Pyrrha was afraid of one person at Beacon. Wait, afraid probably wasn't the proper term. There wasn't exactly much to be afraid of when it came to Velvet Scarlatina as far as Pyrrha knew. Pyrrha was sorry for thinking it, but Velvet seemed skilled at fighting, but she didn't appear to be a master of the craft. Still, she was a girl to at the very least concern over.
Velvet held something that she was entirely unaware of, and that was the necessary edge to defeating what made Pyrrha Nikos invincible. The spartan had never lost a match in her life because of her undefeatable Semblance; Polarity, or magnetism, was the ultimate weapon Pyrrha possessed, as it meant that any weapon on a battlefield was wielded by her, regardless of who held it. With the subtlest of motions, she plucked the strings and played the keys, making sure that her opponent was never able to discern that she was in control.
Pyrrha was a musician in her own right. While she never extended the time to learn an instrument, she had learned to make steel sing; her Semblance drew out the lowest hums of any weapon that would face her, creating a tune that was music to her ears and her ears alone. That song was her prelude to victory, the note signaling that her battle was won. Only she was ever able to discern the song, as she was the one to control when it played, and it was the noise that guaranteed victory.
None of Pyrrha's symphonies applied to Velvet Scarlatina, however. Her weapon of choice was the perfect counter to Polarity; there was no steel in a hologram, and no strings to pluck with hard light. Add in her ability to copy movements and unleash an infinite arsenal, and the rabbit was a force to be reckoned with. However, Pyrrha was at least mostly confident that she would still win, even without her edge. She was still a world-class fighter, instruments notwithstanding. Still, there was a chance Velvet had more than few tricks up her sleeve; that camera wasn't just for taking photos, after all, but that was a different story. Maybe if Pyrrha ever needed some headshots, or to train against her own fighting style, Velvet would be the one to talk to.
Taking into account that Velvet was her unknown rival, Pyrrha breathed a sigh of relief. She wouldn't be facing Velvet; instead, Yang would be her final battle before winning the Vytal Festival Tournament. After it was discovered that Yang had been tricked into attacking her opponent after he supposedly surrendered, she was allowed to finish the fight. Likewise, Penny survived with serious, but fixable injuries.
In an hour, Pyrrha would defeat Yang and win the tournament. She was taking her remaining time to relax and go over her strategy, though one wasn't really needed; Yang was strong, but she would only dance to the prelude of victory and fall victim to Pyrrha's Semblance. Still, the red haired woman hadn't won all of her previous tournaments by relying on luck.
Pyrrha's train of thought was interrupted by a knock on the waiting room door.
"Come in," Pyrrha said, her focus shifting to the door. To her confusion, Glynda pushed it open and walked in. With an annoyed look on her face, she strode up to the future champion.
"Hello, Ms. Nikos. Preparing for your fight, I assume?"
Pyrrha was unsure what this was about. She expected to just wait in the room until she was called to fight. Still, she answered, "Yes, professor." Glynda continued looking at her, trying to ease her annoyance. She didn't say anything for a moment, so Pyrrha inquired, "I'm sorry, is there something wrong?"
Glynda huffed, angrily blowing out a cloud of air. "Honestly, yes, but I'm afraid I don't have much say in the matter."
"What do you mean?"
Glynda's face went from stern to more sympathetic. "I've been asked to request something of you, though if I speak freely, I disapprove."
"Yes?" Pyrrha asked, confused as to what could be asked of her this close to her fight.
"As you know, the Vytal Festival has always about bringing our nations together for the purposes of camaraderie and unification. However, it can not be denied that the excitement surrounding the event is a very beneficial side effect." Glynda paused to take a breath and sharpen her gaze, returning to disapproval. "Due to the events that have transpired recently, Ms. Xiao Long's televised assault and the unfortunate incident with Ms. Polendina, the populace carries a negative atmosphere. Despite both of those issues being resolved in a positive manner, word has yet to spread, and the negative emotions are causing Grimm hordes to start growing interested in the city's walls. Because of this, the organizers of the Vytal Festival have decided to expand the broadcast of your match with Ms. Xiao Long to help entertain the populace and use the positive excitement to quiet the Grimm."
"I understand," Pyrrha stated, still confused. "I'm fine continuing the Festival if it means the safety of the people."
Glynda scowled. "I expected no less of you. However, the counsel, including the organizers, Ironwood, and Ozpin, have decided to, in their words, 'ensure that the match is well-received and creates plenty of positive emotions,' and proposed a method for doing so." It was obvious that whatever solution that was proposed, Glynda didn't approve of.
