Waking up the following morning, much earlier than he originally wanted to, Andrew stretched in his uncomfortable bed whilst giving out a long yawn. Compared to the bed he had a Beacon this one almost felt like sleeping on bricks, so he was glad that he didn't have to stay here long, just the few weeks that the tournament was on. He then proceeded to sit up in his bed as he wiped his eyes to come around, after a few seconds for his eyes to focus in the dim light he suddenly noticed that he was being watched
"Morning." The sly tone in the voice told Andrew who it was without even needing to look at them.
"Good morning Lauren."
"You came back late last night." She replied with a smile barely hiding how she was feeling right now.
"Yeah sorry about that, lost track of time."
"Was that the only thing you lost?" her voice not changing one bit.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh don't act like you have no idea."
"I really don't. Whatever happens in your head is a mystery to all humanity." She sighed and chuckled at the same time.
"Flattery won't work with me but I bet Carissa finds it nice, she must if she likes you that much."
"We are dating so I would think she does, anyway what are you getting at?"
"Come on, you never learned about the birds and the bees? How about something more appropriate to you, the humans and the Faunus?" With a snort Andrew answered
"Of course, I did. I may have grown up in a crappy place but it did have a crappy school."
"Then did you lose something else with your sense of time last night?" Her smile grew but it wasn't in any way kind and Andrew simply looked back in annoyance, so she said. "Did you lose your V-card? You might have lost it in a tight spot."
"What the hell are you talking about this time?" now she was getting annoyed just as Andrew was getting angry.
"I can't tell if you're trying to piss me off or simply being stupid. How about I say it simply then."
"Please do. I might understand you." He waited for her to tell him what she meant so she spoke back deliberately slowly.
"Did. You. Have. Sex. Last. Night?" Andrew's eyes went wide after a moment and then he felt his face start to get warm as he was sure that it was turning the brightest red imaginable.
"WHAT?!" This made Lauren laugh
"That's a yes then."
"No! It's not! We didn't do anything like that… we talked… it was about… stuff that you, ESPECIALLY YOU, didn't need to know."
"Oh dirty talk, I understand."
"It wasn't dirty! It was personal, to us."
"Oooo! It was kinky stuff. I get it." She gave Andrew a wink and he scoffed
"Just shut up will you." He got up and started to collect a few things around his temporally home and once he was done he said. "I'm going to get a shower while its early and there are fewer people around." He then heard another giggle from Lauren
"So you didn't wash when you came back in last night? You like her smell on you that much? You like to stay dirty?"
"You're wrong in the head, you know that right?" she didn't answer although she didn't need to so Andrew went to leave the room but as he opened the door he stopped for a few moments before saying. "Lauren."
"Hmm, going to confess?" Andrew shook his head
"I wanted to say… thanks for what you did last night… on the dance floor. I'm glad that no matter what, you've always got my back." She didn't answer and when Andrew turned to look around he was met with a sight he'd even seen before, Lauren speechless. "You're still a real pain in the ass though." Before she could come up with something to say Andrew left the room and for once got the last word in.
As he walked to the communal showers for the building they were staying in, Andrew couldn't help but start thinking about what Lauren had said to him. It wasn't something he'd even considered until she had to go and open her annoying mouth forcing his mind to think about nothing else. This was certainly not what he wanted to be thinking about walking through an unfamiliar corridor surrounded by strangers from all four corners of the world.
"I'm going to need a cold shower." He said to himself as a way to force his brain to calm down and start thinking rationally again but even as he showered at a much cooler temperature than he was comfortable with, his mind didn't stop.
"Was she expecting it last night? Does she even want to? Are we compatible? Oh, bloody hell Lauren! Everything was perfect until you said that." Once he was done and dressed he left for his team's room hoping that Lauren was still speechless from earlier and when he opened the door he got something just as acceptable as she was nowhere to be seen. Chris and Ulysses were now awake, well Chris could only just be classed as awake from the mess of covers that he was wrapped in and Ulysses was sitting at a desk with the kettle starting to steam away.
"Good morning Andrew. How are you?" Andrew threw his things at his bed and answered
"Hi Ulysses, yeah I think I'm alright. You?"
"I am good thank you. I enjoyed last night very much and from I saw of you before you left with Miss Remus, you seemed to be quite happy yourself."
"Sure was. Hay thanks for giving me a hand last night, I was worried my little stunt would back fired badly."
"Think nothing of it. Besides, it was Lauren who pulled me onto the dance floor and as you know when Lauren wants to do something you cannot stop her."
"That's an understatement." As he looked at the desk he saw that Ulysses had prepared three cups, two of which had coffee in and one with a tea bag. "You making Lauren a drink? Will she be back soon?" he asked
"No this one is for you."
"Really?" Ulysses looked confused
"Did you not want one?"
"No, I did but how did you know?"
"I was just making a drink for me and Chris, so I thought I would have one ready for your return." Andrew smiled
"Thanks Ulysses."
"None needed." Ulysses' goofy grin made Andrew laugh
"Still deserved." And with a pat on his back Andrew went to sit on his bed which seemed to rile Chris from his semi-conscious state. With a yawn Chris looked over and said
"Morning. You sleep well?"
"Alright, not really used to this place yet so I only got some sleep. I'm guessing that you didn't have a problem?"
