Man, I am just so tired of all these night-shifts I've been getting. I swear, morning shifts work so much better for me, especially when it makes pick up easier for both me and my brother Earth Dragon Arnighte who works right across the street from me.
I don't get it, I've told the people in charge that I have some… difficulties, but they don't even seem to care and just give me shifts that have me come home around almost midnight or after on certain days. I really can't take this anymore.
Well, at least I have a good stress-relief when it comes to writing. Glad you guys liked my last chapter and I can assure you that this chapter will also be one you will like. Especially with what I have in mind for Team GARM's 2-on-2 battle.
Onto reviews.
Monster King: Thank you.
Darth Cody: Thanks. I figured that Alice would need a droid copilot especially if she's going to be operating a modified fighter plane from her home planet. I do agree that the good guys losing the evidence they gather against the bad guys is also something I hate myself.
Luffy L Deathwalker: I think I can work in the character you gave me, but it will be sometime down the road before he arrives, I will admit that I haven't watched Zorro but I've heard of him. I'll at the very least mention the fight between Teams RWBY and FNKI.
Old Glory: When it comes to snipers, I love that part in Gears of War 2 when Marcus uses the Longshot against those Locust drones. I always find it funny and the right kind of quote for Sev.
Mr. Shades42: Of course, I am excited for the Bad Batch series next month. I love those guys, which is the reason I decided to include them in this story, even if I am primarily using Legends's material.
Jack Smith1: Don't worry about it, I get it you've been busy with your own stories, I can relate. Thanks again for those kind words. Now about the clones recovering Jango's DNA, I'm not sure about that at the moment.
Spartan-626: I'll be skipping the Team RWBY vs Team FNKI fight. Nothing personal or anything, but I have something special for Team GARM's 2-on-2 battle this chapter. Now, you'll be quite surprised about who Alice is but as for your guess as to who the other two are, you'll have to wait a while until I reveal who they are.
Now, I agree that all that hard work and ending up back to square one does suck, but that doesn't mean the commandos are going to be returning empty-handed or without a victory. But you are right, Ironwood was an idiot in letting his guard down when it came to the White Fang, Grimm and in this case, both the Empire and droids. Not sure how it will affect the battle of Beacon, but I'll figure it out somehow.
The guest who calls himself Galen Marek: Of course, Niner would like the plan.
Alright, lets get this chapter started. Disclaimers are the same as always, please enjoy.
Chapter 36: Second Round Rumble
If Galen was being honest with himself, something about Team CVFY's match against Mercury and Emerald was bothering him. From his place in the stands, he sensed that both Haven students were toying with the two second-year students from Beacon, as if they didn't care about the match and something else planned altogether, especially with what he learned from Mercury the other day.
"If what Mercury said is true, then they are planning on causing an incident during the one-on-one matches and bring the Grimm closer to the kingdom. That's why they wanted to know which members of Ruby's team were fighting in the doubles round. Does it have to do with Mercury's prosthetic legs? Are they planning on make it like someone broke Mercury's legs after a match? No one would attack a downed opponent unless… unless they saw something completely different then what everyone else sees. Is that how Coco and Yatushashi lost their fight? Does one of those two have a semblance that modifies one sensory information while their brain is processing it?" he thought to himself as March and Nora were arguing.
"I say Waffles are the best breakfast food!" March shouted.
"And I say Pancakes are the best breakfast food!" Nora shouted back.
"Waffles!"
"Pancakes!"
"Waffles!"
"Pancakes!"
"Waffles!"
"Pancakes!"
Finally, Galen had enough and slammed both of their heads together, much to the surprise of everyone in the stands. "Do we need to separate you two or could you both knock it off?" he asked in annoyance while everyone else laughed at the sight. Galen simply sighed before he got up and headed for the arena as Yang and Weiss's match ended with their victory.
