Chapter Eleven: The Tournament, Teams
The Vytal Tournament, the main attraction for the festival from which it gets its name. Unbeknownst to the competitors and spectators, the first tournament held in Mistral since the beginning of the civil war, could very well be the kingdom's last.
Alyssa and Lucas were making sure their weapons worked properly and their gear was battle ready, meanwhile their teammates were meditating, their auras outlining their bodies. It was something Bianca and Cyrus tried to do daily, as per the suggestion of Sierra. It would allow them better use of their aura and command of their semblances, along with eventually being able to call upon their other powers at will.
"They've been doing that a lot lately," Alyssa whispered to her partner.
"Yea, I thought Yin was our only zen master," Lucas quietly joked.
Alyssa rolled her eyes and chuckled lightly, "anyway, we've gotta go soon, so…"
"Right," Lucas replied.
The gray clad boy approached his teammates. They seemed not to notice as they were deep in concentration.
He tapped Bianca on the shoulder, "hey, we have to go soon. You mind wrapping it up?"
"Huh?" Bianca opened her eyes and her glowing aura dissipated. "Oh, right. Hey Cyrus, we have to go now."
Cyrus opened his eyes too and his aura dissipated as well, "damn, time flies doesn't it," he chuckled.
"Can you guys please hurry, the transport to Amity Colosseum leaves in fifteen minutes," Alyssa said.
Bianca and Cyrus already had their combat outfits on, so they just grabbed their weapons and strapped them on as they left their dorm. Team AYST had already left, so Team BLAC was on their own for now.
Soon after Bianca affixed her belt which held her sabers to her waist, her scroll buzzed in her pocket. It was a video call and the contact name read "Auntie Yang." When she answered the call, it was more than just Yang on the other side; squeezed into frame was Blake, Alyssa's younger brother Cerin, and Ren and Nora's kids, Li and Pyrrha.
"Hey!" They all said in unison.
Lucas, Alyssa, and Cyrus all gathered around Bianca after they heard those on the other side of the call.
"Hi, what's up?" Bianca inquired.
"We're having a little get together at our place and wanted to wish you kids luck in the tournament," Yang said. When she talked, implants of gold were visible in place of the few teeth Roman had knocked out of her mouth.
"Good luck!" Nora's voice called from behind them.
"We'll be sure to give it our all," Alyssa said.
"You'd better," Cerin stated, "we'll be watching."
Pyrrha looked away from the screen for a moment as if to grab something. The little girl had a smile on her face as she held a metal spoon in her hand.
"Alyssa, Bianca, look what I can do!" Pyrrha used her semblance to levitate and spin the spoon above her hand.
"Cool," Bianca and Alyssa said simultaneously.
Alyssa turned away and whispered to Bianca, "what's she doing?"
"She's using her semblance to spin a spoon above her hand," Bianca whispered back.
Alyssa turned back to the screen, "that's really neat, you'll have to show us more when we get back to Vale."
"I will!" Pyrrha said with a large smile.
"So, um… is my mom with you guys?" Bianca asked.
"No," Blake said, "Weiss is at the hospital visiting Ruby."
"Yea, she said she was going to watch the tournament there," Yang added.
"Oh…" Bianca's tone turned somber as she was once again reminded of the state her mother was in.
"Bianca." Blake said, "don't blame yourself for what happened, if Ruby could speak, she'd tell you that."
"Not only would she tell you that," Yang cut in, "she'd tell you that she was proud of you too."
"Yea," Blake agreed, "but, you shouldn't think about that now, you have more important things to focus on."
"Like winning the tournament," Alyssa jumped into the conversation.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Lucas stated.
"Anyway, we'll be rooting for you," Yang said.
"Good luck," Blake added.
The call ended and Team BLAC resumed their course, they soon arrived at the transport to Amity Colosseum. They were met by Professor Haze, along with Teams AYST and SSGE, and the five other teams whom they would represent Beacon Academy alongside.
The tournament stage was magnificent. A massive stadium capable of holding tens of thousands of people, all the while held in the air by a massive chunk of Gravity Dust. It was the result of years of planning and coordination between the four kingdoms, to create a venue like no other to be the home of the greatest tournament on Remnant.
