Edelgard von Hresvelg remained steadfast as she stood between a pair of trees, her light armor reflecting the rays of the sun while the wind blew her long, impossibly white hair. It was just about time for the mock battle to begin. The battle between the three houses, meant to signify the beginning of the new academic year. While she was mostly untouched by the wind, something was causing her thoughts to sway.
She didn't like this internal conflict. While she wasn't new to such ideas, the source of her confusion and doubt was certainly new.
"Professor...will you truly be able to bring us to victory?"
An answer to her query never came. Perhaps her imagination wasn't as good as she believed it to be. Regardless, Edelgard knew her ambition was her strongest suit. Yet it seemed the new professor had the potential to prevent her ambition from getting anywhere.
Having assumedly read his liege's mind, Hubert approached, concern present within his being.
"Lady Edelgard. It is almost time for the mock battle to begin," the Vestra reminded her. "We must regroup with everyone before that can happen."
"I'm aware, Hubert. Thank you for reminding me," thanked Edelgard.
Hubert narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. "You cannot hide anything from me, Lady Edelgard. I can sense your internal conflict. It would be wise for you to air your concerns lest they affect you in battle."
"I suppose I truly cannot hide anything from you," Edelgard sighed. "If I'm to be honest, I am unsure if Professor Lucas can back up his promise of attaining victory for us in this mock battle."
"So you too have been wrought with your own uncertainties. I am of the same mindset as you. We have not seen the professor in combat, have we? Even during our training sessions, he has allowed Jeralt to fight us in his stead while he stands aside and writes notes. How can we place our faith in a man such as that?" Hubert aired his doubts.
"I cannot help but agree. Yet it seems there's nothing to be done at the moment. We must fight this battle with his guidance, for what it's worth. It does appear that he has an effective plan to take down the opposition, but it is strange that he seems to know exactly where the Blue Lions and Golden Deer will be positioned. He also seems to be aware of what kinds of tactics they will use. Either his insight is incredible, or he's spied on the other houses. There may even be something else to it that we're unaware of."
"More secrets. Do you believe the professor will be a problem?"
Edelgard shook her head. "No. His combat skills appear to be lacking. We can take care of him easily if need be. Though, he has been training with Captain Jeralt. In time, he may prove to be a problem indeed. We'll need to keep an eye on him."
"Understood, Lady Edelgard. Shall we regroup?"
"Yes. We've wasted enough time here. I wouldn't want to let our house down."
Edelgard and Hubert then began to depart from their position in the woods, trudging through the forest's fallen leaves to get back to the other three in their team. The princess' concerns about her professor persisted. She had to push them away. For now, at least.
For now.
Professor Lucas and his group of students finally gathered at the edge of the forest. They were all looking out into the wide and tall field in front of them. There was a small incline some ways up the field, with a wooden barricade towards the left side of the area. Trees surrounded the soon-to-be battlefield. Cliffs rested in the upper and leftmost distances, members of the monastery perched upon them like civilians curious to see the outcome of this fight. A fight between the three houses. All of which were in position.
"Just like the professor expected," Edelgard noted to herself upon seeing the positioning for the other houses. "How did he know? Not that I don't prefer having the advantage, but I'm certain the other houses were as secretive about their strategies as we were. How strange."
While the Black Eagles took their places at the very bottom of the field, not too far away from the top end where the Blue Lions and Golden Deer were located, Lucas kept looking back at his students for some reason. Eyes of uncertainty lingered in his gaze.
"Edelgard, Hubert, Ferdinand, Dorothea...myself. I sure hope my plan will work," Lucas hoped. "Seems like Claude and Hilda are using the barricade as usual. I mean, it's hard to tell from this distance, although I'm pretty sure it's them. And I guess the Blue Lions have the same staggered positioning as they did in the game. This all but confirms my foreknowledge is indeed accurate."
"Do be careful. You may have trained a considerable amount recently, but so did everyone else. Know that engaging with anyone will be dangerous for you," Byleth warned.
"Yeah, I know…" Lucas shuddered upon realising the embarrassment he'd receive if he lost to any of the non-house leader students in a one-on-one encounter. "I'm not looking forward to it. My partner should be enough to help me out, but we'll see how that goes."
"Your plan is rather unusual. Do you truly believe it will work?" Byleth wondered.
"No idea! I feel like it should if we're sneaky enough. But then again, considering how skilled everyone is, ensuring they go down will be quite the task. I'm not confident. Yet there is a chance it'll all work out. I'm willing to bet on a chance," Lucas reasoned.
"I see. I hope you succeed."
"Me too."
Lucas returned to reality, his eyes scanning the location for anything interesting or out of place. There was nothing of the sort. All he and his house needed to do at this point was to wait. Wait for the signal that would mark the start of a socially important battle. Lucas took a deep breath to calm his nerves and to help him ignore the tension that was plentiful around the area.
About a minute later, Jeralt stepped forward to the edge of the cliff he was standing on.
