Wasn't too long of a wait, right? Hope ya'll like it
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Chapter 36
"Look, I'm not saying we should hospitalize the kid." His leader waved a hand, as if to wave off the worry. "Just teach him a lesson, ya know. Ignore the fact he's a first year, it's not like the Professor would let us do any more."
Zack rolled his eyes while pulling on his combat uniform. Their team was alone in the changeroom, but for their leader to so brazenly talk about intentionally harming a transfer student? Students specifically meant to strengthen bonds between the kingdoms?That was reckless, even for someone like Sebastian Carstein.
"Not to knock your little brother or anything," The larger of the four, Bruce, spoke while slipping on his customized knuckle dusters. "But he's not really someone I'm willin' to break rules for. My mom would kill me if I got detention. No way I'm risking worse." The nervous words coming from such a large, brutish looking guy might have sounded strange to an outsider, but it was all too common an occurrence for their teammate.
Zack could only chuckle, the largest of their team had always been a mama's boy. It might have been a bit strange at first, but the guy had an empathy streak a mile wide. It suited his role as the team's defender.
"Not to mention he deserved it," A feminine voice added brusquely. "The little shit was refusing to take no for an answer. I've done worse for less." Emma stated while pulling a quiver of dust enhanced arrows over her shoulder.
"Hey! That's still my little brother you're talking about." Sebastian pointed a finger at Emma, though it lacked any real threat behind it. "Ya he's a little shit, but he's family. What would you do if someone embarrassed your little sister huh? Would you even think to ask if it was her fault?" The lack of response was telling.
"Exactly. And again, It's not like I want any of us to literally break him. Just smack that stupid, animal-fucker mask off his face." Emma only shrugged while Bruce let out a sad sigh. He knew it was because the former couldn't care less while the latter was of a similar mind of Zack himself.
They felt bad for the Faunus, but that was the world they lived in wasn't it? life in the dust mines was dangerous, but so was life anywhere outside the walls. He just couldn't understand the faunus. Why would they remain in such deplorable conditions? Why not work towards an easier or more satisfying career like everyone else? The laws that kept Faunus out of certain jobs and schools had been abolished years ago, why did so few take the chance?
'And I mean, come on! A Whitefang mask? really?!' Who could possibly think that was a good idea? Dust the SDC exported from Atlas was being stolen in record amounts, all because the Whitefang were stupid enough to think they could win a second Fanus war. It's a wonder the teachers let him wear the mask at all.
"What about you, Zack?" Sebastian finally turned to him. "Gonna help me knock this brat down a few pegs?"
"Maybe," He smirked, "But only because Beacon has held the title of "Best Hunter Academy" for too long. Should be fun to see Beacon's message boards light up when I post a video of their rising celebrity getting his ass kicked." A video of the armoured kid kicking some new humanoid Grimm's ass had already started making the rounds on the CCT network, being used to promote Beacon's supposed supremacy by a number of chat groups and forums.
As a citizen of Atlas, was it not his duty to show people the truth of Atlasian might? Maybe, but the resulting dramatics were sure to be entertaining.
Once finished getting prepped, Zack picked his scroll up and showed Sebastian a video feed from their class' training rings they were about to fight within.
"Hacking into the cameras was as easy as ever, we'll have video proof of this beating."
"See! Zack is the only one of you who gets it." His teammate wrapped an arm around him while glaring dramatically at the other two. "You two are just don't understand the delicate art of revenge!" All of them rolled their eyes at that. Their leader could be so dramatic.
It wasn't like Zack really cared about revenge or even proving their academy superior. Honestly, he didn't really care why his leader wanted the armored kid to hurt in the first place. Racism for what the kid was or revenge for what happened to his brother, it didn't bother him one way or another.
Entertainment was all he cared about. And his leader was a masterful entertainer, even if he didn't know about his own talents. Just the right amount of hostility made him perfect for getting reactions out of people without breaking any serious rules.
"I also got ahold of that video of him fighting that freaky humanoid Grimm." He tapped at his scroll and brought up his saved videos. "He's been gaining some attention because of this, I think it's why Beacon chose to transfer his team." He commented while hitting the play button, showing the amatuer footage of the armored knight fighting against the "Grimm Woman."
Bruce was the first to say something as the video came to an end, letting out an impressed whistle. "Might not be a mecha-shift weapon, but he can swing that sword pretty damn fast."
"His shield will be the bigger problem, breaking through his defense will be difficult." Zack pointed out.
"He's got combat experience, that's for sure." Emma added "No regular first year is that merciless."
Sebastian was smiling, unphased by the video. "But he's not faster than me, and no way his endurance can match Bruce's, not to mention Zack's foresight. Our Semblances should all be able to handle him if we're picked for the spar. What about you Em? Think you'll be alright if you're chosen to fight all on your lonesome?" He gave a mocking frown, that sarcastic glint never leaving his eye.
"Oh, why don't you shove it. Last I checked we were tied for wins." She retorted with a very specific finger flipped towards him.
It might have been sarcastic, but Zack knew Sebastian was worried in his own way. Emma's Dead-eye semblance was best used for sniping, not much use in CQC situations.
They all knew, however, how foolish it was to worry about the young woman. She had learned to fight in close quarters during her second year, switching her old bow for a mecha-shift variant that could collapse into a small submachine gun. That, mixed with a careful application of martial arts, made her a deadly force no first year could hold a candle to.
But that was to be expected, she was a fourth year student after all, just like the rest of them.
They all had real combat experience with real Hunters. Even if this "Jaune Arc" had some combat experience and a handy semblance, it wouldn't matter. Their team held the top spot in their class, along with multiple successful missions. It was almost cruel for the school to actually encourage this matchup. What were they thinking?
'Doesn't matter.' He thought to himself, it was certainly going to be entertaining enough, what other reason could he care about?
They arrived a few minutes later, joining the other students funneling into the class-room.
The figure standing in front of the Professor's desk quickly caught Zack's attention, clad in ivory armor that demanded attention.
Everyone else was chatting quietly, waiting for the Professor to start the lesson, not him though. He remained where he stood, speaking quietly with the Professor who nodded along as if listening intently.
Their team took their seat close to the ring as the Professor stood to address the class.
"Good evening, students." He greeted formally, the hard edge in his eyes instantly silencing any and all conversation.
