SLVR

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Welp that sold it. Uriah was officially banned and named "Ultimate Dick" for team SLVR. As Reyna sobbed and cried, Sylvia hushed her and provided encouragements on how much better she could do and how awful it was for Uriah to just break up with her like that. The silverette continued to run her hand through Reyna's hair, determined to do whatever she could to comfort her friend. Vance, meanwhile, practically wanted to run and demand Uriah fight him, right there, right then. However, as much as he wanted to, he knew that Sylvia would not be happy with another one of her teammates picking fights they couldn't win with the toughest students in school. So, Vance just cuddled Reyna more. She needed him a lot more than Uriah needed a butt wooping. Thus, SLVR rallied around their youngest and tried to help her through her first breakup at Beacon.

A week passed quickly and the Vytal festival was upon them, Between training, studies, and dodging the occasional visiting student, SLVR had their hands full preparing for it. But today was finally the day! Vance practically glowed with excitement as he bounced through the fairgrounds, dragging his teammates along with him. Seeing all of the different food and stalls added to the faunus boys' excitement as he had to see what everything had to offer, his ears twisting and turning as they tried to catch ever sound. Sylvia followed her bouncy teammate with an amused smile, though she couldn't reciprocate his excitement. The fact of the matter was that the whole Vytal tournament left Sylvia a mess of nerves and anxiety. The whole day before she couldn't sit still and couldn't help worrying about every little thing. What if they hadn't trained enough? What if they didn't have enough team maneuvers? What if they failed to represent Vale in all of its glory? What if she failed her teammates? Scenarios like those ran through Sylvia's mind a mile a minute as her teammates and herself got ready for the main event. However, she tried her best to keep her anxiety as invisible and unnoticeable as possible. She smiled and laughed at Vance's antics, forcing herself to try and keep the calm leader visage if only to at least pretend she was a put together leader ready to help her teammates.
 
Though Reyna continued to cry well into the night, her team's presence kept her sobs to a minimum. Of course, after the tears came the rage, though nobody was awake to see it. So in the dark of night, Reyna dug her fingers deep into her pillow, tearing it apart with clenched teeth and a violent glare. Her teammates may have wanted to teach Uriah a lesson for her, but she was on a completely different level. That coward. I hope we fight in the tournament so I can crush his skull on live T.V.!

It wasn't long until said tournament was to begin, and before they knew it, SLVR was on the festival grounds, being dragged around by Vance without breaks. There was food, games, prizes, and all sorts of games for non-participants to play while waiting for the matches to start. Stands were filled with people saving seats with cups, boxes, stuffed animals, and a plethora of other items, and the atmosphere was livelier than it had ever been at Beacon. While Vance was focused on the feel of the festival, and Sylvia focused on keeping her demeanor calm and collected, Reyna continued to brood about her ex. Sure it had been a week, but that week was leading up to an opportunity to quite literally crush the people responsible for her heartbreak. After dealing with months of Azule acting rude and impatient towards her, she simply couldn't wait to get her hands wrapped around his puny neck. Then she could go after Uriah and give him a proper kick to his crotch like she should have done back at the restaurant.

Lev was the only one out of his team without something significant bothering him. Sure, he was nervous about how prepared the team was, but those nerves only went so far. So he followed his friends around with a smile, keeping watch over them like a hawk to make sure they weren't going to get themselves in trouble. Then he spied SAGE, settled down at a quaint ramen booth, and wasted no time guiding SLVR to a seat. Fun as it was to see the whole fairgrounds, the ravenette preferred to take it all in from a more relaxed perspective.

As soon as SAGE saw their fellow classmates walking up, they made some room so everyone could pair off. It was like a well oiled machine: First Gabe, then Vance, Sylvia, Seymour, Abby, Lev, Reyna, and Ellie. It felt like the first time in ages that they had all spent time together anywhere but the breakfast table, and even Lev could admit it was a refreshing change of pace. After SLVR had their orders taken, he prodded Abby as he often did, enjoying some banter to lighten the mood for himself. Meanwhile, Reyna welcomed the chance to gush her frustrations and desires to Ellie, who was, as always, an ever-listening ear to the pinkette and her troubles.

"...I hope you don't plan on staying pent up forever, Sylvia." Seymour smiled, casually bringing up the feelings that only he could see in the silverette while everyone else was preoccupied. After slurping up a few noodles and dabbing away the broth with a napkin, he continued. "There is no need to be anxious. My father once told me, 'It is the fear of what cannot be fixed that will ultimately cause something to break.' You see? Live in the moment! Be exited! Observe your teammates; they are all looking forward to the festival. It is that sort of bliss that will make the tournament fun." Seymour paused to take another mouthful of food, once again dabbing away at his mouth and cleaning his hands before taking Sylvia's thumb between his fingers, softly kneading her skin like the smallest of massages. As if it was a totally natural thing to do, Seymour affixed his eyes on his fellow leader's and gave her a big smile. "If it is any consolation, I believe in you. You can be sure that we will all be cheering from the stands every second of the way. And if we get to meet in the bracket, wouldn't that be exciting?"

"Pfft, yeah, exciting to take you all down!" Abby broke in at the mention of the bracket, slamming her fist on the table with a toothy grin. Seymour simply laughed at his teammate before returning his eyes to Sylvia's once more, lending her a comforting smile as he released her digit and returned to his food.
 
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Sylvia smiled as she saw her fellow classmates and quickly took her seat, gladly ordering and watching as her team started to interact with SAGE. Reyna was enthusiastically ranting to Ellie, Lev seemed to get a kick out of bantering with Abby, and Vance had instantly wrapped an arm around Gabe and nuzzled into his hair before excitedly explaining everything SLVR had seen before finding SAGE. She had been content to just try and watch her teammates, but quickly remembered that Seymour could feel everything she was feeling. She sighed as she submitted herself to Seymour's advice, slowly calming down as he reassured her and urged her to just relax and enjoy everything. When he grabbed her thumb, the silverette could swear she felt a tingle run up her arm and down her spine. She smiled back at Seymour, giving a fake exasperated sigh as she ran a hand through her hair. "Should've figured I couldn't get anything past you. Thanks for the reassurance. It's just... this is my first tournament with a team-and as the leader of said team! Not only that, but we're representing all of Vale as students of Beacon. It's kinda nerve wracking..."

The gazelle boy went on to offer his support, Even going so far as to say how exciting it might be if they entered the bracket together. Before Sylvia could really respond, Abby went on to declare that SAGE would take SLVR down. Vance huffed in indignation, throwing in his two cents. "We wouldn't go down without a fight!" With his challenge thrown down, the wolf boy turned to his arriving food and proceeded to chat and eat as he kept his arm wrapped loosely around Gabe's waist.

Hearing the excitement and confidence in her teammate's voice, along with Seymour's reassurances let the silverette fully relax and turn to her own food. "Yeah, it would be kinda exciting. Though, you can be we're gonna be cheering you on just as much as you are us. It'll be great to see each other in action. I can't wait to see all the different weapons all the fighters will use..." Sylvia could feel her spirits raise as her mind drifted into a bit of a la la land, imaging all of the various weapons and tech fighters would be using. She slurped her own noodles up happily, glad to be around friends and for once not focusing on how ill prepared she felt she and her team were or how much pressure the whole thing could possibly put on her team and herself.
 
Seymour was quick to respond to Sylvia, having an answer all lined up as always. "You represent yourself, Sylvia. No one else. Your anxiety is entirely self-fed. If you must represent Vale, then I must represent faunus, yes? This place...it is where we test ourselves. There is no grade for how we perform, and no repercussions if we lose, so use this chance wisely! When there are no stakes to fight for, that is where our truest passion lies; we can lay it all on the line without fear!" The gazelle faunus paused and looked down at his hands, watching them shiver for a second before turning back to the silverette, taking her hands in a more open manner than usual, and giving them a soft squeeze to steel his own nerves. "Sylvia, I will put my all into this tournament. Please, watch me!" His face was resolved, and his smile, though still warm, was strong and rigid, a contrast to his usually soft look. A light pink dusted itself onto his cheeks as he looked into Sylvia's eyes, so Seymour turned away with a chuckle, releasing her palms as though he had never held them to begin with. "I'll be listening for you in the crowd. Hopefully your cheers will be for SAGE more than the variety of weapons we'll see, hmm?" He teased before finishing off the last of his food.

Meanwhile, Gabe gave Vance a sly grin at the wolf boy's thoughts on Abby's statement. "Honey," Gabe's voice glazed past his boyfriend's ear, seductive and teasing, "if we met in the tournament, I'd grind you to dust. Probably best to lie down and take it, don't you think?" The panther gave a thrum of satisfaction as if Vance already agreed, cuddling close to the bigger faunus as he waited for a reply.

Lev, on the opposite spectrum of most of the conversations, had tried his best, but grew sick of watching Seymour and Sylvia over Abby's shoulder. Sure, he was enjoying his chat with the lioness, but seeing Seymour's eyes sparkle when they met his partner's sent a shock of discomfort down his spine. Not fair. Nobody in their right mind would think he wasn't cute, especially when he's all hyped up like that, and he doesn't even register it. Talk about being leagues ahead of the competition. I should probably just-

"Rabbit! HEY, RABBIT! Abby snarled, giving the ravenette a punch in the forearm that caused his eyes to pop open. Once she was sure she had his attention, she sat back with a huff. "Don't ignore me! Now as I was saying, who do you think would win in a fight, me or that Zeppah guy from AZUR?"

"O-Oh, uh..." Lev forced himself to refocus, but was already starting to lose track again. "I-I think...he would? I mean, considering his experience, and- OW!"

Abby gave him another punch. "Wrong answer, rabbit! I'm gonna beam him so hard his teeth'll pop out! It's gonna be awesome!" She was about to proceed on another tirade on how she planned on single-handedly dominating the tournament, but Lev interjected with an uneasy laugh.

