Ashbel: I'M SORRY!
Seth: Twenty-one…
Ashbel: I'M SORRY!
Seth: Twenty-two…oh, hey! I bet you're wonder why author here is apologizing.
Ashbel: I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!
Seth: Well, while this chapter didn't take as long as the last one did, he planned for this chapter to be up in a week but things happened and the chapter got stalled. And he feels sorry for that.
Ashbel: I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!
Seth: Anyway, better do the disclaimer. Give me a second. Ahem!
(Disclaimer: Ashbel Longhart does not own RWBY, Bleach, any songs, any anime elements, or anything else that may appear familiar to you. They all belong to their respective owners. He just own this story and his OC's)
Ashbel: I'M SORRY!
Seth: Let's…Let's just get to the story. He'll probably be better at the end.
"Talking"
'Thoughts'
"Grimmified"
"Kuro"
"Shiro"
"Crescent Rose"
EP 47: Choices
(Amity Coliseum)
"Hurry up, you three! We're gonna miss it if we don't hurry!" Yang shouted over to RB(S) as she and Weiss ran down the halls and made it out to seats of the coliseum.
"Did we miss it!? Has the match already started!?" Weiss frantically asked as she looked left and right.
"Girls, we sped up here so I'm pretty sure we have enough time." Seth said as the team of Five had sped up(aka shunpo) up to the coliseum when they all got the text from Team TASK.
"Guys! Over here!" A familiar voice called out as the team saw Tatsuki and her team waving at them to come over while Jinta and Ururu of ITH were with them.
"You guys made it just in time. The fight's about to start soon." Mizuiro said as RWBY(S) all say sat and looked down at the arena to see…
"From Shade Academy, we have Sado Yasatora vs Uryu Ishida from Haven Academy!" Port's voice rang out through the speakers of the coliseum as down at the arena were said fighters.
"This is going to be epic!" Keigo said as he looked excited with a tub full of popcorn beside him. "We never saw Sado and Uryu fight before!"
"That is true, those two have never been seen fighting before so this ought to be interesting." Blake said.
"Chad is so going to win." Yang declared, getting a look from Weiss.
"What makes you think Sado is going to win against Uryu?" Weiss asked.
"Come on, look at those two. Chad obviously has the most power." Yang said.
"Power doesn't equal physical strength." Weiss said. "Uryu fights smart so no doubt he's already making plans to take down Sado."
This time, Yang was giving Weiss a look which the heiress returned.
"Hey, Chad's plenty smart too. Plus, he's built like a tank! Uryu's arrows won't do anything to him!"
"You underestimate the power of Uryu's bow! Just because Sado's got good endurance doesn't mean he'll last longer than Uryu! As long as he keeps his distance, Sado doesn't stand a chance!"
"Uryu doesn't have the same endurance as Chad does! Once he gets in close, one good punch from Chad and it's a wrap for four-eyes!"
"Did you just call Uryu four-eyes!? You take that back!"
"Never!"
"In that case, Sado's arm is creepy to look at!"
"You take that back! He's sensitive about his arm!"
"Never!"
At this point, both the girls were gritting their teeth at each other while the Aura's were being manifested and producing strong waves of power that was starting to scare everyone.
RB(S), TAK, and TH all wisely scooted away to safety.
"Kick his butt, Chad!"
"Put that man down, Uryu!"
Both Yang and Weiss shouted over to the about-to-fight boys who sweat dropped, having heard everything from the girl's argument.
"…The things we do for people, huh?" Uryu said.
"Mmhm." Sado just wordlessly nodded.
"Well, since this is the first time we've ever fought," Uryu manifested his Aura bow before staring down Sado. "Don't you dare hold back."
"Wouldn't dream of it." Sado said as he manifested his Grimm arm in its true, shield form.
Seeing both fighters were ready, the countdown began as the
"3…!"
=Opposing Spiritual Auras Detected! Opposing Spiritual Auras Detected!=
"2…!"
=Have Reached Past the Limited Settings!=
"1…!"
=Now Activating Remnant Battle Arena!=
"This Battle is About to Explode! Fight!"
In an instant, Uryu flashed away and reappeared a good distance away from Sado, unleashing arrows at him who saw them and threw his Grimm out to counter as R.B.A.'s lights enveloped the coliseum.
(Insert After Dark by Asian Kung-Fu Generation)
(Intrumental) The song suddenly begins as we see the blade of Zangetsu, Yang's Ember Celica, Weiss' Myrtenaster, Blake's Gambol Shroud, and then Ruby's Crescent Rose. And then, the scene changes the lights of the Amity Coliseum being lit up as platforms moved until the stage was set and at the center was Team RWBY(S). And then, the scene changed to the outside, showing off the whole entire coliseum as the title appeared right in front of it.