"First, Allow me to introduce Team RASY of Beacon, they are the students chosen for the transfer program Headmaster Ironwood organized." He motioned to three girls sitting nearby, two of which stood out like sore thumbs, their colorful outfits drawing every eye in the sea of white uniforms.
"Ms. Rose, Ms. Xiao-long and Ms. Schnee will be focusing on combat studies at the request of the Headmasters of both Beacon and Atlas Academy. As such they will be joining to observe and study our lessons until they return to Beacon for the Vytal festival."
The younger looking girl in red waved nervously, looking as if she had absolutely no idea what to do with so much attention focused on her.
The other, golden haired, girl grinned widely and looked to almost shine under the attention, grinning like he imagined a wolf might amidst a herd of sheep.
The Schnee didn't seem to react at all, instead focusing her chilling gaze straight ahead. Was it strange the most hostile reaction of the three seemed to fit in the best amongst the student body? Probably not, they're academy was best known for its discipline.
"Mr. Arc here," The teacher continued, "will also be joining us for the same period of time." He motioned to the armored boy standing at his side. "As I've previously explained, he will be an active combatant in our lessons."
"Now, I know I had said someone from team SBEZ would be used as a sparring partner for Mr. Arc today. But It would seem I misunderstood this request from the Headmaster." Sebastian frowned but didn't dare interrupt. No one interrupted the Professor.
"As it stands, Mr. Arc has clarified that the request was not to fight one of you." He clarified before taking his usual place by the ring.
"So, without further delay, would Team SBEZ take a position within the ring."
Zack looked among his team, the same confused expression spreading throughout all their faces.
"I'm sorry sir, didn't you just say we wouldn't be fighting?" Sebastian asked the question they were all wondering.
"That is incorrect, Mr. Carstein. Mr. Arc clarified he wasn't to fight one of you. Now if you would all take your place within the ring."
Curious murmurs bloomed throughout the classroom, most disbelieving. How could a single first year hope to stand against a high ranking team on the cusp of graduation?
The only ones who didn't seem surprised were the rest of team RASY.
The blonde looked to be holding back laughter while the Schnee just rolled her eyes. The Girl wearing red had two hands raised to her teammate, both thumbs up with a smile that, to Zack, looked far too innocent to be on a huntress-in-training. Despite the childish gesture, her teammate didn't hesitate or show any sign of embarrassment while returning the gesture.
It was only once they had taken their spot within the ring that Zack noticed something strange.
"He's going unarmed, try to watch out for those gauntlets, they look sharpened." It was a bit far-fetched to think this kid could flip between two combat styles. Such tricks were difficult for even experienced Hunters. Sure you could catch the opponent off guard, but you could just as easily throw yourself off balance if you weren't careful.
Maybe it was a semblance? Some kind of photographic muscle memory or something? Hell, maybe he was the prodigy some people online seemed to think he was. "Keep your guard up, don't assume he'll be any easier unarmed." He mumbled quietly.
"Obviously, that was the plan from the start, remember?" Their leader scoffed and took the spot to Bruce's left side while Zack took the right side himself. Emma took position in the rear with her bow ready.
As Jaune moved to his position opposite them, Zack felt something shift inside him. Something in the way the boy moved. It wasn't like he was expecting the novice movements of a civilian or even a regular first year, but this felt like something… more.
Was the ground vibrating with every step he took? Was that intentional? Some form of intimidation? Maybe, but what really worried him was how smooth the movements were. The kid wasn't stomping down, or even walking on his heel by the looks of it. For all intents and purposes, it looked like he was walking as light as a cat might.
So why was the ground vibrating like an Ursa Major was standing before them?
"We go in fast and hard, just like that alpha beowulf last month." Sebastian commanded, showing no sign that he could feel what Zack was feeling. Was it just his imagination? He doubted it, but he didn't have time to think about it as the Professor raised his voice.
"Ready?... Begin!"
They attacked immediately, all four of them moving in practiced unison to come at their target from every angle. Zack drew his pistols and activated his semblance while preemptively aiming to the only route the boy could take if he didn't want to meet Bruce or Sebastion head-on while Emma would take advantage of any openings.
They had every angle covered, the armoured knight wouldn't stand a chance.
\-/
'I wonder if I should do something special tonight?' Jaune thought to himself. He had tried to apologise for ruining his team's lunch but they all just waved it off, stating it wasn't really his fault.
Which was nonsense of course.
He was the cause of quite literally 90% of all their current problems.
'Maybe I should cook more often…' He thought a bit guiltily. It was such a simple activity, even Grimm did it for crying out loud! He had experienced hundreds of instances of Grimm "apologising" to each other using food. Those experiences mostly consisted of defeated challengers trying to gain forgiveness or favor from the Alpha that bested them. But wasn't that the same basic concept?
His sense of touch tingled slightly, the vibrations in the ground telling him to refocus his attention on the four children charging at him in what looked to be slow motion.
He really had to thank Whitback for learning how to slow time. Well, he liked to think of it as slowing time, despite Whitback's explanation of his mind being "overclocked" or sped up. Slowing time sounded much better. And to say it was useful would be the understatement of the century.
There was one small downside Whitback had warned him of. While in such a state, he found he couldn't really move much more than his eyes, not without burning through large amounts of material and possibly a bit of Aura if he really pushed it.
Despite that, switching back and forth was fast enough that its usefulness couldn't be overstated. It effectively ensured he could take his time and think out the best way to move in most any situation.
A cursory glance was all he needed to make out the different body types and weapons used by said bodies of those charging at him. The nearby screen with aura gauges told him their names.
The slender figure, Emma, held a bow with mecha-shift options. Something to be taken with caution. While arrows could be dodged, whatever it shifted into might not be so easily dealt with.
The largest of them, Bruce, had a pair of knuckle dusters with modified studs attached to the edges. The slight glow the studs gave off had him assuming they were dust-compatible. Seemed Dust was more readily available in Atlas.
The two remaining figures were of similar, average build. Average for Hunters, anyway. The one to his left, Zack, had a pistol in each hand. While the one to his right, Sebastian, had a pair of sickles attached together with a chain about a meter in length.
The child to his right, Sebastian, was the fastest, already coming within a meter or two from contact. Electricity crackled around the familiar looking boy as he moved faster than the human body should be able to, even at a Hunter-level. A semblance then, and one very similar to Ruby's by the look of it.
'Ruby's faster,' a petulant part of him stated, before his eyes slid to the largest child in front of him.
