I am Just an Average Tamer

Lysenna's grin widened. "Yes Duels. Not your soft, friendly sparring matches. I'm talking about pressure, strategy. Go wild kiddos and show me what you got."

Groans, whispers, and a few excited murmurs swept through the classroom like a wave.

Lysenna twirled a finger in the air lazily.

"Those of you who think you can impress, step up. Those who think hiding in theory can save you?" Her gaze swept to a few in the front. "You're still coming."

Corrin finally stirred from beside Kai, lifting his head groggily.

"Huh… what'd I miss?"

Kai didn't even look at him.

"We're dueling today."

Corrin blinked.

"Shit yeah, now we talking."

Then the students followed Professor Lysenna as she led them through a wide corridor that opened into one of the academy's largest outdoor training arenas.

The sky stretched above in a clear, cloudless blue, the morning sun already warming the stone underfoot.

A vast, oval-shaped field lay ahead, smooth, sand-colored dueling ground bordered by a faint blue shimmer of protective barriers.

Around it were spectator terraces made of enchanted darkwood, inscribed with glowing runes, each designed to suppress stray elemental blasts from reaching the crowd.

At one end of the arena, multiple combat dummies, some humanoid, some beast-shaped stood charred and mangled from previous sessions.

Weapon racks lined the side walls, and just beyond them.

Moments later, the class split off to the changing rooms, returning within minutes in their standard academy training gear, dark gray sleeveless tunics with light, rune-threaded armor across the chest and forearms.

Each outfit was tailored to the student's division, warriors had more reinforced plating, mages had mana-infused cloth, and tamers had flexible gear allowing movement for both physical and magical.

Kai adjusted his gloves as he stepped back into the sun, stretching his arms out. A familiar fidgeting presence caught his eye.

He turned.

Liliana stood near the edge of the sand circle, shifting on her feet and glancing around nervously, arms crossed.

"Nervous?" Kai asked, arching a brow.

She turned sharply like a kid caught off guard, but quickly recovered with a dramatic puff of her chest.

"Ah, of course not! Why would I be nervous?" she huffed. "You should be the one worried, cause I'm gonna smack your butt so hard you won't be able to sit straight for a week!"

Kai's lips twitched into a crooked smile.

"Pretty confident, aren't you."

Before she could respond, a familiar voice boomed from behind.

"I think we should be training partners, right brother?" Riven slung an arm around Kai's shoulder, flashing his usual broad grin. "We're both beast tamers and combatants."

Then he leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper.

"Also… don't bring that drake, okay? I like being alive."

Kai sighed with a smirk and gave him a subtle nod.

"Oh, bribing him now?" Corrin's voice came from the side as he leaned casually against one of the pillars, arms folded and a smirk playing on his lips.

"And what if I am?" Riven shot back, eyes narrowing with a grin. "You jealous?"

Corrin snorted and looked away.

Aria stood silently near Liliana, arms behind her back, her sharp green eyes watching the whole exchange.

She didn't say anything, but her glance toward them screamed, 'immature boys.'

Then—

Clap!

A single, loud clap echoed through the field.

Professor Lysenna stepped forward, her robe flowing slightly with the breeze as she addressed the class.

"Listen up, kiddos!" she called out, hands behind her back.

"Hate to say it, but there will be few rules."

Then she scanned the crowd, "First, no lethal strikes, this is a controlled environment. If you're too reckless, I'll personally yank you off the field and make you train with the Hazard toads for a week. And to let you guys know, they don't like humans much."

A few students paled. Someone muttered, "Not the toads…"

Lysenna grinned and continued.

"Second, no external aid. That means no potions, no charms, no beasts that are not already part of your registered set. What you have on you is what you use."

She lifted a small metallic device, a sphere engraved with runes. With a flick of her thumb, it expanded and floated midair, spinning with a soft hum.

"Third, your opponents will be chosen by this lot."

Then she paused and then continued again, "This duel-lot crystal will assign partners at random. When your name glows, you step into the ring."

The crystal glowed brighter and shot several pulses into the air.

"Let's see…" Lysenna smirked as the first names began forming.

The first names lit up in bright silver and violet:

'RASHIRA ASHWOOD'

'ARIA GLIMAIR'

A murmur rippled through the students, quickly growing into excited cheers.

A tall, lean elf girl with long green hair tied in a messy braid stepped out from the crowd.

Her crimson red eyes shimmered under the sunlight, a confident smile tugging at her lips as she cracked her knuckles and rolled her shoulders.

"Let's goooo, Rashira!" someone shouted from the crowd.

"Elf Princess! Elf Princess!" came another chant from the back.

Rashira didn't react much to the noise, just raised a hand lazily and kept her gaze locked on the dueling ring ahead.

Aria exhaled slowly and straightened her posture.

Before she could move, Liliana smacked her lightly on the back. "Go there and show us what you got." Her voice was filled with encouragement.

Kai gave a nod. "Good luck."

Then Riven came, smirking as usual. He slapped Aria's back harder, making her wince.

"Go and kick her ass."

Aria gave him a slow glare over her shoulder, the kind that promised future revenge. But she said nothing, just sighed and walked forward.

She stepped into the arena, sand shifting beneath her boots as she moved to the other side of the ring. Rashira mirrored her approach.

The two girls faced each other under the morning sun, standing in the center of the dueling ground, framed by the humming shimmer of the protective barrier that had now activated around the field. The crowd stilled, all eyes on them.

"So, we doing this again, huh?" Rashira said with a sly grin.

Aria matched it with a smirk of her own. "Yeah. And you're going down again, Princess."

Rashira scoffed, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her pointed ear. "We'll see about that."

Professor Lysenna stood near the edge of the field, her voice amplified by a rune attached to her collar.

"Rashira Ashwood versus Aria Glimair," she announced with sharp excitement.

"Tamer versus tamer. Rules apply. No summons outside of the first beast that enter the arena. First one to be disarmed, restrained, or yields will be considered defeated. Begin on my mark."

Both girls immediately summoned their beasts.

Rashira's circle flared first, brilliant emerald runes spinning outward from her palm. In a splash of glowing light, a serpentine creature burst forth.

A Riverwake Serpent.

Aria's summoning was more silent. A flick of her wrist, a soft violet glow, and a shadowy panther emerged beside her, low to the ground, its silver fangs glinting under the sun, her Ironfang Panther.

The beast let out a low growl.

Then...

"Let the duel… begin!"