A/N: Hey there true believers how's going? It's been a while since I updated, but with things being as they are right now and myself being listed as an essential employee I haven't been focusing as much on my story as I wanted but regardless I managed to churn this chapter out. A big thanks to MajorBrony95 for helping with proofreading. At any rate, I hope you all enjoy my latest update, and be sure to let me know what you think.
Team JNPR was...okay. They were...fine. They were...alright. That's what Clark's first thoughts of his new team were. Well, no, that wasn't fair to them. They had been cordial, kind, welcoming, and friendly. He liked them, he really did and he was pretty sure they liked him too. But there was a distance between Clark and the others. He felt it and he was sure they did as well.
It was not as though they didn't want him with them. Jaune, with whom Clark got along with very well even before the team shuffle, had done his best to make Clark feel like part of his team with team-building exercises and study sessions very much as Ruby had done. Unfortunately, Clark still felt like he was an outsider when he was with them and it didn't take a genius to figure out why.
Clark hadn't been there when the team was forged as he had been with Team RWBY. So, despite his and their best efforts, he knew he'd never really be part of their team; not like he was with RWBY at any rate. That being said, he wouldn't call his time with them so far "bad." It had been a little over a week and they all got along. In many ways, they even reminded him of his friends on his former team.
Jaune was less eccentric and excitable than Ruby, but both of them were goofy in their fashion. Both were also reliable and instinctive leaders, despite Jaune's slightly less than stellar fighting skills. Pyrrha always managed to comfort herself with poise and dignity, not unlike Weiss. Well... like Weiss MOST of the time. Ren's demeanor was as stoic and calm as Blake's, and Nora was bombastic and a bit of a troublemaker like Yang. Yes, the teams had their similarities but there was no mistaking where Clark fit in better.
Blake, Yang, Ruby, and even Weiss had become something akin to siblings to him in a very short time. Well, not Yang. Not quite. She never missed a chance to make Clark uncomfortable with suggestive voices, lewd tones, and inappropriate comments. While Clark was sure there was a certain amount of razzing between siblings, he knew for a fact that that was VERY different than what Yang had been doing with him.
Now, Clark would never admit it, especially not to her face, but one of the things he missed most in a strange way was Yang's constant hazing. Not the inappropriate sexual jokes ;he could very much do without all that, but more the fact she was just so comfortable with him. She never pulled her punches and spoke her mind to him, both good and bad. Clark appreciated the level of openness and honesty and regretted he couldn't really be the same way with her or the rest of them. He was pulled from the train of thought by Jaune calling his name.
"Remnant to Clark," he said teasingly.
"Oh! Sorry guys. What's happening?" Clark asked, coming out of his own mind and finding himself still on his way to Combat Class with his new team.
"Nothing's happening, silly. You were just all like 'VRRRT! Space cadet!'" Nora said cheerily as she crossed her eyes comically before jumping and landing soundly on Clark's shoulder, one her more endearing (and at the same time, irritating) tendencies.
She had a habit of jumping onto all her teammates and since Clark never fell over like the others, that meant he had become her favorite perch. Clark, for his part, was being a good sport about it, but he also didn't particularly like having his personal space encroached on like that.
"What she means is you seemed to be deep in thought," Ren stated, supplying a more level headed translation to Nora's outburst.
"Oh, sorry. Just thinking about...things," he answered vaguely.
"Ooooo! Who is it? Who is things? Is it a girl? Who is it!? Weiss? Blake? Yang? Ruuuuby?" Nora finished with a crooning tone as she poked Clark softly in the side of his head. Clark just gently batted the hand away.
"Nothing like that. It's just, well, things with the team aren't...don't get me wrong, they aren't bad, you've all been great, but..." Clark trailed off, but Jaune seemed to understand and supplied the rest.
"Hey, I get it. You were part of another team and now you're here with us. It's not easy," he said kindly.
"Exactly right. That's part of the reason the headmaster is doing this. We don't always get to work with only those on our team. It's good for everyone, and we're happy you're here," Pyrrha offered in a level and friendly tone.
"Yeah I know. It's just that I feel that sometimes I'm… I don't know, the odd man out?" Clark finished lamely.
"Don't worry about it! You're one of us, like it or not!" Nora offered cheerily and began to poke him again and Clark couldn't suppress a chuckle.
