(Just a head's up for obvious reasons, I'm skipping episode 7. There was next to nothing I could work with there. So... onto episode 8 instead)
We all sat in team RWBY's dorm as Ironwood spoke to us. "I'm sorry, but you've left us with no choice." He apologized.
"But he attacked me!" Yang argued.
"Video footage and millions of others said otherwise." Ironwood countered.
"Well we aren't in that group. We saw him try to attack her, too!" Damion snapped.
"And there's only a VERY small handful of people with eyes better than ours." I added seriously.
"They're right! Yang would never do that!" Weiss agreed.
"Yeah!" Ruby confirmed.
"You all seem like good students... and the staff here all agree you would never lash out the way you did... under normal circumstances." Ironwood said.
"Well, those sure as hell weren't normal circumstances!" Draco said.
"Yeah! There has to be some kind of conspiracy going on here!" Nicolas agreed.
"I personally believe and hope that this was the result of nothing more than stress and adrenaline. When you're on the battlefield, your judgment can become clouded in an instant. Sometimes you see things that aren't there. Even after the fight has passed." Ironwood said.
"But, I wasn't-!" Yang started.
"That's enough!" Ironwood snapped, silencing the girls, but we weren't done yet.
I got to my feet and into the general's face. "No, it's not! Something went wrong there, whether it was Mercury, Yang, or the audience, something happened that wasn't supposed to! There's a reason we saw something that everyone else didn't! Sure, Yang could've hallucinated, but then why did WE see that happen, too?! I suggest, instead of pinning this on and making us take the fall, you look into them! Mercury or someone on his team must be able to create illusions! Do your job and research them! What are their semblances?! What do we know they can do?! You tell me or I'll find out myself!" I snapped.
He growled at this and threw an insanely fast and powerful right hook, knocking me to the ground, I held my jaw as my team checked on me and Damion stood up angrily, ready to fight the general, but I grabbed his leg and stopped him. "Damion, no. It's not worth it." I said.
"I said that's enough! That information is private to other students. We can't just announce it publically. We have to look at the facts. That sadly, there was a mistake, or an assault. That doesn't matter. The world saw you attack an innocent student, then start to arrest him as if he were the one at fault. They've already drawn their own conclusions. And it's my job to inform both of you... Yang, Sai... you're both disqualified." He said, before finally leaving.
"Big whoop. We all know I would've won in the end. No need to waste time watching what we already know would happen." I said, getting back to my feet.
"What a jackass." Damion said.
"I know this is either Emerald or Mercury's fault. They had to have done something." I said.
"So, what happened to them?" Damion asked.
"We had to hand them off to some medics in an ambulance. Mercury needed a hospital." Draco explained.
Flashback...
Draco and Nicolas grudgingly put Mercury on a carrier bed thing and started carrying him with Emerald following closely. "So, do we have a plan here? This place doesn't have any extreme treatment procedures or an ambulance to get him to a hospital." Draco said.
"Over here! We've got an ambulance ready to go!" A woman in an ambulance outfit called to them.
"Damn... I'm wrong." Draco said.
"Meh. Nothing new." Nicolas said, getting a growl from Draco as they loaded him onto the ambulance.
"Yeah, so... she's not gonna leave his side, so have fun with both of them." Draco said, leaving.
"Yep. Our problem is now yours." Nicolas said as he followed Draco.
Mercury groaned in pain on board the ambulance. "Oh, doc, tell me! Will I ever walk again?" He asked Emerald, but she punched him in the shoulder. "What's your deal?" He asked.
"Headache. One mind I can handle, but I broke my record with 5." She groaned.
Back to now...
"Well, great. All we know is we've been eliminated from the tournament, we're more hated than Donald Trump and thanks to everyone's bitching, Grimm attacks are on the rise." I said angirly.
"You guys believe me, right?" Yang asked.
"Of course, babe. I'd believe you no matter what everyone else says." Damion said.
"Yeah. There's no way you'd do that in your right mind." I agreed.
"Innocent!" Draco agreed.
"What they said." Nicolas threw in.
"Duh! You're hotheaded, but not ruthless!" Weiss said.
"Ahh, one of her famous insult compliments." I said.
We all then looked to the silent one in the room. "Blake?" Yang asked softly.
There were a few more moments before she finally answered. "I WANT to believe you." She said.
We were all shocked at this and Yang was devastated. "Blake?" She asked, about ready to cry.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Weiss demanded. (I know the lines aren't in direct order here, but this makes it sound better)
"You better be ready to rephrase that." Damion said aggressively, holding her close.
