Chapter 14: Azul, Abilities and Aura
"Zelda, Link. You two have retrieved the white queen and a white knight pieces respectively." Ozpin professionally spoke from atop the stage of Beacon's main hall. Link and Zelda were standing opposite of the headmaster while teams RWBY and JNPR stood as the audience. "From this day forward, you two will work together as the team pair, Azul (ZL), led by Ms. Zelda." The eight audience members cheered for the new team and for Zelda as the Hylians in hiding turned towards them. "This will surely be an interesting mix." Ozpin finished with a smirk, lowering his voice so no one would hear him, almost no one.
Walking down from the stage, the newly formed team was swarmed by RWBY and JNPR who were showering them with praise. Everyone congratulating and supporting them after the Emerald forest. Mostly to release their pent up emotions.
"So you're now officially Beacon students." Weiss said, her tone harsh then turning to friendly, "Good job."
"And it seems like you'll be leading again." Blake quietly commented with a smile.
"Yeah, looks like." Zelda said, her thoughts visibly distant.
Link approached and put a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see him with a look of understanding after which she put on a smile knowing her knight would support her.
"So you went with the white knight, huh." Yang said, nudging Link's shoulder who shrugged in response, "Should've known the knight would pick the knight."
"You two did go with your actual jobs and responsibilities, any reason?" Pyrrha asked curiously.
"Well, did you guys have to gather chess pieces as well?" Zelda spun a question at them.
"You're never gonna give us a straight answer are you?" Ruby said dejectedly.
Zelda giggled at the reaper's plea, enjoying the sight of relaxation, "Not everything can go your way Ruby."
"Yes we did, we retrieved the white knights as well." Weiss mentioned.
"And we got the castles." Nora said in a sing-song tone.
"Hmm, the knights shall fight for what they believe while the rooks stand and hold the attack." Zelda mused to the confusion of the other two teams.
"I'm sorry, what?" Jaune said, himself confused the most.
"When Link and I found the temple where the pieces were held, we came up with a theory that whatever piece you retrieve reflects the personality of the group and if you all retrieved the same pieces, that all but confirms it." Zelda explained, as Link nodded in conformation.
"That, surprisingly, makes a lot of sense." Blake said as she thought about it.
"It is a plausible theory." Ren reasoned, "We never really thought about it with all the Grimm about."
"That does sound like us." Ruby admitted as she remembered their few adventures.
"So what, we just so happened to pick what we valued, you're making it sound like there's more to it." Yang said lightheartedly.
"That's just it, we don't know," Zelda said, "If the pieces were placed there on purpose, why were they chosen out of all possible items that are available. Ozpin must have another, hidden reason as to using normal chess pieces."
"Though that does sound reasonable, it isn't like Ozpin to hide away something that big." Pyrrha said.
"I don't know, he can be kinda spooky sometimes." Nora said, waving her fingers in a ghostly manner.
"I hope I'm not too spooky." Ozpin said with a grin as he popped into view, making Nora jump around to see him with his coffee mug in hand.
"Oh not at all." Ruby quickly said after she jumped back herself.
"Hmm." He muttered with a smile, taking a sip before speaking. "Every year I choose a different set of items for relics. This year just so happened to be chess based and might I say, I wasn't expecting you to know of chess."
"It was a surprise to us as well but our worlds seem to be more similar than first thought." Zelda responded.
"Indeed." Ozpin said with another sip. "But I wanted to officially congratulate you and welcome you to Beacon. We are still looking into ways to get you back to your own world but in the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy it here, having an outside perspective may help in some ways." He finished vaguely before walking off and exiting, leaving the ten alone in the hall.
After what Ozpin just said, Link will definitely want to look into him.
"Okay, being that cryptid definitely is a bit spooky." Ruby said.
"Definitely." Jaune agreed.
"Told ya." Nora cheered even after her jump scare.
"Soo, now that Oz is out of the way, we've got two weeks off now. What should we do?" Yang asked the group.
"Didn't you say you wanted to spar with Link?" Blake questioned.
"Why yes I did Blake, yes I did." Yang responded sarcastically. "What do you say?"
With a small chuckle, Link gazed up and away while raising his right hand to his chin to stoked it in fake thought. He already made up his mind the minute she asked the question. After a moment he returned his gaze to the group, he nodded in response, ready to see what this school can offer.
"Alright, arenas are this way." Yang said turning in their direction.
