Well, we're winding down, aren't we? Just the semifinal rounds and the final battle left to go!

Thankfully, the snow stopped for now. This combination of lots of snow and bitter cold is one of the MANY reasons I usually can't stand winter (I'm more of a spring/summer person, nothing against Weiss). I've always said I'd rather sweat than freeze.

DISCLAIMER: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, otherwise Team CFVY would definitely get a lot more screen time. And the RWBY Volume 3 soundtrack would be out already. Super Smash Bros. belongs to Masahiro Sakurai.

Now, let Round Ten: The Semifinals begin! FIGHT!

"Hey, I think it's time!" Ruby exclaimed as she and her teammates made their way back to the game stations. They had whittled away the rest of their twenty-minute break talking about other prospective tournaments around the area and the level of competition they should expect if they ever went to one.

Sure enough, the officiator once again stepped up to the podium, proclaiming things in his rather bombastic voice.

"We're almost to the end, fellow Smashers!" the officiator proclaimed. "And now, we begin the semifinal rounds! Only four players remain in the battle for the crown, so let's find out who will take it first!"

Weiss knew it was time to battle, and gave Ruby a kiss on the cheek before stepping up to the station and wait for her opponent.

"Our first semifinal battle will be between Weiss Schnee of Beacon Academy and Sage Ayana of Haven Academy!"

Sage made his own way to the station, flashing a thumbs up at Weiss.

The heiress glanced back to the crowd; Ruby was hopping up and down excitedly, cheering for Weiss even though the battle hadn't started yet.

Okay, she stopped freaking out, Weiss thought with a smile. I don't need to worry about her trying to blast Sage just because he's wishing a good battle.

"You ready for this, ice queen?" Sage quipped.

"If you're ready to lose, then let's do it," Weiss responded, once again selecting Lucina. The time-traveling princess had served her well this whole tournament, why stop now?

Naturally, Sage decided to stick with Ike, so it was once again a clash between Fire Emblem veterans.

Maybe... ooh, I should pick up Fire Emblem Fates before we leave, Weiss thought. Ruby's birthday is coming up, and she's been eyeing that game since Corrin was announced for Smash Brothers. Question is, which version do I get her?

Shaking off the thought for now, Weiss settled on deciding once the tournament was over.

As it was, the countdown had just finished, signaling the start of the battle.

("Mirror, Mirror" by Casey Lee Williams plays)

As Weiss expected, Sage attacked first with a Quick Draw, which Lucina struck back with a Counter. Weiss immediately went on the offensive, dashing over and striking Ike with everything she could.

"Looks like you're in it to win it, huh?" Sage teased.

"Well, I have my reasons," Weiss replied, briefly glancing back at Ruby before grabbing Ike and throwing him backwards off the edge of their battlefield, the Coliseum.

Ike used an Aether to recover back to the stage, but Lucina was waiting for that to happen, throwing out a partially-charged Shield Breaker to knock Ike further back and out of range for a recovery.

"Ooh, that looked like it hurt!" the officiator proclaimed. "Despite Lucina's bad tournament rep, Weiss is using her like a champ!"

Weiss had to almost-visibly restrain herself from unsheathing Myrtenaster and using an ice spell on the officiator. His constant chatter was starting to get annoying, seeing as how she didn't want to be distracted, knowing one distraction could prove her downfall.

Ike charged up an Eruption during his way off the recovery platform, attempting to capitalize on Weiss trying to catch him out of his invincibility frames.

Weiss wasn't having any of that, though, dodging backwards to avoid the attack and rushing back in once the flames cleared away. Pressing every opportunity she could, Weiss used a Dancing Blade, deliberately stopping before the final hit to use a Dolphin Slash.

Sage wasn't fazed, however, leaping back into the fray and spiking Lucina back to the ground with a down aerial before performing Quick Draw to keep up the pressure.

Lucina quickly recovered and Countered an incoming side smash, sending Ike off the edge of the platform.

"And Weiss' advantage grows!" the officiator proclaimed. Almost immediately after saying that, Ike landed and threw a side smash into Lucina, sending her careening off the stage.

Idiot, you jinxed me! Weiss growled inside her mind. Stop doing that!

