AN: Hello, everyone! Alpha here. The tournament is now upon us, and I can easily say that this was one of the more challenging chapters to write. With so many characters to use and show off-and several that haven't been fully introduced, including some fan favorites, I struggled to figure out how to do it.
Ultimately, I decided to do this chapter into several small short stories that are all taking place within the time frame of about an hour or so. This let me jump around and have some small interactions, covering multiple scenarios all at once.
The next chapter is the first battle, featuring my editor Kyrus's two main OCs from other RWBY fan projects that I've injected into this story. I had a lot of fun writing them, as Kyrus has just as much fun editing their lines, so I'm looking forward to showcasing them.
But that will have to wait until the next chapter. For now, enjoy this one!
Kyrus sat, watching as his sister gently sanded the last little detail of her Barbatos Lupus. She had a knack for Gunpla building that he lacked, a finesse he admired and appreciated. Thanks to her skills at crafting the Gunpla and his piloting it, Kyrus had been crowned Australian National Champion three times and had come so close twice to winning the World Championship.
He looked down at his Gunpla, the Unicorn Gundam Chimera, and thought. This machine had taken him so far, and he hated the idea of retiring it, but this Doubles Tournament was going to be its last voyage in the public eye. He had higher aspirations and a new idea that Io and he had managed to think of.
"Brooding?"
His sister's voice tore him from his thoughts, and he turned and looked at her with a smile. "Hardly. Just reminiscing. Thinking about all the good times I've had with Chimera."
"That's the same thing," Io replied, never taking her eyes off her work. "It's not like we're selling it to a junk dealer. You'll always have it to fall back on."
The man let out a deep sigh before setting Chimera down on the coffee table. "I suppose you're right." A glint flashed in his golden eyes as an excited smile crept across his face. "I'm getting restless, Io. This Doubles tournament is going to be the most fun I've had in a while."
"Aren't you a little old to fight with kids?" Her eyes flicked up to give him a stern glance. "Aside from a few, you'll probably tear through them."
Kyrus sat back on his couch. "The winning team gets to fight in the World Championship Battle Royale. If they can't keep up with me, they won't take on Ricardo or the Meijin. Hell, I heard rumors that Sei Iori is coming back."
"You're already in the Battle Royale, though. I don't see a point in this."
Kyrus grinned excitedly. "For the sheer joy of it! Why else do you play Gunpla?"
Before she could respond, a knock at the door interrupted them. Kyrus and Io shared a look, both of them confused. Neither of them was expecting company.
Kyrus pulled himself up and headed for the door, opening it to a familiar face. He beamed as he noticed Ricardo Fellini, standing with his usual relaxed and laid back expression across his face. "Well, well, well. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes! What brings the World Champ here to visit a lowly commoner such as I?"
Ricardo smirked and put a hand on his hip. "Sarcastic as ever, Mio Amico," Ricardo replied. "We didn't have a chance to catch up at the party. Figured no was a better time than any."
Kyrus stood aside and welcomed Ricardo in with an exaggerated gesture, who rolled his amusement eyes. He greeted Io, who merely raised her hand for a moment before returning to her work.
"Forgive my little sister- You know how antisocial she gets in front of other people."
"Piss off."
Ricardo couldn't help but chuckle. "Ah, you two are always so fun." He crossed their room and plopped into one of the chairs, watching as Kyrus went to the small fridge to grab some beverages. "So, the Doubles tournament, huh?"
Kyrus shrugged as he pulled out some beverages for his guest. "Figured I could use a warm-up. All the participants seemed worth the hassle," He passed Ricardo his soda, with the former taking it with a grateful smile. "I've watched the recorded footage of their fights. They all got some promise."
Ricardo nodded, taking a sip with a faint smile as he enjoyed the refreshing taste. He recalled how powerful and skilled kids younger than some of the Doubles Tournament were when he entered the Seventh World Championship. Kids like the Meijin, Mao Yasaka, and Sei Iori.
And Reiji.
"Don't underestimate them just 'cause they're kids," he warned playfully. "Remember that I got my butt kicked by a couple of them a few times over the years."
Kyrus chuckled. "I remember watching that live. Io scolded me for how much I was laughing"
"Very funny," Ricardo shook his head but couldn't help chuckling with him. His rival's charismatic bluster was almost contagious. "So, you ready? The first round starts at one today."
Kyrus hummed in thought as he took a swig. "After this doubles tournament, I'm retiring Chimera. I'm hoping for an exhilarating fight-maybe against Pyrrha Nikos or that giant from Team Godslayer. I don't care; I just want to feel the thrill of the fight." His grin broadened with excitement. "And once the World Tournament comes round, I'll unleash Io's newest masterpiece for everyone to see."
His focus shifted back to Ricardo with a playful glare. "Then, I'm coming for that crown of yours, Fellini."
Io sighed and set her tools down, packing her Barbatos Lupus into its carrying case. "Oh. We're doing this again. Lovely."
