowd of visitors and competitors all gathered outside, excited for the upcoming event.

“If I can’t kill them, then why am I watching them?” Rosalind said to herself, heading over to the tournament hall. “He wants me out of his hair. Why? Cause he’s busy?”

Rosalind waved her hands mockingly. “Sorry, Rosalind, I’m too busy sucking dick to give you real work. How ‘bout you stare at this drying paint?”

She pushed her way through a team grouped together, before arriving at the main building.

“Whatever...I’ll fuck them over somehow...” She said, digging around for a lollipop, before turning to see a man next to her in a well-pressed suit.

He looked back at her curiously, before Rosalind recognised who it was.

That’s pencil neck. Rosalind realised. I stole his car back at the attack.

Coatsworth cocked his head, before pointing to the arena. “Are you competing in the tournament?”

Rosalind found her lollipop and started sucking on it. “Nope. Just a curious party. I’m looking out for some competitors.”

She pulled another one out and handed it to him. “Consider this an apology, whatever that’s worth.”

Coatsworth stared at it, before tentatively grabbing it, just as Rosalind picked herself up and left. “Apology?”

“I’m not explaining.” Rosalind said, saluting with a couple fingers. “You’d thank me for not doing so.”

Coatsworth stared at her while she disappeared into the crowd, still holding the lollipop in his hand.

“...I rarely receive gifts.” He reflected, staring at it, before unwrapping it and putting it in his mouth. “What could warrant such a selfless act?”

———

Harley did her best to calm herself down, as her walk did its best to clear her head. However, before she made much headway, she noticed Julia running up to her.

“Did you guys split off already?” Julia asked, as Harley nodded to her.

“Didn’t Wess come with you?” Harley wondered, as Julia waved her hand.

“She wanted to get a bit of networking in. A bunch of representatives from agencies are here, so it’s a great opportunity.” Julia said, noticing Harley’s slightly sour demeanour. “Is something on your mind?”

“No, it’s...” Harley started, only to stop herself mid-sentence. “...me and Essex...got into an argument during the formal.”

“Oh.” Julia let out. “A serious one?”

Harley nodded back. “It’s a bit tense between us, so...I’m just letting you know in case we seem off.”

“Alright. If you need someone to talk to, I’m here.” Julia said, bumping her shoulder. “Can’t have my teammates getting into fights with each other, can I?”

Harley grinned back at her. “Always thinking like a lead-”

Harley was thrown off almost immediately by another person bumping her shoulder, making a point to barge right past her. She was thrown back into Julia, watching him pass by, before he gave her a cursory glance.

“Hey.” Harley let out, standing back up proper. “Feel like apologising for that?”

He turned back around and looked her over.

“Seems like it was your fault.” He insisted. “People should clear out for the future winner of the tournament.”

He grinned and indicated to himself. “Archer Parthos. The Western Wayside’s pride.”

Harley glared at him, as he continued walking off. “I’ll look out for the overly muscular blonde during my matches. Hopefully, you’re a challenge worthy of matching my soon-to-be legacy.”

Archer eventually folded into the crowd, leaving as suddenly as he arrived, before Julia looked back at Harley.

“Harley?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re making a fist.”

Harley noticed how tense her hand was, as she quickly released it, feeling a bit of guilt.

“Sorry. Jerks like that really get to me...”

Julia tried to make out her expression, even as her face was turned away.

How bad was the fight between her and Essex? Julia wondered.

“No way! Look at you!”

The duo turned around suddenly, before what seemed to be another competitor approached, though with a much better attitude about them.

“You’re a goddamn unit!” They exclaimed, admiring Harley’s physique. “Please tell me you’re competing this year.”

“...yeah, I am.” Harley answered, giving a slight salute. “Harley Baroke.”

They saluted back with their fingers and grinned. “Taylor. I’m fighting this year too.”

“Julia. I’m part of her team.” Julia greeted, as Taylor saluted her as well. “Are you from here? I don’t remember seeing you on campus.”

Taylor wiped their nose before answering. “No, I’m from the Western Wayside’s most prestigious academy.” Taylor bragged, waving their hands. “The VA Training Institute. If you want a cheap Venator license, there’s no better place to get it.”

