'1…'
"NOW!"
Upon the opening of the doors wall of ice emerged from glyph beneath the entryway. Effectively, the doorway to the arena was closed off, keeping the defenders from peppering them with fire, though also halting the advance of the attackers. It came as quite the shock, particularly for those who expected the attacking team to rush it.
And now, the front door was sealed off, keeping the attacking team from advancing, but giving the defending team time to rethink their next move, that or dig in and wait for the enemy to bring down their walls and advance.
For those observing, there was a small round of murmurs from the students in the stands, whispering amongst themselves over what the attacking team was planning. In the private booths, the families of the blond and the heiress of Menagerie, though the reason for these simulations was still lost on them, there was no denying that giving these students a taste of what actual huntsmen had to endure was a necessity.
"I won't say it again, yer girls ain't got nothing on my boy." Of course, with every family, there came moments where rivalries tended to pop up. Which was certainly the case for a certain cowboy and a blond teacher from patch. It appeared as though the two had come to a sort of disagreement, leaving those around them to simply ignore them, or facepalm at the immaturity of the situation.
"…" The blond man said nothing, glaring at the cowboy with fatherly intent. "That so…" He growled, his hand dove into his inner vest pocket, retrieving his wallet and upon opening it, a collection of photographs dangled. All of which showed a variety of images of two toddlers, one of blonde hair, the other of ebony with streaks of maroon. What followed was the bane of every child with overly doting parents; two overly doting parents 'discussing' who's the cuter child, you or theirs. And with the piece of the blond's collection unfolded, to add to the cringe of it all, he struck a pose.
Each photo ranged from his girls in costumes, to little instances of everyday life. One of which was the blonde girl, not too much older than the silver-eyed one, cleaning her younger siblings jam-stained cheeks.
The cowboy responded with his own pose, one of a man having been struck with a blow he was not expecting, nor was he willing to accept the reality of; the girls were indeed adorable. But he himself had a trump card.
"Good shot there partner…" McCree grumbled, rubbing his chin in thought as his prosthetic hand reached towards his back pocket. With one swift move he retrieved his wallet, and like the blond father, from his wallet came an array of photos of the blond bunny with his older sibling in various little outfits, the biggest hit of them was one of the small boy asleep in the arms of his sibling; his head nuzzled gently against her chest and her head resting atop his. Her arms draped over him in a protective manner, as if shielding him from the world. Of course, in that photograph was a much younger Olivia, sleeping beside them as well, one arm used to keep the two cuddled close to her. "But I got a whole lotta ammo too." He half-shouted, striking a pose as well. His head was tilted upwards, with his torso leaning backwards slightly, and his free hand half covering his face. Unfortunately, Hana was seated beside Fareeha, her face was a blushing red buried into her palms, groaning loudly at the immaturity of the old westerner and his need to embarrass her by sharing her baby photos.
Watching from afar, Amelie leaned over to the hacker with a faint grin. "You actually stayed with Angela?"
To which the hacker smirked. "Nah, but I never passed up an opportunity to watch bun-bun and the gremlin."
In the corner where Hana was burying her face into her palms and trying to hide herself against her mom's body, the elders of the family; Reinhardt and Ana watched the display amongst the two men with barely withheld smirks. The mountain of a man, when he first arrived, caught the eyes of the inhabitants rather instantly, a pair dressed in shades of violet, black, and white in particular. Of course, before given a chance to talk to the pair, his attention was taken by the sniper beside him.
"I remember you were like that with Tessa." Ana commented, earning a nostalgic grin from the old crusader. "You could go on for days telling our neighbors and friends about your little valkyrie. I had to tranquilize you a couple times."
The mountain man chuckled softly, nudging her lightly. "Come now, I wasn't that bad."
"No? I remember her wedding night; you went on a rant for nearly an hour over how precious she was to you. Though it was heartwarming, you would've gone on for longer if the Shimada brothers had not started a brawl."
Reinhardt's brows furrowed, remembering that little debacle. "Those two…it only got worse when Jamison saw an opportunity to test out his toys." A second later, his glare softened, making way for a peaceful smile. "And not long after Fareeha and Jesse were buried in the cake, Jack and Gabriel were being strangled under Mako's left arm while he ate the wine-drenched roast with his right." He recounted with a soft hearty chuckle.
Ana let out a chuckle as well. "And to this day I will never understand how Angela ended up on the chandelier."
"Ha, you think that's something!?" Came the roaring voice of the cowboy, reaching into one of the secret pockets of his wallet and bringing out what he would dub; his trump card. Where the blond teacher pulled out a picture of his daughters on their first day of school; where the blonde was holding the hand of a very drowsy little one with unruly bedhead. "I can do you one better." The image he showed was to be the death of the girl sitting in the corner. In the image were two toddlers, the little blond one was holding a stuffed rabbit plush close to his chest, burying the lower half of his face into his sleeping partner, and showing very clear droplets of tears in his eyes. His hand was connected to his older sibling who was sobbing openly. Beside them was a white sheet hooked to a clothes line. Though, there was a notable stain right near…
*Thump*
"HANA!"
The eyes of those in the room turned to see the young teen passed out in her seat, foam escaping from the corner of her mouth, eyes blank and empty, and her face a deep crimson shade.
Jaune shivered violently, something in him died unexplainably, but his main fear wasn't for what might've caused his soul to shatter, rather he felt an overwhelming need to run to his sister's aid for some odd reason. Following a shiver that lasted for far longer than comfortably necessary, the blond refocused his attention back on his teammates. Yatsuhashi was standing next to Fox, whom was in a meditative trance; Weiss was peering over through the windows, noting the subtle changes in the defending team's positions. Blake had gone off to explore the rest of their spawn point to find another possible exit. Nora was beside him, studying the map on her scroll.
"Payload isn't moving." She noted, playing around with her map's hologram.
"We need to capture the first checkpoint, after that the payload will be dropped in. But the payload won't move unless one of us is on or near it. And if our enemy is smart…" He gestured toward a ridge just beside a double-decker bus. "I got money on either a sniper or machine gun blocking our path."
"Or a lookout." Yatsu commented, the hulking teen was sitting quietly by the doorway with his teammate beside him. "We've been here three minutes, and our time grows shorter; we'll need to move."