Ricardo laughed. He didn't show it, but Kyrus' challenge got him pumped up for the world tournament all over again. Ricardo had no idea what this masterpiece was, but knowing Io, It's bound to turn some heads. As the Italian champ finished his drink, he stood up and gestured for Kyrus to follow. "Come on. Let's go mingle with the competition."
"By all means, lead on." The Alexander siblings tailed Ricardo as they left the room. The champion could feel the energy coming from Kyrus. It only reaffirmed him that this was going to be a fairly exciting tournament.
"Sacre bleu!" Jaune cried out as he and Pyrrha entered the stadium. "This is...amazing!"
Pyrrha smiled at her boyfriend's star-struck expression. Jaune was instead taken aback by the sight of so many participants. While many of them were going to be fighting in the Doubles Tournament, there was a large number that likely was either technical advisors, backup pilots, builders, and sponsors, or was competing in the World Championship and merely wished to mingle with those in the Doubles.
He spotted several key players, including Coco, standing to the side being interviewed by Mirai Kamiki, who Jaune had seen on television as its main face. Velvet was nearby, taking their pictures with a smile on her face.
He noticed a man who sent chills down his spine. He was quite a pale man, with a dark brown ponytail braided to resemble a scorpion's tail. He had an almost unhinged smile on his face as his golden orbs scanned the stadium as if locating his next prey.
"Hey, why don't we try and find Nora and Ren and the others?" Pyrrha suggested, drawing Jaune's attention back to her. "We might not get a chance until the end of the day to hang out with them."
"Good idea." Jaune took her hand and began leading them deeper into the masses. Pyrrha blushed from the gesture, still not used to the public display, but enjoying it nonetheless.
Fortunately, they didn't have far to look. It was hard to miss the boisterous and hearty laugh; Yang let out when she thought something was funny. She and Blake were with Ruby and Team Try Fighters and two other boys about their age. Yuuma Kousaka and one of the newcomers seemed to be in a hot debate.
"Oh man, you guys are really into it, huh?" Yang asked. "Who are these guys?"
Jaune looked the two over. One of the newcomers was bald, with a giant grin and his hands shoved into his blue hoodie with a casual look. The other, a brown-haired boy with a massive ego and a cocky smirk, simply shrugged at the question.
"You are looking at two of the best builders in the world, Blondie," the brown-haired boy said. "Name's Minato Sakai, and this is my partner Sansoro Sato. We're Team Shingyo, the best builders you're going to see here, from the Shingyo School of Gunpla Building." He shot a look at Yuuma. "I was just telling Yuuma here that he should just quit now, 'cause his Gunpla isn't going even to make it past the first round."
"I think you forgot who won the last Meijin Cup we were in, Minato," Yuuma shot back. "You can keep telling yourself whatever you want, but Fumina and I will beat you, with or without Sekai on our team."
He waved Yuuma off dismissively. "You say that, but since he wins all your battles for you, I doubt you'll even make a dent in your first opponents."
Sansoro slumped next to Minato, looked up at him with a lazy and amused expression. "Hey, hey, maybe they will. I mean, he did blow up Gundam Tryon III when you were on the Build Breakers last year, and that was, like your best kit."
Minato stamped his foot down angrily as he turned at his partner. "Hey, who's side are you on?! And it was Build Busters, and he didn't beat me by himself!"
Sansoro shrugged and turned to walk off. "Whatever you say. But he did bust the Busters…"
Yang let out another laugh. "Wow, I like this guy."
Minato growled, before turning back at Yuuma. "You better not embarrass yourself before I get the chance, Yuuma." He then turned to Fumina, his expression softening and a charming smile crossing his face. "Then, maybe, afterward, you and I can go grab lunch or something, Fumina."
She shook her head, not sure whether to laugh or be angry at Minato's continued persistence. "I appreciate it, but I think I'll pass…"
"Just think about it, and get back to me." He turned and followed Sansoro, causing Yuuma to sigh as he left their presence.
"Friends of yours?" Jaune asked, curious.
Fumina laughed nervously, trying to find a way to explain without sounding overly mean. "Kind of…"
Yuuma shook his head. "No. Minato is constantly trying to outdo me in the Gunpla building. We have been competing for years to see who was the best builder. The Shingyo Gunpla School is one of the most famous places to learn model building, and the techniques used to create Gunpla are second to none. But, while I don't care much about competing with Minato specifically, he makes it a point to make everything a contest. It's annoying."
"So, you guys ready?" Ruby asked cheerfully, changing the subject. "The lot of drawing starts soon."
Pyrrha nodded excitedly. "It's been a long time since I've been on a public stage like this. I'm looking forward to this."
"Yeah, and Pyrrha even helped me build a new Gunpla for the tournament," Jaune added, removing the small black case from his belt and giving it to Ruby to look at. "I'm excited to see how it'll perform."
