Chapter Fourteen; The Tournament, Quarterfinals
The time for the quarterfinals came, the eight finalists left the room they had been waiting in and were escorted down the hall by the woman from earlier. As they walked, they could hear the crowd in the arena chanting and cheering. It was like a man-made thunderclap, and it only grew louder.
They were walking two-by-two down the hall as was requested by the woman leading them. Bianca was in the second row with Alani. She felt her heart race as they neared the entrance to the main arena. This was the biggest stage she'd competed on alone since her third Vale Regional Tournament in her final year of combat school. But even that didn't compare to the size and spectacle of being in the Vytal Tournament's "Elite Eight".
She quickly glanced at Alani. Her friend had a serious look about her as she glared forward. Just in front of the two of them were Sierra and Huo, and he was directly in front of Alani. If Huo felt her gaze upon his back, he didn't show it.
Bianca had always felt nervous when going into a fight, be it her combat class, a real fight against Grimm, or a tournament like this. Her heart pounded as it was now, and her mind would race, and she'd start to think of the 'what ifs'. She knew she shouldn't focus on these things. Whenever they came up, she'd think back, to when her mothers were training her, or to something inspirational she'd read in a book, to get her mind off it and motivate her to do her absolute best.
Several months ago, when she and her team were about to face off against Roman Torchwick, Neo, and Dr. Merlot, she was afraid. She was afraid for herself, for her family and friends, and rightly so, after all, Ruby sacrificed herself to save her. However, she learned from both her partner and Alani that it's ok to be afraid when going into a situation such as that. What is bravery without fear?
This was a very different situation to that night. No one was going to die in these matches, nor be fatally injured. But she still felt nervous, even somewhat afraid. Bianca had always struggled to stay on the pedestal she was put on back in combat school. She struggled to keep up with what people expected of her. She wasn't perfect. But, seeing her friend's intense focus and concentration inspired her. Surely Alani felt nervous about all this as well, not just the tournament, but also having her people's honor on her shoulders as the first of them to attend a huntsman academy.
Bianca took a deep breath and calmed her heart and mind. If Alani could be so focused and concentrated at her task at hand; desiring to beat Huo, then Bianca could focus on hers; winning her next match, whoever it be against.
The roar of the crowd grew louder and louder as the eight finalists closed the distance to the arena entranceway. Bianca covered her eyes as the outside light hit them. As her eyes adjusted, she heard the voice of Scarlet David come through the speakers in the arena.
"Everyone, please give a round of applause for your 52nd Vytal Tournament Finalists!"
The crowd roared. It was louder than it had ever been before during the tourney. Bianca looked around as she and the others walked to center stage. She felt her sense of nervousness creep back up on her, but she quickly pushed it away.
"Wahoo! Kick some butt B!" Alyssa shouted from the stands.
Bianca looked towards her teammates and waved to them. The three of them, along with Alani's teammates were all on their feet cheering for the two of them. Her gaze fell on Cyrus, who was simply smiling in her direction. She blushed and smiled lightly.
As the finalists reached the center of the combat stage, the crowd began to settle down and most sat back down in their seats. As the remaining members of Teams BLAC and AYST sat down, Lucas noticed Alyssa's eyes were glowing red.
"Are you boosting your semblance right now?" He asked.
"Yeah…" Alyssa replied, surprised at the fact her partner would ask that. "The combat stage is too far away, I can't sense it with my semblance's normal range. I've been doing it for the entire tournament, I'm surprised you hadn't noticed."
Lucas shrugged, "alright then."
Cyrus leaned over to Yin, whom he was sitting next to, "hey, what's up with Alani?" He had noticed her resoluteness and the serious look on her face.
Yin looked towards his girlfriend and partner, then chuckled, "heaven help whoever she is about to fight."
"Why? What's up with her?" Cyrus inquired.
"She seems angry about something, and she is rarely ever truly angry," Yin stated. "In all my years of living in the Southern Isles, I have learned many things. Chief among those, is do not piss off a member of the Kamehameha family."