"Alright, I'm sure you all know how this works. The house who defeats the other two is considered the winner. There is no time limit, but stalling strategies are not encouraged. You've all been given training weapons so no real damage can occur to either of you. For that same purpose, Reason magic users have been asked to lower the power of their spells. I don't think there's anything left to cover, so…" Jeralt paused for what he assumed to be dramatic effect. "Begin!"
And so, the battle started. Most of the Golden Deer remained in their deployment zone, same with the Blue Lions. Lorenz was closing in on the Black Eagles, who were making their way up the hill. He was backed up by a reluctant Ignatz. Ashe from the Blue Lions wasn't too far away from this scene, but he kept his distance so as to pepper his house's enemies with hopefully well-placed arrows.
Lucas and the Black Eagles proceeded carefully in order to prevent themselves from getting hit by a stray arrow they couldn't see from the other two houses' respective archers. As had been discussed prior to the mock battle, Edelgard and Ferdinand were leading the charge, Hubert being right behind them. Ferdinand approached Lorenz.
"Ah, Lorenz. It is unfortunate to have to fight a fine noble such as yourself, but I must attain victory for my house," Ferdinand lamented, brandishing his spear.
"Likewise, Ferdinand. I have no choice but to show you the dazzling strength of the heir of Count Gloucester!" Lorenz exclaimed, readying his own spear.
The two nobles repeatedly attempted to jab each other with their weapons, yet both combatants kept evading in such a way that made the entire exchange feel like a dance. Carefully tip-toeing around the ground to prevent themselves from making a faux pas, their movements radiating pure eloquence of nobility. While both nobles were able to strike one another at least once each, they carried on, undeterred by their minor wounds. Ignatz found himself enthralled by all this. It truly was a sight to behold.
Yet it was all cut short when Hubert fired a Miasma directly at Lorenz, sending him out of the fight. Ferdinand frowned.
"Hubert! I was having the most wonderful bout. Why did you have to interrupt it in such a brutish manner?" The orange haired young man questioned.
"Stop wasting your time with such useless things, Ferdinand. We have a battle to win, in case you weren't aware," Hubert reminded him.
"I am aware, thank you very much. Next time, have more consideration for your teammates. Your help isn't always necess-GAH!"
Ferdinand was suddenly struck by an arrow to his back. Hubert checked behind his housemate and found the perpetrator: Ignatz. Frowning, Hubert fired two Miasmas for good measure, taking care of the Golden Deer's demure archer right away.
"I stand by what I said," Ferdinand said before being warped away from the battlefield just like the other fallen students.
Hubert returned to the rest of the Black Eagles soon after Edelgard eliminated Ashe. Lucas and Dorothea were continuing to stand back for reasons only the Black Eagles knew of. Immediately after Ashe teleported away, Lucas and Dorothea turned to one another and nodded. The pair of them then fled into the forest to their right, leaving Edelgard and Hubert to deal with the Blue Lions, namely with Dimitri and Dedue.
Meanwhile, Claude and Hilda were hiding out behind the barricade the Golden Deer were practically given. Claude had been attempting to get rid of Ashe himself, but ever since Lorenz and Ignatz decided to ignore his and Manuela's orders, the head deer decided it was best to stay as secret as possible. That meant sitting down behind the barricade and beside the bushes, waiting for the Black Eagles and Blue Lions to take each other out.
"Yeah, this'll work," Claude stated, laying down on the grass. "We swoop in on whoever's left and get our victory. Wasn't expecting it to go this way, but hey, whatever works."
"Uh-huh!" Hilda nodded happily, sitting beside her house leader. "I'm always fine with any strategy that involves me doing nothing. Though, it would be more ideal if I wasn't here in the first place."
"Hey, you never know how these things go. Someone could've gone straight for us and our little hiding spot here would've been compromised. Count yourself lucky, Hilda," Claude remarked.
"I guess you're right," the pink haired one sighed.
Whilst Claude and Hilda were foolishly conversing amongst themselves, Lucas and Dorothea were making their way around the perimeter of the battlefield, hiding between the trees to avoid being seen. Neither of them had been disqualified for ditching the fight. Lucas breathed a sigh of relief.
"Are you okay, Professor?" Dorothea asked him, hearing his relief sigh.
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I expected this plan to be illegal by the rules of the mock battle, but I guess the immediate forest here is technically considered part of the battlefield," Lucas answered.
The pair continued zipping from the back of one tree to another, remaining as stealthy and as quiet as possible. As they circled around the perimeter of the forest's edge, Dorothea slowed down slightly. Lucas picked up on this.
"Are you okay, Dorothea?" He returned her question from earlier.
"Professor, why did you choose me for this? Surely Hubie would have been a better choice," Dorothea wondered, sporting a worried expression.
"Because Hubert and Edelgard are best suited together. We don't have anyone else that can use Reason magic just yet," Lucas explained. "So, really, you were my only option."
"Oh," Dorothea replied, her expression changing to that of disappointment. "I see."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. He suspected something else was up with the girl, yet he wasn't able to pin down any possibility as being likely.
