"You said this was at random!" Blake complained as she followed Glynda to the arena in the Main Hall.

"What's to say that this pairing wasn't chosen at random?" She asked. "Coincidental? Perhaps. But I think there's a good chance that it was random." Blake shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"I'm still not buying it…" Blake said. Glynda threw open the doors, students cheering all around them as Sun stood the middle of the arena below.

"It's the first arena fight of the second quarter and the first grade! Let's start off with one you guys won't forget for the rest of the year! The top two teams in Year One! NITE vs. CBLT!" Sun shouted. Those spectating roared into chants and whoops, shouting for their favorites. "You all know the rules! Once your aura is depleted, your out! Let's see which team has the tenacity to go all the way!"

"Someone's overly excited," Blake told Glynda referring to Sun. Glynda sighed. "I guess he's really enjoying filling in for Pyrrha on her day off, isn't he?"

"I'll speak with him later," Glynda replied.

Neela walked to the middle of the arena, waving at all of her peers that were watching her from the stands. Cobalt joined her.

"This never gets old," Neela told him. He chuckled.

"You're right. This is the first time they've had us go toe to toe as teams though," Cobalt reminded her.

"You both ready?" Sun asked. Neela held her sword before her, stoic with her battle stance, prepared to attack. Cobalt quickly formed his sword and stood prepared. They both nodded. "3… 2… 1… Fight!"

Neela knew Cobalt too well, she had trained with him, they had fought each other and together in other classes for sword mastery. She had examined his fighting style on her own, making sure that she caught every little detail when he was up against the teachers. She'd be a step ahead of him, and she knew that he was aware of the fact, so why did he choose to send himself out first against her? Did he not trust his teammates with fighting her? Would it be over if she was simply able to bring him down? Something seemed off. There was a look of confidence in his eyes, it was like he knew something about this fight that she didn't know. They charged at each other.

The two swords met, clashing, the sound of metal meeting Cobalt's Dust blades filled the hall. They both gave, crashing off of each other repeatedly with blinding speed, Blake couldn't keep up. She bit her nails as she watched Neela fight. You can do this Neela. I believe in you. Neela slid back and smiled, preparing to rush in again, watching Cobalt swing his sword over his head, challenging her. Things were about to get interesting. She charged in, Cobalt smirked again and braced. Right where I want her.

Neela flipped her sword into its bow form as she reached him, reaching back to grab an arrow but stumbling off balance as he had formed his clone and both of their blades met her bow. She held them back. She gritted her teeth as she slid back on her feet, Cobalt pleased with himself and he let it show. He chuckled as she grabbed the grip with her other hand, still sliding slowly. This wasn't what she had anticipated, but she could still make it work. She flipped her right wrist, hooking the railing above the arena on the far end behind Cobalt. The towing power was enough to drive Cobalt back rapidly, the clone stumbling and rolling across the floor under her as she glanced off of the actual Cobalt and unlatched the grapple.

As she spun around she drew back a fire arrow and launched it, the clone scrambling into the way as Cobalt was still slightly dazed. His copy disappeared on impact.

"Dammit…" Cobalt spat and lifted his sword, aiming to fire. How many shots am I working with today?

*FOUR*

Cobalt gritted his teeth. The modifications he had made last night weren't enough for a fifth shot like he was hoping. He didn't have time to calculate what his options were when he ran out, he needed to waste this shot potentially and hope he wouldn't need more. He fired and Neela deflected it back with her sword, knocking his own weapon out of his hand. How? How did she do that? How could she have known?!

Neela chuckled to herself as he watched in disbelief for a moment before calling upon Tawney to enter the fray. She had strategically placed an ice Dust crystal on her grip before the match so that the wind from the arrow's fletching would cause the Dust to erupt, coating her blade. She also knew from watching Cobalt help Bái that ice was all it took to deflect his laser. She was pleased with herself and took a few steps back as the real challenge began.

"Finally!" Tawney shouted. "I've been waiting for this moment since we faced off when we met!"

"I think you're just all talk, Maniac!" Neela responded. Tawney charged at Neela without the offer of any more banter, Neela meeting her tonfas with deflections from her blade, but constantly evading. Tawney's speed and precision were getting better without a doubt, but her over eagerness still made her sloppy enough to allow Neela to land a blow. Her blade slid across Tawney's aura as she was knocked back, charging in again immediately but she'd given Neela too much space and was greeted with an ice arrow to the chest, coating her torso in ice. The distraction was enough and Neela tagged Ilia in. Ilia ran in past Neela, using her blades to deflect and direct Tawney's blows.

"How are you doing that so easily?" Tawney cried out and she leapt back to give herself a moment.

