Chapter 10 The Mock Battle Begins

Several days had gone by and the day of the Mock Battle was now upon them. Isaac had awakened early that morning to look over a map that Seteth had given him on what would be the field for the Mock Battle. Claude had woken up early to join him. Turns out, Claude was quite the tactician in training. Maybe Isaac did have a chance against Byleth.

"We seem to have lucked out here. We get the forest area on the left of the battleground. With the mountains on the right and the gates in the front, we have the best defense against the other houses." Claude said.

"True…But we shouldn't underestimate our opponents. Byleth can be quite competitive." Isaac said.

"So how is Byleth exactly? I know she's good at tactics and a sword but anything else?" Claude asked.

"That's pretty much it. I know she said she was planning to work out with other weapons than just a sword, but I don't know what weapons she's chosen." Isaac said.

"I'm guessing lance considering her house." Claude said.

"Maybe…What do you know about Hanneman?" Isaac asked.

"From what I've heard, he a master at Reason magic with a bit of bow training." Claude said.

"Magic…The Black Eagle class focuses on it." Isaac muttered.

"Mostly. And the Blue Lions focus on physical power mostly." Claude added. "It's a shame we can't use Psynergy. With your power and experience with it, we would easily win."

"I don't know about that, but regardless, we will be able to make do with what we got." Isaac said.

"Well then, we should probably get something to eat before we meet up with the rest of the class to explain our strategy." Claude suggested.

"Sounds like a plan." Isaac said as the two headed out to the mess hall.

Claude and Isaac arrived at the mess hall as they awaited their turn to go up and get their breakfast. From all around, Isaac could see his students all scattered about. Hilda was chatting with Marianne in a rather one-sided conversation, Raphael was just chowing down a mountain's worth of food as Ignatz just watched. Leonie was nearby also chowing down. Lorenz and Lysithea were over in the corner eating in silence.

"Feeling nervous teach?" Claude asked.

"A little. I'm pretty new to this job and I still feel that Seteth doesn't like me." Isaac admitted. "Still, I have faith that we can pull this off."

"Right. You're are commander in this, so don't screw up." Claude said and Isaac nodded. "And don't worry, I'll do whatever I can to help you out. I mean it's my obligation after all."

Isaac just laughed. "Thanks Claude."

"Like, let's say for example that I add a little something to their meals that upset their stomachs…" Claude began.

"Claude!" Isaac chided. "Don't even think about doing something like that!"

Claude just laughed. "Yeah, yeah, wink! Wink! I get you. You can't exactly condone that sort of thing, right? But let's just say…Hypothetically, that some students would rush to the infirmary. As far as everyone knows, it was just a little stomach bug going around."

"No Claude." Isaac said firmly. "Besides, even if you did poison the food, how would you prevent Raphael from eating it?"

"That's a good point." Claude admitted with a chuckle.

"Well, well. What an interesting conversation you two are having. Mind if we join in?" A female voice asked causing Claude to jump a bit. Turning around, the two saw Edelgard, Dimitri, and Byleth approaching them. Edelgard and Dimitri looked rather annoyed, while Byleth's face was still rather neutral. But her sharp gaze did indicate that she didn't approve of what she heard from Claude.

"Claude! I can't believe that you would stoop to such crooked schemes to gain the advantage. Don't you have any honor?" Dimitri chided.

"If that was really my scheme, I wouldn't be saying it out in the open." Claude chuckled. "Also, I would have gotten up much earlier to pull that one off."

"You're always one of the first ones up." Edelgard pointed out flatly. All three house leaders tend to wake up early for their own reasons.

"Regardless, if any of my students gets a 'stomach bug,' then I will be coming after you Claude." Byleth warned.

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen." Isaac assured getting between his friend and student.

"You guys are no fun. I was only kidding." Claude sighed.

"With you, it's hard to tell when you are kidding or not." Dimitri pointed out flatly.

