AUTHOR'S NOTE: So! Another month, another chapter of RWBY Build Fighters. I've reworked this one about four times and rewatched all of Gundam Build Fighters Try to describe things as accurately as possible.

The next few chapters are going to be rather intense on story development, and are the single most important two chapters of the story (as of right now) and so won't have any major hyped up battles or anything. But, there's plenty of those to come, so just keep in mind that I do have a story I'm telling. It's not just all Gundam fan service, and I cannot wait to hear what you guys think of what I'm about to set up.

However, I thought I'd give you all one last good fight, and really try and play around with some of the canon Gundam Build Fighters characters while I'm at it. I did so with Meijin last chapter, and I had even more fun this time. So I hope you all look forward to this and things to come. Some pretty cool things are waiting in the wind!


Tai was all smiles as he watched Yang practice with Raven's other students. Blake, Weiss, and Ruby sat back, each watching Yang's spar with mild intent. All of them wound up on the mat, not knowing exactly how to approach the newcomer with the unorthodox martial arts and spitfire attitude.

Raven stood next to Tai, smiling contently. "I take it you've been running her through the wringer," she commented, noting how fluid and proficient Yang was. "She's proven to be quite the capable fighter. Although I don't see any of your family's signature style in her movements."

"Yeah, that's because she's not using it," Tai admitted. "She trains with it, often through katas and shadow boxing, but in a real fight, she won't use it unless she has to. Something about wanting to give the opponent a fighting chance."

Raven narrowed her eyes, watching her movements even closer now. She analyzed them, looking for slight details. "Holding back...so that's it."

"What do you mean?"

She watched as Yang blocked a body blow, twisting the man's arm and delivered a soft kick to the head. If she had wanted it to, could have easily knocked him out, but instead just gave him a warning blow. He backed away, surprised. "She's been so focused on trying to absorb what I've been attempting to teach her, and she hasn't allowed herself to use it."

Tai glanced at Raven, surprised, and then looked back at their daughter. "That… explain's a lot. She sometimes struggles to learn the Xiao Long style, too."

Blake glanced at them both from her manga, before looking back at Yang, who she noticed was staring straight at Sekai Kamiki. The two had crossed paths several times in the last few days, and with each crossing, the sparks between their wild spirits seemed to ignite the air with a thick tension. Both of them locked eyes at almost every moment; if anyone didn't know them any better, it would look like they were flirting. In truth, though, both of them just wanted to beat the snot out of each other. But they were sensible enough to hold back

…Barely.

Was that what Yang's parents meant? Was she saving her family-style for Sekai?

"Sekai!"

A female voice called out from the main entrance as class ended for the day. A boy with indigo-colored hair and glasses entered the room, followed by a girl with dirty blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. They approached the fiery redhead, who was also packing up. An older gentleman followed behind them. "Oh, Senpai, Yuuma, Mr. Ral. I wasn't expecting you!"

"We came to pick you up," the girl said happily. "We were going to go practice, remember?"

"Hey!" Ruby said, recognizing the two younger newcomers. She had been sitting on the ground, and they had walked right past her. She ran up to them, her eyes shining with rapidly building excitement. "Aren't you both the other two members of the Try Fighters?"

The two looked at each other and shrugged as if they hadn't gotten used to being recognized. "Yes, I'm Fumina Hoshino, the leader of the Try Fighters! And this is Yuuma Kousaka, our other teammate." Fumina looked over at Sekai. "And I guess you already met Sekai."

Ruby stood straight up and took Yuuma's hand excitedly. "I'm Ruby Rose; it's a pleasure to meet you! I have been a fan of your work since you won the Gunpla Grand Prix! The Lightning Gundam you built is one of the best takes on the Re-GZ that I've ever seen, and it left such an amazing impression on me that I-"

"Ruby," Yang cut in, rolling her eyes. "You're doing it again."

Ruby blushed and let go of Yuuma's hand. "S-sorry!"

Yuuma chuckled. "No, it's alright. I'm grateful that you appreciate my work so much."

