So far, Ozpin had been quite pleased by the performances of both members of the new Team RWBY. Though Ruby currently had the advantage in both life points and field presence, he could hardly count Weiss out just yet. The Schnee heiress had proven that she was a worthy scion to Nicholas's legacy, and he'd seen worse duelists come back from more dire situations.
Though if his suspicions of her scar, and general knowledge of Jacques Schnee's disposition, were true, there may have been more at work than skill alone could combat. After all, she couldn't defeat Ruby if she was distracted fighting herself.
"I activate Burial From a Different Dimension! This allows me to return my three banished Phantom Knights to my graveyard," Weiss said, slotting the spell card into her duel disk before her hand dove for her graveyard. "Then I'll banish The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak all over again to add The Phantom Knights of Stained Greaves from my deck to my hand. Once it's there, I can also activate the effect of The Phantom Knights of Torn Scales from my graveyard."
The antique helm rose back onto the heiress's field, the sapphire ghost within ecstatic to have been revived (ATK 600 / DEF 1600).
"Since a Phantom Knight has been special summoned to my field, I am allowed to special summon The Phantom Knights of Stained Greaves from my hand as either a level three or a level four monster," Weiss announced. "And I choose level three!"
Ozpin raised an eyebrow as the new possessed armor appeared on the field (ATK 1200 / DEF 600). He knew from her records that The Phantom Knights of Break Sword was in her Extra Deck. Combined with one of the other cards he knew was there, he could see a strategy that could, in theory, allow her to use the Xyz monster to achieve victory this turn. The question was, would she see that path?
"I banish the White Stone of the Ancients from my graveyard, returning one of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons to my hand," Weiss said. "Now, I tribute my two Phantom Knights in order to call my mighty beast to the field once again! Blue-Eyes!
Even as the spectral warriors vanished and the mighty azure dragon arrived once more on the field in a maelstrom of lightning and power (ATK 3000 / DEF 2500), Ozpin could not mask his frown.
Perhaps it was best that Ms. Schnee had come to Beacon instead of Atlas. James was a perfectly capable headmaster, but his teaching style was more hands-off than Ozpin's own. Part of that was due to also running the kingdom's military, performing the duties of two councilors, and being heavily involved in the Inner Circle's conspiracies (honestly, without his semblance Ozpin doubted he'd be able to get anything done), but that didn't mean it would be the best method to help Weiss grow from her current mindset. The scars her father had left ran far deeper than her sister's. If she was at her best, the headmaster didn't know if Ruby would be able to beat her.
"Blue-Eyes! Attack Black Rose Dragon! White Lightning!"
After all, there was no guarantee she'd even be able to beat her now.
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Ruby flinched as the stream of lightning blew her Black Rose Dragon to smithereens, her cape billowing back from the sheer force. Intellectually, she'd known from the attack values what would happen, but it was still humbling to watch her ace monster be utterly annihilated at the hands of the legendary Schnee dragon.
Ruby Rose: 1600 Life Points
"When a Rose Dragon or a Plant Synchro Monster I control is destroyed, I can activate my Roxrose Dragon's effect from graveyard!" Ruby said, snagging her tuner monster from the open slot on Crescent Rose. "Now I can add it back to my hand!"
"Too bad it's not on your field! I banish one of my Phantom Knights' Fog Blades from my graveyard to resurrect The Phantom Knights of Stained Greaves!" Weiss shouted, the phantasmal armor rising before her (ATK 1200 / DEF 600). "Go! Attack her directly!"
"Oh, not good," Ruby muttered.
She crossed her arms before her to brace herself, but that could only muffle the pain so much as the Phantom Knights' cutlasses slashed down her body.
Ruby Rose: 400 Life Points
"I banish The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots from graveyard once more in order to add my last Fog Blade from my deck to my hand," Weiss said, slipping a card into her duel disk. "I lay one card facedown and end my turn."
"My turn! I draw!" Ruby yelled, pulling her new card, immediately inserting into her disk once she saw what it was. "I activate Pot of Greed!"
"Two more cards for you then," Weiss smirked. "You'll need them."
Ruby smirked right back, recognizing that the heiress's taunt was intended as good-natured banter rather than her earlier insults. She'd dueled Yang enough times to know the difference.