"Fool," Sothis chided.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Lucas asked her.
"She was looking for a compliment, you fool. Did you not see her expression as you told her the truth? It's very clear she was hoping for some positive reinforcement. You failed to provide her with such. Therefore, she is disappointed," Sothis spelled out. She paused. "Oh. I understand now."
"What?"
"Never mind. Get back to the battle."
Confused, Lucas chose to ultimately ignore whatever Sothis' comment was all about. He looked back to check on Dorothea - she seemed fine. Although there was something inside of him that felt wrong somehow. He tried to shrug off this uncertainty, then carried onward.
Lucas and Dorothea continued to circle the perimeter until they got to the point where they were past the Golden Deer barricade. They stood behind two different trees and occasionally peered over to the barricade, where they could see faint glimpses of pink and yellow. Lucas turned to Dorothea.
"Can you do it from here?" He queried.
"No, I need to be closer. I mean, I could try from here, but I'll most likely miss from this range," Dorothea clarified.
"Damn. Alright, we'll try being stealthy. Since we can't see their heads poking over the bush, they're probably sitting down. Perhaps they're being overconfident? Anyway, since we can't see them, they likely aren't gonna be able to see us. Get what I'm saying, Dorothea?"
The young woman in question nodded in confirmation. With a hand-based countdown, Lucas and Dorothea emerged from their hiding spots, re-entering the main battlefield, crouched down while tip-toeing slowly. Nobody appeared to be aware of their plan, which was good. But Lucas was distracted.
"Am I forgetting something?"
Dorothea handily snapped Lucas out of his momentary distraction by tapping him on the shoulder. She motioned her head to the barricade, which wasn't very far from their current location. Dorothea had a questioning look upon her face. Lucas quickly realised what this meant. He nodded, allowing the plan to go underway.
Without warning to the two Golden Deer students that were hiding, Dorothea fired off a Thunder spell on Hilda, catching her off guard. Quickly after Dorothea began casting the spell, Lucas charged in, sword at the ready. He rushed through the bush and finished off what Dorothea started, harmlessly stabbing Hilda with his blunt blade of the training variety. She was done.
And then there was Claude.
"Oh, Teach! Wasn't expecting to see you here," the house leader greeted the professor while standing back up. "Wait, I know what's going on."
"Yep. Let's get this over and done with," Lucas responded, attempting a stab.
Claude stepped back to avoid the attack, figuring he'd be fine. He failed to take into account Dorothea, who rushed in to get closer for a higher chance at succeeding with her next Thunder spell. A miscalculation of such a calibre resulted in Claude being stunned for a moment. Capitalising on the situation, Lucas gripped the hilt of his training sword with both hands and slashed Claude across the chest. For good measure, Dorothea chipped in another Thunder.
Claude smirked. "Well played, Teach. I'm out for the count, but the Golden Deer isn't done for just yet. See you later." He was then warped away.
Dorothea met back up with Lucas. She approached with concern as the professor hadn't moved in any way since Claude was finished off. All concern she had was washed away when Lucas eventually turned around with a goofy smile on his face.
"YES! We did it! I can't believe my plan worked!" He exclaimed, happily laughing. He raised his hand and opened his palm, looking expectantly at Dorothea. She returned his gaze with confusion. "High five? We slap our palms together in celebration? Do you know what I'm talking about?"
"Uh, no. Is this some sort of custom I've never heard of?"
"Sure. Come on, just lay it on me! We beat Claude, let's celebrate a little!"
Dorothea was still uncertain about this strange custom (or whatever it was), but there was something infectious about Lucas' sudden burst of happiness. She reminded herself; she actually beat Claude. Granted, it was with the help of someone else and wasn't in a direct battle, but she didn't care. She beat Claude . One of the house leaders. And it was with Lucas' help.
"Sure, why not?"
Accepting Lucas' offer, Dorothea's outstretched palm collided with her professor's, creating what he referred to as 'a high five'. While she didn't really understand it, there was something nice about it. Basking in the sweet relief of victory with another person in such a physical manner...it was relaxing. For a moment, she could forget about the mock battle. Dorothea smiled.
Their shared celebration was shattered, however, once a flash of light enveloped Lucas momentarily. It quickly dissipated and morphed into a light stream that went off in a certain direction. Dorothea watched its path while Lucas collapsed to his knees, struck by the sudden Nosferatu.
Dorothea gasped. "Professor Manuela! I forgot about you!"
"How could you have forgotten? You Eagles took out four of my students, where'd you think their professor went?" Manuela asked, more so out of curiosity than anything.
"I was caught up in my excitement…" Lucas heaved. He was still suffering from having some of his lifeforce stolen by his colleague. "I knew I forgot something."
"Indeed you did. I suppose I'll have to destroy you now. Consider it revenge for what you did to my students," Manuela retorted, readying another Nosferatu. "The Golden Deer might not be able to win this mock battle, but I can most certainly prevent the Black Eagles from winning. I'll see you back at the monastery, Lucas."
