AN: This was a fight scene from a thread I did with the-noir-sturm-hunters on Tumblr. I just reworked it and fixed some of the grammar mistakes that were in here. Looking back on it just makes me feel happy, so I thought I'd share it with everyone.
Hero Training
The training room was perfect for a sparring match. The ring dominated most of the floor, allowing fighters plenty of room for maneuvering and giving their ranged attacks more value. The lack of environmental hazards meant a clear line of sight, no matter where they positioned themselves. More importantly, it was empty. No crowds, no distractions. It was just the two of them.
On one side of the ring, stood a snake faunus wearing a white duster over a blue shirt, with black pants and a white belt tied around his waist. His name was Lune Rivers, and he was the strategist of Team THNR.
Lune drew Noh, a simple-looking staff about as tall as he was, and spun it a few times. Resting it on his shoulder, he took a deep breath and looked over at his opponent. "Are there any rules you would like to use?"
Standing across from him was a young man dressed in a long, red kungfu jacket with black pants and a pair of cloth shoes. The jacket itself was red with yellow piping and sleeves that faded to yellow around the cuffs. His name was Huang Shanyin, medic of Team CLST.
"How about the Vytal Festival rules?" Shanyin drew his weapon, a dao-carbine named Shihu and gave it a few test swings before settling into a ready stance. "First one who's Aura goes below 15% or gets ringed out, loses."
"Fine by me." Lune smiled as he analyzed the martial artist's stance. If he had to guess, Shanyin fought like his teammate, Himmel; light on his feet, constantly moving around and attacking. The best course of action would be to wait and see, his opponent would make the first move.
And Shanyin didn't disappoint. His eyes flashed red and he rushed forward in a burst of fire. He swung his sword before following through with a leg sweep.
The first attack was easily evaded, but the leg sweep forced Lune to one knee. Shanyin tried to move in for an upward slash, but Lune pinned his weapon. With his opponent's weapon trapped, Lune delivered a head butt to Shanyin's nose and pushed him away.
Shanyin smiled and rose to his feet. Lune had good reflexes and he could think on his feet. The fight could go either way; he knew it, and Lune probably did too. This was so exciting!
The martial artist rushed forward again. This time, he jumped into air, bringing his sword down on Lune's head. The snake faunus immediately sidestepped as the sword came into view. Then, he pivoted and slammed Noh into Shanyin's back. He practiced that technique countless times against Himmel and it finally saw some use. Shanyin whirled around and swung twice at Lune. Then, he pressed forward, seamlessly shifting from one strike to the next.
Lune was pushed back as he tried to block Shanyin's attacks. The ones that got through stung against his aura. The snake faunus quickly spotted an opening and swung at his opponent. Their weapons came together in a deadlock. The sound of metal scraping metal filled their ears as both fighters jockeyed for leverage to push the other back. Lune pushed of a button on Noh, and a pair spearheads sprang from the ends of his weapon. He pushed the sword back, forcing his opponent off-balance. Opening made, he slashed at Shanyin's shoulder and turned for a thrust.
Shanyin winced as the spearhead cut into him. But, he sidestepped the thrust and disengaged. "Good reflexes. But, how's your footwork? If I step here—" He moved to the left for a diagonal stroke and moved into a spin kick, finishing the sequence with a thrust.
The snake faunus wordlessly moved right, narrowly avoiding the first attack. He pulled his head back, letting the kick sail past him. Then, he spun Noh and parried Shanyin's blade. The sound of metal against metal rang throughout the ring.
Shanyin stepped back and smiled at the snake faunus. "Not bad, not bad! But, what about a step to the right?" He stepped right and thrust again. Then, he pulled back for another stroke, followed by a horizontal slash. And finally, a downward chop.
They moved in the opposite direction, Lune spun his staff again to defend against Shanyin's swordplay. He didn't like this— he was completely caught in his opponent's rhythm. Lune quickly drew a tanto, hidden on his belt, and blocked the last attack. The snake faunus pushed back and spun Noh, landing two clean cuts on his opponent's chest.