Ruby giggled and turned to the older man as he approached. He looked familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

"You may call me Ral," he said, introducing himself. "I am the Try Fighters' coach. I coached Reiji and Sei Iori several years ago during-"

"During the Seventh World Championship, that's right!" Ruby exclaimed. "That's why you look so familiar! It's an honor to meet you!"

Ral rubbed the back of his head and smiled, embarrassed. "Well, normally it's just my protégés that get that reaction. I'm not quite used to this…"

'He looks just like Ramba Ral from the original Gundam,' Ruby thought, admiring the uncanny similarities between the fictional character and the man standing before her.

Blake smirked, watching her younger friend gush, but her yellow eyes flicked back to the center of the room, where she saw Sekai move. The tension in the room hit a peak as he did, and she could only guess what would happen next.

"Hey, Yang," Sekai said, approaching her. She looked over at him, noticing he was taping his wrists up. "You wanna have that match now?"

"Sekai, we're not here to wait for you," Yuuma scolded. "We need to tune up our Gunpla."

"Oh, there will be plenty of time for that," Yang said, turning to face him. "I thought you'd never ask. I've been itching to get in the arena with you and wipe that smug grin off your face."

Yuuma sighed in frustration. He pushed his glasses up higher. "Oh no… Now there are two of them."

Fumina and Ruby both laughed nervously at each other. Raven approached Yang, concerned. "You do remember what I told you when you two first met, right?"

Yang grinned. "Yeah, but that just makes me wanna fight him more, honestly. I want to see where I stand, how high that wall is so I can climb it, and get stronger myself."

Raven gave her an appraising look before closing her eyes. "I won't stop you. But consider that your last warning."

Sekai nodded, his excitement building. "Let's go, then!"

The two-headed for their bags, where Yang brought out the Burning Gundam Echelon and Sekai pulled out his own Gunpla. "I'll fight you with Try Burning Gundam," he said. "I want this to be a fun match, and I know you and Raven-Sensei have been learning how to unlock your power, so I think that'll be good."

"Pick whatever you like, I'll still wipe the floor with you," Yang said confidently, as they both took their places on the platform of the table.

Yuuma looked at Ruby. "Is she always like this?"

She nodded, giving him an apologetic look. "Yeah….she likes a good fight, and has been watching Sekai non-stop for the last week. I think her girlfriend is getting tired of hearing his name."

She nodded to Blake, who shrugged. "Not really," she admitted with a little chuckle. "If anything, it's cute to see Yang this worked up to fight someone. She hasn't been this excited in a while."

"GUNPLA BATTLE COMBAT MODE START UP! MODEL DAMAGE LEVEL SET TO C! PLEASE SET YOUR GP BASE! FIELD 11-CASTLE!"

Yang smiled and planted Burning Echelon on the GP Base when prompted, with Sekai doing the same.

Yuuma glared at Yang's machine, a mix of repulsion and curiosity on his face. "It's definitely functional...but the craftsmanship is a bit amateurish. Almost like she just chose parts from other Gunpla and fit them together."

"Well, you're not wrong," Weiss admitted. "But just because it's a kitbash doesn't mean it isn't a formidable machine."

Ruby looked over the Try Burning. "The number of spots for particle emissions on the armor is astounding. The lack of armor in certain places seem to be a little concerning, but I've studied Sekai's fighting style, and he seems to compensate well."

Weiss glanced at Ruby, joining her in standing with the group, "Does Yang stand a chance?"

"Maybe…" Her eyes drifted over to Burning Echelon. "They may share the name 'Burning,' but they are very, very different. Yang has no natural spots for enhanced Plavsky Particle release, and her machine is a redesigned kitbash of Shining, God, and Duel Gundam, mostly, unlike the Try Burning, who is designed for maximum particle emission and essentially it's own design. Meaning if Sekai assimilates and activates Burning Burst, I don't know if Yang's Berserker mode can keep up with it."

"She can keep up," Tai said confidently. "Sekai's martial arts school and my family's both are exceptionally potent. And if Yang catches on with how he fights...that could be the equalizer."

