The two, one bone dry and one soaked, jogged back to their starting position.

On the way, Ash witnessed an arbiter whisking away the boy who'd been facing Adonis. A gaping hole in his shoulder told a story of its own.

"Wow, look who held up!" Daxon praised a somewhat dazed Adonis.

The boy gave him a weak smile.

"Took you all long enough," Tobias grumbled as he stumbled over. He was bleeding from several gashes. A particular one went down the side of his bald head, and blood kept dripping into his eyes. He wiped furiously at it.

"Um...are you ok?" Skyler probed.

Tobias shot her a bloody grin. "Peachy." The grin widened. "Only one remaining." His eyes turned to where their lone opponent stood. The guy no longer looked as sure of himself anymore. "Let's get this over with."

Ash eyed his injuries.

"I'll go for the flag, you all help Tobias out," Daxon spoke.

"I don't need no help," Tobias growled.

Daxon's eyebrows rose. He balanced his scythe on his shoulders, seeming to want to say something but keeping it to himself.

"Four against one is better," Ash spoke firmly.

"Ten." The countdown had begun.

Tobias argued no further.

This time, their remaining opponent didn't rush forward. He eyed his enemies, seeming to try and come up with a plan.

"One!"

"Let's go!" Tobias sprang forward.

Skyler followed closely. Adonis was already fitting an arrow to his bow.

Ash jogged toward their last obstacle.

Behind her, Daxon made his way toward the flag.

Perhaps if their opponent had waited to get rid of his teammates till the end, he would have been able to contest. Unfortunately, now that it was five against one, he didn't stand much of a chance.

He'd switched from whirlwinds to throwing his arms forward.

Hundreds of wind blades came flying.

"Watch it!" Ash warned.

Tobias threw out a wall of red mist to protect himself.

Skyler fabricated her hammer from thin air and swung it to deflect the blades. Daxon swung his scythe, and Ash launched herself above the attack, twisting to avoid the stray few that made it her way.

Adonis, who was beyond the attack, let arrows rain toward the attacker, forcing him to go on defense.

With a yell, Tobias shot forward to follow up.

Daxon was already near the flag, having surpassed their enemy the moment he was distracted by the first arrow. Still, he'd somehow moved incredibly fast.

Ash kept one eye on him as she dodged another wind blade.

Daxon was almost upon the flag.

Tobias, who'd found a break, launched himself toward the enemy with a yell. Coupled with the blood pouring down his face he looked quite terrifying.

As Tobias flew through the air, something changed.

Dodge, Callous' warning came at the same moment as Ash leaped backward. She saw something black, much like a shadow, disappear from sight.

Her eyes narrowed as she turned to see Skyler dodging a wind blade.

Too slow, Callous warned against the attack the girl didn't notice coming from below.

Ash moved without thinking, she blinked out of existence, re-appearing next to the other girl. She grabbed her by her collar and pulled her back all in the blink of an eye.

The same black shadow disappeared, having failed to make contact.

It was in the same moment that Tobias reached the enemy. He slashed at the other boy, catching him as he tried to dodge. While he laughed and was about to deliver the final blow to the wide-eyed boy, he suddenly froze.

Tobias, gagged, his whole-body tensing. He dropped both blades and groped at his neck. Eye bulging and face turning purple, he turned, clawing at the air.

Those fear-stricken eyes landed on Ash, seeming to plead with her. The girl's ignored him, seeing the wisp of what looked like black smoke.

As Tobias fell to his knees, the attacker behind him let out a yell. He raised an uninjured hand, ready to send the wind blades that would end it all for the already dying boy.

To the onlookers, it looked as though the enemy had taken him down and would now rightfully finish his attack. Ash, however, moved her gaze to where Daxon stood.

As his fingers twitched, a faint black smoke escaped the tips. Those eyes of his were twinkling no more.

Shadows, Callous sighed. Why is it always the nice ones that betray you in the end?

Daxon's other hand was inches from the flag. All he needed to do was grasp it and bring it over to win. Still, he made no move to do so.

At least he was wiser in waiting to the end. Callous shifted. So, are we going to let him get away with it?

Skyler had leaped forward, rushing to Tobias' aid, forcing the wind blades to die as soon as they were formed. Even Adonis released arrow after arrow in fury to try and save his teammate. However, no arrow landed as they were swallowed by the air as they approached.

