Edited 10'th September 2017

Chulainn was silent the whole ride down from Ozpin's office, thinking about the conversation he just had with the Headmaster.

"Hmph.. If that's the case, then I suppose I'll just have to handle this my own way, then" Chulainn thought to himself as the elevator doors opened. He then began making his way towards his second class of the day, History class with Doctor Ooobleck. As he entered the class, he realized that he was a few minutes late, as evident from the stares he got upon entering.

"Ah, Mr. McRemitz. So nice of you to finally join us" Obbleck commented, as Chulainn began walking to his seat "Though I don't mind students being late to my class once or twice, please do make sure it doesn't become a habit"

"Apologies, Doctor" Chulainn said, nodding to his team as he took his seat beside Arturia, which was in one of the back rows.

"Chulainn, what happened? We haven't seen you since lunch" Arturia whispered to the boy, as Oobleck restarted his class.

"I told you, didn't I? I had an appointment with Ozpin"

"For a whole hour?"

"Well, no.. It was just a few minutes.." he answered, shrugging "I used the rest of my free time to cool off"

"That's a surprisingly smart move by you" commented Shirou, who was seated to Arturia's right "I'm impressed"

"Ha ha.. Very funny, Shirou. I'll remember that the next time I kick your ass in a spar" replied Chulainn. A few rows down from Team ASHC, a different conversation was brewing between the members of Team RWBY and Team JNPR.

"That guy rubs me the wrong way" Yang commented, staring at the blue haired teen.

"What do you mean?" asked her team leader/sister, having given up on trying to focus on whatever it was the Doctor in front of them was saying a few minutes ago.

"From what he said during lunch" Yang replied "Doesn't it bother you, Rubes?"

"Of course it does. In fact, I was angry at what he said" Ruby answered "But, in the end, he did help the girl, even if his words meant otherwise"

"That's great and all but what I find irritating is his general lack of apathy" Blake commented, giving her own thoughts on the matter "He doesn't seem to get along all that well with his team, either"

"You're right about that. Arturia's known him for a while and from what I've heard from her, he's the type who doesn't care about much, if he even cares about anything at all" commented the Schnee Heiress

"Hmph.. An attitude like that is hardly the attitude of a future protector of humanity, if you ask me" came the comment of a redheaded champion, who was seated behind Ruby "Even if he did save the girl from being bullied, the fact remains that his attitude needs an adjustment"

"And plus, I'm pretty sure the reason he even stepped in to help her was just to shut us all up and not out of the goodness of his heart" Blake continued, glaring slightly at Chulainn "I'm just glad I'm not on the same team as he is"

"I can agree with you on that. The team probably wouldn't even last a day if we were teammates, much less partners" said the blonde haired brawler

"Oh, oh! I have an idea! The next class is combat class with Goodwitch, right? Why don't we break his legs during a spar and say it's an 'accident'?" Nora asked, a glint of dangerous excitement in her eyes, causing a nervous chuckle to come out of Pyrrha. At least, she thought it was a joke. Knowing her, it could go either way.

When the rest of her team, along with Team RWBY, actually looked like they were contemplating the idea, a slight panic came over the champion's face "Guys! Don't actually think about it!" Pyrrha spoke out as loud as she could without getting Oobleck's attention.

"Nora's ridiculous idea aside, I hope Arturia will be fine with a teammate like him" Weiss thought to herself "I won't forgive him if his general lack of caring for others caused Arturia to get hurt"

The rest of Oobleck's class went by in a blur, figuratively and literally, as the Doctor sped from one spot to another, asking questions to unsuspecting students, before dismissing the class as soon as the bell rang and speeding out of the class himself but not before handing out homework and assigned readings, earning more than a few groans from the students in front of him.

As Team ASHC began making their way towards their next class, Arturia couldn't help but notice that Chulainn hadn't said a word ever since he came into class and it seems that she wasn't the only one who noticed that.

"Chulainn, you've been uncharacteristically silent for a while now" his partner commented "Something on your mind?"

