Tessa knew she wanted to be a professional arena fighter ever since she won tickets to Battlemania XXIII when she was nine years old. She trained diligently ever since that day to be the best she could be, going so far as to place third in the Junior League Championship when she was twelve years old, losing in the quarterfinals to fellow academy student Nicole Blackclaw. During her freshman year at the academy Tessa showed great promise, with a winning combination of power, skill, and determination. During the final exams of that year she was matched against fellow freshman standout Andy Castillo, an aron, in a classic match of speed vs. power.