"Y-Yeah, I'll bet it will be! You can be sure I'll have my eye out." Before Abby could respond with her quizical gaze, the ravenette addressed the whole group. "Um, hey! It looks like they'll be announcing the first match soon. I'm gonna go save us some seats on a transport vessel, so try not to be late!" He gave a quick wave and ran off before anyone could question him. Abby looked after the ravenette for a moment longer, waiting until he was out of sight before dragging his bowl to herself, finishing off his food without any words.
 
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Of course Seymour had a response to Sylvia's worries. It seemed no matter what possible anxiety she threw at him, Seymour had a way to combat it and offer some sagely advice instead. She had been content to just continue the conversation and watch over her teammates when Seymour grabbed her hands. Immediately the touch sent sparks up her body, leaving a fluttering feeling in her chest and stomach as Seymour declared he was going to try his best. Her face heated up as he demanded she watch him, looking far more intense than normal. Sylvia missed the feeling of his hands in hers as he then proceeded to tease her, joking about her love for weapons. Snapping out of her daze, Sylvia smiled and bumped Seymour's shoulder. "You can be sure I'll be cheering louder for you than for the weapons. Though, you can't blame me! Sometimes a person just has too beautifully crafted a weapon for me not to take notice!" The silverette joked right back, taking time to actually eat her food instead of leaving it to get cold.

Sylvia took a moment to look over her teammates, frowning as Lev suddenly left. He seemed nervous almost... disappointed as he left. What had gotten into him? Out of all of her teammates, he had seemed the most ready for the tournament. Had the mention of Zeppah thrown him off? What had caused the raven haired boy's suddenly need to flee? "I guess we should probably hurry up and finish our food then. I don't wanna leave Lev all alone for too long." Sylvia noted, her brow furrowed in concern as she tried to figure out what exactly was wrong with Lev.

Meanwhile, Vance was having all too much fun with his boyfriend. As he heard Gabe's taunt, he could feel his smile stretch. Ah, so they were playing this game now, huh? Well, Vance definitely knew how to respond. Taking a moment from his food to nuzzle into Gabe's hair, Vance practically purred back, "Sweetie, you know it's much more fun when I fight back. Besides, didn't you say you thought I looked cute when I was desperate? Well, I'll be desperate to beat you and who am I to deny my beautiful boyfriend something he obviously likes?" Vance kissed Gabe's ear, playful and excited. "Besides, if I fight back then that means you'll at least break a sweat and I happen to think you look extremely hot when you're sweaty and fired up from fighting." The wolf boy smirked as he whispered into Gabe's ear, finishing with one last warm puff of breath before he went back to his food. The wolf boy started to eat as if nothing had happened at all, simply pulling Gabe just a bit closer.
 
Gabe blinked once. Twice. Staring back at his boyfriend with a bewildered smile. Did he hear him right? Did his adorable dork of a boyfriend just try to play his game? Gabe bit his lip to subdue the emerging laughter. "Vance..." He began, letting out his reaction with a light chuckle, "If you blow into my ear again, I'll bite your lips off." Gabe smiled, eskimo-kissing the wolf faunus only to look straight into his eyes and convey how serious he was under the flirtatious guise. "And lay off the nicknames. I'll always be Gabe to you. Understand? Just Gabe. Just you." With that, the panther boy gave Vance a quick peck before using his proximity to bump him off of his seat. "Of course, if you really think I look hot when I fight, then I guess I'll just have to do some showing off, now won't I?"

Seymour was about to make light of Vance and Gabe's rather open conversation to Sylvia when he caught on to Ellie and Reyna's shenanigans.

"BOYS! ARE! DUMB! AND! URIAH! IS! GONNA! GET! CURB! STOMPED! THE! SECOND! I! SEE! HIS! COWARD! FACE! RRRAAAAAHHHHH!!!" Reyna yelled with the fire of a recently and wrongfully dumped woman, giving a solid punch to Ellie's open palms with every word. Meanwhile, the cow girl wore a vicious smile that spread from ear to ear.

"Yee-haw Rain! Crush them skulls! Break them bones! Don't let no wuss tell you what! Show 'im what you're made of!"

The yelling proceeded for a while afterwards, but Seymour could only giggle at the show of force. "It seems like both of our teammates are more than ready to show what they are made of, wouldn't you say? Let us find the transport Lev spoke of. We can save seats together once we get to the arena stands! Hopefully that will double our ability to strategize for future bouts. Two heads are better than one, after all." The gazelle boy gave a gleeful smile, still riding off of the goofy antics of his team.

After everyone finished their food, the two teams set out to find their ride to the airborne arena. Lev stood outside the entrance of a smaller transport, waving down his friends and looking much more relaxed than he had previously. "Hey guys! There's the perfect amount of seats in here! Hurry up!"

Then they were off. A clean landing saw the octet walking into the entrance of the Amity Colosseum. There wasn't as much to see as the fairgrounds, but that was hardly an issue as SAGE and SLVR reached the stands. Without hesitation, Seymour bounded across the seats and stairs with impeccable grace, showing off a bit of his gazellean side. After scuffling around other early-comers, the teams were together once more, settled in their usual order, and finally able to take in the view of the arena. The octagonal playing field was at its default form, but anyone who was anyone knew what hid within.

"I almost forgot about the biomes..." Seymour whispered to himself, rubbing his chin in anticipation. "Tell me how you are feeling, Sylvia. I mean...I know, but it is best to get it all out for yourself, I think. A man can force a river to run with machines and oil, but no water will ever be as pure as what comes from the source alone... My father said this to a mechanic once, and was told to leave his building site, but the point still stands!" the gazelle boy gave his fellow leader a warm laugh, his eyes practically glowing in the late morning sun, seeming to welcome Sylvia to rest her worries on him at any time.
 
As Gabe started to laugh, Vance pouted at his attempts at flirting and being somewhat of a 'sexy' boyfriend failed. Though he was glad he got to at least get pecked before being unceremoniously bumped from his seat. Vance let out a squawk of protest as Gabe finished. "Hey, I was still eating! You didn't have to push me off my chair!" The wolf boy complained, getting back up and scooting Gabe away so he could sit back down and slurp up the rest of his noodles. "And so I think you look hot when you fight! I was just trying to make you get all flustered!" The poor boy was flushing red as he settled back down. "I mean, sometimes I can get you all flustered, but never when I mean to!" Before he could go on, Reyna decided that would be the moment to yell out her plans to beat Uriah into the ground. His ears folded against his head to try and protect themselves from the pinkette's rage. Sure, he was all for his teammate beating the dick up, but she didn't have to scream about it!

Sylvia had been finishing up her meal calmly when Reyna decided now would be the perfect time to start yelling. The silverette jumped a bit before groaning as Seymour commented lightly on the two girls' enthusiasm. "You could say that... Though I'd appreciate it if you both could save some of that energy for the actual fights!" Sylvia noted, directing the comment at Reyna and Ellie before turning back to Seymour. "Yeah, let's go. It'll be great to talk over battle strategies with you while we wait for the fights." Sylvia smiled, hopping off her chair after she and her teammates paid for the meal. It didn't take much longer for them to find Lev and head off, arriving at Amity Colosseum and getting seated. Vance seemed to forget most of his previous annoyance and embarrassment from earlier and eagerly looked around, taking in the arena with bright eyes. He couldn't believe he was actually here! He was going to fight in an actual arena in an actual tournament as an actual hunter! ... well, hunter-in-training, but still!

Sitting down and taking in the arena, Sylvia could feel her nerves come back tenfold. This was where they were going to spend the rest of the tournament. She could feel her heart start to pound as she wondered who else would be there. What other teams would they meet? Would they even get past the first round as a team? They hadn't trained enough. Sylvia should have trained her team harder, worked them more on their team attacks. Her mind was racing when Seymour popped in with his observations and request for her thoughts. The personal tidbit about Seymour's father caused Sylvia to nearly choke on her laughter, the silverette taking a few minutes to calm down before she could properly word what she was feeling to the gazelle boy.

"Honestly..." Sylvia started, running a hand through her hair. "I'm nervous again. All I can think about are scenarios of what can go wrong, what's going to happen. I keep worrying that I haven't trained my team hard enough or I didn't focus on making team maneuvers enough or that I'm just plain not good enough to be here." The silverette shifted in her seat, nerves demanding she do something to get rid of all of her excess energy. She could almost feel her hands shaking, the sheer size of the arena and scope of the tournament getting to her. Here, it wasn't just divided up by years or skill or any other way. This was a free for all brawl which left Sylvia feeling all the more unprepared. She and her team would be facing off against hunters and huntresses with years and years more experience than any of her team. Seeing just how they stacked up left the silverette jittering as she wished not to disappoint those who believed in her.

Taking a deep breath, Sylvia tried to keep talking and not focus on the sheer weight of what was happening around her. "I know you've already told me not to worry about it and that it's all in my head, but I just keep overthinking everything and I can't get my brain to stop and I just don't want to disappoint my team if we don't make it past the first round or something else happens." Chewing on her lip, Sylvia prayed that they would be shown some mercy in this tournament as she waited for the events to start.
 
Gabe didn't have time to make more light of Vance's pouting, though he would have very much liked to. Maybe Vance couldn't pull off the sexy shtick, but Gabe couldn't hide his blush at the pouty, whiny, childish demeanor that his boyfriend naturally held. Rather than point it out, the panther simply stuck to Vance's side, making up his blunt comments with plenty of cuddling as they sat in the stands.

"I see... Well I think-" Seymour had begun to respond to Sylvia's nerves when the massive screens lit up around the colosseum.

-

"It's an awfully big day for our competitors, wouldn't you say, Dee?"

"Why yes it is, Dum! Only the biggest for our hunters and huntresses!"

"With that in mind, Dee, I think it's only fair that we say-"

"WELCOME TO THE VYTAL FESTIVAL TOURNAMENT!"