Manuela had her hand poised, a second Nosferatu spell ready to be fired. It seemed to Lucas as if it was the end for him (figuratively speaking). His time in the mock battle was over. He was still reeling from the draining effects of the first Nosferatu, so he couldn't get back up and dodge in time. Closing his eyes, Lucas accepted defeat.
Yet it never came. Lucas opened his eyes, finding that Manuela was now standing slightly to the left of where she was before. Dorothea was beside him. Lucas could tell from all the tension in the air - something happened.
"What's going on?" He inquired.
"I used a Thunder spell on Manuela, Professor. She got out of the way and it must've interrupted her cast," Dorothea explained the situation. "Didn't you hear me? I said I had it under control."
Lucas mentally facepalmed. "Uh, well, no. I didn't hear you. Thanks, Dorothea." He was too embarrassed to admit that he was overly distracted by his personal doubts.
"Do you need some help getting back up? You've been on your knees for a while," Dorothea offered, concerned. "It almost looks like you're proposing."
"Ah, no, I'm good," stammered Lucas as he pulled himself back to his feet and brandished his blade. A small blush appeared on his face. "T-thanks for the offer. I just haven't been hit by Nosferatu before. Basic spells like Fire I've been hit with thanks to my training with Jeralt and some magic-using knights, but stuff like Nosferatu is new territory for me."
"I guess you'll be getting used to it now," Manuela grinned, Nosferatu at the fingertips.
"Professor Manuela? No offence, but do you really think you can take both of us on at the same time?" Dorothea asked.
"You don't think I can? Just because I'm a medic doesn't mean I can't fight well. Here, let me show you!"
Dorothea's eyes widened. "Dodge, professor!"
Lucas understood and hopped out of the way of another Nosferatu cast, Dorothea doing the same but moving in the opposite direction. The student frowned.
"Professor Manuela! You can't just do that!" she complained.
"I just did! Besides, in regular battles, you two would probably be dead by now. At least, one of you would be," Manuela pointed out in an attempt to teach like a professor should. "Consider yourselves lucky that I don't have any backup."
Lucas thought for a moment before remembering something. "Manuela. You don't know any Reason magic, right?"
"Wha-how did you know that?" Manuela wondered, bewildered.
"I didn't. You just told me," Lucas grinned. "Granted, Nosferatu might as well be a form of Reason magic. Either way, that does limit your versatility."
"So? What are you trying to say?" Maneuela scowled.
A lightbulb went off in Lucas' head. "Oh, nothing. I was just rambling. I do have an offer for you, though."
"An offer? I'm interested."
"There's two of us and only one of you. Chances are, you're not gonna make it through, even if you bring me or her down. Why don't you give up now? You'll be saving yourself the energy and you'll be allowing us to take Hanneman down in your stead. Even if you're somehow able to beat both of us, there's no way you'll have enough energy to fight the rest of the Black Eagles and Blue Lions. Ergo, you're not gonna be able to beat Hanneman. Which is why you should give up and let us conserve our energy for him. That sound good?" Lucas proposed, using his knowledge about everyone from the game to come up with said proposal.
"Hmm. That is a tempting offer. I'd love nothing more than to see Hanneman's smug face on the ground, preferably underneath my foot, but you're right. I'd be dead tired if I took both of you on." Manuela weighed up her options. "How about this: if I give up and let you two go on ahead, will you join me for drinks tomorrow night, Lucas? I could always do with a partner for that."
"Deal," Lucas nodded. He offered a handshake, which Manuela accepted. "Am I gonna need to stab you or something?"
"No, that shouldn't be necessary. I'll just wave my hand until they get me out of here. Ah, wait, before I do any of that, I've got a parting gift for both of you."
Manuela waved around a different type of magical energy, one that neither Lucas nor Dorothea were familiar with. When Manuela indicated that she was done with her cast, a barrier of sorts formed around the pair. Lucas also found that his earlier Nosferatu-inflicted injuries were no longer present.
"I've just casted Ward on you two. That'll help you out against Hanneman," Manuela revealed. "I also gave Lucas a Heal cast, just to be safe."
"Wow, thanks Professor Manuela!" Dorothea thanked the teacher.
"Enough with the 'professor' stuff. We've known each other for a long time, Dorothea. There's no need for formalities between us." Manuela refused the honorific. "Now get out of here before the spell wears off. Ward doesn't last forever. And be sure to get that Hanneman for me!"
"Got it. Thanks again, Manuela. We won't let you down."
Lucas and Dorothea then departed from Manuela's presence, who soon waved down the teleportation mages so she could be removed from the battlefield. Now that the Golden Deers were officially taken care of, all that remained were the Blue Lions. In the distance, the pair could see faint flashes of red clash with flashes of blue. No Duscurian or Vestra in sight.
They had to get there fast.