"Well, instead of questioning me, don't you two have your own strategies to come up with?" Claude asked.

"Dimitri and I just finished going over our own strategies." Byleth said.

"I am all set as well. And if I can offer you both any advice, it would be just accept defeat. The Black Eagles will not be losing this round. At best you should pray that you learn something from this." Edelgard said firmly.

Dimitri just chuckled. "There is nothing wrong with a friendly rivalry, but let us not get carried away here. A rash attitude can be your undoing."

"Hmm, perhaps your time would be best spent preparing, instead of worrying about the competition's mindset." Edelgard said.

"Hey, if they get all fired up with each other, maybe they can take each other out and we can secure the win." Claude whispered with a chuckle to Isaac who just chuckled in return.

"Nice try Claude, but it will take more than that to make me lose focus." Edelgard chided.

"Is that so? I'll remember that." Claude chuckled ominously.

Edelgard glared at him as she started to leave. "Your schemes won't help you here. Best prepare yourself for defeat."

"That girl has a lot of pride." Byleth whispered to Isaac.

"I guess royalty is a pretty tough life." Isaac whispered back.

"Well regardless, I suppose we should be going. We have to meet with the rest of the Blue Lions soon to discuss battle plans. I hope you know Isaac that I won't lose this match. You'd better prepare yourself." Byleth said.

"I would expect no less from you." Isaac chuckled.

Byleth nodded as she and Dimitri headed out. Though she gave Claude one last glare as she passed him.

"Man, I get the feeling that she thinks I'm up to something." Claude chuckled.

Isaac gave him an "Are you serious" look as the two went to get their breakfast.

In the Golden Deer Classroom:

"Alright everyone, so this is the plan Claude and I came up with." Isaac said.

"Wait a second…CLAUDE helped you come up with a plan?" Lorenz asked not at all pleased.

"He is your house leader Lorenz." Isaac pointed out but that did nothing to help Lorenz's mood.

"We were lucky to get a well-fortified area for the Mock Battle so we get an advantage right from the start." Claude said pointing on the map where they were stationed. "So, Teach and I decided a defensive strategy would be best."

"We will fortify ourselves within the forest area and wait for the others to come to us. With the terrain to our advantage, we should be able to make a solid defense even if both sides attack at once." Isaac said.

"Though considering that little rivalry that Edelgard and Dimitri have, we have a strong chance that they will take each other out first." Claude added.

"Anyway, Claude and Ignatz will be positioned behind the fence giving cover to Lorenz and Raphael, who will be our offense against the Blue Lions." Isaac said.

"Claude is going to cover me? I can't say that I approve. How can I trust someone like you with something important like that?" Lorenz demanded.

"Hey, I want to win just as much as you do." Claude argued.

"I doubt that." Lorenz said flatly.

"Enough!" Isaac ordered getting their attention. "Lorenz, you will be on offense. I need your skill in magic for Dedue and your skills in lance to fend off the others. Claude is an archer. He's supposed to be in the back. He will keep an eye on you as will Ignatz."

Lorenz said nothing.

"Leonie and Hilda will be our offense against the Black Eagles. Lysithea will be not far behind providing your backup with her magic." Isaac instructed as he pointed to the map.

"Hey Lysithea. You mind if we switch?" Hilda asked.

"I need your strength at the front Hilda." Isaac said.

"My strength? What are you talking about? I'm just a helpless maiden." Hilda argued.

"Ugh." Leonie groaned at the noble's lack of work ethics. "Like I need your help to take down the Eagles."

"I'll be positioned in the center. That way I can help if one side is starting to falter much easier. Marianne will be with me as she is our healer." Isaac finished.

"We're counting on you Marianne." Hilda cheered.

"I-I'll do my best." Marianne muttered quietly though not very confident.

"As long as we keep together, we should be able to pull this off. Any questions?" Isaac asked. Hilda raised her hand. "Aside from asking to bow out?" Hilda groaned and put her hand down. "Good. Now let's get out there and show which class is the best." Isaac cheered.

