MARZ Rising

by FandomPariah

It's been thirty years since Ruby Rose saved Remnant from Salem and almost a decade since it was saved again. Salem is gone yet the Creatures of Grimm remain and now a new generation of Hunters are ready to begin their story... By enrolling at the Breaktide Academy of Menagerie where they'll be trained by legends including Team CFVY and Ruby Rose herself. Part 5 of the Spiral-Verse

95. TRQS Vs SPRK

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Chapter 95: TRQS Vs SPRK

Saturday had arrived and after the spectacle of the Vytal Festivals' opening ceremony and the first day of the tournament, followed by a night of festivities which had continued into the early morning and reached from the tower-ridden heart of Neo Vale out in all directions to its' suburbs and up to its' aerial platforms whilst also being mirrored in the Kingdoms' outer territories the Vytal Tournament had reconvened and its' crowds had returned; with the opening moments having thoroughly proved that they had plenty of energy left to devote to encouraging the teams of student Hunters competing for their entertainment.

With Team TRQS being the latest such team to enter the stadium.

"Think we can do this?" Stygian asked in a deep but quiet murmur, his mouse tail coiling and twitching behind him in a display of nervousness which had already begun to creep into his voice and dampen his usual warmth and cheer; the four of them had arranged themselves as two pairs of partners rather than the expected formation and as such it was Tiger alone who heard him and before she answered her eyes narrowed behind the armoured veil which she had deployed from her headdress to protect her face and she appeared to make a final set of calculations and estimations as she peered across the arena at their opponents.

"It will be difficult" she stated bluntly and Stygian accepted that truth for what it was before following his partners' hard gaze, mentally running through the various plans and countermeasures that Tiger had insisted that the four of them routinely drill themselves on after compiling every ounce of information she could find about the four students standing opposite them.

Third Year Atlas Academy students, Team SPRK.

At the centre of the tight formation the older and more experienced team had positioned themselves in was their leader Sherlock Ackley, tall and broad shouldered yet slender in a way which was left appearing somewhat gaunt and unhealthy rather than imposing by a complexion which seemed that the climate disagreed with the native of Atlas and gave him a sickly cast. His hair was a dulled white that appeared to have faded and was immaculately styled and parted to the side, handled with as much care as the rest of his attire which appeared to be the result of a mixture of desire to appear debonair and distinguished as well as a deliberate effort to emulate the appearance of an Atlesian Specialist without crossing the line of impersonating an officer. White pants tucked into black boots polished so thoroughly they shone along with a black shirt with off-centre buttons in a gleaming silver worn beneath a billowing white long-coat with a blue lining fastened at the waist with several large belts which formed part of a harness for various pouches and pockets whilst its' broad collar featured several pins and adornments. The young man's face was sharp and pointed with forest green eyes peering back across the battlefield to meet his opposite numbers' gaze; the left eye being partly obscured by a single lens which adjusted constantly.

"We're not losing to a guy who wears a monocle" Amaya stated bluntly.

"Team TRQS!" Sherlock called out across the field, stooping into a low and dramatic sweeping bow whilst never allowing his gaze to break away from Tiger's.

"Oh this guy is definitely an ass-hole" Rye murmured whilst Tiger and Stygian kept their silence and focused on the opponent who was still talking.

"Your promotional footage was exemplary, very entertaining work" Sherlock stood upright and made a show of adjusting his collar and the adornments upon it "But as you can see neither my team or I have any need for drawn out speeches and overwrought pyrotechnics either; our actions and record speaks for itself….And it speaks with clarity then yours I'm afraid-"

"And yet you're still talking" Stygian shot back, unable to let the condescension slide whilst Tiger simply cracked her knuckles and grit her teeth whilst her face remained hidden, the Mouse Faunus was certain his partner wore a furious expression and was currently struggling to keep a tirade of truly inventive and foul curses at bay; a situation which Sherlock continued to worsen with every word.

"Oh come now, I mean no disrespect. You were the team who encountered those new Geist on a training mission yes? You have already contributed to the sum total of knowledge that Hunters share and you will be remembered for it, Santara you efforts to study my team and I have been noted and are commendable-" Tiger visibly stiffened at that, the idea of being caught red-handed an uncomfortable one yet Sherlock continued, clearly enjoying the sound of his own voice "You are capable and hard-working, with the potential to be a formidable team one day. But today, in this stadium you will lose-"

"Sherlock, that's enough" the words which could only be interpreted as a command came from another member of Team SPRK and prompted the apparent egomaniac whose pretentious arrogance had managed to thoroughly annoy Team TRQS as a whole to simply harrumph indignantly though before he could offer a retort the stadium was filled with voice of the two hosts of the tournament whose back and forth the previous day had been loved by viewers across Remnant had made Yang Xiao Long's return alongside her uncle a certainty.

"GOOD MORNING SPORTS FANS!" the blonde woman declared happily "WE'RE BACK HERE AT THE VYTAL TOURNAMENT FOR WHAT PROMISES TO BE ANOTHER EXCITING MATCH IN THE SECOND DAY OF THE FIRST ROUND!"

"THAT'S RIGHT WE'RE CONTINUING ON WITH FULL TEAM MATCHES WHERE THE WINNER WILL PROGRESS ON INTO TH DOUBLES ROUND" Qrow chimed in, giving the necessary recap of the rules for those watching at home "A WINNER IS DECIDED WHEN ONE TEAM HAS LOST ALL OF ITS' MEMBERS DUE TO AURA DEPLETION, RING-OUT OR FORFEIT; OKAY FIRECRACKER WHO DO WE HAVE IN THE ARENA RIGHT NOW?"

"THIS ONE IS GOING TO INTERESTING!" Yang declared "MAYBE NOT STARTING WITH A YANG BUT CERTAINLY A FEW FLYING SPRKS AS TEAM SPRK FROM ATLAS FACE AGAINST TEAM TRQS FROM HALO"

"AND LISTEN TO THAT CROWD!" Qrow paused for effect "IT SOUNDS LIKE THE HOME CROWD CAME OUT IN FORCE TO CHEER ON THE TEAM FROM HALO ACADEMY OF NEW VALE!"

"Or they're just trying to drown out the puns" Tiger muttered to which Stygian responded with a look of faux outrage, the fact that his own weapon was named Sharp Cheese being enough to make his own opinion on that brand of humour clear.

"AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE TWO TEAMS HAVE FINISHED THE CUSTOMARY PRE-GAME TRASH TALK!" Yang allowed the faintest hint of bemused laughter into her voice "SO LET'S INTRODUCE THE TWO TEAMS PROPERLY AND THEN GET THIS STARTED!"

"REPRESENTING ATLAS ACADEMY OF ATLAS! WE HAVE KOMOREBI CHIBA!" Qrow followed on from his niece and first introduced a female Faunus whose spotted feline ears suggested that the traits were those of some large jungle cat and who attire was a blend of Atlesian futurism and that of some sort of Ninja or Samurai.

"RUTILE GLASS!" the person who had interrupted Sherlock's spiel was also a Faunus, their light brown skin complemented by the yellowish golden-brown scales of an iguana and deep scarlet hair whose particular styling perfectly matched the punk and rough around the edges aesthetic they were clearly aiming for.

"PATINA BROWN!" the member of the team that Tiger had managed to learn the most about, with most of it coming in the form of warnings wore a leather fighter pilots' jacket with a fur collar over the top of a grey flight suit whilst the entire outfit was adorned with various trinkets and decorations to break up the monotony in shades of green and brown. Her face was hidden behind something akin to a gas mask though each of Team TRQS knew that she had a round face with rosy cheeks, hazel coloured eyes and a nervous smile which seemed to sharply contrast her current menacing appearance; the look being completed by the weapon Tiger had been warned about being collapsed into a backpack form and carried by shoulder straps.

"AND THEIR LEADER, SHERLOCK ACKLEY! MAKE SOME NOISE FOR TEAM SPRK!" the crowd happily obliged and Sherlock gave another low bow and several grandiose gestures before adjusting his monocle.

"AND REPRESENTING THE HALO ACADEMY OF NEW VALE WE HAVE STYGIAN BLUE! AMAYA QUASAR, RYE FAIRFAX AND TIGER SANTARA! MAKE SOME NOISE FOR TEAM TRQS!"

Tiger didn't consider herself petty or reliant on the approval of others, but the fact that her own team received a far more energetic response was gratifying.

"AND NOW LET'S SEE WHAT KIND OF BATTLEGROUND THEY'LL BE FIGHTING IN!" a moment later the stadium began to form itself with a deafening clang and churning of massive gears as the separate halves were rotated into place with only a narrow stretch of unchanged ground between them in the centre.

"Not much cover, luckily we can make our own" Tiger murmured, suggesting which of their plans the team should be prepared to open with as she peered out at the barren biomes.

"ON TEAM TRQS'S SIDE OF THE STADIUM WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S ACTUALLY A NEW FEATURE THIS TIME AROUND!" Yang declared happily "WE HAVE THE SINKHOLE PLAINS BASED ON AN AREA OF MENAGERIE! IT WON'T COUNT AS A RING-OUT BUT SOME AREAS OF THAT BLASTED AND DESOLATE ROCK ARE DESIGNED TO COLLAPSE!"