Besides, it wasn't as if Weiss was wrong. She'd recovered from Ruby's counterstrike in a single turn, wiping out the red hooded duelist's advantage and nearly obliterating her life points entirely. If Ruby hadn't pulled Pot of Greed, she'd be hard-pressed to reclaim the upper hand. Even with the extra card though, it wouldn't be easy.
Ruby's grin widened. First Torchwick, and now this? Beacon was giving her a treasure trove of awesome duels.
"I discard my Rose Girl to activate the effect of the World Carrotweight Champion, summoning itself back from the graveyard. Then, since I now have a Plant-type monster on my field, I can use Rose Girl's ability to add it back to my hand."
The sentient humanoid carrot fighter flashed before the red hooded duelist, its pointed orange arms like high-pressure drills (ATK 1900 / DEF 0).
"Then, I'll normal summon Rose Girl!" Ruby said. "And since she's a Plant-type tuner, my Dark Verger's effect summons itself from the graveyard! Come on out!"
The two plants sprouted onto the field, Dark Verger a small fern with eyes on its two biggest leaves (ATK 0 / DEF 1000) while Rose Girl was a small sprite with a rosebud atop its head (ATK 800 / DEF 600).
"I tune level three Rose Girl with level two Dark Verger!" Ruby announced. "I Synchro Summon my level five Garden Rose Maiden!"
The sprite broke apart into the trio of emerald rings, the dark leafy plant slipping inside and transforming into two twinkling stars before a pillar of light blazed through the center.
When the glow faded, a dainty, pale woman, clothed and colored in pure white, descended onto Ruby's field. Her alabaster hair reached all the way down to the floor as she flashed all present a beautiful soft smile.
"Your monsters really do run the gamut of what one would expect," Weiss noted, her eyes flickering between the elegant new Synchro and World Carrotweight Champion.
"And they're more than just pretty faces," Ruby taunted. "When my Garden Rose Maiden is special summoned, I can add my Black Garden field spell from my deck or graveyard to my hand."
"Oh no, you don't!" Weiss yelled. "I activate my trap card, Phantom Knights' Fog Blade! This trap negates your monster's special abilities and prevents it from attacking! I figured you'd rely on another powerful synchro monster like your dragon, so I made sure I'd be ready to paralyze it!"
Ruby smirked. "Well, you weren't wrong. You just got the wrong monster."
Weiss's eyes widened. "What?"
"Did you think your monsters were the only ones who could summon themselves from the graveyard?" Ruby challenged. "I send the top card of my deck to the grave so my Glow-Up Bulb can summon itself back! Then I'll tune my level one Glow-Up Bulb with my level five Garden Rose Maiden!"
"Oh no!" Weiss gasped, her trap card shattering to pieces.
Glow-Up Bulb, a tiny flower with an eye in its roots, burst into existence (ATK 100 / DEF 100). Immediately, it spread itself out into a tuner ring, Garden Rose Maiden breaking into five shining stars before the pillar of light scorched through it.
"Hunter of thorns stained red like roses, emerge from the sacred forest with your faithful whip in hand! Synchro Summon! Splendid Rose!"
A tall blond woman in a green suit burst forth from the light. Long, thorny vines sprouted from her back and arms as her boots came together to form a single rose (ATK 2200 / DEF 2000).
"Two Synchro Summons in a single turn? Utilizing the first synchro monster in the second's tuning?" Weiss gasped. The heiress's eyes feel upon her opponent with something between awe and horror. "You really are a prodigy."
Ruby grinned at her partner. "I told you I'd come at you with everything I've got. It's the only way to get you to answer in kind."
The image of the black dragon from the Emerald Forest, the Xyz monster the heiress had called nearly on instinct, filled the silver-eyed girl's mind. With how hard she was pushing her new partner, it wouldn't be too much longer until Weiss was forced to bring it out. And when she did, then the duel would really take off.
That is, if she didn't end it this turn.
"I activate Splendid Rose's special ability!" Ruby announced. "By banishing one Plant-type monster from my graveyard, your Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack points are cut in half!"
The red hooded duelist removed her Baobaboon from play and her monster took action. The four vines branching off the synchro shot forward and wrapped themselves around Blue-Eyes. The majestic dragon shrieked as the thorns tore into its pristine scales (ATK 1500).
"Battle!" Ruby shouted. "World Carrotweight Champion attacks The Phantom Knights of Stained Greaves!"
The carrot man leapt forward and brought his vegetable spear arms down on the animated armor. The poltergeist within wailed as its form shattered to pieces.