The class all had different expressions to this. Claude and Raphael looked the most excited, though Hilda did have some eagerness to go, but it was a bit halfhearted. Leonie and Lysithea were more composed, but they still looked rather eager. Isaac figured Lysithea would be more so if she could use Psynergy as she seemed to be the one bugged by the ban of it the most. Marianne and Ignatz looked rather unsure of the whole thing, and Lorenz looked annoyed.

Still they all did seem to want to win, so Isaac had faith that they would pull it off.

Mock Battle Field:

The Golden Deer got into position like Isaac instructed as Jeralt, who was watching from a nearby hill along with Rhea, Seteth, Manuela, and two other women that Isaac hadn't met yet. One had more casual green clothing with short black hair and a neutral expression on her face, while the other was a blond woman dressed in armor with an excited look on her face.

'Guess that Alois guy is on a mission or something. Or maybe they needed one of them to wait back at the Monastery.' Isaac thought as he noticed the rather excited knight he met in Remire wasn't with the group.

"When the trumpet is blown, you will all begin. We have our eyes on you all so any funny business will be spotted and punished. Rules are simple. Weapons have been provided for you. Any use of actual weapons will be met with a harsh punishment. Magic is relegated to only basic spells and Psynergy is not allowed. When you fall down, you're out and must leave the field. If you leave the field for any reason when the fight starts, you are out. The last house standing will be the winner." Jeralt said.

"Now do keep in mind that this battle is merely a test to see all of our skills in action, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try." Hanneman said.

"Of course. We must obtain victory." Edelgard declared as the Black Eagles got into position.

"Is everybody ready?" Byleth asked.

"We are professor." Dimitri said.

"I can't wait to see if Professor Isaac really is strong." Felix said.

"Alright everyone. Let's win this one!" Isaac declared.

"Good luck out there Lorenz!" Claude chuckled as he readied his bow for backup.

Lorenz merely rolled his eyes as he gazed towards the Blue Lions.

The trumpet was blown and the battle began.

Isaac was in deep thought as he went over the possibilities for the Black Eagles and the Blue Lions.

'Knowing Byleth she might go for the Eagles first since they are more in the open. She'd have to brute force her way through, but she knows the risk for that. Hanneman however I'm not sure about. He's been at this longer than both of us so he might attack us from the back to gain some footing. Maybe I should lean closer to the back then just in case.' Isaac thought.

"Lorenz! Were the hell are you going?" Claude's voice shouted out snapping Isaac out of his thoughts.

"I do not like the sound of that. Marianne, stay here in case the Black Eagles attack. I'll be right back." Isaac said. Marianne nodded slowly and Isaac ran off.

Isaac reached the gates, but to his shock, only Claude was there. Not only was Lorenz gone, but Raphael and Ignatz were as well.

"Claude? Where are the others?" Isaac asked worried.

Flashback to a few seconds ago:

"Lorenz! Where the hell are you going?" Claude shouted as Lorenz started to dash forward.

"There will be no need for your shallow tactics Claude. I will take the Blue Lions head on. Come Raphael!" Lorenz declared as he ran forward towards the Blue Lions as Raphael followed.

"Sure, thing Lorenz! Come on Ignatz. Let's go knock some heads!" Raphael cheered.

"W-Wait Raph!" Ignatz shouted as he jumped over the fence and ran after the two Deer.

"Wait no! Raph, Ignatz!" Claude cried out but the three kept on running. Claude could only facepalm. "Make light of the new professor and they will get hurt."

Flashback ends:

"And that's what happened." Claude said. "Lorenz, in his infinite wisdom, decided to take the Blue Lions on himself with Raphael and Ignatz following him."

"Are you kidding me?" Isaac cried out in disbelief.

"I wish I was Teach." Claude sighed.

"Those idiots! They're rushing into the battle without even thinking. Just like…" Isaac trailed off.