"AND ON TEAM SPRK'S SIDE OF THE FIELD WE HAVE AN OLD CLASSIC!" Qrow noted with open pleasure at a personal favourite of his returning "THE MAGMA FIELDS! WE HAVE AREA HAZARDS AND FIRE DUST THERE FOR ANYONE FEELING BRAVE ENOUGH TO USE IT!"

"AND NOW, WITH NO FURTHER ADO!" the anticipation mounted in Yang's voice with each word "THREE, TWO, ONE….BEGIN!"

"Now" Tiger said simply and without hesitation Rye dropped into a crouch and slammed his palm into the ground, already preparing to raise a wall of stone around Team TRQS from which they could mobilise whilst Stygian used his Semblance in an effort to close the distance and launch an early attack on whoever was deemed to be the most threatening member of Team SPRK, either landing a decisive blow or removing them from the arena entirely before Tiger herself would provide cover fire so that Amaya could help the Mouse Faunus to retreat.

The plan was shattered in an instant.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Tiger barked as Rye's wall exploded, crystalline and jagged fragments ricocheting against the Aura of the entire team in place of the expected stone; including Stygian whose Semblance had been turned against him by the initial assault as it had designated the incoming attack the primary threat and promptly thrown him into his path.

"OH AND THAT IS A BEAUTIFUL OPENING FROM TEAM SPRK! EXCELLENT COUNTER-PLAY!" Qrow cheered.

"THAT EXTRA EXPERIENCE PAYS OFF, AND SO DOES HAVING A SEMBLANCE WHICH ALLOWS YOU TURN ANYTHING YOU TOUCH INTO GLASS!" Tiger's eyes widened and through the wreckage of her teams' impromptu barrier she saw Rutile Glass, with a deep scarlet light engulfing their hand begin transferring their ability to a fresh round of ammunition as they handled a weapon which appeared to be a Mini-gun scaled down until it could be wielded as an oversized pistol.

"GET ANOTHER BARRIER UP!" Tiger barked and Rye swiftly complied only for heavy weapons to begin firing over the stone walls as they continued to rise, inexplicably coming from a downward angle.

"AND THAT'S PATINA BROWN MAKING HER MOVE!" Qrow declared, sending fresh chills through Team TRQS as they remembered that the masked girl reportedly used a weapon which functioned as some sort of extension of herself, allegedly in a way which was very reminiscent of Yang Xiao Long's own adopted daughter.

"AND I WANTED TO CHEER FOR THE LOCAL TEAM BUT I HAVE GOT TO SAY THAT PATINA BROWN IS MAKING ME AN ATLAS FAN! THAT IS DEFINITELY INSPIRED BY CORVID XIAO LONG AND HER OMEGA WING!" Yang declared just as Patina herself soared into view, her weapon including a jetpack and shoulder mounted-weapons "I KNOW THAT IF COREY IS WATCHING THIS RIGHT NOW SHE IS ALREADY PLANNING ON REACHING OUT AND TALKING SHOP WHEN TEAM SPRK RETURN TO ATLAS!"

"We need a new plan!" Tiger insisted, her trident finding its' way to her hand "Split up, regroup once we've drawn them away from each other and limited their coordination!"

In an instant the order had been followed however it was at that moment that Sherlock, who currently stood with his hands clasped behind his back called out an order of his own loud enough to be heard by all of the students within the arena which made Team TRQS realise just how capable their opponents were.

"They're breaking off….The tall one and his partner are dating, the leader and the Mouse Faunus are friends. Don't let those two pairs rendezvous with one another, they're most dangerous in those formations"

The realisation that Tiger's efforts to study her team had been detected whilst Sherlock had apparently studied her own team sufficiently enough to which specific combinations to prevent and work against was damning to her.

---

Outside of the stadium itself which had been heavily modified from its' previous purpose to accommodate the rotating arena floors, various Dust caches and other hazardous materials along with the countless safety precautions which had been put in place to prevent a disaster the rest of the aerial platform was far more reminiscent of its' original and intended purpose. It had always been envisioned as a stadium and, with the homages to prior floating stadiums evident in its' earliest blueprints the capability of it playing host to the Vytal Tournament had been a consideration however for stretches of several years at a time the structure was intended for more mundane and peaceful sports far removed from the abject lunacy that student Hunters were willing to unleash upon one another; as such there exterior of the platform was lined with countless food stalls and other vendors who each loudly proclaimed the quality and value of their ways to members of a teeming and bustling crowd of excitable people, each of whom was eager to move the others aside in order to return to see the proceedings first hand even if the ongoing matches were visible on large screens strategically placed around the outside of the venue.

In short it was loud, overpacked and chaotic and Zirconia Shadowmoon would not have been there if she had any choice in the matter.

"Ah, there you are" the voice was familiar in its' cultured tones and faint hesitance and yet even if it were not Zirconia would have known the speaker immediately, there were few people who could sneak up on her despite being the one to suggest that they meet here and as such she turned around with a bright smile which reached her mismatched eyes and arms spread wide for a brief hug which Chairman Damascus Nero happily gave her before pulling away; allowing the girl he had functionally adopted a moment to truly take in the sight of him.

"So I see that you have decided what your fatherly duties were missing was adequate opportunities to embarrass me….Promise me that you haven't been spotted by the media dressed as a clown?"

"Not to the best of my knowledge, the I do suppose someone will have taken pictures for the benefit of the most unscrupulous of the tabloids" the chairman noted airily, waving aside the concerns with a single gesture and a bright smile

"It's been years since I've been to anything like this you know….Your father, he was an avid Baseball fan; I'm sure he would have had opinions about Ruby Rose's daughter playing for a college team and clearly using her Aura but I digress. It's nice to experience the smaller pleasures in life without being forced to be the centre of attention"

"I'll be sure to remember that once when I'm forced into hiding" Zirconia countered with a deadpan stare which Nero could only laugh uproariously at as she regarded his current attire with open revulsion.

It was Team MARZ merchandise.

She had known that entering the tournament gave those organising it the rights to use the likeness and personal emblems of any given competitor for advertising and merchandising reasons for the duration of the tournament, although the students would be compensated fairly however this did nothing at all to prepare Zirconia for the sight of the Chairman free of his usual choice of dark suit and silver trinkets clad instead in a luridly coloured and oversized T-shirt displaying the name of her team along with each of its' members' logos in a painful clash of colours which none of Team MARZ would have ever willingly approved. Beneath this Nero wore a long sleeved t-shirt to hide his prosthetic right arm from view but Zirconia found it unlikely that such a thing would warrant attention when contrasted against the jarring garment.

"Well I understand that it would be poor form of me to only attend the tournament for your match" Nero gave a lop-sided smile whilst his quartz coloured eyes gleamed "But I see no reason that I can't make my support known"

"Did you consider maybe asking Blake Xiao Long for one of the flags she was waving around yesterday?" Zirconia countered, shaking her head and beginning to move gracefully and with purpose towards one of the less crowded food-stalls, though in doing so she took a route which was indirect enough for she and Nero to hold a conversation about private matters without being overhead, even as they managed to blend seamlessly into the crowd around them, though neither of them relied on this sense of anonymity within the mass of bodies alone and both took care to watch closely for any of the undercover operatives Qrow Branwen had doubtlessly hidden amongst the crowds as well as elsewhere in the city.

"Unbelievably I did not" Nero continued to beam "Alas….Her reaction to her nieces' performance was certainly amusing I must admit. How is Miss Slate and the rest of your team?"

"Regalia's legs weren't as badly injured as we feared" Zirconia answered, eyes hardening at the memory of her nomadic friend being left barely capable of supporting her own weight "Though she'll be given consideration in classes for the next week or two. Astra and AJ are tired….We didn't even celebrate our win last night-"

"Unthinkable" Nero gave a mocking gasp of horror "Although, as a parental figure that does reassure me"

"Ingrate" Zirconia sighed as she swatted at him playfully "AJ returned to our dorm after our match and almost collapsed from exhaustion; I am actually supposed to be getting some food for her at the moment. She looks like she overtaxed herself"

"Do take care of her….I do like the affect that your girlfriend has on you, I enjoy seeing you happy" Nero murmured, more genuine in that moment than his prior teasing had been which drew Zirconia's attention to him more sharply "And how are you faring….You made me proud yesterday"

"By being the first person to be removed from play during the match, by ring-out of all things….As if I couldn't have grasped that arena floor and stayed there indefinitely"

"And yet nobody suspects a thing, your performance was exemplary as both a Huntress and an actress" Nero's smile returned "As I said, I'm proud of you"

"It hasn't been discussed yet, none of us were in a position to do so but it is almost certain that I will not be participating in the doubles round of the tournament" Zirconia nodded as she spoke, accepting the role she had to play and being willing to sacrifice a small portion of her own pride for the sake of something undeniably of far greater importance.

