Chapter 41: Elemental Warfare
The next match began in rapid succession. Professor Castweaver, with her long red hair, stood on the east side with her Team Pyrotechnics. On the other side was Professor Rosewald. He had a stern look on his face and stood tall with his dark glasses on. Eris began the match, yelling out, "Alright, folks, are you ready for today's grudge match!" The crowd roared in their seats, eager to see more action. Eris shouted, "Alright, let the second match for today commence!" I took a moment to examine each side of the arena as the barrier was put into place, shielding us from anything that happened inside.
On the eastern side, closer to us, I spotted Professor Castweaver's students taking their own battle stances. I noticed a young man with fiery red hair and blue eyes in his gym clothes; he seemed ready to charge in. In the center, there was a young woman who appeared confident and athletic, with long purple hair and blue eyes. She wore light armor and had daggers strapped to her belt. In the center stood their Professor Castweaver, looking like a kid excited for a new game.
In the back, a boy with orange hair and green eyes, dressed in traditional magus clothing with a wizard hat, seemed to be concentrating on his spell. In the back left corner stood their most peculiar member, with red eyes and snow-white hair. He had a confident smirk on his face, as if he was about to pull the best prank of all time.
In the western arena, a different view could be seen as their confident Professor Rosewald stood in the front. His prestigious outfit had not a single wrinkle. He had neatly combed blonde hair, a squared jaw, and very sharp features. You could clearly feel his strict attitude. The man was very tall, standing over 6 feet, with wide shoulders, indicating his impressive physique. His team was equally impressive. To his right stood a young woman with short brown hair and stern grey eyes, dressed in black robes that cascaded off her body in an ethereal way.
On the other side of the professor stood a young woman with blonde hair, curls flowing down her back. Her purple eyes seemed enchanting, but she had a hint of nobleness, giving off a prideful aura. In the middle stood a stoic-looking boy who appeared somewhat fragile, but his baby blue hair made him seem youthful. His yellow eyes shimmered in the light as he wore white robes, and he seemed very calm, almost unnervingly so. Finally, a taller boy stood confidently behind the girl with brown hair. He had golden rings in his ears, sun-licked blonde hair cut short, and deep orange eyes. He wore light armor and leaned on his sword, ready to fight.
Eris finally gave them the signal to begin as Pyrotechnics made their first move, almost as if they had run many drills before this. The boy with fiery red hair rushed in, his fists seemingly heating up, and Professor Castweaver joined him. I barely saw what happened as they zipped over to the boy with the sword. Both of them jumped in at once. The blonde-haired boy tried to raise his sword, but both of the crazed warriors brought their flaming fists down on him. They both yelled in unison, "Great Cataclysm Fist!" Their fists brutally connected with the boy's stomach as he flew into the barrier with a speed I could hardly believe.
The barrier almost seemed to crack a little as the boy bashed into it faster than I could see. Professor Castweaver clicked her tongue and said loudly enough for me to hear, "Damn, I was hoping to knock him out of the park. Alright, Lance, stick to the plan; let's hit Rosewald next." Both of them leapt into the air together, bringing down their fists at Rosewald, who grinned slightly. They struck nothing; he disappeared behind them, almost like he was never there to begin with. He stepped back confidently and shouted, "You always love to rush in. That won't work on me this year again. Try this one on for size. Orion's Arrow!" A beam of light burst out of his palms and struck the boy dead on, sending him flying. He crash-landed into the barrier on the far end. The medical team took both of the fallen members away, reducing the fight to a 4 vs. 4.
The girl with brown hair tried to use a spell on the distracted Professor Castweaver. She muttered, "Black Spot." A black ball formed out of her palms and shot toward the Professor, but unbelievably, she used the air as a launch pad as the shot looked like it would hit. She seemed to be using magic on her feet to propel herself forward, almost like a jet. She shoulder-checked the young girl into the same barrier where they had sent the blonde-haired boy. With two people injured, she jetted towards the fragile-looking boy in the back. He tried to cast a spell quickly, but she yelled out, "Meteor Fist!" Her fist shot out a small fireball toward the boy. The fragile boy was knocked off his feet, the blast just missing him. He regained his balance as he used a spell, "Spring Well!" A well of water shot out in front of him towards Professor Castweaver, but it was blocked.