"You know Sekai's style?" Fumina asked, curious. Tai nodded.

"I've fought only one Jigen Haoh style user before, and that school of martial arts is pretty rare and selective. So I know my family's signature style can keep up with it, though I'll admit, I lost that fight." He looked at Yang, who took her position in the holographic cockpit. "The question is: can Yang?"

Ral studied both of them. "Their spirits appear to be ablaze…"

"The features of the Gunpla don't determine the winner of the battle," Raven added. "Even still... Yang has the odds stacked against her. "

"Yang Xiao Long, Burning Gundam Echelon, breaking faces!"

"Sekai Kamiki, Try Burning Gundam, let's go!"

The two Gunpla catapulted forward, and each landed before one another on the roof of the simulated European castle, seemingly ripped out of a fairy tale. The two stood, closely watching the other, before the Try Burning fell into a martial arts pose-left arm bent to its side, right hand up and forward, legs crouching.

"I hope you're ready," Sekai stated.

Yang put her left arm forward, fist angled down, with her right hand up near her chest, the long flowing hair of the Nobell Gundam hanging down behind her. "Bring it, Burning Boy. Show me what you got!"

Sekai clenched his fists and charged, the Try Burning swinging a mighty blow at Yang, who dodged slightly to the right and connected with her fist. Sekai's other hand blocked it, but the strike suddenly gained extra momentum from a sudden thruster burst on the back end of the customized Shining Gundam gauntlet, which forced Yang's fist even harder than normal into Sekai and knocked the Try Burning backward.

He quickly hit the ground, bouncing up before flipping and pulling off a single handstand that landed him on his feet so he could skid to a stop. Yang pulled her right fist back and resumed her pose.

"Heh, not bad," Sekai said with a smile, standing up.

"Wait, when did Yang add boosters to her gauntlets?" Weiss asked.

"Two days ago," Blake said. "She wanted to increase the force of her punches, as well as use the gauntlets for mobility, so she replaced the shotguns with thrusters and put another thruster on the back end of each gauntlet so she can catapult herself to the side or backward in a pinch. Or add extra force to her blows."

Yang was the one who pressed the attack this time, moving her right hand into a body blow, which Sekai easily pushed away with a palm strike to the forearm. Yang fired the front thruster on that arm and sent herself into a spinning backhand, which Sekai deflected, and countered her with a second palm strike to her back, pushing her away before swinging a front shin kick at her head.

Yang fired her gauntlet's front thrusters as she ducked the blow to boost backward and land an elbow to the side of the Try Burning, knocking him off balance. He stumbled but recovered with a roundhouse kick that connected with Yang's temple and floored the Burning Echelon. The roof of the castle cracked slightly on her impact with it, cobblestone chunks becoming displaced as she hit the ground.

Sekai backed up and fell back into his pose, smiling as Yang got up, looking at him from a kneeling position. The two were just toying with each other, gauging each other's skills, and both knew that the other was holding back. "How about trying this?" He called out as Yang returned to her feet. He charged her again, fist raised.

"Come one, show me what you got!"

"Jigen Haoh school….Shippu-Zuki!" Sekai's fist began stirring the air around it, acting as if it was about to breach the sound barrier as he launched a focused punch straight at Yang. The power of the blow was easily seen, just from the effect it had on the air around them.

Yang met him halfway, boosting forward and delivering her own, jet-propelled fist directly into his. The resulting explosion from the impact, the disruption of the air from Sekai's fist, and the abrupt shift in Plavsky Particles caused an incredible impact and crater to form directly below them on the roof of the castle, blowing chunks of concrete in all directions. Both machines struggled to gain ground; their fists pushed against each other in an unrelenting matching of power.

Both Sekai and Yang gritted their teeth, before realizing neither would back down. They both landed and pushed backward, putting distance between them. Yang fell into a boxing pose, while Sekai returned to his original martial arts stance. He flexed his right hand slightly. "Hmmm...wow, it's been a while since someone met me head-on like that." He grinned again, the tingling in his hand subsided.

