This crossover seems to be one of my more popular works for some reason. I blame shippers, they love to ship everyone with everyone. More people equates to more ships. This chapter went a little longer than I originally planned because writing slice of life scenes are too fun to pass up. Because of that, I'm adding humor to the tags for this story. Merging two worlds together creates some interesting interactions. Sadly, no Touma this chapter, but I'll show what he has been up to next one, promise. We know we all really wanted to see Accelerator make some people cry. Everyone has been commenting on that. Remember, list of ship names are at the end of the chapter. None of the ships are set in stone, I just find it fun and I know a lot of people enjoy being creative. Now, onwards to the comments.
jordanlink7856: Blake does have trust issues, so platonic could be what it stays as. Yang only makes her more guarded with all the boyfriend jokes.
KisaragiKei: I think those names are cool, but I can't see Quantum Space really working between them. Twilight Arrow isn't too bad, because of color scheme and what you mentioned.
Artyom-Dreizehn: I work hard on these, but time is limited or the chapters would come out much faster.
Nicetoderp: I could see Velvet x Touma ship name, but I don't think that one is right for it. Touma x Weiss name is to long for my taste too.
TykkiMikk: One of the earliest ones a friend of mine made is really good.
Slash Aogetsu: I like to stick some flashbacks to the Index universe since this story is mainly in the RWBY universe.
dickythamrin077: Writing Accelerator is one of my favorite things. There is a lot of balance involved. I feel a slip up from Blake is going to end up with Touma getting hurt.
LL: What would that ship even be? Salem x Touma? I have no doubt he COULD do it, but wow. I'm sure Penny and Touma would have a lot of fun together. Touma is hardly one to make fun of unusual people. Though, if Touma's hand can negate Aura, what would happen to Penny? So many questions. Touma is forbidden from stepping into Monster Quest world.
The Rupture: Guess he will have to have some kind of limit then. Aura would make him so OP though. I'm debating on some interesting Semblances and how they would affect him. Could Emerald use illusions, for example. Weiss X Accelerator has been pretty popular, but that's only because it was mentioned. Fandom's change pretty quick when new situations arise. I'll keep that in mind for Jaune.
ultron emperor: Touma does seem to like attracting the crazy girls. Ruby and Last Order shall team up against Accelerator to make him do things with them. Double pouting face.
ResidueWisdom: My friend, that is why fanfiction exists. TO throw two random people together for adventures they would normally never see. I agree completely with Yang, but Ruby could ask him out if she sees him act like a hero from the stories. (Does something amazing to protect someone and then act like it wasn't a big deal.) That is the hardest thing to do with Blake. Emerald will be tough, not going to lie. It would probably start with Cinder trying to get information on him. Touma has dealt with worst people than Cinder. He made a goddess fall for him. Accelerator is going to be tough with anyone. He's like Weiss and you have to break the shell. Last Order being there is the only reason something like this could happen. 90% of ships require a unique situation to occur to even have a chance to work.
Memento Mori - The Truth: I try to let the stories decide, but my subconscious sometimes wants things to happen.
Kuvukiland: Accelerator calls Touma 'hero' all the time, so he probably forgot his name. Hey, at least Touma did not do the bad touch. Oh no, this is not related to IP in anyway. All OCs there have no existence here.
Guest: Deets is slang for details. White Knight is taken already with Weiss x Jaune. How would lions work? Touma x Neo one is kind of generic. It could work for most guys with Neo. For Emerald, what made you decide on that name? Not really feeling Cinder's though.
G119: Thanks.
Madness Beyond: Maybe by the time I reach it, we will know what it is in canon. I have the perfect scene for it in mind already.
SpiderhunterXXX: Their ship name did sort of become that.
YCG: Probably gets negated and then Touma gets his own bad luck. So it appears Qrow's Semblance is working, but it's really not.
Adv: Practice makes perfect. The more you do something, the better you get.
WiliamZ0: Yeah, gay pairings are not something I want to write, unless it is an Omake. Besides, Qrow and Winter are the OTP. I can see Ruby trying to get Touma's attention and he treats her like a younger sister. I can't wait for Yang to comment that Ice King as dethroned the Queen. Should happen in 1 or 2 more chapters. Depending on how much others do. Huh, Neo is similar to Leivinia. Sadist, all of them. I have a plan to make sure Accelerator doesn't have unlimited power.
RPGPersona: You underestimate Ruby if you think earplugs would stop her. In Blake's defense, she wasn't looking for trouble, it found her. Blake reads too much and it affected her story telling. Yang will never let her live it down. I'm going to have Ruby slip up in front of Pyrrha and Yang, just to cause some interesting reactions. Accelerator drinks can coffee, so special fresh teacher coffee is the sweet nectar of the gods. OMG! Accelerator meeting Port. This will be great.
Wiliamsusanto: Huh, I thought it was because of static electricity from a middle school student chasing him around.
Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.
Last Order was the first to wake up.
She opened her eyes in a dark unfamiliar location. It took a moment to remember she was in Team JNPR's room. Nora and Yang had played rock-paper-scissors to determine which room Last Order would sleep in. Nora had won. The interrogation of Ruby took a while, but Last Order had a lot of fun watching her friends question her. From what she witnessed, Ruby refused to say who she liked and kept trying to change the subject. No matter how much pressure Yang, Nora, and Pyrrha put on her, she only admitted she liked weapons, cookies, and killing Grimm. Eventually, they had to give up, but Yang refused to let anyone untie Ruby. Things turned less violent for a while as they talked and Last Order learned more about her new friends. When they heard the guys return, Nora and Pyrrha took her back to hang out in their room. She really liked how Nora always seemed to have the energy to play and that Jaune always paid attention to her. Ren was quiet, but polite and respectful to her. Pyrrha felt like a mother figure to her and didn't seem to hold a single bad thought. Because of a lack of beds, Nora convinced Last Order to share with her and that led to the current problem.
Last Order had to use the bathroom.
Nora was also very clingy when she slept.
It took a lot of wiggling to escape Nora's iron clutches. How she was so strong baffled Last Order, but she figured it was some kind of ability. It took longer than it should have, because Last Order did not want to wake up Nora. Normally, she was the one to snuggle against Accelerator when he slept, so the shoe was on the other foot. After getting free, she tiptoed quietly to their bathroom and shut the door behind her. She fumbled around and finally found the light switch. She hadn't meant to wake anyone and went around her business. The noise must have been heard, because the door opened and Pyrrha stepped in.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"MISAKA had to use the bathroom, MISAKA answers as MISAKA does her business. MISAKA did not mean to wake anyone up, MISAKA apologizes."
"Oh," Pyrrha replied. "I should have realized. I'm sorry. You didn't wake me by the way, I was already up and just lying in bed. When you got up, I wanted to make sure you didn't need anything." This was all true. Pyrrha usually got up earlier than the others. Jaune and Nora would sleep in as long as possible and Ren always woke up before Nora, otherwise he risked her jumping on him. This let Pyrrha shower and clean up before everyone else. "Did you sleep okay? Sharing a bed with Nora can be tough for people not used to it." She saw how Ren looked when Nora snuck into his bed.
"MISAKA enjoyed the contact, MISAKA says happily."
"That's good, I was afraid you would be uncomfortable since we didn't have an empty bed." Ren and Nora had offered to share, but Last Order refused to force them to change accommodations for her. "Since you are up, would you like me to draw you a bath? You didn't have one yesterday."
"MISAKA does not like baths, MISAKA says as MISAKA pouts."
"You do need one," Pyrrha explained and had to hold back a chuckle. "You worked up a sweat yesterday running around the city. Nora may allow it in her bed, but I know for a fact Ren washes her sheets three times a week. Body odor is not pleasant to be around." Last Order was wearing a shirt far too large for her, courtesy of Jaune, so her dress could air out.
