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Chapter 49: Qualification

Felix joined in the uproar that erupted from the stands as Corvid blasted her opponent with the twin rail-guns of the Omega Wing, sending the other Huntress sailing through the air and colliding with the protective forcefield enveloping the arena; her fellow third year managed to grit her teeth and use the forcefield itself to ricochet back into the arena and avoid a loss by ring out and the two fighters began circling each other in search of the next opening. The qualification matches for the Vytal Tournament had begun and the entire student body as well as the teachers and several of the canteen, cleaning and maintenance staff were watching while Goodwitch presided over the affair having explained the selection process beforehand. Each bout was between the leaders of two randomly selected teams and fought under tournament rules, victory was decided by ring out, forfeit or Aura depletion and it appeared only one round of qualification matches would be required to reduce the amount of competitors to the amount agreed upon by the Academies.

"Dude this is almost unfair" Diamond gasped as she watched Corvid parry her opponents' quarterstaff with the trio of blades mounted around her right arm, then activate her own forcefield and send the other girl crashing to ground

"It's always unfair against Corey" Felix chuckled as he watched his sister train her ranged weapons on her target yet again; in his mind the battle could only have ended one way as Corvid had superior firepower, range, defence and the ability to take the high ground at a moments' notice; the other third year had put up the best fight they could but this contest was all but over. The crowd were stirred into another chorus of cheers and stunned gasps as Corvid's next attack was an all out salvo that left her opponent sprawled at the very edge of the arena, struggling to rise to her feet

"THAT'S MY PARTNER!" Lux bellowed proudly from a few rows ahead of Team FADE while standing in his seat and gesturing wildly before Rusty and Iris coaxed him down.

"Venenum Smoke's Aura has dropped into the red" Goodwitch's voice boomed throughout the outdoor training area where the matches were taking place, amplified by the P.A system "Corvid Xiao Long is the victor, as such Team CLIR will be representing Halo academy in the Vytal Tournament. My commiserations to Team SMKE" Corvid shed the Omega Wing which promptly condensed and reshaped itself into its' aerial drone form and helped her former opponent to her feet before making her way into the stands while typing commands on her gauntlet that would send the Omega Wing back inside the campus.

"Well!" she beamed out as she neared her team "Looks like their plans went up in-"

"Corey don't say it!" Felix called over to her, only for her to playfully stick her tongue out and get comfortable amongst her friends, seeing this Felix turned to his own team and spoke

"Hey I'm gonna go congratulate her unless I'm up next" seeing their nods of understanding he clambered over people until he was free of the row of seats Team FADE were in and began making his way towards Team CLIR, stopping for a moment to watch as the scorched and pock-marked surface of the arena was rapidly repaired by the swarms of nano-bots used to create solid constructs for training simulations, there was something off-putting but at the same time almost hypnotics about watching the silvery, almost liquid viscous mass move across the surface of the arena of its' own volition and seep into the damaged areas; more permanent repairs would doubtlessly be done but this allowed for the qualifiers to happen in quick succession, a fact Felix was made aware of when Goodwitch's voice announced the students participating in the next bout

"Shine Jua of Team SNST and Helios Nikos of Team NEON, make your way to the arena!" hearing the name of his fellow second year had Felix scanning the crowds nearby hoping to catch a glimpse of him, he was rewarded when he caught sight of golden armour reflecting the light of the setting sun as Helios strode out of the stands with a determined expression on his pale features

"Heely!" Felix called out, waving his arms to try and catch his attention "Hey Heely over here!" the redhead turned to face him and Felix realised at that moment he didn't actually know what to say

"Kick his ass man, Atlas is gonna be boring if you don't come" he thankfully managed to get his words out despite the heat rising in his cheeks

"That is the plan" Helios nodded and if the Lion Faunus's eyes were to be believed the redheads' vibrant green eyes seemed to light up a little before he turned and made his way towards the arena. Felix quickly rushed over to where Team CLIR were sat, remembering his original intention and was promptly pulled into a hug by a cackling Corvid

"Oh my Oum that was hilarious, adorable but hilarious. Bro you're head over Helios"

"Fuck off" Felix laughed as he shrugged her off "I was coming over to say well done"

"Thanks" Corvid grinned as she ruffled his hair while Lux sat on Rusty's lap to make room for Felix next to his sister. As the Lion Faunus made himself comfortable and cast his eyes downwards towards the arena where the two competitors were approaching his eyes homed in on Team GORE sitting in the front row of stands opposite and was unable to ignore the sudden concern he felt at the realisation of just how closely they seemed to be watching. Convincing himself it was simply a matter of them wanting to see how members of another Anima Tribe fared he pushed the nagging feeling aside and watched as Helios entered the arena.