"Oh, it's about to get Civil War up in here!" Draco said, readying his claws.
"Let's hear her out first, but it BETTER be good." I said, holding an arm out in front of Draco before glaring back at Blake.
"How can you say something like that?! Yang would NEVER lie to us!" Weiss added.
"Plus Sai and his team saw the same thing!" Ruby added.
"Thank you." Damion added.
Blake sighed before finally answering. "I had someone VERY dear to me change. It wasn't in an instant, it was gradual. Little choices that began to pile up. He told me not to worry. At first, they were accidents, then it was self-defense... before long, even I began to think he was right. This is all just very familiar." She started, Damion holding Yang closer as she started shedding the tears forming in her eyes. "But you're not him. And you've never done anything like this before. So, I want to trust you. I WILL trust you. But first, I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me that HE attacked YOU. I need you to promise me that you regret having to do what you did." She said.
Yang sniffled and wiped away her tears, before looking at Blake with complete sincerity. "I saw him attack me, so I attacked back." She said.
"There. Plain and simple. Anything to say now?" Damion demanded.
Blake looked down for a moment, before looking back up with a smile. "Okay. Thank you." She said.
"I think I'm gonna rest up." Yang said.
"We'll get out of your hair." Blake said as we all started to leave.
Damion finally got up, but looked back at her one more time. "Let me know if you need anything at all, babe. I'll be there for you." He said, kissing her on the forehead before leaving, closing the door softly behind him.
I looked at him and gently nodded in approval. "That was sweet, man. The best thing we can do for her right now is show her we're there for her." I said.
He nodded a bit at this as well. "Yeah." He agreed quietly.
"This is a mess." Weiss said.
Jaune then opened his dorm, his whole team peeking out behind him. "She doing okay?" He asked.
"She's doing the best she can." Blake confirmed.
"I heard Mercury and his team rushed back to Haven to be with his family. So, until they land, no one can really question him about what happened." Ruby said.
"Let's NOT talk about them right now." I said, my team giving their own silent signs of agreement, from nodding to pointing.
"If there's anything we can do, please don't hesitate to ask." Ren said.
"Ypu're a good man, Ren. Thank you." Damion said.
"Well, if that's the case... Pyrrha?" Ruby asked, looking at the Spartan girl as she sat down. "You be sure to win one for Beacon, okay?!" Ruby said encouragingly.
"It's what Yang would want." Weiss agreed.
Pyrrha looked away for a moment, before looking back with a smile. "I'll do my best." She said.
"You always do." I said with a warming smile.
"At this point, I just want this tournament to end. I like fighting and all, but this has gotten crazier than I am." Nicolas said with a sigh.
"Yeah. Too much has happened in so little time." Draco agreed.
"I'll be sure to watch tonight in case you're picked." Ruby said.
"I think I've had enough fighting for one year." Blake said.
"Ditto." Weiss agreed.
"Sadly, we HAVE to be there, since we're still the medics." Draco said.
"The boot us from the tournament, but we still have to work for it." I said in an annoyed tone, shaking my head.
"Coffee?" Weiss asked.
"'Kay." Blake agreed.
"Well, we can at least get some liquid tolerance before we go back to work." Draco said.
"I'm in!" Nicolas said, the two of them following the monochrome teammates.
"I'm staying in case Yang needs me." Damion said.
"Yeah. I'm sticking around, too. I just need to go for a walk. Clear my head. You guys feel like joining me? The more the merrier." I said, walking in place to wait for an answer.
Pyrrha smiled, but before she could answer, Nora was right in her face. "You heard the lady! NO MORE MOPING AROUND! We need to get your butt in shape for the big fight!" She said, jumping back, now somehow in track clothes with a headband on. "It could be today! It could be tomorrow! It could be the most important fight of your entire LIFE!" She said, jogging in place, doing push-ups, jumping jacks and finally lifting up a massive barbel with a huge iron ball on each side that each said 1000 on it, most likely meaning pounds. She held it for a few seconds, but eventually fell backwards.
"I'm all for heavy lifting and stuff, but that might be a bit too extreme all at once. Maybe you should've started with 500 instead." I said, moving the weight away.
"Um..." Pyrrha said
"Nora's right." Re said, suddenly wearing a pink apron that said 'please do nothing to the cook'. "You can't let your concern for Yang hold you back. You have to focus. You'll be defending the honor of Beacon Academy." He said.
