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Chapter 14
The Trials of Leadership
Adrenaline pumped through Jaune at a frantic rate as a barrage of bullets were hurled his team's way. The loud cracks that came from the machine pistols of one of Louis' lapdogs echoed all over the arena and succeeded to rattle within Jaune's head. Nevertheless, JNPR's leader pushed on with his team close behind him.
Jaune showed no hesitation when he put his hand up and took a quick breath. The bullets ceased all momentum only a few feet from his face and much to Louis and his team's confusion, the bullets clustered together into a melting pot of unstable dust and lead.
"Pyrrha! Ren!" Jaune shouted, but kept his focus on their enemies. "Advance from the sides and cover our flanks! Nora, you're with me!" without adhering to any of their feedback, Jaune hurled the congested sphere of raw energy at the opposing team.
The crowd watched in anticipation as the sphere soar through the air and without a moment of delay, the cluster exploded on contact, causing a cacophony of chaos from both Louis' team and the crowd. Cries of pain were from the former while cheers of excitement came from the latter.
Jaune looked behind him to see his team had listened to his orders as Pyrrha and Ren began lay down suppressing fire upon the dazed team. The blonde knight smiled as his skyhook spun at an alarming rate.
"Nora, focus on Louis. I'll keep the big guy distracted." Jaune said before he turned to Nora, who gave him a thumbs up. He turned his attention back to the fight, only to see a fist flying right at his face.
There was no time to react as the fist made full contact and Jaune was sent flying backward. There was a bit of hang time, but Jaune let out a sharp cry the moment his body made contact and tumbled towards the ground.
"OOOH!" Port's voice boomed from the loudspeaker. "While JNPR's advance was impressive, it appears team LIME is ready for retaliation! Their heavy hitter, Maximus Leon has made that more than apparent for JNPR's leader."
Jaune could barely hear the crowd as the ringing in his head was nearly overwhelming. He slowly blinked as the pain resonated all over his face, but he had no time to complain as he felt the arena floor shake ever so slightly.
Jaune looked up, only to see the hulking man of Maximus come his way with raw malice. Maximus' weapons that consisted of spiked gauntlets which proved themselves to be quite painful, but his armor was what caught Jaune's attention. It mirrored Pyrrha's in material and color, but it had more pomp and less practicality, which made his openings much more apparent.
"I'm alright!" Jaune barked over the commotion. He winced at the fact that his own voice sounded muffled. "Keep up the pressure!" Jaune couldn't waste his time to check if any of his team heard him as he drew his shotgun from over his right shoulder and was able to get one round off right at Maximus' center. The boom from his weapon took his opponent off guard for a moment which allowed him to advance and slide past Maximus' right side. Jaune also took the liberty to slam his trusty skyhook into Maximus' kneecap and took pride in the painful cry his opponent let out.
The blonde's hearing slowly returned as the cheers from the crowd grew louder at his counterattack. With a few breaths and a quickened pace, he raced back to his team who seemed to be holding out. Ren and Pyrrha continued to fire from a distance and so did Nora, but with every time they had to reload, Louis and his teammates took the brief pauses to advance from different areas of the tree line.
"Well, the good news is that I managed to make it back." Jaune said as he regrouped with Pyrrha.
"And the bad?!" Nora hollered over her volley of grenades.
"We're surrounded," Jaune muttered as he turned his attention back to Maximus, who just recovered from his last scrap with Jaune. "Ren!" Jaune hollered.
"Little busy, Jaune!" Ren shouted as one of Louis' lackeys decided to advance from his cover and charge at the ninja in question.
Jaune's attention was ripped away from his teammate as a dust round grazed his left cheek. He turned to the source of the gunshot to see that Louis had been the one to fire at him with a pistol that screamed overcompensation, clad in engravings and a small bayonet under the barrel. The opposing leader advanced with his remaining lackey, all with a grin that Jaune mistrusted instantly.
"He's mine!" Pyrrha roared, which threw Jaune off with wide eyes.
"Pyrrha, wait!" Jaune hollered with panic while he reached out to her, but the champion took off without even a glance back at him. "Dammit!" Jaune cursed as he holstered his skyhook and held his shotgun with both hands.
"Jaune?!" Nora shouted and the two looked at each other. Her signature glee was dissipating quickly as their opponents were getting closer.
Jaune's breathing refused to slow down as his eyes darted all over the place, the plan was falling apart right before his eyes and he needed to act.
Jaune's need to act never came at his own volition due to the sudden roar that rose from behind him. Blind instinct kicked in as Jaune dove to the left, only to be mere inches away from Maximus's strike that left a crater in the spot Jaune was in moments before.
