So, this is just a short little thing I wrote to get some more experience with combat. One of the criticism I have recieved on my currently ongoing story Always In The Morning is that the combat is weak and not flushed out.

"Begin!" The crowd roared as the two competitors rocketed towards each other.

Ruby used her semblance in order to accelerate even more, adding to the speed firing Crescent Rose had already provided. Her eyes locked onto those of her opponent, the green orbs calm and collected, analyzing the situation even as she was flying closer and closer to her opponent. Pyrrha raised her shield to blockRuby's overhead swing, at the same time thrusting in front of her in an attempt to skewer the girl in red. when Ruby's scythe made contact with Pyrrha's shield, it let out a long scraping sound as Crescent Rose slid on top of it.

She sucked in her stomach and danced to the right, away from the area where the redhead could use her sword/spear combo effectively. As she dodged away she brought her scythe around the lip of Pyrrha's shield and pulled, attempting to dislodge it. The shield slid to the side of Pyrrha's arm and angled towards the ground, causing Crescent Rose to slide over the top of it with a screech, the metal objecting to it's treatment.

Ruby scolded herself for thinking that would work. Ordinarily the move would be incredibly effective but since Pyrrha's shield did not have straps, it was useless and simply left her open to be countered. Seizing the opportunity presented to her, the redhead ducked and kept her shield above her. The shield returning it to it's usual angle, as she moved it underneath the younger girl's weapon and slammed her shield into her opponents exposed side with a meaty sounding thwack. Ruby grunted in pain and even though her aura absorbed a large amount of the blow, she nearly doubled over in pain. She jumped backwards, hoping for a brief respite from the onslaught.

Unfortunately for her Pyrrha did not allow her the luxury and sprinted forward, once again her full height. Ruby desperately moved her weapon in front of her, her scythe a blur as she attempted to block all of the incoming attacks and formulate a strategy at the same time. The redhead kept her shield to the left side of her body as her spear was a flurry of activity on the right, denying any possible opening that Ruby could have exploited. Ruby quickly reached the wall and was forced to start moving to her right in order to stave of the assault.

Pyrrha feinted a downward slash at Ruby's head and the scythe wielder reacted, bringing her weapon slightly above her head to block the strike. She realized her mistake almost as soon as she had made it, but by that time it was to late. She was hit the back end of Milo in the stomach, this time the blow was strong enough to bring her to ground. The spear was at the back of her neck before she could get up so she simply laid on her stomach, accepting defeat.

"Pyrrha is the victor!" The announcer shouted over the deafening roar of the crowd.

"Nice fight Ruby!" Pyrrha yelled, even though they were only inches away.

"Thanks! I forgot that you don't have straps on your shield, otherwise I would have had you!" Ruby yelled back over the crowd. She smiled and accepted the hand the redhead offered.

"Lunch is on me!" Pyrrha announced to Ruby as she exited the arena.

So, I wrote this assuming that Pyrrha's shield is held onto her arm by her semblance, which would give her an incredible amount of options if someone hooked behind it like Ruby did in this fight. I think that this is a pretty fair assumption since her shield is not a center-grip but also does not have any visible straps. She also throws and catches it with ease, which would be incredibly difficult if the shield had straps. Hope you enjoyed this short little piece!