"Just as planned" Nero assured her "The cameras will be less focused on you off of the pitch as well, which will give you the opportunities to act as my eyes and ears and….When the time comes, my hand"

"I'm ready" Zirconia breathed out, assuring herself that she would be capable of playing her assigned part in the closing act of everything Nero had sprung into motion; a reassuring hand finding its' way to her upper arm as the Chairman spoke.

"I know you are and you will not be alone….Even if plans have evolved in a way I did not foresee"

"You're leaving the Kingdom?" Zirconia asked, sensing the unstated but obvious meaning of the comment.

"I am" Nero nodded "It is regrettable but after the….Misjudgements that were made with petrol and the knowledge that Qrow Branwen and his ilk are aware of the Cyber-Grimm it's obvious that I should take precautions"

"They know more than they have admitted to the rest of Remnant"

"Naturally" Nero couldn't help but sneer, the lies and distortions which the Hunters had broadcast across the CCT being indicative in the Chairman's mind of why they were no longer fit for purpose "And if there is any chance at all that they might learn too much then it would be wise for me to be out of their reach-"

"And my disappearance would raise too many questions at this juncture" Zirconia murmured

"Precisely" Nero's tone was sad and his eyes were downcast as he lamented the situation "I will be departing from the Kingdom in a matter of days under the guise of having business elsewhere….Plans have moved far enough that others can be brought into the fold and there are enough people within the conglomerate and elsewhere who are willing to make the lie believable"

"But until the final moments appearances have to be maintained" Zirconia nodded in understanding once again, unable to keep her voice from wavering slightly at the thought of Nero's departure no matter how childish the idea seemed to her; swallowing thickly she quickly mastered herself "With that in mind I should be going, my team will be wondering where I am….And AJ might have fallen asleep in her seat"

"Oh course" Nero nodded, giving her a final parting hug "I-"

His words were interrupted by the sound of a massive outpouring of vocal excitement from the crowd within the stadium as what was clearly an impressive blow was landed, all the while the commentary of Qrow Branwen rose above it and brought a scornful look to the Chairman's pallid features.

"Branwen wishes to speak with me later" he mentioned offhandedly to Zirconia who had lingered a moment later; an irritable sigh escaping him as he added a biting jibe which made the Grasshopper Faunus smile faintly

"I have already heard enough of that man's voice to last several lifetimes"

---

Within the stadium Team TRQS felt as though they were fighting for their lives.

At present Tiger and Amaya were fighting so closely that their backs were often physically touching one another as they fought off a relentless wave of assaults from Sherlock Ackley and his partner Patina Brown, or rather specifically from Patina whilst Sherlock directed and instructed her in a way that seemed to be expected and an appreciated part of their partnership if he lack of an aggravated response at the burden she was shouldering was any indication, with the leader of Team SPRK making brief but immensely impactful interjections and additions as the fight progressed. It had seemed like a stalemate of sorts for Tiger at first as she and her opposite number both managed to achieve a degree of success in implementing their plans, with the leader of Team TRQS managing to force the opposing team to split up and limit the strategic advantage they could leverage, making it as far as her opponents' side of the field where heat emitted by the heaps of molten slag and bubbling magma visible through cracks in the ground had washed over her.

Sherlock by contrast had succeeded in forcing Team TRQS to split into preordained pairs whose abilities were less open to useful synergies and forced them to use tactics which would prevent them from regrouping, whilst at the same time managing to direct and decide the pace and direction of the fight overall through the careful application of his own partners' trusted abilities.

With one such example currently underway.

"Very good work Patina, continue as planned. Surround, isolate and eradicate" Sherlock declared happily as he twirled his own weapon, a stylised cane which managed to appear sleek and practical where another Hunter might have opted for something more ornate, even when complemented by the young man's tactical monocle; the twirling gesture an open taunt and challenge to Tiger, daring her to break ranks and rush at him whilst she and Amaya remained pinned by Patina's overwhelming power.

"I've always been called a hard leader" the veiled girl called to the older student, previously rigorously enforced composure beginning to crack "But at least I've never been called a fucking coward! Stop hiding behind your partner and fight properly!"

"I am exactly where I need to be, Patina and I have rehearsed this dance countless times already"

"Y'know, it sounds creepy when you say it like that!" Amaya called over her shoulder, never allowing herself to be distracted from her true goal of trying to halt her airborne foe as she pressed her back against Tigers' and levelled her pistols, joined by a cable which currently ran across the backs of her arms at Patina and opened fire.

Only for the flying Second Year to weave around the gunfire with far more grace than should have been possible, returning fire a moment later with shoulder mounted cannons whose impact against the ground sent a gout of magma into the air; Tiger and Amaya narrowly avoiding being burned as the leader of Team TRQS snaked an arm around her team-mate and spun her out of the way.

"AND THAT COULD HAVE BEEN GAME OVER FOR SANTARA AND QUASAR" Yang Xiao Long declared animatedly "SOME EXCELLENT EVASION BUT THEY'LL HAVE TO DO BETTER THAN THAT!"

"Please tell me you have something we can use after looking at Patina's weapon for so long?" Tiger ground the words out forcefully from behind her veil and Amaya chewed at her lip nervously as she considered her answer. Patina Brown's weapon was dubbed 'The Iron Firefly' and incorporated several components, her mask was a control system which was integrated to body of the thing which had expanded out from the backpack she had carried into the arena, comprising a pair of spindly exoskeletal limbs which encased Patina's own arms to grant her a pair of Dust infused blades, a pair of shoulder-mounted weapons which were in truth merely perched above her body rather than resting on it and finally a jetpack which had allowed her various aerial strafing runs and given her the speed to flank the two of them.

"There's no wings on that thing" Amaya began "I think her Semblance is how she's actually flying instead of just hovering….Some kind of ability to stabilise and direct herself in the air-"

"Which means she needs to focus" Tiger mused, twirling her trident in a mirror of Sherlock's previous taunting gesture as she considered the fact that thus far she had not actually seen Patina fly and shoot at the same time, with ideas beginning to take root only a moment later "I'm going to take a shot at Sherlock, it's a decoy and a set-up. Catch my weapon and aim for Patina with it, then we break off"

Tiger needed only a glance over her shoulder to see Amaya's slight nod of understanding before springing into motion.

The blades of Fearful Symmetry were enveloped in darkness as she primed the trident with Gravity Dust, hoping for additional momentum a shattering impact should it strike either of her foes before finally rearing back and hurtling the weapon at the tall and white-haired young man who had managed to infuriate her with his approach to battle. Sherlock finally showed some uncertainty, holding his cane at the ready and bracing himself as he took a single step backwards only for the weapon to be snatched out of the air, Amaya hurling one half of Auriga Epsilon and ensnaring the shaft of the trident before swinging the weapon in a wide, Gravity Dust fuelled arc which forced Patina to hurl herself backwards through the air.

Giving both Tiger and Amaya a chance to flee.

"NOBODY WANTS TO SEE HUNTERS RUNNING, BUT SOMETIMES FALLING BACK IS THE SMART MOVE TO MAKE!" Qrow Branwen declared sagely "IT'S A LESSEN I'M GLAD THAT HALO ACADEMY STUDENTS AREN'T TOO STUBBORN TO LEARN"

"Take cover here!" Tiger snapped leading Amaya to one of the few places available to lay low on the battlefield, a sizeable mound of rock which had cooled enough to solid yet which could still be seen to have a glowing molten core and a cache of Fire Dust within it.

"This is not a safe place to take cover" Amaya noted worriedly, Tiger was glad in that moment that her own face was covered; her team-mate was beginning to show signs of strain and fatigue which she had no intention of adding to and Tiger was certain that her own expression was currently a frightening one, feral rage and manic glee combining as a plan which was remarkable in its' ruthlessness even for her took shape.

"It's not supposed to be safe, the exact opposite" she chuckled darkly "You carry more ammo than me….Give me a spare Dust magazine"

"We're rigging the Dust cache?" Amaya realised, comprehension dawning as she complied and watched Tiger begin strategically placing the ammunition.

"Sherlock is gonna send Patina over here any second, probably so he can flank us" Tiger growled, furious at the thought of being outplayed so easily "If your right about how she flies then we need to distract her and then land a hit to take her out of the air….This is the distraction; now we just need to get her out of the sky. I don't suppose you have a Semblance that would help?"

"My Semblance is….Uh, it's not suited for combat at all. Do you?" Amaya admitted, leaving Tiger blinking in surprise; the comment had simply been her own attempt at a joke to ease the building tension and now she was left once again contemplating how much she had failed as a team leader and a friend and how long that failure had continued as she had known nothing about her team-mates' Semblance, assuming that it had never been discovered.

"I don't have a Semblance, not yet" Tiger admittedly "So I guess we'll have to rely on hard work and ideas"

"We could try the thing Team MARZ do?" Amaya proffered "Y'know the move where Regalia uses a harpoon and-"

"I know the one….And I hate how much Astra will brag after this, but it could work" with that the two of them sprung into motion once again, Tiger being immensely relieved that Rye and Stygian were in the midst of a battle more gripping than her own current predicament as the commentary had been allowed to drift away from herself and Amaya which meant that neither announcer had inadvertently given away their plans.

Which made the fact that Sherlock and Patina pre-empted them far more galling.