The blonde recovered moments before Maximus charged again in an almost mindless manner. Panic rose once more within Jaune, but the sudden barrage of pink dust grenades that flew over his head and right at his attacker ceased all worry.
"Thanks," Jaune said as Nora rushed to his side and helped him up. "We need to retreat and regroup."
"That's going to be difficult." Nora said before she gestured to their partners. He looked back for a moment to see that while Pyrrha was holding her own against Louis, Ren was having more trouble with one of LIME's members with only half his aura left.
"Help Ren, then fall back to the base of the mountain."
"What about Pyrrha?" Nora asked with worry that Jaune soon matched.
"We'll get to her soon. Right now, help Ren!" Jaune ordered before he gave Nora a shove in the ninja's direction.
Nora was about to object with a bit of anger, but Jaune's sly smile, along with a surge of power that coursed through her in a matter of moments made her stop in her tracks. She looked down at his left hand and noticed a small spark of electricity trail off his fingertips.
"Got it." she said with grin that spelled pain for her enemies.
Jaune smiled back as the bomber took off with a hearty laugh. He then heard a few disgruntled cries before a roar echoed through the arena. Jaune turn toward the source to see that Maximus' last strike was a bit too powerful as his hand was stuck in the crater meant for Jaune.
The blonde knight wasted no time readying his shotgun and letting the pellets fly. Three consecutive booms reverberated around the arena and with each shot, Maximus only managed to become angrier.
Jaune new he was out after the third round went off and decided to strike close while the opportunity presented itself. With his skyhook brandished once more, the blonde knight leapt at his opponent with a battle cry.
"Son of a-!" Jaune said as he saw at the last moment that Maximus' free hand shot up to defend himself. The blonde had no time to finish his sentence as Maximus grabbed Jaune by the head and proceeded to slam him down into the floor.
The sudden and repetitive impact of the arena floor was starting to send Jaune into a daze. He was unsure if he was bleeding at this point or not, but all he could feel was his entire body scream out in pain.
"It appears that Maximus has JNPR's leader between himself and a hard place!" Oobleck analyzed as the crowd cheered at the violence before them. "And with each hit, Mr. Arc's aura drops drastically."
'Thanks for the heads up, Oobleck.' Jaune sarcastically thought to himself as he dropped his skyhook, all before he mustered every bit of focus he had into his left hand and took a quick breath.
Jaune felt himself be lifted up off the ground one more time by his advisory, who was ready to slam him once more. Jaune used his hang time to act as he hoisted his legs up and around Maximus' arm and was able to grasp his captor's index finger along with his pinky. With a frustrated roar, Jaune leaned back and pushed said fingers forward. The satisfying snaps of bones breaking were faint, but Jaune smiled as he released himself from Maximus' hold.
"Bastard." Maximus growled before he snapped his fingers back into place.
Jaune looked up to see his opponent was only more annoyed than he was before, but what caught the blonde's eye was that Nora succeeded in assisting her partner as the two took cover behind a formation of rocks at the base of the mountain. Ren and one of their other opponents exchanged dust rounds while Nora had her eyes on her leader with anticipation for any order. Jaune took a quick glance at the peak and saw a thunder cloud begin to form.
"All frustration aside," Jaune said in between breaths as he stabled himself. "I was starting to think all the sounds you could make were battle cries and pained roars. Guess I'm wrong about another thing." Jaune locked eyes with Nora for a split second and nodded up to the peak. The blonde could see she understood what he meant and with a grin, she began her ascent, much to Ren's confusion.
"Bastard!" Maximus roared as he pulled a vial of dust from his back pouch and poured the contents into a separate chamber along the top of his gauntlets. With another yell, Maximus' hands sparked into two spiraling infernos.
"Shit." Jaune muttered at the sight before him. His small curse was all he could muster before his opponent took off with increased speed right at his position.
With a bit of panic, Jaune dove to the right and avoided Maximus' straight all while feeling the flames singe a bit of his hair. Despite his close call, Jaune was able to retrieve his empty shotgun and skyhook, but the opportunity to reload never came as Maximus was on top of him and about to strike again.
"AGH!" Jaune yelped before he rolled back to avoid the sudden explosion of heat. His desperate dodge brought him to the center of the arena and a pit of worry set in his stomach.
He quickly glanced behind him and noticed that everyone was still occupied with their respective opponents. Despite being in the clear, the sensation of being left out in the open left him tense and yearning for Elizabeth to open a tear for cover. He knew his aura was low and one well-placed would send him out of the match. Jaune begrudgingly thanked Maximus for that fact.
