[IS1]: Insert song 1 - "Crossing Fate (BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle)"
[IS2]: Insert song 2 - "Crossing Fate feat. RWBY (BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle)"
[ISE]: Insert song end

"...Team battles?"

"That's right! Gotta keep these practical exams exciting, right?" Instructor Sara looked around at the sea of heads. "The team that went into the old schoolhouse this month, come forward!"

Rean, Morgan, Crow, Millium, Machias, and Emma took a step forward.

"Yup! This'll do. Rean, Crow, Morgan, and Millium? You'll be the first team. Machias and Emma? You'll be leading the other two teams. Let's see, how about...your respective teams from last month's field study? That way, we'll have one all-girls' team and one all-boys' team. Emma can be the leader of Team Class President, Machias can lead Team Vice President, and Rean's team can be Team...Whatever."

"Those are the dumbest team names I've ever heard," Machias remarked.

"Names aside…" said Emma. "I suppose we should have expected this. It's a natural step up from last month's paired battles."

After everyone separated into their own groups, Sara announced the first two teams that would be facing each other: Team Vice President and Team Whatever. Both teams were given a five-minute period to talk strategy.

"So we're up against the guys first…" Rean immediately turned to Morgan. "What's our strategy, Morgan?

"Wait, me?" Morgan asked, a bit surprised. "But Sara made you the leader, Rean."

"Yeah, but you're the one who always comes up with the plans."

"I gotta agree with Rean on this one," said Crow. "You want to be a tactician, right? Well, now's your chance to show us what you got!"

"Yeah!" Millium agreed. "Come on, don't be shy! Strut your stuff like the smart person that you are!"

"Well…" Morgan didn't see herself worming out of this one, and with precious time running out, she relented. "Alright. I'll do it. But if we're doing this, then you're all going to have to do what I say. We're in this to win; do I make myself clear?"

"Got it." "You betcha!" "Okey-dokey!"

"Right. So now that that's cleared up…" Morgan looked at their opponents before turning back to her team. "I'll explain my strategy with chess terms, since we're going up against Machias."

Crow whistled. "Ooooh, using code words! Just like a real operation!"

"Yup! Can confirm! Just like a real operation!" Millium and Crow shared a high-five.

Morgan ignored them. "Let's make Gaius the knight, Jusis the bishop, Machias the rook, and Elliot the king. Just like in chess, our primary objective is to corner the king and take him out."

Rean nodded. "Makes sense. The king's healing arts are crucial to their success. The question is how we're supposed to get to him in the first place. No matter what distance we try to attack from, they have someone capable of countering us."

"The bishop at close range, the knight at mid-range, and the rook at long range," Crow listed. "It's gonna be tough getting to the king if they stay huddled up, so our best bet is to split them up somehow."

"Ooh! Ooh!" Millium energetically raised her hand "What if we used Lammy to attack them from behind?"

Rean shook his head. "Gaius has his 'wind sense' that lets him detect enemies. I don't think we'll be able to get the jump on them that easily."

"Booo…"

"I wouldn't give up hope just yet, Millium." Morgan drew a small diagram in the dirt with her weapon. "It's good that you mentioned Airgetlam, because my next plan's going to involve the both of you. We'll start with this formation here; then, if we ever find ourselves in a tight spot, you and Crow are going to link up. That's when we'll enact our trump card."

Morgan grinned. "I call this one 'Operation Air Strike.'"

…

Once time was up, the combatants positioned themselves in the middle of the field. Team Whatever positioned themselves with Rean at the front, Millium and Crow directly behind him, and Morgan at the back. Team Vice President had a similar position with Jusis in front, Machias and Gaius in the middle, and Elliot at the rear. Instructor Sara then used the Adamantine Shield quartz, which she borrowed from Laura, to conjure up protective shields for everyone. A student would be thus considered knocked out if their shield was destroyed. After the shields were conjured, Sara gave the signal to begin. [IS1]

The battle began with a direct confrontation between the front-line attackers. Rean locked blades with Jusis while Millium had Airgetlam block Gaius's advances. Crow and Machias, the gunners for their respective teams, kept a close distance from their teammates while taking potshots at the opposing side. Morgan and Elliot, meanwhile, hung to the back and supported their respective teammates with arts.

"Got you now!" Machias shouted, readying an art with his ARCUS. "Grand Press!"

