"All right, everyone gather around!" Khohn shouted at the Newbies scattered throughout the Practice Field B's dreadful remains.

Despite fall being in full swing, late October had brought an unexpectedly warm day to Spiritfield. The visible heat rays shimmered up from the desert-like field. The heat forced most of the remaining students to rip their sweatshirts off and toss them to the sideline before finishing their warm-ups. Sweat trickled down their skin, glistening in the red disc of a sun peeking over the pointed tops of the trees.

The thick woods at the back end of the field had shifted from a deep forest-green to a mix of red, orange, and yellow. The colorful leaves, plucked tenderly from their branches by passing winds, littered the dusty and beaten grass field.

Riarshi stood from his seated leg stretch, stifled a stiff groan, and brushed the dust off his pants.

As he turned toward the sideline, Tabito strolled from behind and tapped his shoulder. 

"Partner again?" he yelled back, continuing his track toward Khohn and the crowd forming in front of the professor.

"Yeah, of course," Riarshi responded.

In the last few weeks, a variety of grueling assignments and mock duels had unceremonially eliminated the Newbies struggling to keep up with the rest of the pack, reducing the class' remaining total to ten.

Thanks to Hara's sudden - and largely unexpected - commitment to Riarshi and Tabito's after school training group, neither of the three had become an unfortunate victim of expulsion. Wishing to heighten their chances of surviving the upcoming tryout, the trio had stayed after every day for an hour and trained before strolling to Merino's for a hearty meal.

Riarshi, however, had a hint of guilt stuck in the back of his mind. It was obvious to nearly everyone in the class that he was benefiting from his partnership with the strong duo of Hara and Tabito. 

He especially heard this grief from Leon, who - as expected - harassed Riarshi any chance he got. Insults, cusses, and the occasional dirty look were thrown at Riarshi throughout each day. 

Riarshi ignored it all. He would be lying, however, if he claimed that the guilt slowly and meticulously nibbling at him didn't exist.

But today, with his shoes crunching the rock-riddled dirt beneath his feet; he swallowed this guilt, suppressing it from his mind.

Students gathered along the sideline. Khohn peered at them through his thick-lensed glasses. He didn't have to move his head much to look at everyone. The circle which engulfed him at the semester's beginning was now just a small line.

"All right, everyone!" Khohn shouted, waving his arms over his head. "I have a very important announcement today, so listen up!"

Riarshi took his place in line. Unfortunately and unknowingly, he stood next to Leon, who looked at him with a look that combined the feeling of disgust and amusement. 

The tall, teal-haired boy, who had been Riarshi's biggest critic during the entire program, let out a loud huff. He then said something involving a swear, but Riarshi ignored it, drowning out the snarky remark with his own thoughts.

Khohn had mentioned earlier in the week he would have a very important assignment for them to complete today. It didn't take Riarshi long to put together that this was the secret he held as bait during his and Tabito's duel.

Nervousness crept through Riarshi's body and landed like a lead weight in his stomach. This was the only class he felt uneasy in. Studying in the academic hall's classrooms allowed himself, Tabito, and Hara to pass their academic exams with ease. The practical side of the Program, however, was where he walked an unraveling tightrope with every assignment Khohn announced.

Not only that, but Tabito still refused to tell him the secret Khohn whispered in his ear, causing irritation to bubble in Riarshi's gut. He needed the help more than anyone, so why couldn't Tabito fill him in? It wasn't like Khohn would find out if he did.

Despite his whirling thoughts, Riarshi cleared his mind with a deep breath through pursed lips and listened carefully to Khohn's announcement.

"All right, kids," said Khohn, placing his hands on his hips. "There is only a week-and-a-half left until the fourth and final practical exam - the Internship Tryout. I say this with the most sincerity possible: all of you have done an amazing job surviving the Hero Program so far. I have put you all through extremely difficult assignments, exams, and surprise missions. You all have performed wonderfully, exemplarily and have displayed amazing potential in becoming the next generation of Heroes. Today, though, I will put everything you've learned to the test."

Khohn's eyes flashed behind his glasses. "Today's assignment will be-" he paused intentionally for suspense, "-a one-on-one duel with your chosen partner."

Riarshi's jaw dropped.

"The winner of the duel," Khohn continued after a brief silence, "will be decided with the usual rules: incapacitate your opponent, or knock them out. I, however, will make things much more interesting today." 

Khohn rubbed his hands together. A smirk shifted his glasses up on his nose. "This won't be a simple one-on-one battle. I'm gonna add a bit of a twist to it."

Khohn snapped his fingers. A spark. Then, a tiny ball of green light shot from his fingertips and landed in the patch of grass to his side. Blades of grass stood on end. The ground shook, and a large green wall shot up from the depths of the field. Its bright, shining green surface had ten names inscribed in white text, displaying the match-ups for the class.

