AN: Alpha here! And here we are, with another chapter of a series I honestly am so humbled to see people embrace. I'm having a ton of fun writing it and I'm glad to see others enjoying reading it.

I thought I'd take a chance to respond to some of the notes and reviews that have popped up lately. I'll call out names so you know I'm addressing you directly.

Io Fleming: Hathaway Novah has a very, VERY wide assortment of Gunpla. Honestly, I did name him after Hathaway Noa over 16 years ago for a Star Wars roleplay after watching Char's Counterattack but never thought of putting him in a Gundam setting, so I hadn't considered Xi Gundam for him. That could change though-I'm constantly evolving the details of the story.

Francis Charron: the direct reference to Macross with the Gundam Zetamaster was definitely intentional. Like with the Xi Gundam, I didn't have an intention of using a Macross series machine or parts in this mostly because I didn't know how to do it organically. But, again, things can change.

CT7567Rules: Freedom Gundam IS going to appear. But not until much later. I might have Meijin or Lady Kawaguchi use Meijin's Amazing Strike Freedom, but I haven't decided, but there is one other Freedom in this story. That's all I can tell you. It hasn't appeared yet and won't for a while.

I'll try and incorporate direct responses to questions in my author's notes in the future when I can. It won't be every chapter, but when I have a few questions or comments to reply to, I'll do it. You can send me messages as well if you prefer private responses. I will limit it to three responses per note to avoid clogging the chapter up.

Speaking of that, ON WITH THE SHOW!


Pyrrha and Jaune watched as Team Arkos's name was pulled up on the screen for the next round. After the excitement of the last battle, the murmurs of Pyrrha Nikos returning to official tournament play had spread like fire, building on the heightened anticipation.

Jaune was nervous. His main weapon still hadn't been completed. While he was confident in his Gunpla, the fact remained that the Pale Chevalier was incomplete. Because of this, he'd have to rely on normal weapons for now.

Pyrrha herself seemed unconcerned. Though she was a bit uncertain when pressed in front of a camera, when it came to battle, she was an immovable rock of focus and dedication. Jaune took comfort in knowing she could make up for any shortcomings he had.

"I'm looking forward to a good fight," Jack said, snapping Pyrrha out of her thoughts. She turned and nodded, reassured that those around her were eager to see the battle.

"Ja! Go out there and break their legs!" Nora cheered, slapping Jaune on the back so hard the blonde boy staggered. Ruby and Ren both chuckled as he steadied himself, rubbing his back slightly to ease the throbbing of the hand-shaped well he could feel forming between his shoulder blades.

"Ow! Nora!" Jaune yelped, wincing. "We don't even know whose legs we'll be breaking yet…"

"We do now."

Pyrrha's voice causes him to turn and face the monitor. They all stared, blinking as they read the ominous name there.

"Well, it looks like Team Arkos will be squaring off against Team War Gods!" Mister Port's voice called out from the English broadcasting channel. "The United States Marine Corps Captain James Ironwood and Navy SEALs Commander Gabriel Fynn-you won't find a manlier duo anywhere else in this tournament! How will the students take on this powerhouse duo?"

"Well, Mister Jaune Arc has proven himself a capable strategist, from what I've seen of his performances back home," Peach chimed in cheerfully, "but I do admit that he is going against two high ranking military men. Pyrrha's pedigree as the former European Champion two years ago might be the saving grace, but will it be enough?"

Jaune slumped his shoulders. Even his teachers seemed not to have much faith in him…

Pyrrha put her hand on his arm, tugging on his black hoodie. He looked up to see a reassuring smile cross her face. "Don't worry, Jaune. I know you're far better than Miss Peach has seen. We can do this."

Jaune nodded in agreement, feeling some of his confidence return. "Right. Okay. We can do this."

They turned to head towards the door, their friends cheering them on, but the noise subsided when they spotted Team War Gods approaching. Weiss, especially, fell silent when she spotted her older sister beside them.

They stopped and looked at the group. Ironwood put a hand on his hip while Fynn stood passively behind him.

Despite his height and sheer bulk, Captain Ironwood seemed rather relaxed. His uniform clearly stood out among the civilian clothing, but it seemed almost impossible to imagine a man like him or Commander Fynn in anything other than what they were wearing. It was like they were tailor-made for the outfits rather than likely the other way around.

"Winter," Weiss called out, running up to her sister. "I didn't think you were actually participating. Are you acting as their Operator now?"

Winter shook her head. "No. Operators aren't permitted in the Doubles tournament. I'm merely a spectator and their maintenance tech, walking them to victory."

Fynn grunted. "Maybe. It wouldn't do to take anyone in this tournament lightly." He looked at Weiss and Ruby, recalling their win against a known World Tournament contender and reigning Australian National Champion, Kyrus Alexander.