"Woah...she stopped his blow," Fumina commented, mouth open in surprise. "When was the last time someone did that?"

"Not since last year, I think," Yuuma answered. He looked over at Yang, who appeared just as excited as Sekai was. He began reassessing his judgment of her Gunpla after seeing it so easily repel Sekai.

"My turn. I hope you're ready," Yang announced, before charging. Sekai hunkered down as Yang closed in, her right fist raised over her head. She was just above Sekai, ready to deliver an overhead blow, when she noted he shifted position just ever so slightly, dodging the attack.

She smirked, and fired her wrist gauntlet downwards, narrowly dodging the incoming fist that should have connected with her back. She fired them again, sending her spinning into a heel kick that nailed the Try Burning in the face, forcing Sekai to backpedal as she landed. She charged him again, ducking his next blow and hitting him with a jab to the chin. She boosted her recoil with the front thruster, pulling her arm back faster, before launching a second punch.

Sekai caught her wrist this time, though, and hollered. "Jigen Haoh school! Soten Guren-Ken!"

The uppercut caught Yang square in the jaw, completely unguarded. She went flying into the air, pieces of plastic chipping off of her Gunpla, and shot several simulated meters upwards before she fired her wrist gauntlets and flipped over to land in a crouched pose.

The next charge came from both of them rushing, their blood pounding in their ears. Yang sucked the next blow, connecting with an elbow to the face and following it up with a palm strike to Sekai's cheek. However, he caught her with a weak punch, which tilted her head enough to stop her advance. She stood back up and blocked a blow with her forearm, but took a kick to the knee pit. She fell but boosted upwards immediately in an attempt to knee Sekai in the face.

He dodged, backing up, before grabbing her ankle and trying to pull her towards him. She countered with a downward cross jab, firing her thrusters and connecting with his clavicle area as he tried again to back a step. She landed and pressed forward, beginning to mix boxing blows up with motions Sekai immediately became unfamiliar with. He countered several attacks, but an open palm strike to his temple rocked him, followed by sidekick to his midsection and a punch that connected simultaneously and sent him staggering to the left. He managed to catch the next attack and slammed his palm into her chin, backing her up enough for a kick to the face that caused her to stumble.

Raven watched, nodding. "Now, I see where your style is coming in," she said. "She mixed the Xiao Long martial arts with kickboxing and added the easier mobility Gunpla Battle affords to add to it things she normally cannot do. Not as flashy as the Jigen Haoh style, but effective."

"Oh, she makes it flashy," Tai replied. "She's still holding back. I think she's purposefully not taking this seriously."

Fumina shot Tai a confused look. "But why? That seems like a stupid move to do against Sekai. Especially now that she sees how strong he is."

"She's like me," Tai said. "She's not looking to win, right now. She's looking to learn. To see what makes Sekai as strong as he is. And until she sees it, she won't fight for real."

"Assimilation." Yuuma watched as Yang stood back up. "She wants to see the Burning Burst, and is just giving Sekai a taste of what she can do to excite him." He shook his head. "They are the same person. She already knows what makes him tick."

Blake smiled. "Yeah, because it's what she would want someone to do to her. Tease her to draw out her full potential."

"Come on, Sekai," Yang called out, motioning with her fist to come to get some more, "I'm trying to fire you up! You're still holding back!"

Ruby, Weiss, and Blake collectively groaned. Fumina and Yuuma looked mortified. "Did...she just say that, while they are both piloting 'Burning' Gundams?" Fumina asked Ruby.

"No matter what you have heard, that woman is not my sister!" Ruby shouted, pointing at Yang.

Yang activated her external camera, noticing and hearing Ruby, and snickered. "What's the matter, sis? My joke's too hot for you?"

"Sekai! KICK HER BUTT!" Ruby shouted.

"Hey, traitor!"

Sekai laughed at the sisters' antics, thoroughly enjoying this. "Wow, I like you guys!"

"Fumina, if Sekai starts saying puns, I vote to kick him off of the Try Fighters," Yuuma said with a deadpan expression.

