[IS]: Insert song - "You're mine (Furi)"
[ISE]: Insert song end

"I've been eagerly awaiting your arrival," said Klaus. "I see you were able to begin your field study without incident."

Laura nodded her head in acknowledgment. "We were. Thank you for your help. Incidentally, we noticed that you yourself placed a request for us. I suppose this means that you have considered my proposal?"

"Indeed, I did. I hope it wasn't too presumptuous of me. My request is merely this: I would like all of you to engage in a training bout with the students of the Arseid school."

"So, uh, quick question, Gramps…" Crow interjected. "When you say all of us, do you really mean every single one of us?"

"Precisely, Master Crow. I understand that some among you don't use melee weapons, but by my assessment, each of you seem to handle your weapons with the poise only born of many battles. That experience alone makes you worthy combatants."

"You can tell all of that just by looking at us?" Rean asked, looking impressed.

"B-But you've never even seen us fight…" Emma muttered.

"Be that as it may, he seems to have a pretty good idea of what we can do," said Gaius.

"Well, I've mentioned all of you before in my letters home…" Laura added. "Though I expect Klaus could easily have deduced that much nonetheless."

Morgan sneered at Crow. "Hope you're not thinking of slacking your way out of this one, Trickster."

"Look who's talking!" Crow answered back. "I better not see you fainting in there!"

"Th-That was one time!" She pointed her finger at Crow. "I've gotten better since then, you know!"

As Morgan and Crow began to quarrel amongst themselves, Klaus looked at the black-haired girl with a twinge of concern. "Fainting, she said?" he whispered to Laura.

"Up until recently, Morgan had a crippling fear of swords," the swordswoman explained. "However, she has been training with myself and Rean alongside Jusis, a classmate who is not with us at present. She has since improved to the point where she can now wield one of her own, and she hasn't suffered a relapse for over two months now. So long as she fights against someone around my skill level, I don't believe there will be a need for concern."

The elderly butler bowed to his mistress. "If you insist, my lady."

The students were led into the training hall. Fortunately, all of the current students were at the beginner level, which meant that they were only just below Laura in terms of strength and combat ability. There were five Arseid school students present, therefore allowing five members of Group A to step forward and test their mettle in a one-on-one battle.

"Now then…" Klaus announced. "Who will be the volunteers for our first match?"

On the Arseid school side, a blonde student by the name of Fritz raised his hand and stepped into the arena.

And as for the side representing Thors…

"Might as well get it over with!"

"Crow?!"

The silver-haired slacker stepped forward, much to the surprise of his classmates.

"You sure about this, Crow?"

"You worry too much, Rean!" He gave his blazer a little flick and pulled out his orbal guns. "So I'm good to do whatever I want. Right, Gramps?"

"Hey!" his opponent angrily shouted. "Speak to Master Klaus with respect!"

Klaus raised his hand, and the Arseid student stood down. "I have said this before, but this is meant to be a learning experience for everyone gathered. As the world continues to grow, so too must we open our minds to all forms of combat, no matter how unconventional they may seem. With that being said, I must ask that you refrain from using any lethal techniques.

"The duel will consist of a series of rounds. A round will be considered over when a combatant either lands a clean hit on the other or corners their opponent to a position where they would have been hit. The first combatant to win three rounds will be declared the victor of the duel. Are you both ready?"

Both Fritz and Crow readied their weapons.

"This will be an unusual first fight…" Gaius commented. "Crow's first instinct is to engage with his opponent as little as possible, while his opponent wishes to do the exact opposite."

"That's how it is against firearms," said Rean. "Crow would theoretically outrange him, but Fritz's greatsword can block most of Crow's shots. It'll ultimately come down to who guesses right first."

Morgan examined Crow's stance. Again, he was facing with his left arm and leg facing forward, making his opponent think that he was right-handed. Somehow, she had a feeling that Crow had another ace up his sleeve, but like with most things pertaining to him, she couldn't figure out what exactly it was, if it even existed.

"Begin!"

Fritz wasted no time in rushing to close the gap between him and Crow. Once Crow was within range, he attacked with a wide diagonal slice. "Too slow!"

He spoke too soon, however. Crow leaned back to avoid the sword swing, and for extra style points, he twirled the gun in his right hand in front of his face to gently push the sword away from his face. Fritz stumbled from the follow-through, and he suddenly had a gun aimed at his midsection.

"Whoa-ho! Too close for comfort there!"

"The first point goes to Master Crow!"

"What?!" Fritz shouted. "But he didn't fire!"

"And if this were a real battle, you wouldn't be alive to consider that," Klaus pointed out. "Let your emotions cloud your better judgment, and you risk losing a battle before it is even fought. Calm yourself, Fritz."