"Cautiously." Fox added in.
"Agreed." Jaune responded, watching the mist descending from the ice wall as he could only wonder what would await them outside. "Blake should've been back by now."
As if on cue, the clad in black landed graciously in front of the blond, causing her teammates to jump in place. The ember-eyed girl, rather than greet her teammates, brought up her scroll and activated her map. The layout of the outside was more detailed, up until the courtyard just beside a statue, surrounded by key points one could use for sniper or machine gun placements.
"Took a bit longer than I thought, but I found an opening on the roof." She gestured to the scaffolding. "And two to our flanks." Her attention soon after reverted to her map, spanning the whole of the target area. "First checkpoint isn't too far, but there are a lot of places where they can pick us off." To her credit, Blake highlighted the ridges and points that could cause them a rather difficult problem moving forward.
Weiss broke off from her little scouting to partake in the overview of their current path. Without so much as making a sound, Yatsuhashi and Fox were huddled into the circle.
"Did you get an eye on where the others are?" The heiress asked, to which her teammate marked alongside the highlighted areas.
"Yang and Velvet are positioned here…" Her fingers gestured to the gate, highlighting specific points on opposite ends of the gate. "Coco is here…" Blake gestured to the balcony atop the bus. "And as far as I know, Pyrrha is guarding the first checkpoint with them. But I couldn't find Ren or Ruby."
Their current path led them into the path of a machine gun and two close-quarter combatants. One of which was a blonde brawler known for being rather ruthless in her fighting style. The second of which, Jaune knew nothing about, but wondered if it had anything to do with the camera she carried at her waist.
Their start wasn't looking too good, and their time was ticking. A rush to the front wouldn't do them much good if it needlessly wiped out a chunk of their aura before even unlocking the payload. Gathering his thoughts, Jaune took a quick look at the layout once more before nodding. With the little info he garnered from Yatsu, the blond had a rough idea over how to proceed. Of course, for that he'd need to ease up the load they'd be surely taking if they marched on.
He turned to their only stealth operator. "Blake." His fingers skidded along the edges of the map, hugging the ridges that kept her nearly out of sight. "I need you to pepper them from behind. We'll provide a distraction, once you're position; only engage them in guerrilla attacks. Wait for us to advance to the checkpoint. But if you see an opening to deal a blow to their roster…"
"Do not hesitate." Weiss urged, the coldness in her tone was unnerving, but the blond's nod to her order was a bit of a surprise to the rest of their team.
"This is a mission, a simulation of an actual hunter contract; play the part. Those aren't our classmates out there, they're the obstacles. Hesitate, and it's your, possibly also your teammate's, heads that'll roll." He a few blue vials from pocket on his belt. Nora visibly cringed at seeing the vials, though Weiss was curious as she had seen the liquid and its effects before.
Jaune loaded up three vials into a launcher in his right gauntlet, though, he handed one over to Blake. Although, before she could take it, the blond's hand was infused with his aura, the contents in the vial shone brightly before eventually dying down. "This is portable aura amplifier, one dose is enough to restore your aura to capacity. And it'll give you a little temporary buff too. I've imbued it with my aura, so the effects should last longer than usual. If you're running low on aura, use it." The tipped needle was one helluva selling point, though, given the effects it had on Nora, Blake was more than thankful to have something to fall back on. That, and she was somewhat curious as to the effects of the liquid. Just as she was to take the vial, the blond gave her one last word of advice. "If you get a chance, and you find Pyrrha." He leaned over, whispering something into her ear, causing her bow to shift with interest. The heiress' curiosity was peaked when she noticed the blond retrieve something from his pack and snake it into Blake's palms. Her expression hardened, nodding one last time to the blond, and disappearing back into the shadows to play her part.
Jaune turned his attention to the rest of his team. His eyes settled on Fox firstly. "Alistair, you have more experience with Velvet so you'll be taking her head on." Jaune then turned his attention to the heiress and the mountain of a teen. "Weiss and Yatsu will secure the checkpoint. Nora will hang back and provide cover fire if she sees Coco or Ruby perched somewhere. We don't have the advantage of a long range operator, so we'll have to force them into CQC. Any time you see their sniper or gunner, find cover and radio in the enemy position. When it comes down to brawls, here's how it'll go." Then the blond pulled up the remaining images of the defending team's member. He pressed two fingers against an ear piece, curtesy of the gear provided to them by the school for their simulation. "Blake, can you read me?"
'Loud and clear.'
"While you're out there I want you to focus on Ren, don't let him out of your sight, and keep Ruby from getting clear shots at us."
'Understood.'
Jaune highlighted the fashionista's image next. "Yatsu, I'm leaving Coco to you and Nora. She'll provide you with suppressing fire, hopefully she'll flush her out of whatever spot she's perched on. Weiss…" The heiress perked up, her fingers tightened their hold on her rapier as she awaited her orders. "I need you to stay on the payload. This is an escort mission, as long as one of us makes the delivery, it won't matter how many bots they'll be able to call in when we wipe out one of their members." Truthfully, the heiress was a bit downtrodden at the fact that she would have to be on escort duty solely. "And that just leaves Yang and Pyrrha to me."
And with those words uttered, the room fell deathly silent. Even Blake, who was normally quiet, stopped dead in her tracks when she heard his words through the comms. Though not surprised by their reactions, the blond shrugged at their glances and widened eyes.
"What?" He asked, barely masking a smirk from emerging on his lips.
"You…take on Pyrrha and Yang?" Weiss asked, her tone begging for clarification.
"Do I need to repeat myself?" He question wasn't filled with malice or snark, rather; he was slightly amused with their reactions. Which rightfully irritated the heiress a bit.
"And you think you can take them on?" Nora asked, slightly wavering on whether to follow through with her part of the mission, or to stick by her idiotic partner's unusual fascination with near-death experiences.
"I'm confident I can." Jaune appeared confident, almost to the point a few of his teammates believed him.
"And win?" Yatsu clarified, to which Jaune's smirk broke free, plastered on full display as he gave his response.
"Both at once?…hell no. With them at full strength; I've got no chance in hell." The room was once again silent, save for Yatsu who appeared lost in his own thoughts, rubbing the tip of his chin in contemplation.