Pyrrha took a second to think. "So, I assume you want me to try to prolong the fight, and make it as entertaining as possible?" That wasn't exactly how a fight should go; it was supposed to be a straight forward test of skill, not a wrestling match with promos and heel turns. That would be distasteful, and would explain Glynda's negativity.
Glynda's scowl furrowed, angering her further. Whitening her knuckles with her grip, she drew the words out, tasting the disdain, "Yes, but that isn't all. As your professor, and as a female, I've been told to inform you that you will be wearing a uniform for your fight."
A uniform? Not exactly armor, but that was mostly for show, anyway. Still, if being a huntress was about being the pinnacle of personal skill and image, diluting one's individuality would be the antithesis. Huntress were supposed to be symbols, and Pyrrha was famed for her scarlet and bronze, just as Yang burned yellow. They were a step below uniquely identifiable superheroes, so wearing a standardized uniform was just… not normal.
"Wait, why does you being female matter?" Pyrrha asked, considering that Glynda merely telling her to change wasn't that much of a problem. Individuality was important, but one's sex had nothing to do with that aspect.
Pyrrha was shocked to see what she thought was the maximum level of scorn reach a new peak of vile. Glynda's voiced was angry and choked as she said, "Because it was agreed upon that your uniform should… be appealing." Not even when she lectured Cardin for his racist views did she carry such distaste. "While I personally find it offensive, you and Ms. Xiao Long were agreed upon to both be very attractive young women, and that we should capitalize on your appearances. Your, 'uniform,' has been designed to appeal to the male audience in order to help foster positive emotions from men."
Pyrrha blinked. Glynda was right about how that line of thinking was deplorable; she and Yang would be sexualized so that men can enjoy the fight more.
But…
Pyrrha looked at the ground, taking the thought of being used as sex appeal and pondering it. "I agree with you, professor; I do find the idea rather… disappointing." She paused.
Though she did disapprove of being sexualized for the sake of men's pleasure, the redhead was a bit caught off guard at being called attractive; even though she was easily the best fighter at Beacon and excelled in every class, no boy had ever approached her. Pyrrha tried not to think about her appearance outside of practicality, but the pain of never having anyone attracted to her still hurt. The hundreds of boys in her life clearly didn't find her sexually appealing, seeing as she'd never gone on a date. Jaune had also never said anything, and that hurt worst of all; if he didn't find her attractive…
But was any of that line of thinking correct? If a council agreed that Pyrrha was attractive, then she had to be, right? Then why did nobody ever approach her?
Pyrrha would have to shelve the thought that she was actually beautiful, for the match was quickly approaching. Turning to Glynda, she said, "Regardless of my opinion on the subject, I do believe it is a huntress' duty to make the world a better place. If there is a threat of a Grimm attack, and me wearing something will help fix that, then I will gladly wear it." If she was being honest, the idea made her feel like she was a toy; battles were supposed to be honorable and noble, not used to fulfill men's fantasies. Still, if her body could actually help save the city from an assault from the Grimm, then that was her duty; defending the world from the Grimm was important, but if she could prevent the Grimm attacking in the first place, then wouldn't that be more effective?
Glynda's harsh look softened upon dwelling on Pyrrha's stance. "Well, I'm glad you disapprove of the thought as well. I intend to have a very serious conversation with the council on how students are not meant to be paraded around. Still, I find your outlook commendable; I feel proud that you would put others before yourself in this manner." She looked at the clock over to the side of the room. "Someone will be here momentarily to deliver your uniform. I hope to see an excellent fight regardless of your state of dress." With that, she almost stamped out of the waiting room.
Pyrrha's thoughts returned to her body. Seeing as she would be facing Yang, she knew that the blonde more than likely had no issues wearing a sexy outfit to fight in. She always carried confidence with her body, and just the way she walked told the world she knew men approved. Pyrrha could only hope to one day find that confidence in herself; she was sure of everything about herself, save her sex appeal. If she was pretty, then why was she always alone? Why did a boy never approach her? Why couldn't Jau–
"Ms. Nikos?" said a voice coming through the door. One of Ironwood's attendants breached through into the waiting room, startling the lovesick huntress. "I assume Ms. Goodwitch has already explained your involvement?"
Slightly flustered, Pyrrha jumped up in her seat. Upon seeing the man reach out to help her, she waved him aside, saying, "Oh, I'm sorry. Y-Yes, Pr. Goodwitch was just in here." She couldn't let Jaune distract her from her match, let alone a man holding out a box. "Thank you." The woman accepted the large, incredibly intricate briefcase and nodded.