Shine took several deep breaths as he stepped into the arena, the chill in the air making it clear that autumn was well and truly upon them and the sky darkening as the sun set, he lowered his goggles over his eyes to combat the glare caused by the floodlights surrounding the arena reflecting from his opponents' armour. As Helios Nikos stepped into the arena opposite him the forcefield protecting the crowd from any stray shots began to form around them and Shine suddenly felt numb, a dull buzzing in the back of his mind insisting simultaneously both that this was his one chance to prove himself and that his chances of doing so were non-existent.

"May the best man win" Helios said tonelessly whilst giving him a nod of recognition and readying Olympus Enforcer in its' sword and shield form, Professor Goodwitch was reiterating the rules once again though he could barely make out her words over the sound of his own heart pounding and blood rushing in his ears, reaching over his shoulder he drew his own weapon; Ferrum-Manibus, the weapon gauntlet his right arm to the elbow and was streamlined despite being constructed of worn looking gunmetal and having several brass cogs and gears visible, the weapon sprung into life forming a gigantic mechanical pincer wide enough to hold an Ursa in place. He had mere seconds to silently remind himself of everything he had learned from Carcharodon Gore and his team-mates before Goodwitch's voice informed him that he had run out of time

"BEGIN!" as Helios rushed towards him evidently eager to fight as close quarters Shine extended his right arm and shifted Ferrum-Manibus into its' ranged mode, the pincer arched back on itself mimicking the mechanism of a crossbow whilst also shifting upwards revealing a rotating ammunition chamber loaded with sharpened steel rods containing Dust crystal cores. Helios raised his shield over his face and left Shine with a sinking feeling of dread as he simply continued his charge, weathering the salvo despite electricity released from the Lightning Dust arcing across his metallic armour.

"Oh shit!" the terrified exclamation escaped his as Helios drew close as swung his shield at his face, Shine reacted instinctively and triggered his Semblance; vanishing with a flash golden light and a high pitched whining only to reappear behind Helios who simply followed his swing through and spun one hundred and eighty degrees while dropping into a crouch, Shine felt the shield collide with his shins and was thrown from his feet a moment later. He lashed out with a series of frantic kicks and flung himself to his feet, backing away whilst unleashing another barrage to keep Helios from following

"Okay, Okay I can do this" he whispered to himself while desperately trying to think of anything Carcharodon had taught him that would help him "Hit them from everywhere they can't see at once...that didn't work. Always fight on your own terms, but if you can't then make their terms your terms by doing something unexpected….yeah" Ferrum-Manibus returned to its' claw mode with an audible mechanical clacking and Shine sprinted forwards with a roar of determination, allowing his Aura to glow visibly as he prepared his Semblance; the moment he saw Helios begin to turn in anticipation of another attack from behind he teleported, closing the distance and reappearing directly in front of Helios mid-turn and closed the pincer around the widest area, the surface of his shield

"Unexpected" Helios noted in a detached tone before simply releasing his shield and working his right arm free of the weapon to stab at Shine's face several times, the first year did his best to avoid the blows but winced as he felt the sting of the blade against his cheek even through his Aura. A moment later he was forced to his knees, breathing becoming difficult and a glance at Helios revealed that the increased gravity was the effect of his Semblance, as gravity forced Shine's arm downwards Helios reclaimed his shield and forced his arm upwards with a grunt of exertion, sparks flying as metal screeched against metal; he followed this up with a punishing swing of his left arm which brought the edge of the shield into Shine's face a moment before he teleported.