The ground beneath Rean and Millium began to shake uncontrollably. Gaius and Jusis readied both of their weapons, hoping to use this opportunity to strike at their inconvenienced opponents. Before they could unleash their linked attack, however, they were stopped by the appearance of an ethereal clock winding down.

"Not so fast, now!" Crow shouted, his ARCUS in hand. "Chrono Break!"

The art that Crow used, Chrono Break, slows down the movement speed of those unfortunate enough to get hit by it. Indeed, both Gaius and Jusis were moving at a much more sluggish pace, allowing Rean and Millium ample time to grab onto Airgetlam and fly out of harm's way.

"Haaaaa…" Elliot began preparing an art, aiming his orbal staff at the retreating Airgetlam.

"Won't let you!" Morgan activated her ARCUS in response.

"Hydro…"

"...Cannon!"

Both casters fired their arts in the air. The two cannons of pressurized water collided with each other, creating a large spray of water that fell onto the field. The other girls of Class VII and Instructor Sara had to take a few steps back to prevent themselves from getting soaked.

"Looks like we're at a stalemate." Rean looked to his teammates. "Think it's time?"

"Whenever you're ready!" "Just say the word!"

Upon hearing Crow and Millium's verbal consent, Morgan gave her order. "Team Whatever! Commence Operation Air Strike!"

"Let's go go goooooo!" Millium summoned Airgetlam to her side and used one of its appendages as a step to grab ahold of the ring situated at the top of the puppet's main body. Crow then followed suit, pocketing one of his orbal guns so he could grab onto the ring with his right hand while Airgetlam supported him with its arm. With both combatants in tow, Airgetlam levitated high above the ground.

"First round!" Morgan called out. "Fire!"

"Use Riot Beam, Lammy!"

At Millium's command, Airgetlam fired a beam of light that traced along the ground, forcing Team Vice President to scatter in different directions.

"Crow! Take out the cannons!"

"Roger! Rook's in my sights!" Crow aimed his gun at Machias and fired a volley of shots at the opposing gunman's feet. Despite the fact that he was in midair and only using one of his pistols, Crow's aim was just as good as when he was on the ground.

"Enforce my will…" Morgan muttered as she channeled her magical energy through her weapon. "And...bind!"

Morgan pointed her axe at Machias, causing a colorless stream of magic to fly forward. Machias was so busy trying to deal with Crow's aerial assault that he was unable to dodge Morgan's Ragna Bind, which caused him to be locked in place.

"Rean! Now!"

"Second Form: Gale!" Rean suddenly appeared right behind Machias and swung a decisive blow that caused Machias's shield to break apart instantly.

Elliot, Jusis, and Gaius had to take a brief moment to process what had just happened. In one fell swoop, they had just lost their leader and primary way of getting past the other team's defenses. It wasn't until Millium ordered Airgetlam to fire another laser that their minds returned to the fight at hand. Elliot began focusing his attention on Crow and Millium, using his orbal arts to attempt to shoot down the flying duo.

"We still have a chance!" Jusis shouted. "Gaius, don't let them pass!"

"Right!" Gaius let out wild howl, causing an aura to start emanating from his body.

"I'm guessing that means Gaius is getting serious?" Morgan asked her partner.

Rean nodded. "Yeah. That's his Wild Rage technique. He sacrifices some of his vitality so he can use his other crafts more often."

"Then we'll just have to respond in kind." Morgan placed her orbment over her chest. "Keep the two of them separated. We're using the Divide and Conquer formation."

"You got it!"

Morgan activated Ignis, causing flames to appear all over her body. At the same time, Rean sheathed his tachi and positioned himself to strike at an incoming Jusis.

"Fourth Form: Autumn Leaf Cutter!" Rean dashed forward while quickly unsheathing his tachi, halting Jusis's advance. Then, immediately afterwards, he leapt in the other direction to slash at Gaius, who managed to block the surprise attack in time. Jusis recovered and went to help his partner, but he was again interrupted, this time by a fireball.

"Eyes on me!" Morgan ran forward and slashed at Jusis with her axe. 'And then if I stepped like this…'

Morgan followed through with the momentum carried by her attack while spinning on one foot, taking care to extend her focus through her fingertips as she moved forward. This resulted in two more axe swings. After the third slice, she leapt into the air with her axe above her head and then brought it back down. Jusis's legs started to buckle from the continuous offense that Morgan was putting up.

