Week 15 – Dueling Hall

It was a deadened silence that followed me from the stands. My teammates offered me tentative smiles and whispered words of encouragement but my other classmates only watched, dully expectant looks on their faces. They knew what would happen, they'd seen it happen nine times before, I was just another challenger. Just another loser. Pyrrha would win. She wouldn't be touched.

Routine.

I was not one to give up so easily but then, neither were Pyrrha's previous opponents. Every student went into the duel with a defiant look in their eyes, the will to win, determination etched into every hard line of their expression. They went into the duel confident and always, always left it mad and embarrassed. It earned the redhead more than her fair share of jealousy, of anger. The teenage ego was fragile, I'd said it before and I'd keep saying it until I was blue in the face – it was a fragile, fragile thing.

Luckily, I was not so delicate.

I knew the odds I faced here. I knew defeat was possible. I knew exactly what my chances were. I was walking into this duel just the same as every other student – confident, defiant and determined – and, if history were to repeat itself, I would be walking away from this duel dejected and downtrodden in about five minutes.

But that was the difference. That was what set me apart from my classmates. They only lived in the present. They lived in the here and the now, in the moment. They dwelt on their confidence, on their drive, and used it to convince themselves they would get through their duel with Pyrrha Nikos, the Invincible Girl, without even putting so much as a single thought to the duel itself. They hoped. They dreamed. They failed.

They did not see.

But I did. Forethought was my shield just as much as Ultimatum. Strategy and a calm mind would get me through this. Not just determination. Not just confidence. I needed my wits about me. I needed to see what my classmates could not.

I observed.

Pyrrha was angry. The furrow to her brow and the tightness of her lips suggested that she was still quite mad at me and I knew that to be true. I would have to watch for ways to use that against her – if my fight with Neo was any indication, I was something of a frustrating opponent to face.

Was that a good thing, or a bad thing? And for that matter… what did that say about my personality?

A slight upturn of my lips signaled my amusement and I saw my redheaded opponent's face twist into a frown. Easier than I expected.

I winked at her, watching, satisfied, as her frown deepened.

Such a fragile, fragile thing. I hurt one of her friends and she could not stand it.

"Mr. Melkweg," Goodwitch intoned as I drew near the dueling stage itself. "Need I remind you that there will be absolutely no lethal attacks allowed?"

She was eying the bullets on my waist, a wry smile on her face. If she knew anything about recoil then she knew I couldn't fire them myself – not without tossing myself about the stage like a ragdoll. Not only that, but did she really think I'd fire something like that inside in the first place?

No matter – the bullets were only a hindrance in this duel anyway. Dead weight. They were placed against the base of the stands in short order.

I returned to the center of the stage and drew even with Pyrrha slowly, with a measured step that was far more sluggish than my normal gait. The girl's eyes never left me; hard, confident and unyielding. Pyrrha Nikos in a nutshell. This girl was dangerous, she was experienced, she was good at what she did.

A deep breath settled my nerves – her reputation and the skills by which she earned it could not be discounted here. I would not blind myself to the threat she presented, I would not naively hope that I would somehow win. I needed a plan. A course of action. Getting her angry was a good start but that was only half of the equation. The rest relied on me.

I came to this dueling stage just as confident and hopeful as my classmates. The difference, I knew, would be the manner in which I left it.

Victorious or defeated – I did not know and I was not stupid enough to assume I would win this duel. I did not know, but I did know that was going to leave my mark. I would not just be another name under Pyrrha Nikos' foot. My teammates would not fall prey to this girl's reputation any longer. That was my goal. Not winning. Winning was an afterthought. I needed to show the girls that no one was invincible.

"Now," Goodwitch started, eying us both, "your Aura meters have appeared overhead. Again, when you hear the bell chime you are to stop immediately. Am I understood?"

The same speech. The same rules. She seemed more intense this time, though – perhaps she sensed the latent animosity that Pyrrha and I shared?

"You got it," I muttered, keeping my attention on the Pyrrha. She was staring me down, trying to either intimidate me or simply express her anger. Given who this was and her history in dueling tournaments, I was more than willing to bet it was the former. She was not simple enough to throw angry glares around without reason.

That was something Winchester and his merry band of juvenile bullies would do.

I offered her a smile and quirked one of my eyebrows. Play a fool – maybe it would get her going enough to get her off balance.

But it would never be so simple. She only imitated me, offering up an unimpressed arch of her own eyebrows.

A scoff escaped me. So be it, then. I expected her to be able to control herself; her earlier slip up must have been influenced by her surprise at seeing me volunteer.

"The duel will begin when-"

I forced Goodwitch's voice from my mind and closed my eyes. My breathing slowed, my muscles relaxed, my head drooped.