"Too true," Ironwood confirmed, looking at Pyrrha and Jaune. "I look forward to sporting and well-fought battle, you two. Show me your best."

"Right!" Jaune nodded enthusiastically. Pyrrha simply bowed her head, allowing the men to pass. Winter remained behind.

"If you wouldn't mind, Weiss, I was hoping to spend some time with you to watch this fight," she asked.

Weiss nodded furiously. "Oh, please! I would love to sit and talk with you!" She blurted out, taking Winter's hand and guiding her to the couches. Jaune and Pyrrha shared a chuckle before turning to each other.

"Let us be off," the red-haired warrior stated. Her emerald green eyes were sparkling with anticipation.

The two-headed for the stage, watched by the entire group. Ruby bit her bottom lip as Nora plopped down next to her.

"Nervous?" The younger girl asked. Nora turned to her and nodded.

"Even that Hazel guy isn't that confident!" Nora exclaimed. "They were so calm, it's scary!"

Winter gave her an impassive look. "Both Commander Fynn and Captain Ironwood are skilled pilots in Gunpla Battle, though they are still new to the sport. Their military tactical training, however, should more than makeup for that."

She paused as she thought for a moment, recalling the fights Pyrrha had to go through to obtain the European Championship two years prior. "That said...while I can't speak about the blonde with her, Miss Nikos herself isn't an amateur. I suspect both the captain and commander will be more worried about the fact she is fully capable of taking on world-class opponents. If she managed to isolate one of them from the other, she could pick both of them off on her own just from her experience in one on one duels."

"You think?" Ruby asked, curious, though Winter didn't comment further, focused on the teams as they set up in the arena.

They turned to the screen as both teams took their positions. Jaune still looked nervous, surrounded by the massive crowd who would be judging his skills and abilities. Pyrrha, in contrast, was a solid rock, confidence exuding from her and a smile on her face as she looked at the two men on the other side of her.

Jaune removed his new Gunpla and set its weapons in its hands before placing his GP Base-down. Pyrrha placed the Tallgeese Leonidas down as well, smiling at Jaune as the holographic cockpit formed around them. With her by his side, he felt invincible.

"FIELD4-MOUNTAINS."

Fynn and Ironwood did the same, revealing their Gunpla for the first time. The two mobile suits were identical, aside from weapons and color schemes.

Ruby eyed the two over. Ironwood's machine was geared for medium-range combat and suppression. Ironwood had a pair of large beam pistols with matching holsters on his side hip skirts. He had a pair of small missile pods on his calves and a minigun on his back. The white, black, and blue machine featured a high mobility backpack and extra leg armor for mobility-much like Jaune's, but with less emphasis on durability.

Fynn's had the exact same setup, but the Gundam featured a massive mega beam launcher mounted to his back instead of the minigun. It used red rather than blue and had the addition of a magnification scope over its right eye sensor for enhanced targeting. Both used a half shield, which was essentially the lower half of a GM's shield to give them thicker defensive options without weighing them down.

Weiss stared at the twin machines. "I feel like I've seen those two before…"

"Gundam G04 and G05 of the Thoroughbred side story," Ruby commented, "but they switched the color schemes and used some armor enhancements from the Pale Rider, as the leg missiles. Both should have identical specs, except for those specific weapons."

"BATTLE START!"

Ironwood gripped his orbs, his brows furrowed. "Gundam Ares, launch!"

Fynn grunted and pushed forward. "Gundam Mars, launch!"

The two suits were catapulted forward into the massive white landscape, landing hard in the snow. Fynn began looking around, scanning the landscape. "Mountains...I'm guessing we're in the Himalayas. The altitude suggests we're on an area near Mount Everest?"

"Right," Ironwood responded. A sudden burst of wind whipped the snow up in a flurry. "Visibility is poor. Considering one of the opponents is using a long-range artillery Gundam, that might help. But let's move-we're sitting ducks here. That Tallgeese will prove problematic."

The two took off, heading for higher ground to try and get a better idea of what they were dealing with.

On the other side of the map, Jaune and Pyrrha were in a similar situation. The Tallgeese could fly in these conditions, but the snowstorm and terrain posed problems for the ground-based Pale Chevalier.

"Jaune, how should we proceed?" Pyrrha asked as she removed the kukri from the back of her shield. Normally, she would use her beam saber, but the physical blade typically used by ancient Spartans emitted no heat and used no power, meaning in this blizzard it was perfect to avoid visual detection.

Jaune took a look around, lowering his GM Sniper II visor over his eyes to gain access to greater visual range and sensor readings. He could vaguely make out a trail of snow on the ground to the east, in a deep recess between two of the mountains. Zooming in didn't do much, but he could confirm that something was moving at high speed.