"Good luck, Ms. Nikos," the attendant said, exiting the room.
Huffing at her distracted behavior, Pyrrha laid out the briefcase on the table. It looked more like an Atlesian Paladin than a box holding clothes. She wasn't even sure how to open it until she accidentally brushed a hand over some form of sensor. There was a sound not unlike a decompression sequence, followed by the crate folding in on itself and presenting the contents.
Gulping, Pyrrha felt her eyes widen as she took a look at her uniform. She was expecting something that Yang would wear at the gym, a hefty sports bra and some shorts or something along those lines. Instead, she held up what looked like bright red panties; from a glance, they would just barely fit over the black, form-fitting boyshorts the very function-over-form amazon was already wearing. Blushing, Pyrrha placed the shorts aside and tried to forget about them. Though she wore a corset, it was armored and provided excellent protection– well, except for her shoulders… That, plus her tiny skirt were supposed to make her more appealing to the eye without impeding her movements.
Pyrrha felt her eyes shrink in surprise as she held up her top. It was approximately half the size it should have been in order to be called a sports bra; not having even put it on, the redhead knew that her breasts would pour out of the cleavage, assuming it even managed to reach past her boobs in the first place. It was exceptionally small, and would be exceptionally tight everywhere other than the part where her chest would pop out. She couldn't even imagine how Yang would deal with her large bust!
Pyrrha found that the strangest part of her new outfit was that, in addition to being the same shade of red as her hair, it had her emblem emblazoned on the back; the tournament had only been delayed a little while, but this had been especially prepared for her. The cups were even clearly delineated, which would cause the garment to conform around her breasts like a vacuum seal. This wasn't so much a uniform as it was an exhibition.
Pyrrha gulped. She had enough self esteem issues regarding her (maybe) unattractive appearance, and now she'd be on display for the entire world. Worse still, she'd now have to worry about maintaining her modesty; one wrong jump and her breasts were out, and one wrong duck and her ass was out. In a few minutes, the redhead would face the world as her usual spartan self, but also as a blooming sex symbol.
"For the people," Pyrrha said to herself. Her putting on this skimpy outfit would benefit the world! It was her duty to present herself! It was her duty to foster positive emotions! If men had to look at her butt to do that, then that was part of her duty!
Pyrrha had trouble shelving the side of her mind saying this whole situation was wrong and that she'd be disgracing the spirit of the Vytal Festival. No matter what she thought, this was out of her control, as a council of people had decreed this order.
"The duty of a huntress."
Pyrrha flicked a hand toward the door, closing and locking it in one swift motion. Taking a deep breath, she began undressing; after pulling off her gauntlets, boots, and belt, she re-remembered just how much she'd be showing. Hesitating, the woman removed her corset and skirt, leaving her in a respectable pair of black underwear; her bra was conservative for being strapless, and was always hidden by her corset, and her panties were a pair of form-fitting boyshorts, maybe an inch or two shorter than her new uniform pants.
Remembering what Glynda had said regarding her appearance, Pyrrha distractedly looked down at her body. She never spent much time in just her underwear, both not seeing a need and living with roommates, so she rarely actually thought about it. Using her Semblance, she pulled a large body mirror closer to her and took a moment to watch herself. "Oh, it's like that…" Blushing, Pyrrha stared at herself in her bra and panties, realizing that no one had ever seen her like that. She wasn't used to thinking of herself as sexual, and giggled as she mock-modeled in front of her reflection. She noticed for the very first time just how tight her panties were, as well as how well the black conformed to her butt; from what she knew, that was a desirable trait, same with how her breasts were lifted perfectly by her bra. Even without straps, her chest was firm enough to stand on its own, which was also appealing.
Pyrrha had to stop herself from flashing her reflection to test how much her bra lifted her breasts. She was still very close to her match, and needed some time to refocus– and redress, if that term applied to her uniform. Now distracted by her apparent beauty, Pyrrha pulled on her shorts. It was far more difficult that it reasonably should have been, considering just how tight they were; after hoisting them over her large hips, she saw that, from up close, her panties were covered, but the outline was still visible. Suddenly, Pyrrha was glad nobody but Yang would be too close to her when fighting. Next, the redhead pulled on her top, again finding difficulty. After adjusting, it hid her bra, but left the outlines. It also left an inch underneath her breasts revealed, as it didn't fully round the way the curves of her chest.
