Omniscient POV
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At the end of the tunnel leading into the arena, Team RTLS were drummed by the jubilation of the crowd reverberating along the walls.
"This is bloody unreal." Cooper peered out the glass wall separating them from the arena. "The pressure's absolutely gobsmacking."
Alexander snacked on an energy bar. "Getting nervous, Oakwood?"
"A tid bit, but what about you?" Cooper motioned to Alexander's leg. "Stephen's recovery plan better be worth it. I almost lost my noggin running around getting bags of ice and those heat packs for you."
"It should be fine, well enough to not need that brace as much anymore." Stiofan leaned against the wall. "Maybe we should have Roderick massage your knee once more. For good luck."
Roderick and Alexander locked eyes and quickly faced the other way.
Cooper cracked a grin. "Don't be shy now."
They flushed deeper.
"It's not like you two haven't been at it every day, and if I recall correctly, Leon started likin—"
Alexander threw his energy bar at him.
Cooper shrugged and zipped his lips.
"Roderick, take this." Stiofan offered him an ear piece. "I already gave one to the others. It will help us communicate during battle."
He put the device in his ear and exhaled. "Thanks, man."
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah." Roderick bounced on his toes. "Just hope we do as well as Team RWBY and JNPR."
"You've competed in tournaments before." The First Guard gestured to the arena. "How's this any different?"
"The whole world's watching." He wiped his face and shook his hands out. "And from my track record, I tend to come up short in these sorts of things."
"If that's the case," Stiofan clasped his shoulder and held up a fist, "then I'll see to it myself that you make it to the top this time."
Smirking, they shared a fist bump.
The glass wall raised, and in the announcer's booth, Peter Port called for Team RTLS, eliciting a torrent of cheers.
Grouped together in the stands, Teams RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY, twisted at the amount of fan support their friends received.
Blake counted the waves of posters rising up the stands. "They're certainly popular."
"No surprise there." Ruby cupped mouth. "You go guys! And you too, Cooper!"
"They also got the looks to boot." Yang clicked her tongue and jerked a thumb. "I mean, check out Stiofan. That guy is definitely a ladies magnet."
When Stiofan entered the arena, the collective shrill of women blew the imaginary roof off the Colosseum.
A vein popped on Weiss' forehead and Blake squirmed in her seat.
However, nothing could compare to when Alexander appeared, escalating those cheers to new heights.
Jaune's jaw dropped. "Whoa."
"Everyone here pretty much knows him," Velvet said from behind his seat. "He's helped plenty of people here at Beacon and from the other academies, too. So, it makes sense he's earned a lot of respect."
Back on the arena floor, Team RTLS stopped at the edge of the central platform.
"Okay, guys," Roderick exhaled and turned to his team, "you ready for this?"
"Aye, mate."
"Indeed."
"Hmph."
Port cleared his throat and motioned to the other side of the arena. "And their opponent, Team JOOL (jewel) from Shade!"
The opposite tunnel opened, and the opposing set of competitors, three Faunus and a human, marched to the platform.
Iris Opal, a small, squirrel tailed women in a denim jacket with auburn hair; Leila Awnicks, a large, bison horned woman in a breast plate with curly black hair; Lapis De La Zuli, a lizard tailed man with deep blue hair in matching robes; and the leader, Jade Nephrite, a woman in a sports bra with lustrous green hair tied up in a messy bun.
Other than Jade who had naturally dark skin, her teammates, like the many residents of Vacuo, had deep tans, and all of them wore interchangeable grins that welcomed trouble.
"So, first years, huh?" Jade crossed her sinewy arms. "You guys don't look like pushovers, but you don't look so tough either."
Iris giggled. "They're slow."
"And weak." Leila adjusted her vambraces and towered over Team RTLS, even Alexander of all people. "This won't take long."
Lapis tightened the large pouch strapped to his waist.
Team RTLS glared in return.
Holographic reels appeared above all eight quadrants surrounding the central platform. They spun in a blur until the reels behind Team JOOL stopped on an image of a rain cloud, and the reels behind Team RTLS stopped on an image of a tower.
The outer quadrants retracted, and the entire arena split between a crescent shaped fortress and a muddy field caught up in a permanent rainstorm.
Roderick nudged Cooper and leaned close to his ear. "Use your Semblance and cover us from the top of the fortress."
"Alright," Port said, "the match will commence in 3. . . 2. . . 1. Begin!"
The moment the buzzer sounded, Cooper went invisible and dashed for the fortress, climbing the ladder of the nearest watchtower with a cannon.
Leila drew the twin machetes from her back, her vambraces sprung open to become rectangular shields, and she charged forward.
Team JOOL followed close behind, using her massive frame as a means of cover.
