Omniscient POV
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"You're in for a fine match today, folks," Oobleck said. "We have the up and comers Team RTLS against the defending champions Team BLLT. What say you about this, Peter?"
"Well, Bartholomew," Port twiddled the fine tip of his glorious mustache, "Team BLLT certainly has the experience and crowd on their side. But I wouldn't count out two of my favourite students here in Beacon. If there's one thing I know about Roderick Hill and Stiofan Ua Binn, it's that they're always full of surprises."
"That's great to hear, now, let's get back to the action."
In the front row where the tournament competitors watched, Ruby and Yang scrambled into the empty seats next to their friends.
From a few rows down, Blake huffed. "Nice of you to join us."
"Yeah," said Jaune from behind Alexander. "You two sure took a while."
Yang chuckled and clapped her sister's back. "We made it just in time, Rubes."
"This is your fault." Ruby scowled and wiped the sweat off her brow. "I'm not carrying you next time."
Cooper offered her a bag of treats. "Want a biscuit?"
Mood instantly brightened, she gobbled some cookies.
"So," Yang pointed at Team BLLT, "who're these guys?"
Weiss flipped out. "You must be joking? That's Team BLLT of Haven."
Ruby shot a finger gun in the air. "Spitfire, bang, bang! Go Team BLLT!"
All she got were blank stares.
She flushed and fiddled with her hands. "Sorry about that. I'm a big fan."
In the arena below, the face off grew evermore tense.
"Lewy, Hot Rod's mine." Rebecca hopped on her toes. "You can take care of spears over there."
Lewis unsheathed the sleek katana at his side and locked eyes with Stiofan.
Stiofan prepared himself. "Roderick, get ready."
"Yeah," Roderick formed a planned, "you don't have to tell me tw—"
Rebecca rocketed off in a gust and swiped her arm across Roderick's throat, flipping him. With a hearty laugh, she snatched his leg in mid-air, spun, and flung him into the ruined streets of the urban quadrant.
Stiofan looked on in horror, slowly accepting the fact that his partner simply vanished and that they were now both on their own.
He exhaled and returned his focus on the man across from him.
Lewis and Stiofan circled each other stride for stride, never daring to take their eyes off one another.
At the drop of a hat, they darted forward.
Stiofan thrusted Red Fury. Lewis sidestepped, and Stiofan swung Yellow Fury down from overhead. Blocking with the sword, Lewis twisted his wrist, revealing the muzzle hidden under the handguard. Stiofan's breath caught. He tilted his head, a bullet whizzed past his right eye, and broke away before his head was riddled with bullets.
"You have skill." Lewis lowered his arm. "Too bad it's me you're up against."
Stiofan arced an eyebrow. "And who exactly might that be?"
"The man who's going to give you one chance." He held up a finger. "Either surrender or take your shot."
Spears pointed, Stiofan's answer was clear as day.
Lewis nodded, shades glinting in the sunlight.
"If that's the case, I'll make it easier for you." He drew an imaginary X across his leather jacket. "Here's your target. Try not to miss."
Meanwhile in the urban quadrant, Roderick spat the dust coating his tongue.
Surrounding him was a desolate miniature town, full of broken concrete, rusty rails, crooked signs, and a small, rundown building on the verge of collapse.
Rebecca fell towards him.
Roderick scrambled to safety.
Crashing into the spot where he used to be, a cloud of smoke swallowed her whole. He got up about halfway before she sprung out and left her boot print on his face.
Rex clattered out his hand; Rebecca punted it away.
Grabbing her ankle, his metal arm whirred. She yelped. He pulled her to the ground, spun, and hurled her through a second floor window of the building.
Rebecca landed on all fours and skidded across the room to a stop. The flames designs on her gear glowed. A sizzle of steam evaporated the sweat on her skin. Blades of fire shot out of her, and she broke into a sprint, diving right back out the window and bursting into a raging inferno.
Before he could even take a step or figure out what to do next, Roderick went wide eyed at the raging sun cackling and flying straight at him. She bulldozed him over. They tumbled in a tangle of limbs. He would've screamed out if there was still air left in his lungs, but instead, all he did was cough a fit and scorch his airways with every breath.
Rolling away, Roderick drew Tyrannus only for Rebecca to backflip kick it away and land on a knee.
