“Watch out!”

“They’re better than we thought!”

“Chops, Nathaniel, trip them up! Saxin and Lenin can draw their attention!”

Just as Joleicia yelled out her command, Chops lay her foot down and froze the ground solid, tripping up the members of Team Ferocity, before Nathaniel added to the chaos by placing his hands on the ground, causing a low, sudden tremor to rupture the land beneath them.

Baron and Duke managed to stand their ground, only to notice Saxin quickly approaching, spinning her belt of daggers around before throwing a few in their direction.

Baron blocked a few, just as the ground beside him unsettled, which he wrote off as Duke using his Whil, until Lenin emerged from the ground, clawing at Baron’s now vulnerable side.

Before Saxin could pincer him, Edward just barely got up and used his Whil to throw Saxin’s dagger belt, along with her, off to the side, just as he gave Baron a thumbs up and collapsed.

Duke threw off Lenin from Baron now that he didn’t have Saxin as backup, just as a bullet shot right past him. He noticed Joleicia off in the distance, lining up her sniper rifle for another shot, as Baron’s attention was drawn to Chops, huddling by the arena’s edge.

With quick thinking, he used his Whil to create a small fire near Chops’ foot, causing her to jump and fall out of the arena, before threatening to do the same with Nathaniel nearby.

Nathaniel did his best not to give into the threat, before Duke finished him off by using his Whil to send him through the ground and out of the arena as well.

Joleicia refrained from taking another shot and joined Lenin by the remnants of Chops’ ice formations, as Baron and Duke huddled together in a makeshift defensive wall, standing off against what remained of the other team.

“I don’t believe this! Six eliminations in the span of a couple minutes!”

“It seems the teams were out for blood in this match, that’s for sure.”

“If you’re just joining us over broadcast...” One of the announcers said. “Hi! I’m Rosetta, but call me Miss Spence!”

“We’re...in the middle of a tournament match.” The other announcer added, butting in. “I’m Duncan. Call me Vent.”

“This is an all-out battle between Team Vanguard and Team Ferocity!” Spence announced, grabbing the mic fervently. “Team Vanguard are currently the favourites to win, but Team Ferocity might pull it together with pure skill!”

“Currently, three members on each team have been eliminated.” Vent added, insisting on staying still. “With two more eliminations, the match will be called.”

Baron assessed Joleicia and Lenin, noticing that both still had a decent amount of energy to them, while Duke and himself were simply too overwhelmed.

“Any answers for this?” Baron asked.

“That short girl froze the ground underneath them, so my Whil won’t work on it.” Duke explained, taking a heavy breath.

“And with only us left, they’ve got the advantage of distance.” Baron said, staring at Joleicia’s rifle. “We can’t both make it through.”

Duke stared at Baron as he stepped forward. “You got a plan?”

“Just follow.” Baron insisted, before rushing head forward.

Joleicia and Lenin quickly noticed, as Lenin looked to Joleicia and did a little head nod, before she nodded back, lining up her next shot.

Baron charged directly at Lenin, as Lenin prepared to dodge him by digging through the ground, only for Baron to run past, climbing up the ice formation that Joleicia was perched on.

He lit his whip-sword on fire and sliced through it, collapsing Joleicia’s perch, as Lenin tried to pivot and help her, only for Duke to launch his ball and chain over and wrap Lenin up.

Joleicia quickly recovered and pulled out the katana stored in her rifle, ready for Baron to try and duel her, only for him to jump forward and grab her shoulders suddenly, pulling her to the ground just outside of the arena.

Just as Lenin broke himself free, an alarm rang out across the arena, drawing his and Duke’s attention.

“Baron and Joleicia have just been eliminated! Our victorious competitors are Duke de vil and Lenin Diggs!”

Just as Joleicia came back to consciousness, she finally noticed the roaring crowd around them, cheering for the fight's victors, and Baron, getting off her and wiping his arms of dust.

“What a vile strategy!” Joleicia yelled, as Baron barely looked at her.

“Tactic, and it worked. My team got through.” Baron insisted, pocketing his hands. “I’d rather not have my ex hand my ass to me in front of a crowd.”

“We would’ve won if...” Joleicia grumbled, before folding her arms. “At least Lenin made it through.”

“True.” Baron remarked, before walking out of the arena. “Whatever it takes for victory.”

Joleicia was having trouble holding back her frustration, just as Lenin hopped down from the arena platform excitedly, pumping his fists.

“I did it!”

Joleicia drooped her eyes.

Lenin pumped his fists again. “We did it!”

Joleicia couldn’t help herself from laughing, as she patted his back. “I guess we did.”

Meanwhile, somewhat blown away in their seats surrounding the arena, Team Valiant stared at the carnage in front of them, finally getting a glimpse of an official tournament match in person, and all the chaos it held.

“That was insane...” Harley let out. “Even without real bullets and stuff...”

“I don’t know which is scarier. Wailing fighting or this...” Sola added.

“No need to let out nerves get to us.” Wess insisted, only to realise Julia had sunken into her seat, staring at the open sky in the arena. “Right, Julia?”

“S-Sure...”

“We have successfully defeated multiple Wailing together.” Essex insisted, giving a thumbs up to the others. “This will be just as easy.”

“I wish I had your confidence, Essex...” Julia admitted. “I don’t know how Joleicia even handled that...”

———

“I barely did!”

Joleicia let out a hearty laugh, as Chops slapped her back.

“She’s being modest. Joleicia’s been prepping us with battle strategies all throughout training.” Chops admitted. “We just defaulted to that once the fight started.”

“Wow...seriously?” Harley let out, taking a break from using her Buster Knuckles on her training post. “I think we’ve...mostly just winged it at this point.”

“Hey.” Julia said, letting down her rifle and joining them. “We make an effort to plan. It’s just most of the time, we can’t see fights coming.”

“It would help if Wailing stopped landing on top of us.” Wess remarked, resting her head in her hands on the nearby spectator stands, watching as the two teams trained together just outside the arena.

“Still! You guys were so light on your feet!” Sola exclaimed, running up to Saxin. “Especially Saxin! How’d you avoid falling over during all that?!”