Ruby opened the case up and gently pulled out the new model. She blinked at the design; Pyrrha and Jaune had combined the RX-78-6 Gundam Mudrock with the RX-78-7 Full Armor Gundam 7th in its overall concept, though many parts seemed inspired by the kits otherwise were custom built. The heavy armor was offset by leg armor featuring large thrusters inspired by the Blu Duel Gundam that Jaune used for his last Gunpla, and the head was the same Pale Rider one found on the Duel Cavalier Pale, with the GM Sniper II visor. It was still painted in grey, white, and gold.
"Whoa...talk about heavy support," she said as she turned it over. It had both of Mudrock's beam cannons on its backpack, the Gundam 7th's beam rifle and shield, and she noted that Jaune had kept the Pale Rider's beam guns on its wrists for added close-range defensive fire. "It's even more impressive than the last one."
"Especially since it's not a kitbash. Well, not fully." Jaune rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. One of the biggest things he wanted to do was make his Gunpla, not connect parts from kits together as the Duel Cavalier Pale had been.
This new Gunpla had numerous modifications to all the parts and many unique pieces to connect everything fluidly and keep it unobstructed in movement. Jaune was happy with how it came out and was grateful for Pyrrha's tutelage.
Pyrrha smiled happily at the Gunpla as Ruby returned it to its case. "He worked very hard on it over the last week. I heard that Nora added some additional things to Gusion Rebake Magnhild, and I believe Ren was convinced to use some kind of beam pistols on the Gundam Lotus Dragon."
"Yeah, he modified a few weapons from Gundam Pixie to use with his Gunpla," Weiss said. "He wanted to give himself greater range options, and Gundam Pixie's guns also have beam daggers attached to them, so that'll be a bonus."
Yuuma had looked over the construction of the new Gunpla Jaune had made, and as Jaune took the case back, he turned to him. "Does it have a name?"
Jaune blushed, now even more embarrassed. "Um...I couldn't think of one. So, I just call it Chevalier Blanc. It means White Knight in French."
Fumina smiled. "I like it. It's not going to be an easy target to take down. You put a lot of work into that armor."
Ruby perked up and reached into her pocket. "Oh! Yang, here!"
Her sister turned to her as she held out a flash drive. Confused, Yang casually took it. "What's this?"
"That's the new parts for your Gunpla. Just plug them into a 3D printer, and you can make replacement parts." Ruby looked at the flash drive in thought. "Once the tournament starts, we're enemies. I can't help you fix your Gunpla, but that drive will give you all the tools and pieces you'll need to fix it yourself, from the ground up, if need be. You'll need to do the detailing, but otherwise, you're all set."
Yang looked at the drive, concern creasing her brow. "But...I've only ever built specific parts from Shining, God, and Duel Gundams, and Nobell's head. I've never even finished a Gunpla that wasn't Burning Echelon. I don't know if I can-"
"Yang, you can do this." Ruby smiled at her big sister. "If you can build one part, you can build any part! And I simplified the design, but I included more complex variations for you to try out that'll greatly improve performance. You got this."
"I can help with the detailing," Blake offered. "Don't worry."
Yang closed her fist around the flash drive and nodded. "Okay. Thanks. I appreciate it."
"So, you built a new Gunpla too?" Fumina asked. "Was Burning Echelon not good enough?"
Yang shook her head. "No. I had another Gunpla in the works for a while, but I didn't know what it lacked until I fought Sekai and Adam. But after the fight with Adam, Ruby helped me realize the pieces I needed to make it functional." She grinned and kissed the fist that held the flash drive. "Now, this thing'll be one of the strongest Gunplas in the tournament, mark my words, and I can knock Sekai's block off for real!"
"That'll be a sight to see," Yuuma admitted. "I think he could use a little humility beaten into him. Maybe you'll be the one to do it."
"C'mon, let's head for the stage," Pyrrha suggested. "We still have a bit, but more of the contestants will be over there. Nora and Ren might be there too."
Nora was grinning like a maniac as she glanced around at the many people before her. The energy was electrifying; many of these people she had met during the dinner party a few days ago, but now, here, they were all about to get into one of the biggest tournaments in the world of Gunpla.
She saw so many familiar faces, but she hadn't paid enough attention to remember their names.
Her excitement turned to almost evil intent as she thought about how good their Gunpla would sound being crushed by Gusion Magnhild's giant Warhammer. She rubbed her hands together excitedly as she told herself that nobody would even lay a scratch on her brilliant pink paint job and that she and Ren would take this tournament, no problem.
She looked at her boyfriend, who seemed to be meditating as he leaned against the stage, arms crossed and deep in thought. "Hey Ren, you think we're gonna have to fight Pyrrha and Jaune or any of the others?"
He nodded slightly. "It's possible."
"Well, I say bring 'em all on! I'll pancake all of them!" She defiantly raised her fist and grinned. She paused for a moment before turning to Ren. "You think we can get some actual pancakes after this?"
Ren sighed but didn't open his eyes. "I suppose."
