I've always believed there's a certain poetry to elemental combat. Not the flowery kind that old-world poets wrote about, but something rawer, the sizzle of flame meeting flesh, the satisfying crack of lightning, the simple honesty of destruction.

  Standing in the Variable Terrain arena's preparation chamber, I can feel that familiar energy building in my fingertips, little flames dancing between them almost of their own accord. It's become my nervous habit since Gary restored my abilities, like my body can't quite believe it has its powers back and needs constant reassurance.

  "Two minutes until arena activation," announces the automated system. "Contestants prepare for terrain randomization."

  Gary stands at the front of our group, calm and focused like always. Desta checks her enhanced rifle one last time, eyes occasionally flickering with code, probably running through a hundred possible scenarios in that quantum-enhanced brain of hers. And Lyra... well, Lyra looks like she might actually bounce through the ceiling with excitement.

  "My first real arena match!" she squeals, clapping her hands together. "This is so much better than assessment fights!"

  "Try to contain yourself," I tell her dryly. "You'll need that energy for the actual fighting part."

  Lyra just beams at me, utterly immune to sarcasm as usual. "Oh, I have plenty of energy for everything!"

  Of course she does.

  The doors slide open, revealing the arena beyond, a massive circular space that currently resembles a blank canvas, its surfaces a neutral gray. As we step through, I catch my first glimpse of Team Convergence entering from the opposite side.

  Their leader is immediately identifiable, taller than the others, with blue-tinted skin that shimmers slightly in the arena lights. Maris, the A-rank water manipulator that Desta briefed us on. Behind her follow three B-ranks: Vex with his shield generators visible on his forearms, Krell whose rocky hide suggests his stone manipulation abilities, and Nira with electrical disruptors strapped to her slender frame.

  "Central Arena presents: Team Exodus versus Team Convergence!" booms an announcer's voice. "Variable Terrain activation commencing in three... two... one..."

  The blank arena suddenly erupts with activity, floor panels sliding apart as various environmental features rise from below. Hills form on one side, a small lake bubbles up near the center (advantage: Maris), rock formations jut upward at various points (advantage: Krell), and metallic spires that crackle with energy emerge throughout (advantage: Nira).

  How convenient that the random terrain just happens to benefit three of our four opponents. I catch Gary's eye and can tell he's thinking the same thing.

  "Remember the strategy," Gary says quietly. "I'll handle Maris. You three take their B-ranks."

  "Terrain configuration provides multiple elevation advantages," Desta observes, her eyes flickering briefly. "Recommend I utilize central ridge for optimal targeting parameters."

  "I'll draw their attention," Lyra offers eagerly. "My regeneration should keep me safe!"

  I crack my knuckles, feeling heat building in my palms. "I'll keep moving, hit them from multiple angles. Let's see how well they 'converge' when they're being attacked from everywhere."

  Gary nods, and I swear I catch the ghost of a smile. "Team Exodus, let's show them what we can do."

  The arena signal sounds, and everything explodes into motion.

  Gary launches immediately toward Maris, who responds by pulling an impossible amount of water from the central lake, forming it into swirling barriers around herself. I barely have time to appreciate the matchup before the three B-ranks are charging toward us, working in practiced formation.

  No time for lengthy planning now, we've drilled for this. I catch Desta's eye, then Lyra's, giving them a quick nod. We've got this.

  Krell hits first, slamming his fists into the ground to send a jagged wave of stone rippling toward us. I react instantly, shifting to electrical manipulation and sending a crackling bolt into the approaching wave. The electricity follows the mineral veins in the stone, disrupting Krell's control just enough to create a gap in the attack.

  "Split up!" I shout, already darting left while Desta moves right. Lyra, predictably, charges straight ahead, her body transforming mid-run into something like crystalline armor, the bio-reactive metal gleaming beneath her skin.

  Vex raises his arms, shield projectors humming to life as he creates a series of translucent barriers to separate us. Smart move, they want to isolate us, take us down one by one. Too bad for them, isolation works both ways.

  I find myself cut off from the others by a shimmering energy barrier, face to face with Nira. Her electrical emitters crackle as she advances, lips curved in a predatory smile.

  "Bad luck for you," she says, firing a blue-white electrical discharge that sizzles through the air toward me.

  I don't bother dodging. Instead, I shift to lightning absorption, my body drinking in her attack like a parched desert soaking up rain. The rush of power tingles through my nerves, better than any drug.

  "You have no idea," I reply, redirecting her own electricity back at her with a little extra juice of my own.

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  Her eyes widen just before the amplified bolt hits her, sending her flying backward into one of the rock formations. One down? No, just stunned. She's already struggling to her feet, disruptors recalibrating.

  Through Vex's translucent barriers, I catch glimpses of the others. Lyra has engaged Krell directly, her transformed limbs shifting between shield and weapon configurations as she absorbs and returns his stone projectiles. Desta has found her elevated position and is systematically targeting weak points in Vex's shield network, her enhanced rifle making precision shots that cause sections to flicker and fail.

  Beyond them all, Gary and Maris are locked in what looks like some kind of deadly dance. Massive water constructs hammer at his telekinetic defenses while he retaliates with focused telekinetic strikes with his sword that Maris's fluid fighting style seems to simply flow around. Even from here, I can see the water manipulator's smug confidence, she's in her element, literally, with that convenient lake to draw from.

  No time to worry about that now. Nira is back on her feet, this time more cautious, keeping her distance as she fires shorter bursts of electricity.

