Author's Note: Well a bit late, but at least I got it out by Volume 8 premier. It's a bit rushed so I didn't have time to edit. Next chapter will be a short so I can edit some stuff with it. It'll be an interlude to cover stuff I originally wanted but took out for time as well as bridging into the tournament arc.
It has been over a month since school started. The lingering heat of summer has all but faded away to be replaced by the chill of autumn. The courtyard, once lush and verdant with only hints of the changing season, was now consumed in a beautiful shade of orange and red to mark the approach of year's end. Even the sky is frequented by gloomy clouds and heavy fog which serves as the perfect canvas for the shedding trees. All this was a sign that Autumn was in full swing and winter not far off.
After the initial introduction week, school work came at them in full force. From long lectures to piles of homework, everyone was busy trying to keep up, but eventually, things started to set into a pattern.
In the midst of the school load, Yu continuously visited the training grounds, but within reason, much to Jade's joy. Diamon and Amy kept pace with the sibling pair during team exercises and they grew closer as a team. And Jade was able to speak with Jaq regularly during off time since their dorm rooms were close, but their conversation remained casual and light hearted, never reaching any meaningful topics like they did during their visit to the city.
Regardless, everyone has gotten accustomed to the groove of school life and today was like any other day.
Team JAYD was sitting in the bleachers of the training hall watching a group of classmates duel in the ring below. It was the end of the day and their final class was a sparring session led by Professor Aki. While this was supposed to be a lesson on combat, many of the students didn't bother to pay attention to the fights they aren't involved in, some members of Team JAYD included.
"Ugh, why do we have to write an essay? I thought we were learning how to defend ourselves, not bore our enemies to death with words." Amy grumbled as she lazily thumbed through her scroll, perhaps checking on social media or reading the news. Definitely not something pertaining to class.
"Don't belittle the power of words Amethyst. Some of the greatest battles are won with pens, not blades." Diamond countered while focused on his own scroll, but for a different purpose. His screen displayed a video of him sparring with Kingsley, a fight they had in this exact place a few days ago, captured by the school's holo capture system which was used as a study tool. And Diamon was using it exactly for that purpose in order to understand his own movement. "But that's not the point of the essay."
Diamond closed the video and pulled up a text file. It was an assignment alert that kept track of all their school work. The title of the file states: "Essay on Personal Semblance Uses and Integration with Weapons." It was the assignment Amy was complaining about.
"You're supposed to explain how you incorporate your Semblance in your fighting style and the construction of your weapon. Honestly, making us write an essay on it is a great way to help us introspect ourselves and improve our fighting technique."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Amy remained unconvinced.
"Oh, Amethyst, if only you took your education as seriously as Jade." Diamon lamented with a shake of his head, to which Amy just shrugged and continued looking at her scroll. Giving up on his companion, he turned his attention to Jade. "Still, it is a surprise how you were top of the class on the last test. Don't take this the wrong way, but I didn't expect you to be the overly studious type."
Being called out like that made Jade a bit self-conscious as she waved her hands in denial.
"Oh no, it was all luck. I was just glad the test covered all the things I focused on during study sessions."
"Sure," Yu chided in softly while focusing lazily on the match. He had his head rested on his hand and seemed disinterested in the stuff happening around him. "I'm certain the result would've been the same whether you studied or not."
There wasn't any malice in his words, but Jade can feel a bit of frustration exuding from him. Jade recalled her brother got an 88 on the test, putting him at 7th in a class of 32 students, which isn't a bad score at all. Heck, it was better than Amy's score who was just above the class average. In any case, it doesn't seem like Yu was complaining about anything so she let it slide.
"Anyways, about that essay. I think it's an interesting topic," Jade steered their conversation back to the topic they were talking about before.. "I never analyzed my own Semblance before. Maybe I'll find out something new about it if I experiment with it."
Amy put down her scroll and gave Jade a weird look. Something she said didn't sit right with her.
"I mean, that's what an SAT is for."
"SAT? What's an SAT?"
Amy's expression changed from confused to shock. Even Diamon had a concerned look on him.
"You don't know what an SAT is?"
Jade shook her head.
"SAT stands for Semblance Assessment Test. It's an examination that tests what kind of Semblance you have. They do all sorts of stuff beyond just identifying semblances, like identifying limits, range or any special cases. Most kids are required to take it in order to enter school. How the heck did you get this far without one?"
Now that she thought about it, Jade recalled a time in grade school, a rickety place that was more a daycare than a school, where they had a show-and-tell about everyone's Semblances in front of the town doctor and mayor. She remembered it was that moment where she was told her Semblance was controlling the wind. It was a very casual event, but considering she grew up in a rural area, requirements like that were lax if present at all.
"Well, it's not like it's a big deal. We all figure out our abilities sooner or later." Amy sighed with a shake of her head. She gave Yu a brief look to catch his attention. "What about you? Did you figure out your ability yourself as well?"
"No, I took the test."
"Really?" This came as a shock to both Jade and Amy. Yu retreated back at the two girl's sudden interest.
"When was this?" It was Jade who asked. It was something she didn't know about her brother, but it made sense there are things about her brother she didn't know considering they were apart for about 5 years. He never talked much about what he did in that time and she never bothered to ask, so this was as good of a time as any to learn more.
"Not much to say, I attended a public middle school in the nearby town and they made me take an official SAT test."
"So that's where you learned your Semblance was Foresight."
Yu nodded. Jade always wondered how Yu learned the details of his own Semblance. As a kid, she always thought that it was similar to her ability to see colors in the wind.
"Hmm, now I really want to take one just to learn more about my own Semblance." Perhaps she understood her own ability wrong or maybe there's some secret to it she doesn't know yet. In any case, she was set on asking someone about taking this test.
"Probably won't learn much, you had years practicing with your Semblance unlike me. I'm sure it'll just be things you knew already.
"You never know. Can't I dream about having some secret ability that I don't know about yet?" Jade pouted at Yu's dismissive words. She was sure there won't be anything new to learn as Yu said, but she was still curious as to how it works. However, as she considered Yu's words, something about it seemed odd. "What do you mean unlike you?"
Yu suddenly had an expression as if he said too much.
"It's nothing." He turned away from his sister to hide his face. "I just never had a lot of opportunity to use it back then, that's all."
Meanwhile, Amy watched the two siblings interact over the screen of her scroll with a smug look.
"When did you get so chatty, Yuyu?"
"Is that supposed to be me?" Yu looked disgusted when he figured that Amy was talking about him.
"You will need to get use to it," Diamon chided in sympathetically. "She likes to give out colorful nicknames to people."
"Yeah, Yu is Yuyu and Jade is JJ."
"You're just repeating the first syllable of our name twice."
"That's what makes it perfect."
"My name is already one syllable. It's not really a nickname if it's harder to say."
"Oh, shush you." Amy stuck out her tongue. "It's cuter this way."
