"Ugh…"

Pyrrha's father groaned as he slipped out of bed, only pausing to shut off the alarm. He took care not to disturb his sleeping wife as he got up and stretched before glancing at the clock.

"Five o'clock…" He muttered to himself. "Can't believe I have to get up this early. Stupid office meeting."

Yawning, he shuffled off to the kitchen where he switched on the lights and put a kettle on the stove. But as he waited for the water to boil, he noticed movement outside.

"Hm?"

Still rubbing his eyes, he headed to the front door. As he opened it, he looked with surprise at who was in front of him.

"Pyrrha?"

His daughter was dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, with her back turned towards her father. She placed her left arm under her chin, grabbing her left elbow with her opposite hand in a classic stretch.

"Hello again!" She said as she turned around. "Father, you're going to work, right?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "But what are you doing, Pyrrha? It is early outside."

"I'm just doing some stretches before I go on a run." She answered. "Nothing too serious. Just two miles. Maybe three."

"Just a three mile run? Pyrrha, do you do this every day?"

"Well, not every day. Just a few times a week. Brother says I do have to rest every now and then."

"Where is Anausa?"

Pyrrha just shrugged and pointed inside.

"Sleeping, I guess?"

"So he is sleeping while you're…" Pyrrha's father trailed off. "Pyrrha, you have been training with Anausa for what, six months now?"

"A little more than a year, actually."

He sighed and sat back down on the porch steps.

"Pyrrha, when Anausa first said you wanted to train with him, I have to admit that I thought you would just do it for a week and then forget about it. But you've been doing this for all this time, so I might as well want to ask you.

Do you want to compete like Anausa does?"

"In tournaments?" Pyrrha asked. "Like brother? I'm just nine, is that old enough?"

"Well, it's not like I would be entering you in the Mistrali Regional tournament this weekend." Her father laughed. "But there are local tournaments where you could learn to compete. If you want to try it for a bit, I would have no problem with it.

But there's more to training in the tournaments than running and calisthenics. It is about fighting, after all. If you don't know how to fight, it does not matter how athletic you are."

"That would be really interesting." Pyrrha nodded. "Are you going to teach me how to fight?"

"No. But I know someone who will."

…

…

Phillip pinched his nose as he looked down at Pyrrha, before he looked over at Pyrrha's father.

"Are you sure about this, Patroclus?"

The red-haired man shrugged as he sat down on a nearby outside bench. The three of them were in the back yard again.

"No, I'm not. But then again, I'm not the right person to ask."

"That is true." Phillip looked over at Pyrrha. "So what do you think, girl? Do you really want to learn how to fight?"

Pyrrha hesitated a bit. Her father and her mother had told her. Fighting was wrong. She had been teased a bit by her classmates because of how tall she was, but she had never attacked them. Sometimes she told the teacher, but most of the time she ignored them.

But if her brother learned how to fight, it was okay, right?

"I think so." She finally nodded.

Phillip looked Pyrrha up and down. Then he bent down, just like that day.

"Do you know what I think, girl?" He said. "I think you are a little girl who is in over her head. That you will do this for two weeks, cry a lot, and quit. You are not the first kid I have dealt with who tells me what they want to fight, normally because they want to be a super cool Huntress. But when it is time for them to put the work involved, they suddenly decide that being one is not so cool anymore.

I do not care whether you fail or not, girl. But I do not like to waste my time. So I will be tough on you from the beginning to know that you can handle it. You will probably cry. You will definitely suffer. And you may even hate me. But that is what I am going to do if you are going to start training under me. Above all else, I need to know that you are tough enough.

Now that you know all that, are you still willing to go through this?"

Pyrrha gritted her teeth at those harsh words.

"My name is Pyrrha Nikos." She said, her voice strong. "If I say I am going to do something, I will do it. So yes, Coach. I am ready to begin."

"Spoken well." Phillip stood up.

WHAM!

And with those words, he promptly punched Pyrrha in the stomach.

Pyrrha gasped and doubled over. As she coughed for breath, she looked first at her father, but saw that he did not react at all. She then looked at Phillip, who watched her slowly get on her knees.

"What…" She managed to get the word out. "Why?"

"Were you not listening to what I said earlier?" Phillip said as if the answer to her question was obvious. "Above all else, I need to know if you are tough enough. So to put it quite simply, I am going to start by attacking and seeing how well you defend yourself.

I am not a monster. I will not do anything permanent. But I expect you to rely on your instincts and try to defend yourself.

Now, get up."

Slowly, Pyrrha straggled upright and lifted both her arms up, trying to protect her face.

"Good." Phillip nodded. "Your brother just tried to get away from me, and you will eventually. But I like that you are willing to stand up to me.

But remember what I said. You will cry. You will suffer. The path to being a great Huntress is not easy. So let us begin."

He immediately launched a right fist straight at Pyrrha, who instinctively tried to block it.

THWACK!

And she succeeded, though her arm still stung as Phillip's fist connected. He then swung his left at her face and Pyrrha promptly blocked it with her right. She could see him smile, and then…

BAM!

Kneed her in the stomach. As Pyrrha doubled down onto the ground again, Phillip looked down at her.