"Damn it!" Shine spat, a frantic edge to his words as he raised his now cracked goggles only to be flung to the ground by bullets impacting against his chest as Helios advanced on him once more, Olympus Enforcer now in its' Tommy-Gun mode. Throwing caution to the wind Shine triggered his Semblance once more and reappeared directly above Helios in attempt to catch his skull within his pincer, the redhead unsure of where the attack would come from had simply crouched, hearing the telltale sound of Shine's reappearance he dropped his own weapon and surged upwards, his Dark Aura swirling around him as gravity was lessened enough to slow the first years' fall; Helios' fist connected with his gut and sent him sailing though the air until he hit the ground and rolled to stop. Rising to his feet on legs that ached and trembled, threatening to collapse under him at any moment Shine discarded his weapon and made eyes contact across the arena at Helios who nodded silently and stepped away from Olympus Enforcer which he had been recovering

"Adaptability in battle is key" Shine repeated Carcharodon's words "Plenty of dead people had convictions" rushing Helios had thus far seen him being soundly beaten, a quick glance at the display at the edge of the arena confirmed that his Aura was barely above the limit that would see him lose the match; realising with a stinging pang that his hopes of competing in the Vytal Tournament were all but done he raised his fists and resolved himself to at least try and make Helios work for his victory. Helios collided with Shine in a maelstrom of blows, the golden surface of his armour reflecting the light of Shine's Semblance as the younger fighter tried to manoeuvrer around the attacks he couldn't hope to block and find new angles to counter-attack; a jab to the ribs under his guard here, a spinning kick to the back of the head there, it was piecemeal chipping away of Helios's defences but it at least felt like he was fighting back. The illusion was shattered when Helios planted a boot on his chest and kicked him with enough force to send him staggering backwards, doubled over and clutching his ribs in pain; he saw his opponent closing in but couldn't rise in time, the last thing he saw was Helios's dark Aura coalesce around him and the everything exploded into pain, Shine found himself sprawled on the ground with the air forced from his lungs and unable to catch his breath as his entire back and chest seemed to scream in protest with every attempt. Helios has magnified gravity to an absurd degree and used into increase his over-handed punch to an impossible velocity. Through the daze of pain he could hear Goodwitch declaring the match over and see Helios recovering his weapons while the protective shielding deactivated. He struggled to pull himself to his feet, only to collapse to the ground gasping for breath once more, vaguely away of a commotion above as a shadow fell over him

"Pick yourself up"

"Mister Gore!" Goodwitch snapped, revealing the shadow and rasping voice above him to belong to Carcharodon "Only competitors are permitted to be inside the arena"

"Then I'll fight next, give me an opponent" Carcharodon answered simply before crouching down beside Shine and rasping at him "I told you to pick yourself up" he struggled to comply, arms barely supporting his weight as he tried to scramble to his feet; after a few moments the Shark Faunus wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him up, helping him out of the arena where the remaining members of Team GORE and TEAM SNST were waiting, the first years wearing concerned expressions. Before handing him over to his peers Carcharodon leaned down and murmured in his ear

"If this were to happen in the real world….you might have lived long enough for help to arrive, you're learning" Shine grinned, he knew it was the closest thing to praise he would receive from Carcharodon. Moments later he was being helped to his seat in the stands as the leader of Team GORE returned to the arena for his own bout.

Felix watched as fellow second year Pepe Le-Puce, leader of Team PSTL was utterly outmatched by Carcharodon. There were collective gasps and sympathetic winces as the Shark Faunus attacked with ferocity and calculated brutality that would have suggested to someone unfamiliar with the Shadow Cadre that the fight was personal, every blow seemed to be intending to cripple its' target by breaking bones or damaging internal organs as Carcharodon showed a practical knowledge of anatomy rivalling that of many medical students

"He's beating the devil outta him" Rusty sighed beside Felix with a shake of the head as Carcharodon held Pepe in place by stepping on the Skunk Faunus's tail before dragging the blades of his weapons across the back of his neck, following the attack up by triggering his Semblance and rippling through Pepe's body to reappear in front of him and land a brutal kick square on the mouth.