Taylor indicated to the barely visibly Archer in the distance. “I rode in with tall, dark and aggressive over there.”

“Aren’t the VA Training Institute having their own tournament?” Harley asked, as Taylor shook their head.

“Too expensive to host one. But we get to compete in ones like these.” Taylor remarked, before glancing around the campus. “So, this is the original Venator Academy. You hear stories about it, but...”

Taylor’s eyes drooped. “Actually, it’s pretty bland. Just kinda looks like any old campus.”

“Well, it was the first...” Julia muttered. “Regardless, it’s nice to meet you. I wonder if we’ll be competing against each other.”

Taylor leaned in and smiled. “My weakness is my left kneecap. You get that one for free.”

“Taylor!”

The trio turned to the sudden yelling coming from behind them, before spotting Donovan from Team Instinct trudging through the now parted crowd toward them.

“Well then.” Taylor said, raising their hand. “I forgot you went to this shithole.”

Julia and Harley looked back at Donovan, who got closer and closer, before reaching Taylor’s face.

Donovan smiled.

“You son of a bitch!” Donovan exclaimed, grabbing their hand in a lock, then bringing them in for a hug. “Finally ditched the Western Wayside, huh?”

“Not quite, not quite.” Taylor replied, as they broke the hug, while still linking hands, before Donovan took the hint and started arm-wrestling them in mid-air.

“Uhh, hi Donovan.” Julia greeted, stepping in, as Donovan waved with their other hand.

“Good to see you.” They greeted.

“Are you friends with Taylor?” Julia asked, struggling to look away, as Taylor was starting to gain ground.

“Kinda. We went to the same high school together before I moved.” Taylor explained, smirking as Donovan started to struggle. “And you could never keep up.”

Donovan looked to be finished, before retightening their grip, straightening their back, and handily dominating Taylor in a matter of seconds, dragging their hand back down with minimal effort.

Taylor was left stunned, as Donovan flexed their hand, then flipped Taylor off.

“I win.”

“How the hell did you do that?! You little...” Taylor complained, ready to go another round, as Julia felt the need to step in and hold them back.

“I developed a Whil after graduating. I can regulate the temperature in my body at will.” Donovan explained. “We could do this for hours, and the outcome would still be the same.”

Taylor flicked their tongue, before letting Julia off. “Yeah, really skilful to get a Whil. Just wait until I prove you wrong in the tournament.”

“I’d love to see it.” Donovan grinned, before walking off, only for Julia to hurry after them.

“I’m gonna go catch up with Donovan. Be back in a bit.” Julia assured to Harley, who gave a thumbs up in response.

Julia sure is excited about the tournament. Harley thought, before facing Taylor again. Might as well get to know the competition.

Julia eventually caught up to Donovan, just a little out of breath.

“So that’s your Whil?” Julia asked, as Donovan nodded.

“Haven’t I shown it to you before?” Donovan rhetorically asked. “I mostly use it to keep myself from overheating during training, or to keep training once the sun goes down. My team struggle to keep up, but that’s their problem.”

“What a Whil.” Julia said. “You should meet my friend, Chops. She’d love to get a record of that.”

“I’m burning hot in bed, but still cool like the unused side of the pillow.” Donovan remarked, only to get little reaction from Julia.

“…”

“…that was a joke.”

“Oh.” Julia replied, still not really laughing, as Donovan sighed.

“It doesn’t matter. So your team’s competing too?” Donovan asked, as Julia nodded back.

“We’ve been excited about it for ages.” Julia said. “Harley and Essex especially.”

“Interesting.” Donovan said. “I don’t know many teams that would go out of their way to dress up for the formal, then follow up with a tournament.”

“That’s cause my team’s great.” Julia admitted, as Donovan grinned back at her.

“That wasn’t a compliment, Julia.” Donovan assured, now facing her properly. “My team’s been training for this our entire degree. Unlike you, we haven’t split our time.”

Donovan leaned in with a proud smirk. “Don’t get over confident. If we’re matched up, you better hope it’s an off day for Team Instinct. We’re built to destroy.”

Julia felt a real tingle go down her spine, as Donovan straightened back up, before leaving Julia on her own.

“Best of luck to your great team.” Donovan said, saluting like Taylor had, before leaving, as Julia was left stuck in a stunned state, only for Wess to approach right after.

