-AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello everyone! Alpha here.

When I started this story about 9 months ago and began publishing it 8 months ago, I didn't think it was going to be anything big. Mostly just among my friends, perhaps my Gundam modeling group, but that was really it.

Now, seeing as I've passed the 50 likes and favorites mark, I can see you have been loving what's been happening, and from this chapter on, there's a LOT that'll be happening. Chapter 9 here, and 10 (which will release next month) are hands down two of the most important chapters to the story. No action this time, but you'll be introduced briefly to a large number of the characters who will be participating in the story.

For context: in the original Gundam Build Fighters anime, there was always a massive, black-tie party thrown for all the participants to meet, eat, and kick back and relax right before the tournament. In the spirit of that, I decided to replicate that same event here in this chapter, which is why so many characters are being name-dropped.

This is ALSO why I originally chose to separate character bios from the main chapter. Several people have mentioned, either in private messages or in the reviews, that they don't like the fact the bios are released separately. I did that with the intent of allowing people to skip them if they wished, but also because I wanted the releases to be uniform. This chapter here introduces almost twenty new characters, including original characters, revamped RWBY characters, and canon characters to both Gundam Build Fighters and Gundam Build Fighters Try. With that many people, the bio chapter itself was set to be as long as any main chapter, and it would need to be separated. I ultimately made the choice to do that with all chapters-regardless of the number of bios-to give both characters and their Gunpla a place to shine.

Starting with chapter 10, however, because people have been asking me to not do that, as they think I'm releasing a second chapter only to be disappointed. From now on, unless the bios included exceed 3 new characters, all bios will be found at the bottom of the main chapter. I'll use separated chapters only to run polls on "bonus chapters" that fans vote in, of which the first poll should release after chapter 12, unless I change my mind.

Anyway, all the babbling aside, thank you for reading and enjoying the story. It means the world to me that you decided to pick it up and are staying with me. I hope you enjoy where I plan on taking it!

Ruby shifted uncomfortably, partly from the heels she was wearing and also due to the large crowd of fellow fighters she found herself in. It was customary for the Gunpla Battlers to meet each other a few days before the beginning of the championships in a large dinner gala so the competitors could have a 'meet and greet'. Many attendees had already known each other for several years anyway, but this dinner offered more of a chance for friends to catch up, discuss recent events and to reminisce about fun times.

"Wow…" Pyrrha exclaimed as she looked around. Meijin Kawaguchi III was of course in attendance alongside Lady Kawaguchi, Meijin's partner both personally and professionally as a promotional partner for various events. Other world-class fighters were in attendance alongside them, notably Ricardo Fellini, 'The Italian Dandy' and last year's World Champion, who was jovially chatting with several people. Kyrus Alexander, the Australian Champion was exchanging pleasantries while sampling the hors d'oeuvres. The former leader of the Gunpla Academies Celestial Sphere team, Wilfrid Kijima and his younger sister Shia stood apart from the rest, mostly taking in the sights. Blake perked up when she saw Shia and moved to talk to her, Yang closely following. She hadn't seen Shia since she'd gone back home to Japan after her foreign exchange student trip ended.

Yuuma and Fumita were both here as well, though Sekai was noticeably absent. Seven-time Thai Champion Luang Dallara was speaking with Nils Yajima, the chief engineer of both Nielsan Labs and Yajima Trading. It was this team that rediscovered the Plavsky Particle after the events of the Seventh Gunpla Battle Championship, which without the rediscovery would've become the last great Gunpla Battle. However, there were still many names and faces which the group was unfamiliar with.

One party, in particular, stood out from the rest, primarily because of the massive man within the group. Easily seven feet tall and a mountain of muscle, he seemed the most out of place among the people attending the gathering, and it drew many eyes to the others with him. He was accompanied by an elegantly dressed woman with blonde hair and fair skin, a slender man with a mustache, and a young woman wearing a red dress with a sultry and dangerous glint in her eye.