"Pepe Le-Puce's Aura has dropped into the red" Goodwitch announced "Carcharodon Gore is the victor, as such Team GORE will be representing Halo academy in the Vytal Tournament. My commiserations to Team PSTL" it was a testament to both Team GORE's standing within the social hieracrchy and the way Carcharodon had conducted himself in the match that he left the arena to only a small scattering of polite applause rather than the cacophony that had accompanied the other victors

"He's gonna kill someone like that" Felix spat with a disgusted shake of the head

"Gonna give everyone from Halo a bad name in Atlas" Iris grumbled with obvious distaste

"Yeah well" Corvid sighed, watching as the arena was once again automatically repaired "It's not like you have to deal with him now" there were a few moments with nothing to distract them but the chattering around them before Goodwitch spoke into her microphone again, announcing the next competitors to be randomly selected

"Chromia Mauer of Team CHRM-"

"Sweet, third years" Corvid noted

"And Felix Xiao Long of Team FADE, make your way to the arena!" Felix rose to his feet only for Corvid's hand to clamp down on his shoulder

"She's good, be careful?"

"Better than you?"

"No" Corvid snorted, feigning offence at the suggestion

"Then I'll be fine" Felix shrugged as he exited the aisle and made his way down the descending rows of stands, a familiar voice calling out to him and repeating his own words

"Atlas is going to be boring if you don't come" Helios called out "You can win this Fluffy" filled with additional confidence he closed the rest of the distance to the arena with a spring in his step and found his opponent waiting for him. Chromia Mauer was roughly the same height as him though her stature was artificially enhanced by the large boots she wore, the rest of her attire offered little protection, torn and faded jeans and a black tank-top with several ornate and spiky bangles around her wrists; her eyes and short curly hair were both a pale blue-grey colour that complemented her pale complexion and her physique was impressive, arms and shoulders well muscled from years of carrying the weapon currently in her hand, a hammer with a rounded head larger than her own torso, a portion of an ammo drum visible on the underside hinting at its' alternate form.

"Corey's brother?" she asked, Felix merely nodded in response as he drew Hack and Slash "Well it's nothing personal kid, you're just in the way"

"Fair enough" Felix grinned, flashing his large canine teeth and swishing his tail eagerly. Goodwitch glanced from Felix to Chromia ensuring that both fighters were ready before giving the customary reiteration of the rules.

"Begin!" Felix instinctively darted to the side expecting a hailstorm of bullets to rip through where he was standing, his instincts were rewarded as Chromia transformed her hammer into a min-gun and opened fire. Felix zigzagged across the arena managing to stay one step ahead of the stream of gunfire until he drew close enough to attack, the abrupt halt of her barrage serving as warning a moment before Chromia returned her weapon to hammer mode and swung, giving him just enough time to protect his head and chest before the blow connected, hurling him across the arena, gasps and cheers from the audience ringing in his ears as he was brought dangerously close to the edge. Springing to his feet and readying his weapons again he paused upon catching sight of his opponent, Chromia had activated her Semblance and her entire body taken on the colour and texture of steel

"Well fuck….was not expecting that" Felix chuckled, admittedly impressed as he rolled his shoulders back and tried to ignore the throbbing pain in he left arm, Chromia merely made a 'come here' motion with one hand

"Okay then" Felix grinned as charged directly at her this time, shifting Hack and Slash into their machine pistol forms and opening fire with very little result, between her Aura and Semblance it seemed there was very little he could do to breach her defences. He saw her move just in time to crouch under her next attack and felt the rush of displaced air as her hammer passed over him, a moment later he sprung upwards and wrapped his arms around her waist before forcing her back several steps; it appeared her Semblance had altered her mass as he struggled to move her towards the edge of the arena and before he could achieve his goal the air was knocked from his lungs by a knee connecting with his ribs, he staggered back as he released his grip but not far enough to avoid Chromia's hammer as it was swung upwards and sent him hurtling into the air. The crowd was deafening as Felix fell back towards the ground and their enthusiasm only grew as he managed to land in a crouch and rise wearing a determined expression despite the pain.