Jaune's focus returned to his opponent, or rather the small object that lay near their previous scrap and took a small breath. He glanced up to see Nora was almost at the peak and prayed his plan would work.
With another shaky breath, Jaune holstered his skyhook and relaxed his hands. He felt the heat sizzle from his fingertips along with the tingling sensation of bubbling flesh before it melted. Gasps and murmurs from the crowd extinguished any and all excitement, but Jaune couldn't help himself as he gave his confused opponent a smile and charged at him. Maximus answered his gesture in kind and rushed towards him as well.
With each step, Jaune's hands grew hotter and brighter as the Devil's Kiss was working its magic by masking the wind that whipped around him. They didn't match the swirling flames of Maximus' gauntlets, but they did leave an impression with his molten bones being visible to everyone. He paid no mind as he was only a few feet from Maximus with fists ready for a blazing downward strike.
Jaune grinned at the situation he faced as he heard thunder erupt to his left. The thunder gave Jaune the chance he needed as the pent-up energy from the Ram was primed and ready. Jaune leapt from his position with speed that matched Ruby's semblance and power that rivaled Yang's, all in order to tackle Maximus.
Jaune grunted as his shoulder embedded itself into his opponent's coarse core. The shock thankfully took Maximus off guard as the two earned some hang time that rivaled Jaunes record minutes before. Panic and confusion could be heard from Maximus which made Jaune's grin continue to grow due to the knowledge of what was to come when they landed. He nudged his head from Maximus' core to see the small but significant horseshoe that glinted in the arena lights. Jaune closed his eyes and loosened his arms from Maximus, but kept his grip tight along the straps that supported the warrior's chest guard and waited for impact.
The distorted explosion of the Bucking Bronco trap rang like a familiar tune Jaune couldn't get enough of. The sensation of being exempt from the laws of gravity came soon after as Jaune chuckled at Maximus' panic.
"What is this?!" Maximus shouted with strained frustration. Jaune pulled him close by his straps.
"The way you lose." Jaune whispered before he hoisted his legs up and placed his feet atop Maximus' chest.
"NOW, NORA!" Jaune roared as he kicked off Maximus with all the strength he could muster within his legs. There was no confirmation; only the gleeful laughter of his trusted friend. He used whatever momentum he had left in his suspension to turn himself toward the sight of Nora clad in pink lightning slam down hammer first on the pain in the ass that was Maximus. The shockwave along with the sudden return of gravity were able to snap Jaune out of his awe of sheer power.
"And Maximus Leon is out of the match! Much to the synergy of JNPR's leader and powerhouse!" Oobleck shouted over the loudspeaker with excitement. Jaune swore he heard a bit of pride in his professor's voice but decided to shrug it off.
"That may be true, Bart," Port replied, "But it cost Jaune Arc quite a bit of aura, along with their teammate, Lie Ren. JNPR may have taken out LIME's muscle, but the match is far from over."
Jaune looked at the scoreboard with shock written across his face as he saw that Ren's aura was in the red while his opponent was in the orange. Jaune's attention was ripped away from the board as a barrage of dust rounds that mirrored the first volley of the match grazed past him. There was barely enough time to act as he brought up his hand and activated Return to Sender.
"You okay?!" Jaune asked Nora who was behind him. The gunfire from his opponent's machine pistols muffled his voice and pounded against his eardrums, but Jaune remained strong despite the exhaustion that crept up from his calves.
"I'm fine!" Nora shouted. "But Ren…" she started, but fell silent.
Jaune mentally cursed at his friend's dismay. "It would have been for nothing if we lose here!" he turned his head to his friend with a worried look. "You with me?" he managed to say with a strained voice.
Nora steeled herself with a determined nod and shifted Magnhild into its grenade launcher function. "You know it, Fearless leader."
"Alright," Jaune smiled. "I don't have much long-range ability, but he isn't too far for it to be an issue." the blonde knight gritted his teeth as his heels dug into the pavement of the arena's center. "Cover me while I get close, okay?"
"Just tell me when." Nora said as she glared at Louis' subordinate.
Jaune turned back to the fight at hand and took a short breath. "Cover!" he hollered, only to hear the familiar sound of Nora's grenades soar through the air. He added to the explosive ordinance by hurling his congested sphere of dust rounds right at his enemy. The blonde cursed as the nameless lackey rolled to the side and avoided direct contact.