"Alright everyone, opening ceremonies are starting soon," Professor Haze announced. "When we land grab your gear and follow me, try not to get lost."
When they landed, the students did as Professor Haze said. The main entrances were crowded with what seemed to be hundreds of people; other academy students, civilians, and huntsmen, with thousands more on the way. Professor Haze led them to an alternate entranceway. This one was empty, save for a few of the colosseum's workers and a pair of Atlesian Knights.
The entranceway led to a long, mostly empty tunnel. When they entered, they were met by a short woman with an earpiece and a clipboard. She directed them to follow her down the hallway to a large garage like door.
"Everyone," the woman clapped her hands, gaining the attention of the students. "Please, line up shoulder to shoulder with your teammates and behind your professor. Fourth-years towards the front, first-years towards the back, third and second-years sort yourselves in the center."
They did as she said. Team SSGE was directly behind Professor Haze, while Teams AYST and BLAC made up the final two rows.
As the students waited in the hallway, they could hear the people outside filing into their seats. Many of the students were excited, just as many however, were nervous. No more Round Robin matches, once you lost, you and your team were out.
Bianca tapped the pommel of one of her sabers nervously as she took several deep breaths. She soon felt a warm hand on hers that made her cease tapping. When she looked to see who's hand it was, a light blush came to her face.
Cyrus smiled at her, "we'll do fine… You'll do fine."
Bianca smiled back. There was no need for a worded response, it would only kill the moment. He was right though, Team BLAC would do well in the tournament, she would lead them well.
The woman placed her hand on her earpiece and listened for a moment, before then nodding her head. She quickly looked to Professor Haze, while pointing at her. Ember nodded to the woman.
"Beacon's ready to go," the woman said over her earpiece.
From within the tunnel the students could hear that everything was about to begin. As the spectators were settling into their seats, one of the announcers addressed them.
"Hello everyone! And welcome to the fifty-second Vytal Festival Tournament!" The announcer received a booming cheer from the audience after he spoke.
All over Remnant people tuned in to see the spectacle. Back in Vale, the Xiao Long-Belladonna and Ren families settled in at Blake and Yang's home to watch. Jamie Black, owner of the Crow Bar had a packed house. Meanwhile, Weiss sat in a hospital room next to her comatose wife, the television tuned to the Tournament Broadcast.
Ruby's condition hadn't improved at all in the months she had been hospitalized, and life support was still a necessity to ensure her survival. The doctors weren't sure she had much longer, but Ruby's family refused to give up hope.
As the broadcast of the tournament opening began, Weiss lightly grasped Ruby's hand, "it's starting."
Back at the colosseum, the announcers were introducing themselves to the crowd. "Thank you all for joining us for this momentous occasion. My name is Scarlet David, professor of history here at Haven Academy."
"And I'm Sage Ayana," the other announcer said, "I teach Grimm Studies here at our prestigious academy."
"The two of us will be your announcers for the duration of the tournament," Scarlet added. "Now, if you all would turn your attention to the holo-screens towards the top of the stadium, we have a little presentation for you."
The lights dimmed, and the forcefield at the top of the stadium darkened to block outside light. Epic instrumental music began to play as the screens activated. A video played, one showcasing all the greatest moments from past tournaments; The first shown was Ember Haze's finals match against Sierra Nahla at the fifty-first tourney in Atlas; Drunken Fist verses Tiger Style. It also showed Ember's victory in the fiftieth tournament on the Island of Vytal, before continuing backwards through the years.
It showed Arslan's victory over Yang in the forty-first tournament in Vacuo; a hard fought and closely contested match that one. Oddly enough however, it didn't show any highlights of the fortieth tournament in Vale, the tournament everyone wished to forget.
The further back the video went, the less the quality of the film became; moving from digital, to technicolor, to black and white. The last few were only snapshots, pictures taken at famous moments and matches of those tourneys' champions. The last image was of the first champion; It was iconic and powerful. His sword held high above his head, long scarf flowing in the breeze, and his expression, one of triumph. A simple soldier turned huntsman. The image faded from black and white to a colored version. The man's eyes were a glistening silver and his scarf, a bright red. His name; Rowan Rose, the three-times great grandfather of Bianca.