Roderick and Alexander fired, only for their bullets to ricochet off the arm shields.
Team RTLS split apart right before Leila swung her machetes. The blades banged off the ground, and a grenade sized explosion erupted, shrouding her in smoke.
Iris and Lapis diverged towards Alexander while Jade went for Roderick.
"Looks like you're all mine." The bison Faunus strolled out of the smoke and approached Stiofan. "Can you handle me, little man?"
Stiofan kept his distance and readied his spears, searching for any gaps past her defenses.
Near the base of the fortress, Jade hardened stone green, deflecting Rex at every turn, and even when Roderick did manage to land a clean blow, she was protected by the petrification of her skin.
Roderick threw a safety gap between them and groaned up at the monitors displaying everyone's Aura levels.
Jade's Aura dropped just a smidge.
"You're gonna have to hit harder than that." She cracked her knuckles. "Now, come here!"
In a burst, she bulldozed him through the brick walls of the fortress.
Behind a merlon on the battlement of the highest tower of the fortress, Cooper eyed the two members of Team JOOL pushing his partner towards the muddy field.
Iris' barrage of dagger strikes forced Alexander to keep Tereo up while Lapis whipped his three section staff at Alexander's flanks, further driving him into a corner.
"Don't worry." Cooper drew his bow between the crenels. "I got ya, mate."
The arrow nailed Iris' back and banged her nose against Alexander's shield.
Lapis smacked the arrow whizzing at him. "Iris, you okay?"
Iris moaned and sat up. "What happened?"
Alexander aimed at Iris, but Lapis wrapped his staff around the blade.
"Find the archer!" Lapis struggled to subdue the sword. "He has to be in the fortress!"
The squirrel nodded and bolted towards the structure.
Another arrow flew at her, but she kept running, letting the arrow pass her body as if she were made of thin air.
Cooper's brow wrinkled. He shot a couple more times; the arrows bent like a spoon in a glass of water when they reached her. Intrigued, he hopped to the cannon with a fun idea in mind.
The cannon spat a flaming ball of fire. Iris gasped and dove far away before it blew her apart, yet pieces of debris still passed through her like the arrows.
Cooper hummed at the sign.
"What is that dolt doing?" Weiss tugged her hair. "He had the perfect vantage point! Why would he just give away his location like that?!"
"If you knew Cooper as well as I do," Ruby held up a defacto finger, "then you'd know he's got a trick up his sleeve!"
"Oi, Stephen," Cooper said in his comms. "Need some help, mate?"
Stiofan ducked beneath Leila's machetes. "It would be much appreciated."
"Then move aside." He redirected the cannon. "This is gonna be a big one!"
Stiofan dove clear.
Leila tilted her head at the random action until the incoming fireball greeting her with flying enthusiasm stole her breath away. Shields pressed together, the cannon nailed her dead on, plowing her across the platform.
Stiofan gave his gratitude and chased after Leila.
When Iris reached the top of the ladder, Cooper dropped inside a hatch which she quickly followed suit.
Inside the fortress, Jade slugged Roderick hard enough to send him flying out the ceiling and bouncing along the roof, a fountain of brick spraying around him.
Jade leaped out of the hole.
"I like you, kid." She stepped on his arm and tore Rex from his grasp. "You've got heart. Too bad it's me you're facing."
Mounted on top of him with her fists hardened, she thrashed his face. His Aura levels drained fast, and the audience cringed at the brutality of the beatdown.
Yang jumped out of her seat, worry stricken, and in contrast, Pyrrha stayed put, zero traces of doubt staining her serene smile.
Roderick caught a hold of both Jade's fists. He bucked his hips and rolled over, surprising everyone as he was suddenly on top, but his strikes had no effect against her rock hard head and body.
Prosthetic whirring, Roderick slugged her guts, and for the first time, Jade flinched, wide eyed.
When he went to do it again, she caught his arm.
Unphased, Roderick planted his feet, held on tight, and deadlifted her up high. Past her collarbone, the parapets called to him, and he bolted for it, tossing themselves off the rooftop.
On the other side of the platform, Alexander and Lapis battled at the border of the mud field.
No matter how he blocked, the staff managed to whip around Tereo and slap Alexander's sides, and Tharros was rendered useless by how Lapis dodged past his shots and slashes.
Alexander sheathed his sword, waited for the staff to come around, and snatched it, simultaneously disarming and catapulting Lapis over his shield.
Lapis slid across the wet dirt and struggled to stand. Alexander dashed, slipping a few times, and tackled him down. Alexander cocked his fist, but Lapis' lizard tail coiled his wrist and yanked him face first into the mud.