Pyrrha Nikos.

She was called the Invincible Girl because she had never been touched in a regulation tournament duel. The Grimm managed to hit her so I knew that it could be done, but never before had a human or a faunus managed to wound her. There was something there, a difference that I was missing, I knew that, but comparing the Grimm to humans and faunus was too general to draw any useful information from. They were too different. Too many possibilities.

I knew the Grimm either had something that we did not or lacked something that we possessed... Aura, perhaps? They had no Aura – maybe that was how Pyrrha avoided attacks? By influencing Aura in the same way I did, just more precisely.

Speculation, useful when one was not in a duel. I'd have to return to that train of thought later.

What did I know? What were the facts?

Pyrrha held her friends close, precious few as they were. I knew from listening to Ruby that the red headed girl was lonely in her fame and awkward in her social interactions because of it. And hearing Ruby mention that… well, it likely meant Miss. Nikos had a lot of trouble interacting with her classmates. Or rather, her classmates had trouble interacting with her. Pyrrha Nikos, not the Invincible Girl. It was similar to Weiss in how some treated her as the Schnee heiress rather than a girl all her own. Something I knew the white haired girl loathed.

A comparison. That could be used. Some of Weiss' weaknesses and shortcomings might apply to this redhead.

The Schnee heiress, for one, was sensitive about familial matters. She did not like to speak of her home life, of her family. That topic was the easiest way to offend her; she had to be almost… eased into the subject and I had to pick my words carefully thereafter.

It was the source of her reputation, the Schnee family. Perhaps Pyrrha's reputation was her Achilles' heel then? A source of resentment – something that set her apart from the rest of the students here…

"Did those tournaments just fold to you?"

Her eyes narrowed and I saw a flicker of doubt pass over her expression in the way her brow slackened and her lips curled downward. It was gone a short moment later, but the damage was done – she was confused.

"Your opponents. The source of your fame… the reason our classmates ostracize you..."

Her nostrils flared. "They gave it their all and every single one of them were better fighters than you could ever hope to be, backstabber."

"Harsh words," I said, grinning. Petty insults and an attempt to damage my pride. I was not fragile. I knew what I was. A mixture of cynicism and realism combined with a ruthless drive to protect those important to me. Insults… please. It was a poor attempt. "I showed him how to use his shield – why didn't you? He needed you-"

"Enough," she spat, her chest heaving. She turned thereafter to our proctor. "Professor Goodwitch, can we please begin?"

The blonde eyed us both before responding: "Very well. Mr. Melkweg, are you quite finished?"

"I'm ready."

"Then," she started, removing herself from the stage. Once she was at a safe distance, she spoke again. "Begin!"

Ultimatum rose up in front of me, a defiant wall of unyielding metal, as Pyrrha darted forward. The girl transformed her weapon into a gun and I saw her raise it just as my shield blocked my view of her. Bullets immediately starting impacting my weapon and they bounced, harmless, to the ground, dejected and useless in the face of Ultimatum.

I heard her approach even as she fired and given every single shot hit my shield, I allowed myself a moment of admiration. The girl was good. Granted, my shield was very, very large but keeping a steady hand while moving at the pace she was certainly wasn't easy.

The bullets stopped and I collapsed Ultimatum just in time to spot her sword inches from my face. I lurched backward, stumbling in my haste to avoid the blow – 'Fast!' – and she pressed her advantage. A javelin lanced out at my off-shoulder but I turned, presenting my right side – the side with Ultimatum – to the girl. She pulled her lance back just as I lowered my shoulder and rushed forward.

Pyrrha absorbed my attack with her shield, though, and used my momentum to spin herself behind me.

"Shit," I muttered even as I felt her sword score a glancing blow across my shoulders. Ultimatum was quickly brought to bear again as I faced her, just in time to keep her from landing another hit. A shift of my arm blocked another blow as I set my feet under me. Then, I pushed her away from me and lashed out with my left hand, sending a wave of Aura at the girl.

She ducked behind her shield even as I rushed forward, my own shield held in front of me. I heard two more bullets impact the shield in the time it took me to cross ten feet and once I reached her I only just managed to glimpse her disappearing around the corner of my shield.

'Behind me again.'

I spun, ducking this time, and allowed myself a grin when I spotted her sword passing harmlessly over my head. Ultimatum collapsed and I thrust my right arm at the girl's unprotected side, it impacted-

No! It missed!

I grit my teeth and watched the girl dart away from my attack, lunging to the side and immediately bringing her damnable gun to bear again. I expanded my shield and hid behind it as I approached, wincing when one of the bullets made it through my defense before I was set.