"Well, that's one way to quiet them down." Jaune said in agreement while Ren just put his hand to his face in embarrassment while Pyrrha put an ice pack on Nora's head, pushing the bump on her head down. "I sometimes wonder if Nora was dropped on her head when she was a little girl?" he wondered.
"March can be, a bit difficult, but when push comes to shove in a battle, he'll give it his all, even if it means he'll be reckless and sometimes get his ass kicked. Would be worse if he took on a Gundark." Galen admitted in agreement as he leapt over the railing and into the stadium as Yang escorted a soot covered Weiss to the girl's locker room. "Proper form or not, you did good, Weiss. You took one for your team, I think Winter would be impressed." He told the heiress as Flynt and Neon walked over.
"If I haven't said it already, Weiss. I'll say it again, I dig the fact you went to save your teammate, you're way better then your old man." Flynt, the dark-skinned man said impressively.
"We really should do this again sometime, I think we can learn a lot from each other, both on and off the battlefield. You guys were totally badass!" Neon, the pink haired cat-tailed Faunus said in a bubbly tone, still in her roller blades.
"I'm with you on that, Neon. Maybe Kobalt and Ivory would dig a match between the four of us. It'd be a lot more interesting." Flynt added with agreement before he turned to Galen. "Hey, Galen. You and Arthur are up for the next match, right?" he asked.
"That's right." Galen answered.
"Well, good luck in your match. I hear that your opponents are really badass. I think they're third years and they have quite a bit of experience under their belts." Flynt warned before he reached into his pocket and pulled out an autograph. "Here, for your friend, Trigger. He's a fan of my music and helped me out a few times in Atlas, figured I'd pay him back." he added.
"I'll make sure he gets it." Galen replied, taking the autograph and tucking it into one of his pouches on his belt as Arthur walked into the arena, ready for battle as Port and Oobleck announced the next match of the day would begin shortly. Everybody aside from Galen and Arthur left the ring, but not before Ruby gave Galen a 'good luck' hug and wishing him the best of luck.
Meanwhile, miles away from the city Rick continued to argue with the head mechanic as his removed his F14's secondary cannon, leaving his S35 that was still in need of repairs untouched. "Are you seriously ok with this, Pops? You're reducing my old birds' firepower and leaving my new wings completely untouched. Doesn't that bother you?" he questioned.
The head mechanic, a man with a large bald spot on his head, black hair on the sides and goatee, brown eyes and tan skin dressed in mechanics overalls sighed before looking back to Trigger. "Of course, I'm not ok with this! Reducing the firepower on a plane will put the pilot at greater risk when they run out of ammo and missiles, unless it's got the same hybrid cannon this thing has, same with your S35. I've trained talking to the base commander, but that Hamilton guy keeps telling me he's following Ironwoods orders." The mechanic replied.
"And that doesn't bother you in the slightest?" Trigger asked in anger. "I need my Sabre operational! It may not be as fast as the F14, but it packs a punch with its 30mm's." he argued as Neo, the Galm Team, Team SDOW and a Captain Jack Bartlett, a veteran combat pilot who flew a Scimitar much like Trigger walked in.
Neo was quick to put a hand on her adoptive brothers' shoulder in sympathy. "I get that your frustrated about all this, but until we can work this out there's nothing we can do. Come on, lets leave Pops to his work. Besides, Galen's double's match is about to begin. That'll cheer you up." She reassured. KT and R5 beeped in agreement and if there is one thing Trigger knew, it was never to argue with Neo.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." He sighed in agreement before turning to Captain Bartlett. "You going out, Captain?" he asked.
"Yeah. Team SDOW and I have recon patrol over the mountains. Shame, I was looking forwards to watching the Demon Lord kick some butt in the tournament. Tell me all about it when we get back." Bartlett admitted and ordered as he climbed into the cockpit of his own Scimitar while the members of Team SDOW climbed into their S37's. The four S37's livery was a grey and black body with yellow tips on the wings and stabilizers while Bartletts F14 had the same gray body with mustard and blue forest camouflage used by other F14 pilots in the Vale military.