"OH AND THINGS ARE GETTING SPICY BETWEEN THE TEAM LEADERS!" Yang cheered

"AN EXCELLENT USE OF COVER AND RESOURCES FROM THAT HALF OF TEAM TRQS, HOWEVER BROWN'S RISKY SHOT, SEEMINGLY AT HER PARTNERS' REQUEST HAS PAID OFF!" Tiger grimaced behind her veil as she and Amaya were sent rolling away from the wall of half-melted rock and Dust they had been crouching behind by the force of an explosion which sent spattering magma, waves of heat and flames and plumes of black smoke up into the air and out in all directions as Patina opened fire and managed to, almost miraculously strike the exact spot that Tiger had placed her improvised explosive, detonating it before the two Second Year students could get clear.

That it had been done at Sherlock Ackley's request made it clear in Tiger's mind that her priorities had to change.

"She's in the air again!" Amaya warned, pointing up at the glow of the Iron Firefly's thruster indicating where Patina was within the smoke still clouding the air.

"Then we do the thing!" Tiger declared taking hold of one of her friends' pistols and allowing herself to be swung through the air by the cable that connected the two halves of the weapon, swinging upwards towards Patina with her trident at the ready.

"THAT IS MY MOVE!" Yang Xiao Long sounded both indignant and amused all at once "ME AND MY WIFE INVENTED THAT! THAT IS THE BUMBLEBEE!"

Tiger paid no mind to the trivia, instead focusing on nothing beyond her goal; readying her trident as she hurtled towards Patina who leant more credence to the theories about her Semblance by remaining stationary in the air as she readied her Dust blades only for Tiger to reveal her ruse.

A single well-placed kick knocked the flying Third Year off course and left her open to a volley of shots from Amaya whilst Tiger herself was sent rebounding downwards with her weapon still held at the ready for a stabbing attack aimed squarely at Sherlock's chest.

She missed and her world exploded into pain in the same instant.

"WHAT A COUNTER FROM ACKLEY!" Qrow boomed, the moment Tiger had drawn close enough to become a threat Sherlock had gracefully stepped aside and passed his cane into his left hand where it was held horizontally so that it collided with his opponents' nose before she could halt herself, from there he pivoted neatly to snap off an efficient and remarkably painful elbow strike to Tiger's temple with his right, passing his weapon into his right hand once again as he did so and following up with a backhanded swing which slipped beneath her wild attempt at a counterattack and struck the inside of her leading legs' knee, robbing her of her balance and leaving her entirely susceptible to a spinning heel kick which slammed into her gut and lifted her from the ground.

Tiger's vision was spinning as she hit the burning ground several feet away, the urge to retch and the need to gasp in painful gulps of air struggling with one another and leaving her vision blurry, watery eyes rendered even more useless by the flashes of light produced by her own wavering Aura. The sight of a figure taking slow and deliberate strides towards her was enough for Tiger to grit her teeth and push onwards however, ignoring the commentary and the crowds' raucous reaction to it and instead fending off her own light-headedness as she dragged herself back to her feet and faced off with Sherlock Ackley once again.

He twirled his cane and dropped into a low mocking bow.

"I suppose I would sound like a villain if I were to explain to you my own role in how Team SPRK operate and why our plans are-"

"Your monocle has a thermal sensor in it, or something that let you see through the wall we hid behind and get an idea of what we were doing-"

"Very astute, there's some of that promise I told you that you show; bravo Tiger" Sherlock seemed to be trying his best to sound genuine in his praise and yet simply could not help but sound condescending "But it's not the entire truth….My monocle is a useful piece of equipment; my Semblance however is far more interesting. I can see weaknesses Tiger, structural weak points in any target, living or not. I saw the Dust caches and assumed that you were not foolish enough to take cover behind an explosive substance without cause; I used that knowledge as I have been using it all throughout the match to direct Patina's fire. By the same token Tiger I can see just how much pain you're in right now, a few of your teeth are loose but knocking them out would be unkind….Your left knee, I would get that looked at after the match if I were you; a dislocated patella will be painful to rectify"

Tiger remained silent, twirling her trident and allowing cold dread to fill her as she realised that for all of her efforts to be reliant on nobody and lead her team by example she, on her own was entirely unprepared and unequipped for the fight she had found herself in.

---

Rather than the VIP seating area from which they had enjoyed an incredible view of the previous days' bouts Team MARZ were currently alongside the vast majority of their peers as they watched the ongoing match from the stands, where the admittedly lesser view was mitigated by an atmosphere that simply could not be rivalled.

The four of them had to varying degrees spent the duration of the ongoing bout as they had those which had preceded it, shifting swiftly and unpredictably between waiting with bated breath and cheering until their throats were raw at each spectacular show of skill and ingenuity; though there had been far more of the former than any of Team MARZ were comfortable with as they watched the representatives of Halo Academy whom they had come to consider their friends continue to struggle against the older and more experienced Atlas students who had managed to coordinate themselves to a far greater degree and had managed to control the pace of the battle at every turn.

"Tiger and Amaya really look like they're struggling down there" Astra noted tensely as they leaned forward on they edge of their seat, one in the midst of their friends which had been chosen to prevent their antlers from being nudged by passers by; hands gripping the railing in front of them in a white knuckled grasp and sea-green eyes searching hopefully and yet without result for any possible answers, the Deer Faunus struggling to fathom what they would do differently as Patina Brown unleashed another aerial salvo with the intent of corralling her two opponents and limiting the angles at which they could attack so that Sherlock could counter against both girls at once, something he did with ruthless precision and efficient by revealing that his sleek black cane did, despite its' unassuming appearance have alternate modes. The weapon doubled in length in an instant as a secondary shaft fell into place, protruding from the bottom of the weapon and as the white haired boy twirled his newly made staff the handle that he had been clutching was revealed to contain several compacted components to form a rifle mode; though all of that was less immediately relevant than the fact that with a single pivoting blow he managed to send Amaya staggering away after striking her in the face whilst with the other end of the elongated weapon sweeping at Tiger's legs to put more strain on a leg that was already injured.

"Heh, 'Sweep the leg'….Been there, it sucks" Regalia noted with a sympathetic wince and making a quoting gesture with two fingers as she spoke.

"How's that leg?" Astra asked, turning their attention back to their partner for a moment and seeing that she leaning back in her chair at an angle that at first appeared somewhat awkward but on closer inspection allowed her to accommodate her striped and bushy tail whilst also alleviating any pressure on knees that had been thoroughly punished in Team MARZ's own fight the previous day by using a hefty rucksack filled with cushions which had been brought to the stadium specifically for this purpose as a makeshift footrest. The Racoon Faunus herself merely shrugged and made a small gesture which indicated that she was at the very least passable before offering some of her popcorn to her partner who looked down into the depths of the comically large tub with some hesitation and concern.

"Thanks but I'm gonna pass" Astra managed to smile and give a weak chuckle whilst they struggled not to appear visibly appalled by the fact that, with her love of flavours and combinations that most people would never consider and a lack inhibitions Regalia had mixed a potentially lethal amount of sour candy with a lurid green colour to it into her popcorn. Seeing that Regalia was happy to continue tossing small handfuls of the mixture into her mouth as she watched the ongoing tournament match Astra turned to their friend seated on their other side and found Athena-Jade leaning against the arm of seat, evidently still paying an immense toll for her performance the previous day which Astra had already gleefully announced was the reason for their teams' victory. They made to reach out and gently shake the Bear Faunus only for a familiar voice to stop them, quiet and rasping but stern in that moment.

"Don't do that"

"She's gonna miss the match….Besides you brought her a burger" Astra noted as Zirconia took her seat on Athena-Jade's other side, gently working herself into a position where the dozing girl was leaning more against the Grasshopper Faunus's shoulder.

"Do. Not" Zirconia repeated firmly, only to be rewarded with a shuffling motion from Athena herself as the Bear Faunus wrapped a muscular and powerful arm around her girlfriend and used it to pull herself into a more upright position whilst rubbing her eyes with the other hand.

"I'm awake, I'm fine….Was just resting my eyes"

"Yeah sure" Astra snorted, receiving a gentle swat to the antler for their trouble.

"You suck" she mumbled out, everything about her words betraying just how close to truly falling asleep she was before she turned her attention to her partner and took the proffered food "Thanks, you were gone a while; everything okay?"

"Some people wanted to talk" Zirconia answered, delivering the half truth with a calmness which raised no questions before moving the subject onwards "Nobody from the press thankfully, it's actually nice that we can be here and just be normal members of the crowd without worrying about anybody taking pictures of us. There were some students talking about celebrations in the city tonight, getting to see the Vytal Festival itself….If anybody is interested?"
"Absolutely" Astra beamed brightly "I'll have to introduce you guys to some of my old friends, it'll be awesome"

"Sure" Athena-Jade answered, though the rapt attention she paid to Zirconia even whilst still only half-awake made it abundantly clear that this conversation was largely meant for the two of them "We were too tired and beat up to do anything last night and we should definitely celebrate our win….I was really looking forward to, uh celebrating with you and-"

"OKAY! Before this turns into an ear-fucking can we please focus on the match and the fact that our friends are kinda getting the crap kicked out of 'em down there!" Astra's forceful exclamation drew various reactions from their team-mates, most dramatic of all being Regalia's as the Racoon Faunus was reduced to hysterics which were in turn promptly cut off by her choking on popcorn and sour sweets which left her purple eyes streaming until Astra patted her back with one hand whilst at the same time struggling to fend off playful yet still forceful punches from Athena-Jade, with the Bear Faunus relenting a moment later and turning her attention to Team TRQS's ongoing efforts to handle Team SPRK.