The flames extinguished, and she flipped her hair, showing off a maniacal smile.
"Burning Bullet!" Oobleck pulled his unkempt hair. "She just hit the Burning Bullet, Peter!"
Port chuckled. "Roderick Hill is in deep trouble now."
"Damn it!" Yang punched her arm rest and shifted to the edge of her seat. "Stop messing around and kick her ass, Roddy!"
Pyrrha squeezed her hands, and everyone else shared nervous glances with each other.
By the border of the minefield quadrant, Stiofan and Lewis bounced back and forth in a successive clash of sparks and dings.
Stiofan jabbed Red Fury, but it was parried and countered with a quick slash.
The blade deflected off the shaft of Yellow Fury. Stiofan shot out his foot. Lewis spun aside and cracked his ribs with a heel kick, knocking him into the minefield.
A click blared underneath him.
Gasping, he launched away from an explosion that would've devoured him whole, leaving a shallow crater and dirt cloud behind.
Stiofan released an air of relief and examined his surroundings better than a finely tuned microscope. Moving at a snail's place, he tiptoed his way around and doubled checked every move he made.
Lewis walked up to the edge of the minefield, gave it a once over, and skipped across the bomb ridden soil and made a path towards his opponent.
The crowd's surprised clamour alerted Stiofan of the danger closing in on him. Hesitation shackled his feet and uncertainty stunted which evasive direction to take, so without much of a choice, he braced for impact.
Smirking, Lewis swung his katana low, scooping out and golfing a landmine at Stiofan.
It hit him dead on.
Stiofan was blasted towards the plethora of differently shaped platforms floating around the anti-gravity quadrant, and the gravitational pull from a vertical platform reeled him over.
Lewis hopped across the platforms in pursuit.
A sharp chime echoed throughout the quadrant, the lights on the platforms changed colour, and the gravitational pull of every platform changed with it.
The gravity generating from the horizontal platform directly above Stiofan scooped him up, adhering to its underside.
Lewis bounced between the platforms, surfing along their gravitational pulls towards Stiofan's staggered and dazed form. Clutching his sheathed katana, Lewis poured Aura into it, and the green crystal on his scabbard lit up.
The quadrant chimed.
Stiofan fell, and Lewis kicked off a platform, soaring like a raptor hunting prey.
Lewis flicked out his blade slightly, and Stiofan's eyes shot wide open at the inevitable collision about to unfold.
A heartbeat passed.
"Boom," Lewis said.
The green crystal on the scabbard of his katana flashed. A crack like a whip shattered the air, and a rippling gust of wind plowed Stiofan into the adjacent tundra quadrant.
"There it is!" Oobleck almost ripped out his hair again. "Speed Bomb Slash!"
"Yes, it sure was." Port dabbed his forehead with a tissue. "However, it appears that Lewis' timing was a little off. Stiofan was fortunate enough to only get hit by the wind pressure generated from the swing alone. If he took the full blow, well, let's just say it would've been bad news for him."
Weiss bit her lip and Blake choked the life from the poor pads on the armrests of her chair.
"I hope he's alright," said Oobleck.
"I'm sure he's fine." Port scoffed and waved his tissue. "What concerns me more is Roderick Hill. Rebecca Blayze clearly outmatches him in every possible way, and he's lost both his weapons. Makes me wonder how he's gonna find a way out of this unfavourable circumstance."
The crowd continued cheering for Team BLLT.
Yang's temper flared.
"Come guys!" She waved the others to join in. "We gotta help out our boys."
Everyone followed her lead and shouted encouragement.
Roderick ran off to retrieve Rex.
Rebecca tackled him against a rail and elbowed him across the temple. Roderick crumpled. Stars fluttered around his head. She grabbed the sword and raised it high, roaring pure adrenaline that pumped up the crowd even further.
Roderick used the precious moment for all it was worth to catch his breath.
"You know, I've been thinking." She tossed the sword out of sight and chuckled. "How 'bout a freebie?"
Dubious lines etched his brow.
"One shot. Promise." She leaned forward, tapped her cheek, and hid both hands behind her. "Better make it count."
Fist clenched, Roderick pulled himself up and slugged the bridge of her nose.
Rebecca yelped and fell flat on her ass.
The side of his mouth curled up. "I hope you're not regretting that now."