-

With this, the day seemed to propel forward like a rocket. The announcement was met with a rising volume of cheers as more and more people poured into the stands. Civilians, hunters, huntresses, and people of all ages and places flooded Amity with cries of joy and awe. The atmosphere was electric, and you could hear the spectators' breath being taken away by the crowd-load. Abby stood up straighter and smiled wider than she ever had before, Lev ran a hand through his hair to ease his nerves, Reyna and Ellie were practically bouncing alongside each other, Gabe grimaced and quickly dug himself further into his boyfriend's side, and Seymour simply sighed as the crisp and energetic glow left his eyes at the interruption of what seemed to be a one on one between him and the anticipatory atmosphere of the once empty stands.

There was no time for talking yet though, as the moment when everyone was seated and the noise decreased enough for everyone to hear one another, the screens lit up once more, this time displaying the whole bracket. One explanation of the rules later, and the bracket was set.

"First Match! SAGE of Beacon Academy versus CMSN of Haven Academy! We ask each team be ready and on the field in 30 minutes!"

Seymour, Abby, Gabe, and Ellie all grew wide-eyed at the announcement. The crowd was cheering loud as ever, but that didn't stop SAGE from turning to their SLVR compatriots for a last minute pep-up. Ellie and Reyna stood up together, put their hands on the other's shoulders, and gave the most insane war-cry ever uttered by two teenage girls. Even the crowd couldn't drown them out as they yelled, then hugged, then yelled some more.

Gabe was a bit more understated, but a lot more passionate as he snaked his way from Vance's side up to his front, giving the wolf a deep and intoxicating kiss before rising up and joining Ellie on her way down to the field.

Next was Abby, who stood and turned to Lev with her arms crossed and her brows furrowed. The ravenette gave a broad smile and an enthusiastic thumbs-up in return. After looking at Ellie's display, then Gabe's display, the lioness nearly blew a gasket at Lev's simple gesture. "C'mon rabbit! Give me something to go off of! You're my bo...b-boooy...m-my b-buddy, right?" The red-head quickly petered out of steam as she lost control of her words for a moment. Her face lit up with pink, and in the back of her head she hoped and prayed that the crowd had drowned out her muck-up. And it had.

But Lev wasn't stupid. With a roll of his eyes, he picked himself up. "You asked for this..." He said with a sigh, unabashedly pulling the fiery girl towards him and giving her a shameless kiss. It wasn't Gabe-levels of debauchery, but it was hard enough to make Abby's eyes nearly pop out of her skull...but then they began to flutter closed, just for a moment...then they popped back open again, and Abigale did what she seemed to do best.

"YOU IDIOT, I'M GONNA KILL YOU! I'M GONNA KILL YOU WHETHER WE MEET IN THE TOURNAMENT OR NOT! I'LL SEE YOU IN HELL, RABBIT!" The lioness screamed after tugging away, ruthlessly punching Lev in the shoulder a multitude of times before storming off after her teammates. It seemed as if she was still ranting and raving about the ravenette, but the crowd quickly drowned her out. Seymour, meanwhile, was still in his seat, face lit up with the brightest blush, and mouth agape with the hardest laughter he had ever felt. Even Lev asking Abby out didn't compare.

After he calmed down, he turned to Sylvia, tears still in his eyes from the laughter, and a sweet grin on his face. "I-It would seem a trend is forming between our teams, Sylvia! If I may..." the faunus began his request, taking Sylvia's hand in the same manner as he had way back at the dance. He began to bring it to his lips, still grinning like a child, but stopped short and moved his head over their joined hands, planting a soft peck on the silverette's forehead instead.

"For luck! For both of us!" Seymour smiled as he skipped off to join his team, giving a wave to SLVR before moving out of sight.
 
It seemed Sylvia wouldn't be able to get some last minute support from Seymour as the announcers proclaimed the start of the tournament. The roaring crowds and intense atmosphere did nothing to help lighten Sylvia's worries, but she knew that no matter what happened she would just have to roll with it. Vance seemed to have a similar reaction to Gabe as he quickly tried to hide his wolf ears from the assaulting noise, but smiled as the excitement pumped him up. He squeezed Gabe a bit, ready to share in the excitement with his boyfriend. Everything seemed to be getting ready for an easy start...

Of course that couldn't last long. As soon as the announcers finished with their last explanations, SAGE was thrust into the middle of the action, starting off the tournament. Sylvia blinked in surprise as the glowing letters announced her classmates as the starters of the whole thing. Vance didn't have much time to react as he was swept up in a kiss from his boyfriend. He reciprocated as soon as he could before Gabe pulled away and marched off to get on the field. The wolf boy looked dazed, practically glowing from the bout of affection as he tried to right himself to properly cheer for his boyfriend.

Sylvia had been about to wish the team good luck when Lev decided it would be a good time to just go ahead and kiss Abby. The silverette couldn't hold back her reaction, her shock quickly translating into laughter so hard it nearly made her ribs hurt. She couldn't help her amusement as Abby fumed, declaring Lev dead as she walked off to join the rest of her team. Her laughter had just died down as Seymour noted the trend. Sylvia didn't have time to comment on it, the gazelle boy taking her hand in his and getting ready to plant a kiss on her hand. She prepared herself for the sweet action, only to be shocked by Seymour's lips on her forehead. Sylvia's face blushed three different reds as Seymour declared the kiss good luck. For a few moments, Sylvia was stunned, unable to really react. Her chest was bursting and her stomach was crowded with what seemed like millions of butterflies. She sat in her seat, unable to really do much until SAGE was almost out of sight. Realizing this was her last chance to wish her good lucks, she managed to scream over the crowd. "I KNOW YOU GUYS CAN DO THIS! GO SHOW THEM WHAT YOU ALL CAN DO! GOOD LUCK!" With that, the silverette felt she had returned mostly to normal, though a blush was still present on her face.

Vance took Sylvia's cue and started to shout his encouragements as well. "BEAT THEM TO THE GROUND! YOU GOT THIS! I BELIEVE IN YOU, GABE!" Shouting out encouragement for his boyfriend, the faunus boy and the rest of SLVR started to move so the other four seats were still saved for SAGE once their battle was through, but they could sit next to each other and talk to each other as a team.

Now next to Lev, Sylvia couldn't help the smirk riding onto her face as she nudged Lev's shoulder. "That was a bit forward of you, champ! I didn't know you had it in ya! Kissing Abby just like that! You must really like her." The silverette teased, ignoring the faint blush that was still present on her freckled cheeks. Goodness, at this rate her whole team would be paired up with SAGE in one way or another. Ignoring the burst of butterflies in her chest at what that implied, Sylvia turned to tease Lev a bit more. "You know, there are a few better ways to properly woo a girl, Lev. Ones that include not just kissing her when she doesn't expect it." She could practically see all the different ways she could tease Lev over this. Oh, she was never letting this go.
 
"She said she wanted something to get her pumped, yeah?" Lev shrugged, nursing his shoulder as he sat back in his seat. "I don't think it matters whether I like her or not; now she's ready to kick some tail, even if it's because I ticked her off...and hey, who are you to talk?" Lev poked Sylvia's blush to ease her nosy face away from him, "If you don't ask Seymour out soon, you're gonna catch yourself on fire. The question is, are you going to say something to him, or do I need to kiss him for you too?" the ravenette returned his partner's teasing with ease, though it screwed up his gut to do so. Not like it matters. Abby and I agreed to keep it simple. We couple up when everyone else does, and ride it out smooth. One kiss isn't going to change anything except how bruised my arm gets...

Meanwhile, Reyna was still yelling incoherently at the top of her lungs. By the tone of her voice, she was obviously shouting her encouragement to SAGE, but other than that, she was just...yelling. From her massive grin, at least it seemed it was doing her some good. Lev, on the other hand, was minimal with his cheers, instead focusing all of his attention on the teams. Whatever he could learn now would save the whole team some trouble later. It looked like everyone was on the stage. Now it was only a matter of time...

-

"The combatants are set, Dee!

"That they are, Dum! And what a crew!"

"You can say that again, Dee!

"That they are, Dum! And what a crew!"

"...Dee, I didn't mean-"

"THE BATTLE BEGINS IN 3! 2! 1! GOOO!!!"

-

SAGE had their weapons at the ready as soon as the countdown commenced. Ellie was at the forefront, Gabe and Abigale held down the sides of the formation and Seymour took the the rear. They were polished and practiced, that much was certain, but CMSN was just as clear-cut; Heavy in front, mid-weights at the sides, and the light-weight in back. The two teams were mirrored in almost every way. From the nosebleed section, it was probably impossible to tell them apart.. Then the biomes rolled in; mountain and ice, with an overarching blizzard to boot. Lev grinned, knowing that Abby's face was likely as scrunched as a raisin out of disgust. For someone who gave the cold shoulder a lot, Lev knew the lioness hated the cold more than anything else.

Then the countdown ended, and the storm began. Fighters flew off their markers at a variety of speeds, and sparks rained down just as hard as the blizzard as they clashed. Abby was quick to acclimate her role in the team, taking her opponent through the ice biome with instantaneous propulsion. The first member of CMSN didn't know what hit her when the ring-out buzzer blared. From there it was a clean sweep. SAGE circled the remaining three opponents, Ellie corralled them with her paladin gauntlets, Gabe slung them down from any attempts of escape, and Abby rocketed down their aura with a blazing scream not unlike the one Sylvia felt firsthand, though this one was scores more powerful. Clearly SAGE hadn't been resting on their laurels while SLVR got stronger. Yet, through the battle, Seymour hardly moved at all. He picked his fight when it came, sure, but the gazelle seemed to leave everything to his team in the end. Reyna was too busy screaming and hollering to notice, but Lev did. It's like...he didn't even see them as a threat...

"Hmph, that was a blowout on CMSN's end. They didn't look prepared at all." Lev broke away from his thoughts as the match wrapped up, sighing in disappointment. "I mean, did you even see Seymour get into the fight at all? It was like watching a game of cat and mouse." The ravenette was content to leave it at that, but a new voice lit up from behind SLVR to interject.