"Yeah….Sherlock doing better than I though he would honestly; I mean he's always been good but this is impressive"

"Wait, you know that guy?" Astra asked, giving the only Atlesian member of their team a pointed stare "You've never mentioned it and we've never hung out with his team"

"We're not friends or anything" Athena shrugged, far more lively and awake now "We went to different private schools but he's from a pretty well off family, they own one of the big software companies and we've been at the same formal events a couple times and ended up talking because we were both training to be Hunters"

"And I assume his parents tried to play matchmaker and see if they could set their son up with the daughter of one of the wealthiest families on Remnant" Zirconia noted, though her slight smirk made it clear that this was her idea of a joke rather than any insecure jealousy.

"Okay first of all no and second of all, eww" Athena laughed "I can't imagine what Sherlock flirting would even sound like and I'll be honest I really don't want to"

"He did seem a bit of a dick at the start of the match" Astra mused "Looked like he did a whole 'villain speech' and everything"

"You're such a dick" Athena laughed "He's actually nice….I mean yeah, he's awkward and a little bit much to get used to but I've never known him to be deliberately mean or malicious to anybody. He's honestly really sweet once you-"

Athena was left trailing off into an awkward silence as the crowd erupted into cheers; painfully aware of the smug looks her friends were giving her as Sherlock Ackley unleashed an attack that was anything but nice or sweet in its' heavy-handedness.

---

The explosion and subsequent exchange on the opposite side of the arena had given only a brief pause to the frantic and dynamic fight wherein Stygian and Rye struggled to gain any traction against Rutile and Komorebi.

Thus far the two of them had encountered a somewhat different problem to their team-mates as whilst Tiger and Amaya were somewhat lacking in raw firepower compared to their opponents Rye could, at least theoretically compete blow for blow with Rutile Glass the messy-haired blonde goliath had found himself forced onto the defensive and struggling to use his arsenal effectively.

The plan should have been for Stygian to use his Semblance to draw close and providing an opening for Rye to use Chivalry in its' ranged form and open fire with volatile Dust crystals fired from his rail-gun however the Mouse Faunus had found himself severely hampered by Rutile Glass's ability to redirect the end point of his teleportation through a use of their own Semblance and weapon, with the Iguana Faunus's pistol-gripped mini-gun apparently being simply called 'Erupt'. With their most obvious route to seizing the initiative denied to them the pair had found themselves quickly pushed back and almost overwhelmed as repeated attempts to take cover behind walls formed with Rye's Semblance were thwarted by both Rutile's ability to shatter the stone like glass and the relentless and unforgiving ambush tactics of Komorebi Chiba.

"Surprise" the Faunus, whom neither Rye or Stygian could identify more precisely than being some form of large jungle cat owing to her Faunus attributes laughed, mocking and sinister as she unleashed another such assault.

Komorebi was of an average height and what could be seen of her build suggested that if she did boast any exceptional amount of muscle then it was of the lean variety whilst her complexion was a creamy and matched well with long blonde hair that had been tied into a single braid, with black spots having been added with dye to continue the colouration of the feline ears adorning her skull. Her attire consisted of black single-piece jumpsuit over which she wore a billowing, almost robe like coat with twin tails streaming behind it which in turn had been weighted down and fastened in place by parts of the armour Komorebi wore, something akin to standard Atlesian tactical armour but painted jet black with the edges of each panel highlighted with the same vibrant green of the feline Faunus's eyes, the armours' design and distribution having been modified to include high and broad shoulder pieces and flaring side-skirts which each sported angular ridges which leant to the stylised nature of her appearance.

More important in that moment however was the fact that Komorebi was using her Semblance.

"I'M NOT GONNA LIE TO YOU SPORTS FANS, WATCHING CHIBA DO THINGS LIKE THAT BRINGS BACK MEMORIES OF SOME PRETTY NASTY BROKEN BONES" Qrow Branwen declared with an audible shudder.

"AND THAT'S HOW CATS ALWAYS MANAGE TO LAND ON THEIR FEET!" Yang Xiao Long added, a comment that was cheered and good naturedly booed in equal measure. Komorebi's Semblance quite simply made her a contortionist, allowing her to move in inhuman ways which were disturbing to watch as entire parts of her skeleton either gave way or were rendered passable by some other means within her; something which she had already used to slip over and around Rye's defences several times already so that she could bring her katana, dubbed 'Kirei-Ni-Kiru' to bear from multiple unexpected angles. As she hung from the edge of Rye's latest Semblance-made wall the blond behemoth turned to Stygian who was already shifting his grip on Sharp Cheese.

"Is it bad that I feel bad asking a Mouse Faunus to fight her while I try and make an opening?"

"Just a little but fuck it" Stygian shrugged before engaging his Semblance, fully aware of the risk of his target signalling to Rutile who would in turn redirect him by creating something for his Semblance to consider more dangerous but committing to his course of action anyway; he vanished in a blur of rippling air, the coat worn hanging from his shoulders flapping in the air as he came back into view, reality rippling like water in a place which it became quickly apparent that Stygian had not expected.

Komorebi had moved and used the terrain to excellent effect.

Her own landing on the ground intended to evoke Menagerie's wastelands had been feather light whilst Stygian by contrast had slammed into the ground with enough force to shatter the blasted stone on which he found himself and open a small sinkhole with no way to teleport free of it.

"OH THAT LOOKED LIKE IT HURT, DEFINITELY ROLLED AN ANKLE THERE!" Qrow cheered.

"AND CHIBA IS POUNCING AT THE OPPORTUNITY!" Yang's half-hearted attempt at another cat related pun, likely for the amusement of her own wife was hard to focus on as Komorebi lunged at Stygian before the Mouse Faunus could recover, their two katanas meeting with a forceful clang which forced the Second Year Student back against the edge of the shoulder-deep hole with his own blade perilously close to his own neck.

"As hard as it is to believe from Sherlock's mouth Team SPRK do have genuine respect for you and your friends" the older students' voice was husky and betrayed only the slightest hint of strain as she continued to press her weight down on her trapped opponent "You are a talented swordsman….But I outclass you"

"Maybe" Stygian managed to grind the word out as he cautiously adjusted his footing and braced himself against the edge of the sinkhole, at the same time subtly preparing a Dust crystal to feed into the blade of Sharp Cheese "But I'm a native of Menagerie….I know these wastelands and I know that the sinkholes are connected"

Komorebi's momentary flinching away in instinctive response was all the opportunity the blue-haired boy needed.

He kicked the Feline Faunus back with a painful impact to the ribs and followed with an upwards elbow strike which she evaded by using her Semblance to crawl and scuttle in an inhuman way out of the sinkhole at which point Stygian imbued the blade of his katana with Fire Dust and slammed it down into the ground, waves of superheated and pressurised air forcing their way through the network of faux tunnels and revealing the location of every hidden sinkhole in a series of explosions, which in turn forced Komorebi to leap back and evade to remain safe.

"AN EXCELLENT USE OF THE TERRAIN BY STYGIAN BLUE!" Yang exclaimed.

"BUT IT'S A TRICK HE CAN ONLY USE ONCE, LET'S SEE WHAT ELSE HE'S GOT IN THE BAG!" Qrow added, presumably as a voice of balance.

Before Stygian could mutter anything particularly unkind about the commentary an unintended consequence of his action made itself known.

"Komorebi, you okay?" the bellowed question was delivered with a panic and kind voice which seemed at odds with the speakers' appearance as Rutile Glass smashed their way into view, evidently deciding that ranged combat was no longer viable whilst their partner was in the thick of the fighting and simply charging Rye's latest defensive wall; the Iguana Faunus having changed Erupt into its' close combat form, a single gauntlet where the barrels of its' ranged form were arranged around their forearm and a sizeable chunk of armour plating rested over their knuckles to be used in devastating tandem with their ability to render any inorganic thing they touched easily breakable.

Rutile themselves was tall, broad-shouldered and lumbering in a brutish way which they seemed to deliberately highlight with their choice of sleeveless jacket, messy scarlet hair which was undercut and styled in something which resembled both a mullet and a Mohawk, ripped jeans and studded and spiked armour placed in ways that suggested Rutile was more interested in looking powerful than actually using it protect themselves, though given the thickness of the scales covering parts of their light brown skin it was possibly a moot point.

"I'm fine!" Komorebi snapped "You broke formation, stick to the plan Sherlock came up with!"