"Neat trick." Shanyin's eyes darted down to look at the cuts. They didn't look or feel too deep, so they'd heal quickly, even if it did put his Aura into the yellow. Repairing his coat would be a pain though… "Guess I need to step things up too." The martial artist used a series of feints to try and confuse his opponent.
Lune smirked as he tracked Shanyin's movements. He finally had a good idea of his opponent's fighting style. Always switching things up and taking his opponents by surprise. Using three strikes, where one would've been enough. Making use of every skill he had, like a jack-of-all-trades. He sheathed his tanto and quickly prepared himself.
Now in range, Shanyin swung at Lune's stomach. The snake faunus caught the incoming blade with his staff, but something —a fist, probably— connected with his chin. He staggered backwards, but quickly recovered and went on the offensive. He stepped in for a vertical slash with Noh, followed by a downward thrust with the opposite end.
Shanyin parried the slash and dodged the thrust. He grabbed Lune's wrist and pulled him in for a shoulder blow. Lune wheezed as Shanyin slammed into his chest, but he worked through it. He pressed another button and revealed Noh's final secret.
A spearhead shot out from the staff, cutting one of Shanyin's shoulders as it sailed past. Opening made, Lune moved his leg behind Shanyin's and threw him to the ground. Surprisingly, the snake faunus didn't go for a mount, he just took a step back and reeled the spearhead in.
Shanyin got to his feet, wincing as he rolled his shoulder. His Aura was starting to heal it, but that definitely put him further in the yellow. A few good hits would probably be enough to push him into the red. Shanyin took a deep breath to center himself, then moved to close the distance.
I'll end it here, Lune thought. The snake faunus matched Shanyin's breathing and summoned his Semblance. A light blue aura shimmered around him as he holstered Noh. Shanyin threw jump kick, but Lune caught it with ease. Thanks to his Semblance, there was no force behind it at all.
The snake faunus quickly slammed Shanyin to the ground and brought his tanto down. Shanyin hit the floor and felt the air get knocked out of him. That usually— knife! The martial artist grabbed his weapon and blocked the incoming blade. Then, he summoned his Semblance and forced his opponent off him with an explosive palm strike.
"Damn, he's qui—"
Lune's thought was cut short as he was forced back by the blast. He saw it before the explosion; that yellow aura… Just like his brother's, except brighter. Was that his semblance? Lune smiled, Shanyin probably felt pressured if he was using it now. But, even if he rendered Shanyin's kungfu useless by stopping his momentum, that explosion ability could easily tip the scales. What if—
The snake faunus shook his head. No. Fight first, think later.
Lune went on the offensive. He swept at Shanyin with Noh and lunged at him with his tanto. Shanyin jumped and barely managed to parry the stab, twisting himself into a spin kick. Once his feet hit the ground, the martial artist went for an upward stroke, followed by a thrust.
Lune let the kick connect and moved to put some distance between them. When his opponent came at him, he was ready. It was time for the snake faunus to unleash his secret move, and ran at him. Using a tactic he learned from Tristan, Lune threw his weapon! Shanyin jumped to dodge the incoming staff, and Lune's body glowed blue again as he focused on his opponent.
If a person lost speed while jumping away from something, especially if they jumped to the side; it took a certain technique to maintain their footing when they landed. Otherwise, that change in momentum could easily lead to a fall. It was like running and your legs suddenly giving out under you.
A hand slammed into the Shanyin's throat as he fell. He hit the floor with a thud, and felt something on his chest. Lune smiled as he stood over his opponent, tanto drawn and pointed at his face.
"Huang Shanyin is out of the fight." A mechanical voice echoed through the training room as the martial artist jumped back on his feet and started rolling his shoulder. "The winner is Lune Rivers."