The image cut to black. Slowly, the emblem of the Vytal Tournament came into view on the screen. An amalgamation of the symbols of the four kingdoms and their academies, it was meant to symbolize the peace and partnership between them.
The screens faded to black. The lights then slowly came back on and the forcefield became transparent to allow exterior light into the stadium.
"Now, ladies and gentlemen, it's time to introduce our competitors!" Sage Ayana announced, "care to do the honors Scarlet?"
"Of course!" Scarlet replied, "all the way from the frozen north and overseen by their funky-fresh head combat professor Flynt Coal, it's Atlas Academy!"
The applause, although loud, was not thunderous for those representing Atlas Academy as they marched out. They moved in near perfect lock-step fashion as they took their place within the stadium. The names of Atlas's eight teams were listed on the stadium's holo-screens; FRSH, NRDC, REDD, BLEU, CMFG, EYCE, CRLN, and AZRE.
"Tell us Sage, who should we look out for from Atlas this tournament?" Scarlet asked.
"That'd definitely be the third-years of Team FRSH (Fresh), especially their leader Flynt Coal Jr., or 'Easy-F' as he's more well known by in his hometown of Mantle." Sage said.
"Ah, yes," Scarlet replied, "promising academy student by day and front man of the rising hip-hop group 'Faunus With Attitude' by night, the younger Flynt looks to follow in his parents' footsteps in more ways than one. He made waves two years ago when, as a first-year, he advanced all the way to the semi-finals before he was defeated by Haven's Sierra Nahla."
"I bet he's hoping to win it all this year," Sage said.
"I agree with you on that old friend, now onto our next group of participants." Scarlet said, "by way of the kingdom by the sea, and overseen by two-time tournament champion Ember Haze, it's Beacon Academy!"
The large doors to the tunnel opened and the representatives of Beacon Academy walked out. They received a slightly larger applause than that of Atlas.
As Bianca walked out with her team and classmates, she felt a sense of elation. She was participating in the greatest tournament on Remnant, the same stage her mothers, grandparents, and a few other family members of hers had competed on as well. For a moment, she felt like a superstar. When she looked up, Bianca saw her team's name displayed along with the rest from her academy; SSGE, BLAC, AYST, GRNN, GNMT, BRWN, PRPL, and RNBW.
"So, who should we pay attention to from Beacon?" Sage asked.
"You should already know that's definitely fourth-year student Yaara Stallion, the leader of Team SSGE." Scarlet replied. "Like Flynt, she was a semi-finalist two years ago, being defeated by the woman who now serves as her academy's overseer for the tournament."
"You know, I believe her younger brother is also representing Beacon in this tournament," Sage added.
"Hmm, that would make for an interesting dynamic if they were to face one another," Scarlet stated.
"Yes, yes it would," Sage agreed. "Anyway, who's next?"
As Scarlet was about to announce the next academy, Yaara turned to look at her younger brother who was standing a few rows behind her. When she turned, she found Roy already looking at her. They exchanged a challenging look at one another. The two may be siblings, but if they faced each other, neither would hold back.
"Ladies and gentlemen, next up are the conquerors of the desert, overseen by their academy's head combat professor Brawnz Ni, it's Shade Academy!" Scarlet announced. "Why don't you tell us who to look for from this ragtag bunch."
Ragtag was right when referring to Shade Academy. They walked out in more of a blob as opposed to orderly lines like Atlas and Beacon before them. And also like them, their teams were displayed for all to see; GRSE, OCEN, FYRE, HART, MGTA, ROJO, SAND, and BLCO.
"Shade's top competitor has to be second-year student Slicke Grease, the leader of Team GRSE (Grease)," Sage said. "Over his first two years at Shade, he's shown to be superb in the combat arena."
"Well, now let's get to our last, but certainly not least, competitors," Scarlet stated. "Here they are! Your hosts and hometown heroes! Overseen by Forty-first Vytal Tournament Champion, Martial Arts Master, and head combat professor Arslan Altan, it's Haven Academy!"