Saxin rested a hand under her chest and smirked. “It’s my Whil. Certainly one of the more subtle ones.”

To demonstrate, she balanced herself on one foot and leaned over. Despite leaning far enough to topple over, she stayed perfectly upright without a hint of swaying.

“Perfect Balance.” She said, before standing up proper. “It’s impossible for me to fall over. It pairs up wonderfully with Lenin’s little digging skills...”

“Little.” Lenin repeated, as Saxin joined his side. “She says little...”

“It also has a couple other benefits too, like the ease of standing up in the bath or no back pain from my otherwise well-endowed chest.” Saxin pointed out.

“Lucky...” Harley and Wess muttered in unison, as Julia cleared her throat.

“N-Nathaniel’s Whil is pretty impressive too.” Julia said, turning to him. “Who would’ve guessed you could do so much damage?”

“Oh, I-I try not to.” Nathaniel insisted, staring at his hands. “Making tremors feels weird, but it works pretty well with the rest of the team, so...”

“Vonodo.” Essex let out, sitting in the stands and pointing to the tablet in her hands. “Our match is being announced.”

The teams crowded around the tablet, as Spence and Vent appeared on screen in their arena booth.

“Hello, teams! With today’s matches finally settled, it’s time to announce tomorrow's matches!”

“Out of the 32 teams competing, the four teams versing each other in this bracket will be...”

Everyone waited with baited breath, as Vent cleared his throat.

“Team Exemplary VS Team Serpentine, and Team Instinct VS Team Valiant.”

“Instinct?” Harley let out.

“Donovan’s team?” Julia realised, muttering to herself, as Spence slammed the table.

“What a matchup! I’m excited all over again!”

“Yes. Very competent tea...” Vent said, before reading over the list of competitors again and smirking. “...heh. She’s actually competing. Go figure.”

“Oh, piss off Vent.” Harley complained. “I’ll show you what’s what, you judgey little...”

“Hey, save that for our matches. Don’t go beating up the announcers.” Sola insisted.

“Just him. Spence is fine.” Harley pointed out, as Julia stood up proper.

“We’re versing Donovan so early?” She wondered, talking to herself, as she drew the others attention. “Not only them, but their whole team...”

Joleicia watched her planning and smiled, before turning to the rest of Team Valiant. “We’ll give you guys some space to strategise. Good luck against Team Instinct.”

Team Vanguard took their leave and headed back to the dorms, as Julia was too in her head to notice.

“Only Donovan has a Whil...but they’re all incredibly fit...how are...”

“Julia?”

Julia turned back around to the rest of the team. “Yeah?”

“Do you want to tell your team about your plans?” Wess said. “May I remind you; you’re not fighting them all by yourself.”

Julia nodded. “Right, right...”

She sighed out, before facing the team proper. “Sorry, I was just expecting us to fight...literally anyone else...hopefully people we didn’t know personally...”

“This would have happened at some point.” Essex noted, hopping down from the stands and handing Julia her tablet back. “Do not be syked out.”

Julia chuckled a little. “...I can’t think straight. I don’t think I’ve eaten since the match...”

———

Julia could hardly let her eyes off the stove, just as night started to creep into the dorm.

“Harley, you really know how to make me happy.” Julia let out, waiting patiently at the kitchen table with the team, as Harley worked away at dinner.

“Oh, trust me. I’m very good at making people happy.” Harley said, winking to Sola, who just giggled to herself.

Essex did her best to ignore that, before speaking up. “This will be our first tournament match. We should research our opponents and come up with a basic strategy. We can train for the rest of tomorrow and adjust as we go.”

Julia blinked, before nodding. “Yeah, we’ll just...do what Essex said, really.”

“Do you have a better solution?” Essex wondered, as Julia fervently shook her head.

“Honestly, no. I’m kinda lost here...” Julia admitted, briefly getting distracted by dinner again. “My only example for this kinda stuff would be Team Spectrum, but they didn’t really do tournament matches.”

“We could always watch some matches with the Dragon Tamer.” Wess offered, patting Julia’s back. “She’s incredibly accomplished in her field.”

“Yeah, may...” Julia said, only for Harley to drop a bowl of chilli con carne in front of her. “Already? Thanks Harley!”

She started digging in immediately, as Wess shook her head. “Well, as least you have your priorities...”

Wess scratched her chin, as Harley passed off dinner to the rest of the team. “Personally, I’m curious about how we’re going to investigate Faller during this time. Our schedule’s very busy considering we have the entire tournament to worry about.”

Julia took a break from eating to answer. “How about whoever’s eliminated works on investigating him? That way, whoever isn’t can focus on their matches without the distraction.”

“If we’re lucky enough to get through.” Wess pointed out. “But it’s a good idea.”

“And worst-case scenario, we’re all eliminated and investigate together.” Harley pointed out, sitting down as well. “Though let’s not aim for that.”

“Match preparation, Faller...what else do we need to plan?” Essex wondered aloud, as Sola snapped her fingers.

“Ooo! What about that sponsorship?” Sola mentioned, turning to Wess. “Didn’t you say you got us one for the tournament?”

Wess’ eyes widened. “Oh yes. I nearly forgot, actually.” Wess realised, taking out her tablet. “Just a second.”

She stood up and headed to the desk near her bed, before pulling out a business card. She dialled the number on the back, while wandering around the kitchen, waiting for a response.

“...Dennis, dear? This is Wess...yes, that Wess. I decided we should make good on that promise.”

Wess started tapping her foot. “Of course I didn’t forget…well, that’s your problem, isn’t it?…I gave you plenty of warning, so you don’t go complaining now. If you couldn’t keep up your end of the deal...”

The team watched her slowly grow more frustrated, as she massaged her forehead. “…I still have the sword, by the way. Just beside my bed. I’m looking at it right now.”

Wess’ eyes lit up. “What’s that? You’re willing to deal? I’m shocked.”

Wess rolled her eyes at the team, who chuckled to themselves, before she nodded her head. “Alright. See you soon enough.”