The swordsman, realizing the truth behind the acting master's words, took a moment to calm himself. He then bowed his head to Klaus and said, "You're right. I'm sorry for acting out of turn."

"Klaus is rather strict…" Emma whispered to her teammates. "He reminds me of my grandmother."

"Yes, he can be very stern…" Laura conceded. "But he is also fair. His tutelage and experience has made him a well-respected figure among all Arseid school students."

The matches continued with little conflict. With a clearer mind, Fritz was now able to fare much better against Crow, easily landing some clean hits and taking the next few rounds. However, Crow didn't go down fighting either, as he continued to employ an unorthodox brand of fighting, which included kicks, siderolls, and his own form of parrying by twirling his guns. Eventually, Crow started to fire his guns more often, sometimes deliberately missing his shots so that Fritz would line up his position just right for the gunslinger to punish with an attack.

The two fighters went back and forth until they were both two points apiece. When it was time for the final round to start, Crow did something unexpected. Instead of holding his guns the right way, he flipped them around so he was holding them in a reverse grip. He then raised his arms, almost like he was ready to get into a fistfight.

"What's he doing that for?" Morgan wondered aloud, her opinion shared by the rest of her group mates.

Klaus gave the signal to begin, and this time it was Crow who took the initiative by rushing in with a left hook. Fritz guarded the barrel of the gun, surprised by the gunner's decision to use his long-range weapons in a close-range setting.

Rean's eyes widened. "He's using them like tonfas!"

"Ton...fas?"

"Hand-to-hand weapons that extend to about your forearm," he explained. "They originated from the East as a tool favored by martial artists. My master told me about them."

"I think I've heard of them before…" Emma added. "Lately, police forces have employed the use of tonfas in addition to security batons. But that begs the question: how does Crow know about them?"

"Not once did I take Crow as the sort of person who possesses the discipline necessary to master a martial art," Laura agreed.

"Eastern martial arts…" The gears started turning in Morgan's head until she arrived at one logical conclusion. "Angelica."

"What?"

"Angelica practices martial arts. We saw her in action during our last field study, remember?"

"Ah! That's right!" Emma exclaimed. "I had nearly forgotten. So then, Crow…?"

"It's possible. The two of them fought side-by-side during the ARCUS trials; I wouldn't be surprised if Crow picked up a few things from her."

Fritz countered with a quick stab, which Crow managed to catch between the barrels of his guns. Smirking to himself, Crow pointed one of his guns toward Fritz's sword.

"To quote a certain someone…"

The silver-haired student pulled the trigger. The recoil from the point-blank shot was enough to send Fritz's sword flying out of his hands. With his opponent now weaponless, Crow aimed both his guns at him.

"...That's checkmate."

"The battle has been decided," Klaus said calmly. "Well done to the both of you, but for now, the winner is Master Crow."

Crow coolly put his guns back in their holsters and winked in Morgan's general direction.

"You're not going to wave back, Morgan?"

"Laura!"

The blue-haired swordswoman chuckled to herself, a rare teasing smile gracing her face. "I think we all know just who he was referring to. You really ought to give him the benefit of the doubt more. Or perhaps you are refraining from showing your feelings because he used your catchphrase?"

Morgan looked away in a huff. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Crow stepped out of the arena and high-fived Rean and Gaius. He held out his hand to Emma as well, and while she hesitated for a moment, the bespectacled student also completed the gesture.

Finally, he came up to Laura and Morgan. "Whad'ya think? Did I impress you with my awesome skills?"

"I can't deny that you are indeed proficient…" said Laura. "However, you could stand to learn a few lessons in pride and respect."

"Well, that's why we're all here, right? To learn some lessons?" He raised both his hands. "Up top, ladies!"

Laura quizzically looked up at the ceiling. Morgan followed her lead.

"Ha, ha. Very funny."

Crow walked away to rejoin the rest of the group, leaving Laura confused.

"Did I...do something to offend him?"

"Nah, you just misunderstood him," Morgan responded. "When someone says 'up top' and holds out their hand, you're supposed to give them a high-five."

"R-Really?" Laura's face paled. "I didn't realize… Is this another word from that language people call 'slang'?"

Morgan couldn't help but crack a smile at Laura's loss of composure. "Something like that."

"I should go and apologize to him later… Wait." A realization dawned on Laura's mind. "If you knew what he meant, then why didn't you say anything?"

"Cause I thought it'd be funny!" Morgan winked and stuck out her tongue, the same way Mint often did. "And it was! That's my payback for teasing me earlier."