Hara vs Helga

Riarshi vs Tabito

Salia vs Gomm

Adachi vs Leon

Jerred vs Alice

"The special condition today," Khohn shouted, "will be that the winner of each match will gain immunity for the final week of the Program. You will still have to pass your assignments, obviously, but they will no longer be certain expulsion if you fail. These lucky few will gain automatic entry into the fourth practical exam - the Internship Tryout."

A blazing fire burst behind the color of every Newbie's eyes. This was a chance of a lifetime. A free pass meant no longer would they shake with anxiety each class or pray to the Divines they survived another day of the Program. 

Faces were wide with excitement, stretched with eager smiles. As the class chatted amongst themselves happily, Riarshi studied the green board silently. He was the only one not beaming with delight.

"Don't worry, everybody," said Khohn, waving his hands to quiet everyone down. "The loser of this duel doesn't get expelled... Well, only if they put up a good fight." His scruffy face widened into a smirk.

Khohn, with a clap of his hands, dismissed the students to allow them to prepare for their match-ups. The class split into their respective duos and moved to the chalked sideline, opening the field for the board's first listed duel.

Seeing she was first on the board, Hara let out a brief sigh and drifted by Riarshi and Tabito, giving them a side-eye look.

"Good luck," Riarshi mouthed as she passed. Tabito said nothing, but gave her a cheeky smile and a thumbs up. No words were needed to get his message across.

Hara, smiling slightly, gave a hurried nod and stepped to the middle of the field, her black hair flowing lightly in the wind behind her.

"Hey-" said Tabito softly, "-just so you know, I'm not going easy on you. You gotta promise that you'll give it your all too. It'll be the best man wins. Alright?" Tabito had a look of seriousness and determination stitched across his face that Riarshi had never seen on him before.

Riarshi straightened himself up, inclined his head, and grinned at his partner. "Yeah, let's both go all out."

***

During Hara's duel, Helga powered up her enhanced muscles with magic and pounced toward Hara like a lioness. This was expected, since this was the way Helga usually fought during class. What shocked everyone watching the fight was how it ended.

Helga was on the attack, feet gripping into the dirt, forcing Hara to dodge a barrage of punches and grapples. With their feet skidding across the ground with each shuffle, the beaten field belched dust and debris.

Helga's raw strength and speed from her enhanced muscles were second to none in the class, but when she was about to land a crushing blow onto - the much smaller - Hara, her body froze midair. 

Caught in a mysterious airborne prison with no means of escape, Hara easily defeated her with a glowing, magic-powered punch to the face. Helga took it to the jaw, and the sound of knuckles on bone echoed over the field.

This deciding blow landed Hara the victory in what seemed like an effortless battle. She hadn't even broken a sweat.

Confused whispers flooded throughout the small crowd on the sideline. Riarshi remained silent - he was thinking, hard. Suddenly, a light bulb flashed in his mind. Riarshi discovered what caused Helga to freeze midair. 

He had an idea for his own fight. 

After a respectful, half-hearted, round of applause from the class, Hara trotted off the field and to the sideline.

"Woo! Woo! Let's go Hara! Awesome job!" Tabito cheered as Hara scooted by him and Riarshi, walking towards her bag.

"That was awesome," Riarshi gawked, following Hara with his eyes. "Even though she continued charging in and throwing all of those attacks, you dodged her so easily."

Hara's lips quirked into something of a smile. "Thanks, you two." Her icy expression, however, promptly snapped back to her face. She turned her nose up. "Well, it's expected."

She then looked over at Riarshi, who was still watching her. Her eyes dug into his, but she didn't say a word. She turned toward the field and crossed her arms.

"Riarshi and Tabito," Professor Khohn announced from the sideline, pointing at the two teens, "your turn is next."

"Good luck, Lagic!" a voice sneered from the tightly knit group of six classmates, about ten feet to their right. There was not a hint of sincerity in the voice.

"Kick his ass, Tabito," added another, just as icily. "Send him home crying that he didn't get a spot in the Tryout."

Tabito gave a light, playful punch to Riarshi's left shoulder. With a nod, he conveyed another non-verbal message: don't listen to them.

Riarshi nodded back. And he did just that.

Their feet slapping against the grassy sideline, Riarshi and Tabito trotted onto the dusty field and made their way to their respective ends. The crunch of pebbles and dirt replaced the usual plush of grass beneath Riarshi's shoes. The unrelenting sun beamed down on the field's barren surface, which reflected its heat like a mirror, adding ever more to the feeling that a scorching desert was their battlefield today.

Tabito and Riarshi both squatted down into ready positions and brought their hands up into a fighting stance.

They were ready.

This was not a spar anymore. Their first genuine fight was about to begin.