"I appreciate it," he said through a light laugh, pushing her hand away again and deliberately not warning her of the archway as he entered the arena for their practical portion of Combat Class. A soft "THUNK!" and a small "OOF!" followed by the disappearance of the weight from his shoulders told him Nora had allowed herself to be distracted, had missed the head of the doorway, and had subsequently been knocked from her perch.
"Well...she should have paid attention," Ren said with an unusual level of amusement in his voice as he turned back to help her up and no one tried to suppress their mirth, Nora included. Popping back up onto her feet, Nora fell back into stride with her teammates as they made their way to their seats.
As they entered, Clark saw Ruby waving enthusiastically at them. Clark just grinned and waved back as Team JNPR collectively went over and filled the seats beside them.
"Aww, you miss us already?" Yang teased.
"Not particularly," Clark said coolly. This earned him a glare from the blonde for all of two seconds before his resolve broke and he began to snicker.
"Oh HO! Smallville made a funny!" she said before punching him in the shoulder. "You better hope it's not you and me sparring today, 'cuz I might not take it easy on you after that little crack," she finished with a grin.
"Hehe...yeah," Clark finished as his mind began to wander back to his session with Ozpin.
The headmaster had more or less called him out for not really trying in the practical portion of combat. Miss Goodwitch had reported his underperformance, but he wasn't sure if she had, like Weiss, figured out he wasn't really trying. So far he'd been lucky and he hadn't had to fight since his training session with Ozpin, but he had a feeling that was coming to an end. Ozpin would no doubt have mentioned something to the combat instructor and Clark just hoped he wouldn't have to fight one of his friends, but that was unlikely and he knew it. This made him slightly nervous and uncomfortable. With the exception of Team CRDL; the members of which Clark largely thought were bullies, Clark was on good, or at least neutral terms with just about everyone in his year and he didn't want to ruin that.
"Alright everyone, settle down, settle down," The voice of Glynda Goodwitch cut through the hum of the chattering students and they all silenced their conversations immediately . "As you all know, we've covered the conservation of Aura in combat. Now, we'll be putting it to good use. A simple concept in theory, but much harder to accomplish in practice." Goodwitch then began pacing the arena in front of them. "Your Aura is what powers your Semblance and protects you in combat, but your pools are finite and overreliance is dangerous. If depleted, you leave yourself vulnerable to your opponents, be they Human, Faunus or Grimm," she spoke sternly and matter of factly.
Clark listened to her intently. Even though this was a reiteration he had heard time and again, he still paid attention as though it were his first time hearing it. Miss Goodwitch had made it clear she would make many points time and again as they all barred repeating. The lessons she taught could make the difference between life and death and she treated them with the gravity they deserved, and if that meant repeating herself until the point was driven in, then so be it.
"Today, we'll be testing the control of your expenditure of you Aura in combat and…" she began but was stopped short by the vibrating of her scroll. With a curious look on her face, she pulled her scroll out and examined it. Unbeknownst to anyone, on the screen was a single line of text from the headmaster.
'Give Clark Kent a strong opponent, one of the best in class,' was all it said.
One of her eyebrows quirked up as her eyes traveled from the screen to her students. Clark? She had just told the headmaster how he was lackluster in combat and now he wanted her to have his face off against one of her top students? The request was odd in and of itself. Sparring sessions were usually assigned at random but now Ozpin was directly asking her to make a change in the format. She knew he had taken a special interest in the young man (just what that interest was she didn't know), but she trusted him implicitly even if he didn't share everything with her.
"I'm terribly sorry, class. Now, as I was saying, we'll be seeing how well you can manage your energy levels in combat today. So let's get down to it," she said cooly as she made a small spectacle of making it appear as though the decision was still randomized. It didn't take much time for her to decide on an opponent for Clark: Pyrrha was much too experienced and skilled. Someone like Cardin had a great deal of power but not really much skill compared to others. Weiss Schnee was also exceptional, but wasn't much of a melee combat fighter, more skilled in using her Semblance and weapon. In the end, it wasn't terribly difficult to make a choice.
On the screen above the combat floor, the faces of all the students flashed in quick succession before finally settling.
"Mister Kent and Miss Xiao Long, please come down to the combat floor," She said calmly. The choice had been quite clear for her. She really shouldn't have him fight one of his new team members, nor potentially create a potential conflict between him and teams he would be joining in the near future. So a member of Team RWBY was the obvious choice. Clark had established strong bonds with them that shouldn't suffer any damage from a match like this and, among that team, Miss Xiao Long was undoubtedly the best in direct combat.
