A/N: Being hit by that truckload of work actually resulted in my death - I was buried under a pile of exams. Anyways, now I have risen from the grave and am back with the 11th chapter of Lawbreaker to Lecturer!
So, there will probably be a decent jump in general quality from here on out, since my editor's finally back - we've been brainstorming and have managed to figure out a huge chunk of the immediate plot. Things may change and progress, but right now we've got a pretty clear idea of where we want to take this in mind.
Anyways, this chapter is super action-heavy. Hope you enjoy, and as always, review responses shall be at the bottom of the page.
Chapter 11
This was nerve-racking. Ruby had tried to psyche herself up for it as much as possible before diving in. She'd received nothing but encouragement from her teammates when she gave them the plan. Professor Torchwick believed in her, too! So…
Why was this so darn difficult? Why couldn't she just knock on this stupid door?
All she had to do was go in and tell the Ice Queen that she wanted to have a match in Glynda's sparring class. Hopefully, she'd say yes, and then Ruby could fight her in an epic battle, with heart-racing stakes and incredible displays of talent and skill on both sides! And then, when Ruby stood victorious, Weiss would finally stop calling her a kid and glaring at her! The plan was perfect. Now all she had to do was go in and tell her in advance about it.
Talk to her… Face to face.
Ruby held back a groan. Would anyone blame her for not really wanting to talk to the girl? The closest thing to a friendly chat they'd ever had since their scuffle was Weiss boring into her with an ice-cold stare; one that she could only nervously glance back at. Talking to her was like talking to a really cold brick wall - kinda like a glacier.
But, if she sat here all scared forever, then she'd miss a chance to make up with Weiss.
She steeled herself, and stepped towards the door. Even if it seemed to grow in size, and loom over her in a spectacularly creepy fashion.
She raised her hand, ready to strike the door.
Come on, Ruby. You can do this.
"Oh, hello Ruby!"
The door had already opened, and Pyrrha was standing on the other side, smiling cheerfully.
Ruby's cheeks went bright red, and she coughed a little. Pyrrha raising her eyebrow only made it worse.
"Uh, sorry, I just wanted to come and visit your dorm to talk about something -"
Pyrrha's smile suddenly began to look a whole lot more nervous, and Ruby could've sworn she was sweating a little.
"I'm sorry, Ruby, but I don't really think it's a good time -"
A loud scream of what was probably fury erupted from deep within the dorm, one which probably could've torn Ruby's ears right off if it weren't for her aura. Pyrrha flinched, and turned nervously to the inside of her room once again.
"What on Remnant do you think you're doing!?" cried the very annoyed sounding voice of the Ice Queen.
"Decorating~!" giggled a much more upbeat voice; the same one that had stopped Ruby from reaching sleep on the night before initiation.
Ruby's eyes narrowed.
"... What's going on in there?" she asked. When she tried to lean around to see for herself, Pyrrha jumped in front of her line of sight, vetoing any of her attempts immediately.
"Please, it's nothing worth worrying about-"
"Schnee Dust Company produce is not to be used as glitter! Are you trying to cause an explosion!?" Weiss's cry echoed through the hall, probably reaching the ears of more than just Ruby. Pyrrha let out a slow, nervous laugh.
"... It wasn't that much." Pyrrha whispered nervously. Ruby may not have been good at reading social cues, but even she could tell that that was a lie.
"Come on, Ice Queen! It wasn't that much!" Nora responded rather conveniently.
"If that had detonated, you would have blown this entire hall out of the stratosphere!"
Pyrrha's shoulders stiffened, and the normally lithe champion almost looked like a plank of wood. Ruby felt a wave of slight nausea.
The entire hall? How much dust was Weiss even carrying around?
Pyrrha bit her lip, and her glances back into the dorm room became even more frantic.
"Did she just say -"
"Don't worry! It's not important at all." Pyrrha blurted out, maybe a little too quickly.
Ruby rubbed the back of her head and giggled nervously. It could be a good idea to be a little more careful in the hallways from now on - just in case.
"So, what was it you wanted to talk about?" Pyrrha blurted out, maybe a little too quickly. "If you needed to talk to anyone else, I'm sure I could pass on whatever you have to say."
"I think it's better if I ask this in person -"
"Well, I might be able to get Ren for you, but I'm not sure Nora will be available for a while." she said, with a polite smile and a weak chuckle.
It looked like there wasn't any more room to beat around the bush.
"Actually, I wanted to talk with Weiss."
Pyrrha went completely silent.
She blinked once, and then twice.
Ruby winced a little. Was wanting to talk to Weiss that weird?
