Author's Notes
Well, look at that. FFnet finally decided to add an OMORI category. Fancy that. Uploaded some of my AO3 fics here if that's your Life Jam.
Enjoy this chapter. Review, Follow, Favorite, Review, in that order.
Chapter 40: Something to Prove, Part 1
-Monday-
Putting on her Beacon uniform proved to be a tedious process. While she had recovered well enough to walk without aid, she still felt a general weakness permeate her body. Fine movements like buttoning her blouse proved a challenge thanks to the slight tremble of her hands. Her throat still bothered her, so moving it around to look was a pain and then some.
And she couldn't help her eyes from wandering to Kohaku's empty bed. The brunette had decided she needed some time away from the team. Away from her, lest she gave Mytyl a curated piece of her mind. And not 'curated' in a 'good' or 'sanitized' sense, but in a 'carefully chosen to cause the most damage' sense. Kohaku had done just as much at Copen after the latter refused to buckle on explaining why 'their team were throwing their place in the tournament'. Mytyl was thankful it took her brother more than just words to upset him.
Since the missing members of Team Sun wouldn't be arriving until next week, Kohaku took full advantage of her friendship with the eponymous team leader and crashed in their room without any trouble. Mytyl had to wonder if Goodwitch knew, but it was just as possible the disciplinarian didn't care. They were, legally, adults. The faculty wasn't there to make life choices for them.
Finishing the blouse, she began to struggle with the ribbon, each wrong pull chafing the thermal gauze wrapped around her neck. After the third failed attempt, a pair of hands softly moved hers away and began to tie the lace.
"Just ask for help if you need it," Copen said, making sure the ribbon would pass even the scrutiny of Weiss Schnee. Satisfied, he reached for the uniform's jacket and offered it to his sister. "There is no shame in accepting help. You should know this by now."
Mytyl took the jacket nodded. Of course she knew that. But she had really hoped that was a thing of the past. At least for this particular reason. With the jacket in place and buttoned, she was as ready as she would ever be to confront the day. And what a day it promised to be.
While she was left to go on Saturday, she spent the entire Sunday resting in bed, the only pause to the monotony being whenever GV or Copen brought her food and the visit from Team Rupee. Juneberry's absence was painfully noted, but Mytyl opted to keep an optimistic outlook and came up with as many possible reasons for their absence as she could. And Kohaku made it a point not to spend more time than necessary in the room, only entering to fetch a few sets of clothes. It made for a pretty boring and melancholic Sunday, not helped by her aversion to looking at GV in the face. Speaking of…
The doors slammed open. And through it GV dragged a corkboard/whiteboard into the room.
Copen eyed him suspiciously. "I'm going to regret asking this… but Volt, what exactly are you doing and why is Blake's mysterious conspiracy board with you?"
Mytyl left her aversion to the side, asking herself the same question. And once more, which she signaled to Lumen to ask out loud.
"Lady Mytyl asked where you were this morning."
Pushing the wheeled board to the side, GV spared a look at his teammates. "Early to rise, early to sneak into JNBR's room while Blake is still asleep. You're awake. Good. I wanted to talk to both of you." GV clapped his hands together in front of his face, then shifted them downward to point at the twins. "You know about Autumn Records, right? Miss Number 1 and Mister Number 2?"
"The MMO?" Copen asked. "Sumeragi is still funding the servers for that thing?"
"They are. This upcoming Sunday there's this big raid and I may have flaunted I knew the two of you."
Both twins raised a brow each. Copen, having the uninjured vocal cords to do so, spoke for both of them. "You flaunted? You know how to flaunt?"
"Not my proudest moment. On the other hand, it boosted my gamer cred and shut up my boy Xiao. But I need to deliver, so we," he gestured at all of them, "are raiding this Sunday."
"Volt, no."
"Volt, yes. I just need one of you. And Jaune will be there."
Copen sighed in defeat as Mytyl perked up, then looked at him with puppy eyes.
"Fine," Copen whined. "We're raiding this Sunday." He couldn't say no to Mytyl. But he still felt he was missing something.
"That doesn't explain why you needed to steal Blake's board. Where did she get that thing anyways?"
"This is a raid, not a walk in the park. We have to be on top of this. My gamer cred depends on it. This," GV smacked the board, "will be the canvas in which we'll draw our path to victory."
Copen groaned. He was not getting his Saturday, was he?
-o-
They arrived at their Grimm Studies classroom with time to spare, opting for a pick-me-up breakfast rather than a full course. Most of their peers were already there, being as diligent as possible to hopefully net a spot in the tournament. Most of them already considered it a failed endeavor.
And dread pooled inside Mytyl when she thought about how wrong they might be.
Surveying the students, Beacon and transfers alike, her eyes landed on a familiar mop of golden hair. She hesitated for a second upon seeing another familiar mop, this time light brown, sitting only a few seats away between a second blond mop and Nora. But Kohaku's presence will not deter her. Already signaling Lumen what to say, Mytyl made her way towards Jaune.
"'Hello Jaune, how are you doing,' said Mytyl while dreamily batting her ey- ow! Don't hit me!"
Mytyl huffed in annoyance at the bot extraneous commentary, but didn't allow it to lessen her mood. She didn't notice Kohaku's roll of eyes or the rest of JNBR apprehension and discreet glances at Jaune.
"Good morning, Mytyl. I'm doing fine."
Mytyl stood there with a blank, confused expression. She hadn't been expecting Jaune's overly formal, even cold, reply. She tried again, hands quickly signaling Lumen what to say.
"So, GV said we're playing AR on Sunday. I'm a bit rusty, so maybe you could help me there?"
"He did?" Jaune looked at GV, who was looking at the interaction with some degree of confusion himself. "I'm busy, but I'm sure GV is up to the task of catching you up to speed."
Chatter continued around them, but the silence between those listening to the exchange was stifling. For everyone present, it was hard to look at Mytyl. The lost look on her face was painful. And even more was the quiet, whispered "Oh…" that escaped her lips and the meek nod that was her answer to Jaune's suggestion.
Copen's wasn't entirely bought on his sister's… choice. But he respected it and his first instinct was to pull Jaune and ask what the hell was wrong with him. Instead, he was pulled himself, leaving him staring into ice cold orbs that pierced his very soul, leaving the frigid fury of Atlas's winter in their wake.
"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Weiss hissed; her face morphed into a snarl that went against every rule of propriety taught to an Atlesian socialite.
"Me?" he retorted. "Did we see the same thing? Jaune-"
"Jaune was a known quantity! Do not dare to tell me you just click on my message to leave it as seen without reading!"
Copen's eyes widened, his memory recalling the text.
Weiss Schnee: Jaune is not in a good mood. The secrets are getting to him. Don't let Mytyl talk to him.
Crap. With everything, he had forgotten about that. He found it childish of Jaune to hold that against Mytyl. But Weiss was right; Jaune was a known variable and they should have worked around it. And now Mytyl looked like a kicked puppy, walking to the farthest row, sitting on the farthest seat and resting her head on top of the desk, disinclined to deal with the rest of the world.
Weiss sent him one last glare before moving to sit next to Mytyl. The rest of Team Rupee – looking with a mixture of sympathy and, in Yang's case, indecision – followed Weiss's lead.
"Ahem," the booming voice of Port interrupted their drama. "Students, please take your seats. You wouldn't want to miss a second of my enthralling class."