(Senaka no kage ga nobikiru sono aima ni nigeru) Smoke and steam bursts from down below as crowds of people filled the stands as appearing one by one was Team RWBY(S). Ahead of them were their friends and opponents: Team JNPR, SNNN, RRIY, TRHK, and finally, Grimmjow who was smirking predatorily at Seth.
(Hagare ochita hana ni mo kidzukazu ni tobu) The scene changed again to show Cinder and her team surrounded by flames as Cinder's right eye glowed.
(Machikado amai nioi ryuusen tooku mukou kara) The scene changed to the outside to show a smirking Aizen with a small army of Arrancars before they were replaced with a small army of the White Fang with Adam standing in front of them.
(Dokoka de kitta you na nakigoe) Seth and the others were then seen as thousands of Grimm surrounded them. The team was not intimidated as Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang were surrounded by Aura before Seth held out Zangetsu and entered Bankai.
(Yokaze ga hakobu awai kibou wo nosete) Yang was seen with Chad, fighting against Nnoitra and Telsa. Then we see Weiss with Uryu fighting against Zommari as the Arrancar enters his Resurrección. Then we see Blake protecting Orihime and Nel from White Fang members and Grimm as Orihime held Nel protectively.
(Doko made yukeru ka?) We then see Ruby fighting against both Roman and Neo before the scene changes to show Seth fighting against Grimmjow, their blades meeting as they faced one another.
(Sore wo kobamu you ni sekai wa yurete) A spark appears as the scene shift to show a comatose Amber before everything goes dark as we see in a small container, the half of the Hogyoku.
(Subete wo ubai sara) Aizen suddenly appears and goes to grab the half until Ozpin suddenly appears and holds his Zanpakutō, Chronos, at Aizen's neck, stopping him.
(Yume nara sameta dakedo bokura wa) We then see each battle reaching its climax. Yang was on the floor, her right arming missing as a deadly aura surrounded Chad. Weiss was covered in blood as light surrounded Uryu. Blake was on her knees as Ulquiorra held his sword at her neck.
(Mada nanimo shiteinai) Ruby was then seen as light bursts from her eyes as Seth materialized his Grimm Mask and in response, Grimmjow went into his Resurrección form.
(Susume) Both Seth and Grimmjow roar as Grimmjow unleashes his strongest attack, Desgarrón, and Seth met his challenge by sending a full powered black Getsuga Tenshō before the scene changes to Tensa Zengetsu being stabbed into the ground as laying around it were other weapons before the song ends.
(Elevator)
Pyrrha Nikos was a lot of things. The Red Headed Spartan for her signature red hair and quick Spartan fighting style and armor. A girl who has been blessed with many great things in life. Someone who yearns to be seen for who she is underneath her popularity. She is also a very good friend to those who she considers friends. And she is still struggling to get her crush to notice her, but she has made some progress so that's good.
In short, Pyrrha Nikos was a lot of things and she has seen many things as well. But right now, she has never been more nervous than she has right now as she stood amongst Prof. Ozpin, Glynda, Qrow, and Ironwood as they were all riding down an elevator down to…
'Whatever's passed the basement, apparently.' Pyrrha thought as she saw the indicator showing that the elevator was going down a deep level as they had passed the first floor and then the basement.
To those wondering why the red headed Spartan was in this situation and what said situation is, allow me to explain.
Just after she had won her match in the finals, she had gotten a call from Beacon's Headmaster to come see him in his office. Wondering what the man wanted, Pyrrha promised her team she would be back later before heading to go meet with Ozpin.
Once there, she and Ozpin made small talk before she was introduced to Qrow who she had heard was apparently Ruby and Yang's uncle. She wouldn't say it out loud, but the girl didn't like how the smell of alcohol practically drifted off of him.
Anyway, back to the main topic, she had asked why she had been called and Ozpin response to her question with another question.
"What is your favorite fairy tale?" is what Ozpin had said to her.
Despite being confused at the question, Pyrrha answered by listing off a few stories she had read and enjoyed as a kid before the Headmaster brought up another title that she knew of. Really, out of many stories, this one was pretty well known.
'The Four Maidens' is what the story is called.
The story is as goes: A callous old man who refuses to leave his home is visited by four traveling sisters.
The first of the sisters, Winter, understands the old man's reclusive nature and urges him to use his time in solitude to meditate and reflect.
A second sister, Spring, comes to him with fruits and flowers and tends to his crops, revitalizing his garden.
A third sister, Summer, warms the man's heart with her laughter and convinces the old man to step outside to look at the world in full.
