“And just like that, Wess Delacroix Nouvel walks off with another victory, this time against the formidable Cyrus Vesper. The victory was hard-fought, all while apparently representing the Andro Manufacturing brand, but despite the odds being stacked against he-”

“She fucking won.” Rosalind groaned, staring bitterly at the monitor again. “Despite not deserving it, she won. Isn’t she precious?”

Rosalind gaged, leaning against the inside of one of the tournament hall corridors, just as her tablet buzzed in her hand.

“What the hell do you want?”

“An update.”

Rosalind glanced at the monitor again. “You got my last report.”

“I want an update.”

Rosalind pinched her nose. “They’ve stayed on campus. Apart from that one instance, they’ve just been here, competing.”

“Any outside calls?”

“Calls? How would I know? They’re not bugged.” Rosalind insisted, absently wandering as she talked. “What, you want me to follow them every time they take a shit?”

“Rosalind, do your job. We have far too valuable an asset on our hands.” Wicker stated.

“I’m great at doing my job. You’re the one forcing me to stay here, watching them win over an-” Rosalind complained, only for the call to hang up mid-sentence, only frustrating her more.

She slammed her foot into the wall, before grabbing for her sword, only to put it back after thinking her actions through.

“I’ll find some way to take care of them...you’ll see...”

———

“Harley? Are you sure you wanna compete?”

“You’re not gonna convince me otherwise. This is my decision.”

“Unless your injury decides for you.”

“They said it was fine. And look, I’m walking.”

“Slightly limping, more accurately.” Wess remarked, as the trio made their way back to the team’s dorm.

“Yeah, like that’ll hold me back.” Harley bragged, just as they reached their door. “I’m gonna mess that Archer guy u-”

“Happy recovery day, babe!”

Harley was thrown back by Sola cheering, just as she opened the door to find Sola, a silent Essex, and a very crudely made banner in the main room.

Sola blew on her party whistle. “I was gonna walk you back, but I had to set this up!”

“No kidding.” Harley let out, as she warmed to the sight. “Anything special about this in particular?”

“Well, since you probably won’t be competing, I thought we needed a fun day out on the town!” Sola cheered, jumping around excitedly. “So, we’re gonna go to laser tag!”

“Laser tag?” Harley let out, just as Julia and Wess filtered in, with Sola nodding emphatically.

“Yeah! We’ll get into teams and duke it out! It’ll still be like fighting in the tournament, but way less intense.” Sola encouraged, before Julia raised her hand slightly.

“Won’t the teams be uneven?” Julia asked, as Sola gave a thumbs up.

“That’s why I asked Lenin to join! He loves laser tag!” Sola assured, before hurrying over to a very caught off guard Harley and Essex. “So, you and Wess can team up with him, and then all three of us can work together on a team.”

“Uhh...” Harley said, backing off a little. “That’s...a fun idea...”

“Sola.” Essex said, before pulling herself away. “Is this your ploy that you were discussing?”

Sola froze up, as Harley took notice.

“Wait, ploy?” Harley realised, trying to piece it together, before noticing Sola’s nervous expression. “Hold on...”

Harley showed her hands. “First off, that’s a no go. I’m still doing my next match. Second, what does she mean by ploy?”

“W-Well, I th-”

“This is her attempt to help us ‘get along’ again.” Essex answered, interrupting Sola, as Harley rested her arms on her hips.

“Sola.”

Sola looked the side, before visibly sinking. “...I mean, I wanted to do it anyway...”

Sola regained her energy and faced Harley again. “But I’m sick of you two not getting along! Just forgive Essex already! She didn’t do anything wrong!”

Harley went to complain, before remembering Julia and Wess were still there and silencing herself, just as Julia sighed out in frustration.

“Harley, we know what happened.” Julia admitted, as Wess rested her hand on Julia’s shoulder. “Sola told me already.”

Harley turned to them, visibly offended. “You guys knew?”

“Well, you weren’t exactly subtle about it.” Wess pointed out, indicating to Essex. “Poor Essex has been a wreck these last few weeks all because you couldn’t accept a simple confession.”

“I can’t believe...” Harley muttered. “You don’t tell us about you guys dating, now you held this from me too...”

Harley stamped her foot, trying to let out some of her frustration. “...whatever. Whatever. It doesn’t even matter. This isn’t a team thing. This is a me and Sola thing.”

“What about Essex?” Sola insisted, as Harley let out a breath.

“What about her?” Harley let out, shocking the team around her, as she threw up her hands. “Guys! This isn’t...”

Harley grabbed at her nose. “Yeah, she confessed and...I...like the idea...but I just can’t do it.”

“Why not?” Essex asked, stepping forward. “What is stopping this from happening?”

Harley looked back at her with the corner of her eye, before facing away again.

“No, you guys don’t get to gang up on me a-and act like I fucked up. I made a decision.” Harley insisted, a few tears welling. “It was tough, I hated it, but I did it! I know it hurt people, but I couldn’t do that to myself again! Not again!”

Struggling to keep her emotions in check, Harley headed for the dorm door, wincing through the pain in her leg. “I’m still fighting my match. You can come watch, but don’t bother me. I don’t want any distractions...”

She slammed the door behind her, as the others were left quiet, unsure how to proceed, only for Essex to break it with a pained sigh.

“This was a mistake...” Essex bemoaned. “I let my emotions control me again...of course this is where it led...”