GV tapped Copen on the shoulder. "Go and smooth things out with Mytyl. I'll work on Jaune."
Copen sighed and nodded. This week was already promising to be a long one.
-Tuesday-
Kohaku was busy doing her Dust homework.
"-this is getting out of-"
'How would you incorporate Dust into your repertoire (if you already use Dust, how would you expand it)?'
With Dust, she could better emulate Kon's fighting style. Although there was the issue of preventing self-damage. Kon's relative immunity to lightning played some part in her fighting style. Perhaps limiting the Dust used? Maybe she can ask Weiss, Ruby, or GV for ideas?
"are you list-"
Recalling how her Aura felt like an ember when unlocked, she decided a possible update for her weapon was fire Dust to heat her weapon. Dealing with the heat would be relatively easy. Is there a Dust combination that produces heat without flames? Another question for either Weiss or GV.
"-not listening, are you-"
She wrote that down, as well as the intent to further research Dust combinations and personal note to look into fire Semblances. Next question: 'What shortcomings introducing the changes discussed above can bring?'
She can burn herself? No, wait. Didn't Russel once mention how rapid changes in temperatures could fracture the metal? She should look into that…
"KOHI!"
Kohaku jumped off her seat, startled by the shout right next to her ear. Rubbing her ear, she glared at the culprit. "The hell, Sun!?"
Sun sat cross-legged on his bed, unrepentant of his action. "You were ignoring me. I was asking when you are going back to your room?"
"Are you… kicking me out?"
"Maybe." Seeing Kohaku's incredulous face, he elaborated. "I know you're mad at your team, but that's normal. My team is constantly mad at me."
"Because you have a habit of ditching and leaving us to our own luck," Neptune elaborated from his bed while leafing through some comics.
Kohaku looked at Sun. "You told me your team would go with you to Hell if needed!"
Sun raised his hand to placate his brunette friend. "Now, now, Kohi, no reason to redirect your anger."
"'Follow him to Hell' is a very strong choice of words."
"Dude!"
"We are willing to tether him with a chain and quickly pull him out if he starts screaming."
"Dude! Where's my respect!?"
"You left it in Mistral. Sage is in charge of bringing it with him. Hey, do you think Weiss would go with me to the dance?"
Sun looked at Kohaku – who was holding her laughter – and disbelievingly gestured at Neptune, his brother in all but blood. He couldn't believe he once called him brother in all but blood!
But Sun couldn't stay anything but happy and soon his bright disposition returned. If nothing else, he was an asset to his name. "So, why are you mad at your team, anyways?"
Kohaku's good mood dampened, but still remained to some degree. Sun had that effect on people. "I already told you, you dork."
"Why do you love to hurt me!?" Sun dramatically held a hand to his chest.
"Get a room, both of you," Neptune complained halfheartedly.
"This is a room," both Sun and Kohaku responded. Neptune opened his mouth to argue but found no words. He shook his head and went back to his comics
"Kohaku, I mean you never struck me as the kind to want to participate in the Vytal Festival so badly."
Deciding no work was getting done for the rest of the day, Kohaku cleared her appropriated desk and organized her papers. Once done, she gave Sun her undivided attention. "Sun, Kon won her tournament. Don't you think I would like to do so too?"
"Team Sun will bring you down," Neptune deadpanned while triumphantly raising a fist to the sky, eyes never leaving his comic.
Sun ignored him. "…Point taken. But this is a team tournament. You cannot do that without a team."
"I also cannot do that if my team leader throws our chances down the drain for some secret," Kohaku remarked. "I'm frustrated. Mytyl wants this just as much as I do, but she prefers to end up in a hospital bed than be open about it. Keep her damn secrets rather than tell us why we are risking our position in the tournament."
"A team cannot run on secrets."
"Thanks, Neptune," Kohaku saluted the blue-haired boy, who sent her a thumbs-up right after flipping to the next page. "I'll make sure to put in a good, cautionary word for you to Weiss." She returned her attention to Sun despite Neptune's indignant squawk. "I'm just… I just need some time away from Mytyl and Copen. Clear my head."
Sun sighed. "I don't mind housing you for a few more days, but I really think you should make peace with your team."
Frustrated, Kohaku went to her borrowed bed and fell on it, arms and legs splayed as she stretched and let out an exasperated groan. "How am I supposed to do that when half my team, including my partner, refuse to talk?"
"Don't talk it out."
Kohaku raised her head and looked at Sun. "You want me to fight it out? Because that's what those words mean in the context of a combat academy."
"Yes, fight it out. Against other people. You have to prove Goodwitch that your team is capable of completing a mission, right? Then prove it in the ring! Take the initiative!"
"Sun has a point," Neptune spoke up. "If it's a matter of proving your team can deal with a mission in case your team leader is incapacitated, then you have to prove you can punch above your weight. And that means you and Mytyl, specifically, have to step forth and prove it."
Kohaku remained quiet, mulling over her current roommates' words. Without being able to convince the teachers with words, they were left to convince them with action. She had to remind herself they weren't actually out of the tournament yet, just on probation to decide if they are fit to undertake their official mission.
But it can't be something small. Beating someone in her league wouldn't do. Neptune was right. She needs to go big or go home. But… can she pull it off?
"I'm sure you'll think of something," Sun assured her. "You have always been the brains of the operation. The mastermind to us mumbling minions. The dough to the pizza."
"The what?" Neptune questioned.
"What with that analogy?" Kohaku followed.
"The wingwoman to my wooing of the village girls," Sun continued.
"…I repeat myself, the what?"
Contrary to Neptune's lasting confusion, Kohaku giggled at the last comparison. "A thankless job, I'm sure." She sat up from her resting position, crossing her legs and stretching as she placed her hands on top of her feet. "I don't think I can beat any of the top students in a straightforward fight, though. I need an ace."
"You're smart," Sun reassured her with a toothy grin, "I bet whatever you come up with will knock us off our feet with awe."
"Thanks," Kohaku said, her mind lost in thought trying to overcome the problem. Roving her eyes through the room, her attention got caught by her Dust homework.
-Wednesday-
She reassessed her initial expectation of Monday. This week was proving to be promising. In all the bad ways. Jaune has been avoiding her, JNBR were following his lead, RWPY were treating her like a glass ornament, Kohaku was MIA, she couldn't look at GV in the face – and she lived in the same room with the guy –, and the teachers were watching her like hawks. They thought they were being discreet. They thought wrong.
Copen, Lumen, and Lola were about the only parts of her life that weren't chipping at her sanity. Sure, Copen was spoiling her more, but she was used to him occasionally doing that. Even her father was putting her on edge by virtue of not showing signs of life despite Ozpin supposedly contacting him.
And then there was the little revelation that landed her in this predicament in the first place. And the reason she was currently lurking in the library.
"Lady Mytyl, we've been here for over an hour just looking at random books. Why?"
Mytyl hummed noncommittally, communicating she heard Lumen, but didn't really have a ready-made answer at hand. She lazily swept her finger across the spines of the books in front of her, reading the titles under her breath, making a mental note of those that might prove worthwhile. But nothing had really caught her attention among the rows upon rows of towering bookshelves that formed the narrow passages of Beacon's impressive library.