"It's nothing, really" the boy replied, shooting a small glance at Arturia "Don't mind it. So, Combat Class, huh? Now that I think about it, I think I'll volunteer for the first fight of the day later"

Arturia didn't fail to notice the way Chulainn suddenly changed the topic but decided to go along with her teammate's wish "Oh? You're even more motivated to fight today than normal"

"Heh.. Can you blame me? It's been a while since I've had a real fight I feel like my skills are getting rusty. Doesn't help that I had to sit back the whole time during the previous class watching my teammates fight" the boy said, looking at Shirou and Heracles, as both of them have already fought, and won, their matches in the previous class.

"This is one of the things I can agree with you on" Arturia said "Training is good and all but a real fight is what's necessary to truly make you a better Huntress"

[Later, in Combat Class]

As students began pouring into Beacon's combat arena, Professor Goodwitch was already standing in the middle of the stage, her tablet in one hand and her riding crop in another. She was still busy tampering away on her tablet by the time all the students had taken their seats.

"Right then, class, seeing as this is only our second combat class together, those of you who have already fought in the previous class will not be fighting today" the professor announced, looking at each of the students in front of her "That being said, this is only for those who have not had a chance to fight yet, are there any volunteers who would like to start off today's class?" As soon as she asked that question, Chulainn's arm immediately shot up.

"I would like to volunteer, Professor" the blue haired teen said as he got up from his seat and began making his way towards the blonde haired Professor

"Very well, Mr. McRemitz. Then, if you would kindly prepare yourself, I can begin choosing your opponent for today"

"Actually, Professor, I was thinking maybe I could fight…" Chulainn began, letting his voice trail off as he slowly chose his own opponent "my leader, Arturia Pendragon" he said, voice resolute and his finger pointing at the aforementioned golden haired student.

"I'm afraid you're in no position to choose your opponents-"

"No, it's fine, Professor" Arturia answered, interrupting the woman "If Chulainn wishes me as his opponent, then I shall happily accept his challenge" Arturia said, a small smirk on her face.

Glynda could only sigh at the display "Honestly, these teenagers.. So eager to fight. It's not like we're in the middle of war or anything so really, there's no rush"

As his leader began making her way towards the arena, Chulainn couldn't help but think back to the conversation he had with the Headmaster a few hours ago

[Ozpin's Office, three hours ago]

"It's actually regarding my team's leader position" Chulainn said, as he took a seat in front of the Headmaster's desk.

"Oh? Well, this is certainly an unexpected topic, Mr. McRemitz" replied the man, as he took a sip of coffee "What about your team's leader position would you like to speak to me with?"

"Well, sir, forgive me for being straightforward here but, I feel like you made a mistake in choosing Arturia Pendragon as team leader. I believe that I am more suited to the role" Chulainn answered, a hint of pride in his statement.

"That's a pretty bold statement. Would you care to tell me why you feel as if you're worthy of being team leader?" the Headmaster asked, a neutral and calm expression on his face.

"Well, it's obvious, really. I am much more suited for this role because, simply put, I am stronger than she is and also, much more motivated than her in leading the team" the blue haired teen replied.

"And you believe that Ms. Pendragon does not possess any of the qualities befitting a team leader?"

"No, I do not" Chulainn answered with a firm and resolute voice.

"I disagree, Mr. McRemitz. In my eyes, Ms. Pendragon has an incredible amount of potential" Ozpin replied, as he turned the monitor on his desk around so that it faced the boy. The monitor was currently showing the battle fought by Teams RWBY, JNPR, and ASHC during Initiation "Do you know what I see, Mr. McRemitz? I see a young girl, instead of panicking, taking charge of the situation with a calm mind as she directs orders to people she doesn't even know, much less trusts. And as you can see, she possesses the strength to succeed not just as a successful Huntress, but as your leader, as well" Ozpin said, as the video showed Arturia killing the Beringel in one blow "That being said, Mr. McRemitz, I simply do not see what you mean when you said I have made a mistake"