Weiss Schnee: 900 Life Points
Ruby fist-pumped. "Splendid Rose! Attack Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Crescent Thorn Carver!"
The verdant huntress's rose petals slid up from her feet and down to the tip of her vines, forming a razor-sharp blade along the largest whip. With a victorious shout, the thorny scythe was slashed across the battered Blue-Eyes.
The legendary dragon cried its death knell, shattered to pieces.
Weiss Schnee: 200 Life Points
Weiss raised her arm to shield herself from the shockwave, managing to hold fast in the face of her ace monster's destruction. "As you said, my monsters have a habit of summoning themselves back from the graveyard. Since a face-up Dragon-Type on my field was sent to the graveyard, I can special summon my Keeper of the Shrine from my graveyard to my field in defense mode."
A draconic monk manifested in front of Weiss, a sideways card providing it with a stable surface to sit cross-legged upon (ATK 0 / DEF 2100).
"And since the dragon destroyed was a Normal Monster, Keeper of the Shrine grants me the additional effect of returning one Dragon-Type Normal Monster from my grave to my hand," Weiss revealed, snatching a familiar card from her duel disk. "So my Blue-Eyes returns to my hand!"
Ruby smirked. Her Splendid Rose had the ability to attack twice in one turn, but to do so she'd have to halve its attack points, which meant it couldn't overpower Keeper of the Shrine's defense. She'd hoped her partner would find some way to prevent her monsters from finishing the match this turn and she wasn't disappointed.
"I lay one card facedown and end my turn!" Ruby declared, doing just that.
She'd recovered from Weiss's assault and pushed the heiress into a corner of her own. If all her opponent did was summon her Blue-Eyes again, Ruby was confident she could handle it. But her foe must have realized that her same old strategies wouldn't be enough to overcome the red hooded duelist's tricks by now. Which meant she'd have to use more of her strength to counter them.
Ruby could hardly wait to see what she came up with.
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"Woah," Jaune whispered, his eyes wide at the turns he'd just witnessed. "I thought Ruby had Weiss cornered for sure."
Yang nodded. "So did I, Vomit Boy. Splendid Rose's double attack combo has done in plenty of duelists. You think Weiss knew it was coming?"
"Maybe," Pyrrha noted. "She has a vast knowledge of card effects, more than most duelists do. Though, even if she didn't know the danger she was in, using Keeper of the Shrine was still her most optimal move. It retrieved her dragon and set her up to Tribute Summon it again."
Nora raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't she need two monsters for that? Blue-Eyes is level eight."
"Keeper of the Shrine can be counted as two tributes for a Dragon-Type," Blake explained, her eyes narrowed at the heiress. "Never underestimate what a Schnee is capable of."
"Eh, whatever she's got in store, Ruby can take her," Yang argued, her adoring grin never leaving her sister. "Weiss can't expect to win if she just summons the same monster over and over without adding anything new to the strategy."
"Of course!" Nora concurred. "Only an idiot would do something like that."
An idiot? Jaune didn't think anyone would call Ruby or Weiss idiots. Every turn, one of them seemed to have the other on the edge, only for the supposedly bested duelist to immediately turn the match around. He hadn't thought too much about the rapid twists of fortune in Pyrrha and Yang's duel because they were the best of the best for their incoming class, but now the prospective leaders of Team RWBY were playing at the same level. He was the leader of Team JNPR, for some reason, and he knew he couldn't play in that league. Heck, the only reason he'd passed the entrance exam was—No.
No, don't think about it. Don't think about him. The key wasn't around his neck, he wasn't going to wear it. He was going to become a hunting duelist on his own merit, not coast on Saphron's gift. Even if it was the only reason he'd gotten in. And the only reason he'd passed his dad's test. And the only reason his aura had been unlocked in the first place to make any of this possible…
No! He wasn't going to think about it! He was going to earn the Noble Knights' respect, not go crawling back to his Onomatopoeia Gang deck. He wasn't going to some pathetic kid. He was going to be an awesome, mature hunting duelist. Just like Ruby, Weiss, Pyrrha, and the others.
"My turn! I draw!" Weiss announced, grinning at the card she received. "I reveal the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my hand!"
"Um, okay?" Ruby responded. "But I already knew you had it?"
"That's not the point—ugh," Weiss sighed. "By revealing its presence, I am allowed to special summon Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon from hand. Rise!"
A new Blue-Eyes shrieked into the air, its scales marked by a glowing sheen that had been absent in the previous dragons (ATK 3000 / DEF 2500).