"Nah. Was asleep as soon as I hit the pillow." Chris stretched and made some groaning noises in the processes. "Why is it though that none of you guys let me sleep in? You all get up incredibly early for teenagers."
"Well I was woken up by Lauren before she left to go to the showers. Sorry if I woke you at the same time."
"Don't worry about it, I think she woke me up too." Chris fell back into bed "Why was she up so early? Something happen last night? She was making a lot of noise." Andrew's thoughts were soon back onto the topic of conversation from earlier so before his mind started to get ahead of himself he answered rather quickly
"Nothing unusual. Why what did she say?" Chris looked over to him
"Nothing…" Andrew started to go red
"Oh, that's fine then."
"Right…" They were interrupted by Ulysses bringing over their drinks which Andrew took very quickly while Ulysses had to wait for Chris to pull himself up again to take his drink.
"So what's the plan for today?" Andrew asked, trying to change the subject.
"Nothing's been set yet, but I think some team practice this morning wouldn't go a miss. We got our first fight on Monday so we need to be prepared for it. After that, I'm not sure, we could go around the festival again and see if can meet any of the other teams fighting in the tournament." Andrew nodded and took a sip of his drink. "Oh, you want to see if Carissa' up for it?" This comment made Andrew splutter his tea and spray it over himself as he coughed several times making his two team mates look at him in shock. After composing himself he said
"Excuse me…"
"What was that about?"
"Was the tea not to your liking Andrew?" Ulysses asked as he wondered what he'd done wrong to make the tea which was soon dispelled when Andrew shook his head
"No, nothing like that. Sorry, I… I don't know what came over me."
"You all right?" Andrew nodded but Chris didn't look appeased by that as he took a drink of his coffee. "Something happen with Carissa? She all right?" Andrew didn't reply. "Oh for the love of god, please don't tell me you screwed up again and hurt her feelings!"
"I do not think so. He is not upset like last time so I doubt that this would be the case."
"Well somethings up. Come on we've been through enough that you should be able to speak to us." With a sigh Andrew said
"It's nothing bad just… awkward thanks in large part to Lauren for bring something up. Don't worry, I'll sort it out." He then took a proper drink of his tea without spitting it back out. Chris and Ulysses gave each other a puzzled look then followed Andrew's lead and drank their coffee's. When Lauren came back into the room nothing more was said about what had happened and when they were all ready, they left for the cafeteria to get some breakfast.
As they ate, Andrew remained quiet and was thankful that Lauren didn't say anything about what she had said to him earlier and all he could think was that she was being nice because of what he had said before he left for his shower. When they were done they did what Chris had suggested and found a place to practice their team manoeuvres and coordination, but Chris could tell that Andrew still wasn't all there. After they had finished they took another walk around the festival grounds, but this didn't last long as Ulysses wanted to do some tinkering with his E.X.O suit and Lauren headed off with some of her other friends, so Chris used this time to speak to Andrew.
"So, come on. Tell me what all that was this morning because that was weird. The fact that Lauren was also quiet about it makes me even more nervous." Andrew grimaced
"It was a joke that she took too far. That's all."
"Nah that's not it, if it was then you would have shrugged it off in seconds. No this in lingering on you so just tell me."
"I did, Lauren was being annoying and its put me in a bad mood."
"Oh so just like any other day then?" Chris' mocking tone made Andrew groan.
"Screw you."
"Come on, I know it's something. What's your problem this time?"
"I don't have a problem except when someone tells me I have a problem."
"Well you definitely do because last night you were happy, really happy and now you're not so something happened to change it."
"I told you it was Lauren bringing up something she shouldn't have done!" This made Chris pause
"What did she say?" Andrew was looking for any way to get out of this and he couldn't see anything that could help him. "You can't leave it like that so just tell me what she said, if you don't I'll ask her."
"NO!" Andrew was shocked at himself for shouting like he did and from Chris' face he was too and after a moment to compose himself he said "Okay, I'll tell you but please don't go overboard on this." Chris nodded
"Sure."
"Right… well you see… she asked… well actually she accused me of…" He trailed off for a bit then under his breath he added "She thinks I slept with Carissa last night." Chris let out a cheer
"Damn! Did you?"
"No!"
"Oh come on, you can tell me I promise I won't say anything. You did, right?"
"I didn't!"
"Of course!" but with a wink he added "But you did right, you lucky git!"
"No I didn't! Why do you both think that?"
"Well its more like we thought it would be better for you."
"What?!"
"Just that if you got your leg over then you might ease up a bit and not be so… well you." Andrew started to walk away from Chris, but he just walked at the same speed. "I'm sure that if you did you'll feel better or if you're not ready then you could just… you know." Andrew looked at him waiting for him to continue as Chris began to mime an action with his hand and wrist which he understood perfectly well.
"Really?!"
"What? We're all human and sometimes it can help you relax."
"I'm not having this conversation with you!"
"Its fine, everyone has done it at least once." Andrew didn't reply for some time and Chris raised an eyebrow. "You have done it once in your life haven't you?" The silence that followed told Chris the answer. "Damn, no wonder you're so cranky all the time. I'm telling you it can help and I'm sure a doctor will tell you that the build up down there is going to kill someone when you finally… unleash it. It's for her health as much as yours" Chris started to chuckle, but Andrew wasn't finding it funny at all.