"There," he pointed. "I think one of them is in that direction, but I can't tell if it's alone or his partner is there."

"I'll follow your lead." The sub arm on Pyrrha's right shoulder moved and brought her beam rifle up, ready to fire, as the two of them used low-power thrusters to hover across the ground, careful to mind their trail in the high winds.

They slowed their approach as they created the side of the mountain. Jaune was able to get a closer look at the target but was confused by what he saw. "Wait...a...scout drone?"

He leaned in, zooming in with his visor. Indeed, the device appeared to be about as large as a small shield, with a large camera and small treads. It zigzagged erratically, kicking up a lot of snow in the process to simulate a mobile suit boosting over the ground.

"Jaune, we might want to-" Pyrrha was promptly cut off by an incoming alert cut her off. Her face grew intense as she glanced to her left and jumped in front of Jaune, intercepting a giant pink beam cannon shot from long range. Her massive shield weathered the attack, but the force of the impact and the fact she was in mid-air knocked her backward. She landed on her feet and skidded a few meters back, lowering her shield just enough to peak over.

"Hmph," Fynn grunted, lowering his mega beam launcher and sliding down the backside of the mountain he was on. "James confirmed two hostiles on the southwest hill from my position. Be warned-the shield used by the Tallgeese suffered minimal damage from a direct impact from my mega beam launcher, over."

Ironwood's voice came over his comm as he began moving to reposition. "Acknowledged. Reposition, and try again. I'll try and flank them to give you a better shot. Over."

Jaune spun around as Pyrrha slammed her shield into the snow. A plume of steam rose as the superheated accessory, as she tried to rapidly cool it down. "Are you okay?!"

"Don't worry, I'm okay," she replied, "I just didn't expect to be hit that hard. Their mega launcher is remarkably powerful."

She stood upright and gripped her kukri tighter. "We can't stay here. You should mount yourself up higher and be my spotter and support. I'll try and take at least one of them out in close range combat."

"But that's too risky!" Jaune exclaimed. "If the other one finds you-"

"You'll be there to cover me," she cut him off, nodding reassuringly at him. "I believe in you, Jaune. You can do this."

The knot of anxiety in the pit of his stomach loosened a little as he nodded. "Okay. Good luck!"

"I'll be counting on you," Pyrrha stated, before turning and launching herself into the sky. The high output boosters pushed her high into the air, easily cutting through the snowstorm and high winds with minimal difficulty. Jaune, worried that she might be spotted before he could get into position, immediately took off to find a good location to cover her from a distance.

"Pyrrha's on the move," Fynn reported. He had her in his sights but didn't open fire. Ironwood was still setting up below, his chaingun at the ready. "She's heading in your direction. Awaiting orders."

"Wait for me to open fire. I'll try and throw her off, then you take her out." Ironwood crouched behind a massive boulder and peered around the side, cradling his weapon, prepared for her to get closer.

Jaune scanned the area as he glided across the snow. The wind was dying down, and visibility was getting better. With Pyrrha in the air, it meant he needed a better vantage point, and fast. Looking around, he noticed a bluff with adequate cover overlooking the main battlefield. If he was lucky, as the snow flurry settled, he would spot either the sniper or the assault mech quickly, and guide Pyrrha to them.

As he hovered up to the top of the bluff and went down on all fours, his visor lowered and he watched below Pyrrha's position. So far, nothing out of the ordinary.

A glint in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he turned his head to the left. On a cliff slightly higher than his, he saw Fynn's machine, in a prone position, the Tallgeese in his sights. "Pyrrha! sniper, at seven o'clock!"

Pyrrha turned her head just as a flood of bullets shot from below her. She twisted in the air and her shield was brought around to deflect the incoming fire. Her sub arm on her right shoulder shot forwards and returned fire, yellow streaks of energy smashing into the rock Ironwood was using to shield himself. It began to crack from the heat, and he ceased fire and boosted backward before shooting again, sliding along the ground as Pyrrha gave chase.

"Target lock," Fynn muttered, scoping in on the Tallgeese Leonidas. He pulled the trigger, starting to charge his mega launcher, knowing he'd need a few seconds before he could fire.

Jaune gritted his teeth and angled the Pale Chevalier so that one shoulder cannon sat slightly higher than the other, by a very minimal degree. He launched a pair of powerful beams at the Gundam Mars, immediately sending alerts scrolling across Fynn's screen. He turned as the twin cannon shots flew towards him, pink beams of destruction he had no time to avoid.

The first shot was off by a fraction of a meter, narrowly avoiding the Gundam Mars and flying harmlessly into the sky. The second shot, however, slammed hard into the cliffside just under where Fynn was positioned. The rock superheated from the intensity of the beam and the cliff exploded as the temperature rose, causing Fynn to tumble down uncontrollably for a few seconds down the face of the cliff.