Bruce was larger than him and looked to be intent on taking advantage of said fact as he charged straight for Jaune. His arms were spread wide as if intending to trap Jaune in a tackle or grapple. The metallic sheen that spread across Bruce's body spoke of another semblance, skin hardening if he had to guess. Seemed a bit redundant, what with aura doing basically the same thing.
The whistling in the air warned him of what the third one, Emma, had done. There was an arrow tearing through the air, hidden behind Bruce's figure. He had a feeling he would only have seen the arrow once it was within a meter, two at most. An effective way to bypass even the best of reaction times. Clever, he had to admit, so long as they could avoid friendly fire.
He took a peak to the remaining child who wielded dual pistols, confirming that the remaining direction was being covered. They worked well together, though he would have been surprised if Fourth years didn't have the wherewithal to properly use their numbers.
Two out of four semblances accounted for, hopefully the remaining two would be just as simple to deal with.
Previously he wouldn't have wasted time with such an analysis, especially for a simple training match, it felt too much like overkill. But the experience of more than two thousand Grimm all but forced him to consider them a serious threat and plan accordingly.
And while most of the "strategies" Grimm used were simply to overrun with superior numbers and/or raw strength, a few were a bit more... nuanced.
And by a nuanced strategy, he of course meant a strategy so random and sporadic that no Hunter could ever hope to predict or keep up with it.
The techniques from the Taijitu forced themselves upon him and he could feel his muscles bunch as the movements formed in his mind. He'd lunge forward while his arm slid around Bruce's, locking it in an unyielding grip before jumping into a summersault. At the very least it would send the charging mass ass-over-head.
He chose not to go through with such an action, not that he thought it wouldn't work; he knew it would have. The real worry was how easily he might dislocate the poor boy's shoulder pulling such a "deathroll". And if that metallic skin on Bruce's arms solidified the elbow joint, all that pressure would be forced onto the shoulder.
No reason to risk possible amputation in training.
Motion returned to the world as Jaune flexed his legs and leapt forward, out of Sebastian's reach, and directly through the guard of the larger child in front of him. His knee came forward viscously, connecting with Bruce's face and causing a loud, metallic clang to ring out.
Huh, it looked like his semblance moved faster than first expected, covering his entire body almost instantly in a protective metal layer.
Bringing both legs up, he crouched atop Bruce's shoulders, forcing the stunned child to a knee through sheer weight.
Looking around, he took in his surroundings once more.
He felt Pietro's new sensors adjust within his body, the impact from his flying knee having sent enough concussive force back into his body to activate it. The device sent its signal to the classroom's display, taking smidge off Jaune's aura gauge. He ignored it, too small of an amount to worry about. Instead he focused on the other child's gauge.
Bruce's aura was barely any worse off despite the direct hit. Had his semblance spared the damage to his aura? Did it not take aura to use that ability so quickly? Maybe not. It's just a transition of his skin, did that mean it's more passive nature kept it from consuming aura? Could it really even be considered passive when it so actively protected him?
Why was he trying to find logic in what was literal magic?
Idly, he noticed the arrow that had been "hiding" behind Bruce had smashed into the concrete below.
'Strange' He thought, 'I could have sworn I put Bruce into its path.'
Was that Emma's semblance? To move her arrows mid-air?
It was as good a guess as any, but there was only one way to be certain. Before attacking, he let his attention slip between the two children on his sides. Sebastian was still attempting to recover his momentum after losing his target so suddenly. Zack, on the other hand, had his guns pointed in two seperate directions.
That might have been worrying, if he hadn't also had his eyes and mouth open wide in shock.
'Did I do something weird?' Jaune wondered. His attack was fast, sure, but nothing out of place for a Huntsman. No one else was reacting poorly, he even took the extra tenth of a second to peak at the rest of the class. Some looked to have surprise coming to their faces, but nothing like Zack was expressing.
The large child underneath him began shifting violently and another arrow was being sent his way, he couldn't let the issue distract him any longer. His body prepared to move again as he brought his attention to the slender archer and the arrow flying ever closer.
He felt his body tense as a brutal instinct flickered through his mind once more before he forced it down.
Instead of stomping a foot down as hard as possible, like his body really wanted, he used the large child as a springboard, lunging for the archer. His "springboard" was forced to the ground face first from the force, but it was better than the fractured spine the stomping might have caused.
As he flew through the air next to the Dust arrow, he was forced to take a blast of fire as its trajectory suddenly shifted.
'Definitely a semblance,' He decided as his hand reached outwards to grip anything he could reach to recover from the small explosion.
Emma tried to take advantage of his forced change in movement, jumping in the opposite direction and pushing something on her bow. Mecha-shifting gears suddenly shifted, turning the primitive weapon into a modern submachine gun with an efficiency that could only be found in an engineer's fantasy's.
His outstretched hand dug into the ground, concrete being torn up before his three other limbs came down to grip the floor and halt his momentum. He didn't hesitate to use the newfound leverage to fling himself forward, once more pressing the attack before Emma could properly take aim.
He would have liked to take the fight more casually, give the other team a fighting chance and even offer some learnable moments. He couldn't though, a full team of Fourth years were easily just as much of a threat as a single veteran Hunter.
All his experiences told him the only way he could win was to strike hard, fast and most importantly, use as erratic movement as possible, as much as possible. That was the only reason he was going so tough on this team.
It had nothing to do with how Sebastian just so happened to look almost exactly like the idiot who tried putting a hand on one of his friends earlier that day.
That would have been petty, holding a grudge like that against someone who wasn't even involved in the incident. He had enough experience and maturity that such feelings were almost non-existent within him.
"Shit!" There was a yelp as the mecha-shifted bow/smg was torn from Emma and thrown directly between Sebastian Carstein's legs.
Such feelings were Completely non-existent within him.
\-/
"...Wow."
"Yea... He is whoopin' their asses"
"Yang!"
"What? Look at it!"
"I know... But still...You don't have to be mean about it..."
The conversation came to a sudden halt as the professor took a single eye off the fight to silence them. It was weird how much he reminded Yang of Miss Goodwitch, were all combat instructors so terrifying? Maybe it was just a requirement for teaching a class full of hormonal teenagers who could single handedly kill monsters twice their size.
There was a loud smack as Sebastian's body impacted with the ring's barrier. "They just can't seem to regroup…" Ruby commented quietly.
