"GOING ON WITH THE 2v2's...NEXT WE HAVE TEAM LJNT OF BEACON AND TEAM TOAD OF ATLAS! PRESENTING MEMBERS ARE LYRA NG-NIKOS AND NICO LEGASPI FROM TEAM LJNT, AND ONYX NOIR and AUBURNE ADE FROM TEAM TOAD!"

"So, Lyra Ng-Nikos..." Auburne twirled a large auburn hammer, a confident look in his red eyes. He had on a long auburn cape and a brown hoodie underneath with black baggy pants. His long reddish hair was spiked up. "And...I don't think I recognize your partner over there."

"Um...I think I do," Onyx responded as he fiddled with his black dress. It hung off of his shoulders by an orange strap and was fluffed out at the waist. Chocolate skin was distinct from his orange eyes while he held a rocket launcher. "I think I saw her with the general over the summer."

"Y-You were just imagining it," Nico couldn't help but panic as she subconsciously pulled her hood over her head. Ironwood's words repeated in her mind again and again.

"Right. Now, let's begin!" Lyra exclaimed. Around them, the arena began to change shape; and Lyra watched as a maze grew around her, completely shrouding her from everyone else. She gripped at her weapon, trying to make sense of everything when a ice dusted rocket flew right at her. Lyra narrowly rolled out of the the way, and the ground turned to ice behind her. Lyra swung her axe, and it collided with Onyx's rocket launcher. Weapons flew as the two blocked and evaded each other's blows. Onyx transformed his rocket launcher to a smaller cylinder that shot out a laser beam, forcing Lyra to dodge underneath it. She blocked it with her axe, sending it reflecting off of one of the maze walls and into a random direction, almost hitting Onyx. He aimed his beam rapidly, which were all deflected by Lyra.

She suddenly threw her golden axe with her enormous might, sending the axe hurtling toward Onyx's feet. He jumped to avoid the blow, and while he was busy jumping, Lyra lunged forward to quickly flip him over her shoulder.

Onyx went flying through the air as he fell through another part of the maze. Meanwhile, Nico swung her two katanas at Auburne ferociously. Her blades hit Auburne's bronze hammer; while he wasn't as quick as her, he swung sideways, ignoring one of her blades that simply bounced off of his aura covered leg. Surprised by his audacity, Nico didn't dodge, she just activated her semblance and phased through his hammer before she phased through him, reappearing in a physical form behind him.

Another slice from her blade made Auburne stumble backwards. He slammed his dust filled hammer into the ground, making ice on the ground and causing Nico to slide all over the place. Auburne jumped before a reddish aura surrounded him. This aura traveled to one place; his feet as blades grew under his feet, serving as ice skates. Auburne skated toward her, his control over the icy floor much more composed than Nico's clumsiness.

Nico just managed to dodge Auburne's blow as his hammer swung horizontally, his next blow stopped by her blade. However, as he kicked forward, one of his makeshift ice skates had the blade fly into her face, knocking her off balance and making a small cut on her cheek. She stumbled backward, and as Auburne swung his hammer, Nico phased through the maze wall behind him, leaving him alone.

Unfortunately for Nico, she couldn't catch a break. She had phased through the wall, right to Onyx, who responded by jabbing his rocket launcher into Nico's head as soon as she gained a physical form. Nico stumbled backward, and Onyx prepared to slam it onto her again when a golden blade intercepted the blow.

Lyra's eyes were glowing with red flecks as she pushed Onyx's attempt back, her foot jabbing into his stomach. He reeled backward slightly, but twirled to send a rocket flying right at them. Lyra shielded with her axe, but was sent flying into a wall while Nico managed to evade. Her hood briefly fell, and she rushed to pull it back up.

One of the maze walls was broken from Lyra's impact, revealing Auburne. The four were now together in the maze's center, and Lyra's eyes scanned the arena before she came up with an idea.

"Nico, split!"

Lyra rushed forward, and Onyx shielded, but Lyra simply jumped off of his rocket launcher and into the air before she landed daintily on top of one of the maze walls. Her balance as a ballerina paid off as she stood on tip toes, as if daring them to follow her as she ran atop the slim tops, away from the fight. Nico phased through the walls, leaving Onyx and Auburne alone and confused.

It didn't last for long as Auburne suddenly grew a reddish color before the same colored wings sprouted from his back, and he took to the air. He swiftly picked up Onyx, who loaded his rocket launcher and began shooting at the two girls.

Lyra dodged and flipped backward, somehow retaining her balance on the slim maze tops on pointe while Nico ran through the maze walls toward her. Lyra reached down, pulling Nico up before she hurtled Nico upward, sending her crashing into the two members of the other team.