He rapidly turned and pointed his mega beam launcher downward. He had to discharge the shot or risk the weapon exploding, so he fired down as he fell and blasted a massive hole through the snow and rock, glassing the cliff and creating a slide of sorts.

As the cold air rapidly cooled the glass formed from the melting rock, the Gundam Mars slammed hard into it and slid down the slope easily.

Jaune watched as he did so, stunned by the quick thinking and tactical awareness of the commander, but immediately stood up and turned back to Pyrrha. She was dodging and weaving through Gundam Ares' ballistic assault, but was unable to gain a decisive blow on the captain's Gunpla.

The Pale Chevalier leveled its cannons and opened fire again, this time raining death down on Ironwood. The captain was forced to increase speed and ducked behind a massive rock, which took the twin-beam shots head-on and exploded, sending him skittering to the side.

Annoyed, Ironwood clicked on his left orb and selected his second weapon slot. The rotary barrels of his Gatling gun retracted slightly and a long barrel from a one hundred eighty millimeter cannon extended from the middle of the weapon, which he aimed and instantly fired at Jaune.

The shot was fast, faster than any beam, and before Jaune could properly avoid it, the artillery shell slammed into his left shoulder pauldron. He stumbled as he struggled to correct himself, but was blindsided by a shot from Fynn, the massive beam of the mega launcher completely melting Jaune's right beam cannon barrel into molten slag. He cried out as damage indicators began popping up and he fell backward into the snow, stunned.

With a quick motion, Ironwood drew his right pistol and opened fire on Pyrrha, who took his momentary distraction as a chance to close the distance. Pyrrha spun to the right to avoid the incoming beam shots, returning fire and forcing the captain to withdraw, retracting the artillery barrel and extending the Gatling gun over it to resume his anti-air offensive.

Fynn pirouetted on his left foot and spun into a kneeling pose, aiming and charging his mega launcher again. Pyrrha twisted to avoid a shot from Ironwood's beam pistol and intercepted the massive beam, curling her legs in as much as she could so her massive shield took the brunt of the blast.

She was knocked out of the air and had to boost to avoid slamming into the side of a mountain, slowing her rapid acceleration to the point where, as her back hit the rock face, she pushed off it with her feet and propelled herself back towards the two enemy machines.

Fynn reattached his mega launcher onto his backpack. The weapon was beginning to run low on power and needed time to recharge. He drew his twin pistols and began firing on the Tallgeese as it danced across the sky, dodging each shot.

"Grrr...I've heard of reinforced shields withstanding one direct mega beam shot, but two? And still remaining intact?" He pursed his lips as he tried to keep Pyrrha in line with Ironwood's Gatling gun. "She must have a metal sheet between the plastic layers."

Ironwood retracted his chaingun and drew his second pistol. He had used about half of his ammo supply and had little to show for it. "Doesn't matter. Attack Pattern Theta Two."

Pyrrha fired on Fynn, forcing him to move from his spot, before landing in front of Ironwood and slashing at him with her kukri. The captain took a step back before shooting the blade from her hand but was forced to retreat as the sub arm with her rifle flipped over her shoulder and forced him back.

Looking down, Pyrrha assessed her options. Aside from the kukri, which was now missing, she had two beam sabers that she had attached to the backside of her shield. One was taken from the Nu Gundam, which she had modified with telescoping parts. The second was a generic one that came with the Tallgeese kit. Deciding quickly as she glanced behind her, she drew the modified saber and ignited it, turning on her left foot and planting her right as she swung viciously.

The pink blade sailed through the air and abruptly forced Ironwood to change course, causing him to stumble to avoid the blade. Fynn replaced his left pistol on his hip and drew his own beam saber, charging at Pyrrha, who glanced behind her and swung her shield, bashing the Gundam Mars in the face. Her sub arm rifle flipped around and opened fire, slamming into Fynn's small shield as he rapidly raised it to intercept the shots.

She spun and swung a horizontal slash at his midsection, but he managed to back up and avoid the tip by inches. She blocked two more beam pistol shots before selecting a special mode on her right orb, which extended the hilt and turned the beam saber into a beam pike, which she used to stab at the Gundam Mars.

Ironwood attempted to take advantage of her distraction but found himself backpedaling as the rear of the polearm ignited into a secondary, smaller beam blade, which she used to stab behind her. As he boosted to his left, she spun, nailing him in the face with the front of her shield before leaping, twisting in the air, stabbing down with the larger blade at the front. He managed to lean away from the attack, but the blade pierced the outside edge of his shield and punctured the center of his chaingun, melting most of the rotary components on impact and rendering the weapon useless.

She turned again to deflect a few more shots from Fynn, retracting her weapon back into saber form as her sub arm opened fire and drove the Gundam Mars back yet again.