Frustration that started to gather at the edges of my mind was ruthlessly pushed away. This was the Invincible Girl. She earned that name. It wasn't going to be as easy as anticipating an attack and countering.

The rain of bullets stopped and a shadow passed over my eyes – I was facing the dueling hall's lights, Suhoca would be displeased. She was above me then. I raised Ultimatum, ready to absorb-

But when I lifted the shield, I saw Pyrrha in front-

'Shit!'

She lashed out with her sword and landed a solid blow on my midsection and another javelin hit on my thigh as I withdrew, cursing under my breath. The shadow over my head- how-

Her shield. Damnit!

It was no longer on her arm. She must have thrown it when I drew close to fool me into thinking she was above me and it worked. It worked flawlessly.

'Damnit.'

The redhead reached up and caught the shield in question – 'Just how did that return to her? …Too many questions!' – so I took the momentary lull in combat to gather my thoughts. I needed it, I knew.

I was charging into this like my classmates – recklessly and without any forethought. What happened to my plan? To my wit? I needed to regain that and I needed to keep it… But still, I could see why Pyrrha's previous opponents ended up charging at her like mindless berserkers. Coming so close to hitting her, only to be disappointed every time was frustrating – and I'd only launched three failed attacks thus far.

A deep breath expelled the tension from my face and the anger from my mind. Time to focus.

I made her angry before the duel – that was good. She was calm and collected now, though. The familiarity of dominating her opponents likely helped to soothe her nerves. I'd have to take care of that… easy enough.

What followed was the hard part – how could I get around her ironclad defense? Her agility?

I could think of two things immediately. The first was attempting to hit her from different angles and the second was to force her into the air. The former was a priority because I needed to figure out if she was more vulnerable from a certain angle and the latter was a priority because everyone was more vulnerable in the air.

Pyrrha finished replacing her shield and wasted no time in rushing me. She was nearly twenty feet from me, though…

"No wonder people hate you," I muttered when she drew near. Ultimatum blocked a sword blow and a wickedly fast follow-up javelin jab when I put my shield in between us. "They just have to fight you to understand."

She scoffed even as she tried to hook the edge of her weapon on my shield. It caught. Fool.

"Trait-" she started as she pulled back.

I was heavier than she was, though. I had a small height advantage and I certainly had a strength advantage over the Invincible Girl. She was about to learn that the hard way.

I lurched backward, pulling Ultimatum and all my weight with me. My eyes caught the redhead being taken along for the ride before she disappeared from view, behind my shield's girth. She was close. Too close. I thrust my shield out at her, right where her face would be hurtling toward me-

Movement from below my weapon caught my eye and I saw Pyrrha appear there, having somehow ducked under the shield. Did I misjudge her distance? Did I not swing far enough? How did I not connect-

A sinking feeling enveloped me when I realized that I was horribly off balance now, having somehow over compensated with the shield slam. I got a leg under my weight – roughly stopped my momentum and keeping me upright – then heaved my shield at the girl, now at my side. This time I knew exactly where she was. This time I knew exactly how hard and how far to throw my arm-

My attack met nothing but air – How?! – and I stumbled backward, having set my stance too wide and lacking a countering force to my momentum. Pyrrha, somehow, managed to avoid my shield while keeping herself in range to use her javelin. The new stinging pain in my upper thigh was proof of that.

I was not given a chance to regain my composure. My opponent hounded me relentlessly as I backpedaled, messily using Ultimatum to block the worst of her onslaught. Still, several glancing blows made it by my defenses before I could buffet the ground with my Aura, forcing the girl away from me and finally, finally allowing me a chance to catch my breath.

Something wasn't right here. I knew I was relatively new to using Ultimatum in combat but misjudging distances like that not once, not even twice, but three times was something I knew I was too experienced to do.

And still, it happened.

Did her Semblance mess with my perception?

No. No, my first attack was blocked with her shield. It was the follow up attacks that were avoided with a frustrating amount of ease.

Maybe the first attack was the trigger? Maybe she had to touch the object in question to throw off my coordination? Were that true then-

I threw myself backward just as Pyrrha unleashed a salvo of ammo at my former position. Ultimatum aligned with my arm as I landed and quickly spat an Aura Bullet at the girl.

Her eyes widened and she ducked behind her shield, absorbing the force-

Not my perception then. Were she messing with my coordination then that attack would never have come close to her. That left me the question: why? Why did she block my first attack when she easily avoided all the others? What was different about it? Why not avoid the Aura Bullet too?