Cyrus was still a bit confused, but before he and Yin could continue, the announcers came back on.
"We're in the final stretch of the tournament now, just three more rounds before our champion is crowned," Scarlet stated. "And after the last round I can't wait to see what happens next!"
"I agree wholeheartedly," Sage said. "You know, even though we're supposed to remain unbiased here, I'm kind of rooting for our first-year underdogs from Beacon. Something about those two girls is special."
"Ah yes," Scarlet agreed. "Bianca Rose's upset of Shade Academy's top competitor, Slick Grease, will most certainly go down as a great moment in the history of the tournament. And Alani Kamehameha most certainly showed the prowess of not only herself, but also of her people, in her match…"
A loud "chee-hoo!" could be heard from where Alani's siblings were sitting.
"However, they're going to have to face off against the best fighters each academy has to offer, and they won't have any of their teammates to back them up if they get in a pinch. I doubt they'll make it past this round." Scarlet continued.
Sage chuckled, "you're too harsh of a critic old friend."
"Alright, without further ado, lets get right to the main event!" Scarlet announced.
The eight finalists stood shoulder to shoulder as the large holoscreen above them cycled through their pictures as it prepared to pick the round's first two opponents. The first set of pictures began to slow gradually before it stopped.
"Our first combatant is Alani Kamehameha!"
Bianca looked to her friend as the second set of cycling pictures began to slow. She still had the serious look on her face. Alani then closed her eyes and took a deep breath before stepping forward out of line.
"Stop the selection!" She shouted.
The crowd went silent and the cycling pictures stopped between Flynt Jr. and Sierra Nahla's images. Alani looked around at those watching her for a moment before turning back to the other seven finalists. She then raised her spear and pointed it towards Huo.
"What's this!?" Scarlet leaped from his seat. "It appears Alani Kamehameha is calling out Huo Bing!"
The woman who had escorted the eight of them to the stage stepped over to Alani and was about to end this fiasco when she was contacted over her earpiece. After a few moments she backed away and looked to the announcer's booth. She gave a thumbs up.
"It looks like head tournament officials are going to let this happen!" Scarlet announced.
"What an unprecedented turn of events folks," Sage added. "No one had ever called out another combatant in any of the previous tournaments!"
The six other competitors made their way to their seats, to sit with their teammates and friends. As Bianca passed Alani, she tapped her on the shoulder and gave her a smile and nod. Once they vacated the area, leaving only Alani and Huo, the central stage rose a few feet from the ground.
Huo stepped forward, cracking his knuckles as he did, "you've made a big mistake, savage."
Alani looked Huo directly in the eyes. She was undaunted by his threats. "Ufa kefe," she said to him.
Bianca had just sat down with her teammates and friends when she heard Alani say that. She heard Yin snicker to himself at his girlfriend. Everything said by the combatants could be heard by all those watching.
"Is that phrase supposed to be funny or something?" Bianca inquired.
"Not really," Yin replied. "It is an insult of sorts. Translated into Remnant's lingua franca, it means 'fuck you, bitch'."
Back on the combat stage, Alani and Huo were sizing each other up as they waited for the commencement of their match. Huo stretched and popped his joints as Alani paced back and forth whilst staring at him. Once he was done, he began to speak.
"You know, even though you are a savage, I'll admit you're a great fighter." He began to unbutton his red long-sleeved changshan shirt. "With that being said, I can't afford to hold anything back."
Huo removed his shirt and flung it off the side of the combat stage, leaving him in just his blue slacks and red tai chi shoes. Coiled around each of his arms were serpentine dragon tattoos. A red dragon on his right and a blue dragon on his left.
Ember Haze who had been standing in a stairway next to her students went wide-eyed when she saw Huo's tattoos. "There's no way, I thought that practice was outlawed decades ago."
Bianca turned to her professor, "what practice?"