"Sorry to disappoint you but growing up the way I did, I didn't really have time for things like that so it's just remained something that I don't do."
"Oh god. This explains so much."
"You're enjoying this."
"Look its easy, just find a private place and take some "material" with you that can help get things going then just do it. Trust me you'll feel loads better." Andrew didn't want to talk about it and said nothing making Chris add "Okay, forget the material and just think about Carissa then." This presented Andrew with an image in his head of Carissa, completely naked holding a cover over her sensitive areas.
"That's enough." Andrew snarled
"Got an idea now? Good, go with it!"
"Fuck you."
"Nah, I know you'd rather fuck her." Andrew showed a flash of rage in his face as he shouted at Chris.
"You have no idea what I want to do!"
"Its fine! Calm down! Look if she's not ready then just do what I told you and it'll be okay until she's ready."
"Can you really just stop talking!"
"Or I could go and talk to her for you if you're that shy about sex." Andrew stopped dead
"Don't you dare say anything to Carissa or I will kill you." For once Chris actually believed Andrew when he saw his face and stopped too as the pair stared at each other in silence. After a while Chris put up his hands
"Fine, if you insist. So, you really didn't do anything last night?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Reasons." And with that Andrew left Chris who decided that it would be best he not follow him and let him have some space.
When Andrew got back to the dorm room, he slammed the door in frustration and now that he was back he hoped that he would find some form of peace, that was until he saw Ulysses working on his E.X.O suit.
"Hello Andrew." Ulysses only looked up from his work for a moment and then went straight back to maintenance.
"Hi" Andrew sighed and walked over to his bed and laid down with his hands behind his head.
"Is there something wrong?" Andrew looked over to see that Ulysses had now stopped working. I guess I just give off that aura of something being wrong today.
"Nothing, well nothing really. Just wanted some peace and quiet." He put his head back and closed his eyes to try and have a nap.
"Andrew, I would like to think that I have known you long enough now that if you do have a problem that you would feel comfortable talking to me about it. Please do not bottle it up." Andrew kept his eyes closed for a while and chose not to answer but he could feel Ulysses eyes staring at him so in the end sat up to speak to him.
"I'm just not happy with Lauren and Chris right now."
"I know. Lauren mentioned you were in a "ass-hat" mood but why Chris?"
"Because he thinks he knows what's best for me without realising what the problem is." Ulysses nodded and replied
"I will listen to what you have got to say and I promise I will do my best to help you so why not tell me what the problem is and maybe I can help."
"Not sure if you can mate."
"You can at least give me a try." Guess it couldn't hurt
"Okay but don't go mad at this when I tell you, got it?" Ulysses nodded so Andrew continued. "Lauren and Chris have been pestering me over what I did last night with Carissa, all we did was talk about something personal which lead to a moment." Ulysses didn't say anything and let Andrew continue. "I told her I loved her, and she said the same to me."
"That is fantastic! Why would this cause you problems though?"
"It didn't until Lauren said something when I woke up and now I'm worried."
"Ah, she told me that part. She said you had intercourse last night." Andrew went wide eyed
"We didn't and why does she keep saying that!" Ulysses raised both his hands
"I believe you but why would it have mattered if you did? You are both consenting adults so if you and her have agreed to it then there really is no issue."
"For her maybe but not for me."
"Why? Do you not know what to do? If that's the case then I will explain, first of all I will go through the different reproductive organs starting with the penis…"
"STOP! Stop right there!" the sudden outburst stopped Ulysses mid-sentence as Andrew started to become flustered "I know how it all works down there so please don't say anymore."
"Then what is the problem? Are you afraid because it would be your first time and that you might do something wrong?" Andrew paused and after a few seconds put his head in his hands
"Well now I do!" He groaned through his hands and after a few seconds added "But that's not the reason. Ulysses, I need to ask you something."
"Go ahead." After taking a deep breath he said
"Are humans and Faunus…compatible?"
"Oh, very much so, they can conceive a child very easily but the union between to two will always result in a Faunus child."
"Right… that makes this harder then." After another long pause Andrew said, "What if I get her pregnant?"
"Well that outcome can be minimised dramatically by using birth control methods such as pills or condoms."
"But they're not full prove, are they?"
"No but they do make it near enough impossible when used correctly." Andrew didn't speak. "You are worrying quite a lot about this and I know the reason is not straight forward so tell me what the main problem is." Andrew sat there for a while as he collected his thoughts and finally answered
"I never want to be a father." Ulysses face showed he was startled for a moment then the realisation came to him instantly.
"Oh."
"Yeah. I just can't be a father, I haven't got it in me so I don't even want to risk it."
"I think you are going a bit overboard with this Andrew."
"I don't think so. The only knowledge I have at being a father is from him so how could I be anything but him if I have a child of my own. I'll be just as evil and twisted as that thing, I know it and I can never put anything living thing through that! NEVER!" The room went quiet for a minute until Ulysses stood up and sat himself on the bed next to Andrew.
"You will not be like your farther."
"How do you know that?"
"Simple. Because he lacked something that you have in abundance" As he spoke he taped Andrew on his chest "Heart"
"What?"
"From what I have seen of you and from what I know of your farther the difference is heart. You care for the people in your life and are willing to go to any lengths to protect them and keep them safe and happy. That is an important first step in being a farther."
"It can't be that easy?"