The roar in the stadium was defining. The volume was cranked even louder as fast paced rock music played when the competitors of Haven walked out. Their teams were as follows; SLVR, HRVT, JADE, CPPR, BEGE, ORNJ, SFRN, and DRGN.
"Damn, talk about homefield advantage," Cyrus stated.
"You all already know who's headlining Haven's competitors this tournament," Scarlet said. "But encase you don't, let's hear it for Team SLVR and their leader Sierra Nahla!"
The applause they received was nearly as large as that of their academy's entrance.
"Sierra does have some tough competition this tournament, but she's been identified as the outright favorite to win it all. The top student of Haven Academy, and star pupil of Arslan Altan, she was the runner-up in the previous tournament." Sage said.
"She's definitely my favorite," Scarlet added.
"Now that all our competitors have been introduced, lets move onto our main event," Sage said. "Yesterday, all the teams participating in this event were seeded into a 32-team bracket, which will be in effect for the first two rounds of the tourney, after that, all matches will be decided at random before they are fought."
"Now, kicking off the tournament is Team NRDC (Nordic) of Atlas, verses Team SLVR of Haven!" Scarlet announced.
The crowd roared as the two teams made their way to the central stage of the arena. Meanwhile, the rest of the competitors relocated to zones of the stands sectioned off specifically for them.
The students who were watching took note of the gear and weapons used by those about to fight. Team NRDC was rugged, and somewhat resembled Northman Raiders of old. Their leader, Njord Beck, used a large round shield and hefty war axe. His partner, Rudolf Falk, was similarly equipped, but used a sword instead. They were the heavy hitters, while their teammates, the Leif Sisters were their team's agile fighters; Diana used a bow along with a pair of axes, and Clara used a spear.
Team SLVR was a near opposite. All four wore martial arts gis of varying color with the forearms and calves wrapped tight; Sierra's was dark green with a black belt, Russell's was black with a gray belt, Luke's was white with a black belt, and Violet's was purple with a teal belt. They were also more focused on hand-to-hand combat than their opponents, with one exception. Russell wore heavy steel gauntlets on his forearms and hands, Violet wore heavily armored boots, Luke fought bare fisted, but Sierra… she had range. On her forearms were a pair of SMGs and over her right eye, a small heads up display.
Professor Haze raised an eyebrow when she saw Sierra's weapon, "hmm, those are new."
As the two teams stood in the center of the arena, six holographic screens popped up around them. Behind Team SLVR it stopped on the lava fields and behind Team NRDC it stopped on the ruined city.
Scarlet and Sage then began the countdown and the crowd joined in.
"3!"
Russell looked to Sierra, "what's the plan?"
"2!"
Sierra cocked a confident smile at her teammate.
"1!"
She bore her claws, "attack."
"Begin!" Scarlet announced.
The crowd roared as Team SLVR charged their opponents. Team NRDC held their ground, Njord and Rudolf locked their shields and kneeled to brace themselves.
Sierra slid to a stop and pulled up her SMGs, she let loose a hail of gunfire onto Team NRDC's shieldwall causing Njord and Rudolf to duck.
Russell slammed his shoulder into his opponent's shields and broke apart their formation. Sierra soon rushed to his side as Njord and Rudolf circled them.
Diana loosed several arrows at Sierra and Russell, but she was soon set upon by Violet. She landed a huge kick on the archer's chest; the blow was amplified by her boots hydraulic soles.
Knowing her bow was useless in close combat, Diana shouldered it and drew a pair of axes from her lower back. She rushed Violet.
Violet hopped back and forth on the balls of her feet as Diana got closer. When her opponent was within leg's reach, she threw a roundhouse kick at her.
Diana hooked Violet's leg with her axe and directed her leg away, but she used this momentum and spun around, landing a huge heel kick to Diana's chin, knocking her off balance.
She quickly shook off the blow and rushed back into the fray. Diana and Violet began trading blows with one another, however, it wasn't an even exchange. Almost every strike thrown by Diana was met with a swift parry from Violet, followed by quick successive kicks.