“What’s her hang-up? I thought Harley was fine with these sorts of things.” Wess said, as Sola threw her hands down.

“That’s what I’m saying!” Sola let out. “She won’t tell me what’s up! Again!”

“Maybe it’s really personal...” Julia suggested, drawing the team’s attention. “We know she’s had some bad break ups in the past. It was probably for something similar...”

“That’s no excuse for treating Essex this poorly.” Wess said, turning to Essex. “I’m sorry to hear that Harley’s tantrum’s been affecting you so much.”

“So, you two were aware of this?” Essex asked, as Julia nodded quietly.

“Only since last week. Sola was nervous and wanted to tell me about it.” Julia said. “Then I told Wess so we were all on the same page.”

“Admittedly, we didn’t want to let on in case this all became too much.” Wess said, sighing loudly. “But I guess we walked into that one.”

“A-And I only told Julia so that she could help!” Sola insisted, running up to Essex. “I didn’t know what to do, cause I’d never dealt with this before, so I thought she might know bet-”

Essex rested a finger on Sola’s lips to quiet her, before steadying herself.

“I’m not upset. I just wish you had told me.” Essex admitted. “With that said, I think it only fair I let Julia and Wess know of my plans.”

Julia and Wess looked at each other worriedly, as Essex cleared her throat.

“I have decided...that if this issue with Harley cannot be resolved, then I will leave Team Valiant.” Essex said, shocking Julia and Wess. “Our relationship will only lead to infighting and an unprofessional quality of work in the future.”

“W-What?” Julia let out, struggling to take the news, as she found herself leaning on the couch.

“Essex, this isn’t a fight worth leaving for.” Wess insisted, stepping toward her. “What you and Harley are going through is sure to resolve itself with time. Pain is temporary, remember?”

Essex was thrown by Wess’ use of the phrase, before she shook her head. “While I understand that, this is a decision meant to aid you. I do not wish to drag this team down in our argument. You have all worked hard for your degrees, and taking them from you would be selfish.”

Essex held her hand to her chest. “Relias. I’m sorry.”

Essex decided to head into the study, closing the door behind her, as the trio was left behind, taking in the news.

“...Essex...” Julia let out, as Wess locked hands with her.

“She didn’t mean it. We’re all a little tense right now.” Wess said, before turning to Sola and taking her hand as well. “The best we can do is look out for each other.”

Sola grabbed it back and nodded. “And that includes Harley.”

“...we should make sure she’s okay.” Julia said. “For the match. Even if she doesn’t want the help.”

“Of course.” Wess remarked, smiling back at her. “Always thinking about helping others, huh?”

Julia proudly faced Sola. “We’ll keep being a team, no matter what. I promise.”

Sola sighed out, even as the stress of their whole day really started to sink in.

———

Harley dragged herself back into the changing room, still feeling the lingering heat of midday on her back, making her sweat profusely.

I took out too much aggression in training... She admitted, sighing heavily. I swear, I-

“Harley?”

Harley swung her head around, before ducking behind a locker, just as Julia walked by.

“Harley?...I guess she’s still training.” Julia said. “She didn’t come back last night...”

“Don’t worry. We’ll find her before the match.” Wess assured. “She’s not exactly the stealthy type.”

“When are Sola and Essex finishing?”

“Soon enough. They said they were looking into that Archer fellow, but they’d be here for most of the mat...” Wess explained, before disappearing from ear shot.

Harley gave it a few seconds, before re-emerging and letting go of her breath.

“I told them not to bother me...” Harley let out, slamming her fist into the locker. “...come on, focus.”

Harley lifted her head and tried to distract herself by staring up at the monitor, doing her best to focus on the upcoming match, as her and Archer’s names flashed on screen, hyping up their fight in less than an hours' time.

“There you are!”

Harley swung her head around, only to let out a relieved sigh when it was just Dennis.

“I swear, you girls duck off so inconveniently.” Dennis remarked, just as Harley turned to address him coming from the hallway.

“We had to have a talk.” Harley excused, as Dennis crossed his arms.

“Whatever. Listen...we’re in a really good spot now.” Dennis assured. “Everyone’s talking about you. You’re the next big thing competing. After Cyrus got taken down, your little redemption narrative is all that’s on people's lips.”

“But I got stabbed in the leg.” Harley pointed out.

“No, no, you’re the one who came back after getting stabbed in the leg.” Dennis clarified, handing her the shirt. “Wearing an Andro Manufacturing shirt.”

“...right.” Harley said, accepting the shirt.

“Come on, work with me here. I’ve gotten no less than twenty calls from...” Dennis said, before pulling out his tablet and turning it off. “...twenty-one calls from the higher ups about where I am and what you’re doing with unreleased merch. I can’t lose out on this.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m planning on winning.” Harley remarked, as Dennis sneered.

“Haha.” He let out, grabbing his forehead. “The things I’ll do for a raise...”

Dennis wandered off to work on his own plans, just as Harley decided to keep prepping for the upcoming match.

She started heading back to the training area, before hearing a knock on the wall behind her, just as she turned to find Archer standing in the hall, almost like he was waiting for her.

“Funny running into you before the match.” Archer remarked, as Harley rested her hands on her hips.

“I was gonna say that.” Harley said, just as Archer shrugged and walked over, leaning against the wall across from Harley.

“I just realised we haven’t really talked.” Archer pointed out. “I like to get to know opponents before breaking them.”