She had been at it for the better part of two hours since classes ended. Searching the library up and down for books that sparked her memory. Not having much to do during her childhood, she had been an avid reader. Nowhere near Blake's level, but few were. She loved when someone in her family read her a story. After her surgery, with much more options and a clear goal available to her, reading fell by the wayside. But since reading and hearing stories was one of her main activities before the surgery, it was the one thing she could think would help her ground herself as Mytyl Kamizono.
"Are you not finding any book that interests you?"
Stopping, Mytyl reached for her backpack and pulled the headset of her combat outfit. The main purpose of the headset was to allow her to communicate with Copen and the pods in case speaking out loud wasn't an option. The idea was to work around the noise of battle and distance. Regressing back to temporary muteness wasn't within the scope, but now it was an unexpected boon.
She couldn't speak normally without beginning to cough while the pain of her throat killed her. But talking in a whisper was easy enough. And since only Lumen needed to listen to her…
"Not really. There are some I recognize, but not quite what I'm looking for."
"And you're looking for…"
Mytyl frowned. "Not sure… how much of me is me and how much I am her?"
"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what you're talking about…"
Mytyl paused for a second but continued scanning the books. She hadn't told anyone about the report, not even Lumen. And the bot just confirmed she hadn't pried on her own despite having access to it. She was thankful for that even if it wouldn't help Lumen help her.
Her finger stopped in one book. Tilting her head, her bell ornament chimed and caused her to frown. At the same time, the scar of her surgery ached, but she ignored it. Reading and rereading the title slowly, Mytyl resolved to pull it from the bookshelf and take a closer look. Gliding her hand over the cover, a thin layer of dust sullied her fingers, suggesting the book had been lying there, forgotten, for some time. Despite that, the tome was well-kept, the brown leather-bound cover in pristine conditions beyond the dust. The title was written in elegant cursive gold letters, with a similarly elegant stenciled design showcasing a myriad of fantastical beasts placed roughly in a circular pattern.
'Creatures and their Myths.'
Mytyl eyes continuously alternated between rereading the title and looking at the design. Especially at the bird and the winged humanoid lost between a myriad of other fantastical, fictional animals.
"Mythological creatures?" Lumen asked, looking over Mytyl's shoulder at the book.
"Why fairies?"
"Huh?" Lumen expressed.
Mytyl didn't mean her question to be heard, muttering it mindlessly more to herself than for Lumen. Carefully, she opened the book. Like the cover, the pages were in good condition, albeit slightly thicker than modern books' pages. It was an old book. Not old enough for time to take its toll, but old enough to be printed before mass-produced editions were a common thing. A small mercy, since it saved her from having to decipher handwriting. The format was simple: the book went over fantasy creatures present throughout mythologies and folklore from every corner of Remnant, detailing their origins, significance, and history.
Looking at the table of content, she was quick to identify fairies and flip the pages to the appropriate section. She quickly skimmed over the introductory paragraphs.
"Fairies… originated from eastern Sanus folklore… mostly associated with pranks, wards, and sickness… recent representations have veered toward more benevolent portrayal…"
As far as it went, fairies were fairly inoffensive in regard to her tastes. Recalling a few stories featuring the winged creatures, she enjoyed their mischief and occasional elegant aesthetic, but… why fairies? Why did she design her combat outfit around butterflies and fairies? Now that she thought about it – truly thought about it with a critical eye – they were neither her favorite animal nor mythical creature, respectively. Yet her Aura took that shape when she mimicked Ruby's Semblance.
She needed to look into it further. Taking the book with her, she quickly went over the fairy section, skimming over the words as she made her way to a table.
The week wasn't over with her and she paid the price of walking without looking where she was going.
"Ugh!" she grunted as she crashed into a person and bounced back, losing her footing and hitting the bookshelf on her left. Closing the book, she attempted to apologize, but stopped herself just in time to remember she couldn't talk without physical, self-inflicted repercussions. In turn, that gave her enough time to realize who she crashed into.
"Ms. Kamizono, are you alright?"
Mytyl's mind halted as it came to terms with the fact that she had just walked into Headmaster Ozpin.
"Professor..." she barely whispered.
The Headmaster was looking down at her with restrained amusement, as if she hadn't just walked into him. In his hand was an opened book even older than hers. He looked curiously at her. "Ms. Kamizono, feel free to use sign language. Reading lips is not as easy as movies suggest it is."
She wanted to smack herself with the book and damn decorum. In fact, she did just that, embarrassed that she attempted to communicate with the professor the same way she did with Lumen.
An idea popped in her head.
Ozpin watched with curiosity as Mytyl looked at her floating bot and whispered at it. Then with amusement as the girl stood ramrod and bowed respectfully. And finally, with genuine surprise at what followed.
"Good afternoon, Professor."
It was Mytyl's voice, but the words didn't come from the girl. They came from the bot floating next to her.
"Remarkable ingenuity, Ms. Kamizono. Although I'm a bit surprised none of your teachers had brought it up."
Mytyl looked down bashfully, not expecting praises from the Headmaster of Beacon. At least not so easily given after Saturday's events. Whispering at her headset, Lumen relayed her words. "I just thought about it."
"I'm sure your professors will appreciate it once you show them. What brings you to these oft forgotten corners of the library? Cannot say Folk Literature is a popular topic among young Huntsmen and Huntresses with schoolwork and limited free time."
The truth? She walked most of the Literature section indiscriminately. It just so happens she was now going through Folk Literature. But she wasn't about to say that. Thankfully, she was saved by Ozpin himself as his attention went to the book she was carrying,
"'Creatures and their Myth'?" Ozpin said recognizing the tome. "An interesting, well written book. Written some sixty years ago, if I'm not mistaken. I believe that's a first edition. Pity it has fallen out of favor as our understanding of the creatures of Grimm have expanded."
Mytyl canted her head. "What do the Grimm have to do with fantasy creatures?"
She was unprepared for the glint in Ozpin's eyes and the uncharacteristic enthusiasm in his voice. "More than you think, Miss Kamizono. Humor me for a bit. What came first: the Vacuan sphinxes that preyed on unwary travelers and assaulted them with riddles, or the Grimm of the same name that prowl the mountainside of Mistral? Are the leviathans of legends the same creatures of the deep as the Leviathan Grimm? Are poltergeists named after the Geist Grimm, or is it the other way around?"
Understanding dawned on Mytyl, her mouth forming to a little 'o' shape as Ozpin continued. "Much of what we know of the Grimm today came after the founding of the combat academies. Before, the Grimm were shrouded in a veil of superstition and mysticism. Even today that veil remains for the rarer species of Grimm."
He hefted the book he was carrying. "You'd find that a lot of the myth behind those creatures are rooted in a speck of truth, not unlike fairytales. Even if that speck of truth is simply someone catching a glimpse of a Grimm and failing to recognize it as such, hence the birth of a new mythical beast."
'Fairy Tales of Remnant'. Those were the words on display on the cover of the book Ozpin was holding. While Mytyl's looked like a manufactured, if old, book meant for sale in limited quantities, Ozpin's exuded an air of lasting history. The pages were yellowed with time and the velvet red cover showed signs of age on its corner, only preventing the worst effects of time by the obvious efforts of someone with experience curating books.