Shaking her head, Weiss put her focus back on the match, determined not to falter.

The battle continued like this for a while, Lucina and Ike generally trading attacks with reckless abandon.

About halfway through the match, Weiss had attempted to use Critical Hit, only to miss, as Sage had expected her feint maneuver to throw him off. To her surprise, Weiss had accidentally pressed the attack button, and Lucina stopped her attack in just enough time to recover back to the stage. Weiss had no idea that something like that was possible.

So, thankfully, Weiss kept her one stock advantage, even though Sage was catching up rather quickly.

"Don't count me out just yet, ice queen!" Sage proclaimed rather heroically. "Remember, I fight for my friends!"

Weiss smirked as she charged up a Shield Breaker so Ike would stay away. "So do I, if you remember," Weiss responded.

As soon as Lucina was forced to strike, Ike was on the move, dashing forward with a Quick Draw, only to stop just short of Lucina, which Weiss happily took advantage of, throwing him upwards and following up with a Dolphin Slash.

When the Smash Ball appeared, Lucina was able to break it, only to have to dodge around Ike, who began to dog her to avoid letting her use her Final Smash again.

Feeling rather confident about a maneuver she'd been wanting to try, Lucina rushed back into the fray, dodging through a side smash and grabbing Ike. This time, however, she did her down throw, turning around quickly after that.

"I won't miss this time!" Weiss shouted, activating her Final Smash and hitting Ike, just as she'd predicted. And that was the end of it.

"And Ike is down!" the officiator proclaimed over the crowd's cheering. "What a tricky combo used by our winner, Weiss Schnee of Beacon Academy!"

Inwardly, Weiss was very excited. I-I'm heading to the finals! On my first tournament!

And if Weiss was excited, that was nothing compared to Ruby, who leaped at her and hugged her tightly while squealing like a schoolgirl.

"Weiss, you're amazing!" Ruby exclaimed. "That Ike had no idea what hit him!"

"He sure didn't," Weiss replied. "But I don't think it's time to celebrate just yet. Your match is next, remember?"

"Go and kick some faces in, sis!" Yang proclaimed.

"You got it!" Ruby replied. "Cheer for me, Weiss?"

"Don't I always?" Weiss stated, kissing Ruby on the cheek just before the reaper waltzed to her station, where Velvet was already waiting.

"Well, Ruby, looks like it's just you and me," Velvet stated. "One of us is moving on to the finals."

"I won't disappoint!" Ruby laughed.

"And now, our penultimate battle!" the officiator proclaimed. "Two more Beacon Academy huntresses have brought their skills to this fight. Give it up for Ruby Rose and Velvet Scarlatina!"

As the crowd cheered, Ruby and Velvet selected their characters, Sonic and Mega Man respectively.

"Fighters, prepare yourself!"

("Red Like Roses, Pt. II" by Casey Lee Williams & Sandy Lee Casey plays)

The venue for this match was Orbital Gate Assault, one of Ruby's favorite stages and her personal pick.

"Good luck, Ruby," Velvet stated as the countdown began.

"Same to you, Velvet!" Ruby replied.

The countdown expired, and the battle was on.

Velvet, much like the last battle, started off by summoning a Leaf Shield, only for Ruby to throw a quick right hook followed by a Homing Attack.

After leaping off of Rush to get back, Mega Man threw a Metal Blade to get Ruby's attention before charging up for a Charge Shot. But Ruby was quicker on the draw than Velvet expected, as Sonic immediately dashed over and spun into Velvet before she could fire the shot off.

Ruby continued to press the attack, knowing how skilled Velvet was with Mega Man, and taking advantage of every opportunity she could, even managing to save herself after eating a Spark Shock she was sure would have taken her out.

Sonic leaped over another Charge Shot and threw Mega Man back with a back aerial before following up with another Homing Attack.

Ruby focused, knowing that this match was going to be tough. She didn't dare acknowledge that she was actually doing pretty well at the moment, knowing she would jinx herself if she did, and instead decided to focus on the battle itself.

Mega Man leapt in with a Slash Claw to keep Sonic away, only for Sonic to throw out a forward aerial to cancel the attack out.

And then, after both fighters had lost two stocks each, the Smash Ball appeared.