"No. Being a farther is not that easy as there are other things you need to do as well, but you have a great head start and I know that you will pick up the rest in no time. So please stop worrying about it, you need to start believing in yourself more." Andrew scoffed
"I'll try." Ulysses smiled
"That is all I ask." Andrew smiled back at him. He was grateful for their friendship as Ulysses never once gave up on him, even on situations like this and he wondered what he'd done to deserve it.
"How many times have you picked me back up since we first met?" Ulysses shook his head
"I do not think that we need to tally up who helps who. That is not what being friends is all about, we help each other when we need it and enjoy the good times together when they come."
"You can be pretty wise when you want to be. Wish Lauren took a page from you, or several."
"She is a unique person and she will be who she will be." After he took a breath he asked, "I take it that you have not spoken to Carissa about how you feel?" Andrew shook his head
"Not yet and I know I need to, but we haven't even got that far so I didn't want to spook her with talk about kids when we hadn't even done it yet."
"I see, it is very early to be talking about children. But, you should talk to her about this at some point. If you need me to be there when you do, then I am more than happy to help."
"Please no! Thanks and all but it's going to be a really awkward conversation as it is so I don't want anyone else their making it more uncomfortable for everyone present." Ulysses nodded
"Very well but if you change your mind you only need to ask." Andrew reached out and ruffled Ulysses hair
"Thanks, but I got it." After this the rest of the day went by without any more hiccups except when Andrew apologised to his team mates about his mood. He didn't tell them what the issue was but did say that it should for the time being be resolved so he wouldn't be a problem for them. They took what they could get from him, leaving it at that and before they all knew it Monday had rolled around with the tournament beginning with a bang as the first two matches of the day saw Victories for Atlas and Haven defeating Shade and Beacon. Andrew wasn't happy about the Atlas match as it was team COIN that took the victory, but it wasn't too bad as he watched the whole fight to see if there were any weaknesses that he could exploit later in the tournament. To his amusement, there were several so he couldn't wait to face them if he got the chance.
After the lunch break it was then their turn to fight in the arena and they had seen their opponents who they would be facing. It was a team from Shade called Team WEST and from what they had heard about them they would be in for an interesting fight.
As they walked out into the arena, Andrew was taken aback by the sheer size of it from the arena itself to all the seats leading up. Of course, he'd seen that the stadium was large from the outside, but it was a whole different story seeing from the inside with the whole placed filled to capacity. This really hammered home the point that Chris had made before about keeping up appearances of Vale and Beacon so now was the real test to see if he could behave more human.
"This anything like that pit thing you did back home Andrew?" Chris asked breaking his train of thought
"Erm… sort of. Not as big or flashy and no were near as many people would watch. Also, it's a hell of a lot cleaner."
"So, a close resemblance then?" Lauren said sarcastically to which Andrew ignored.
"Well different or not, I hope it doesn't make you uncomfortable."
"Nah. This almost feels like home, fighting for others amusement. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"Good, just don't try to kill anyone here. It's a friendly fight." Andrew snorted as he knew that this was nothing like the fighting pit he was used to. When they were out on the arena floor they lined up with Lauren on the far left and Ulysses next to her, Chris after him and Andrew on the far right. After they were done the saw their opponents for the first time, Team WEST and took in their appearance which was massively different from there's. After a few seconds one of the other team members spoke out.
"Boy howdy! You guys look mighty sparkly." The one who had spoken was wearing a brown jacket with tassels, simple jean trousers with dirty brown chaps over them and long boots reaching up to his shins as well as a ten-gallon hat that almost hid his face in the shadow it created.
"Thanks, I think." Chris replied
"You fella's sure you're up for a shootout? In them clothes you'd look more at home on a move set than a battlefield." His voice was already irritating Andrew, so he was glad when one of the other team members spoke up
"That's enough Earp." Sam Earp immediately slouched to one side with his hands in his belt. "Don't mind him, he's just a little riled up about this tournament." This was the team leader speaking, Wyatt Bass who had a very different demeanour to Earp, his gravelly deep voice off set Earp's excited tone. This guy was wearing a long, worn black duster coat which was covering most of his body apart from his boots which were the same style as Earp's. He also wore a hat that wasn't as auspicious as Earp's as it was a black Stetson with a gold trim that hardly stuck out unless you were looking for it.
"Don't worry about. It's just friendly banter." Chris was still acting diplomatic towards their opponents when a different one shouted
"Hola pretty lady. After this match you want to go get something to eat?" This guy gave Lauren a quick wink as he spoke. This guy was tanned skinned with his head under a sombrero and a green and red poncho covering his right shoulder which also completely covered his arm. His undershirt was red, but it was difficult to see under two crossed bullet belts that were filled to capacity. Andrew soon burst out laughing to which everyone standing there quickly turned to face him.
"Oh sorry, I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing that someone called her pretty!"
"Just because you can't see my beauty don't think no one else can. Thanks ruggedly handsome." She waved back at him.
"You're welcome Chica, the names Tiburcio. Tiburcio Lay." He then proceeded to blow her a kiss.
"However," she added before he got too carried away "I've already got a man and he's hundred times better than you." She then grabbed Ulysses who looked very confused at the developing situation. This made Tiburcio double take.
"Him?"
"Oh yeah."
"Seriously?"
"You got a problem with him?" As Tiburcio shrugged he said
"No problem with me but if you want a real man the offer still stands."