Flashback at the Jupiter Lighthouse:

"Isaac, slow down!" Mia called out.

"We have to hurry and catch up with Felix's group before they light the third beacon." Isaac said as he and the others of his group ran through the Jupiter Lighthouse.

"I know that, but remember, this is one of the Lighthouses. Like the last two, there are traps and monsters everywhere. Not to mention Alex could appear from anywhere. We need to approach with caution." Mia warned.

"I have to agree with Mia on this Isaac. I know how you feel, with your childhood friend lighting the lighthouses and all, but if we just rush this, we could find ourselves in deep trouble." Ivan said worried.

"Ugh. I hate that Felix is one step ahead of us! Why is he even lighting those things anyway?" Garet complained

"We'll get answers out of him when we see him." Isaac declared as they continued forward, until…

"WAHH!" Mia shouted as the floor underneath her opened, causing her to fall.

"MIA!" Garet shouted as he dove after her, only to hit his arm on the platform below, causing him to break it and Mia to grab his good arm to prevent him from falling even further to his possible death.

"Hang on you guys, we'll help you in just a second." Isaac called out as he and Ivan looked down to their friends with worry.

"I'd be more worried about yourself than them." An unfamiliar voice called out.

Isaac and Ivan turned to see two warriors appear before them. A pink skinned woman holding a scythe in her hands and a green colored man with a rather big build approached the two.

Flashback Ends:

'That recklessness nearly cost me not only my life, but Garet, Ivan, and Mia's life.' Isaac thought bitterly. He was glad that the others forgave him easily, but Isaac himself had not. In some ways, he was glad that Felix took over leadership shortly after that, as Isaac feared he would have screwed up again.

"I'm going after them. You wait here." Isaac ordered.

"Are you sure? By yourself?" Claude asked.

"I'm going to check to see if those idiots got knocked out and drag them back if I'm not too late. But I need you here to give me cover fire in case the Blue Lions pursuit me back." Isaac ordered. Claude nodded and Isaac ran off.

Isaac ran up to where the Blue Lions were waiting. To his horror, but honestly not surprise, Lorenz, Ignatz, and Raphael were all knocked to the ground eliminating them from the battle. The Blue Lions however, did seem to lose that orange haired girl from that little attack, but the Golden Deer just lost nearly half of its members in only a few minutes.

Byleth noticed Isaac and shook her head.

"Please tell me this wasn't your plan." Byleth groaned.

"It wasn't." Isaac sighed.

Before Byleth could say anything, Felix had charged at the young Adept, but Isaac blocked his sword with his own.

"Now for what I've been waiting for." Felix declared as he went on the offense against Isaac who blocked every attack.

'I have to get back before the others jump in and help.' Isaac thought. With a harder swing, Felix was knocked flat on his back. Isaac saw this as an opportunity to flee back to his students.

Ingrid and Dimitri were about to give chase but Byleth stopped them.

"Hold on. We should go together." Byleth said.

"That's a good point. I mean, if Professor Isaac was able to beat Felix that easily, then a bigger group would be better than a smaller one." Sylvain said as Felix groaned getting up and leaving the battlefield in frustration with Annette and the three Golden Deer students.

"Not only that, but it would be wise to claim their area as ours. We just lost two students, so we need as much advantage as we can get. Isaac just lost almost half his class, so now is the time to strike before he can recover or the Black Eagles catch wind." Byleth said.

"Then what are we waiting for. Let's go!" Dimitri declared.

Byleth nodded and the Blue Lions started to move out.

Isaac made it back to Claude and leapt over the gate.

"They were all knocked out?" Claude asked despite already knowing the answer.

"Yep. Come on. We better regroup with the others before Byleth gets here." Isaac said. Claude nodded and the two ran back into the woods.

Claude and Isaac arrived to the spot Isaac originally stationed himself at. Lysithea, Marianne, and Hilda were there, but Leonie was not.