"Morgan!" Rean's voice called out. "Switch!"

"Alright!" Morgan pushed Jusis back and retreated. But just when Jusis thought he could have some breathing room, he was met with Rean's tachi. Morgan, meanwhile, had taken Rean's place and engaged Gaius. Normally, the Nordian would have had the edge when it came to physical strength. However, due to the effects of Ignis, Morgan's magic gave her the strength necessary to challenge Gaius directly. As the two combatants pressed their weapons against each other, Morgan poured a little bit of her magic into her orbment and gave the command to release prematurely. This caused a small ball of fire to explode in front of her, forcing Gaius to take a step back.

Morgan poured some more of her magic into her ARCUS, but instead of pointing it towards Gaius, she turned around and yelled, "Switch!"

"Got it!" Rean pushed Jusis away, turned around, fired an Arc Slash at Gaius from a great distance away. Likewise, Morgan aimed her ARCUS at Jusis and shot a Fire spell.

Rean and Morgan continued their simultaneous assault on Jusis and Gaius while holding their position in the middle, making it impossible for their opponents to come near each other. That was the goal for the formation they were currently using; as the name implied, "Divide and Conquer" aimed to keep an enemy pair divided by occupying the space between them and preventing them from using their own partner tactics, thereby conquering them that way. Of course, doing so under normal circumstances would require both partners to place their full trust in the other to cover their blind spots; anything less and the pair would find themselves in a disadvantageous position. But thanks to the combat links, Morgan and Rean were able to seamlessly transition between both opponents with only the minimum words conveyed.

"Gale!" Rean whooshed past Morgan. "Now switch!"

"One, two, three!" Morgan slashed with her axe while spinning around. "Switch!"

"Switch!"

"Switch!"

"This is getting tiresome!" Jusis placed his hand on his saber, causing it to glow with energy.

In a split second decision, Morgan dropped her axe and poured the last of her magic into her ARCUS. "Right there! You're gonna stay right...there!"

She waved her hand while pointing her ARCUS at the ground. A wall of flames was created, preventing Jusis from advancing any further.

"Hmph! If that's the case…" Jusis continued gathering energy onto his sword with the intent of cutting the wall down. "Your end is sure! Crystal-!"

"IIINCOMIIIIING!"

Jusis's focus was interrupted by something falling out of the sky and landing on his back. His vision was also blocked by a pair of small arms.

"Impertinent little-!" he cursed. "Get off me!"

The sudden appearance of Millium forced Jusis to drop his sword as he tried to wrest the blue-haired gremlin off of him.

"!" Gaius picked up a threat with his senses and turned around in time to block an incoming Airgetlam with his spear. Crow, who was still holding on to the flying automaton, let go and rolled to the ground before opening fire on Elliot. The musician was able to conjure a barrier with his orbal staff to block some of his shots, but Crow was coming in fast. Using his ARCUS, Crow let go of the charge early to create a dark-colored orb that hovered in the air. It didn't do any damage, but it was enough to obscure Elliot's vision, allowing Crow to easily roll to the side and launch a surprise attack. A few point-blank shots later, and Elliot's shield shattered, knocking him out of the fight.

Meanwhile, Gaius was able to knock Airgetlam away, and the silver puppet phased out of existence. Before he could leave to help his teammates, he was confronted by Rean and Morgan.

"You ready?"

"Let's show them our combined technique!" Rean bent his knees and elbow. "As swift as the wind!"

Morgan mimicked Rean's position and called upon her reserves of excess energy. "And as sudden as thunder!"

Both of their ARCUS units began glowing. A sharp gust of wind blew outwards from their bodies.

'This wind…' Gaius began to brace himself for the incoming attack. 'It's as if they're two different currents that were blowing in opposite directions, now converging onto a single path!'

"Shippujinrai!" "Galeforce!"

The duo called out each other's respective technique before running towards Gaius at breakneck speed. Gaius raised his spear to block the first attack, but he was unable to dodge the second. While he was still reeling, Morgan and Rean immediately turned the other way and struck at the Nordian while dashing past him again. They came to a stop in the exact same spot that they started at, leaving behind two trails of wind and a fallen Gaius in their wake.