"Sorry kid" Chromia noted, her voice slightly deeper now that her Semblance was in effect as she shifted her weapon into its' mini-gun mode once again, the ammo drum shifting as it automatically reloaded revealing the glistening fiery red of Fire Dust based explosive rounds. Felix grinned like a madman as he he sheathed Hack and Slash, Chromia hadn't realised but her attempt to win the match quickly would spell defeat for her. Felix's body was engulfed in the golden light of his Aura as he charged forwards, Fire Dust exploding around him; Chromia continued firing in an effort to ensure the Lion Faunus couldn't evade her attack this time, her first inkling that something was amiss was when the inferno her weapon had produced seemed to collapse in on itself giving her far too little time to react. Felix burst from the flames in his Balrog state, skin blackened with and laced with countless intersecting veins of magma while his eyes hair and the fur of his tail blazed with golden fire; he barrelled into Chromia with earth shattering force which her own Semblance was powerless against, she found herself lifted from the ground and a moment later sailing through the air as Felix launched her directly over the edge of the arena. She ricocheted off of the protective forcefield but landed outside of the ring in confused amazement, deactivating her Semblance as it became apparent what had just happened. Felix's own Semblance failed a moment later and the Lion Faunus doubled over in breathless exhaustion while glancing at the screen overhead displaying their respective Aura levels

"You almost had me" he admitted before Goodwitch's voice confirmed the facts his mind was struggling to process

"Chromia Mauer loses by ring-out! Felix Xiao Long is the victor, as such Team FADE will be representing Halo academy in the Vytal Tournament!" Felix gave an exhausted smile as the crowd exploded into cheers around him.

The Qualification matches had ended hours ago and Eagle had all but carried Felix back to their dormitory after her Aunt Nora had congratulated the whole of Team FADE and subjected her to a bone crushing hug, the Lion Faunus was currently sprawled beside her on her bunk having lacked the energy to fight his own protesting muscles and climb onto his own after taking several painkillers

"Feeling any better?" Eagle asked gently prodding him

"Yeah a little, everything aches though"

"But you did it though" Eagle beamed "We're going to Atlas because of you….oh I already messaged my Grandparents, they say congratulations"

"Tell 'em I said thanks" Felix sighed "Both of my Mums' are probably dancing around the house and cheering right now that me and Corey are both competing. Yang already text me saying congrats"

"Only a text?" Arctus noted curiously from his position on his own bunk with Diamond beside him

"Yeah she's probably on the Scroll to Corey right now, I told her I needed to lie down for a few hours" the Lion Faunus explained, Arctus merely shrugged he'd sent a message telling his own parents that he would be returning to the icy Kingdom soon and would no doubt be able to see more of his family while studying at Atlas Academy, it was therefore no surprise to him when his Scroll began to vibrate with an incoming call which a glance at the screen revealed to be from his mother.

"Hey Mum" he gave her a bright smile as the video call feature came online and his mothers' face flickered into view "Everyone say Hi to my Mum"

"Hey Missus Slate" Diamond smiled, suddenly inexplicably nervous

"Hey Arctus's Mum" Eagle chirped

"Sup Aunt Weiss?" Felix mumbled into the mattress, raising an arm in greeting despite being out of view.

"Hello everyone" Weiss gave a small smile "I just called to say congratulations to Felix and that it's going to great to have you so close to home….I can finally meet Diamond in person. When will you be departing for Atlas?"

"Friday morning" Arctus answered, gently wrapping an arm around his partners' waist "And you're gonna love Dee, she's great"

"I'm sure I will" Weiss assured him, and Arctus was sure he could almost feel Diamond blushing at the comment before Weiss continued "Athena doesn't know you're coming home yet, are you going to tell her or should I?" Arctus's bright blue eyes seemed to light up with the mischievous smile that crossed his face

"Or…." he dragged the word out slowly as if pondering an idea "We could just not tell her, let it be a surprise" Weiss actually laughed at the idea

"I think that her reaction would certainly be entertaining to watch, she misses her big brother"

"Yeah I miss the squirt too" Arctus admitted with a sigh

"Oh there's another thing" Weiss added "I assume you're familiar with the comedian Harry Regal?"

"Dude his stand up is brutal!" Diamond exclaimed, Weiss merely nodded in agreement

"Well he was a childhood friend of Gangrel and Blake and they haven't had much of a chance to catch up since Harry's release. We actually had a pair of front row tickets for his performance in the capital this Saturday but neither of us will be able to make it due to work and your Uncle Whitley will be babysitting Athena-"

"Yeah it's hardly age appropriate for her" Arctus noted

"So if you and Diamond are going to be in Atlas by then why don't you take her to the show, you can have the tickets"

"Seriously? Thanks Mum that's awesome"

"Thank you Missus Slate" Diamond nodded

"You can call me Weiss" the older woman told her "Anyway I have to go, but congratulations again and I hope you all do well in the tournament. Love you son, I'll see you soon"