A visible vain pulsated on the heiress' forehead, her fingers tightened into a fist and her weapon seemingly shaking. "Then why take on both of them? If you know you're not going to beat them, let me help. I can handle myself in a fight." Was that it, was he assuming the position of taking on the two hard-hitters of the opposing team, assuming she wouldn't hold a candle to them? Did this brute truly think so little of her? Was she nothing more than some fragile porcelain doll, meant to be seen but never touched? As her assumptions boiled over to greater heights, the blond shook his head.
"It wouldn't make much of a difference. Against Yang, I'm sure either of us can snake a win against her, but the margin is pretty high up there. She's all about speed and quick-jabs. Take that away from her, and there's a chance. But Pyrrha…" The blond took a moment to consider the days where he had seen his teammate in combat, along with watching the many videos of her brawls in several competitions. "Given what I've seen, none of us can take her on as she is now. She's tough, but she isn't invincible. Beating her is a possibility, but not important."
There was an immediate turn from the heiress' expression, from building anger to genuine shock.
'Five minutes remaining'
"The main objective is delivering the payload. Everything else is secondary." Yatsu commented, earning a nod from the blond.
Jaune turned his eyes back to Weiss, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. "I'll do my best to keep those two occupied, but we need to keep that payload moving. Yatsu and Nora will be behind you keeping Coco off your back. Blake will keep Ruby and Ren distracted…" His voice drifted off, as did his eyes.
He knew there was a possibility his plan might falter, and one of the two would break off and head after the payload, if that happened, they'd stall their progress and call in reinforcements. Without uttering a word, Jaune reached for his pack and unholstered a sidearm. Though, judging by its appearance, it was appeared more like some glue-gun you'd find in an elementary classroom. The only ammunition she could see in the chamber was a vial with yellow liquid.
Rather than wait for her to take it, the blond reached out and grasped her hands win his own, placing the sidearm in her hand. "If by any chance there's someone blocking your way, hit them with is; it'll tranquilize them, giving you a small window. Ten seconds, max."
She wanted to question what exactly this thing was, but rather than get an explanation, the blond unsheathed his mace and walked over to the ice wall. Realizing this was going to be their entry way, the rest of the team prepped themselves for either a blitz charge, or a hail of bullets keeping them from passing through.
"Blake, you got eyes on Coco?" The blond asked, receiving a green tint from her scroll's icon. "She perched up high still?" Green. "She blocking our only exit?" Green, again. "Alright, on my mark; pepper her enough to get the heat off us." He turned to Weiss. "On my signal break the wall." She nodded, Nora taking her place at his side as the blond readied his small shield.
Jaune took a quick moment to catch his breath, steel his nerves, before giving the signal.
"Now."
Coco was perched atop a balcony beside a double-decker bus, her minigun aimed directly at the presumably only exit the Attackers had. And with five minutes left on the clock, she began wondering if the enemy team was going to engage at all. To her chagrin, the prodigy was placed as leader of their team, and already she could see a plethora of mistakes. For one, she had Coco stationed to presumably 'spawn kill' the opposing team, unaware of any other possible entryways for the Attackers to come at them with. Their two brawlers were placed on the checkpoint, though the blonde one seemed more eager to get into the fight while her teammate was dutifully staying on the checkpoint. The best move the kid made was perching herself atop the checkpoint in a window overlooking the area. Perhaps the one grief she had was the green clad one being stationed with her. Their only possible candidate to run reconnaissance was stationed with the reaper. For what reason, she didn't know, but the saving grace she was immensely grateful for was the champion being stationed at the checkpoint, her spear in rifle mode and the gateway into the courtyard in her sights. So long as blondie didn't bounce in to get hit with friendly fire, the odds were stacked in their favor.
Or, that's what she was hoping for.
When she heard the ice crack, she steeled her nerves and kept her fingers on the trigger. Normally, she would've radioed in and gave her team the heads up. However, as she was about to signal them, she felt a spray of rubber bullets hit her from the side. Instinctively, she blocked her face and jumped out of the way. Sparing an eye in the direction of her attacker, she watched the black-bowed one from the pipsqueak's team throw her weapon at her, entangling her by the impressively strong ribbon's seams, and hauled back unto the balcony. Her weapon, damned if it wasn't heavy enough, slipped from her grasp as she felt her body slam against the edge. As her lower body dangled, she could hear sniper fire, and a frantic voice calling to her from her earpiece.
Without waiting for the enemy team below her to pick her off so easily, Coco hoisted herself back onto the balcony and peaked over. She watched as the blond moved forward with his team. Though they knew she was up there, they appeared more focused with the checkpoint. Of course, it took quite a turn when Yatsu stopped, sheathed his weapon, and picked up Coco's minigun. The teen was strong, no question there, but to see him hoist her own weapon with a single hand left her a bit queasy at what a simple hug from the boy could do.
However, the bigger issue on her mind, was the fact that her own weapon had been lost, the enemy had it, and unlike Velvet or Fox; she had little expertise in hand to hand combat. Which meant the best she could do was act as their eyes and ears. For now, until she could get back her weapon. But then, with the click of a pistol chamber, she turned to see Blake with her weapon aimed at her.
Yang and Pyrrha were ready, they heard the sound of gunfire, but when they heard Ruby frantically calling for Coco, they had to wonder if the fashionista had been taken out already. Her aura dropped a bit, and it was continuously dropping with each muffled pistol fire they heard from their position. There was a faint moment of doubt before they heard the whirring of their teammate's minigun, only for their momentary relief to vanish when a hail of gunfire poured from the gate with such velocity. The statute in front of the courtyard was being torn to pieces, and Pyrrha had to retreat back into the building from which she was posted in. She peaked only when the bullets ceased.
Yang was just as cautious, though, upon taking a small glance, an armored knight dashed in front of her, his hard-light shield already raised up. However, upon lowering it, she realized too late that he'd reared back his mace, and launched the rocket flail at her, striking the brawler across the face and sending her flying back a few feet. Of course, given it was Yang, the attack was minimal, and she only skidded backwards a few feet before coming to a stand-still.