Chulainn could only look down at the ground at the Headmaster's words in defeat. Ozpin, seeing the boy's troubled look, continued "Strength may be necessary in a leader but that is not all. To be a great leader, you would need a great mind to complement your strength and not only that, you would need to show that you are able to take charge of a situation with a calm and collected heart. And I regret to inform you this, Mr. McRemitz, you may possess the strength required of a leader, but none of the latter traits"

"Then what if I challenged Arturia to a duel with the leader position at stake? If she accepts and I defeat her, then will you change your mind?" Chulainn asked

"I'm afraid my decision is final, Mr. McRemitz. Arturia Pendragon is your leader until you leave Beacon" Ozpin answered with a sigh "Now, I do believe you have a class with Doctor Oobleck in a few minutes, do you not?"

"Yes, Headmaster" Chulainn answered, sighing in defeat, as he made his way towards the elevator

[Present time, Goodwitch's combat class]

"As I've said in the previous class, the first person to either leave the arena or has their aura reach the red stage first loses. At that point, any and all fighting shall stop. If you do not comply, I will not hesitate to use force to stop you. Is that understood?" the Professor asked the two students in front of her, getting nods of agreement in return.

"Listen up, Arturia! I don't care what the Headmaster says. I'm not gonna acknowledge someone who's weaker than me as my team leader. Least of all you" Chulainn exclaimed, as Arturia stood on the other side of the arena, facing him "Here and now is when we'll finally decide which of us is the better fighter" After saying that, Chulainn, with a determined expression on his face, then immediately entered a fighting stance, as he engulfed his spear in his Semblance.

"Hmm.. Those are strong words, Chulainn. It would be rude of me not to return your fighting spirit" Arturia replied, a look of equal resolution on her face as she, too, readied herself for the battle to come "Well then, en garde"

"Now then, are both fighters ready?" Glynda asked one last time, as both students nodded in response "Very well. BEGIN!" Glynda shouted, signaling the start of the match.

And in a moment of 'blink and you'll miss it', the two teens clashed.

Steel clashing against steel.

Sword clashing against spear.

Excalibur clashing against Gae Bolg.

Try as they might, the two teens could not overpower the other. Arturia had a serious expression on her face while Chulainn's expression was more of someone who enjoyed battle, if the smile on his face was any indication. Having decided on a different tactic, Chulainn jumped back a few feet before following up with a thrust towards Arturia's chest. Seeing the attack coming, Arturia quickly parried it away, twisting her body and turning a full three-sixty before slashing Chulainn's back, causing the boy to stumble for a bit.

Regaining his bearings, Chulainn turned around just in time to block an downward slash by Arturia. Chulainn then took the opportunity to kick Arturia square in the stomach, sending her back a few feet. The blue haired teen then took the opportunity to dash forward with a lunge of his spear towards his leader's head.

Arturia, however, expected the attack to come and simply sidestep it, dodging the attack completely. Using Excalibur, Arturia then slash her swords upwards at her teammate's spear, shocking Chulainn, before next slashing at his head. The boy was fast to react, though, as he quickly brought his spear down just in time to block the attack.

For the next few seconds, however, Chulainn was clearly on the defensive, as Arturia was pushing him back with every slash of her sword which was barely blocked by Chulainn's own weapon. Once again, the two students were locked in a struggle of strength, before Chulainn jumped back a few feet to regain his composure.

"Hmph.. Damn that sword of yours. I forgot how irritating it was" Chulainn commented, eyes fierce and full of determination to win.

"What's the matter, Chulainn? A self-respecting spearman won't stay rooted to the spot" Arturia shot back, Excalibur at the ready showing that she was not letting her guard down for even a second.

"Heh.. Taunting me with words, Arturia? I don't remember you being this talkative before, swordswoman"

"I guess even the best of us are susceptible to change. Even one such as yourself, Chulainn" replied the golden haired leader. Looking up at the screen above, she saw that the both of them had sustained some amount of damage during the earlier exchange, as both their auras seemed to have gone down a bit.

