Chapter 6

Birth of a Rivalry

"Today is a special day in Sparring today," Glynda said to the students, her voice a bit more spirited, "We are now about to do a Team Battle. Now, which team wants to go first?"

CRDL put their hands up. Glynda saw them and chose them.

"Very well, which team will be your opponents?"

Cardin smiled evilly as he pointed at Jaune.

"Team JNPR, very well."

The eight teens went up to the stage and faced each other.

Berde and his team watched in awe as an intense battle heated up between both teams. Berde disapproved of CRDL ganging up on Jaune, probably finding it an opportunity to torture Jaune. Despite this, Jaune's confidence rose as he was with his team. He mobilized and formulated plans that eventually and easily defeated Cardin's team.

"Team JNPR is the winner!"

The class applauded. Berde's axe hands were twitching in excitement, awaiting for her to say the words.

"Who's next?"

"My team," Blue said first as he walked up to the stage. Glynda nodded.

"Now, which team will be-"

"Team BISN."

Berde jumped for joy while shouting: "YES!"

Both teams got geared up and entered the stage. The crowd was silent as both short males approached each other. They looked at each other with confident glaring smiles. Indigo went up to Nadeshiko. She glared at him while Indigo stared intently. Sameko walked up to Draco. Sameko grinned confidently, while Draco glared back. Subasa madly stomped toward Naraka, while the latter raised her brow while keeping up a glare.

"Ready?"

Berde and Blue got into their fighting poses.

"Go!"

Berde threw an axe swing at Blue, who guarded it with a water shield. The water froze over his axe, causing him to be stuck. Berde pulled the trigger, breaking the ice then threw thrusting kick at Blue, who guarded with his lance. The force however, pushed him back a good amount.

Indigo was moving forward, while Nadeshiko was strutting backwards, firing bullets at him. Indigo stagnated the bullets then swatted them back at her. She did a front flip and started firing at Indigo. Sameko halted the bullets with her Semblance and pushed them back. Draco went in front of Nadeshiko and guarded it with his shield. He was suddenly pushed by Subasa's wind "plates", charging forward while guarding Sameko's arrows. Indigo formed an ice wall by stabbing the ground with his sword.

When Draco charged through, he crashed through the ice wall, but with no Indigo in sight. Indigo was in the air, behind Draco. He threw a powerful overhead swing that summoned an indigo crescent composed of ice dust. Indigo was suddenly caught by Nade's chains and pulled down to the ground. Draco managed to successfully shield his attack and fired a heavy shell that pushed Indie far.

"Indie!" Naraka shouted as she summoned an explosion that pushed Indie back into the stage.

Subasa threw a leaping kick at Naraka, knocking her down. She walked up to Naraka and attempted to stab her, only to have her chin damaged by a rising flip kick. She pointed her lance up and immolated Subasa with flames. The flames whiffed out from her using her Semblance to blow away the fire. Subasa zoomed in and assaulted Naraka with a series of slashes from her dual blades, which Naraka parried. She managed to swat one of her swings with her lance and was now on the offensive, swinging her lance at incredible speeds. Despite her frightening speed, Subasa's reflexes were much more frightening, parrying her strikes. Finally, Naraka threw a stab with her lance, only to be held by one of Subasa's dagger handles. She held on to one of her blade's edges, but was using her Semblance to create wind barrier.

"Nope."

Naraka's other end shot out and she grabbed it and swung at her abdomen. She flinched and she threw a powerful swing with her full lance, knocking away Subasa.

Meanwhile, Blue continued to fight Berde. He was getting overpowered by his skills, so he decided to use his own unique combat skills. His chamber rotated, hitting the yellow node. His lance was coated with electricity and he threw a powerful sweep, creating a crescent that paralysed anyone hit. Berde felt his body stiffen.

Blue looked at the nearby Sameko, who was too busy fighting Draco. Blue signalled him to switch opponents. Draco rushed toward Berde and did a front flip while charging powerful shell. When he slammed his gun into Berde, a large explosive burst filled a portion of the stage. Despite having enough Aura, he sustained the damage but his paralysis kept him from moving.

Blue rushed toward Sameko, who used his water to soften the arrow's inertia. He launched them back, causing Sameko to halt the arrows. Sameko split her bow into swords and clashed with his lance. She swung through Blue as well as launching the arrows she halted into Blue. A "tink* noise was heard as Blue managed to block them with an ice dome. He rolled forward while Sameko strafed to her left to dodge it. Blue appeared right before Sameko and threw a swift flurry of stabs onto Sameko before ending with a massive sweep that launched her away.

"Sameko!" Berde had broken out of his paralysis and tossed his axe at her, making her use that axe as a bar via her Semblance. She held on to the floating axe.

Berde rushed toward her and grabbed his axe. She held her swords in a reverse grip. She saw Indie nearby her, giving her an idea.

"Indie, Ice pillar!" she shouted.

She jumped up while keeping her blades in place with her Semblance. Indigo made an ice pillar as soon as she was at a considerable height. Blue charged forward then jumped toward Sameko.

"Trying to launch Berde, huh?"

"Nope."

The ice pillar broke as the bowstring tightened, shooting Naraka. She then combusted the air beneath her, launching her up. She threw a powerful swing at her cousin, launching him away. Blue smiled as he landed violently. Naraka wondered what his smile meant. She looked at her left arm, revealing a small bullet hole.

"Agggh!" the bullet turned into a centipede, chewing through her skin.