"Whew…" Morgan stumbled and leaned on her weapon for support. "I think I'm starting to get better at siphoning only the energy I need."

"You're doing great." Rean helped her up. "You helped me master the second form; it's only natural that I return the favor with your skill."

"Still can't believe we found a way to use that as our Rush attack…"

"Get...off!"

Off to the side, Jusis had finally managed to throw Millium off of him and went to retrieve his sword. Before he could, he was stopped by a few shots from Crow's guns. Jusis scanned the field, only to realize that he was now the only person of his team left standing.

"Tch…" The noble reluctantly held both of his hands up. The match was over. [ISE]

"Okay, THAT was cheap!" Machias complained. "Instructor, you HAVE to put some sort of ban on flying!"

"Cheap?!" Morgan exclaimed. "It's called 'tactics', Machias! Look it up!"

"Heehee!" Millium giggled. "Someone's a sore loser!"

"I'll be the first to admit that flying is stretching the boundaries of what's considered fair game in a practical exam…" Instructor Sara began. "But your enemies won't give a damn about playing fair. Making the most of what your team has to offer is going to be an essential part of your success moving forward, and Rean, Morgan, Crow, and Millium perfectly demonstrated that. So, I'll let it slide for this exam.

"And on that note! Next up, we'll have Team Whatever vs. Team Class President! We'll begin after a five-minute break."

"Yeesh. We've got ourselves a real slave driver here…" Crow muttered under his breath. "So what now, Morgs? Think Operation Air Strike's gonna hold up against the girls?"

"Don't call me Morgs," Morgan insisted. "And I don't think so. The only reason that worked so well against the guys was because Machias was their only anti-air person. Alisa and Fie have a better chance at sniping us from a distance, and Emma's better at casting arts than Elliot. Then there's Laura, who's basically a one-woman army by herself…"

"I can fight against Laura on my own," Rean offered. "The two of us know each other's moves, so I can stall her for a bit, but I can't promise that I'll last long, especially if she's teaming up with Fie."

"I think it's safe to say that those two are gonna be our biggest problems," Crow affirmed. "Guessing how their team composition is, they're probably going to both come out swingin' with Alisa and Emma covering them from the rear."

"I can make a barrier with Lammy," Millium suggested. "And while I hold them off, you guys can hit the girls in the back."

"You'll need to be careful," Morgan warned. "Once Laura and Fie start cornering you when you're on your own, there's nothing you can do unless you can predict their next plan of attack. It's best if you have a partner of your own. Believe me, I know."

"That's right…" Rean remembered. "You fought the two of them by yourself back in June."

"Yup. And their teamwork has only gotten better since then. Same goes for Emma and Alisa, too; stay in one place for too long, and you'll get a face full of flaming swords."

"So if Laura and Fie attack us, we're doomed. And if they hang back while Alisa and Emma attack from a distance, we're still doomed!" Millium pulled on the pom-poms attached to her beanie . "Nooo! It's like we're dealing with the ultimate team here!"

"Then I guess the only option is to guess their next plan of attack and figure out how to counter that," said Crow.

Rean, Millium, and especially Morgan looked at the slacker in shock.

"What?"

"Did you…" Morgan spoke slowly. "Say something intelligent for once?"

"Hey, I'm not THAT dumb!"

"At any rate, I think Crow might be onto something. Like they say, a battle can be won before it's ever fought with the right strategy." Rean stroked his chin. "Let's see, if I were in charge of those four, I'd send Laura and Fie to take down the biggest threats first. While they're attacking, Alisa and Emma can run as far away as possible and keep up the pressure from a distance."

"Right…" Millium put her hands behind her head. "So which one of us do you think is their biggest threat?"

At that moment, Morgan hummed to herself, an all-too familiar glint sparkling in her eyes.

"That look tells me you've figured something out," Rean deduced.

She nodded. "Okay. I've got one idea, but it's a big gamble that involves playing directly into their hands. Taking them out is just an outcome based on how they react."

"Wait, back up. Did you just say 'play directly into their hands'?" Crow asked for clarification. "Isn't that a bad thing?"

"It's called subverting expectations." Morgan turned to Millium. "Millium, I saw Airgetlam throw you on to Jusis in the last fight. How far can it throw you without you getting hurt?"