Near them, two girls stood side by side. One had purple eyes violently pink hair and what seemed like rabbit ears, the other had bright blue eyes and a much more normal head of blonde hair. Both were dressed in exquisite formal suits, and to Ruby's mind, the blonde looked far better in her suit than most of the many of the guys that were there. After some more studying, Ruby recognized her from the TV as the new Canadian champion Evelyn Damerot, though she was still unfamiliar with the girl next to her.

"I've never seen so many famous people in one room before," Jaune said, completely awestruck.

Weiss made a disgruntled face. "This reminds me a bit too much of one of my father's overly lavish and extravagant dinner parties."

"I can only imagine."

The group turned to see a tall and exceptionally fashionable young woman approach them. The glasses she wore were so dark that Ruby almost mistook for sunglasses, her hair was cut short but for one long strand which was dyed lighter than the rest, and behind her was a shy young woman with long brown hair, holding a camera. Her bunny ears were huge, and she seemed rather timid.

"I'm Coco Adel, the US Champ. This is my partner, Velvet." The shy girl behind Coco gave a small wave. Coco smiled at the newcomers. "You must be here for the Doubles tourney, right?"

Her subtle New York accent delighted Ruby. She loved the sound. "Yeah! We… I guess mostly just seem to be a little out of our depth here."

"Speak for yourself," Nora exclaimed, eyeing the enormous cake one of the waiters was now wheeling out to the main food table. She grabbed Ren by the hand and pulled him forward, causing him to yelp slightly as he was yanked off his feet. "Let's mingle!"

Coco watched them leave with mild amusement. "A woman who knows what she wants." She glanced back at Ruby. "So you must be the elusive Northwest Regional Champ that couldn't make it to the US Tourney. Pity, I was looking forward to facing you."

"U-uhm…." Ruby blushed, turning almost the same color as her dress. "I, uuuuuuh…"

Velvet giggled and snapped a picture of Ruby's perplexed look, which made her jump. "Oh! Sorry."

"You know, you were quite the talk of the town in Vegas during the US Championship Miss Rose," Coco explained. "Beaten to a pulp within two minutes, and still you managed to pull off a victory against your sister despite the condition your Gunpla was in? Not to mention surprising everyone with that special skygrasper mode from the backpack of Strike Noir… it was a spectacular thing to watch. But I imagine that's the reason you were forced to back out of the US championship, isn't it?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, I had to focus on making something stronger, better. Crim - I mean, my Crimson Strike Noir was good, but I knew that if I couldn't beat Yang without having to resort to my escape method, then I wouldn't have stood a chance here!"

Coco chuckled. "Crim. Cute. Also, staying out of this competition was a smart move if you weren't sure it was going to win. I'm sure you used your time very well, I look forward to seeing what you've come up with."

She looked at Pyrrha, who had been looking around absentmindedly at the comings and goings of notable individuals this whole time. "It's a pleasure to meet the European Champ here as well. Taking out Lucas Nemesis for that title… that was an impressive match."

Pyrrha, aware that she was now being addressed directly, rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Oh! Well, thank you. Really it was just another Gunpla Battle for me, but Lucas was an incredible opponent. I heard he's been sponsored to enter the Singles Tournament."

"Yeah. Imagine the rematch." Coco smirked.

Ruby turned to the others. "Anyway this is my partner Weiss and Pyrrha's partner Jaune. The others who just ran off were Ren and Nora, and my sister and her girlfriend Blake are over there talking with Shia Kijima and her brother."

"I see…" Coco feigned surprise that they knew the Kijimas. "So how many other people can you pick out here?"

The four remaining friends looked at each other uncertainly. "Not many…" Weiss admitted. "I'm fairly new to this sport. I've been building and practicing for a few years, but mostly for fun."