"Ooo, this one glows!" Ruby fawned. "What else can it do?"
"It doesn't need to do anything else," Weiss declared.
"Can't argue with that," Jaune concurred. "One shot from that dragon and Ruby's life points will be wiped out."
"Don't be so sure," Yang advised. "She's still got one facedown. And if I know Ruby, it's totally a trap card. Probably one that'll force Weiss's monsters into defense mode."
"That's oddly specific," Blake pointed out. "She have a lot of cards that do that?"
"She did use No Entry earlier," Ren observed.
"Yeah, but why use cards like that when you could use traps that destroy monsters like Sakuretsu Armor?" Nora wondered. "I mean, it's not like Weiss's monsters wouldn't just change back to attack mode the next turn."
"That would require Weiss having a next turn," Yang smiled. "Just watch."
"I activate Trade-In. Now by discarding the Blue-Eyes in my hand, I draw two cards," Weiss announced. She pulled her new cards, only to frown at the second.
"What's wrong?" Ruby inquired. "Not what you'd hoped for?"
"Doesn't matter. It's just fodder," Weiss snarled, plucking the other card from her hand onto the field. "I normal summon The King of D."
A man wearing a dragon's skeleton stepped onto the field, a Blue-Eyes White Dragon-themed guitar with three necks in his arms (ATK 1200 / DEF 1100).
"When The King of D. is brought out, I can discard a Spell or Trap card in my hand. So Galaxy Cyclone goes to the grave!"
"Galaxy Cyclone?" Jaune muttered. "What's that?"
"It's a 'Galaxy' series utility spell," Blake explained. "The line is personally sponsored by Jacques Schnee, partially based on his Galaxy-Eyes… I mean… yeah, her dad makes them."
The others stared at Blake for a few seconds before they collectively came to a silent agreement not to press into it further. If she wanted to be a secret fangirl for the SDC, that was her business.
Though, Jaune did wonder, why didn't Weiss use that Galaxy Cyclone? Ruby's only real defense was her facedown card. If she got rid of it, she'd have the duel won. So why discard it?
"The King of D. then allows me to add one of three spell cards to my hand. And I choose Dragon Revival Rhapsody, which I'll then activate!" Weiss declared. "Since I have Spellcaster-Type monster on my field, I can bring back two dragons from my graveyard! Once more, rise! My Blue-Eyes!"
Twin distinctive roars blazed through the air, the two regular Blue-Eyes White Dragons rising up to join their alternative counterpart.
"I now enter my battle phase" Weiss announced.
"Not so fast!" Ruby yelled. "Before you do, I activate my trap card! Zero Gravity!"
A slim green aura surrounded every monster on both sides of the field. Suddenly, every monster but Keeper of the Shrine took a knee, sideways cards forming under them. The draconic monk himself rose to his feet.
"Every monster on the field switches battle position," Weiss observed.
"Did you really think it'd be that easy?" Ruby challenged.
"Ha! Of course not!" Weiss mocked. "Why do you think I used Dragon Revival Rhapsody? On the turn it activates, you take no further damage."
Jaune's eyes widened. She'd anticipated the trap?
What was he saying? Of course she did.
"I switch Keeper of the Shrine back to defense mode, and then activate Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon's special ability. It can destroy one monster on your field," Weiss grinned, like a shark that had sighted its prey. "Burst Stream of Destruction."
All too quickly, the glowing dragon opened its jaws wide, a crackling tempestuous sphere building within it. When the blast was finally launched, Splendid Rose barely had time to pale before the orb of lightning smashed into the plant maiden, disintegrating her on the spot.
Ruby flinched back, coughing as the smoke that was once her synchro monster wafted past her face. Immediately afterward, she threw up a wide smile.
Jaune envied her optimism. He didn't even think she was certain of victory, she just loved dueling. Her monster might have been destroyed, she might have been at a massive disadvantage in field presence, but she was dueling. Maybe that was the most amazing thing about his new friend, the sheer joy she got from the path she'd chosen.
"I end my turn," Weiss declared.
Ruby's smile suddenly disappeared, a look of confusion taking over her silver eyes.
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"You what?"
Weiss cocked an eyebrow. "I said I end my turn."
"But… why?" Ruby asked.