Wess hung up, before sitting back down. “What a pain. But it’s done.”

“Great job, Wess.” Julia explained, hugging her side. “Who’s the sponsorship with?”

“Oh, Andro Manufacturing.” Wess said, before turning her tablet around and showing off their logo on the back. “Pretty good find, huh?”

“Wait, they make our tablets.” Sola let out. “How’d you get a company like that?”

“Uhh...coercion, mostly.” Wess admitted. “Harley can attest to that.”

“You should have seen her. It was pretty awesome.” Harley bragged, giving a thumbs up to Wess.

“We’ll just shill out the brand a little bit. It should look good for investors in future promotions.” Wess casually muttered, thinking over a few things, as Essex put her cutlery down.

“Wess, is this sort of action necessary? Can we not promote ourselves with Wailing hunts?” Essex asked, as Wess glanced at her.

“Not if we want to make a decent wage. Hunting Venators are paid per hunt, so income’s not stable.” Wess pointed out. “We’d be enjoying less of these dinners, that’s for sure.”

“Sponsorships make it so we can work better as a team.” Julia reasoned, turning to Essex. “You’re here on a scholarship. That’s the same thing, really.”

Essex sighed out. “I would suppose...but I will avoid ‘shilling out’ if I can.”

“Ooo! You’ll be the cool, silent type who hates the cameras!” Sola suggested, jumping up from her seat. “We’ll be all smiling at the crowds, and you’ll be in the back, brooding and stuff.”

Essex blinked. “Is that very different to my normal behaviour?”

Sola blinked too. “No...but now it’ll be on purpose.”

Essex thought on this, before turning and folding her arms, imagining herself in the scenario, as Wess pulled out her tablet.

“We’d best get comfortable with shilling...”

———

Dennis lay back against the company van, just outside the entrance to the academy. He was nervously checking his watch, but more to get out some frustration than to actually check the time.

“Where did I go wrong in life? I’m indebted to students at a Venator school. I’m risking losing my job just to keep it. I’m running around with merch I shouldn’t have...”

Before he went to check it again, he noticed Team Valiant emerging from the entrance in somewhat of a hurry, as Wess waved to him.

“Apologies.” She let out, panting a bit. “Our training for today ran a touch late.”

Dennis let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t really have anywhere to be. I’m just making good on a promise.”

“Of course.” Wess said, as the team gathered near the van.

“...I’m Julia, by the way.” Julia said, sticking out her hand, before Dennis stared down at it.

“That’s really cool to hear. Now, strictly speaking, most of the higher-ups at Andro don’t know about this, cause if they did, they’d have a big problem with it.” Dennis clarified. “However, if this goes really well and you guys do a good job, it might just benefit everyone.”

“...okay” Julia said, stepping forward. “But if they don’t know, then how’s this a real sponsorship?”

“Cause you’ll be promoting the brand.” Dennis pointed out. “That’s all it really needs. More exposure in the Venator Academy’s annual tournament is bound to draw in more business with younger clients, especially if you guys do well. It’s just about getting the word out there.”

Dennis went and opened up the back of the van, before digging around a couple errant boxes for a few things. “Now, quick note, if at any point you’re interviewed for something, mention Andro wherever you can. Stuff like ‘Andro really helped with our training’ or ‘I use my tablet all the time!’ That kinda shit.”

“It didn’t help our training, though.” Sola whispered to the others, as Dennis nearly dropped a box.

“Son of a...also, if I see any EHM branding on you guys, the deal’s off.” Dennis said. “No cross promotion, and no free promotion either.”

“Isn’t that what we’re doing anyway?” Harley remarked, getting a laugh from the others, just as Dennis found what he was looking for.

“There we go.” He said, pulling out a sword from one of the boxes. “It’s still in one piece.”

He hurried over to Wess and presented it to her. “Now, we’ve just released these. They’re the new C-1 model with improved grip, so no throwing this out a window. It’s one-handed, since you seemed to struggle with the two-handed one last ti-”

“I'm sorry, what am I doing with this?” Wess asked.

“You’re using it during your matches.” Dennis pointed out. “I brought a few rifles models and oth-”

“Uhh, no, we’re not using those.” Wess clarified. “I’m not replacing Belvedere.”

Dennis held up the sword awkwardly. “Replacing? We’re sponsoring you by providing you weapons...since we make them.”

“But we already have weapons.” Sola pointed out. “And they’re already registered for the tournament.”

Dennis blinked, before pulling out his tablet. “Hold on...”

Dennis scrolled through a couple news feeds while mumbling to himself. “...as of 5013, students will now get to create their own weapons as part of their degree...sponsored weapons are beginning to be phased...out...”

Dennis pocketed his tablet, just as he turned to his van and grabbed the top, before banging his foot into it out of frustration.

“No one told me...” Dennis started, before taking a heavy sigh and facing the team again. “Alright, new idea.”

He grabbed a box and chucked some shirts at the team. “Wear these during the match.”

They held up the shirts awkwardly, each one a basic white t-shirt with a cheaply plastered Andro logo spread across them.

“Uhh, they don’t look...amazing.” Julia admitted, as Dennis chucked the box back into his van.

“Of course they don’t. We design weaponry, not clothes.” Dennis pointed out. “And I can’t just go stealing the company's finest merch for you, in case you’re curious.”

“I do not wish to wear this.” Essex insisted, holding it away from her. “I am comfortable with my clothes as is.”

Dennis folded his arms and pouted. “Alright then.”

He stomped over and grabbed each of the shirts off of them. “Now, I’m doing you a favour with this stuff, but if you don’t want it, the-”

“No, wait. It’s fine.” Julia said, just before Dennis took hers. “We’ll wear them. And promote Andro.”

Dennis pursed his lip, before handing the shirts back. “Geez...you’re putting me through the ringer.”

Julia sighed out, before giving the shirt another good once over. “Can we at least get different colours?”

“Uhh, sure. We have ones in...grey?” Dennis suggested, digging around another box, just as the team looked at each other knowingly, worrying even more about their upcoming fight.

———

Julia grabbed at the shirt again, noticing how easily it folded just from being held.