“There you are. Where’re the others?” Wess asked, before noticing Julia’s demeanour. “Julia?”

“Team Instinct’s gonna wipe the floor with us...” Julia let out, visibly shaking.

Wess rolled her eyes and wrapped an arm around Julia. “This is what I get for leaving you alone...”

———

“But I’m burning hot...like a fire that’s ready to burst! Da da! Give me some love ton-”

“Miss?”

“-ight! Come on, baby! While the fire’s still burning!”

“You’re holding up the other contestants.”

“I’ll be your blaze if you’re my coal! Let’s do this til we get old!”

“Miss!”

“Ugh, what?!” Adora demanded, taking off her headphones. “I was nearly done. The song’s got, like, two minutes left.”

“If you want to participate in the tournament, you need to submit your weapons.” The organizer explained, pointing to the other contestants stacked behind her waiting patiently, as well as the open office door she was standing in front of. “In a timely manner.”

Adora pouted, before pocketing her tablet. “Fine. Jerk...”

The organizer pretended not to hear that, before indicating to the room next to them. “Just step in here and we’ll sort it out.”

Adora slinked inside, staring wide-eyed at the doorway as she came through, before spotting someone sitting across from her and another staff member stocking weaponry.

The person sitting started signing to her. [I’m Miss Jovie. I’m head of the engineering department here.]

“You guys got a bathroom?” Adora asked. “I don’t need to use it. I just want to know.”

Jovie blinked to herself, before dismissing the point and pulling out a clipboard.

[We’ll register you for the tou-]

“It’s just, like, you guys are here all day. It’s probably close by.” Adora added, sitting across from Jovie and drumming her hands on the desk. “I’m so excited to fight in the tournament.”

Jovie raised an eyebrow, before tapping on the clipboard, as Adora realised her point.

“Oh yeah! Alright, sign me up.” Adora insisted, as Jovie rolled her eyes to herself.

[Where’s the rest of your team?]

“Oh, they signed up before me. I totally forgot this was even a thing until an hour ago.”

Not gonna comment on that. Jovie thought to herself, before pointing to the empty team name on her sheet.

“...team name!” Adora realised, bouncing in her seat. “Team...Hoodwink?...Team Hoodwink! That’s it!”

[...what are your personalised weapons?] Jovie asked.

“Daggers.” Adora replied, tapping the couple that were hanging from her waist.

[How many?]

“Uhh...two.” Adora answered, giving Jovie pause, before she kept writing.

[Any Whil?]

“Nope.” Adora replied, drumming her hands again. “It’s so small in here.”

[Focus.] Jovie insisted, feeling stress starting to build up. [Academy of origin?]

“Defender’s Guild! That one in the north.” Adora answered, before excitedly showing off her letterman jacket. “It’s actually totally crazy how I got in. There was an opening in one o-”

Jovie snapped her fingers to shut Adora up, before pointing to the other staff worker in the room. [You need to hand over your weapons before participating.]

“W-What?! But I just registered them!” Adora yelled, standing up.

[We need to safety proof them. This is a tournament meant for spectacle fights, not bloodshed.] Jovie said, indicating even harder, as Adora clicked her tongue and begrudgingly handed over her daggers. [You’ll get them before each match and after the tournament’s over. You can also request to train with them if it’s within the arena perimeter.]

“Sure, whatever. That them...” Adora moped, already heading back out the door, as Jovie tried to get her attention again, before giving up.

...honestly, some students.

Adora left in the opposite direction to the other people coming in, as she hung her arms back behind her head, before rounding the corner and checking to see if anyone else was there.

Once the coast was clear, she held out her hand and materialised a dagger from a puff of smoke, before playing with it casually and smiling.

“This is gonna be fun.”

———

“Seven Wailing?!” Taylor exclaimed, as Harley nodded back to them.

“Yeah, more or less. Though two of them were a pair, and then there was that army...”

“That’s it?!” Taylor let out, stunning Harley.

“That’s it? We’re only second-years. Most of the other teams have only fought one or two.”

“There’s no way.” Taylor muttered. “I guess what they say about Central Point’s true. You guys really are sheltered here.”

“Well, how many have you fought?” Harley insisted.