Wanting to see the show down, the group made their way towards the arenas. As they walked, they caught the gaze of a few students who looked over to see just where a group of ten people were heading to. Link and Zelda ignored it, they knew they were new so they knew they would attract some looks but if what Darvin said was true, they shouldn't have to worry about seeming out of place. They were physically the same age as everyone even if they technically were over a hundred but as with everyone else, they were just teenagers so they didn't need to worry about that. The only things they needed to worry about were the questions people would have.
After a few minutes of walking, the group made their way into the empty combat classroom, well almost empty.
"Excuse me, may I help you with something?" Ms. Goodwitch asked, looking up from her scroll towards the group.
"Nothing much, Link and I wanted to spar for a bit." Yang casually admitted.
"You do know that there are other arenas to train in don't you?" Goodwitch said with a glare.
"Yeah but they're a bit too small for my liking, and besides, we didn't even see all of Link's initiation. I'm wanting to see what he's got."
Against her better judgement, Ms. Goodwitch relented to Xiao-Long's request. To be honest she was curious herself at what the knight could do. "Alright, but I'll be refereeing the match."
"Cool." Yang said as she and Link made their way down towards the arena. While the rest got seated in the observation deck overlooking the arena.
"Who do you think will win?" Jaune asked a moment after everyone was seated towards team RWBY and Zelda.
"It's a toss up from what we've seen." Weiss said.
"While Yang can take a hit, Link is efficient and versatile." Blake elaborated.
"I think Yang will take this." Ruby declared on behalf of her sister.
"What do you think Link will do Zelda?" Pyrrha asked of the princess' opinion.
"Link, he won't go down without a fight, he'll fight to the very end if needed." Zelda responded with memories jumping around.
"So likely a battle of attrition." Ren concluded.
"It would seem that will be the case." Weiss commented in response while folding her arms to watch.
Finishing their pre-fight predictions, the two combatants came out into view, Link walked to the right side of the arena while Yang took the left. They stood opposite to each other, ready to fight.
"This will be a standard tournament style match." Mrs. Goodwitch said in between the fighters, "Once either fighter's Aura reaches below fifteen percent, I will call the match, declaring the winner. Good luck." She finished as a picture of Yang and a freeze frame of Link appeared on transparent displays above the arena.
Link looked up to the monitors in slight confusion. He had heard the term 'Aura' be thrown around before but didn't know its true meaning on Remnant. Seeing himself on the monitor, he noticed the green bar below it and figured that it was keeping track of whatever this 'Aura' is. Returning to his opponent, Yang brought her fists together causing Ember Celica to fully extend into their gauntlet form as she loaded a shell chain into it. Link in response brought out the Master Sword as his weapon of choice in his right hand and the Hylian shield in the left. They were both set and ready to fight.
Jaune looked at the knight with awe, the way he stood to his hold on his weapon, they were all points that showed Link is a true knight and overall better than what he was even without even seeing him fight. Pyrrha saw the distraught look Jaune had and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Feeling the warmth, he turned and smiled but knew that while he was here, Jaune would always compare himself to Link, for better or for worse.
Back in the arena, the two combatants stood ready to face off. Once a safe distance back, Ms. Goodwitch initiated the match, "Begin."
Yang launched herself forward with a reverse shotgun blast. The blast was strong enough to lift herself up and force herself rocketing towards Link. As quick as her first blast, Yang pulled her fist back, ready to land a devastating blow on the Hylian. Link held his shield up in defense and stopped the punch, the tiniest sliver of Aura being deducted from Yang's bar as she now was in her preferred range. She threw punch after punch towards Link who either deflected them with his shield or the blunt side of his sword. Unrelenting, she pushed forward more and more, pushing Link back until he was left vulnerable for a split second which Yang fully capitalized on, knocking Link right in the gut. Before the battle, Link blocked Daruk's protection as this was only training but after that hit, he knew that the blonde brawler could do some damage. Steadying himself, Link guessed the punch took a heart, a heart and half off, nothing to worry about, just don't leave that opening again.
As he pushed back into the fight, Zelda looked to the screens to see Yang's Aura still at roughly 98% while Link's also sat at a healthy 95%. With her interest peaked, she just had to ask.
"What is 'Aura'?" Zelda asked, eyes not leaving the fight.
Everyone's eyes were immediately upon her, no one believing she just asked what they think she asked.
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that." Blake said in disbelief, unsure if the fight was louder than she thought.
"Aura. What is it?" Zelda asked again, slightly confused by the seven's reaction.
A unified "WHAT!" resonated throughout the auditorium, temporarily halting the fight.