"I dare say I disagree, dearheart! Miss Ellie was hooked on stalemate with that massive boy until that Seymour fellow- you did say Seymour, yes?- that Seymour fellow stepped in, and WHOOSH! He was backed into the corner! It was quite the sight to me, but I dare say I'm not very educated in the finer points of these brawls. ...Ah, but excuse my manners! I came to say hello to a friendly face or two, but I forgot we never were introduced!" And there, peering over the shoulders of SLVR from the row behind them was Isabelle Herzrot, smiling as pleasantly as she had when meeting Sylvia. "My name is Belle, darlings! It's so nice to see some of you again, and I suppose it's nice to meet you others!"

"Uh...likewise." Lev stammered uneasily before relaxing further into his seat, letting someone else handle the new face. Isabelle was about to comment on his dismissal when she saw Vance in full. Her smile tightened, but she gave his hand a warm and civil shake all the same before moving on to Sylvia.

"Dearheart, it's so nice to see you again! And at the Vytal Tournament, too! Ah, do tell me you are competing! It'll be a wondrous show, I'm sure! ...Ah, but I have to run. I'm looking for a friend of mine, you see. She tends to get incredibly grumpy when I'm not around. Goodness me, I should move on before heads start to roll! Hopefully I'll see you again, dearhearts! Absolutely! I'll come find you after your match; oh, we simply must catch up! Ta-tah!"

And with that, the flighty woman ran off, still giggling at her morbid humor. Lev couldn't help but look at Sylvia with an extremely confused expression. "...Who was that?" He asked, but before Sylvia could give an answer, a recently showered and recouperated SAGE sauntered back to the stands, taking their seats once more. They were all breathing hard, but smiling regardless. Gabe fell straight into Vance without hesitation, Ellie rested her head on Reyna's with a tired grin, Abby made the mistake of trying not to meet Lev's eyes as she sat, causing her to stumble straight into his arms. She raised her fist to hit him out of habit, but let it drop with a pout as she begrudgingly accepted his help into her seat. Then there was Seymour, who sat with a deep, almost unsettled breath. It took him a moment, but eventually he looked to Sylvia with a smile.

"I'm afraid...they didn't really give you much to watch. I suppose that is what unpreparedness looks like, would you not agree?" He chuckled before leaning back, stretching out his arms. "I think nerves did more to us then they did. ...I hope the next round is not so...bland. I had gotten excited, too."

Seymour's complaints were not well warranted, however, as the following battles were down to the wire. The only team that beat out SAGE's match for completion time was AZUR's. Only two things happened: Zeppah opened his mouth, and his team stepped away. The next moment, a howl rang out loud enough to shake the entire stadium, stands and all. Visible echoes of sound-waves rippled across the inner arena's forcefield, and the opposing team, as well as the mountain and forest biomes that surrounded them, were quite literally blown away. On the display screens, the hyena's aura was quickly slipping away, translating to how long he held the howl. Even the announcers weren't prepared for the scale of destruction a single member of AZUR was prepared to cause. When the dust settled, Zeppah had uprooted a third of the field and ringed-out the entire opposing team. The only loss AZUR suffered was that of Zeppah himself, who's face was crimson from the strain. Just when it seemed like he would walk back towards his team, a stream of blood began to drip from the sides of his mouth. The next moment saw him on the ground, completely unconscious. Azule was already on the ball though, as though predetermining this exact outcome, hailing a medical team as soon as AZUR's victory was assured.

Lev was about to bring up Abby's confidence that she could take Zeppah on, but looking at her, it was clear she knew her place compared to power of that scale. Her grimace took up her entire expression, eyes stormy and teeth bared in a quiet growl. If anyone, much less Lev, tried to talk to her then, they'd be asking for a broken bone. So the ravenette held off, instead casting his gaze to Sylvia, trying to dig into her thoughts by sight alone. As much as Reyna wanted to beat down Uriah, Lev couldn't help but shudder at the thought of fighting AZUR any earlier than the final round, assuming SLVR could get that far.

-

"It looks like we're winding down the day with the final match of the 4v4's! Tell us who it is, Dee!"

"You betcha, Dum! We've got team SPHR of Atlas Academy going against team SLVR of Beacon!"

"And what a day for Beacon it's been, Dee! We've seen SAGE and AZUR pass through with flying colors!"

"That's right, but can SLVR make the same waves as their classmates? What do you say, Dum?"

"I say: Combatants! Take your marks and get ready for the fight of a lifetime! The match starts in 30!"

-

And so it began. Lev, who had begun to feel antsy about three matches into the tournament, sprung out of his seat with a groan of relief. He turned to Abby with a devilish grin, but only got daggers in return, so he laughed it off and began to make his way down to the prep-room. Reyna and Ellie hadn't piped down one bit since SAGE's match, so the two kept up their fit of yelling and hyping and whatnot. The cow girl happily sent off the pinkette with a slap on the back, watching as Reyna ran off with her fists in the air.

Gabe looked up into Vance's eyes at the announcement, his expression remaining neutral as ever. "...Hey," he began after a yawn, "...win for me, alright?" The panther seemed content to leave it at that, but when Vance began to get up, he cracked a bit. Standing up and catching his boyfriend by the shoulder, Gabe bit down on his lip as he thought of what to say. "...Actually, Vance... I-I think..." the panther grew flustered, a hot blush coloring his face as he struggled with words that were, for once, not flirtatious in the slightest. "I th-think you should win this one for...for your mom, y'know? And your kid siblings." The memory of the hospital stung at his mind, and Gabe began to think of his past versus that of the wolf in front of him. "You do plenty for me, Vance, so take care of your family this time. If they're watching, I...I'm sure they'd appreciate it." And then, in an uncharacteristic manner, Gabe gave Vance a warm, genuine, and kind hug, releasing him with a "go get 'em, big guy" before taking a seat with a tear-colored smile. Much as he loved to tease his dog of a boyfriend, Gabe couldn't help but wonder if he'd see something new from Vance because of what he said.

Seymour was on the other end of the spectrum, his eyes taking on a familiar glow of excitement as Sylvia's team was called to the stage. "You can do it, Sylvia! Show us what you've got!" He goaded with a grin, his fists clenched with a readiness to see his friends in action. Yet before Sylvia could get up and go, Seymour unclenched his hands and took hold of the silverette's shoulders, his expression serious as it could be. "Remember what you fight for, Sylvia! Not for Vale. Not for Beacon. Not for the crowd, and not even for your team. They have their own reasons. So fight for you, Sylvia! Fight because this is your dream! Fight because you are strong! Fight because you are, at this very moment, a huntress!" And with that, Seymour released his grip on his fellow leader, giving her a determined smile before sending her on her way. Before she could fall out of sight, the gazelle faunus stood on his chair and began to chant,

"SLVR! SLVR! SLVR! SLVR!"

And then the rest of SAGE picked up the chant. Then the other Beacon students joined in. Then the citizens of Beacon, then Vale, then the entire stadium. The crowd was roaring SLVR's name by the time everyone was in the prep room, the echoes of the chant reaching the team's ears even then.

"That guy's got a stupid amount of energy in him." Lev chuckled at the sound of the crowd before turning to Sylvia, his rifle at the ready. "Alright, Syv. Let's take care of business. We're on your mark."

Reyna clanged her shield on the ground with an excited grin, nodding her agreement. "Yeah, just give us the word! We've all put blood, sweat, and tears into this, so no backing out now!"
 
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Sylvia's nose scrunched as Lev pushed her away, turning her teasing back around. She decided not to retort, focusing instead on the match. She made sure to cheer alongside Vance and Reyna, her eyes sharp as she took in how the two teams fought. It was underwhelming, sure, but it provided useful info for later. Anything she could use to her advantage, she stored for later. Hopefully it would provide some use for their later fights. She frowned a bit as she noticed how little Seymour participated in the fight. Obviously her fellow leader was hiding his true strength. If he was strong enough to not feel the need to participate in the fight, Sylvia could only hope that they didn't meet up in the bracket.

As soon as Vance saw SAGE in the arena, his shouts joined Reyna's. He ended up cheering more for Gabe as he watched the fight, his eyes sparkling as he took in how easily the panther boy and his team took down the other team. He almost lost his voice with how loudly he screamed when SAGE was pronounced victor. It was only when they disappeared from sight that he sat back down, bouncing excitedly as he waited for his boyfriend to return.

Before Sylvia could say anything about the fight to Lev, she was interrupted by a pleasant surprise. "Ah, Ms. Herzrot! It's nice to see you!" She smiled as the woman was introduced to her team. As Belle asked about her competing, Sylvia tried to respond, "Well, I am! You see, my team and I-" She didn't get much further as Belle was already off and promising to catch up after their match. The silverette couldn't really do much but wave. She didn't even get the time to tell Lev who she was as SAGE traipsed back to their seats, SLVR moving to accommodate their classmates once again.

Vance noticed the way Belle tensed once she got to him. He may be a childish, eternally optimistic faunus, but he wasn't stupid. He had spent too many years around humans who tried to hide how racist they were not to notice the signs. He could feel his heart sink as Sylvia greeted the woman warmly, missing how she had minutely let her opinion of Vance be known. Sighing, he sunk into his seat. He couldn't very well do anything unless Belle did something first. For now, he'd have to just have his guard up. Before he could sink further into his thoughts, Gabe came back and practically fell into Vance. The wolf boy perked up and wrapped his arms around Gabe, immediately starting to talk. "That was so cool, Gabe! You were all 'Woosh' 'Pow' and they didn't even stand a chance! You looked so cool!" He chattered on, explaining the fight as if Gabe hadn't actually been in it, making sure to note how amazing his boyfriend had been every few sentences.