"I might consider it…" Fumina responded in a similar manner.

Raven shot Tai an annoyed look. "She certainly didn't get that from me…" she muttered. Tai just shrugged, smiling sheepishly.

Sekai shot a fist forward at Yang. "You want my best? I'll meet your fist with mine!" he yelled, before closing his eyes. The blue, sparkling bits of the Try Burning began glowing a potent orange as if the Gunpla itself was starting to catch fire.

"Now we're talking!" Yang stood up and slammed her fists together, Burning Echelon glowing an angry pinkish-red. The hair of the Gunpla flowed freely, Yang dropped into a new stance, left forearm out for defense, right fist near her face.

Raven grunted. "I warned her that her Berserker mode stood no chance against Assimilation. She'll have to find that out the hard way, I suppose."

Yang shot forward, boosting until she reached Sekai. She planted her left foot down and swung her right fist at his face, which he easily ducked. She fired the booster on her left gauntlet and delivered a blow straight at his chest, which staggered him. He grunted, feeling the impact as if it had hit him directly. He recovered quickly, planting his back foot and blocking her next blow to counter with a swinging kick to the side.

Yang was sent flying to the right, landing hard. She looked up to see Sekai pressing the attack, and she brought her forearms up in a defensive stance to block the next two blows. She moved to the left to avoid a downward chop and went to deliver a punch to the face, only to have Sekai grab her wrist and pull her into an open palm strike to the face that floored her.

She blinked, surprised. He was moving much better now, much more fluid. His blows were connecting more regularly, and, as she looked over the damage he was inflicting, she noted that her Gunpla was taking a much greater beating than moments ago.

"So this is the power Raven was talking about…" Yang felt the excitement coursing through her, inspiration beginning to stir. She stood up and Sekai backed off, feeling lighter, happier. This was what she wanted. This was the kind of fight that set her blood on fire.

Sekai charged her, but she sidestepped. Easily. In fact, it was far easier than before. Shimmering Plavsky Particles began leaking from her vernier thrusters as she boosted, dodging and weaving and deflecting incoming blows.

Sekai gritted his teeth and moved to palm strike her, but changed at the last minute to knee her in the gut. The Burning Echelon was taken off its feet, and Yang grunted, doubling over in pain in her cockpit.

Raven, Tai, and Ral all looked on, wide eyed. "She felt that?" Tai asked.

"Hmmmmm….." Ral looked at her machine, as it mimicked her, holding her stomach. "She's assimilating, just as he has."

Blake looked at Ral, concerned. "So….she can feel what Burning Gundam Echelon feels?"

He nodded. "Yes, but she can also do much more with it. Her speed, response time, and power have all doubled, just as Sekai's has. If her Gunpla was optimized for it, she might even be able to triple it." He looked to Try Burning Gundam. "But…"

"Sekai-kun is still holding back," Fumina added.

"Burning Burst." Yuuma pushed his glasses upon his face. "He hasn't tapped into his full power because he's probably trying to fight her equally. Or is an idiot."

Yang and Sekai pushed each other back over and over, trading blows and blocks. Yang messed up and took a fist to the face, which staggered her. She noticed the impact as clear as day on her own cheek, and her hand moved up to rub it. The pain was momentary but noticeable. She felt like a bruise would form, though no physical impact had hit her specifically.

Her mind raced, trying to take it all in. The thrill, the rush, the pain, the strength… Raven had described it, but she hadn't really said it in a way that Yang understood. Not fully. Not until now.

She jumped backward and fell back into a fighting stance, ready for him.

"C'mon Sekai, stop holding back!" She shouted again. "I know you've got more in there. Show me everything you got. Give me your best shot!"

Sekai grinned back and nodded. "Alright, you asked for it!"

Pieces of his shoulders, knees, and elbows exploded off of the armor, exposing even more of the sparkling plastic underneath. These pieces then erupted into a raging inferno, burning across the body of the machine-like they could no longer be contained.