"I don't think they have much choice in the matter." As if to prove Weiss' words, Jaune forced Bruce backwards into Emma, causing the pair to stumble. It took barely a second for them to regain their footing but Jaune had already slid past the large defender. Emma let out a loud yelp as she was all but tossed across the ring into a recovering Sebastian.
"Might not be so bad if their support stopped hesitating so hard." Yang pointed out, making sure to keep her voice low enough that only her team would hear. The duel wielding pistol user had been struggling particularly hard the entire fight. "He's on the top team?"
"Hmm," Weiss hummed thoughtfully, "I doubt this is normal, I mean look around." She motioned subtly to the rest of the class. Many of which had a look of disbelief, a few even had scrolls recording. "It's possible he's as thrown off by Jaune's capabilities as the rest of them."
Yang offered her own hum in response, not really agreeing or disagreeing with the statement. It was possible. Hell, she'd been surprised too the first time she had seen him fighting, and he wasn't nearly this ferocious. His movement had always packed a punch and moved faster than you would initially expect, but what she was watching now wasn't comparable.
It was like a whole new combat style on its own, relying not on weapons or martial arts, but on pure momentum. The inspiration from Grimm like Beowolves showed itself in how he used his gauntleted fingers like claws to grip into the floor and launch himself in almost any direction at the drop of a hat.
But unlike Grimm, his attention wasn't focused on the closest, easiest target. She had missed it the first time, the movements being so slight, but every time he landed she noticed his head would scan the battlefield.
Was that something she ever did? His erratic and powerful movements were not all that different from her own style, but she couldn't remember ever trying to look around while an opponent was still standing right in front of her.
She had never really had to fight multiple, powerful opponents that also used proper teamwork. Would she have thought to keep them separate like Jaune was? She liked to think she would, but she wasn't blind to the fact her way of fighting was a bit more… instinctual, as she liked to put it.
There was a loud crash as Zack was thrown on top of Emma's prone form, two aura's shattering upon impact. A part of her expected a snapping as well, but Jaune continued to show more restraint than she'd originally given him credit for.
The fight came to a pause for the first time since it started, Jaune standing between the only two remaining members of SEBZ. One limply held a heavily damaged chain sickle in one hand while the other was held against his body, nursing a possible fractured rib.
The other had more Aura but looked like he was struggling to remain standing. Apparently having skin made of metal didn't completely negate all the concussive force from Jaune's assault.
Looking at the display behind the ring, the gauge labeled Bruce was at 45%. The one labeled Sebastian was at 35% while Jaune's was still in the green at 79% and showing no signs of fatigue the other two were.
"What's the point of pitting regular students against Jaune?" Yang turned to Weiss, but made sure to keep an eye on the fight. Already the two injured men began inching forward. "It's like setting someone like Pyrrha against someone like… Cardin." It took her a moment to remember the name of one of the lower scoring students.
"It's hard to say," Weiss replied quietly "It could just be to keep up appearances for Jaune while we're being trained." That made some sense, just because Ozpin and the General knew what Jaune was didn't mean everyone of their station knew. Those that didn't would wonder why a student suddenly stopped attending classes if Jaune didn't show up.
"But why bother having him fight?" Weiss raised an eyebrow. She waited for the Professor's eyes to return to the fight before replying.
"You really can't tell? Just look around, I figured you of all people would understand the importance of such displays of strength. You certainly enjoy fighting enough." She didn't think that was fair. She enjoyed the excitement a good fight offered, but that didn't mean she understood every reason people fought.
Still, she took a look around the class, noting the varying range of expressions on the other students' faces. Most were surprised, some were nervous, some excited. All were fixated on the combatants.
"uhhh, moral?" She took a shot in the dark, maybe seeing someone strong would encourage them?
"You dolt…" Weiss sighed with her face in her hand. "What is the best way to get stronger?" She asked instead.
"Well, fighting someone stronger than- ohhhh" The lightbulb flickered. "This isn't training for Jaune." She stated quietly to herself while eyeing the two remaining fighters as they circled Jaune.
"Exactly, these are top grading fourth years. The headmaster probably saw an opportunity to give them one last "wake-up-call" before they graduate." Yang hummed her understanding, turning back to the fight.
It had restarted in earnest, the two flanking figures suddenly charging the armored one. A Sickle flashed outwards in a series of savage strikes, most being followed with a frustrated snarl as they failed to find their mark.
The larger fighter didn't grunt in frustration as his fists missed, nor did it seem like he was putting up any real fight. Instead it looked more like he was trying to annoy or distract Jaune. Punching for his limbs while ice dust exploded from the studs on his knuckles dusters.
Jaune, with his face covered and showing no signs of fatigue, looked like a whirlwind of movement. With only two melee fighters remaining, He finally seemed comfortable enough to stop leaping around like a frogger on crack. If the other two thought that was an advantage, they were proven wrong soon afterward.
He was focusing on the bigger fighter, the metallic ringing of Jaune's armored fist meeting skin-turned-steel quickly replacing any other sound in the class.
Even with a back to him, Sebastian couldn't seem to hit his target. Every hit was dodged without so much as a glance from Jaune. Yang knew it had to do with his enhanced senses, they didn't though, and it looked to be no small source of frustration for the remaining pair.
There was a loud clang followed by a dull thud, the large guy's semblance fading away before he hit the floor. His Aura was still at 30%, higher than the final member of SBEZ, but it seemed his semblance didn't offer the perfect protection. Even with Aura remaining his body had no vigor to use it, he was out for the count.
"Slippery little - !" The insult was cut off as Sebastian's legs were taken out from under him. He didn't hit the ground, didn't get the chance to before Jaune had Grabbed his arm. It kept him off the ground but he didn't look very grateful, particularly when his arm was twisted painfully behind his back.
"Is he - He's really going to force a surrender? Why would he take the extra effort?" The guy's Aura was so low She could sneeze on him and it would be enough to push his Aura over the allowed limit. What was the point in making him tap out?
"Duhh, He told us why at lunch." Ruby answered, barely taking her eyes off the fight. "It's because of Weiss." She was about to ask her sister what she meant but Weiss spoke first.
"I told that idiot I didn't need nor ask for his protection… What does embarrassing William's older brother accomplish?"
William? Why did that name sound familiar…? Oh! The asshat from the cafeteria.
So, Jaune wanted to embarrass this guy by forcing a surrender, all because of how his little brother acted?
