Edited as of (6/20/18)

PB: Da-Awesom-One


A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION


-Benjamin Carson-

"Ruby, on your left! Go low!" I barked out before taking a deep breath, sighting down the cross hairs of my goggles, and exhaling as I pulled the trigger just as the crimson-hooded student ducked to avoid an oncoming blow from a giant mechanical arm that was intent on sweeping her aside like an ant. Glory kicked hard into my metal-plated shoulder, sending an 8.6mm Dust-tipped slug flying through the cool night air, perfectly severing one of tubes that ran into the metal beast's - what Ruby had called a "Paladin" - right energy cannon in a cloud of super-cooled steam.

'Nice!' I grinned, before I was tackled to the side by Reika just in time to avoid a hail of rockets screaming towards me, sending me into a rough tumble as I tried to protect my delicate goggles from the cloud of dust and debris.

"Oww... Thanks for the save, Rei." I winked at my partner, who only nodded in response, before leaping off to rejoin the fight, gun-ho as always.

All in all, we were doing quite well, considering the kind of firepower we were up against. Blondie and Reika made up the front line with their raw power, with Rosie and Ninjette assisting where they could. All the while, Weiss and I acted as support, calling out incoming attacks, and covering wherever we could.

'The only problem is we can't get an opening...' I grimaced as Reika was caught with the broad side of the mech's other arm, flying back dazed until Blondie thankfully managed to catch her before she hit the ground. Whoever had built this metal death machine had covered their bases pretty well. The thing was a bitch to catch off guard, requiring hit and run strikes as we tried to overpower it. 'This is takin' too long! All we need is one good... The hell's that sound?' I blinked, looking around as a loud roar split the night, drawing everyone's attention, even Torchwick's.

'What the...!?' I looked up, mouth gaping at sight playing out above us.

A motorbike was in the air, having leapt clear over the highway's railing, and was now falling towards us with two figures astride it. Ambrose looked as if he was calculating something, helmeted head twitching back and forth, taking in his surroundings, and had reached for his belt. Max, on the other hand...

"OHFUCKOHFUCKOHFUCKOHFUCK!SHIIIIIIIT!"

She was screaming, expletives streaming from her mouth, her eyes shut tight, hair whipping about her head as the wind buffeted them. Strangely, though, they seemed to be falling a hell of a lot slower than they should have been, and a lot more controlled.

'Psycho, ya crazy bastard!' I grinned, noting the slight reddish light emanating from around the terrified Faunus. 'Using her Semblance for the landin'. Not bad, brother!'

The problem in their plan was Torchwick, however, laughing as he turned the Paladin around, firing off a few rockets towards them, intending to blow them out of the sky. Joel seemed to have another idea about that, however. He drew his staff and extended it in one hand, while holding out the other, palm towards the rockets. His legs and Max's arms were the only things keeping him on the bike. Suddenly, the rocket thrusters seemed to malfunction as his Aura flared across his body, going haywire as they spread out in various directions, probably pushed about by Max's powers until exploding behind them.

"How'd you...!?" Torchwick cried out in alarm, raising an arm to try and swat them away. Joel was too quick for him, however, angling the bike around using the arm as a runway, all the while bringing his bladed staff around to slice at more exposed wiring. "Brats!" the criminal snarled, trying for another attempt, but the two were already past him, swerving for a few meters as they hit the ground. The Huntsman pierced his weapon into the ground to slow them down, causing sparks to fly everywhere, and barely coming to a stop just next to me.

"Okay, that was pretty freaking awesome...But be honest..." Psycho asked breathlessly, turning his head towards me as he tossed his helmet to the ground, smiling broadly while the rest of us just stared. "Too much?"

"Maybe a bit... But it still looked pretty fuckin' cool! That thing you did with your Semblance was a bit over the top, though!" I laughed, before a loud snarl chilled the blood in our veins. The next second, Joel let out a cry of pain as he was sent tumbling off the bike by Max, trying to get to his feet, but failing as Maxine's foot smashed his head into the ground, sending a spiderweb of cracks through the pavement. "Uh..."

"YOU FUCKER!" she screamed as she raised her foot, only to bring it down again, punctuating each word with a muffled cry of pain from the poor bastard beneath her. "Warn me next time you decide to do something so utterly, fucking SUICIDAL,you psy-chotic ASSHOLE!"

'Right. Fear of heights...' I realized with a start. 'Ah well. Funny as it is, it'd probably be better if I stopped her before she ends up killin' him.' I raised an arm to try and pull her off him, but Torchdick seemed to think aggravating her more would diffuse the situation.

"Well, well, if it isn't Miss Puppy again to ruin my day. Great," the criminal's voice issued through the robot's speakers again snidely. "Figures those White Fang idiots screwed up again... Never send dogs to do a man's job, I suppose." Laser sights zeroed in on the Faunus' head. "Well, you know what they say... If you want a job done right..."

"H-hey, Max! Mov...!" I tried to warn her, but froze when I caught a glimpse of her eyes as she slowly turned from our twitching leader to face the mech. A shiver ran down my spine, and made my throat go dry. "M-Max?..."