Something wasn't right here. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to think-

Pyrrha reached me with her javelin outstretched and I slapped the attack away with my shield. Quickly, I thrust my left arm forward in a jab and she blocked my fist with her shield – 'Why?' – before following up with a shield slam of her own. I managed to duck under the attack – agility was not my specialty – only to find her sword flying at my neck. It clanged harmlessly off of Ultimatum's shoulder armor when I turned into the blow and I immediately shoulder checked-

My momentum was directed downward. Down into the ground of its own accord because I did not dive. Like gravity spontaneously decided to fuck me over! How was this happening? It was like an outside force pressing down upon my shoulder-

I rolled with my new motion, coming up behind the girl just as she turned to face me, her javelin already rocketing toward my midsection. It too was deflected by Ultimatum when I presented my right side to the girl. This time, though, instead of trying to shoulder check her again, I hopped back and aligned my shield with my arm. Ultimatum shifted dangerously, expanding into its shield form.

'Block this.'

An Aura Bullet roared forth, leaving behind a small boom when it left the weapon. It crossed the short distance between myself and Pyrrha almost instantly and the girl dropped to the ground in a rush. She avoided my attack – again – but left herself incredibly vulnerable.

Ultimatum still aligned with my arm, I jumped forward and slammed the tip of the shield into her gut-

My arm moved. Not by my doing but by that same outside force. Instead of impacting the girl, Ultimatum hit the ground next to her. Hard.

Pyrrha regained her feet even as I stumbled backward, dazed from the jarring impact with the dueling stage's floor. Quickly, I thrust out my left arm in a desperate jab even as my shield collapsed. She blocked the attack with her own shield and I sent my right arm at her as soon as she ducked behind the object. It was headed for her shoulder-

But it never landed. Again. Again, it was redirected into the ground and I was sent into an uncontrolled fall. I received a blow to my back for my troubles and another to my thigh before I was able to buffet the ground with my Aura – a costly defense I tried to avoid using – and regain my feet.

Pyrrha jumped away and started to circle me, quickly and nimbly reloading her rifle as she did. One eye was always kept on me. That was fine.

Enten: 63%. Pyrrha: 100%.

She was controlling me. I knew she was to blame for my arm, for its disobedience. It was not my coordination that was off else my left handed attacks would have missed and my Aura Bullets would have went wide – but they did not. It was only Ultimatum. Only my weapon.

But no! It wasn't my weapon – my weapon enabled me to shoot Aura Bullets and those never faltered in their accuracy. It was only my melee attacks. Perhaps she had a range on her… abilities? But that didn't explain my left arm – why was it able to hit her? Why wasn't it just as inaccurate as my right arm? My melee range theory was suddenly disproven so then-

The metal. It must be the metal. I could think of no other way she was controlling my movements because if it effected melee attacks in general then her ability would misdirect both my left and my right handed attacks. But it did not. It only appeared to target my attacks made with Ultimatum.

Polarity. Magnetism. It must be. She must control- That must be how she was able to make her shield return to her arm with such precision! No one could accurately throw a shield, taking into account a moving, living target, and manage to have it bounce back perfectly every single time. It must be!

And what a Semblance that was. The girl was smart with it too. She used it subtly, she used it to minutely misdirect. To an outside observer, it only looked like her opponents were missing by inches. It was only when one faced her that they could notice anything amiss and even that was difficult to do. I was certain that the only way I noticed anything wrong at all was because I was attacking with my arm. Not with a weapon or a projectile but my own arm. I sensed and felt every change and forceful influence on it because it was me.

Yang should have felt it too, for that matter. I'd have to talk to her about keeping her mind in battle later. Her match with Pyrrha turned the blonde into a berserker by the time it was over. Never had I seen the normally laid back girl so frustrated.

I released a breath. Calm. Neutral. I had a plan now. A theory. The next step: testing it.

A peace of mind settled over me – the first since the duel started – and I fingered the release trigger on Ultimatum's gauntlet. I needed to do this in such a way to catch her off guard. She was a skilled fighter and an able duelist even without her Semblance – and that was working with the assumption that her Semblance was, in fact, polarity.

Risky, but I had no choice. Either I could go on allowing my attacks to miss, or I could do something about it.

Fortune favored the bold.

I charged forward and the redhead ceased her efforts to reload her rifle when she saw the movement. She unleashed a salvo of bullets at me that I met head-on with Ultimatum. The shield absorbed the projectiles readily and I launched myself into the air when I drew close to the girl. My finger depressed the release button and immediately I heard the heavy grinding of metal and three displeased clacks when the weapon disconnected itself from my leather armor.

Immediately, I started to become unbalanced with the now unsecured weight of the shield pulling me toward the ground – that was fine. I let the shield fall and kicked off of it for good measure, directing the large hunk of metal toward my opponent.

