"Lazula Skye and Snow Hudson win! Looks like The Indomitable Girl will be moving onto the one-on-one gauntlet!"
Caspian's section of the crowd, filled mostly with students and families from Sentinel, exploded with cheer. He couldn't help but add to the applause. It was his sister after all, and Snow had done a good job as well.
"Lazula's doing a lot better than I did this tournament..." he noted.
"I mean, it is Lazula we're talking about," Rowan said. "People have been predicting she'd win since before it even started."
Lilly put her hands together, watching the arena with a content smile. "I'm so glad she's doing well!"
"Sorry we got eliminated in the first round," Caspian returned. "It's over, but I really wish we could have done more..."
Noxis's words echoed in his mind. "For someone who complains incessantly about living in your sister's shadow, you sure enjoy the shade." Caspian sighed, downcast gaze watching his sister leave the stadium with her signature confident poise. "That's right," he reflected. "I'm just fishing for pity at this point, aren't I?"
"The first round didn't go very well for me, either," Cattleya commented.
"You guys won, though!" Caspian supported.
"It was totally unfair," she complained. "I hardly got a chance to fight before getting knocked out of the arena."
"Yeah, you got unlucky," Caspian comforted, putting his arm around her and holding her closer.
"Well, I convinced Blaise to let me fight in the next round," she replied. "Not many scouters watch the first round anyway, since any actual League just has doubles and singles matches." She perked up proudly. "I'll get another chance to catch a scouter's eye."
Moka paused, and tilted her head toward Cattleya. Her tail flicked back and forth vigorously, threatening to batter the row behind her. "Oh... he told you?" she asked.
"Yeah."
Moka's shoulders slumped. "He told me he'd let me fight next round..."
"Oh. When did he say that? Because he told me just last night. Our match is next, so I think that's his final decision."
The walk back to the locker room was lined with spectators. They spilled popcorn and drinks on themselves as they leaned over the railing, cheering and screaming for Lazula's attention. Droves of cameramen and reporters fell upon her, their flashing lights and nagging questions all but obscuring the path to peace and quiet. She lowered her head, and stepped through them.
"Stop taking pictures. Don't bother me," she thought.
"WE LOVE YOU!" A rowdy group of young men cheered. Their hands came too close.
"What makes you think you have the right to touch me? Don't even look at me."
If only she could have said it out loud. But she still had some sliver of a public image to keep up.
"Lazula. These people seem to want your attention," Snow addressed.
Her eyes were set on the door. Only a dozen steps away, but it seemed so far. "I know. Ignore them."
"Peonie, look! She's so close!"
A child's voice called out. "Wow! It's her!"
Lazula finally looked up. Above her and to the left, a pink-haired little girl reached a tiny hand through the railing.
"Damn, a kid. Now I have to be nice."
Lazula reached her gloved hand up to the girl with a bright smile, and shook it gently.
"Lula! Good job!"
"Thank you! Always nice to meet a fan!"
"You have a reputation for being rude," Snow noted once the two had reached the locker room. "But you are never rude to your friends. Why is that?"
"When the world has their attention on you like this, they start to forget you're actually a person," Lazula replied, securing Aegis and Impetus into their slots in her deluxe-sized locker. "Sometimes I just want some damn privacy."
"Fans seem to like Midas."
"He's more of a people person." Lazula chuckled, and reclined on the locker room bench to undo the strap of her boot. "Either that, or he's a lot better at faking it."
The mess had mostly cleared by the time Lazula left the locker room- she spent a while inside holding idle conversation with Snow to ensure they did. She got a few more calls and cheers on her way to the students' section, some of which she even acknowledged.
A row of fit, well-groomed spectators decked out in brand clothing adorned the railing next to the arena, pecking at their Holobands, filming the stadium, or speaking with students. Scouters, Lazula recognized. They must have come to watch the two-on-two rounds. Snow spotted the rest of their friends in the crowd, and Lazula followed her up.
"Hot off the heels of Lazula Skye and Snow Hudson's victory, we're bringing another match from Sentinel Academy in just a few minutes!" Mr. Brown's voice called to the stadium.
"Take your potty breaks now and grab your popcorn, in just five minutes Blaise Galeras and Cattleya Ophrys of Sentinel take on Mica Muscov and Pearl Hayes of Shade!"
"GO CAT!" Caspian shouted. He knew there was no way his voice would reach her, but he had to try.
Snow evened out her skirt before gently taking a seat next to Caspian, and Lazula plopped down in Moka's empty spot. She leaned in. "Huh. Is Moka hurt or something?" she asked.