"...The fuck did you call me?" she muttered through bared teeth, staring intently at the center of the Paladin, her hand moving slowly towards the handle of her axe.

'Yeaaaah, she's pissed...' I found myself inching away from her, shooting a sympathetic glance at Ambrose, who still had his face halfway in concrete. Blondie glanced over at my way, as if I could do something. 'Sorry, sweetie. I don't feel like dyin' today. Ambrose brought this on himself.'

"Rrrrrrrgh... I said... WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST CALL ME!?" The air suddenly felt a lot lighter, a few pebbles rising into the air at the sudden lack of gravity.

"...Was it something I said?" the criminal queried, red laser sights converging on the girl's forehead. "Miss Puppy just sounds so adorable and nonthreatening. You really need to learn how to relax, not that you'll get much of a chance!"

Ruby and the others cried out as the Gatling guns located on the lower sides of the arms lit up, showering Max - and consequently Joel - in a hail of gunfire, forcing me to leap away to avoid getting caught. The only thing I was capable of doing was just stare back in horror.

"Hmm... Honestly thought that'd be harder..." The mech paused as the dust began to clear, turning the platform towards the others, who wore similar looks of horror to mine. Yang in particular looked mortified as she stared in the direction of the cloud. "When they pulled off that little stunt, it just seemed like they'd put up more of a... Oh, you have got to be KIDDING me!"

True enough, Max still stood where she had before, finally taking her heel off Joel's head, letting him notice the bullet hole mere inches from where his head had lain. Similar holes surrounded the two in a loose circle, shots fated to hit the ground and had thrown up the debris. The ones that would've been lethal, however, floated about a foot from the Faunus' face, which now resembled something from out of a nightmare.

"Ho, man, you done fucked up, Torchdick..." I whispered under my breath as the girl let the rounds fall harmlessly to the ground with a clatter. "Say your prayers, brother."

It had never been a contest. Roman over there had what was likely cutting-edge military technology. Maxine Argus, on the other hand, possessed power strong enough to push back a collapsing mountain when pressed.

"What is it with kids these days!?" Torchwick began to raise the mech's arms again, but let out a confused grunt when they paused, held down by some invisible force, metal groaning under the strain. Whatever it was Max was doing, it held fast. "C'mon, you stupid piece of Atlesian...!"

I let out a laugh that quickly died when I noticed Max swaying dangerously, sweat beading down her brow, ears flat against her head. "What are you idiots waiting for; an invitation!?" she gasped, falling forward on one knee, eyes quickly glazing over. "K-kick that fucker's ass, already!"

RWBY glanced at the Dog Faunus, before nodding to each other, Ruby shouting orders to the rest of her teammates as they leapt into action.

"...I'm tired..." Max muttered, falling forward suddenly. I managed to get to her before she could hit the ground, cradling her in one arm. I placed a finger on her neck, and was relieved to find her pulse steady, if somewhat weak.

"Aura exhaustion." I looked back at Joel, the Huntsman-in-training finally getting to his feet, cricking his neck. There was dust and pavement chips in his white hair, and a fresh cut on his forehead that was already in the process of healing. "My fault. I didn't expect her to fly off the handle like that."

"Really? You didn't expect Miss Bitch, herself, to freak out!?" I chided him, glancing down at the Faunus.

'Rough nights all 'round, I s'pose.'

"Guess I owe her some downtime after we finish this up," he sighed, dusting his armor off, grabbing his staff off the ground, examining one of the end blades closely, before starting off towards the girls' battle with the war machine. Downtime with the Canine Faunus always meant something that was either full contact sparring matches, day trips in the Emerald Forest, etc.

"We've got to finish this fast! Reika, cover me!" the Team Leader shouted, sprinting ahead, followed closely by the mute Huntress. He ducked past Xiao Long as he slid between the enormous metal legs, firing one of the staff's blades off as a grappling line towards the mech's back. "Hit him all at once!" he cried out as he drew in the line, pulling himself on top of the robot. Torchwick let out a vicious snarl which was heard form the thing's speakers, trying desperately to throw the Boss off, but was quickly sent reeling back under the force of a combined attack from Rosie and the Princess.

'Ice Queen might be a bit harsh...' I supposed as Ruby moved faster than I could follow, scythe flashing in her wake while Weiss covered her with her Dust magic, leaving thick ice formations with every successful hit. '...We need one of those formation things.' Reika and I had some stuff figured out between the two of us, but team-wise...

With Rosie and Psycho working in tandem, both calling the shots, the battle soon turned in our favor. Unfortunately for the joyriding criminal, our teams had fought and trained together extensively. Blondie and Ambrose in particular were moving in near perfect sync. One minute, the white-haired Huntsman would strike from above with his staff or knives - the latter occasionally enhanced by one of the Princess' glyphs - severing some wires of important system, while the brawler struck for the legs, leaving twisted and burned metal in her wake that made it harder for the criminal to maneuver. Soon enough, Torchwick was left in a dented, smoking mess, minus its rocket launchers and one of its gun turrets. The pair attacked together relentlessly, beating the poor mech into submission.