I heard her shout in dismay and saw her jump to the side – apparently there was a weight limit to the metal she could influence? Or maybe she just saw moving as an easier option? No matter.

My feet touched down behind her and I spun to face her just as she turned to face me. Her eyes were slightly wider than normal.

A good sign.

She lashed out with her sword and I absorbed most of the blow with my leather armor. It cut into the material but it blunted the blow sufficiently enough that I barely felt anything from it.

My right fist was launched forward and promptly redirected by the startled girl's shield; her surprise didn't keep her from attacking with her sword again, though.

I rolled under the blow, easily avoiding it given I didn't have Ultimatum's weight slowing me down, and came up on her left side. Unfortunately, her shield was impeding me but that was alright. I reached out and tried to grasp the object but she recoiled before my fingers had a chance touch it. A blast of my Aura rushed to greet her instead, impacting her shield and unbalancing her. I promptly threw my leg out and wasted no time in unleashing another burst of Aura. She grunted and hopped into the air; it was a controlled motion that allowed her to rotate herself to face me.

Still, she was airborne. Short as her time off the ground may be, she no longer had her feet under her. She no longer had any metal to influence either. The advantage, for the first time in the match, was mine.

My right cross was blocked with her shield. The elbow followed with another impact on her shield and she was sent stumbling backward just as she landed. I easily avoided her return spear thrust and managed to grip the edge of her shield as my right arm retreated. I pulled it away from her body just as my left arm, enhanced with my Semblance, thundered forward.

The air being forced from her lungs was like music to my ears.

My fist dug into her gut and the force behind the punch sent her flying across the stage. Were I more vane, I might have stopped and gloated but I had no time to marvel at my accomplishment; I needed to prove something here. I was behind – 54% to 83% - and I needed to push my advantage.

She pushed herself up to her hands and knees when I started to charge her. The girl's face was red and I knew at least part of it was dismay. The first blow she'd ever taken and it was received from someone she utterly hated. That couldn't be easy to deal with.

A spat curse left her lips as she forced herself to her feet, facing me with a deep scowl on her lips.

Such a fragile, fragile thing.

I opened with a drop kick, something I rarely did but given the redhead had only just regained her feet and the increased power the attack allowed me, I thought it worth the risk. Her shield disappointed me though; she used it to redirect my attack into the ground and I was forced to absorb another blow from her sword with my leather armor. My feet set themselves just as the girl launched a jab with her javelin at my midsection but I knocked it away and sent three quick jabs of my own at her torso. The first managed to clip her shoulder but the other two were blocked by her shield.

'This won't do,' I realized as I jumped away from her. She was too dangerous with her sword and shield and I – almost completely unarmed – would not be able to face her.

A quick roll to the side allowed me to avoid her latest salvo of bullets and as I came up my foot hit something, very nearly sending me sprawling.

'Ultimatum.'

The massive barrel down the center of the shield was originally meant to be a charging column for Ruby's scythe and we designed it to accommodate weaponry of at least that size. It was still untested… but it did having a locking mechanism to keep in place anything sheathed-

I lurched forward, avoiding Pyrrha's javelin as it hurtled by my head by mere inches.

'Pretty sure that was lethal, Professor.'

Quickly, I set my feet and came up just in time take the brunt of a shield slam on my armor. My hand reflexly grasped the edge of the shield just as the crowd of students burst into nervous titters. They'd been doing it since I hurled Pyrrha across-

Pain erupted in my right arm in a searing line. I glanced at it just in time to find Pyrrha grasping her weapon, fresh with my blood. My next observation came as she shoved me over Ultimatum: before she was resolute and determined, but now she was only angry. It showed in the way her javelin followed my descent to the ground, intent on skewering me through.

She wanted to play for keeps – so be it.

My Aura flared and came to life, pulsating through my legs and right into Ultimatum where it sat, ready and waiting. The shield hummed and glowed a bright blue for an instant before the Aura I pushed into it erupted out of its channels. It found the redhead easily, overextended as she was, and lifted her into the air just as I landed on the ground.

Normally we would have been at a stalemate – her in the air and I on the ground. We both needed time to recover. Unfortunately for the redhead, one of the very first things Yang and I learned in our martial arts lessons was how to fall.

The ground was a dangerous spot to be in, after all. Being on your back presented openings for your enemies and left you without a great many options of counter attacking. It was just about as bad as being airborne.

So we learned to minimize the damage it could do.

The second my legs hit Ultimatum, the very instant I realized I was going to end up on the ground, I started moving. My lower extremities retreated as soon as they were done channeling my power and my arms moved to both absorb some of my momentum and redirect it into my recovery.

I rolled with the fall, propelling myself into a backwards somersault. I got my feet under me just as Pyrrha began her descent back to the ground.