Yang could be heard to audibly mutter a small "yes" and pumped her fists as she stood up. Clark, on the other hand, couldn't have looked less thrilled. His face seemed to lose a bit of color as his shoulders slumped and his head dropped.
"Come on, Smallville! Time for a rematch!" Yang called cheerily as she began to hop back and forth from one foot to the other as her Ember Celica engaged as she threw a few shadow jabs.
Letting out a sigh Clark stood up and did two things he had never done in this class before; He removed his glasses and handed them to Jaune before swiftly placing contact lenses in his eyes, and he removed his usual baggy jacket. For the first time for almost everyone present, they saw Clark was not just a scrawny student with a good Semblance, but a powerfully built young man quite capable of combat. As much as he tried to tune it out, Clark still heard some of his classmate's exclamations of surprise (including many blushing females), but he wouldn't let it bother him. He told Ozpin he'd make an effort to look better in combat and so he would. Yang, of course, wasn't about to let this opportunity pass her by.
"YEAH! TAKE IT OFF!" she shouted before she snickered.
"Not gonna get a rise out of me this time, Miss Xiao Long," Clark said coolly with a grin as his unearthly sky blue eyes met her lilac and her snickering stopped short. She looked almost shocked and in awe as she stared at him. This was the first time she had seen him without his glasses and she had never really noticed their unnatural bluish, almost grey, hue. Nor had he ever leveled this degree of intensity in his stare.
"Oh...alright then," she responded in a much more subdued tone, but the grin that spread across her face and the ever so slight tremble in her voice told Clark she was now much more excited she was for this match than she had been moments ago.
Clark then, in a fit of almost sheer madness as far as he was considered, decided to do something he would have never thought himself capable of in a situation like this. He allowed a broad smile to replace his smirk and quickly cast an almost flirtatious wink in Yang's direction. Much to his surprise, her eyes actually grew wide and the slightest tint of blush appeared on her cheeks just as Goodwitch cried, "Begin!" and Clark leaped forward.
Yang's eyes grew wider and she just barely managed to get her guard up as Clark's fist came crashing down and pushed her several feet away, her boots squealing as they dragged across the arena floor. She dropped her hands momentarily and shook out the arm he had struck before looking at him, surprise etched across her face.
"Geez, Kent! Where's this been hiding!?" she said in near awe before she started to grin.
"You said you weren't going to take it easy on me, so…" Clark didn't finish his sentence but simply raised his arms and dropped into the stance she had shown him.
"Oh...okay then," she responded with a smile. She eyed him with an almost hungry gaze before dropping into her own stance, she waited a moment, gaging him, and then, she unleashed a flurry of shots at Clark, the rapid bangs from her Ember Celica almost sounding like machine gun fire. Each round found their mark but Clark just weathered the onslaught of explosives as a cloud of spent dust began to swell around him. That was when Yang burst through the haze of the dust and drove her fist into Clark's jaw.
Clark gave a little ground but did not allow himself to be pushed back. Instead, he reached up and wrapped his fingers around her forearm before turning and pulling her over his shoulder as he threw her across the arena. Twisting her body, Yang managed to correct herself and land her feet, but needed to drop down and use her hand to keep herself from sliding too far back. Finding her balance again, she drove her boot into the arena floor and leaped forward, throwing a series of peppering blows into Clark's guard before driving her knee hard into his abdomen.
It appeared for a moment she had managed to knock the air from his lungs before realizing far too late he was merely bending over to wrap his arms around her leg. Before she could really register what was happening, she was flying through the air again. This time however, she wasn't being thrown but rather slammed into the floor, the impact driving all the breath from her chest. Acting more on instinct than thought she managed to roll onto her back and raise her gauntlets and fire two shots that managed to hit Clark in the face. More importantly though, it served the purpose of pushing her away and allowing her to roll and spring back onto her feet. Raising her guard again she stood there trying desperately to get her breathing back under control as she stared down Clark.
She couldn't help but wonder what was happening. The only thing that was really different from when they fought a month ago was that he had taken his glasses off. But that couldn't really have made that much of a difference could it? It was almost as if when he took his glasses off he became a new person. He was moving more confidently and there was none the hesitation that had been there even a week prior when he had been on her team. What could have changed?