"You're aware dust has many uses, from commercial to military," she said. "It's even been used as a fashion trend by weaving it into clothing. But here in Mistral it was used in another way. Warrior monks in the days of old would mix dust with ink and tattoo their bodies with it. It was painful to say the least, only those with a strong will or a semblance that dampens pain could do it."
"Why would it be outlawed?" Bianca asked.
"It can be more dangerous to the user than their opponent," Ember replied. "If Huo's aura were to run out while the dust is active, the result could be severe."
Huo took his stance. It was rooted and powerful, and he formed his hands like that of talons. He grimaced slightly as his right arm lit up in flame and his left arm was encased in ice.
As he did this, up in the announcer's booth, Scarlet leaned away from his microphone and touched his earpiece, "put the EMTs on alert."
"Yes sir," a voice replied to him.
Alani was unfazed. She spun her spear over her head and presented one of the tips towards Huo. Whilst she did this, her opponent held his stance, trembling slightly from the dust circulating through his body. Aura may block damage, but it does nothing for pain.
The countdown began, "3… 2… 1… Begin!"
Huo struck first, shooting a fireball, followed by bullets of ice at Alani. He started to close the distance between them after firing his first salvo.
Alani dodged the fireball and spun her spear in front of herself to deflect the ice bullets. Huo was upon her soon after though. She struggled to parry his attacks. His movements were quick and fluid like a serpent, and his imitation talons raked and slashed at her, dropping her aura slightly.
Huo went for a roundhouse kick to Alani's head, but she blocked it with her spear. She then planted it into the ground, jumped, and planted both of her bare heels into Huo's stomach.
Alani's kick launched Huo across the arena. As he slid towards the edge of the floating stage, he plunged his icy claw into the ground and stopped himself. He then jumped back to his feet and readied himself for another attack.
Alani rushed her opponent. When she got close, she leapt and swung her spear down upon Huo. He blocked the attack with his ice-covered arm and grabbed and raked her face with his fiery talon. She stumbled back from his strike, but quickly composed herself and rushed back in.
The two traded blows, parries, and blocks for what seemed like an eternity to them, but in reality, was only a few seconds. Every strike thrown was overflowing with vicious intent.
Their exchange grew more violent as it continued; Knees, and elbows were thrown to the soft spots of the body, together with the thrusts of Alani's spear and slashes of Huo's elemental talons.
Huo landed a powerful punch to Alani's chest that stumbled her back. She quickly composed herself and rushed back in however. He smirked as she attacked.
When she was within range, Alani thrust her spear towards Huo's neck. He quickly parried the strike with his flame-covered arm and spun to the right. He then leapt and landed a spinning drop kick to Alani's head and she fell to the ground.
Huo stood tall. "Is that the best you can do!?" He held his arms out wide, "I thought you savages were supposed to be great warriors."
Alani picked herself off the ground, she was breathing heavily as she leaned against her spear. She glanced up at the aura meters; hers was at one-quarter strength, Huo's was at half. She noticed something then. Huo's aura was continuously draining, no doubt from the effects of his dust tattoos.
Alani stood of her own strength, no longer leaning on her spear. She popped the joints in her neck, "kia mate toa."
Her aura glowed, and her semblance kicked in. The orange flames that surrounded her body were more intense than they had ever been before. The great mana of her family was shining through; 'Warrior's Rage' as her friends called it, the hereditary semblance of the Kamehameha Royal Family.
Huo smirked, "that's more like it. Now we can have a proper fi-"
Alani was upon him before he knew it. She slapped her spear into his stomach, sending him tumbling and sliding across the combat stage.
He quickly jumped back to his feet, but she was upon him once more. Alani let out a ferocious battle-cry as she attacked. Her strikes were wild, yet precise, strong, but poised. He blocked a downward slash from her spear, but the blow shattered some of the ice on Huo's left arm.
He got in a solid hit on Alani's face with a fire-laden punch. She shook off the blow and stared him down with murderous rage in her eyes. She then kicked him in the chest with her bare heel, forcing him to the edge of the stage.