Hearing Seymour chuckle, Sylvia could only smile back. "Ah, don't worry about it. I'm sure it's only going to get more exciting from here." She reassured, shifting in her seat as she got ready to watch the rest of the tournament. As team after team were called, Sylvia could only feel her anxiety begin to mount. Once AZUR walked into the arena, Sylvia looked ready to just bolt out into the arena and get SLVR's match over with. The silverette tensed as she watched the match, but for a different reason. She couldn't look away, her hands slowly clenching tighter around the arms of her chair. She practically gnawed on her lower lip, leg bouncing as medics were called to help Zeppah out of the arena. Seeing the sheer power held by just one of their members, Sylvia prayed that her team would never have to encounter AZUR in the tournament.

The announcement couldn't have come any sooner. It seemed cruel that SLVR had to be in the last match of the first round, but they had to take what was handed to them. Vance practically bounced up, ready to finally fight. Gabe's request made Vance smile, the wolf boy nodding and getting ready to leave. He had been about to follow his teammates when Gabe stopped him once again. Tilting his head in confusion, Vance waited for Gabe to find his words as his eyebrows scrunched up in concern. The panther boys' amended request surprised Vance, leaving him speechless for a moment. The hug further knocked him from his usual routine, his arms immediately going to reciprocate. For a moment, Vance could only stare. Slowly, his face morphed into a determined stare as Vance adjusted himself. He squared his shoulders and smiled, looking ready to protect more than fight. "I will. I promise. Oh and Gabe?" Before Vance could leave, he ducked down and stole a quick and sweet kiss from his boyfriend. "For good luck." He winked at his boyfriend before turning and bounding after his teammates.

By the time SLVR's match had been announced, Sylvia was a bag of fried nerves. She shifted, getting ready to finally go down with her teammates and try to come up with some semblance of a strategy as Seymour told her to 'show them what she's got'. Sylvia threw him a strained smile and responded, "I will." However, Seymour couldn't let her escape with just that. No, of course not. He had to give a whole rousing speech that left her feeling simultaneously flustered, touched, and pumped. She knew her face was probably going ten shades of red, but Sylvia couldn't help but smile with Seymour as he finished. "Thanks Seymour." She headed off after her teammates, thinking that would be the end of it. Oh no. It seemed Seymour would go to no end to try and pump her and her team up. She could feel her heart try to jump out of her chest as she heard the chanting, nerves starting to climb back up at the expectations all of the audience now held.

Once all together in the prep room, Lev and Reyna were quick to speak up, looking to Sylvia for the plan. Even Vance decided to get a word in, saying, "We're behind you, Sylvia. Tell us what you need us to do." The faunus boy smiled, his bouncing a little more subdued as he prepared to win this for his family.

It took a few moments for Sylvia to gather her wits, the chanting still lighting her nerves as she tried to come up with a coherent strategy. "Right, right, thanks guys." Taking a deep breath, Sylvia started. "I noticed most of the teams seemed to follow a pattern. Heavy weight in front, mediums at the side, and lightweight in the back. It works, but it's become expected. I wanna try and give us an element of surprise by mixing it up a bit more. Vance, I want you on point. Lev and I will be in the sides while Reyna will start in the back. However, if the situation requires it, be ready to switch it up. I want us to stay flexible in this. Vance, I want you to try not to use your semblance if you can help it. It's an insane boon to us, but if we get past this round then others could use it against us. Try to focus on using your bullet system more than your semblance in boosting your attacks, all right?" As the silverette spoke, all signs of her earlier anxiety seemed to fall away. Strategizing with her team, Sylvia was in her element. For once throughout the whole tournament, Sylvia looked very much like the leader she was.

With Vance's nod in confirmation, Sylvia moved on to focus on her other two teammates. "Lev, you and I will be on support. Help where you can, but most of the main hits should come from Reyna and Vance. For this first fight, I want us to hit hard and quick. Faster we get this done, the less time other teams have to analyze our strategies and fighting styles. Reyna, I'm gonna count on you to be our heaviest hitter. Vance can throw a mean hook, but without his semblance he can't knock down aura or throw person out of the arena half as well as you can. Think you can handle this?" Sylvia looked over her teammates, allowing for suggestions and confirmations before getting into her next part of her speech. "Hey, no matter what happens out there, I just wanna let you guys know that I'm extremely proud of you all. You guys have come so far from when we first met and even though we've been through a lot, you guys all stuck it out together. Even if we lose that match out there, I want you guys to know that you've already won in my book just by improving as much as you all have." The silverette knew she was being incredibly cheesy, but she needed to get it out just how proud she was of her team and all the improvements they've made. "Now, let's get out there and show them what we've got!" She smiled, stretching as she got ready to lead her team out into the arena.
 
After hearing their roles, Lev and Reyna gave a harrumph of agreement. Reyna felt herself stick to her determined feelings like glue, but Sylvia's cheesy speech made Lev loosen up with a grin. "You're a real piece of work, Syv. C'mon. Lead your team to victory before you start talkin' all this pride business." the ravenette spoke as he urged his leader forward to the arena. It was finally time...

As SLVR got closer to the main stage, the crowd's din faded. By the time they stepped into the sun again, there was no noise aside from the occasional whirr of the internal machinations of the ring, the static of the announcers' microphones, and the murmur of SPHR, who stood parallel SLVR in their own close-knit group. Of course, with a quick look around, anyone could tell that the crowd had gone ballistic as soon as SLVR stepped onto the playing field, and yet, no sound made it through.

"That barrier sure puts in work, huh." Lev wondered, stepping next to Sylvia to watch the match timer count down. They still had about 10 minutes left, which Reyna was using to stretch, and Lev, up until speaking, had been using to re-familiarize himself with his weapon. The ravenette's mouth opened again, ready to make a snide remark on how Seymour neglected to mention the barrier's sound-cancellation properties, but he stopped short after catching sight of the opposing team. Reyna, too, caught sight of her opponents and wandered over to her teammates with Vance in tow, eager to hear what they might be thinking.

SPHR, it seemed had done the exact same thing, lining up as a team to observe SLVR on their own terms. The first in their line was an average-sized, fidgety sort of guy. He only had a tuft of hair on the front of his head, and his eyes, while squinty, were a prominent and shadowy purple. He wore a determined grin, though the rest of his face seemed excessively scarred at first glance. The same was true for the skin behind the collar of his v-neck. On his back, a bow and quiver hung casually, dangling from his arm as though it were about to drop, and at his waist hung a few empty pouches and holstered throwing knives. Behind him wagged an active coyote tail, which he'd bat away every so often, and his boots, unlike the rest of his attire, were almost terrifyingly clean.

The question of why was answered with the next person in line, a tall, beautifully pale girl. She outstood the rest of her team by at least an inch, and was as dignified in her appearance as a princess in a castle. Her hair and eyes were both a piercing blue, just like her team's namesake, and her face was serene and noble. It was clear she wore makeup, and clearer that she wore it well. However, it made her look dainty and weak when standing next to the rest of her team. Even her clothes were more regal, and less designed for fighting. It was as if she was there to spectate rather than participate, especially when noting that she didn't have a weapon on-hand. Though she held a calm appearance, every once in a while she'd peer down at the coyote boy's shoes and flair her nostrils, as though she still wasn't impressed by them.

"I'll bet that's their leader..." Lev whispered apprehensively, giving Sylvia a nudge to make sure they were looking at the same person.

The next member of SPHR was infinitely less dignified. The man looked like he came straight out of a steel shop, drenched himself in water, dried off, and smiled all the way to the field. He was the second tallest of the team, and by far the bulkiest; his whole body was well-honed, like tempered metal. His short, pitch black hair was cut into a mohawk, and he wore a half a goatee on his chin. His smile was golden and pure, perfectly complemented by his sun-kissed skin tone, and he seemed like a pretty swell guy overall. His eyes looked closed, but by the way he nodded at each member of SLVR from afar, he must have been able to see just fine. The only thing that significantly stood out aside from that was the plate-armor chest piece he held by his waist. It had significant bulk to it, that was certain, but it otherwise seemed useless as it was.

Lastly stood a girl who hid half of her face behind her long, platinum blonde hair. The hair itself was straight, like a veil or curtain, not even coming apart at her shoulder. Reyna gawked simply at that, but there was more to see. The half of the face that was present for viewing was filled to the brim with piercings. Two centered eyebrow rings with no accompanying brow, three nose studs, a lip ring, two earrings, and three ear studs, and that was only half of the face. Considering her body, the girl seemed incredibly lithe yet muscular, reminiscent of Abby in a way. Unlike her team, along with the stereotype that Atlas brought to the table, she was outfitted with a very traditional battle garb from Mistral, of all places. The leather portions of the armor were lacquered and colored with deep purplish-reds, while the cloth hakama underneath was decorated in understated sapphire hues. Hanging off her sash was a katana, still deeply embedded in its sheath. It, too, was decorated, though in a more foreboding manner. Scrawlings of a language beyond Vale were etched into the material, inked in black, and surrounded by a hue of a deep, hot red. From SLVR's standing point, it looked more like a memento than a weapon.

Lev was about to say something else, but the big man across the way seemed to take a loud breath before taking a step, then another, making his way to SLVR. The dignified woman broke her calm guise to reach out in an attempt to halt him, but he was already too far, not that he seemed to mind. His smile was still as...smiley as ever, when he stepped up to Sylvia and company.

"So...SLVR, eh? Nice to meetcha!" The man's expression softened, as if that were even possible, as he addressed the group, and extended his hand out in goodwill. Lev and Reyna both pursed their lips and looked at Sylvia, wondering how she'd react. They had time, sure, but chatting with the opponent? Would that be okay?
 