"Oh, you…"

As the two of them shared a laugh, the next match was going underway. Gaius had volunteered to step forward against the Arseid school's Ares. According to the weapon triangle, Gaius's spear should have given him the advantage over Ares's sword. However, because Ares was using a long greatsword, the advantage wasn't as big as it could have been. Therefore, Gaius would have to rely on using the head of his spear to control the space in front of him in order keep Ares from coming closer.

"Are you sure you're okay with not participating, Laura?"

"I myself am a student of this school," Laura reminded her. "It wouldn't be much of a learning experience for everyone if I were to take part as well."

"You must've sparred against all of these guys, huh?"

"All of them and more. I can't deny that I have to resist the urge to jump in, but being a spectator can still teach us much."

"Hehhh…"

Back in the arena, Ares was able to find an opening in Gaius's offense and push forward, forcing the lancer to go on the defensive. In a last ditch effort to regain control of the fight, Gaius swung the end of his spear at Ares's legs from behind. The maneuver worked, and Ares was swept off his feet, leaving him defenseless. Klaus ended the round and gave a point to Gaius. The Thors team all started cheering, while the Arseid team shouted words of encouragement.

"Hey, Laura?"

"What is it, Morgan?"

"There's something I want to try. I was wondering if you could help me with this…"

She leaned in to whisper into her classmate's ear. When she stepped away, Morgan saw that Laura had a concerned expression on her face. "Are you certain?" she asked.

"Yes." Morgan nodded her head. "Now's as good a time as any to see my progress."

Laura debilitated over Morgan's proposal for a moment. Finally, she relented. "Very well. I will show you where we store all of our practice equipment…"

A sharp clanging sound filled the training hall as Rean parried the incoming strike by placing both hands on his tachi and pushing his opponent's sword away. Currently, Rean was up two points while Datt, his opponent, had yet to take a single round. Having Laura as a sparring partner definitely helped in providing Rean some tips on how to defend against and counter the Arseid school, and it showed in his performance. Datt was by no means a weak opponent; in fact, he always made the fights close enough that it could have been anyone's round. However, Rean was just barely able to come out on top every time.

Rean opted to take a step back after parrying to put some breathing space between himself and the other Arseid student. Truth be told, he probably should have punished his opponent's attack and ended the fight right then and there. That, however, would have resulted in him using one of his stronger Eight Leaves skills, and since this was a nonlethal match, he didn't want to risk hurting anyone else.

'Gotta be careful…' he chided himself. 'Maybe if I tried using that instead…'

Rean put his tachi back in its sheath and crouched lower to the ground. His opponent, suspicious of the maneuver, took a few cautionary steps closer. However, Rean made it clear that he was not going to budge from his one spot, daring Datt to make the first move. Steeling himself, Datt rushed forward with a feint, then immediately turned around to swing from the opposite direction.

'It's coming from...there!' Rean reacted to the direction of the attack and sidestepped accordingly.

"Fifth Form: Morning Moon!" Drawing his sword quicker than his opponent could blink, Rean cleanly knocked the blade out of Datt's hands.

"That is enough!" Klaus announced. "The winner this time is Master Rean."

Rean sighed with relief as he resheathed his sword. After that, he held out his hand. "Thanks. You really made me work for it."

Datt shook Rean's hand in a sportsmanlike manner. "Likewise. It was an honor to fight a student of the Eight Leaves school. I may not have been able to get a hit on you now, but don't think it'll be the same next time!"

Rean cracked a smile at that. Given how resilient Datt already was, he estimated that that time might not be too far in the future.

Stepping out of the arena to reunite with his friends, he made his way over to Emma.

"That was wonderful, Rean."

"Thanks, Emma. Glad I was able to get 'revenge' for you."

"Y-You don't have to put it like that…"

Emma bashfully looked to the side. Her solo matches, unfortunately, went about as well as one would expect for someone of her combat level. Though she was able to put up a decent fight with her orbal arts when enough space was between her and her opponent, three out of four times she was rushed down before such an opportunity presented itself, and unlike with Crow, she lacked the practical know-how to defend herself at close quarters.

Rean looked around and noticed that there were a few people missing from the group. "Hey. Where are Laura and Morgan?"

"I don't know. They went off together at some point during your match…"

"If I may explain…" Klaus's voice said from behind them.

All the students jumped. Once again, the Arseid family steward proved to be an expert at concealing his presence. "Lady Laura and Morgan left to visit the armory room in the back. They should be back shortly."

Rean looked in the direction that Klaus was pointing and saw a door that was slightly ajar. "Why would they need to go there?" he wondered aloud.

"I cannot say," said the butler. "Incidentally, Master Rean, it was an honor to see the skills of a practitioner of the Eight Leaves One Blade style. However, I couldn't help but sense you holding something back. A wavering of your clear intent, if just for a moment."