Jaune and Nora's opponent cursed as a bit of shrapnel scraped against his aura along with the tactical body armor he wore. The edges were singed and the dents from Nora's grenades only assisted with the anger that became apparent on his face.
Jaune rushed forward as he opened the chamber to his shotgun and began to load the rounds he needed to eliminate his foe. He was only able to load two shells before the gunfire returned and began to pelt Jaune. The blonde knight cursed at his situation and readied his shotgun with his focus toward his opponent's weapons. Despite the oncoming onslaught of dust rounds, Jaune steadied his breath and gently squeezed the trigger.
The blast from his shotgun along with the cry of pain that came from Jaune's enemy intertwined into a divine melody that gently soothed the blonde's ears. The lack of dust rounds being sent way was an added bonus as he charged his opponent who had grasped his disarmed hand Jaune had targeted.
"YAAGH!" Jaune roared as he wielded his shotgun like a club and swung at Louis' lackey. The injured state of Jaune's opponent gave the blonde knight the window he needed to really feel the business end of his shotgun collide with the left side of his enemy's skull. The shattering of aura was the coup de grace that finished the symphony of violence that blessed Jaune's ears.
"While a bit basic," Oobleck started with a critical tone "JNPR's teamwork between Jaune Arc and Nora Valkyrie prevailed once again in picking off one of LIME's teammates, Emerate Slazer!" his voice rose with excitement along with the crowd that cheered at the minor victory.
"So that's his name." Jaune shrugged before he looked over to Nora, who had the most contagious grin that quickly spread to Jaune.
BLAM!
Both their grins were extinguished as Jaune witnessed Nora collapsed to the ground. A momentous gasp could be heard from all around Jaune as everyone looked on with shock.
Jaune could see Nora's aura had shattered from that single shot. The blonde knight's mind went blank as his eyes slowly widened while his legs began to move on their own.
"NORA!" Jaune said with a strained yell as he rushed to her side.
He blinked for a moment and he wasn't in the arena any more. The crowd, the fight, and his opponents disappeared from his vision. What replaced them was the Vale underpass and a massive robot piloted by a crazed arms dealer. The coolness of night stung his fingers as his throat felt such a heat that matched the liquid fire that was the Devil's Kiss Vigor. What remained constant was Nora's lifeless body sprawled on the floor which made his heart sink deep into the depths of his stomach.
He slid to her side to check her wounds and could see she was scratched to hell, her arm was definitely broken, and she wasn't breathing. Panic began to pound through his body as he tilted her head up. "Please," Jaune panted. "Not again." he leaned down to check if she was breathing.
BLAM!
Jaune blinked once more and saw that he was back in the arena. The night burned away to broad daylight and the cold sounds of malicious machinery reverted back to the concerned murmurs of the crowd. What followed moments after, was the stinging sensation atop Jaunes head.
"I believe we just witnessed lady luck in her rawest form, ladies and gentlemen," Oobleck said over the intercom. "Not only did LIME's longshot, Ignis Melvin, barely miss, But Jaune Arc is still in the fight with a sliver of Aura left before he's in the red."
"We all saw what one shot could do from that boy's rifle, much to Nora Valkyrie and my dismay," Port replied with a bit of sadness in his voice. "Her aura has been known around Beacon to be a bit fragile, but seeing it deplete to nothing was jarring, wouldn't you say, Doctor?"
"Indeed," Oobleck said. "One can only wonder how the two remaining members of JNPR will adapt to their situation."
Jaune paid no mind to the bickering all around him as he looked at Nora and noticed her contorted form morphed into a tamer state of unconsciousness. The only injury he could quickly asses was the bruise that began to form at her temple.
Jaune's eyes narrowed at the injury and he turned his head in the direction of the gunfire that took out his friend. His eyes scanned the tree line for any movement sans Pyrrha and Louis, who had surprisingly been giving Jaune's partner a difficult time.
Jaune's vision locked on the Nora's attacker, who failed to hide behind a tree near the front of the forest. There was no wild fury within Jaune as he gave chase nor a war cry that demanded vengeance; there was only the quick rhythm of his heartbeat that synchronized with his rapid footsteps. Jaune barely registered that he took off in an all-out sprint toward Ignis.
Jaune heard no gunfire, but could see the muzzle flash of his target's rifle. He couldn't hear anything at that moment besides the pounding of his blood that raced to his ears. He didn't need to hear anything as he grew closer. All he wanted was Ignis gone.