Harley rolled her eyes and laughed. “The high school tough guy act is really trite, you know? I’ve met plenty of your kind, and trust me, you won’t be the first I've knocked some sense into.”

Archer raised an eyebrow. “I’m cliché now, am I? Anything I can do to change that image?”

“Cry. Say you like puppies or something.” Harley offered. “Sing a song from a musical. You’ve got options.”

Archer got a bit more comfortable, before dictating with his hand. “Alright, how’s this? I’ll tell you about my plans for winning.”

Archer laid his hands out. “First, I’ll use the status to raise my standing at the VA Training Institute. After that, agencies and clients will be clamouring for me, as they should be.”

He held out two fingers. “Second, I’ll graduate and become the top of my field. The next Hammerbrazen, or Dragon Tamer, whichever gets me richer. Wailing hunts should be a chore by this point, and I’ll just let newer teams take care of them while I take the credit by ‘shadowing’ them.”

Harley started to glare, as Archer shrugged noncommittally. “Then I’ll get a hot wife or something. It’s sort of up to me at that point.”

“All this from one victory?” Harley remarked.

“If I’m smart enough, yes.” Archer noted. “Which should mean I’m not just the typical bully you think I am.”

Archer smiled. “I’m worse.”

Feeling like he’d gotten his fill, Archer waved and left, heading for the changing rooms himself. “It’s a dog-eat-dog world, Harley. I’m just staying on top of the pile.”

He turned back around and flexed. “And enjoying myself while doing it!”

Harley grit her teeth as he disappeared from sight, feeling her frustration start to build again, only for training to feel less and less viable.

“...I need a drink...”

———

“Hey, you don’t happen to know those girls competing, do you?”

Seears finished up wiping his shot glasses. “Can you be more specific?”

Rosalind tapped her side. “Team Valiant.” She said. “Harley, Wess. The ones in the tournament.”

“Oh yeah, them.” Seears said, leaning on his bar. “Harley comes in here sometimes, and I’ve heard Wess has been doing great with her PR classes. She’s quite the prodigy, actually.”

“Location.” Rosalind insisted, leaning on the bar as well. “Be more specific.”

Seears glared at her a bit. “They live on campus, like most of the student body. They haven’t come around here since the start of the tournament.”

Rosalind bit her lip, before leaving in a huff, as Seears was left in a bit of disbelief.

“Everyone thinks they can treat my bar like it’s theirs...” Seears let out, only to notice someone else leaning on the bar. “Hey. Keep the leaning to a minimum.”

“Oh, sorry.” Saxin let out, apologetically waving to him, before turning back to Lenin. “Go on, it’ll be fun.”

“Saxi, you’ve got more experience with this than I do.” Lenin admitted.

“It sounds like someone needs practice.” Saxin insisted, taking the cherry off her martini. “Also, you lost the bet, so no complaining.”

Lenin groaned, just as Harley came into the Academy Daiquiri Lounge, walking straight to the bar, before noticing Saxin and Lenin and beelining for them.

“Hey guys.” Harley greeted, just as Saxin turned around joyously.

“Harley, dear! Come, sit.” Saxin insisted, patting the seat next to her.

Harley noticed Lenin’s apprehension. “What’s up, Lenin?”

“Saxin’s forcing me to see out a bet.” Lenin admitted, pointing across the bar. “She wants me to get that guys number for us.”

Harley leaned back and eyed the guy up, before whistling. “Wow.”

“Exactly.” Saxin said, before pushing Lenin forward. “Leni, you know you have to.”

“...yeah, I do.” Lenin admitted, before forcing himself to get up. “You better get me a drink while I’m gone.”

“No promises!” Saxin teased, before turning back around to Harley. “Shouldn’t you be preparing for your match?”

“I was...kinda in my head about some stuff...” Harley said, leaning on the bar. “...me and the rest of the team got into a fight...”

“Oh...” Saxin let out, reaching out to pat her on the back, as Seears quickly came over.

“Hey, get off the b-” He started, only to notice it was Harley. “Oh hey, it’s you.”

“Yeah...hi, Seears.” Harley greeted, slightly confused.

“A woman came in asking for you.” Seears said, as Harley looked surprised. “And your team. I don’t know what her deal was, but just a heads up.”

“A woman?” Harley wondered, giving Harley pause for thought, as Saxin cleared her throat.

“So, about your fight...” Saxin said. “This wouldn’t happen to do with Essex’s confession, would it?”

Harley reeled a bit, as she backed up on her stool. “How do you know about that?”

“Well...admittedly, I encouraged her on the night.” Saxin confessed, resting her hand on her cheek. “But considering how she left in tears, I assumed the worst.”

“...yeah.” Harley said, before Seears brought her a glass of water. “She wanted me and Sola to...well, you know...and I said I didn’t want to...”

“Right...” Saxin said, just as she took a moment to sip her martini.

Harley let a moment of silence pass between them, as Saxin cleared her throat.

“Harley, there’s nothing wrong with a little independence.” Saxin pointed. “However, there is something wrong with shutting people out.”

Harley eyed her. “What do you mean?”

“How does Essex feel about this?”

“...I wouldn’t know. We haven’t talked much...” Harley admitted, as Saxin looked back in Lenin’s direction.

“You know, recently, Lenin and I had a conversation with the rest of our team.” Saxin prefaced, taking another sip of her drink. “We wanted to experiment with a little music outside of the team’s band. Something more connected to our northern roots.”