The criminal let out an angry cry as the pair managed to land a devastating blow that tore off one of the Paladin's arms in a cloud of steam and sparks. Even so, the criminal wasn't giving up. If anything, he fought back even harder, though Yang herself only seemed to be gaining more and more power as the fight wore on, her hair so hot it burned white.

'Right, her Semblance gives her more strength the more damage she takes,' I recalled to myself. Ruby shouted something similar to the rest of her teammates after her sister took a nasty hit. 'One helluva gift, right there. Gets knocked down, comes back swingin' even harder.'

A low moan from Max drew my attention as the girl in my arms regained consciousness, gazing up at me with surprise in her reddish brown eyes. "C-Carson...?"

"Howdy!" I said heartily, before a fist caught me in the face, the Faunus girl scrambling away from me shortly after. Not like she got very far, though. Her legs gave out from under her before she could even stand up straight.

"Let go of me, you shit-faced creeper!" she spat out angrily, shaking herself out as she tried and failed to stand again. "T-the hell!?"

"Aura exhaustion," I murmured through my new bloody nose, glaring at her. "Don't move too much, or you'll just end up hurtin' yourself." I gestured over to where the fight was still going on, likely coming close to the finish with the sort of damage they were inflicting. "You were gonna miss the fun."

"Joel, move back!" Ruby shouted, motioning for Blake to take over, the other Team Leader shooting Blondie a quick nod before leaping back to a safe distance.

"Bumblebee!" Blake ducked past Ambrose, throwing her Gambol Shroud out for the blonde to catch in the midst of a running jump, the Feline Faunus using the leap's momentum to swing the now blazing girl around like an overlarge flail. Torchwick was faster than expected, however, just managing to guide the robot backwards just before the impact.

'Still mobile... Gotta hand it to the brains in Atlas. They sure do know how to make an annoyin' machine,' I cursed mentally, getting to my feet, Max still limp in my arms.

"We've gotta slow it down somehow!" I cried out to the others, mind working furiously trying to determine how to do just that, eyes falling on the Princess and her hooded partner. "Maybe... Hey, Rosie!"

She grinned broadly, having come to the same conclusion I had, lodging her scythe into the concrete. "Iceflower!" Weiss raised her sword, a series of glyphs appearing in front of the small girl.

'So just one of those can send you off like a bullet...' I wondered, staring at the pair as the young Huntress pulled the lever on her weapon. 'Hmm... Could work.'

Apparently even better than I thought. Each Dust-tipped shell drove into the mech with the force of a cannon, driving the ice effect deep into the Paladin's structure, leaving it completely immobilized from the inside out.

With a roar of triumph, Yang swung around again, smashing the now ice-encrusted machine with a blow that shattered the machine into tiny bits, blasting Torchdick to the ground with a disbelieving look on his he got shakily to is feet.

"Just got this thing cleaned..." he whined as he wiped dust off of his suit.

'Torchy's durable, I'll give him that...' I thought smugly as the brawler got to her feet, Joel and Blake stepping forward on either side.

Yang let out one final cry, sending a single shot hurtling towards the thug, who didn't even flinch, merely grinning wickedly as a girl with strangely-colored hair leapt down from out of nowhere, catching the shot with an ornate pink umbrella, shooting Blondie a teasing smile of her own.

"Ah, there you are!" the criminal gave us all one last bow. "Ladies, Ice Queen, whatever the hell you're all supposed be." The last part he said as he waved a hand dismissively towards AMBR directly. "A pleasure, especially you, Maxi! Neo, if you would?"

The girl nodded, spinning her umbrella in her hand.

"HEY!"

Apparently Xiao Long wasn't amused, already prepping to launch herself forward, when Joel put a hand on her shoulder shaking his head. He then tossed one of his daggers lazily towards the duo, shattering their image like a mirror, revealing both already aboard a Bullhead screaming off into the night.

Reacting quickly, I got Glory and aimed for one of its turbines. I only growled in frustration, unfortunately, as my goggles indicated that it was out of range.

Growling, I yelled out after him. "What's the matter, Torchdick!? You're always runnin' out on us 'fore we kick your ass!" Seeing as I got no response, I only cursed to myself. "Crap!..."

"Hate tricks like those," my leader muttered angrily under his breath as he watched them go.

"So I guess he got himself a new henchman..." his girlfriend added, pulling him into a one armed hug as they shared a fist bump. "Hate her already."

"Yeah, I guess she really made our plans... fall apart?" the heiress said with a smile, looking at the rest of us. It was a mixed bowl of reactions. Ruby seemed to find it funny enough, but the rest of us...

"No... Just no," Yang said, shaking her head along with Reika, while Joel and Blake walked away, talking amongst themselves.

"What!? But you do it, too!" Weiss tried to defend herself, huffing as her face reddened visibly, stalking after the blonde.

"Time and place, Ice Queen!" Joel shouted before resuming his conversation. From what I could see, it was getting sort of heated.