“How many? I can’t even keep count.” Taylor bragged, holding out their finger. “There was the giant tentacle one with acidic breath, the bird one that picked up one of my teammates whole, a worm one that I swear was a descendant of the Waygone Wailing...”

“Alright, I get it. That’s a lot to fight in a year.” Harley said, as Taylor shook their head.

“Not a year. That was the last month.” Taylor admitted, shocking Harley. “If you want a real challenge, come down to Aceoro. We’ll push your limits for sure.”

“My limits are fine where they are.” Harley said, as Taylor shrugged in response.

“Alright. I mean, from your appearance, I assumed you wanted to get stronger...” Taylor said, turning around. “...but if you want to stay playing second fiddle, who am I to judge?”

Harley could feel her eye twitching, while desperately scanned for anyone other team members in the crowd of strangers.

Dammit, guys, where are you?

“Seriously?! They’re actually showing up?!”

“Yes, but from what I was told, only for a bit. We’ll get a chance to see them, but that’s probably all we’ll have time for.”

“I’ll take it!” Julia let out, nervously waiting in the opening hallway of the arena, surrounded by other excited onlookers.

“It’s the shame the others split off so soon.” Wess said. “They'll just have to hear about Team Daybreak second-hand.”

“Oh boy, I’m sweating...” Julia realised, checking her flannel again. “It’s not showing through the fabric, right?”

Wess gave her a once over, before closing Julia’s arms to her body. “Just do your best to keep your nerve. We want to impress, remember?”

“Y-Yeah.” Julia said, only feeling her nerves coming back again, before she heard a few cheers coming from the onlookers closer to the entrance.

“Look! It’s Lorne the Chaser!”

“Realm and Synth too! No way!”

“Th-They’re already here?” Julia let out, pulling out her tablet to check her appearance, before even more rambunctious cheering erupted from the front.

“It’s the Hammer of Justice herself! Victoria Knox!”

“I love you, Vic!”

“Knock ‘em down!”

“Thank you, thank you!” Victoria let out, waving to the crowd, as the rest of her team joined her. “We appreciate the warm welcome. I’ve missed the academy.”

She made her way through the lined-up fans, waving to each of them happily, before arriving at Julia, still trying to clean up her appearance.

Julia eventually noticed Victoria standing in front of her and jumped back in shock, as Victoria rested her hands on her hips.

“Someone’s pretty eager.”

Julia stepped forward quickly. “S-S-Sorry. I-I just really admire y-you guys...”

“She’s our leader in Team Valiant. Often, she’s a lot more composed, but her nerves just got the best of her.” Wess backed up, holding Julia’s shoulders.

“I can tell. You look ready for the industry already.” Victoria remarked.

“The Wailing won’t be a problem much longer!” Julia assured, trying to put on a confident face, as Victoria snickered to herself.

“You’ll get by, kid. I hope we can work together someday.” Victoria insisted, before walking off into the arena proper, followed by the rest of Team Daybreak.

She turned back and waved, giving Julia a wink as well, whose heart fluttered the moment it happened.

Just as Team Daybreak left sight, Julia grabbed Wess by the shoulders suddenly. “Did you see that?! They wanna work with us! Us!”

Wess pulled her arms off and held them down, before breathing out. “...don’t do that, and yes, that’s very exciting.”

“Now if I can meet Team Spectrum in person, I’ll be set for life!” Julia cheered, as Wess sighed out.

“I really need to give you some lessons on how to represent the team...” Wess muttered, as Julia kept celebrating.

“I wanna tell the others so bad! They’ll be so jealous!” Julia encouraged. “I’d hate to keep something like this fro...”

Julia slowly stopped celebrating once she heard what she’d said, just as Wess picked up on it as well.

“Julia...”

“...no, you’re right. Sorry.” Julia said. “This is different, obviously.”

“I know you want to tell them, but we just can’t.” Wess said. “And you can forget about working with Team Daybreak in the future if we do.”

Julia took a deep breath, before turning to face Wess.

“Can we just tell them?”

Wess cocked her head. “You mean only the team?”

“...I know we can trust them.” Julia assured. “If there’s anyone I would want knowing this secret, it’s our team. We’ve been through so much together.”

Julia tapped her chin. “And maybe Team Vanguard, but just cause they’re cool.”