It took a little bit of time for Lucas and Dorothea to arrive somewhat near the Blue Lions' stone platform, which was over on the right side of the battlefield. There, Edelgard and Dimitri were locked within a tense encounter. Blue Lions' house leader was deft enough to avoid Edelgard's slower axe movements, yet the Black Eagles' house leader was at least nimble enough to evade Dimitri's telegraphed spear stabs.
Though that wasn't to say both sides were unable to hit one another. Neither of them were perfect. For example, there were several moments in which Dimitri was successfully able to land a lunge on Edelgard, who'd been careless in her attempts to find an opening. Yet there were also times when Edelgard was able to get a good smash in on Dimitri, who sometimes failed to take into consideration the time it'd take for him to reel back in his arm after an unsuccessful stab. Both heirs were able to take advantage of their opponents' weaknesses in this manner.
Despite this, there was never a clear winner. Lucas and Dorothea could tell; no winner was in sight. Dorothea looked to the side for a moment, finding that Hanneman was standing on the platform, not doing anything at all aside from watching. She raised an eyebrow.
"Professor Hanneman! What are you doing there?" The student called.
"Dimitri has requested that I not intervene in his bout with Edelgard. Out of respect for his skill, I have chosen to accept," Hanneman clarified. "However, nothing is preventing us from doing battle, if you so wish."
"One question," Lucas quickly jumped into the conversation. "That's not a magical platform, is it?"
"What? No, of course not. If it was, then it would be very unfair for you since the Black Eagles would not have one of their own," Hanneman answered. "Come. We may battle on the other side of this platform. I'd like to not interrupt Dimitri and Edelgard's fight."
"Okay, sounds good. Dorothea, you ready?" Lucas turned to his companion, who nodded. "Excellent. With the Ward spell Manuela gave us, we should have the advantage. I don't think we should be pressing our luck, but even if he does hit us with something, we should be fine."
"That's very true, Professor. But what if he has his own Ward?" Dorothea considered.
"He shouldn't. Hanneman's only a Reason magic user. We'll be fine as long as we don't get hit too often by his spells," Lucas reassured her. He returned to facing the old man. "Alright, let's do it!"
Hanneman stepped down from the platform he was on, now standing in front of said platform on its left side, adjacent to the one Dimitri and Edelgard were fighting in. Lucas and Dorothea followed the older professor to this area, standing some distance away from him. The pair stared him down.
"Hanneman, are you sure you want to do this? It's two versus one. Your odds aren't looking great," Lucas pointed out.
"I can handle myself when it pertains to matters of combat. You'd best worry about yourselves rather than me," Hanneman mildly threatened, readying a Wind spell cast.
"Alright then. If you say so," Lucas taunted in return, gripping his training blade. "Don't come crying to me if you suddenly find yourself at a disadvantage."
"I don't intend on doing so. Allow me to show you what I mean!"
Hanneman began the fight by firing his Wind spell at Lucas, who narrowly sidestepped to avoid the attack. Lucas frowned at his foe before sharing a nod with Dorothea in understanding of what to do next. The younger of the two professors dashed ahead, blade in hand. He brute forced his way through the next Wind spell, making use of the fading Ward to absorb a good chunk of damage. A Sagittae was soon flung in his direction. Lucas was able to dodge it, although he forgot about the positioning of his sword. It was high enough for the Sagittae to hit it straight on. The force of the spell's blow was enough to sweep the sword out of Lucas' hand.
"Damn! Only one option left, then. Time to put that little bit of unarmed training to good use!" He decided, charging ahead anyway.
Lucas threw a punch at Hanneman's chest once he was close enough. The scholar stepped backwards to evade the desperate attack, but he found himself struck by a Thunder spell from Dorothea, who'd moved forward slightly in order to obtain a better chance of hitting with her magic. Hanneman frowned and fired a Wind spell at her to keep the girl busy, quickly turning back to Lucas to fire a Sagittae at him. Dorothea blocked the Wind while Lucas brushed past the Sagittae during his dodge.
Another Thunder spell forced the Crest researcher to jump to the side. Lucas was right in there, ready to land a punch. The increased speed of this attack combined with the recoil from jumping to the side made it impossible for Hanneman to respond with a spell of any kind. He was forced to catch Lucas' fist in his hand. Gritting his teeth, Lucas threw another punch that Hanneman had to catch again. The two men were locked in a grapple due to their lack of free hands.
"Y'know, you're surprisingly strong," Lucas commented through his grunts.
"Thank you. It is quite obvious that I am not the most physically fit individual, but it is important for a mage to have some physicality should they get into a tussle. Such as the one we're in right now," Hanneman rambled slightly.
"I guess so. But you haven't realised it yet."
"Excuse me?"
Lucas grinned. "I wanted to get you immobilised like this! Dorothea, give him everything you've got!"
"Professor! What if I miss and hit you instead?" Dorothea cautioned, doubts creeping into her mind.
"Do it NOW, Dorothea!" Lucas commanded. He dug his fingers into Hanneman's hands to prevent him from wriggling his way out. "I know you can do it! Even if I end up getting hurt somehow, I won't mind! As long as it's to secure us a victory, I'll do anything. Do it, Dorothea!"