Looking in the mirror, Pyrrha blushed when she saw that her uniform barely covered more than her underwear. Her breasts were extremely prominent, and bounced even with a small step. She was at least pleased that she'd be presented in front of everyone looking her most attractive; the downside to looking the sexiest she'd ever been was that everyone interested in females would see her at her skimpiest.
Pyrrha looked at the mirror, still embarrassed, but determined. However, upon having to push her bra back down her top, she remembered, "Oh, my gosh… If everyone is watching, then that means…" Jaune's eyes would be all over her, assuming he found her attractive. If he never made a move, Pyrrha couldn't be sure if he reciprocated feelings, but maybe he had just never seen her so… hot. She was going to look her best, both in battle and in appearance, and Jaune would be watching.
One thing Pyrrha had always prided herself on was that she was always ready in a fight. No matter the situation, her mind was in the battle, but today was different. The amazon was distracted; she had the mental blocks of having to be put on display, the conflict between her duty to please and her duty to fight, and now her attraction to Jaune and what he'd think of her outfit. Yang liked showing off, and she liked fighting. She'd have no issue with the uniform, and Pyrrha couldn't think of anyone the blonde had feelings for that she wouldn't act on. Her personality meshed perfectly with the situation, while Pyrrha was facing new problems she wasn't trained for.
Frustrated, Pyrrha pushed the mirror back with her magnetism. She remembered that, even if she was distracted, there was no way that she should logically lose; she was still an amazing fighter. Even if Yang was as well, she didn't have Polarity on her side. She had a second wind, but Pyrrha had the best weapon to fight other huntresses; she'd just have to be careful when the blonde blew her lid and came back stronger.
Now back in the moment, Pyrrha went back to thinking about the fight. While she could use her Semblance, she didn't want to overuse it; she couldn't rely on it, and she preferred that few people actually know about it. Even still, a handful of teachers and her team were the only ones in the know. RWBY knew, which included Yang, but that still couldn't stop it from working. Still, best not to broadcast her secrets so openly.
Yang's Semblance was one of the most powerful ones Pyrrha had ever encountered. Few people could take on a fighter for extended periods of time, and Yang could hit the halfway point and cone back stronger. Yang was strong, forward, and could win any endurance match– assuming she received the blowback; in order to use her power effectively, Yang needed to be hit. Her using her Semblance meant very little if she didn't actually take too many major blows, and Pyrrha could use that. With a bit of clever magnetism, she could avoid the worst of Yang's attacks, and make sure that she didn't have to resort to heavy attacks that fueled her comeback. Another thing Pyrrha knew about Yang was that she was easily frustrated; if she felt like she was losing badly, she'd immediately use her Semblance, wasting the chance to collect more damage to pull from.
Pyrrha was ready. She forgot about her skimpy outfit, and her strategy should allow her to prolong the fight and defeat Yang and her Semblance: Death of a Thousand Cuts, redirect her blows, make her waste her Semblance, then push forward to victory. Shortly after her preparations, the warrior was told to enter the stadium.
"And now, after some unfortunate delays," sang the voice of Peter Port over the intercom. "We are finally about to witness the final match of the Vytal Festival!" There was an apprehensive cheer, brought on from the audience that had witnessed Yang shoot her challenger, and Pyrrha accidentally tear hers apart. "As it turns out, Atlas was running tests on a mechanical prototype fighter, and would have revealed their new development based on the results of this tournament." Good, Port was doing a bit of extra damage control. "Could you believe that a machine got so far into the tournament? Though her loss was unfortunate, this just shows that something that can be rebuilt good as new can't beat our proud Beacon huntresses!"
Ironwood had made a press release stating that Penny was a prototype as a cover for why she ended up in pieces. According to him, had she won, they would have revealed that their new machine could replace hunters and huntresses, meaning that they could be mass produced fighters to save lives. Knowing there was still hesitation at the idea, he said that, while it was unfortunate that their prototype was damaged, it was repairable, and the people should be happy that it was able to do so well. A lot of it was to help appease the worried people, but Pyrrha assumed it was mostly true, and it definitely made her feel better.
"And now, one of our very own Beacon huntresses will show that hard work and determination beats out machines any day! Please welcome Ms. Pyrrha Nikos to the stage!"
Pyrrha felt the heat from a thousand stadium lights pour down on her as she stepped onto the battlefield. She then felt the weight of ten thousand eyes watching her as she confidently stepped forward. There was a hushed excitement as the redhead saw the monitor focus in on her butt. Anyone watching would be treated to her fanservice; her ass was being broadcast to the world with Atlas' highest definition cameras, and the screen soon switched to her bouncing chest and bright, crimson face.