"Because I've done everything I wanted to do?" Weiss replied. "That's how this works. I have no cards in my hand. I've dealt as much damage as I can to you. I've summoned all the monsters I can—"
"But you haven't!" Ruby protested. "You haven't summoned your Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"
Dark Rebellion Xyz… Xyz… Xyz…
'If only you could muster the spine to use it.'
That brat!
"How I choose to duel is none of your concern!" Weiss screamed. "Especially if I find it in my best interest to keep that thing off my field!"
"Grrrgghhh."
Weiss's eyes flickered to her own field. Her Blue-Eyes White Dragons growled at her. Not threatening as they often were with her foes but brimming with disappointment. The legendary symbols of her family shook their heads, as if she'd stumbled when they'd known she could have run.
From within the depths of her Extra Deck, she felt her Xyz Monster, the first monster she'd ever forged herself, bay with apologies. Weiss felt a stab of guilt flash through her, but any other thoughts were cut off when her feelings were given voice by a most unexpected source.
"How dare you…"
Weiss's gaze whipped back to Ruby, the heiress's eyes widening at her partner's mask of fury. The bubbly and giddy child had disappeared, her silver eyes shining like blades as she glared at her opponent.
"Excuse… me?" Weiss stammered, more out of shock and fear than any outrage. All her previous insults to the red hooded girl and this was what finally set her off?
"How dare you!" Ruby shouted. "He's your monster! Your friend! You don't get to disparage that!"
"I'm… I'm not… I have no need to Xyz Summon!" Weiss yelled, fleeing onto the defensive in response to the unexpected criticism. "I don't need that power to beat you!"
"You could have summoned your dragon and destroyed my World Carrotweight Champion!" Ruby shot back. "Instead, you left me with a level four monster on the field when you know I have a level three tuner in my hand! How many other times during this duel have you left yourself vulnerable because you look down on your Xyz Monsters?"
That… that wasn't what she was doing. She just… didn't think of them, didn't want to think of them. Surely she would have thought to summon them if she'd truly been pushed into a corner? That was the only time she should have used her father's cursed summoning techniques or the cards he'd forced her to include in her deck.
"You don't know me!" Weiss screamed. "You don't know anything about me!"
Ruby scowled. "You're right. I don't. But you don't know anything about me either, and that hasn't stopped me from treating you with the respect you deserve. So why have you disrespected your monsters and me?"
"What? If this is about those earlier insults, they hardly justify—"
"We're dueling to see which of us will be our team leader! A position you wanted!" Ruby roared. "I'm coming at you with everything that I've got, and you think you can blame your monsters and duel with one hand tied behind your back?!"
Weiss flinched. "I… you don't know what my father put me through to learn that—"
"What the heck does your dad have to do with this?! They're your monsters! It's your power!" Ruby pointed out. "You don't want to Xyz Summon? Fine! But you have no right to lead this team if you're not going to fight for it with everything you've got! And you certainly have no right to blame your monsters for your choices!"
Weiss's mind stalled. She… she wasn't blaming her Xyz monsters. She wasn't. She knew her father was the one who'd hurt her. She didn't blame them. She just… tried not to think about it… them.
"Draw." Ruby emotionlessly called, not even looking at her new card as she tucked it into her hand. "I activate the effect of my Garden Rose Maiden in the graveyard. By banishing it, I'm allowed to summon back one Dragon-Type Synchro Monster or 'Rose Dragon' from the grave. Or in this case, both. Rise up, Black Rose Dragon!"
A flurry of rose petals blew into the air, coalescing into a swirling scarlet tornado that soon blew apart to reveal the majestic floral dragon risen anew (ATK 2400 / DEF 1800).
Ruby reached into her graveyard slot and removed both her Garden Rose Maiden and another card. "I activate Black Rose Dragon's other special ability. By banishing a Plant-Type from my graveyard, I can change one defense position monster on your field to attack mode and reduce its attack points to zero."
"What?" Weiss gasped. That was why she kept playing traps that's shifted battle mode!?
"Rose Restriction."
Black Rose Dragon's thorny vines surged out from the gorgeous beast's plumage and wrapped around Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The Schnee familiar glowed with power as its strength was zapped away down the branches (ATK 0).
Even still, the noble creature did not show pain, merely taking care to avert its gaze from its duelist.
Weiss wasn't sure what felt worse. Knowing that she'd lost and there was nothing she could do, or that she'd disappointed her monsters in the process.
"Black Rose Dragon! End this!" Ruby commanded. "Black Rose Flare!"