Saxin smiled back in Lenin’s direction. “There was a bit of arguing with the others at first, but eventually, we saw eye to eye. Chops was in favour of it, and the rest just fell into place.”

Harley looked away a bit, as Saxin swirled her glass in her hand. “It’s important to trust the people you want to trust you. It’s a two-way street, of course.”

Saxin turned back around to Harley and kept up her smile. “We still perform with them every now and then, but we also reached an understanding. You’re perfectly in the right if you don’t want this...”

Saxin reached out and lay her hand on Harley’s. “...but not if you drag Essex with you.”

Harley left her hand there, not feeling much like pulling it away, just as Lenin made his way back over.

“So? How was your little meet cute?” Saxin teasingly asked.

“You know, he was actually really nice.” Lenin insisted, before waving a slip of paper. “Also, yeah, I got it.”

“Ooo, goodie!” Saxin let out, before leaning over and kissing Lenin’s cheek. “You stud.”

“Charisma for days.” Lenin bragged, just as he noticed Harley getting up and heading out of the bar in a huff. “Where’s she going?”

Saxin only just noticed and turned to find Harley’s stool empty, before she sighed out. “I gave some advice, but it might not be to her taste...”

“Bummer. It better not affect her tournament performance.” Lenin said, before staring up at the TV above the bar, getting ready for the upcoming fight.

———

“Who even is this Archer guy?” Sola asked, lying on the desk next to the library computers. “Just some stupid jerk, no doubt...”

“Apparently...” Essex started, scrolling her mouse wheel as she scanned her screen. “He is very prolific in the Western Wayside, and regarded as a ‘local hero.’”

Essex kept reading, as Sola joined her side. “His parents were Venators...and he took down his first Wailing at age five.”

“That’s the dumbest lie ever.” Sola let out, leaning forward a little. “He sounds like someone Harley would’ve beat up back in school.”

“Understandably.” Essex added, before hitting the bottom of the page. “The wheel won’t scroll anymore.”

“That’s it?” Sola realised, before taking the mouse herself and scanning the website again. “They’ve only got an interview after he reached the top eight, but that’s all there is on him.”

“This is frustrating...” Essex let out, sitting up. “There must be something we can do...please...”

Sola noticed Essex’s annoyance and quickly held her hand, as Essex stared back at her.

“S-Sola...”

“We can get through this.” Sola assured, with a look of determination. “Sola and Essex dream team.”

“Dream...?” Essex wondered, before taking in Sola’s positive energy and pumping her fist. “Dream team, yes.”

“There’s gotta be more here.” Sola pointed out, before opening a few more tabs. “What about previous matches? They mig-”

Sola stopped talking as she managed to find another bio relating to him on Activ, as Essex took notice and stood up. “Sola? Are you okay?”

“Uhh...” Sola managed, pointing at a particular detail in the bio, as Essex read it aloud.

“...Whil: Old Wound. This allows him to...” Essex said, before silencing herself as she read it, checking it again to be completely sure. “This...”

“His Whil lets him open up old wounds.” Sola confirmed, as Essex slowly fell back into her seat. “If it’s still healing, he can use that to his advantage and weaken his opponent...”

Essex took a second, before sitting forward again. “W-Would that include Harley’s leg?”

Sola shook her head fervently. “The tournament staff have to know about this! They probably said he couldn’t use it without being eliminated.”

“B-But...considering how Harley is feeling right now...” Essex reasoned, trying to recentre herself. “She may push him...and he may use it regardless...”

Sola eyes widened, as she immediately pulled out her tablet and started typing. “Julia and Wess are still with her, right?”

“They should be.” Essex said, watching nervously as Sola typed out the message. “T-Tell them it is an emergency, and that Harley needs to be safe, and that we need t-”

“Essex, it’ll be okay.” Sola said, before finishing up her text. “They’ve got this.”

“...they’ve got this.” Essex repeated, before getting out her seat. “We won’t reach the tournament hall in time, but...”

“Already on it!” Sola yelled, running out of the library, as Essex followed swiftly behind her.

———

Harley dragged herself back into the tournament hall, nervously checking her tablet for the time over and over, just as she came up on the changing rooms again. However, before she could get a moment’s res-

“Harley! There you are.” Julia let out, running up to her. “We wanted to come find you.”

Harley charged past her. “I said I didn’t want any distractions.”

“We’re minutes from the match. It’s a bit late for that.” Wess remarked.

“We just wanted to make sure you were ready for the match.” Julia said, touching her fingers together. “Archer’s a pretty brutal guy apparently...”

“Yeah, I’m ready.” Harley assured, grabbing out some shoes from her locker and putting them on. “I’ve been training all day.”

“Do you...need help with anything?” Julia wondered, as Harley sighed out, before standing back up.

“Guys, just...go do something else, okay?” Harley let out, turning back around to them. “You can watch or whatever, just...don’t get in my head.”

“Competitors! Now’s your time to get to the arena! Move yourselves!”

Harley got up to leave, heading for the arena entryway, as Julia pumped her fist.

“You’ve got this! Archer’s toast.” Julia encouraged, just as Harley kept walking, determined to have her match.

“She’s in a state.” Wess pointed out.

“...she’s kinda like you were last year.” Julia joked, as Wess side-eyed her.

“Oh, hardy har har. You’re quite the comedian.” Wess stated, just as Julia’s tablet buzzed in her pocket, drawing her attention.