Diana jumped back for a moment to get her bearings. She glanced at the screen showing the aura levels of the fighters. Her aura was at fifty percent, while Violet's was barely scratched.
Violet leapt in the air with the aid of her hydraulic boots. By the time her opponent noticed her attack, it was too late. She landed a violent drop kick onto Diana's head, sending her face-first into the ground.
"Ohhh! She's definitely gonna feel that in the morning!" Scarlet said.
Elsewhere in the match, Clara chased Luke into the ruined city. As she ran into the city, she looked up to see her sister's aura drop into the red.
"And with that Diana Lief has been eliminated via aura level," Sage said.
"Dammit," Clara said.
"Focus on the fight at hand," a voice called from behind her.
Clara quickly turned to block Luke's kick with her spear. She shoved him away and spun her spear around herself several times before presenting it to her opponent.
Luke stood and flicked his nose with his thumb before raising his fists.
Clara charged Luke and thrust her spear at him.
Luke spun out of the way of her strike. When Clara swung her weapon at him again, he backflipped over it. He then shot a rope-dart from his sleeve and caught his opponent's leg, pulling her off balance.
Clara found herself off her feet and falling to her back when she was struck by a roundhouse kick and sent flying into a concrete wall.
Back in the stands, Professor Haze shook her head and chuckled, "looks like Sifu's been giving out her tricks."
Clara quickly composed herself. As she saw Luke rushing to strike her, she rotated a section of her spear causing the point to open. She then fired a bolt of lightning dust forcing Luke to dodge.
Clara took this opportunity to rush Luke. She was relentless in her attempts to strike him, thrusts came from above and below, followed by side to side slashes. None made contact.
"Ugh! Let me hit you already!" Clara shouted.
Luke smiled condescendingly. He shot his rope-dart at her face, forcing Clara to dodge. However, instead of retracting it back into his sleeve, he spun it around himself continuously, creating a defensive area around his body.
Luke's smile angered Clara. Without thinking she rushed him and thrust her spear at his chest. His rope-dart wrapped around her spear and he yanked it from her hands, kicking her in the belly as he did so.
She landed in a pile of rubble, as she stood, Luke was already upon her. He struck her in the face with his rope-dart before retracting it and going into hand-to-hand.
Clara attempted to defend herself, throwing haymakers left and right, all easily dodged. Luke's punches on the other hand were quick and precise. Their duel was over.
"Another member of Team NRDC is down," Sage announced. "It's now four verses two, Njord and Rudolf are on the ropes."
The two remaining members of Team NRDC were engaged with Sierra and Russell, the powerhouses of Team SLVR.
Sierra fired her SMGs at Njord as he rushed her. Her shots were mostly ineffective due to Njord ducking behind his shield as he charged.
He swung his axe down onto Sierra when he reached her. While Sierra easily dodged this first strike, she was forced to block a punch from her opponent's shield.
Njord began to physically push Sierra back, shoving her into the lava fields.
Sierra planted her feet and halted Njord before he could push her any further. She then planted a kick into his belly and ripped the shield out of his hands.
Njord stumbled back as he grabbed his belly, he was visibly angry now. He took his axe and extended the handle to turn it from a war-axe to a battle-axe.
Sierra grabbed a couple of crystals from a stalk of fire dust near her and inserted them into her weapons.
As the two team leaders faced each other down, Russell and Rudolf fought.
Russell had his opponent on the backfoot. Russell was strong… very strong, his punches knocked Rudolf off balance every time he tried to block them.
Rudolf swung erratically at Russell in a vain attempt to try and hit him. While he certainly wasn't the quickest of his team, Russell easily avoided his opponent's strikes.
"Why don't you stop trying to hit me, and hit me," Russell said as he blocked one of Rudolf's strikes with his heavy steel gauntlets.
Rudolf pushed Russell away with a forceful shove from his shield. He then thrust his sword at his opponent's face.
Russell grabbed the blade between his hands, stopping the thrust. He tossed the weapon aside whilst throwing his shoulder into his opponent's chest, knocking him off balance.
Rudolf recomposed himself. He banged the rim of his shield and charged.