A fourth and final sister, Fall, tells him to look around and be thankful for all that he has.
When the old man asked the four maidens why they had bothered to show him their kindness, they reply. "We do what we can for everyone."
The old man was astounded. Never before in his entire life had he seen such kindness before. Wanting to repay the four sisters for their kindness, the old man turned out to be a wizard and bestowed upon the four sisters the powers of the seasons themselves. Graciously accepting the power, the four sisters promise to share their kindness and gifts to the world.
Thus, they are called the Four Maidens of the Seasons.
And as it turns out, this fairy tale story…was no fairy tale, but in fact real. Pyrrha thought the headmaster was joking but one look from his serious face told her that Ozpin was not playing around with her. Even more surprising is that Ozpin believed that she was next in line to receive the Fall Maiden's powers.
It was then that Glynda and Ironwood made their appearance and declared that they were the protectors of the world and that they needed her help for something.
So here she was, a bit cramped into the elevator with these four, powerful adults.
Finally, Pyrrha couldn't take the silence and spoke up.
"Where are we going?"
"The vault, under the school." Ozpin replied, throwing Pyrrha into more of a confused loop than she was before.
'There's a vault right under the school?' she thought as Pyrrha went silent once again.
Down and down the elevator went and Pyrrha thought how far were they going down before minutes later, the elevator came to a stop. The door in front of her opened and right before her…
"Yo! Glad to see you all made it!"
Was the sight of Kisuke, waving at everybody with Tessai and Yoruichi by his side.
"Urahara-sensei?" Pyrrha blinked in surprise, speaking the preferred title Kisuke had insisted everyone call him. As always when she said it, she felt like she was speaking a different language for a sec.
"Oh! I see you brought Nikos-chan." Kisuke said as his hat shadowed over his eyes. "So I guess you told her?"
"We wouldn't be down here with her otherwise." Qrow said as he and the adult all left the elevator. Not wanting to be left behind, Pyrrha soon followed.
"You have a point." Kisuke said as he took the lead and led the way down the dark tunnel-like area as providing light to the place were what appeared to be flames illuminated in green color. Pyrrha blinked a few times to see she wasn't seeing things.
"I'm sure you must have questions." Glynda spoke up, walking next to Pyrrha in hopes of making sure the girl was as clam as possible. To her, the girl looked ready to freak out.
"Maybe one or two…" Was all Pyrrha could say as she continued walking while still looking around.
She came to a stop when there was a branch; another tunnel leading to what appeared to be a very heavily guarded door. She didn't think even an Atlesian Paladin could punch or blast its way through. That's just how touch the huge door looked.
She took a step forward unconsciously, curiosity taking over her body when she was stopped by a cane getting in her way and snapping her out of it.
"Ah, ah, ah! No going that way, Nikos-chan." Kisuke said, waving his finger as he pulled his cane back. "That right there is off limits."
"Why? What's behind it?" Pyrrha asked.
"We don't know." Qrow said as he walked with his hands in his pockets and his back a bit hunched. "The only ones who know what the hell's in there are Ozpin, Kisuke, and his two friends." The man gestured to Tessai and Yoruichi when he said that.
"We've asked what's in there that was so important that it had to be hidden down here in the vault, but all they say to us is-" Ironwood began as Ozpin spoke up.
"It's best if you don't know." Ozpin's voice held a bit of authority to it, making Ironwood close his mouth.
"What's behind those doors can't be that bad…right?" Pyrrha asked nervously.
"Your name's Pyrrha, right? One of Blake's friends?" Yoruichi spoke up as she walked over to her and placed her hands on the red head's shoulder and gave her a smile with eyes closed yet Pyrrha could feel the seriousness in her expression somehow.
"We kid you not when we say: It's better if you don't know." She said as she let go of Pyrrha and walked back to Kisuke and Tessai who the latter said,
"Trust us."
Now feeling a bit scared, Pyrrha spared one last look at the door before following the adults down further into the vault.
(Back at the Coliseum)
*BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!*
Explosions occurred all over the field as said field was a freezing battlefield of an arctic region. Waves of water as cold as ice brushed aside blocks of ice stable enough to be stood on as the water rocked violently from the explosions.
A huge slab of ice is then seen flying through the air towards the bespectacled Quincy. His face was calm as can be as with a couple of arrows from his Aura Bow, the slab of ice was destroyed. But the ice was not used to hit Uryu. No, it was meant for a distraction as appearing right behind the remains of the ice was Sado, his arm pulled back and ready to be unleashed. Uryu cursed under his breath as he crossed his arms at the same time as Aura bursts from Sado's shield arm and propels him forward towards the Quincy like a rocket. The punch hits Uryu's crossed arms and they both crash into the freezing waters. All was quiet after that.