  I shift to heat manipulation, superheating the air between us until it shimmers. Her next electrical attack disperses harmlessly in the thermal barrier, the energy dissipating into the disturbed air. She frowns, recalibrating once again.

  My turn.

  I launch forward, flames wreathing my arms as I close the distance. Nira backpedals, firing desperately at point-blank range. I absorb what I can, letting the rest slide off as I transition back to heat. When I'm within arm's reach, I release a concentrated burst of super-heated air directly into her face.

  Not enough to cause permanent damage, I'm not a monster, but more than enough to overwhelm her senses and short out her emitters. She drops like a stone, unconscious but breathing.

  I spin around, assessing the battlefield. Vex has pulled back, consolidating his shields around himself in a dome-like configuration as Desta's precisely targeted shots continue to stress his projectors. Lyra is a whirlwind of transforming limbs and metallic surfaces, keeping Krell occupied as chunks of his stone armor shatter against her enhanced form.

  Time to tip the scales.

  "Desta!" I call out, moving to flank Vex. "Heat sensitivity?"

  Her eyes flicker briefly. "Shield projectors exhibit thermal regulation vulnerability at connection junctions! Targeting parameters indicate 72.8% disruption probability with concentrated heat application!"

  In normal human speak: hit the spot where the shields connect to his armor.

  I circle Vex, looking for the perfect angle. His dome of shields rotates to track me, but that just gives Desta clearer shots at the opposite side. When I see the telltale flicker of his projectors straining, I strike, pouring concentrated heat directly at the connection points on his left gauntlet.

  The effect is immediate. The shield matrix destabilizes, creating cascading failures throughout the network. Vex curses, trying to compensate, but between my heat and Desta's precision fire, his defenses collapse entirely. One solid shot from Desta's rifle and he's down, shield projectors smoking and useless.

  Two down.

  I turn to assist Lyra with Krell, only to find it unnecessary. The stone manipulator lies half-embedded in one of his own rock formations, Lyra standing over him with her arm formed into what looks like a massive crystal hammer.

  "That was fun!" she announces cheerfully, her body flowing back to humanoid form as she rejoins us. "His rocks were hard, but I'm harder!"

  Three down. Just Maris left.

  We turn as one to where Gary still battles the water manipulator. The fight has intensified, with Maris now controlling multiple water constructs simultaneously, tentacle-like appendages whipping at Gary from all directions while a swirling dome protects her core. Gary's telekinetic shields are holding, but he can't seem to break through her defenses long enough to land a decisive blow.

  It's a stalemate, and Maris knows it. Her blue-tinted face shows strain but also determination. She thinks she can outlast him, wear him down gradually.

  She's forgotten one critical detail: Gary isn't fighting alone anymore.

  No words are needed. We move in perfect synchronization, approaching Maris from three different angles. She notices the new threat immediately, eyes widening as water tentacles redirect toward us.

  "Keep the pressure on!" I shout, shifting to heat manipulation. I focus intense energy on the nearest water construct, instantly vaporizing a massive section of it. Steam billows across the arena, temporarily obscuring portions of the battlefield.

  Desta's rifle fires in precise three-shot bursts, each one targeting the connection points where Maris's water constructs join her central defensive dome. The water-based structures temporarily destabilize at each impact point, creating momentary vulnerabilities.

  Lyra charges straight through one of the water tentacles, her body transformed into something like a crystalline battering ram reinforced with the bio-reactive metal. Water parts harmlessly around her as she crashes toward Maris's position.

  Caught between four simultaneous threats, Maris falters. Her control slips, water constructs losing cohesion as she struggles to maintain her defenses in all directions at once.

  That's all the opening Gary needs.

  A massive telekinetic surge erupts from his position, invisible but undeniable in its power. The pressure front ripples outward, shredding Maris's remaining water constructs and slamming into her central dome with irresistible force. The water shield collapses inward, and Maris goes flying backward, hitting the arena wall with enough impact to leave a slight indentation.

  She slides to the ground, dazed but conscious, looking up at us with a mixture of shock and grudging respect.

  "Team Convergence neutralized," announces the arena system. "Victory: Team Exodus."

  For a moment, we just stand there, somewhat surprised by our own efficiency. Then Lyra breaks the silence with an enthusiastic whoop, jumping up and down like a child at a birthday party.

  "We did it! We actually did it! Our first real arena victory as a team!"

  Even Desta's typically neutral expression shows a hint of satisfaction. "Combat coordination exceeded predicted effectiveness parameters by approximately 17.8%."

  Gary walks over to us, looking tired but pleased. "Good work, everyone. That's how Team Exodus fights."

  I can't help the smirk that finds its way to my face. "Not bad for a bunch of misfits who barely knew each other a week ago."

  From the sponsor observation booth, I can see Zix's frill expanded to maximum size, flashing with colors so bright they're almost painful to look at. He's bouncing so vigorously he might actually achieve liftoff.

  "TWO WINS NOW!" his voice blares through the communication system. "TEAM EXODUS ON VICTORY PATHWAY! ONLY EIGHT MORE TO GO!"

  Gary catches my eye, and we share a brief moment of understanding. Two down, eight to go. A long way yet, but today proved something important, we're not just four individuals thrown together by circumstance anymore. We're becoming something more.

  As we exit the arena to Zix's continued enthusiastic bouncing, I find myself genuinely looking forward to whatever comes next. The flames dancing between my fingers aren't just nervous energy anymore, they're anticipation.