The five planes soon taxied onto the runway and took off into the air as the two fighter teams headed for the wreck room to watch the match.
Back in the coliseum, Arthur and Galen stood in the arena waiting for their opponents to arrive. Unlike the people in the stands who were growing restless with waiting, both members of Team GARM waited patiently. "It is very rude to keep your opponents waiting for their own match." Arthur said with annoyance.
"I've got a feeling it's something else completely different." Galen mused with agreement.
"Folks, it appears that we have a small change in the line up for this fight." Port announced.
"Yes. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the two students from Atlas competing in this match have unexpectedly and surprisingly forfeited the match against Team GARM." Oobleck continued causing the crowd to become annoyed at the news, some even going as far as to saying that Beacon Academy was cheating. "However," Oobleck continued. "Since many of you have been looking forwards to the doubles match with Team GARM, the festival committee has arranged a special two on two match, pitting Beacons two strongest swordsmen against two of the greatest Huntress's that have graduated from Atlas Academy!" he boomed, causing the crowd to quiet down.
To Arthur and Galen's surprise as with everyone else in the stands including Weiss, walking into the arena was Winter and Artoria, each of whom looked ready for a fight. "It appears that our match is happening sooner then we expected. I expect the two of you to give this fight everything you have. I do not wish to waste my time in fighting weaker opponents." Winter said with a smile on her face.
"Are you sure this is legitimate? I thought the tournament was meant for students, not professional Huntresses such as yourselves?" Galen asked, confused by the sudden change as Ironwood appeared on one of the monitors.
"I hope that all of you will enjoy this special double match. The Vytal Festival committee has decided to make this year's festival one to remember." Ironwood explained with a smile, but Galen had his doubts. Still, he planned on giving this fight his all.
Winter extended her hand to Galen who excepted and shook hands with his opponent while Artoria and Arthur glared at each other with a smirk on their faces. "It appears that we'll finally get to have our rematch from all those years ago, cousin. Time to see which of us is truly the better swordsmen." Artoria challenged.
"It appears so. I expect you won't be holding anything back against me. That's find with me, I won't be holding back either." Arthur countered with an equally challenging tone as the arena shifted into the same mountain biomes that Team JNPR fought Team BRNZ on the first day of the tournament along with the urban biome. All four combatants drew their swords or in Galen's case activated his lightsabers.
"Three, Two, one… begin!" Oobleck shouted as the buzzer rang through out the stadium as the special match began.
(Fighter starts)
Galen was quick to block an attack from Winter who used her glyphs to increase her speed and brought herself right up close and personal to the young Jedi who was quickly forced onto the defensive by the sudden burst of speed. Much like Adam and Raven's weapons, Winters blades weren't destroyed when they made contact with his lightsabers. Something that Galen didn't expect, but was grateful. "Impressive opening move. Using your semblance to get in close and keep your opponent on the defensive." He complimented to the older Schnee.
"Weiss explained to me in great details your fighting style. As such, I have come to not only respect your skills, but I have come up with several ways to defeat you." She stated, casting another glyph which she used to leap over Galen before he could land a hit on her. Winter was quick to land a hit on Galen's back, reducing his Aura a little bit.
Galen turned around quickly before he brought his sabers up to block an attack from Winter. Blocking the attack, Galen countered with a series of Ataru attacks, several of which managed to drain part of Winter's Aura. "Now, that is the spirit. It wouldn't be an interesting match if only one of us scored a hit." Winter encouraged.
"I never planned on holding back." Galen countered playfully, attacking with a lighting charged slash that knocked Winter's aura down to eighty-six percent. The brief jolt coursed through Winter's body, leaving her open for a storm of small rocks to be sent flying her way by the force. The rocks were deflected by Winter who soon clashed blades with Galen once more, getting the crowd excited.