"Is it over already?" Jinta asked.
"No," Seth said, sensing two spiritual Auras moving fast under the water. "They're not done yet."
Right after Seth said that did two pillars of water erupt from the water and out came Uryu and Sado who both land on a slab of ice; maintain perfect balance on the slippery surface. The both of them were cold though they both hid it very well.
"It's only been an hour since the fight started and both fighters are still going hard at each other!" Port commented before turning to Oobleck. "Tell me, Barty, who do you think will win this?"
"Well, it's hard to say, Peter." Oobleck said as he adjusted his glasses. "While it is obvious that Mr. Yasatora is physically stronger, previous fights involving Mr. Ishida have shown him coming up with overwhelming strategies to claim victories. Honestly, I think this fight can go either way."
"Uryu will win, obviously." Weiss commented, keeping her eyes on the battlefield.
"No way, Chad will win this." Yang argued as they two were back to glaring at each other, sparks flying.
"There they go again." Ember commented.
"I'm honestly embarrassed that my Mistress is acting like this." Myrtenaster said.
'Leave them be.' Seth thought as he turned back to the fight.
Arrows made up of Aura flew at Sado who merely raised his shield arm up and blocked the arrows as he flew straight towards Uryu thanks to a boost of Bringer Light. Seeing the big man coming, Uryu started gathering large amount of Aura form his surrounding, from the water and ice around him, and poured it all into his bow. Once he had enough, he pulled back the string and released it.
"Licht Regen!" Uryu announced as thousands of arrows flew from his bow.
Sado held up his shield arm to defend but the power behind the arrows was akin to getting hit by a truck and so with each arrow, he was pushed back slowly. That's when Uryu appeared right above him, using Hirenkyaku to boost himself as the string of his bow was already pulled back and he wasted no time releasing it, sending another stream of arrows right down upon Sado, kicking up water that splashed all around and hid the two from sight.
"Oh! And a close up hit from Mr. Ishida! Mr. Yasatora must have felt that one." Oobleck commented.
"Ha! How's that!?" Weiss said, smirking at Yang.
"It's not over yet!" Yang said as she and everyone kept their eyes on the water the two had disappeared into again.
Bubbles started appearing before coming up for a gasp of water was Uryu, pulling himself out of the water and onto a slab of ice when suddenly, form behind him, something shot out of the water and that something was none other than Sado who was now coming down toward Uryu with an axe kick. The kick connected with Uryu's head, slamming his head down on the ice as said slab was cracked and destroyed into pieces as Uryu was pushed down into the water while Sado flipped back and landed on another, intact slab.
"Haha! Go Chad!" Yang cheered while Weiss simply growled.
Seth gave the two girls blank looks as he commented to the others, "Those two act like this yet they deny having any feelings for the guy's their cheering for."
The others simply nodded as they all had similar looks as Seth.
Back down to the battlefield, Sado kept his guard up as he kept his eyes on the water around him, predicting that the Quincy would pop up and attack. To his surprise, the slab he was on started shaking when suddenly, it was sent straight into the air when a pillar of water big and strong enough to lift the slab erupted form the water, sending Sado off balance and into the air before the pillar of water froze instantly and Sado landed back on the slab, now part of a high ice tower.
"What in the world?" Sado muttered as he looked down at the newly formed ice tower when suddenly, said tower rocked before it started leaning to the right, tipping over. Trying to maintain his balance, Sado looked down to see what was happening and saw that Uryu, now out of the water, had sliced the ice tower with one of his Seele Schneider.
Of course, having never seen the weapon in Uryu's hand before, Sado's first thoughts were, 'A sword?'
Of course, Sado had more to worry about the new weapon in Uryu's hand as he quickly took action. Kneeling down as the ice tower continued to fall, he pulled his right arm back and punched the ice underneath him, cause the part of the ice tower he was on to crumble as the giant pieces of ice were now falling straight towards Uryu.
"You'll have to do better than that!" Uryu said as he used Jirenkyaku to appear over an ice piece before he started jumping here and there to different ice pieces, heading straight towards Sado. The big man himself saw the Quincy coming and decided to go meet up with the bowman, kicking off the ice he was on and rocketed towards the Quincy.
Uryu saw Sado coming in, his right arm punching out and he responded by spinning the Seele Schneider in his hand, waiting for the Grimm-'Armed' man to come to him. Once the distance was good, Uryu swung his 'sword' at Sado's arm and to his surprise, when the blade of Aura struck Sado's arm, spark flew off at a rapid pace before Sado flew past him and landed down to the part of the ice pillar that was still standing, leaving Uryu up in the air.