Huo caught his balance before he fell off the edge and readied his defense as he stepped forward towards his opponent. He quickly glanced to the aura meter, she'd plummeted his aura with her attacks, but hers was no better.
Alani charged him, all the while letting out her ferocious battle-cry. Huo knew one last strike would end the match, so he put all he had into a slash with his fiery talons, but it was all for naught.
Alani spun around as she ducked under Huo's attack and slammed the shaft of her spear against his chest, flinging him off the combat stage.
"That's it! Huo Bing has been eliminated via ring-out and aura level!" Scarlet announced.
"And the first winner of the quarterfinal round is Alani Kamehameha!" Sage added.
Huo hit the ground hard, his aura and the ice on his left arm shattering in the process. With his aura gone, the flame on his right arm had begun to burn it. Huo quickly deactivated the dust, but it had done some damage. His right arm was covered in first-degree burns.
Alani deactivated her semblance and fell to her knees, exhaling as she did so. The crowd roared with excitement as the match finished. Among the cheers, she could barely make out her friends and teammates, while her brothers' shouts were unmistakable. Her sister, true to form, looked on in silent approval.
Alani looked to where her opponent had landed, he was trembling from the burns on his arm as EMTs rushed over to him. Part of her wanted to respect Huo as a fellow warrior, but another part couldn't stand him and reveled in her victory. She was happy she'd been the one to beat him and put him in his place, but seeing him in his current state almost made her feel sorry for him. Almost.
"Alright, while our former combatants make their way out of the arena, why don't we find out who our next pair is?" Scarlet said.
The large screen then began to cycle through the six remaining finalists.
"That first match is definitely going to be a tough act to follow, don't you think?" Sage asked.
"Oh, most definitely," Scarlet agreed. "While it wasn't the best match of the tournament, I'll admit the showmanship in the beginning was second to none."
As Scarlet said this, the screen cycling through the finalist's pictures settled on the next pair of combatants.
"Ok folks, our next match will be Flynt Coal Jr. vs Olivine Orchid!" Sage announced.
As the younger Flynt made his way to the combat arena, the elder Flynt placed his hand on his shoulder and gave him a confident nod and smile, a gesture which his son promptly returned. As he left the stands, Flynt Jr. reached into his jacket and pulled out what looked like a miniature turntable set and strapped it to his right forearm.
Olivine was already on the combat stage, waiting for her opponent. She twirled a long dagger in her left hand, its steel blade was shiny and black, made to resemble obsidian. As her opponent stepped across from her, she ceased twirling the dagger and reached down to her hip and grasped the tomahawk dangling from her belt, its blade also made from black steel.
"What do you say we make this quick, half-breed?" Olivine stated.
Flynt Jr. smirked as he chambered a round into his weapon, "lets."
The combat stage rose into the air and the announcers, along with the crowd began the final countdown to the match. "3… 2… 1… Begin!"
Olivine threw her tomahawk at her opponent as she charged him. An attack that was easily dodged by Flynt Jr. He quickly raised his arm and fired several disk-like projectiles from his weapon.
Olivine spun around the first few projectiles and then slid under the next few on her knees. She smirked as she hit a button on her dagger, causing the base of the handle to glow purple.
Before he knew what hit him, Olivine's Tomahawk struck Flynt Jr. in the back of the head causing him to fall onto his face. She then grabbed her weapon from midair and leapt at her opponent.
Flynt Jr. shook himself out of his daze and quickly rolled out of the way of Olivine's attack. He fired a few more of his disk projectiles at her, one of which struck her in the belly, and the other in her face. He quickly jumped back to his feet as Olivine shook his previous attacks off.
As Olivine charged in once more, Flynt Jr. adjusted some of the dials on his turntable and scratched one of the small records. Then, a long blade made of golden lightning dust protruded from the weapon.
"I see you're not gonna run from me then," Olivine smirked.
"What ever gave you that idea?" Flynt Jr. stated.
The two combatants charged one another. For a few seconds they traded parries, blocks, and dodges, neither of them being able to land a significant hit.