As much as Ruby loved Mega Man's Final Smash, she knew that at this percentage, she didn't want to eat one, so she rushed for the Smash Ball, landing hits on it when she could.

After dodging a few Metal Blades, Ruby finally managed to break the Smash Ball, causing most of the crowd to start cheering loudly.

"All right! SUPER SONIC STYLE!" Ruby shouted in tune with Sonic as she activated his Final Smash, transforming into Super Sonic.

Velvet immediately began dodging rapid-fire, knowing she was in trouble. But, through deft maneuvering and even a few fakeouts, Ruby crashed into Velvet enough times to make Mega Man go sailing off the top blast line.

Ruby knew it was still too early to start cheering herself. She held a two-to-one stock advantage over Velvet, but realized it probably wouldn't last much longer due to her high percentage.

And sure enough, one careless jump later, Ruby ate a Spark Shock and got sent flying, leaving her with one stock.

Now the real battle began.

Ruby switched to her classic hit-and-run tactic, only sticking around Mega Man to deliver a good hit or two before backing off to assess the situation.

Despite this, Velvet gave as good as she got, picking off Sonic whenever he stopped for too long to attack.

By the end of the match, both characters were in the hundreds, where one good attack would seal their fate.

Velvet used an Air Shooter to propel Sonic upwards, though not enough to end it, to which Sonic responded with a downward kick.

Ruby charged up a Spin Dash when she landed, only for Velvet to shield against it...

...until said shield broke, leaving Mega Man stunned.

The entire crowd watched with bated breath. Even Weiss was watching intently.

Ruby smiled. This one's for you, Weiss.

Not wasting a single second, Ruby threw a final right hook into the stunned Mega Man, and that ended the battle.

"YES!" Ruby and Weiss both shouted at the same time, leaping into the air in a loud cheer.

"What a game!" the officiator proclaimed. "Moving on to the final round, give a big round of applause for Ruby Rose of Beacon Academy!"

As the crowd applauded, Velvet turned back to Ruby.

"Good game, Ruby. I definitely didn't expect you to pull that last trick off," Velvet giggled.

"To be fair, it's something I came up with when I was training Weiss," Ruby admitted. "She always liked to shield when I tried to get in close, so I figured I'd try to whittle the shield down over time so I could take advantage of it."

"It worked like a charm," Velvet laughed. "Good luck in the finals."

"Thanks for giving me a great challenge!" Ruby proclaimed. Even while my greatest challenge awaits.

With that, Ruby and Velvet returned to the crowd.

"That was great, Ruby," Weiss proclaimed, hugging the reaper tightly.

"Don't get so lovey just yet," Yang interjected. "There's still one more battle, remember?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ruby exclaimed. "Weiss, it's you and me for the final round!"

"Do you still remember our promise, Ruby?"

"Of course, silly! You're my girlfriend, after all, so that means I'm gonna go all out! We'll give each other a battle that'll surely go down in legend!"

Weiss couldn't help but giggle at the way Ruby said that.

"Well, then let's go up and give them something that will go down in legend."

Ruby nodded vigorously, taking Weiss' hand and leading her back to the station, both of them ready for the final showdown.

I won't let Weiss down, Ruby thought. I'm gonna give it my all and show her the skills I've learned. She'll be proud of me, I know she will!

Well, this is it, Weiss thought, taking the controller back into her hands. It's just me and Ruby now. Time to show that adorable dunce just what I've learned.

Ruby and Weiss clutched their controllers tightly, waiting for the officiator to start his last spiel.

At long last... the last battle. The final showdown.

Game on.

No joke, until literally today, I had no idea that you could cancel out of Critical Hit. I'm still learning new things about this game, guys!

Well, it has all come down to this. Next chapter is the final showdown. Weiss Schnee vs. Ruby Rose for the championship. Are you excited? I'm DEFINITELY excited!

And yes, I've played Fire Emblem Fates. I started with Conquest. Elise is so adorable, I wish she was my sister AND SHE'S VOICED BY LAURA FREAKING BAILEY! Good Dust, her cuteness just shot up to twelve...

Until next, R&R, enjoy, and happy Smashing.

From me to you in the future,
The Blue Time Ranger