"Well, I wasn't that far away from Jusis. I'm still a growing girl, so I'm guessing a few arge at best…"

A thought occurred to Rean. "Wait, you're not seriously thinking of-"

Morgan grinned. "Mhm!"

Crow's jaw dropped, also realizing what Morgan was implying. "You're joking, right? That's a suicide move!"

"Not if I prepare something beforehand," she countered. "Let's be honest: Laura and Fie know better than anyone that the things I can do can put a hole in their strategy, which is why I'm positive that they'll want to corner me first. I'm their biggest threat. Once I'm out of the picture, taking out the rest of you will be easier."

"That's actually a good point," Rean agreed. "Out of all the people here on our team, heck, maybe even in our entire class, Morgan's got the most to offer when it comes to combat. You can fight up close, use orbal arts, come up with strategies… She's our most important member."

"That's right. I don't mean to sound like I'm boasting, but that's just how it is. The other team's expecting that I stay in the back at the start like last time, which means they're preparing a plan to go through the rest of you to get to me. What they aren't going to expect is their biggest priority dropping onto their side just like that. And while they're confused…"

Morgan took her weapon to draw a diagram on the ground and outline her thought process. Her teammates nodded in agreement. If some of them were skeptical before, they were surely convinced now.

…

"All right! Hope you've got your strength back, because it's time for our second beautiful bout!" Sara announced. "Are both teams ready?"

"Yes we are!" said the eponymous class president of Team Class President. They immediately got into formation, with Laura and Fie in the front and Alisa and Emma in the back, and drew their weapons.

Morgan looked at the rest of her teammates with a grin on her face. The other members of Team Whatever answered with smiles of their own.

"We're ready, Instructor," Rean said. They drew their weapons and got into position, but their formation was a bit different than their formation from last time.

"Morgan's in the back, as we predicted," Laura whispered to her teammates. "However, I don't understand why Rean and Crow are with her."

"Millium's in the very front, too," Alisa noted. "Are they going to use Airgetlam for something?"

"Probably," Fie replied curtly. "They're probably going to use that 'Operation Air Strike' out of the gates. Stay on your toes."

Sara finished casting her art, and earthen shields were created once more around each of the students. Once everything was in order, she raised both her hands. "Let the second battle…" She lowered them sharply. "Begin!" [IS2]

"Lammy!" Millium called to her puppet. The white machine came out swinging, slamming its appendage into the field and kicking up a cloud of dust. Immediately after, it began spinning around furiously as Millium fell back, turning the cloud of dust into a miniature tornado.

Alisa, who had an arrow nocked at the ready, grimaced. "Shoot, I can't see them!"

"A minor inconvenience." Laura looked at her partner. "In that case...Fie!"

"Roger that." The silver-haired girl wasted no time in establishing a combat link. "We'll circle around them."

Abruptly, a volley of shots and an arc-shaped wave came towards Fie and Laura, respectively. Fie moved out of the way of the bullets while Laura blocked the wave. The swordswoman looked past her sword to see their attackers, who were standing at both sides of the ensuing vortex.

"Rean and Crow, then? Very well, we shall take you both on!"

At that moment, the swirling cloud produced by Airgetlam started to subside. Emma, who was preparing to cast an orbal art, stopped herself and widened her eyes. "Everyone! Look!"

As Laura and Fie were about to rush forward to meet their opponents, something flew from the dust cloud towards their direction. A familiar glow that signified the casting of an orbal art shone as the object started to make its descent.

Except it wasn't just an object. It was a person.

"Hydro Cannon!" Morgan held her ARCUS forward, causing a stream of pressurized water to hit the ground and slow her descent. Alisa and Emma moved out of the current's way, allowing Morgan to hit the ground with little trouble. Not even a second later, Morgan lengthened her weapon and made a break for Emma.

Laura and Fie were about to charge back but were stopped by another round of bullets and Arc Slashes. Then, the shadow of Airgetlam passed over their heads and came to a stop in between the two of them.

"Can't let you do that, Team Class President!" Millium proclaimed gleefully. As she hopped off of Airgetlam, a yellow line was formed between herself and Crow, who was running in to join the fight. He opened fire at Fie, who nimbly dodged every single one of his shots. Together, Millium and Crow began their pursuit of the former jaeger.

Before Laura could ready an attack to help her partner, a tachi swung and stopped her assault. The sudden appearance of the attack made her stagger a little bit.