Jade watched the interaction warmly. Ever since their heart-to-heart a few weeks ago, Yu had opened up to the party bit by bit. While still aloof in most situations, Jade could tell he was trying to participate in conversation between the team whenever he can and she was proud of him for putting in the effort. And in return the rest of the team was able to speak openly with him, too, as demonstrated just now.
Yu mumbled something, but decided it was more fruitful to let the conversation there. At the same time, the current combat session just ended on the stage. The two teams shook hands after dusting themselves off and Aki approached them with some words of encouragement. She turned the audience and started to say something, probably some lesson about the duel, but Jade couldn't focus on her words, mainly because she didn't pay attention to the last fight but also because voices from Amy's scroll took her attention.
"...several hours ago, two hikers on the Tullusa hiking trail on the outskirts of the City of Vale were attacked by a pack of Grimm, marking the third instance of civilian casualty this month. The…"
Amy let out a long sigh and flicked up on her scroll, silencing the news reel only to have it replaced with another one. It was two male voices discussing something. Like the news before, Jade picked up pieces of the conversation.
"...the Blood Claws are nothing but terrorists, an extremist faunus group that undermine the goals of the White Fang! Their actions are a shame on the faunus movement…"
"Ugh," Amy groaned in frustration, shutting off her scroll. "These days all you hear is doom and gloom. Why can't there just be one day where everything is ok?"
Jade knew she meant it as a rhetorical question, but even so, she didn't have an answer to her question. There was a time when she thought everything in the world was fine, but that image was shattered when she lost her parents. Now, it was hard not to notice all the negative things in the world even if there are plenty of positives. That, unfortunately, is the sad reality of growing up.
"Oh, is there something more important on your Scroll than the lesson, Amethyst?"
Amy almost jumped out of her seat when addressed by Professor Aki. She had the same angelic smile as usual, but there was something about her eyes that suggest otherwise. Actually, it looked way scarier because she's smiling like that.
"N-no, nothing like that...haha…" Amy laughed meekly as she hastily stuffed her scroll into her uniform pocket.
"Oh, then you wouldn't mind participating in the next duel, would you?"
Amy cringed slightly as she didn't particularly like that idea, but both she and the professor knew that saying no was not an option at this point. So, begrudgingly, she nodded and got out of her seat.
"Perfect," Aki smiled satisfyingly. "And since we're doing duos, let's have Jade join you."
Jade eyes widen in surprise after being called out. She even pointed at herself just to be sure Aki was referring to her. Aki just chuckled and nodded. Well, it was undoubtedly her, as there is no one else named Jade around, but the suddenness caused Jade to blank for a second.
The two of them left their seats and approached the Aki on the stage. As they neared, she scanned the crowd, looking for a team to face them. Her eyes stopped at a point opposite where Amy and Jade were sitting and pointed at another team.
"Let's see...fighting against them will be...Oni and Yin."
Jade's ears perked up at the familiar name. She followed Aki's finger and saw the familiar ashy haired boy look up with a similarly astonished look as her's when she was called. Ever since they first met in the cities a few weeks ago, she saw him around a lot. Mostly at the training facility, though. Everytime she would go there to check on Yu or for some practice of her own, she often found him either training alone, with some of his teammates, or sometimes even with Yu.
However, despite his constant presence, they never really converse much other than the usual greetings or an exchange of their progress at school. Still, it was enough for her to grasp a bit about his abilities and strength. He definitely was a bit clumsy in combat, but she had seen improvements.
Anyways, after being called out, the person sitting next to Yin, presumably Oni, stood up with clear dissatisfaction drawn on his face.
"What? Why with him? Can't I just do this with Nero?"
Aki shook her head.
"Out in the fields, we don't always get to choose who to work with. When in a team, it isn't about getting along with one person, but getting along with the entire team."
Oni visibly groaned, but said no more. He motioned Yin to come, a bit aggressively, before storming down to the stage, Yin sheepishly following behind.
The two members of both teams stood on opposite sides of the large ring while Aki carefully observed them at the edge. She raised her hand, signalling them to prepare themselves. Both teams went into a ready stance, but Jade noticed something off with Amy's posture. She usually held her staff up front, but right now, her staff was hidden behind her back. Not only that, the Dust crystal at the tip was glowing, as if ready to discharge.
Professor Aki seemed to notice this as well, which led Jade to panic, believing they were somehow going to be called out for cheating, but all she did was smile slyly and ignored it. It sent some confused signals to Jade, but she ultimately judged that whatever Amy was planning was fine. That being said, she still needs to figure out her own strategy for this upcoming fight. Should she charge in with Amy? Or should she stand back and play support?
Aki's hand hovered in the air for a few seconds, and when determining both teams were ready, she let them fall emphatically.
"Start!"
"First strike, baby!" Amy screamed with the smuggest look on her face as she pointed her charged staff at opponents, hurtling a large ball of energy their way.
They were completely taken by surprise as they frantically got out of the way of its destructive path. The ball of energy slammed at the spot where they once stood, releasing a massive shockwave of static and smoke. Oni deftly avoided the chaos, but Yin was caught within it, causing him to reel back coughing and blinded.
"Dammit, I'll get you for that!" Oni swore. Ignoring the status of his teammate, he brandished his weapon a chain-whip sword and rushed at Amy. He flourished his weapon, the many segments splitting and extending into a whip, and swung it towards Amy, but Jade quickly got in between the blade and her teammate, using a pulse of wind to redirect the whips course.
Oni swore again, but before he could get another swing in, he suddenly jumped back as several bolts of energy landed at his feet.
Amy stepped forward. Her staff was now in the spear configuration. Her dress also transformed into the same fairy-like dress she saw during the exam. However, there were some changes to it that made it seem...sturdier than before. Besides some slight change in the designs of her clothes, the most noticeable changes were the ribbons that seemed like wings were now missing, replaced by a layer of pleated heavy fabric around her skirt. On top of that, her normally bare shoulders were now covered by a similar fabric that served as pauldrons.
At the same time, Yin recovered from the initial shock and now stood by Oni's side. In his hand he held a wispy, almost intangible sword. That was his semblance. He has the ability to use his imagination to shape his Aura into semi-tangible objects.
"What's the strat, boss?" Amy asked as she went into a battle stance, her eyes locked on her enemies. After that quick bout, both sides were on the defensive, leaving them in a deadlock, waiting for the other side to make a move.
Jade didn't have much to offer to get out ahead of this situation, but she does have something that can play to their advantage. She focused on the air around them and slowly she made out 4 distinct colors, each color tied to a member in this ring. The colors were all jumbled together. The fight that took place caused them to mix like a soup of different paint.
Jade felt the movement of the wind. Despite the chaos of it all, there was something calming, familiar about it. She felt focused, as if everything suddenly became clear. It was then she realized that it was because this was just like a dance performance. The stage, the crowd, the feeling of the wind just before the performance. And just like any performance, the wind showed her a path.
"Amy, do you trust me?"
Amy let out a chuckle.
"We both know the answer to that question."
"I need you to take them both on while I support you from behind."