"Feels like observing the weight of history, doesn't it, Ms. Kamizono?" Mytyl's attention shifted from the book to Ozpin's knowing smile. "Why don't we talk a bit." He began walking down in the direction of the study tables, the clack of his cane echoing in the silence of the library. "As you can probably imagine, being the Headmaster brings with it quite the workload. I might be able to push more than I should to Glynda and my secretary, but it is a rare opportunity when I can indulge in some of my more frivolous pastimes. Like reading, for example."
"Reading children fairy tales?" Lumen – relaying Mytyl's words – said. "I wouldn't place you as the kind of person to do that?"
Ozpin chuckled. "It's going to take some time to get used to your little friend speaking for you," he quipped, causing Mytyl to blush in embarrassment. "Fairytales are not as 'for children' as most modern retelling will have you to believe. They primarily were told in the form of fables, conveying lessons and moral teachings. And, for better or for worse, there are few better teachers than fear and pain. Misbehave and the Chill will come your way."
"The Grimm Child," Mytyl said, recognizing what tale Ozpin was referencing. It was one of the most well known and popular fairy tales given the horror ingrained in it. It lent itself extremely well for retelling across multiple media.
Ozpin smirked, pleased with his student's recognition. "Precisely. You'd find that many of these tales are darker than the version you might be used to." He punctuated the end of the sentence by tapping the book he brought with him, now resting on the table. "And while I like looking at them and dissecting their morals, I find it equally fascinating to search for that bit of truth hidden in their words.
"You'll find some wear the truth on their sleeves. In the case of The Grimm Child, it is based on a real Grimm. Thankfully, nowhere near as strong as the story paints it."
He sounded so passionate. It was an odd interest to have. Compounded by the uncanny air of mystery Ozpin loved to portray. Mytyl supposed that as far as hobbies went, there were worse and even more boring ones the Headmaster could entertain. "And what are your favorites?"
Internally, Ozpin chuckled to himself, wondering how many times he has been on the opposing end of a similar question. "I have a few I like rereading every now and then," he said with a nostalgic tinge. "I'm fond of 'The King, the Crown, and the Widow' and its warning against how knowledge can corrupt; the 'Story of Seasons' and its teachings about how a small act of kindness can warm even the most jaded souls… and I admit I indulge a bit when it comes to 'The Hunter's Children'. Being most likely the inspiration on how the Hunter's Academies work, the Huntsman in me is fond of it."
Mytyl had to admit. She was at awe. She knew Ozpin was a good and engaging speaker from class. But the eagerness when he spoke of fairy tales was on another level. "You truly are a big enthusiast."
"I suppose I am," Ozpin conceded. "What about you, Ms. Kamizono. Any favorites?"
She thought for a few seconds on her answer, then nodded with conviction. "I really like 'The Girl in the Tower'"
Ozpin had to stop himself from flinching. But something must have escaped, because his student looked at him in confusion and admitted as much. "You don't like it, sir?"
"No, no," he was quick to say. "It's a fine enough story. It's just… I don't think much about it, so you caught me unprepared." He stopped and after briefly considering, he added. "And admittedly, I'm not fond of how it is written. Do you… identify with the girl."
Mytyl shrugged. The Headmaster, if he didn't know, already suspected as much. "I guess I do. Being sickly in my youth, I dreamt of a proverbial knight saving me. I like how the girl took fate into her hands and did what she could to draw aid her way. Don't you think it's a nice sentiment? It's ok to seek others' help as long as you are willing to put forth some effort of your own?"
"I guess," Ozpin said contemplative. Truth be told, the story's peculiar origins and hidden goals made it hard for him to judge as an independent piece of literature. "The story itself is fine at face value, but I'm not fond of the writing. I haven't thought much of its teaching due to how hard it is to read for me."
"Well, I think it's neat. While I like the story, what truly draws me is how it's written," Mytyl admitted. "I think it's interesting how it's penned as if the girl was writing her own story and is aware it's a fairy tale."
Ozpin nodded and even mentally sighed in relief. He had to admit the unique narrative tool employed was a stroke of genius in making the story stand out. "So, you care more about style than substance?"
"Nothing like that!" Mytyl waved it off. "No amount of style can fix a boring story. But if you make me choose between two good stories, the execution matters. It's the reason I also like 'The Gift of the Moon' for its imagery and 'The Infinite Man' for how cool its aesthetics are."
Ozpin blinked. 'The Gift of the Moon' was, admittedly, an interesting tale with stunning imagery. But 'The Infinite Man'? Cool?
"Cool?" He wanted to berate himself for asking, already regretting the unspoken answer.
The girl in front of him silently laughed sheepishly. "I read the original, but my favorite version is the movie. Kind of hard not to read the title 'The Infinite Man' and not make it as cool looking as possible when adapting it."
"Mytyl says, her mind wandering back to the dreamy profile of the lead actor playing O- GAH!" Lumen mimicked a scream as her owner plucked her from the air and began loudly smashing the pod against the table, blushing furiously and rambling about the appropriateness of saying that in front of her Headmaster.
For his part, Ozpin played it 'cool' and kept a poker face. All while his ancient soul internally screamed. How he craved the sweet release of either coffee or chocolate. But it was not meant to be. He just didn't dare bring his mug to the close proximity of the priceless books that littered Beacon's library. Lest they met an untimely end as soon as some students decided to have a literal 'book fight', as Team Stark once oh so helpfully showcased.
Eventually, the deafening shrieks in his head subsided and he had enough clarity of mind to internally speak ill of the dead and curse Oswald. Or was it Osbourne? Both?
At any rate, he filed the part of him morbidly curious about the film – and see how the titular Infinite Man was portrayed – and focused on moving the conversation to a safer topic that didn't involve one of his students blushing – to avoid other words – over an actor portraying Oziel… he thinks. Maybe?
"Fantastic beasts!" He blurted, stopping Mytyl midway from throwing overhead the basketball-sized Lumen, as the lavender-haired girl gazed at his uncharacteristic eagerness to switch topics.
Ozpin coughed. "Am I correct in assuming you are a big fan of fantasy creatures?"
Deciding she still needed Lumen to relay her message, Mytyl placed the blue and white pod on the table and muttered her answer. And waited. And when she realized Lumen was not about to repeat what she said to her headset, did a quick slam of the pod against the table, nudging whatever loose screw compelled the combat pod to disobey her order.
"My lady says she likes them well enough. She was an avid reader and remembers having a passing interest in mythological creatures at one point."
Nostalgia then. Ozpin could relate to wanting to lose oneself in simpler times every now and then.
"My lady also doth protest too much."
That earned Lumen a smack from Mytyl, who began to furiously whisper at the pod. Ozpin didn't catch what she said but allowed himself to relax once more. It must be quite hard when your weapon is able to talk back, and he idly wondered what The Long Memory would have to say about him and his many lives if it was alive and capable of speech.
"Do you have a favorite creature?" Focusing back on him, Mytyl closed her eyes and thought. Ozpin found it a curious action. Given the girl's combat outfit and courtly play he has with the Arc boy, he would have expected fairies or elves to be the obvious answer. "How about fairies?"
Mytyl frowned. "I like their elegant interpretations. That much I can admit… but I'm not sure if they're my favorite creature. I'm not too fond of the malice and sickness associated with them in their older incarnations."
Ozpin nodded. He could see a sick girl not being fond of harbingers of diseases. But then… was her butterfly/fairy motif purely done for aesthetic reasons?