"Maybe I should see if he'll tap me in…"
"Not you too…" Weiss groaned, though she didn't really seem all that annoyed. Or maybe that was just the lack of surprise.
All their eyes were drawn forward as the Professor raised a hand to signal the end of the match, Sebastian's Aura having dipped below 20%. Lower than the first year's limit, but enough that a decent hit shouldn't shatter both aura and bone.
"Enou - !"
CRUNCH
"ARHG!"
Several noises were covered by the overwhelming sound of bone breaking, followed quickly by a pained shout.
Yang tried to understand what she had just seen. Years of training with Qrow gave her the same reflexes and perception as any Hunter, and yet she still struggled to put the pieces together.
Sebastian lay face down with his aura flickering dully over his body, showing the tell-tale signs of recent breaking. His chest was moving, thankfully, but what really surprised her was the fact that he lay completely unconscious. A common reaction to one's aura breaking while already exhausted. but if he was out cold, that meant the shout had come from -
"Jaune!" The worried cry from her sister was followed quickly by the Professor's curses. He had the barrier down in the blink of an eye and rushed forward, calling out for someone to contact the infirmary before rushing to Sebastian's form.
Ruby was already at her partner's side. "Are you alright?!" she wasn't panicking yet, but the tinge of fear was there. She reached for the arm Jaune was cradling at his side. Completely limp, excluding his hand's violent spasms. His whole body seemed to be twitching now that she looked closer
"You've snapped it…" The frown Ruby wore seeped into her voice as she inspected Jaune's forearm. Pale flesh peeked through where he had broken his armor, an awkward bump showing exactly where he had snapped the bone.
She hadn't really thought about it before, but his body was surprisingly human-like wasn't it?
"Tends to happen when you hit it hard enough to smash armor." Yang stated the obvious, hoping to break some of the tension that gripped the class. Her team knew Jaune would be fine, but no one else did. While there was shock among them, the lack of overly disturbed expressions suggested it wasn't the first accident they've encountered.
She imagined most were just surprised how quickly and easily he broke his own arm, armor included. All just to keep from injuring his opponent.
"A-aha" He forced out a chuckle, though the pain that lay just beneath was obvious, "T-thought I-!" He let out another pained grunt "… saw a bug, hehe." His poor attempt at humor fooled no-one.
"Are you alright Mr. Arc?" The Professor now stood by them, apparently having been satisfied that Sebastian's condition wasn't serious.
"Peachy… Just -ahh.. Electricity. Really packs a punch" He took a breath while the muscle spasm began to die down.
"Sebastian's electrical semblance can be quite painful, but it doesn't compare to a broken bone. Try to bear with it, a medical team will be here shortly." The older man knelt down to inspect the damage himself.
"No." Jaune stood up abruptly, stopping the teacher from seeing more. "I'll be alright, the effect is almost gone." He waved the man off when he tried to argue. "My Semblance can enhance any part of myself, I'll be healed shortly." Or near instantly, Yang had to keep from saying. She could already see him flexing his fingers.
"I would encourage you to practice your aura control," The Professor motioned to the smoke rising from Jaune's arm, while aura wouldn't block the muscle spasm caused by such, it should have stopped the surface of his skin from burning. "But honestly, I believe I should be thanking you for not breaking my student's arm. Aura or not, the muscle spasms caused by electricity mixed with your strength…" He paused and turned to look across the other students, ensuring all were listening.
"As many of you know, some Semblances can synchronize well; feeding off each other and Dust to great effect. Others can become uncontrollably and incredibly dangerous. Electrocuting someone who has a hold of you or a teammate can cause serious damage to both the aggressor and victim. This goes doubly so for hostage situations. Remember elemental Dust and Semblances are powerful, but highly susceptible to friendly fire." Some of the students nodded and scribbled some notes, more still were trying to get a closer look at the injured students.
The medics arrived a few minutes later taking team SBEZ away in varying states of consciousness. Jaune waved off any medical attention for himself. His arm, easily visible after removing his damaged armor, looked to be good as new; satisfying the Professor's worries.
The lesson continued shortly after, the Professor pointing out a few strategies to combating enemies who moved unpredictably before calling up two more combatants.
While they were skilled in their own right, the current fight lacked the same excitement that had gripped them all minutes earlier and Yang found her mind drifting back to the previous fight, or more specifically, how it ended.
He had broken his own arm to keep himself from injuring someone. Not just anyone either, but someone he actively disliked. Not that she thought Jaune wanted to kill the guy for something so small. But the way he cried out, it wasn't just a little pinch or prick. Jaune had hurt himself.
Could she do that? Even if it wouldn't last, could she actively hurt herself in order to save someone she didn't even like? If it was to save their life? She was… pretty sure she would. No, she definitely would. Picturing someone about to be killed, she couldn't see herself doing anything but intervening.
But to save them from a training injury? She wasn't so sure…
Idly, she found her eyes tracing over her team. Jaune was quietly explaining something to Weiss, up until one of the fighter's weapon's mechashifted. Ruby immediately distracted him with excited motions and ideas how the weapons had done so.
Was she… wrong for fearing him? No, the logical part of her answered. And yet, thinking about how she used to think of him. How she still thought of him… She couldn't help but feel maybe the logical answer wasn't the right one.
She would give him the benefit of the doubt, just like the headmasters had done. Just like the rest of her team had done.
"That was quite the display." Yang commented once the class had been dismissed. "You were like a Beowolf, Nevermore and Taijitu all wrapped in one. Didn't give the other team much of a fighting chance, didya?" She raised a teasing eyebrow, hoping the familiar action would hide any reluctance she might have felt.
"Aha, you noticed that eh?" Jaune chuckled while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. She could almost imagine a rueful smile hidden behind that mask. "Well they were fourth years, I didn't have a choice." He shrugged innocently "They could've kicked my butt if I wasn't careful. And I could never allow a defeat to tarnish the great RASY name."
"Well," He tilted his head towards Yang slightly, "another defeat anyway."
She immediately felt the urge to knock that smug grin she was sure he was hiding right off his face. The snort from Weiss and the giggle from Ruby said they knew too.
"Won't lose next time…" She mumbled instead. Not many in Beacon could even afford the amount of Dust her opponent had used! Excuse her for being caught off guard by an impromptu avalanche casually thrown at her!
"You'd best not," Weiss was the one to respond "Even If I have to spend the short amount of free time we have training you. I won't allow our team's name to be tarnished further."