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Once Sylvia realized the arena was soundproofed, she immediately relaxed. Now she could focus on the fight without the expectations of the audience shouting right in her face. Scanning the arena, Sylvia didn't really respond to Lev's comments as she took in as many details around her as she could. She knew the arena would not stay its regular flat landscape once the match started, but getting actual size and distance helped her even just a little bit. 10 minutes gave her more than enough time to start looking over the opposing team. Two of them didn't immediately show their weapons, putting the silverette on edge. However, she did take note of the bow and arrows, throwing knives, and sword the other team had. That mean Lev had some competition with long ranged fighting. The sword didn't scream anything too alarming, but Sylvia did notice the engravings which made her wonder if those were for show or actually useful. The girl owning the sword made Sylvia a little jealous, wishing she had the time and money to get that many piercings and rock them as the girl did. Lev's comment on the blue haired girl made Sylvia frown. Sure, it was a possibility, but Sylvia didn't want to say anything for sure until she got the actual facts.

Vance it seemed didn't really care much about the sound proofing, simply stretching as he bounced impatiently. He didn't really take a good look at their opponents, though he did notice the other faunus boy. Standing up a bit straighter, Vance moved to crack his back before working on his knuckles. Really, he just wanted to get this fight started! Why did they have to wait so long anyway? Both the teams were ready! They should just start fighting and be done with it!

SPHR surprised Sylvia and Vance as one of their members sauntered up to SLVR, holding a hand out and offering his greetings. Vance hesitated to jump on the man's offer, instead looking to Sylvia for permission. This was a fight after all. It might be a big no-no to make friends with your opponents just before the match. So, Vance held back, looking between his leader and the new boy in curiosity.

The offer caught Sylvia off guard. This definitely wasn't normal routine for tournaments. Heck, the fact that he was so friendly and wanting to shake their hands set alight a thousand different suspicions in Sylvia's head. However, she couldn't just be rude and ignore the handshake. To Vance's surprise, Sylvia smiled at the new boy and took his hand in a firm shake. "Nice to meetcha, SPHR. I hope you make this fight fun." She tilted her head, her shoulders slumped as she leaned back, looking to all the world far too casual as she took her hand back. While her whole body relaxed, her eyes shone with observance as she took note of every little detail about the handshake and the boy in front of her. Hopefully the boy would make this fight interesting... Or at least quick enough that Sylvia could go back to her seat and start planning on who to send to the next round if they got through this match.
 
The black haired boy's smile brightened as Sylvia grabbed his hand. Returning her shake with one of his own, he let his eyes crack open to get a real look at her, meeting her gaze with the glistening silver of his own. "Awesome! You must be the leader, then." He tapped his bottom lip as he assumed, then tapped a thumb to his chest as he continued. "My name's Sora! I'm the leader of the bunch back there. I guess it's not really routine to do the whole meet-'n-greet thing, but I just wanted to say best of luck to you guys! Let's have a fight to-" but he was interrupted by the intercom within the forcefield

"Fighters, to your marks!"

"O-Oh, well yeah, here we go!" Sora waved as he jogged back to his team, lining up with them once again. It looked like the blue haired girl was giving him a hard time, but he simply laughed it off. Lev and Reyna both shrugged at the unique interaction before lining up themselves, muscles tensed and eager to begin the match.

"Team SPHR: Sora Stanislavsky, Penn Love, Hakushi Hiro, and Reese Andi, and Team SLVR: Sylvia Slater, Lev Castor, Vance Faolan, and Reyna Raleigh, the battle will begin at the sound of the buzzer! Please keep an eye on the timer!"

Then they stood, both teams tensed, eyes locked on the giant screens on all four sides of the colosseum. The crowd looked more active than ever, with people standing on chairs, cupping their mouths as if to yell encouragement, and wearing all manner of memorabilia. Of course, to SLVR and SPHR, it was thirty seconds of grueling silence. Fifteen seconds in, and the randomizer for the biomes appeared on screen.

"The biomes are: Mountain and Mine! Ten seconds!"

Weapons were at the ready now. Lev's rifle was on hand, sights already set, and Reyna's shield was at the ready. SPHR, too, had everything bared. The coyote boy already had an arrow nocked, and his tail was going ballistic, the samurai girl was in a quick-draw stance, her focus very clearly directed at Sylvia, at least for a moment. Sora seemed to catch his teammate's glare from the corner of his eye, and gave her a pat on the shoulder to rectify it. The reaction was immediate, seeing the samurai girl ease up with a softer expression and a looser grip. The frillier girl hadn't moved a muscle, unlike the rest of her team. Rather, she simply held a large white ball in her hand, ready to drop it at a moment's notice.

"That's a hand-made smoke bomb, Syv." Lev nodded to the strange object. "That girl's hiding something big. Be careful."

After making sure his team was set, Sora dawned his single piece of armor, and gave it a quick hammer with his hand. The single plate piece quickly and efficiently expanded, plate after plate extending from the center until it took up his entire body. Even his iconic smile was covered by a vicious looking helm. It was like looking at a completely different man.

As all of that was happening, the biomes quickly split the field in two. There were massive outcroppings of mountainous terrane on both sides, but one was decorated with greenery and clear-cut paths, while the other looked dug out with massive caves and mine tracks.

"Five! Four! Three! Two! One!..."

Then the buzzer sounded, and as predicted, the strange white ball was dropped to the floor, emitting a vast cloud of bright white smoke. It didn't reach very far, but it was enough to wrap SPHR in mystery...at least for a few seconds.

Then, blowing away the plume of white rose a giant, white wing, then another. Then the head of a giant, white raven rose above all. On top of the head stood Mr. Coyote, bow in hand, and arrow at the ready. Underneath the massive bird stood Sora and the samurai girl, both walking forward in sync with the wingbeats of their giant companion. A quick look around made it clear that it was no trick or illusion. The daintily dressed girl was no more, and with a haunting caw, the white raven took flight. Outside the soundproof walls, the Atlas crowd was going ballistic upon witnessing one of their most beloved stars rise up. Reese Andi! The White Raven! The Evermore! Atlas's hardest hitting local teen trend-setter was finally on a stage she chose, and it suited her well. Of course, SLVR was not pithy to any of those comments or chants. All they saw was a white Nevermore towering over the center field. Lev's eyes bugged out. So much for their plan of attack.
 
Hearing the other leader rush through his words and identify himself, Sylvia could feel herself relax just a bit more. If this wasn't a match in a tournament then she would have loved to talk more, but was resigned to position herself with her team. Standing at the sides with Lev, the silverette watched the other team carefully as they all stood at the ready. She caught the pierced girl's glare and raised an eyebrow, curious what had her so upset. She'd have to ask after the match if she and her team caught up with SPHR. She could feel the weapon nerd in her practically squeal at seeing Sora's weapon unfold, though she had to push that aside to try and focus on the fight before them. Again, she could focus on pleasantries after the fight. For now, she had to focus on getting her team to victory.

Everything seemed to be setting up for another regular fight as the biomes were announced. Mountains rose up on both sides. Mines, huh? Sylvia would have to keep that in the back of her mind for the fight. Surely there were some interesting treasures hidden in those mountains. For now, she focused on Lev's warning and chewed her lip. "Right. Everyone stay on guard! Stick to the plan for now and we'll figure it out as we go." She shouted to her team, watching the regal girl with wary eyes. Just what was she hiding?

Vance practically vibrated with energy as they waited for the countdown to start. He stood faithfully in his point position, waiting for the buzzer to signal their start. As soon as it sounded, he'd start his assault. He looked over the team, trying to decide who to try and take on first. They all seemed equally in need of a beating. Vance huffed. He'd just have to leave Sylvia to that. Wherever she directed him, he would go. As the countdown grew closer to one, Vance slowly started to bend his knees, ready to rush in.

Once the buzzer hit, smoke enveloped SPHR, hiding them from view. Vance covered his eyes for a moment, frowning as the smoke threatened to obscure his vision worse than it already had. Sylvia tensed, waiting for whatever surprise SPHR had to reveal itself. Surely, it wouldn't be anything too bad.

Wings burst from the cloud of smoke. Sylvia could feel her confidence plummet as a white Nevermore stood in place of the prim and proper member of SPHR. Of course, they just had to end up with the one team that had a member who could turn into a freaking Grimm. Taking a step back, Sylvia glanced around before her eyes settled on the mine. "All right, scrap the plan! Everyone! Dodge and weave to the mines! NOW!" Before SPHR could get started, SLVR made a tactful retreat toward the mining mountains. Sylvia made sure not to engage the enemy, her teammates dodging beside her as they ran toward their only possible safe haven. Without even taking time to think, Sylvia ducked into one of the holes in the mining mountains, still running despite their supposed hideaway giving them some cover from their enemy. She just needed to buy time. Sylvia just needed some time, then they could start their attack. She just needed to-

A sparkle caught her eye. Sylvia slowed enough to pick up the sparkling crystal. The familiar sight sparked an idea as Sylvia turned around to talk to her teammates. "Seems the mines aren't empty. Pick up as much dust as you can. We're going to use it any way we can. Reyna-" She threw a blue-ish tinted crystal at her pink haired teammate. "Focus on ice dust. I got a plan. We're going after the bird first. Reyna, I want you to use the dust to freeze her wings. Once their frozen, do all you can to knock her out of the ring. Vance, Lev, and I will provide distractions. I'm going to go after the archer. Vance, go after sword girl. Lev, you distract Sora. Don't try to focus on getting their aura's down or getting them out of the ring. We'll get to them once we've got the bird out of the ring. She's our biggest threat right now, so we need to get rid of her before we can think of taking out the rest of the team." While she spoke, Sylvia was picking up any piece of dust she could find, throwing them to her teammates or pocketing them for herself. "Focus on keeping the rest of SPHR from helping the bird. Reyna, when we get out of here, I need you to boost me onto the bird so I can go after archer. I'll update the plan once we get rid of her. For now, let's go."

