Sneakers crunched through the leaves on the forest floor as the three adolescent wizards explored the woods.

"Dark forest," Beetle scoffed, "There's nothing scary about this place. It isn't even that dark." The boisterous band of boys paused in their tracks when they heard running water.

They eagerly pounded through the foliage, laughing and stripping their shirts off as they went. That was when they noticed the woman sitting cross-legged on a stone platform in the river. They froze in a state of half-undress.

"I know you're there," Katsumi said serenely, though her eyes were closed.

"H-How?" Ryan stammered.

"I felt you coming, through the vibrations in the ground."

"Really?" he gaped. She opened one brown eye demurely.

"No," she snorted, "You were so loud, people in China could hear you. And please cover yourselves. The Princess does not wish to sully her eyes." She closed her eye again as the boys flushed bright red and hastily pulled their shirts back on.

"Hey," Beetle called out indignantly, "Who the hell do you think you are, lady?! This forest is on the property of Nous Vivons Sur School for Magic! You're trespassing!"

"I pass where I please, oh one who shines as pale as the virgin moon." Katsumi's lips curled into a small grin. Beetle's blush deepened.

"That's it," His eyes flashed purple. "I'll show you not to mess with Sethium house! Right, guys?!" Katsumi opened both eyes and laughed. Beetle followed her gaze to Storch and Ryan quickly disappearing through the brush. He shook his head.

"I'll deal with you myself," Beetle's Grand seethed around his fingers in an angry purple glow. As Katsumi stood, the sand from the river bed streamed up behind her, shaping itself into a wicked scythe. The head tapped against the ground, as she rested the handle lightly across her back.

"An army couldn't deal with me itself."

Katsumi seemed to skim over the water as she rushed in for the attack. Beetle stood his ground and braced himself as her scythe swung around in a swift arc towards his head. He brought his hands up at the last moment. The curved blade crashed against a purple barrier, much to Katsumi's surprise.

"So you aren't a helpless, dumb kid," she marvelled.

"Nope," he grinned.

"Just a dumb kid, then."

Katsumi's scythe danced in graceful arcs around her as she hacked away at Beetle's defenses, rebounding every time. Growing impatient, she raised it high over her head; Beetle spotted his opportunity. He punched his hand forward. With a burst of purple magic, Katsumi went flying across the river. She swung her scythe wide as she got to her hands and knees. Beetle hopped over it like a deadly jump rope and raised his hands again in defense as she swiftly brought it arcing down towards his head.

This time, his fingers curled around the curved blade. His hand pulsed with a concentrated purple glow and, with a cry of effort, he shattered it. His triumph was short lived as the broken shards of the scythe melted back into sand and returned to their mistress's grip. Katsumi smiled, raising dual swords in both hands.

Beetle saw her smile tinted purple through the translucent barrier before she leaped. Katsumi's feet touched down lightly behind him. Before he could so much as turn around, her elbow powered backwards into the middle of his spine. But her sword found less purchase, clattering harmlessly against Beetle's shield.

Katsumi spun around, her sword plunging forward, but Beetle was prepared for this.

"You really need to chill out!" his eyes flashed green this time, and Katsumi's world tilted onto its head as his charm dragged her into the air by the ankles. Her black hair dangled below her head as she struggled. "And I think I have just the way to do it..." Beetle snickered as he levitated her over the edge of the roaring waterfall.

Katsumi's catlike brown eyes narrowed furiously. Beetle laughed, and didn't notice her lining up her shot until her sword was already flying towards him.

"Ah!" Beetle's knees buckled as he pressed a hand to the gaping wound torn open in his arm. In the same moment, his concentration shattered. The green of his Grand dissipated in smoky wisps, leaving Katsumi hurtling over the waterfall.

Beetle heard the splash of a body hitting the water and peered over the edge to check. He scanned the waves of foaming white water and saw no sign of the Princess. Beetle heaved a sigh of relief. Wait till he told Ryan and Storch he'd just hit a princess!