"Tarnished huh?" Yang rolled her eyes "You know, if you wanted to spend your afternoons with me you only had to ask" The red faced denial her words caused in the heiress brought a smile to her as it always did.
Never a disappointing reaction from her partner.
\-/
The smell of antiseptic assaulted his nose, waking him up and causing a pained groan to escape his lips.
"Oww…" He tried to sit up while opening his eyes, only for a firm hand to gently push him back down.
"Easy does it, sit up too quick and you'll topple over, you've barely recovered any Aura."
"Zack?" He had to blink a couple of times to refocus his vision. "The hell happened?" He mumbled while taking a look around the empty infirmary he found himself within. "Where's Bruce and Em?"
"They're in class, only one of us could stay with you and I was in the worst shape next to you." Worst shape? Right, they were sparring in class. Fighting against that armoured brat from Beacon.
Losing against that armour brat…
His father was going to kill him...
"Shit!" He hissed out, feeling his heart migrating its way into his throat. "Lost? we fucking lost?!" The memories came smashing back into his skull. Defeated, the best team in Atlas academy, beaten like a couple of worthless children! How was that possible?!
"What the fuck happend?!" he turned to Zack and felt a sudden rush of anger. "Where the hell were you?!" His partner flinched, unable to meet his eye. "You're semblance was supposed to be our ace in the hole! Yet I can't remember you firing a single shot!"
Foresight, a powerful semblance that allowed Zack to visualize not only the impending actions of those around him, but the consequences of those actions as well. In effect it allowed him to see the future actions of those around him the moment they thought about it.
It wasn't all powerful of course. Since it relied on the intention of its target, the warning often only came moments before the attack. It gave him barely a second longer to react than he normally could, but that second might as well have been an eternity during a fight between hunters. Not to mention knowledge of the attacks his visions gave him.
So why had his partner done jack shit!?
"I-... I'm sorry." He was uncharastically quiet, still refusing to meet his eye.
"Tell me what you saw, Zack." He had known his partner for four years now, there was no way he could have missed the hesitation, the fear, in his old friend. Nothing had ever made him act like that.
There was a pregnant pause, lasting long enough to make him consider asking the question a bit more forcefully. Zack spoke before it was needed.
"You know how my Semblance relies on what the person is actively intending to do?" Not sure where the conversation was going, Sebastian only nodded.
"Yea, it's why you struggle to fight me. My speed semblance makes the window between my intention and action much smaller."
"Yes, well. He is the same. His perception and reaction time are just as good if not better than yours." He felt an involuntary shiver run down his spine. The only people who could react as fast as him were full-fledged Hunters. Not just fresh graduates either, no. In his experience, it was only the more experienced Hunters that could match his semblance-enhanced speed.
"Alright… So he's faster than we expected." It wasn't a comforting thought, but that didn't change his question. "I don't see why that would make you freeze up." He narrowed his eyes.
"You don't get it!" Zack hissed, "He isn't just faster than we expected. He was toying with us, playing with us like a cat would a mouse. The whole time! He isn't someone we can screw with."
Sebastian had to stare, caught off guard by the sudden emotion in his normally relaxed partner. He wasn't used to seeing Zack acting so manically. Sebastian might have been the leader, but his partner was always the one to calmly plan through any situation their team found themselves in.
The sudden emotion was enough to make his frustration fade some, quickly shifting to something else entirely. An unfamiliar feeling that wormed its way through his head.
"You know I can't just roll over…" It wasn't an option. Every fight in their class was recorded and available publicly for review, their fight would already be making the rounds around school. and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
His hands clenched into fists as the unfamiliar feeling spread through his arms and legs, tingling all throughout his extremities.
"Losing like this? To someone younger than me…"
Ah, he recognized the feeling now.
"I'll have to train with my father again…"
It was fear.
"No!" Zack cut through his thoughts, gripping his shoulder roughly. "There has to be another way appease that… that," His friends face morphed into a hideous scowl "That absolute fuck!"
He gripped his partner's hand, giving it an encouraging squeeze while attempting to bury the uncomfortable feeling. "It'll be alright, I-I'll figure something out." He gave a smile, cursing as he felt it crack. He thought he was done getting beaten by the man he was forced to call father. Apparently not...
Why did his hand have to shake so much?
"We." Zack drew his attention back, "We will figure something out. I'm not about to abandon my partner, and I know Bruce and Em wouldn't leave their leader trapped. We're a team." That made him want to smile, if only a bit. His team cared, he knew they did but the reminder still felt a little foriegn to him, even after half a decade.
'He'll ruin them.' The thought killed his smile before it could fully form.
His father, while not nearly as powerful as the Schnee's, still held a seat on the Atlesian council. It would be all too easy for him to put in a single word and have his entire team expelled for some foolish law they couldn't disprove their guilt of.
Robbing Atlas of three Hunters who happen to inconvenience him? The Patriarch of the Cartsteins wouldn't hesitate nor show an ounce of sympathy. In his eyes, they were obstacles blocking his way, they were the enemy, regardless of age or experience.
He couldn't allow that to happen. Zack was a smartass, Bruce a pussy and Emma a Bitch. But they were his team. He wasn't about to let them suffer because of him. But what could he do? Every fight in this place was recorded, it was only a matter of time before his father knew of his failure. How could he blunt the older man's rage? What made that bastard 'happy'?
"We need to jump him." He realized slowly, that was the only answer. For someone like his father, victory was all that mattered. It didn't matter what others thought of the loss, what mattered was the loss itself. So if he could beat the guy that he lost to…
"Your father...?" Zack asked, confused.
"What!? God no, I'm not suicidal" His father had spent his whole life in the military, only "retiring" to a seat in the council recently. Even then it wasn't like the bastard ever stopped his daily training regimen. catching him off guard would do jack shit to better their odds of not being beaten unconscious. "The armoured kid, John or whatever his name is."
"W-what?" Zack's face noticeably paled, "I really, really, don't think that's a good idea." That statement raised a few questions, his partner was not one to show such desperation, to be so outwardly fearful. The way his eyes matched his pleading tone was reason enough to pause.
"...What did you see?" His partner had to have seen something. He had said the kid had fast reaction times, but that couldn't have been the only reason. This reaction was too dramatic, too visceral.
"What had he "intended" to do?" What had his Foresight shown him, he wondered?