"Sorry, but you're facing me now!" declared Rean.

"It seems I've underestimated your plan," the fellow sword user admitted. "No matter. Lionesses are at their most dangerous when they're cornered!" She broke off from him and assumed her own stance.

On the other side of the battlefield, Morgan was already putting in work. Her surprise entrance had caused enough of a panic that she was able to get a good hit on Emma, but it wasn't enough to break the class president's shield completely. To prevent herself from being a stationary target for Alisa, Morgan positioned Emma between herself and the archer so she could always keep an eye on both of them. However, this detached awareness made her unable to devote all her attention to finding a clear opening to knock Emma out of the battle.

Eventually, Emma placed both hands near the top of her orbal staff. It looked as if she were about to begin preparing an orbal art, but there was no glow from either her staff or her ARCUS.

Morgan felt apprehensive. It should have been a prime opportunity to strike, but something told her to wait for it. Was it a feint? Or was it something else?

It was when she found herself looking at Emma's lips by chance that she noticed it moving to form a sentence. The movement was so subtle, any regular person would have simply dismissed it.

"Obumbratio, cingite eius."

The tip of Emma's orbal staff started to glow, almost like it had finished preparing an art. This struck Morgan as odd, as Emma had not once reached for her ARCUS. Emma then swung her orbal staff, causing a number of shadowy, purple-colored orbs to fly outwards and encircle Morgan.

Deciding to focus on the fight for the time being, Morgan quickly lengthened her weapon and leapt up into the air while rotating her body around. Using the technique that Lady Aurier had taught her, she slammed her bardiche into the ground, causing all the orbs to be dispelled. Emma moved out of the way of the attack, just in time for Alisa to spot Morgan and pull her bowstring back. Morgan realized that this was what Emma was aiming for: getting her to perform a technique with a noticeable cooldown so that her partner could snipe at her.

Before Alisa could release her arrow, however, multiple gunshots were fired from the other side of the field. Alisa was forced to direct her attention towards Crow, who had decided to leave Rean and Millium behind to deal with Laura and Fie. He continued opening fire while also rapidly closing in on her.

Emma mumbled some more words to herself that Morgan couldn't quite catch. She raised her orbal staff, and a protective shell encased itself around Alisa. It was sort of like the Adamantine Shield art, and any regular person would have assumed that it was just another orbal art with similar properties. Upon closer inspection, however, the effects the art gave off appeared more ethereal. Almost...magical.

But now was not the time to ponder over Emma's secret techniques. In an attempt to protect her teammate, she had left herself wide open for a counterattack.

"Payback time!" Taking advantage of the opening, Morgan ran towards Emma and swung her bardiche like a giant club. Emma yelped as she was knocked down by the blunt side of Morgan's weapon, resulting in her shield breaking.

Not a moment later, Morgan broke off into a run towards Crow and Alisa, the former keeping the latter pinned in one place thanks to smart placement of his gunfire. Crow's link with Millium was gone, which meant that Morgan was free to link up with him, but as it turned out, there was no need to; while Crow kept Alisa cornered, Morgan was free to attack her however she wished. She eventually settled with first stunning Alisa by hitting her with the butt of her weapon. Then, she reverted her weapon to its one-handed form and used Chain Slash. Two diagonal slashes to form an "X" shape. Three swings aimed down, to the right, and then up.

'And...break!' Morgan lunged forward with a stab. Combined with the damage Alisa had already sustained from Crow's gunfire, and that was enough to break her shield.

"Ugh, I didn't get to do anything!" Alisa complained.

"There's always next time!" Morgan tried to reassure Alisa.

Crow whistled. "Those were some nice moves, Morgs! Where'd you learn that move?"

"Don't call me Morgs," she bluntly responded. "And I learned it during last month's field study from someone I'm trying very hard not to think about. Now come on! We need to back up Rean and Millium!"

"Yeah, about that…" Crow looked back at their teammates. "I think they're fine, don't you think?"

The pair observed Rean and Millium's fight. Considering that they were up against what was arguably Class VII's most dangerous duo, the fact that they were able to stand their ground was impressive. Something else that Morgan noticed was their formation; Rean and Millium were switching between Laura and Fie and keeping them from regrouping. Without her even saying a word, they were already putting Morgan's own formation into practice.