"Do I even want to know where Leonie is?" Isaac asked annoyed.

Lysithea sighed and spoke up. "After you ran towards the gates, Ferdinand decided to attack us. Leonie took him out, but got a rather big head as a result. She kept charging forward and didn't even realize Dorothea was charging a spell until it was too late. Just as she took out Caspar, Dorothea took her out. Hilda and I decided to withdraw after that."

"Great. That's half of our class gone." Isaac groaned as Claude headed towards the hills to take a peek at the enemies.

"Wait. So, are you saying that Lorenz, Raphael, and Ignatz are all gone?" Hilda asked shocked.

"Yeah. Lorenz launched a reckless attack against the Blue Lions and pulled Ignatz and Raphael into it. Now Byleth is no doubt on her way here with her class as we speak." Isaac said.

"Uh Teach, more bad news. The Eagles are about to make a move as well." Claude said looking over the hills to where the Black Eagles were stationed.

"So, should we just throw in the towel now?" Hilda asked hopeful.

"We can't just give up without trying!" Lysithea shouted.

"Well then what IS the plan?" Hilda asked as everyone turned to Isaac.

With the Black Eagles:

"Great. Why did those two have to charge forward like that?" Edelgard groaned annoyed. Fredinand's recklessness had cost them both himself and Caspar, taking out a fourth of the Black Eagle class.

"Well, it's not all lost. I just saw three members of the Golden Deer do a stupid move of their own." Hubert said approaching the house leader and professor.

"Really now?" Edelgard asked interested.

"Yes. Lorenz, Raphael, and Ignatz are all out." Hubert said.

"And with Leonie out now as well, that severally cripples the Golden Deer's offense." Hanneman said. "If we can take their area, we can still win this."

"The Blue Lions are making a move as we speak. We'd best hurry." Hubert advised.

"Right. Black Eagles, let's go!" Hanneman commanded and the remaining Black Eagles headed towards the Golden Deer.

Isaac was thinking as best he could to salvage the situation.

"Claude! You and Lysithea and I will prepare to guard against the Blue Lions. Hilda, you and Marianne prepare to guard against the Black Eagles. Use long range weapons to try and keep them at bay." Isaac said and everyone nodded.

Everyone got into position as the gates were destroyed by Dedue and the Blue Lions matched forward with Ingrid and Sylvain taking the lead.

Claude immediately got ready and shot a training arrow at Ingrid, taking her down.

Unfortunately, Ashe appeared out of nowhere and took out Lysithea before she could react with her own training arrows or magic.

"Where did he come from?" Claude asked surprised

"Byleth must have had him sneak around a different angle." Isaac guessed. He then ran up to Ashe and attacked him, taking him out of the fight.

While that was going on, Dimitri ran up to Claude, smacking the arrow away with his lance that was fired at him. Claude jumped back before Dimitri could hit him with his training lance.

"Psst. Hey prince. You have a thing for Edelgard right? Come on fess up! It will make you feel better." Claude said trying to distract Dimitri.

"Claude, please. This is hardly the time for idle banter. Your defenses are wide open" Dimitri scolded as he readied himself for a fight.

"Guess that didn't work. What a shame. I'll find a better way to rile him up next time." Claude said as he readied his bow again.

Hilda tossed her weapon at Dorothea, taking her down, but a surprise attack by Hubert took her out as well, and Marianne immediately lost what little confidence she had left.

Isaac took notice that the situation was hopeless as Byleth approached him. He wasn't sure if Claude was able to defeat Dimitri, especially since Dimitri had closed the gap between them leaving Claude stuck to fight at short range with his bow and a sword. Considering Dimitri was said to possess great strength for someone his age, Claude's chances weren't all that high. As for Marianne, she was as good as dead since she was now shacking like a leaf after Hilda fell.

"Well Isaac? What's your plan?" Byleth asked.

"Guess I have no choice." Isaac said as he reached into his pocket.