“This is worth it, right Wess?” Julia asked, as Wess changed into her shirt, trying to carry some dignity while the team took their time in the tournament changing room.

“We’ll be starting our careers very poorly without it.” Wess insisted. “Ideally, if we do a good job presenting the brand, we’ll get more sponsorships in next year's tournament. And hopefully, they’ll have more...production value, for lack of a better term.”

“Rather than being stuck with t-shirts.” Harley added, grabbing at hers. “I shoulda asked for a bigger one. This thing’s really tight on me.”

“And mine’s too big.” Sola added, noticing just how much of it hung off of her. “How’s yours holding up, Essex?”

Essex was noticeably uncomfortable, as the cheap fabric felt so much worse than her typical dress shirts. She tried to ignore the feeling as best she could, but it clearly wasn’t easy.

“...I am doing this for the benefit of the team.” Essex clarified, her lip quivering slightly. “If this were any other situation, I would burn this shirt and everything that surrounded it.”

Julia closed the provided locker and stared at the overhead monitor, as a few images of Team Instinct and themselves flashed on screen, promoting the upcoming fight.

“Hey.” Wess said, joining her side. “Do you feel ready?”

Julia shook her head. “I’m just kinda worried. I know Donovan, and Team Instinc-”

“We’ve done our research.” Wess reminded her, holding her hand. “And we’ve prepared. All you need to do is act in the moment. You’re good at that.”

Julia smiled a little. “Stop buttering me up.”

“You love it.” Wess insisted, kissing her cheek. “We should get ready. The match is about to start.”

“I’m getting tingles! This is gonna be so fun!” Sola cheered, hurrying out into the hall, as the rest of the team followed, heading to one of the waiting rooms surrounding the arena proper.

Just as they arrived, they noticed Team Instinct were already there, casually waiting for the match to start as well.

“Oh.” Donovan let out, standing up. “Of all the gin joints.”

Before Julia could respond, Donovan walked up to her and stretched out their hand. “It’s an honour to have our first match with you.”

Julia welcomingly shook it and found herself chuckling. “Likewise. We’ve successfully been intimidated.”

“You’re too modest.” Donovan insisted, before noticing the teams' shirts. “I see you got a sponsor.”

“Lucky.” Rayjon let out, kicking his feet up idly with the rest of Team Instinct. “We did our best to get one...”

“And we’ll win the match regardless.” Donovan declared, folding their arms. “We can worry about sponsors next year.”

“Looks like someone’s putting off the hard stuff.” Judy muttered, getting a laugh from the team, as Donovan turned to her suddenly.

“...apologies. I just realised our team hasn’t been formally introduced, considering we skipped out on the introduction last year.” Donovan, encouraging their team to join them.

They stood by Donovan’s side, as Team Valiant waited for Donovan to go over each of them.

Donovan settled themself.

“Rudy, Judy, Rayjon, Jordan.”

The room went quiet.

Donovan stayed silent, as Team Valiant were hoping for something a bit more detailed.

“...oh. Hi.” Julia said, waving to them. “We’ve...kinda already met.”

“Which one’s Rudy and which one’s Judy?” Sola asked, as Rudy and Judy looked at each other.

“I am.” They replied in unison, before realising the mistake.

“Sorry, we get that a lot. I’m Judy.” Judy said, sporting a more dressed up appearance and feminine lean.

“Rudy, and I really don’t get why.” Rudy added, looking far more tomboyish. “We look nothing alike.”

“Same sense of humour, though. Rayjon.” Rayjon greeted, stepping in to shake Julia’s hand manically. “Excited for the match. We won’t go easy on you just cause you’re nice.”

“Didn’t you train with us one time?” Jordan asked, standing toe-to-toe with Harley, as she nodded back.

“Yeah, once. Didn’t really stick.” Harley admitted, as Jordan let out a hearty laugh.

“I thought you looked familiar!” He laughed, slapping her back. “Who could forget a physique like that? You’re a giant!”

Look who’s talking. Julia thought, as Donovan clicked their tongue.

“You could make a handy Dueling Venator.” Donovan offered, as Harley blushed a little.

“Oh, stop it...you think?”

Sola cocked her head. “But Harley’s already becoming a Venator.” Sola pointed out, just as Donovan stared at her.

“No, Dueling Venator.”

Sola blinked.

Donovan was taken aback. “How are you in second-year without knowing what different Venators are?”

“I dunno. It just didn’t come up.” Sola replied, before Julia pulled her to the side.

“Sola, I thought you knew about this already.” Julia asked, as Sola pouted to herself.

“I guess not. I don’t know about this industry stuff.” Sola admitted, as Julia sighed out.

“Well, most Venators are Hunting Venators. They’re the ones who take care of Wailing, like us.” Julia explained. “But there’s also Scientific Venators, who focus on studying the Wailing, Relief Venators, who help manage against natural disasters and stuff...”

Julia then indicated to Donovan. “And Dueling Venators, like Team Instinct, who fight mainly in tournaments. Kinda like performers.”

“Athletes. We’re kinda like athletes.” Donovan corrected, stepping forward. “Wailing hunting’s nice and all, but arena combat’s closer to our interests. And the pay’s steadier.”

“Plus, it’s way more fun.” Rudy insisted. “So much more chaos to the matches.”

“And there’s no need to go and get ourselves killed if we don’t have to.” Judy remarked, holding up her prosthetic arm proudly. “We’re perfect for this kinda combat.”

“Don’t feel intimidated. This is still our first official match for a tournament.” Donovan excused, playfully batting Julia’s arm. “But I guess it’s yours too, huh?”

Julia gulped, just as a new visual graced the screen hanging up above the entrance to the arena.

“We’re just a few minutes out from the match, so our teams should make their way to the arena!”

“Alright, Instinct, let’s show them what we...” Donovan prefaced, before turning around and seeing their team chanting and hyping themselves up.

They gave them a second to calm down, before indicating to the arena.

Donovan tapped their foot. “Treat this seriously. You can have fun after we win.”

“Yes, Donovan!” They replied, only to hype themselves up again running out onto the field, leaving Donovan sighing to themself.