The Try Fighters and Ral looked on in anticipation, the others looking on in awe. Ruby's eyes sparkled. "Burning Burst! I never thought I could see it in person!"

Kamiki pulled his right fist back, which became engulfed in flames. "Houou Haoh-Ken!" he cried, thrusting his fist out, which shot all the stored fire around it forward. The blast took the form of a massive blazing phoenix, which rocketed towards Yang at incredible speed.

She waited until it had closed much of the distance, and then she shot her wrist verniers downwards to propel herself up and over the phoenix. She flipped in the air, narrowly dodging the wing of the attack, before boosting forward and preparing to strike Sekai. He moved his flaming arm upwards to block to blow, taking it and being pushed back across the castle ground. His forearm cracked, fracturing from the impact, and Sekai winced in pain.

He pulled his left fist back. "Jigen Haoh School, Ryusei Rasen-Ken!" The left fist of the Try Burning began spinning, creating a fireball around his hand that impacted the Burning Echelon right in the abdomen.

The blow sent Yang's Gunpla flying backward, the shockwave of the impact radiating through her body. She collapsed onto one knee; her eyes shut as she struggled to regain her composure. She fell onto her rear, and Burning Echelon struggled to stand, before collapsing onto the ground, it's energy completely spent.

"BATTLE OVER!"

The field and the cockpits disintegrated, and Ruby ran up to Yang, kneeling by her side as she lay on her back for a moment. Blake was right there with her in an instant, having discarded her manga. "Yang! Are you okay?" Ruby asked worry etched across her face.

Yang grunted, holding her right side. "Yeah. I just feel like I cracked a rib or something, but I'm okay."

"Impressive," Ral commented. "Most individuals pass out from the pain they experience during their first Assimilation. The effort and exertion often is too much for them to handle."

Yang looked at her dad and laughed. "Pain's nothing new to me. Training with my dad, I've broken bones and hurt myself more times than I can count. It's part of our family's martial arts style. If you don't feel the pain, you aren't pushing hard enough." She smiled at Sekai. "It just took me by surprise that you can hit me that hard with just Gunpla."

"Right? The first time it happened to me and I got hit, I had a cut on my cheek and felt like I had been run over!" Sekai laughed and walked over to offer his hand, which she took. "I was out for a day! I still don't know why it does that, but I don't care you don't become a great martial artist by avoiding pain, you face it head-on!"

Weiss sighed and shook her head. "Will the two meatheads get off the stage? I'm pretty sure we have seen enough of your bravado for one day."

Sekai looked back at Burning Echelon and Try Burning. He grabbed his Gunpla, regarding Yang's for a moment, before turning to her. "When we fight, I'll be using my own Gunpla, that I built with my own hands." He stared fondly at Try Burning, before looking at Yang. "I want you to bring your best because my real Gunpla is far stronger than this!"

Yang looked over at Burning Echelon. Ideas and blueprints were already planning themselves out in her head...but she had no clue how to do them. "Ruby! Can you help me tune the spare Burning Echelon I have?"

"You have more than one of your Gunpla?" Fumina asked. Yang nodded.

"I've built so many of the same kits that I've started making duplicates, just in case. Mostly for replacement parts, but there is one I always keep as an experiment to test new equipment on." She looked back at her sister. "Can you do it? Can you make parts like the blue bits on Try Burning?"

"The Plavsky reaction plastic? Yeah, I made a little for my new Gunpla too. It's more expensive to 3D print but I can easily do it. What do you want?"

"I'll tell you when we get back to the hotel." She picked up her battered Gunpla. "But when we enter the tournament, Burning Echelon is going to be a brand new machine! Till then, Blake and I will keep practicing with this one."

"Then once you tell me what you want, I'll get started." Ruby looked at her sister. "I'll make your Gunpla shine, and next time Sekai won't know what hit him!"

Sekai offered his hand to Yang, and she took it, squeezing it in respect. "Don't lose before we meet," he said. "I'll be waiting."

"Don't worry about me," she replied. "I won't lose to anyone. Especially not you."