"I am not just doing this to test your toughness. The first lesson to learn is that in a fight, there is no perfect technique which will guarantee victory.

Do not hesitate to use any trick to win. Throw sand in my eyes, kick your opponent in their privates. A fight against the Grimm or terrorists is not some noble duel. It is a fight for your life.

So fight me like your life depends on it. Get up."

Pyrrha was faster to get up this time, and she assumed the same stance. Without any hesitation, she charged at Phillip again.

She got knocked down again. But every time Phillip drove her to the ground, she eventually rose up. And as Phillip watched, he nodded imperceptibly.

…

…

"Agh…augh…"

Pyrrha grunted and moaned as she rolled around in her bed. The fight against Coach Phillip, as tough as it had been, had not been the worst part of the day. Coach Phillip then had her run, jump and exercise just like she had been doing with Anausa. Despite all how exhausted she was, Phillip continued to work her until the sun went down.

"I'll see you in a few days." He had said when he left. "Prepare yourself. The second day of any training is always the hardest."

Despite all of Phillip's attacks, Pyrrha had only suffered a few small bruises on her arms. Her father had bandaged her up, but the fact that her injuries were small did not take away the pain of the blows and her aching muscles. The same pain which kept her from sleeping.

Pyrrha tossed and turned in bed for a bit longer, but eventually gave up and sat up. She glanced out the window as she did so.

"Is that…brother?"

Anausa was sitting in the backyard, but she could not tell what he was doing. Pyrrha watched him just sit there for a while longer. Then she got out of bed, put on her slippers, and hobbled outside.

Her brother was still sitting as she came out, and Pyrrha saw that his head was looking up at the sky. He continued to do so even when Pyrrha's footsteps rustled over the grass.

"Hey, Pyrrha." He said. "Can't sleep?"

"Yeah."

"My first night training under Coach was like that too." He smiled at her. "Father told me what happened. He said you did really well. He also said that Coach Phillip was actually impressed with how you blocked some of his strikes."

"Really?" Pyrrha said. "He didn't say that to me."

"Father and Coach go way back, he knows what he is thinking." Anausa shrugged. "Overall, sounds like you had a pretty good first day. I just got bloodied over and over again until I stayed down, and that was all there is to it."

"I got bloodied too." Despite the pain, Pyrrha showed her left arm, which had a few bruises on it. Anausa looked at it, but then took Pyrrha's fingers in his own.

"Let me see." He said. He raised his other hand over Pyrrha's bruises, and a faint glow shone around his hand. Pyrrha gasped as she watched the bruises slowly fade away, though the pain still remained.

"It's my Semblance." Anausa shrugged. "Nothing special, I'm just really good at healing others. Better than most people can heal themselves with their Auras, never mind that I can heal those who haven't unlocked their Aura. Like you."

"That's incredible!" Pyrrha gasped, gazing at her arm like it was brand new.

"Well, I need it." Anausa laughed. "I may not be the best or the most skilled of Coach's students. But I'm certainly the toughest. I don't give up until I'm well and truly beat, it is how I have managed to accomplish so much. Even if I have not won a tournament yet."

Pyrrha and Anausa laughed at that, and then Pyrrha looked around.

"What were you doing out here, brother?"

"Watching the stars." Anausa smiled. "Can you sit down with me?"

Pyrrha hesitated a bit, but then plopped down and tried not to get her pajamas dirty. She then looked up at the sky, where she could see hundreds of bright lights dotting the night sky.

"The stars are a great reminder of how small we are, and how so little we have accomplished." Anausa said. "Someday, I would love to explore the stars and see other planets."

"Isn't that impossible right now?"

"Sure, we can't use Dust to get up there." Anausa shrugged. "But that doesn't mean it's impossible. You put enough work, good things will happen. That is how the world works.

But I guess we have to focus on the things down here first. Like clearing out the Grimm."

"Huh?"

Pyrrha looked over at Anausa with a puzzled expression. Of course she knew what the Grimm were. But it was not exactly a friendly topic to chat about. A lot of people just wanted to pretend that they didn't exist. And her brother wore a sad smile as he said those last words.

"Hey, Pyrrha." He suddenly whispered. "Can you keep a secret?"

"What kind of secret?" She asked.

"A super special secret. Can you promise to never tell anyone? Cross your heart and hope to die?"

Pyrrha made a cross sign above her heart, but Anausa did not look any more relieved. Then he looked back up at the stars.

"I want to be a Hunter someday." He said.

"A Hunter?" Pyrrha said. "Like you want to fight the Grimm?"

"Yeah." Anausa answered, but said nothing more. Silence reigned over the two for a bit longer, and then Pyrrha asked a question.

"Why do you want that to be a secret? Some of my friends at school talk about wanting to be a Hunter someday."

"Father wouldn't approve." Anausa said. "Oh, sure, he lets me fight. I even got to forge a weapon and attend Sanctum Academy and fight in tournaments. But it is not like everyone who goes to Sanctum moves on to the real combat schools like Haven or Beacon.