"I wouldn't say it's easy, but you've been training all this time with the sole intent of defeating Neela, and I'm not Neela," Ilia explained. Ilia rattled her with bullets before Tawney was able to combine her tonfas and blast Ilia back with a single shot. Ilia backflipped, landing on her feet and letting her blades drag against the floor to stop her momentum. Tawney was right there, there would be no avoiding the attack. Ilia grabbed Tawney's fist as it swung up, the hit slamming through her jaw, weakening her aura. She left the ground for a few moments, still holding on to Tawney for dear life and finally making the connection. Ilia smirked and disappeared. Tawney's eyes widened before becoming blank.

"Yes!" Eliana exclaimed quietly to Neela.

"I forfeit," Tawney exclaimed to Sun. Sun glanced up to where Glynda stood watching and she gave him a single nod.

"Tawney is out of the match," Sun informed both teams.

"What?" Bái exclaimed. Ilia leapt out of the body and landed in front of her team, rubbing her hands together.

"Nice job Ilia," Titus told her. She winked at him.

"Did you doubt me?" She asked. She could hear someone whistling out above the rest of the noise and looked up, watching as Vin applauded her. She blushed slightly.

"That was dirty!" Tawney yelled.

"But it's not against rules," Ilia exclaimed. "If you want, we can do it again and I'll kick your ass with your own tonfas."

"Come on," Sun ushered them. "We need to keep this going."

"Bái, you're up," Cobalt said looking past Lykos at her. She nodded sheepishly, smiling as Lykos directed her towards the arena floor. She could do this. She would show them all what she learned, and she didn't have to worry about pushing herself too hard. She looked at the bracelet that Cobalt had made her. She hadn't taken it off once since he'd given it to her, she hardly wanted to give it back to him later long enough for it to get graded. It was amazing and gave her peace of mind. Titus stepped into the arena, he was nearly double her size. He unsheathed his swords and gave her a grin.

"I'm glad that we finally get to-" Before he could finish, Bái had dashed past him with alarming speed. Their eyes met as she slid by on a track of ice and his mind crashed into a flurry of options. What had just happened? Had she always been this fast? One kopis crashed through the floor, raising earth pillars around him in a random formation. Bái leapt off of her track and planted her feet against one of the rocks, leaping off and directly towards him. Titus threw up his other blade, meeting hers which she had formed seconds before, a jian made completely of ice. Gasps filled the room as they tried to force each other back.

"He's like twice her size," came a voice from the students near Glynda and Blake. "How is she holding him back like that?" Glynda chuckled. Even Blake was shocked and had an entranced look on her face.

"Sometime's it's the size of the fire in the Huntress or Huntsman," Glynda offered. She realized the irony of the statement, but Bái had a fire inside of her too, didn't she? I knew you could do it Bái. Her attention turned to Lykos who watched on stoically, but she knew that deep down he was a nervous wreck. Thank you Lykos. This is why you were all chosen for the teams that you were. You'll all keep helping and driving each other until you reach a greatness that all of you have never known before. Glynda smirked.

"What is this?" Titus asked grunting. "How are you…" An evil grin found Bái's face and she leapt back, Titus moved to push the offensive but found his feet immobile. She'd frozen them to the ground… but how!? They had maintained eye contact the entire time! What was she?! Titus slammed his free kopis into the ground before him, fire Dust swallowing up his feet and freeing him. He retrieved both blades and retreated back. She charged at him through the resulting steam, taking him off guard. Titus could see it… beyond the ice, beyond the frosty gloss that covered her eyes. Fire. Her face was so intense. What was driving her so hard?

Ice shards slowly began to form as they battled, slowly circling them and Lykos watched on in awe. He knew she could do it, though he owed thanks to Cobalt for the dampener. They had trained hard. Bái was showing them now. She deserved to be here just as much as the rest of them. Lykos reserved himself, her training wasn't for this, it was for the real world. He wanted to make sure that no one would ever hurt her again. He didn't know what it was, but he felt a deep connection to her. It was almost like he cared more about her than himself…

Lykos, mommy is okay. Lykos shook it out of his mind. Why did that flashback keep coming back to him? He didn't feel romantic about her, did he? He pushed the thought from his mind. Not a chance. He couldn't allow that. Why did I marry you if you won't even put out when I want you to?! I expect you to give it to me like a good bitch! He could never fall in love. He had to protect Bái. He watched as the crystals began to swirl faster. She was about to attack.

Bái swung harder and harder, knocking Titus back a little further with each blow. Are you watching me, Lykos? Is this what's holding you back? Is it because I was weak before? This is my moment to show you that I can be just as strong as you, Lykos! Titus grunted, desperately in need of an opening. She wasn't going to give him one, but maybe he'd be able to create one. One final grasp at escape, her sword met both of his and triggered a shockwave of gravity, throwing Bái back, but leaving her fractals untouched. They crashed into Titus, too many of them to be countered and too late for him to be able to block them with some kind of Dust formation. His aura was depleted.

"Damn…" Titus seethed. He scanned the crowd for Coco and Neo who sat watching the scene unravel with Velvet. What did I do wrong?