Morgan couldn't help but feel a little bit of pride when she saw that. In truth, she had begun devising the formation from as far back as her fight against Laura and Fie during the Bryonia Island field study. It wasn't until the events of last month's practical exam, which consisted solely of paired battles, that she was able to work out the rest of the little details. The result was a strategy designed specifically to counteract combatants who utilized combat links, and the fact that it was holding up against Class VII's strongest made it promising. Of course, there were some concerning implications behind it; why create a strategy that specifically addresses something only Class VII was working with? To that, Morgan had to ask: if the ARCUS was to be the new standard for military combat moving forward, then surely devising and playing around with possible countermeasures was warranted to measure the limits of the technology, right?

Morgan then saw Fie crouch low to the ground, recognizing it as the stance she often took before unleashing her strongest attack. "Not good! Crow! Stop-!"

*PEW!*

Crow had already fired with the gun in his left hand before Morgan finished her sentence. Fie, being the nimble girl that she was, dodged the incoming bullet with ease. In doing so, Millium was granted a brief grace period and summoned Airgetlam to her side. There was a flash of light, and in the place where the silver puppet once floated, there was now a giant, two-handed hammer.

"Stop!" Millium cheered as she grabbed the hammer. "It's hammer time!"

The hammer sounded a few beeps in response, confirming that it was still Airgetlam. The thrusters - yes, thrusters -at the back of the hammer's head flared up and propelled Millium toward Fie's location. The former jaeger could only widen her eyes in shock before Millium swung her hammer and decked her in the side, sending her reeling onto the floor.

"Fie!" Laura called out.

Rean, who had been engaging Laura in combat, visibly winced. "Ooh… Even I felt that one. So? You want to end things off here?"

"I suppose there's little point in continuing." Laura put her sword away. "We fell short of victory, but you all fought admirably. I surrender." [ISE]

"And with that, Team Whatever wins in another decisive victory!" Instructor Sara announced. "Nicely done."

"Woohoo! We did it!"

Millium's hammer transformed itself back into Airgetlam, and the silver puppet raised one of its appendages. Millium energetically jumped up to slap her hand on it, like she was giving a high-five.

"See? What'd I tell you? Everything's fine!" Crow then noticed Morgan staring intently at him. "What?"

Morgan caught herself and shook her head. "It's nothing…"

"Come onnn…" The second-year leaned forward so that he was on Morgan's level. "You were totally starin' at me! Don't try to hide it!"

Morgan managed to keep a straight face while she put her weapon away. Why did he have to be so difficult to deal with? She looked him in the eye and said, "You're left-handed."

"Uh...huh?" Obviously, he wasn't expecting that answer.

"When you drew your gun earlier. There was less than a second to react, and in that moment, you unconsciously chose to shoot with your left gun. You're dextrous enough with both hands to wield two guns at the same time, but when it comes down to it, you favor your left. Am I wrong?"

Crow's eyebrows were raised slightly, almost like he was genuinely surprised by her comment. Eventually, his face settled on his usual smile and he said, "I'm surprised you noticed. I usually roll with whichever hand I'm in the mood for using, but yeah. I was born left-handed. What, you got a thing against lefties?"

"I'm just confused. Usually, someone who favors their left hand would stand with their right foot forward, but you do the opposite." Morgan mimicked Crow's battle stance, putting her left foot forward and raising her right hand like she was holding a gun. "This makes you look like you're right-handed, but you're not. Is there a reason for that?"

"Not...especially? Like I said, I do whatever I'm in the mood for at the moment! You're giving me way too much credit."

Morgan blinked. Of course that was the case. Why was she thinking so hard about something so trivial? There was nothing tricky about it at all; that was just Crow messing with her again. "You're right. Given your track record in class, it was too much of me to assume that you were capable of being a tactical mastermind. Sorry."

"Okay, maybe you could spare me a LITTLE credit!"

Morgan turned around in a huff. To tell the truth, there was another reason why she was suddenly interested in Crow's laterality, but since he was being uncooperative, she decided not to elaborate on it. It was probably for the best, though; this was something that only she was concerned about and thus had nothing to do with Crow.

It was because the person who had taught her the Chain Slash technique, an enigmatic masked man clothed in black, had also fought using his left hand.

"Well, looks like that about wraps it up! That final fight was a real thriller from start to finish, too."