"I got a real man thanks, maybe he can teach you a thing or two after this in how to be one."
"Oh for god's sake can we all calm down, the fight's not on yet." Chris was trying to stop this situation from getting out of hand before the match even started. Suddenly Earp started to laugh
"hahaha don't you worry sir, we're all gentleman here. We'll just kick your asses quickly and mosey on out of here when we win." This comment from Earp made the final member of the team laugh.
"You said it Earp!" he was Elzy Vásquez, a slender man wearing an outfit that looked like an old soldier costume coloured grey with long black boots and a kepi styled hat. Slung over his shoulder was a blunderbuss and dangling at his side was a short simple sword. Andrew leaned into Chris
"Please let me teach those two a lesson, I'd like to also have a go at that poncho wearing idiot but I'm pretty sure Lauren is going to destroy him." Chris sighed
"This is a tournament match, not a brawl so just keep it out of the gutter and I've not got a problem with it." They were all interrupted by the announcer starting the match.
"Welcome everyone to the Vytal Festival Tournament so let's kick off the second half of day one with this match pitching Team CULA of Beacon against Team WEST of Shade. With Both academies already down a team, they all have something to play for so let's get the arena ready!" The arena holograms came up and started to spin to reveal what the environment would be. After a few seconds the half behind team CULA stopped on ruins and the ruins of a city appeared behind them.
"That does not look promising." Ulysses said when he watched it rise from the ground.
"No, I think this will work fine with strategy three. You all okay with that? Andrew?" The reason he asked Andrew separately was that he was at the front of the plan and would be the main target. With an excited smile he replied
"Damn right I am." Now the other side was ready, and it was the desert that was selected to be behind team WEST.
"The match will start in 3… 2… 1… BEGIN!" Before the word was finished from the announcer's mouth, Andrew was in full charge to the other side of the arena without even drawing his weapon. This sudden start did cause the members of team WEST to pause at this suicidal attack as Wyatt called out
"Gun him down!" Earp and Elzy pulled out their guns and aimed at Andrew and began to open fire while screaming wildly in excitement. They soon stopped as they noticed that all their shots pinged off before they even reached Andrew as he barrelled closer and closer.
"There's something funny about this?" Earp called out in surprise as the four of them readied for the close quarter attack. Andrew kept on running with his barrier being held up in front of him and made wide enough that no one would be able to shoot around it, as he ran forward Chris ran just behind him hiding from the opponents. While they ran forward Ulysses ran backwards and activated his E.X.O suit and climbed the ruins to the highest point and once there locked himself to the floor, put his targeting eye piece in place just as he got his auto gun ready to fire. Lauren had darted off to the outside using Andrew as a distraction and using her wind manipulation to propel herself into the far-left hand side of the arena out of view of team WEST.
As Andrew and Chris got closer, Chris decreased his density to a point he was almost floating as he ran. Immediately as he did this he leapt up into the air as Andrew span around, grabbed him and using the built-up momentum through Chris over his barrier which caused team WEST to take notice. When he was over Chris then increased his density thousand-fold and came plummeting back down to the ground, creating an enormous crater from the impact and scattering team WEST in the aftermath. As they were getting back to their feet, Andrew returned his barrier and charge towards Earp and Elzy and focused his first punch on Earp who had just enough time to see the attack coming and block it with his arms. The force of the punch was enough to still send him flying back but he didn't take as much damage and as Elzy was about to open fire he suddenly came under fire himself from Ulysses, not giving him a chance to attack Andrew while he was open.
"Hay that isn't fair!" Elzy shouted as he ran for cover just as Earp sprang back to his feet
"Thought we'd got ourselves a two on one but he's got long range backup. Never mind, we'll still give you a good fight." Earp drew his revolvers and opened fire on Andrew who had now grabbed his axe and was about to begin his attack in earnest. The barrage of bullets that Earp fired all bounced harmlessly off of Andrew's barrier he had put up which started to annoy him.
"Come on man, what kind of weird crap are you pulling?"
"I could say the same. Do you ever need to reload?" Earp chuckled
"Sometimes but I can see that guns won't work on you so…" He flipped his revolvers in the air and caught the barrels of each gun, as he did curved blades emerged from the handles turning them into tomahawk like axes. Now he was ready he charged at Andrew who lowered his barrier and readied his own axe for the assault. Earp was fast and skilled at dual wielding his weapons as Andrew could only have time to block each attack as it came and not let off and attack of his own. This went on for some time when suddenly he heard a shot and was kicked backwards by Earp into an explosion, that Andrew hadn't seen. It was from Elzy who had readied his gun and was now firing explosive bursts which he had just be caught in the shot of.
"Yee-haw! That got him!" As the dust settled the pair watched carefully for an attack to follow but when it did they weren't ready for it. From the dust came Andrew's axe flying out of it straight towards Earp who wasn't expecting it and was knocked back to the floor on impact, but it wasn't done. It then stopped in mid-air and turned towards Elzy.
"That's not good." Elzy razed his gun and fired but missed as the axe then started spinning towards him and hitting him in the chest, sending him into a nearby rock. Once it was done it then flew back to the now nearly dissipated dust cloud and landed back in Andrew's outstretched hand with an audible clap.
I learned a few new tricks this summer, like how to imitate telekinesis by wrapping my barriers around objects and manipulating them as I see fit.