"MISAKA will take a bath if you take one with MISAKA, MISAKA relents as MISAKA figured out a way to make bath time fun." She may be a little devious from hanging out with Accelerator and her sisters, but she was not good at hiding her intentions.
"EH?!" Last Order's request surprised Pyrrha and she checked the time. She usually showered and had to make sure there was enough time for an actual bath. "Okay," she finally agreed. "It's a little earlier than when I normally get up, so we should have time." She stepped back and clicked the lock on the bathroom door. The last thing she needed was one of the others barging in by accident. Nora would probably shout out what they were doing, so the entire floor would hear.
"Yay! MISAKA cheers as MISAKA hops to her feet." She stood next to Pyrrha, as she started to fill the tub. While the water flowed, Last Order turned to her. "Did you know you snore? MISAKA asks as MISAKA tries to start a conversation."
"W-what?!" spluttered Pyrrha.
"Really loudly, MISAKA adds as MISAKA giggles. MISAKA thought an animal snuck into the room at first."
"A-are you sure it wasn't someone else?" Pyrrha stammered, as her face flushed red. I don't snore that loud, do I? Her parents occasional mentioned something like that, but she always thought they were teasing her. Ren and Nora never mentioned it to her, but a small part in the back of her mind told her why they would not. Nora could sleep through an explosion and Ren cherished his sleep while being a master of meditation. He could easily tune out noise. Jaune never mentioned it either, but would he tell me that? He's way too nice to complain about snoring. "Are you sure it wasn't someone else?" Pyrrha asked, trying to install doubt into the girl.
"MISAKA is sure, MISAKA replies. If it was Nora, MISAKA would know and Ren's mouth was closed. MISAKA was worried he might have been dead based on how still he was. Big brother Jaune," she giggled here because several people had interesting reactions when she told people he was her brother. "Was too far away from where the sound was coming from. It had to be you, MISAKA concludes as MISAKA shows off her detective skills." Pyrrha blinked and flushed deeper.
"If I give you some chocolate," she asked. "Will you promise not to mention that to anyone else? Especially Yang?"
"Okay, MISAKA agrees eagerly for the delicious treat."
Pyrrha sighed in relief. It was worth losing a few of her hidden pleasures to stop Yang from learning that secret. She regretted it pretty quick. Last Order was almost as energetic as Nora, when she wasn't tired, and trying to keep her in the bath while she cleaned herself, quickly became a chore. I can't really remember the last time I had a bath besides to relax, she thought. I wasn't this bad to my own parents, was I? The sounds must have attracted the notice of someone else or they were in there longer than Pyrrha thought, because there was a knock on the door.
"Pyrrha?" Jaune's voice came through the door. "Last Order? Who's in there?"
"We both are." Pyrrha answered. "We will be done in a few."
"Okay, I was just checking."
"We are bathing together, MISAKA informs you." Last Order seemed pleased with the situation, but Pyrrha flushed in embarrassment. It was a weird combination for Pyrrha though. It wasn't something she would announce, but if it made Jaune think about her in that light, maybe something would come of it. There was a moment of silence at the door and she didn't hear footsteps saying Jaune left. Her instincts were on the money this time.
"Oh… well… have fun?" Jaune finally said, when his brain snapped back into gear. That image was now permanently etched in his mind. He, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora had roomed together long enough that Jaune didn't consciously think about Pyrrha in the shower anymore. However, when presented to him like that, any normal seventeen year old would think about it. The vast majority of guys in school had fantasized about Pyrrha at least once. She was not only a famous individual after winning many fighting competitions, she was also very attractive. Have fun? Jaune, what were you thinking? Next time, come up with a witty line.
"Sorry that took so long," Pyrrha told Jaune and Ren, after she and Last Order finished.
"No problem," Jaune replied from his bed. He was reading a comic, while Ren entered the bathroom first so he would be out before Nora woke up. "Oh, while you were in the bath, it seems Blake returned. Ruby was very vocal about it." Pyrrha chuckled.
"Do you know why she was late?" Pyrrha asked. "She wasn't in trouble, right?"
"I've caught a few words when someone shouted," Jaune admitted and tapped the wall. "Though, I have been trying to ignore them. They don't sound in trouble and I bet it's something personal."
"We can ask at breakfast if they wish to tell us," Pyrrha suggested and Jaune agreed.
"What comic is that? MISAKA asks as MISAKA bounds up next to you." Jaune looked over when Last Order's head appeared right next to his.
"It's an X-Ray and Vav," Jaune explained. "They are superheroes who… actually, it might be easier to let you read the first one." Last Order backed up while he pulled out a box from under his bed. "Let's see… here it is." He pulled out an issue and handed it to Last Order. "Feel free to read it and let me know if you want the next one. Please be careful, it's my only copy."
"Thank you, MISAKA says softly." She jumped up onto his bed and lied down on her back. Holding the comic above her, she started to read. Pyrrha smiled and Jaune laughed.
"You sure you two aren't her parents?" Nora's amused voice asked, as she sat up. "She's as polite as Pyrrha and has Jauney's interests."
"W-what?!" Jaune and Pyrrha stuttered in shock.
"You wake up before your alarm clock and that's your reaction?" Jaune asked bewildered.
"You three were being noisy," Nora pointed out. She stretched as she swung her legs off the bed. Nora's reaction was surprising to the others, because she usually attacked people who woke her up early. She must have slept well.
"We forgot to keep our voices down, sorry," Pyrrha apologized, but Nora waved her hand dismissively.
"Water under the bridge," Nora laughed. "Besides, this is great. More time to play with Last Order." She jumped off of her bed. "Finish your comic while I shower, so we can get pancakes." She started bounding toward the bathroom door.
"Wait!" Jaune called out. "Ren's in there-…!" His words probably would not have made a difference, as Nora burst into the bathroom.
"Nora!" The three of them and Last Order heard Ren shout, before the door closed.
"Are those two a couple? MISAKA asks."
Pyrrha and Jaune shrugged. It was one of life's great mysteries.
"Come on, Yang!" Ruby cried. "If we want to leave with Team JNPR, you can't take all day in the shower!"
"Perfection can't be rushed!" Yang sang through the door.
"Mediocrity can!" Weiss called out with a smirk. "So hurry up!"
"I'm sending a pair of your underwear to Vomit Boy with a love note now!" Yang declared.
"You wouldn't dare!" Weiss gasped in horror, to which Yang only laughed.
"Don't be mean!" Ruby chastised her sister. "Besides, don't you want to hang out with Last Order again? She's the only one who actually appreciates your terrible jokes."
"Good point." The sound of Yang stumbling around in the bathroom was heard and Ruby sighed.
"Did she really?" Blake asked from her bed.
"Surprisingly," Weiss answered. "Yes. Last Order is such a good kid, but for some reason finds Yang's jokes funny."
"Weird," Blake murmured and turned back to her book. She found it surprising all three of her roommates liked the same person, but stranger things had happened. At least they weren't pestering her anymore.
"I hope we aren't keeping them waiting," Ruby worried. "We promised yesterday we would go down to breakfast together."
"They haven't knocked," Weiss pointed out. "Nora would be the first one knocking down our door if we were keeping her from pancakes." Ruby had to giggle at that. "I still can't understand her obsession with them." A moment later, the bathroom door burst open and Yang popped out in nothing but a towel. "How many times have I told you!?" Weiss yelled. "Don't run around the room naked!"