'My Seele Schneider couldn't even slice through his shield? Just what the heck is that arm of his?' Uryu thought before disappearing with a flash of Hirenkyaku as the rest of the pieces of ice fell into the water below, missing Sado and the bottom half of the ice tower by inches. Seconds later, Uryu reappeared on a glacier, looking straight across to Sado.
'I've hit him a good amount of times yet he's still standing. He's studier than people thought he was.' Sado thought.
'Damn! His punches are crazy! And my attacks are barely doing anything thanks to that shield of his!' Uryu thought as he tried to think of a way to win. One tactic came to mind.
'I can tell he's a bit winded.' Sado thought as he clenched his fist. 'The next few attacks should end this!'
'Guess I've got no choice but to use my Semblance.' Uryu thought as he took a deep breath. 'I'm tired, not to mention cold, so I better make this one count!'
With plans in mind, the two fighters jumped and flew straight towards each other, determined to triumph over the other.
(Back with Pyrrha)
The air around the walking group did nothing to calm Pyrrha down as the mood had not changed what so ever no matter how much time had passed. After leaving the mystery door behind, the group had walked in silence, Glynda keeping the red head company by walking next to her while the other adult all walked ahead of them.
Finally, Pyrrha spoke.
"You said I was next in line to receive the Maiden's power." Pyrrha began, speaking to Glynda next to her. "What did you mean by that?"
"The Maidens have existed for thousands of years, but, much like nature, the seasons change. No two summers are alike." Glynda began as she explained. "When a Maiden dies, her power leaves her body and seeks out a new host. Ensuring that the seasons are never lost and that no individual can hold onto the power forever."
"So…how does the power choose?" Pyrrha asked as that was something she still did not get.
"Through a series of stupid and convoluted rules." Qrow said.
"Qrow!" Glynda growled.
"Hey, don't get mad cause I'm right."
Pyrrha looked at Glynda for an explanation and the blond provided it.
"At first, the only thing that was certain was that the powers were specifically passed onto young women. But as time went on, it was discovered that the selection process was much more…intimate."
"I-Intimate?" Pyrrha did not like the sound of that.
"You having dirty thoughts, Nikos-chan?" Kisuke suddenly asked with a goofy smile.
"W-What!? No!" Pyrrha exclaimed, a bit red in the face.
"Kisuke…" Ozpin began.
"Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood for Nikos-chan." Kisuke said as he went quiet as Glynda continued where she left off.
"As we understand now, when a Maiden dies, the one who was in her final thoughts is the first candidate to inherit her power."
"Unless it's a dude or some old hag." Qrow added in. "Then the power goes to someone random and our jobs get a lot harder."
"Why tell me all of this now?" Pyrrha asked. "Why not wait until I've graduated?"
"Honestly, we've run out of time." Qrow said. "I don't know if you've noticed but things are getting a lot scarier out in the world. Tensions are high, the Grimm are growing more stronger and prevalent, and it's not going to be long before this peace we've all been enjoying so much goes straight out the window."
"You're not…talking about war?" Pyrrha fearfully asked.
"Not a war between nations." Ironwood assured.
"We can fill you in on the details once we know you're with us." Qrow said. "For now all you need to know is that one of the Maidens was attacked and for the first time in history, part of her power was stolen."
"Stolen?" Pyrrha repeated in surprise.
"Yes. And you won't like what you see next." Yoruichi said as the group finally reached their destination.
What laid before the group were a series of complex machinery all connected to two pods with one being currently occupied.
Inside the first pod was a young girl with a light brown complexion, shoulder-length, straight brown hair, and has a beauty mark below her left eye. She is currently wearing a white tube top and a white skirt but what stood out were extensive facial scarring as she is right now, unconscious. It didn't take a genius to know that she was in a coma.
"Is that…" Pyrrha began.
Ozpin sighed. "The current Fall Maiden, Amber."
(Back at Amity Coliseum)
"Gh!" Uryu grunted as he barely dodged another punch from Sado before jumping away and firing more arrows at the man only to be blocked by the shield arm.
A good hour had passed and currently, Uryu was covered in bruises and his lip was bleeding while Sado still looked like he could keep going for a good couple of hours.
'Fast, strong, I can see how he managed to pull off a win in the Double's round.' Uryu thought before he saw light gather under Sado's feet. He was using Bringer light again.
Quickly, Uryu used Hirenkyaku to flash away from a rushing tackle before reappearing on what appeared to be the only still intact glacier on the battle field as Sado had just crashed into the other glacier which was now falling apart thanks to Sado's attack.
"Freeze over!" Uryu shouted as he held out his hand towards where Sado was and clenched it into a fist. At the same time, the water rose up, being manipulated via Aura, and enveloped the glacier Sado had crashed into and froze over.