"Nope, she was just over here. She seemed fine," Caspian said. She had left with Cattleya just after Lazula and Snow's match ended. He hoped to see them both in the arena, but Blaise and Cattleya were the two selected.
"Weird," Lazula decided. "She's pretty good. Thought her team would want her down there."
The announcers voices echoed through the hall surrounding Sentinel Stadium. A horseshoe of souvenir shops and concession stands- all questionably priced- drew long lines of customers, especially between matches. However, the corner Moka stood in was all but forgotten, lit up by just one light that threatened to die at any minute's whim.
"Moka!" her mother's voice greeted brightly through her Holoband. "The doctors let me out for another day! I'm just getting to the stands now. I'm not too late, am I? I tried to hurry!"
"Mama..." Moka uttered. Her tail had fallen to the dingy ground, and her voice was broken.
"What's wrong, honey?"
"I'm not fighting this round."
"Cattleya Ophyrs eliminated by aura level!"
"It's down to one-on-two for Blaise Galeras!" Mrs. Brown's voice nearly taunted. "Looks like Mica has BLCM beat in close quarters! I'm not sure they have an answer for him!"
"I thought you were going to! Did something happen?"
Moka sighed. "...Blaise changed his mind. Cattleya wanted to fight instead, and... he changed his mind."
"Oh..."
Moka's trembling lips suddenly gave way and she gasped for breath, covering her mouth and lowering her Holoband's camera from her face.
"...I'm sorry, mama."
"That's it for Adrian Adur! LAZULA SKYE IS GOING ONTO THE VYTAL TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP!"
Lazula sheathed her blade, striding offstage. She took the spotlight with her, leaving her opponent in darkness. Another easy match. No one since the doubles round had put up much of a fight, and she was beginning to grow disappointed. It was the Vytal Tournament. The apex of Academy League skill that millions looked forward to every year, yet it looked like another easy victory.
That night, Lazula sat with her and Caspian's team in a suite above the arena.
"The semifinal match between Midas Baine of Sentinel, and Sterling Platton of Atlas is set to begin in just a few minutes!"
"We have a few special guests in the audience today!" Mrs. Brown declared. Every screen in the stadium showed a shot of one of the other suites. Griswold Baine, joined by his wife and an entourage of security guards at each side, held up a hand in a dignified wave to the audience. "Looks like Griswold Baine is coming to show support for his son, Midas!"
Caspian's heart leapt out of his chest as he saw his own face on the camera, joined by each of his friends. He straightened his posture, and hid the unease on his face as he waved. The camera ignored him. "Lazula Skye is here, sizing up her competition!"
Lazula looked down at the arena, avoiding eye contact with the camera drone entirely. To the music, a rainbow of lights streaked across the audience, reflecting upon the confetti falling like diamond dust. At the edge of the screen, Snow looked blankly to Lazula, into the camera, and back at Lazula.
The lights settled and shone white, focusing in on one corner of the arena. "Now, for the moment you've all been waiting for, the one who won it all last year is back for more! Welcome Midas Baine to the stage!"
Midas strode out with Resplendence strapped to his back, working the audience with his waves and perfect grin. Some lucky girl in the audience must've fainted as he pointed to her with a wink, the lights of the stadium twinkling in his dark eye and shimmering armor.
"Now, the dark horse challenger from Atlas! We didn't even know who he was before this, but I'm sure he's gonna be a household name after! It's Sterling Platton, from Atlas!"
Sterling kept his head forward. A pair of straight blades, just two of what must have been a dozen, ran along the track from his back to his wrist, and rotated into his hands.
Lazula entwined her fingers under her chin, hazel gaze intent on the two challengers. If Midas won, the tournament was hers. They had sparred countless times and she had grown used to his style. While he was no pushover, he had never come close to victory either. Especially when she gave her all. Sterling was more of a question. Of course with her semblance, any one-on-one fight was trivial, but she didn't have the same experience against him.
Still, he had quite a bit to say at the Opening Ceremony, and during each of his interviews since he had mentioned her name. she relished the opportunity to shove his words back down his throat.
The countdown began.
Sterling cocked his head back. "Go down easy, alright? You're not why I'm here."
Midas grinned, and fixed his hair. "I wouldn't underestimate me if I were you," he reminded. "I won this whole thing last year, you know."
"And I'm going to win it this year."
The buzzer sounded with the end of Sterling's last word, and he sprinted at Midas with blades in hand. Midas held his ground, and the tip of Resplendence folded back. He drew, and a gleaming arc of stark white energy coalesced into an oversized arrow.