When she wiped what few strands of hair covered her face, the brawler met her opponent with crimson eyes. With most of her opponents; this was a red flag. In fact, there was a common census amongst the first years of Beacon; never anger Xiao Long. It wasn't so much that she'd beat students up on the spot…in was in combat training where she'd let the guilty party have it. And there were enough punishments dished out that few, if any, have poked at the blonde as of recent. Save for the current blond.
Though, unlike those before her, the blond smirked at his opponent, even with the temperature around them rising. It only widened when he noticed several sparks casting off her hair.
"Heh, careful Yang, let's not blow this out of proportion."
Time stopped, the brawler's flames died in an instant, all eyes were on them. Or rather, the blond who uttered that little phrase.
Jaune meanwhile glanced around, noticing everyone's eyes fixed on him. "What?" he shrugged at their frozen glances. As he turned his gaze back to his opponent, the blond panicked and ducked just in the nick of time as a fist flew just where his head was. He skid back, just a few feet to see Yang glaring at him, only this time her eyes were their usual lilac color, and she garnered a playful smirk.
"You need to work on your puns, Bunny, that was way too obvious." The brawler taunted, using her gauntlets to propel towards the blond, her fists sadly only striking his shield. Though, the force she applied to her attack left the knight digging into the ground of his current position. His feet visibly being forced through the concrete as Yang delivered a few more punches to seal the deal.
Jaune, meanwhile, was grinning widely at her little display. Through his hard-light shield, the brawler was able to see his expression, which rightfully perplexed the golden beauty. "You really need to chill Yang." Just as he said that, the brawler felt an unnerving cold breeze. It was only then that she remembered who was on the blond's team. Instinctively, she tried retreating, only to find herself locked in place. Or rather, her feet frozen over by ice, and she could give a good guess as to whose ice was planted at her feet.
Jaune gave a small wave to the heiress, who was sitting atop an unlocked payload, grinning and waving at the brawler, her rapier's tip dug into the concrete with a trail of ice branching. Meanwhile, Yang noticed Velvet, although faring rather well against Fox on her own, was having a spot of trouble when Nora threw in a couple bombs to keep the rabbit girl on her toes. Meanwhile, the behemoth Coco called her partner was busy peppering Ruby's positon with machine gun fire, curtesy of CFVY's team leader's weapon. And from what she could hear on the comms, Ren was dealing with a few too many Blake clones.
As for Pyrrha…
With Yang occupied, and Weiss' ice being rather sturdy all things considered, the blond decided to move on to his next opponent. Of course, the blond didn't leave without giving the brawler a small wave. "Do me a favor Yang, don't move. I'll be right back." She cursed silently at the fact that her fellow blond was spitting some jokes her way and she was a bit preoccupied with trying to keep a leveled head.
It was then the brawler realized a little something; she bit into a snare. Taken from the fight, and left on the sidelines. If only for a moment, she felt herself gain a small inch of pride at being more of a priority to keep out of the fight instead of the champion herself. Points for creativity, she'll admit, but given the brawler was well known for flames; bursting out should've been easy. Of course, given the heiress' access to dusts of any and all kind, it was evident her fire wouldn't be enough to melt away the ice. Of course, that didn't stop the brawler from trying. Be it another type of fire or her fists.
And while Yang was occupied, however limited the time he had, the blond knight ran into the building Blake had informed him of where the Spartan was posted. Though, rather than head to the second floor, where he assumed she'd be Jaune remained near the doorway. No doubt, Pyrrha would be quick to change positions, hell, if Ruby was still on her team's chat, she would've ordered Pyrrha to either A; assist Velvet and hold down the center, or B…
And there she was, blasting away at the ice holding Yang down. And a new contender entered the fray too, even without a weapon, Coco seemed adamant on remaining in the mission. Good.
Realizing it wouldn't take long until the heavy hitters came back into the fight, Jaune reached to his comms.
"Fox, we've got an unwanted guest, can you keep Coco out of the fight?"
'A little busy at the moment.' Came a grunted response, followed by the upperclassman be on the receiving end of a punch that launched him out of the center.
The blond groaned as he watched the girl approach Yang.
"Dammit. Nora!"
"The hell is this ice made of!?" Coco asked as she was amping Pyrrha's shots in the hopes of at least cracking the ice, to little avail. The ice showed visible cracks, but with the possibility of injuring the brawler and lowering her aura meter with friendly fire, Pyrrha was aiming for caution as she shot the edges of the ice. Although, given the fact that the ice was encased in some white glow, the champion could only assume the heiress imbued her aura into her attack in order to give it an extra potency.
Yang was watching the skirmish in the center, her eyes fixed on the upperclassman preventing Ruby from giving them any support. With Ren silent on the comms and Velvet having to deal with Fox and Weiss, Pyrrha had to go out there and…
"Wait…" She mumbled, her eyes searching for a certain redhead. When she found none, the brawler felt a chill crawl up her spine. "Where's Nora?"
There wasn't even a moment to ask as a hammer crashed down in between them, sending Coco back a few feet and the champion a little ways away.
"You called?" She smiled deviously at her opponents, hoisting her hammer over her shoulders and standing rather proudly against the Mistral champion.
Pyrrha readied her stance, shield raised and rifle/javelin ready for whatever the girl had in store for her.
"Hej Hej!" Pyrrha's eyes widened, her head snapped to the side, only to feel cold steel wrap around her left leg, pulling on the champion and bringing her to her knees. The steel left her leg, choosing instead to wrap around her shield arm and hoisted away from her. She felt a strong grip at her weapon, instinctively trying to elbow whoever was attempting to restrain her from behind. However, Nikos was only able to wrestle her arm free, and her elbow jabbing at air.
'First checkpoint, captured'
Pyrrha's attention, if only for a moment, turned to the center where Velvet lay on the ground, small patches of burns and ice dotted her body as it was apparent the girl had taken a few combined hits from a slightly winded heiress and a clearly exhausted Alistair.
'Agent Velvet Scarlatina; eliminated.'
There was a moment the Attacking team felt a little pride in themselves in denting the Defending team's roster. Though, it lasted for a few seconds before the voice added in.
'Replacement on standby; Bastion unit.'
"Shit." Jaune mumbled. "Heads up Payload, heavy gunner coming in!'
