Here we are at chapter 21. Since the members of Team KEPL haven't had as much interaction with Team JNPR, I'll be doing this one for Khazhak and Pyrrha. I do not own RWBY. They belong to Roosterteeth. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 21. Enjoy.

Chapter 21: Strength or Weakness

…A week since the food fight incident…

Ever since the food fight incident, the three teams of RWBY, KEPL, and JNPR have had to be careful with when in the cafeteria, since Glynda would always be there watching them, and ONLY them until they would leave. This made things a little uncomfortable for them, though the members of Team KEPL weren't that bothered by it. More like annoyed. However, after a week has passed, Professor Ozpin had managed to convince Goodwitch to cut them some slack and free them from her watch, at least until the next time they end up doing something they shouldn't be doing. However, that isn't the only issue they've had to deal with. Recently, the teams have been noticing that Blake has been avoiding them lately, and not socializing with them a whole lot, which is really saying something considering it's Blake. While the rest of Team RWBY are worried about her, the members of Team KEPL, mainly Khazhak and Porphyrius, are more or less irritated by her recent behavior. However, they decide to focus on other matters for the time being.

…With Khazhak in the library…

For now, Khazhak is going through one of the sections in the school library, looking for something interesting to read to pass the time. He eventually finds one novel on the history of blades and blade techniques. Thinking that this book could be useful to him, Khazhak takes the book of the shelf and finds a lone table to sit and quietly read through the novel.

"Hm, let's see…Rapier techniques. Weiss' preferred style, not mine…Scimitar…maybe…Zweihander, I can probably use that with my swords' buster form…Katana…cutlass…At least this book has some use for me…" he thinks as he continues reading through the book.

"Hello again, Khazhak," he hears behind him, already knowing who it is.

"Pyrrha," he greets her without looking back.

"So what are you doing here? Studying for a class?" she asks as she walks around to stand near him. "May I sit?" she asks.

"Be my guest," he replies.

Pyrrha takes the seat across from Khazhak, "Things have been getting a little busy lately. With classes, exchange students coming to Beacon, and the Vytal Festival coming up," she notes as she takes out a book of her own.

Khazhak just grunts, "…So, how's Jauney-boy's training coming along. He still getting sand kicked in his face?' he asks.

"He…still has a ways to go, but he's making a lot of progress. He'll become a professional huntsman in no time," Pyrrha replies. Khazhak glances at her for a moment and then closes his book, stands up and puts it away. "Khazhak, are you done reading? Where are you going?" she asks.

"To the training room…And you're coming with me," he says and begins to walk away before stopping and glancing back at her. "And bring your weapon. I'll be waiting for you there," he says and leaves.

Pyrrha just looks on in confusion, but eventually leaves to retrieve her weapon. What she doesn't know is that four boys were watching from the sidelines, all having smug looks on their faces. A few minutes later, Pyrrha enters the training room to find it empty, except for Khazhak who stands in the middle of the sparring arena, swords on his hips and his arms crossed.

"Took you long enough," Khazhak says as Pyrrha approaches him.

"Khazhak, what's going on?" Pyrrha hesitantly asks.

"…This…" he vaguely says before activating his right sword, still on his hip, and pulling the trigger.

The recoil shoots the blade at Pyrrha, who reacts fast enough to use her semblance to stop it in mid-air. However, Khazhak shoots over to grab it while pulling out his left sword and swings it at Pyrrha. Pyrrha jumps back and takes out her sword and shield to fight back. Khazhak swings his right sword at her, which gets blocked by her shield, before he swings with his left, which she parries with her sword. This routine continues for a few more attacks before Khazhak spins around and does a spinning hook kick that Pyrrha ducks under, only to get punched back while she was open in her abdomen. She slides across the floor before regaining herself.

"Khazhak, what is this about?!" she yells, surprised by his attack.