The crowd became more excited as Arthur raised Excalibur up high, countering a strike from Caliburn as he and his cousin dueled on top of the mountain. Both Penwolfs parried and dodged each other's attacks with neither one of them giving the other one a chance to make a move. "It appears we are at an impasse." Arthur noted.
"It appears so." Artoria agreed. Much to her surprise, Arthur placed Excalibur in one hand while a flick of his left wrist extended his gauntlet blade and charged at his cousin, catching her off guard as he slashed and fired off several rounds at her. The sudden change in tactics caught Artoria off guard and forced her to break her lock on her cousin and deflect the bullets her cousin sent her way. "Clever tactic." Artoria commented as Arthur swung Excalibur with one hand while firing his gauntlet gun.
Artoria continued to deflect her cousins' bullets as she was pushed back towards the edge of the mountain. A swing from Arthur's sword forced her to leap over the edge, landing at the bottom of the mountain with her cousin following close behind her, this time attacking with his gauntlet blades. "If that is how you wish to fight me, then I will gladly accept the challenge!" she exclaimed, sheathing her own sword and activating her own gauntlet blades.
The two cousins clashed blades once again as sparks from their swords flew into the air. The entire arena was on the edge of their seats as both Penwolfs each scored a hit on each other, knocking their aura's down to below fifty percent and sending them skidding back along the ground. "Let us see whose semblance is superior." Arthur challenged, sheathing his gauntlet blades and drew Excalibur once more as white and blue flames expanded from his body and infused it with his blade.
Artoria did the same, retracting her gauntlet blades and drew Caliburn once more and activated her own semblance. Her aura dropped down to twenty-five percent as she infused her weapon with her soul before propelling herself towards her cousin who did the same thing. Both swords clashed and a massive explosion engulfed the mountain area. As the explosion settled, both Penwolfs were still standing before they both fell over, exhausted and their aura's down in the red zone. "Oh! A double knock out! Both Arthur and Artoria have been knocked out at the same time!" Port exclaimed over the speakers.
(End song)
Both Galen and Winter quickly glanced at the monitor before continuing their fight. Winter was quick to cast an ice glyph, sending multiple ice shards towards Galen who quickly slashed the shards in half with his sabers, only to be rammed from behind by a glyph made Boarbatusk knocking his aura down to sixty-two percent and knocking his green lightsaber out of his hand. "If this is the best of your abilities, then I am sorely disappointed. I was expecting more of a challenge." The elder Schnee taunted.
"I'm just getting my second wind. I've got plenty of fight left in me." Galen retorted, gripping his blue saber tightly in his preferred reverse-grip style and dashed towards Winter.
(Thrill, Risk Heartless starts)
A series of lightning fast and unpredictable Vaapad attacks kept Winter on the defensive giving her little time to dodge a flying piece of a building sent towards her from one of the nearby buildings. "Using a building against your opponent!? Are you out of your mind!?" Winter shouted.
"My mind is also my weapon. It's just as powerful as any weapon." Galen stated, jumping high into the air before slamming into the ground with his lightsaber. A small-scale shockwave pushed Winter back into another of the buildings, knocking her aura down to almost fifty-percent.
The older Schnee was dazed for a little bit before she blocked a lighting infused lightsaber strike. Parrying Galen's attack, Winter rolled out of the way before casting a glyph shield which she used to block a powerful blast from the force before casting two more glyphs that boosted her speed exponentially, getting behind Galen and would have hit him in the back had Galen not blocked the attack.
Smirking, Winter conjured up another glyph and from it a swarm of small Nevermores flapped their wings, streaking towards Galen who was quick to slash them apart with his blue blade. The Nevermores were a distraction, allowing Winter to use a speed increasing glyph, got close to Galen and slashed at him across the chest, knocking his Aura down into the thirty-percent range. "Oh! It looks like Galen is having a tough time against Winter Schnee. Even his skills are no match for an experience huntress such as her." Oobleck exclaimed over the intercom.