That made Rean widen his eyes in astonishment. Off to the side, his classmates were murmuring among themselves. "Holding something back…?" "What does he mean?"

Klaus lowered his posture in apology. "I apologize if I said anything impertinent. You needn't pay any mind to the ramblings of a foolish old man."

Rean shook his head. "...No. I appreciate your saying so. I'll take it to heart."

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting! Looks like you won! Nice!"

Morgan emerged from the armory with Laura following a few steps behind him.

Rean's attention, however, was directed towards the sword that was strapped to her waist, and he imagined that his other classmates were wondering the same thing he was.

"Oh, this thing?" Morgan waved both her hands at her new weapon. "I figured my trick weapon wouldn't be practical for them to fight against, so I decided to try something new. So? What do you guys think? Think it suits me?"

"But your fear…" Gaius looked on with concern. "Have you truly gotten over it?"

"Hey, I'm getting there! I've been practicing for a month, I'll have you know! Gotta measure my progress somehow, and it's not like I have anything to lose, either."

"Just don't go turning this into another June 20th," Crow remarked under his breath.

"Hmm, what was that?" Morgan smiled passive-aggressively. "Would you like to share with the rest of the class, Trickster?"

"Nope! Nothin' at all, ma'am!" Crow started whistling as innocently as he could.

"Hmph! Looks like someone still needs some convincing. In that case, maybe I'll let you judge my performance today!" Morgan walked up to the silver-haired student, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and pulled it down so that he was on her level. "So make sure you keep your eyes on me."

"Y-Yes, ma'am…"

With a final huff, Morgan let go of Crow and left to join Klaus and her opponent in the middle of the training hall. She made sure that her back was turned to her classmates so that they wouldn't notice the panic that was settling onto her face. 'D-D-Did I really just do that?! Morgan, keep yourself together!'

Crow, meanwhile, coughed nervously as he straightened his collar. He had done his fair share of flirting and philandering, but that was probably the first time a girl had taken the initiative against him like that. He had his own share of female friends who liked to project their dominance over others, sure, but Morgan didn't seem like that kind of person. Well, for the most part, anyways.

"You really ought to stop teasing her like that," Rean chided him.

The gunslinger composed himself by clicking his tongue at his underclassman. "Tsk! Tsk! Still so naive, Rean! Teasing's only half the fun. Seeing their reaction after that? That there's the best part! Man, just a few rege closer and we could've kissed…"

"You're incorrigible…" Shaking his head, Rean walked over to where Laura was standing. "She's really going through with this?"

"It was her decision," the swordswoman replied. "Far be it from me to tell her what to do. You already have experience with that, do you not?"

Rean chuckled to himself. "Point taken."

"Come to think of it…" Gaius thought aloud. This will be my first time seeing Morgan use a sword."

"As far as I know, the only ones in Class VII who have are the other sword users," Emma added. "Crow, have you seen her use one before?"

Crow shook his head. "Nope. Total stranger. I just heard about how she fainted from Laura. What about you, Rean? Got anything to say?"

"Me? Well…" Rean thought back to the times that they sparred since the previous field study. "If I had to comment on her fighting style, it's sort of like the offense of the Vander school mixed with her own brand of court fencing. Well, she calls it 'Ylissean court fencing', so I'm guessing that implies she learned a few things where she came from, but… I don't know. It's kinda difficult to explain when I really think about it. Like, there are times when I'm not even sure if she's actually following a style."

"Perhaps it would be more appropriate to liken her fighting style to the Hundred-Form Military Combat style of the Imperial Army," Laura proposed. "Except that she doesn't use the style itself, merely the concept behind it."

"The concept?" Gaius inquired.

"Hundred-Form Military Combat takes inspiration from a variety of different martial styles practiced all across the Empire, the Vander and Arseid schools included, with the intent of combining all of them into one, cohesive martial art. It sounds impractical on paper, but those who master all one hundred arts are touted as one-person armies, being able to answer to any situation with the right technique. Morgan has professed to having little experience with the style herself, but that didn't stop her from employing her own take on it."

"I think I get where you're coming from," Crow spoke up. "Morgs mentioned something about learning a move from somewhere during the practical exam. Gotta admit, I'm curious how she does it. Like, does she just go, 'BOOM! Anything you can do, I can do better!' Or something like that?"

"You weren't there with us when we first saw her do it," Rean remembered. "Well, I think it's best if you just watch and see it for yourselves. Anything Laura and I say would just be selling it short."

"I can't disagree with that notion. She was even able to give me pause when we sparred."

"If she has both your seals of approval, then that must really mean something," Emma remarked.

"Combatants, take your positions!"

Morgan's opponent, a dark-haired man named Gaveli, lifted his two-handed sword and assumed a defensive stance.