But he says that if I want to make the world a better place, I should try to be a doctor. Or pick up some other, less violent occupation. Being a doctor is certainly nice and pays more than a Hunter. But I just think I can do a lot more to help people as a Hunter. He has said he won't let me go to Haven, and I really don't want to think about how I will persuade him to change his mind. Bringing it up now won't help.

Still, I'll be in Sanctum for a few more years. Guess it isn't anything to be worried about for now. I'm sure he'll see what I can do when I win the next tournament."

He shrugged and continued to watch the stars, saying nothing more. Pyrrha sat alongside him for a while, the two saying nothing at all. Eventually, she yawned.

"I think I'm going to bed."

She stood up and began to make her way across the yard, but then she heard Anausa say something. She turned around, but his eyes were still up at the stars.

"Did you say something?"

Anausa did not respond, and Pyrrha turned away. But before she headed inside, he spoke again.

"Do you believe in destiny?"

Pyrrha just stood there, not sure what to say at first.

"I don't really know what that word means." She finally answered. "I mean, I kind of do. But not really."

"Yeah, I guess that's how it is." Anausa calmly said. "Just an idle thought. Goodnight, Pyrrha."

"Goodnight, brother."

With those words, Pyrrha trudged back inside, leaving him to watch the stars. He continued to stare up at the sky, doing nothing else.

…

…

"Agh!"

"Get up."

Pyrrha quickly sprang up to her feet, holding her fists out in front of her. It had been three weeks since Phillip had first began training her, and he came back every two days. Every time they sparred with their fists. Every time Pyrrha ended up flat on her back and kneeling on the ground. And every time she tried to get up. Sometimes she couldn't manage it, but she would notice an odd glint in Phillip's eyes when she really had to struggle to get up.

She held her left arm out in front of her, with her right arm a bit behind her. It was a stance she had grown to like, where she would defend with her left arm and strike with her stronger right arm. It had not worked on landing an actual blow on Phillip, but nothing had. And it seemed to prevent her from tasting dirt.

Well, less often.

Phillip charged at her again, but stopped right before her and delivered a quick kick to her face. Pyrrha instantly ducked, but she didn't attack the opening. She had seen this before. He would just back away, even with one leg, and get her then.

Instead, she reached her left arm out to grab his extended leg. Unfortunately, Phillip was just too fast. He pulled his leg and then kicked again. Pyrrha barely managed to block it with her right and kept it up as he kicked again and again. She gritted her teeth from the pain, but said nothing as she looked for an opening.

Phillip kept one leg on the ground, and kicked again, and Pyrrha finally acted. She bulled forward, wincing as Phillip's kick connected with her shoulder. But she wrapped her arms around Phillip's stomach and tried to push him onto the ground.

She could see Phillip's normally stolid expression change and his eyes widen just a smidgen, but he was still too skilled. He broke out of Pyrrha's grip and shoved her back. She stumbled back, instinctively closed her eyes as she prepared for a kick which she knew would hurt…

But nothing happened. When she opened her eyes, Phillip's arms were folded. And for the first time since she had begun training with him, there was the faintest outline of a smile.

"You did well." He said, his voice flat as usual. "You have made more progress in these three weeks than your brother did in three months. I lost count of how many times I had to throw him down to the ground until he did anything remotely irritating. I also like how you have hung tough no matter how much we trained.

So, congratulations. You will not be a complete waste of my time after all. We should then begin the next step and activate your Aura."

Pyrrha couldn't help but grin.

"Wait, really?"

"I would not be happy if I were you." Phillip said. "One of the most basic uses of Aura is to treat wounds. Which means that you can recover from injuries faster. Which means that if you thought the exercises I put you through the last few weeks were bad, you have seen nothing yet.

Of course, if you want to back out now, you can." He continued. "You can just focus on building a healthy body. Exercise is good for you after all."

Pyrrha glared at him.

"I said I want to do this." She snapped a bit. "Stop treating me like I'm a kid."

"You are still a child." Phillip answered. "But that is neither here or there. Let us get started."

With those words, he placed a rugged hand on her right cheek.

"Close your eyes. Concentrate."

He watched as Pyrrha did so, and then continued, his voice running deeper than normal.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee."

He stood back, though Pyrrha noted his shoulders sag a little. But at the same time, she felt…strange. Pure. As if something had been created within her, with a faint hint of warm heat in her stomach. She looked at her hands, and noticed a faint black glow around them before it faded away.

"Well, there it is." Phillip said. "Now that your Aura is unlocked, it is time to learn how to fight with it. At a basic level, using Aura, whether with your fists or a weapon, is just about knowing what forms to take when both attacking and defending.

We will continue to spar as we have in the past, but I will now take the time to teach you the best forms. Let us begin. First, bend your elbows like this…"

He formed a stance, and Pyrrha did his best to copy it. For the next several hours, Pyrrha and Coach Phillip worked on channeling Aura. Then Phillip took out a set of practice dummies and watched her try to use the Aura to destroy them. When her father came back, he noticed Pyrrha working with Phillip in the distance.

He waved at Pyrrha, and she gave a quick wave before attempting to destroy the next dummy. And even after supper, she continued to work late into the night.