From her seat in the stands, Ruby watched worriedly as Galen's aura was continuing to drop, silently hoping that her boyfriend would make a come from behind victory. Her hopes were proven right when Galen recalled his second lightsaber to him. "GO GALEN!" she shouted with encouragement.
Galen heard her and wasn't about disappoint her. This time, a full-sized Beowolf was conjured up by his opponent and charged towards him. A grin appeared across his face before he reached out with the force and lifted the glyph made Grimm into the air, impaling it with his green blade as his aura began to recharge. It wasn't quick enough, as Winter casted another glyph, using it to boost her speed and jumped into the air going in for an aerial attack.
Galen leapt backwards and raised his blades high to counter an overhead strike from Winter who was very impressed. 'I've never been in a fight like this in a long time. Not since… Vegas.' She thought to herself as Galen scored a kick to her stomach, knocking her aura down. To her surprise, Galen's kick was followed up by a strong and fast Form V attacks that kept Winter on the defensive and pushed her back into the proverbial conner as her Aura dropped rapidly.
His opponent's aura reached twenty-two percent before Galen reached out with the force and grabbed Winter, flinging her into one of the buildings and brought her aura down into the red, ending the match.
(End song)
"And its over! Galen Marek and Arthur Penwolf have between Winter Schnee and Artoria Penwolf in a surprising and unexpected victory! Team GARM will now move onto the singles round for the final part of the tournament! I'm positive that I speak for everyone that this fight is one of the favorites!" Port announced as the crowd cheered with excitement, proving that Port's statement was proven correct.
Ruby leapt over the railing and used her semblance to dash towards Galen, wrapping her arms around him and knocking him flat on his butt. "YOU WON! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!" She squealed with excitement as Weiss walked over with Winter, as did Arthur and Artoria.
"Ruby! I… can't breathe…." Galen gasped before Ruby let go.
"I must admit, that was quite a match. It reminded me of my days in the academy when I sparred against my rival." Winter admitted and held her hand out to Galen. "You have my respect." She added. Galen smiled and took Winter's hand, shaking it as the second day of the tournament came to a close.
Back at the airbase, the Galm and Garuda Teams also enjoyed the match, despite the situation regarding Triggers planes. "Now that was an awesome match, I can see why you respect Galen as a warrior." Neo said to her adoptive brother.
"He's certainly something, if not strong and cunning." He added.
"I'd be proud to fly alongside him any time, anywhere." Larry said in agreement, as did Cipher.
Later that evening, in one of the exchange student dorms, Cinder was sitting on her bed looking through the files on her Scroll while Emerald was lying on the floor, playing with her own device while Mercury was doing push-ups beside her. As Cinder looked through the files on her device, an encrypted message was received and Cinder smiled. "Looks like we'll be eliminating another threat to our plan." She said as her eyes widened with surprise and a smile crept onto her face.
"What does that mean?" Mercury asked.
"It means that this will that this will be even more interesting than we thought." Cinder replied as she looked to the sender of the message, 8492.
And chapter is done. Now I told you all that Team SDOW would be having another role in the story. They are the pilots of the remaining four S37's which like the planes used by Galm Team and the others have been modified.
Now, when I was writing this chapter, I was trying to find the best place to use the song 'Thrill, Risk, Heartless' by the Risa Oribe, better known by her stage name as Lisa, which was used as the opening for the game, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet. It's a good song and the game it is used for is very good.
Speaking of Sword Art Online, I recently finished watching the anime and it's very fun to watch, along with Sword Art Online: Alternative Gun Gale Online.
Now, before anyone asks, its going to be Galen who is selected for the one-on-one match for the final part of the tournament, but it appears that something isn't right with this Hamilton guy that has been mentioned. If you have any thoughts about that, please feel free to guess.
Also, before I forget, if you are all looking for any stories with realistic air-to-air combat, check out sentinel28II stories, On RWBY Wings. They are great reads and from what I've read, he knows a lot of history and about air-to-air combat because of his dad who's an air force pilot.
Anyway, please read and review and I'll see you all next time.