Wess sighed out, before leaning on the wall. “It’s not about trust. Of course I trust them to keep it a secret...”

Wess started counting on her fingers. “Harley’s very extroverted, but she also knows when to hold back. Sola’s surprisingly mature and would be the first to support us in this, and Essex, while not being the most socially conscious, is one of the most respectful people I’ve met.”

Wess tapped her foot. “If this was the start of our degree, I’d say that I don’t trust them. Now, having gotten to know them as people, I’m worried that we might be too close.”

Wess stared at the floor. “I...don’t want to tell them because I’m worried it would ruin our friendships. They’d look at us very differently...and I’ve just gotten used to being seen normally...”

Julia rolled her eyes and joined Wess’ side.

“Of course they will.” Julia pointed out. “You just said it yourself. You look at them differently to how you used to. These kinds of changes happen all the time.”

Julia leaned back on the wall with Wess. “After they told us about them dating, we still treated Harley and Sola the same. Why wouldn’t they do the same for us?”

Wess stayed a bit quiet, as Julia bumped her side.

“How about we treat this like a test?” Julia proposed. “If we’re really that close, then this shouldn’t affect us.”

“...so sort of an ultimatum?” Wess said.

“Yeah. We’ll tell them about us...” Julia said, linking her hand with Wess’. “...together, and just take it how it comes.”

“...you have a lot of faith in them, don’t you?”

“It’s not faith.” Julia assured. “I just know them well.”

Wess sighed out, before pulling herself off the wall. “...alright. We’ll...let them know. Even if alarm bells are going off in my head...”

“Same, but that’s probably from seeing Team Daybreak in person.” Julia admitted, getting a light chuckle from Wess. “We should go sign up. I’m sure the line’s thinned out by now.”

“Good idea. Let’s go find the others.” Wess suggested, deciding to make tracks, before Julia spoke up suddenly.

“Hey, Wess?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.” Julia let out, smiling back at her.

Wess was a bit stunned by Julia’s sudden affection, as she tried to recover as quickly as possible.

“Y-Yes, well...I love you too.” Wess managed, still looking a bit awkward, as Julia grinned to herself, before going off to join her.

———

“Hey, Cam?”

“Yeah?”

“You think we can win this?”

Cameron joined Cyrus in the spectator stands, as they watched a few of the event organisers preparing the arena. “I think so. Team Salvation need to stand out a bit more.”

“Yeah, I get that.” Cyrus said, tapping his foot. “...you reckon someone’s gonna steal me up?”

Cameron stared at him. “Like a burglar?”

“No, I mean some agency.” Cyrus clarified. “A lot of them watch these matches, and you know I’ve already gotten calls asking for me.”

Cameron bumped his shoulder. “That’s why the team needs to stand out. You keep stealing all our thunder.”

“Not by choice.” Cyrus laughed, leaning back on the rail. “Well, if I do get picked up, I’ll put in a good word for you guys.”

“So, you’re still planning on going solo?” Cameron asked.

“It’s best for me. Nothing against you guys...” Cyrus said. “...but after I leave, feel free to rename yourselves to Team Anchor.”

Cameron lost it at the joke and was having trouble holding back laughter.

“Come on, it wasn’t that good.” Cyrus played off, as Cameron recovered.

“Phew...I know, it just caught me off guard.” Cameron said, wiping his eye. “Sweet Whilit, that was funny...”

Cyrus stared back at him, before staring behind them and noticing there was a view of most of the other attendees, all gathered outside of the tournament hall.

He recognised a few familiar faces, before smiling to himself.

“You miss her, huh?” Cameron asked, as he realised Cyrus was looking in Wess’ direction.

“Shut up.” Cyrus replied, before dipping his head down. “...yes, obviously.”

“Hey, maybe if you’re lucky, your wicked sword skills can win her back?” Cameron suggested, cupping his hands together. “Oh Cyrus, I was a fool to leave things like we did! I can’t get enough of your big, impressive sword!”

“You’re terrible.” Cyrus chuckled, trying not to laugh. “That’s it. No more waiting for graduation. I’m leaving the team now.”

“Great. Good riddance.” Cameron insisted. “Go start Team Douchebag all on your own.”