A giggle billowed beneath the curtain of orange locks blanketing her face, and she swept it aside, revealing a stream of blood.
The Colosseum went dead quiet.
"What's this?!" Oobleck jumped and slapped his desk. "Is that even legal?!"
"Unfortunately, it is." Port skimmed through the official rule book for tournament bouts. "There's not a single rule in here that goes against shutting off one's own Aura. This has never happened before, and nobody in their right minds would be insane enough to do that."
"So, that means a scenario such as this was overlooked since it was expected of our competitors to keep their Aura'a activated at all times!" Oobleck buried his head in his hands. "How dreadful! Simply dreadful."
"There goes your freebie, Hot Rod." Rebecca smeared the crimson mask and flicked it off her fingers. "But you're definitely right about one thing: I don't regret it. If it were anyone else, I'm sure you would've knocked them out cold."
Roderick backed off. "You're crazy, man!"
"Crazy? Not crazy." She pointed at herself and that maniacal smile returned. "I'm the champ!"
Over in the tundra quadrant, Stiofan dug his body out of the snow and exhaled a white mist.
A bullet nailed his back.
Stiofan scampered, nearly slipping a few times, to safety behind an icy boulder in the center of the quadrant, and Lewis stood at the edge of the quadrant, blade gleaming in the afternoon light.
"Looks to me like someone's playing checkers on my chess board," Lewis said. "Now's not the time to lose focus."
Stiofan peeked around the boulder, catching a glimpse of Lewis firing another shot that forced him to hide again.
His mind raced to form any sort of plan.
The snow beneath his feet crunched, and despite his Aura protecting him from the low temperatures, the frigid bite gnawed him relentlessly.
His breath grew thicker and thicker.
Red Fury suddenly weighed heavier in his hand, and the common problem people with eyewear experience during winters hit him harder than a brick.
"Alright, if you don't want to come out," Lewis strolled closer, "I'll make you come out."
Stiofan chuckled and raised his voice. "As a matter of fact, I'd much prefer it if you tried. That way I can quickly finish this chore and proceed to the actual battle."
Glancing at the urban quadrant, Lewis pressed his lips tightly together and dashed to the boulder, but he planted his feet and slid across the snow and ice, scabbard flashing green.
Speed Bomb Slash.
Stiofan dropped flat on the ground. Lewis glided by with his back to the ice boulder. It split wide open and crumbled apart. Stiofan jumped and thrusted his short spear. Lewis twisted and locked his katana against it. A red glint from below hitched his breath.
The long spear was half buried in the snow, and the crystal flashed.
Diving, he avoided a breath of flame, sizzling the snow and poofing up a wall of steam.
The warm air completely fogged his shades.
Lewis retreated, only to trip and fall over after Stiofan tagged his leg and made it go numb.
Spears changed to swords coated in flame and lightning, Stiofan went on the offensive, and Lewis could do nothing except eat up every strike given.
Weiss and Blake cheered.
Lewis' scabbard flared green.
Forced to retreat, Stiofan avoided the Speed Bomb Slash that cleared the surrounding steam, ice, water, and snow.
"Got to hand it to you." Lewis tossed his shades and cracked his neck. "That was a neat trick."
Stiofan tensed, finally able to grasp how Lewis was a step ahead of him all this time.
Black pupils with a yellow sclera; the Faunus eyes of a falcon.
"But trust me when I say," Lewis glared, "I'll see the next one coming."
Inside the building, Roderick went through a stone wall, and Rebecca dragged his limp body to the rooftop, bringing a wooden chair she found along the way.
"Oi!" Cooper whipped a finger. "That gal's cheating. No way anyone can do that to Radek."
"Everything is fair game in there," concern tinged Alexander's tongue, "and Blayze is playing by the rules even if she's molding them like clay."
"But there's gotta be something Roddy can do!" Yang wanted nothing more than to go down there and beat up Rebecca herself. "Seeing him get hurt so bad is driving me crazy!"
"Don't worry." Pyrrha gave Yang's arm a supportive pat from behind her seat. "If anyone knows how to take a hit and keep moving forward, it's Roderick. Trust me, I know."
They shared a smile, but the moment was cut short when Rebecca dropped Roderick in the middle of the rooftop and put a finger to her lips, shushing the entire Colosseum.