Russell took a defensive stance; he stood sideways, his base wide and squatted, his left hand balled into a fist and tucked to his side, and his right arm extended with his palm facing out.
Rudolf reared back his sword for a heavy strike. As he did so, he was struck from behind by a furious kick from Violet, sending him skidding across the ground. His aura dipped into the red.
"And that's another member of Team NRDC down!" Scarlet announced.
"Looks like Team SLVR has this match in the bag," Sage added.
Russell turned to his partner, "I had that under control."
"You looked like you needed help big guy," Violet nudged him in the arm, earning a chuckle and eyeroll from her partner.
Sierra had been toying with Njord this whole time, engaging him from a distance and leading him on a long chase. He had become annoyed with her antics and pursued her more aggressively as the match went on.
Sierra backpedaled and fired her SMGs at her charging opponent, forcing him to dodge. She then noticed her teammates rushing to her aid.
She put her hand up at them, "I got this."
Sierra's teammates nodded and stood back as Njord approached her. He was breathing heavily, and his expression was one of anger.
Sierra deactivated her SMGs and took her stance; her claws were fully extended. She looked like a tiger ready to pounce on its prey.
"Now that's more like it," Professor Haze said.
Everyone was paying close attention to this portion of the match; however, Bianca and Cyrus were especially attentive.
Njord charged and Sierra pounced. As he swung his axe at her, she leapt over his blow and grabbed her opponent's head, forcing him to fall on his face as she landed gracefully onto her feet.
Njord pounded the ground as he got up and swung his axe backwards at Sierra. She backflipped over the swing and kicked her opponent in the head, forcing him to stumble back.
As he recovered, Sierra got inside the reach of his weapon. She threw a combo of slashes with her claws. Njord was unable to defend himself, she was so fast. This fight was over before he knew it. His aura was dropped to the red as Sierra knocked him out with a devastating leopard strike.
"And that's the match!" Scarlet announced, "Team SLVR is victorious and will be moving onto the doubles round!"
"Now, we will be going to a brief break before our next match," Sage said.
Professor Haze shook her head as Team SLVR exited the arena and medical personnel met with Team NRDC, "that match wasn't even close."
Bianca overheard her professor and chimed in, "I thought it was well fought, it's not like Team NRDC gave up."
"While that's true, take a look at the aura meter," Professor Haze replied.
Bianca did as her professor said, however she wasn't expecting what she saw. All of Team SLVR's auras had barely been scratched, in fact, Sierra hadn't lost any whatsoever.
"They're good… really good," Bianca stated.
"Good?" Professor Haze inquired, "that's an understatement if I've ever heard one. They're on a complete other level, especially Sierra. She's much better than she was two years ago, so much so that I doubt I could even beat her."
Bianca was taken aback by her professor's statement. She knew Sierra had to be good simply because she was Haven's top student, among other things, but she couldn't believe she was better than a fully certified Huntress. Bianca noticed something about how Professor Haze had said that though. She wasn't saying it wholly out of concern for those who faced her. No, she was talking like an older sister seeing their younger sibling coming into their own. She sounded proud of how far Sierra had come over a mere two years.
"And we're back!" Scarlet announced, "lets get on with our next match!"
"Yes," Sage interjected, "looks like we've got Team BLAC of Beacon verses Team SAND of Shade!"
"Well, we're up guys," Alyssa said.
"Let's do this!" Cyrus said enthusiastically.
"Good luck guys!" Alani said as Team BLAC made their way down to the combat arena.
"Focus on the fight at hand and nothing else," Professor Haze called out. "Also, if you're not sure if your opponent is down and out, 'double-tap'.
"We'll be sure to remember that," Bianca replied.
Team BLAC's fight was a close one, definitely more so than the previous match. It was no doubt very entertaining for the spectators. At multiple points their opponents had them on the ropes, but they managed to pull it back and steal a win from under Team SAND's nose. They received massive applause from the crowd for their poise and teamwork under pressure.
As her student's made their way back to their seats, Professor Haze looked over to where Haven's competitors were sitting. Arslan was looking back at her former pupil, she looked impressed and gave Professor Haze an approving nod. She smiled and nodded back to Arslan.