"Are… Are you sure? What for?" she asked, looking oddly bewildered. The expression really didn't seem to fit her face - it put Ruby slightly on edge, something she really didn't need if she had to speak to the Ice Queen of all people.
"Uh, I wanted to ask her to have a spar with me in combat class."
Pyrrha's face went blank, and then suddenly returned to a slight smile. She turned around, and then strode down the short hallway, closing the door gently behind her.
Ruby could hear a few hurried whispers from the dorm room, and then footsteps. Coming right toward the door.
It opened, and Ruby was now face to face with Weiss. If Ruby had to use one word to describe her right now, it would probably be 'unimpressed' - one eyebrow was arched in the air expectantly, her eyes half-lidded in annoyance, complete with folded arms and one foot tapping against the floor.
"Well?" she asked.
"Um…" Ruby slowly began to fidget with her cloak nervously.
"If you've nothing to say, then don't waste my time." the speed of her foot tapping increased, and Ruby cursed herself once again for her inability to talk to people properly.
"Well, I was thinking that maybe in Professor Goodwitch's first lesson, we could have a spar!" she stammered, her voice cracking way more than she wanted it to.
The foot tapping stopped completely. Weiss hummed in thought for a moment.
"Alright." she said, bluntly, "I'll join you."
Ruby was taken aback for a moment.
"Um… Thanks?" she replied, the words falling out of her mouth before her brain could properly sift through them.
"Just remember to show up." she answered, and then quickly stepped back into her dorm room. Ruby could hear shouting inside once again. Something about 'deplorable?'
Well… That'd been easier than she'd thought it would be. Weiss was still being mean and cold, but it was progress.
Come tomorrow, and she'd be smiling and talking with Weiss like the best of them!
… Maybe. But it was worth a shot.
*X*
Weiss watched as the last particles of Dust were scraped off of the wall by her irritating teammate - laughing away all the while. Honestly, Weiss found Miss Valkyrie's endless enthusiasm admirable, but when it was never applied to anything other than giving her leader a migraine, it quickly transformed from admirable into annoying. Frustratingly, Ren refused to properly chastise her for her misbehaviour - given that he was the only person Valkyrie ever seemed to listen to, it certainly would've made Weiss' job as leader a lot easier if he actually bothered to take the strong stance against his partner.
Even worse was the way Pyrrha Nikos had to watch this mess unfold. She tried to hide it behind polite smiles, but Weiss could sense the disappointment the champion felt with her teammates nonetheless. It couldn't be helped if Miss Nikos didn't yet see the potential that the other half of their team held - she was no doubt used to fraternising with only the best of the best.
All the more reason for Weiss to push onward in whipping Ren and Miss Valkyrie into shape.
"I have no doubt you'll be able to set the standard for the other huntsmen and huntresses here. Don't let this detention get you down."
That was what Professor Torchwick had said. He had expectations for her too, and with the way he'd let her out of the punishment for interfering with his job, and on her honour as a Schnee, she wanted to live up to them.
With that offer Miss Rose had extended, it appeared she would have an opportunity to do so before long.
She would duel her, and emerge victorious, and in doing so teach her what defeat felt like - it was, given the girl's lack of humility, something Weiss doubted the girl was used to experiencing - and in doing so help the girl mature.
A display like that might even help Weiss earn the respect of her team. The very thought of it made her grin victoriously.
The following day, Miss Rose would look up to and respect her.
… Perhaps. But it would certainly be worth the effort.
*X*
Glynda goodwitch stared out through the auditorium as the last of the new students filtered through the doorway and into their seats. She'd seen them at initiation this year, and she had to admit - this year group was rather special. Team WNNR certainly seemed promising, and outside of their leader Team ABRY was filled with a great deal of talent. Even Team CRDL didn't seem too shabby compared to some of the other teams that had managed to make it through initiation.
"So, you gonna incorporate any of my tricks into your teaching style? There's nothing wrong with emulating your betters, you know." the snarky drone of Beacon's new Economics teacher oozed from beside her.
… Why was he even here?
"I'm a professional, Torchwick, so I'm afraid not." she replied coolly.
Sadly, it was probably better he was in here than out on the school premises doing goodness knows what. Whenever she couldn't tell what he was actually up to, she began to grow uncharacteristically fretful: under normal circumstances, Glynda Goodwitch wouldn't need to worry. She would always have everything under control.
But with Torchwick? She didn't seem to affect him in the slightest. The usual stern glares, whips of the crop, or the occasional eyebrow raise that would normally have even the most rancorous students on their hands and knees instead made Torchwick laugh at best, and at worst he'd just ignore her completely. If even she couldn't get him under control, and Ozpin was oftentimes too busy with his primary occupation to help rein him in, then what might he get up to when she wasn't looking?