'Take out the cover.' Jaune thought to himself as he readied his left hand with a Devil's Kiss grenade. With a windup, Jaune threw a fastball right at Ignis, who predictably dove for another source of cover. Jaune smiled as he saw the ball of concentrated lava and fire combust with such an awesome energy. The explosion proved fruitful as the outer area of the forest slowly caught on fire and left Jaune's prey out in the open.
Ignis' camouflage attire served him no purpose as Jaune got closer. Another gunshot from Ignis went off, but to no avail as Jaune dove behind a burning tree trunk. Jaune couldn't help but flinch as the sharp splinters exploded a foot above his head. He had no time to curse at the close call as he was close enough to hear Ignis load another round.
Jaune took a breath and kept his focus strong despite the heat from the flames that surrounded him. His determination grew as the sensation of the cool ocean trickled down his left hand. He readied his sky hook in his right and took one more breath before he rolled out of cover and fixed his vision on the startled Ignis.
There was no gunfire from Jaune's prey as the blonde knight was quicker on the draw. A torrent of pressurized water blasted from Jaune's hand a landed a direct hit on Ignis, who couldn't help but let out a gargled cry as he was launched into a nearby tree. Jaune's glare intensified along with the pressure of water that streamed through his hand.
Jaune knew Louis and his team weren't going to uphold the blonde knight's request. Louis didn't have to lift a finger directly at Pyrrha. The bastard's constant pestering and manipulation prior to the fight did all the work. Pyrrha was angry and wanted to take Louis down herself.
None of those facts bothered Jaune. What did however, was the cheap shot they took at Nora. They knew her aura was fragile, and Ignis still went for a kill shot.
Jaune would not have that.
The gurgled cries from Ignis reached their crescendo as Jaune came face to face with Nora's attacker. The blistering water came to a trickle and Ignis slid down to the base of the tree trunk he was pinned to. There was no opportunity to rest as Jaune slammed his skyhook in Ignis' face. Jaune couldn't care less for the pained yells that came out of Ignis as he was able to get two more hits in.
"GET OFF OF ME!" Ignis screamed.
Jaune was able to back off as his opponent brought out a collapsible baton and wildly swung at the blonde knight. Ignis' retaliation was fruitless due to Jaune's quick back step.
Jaune answered the attack in kind as he felt the Undertow flow from his left hand once again. Unlike its previous use, Jaune used his Vigor as an extension of himself as a controlled tentacle made of nothing but water reached out and wrapped itself around Ignis' weapon.
With a quick tug, Jaune's opponent was disarmed of any close-quarters protection. Jaune knew all too well that he wasn't in the clear the moment he saw Ignis ready his rifle once more. The Undertow still had its use as Jaune rolled forward and reached out, this time at Ignis' center. Jaune resisted the urge to smile as the tentacle wrapped itself around his victim's core and with another powerful tug, Louis' second lackey came rocketing toward him. Jaune took a breath before he rose his skyhook and leveled it at the perfect position. Ignis had no time to cry out at the sudden impact as his neck was caught in between the two hooks.
Jaune noticed Ignis tried to push himself away with unadulterated desperation, but with a gentle squeeze of the skyhook's trigger, Jaune knew Ignis could feel the pressure around his neck tighten which caused his actions to be even more frantic.
Jaune's breathing grew heavy with each moment Ignis flailed about. The panicked gurgling of his breath, the desperate clawing at Jaune's forearm, and the random kicks that brushed Jaune's legs all fueled his strength as the blonde pushed forward. The soft creaking of the gears along with Ignis' bones soothed his ears while the panicked expression of Ignis who had closed his eyes in fear gave him the chance he needed to end his fight.
Jaune released the skyhook's trigger, which released his grip on Ignis' neck. Confusion overtook the opposing huntsman in training as Jaune shoved him forward. Ignis had no time to recover as Jaune brandished his shotgun with his left hand and used his last round in the chamber on Ignis.
Scorching dust pellets peppered Ignis' face as he collapsed to the ground, all while letting out a curdling scream.
"It appears whatever Jaune Arc did to counter Ignis Melvin's long-range capabilities had worked!" Oobleck's excitement was not unrecognized by Jaune as he shouldered his shotgun. "Ignis' aura is in the red, leaving only Louis Augustus left against Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos!"
"As much as I am happy to see how the match has progressed, I wish we were able to witness that victory. It's a shame the trees along with the fire masked the fight." Port added.
Jaune rose an eyebrow at the information given to him from his professors and decided to use the downtime to holster the skyhook once more and reload his shotgun with what remaining shells he had left, all while making his way to Ignis who was balled up in a fetal position with his face covered.