Olivine smashed Flynt Jr.'s sword blade with her axe. Before she could take advantage of this however, he fired several projectiles into her belly, forcing her back.
Olivine's aura shimmered and began to glow its purple color as she recomposed herself. She smirked as an aura clone of hers stepped out of her body. The clone crawled down on all fours and began galloping at Flynt Jr. before then transforming into a large grizzly bear.
Flynt Jr. leapt out of the way of the beast and fired several of his disk projectiles into it, shattering the clone. However, another of Olivine's clones, this one in the shape of a falcon, struck him, before then shattering.
"Would you look at that, it seems Olivine Orchid has activated her semblance," Sage announced.
"Ah yes, Olivine's 'Bestial Spirit', a somewhat unique semblance to say the least," Scarlet added.
"I wonder how the young Flynt Jr. will fare against it?" Sage stated.
Two more clones emerged from Olivine, both turning into wolves, and then rushing towards Flynt Jr. He shot the first wolf, and shattered it before it reached him, he then shattered the second with a new blade made from ice dust.
Olivine was upon him once again. Again, the two traded parries, blocks, and dodges. This time, she managed to shatter some of Flynt Jr.'s dust blades, but each time he made a new one to replace it. The two were evenly matched here. Flynt Jr. and Olivine then locked their weapons together and pressed against one another for a moment.
"You know, for a half-breed, you're not too bad of a fighter," Olivine pushed against Flynt Jr.
"You're not half bad yourself," Flynt Jr. pushed back.
Olivine leapt back from the bind and smirked as another of her clones manifested themselves. It quickly morphed into a lion and charged Flynt Jr.
He spun around the beast's attack and slashed it with his dust blade, shattering it. However, another lion was on its way. This beast landed a big hit on Flynt Jr. dropping his aura near to the brink. He needed a way to pull this fight back and fast.
Olivine glanced at her and her opponent's aura levels; she had roughly half of hers while Flynt Jr.'s was barely above a sliver. Confident of victory, she charged once more to engage in melee. However, she didn't realize that her opponent was holding his ground near the edge of the stage.
As Olivine swung at Flynt Jr. with her tomahawk, he ducked low and swept her legs out from under her. He then struck her with his dust sword so hard, the blade shattered, but the impact does its job. Olivine was flung from the stage and to the ground below.
"That's it, that's the match!" Scarlet announced, "Olivine Orchid has been eliminated via ring-out! The winner is Flynt Coal Jr.!"
"And with that, all competitors from Shade Academy have been eliminated from the tournament!" Sage stated.
Professor Brawnz Ni pressed both his hands to his face at his student's defeat. Around him, his students were lamenting the loss of their last chance at the Vytal Tournament Title.
Olivine slowly picked herself off the ground. As she looked up, she saw Flynt Jr. celebrating a victory she felt should be hers. She clenched her fists, grit her teeth, and left the main arena without saying a word.
After the stage lowered back down to the ground, Flynt Jr. made his way back to the stands where he was congratulated by his friends, teammates, and father. He looked towards Beacon's stands and received a congratulatory salute from Yaara.
"I'll have to give it to Flynt Jr. there," Sage said. "His resourcefulness and awareness of his surroundings allowed him to pull this one back from the brink."
"He's not Atlas's top competitor for nothing," Scarlet added.
"You're right on that one friend," Sage agreed.
"Alright everyone, with two matches down, the next randomization will decide our final two matches of the quarterfinals." Scarlet announced.
Bianca gulped as the holoscreens began to cycle through the remaining competitor's pictures. She had a two-in-three chance of facing off against either Yaara or Sierra, while she was growing more confident in her abilities, she wasn't sure she could take either of them in a 1-on-1 fight. She felt maybe she'd have an easier time with Yaara because she'd seen her fight far more often and was familiar with her style.