Mytyl looked at the cover of her book, particularly at the stylized stencil of multiple fantastical creatures. Then she perked up. Ozpin could see the moment an epiphany manifested, as the girl swiftly leafed through the book, stopping in one particular page. Her eyes widened and a grin spread through her face.
She quickly turned the book and pushed it at Ozpin. "The phoenix?" Ozpin asked, his eyes focused on the majestic bird painted on the page.
Mytyl nodded. "When I was a kid, I always wanted to see a phoenix. Depending on the myth, their tears, feathers, and songs are said to bring health and wealth in equal measure."
Again, the desire to heal. Ozpin felt genuinely bad the girl was now being punished for the bodily harm her Aura caused. It was clearly a very sore point that haunted her even to this day. But it wasn't up to him. At least, not enough for him to antagonize Glynda when he was just as in the dark as everyone else.
"And of course, it's pretty," Mytyl confessed bashfully, taking back the book and looking at the gorgeous, regal bird.
Ozpin chuckled. "Style over substance, isn't it?"
Mytyl shrugged as if to say, 'what can be done'. "Between their healing properties, their beauty, their enchanting song, their kickass ability to die and rise from the ashes" – once more, Ozpin mentally flinched, not fond of the concept of immortality – "and… and that's all! Guess I got carried away. But yeah, I'd say phoenixes are my favorite."
And yet the girl had chosen to dress as a fairy. The dissonance wasn't lost to him. And Ozpin hadn't missed her blunder at the end. She was going to add another item to her list but changed her mind at the end. It was just one mystery after the other.
In the end, the girl didn't seem out of the ordinary beyond some family-wide conspiracy that he downright expected from a family whose net value was calculated in ten to eleven digits. He hadn't found anything in his fairy tale book – he suspected the fairy tale he remembered about too much power too young was much older than he remembered. Made sense, since he was looking for it due to it dealing with thinly veiled magic.
He silently gave thanks that the girl didn't ask him about fantastical creatures in fairy tales. He was not in the mood of dealing with dragons given their relationship to the Two Brothers in Remnant's folkflore.
"Maybe I should ask my friends their favorite fantasy animals for Halloween. Do costumes. Make it a group thing. I think GV and Yang like dragons…"
And that was his cue to make a hasty retreat. "A topic to ponder another time, Ms. Kamizono. Unfortunately, as I said, the life of a Headmaster is a busy one and I already spent my limited free time in our engaging conversation. Hopefully we can continue on a future date."
Standing up and picking up his fairy tales' book, Ozpin nodded his head in a salute. "Hope you the best of luck in your current endeavors, Ms. Kamizono."
She waved a goodbye at the professor, keeping her eyes on Ozpin until he was lost around the corner, towards the entrance to the library. Looking down at her book, she tallied the pros and cons of taking it out as she admired the phoenix drawn in its page, in all its fiery and...
She sighed. All its orange glory. It was dumb when she thought about it like that, but she had almost revealed her Aura's original color. In the mind of a little girl, a pretty bird that shines in the same color as you was about the coolest thing ever. It was one of the simpler reasons she liked the phoenix when she was young. And she was not willing to bet on Ozpin filing that as an interesting factoid not worthy of deeper inquiry.
"Come, Lumen. Let's check out this tome and fetch some food. Maybe we'll see Jaune."
Mytyl deflated despondently. Lumen remained quiet, just bobbing up and down in a facsimile of a nod. The pod normally would be all over her and Jaune. That she remained quiet didn't bode well for Mytyl's chances.
-Thursday-
GV opened the door of this dorm.
"GV! Where's my conspiracy board!?"
"So you admit it's a conspiracy."
"Don't test me, Volt."
"How do you feel about MMO?"
"Wha- I don't like them."
"Really feeling this friendship is one sided. Your board will make for adequate compensation."
"Volt! Don't you da-"
GV closed the door on Blake's face.
-Friday-
Kohaku sprung into a jump as Jaune launched her from his shield after she tried to land an aerial kick. Flipping on air so she was facing the blond knight, Kohaku raised her gun and fired a spray of bullets to keep Jaune planted. Landing, she began spinning in place, sending a shot with each revolution and building the momentum of her sword-whip before unleashing a devastating swing that would have left Jaune reeling for a follow-up had the boy not ducked under the attack instead of blocking like she expected.
She didn't let that stop her, as she continued into one more spin to maintain the whip's speed, but transitioned into a low sweep that Jaune jumped over. But Kohaku lived up to her self-proclaimed 'whirlwind of blade' moniker, much to Copen's eternal embarrassment, and transitioned into a jump, angling her body so that she was rotating forward, and her blade descended upon Jaune from above with calamitous intent.
This time, Jaune blocked, shining a blinding white the instant her whip connected with his shield. His Semblance completely ate the momentum of her attack, his supercharged Aura not even registering the hit. With the whip flopping uselessly at Jaune's feet, Kohaku pressed the recall button and pulled her weapon back into its sword form. Immediately she aimed at Jaune with her pistol, not wanting to give the boy a chance to close the distance.
Jaune raised his shield to defend. Only to panic upon discovering the shield had folded back into a sheath. Without the surface area of the shield, he was left to tank the bullets, his Aura and Semblance flashing to mitigate as much damage as possible, his sword occasionally managing to block a bullet.
"8…9…10…" Kohaku muttered under her breath, counting each shot she took. She didn't think Jaune had the presence of mind to count shots, but just in case she was ready to surprise him with the very last one. Let him lower his guard when he expected her to reload.
Firing once more, with one bullet left in the clip, Kohaku placed her bid forth. With a careful stroke, she unleashed her whip once more. But rather than make it slash at Jaune, it shot straight forward as if attempting to stab him. The weapon was ill-fitted to stab a person with armor and even less one with Aura – never mind Jaune's ridiculous brand of Aura.
But that wasn't what she was aiming to do. The sword shot past Jaune, over his left shoulder. Just close enough to Jaune to hopefully fool the boy into believing he just barely dodged it. Before the whip fully extended, Kohaku raised her gun and aimed it at Jaune.
Or at least that's what the boy believed if the glow of his Aura revealed his expectations. Instead, Kohaku aimed at her blade, at the section right above Jaune's shoulder. The pistol rang loudly, the bullet pinging of the whip-blade, causing the extending whip to twist and curve. Wrapping itself around Jaune's neck, blade inwards. Horror dawned on Jaune's face upon realizing what was coming next, minutely shaking his head, pleading mercy at the brunette.
The whirlwind of blade showed no mercy! She pressed the retract button of her blade.
Immediately her whip tried to retract back into a sword. And part of it valiantly did so. The other part tightened around Jaune's neck, earning an 'ack' from the boy and dragging him to her feet. Through the entire ordeal, Jaune struggled futilely to unhook the sword from his neck, where the blade was biting at his Semblance-enhanced Aura.
With Jaune at her feet, Kohaku was quick to kick Crocea Mors off his hand – an easy feat since the boy was panicking at the whip choking his life – and stomping his sword hand to make it more difficult to break free.
"Surrender," she asked Jaune, pulling at her sword to make clear what the alternative was. The slow and grueling alternative.
Jaune eagerly began to smack the floor with his free hand in surrender.
"Winner is Kohaku Mino!"
With the match called, Kohaku quickly allowed the blade to extend into a whip fully, lessening the strain on Jaune's throat while the boy carefully worked on freeing himself.