She knew he couldn't just be spending all of his time inspecting the school premises. He had to be up to something.
An annoying clicking sound brought her back to her senses, and her eyes round to Torchwick's grinning face.
"What is it, Torchwick?" she asked, her voice a little more sharp than intended.
"I don't know if you realised, Purple, but your lesson just started."
Glynda glanced up at the clock, which read 9:00 AM, to Torchwick, who had an infuriating grin affixed to his face, and then to the rows of expectant looking students.
She cleared her throat.
"Pardon. Welcome, one and all, to combat class. My name, as you probably all know, is Professor Goodwitch, and I'll be your instructor here for the following four years at Beacon."
A hand went up near the back.
Who was this again? It was one of the people who had arrived a little later, and taken a black rook piece...
"Yes, Mister Noir?"
"Is Professor Torchwick gonna be helping with these lessons?"
Glynda's eye twitched. Torchwick's grin widened.
"No." she replied, as politely as one possibly could while gritting their teeth together. The Noir boy recoiled in noticeable fear.
Good. It was nice to see people afraid of her. That was the way it was supposed to be.
"Is there anyone with a question actually related to combat?" she asked the crowd.
A single, gauntleted hand rose into the air.
"Yes, Miss Xiao-Long?"
"Would it be cool if I went first and fought Pyrrha?" she requested casually, a goofy smile on her face.
Well, confidence was certainly something you couldn't fault the Xiao-Long girl for. Her sister pouted, and gave her a jab with her elbow - that the blonde shrugged off almost completely.
It was followed by a small cry of "No fair, sis!"
Most people entirely missed the exchange, given that now almost every single person in the room was staring at the Mistralian athlete.
"I suppose, if Miss Nikos doesn't have any issues with it." Glynda remarked.
"I don't mind." she replied, with a slight smile on her face, "As a matter of fact, I'd love to."
The two quickly descended to the centre of the auditorium, and turned to their teacher.
"Before we can begin, I will cover the rules of this combat session. Combat is to be kept within the arena at all times; if you are knocked out, it will be considered a ring out, and the opponent's victory -"
Torchwick yawned just quietly enough for the students not to notice, but just loudly enough to irritate her.
"And if you are knocked to 15% of your total Aura capacity, the fight will be over immediately to prevent any injuries, as per tournament rulesets. Do you understand?"
Both girls nodded. Torchwick looked like he was about to make another remark, but she dug her heel into his toe before he could irritate her any further. She needed to focus on this match - not be distracted by his stupid comments.
"Then, without further ado, you may begin."
The two fell into their combat stances - Miss Nikos with her shield held before her, and sword poised to strike at any moment, Miss Xiao-Long with her her fists. Shortly, they began to circle one another, probing each others' weak points with practised ease.
Well, practised ease for a pair of students who'd just entered Beacon. Glynda was almost certain that these two wouldn't stand a chance against any of the Beacon faculty.
… Except maybe Peaches.
*X*
Yang Xiao-Long wasn't like most opponents. Pyrrha could tell that much from the first few blows they traded.
A fist flew towards her face - she brought up Akouo to block it, then flipped out of the way of the shotgun blast that came from the girl's off hand. She took the opportunity to rake Milo across her waist, bringing a generous chunk of her opponent's Aura with her.
Not enough to win. Not yet.
Pyrrha landed gracefully, and swivelled around, returning her gaze directly to her adversary.
Yang grinned straight back at her, whistling appreciatively - seemingly unaffected by the extra tenth of her Aura that was now missing. Then, with a loud boom and a flash from her gauntlets, she surged across the arena - directly towards her.
She was more than prepared for it.
Pyrrha jumped aside, just as dust and blonde locks flew past her, releasing a gust of air that made Pyrrha's crimson hair flutter. Her opponent's strength was exceptional - possibly greater than Pyrrha's own.
Which meant, if she let the blonde go on the offensive forever, she'd eventually lose.
Pyrrha dashed towards her opponent before she could recover. The telltale bark of gunfire rang out from her direction, and she raised her shield before her eyes to deflect the blasts of fire that her enemy shot outwards.
When Pyrrha came too close, the blonde would likely begin to attack with her fists again - she would be able to react accordingly by batting her attacks aside with Akouo, then striking. On the off chance she tried to create more distance between them, Pyrrha could easily outshoot her with Milo in rifle form, and win the war of attrition.
Nothing too out of the ordinary.