"Of course." Pyrrha acknowledged.
"She'll do great. She always does." I said, sitting beside her and putting an arm around her shoulder.
"Thank you, Sai." She said, smiling and leaning her head onto my shoulder and closing her eyes for a moment. I smiled back at this and pulled the ring box out of my pocket for a moment, thinking of when to ask, although obviously not now.
But suddenly. Ren held a strange green drink in front of her face, shocking both of us. "This blend of herbs and vegetables contains nutrients vital to your body." He said.
"It's called timing, man, look into it." I said with a slight glare.
"Oh. That's..." She started, unsure of what to say.
Luckily, he saved her from himself. "Please, there's no need to thank me." He said.
"Thank you? Ugh! That looks like slime from a lake bed!" Nora groaned in disgust.
"Algae contains NUMEROUS special properties." He said, holding it defensively.
"And like that, you've encouraged me to fast for at least a month." I said.
"See?! Even a demon won't eat that!" Nora said.
"What does me being a demon have to do with it. I have taste buds and eat all the normal things humans eat." I said, before turning away. "And the occasional heart of my enemy." I said quietly.
"Oh, come on. See for yourself." He said, catching Nora off-guard and getting her to take a drink, but she instantly turned green and dove for the trash can, puking into it.
"What is wrong with you?!" Nora demanded.
"Me? You're the one that wasted perfectly good juice." He said.
"I refuse to take a side on this." I said.
"We're supposed to help Pyrrha, not POISON her!" She said.
"There is ABSOLUTELYnothing wrong with that." Ren defended.
"If it looks the same coming up as it did going down, there's something wrong!" Nora countered.
Finally, Jaune saved us all and put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Hey, how about we all get some fresh air with Sai?" He asked.
"Thank you." I said.
Yang watched us walk along from the window of her team's dorm as we walked along Beacon's courtyard as Damion put a hand on his shoulder, revealing himself along with Qrow. "Hey there, Firecraker." The latter said softly.
"Hey, Qrow." She said, looking down.
"So, why'd you do it?" He asked.
"You know why?" She demanded.
"All I know is you attacked a helpless kid." He retorted.
Damion scoffed at this. "Trust me, that kid is FAR from helpless." The vampire said.
"Says the one who threw him in handcuffs the instant his leg was broken. So, either the two of you are lying, or you're crazy." Qrow countered.
"You're crossing some boundaries now, Qrow." Damion said, anger building in his voice.
"I'm NOT lying." Yang said in complete certainty.
"Crazy. Got it." He said.
"Who knows? Maybe I am." She said.
"You're not crazy. Neither am I. Someone MADE us see something." Damion said.
"And here I thought your dark-haired friend was the emo one." Qrow said, about to leave.
"I saw my mom." Yang said, to which Qrow stopped.
"That's right. I saw her, too. She saved Yang on the train, but she disappeared without saying anything." Damion confirmed.
"I was in a lot of trouble. Took a pretty hard hit. But when I came to, the person attacking me was gone. And I thought I saw... her. Her sword. Like the one in you and Dad's old picture." She said.
"That's right. I showed up just in time to see it happen. I asked who she was, but she just took off the helmet she was wearing. She looked just like Yang, but with black hair and red eyes." Damion added.
Qrow scoffed at this, but turned back to them. "You're not crazy, Yang. That was your mom, alright. And like Damion said, she didn't say a word. Sounds exactly like her. I don't see my sister very often, but she does try to keep in touch. Whenever it suits her." Qrow said.
"Wait, you mean, you TALK to her? That was real?!" Yang asked.
"Yeah, she found me. Got a tip from my most recent assignment. She wanted me to give you a message." He said.
"Well, you sure took your time about it." Damion said in slight annoyance.
"Yeah! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" She asked.
Qrow walked up towards and looked out the window. "I was waiting for the right time. And this sure ain't it, but I guess your deserve to know." He said.
"She deserved to know the soonest moment you could tell her." Damion said.
Qrow looked at him and gave a small chuckle. "That's why I'm telling her now. She wanted me to tell you that she saved you once, but you shouldn't expect that kindness again." He said to Yang.
"How can she say that... Yang's her daughter! First she abandons her, now she tells her 'I helped you once, now I'm done?!'" Damion demanded, feeling nothing but anger towards the woman.
"Raven's got in interesting way of looking at the world that I don't particularly agree with. And she's dangerous. But you're a tough egg, kiddo. You shouldn't let this tournament thing get you down. You had a slip-up. Sometimes bad things just happen. I say it's best to move on." Qrow said.