Pyrrha heard the rumbling of cheers and noticed that it was primarily the men in the crowd. While everyone had been hesitant before, the male audience had definitely perked up, and plenty of women were excited as well. The redhead, slightly overwhelmed by her warm welcome, waved cheerily to the crowd as she bashfully presented her body as best she could without feeling like a stripper.
At the very least, Pyrrha felt attractive. While she never had much confidence if she considered her lack of dates, the hormonal uproar was definitely doing wonders for her self image. On the down side, her mind was again focused on things other than her fight.
Suddenly, the warrior was a woman, feeling sexy and wanted rather than ready for battle. More importantly, Pyrrha was worried about Jaune; looking towards where her team had sat last round, she scanned the crowd until a familiar set of faces met her gaze. Though several yards away, she could see Nora's rapidly waving arms and her mouth screaming something lost in the din of excitement. Ren was sitting as quietly as expected, but Pyrrha wished she could see Jaune's reaction; she could see him standing next to Nora, but she couldn't see his face.
Pyrrha quieted her mind. She could ask Jaune what he thought of her after she won. "That's a lie," she thought, remembering she couldn't ever bring up the courage to ask her love about his heart. Maybe being crowned as the best fighter in the tournament would help her gain confidence.
Again losing focus, Pyrrha realized Yang was walking towards her. Port had done his introduction and damage control, and now the blonde was stepping, no, strutting towards her. She'd taken to her uniform amazingly well; Yang was rocking a black and yellow version of the outfit Pyrrha was wearing, only it seemed even smaller thanks to her figure. She had also added a belt with spare ammo on it, but it did nothing to distract from her underbutt. Her breasts were lined with gold trim, emphasizing her substantial cleavage, and every carefully measured step made them bounce the perfect way. Adding in the rhythmic sway of her hips, Pyrrha knew Yang was in her element.
The stage was exploding. Pyrrha suddenly felt far worse about her body, noting that everyone's eyes were on Yang; just her way of standing was sexually charged, with a hand on her cocked hip and a bright smile and peace sign. Drinking in her screen time, Yang blew kisses to the crowd, turning and giving everyone a look at her outfit, ass, and abs. With a final flex, the blonde turned to Pyrrha.
"Alright, everyone," Port stated, dimming the crowd's noise. "And now, before the final match, let's take a moment to thank these two for their assistance fighting off the Grimm!" There was a loud, lasting cheer. "Now, let's see a final display of sportsmanship!"
Finally returning her mind to the fight ahead of her, Pyrrha outstretched a hand to Yang, who enthusiastically shook it. "I wish you the best, Yang."
Yang responded by smirked. "Same. You're gonna need it." She waited a half second before saying, "I've sealed your Semblance."
Pyrrha's eyes widened in shock. "What?" She felt Yang's grip tighten.
"Good luck, Nikos," Yang said, releasing her grip and going to her end of the stage.
Dropping her hand, Pyrrha stared at Yang as she walked away. Gathering her mind, she turned to head towards her side. Turning back, she felt the stage push up from the rest, shrinking the field of battle; the rest of the platforms fell away to ensure that this fight was pure, straightforward, and couldn't be run from.
If she wasn't distracted before, Pyrrha's mind was definitely in the wrong place now. Now caught between her skimpy outfit, her warrior self versus her womanly self, Jaune's interest in her, and now Yang's words, she was split five ways if she counted what little was left to dwell on combat.
Pyrrha was scared, or at least more scared that she could remember ever being. Yang couldn't have sealed her Semblance, could she? You can't turn someone's Semblance off, at least Yang couldn't. Her Semblance was her second wind, not any sort of switch that could affect people. She hadn't used anything in the tournament that would suggest she could, either. What could she be talking about? Pyrrha didn't feel any different, so Yang must have been lying; there was no other explanation.
Pyrrha decided she had to play it safe to start.
"And… BEGIN!" Port shouted, blaring the sound marking the start of the final match.
Holding back, Pyrrha watched, waiting for Yang to do something. She raised her spear, ready to attack should Yang get close. Instead, Yang raised a finger to the air, challenging the heavens; with all eyes in her, she reached into her belt pocket and pulled out something. From what Pyrrha could tell, it was a baseball-size orb of metal. Taking a pitching stance, she cranked her hands and sent her projectile forward with a throw combined with a blast from Ember Celica.
Confused at Yang's actions, Pyrrha watched the metal ball fly towards her. It was clearly metal, even though it was shrouded by flames from Ember Celica's shot, so the magnetically-capable Pyrrha wondered what the blonde's plan was. Hesitantly as she could, she pointed her shield hand towards the missile and took a slight step to the side, using her Semblance to direct it to barely miss.