Once SLVR popped back out of the mines, they each went after their separate tasks. Sylvia immediately ran toward Reyna. She worked her legs as hard as she could, trying to get as much momentum as she could. Seeing Reyna get in position, Sylvia ran faster. Within what seemed like moments, she was jumping off of Reyna's shield and flying into the air. Sylvia stumbled as she landed on the bird, managing to catch her footing before heading straight toward the archer. Sylvia wasted no time putting her CQC skills to use. She grappled and kicked, trying to find every advantage she could against the archer. When he moved back, Sylvia was right there after him, pursuing him. She just needed to distract him long enough for Reyna to get rid of the bird. If she could just do that, then she could work on finishing off the rest of the team.

Vance got to work as soon as he could, loading some of his newfound dust into his gauntlets. Once he got in range, the wolf boy smiled as he punched forward, shooting out small fire balls before jumping in to try and land a hit on the pierced girl. He did his best to try and avoid her attacks, focusing hard on not activating his semblance if a hit managed to land. Vance chewed on his bottom lip, a bit frustrated that it took so much concentration to hold back his semblance. However, he didn't have much time to dwell on it as he focused on distracting the girl in front of him.
 
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Lev and Reyna scrambled to the mines with their team, eager to get away from the overwhelming sight of such a showy semblance. However, the panic did them some good, as it seemed to jolt them awake to a battle-mentality. Both nodded in agreement to Sylvia's plan, and both ran off to do their jobs. Before they knew it, SLVR was rushing out of the mines, and headlong into what could only be considered their first real battle.

Reyna was up first, readying her shield to sling Sylvia up to the massive threat in the sky. However, the shattering and splintering of arrows on her shield quickly put a damper on the plan. The coyote boy already had them pinned, and if Sylvia tried to make the jump then, she'd just get shot down.

"Lev! Do something!" Reyna yelled out, prompting the Ravenette to halt in place, take aim, and place a few shots right where it counted. The archer hadn't expected anyone to match his range, and he quickly ducked down to avoid the cover fire.

"There's your window, Syv! Jump!" Lev yelled back to the cover of the mine, keeping up the sniper fire until his partner was successfully airborne. However, in that spans of time, a harsh rain of arrows came down on the ravenette. Some made their way through his cloak, some shattered on the rocky ground, and some made their mark, dropping Lev's aura percent by a solid margin as a result. How the- How did he recover so fast? And with a bow and arrow? Lev thought, observing the shattered remains of steel-shaft arrows in horror. Whatever he's doing to those arrows, they're out-speeding my rifle bullets... Lev could only hope Sylvia could handle what she was getting into.

Of course, Lev didn't have the luxury of thinking time. Before he could reorient himself, Sora had punched his jaw in, sending him stumbling across the craggy mine surface. The mass of mobile armor was making a speedy approach yet again, but Lev was better than that. Lev knew he was better than that. With deft hands, the ravenette moved along with Sora's boxer approach, ducking and weaving with the bigger-built man until they could trade blows. However, instead of meeting Sora's close combat with his own, Lev changed his rhythm just enough to duck under his opponent's raised fist, passing behind him and scoring a few rifle shots before getting in a real combative stance, extending the blade that he and Sylvia so carefully crafted into his weapon. Another approach, and the two hunters clashed, retaining equal ground against each other for the moment. That was one.

Vance's opponent was a totally different story, though whether that was a good or bad thing was yet to be seen. The samurai girl seemed ready for his approach at first, but when Vance broke out the fire, her one revealed eye opened wide, and her mouth creased into a grimace. With one hand, she drew her sword, and with the other, she removed the curtain of hair from her head, slinging it away before it could be singed. A wig. With an exposed face and head, the once blond, stoic, samurai girl turned into something far more furious. Her real hair was cut incredibly short, colored a stark crimson. The other half of her face was no different than the first, with the exact same set of piercings to match. The fireballs stood no chance against her blade regardless. They were swept away with the flat metal like smoke in the breeze. From then on, it really became a fight. The pierced girl bore all against Vance, including her semblance. The smallest touch of her, or her blade, equated to an explosive amount of force. The smaller the area of contact, the more force exerted. Whenever the tip of her blade caught Vance's gauntlets, it'd propel him back as if Reyna had connected a swing with her entire shield. And yet, the samurai girl never aproached. She seemed to stay a set distance away from Sora at all times. Breaks in trading blows with Vance saw her eyes wondering angrily towards Lev, as though she were prepping to lash out against him over the wolf faunus. Of course, that usually earned her a face full of fist, so over time her focus locked on to Vance, and the fighting continued. That's two.

Sylvia, as well thought out as her plan might have been, was having no easier of a time. Getting up to the bird and the archer had been smooth sailing thanks to Lev's assist, but from then on, Penn's scarred face never turned away from her. His hands were practiced and swift as he nocked arrows faster than most people could fire a semi-automatic, and each one flew off the string with a burst of speed that, like Lev thought, could outdo a sniper rifle. Confident that he got a few good hits in, the archer hung his bow on his back as Sylvia fell to his level, opting for the knives at his waist instead. At first he was outmatched, dealing with rough kicks and rude grapples, but once the archer found Sylvia's groove, he found his own. Her grapple quickly became his, and it took little effort for him to pin his opponent to the back of the Evermore from there. Unlike the more civil sort, the scarred ranger didn't hesitate to box the ever-living daylights out of Sylvia as soon as she was down. Once she found a way up, the process would repeat. He'd put his whole body into wringing her arm or leg to the ground, then get his hits in before moving back to a neutral state. The man was a fighter from the streets, and by the way he gave the silverette his toothy grin and wagged his tail, anyone could tell that he owned up to it like a champ. That, along with the minimal room available on the white raven's back, left Sylvia's more acrobatic tactics at a disadvantage to the archer's, who looked to have plenty of back-alley experience to spare.

Meanwhile, Reese circled the arena like a hawk, unconcerned with Sylvia or her teammate for the time-being. She knew what to look out for. She'd understand the signs. Then again, a few dust-powered rockets weren't listed in those signs. So when the giant winged beast was hit, her immediate reaction was to make her way to center-stage, making a few aileron rolls in order to fling her partner to safety, or preferably, fling the interloper into danger. Reyna was on the ball though. She had moved from the mines to the mountains, and from her vantage point, she leaped out into pure air with her war-fan extended, and with a swing that, to be honest, only she could pull off, the Evermore was tossed quickly into the depths of the mine biome...but no ring-out buzzer sounded. Must've hung on by a thread... Reyna thought, moving back to the mine to continue her hunt while she still could.

The coyote had been on the ball as well, and Reyna was right when she thought Reese was hanging by a thread. The moment they began to drop altitude, he flung both Sylvia and himself off of the Evermore. Once detached from his opponent, he tossed a grapple arrow from his quiver up to his falling teammate. The arrow, even without the aid of the bow, propelled itself at absurd speeds until Reese caught it in her beak. Once the arrow was stable, the coyote boy clamored up with the end of the grapple in tow, taking the arrow in preparation to use it once again. And use it he did. Once they were past the edge of the playing field, he gave the arrow another toss, embedding it into the rocky terrain of the mine biome. Meanwhile, Reese began to transform into her original self, allowing her teammate to take hold of her and the grapple line before they could plummet to their defeat.

The game was afoot, with Lev locked in battle with Sora, Vance locked in battle with Hakushi, Sylvia flung somewhere near the center stage, Reyna searching around alone in the mines, and Penn and Reese hiding away in the deep and dark tunnels.
 
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Vance didn't realize how hard fighting without his semblance would be until he faced someone who he could have countered perfectly with his semblance. It took everything he had not to let himself be hit by the tip of the sword, not to respond with his semblance. As a result, his aura had taken a hit. Sure, it wasn't ideal, but Vance could deal with this. He just had to hold out until Reese was out. Then he would have backup. Then he wouldn't have to deal with the piercings girl on his own. She seemed to be full of surprises, throwing off her hair to reveal it was just a wig and deflecting his fire powered punches easily. At one point it even seemed that the girl was going to abandon her fight with Vance to assist her leader. Vance's right and left hook quickly convinced her that she needed to stay. As the two fought, Vance slowly realized this was going nowhere. Sure, he was distracting her, but he was losing aura and she wasn't losing nearly enough for his tastes. There had to be something he could do. He ducked underneath the blade, trying to think.

Everything would be so much easier if he could just use his semblance. However, Sylvia's words shot threw him like a knife. "Don't use your semblance." That was right. The whole "keep it hidden so it's a boon rather than a curse" schtick Sylvia had talked about when first discussing the plan. If Sylvia wanted him to not use his semblance, then he had no choice. He had to think of another way around this. Reloading his gauntlets, Vance tried to think of what Sylvia would do in this situation. Obviously his previous tactics of punching first and asking questions later wasn't budging. He had to think of something else. If only he could get rid of that stupid blade...

A light bulb popped in his head. That was it! Vance felt his smile return as he started to add the piercing girl's hand into his intended targets. Whenever he could, he threw a stray punch toward the hand, trying to get it to drop her weapon. Sure, it wasn't the most orthodox of plans, but it was all Vance could think of. Punches fueled by dust interspersed his regular attacks, occasionally activating his regular bullet systems to try and add some extra oomph. It seemed Vance was simply doing the same song and dance with his opponent, but his eyes held a fierce determination not to lose.

On Sylvia's side of things, she was doing better aura wise. Sure, she still got some knocked down as the archer almost brutally went after her. But, she accomplished what she needed to as Reyna managed to hit her target. She was thrown before she could see the aftermath, but the lack of ring out buzzer notified Sylvia that their plan hadn't really gone as well as they hoped. She flipped through the air, somehow managing to land on her feet and mostly unscathed, letting her legs take the brunt of the impact. After a brief glance between the boys, Sylvia shot off to go and get in contact with Reyna. They needed to finish this quick.

