After the fight had concluded, Azure and Maxon found themselves sitting at a juice bar near the school. "So...what was your request, then?" Azure asked.
"Well, I'll keep it to the point. You're looking for a substitute member, aren't you?" Maxon asked, Azure slowly nodding. "Well, there's something I want you to consider for that position." He said.
"Really? Who is it?" Azure asked, Maxon looking up.
"Well...she's actually my cousin. She's had a hard time making friends, and has been pretty easy pickings for the jerks at her school." Maxon said, Azure looking shocked to hear it. "I figured you guys seemed nice enough, so joining a team might be a better experience for her." He admitted, before taking a flyer out and handing it to Azure.
"What's this?" Azure asked, before reading it. "An event at the Magallanica park? What's this about?" He asked.
"You're still a None rank team." Maxon reminded. "Supposedly this tournament could give you the remaining points you need to become a Bronze rank team." He told Azure. "However, there's a twist on it. This tournament involves both tag fighting and relay fighting." He told Azure. "It's very themed around teamwork. It also might help you get to know my cousin better." He suggested.
"That's a great idea..!" Azure realized, reading over the flyer. "It's tomorrow..? That doesn't give us much time to train for it, though..." he realized, Maxon shrugging.
"After that fight your team had with Team Victory, I think you can pull it off. She'll meet you there at noon, go ahead and tell your team the news." Maxon said, before getting up, putting money on the table, and walking off. "See you around, Azure." Maxon said, departing, as Azure looked intently at the flyer.
Guess I'd better call the others and let them know... Azure thought, before paying and walking out of the juice bar, heading home.
The next day, Azure was already at the park, along with a large amount of people either training or awkwardly waiting for the event to begin, before hearing a voice call out to him, and it was one he recognized.
"Yo, Azure! You early or am I finally on time to something?" Ray asked, casually.
"Oh, hey Ray." Azure greeted. "I guess the others are running a little behind, but that shouldn't be a problem. Oh, by the way, you all heard the other news I put in the group chat, right?" He asked.
"Oh yeah, new member. We finally got a potential substitute." Ray said. "I wonder what they're like...Maybe they're a powerful fighter with a menacing figure, a determined, bold-" Ray started, as someone spoke up.
"U-Um...Is this team Azure Crimson..? M-Maxon told me to look for that team..." A girl, seemingly Ray's age said, as they looked over to see a young girl with brown hair, dark green eyes, and was wearing a hooded jacket with the hood up, evidently timid.
"...Or they're an innocent bean." Ray realized.
"Uh...Yeah. This is team Azure Crimson. I take it you're Maxon's cousin?" Azure asked, the girl slowly nodding. "Uh...I'm Azure, and this is Ray. What's your name?" He asked.
"G-Gaea...nice to meet you..." The girl quietly said.
"Well, Gaea, you've come to the right team. I'm sure you'll do just fine here." Ray said, trying his best to be friendly, Azure looking slightly surprised.
Huh. This is already going better than it did with Marisa... Azure slowly realized, before noticing Drake, Kyros and Marisa arriving.
"Hey, we got a little sidetracked by all the people." Drake told Azure. "Is that girl the new member?" He asked.
"Yeah. Her name's Gaea and...well, she's a little shy, by the looks of it." Azure said, Gaea just slowly nodding.
"So, should we go over how tag fights and relay fights work one more time?" Kyros asked, Marisa nodding in agreement, as Drake took out a handbook.
"In that case, let's go over the guide we got from the event reception. Which one should we start with?" Drake asked.
"Probably Tag fight. My bet's on them starting with that one." Ray said.
"Well, if Ray's putting his luck on it..." Azure said, sweat-dropping. "We should probably go over a tag fight first, then." he said.
"Right. In that case..." Drake said, flipping the pages. "Tag fighting. We'll have to send two fighters out together, obviously. Both teams have a separate damage zone, but will lose if their total damage becomes 9. In addition, you can guard for your partner, except with Sentinels. Which means G Guards are still okay. However, when regarding 'Opponent' skills, It'll be the fighter directly in front of you. Other than that, it seems to be a regular fight. Although obviously we can't discuss strategy mid-fight, nor can we see each other's hands." he said, closing the book. "Then, Relay fighting..." Drake started, before an announcer stepped up on stage. "Ah, great. They're starting." He realized.
"Ladies and gentlemen! I know you're all gathered around here for the big event today, and even if you're not, you'll get to bear witness to some amazing fights on our very own Neo-Fight System arenas!" The announcer said, gesturing to designated areas that appeared aquatic themed. "Now ladies and gentlemen, here is how the first round will work. We'll be starting with Tag Fights! Each team will come and draw a number, and then will send two of their fighters to the designated arena, and the winners will move on to the next round!" The announcer declared, as the 'crowd' was cheering. "Now, without further ado...Come and get your numbers, teams, and may the best team prevail!" The announcer declared, as team leaders were lining up to pull numbers.
Let's see...We're number... Azure started, pulling the number for their team. 3. I wonder who we're up...against... Azure started to think, before noticing the number '3' being held by...a rather shady-looking group of people. ...Why do I have a bad feeling about this? Azure wondered.