Team Class President and Team Vice President had just finished their respective bout. Since both teams had already suffered one loss to Team Whatever, neither of them were feeling ready to lose again. What ensued was an incredibly close and incredibly competitive match. In the end, it was a small opening that was exploited by Fie and Laura that turned the entire situation around, resulting in a victory for the girls.

"I see your practical exams are as unconventional as ever…"

The students turned in surprise to see Instructor Neithardt walk down the steps to the field.

"What brings you here, Instructor?" Morgan asked.

Machias gulped. "Please tell me this isn't the part where we have to fight both of the instructors at once…"

Sara couldn't help but laugh at that. "Haha! I wish! But no. It's just that, like with last month's field study in the capital, your upcoming field study is also a bit...unusual. And Instructor Neithardt here has been involved in making the arrangements, which is why I asked him to come."

The students started murmuring among themselves. Sara then handed each one of them a slip of paper detailing their field study locations.

[Field Study: August]

Group A: Rean, Laura, Emma, Gaius, Morgan, Crow
(Study Location: Legram)

Group B: Alisa, Fie, Machias, Elliot, Jusis, Millium
(Study Location: Jurai Special Economic Zone)

After two days, reassemble at the designated location.

"Ooh! Jurai!" Millium said excitedly. "That's the city Gramps annexed about eight years ago!"

The class looked at their youngest member with concern. Once again, Millium was spouting government knowledge without a care in the world.

Elliot scratched his cheek. "I'm guessing the 'gramps' she's referring to is…"

"Chancellor Osborne, yup," Morgan responded. "Don't question it."

"What I would question is whether there's a filter in that brain of hers…" Jusis groaned.

Millium innocently tilted her head. "Why? It's not like it bothers me."

"And Jurai's not exactly hidden knowledge," Crow added. "Look up 'special economic zones' in your economics textbooks later. You'll find Jurai smack dab in the center of it."

"Those are special areas where the business and trade laws are different from those of the country that they belong to, right?"

"Bingo. Nice work on reading ahead, Class Prez."

"And the other one's Legram…" Fie read. "Laura's hometown, right?"

"It is." Laura had a small, nostalgic smile on her face. "Heh. If I'd gone home for summer vacation, I would've returned to Trista only to turn around and head right back home again."

"I'm curious about the final line," said Morgan. "'Reassemble at the designated location.' Are we all going someplace else?"

"I could explain that part…" Sara opened an eye at Instructor Neithardt. "But I wouldn't want Instructor Neithardt to feel left out, so I'll let him do the honors."

"As you wish…" Instructor Neithardt cleared his throat. "After completing your assigned tasks in your respective areas, you'll be boarding a train bound for the rendezvous point. That point is a notable military installation in the southeast of the Empire - Garrelia Fortress. I'll be joining you there to serve as your military liaison for the duration of your visit."

It had taken about five months, but Class VII, a group of students at a military academy, was finally going to have a tour of an authentic Erebonian military base. AND she was going to visit Laura's hometown? Morgan could hardly wait for the weekend!

Author's note: Hello, and thank you again for reading this chapter! After a glaring absence in the last arc, this time we see the return of the practical exam chapter, and let me tell you. It was a challenge having to plan out not one, but two different fight scenes. I hope I managed to deliver a balance between the action and the dialogue during the fights, and I also hope that the choice of music was appropriate for the occasion. (*´∀`*)

Now for the field study. I debilitated back and forth over where to send Morgan for this month, since there aren't any present stakes that would give her a preference towards one or the other and both locations would result in their own unique storylines. Ultimately, I decided to go with Legram as the focus for this arc, which is where Rean's group went in the games. Apologies to those who wanted to see my original take on Jurai, but I have my reasons. First, when compared to the likes of Bryonia Island and the west side of Heimdallr, Jurai stands out as one of the few locations that has been mentioned but never actually visited. There isn't even a map of the place, meaning that everything I write about it would have to be completely original. It's not an impossible feat, but it is one that requires a large amount of time that I unfortunately don't have a lot of right now. And second, I think that after two consecutive field studies of mostly original content, it would be a nice change of pace to follow the main story again. Of course, I didn't want things to stay exactly the same either, so I decided to stick Crow in the Legram group and call it a day. How might this change things? You'll have to find out next time, whenever that may be!