"Cool it, Weiss Queen," Yang snorted with a roll of her eyes. "You were the one who wanted me to hurry." She walked to her dresser and threw on her clothes. "I'm ready now." Weiss grunted and looked toward her teammates. Ruby was already standing and bouncing on the balls of her feet. Blake sighed and bookmarked her place. They all left together and Ruby knocked on Team JNPR's door. A second later, Jaune opened the door and grinned.
"Sup, Rubes," he said and backed up to let them in. "You all ready to go?"
"Yang finally finished," Ruby sighed. "But, good news, Blake returned last night!"
"Yep," Yang confirmed and pushed Blake in. "The cat came back." Blake scowled at her.
"Last Order better be fine," Weiss huffed, as she stepped passed Jaune.
"HI, Weiss! MISAKA called out happily." Last Order was sitting on the ground in front of the TV, a remote in her hand. Another remote had been vacated on the ground next to her, which Jaune must have been playing. The weird thing was, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora were all lying on their beds, fully clothed and looking depressed.
"Umm," Ruby asked hesitantly and gestured to them. "What happened to you guys?"
"Turns out Last Order is pretty good at video games," Jaune explained with a smirk.
"Really good," Pyrrha added from her own bed. It had been a one sided massacre against most of them. Last Order destroyed Pyrrha and Nora, so Nora made Ren try to regain her honor. Ren and Last Order had a pretty intense battle, but Last Order pulled ahead. Ren was fine with losing to a skilled opponent, but Nora had hugged him so tightly, a couple of his ribs might have burst, and that was why he was lying down. Jaune was the only one who could defeat her. Her skill was surprising, since this was the first time Last Order played this particular video game.
"We were waiting for you guys to finish your talk," Jaune continued and scratched the side of his cheek. "We heard the shouting, but tried not to eavesdrop."
"It was a little exciting this morning," Yang laughed. "We have to tell to you guys about something Blake witnessed."
"Oh!" Nora gasped and jumped up out of her seat. "Did Blake get back from a super-secret spy mission in which the fate of the world rested in her hand? An enemy organization had developed or found a new weapon that will change the tide of battle and Blake was the only one capable of finding out what it was?" Everyone stared at her for a moment.
"That…," Weiss muttered. "Was surprisingly accurate."
"Huh?" All of Team JNPR was confused and were now paying close attention to Weiss and Blake.
"It's kind of a long story," Blake admitted and her eyes darted to Last Order, who was staring at her.
"Hello, MISAKA greets." Blake had been warned about her unusual way of talking and didn't make any outward signs she noticed. "You must be Blake. MISAKA's name is Last Order and it is nice to meet you, MISAKA introduces herself as MISAKA holds out a hand." Blake smiled slightly.
Weiss was right, she thought. The girl is very polite. Blake took a couple steps forward to meet Last Order and shake her hand, when she stopped. Something was off to her and her ears under her bow twitched. Last Order noticed her hesitation and bounded forward instead to meet her new friend. The sudden movement caused Blake to step back and hiss involuntarily, as the feeling became stronger.
"BLAKE!" She felt two hands hit her as Yang and Weiss reacted simultaneously. Her reaction caused Last Order to stop and retreat behind Jaune. Jaune had a look of shock on his face, as did the rest of his team. They all stood up in response to Blake's odd reaction.
"What are you doing?!" Ruby asked Blake wildly.
"It was a feeling," Blake muttered. Maybe I am still jumpy from last night.
"Apologize!" Weiss ordered. "That was uncalled for and you terrified her." Last Order stuck her head out from behind Jaune and looked nervous.
"Last Order." Blake knelt down and Last Order emerged. "I'm sorry for acting like that. I was out late last night and I am not quite feeling like myself."
"It's okay, MISAKA reassures you. We all have off days. Would you still be MISAKA's friend? MISAKA asks hopefully."
"Of course," Blake replied. Suddenly, Last Order ran at her and gave her a hug. The feeling overcame her again, but this time she was prepared for it. Blake returned the hug and patted Last Order on the back. The weird feeling was still there, but Blake was getting used to it and it didn't bother her much anymore.
"Awww!" Nora cooed and snapped a picture on her scroll. "They are so cute. Ren, can we have a small child?" Everyone turned to her, and Ren gave a slight cough.
"You can't abduct a child," Ren chastised her. The ability to keep a calm face in front of a statement like that was impressive. Yang opened her mouth to say something, but Weiss threw her hand over her mouth to prevent things from escalating.
"A feeling," Pyrrha muttered and then turned to Last Order after she and Blake separated. "Has anyone else acted like Blake did when you first met them?"
"Nope, MISAKA replies. Animals will though." She noticed the confusion on everyone's faces. "MISAKA's body passively generates a weak electromagnetic field, MISAKA explains. The magnitude isn't high enough for humans to detect, but animals with increased sensitivity can. Does Blake's Semblance give her increase detection power? MISAKA asks."
"Somewhat," Yang answered before Blake could. "You could say she has puurfect hearing-..." Blake slammed a hand over Yang's mouth and gave her a look.
I will end you.
"MISAKA can't control it, MISAKA apologizes. It happens unconsciously."
"No one is blaming you," Weiss reassured her. "Blake was operating on only a couple hours of sleep and then stumbled upon your ability. She won't do it again." Weiss glared at Blake, who quickly agreed with a nod of her head.
"Well," Jaune interrupted. "Now that everyone is here and Last Order met Blake, should we head to the cafeteria for breakfast?" Before anyone could agree, a loud rumbling sound came from Nora.
"Pancakes!" she declared and grabbed Ren. "Last one there is a rotten egg!" She flew out of the door dragging Ren behind her.
"That answers that question," Jaune laughed. He watched Last Order grab Weiss's hand and the two of them left together. He turned to Ruby. "So?"
"Cookies and group planning today," Ruby declared. She grabbed his arm and they disappeared, leaving only a handful of rose petals behind.
"Ruby's getting aggressive," Yang laughed and noticed Pyrrha watching her. "I mean, she has really wanted to plan this group bonding day and didn't get a chance yesterday." Pyrrha relaxed slightly and Yang scooted off. I would hate to see a competition between those two for Vomit Boy. Ruby can get really possessive when someone tries to take something she likes. Pyrrha is so nice, but nice girls can snap. She sighed. Unless I see Jaune take an active interest in Ruby, I won't have to put the fear of my fists in him. Blake and Pyrrha were the last two to leave the room. When the door clicked behind them, Blake turned to her.
"Weiss really has warmed up to Last Order," Blake commented. "Didn't she? Yang told me she did, but I had found it hard to believe."
"I think Weiss always wanted a younger sister who looked up to her," Pyrrha said with a smile. "Yang told us Last Order mentioned Weiss was a lot like Accelerator, so they kind of clicked." She shrugged. "Either way, it's good for Weiss to open up. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Yes," Blake answered and they walked the rest of the way to the cafeteria in silence.
"Where does she fit them all? MISAKA asks in bewilderment." Last Order was staring across the table at Nora, who had the biggest stack of pancakes she had ever seen. She also had her own stack, albeit much smaller, but the sheer amount of pancakes Nora could make disappear amazed her. Snapping back to her own food, she picked up a bow of fruit. She would have been happy with just pancakes, but Weiss told her she had to eat something nutritious with it. Her puppy-dog eyes didn't work when Jaune also said she should. Accelerator didn't care too much about what she ate, though when he cooked he made sure there were vegetables in the food. She resigned herself and ate it anyways. It wasn't like she hated fruit, she just liked pancakes more.
Ruby was eating a plate of cookies, so Last Order's meal was already healthier than hers.