As he turned, the sand beneath his feet crumbled away, as if a carpet had been pulled out from under his feet. Beetle snatched helplessly at the air as he fell over the edge.

A cloud of smoke billowed up from his crash landing spot. When it cleared, Beetle stood, completely unharmed, but clad in plates of pure green energy.

"You're tougher than you look, I'll give you that." He turned his head sharply and his jaw dropped. Katsumi reclined on a hand molded from the sand of the river bed, looking like a monarch seated atop a throne. Her lips curled into a bemused smile as she sized up her hapless peasant. "Now to teach you some respect. Bow before your Princess!" She hopped off moments before the great muddy hand slapped down on the river bank where Beetle stood.

Katsumi searched the wet mound for movement. Nothing. Until a green blur of motion burst out of it and ended in a hard punch across the face. Katsumi's breath left her in a gasp as his next magic-empowered strike buried into the soft of her stomach.

Still reeling from the impact, Katsumi desperately swung her arm. A handful of sand sprayed across his face, sending him back a step with his hands to his eyes. She quickly backflipped out of range, using the momentum to drive a kick into his jaw while she was at it.

When Beetle straightened up, he was not the wayward school boy that had so rudely interrupted her meditations. There was... Another presence in his venomous green eyes that made Katsumi fear for her life.

"You've forced my hand..." she held her hands out; the sand around her whipped up in waves. She raised silt from the river banks, and every grain that she could pry from the greedy tree roots of the forest, until a maelstrom swirled around her petite figure.

Beetle shielded his face with both hands as the howling winds tore at his skin. His Grand reinforced the armored plates and spilled over his head in the form of a helmet. Katsumi threw her arms out wide with a cry, sending gale forces of sand tearing through the air towards her opponent.

Lazy motes of sand danced through the air as Katsumi stood, panting. She scanned the river banks, which were now blanketed with layers of fine white and brown. She felt movement in the sand. 'It can't be...' Katsumi spun around in surprise, but no words came out as green energy wrapped around her neck. Instead, she fell to her knees with a gasp, clutching at her throat.

Beetle observed his victim floundering for air with cool detachment. His Grand's grip on her throat gradually tightened, squeezing the last shreds of air from her stubborn gullet.

Beetle's eyes widened as Katsumi's fluttered shut. Pinpricks of shooting pain riddled his chest like tiny bullet holes. He gasped for air, then wheezed, and when it became clear that nothing was going down, it came up.

Katsumi took in great gasps of air as her eyes shot open. She glanced at the boy lying beside her. The pool of blood spilling from his lips was peppered with tiny, lethal grains of sand. She sighed in relief and muttered in a hoarse voice,

"Shoulda stayed in school, kiddo..."

K.O.! Victor: Princess Katsumi Hiroyuki!

Analysis:This one took some deliberation! Beetle's defensive options are impressive to say the least. As long as he could keep Katsumi comfortably in front of him, he had no trouble keeping the speed fighter at bay with his shield charms and magical armor. However, the Princess's acrobatic capabilities gave her the ability to run circles around Beetle and find chinks in his armor. She was only in any real danger when Aurim's Grand manifested itself in his son, upping his defenses another notch and stripping away his inhibitions in battle. Ultimately, it was Katsumi's mastery over sand that tipped the scales in her direction. With the ability to manipulate the ground beneath her feet, she quickly overcame any advantage that Beetle's Grand gave him. Her coup de grace, the sandstorm ability, didn't have power enough on its own to take the defensive-heavy Beetle out, but real life sandstorms have a nasty tendency to not only get sand in very uncomfortable places, but also, your lungs. He had no defense against that. After that, it doesn't take a genius to figure out what someone like Katsumi could do with even a little sand in your lungs. Remember kids, stay in school. Katsumi knows where you live.