"Teams RWBY and JNPR, please control yourselves." Mrs. Goodwitch said with venom before turning back to the fighters. "Resume."
"You don't know what Aura is?" Weiss questioned in quiet uncertainty.
"No, you've mentioned before, along with Dust, the term but I was unable to ask until now." Zelda confessed.
"Manifestation of your soul, a force that flows through every living creature, a protective shield, ringing any bells?" Weiss asked in her own sarcastic tone to cope.
"Nothing, it's a completely foreign concept to Hyrule." The princess sheepishly admitted under everyone's uncertain gazes.
Yang and Link continued to spar in the background, everyone's attention was off of them and on Zelda.
"If you guys don't know what Aura is, why does Link have a near full bar?" Ruby asked as everyone looked at the score, 95% Yang, 90% Link.
"He must have an Aura if it's counting it." Ren deduced.
"Yeah, you sure you have no idea what Aura is?" Nora added.
"Again this is new to me." Zelda affirmed.
"In the emerald forest, did either of you feel something you haven't felt before, something that made you feel more powerful?" Pyrrha asked.
"Link didn't mention anything and I only used what I had in Hyrule." The princess said.
"Back in the forest, you were nearly dead, how did you survive? Aura is a natural healer." Blake questioned in an attempt to rationalize the supposed miracle.
"A healing fairy from Hyrule." She returned but didn't elaborate, the others had a lot to take in but the topic of Aura wasn't being pushed aside again.
"So nothing, neither of you have any connection to Aura and yet Link is going toe to toe with The Yang Xaio Long, one of the strongest fighters in Beacon." Weiss summarized.
"Apparently." Zelda said, returning her attention to the fight.
Link was now at 82% while Yang remained at 95%. He was on the defensive while she remained on the offensive. Link kept on taking hits, not on accident but on purpose. Yang was fighting in a brute strength way which was becoming predictable to him and right on cue, she extended a right hook towards him. Seeing the attack coming from a mile away, Link jumped to the side as time slowed around him. Now with an opening of his own, Link attacked with a relentless flurry rush of attacks. Seven swings connected onto her side, each taking 5 to 10% of her Aura, leaving her with only 48% remaining.
As time seemed to resume to its normal speed, Link backed away, ready for Yang's next attacks but she stood there in shock. The monitor lost Aura so quickly that it caught everyone off guard, including Yang herself who actually had a cut or two on her side. Placing a hand to where Link slashed, she felt the slow flow of blood turn dry as the wound started to heal itself. Seeing blood wasn't a common occurrence in the academy, so seeing herself bleed for a second shook her up slightly, just long enough to receive a kick straight in the abdomen, pushing her back a few feet.
On his end, Link wasn't entirely sure what the big deal was that made everyone go silent, not noticing the sudden healing in the heat of the moment, but he wasn't going to give her a free break now. That resulted in Link kicking Yang back, where a flash of yellow surrounded her, this time surprising the knight, momentarily halting his advance. Now the two stood a few meters apart, both with questions but still in the fight.
"What on Remnant just happened?" Weiss said surprised.
"He took nearly half her Aura in one attack." Blake said with wide eyes.
"I'm assuming that's not good for Yang?" Zelda asked.
"Well, she's a special case." Ruby responded cryptically but in shock as well.
Team JNPR remained silent, continuously watching the battle that was unfolding.
"You know, you sure do know how to hit." Yang offhandedly praised Link, raising her fists as he raised his shield, "But let's see if you can handle this." She said with fire, launching herself into the air to come down with a powerful, shotgun punch. In response, Link successfully backflipped away from the incoming attack as the rocketing fists collided with the ground. In his second flurry rush of the match, Link swung at the brawler who was trying to match his speed in real time but he was faster. In an unlikely opening, he sped behind Yang and stopped on a dime. Before she could even recognize what happened, Link already hit her back with an upwards slash, a few strands of golden locks billowing in the sword's wake. Her Aura taking another beating.
"Oh no." Ruby deadpanned.
"What?" Zelda asked but no one answered.
"He's dead." Weiss added.
"It was nice knowing him." Blake finished.
Turning to see just what he had done, Yang's eyes went wide seeing the effect of Link's slash. "Oh ho ho, you should not, have, Done, THAT!" She yelled at the top of her Lungs as her eyes turned blood red. In a reckless haste, she threw a punch that connected right in the center of Link's shield stopping the blow but pushing him back a good few feet as a result. Link felt the hit like a smash from a Lynel's sword. She was holding back on him all this time and that only pushed him further. With his thoughts, a smirk grew on his face, a smirk not of malice but of delight. After his fight with the Calamity, even if it wasn't that long ago, he needed to train and remain in top shape and the brawler was expertly providing.