Last Order turned her head to see what everyone else was doing. Ren was next to Nora, oblivious to Nora's space defying appetite. He had finished his meal and was sipping a green algae-like shake. Last Order was curious as to what it would taste like, but Nora and Jaune advised her not to touch it, even though Ren offered. Weiss was delicately eating and talking next to her. Ruby seemed to be discussing something important with Jaune, who smiled and seemed to be humoring her. Yang and Pyrrha were discussing something in undertones. It must have been about Blake, because Yang kept gesturing to her. Blake was scowling behind her book. Last Order was having a lot of fun with them all. Accelerator wasn't the most conversational person and her sister back home always mocked her. Eating and talking with friends was a new experience for her. Eventually, Ruby stood up and addressed the group.
"Friends, sister, Weiss-…"
"Hey!"
"Me and Jaune have-…"
"Jaune and I," Weiss corrected her annoyed.
"Me and Jaune!" Ruby repeated defiantly. "Have decided today our teams will be doing a joint training exercise, after we give Last Order a quick tour around campus."
"Sounds good," Yang yawned. Ren and Blake gave a short nod.
"Sweet!" Nora cheered. "Who wants to take me on?!" No one volunteered.
"I agree with the tour," Weiss said. "Beacon is a big place and it can be easy to get turned around, but should we really be showing live combat to Last Order?"
"She wanted to see what we do." Jaune said with a shrug. "Besides, it would be like a sports event in the training room if we spar. We can't take her into the Emerald Forest nor can we bring a captured Grimm to show her. This is the next best thing." Weiss stared at him for a moment, slightly stunned at the well-reasoned argument. He had to be the one to think of it, because she was sure Ruby would say they should show Last Order a Grimm. Jaune must have realized her thoughts, because he grinned. "Why are you so shocked, Snow Angel? I have good ideas once in a while." His smile faltered when Weiss gave him a smile that did not reach her eyes, which were ice cold.
"Just for that," she spoke slowly and Jaune felt his blood freeze. "I'll be the one to spar with you."
"Eep," Jaune squeaked and tried to hide behind Pyrrha. "Save me, Pyr!"
"It would actually be beneficial to spar against a dust user," Pyrrha told him, while she patted him on the back. "Weiss is definitely the most accomplish one of us in that department." Weiss nodded and her smirk never left her face. Yang was laughing at Jaune's expression.
"Should have kept you mouth shut," Yang told him.
"Weiss," Ruby reprimanded her partner. "Don't pick on him."
"Are you mad at him? MISAKA asks confused." Weiss noticed Last Order was staring at her.
"Of course not," Weiss lied and the smile never left her face. "Pyrrha is right. He spars with her plenty of times, so a change of pace will be good for him." Her eyes didn't seem to match her words, because Jaune saw what she was thinking when she looked at him.
You are going to suffer.
Might as well write my will, he thought and debated scribbling it out on the back of a napkin. Pyrrha can have my comics. I know she likes readying them too. As for Nora, she can have… Once everyone had finished eating, Ruby ushered them all out. They started showing Last Order the grounds first and then Ruby stated something else to the rest of them.
"There was another reason we wanted to do the tour first," Ruby explained to everyone. "You see, when Blake was out, she bumped into Torchwick."
"What?!" Team JNPR gasped, except Ren, but even he looked startled.
"It was an accident," Blake stated quickly. "But I found out something. After Ruby, Yang, and Weiss told me about Last Order and Accelerator, we think there might have been a third person enter our world."
"Why do you say that?" Nora asked. "Can he do awesome things like throw an Ursa a mile?" Blake gave her a small grin.
"He scares Grimm so much, they won't approach him." Nora's eyes grew wide.
"Sweet!"
"That doesn't make any sense," Ren pointed out. "Grimm don't show emotions like fear."
"Torchwick knows about it and used it to frighten a Goliath out of his way," Blake retorted with a shrug. "I witnessed it." There was silence as the others processed this.
"So it was a person who did this and you think he belongs to the same world as Last Order?" Pyrrha asked and Blake nodded. "Why would he be working for Torchwick then?"
"Because he is probably being tricked," Ruby declared with a huff and crossed her arms.
"So what are we going to do about this?" Jaune asked. "Tell Ozpin?"
"We could break peoples' legs," Nora suggested hopefully.
"Whose legs?" Yang asked.
"Does it really matter that much?"
"We still don't have proof this guy is from her world," Weiss pointed out. "While I agree it's possible, we shouldn't jump to conclusions."
"If he is someone from outside Vale who is being manipulated," Ruby added. "We still need to help him. He saved Blake, so he can't be a bad person."
"He saved you?" Pyrrha asked confused and turned to Blake, who gave a brief nod.
"Turns out this guy was checking Blake out," Yang explained quickly, before Blake could stop her. "Then she was recognized by Torchwick and he saved her from being killed. In other words, Blake has a new boyfriend now."
"So she dumped Sun?" Jaune asked, before his brain could understand the consequences of his action.
"And Vomit Boy with the assist," Yang burst out laughing and smacked him on the back. "You never cease to amaze me." Blake rounded on both of them, her eyes flashing.
"Both of you, shut up," she hissed, pure murder in her eyes. Yang kept laughing, but Jaune shut up. Blake could easily kick his ass if she wanted to.
"There is an easy way to check," Ren suggested. "Describe him to Last Order and see if she knows who he is."
"Good idea," Ruby agreed. "Hey, Last Order, do you know a guy around our age with spiky black hair and the ability to…" She trailed off and looked at Blake.
"Negate things by touch," Blake finished. Grimm did not exist in the other world, so she had to say the secondary effect. Last Order's eyes went wide and she nodded.
"You must mean the savior, MISAKA states as MISAKA is not all too surprised he followed."
"How did he do, Glynda?" Ozpin asked. He was looking at the screen on his desk, where Glynda's face was staring back at him.
"Ozpin," she said slowly and her expression turned into a glare. "When you said he was a unique case, you didn't give me a clear idea of his ability."
"I didn't know much about it either," Ozpin replied mildly and sipped his coffee. "I take it he exceeded expectation?"
"No."
"No?"
"He destroyed them."
"Could you elaborate?" Ozpin asked. This is a first time Glynda has used that language. Does the training room need to be fixed?
"I started off slow because he didn't have any Aura," Glynda explained. "I didn't like that fact, but now I understand why you brought that young man here. The training drones were no match for him, so I moved on to actual courses."
"What do you mean by no match?" Ozpin inquired. "I would like details on efficiency, strategy, attack patterns, and anything else of note."
"The thing is, he didn't do anything at first. He just walked towards them and let them attack." Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "The arms were immediately knocked back with enough force to break most of them. No matter how many drones attacked or the direction, the same thing happened. I know he couldn't react to their speed, because he had been trying to follow them with his eyes, so he has to have some shield around his entire body. When I questioned him, he said it was only a reflection and then complained about doing 'manual calculations.' I don't know what that means."
"His ability is different than our Semblances," Ozpin explained. "I gave you an overview, but I wanted to make sure I received an outside analysis."
"Another world," Glynda sighed. "I know you see a lot of strange things, Ozpin, but this… this is ridiculous. Though, after that display and what he did to the obstacle courses, I'm a believer."
"What level did he reach?"
"He cleared an obstacle course designed for third years in record time." Ozpin set down his mug.
"Details, please."
"He walked from one side to the other." Ozpin blinked and opened his mouth, but Glynda continued. "He… literally… walked! Drones in his path were blown away, turrets were shredded by their own bullets, and walls were shattered with his bare hand. He lightly kicked a shattered drone and sent it flying into three others. Nothing worked against him. His power has to be more than reflection." Glynda straightened her glasses and stared at him. "What is it? I know you know."
"Vector manipulation. He can change the vectors of anything he touches. Reflection must be his default skill. He demonstrated his power in manipulating wind in my office. I assume he touched all the walls and drones, before he flung them in the direction he desired. If he did that to part of the wall, it would shatter instantly."