Ironwood rushed her, trying to take advantage of the momentary distraction, but was met by a flurry of shots from her rifle as well. He dashed backward, Pyrrha giving chase as she swiped at him again. He did his best to avoid the incoming attacks, but it was here that their skill gap was painfully clear-even two on one, with battle tactics well suited for a military officer, Ironwood realized that Pyrrha's skill at piloting the more versatile and agile mobile suits far outshined anything he or Fynn could perform.

He retaliated with a few beam pistol shots, but his twin pistols were blocked effortlessly by her massive, resilient shield. Fynn was trying to hit her from behind, but she had clearly anticipated this and was effortlessly dodging left and right, preventing him from getting a solid bead on her.

Ironwood stopped himself, landing in the snow and skidding to a halt. This was getting them nowhere, and she was forcing them towards a cliff. He was running out of room and options. "Fynn, Delta Two."

He took off again, rushing the Tallgeese. Pyrrha didn't stop, meeting him head-on and having her shield collide with his shoulder tackle. The incredible force of the impact shook both of their platforms, but in the end, it was a momentary pause. Pyrrha's overwhelming booster output completely outmatched the Gundam Ares', and Ironwood found himself being pushed back with little resistance as she continued to force her way through.

Fynn drew the mega beam launcher and targeted Pyrrha. Ironwood knew what he was doing one of the battle plans had been to have either one of them open fire on Pyrrha while the other engaged her, destroying both of them in the process. He began to charge the shot, noting that Ironwood losing the thruster war between them was keeping Pyrrha in a straight line.

Pyrrha kept pushing, intent on driving Ironwood towards the cliff, but the moment she glanced at her rear camera and spotted the mega launcher, she changed tactics. Reducing the output of her back thrusters, she allowed Ironwood to begin gaining pressure on her. He now had enough thrust on her to push her back instead, and she waited until she saw the energy build up in the barrel of the launcher.

With one final sudden half-second increase in output, she pushed Ironwood away and turned her shield towards Fynn as he opened fire. The massive energy blast surged forth, and she turned and jumped, flipping upside down and angling her shield downwards.

The top of the beam skirted across her shield and was deflected, slamming into the ground right in front of Ironwood. The resulting impact sent steam and superheated rock exploding forth, knocking the Gundam Ares off its feet and sending it soaring through the air. He belly-flopped into the snow and skidded across it, the front of the Gundam Ares charred from the intense heat of the mega launcher.

Pyrrha flipped around and threw her shield, causing the disk to slam into the mega launcher and deviate the rest of the shot sideways to Fynn's right. Staggered, he looked up as the Tallgeese Leonidas flipped in the air and delivered a devastating kick to his Gundam's head, shattering the special scope sensor over its eye and ripping the V fin off its forehead. The force of the impact caused Pyrrha to drive Fynn's Gunpla into the ground before she took off and landed a short distance away. She pulled on her left arm, causing the massive shield she threw to come straight back to her.

Ironwood looked up as she summoned the shield, noticing a retractable cord attached to her elbow and the shield. He shook his head. "Hmmm...I never expected such an on-the-fly counter. Though I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised." he turned to his closed comm with Fynn. "You still alive?"

"I've taken some operational damage, but I'm still capable of fighting," Fynn replied. "The mega launcher appears fine, too."

Both Gundams prepared to rise. Ironwood noted something interesting as they did. Pyrrha could have used her beam rifle to finish them both off...but she hadn't. She remained in a defensive stance, her saber raised up just over her shield, but she remained stationary, letting them stand. He opened the comms up as he got to his feet. "Why didn't you end it? You were in the perfect spot to do so."

Pyrrha blinked in surprise but smiled, happy to be acknowledged. "It wouldn't have been sporting to defeat you while you were on the ground," she replied. "It might have been the smart way to end it, but not the fun one."

The Gundam Mars and Ares both looked at each other, stunned. Fynn and Ironwood shared a look of disbelief. Then, Ironwood began to laugh. "I...admit, I'm a loss for words. Such honor comes rarely on the battlefield. A soldier wouldn't have hesitated."

"Well, I'm not a soldier," Pyrrha said pleasantly, "and in the end, this is nothing but a game. I aim to win, but I aim to have fun doing so. The only thing I want is a fair fight and a wonderful experience. Win or lose, if you fight proudly and honorably, to your heart's content, then I feel there will be no regrets."

"Perhaps that's why your partner hasn't opened fire on us, yet?" Fynn asked, glancing to a hill to their left. The damaged visage of the Pale Chevalier sat, his right cannon and left shoulder pauldron missing, but the Gunpla was otherwise operational.

"Oh! Uh...hi…" Jaune said sheepishly. "Don't mind me! Pyrrha seemed to be having fun, and it would've been rude to interrupt her by opening fire."