However, Khazhak makes no response and runs at her while firing off a few shots from his swords, Pyrrha blocks them with her shield and then jumps over a swing from Khazhak's right sword. After landing, Pyrrha transforms her sword into its rifle form and fires off some shots, but Khazhak deflects them with his swords before charging at her again. Pyrrha changes her weapon back into its sword form and spins around to swing her sword at him, who responds in kind with a downward swing from his right sword. Khazhak thrusts his left blade at her, but Pyrrha deflects it with her shield and goes for his exposed left flank. However, Khazhak fires his right sword from under his left arm, forcing her to block the shot with her shield, and allowing Khazhak to swing his left sword at her. Pyrrha rolls under the strike and then jumps up to thrust her right sword at his skull. Khazhak blocks the strike with his right sword, pushes it aside, and then swings his left sword downward at her. Pyrrha jumps back to dodge the strike, making Khazhak slam the sword into the ground, leaving cracks.

"Khazhak, why are you doing this?! If it's something I did, then I'm sorry!" Pyrrha tries to reason with him.

"…Initiation…" Khazhak responds.

"Huh?" Pyrrha mutters confused. "Why would he bring up the initiation? Did I do something during the exam that he didn't approve of? But we didn't interact much during the exam. We were actually together longer before then back at the…locker room," Pyrrha wonders as she starts to put the pieces together, and then notices that Khazhak has not once tried to attack her while she was thinking, keeping a calm stance with his swords hanging by his sides. "I remember now…He said he wanted to spar with me. To see if I could be a worthy opponent. He said that he seeks strong opponents to test himself, to become stronger…" she thinks as she stares into Khazhak's eyes, and then gets a determined look in her own. "I'm sorry Khazhak. I didn't understand it earlier. But I understand now. I'll show you how strong I am. I'll give you the fight you've been searching for," Pyrrha declares as she readies her weapons.

Khazhak shows a small smirk as he takes a combat stance as well, "Again, took you long enough," he says.

With renewed vigor, the two warriors charge at each other. Khazhak jumps up and slams his right sword down on Pyrrha, who dodges the attack, causing Khazhak to smash his sword into a ground, destroying it. Pyrrha swings her sword at him, but he ducks under the strike and then counters with a wide swing of his left blade. Pyrrha jumps and spins over the strike, and then flips over a second swing from his right sword. When she lands, Pyrrha swings her shield at Khazhak's face, but he uses his momentum to swing his left sword to blocks the attack. Pyrrha then jumps back to holster her shield while changing her sword into its spear form. She runs at Khazhak and twirls her spear around before swinging it at him. Khazhak parries the attack and goes for a swing of his right sword, but Pyrrha spins around to use her shield to block the strike before retaliating with a swing of her spear. Khazhak jumps back to avoid it, and then fires off his guns at Pyrrha. Pyrrha spins her spear to block a few rounds, and then pulls out her shield to block the rest while changing her spear back into its sword form. The two then rush at each other again, and Khazhak goes for a low swing while sliding on the ground. Pyrrha flips over the strike while attacking Khazhak with her weapon, but he parries the strike again. The two turn around and Khazhak clashes his right blade with Pyrrha's.

"Good…You may very well be the one that can give me a good fight. Truth be told, while my teammates are no pushovers, I know everything about them, so there's no way for them to surprise me. However, fighting a new opponent does give this fight more of an edge. I can see why they called you the 'invincible girl, back in Mistral," Khazhak notes

"I'll take that as a compliment. You are definitely skilled yourself. Perhaps the most skilled opponent I've ever faced in my life," Pyrrha replies.

"Then I'd better not disappoint," Khazhak notes.

He then swings his left sword down on Pyrrha's blade, and begins to push her back. Seeing that she can't beat Khazhak in a clash of strength, Pyrrha activates her semblance to force Khazhak's blades to slide away and downward to the ground away from her. Pyrrha jumps over Khazhak and goes for a swing at his arms, but Khazhak releases his swords to evade the strike. He then grabs Pyrrha's right arm and pulls her around to throw her away from him while he retrieves his swords.