"Well, well, Smallville. You been holding back on me?" Yang asked as she began to slowly pace around him.
"Not at all, Miss Xiao Long, I think I just found my groove," he answered back in what Yang thought was an almost cocky tone. Impossible. Clark Kent does not get cocky- not like this at any rate.
"Got a little swagger, huh Kent? Well, why don't you show me what you're really made off" she said with an almost gleeful tone. Before Clark could answer however a voice cried out from the spectators.
"QUIT FLIRTING AND KICK HER ASS!" Nora shouted, earning her a withering glare from Goodwitch and momentarily distracting Clark. At this, Yang seized her opportunity and leaped.
"I told you before to pay attention," Yang almost crooned the moment she was upon him.
Her fist met his jaw, followed quickly by the sizzle and combustion of dust. The force of the punch and explosion drove Clark flat onto the floor and Yang unloaded on him. Expended shells clattered to the floor as she pumped round after round into him. She had learned from their last match to avoid locking up with him if at all possible, so she wasn't about to mount and try to hammer away at him. She threw her right fist and there was an audible click. She threw her left; another click. She barely had time to think, "Shit," before two hands shot up from the smoke and gripped her fists like a pair of vices as a voice followed.
"My turn," Clark's voice called out and he suddenly seemed to be almost floating above her.
He had somehow leaped from flat on his back and straight into the air all the while keeping her hands clasped tightly in his grip. She tried to rest her hands from his but she may as well have tried to pull the moon from the sky for all the good it did and she watched as his head reared back before shooting forward. For one insane moment, Yang actually thought he was going to kiss her… right before his forehead smashed into hers. Her head snapped back and she saw stars.
The world seemed to start spinning and she was beginning to see double. She felt herself beginning to lose her balance and her eyes began to cross before an almost overwhelming surge of strength caused her to refocus and stare at her target. A flare of energy burst off of her as she ferally grinned before she slammed her head back into Clark's. The force of the collision caused a thunderous "CRACK" to cut through the air. Clark looked surprised for a moment before he seemed to almost hop off the ground before delivering another crushing blow with his forehead and sent Yang tumbling. This time, she wasn't able to right herself as she rolled across the arena floor before skidding to a stop. She didn't move for a moment, then another, and Clark seemed to become visibly worried. Then Yang began to stir before she stumbled to her feet.
"Come on… Smallville… Is that... that all you... got?" She said through heavy huffs, her legs beginning to tremble and her stance becoming sloppy.
"That is, unfortunately, all you happen to have, Miss Xiao Long," interrupted Professor Goodwitch, gesturing to the monitor displaying both combatants' Aura levels. Yang's picture was flashing red and her aura levels were nearly depleted. Clark's levels, however, had remained unchanged. "I apologize for putting the spotlight on you, Mister Kent, but I believe we have witnessed something quite rare."
"Oh, well…" Clark began but Goodwitch didn't allow him to finish.
"Please return to your seats," she said as she began to pull up data on her scroll.
Clark returned to JNPR and retrieved his glasses. He placed them back on before turning to Team RWBY and giving an awkward smile and wave to Yang who was breathing heavily as she ungracefully plopped down in her seat. She looked back, grinned, and gave him a double thumbs-up before she allowed herself to slump down, relax and catch her breath.
"Now, can anyone tell me the difference between these two fights," Goodwitch said as she displayed Clark's fight with Yang side by side with his fight with Nora from three weeks prior. In one Clark was destroyed by Nora, in the other Yang was soundly beaten. The class was silent before Ruby raised her hand eagerly.
"Oh, oh, I know, I know...Clark beat up Yang!" she said cheerily, this followed by a loud thump and an "OOOWW, YANG!" as she rubbed the back of her head.
"Not... incorrect, Miss Rose, but not quite what I meant. What is TRULY the difference between these two engagements?" Goodwitch asked as she scanned the class. A few students seemed to be studying the videos closely; they could tell something was different but didn't know quite what.
Clark, on the other hand, knew exactly what was different but wondered what exactly Goodwitch thought it was. He could tell Pyrrha wanted to say something but she seemed hesitant, her eyes kept looking over at Jaune, who also seemed to want to say something but he was clearly nervous or unsure. But it didn't matter as Cardin suddenly blurted the answer.