Pyrrha glanced behind her, chuckling. "Then how about this, since all of us seem to be assembled: Commander Fynn and Jaune can resume their battle, and Captain Ironwood and I can finish things. Does that sound fair?"

Fynn scowled. "This is the middle of a combat zone, and you're negotiating for duels?"

Ironwood took a few steps forward. He assessed the situation. Realistically, he had come to terms that, even in a two on one situation, he had little confidence that they could beat Pyrrha without some exceptional luck. Jaune was an unknown, but considering what had already transpired, he seemed like a fairly minimal threat. But the Gundams he and Fynn used were already damaged and they both lacked the skill set to take on Pyrrha.

"Very well," Ironwood replied. "I accept your terms."

Fynn opened their private comm, shock, and frustration rising in his voice. "James, what are you-"

"I think we both know how that'll play out if we keep going, Gabriel." Ironwood cut him off. He shook his head. She's right. We can't rely on our old school military training to win in a fight with machines. We'll need to rely on our skills. She's already done all but beat us on her own. The least we can do is try and learn from the experience."

"Besides…" he turned back to Pyrrha. "Military strategy has no place in a duel between warriors."

Fynn paused, before nodding. He had already come to that conclusion, as well, but his pride had prevented him from accepting it. He faced Jaune, who was hovering to Pyrrha's side. Besides the missing cannon and shoulder, the Pale Chevalier seemed relatively intact.

Winter watched the exchange on the television and pondered to herself, chin between her thumb and forefinger. The others looked at her, curious like they had seen something click into place in her brain.

"Winter?"

Weiss's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and she glanced at her younger sister. Everyone appeared to be looking at her now, expectant expressions across their face. Ruby, in particular, seemed curious at her thoughts.

She cleared her throat. "It appears this match is over unless Pyrrha makes a mistake," she said. "The outcome has been all but determined."

"So, Jaune and Pyrrha got this?" Yang asked excitedly, before fist-pumping in celebration. "All right!"

"We shall see," Winter replied. "Anything could happen. Look-they're beginning again."

They turned back as Ironwood and Pyrrha separated from Fynn and Jaune. Fynn dropped his mega launcher and drew a beam saber.

Ironwood detached the useless chaingun on his back and drew twin beam sabers, holding each wide and expectantly. He chuckled to himself, feeling a bit ridiculous for being pushed to the limit like this in what amounted to a physical video game. "Alright, Miss Nikos. Your move."

She responded with a simple nod, before crouching with her shield facing him. After a moment of them squaring off, she charged, retracting her sub arm flat against the back of her right shoulder pauldron to show she would honor him with a melee only duel.

He waited for her to close the gap before stepping forward and ducking her saber as it extended into a spear to stab him through the face. He brought both beam sabers upwards in an attempt to amputate both of her arms, but the blow was blocked by her shield as she angled it slightly to deflect the attacks while also charging headlong into him.

The impact of the shield and the thrust of the Tallgeese knocked Ironwood backward and caused him to topple into the slow. He slowly got back into a standing position just as Pyrrha went to finish him off with a stab while he rose. He moved to the right and let the beam spear tip pass him, before knocking it away with his shield. He ducked another shield bash and took a step back, before thrusting his right beam saber at Pyrrha as she spun on the ball of her foot.

she managed to avoid the stab and countered with a swipe from her saber staff. Ironwood ducked but left himself open to a knee to the chest, which knocked him upright and staggered him. He regained his balance and brought both his sabers up to block the next blow as Pyrrha transformed the staff back into a saber and slammed her brilliant pink blade against the two the Gundam Ares held.

She relentlessly pushed the attack with two more deflected blows before backstepping and charging him again.

He boosted backward to avoid another vicious thrust from her extending polearm, landing meters away and skidding to a halt. A proximity alert sounded behind him, and he noticed that she had driven him close to the edge of a deep canyon. Grunting in annoyance, he took initiative and tried to force her back, but with an upward slash she sliced the emitter of his left beam saber off with such precision it was almost surgical.

She uppercut him with the edge of her shield, stunning him. He staggered backward slightly, the alerts getting more frantic.

Ironwood tried to gain his footing but to no avail. With a swift, powerful kick to the chest, the Tallgeese Leonidas sent the Gundam Ares tumbling over the cliff edge. Ironwood attempted to slow his descent, but his Gunpla slammed into an outcropping and his backpack exploded from the damage, causing a rapid and brutal descent to the bottom.

Sighing, Pyrrha wiped her brow with her sleeve, sweat accumulating from the precise and rapid movements she needed to pull off to beat the captain. Despite his inexperience, the man was surprisingly powerful as an opponent, and she had needed to keep on her toes the entire time they had fought.