"That would explain how easily he cleared those courses," Glynda mumbled in thought. "I wish I had known this before requesting some assistance."
"Assistance?"
"A third year team had returned two days ago and agreed to assist me in testing Accelerator."
"Did you tell them to keep him a secret for now?" Ozpin asked with a frown. "I rather this not spread, until we know what he is capable of."
"I did," Glynda acknowledge. "But they definitely won't talk about what happened." Ozpin raised an eyebrow and Glynda shook her head. "An entire third year team decimated by a sixteen year old without Aura would not put them in a good light, no matter how unusual Accelerator is."
"What was the battle like?"
"At first it was a lot like the drones," Glynda explained. "I warned them he had a reflective-type Semblance to try to get a better reading. It helped a lot early on. Range and melee attacks were being reflected easily enough and, if it wasn't for Aura, they would have broken arms from their weapon's sudden recoil. Besides the overwhelming power of Accelerator's reflection, I didn't expect much else, but then something happened and I admit I underestimated him. He is much smarter than I gave him credit for."
"After my conversation with him," Ozpin agreed. "Underestimating what he can understand and what he has gone through would be a fatal mistake. He has a strong mind and many experiences under his belt."
"It would explain what he did next," Glynda said. "Before the spar, I explained to him how the rules worked and once someone's Aura reached twenty five percent, we would be finished. I did warn the third years about his unique situation, so they could take preventive measures. Accelerator noticed their Aura went down after he reflected a strike from their weapons. The force of the sudden change in direction caused stress on their arm, which the Aura absorbed in order to avoid damage." Glynda frowned. "The smile on his face, it was disconcerting. From then on, the spar became a systematic massacre. None of their attacks hurt him and he began to display his own power. He could propel himself at high speeds and the force destroyed the ground around him. Funnels of wind formed in his hand, and a mere touch sent the other students flying into walls or at the ground."
"So he was learning what Aura was capable of?" Ozpin guessed.
"I believe he was systematically trying out moves to figure exactly that," Glynda confirmed. "Every time he hit someone, he checked the Aura gauge. You said he didn't know what Aura was and I believe he spent the time learning how much punishment it could take. Ozpin, this wasn't some random attacks of a child to win. It was obvious he was deliberately figuring it out and I find it unnerving. Are you sure this is wise?"
"Accelerator had been forced to mature much faster than a normal civilian," Ozpin informed her. "He is at the level of someone who saw their village burn from a Grimm attack. There is, however, reasons I believe he will be a valuable asset while he stays here and his young friend will help keep him in line. No one is inherently evil, we all have a choice. He learned this through methods I would never wish on a child."
"I see, well then, I will defer to your judgment," Glynda replied.
"Was there any signs of anything unusual?" Ozpin asked. "Attacks that might have worked against him?"
"Dust had unusual reactions around him," Glynda confirmed. "A fire dust explosion burnt part of his shirt, but did not reach his skin. A couple ice shards were not reflected but shattered in different directions. He also grimaced when he was hit by some electrical dust. I think he is not used to using his power on dust and it causes some unpredictable results."
"I see," Ozpin murmured and thought about that for a moment. His world does not have dust, so it would not be unheard of for him to have limited experience with magic. His world operates under different rules. "Anything else?"
"As a curiosity on my part," she continued. "I tried my Semblance on his clothes to move him. It worked at first, until he noticed and forced himself to stop. He also seemed slightly tired and wobbled a bit after the fight finished. His power must be taking a toll on him. With that kind of power, there has to be some kind of drawback."
"Most interesting." Ozpin paused and sipped his coffee. So a long drawn out battle might be a weakness of his? I hope we would not need it, but it never hurts to be prepared. "He had expressed interest in fighting Grimm during his stay here, would you be agreeable to let him?" Glynda blinked in surprise. She did not know Accelerator and Ozpin had discussed this already.
"After his display," Glynda said. "He will have no problem facing them. I actually rather him face Grimm than other students. That power… it's not normal. The destruction he wields at a mere touch could be unstoppable in the wrong hands. If he wasn't male, I would swear he was one of the four."
"I can assure you, he is not."
"Then should I make preparation for him to join one of our more advanced teams?" Glynda asked.
"No," Ozpin replied instantly. "I already have the team, or teams, I expect him to work with."
"Well," Glynda said and the corner of her lips tightened in displeasure. "You can contact him at your leisure. I have given him his scroll, along with Ms. Order's."
"I will, thank you for everything, Glynda." He hung up and then dialed Accelerator's scroll. A moment later, his face showed up on the screen. "Good morning, Accelerator."
"What do you want?" he snapped.
"Since your tests have concluded," Ozpin replied mildly, ignoring Accelerator's attitude. "I come to inform you of the location of Ms. Order. She, along with Team RWBY and JNPR, are in the training rooms not too far from your location. She is watching them spar and I figured you would want to meet her and tell her you are okay."
"I was given a map," Accelerator replied. "Which room?"
"Room four."
"Gotcha." Accelerator hung up and Ozpin leaned back in his seat.
His attitude could be a problem, Ozpin thought to himself and stared out the window. There is no doubt his power could help tip the war in our favor, but there is no telling how long he will remain. I promised him I would search for a way to send him home and I will keep my word. No matter how strong he is, he does not belong here, but fate can be an interesting thing. Could he have been sent here for a purpose?
To learn about Touma Kamijou from Last Order had been a shock.
The good thing was Blake finally had someone to back up her story. Last Order confirmed that Touma Kamijou did indeed have the power to negate powers. Though Last Order used the term abilities, the fact it could negate Aura showed Touma's power wasn't limited to their world. She didn't have any idea about it being able to repel Grimm. Team RWBY, especially Yang, wanted to know more about him, while Team JNPR was also curious. Last Order didn't know all of his exploits, but there were two that stood out. The first was him saving her sisters from being killed by some corrupt scientists in an experiment back home, and the second was when he stood against the world to protect a single girl.
"What do you think, Blake?" Weiss asked, as she held Last Order's hand tightly. The fact her sisters had almost been killed for some twisted experimented was not something a kid should ever have to experience. Weiss felt a lot of the story was left out, but she couldn't believe a child would know everything about something so horrible. "Did he give you that impression?"
"No," Blake admitted. "He obviously didn't know what was going on, but I can believe he has fought before, based on how he charged the Grimm without regard for his safety. Though, standing against an entire world seems unlikely."
"Several countries banded together to hunt him down MISAKA explains. Yet he managed to push them back and save his friend."
"What did this person do to warrant the world chasing them?" Pyrrha asked.
"Did she make some giant bomb and threatened to use it?" Nora asked. "Maybe she was framed and the real criminal was going to get away and Touma knew it. Or, there was no bomb and everything was just a misunderstanding and it could be resolved peacefully!"
"Let her speak," Ren told her.
"She was a terrorist, MISAKA explains. Yet the savior believed she deserved to be saved instead of put to death. He stood against the world and traveled across the map to get her to safety. MISAKA doesn't know much of the details, but the other countries eventually decided to call off the attack, MISAKA finishes."
"Wow," Ruby gasped. "He sounds so cool. Okay, that settles it. Torchwick obviously is manipulating him to do something bad. It is up to Team RWBY and JNPR to save him and stop the criminal!"
"I do owe him for helping me," admitted Blake. The fact Touma would risk his life for a terrorist spoke volumes to her.
"If it gives me a chance to knock some sense into Torchwick," Yang grinned. "Count me in."
"Let's break his legs!" Nora suggested loudly.
"Protecting family and friends is something I can get behind of," Jaune agreed, He turned to Ren and Pyrrha. "You two in?"