“I will. I’ll be a better leader than you too.” Cyrus said, before the duo just laughed it off. “We’d better go register.”

“Yeah. Let’s hope we run into your ex so I can rip into you more.” Cameron joked, as Cyrus tried to trip him on the stairs.

———

Essex found herself waiting again, just outside of Jovie’s temporary office inside the arena.

There hadn’t been much to do after she split off from Harley and Sola, but if anything, she kind of preferred that. It wasn’t often her emotions had such a hold on her, so alone time to think it over was greatly appreciated.

Just then, Harley came from around the corner, noticing Essex and deciding to join up with her.

“Hey.” Harley said, staring at the office door. “...where’re the others?”

“Still arriving.” Essex said, just as the awkward silence between the two started to creep in again.

Thankfully before it could get too long, Sola came down the hall, noticing the tension between the two and deciding to intercept it.

“Hey guys!” She called out, running up the them. “We’re actually getting signed up! It almost doesn’t feel real.”

Harley smirked back at her. “I would’ve thought you’d be worried about hurting people with your Whil?”

“Well, yeah, but with my cannons and after our training, I can handle myself.” Sola assured, pretending to flex, which got a guilty laugh from Harley.

Essex decided to keep to herself, even if she couldn’t help but listen in on the couple’s cute banter, before she was distracted by Julia and Wess coming down the hall.

“There we go. I told you it was down here, Wess.” Julia said, as Wess rolled her eyes.

“Yes, well all these halls look the same, so you can’t blame me for getting lost.” Wess said.

Julia went to speak, before noticing the others and indicating to Sola. “Well, Sola made it here fine.”

“Huh?” Sola let out, just as the office door opened, with Jovie popping her head out.

[Are you here to register?] She asked, as Julia nodded back.

“I hope we’re not too late.” Julia asked.

[Not at all. Come in.] Jovie signed, as the team started filling out the room.

Jovie sat down at her desk, before grabbing out a few documents and handing them to Julia, who sat across from her.

[Just sign these forms and you’ll be registered.] Jovie explained, before pointing to the other person present. [We’ll also need to gather your weapons from you. We’ll be keeping them for the duration of the tournament.]

“Weapons?” Julia realised, lowering the forms. “Why do you need our weapons?”

[They have to be safety-proofed.] Jovie clarified, leaning back in her seat. [We can’t have participants hurting each other too bad out there, or else we’d have no Venators to fight the Wailing.]

Jovie kicked her feet up casually. [Obviously, we can’t do that for Whils or bludgeoning weapons, but what are you gonna do...]

“Oh yeah. Don’t you guys have...uhh, what’s it called?” Harley interjected, mid-handing off her Buster Knuckles to the attendee. “Selfit? Dammit, what’s the name?”

“Solfyst.” The attendee replied, before taking Harley’s weapons off her.

[It’s a compound we apply to sharp weaponry to stop it from breaking the skin.] Jovie added, before sitting up. [Do any of you have a bladed weapon?]

Wess went to hand off Belvedere, as Jovie took it, before reaching into a drawer and pulling out a small container of a clear liquid. She stuck a bit of it to her hands, then ran it over Belvedere’s blade, giving it a second to solidify.

Immediately, she ran it over her arm, briefly freaking out the team, only for them to realise she was unharmed.

[You can still use it as a sword.] Jovie clarified, placing Belvedere down. [But now your opponent’s not going to get disemboweled during a match.]

She then reached into another drawer and pulled out a similar liquid with a slightly different colour, before running it over the blade where the Solfyst had been applied.

[We need to be incredibly careful with application, so your weapons stay with us.] Jovie pointed out. [On top of that, we’ll also keep your weapons in case a member of your team’s unable to fight and needs to be replaced, meaning we need all your weaponry.]

Jovie handed Belvedere back. [You can still train around the arena, but you’ll only get them back after the tournament’s over.]

“Wait, what about my rifle? I can’t use bullets.” Julia asked.

[We’ll replace them with non-lethal rounds. They’re like a polymer...compound thing.] Jovie explained, smiling a little. [They hurt like hell, but they don’t break the skin either.]

“Really? They sound pretty useful.” Julia admitted, resting her hand on her chin. “I might wanna get some of those once we graduate...”