"Professor…" Dorothea repeated as she began to think about Lucas' words. "He really will, won't he? Alright, come on Dorothea, you can do this!"
After spending some time encouraging herself, Dorothea fired off a Thunder, hitting her opponent dead-on. Since Lucas was still in physical contact with Hanneman when the spell connected, he received a mild electric shock and some minor physical damage. He maintained the grapple despite this as well as all the additional Thunder spells Dorothea utilised. Eventually, Hanneman started smouldering ever so slightly with how many Thunders were pumped into him. Lucas let go once he realised that to be the case.
"Lucas, Dorothea, you two...that was an excellent maneuver. Well done," Hanneman praised his opponents, only able to speak between breaths.
"Thanks. You did a good job in keeping us on our toes. We've definitely been left with some scars, so to speak," thanked Lucas. "I'll see you later."
While smiling, Hanneman collapsed to the ground and was soon teleported away from the scene. Lucas and Dorothea glanced at each other, then smiled.
"Well, we did it again. I don't know if I can keep going for much longer. I've used up a lot of my energy already," Lucas stated between breaths, finally having time to relax. "Jeralt hasn't said anything so I'm assuming we haven't won yet. What's going on with Dimitri and Edelgard?"
Dorothea paused as she turned in the direction of the two house leaders' battle. "Wow, they're still going at it. Good job, Edie! Should we go and watch?"
"I've got nothing better to do. Just give me a second."
As soon as Lucas caught his breath, he grabbed his discarded sword and joined Dorothea atop the stone platform. From there, the two observed the remainder of Edelgard and Dimitri's duel.
The battle had been raging for quite some time. A never ending clash of axe and spear, eagle and lion, black and blue. Both sides danced around each other so much that it almost appeared as if a small purple tornado was circling them. By the time Lucas and Dorothea were finished with their fight against Hanneman, Edelgard as well as Dimitri were absolutely exhausted. They were each standing still, their bodies bobbing up and down whenever they took a breath. In spite of their lack of energy, they were still holding onto their respective weapons, ready to end the battle whenever possible.
"Edelgard, you truly are impressive," Dimitri complimented.
"As are you. I've never met someone who could feasibly be considered my equal," Edelgard returned the compliment. "I think we've been fighting for long enough. Why don't we end this now?" She brandished her training axe.
"I agree. Let's bring this battle to a close," Dimitri accepted, brandishing his training lance.
Both heirs to their respective thrones stared each other down, their weapons poised and at the ready. Neither side wanted to make the first move in this final confrontation but they both desired victory.
Silence. Not a single peep could be heard. Not from Lucas, Dorothea, Dimitri, Edelgard or anyone else. All eyes in the area were dead set on finding out who would be the victor of this personal bout.
Seconds passed. Tired of the inaction, Edelgard moved. She went in for a swift axe swipe. Dimitri blocked it with the stick portion of his spear. A flash of light appeared above Edelgard's axe, increasing the might of her attack - a symbol everyone recognised.
"The Crest of Seiros! I shall respond in kind!" Dimitri barked, activating the Crest of Blaiddyd.
Doing this cancelled out any advantage Edelgard possessed. The two fighters were on equal terms, their weapons clashing with no side gaining on the other. Such a stalemate persisted until Dimitri decided to kick Edelgard in the chest. He used enough strength to send her tumbling onto the ground below. This presented an opportunity for him to lightly stab Edelgard.
She was done for.
"Dimitri, you…" Edelgard tried to say before her tiredness prevented her from speaking any further.
"There is no need to say anything else. Please, get some rest. I apologise for my rough treatment of you," Dimitri consoled her.
Edelgard lightly nodded before being teleported away by one of the monastery's mages. Dimitri sighed, then turned to face Lucas and Dorothea, who were still standing on the Blue Lions' platform.
"It seems we are the only ones left. I must thank you for not interrupting my battle with Edelgard, despite the fact that you could have stepped in at any time. But now, I must attain victory for my house. You are my final obstacles," Dimitri vaguely threatened the two while panting.
Lucas and Dorothea glanced at each other in disbelief.
"I wasn't expecting Edie to lose," the latter revealed.
"Neither was I," the former concurred. "I guess we have to take on Dimitri now. A weakened Dimitri, but it's Dimitri all the same."
"Indeed you do," the prince chuckled. He raised his spear. "Shall we begin?"
Lucas didn't respond right away. "We have to fight Dimitri?! Damn it Edelgard, why couldn't you have won? "
"Professor?" Dorothea tried to get his attention. "Are you okay?"
"What? Oh right, yeah, I'm okay. What's the matter?" Lucas wondered, snapping out of his worrisome thoughts momentarily.
"After our last encounter with Professor Hanneman, I feel like I don't have much more magic within me. I can use Thunder maybe two more times? It's hard to tell exactly, but it's not a lot either way," Dorothea whispered to prevent Dimitri from hearing.