My Aura launched me at the girl as she awkwardly landed on her feet and well before she could fully hide behind her shield. My arm immediately darted out and grabbed her flailing wrist, jerking her right into my waiting knee. She crumpled around the blow at her midsection and I used her breathless state to my advantage: I twisted her wrist, knocking her sword from her hand the second her fingers were loose enough.

"Just evening the playing field," I muttered, hopping away when she lashed out blindly with her shield. Her blade was quickly inserted into Ultimatum's barrel and the locked mechanism was engaged shortly thereafter. "You understand."

Pyrrha huffed and straightened, visibly composing herself. Her eyes tracked my movements intently as I stood again and cracked my knuckles.

Enten: 39%. Pyrrha: 64%.

A wordless roar tore from lips as I charged this time and the girl, a grim look on her face, raised her shield. My first blow was absorbed and I slid around the follow up shield slam. Now within her guard, I launched a left jab at her chin that the girl redirected away from her face. The edge of her shield nearly caught me on the side of my head but I ducked under it and used the opportunity to land a solid blow on her side.

Or I would have, had she not jumped away. Even without her control over metal, the girl was a formidable opponent.

Undeterred, I launched myself after her.

She hurled her shield at my head and I rolled under it; the girl did not call the object back, surprisingly enough. Instead, she chose to meet my charge half way, yelling a wordless challenge that I matched with one of my own.

She fired two quick punches at my head that I ducked under and my retaliatory elbow was redirected toward the ground, throwing me horribly off balance. Her kick caught me in the side as I was half way through my roll and sent me sprawling across the stage.

When I regained my feet, I saw she was darting toward Ultimatum.

'Shit.'

The Aura cords weren't strong enough to resist the girl trying to forcefully remove her weapon. They were made that way on purpose, actually, so that Ultimatum never held captive any weapons on the battlefield due to some kind of malfunction.

A glint of gold on the ground caught my attention – her shield! It was close.

Pyrrha reached my shield just as I reached hers. My fingers closed around the edge of the metal and I hurled the object as hard as I could at the redhead – my aim was not so precise as hers, but…

She pulled her sword free just as her shield collided with the back of her shoulder blades. I launched myself at the girl even as she staggered forward, a fresh red line visible on the skin of her back. She caught herself on Ultimatum but by the time she straightened, it was too late.

My fist caught her in the side and, unprepared for the blow as she was, the redhead crumpled around it. I was quick to launch my leg at the back of her knees and managed to catch her before she could jump away. Now down to a knee and faced away from her opponent, the girl was unable to stop my right fist from colliding with her chin. The Aura-laced blow tossed her away bodily.

The advantage was mine. With an opponent like Pyrrha Nikos, I could never be certain that the advantage would stay mine either. I needed to press this.

My feet touched down on the ground behind her just as she got her knees under her weight. I was forced to avoid her mule-kick almost immediately and her other leg struck out expertly, impacting my knee and knocking me from my feet. I rolled with my fall and managed to avoid a swipe of the girl's sword in doing so. She threw herself at me even as I came up to a knee and-

Clang!

My head was rocked forward when something hit the back of my head and I found myself incredibly dazed. Blearily, I saw the girl catch her shield just before she reached me.

'Damnit all.'

I quickly threw my right arm forward and launched enough Aura at the girl to toss her away from me. It was a costly defense but I needed to compose myself desperately because my eyes were watering and I was seeing two of her and that was dangerous.

A golden glint drew my attention back to the match and I realized Pyrrha's javelin was hurtling-

I dove to the ground roughly, leaving myself breathless but avoiding the weapon entirely. Quickly, I pushed myself back up because I knew she would push-

She landed in front of me and lashed out with her shield. I accepted the blow on my leather armor and threw myself at the girl, catching her around the midsection and bringing us both to the ground. My head was pounding and my vision was only just starting to focus but I could see a pale blob that I knew was her face.

It was enough.

I kept my right arm in between my head and her shield and leveraged myself up over the girl. My left arm snapped out at her skull and I must have hit something vulnerable because her struggles died down momentarily. Just long enough for me to straddle the girl's midsection and throw my right arm down.

My fist missed, impacting the floor instead and I received an elbow to the gut for my troubles. The blow forced the air from my lungs and I hunched over; I decided to move with my momentum and threw my head down at Pyrrha's.

My forehead impacted what I thought was the girl's cheek and I heard her head rock back into the dueling hall floor. I blinked and finally, finally managed to focus my eyes just long enough to see the girl blink several times, clearly dazed.

'Almost done. Almost there.'

I cocked my right arm back and gathered as much Aura as I dared into it. Our eyes met briefly and hers widened minutely just as I threw my weight behind my fist. Her left hand fell to her side and my right hit her-

Schlick!

