Sorry for my bad English.
If there is something Sally learns from her time in team STRK is that someone's ego can be a fragile as a baby's body.
Since the incident of their second trip to Forever Fall, the ninja of her team refused to talk to his teammates more than five words. It seems that being defeated by Ryan of all the people gave a blow on Koro's ego and he still has to recover from that. To be honest, Sally was also surprised.
As a team leader, she must know the strength and weakness of her teammates, and their skills as well. Despite Koro preferring stealth than direct confrontation, Sally knew that only a few of their classmates could be a match to his skill with a katana, even when had only one arm.
But then, Ryan was no slouch either. When it comes to physical strength, she has yet to see someone who can match him. Not to mention his clumsy way to fight also gives him an unpredictable fighting style and makes hard to predict his movements.
So when they both clashed, she did not expect for Ryan to come on the top victorious.
After their fight, Koro was distant, more than Unicorn. Class come to its end, he left without a word. During breakfast, he refuses to make eye contact and eat as fast as he can to avoid any conversation. And he barely spends time in the dorm to avoid his teammates.
Something that Sally needed to put an end.
So during lunch time on Saturday, she knew the ninja would be in the cafeteria to devour half of the food available. There he was, sitting alone, with a pile of food in front of him. She wonders to where all that food goes.
-Koro. –She called. He heard but did not move his head to face her, he just keep eating. –We need to talk.
-Later. –Koro answered before shoving some fries on his mouth.
-How long later?
-Later.
-How about now?
-I'm eating.
-So, you're not doing anything important, right? –She asks and before he could say another word, she sits in front of him. –Can you tell me what's going on?
-I'm eating.
-And yet you are not talking about how a waste of time being in the academy is, you are not insulting some of our classmates, you even aren't calling me babydoll anymore.
-I'm eating.
-If something is bothering you, you should talk to someone about it. Talk to someone you trust, who can see your point of view. It is good to hear different opinions about something.
-I'm eating.
-Maybe I should bring Ryan to see if you are willing to talk to him.
At the mention of his partner, Koro stopped before putting in his mouth a fork with a roasted potato and finally made eye contact with his team leader.
-Don't you dare.
-If Ryan is the problem, why not talk to someone else.
-No one can understand.
-How come they will understand if you are not willing to talk about it.
-As if words ever solved any problem.
-Are you saying no one ever just wanted to just sit down and just talk to you?
Koro was about to answer but got the words stuck in his throat. Like anyone in the world, he usually not likes to be proven wrong. There was someone who just wanted to sit down and just talk to him, someone who because he was too weak to help, ends up losing his life.
Cloud.
-Why I am here? –She heard Koro asks.
-Excuse me?
-Why I even bothering to be here if that place is not making me strong? –Koro asked finally making eye contact with his team leader.
In his eyes, she sees something different about the young ninja, something she did not recognize at first in his black eyes. Koro always was overconfident, a bit arrogant when it comes to his skills compared to his classmates and even teammates. But now, she saw doubt.
-Be strong is that important to you?
-It is not the reason to everyone to be here?
-Everyone has their different reasons and goals to choose this academy. I came here because it is the same academy my mother graduated. If this place made her such a great woman, then perhaps could do the same for me.
-She was strong?
Sally thought for a moment, eyes closed and a finger on her cheek before answer.
-I don't remember exactly how strong she was. I'm more focused on the type of woman she was.
-Was?
-She died fighting against a grimm when I was a little girl.
-You don't win fights with kindness, Sally.
Hearing him calling her by her name feels a little strange for Sally.
-No. But is not the kind of huntress I want to be. It is the kind of woman I want to become.
-The type of woman?
-You know that huntress is just a title, right? A name that anyone can have as long him or her graduate from any academy, but just because they carry that title, doesn't mean they will be good people, or strong people in your case. Kindness does not win fights, but what the use of strength if you are going to become someone void of any emotion?
-I never said anything about emotions.
-No, but is something that is bound to happen if someone focus more on the title than being a person.
-Being a person not give anyone strength.
-You don't know that. Between you and Ryan, he clearly is the better person of you both.
And she hammered the nail with this statement.
Koro knew and found quite ironic that Ryan, someone who is not seeking power, is strong enough to defeat him in battle, and when they were doing their all. He avoids conflicts when he can, refusing challenges during Goodwitch's classes.
People insult him and he just ignores, or at least tries. He knows how his partner feels when some call him Toasty.
This raises the one million lien question. How come Koro, who is seeking strength is weaker than Ryan, who not like to fight?
What makes Ryan stronger than him?
Seeing her teammate deep in thoughts, the brunette team leader decides to leave him alone to think in whatever it is in his mind.
If Sally said talk could be of any help, then he should confront the one who put him in that state.
Sitting with his legs crossed, Koro went to meditated, something he hadn't done for a while now. This helped to let the time pass as he waited in his dorm room.