Credits:

askye2001 for Barnaby "Beetle" Monlay

ZiraHeeTeuk for Princess Katsumi Hiroyuki

Bio 1

Name: Barnaby "Beetle" Monolay

Age: 15 years

Gender: Male

Species: Human

Appearance: Tall, slightly muscular teen with black hair that hangs in his face now that he's grown it out. He is also very pale.

Personality: He can be charming and devious, but his friends know how joyful he is to be around. He is very protective of those close to him.

History: His father was a widely-known evil man named Aurim, who left before he was born. He evidently had to later kill his father and was never the same again. His father's personality is now trapped inside him and comes out when angered or frightened, and he becomes much more deadly.

Arsenal: N/A

Armor: He doesn't usually wear anything but casual clothes, but if needed, his magic can be used as a form of protection. Usually, hard surfaces will form on his forearms, thighs, and shins, plus a helmet that consequently shields his eyes and leaves him to rely on his instincts. Of course, he doesn't know this yet, because it only happens when his father's personality is out and about.

Power: Everyone in his world has a special magic within them called a Grand. Much like the magic of the J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter, it is unlimited and they can use it at will. His is purple, but his father has a green Grand. The eyes of the person glow the color of their Grand when they use magic.

Fighting style: He is inexperienced in any proffesional fighting, but is a particularly good boxer, and has gotten in several fights at school or on the street. He will most likely use his Grand for the majority of the fight.

Bio 2

Age: 25

Gender: Female

Species: Human with superpowers

Appearance: 155cm, fit (fairly with small muscles along with not-so-obvious six packs, long (waist length) silky black hair in high ponytail, diamond-shaped face with brownish cat eyes, fair skin, in nude makeup

Personality: Confident, reserved, but somehow a little vulnerable. Hardly shows herself worried - she shows them care in different way, independent - able to handle fights on her own. She's protective when it comes to keeping her comrades safe. She doesn't talk much but she's easily agitated if someone provoked her.

History: She was sent away by her father at the age of 15 because his right hand man started trying to hit on her (she's beautiful). Though her father knew this, he decided to have her out of the palace as he thought it won't do him good without his most trusted man. She stayed far from the palace & was brought up by a few of ladies-in-waiting. She's clueless of the reason her father sent her away, hence, she felt angry & slowly she kind of turned into such a reserved person. While she was away for 10 years, she self-taught the powers weapons she possessed.

Arsenal: Scythe (main weapon), short dual swords

Armor: One piece leather suit (slim fit) along with leather boots (nope, no armors for her)

Abilities: She controls sand dusts. She does not carry her weapons around. All she gotta do is air swing her arms (and the sand dust follows her hand direction) and boom! Her weapon appears in her had. And just like anyone who possess power of water, flame, air, etc, she can create sandstorms. When she touches the ground, she knows exactly where her opponent is coming from (even if they hide). She's quick to sense someone's presence.

Fighting Style: When using scythe, she likes to hold it in her right hand and place it on the back of her left shoulder (with the blade rest against the ground), but that is when she's about to fight. When she fights, she'll swing her scythe 360 degrees in the air and aim the blade for the opponent's legs and then swing the blade to the right/back if there are any opponents in that directions.

When using short dual swords, she starts off with holding it downwards as it is easier for her to knock her opponents with her elbow first, then kill them by piercing their chests with the swords in that position.

She knows a few acrobatics, one of which is backflip. She uses this technique (rarely, if she feels like it) to kick the opponent's face/jaw.

She also like to run & jump over something to throw a punch.

In a worst case scenario, she'll use her power. Most rarely, she'll attack her opponents' eyes with sand, leaving them having difficulties to see. If she's using a stronger magic, she'll raise both her hands into mid-air, collating the sands (in the midst, it causes sandstorm) to twirl like mother of all tornadoes and before releasing it, she'll cross her hands over chest & when she's ready, she'll release her arms wide open.