However, not a second sooner did everything crack and explode, making Uryu hold up an arm out of instinct as from the icy dust was Sado, still fine.
"No matter what Mr. Ishida does, Mr. Yasatora just keeps powering through it!" Port commented.
"Not to mention between the fighters, Mr. Yasatora is clearly the one with the most energy left." Oobleck commented. "It looks like this might be the end for Mr. Ishida."
"Ha! Hear that! Chad's going to win!" Yang said to Weiss.
"No! It's not over yet!" Weiss argued yet inside, even she felt uncertain.
'No! Not yet!' Uryu thought before he did something that made everyone in the coliseum confused. He spread his arms out, dispersing his bow in the process. They were even more confused when Uryu motioned his hands in a 'come on' gesture.
"Hm? What's this? What is Mr. Ishida doing?" Port wondered.
"I believe he's taunting Mr. Yasatora to attack him." Oobleck said, adjusting his glasses.
"But why?" Ruby wondered out loud.
"Uryu must have a plan." Seth said. "He wouldn't just leave himself wide open like that."
Sado raised an eyebrow at Uryu's strange action.
'What is he planning?' It was obvious that Uryu was planning something. He was leaving himself wide open for an attack and didn't look like he was planning to counter attack. Yet the calm look on the Quincy's face made him hesitate.
But that hesitation was brushed away as Aura shot out from Sado's arm. Even if uryu was planning something, he had to take this chance to end this now! He was fighting for his team in this match and he would not fail them.
With those thoughts in mind, Sado leaped off what remained of the glacier he stood on and punched his right arm out, his Aura rocketing him forward.
"El Directo!" Sado shouted out as he covered the distance between him and Uryu in an instant and punched Uryu straight in the gut, making Uryu cough up some blood before being pushed down and slammed right into the ice, kicking up ice dust the hid the two from view.
"Ooooooh! A direct hit from Mr. Yasatora!" Port commented.
"Yes! He won!" Yang cheered.
"No!" Weiss exclaimed.
"It's not over yet." Blake suddenly said.
"Huh?" Yang and Weiss turned to the Cat Faunus. "What do you mean? Chad punched him with his strongest blow. There's no way Uryu's getting up form that."
"Then why hasn't the R.B.A. sounded Uryu's defeat?" Blake pointed out.
"She's right." Tatsuki said. "It's always announced when someone has lost. Yet nothing happened."
"Which means Uryu's still okay." Ururu said.
"But how?" Mizuiro said as he and the rest of TASK all knew how powerful Sado's punches were.
The answer came to them when flying out of the dust was none other than Sado but covered in bruises!
(BGM: Bleach OST – Quincy's Craft)
"What the heck!? How'd he get so beat up!?" Yang exclaimed in surprise.
"Look!" Weiss said, poiting down to the where the ice dust blew away to reveal a perfectly fine Uryu, up on his feet with his previous injuries now gone!
"He's…healed?" Ruby said, surprised.
"But how! He was covered head to toe in bruises!" Keigo said.
"What's going on?" Seth wondered when inside of him, Kuro spoke.
"Seth, take a look at the two."
Seth did as his weapon spirit told and quickly saw what Kuro had noticed.
"Hey, guys?" Seth spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "Is it me or does Chad have all of Uryu's injuries?"
They all raised an eyebrow before looking back down and compared the two. To their surprise, the bruises on Sado looked strangely the same as Uryu's previous bruises. In fact, Sado even had a cut lip on him, just like Uryu had moments ago.
"It's like the conditions of the two have…swapped." Blake said.
Down at the icy battlefield, Sado was getting back up as he looked up at Uryu who's expression was now calm and held confidence.
"What…did you do?" Sado asked.
"I simply used my Semblance, that's all." Uryu said, adjusting his glasses before he walked up to Sado and kicked him right in the face, hitting him right under his chin as he was thrown off the glacier and into the water.
Uryu then summoned his Aura Bow back and drew upon from the surroundings ice Dust and gathered it into his bow before pulling back the strong and aiming right where Sado fell into.
"It's my win." Uryu declared before he released his bow and a noticeably big arrow made entirely out of ice was shot out and into the water. Seconds later, a pillar of ice erupted from the water, spiking out into a frozen explosion before the ice crumbled and an blinding light over took the field accompanied by the voice of the R.B.A.
=Sado Yasatora: Defeated=
(BGM End)
(Back with Pyrrha)
Pyrrha stared at the comatose girl in the pod in surprise, not sure what to say. What can you about a girl who looks like she's been to hell and ask,
"She's…still alive, right?"