"Prepare yourself, Arturia. I won't be holding back any longer" Chulainn said, as he strengthened his stance. A moment later, the tip of his spear appeared to glow red.

"Finally getting serious, are we, Chulainn? Fine by me" A moment later, the two teens were back at it, as Chulainn attacked Arturia with a thrust towards her midriff, only for his target to dodge the attack, leaving the left side of his body open for an attack. Expecting a counter-attack from, Chulainn quickly blocked Arturia's incoming attack with his spear before following up with a knee strike to the girl's face as he impaled his spear into the ground for support. Not letting up, Chulainn took the opening and stabbed Arturia in her right shoulder, causing a small drop in his leader's aura. He then pulled his spear back before dealing a roundhouse kick to Arturia's head, sending her flying to the arena's edge.

"Oh, my. Sorry about that, Arturia, but did you really think I'd fall for the same trick twice?" Chulainn asked, chuckling at his own joke "What do you say to you surrendering, Arturia?"

Wiping away small bit of blood on her lips, Arturia got up and prepared herself again "Hmph.. Surely you must be joking, Chulainn? Arrogant as always. I guess some things never change. I refuse your offer of surrender. You will lose this fight, Chulainn. That's a guarantee" With that, Arturia charged towards her teammate, her face showing that she had every intention of winning this duel.

As the fight between the two teammates were going on, the other two members of Team ASHC couldn't help but comment on the fight themselves.

"Hmm.. The both of them are pretty strong, don't you think?" commented Heracles, eyeing the fight closely.

"Indeed. Although, from what I can see, Arturia's agility as well as her strength is higher than that of Chulainn's" Shirou replied, not taking his eyes off of the fight for even a moment "Though Chulainn does make up for it with his less than orthodox style of fighting, as evident from that knee strike to Arturia's face earlier"

"That's true. I'd say this fight could go either way, if their skills so far are anything to go by" Heracles replied, earning a nod of agreement from his white haired teammate.

Meanwhile, a few feet from the two stoic boys of Team ASHC, the girls of Team RWBY weren't taking their eyes off the fight, either.

Yang whistled in amazement as she saw the fast strikes of both the students in front of them "If he didn't have that attitude of his, he'd be one hell of a Hunter"

"I'll say. The both of them are definitely skilled. I wouldn't be surprised if they're the most skilled students in our year" Blake commented "I suppose this fight goes down to the one who makes the first fatal mistake"

"Weiss, you've known Arturia from before Beacon, right? Has she always been this strong?" Yang asked, looking at her teammate.

"Yes, she has" the Heiress answered, not taking her eyes off of the match "We've sparred against each other before. However, Arturia's victories over myself were much more numerous than the victories I've had over her and even when I did win, the victory was too close for comfort"

"Guess even you can be impressed, huh?" replied the blonde of Team RWBY.

"GUYS! You're missing the match with all your talking!" came the excited voice of the small leader of Team RWBY. Looking at her sister, Yang saw that she was watching the match with a starry glint in her eyes "I mean, look how awesome the two of them are. Not to mention their weapons. The way they're using them is amazing. Of course, they can't compare with Crescent Rose but they're still amazing!" Ruby commented with a voice of excitement. Yang could only shake her head at her little sister's excitement.

Looking back at the match, Yang saw that both of them were still strongly going at it, neither of them willing to back down from the other. As they clashed again, she noticed that both of their auras were slowly, but surely, reaching the halfway point.

"Hmm? Is it just me or does Arturia's sword seem to be glowing?" Yang thought to herself "Is it her semblance?"

By now, fifteen minutes have passed since the fight began and now, both of their auras were nearing red. Signs of fatigue and exhaustion have clearly been plastered on the faces of both fighters. The state the both of their auras were in at the moment, one or two more good strikes would finish the fight, one way or the other. Readying Excalibur, which was currently glowing a magnificent golden color, Arturia readied herself to finish the fight. Chulainn, too, readied his weapon.