Morgan herself took a little longer to get ready. After drawing her sword, she took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves. Then, she held her sword close to her chest, almost as if she were saying a brief prayer. Finally, she lowered her posture with her sword facing her opponent. Her expression was guarded, a far cry from how she acted just before she stepped into the arena.

"Begin!" [IS]

Both combatants rushed forward to deliver the first strike, resulting in a clash. Gaveli's taller stature meant that he had the advantage when it came to brute force, so Morgan decided to break off and use her agility to attack from a different angle. She sidestepped to the right and and tried to attack from there. Blocked. She hopped in place three times to try and bait a reaction before thrusting forward. Another block. Gaveli was like an impenetrable wall that refused to submit to the elements, but at the same time, he wasn't making any sudden advances to take control of the battle. He threw out a few strikes here and there, but they seemed more like cautionary attacks that served to test the waters of Morgan's offense.

Eventually, Morgan decided that it was time to break the stalemate. She recalled a maneuver that Uncle Chrom liked doing. Maybe if she tried that?

Morgan flourished her sword and readied it by her side, signaling her intention to strike. She charged forward with her blade pointed outward. Instead of blocking, Gaveli decided to sidestep her maneuver so he could hit her as she passed, but before he could retaliate, Morgan shifted her position and leapt into the air with her sword raised above her head.

"How about this!"

Tucking her body inwards, she descended while somersaulting forwards to increase the force of her attack. Her blade met Gaveli's, and the Arseid student's knees started to buckle under the weight of her technique. Refusing to give in, Gaveli pushed Morgan away and made his first offensive maneuver that entire match by swinging at where he anticipated Morgan was going to land. However, Morgan entered a sideways roll immediately upon touching the floor, causing Gaveli's swing to miss. Not a moment too late, Morgan did a spinning leap from the ground and hit Gaveli in the back with the flat of her blade.

"The first point goes to Miss Morgan!"

Morgan quietly pumped her fist. "Okay! Got that one down somehow!"

Even though she had professed many times in the past to have a fear of swords, Morgan was the picture of confidence now. Hearing her classmates cheer for her on the side only made her feel even more confident.

Gaveli rubbed the spot where Morgan struck him. "Didn't expect you to roll like that. I'll need to be more careful."

He returned to his starting position, this time with a much more serious expression. Clearly, he wasn't going to be taking things as easily anymore.

In that case, Morgan would have to respond in kind.

"Morgan's a lot more dynamic than I imagined," Emma muttered as the second round commenced. "She isn't giving her opponent any moment to breathe."

"And the way she weaves in and out of different techniques…" Gaius added. "It is almost as if she were dancing."

"The implementation of fleet footwork to continuously push one's offense is a hallmark of the Vander school," Laura commented. "However, I wouldn't be surprised if Morgan had also learned how to dance at some point in the past."

Laura then narrowed her eyes. "But therein lies one major flaw."

"A flaw…?"

Back in the arena, Gaveli found a gap in Morgan's offense and struck at her legs while she was retreating, forcing her to stop in place to block.

"Now!" Gaveli swung his sword in a wide arc, this time aimed at Morgan's midsection. Having been forced to stay in place from the previous attack, Morgan had no choice but to try and guard against the attack as best as she could. Her opponent's strength far exceeded hers, however, and she stumbled, leaving her wide open for an attack. Gaveli followed up with a swing from the other side, knocking Morgan down.

"A point to Gaveli!"

Now it was the Arseid team who was cheering. Meanwhile, the students from Thors all elicited varying expressions of sorrow.

"Yes. Morgan sometimes relies too much on her movement. Thus, the quickest way to dismantle her offense is to target her lower body when she is vulnerable."

"So if her opponent has already located her weak point, then how else is Morgan going to fight back?"

"That is something we can only anticipate for ourselves, Emma…" Laura stared pensively at Morgan, who slowly got back up from the floor. 'We have reached a repeat of last time, Morgan. How will you choose to adapt?'

Morgan was still reeling from the shock of getting hit. Everything had happened so fast, she was still trying to process it in her mind. She had entered a sort of groove after she landed the first hit, and it only took a single opening for everything to come crashing down.

'...He's good,' Morgan conceded as she slowly got up from the ground. 'He was able to find my weakness so quickly. If he didn't hit me with the flat of his sword, then I would've…I would've…!'

"Don't give up, Morgan!"

Morgan looked at her group mates, slightly startled. They were all shouting various words of encouragement.

"It's just one hit! Don't let it get you down!" "Yeah! You can still turn things around!"

"You guys..."