Jaune looked embarrassed. "I don't know anyone here except the Meijin. And that was only because we ran into him a few days ago at a souvenir shop." He pointed at Fellini. "I do recognize him though! Ruby has posters of him plastered all over her room, and-"

He glanced at Ruby, whose face was now turning redder and her silver eyes held a dangerous edge as she glared at Jaune to remain silent. Velvet giggled again. "That sounds like what I have at home for Kyrus Alexander," she said. "He's my country's representative and a celebrity in Australia."

"Tell me about it," Coco rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure Kyrus is the only man Velvet would leave me for. I suppose I should count myself lucky."

She looked around the room at the newcomers, some of which were still arriving and some who had arrived while they had been talking. "Well seeing as you don't know who most anyone is, I'll give you the social tour. It's always good to know who you might be up against, and some of these guys are so new you wouldn't know about them yet anyway."

"That would be lovely!" Pyrrha exclaimed.

Coco looked around, pointing at Evelyn and the girl accompanying her. Ruby now noted upon closer inspection that the girl was nearly the same height as Jaune, who was the tallest of their group. "That's probably the team to beat there. You may know her as Canadian champion Evelyn Damerot, but next to her is Jacquiline B. Ivory, the current British Champ. Evelyn narrowly defeated Penny Polendina in the Canadian Finals, but Jack… she's been the British champion three years running, but for some reason, she's opted out of both the European Championship and World Championship for the past 2 years. The fact she's here now says something, not to mention she remains undefeated in tournament combat. Evelyn has a turbocharged G-Self Assault Pack unit she calls G-Hopper. However, she abandoned the assault pack for a custom backpack and heavily reinforced the beefy calf armor pieces to hold more thrusters. Jack uses a Mobile Trace System and a Gundam Tristan inspired Gunpla she calls Gundam Preliator. She's a mixed martial artist and a damn good one."

She nodded to the pair near Yuuma and Fumina, a boy and girl who seemed well acquainted with the duo. "That's Shimon Izuna, the two-time winner of the Japanese Boxing National Championship. The interesting thing is he's not a builder, nor are his machines particularly well built. All his Gunpla are built straight out of the box, with no customizations or special paint beyond panel lines. His little brother Mamoru builds them all, but he is in and out of the hospital a lot with some kind of illness. Despite his Gunplas basic construction and average quality build, Shimon is a very, very dangerous melee fighter. That's not to say he's not completely harmless at range, but ideally, that's kinda where you wanna keep him anyway if you catch my drift."

"His partner is Kaoruko Sazaki, who in the 19 and under divisions has become very well known for her favoritism of the Gyan, earning her the nickname 'Gyanko'." Coco nodded to a woman nearby eating a slice of cake. "Interestingly enough, her main mobile suit is actually an R-Jarja, redesigned in the Gyan motif and with similar shields attached to secondary arms on her back. She is the leader of Team Song Dynasty Vase of the St. Odessa's All-Girls School, which is itself a prominent team contest entrant every year and a direct rival of Team Try Fighters. She's not one to take lightly. Strange that she chose Shimon as her partner rather than one of her normal teammates though..."

She nodded again at Kyrus, who seemed to be enjoying himself, almost too much. "Velvet's favorite you probably know, Kyrus Alexander, the Black Lion. A prominent user of the Unicorn Gundam Banshee, he's a hard-hitting foe with a love of ripping opponents to shreds and of adorning his Gunpla with either emblems or gimmicks featuring lion heads. He has a fierce but friendly rivalry with Ricardo Fellini and was in the top eight two years ago and the semifinals last year, both times eliminated by Ricardo. In his defense, they were really close matches and truthfully came down to some very lucky strikes from Ricardo. Before his eliminations, Kyrus' Banshee tore the Gundam Fenice Rinascita to pieces, so it's safe to say that if he can stand toe-to-toe with the current world champ, he's a force to be reckoned with."