As she said this, she subtly shifted her position drawing Amy's wind towards her. Then, she intertwined it with the wind around her until there was a feeling of a puzzle piece snapping into place followed by a feeling of weightlessness. Amy felt it too, as displayed by her sudden surprise, but it quickly passed as she realized what happened and accepted the boon given to her.
This was the thing Jade did with Jaq back when they fought the Nevermore. At the time, she was only experimenting ways she could support Jaq's attack against the Nevermore, but during that process, she mixed Jaq's wind with her own accidentally due to her overwhelmingly thick aura. That's how she came to figure out how she couldn't strengthen herself or others by either taking or giving the wind around her.
After seeing the flow of the wind during this battle, Jade was reminded of that feeling during the exam and tried to replicate it here.
"On my signal."
Amy didn't even ask what the signal will be. She had a feeling she would know when it comes.
Jade took a deep breath. Then, in one fluid motion, she did a twirl, using her fans to guide the wind like a paddle through water, and swung it towards Amy.
Amy's eyes opened wide as she felt the sudden surge around her, recognizing it as the signal, and jumped towards the enemy. She shot towards Oni lightning fast, shocking both parties. Oni attempted to catch her in the middle of her dash, but just before his chain whip struck her, she jumped high and then followed up with a spear plunge.
Oni managed to evade at the last second, but his haste left him off balance and unable to follow up on the now vulnerable Amy. That's when Yin came in. He saw the opportunity and took it.
However, Jade swept her arm in a large arc, shifting the wind around Amy. Amy felt the change, like a tug on the sleeves, and rather than fighting it, she let it guide her. She contorted her body the way the wind moved and managed to slap away Yin's light attack. She followed up with a blunt strike to his stomach with the butt of her weapon, forcing him back, but Oni quickly came in and replaced him. However, this time Amy was ready and the two started trading blows.
Yin, a bit winded, tried to join back in, but found himself forced back by his own teammate's flailing weapon. Unable to fight in melee range, he turned to Jade, who was much more exposed. He looked at his weapon, then at Jade, and transformed it into a spear.
Jade noticed Yin's redirected attention and knew what he was planning.
"Amy, cover fire!" She yelled as she transformed her fans into a large shuriken in one deft motion.
Amy reacted instinctively. She forcibly knocked back Oni's attack and made some space for herself before transforming her lance into the staff. Purposefully exposing herself to counterattacks, she shot a bolt of energy at Yin, which threw his aim off and the spear went soaring pass Jade's head.
"God, you're useless." Oni cursed after witnessing Yin's failure. He did not miss the opportunity to strike at Amy's exposed back, but the moment he raised his weapon, Jade's shuriken slammed his weapon back.
As Oni reeled back from the attack, time seemed to slow for Jade. She saw it. The atmosphere, the position. It was the climax of the show. The last piece before the conclusion.
"Go!" Jade called to her ally as she shifted her position once more, this time mirroring Amy's posture. When that happened, something clicked between them.
Jade leaned forward as Amy rushed towards Oni, their movement synced as if both operating the same body. Amy swung at Oni, both Jade and her making three striking motions, the third blow propelling him off the ring.
Oni was defeated.
Then, without a pause, Amy rushed at Yin, whose paltry defense was incomparable to Amy's wind buffed lance. With one sweep, Yin's wispy weapon was sent flying from his hand, leaving him defenseless. All was needed was one final blow to end the match.
But…
Just as Amy's final attack came in, there was a sudden change in Yin's behavior. He tensed up, his expression focused, and twisted his body with the momentum of Amy's lance, causing the blow to only graze him. Then, using the same momentum, he created another sword and swung it at Amy's face. It was a wild and reckless attack, one made only in the most desperate of situations.
And the slash would've landed, too.
However, Jade made a desperate play as well. Using the full extent of what she could do with her Semblance, she managed to force Amy's hand to move just a little bit, but enough to stop Yin's blade. Reacting to everything that happened, Amy took this opportunity to make a sweeping kick into his sides, sending him tumbling to the ground clutching his abdomen.
"Stop!" Aki called out the moment Yin fell to the ground, ending the duel. "Team JAYD is the victor!"
A round of applause came from the audience. It wasn't thunderous like the ones Jade was used to on the stage, but granted, this wasn't a theater at max capacity.
After a brief respite, Jade and Amy approached the other team to shake hands. Oni had an expression of disdain and only begrudgingly shook their hand before storming back to his seat, leaving Yin alone with the two girls.
"Good match." Jade approached Yin for a handshake. He seemed a bit hesitant, but accepted it nonetheless.
"What are you saying? That was a one sided beat down."
"Well…" Jade couldn't deny the one-sidedness of the battle, but there has to be something she could say to brighten his pessimistic outlook. "These duels aren't about winning or losing, it's about learning. And from the looks of it, you've improved a lot these few weeks."
"That's right," Professor Aki interjected, approaching them with her usual angelic smile. She seemed to have her them talking and wanted to say something to Yin herself. "I've been keeping an eye on your progress ever since you've asked me for help and I'm genuinely impressed."
"Eh, you've been helping him, too!?"
Aki nodded.
"That's right. A few days after school started, he came to me seeking advice on how to improve himself. And as any good teacher, how could I refuse a student's plea to improve themselves."
Jade recalled the conversation they had that night over a month ago.
So he took my advice to heart, she thought. This brought a smile to her face.
Aki continued, speaking to Yin.
"When I first saw your fighting style, it was definitely very clumsy. However, it is impressive how fast you've improved over time. You definitely have talent and I'm looking forward to how much you grow in the future."
"Thanks." Yin flushed at Aki's compliment.
Jade couldn't agree more. If everything was as Aki says, then she can't wait to see either. Especially for the tournament at the end of the month.
Cheered up, Yin quickly returned to his side of the bleachers. However, before Jade could do the same, Aki stopped her.
"Jade, do you mind dropping by my office after class?"
An expression of dread crossed Jade's face. She immediately assumed that she had done something wrong and was going over everything she did today to figure out what. Noticing this, Aki quickly reassured her.
"No, it's nothing serious. I just wanted to have a chat. It's about your Semblance."
Jade's ear perked up. It was serendipitous that she would mention that since she was also planning on talking to her about that sometimes soon. Relieved that it wasn't some sort of punishment, she nodded back.
"Ok."
Aki smiled gently and ushered her back to go back. Jade left the stage quickly and returned with Amy back to their original seats.
"Good job out there, both of you." Diamon complimented them as the two girls sat down.
Jade gave a smile as a response, but Amy, on the other hand, was almost beaming.
As for Yu, he was still in his bored posture, but at least he grunted and nodded his head to acknowledge their effort, which was more than enough for Jade.
After they situated themselves, Aki returned to the center to address the students.
"Ok. I think that's enough for today. As a reminder, please remember to write your essay. I know everyone is excited for the tournament later this month and the essay isn't due until the end of the year, but procrastination will only hurt your grade. If there aren't any other questions…"
Aki scanned the students in search of any raised hands. Surprisingly, she noticed a hand shoot up from someone unexpected.