Using this moment, Pyrrha gripped the loose chain her shield arm was tied in and attempted to hoist the knight over her shoulder and slam him against the ground. That was the plan…had she not taken into account how incredibly heavy the blond's armor was. Full-plated was right, even with her semblance…oh right, there was that too.
With a simple wave of her hand, the blond was engulfed in black aura and thrown across the field. His arm still gripping onto his mace with an iron grip. Too little too late the champion took that bit into account; she was hoisted along the ride with the blond's flying body. Although, he managed to skid to a stop, blackening the pavement and casting a few sparks from his heels. Pyrrha's stop was not so ceremonious; her body was yanked and dragged across the pavement. Her armor was scratched and partially dented from her plated vambrace. She had not expected their mission to take such a turn; to which Coco was disarmed, Velvet was knocked out of the fight, and she was fumbling her objective…
"Oi." She felt a finger poking her cheek. Her eyes snapped open, though, when she attempted to pounce to her feet, she felt a great deal of weight keeping her grounded. She managed to shift her head up, her eyes landed on her team leader his flail chain still tied around her shield arm and her rifle in his left hand. She took note as well, his foot pressing down on her back and his whole body engulfed in a white aura that also left his ocean blue orbs vibrant. He poked her again with the nuzzle of her rifle. "Glad to see you're still awake, wouldn't want Mistral's pride n joy to get knocked out before the real fun starts." He taunted, his eyes drifting to where a now freed Yang was going toe-to-toe against Nora, and was surprisingly faring less than what one would expect. With each missed swing from the brawler, the bubbly bomber made some jab that caused Xiao Long to only blow up further in anger. And her attacks in each succession would go on to miss much more often. "Nora may not look it, or show it, but she's plenty smart. I wanted her to guard the payload, but I didn't expect Velvet to get taken out so quickly. Or for Coco to become relatively useless at this point."
"Oi! I heard that!" The fashionista, much more visibly dirty and bruised from Nora's initial attack, hollered out from the battered statue. Though, she made a quick dive for ruble as a few rifle rounds hit random points around her.
Jaune had used Nikos' weapon at the girl, though, accuracy was not exactly easy when using only a single arm to fire a rifle. If anything, the blond was surprised the thing hadn't flung out of his palm by the first shot.
"Well, far be it from me to enjoy kicking someone when they're down." Pyrrha felt her eyes roll instinctively at that, and yet she found some amusement in the way he handled himself. Now, if only he could lower his guard for just a bit. "But it would be a waste not to use this." The blond held up a vial of bright-yellow liquid. Pyrrha winced as she felt the blond 's foot apply a bit more pressure on her. It was only when he spoke that the Spartan realized why she felt more pressure. "~Pyrrha…~"
Oh god did her spine shudder, his voice was much closer, and the way he said her name made her shudder with just a tangent of fear.
Upon daring to glance upwards towards the blond, she found him smiling at her with…his eyes closed, and a looming shadow cover the upper half of his face.
Those in the audience felt themselves shivering in place, those in the booths were unnerved by the uncanny similarity between the boy and his mother in regards to being needlessly frightening, more so with the way he carried his tone.
"I'd like to have a one on one, but I'd hate to face you while you're aura's been chipped."
What was he talking about, she was…
Pyrrha's eyes glanced at one of the screens above the match; her aura meter was just under eighty-five. Jaune's was still at a hundred.
"So let's do this." He held up the vial higher. "I carry two vials in similarly colored contents, however, one is intended to restore aura and give you a slight buff in regards to taking damage. The other vial…" he trailed off, glancing over to Coco and Fox. "Lowers your aura and makes you susceptible to any attack. A few well-placed hits will drop your aura down to the red. And just like that, Pyrrha Nikos is down for the count." The former champion felt her heart beat at such a pace; her chest almost ached beating against the cold pavement. Was such a thing even allowed? The boy was intending to play the role as a combat medic, or healer as Ruby would put it, and yet he also carried a small arsenal capable of inflicting serious injuries. But the most unnerving thing was the way he described the second vial, almost as if he was giddy in explaining what it could do. "Problem is, I can't tell them apart." She shuddered, realizing where he was heading with this. "So here's how it's gonna play; I give you this vial, or, I give it to Coco."
The world around them almost fell silent. The Spartan narrowed her eyes at her team leader as he held the vial up for all to see.
"What good would that do?"
Jaune smirked again. "One of two things will happen, either you get a boost and come at me with a challenge I'll enjoy…or, you get the vial that'll make you a one-hit kill. But Coco…" Jaune's smirk disappeared in an instant, replaced by a cold stoic stare. "If it's the second vial, her aura will drop to the red." And that was an instant elimination.
He was making the Spartan gamble between her or her nearly downed teammate. A plethora of scenarios played in her mind, to the point where the redhead began questioning herself over what to choose. If she took the hit, and the vial weakened her, then it wouldn't take long to knock her out, and Yang would be alone to face off against her two teammates. With Ren not responding to their calls, Coco being just a bystander at this point, and Ruby unable to jump in without being pelted by gun fire; was their mission a failure already? Would it matter if she chose Coco? If she did, and it was the healing boost, what good would it have done for the fashionista without her weapon?
Without a second thought, Pyrrha slapped those thoughts away; she wasn't going to gamble away her teammates. If this was some ploy of his, she wouldn't fall for it. Rather, she met his eyes once more with her own glare, and a smirk to go along with her reformed determination. "I don't need a boost to knock you off your high horse."
Jaune was visibly stunned, if only for a few seconds before his grin returned. "Good answer." And with that, she felt both his foot and his chain off of her. Without hesitation she pounced to her feet and skid a few feet away from him. Rather than try and stop her, Jaune turned to Fox. He removed the lid and with a good back hand, tossed the vial towards the payload. Fox was resting atop it when the vial smashed against the side he was on, the yellow liquid splashing against his body.
The scene itself was shocking, given what the blond described the contents of the vial contained. However, the upperclassmen's reaction to the vial's contents as the liquid seemingly infused with his aura; he seemed rejuvenated. And taking a quick peek at the board, his aura had left the yellow and was just past the green mark. The vial contained the boost apparently.