“Miss-” Essex let out, pulling her scythe from the attendee’s grip. “Miss Jovie, I do not wish to relinquish my scythe. It is against my principles.”

[Principles?] Jovie wondered, as Julia leaned over.

“Her scythe has a lot of cultural importance to her. Can we make an exception?” Julia asked, as Jovie shook her head in reply.

[All weapons need to be registered. It’s the only way the team can compete.] Jovie pointed out, as Essex looked to Julia.

“What did she say?” Essex asked.

“It needs to be safety-proofed if any of us are going to compete.” Julia explained.

“Couldn’t she get a spare scythe?” Sola asked, as Jovie shook her head.

[Those are reserved for Venators with damaged or missing weaponry. Scythes are rare, and we only have so many on hand.] Jovie explained, turning to Essex. [It’s your call.]

Though Essex couldn’t understand her signing, she got the general gist of what Jovie was saying, as Harley felt like intervening.

“H-Hey, look, if Essex doesn’t want to do it...then we don’t have to compete, you know?” Harley suggested. “There’s always next year. A-And it’s not a huge deal if w-”

“Thank you.” Said the attendee, as Harley realised Essex had handed off her scythe to them.

Essex took a needed breath, before turning to address the others. “In this moment, my most helpful action would be to allow us to compete. If this requires handing over my scythe, then I will do it.”

Julia nodded back at her. “Okay. If that’s alright with you, Essex.”

Essex gave a brief glance to Harley, just as she shied away, trying to ignore Essex’s knowing gaze.

[Well, that should be everything.] Jovie said, standing up from her desk. [Welcome to the tournament, Team Valiant.]

———

“What a day...” Julia let out, heading back to the dorms with the rest of the team. “I feel like we met so many new people.”

“I wonder how many we’ll be versing?” Wess added, as Sola jumped in place.

“As many as we can find! We’re so gonna win this!” Sola cheered, before jumping onto Harley playfully.

Essex decided to keep her distance, mostly reeling from having to hand off her scythe, just as Julia hung back with Wess and bumped her shoulder.

“Don’t worry. Once we get back, okay?” Julia assured, as Wess sighed and nodded.

“Right. This’ll be a cake walk...” Wess remarked, hoping she wasn’t lying to herself, just as the team arrived back at their dorm.

Everyone made themselves comfortable, with Harley and Sola landing on Sola’s bed and Essex sitting against the couch, before Julia and Wess came in and turned to face them.

“Okay, so...before we get ready for the tournament...” Julia prefaced.

“...Julia and I have something to confess.” Wess continued, surprising the others.

“Is this in regards to the tournament?” Essex asked.

“No, not really.” Wess said, giving an uncomfortable look to Julia. “We’ve...we’ve been lying to you.”

Julia nodded, as the realisation started to hit. “Something...happened, and we thought...the best idea was to keep it from you...but then...”

Julia started to sniffle. “B-But then we realised it was wrong...a-and that we love you guys...and y-you’re super cool...”

“Julia, are you al-”

“We did it!” Julia yelled, as her face slowly saddened. “We totally did it!”

She pointed frantically at their bed. “There! That’s where we did it!”

Julia was having trouble holding back tears. “W-We’re so sorry! We didn’t want to lie like that! I-It just kinda happened, and and an...!”

“Alright, she’s starting to milk it.” Wess argued, stepping in front of Julia as she tried to calm herself down. “What Julia attempted to say is...we...we spent the night...together.”

The trio looked at them curiously, as Harley cocked her head. “...on a trip?”

“No, not...” Wess tried, holding her forehead. “Julia was upset during the formal, so we sequestered ourselves in the dorm and got drunk. One thing led to another...”

“...and you played a board game, right?” Sola replied. “I’ve never played a board game drunk. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten drunk...”

“Is that it? Was it a board game?” Essex asked, as Wess just sighed heavily.

“Oh my god...we had sex, okay? We...shacked up. Made love. Fornicated.” Wess insisted, as the trio finally reacted appropriately. “Honestly, you three...”

“What the...” Harley said, as her head was spinning. “What, last night?! And you didn’t tell us?!”

“We’re telling you now, aren’t we?” Wess argued, as Julia had managed to regain some dignity.