"TOO LATE!" the normally quiet and gentle Rye all-but roared as he swung Chivalry in its' enormous Zweihander form downwards at the face of the reptilian Faunus whose feet skidded backwards along the ground in a cloud of dust whilst the crowd thundered in applause at the seeming turning of the tables; though it became apparent that Rutile Glass was not so easily beaten as they had managed to block and intercept the blow, albeit at the cost of their mobility and ability to counter as their arms were crossed above their skull where the armour of their gauntlet held the sword at bay.

"Stitch!" Rye called out, voice wavering under the force he was required to exert to keep the older student from overpowering him "I've got a plan….Can you take another person with you when you teleport?"

"I think so? It's not something I usually try since I'm always throwing myself into something-"

"Grab Chiba and teleport on my say so!" Rye barked as he continued to grapple against the immensely powerful Rutile.

In the next instant Stygian was in motion.

"IT LOOKS LIKE THE OTHER HALF OF TEAM TRQS HAVE A PLAN AS WELL, CAN BLUE AND FAIRFAX SUCCEED WHERE THEIR PARTNERS DIDN'T?" the Mouse Faunus grimaced at that particular piece of commentary before engaging his Semblance and being relieved as he found himself barely a foot away from Komorebi Chiba, where he lashed out with Sharp Cheese and brought their swords clashing against one another again before reaching out to grab the feline.

Only to miss as her spine bent at an impossible angle.

"The mouse catching the cat? You've watched too many cartoons" she laughed before using her Semblance to perform another sickening twist of her own anatomy to first backflip and deliver a punishing kick to Stygian's face without ever moving the blade of her own katana away from his and then locking her legs around his neck to hoist him into the air and slam him into the already shattered ground.

"Y'know, once upon a time this would have been on my bucket list" he managed to choke out as the older student tightened her grip around his neck in an obvious effort to force him into submission whilst shifting her body back into the correct configuration and preparing to deliver a final downward thrust of Kirei-Ni-Kiru.

"You're disgusting….And far too optimistic" she snorted, only for Stygian to block the sword with the flat edge of his own before using the moment where the two were in stalemate to deliver a kick from his still-pinned position and create enough space for him to wrap his arms around Komorebi.

"RYE WHATEVER YOUR PLANNING, NOW'S THE TIME!"

"Right!" the giant of a young man shifted Chivalry, still locked in an ongoing grapple into its' rail-gun form and used the angle granted by its' position resting on top of Rutile's forearms to fire a single explosive Dust crystal in a high arc which sent it sailing across the length of the stadium.

With Stygian teleporting towards it as it was still in mid air.

"LOOKS LIKE GLASS DIDN'T CATCH THAT ONE AND BLUE HAS TAKEN CHIBA WITH HIM FOR A RIDE!" the crowd went wild as the Mouse Faunus reappeared high above the arena floor and released his grip on Komorebi Chiba, with the two Faunus exchanging a few frantic swings of their katana before the Dust crystal which they had been relocated to finally exploded.

Stygian was almost overwhelmed by the wave of pain and heat which washed over him but managed to ready another Dust crystal as he was pitched through the air, wincing but still using the blurred and swirling vision from his still open eye to engage his Semblance again now that the threat of the exploding Dust had passed whilst Komorebi for her part could do nothing at all. For all of her tricks and flexibility the feline Faunus was unable to direct her fall or reposition herself in a way which would keep her from falling out of bounds as the blast knocked her clear of the arenas' edge.

On the ground Rye was paying for the chance he had taken.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Rutile bellowed as their gauntleted fist, freed from its' lock position by the recoil of his opponents' rail-gun, slammed into the younger students' gut and was promptly reared back for another blow which struck Rye square in the face and left his fluffy hair in disarray as he was sent staggering backwards and forced to use the blade of his weapon, back in its' Zweihander form as a crutch to keep from being sent to the floor.

"OH HE'S GONNA HAVE A BLACK RYE AFTER THAT; THIS FIGHT ISN'T FAIR-FAX IN THE SLIGHTEST!" Yang declared, clearly enjoying herself whilst her words went largely unnoticed in the stadium as as Rutile squared their shoulders and prepared to charge and tackle Rye to the ground so that they could deliver a thorough beating.

The Iguana Faunus was halted however, a new obstacle blocking their path and their Semblance was rendered less than useful as it struck a substance which, whilst not organic did not conform to normal rules enough to be transformed and shattered.

"Hard-Light Dust-filled blade!" Stygian announced, words taking on a manic and almost demented edge as the pain of his previous gambit combined with this new risky endeavour threatened to overwhelm him and yet still he pushed on.

"Stitch what're you doing?" Rye demanded.

"Use Your Semblance now!" the Mouse Faunus yelled "One big wall right under me! As high as you can get it!"

"Okay" Rye nodded crouching and slamming a palm into the ground, trusting in Stygian's plan even without knowing its' specifics and pushing all of his focus into creating a single pillar of earth and stone which erupted up from beneath them, Rye's eyes widening as he heard the creaking and tortured groan of the stadiums' internal mechanisms and saw from the materials that were forming his wall that he was drawing on parts of other biomes within the stadium.

"THAT'S DEFINITELY GONNA DELAY THE REST OF THE MATCHES, WE'RE GONNA NEED SOME CLEAN UP AFTER THIS!" Qrow noted in a tone which was anything but annoyed.

"BUT WHAT'S HE-AND THERE IT IS! WHAT A COMEBACK!" Yang erupted into cheers as Stygian weaved and crouched so that he was perched as close to directly beneath Rutile as possible, using his Hard-light Dust infused blade to keep the Iguana Faunus from shattering the tower Rye was sending swiftly towards the peak of the stadiums' shielding, where another hard-light wall was waiting.

Culminating in Rutile Glass being pinned between two hard-light surfaces and pressured until their Aura finally shattered.

"AN EXCELLENT BIT OF TEAMWORK FROM BLUE AND FAIRFAX!" Yang declared, voice rising to be heard over the deafening cheers of the crowd whilst Qrow, realising that in the excitement some important details had not been properly noted took that moment to summarise.

"KOMOREBI CHIBA HAS BEEN KNOCKED OUT OF THE ARENA AND RUTILE GLASS'S AURA HAS BEEN DEPLETED, GIVING TEAM TRQS A CLEAR LEAD….WE COULD BE LOOKING AT SOMETHING SERIOUSLY UNEXPECTED HERE!"

---

Tiger felt her heart skip a beat at the announcement of her team-mates' victories, something she would be more welcome to if her chest were not currently in excruciating pain though for several seconds that news was all but impossible for her to use in any meaningful way as Sherlock Ackley continued to block, evade and counter each of her attacks in turn before responding with skill and coordination which Tiger could not help but appreciate and admire even as she was subjected to it.

The latest exchange between the pair came as Tiger managed pivot to avoid a thrusting stab of the cane which Sherlock had transformed into a quarterstaff and then managed to not only evade a follow up swing from the weapons' opposite end which Tiger felt, with a rising wave of optimism was a fraction less precise and well-timed than previous attack as though the news that half of his team had been beaten had shaken him, but also counter the incoming blow by leaping up onto the outstretched surface of the staff and then vaulting away from it whilst in the same motion delivering a spinning heel kick.

The white-haired boy managed to avoid it, naturally.

Behind her veil Tiger gave a grim smile in response to the development and continued her assault, confidant in the knowledge that Sherlock was right where she wanted him.

In a display of cunning and situational awareness she hoped was on par with that of her opponent the leader of Team TRQS had attacked in a way which had forced the older student to retreat towards a more volatile part of the stadiums' magma fields and upon seeing the fiery light flaring up around Sherlock's feet she pounced; Gravity Dust filled the blades of Fearful Symmetry and transforming the trident into a nexus of a swirling well of force which she used to stab at Sherlock's chest.

Only for him to counter with a stroke of pure brilliance.

Leaping into the air with a burst of Aura-fuelled strength Sherlock managed to not only hurl himself up and over the incoming attack but also deliver a strike to the back of Tiger's skull which sent her staggering off balance to such a degree that the Dust-infused tips of her trident struck the artificial magma she had intended to use against her opponent and in doing so drawn it into the pull of her own attack with devastating results which left the crowd erupting into cheers.

"That was, truly and without any exaggeration or sarcasm on my part….A really well thought out plan, however I was aware of where I was standing and anticipated a multi-faceted approach; kudos for the effort though" Sherlock spoke with an earnestness that seemed, at least in Tiger's mind to put some of the older students' earlier grandstanding and gloating into a slightly different context.

The words meant little however, she had been hurled back in a blast of flames and was currently laying in a crumpled heap on ground which burned so intensely it threatened to eat through the last of her Aura at any moment, her entire body ached so much that any movement she might have attempted would have taxed her to her limits and smoke clogged her lungs to render her coughing and sputtering with each pained breath whilst Sherlock advanced on her; weapon held ready as the two of them allowed themselves to ignore the sound of battle continuing on around them and focus only on the impending moment of victory for the Third Year student, finally drawing close enough to plant a booted foot on Tiger's chest and ready his weapon for a final blow which would be delivered without malice but with an incredible amount of force all the same.