This late in the tournament, officials couldn't seed the teams, so they wouldn't face off against another from the same academy. All Bianca knew was that she didn't want to face off against Sierra, she'd gladly take Yaara over her, however there was also Umber. Even though she hadn't seen him fight, she knew he wasn't among the top-rated competitors, but the fact he'd made it this far proves he's no push over either.
"And our next competitor is…" Scarlet paused as the cycling pictures began to slow. "Bianca Rose of Beacon!"
Bianca froze for a moment. With nervousness flowing through her, she waited for her opponent to be announced. She looked to her partner. Cyrus looked back, smiling reassuringly. Bianca's heart skipped a beat when he looked at her, for if no one else, not even herself, had confidence in her, she knew that he did.
"And her opponent will be… Umber Goulde of Atlas!" Scarlet announced.
Bianca stood from her seat and began to walk towards the entrance to the main arena when she got a good look at her opponent. Umber Goulde, a six-foot-nine, two-hundred-sixty-pound monster of a man. She gulped nervously as she watched him. Seeing as he was slumped in the corner of the waiting room earlier, Bianca had drastically underestimated his size. He towered over her petite five-three frame.
Professor Haze saw her student lock up at the site of her opponent's sheer size. She walked over to her. "He may be big, but he's slow," she said calmingly. "Do you know what beats big and slow?"
"Small and fast," Bianca replied.
"Exactly," Professor Haze stated. "Control the outside of the ring and the pace of the match, you'll tire him out. Also, he'll try to draw you close, and into his element. Be opportunistic with your attacks, but not greedy."
Bianca took a deep breath and nodded to her professor. She then made her way out of the stands and down to the combat arena. Behind her, her friends, teammates, and other classmates cheered her on.
Umber and Bianca stood across from one another as the stage rose into the air. She drew her sabers and took her stance, while he removed his pickaxe from resting on his shoulder. He let the heft slide through his hand till he gripped it towards the bottom.
Then came the count. "3… 2… 1… Begin!"
The dust in Bianca's sabers began to glow and she launched blades of fire and ice out of her weapons at Umber. Unfazed and unmoving, he swung his pickaxe and shattered both blades of dust before they made contact.
Bianca used that moment to rush in with the help of her semblance and land several expertly weaved slashes on her opponent. Umber took a huge swing at her, but she managed to duck under it and quickly get out of his reach.
"Hmm, you're pretty fast." Umber remarked.
He charged Bianca and reared back a heavy strike. He swung his heavy weapon down upon her, and she parried the attack with her right saber. Umber's strike hit the floor and made the floating stage wobble from the impact.
Bianca lost her balance and fell to the ground near her opponent. He quickly swung his weapon at her before she could move. Umber backhanded her with his pickaxe and sent Bianca sliding across the stage.
"Oh! What a hit!" Scarlet shouted.
"Indeed," Sage agreed. "If I was Bianca, I wouldn't want to take many more of those."
As Bianca picked herself up, she glanced at the holoscreen above the stage; that one hit had taken away nearly a quarter of her aura. When she looked to him, she saw his deep reddish-brown aura fade away. She quickly put two and two together.
"Of course, his semblance would be increased strength," Bianca said.
Umber smirked and took a two-point sprinter stance and rested his pickaxe on his shoulder. His aura began to glow once more. He then leapt forward so fast, it was like he was shot out of a canon.
Bianca went wide-eyed as she dodged out of his line of attack, with the help of her own semblance. She slid to a stop a few feet from her previous spot, just as he smacked his pickaxe against the stage. This strike wasn't as hard as the last one and didn't make the raised platform wobble in the slightest.
"What? How?" Bianca stated rhetorically.
"Strength isn't just limited to one's upper body," Umber replied as he stood and faced Bianca.
Bianca took her stance; right saber held straight out, and left saber held blade-up and in-line with her left eye. Her aura glowed, and she rushed forward, leaving a flurry of white rose petals in her wake.
She ducked under a swipe of Umber's pickaxe and landed a pinpoint thrust to his chest, staggering him. She followed this up with a downward slash with her left saber, then she whipped around her right saber and delivered another slash to her opponent. Finally, she hit him with a double-thrust of her sabers that knocked him off his feet.