"Love you too Mum" a moment later the call ended and Arctus was left staring at the background image of his Scroll screen, one of himself and Diamond. He was distracted by the sound Of Felix propping himself up to glance in his direction and shake his head

"Free tickets to a Harry Regal show, you lucky mother-fucker"

"I know" Arctus laughed, stunned at his own good fortune before turning to Diamond "Hey, you okay? You seemed nervous when my Mum was on the Scroll"

"I mean I am a little bit" she admitted "It's the whole meet the parents thing"

"I get it" Arctus assured her "Your Dad scared the crap out of me" Diamond's only response to this was to laugh and gently punch his shoulder. The dorm was quiet and peaceful for a few minutes before thunderous pounding on the door made the occupants jump, Eagle was the first to slide off of the bed and open the door, revealing Nyanza who was currently wearing a winning smile

"Come on, everyone get ready. We all qualified for the tournament so we're all gonna go out and celebrate, I'm not taking no for an answer"

"No" each member of Team FADE gave him the same answer in unison and the feline merely rolled his pale mint green eyes in response

"Come on man you're really gonna have an early night?" he whined at Felix, knowing that his old friend would be the easiest to convince "I already told Helios I could get you to come with us"

"I've just taken a load of painkillers" the Lion Faunus grumbled "I'm not mixing them with alcohol, besides we've still got classes tomorrow" Nyanza conceded the point with a shrug before changing tact

"Yeah but we don't have to hit a club, it'll be dead on a Monday anyway. We'll go bowling or see a movie or something….Come on man we've gotta celebrate"

"I don't know man" Felix sighed but one look around the dorm at his teams' faces and the confident smile on Nyanza's face told him he was fighting a losing battle "Alright fine"

"You made the right choice" Nyanza nodded, his voice solemn despite him evidently trying not to laugh. Felix threw a pillow at his face.

The air was filled with pungent smoke that hung in the air thick enough to restrict ones' vision, though the only thing to be seen was the interior of a house which despite being in a reputable part of the tower complex it occupied within the hive city of New Vale was in a state of neglect and intentional disrepair; what little furniture was present was battered and threadbare while walls had been broken to give access to the wiring of the apartment, in another room several workers were wearing what amounted to home made hazmat suits while they handled the chemicals involved in making the Aura enhancing narcotic known as 'Booster' the Eco-Dust being used to make more potent batches of the drug casting the room in an eerie green glow; Rhodium Torchwick had never felt more at home than he did in one of his crews' 'Trap houses'. Setting up Cain Security Personnel as both a legal front for his activities and a genuine opportunity for people from unfortunate backgrounds to find work had been gratifying and he was giving serious consideration to setting up other such ventures, but there was something intoxicating about the world of organised crime that the redhead loved just as much as the almost limitless money he could make from it that had seen him springing into action when his still faceless contact known only as 'Dunwitch' had re-established contact soon after Torchwick had escaped from prison, ready to continue supplying him with the bulk amounts of Eco-Dust needed.

"Who's this that's playing?" Torchwick demanded as he lounged on a stained and ratty looking sofa which had been pushed against a wall to make room for stacks of drug packages waiting to be distributed amongst his street level dealers and a coffee table piled with Scrolls belonging those dealers who were young enough that they didn't want to be caught with their 'business line' by their parents or teachers.

"Lil Uzi Vert, the kid with the dreads who sells for us. This is his mix-tape" one of the workers answered their voice muffled by the mask they were wearing, fortunately Rhodium had the foresight to install an extractor so that only those directly in contact with the drugs were at any real risk.

"Ask him where he records, I might just buy a studio" Rhodium replied, head nodding in time to the bass as he weighed up the pros and cons of founding a record label to launder more of his drug money. After allowing the idea to occupy his mind for an indeterminate amount of time the gangster decided that the smoke filled room was beginning to affect his faculties and glanced at the time on his Scroll before rising to his feet

"I'm heading to that pizza place, you guys want anything?"