“For Enprov’s sake...I’m never gonna understand them...” Donovan bemoaned, before turning and waving goodbye to Julia, who was frozen solid in front of the entrance.

The rest of Team Valiant stared at her, before pointing to the screen again, which managed to shake her from her trance.

“O-Oh, r-right. Time t-to fight the...oh geez...” Julia stammered, only for Wess to push her forward.

“I sympathise, Julia, but we simply don’t have time.” Wess insisted, dragging her with the rest of the team as they headed to the arena.

The team opened out into a large, circular platform, raised in the centre of the tournament hall, with rows upon rows of seats circling it and rising up on the outside. Already, an enormous crowd had gathered for the match, as they murmured in their seats, waiting in anticipation for the match to start.

“This feels way more intimidating now that we’re here...” Sola admitted, as Harley hugged her to her side.

As they looked from side to side, they noticed a table laid out by the entrance with their weapons gathered. Essex immediately dove for her scythe, cradling it and inspecting its finish, as the team equipped their weapons too.

Julia picked up the various types of ammo for her rifle and noticed its differing shape, before recalling Jovie’s remarks about non-lethal bullet replacements.

“I suppose our weapons were properly safety-proofed.” Wess reasoned, running her hand over Belvedere’s blade to test this out. “I’ll still allow you to fell great foes, Belvedere...”

Right after grabbing their weapons, they headed up a set of stairs onto the platform itself, where they saw Team Instinct gathered on the opposite side, talking amongst themselves in anticipation.

Just then, the speakers rang out with Spence and Vent’s voices for the entire arena to hear.

“Once more, we’ll go over the rules for our competitors!” Spence announced, just as the large monitors littering the tournament hall lit up with descriptions. “Round one is team versus team! Participants are eliminated when knocked out of the designated arena or are unable to continue fighting, as judged by us!”

Spence held up two fingers, despite the fact no one could see her. “Our participants will keep fighting until only two people remain! That means any two participants, no matter what team!”

“Those two will then move onto the next round together, again, even if they’re not on the same team.” Vent clarified. “Reminder; extreme violence is not condoned. No severe damage, no going after downed opponents.”

“Your match will start in ten seconds!” Spence announced, as a timer appeared on the monitors. “Get ready!”

“That’s it?!” Julia yelled out. “W-We can’t plan with that much time!”

Julia could hear the sound of Vent grabbing for his microphone coming over the speakers.

“To the leader of Team Valiant who’s freaking out right now, frankly, you should have planned more before coming into the arena. A professional Venator would’ve, at least...”

Almost immediately, the timer finished and an alarm echoed through the hall, as Spence grabbed for her microphone.

“Prep time is over! Start the match!”

Julia tried to recover by shaking her head, before slapping her cheeks. “Oh boy...okay, we’ve got this. We’ve got a plan. Harley, Essex, you’re gonna do most of ou-”

Just then, another loud alarm sound rang out from the arena, stopping everyone in their tracks, as Spence and Vent were a bit lost for words as to what just happened.

“Umm...” Spence let out. “It appears one of our students has already been eliminated.”

All eyes were on the field, as the teams both looked at each other, before noticing that in her attempt to get ready for the upcoming fight, Essex had stepped back to enter a combative stance, with one of her feet just outside the ring marking the arena’s border.

It took her a second to realise this as well, as the rest of Team Valiant stared at her, still with her scythe at the ready.

She then looked down at her feet, making the connection, and quickly exited her stance, before trying to hide the awkwardness of it all.

“...that...was a mistake on my part.” Essex excused, turning to the rest of the team with flushed cheeks. “Relias. I wish you luck with the rest of the match.”

After bowing, she hurried out of the arena, avoiding the looks she was most definitely getting from the spectators.

Julia called out to her. “Sorry, Essex!”

“It is fine!” She called back, exiting the field, before Vent could be heard clearing his throat over the microphone.

“Oh, right!” Spence exclaimed. “Uhh, resume the match, please!”

“O-Okay, our strategies already d-dead in the water, but w-” Julia stammered, right as a barrage of bullets flew past the team, dispersing them in a panic.

Julia tried to gather everyone back, just as a chakram whizzed past her body, nearly tripping her up. She noticed Rayjon at a distance, recalling it to his person with a wire, before throwing another one excitedly, this one aimed at Julia’s legs.

She managed to dodge, as she fumbled for her rifle, trying to aim it at him, only for more bullets to come in her direction, this time more focused in their spread.

She noticed Judy right near Rayjon, holding two submachine guns in her direction, making an effort to keep Julia light on her feet.

Julia tried to fire back, only for Rayjon to throw another chakram, paired again with Judy’s bullet fire.

W-Why are two of them just on me? Julia thought, changing out her assault rifle for its sniper model. They must be trying to take me out first.

Julia then noticed the others on the opposite side of the arena, fighting off Rudy, Jordan and Donovan all at once. They were noticeably uncoordinated compared to the very capable Team Instinct.

If they eliminate me, then we can’t strategise. Julia realised. Did Donovan plan fo-

Julia was thrown off by more direct bullet fire, this time toward her arm, as a few shots grazed her bicep, cutting through the Andro shirt.

“Shit...” Julia let out, before managing to get up her rifle and land a lucky shot at Rayjon’s hand, knocking one of his chakrams away.

Judy went to cover for Rayjon, only to notice Julia now running in the rest of the team’s direction, still avoiding the SMG fire.

“God dammit.” Judy let out, before cupping her hands. “Donovan! Eagle!”

Julia lifted her head in the direction of the chaos, just as she got a read of everything going on. Jordan was in the back with what looked to be a minigun, keeping Team Valiant at a safe distance, while Donovan wore them down with a bow staff and Rudy with a...club? It was hard to make out, especially as Julia was still running frantically.

In the meantime, Wess was holding back Rudy with her shield and trying to push against her. Instead, Rudy managed to dart to the side, taking a swing at Wess, only for her to just barely block it with Belvedere.

“What the heck are you doing?!” Wess yelled out, pushing Rudy off. “You’re using it like a sword!”