Meanwhile, I moved beside Ruby, giving her a pat on the back, the force knocking the breath from the small girl, but she quickly recovered, rounding on me with a childlike squeal of glee. "Good job out there, Rosie."

"I know! It was awesome, right!?" the hooded girl cried out as she tried to reenact the action with her hands, her Semblance sending her all over the place. "Joel was all 'hi-yah!' While Yang was like... Huh?" She paused when she noticed the them arguing, a look of worry crossing her face. "I wonder what's going on?" she said, noting the angry looks on both sides faces, all with her sister standing in between them awkwardly.

"...I think I've got some idea," I told her, grimacing as I saw Ninjette point a finger at Max. The Dog Faunus looked ready to fight, but she was still having trouble moving from where she was. "Yeah, this won't end good."


-Joel Ambrose-

(A few seconds earlier)

"You okay?" I asked, looking at Blake as we walked off.

Sighing, her eyes then looked over to where Max was, a heated glare coming from her feline eyes. "I'm fine, for the most part... No thanks to your traitorous mutt of a partner over there!"

"...The fuck did you call me, Pussycat!?" Max growled out, but groaned as she was still suffering from Aura exhaustion.

Dreading the argument that would ensue, I quickly raised my arms and intercepted Blake before she could approach my partner. "Okay, okay, look, I'm not entirely cool with what she did either, but I already talked to her about it! There's no need for insults, Blake." She was about to speak again, when I shouted at Weiss' poor timing at a pun. "Time and place, Ice Queen!"

"Joel, Max almost got me and Sun killed. If she hadn't pulled that stunt, we would've gotten away on our own!"

"Yeah. And then we wouldn't have had the opportunity to get Torchdick!" Max snapped back.

"Funny. I thought the whole purpose of your 'plan' was to get him when he was vulnerable! Something you didn't follow through on!" Max only snarled at her, but looked away. "Why didn't you take him out when you had the chance!?"

"Hey, wait a minute! I apologize for Max's reckless act, okay? However, I don't appreciate you chastising her for not killing Torchwick. I don't disagree with her choice."

"Don't disa...? Joel, if she had done that, Torchwick wouldn't have gotten on the Paladin, and he wouldn't have caused as much damage as he did! Innocent Faunus wouldn't have needed to get hurt!"

Max scoffed. "Pfft, 'innocent?' They sure didn't sound 'innocent' when they were cheering for Torchwick when he said they'd kill Humans with the thing."

"There were civilians there!"

"And I only hurt those who were trying to kill me, which were mostly the guys already with them!"

Sighing, I shook my head. "Max's act aside, she wasn't wrong. If agents attacked, she had every right to defend herself."

The Feline Faunus growled at this. "You're just defending her because of your past with the White Fang."

At this statement, my self-imposed role of peacekeeper died completely. "Excuseme!?"

"Blake!" Yang's voice cried. From the corner of my eye, I saw her looking between us, glancing at both of us warily and with concern.

Sighing, I looked Blake straight in the eye. "Okay, I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that, alright? But back to what I was saying: think about it, Blake. Would someone like Torchwick really be worth getting your hands dirty?" I let the words sink in, and saw that she was seeing my point. "Right?"

"Besides, even if I'd done it, it wouldn't have stopped one of those White Fang goons from hijacking it in his place! Or even that new girl!"

The Feline Faunus instantly snapped at the Canine Faunus. "You don't know anything, Argus!"

"That's enough!" I snapped, slowly starting to get frustrated. "Besides, Max brings up a good point. Even if we took out Torchwick, we would've only taken care of part of the problem."

She blinked, here eyes narrowing in both confusion and suspicion. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean, Blake. Somebody's been arming the White Fang. Even if Torchwick's out of the picture, they'd still be armed by whoever's working with him."

"All the more reason to find him, figure out who he's collaborating with, and stop them from arming them even further!" she reasoned.

"Not that I'm against it, but it would be fruitless. By the time we do - if it happens - the White Fang would already be even more dangerous than they are now. You're missing the point, Blake!"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm not 'saying.' I'm telling. The reality of the situation, Blake, is that the White Fang are now armed enough to actually cause major damage, and challenge the Kingdoms. With that kind of weaponry, they could harm even more innocent people... I can't allow that to happen."

"So, what? You're going after the White Fang again?"

"Blake, I'm sorry. I know that you wish that there was a part of the organization that you joined as a kid still there... but we need to face facts. The White Fang is now capable mounting terrible offensives against Remnant. Their threat can't be ignored. Not by me, at least. They need to be stopped."

"They're just misguided!"

"They're not, Blake! They're perfectly aware of what they're doing, and will continue to hurt innocents if left unchecked! I'm sorry, Blake. I really am. But the White Fang, as it stands now, needs to be destroyed..."

"It's not their fault!" she cried. "They're being manipulated and corrupted by people like Torchwick! He's the real problem!"

"We've been over this. Even if we deal with him, we would still have to deal with them afterwards!"

"You're letting your hatred for them cloud your judgement!"

"And you're letting your past with them cloud yours!"