All of this happened in seconds, and yet Ash took it all in calmly as though it was much longer.

She saw the new shadow flittering across the upturned soil, one headed for Skyler, one headed for Tobias and his would-be attacker, and one headed for her.

Well, at least they'll be fewer to beat in the end, Callous decided lazily.

She saw Tobias' eyes were closing, and how in the last moment they remained pleadingly on her. She saw the smile twitching at the edge of Daxon's lips, how his eyes sparked with danger. She saw the next wind blades rising to attack.

Her fingers closed into a fist.

Callous perked up. This won't benefit us at all, he warned. The fewer in the next round, the better.

The slightest purple crackled around those clenched fists.

I'll be discrete. The moment she thought it, Ash was on the move.

Once again, she seemed to blink from existence. She reappeared right next to Skyler, who was in mid-run. Without breaking a step, Ash grabbed Skyler's hammer with one hand and shoved the girl back with the other.

As Skyler flew back from the unexpected attack, a black shadow shot by, missing her. In the same moment, Ash threw the hammer, not even taking a moment to consider how heavy it was.

The hammer collided with the boy attacking with the wind. Not only did it lift him off his feet and push him back, but it shoved him straight to Daxon. The latter grasped the flag and moved. No sooner did he do so than Tobias gasped as the force around his neck magically disappeared. The boy clawed at the ground, drawing in breath after breath with wheezing sounds.

Daxon watched the hammer disintegrate into the air before the last opponent flopped to the ground – unconscious.

Raising an eyebrow, Daxon turned, his eyes meeting Ash's. She stared him down, her own expression blank. Daxon's lips turned up and he walked over, flag in one hand and a swagger in his steps.

Whatever color his crystal, if that was what he was even using, it stayed hidden, keeping his level unknown. In fact, he'd played his cards well enough that most likely, no one other than Ash had noticed.

Daxon smiled at her as he walked by her. "I hope to meet again!" With a light laugh and a spring in his step, he jogged to their side, raising the flag in the air.

"Victory!" the voice boomed.

The sound barrier dropped, and the roar of the crowd washed over the arena.

Ignoring it, Ash walked to where Tobias was still gasping. She reached out a hand.

The boy froze. Blood and sweat covered the snake tattoo on his head, making him somewhat pitiful to look at. His eyes were bloodshot. "Thank you," he rasped the words Ash never expected to hear.

The girl simply nodded and then motioned with her hand.

Tobias took it, letting her pull him to his feet. Tobias' eyes turned to Daxon and he glared with obvious hatred.

"I should have guessed," he rasped.

"Save it for the later rounds," Ash murmured.

Skyler, who'd picked herself up, looked somewhat dazed as she tried to figure out what had just happened. Adonis was grinning and waving at the audience they could now clearly see, a look of disbelief written on his own face. He was also the only person who hadn't been attacked by the black shadow. Then again, perhaps he had been deemed too weak.

Daxon threw an arm around his shoulder and drew him close, ruffling his hair as they celebrated.

You might face the very people you protected, Callous warned.

Ash ignored him.

"How did you move like that?" Skyler asked as she walked over. She seemed anything but bitter at having been shoved out of the way and her weapon stolen.

"Speed skill," Ash replied calmly.

An arbitrator appeared, motioning for the group to follow him from the arena so they could prepare for the next group. Above, colorful lights exploded as the stadium continued to roar and chant.

"Congratulations on making it to the next round," the man with the clipboard greeted the group as they exited the area. They found themselves in silence more deafening as the cheering before.

"You'll each be shown to your new room in the west wing," the man continued.

"We should eat together to celebrate!" Daxon announced cheerfully.

The blissfully unaware Adonis and Skyler beamed in agreement.

"Yeah, this was all thanks to you," Tobias sneered.

Daxon smiled. "Ah, don't be such a downer. We're a team after all." His eyes turned to Ash. "Right?"

Ash calmly returned his gaze.

"Were," Tobias muttered before pushing by and heading to the door. The man with the clipboard patiently waited.

Ash followed. As she passed by Daxon she ignored the eyes that followed her.

"No dinner together?" Adonis called after, sounding dejected.

Ash raised a simple hand in farewell. She stepped out of the room, following the man who was waiting to show her to the new area.

Right now, she didn't care about the politics or who was backstabbing who. What she wanted to do was go back and watch the replay of their match. Not for the match, no. But for a certain someone's reaction when he saw it.