"Pull something like that on my team again, and won't hesitate to use just my skyhook." Jaune growled. Any whimpering from Ignis ceased as the fear seemed to paralyze him. Jaune took his submission as another victory and turned his attention to his final target. Pyrrha and Louis were at the center of the arena and to say Jaune was shocked as he reached the edge of the forest was an understatement.
Pyrrha's attacks were relentless and wild with malicious intent, but none had landed even a scratch on her opponent, Louis' aura remained at full while Jaune's partner was just about to dip into the yellow.
Jaune looked back to Pyrrha whose breath had become ragged while Louis remained much calmer. Worry set into the blonde knight as Pyrrha rose Milo once more and charged at Louis, who effortlessly stepped to the side and leaned back in response to Pyrrha's follow up attack.
"Shit," Jaune said as Louis took a pot shot at Pyrrha's abdomen with such a casual demeanor. "He's under her skin." the blonde knight's eyes widened as Pyrrha let out a strained yell and made a horizontal slash at Louis' neck. Her attack proved fruitless as Louis took a step back and shot at her chest.
"Dammit!" Jaune said as he took off from his cover and felt his right hand crystalize with a shocking sensation. Jaune found his pace between his breaths as he rose his hand and fired a bolt of lightning right at Louis when Pyrrha had backed off to a safe distance.
The blonde knight stopped in his tracks when Louis held his hand out and proceeded to catch Jaune's lighting. Jaune looked on as Louis struggled for a quick moment, but once Louis closed his hand into a fist, the lighting was gone and a cheeky grin appeared on the noble's face.
"What?" Jaune could barely hear Pyrrha say over the surprised crowd. She was just as stunned as he was.
"Elemental Absorption, my beloved," Louis said as he reveled in Jaune and Pyrrha's shock. "It's quite the semblance." he finished as he aimed his gawdy pistol at Jaune.
"Jeez!" Jaune yelled as he ducked under the two shots Louis had fired. The blonde knight assumed Pyrrha had continued her attack as those were the only shots fired in his direction.
With a ragged breath, Jaune scrambled back up to his feet and couldn't help but feel as if his entire body was just one big bruise. He stumbled a bit and fell to one knee as he had to take a few moments to catch his breath and only be able to watch his partner attack without any reservations.
"C'mon." Jaune thought as his mind raced. He couldn't help but thank Pyrrha as she unintentionally bought him enough time to come up with anything that could give him an edge. If Louis could absorb the elements, then a fair share of his Vigors would be useless, but that didn't mean he was helpless.
Jaune controlled his breathing and concentrated on his right hand. He shuddered at the sensation of his growing fingernails along with the feathers that decorated the top of his hand. Nevertheless, he smiled and rose his hand toward his enemy.
"LOUIS!" Jaune shouted. The noble in question reluctantly turned away from Pyrrha and aimed his pistol at the blonde. "Your friends miss you!"
Louis nor Pyrrha were able to question what Jaune meant as he inhaled a sharp breath and felt the massive murder of crows conjure from his hand that proceeded to rocket right at Louis.
Gasps could be heard along the rim of the arena, but the only cry that mattered was the one that escaped louis as Jaune's crows relentlessly picked and pecked at him with the intent to tear him apart. Jaune made a note to thank their auras, or Louis would have looked like the countless victims who were subjected to the Murder of Crows.
"Well it seems Mr. Arc is just chalk full of surprises today. Wouldn't you say so, Bart?" Port asked as he was intrigued with how the match had turned out.
"Indeed." Oobleck said with the same level of intrigue.
Jaune was able to take a few calm breaths as he got back up to his feet with a surge of power. He looked up to the board and saw his aura had gone up just enough to be safe while Louis was about to dip into the yellow. With a determined nod, Jaune took off toward Pyrrha who looked on at Louis, who was flailing about due to the crows.
"You alright?" Jaune asked.
Pyrrha continued to look on at Louis with a bit of shock, until a flash of realization came across her eyes. She turned toward Jaune and pointed a finger at him. "That time in the mess hall… that was you?!"
"Like I said before, Pyrrha." Jaune said with a smile before he grasped his skyhook. "Animals can sense evil."
Pyrrha looked at him for a few moments before her shoulders relaxed and a short, tired laugh escaped her. Jaune smiled at the sight and couldn't help but relax a bit as well.
"So," how do you want to do this?" Jaune asked. He looked to Pyrrha and noticed her shoulders had tensed up a bit. "Together, I mean." Jaune clarified as he put a hand on her shoulder.
Pyrrha looked up at Jaune with a look Jaune couldn't put his finger on, but the look was gone when her attention turned back to Louis who was recovering from the avian attack that just dispersed.