“That’s cause it is one!” Rudy explained, showing it off proudly. “I just didn’t take the sheath off!”

“W-What?!” Wess let out, still breathing heavily, as Rudy swung it around.

“I can attach this reinforced sheath. That way, it works as a bludgeoning weapon too.” Rudy explained, showing the clasp near the handle. “It can unattach it too, so I get both! Do you want me to undo it?”

“Rudy! Head in the clouds!” Donovan yelled out, holding off Harley, as Rudy snapped to attention.

“Y-Yes, Donovan! Sorry!” Rudy replied, before aiming at Wess again, as they exchanged a few more blows.

Meanwhile, Donovan was striking a few delicate hits to Harley, who couldn’t keep up no matter what she tried.

Harley swung at them again, before missing entirely, as Donovan struck her arm with their bow staff.

Harley reeled, as Donovan stayed light on their feet, hopping back and forth.

“I’m sure you know about my Whil.” Donovan said. “I also know you’re bad with endurance.”

Harley gritted her teeth, as Donovan noticed Julia approaching.

“Then again, I think I’ve done enough damage for now.” Donovan assured, before yelling out to Jordan in the back. “Rooster!”

Jordan nodded, just as Donovan sprinted away, leaving Harley to her devices, just as she took an aimless swing in Donovan’s direction.

“God...dammit, Donovan...” Harley let out, resting on her knees, only for Jordan to start firing his minigun in her direction, causing her to dash off in hopes of avoiding it.

Finally, Julia managed to catch up with them, before yelling out to the rest of the team, with Judy, and now Rayjon, still hot on her trail.

“Guys! They’re trying to split us up and pick us off!” Julia called out, getting everyone’s attention. “Bunch up! Don’t let the-”

Before she could finish her statement, Donovan leaped over to her, swinging with their bow staff, as Julia immediately backed off.

“Easier said than done!” Sola yelled back, charging another shot of her arm cannons at Jordan, who effortlessly dodged it and fired back at her, now with him taking on Harley and Sola at once.

“Man, this is fun!” He exclaimed, taking the time to reload. “What a first match to have!”

“Sola!” Harley yelled out, trying to close the distance, only for a few of Jordan’s shots to hit her leg, tripping her up badly.

“Oh! Looks like Harley’s taken some serious damage!” Spence announced, just as Vent snickered to himself.

Harley just managed to get back up, still struggling to stand a little, before Sola ran over to her.

“Are you okay?!”

“I’m gonna throw you!”

Sola blinked frantically. “What?!”

“Open your apertures!” Harley insisted, standing up and facing Jordan. “We’re closing the distance!”

Sola took a second, before agreeing, just as Harley picked her up off the ground, holding her behind her head.

Jordan squinted a little, trying to make out what he was seeing, only for it to be made very clear once Harley threw her across the arena, hurtling toward Jordan.

Jordan freaked out trying to aim his minigun up at her, only for Sola to aim her cannons right at him and fire, consuming him in a blinding light, while managing to slow Sola’s fall with the pushback.

It took a second for Jordan to react, before he toppled over, collapsing to the ground while still singeing from the laser, as the crowd erupted in a joyous cheer.

Another alarm sound rang out from the speakers, as Spence grabbed her microphone.

“That’s it! Our fi...second elimination!” She exclaimed. “Jordan Velevski has been knocked out of the game!”

Just as she said this, a few helpers showed up around the arena, with one using their Whil to teleport Jordan off the field and out of harm's way.

Harley and Sola looked back at the action, now that Judy and Rayjon had caught up, just as it was clear Wess and Julia were being overwhelmed.

With that said, Julia did her best to avoid fighting Donovan directly, even as they made that incredibly difficult. She took shots where she could, but Donovan simply dodged them and forced her further and further back.

Eventually, Julia found her back to the edge of the arena, with Donovan trapping her in.

“Julia.” Donovan let out, holding their bow staff combatively. “How fortuitous.”

Oh no... Julia thought, stepping back subconsciously, before realising she couldn’t anymore.

Donovan scanned over Julia, before straightening up a little. “I was worried you’d be eliminated too soon. Admittedly, I wanted to verse you myself.”

Julia gulped, as she watched the chaos of the rest of their teams fighting in the background, with Sola and Harley attempting to fight Judy and Rayjon off.

“You know, I can actually channel my body temperature into objects with my Whil.” Donovan remarked, spinning their bow staff. “For instance, one end of my staff can be blisteringly cold...”

Donovan spun it again. “And one searingly hot.”

Julia shakily changed out her rifle to its shotgun formation, reloading quickly, just as Donovan jabbed forward with their staff.

Julia could feel some residual cold as it passed by, before she fired in Donovan’s direction, knocking them back a bit.

Donovan recovered quickly and ran toward her, trying to trip her up with some staff strikes, as Julia aimed her next shot at the staff, only for Donovan to bat the barrel away and knock Julia’s rifle out of her hands.

It fell just outside of the arena, tumbling to the ground below, as Julia crawled back on the ground, with Donovan standing over her victoriously.

The crowd started the erupt into panicked murmuring, as even Vent had gotten out of his seat at this point.

“It seems the two team leaders are in a very one-sided match, with Team Valiant’s leader crawling closer and closer to the arena’s edge.”

“You put up a good fight, Julia.” Donovan insisted, backing her up further. “You should be proud of that.”

It was only a matter of seconds until Julia eventually crossed the arena threshold, as the blaring alarm rang out again, indicating her elimination.

“However, we’ve still won in the end.” Donovan bragged, resting their staff over their shoulders. “As expected of up-and-coming Dueling Venators. So sorry, Julia, but I have to say, you’re-”

Right as they were about to gloat, emerging from the chaos behind them, an errant shot from Sola’s cannons fired across the arena, missing their intended target of Judy, and sailing toward Donovan’s leg. It connected, tripping them up, before they stumbled forwards and landed just outside of the arena border, falling to the ground.

Before they could react, the alarm rang out again, catching Donovan’s attention.

“Julia Alpine and Donovan Fairlight have just been eliminated! Both teams have lost their leaders!”