"Yes, Ace?"
Ace stood up from seat after being called on, the extra height casting a bit of illumination on his face from the stage. He had his signature smile, one that made him seem like he was up to no good.
"Professor, there's still a few minutes left for class. After witnessing that last fight, I'm feeling a bit rowdy myself. Would you allow me a chance to have a duel with the remaining time? Solo, of course."
Aki made a difficult expression. She thought about it for a moment, but found no harm in giving him what he wanted.
"Very well. But only if someone else volunteers to challenge you. I don't want to force anyone to stay longer than they want."
"Oh, that won't be a problem." Ace grinned. With the teacher's approval, he leapt out from the bleachers and landed gracefully on the platform. Then, with an outstretched hand, he beckoned towards the crowd.
"Well, dear colleagues, who is willing to accompany humble old me to a dance?"
No one made a response. One could assume the reason to be no one wanted to stay later to duel, but it was also likely that no one wanted to challenge Ace. After all, from time to time, Ace would challenge people duels not unlike right now, but after a few of these, it was clear that Ace was a strong opponent. However, it wasn't his strength that everyone was afraid to challenge, but the almost brutal beatdown of his opponent's that he wrung. Fear was the factor staying their feet.
"No one? Ace clicked his tongue as he slowly rotated around the stadium. "How about this, if you last until the bell rings it's your victory."
Then, he suddenly stopped, and a wry smirk lit his cheeks. Following his arms direction, he finally landed on Jade's team. More specifically, pointed at Yu. Without any exchange of words, Yu immediately knew he was targeting him.
Yu's muscle tightened, the veins on his neck visibly showing. He was baiting him, that much he knew, but at the same time, he wasn't opposed to the idea of challenging him. The two of them haven't had a duel since the placement exam as the opportunity to choose dueling partners during class was rare and far between, even more for solo duels. Yu was much different than when they fought in the forest months ago and that confidence led him to stand up in response to Ace's challenge.
Jade looked up to her brother, a bit concerned, but she did not interfere. This was his decision and she didn't want to appear overly protective.
Yu, in a similar fashion to Ace, made the jump from his seat to the stage landing a couple meters in front of Ace, who chuckled amusingly.
"Ah, a challenger approaches." Ace proclaimed loudly for everyone to hear as if a caster at a sporting event. "Give it up for Yu Evergreen, for his bravery."
As he said those words, he started clapping, trying to rouse the crowd to the same. However, no one clapped and the large echoed with each slap his hands.
"Enough fooling around," Yu spit back, ignoring Ace's antics and going into a ready stance. "Are we going to fight or what? Every second you waste here is one more second closer to my win."
Ace burst into laughter.
"Getting right to the point, huh." Ace made an exaggerated gesture and covered his heart with one hand. "A man after my own heart."
Then, he got into his own ready stance, signalling to Aki to start the match. However, as Aki raised her to kick off the duel, Ace continued talking, but much quieter just for Yu to hear.
"It doesn't matter how long I take, the result will be the same."
Yu clutched his weapons tighter, the tension in his muscle revealing veins. A seething anger began to rise causing his temperature rise along with a strong urge to punch his opponent in the face.
From her seat in the bleachers, Jade suddenly clasped her uniform anxiously as she suddenly felt a shift in the colors around her brother. Something she hasn't seen for a month now.
And Ace? He had the same devilish smile as if everything that happened was according to plan.
Aki's hand came down and the two fighter's rushed at each other. Blade clashed with blade as they traded blows, their attacks coming in lightning fast.
It was like a blur. Two swirling tornadoes of destruction clashing for dominance, each unrelenting and fierce. They moved back and forth, every step a sign of the one who gained an advantage, and their focus was ironclad with not a single sound from either. All that can be heard was the rhythmic clanging of metal like the beat of a smith's hammer.
Then, as suddenly as it started, they split from each other, both synchronously changing their weapon to its ranged form. Both fired shots, trying to get a hit, but as expected, either their projectiles collided or completely avoided.
"Nice. I see you've improved."
Ace managed to get a quick comment out during the brief lull in their battle. Yu took the moment to get another quick shot at him, which he promptly deflected, before ushering a reply.
"I've been practicing."
Ace chuckled, then proceeded to rush at him with his short blades. Yu reacted quickly enough to transform his bow back into a qatar to block it. As their blades locked together, he leaned in close to Yu's face.
"I can tell." With a quick push, Ae disengaged and went into a series of twirling swings. They were obvious and easy to block, but the fact that Ace held a weapon in each hand and Yu only had the one, he was pushed back. "However, it's not enough to beat me."
Ace continued this series of attacks, and after a few rotations, Yu was forced to the edge of the ring. His feet halted just as it stepped on the line marking the boundary. He gritted his teeth as he stared at the boundary, then back at his opponent who's readying his finishing lunge. If he fell back any further, he would be disqualified, but if attempts to block it, he would expose himself to Ace's second weapon. So, gritting himself, he took a huge gamble and made a risky swipe to force Ace's hands.
Thankfully, Ace complied and drew back both weapons to block it.
"I'm different than when we fought in the woods." Yu grunted as he struggled to force Ace back. Ace smiled as if he just said a joke. It made his blood boil just thinking that Ace might be looking at him with such derision. He felt his muscle tighten as the anger fueled his strength. Then, suddenly, in a moment of clarity, he pulled back his blade, the sudden shift in momentum left Ace stunned.
Ace lurched forward desperately trying to maintain his balance and in that one moment, Yu balled his left hand into a tight fist and landed a solid punch on his face.
Yu felt the impact of his knuckles on an elastic invisible field millimeters from his face, the protection of his Aura, causing a crackling web of energy to race across the point of impact.
Ace's face scrunched up and he was flying a few meters back. He would've fallen onto the floor, but with his dexterity, he managed to tuck into a roll and correct his posture into a crouched position. An ecstatic expression lit his face.
"Now that was a welcome surprise."
Yu wouldn't let this perfect opportunity go. He aimed his qatar at Ace, an energy blast bursting from the cylinder between the two blade's slits. It was easily deflected by a shot from Ace's crossbow, but that wasn't the point. The spark that resulted from the collision of energy served as a smokescreen for Yu to rush in. He raised his weapon readying it for a speedy lunge. Another bolt flew through the static, but with the distorted vision, it went wide.
He took a step forward, his body leaning forward to counter the momentum. This was it. This was the moment of victory.
"Do you want to know why you won't be able to beat me?"
Ace's voice pierced through the smokescreen. As the static faded, Yu noticed Ace's signature smile. It sent a trace of doubt seeping through his spine, but he was already committed. It was now or never. He took another step forward
Then, he noticed it. The shorter blade that was in Ace's left hand was missing. And just as he figured that out, his semblance caught the trail of energy that was aiming him from below. His eye's turned downward just in time to see Ace's discarded mini crossbow disappear only to be replaced by the bolt he fired a second ago. Yu strained his neck to the side, just narrowly dodging the energy beam, which seared his Aura around his cheeks. His posture was compromised, but he still had the momentum. He can still make it.