"Yeah can you grab me a cheese and pineapple pizza?" one of his workers called back, Rhodium merely shook his head

"You disgust me" with that he left the drug den, nodding at the two schoolchildren he was paying to act as lookouts on the corner before eyeing his car for a moment and eventually deciding to walk and get some relatively fresh air. His expensive clothes and sports car attracted much less attention in the more affluent area of the city and the police would most likely never think to look for him here, as long as he maintained his strict rule that his drug labs in these parts of the city were strictly for manufacturing with no sales taking place and his crew were nothing but polite to the locals then he should be able to operate indefinitely

"Still a shame about that Shine kid though" he muttered to himself as he wandered through the artificial night created by the dimmed overhead lights of the Hive city, the Halo Academy first year had come to him in search of a way to improve his performance in lessons and Rhodium was almost certain he could have recruited him as a dealer and maybe some extra muscle. Such thoughts were forcefully pushed from his mind as he rounded a corner and reached the pizza place, eyes widening as he caught sight of a group of what were obviously students inside which included several familiar faces; namely the team including the pale Bear Faunus and the silver haired girl from the Mercy Foundation and the Lion Faunus who had knocked out several of his teeth and handed him over to the police. Melodic Cudgel had been left on the back seat of his car so Rhodium's initial inclination was to grab a nearby trash can, charge it with the explosive power of his Semblance and hurl it through the establishments' window; through supreme force of will he managed to resist that urge and ducked back around the corner, withdrawing his Scroll and contacting his associates at the drug den

"Tool up and get in the car, I'm at the pizza place just saw some fucks we've got beef with. Light the place up!" a few tense minutes filled with muttered curses later the sound of a vehicle speeding towards him and an unassuming black sedan screeched around the corner, slowing down as its' windows lowered.

"Party time bitches!" Rhodium yelled as he finally gave into rage fuelled temptation and grabbed a nearby trash-can which glowed with magenta light as his Semblance took effect. His face fell as he realised that by a stroke of luck a bushy tailed feline Faunus had spotted his people too early and alerted his friends. The staff of the establishment were already ducking behind the counter for cover as the trash-can shattered the window and when it exploded all eight members of Team FADE and Team NEON were safely behind one of Arctus's Glyphs, the machine gun fire from the gang members in the car pattered harmlessly off of its' glowing surface; Rhodium rushed towards the car hoping to make a hasty exit but skidded to a halt when he saw the short girl with the afro unfold an absurdly oversized weapon

"OH SHIT!" he panicked, turning tail and sprinting in the other direction and calling to his underlings "GO! GET THE FUCK OUTTA-" he was cut off by the sound of the car being blasted onto its' roof and the student Hunters swarming out of the building. A bullet whizzing past his ear forced him to give a momentary glance over his shoulder and see that it was the silver haired girl who had shot him but the Lion Faunus was giving chase while their friends were putting out the fires his explosion has started and making short work of his crew. Running through the streets as fast as his Aura fuelled muscles could carry him Rhodium fought the urge to turn and fight, he knew with certainty that could dispatch a student with ease but he also knew from experience that Felix Xiao Long was an exception, the fact he had stabbed the Faunus's sister before his incarceration only making him more determined. Eventually he reached the street on which his drug den was located and slowed down a little, waving his young lookouts over

"You" he pointed to the oldest and threw his car keys into his hands "Go park my car a few streets away. Do not fuck up the paint" He doubted that his pursuer would be able to identify his new car but was taking no chances

"You" he wheezed out to the younger boy whilst clutching a stitch in his side "If anyone asks you just saw me run straight down this street" With that he hurried inside the house which from the outside appeared completely normal, locking the door behind him he ran upstairs and peered through a crack in the curtains; soon enough Felix rounded a shouted something to his lookout who proceeded to point in the direction instructed.

"That was way too fucking close" he whispered to himself, heart still hammering in his chest even as the first hysterical laughs escaped him. He knew he would probably have to relocate this drugs lab and it would be a setback in his endeavours to wrestle control of the New Vale's criminal underworld from Melanie Malachite but this, this kind of test of wits under pressure was what he lived for.

Authors Notes:

So, that's Teams FADE, CLIR, NEON & GORE all qualified for the tournament.
Next chapter we'll be heading to Atlas and gearing up for the final third of Vol.4.
Also upload times may be subject to change of the next few weeks, bear with me.