I could feel the eyes of everyone present on us, likely very wary of the tension surrounding us. Yang looked torn between us, something I internally chastised myself for. But Blake needed to hear this, regardless of how much it would hurt her.

To my annoyance, she merely scoffed with a snarl. "Fine. You do whatever you want. I'm going to stop the real problem."

With that she walked past me, her shoulder bumping against my own.

Frustrated, I turned around to look at her. "Blake, listen to me!" She didn't even acknowledge that she heard me. "BLAKE!"

Growling, I simply gave up, running my hand down my face.

"Forget her, Ambrose. We don't need that pussycat," Max snarled, glaring at Belladonna as she walked away.

"Max, stop," I sighed, hand still on my face.

"What!? That girl's too stubborn to see...!"

Instantly, I sent a harsh glare to her. "I SAID ENOUGH!"

I kept my glare at her, the Dog Faunus returning one in kind. Finally, she looked away, muttering curses to herself.

Groaning, I rubbed my temples, trying to reduce the headache I was currently having. From the corner of my eye, I saw Yang approach me. She didn't look mad, but she definitely seemed conflicted.

"Joel..." she murmured.

Sighing, I looked at her firmly. "That... could have gone better..."

She sighed, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. "What now?..."

I shrugged, truly at a loss for what to do. "I don't know," I honestly replied, looking at the Cat Faunus as she walked away. "But I meant what I said... Regardless of how Blake feels about it, the White Fang, as it stands now, needs to be stopped."


(A Few Days Later)

"Break their legs, Pyrrha!" Nora shouted, cheering even more loudly as the Mistrali skilfully brought CRDL down one by one in a series of strikes, each more incredible than the last. She had her head held high as Professor Goodwitch halted the match, leaving the defeated bullies to pick themselves up off the floor and slink off.

"You see what I mean, Jaune?" I asked the knight as the teacher lauded over the redhead. To her credit, the Champion seemed to be taking it all rather humbly. "She was able to overcome greater numbers through maneuverability, and not just brute force. Knowing where your opponent's going to strike, and properly moving to counter it, is the most effective way of bringing them down. Understand?"

"I... I-I think?" the boy said in a nervous tone, leaving me sort of unconvinced. "Still, I doubt I could do all of that. Especially that last move with Cardin, where she..." He tried to act it out, turning a bright red when Nora laughed in his face.

'Seems Ruby's rubbing off on him.' I sighed, turning back to the scene.

"Do you think you could show me how to do something like that? One of your cool grapple moves, or how to...?" he asked, tailing off with a disappointed look when I shook my head.

"Aw, look, Joel. Vomit Boy's a fan!" Yang teased her fellow blonde, punching his arm lightly... well, Yang's version of lightly, anyway. "Sorry, Jaune, but he's spoken for."

When his partner had asked me to assist her in training Jaune, she had made it clear that I wasn't to teach my fellow leader anything too... "potentially lethal," as she put it. I could understand the sentiment, given my background.

Still stung, though...

"Look, Jaune, I'm not the one teaching you to fight. That's Pyrrha's job. And by the looks of it, you already have a fine teacher." I motioned towards the victorious Huntress, who smiled brightly and waved back at us. "I'm just trying to focus on making sure you understand the basics, so she can advance you more quickly."

Jaune nodded in acceptance. 'He's a good kid. Talented, too, even if he can't see it. Has the drive, at least...'

"Alright, now I know that's a tough act to follow, but we have time for one more sparring match. Any volunteers?... Miss Belladonna?" Blake looked up from her book, a nervous expression on her face. I glanced down at my Scroll, shaking my head derisively. It was a move not missed by Yang, who likely narrowed her eyes. "You've been rather docile for the past few classes. Why don't you...?"

"I'll do it!" I looked around, and saw the silver-haired student from the other day - the one from Haven that was with that scary girl - raising his hand lazily.

"Alright, Mr... Black, was it? Who would you like to choose for your opponent?" the bespectacled professor asked, slightly hesitant.

Black tapped his chin as if deep in thought, looking about the room, inspecting everyone present. "I'll fight... her." He pointed to Pyrrha, a ripple of whispers spreading through the crowd,while the teacher's eyes widened.

'Someone's feeling cheeky.'

"I'm afraid Miss Nikos has just finished a match. I suggest you find yourself another partner," Goodwitch said in a dangerously terse tone. "Suggest" might've been taking it too lightly.

Pyrrha looked ready to volunteer herself, anyway, but Black spoke up again, shrugging his shoulders in defeat. "Alright, then... How 'bout... Mr. Big Shot over there? The guy that was all over the news? No qualms about having me fight him, right?"

I tensed, suddenly feeling the entire room staring at me as he had pointed me out. I'd never been asked to spar for the class before, always thinking that I was assigned to the class as an afterthought by Goodwitch or another presiding professor, and even then that was rare.

"Well? How about it, Mr. Trapper?" he gestured, making my eyes narrow slightly at the remark.