"Move on to what?" Yang asked.
"Well, Raven let some info slip before she took off. If you ever want to track her down, I think I might be able to help." He said.
She looked at him, then to Damion. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I personally wouldn't waste the time and effort finding her after that message, but if you want to find her, I'm with you all the way." He said, putting a hand on one of her shoulders. She looked down, thinking seriously about her decision.
Elsewhere...
Pyrrha was sitting alone up against a wall near the cafeteria and watched in slight shock and disbelief as the wind blew an orange leaf down by her foot, looking at it and thinking back to amber. "Want some company?" I asked,
She looked up at me and sighed. "If you want to sit down here, I won't stop you." She said, clearly sounding depressed.
I sat down to her right and started thinking of something to say. "Fall is a beautiful time of year, isn't it? A lot of people think it's just a warning that it's about to get cold and white, but I think it's about a lot more. It's a time of change. The leaves, the weather, the time. And... even some people. It's always good to make changes in your life, if you truly believe, in your heart, that it's for the better." I said, setting my hand down on hers, to which she gasped. "And it looks like something has changed with you, too. You've been quiet and reserved and looking pretty depressed lately. Is there anything you want to talk about? Maybe I could help ease your burden?" I asked.
She smiled and leaned over, resting her head on my shoulder. "You're already doing it." She said. I smiled and leaned my head to rest on hers, a few moments of rare and beautiful peace and true harmony going by, before she finally allowed herself to open up. "Sai?" She asked, pulling away a bit.
"Yeah?" I asked, a little concerned.
"I don't know what to do." She asked.
"About what?" I asked.
"Do you believe in destiny?" She asked.
I took a deep breath and sighed, nodding a bit. "Yeah. I might be a bit off on the exact meaning of destiny, but I believe we're all here for a purpose. To do something greater than ourselves and try to do our best and more to bring the world as close as we can to peace with the time we have." I said.
She looked surprised at this, but gave a small smile. "That's beautiful. When I think of destiny, I don't think of a predetermined fate you can't escape, but rather, some sort of final goal. Something you work towards your entire life." She said.
"Right. People think they're connected, but fate and destiny are two very separate things that don't go hand and hand. In my mind, there's no such thing as fate. Fate is just one thing that can happen, but even the smallest thing could change it. But destiny, that's something that's always there and that, no matter what happens, if you play your cards right and work hard enough, you can fulfill it." I said.
"Well, what would you do if something came along that you never expected? Something that could stand between you and your destiny?" She asked.
I was shocked and confused at this. I've had hard questions in my life, but this one was one I'd have to look inside myself to answer. "I'm..." I started, but I guess she wasn't done.
"Or, what if you could suddenly fulfill your destiny, but at the cost of who you were?" She asked.
Now I was lost, but one thing sounded like something I could answer. "All I know is, I'd never want to lose who I am. Nothing is truly worth losing yourself or who you're supposed to be." I said.
"Nothing makes sense anymore! This wasn't how things were supposed to happen!" She said, standing up and crossing her arms, sounding as if she was about to cry.
"Why? What's happening?" I asked, truly concerned for her.
"I always felt as though I was destined to become a huntress. To protect the world. And it's become increasingly clear to me that my feelings were right. But I don't know if I can do it." She said.
"Pyrrha... I've seen the things you've done, the things you can do. You're so powerful, so spirited, so driven. If you truly put your mind and yourself to it, there's nothing you can't accomplish, no goal you can't reach." I told her, to which she put a hand over her chest. I felt like it was time.
"And, I want you to know that no matter what decisions you make, no matter what you have to do, I'll always stand beside you. Whenever you need me, I'll be there for you. I'll be your rock, your pillar of support whenever you need one. And here's the proof." I said, getting on one knee, pulling out the ring box and opening it, revealing a gold ring with 3 diamonds on top of each other (each smaller than the one below it, of course), leaving her in total shock, covering her mouth with her hands. "If you say yes, I will do everything within my power to make sure you're as safe and happy as I can possibly keep you. No matter what you have to do or what obstacles you have to face, I'll face them with you. Pyrrha Nikos, will you marry me? After you're of legal age of course." I said, my eyes turning to look at the 4th wall at that last part.
She looked happy for a moment, but then looked terrified and began truly crying. "I'm sorry, but... I can't answer that yet! It's just... The timing is all wrong!" She cried, running away.