She took it out and opened it up, just before her pupils shrank reading over Sola’s text.

Wess quickly noticed and reached out to her. “Julia? What’s wrong?”

“We need to get to Harley.” Julia insisted, frantically looking around her, before finding the exit and running out, straight down the hall.

Wess followed after, worrying what the concern might be, just as they reached the entryway to the tournament.

Julia scanned the room, before spotting Harley already in the arena proper.

“Harley! Harley! Archer’s got a Whil! He...” Julia tried, only for Harley to disappear up the arena stairs, as the gate to the arena closed in front of her. “Dammit!”

“Julia, what’s the problem?” Wess demanded, as Julia went to bite her nails.

“A-Archer’s got a Whil that lets him open old wounds.” Julia admitted, shocking Wess. “A-And he might use it on Harley if she pushes him too far...”

“Harley!” Wess tried, yelling through the gate, only for her voice to blend in with the excited cheers and murmurs of the spectators surrounding the upcoming fight. “She’s too far at this point.”

“Th-The staff probably know about his Whil, so we can’t get them to pull Harley out.” Julia reasoned, spinning in circles. “A-And Harley would still want to keep fighting if we dragged her out against her will...”

“Come on.” Wess assured, grabbing Julia’s hand. “We’ll find another way around. If we can tell her in time, she may be able to avoid it.”

Julia calmed herself a little, before nodding back, as she followed Wess down the hall.

Harley did her best to keep her calm as she stepped onto the arena. The match wasn’t really what was on her mind, but it was where her attention was. Hopefully taking out Archer would distract from...

...everything.

Archer slowly stepped up to the field, taking a few heavy steps, as the giant axe he was resting on his shoulder came into view.

Harley checked her Buster Knuckles again, toggling the fire button on her jet boosters, before knocking her fists together, right as Spence’s voice rang out.

“We’re gearing up for another great match today! The unstoppable Harley Baroke versus the terrifying Archer Parthos! Two incredibly tough, formidable opponents going head-to-head!”

“Will Harley’s recent injury hold her up, or will Archer’s ruthlessness come out on top?” Vent added, just as Spence covered her mic.

“Vent, both those options suggest Harley los-”

“Competitors, you have ten seconds.” Vent announced. “Get ready.”

Harley grounded herself, holding her fists at the ready, as Archer did just the same, swinging his axe down to grip it in both hands.

Both patiently waited as the timer ticked down, staring right at each other, just as the counter reached...

3...

2...

...1

Harley immediately charged forward, using her jet boosters to gain some extra distance, as Archer anticipated and held his ground, waiting for her to strike.

Harley aimed a right hook at him, only for him to duck and swing around her, knocking her to the side with the weight of his axe.

Harley slid across the ground for a bit, only to get up right after, dusting herself off.

Just then, she realised how close both of them were to the edge of the arena, before she went to rush him again, right as he went for a downward swing.

She dodged it just before, heading to his left and landing a blow into his side, throwing him back a little, only for him to regain ground and charge at her with a shocking amount of endurance.

Instead of knocking her out of the arena, he swung his axe and threw her back into the centre, leaving her vulnerable to being outmanoeuvred again.

“We’re not ending it that quickly, Harley.” Archer insisted, closing the distance, as Harley tried her best to get back up.

Archer used his advantage to swing his axe overhead again, aiming for Harley’s injured leg, before she managed to pull herself away just in time.

She tried to stand back up, just as her left leg started to sting, slowing her down badly.

“I bet the wounds getting to you, huh?” Archer remarked, chuckling to himself. “Where’s that fighting spirit? Why aren’t yo-”

Before Archer could keep speaking, Harley clocked him in the jaw, launching him back a fair way, as she did her best to stay standing, shaking off the slight pain in her hand.

“Shut up...” Harley let out, breathing heavily and straightening out her back. “You’re not good enough...to get that from me...”

Archer gripped at his face, before getting back on his feet and feeling the sting Harley had left running through his body.

“...heh.” He let out, before tightening his grip on his axe handle. “Still not good enough for you, huh? We’ll see who’s laughing soon...”

“The...other entrance is locked...too...” Wess managed, resting her hands on her knees, just as Julia joined up with her. “She’s...still too far...”

“And we...can’t yell to her from the crowd...” Julia noted, before an idea popped in her head. “Aren’t there...staff...that come in to take away the injured fighters?”

Wess perked up. “They come in...from the infirmary. There must be an entrance there.”

“Let’s see if it’s open.” Julia said, as they both ran back out into the hall, determined to find a way in.

They arrived quickly at the infirmary, luckily with no medical staff there to catch them.

They both looked around, until Julia spotted a set of doors further into the room, before they both realised the doors were locked.

“No, come on!” Julia let out, peering into the glass. “I can see a hallway, but I don’t know if it’s the right entrance. Are there any keys around?”

“There’s no time. Step aside.” Wess insisted, as she stepped back to get a run up, before Julia realised she was doing.

“Wess!” Julia said, grabbing onto her. “We can’t break the door down!”

“How else are we going to get to her?” Wess asked, as Julia shook her head.

“We’ll find another way in.” Julia insisted. “We can't go breaking in there. If we get in troub-”

“Julia, we don’t have any other option.” Wess pointed out, shaking Julia off. “This is the only way we can get to her in time.”

“Not if we’re breaking academy property. She might not even be through there, Wess.”