Umber quickly jumped back to his feet as Bianca attacked him once more. She threw several quick-hitting and interweaving slashes, before rushing past him. The use of his semblance, plus Bianca's attacks, dropped Umber's aura to the halfway point.
Bianca looked to her aura meter, it was just above half. She knew if Umber hit her only a few more times, she'd lose, but she was still in the fight. If she could keep chipping away at his aura, she could win. Bianca rushed back in with blinding speed and prepared to attack Umber once more.
Umber timed it perfectly. Side-stepping her attack, he reached back and grabbed Bianca by the hood of her cloak, at which point he activated his semblance. With a single arm, he threw her against the stage and sent her skipping across it.
She stood and recomposed herself. "I need to end this now," she said to herself.
She combined her sabers to form her scythe as her opponent leapt at her. Umber swiped at her with his weapon when he got close. Bianca ducked under his swing and slashed at his legs with her scythe, forcing him to jump back.
Bianca spun her weapon around, switched it to war-scythe mode, and charged. She and Umber exchanged blows, blocks, and parries for a few moments. She sidestepped one of his attacks and thrust her scythe at him, an attack he easily dodged.
Bianca smirked as she switched her weapon back to its regular scythe mode and hooked the back of Umber's knees with it, forcing him to fall forward. Before he could catch himself, she struck him with the butt-end of her scythe, disorientating him.
Bianca spun her scythe around her body with great skill and grace as she struck Umber. Her movements, though soft and graceful looking, packed a powerful punch. Before Umber knew what hit him, his aura was dropped into the red.
"Wow, what a match!" Scarlet said. "Bianca Rose wins!"
"And with that our cinderella first-years from Beacon will survive yet another round of the tournament!" Sage announced.
Bianca sheathed her sabers and made her way back to where her friends were sitting. The crowd was cheering loudly around them, but she could make out theirs over all others. However, her gaze fell upon her one friend who wasn't cheering; Cyrus simply smiled at her and clapped his hands congratulatorily. She blushed lightly.
"Well, why don't we skip the formalities and get to our final match of the round?" Scarlet stated.
"Ah, yes," Sage replied. "Our final match of the day will be, Yaara Stallion of Beacon vs, Sierra Nahla of Haven!"
The crowd bellowed and roared as the two competitors made their way to the combat stage, their teammates wishing them luck as they did.
"Yaara," Professor Haze stated, gaining the attention of the student.
"Yes Professor?" She inquired.
Professor Haze looked to where Sierra was, and then back to Yaara, "don't trust your eyes."
"Okay…" Yaara seemed a bit confused, but nonetheless accepted Professor Haze's words.
"This was a match many believed wouldn't happen till at least the semi-finals round," Scarlet said. "Of our four top competitors identified at the beginning of the tourney, these two were by far the favorites to make it to the championship round."
"True, but you can never be sure, due to the randomization process for this part of the tourney," Sage replied.
"You're right," Scarlet stated. "However, I will have to say, the actions of Beacon's Alani Kamehameha earlier in the round may have been the factor to set up this match between the tournament's top favorites."
The two girls took their spots opposite one another. Sierra pressed her fist to her palm as she bowed respectfully to her opponent. Yaara returned the gesture by standing at attention and saluting Sierra.
After formalities were exchanged, Sierra activated her wrist-mounted SMGs, bore her claws, and then took her stance. She was like a tiger ready to pounce. Meanwhile, Yaara balled her fists and crossed her arms in front of her, and her wrist-blades extended from under her sleeves. Her stance was tall and upright.
The crowd began to echo the countdown, "3… 2… 1… Begin!"
Sierra opened the fight by firing a long burst from her SMGs at her opponent as she began to close the distance between the two of them.
Yaara dodged the first few rounds, but then quickly switched her weapon into its razor-whip mode. She spun her whips around her body like a ballerina would a ribbon, creating an improvised shield from the incoming fire.