The dragon wasted no time obeying its mistress's order, spread its maw wide as violet fire built between its lips. A beam of blazing purple flames erupted across the field and smashed straight through Weiss's vulnerable Blue-Eyes. The Schnee heiress couldn't muster the sense to steady herself with a glyph and went flying back, her aura completely shattered from the backblast, her remaining monsters instantly disintegrating from lack of fuel.
Weiss Schnee: 0 Life Points
Winner: Ruby Rose
She'd lost. She'd had the chance to be her team's leader, to live up to the legacy of the Schnee name, to Winter and her grandfather, and she'd lost.
And the worst part was, it was her own fault. She'd let her monsters and her family down.
She was almost grateful when her flight path shot her straight into the hardlight dust walls. Her head smacked into the glowing barrier and her vision began to fade.
The last thing she glimpsed before darkness claimed her was Ruby Rose, flashing in front of her in a blur of rose petals.
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"She hates me."
"She doesn't hate you."
"I very possibly insulted her traumatic childhood, belittled her dueling skills, and then knocked her unconscious."
"Okay, yes, she probably won't be thrilled about that, but come on. I've done way worse to people in duels and they've still liked me after."
Ruby frowned at her sister. "That's because you did that flirty eye thingy you always do. People seem to always forgive you breaking their bones if you do the flirty eye thingy. I can't do the flirty eye thingy."
The new leader of Team RWBY and her sibling huddled outside their new dorm room, warily peeking over the doorframe. Within, Weiss sat atop her bed, a long cloth bandage wrapped around the circumference of her skull and her Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon held in her hand, the heiress's broken eyes locked on the card.
"Well, her aura's been back for hours. She's got to have healed by now," Yang supposed. "I mean, unless she's got a concussion."
"The nurse said she does."
"Oh, really? Well, she'll be fine in a few days. No one comes here thinking they won't get at least a few bumps and bruises," Yang pointed out. "And it'll be really awkward if the team leader and her partner aren't talking."
"What if she yells at me?"
"Better than nothing. Get in there!"
Ruby yelped as Yang shoved her into the room. She tried to scramble around to escape, but the blonde had already slammed the door shut.
"Yang! Yang! Open up! As your team leader I am ordering you to open this door right now!" Ruby squealed as she pounded on the door. "You will not throw me to the Beowolves twice in two days!"
"Huh. So that's something every older sister does?"
Ruby winced, recognizing that there was no longer any escape. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she turned around to face Weiss.
"Yeah, you know older sisters," she chuckled. "If they're not squishing you in Ursa hugs, they're forcing you to try to make friends."
"Or throwing you to Beowolves," Weiss said, confused.
Ruby cocked an eyebrow. "Well, yeah, metaphorically… right?"
Weiss awkwardly coughed into her hand. "So, you wanted to talk about something?"
"Right, that," Ruby sighed. "I'm sorry. About what I said at the end of the duel."
"Why? Nothing you said was incorrect," Weiss replied, crystal-blue eyes flicking back to her Xyz Monster. "I didn't treat you or my monsters with the respect they deserved."
"Yeah, but I shouldn't have snapped off like that," Ruby said. "You'd think I'd know better, all the time I spend around Yang."
"There are worse things to get from family," Weiss noted, her hand rising to point at her scarred eye. "My father gave me this."
"Oh. Oh," Ruby gasped. She rushed to her partner's side and bowed her head. "I am so, so sorry. You were so right about me not knowing anything about you."
Weiss cringed, gently pushing her leader back up. "It's alright. My mother's absence and my father's… existence, doesn't excuse my inability to live up to my own standards. The team deserves the best possible leader and the duel today proved that I'm not that leader."
"Heh. To be honest, I don't know if that's me either— your mom's…" Ruby looked down, melancholy taking over her face. "You've lost your mom?"
"Well, metaphorically. Dealing with my father led her to withdraw from public, and private, life," Weiss explained, gulping as she noticed Ruby's face. "I take it you lost yours… literally."
Ruby nodded, a wistful smile managing to waft onto her lips. "She was a hunting duelist. She spent a lot of time away on missions. Whenever she was home, she'd take me and Yang flying on her Stardust Dragon, show us the whole island from a bird's eye view. Eventually though, they finally took a mission that they couldn't come back from."
"I'm sorry," Weiss comforted the younger girl. "Do you know what the mission was?"