Anyway, let's summarise:
Seriously, Corvid is OP in a tournament setting….how do you even begin to fight that?
Gave some actual rules for how eligible teams are selected because canon didn't really do it; they had Pyrrha run roughshod over Team CRDL and then fight Mercury but they didn't explain anything and both Mercury and Team CRDL ended up fighting in the tournament despite losing.
It's over Anakin, Corvid has the high ground.
Xiao Long puns are eternal my friends.
Shine vs Helios was only ever going to end one way really.
Felix is a hot gay mess...Which has to be a Corvid pun at some point
That poor kid, he's so far out of his depth.
A giant pincer weapon, because I wanted something a bit more unique that a sword for a change.
I imagine lessons from Carcharodon would be if "The art of war" was written by Jack the Ripper.
You pin Helios in place with a claw, he pins you in place with amplified gravity.
"Plenty of dead people had convictions" need I say more.
Helios's 'Gravity punch' is one of the nastier uses of his Semblance.
Aww Carcharodon does care.
Team PSTL is Pastel in case anyone had forgotten.
Tournament matches are a chance to show how differently Team GORE approach things to the other students, most Hunters wouldn't even think to step on a Faunus opponents' tail to hold them in place in a fight; it's just not done.
The lack of applause means absolutely nothing to Car.
I love how much Felix looks up to and admires his big sister, as far as he's concerned if they're not Corey then they're second rate.
Helios you charmer.
Yeah, Felix's opponent is basically female Colossus carrying a weapon that's a cross between Magnhild and Coco's gun….he got slapped across that arena with gusto.
The Fire Dust based explosive rounds would have been great against anyone other than Felix.
Haven't seen Balrog state since Vol.3.
Felix is the unstoppable force to Corvid's immovable object; Chromia may have been physically stronger than him but there wasn't really anything she could do once he'd powered up.
Those hits took a lot out of Felix and the Tournament is only gonna be more difficult; but at least he'll have his team to fall back on.
Harry Regal is actually a callback to The Downward Spiral, he was one of the eight kids from the White Fang foster home who were mentioned by name but he was never on screen due to being in prison the entire time; what if I told you his introduction was going to tie into the Cult of Taurus?
I feel like I haven't had enough Diamond Dust moments this volume, those two are adorable and Arctus is probably right to be scared of Merc.
Bless Nyanza. He is a shit-post.
Rhodey is back in business with his Booster supply….Also what if I told you we've met 'Dunwitch' already?
Those little touches with the trap house, just to capture the bleakness.
Lil Uzi Vert was name dropped solely because of the colour naming rule, I do not condone mumble rap.
Also, of course people in Torchwick's crew have Mix-tapes out and of course he wants to start a record label.
Yes I threw shade at pineapple, cope.
That's how desperate Shine was before Carcharodon started training him, he was going to start buying booster from Torchwick; Car probably saved that kids' life without even realising it.
Remember Rhodium wears a grill because Felix beat the shit out of him.
Drive-by shooting and an exploding trash-can firebomb, Rhodium is just plain nasty.
Of course Nyanza turned around to see it, he's lucky like that.
Olivine introduced a car full of gang members to Buster Bravo….they don't have a car any more.
Felix could probably have caught Rhodey under normal circumstances but obviously he was still sore and tired from the qualification match, Rhodey could actually have probably beaten him if he'd tried at that point.
Remember the only car of Rhodium's Felix saw was the one that got demolished.
Rhodey didn't chose the thug life, the thug life chose Rhodey.

Thank you to SumoSnipe, FleetOfWarships, Arkanes Shippou, Unstoppable Cyborg, Ferrous, ShadowWolf, FluffyFirefly, TigerRose and ShadowAlex2000 for their reviews on the last chapter.
I love that headcanon about Felix's dance moves.
Yeah the Arc family are all-encompassing, if you're reading this right now then you too are an Arc.
Okay so Car won't be training Team SNST from now on, but the tough exterior has been cracked now.
Those Neon feels are still raw.
Hey look I catered to your Rhodium needs….I have a plan for at least one small scene from him during second year.
The original name for Hellion x Eagle was Tamagotchi….90s kids unite.
I'm glad you like the Hive cities because well….we're gonna go back to one that was very important to the Downward Spiral.
Everyone loves mutual pining.
There are several good fights planned for the Vytal Tournament.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.