But as he returned his attention back up, he was suddenly confronted with Ace's other crossbow, not pointed at him, but thrown. Surprised, Yu acted on instinct and swatted it away with his own weapon, but that was his downfall.
The moment he slapped away the crossbow, Ace was already in his face, bare-handed. With one hand, he pushed Yu's weapon hand upperward, shoving his own arm into his face. Then, Ace jabbed his elbow into the pits of his stomach, driving what remained of his breath from his lungs. Disoriented, he was completely exposed as Ace deftly shifted into a grapple position and judo tossed him to the ground.
The world spun. The feeling of weightlessness. Then, impact.
"Kgh!"
Yu's body tightened as pain shot through it. He desperately tried to fight through the paralysis, but it was too late.
Ace planted a foot on Yu's ribs and pointed his large crossbow, freshly teleported to his hands, at his face. His eyes were cold and expression blank, almost like an assassin ready to finish off his target.
"The reason you can't beat me is because you rely too much on your sight."
With those words, his finger inched towards the trigger. Yu tried to reach for his weapon which fell just beyond his reach, but it was too late. Without any escape, all he could do was clench his teeth and closed his eyes.
But just as Ace's finger reached the trigger, the bell rang, it's long onerous tone shattering the unbearable tension of the situation.
"Hmph, looks like it's your win this time. Congratulations."
Ace quickly withdrew his foot from Yu's chest and stowed his weapon. Without missing a beat, he just turned around and started leaving the training hall, even as the crowd were still awestruck to silence at the fight. Even Aki was a little stunned by the outcome, and a bit concerned, but being the professional she is, she put on her best blank face and addressed the students.
"Class is over, you are all dismissed."
It wasn't until Aki called it out that they realized that class had ended and the cacophony of a bunch of students hurriedly collecting their belongings filled the room. Meanwhile, Yu, still prone on the ground, stared seethingly at the fading back of his opponent. He may have beat him under the conditions set, but that only made it feel like he lost even more.
It was frustrating. It was humiliating.
Unable to control the rising emotion, he slammed his fist into the cold hard stone, the dull sound drowned by the incessant footsteps. A searing pain shot up from his hand, but that was fine. The tingling sensation helped him overpower his tumultuous emotion and he slowly got up on his feet. By the time he finally calmed down, the hall was practically empty with the exception of his own team and Aki.
Aki stood by the exit, a little unsure whether to approach Yu or not, but seeing the rest of Team JAYD coming to Yu's side relieved some of her worries. But, before she left them be, she made eye contact with Jade as a reminder of what she said a few minutes ago. When Jade noticed and acknowledged her with a nod, she smiled back and left.
Once Aki was gone, Jade approached her brother.
"Are you okay, Yu?"
He doesn't respond, merely standing there as if in a daze. A bit concerned, Jade reached out to touch his shoulder.
"I'm fine." He grunted as he shook free from his sister's grasp. There was a bit of edge to his voice, but he did his best to sound normal. After realizing he might've been a bit rough shrugging off his sister, he signed and rubbed his temples. "Sorry, I just have a headache after that fight. I-I think I need to rest for a bit."
Without another word he booked off, leaving a worried Jade reaching her hands out to nothing.
A comforting hand patted her shoulder.
"Guess he's having one of those days, huh." Amy attempted to give some encouraging words. "I know you're worried, but give Yuyu some space. I'm sure the stress is just getting to him. He'll be back to his ol' normal moody self soon, yeah?"
"Yeah…"
"Good. Now, come on. School's over, let's go do something!" Amy was practically bouncing as she headed towards the exit.
"Lively as usual, I see." Diamon sighed as he passed Jade. "While I would prefer to study back at the dorm, a bit of respite could go a long way. For all of us."
He then faced Jade while still slowly strolling away backwards.
"Well, how about it? You coming?"
Jade was about to say yes, but then she remembered something she just promised a few minutes ago. She gave Diamon a warm smile and shooed him along.
"Thanks for the offer, but I need to go to Professor Aki's office right now."
He gave a concerned look, but she quickly reassured him.
"No, nothing bad. Just a talk. You go on ahead."
Relieved, he dipped his head as if tipping a hat and left to catch up with his partner, leaving Jade in an empty hall.
After Diamon disappeared around the bend, she let out a long sigh. It has been a while since she saw her brother so uptight like that. Strangely enough, the few times she's seen her brother tense was around Ace, but it was never as intense as today. One the rare occasions she caught the two together at the training hall, Ace was always trying to converse with Yu, but he usually ignored his advances. She didn't know what was going on between them, but whatever it was probably just blew up today.
Whatever the case, she was planning on asking her brother about it as soon as she can, but first thing first, she needs to go to Aki's office.
Jade knocked on the large oaken door nervously. The sound echoed down the long hallway ominously, making her just a little jittery. She knew there wasn't anything to worry about. This was just a chat with a teacher. Yet, the idea felt imposing for some reason and she couldn't help but play with her ponytail as she waited for acknowledgement. It was probably because this was the first time she visited Aki's office so she was a little unsure what to expect.
"Come on in," a muffled voice leaked through the door. The light soprano tone clearly belonged to Aki.
Jade took one deep breath to calm her nerves and reached for the door.
It opened with a soft creak, revealing a small yet comfy room filled with a pleasant floral aroma. On one side of the room stood a large sturdy shelf, filled with books of all shapes and sizes seemingly haphazardly placed, but held a semblance of tidiness. On the other side of the room was a corner desk covered with various documents and folders. Like the shelf it was a bit of the mess, but this time there was no sense of organization to them. And sitting on a comfortable roller chair was Aki, staring intently as some of those documents on her desk.
Hearing the door open, Aki swiveled around and gave a welcoming smile.
"Please, sit." She points to a cushion chair near her desk. Jade awkwardly scooted towards it and plopped down on the soft seat. A moment of silence passed, broken only by the shuffling of papers as Aki neatly placed a few documents off to the side.
"How are you doing?" Aki started off.
"I'm fine, I guess." Jade replied with a shrug. She didn't know what else to say.
"Good, good." Aki nodded. "What about your brother? I've noticed he's been more sociable the last few weeks, but today, he's sort of...hmmm, what's the right word...tense. Did something happen?"
"No…" Jade started to reply, but realized she didn't have an answer to her question. "Well, actually, I don't know, either. I think he's just a bit stressed."
"Hmm, whatever the case, make sure he gets plenty of rest. School can be tough sometimes and I don't want my student's to feel too pressured if it can be avoided. If you or anyone on your team have any trouble, I am always open to help."
"Thanks." Jade smiled weakly. Aki's genuine concern for others left feeling a bit shy. "I will let you know if anything bad happens."
"Good." Aki relaxed into her seat. It seems Yu's behavior earlier weighed on her mind. "So, you remember why I called you here?"