Aura activated, the cuts and bruises on Rebecca's body healed, and she inflated her lungs to the limit.
"Is everyone having a good time?!" she said as loudly as she could.
She was showered with a flood of yeahs.
"Well, if that's the case. . ." Rebecca put a hand next to her ear. "Then who wants a kiss?"
The crowd got off their feet. "GIVE US A KISS!"
"Yeah!" Ruby threw her arms up. "Give us a kiss!"
Yang slapped her sister's head.
"You heard 'em." Rebecca lifted Roderick by the collar. "Pucker up."
She brought their faces close and smashed her forehead between his eyes, dropping him in a heap of meat, and his friends were struck aghast at what was becoming a horror show.
"For those of you who don't know, Hot Rod here is the Maverick of Mistral." Rebecca propped the chair in front of Roderick, took a seat, and aimed a finger gun at Pyrrha. "The same guy who just can't beat the Invincible Girl over there."
Pyrrha glowered.
"Given that track record of yours, it's no surprise you're going to lose this one, too. Sorry, but that's the truth. It's expected at this point, honestly." She clasped her hands behind her head and sat back. "Don't be ashamed, though. You lost to me, so I get it. You can try again next time. Heck, I bet you'll even win the whole darn thing after I've graduated and moved onto bigger and better things in the world."
Roderick stirred and pushed up onto his elbows.
"So with that said, it's time to end this, Hot Rod, but it'd be rude of me not to at least say goodbye." She stood and gave her finger gun an exaggerated smooch. "And goodnight. Bang!"
Rebecca raised a foot over Roderick's head and stomped his face into the roof, cracking it.
Not a single percent of his Aura levels dropped.
"What the—?" She double checked the monitors and went slack jawed. "No. . ."
Roderick peeled himself off the concrete, rising level with Rebecca, and the world marvelled at the red waterfall leaking from his brow.
The entire Colosseum gasped.
Five metal knuckles tattooed Rebecca's chin, and a boot to the stomach sent her fumbling near the edge of the building.
Roderick wiped the blood from his eyes, spitting out some that seeped into his mouth, and locked onto the chair twinkling with a certain allure. Snatching the chair, he raised it high over his head, and smashed it to bits on her skull, sending her tumbling off the rooftop.
The crowd sprung out of their seats, hollering in cheer, while Roderick's friends sat there dumbstruck.
A gunshot rang.
Roderick turned in the direction where it came from and hurried to the other side of the rooftop, spotting Stiofan and Lewis drifting away from the tundra quadrant and towards the central platform.
A flare of Aura instantly healed his wounds. He loaded his prosthetic with wind Dust, leaped off the roof, and propelled himself all the way over to them.
Stiofan and Lewis battled in the center of the arena.
All of Stiofan's attacks were thwarted, smacked aside before he could even decide what he wanted to do with his weapons, and Lewis did it effortlessly.
An approaching shadow halted their exchange, and Lewis dove out of the way, avoiding a metal fist crushing the tiles.
Roderick rejoined Stiofan's side.
"Need help?" he said.
The First Guard huffed. "Need a weapon?"
They mirrored a grin.
Stiofan tossed Yellow Fury to his partner. "Hope you know how to use that."
"Pyrrha gave me a few lessons once." Roderick twirled the spear and positioned himself. "To be honest, I think I'm better than you."
Stiofan rolled his eyes. "Ditto."
The two members of Team RTLS rushed the Faunus.
Lewis batted aside Red Fury and narrowly avoided being skewered by Yellow Fury. Before Roderick could pull back, the katana sliced towards him. Stiofan lunged and extended his arm, clanging the blade off his bracer. Pushing Roderick down, Stiofan whirled his spear and spewed a roaring ring of fire, forcing Lewis to back off.
All that was left was a smoke screen, and when it cleared up ever so slightly, Lewis' eyes widened.
Roderick was on a knee with Yellow Fury aimed like a rifle. The crystal flashed yellow, and a lightning bolt struck the ground between Lewis' feet, knocking him up high.
Walking backwards, Stiofan charged his Aura and compressed it at the point of his spear while keeping an eye on Lewis, and once the moment called for it, he broke into a sprint and kicked off Roderick's shoulder.