"Pyrrha, wait!" I said, reaching out to her, but sighing, dropping to my knees, my head and arms hanging low. "What have I done?" I asked.
Elsewhere...
Draco had actually stopped on the trip for coffee and decided to hang out with Ruby for a bit, the two walking towards the air strip, watching the various people get off, along with their weapons and such. They then saw a familiar face, taking pictures of the various people. She then saw them as well. "Ruby! Draco! How you doing?" She said happily.
"Hi, Velvet!" Ruby asked.
"Whassup?!" Draco asked happily.
"What are you up to?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, you know... Just working on my photography. Wanna see?" She asked. The two looked and were put in an awkward place to see she had taken a picture of Sun, but completely missed his head, focusing mostly on his nunchaku.
"That's... Better." Ruby said.
"I think it's a good picture. Were the nunchaku the focus of the picture?" Draco asked.
"That's for me to know. Oh, I'm sorry to hear about your sister and Sai. Are they doing okay?" The bunny faunus asked.
"Yeah, she's fine." Ruby said with some sadness.
"Sai's fine. He doesn't care, but I'm sticking to my story, Mercury made the first move that led to his unfortunate mutilation." Draco said.
"I think it's awful what people are saying about Yang. Sai's getting some bad heat, too-" She started, Draco laughing at the heat part. "-They're both great people." She said.
"Well, I'm glad someone thinks so." Ruby said.
"Right! Sai's probably saved these people more times than they can count and they'll never even know!" Draco said.
"Most people don't know what it's like on the battlefield. I mean, even experienced fighters can get scared and start seeing things on the battlefield. If it happened to Coco, it can happen to anyone." Velvet continued.
"Coco?" The two first-years asked.
"Yeah. She thought she saw Yatsu in the forest with her during the fight with Emerald and Mercury, but he never made it out of the geyser fields. Stress-induced hallucinations, apparently." She said.
"Wait a minute... Say that again." Draco said.
"Stress-induced hallucinations." Velvet repeated.
"Time out. This ain't quite right." He said, gesturing for her to say it again.
"Stress. Induced. Hallucinations." She repeated again, although slightly annoyed now.
"What's going on here? Something doesn't add up." He said, looking at her one more time for her to say in.
"HALLUCINATIONS!" Ruby screamed.
"Oh, now I get it, I gotta find the guys!" Draco said, taking off.
"O...kay then." Ruby said in confusion, shaking a bit after Velvet blinded her briefly with the flash of her camera.
"Oh! Sorry!" She apologized.
In the stadium...
The crowd's were cheering as the fighters were about to be announced, team BDSS (minus Draco), still in their medical area, but slightly more in the shadows and out of sight from most people. Ruby took her seat for the fight, but quickly noticed someone in the audience across from her. "Emerald's here?!" Ruby asked, getting up and sneaking through the maintenance area.
"Alright! It's now time to begin our randomization process for the next fight!" Oobleck announced.
Ruby continued through the maintenance area before suddenly bumping into Draco. "Draco! What are you doing here!" She asked.
"I was on my way to get Emerald! I figured it out! She causes hallucinations! She's trying to sabotage the whole tournament!" He said.
"Then let's go!" She said, the two of them continuing before running into... "Mercury?" She asked.
"I knew it! When I was checking for the break in his leg, I felt something was wrong! He must have SUPER LEGS!" Draco shouted.
"Metal, but close enough." He scoffed.
"It looks like our first contestant is... Penny Polendina from Atlas!" Port announced.
"What are you doing?" Ruby asked.
"TRAITOR!" Draco shouted like Kylo Ren.
"Can't be a traitor if I was never on your side." He said.
"But, the fight with the Grimm in Vale!" Draco countered.
"And her opponent will be... Pyrrha Nikos from Beacon!" Oobleck finished.
The two heroes thought for a moment about the fight, before they realized in horror. "No..." Ruby said.
"No! No, God, please, no! No! NOOOOOOOO!" Draco shouted.
"Ooh, Polarity vs. Metal. That could be bad." Mercury taunted.
Ruby reached for her scythe, but quickly realized she didn't have it. The cowardly Mercury, however, had no qualms about fighting an unarmed opponent. And he already had his weapons. However, Draco stepped forward at this time. "Ruby. Wait for my signal, then go." He said.
"Right." She agreed, the two of them staring down Mercury, ready to thwart whatever evil plan he had... NEXT TIME! (sorry, I've been watching too many TFS gameplays where they end with that.)