The boy with the white hair and red eyes had appeared out of nowhere, blocking the blow with his hands. The boy tried to push him away, but his body disappeared, and I heard laughter as he reappeared back in the same spot he had been before. Rosewald laughed, "Quite the trickster you have there, but enough of this." He seemed to be combining two spells, one pulsing with white energy and the other with wind magic. He fired the spell at the white-haired boy and yelled, "Celestial Currents!" Radiant-looking energy combined perfectly with the wind energy, creating a wind storm glowing white as it made its way quickly towards the white-haired boy. The boy in the back with the orange hair seemed to open his eyes and said, "It's ready. Barrier to the Underworld!" It was a combined spell of both fire and darkness, but it was unconcentrated.
The radiant whirlwind seemed to bounce back at Team Starlight as the girl with blonde hair quickly tried to dash out of its way. It hit her head-on as she was blown back onto her knees. She wasn't out yet, but she was weak, having managed to dash mostly out of the way. Using this as her chance, Professor Castweaver laughed, "I think it is time for me to showcase my real magic!" She put one glowing red-hot hand and the other glowing blue, "Steam Shower!" She threw the concentration at the ground near Professor Rosewald. The area where he had been standing gave rise to intense steam, and the steam was so thick that it covered the area in a fog. Rosewald could be heard shouting, "What is this?!" I could faintly make out a small light in the center of the steam as a loud smack could be heard throughout the arena.
Once the steam had cleared, Professor Castweaver had her foot on Rosewald's back, and she smiled triumphantly. The blonde girl still not defeated attempted to cast out one of her spells, but was quickly stopped by a flaming dagger it grazed her hand. The girl with the purple hair on the opposite end grinned as the blonde hair girl seemed to give the signal of surrender with a look of embarrassment. Eris called out, "I don't believe it! Team Pyrotechnics only lost one member to Team Starlight. Incredible! All of them are amazing! Give a hand to your second match winner, Team Pyrotechnics!" I clapped, but again looked at my team. It seemed like we were on the same page once again. I stated, "I think it's obvious, but the teachers are on another level. Their spells are incredible. It is exactly like we thought; they are going to be the biggest hurdle for us to overcome." Quinn sighed, "Not to say that their students aren't amazing. Did you see that kid with the orange hair? That reflect spell was amazing. Not to mention that kid with the white hair. What was that? Illusion magic?"
Yuna spoke up for the first time since the competition started, "No, I use illusions in my own attacks. I don't think that is the case. This is something else... intriguing." Lysandra commented, "That fire magic the professor used was super sweet. I will have to learn that if I can." Lulith mocked, "I can imagine you falling on your butt trying that." Lysandra made a sour face as Quinn added, "What worries me if they didn't even need that girl with the purple hair we didn't get a chance to really see what she could do." Finally, Eris called out our name, "Our last match in round 1 will be the Grin Reapers vs. Stormsurge. Please make your way to the center of the gym teams!" We got up from our seats. During breakfast, we had talked about where each of us would be standing. It was decided that I would be in the front and center after explaining what I could do to my team. Quinn would take a close position to my right. Lysandra would take the role of our primary engage in front to my left.
I just now realized that without Era, we were a team that was full of melee fighters. Lulith would remain behind me to counterattack. Yuna was to her right since we had no ranged fighters beside me. We had remain in a tight formation. That was when it started. Eris announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, let us see if our mystery team is worth their hype. Team Stormsurge could be the bolt of lightning that strikes them down before they even start." She raised her hand, "Let the third match of the day begin." Once she put down her hand, Team Stormsurge wasted no time preparing their practiced opening move.
A young man with glasses walked forward, and he had dark blue hair and a serious expression. I noticed his ears; he was an elf. He frowned at me as we locked eyes and said, "I heard you were mostly non-mages. This will be a short match; non-mages should stay out of the spotlight." He cast, "Puddle of the Damned!" He sent water at both Quinn and me, and as he did, a girl behind him jumped out from behind. She had white, silky hair tied into pigtails and a vicious smile on her face with red eyes looking at us wildly. She jumped into the air, seemingly ready to bring down a spell on both Quinn and me. She yelled out, "Begone with a clap." She clapped her hands together as thunder began to take shape. A bolt of lightning aimed at the puddle below us started to shoot out, and she yelled, "Jupiter Lightning Crash!" It was an insane combination that could be lethal, and my senses tingled as I had to find a way to survive the sure-kill combo from Team Stormsurge!