She closed in, preparing for the hail of punches to strike the surface of her shield, only to recoil in surprise when she felt the blonde grip the top of it with her hand. She tried to knock it aside with the butt of her sword -
And Yang used the shield to vault directly over the champion's head. Pyrrha attempted to block the incoming attack from above with Akouo, but wasn't quick enough.
It seemed this attack would hit her directly.
Pyrrha heard the audience gasp as the strike missed Pyrrha's skull by a fraction of an inch. Not the most subtle use of her Semblance… But it would have to do.
Yang landed behind her with a thud. The blonde was clenching and unclenching her hand, in what was probably shock - Pyrrha couldn't blame her; if she'd missed that uncharacteristically she would've been surprised as well. After all, Yang had no idea about Pyrrha's Semblance.
With a click of her tongue, her opponent locked eyes with her once more. The grin was gone this time, and for a moment her eyes flashed red.
Then, her hair began to glow, and erupt into a burst of golden fire.
Her smile returned in full force as she went straight for Pyrrha again. Pyrrha sidestepped once more, only for Yang to change course in midair instantly using the kickback from her gauntlets.
The blonde sped toward her, and her fist smashed straight into Akouo with a metallic crash, a blast of Dust ammunition, and limb-shattering force. Her Aura flexed, and Pyrrha grit her teeth and dug her heels into the ground to prevent herself from being sent flying backwards by the sheer force of the impact.
Yang didn't give her the room to regain her composure - a golden streak flew towards her, fist reared back for another shattering blow.
This time, she knew better than to try and block it.
She waited until the last moment, and then ducked beneath her, jabbing Akouo upward and straight into Yang's midriff - she quickly turned in midair and pushed off of it once more, in an attempt to create more distance between the two of them.
Pyrrha wasn't about to let that happen. She dashed forward to the point at which Yang hit the ground, and threw Akouo forward - Yang crossed her arms to block it.
The perfect opportunity.
Pyrrha rushed in, brandishing Milo, and slashed horizontally, cutting straight through Yang's Aura and recovering her shield along the way. The blonde winced from the pain, but quickly recuperated and responded with another punch; Pyrrha deflected it with her shield, of course, but this one hit twice as hard as the last. Pyrrha's arm, for a moment, felt like it might have snapped off if not for her Aura protecting her.
Yang didn't relent. She came in for an uppercut that would've sent Pyrrha reeling…
… If not for a quick use of her Semblance. She tried to disguise it as a well placed dodge, as always, but the pain flaring through her arm made it hard to coordinate - the dodge was sloppy, and anyone could tell at a glance that the blow should've hit Pyrrha.
But, Yang only struck air, her gauntlet firing toward the ceiling in what seemed like an empty echo to the hit Pyrrha cheated her of.
Yang took another look at her gauntlet, and frowned, her eyes turning red once more. She shook her head, her eyes returning to their usual lilac, but the frown remained.
She went in for a flurry of blows, a series of jabs and hooks and uppercuts; one which Pyrrha returned with stabs and thrusts and parries - and with each hit Pyrrha scored, Yang's attacks only grew faster and stronger.
And, as progressively more of Yang's attacks began to slip through her guard, of which even the slightest touch would send Pyrrha flying, she found herself using her Semblance to try and cover for her own mistakes all the more often.
She grimaced as Yang's fist arched across her field of vision, just barely missing her nose. She could feel her Aura ripple from the shockwave the attack created - she dreaded what might have happened had it actually hit her.
If not for her discreetly forcing her gauntlets away, that could have taken out a good fifth of her Aura in a single blow.
Yang growled slightly, and with a roar, she drove her gauntleted hand straight toward Pyrrha's face. Pyrrha reflexively activated her semblance - the attack could've easily knocked out more than half of her reserves even if she blocked it - and was stunned.
Her fist didn't stop. Or even slow down. It kept going forward, even as Pyrrha amplified the effects of her Polarity.
As if pushed by some invisible hand, Pyrrha staggered backwards from the repulsion of her own Semblance, struggling to regain her footing even as Yang surged toward her, grinning once again, and planted a kick directly into Pyrrha's waist.
The air was blasted from her instantly, and she was sent spinning across the ring. A single glance toward the board revealed she'd lost around twenty five percent of her Aura. She was in the yellow zone, just below the halfway mark, and Yang had only hit her twice.
A chuckle pulled her from her thoughts, and she turned to Yang. She was smiling, and the intense anger and frustration in her eyes was gone, replaced with a look of clarity that sent Pyrrha's nerves reeling.
A pit opened in her stomach as she realised that Yang's gauntlets had morphed back into bracelet form, and she was slowly slipping them off.
"Miss Xiao-Long? Why are you removing your weapons in the midst of a fight?" Professor Goodwitch's stern voice broke the thick tension in the air, and Yang laughed.