"Hmph.. I forgot how annoying… your semblance can be" Chulainn commented in panted breaths, gazing at the golden sword.

"As is yours, Chulainn. But even so, this battle is mine" replied Arturia, as Chulainn chose to ignore her statement, instead choosing to focus on the final seconds of their match.

One moment Chulainn was standing still, his eyes not leaving not opponent. The next, he charged straight at Arturia, covering the distance between them quickly. Chulainn then thrust his spear towards Arturia's chest, intent on ending the match. And it would have ended, had it not been for Arturia barely dodging the attack at the last second. The spear grazed the top of her shoulder, as Arturia dipped down low before following up with a slash at Chulainn's stomach. Not letting up, Arturia then turned around and followed up with a slash across the blue haired teen's back and a moment later, the sound of a buzzer went off, signaling the end of the match as Chulainn's Aura had reached the red area.

"Victory goes to Arturia Pendragon" came the voice of Professor Goodwitch "I must say, bar a few wasted movements, that was an excellent, you two. I don't have much to say in improving yourselves except to not let your guard down, even when facing an enemy you've faced before. Right now, however, I recommend that the two of you make your way towards the infirmary. Would Team ASHC please do the honors of escorting them?"

[A few minutes later, Beacon Infirmary]

Chulainn opened his eyes to a ceiling of white in an unfamiliar room. The ceiling fan above them was turning slowly.

"Where am I? What happened?" the boy thought to himself. And then suddenly, he remembered the match with Arturia and, as if with a jolt of lightning, immediately tried to sit up. The keyword here being try as when he attempted to do so, he felt a sting of pain in back, causing him to cry out slightly.

"Right.. I lost.. Tch.." Chulainn mumbled to himself, frustration evident on his face.

"That's right. You lost, I won, Chulainn" A voice said, coming from the boy's right, that startled him. Turning his head, he just realized that his leader had been sitting on a chair by his bedside.

"Oh, it's just you" Chulainn said, biting back a scowl.

"Yup. It's me" replied Arturia, giving him a smile "So, I guess this means that you'll finally acknowledge me as your team leader, then?"

Chulainn stayed quiet for a few seconds, choosing to ignore her question, as he turned his back to her.

"Yes, that's right" the boy finally answered "I bet you're all smug and happy about this, aren't you?"

"I am but not for the reasons you might think, Chulainn" As Arturia said that, Chulainn turned back to face her, a confused expression on his face "What I mean is that, I am happy to know that my team is a strong and dependable team and one that I will be glad to have watching my back in future battles. Especially the upcoming Vytal Festival"

Chulainn was bewildered by Arturia's surprising answer. He chuckled at first before it turned into outright laughter, causing a frown to develop on Arturia's face.

"Why are you laughing?"

"It's nothing. Forget it" Chulainn said, waving her question away "But you're right about one thing, Arturia. This teammate of yours is definitely the strongest teammate you'll ever have and you can bet that I'll be responsible for making Team ASHC the best team that's ever stepped foot into Beacon Academy" the blue haired teen stated, pointing at himself, as a huge grin was plastered on his face.

"I'd expect no less from you, of course" Arturia replied, a bright smile on her face.

[Chapter 4 END]

A/N: Whew. Well, that's another chapter done. Honestly, I really liked writing this chapter. I hope you guys like reading it. Forgive me if some of the characters sound OOC but I'll be doing my best in future chapters to make them sound and act as they do in canon.

Anyway, just a slight heads up for what's coming next, I just wanna state that I'll be skipping the whole Forever Falls incident between Jaune and the Ursa because I just can't seem to find a good way to fit in the Fate characters other than just having them react to things.

Anyway, that's all from me. I hope you leave a review, good or bad, to let me know what you think. Again, thanks for reading. Follow and fave if you wish

No XIV signing off