Nico's sword slashed at Auburne's wings, which made them crackle off and disappear. As they landed, bullets from Lyra's sniper rifle shot at them, forcing them to run through the maze to evade. Onyx's body turned to diamond as bullets merely plunked off of him. Coming back to a normal form, he shot another rocket at her, missing, but the dust created a whirlwind that swept Lyra in it. A red aura surrounded Auburne once more as a jump-pad appeared underneath him, one that he used to get on Lyra's level and swing his hammer onto her. As he jumped, his feet leaving the ground, the jump pad disappeared.

Lyra went flying through the air, smashing through multiple maze walls before she finally stopped momentum in a bare bone desert. A sandstorm obscured her vision, making it difficult to see anything; but she could tell she was alone. Where were the others...?

Nico was running out of energy to keep fighting. Auburne and Onyx both swung their weapons, and an ice dusted laser from Onyx froze Nico's foot in place as Auburne quickly swung his hammer into her.

Nico skidded across the ground, her hood flying off, much to her horror. Auburne and Onyx stared at her face and Grimm ears as everything seemed to stop.

"A Grimm...? In the arena!? That's not actually a girl-!" Nico could hear the panicked whispers fly through the arena as everyone looked at her, and she covered her face with her hood before she balled herself into a tight ball.

Everywhere around her were people that only saw her as a Grimm...

What was the point of fighting when she couldn't fight that ideal?

"...Get up," Auburne suddenly said quietly, drawing Nico's attention to him. His eyes shifted from side to side as he rushed over, fiddling with something behind him. "Don't let them control you."

"A-Aren't you s-scared-"

"...No," Auburne's eyes met hers, and that was when she saw what he was trying to tell her. A bushy fox tail came from behind him, one that he briefly shoved back into hiding. "...I've hid my whole life. Atlas doesn't look kindly among those like us...and you may look like a Grimm, but if you're trusted enough to be here...then that's good enough for me. So get up. Get up, and don't let them control you with fear."

Nico couldn't help but stare in surprise at
someone actually understanding her plight. She shakily got to her feet as she clutched at her sword, trying to ignore the stares and outrage she could hear in the arena.

"Nico-?" Nico could hear Lyra's faint voice calling out for her from somewhere far away. Nico took one look at her opponents before she ran, following Lyra's voice. She simply phased through the walls before she finally found her partner.

"Lyra-they k-know," Nico said shakily. "E-Everyone...t-they saw..."

"Saw...? Oh," Lyra's eyes widened in realization. "...Nico, they...they saw, didn't they-?"

"Found you!" Onyx interrupted the moment as his rocket launcher swung toward them, catching Lyra off guard as she barely managed to block. Auburne's hammer swung sideways and into Lyra's side, making the girl stumble backwards. Her eyes turned a bright red as she swung her axe multiple times, finally landing a solid blow on her enemy.

Nico swung her sword at Onyx at the same time, and the two guys stumbled back into each other.

"Nico, get ready!" Lyra shouted as she held her axe backward. Nico jumped atop the axe as Lyra swung forward, hurtling Nico toward them. With all her might, Nico swung forward, sending them flying into a cactus.

At the same time, Onyx launched two rockets straight at Nico.

The girl phased through the first one, though the second one hit her and sent her across the arena, her aura drained. Lyra growled angrily as the crowd cheered.

"Oh, I'll show you..."

Lyra dashed toward them, her axe swinging in every direction as she warded off Onyx and Auburne. Her leg swung out, tripping one of the guys before she swiftly swung her axe from above, bashing Onyx in the head and sending him out of the fight.

Then Lyra flipped upside down, dodging Auburne's hammer. Hammer and axe met as Lyra snarled, and she jabbed her elbow into his face before she swung her axe once more.

Auburne skid across the ground, his aura depleted. Lyra breathed heavily as her team was declared the winner, yet the outrage from the crowd was more than anything she could have expected.

She could hear the announcers, Doctor Oobleck and Professor Port, desperately trying to calm everyone down to no avail. Tanya and Janelle were trying to as well in the crowd, not that people really listened to them. Lyra made her way to Nico and held her in her arms.

"It's going to be okay, Nico," Lyra muttered. "It will get better."

"...N-No it won't," Nico said. "I-I'm a monster. They k-know that. I k-know that. Y-You know that..."

"Nico-"

"I...I c-can't-" Nico hurriedly stood and dashed out of the arena as fast as she could. Lyra sighed.

"Victory, but at what cost?" Auburne asked from where he laid on the ground. Lyra seethed with anger.

"It's your team's fault that her identity was even revealed in the first place!"

"...But we shouldn't have to hide in the first place," Auburne said solemnly, and Lyra's eyes suddenly widened with realization.

"No, you shouldn't. It's not your fault that you look like that.."

"But no one is ever willing to listen."

"...I know. I was once one of those people who refused to listen to Nico," Lyra said reluctantly. "...I've got to go find her."

"Good luck."