"Yes!" She jumped and cried out happily, wrapping her arms around Ren and pulling off balance and a joyful kiss. He blinked in surprise, but couldn't help but let out a low chuckle at her enthusiasm.
"You seem confident."
A deep voice spoke from behind them, and both Ren and Nora looked up to see a giant, muscle-bound man looking down on them. His thick German accent colored his words as he spoke, and his gentle, passive eyes flicked from one teen to the other as he appraised them. "I'm Hazel. A pleasure."
Nora grinned. "Wow, you're huge!"
"Nora, be respectful," Ren said passively. "My name is Lie Ren. This is my girlfriend and partner, Nora Valkyrie."
Nora gave Hazel a casual smile. "Sup?"
Hazel chuckled at the teens. "I assume you are members of the Doubles Tournament?"
"Yup! We're Team Flower Power!" Nora pounded her chest proudly, standing tall while beaming.
Hazel raised an eyebrow at Ren, who merely shrugged. "My Gunpla is the Gundam Lotus Dragon. I couldn't think of a better name. So we went with it."
"I see. It's good to see the next generation taking such an interest in this sport."
An uneasy silence fell over them. Nora glanced between her boyfriend and the newcomer, before blurting out, "So! You participate in the Doubles or the World Championship?"
"The Doubles matches, under Team Godslayer," Hazel replied. "So, we might end up fighting soon."
Nora gave him a confident grin. "Oh, you better believe it! I'm going to break the legs of anyone who gets in our way!"
He nodded to the two of them, a small smile on his face. He glanced up behind them, catching sight of Watts waving him over. "I must go get ready. Good luck."
"You, as well," Ren said, bowing respectfully as Hazel walked away.
Nora waited for him to get out of earshot before leaning over to Ren. "Who was that? He left so fast."
"The German National Champion," Ren replied. "He's not a big talker."
Nora lit up. "What?! Why didn't you tell me! I wanted his autograph!"
"There'll be plenty of time to collect autographs, Nora. Think about today. There are a lot of people here, all of them challenging. We need to focus on getting-"
"Getting their autographs, right? We can take them out once we have swag!" Nora grinned again.
Ren sighed. "No, Nora. Focus on getting to the second round."
"And then, autographs?" She asked, hopefully.
Ren closed his eyes and nodded with a slight smile. "Yes. And then, autographs."
"Ja!" She jumped up happily with her fists in the air. "Watch out, world, Flower Power's coming for ya!"
Ozpin looked over the tournament bracket for the first round one last time on his tablet. With Arkos, White Rose, Bumblebee, and Flower Power all registered and being sponsored by him or Glynda, the chances of managing to knock Team Godslayer out of the fight was high.
Still, what he had learned about Godslayer didn't put his mind at ease. They had redundant members of their team; of one, Gunpla was too severely damaged, so one of the other members could step in. Hazel Rainart and a man named Tyrian Callows were their starting lineup, but they also had Arthur Watts registered as a backup and Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai.
Qrow and Mister Ral each sat on a couch provided to the booth overlooking the tournament floor. Qrow had gathered intel on all of the participants, but Ozpin was only focused on Godslayer.
The two were quiet as he read, glancing at each other expectantly. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Ozpin spoke.
"An interesting assortment of players." He closed the bracket. "Run me by what you have found thus far."
Qrow sighed heavily as he collected his thoughts. "Well, Hazel's the heavy hitter of the team. The German Champ, ex-professional wrestler until he had a career-ending injury, cashed in on his popularity by jumping into Gunpla Battle. He uses a custom Bolt Gundam mixed with some AGE-1 Titus parts, perfect for grappling opponents.
"Cinder Fall, real name Cynthia Fallen, until she legally changed it. Likes using psycommu system suits like the Qubeley and stuff. Pretty much a clean slate. She's gained popularity very quickly and is seen as a favorite for winning the World Championship this year. Aside from some notes of her being a bit sadistic in battle, there's not much there.
"Next, you got Arthur Watts. He's serving as the repair guy and technical advisor for Godslayer. I worked for PPSE for about nine years before parting, though I don't know why he left. His records are spotless."
"I feel like I see a pattern," Ral said as Qrow paused to take a whiskey sip.
"Yeah. Mercury Black's also clean. Ex security guard, though he seems to have dabbed in some MMA fighting for a minor circuit in the states. He just kind of dropped off the grid a few years ago. Blake and Yang had a run-in with him and Emerald yesterday with Blake's ex. They told me he used a Gundam Vidar mixed with Kiramis Vidar and had a Full Armor Thunderbolt Gundam motif. Sekai Kamiki took him and Emerald down in a two v one fight.
"Interestingly, his partner Emerald does have a record. She was arrested, ironically, by Mercury for petty theft and shoplifting. Now, she's for some reason working with him. She likes a custom Bawoo with a Mirage Colloid system. But other than that, I couldn't find a trace on her."
"And what about Tyrian Callows?" Ozpin looked up at Qrow. "You have nothing here on him."