"He's been able to dodge everything I throw at him, but I'm not sure if he can handle both of us." Pyrrha said as she glared at Louis.
"That's good, because I don't think I'll be the best at long range," Jaune said as he held up his hand that formed electric crystals. "Most of the Vigors are elemental."
"Then we keep up the pressure up close." Pyrrha said. She glanced back at her partner before she took a step forward. "I would like to know more about those Vigors." the last word rolled off her tongue in an awkward manner. "If you don't mind."
"Sure. After we win this." Jaune said as he followed suit. Both were surprised that there was no hesitation or reservation in his response. Louis was back on his feet as the two partners walked toward him and the noble wasted no time in aiming his pistol at them.
"His weapon has some firepower behind it." Pyrrha said as she and Jaune broke out into a sprint.
"Good to know," Jaune said. "That goes first. Back me up, alright?"
"But-!"
"Please, Pyrrha." Jaune said with a hint of desperation.
Pyrrha closed her eyes and let out a breath before she shifted Milo into its rifle form. "I'm not staying back forever,"
"I know." Jaune said with a sigh of relief before wisps of wind whipped around him and charged straight at Louis with the power of the Ram.
The noble let out a strained yelp as he used his bayonet at the end of his pistol to slash at Jaune. The blonde knight in question ducked and used his free hand to land a direct punch to Louis' gut. The sudden impact stunned Louis for a few moments and Jaune decided the best option would be to dive to the left as Pyrrha landed a few shots at their opponent. The sharp cries of pain from Louis boosted Jaune's confidence as he realized their plan was working.
"Does she always use you when things don't go her way," Louis spat as he aimed once more at Jaune. "Such a pitiful tactic."
"Says the manipulating stalker." Jaune retorted as he recovered and made his way toward Louis.
Louis fired three shots at Jaune, but only one grazed the blonde knight's cheek as he moved in a serpentine pattern. Jaune moved in close for a frontal assault once again, but before Louis could counter, Jaune fainted an uppercut and instead, slid past him as he did with Maximus minutes before.
Louis looked down to see that Jaune had gave him a shit-eating grin and before the noble could question what was so amusing, the sharp edge of Akuko slammed directly into the bridge of his nose.
"AAAAGH!" Louis screamed as he dropped his pistol to clutch his nose. The screaming was drowned out by the roar of the crowd moments later. Jaune was at just the right amount of distance to sweep kick Louis' pistol away from reach and roll back to the noble's front. Pyrrha was soon at his side with Akuko already retrieved and the two glared at their opponent with nothing but anger and the determination to win.
"I would choose carefully." Louis said as he glared at the two while he clutched his nose. "You wouldn't want things to get harder for your family after the tournament, wouldn't you now, Strumpet." Louis followed his threat with a wad of spit at Pyrrha's feet.
"Pyrrha…" Jaune said with caution as he noticed his partner's grip on her weapons tightened to unfathomable measures. "Don't listen to him."
"Oh, she'll be doing exclusively that after all the negotiations are over with." Louis said with a chuckle. "Isn't that right, Beloved?"
"SHUT UP!" Pyrrha screamed as she charged forward with Milo at the ready.
Jaune could see that she was back at square one as Louis got back into his previous stance that gave the noble an edge. Jaune wasn't going to have Pyrrha repeat her mistakes as he charged in with her. Louis ducked under Pyrrha's wild swing, only to be met with the business end of Jaune's sky hook.
"AGH!" Louis let out another cry as Jaune landed a hit in the same spot Pyrrha had moments ago.
Jaune's attack bought Pyrrha the opportunity she desperately needed throughout the entire fight as she successfully landed a downward slash at Louis' upper torso with Milo. She then proceeded to hurl Akuko down at the ground, which ricocheted off the surface and back up at Louis's face.
She was about to grab her shield from the air, but stopped as Jaune caught it with Return to Sender. He dropped the Vigor and caught Akuko with his free hand. Jaune let out a roar as he smacked Louis across face with the flat end of the shield before he tossed it back to Pyrrha.
Louis tried to strike in the daze he was in with a right straight, but Jaune bobbed to the left and grabbed the noble's wrist before he pulled Louis between them.
Jaune realized his mistake as Louis faced Pyrrha while Jaune was behind him. There was a look on Pyrrha's face that Jaune had only seen once.
It was during his qualification exam when he returned to Beacon and it proceeded to give him a chill that almost paralyzed him. That look of raw fury with the only intention to extinguish any and all things that caused her harm had returned.