She glanced at the door, where a teenage boy in a black trench coat and a slightly older brown-haired man with sunglasses entered the room, followed by a blue-haired girl and a young woman with hair as black as night. "Ah, those guys there are pretty interesting, both were in the US Championship. The young man in the trench coat is Hathaway Novah, notoriously known to be a master kitbasher, taking both Gunpla and non Gunpla kits and making them tournament legal. He's also the Southwest Regional Champ in the US."

Ruby gave Coco a confused look. "I thought kitbashing was against the rules if it featured non-Gunpla related kits?"

Coco nodded. "It was, until last year. New rules by the new PPSE Chairman changed things; they now perceive kitbashing to be no different than customization, though at least twenty-five percent of the parts used have to come from a Gunpla kit. The fact of the matter is that with Pacific Rim Uprising kits, Full Metal Panic kits, and plenty of others out there made by Bandai, it didn't make sense to limit the rules to ONLY Gunpla. Most kits are scaled to roughly match Gunpla 1/144 scale kits, and many use similar part connectors. So, the commission opened the rules up a bit." She nodded to Hathaway. "And thanks to this development he has utilized that to his advantage. The kit I fought was a hybrid of the Gypsy Avenger from Pacific Rim and the Gundam Exia, but he changes Gunpla every match. In fact, the only consistency you'll see in any of his Gunpla is that longsword he uses, which has both a beam pistol and a deadly railgun mounted on it.

"His partner is Jim Hawkins, US Southeast Champ. He uses his flying Gunpla, which is a mix of the Gundam Airmaster Burst with either the Zeta Gundam or Zeta Plus, it's kind of hard to tell. He was a fighter pilot for the Air Force before some kind of accident left him mostly blind. I have no idea how he can fly a Gunpla, but he's pretty tricky."

"Wait a second," Weiss said. "He's blind?"

"Partially, yes," Velvet replied. "I actually had to take his picture for a bit of an exposé on him, and we talked for a bit. Nice guy. Big time flirt."

Ruby grinned. "That's awesome! Is he any good?"

Coco shrugged. "I didn't fight him, but he's the Southeast Regional Champ so he's gotta be good to make it to Nationals."

"I've seen her before," Pyrrha nodded at the black-haired girl with them. "She's the Russian Champion, Irina Sobolev. She likes using a custom Gundam Astrea, and she is very serious. I faced her once before, one of the toughest fights I ever had."

Coco nodded. "Sounds about right. The last girl with the blue hair is Mina Seung, and though she's never won an official tournament, she has traveled all over to hone her Gunpla Battle skills. She's Jim's girlfriend, and no matter what Gunpla she's used she's always been very quick and extremely agile. Might be a tricky team."

Two gentlemen wearing very formal looking American military uniforms entered the room, followed by a serious-looking woman in similar dress. Compared to everyone else in the room, they really stood out.

"Oh, the guests of honor have arrived," Coco announced. The group looked at the three newcomers. "Captain James Ironwood of the Marine Corps, Commander Gabriel Fynn of the US Navy, and-"

"Winter?" Weiss's eyes widened in surprise. Why was her sister here?

Coco glanced at Weiss, eyebrow raised. "Yes, Lieutenant Winter Schnee. She's acting as Captain Ironwood's Operator." Coco looked Weiss up and down, recognizing the striking resemblance. "You look like you two are related."

"She's my sister, yes," Weiss replied. "I haven't seen her in almost a year."

"Good chance to catch up then. They're being sponsored by the US Military as a promotional bit, but rumor has it that Ironwood is secretly a big fan of giant mecha anime. So I'm kinda curious. Don't know much about Fynn though…"

She nodded to the large group Ruby and her friends had noticed earlier. "Then there's that bit… you guys know about what happened with Team Nemesis, right?"

Ruby nodded, a concerned look on her face. "Yeah, after the Seventh Gunpla Battle Team Nemesis was banned from all future competitions due to their owner, Josef Kankaansyrjä. She was caught using a banned system called the Embody System to alter the aggressiveness of Nemesis fighter Aila Jyrkiäinen. It was deemed unethical and illegal, and Josef was arrested alongside most of Team Nemesis, though some of the company that he ran kept going. It was a big scandal, and also the reason my mom wanted to become a Gunpla Battle Referee."