"I almost forgot. Her polarity semblance is very useful against anything made of metal. Then I guess I better even the odds," Khazhak notes as he charges up his semblance. Pyrrha notices and quickly gets ready for it. A moment later… "LIGHTNING OBLIVION!" Khazhak yells as he swings his swords, sending out a swarm of lightning bolts at Pyrrha.

Pyrrha rolls, jumps, and twists around each lightning bolt, only to find Khazhak right in front of her as he swings his right sword at her. She jumps over the strike, but can't react fast enough to avoid the second swing, and gets nailed to the ground away from Khazhak. Pyrrha quickly rolls back onto her feet, only to see Khazhak fuse his swords into their dual spear form. Spinning his weapon around, Khazhak runs at Pyrrha again, twirling his weapon when he gets close. Pyrrha changes her sword into its rifle form, firing off a few shots that get deflected by Khazhak's weapon. Changing her weapon back into its spear form, Pyrrha exchanges a few blows with Khazhak as they go into a dance of steel. Each strike collides with another, until Khazhak does something crazy and grabs the blade of Pyrrha's spear with his left hand. With his aura protecting him, Khazhak holds onto the blade and swings his dual spear down on Pyrrha, who blocks with her shield. However, Khazhak head-butts her in the face, knocking her away. He goes for a swing, but Pyrrha uses her semblance to force the weapon to miss, giving her a chance to kick Khazhak in the back. Regaining himself, Khazhak turns around to face Pyrrha again.

"Well now, I guess it's time to bring out the big guns," Khazhak notes as he changes his weapon's form into its greatsword form.

"Speaking of big guns," the two fighter hear and look off to the side entrance to see the four members of Team CRDL approaching them, the one talking being Cardin.

"This isn't the place for a bunch of little insects, so beat it," Khazhak warns them as he faces Pyrrha again.

"Oh no, that's not how this works. You two have embarrassed and humiliated us time and time again. But now that you've worn each other out with your little fight, you'll be too tired to beat the four of us," Cardin says as he and his teammates take out their weapons.

"Attacking when our strength has weakened. You really are a bunch of cowards," Pyrrha notes.

"Who cares how you do it, as long as you win," Sky Lark retorts.

Khazhak growls and narrows his eyes, "I guess they still haven't learned their lesson, even after the beating my teammates and I gave them. Pyrrha, let's put our battle on hold and take care of these pests. I'll help out," Khazhak says as he readies his blade.

"Agreed. We'll finish our duel another time," Pyrrha says.

Cardin and Dove Bronzewing attack Khazhak while Sky Lark and Russel Thrush charge at Pyrrha. Cardin jumps and swings his mace down on Khazhak, but Khazhak, with one hand, swings his greatsword at swats him away before using his left gauntlet to block a sword strike from Dove. He then kicks Dove away and, wielding his sword with both hands, rushes at him and swings his sword in an upward arc, sending Dove flying. With Pyrrha, Sky comes in and twirls his halberd around before swinging it downward at her, but her jumps and spins around the strike to kick him in the face. Russel comes in from behind Sky and thrusts his daggers at Pyrrha a few times. Pyrrha bobs her head around each attack, and spins her shield around to knock his daggers away from her before dealing a few sword blows on him, followed by a backflip kick that knocks him back.