The blonde knight felt the color drain from his face as he glanced at the board to see that one last strike was needed to earn them victory. What he feared was the last strike from Pyrrha would do more than just put Louis in the red.
He looked back to his partner who didn't care about anything in those moments. All she saw was red and all she desired was blood. Jaune could see the exhaustion radiate off her as both he and Louis had made her life nothing but a living hell and Jaune could see she wanted nothing more to do with the latter. She wanted him gone from her life and Jaune was convinced she would remove him permanently.
Jaune knew if Pyrrha went through with what she intended to do to Louis, it would be the end for her. Her reputation, her family, her image among her friends and fans, would all be tarnished for the rest of her lifetime. She would say there were no regrets, but her actions wouldn't just reflect her, they would reflect her family as well. Pyrrha's future of being a huntress, something she had always wanted to become, would be forever out of her reach. Jaune feared she wouldn't be able to handle what came after.
However, for an unstable survivor such as himself…
The blonde knight crouched a bit and fueled whatever aura and strength he had left in his body. With a roar that dwarfed all previous battle cries prior to that moment, Jaune used his hips to give him the leverage he needed to slam his Skyhook right into Louis' lower back. The contact alone shattered the noble's aura, but the raw power that came milliseconds after contact broke something else. There was no second guessing if something broke within Louis as he collapsed to the ground. There was no cry of agony like before, just silence between the three of them as Jaune stared on at Louis' unconscious form.
Jaune looked up to see Pyrrha frozen in place in response to what Jaune had done. Milo was held upright in an overhead position, ready to strike at Louis' but the difference was the absence of her fury. All that was left was confusion. Along with the rest of the crowd.
"Well…" Oobleck started with concern. "It appears that last attack from Jaune Arc was a little more that Louis Augustus could take. Would the medical staff please escort the incapacitated contestants to the infirmary please?" Everyone could hear the doctor take a breath to recollect himself. "The winners are Team JNPR!" The confusion dispersed as cheers erupted from the crowd. Some chanted Pyrrha's name while others whistled with such exuberance.
Jaune looked to his partner and noticed Pyrrha was looking around with a stunned expression on her face. The only thing that snapped her out of her dazed state was the contact of Jaune's hand on her shoulder. Pyrrha looked at him with a bit of worry before she glanced at Louis.
"It's going to be alright." Jaune said with a shaky voice. Pyrrha looked back to her leader as his smile remained strong, but he began to share the same worried expression Pyrrha had.
"C'mon." Jaune soon said as he guided Pyrrha toward the exit. He noticed that Ren and Nora had been waiting for them at the side of the arena while the remaining medical staff tended to their injuries. Jaune was relieved that Nora was awake and the two shared a toothy smile while Ren looked more relaxed than anything.
"You guys alright?" Jaune asked. Surprise overtook him when he saw Ren step forward.
"Just happy we won." he said with a tired smile.
Jaune nodded in response. "Well, I think this calls for a celebration," he said. The rest of his team agreed with a positivity he hadn't seen in so long, even in Pyrrha. JNPR began to exit the arena before Jaune turned back one last time to the spot he wanted to look at throughout the entire fight. A sense of relaxation overtook Jaune as he saw Elizabeth and Cardin waving at him with such cheer and smiles on their faces that made his heart want to either melt or stop beating altogether.
Elizabeth's smile in particular gave him a soothing chill up his spine along with a surge of determination. He knew there would be consequences for his actions toward Louis. He knew it was better him than Pyrrha who suffered those consequences, but there was a feeling that erupted inside of him as he walked through the tunnel and out of the arena. It was a feeling he felt a few times and it was always after Elizabeth gave him a look such as the moment before. It was feeling of exhilaration and determination.
Jaune looked down at his tired hands and clenched them into fists. 'Come what may,' he thought to himself. 'I'll face it head on. No matter what.' he looked up at the backs of his teammates and that feeling spiked tenfold. 'For them. And for her.'
And that about wraps it up for this chapter. Hopefully the wait wasn't too long. I won't lie and say that I haven't been distracted. Especially with the new RWBY volume. (Honestly Jaune's hair could be better, but eh, it doesn't hurt to look at.) Despite the distractions, I intend to keep this story going and I hope this chapter was enjoyable. Shout out to Noble4259 for helping me out with this chapter and if you like my stories, I recommend giving their work a go. Alright with that said, Favorite, Follow, Review, and if you have any questions, feel free to PM me. As always everyone, BE COMPASSIONATE AND BE FIERCE!
SPARKYDAPPERDAB19 SIGNING OFF!