Pyrrha felt a 100+ mile per hour flaming ball of hot metal strike her directly in the upper arm. In addition to severely damaging her Aura just on impact, it seared through her spiritual protection and singed her arm; without Aura, it would have left a horrific burn on her arm, but thankfully she'd taken the hit with 100%. Worse than her actual injury was the mental impact, as Pyrrha had used her Semblance to move the ball, yet it still hit her directly. Had she not stepped aside, it would have hit her straight in the chest, as her Polarity completely failed; not expecting zero results, she hadn't had the foresight to dodge completely, and took the full brunt of her attack.
Dumbfounded, Pyrrha stared at Yang. The blonde had the biggest, most condescending smirk on her face, while Pyrrha looked like a lost child. Her invincible weapon had just been beaten by an improvised baseball.
"And it appears Ms. Nikos has taken a significant blow to her Aura!" Port said, almost as confused as Pyrrha.
Oobleck interjected, rapidly explaining how, "Strange, indeed! From what we've seen, Ms. Nikos is an expert at dodging attacks! Could this be some sort of trick by Ms. Xiao Long? She hasn't used any of these sorts of attacks previously, so I wonder what it could be!"
Yang threw a peace sign in the air, enjoying the fact that whatever plan she had had worked. Reaching back into her belt, she withdrew several move metal balls. The cameras focused in on her butt as she began tossing them up and posing excitedly, giving the droves a show.
Now significantly more afraid of Yang, Pyrrha was scared that she actually had done something to seal away her Semblance. Even as she looked at the ball on the ground next to her, still glowing white with heat, she couldn't pick it up with her Semblance. Yang had actually found a way to stop her from using her best weapon. As another ball came rocketing towards her, Pyrrha launched herself away from its path, no longer confident in being able to avoid it.
Yang launched several more balls towards Pyrrha, each causing her to jump away. The redhead attempted to swap her spear to its rifle form and lay down sound covering fire, but she was too busy dodging to aim. Yang easily avoided all fire, and only took the opportunity to be eye candy as she bounced her chest or bent over.
As Yang launched another ball, Pyrrha hid behind her shield. Feeling the residual heat burn through her shield, she stood back up only to be met with a mass of yellow; her only option was to fearfully block as Yang overwhelmed her with shotgun-fueled punches. Pyrrha couldn't get away, and couldn't even attempt to counter attack as Yang's onslaught battered her shield, the force of her attacks threatening to break her guard. Her eyes caught the fact that her crouching was currently all over the screens, emphasizing her butt straining against her tiny shorts.
Finding a second in Yang's attacks after bringing focus away from her butt's spotlight, Pyrrha ducked away and gained some distance. Yang took several short breaths, but was still ready to go. Running forward, the blonde arched a punch towards the redhead's chest. Acting on instinct, Pyrrha flared her Semblance to offset her aim; to her surprise, it actually worked, and she was able to outmaneuver Yang's attack. Somehow, her Semblance was back! Her joy was interrupted as Yang used the momentum from her missed punch to deliver a sweep kick, knocking the spartan off balance.
Never having expected the punch-happy Yang to ever use advanced kick techniques, Pyrrha felt her balance fail before she received a kick to the chest, sending her sprawling onto the ground. Quickly recovering, she narrowly jumped out of the way of another metal ball. Again, her Semblance failed to divert its path, but she avoided it nonetheless.
Struck with what was hopefully a revelation, Pyrrha tossed to rifle away, only to use her Semblance to bring it back to her hand. Switching it to a sword, she realized Yang hadn't sealed her Semblance at all. She'd been too busy being freaked out to realize it, but metal loses its magnetic properties when exposed to extreme heat. The balls must have contained fire Dust that, when activated by Yang's cranking motion and her shotguns, heated the metal to the point where it lost its magnetic properties and wouldn't be affected by Polarity. That was why it as so hot when it struck her! And why she was able to divert her gauntlets! Only someone that knew Pyrrha as well as Yang did could possibly have figured out that sort of weakness and worked so hard to make it work!
With regained confidence, Pyrrha took a battle stance and smiled. She watched Yang assess her positive mood, swear under her breath, and stop being cute for the camera. From this point on, the fight was serious. No more posing, no more bouncing, no more bending over unnecessarily. It was time for a match!
Pyrrha remembered that, even if she had figured out Yang's tricks, she was still hurting on Aura; taking that initial blow had left a bad bruise on her arm, plus she'd been chipped out when she blocked Yang's flurry of blows. Yang, on the other side, was completely unharmed, and hadn't even blown her Semblance. She was at an extreme disadvantage, but at least she had her Semblance back.