The wait was rewarded when his partner came from the door but could not help but raise an eyebrow at his physical state.
It seems that Ryan had a date with a toaster.
-I thought you didn't like fire. –Koro spoke.
-And I thought you were not talking to me. –Ryan stated next.
Sometimes Koro underestimate his partner.
-Since I'm talking to you, can you spare a few words?
-It is not like I have better things to do. –Ryan answered with a shrug.
-Why are you here in Beacon?
-I don't get it.
-From the four academies, why choose Beacon?
-To be honest, any academy away from Vacuo could be better. I just decide to study away from my kingdom because there some people who want to rip my skin off my body.
-So, you choose Beacon to run away.
-Run and away are such strong words… but yeah.
Koro felt some headache forming in his head. Perhaps he going on the wrong direction.
-Okay, how about this. Why do you fight?
-I don't fight, I run.
Koro massaged the bridge of his nose.
-Why are you here?
-I was planning to take a shower and then…
-Why… are you… in this academy?
-I think I'm answered that already. I mean, they serve donuts on Mondays so…
-WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE A HUNTSMAN?
As if he finally understood what Koro was talking about, Ryan went in silence, a strange look in his good eye.
-I once heard people say "If you have power, then you should use it". With me it is no different. Being a huntsman was not my first option for a life, but things happen, my semblance came, and I decide to put it in a good use.
-Your semblance? –Koro asked. –What? Someone unlocked your aura without your consent?
-Yes.
That took Koro's by surprise. Ryan was not like Koro, who unlocked the aura by himself a long time ago, which is possible if someone is put under extreme circumstances.
-Why would someone want to unlock your aura when you not want to?
-It is complicated.
-What is so complicated about it?
-A lot. –Ryan says, sounding different from his normally goof attitude. He remembers hearing from Sally about how he would sound like someone different some times, but he thought only to be her mind playing a prank on his team leader. –It something that happened and if I could, I would never allowed to happen, especially if I knew the consequences of those events.
-Events? What events?
-Nothing to you worries about. –Was all Ryan said before going to the bathroom.
From what the ninja understood, Ryan's semblance is the reason for him to want to become a huntsman. His aura was unlocked without him want to and now, he want to put his powers for a good use. Make some sense in his head, it is better for Koro to use his semblance for something useful and during a fight than use it to play around like a child.
Yet, this did not give Koro the answer he was looking for. He thought that hearing the reason for Ryan to become a huntsman would show him the reason behind his strength.
While he understood his partner a bit better, he still did not know what make Ryan stronger than him.
Ryan made no move while being below the shower head, allowing the water to fell in his head and body.
It has been a while since he thought about how he got his aura and semblance and was not a pleasant memory.
He was not allowed to spoke a word about it to anyone and fortunately for him, Koro did not prayed further in that. But now he wonders if will come the day he will have to tell to his friends about the condition of his aura.
Koro needed to become strong and since the academy is not helping him with that, he will have to do like the old times, by himself.
Pulling his katana with his right 'arm', he still needed to practice a bit with his new prosthesis.
Using his right arm after so long still feels a bit weird for him, but he will get used after some practice.
Luckily, those droids from Atlas were available to use.
The droid pulled a small sword from its back while Koro assumed a fighting stance. Waiting for the sign, he locked in the droid, ignoring everything else.
The sign beeped, and the droid went to attack. Koro effortless dodges the strike and cut its arm off, followed by its head.
-The hell? –Koro asked. –That's it?
The droid went to its knee before fall down on the floor, shutting itself down. Koro could only look at the machine in disappointment. Even the police officers from Vale posed a better challenge than the so called Atlas Best Tech.
-Congratulations, you utterly wasted my time. –Koro spoke to the machine, knowing it would not listen to him. –Did I just said 'utterly'?
Koro sighed. He needed a more challenge practice.
So he put in some control on the entrance of the arena ten of those droids to fight.
Ten of them came, and Koro decide to go head on, needing to practice his skill with the katana. Unfortunately for the results, he easily destroyed every single droid without little effort, meaning that his skill did not grow as he wanted.
In order to become stronger, Koro needed to put himself past his limits, something that would not be possible with such simple training. Looking at his hands, the normal and mechanical one, he ponders about how increase his skills.
The answer seemed to not come. He just looks at his hands for a while, remembering how he used to deal with everything with literally just one hand.
Then something came to his mind. During his training to become a ninja, he could only use one hand because he did not have a choice but now, with that prosthesis he could make things he could not before.
He needed a Video Cassette Recorder
End of the chapter.
It is something that it needed to be brought, but I just remembered about it when I talk to my brother about what a character would do after being defeated. Considering his personality, he ould not be satisfied after being defeated by his partner, considering how Ryan is.
That's all for now. Thank you for reading and see you next time.