Julia managed to get herself up, still mostly on a high from the adrenaline pumping through her body, as she noticed Donovan still sitting on the ground, staring forward blankly.

“Uhh, Donovan?” Julia asked, reaching out a hand. “Are you okay?”

Donovan briefly blinked, before they started to form a smile. Eventually, they were full on laughing, grabbing for Julia’s hand excitedly and standing back up.

“I’m great.” Donovan insisted. “That was fun.”

Julia’s eyes lit up. “You had fun?”

“I know.” Donovan remarked, folding their arms and looking back at their teams. “Let’s leave them to take care of this.”

Julia nodded and stepped out of the arena with them, just as the rest of the teams had thoroughly tired each other out.

Judy lifted her SMG, aiming weakly in Wess’ direction, only for her to be caught off guard by Sola’s final cannon blast.

Judy fell to the ground, just as Sola gave a victorious pump her cannons, before collapsing herself out of sheer exhaustion.

All that was left was Harley and Wess, and Rudy and Rayjon, with the former struggling to keep up much more than the latter.

“You shoulda joined us for more training, Harley!” Rayjon bragged, spinning one of his chakrams around his finger. “We’ve still got plenty of energy!”

“I’ll break through that shield at some point, Wess!” Rudy bragged, wiping a bit of sweat away, as Harley and Wess looked at each other.

“Sola’s down. I think we’re all that’s left.” Harley mentioned, as Wess let out a heavy breath.

“It would appear so.” Wess said, staring down their opponents. “Do you think we have any chance?”

Harley panted, before shrugging. “It’s not over yet, is it?”

“Fair call.” Wess let out, just as Rudy and Rayjon rushed them, barely giving them a chance to recover.

Wess did her best to hold Rudy’s strikes back, as Rayjon started taking advantage of Donovan’s damage on Harley with similar fast, nimble strikes.

Harley was already struggling to fight against him, even more so as he snared one of her arms with the wire attached to his chakram, as Wess was finding it impossible to lift Belvedere with all of her strength going toward holding up her shield.

Out of desperation, an idea came to Wess to turn the tide, before she looked to Harley.

“Harley!”

Harley turned to her, still struggling to hold Rayjon back.

“Remember what Julia said!”

It took her a second before her eyes lit up, as the idea connected for her, before she tried to wrestle away from Rayjon. She just barely pulled it off, before she started to back-up, blocking as much as she could with her Buster Knuckles.

Wess dodged to the side, just as Rudy kept pushing her, as Wess started heading backward while taking each hit, slowing walking and keeping Rudy busy.

Each duo eventually closed in on each other, as Team Instinct was too busy trying to finish off Team Valiant to notice, leaving Harley and Wess standing almost back-to-back.

The moment they felt the other, they quickly pivoted away from their opponent, as Harley swung around and landed a heavy punch on Rudy, and Wess used all her energy to swing Belvedere and knock away Rayjon’s chakrams.

The crowd erupted into uproarious applause at the sudden action, as the fight very quickly turned in Team Valiant’s favour.

Harley started to overwhelm Rudy in sheer strength, as her sheathed sword stood no match against Harley’s physique, and Wess could expertly block Rayjon’s light strikes, while still hitting back hard with Belvedere.

Eventually, Harley was able to get a grip on Rudy’s sword, before chucking it away, leaving Rudy defenceless as Harley went in for one last strike, knocking Rudy to the ground for good.

Similarly, Wess used Belvedere to trip up Rayjon as he tried to dodge her, before knocking him down with her shield, throwing him to the ground in a clean finishing move.

It took the arena a second to realise what had been done, before a loud cheer bellowed from the spectators, announcing the victory of Harley and Wess in this match.

“What a turn! What a match! This is something else!” Spence cheered from the booth, excitedly jumping around. “I just love tournament matches so much!”

“I, too, love them, as a professional.” Vent insisted, taking over the mic proper. “Out of our ten participants, our victors are Wess Delacroix Nouvel and...Harley Baroke, of all people.”

Wess was still caught up in the high of her fight, before she realised she was blushing from all the cheers coming from the crowd.

She waved to them all politely, just as Harley picked her up suddenly, holding her on her shoulders.

“We did it!!! We so won that!!!”

“H-Harley, you animal! Put me down!”

“No way!!! I’m too happy!!!” Harley insisted, parading her around, before Wess got down herself.

“I swear, if you do that again...” Wess threatened, before the rest of Team Valiant ran up onto the arena platform to join them.

“You did it! That was amazing!” Julia exclaimed, running up to Wess. “I’m so proud of you!”

Julia nearly went in for a kiss, as Wess held her back, keeping a good distance.

Julia blinked, before remembering their promise and looking a bit embarrassed. “R-Right, right, yeah. Sorry, I was just excited for you.”

“It’s understandable.” Wess assured, bumping her side. “And there’s nothing saying we can’t celebrate in the dorm.”

“Way to go, Harley!!!” Sola let out, jumping into her arms, as Harley nearly dropped her.

Essex stood by the side, watching the couples enjoying themselves, before steeling her resolve and joining them.

“That was well fought. Reliasda Selo, I was not able to aid you as I wished.” Essex apologised, before Sola joined her side.

“Maybe you getting eliminated helped push us on?” Sola suggested, smiling back at her. “Like, we had to avenge your honour in a way.”

Essex blinked, before nodding in acceptance, just as Julia noticed Team Instinct passing by them to exit the arena.

“Hey, Donovan!” Julia called out, running up to them, as they turned to meet her.

“Impressive, Julia. Your team earned the victory.” Donovan said.

Julia looked back at Team Instinct. “Where are you guys headed?”

“Well, we lost. We’re going to go over our strategy and work on our weak points.” Donovan insisted, folding their arms. “The grind never stops.”

“It seemed like a good strategy to me. If we’d planned better, we’d try to eliminate the leader too.” Julia pointed out, as Donovan shook their head.

“Actually, they weren’t trying to eliminate you. Judy and Rayjon were just keeping you busy.” Donovan admitted. “Considering how close you guys are, I was hoping one of your teammates would see you getting overwhelmed and try to save you. Then we could pick them off really easily.”