Digging into his pouch, Lapis tossed three bipedal clay figurines resembling reptiles.
A soft, blue glow surrounded his body, and the figurines stirred to life, growing up to the height of their knees.
While Alexander was busy dealing with the figurines trying to headbutt him with a passion, Lapis slipped behind Alexander and unleashed a flurry of palm strikes and a tailwhip to knock him down.
Nearby, Leila crossed her machetes and scissored Stiofan's neck. He ducked at the last second and thrusted his yellow spear at her torso. She slapped her shields together. The spear dinged off, and she booted him closer to the edge of the mud field.
Stiofan rolled to a knee and caught a glimpse of Alexander struggling to fend off the figurines and Lapis' assault through the rain.
"Leon," the First Guard's worry filled the comms, "do you require assistance?"
"Does it look like I'm having a picnic here, Ua Binn?"
Stiofan checked on Leila stomping towards him. "Want to switch?"
Alexander grunted. "Sure."
Pulling back, Alexander scurried to his teammate. Lapis and his figures gave chase. None of them could hardly take a step without almost face planting, so Alexander dropped his shield and hopped on for a ride, boosting himself to surf out of the mud field with his Semblance.
Leila rushed Stiofan, and just as she was about to slam her explosive machetes down on Stiofan, Alexander flew between them and pulled up Tereo.
The machetes deflected off his shield, exploding and engulfing them in a shroud of smoke.
Searching for them past the smoke, Leila leaned forward and got punched in the nose by the rim of Alexander's shield.
Leila recoiled and glared.
Stiofan eyed Lapis and his figurines still trying to get out of the mud field and turned his gaze towards the booming storm cloud.
Pouring Aura into Yellow Fury, he fired a lightning bolt at it.
The storm cloud stirred, flashes of light rumbling within. Lapis gasped. A torrent of lightning thundered from the sky and struck him. The figurines instantaneously crumbled apart, and he collapsed in a smoky heap, Aura levels dropping underneath the fifteen percent mark.
A buzzer signaled his elimination.
Blood rushed to Leila's head, and she pounced at both Alexander and Stiofan.
Meanwhile, inside the cold, silent, and lifeless fortress, Iris creeped along the tight, dimly lit corridors with her daggers connected together to form a submachine gun.
Her steps were measured and prepared to take off at a moment's notice yet wary enough not to fall into a trap or the like, but it wasn't enough to quell her shaky bones.
The audience scooted to the edges of their seats, eyes glued to the monitors.
Iris kicked open a door and found a custodian's room full of mops, buckets, and other cleaning supplies.
After a humoured sigh, she continued moving and entered the main hall. Relief filled her lungs at the wide open spaces and the sunlight pouring in from the hole in the ceiling Jade and Roderick made.
Something bushy stuck out a corner.
Iris blasted her gun and hit nothing.
"You're not getting away!" She gave chase around the corner and entered a large room. "Where'd you go?!"
Iris fired at the bushy tail peeking out from behind a column.
A cry of pain filled the room, and the tail slumped, followed by an orange cap that puffed to the floor.
Iris hurried to check on her defeated opponent, but her grin fell flat at the sight of a mop duct taped to the column.
"You missed, darling."
An arrow whizzed through Iris' body.
"Quit it, already." She whirled and fired in the direction it came from but there was no one there. "You know you can't hit me, so why bother?"
Cooper shot two arrows that went straight for her. The arrows bent like before, and she didn't bother to move until the arrows flashed.
Iris gasped.
The arrows exploded, blowing and rebounding her off a wall.
Groaning and shaking her senses back in order, Iris looked up at Cooper, visible to the naked eye, swinging his staff at her head.
It harmlessly passed by like a hologram.
Iris slapped her daggers across Cooper's face, knocking him to the ground, and she sprayed him full of bullets. He yelped and went invisible but not before leaving behind a gift clattering at her feet.
A fire crystal.
It exploded, and she tumbled backwards, shooting up and destroying the lights directly above.
A spotlight of darkness engulfed them.
Out of habit, Cooper shot an arrow directly at Iris. He cursed himself since he knew it'd just go past her. Although, to his surprise, she dodged and scowled at the broken lights.
Cooper looked back and forth between her and the lights; a victorious laugh skipped off his lips.
Targeting every single light source in the room, he destroyed them all with his arrows, blacking out the entire room.
Panic doused Iris.
All the Faunus had no trouble watching, but unfortunately for the humans, they were left in the dark.
Iris searched for the exit and bolted for it.
"That's a naughty trick you got there." Cooper went invisible. "But mine's better."
Before she could reach the exit, Cooper whacked Iris in the head as hard as he could, knocking her out cold.
The buzzer sounded, and Leila and Jade doubled their efforts to break Team RTLS in half.