Weiss blinked, surprised at how serious Ruby had suddenly become. "Wow… I didn't think you were into that kind of thing."

"I'm not really, but the Seventh Gunpla Championship was marked by three massive events: the disappearance of PPSE Chairman Hitumo Mashita, the Mock Battle of A Boua Qu, where the Plavsky Particles ran out of control and began forming all over the old stadium - eventually destroying the roof with a titanic 1/144 scale A Boua Qu space fortress hologram and causing the disappearance of the original Plavsky Particle crystal - and the scandal surrounding Team Nemesis' abuse of the Embody System on both Aila Jyrkiäinen and the Third Meijin in the finals."

They all stared at Ruby, who looked around at them, confused at the shock on their faces. "What?"

Coco chuckled. "Wow, I'm impressed." She glanced back at Team Nemesis, pulling her sunglasses down and giving them a tight appraisal. "Recently their assets were purchased by that woman, Salem Autry. Pretty ruthless. I've heard she's attempting to rebrand the whole team and their assets to avoid the negative publicity. Want to go scout them out?"

"Is that really a good idea?" Velvet raised an eyebrow.

"Oh come on, it'll be fine. Besides," she looked at Ozpin, who had managed to wiggle through the crowd and was now approaching the blonde woman among the group. "If that's their principal, then what can go wrong?"

Weiss put her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "You go on, I want to talk to my sister."

Ruby nodded, giving her a smile. "Say hello for me!" She then turned to Coco. "Let's investigate!"

Velvet sighed as the lot of them walked towards the group, before seeing that their principal, Ozpin, had also begun to approach the former Team Nemesis. He noticed them out of the corner of his eye and turned before he had addressed the woman, nodding and smiling at them.

"Miss Nikos, Miss Rose, Mister Arc, it's a pleasure to see you all here," Ozpin said cheerfully. "I see you're mingling well and making friends. Excellent!"

"What are you doing here Mister Ozpin?" Jaune asked.

"As your teams' sponsor, it would be bad form for me to miss this banquet." He turned to the two older girls with them. "Harold Ozpin, principal of Franklin High School. These fine young individuals are my students, and I am also their sponsor for the tournament."

"Coco Adel and this is Velvet, my plus one. A pleasure."

"Ah, the United States Champion. An honor. How about I-"

"Ozpin."

Ozpin turned to see who had called his name to see no one other than Salem approaching them. She wore a tight yet elegant black dress made out of fine silks and walked with a slow, seductive sway in her hips. She gave Ozpin a playful smile. "I was surprised to see your name on the guest list. Prefer battling with toys now? Or are you here for more… personal reasons."

The small entourage that accompanied Salem flanked her as she spoke. The young woman with black hair and golden eyes had a smug, almost hungry look about her, a sultry posture and beautiful pouty lips, but with a gaze so sharp that Ruby was sure it'd carve through a fully assembled Gunpla if she wanted. The monster of a man next to her was a stark contrast - quiet, seemingly gentle despite his physique, and subdued. The third man was clearly in his mid-forties, with an exceptionally elegant mustache and a tanned complexion. Ruby felt rather unnerved by his presence alone, as though he was plotting something even as he stood there.

Ozpin looked between all of them with a complex expression on his face, before looking back at Salem. "I was surprised to see you here as well. I figured you were still attempting to find a new devious scheme to make a name for yourself."

Salem gave a small but cold chuckle that sent chills down Jaune's spine. "I don't need to anymore, not after I've purchased the resources used by the defunct Team Nemesis. You are looking at most of the members of Team Godhunter."

Ozpin narrowed his eyes for a while before he introduced the youths behind him. "Besides Coco Adel and her friend, these three are students at my school, Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, and Pyrrha Nikos. They are also members of teams I am sponsoring, but their teammates are presently mingling with the others."