"Ms. Mino, excellent performance. Once you managed to create some distance between yourself and Mr. Arc, you kept your opponent at a distance with both your weapons and created the opening needed to subdue him. Admittedly, your method was a bit on the gruesome end and would be highly frowned upon against an Aura-less criminal. I suggest you avoid using it in a tournament setting.
"Mr. Arc, you began the match well, closing the distance to your opponent and keeping pressure. However, you literally catapulted her away from you and decided the match. Be wary of your opponent's range. And you might want to look into ranged options yourself. Good sporadic use of your Semblance to mitigate damage without wasting much Aura by keeping it on. Overall, an acceptable performance.
Both students smiled at the praise, even if Jaune was laced with more criticism.
"Well done to both of you. You may go back to your seats."
Swiping through her scroll, Goodwitch considered who to match next.
"Professor?"
Her eyes looked up, where Kohaku was still standing. Jaune was already on his way to the bleachers but stopped upon seeing Kohaku was not following.
"Yes, Ms. Mino?"
The girl fidgeted a little, steeling herself for the upcoming request. "I was wondering if I could fight in the next match and pick an opponent."
Goodwitch paused, eyes wandering to the last Aura reading of the girl. It hovered in the 70% - a clear handicap but hardly a deciding factor if the girl was mindful of who she challenged.
"It's an unorthodox request and with your current Aura levels you'll be fighting an uphill battle. Any reason why you want to fight again?"
To prove my team belonged in the Vytal Festival. Of course, Kohaku couldn't just outright say that. "There is something I want to try, but as much as I respect Jaune, he isn't the right opponent to test it with."
"And you couldn't ask your team for help?"
Kohaku wasn't comfortable with that question but decided to be truthful. "My team and I… are not exactly looking eye to eye at the moment."
Goodwitch sighed. Of course they weren't. Should she indulge the girl? It wasn't like the fights remaining would decide what teams will be chosen as potential representatives for the tournament. All it would do was give the girl a chance to prove she was capable of pulling her leader's weight. That was probably the true reason Ms. Mino was asking for another fight, Goodwitch realized. Seeing no real harm, she nodded. "Very well. Who do you wish to challenge?"
Kohaku breathed deeply at what she was about to do. With the slightest of tremble, she turned to the audience. "I challenge Yang Xiao Long."
-o-
Yang bit down on her pocky stick, faintly aware she was the focus of attention of everyone present.
"You shouldn't eat in class," Weiss scolded her.
"So… are you accepting?" Pyrrha asked her partner, who slowly pushed the rest of her sweet into her mouth, chewing with intent.
With her sweet properly eaten, Yang stood up steadily, cracking her knuckles in preparation for the fight.
"I guess I accept."
"Yang…" Ruby trailed off, unsure how to put delicately that… well, Kohaku stood no chance.
"What do you want me to do, Ruby? She asked for me by name. And it's not like we haven't fought before."
"Still," Ruby muttered, seeing Yang make her way to the arena. Her sister was virtually guaranteed to sweep the floor with Kohaku. "Big Bro Copen-"
"Was there a hypnotism seminar where you all trained yourselves to not say my name correctly?"
"-do you know why Kohaku is challenging Yang?"
Copen shrugged. "Beats me. But she does have some aces up her sleeves."
"You can do it, Kohi," Nora stood up and cheered. "Put that blonde bimbo in her rightful place."
"That could be interpreted as meaning let Yang win," Pyrrha pointed out.
"Oh, she knows what she said," Ren clarified, scooting a bit to allow his team leader to take a seat.
Jaune was inspecting his shield, still in sheath mode. Careful not to hurt anyone, he tried to expand it, but beside a little shudder and a clicking sound that to Ruby might as well be the equivalent of being told she was terminally ill and would die in a few hours with nothing to do about it, nothing happened.
"Hey, Rubes, can you check what happened to it?" Jaune asked, offering the sheath-shield to Ruby.
Ruby took it and quickly worked on performing a cursory assessment, opening the small cover that gave her access to the mechashift mechanism. With her expertise in weaponry, it didn't take long to find the problem. "One of the gears was knocked out of place, see?" She pointed at a gear that had been forcefully dislodged from its slot and was now precariously clanking among the rest of the mechanism.
"It's an easy fix," Copen, who watched with interest over Ruby's shoulder, commented. "Kohaku must have hit the shield very hard to dislodge it like that, though."
"I'll fix it for you, Jaune. I'll have it ready before curfew." Ruby offered happily. Crocea Mors might not be as cool as her beloved Crescent Rose. But a weapon was a weapon was a weapon. If she could tinker with her friends' weapons and help them, it was like a quadruple win or something!
"Thanks… but just fix it. I don't want it to transform into a robot!"
Shoot. Ruby agreed with mock sorrow, accepting the sword component too. Her eyes fell back to the shield. Copen was right, despite its age, Jaune's weapon was in impeccable condition and very well-made. For Kohaku to break through the natural sturdiness of the weapon and Jaune's Aura, her hit must pack one hell of a punch. More than one hell of a punch.
She looked at the arena, where the two combatants stood facing each other. Suddenly, Ruby felt this battle wouldn't be as simple.
-o-
"So, Kohi, any reason you want to fight me?" Yang asked while stretching, curious as to why the brunette would call her out. While the fight against Jaune left Kohaku relatively healthy Aura-wise, it still gave her opponent a significant advantage, not helped by the fact that Yang was seeded better than her in the rankings.
Giving a few experimental swings to her sword and double checking her gun was loaded, Kohaku politely answered. "I need to fight a strong opponent. And since the top four students consist of two of my teammates, Pyrrha, and you, you are the only real choice."
Yang nodded. She was not going to blame anyone for not wanting to deal with Pyrrha or GV and Kohaku fighting Copen would probably undermine whatever the brunette was trying to do.
But she just had to say the following. Smiling, she nudged at the audience and asked, loudly: "What about Nora?"
Kohaku couldn't help playing along. "What about her?"
"THOSE ARE FAMOUS LAST WORDS, MINO! WIPE HER IMPURE DIRTY BLONDENESS, BIMBO. UPHOLD THE PURITY OF BLOND HAIR!" That was Nora.
"What she said," Sun followed up.
That had both combatants laughing good-naturedly.
"Well, guess I have to uphold the purity of blondeness." Yang took a fighting stance.
"But I'm a brunette," Kohaku sheathed her sword, ready to unsheathe and slash at a moment's notice.
"Not when you're hit just right by the sun." Yang grinned smugly. "All the Suns."
"…Has anyone told you hitting you is extremely cathartic?"
Yang laughed and Kohaku allowed herself to smile. Glynda watched from the sidelines, happy to allow good-natured banter if it meant no hard feelings among the students down the line. But they had limited time and other fights to go on.
"Are both combatants ready?"
Yang and Kohaku nodded.
"Very well. Ready. Set… Go! "
Yang lived up to her silently attributed nickname of a 'blond bombshell'. Sure, the nickname mostly referred to her personality and looks, but it was applicable to how she fought. Kohaku considered herself fairly fast and nimble, but it lacked in comparison to Yang's shotgun-powered movement. One moment, she was in her boxing stance a good distance away. The second Miss Goodwitch began the match, the explosion of her shotgun drowned all sound in the auditorium and Yang was looming over her opponent, a fist fast approaching.