"Really? That's not good. We're gonna have to be real careful. Damn, if I knew I was gonna be fighting Dimitri, I would've thought of some way to beat him. Our options are very limited. What are we gonna do?" Lucas lowered his voice, matching Dorothea's whisper.
"Maybe we can-"
"I've got an idea!" Lucas interjected. "It's crazy, but it should work. When I say 'go', use Thunder on him."
"What are you planning to do, Professor?"
"We're going to overwhelm him. Everybody has their limits. A single person can't handle everything, which is why we're going to throw so much stuff at him that he'll have to get hit with something ."
"That's ridiculous, but it may just work. I'm with you, Professor."
"Thanks. Now, on the count of three. One, two…"
A pause. Lucas raised his blade to the sky and crouched down slightly.
"Three!"
He dashed forwards, Dorothea following relatively close behind. Dimitri stood in place, ready for whatever move would be thrown at him. Lucas grinned as he winded his sword-wielding arm back and launched the entire blade in the prince's direction.
Surprised, Dimitri parried the newfound projectile with his lance. The time it took for him to do that allowed Lucas to get in close.
"Go!"
A Thunder spell struck Dimitri before he realised what was going on. Lucas used Dimitri's recoil to unload a barrage of punches onto the prince's chest. As per the plan, Lucas was gaining ground against what seemed to be an insurmountable foe.
However, as not per the plan, Dimitri caught one of his fists. And then he clenched down. Hard . Hard enough that all of Lucas' momentum faded and turned into pain. He could almost feel the bones in his hand being crunched together. An image of meat being grinded at a factory came to the forefront of Lucas' imagination. He winced.
"Dimitri, please stop," the professor pleaded. "This really hurts, Dimitri. Please stop. Please."
As if to comply, Dimitri threw Lucas onto the ground. He rolled until he reached Dorothea's feet. Seconds later, he warped away from the battlefield. Lucas soon found himself beside a cleric. A Recover spell from someone else absolved him of all the injuries he built up during the fight. Thanking the mages, Lucas walked off to think about what just happened.
"Okay, so. I'm out. Obviously Dimitri is way tougher than I thought. And I guess I'm way weaker than I thought. Well, I guess that's to be expected," lamented Lucas as he sat down on a random patch of grass, a sad expression forming on his face. "Wait, Sothis, Byleth, can't I just use Divine Pulse?"
"No! Absolutely not!" Sothis refused. "As I have said, I will not permit the use of my divine powers for unnecessary reasons."
"But this IS necessary!" Lucas claimed, frowning.
"No, it is not. Your life has not been threatened, therefore I do not deem this situation worthy of a Divine Pulse. You are going to have to deal with the consequences of your actions, your inability to win. I'm sorry, but I simply cannot allow my power to be activated after every social blunder you make," Sothis reasoned. "Besides, you haven't lost yet. Your student is still down there. See for yourself."
Lucas was absorbed in lamentation and disappointment, yet he was curious to see what Sothis was talking about. After returning to the edge of the cliff, he slapped himself for briefly forgetting about the only Black Eagle student remaining. She was standing back in front of the Blue Lions' platform, facing down Dimitri.
"I'm so fucking stupid. I thought Dorothea was sent out with me. How the hell is she gonna beat Dimitri?" Lucas wondered, worried for his student.
"We'll have to watch in order to find out."
Down in the mock battle's field, Dorothea held her arms out, signifying that she was ready to unleash her final Thunder whenever. Dimitri simply frowned in response. This only served to unnerve her. Once he spoke, however, she calmed down.
"I understand that you wield magic, yet I do not feel it is right to attack an unarmed enemy, particularly if they are a friend," Dimitri broke the silence. "You do not have many uses of your spell left, do you?"
"Do you think I'll just tell you? I could have six uses left, or only one. Do you feel lucky at all, Dimitri?" Dorothea bluffed, grinning.
"Well, considering what you've just told me, I'm unsure," Dimitri smiled. He walked back and picked up the sword Lucas chucked at him earlier, then threw it at the ground beneath Dorothea. "Take that and we may do battle while armed. I assume you are familiar with swords?"
"A little," admitted Dorothea as she picked up and equipped the weapon. Looking at the blade in question reminded her of something. Once she remembered, her grin came back. "Do I need to be?"
"Excuse me?" Dimitri raised an eyebrow.
Before he could get an answer, Dimitri was suddenly required to parry the sword once again, as Dorothea decided to repeat Lucas' earlier stunt of hurling it at the prince. Just as before, the Black Eagles student chose to follow up her throw with a final Thunder cast.
It succeeded. Dimitri was too preoccupied with parrying the training weapon to have enough time to evade the spell. Struck with lightning magic, Dimitri fell to the ground, defeated. It took some time to register for Dorothea.
She had won the mock battle.
"I did it? Good!" She exclaimed, jumping up in celebration.
"Heh, excellent work, Dorothea," Dimitri complimented with a smile.
"Thanks! I knew I couldn't beat you in a direct fight, so I decided to take a page from my professor's book. Sorry," Dorothea apologised.