"Yeah...you wanted to ask about my semblance?"
Aki nodded. She briefly turned her head towards her desk and opened a folder. As for what was in the folder, Jade had no idea from the angle she was sitting.
"Have you taken the SAT before?"
There was that word again. It was such a coincidence that she just learned about that today.
"No. Or at least not an official one from what I was told about it. Funnily enough, I found out about it today and was planning on asking you about that."
Aki's eyes lit up in surprise.
"Wow, this is perfect, then."
She flipped through the content of the folder, which Jade finally noticed was her bio after Aki lifted the first page, and seemed to be analyzing some information.
"You know, when you mentioned your Semblance's ability during the first day of school, I was very puzzled." Aki going off while focusing on the folder. "I've known a few wind semblance users, but none of them ever had the ability to see color in the wind."
Jade didn't know what she was getting at. Then, she closed her file and scooted it to the side revealing a second folder.
"You see, semblances are always uniform, so unless you somehow have two unique Semblances, which is unprecedented, then I believe that your Semblance may not be what it appears to be."
Jade unconsciously leaned forward in her seat. This was what she wanted to hear. She was always a little self-conscious about her ability to manipulate the wind being so weak. While she still made the best out of it, there was always the nagging at the back of her mind that there is some secret she hadn't figured out yet. And now, it seems Professor Aki might have discovered it.
"I've been observing you these past few weeks trying to figure out what it might be, but after today's match, I think I have a theory."
She then opened up the second folder, which turned out to be her brother's personal information, and took out one piece of paper.
"And, after seeing your brother's SAT report, I think I'm more than confident in its legitimacy."
Jade looked confused. How could her brother's Semblance be an indication of her own?
Aki noticed this and smiled.
"Have you heard of the Semblance Theory?"
"No," Jade shook her head. "What's that?"
Aki leaned back on her chair, a finger on her chin as she tried to find the right words to explain the concept.
"In the field of Semblance research, in which I was once a part of, there is an understanding that it is impossible to predict a person's Semblance. It is not tied to genetics, nor is it influenced by upbringing. Instead, it is decided by a person's budding personality at a young age, something not even the best scientist can calculate with a degree of certainty. Since everyone develops their own unique personality, that's why Semblances are unique to the individual. There may be similar Semblances, but no two work the same, just like how no two people are the same."
Aki paused for a moment to let that information sink in.
"However, that has changed in recent years."
She took out her scroll and pulled up an image on a holographic projector mounted on the wall. It showed a family, a father, a mother, and a young daughter around four years of age, all with snow white hair.
"Do you know who they are?" Aki asked Jade.
Jade took a closer look at the image. They looked familiar to her. Not personally, but she had seen their likeness in the media.
"That's the Schnee family, I think."
"That's right. The reason I'm showing this is because they are the rare case of a Semblance being hereditary. From the founder of the Schnee Dust Company, Nicholas, all the way to their young daughter, Winter, their Semblance are all the same."
Aki leaned in closer, nearing the end of her explanation.
"That's where The Semblance Theory comes in. It states that a person's semblance can be influenced by genetics or a major event in one's early life. To a slight degree. In this case, we're going to focus on the genetics aspect. Studies have shown that twins, especially identical twins, will have extremely similar Semblance if they are raised in similar conditions, but that can still extend to fraternal twins like you."
Aki handed Jade the piece of paper in her hand. At the top of the paper had the title "Semblance Assessment Results." It was crammed with all sorts of information about her brother's Semblance, but Aki pointed to a specific section of the paper.
'Ability to see Auric flow and predict flow path up to 1.2 seconds in the future.'
"The color you are seeing isn't from the wind," Aki explained. "You can see the color of a person's Aura."
Jade leaned back into her seat, a bit stunned from the revelation. Her whole life she thought the colors she saw were a sign from the wind that guided her through situations, but in retrospect, it made much more sense that what she saw was the aura living things around her. It made sense why she was able to read the atmosphere of a crowd or adjust her performances to rouse them.
"Then, if it's not wind I'm manipulating…"
What is it that she's manipulating? Jade had a feeling what it was, but she wanted to hear it from Aki.
However, instead of answering her directly, she reached for a glass of water sitting nearby.
"Rather than telling you, I am going to show." Aki offered the glass to Jade, who graciously took it.
"This is something you might see in a SAT. If your Semblance was truly the power to manipulate wind, the only way for you to pull the water from the cup is to force air into the cup and scoop it out, which can be very messy, but if my theory is correct…"
She placed her hand on the bottom of the cup. To the ordinary eye, nothing seems to be happening, but to Jade, she noticed it. An orangish brown color slowly permeates through the water like a dye, originating from Aki's hand. It was just like any other time Jade noticed colors around her, but it was now that she finally understood that this was a person's Aura.
"...you should be able to extract the water cleanly."
"And how do I do that?"
"Close your 't try to do anything different than you usually do. Just imagine the water as an extension of yourself and lift."
Jade did as she was asked. She concentrated on the glass of water in her hand. Even if she can't see it, she felt the Aura in the water. It was harder to move than usual, but the resistance soon slackened and the Aura began to shift. It was tough, but then the feeling of familiarity with her ability kicked and she started to swirl the water until it felt spherical in nature.
"Looks like my assumptions were correct."
Jade opened her eyes to see the water floating just above the glass in an amorphous blob. It was shifting constantly as if a current was running inside of it, just as she had imagined it in her mind's eye.
Aki slowly placed her hand underneath this orb and carefully ran her hand through the water. As she does so, Jade felt Aura leaving the water and returning to its rightful owner. When her hand completely combed through the liquid, it suddenly collapsed as if losing its vigor and violently splashed back into the glass, a large portion of it spilling out.
"Your Semblance isn't wind manipulation...it's Aura Manipulation."
"Wow…" Jade let out breathlessly. She had a strange feeling that's what it was, but it didn't feel real until Aki said it out loud. However, there were still some questions lingering on her mind. "But, I thought Aura manifested around us like a forcefield. Then, why is it that I see it around people like a cloud? Or drifting around, as if carried by the wind?"
"Well, it is a common misconception that our Aura clings to us like a paste. After all, it is the only part that can be visible to the naked eye." Aki started to explain as she got out of her seat. She waved her hand a bit and the spilled water jumped to life, shooting into the air before diving into the wasted bin. Then, grabbing some paper towel, she wiped away a few remaining droplets before continuing her explanation.
"But, Aura is so much more than that. It is a literal manifestation of our sense of self, our soul for a lack of a better term. Everything about us, our thoughts, feelings, memories, even personality, is conveyed through it. Even our Semblances come from it. Such a powerful thing simply can't be just a barrier around our body, right?"
Aki posed it as a question towards Jade. She wasn't asking, but more making sure Jade understood what she was saying. Jade shook her head to convey her she was following along, which brought a smile to Aki.