"SHERLOCK WHAT DO I DO?" The panicked scream from above brought a moment of respite and Sherlock's eyes widened in a sudden rush of countless emotions which looked out of place on his features, the various components of his monocle whirring and adjusting as he whipped around; foot being removed from Tiger's body and sought out Patina. His partner capable of carrying out any order that was given to her, however it quickly became apparent that even with the vast array of tools and advantages at her disposal she lacked the initiative and intuitive thinking to properly take charge as the rest of Team TRQS tried to press their advantage against her.

Seeing the unfolding counterattack from the younger students Sherlock resolved to fix the issue before Team SPRK returned to Atlas, knowing that Combat Instructor Slate would be thoroughly displeased.

Patina had allowed herself, even from her elevated position to be outflanked; with Amaya Quasar having managed to position herself in a blind spot and use her weapons to hook into the flying girls' attire, giving up her own firepower in the process but tethering her target in place.

Rye Fairfax had readied his immensely powerful weapon and was unloading one shot after another with the only form of respite coming in the form of pauses to reload the rail-gun. Patina had managed to fend off the attacks to a small degree thus far, counterattacking with her shoulder-mounted weapons to detonate the incoming Dust crystals before they could reach her and parrying those which managed to avoid this fate with the blades fitted to the exoskeletal armour encasing her forearms.

Sherlock's stomach plummeted as the final blow was delivered by Stygian Blue, the Mouse Faunus using his Semblance in tandem with Rye's firepower to appear directly between a Dust projectile and Patina's own guns and deliver a single swipe of a katana wreathed in crackling lightning which broke the flying girls' Aura, forcing her to land as her Semblance failed and the Iron Firefly lost all coordination without her input.

"Well curses and damnation" Sherlock forced the words out stiffly, rare emotion creeping into them in the form of an irritable growl as he watched the dreadlocked Mouse Faunus take hold of Amaya Quasar's weapon and prepare to be swung back down to the ground. Deciding to ensure that Team SPRK at least achieved something and retained a level of respect before the inevitable happened he readied his weapon and transformed Sperrmeister into its' rifle form which was quickly shouldered and aimed in an effort to shoot down Stygian Blue.

His legs were knocked out from my beneath him and the shot was sent sailing wide.

"Only I get shoot my partner for leaving himself exposed like an idiot" Tiger snarled as she tried to bring her trident to bear, her efforts to climb onto the man she had tripped and deliver the final blow of the tournament being halted as the beating she had sustained thus far proved far too great and she was instead thrown free. Before Sherlock could retaliate and remove his fellow team leader from the match the ground erupted beneath him as Rye unleashed his Semblance yet again and in his raised and exposed position, with no time to react there was nothing the white-haired young man could do to prevent the finishing blow which struck him square in the chest as Amaya swung and hurled Stygian directly at the last remaining member of Team SPRK where the Mouse Faunus delivered a simple but effective haymaker.

"AND THAT'S THE MATCH!" Yang yelled as the entire stadium erupted at the sight of Sherlock Ackley's Aura breaking upon impact as he hit the ground beside Tiger who was in the process of struggling to rise to her feet.

"WHAT AN UPSET!" Qrow cheered with an energy that matched his nieces' own enthusiasm "SHERLOCK ACKLEY AND PATINA BROWN HAVE BOTH HAD THEIR AURA DEPLETED, WHICH MEANS SECOND YEARS TEAM TRQS WILL BE PROGRESSING TO THE NEXT ROUND AFTER DEFEATING TEAM SPRK WITHOUT LOSING A SINGLE MEMBER!"

The crowd went wild and Tiger managed to pull herself to her feet, retracting her veil and using her trident to support her weight as she basked in the thrill of victory for several seconds until she saw Stygian clutching at his side and trudging towards her, silently giving a questioning look which Tiger interpreted as his asking her if she needed assistance. Shaking her head and giving her partner a bright, almost wild smile Tiger turned towards Sherlock and managed to limp over to him before holding out a hand to her fellow team leader.

"I may be a student of Halo Academy and I may have lived in Mistral for much of my life….But I was born in Atlas" she helped Sherlock to his feet "As one Atlesian to another your approach to the match was ruthless and efficient. You studied your opponent before the match, exploited weaknesses and showed no mercy. You are a credit to Atlas"

"And you are a credit to your team" Sherlock nodded "Each of you fought with skill as an individual and as part of a greater whole; your victory was well earned"

With that the two team leader shook hands before Tiger turned and limped back towards Team TRQS who collectively wrapped their arms around their friend and helped lead her out of the stadium, taking in the sound of cheers as they went.

---

It had been several hours since the Vytal Tournament matches had concluded for the day and in that time, much as it had the day before, the city of Neo Vale had given itself over to a range of festivities which would continue on into the early morning; with street parties taking place across the heart of the Kingdom and especially so in the centre of the hive city giving off a palpable sense of excitement whilst in other parts of Neo Vale, predominantly aerial platforms and other similarly large and relatively open spaces hosted concerts of all kinds and every nightclub, bar and decidedly less legitimate purveyor of entertainment enjoyed a roaring trade for the evening.

It was in a more upmarket and almost as consequence of this more subdued establishment, specifically a restaurant whose reservations were hard to come by and Qrow Branwen felt himself uncommonly out of place that the veteran Hunter, turned teacher and overseer of Remnants' future once again met face to face with Chairman Damascus Nero of the Clara Die Novum Conglomerate; a man whom he had a sincere respect for despite their differences and hoped to come to an agreement with for the benefit of people all across Remnant.

"I do apologise for my brusqueness when we spoke yesterday Branwen, though I hope you'll forgive me and understand it at least. I get to spend so little time with Zirconia now that having it intruded upon by a business meeting is frankly an annoyance I am unwilling to suffer"

"I understand completely" Qrow assured him, crimson eyes shining with a faint fatherly smile as he brought his many-limbed and mechanical chair into the place that had been made for it opposite the Chairman "I lost so much time with my own daughter and now she and her wife are constantly travelling Remnant-"

"A shame, truly. However despite my willingness to agree to this meeting and my efforts to make up for my previous rudeness we are not friends Branwen; I do not plan to spend the evening commiserating with you as one parent to another….Though I can suggest the white wine if you would like to order, then we can discuss business" Qrow could not help but bristle a fraction at the bluntness of the words and the tone in which they were delivered although he quickly brought himself under control as he glanced down and saw the silk glove which hid the cheaply made, painful and outdated cybernetic limb which Nero wore from view and took a moment to appreciate that the Chairman would be justified in being far more angry and vehement in his vocal protests against Hunters than he had been thus far. Nodding in understanding silence Qrow took a moment to study the man sitting opposite him, he had heard something of the Chairman appearing at the Vytal Tournament whilst sporting a particularly unflattering albeit highly amusing outfit however at present the tall, gaunt and perpetually tired looking man had portrayed himself as he often sought to; expensive black three piece suit paired with silver ornamentation with slightly and almost artistically unkempt hair both lending to the image of an eccentric and overworked genius and hiding the chemical burn scars creeping up from his neck to line the right side of his jaw. With his attire, cultured and deliberately affected voice masking a more working class accent and their meeting place being one of his choosing it was obvious that the Chairman was, in his own mind at least engaging in a power play and show of strength.

Qrow fought the urge to smirk, it was the man's strengths and resources that had brought them together once again after all.

"I think I'll pass, I drink far less than I used to and I won't waste any more of your time than I need to" he finally replied

"I'm here with a business proposition"

"Is this where you ask me again to join your cabal and meddle in the affairs of the public for their own good?" Nero asked, forcing himself to keep back the majority of the venom he wished to steep the words in.

"No, you've made your opinions of that clear enough" Qrow chortled, mechanical seat adjusting as he found a more comfortable position "This is more in relation to your commitment to keep this city safe through the means at your disposal, specifically the machines manufactured by Cosmo Guild and some of your other subsidiaries"

Nero's blood ran cold for a moment and he silently cursed and damned Qrow Branwen's way of making himself unknowable in conversation, forcing those with whom he spoke to give up details or admit a lack of information before revealing any of what he did or did not know personally; the only thing keeping the Chairman from giving in to open panic upon hearing what might be a thinly veiled accusation was the rational part of his mind insisting that if Branwen and those he was allied with suspected anything then there would be no conversation, Nero and his co-conspirators would simply have been attended to.

"My mechanised elements have been assisting in the defence of Neo Vale along with some of the outer territories yes, with some further forays into wider applications" the answer was the truth, delivered with a vague and open ended addition which could be used to parry any following questions or accusations, none came however and instead Qrow simply stroked his beard thoughtfully before nodding in understanding.

"And I trust that you also saw the reports of the new strain of Geist, capable of integrating more complete weaponry which have been sighted?"

Nero was torn between silent dread and manic laughter at that, forcing himself to remain stiffly composed as he offered an answer.

"I have"

"Naturally mechanised elements like what your company produces would be a liability against a Grimm like that, however I still think we can come to an arrangement which allows us both to protect Remnant and the Kingdom of Neo Vale specifically in our own ways"

"Go on"

"Between this new development, normal dealings and the tournament Hunters are stretched thin" Qrow admitted "What I am proposing, something which has already been agreed to at least in theory by other parties is that your assets be integrated more fully into the defence of the city; at least as a trial run whilst the tournament is underway….your machines have proven capable, there's a reason that the local gangs like them and a lot of Hunters would be happy to have them on standby. It would free up Hunters to carry on hunting the new Grimm"

It was all Nero could do to keep from cackling like a villain from one of the cartoons Zirconia enjoyed so much.