Amidst her cheering classmates, Morgan spied Crow staring at her silently. When they locked eyes, he merely responded with a tilt of his head and an arch of his eyebrow. It was a look of challenge, the same one that he would give her whenever she was losing against him in Blade. It was almost like he was saying "Is that really all you got?"

Her sword arm started twitching involuntarily, almost causing her to drop her weapon. Morgan hastily clenched it with her other arm and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. 'Breathe, Morgan. Just calm down… It's just like practice...'

That's right. This time, things were different. She had trained for this, and she also had the support of her friends.

But why settle for exceeding expectations when she could defy them instead?

Morgan nodded at Klaus to reassure him that she was still good to continue. Readying her sword by her side, she flicked her bangs out of her face and adjusted her position slightly so she could better protect her lower body.

Rean widened his eyes in realization. "Hey, Laura. Isn't that…?"

"A traditional court fencing stance," Laura affirmed. "Taken straight from Jusis."

"Round three, begin!"

Both combatants rushed in to meet each other again. This time, however, Morgan ran her blade up Gaveli's sword until it sailed past the tip, causing a sharp ringing sound that forced those that were close by to cover their ears. Extending her focus through her fingertips, Morgan began rotating clockwise, delivering a series of rhythmic spinning slashes that ended in a leap upwards, a downwards slash as she descended, and a final slash that ended with her sword behind her. Then, she shifted her body again so she was now crouching slightly and stabbed at Gaveli's legs. Her opponent attempted to retaliate with a low swing of his own, but Morgan was prepared this time. After a well-timed parry, she unleashed a flurry of stabs followed by a single horizontal slice.

Off to the side, her demonstration did not go unnoticed by her classmates.

"That technique!" Gaius realized. "I've seen Jusis use those same movements before."

Upon seeing that his attempts to attack from below were no longer working, Gaveli decided to switch to using more powerful strikes to push Morgan back into a corner. Morgan responded by abruptly switching her stance again, this time holding her sword upright with both hands. With this, she focused on waiting for Gaveli to make the first move, then answering with either a dodge step or a controlled, two-handed swing.

"Is she emulating Laura's movements now?" Emma gasped.

Morgan wasn't finished yet. She suddenly lifted her sword and supported the blade with her free hand; when another attack came, she was ready to use the incoming momentum to push it out of her way. Then, she brought her sword to her side before charging forward while slashing, mimicking the motion of drawing her sword from her scabbard. This allowed her to finally get past Gaveli's defense and score a hit on his leg.

"I think we all know where she got that from." Crow smirked at Rean. "You taught her your Autumn Leaf Cutter, too?"

To the confusion of the others, Rean looked just as surprised as they did. "I didn't, actually. I've only used it once, maybe twice during our training sessions. Then again, I should've expected that she'd learn quicker from being on the receiving end of something."

"There is also a difference between mimicking the motions of a technique and properly learning it," Laura reminded them. "The sword Morgan is using is one of the most balanced there is, which is why she's able to copy the motions of various techniques with little effort. The tradeoff, however, is that her attacks won't be as potent compared to if she were using the right weapon."

"Riiight. Makes sense." Crow directed his gaze back to Morgan and whispered to himself, "You're pretty tricky yourself, aren'tcha?"

Morgan returned to her starting position at the center of the training hall. She was breathing heavily, that last string of attacks having used up a fair bit of her stamina. There were only a handful of techniques left that she hadn't used yet, but she had to be careful about when to use them. If there was one thing she learned from playing cards with Crow, it was that showing your entire hand prematurely was an easy way to lose a match.

'I need to break through that wall he's putting up…' she thought. 'If only I had something strong enough to get through his defenses…'

It was then that she remembered her training session with Jusis. That odd sensation she felt after moving her body enough times. She had been compelled to perform a certain technique, almost as if her body were acting on its own. She didn't know why, but there was something about the movements that felt familiar.

'...It's worth a shot. But first, I'll need to get into position!'

Morgan started moving her body from side to side, swaying to the beat of an unknown rhythm. She could feel everyone giving her some odd looks, but this wouldn't have been the first time people looked at her funny. So she tuned out her surroundings, focusing on steadying her breath and listening to her heartbeat. As she did so, she began to feel a familiar chill running up her spine…

Klaus gave the word, and the round began. Using the momentum from her swaying, she approached Gaveli and began to dance. Twirling counterclockwise, she performed two spinning slashes followed by a roundhouse kick with her left leg. Once her foot was back on the ground, she kicked forward while slashing to the right, then slashed again while stepping in the opposite direction, and finally slashed a third time while fading backwards. Gaveli prepared to swing at her legs so he could halt her movements, but instead of blocking, Morgan turned around and did a backflip to jump over the attack. Upon landing, she sidestepped again so she was on Gaveli's left side.