"That's because he doesn't exist," Qrow responded with a shrug. "No birth certificate, no registered address, no browser history, nothing. I'm guessing it's an alias or something, but even facial recognition came up with nada. He's not in the system at all."
Ral shook his head. "I'm afraid I've never seen him in the Gunpla community, either. I can put out feelers, see if some of my old associates know of him, but…"
"No, don't bother," Ozpin said. "It's in all likelihood that you won't find him on any database. At least, not here on Earth."
Ral perked up. "You mean, he might be from Arian?"
Qrow closed his eyes, relieved that it wasn't a failure on his part. "Well, that would explain it, all right."
"I cannot be completely sure, though." Ozpin thought back to a council meeting he had had. "Several years ago, a provocateur was going by the name of Scorpius. We later found out that his name was Tyrion, though we never had a photo ID of him."
He looked at Tyrian Callows' registration photograph. "Considering Scorpius's primary preaching point of continuing to avoid contact with Earth, it would make sense that Tyrion-or Tyrian Callows here, depending on which spelling you want to go with-would gravitate towards an anti-Earth reunification supporter such as Salem Autry."
Ral sat forward and watched Ozpin. "You never told us why Arian chose not to repair their communication array or expose themselves to be found by Earth. Wouldn't it have been easier to get help? And why are they so opposed to the idea?"
Ozpin sighed. "Perhaps. To be honest, though, as I stated before, the colonists knew help from Earth would be unlikely, even in the best scenarios. Being years away from the planet meant that assistance was unlikely. As for why they chose to hide, that was more a matter of necessity. The ship had a weakened section of the hull that was getting bombarded with cosmic radiation. The longer it stayed on the sunny side of Mars, the more health issues cropped up in workers on that section of the ship. Hiding behind the planet helped curb health issues.
"Since the comm array was repaired for short-range communication-namely surface stations like water collectors and solar battery chargers, Arian-talk began to re-establish contact with Earth, but it was ultimately deemed a waste of resources since it was too far to send any ship. And since our settlement from Earth's eyes failed, earth focused on colonizing the Moon instead and mostly left Mars alone besides rovers. We were self-sufficient and didn't need to contact you until the Mashitas, and Prince Reiji all came down. Once we realized the Arista crystals could bridge the gap, we thought it best to consider contacting you to avoid accidental incidents. Sadly, we were indecisive enough to not notice or stop Salem from leaving, and I've been trying to figure out her plan ever since. Until now."
"She made it pretty obvious," Qrow noted. "So, what do we do?"
"There's nothing we can do." Ozpin looked down at Tyrian, studying him as he studied the contestants. There was an eager, almost maniacal excitement in his eyes. It made Ozpin uneasy.
"For now, we hope Ruby and her friends, and all of the others in the tournaments, are strong enough to knock Godslayer out of the running. And if they don't, we hope someone can at least stop Cinder in the World Championship."
"Steep odds. Not sure I like it." Qrow sipped his drink again. "Then again, I'm not sure I like anything you told us."
"That's the price of knowledge, I'm afraid." Ozpin turned to face the two. "Fortunately, with the Gunpla Referees now informed, we can hopefully nip any issues in the bud."
Ral looked down at the gathering contestants. "It's up to them now. With luck, we won't have to rely on them…"
Weiss felt a certain unease as her older sister overlooked Gyan Noblesse Oblige. Winter was known for being exceptionally critical of things she didn't perceive as "perfect." For the longest time, Weiss had refrained from showing her the Gunpla out of worry.
"Hmmm… a strong and consistent modification of the Gyan Kreiger," Winter noted, turning it over in her hand gently. "Exceptional detail...though I feel the left wrist is slightly loose."
"That is by design, to help with a more fluid range of motion while fighting," Weiss explained. "I figured, since I'm left-handed, it would make sense to use the saber in the left hand."
Winter judged Weiss's reasoning silently, which only rang louder in the younger Schnee's mind, but she said nothing about it. "The Sleeves motif seems unnecessary, but it is an excellent quality of craftsmanship. I am curious about the choice of metallic baby blue for the emblems' color, rather than the traditional white or gold."
"Personal preference." She smiled happily, knowing that Winter, too, liked the more elegant look of Sleeves Gunpla.
"Interesting. And the newly modified rapier you designed for it, and customized rose-themed Sazabi bits?"
Weiss beamed. "I like the versatility the bits afford me, and after watching Ricardo Fellini fight as many times as I have, I became inspired to try and make my weapon that was somewhat based on his beam saber. However, knowing many of the machines here might feature anti-beam coating, I opted for a more traditional weapon. I used the G-Xiphos's melee weapon as the base. I call it Myrtenaster. It's fully functional as a beam firing weapon, featuring a beam pistol modified into the sword and a thin barrel running the dagger's length."
"How inspired," Winter replied dispassionately, handing the Gyan back to Weiss. "You've given this a lot of thought. Although, I am curious as to why you've obsessed over Ricardo Fellini."
