Sam sat on a rock idly, watching Yiernoshi stand, facing the rock wall, in hyper Dying Will mode, flame on forehead blazing and lollipop aglow.

Rachel, who had come to watch the training, frowned.

"Is just standing there supposed to be training?"

"Wrong. It's measuring the timing for the Dying Will Zero Point Break."

"Zero Point Break?"

"Just watch."

So they watched. Yiernoshi stood there, not budging an inch.

"...How much longer are we supposed to wait?"

"Hm...I guess it won't appear today."
-----
That night, they all met up at the school gates.

Jeanine came a little later than the others, with a mummy-like thing following her.

"Eep! Is that a mummy?"

The figure clawed violently at the bandages on its face.

"Nu! Ith me!"

"That Rachel...she said that this was going to be an effective treatment, then she wrapped me up clumsily in bandages!"

"Chr...Christine?!"

Jeanine grinned.

"Apparently, she's supposed to rest quietly, but she wanted to come no matter what, so I lent her a hand."

Christine scowled.

"I wasn't going to go down without knowing how the match went!"

"Oh yeah, today is Claire's battle, right?"

"Yep!"

Two figures leapt onto the school rooftop. It was the judges.

"Today's battle shall be held in the school building's Block B. Please make your way over to Block B now."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go...oof!"

Christine had spun around, ready to go, but tripped and fell face flat.

"Christine!"
-----
After picking Christine up and trying (to no avail) to prevent Christine from ripping off her bandages ('stupid useless bandages,' she said), they headed to Block B.

"Eh?"

The three-storey building was completely devoid of furniture. The three floors had been merged into one, and many platforms had been installed at different heights, some stuck to walls, some suspended from the ceiling.

"This is the battlefield for the Battle of Rain."

"Hmm...interesting."

Yiernoshi looked up to see a group of leather-clad girls standing on a platform.

"The Cheddocheezaria!"

A girl stepped forward, away from the mass of leather. She wore a white shirt below her leather jacket, black shorts, and knee-high boots. From her breast pocket hung a silver chain. She also had a fingerless glove on her right hand.

Yiernoshi found it strange that she should choose to wear a glove on only one hand.

The reason she did so became apparent as Yiernoshi watched her yank it off and stuff it into her pocket. On the back of her right hand was a tattoo. It looked like a crown surrounded by a swirl, which in turn was flanked by a pair of wings, all encompassed within a 'C'.

A tattoo...on a girl who looked her age...surprising. No wonder she had to hide it with a glove.

"Move it, herbivores."

Claire, it seemed, had arrived.

She pushed past them, and headed for the center of the arena, where the judges and the girl with the tattoo were.

"The audience area will be outside the school building. The match will be projected onto a giant screen set in the wall. All except the guardians should vacate the premises immediately."

"All right."

Everyone left. Nobody dared to wish Claire well. There were two reasons for this. One, she'd 'book them to death'. And two, she would probably take it as an insult to her fighting strength.

Finally, the arena was devoid of people except the two Guardians.

"The battle for the Ring of Rain: Claire versus Gladys. Begin the battle!"

Claire immediately charged forward, tonfas at the ready. Gladys pulled out a whip and blocked the attack. Claire, undeterred, kept on attacking.

Gladys dodged the blows swiftly, parrying with her whip. She leapt from platform to platform, finally stopping on one and twirling around before crounching down, whip in hand.

Claire smirked.

"A pirouette?"

Gladys grinned.

"Yeah, I dance ballet, you know."

To prove it, she began a small ballet routine right there on the platform.

Surprisingly, Claire didn't attack at all during Gladys' dance routine, but merely stood and watched, eyebrows cocked and a smirk playing on her face.

When Gladys finished, Claire tutted.

"Is that all you can do? How pathetic."

Her next words shocked Yiernoshi. A lot.

"I dance way better."
-----
Gladys stared at Claire in silence for about a second or so after this statement. Then, she burst out laughing.

"You? A mere student? How dare you stand there and proclaim that you can dance better than me, the ballet queen!"

Claire smirked.

"That's because I can dance so much more than just ballet."

"Really? Show me."

So Claire danced. She danced on her platform for 15 minutes straight. While Gladys stood and stared.

At the end of the dance, Claire turned to face Gladys.

"There. I've proven it. Now, die."

"Huh?"

Before Gladys could react, Claire had jumped off her platform, and was now zigzagging from platform to platform, tonfas out, sadistic grin on her face.

Her tonfas hit Gladys' head, and Gladys staggered back, a little unsteady. Grinning widely now, Claire undid her tie. She looped it swiftly aroung Gladys' neck, and held the free end. Dragging Gladys to the edge of the platform, she dangled her by the tie.

"Uff!"

Gladys' face was slowly but surely turning purple.

"Give me the ring now. Or you die."

"Neffer!" -choke-

"Really?"

Claire began to swing Gladys by the tie back and forth.

"Now will you give it to me?"

"Giff yu the Wing of Wain? Neffer!"

Claire bent down and using her other hand, pressed the tonfa against Gladys' throat.

"Give it to me, or you die. I mean it."

Gladys looked up at Claire's face. Her vision flickered, and...wait...were those black spots floating around?

"Unh...fine...take...it."

"Finally."

Claire reached down, and yanked the Ring off the chain in Gladys' pocket.

"Goodbye, herbivore."

Claire let go of the tie, and Gladys fell about two-and-a-half stories down.

The judges blinked once, twice.

"The winner of the scramble battle for the Ring of Rain goes to Claire. We will announce the tomorrow's battle now."

Yiernoshi held her breath. Victory was only one more win away. Could they do it?

"The next battle will be...the battle between the Guardians of Thunder."