Each strike either of them delivered thereafter had more and more force behind them. Yang's punches being amplified by her Aura and Semblance, Link's swings gaining strength from the thrill of a new challenge. The two played each other, exchanging blows as both their Aura levels steadily dropped, Link's slightly faster than Yang's. Now the score was 26% Yang, 33% Link, and both of them were starting to feel it, well Link more so than Yang. She was still on her Semblance high pushing Link to defend again, moving fast enough that Link couldn't find a weak point.
In a last ditch effort, Link pushed away a punch and to the surprise of everyone dropped his shield. Yang didn't care, she kept on swinging as he now only had his sword to defend himself with. Throwing more punches towards him, Link barely managed to dodge the swings as he jumped around and away. Swinging again, he was even able to redirect her punch as if it was an outstretched blade but her defence was good and he just couldn't hit her. Yang started to chip away at Link's Aura, bit by bit as he was getting dangerously close to the 15% threshold, now at only 17%. As he stepped back from a swing, he left himself open and vulnerable. With a strong Semblance and Dust explosion launch, Yang ran and delivered a devastating punch right in the stomach, launching Link back into the arena wall, completely destroying what remaining Aura levels he would have had. The screen above showed Link at 0%, completely and utterly defeated.
"What?!" a surprised audience let out, all eyes on Link, seeing the carnage that he was left in.
"The match is over!" Ms. Goodwitch said with urgency as she started rushing over to the injured Link.
"Oh no." Blake said grimly.
"He really doesn't have any Aura?" Weiss said but was more of a question still that was filled with remorse.
"He looks really hurt." Pyrrha commented.
"H-how, why?" Ruby said with wide eyes at the sight of the impact.
"It's over?" Jaune asked.
"No." Zelda said in quiet defiance. Everyone turned to her for an explanation as she watched the arena.
"It is my pleasure." A female voice came from around Link gaining everyone's attention.
"Mipha." Zelda said with remorse as everyone looked to see the Zora spirit start to miraculously heal Link, his Aura levels filling up and going beyond full, now at just under 120%. The two teams in the stands and Glynda looked on with wide eyes and were utterly speechless.
"W-what?" Blake questioned now, still processing this.
"How?" Pyrrha asked just as confused.
"Now way!" Jaune said in shock
"Impossible." Weiss protested.
"L-Link?" Ruby asked with concerned confusion.
"Ooh, round two." Nora said, energized and ready to rumble while Ren remained silent.
Fully revitalized, Link returned to his feet, any and all wounds he once had, had instantaneously disappeared. Lifting his head to see Yang, a devious smirk appeared on his face, completely contrasting everyone's surprised looks as she stepped back in shock. With his sword in his right hand and in the left, the Sheikah slate, Link held it out to the side, screen facing Yang. Upon the screen was the symbol for the bomb runes with his finger hovering over it. Glancing to the blonde's sides, Link's grin widened as Yang followed and looked down at the ground beside her. Her eyes went wide, red turning back to violet as she saw the two bombs on either side of her, sitting slightly back.
"Oh fu-" She uttered before Link pressed the screen, simultaneously activating both bombs. Twin balls of explosive, blue light, launched her into the air, straight towards the waiting Link.
With the press of a button, the blonde brawler was sent flying heading right for Link. Raising his sword, Link readied himself to truly end this. Swinging hard with a downwards slash, the blade connected with the flying Yang. The force of the swing knocking her into the ground where she lays in defeat. The screens above showed her Aura level had reached 7%, eliminating her from the battle.
"D-did he just?" Ruby stuttered.
"H-he did." Blake responded hesitantly.
"H-how, he should be out of Aura, how did he get so much in an instant?" Weiss questioned, just barely holding onto sanity herself.
"It wasn't tracking Aura, it was tracking his life." Zelda said, starting to piece things together.
A collection of "Huhs" responded from the group, prompting her to continue.
"From what I know," She said, finally turning to the group, "Link just died."
A/N: And there's another chapter done. The fight between the knight of Hyrule and the Brawler of Beacon. If anyone was confused at the Aura levels, Link's flurry rushes, like in the game, deal multiple critical hits and pack quiet a punch. Other than that, Yang was going to win if not for Link's special tricks. A breakdown will happen next chapter but until then, you'll just have to wait.
Favorite, follow and review with your thoughts, I'd love to see them all, bye.