"He looks upset," Velvet told Coco.

"I'd say frustrated more than upset," Coco replied. "I'm not sure what he could have done in that situation."

Titus knelt on the ground, his fists balled as his chest heaved, his breath labored. He grunted hard, as though he was in a lot of pain. No, this isn't the time or place.

"Titus, clear out, you've been eliminated," Sun told him. Neela watched Titus as his body shook. She ran in to check on him with Eliana.

"Are you okay?" Neela asked.

"I think… I'm… I'll be okay, just give me a moment…" Titus grunted.

"Neela, I'll let you fight in my place. I'm going to take Titus to the nurse," Eliana said. She looked at Sun. "Is that alright?" Sun shrugged.

"The time limit for this match is close to up, and Neela still has the majority of her aura," Sun told them. "Sure, why not?" Eliana and Neela helped Titus to his feet, sweat beading on his brow. Eliana nodded to Neela and took Titus out of the arena, Neela watching as they left.

"Ready Xiao Long?" Lykos asked. Neela gave him a smug grin.

"Trying to get me fired up?" Neela asked.

"I prefer to fight you at your best," Lykos told her. "I want to prove I can beat the best huntress in school."

"I'm flattered but let's not get ahead of ourselves," Neela replied with a laugh. "Maybe the best Year One student, but I don't know if I'd go as far as calling me the best in the entire school."

"Quit with the banter, get on with the fight!" Yang yelled from a set of lower level bleachers.

"Shall we?" Neela asked. Lykos gave a slight nod, throwing back his pelt slightly, throwing forward his hands, his shuriken flying from him towards Neela. She blocked them as he charged in, making her wonder what his plan was. He activated his semblance, appearing as a Grimm to her and she continued deflecting shuriken. Damn. He knew she was too preoccupied to find him through the illusion. She tried to calm herself, hearing him as she spun around, lashing out. He had managed to grab an arrow from her quiver and it struck her sword.

"Good," Lykos told her. Neela's guard dropped for a moment as his weapons returned, glancing off of the aura protecting her arms. Was she fighting too recklessly, or was he simply that good? As her mind shifted into defense she recalled the incident with Orion for a moment, leaving her open to Lykos who thrust the arrow against her chest, the resulting explosion throwing her back and drawing a silence from the crowd. The untouchable huntress was on the ropes. She slowly stood and her mind quickly reassembled itself.

This was ideal, she shifted her sword into the bow and drew an arrow as Lykos threw his projectiles again. With uncanny speed, Neela shot several of them out of the air and pinned a few to the wall on the other side of the battleground. Lykos removed his hilt, twirling it in his hand before lifting it high, the throwing stars adhering together atop it. He cracked the whip behind him, as it snapped against the ground the projectiles spun faster and generated sparks. He sprinted in, knocking her arrows away, growing closer each second. She quickly formed her sword and reached back.

His whip twisted around her blade and they struggled against each other as she removed an arrow and placed it in her teeth. He reached for it with his free hand and she batted it away, forcing him to release his whip's hold. He leapt back, lashing out quickly and knocking her sword away, moving it and holding the whip behind him.

"Do you yield?" Lykos asked. She moved quickly, swinging her hand up and meeting the whip with an arrow that had the same specialized tip as the one she's used against Orion. The shurikens scattered out, and she placed a sucker punch into his stomach. The wind was knocked out of him as he stumbled back. She moved towards him cautiously.

"Perhaps we can call it a draw?" Neela offered a hand. He smirked.

"You may have scattered my weapon, but it's still functional," Lykos told her. The stars tore past Neela and she slid back from him, grappling her sword to find he was taking the same approach as his opening attack. This was bad, her aura couldn't take much more. As she fended off the projectiles he used his semblance once more. She took a deep breath. This was a bad idea, but she hoped she could sustain it for long enough. She activated her own semblance.

She deflected the shuriken, able to pick him out from his Grimm counterpart, but something seemed off. It was as if she could tell where the attacks were going to be like she knew where he was going, and it was more than just her instinct. A sudden pain slammed into her, not from his attack, but from abusing her power. She quickly grappled him.

He was caught off guard, and as he approached her quickly, she strong-armed him and placed her blade to his neck, her body throbbing in pain. She chuckled, though her breath was labored. Lykos shook his head and laughed as well. The arena erupted.

"I'm impressed," Lykos told her.

"You're not bad yourself," Neela replied.

NITE and CBLT have put on quite the spectacle for the school. Next week: Chapter 35 - Ozpin and Salem!

A big thank you to Y8ay8a, Sa-Dui, Diyaru4500, Demize00Zero, TheCipherNine, SketchHungry, Ookaminoki, Lightning-in-my-Hand, and Dishwasher1910. All of their artwork can be found at Deviantart, you can search Silent-Celica and under my favorites tab, I have a collection for NITE.

Until next week, stay classy!