"I have studied this when I was a researcher and the theory I proposed is that our Aura exudes from our body and permeates around us like a cloud. When we use our Semblance it will coalesce to something tangible, when we get hurt it condenses around us to form a barrier."
To demonstrate her point, Aki took a pen and jabbed at her arm. As expected, it bounced off an invisible force and a small brownish crackle sparked from the point of contact. In Jade's point of view, she did notice the muddy orange Aura around Aki shrink slightly now that she's focusing her attention on it.
Then, Aki turned around, exposing her back to Jade.
"Have you ever gotten a feeling that someone is watching you? Or you can feel hostility from some? Or just simply just the feeling of something being out of place."
"Yeah...I think I have."
"Well, that sixth sense, that is your Aura interacting with the environment around you."
Aki finally turned around. She approached Jade and gently held her hand, her eyes sparkling.
"At least that is what I theorized, but after seeing and understanding your Semblance, it lends credence to that theory."
Jade took a moment to process all this information. It was a lot to take in, but thankfully, Aki was able to present the information in a way she could understand. However, there was one thing left on her mind.
"So, what now?"
Aki crouched down so she was eye level with her. She smiled, the same angelic smiled she had on the first day of school.
"Well, if I was still a researcher, I would want to study this more, but those days are behind me. All I want now is to see what you can accomplish with this information. Nothing will please me more than for a student to take the seed of knowledge given to them and turn it into a beautiful flower."
Aki put some light pressure in her hand and Jade could feel the softness of her hand against hers. She also saw her Aura glow a little brighter, radiating around the room. As it does, so too did she feel a warm, cuddly feeling. A feeling that conveyed Aki's sincerity. This, she now understood, was a part of her Semblance and now that she knows, she was more conscious of it.
"Thank you," Jade replied with a light smile. "There's a lot I need to think about, but I definitely won't disappoint you."
Aki released her hand and returned to her seat, returning back to her professional countenance.
"Good, I look forward to your progress."
With that, Jade got out of her seat and went to the exit
Jade approached her dorm room. As she reached for the doorknob, she heard a voice coming from inside.
"No, no. I don't like the shape of that. I think it should be a little catchier. Cuter, too."
"Ok, I'm not sure how to interpret that. Let's just say rounder on the edges."
"Yeah, that's a good word for it."
She opened the door and found Diamon and Amy hunched together over the communal table, seemingly focused on something there. Upon hearing Jade enter, Amy jumped out of her seat and quickly shuffled something away from view before turning around to face her teammate while a bit flustered.
"Oh, hey, Jade. You're … back. Didn't expect you to come back so soon, haha..."
Curious, Jade tilted her head to see if she could make out what Amy was hiding but she was hiding, but she shifted her body to block her line of sight.
"Yeah, it wasn't long, Professor Aki just talked to me about my Semblance. Anyways, what are you guys doing?"
"Oh, nothing. You know me, just checking out some shopping catalogs. Right, Diamon?"
Amy nudged her partner in the ribs as she spoke. Diamon returned her action with a confused look, but followed along.
"Yes, ahem. Amethyst requested my assistance in selecting a style of...article of clothing."
"Yeah, yeah." Amy nodded along before changing the subject. "So what did she say about your Semblance."
"Oh, I did one of those SAT things that you talked about earlier and turns out my Semblance wasn't what I thought it was. Can you believe that?"
"Oh wow, that's amazing. So what is it then, if it isn't wind manipulation."
"It's Aura manipulation!"
"Oooooh."
Amy had a starry eye look as if a kid staring at a shiny new toy. On the other hand, Diamon had a hand on his chin with a more inquisitive look.
"Interesting, although I am a little puzzled on how wind and aura manipulation can be confused. Perhaps you can enlighten us on that."
"Well," Jade shuffled uncomfortably. "It is a bit of a lengthy explanation. Maybe I'll explain it later tonight. You know, with the whole team."
"Sounds reasonable."
"Speaking of which, have you seen Yu around? I was hoping he would be here, but I guess he isn't."
Diamon and Amy looked at each other, a bit hesitant.
"Well…" Amy started.
"He went to the training hall again, as evident by his missing duffel bag."
Just as Diamon mentioned, Jade noticed that her brother's bag he always brought with him to the training hall was missing.
"But he's kinda in a mood when we bumped into him. More of a mood than usual."
"Uh-huh."
Jade had heard enough. From what she heard from them, Yu was bothered by something just as she thought. Depositing her school gear, she prepared to head out again.
"Thanks for the info. I'll be heading out again."
However, as she stepped out the door, she poke her head back in for one last comment.
"Oh, and good luck with whatever you guys were doing before."
Without waiting for a response, she quickly went on her way, lightly jogging towards the training hall that her brother so often frequents.
She soared down the dorm sets and quickly navigated the school's windy path. She had gotten so familiar with the path to the training hall that she could get there with her eyes close at this point.
Soon enough, she arrived at the training hall. Without hesitation, she burst through the double doors and scanned the large hall for signs of her brother, but he was nowhere to be found. Crestfallen, she was about to leave when a group of students at the training ring caught her attention. The reason they stood out was because she just fought them earlier today. They were the members of Team ONYX.
There were three of them on the field: Oni, Nero, and Yin. Xeno, on the other hand, was sitting on the sideline just watching. At first, it seemed like they were doing normal practices, but now that she was paying attention, it was far from normal.
First of all, it was clearly a two vs one situation, with Oni and Nero taking turns launching a series of attacks at Yin, who looked pretty beat up and tired. It was like watching a ringmaster cracking his whip at a caged lion.
Yin seemed to do his best to avoid a fatal blow from Oni's whip sword, but just as he felt safe, Nero shot a blast from his gauntlet which sent him flying.
"Hey!" Jade unconsciously shouted out. Without even realizing it, she was rushing towards the stage.
The two aggressors turned their attention to her once they heard her voice and their expression immediately soured.
"Well, well, well, look who decided to show. If it isn't Ms. Ballerina."
Jade gave them an angry look, but ultimately ignored them and helped Yin to his feet.
"Are you alright?" She whispered to him.
"Yeah…" His voice was strained and his legs were wobbly, but he managed to steady himself with the help of Jade.
"What do you think you're doing?" Oni angrily called out to her. "You're disturbing our training."
"You call this training?" She lashed back. She doesn't get angry easily, but the way he said it irritated her. "I should be the one asking you what you're doing! This is clearly bullying!"
She couldn't help but raise her voice, causing a few heads to turn from other training areas.
"You don't know what you're talking about." Nero scoffed by Oni's side. "This is how we always do things. Besides, it's not like we want to be here with Yin. This is all for his sake. Isn't that right?"
Nero turned his head towards Yin and demanded a response. Jade also faced him with pleading eyes hoping it wasn't true. However, he just hung his head and nodded weakly. Jade couldn't fathom how this was for his benefit so she decided to confront the two members of ONYX again.
"What do you mean it's for his sake?"
