Predictable and Predicted

Talon pulled himself back up as the sound of the ding echoed through the arena. Even though he had lost a point, even though he had never been meant to win, he refused to back down.

"I'm not done," he muttered, already channeling another spell.

He might not have been the strongest duelist, but if there was one thing he was good at, it was combining his elements.

With fire glowing in one hand and earth magic surging in the other, a massive surge of energy pulsed through the arena. The ground trembled as he tapped into the lingering heat beneath them, forcing a molten eruption to burst from the cracks.

A wave of scorching lava surged toward Aurora's golem, a searing force meant to overwhelm it.

But once again, Aurora responded in a way he hadn't expected.

Instead of defending her golem, she exploited the fact that most people never expected her to attack directly. Using her golem as a catalyst, she launched a solid chunk of earth straight at Talon.

Talon's attack struck true—lava splashed across the golem's head, melting away parts of its structure. But it cost him.

The instant he saw Aurora's counterattack, he knew he had no time to dodge. The rock slammed into him with crushing force, knocking the air from his lungs and sending him sprawling across the arena once more.

Ding.

The scoreboard updated: 2-0, Aurora.

Outside the arena, Jace sat with the others watching Aurora's match. 

"I know we said that trying to predict your opponents can be dangerous, but Aurora makes me wish I could do it better." He murmured to no one in particular.

It was Lyra that responded though. "I know… I don't understand how she does it."

Felix leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he watched the match unfold. "It's not just prediction, it's like she forces them to choose the option that she wants without them realizing that's what she's doing."

Astra stretched her arms behind her head, chuckling. "It's a good thing she's on our team. Imagine how much of a pain she'd be to fight against."

Jace let out a laugh. "I don't have to imagine, I've fought her, it's really fun."

Lyra shot him a knowing smirk. "At least you fought her to a draw, I lost to her pretty handedly."

"That just means you need another attempt," Jace said, shrugging with a smirk.

"Oh trust me, I'm going to fight her again. And if I lose, I'll just fight her again." Lyra's face shifted to her own grin.

 "You're both insane," Ethan said, shaking his head. "I gotta give her opponent some credit though, he's stubborn as hell."

Jace exhaled sharply, leaning back as he rubbed his chin. 'Yeah… I respect it. But I don't think it'll change the outcome."

No one disagreed. They had seen Aurora's control over the match. Unless something drastic happened, this duel was already over.

Back inside the arena, Talon groaned and rolled onto his side, clutching his ribs. Forcing himself to stand again, his breaths heavy. He was on his last chance now, if he took another shot it would be over.

Even knowing that he was outmatched, he refused to go out without making her work for it.

With a shift of his stance, he reached deep into his wood magic. The charred trees around the battlefield began to move, extending unnaturally responding to his will.

Then, unexpectedly, the vines stretched out, entangling Aurora's golem in a mass of twisting roots. As long as he could bind it down, he thought he had a chance of getting a point.

Aurora shook her head as the vines wrapped around her golem, in most duels people always focus super hard on her golem. Seemingly forgetting the fact that she can still use spells.

She cast multiple spells, launching a void sphere at Talon while her golem fired an earth sphere, the two attacks forming a pincer maneuver. As they flew towards Talon.

Talon realized his mistake a second too late.

He managed to pivot to avoid the void sphere, but he wasn't lucky. The staggered timing of the earth sphere was perfect, catching him mid dodge.

Barely able to brace himself as the earth sphere slammed into his side, sending his skidding backwards once again.

Ding.

The ringing bell signaled the end of the duel. Aurora had won, 3-0.

Talon lay on his back for a moment, staring up at the ceiling. "Why aren't you Jace?"

Aurora paused mid-step. "Because you wanted him to be in this duel, so why would I put him in this round?" She continued leaving, having said what was needed.

"They played us from the start." Talon said, forcing himself to stand again.

Aurora left the arena, meeting back up with the rest of her team. 

"Good job captain," Jace said, giving her a thumbs up.

"Thanks," she replied with an actual smile. "I'm just glad that my predictions were correct going into that duel."

"Honestly, it feels like you're seeing the future with how often your predictions turn out right." Orion said, still sitting.

"Tell me, oh powerful oracle," Ethan said, dropping to one knee before Aurora. "Are Selene and I victorious in our next duel?" Playing up the silliness.

"You'd better," Aurora responded, glaring down at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Understood captain," he jumped up and gave a salute, turning towards Selene. "You ready partner?"

"Absolutely," Selene grinned, she was feeling confident after Aurora's showing in the first round. She doubted their opponents would be able to contest her and Ethan, especially after Aurora's performance, as they made their way to the arena.