"Well, Professor Goodwitch, they were feeling kinda unlucky today." she joked.
Glynda raised an eyebrow, but made no further comment - even as Yang carelessly tossed both bracelets completely outside of the ring.
Pyrrha burst out into laughter, the nerves suddenly all but forgotten.
As she re-entered her combat stance, a defiant grin found its way onto her face. She realised, with a sense of long-forgotten elation, that this was the first time in what felt like years that she'd felt threatened. She was in a fight in which victory was uncertain.
One where, if she wanted to win, she'd have to give it her all.
Yang made the first move.
She sprinted across the arena, and immediately went for a jab toward Pyrrha's chest - Pyrrha quickly thrust her shield forward to block it, but Yang's widening grin made Pyrrha realise that her shield was exactly what Yang was aiming for.
She struck Akouo with full force, and Pyrrha felt the pain reverberate throughout her body.
Notably, her punches hurt less when there wasn't a shotgun blast attached.
Although… They were somehow even faster than before.
She moved in for another attack on the shield, and Pyrrha held fast, but a third one was able to knock the shield aside completely. Yang instantly went for an uppercut, but Pyrrha was ready this time - she swept Yang's legs out from under her with a low kick, and delivered a cut across her upper body.
Yang quickly readjusted, landing on her hands and then flipping backward, coming back to her feet to face Pyrrha.
Pyrrha smiled wider, and Yang mirrored the gesture.
Her grip around Milo tightened, and all that remained of her Aura flared up with a glow of radiant scarlet.
Yang held out her arms in front of her, eyes turning crimson, and her hair erupted into a torrent of golden fire.
A moment of mutual understanding passed between the two of them: their intent clear, they rushed towards each other. Pyrrha leaped into the air and brought her sword down from above, light glinting off of its bronze edge, with Yang rushing to meet it, her bare fist reared back, clothed in flame.
"Stop!"
The moment was broken immediately as a purple glyph materialised between them, and they hit it with a painful crunch. Yang fell to the floor, limbs sprawled out over the floor, panting heavily but grinning maniacally all the while. Pyrrha dropped to her hands and knees, barely managing to stop herself from ending up just like Yang.
"While I admire your enthusiasm," Professor Goodwitch remarked, "I would advise you both to pay more attention to your Aura capacity while in battle."
She pointed her crop the their left, drawing the pair's attention to the board.
"With techniques like those you employed, you would likely have seriously wounded your opponent. While this would obviously be the intent in a life-or-death situation, this is a tournament scenario, with tournament rulesets." she adjusted her glasses, "If you'd done that in an event like the Vytal festival…" She cracked her crop against the nearest chair for effect, making both Yang and Pyrrha wince, "... You would have been immediately disqualified. That said, that was an excellent battle. I would advise you both to keep up the good work."
As Pyrrha looked up at the board, she tuned Goodwitch out completely. Just beneath their names, in clean, glowing white letters, were two numbers that had her almost spellbound.
Yang Xiao-Long: 14%
Pyrrha Nikos: 16%
Suddenly, she was laughing again - and even when the fatigue and aches hit her seemingly all at once, all too quickly, she couldn't stop.
It was incredibly close - but, by a hair's breadth, Pyrrha Nikos had remained in the yellow zone.
In other words, she'd won.
She walked over to where Yang lay spreadeagled on the floor. She bent down, smiling, and offered the blonde her hand.
"Looks like… Another victory… For the Invincible Girl, huh?" she panted, letting out small chuckles between every single breath she took.
Although she probably would've been annoyed at anyone else using the media-given nickname, Pyrrha simply giggled.
"I suppose."
Yang took the champion's hand, and Pyrrha quickly lifted her to her feet.
"So, I hope you're ready, Pyrrha," Yang said, leaning on her knees and having finally recovered her breath, "Because next time we do this, I'm going to cream you."
Somehow, that prospect only made Pyrrha smile.
"I'll look forward to it."
She wasn't lying.
Review Responses:
TheSetupMage: Splitting apart Renora is more difficult than trying to split the nucleus of an atom with your bare hands... That said, Torchwick has done some rather impressive things thus far. All I can say for now is wait and see.
Nerd315: I've actually always intended to include some insight into that. Look forward to it!
Bomberguy: Astute observations there. I'm afraid to say that's all I can tell you until the next chapter's out.
General Response: It's nice to see people taking Torchwick teaching (heh try saying that three times fast) so well! I was super freaked out about that chapter not being well recieved; it was one of the most rewritten ones of any of the chapters thus far. I feel like I say this a lot, but you all are great!