"Not a clue. My dad and my uncle only ever let slip that she was looking for someone on Solitas, but I don't think they know much more than that," Ruby explained. "What I said about wanting to see new monsters is the truth. But it's not the entire truth."
"You're looking for her card," Weiss surmised. "This Stardust Dragon."
Ruby shrugged. "It's a one-of-a-kind card. It was probably destroyed years ago. But if wasn't, I'm going to find it. And if it was, then I'll still get to see a ton of super-amazing monsters while I'm looking for it!"
Weiss stared at her new leader for a few moments. "You're an… interesting one."
Ruby chuckled. "Insult or compliment?"
"Neither," the heiress said. "You're an excellent strategist. You found a way to be satisfied whether you succeed or fail. You're unambitious as I observed before, you have no desire to be leader, but you certainly have drive to set yourself on such a mission. And despite your… excitability, you hold yourself to standards that I failed to rise to."
"Um, thank you?"
Weiss rose to her feet and tucked her Dark Rebellion away in her deck box. "You earned your place as our leader today. I was fighting myself as much as you, and that is inexcusable for one who would hold our team's lives in their hands. I will be your teammate and held you fulfill that duty as best as you possibly can."
"You will?" Ruby cheered, leaping up with a joyous smile. "Does that mean we're friends?"
Weiss mirrored her partner's glee, if with a tinge more smugness. "It does. But be aware. I have every intention of correcting my failures today. And when I have, we will duel again. And I will win."
Ruby smirked, hungry and eager for that prophesied day. "Like I said, if it's a duel you want, it's a duel you'll get. I don't plan on losing. But until then, I have a team-building exercise in mind."
"Team-building exercise?" Weiss queried, intrigued. "What did you have in mind?"
Ruby zipped over to her pack and whipped out her scroll. "Onomatopoeia Gang marathon!"
Weiss's interest instantly shifted to puzzlement. "… the children's show?"
"Yeah! Pyrrha told me Jaune's got a first edition Gogogo Golem promo, and Nora said she and Ren only got to catch a few episodes when they were moving from town to town—"
"You know what? Why not?" Weiss groaned. "I need to work on acclimating to Xyz Summoning and compared to my father's methods a children's show might not be completely awful."
Ruby snatched Weiss up in a one-armed hug and grinned. "Hooray for not completely awful! This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship! Probably."
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Roman Torchwick considered himself a reasonable man in a world that most of the time refused to give him the same courtesy. Sure, he lied, cheated, and stole like any other criminal, but unlike them, he was first and foremost a professional.
Something his new associates were clearly not.
"We had an agreement!" he protested to the boss lady. "I help you supply these animals, but you let me do it my way!"
Standing behind the sultry bitch with the golden eyes, deliberately sticking to the shadows of the rundown warehouse they were meeting in, a bull faunus in a Grimm mask snarled.
"Watch your mouth, human," Adam Taurus snapped. "You're hardly indispensable to this operation."
Roman rolled his eyes. For all the horror stories he'd heard about the infamous Blood-Soaked Bull of the White Fang, the horned mutt turned out to be just the same as all the other animals, only he was a whiny teen on top of it all. After all, for all his posturing and grandstanding about 'faunus superiority' and all that crap, it was clear to anyone with eyes that he was on the boss lady's leash.
"Now, Roman," the boss lady purred, a hint of danger behind her velvety voice to remind the thief that he was also on her leash. "Do you believe you're being treated unfairly?"
The orange-haired crime lord gulped. "No, of course not. But you promised that I could bring in my own people."
"I did. And then your own people got manhandled by a child."
"If Neo was there—"
"Your umbrella-using imp is off obtaining Atlas's new toys with Mercury and Emerald. You don't have your safety net."
"Parasol," Roman grumbled. Neo hated when people misidentified her weapon.
The boss lady waved him off. "The White Fang's grunts are hardly more skilled than that gaggle of sunglasses-wearing buffoons, but they have the fusion cards. With your expertise leading the way, they should be able to handle any resistance in your way."
Roman snorted. "You overestimate my ability to work miracles. You can only lead horses to water, you can't make them drink."
"Would you like to drink your own blood?!" Adam growled, stomping forward, already grabbing for his duel disk.
Of course, one look from the black-haired woman made him freeze in his tracks.
Roman chuckled. "Drink my own blood? Ha! No wonder your kitty left you."
Adam snarled and the thief's laughter grew. The look on his face was well worth the gossip-henning he'd had to do with Perry to gain intel about the current state of the White Fang's operations in Vale.