“But she might be.” Wess declared. “And that’s worth the risk.”

Julia paused for a second, as the image of Harley in danger flashed before her again, before she slowly backed off, bowing her head and stepping out of the way.

Wess readied herself and charged at it with her shoulder, before she busted through the door, throwing it open violently.

She grabbed at her arm, wincing in pain, before Julia helped her up and kept running down the hall with her.

After a couple turns, they arrived near the exit, with a gate that opened out into the arena just down the end of the hall.

Before they could continue, however, Julia spotted a guard by the entrance and stopped herself, pulling Wess back behind the corner.

“Wess, there’s a guard!” Julia let out, as Wess took another peek at him.

“It looks like we’re on the right track.” Wess remarked.

Julia took a few needed breaths. “We can’t just sneak past...the hallway’s too narrow...”

Wess scratched her chin in thought. “You’re right. How are we meant t-”

Just as she said that, Julia charged right past her and immediately drew the guards attention.

The guard stepped forward with his hand out. “Hey, you can’t be back here. This is a restricte-”

“Sorry!” Julia exclaimed, before holding up her hands at the approaching guard and slowing him down using her Whil, minimising his velocity to near nothing.

Julia turned back to Wess and nodded, as she emerged from the corner and ran forward, sprinting past the irate guard and to the gate, just as she caught a glimpse of Harley and Archer, locked in fierce combat.

“Harley!” Wess tried to call out, attempting to pull herself through the gate to no avail.

She quickly looked back at the guard and noticed the ring of keys on his belt, before taking them off of him, just as Julia was starting to sweat.

“Hurry up, Wess! I-I can’t...” Julia managed, wincing as the guard started to speed himself up.

Wess hurriedly found the key she was looking for, before opening up the gate, as she ran out into the surrounding area, just outside of the arena.

“Harley!” Wess called out, getting to the edge of the arena. “Harley!”

Archer swung his axe again, as Harley nimbly dodged, just as she spotted Wess in her periphery and stopped.

“Wess?!” Harley yelled out.

“What the...?” Spence let out, just as the crowd noticed Wess down on the field. “Is that...?”

“It appears one of Harley Baroke’s teammates has arrived on the field for unknown reasons.” Vent announced, turning the mic away. “We have security on this, right?”

“Wess, what are yo-”

“Archer has a Whil!” Wess interrupted, pointing back at him. “It lets him open up wounds! He’s gonna use it on you-”

Before Wess could continue, the guard from earlier tackled her to the ground, having freed himself from a now exhausted Julia, as Harley turned her attention back to the fight.

Archer has a... Harley thought, only to turn around and notice Archer’s hand glowing a subtle red, pointing down at her leg while she was distracted by Wess.

She jumped out of the way, just as she felt the effects of his Whil starting to kick in, only for Archer to grit his teeth at the missed opportunity.

Just as Archer went to continue their match, a loud, piercing alarm blared out across the tournament hall, as security flooded into the arena, holding Julia and Wess back from causing any further interruptions.

“Apologies, viewers, but it seems one of our competitors' teammates was attempting to manipulate the fight.” Vent announced, as Spence decided to stay silent. “This match will be postponed until the intentions of the parties involved is made clear. Until then...”

———

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...I don’t know what to say.”

Faller tapped his finger in frustration, as Julia, Wess and Harley sat across from him in his office, waiting for some kind of reprimand.

“...I just...” Faller let out, spinning around in his chair. “Out of all the teams to disrupt this tournament...”

“S-Sir, we ju-” Julia said, only for Faller to raise his hand and face them again.

“I’m not done.” Faller stated. “...I want some reasoning.”

“Well, w-” Wess attempted, just as Faller raised his hand again, before pointing to the fairly dejected Harley, lost in thought.

“From her.” Faller said, as Harley quickly noticed. “Why did your teammates feel the need to bypass security and break the tournament’s rules?”

Harley sat up, before sharing a look between Julia and Wess, as they were visibly panicked.

“...well.” Harley started, taking a breath. “We’d...recently gotten into a fight. Before the match. So...I went off to train and ignored my teammates help. They tried to warn me about my opponent, but I didn’t listen...”

Harley gave a brief glance to the duo, before going back to the floor. “...and, in order to make sure I was safe, they...did what they had to, even when I didn’t ask for it...and even if they’d get in trouble for it...”

“So, this was a team effort?” Faller asked, as Julia shook her head vehemently.

“N-No, sir, it was my idea. I dragged Wess along and slowed the guard down.” Julia admitted, holding onto Wess’ hand just as she was about to protest. “Sola and Essex let us know, but I’m the one who insisted we interrupt.”

Faller tried to make out her expression, just as his eyes lowered to her hand locked with Wess’, before sighing out.

“You know I saw your stunt after your most recent match, Miss Nouvel.” Faller admitted, causing Wess to blush. “Whatever your relationship, a leader acting as the scapegoat is all too typical.”

Faller leaned back in his chair. “Even outside of that, I’m sure someone as capable as Wess would’ve been able to pull herself away if she was truly against this.”

Faller waved his hand casually. “I understand where you’re coming from. You were worried for your teammate's safety, so you took what action you could, save for more direct cheating or messing with your opponent.”

He then stood up, before circling his desk. “But this is a competition, and you broke its rules. As punishment, Miss Nouvel, you’re suspended from competing in the tournament any further.”