Yang, seeing Pyrrha realize that her Semblance wasn't sealed, launched herself forward with a dual blast from her gauntlets. Twisting into the momentum, she went for a hook aimed towards Pyrrha's face. Upon reaction, the redhead redirected her blow so that she'd miss, turning the punch into a shoulder tackle that she was able to counter. With her first opening, Yang was hit with several blows from Pyrrha's expert swordsmanship; none were too powerful or direct, and wouldn't do much damage separately.
Upon breaking away from Yang, Pyrrha held up her shield and waited. Now that she knew she could redirect Yang's punches, she knew she could win; even with her kicks, the blonde couldn't get any real blows in if her fists kept getting pushed away. Her over reliance on Ember Celica and her Semblance would ensure that she couldn't take the title.
It was for that reason that Pyrrha felt another shock run down her spine as Yang smiled. Did she have another plan!? Whatever it was, she primed herself to attack and kicked forward. Easily parrying her blows with her shield, Pyrrha kept making Yang's punches slide off her shield. Still, though, her punches only got faster and faster, despite not getting anywhere. The redhead had to keep defending, but Yang was uselessly bashing against a metal wall.
Yang primed a shot from Ember Celica before launching a straight, but was again redirected to fire away from Pyrrha thanks to her Semblance. Her smile didn't fade, however.
Pyrrha watched in morbid curiosity as Yang threw off Ember Celica with two pumps of her fists. Underneath were two jet black gauntlets possibly made of non-magnetic carbon fiber; they had studded knuckles, but no gun capabilities. However, that meant that Yang was free to punch as she pleased, and as she continued her assault on Pyrrha, she began slipping through her guard.
Pyrrha, unable to redirect Yang's punches any more, felt herself get pushed back as the blonde kept up an unreadable assault. She had been holding back the entire time, plus she was now able to command her fists to attack weak spots without any sort of redirection. With a twisting hook, Pyrrha's shield was blown away and her front was revealed. Taking a blow straight to the face, she got an intimate understanding of how the studs on Yang's backup gauntlets felt when they contacted skin; she was sent flying back, her Aura struggling to dull the pain of a full force punch.
Pyrrha had prepared. She had prepared to fight Yang Xiao Long; she had prepared to fight the blonde haired girl that only ever punched things, that used the Dual Range Shot Gauntlets Ember Celica, that couldn't have possibly countered Polarity. But, instead of falling victim to Pyrrha's prelude, she had completely turned the tables on her. There was so much preparation that she hadn't anticipated. There was so much that only Yang could have pulled off. A handful of people could have figured out how to use the metal balls to dilute her Semblance, but Yang– only Yang– could have possibly been able to push her this far. She was the only fighter at Beacon who barely lost anything without her weapon, and her fists alone could push through and break Pyrrha's defenses.
If it had been anyone else, Pyrrha would have won by now. If Yang didn't know her, didn't know her Semblance, she would have won by now. But Yang knew Pyrrha, and knew how to plan her counters.
Pyrrha was going to lose unless she did something and did it fast. Trying to think, she went over everything she knew about Yang to see if she could think of a weakness.
Yang was overly proud, but only because she was an amazing fighter. She had every right to be right now.
Yang was easily angered, but that was only when she was losing. She definitely wasn't in the position to be aggravated.
Yang was self conscious, but she knew Pyrrha would never be able to call her fat and believe it. They were too close and thought highly of each other.
Yang loved being the center of attention, but she had stopped giving attention to the cameras. When she was fighting, she was fighting, even if her outfit was skimpy.
Yang was… was… what was she!? What could be used against her!?
Feeling time seem to slow down, Pyrrha subconsciously moved her eyes to Yang's chest. In her tiny black top, her cleavage miraculously stayed inside of it, but made every effort to jump out. Her breasts were the subject of so many male fantasies, and Yang loved that. She loved her body, and loved when people loved her body.
But what did any of that have to do with fighting!? Pyrrha thought Yang was attractive, but she herself was straight. She had no sexual desire towards Yang, but her mind drifted towards the blonde's top heavy chest.
That was it. Yang was sexual. Yang was a thrill seeker. Yang loved to show off. Yang was the type to make herself something special to further the gap between people that weren't as sexual as Yang Xiao Long.