The young woman from Salem's team walked over to Pyrrha, her golden eyes glowing with an inner fire. Her long red dress flowed as she walked, the golden accents shimmering in the light. "I've looked forward to fighting you for a long time," she said to Pyrrha, extending her hand. "Cinder Fall. A pleasure to meet you."

"Oh! Uh…" Pyrrha stammered and before taking her hand and shaking it. "The… pleasure is all mine."

Cinder smiled at her before releasing her hand. "I'll be fighting in the singles tournament, with Arthur Watts acting as my operator."

The mustached gentleman bowed respectfully. Salem turned to the much larger man behind her. "Arthur is our team's main manufacturer, and Hazel here is one member of the Godslayer's doubles team duo."

Both Arthur and Hazel nodded politely as they were introduced, but neither said a word.

Salem turned back to Ozpin. "Well then, this has been quite an interesting reunion. Good luck in the tournament, both to you and your students. You'll need it." She smirked and turned to her team. "Come, let's go and meet the rest of the competition."

Cinder gave Jaune and Ruby a flirty wink before walking past the group. Hazel and Watts followed, respectfully excusing themselves with nods as they walked away.

"Hmmmm….Something doesn't sit well with me about them," Coco said to Ruby in a hushed tone, narrowing her eyes.

"They seemed pretty nice, though a little... intimidating."

Ozpin leaned in. "It's nothing more than psychological warfare," he said. "Try not to let it unnerve you; it's what they want after all."

Jaune laughed nervously. "Unnerved? Who's unnerved?"

Ozpin smiled at him. "That's the spirit. Now if you'll excuse me, there are a couple of people I need to find. Enjoy your time at the party."

"Bye Mister Ozpin!" Ruby called out, waving as he walked away. "Alright! I'm going to go find Yang and Blake. I'll talk to you guys later! And thanks again for the info, Coco!"

"My pleasure," Coco said warmly. "Try not to get knocked out before our big match in the Championships."

Ruby nodded and hurried off, looking for Yang and Blake. She found them on the far end of the dinner talking with Shia Kajima, who Blake's family had housed during her studies abroad in America. Shia noticed Ruby and waved, smiling at her as she approached. A tall, young man with a long blonde ponytail almost as long as Yang's hair sat next to Shia, a glass of juice in his hand. He seemed very outgoing and confident, and from Coco's description, he must've been Shia's brother, Wilfrid.

"Ah, there you are Ruby," Blake said as she popped up beside her "We were just talking about you and how you've been helping me modify the 00 Quanta Shia."

"Oh yeah, we're almost done!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly. "Blake just finished the new paint job, and I've almost finished with its new weapons."

Shia gave Ruby a curious look. "New weapons?"

"Blake is still sorta new to Gunpla Battle, and I wanted to give her the best edge I could. So I'm adding an additional SD Exia shield to the side of her GN Sword III, to give it greater defense and protection for the weapon on the right side while the 00 Quanta shield helps with defense on the left."

Shia nodded, thinking. "So what do you plan on calling your new Gundam?"

"The 00 Quanta Bella," Blake replied. "Not just because my last name is Belladonna, but also because it means 'beautiful' in Italian, which perfectly fits the machine you gave me." She looked away, blushing. "I still can't believe you just gave it to me though…"

Shia smiled cutely and cocked her head to the side. "You don't need to worry; I rebuilt it. I decided to combine it with the 00 Quanta's Full Saber."

"I'm surprised Shia," Wilfrid commented. "You're not normally this talkative with rivals unless they happen to be Sekai Kamiki of course."

"That's because Sekai's not my rival, obviously," Shia said happily. "This time he's my partner. Plus you guys are all my friends."

"Wait, Sekai's your partner?" Yang asked, startled for a moment before getting excited. "Oh hell yeah!"