"Not a formal alliance, merely a pooling of resources and sharing of information when pertinent?" he struggled to seem nonchalant, as though this were a consideration no more important than any other.

"Exactly" Qrow nodded, giving a knowing look as he added "And the approval of Halo Academy will speed up the process of having your products defending the Kingdom, Ren's word will be enough to calm down a lot of the people who might have argued against it"

"I will give the matter serious consideration" the words were tight, toneless and yet inside Nero was utterly ecstatic. Barring the admitted possibility that this might be an elaborate ruse as part of a ploy to capture him the Chairman could not imagine that his hated foe would ever stroll into a meeting and hand over the means of his own ultimate defeat like this; allowing Nero to work his way even more thoroughly into the infrastructure of the Capital of New Vale and granting him the perfect excuse to ensure that both his own forces and his targets were placed exactly where he wanted them to be in the lead up to the final moment where the plans for his bright new tomorrow were revealed.

"Then I'll leave you to it, I've taken enough of your time" Qrow's many-limbed chair turned and took the first several steps with its' scuttling gait before Nero's voiced called after him.

"Branwen….I must ask, the 'Benefactor' figure we discussed before who you claim was involved in attacks on my business and my family; has there been any progress in the case?"

"One of their operatives was found dead and another was spotted by Hunters but escaped" Qrow answered gruffly, which Nero understood to mean Petrol and Carmesi respectively "However the Benefactor himself has managed to remain undetected"

Hearing that Nero was almost tempted to order another bottle of wine for himself; deciding that whilst it was a particularly arrogant man who toasted his own victories this was a moment where it would certainly be worth it.

Everything was coming together.

Author's Notes:

So another fun chapter and that's the first round matches of the Tournament concluded.
The Doubles round will be the mid-season finale but the space between here and there is less filler and more set up for what's coming.
Also, I know Team MARZ were barely in this chapter but honestly it was nice to show off some of the other characters and throw some new Ocs out there again….Besides, canon did it first.

But anyway, let's summarise shall we?
Tiger is not a leader who's going to cheer-lead and coddle people.
Sherlock means white haired, so when I wanted a leader who analyses and pinpoints weaknesses it was an obvious choice for a name.
He was inspired partly by Monoma from MHA, basically he outwardly has those kind of vibes but as we see later on he's not actually a dick….He's just bad at people.
"And yet you're still talking" A retort worthy of the Spartans.
After Team TRQS's scene last chapter you should have expected Tiger to have gathered intel on her opponents.
Stygian absolutely loves Yang's puns.
Komorebi means "The scattered light that filters through when sunlight shines through trees" and Chiba means "Thousand Leaves".
Rutile is a Galapagos Land Iguana Faunus specifically, because they live near volcanoes.
The idea of new biomes based on Menagerie getting brought in seems obvious really….Also, this battlefield is pretty much an opposite to what Team MARZ and CRAG fought in.
So Rutile's Semblance is that they can give anything they touch the physical qualities of glass or crystal, mainly to make them exceptionally breakable….And because weapons are an extension of self in regards to Aura they've learned to expand that to their bullets and give themselves range; by the same 'Weapons are an extension' token their Semblance won't break another Hunter's weapon.
….Also, pistol-gripped mini-gun is a great concept and you know it.
With Team SPRK being an older team I really wanted to sell the idea of Team TRQS being overwhelmed and outclassed from the get go; the fact that Tiger's plan to get intel had been outplayed was just the cherry on top.
Yeah Hops is not the kinda girl who's gonna be in a sports stadium willingly.
Everything about the Zirconia and Nero talk and him wearing the tackiest, gaudiest Team MARZ merch he could find amused me as I wrote it.
Even being a master schemer who kills people and manufactures monsters, Nero is a good and caring father figure.
So further confirmation that Nero has plans for Zirconia to do things that involve her not being the centre of attention.
Also yeah, after the news of the Cyber-Grimm got out he's gonna move out and lay low….I assume you can figure out where he'll be hiding.
Nero's also bringing people into the fold directly the same way Carmesi was; the conspiracy is going to become a movement.
Yeah Team TRQS were getting dog-walked for the whole start of the match
So I made a post about this on Tumblr but honestly it's hilarious to me that in Patina I made a character who pretty much embodies the culture, mindset and military doctrine of canon Atlas: Overwhelming, mechanised and airborne firepower delivered by a faceless cog in a machine who can still only function effectively as part of a larger whole and crumbled the moment she didn't have access to a support structure and whose weapon and Semblance are so intertwined that it's hard to see where the individual ends and the equipment begins.
Qrow's comment about Hunters running is correct.
So Amaya has a Semblance but it's not useful in a fight….Kinda like how Robyn's lie detector isn't; which actually means that Tiger is the only member of Team TRQS without one.
Yang calling out the fact that people are just straight up jacking her move is perfect….Astra gets away with it because they're one of Yang's star students.
Now the reveal of just what Sherlock Ackley's Semblance is might seem like some Dues Ex Machina bullshit, but I'd argue that everything about his behaviour up until that point was foreshadowing for it.
See he comes across as an ass-hole, but he literally told her he wasn't gonna knock her teeth out and gave her a heads up about how badly hurt she was.
I was actually gonna have the Stygian and Rye scene next but putting Team MARZ's scene here changed the flow of the chapter in a way that I think works better.
Little things like Astra having to pick their seats to avoid people knocking their antlers are the details I feel like you should include for Faunus characters.
So Sherlock's weapon does transform.
Of course Regalia dropped the Karate Kid quote….Also, Astra bringing a bag of pillows for her to rest her leg on was cute.
Somewhere out there is a person who mixes popcorn with sour candy and that person is a demon.
Hops just showing up behind Astra "Do. Not" is pretty much perfect.
"I was really looking forward to, uh celebrating with you" lol 'Celebrating', AJ out here politely asking to get thoroughly railed into the mattress.
Of course AJ knows at least one of the Atlas students.
He's sweet, except for when he's breaking peoples' kneecaps.
The Semblance interplay here is really fun; Stitch teleports to the most dangerous place to be, which is how he usually gets into range; Rutile's Semblance makes the most dangerous place to be wherever they're shooting at and they can use that to redirect Stitch and force Rye onto the defensive rather than risk friendly fire.
Another fun Faunus OC thing….If they've got a tail or ears with spots and stripes then are they the sort of person who would dye their hair to match it?
The contortionist Semblance is one I actually debated using here or saving for another villain later on but I don't really have a character that could use it and have it fit planned out so here it is; a ninja jungle cat that can bend themselves into different shapes for sneak attacks and agility makes sense anyway.
'Kirei-Ni-Kiru' Cut Cleanly.
Okay teleporting around sinkholes was a dumb idea, but Stygian paid it off by using knowledge of the battlefield to great effect.
Rutile is AFAB Non-Binary and is definitely butch.
Yeah Stitch doesn't usually practice taking passengers, for obvious reasons.
"Y'know, once upon a time this would have been on my bucket list" look he's a flirt, let him have this.
The take-outs in this chapter were specifically not about one person landing a big hit, every single one of them was a team effort and a sign of how far Team TRQS have come since their introduction; Vol.04 Team TRQS would not have lasted more than a few minutes.
The play and counter-play with the Dust and magma between Tiger and Sherlock was just a different kind of fight to what we usually see, a little more underhanded.
The problem is now that Team SPRK have lost the advantage because experience is going to matter less when you're outnumbered two to one.
Oh yeah, Gangrel Slate is going to give these kids one hell of a talking to after they did all that posing and talking just to get wiped 4-0.
Now despite the fact that every Team TRQS take-out was a team effort I also did make certain to have Stygian be the driving force….Because he was actually supposed to be the main character of Team TRQS despite not being the leader and it feels like Tiger has superseded him a little.
Good on Tiger though, definitely grown.
The whole "You're a ruthless bastard….Atlas would be proud" thing just felt right considering that both team leaders used very similar approaches pre-battle.
Every time I write a Qrow and Nero scene it feels like they've both got a gun hidden under the table, they're both playing a game but the difference is that Nero is the one who knows the rules.
Qrow tried to use the angle of the both being Dads whose daughters are Hunters who they wish they could see more and Nero shut that shit down immediately….Kind of understandable, given that Nero blames Qrow for the death of Zirconia's actual parents, his partner and most of his friends.
"This is more in relation to your commitment to keep this city safe through the means at your disposal, specifically the machines manufactured by Cosmo Guild and some of your other subsidiaries" Nero definitely thought he was busted for a split second there.
So Qrow mentioned reaching out to Nero again at the end of the last volume and this is part of what it was about….Qrow does not understand the scale of the mistake he is making here.
This conversation will honestly have ramifications moving forward for the rest of the volume.
But seriously, toasting yourself is some Elon Musk behaviour.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.