Wess went to protest, before deciding to stay silent and nod along, just as Faller turned his attention to Harley.

“Additionally, as you seem to agree with your team's behaviour, you’ll be suspended from the tournament as well.” Faller pointed out. “Unless...you feel that they were actually in the wrong here.”

Faller leaned back on his desk, as he gave Harley a trusting look. “Do you support your teams' actions?”

Harley looked back at the duo, and without hesitation, nodded assuredly.

“Yeah, I do.”

Faller’s stern demeanour gave way a little, as he showed his hand. “Unfortunately, I’m going to have to suspend you as well. As of now, Team Valiant are no longer competing in the tournament.”

Julia face sunk a little, as Wess reached out to hold her hand too, just as Faller pulled out a few papers from his drawer.

“You’ll be able to collect your weapons early, and can resume the rest of these semester’s studies as usual.” Faller said, handing off the forms to Julia. “Try not to disrupt the tournament further. The academy needs this right now.”

Julia nodded silently, before getting up with the others and heading off to leave, just as Faller called out.

“And, Harley...”

Harley turned back around.

“Rest your leg. You don’t want to put much more strain on it.”

“Yeah...right...” Harley let out, just as the trio left the office, feeling the uncomfortable air coming in from everything that had transpired.

“...well then.” Wess said. “That wasn’t the most uncomfortable meeting I’ve had with him...”

“Y-You guys got eliminated...” Julia realised, just as Wess rested herself on Julia’s side.

“Knowingly. It was worth it.” Wess assured, sharing a smile with Julia, just as Harley felt the need to speak up.

“...I’m sorry...”

Julia and Wess turned to Harley, as she kicked the ground.

“I fucked up so much...if I’d just listened and...and you wouldn’t have needed to...” Harley attempted, just as Julia reached out.

“Come on, we’re the ones who broke the rules. You were upset.” Julia reasoned, as Wess nodded beside her.

“We knew the consequences going in.” Wess assured, as Harley sunk her head into her hands.

“...I don’t...I don’t just mean the match...” Harley admitted, as Julia led her over to the seats outside of Faller’s office. “...if we didn’t have that f-fight...gods, I’m a mess...”

“Hey, it’s alright.” Julia smiled, rubbing Harley’s back. “Just let it out.”

“Are you worried you hurt Essex?” Wess asked, as Harley nodded her head in her hands.

“...I didn’t want to...it’s...it’s not that I don’t like her...” Harley let out, still covering her face. “Or that us...being more isn’t something I want...”

Harley finally lifted her face, as she wiped her nose with her arm. “...I was just so scared...of losing Sola...or Sola leaving me for her...or...”

Harley shook her head, as she did her best not to cry. “...and why wouldn’t she? All I’ve done is screw up...they’re both too good for me...”

“Harley...that’s not true.” Julia assured, holding both her sides. “You’ve had it rough for a while, but you can bounce back. You’re the toughest out of all of us.”

Julia reached up to wipe a tear from her eye. “If you tell Sola and Essex about this, I’m sure you’ll work something out. Sola’s a great listener, and Essex would feel a lot better knowing you had a reason for acting the way you did.”

“...I don’t know...” Harley groaned, as Wess reached over too.

“Come on. Really think about it.” Wess insisted. “If you just hold this all back, it’ll only get worse. And if there’s anyone you can tell...”

Wess stared back up at Julia and smiled.

“...it’s the people you love.”

Harley let her think for a second, as the duo gave her a needed moment to be at peace with herself.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...we should head back. Sola and Essex probably want an update.” Julia said, helping Harley get up.

“Yeah...hey, can...” Harley started, visibly embarrassed. “Just...when we get back, can I get some alone time with them? I think we should talk some things out.”

“That’s a great idea, Harley.” Julia encouraged. “Me and Wess can plan out the rest of our semester, now that the tournament’s not an option.”

“That sounds lovely.” Wess said, as she noticed Harley’s lack of energy. “This will work itself out. I was in a similar state after breaking up with Cyrus.”

Harley nodded silently, clearly still in her own head about all of this.

“And you’re very charismatic. I’m sure you can smooth things over.” Wess assured. “After all, you’ve got a very large chest.”

Harley admittedly snickered at the comment, as her mood picked up a little, just as Julia slowed down a little while walking, reading over the papers Faller had handed her.

“It seems like we have to pick up our weapons by the end of the day.” Julia realised, scratching her head. “They really didn’t make it easy for us, huh?”

“Oh great. Now they’re being held at ransom.” Wess remarked, just as Harley perked her head up.

Just as Julia was lost in thought, Harley reached out and took the sheet for herself.

“I can take care of this.” Harley insisted, putting on a smile.

“Really?” Julia asked, as Harley nodded back.

“It’s the least I can do to make it up to you guys.” Harley assured, giving a thumbs up. “You’ve done enough, really. Get back and take it easy.”

“...alright.” Julia said, waving to her, before heading off with Wess. “Tell us if you need any help.”

Harley waved back, before taking a breath once they rounded the corner.

“...you’ve got this, Harley.” She assured herself, heading in the direction of the tournament hall.

———

“...maybe a dinner? No, that’s too obvious...and Essex hates dining.” Harley thought over, tapping the papers to her head. “What would Essex like? Probably something combat related...”

Harley arrived at one of the spare storage rooms in the tournament hall, filled with large lockers used to store each team’s set of weapons.