The crystal on his spear flashed red, Stiofan cocked his arm, and thrusted at the imaginary X on Lewis' jacket with all his might.
"Boom," Stiofan said.
The Aura enhanced strike hit Lewis dead on and a jet stream of flame followed, sending him flying out of bounds.
The buzzer went off.
Rebecca wobbled around the corner of the building, sneered at the replay of Lewis' elimination, and she ripped out a nearby street sign.
Roderick returned Yellow Fury and they bumped fists, however, the rumble of an engine sank their boat of joy.
On her ATV and armed with the street sign, Rebecca charged.
Stiofan shoved his partner aside, and Rebecca blew the sign apart on Stiofan's skull, making the buzzer go off again.
Blake and Weiss cried out.
Rebecca drifted to a stop, leaving a trail of hot rubber on the platform, and revved her engine, shooting a glare hotter than a heatwave that made people want to run for the shade.
Roderick matched her fiery stare.
Thrown into full gear, she zoomed at him. To everyone's bewilderment, he stood his ground and let her come closer, waiting for the last possible moment to blast himself at her with a burst of wind from his prosthetic.
Rebecca gasped, but it was cut short after Roderick grabbed her throat and slammed her to the floor.
Both leaders laid panting beside each other, caked in a mix of their own dried blood and sweat, and in sync, they languished to their knees and punched each other in the face, spraying the tiles red.
Roderick swung his metal fist, but Rebecca caught and gripped it to death, keeping it locked down no matter how much he tried to break free.
However, that didn't stop either of them from taking turns eating each other's shots.
The Colosseum fell into silent awe, and the only thing that could be heard were the cringe worthy amount of thumps, grunts, and cries of pain.
"My word!" Oobleck's glasses nearly fell off. "Those two are going to kill themselves!"
"For the love that is all good!" Port watched from behind the gaps of his fingers. "Nothing's going to stop them!"
Roderick and Rebecca continued slugging it out no matter how bloody or bruised they got.
Ruby and Weiss covered their mouths, Nora and Cooper bounced in anticipation, Alexander, Ren, and Jaune were completely transfixed, and Yang and Pyrrha were on the verge of tears, not from sadness or distress, but from the sheer amount of pride swelling in them.
Rebecca wobbled from a hit to the nose, and Roderick blacked out for a split second when he took one under the chin.
They fell forward, unintentionally leaning on the other for support.
"Damn, Hot Rod." Rebecca's clothes glowed hot. "You're something else."
He pushed her back, but she yanked him closer.
"Nuh-uh-uh." She waved a finger of denial. "Last chance. Turn on your Aura or get roasted. Either way, I'm coming out on top."
Panting and glaring past the waterfall of blood coming off his face, Roderick slumped and lowered his head, much to everyone's shock.
"That's it." Rebecca grinned, teeth stained red. "Give up."
The hold she had on his prosthetic loosened slightly, and he turned it just enough so that the underside was visible to him.
"You're right." Roderick raised his head and locked eyes with her once more. "It's over."
There was a sharp pop and something ejected from his prosthetic.
In slow motion, the object flew between them, and Rebecca followed it every step of the way until it disappeared inside of Roderick's closed fist. Making a finger gun and nestling it on the middle of her forehead, he gave her a clear view of the vial of wind Dust in his hand.
Rebecca's eyes shot wide open.
Roderick chuckled and crushed the vial. "Bang."
A violent gust was unleashed. It propelled her into the minefield that set off a chain reaction the moment her body hit the sands and swallowed her alive in a barrage of explosions.
The buzzer sounded, signaling the final elimination.
Not a single soul moved or made a sound. Everyone at home, the people in the arena, and even Roderick's friends sat where they were, bug eyed and mouths agape.
A heartbeat later, it all finally registered what everyone witnessed actually happened, and they went ballistic.
Stiofan wandered over and collapsed next to his partner. "You're out of your mind. You know that?"
"Yeah, man." Roderick gazed at the sky, breathless. "Guess I am."
"Oi!"
Over by the arena entrance, Cooper and Alexander came running over.
"Radek, Stephen!" The raccoon slid between them, flabbergasted. "How in the world did you two manage to pull that off?!"
"Save it for later." Alexander checked them out. "Let's get them out of here."
As the team left together, they were escorted off by the tidal wave of cheers, chanting for Team RTLS.