Weiss couldn't help but scoff and roll her eyes. "It's not me who is obsessing. It's Ruby. I just happen to get sucked into her ridiculousness and am forced to watch her as she drools over his fights. I figured I might as well make something useful to come out of this."
Winter, in an uncharacteristic and exceedingly rare move, chuckled slightly, though she composed herself quickly.
"So, Winter, you and Wilfrid seemed to get along pretty well…"
Winter shot a harsh glare at her younger sister, who simply smiled innocently in return. "Wilfrid Kijima is five years younger than me. I can't believe you'd insinuate-"
"I didn't insinuate, dear sister," Weiss teases, "I merely pointed out that he's a pretty handsome man with a high-class pedigree and lofty ambitions."
Winter scoffed. "He's closer to your age than mine. If you find him so attractive, perhaps you should date him."
Weiss shrugged. "A twenty-year-old dating a seventeen-year-old high school student? Oh, Father would have a hissy fit. Think of the scandal!"
Winter smirked slightly. "Only if you get caught." She glanced across the room, spotting Jaune, Pyrrha, Ruby, and Yang talking near a vendor stand. "Besides, I could think of worse people to invest your energy on."
Weiss gave her a puzzled look before tracing her eyes to Jaune. A heavy blush spread across her porcelain features. "Please! Jaune was heavily infatuated before, but he has Pyrrha, now!"
"And yet-"
Weiss stamped her foot down. "If you finish that sentence, I might have to disown you, dear sister."
Winter avoided her gaze, looking slyly ahead, as If the poster advertising the tournaments was more interesting to see. "If you say so."
Weiss loved her older sibling very much, but times like these made her question the "serious ice queen" demeanor she was known for. Few people saw Winter's more mischievous side. Fewer still were victims to it.
"You should go meet your partner," Winter said, shocking Weiss out of her thoughts. "The Tournament bracket lots will be drawn soon, and I need to find Captain Ironwood and Commander Fynn." She turned and offered her hand, which Weiss accepted. "Good luck, Weiss. You may need it."
Weiss's competitive edge came out in her confident smile. "I was about to say the same thing to you."
"The stage is set."
Watts' voice pulled Salem's attention away from the amassing candidates. She turned and faced the mustached man sitting on the couch. Cinder was standing behind him, watching the provided television. The news coverage of the event was being streamed worldwide, with many sport and esport networks covering it.
Amanita Peach and Peter Port, the English country announcers, mostly targeting North American audiences, discussed the favorites and the exciting matchups that could be pulled out of the lottery system today. Cinder watched, pondering.
"Ozpin has four different teams entered in this tournament," she noted. "Seems like he doesn't trust just one to get the job done."
"Oz has always been the one to air on the side of caution," Salem replied, "but besides Pyrrha Nikos, I don't see any of the others who could stand to us." She turned to Watts. "You're certain everything is in place?"
"There's no doubt." Watts nodded reassuringly, holding a tablet in hand. "I programmed the Battle System for PPSE. I left a back door into the system specifically for uses like this. And, it helps that every fight in the tournament is randomized for the Doubles tournament. The World Championship, however, is another matter. We'll have to rely on Cinder's skill alone."
"That won't be a problem," Cinder replied confidently.
Salem took in the information. It was just as Watts had suggested. Getting the controller to change the Doubles tournament format was easy; it was the first of its kind, and the rules were ill-defined. The World Championship would be watched like a hawk, so they'd need to win the old fashioned way.
Watts gave Salem a suspicious look. "You look troubled."
"Not troubled," Salem answered, turning back to their press box window, "thoughtful. As long as we control the system, we control who wins. It's just surprising that Ozpin's waited this long and hasn't done anything."
"He has nothing on us," Cinder said without turning to face her.
"She's right, you know. And even if he did, he cannot make a legal move against us without evidence." Watts smirked. "And that gives us the edge. Even if we get caught, the back door has a failsafe that will destroy that code line before anyone finds it. I've taken every digital footprint precaution. Without proof, the most he could do is launch a baseless accusation."
"Be careful not to let your arrogance cloud your abilities, Arthur," Salem warned. "Greater men let their pride spell their doom. You should remember that."
Watts was silent for a moment before nodding. "Of course. The fact remains, though-if we get to at least the third round, Tyrian and Hazel can finish off the rest."
"I hope you're right." Salem inhaled slowly and exhaled as the fighters began lining up to pull lots from a machine. A smile crept across her face in anticipation. "Get ready to work your magic."
"With pleasure," Watts responded, beginning to type on his tablet with increased enthusiasm.
Ruby and Weiss felt lost in a sea of humanity. The mass of people swallowed up blake, Yang, and the others as they entered the main stage, and the two had to hold hands to keep from being separated. They were also too short to see anyone, which Weiss had refused to admit, but the fact was undeniable.