Pyrrha realized that, like Yang, the only reason she knew her opponent's weakness was how close they were. It was only because they were good friends that Yang knew about Polarity, which gave her time to counter it. It was only because they were friends that Pyrrha knew a… well, it probably wasn't exactly a secret per se, but she knew something that only Yang's close friends would be aware of. Something that she could use, assuming nothing had changed.
Pyrrha saw Yang get ready to launch another flurry of blows. Time sped up to normal as she began drawing closer to the redhead, down to finish the fight.
Pyrrha felt a pang of guilt strike her heart, but there was no other way to win, at least, not that she could think off. As Yang was about to descend and land her first blow, Pyrrha looked her in the eyes with a sorrowful face and said, "I'm sorry."
Yang's eyes widened as Pyrrha plucked her strings. Rather than a weapon, the minstrel's instrument was something far smaller, and far more precise in its effectiveness.
Pyrrha heard her song. She heard that wondrous prelude to victory as she made metal sing. This time, however, the chords were complimented by another sound; Yang's breath grew heavy as her arms went limp.
The weakness that Pyrrha knew about Yang only because they were close friends is that Yang was pierced. It was an intimate moment when Pyrrha learned that each of Yang's nipples had a barbell style piercing in them, plus another one in the hood of her clit; she had metal piercings in the three most sensitive places a girl could have them.
Pyrrha played Yang's piercings like violins, making them sing and hum and vibrate with the expertise of a master of the craft. Yang, before about to throw a punch, was now limply feeling the effects of her piercings vibrating. Trying to fight it, her hands moved towards her breasts and mound. Her voice went from an experienced fighter to a woman getting off; her pitch raised as she struggled not to grab hold of her sensitive bits in front of millions of viewers.
Pyrrha was sorry. Pyrrha was really, really sorry, but she wasn't going to lose. She made Yang's knees buckle as the blonde began to lose control. She saw her bite her lip as she experienced an orgasm in front of the camera. Pyrrha kept playing her song as Yang tried her best not to masturbate in front of the entire Vytal Festival.
"What's this!?" Port yelled over the speaker. "It appears that Yang has fallen victim to some sort of devastating attack!"
Oobleck interjected with, "Yes! It appears that Ms. Nikos has somehow stopped Yang from attacking! Could it be her secret Semblance?"
Ignoring the battle commentary, Pyrrha couldn't tell what Yang's eyes were saying. They could be calling the cheating redhead any and all matter of horrific names for doing what she was doing to her. They could be those of a woman who couldn't contain the feelings her body was experiencing. They could be the eyes of a woman so conflicted between rage and lust that she had zero options.
Seeing tears well up in Yang's eyes burn from an intense pleasure, Pyrrha loosened the grasp she had over Yang. Immediately, the orgasming blonde glowed white hot, red eyes blazing with fury at her opponent. Her Semblance activated, she rushed forward and blew Pyrrha's shield away with a single blow.
Regretting her mercy, Pyrrha doubled down on making Yang's piercings vibrate, instantly stopping her from delivering the final blow. Yang's fist fell before it clutched at her breasts; Pyrrha could tell it was taking all of her willpower to not reach into their top and pants so that she could attack the source of her pleasure. Seeing the blonde's knees weaken and a hand cover her mouth to stifle her moans, Pyrrha looked at her and whispered, "I'm sorry! Please lose!"
Though her crimson eyes had shrunk as she struggled to not explode, Yang's gaze said that she agreed to Pyrrha's terms. Lowering the intensity of her Semblance, the spartan gave her opponent enough control over her body to wind up a powerful looking punch. Throwing her fist forward at a much lower speed, the spartan easily batted it away with her free arm and countered with a quick flurry of blows. Though her Aura was probably still fine, Yang was knocked away as Pyrrha flared her ability one last time; the blonde's piercings sang the final verse, delivering her her final orgasm, her cries of pleasure disguised as pain. The spent brawler lay on the ground, quivering as she felt her climax run through her.
Pyrrha had just made Yang Xiao Long cum several times on camera in order to win the Vytal Festival. Had she not known about Yang's piercings, she would have been soundly defeated, and it was only by forcing her to indulge in televised exhibitionism that she was able to win.
The higher ups organizing the tournament had gotten what they wanted; once people took a slightly closer look at the match, they would realize that something had caused the scantily clad Yang to cum mid fight. Positive emotions were guaranteed, and the outfits were only a bonus. Two girls fighting in tiny sports bras and tiny short shorts were just the beginning of the pleasures the fight would bring, and the world would be safer for it. .
A huntress' duty was to ensure the safety and peace of mind of the people. Pyrrha ensured that, at the very least, the male populace would be very, very happy.