This attack wasn't something they expected so when they got back to their feet, the pair gave each other a quick glance.
"He's an unusual one." Elzy said
"Darn right don't underestimate him again." To which Andrew smiled
"Good but don't forget about him." He pointed to the ruins as a hail of bullets peppered the area around them causing Earp and Elzy to dart for cover as Andrew ran through it all without a care in the world.
While this was going on, the other combatants were getting into the fight themselves.
"These guys mean business." Tiburcio said as he pushed himself back to his feet with his left hand after the initial ground pound from Chris.
"Oh you don't know the half of it." Lauren's voice came from behind him and it was followed by her hurtling speed. Tiburcio moved just in time to avoid the first kick and then drew his weapon, his right arm. It was a cybernetic arm up to his bicep but in the place of a hand was instead the multiple barrels of a Gatling gun which had a bullet belt linking it to his ammo pack on his back that had all been hidden under his poncho.
"No luck Chica." He aimed and began to unload all the bullets he had at her as she used her wind gusts to move quickly around the shots. She barely just managed to keep one step ahead of where his shots were hitting and after several seconds she changed tactic and charged towards him which caught him of guard. When she was close enough she flew into a round house kick with her boot radiating flames, as she was about to hit Tiburcio his Gatling gun folded into his under arm and a hand folded out from the top that clenched into a fist. As the boot and fist connected it sent out a shockwave that filled the arena with a brilliant light, the flames from Lauren's boot were still burning against Tiburcio fist after the impact but he was unfazed
"Not bad. Thought I had you there." Lauren said
"I'm full of surprises, you can still find out later if you want?" He said with a sly smile to which Lauren tilted her head acting like she was considering it. Then with a move too quick to notice she used her semblance to force her into the air, spinning her other leg into the side of Tiburcio head with such force he went straight into the ground. After adjusting himself he looked back up at her he shouted
"You could have just said no!" she laughed at his response
"I did and if you're going to bawl over a love tap like that then you'll never be able to handle me." And with a wink she stood ready for his counter while letting him stand back up.
"We'll she Chica."
In the centre of the battle line Chris had pushed Wyatt into the heart of the desert side but he had a feeling that he was being lured there as he could tell his opponent wasn't putting up too much of an effort. He was blocking the attacks Chris was dishing out but not initiating any attacks of his own like he was testing Chris' skills before fighting properly.
"Come on man, don't you want to win this?" Chris asked
"Yeah I want to win but I want it to be a decisive victory. I want you to go all out so when I beat you down everyone will see how much stronger I am than you."
"Wow."
"Something wrong with that? Not to your liking?"
"No, that's fine with me but don't complain when you lose before I get serious." Suddenly the two flew at each other as now Wyatt started to fight like he meant it proving he wasn't going to be a push over. He fought in hand to hand style that seemed to be like fighting Lauren and Andrew at the same time, each of his limbs was a deadly honed weapon made for fighting and Chris knew this was going to be tough.
After a few minutes of fighting he decided to take a different approach and leaped back from the fight and used his gauntlet guns to open fire on Wyatt to see if he could force him to use his weapons or semblance. The effect it had was not what he'd expected as Wyatt flipped back out of the shots and took cover behind a rock, waiting for Chris to stop firing.
"You only know hand to hand fighting? If so I'll fight fair and only use my hands." His comment gave no response, so he walked up to the other side of the rock with his guns at the ready. When he got there, he saw no one and panicked at where his opponent had gone until he heard.
"Don't get cocky." Emerging from the rock itself in a quick fluid motion, like he was getting out of a lake, Wyatt was on top of Chris before he could react and took several hits before he could back away from him.
"That was freaky." Chris said as he wiped his face
"Phasing. Can walk through any solid inorganic matter." Wyatt spoke like Chris should be impressed.
"Inorganic huh?" Chris then fired at the sand of the desert, creating a dust storm that made Wyatt cover his face with his coat. While he was distracted, Chris then ran forward and landing a hit right into Wyatt's gut and followed it with another hit to his chest, sending him back into the rock he came out of causing it to burst apart. "So, a punch from something organic is going to hit you just fine. Good to know." Wyatt grumbled as Chris now knew his blades and guns weren't going to be as effective in this fight but as Wyatt was about to launch another attack he was stopped abruptly by a hail of gun fire he wasn't prepared for from behind. Looking at where it had come from he saw Ulysses laying down fire against the rest of his team with such accuracy and timing it was limiting their movements. With a noise of frustration, he called out
"Elzy! Switch out!" Elzy was quick to respond and fled from the two on one fight against Andrew and charged into Chris as he fired a few explosive shots from his Blunderbuss that only created craters either side of Chris. The smoke that formed though was enough to obscure Elzy from Chris as he slung his gun over his back and pulled out his short sword and slashed at Chris knocking him to the ground.
"Go get him Wyatt! I got this one!" Wyatt then started to run back and took cover behind a sand dune as Ulysses shots followed his every step of the way but when he was out of sight did he then pull out his weapon. It was a revolver coloured black with a small scope on it but it soon extended into a full Winchester rifle along with the scope. Now that it was ready he took a long breath and brushed his hat for luck, when ready he jumped up and aimed for Ulysses and in a fraction of a second had already calculated the perfect shot and pulled the trigger. He thought he'd got him, but something happened that took everyone by surprise.