They noticed many of the people they hadn't met yet mixed with those they had. Ciel and Penny were standing to their far-right. The big guy, Hazel, was like a mountain towering above the others. Kyrus Alexander and a girl they hadn't seen before were to their right. Fumina was glaring at Shia and Sekai, who were near the front, and Hathaway and his blind partner Jim were with four girls, though Ruby struggled to remember their names from when Coco introduced them the party.
Weiss gently hit Ruby's arm and pointed to their left, where Blake and Yang stood, talking with a pair of fighters they hadn't yet seen before.
"Those two are from Team White Wolf," Ruby said. "They were a pretty potent three-person team last year in the Tri Battle Tournament. They like using Zakus."
Weiss smiled. "Men of culture, I see. I wonder why we haven't seen them before."
Yang caught sight of Ruby and excused her and Blake from the conversation, approaching their friends as Team White Wolf took positions near the stage. "Sup?"
"We saw you were talking with those guys," Ruby said. "Do you know them?"
"Who, Kenshou, and Yoshiki? Nah," Yang replied with a mischievous grin. "They were just asking for our numbers."
Blake gave her a half-lidded smirk. "I stayed quiet and let her lead them on a bit. They caught on quickly, but not before we got a good chuckle out of it."
Weiss rolled her eyes. "Of course, you would."
Yang shrugged and was about to reply when the loudspeakers in the stadium sounded off. The entire crowd of ten thousand settled down, and all the contestants turned to see Mirai Kamiki, smiling happily in front of them.
"Good afternoon, everyone!" She cried out enthusiastically, "and welcome to the first round of the World Doubles Tournament! Over the next two weeks, we will be watching some of the world's best fighters go toe to toe in exciting two on two matches, with the grand prize being the winners being entered into the Battle Royals of the World Championship next month!"
She looked down at the assembled fighters. "This tournament has a unique set up in that every round will be determined entirely at random! So, every team that moves on will be fighting against one other team, but those teams may not be from the same bracket.
"Because of this, you all should prepare for whatever might get thrown at you, because your opponents won't be revealed until the day you are set to fight them!"
The crowd and contestants' murmurs echoed through the stadium, and while some seemed to express concern, Mirai could tell many of them were charged with excitement over this format.
Yang pumped her fist. "Alright! This is a true test of skill! No prep time, no problem!"
"It does seem rather unorthodox," Blake noted with concern.
"Perhaps, but I imagine that it'll probably draw in huge ratings," Weiss said. "From a certain standpoint, it makes sense."
Mirai smiled at the reaction. "Let's not keep you all in suspense! Generated randomly, here are the first matchups of the tournament!"
She waved her hand at the overhanging screens, which lit up with the tournament bracket. The team names were all in Japanese, save a few that couldn't be translated. "Hey, Ruby, you and Weiss are in the first match!" Yang said.
"Who are we fighting, though?" Weiss asked, squinting. "Team...Lionhearted?"
Ruby's eyes grew in a panic. "Oh now….," she shot a look over across the crowd. "Our first match…"
"Wait, Lionheart…." Blake thought for a moment. "That's-"
Ruby blinked several times, her brain had processed it already, yet she was having a difficult time believing
"But, that's the World Champ's rival!"
Her voice loud enough to rival the collective gossip of the crowd. Unbeknownst to her, from afar Kyrus has been watching them, his partner standing next to him.
"Well well…" A grin slowly appearing on his lips as he barely contained his enjoyment "This just got a lot more interesting~"
BIOS:
JAUNE'S GUNPLA
GUNDAM CHEVALIER BLANC
A customized variant of the RX-78-6 Gundam Mudrock with inspirations of the RX-78-7 Full Armor Gundam 7th, the Cavalier Blanc is a fully realized custom machine built by Jaune and Pyrrha. While the Duel Cavalier Pale mostly focused on long-range, with close-range considered a last resort primarily, the Chevalier Blanc aims to rectify this by hybridizing the incredible versatility of the Pale Rider (which Jaune opted to stick with for the arms and head, specifically for the HADES System) with the heavy defense of the Gundams he's used. He carried over the Pale Rider head from his last Gunpla to this one, complete with the GM Sniper II visor, to aid in long-range targeting.
The result is a long-range support mech that can easily outpace machines of its class and deal massive damage on the fly. Thanks to Pyrrha's armor optimization and choice modifications, the Chevalier Blanc can utilize HADES without the excessive strain on the Gunpla the Duel Cavalier Pale suffered from, maximizing Jaune's efficiency. At the same time, the system is activated without sacrificing defense.
The most exciting feature about this Gunpla is that Jaune is still working on its primary weapon. Though he is limited to what it can use right now, he hopes to have the finalized weapon set done by the second round of the tournament, provided he makes it that far.
KYRUS'S GUNPLA
GUNDAM UNICORN CHIMERA
A hybrid of the three Gundam Unicorn machines, Kyrus's Gunpla is a well known World Class contender. Using the body of the Unicorn Phenix (Narrative), the color scheme of the Unicorn Banshee, the red Psychoframe of the original Unicorn, and the full Perfectability package (minus the arm-mounted plasma cannon and standard Armed Armor claw, which both have been replaced with customized versions of the claw to allow usage of the Gunpla's hands), Kyrus Alexander has used the Unicorn Chimera in a vast majority of his matches over the years.