Julia laughed a bit, just to acknowledge how impressed she was. “That’s pretty cutthroat.”

Donovan shrugged. “I should’ve given your team more credit. Even without a solid plan, you wiped the floor with us.”

Donovan turned to leave and saluted. “Good luck with the future matches. With that said, we’ll be rooting for your opponents. Hopefully, we’ll get some catharsis from that.”

Julia waved them off. “Challenge accepted!”

Julia went to join her team, before realising they’d headed into the surrounding building already, and that Dennis was now with them.

“Well? How was that?” Wess asked, as Dennis watched the monitor tentatively.

“Well, you won.” Dennis pointed out, stroking his chin. “Already, that makes you look better than the other team.”

“He’s a genius. I never would have realised that.” Wess remarked, getting a snicker from Harley.

“But nobody mentioned the shirts?” Dennis muttered.

“Team Instinct mentioned them.” Harley joked, as Dennis shook his head.

“You need to stand out in your next matches. Can you do something noteworthy with the shirts?” Dennis thought out loud.

“I could take mine off during the match.” Harley suggested, getting a laugh from Sola, before Wess shut her down.

“No, no, we’re not doing that.” Wess insisted. “Just let us keep winning matches. We’ll be guaranteed an interview once we hit the higher brackets.”

Dennis nodded to assure himself. “Alright. Planting our roots and all that...”

“So, we’re the ones investigating Faller?” Sola said, bringing Julia and Essex in.

“It would appear so.” Essex said, briefly glancing at Harley, before nodding to Julia and Sola. “Let’s do well.”

“We might finally get some answers about this...organisation or whatever.” Julia pointed out, sighing to herself. “And whether Faller’s this ‘Wicker’ person...”

She stared at the monitor, as Harley and Wess portraits appeared, showing off their victory. “Who knows? We might actually be able to do something about this.”

———

Compared to the tournament match, the rest of the day was pretty calm for the team. Save for catching up on some classwork and taking care of dorm chores, it was pretty uneventful.

The rest of the team had already headed back to the dorm, save for Essex, who had to make up for the training she’d lost out on. After all, she couldn’t really help out in the tournament further.

Losing so early in the tournament was hard enough, but with her scythe in the tournament staff’s custody, she could only take it out for training, though even that had a curfew to it.

Naturally, Essex took out a bit of frustration on a training post, slashing a few times, before realising the sun was close to setting.

She took another heavy breath, before striking the post again, doing her best to stay light on her feet.

“I kinda guessed you’d be training this late.”

Essex stopped swinging and turned to face a new person who’d just walked up to her, as he rested his hands in his pockets, protecting his eyes with sunglasses.

“I could tell you were pretty raring to go.” He confessed, taking a hand out to wave it around. “During the match, I mean.”

Essex stood up straight and focused on breathing. “You...were watching?”

“Lots of people were.” He remarked, pointing right at her. “Pretty embarrassing way to get eliminated.”

“...it wasn’t on purpose.” Essex said, getting a laugh out of the man.

“And a sense of humour too. You really were a find.” The man suggested, confusing Essex, as he just cleared his throat. “Alright, that’s enough buttering up.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card, before handing it to her. “I represent the Aurora Venator Agency in the Eastern Wayside. We wanted to offer you a temporary position.”

Essex tentatively took the card, as she eyed him up. “Who are you?”

“I’m...a representative of the Aurora Venator Agency, and I don’t like giving out my name.” He remarked.

He turned away from her and stared at the sun, wandering idly. “I was hoping this would help redeem your failure at the tournament. Someone has to give you a fair shot, after all, and we’re generous.”

“This...is confusing.” Essex pointed out. “Why would you hire me for a position? I failed in my first tournament match.”

He turned to her and shook his head. “That’s not why we’re hiring you.”

In response, he pulled out his tablet and started playing a video, showing it to Essex.

She quickly realised it was news footage of the first Behemoth Wailing attack on the academy, depicting her in the middle of leaping onto the Wailing’s arm, before climbing up and swinging into the air.

“This is you, right?” He asked, staring at her scythe just as the video arrived at her cutting open the Wailing’s chest. “That and the suit are a pretty dead giveaway.”

“...yes, that was me.” Essex answered, stepping away.

“I thought so. I saw the silhouette during the match and just knew it had to be you.” He admitted, grinning to himself. “What a find.”

Essex felt comfortable enough to face him proper, before handing the business card back. “I will have you know I am currently part of a team, and that I don’t plan to leave them anytime soon. If you’re attempting to hire me, then I can’t accept.”

The man took the card and showed his palms. “Totally get it. Loyalty is everything. However, it’s just a temporary position.”

He turned his back to her again. “It’s like an internship. Last I checked, third-year students start the year interning. So, it’d basically fill that role.”

He kept dictating with his hands. “We’d ship you over, you take care of some work for a few weeks, learn about the agency, meet Team Avalanche in the flesh.”

Essex kept to herself, as the man waited for a reply, before deciding to walk away.

“It’s your call. We think you’d make a great asset for us.” He said, waving as he walked away. “My people’ll talk to your people. We’ll leave the door open for you.”

He snapped his fingers, before turning around. “And get a coat. It gets chilly where we are.”

He wandered off, adjusting his sunglasses, before waving to Essex one last time. “Lo reme!” He exclaimed, before disappearing further into the campus.

Essex was left standing there, still processing that interaction, before deciding to go back to training.

Instead, she realised something was in her pocket, before pulling out his business card, which he’d managed to slip back to her.

She stared over it, flipping it in her hands and reading the number written on the back, before pocketing it again and continuing her training.

“...I have options.” Essex realised, slowing down in her strikes. “It feels strange...”

She stopped suddenly, before staring at the sky.

“...I am part of Team Valiant.” She assured herself. “That will not change.”

Before she could focus again, everything to do with Harley and Sola flooded back in, as she noticed her breath catch in her throat.

“...but I have options.” She admitted, continuing to strike. “...if they are necessary...”