Lauren saw Wyatt stand up and she knew where he was aiming so with an explosive kick she took off from Tiburcio who stood coughing from the aftermath and was in the centre of the arena just before Wyatt pulled the trigger. As the gun shot rang out she went into action and before anyone could blink there was a huge tornado in the middle where she was standing that started to suck up the sand from the desert half of the arena and a few bits of rubble from the ruins. As the bullet from Wyatt passed through the torrent of wind, it was knocked of course and ended up missing Ulysses by a foot and destroying the wall he was standing in front of.
"That could have been a problem." Ulysses wheezed to himself whilst he looked at his saviour now that the tornado had subsided, and she looked pissed.
"Don't shoot at my man." Her voice was so dark that Andrew felt a shiver run up his spin unlike he'd ever experienced. The whole fight had stopped cold from this spectacle as all the men fighting couldn't take their eyes off the woman standing defiantly in the middle of them.
"Boy she's one crazy road lizard ain't she." Earp said standing next to Andrew
"You have no idea." He replied. They looked at each other and laughed for a second then suddenly remembered that they were in the middle of a fight and their axes came to blows once more. Wyatt reloaded his gun with a flourish unfazed by his miss
"Guess I got to take care of you first before I can hit your buddy back there." Chris activated his claws in response
"Don't forget about me."
"CHRIS!" Lauren's voice made him stop dead and slowly turn to face her. "He's mine." Chris didn't even try to argue and move away but not before saying to Wyatt.
"You brought this upon yourself."
"Don't worry Wyatt I got her!" Elzy then charged at Lauren who without looking created a wind gust that pushed ELzy right back to where he was originally near Andrew. When he'd stopped moving he took a breath to recover the wind that was knocked out of him. "On second thoughts, you can take her out." Wyatt didn't look impressed and then immediately opened fire on Lauren.
"He's not going to have a good time." Chris said to himself
"Neither are you!" Suddenly a hail of bullets flew around Chris as he jumped into action to try and avoid them but every few shots one came close to getting him. Chris couldn't get near his new opponent in the form of Tiburcio with his Gatling gun arm so he activated his gauntlet guns to fight back with fire power of his own. Unfortunately, he couldn't get a good enough shot on him so only managed to make Tiburcio stop firing for a second or two as he avoided Chris' shots. Knowing this wouldn't get him anywhere, Chris came up with a new tactic to stop this unending bullet storm, so he decreased his density and jumped into the air and boosted himself forward firing his guns behind him all the while Tiburcio continued to shoot him. When Chris was over him he increased his density to come crashing back down but Tiburcio moved to avoid the impact.
"Nice try but I've seen that move already!" and as Chris was about to hit the ground Tiburcio shielded himself from the coming attack but was surprised when it didn't come. Instead of increasing his density to what he used at the start of the fight, Chris merely put it back to his normal density and landed harmlessly right in front of Tiburcio. While his opponent was waiting for an attack that wouldn't come, Chris activated his blade and sliced the bullet belt connecting the arm to the ammo pack on Tiburcio which did catch his attention.
"Ah crap!"
"That should shut that thing up now!" Chris was very please with himself that he had no time to block as the gun changed into a fist and smacked him several times in the face and chest, knocking him to the ground.
"I'm not solely reliant on my gun you fresa!" Chris was dazed by the number of attacks that he hadn't had time to register what had happened and was moments away from being taken out of the match. That was until a huge wall of rock flatten Tiburcio from behind, instantly taking him out of the fight and as Chris focused he saw a familiar face standing where his opponent was seconds ago.
"Sorry about that! I did not want to take your victory, but I could not just stand there and let him attack you anymore!" Chris collapsed onto the floor
"Don't worry about it Ulysses, thanks for the save."
As their fight was ending, the fight between Lauren and Wyatt was just starting as Wyatt opened fire on her with deadly accuracy. Lauren swiftly moved around the bullets which were making a mess of the arena floor but not her.
"Stay still!"
"Ha! Like I'll do that because you asked!" Lauren then shot off at a speed that no one could see and in seconds was face to face with Wyatt, she was too close for him to shoot her so he dropped his gun and started to use his fists to which Lauren retaliated with her boots. After a series of blocks from the pair they stepped apart for a moment to gauge their opponent and then charged back in with the same tenacity they were using moments before. During a lethal clash of blows that caused them to stop Wyatt asked
"If I'd have known shooting that guy would get you closer to me then I would have done that sooner. You're pretty hot when you're angry." Lauren rolled her head.
"Seriously, does everyone on your team want me? Didn't you hear me say I got someone or are you just deaf?" This made Wyatt laugh
"Nope, but it ain't going to stop us from trying." Before he finished Lauren had fired a shot of electricity from her boot and shocked him into a fit allowing her to get in close and after a series of kicks sent him flying straight up into the air with a flame covered boot. When he reached the apex of his ascension Lauren used her wind gust to send herself hurtling up after him and when she was level with Wyatt, booted him back down with an ice kick that exploded into an spiky iceberg when Wyatt hit the ground, encasing him in ice. When Lauren landed she could see Wyatt slowly phase out of the ice but was still shivering from the cold and looked at her.
"Okay… maybe… that… might…stop…us…" Lauren smiled happily
"Great! Just making sure we're all clear on that!" And with one final round house kick, she took Wyatt out of the match and made him far quieter as a bonus.