“She likes ska music, maybe I can make that work...I should probably do something for Sola too...” Harley suggested, as she scanned over the lockers for the word ‘Valiant.’ “I could take up their offer of laser tag.”

Harley eventually found it, before putting in the combination for the locker, as she opened it to find everyone’s weapons present.

“...there’s no big thing I could do to make it up to them.” Harley admitted, gripping the locker door. “It’ll just come off as...”

Before Harley could continue, she was distracted by spotting Dennis passing by in the hall, muttering something to himself.

Getting an idea, Harley quickly went to close the locker, before running down the hall after him.

“Hey! Dennis!”

He turned around suddenly, only for his mood to immediately sour. “Oh great. Look who wants to chat.”

He folded his arms as Harley ran over. “Thanks to your team’s stunt, Andro’s now associated with the team that ‘disrupted’ the tournament and tried to cheat.”

Harley caught up, as Dennis started counting on his fingers. “On top of that, my bosses caught wind of our tactic and want a word with me. Apparently, there’s some big deals in the works, so this kinda PR screw up is not what we need right now.”

“Yeah...I get that.” Harley admitted, catching her breath. “But please, don’t drag my team’s name through the mud...”

“I don’t see why I shouldn’t. I was a passive player in this, you guys did most of the work.” Dennis reasoned.

“It...was my idea.” Harley ‘confessed.’ “I thought a big spectacle like that would drum up attention, but it just went wrong.”

“Wait, you planned that?” Dennis asked, folding his arms. “And you didn’t feel like advising me ahead of time?”

“...it was a surprise...for everyone?” Harley said, as Dennis just groaned.

“So what, you were the mastermind?” Dennis wondered, as Harley nodded back.

“Just don’t let the others get dragged down.” Harley insisted, before snapping her fingers. “How about I talk to your bosses for you? I can vouch for it, smooth things over...”

Dennis looked unimpressed.

“...talk up how well you did your job.”

Dennis admittedly thought this over, before pulling out his tablet and heading further down the hall. “Fine. If you feel like being some martyr, be my guest.”

“Great. Thank you.” Harley said, as she stared back at the locker room, before following Dennis to a more appropriate place to take the call.

She’d had enough.

Win after win after win, against her, against the Wailing, against whoever...

It was enough to make her blood boil ten times over, and she wasn’t going to sit by while they soaked up praise and admiration for their victories.

Not while she could do something about it.

Rosalind trudged down the tournament halls, having left the infirmary in hopes of finding one of them weakened and recovering after their recent matches. No such luck, as she pushed through anyone that manage to pass her.

“Screw you, Wicker...” She muttered, resting her hand on her sword handle. “I’m done with this shit. You want them to stop being a problem? So do I.”

She hurried down the hall, ready to head to the student dorms out of desperation, only to notice a large swath of blonde hair turning the corner up ahead.

“That’s blondie...” Rosalind let out, as her anger was renewed. “I bet the others are with her. Finally, some proper fucking payback...”

Rosalind was dead set on her goal, ready to take her victory for herself, only to pass by the locker room holding the tournament’s weaponry.

Nothing noteworthy there, save for one of the lockers opened slightly ajar, with Essex’s very recognisable scythe just peeking through the crack.

Rosalind stopped right by the entrance and stared in awe, before approaching the locker, careful not to alert anyone to her presence.

She slowly opened the locker and stepped back as all of Team Valiant’s weapons were on display, right in front of her.

Slowly, a wicked smile grew across her face.

Harley hurried back through the hallway, deliberately trying to run as she made her way back to the lockers. The call had taken longer than she would’ve liked, but at least she knew Team Valiant’s name was somewhat safe.

She turned a corner, before running back to the locker room, just as she let out a sigh of relief.

“This’ll take a couple trips, but it’ll be worth it.” Harley assured herself, feeling some confidence slowly return to her. “Alright, let’s do this.”

Harley jogged over to the locker, putting in the combination again, only to open it up and find it was empty.

Curious, she looked around the locker, finding nothing, before trying out the combination on the other lockers next to it, all to no avail.

“Did the others come and get them...?” Harley wondered, before realising she was the only one with the combination.

Starting to panic, she left the room, just as a tournament staff member was passing by, idly checking some work.

“Hey, hold up.” Harley said, getting their attention. “Do you know where my team’s weapons went?”

“Weapons?” They asked, looking back into the room. “Were you here to collect them?”

“Yeah. Team Valiant.” Harley admitted, as the staff recognised her. “Did you guys take them back early or something?”

“No, we wouldn’t have done that for a few more hours.” The staff member admitted, as Harley was starting to sweat. “Perhaps your team collected them ahead of time?”

“...yeah, yeah, that’s probably what happened.” Harley assured, running off down the hallway, leaving the staff member on their own.

Harley headed outside of the tournament hall, hoping to head back to the engineering department to find Jovie, as she pulled out her tablet to ask the team if they had their weapons...

...only to notice a ute parked just by the hall, with the back covered in a tarp, obscuring everything, except the top of Essex’s scythe.

Harley dropped her tablet, just as the car started to drive off down the road, letting Harley lock eyes with the driver, with Rosalind giving back a proud grin, before driving off to who knows where, leaving Harley in a state of utter shock.

She struggled to come to grips with everything that had gone down, while the car disappeared into the middle distance, only for her tablet to buzz on the ground with a new message.

Julia [Harley? Did something happen?]