Sierra deactivated her SMGs and charged Yaara, whom retracted her weapons back into their sword forms. The tiger-faunus's aura glowed its purple-gray color as she leapt at her opponent, her claws ready to strike, but it seemed she left herself open.
Yaara quickly threw a slash at Sierra, but when her blades made contact, she disappeared for a moment. She then reappeared underneath Yaara's weapons and uppercut her with a leopard paw strike.
"What the hell was she swinging at?" Roy asked rhetorically.
"So, she's actually using her semblance," Professor Haze said as she watched the fight.
Yaara stumbled back, but quickly regained her balance and composure. She advanced on her opponent and took several swings at her, all of which Sierra effortlessly dodged, save for one. Yaara connected with a thrust to Sierra's shoulder, but again she disappeared.
"What exactly is her semblance?" Roy asked.
"All warfare is based on deception," Professor Haze said. "The same can be said for an individual fight. Her semblance is the ability to make her opponent see her in one spot, when she's actually in another nearby."
Sierra was behind Yaara. Before her opponent knew it, the tiger-faunus had connected a round-house kick to the back of Yaara's head, knocking her to the ground. Yaara quickly rolled onto her back as Sierra pounced on her. She kicked her opponent in the belly, knocking her away and giving her enough time to jump back to her feet.
"Sierra looks to be in control of this match early," Sage announced. "How long can Yaara hang on?"
With cat-like grace, Sierra landed on her feet in a crouched position and watched as her opponent leapt back to her feet. Yaara shifted her weapons back to their razor whip mode and then her aura began to glow as well. She emitted a pair of her golden clones and then cracked her whips at Sierra. Her clones mirrored her movements.
The tiger-faunus acrobatically dodged around the many whips. She spun under one strike and backflipped over another, before then activating her SMGs. Sierra fired at Yaara's clones, shattering them.
Yaara continued to crack her whips at her opponent. She managed to hit Sierra in the stomach with one of her strikes, this time for real. She then managed to loop one of her whips around Sierra's leg and yanked her off her feet.
Sierra hit the ground quite hard, dropping her aura a little. Yaara used this as an opportunity, retracted her weapons, and charged in. Sierra saw this just in the nick of time and rolled out of the way just as her opponent slashed the ground with one of her blades.
She quickly jumped back to her feet. The two combatants then began exchanging blows and parries. For as skilled as Sierra was, Yaara was no push over either. The blonde soldier began to gain the upper hand on her tiger-faunus opponent as their aura's steadily dipped. Yaara then landed a heavy strike to Sierra's chest, dropping her aura further and forcing her to retreat for the time being.
"Would you look at this!" Scarlet announced. "After a rough start, Yaara Stallion has pulled it back and put Sierra Nahla on the back foot!"
"What a fight!" Sage exclaimed.
Sierra took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, before then going through a few soft tai chi movements, bewildering all those in the stadium.
Yaara's aura glowed and six of her clones manifested themselves beside her. She charged and shifted her weapons back into their whip modes, her clones doing the same.
Sierra opened her eyes. Her silver orbs glistened briefly, and she was filled with new life. She activated her SMGs and destroyed a pair of Yaara's clones before her opponent cracked her whips at her.
Sierra's aura glowed, and she disappeared when the whips hit her position. She then took out another of Yaara's clones. Whenever she turned to attack, Sierra would activate her semblance and appear somewhere else. Before Yaara knew it, all her clones were destroyed.
Yaara quickly retracted her weapons and engaged Sierra once more, but this time all of the blonde soldier's attacks only hit air. Sierra mixed rakes and slashes from her tiger claws with powerful leopard knuckle strikes. It was too much for Yaara.
"Sierra Nahla wins!" Scarlet announced.
The crowd's roar was deafening. Sierra stood in the center of the stage victorious as Yaara struggled to pick herself off the ground. She pounded the ground in disappointment. Her former opponent walked over to her and helped her to her feet. The two girls exchanged a respectful smile and nod.