"Nice job, man," Roderick said in the ear piece, breathless. "Since you're not busy at the moment, I need a favour."
"Sure thing." Cooper spun his cap on his finger and strolled back into the main hall. "What do ya need?"
"Get my sword—whoa! It's on the roof. Hurry!"
Glancing at the hole in the ceiling, Cooper pursed his lips.
Roderick did whatever possible to escape from the moving green rock out to beat him, and right as Jade finally found her chance, an arrow struck her unhardened back and exploded, launching her into the watchtower.
The entire tower collapsed on impact and buried her alive.
Cooper flung a rope arrow in the floor next to Roderick, and he slid on down with Rex in hand.
"Radek," he passed the sword, "catch!"
Roderick caught it and high-fived Cooper on the way down.
Over on the other side of the platform from where Roderick and Cooper were, Leila warred against Stiofan and Alexander.
"Leon," Stiofan rolled away from the machetes, "cover me!"
Alexander threw himself between them and timed her attacks, waving his shield to swat her blades aside and opening her guard completely.
From behind Alexander, Red Fury glided past him. Leila's eyes shot wide open. It tagged her leg twice and paralyzed it.
Alexander snagged and wrestled to keep her in place.
Shimmering along the red spear's blade, a teal ball of Aura compressed at the point, Stiofan's focus honed to a fine edge, and with a swift thrust, he struck her in the gut. Like a firecracker going off, the blow emptied her lungs, she slumped, eyes rolling to the back of her head, and if it wasn't for Alexander, Leila would've fell right over.
The buzzer went off.
Jade crawled out from the rubble of the watchtower, glowering at Team RTLS regrouping in the middle of the arena. Rising up, she snatched chunks of brick from the mountain of rubble and hurled as much of it as she could, and Team RTLS scrambled to do whatever necessary to not get hit.
Roderick rushed towards Jade. "Cooper!"
Cooper nocked his bow. "On it."
"Stiofan, Alex!" Roderick slipped some bricks and kept running. "Follow my lead!"
Cooper used whatever arrows he had left to knock the bricks out the air, buying the rest of the team precious time to get close enough to attack.
Roderick clanged Rex off Jade's hardened skull.
She stared.
He gulped.
Jade snatched Roderick's collar and buried him in the rubble, causing it to crumble and dislodge a cannon sticking out at the top.
Stiofan lunged. Jade turned her arms green, deflected his spears, and kicked him aside. Alexander swung Tharros. She caught the blade and punched Tereo hard enough to send him skidding.
Cooper sucked his lips at the way Jade's undivided attention excavated his inner coward.
Jade rocketed at him, slapping aside Cooper's arrows. He redirected his aim and lobbed an explosive arrow, but she snatched it out of mid-air and flung it back. The arrow exploded at his feet, blasting him close to the edge of the mud field. Groaning, he crawled onto all fours in time to see her sprint over and punt him across the entire mud field and straight out of bounds.
The buzzer went off, much to Ruby's and everyone else's dismay.
Jade smirked, but when she tried to move, her legs were suddenly cold and stiff.
A block of ice trapped her lower half.
Laying outside of the arena, Cooper chuckled at the monitors.
Before Jade could do a thing about it, Stiofan snuck up on her and tagged her arm twice. Yelping, she yanked on the spear, reeling Stiofan towards her. Alexander barreled in from the side and shoved him out the way. Jade grabbed Alexander and wrapped her good arm around his neck.
Up at the top of the mountain of rubble, Roderick examined the cannon and smirked at the idea of using it until he saw Jade and Alexander all the way on the other side of the arena.
"Alex, get away from her!" Roderick's desperation relayed through the earpiece. "I'm gonna blow her up!"
Alexander tried to do exactly that, but even with only one arm, Jade was still strong enough to hold him down.
"Forget it!" Alexander growled through his teeth. "Just do it!"
Roderick and Stiofan's eyes widened.
Jade squeezed. "What are you blabbering about?"
"Leon, give me a moment." Stiofan shifted forward. "I'll free you."
"No time!" Alexander spun around and bearhugged Jade. "I got her. Hurry!"
"What the—?" Jade checked the monitors and saw what Roderick was planning. "No!"
Releasing a long breath of understanding, Roderick aimed the cannon.
"Thanks, Alex." He made the final adjustment and clutched the lever. "I'll buy you a muffin later."
Roderick pulled.
The cannon spat out a ball of fire and nailed Jade and Alexander dead on in a mushroom cloud of fire and smoke. They meteored all the way up to the stands and rebounded off the hardlight shield encapsulating the entire arena.
The final buzzer rang, and Team RTLS were declared the victors.