Kohaku scrambled to pull her sword, just barely making it in time to block Yang's punch. The power behind it pushed her back, feet sliding across the arena. Yang didn't let up, following her first strike with an uppercut aimed at her stomach. Kohaku caught the punch with the side of her blade, redirecting it.
Taking a page out of Kohaku's own book, Yang transitioned her punch into a spin followed by a backhand that squarely connected with Kohaku's cheek. The brunette was sent flying a fair distance, landing on her back.
She forced herself to roll, bring up her gun and fired blindly in Yang's general direction. Her guess paid off, halting Yang's ferocious and relentless attacks. Each shot hit, if not with perfect accuracy, well enough to halt the blonde powerhouse on her tracks and force her to defend.
Kohaku needed to keep Yang at a distance. Without stopping to fire, she quickly got on her feet, swinging her sword into its whip form and compounding the pressure on Yang.
The respite didn't last long. Yang had a strong Aura and could afford a couple of hits. And she leveraged that advantage to its fullest, hitting the whip out of sync and taking that tiny opening to launch herself forward and close the distance, ignoring the relatively minor damage Kohaku could deal to her Aura in the time it took her to close in and deliver a punishing punch.
And that wasn't accounting for Yang's Semblance.
Kohaku recalled her sword and dodge Yang's first punch. Then the second and the kick following that. The dance continued, Kohaku making sure to maneuver so that her back was as far as possible from the edge of the arena. The brunette could feel the absurd power each attack carried as they barely missed her. It was made worse since she needed to dodge sideways, letting the punches sail by her.
Except when she didn't. She tried to move back, just out of range of the punch and was welcomed with a point-blank fistful of shotgun pellets right to her midriff. Once more, the force had her flying backward. Tumbling down and rolling back to her feet. Since it worked the first time, she leveled her gun and once more stopped Yang's charge.
She risked a quick glance at the Aura levels. '41% against 88%.' She winced. Yang hit like a truck. That was almost 30% Aura gone from a direct punch and a point-blank shot. At this rate, it would take two direct hits for Yang to win. She couldn't allow that. She would have preferred to whittle Yang's Aura a bit more, but it didn't seem like she could afford it. She holstered her pistol, sending her whip to buy her the time she needed. Reaching to the pouch on her, she pulled a small yellow ball with glowing red lines.
-o-
"What is that?" Ruby asked, squinting her eyes in the hope of getting a better view.
Behind her, Copen leaned forward, watching with rapt attention. Weiss noticed. "You are awfully interested. What is that in her hand?"
"She asked me on Wednesday for a way to integrate Dust into her armory," Copen explained. "So, I built those gadgets in short notice. They are filled with Dust and Yang is in for a surprise."
"You built a Dust grenade?" Ruby asked, a little disappointed the person she christened 'Big Bro' did something so… uninspired.
Copen scoffed. "Not exactly. They are refillable, for starters. But yes, you will see explosions."
"Go Kohi!" Nora yelled. A day with explosions was a good day in her book.
"And you built those in two days?" Pyrrha asked in surprise. Things that explode do not tend to be reusable.
"I did build Lola and Lumen. I could have done more with more time."
And yet, Ruby had a feeling they were about to witness something ridiculous. She just didn't know if it was because of Copen or Kohaku.
-o-
Yang was about to do an encore of breaking through Kohaku's slashes when the whip retracted. Looking over her guard, she saw Kohaku casually tossing a small ball up and down on her left hand, her sword resting on her right hand resting on her shoulder.
"What is that?" She asked, her pupil bouncing up and down as she eyed the device warily.
"Oh, a little thingamajig Copen whipped up for me. The first of a long string of apologies I'll squeeze out of him."
"Copen?" Yang echoed. Then the implications hit her. She frantically prepared to cut Kohaku short before the brunette could play her cards. But for all her speed, Kohaku beat her to it.
Kohaku batted the sphere her way in a lazy lob that immediately screamed danger to Yang. Nobody tossed what looked like a grenade like that. And she was right to be wary.
The lob trajectory was meant to allow Kohaku to have enough time for her whip to reach the sphere as it reached Yang. All it took was a twist of her wrist to give the ball a love tap. And let hell break loose.
The lag between the throw and the explosion allowed Yang to mitigate the damage, creating some distance from it. The explosion wasn't a direct hit and its incendiary nature kept her from being blown away. Gritting through the heat and allowing her Aura to take the brunt of the damage, Yang tanked through it. With that element of surprise gone, she could now push through and…
*Clink*
Time stopped as the same sphere that just exploded bounced in front of her – courtesy of Kohaku's whip tapping it again – and began to glow.
"Crap," Yang muttered, too shocked to even make a proper expression before she was consumed by flames again.
-o-
"Congratulations, Copen," GV congratulated genuinely. "You built an instantly reusable, low-powered incendiary grenade. You'll make millions on top of your millions."
"I didn't build that…"
Everyone looked at the genius gadgeteer, his face that of calm confusion. "It was supposed to be one big explosion upon impact that left the shell intact. Not multiple smaller ones on multiple hits."
…
They all looked back where Kohaku was wildly swinging her sword-whip, each swing hitting the ball and making it explode, not leaving Yang much room to act.
Nora and Sun jumped out of their seats.
"Go Kohi!" "Avenge me, Kohi."
"She's juggling the ball with her whip," Neptune said disbelievingly. "Her skill with her weapon is absurd."
"Even I would have trouble pulling that off," Pyrrha added, captivated by the show of skill on display. Considering her Semblance would need to take hold of the ball and each segment of the blade, it was outstanding Kohaku could do it without it.
-o-
'This is crazy,' Yang thought as she tanked another explosion. They weren't strong, but the consistency and speed they came with kept her planted in place, weathering the attack until Kohaku ran out of Dust.
Yang Xiao Long was not about to let her opponent dictate the pace of the combat. And she had received enough damage to brute force her way through this. In a counter-explosion, she let her Aura and Semblance run wild, sending the grenade flying and disrupting the tempo of the thrashing whip. Red eyes zeroed on Kohaku and Yang launched herself into a recoil-powered sprint.
Kohaku didn't lose her cool, reaching into her pouch once more and pulling another gadget, this time oval-shaped and with yellow highlights, with a flat surface to let it rest securely on a surface. Kohaku threw it at Yang.
"Not this time," Yang said, punching forward and sending a cluster of pellets to destroy the grenade before it reached her. The device fell harmlessly at Kohaku's feet, sparks flying from it as it short-circuited. Kohaku fell back, away from the device, while Yang closed in.
And just as Yang passed above the device, an electric field exploded from it, shocking Yang into a stop, her body's initial reaction to lock itself as her Aura fought against the current running through it.
The blond regained just enough mobility to block the fast approaching whip-blade with Ember Celica, gritting as the blade segments screeched against her precious gauntlets. Pushing her Semblance to the limits, Yang forced herself to stand up. Rather than immediately rush her opponent again, she took a page out of Kohaku's book and made to shoot at her opponent, keeping Kohaku on the defensive. She punched forward, activating the shotgun mechanism.
Ember Celica clicked, but no shell was spent.
"What-" Yang said, thrown off by the misfire, too distracted to notice a yellow and purple disk slide beneath her and to the center of the stage until it was too late.
Yang flinched as a humming sound reached her, followed by a disconcerting sense of weightlessness as she lost her footing and began floating upward.