"Okay! Here goes nothing!"

Morgan lunged forward and thrust her sword repeatedly, forcing her opponent to go on the defensive. Now that she had the advantage, Morgan continued to press on the attack. She followed up her rapid stabs with a horizontal slice. Then three upwards swings ending in a twirl with her sword above her. Finally, a successful recreation of C's Chain Slash technique. All of these attacks flowed seamlessly from one to the other, not allowing Gaveli a moment to counterattack.

"Now break!" Morgan unleashed a single thrust that pushed her opponent back and caused him to stumble momentarily.

At that moment, that sensation from before came back. Just as she had predicted.

Readying her sword, which was now beginning to glow yellow, Morgan dashed forward and slashed once. Upon contact, she began to feel her vitality rise. Then, before Gaveli could recover, Morgan jumped back and raised her sword again. The yellow glow faded before promptly being replaced by a holy blue aura.

There was no way she was going to miss this chance.

"You're mine…" she muttered unconsciously.

Ah. Now she realized why it felt so familiar.

"Aether."

Morgan dashed forward and slashed diagonally downwards. Gaveli tried to match Morgan's attack with a technique of his own, but Morgan's continuous assault had caused his weapon's durability to decrease dramatically. When their weapons connected, Gaveli's sword was cleaved in two. [ISE]

*CLANG*

All the people in the training hall were stunned into silence as the top half of Gaveli's sword dropped to the floor. The swordsman himself stared at his broken weapon, dumbfounded by his opponent's sudden surge in strength.

And then, just as easily, the silence was broken by the person who unknowingly instigated it in the first place.

"WAAAAH! Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" Morgan started waving her arms around frantically. "I didn't scar you or anything, did I?"

"N-Not at all…" Gaveli looked bewilderedly at the girl in front of him. She was almost a completely different person now than she was just a few seconds ago. "I was just...surprised by your strength, is all."

"Yeah, I didn't expect that to happen either, honestly…" Morgan took a look at her own sword. "Ooh, yep. Mine's almost close to breaking, too. Guess it still needs some work…"

Klaus loudly cleared his throat. "I certainly didn't expect the outcome to be decided in this manner. Fortunately, no one was injured, so I will overlook this incident. However, do try to rein yourself in next time, Miss Morgan."

"Right. Sorry…"

"And so, seeing as she had the lead in points regardless, I hereby declare the winner of this match to be Miss Morgan! This will bring an end to our series of exhibition matches. As acting headmaster of the Arseid school, I would like to thank both schools for taking part in this training exercise."

Both sides gave their thanks to each other.

"That was amazing, Morgan!" "Indeed. That was some fantastic swordsmanship."

"Ahaha…" Morgan nervously chuckled. It had been a while since the last time she was at the center of attention. "I guess I WAS pretty amazing out there, wasn't I?"

"But what was that technique you used?" asked Rean. "I've never seen you use it before."

"It's called Aether. And the reason I never used it until now is because…" Morgan rubbed the back of her head. "I only just remembered that I had it!"

"You only just...remembered?" Rean widened his eyes. "Wait, so does that mean your memories are coming back?"

"I...think? Actually, I'm not really sure. But all the cards were in the right place and then everything just sort of...clicked."

Truth be told, Morgan did have an idea, but she was more concerned about the implications than anything. That familiar sensation from earlier, along with the words she uttered unconsciously before moving in for the finishing blow… If nothing else, then that feeling was a confirmation that her nightmare was more than just a one-off dream that caused her to become afraid of swords. The way her body sprang into action and performed Aether under similar circumstances implied that the motions were ingrained into her muscle memory, similar to most of her other techniques. If that was the case, then the nightmare very well could have happened in her lifetime; it would also explain the scar that traveled diagonally up her face.

But when exactly did it happen? That was where Morgan drew a blank. She knew that her memories past a certain point were more or less a jumbled mess, most notably her adolescent years. Did it occur then? But why would she be fighting on foot? And why did her opponent remind her so much of…

Her thoughts were rudely interrupted when a hand slapped her shoulder. Judging from the size of the hand and the force of the impact, she had a good idea as to who it was.

"Those were some fancy moves, Morgs! 'Specially all that flipping and dipping at the end. I'd give that a B, maybe a B plus."

She begrudgingly looked at her upperclassman's red eyes. "You didn't have to keep staring all the time, you know…"

"Ha! Can't forget, you were sorta the one who gave me permission to." Crow then mimicked Morgan pulling his collar down and spoke in his best falsetto voice, "Make sure you keep your eyes on me!"

Laura gave a rare conceding chuckle. "That WAS a rather bold statement, Morgan."

Morgan turned away. Her face was heating up just thinking about it.