'What is he up too? Isaac wouldn't break the rules for a victory.' Byleth thought watching Isaac pull out a couple grey circular objects from his pocket.

"It's a good thing I never used these!" Isaac said as he tossed some towards her and Dimitri, and the rest towards the Black Eagles.

When the objects hit the ground, the exploded releasing smoke that covered the forest and blinding the other houses.

"What the heck is this?" Dimitri asked as he covered his face from the smoke.

"Some kind of smoke?" Edelgard asked doing the same.

"Claude, Marianne, retreat!" Isaac shouted.

Not needed to be told twice, the two remaining Deer fled the battlefield.

Once the smoke started to die out a bit, the Lions and Eagles were shocked to see the Golden Deer were now standing out of bounce.

"Uh…Isaac, Claude, and Marianne are all out of bounce. The Golden Deer is out." Jeralt called out surprised by Isaac's stunt.

"Um…Was that against the rules?" Manuela asked unsure.

"To be fair, we didn't make it a rule as we never knew about it. Not even I." Jeralt said.

"Well, he didn't use it as an attack, so I suppose I'll let it slide." Rhea muttered.

"But it seems our little Adept is a bit of a trickster. Like we needed another one." Seteth groaned.

"Still, that was a smart plan to withdraw from a losing fight." A black-haired woman said.

"Darn. I was hoping to see more of his supposed strength. What a letdown." A blond-haired woman in armor sighed in disappointment.

"Regardless, let us watch the rest of the battle for now. We can discuss the results later." Rhea said and everyone nodded.

Back on the sidelines, Isaac, Claude, and Marianne went over to join the rest of their class.

"What was that Professor? That wasn't Psynergy was it?" Lysithea asked curiously.

"No. They were just some smoke bombs I've had on me since before I met Byleth and Jeralt. I never used them before and there was no rules against them so I used them to ensure a get away." Isaac said.

"Looks like teach is craftier than I thought." Claude smirked.

"Great. Two schemers." Lorenz groaned, but a glare from Isaac shut him up.

As much as Isaac wanted to chew the four idiots out for their recklessness, it could wait a bit. For now, he should watch the rest of the battle, study what the other two houses have up their sleeves, and cheer Byleth on.

'I am not looking forward to meeting with Lady Rhea and Seteth after this.' Isaac thought sadly. This was his chance to show what skills he had at this new teaching job, and now Isaac felt like he blew it.

And that's a wrap!

So, originally, I had the entire Mock Battle be one chapter, but this time, I decided to split it up. This part focusing on the Golden Deer's loss, and the second part will focus on Byleth facing the Black Eagles.

One thing I did find to be interesting is the recklessness of the Golden Deer. Lorenz will ignore Claude's warning for both the Blue Lions and the Black Eagles path and charge forward during both the mock battle and the battle of the Eagle and Lions if he's not recruited. In the Golden Deer path, Ferdinand dose that with Hubert being forced to give chase. Seems the Blue Lions are the most organized of the three at the start. I decided to use that here.

There was no way Isaac was going to win. He's strong yes, but both Byleth and Hanneman have been at this tactics thing longer, and the Golden Deer are probably the most unorganized class of the three by the start.

But anyway, Once the Mock Battle is over with, Isaac will be starting his Psynergy class soon as he will be doing it before the first mission. Just like in the original, I will be starting the Djinn Fact of the Day when that happens.

Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude will also get their first Djinn soon enough as well. They will be the same as they were in the original.

As for the suggestions, I'll just keep it open if anyone ever has any suggestions. But keep in mind that the longer you wait to say something, the less chance I will have a spot to put it in for this story.

Though I will say that Isaac will interact with his students the most regardless of what is suggested since he is their professor after all.

Anyway, that's all for this chapter. Next chapter will wrap up the Mock Battle. Be sure to follow and leave a review and I will see you all next time.

The level: He will. Isaac will definitely interact with his students more through the arc. So there will be interactions with him and Raphael.