"Yes, for now." Ironwood said. "We're using state of the art Atlas technology to keep her stable but there is a lot about this situation which is…unprecedented."
"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked, getting a sigh from Ironwood.
"We don't know what will happen if…when she passes."
"Won't her powers just transfer to the next host?" Pyrrha asked.
"Looks who's been listening!" Qrow said sarcastically before whispering to Ozpin, "She's smart."
"Under normal circumstances, yes." Tessai said, speaking up for the first time. "However, it is not uncommon for the last thoughts of slain Maidens to be their attacker." Pyrrha felt a chill up her spine when the big man said that. "Plus, there has never been a power split like this. If Amber were to pass, it's highly probable for the powers to seek out it's other half."
"Her assailant." Pyrrha said, understanding Tessai's words.
"And that would not bode well for any of us." Ozpin said, turning to face Pyrrha.
Said girl looks down, deep in thought before she raises her head and walks up to Amber's pod, placing a hand over the viewing glass as the sound of the Fall Maiden's heart could be heart from both the heart monitor and from inside the pod.
"If all of this is true, why keep it a secret?" Pyrrha asked the adult before her. "If this girl is so important, if…if we're truly on the brink of war, why not tell everyone?"
"Believe it or not, the Maiden's used to be common knowledge." Yoruichi said.
"What?"
"How do you think legends and fairy tales get started? Even the craziest ones have to come from somewhere." Qrow said, taking out his flask to take a sip.
"Our group was founded in order to protect both mankind and the Maidens." Glynda said.
"However, you know not every human is kind and good. There were those greedy and hungry for the Maidens' powers and hunted them down." Yoruichi said.
"And as you can imagine, those that succeeded weren't exactly the kind of people you'd want to have unimaginable power." Qrow said.
"And so this group decided that in order to keep the Maidens safe, they had to be removed from the public eye, thus allowing their existence to fade into legend." Tessai said.
"The things we're telling you go against hundreds of years of human history, religion." Gynda said.
"No one would want to believe us. It would cause an uproar." Ironwood said.
"It would cause panic," Ozpin said. "And we all know what that would bring crawling to our Kingdom's walls. Which is why we would like to—"
"I'll do it." Pyrrha interrupted Ozpin, making everyone look at her. "If you believe this will help humanity, then I will become your Fall Maiden." The red headed Spartan had said that with confidence but the way the adults before her looked at one another made her confused. "That's what you wanted, right?"
"Do you want to explain it to her or should I?" Kisuke asked Ozpin.
"Explain what?" Pyrrha asked.
Ozpin stepped forth to explain. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. Given Amber's condition, you won't be able to inherit her powers naturally. However, thanks to the combined efforts of Ironwood, Kisuke, and I, we believe we have a solution."
"For the past few years, Atlas has been studying from a more scientific standpoint. How it works, what it's made of, how it can be used. And thanks to the assistance to Kisuke and Ozpin, we have made significant strides and we believe we've found a way to capture it."
"Capture it and then cram it into something else." Qrow said before adding, "Or in your case…"
Pyrrha took a moment but she soon connected the dots.
"That's—!"
"Classified."
"Wrong!"
"The feeling is mutual." Glynda said, giving Ironwood a look before turning back to Pyrrha. "But desperate times call for desperate measures."
"And these are indeed desperate times." Ironwood said. "We can't transfer Amber's powers to you but we can give you what those powers are bound to."
"Her Aura." Pyrhha said, having already figured it out.
"Her soul." Kisuke added.
"Her life will become intertwined with yours." Ozpin said. "The question is…"
"What's that gonna do to you?" Qrow said as Pyrrha now realized the risks of choosing to inherit the Maiden's powers as she was right now.
"You have an important decision before you, Miss Nikos." Ozpin said. "There's no guarantee this transfer will work. And there's no telling if you'll be the same person if it does. I advise you to take time to think on this matter. But understand that before the Vytal Festival is over, we will need your answer."
Pyrrha said nothing as she turns and places a hand over Amber's pod, a thousand thoughts running though her mind right now.
"The assailant that attacked the Fall Maiden has made their first move." Ozpin began. "And there's no telling when their next move will be."
"…I understand." Was all Pyrrha could say as she moved away from the pod. "May…May I return to my team now? They must be wondering why I've been gone for so long."
"Of course." Ozpin said before turning to the others. "Could you all go on ahead? I like to discuss something with Kisuke for a minute in private."
"Yes sir." Tessai said before he and the others took Pyrrha away while Ozpin and Kisuke stayed behind.
Once they were finally alone, Kisuke spoke up. "So, mind telling me why we can't transfer to Maiden's powers into an Asauchi? There would be no risk of Amber-chan's personality overlapping with Nikos-chan's."