She turned to Fynn and Jaune as the sound of a blade clash rang through the air. The Pale Chevalier and Gundam Mars were locked in combat, pulling out all the stops as the two struggled to gain the upper hand. Choosing to not interfere, Pyrrha stood by and awaited the victor.

The two Gunpla slashed at each other, their blades bouncing off each other and staggering backward. Fynn drew his left pistol and opened fire, causing Jaune to flinch and cower behind his shield. The thick barrier began to melt under the barrage, and he responded by quickly firing his remaining shoulder cannon at the Gundam Mars.

Fynn ducked the attack and immediately boosted in to swipe at Jaune's legs, trying to take the more heavily armored Gunpla out of commission. His blade swung wide and low, aiming for the knees, but missed by a mile as the Pale Chevalier backed up on its thrusters.

The commander's eyes grew wide as he watched Jaune move back, a faint red glow emanating from the vents and boosters of the Pale Chevalier. The sensors of the machine began glowing an eerie red as if the machine was possessed.

He grunted as Jaune zipped around dodging several more beam pistol shots, before opening fire with the leg-mounted missile pods on his machine. Jaune returned fire with the Vulcan machine guns on his forehead, destroying most of the missiles before they even reached the halfway point. He swept his beam saber low and destroyed several more, letting the last two pass overhead harmlessly and fall into the snow as they attempted to turn.

The blonde smiled as he stood up. "Alright!" He hollered. He had been afraid that the HADES mode wouldn't work well with the new Gunpla, but if anything, it reacted even better than it had with the Duel Cavalier Pale. Renewed with confidence, he shot another beam cannon round at the Gundam Mars, forcing Fynn to dodge.

The Gundam moved to the right, attempting to come around on the damaged left side of the Pale Chevalier. But Jaune's enhanced mobility surprised him, as the white and gold machine-turned with Fynn. Jaune put his beam saber away on his hip mounts and reached behind him to grab the beam rifle stored on his backpack.

Attempting to capitalize on the momentary pause, Fynn dashed forward but was met by a sudden sidestep by Jaune and a flurry of weak, rapid-fire beam shots from the large rifle. Fynn found his small shield rapidly chewed away and his left arm exploded as one beam melted straight through to the forearm.

Warning sirens blared as he watched the left hand and pistol of his Gunpla fall to the snow. Fynn grunted and fired another volley of missiles at Jaune, but these ones dropped short of their target and exploded into the snow. A plume of white shrouded Jaune's cameras, and he began to back up just as the white, black, and red visage of the Gundam Mars burst forward and brought its beam saber down on Jaune's right arm.

The slash carved its way through the Pale Chevalier, cutting deep into its chest and down its waist. Jaune reflexively fired his beam cannon, taking off a chunk of the Gundam

Mars' face, before the heavily armored Gunpla, exploded and blasted Fynn backward.

The Gundam Mars tumbled and slammed into the ground, the snow barely cushioning its fall as it bounced slightly and landed belly first. Fynn's platform rumbled as his Gunpla careened through the air and snow until it finally came to a stop. After a few seconds, he turned over and sat up, analyzing the damage.

The right missile pod had detonated, taking the lower half of his right leg with it. His left arm was mostly gone, as well, and the right half of his Gundam's head had been atomized by the beam cannon shot. Systems all around were either scrambled or barely working.

And standing before him, only slightly scuffed from its battle with Ironwood, was the Tallgeese Leonidas, it's extended polearm planted on the ground, presented in the clear skies, as proud and intimidating as the ancient Spartan warriors Pyrrha Nikos herself was descended from.

He stared at the mobile suit before him, his main camera barely functioning, the image flickering with static. After a pause, he weakly grabbed his right pistol and aimed it at Pyrrha. The Tallgeese didn't move.

"I don't suppose I could convince you to surrender," he asked wearily.

"I'm sorry," Pyrrha replied, "but I can't do that."

Fynn closed his eyes and nodded, lowering his pistol. "Heh, didn't think so. Congratulations, Team Arkos. I concede defeat. The battle is yours."

Fynn clicked his right orb and brought up the withdrawal button, pushing it. An alarm blared and the AI announcer shouted through the stadium. "BATTLE ENDED!"

Cheers erupted as the holographic tables and cockpits dropped. Fynn and Ironwood looked at each other, a complex series of emotions crossing their faces before they finally nodded and approached their opponents.

Jaune looked at Pyrrha apologetically. "I'm sorry. I held you back. You had to take them on all on your own and-"

Pyrrha punched his arm, causing him to flinch. "You did splendidly, Jaune. I wouldn't have been able to do what I did without your support. Every shot counts, and even in just distracting them, you helped ensure our victory."