Andrew was now back to fighting both Earp and Elzy which was making him get rather frustrated as all he could do was block one while the other set up an attack to which he would then need to block. This cycle continued for a while until Elzy ran back from the fight, much to Earp annoyance.
"What do ya think you're doing?!"
"Ending this idiot!" And Elzy pointed his gun right at Andrew and Earp who were still in combat and fired his explosive round, sending the pair flying apart.
"You son of a bitch Elzy! I was standing right there!" Earp shouted as he got back to his feet.
"Quit complaining. You're still standing!" Andrew quickly looked at his aura level which was a little over 50% and then compared it to Elzy and Earp. Earp was just under 50% but Elzy was only at 30% after all the hits he'd taken from Andrew, Chris and Lauren so he became his main target.
"If you two need a moment to sort out your lovers spat then don't mind me, I'll just have a quick rest."
"You shut your mouth!" Elzy was getting angry but Earp stayed cool
"Don't worry partner, we've got him right where we want him. Go ahead, now I'm out of the firing line, give him a few blasts to perk him up a bit."
Seeing that Elzy was about to fire his explosive shot, Andrew decided that he'd had enough of that and knew how to put an end to it. The moment before ELzy pulled the trigger, Andrew put up one of his barriers in the barrel of the blunderbuss so when the shot went off he caused the shot to backfire and the explosion it should have shot out instead remained inside the gun. The resulting action rang out over the arena followed by Elzy flying over the side of the battleground while he screamed all the way, smacking into the wall. Not only was he out of the arena, his aura level was almost completely gone so even if he'd not been knocked out, he would still be out of the match.
"Holy shit!" Earp watched the whole thing unfold and stood dumbfounded but when he recomposed himself as he looked straight at Andrew. "You're a real bastard ain't ya."
"So I've been told." In a flash Andrew was charging into Earp with his axe at the ready, he was staying low and watching Earp's every move waiting for him to make his move. Earp started to back pedal while he opened fire with his revolvers with each shot hitting its mark and depleting Andrew's aura, but it wasn't enough to stop him. When he was only a few feet away Andrew used a barrier snap under his feet, propelling him forward at a speed that Earp couldn't register quick enough and found himself being sent sideways from the blow from Andrew's axe. Earp crashed into a rock, shattering it on impact and as he tried to get back up he was shocked to see that Andrew was already standing over him. With a sigh he said
"Damn, I don't know what you are, but you must be a damn demon to take that much and still keep coming."
"Sorry to say that I'm just a normal guy." Earp chuckled at his response
"Ah that's good to know, means this should work pretty good." Suddenly an item dropped from his sleeve into his hand, Andrew didn't see it quick enough to have any clue into what it was or what it could do. As he was about to raze a barrier, the item went off in a brilliant flash so bright that Andrew was forced to look away and cover his face. His eyesight was compromised as all he could see were blotches and spots every time he opened his eyes and before long he heard gun shots coming from Earp's revolvers as well as feel the shots hit his back. Each shot seemed to move around him but because he couldn't see he could only guess at where Earp was going. With each shot he also knew that his aura was depleting so he needed to act fast and he came up with a plan that would either win or lose the fight.
"This is going to be interesting." Andrew smiled to himself as his axe began to resonate while he poured his semblance into it and when he couldn't hold it anymore he unleashed the barrier slash into the ground creating an explosion. All the steam that was released from the attack coupled with the sand that was dispersed from the explosion made the perfect screen cover and caught Earp in the attack.
"What in tarnation was that!?" The shooting had now stopped and Andrew could now narrow down where Earp was from where his voice was coming from through the debris. Already starting to feel woozy from his own attack, Andrew moved as quick as he'd dare on his feet, while keeping his eyes shut, towards the sound of Earp cursing the current situation he was in. When Andrew was on top of the voice he swung his axe horizontally and it came into contact with Earp as he let out a cry of surprise, knocking him away from the dust cloud. He then proceeded to walk out and opened his eyes that were still suffering from the flash to look at Earp who was lying on the floor rubbing his side with his eyes tightly clenched shut.
"Yeah, I don't think that went well for either of us." Earp laughed
"No joke." Earp was unharmed and in no shape to fight back. "I think you got me pal." Andrew had no idea what either of their aura levels were, but he knew that he was in better condition than Earp. The commentators hadn't announced that either one was out, so the match was still going.
"You made me work for it. You're a hell of a resourceful fighter."
"And as I said you're a bastard." Andrew smiled and sighed at the same time.
"Sorry but we still got to fight."
"Bugger…" Earp wheezed then tried to open his eyes which were red and running with water from all the sand that had blown into his face. "Just making it quick, I'm done." Andrew nodded and knelt next to him and said
"Sure, it was good fight."
"Meh, not bad when you look at it." Andrew then tapped Earp on the head hard enough with the back side of his axe for his aura to register it as an attack which then caused a buzzer to sound.
"And with that final attack team WEST have been eliminated! What a match we've just witnessed, and Beacon academy will be happy about that victory, congratulation team CULA!" Andrew looked back at Earp who was trying to sit up so Andrew gave him a hand up only to then feel the wave of exhaustion wash over him so sat down next to him with time to catch his breath, he then smiled at team CULA's first victory in the tournament.