He headed to the training ground, as the Black Eagles had a training session scheduled with Jeritza there. A chill rushed down his spine upon seeing the gladiatorial-like building again but he ignored the sensation and entered. Inside, he saw four people, two sparring in the duelling ring and the other two spectating close by. Jeritza, the battle instructor, the man with the peculiar mask and long hair, the man that Caspar and Hubert had wanted as their professor, sparred against Sylvain, whilst Dimitri and Felix watched. Byleth watched, remembering Edelgard telling him that morning that the three of them alongside Dedue would most likely be their strongest close-combat opponents in the mock battle. He watched Sylvain swing his lance, spinning, jabbing, twisting and strafing with a level of finesse that backed up Edelgard's words. He thought of Petra and Ferdinand, two of his three available close-combat units for the mock battle. He hadn't seen much of their abilities, but something told him that Sylvain outmatched them. A minute passed and Jeritza ordered him out of the ring. Dimitri took his place, raising his own lance. Byleth didn't need to watch Dimitri to know how good he was, the fact he survived the battle of Remire told him enough.

Or so he thought.

Dimitri thrashed his lance forward and there was an ear-splitting whack as it hit Felix's sword, making Sylvain, Felix and Byleth all jump. Dimitri slammed his lance forward again, and again, and again. Jeritza parried, backtracked and pivoted. Each swing made the ground vibrate underneath Byleth's feet. He swung again and this time his lance cracked in two, causing splinters to fly. Byleth stared as the prince wiped his forehead and stood back, unbothered by what he'd just done, as if it were something he did often. He'd never witnessed someone swing a weapon with such force; not Jeralt, not Alain or-

'Byleth!'

He blinked and saw Dimitri jog up to him, smiling'How are you?' he asked, clasping his hand in a firm handshake. 'I heard about what happened I- I saw you collapse in the training ground and… I'm lost for words, what an unbelievable week you've had. I'm glad you are feeling better.'

'Thank you,' Byleth said. 'You have a powerful swing.'

Dimitri's eyes widened, obviously unprepared for the remark, and then chuckled. 'I cannot take full credit for it; my family has long been blessed with immense strength. I believe that it comes from my blood and crest, although'-

He rubbed a hand through his blonde hair and put it on the back of his neck.

'I did not mean to exert myself there. I must admit I got a bit carried away. I could have got myself injured.'

'We need to go to our next class, we're late,' Sylvain said, walking over. He gave Byleth another nod and wink. 'Are you coming Felix?'

'Soon,' Felix, the pony-tailed, sleep-depraved looking man said. He moved towards Jertiza with a training sword clasped in his hand.

'You've already fought Jeritza four times,' Sylvain said, rolling his eyes. 'C'mon Dimitri, if he's super late for the next class that's his problem.'

Dimitri nodded and then shook Byleth's hand again.

'Again, I'm glad you're feeling better, and I shall catch up with you in proper as soon as I can. If I don't see you before Wednesday, good luck in the mock battle. I look forward to testing my skills against you.'

Byleth watched Dimitri go, thinking that not even Bayen the giant could swing with as much force as he had.

After Sylvain and Dimitri left, he watched Felix spar with Jeritza and once again wondered whether he'd bitten off more than he could chew. Like his teammates, Felix was also a capable warrior, one that moved with the grace of a dancer, one who struck with clean, powerful swipes every time. He tried envisioning Petra or Ferdinand dealing with the man but couldn't. His train of thought was broken by Jeritza's loud, monotone voice.

'Training for the Blue Lions is over, please leave now.'

Felix sighed and trudged out of the ring and wiped sweat from his brow. He moved to the exit and spotted Byleth. His eyes narrowed.

'What are you doing here? This is a place where men go to train, not for little boys who can't beat up their own shadow.'

'My class are training here next.'

Felix smirked. 'Yeah that's right. I heard that you're going to be taking part in the mock battle. What a joke. I don't know how you managed to worm your way back into the fold, but I suggest you back out whilst you can. I don't intend to go easy on a fool like you. (He sighed.) I suppose the real joke is that a part of me actually believed the boar prince when he said you were good. There was a lot of hype around you when you first arrived.'

Byleth heard footsteps and he turned to see Bernadetta, Edelgard, Hubert and Dorothea enter the plaza. Bernadetta's eyes were blotched red.

'Hmph, if you're lucky maybe you'll beat Bernadetta,' Felix muttered. He trudged away without another word.