One of the few people who have challenged Ricardo Fellini, Kyrus, favors brute force and extreme speed, which the Unicorn units offer in spades. The Unicorn Chimera is a powerful and deadly opponent, capable of ripping other Gunpla to shreds in seconds if one is not careful. For ranged attacks, it uses the Banshee Norn's missile launcher-equipped beam magnum.
MIRAI KAMIKI
Age: 17
Height: 5'10"
Hair: Red
Eyes: Aqua
Mirai became the official announcer for the Gunpla Battle Commission last year when she replaced the original announcer due to her having morning sickness. While she had initially auditioned for the role and lost a contest to earn it, she suddenly found herself in the part of the face of Gunpla Battle and did such a fantastic job at it that it became a permanent position.
Mirai is the "host" for the Gunpla Tournaments. As Sekai's older sister, some might be concerned she might show favoritism to him or his friends, but she has proven to be impartial, though she secretly roots for them on the sidelines. Like Sekai, she is also practiced in the Jigen Haoh School of martial arts, though she rarely uses her skills.
IO ALEXANDER
Height: 5'7"
Age: 27
Hometown: Sidney, Australia
Hair: Black
Eyes: Gold
Team: Lionhearted
The younger sister of Kyrus Alexander, Io, is an apathetic and aloof woman who appears to care very little for the world around her. A talented Gunpla builder, she is more at home as her brother's Operator and maintenance crew, but for the Doubles tournament, she has opted to pick up a Gunpla of her own and fight with it.
IO'S GUNPLA
GUNDAM BARBATOS LUPUS
An otherwise unmodified Barbatos Lupus, II's machine is meant solely to support Kyrus. While the Barbatos Lupus is a powerful machine, II's inexperience in Gunpla Battle means she chose its high performance more to avoid direct combat, rather than engage in it directly.
She has the 200mm cannons Lupus uses on her arms and uses the Barbatos's longsword for close-range combat if needed. Still, her primary attack method is a long-barreled smoothbore cannon that the original Barbatos wielded for long-range support.
MINATO SAKAI
Age: 16
Height: 5'6"
Hometown: Kyoto, Japan
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Team: Shingyo
A bold and self-assured master builder from the Gunpla Shingyo School, Minato is well known in the Gunpla Grand Prix circuits as both the rival of Grand Prix and Meijin Cup veteran Yuuma Kousaka. He has trained at the same school that Gunpla World Championship contender Mao Yasaka came from, inflated his ego to extreme proportions.
His skills in Gunpla Battle are equally impressive, as he demonstrated by spearheading the team he joined Team Build Busters, during the Tri Battle Tournament last year. His skills are not to be underestimated, and his confidence is far from misplaced.
SANSORO SATO
Age: 16
Height: 5'8" (slouches to 5'4")
Hometown: Osaka, Japan
Hair: Bald
Eyes: Blue
Team: Shingyo
Another student of the Shingyo Gunpla Building School, Sansoro, is often seen as a bit of a mischievous troublemaker. Laidback and easygoing, he loves puns as much as he loves Gunpla. Unlike Minato, Sansoro has been studying directly under Mao Yasaka, wanting time to learn the inventive ways that have influenced his Gunpla building.
YOSHIKI UZUKI
Age: 19
Height: 5'10"
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: green
Team: White Wolf
One of the three Team White Wolf members, the team that represented the Gabai Institute the previous year in the Tri Battle Tournament, Yoshiki, is arrogant yet skilled at support style combat. In past years, he used a Zaku II modified from the Psycho Zaku, Zaku II High Mobility Type, Jagd Doga, and featuring a GM Intercept Custom-like visor to protect its vulnerable monoeye camera. The six funnels and detachable five-barrel mega particle cannons in each hand allowed Yoshiki to do massive damage and suppressive fire while remaining otherwise safe. This machine was still obliterated by the Crossbone Gundam Full Cloth used by Lucas Kankaansyrjä during the Tri Battle Tournament last year. He has since created a new Gunpla, though it's presently unknown what it's based on.
KENSHOU MATSUNAGA
Age: 19
Height: 5'11"
Hair: black
Eyes: gold
Team: White Wolf
Level headed and tactically sound, Kenshou has taken a liking to both the personality and Gunpla of fictional Zeon ace pilot Shin Matsunaga, who shares the same family name as he does. He is a capable leader who has led his team to multiple tournament victories while representing the Gabai Institute. His last machine, a personalized Zaku II High Mobility Type called the Zaku Mánagarmr, was obliterated alongside Yoshiki's Zaku Kraken previous year. His new Gunpla is presently unknown, but likely is still a reference to Shin Matsunaga, as his last one was.