"Mr. Black, that's quite en...!?" the Huntress spoke up, but I cut her off by raising my hand, my eyes never leaving him. Getting to my feet slowly, I stretched my shoulders, bones slightly cracking in the oddly silent classroom.

"Sure. Why not?" I laughed, giving the boy a wicked smirk as I flexed my fingers. "Should be fun." Good exercise, at least. Could use the stress relief.

Black chuckled, making his way down towards the stairs that led to the locker rooms.

Yang tugged at my shirt with a worried expression on her face. "Sure you know what you're doing, big guy? Don't let him rile you up."

"Don't worry, Sunshine. I've got this," I replied, giving her hand a firm squeeze before looking down at a nervous Jaune. "Guess you get to see a practical demonstration, after all. Maybe you'll pick up something?" I left without waiting for the other leader to reply.


"Alright, I want a clean fight from both of you," the blonde professor said curtly to both of us as we sized each other up. "Understood?"

The other student hadn't put on any extra armor, except for a bit more plating on his legs. 'Something similar to Yang, most likely, except with kicking.' I'd faced his type before: fast, with good reach, and agile. 'Not a problem.'

"The conditions for victory are to place your opponent's remaining Aura in the red, or to force a surrender. I will step in if I deem it appropriate." That last line was probably for my benefit more than my opponent's, my collar feeling just that little bit tighter. The Huntress then left the stage, leaving the two of us standing still as statues, waiting for her mark.

As soon as she made it off the stage, she turned to look at us intensely. "Begin!"

I made the first move. One he likely didn't expect.

I took my staff and compressed it, before tossing it aside.

I wasn't wearing my knives, them being deemed way too dangerous, even with my relaxed restrictions, to allow in a sparring match. Funny how that worked, considering most other students were firing off shells the size of my head as an afterthought but oh well.

I rolled my shoulders one last time, taking a low position, with my hands held loose and wide in front of me.

"Sure that's a good idea?" Black asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet as dark grey armor encompassed both them and the lower parts of both of his legs.

"Thought you might need the handicap," I replied, happy to see an angry grimace cross my opponent's face. A prideful one, then. I could relate.

He then leaped forward suddenly, his force accelerated by a blast from his boots.

'Exactly like Yang!'

I sidestepped at the last possible second as he drew closer in an attempt to catch me with a full-forced kick to the chest. My hand lashed out lightning quick as I grabbed his leg and pulled upward, sending the boy spinning head over heels past me in a rough, graceless tumble, though he did manage to recover swiftly enough with a few somersaulting twists, face red from the scattered laughs and excited whispers rippling through the crowd.

"Ooh, lucky for you, I wasn't serious that time," I said, letting a few stray sparks run down my arm for emphasis.

I could almost feel Goodwitch's eyes boring into me. I could care less, however. I needed to blow off steam, anyway, what with the mood I'd been in as of late. My eyes shifted to the Cat Faunus in the crowd, her face still pressed in her damn book.

The argument was still fresh in my mind. We had both admitted, after Torchwick's defeat, that Max had gone too far with her plan. Way too far. Unfortunately, the Faunus had decided to add a few choice words that I didn't take too kindly to, especially when she started making a case for the White Fang, and how Max had hurt innocent Faunus without reason.

Of course, that had just snowballed, and one comment had landed me in the hot seat, apparently "defending her actions because of my past." It was bad enough just being around her, and it hadn't helped things with Yang either, the blonde having to choose between her partner and her boyfriend, which I in no way wanted to force her into, but I still needed to get the point across that the White Fang, as it currently was, needed to be stopped.

Unfortunately for me, she didn't listen, so I gave the ninja as much space as I could to keep things civil. Lo and behold, Blake had had a similar idea, except hers had extended to pretty much everyone as she fell into a pretty obvious obsession with Torchwick. Add that to some rather disturbing information on Red Hand movements - or lack of - courtesy of Natalie, and it was easy to see how I could be a bit tense.

"Watch out, Joel!"

Yang's voice snapped me back to reality. I had to duck quickly to keep my head on my shoulders, the other student having taken advantage of my distracted state to launch a surprise attack, sending a series of kicks, one after the other, my way, forcing me to dodge and weave my way across the stage.

"Daydreaming. Seriously!?" Black growled, sending me skidding back as one of his blows caught me in the chest, taking a sizable chunk out of my Aura. "That's just rude!" He angled upwards, this time striking for my neck, but I caught his leg yet again.

"Sorry," I muttered under my breath as I sent my own foot crashing into the back of his other leg, throwing him off balance, and tossing him to the ground. "You're right. Suppose I should at least try to put some effort into this!"

The Haven student snarled, launching off the ground in a spinning axe kick that I blocked with crossed arms. I then threw him back as I advanced forward, dodging or knocking away every attack he tried to throw, and responding with a punch, elbow, or knee in kind. I read his movements, in some cases throwing them back at his face in barely-restrained surprise.

I was slowly but surely whittling down his Aura. This guy was good. Really good. And what was more, he had specialized training in fighting other people, not just Grimm, which was a rarity that wasn't often taught, but learned.