"Three reasons." Ozpin held up three fingers as the two walked.
"First: Miss Nikos has not undergone Shinigami-type training unlike Miss Rose so she won't be able to handle the power that comes with mixing the Maiden's powers with a Shinigami's Aura."
"Second: We'll be trapping Amber's Soul along with the part of the Maiden's powers into the Asauchi where she and the Maiden's powers will be trapped forever.
"And third: Anyone would be able to steal the sword for it is not a true Zanpakutō and thus, anyone would have the chance to use it if capable enough. And we can't have those powers fall into the wrong hands."
"Yeah, I guessed as much." Kisuke said as they neared the door where only they knew what was inside. "It must be hard for you, doing all of this must remind you of the past."
"Yes." Ozpin said as he unconsciously gripped his cane before turning to the mystery doors. "It seems no matter how much I try, I am messing with human lives."
"Don't be so hard on yourself." Kisuke said, patting Ozpin's back as the two walked away from the doors. "And as long as those doors stay standing, Aizen and his Arrancars won't be able to find it down here."
"I hope you're right."
(Insert Believe by Kalafina)
(Instrumental) The song starts as we see Seth's Grimm Mask on the ground. The camera moves closer and closer towards the mask until it seems to go through the eye holes and everything goes dark.
(Mada nani mo shiranai futari data) The time is night as we see Seth and Ruby sitting side by side. Ruby was laying her head on Seth's shoulder as the two stared up into the sky, looking at the stars and the shattered moon of Remnant.
(Hidarite de hakanaku kyomu wo masagutta) The scene changes to Uryu and Weiss who were enjoying cups of tea, small smiles adorning their faces as they simply enjoyed each other's presence as the morning light rose from the window.
(Wazuka na kattou ga kimi no te wo shibatte) The scene changes to Sado and Yang who were currently sparing. Flames surrounded Yang as smiled, throwing a punch at Sado who caught the punch with a small smirk as the sun rose at noon.
(Mirai no sugata wo azamuku) The sun began to set as sitting outside under a tree was Blake reading a book as usual.
(Mamoru koto sae shiranai kedo) The scene changes to Seth who is standing alone in the stadium, eyes closed as he was deep in thought.
(Itsuwari no omoi demo kamawanai) Seth then opens his eyes before he grabs Zangetsu, draws him out, and black Aura enveloped him before dispersing to reveal his Bankai state.
(Ikite mitai) Seth then turns around as he was in fact not alone. Across from him was Grimmjow who was smirking predatorily at him with his sword in hand.
(Jibun wo) In an instant, the both of them charged at one another and when their swords clashed, a bright light blinded everything.
(Megurikuru toki no naka de deatta) The scene changes to show the stadium filled with people cheering as they all watched the exciting battle of Seth and Ruby vs. Renji and Rukia.
(Kimi to ita boku wo shinjiteiru) The scene changes as a different battle was being fought, this one being Seth charging through the million petals of Senbonzakura as Seth set his eyes on his opponent, Byakuya.
(Kono yume ga yasashiku hateru made) The scene changes again to Seth vs. Grimmjow. They were both in a desert as Seth with his Grimm Mask on swung Tensa Zangetsu covered in black Aura while Grimmjow in Resurrección struck back by throwing a claw hand at him.
(Kirihirake aoi hibi wo) Ruby is seen running towards the arena as she smiles when she sees a bloody, but an alright Seth who smiles when he sees her. Ruby jumps towards him, arms thrown out as Seth opens his arms and catches her in a hug.
(Fight your fate) The last scene shows Crescent Rose stabbed into the ground as Ruby's cloak was tied to it and blew in the wind while Zangetsu was stabbed into the ground next to the scythe as the blade was stabbed through Seth's Grimm Mask.
Seth: Better now?
Ashbel: Yes, I feel a bit better now.
Seth: You know it isn't that much if a big deal, right?
Ashbel: Well it's a big deal for me! I wanted to get this chapter out sooner but I got distracted and things happened! But enough about me feeling sorry! Hope you all loved the fight between Sado and Uryu! From my memories, I've never really seen Uryu and Sado fight, not even in a sparring match or anything so I was debating who should lose and who should win. After some thought, I decided to give the win to Uryu for I wanted to introduce his Semblance which I'm sure you know what it is if you've read the manga.
Seth: And for those that don't, either read the manga or look it up.
Ashbel: Anyway, with my summer break closing to an end, my update speed will be diminished a bit. But look forward for next time for it's time for the fight everyone's been waiting for!
Seth: Wait, you don't mean—!
Ashbel: I do. Look forward to next time! This has been Ashbel Longhart and his OC, signing out. See you readers next time/chapter.