Sterling crossed his blades in front of his face, slashing at the missile and dispelling it into a mist of sparks without losing a hint of momentum. Resplendence transformed and Midas whipped its axehead down at his opponent, but his pair of blades brought the attack down and to his side. Another blade lost its place on Sterling's back and fired off his elbow with the force of a bullet, catching Midas by surprise and piercing the gap in Midas's armor just beside his chestplate.
Sterling began an assault of blades as Midas stumbled back. He blocked a dual-wielded overhead strike with the haft of his halberd, rotating it swiftly to disengage from the next round of elbow-blasts and reply with a jab. He brought Resplendence down once again, and his strike was blocked just as his previous attempt. Before Sterling could surprise him again, Midas swifty turned his grip, and landed a strike to the gut with the narrow end of his weapon. He spun Resplendence over his head partially for show, and slammed down on Sterling's crossed blades.
Watching the two was mesmerizing. Two warriors, surrounded by the oppressive walls of Sentinel Stadium. They held the gaze of innumerable masses, but in that moment, only the two of them existed. The spotlights reflected upon weapons and bits of armor like ardent moonlight. Their speed was a near-even match; Sterling even had a bit of an upper hand against Midas's best efforts at spinning, dodging, and blocking all he had to offer.
"Strange fighting style," Lazula assessed, leaning in toward the window. "His footwork is a bit like Snow's, a step and half-turn with each strike. Then there's his swords. So many of them, all weaving around his body on those silver belts."
Midas cracked a grin, and zealous golden sparks coursed from his arms into his weapon. Sterling seized up and his aura began to drain. Pulling away an arm with immense effort, He flung a blade into the ground, and the current coursed away from his body. He lashed out with the other arm, managing to strike Midas twice before locking up again.
"Midas Baine, making the most of his semblance advantage over Sterling Platton!"
"An electric personality, and an electric semblance!"
Still locked with Midas, Sterling summoned a blade at standby on his upper arm, disengaging one hand for a split second to twirl his wrist and lock Midas's weapon between the two of his. He pulled it back, wrenching Midas toward himself and planting a palm on his side. Held in a position akin to a violent dance, a silver pulse coursed across Midas's body and synchronized with a single heartbeat.
Midas grabbed Sterling's arm with his gloved hand, and channeled a stream of volts into his opponent.
"WHAT?!" Sterling barked, wrenching himself backward with a vile look of confusion and impatience.
Midas's grin faded in an instant.
Sterling sprung back at Midas with renewed fervor, two strikes coming before Midas could offer one. He pulled back, thrust an arm forward to fire off a hail of blades, then pull them back on their cables like a puppetmaster. He flipped through the air, slamming down across Midas's shoulders with swords in both hands.
"What's this?! Could last year's champion have met his match?!" Mr. Brown shouted into the microphone.
Though his aura hovered just over 40%, Midas wasn't done. As Sterling finished his attack and rolled to his feet, Midas impaled the ground dangerously close to his side. Upon seeing his strike missed, he grabbed the haft of his blade, and vaulted on it to plant both feet in his opponent's stomach. Using the space he had created, Midas transformed Resplendence back into a bow, and let fly.
Sterling braced himself against the shot, letting it skim past his bladed arm. He flicked his wrist to lock the blade in his hand with his makeshift shield, and flung the pair at Midas. The defending champion flicked the blades aside with a satisfying twang, and offered a retort in the form of a cleaving blow. Sterling tumbled around the attack and to his knees, smirking as his fist clasped around his weapon's cable.
He wrenched it toward himself, and the flying blades speared the small of Midas's back. He yelped in pain and fell into his opponent, who met his neck with a cross of steel.
The audience erupted.
Sterling panted and looked down to his opponent with a steely glare, before returning his blades to his back and leaving the stage wordlessly.
Rowan leapt out of his seat in astonishment, practically slamming his hands on the glass before pulling away. "NO WAY! He beat Midas?!" he yelled.
"Damn, I hadn't even heard of the guy before this thing started," Laurel commented.
"Oh, my... I can't say I expected that," Lilly added. "Looks like you have some competition, Lazula! Nothing you can't handle, I'm sure."
"All without a semblance, too," Caspian noted. He grinned to ensure his next words weren't taken seriously. "If I wasn't your brother, I'd be rooting for him!"
Lazula's eyes narrowed, and she looked down to the dancing lights, animated audience, and extravagant fanfare wordlessly.
The final match in the Vytal Tournament would be between her, and Sterling Platton.
Who will win the 60th Vytal Tournament? Cast your votes in the comments below! (Kidding, I already know. But reviews are always welcome. *hint, hint*)