"Of course," Pyrrha replied quickly and Ren nodded.
"This is all well and good," Weiss, as the voice of reason, pointed out. "But how do you expect to find those two?" There was silence for a moment.
"We can plan out how to gather information later," Yang muttered and there was a collective agreement. "Right now, we need to practice. I'm stiff from lack of physical activity. Come on P-money, I'm totally going to whoop your butt this time."
"I look forward to our spar," Pyrrha replied. "But I won't go easy on you."
"That is what I like to hear!" Their group walked to the training area and selected a free room. There were several different rooms available to students. Some were designed with obstacle courses, others with only training drones, and the one they selected was just a simple ring with bleachers on one side, yet all had routes connecting to the locker rooms, so they could collect their weapons and armor. Yang and Pyrrha went to change while the others took their seats. After a short discussion on the remaining pairs, they decided on Ren versus Blake, Ruby versus Nora, and Weiss versus Jaune. The decision was based on having each of them spar someone on the other team, though Jaune begged to change with someone. His pleading was ignored, yet Ruby and Nora both patted him on the back reassuringly. It didn't help that Weiss was wearing a very dark smile.
Yang and Pyrrha came in both wearing their combat gear and started the match. Last Order was on the edge of her seat in anticipation.
The battle started off as Yang unleashed several blasts from her gauntlets to try to keep Pyrrha off balance. Pyrrha only raised her shield to block a few, while she dodged the rest with quick fluid motions. Her weapon transformed into a rifle and she unleashed a couple of her own shots back at Yang. Yang was forced to jump to the side and use her gauntlets to block one. Deciding range wasn't going to work, Yang rushed forward and tried to deliver a powerful punch into Pyrrha's gut. However, Pyrrha wasn't known as the Invincible Girl without reason. Every blow Yang delivered, she either parried with her sword, which transformed from her rifle, block with her shield, or dodged by a hairs breath. Their movements were far above what normal people could do and Last Order watched with bated breath, as they jumped high into the air and reacted with blinding speed. It was obvious Yang was getting more and more frustrated. Her attacks were getting wilder and wilder. Every time she left herself open, Pyrrha delivered a sharp blow with her blade or kicked Yang back to add some distance between them. Once, it looked like Yang was going to strike Pyrrha, but she missed by less than an inch. Yang was a little confused at that, as she believed she felt her hand move slightly out of the planned trajectory, but it must have been her imagination.
No one noticed the ahoge on top of Last Order's head twitch.
Pyrrha finally delivered a powerful jab into Yang's guts with her sword and pushed them apart, but that move created the situation people dreaded when fighting Yang. Her eyes flashed red and immense heat formed around her hair. Every blow she took only increased her power, as she absorbed the kinetic energy. She kicked off the ground, causing several large cracks, and delivered a powerful blow directly at Pyrrha. She couldn't dodge, but managed to get her shield up in time while pushing upwards at an angle. She diverted a good portion of the strike, but her arms still felt the shockwave from her shield. Pyrrha's aura absorbed the blow, but it was enough for her to understand what would happen if she tried to directly stop that attack. Using the opening created by her block, Pyrrha delivered a series of jabs into Yang's gut before she could recover.
The buzzer went off when Yang's Aura went below thirty percent, their agreed upon target.
"Dang it," Yang moaned. "I should have fought more conservatively like Goodwitch always yells at me about."
"Your earlier attacks kept me on the defensive," Pyrrha pointed out. "But you started leaving a lot of openings." She looked at the screen and saw her own Aura still in the green at ninety-one percent. A direct hit from her would nearly deplete my Aura. They started walking over to the others, who were cheering and congratulating them.
"I get too involved in the fight to keep my guard up," Yang laughed. "Usually, allowing a couple hits only helps me fight, but you really take advantage of them a little too much. Eh, P-money?" Pyrrha only chuckled slightly. "I thought I had you a couple times, but you either dodge at the last second or I misjudged."
"There were some close calls," Pyrrha admitted.
"Nice fight, Yang!" Ruby called out. "You will get her next time."
"Awesome job, Pyr!" Jaune congratulated. "That's 1-0 in our favor, Rubes."
"Hah," Ruby sneered back. "Just you wait, we are totally going to win this."
"Wait," Yang said. "What did we miss?"
"Those two dunces," Weiss muttered and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Decided they wanted to bet on which team would get the most wins."
"Jaune," Pyrrha reprimanded him slowly. "You shouldn't have done that-…"
"Without letting us know!" Yang finished and Pyrrha spun around to look at her. "So, what's the bet?"
"Losing team has to buy ice cream for the winning team next time we are in Vale," Blake said and looked up from her book momentarily.
"Oh," Yang sighed. "That's kind of tame."
"You know with only four matches," Ren pointed out. "A tie is likely."
"Good point," Nora said. "What happens then? Sudden death match?"
"Nothing?" Jaune and Ruby suggested.
"No way," Yang stated firmly and crossed her arms. "That is way too lame, something has to happen."
"Preferably to those two for making the bet in the first place," Weiss added.
"What about a punishment game? MISAKA asks as MISAKA grins deviously."
"Yes!" Nora cheered. "Both of our leaders have to receive some kind of punishment!"
"There's no need for that," Jaune said quickly and Ruby nodded vigorously from his side. "Right, Pyr?" He turned to his partner for support. Pyrrha really wanted to back him up, but she did believe making bets was a bad habit.
"As long as it's not too bad," she finally replied and looked away from the betrayal on Jaune's face. "You really shouldn't bet, let alone without talking to us about it."
"You're right," Jaune admitted and hung his head like a puppy who had an accident. "I deserve it."
"As long as you learn from your mistake," Pyrrha told him kindly. I'll cheer him up afterwards if we tie. He is really cute when he apologizes.
"Now to decide punishments," Yang announced, taking charge.
"How about Jaune drinks one of Ren's health drinks?" Nora suggested. "Those things taste horrible and nearly killed me."
"They are perfectly healthy for you," Ren pointed out.
"Still disgusting," Nora replied and stuck her tongue out. Ren only rolled his eyes.
"Great idea," Yang agreed and pointed to Nora. "So how about for Ruby?"
"No cookies for a couple days?" Weiss suggested.
"WEISS!" Ruby cried. "How could you torture me like that?!"
"It won't kill you to eat a little healthier."
"Yes, it will!"
"Is it a punishment just for her?" Blake asked. "I feel we are the ones who will be punished listening to her go through withdrawal."
"No." Yang shook her head. "It's a Weiss idea. The stakes have been made!" She yelled out the last bit and raised a fist. Last Order cheered and imitated her action. "I wish I had known earlier, or I would have tried something else."
"You were doing amazing, MISAKA states as MISAKA cheers you up. There is not much you can do against magnetism on metal weapons."
Everyone went silent.
"Excuse me?" Yang asked confused, as she stared at Last Order.
"Pyrrha magnetized your weapons, MISAKA states clearly. It allowed her to alter the trajectory." Yang turned toward Pyrrha, as did everyone else. Pyrrha face had turned red and she diverted eye contact.
"Did you really?" Yang asked.
"Well… you see…" Pyrrha trailed off and was looking embarrassed. She glanced at Weiss and Ruby, the only two who knew about her Semblance because they were with her in Forever Falls. Pyrrha kept her Semblance a secret and she didn't like to lie, unless it was to spare someone's feelings. "Yes," she finally admitted in a whisper.
"Okay," Yang said and rounded on everyone else. "Who knew before today?" Ruby and Weiss slowly raised their hands. "Traitors! I could have been thinking of a counter to beat her if I knew."
"She asked us to keep it a secret," Ruby explained timidly.