"He finally stopped holding back. He should have beat Nora and then went full tilt and beat Yang. He's bigger and stronger than BOTH of them," he said in an arrogant tone and the air immediately seemed to grow heavy and tense.
Clark knew that, strictly speaking, Cardin was absolutely right. He had held back less this time and he was undoubtedly stronger than anyone else here. But the issue was why he thought these things. It was clear from his tone, his general past actions, and attitude he assumed it was because Clark was a man and not because of anything else. While it was true men are usually biologically better built for combat in most circumstances, but if you accounted for weapons, Dust, the vast variety of Semblances, and the factor of Aura, the sex of the combatant didn't matter all that much. Clark was about to speak when Jaune spoke up.
"He's wrong," he nearly shouted, but not quite. It was more of a forceful objection than anything else, but this sudden burst of courage seemed to wilt as soon as Goodwitch and everyone else's attention turned to him.
"What exactly do you mean, Mister Arc?" Goodwitch asked, her eyebrow arched.
"Well...ahhhh, it's just….well…" he stammered, but when Pyrrha gave him a look he seemed to gain some confidence again. "It... wasn't that he was holding back, ma'm. It was more like... like his Semblance seems to have changed. Like, it's almost entirely different," he offered, sounding more assured with himself than normal.
"Please, explain," Goodwitch said calmly.
"Well...uuuuh. Well, for starters, Clark seems like he's able to shrug off or absorb more damage than before, but it's not just that. He's moving faster and seems more coordinated than before. On top of all that, his Semblance seems to have become drastically more efficient in how it uses his Aura," he finished, gesturing to Clark's current Aura levels compared to the prior match.
Goodwitch gave a small smile and nodded. "Very good, Mister Arc, but you are wrong on one account," She then pulled some files to display on the screen for the class. "What you've all witnessed is quite rare at this age, but Mister Kent's Semblance seems to have actually evolved," she said matter of factly.
"Evolved?" a few voices could be heard muttering.
"A Semblance is part of your body, just like your heart, lungs, arms or legs," Goodwitch explained calmly to the confused students. "They all have built in limits, but just like the rest of your body, a Semblance can be trained and improved upon. Once you've trained and improved your Semblance, it can actually evolve into a more efficient or powerful version of what you had before. In fact, it may even appear, on a superficial level, to have changed completely." Goodwitch then turned to face the screen and gestured to images on the screen showing various Semblances that had evolved from one state to another.
But to Clark, it seemed to be a distant drone. He could feel the eyes of all his classmates flitting over to stare at him and he felt hot under the collar. He really didn't like being the center of attention, but it honestly couldn't be helped. After all, he had promised Ozpin he'd stop throwing fights, so he supposed he'd just have to get used to it.
After the class was released, Clark bid his teammates and friends farewell and wandered off on his own. He needed to be alone right now. Every now and then he felt off, and it was usually after an occurrence where he was reminded just how separate he was from everyone else and today was no exception. He had been more or less forced into showcasing what he was capable of and it had once again illustrated how peculiar he was.
He was singular, special, unique and alone. Something about that last part made him feel fake, like he wasn't real. As if he were a character in a story. It just reminded him he didn't really know how to belong in the world. He tried though, he did his best, tried to act as he thought a human should. But sadly, time and again, he always saw proof that he wasn't. It was likely to drive him crazy.
A few seconds later, he heard footsteps approaching.
"Hey Clark, you doin' okay?" a soft and concerned voice said from behind him. Clark knew who it was without needing to look.
"Yeah, Jaune. I'm fine. Just thinking is all," Clark answered with a sad smile as he turned to face him.
"Come on man, we're a team now. What's up?" he asked with a small smile of his own, but the concern was still evident in his voice.
Clark considered him for a moment. He couldn't tell him what was bothering him; not what was really bothering him at any rate. But he thought maybe he could spare him a little honesty.
"I just...well... I don't like being the center of attention, and Cardin was bothering me with what he said, and I think I might have been too tough on Yang, and-" he began to rattle off before Jaune stopped him.
"Hey, hey, hey. It's alright you didn't do anything wrong. Come on, let's go back to the dorms, huh buddy? We'll talk it out, it's gonna be okay. We got your back. You know that, right?" he said kindly and offered Clark his hand.
Clark grinned despite himself. He gave Jaune's hand a quick shake before following after him. Maybe- just maybe- he wasn't so alone after all.