"... Bruce's arm was ripped off… That's the first thing my semblance showed me, before he changed his mind at the last second." His partner paused, a thousand yard stare in his eye. "Then I saw him go for the spine… The snap… I- I couldn't help it, I just… Froze." He finally closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
"Em and I weren't much better." His hesitation seemed to fade some, but the look of discomfort never left his face. "I saw him crack her skull before he came at me, snapping my leg as if it was nothing more than a dry twig." He paused, long enough to force Sebastian to take a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.
That wasn't possible. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was unnerving to learn just how sadistic the First year was, but that wasn't what caused his breath to catch.
He knew his partner's semblance was limited to it's time frame and people's intentions, but he also knew it's accuracy was unerring. What he saw wasn't just what the person intended it to do, it was what would happen if the attacker went though with their intention.
While it required the intention of whomever was being observed in order to become active, the consequences he would see were always accurate. What drove a shiver down his spine wasn't the fact the kid was seriously debating crippling them. If he had done so the consequences would have been immediate and severe.
It was the fact he was actually able to do so. A full fledged hunter would struggle to dismantle their team so effectively, how was the brat able to go further while still holding back!?
If he was going to beat the little shit, he knew a sanctioned school fight wasn't going to be the way to do it. But if the little monster was only holding off crippling them because they were in a sanctioned match…
"Then he went after you." Zack's eyes burned intensely, drawing him from his thoughts
"What he did." He swallowed hard enough to hear "He. really. does not like you."
Was that why Sebastian ended up being the last one standing despite being on the front line? The brat wanted to drag out his defeat as long as possible? Would an ambush really help them win? Or would it just let the sadistic little bastard do whatever he wanted with team SEBZ?
"Great, no that's just fan-Goddamned-tastic. Stuck between a rock and a bigger fucking rock." Any confidence he might have been feeling turned around and leapt off a cliff into a burning ravine to die.
"The fuck are we gonna do…?"
\-/
"Just what do you think you're doing?" Her voice was deadly, her mood doubly so.
"Watch your tone, human." The word was spat like an insult. "I am taking the respect my people deserve, while punishing the murderers who strike down our most vulnerable."
"I care little for you people, Taurus" Cinder snapped back, by the gods she was tired of hearing about these bloody animals. "What I care for is our agreement, an agreement you have broken!" Oh, how she wished she could reach through her scroll and strangle the red-headed fool on the other side.
"I have broken nothing!" The video image shook as if the surface it rested upon was struck. "The White Fang has been assisting you and yours because it benefits us both! Just as we agreed."
She felt her anger boil, but forced it out with a breath. "You agreed to leave the Grimm Hybrid to me." She had plans for it! Hearing the Fang had made an attempt after she specifically told them not to was a blatant insult. One made all the worse by having Tyrion of all people be the one to deliver the news. " Sienna made it cl-"
"SIENNA IS DEAD!" He roared through the scroll, ignoring how her eyes narrowed dangerously. "And I won't be entertaining any agreements made by that traitor."
"You have failed to deal with that monster that has killed so many of my people, I warned you it needed to be punished."
"Now," He continued before she could respond, "If you intend to break your end of our arrangement because the Fang will not obey your command like a trained animal, so be it. We will persevere, with or without you. Your assistance is convenient, but hardly necessary."
Could she simply kill Adam and assault Beacon without White-Fang support? Perhaps, she already had her position within the school secured, all it would take is a bit of reconnaissance to find where Ozpin kept his dirty little secrets hidden. She was sure she could find some way into Beacon's locked rooms, but without such a major distraction to draw him away, she would almost certainly have to fight the Headmaster.
Then there was Salem's plan to consider… Chaos was needed, for what, Cinder didn't know. But if her Queen demanded chaos, then chaos would reign. It was just unfortunate the White-Fang were so good at creating such chaos. Their usefulness kept her from burning their new leader to ashes.
"Your pack of savages will be ground into the dirt if you attempt to attack Vale without the information and… "Reinforcements" I'll be providing." She snarled, confident the White-Fang didn't suddenly gain the ability to have any success in an assault on Vale.
"Your people have already lost a warehouse full of valuable dust we both require, and to Hunters-in-training no less." Roman had been quick to push the fault of said lost warehouse on the White-fang, blaming his loss of Dust on their incompetence as if he held no responsibility for losing to children.
She had almost killed the cowardly little thief for that. He was skilled, true, but such a failure had her wondering just how many others could take his place. Unfortunately, she doubted any replacement would have done better in his place. What could a lowly thief hope to accomplish against a tournament champion with a full team? At least he was able to learn of the champion's semblance before escaping.
"How could you possibly hope to kill the Hybrid when you're incapbable of hiding a single Dust stache." She mocked callously. Was the fool actually able to pose a threat to the hybrid? She didn't think so, but she didn't have enough information to go on. Her Queen, after hearing Tyrion's report, seemed sure the Hybrid would be fine. But would it not be best if Adam could be convinced to to focus solely on the kingdoms?
"There was a… leak." He spoke with a fearsome scowl that she could only roll her eyes at. "I've already secured enough Dust. We will be ready before Atlas is scheduled to arrive in Vale. The traitor who leaked the intel will be dealt with, and our original deal will remain in effect, just as we planned."
"That does not mean I will allow that abomination to go unpunished." He glared into her eyes and, though it was nothing compared to the cold gaze of her Queen, It made it clear this was a hill the fool was willing to die on.
"It will kill any you send." It almost killed Tyrion, and while she loathed to admit it, the psychotic maniac was next to impossible to best in combat. If he had been crippled, then any chaff the Fang could send would be slaughtered like pigs.
"I think we'll manage." He deadpanned, proving himself a bigger fool than even Ozpin. "Now then, in case you were unaware," He spat, "I have a schedule to keep." the scroll flickered off, cutting off any response she might have had.
"Arrogant prick…" She fumed, desperately trying to keep herself from melting the scroll in her hands. With how little time she had left, the only thing that could replace the White-Fang was an inordinate amount of Grimm, far more than the few dozen she had already. If she wanted to drop the Fang, she would need to acquire much more Grimm.
Such was possible, of course. But it would require asking her Queen for help. It would be as good as admitting she wasn't good enough to deal with the task given to her. Faith would be lost, trust and responsibility would be soon to follow.
How long until she was reduced to nothing but a host for the Maiden's abilities? Waiting to be killed by the next Woman chosen by Salem.