"It was her secret to tell," Weiss replied with a shrug, not looking sorry at all.
"I did ask them not to tell anyone else," Pyrrha added quickly to divert attention away from her friends. "So please don't blame them. My Semblance is indeed Polarity and I can magnetize weapons."
"How were you able to recognize her Semblance?" Ren asked Last Order.
"Obviously, she is super powerful and is only pretending to be a little girl," Nora answered instead. "I bet she is secretly monitoring us to determine if we are ready for a top-secret mission to save the world."
"You have been watching too many movies," Jaune sighed.
"How did you know?" Blake asked, also curious.
"MISAKA is an electromaster. While MISAKA primarily uses electricity, MISAKA can also control magnetism, but not as well, MISAKA explains as MISAKA does a demonstration." She held out her hand and Pyrrha's sword began to shake. Pyrrha let it go and it remained floating in the air. She grabbed it again, before Last Order stopped using her power on it. "MISAKA's older sister is much better at it though. When Pyrrha used her magnetism, MISAKA detected the waves."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Jaune asked her, looking slightly hurt. "I know Ren likes to be the mysterious ninja guy, but Nora was opened about hers. Why did you hide it?"
"Because it doesn't make competitions fair," Pyrrha told them all. "It's true I could use it from the start and completely control someone else's weapon. I could strike them with it and keep them from ever being able to move with it at all, but that would not benefit either of us. I wouldn't be able to practice everything I have learned over the years through training, and everything my opponent learned would be for naught. It's not fair. Neither of us would improve. Imagine what people would say if they faced me and knew about it. I bet most would forfeit immediately. There are also Hunters who use weapons made of material I can't magnetize. If I relied only on my Semblance, I would be powerless against them. Grimm also don't have any metal, so it is useless against them. I only use it during matches when I can't do anything else to stop an attack. People already think I'm invincible without knowing about my Semblance."
"That make sense," Weiss admitted. "Never relying on only one technique and striving to improve all her aspects. I can respect that."
"We will all keep your secret if you want us to," Ruby added. "You are still our friend and we won't give up your Semblance unless you are okay with it." Everyone else nodded and even Yang gave a thumbs up. She obviously wasn't angry at Pyrrha.
"No one should be upset if you use your Semblance," Jaune stated and Pyrrha turned to him. His opinion was one of the most important to her. "I mean, I bet you worked your butt off trying to master it. We have seen you fight countless times and never noticed you using it before. Your application is so seamless, I bet you had to practice a lot."
"There were some interesting situations early on." Pyrrha chuckled at the memory. "All sorts of metal items in my house would randomly fly at me. Even after I started to control it, if I was surprised or upset it would sometimes run out of control. I can't tell you how many times I was in the kitchen and a pan randomly flew at me." She laughed along with everyone else.
"I crashed into a lot of walls and trees," Ruby reminisced. "Before I learned how to turn."
"I broke a lot of things," Yang added. "Before I learned how much strength my Semblance gave me."
"You still break things," Ruby pointed out, but Yang only laughed.
"My glyphs required constant training," Weiss told the others. "And I'm still working to master them even more."
"When I was learning the timing for my clones," Blake spoke up. "I was hit so many times I lost track."
"I was in the same boat as Yang," Nora agreed. "But now I learned how to control my strength perfectly!" Everyone stared at her in silence. "What?"
"Your hugs nearly kill us," Jaune pointed out.
"But they don't anymore!" Nora protested. Everyone turned to Ren, who only shrugged. He didn't say anything about his Semblance, so Jaune took over.
"And I don't know what mine is yet. The point is, everyone has to learn and practice. There is nothing to be ashamed of if your Semblance is better suited for certain types of fights. You can't help with what you are born with, only what you do with it." Pyrrha blinked and felt a true smile form on her face. This is why she came to Beacon, to get away from all the fans of Pyrrha Nikos and find true friends on Pyrrha, the person. "I mean, you said something similar to me when we first started training. I think it applies here too."
"Damn, Vomit Boy." Yang broke the atmosphere, but looked impressed. "Where was that kind of confidence when we first met?"
"I can assure you that if we were on a Bullhead now," Jaune told her. "That speech would never have happened." Yang laughed.
"Don't worry," Blake whispered to Pyrrha. "Yang won't hold a grudge against you. She will make fun of Weiss and Ruby for a day because they kept it a secret, and then will think of ways to defeat you."
"I look forward to it," Pyrrha whispered back. She was happy and wouldn't trade her friends for anything.
"I take it we are up next?" Ren asked and Blake nodded. They headed toward the locker room.
"Don't lose, Ren!" Nora yelled. "Our reputation is at stake!"
"Blake!" Yang called out. "Avenge me!"
Blake and Ren had actually sparred many times in Glynda's combat class. Their skill levels were similar and it made the spar a good chance for them to test out how far they have come. They were also both agile people and didn't rely on brute force. Ren's two one-handed guns did not have a lot of firepower or accuracy, but a high rate of fire and they forced Blake to keep moving. Blake's weapon's gun form was more accurate and slightly stronger, but lacked the same rate of fire. She fired a couple shots off and Ren rushed forward to bring them into close combat. His guns had collapsible blades that released when he closed in, while Blake turned her gun back into a blade while wielding her sheath in her left hand. They began to exchange a series of blows that were hard to follow with the naked eye, Last Order could only watch with her mouth hanging open. Blake was a little better in close melee combat though and managed to hit Ren with her sheath like a clever. His Aura finally dropped down to twenty-nine percent, which caused the buzzer to go off.
"Good match," Blake said and reached out a hand to help him up. Her own Aura was at thirty-nine percent, so a well-placed hit could have changed the outcome.
"I made the mistake of trying to exchange blows directly against you," Ren commented mildly and accepted her hand. "Your sheath is heavy and harder to parry. I should have kept trying to strike your side."
"No Nora to distract them?" Blake asked with a slight smirk and Ren nodded.
"WOOO!" Yang and Ruby cheered. "Go Blake!"
"That was well fought," Weiss told Blake, when she and Ren approached the others.
"It's okay, Ren!" Nora cried and put her friend in a hug of death. "I will win my match in your memory!"
"I'm not dead," Ren sighed, but patted her on the back.
"You will get her next time," Pyrrha reassured him.
"How could you lose, Ren?" Jaune asked and slumped down in his seat. "That means even if Nora wins, I will still need to defeat Weiss to avoid punishment."
"Which will never happen!" Weiss snapped. Ruby and Nora were up next and they ran to the locker room to change. Both of them were eager to start their match. They returned shortly, but their teams called them back for a quick pep talk. Jaune promised Nora pancakes if she won to encourage his teammate, but it probably wasn't needed. Nora did not like to lose. Weiss was similar in that regard.
"Just because Nora is a friend," Weiss reminded Ruby. "Don't go easy on her, or that hammer is going to flatten you."
"Chill, Weiss," Yang laughed. "Ruby always goes for the win."
"Besides," Ruby said and puffed out her chest. "I have a secret weapon, so I won't lose!"
"Really?" Weiss asked skeptically.
"Yep!" She reached into the pocket of her combat skirt and pulled out a bag of cookies. Weiss face palmed, but Jaune stood up and pointed at her.
"That's cheating!" he cried. "No doping!"
"There's no rule about eating cookies before a match!" Yang countered triumphantly. The sugar rush was sure to give Ruby a surge of energy. Her body somehow could turn the treat into all the vitamins and minerals she needed. In a flash, Ruby disappeared and only left a few rose petals where she had been. She reappeared in the middle of the arena with a huge grin on her face and fire in her eyes.
"Two can play that game!" Jaune yelled. Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha looked at him in confusion.