I didn't pride myself on my CQC for nothing, however, and soon enough, I tackled him, leg in my grasp as I had him pinned underneath me, landing an elbow in his face every few seconds.

"Yield!" I could give him a shock, but I doubted that would be okay with the staff.

The kickboxer struggled vainly for a bit longer before relaxing. I made a rookie mistake then, without truly realizing it. I relaxed my grip for a fraction of a second, and the bastard knew it. He twisted himself on the ground as he aimed a kick at the side of my head with his free leg, one that I only narrowly blocked. I realized too late that it was exactly what he'd wanted, judging by his grin.

"Gotcha!" he breathed, blasting off his boot while it was still pressed to my face.

The sound of the blast hit my ear like a sledgehammer, sending me reeling back with cry, clutching at my head as the sound echoed in my skull.

I'd been trained to fight through the pain of someone attempting to use my keen senses against me. All Trappers had; it was a necessity. The unexpected assault still left me off balance for a few precious seconds, though, which was just enough time for the bastard to get free, landing a few heavy kicks against me that sent my Aura deep into the yellow, threatening red.

Swift kicks from his left leg hit my left arm, before it reached high enough to hit my head. He then hopped on his right leg, the greave firing to propel it higher to land a hard kick to my right cheek. He then finished that up with spinning kick right to my abdomen, another gunshot sending my tumbling backwards. I was on one knee before I knew it, shaking out my head as the ringing slowly stopped to a dull hum, but the headache remained.

"Looks like I found the chink in your armor!" he taunted, kicking his legs out a bit, before resuming his first stance. "Heard you Trappers had better ears than most, but I guess it's not all it's cracked up to be."

My head shot up, staring at the fighter in disbelief. "What!?"

'How the hell did he...!?' Trapper sensory training wasn't exactly a top secret, but the Red Hand had never openly advertised it. Just because we were trained to handle it didn't mean we wanted to let our enemies know how much damage a well-thrown flashbang could do to our best troops.

"Must suck for your girl up there, huh? Seeing how her man's getting the crap beat outta him."

At that, I got to my feet, hands clenching and snarling at my adversary's words. I stumbled my way forward, the Haven student darting away just out of reach, my equilibrium shot.

"What'd you say!?"

He shrugged simply, leaning out of the way of another wild swing. "What? I'm saying you're embarrassing her 'cause you're losing." He then flashed a derisive smirk. "I heard from gossip that you two got together after word about what you did got out. Means she's probably into pretty strong guys, or something. Or nutjobs. Too bad for you, maybe she'll come cozying up to me once I'm done here."

I could have sworn that my vision was narrowing at him, enclosing my sights on him directly as my fists clenched even harder, like that of a tunnel.

"Sorry, too much? Just going by what I see, pal... It's okay, though, don't you worry. I'll take real good care of...!"

I instantly saw red, and the world jolted back into focus as something in me - spurred by the pain, the stress, his remarks, and everything else - just set me off. My teeth were bared as I ran forward in an Aura-enhanced charge, running right in front of the boy before he could continue.

His smirk widened, as if expecting this, which prompted him to lash out with his right leg, barrel firing right at me. However, he was in for a surprise when I side-stepped at the last second, feeling a little graze cut into my arm while I ducked under his leg. It was a wound I barely registered, let alone let slow me down. My fist was enveloped with wild electric energy as I landed an uppercut right into his smarmy face, sending him cartwheeling off his feet, and onto his back, dazed.

He managed to get to a crawl, but didn't go further before my armored right knee connected to his face, the boy's Aura the only thing stopping his nose from being broken, and then only just. The strike forced him back up unwillingly to his feet, where my right hand lashed out towards the face that I now very much wanted to reduce to a pulp.

Unfortunately for me, my opponent caught the blow with one of his arms in a surprising lock, cocky grin replaced by a flash of fear and surprise as his limb went numb. I followed it up, however, driving my free arm into his gut, leaving him a bit winded before he received the previous fist meant for him.

From there it was just... mechanical, really. Procedure. Sparks ran across my body as I pushed voltage into every focused strike, numbing parts of his body that they came into contact with.

Elbow to the side of the head, knee to the stomach, quick blow to the back of his knee...

It was tiring and brutal, but I didn't stop... Not until Goodwitch's voice cracked like a whip, my shoe pressed against the back of Black's skull.

"Enough, Mr. Ambrose! Your opponent has been pushed into the red! Stand down!"

The command snapped me out of whatever trance I'd been in, backing away quickly from my groaning opponent as I glanced at the teacher. I could hear nervous cheers from the onlookers, but that didn't stop me from noticing the grip the professor had on her riding crop. I raised my hands, giving Yang, who was staring at me as if she was having trouble believing what she was seeing, a sad look before walking from the stage.


-Yang Xiao Long-

"Well, that was... scary," I said as we left the class. Goodwitch actually gave us no homework in her haste to rush off after Joel, probably to lecture him to no end.

'And I think he might deserve it this time, too.' That last bit when he'd just...

