Okay, don't want to put this off forever or I'll never finish this story, let alone this arc. See, what's coming up in this chapter is one of those events from canon I just can't change for the purposes of the story. What I can do is lessen the damage by tweaking the details. Please don't hate me for this, trust me the pay-off will be worth it. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.
Chapter 29: The Bait
"Sorry for bringing my team with me," Pyrrha said to Ozpin, "But I figured since we're all working together, it might be best to be on the same page." Ozpin nodded. "Fair enough. And perhaps it's for the best, since what I'm what about to ask of you is not a decision to be made lightly. Tell me, what is your favorite fairy tale?" "Well," Pyrrha said, "I personally like The Girl in the Tower." "Oh, oh," Nora chimed in, "The Shallow Sea." Ren chuckled. "The Tale of Two Brothers." Jaune looked thoughtful before saying, "The Story of the Seasons. It's the same one you recommended, Professor."
Ozpin smiled. "So you remember that. I trust you all know how the story goes?" "Sure," Pyrrha replied, "An old hermit is visited by four sisters, who each show him kindness in a different way. The first encourages him to meditate and reflect, the second brings fruit and flowers to revitalize his garden, the third convinces him to leave his cottage and experience the outside world, and the fourth teaches him to be thankful for what he has. The hermit, who happens to be a powerful wizard, grants each of the sisters a quarter of his power in thanks, and they go throughout Remnant to spread their gifts."
"Too bad magic doesn't exist in real life," Nora noted. "I wouldn't be too sure about that," Qrow chimed in, "Ever hear how old legends have a basis in fact?" The team's eyes all widened. "Hold on," Ren said, "Are you saying...?" "The Maidens from the story do indeed exist," Ozpin finished, "In fact, there was a time when The Story of the Seasons was not a mere fairy tale, but a facet of history. The power of the Maidens is one that seems to transcend Aura and Semblance, and may very well be what some call magic." Nora blinked. "So, how come no one thinks of them as any more than characters in a fairy tale?"
"To explain that," Ozpin replied, "We must show you something important." He and Qrow brought the team to a special vault deep under the academy, where Ironwood, Leonidas, and Glynda were waiting. "In the time before the Great War," Ozpin said, "The Maidens were well-known and well-loved. But certain people desired their power for themselves. The Great War, horrible as it was, provided the perfect cover to hide away the Maidens as nothing more than legend, and a cabal of select individuals gathered to keep that secret, and expose those who would use that power for their own selfish ends. This is that very group."
"Helping to hide the identity of the Maidens," Qrow continued, "Is the fact that the power can be transferred. Let's face it, neither the old hermit from the story nor the original Maidens were immortal. So the power would transfer from one host to the next, always a young female, under a set of rules that, quite frankly, are convoluted and unnecessary. Normally, the next one to obtain the power is the last girl the previous Maiden had in mind. But if the last person the Maiden was thinking of is not a girl, is too old, or is otherwise illegible, the next Maiden will be chosen randomly."
"Unfortunately," Ironwood chimed in, "Current circumstances force us to chose the next Maiden for the previous one. Just prior to your first semester, the current Fall Maiden, Amber, was attacked by three individuals, the same ones you identified as being with the group calling themselves Team MACE. Worse still, for the first time in history one of them, either Cinder or Emerald, was able to steal part of Amber's power for themselves. They would have gotten all of it if not for Qrow's timely intervention." "Okay, so where's Amber now?," Jaune asked.
Ironwood pointed to a large capsule behind the group, inside of which was a young woman several years older than Team JNPR. "She's presently comatose," Leonidas said, "And we've placed her on life support. The reason being if we allow her to die, what's left of her power could be transferred to her assailant due to being the last person on her mind. Even if said assailant is not eligible, there's never been a case where a Maiden's power has been split, and the possibility that the two halves will seek each other out is very real. For that reason Ozpin suggested finding someone to take on the power themselves, but there is a further complication."
"Due to these circumstances," Ironwood explained, "The one chosen cannot simply inherit the power normally. However Atlas has been doing research into Aura and we believe we may have isolated it's source. We have technology that can essentially capture and transfer Aura from one person to another. However the process is risky. Our R&D department says there's a very real chance this transfer could have sever side-effects." Ozpin then turned to Pyrrha. "Pyrrha, you are the one we selected due your exceptional skill and kindness. But many of us, even myself, are beginning to have second thoughts. Right now we're trying to find another option. But if you feel this is the best way, we'll go with it. Just, wait until the tournament ends to make your decision." Pyrrha looked saddened, and her teammates grew worried.
Later, the Singles Round of the Vytal Festival Tournament was about to being. The finalists were Yang Xiao Long form Team RWBY, Lionel Raye from Team SLVR, Penny Polendina from Team CPPR, Pyrrha Nikos from Team JNPR, Mercury Black from Team MACE, Sun Wukong from Team SSSN, Verona Skye from Team IVRY, and Saranac Pendragon from Team SABR. For this round, only the central octagon of the arena was in bounds and would be raised to a higher elevation, and as such there would be no biomes. Combat in its purest form, exactly what people expected of the final rounds.