It was not something could allow to happen, which meant she had to put up with Adam's bullshit. At least until after Beacon fell.
The second her plan succeeded, she was going to reduce the bastard to ash. Right alongside that incompetent idiot, Roman. Perhaps she should add the entire White-Fang to the list of burn victims, just for good measure.
The plastic device in her hand began to bubble and burn, the glass screen shattering loudly as the heat became too intense for it to handle.
"...Ahem." The green haired teen standing at her door stupidly drew her attention, flinching slightly as she glared dangerously at the disturbance.
"What is it!?" She snapped at Emerald, any patience she woke up with that morning having long since abandoned her. At least Mercury was out, the thought of listening to an argument between the pair was almost enough for her to set the entire building ablaze.
"New intel on the Hybrid." The girl wisely kept her response short. She flinched as the scroll was snatched from her. The video was a few minutes long, but it was enough for her sour mood to lessen, if only somewhat.
"Oh?" that was interesting, Jaune was training in Atlas Academy now? Against Fourth year's no less, curious.
"Wait a moment," She tapped at the video, skipping through a few parts until she got a good view of the Hybrid's opponents. "Is that… a Carstien?" She cared little for Atlesian officials but her training gave her extensive knowledge on the more powerful families of Remnant. The Carstein's were among those families.
"Oh my," She found an uncharacteristic smile slip over her features, "Forcing a member of such a proud family to submit…" Did he understand just how seriously ruling families took losses? If the rumours of the Carstein patriarch were to be believed; the fact that it was a spar would make little difference.
"Thank you, Emerald." She purred while replaying the video from the start, this time inspecting the new combat style the Hybrid displayed so boldly.
"I needed something to… distract me." Perhaps she had been focusing too much on the White-Fang, they were never meant to be more than a distraction to keep Ozpin and the other kingdoms busy. So long as Adam continued to acquire dust and sow chaos amidst the festival, she could leave him to it. It wasn't like the Fang could hope to strike into the heart of Atlas.
The Hybrid, however, looked to be making waves in Atlas; Angering the ruling families. That was something she could use. While more enemies would put it at risk, socially ostracizing the Hybrid was necessary if she wanted to turn it against her enemies.
But who could she send to ensure wasn't killed by a council assassin? The White Fang were not an option for obvious reasons, while Emerald and Mercury needed to remain anonymous like herself.
The other servants of her Queen might assist, but she doubted it. Watts hated the mere fact of her existence, while Hazel refused to do anything not expressly ordered by their Queen.
Tyrion was a complete madman, of course, so she was loathed to trust him with any task whatsoever.
Then again, he did see the Hybrid as a child of their Queen. She had a feeling he wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice his life to save the child of his "Goddess".
...Was she seriously debating asking bloody Tyrion for help…?
'how far have I fallen?'
\~/
So last chapter i said that i had some oc's that i was curious how good they were. Ya that was lieXD I forgot the first part of this chapter wasnt part of the last chapter. anyway I tried to make them realistic, but I know most people on this site don't like oc's, add to that how little imagination i got when it comes to semblances and my expectations aint too high. I really hope i explained Zack's Foresight semblance right, i read through it a couple times and change some words but i'm not 100% confident i made sense, if its real bad or not understandable I might edit it or explain further in the next chapter or two.
With Jaune's perception of time being sped up, I felt i kind of needed to have it, as it was how i saw whitback's consciousness working (course the fact i enjoy power fantasies probably has something to do with it too). basically i think of the brain a bit like a computer, so making it go faster was a matter of adjusting physical aspects, something that Whitback has been avoiding doing to Jaune's mind/brain, but with Jaunes brain adapting to its situation on its own it's learned from whitback subconsciously. like usual, lemme know if i didnt explain somethin proper and i'll hopefully be able to explain it in a later chapter, or at least in a note like this one.
Also a bit more shown about what's goin on with cinder and adam, as well some hints about other things happening. Not sure if i hinted properly but, slight spoiler, things are still happening in vale despite most of team Ruby not being there. Maybe i was too obvious? not obvious enough? maybe i made absolutely no sense, please let me know! Hope you all have a good evening/morning!
just a little PS. I may be going back and updating a few of my earlier chapters. I haven't really decided yet but I dont like how some of them turned out. To clarify I wouldn't change any of the "ideas" behind the story, just how its presented. for example, jaune would still be blown up and taken to Jacques', but the conversations and how their presented would be edited to make more sense and/or feel more natural. This is all hypothetical though, really depends on how busy my new job will keep me and my mood during.
GeraltRex, Glad to hear it! I was hoping to explain this chapter a bit more what Jaune's thoughts are on salem (or Mother as the grimm know her as) but ended up running out of room, hoping to do so next chapter though! Same with Whitback's separation, but to give a lil spoiler, there is a reason Whitback hasn't been heard from for a bit. Hope you continue to enjoy!
Sm0keyPanda, I agree, Jaune just can't seem to catch a breakXD but im glad I could evoke that emotion of sympathy! hope I can keep the story interesting/good!
ParadoxReader, Truthfully I'm pretty unorignal, most my ideas here are taken from some kind of MediaXD I just move and mold things around a bit. Like I said before, about the team settup, I didn't have much of a plan when i made those, I basically just went with what I thought would cause more conflict. Honestly I feel like pyrrha ren and nora would be a bit too forgiving for the story I was hoping to make. I couldn't really see any of them having much of a reason to create conflict with Jaune. thats' Not to say there isn't potential, just that I simply didn't think of it, my bad! About the characters though I would have to disagree with some of your statements. I don't think jaune has no brain in this, admitedly I havnt done much to show it, but I dont think I've shown him lacking brains either. I could see Nora and Jaune bonding over mutual scars being covered by a "happier" persona, again though, The only reason i didnt do it was cuz i didnt really think about that team dynamic when i was doing the teams way back when. I can understand things feeling forced, I'm not great with normal interactions, but I dont think Im making Yang act like Nora. I could never see Nora being scared of Jaune or angry like i've shown Yang to be. Not to say nora wouldnt be a better partner, I just dont think I'm forcing Yang to act like Nora. with weiss being worse than ren, well I freely admit I havn't done a great job characterizing much of any of the team, Weiss particularly. All in all I don't disagree with the idea that Jaune's original team would have worked or even been the better choice. I do disagree with the idea that im trying to have RW-Y act like -NPR. Hope That further explains my choices!