"By the way, I lied, that was my only vial." Jaune commented, taking Pyrrha's weapon off his back and tossing it the champion's way. Pyrrha was hesitant, wary even considering the blond was playing at some game with her.
The blond undid a crick in his neck and positioned himself for a fight. The Spartan did the same, her shield raised and her javelin at the ready.
"You know…" Jaune's voice grew soft, as did the apparent devious joy in his eyes. "I looked into you; the championships, the awards, all the prestige you've amounted." Pyrrha felt her mood dampen, though she remained steadfast, unwilling to give him any sort of opening. "Truth be told; I don't give a shit." The Spartan felt her head nudge upwards, her eyes widening with his admission. "I want you to show me whether or not you've got what it takes to be a huntress." His eyes hardened, and he took his stance once again. Pyrrha did so as well, though, with a faint smirk etched on her lips.
The two stood silent for just a moment before the champion lunged forward, striking the blond's raised shield, applying enough pressure to force the blond to stagger back. She raised her shield just in time to parry his flail.
Jaune saw a small opening and propelled himself forward, bashing her with his shield and stunning the huntress for a mere second before she trusted her javelin at him, striking his shield again.
Her next charge had her diving to the left, parrying a swing from his flail and allowing her to swipe at his legs. Only for her foot to strike against what she could only describe to be a brick wall. Pyrrha only had enough time to groan at the pain as she quickly vaulted herself a few feet away, limping as she landed away from the blond. Her aura was quick to heal, but the blond wasn't intent on letting her rest up so soon. He charged at her again, using her semblance she was able to divert his attack slightly, parrying his flail again, however, his kick was not what she expected; hitting her strait in the stomach with enough force to send her back another few feet.
The champion heaved, gasping for air she groaned at the pain her team leader just dealt.
She heard his armor's clanking with each step he made towards her. She felt the vibration in the pavement every time he walked, and it amazed her he was able to hulk that set of armor and still move around with such agility. Not as much as Yang, but enough to keep him on his toes. Pyrrha glanced upwards, watching the blond pace over to her with his flail hung over his shoulder.
"Gotta say, I'm a little disappointed." She grit her teeth, bringing her rifle up and shooting at the approaching knight. Her bullets hit their mark; striking him at his exposed armor and one even grazing his head. With a desperate leap Pyrrha lunged forward and bashed him hard with her shield, managing a spin in the air and landing a solid kick to the side of his head with enough force to send the blond flying.
And yet, he remained still. Unfazed and stoic, the blond grabbed her leg, spun her enough to grasp her chest plate, hoisted the Spartan up, and slammed her hard against the pavement, shattering the ground beneath her.
It felt as if the world had gone silent, Pyrrh felt every bone in her body ache, and with the world growing hazy with each passing second, the champion could only reflect on why it was she was getting her ass handed to her so easily. This wasn't right, she was faster, stronger; the best. She shouldn't be getting beaten down like this.
Her eyes glanced over to the screen, hoping her attacks did something to his…!
She couldn't believe it, her eyes must've been playing tricks on her. The screen had his aura at ninty-four, but it was rising. His aura was being replenished all the way back to a hundred. The Spartan was at a loss for words.
'Agent Lie Ren; Eliminated.'
Dread filled into her heart for the first time in so long. She heard a muffled explosion in the distance and she heard through her earpiece.
'Agent Coco Adel; Eliminated.'
Her team…if this was a real mission, they were…Pyrrha watched her team leader lean over and retrieve her rifle once more. Though, as he did, he hoisted her up a bit and felt up her back before settling on her left shoulder. He yanked what felt like a band-aid, one she had no idea how it came to be stuck to her, and dangled the disgusting thing over her. Her eyes widened when she noticed the sickly purple color of it and a symbol of sorts one would assume to be an eye of sorts. He drugged her. How? When? So many questions flooded her head, all of which were drowned out by something that plagued her view of him.
"Hate to break it to ya, hon." She mildly blushed at that nickname, snapping out of the trance when she watched him aim his rifle at her. "This fight was rigged right from the start."
"You fought dirty." She hissed at him, abhorred by the fact that the son of Mercy was using concoctions to earn himself a cheap victory instead of fighting her head on at full strength. There was no honor in this victory, and she would never let him live it down.
To her surprise, the blond smirked at her remark. Chuckling as he leaned the rifle across his shoulder. "Yea, I did. And you know what?"
'Victory, Payload successfully delivered.'
The screen above showed Weiss with a battered Yatsuhashi and a nearly depleted Fox standing over a delivered payload and a loudly snoring Ruby Rose with a needled sticking out of her shoulder.
"That's what it means to be a hunter." Pyrrha felt her blood boil; she glared up at her team leader as he uttered that heresy. To suggest being a huntress was be no different than the brutes and thugs they would fight. For him to place them on equal levels with deplorable, dishonorable, disgraceful brigands…she had half a mind to put him in his place. Though, Jaune, rather than leave it at that; offered her a hand.
To which she accepted, hesitantly mind you. Without warning, the blond hoisted her up held her with a sole arm. Her free arm quickly snaked around his neck as he kept a firm grip on his teammate. He carried her all the way back to the locker rooms, despite the pain in her leg dulling rather quickly.
The match was over, the Attackers won, and the defending team lost half of its members. And to top it all off, the blond medic was revealed to have a semblance similar to Coco. However, his ability allows him to amplify his aura. One of his proficient perks was amplifying the regeneration speed of his aura; seemingly making him an unending supply of heals for his team, and a nearly impossible walking tank to take down. That wasn't to say the blond was without weak points or limits, but as to what they are of if he was close to reaching them in the mission was left to be seen.
"PAY UP!" Came the excite squeal of the resident hacker as she collected a fair sum of lien from the Menagerie's chieftain and the blonde patch teacher. That'll show them the next time they opted to side with the 'champion'.
The two men, disgruntled with the way the match concluded, gave the girl the money she won from their bet.
