Beatrice vs Yuu

"How....did things end up this way??"

Looking at the improvised bleachers positioned in both sides of the empty field, the three meat grills grilling boar meat in sticks, the table full of empty cups and juice barrels and the jury table with a single special seat... Apollo felt so lost that he didn't know what to say.

(Isn't this... just like a sports' stadium???)

"Master, here is your seat."

Rose suddenly appeared beside Apollo, making his heart almost jump out of his chest. She took his hand and guided him to the special jury seat, positioned between the two bleachers, in the Southern border of the field.

"The food and drinks will be served soon. The girls will bring it to you, so just stay seated and enjoy the show."

"Eh? Hmm... O-okay..."

The smell of grilled meat made his stomach growl. Little by little all girls aside from Daisy arrived to watch. The present maid crew focused on preparing the food and drinks, sharing the complete product to all hungry servants who came to watch the show.

The cat trio, Yuu, Penny and Nyau, drooled at the sight of the meat, but they were barred from eating anything before the fight by Alice, the maid in charge of cooking.

The plant trio, Beatrice (Bea), Iris and Ivy, got even more excited to battle after seeing the huge stage prepared for them.

The two helping maids guided both trios to opposite sides of the field. Lumina suddenly appeared with a mock microphone that didn't work but fitted the mood. Actually her words were being transmitted to Daisy who used the HQ system to spread the sound to all the girls and Apollo's bracer, making the thing appear quite real. No, well, it was real, but fake but... ugh! You know what I mean, right? The microphone was fake, but the sound effects were spreading like it was real, cause they were real, but not made by the microphone but the HQ's system! Got it? Damn, explaining this confusing! But you should have understood by now, so let's continue!

"Ladies and Gentleman! Today we stand together to watch a mock battle between our two fighting forces! On the East side of the arena we have Bea, Iris and Ivy as representatives of the Soldiers! On the West side of the arena we have Yuu, Penny and Nyau, the new members of the Rangers! These six girls are full of spirit and ready to fight for the sake of our Master! Please, a round of applause to these brave girls!"

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

"The Rangers will fight with their bows and arrows while the Soldiers will fight barehanded this time. It's prohibited the use of poison, crippling or killing your opponent and the fight will end at the first drop of blood, or if you are able to throw your opponent on the ground. Do both sides agree?"

""Yes!""

"Master, is there anything you would like to add or shall we begin?"

"Huh... Well, I would like to say that no matter the results of these fights, no grudge should be born from it. We all stand together as a single force, and when the time to fight arrives I wish to see you helping each other instead of competing against one another! I would like you to stand side by side as sisters! Even if you were born from different places, overcome your differences and become true family! But to do so, we need to understand each other, so this mock battle should be seen not as a competition, but an exchange, to show the best of each of you and create true bonds that shall last your lifetime!"

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

"Then, without further ado, let's begin! From the East, Beatrice! From the West, Yuu! Are you ready!?"

""YES!""

"Fight!"

The fight started with each girl still in each corner of the arena.

As the sign to start was called, Yuu readied her bow and aimed at Bea while Bea charged straight at Yuu.

Shot!

Different from Yuu, Bea had no weapons in hand, so she could not parry Yuu's attack and was forced to dodge instead. With a single kick using her right leg, Bea changed her trajectory at the same moment the arrow left the bow, but even then she barely had enough time to dodge as the arrow nearly hit her right arm.

Yuu quickly loaded another arrow in her bow and fixed her aim, but just like before, the moment the arrow left her bow was the moment Bea gave her all to dodge, making the arrow miss again.

Bea had already run half way through the arena and would soon arrive at Yuu's position, but Yuu didn't panic and opened fire again, this time scratching Bea's arm because she was too close to dodge in time.

"Ugh!"

Bea didn't scream in pain, but made a muffled sound as she held it in, slowed down for a single step before continuing to run.

Yuu grabbed a bulk of arrows and aimed her bow up, shooting three arrows at the same time, then grabbed another arrow to take aim at Bea, while she ran to her left side.

Bea didn't allow the three arrows to destroy her concentration, she completely ignored them as a bluff and charged straight at Yuu, only worrying about the arrows aimed directly at her. She knew she wouldn't be able to dodge this last arrow, but she had a plan.

Well, it couldn't be said to be the smartest plan, but a plan was still a plan...But I have to admit she was quite crazy or stupid for trying this...

As the arrow left Yuu's bow, Bea's right hand traced the arrow's trajectory, making it appear like she was going to try to catch the arrow barehanded. Obviously this was something almost impossible to do. The arrow travelled at an average speed of 200 fps, not frame per second but feet per second, which is around 60 mps (meters per second) if you prefer to measure in meters instead, in short, damn fast! The hit was pretty much guaranteed but as the arrow reached Bea's hand, a loud sound echoed through the arena and the arrow split into pieces as it failed to pierce anything.

Now you must be asking me, how was that possible? Well, allow me to explain! The second Bea dodged the first time, as she jumped diagonally to change her direction, she sneakily put her hand on the ground and grabbed a loose stone, hiding it in her closed fist, and then, on the moment the last arrow was shot, Bea traced the arrow's trajectory, making it hit directly inside her hand, where the stone laid in await. The stone easily resisted the impact of the arrow, making the impact force bounce back to the arrow, splitting it in pieces. Of course Bea's arm also felt the full power of the arrow, but her arms were incredibly strong so it was not that hard for her to resist.

Back to the fight, seeing her arrow suddenly explode in Bea's hand, Yuu couldn't help but feel surprised, but in the next moment the one surprised changed to Bea and an arrow suddenly pierced her shoulder as if fell from the sky along the other two that hit both right and left spots right where Bea would be if she had chosen to dodge to the sides instead of continuing to charge like a bull.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

A metal bell echoed through the whole arena announcing the end of the battle.

"I announce the end of the first mock battle! The winner is Yuu!!!"

""Yuu!"" ""Yuu!"" ""Yuu!"" ""Yuu!"" ""Yuu!""

"It was an extremely great fight! One round of applause, please!"

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

"And now another round of applause to Bea who, despite losing, showed us a great fight!"

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!