Ruby giggled embarrassedly at her sister's reaction. Shia gave Yang a funny look. "You know Sekai?"

"They were training together at Yang's mother's dojo," Blake explained. "They got into a sparring match, which Sekai won. But the match was so intense that it sparked a little something in Yang."

Wilfrid nodded, closing his eyes. "Yes, he does tend to have that effect on people. He did that to me, becoming the one person besides the Meijin that I think I could fight earnestly against." He looked up at Ricardo, Kyrus, and the large crowd of other talented world-class fighters in the room. "Although this year I think Sekai might just be the tip of the iceberg."

Ruby looked at him, puzzled. "Why do you say that?"

He looked at Ruby with an excited glimmer in his eye. "Because Sei Iori is rejoining the competitive circuit. I had heard he was coming out of temporary retirement early for this tournament, but it has only just now occurred to me that I could be fighting him. The Meijin's rival and two-time World Championship winner. It seems that the tournament will be even more competitive than I originally expected."

Shia playfully rolled her eyes at her brother. She knew Wilfrid's excitement wouldn't be contained. "Don't forget that Sekai's also entering the Grand Melee for the World Tournament."

Wilfrid chuckled to himself. "How could I? But my personal rival deserves special attention, and I've upgraded Transient Gundam Glacier in preparation."

Yang clasped her hands excitedly. "Oh this is gonna be epic, I can't wait! Hey Shia, If you and Sekai meet Blake and me in the tournament, don't expect us to go easy on you!"

Shia smiled pleasantly. "I would expect nothing less." She glanced at Blake. "Show me how beautiful your 00 Quanta Bella is when we fight, okay?"

Blake nodded. "I can't wait to show you." She beamed at the idea of showing off her new Gundam, almost as wide as the one she had given Yang when she'd asked her out. Plus it warmed her heart to see Blake be more open and talkative than she normally was. Not to mention she knew her partner was not exactly comfortable in this kind of environment due to her experience, or rather her lack thereof.

"Ruby!"

The small group turned to see Weiss approaching them, her sister Winter by her side. Winter walked bluntly yet with poise, practically glaring around the room with an intimidating look that rivaled even Cinder's cruel gaze. Aside from the clear resemblance, the two could not be any more different, the irony of which amused both Yang and Ruby.

Weiss stood proudly and presented her older sister in all of her uniformed glory. "I would like to formally introduce you to Lieutenant Winter Schnee of the United States Marine Corps. Winter, this is Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, Shia Kajima, and my partner for the Doubles Tournament, Ruby Rose."

Shia bowed respectfully. "It's a privilege to meet you. This is my older brother, Wilfrid."

Wilfrid stood and offered his hand to Winter, who shook it firmly. "Weiss has told me all about you Wilfrid. It's an honor."

"The honor is mine, Lieutenant," Wilfrid responded. Winter gave him a curious look before her expression softened slightly. The change did not go unnoticed, and Yang elbowed Blake with a mischievous grin.

Winter then turned to Ruby. "So, you are the esteemed partner my sister has chosen to fight alongside." She looked Ruby up and down. "That you are here at all speaks highly of your ability in a Gunpla Battle. Do not disappoint her, or me for that matter. I hope to see great things from you."

Weiss glanced at Ruby, who bit her lip nervously. "Oh! Don't worry, sir. I - Uhh.. I mean ma'am. I mean... " Ruby continued to stumble over her words.

"Ruby, you dolt, you're embarrassing me!" Hissed Wiess, interrupting Ruby's stammering.

"I'm sorry! I don't know what I should call her!"

Winter cracked a small smile at their childlike antics. "Winter is perfectly fine. While Captain Ironwood and Commander Fynn might stand on formality, I prefer not to when amongst friends and family."

Ruby sighed in relief. "Oh good."

"Hey! Shia!"

An angry bellow startled the group. Fumina was marching towards them, with Yuuma on her heels, attempting unsuccessfully to calm her down. "What's this I hear about Sekai being your partner?! Is this why he bailed on practice the other day?"