-o-
"Oooh, that looks fun!" Nora exclaimed
Weiss opened her mouth, closed it, and tried again. "Did she…" She turned her attention to Copen. "Did you just create a portable anti-gravity field?"
"Why do you sound so surprised?" Copen asked. "It's the same principle the pods and Amity Coliseum use."
"Not from a device the size of your palm to cover the entire arena!"
Copen considered Weiss' words, then nodded. "I suppose I might have overclocked it. But it was Kohaku who wanted that much range."
-o-
Yang flailed helplessly midair, trying her best to move with what little resistance the air around her offered.
Kohaku knew what to expect, so she quickly thrust her sword into the floor and allowed the whip to tether her as she also floated upward. Looking at the Aura display, she saw her Aura was in the low thirties, while Yang's was still at a solid 55% despite the explosions and electrocution. Maybe her modifications to Copen's toys reduced the strength more than she expected.
"Hey, what is this!?" Yang yelled. Her flailing ended up with her body rotating in place, much to the blonde's displeasure.
That anti-gravity field won't last forever, so Kohaku needed to act quickly. Pulling her gun, she aimed at Yang.
She was anchored to the floor. The recoil of her pistol will test how well her anchor worked. Yang, on the other hand, was not. And the blonde seemed to realize that, as she began to helplessly try to shoot Ember Celica in an attempt to recoil out of the way.
Kohaku hadn't considered Yang using her gauntlets to move through the anti-gravity field, but luck was on her side as the shotguns refused to go off. Taking careful aim, she fired. Her arm and whip strained to keep her in place as the force sent her flying backward.
Yang wasn't as lucky. She managed to block the bullet with her gauntlets, but now was flying helplessly straight to a ring out. Once more trying to fire off her weapons, to no avail, Yang was left with nothing more to do than shout a elongated "Noooooooo" as she hit the wall of the auditorium. A buzz signaled the end of the match.
"The winner is… Kohaku Mino."
'I did it. I beat Yang.' She didn't think she could fool the brawler with the same trick twice, but that didn't matter. She defeated Yang Xiao Long. She couldn't help it. She squealed in excitement, her glee evolving into a shouted "YES!", then hand holding her gun raised in victory, all while hovering like a balloon. At the other side of the auditorium, Yang clung for dear life to the wall, doing her best interpretation of a gecko.
The unmistakable clicks of high heels clinked below. Miss Goodwitch slowly walked to the center of the arena, the only sign of her being affected by Kohaku's gadget being her hair and cape swaying directionless due to the lack of gravity. With a flick of her crop, she levitated the anti-gravity device to her hand, where she inspected it with naked curiosity. Carefully, she held the device by the edges precariously, a careless movement of her fingers away from dropping the floor.
She dropped it, only for the device to remain floating in place, beholden by its own transgression against the laws of physics.
"Fascinating," Goodwitch said softly, enchanted by the gadget. But she was a professional and she had a job to do. Her curiosity could wait. "Miss Xiao Long!" Her voice boomed.
Yang, for her part, tried her best to look behind and at her teacher, but her position on the wall didn't lend itself for much looking. However, she knew what was coming and gulped. "Yes, Teach?" She asked, a little louder than necessary by virtue of not being able to judge the distance to Goodwitch and erring on the side of caution.
"I hope I don't need to explain why it's a bad idea to send your opponent to their optimal fighting range and beyond your optimal range. Twice." She waited for Yang to fully internalize the criticism. When she saw the blonde slightly slump her head, she continued. "Your speed and strength are your biggest advantages, but not if you aid your opponent create some distance. Work on minding your strength."
Leaving Yang to try and nod, her focus shifted to Kohaku, who hadn't bothered to drag herself to solid ground. "Miss Mino, well done expanding your arsenal. Although I believe you need to fine tune some details," she flicked the hovering disk, making it spin, "and test them before you encounter an opponent that can overwhelm you. You got lucky Miss Xiao Long didn't beat you at the start of the battle and that her weapons misfired. There is room for improvement, but I'm glad to see you considering other venues beyond your comfort zone."
Kohaku beamed. "Thanks, Miss Goodwitch!"
"That's nice and all, but could you bring gravity back!" Yang yelled.
A few seconds passed where nothing happened. "Miss Mino," Goodwitch said slowly and carefully, critically eyeing the brunette, "can you deactivate the field?"
There was nothing for Kohaku to do but nervously laugh, a sheepish grin on her face. "Whoops..."
"For the love of… Teach! I know you like showing off, but a little hand here!?"
Sighing, Miss Goodwitch looked at the device. Not seeing any obvious off button, she waved The Disciplinarian and telekinetically brought both combatants back to the arena. Then flicked the thing towards Kohaku.
Both Kohaku and Yang tried to take a few unsteady steps, but opted to stand still, fearing they'll go floating again as their loose articles of clothing and hair tried to do. Kohaku caught the device.
"This feels so weird," Yang commented. Kohaku nodded, wholeheartedly agreeing as she got to deactivating the field.
-o-
The entire audience spectated the events in the arena with wide eyes.
"Pyrrha?"
"Yes, Weiss?"
"Is Miss Goodwitch doing what I think she's doing?"
"Seems like it."
"Can you do that?"
Pyrrha frowned. "I… think so? Definitely not as casually."
"I see."
"When I grow up, I want to be just as cool as Miss Goodwitch," Ruby reiterated.
Author's Notes
One of those chapters that ended up being split in two because its scope expanded too much. Here we explore some of the aftermath of Mytyl's episode and begin building up to a couple of things with some lighthearted shenanigans.
Rundown! (Assume ASG2 spoilers)
Buying my time: There is a topic I've been avoiding discussing, but that's because I'm saving it for the right moment.
Hnng: I really, really like Kohaku and Sun together. Just not sure if together-together. Reminder that ships are not final until I actually write them in. And even then, I'm not adverse to writing two characters fall out of love.
Fairy Tales: One of two primary interactions in this chapter. The subject of fairy tales is rearing its ugly head into the story. All the fairy tales mentioned in this chapter, except the very last one about power, actually exist as part of a RWBY Fairy Tales anthology. Naturally, more than a few of them shamelessly feature one of Ozma's incarnations as the protagonist.
Fun fact: Ozpin's favorite fairy tales in this fic hold some personal significance to him. At least the interpretation I'm giving them.
Myths: But that's not the only thing discussed here. We also discuss mythological creatures and their role in Remnant. How many of you remembered that Mytyl is also associated with the phoenix, on top of butterflies/fairies? That final, final battle in ASG2 gave me chills.
Autumn Records: Remember when I introduced this MMO back in… Chapter 26? Well, that introduction is paying interest now. Don't worry, there is no chapter actually diving into it. It's mostly for the sake of a joke and characters' introduction.
Kohaku fights: The second main interactions in this chapter. I admit the new gadgets in her arsenal were inspired partly by V8!Jaune. I just needed a way for her to believably outplay Yang. But new toys are not really the main objective of showing the fight. Originally it was only Jaune's fight, but I needed a more advanced opponent for Kohaku, hence Yang.
Reviews
Nanairo the Keyblade Samurai: Glynda's and Nori's relationship is strictly professional, I assure you :^)
mega-dark: Reminder that we have already seen Cyan's Semblance in this fic and that it isn't The Muse (back in Chapter 33: Her Past to Tell). So no, GV would be of no help in that department.