Pain. Pain. Pain! It was agonizing in nature and brutally distracting in intensity as it erupted in my left shoulder. The joint was on fire – it burned, it hurt, it was like something was clawing-

"Shit!"

I faintly heard the bell chime just as I threw myself off of the girl. My left shoulder hit the ground-

My vision flashed dangerously and every light was suddenly blinding. I blinked several times, my right arm moved – because I could not move my left! – and started prodding-

Hands landed on me. Hands that were not mine! They pulled and tugged, grasping my right arm and forcing it down, away from my shoulder-

My shoulder! Every twitch of my body. Every beat of my heart pumped what could only be liquid throbbing agony and suffering into my skull. My head was pounding and with every beat I could feel my shoulder more and more and more and more-

"-weg. Mr. Melkweg, please. Control yourself."

That was Goodwitch. Were these her hands? Were they keeping me contained- I loathed being controlled. Being contained. I would not be controlled! I made my own decisions. No one made them for me and she was making them-

Something- a hand – impacted my face and my head was whipped to the side. But I was on the ground, how could- no, no I was on my knees now… When did I…?

"-escort your teammate to the medical room and return here promptly. You still have duels to complete."

Goodwitch again. The hands – hers, they must be – disappeared and my right arm immediately reached up to my shoulder.

"Woah there big guy," Yang's voice said, somewhere in front of me. "I don't think you want to touch that… Looks kinda painful."

"I can't believe she did that," Ruby hissed from somewhere on my side. I felt someone appear under my right arm and start to urge me into a standing position. I complied, more focused on blocking out the pounding migraine settling over me and the agony in my shoulder and searing pain on my right arm- "Just look at him! He was already delirious and… and… and his shoulder! And his head!"

"Yeah, well, I think it's safe to say Enten won," Yang muttered from behind me now.

"Won what," I asked. Or tried, anyway. It came out as a slurred sentence that sounded more like: 'wurwat'.

"Uhh," Ruby said and I tried to swivel my head around to see her but found that the very act of utilizing the muscles in my neck reignited the pain emanating from my shoulder. My feet failed me and whomever was under my right arm was nearly taken to the ground with me. It was only Yang's – was that Yang? – hands on my side that kept me upright.

"The duel," Weiss muttered from behind me. "She means the duel… Enten, I… We need to take this out."

"We can't take it out," Ruby exclaimed even as Blake – presumably – got me moving again. I could hear her breathing start to get heavier… made sense, considering I thought we just moved up a flight of stairs. My vision was… foggy still and my shoulder – pain, agony! – made it hard to focus on anything for more than a few-

"Too deep," the cat faunus muttered. "Blood loss."

"What's in my shoulder," I said and this time it almost sounded like the sentence I intended it to be. Only a few slurred syllables… surely close enough to understand.

"Uhh," Yang grunted. "Well… it's… kind of a sword. I mean, it's like a sword and a spear together." She paused and silence briefly descended over the group. "I think."

"It's Pyrrha's weapon," Weiss stated and I knew I heard something in her voice… if only I weren't so disoriented! "She… did something and it flew at you when… when…"

Silence again fell over us and I noticed that we were out in Beacon's hallways now. Blobs – for my vision refused to focus beyond about five feet – immediately started moving out of our way. I could only assume they were my fellow students; the way all conversation died out with RWEBY's progress down the hall led me to the assumption that I looked bad.

It was an unnerving silence that followed me, this time.

"Did I win, at least," I muttered later, once I grew tired of the awkward lack of conversation. I thought we were near the medical room.

It took them a few seconds to respond, I could only assume they were trying to filter-

"Yeah," Ruby said at length. "You got Pyrrha right before she… uhh…"

"Speared me," I prompted.

My leader choked on her spit so Weiss continued for her.

"Yes… right before… that. You hit her and she went limp and then Goodwitch was running…"

My mind was clear enough now that I could sense some unease in her voice. Some uncertainty. And ffom her point of view, I could understand that. Apparently there was a spear-sword thing stuck in my shoulder deep enough to poke through the other side and my team just watched that happen. They probably thought I was going to die. Hell, another few inches into my torso and I just might've.

"I'm fine," I said, straightening my back slightly. My shoulder immediately and fiercely protested the movement but if it would soothe their nerves then I'd just have to grit my teeth and bear it.

"Not fine," Blake muttered. The girl's fingers tightened around my right arm – the one she was using to support me. "Stop pretending."

"I'm n-"

"Yes you are," Weiss inserted. "You almost-" She swallowed. "You almost died and now you're not fine and I know you're just telling us you are to make us feel better…"

She trailed off into silence and I heard her take in a shaky breath.