“We didn’t want to throw you guys off before the tournament. We’re still...figuring out what it meant, s-”

“So it wasn’t a board game!” Sola exclaimed. “This is so big, you guys!”

“I-I...am shocked.” Essex admitted. “How did this transpire?”

“...I think it was bound to happen.” Julia admitted, holding Wess’ hand. “But...neither of us regret it. We’re sorry for lying...but we promise, it’s not just going to be a one-time thing.”

Sola blinked. “Really?”

Immediately, she turned to a smile. “I’m so happy for you guys!”

She jumped up and grabbed their hands. “You two deserve this! You’re already some of my favourite people, so this is even better!”

“...this is the second love confession in one year. Forgive me for being surprised.” Essex excused, sitting up from the couch. “This goes without saying, but we will support you in this endeavour.”

“You hear that, Wess? They’re cool with it.” Julia remarked, as Wess just smiled and rolled her eyes.

Harley was still reeling on the bed, as Wess decided to perk up. “You know, a kind word about this wouldn’t go amiss.”

Harley turned to them. “Oh, sorry, I was just dealing with the fact that you had the whole day and you’re only bringing it up now that it’s almost over.”

“I mean, I wanted...” Julia started, before Wess glared at her. “Right, right. We’re a couple now. No throwing you under the bus.”

“...I’m happy for you guys, but you didn't have to keep it from us.” Harley said. “Me and Sola told you guys the moment we could.”

“But...you know, it wasn’t an accident for us.” Sola added. “It sounds like spending the night together wasn’t really planned...”

“...just, if something like this happens in the future, let us know, okay? I don’t want to be kept in the dark about these things.” Harley said, deliberately looking at everyone except Essex, who noted that as well.

“Of course. Frankly, I doubt something like this will come up later.” Wess pointed out, before remembering something important. “However, we need to keep this from public. We can’t have the tournament goers knowing about us dating.”

“Oh, right. This information doesn’t leave this room.” Julia supported. “We don’t want to scare off future clients with relationship stuff.”

“Would that be harmful?” Essex asked very earnestly, getting a head nod from Wess.

“Any sign of emotional vulnerability or fragility are red flags for anyone wanting to hire us. Until the tournament is finished, we stay quiet on this.” Wess clarified.

“...I see.” Essex agreed, straightening her back. “We shall avoid needless drama then. We will do our best to ignore it and act professional.”

We? Julia thought, as Essex quickly bowed, before heading into her room.

“I shall prepare for the tournament. We will succeed in making the name Team Valiant well-known.” Essex assured, closing the door. “Dovono.”

The team was thrown off by just how sudden Essex’s reaction was, as Wess shook her head.

“Poor girl. Another confession must have tuckered her out.” Wess remarked, before looking over to Julia. “Well, now that we don’t have to pretend, would you care for a celebratory glass of wine, Julia?”

“Ooo, dating already has its perks.” Julia joked, as they headed off to the kitchen, leaving Sola and Harley to head to the couch.

“Harley.” Sola said, as Harley grabbed the TV remote.

“Yeah?”

“...I think we need to be honest too.”

Harley flipped through a few channels. “About what?”

Sola pouted. “You know. You said it yourself; we told them the moment we became a thing. Shouldn’t we tell them about Essex?” Sola pointed out.

Harley sighed. “What’s there to tell? We’re not dating.”

“Yeah, but she still confessed to us.” Sola added. “That really mattered to her.”

“If Essex wants to tell them, then she can. Frankly, I think Julia and Wess were right. No more distractions before the tournament.” Harley insisted, leaving Sola a bit lost on what to do.

“...I guess so.” Sola replied, as Harley landed on a channel.

“...I’m sorry, Sola, but things are gonna be weird for me and Essex.” Harley confessed, before reaching over and resting her hand on Sola’s. “We’ll be okay. And don’t...feel like you need to help me through it. I’ve got some experience in this area.”

Sola looked a touch dejected, but nodded back anyway, as Harley kept to herself and turned her attention to the TV, hoping for a bit of distraction.

Meanwhile, Wess and Julia had headed out onto the balcony, where they each raised a glass to the fast-approaching sunset.

“To the tournament.” Wess cheered, as Julia clinked her glass to Wess’.

“To Team Valiant’s triumph!”