Running over to her younger teammate gave Sylvia enough time to start to formulate a plan based off what had happened. Finally catching up to Reyna, the silverette started to get her in position as she explained, "We need to activate the dust while they're still in the mines, If we can do that, they'll at the very least take a decent blow to their aura. If they aren't out because of that, we'll finish the job. Then I need you to go help Vance. I'll go team up with Lev. All right, let's go!" With that said, Sylvia moved to get in position, getting ready to help Reyna figure out where the archer and the bird had gone. She could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins, surprisingly giving her a calmer mind than throughout most of the tournament so far. Sylvia felt in her element as she got ready to execute her plan, looking to Reyna to see if the pinkette had her part set. They were so close. They just needed one little push and this would all be over.
 
Sylvia's plan was a good plan! A great plan! Reyna nodded eagerly as soon as her leader bounded up to her. Blowing the mine up would seal the deal without any fuss. Now Reyna just needed to- wait, where was Sylvia going? Why was she running off? "S-Sylvia? Wait up please!" the pinkette called out, but the mine walls drowned her in a sea of incoherent echoes. The high of having a plan was immediately replaced by a low of being left in the dark, dank tunnels alone. The more she thought about it, the more she realized what she had done, i.e. run into a mine without any sense of direction or goal to speak of aside from finishing what she started. Now that Reyna thought about it, she didn't even know where she came from. Paths branched off. Some led right, some left, some up, others down. The tiny titan held her shield close, thumb fiddling with one of the many triggers on her handle as she walked along the dark path, not even sure where Sylvia set off to in the first place...then she heard voices. Whispers, straight ahead. She made sure to take quieter steps, but the result was her tripping and falling on the flat of her shield. It was, to say the least, very noisy. All of a sudden, Penn was hovering over her, his grin offset by a snarl at her interruption. Reese was right behind him, too! Reyna began to scramble, but Penn wanted to crush her while she was down. A second of chaotic squirming pressed a few buttons, flipped a few switches, and Oh gods oh gods OH GODS OH GODS NO-

Deep in the mine biome, an explosion shook the arena, colored with blues, reds, and yellows, ice, fire, and lightning. It set off a chain reaction, causing the colors to snake around the underground tunnels, opening them wide and creating a crater where they once were. Three buzzers rang out amidst the chaos, and almost everyone stopped fighting for at least half a second to see what exactly happened.

Reese, Penn, and Reyna: RING OUT

Then the fights proceeded once more. Lev's thoughts were muddied with what happened to Sylvia during the blast long enough for Sora to grab the upper hand. It wouldn't be long before SPHR's leader had him at the mountain biome's edge, but it looked like Lev's aura would drop before they even got that far. At first it seemed like he was making equal trades with Sora, but the ravenette just couldn't reach the chinks in the man's armor. They were there, but he was always being pushed out by...something. The thought of "something" made Lev fight harder than ever, determined to find it out, then live long enough to convey the information to his team. At the very least, he could push Sora into the open so, in case he did break his semblance out entirely, someone would be there to see it. And so the two continued their back and forth, or rather, cat and mouse at this point.

Hakushi, meanwhile, had grown extremely annoyed at the constant strikes to her hands. Her lip curled in an aggravated snarl, and she began to adapt. It stung to take the hits, sure, but after a while of convincing the wolf faunus that his strategy was working, the samurai changed the game. As soon as he struck out for her hand again, Hakushi lifted the hilt of her blade, dodging Vance while simultaneously bringing the hilt back down on his own hands. The impact sent Vance's arms straight down, impacting the ground below with a stunning amount of force. Then, with no hesitation, Hakushi turned her blade down against the faunus, her intent to stab straight into his back with her blade's tip delivered very clearly. Of course, her opponent wasn't foolish enough to stick around, so her blade made it straight into the rocky mountain biome floor. The result of the missed strike cracked the ground, shifting it like a tectonic plate with her semblance. The mountain shifted, the ground shook, rocks tumbled down by the boatload, and chaos quickly took over half of the field. Hakushi, having been too caught up in finishing Vance to fully understand the consequences of her actions, was too little too late to move, and quickly became buried under rocks. Her aura dropped to 10%, and she was declared defeated by the results screen.

However, it was not a one-sided loss. While both had been prepared for sudden shifts such as an earthquake or rockslides, Sora had the higher ground over Lev. While that normally wasn't a problem for the ravenette's semblance, Sora made it a problem. As soon as Lev found his comfort zone hovering over the rocks, the SPHR leader hammered him down. Yet, when Lev found his footing at the edge of the now-torn-apart mountain biome and looked up at his opponent, Sora hadn't moved from his spot. The ravenette's mind was whirring in search of an answer, but it was only with his slip in attention that he found it. Sora extended his fist, and a sky-blue fist practically materialized in front of Lev's face, hitting him straight off the stage. The ravenette barely caught himself before hitting the official OB zone, using his semblance to climb back up with ever-increasing strain. This couldn't be the end! Not after he learned Sora's semblance!

...but it was. Sora's armored head peered over the edge as Lev hung on to his semblance, and with a nod of his head, Sora sent a sky-blue headbutt straight into Lev's collarbone, shooting him straight down to the ground. The results:

Hakushi: AURA DEPLETED - Lev: RING OUT / AURA DEPLETED

With that, Sora stepped back into center stage and took a deep breath, standing tall like a warrior prepared to take on death itself. His armor bore very few significant scratches, and his aura was still hovering around 75%. So he stood there, waiting for the remaining members of SLVR to make the first move.
 
Sylvia thought Reyna had been right behind her. She thought that the pinkette had escaped with her. Instead she was greeted by the results screen declaring her teammate ring out along with the archer and the bird. Sylvia didn't have time to deal with the shot in her heart as she headed toward the center, off to try and help Lev and get him out of a situation he was in for far too long. However, it seemed Sylvia would just be late for most everything, slowing somewhat as Lev was declared a ring out with his aura completely depleted. Now it was just her and Vance. The silverette shook her head before continuing on, trying to find the faunus boy to plan an attack.

Vance had his hands full with the piercings girl, smiling as his plan seemed to be working. He was so close to getting the blade out of her hands when she turned it around on him, leaving him eating dirt as she raised her blade. Seeing what was about to happen, Vance rolled out of the way and scrambled to get away from his opponent. That seemed to be the smart move as she doomed herself, succumbing to an avalanche Vance barely escaped. The wolf faunus breathed a sigh of relief, changing his focus to Sora, catching Sylvia's eye as she headed toward their opponent.

The two remaining members of SLVR seemed to move simultaneously, both running head first toward Sora. The three fighters met with a clash in the middle. Vance threw a punch wherever he could, not really aiming as he worked to finish off this last opponent. Sylvia aimed more carefully with her kicks and blades. She spotted the chinks in Sora's armor, focusing her attention on them as Vance simply reigned a beat down from the other side. The two moved in sinc. When one dodged, the other struck. They flipped over each other, moving fluidly as if they were one person. Sylvia used Vance as a support as she flipped to get a hard to reach chink. The faunus boy ducked under one of Sylvia's kicks to deliver an electric punch. It almost seemed a cruel dance as the duo twisted and fought, working to finish off their last opponent while protecting each other.
 
Sora took the onslaught like a true hero. Vance and Sylvia moved like dancers, choreographed and confident. Sora moved like a beast, instinctual and cautionless. When Vance threw a punch at him, Sora would punch right through it. When Sylvia kicked, he'd kick right through it. The man forcibly pushed his limbs past their breaking points, and it showed on the results screen as his aura went down percent by percent, hit by hit. He grabbed wrists and ankles, he flung his opponents away from him and into each other. A moment saw Vance in a chokehold, and the next saw Sylvia's collar under his boot. Sora was relentless, unstoppable, a real live monster, even by the standards of Reese's semblance. It seemed like the match would go on forever, but then the buzzer rang out. Sora was in the middle of punching and being punched, kicking and being kicked, when it happened. He hadn't even fallen. By the force of his blows, it seemed like he was still sitting pretty at 75%, but the results screen didn't lie:

Sora: AURA DEPLETED

Sora had to stumble in order to stop his attacking momentum, causing him to flop on the ground with his legs crossed. In full armor, even after the battle was over, it was impossible to see the smiley man underneath the hell-spawn SLVR had been fighting seconds before. Yet the helmet, along with the rest of the armor, slowly tucked itself back into the chest piece, revealing Sora's grinning, sweating, crying visage.

"Th-That was amazing, y-you guys!" he coughed out, wiping a large amount of sweat from his brow. "W-Way to go!"

Then the medical team set out, taking the remaining fighters to see their teammates, have their wounds tended to, shower, and the like. There were four half-beds on each end of the rehabilitation room. On SPHR's end, the team was pretty quiet. It was only after Sora limped in that they picked themselves up to speak at all. After seeing their leader to his bed, they remained by his side to observe the team that took victory from their fearless leader.

Lev, meanwhile, had been twiddling his thumbs. There wasn't much to do or say in regards to the match. He couldn't help but think it surreal that he fought so hard only to buy time and take down a quarter of some guy's aura. Sure, he'd take the victory, but that wasn't how he wanted things to go. Lev would be lying if he said he didn't want some glory coming out of the match.

Reyna was on the total opposite side of the spectrum. She felt bad about the explosion. She felt bad about not following Sylvia. She felt bad about tripping onto her shield in the mine. She even felt bad about interrupting Penn and Reese's conversation! What if they were saying something about the field, or their team, that would have made our fight easier? What if I missed that chance to be a cool information-gathering person? What if they were confessing their love to each other! Oooh, I feel so bad!

Her imagination droned on until Sylvia and Vance arrived. If she weren't so sore, she would have gotten up to hug the both of them...but she was sore. Little bandages dotted her arms, legs, and face. Regardless, she smiled for her friends, strangely, yet serenely happy about their first real victory as a full team.

Lev, on the other hand, was perfectly willing to get up and give both teammates a quick hug and a pat on the back before returning to his spot, nursing some of his bigger bruises from Sora's onslaught. It was oddly quiet in the room once everyone was present, but it was a relaxing quiet; one that they all desperately needed after the chaos of their first tournament match.
 
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