Hana had managed to awaken from her little coma, only to be on the edge of her seat when she awoke to her brother announcing he'd take on the blonde brawler and the Mistral Champion. Given how things turned out, she wasn't so sure he would've been able to take on the two, though, he wouldn't have to seeing as his partner came in to lend the blond a hand. That was something she would admit to appreciating, especially when her little sibling had a tendency to throw himself into dangerous situations that were completely avoidable, yet he chose to embrace the odds head-on. It both annoyed her, and kept her on the edge. Still, when his team did eventually win, she allowed herself to let out a sigh she was unaware she'd been holding in.
Fareeha felt in her a sense of pride, watching her boy go off on the battlefield was a fear she shared with Angela. But, unlike the good ole doctor, she knew her boy wouldn't stray from combat for long. She wouldn't allow him to, not after what occurred with his arm. She loved Angela, nothing would make her question that, but she also loved her little one, and seeing what he's become through the years of training and trials Reinhardt and Jesse put him through; she couldn't be more proud. Of course, it wouldn't be complete without those few moments where her little bun-bun's attitude mirrored Angela's.
For Pyrrha, the ending of the match didn't sit right with her. Nothing about the match did. She hissed as she applied disinfectant to one of her many wounds. Even with her aura, the 'fight' had taken much out of her, so she chose to allow her aura to regenerate and her body to heal naturally. Although, she could do without the scar beneath her right eye, it would heal, but how she received it still irked her.
"Hey…" She felt her eye twitch, casting a side glance at the source of her annoyance. Jaune had stored away his armor, but damned if he didn't look the part of a seasoned hunter with those scars and prosthetic limb on full display. The fact that he cared little for how much skin he exposed was a small oversight the champion could overlook. He appeared to be just out of the showers, a towel slung over his shoulder and his hair slicked back. "You good?"
She felt her mother's sass come up, begging to give him a snide remark. But like most of her emotions; it gave way to her 'champion' attitude. "I'm fine." She breathed out, fixing the bow on her dress shirt.
"Ah…" Jaune took a seat on the bench next to her. His attention focused on her. "Ya know, I grew up surrounded by women, 'I'm fine' is not something I can just play bliss to anymore." Pyrrha remained silent, her eyes were fixed on the small mirror in her locker, she didn't respond or scoff at his tone. Rather, she just remained silent.
Truth be told, she had little to say to the blond that could count as civil, but given the two were teammates, him her leader; the Spartan realized she needed to either confront this issue, or shove it aside and continue on.
True to his word, the blond recognized her silence and sighed lightly. "Alright, I can take a hint." As he stood up, she felt his hand grasp her shoulder. Instinct wanted her to shove his arm away, but it was kicked aside when she felt a warm feeling flood through her body. From the mirror she watched her body be encompassed in a white aura, her fatigue fading to nothing and the scar under her eye seemingly vanishes without a trace.
She felt her body rejuvenated, healed. This must've been what folks felt when being healed by Mercy.
When the blond removed his hand and turned to walk away, Pyrrha felt a newfound hope in herself surge. Nora might've been able to reel in the blond, but as his teammate, the champion wasn't going to just let him do as he pleased and tarnish the profession they were both striving for, especially when the blond was supposed to play the part of medic/leader.
"Why?" the blond stopped in place, just a few feet from the doorway. He didn't turn to face her, nor her to him. "Why fight so dishonorably?"
She swear she could hear the blond smirk again, something she wanted to wipe off his face with enough force to etch a message into his thick head.
"I did what I needed to keep my team alive, I played dirty, yea, but in the end my whole team gets to go home. If this was an actual mission, what would you have said to the families of your fallen teammate?" Pyrrha's fingers clenched tightly, to the point that she felt her nails digging into her skin. "You're a skilled fighter, and an honorable woman…but I grew up around former hunters and soldiers. They're all alive today because they all shared one thing in common; they knew some lines were meant to be crossed, honor means very little to a lot of people in this world. I had to learn that lesson early on, but we all have to eventually. So long as it keeps you and our team alive, I'm willing to do whatever it takes." Pyrrha was silent, she was going to counter his world view, to voice reason and break the blond from his delusion that they needed to be like their enemy in order to beat them. That was a slippery slope, and it could potentially lead her team leader down a path she wasn't sure she could pull him back from should he tread too far.
"Is that what I should expect from the son of Mercy?" She found her voice, replying with little venom, but with enough authority to get her point across.
Jaune stopped just as the door slid open, Pyrrha could see his reflection through the mirror.
He cast her a sideways glance. "Who do you think raised me?" And with that he left, Pyrrha remained with a plethora of questions and a world-shattering reality of her idol. The woman, the 'angel' of Overwatch raised her son to be this…dishonorable?
No. She couldn't accept that, she wouldn't. There had to be a reason. And she was going to uncover it; come hell or high water.
-Debriefing Room-
Now all fully healed, curtesy of their neighborhood medic, the teens waited quietly for whatever would come next. Weiss seemed rather proud with the results of the mission, with Ruby silently moping next to the heiress who wouldn't tell her about the small sidearm she used to knock out the young reaper. Ren was being tended to be Nora, the bubbly red-head grinning widely at him as she kept asking Blake how it was she was able to take the boy down.
Coco smirked triumphantly with her minigun back in her possession. That, and the small red mark she left on the blond team leader of the first year team. It was one thing to steal her weapon and leave her without a means to fight, but to call her useless was a snide she wouldn't ignore without retribution. Of course, there was the discussion of a one-one-one brawl between her and him to settle a little score. Well, her and Xiao Long, the brawler's was more of a demand than a subtle suggestion disguised as a challenge.
Fox and Yatsuhashi were silent, as was the blond as he finished healing Scarlatina. The girl was reluctant at first to be healed by him, giving in only when she watched her entire team be healed to near perfect states. Of course, there was something about the blond that intrigued her, perhaps it was the bunny emblem on his shield, or maybe the nickname the brawler of RWBY referred top him by.
Once Pyrrha entered the room, the screen came to life. The Spartan took her place beside her team, all the while sparing a quick glance towards her team leader who appeared to be getting rather chummy with the rabbit-girl from the second-year team. Something that, while shouldn't be irritating her; did so regardless.
'Students, congratulations on your first combat assignment. As the first participants on the competitive roster, your abilities and feats will be measured when ranking you amongst your fellow hunters and huntresses from academies across Remnant.'