Granted, the freaking soap opera had its own entertainment value. The psycho boss's lieutenant who was also his girlfriend ditches him like any sane terrorist would, and he had to send for their old friend who he doesn't realize has a crush on that same kitty cat in order to bolster the ranks. You couldn't write stuff like this!
Hell, maybe he could grill the lizard for more details when she showed up. What was her name again? Sheila? Dilia?
Eh. Who cared? In the end, she'd be just another animal after all.
RWBYRWBYRWBYRWBYYUGIOHYUGIOH
Jaune thought it would have taken longer. He'd hoped it would have taken longer. But here he was, standing over his suitcase.
In some ways, he thought he was doing the right thing. Like it or not, he was his team's leader. As Ruby had said, that meant he didn't have the right to use anything less than his best. Even if his pride chafed at the fact that it wouldn't strictly be his best.
He opened the suitcase and moved his clothes out of the way to reveal what he'd buried under them. Saphron's gift, lovingly strung on one of her bootlace necklaces.
His sister was the only one of his siblings who'd chosen to venture away from home, dashing across Remnant on every archaeological dig she could find. She'd actually been the one to give him the idea to head to Beacon in the first place, a casual mention of her old colleague Bartholomew Oobleck teaching at the academy drawing his eye. And the gift she'd sent him after she'd settled down with Terra in Argus had been the only reason he'd got in.
The key didn't look like it came from some dusty tomb, it was too colorful and spotless for that. A single golden triangle with a tiny light-blue jewel in a circle above it. Branching off from each side were three navy-blue spikes, a bright red gem serving as the junction between the two colored sections.
Jaune's hand inched towards the necklace, his mind subconsciously recognizing the presence within. The presence that would help him, even take over his body entirely if he allowed it. If he wanted… help…
"Jaune?"
"What?!" Jaune squeaked, jumping up and slamming his suitcase closed. "Oh. Hey Pyrrha."
His new partner cocked an eyebrow, but politely didn't bring up his startled reaction. "The others are about to start the marathon. We'll need to move fast if we want to get any of the popcorn. Nora seems to have a voracious appetite."
"The marathon… of The Onomatopoeia Gang…" Jaune murmured, awkwardly shuffling away. "I don't know…"
"Jaune!" Ruby burst into the room on a stream of rose petals and dashed up to the blond. "As your fellow team leader and best friend, I humbly demand that you come immediately and control your teammate! Eating all of Yang's popcorn is one thing, but my Colossal Fighter cookies and chocolate-covered strawberries? Unacceptable!"
"You humbly demand?"
"I smuggled them in for me!"
Pyrrha smirked at him. "Well, Jaune? A mature team leader can hardly refuse an offer to defend his friend's dessert."
"Yeah. Yeah, I suppose not," Jaune replied, a faint smile rising over his lips. "Let's go."
"Yes!" Ruby called. "Here that, Nora?! Those sweets are mine!"
"You cannot challenge the Queen of the Gogogo Castle!"
Jaune chuckled. "She doesn't know that Gagaga Cowboy took that castle, does she?"
"She's seen maybe six episodes," Ruby sighed. "It's not her fault."
The trio of hunting duelists made for the door. Jaune might have been able to leave with some measure of peace if he hadn't heard a familiar voice monotonously sound out from his bed.
"Observation number thirteen: humans can be enticed into group social interaction by the prospect of 'sweets' and 'dessert'."
Jaune sighed. Stupid ancient spirit and his stupid observations—
"Observation what?" Pyrrha said, whirling around, her eyes frantically scanning the room. "Who said that?"
Jaune's eyes widened. She had… how?
Ruby cocked an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Pyrrha? No one said anything."
"I thought I heard… never mind."
"Let's… let's go," Jaune said. "I don't want to miss The Battle of Gagaga Hold."
"Oh, that episode is great!" Ruby grinned. "Come on!"
The red hooded girl led the way back to her team's room, Jaune and Pyrrha following close behind. All the way, the young Arc couldn't take his eyes off his partner.
Ruby and Weiss's duel comes to a thrilling conclusion, with the girls each showing their skills and their weaknesses before Ruby brings out her ace to finish the match. Seemed like the only move that really felt right to end the duel with.
And then we get teaser scenes for plots to come. Huzzah!
Thank you for Reading! I hope you enjoy what comes next!
Go Forth and Conquer!