Author's note- IMPORTANT! Gregor the Overlander doesn't belong to me nor my friend. My friend Anna wrote this, you can find her on , her username is Alma, I believe. She wasn't able to upload it to fanfiction cause of stuff happening so she asked me. Please NO flames, read and review!

"Speech"

Thoughts

Ch. 7 Orion and Ares

"D-Duel?! As in with swords?" Alma said nervously.

"Well, it's a weapon of your choice, but yes." Luxa said calmly, and then added "Do not worry. I'm not allowed to give you the luxury of being run through with my blade."

Just what is her issue?! She thought, and glared hatefully as she and Howard walked over to Moranzo.

Aurora fidgeted uncomfortably beside her. "I apologize about her... Would you like me to watch over your younger sister, Overlander?" she said quietly.

"Yes please. And don't let her watch." Alma responded, and Aurora flew up to the top of the bleachers to land beside the rusty orange bat that she recognized as Moranzo's bond. Then she ran after the two cousins.

When he saw the group walking over, Moranzo ordered his students to run laps around the arena.

"Greetings Howard, Queen Luxa. Brought our Overland friend, have you?" He said, almost sounding amused.

"She challenged me. Hand me my sword, and let her choose her weapon."

Moranzo nodded, and wheeled over a kind of cart filled with many weapons Alma had never seen before. But there was one kind she did associate with.

Down on the bottom, left-hand corner were a pair of beautifully carved twin daggers.

Her dad had taught her how to use a knife for self-defense... before he disappeared and left her, and her siblings with their odd mother.

Because of the memory of her father, she instinctively reached out, and picked up the pair of daggers. Luxa chuckled a bit at her choice, when the big red bat from the other side of the field fluttered over.

"Tsk... Another Overlander falls..." He remarked, scanning Alma.

"Yes." Replied Moranzo. "Overlander, this is Orion, the teacher of the younger bats here in Regalia. And the Overlander's name is... Alma, correct?" he asked her.

"Uh huh." was all she said. She was too busy sizing up Orion and his group of bats.

Orion had a big golden ring hanging from his left ear. Behind him was a small, dark green bat with black markings, which was joking with a taller, dark blue one. And a large, glossy black bat was observing her cautiously. And she could just tell that all three of them were juvenile, as in teenagers.

Orion scoffed, and turned to his little gang. "Can one of you tell me why she won't last long down here? Pluto? Columbus? ... Ares?" he said, narrowing his eyes at the last name.

The green bat Pluto and the blue bat Columbus both flinched when he talked at them, while Ares growled in response.

"She will not last... because she is neither strong nor athletic." The black bat muttered, and then glared fiercely at Orion.

"Good." Orion said flatly. "Maybe we'll make something out of you yet..." He added, but he obviously didn't really mean it.

She stared hatefully at them both. Why is everyone down here so uptight?

"Have you ever heard of 'Constructive Criticism'?" She asked Orion

"I am familiar with the term..." He responded edgily, obviously not very trusting of her.

"Well you're doing it wrong." She said, looking at her daggers, rather than anyone else.

She heard Pluto and Columbus chuckle somewhat behind her. It was an odd little laugh that that bats made, but she thought it was kind of cute. Even Ares hid his laugh with his wing, while Orion glared scornfully at all of them.

Alma was glad she had embarrassed Orion, but now, she was more intent on showing them what she could do. Orion, Ares, and Luxa all doubted her. Maybe even Moranzo did too, she didn't know. And as her grip tightened on her daggers, all she thought about was proving that she could hold her own.

Luxa smirked as Moranzo handed her an intricate sword that had three edges instead of two, making it no longer flat.

"Your move..." Alma said nervously.

Luxa's smirk faded, and she ran at her. And boy was she fast. Alma barely had a second to block.

But the sound of Luxa's blade hitting her knives was drowned out by the deafening sound of a gong.