"There's no need for that. You fought with your creativity instead of a typical weapon. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to give you that sword. I hadn't anticipated you would repeat your professor's move," Dimitri realised, laughing to himself. "Again, excellent work. Congratulations on your victory."
Dorothea smiled once again, basking in the sheer bliss that was enveloping her. She defeated Dimitri, the prince of Faerghus. Someone who'd likely been training for most of his life. Granted, he was weakened from repeated fighting and she didn't do battle with him traditionally, but she didn't mind that much. She won!
"All right, that's that. The winner of the mock battle is…" Jeralt began to announce, bringing back his unusually dramatic pause. "The Black Eagle House!"
Dorothea's victory bliss was retained after she and Dimitri were warped back to everyone else. Immediately after being showered with healing spells, she found herself showered in adulation from her fellow housemates. Even Bernadetta of all people was there to dole out praise. Knowing that such a girl would come out for her made Dorothea feel all the more warmer.
"Dorothea, you were great out there!"
"Wonderful work, Dorothea. You fought nobly."
"I am having admiring, uh, admiration for your skills, Dorothea!"
"Hmph. I expected no less from a classmate of Lady Edelgard's."
"Hubert, enough. Let's not downplay Dorothea's achievement. She finished off what I couldn't. That in of itself is worth praise. I am proud of you, Dorothea."
"You did most of the work, Edelgard. I have no doubt that any of us could have finished the job. Except for me. Regardless, good job, Dorothea."
"D-D-Dorothea! You were so amazing out there! Please teach me how to be as good as you are!"
Bernadetta was the last of the group to speak. She somehow pushed herself forward to approach Dorothea and soon began weeping into the bottom half of her classmate's uniform. The classmate in question embraced the violet.
"Oh, Bern. I promise to teach you," Dorothea smiled. She then turned to the group. "Thanks for your kind words, everyone. It's honestly a little overwhelming, but I appreciate each and every one of you."
"On behalf of the house, you're very welcome," Edelgard responded with her own faint smile.
Dorothea basked in her adulation some more before realising something was missing. "Wait, where's the professor?"
"Over on the cliff edge. He seemed kinda upset about something, so we left him alone. Should I get him?" Caspar answered.
"No, I'll do it," Dorothea insisted, ushering Bernadetta away from her leg. "I owe my winning move to him, so it only makes sense if I do it. I'll be right back."
Excused, Dorothea departed from the group and traveled over to Lucas, who had been sitting on the edge of the cliff, staring down with a gloomy expression on his face. She furrowed her brows.
"Hey, Professor, is everything okay?" she asked with a calm tone of voice. "You seem down. Are you still hurt somewhere? Did you not get healed by the mages?"
"I did, it's just…" Lucas sighed. "It's nothing, don't worry about it. I shouldn't have to bore you with the details. I'm a professor, aren't I? I kinda have a reputation to uphold."
"Now that's just wrong," Dorothea shook her head.
"Huh?"
"Just because you're a professor, it doesn't mean you're not a person. You have thoughts and feelings like the rest of us. You laugh, smile and cry like everyone else. Who cares about some stupid reputation? If there's something wrong, you do whatever it takes to fix it. You shouldn't have to abandon your emotions because you happen to have a certain job. That's ridiculous."
"I'm not abandoning anything, it's just…" Lucas trailed off.
"Are you upset about losing to Dimitri? I promise, nobody's going to judge you for that. Dimitri's freakishly strong as it is. I nearly lost to him as well. The only reason I won in the first place was because he was very, very tired."
"Well, I'm not upset about losing to him. Not entirely, anyway. I just...I don't want to talk about it. Not yet."
Dorothea nodded. "That's fine. You can talk about it when you're ready. Whenever you are, know that I, along with the rest of the Black Eagles, will be there to listen. Now, come on. Everyone's waiting for you."
"Right," Lucas nodded in return. "Let's go."
The professor, his mood lightened by Dorothea's words and her calming presence, chose to accompany his student back to the rest of the Black Eagle house. They were all worried for him (save for Hubert). Receiving such concern from so many people at once, while overwhelming at first, was ultimately very nice and refreshing. Lucas felt at peace with the Black Eagles.
It was finally time for them to celebrate their victory.
Author's Notes:Funny thing is, this was originally meant to be Chapter 5. I decided to move some things around from my initial drafts of Chapters 3 and 4, which ultimately led to me combining the two. That in turn led to the mock battle chapter being moved down to 4. I think this creates a good sense of pacing, but do let me know what you guys think in the reviews. Also, don't hesitate to give me criticism. I always feel like I forget to mention something in the chapter, so let me know if something doesn't make sense or if something doesn't feel right. I'll change it as soon as I can!
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See y'all next time!
EDIT (22/09/2021): More of my week-long editing. Again, not much was changed here today.
EDIT (25/11/2021): Again, more beta editing. Will probably just overwrite the previous "EDIT" lines in these notes sections from here on out. Don't really need to have two.