"Do I have to spell it out for you?" Oni replied with exasperation. "Come on, we fought like an hour ago. It's the same reason why I didn't want to duel with him: he's dragging us down. No skill, no coordination, even his grades are mediocre."
"So what, you're just going to beat him up until he gets better? That's no way to treat your teammate."
"Not for long he isn't."
"What?" Jade stared at Oni in confusion, which garnered a toothy grin from him.
"You see we already discussed this with Headmaster a while back. Turns out you can't kick someone from your team for being pathetically he did give us a compromise. If, by the end of the Winter Tournament, Yin doesn't reach a level that satisfies us, then he will remove him from our team. Or, the other option is that he declares going Independent by his own volition."
Jade looked at Yin again. "Is this true?"
He gave another weak nod.
Jade sighed. Independent. It's not a word you hear often, but it was a keyword during Orientation. Basically, an Independent is a student not part of a four man team. Normally, there shouldn't be any Independents, but sometimes things can happen to teams, whether they leave the school or things don't work, leaving uneven teams. The leftover students are put into a separate curriculum and rarely participate in teams unless another team hosts them. It is quite a lonely existence, so Jade could see why Yin didn't want to do it. It also explains why he was trying so hard these last few weeks, even getting help from Professor Aki.
"I still think the way you are doing this is wrong. He's been trying so hard to improve on his own. Just beating on him like this accomplishes nothing."
Oni just shrugs.
"This is how we do things. If he doesn't like our methods, he has the choice to leave. Either way works with us."
"You mean you don't care what happens to him."
"You got a problem with that? Last time I checked you weren't a part of our team. What does it have to do with you?" Oni squared up menacingly towards Jade. However, she wasn't afraid. She just matched his posture. "You wanna fight? Just sayin', I only lost last time because I was dragged down. If you're gonna fight me, I'll show you how strong I really am."
The atmosphere got tense. The two stared at each other with razory glares. Everything seemed to grow quiet.
Jade's palm began to sweat as she balled them into a fist. As much as she wanted to stand up against him, he was right. This wasn't her fight. Winning or losing won't help Yin in any way, but she felt like she needed to do something for him. But what?
What would Jaq do in this situation? A sudden thought popped in her mind. For some reason, she recalled that moment in the forest, standing alone against the overwhelming force that is Jaq Hart. She recalled the words she said to her and her own effort to discover herself.
With a deep sigh, she relaxed her posture and backed away from Oni.
"A challenge, then"
Oni doubled back in confusion, unsure what she meant.
"You said that Yin has until the tournament to meet your expectation. Then let's make it a bet. Since the tournament is duos, if Yin and Xeno get farther than you and Nero, then that would prove he is capable of keeping up with you guys."
"That proves nothing. For all we know, Xeno could do all the work for him."
"Then are you saying Xeno can get further by himself than you two?"
This left Oni speechless. Jade had hit a sore spot. It wasn't hard to tell that he had a large enough ego to not admit someone to be better than him.
He looked angrily at Xeno, who just made an ambiguous shrug, before turning back to Jade.
"Fine. But if he ends below OR at the same level, then he's out."
"Deal."
Oni snorted belligerently as he stuck his hand out for Jade to shake in order to seal the deal. Jade flinched for a second unsure what his gesture meant, but when she realized his intentions, took his hand and made a firm shake. With the deal done, Oni said a quick word to Nero and the two storm off the stage.
"Oh, and I'll be doing you a favor and take care of Yin's training myself, since, you know, I'm sure you need the extra time to prepare yourselves for the tournament, too."
It wasn't like her to use sarcasm, but after the rush of adrenaline from confronting, she was feeling a little brave. Oni did stop in his track for a moment, as if to make a rebuttal, but he just shook his head and continued walking.
"Do what you want. I don't care."
Those were his last words before kicking open the exit doors. Xeno followed behind after a brief moment looking between his now divided team. As usual, he didn't say anything, merely nodded to Jade and Yin, before he left.
"Thanks for that." Yin said dejectedly. While he was appreciative that Jade stood up for him, he seemed a little upset that he had to be rescued.
"No problem."
"Did you really mean it?"
"Mean what?" Jade cocked her head to the side.
"Helping me train?"
"Yes, one hundred percent." Jade smiled as she patted him on the shoulder.
A bright light shined within Yin's eyes, but a sudden dark thought crossed his mind and he shied away. Seeing the shift in his posture, Jade immediately figured out what was on his mind.
"No, I don't do things like them. Whether on the battlefield or the training grounds, we're equal. I won't try to stand above you and I hope you treat me the same. Alright?"
"Yeah…"
"Good, now go clean up and rest. We're going to have a busy tomorrow. Oh, and if those two bother you at your dorm, you can always come stay with us."
Jade had no guarantee over that promise, but she felt confident it would be fine. If nothing else, she had gotten to know her team well enough to know that they wouldn't turn away someone in trouble even if it may inconvenience them.
Yin's mood brightened as her words brought a sense of relief. He dusted himself off and went to collect his stuff, but before he got off the stage, he still had a few words for Jade.
"Thanks again, for everything. I'm sorry I've put you and everyone else that's been helping me through so much. I'm sure you guys have better things to do than spend your time with me."
"No, that's not true. In fact, this is a perfect opportunity for me. I recently learned some new things about my Semblance and I'm looking for someone to practice with. Amy and Diamon are busy with each other and Yu is always off doing god know what. So in a way, you are also helping me."
Yin chuckled. It was the first real sign of positivity she saw from him since they met and it warmed her heart a bit. However, now that Yin seemed ok, her original reason for coming here returned to her mind.
"By the way," she called to the retreating Yin. "Did Yu come here today?"
Yin turned around, a bit startled, but raised his head to think about it. "Now that I think about it, he was here for a little bit, but didn't stay too long."
"Ah, okay. Thanks."
Yin hesitated for a second, wandering if she had anything else to say, but once he was sure that was it, he left the hall as well.
Meanwhile, Jade stood at the middle of the stage still, wandering why his brother left so early. If he changed his mind on training, she should've at least bumped into him when she was back at the dorm or on the way here.
She scanned the room, there were still a few scattered students minding their own business, but her eyes lingered on one station. The range. It was empty and stood out like a spotlight in a dark room. She slowly approached it, drawn to it by some magnetic force. Something was telling her this was where she would find her answer.
She accessed the terminal and pulled up the records. A familiar holographic projection appeared above. It was the list of scores by previous students. However, the scores were different from what she last remembered.
Yu's score has gone up one point, beating out the previous 2nd place record. However, he still remained on the third spot. Ahead of him, was the same unknown student from a different year, but, a new name has taken first place.
She felt a lurch in her stomach as things started to click in place. She didn't know when it got there, but now she understands why her brother has been on edge. Especially around him. She doesn't know if it was purposeful or accidental, but whatever the case, she felt something will go wrong if those two ever confront each other.
"It's going to be a long week." She muttered to herself as she turned off the terminal and backed away. However, even when the screen was gone the name was burned into her mind.
With a score of 100: Ace Spades.