"He did more than distract," Fynn said, catching both of them off guard. They turned to the commander, who wore an expression both of approval and discontentment over his loss. "My missile pod shouldn't have detonated. If it hadn't, I could have gotten up and tried to fight, though I doubt the outcome would have been the same."

Ironwood gave him a curious look. "If your missiles didn't detonate, what happened?"

Fynn nodded at Jaune. "He drew a beam saber in his left hand right as I connected with his Gunpla. The result was his saber super heating my missiles and destroying my leg. It was a keen and tactically sound move for someone who knew they weren't escaping."

He offered his hand to Jaune, who stared at him, stunned for a moment, before graciously accepting it. "You pushed my skills to the limit," the commander admitted. "I played thinking I could control Mars like I do my own body; that was my mistake, and you took advantage of it. Every shot you made was with a purpose, and you should be proud of standing tall."

Jaune smiled, nodding in appreciation before turning to Pyrrha. She took Ironwood's hand when offered, and he shook it readily, noting the strength of conviction in her eyes.

"Miss Nikos, congratulations," he said simply. "I look forward to a rematch. I won't make the same mistakes again."

"And I look forward to your challenge, Captain." She smiled pleasantly at him, before turning to the table with the others to collect their Gunpla. Pyrrha's was the only one that remained standing.

The group behind the scenes hooted in celebration. Winter, impressed by all of their displays, simply closed her eyes, accepting her team's defeat.

"Ah man, that was awesome!" Yang whooped, grinning from ear to ear.

"I must admit, it was exceptional," Ren added, agreeing with a pleased nod.

Nora bounced excitedly in her chair. "And Jaune even broke his leg, like I told him to! I owe him a soda or something!"

Weiss nodded to Ruby, happy their friends made it to the second round with them. "We might need to prepare to fight them next round. Do you think we can manage?"

"I dunno…" ruby admitted. Concern crossed her face for a moment before it was replaced by affirmation. "But regardless, we're gonna bring our best!"

"Your best…"

Winter's words caught both of White Rose's attention, and Ruby and Weiss looked at the older Schnee. She glanced back at them, her blue eyes as passive as ever. "If what you demonstrated against Kyrus Alexander is 'your best,' then you both got exceedingly lucky."

Weiss, caught off guard by such a harsh appraisal, looked away. "It's true, but…"

"However," Winter continued, "now that we have established my team is no longer competing with yours, perhaps we can do something about that."

"Like what?" Ruby asked. "It's not like I can fight yet. I'll need some time to rebuild Destiny Scythe."

"I'm well aware. We have one more fight today. Can you repair your Gunpla by tomorrow night?"

Ruby looked at Weiss, who shrugged. "If I have access to a printer, probably."

"Good. You may use ours. I expect you to bring your best." Winter got up abruptly. "If you'll excuse me, I must tend to my teammate's Gunpla. Contact me when Destiny Scythe is complete. I'll help you get ready for round two."

As the four combatants entered the back room, Winter walked away. Ruby and Weiss watched her go, then glanced at each other, shrugging as they did.

Whatever Winter had planned, it didn't sound easy in the slightest.


TEAM WAR GODS' GUNPLA

Gundam Ares & Gundam Mars

Based on the upgraded high mobility variants of the twin RX-78-4 and RX-78-5 Gundams, nicknamed G-04 and G-05, respectively, Ironwood and Fynn opted to serve ease of use and functionality above flashy modifications and over-the-top special abilities. Despite their simplistic adaptations, the Gundam Mars and Gundam Ares both boast superb mobility and speed and are easily outfitted for a variety of situations.

Ironwood's Gundam Ares, painted in G-04's classic white, black, and blue colors, actually is equipped with G-05's powerful chaingun, though he has opted to include a special retractable 180mm artillery cannon on the middle, mimicking the ground equipment Pale Rider. This hidden weapon gives the Gundam Ares a powerful alternate fire mode on an already impressive machine.

Fynn's Gundam Mars, dressed in the white, black, and red colors of G-05, sports a modified mega beam launcher normally associated with G-04. Alongside a specialized targeting sensor over its right eye, Fynn can dish out titanic levels of damage from extreme distances with lethal precision. Essentially, it functions both as a heavy anti battleship beam cannon and an extraordinarily powerful sniper unit. Fynn has had the weapon adapted to fire smaller, tighter beams, for greater energy conservation, a feature the original weapon lacked, though his weapon can easily increase in power to rival a Wing Gundam buster rifle. Besides this, Fynn also has a unique, small AWAC drone he can launch from his backpack as a scout or distraction.

Both units are equipped with twin beam pistols for short to mid-range combat, a pair of beam sabers, two Vulcan machine guns, and the lower half of a Gundam shield, which gives them superior defense compared to other small shields but does not limit their mobility and speed by over encumbering them.