"I would like to thank you all once again for complying to this request. This was a fruitful experience for all of us."

For once, Morgan was thankful for the Arseid family steward's ability to come up to people undetected. "The pleasure was all ours, Klaus!" she said quickly. "Did you take a look at the sword?"

"Indeed. But rest assured, we will be able to handle the repairs on our own. Such things, while uncommon, are par for the course when handling weapons."

The elderly butler then turned to Laura. "And if I may be so bold to interject, my lady, is there something amiss? I couldn't help but notice that you were looking rather restless."

The other members of Group A looked at Laura, who appeared to be the same as always.

"...You've seen right through me once again, Klaus," the swordswoman relented. "It was certainly refreshing to watch from the sidelines for once, but I must admit that the experience has left me wishing for a piece of the action as well."

"Laura…"

The students began to show various degrees of guilt. They all knew why Laura had to sit out, but it still stung that the person who petitioned for the training bout wasn't allowed to take part in the activity itself. If only there had been another student from the Arseid school present…

Klaus let out a chuckle to diffuse the tension. "Hoho! There's no need to be ashamed of your warrior spirit, my lady. In that case…" He placed a hand over his chest and bowed. "Perhaps I can interest you in a bonus match?"

"A bonus match?" the students inquired.

"Indeed. And your opponent…will be none other than me."

During the pause, Klaus drew a simple rapier and assumed a defensive stance. Immediately, the students noted how relaxed yet resolute his posture was. Old as he may be, Klaus's lack of any obvious openings was proof that his title of the Arseid school's acting master was not for show.

And yet, that did not deter Laura from stepping forward with a determined smile on her face. "I've been defeated by you on more occasions than I'd like to count. While I don't think that I'm strong enough to defeat you by myself yet, I would very much enjoy the opportunity to show you how much I've improved since I left for Thors."

"Laura…"

Laura drew her greatsword. "My apologies, everyone. But please allow me to indulge in this small, selfish wish of mine."

"You don't need to apologize for anything, Laura," said Rean. "Actually, I was hoping I could have a try after you."

Klaus chuckled again. "Hoho! By all means, Master Rean. No one's stopping you from joining Lady Laura. In fact, why don't you call up two more members from your group? As they say, the more, the merrier!"

"Is he seriously suggesting he can take on four of us?" Crow asked.

"I think he is…" Morgan guessed. "And the scary part? I don't think he's joking."

And so it came to be that Group A spent some extra time at the Arseid school training hall. By the time they returned to the guild house to report to Toval, it was already close to the evening hours.

What the students didn't realize was that this impromptu bout with the Arseid school's acting master would only be the start of a string of notable events that would occur during their stay at Legram.

Author's note: Writing fight scenes isn't my strongest suit, so I aimed to challenge myself by writing more than one for this chapter. Of course, this also resulted in me taking longer than usual to churn this one out amidst all of my other responsibilities lately. Hope the wait was worth it.

And speaking of waiting, Morgan is finally able to use a sword again! Her sword arm might still twitch on occasion, but for the most part she can now wield one of her own if she so chooses. More importantly, Morgan has recovered another skill, that being the iconic Aether! Given her heritage, it was only a matter of time before she used it. The question was where to insert it, and this was the main reason why I decided to switch the format for the training bout request. In the original game, the fight against the Arseid school students happened offscreen and was a team event, similar to how I framed the training bout against the Vander School students. Here, I decided to make it a series of one-on-one duels so that more members of Group A could get their time to shine. Additionally, Morgan also used a plethora of other unnamed skills, such as Chrom's Soaring Slash from Smash Bros.

The next chapter will probably be a short one, but it is most certainly not going to be starved of content. Until next time!

The other two members that were chosen ended up being Gaius and Emma, the former for his physical prowess and the latter to form a balanced team. Morgan had also volunteered, but because she had just fought, the others insisted that she take a break. Crow also decided to sit out on the account that his firearms and fighting style would be too unwieldy against Klaus, though everyone guessed that it was just an excuse he conjured up so he could continue bothering Morgan. Knowing how most of Morgan and Crow's interactions went, the rest of Group A hoped that they could wrap up their match against Klaus before they got at each other's throats.

As everyone was getting geared up for their fight against Klaus, Emma's gaze continued to drift to Morgan. Unbeknownst to her fellow classmates, her eyes could see things they could not. And what she had seen around the other girl troubled her greatly, especially since Morgan herself looked none the wiser.

Why did it choose now of all times to manifest? Morgan didn't have any reason to bear ill will towards her opponent. If Morgan did not realize it herself, then that didn't bode well.

'I should probably find some time to talk to her later…' she decided. 'About the true nature of her curse.'