"Next bout!" Oliver called, his tone snapping through the air like a whip. "Julia Kim against Carlos Mihn!"
A ripple of surprise ran through the students. A female student against a male.
Julia, slim and flexible, with the faint silver sheen of her Skyborn heritage in her eyes.
Carlos, broad shouldered, flame touched, his steps already radiating grounded confidence.
"But professor!" Julia protested. "I already have my partner."
"And that means nothing out in the real world." Oliver grinned. "I told you all this already, but let's see if it sticks this time."
"In battle, you don't get to choose your opponent. Sometimes the person across from you isn't the one you'd expect."
"Sometimes it's a man, sometimes it's a woman, sometimes it's something that doesn't even look human at all. Underestimating them," he snapped his fingers loudly. "that's the first step to losing."
"Here, you get to fight in a controlled environment. But outside the walls of this academy, no one cares."