The first fight was to begin, with Yang going up against Mercury. Yang took a few deep breaths, knowing what she was supposed to do. 'Whether I can beat Mercury or not, he's going to throw the fight. Whatever these guys want, it's in Beacon, so to get at it they need to discredit the academy. Hope you at least make it look good, Mercury Black, cause I am itching for a good fight.' The fight was started, and both combatants flew at each other with their first attacks, Yang's punch colliding with Mercury's kick. Mercury aimed a second kick at Yang's legs, but Yang leapt over him and fired a few shots from Ember Celica.
Mercury blocked the attacks with his forearms, letting his Aura take the brunt of the assault. The two continued to clash until they were forced backwards. Mercury closed in as he dodged blast after blast, landing a downward axe kick once he got close enough. Yang took the chance to nail him with a close-range shot that forced him back, taking the assassin by surprise. 'She's definitely gonna make this interesting.' The two continued their clash before Mercury managed to force Yang back with a quick strike to her knee, but she recovered quick enough to block another downward kick.
Before Mercury could use his momentum to continue the assault, Yang surprised him again by grabbing his leg and throwing him across the arena. Luckily for him he was able to use his boots to blast himself back towards his opponent before he was sent out of the arena. "Okay," he said, "Looks like you'll be a challenge after all." Up in the stands, Emerald was waiting for the fight to end. 'Mercury is supposed to throw the fight after making it look good, but it seems he may not have to.' She then got a brainstorm, and started focusing her Semblance.
Back at the fight, Mercury had started a series of kicks that Yang barely avoided by flipping out of the way. The silver-haired man responded by leaping into the air and striking Yang in the chest with a flying kick. "Ow," she muttered, "Felt that right through my Aura." She took a look at the scoreboard. It looked pretty even so far, albeit she was ahead by a narrow margin. Mercury then moved in with a flurry of punches and kicks all across Yang's body. Yang quickly put up her guard to absorb the assault, feeling her Semblance charge to levels she never experienced before.
Mercury finished off with a massive salvo that set the entire salvo from his boots that seemed to engulf Yang in flames. Mercury walked away, feeling confident, before Yang called out, "Hey! This fight ain't over yet!" Mercury turned to see Yang, her Semblance now fully charged. Mercury took a look at the scoreboard, and then raised an eyebrow. After a second, he grinned, and started firing again. Yang quickly lowered her stance and weaved her upper body back and forth in a figure eight pattern as she closed, a well-known maneuver known as the Dempsey Roll.
Yang leapt into the air and launched a massive punch. Mercury tried to leap out of the way, but the blow caught his leg just under the knee. Next thing Yang knew, Mercury was on the ground writhing in pain as he clutched his leg. She saw several med-teams rush in, followed by Emerald and the rest of Team RWBY. "What's going on?," Yang asked her sister. Ruby pulled Yang aside as she whispered, "It wasn't the way we expected it, but they still took the bait." She pointed to the replay. At the point Yang had launched her final attack, Mercury had been just above the Aura threshold.
Yang's attack, fueled by her Semblance, had been enough to reduce Mercury remaining Aura to zero percent, winning her the fight. "Okay," Yang whispered back, "But I didn't feel his leg give way under the assault. It felt like punching steel. And when I checked the scoreboard, Mercury's Aura level was way higher." She thought for a second, then saw Emerald looking worried at Mercury's condition and glaring at her. "And I think I know why," Yang noted.
Cinder met Emerald later in their dorm. "A brief bout of negativity from the crowd's shock at the display of brutality," Cinder noted, "And it can fit in perfectly with our plans. The only downside is Yang didn't get disqualified as we originally intended and could have a chance to redeem herself in the finals. Though considering our plans will halt the tournament before then that won't be an issue. Very interesting twist that keeps our enemies guessing, well done Emerald. Where did you get the idea?"
Emerald smiled. "I saw Yang's attacks were doing more damage to Mercury than we anticipated, and realized she had modified her fighting style. She's always relied on a full-frontal assault to compliment her Semblance, but it seems her Semblance has evolved to the point where she can absorb damage even while defending. As a result, even while countering or blocking, Mercury's attacks were fueling Yang, and his Aura was paying the price. That's when I got the idea to make her believe the fight was more even than it really was."
"And it looks like Mercury understood the plan, lucky for us," Cinder noted, "Still, there is one thing that worries me. The fact that we needed to modify the plan at all. If Yang came to this fight prepared to take on someone with Mercury's skills, that means Ozpin and his little group are getting suspicious of us. I've already set things up in the tournament so that the Grimm will still be riled up when we launch our final phase, but we may be cutting it close. Be ready when the fight between Pyrrha and Penny begins so you can sneak Mercury out of the infirmary." Emerald nodded, but the still lurking feeling of doubt was slowly crawling into her mind.
To be continued...
Turns out I found a way to keep Yang out of trouble after all. Once I realized that the concept of the girls working together to help each other overcome their individual weaknesses had been introduced, it meant Yang wouldn't have as tough a time dealing with opponents who specialize in kicks. That gave me this brilliant idea. We keep the drama, without dealing trauma. Hope you guys like how I did this. Read and review.