"I'm gonna give Pyrrha such an earful," Ruby muttered crossly. "It was bad enough when the duel kept going after she tried to throw her spear at your head twice and then the shield hit you… and then…"

"I might not be fine now," I allowed when the girl trailed off. We turned a corner and the medical room's doors came into view. They stood out against Beacon's otherwise grand, luxurious interior in the way they were colored a plain white with red crosses on them. Even with my vision acting up, I could recognize them. "But I will be. I can't- urk-"

My shoulder twitched and I screwed my eyes shut when the light suddenly became extremely bright. The blinding pain overtook me suddenly and ruthlessly and the girls' panicked voices were lost to me as the migraine and the weapon in my shoulder stole all of my conscious thoughts away. It lasted for what felt like several minutes and by the end of the episode I was left breathless and utterly exhausted. Still, as soon as the worst had passed, I tried to compose myself.

"I'm alright. I'm fine," I muttered tiredly when I heard Weiss and Blake fussing. Yang was hovering over my shoulder with an uncertain look on her face, like she wanted to help but didn't know how. "Just… accidentally moved my shoulder."

The blonde shook her head, grabbing me around my waist and, together with Blake, managed to help me off the ground – apparently I'd collapsed during the episode.

"Come on," she muttered. "We're there now."

And indeed we were. The medical room's doors were just in front of us now and behind them I knew sleep awaited me.

And after that duel, I was more than ready to sleep.

I knew I couldn't, though. Not until I convinced the rest of my team that I would be alright. There was no doubt in my mind that they would voluntarily skip dueling class to make certain I was on the path to recovery.

A sigh escaped me as I was guided into the medical room.

Somehow, I knew sleep was a long way off.

A/N: Hello again readers! Hope you enjoyed the most recent chapter of Reiteration because I certainly enjoyed writing it! Some parts were harder than others… but all in all, I'm happy with how it turned out.

(01/26/2016) Revised.

Now, I've got one quick announcement for you:

The next chapter will be from another RWEBY member's PoV! No, I'm not telling you who but I will let you know that it's not Ruby… She had her time in the spotlight!

But, you know what… I can't keep secrets anyway. So, here you go:

"Ugggh," the girl groaned, slouching in her seat. "Can't we talk about this later? Enten is about to fight Pyrrha!"

I turned back to the stage, watching the boy place the bandolier of truly massive bullets he carried around his shoulders against the stands. Honestly, boys and their toys.

"There is always time for etiquette, Ruby."

"There's always time for etiquette Ruby," the girl mocked under her breath.

I felt my nostrils flare but I managed to keep from looking at her. Honestly, this girl was going to put me in an early grave!

Did ya guess? Is it obvious yet?

So, that kinda-sorta-teaser aside, I've got some reviews to answer…

Riero: Hang no more and rest your tired arms! The chapter has arrived! Hope you like it and thanks for your review!

Unfocused Brain: You know there's something amusing about Enten riding around in a wagon as the rest of the team pulls him from target to target haha. Thanks for the review!

Guest: Glad you liked the shield and its name. I was trying to give it one that both portrayed its power and the responsibility that comes with it… Ultimatum fits nicely. And are you in my head? You worried Pyrrha might take it too far because of the Jaune thing and… Tada! Thanks for the review!

Lucifer Daemon: You touched pretty close to details of his Semblance that haven't come up yet but nothing quite so parasitic in nature. Still, that's a cool concept but one I think might be too overpowered (stealing someone's Semblance, for any time at all, could be devastating in team fights). Hope the fight was as unexpected as you hoped and thanks for you review!

Guest numero dos: Loner and asshole describe Enten pretty well haha, from the right perspective, anyway. Thanks for the review!

Akio Blade: You've definitely put a lot of thought into him. I'd suggest simplifying him or introducing his features/weapons/personality in portions. So readers don't get lost trying to keep track of everything he can do/all the weapons he has. As for writing the story: put yourself in his place, write reactions that work for him… even if they aren't 'good' actions. That's all part of making realistic characters; they won't always be pure of heart and if they are, they run the risk of being too mary-sue and predictable. Good luck writing and thanks for the review!

Azariah Kyras: Thank you for your kind words, first off. Best RWBY fic on the site is flattering. I made Enten to be realistic and realistically, he'll influence the world he's put into. I know what you mean when you say some OC/SI fics just coast along with the vanilla story – no changes or anything. I find that boring. You made an OC then placed it inside of a universe that previously had no such character… it's going to change! Slightly or drastically, it'll change!

Thank you to my other reviewers as well, you guys are awesome!

Till next time,

Phailen.