A list came to life with their names beside numbers. The reactions to the rankings were varied, with the heiress seemingly giddy at her current position primarily because it placed her just above her team's 'heavy-hitter', and the former champion somewhat perplexed at where she was placed. A few were visibly bummed at how low they were placed on the ranking list.
'In accordance with previous protocols, you will be given callsigns to carry onward long after you've obtained your hunter licenses. Pay head, these callsigns are generated in accordance to your personal files and/or prowess on the battlefield.'
"Oh, this should be interesting." Jaune mumbled a bit less as excited as his classmates.
Ruby seemed almost about to pounce off her seat with anticipation. And it was intoxicating too as the others seemed somewhat eager, if not curious, over what callsign they'd receive.
'Coco Adel…' The fashionista perked up. 'Callsign; Trinidad'
She didn't appear displeased, but she wasn't exactly thrilled with it. Still, to have her callsign be her hometown was a good one to keep in mind. It was easy to remember for both her and her team, not to mention she'd be bringing back some good publicity to her home with her callsign.
'Vevlet Scarlatina: Callsign; Mimicry. Yatsuhashi Daichi: Callsign; Goliath.'
The two mentioned members chuckled a bit at their assigned names. Oddly enough, they fit well, Velvet's described her combat style, and Yatsuhashi's described him overall.
'Fox Alistair: Callsign; Vision.'
The room fell silent, it took a second before Coco responded first. "Oi, the hell!? You think that's funny!?"
'A little.' The voice responded, ignoring her flabbergasted expression as it continued. 'Ruby Rose…' Ruby perked up, her eyes glued to the screen. 'Callsign; Rose.'
And with that, she deflated a bit. It wasn't on the nose like calling her petals or bud, but Rose felt a bit lazy. Still, if it was to follow her, at least she could change it in the future.
'Blake Belladonna: Callsign; Panthera.'
Blake felt her body stiffen, mostly in regards to how close to home that nickname struck. Luckily for her; the rest of her teammates thought nothing of it. Unluckily for her, the blond medic smirked coyly at her, while her glare did nothing to ease the teasing.
'Yang Xiao Long: Callsign; Solaria.'
Yang wasn't too thrilled with it, but the smirk on her lips gave way to the idea that she wasn't opposed to it either. It was a unique one, but if given the chance she would've chosen something more intimidating.
'Weiss Schnee: Callsign; Tundra.'
The heirss frowned a bit, her glare was fixated on the screen, but mostly aimed at the voice. Yang snickered behind the heiress, clearly having a field day with the girl's assigned name.
'Lie Ren: Callsign; Lotus.'
The quite boy nodded, content with the choice made.
'Pyrrha Nikos: Callsign; Hippolyta'
The significance was known only to a fair few, but the former champion should a sense of pride in the callsign she'd been given.
'Nora Valkyrie: Callsign; Queens.'
"YES!" To her enjoyment, the bubbly redhead's callsign was something she'd play off on a regular basis. So, this worked out quite well for her and her team. "I'm queen of the castle~" She'd sing, skipping in place and garnering small chuckles from her friends. All that was left was her teammate, though Jaune seemed less eager than the rest to hear what his callsign would be. Still, he perked up and waited.
'Jaune Ziegler: Callsign;….Kings'
Without a moment's warning Jaune felt the weight of his partner slam atop him after he'd received his callsign. The girl was overly ecstatic that her partner's new title corresponded with hers. Of course, given the teen had pounced on him without warning, the blond stumbled back and forth a bit before eventually tumbling forward.
The act alone garnered a small laughing fit from their friends. Nora joined in, finding amusement in the little incident as well.
As for Jaune, he just smirked, enjoying these small moments of cheer his friends could afford. these might've been simulations, but in the near future, he knew well they'd need to shape up and act the part. They couldn't treat this like a game for long, and if the Fang was serious this time around; then he'd need to prep himself for whatever would come next.
However, before he could indulge in the joy the others around him shared; the doors to the briefing room slid open. The sound of heels echoing in the chamber was enough to garner silence from the teens as their heads turned to greet their newcomer, only their reactions to vary between a mix of astonishment and awe.
Nora was quick to rise up once she caught sight of who had entered, her body felt rigid as she stood at attention just a few feet away from her partner.
Meanwhile, having noticed the silence and made the unfortunate decision to look up, the blond was greeted with the stoic face of his mother staring down at him. She was quiet and reserved, but behind her eyes he could see a fury the likes of which no Grimm could ever hope to match. He knew he'd have to face her soon enough, but he had hoped it would've been behind closed doors, away from prying eyes and ears. Although, given the reception he received from his mom, he could only fathom what his mother had in store for him.
As he rose up to her level, the two Zieglers stared at one another silently, neither saying a word or so much as making a single move. It felt as though an eternity had passed before the good doctor's hand rose up slowly, her palms reached outward. A few inches away from his face, it appeared as though her features had softened.
But Jaune knew better.
So, just to start off, I hope you all have been staying safe during this global pandemic. Now, where have I been? Well, after peak season was over I expected to have a bit of a breather, but with the virus making its rounds in every corner of the world, and my job being an 'essential-business' I've been working 'round the clock. And often by choice mind you. After a few people quit with the fear of catching the virus, it left us with less people to do peak season numbers. So, yea if I'm not working, I'm mostly sleeping or watching movies to ease my stress.
Now you may be asking 'why am I not staying home in quarantine?' It's because I have bills to pay, and a family to help feed and support. With almost everyone being forced to stay home, and my sorry ass being one of the few with an 'essential job' I'm basically the only bread-maker in my household at the moment. Rest assured, I have been taking all the necessary precautions, and I implore you all to do the same. Stay safe out there, all of you.
P.S. The fights will be longer in the coming chapters, and I will be show casing more simulations, hell, they'll be a spectacle for the Vytal Festival. The War Games will return, and believe me; I will focus more on the fighting when I do. Mostly cause they'll be fun. I can't promise an update to be soon, but I will try to write when I can.
As for Jaune's relationship with his mother, i'm in no way planning to make Mercy out to be a total bitch, believe me. My intention is to have her come across as a mother who means well, but goes about it in the most extreme ways. There will be light-hearted moments, but not before the heart-to-heart comes. Bear with me folks.