Blake glanced at Shia, who turned and closed her eyes as if to ignore Fumina. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Liar!" Fumina gritted her teeth, her hands balling into fists. "You… you manipulated him! Kidnapped him! Brainwashed him!"

Shia gave her a sideways glance. "And what makes you say that?" She turned back to Fumina and continued in a passive-aggressive tone. "It's not my fault he's more interested in me than you."

Yuuma looked terrified, as Fumina visibly began to shake. "Shia… I'm going to destroy you if you don't take that back…"

"Take what back?" She smirked and winked at Fumina.

Fumina began to growl, looking as if she was about to murder Shia. Yang blinked, confused. "Did we get stuck in the middle of a war, here?" She whispered.

Winter looked at Wilfrid. "Are they always like this?"

Wilfrid nodded, amused. "My little sister looks innocent, but that's one of the many mistakes people make."

Shia scowled at her older brother. "Rude."

"Don't think you're safe at all here," Fumina warned. "I'm not going to lose to you. Or Gyanko. Or anyone."

"Maybe not in Gunpla Battle. But it'll be a different story when it comes to Sekai." Her innocent smile returned, but there was a strikingly evil glint in her eye as she held Fumina's gaze.

"Fumi-chan, perhaps we should simmer down a bit," Yuuma urged. "We'll make a bigger scene."

Fumina reluctantly stood down, but never took her eyes off Shia. "You're right. We have preparations to make." After what seemed like a long while, she finally walked away in a huff, Shia playfully waving her goodbye. Yuuma bowed hastily in apology before hurrying after her into the crowd.

"Is Sekai your boyfriend? Or Fumina's?" Blake asked, confused.

Shia looked at her and smiled. "Hmmm... I wonder."

"So, uhh… that was a thing." Yang watched Fumina walk away, then grinned. "Sounds like there's going to be more than one super motivated team here."

"You've made quite interesting friends, Weiss," Winter commented, looking over the group with a slightly amused look.

Ruby laughed and looked at Weiss. "And you thought I was going to embarrass you."

"You do embarrass me, you idiot!"

The chiming of a fork on a wine glass caused everyone to simmer down. All eyes turned to the window, where a tall man with dark skin and thick curled black hair stood with the Meijin.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending this year's gala," the man began. "For those of you who are new to the tournaments, my name is Nils Yakima, chief engineer of Nielsen Labs. Since the Plavsky Particle Incident eight years ago, my wife and I have been working tirelessly with my team to create an even more authentic and incredible experience for Gunpla Battlers worldwide."

"This year, I am pleased to announce that my team has revolutionized the sport even further, making great strides with an enhanced version of the Plavsky Particle emission system that should provide more reactive response times and overall faster pace Gunpla battles."

"The Doubles Tournament will be when we get a chance to test this system publicly, with the hope of providing new synthetic Plavsky Particle crystals to every business with a Battle Station within the year."

Ruby listened with bated breath but grew concerned when he saw the look on Ozpin's face, who glanced at Salem. The blonde woman wore a pleased expression; perhaps this was good news for her new business?

"That being said," the Meijin added, "the spirit of Gunpla Battle will only improve as we move forward into a brighter future! The first-ever Doubles Tournament starts in just a few days, and I expect to see you put your hearts and souls into your upcoming competitions! Let this eve of battle be your time to enjoy yourselves. I hope to see you fight like your very lives are on the line, and show our fans around the world your passion for Gunpla!"

A cheer rose from the crowd as everyone lifted their glasses in salute. Every person in the room felt the atmosphere shift positively.

The last day of preparation had begun. The final bits of training and fine-tuning would be crucial for everyone. Soon, all of these friends would become intense rivals, and the battles that ensued would be explosive.

Ruby glanced at Weiss, who had a determined expression, but she met Ruby's eyes and smiled and nodded. They were ready. And they couldn't wait to get started.