Nadeshiko laughed evilly and shot her legs, rooting her with tree roots. Naraka grit her teeth in anger and illuminated herself with fire, burning the plants and bug. She shone orange and did a spin while swinging outward, expelling the flame from her and transforming it into a crescent of flame. Draco guarded it while Nadeshiko got hit and Blue hopped over it. Subasa came up from behind Naraka and started to attack her with her full crescent blade. Naraka's left arm was paralysed, so she couldn't effectively parry her swings. Indigo dashed in from Subasa's side and threw a powerful launching swing. He stagnated the air around her, encasing her in an icy tomb.

"Sameko!" Indie shouted.

"Got it!"

She held five arrows and shot all of them. She controlled their vectors to go toward Subasa, only to be pelted away by her Rotation Semblance. She floated in the air, creating a small wind platform beneath her feet. Sameko regathered her arrows and shot them once again. Draco ran toward Naraka and used her as a springboard while shooting her in the process. Draco got to Subasa's altitude and created a small barrier that halted the path of the arrows. Subasa then flew toward Sameko. Sameko attempted to dodge, but she was pulled down by Nadeshiko's chains wrapped around her legs. Subasa did a quick upward slash then transitioned into a wide slash that launched Sameko off the stage.

"Sameko, low aura and out of stage!"

Sameko sighed and collapsed.

Subasa managed to guard Berde's tackle, who came from her side. She started to swing rapidly at the Berde, but the meaty tank's swing bounced her swing away, leaving her open. He then threw an overhead axe kick that quaked the ground beneath her, causing her to lose balance. That and her vertigo made her stunned for a while. Berde then threw a powerful swing at her, knocking her out of the stage and careening painfully into the wall.

"Subasa Garuda. Low Aura and out of stage!"

Blue gathered his team and coated them with water. Soon, they disappeared from sight. Indigo breathed deep and imagined his "effective ring". He opened his eyes and let out a pulse of cold air, freezing the water and revealing his opponents.

I can't use my body freeze ability. I exerted too much energy on the match, especially my ice pulse. Indigo thought.

Blue's ice coffin melted from his fire dust, turning the ice into water. Indigo threw a swing at Blue, who dodged it. Indigo struck the water left in his wake. Blue snickered as he induced electric dust into the water, electrocuting Indigo. Indigo collapsed.

"Indigo, low aura!"

Meanwhile, Naraka threw a powerful kick at Nade, who suddenly got released from her coffin, knocking her away from the stage.

"Nadeshiko. Out of stage!"

Draco thawed out before Nade and threw a powerful shield bash at Naraka from behind, knocking Naraka away. He then fired a heavy shell that pushed her off, ensuring her elimination.

"Naraka, off stage!"

Berde was the only one left. Blue shot water at his feet and froze them, immobilizing Berde. Draco charged forward shield-first. Berde braced for impact and grabbed Draco's shield; his aura protecting him. Both of their Auras clashed, both of them using it to contest their strength. Berde grit his teeth and roared as he was slowly lifting Draco up. He lobbed the surprised Draco off the stage, ensuring his defeat.

"Draconum, out of stage!"

Blue quickly encased Berde's arms and legs in ice and charged at him with a serrated ice lance. Berde struggled to break free until he got an idea. He managed to calculate where he'd stab: his abdomen. Berde deactivated his aura and tilted his body slightly to the right, taking some of the damage. Berde activated his Semblance and broke free from the ice. Blue was surprised from his sudden burst of power. He went past him, but Berde grabbed him, jumped up and dropped down, doing a powerful suplex, incredibly damaging and fazing Blue. Berde then stood up and tossed Blue off the stage.

"Blue, out of stage, and low aura!"

Berde weakly raised his axe as the crowd applauded.

"Team BISN wins!" Glynda announced.


Later

After a good medical treatment, Team BISN and BNDS were walking out of the sparring room. Both of them had bandages either on their face or underneath their uniforms.

"You've gotta admit, you actually did pretty good there," Berde said to Blue, who's also leading his team to where they were both walking to.

"I would have beat you, but I never knew your Semblance amplified your strength the more damaged you were," Blue said.

"I'll admit that you could have won," Berde agreed and chuckled.

Subasa glared jealously at Naraka much to the latter's confusion. She whispered the words: "Stay. Away. From. My. Prince!"

Nadeshiko didn't want to bother looking at Indigo, and neither did the latter.

Draco and Sameko were having a friendly conversation, with both of them exchanging laughs and tidbits.

"Let's spar next time," Berde said to Blue, "Your team is actually really good."

"Thanks, yours too," Blue praised, "Oh. I know."

"Hm?" Berde wondered what's going on.

"Let's be rivals!" he said with a smile.

Berde laughed and nodded his head.

"Of course. If you guys are able to reduce us to one member, then you're definitely a worthy rival," Berde said jovially.

Both Berde and Blue bumped each others chests with their fists.

"You're gonna lose next time," Blue said with a confident grin.

"Really? I'd like to see you try," Berde replied with his own confident grin, "Don't fail me. I hate winning all the time."


Author's Note

Team BNDS are based off some of my friends. I requested two of them for some help, and I took care of everything else (I just wanted to know their preferred weapons and colour). BNDS will both be BISN's rival and closest friends in the series. Their relationship is actually based on some of the relationships that my friends and I have with each other.

In terms of Blue actually beating Berde, it's possible. Blue's a faster thinker than Berde despite the latter's experiences carving his mind and body to be fit for battle. Despite this, Blue is more commanding, but his commands are actually much more complex than Berde's, though their creativity is about the same. Blue had a lot more synergy than Berde due to having Draco, his childhood friend, as a partner. Sameko's approach to most things would clash with Berde's, making their partnership a bit strained. In a 1v1 however, Berde wins in pure strength, but Blue's versatility makes him a hard opponent to simply destroy.

I'll try to develop them in the next few chapters. See you later!