"I don't think I've ever seen him get like that in a fight. Not even when we fought the Trapper." Joel had always been a more cool-headed fighter than a hot-headed one. He was always determined and focused. Ice cold at the worst, but never the blazing hot rage I'd seen today.

"Well it's there. Maybe you just overlooked it," Blake said hotly, stomping off, leaving us all in shock. "You know better than anyone what he was, and how he can be when you get involved."

Looking back at the entrance, I noted Sun standing with what must've been the rest of his team, looking at the retreating girl with a hurt and disappointed expression on his face.

'Okay, that's it!' Ruby let out a worried squeak as I moved forward, catching the raven-haired Faunus by the wrist before she could do that disappearing thing that annoyed the hell out of me.

"What is your guys' problem with each other, lately!?" I growled, my partner's eyes widening. "You say I overlook some things, but I'm not stupid! You guys are friends! You were friends before even I met him! If this is about Max...!?"

Blake let out a growl, and for the first time, I could clearly make out dark circles under her eyes. 'She hasn't been sleeping... For a while, it looks like.'

My grip weakened enough so my partner could tear her hand away. "So I knew him maybe three or four hours before you. Big deal! And I've already talked to him about his sadist of a partner!"

"Then why!? You haven't been yourself. Neither of you have!"

"Look, Yang, I'm sorry, but if your boyfriend's acting strange, then that's yourproblem, not mine," she said venomously, eyes glancing towards the ground. "As for me, I've just realized that maybe he and I don't exactly share the same goals, anymore. Maybe we never did."

"Blake...!"

"I've got work to do. Excuse me." And like that she was gone, rounding a corner while leaving the rest of us milling about awkwardly.

"She can't keep this up..." Ruby murmured under her breath. "Neither of them can. What happened?"

Weiss shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head. "It's not that hard to understand. The two of them might seem similar, but if you think about what they used to be, then conflict was only inevitable, I suppose." She raised her hands as I gave her a sharp glare, my eyes burning like coals. "I'm only telling the truth! I know how dedicated she can be, and Joel hasn't exactly been tight-lipped about his feelings for her former comrades."

"...I've got to fix this. Now..." I said in a determined tone.

'Those two are friends... It's time to remind them of that.'

"Yang?" The two of them looked at me, and then to each other with confused looks, before I grabbed them by their collars and began dragging them with me. "Yang!?"

'I still need to work out a plan with Blake. Joel, I can work on, though. And I have the perfect person to ask for advice,' I decided, marching us towards the airship station.

"I need to speak to someone. You two are my backup."

"Backup!? What about class, you blonde brute!?" Weiss cried out, doing her best to wriggle out of my grasp to no success. "Ruby, speak some sense into her, you dolt!"

'I'm going to put this right...' I owed it to both of them, shutting out both girls' complaints as I practically threw them into the ship. 'I just hope they're still willing to listen...'


-Mercury Black-

'The world is pain...' I groaned as I let my partner set my shoulder, hissing as I felt the joint pop back into place. 'And I just keep tempting it... Me and my big mouth.'

I'd managed to play off the injuries long enough to avoid the infirmary. No use wasting time in a sickbed, especially considering the report we had to give to the Boss tonight. 'Ooh, she's not gonna be happy...'

"So I take it you realize this is your own fault, right? Getting cocky," Emerald said as she applied more Aura to a particularly nasty burn on my stomach, the worst of a few nasty souvenirs from that white-haired prick's Semblance. "Your job was to observe Nikos, and report on her abilities. We already know enough from our contact about Ambrose. But nooooo, you just had to fight the Trapper, didn't you? Despite the fact that you're probably the worst match-up for someone like him."

"Not in the mood for a lecture, Sustrai," I hissed as she pressed harder, sending a jolt of pain wracking its way up my chest.

'That'll be the rib...!'

"We both know you were able to get a good enough read on Miss Invincible to see what she's capable of. More than enough for the Boss, anyway. As for me, I got to see first-hand what the Human Bug Zapper's capable of, and confirm a few weaknesses on the side. That's what I'd call a 'win.'" I almost blacked out when my partner dug her finger into one of the burns. "Watch it, will ya!?"

"Idiot! You could've screwed everything up!" the thief growled, leaning back as she let me roll down my shirt. "There. You should be good to go in a day or two, if you push your Aura. That is if Cinder doesn't fry you alive for this little stunt first!"

"No worries, babe. Had enough of getting my ass kicked for one day." I let out a laugh as I gave her a thumbs-up, and leading us out of the small copse of trees we'd decided to hide out behind.

Along the way, I stopped to stare at a curious sight. Adorning the wall just next to the entrance of the building was an image of a vaguely man-shaped figure, its claws shrouded in black, with its head cratered in on itself, sending cracks along the wall. What really drew the eyes was how the subject seemed ready to jump out at you.

'Creepy...' I shivered despite myself, before following after my partner. 'Would hate to meet the mind behind that thing...'


-END


A/N: Hey all, sorry about the long wait, had serious writer's block for some reason regarding this chapter. Anyway I hope this all catches you at a good time and appreciate all the support you've given this story. Cheers!