Back with Khazhak, he uses his greatsword like a shield to cover himself as Dove fires off a few shots at him. Cardin runs at his left flank, but Khazhak already noticed. When Cardin comes in close and swings his mace at Khazhak's side, Khazhak ducks and sweeps his leg around to knock Cardin off his feet, and then roundhouse kicks him away. Khazhak then runs at Dove, who responds in kind. When they get close, Dove clashes his sword with Khazhak's but then Khazhak redirects it towards the ground, stomping his left foot on it to keep it there. He swings his sword, hitting Dove, and then forcing his weapon out of his hand. Khazhak then makes a few more successful swings before he grabs Dove's skull, picks him up and slams his head hard into the ground, knocking him out cold. Looking up, he sees Cardin smash his mace into the ground, sending a plume of explosions at him. Khazhak easily rolls out of the way and runs at him. Cardin raises his mace up for a strike, but when he swings it down on Khazhak, Khazhak catches it in the space between the individual blades of his greatsword. Khazhak pulls the trigger, and in slow motion, the shot sends Cardin's mace upwards, while Khazhak aims his sword at Cardin's chest. In normal motion, Khazhak fires at point blank range, sending Cardin flying back. Khazhak rushes at him and swings his sword at him again faster than he can react, and sends him crashing into a wall. Just as Cardin is getting up, Khazhak punches him in the face with his left hand, smashing Cardin's skull into the wall. Khazhak calmly steps back as Cardin falls onto the ground, unconscious.

Khazhak grunts in mild disgust, "Hmph…Insect," he mutters.

Meanwhile, Pyrrha jumps up and throws her shield, hitting Sky in the face while Russel manages to duck under it. Retrieving her shield, Pyrrha runs at them, swinging her sword at Russel as she moves past him to go for Sky. Recovering, Sky spins his halberd around before he makes another attack while Russel comes at Pyrrha's rear. Pyrrha spins around, using her shield to block Sky's strike and deflect Russel's sneak attack, and then parries a few sword strikes with Russel. Noticing Sky coming back at her. Pyrrha backflips over him, causing him to run into Russel. Seeing her opportunity, Pyrrha goes in and deals a few clear hits on Sky before performing a roundhouse kick to send kick spinning in the air and landing on the ground, knocked out. Russel goes for some payback, but Pyrrha spins her sword around her neck as it changes into its spear form. Swinging it in a wide arc, Pyrrha deflects Russel's counterattack, and then thrusts her spear at his face. While Russel was just barely able to dodge it, he couldn't dodge the low swing at his legs, making him lose his footing, before Pyrrha swings her spear upwards, sending him into the air. Pyrrha jumps up and performs a front flip kick that knocks Russel into the ground, and then lands on his back in style. She jumps off him and readies to continue, only to see that her fight is now over.

Pyrrha breathes a sigh of relief, "I guess that's that," she says as she looks back to see Khazhak approach her. "Do you still wish to continue our duel?" she asks.

Khazhak crosses his arms, "…No. I've lost interest. We'll finish this another time," he says and turns to leave.

"When exactly?" Pyrrha asks.

Khazhak stops, but doesn't look back at her, "The Vytal Festival Tournament is approaching soon. We'll settle our duel there. I'll be waiting for you…You're a skilled warrior, Pyrrha Nikos, but you won't ever beat me," Khazhak notes.

"And what makes you say that?" Pyrrha asks, a little taken back by the comment.

Khazhak glances back at her, "…Because you're too soft. That won't do against an opponent, or against the Grimm. I do not possess this issue, and therefore, I will have no trouble beating you, and everyone else in the tournament. Your kindness may be a strength in some aspects, Pyrrha, but it is also a weakness in many others. That weakness may one day be your undoing," Khazhak explains as he gets ready to leave the training room.

"Khazhak…You may see my kindness as a weakness, but I see it as a strength. It's what separates us from people like Cardin, or from the creatures of Grimm," Pyrrha retorts.

"Hmph. If you say so," Khazhak notes.

"And what about Ruby?" Pyrrha asks, making Khazhak stop in his tracks. "Is her kind heart a weakness as well?" Pyrrha asks.

Khazhak just stands there for a moment, but then leaves for good without giving her an answer.

And that's the chapter. A little bout between Khazhak and Pyrrha, in more ways than one. I may do some other chapters in the future where the members of Team KEPL bond with Team JNPR. Will Khazhak prove his words to be true, or will Pyrrha prove him wrong? What awaits Khazhak in the future? Until then, please Read and Review. Tell me what you think please.