"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked. "Does Nora have a secret weapon?"
"I'm my own secret weapon!" Nora yelled. "The Queen of the Castle never falters!"
"Well," Jaune told them in an undertone. "I remember something Nora wanted to try yesterday and I think it's a perfect opportunity." Ren raised an eyebrow. "I'll be right back." He stood up and moved next to Last Order. He bent down and whispered something into her ear. Last Order had been pretty quiet besides gasping and cheering for her friends. She didn't want to take sides, since she liked them all. This time, the grin on her face told everyone she had chosen a team.
"Noooo…" Yang gasped and trailed off. Blake's and Ren's eyes widened when the realized what Jaune was doing. Pyrrha was kind of torn. On one hand, she was impressed at Jaune's strategic planning. This wasn't technically against the rules, like with Ruby and cookies, but it wasn't something one might consider fair. However, her competitive streak kept her mouth shut and she silently cheered. Weiss was not going to take Jaune's blatant disregard for etiquette lying down though.
"Don't you dare, A-…!" She yelled, but Jaune shouted over her.
"Okay, Last Order! Hug Nora!" Last Order giggled and ran at Nora. Right before she collided with Nora, she jumped and Nora caught her in her outstretched arm. Nora may have been one of the shorter members on both teams, but she was definitely one of the strongest physically.
"Ready? MISAKA asks."
"Jaune-Jaune always has the best ideas," Nora replied with a grin. "Go all out!" Under the protest of Team RWBY and Ren, Last Order unleashed a torrent of bluish-white electricity. Instead of going everywhere, the electrical currents began to get absorbed into Nora's body. The bluish-white color changed into a pink glow as it fused with her. She started laughing and raised Magnhild high above her head with her free hand. Nora's Semblance gave her the ability to produce and channel electrical energy into her muscles, giving her enhanced strength. This allowed her to jump incredibly high, wield her mighty hammer, and crush everyone foolish enough to stand in her way.
This time, it was Ruby.
"Meep," she squeaked when Nora turned to look at her, an insane gleam in her friend's eyes. Nora set Last Order down, bent her knees, and leaped high into the air, to land a moment later in the center of the ring.
"Okay," Ren commented dryly. "This will not end well."
"Don't let her hit you, Ruby!" Yang called out in panic. "I don't want to scrap you off the floor with a spatula!"
"Great pep talk, Yang," Weiss muttered. Blake held up a small flag with Ruby's name on it.
"Good luck to both of you!" Pyrrha yelled. Since both were her friends and this was practice, she could cheer on everyone.
"Go, Nora!" Jaune yelled. "Show her the power of…!" he stopped and thought about it for a second, "The Queen of the Castle!" Nora had a lot of titles she liked to used.
"Hear that, Ruby?" Nora asked, still smiling menacingly. "Blood for the Blood Jaune!" Ren face palmed,
"That's not what he sai-…!" Ruby protested, but stopped when she was forced to retreat. Nora had swung her hammer straight down and would have crushed Ruby. Luckily, she missed, but the poor arena floor received a sizable crater. Ruby gulped and hopped back again. Nora's crazed expression never changed, as she lifted up her hammer and turned to Ruby. She's drunk on power, but as long as she can't hit me, I'm good. She raised her beloved Crescent Rose, currently in gun form. She didn't want to be anywhere near Nora. Ruby fired a couple rounds, before Nora charged. The force of her legs pushing off the ground caused the floor to break apart. Even with Ruby's Semblance of speed, she barely avoided the sudden attack. She tried to stay away and fire more bullets, but Nora would either block or dodge, and then immediately catch up to her. The amount of electricity she absorbed from Last Order must have put her at a hundred and twenty percent.
Ruby's weapon then extended and a large scythe blade emerged. Range was not working, so she had to risk closing in. Speed was the key to her hit and run tactic. Since she was smaller and younger than the others, her attacks required speed and agility. A few rose petals appeared, as Ruby moved at speeds even Faunus could not detect, and then she appeared behind Nora. Crescent Rose was brought down as Nora began to turn. It wasn't a perfect hit, but Nora's Aura decreased about ten percent. Ruby vanished right before Nora's hammer passed through where she had been. Ruby kept up the pace, but she made a mistake. Her attack patterns had always been rather predictable, something her teacher told her often, so Nora was ready for the third attack. As soon as Ruby appeared, Nora's hammer made contact.
A Ruby shaped imprint was created in the wall of the training room, as the actually Ruby slumped down on the ground, her head spinning.
"Victory!" Jaune and Pyrrha cheered, as Ruby's teammates ran over to check if she was okay. Apparently she was, and they carried her back over to the bleachers. Ren sighed in relief. A fully charged Nora could have caused a lot more damage. Nora raised her hammer to Jaune and then bowed.
"Is the Blood Jaune pleased?" Nora asked and winked.
"You have performed well, Nora Valkyrie," Jaune replied in a deep voice and nodded. "There will always be pancakes in your future. May the syrup rivers never run dry." He and Nora burst out laughing and even Pyrrha chuckled at this. Once Yang was sure her sister was okay, she laughed too.
"Clever move, you guys," she said. "But we are making a comeback. There is no way we will lose. Weiss, show them the strength of Team RWBY!"
"Try not to lose too fast, Arc," Weiss told him smugly. Jaune gulped, but figured, if he was going to die, he would die in style.
"I'm sure you will be surprised at how much I have improved, Snow Angel," he said, accenting the last two words, while also adding a wink. "You might fall for my new moves."
"You have no idea how much I am going to enjoy this." Weiss narrowed her eyes, but the corners of her mouth twitched. She and Jaune headed to the locker room, while the others talked. A few drones started to repair the arena.
"Weiss is going to freeze him solid," Blake muttered.
"Probably," Yang agreed. "She's always been cold, but now she's turned Weiss cold." Several boos followed and Last Order's laugh.
"Weiss would not really hurt Jaune, right? MISAKA asks nervously. They get along so well."
"They are friends," Pyrrha reassured her. "It's just Weiss never really forgave Jaune for asking her out constantly when they first met. She wants to make sure he doesn't get the wrong idea."
"He won't drop the 'Snow Angel' title either," Nora added. "That annoys her, but Jaune should not back down to threats. Push forward and achieve victory! Team JNPR does not lose!"
"You will today," Yang retorted. "Weiss is going to bring her A-game!"
"Jaune has improved a great deal," Pyrrha said, helping to defend her leader. "But it is true this is not a good match up for him."
"Why? MISAKA asks."
"Weiss uses elemental dust as a range attack," Ren explained. "Jaune is a melee oriented fighter and does not possess long range weapons. If she manages to trap him in ice, he won't be able to do much to stop her." Last Order nodded in understanding.
"However," Blake pointed out. "He is physically stronger than her. If he could, say, close the gap and use that to his advantage, there is a chance he could win." A groan interrupted their conversation as Ruby sat up on the bench.
"My head...," she whined. "I feel like I was hit by a truck."
"That isn't a bad assessment," Yang laughed. "Nora clocked you good."
"Hehe," Nora chuckled. "I guess I don't know my own strength."
"So it's two to one," Ruby muttered and crossed her arms while pouting. "Weiss can't lose this next fight, but I feel like I am missing something important." She sat deep in thought while the others chatted, until Weiss and Jaune returned. Weiss's Myrtenaster, a Multi-Action Dust Rapier, was grasped tightly in her hand, while Jaune's Crocea Mors was sheathed on his hip. They had just taken their place in the ring, while their teammates shouted encouragement, when Ruby remembered what she had forgotten. "WAIT!" she yelled and everyone froze to look at her. "Weiss, you can't win!"
"What?!" Weiss snapped and had a look of confusion and irritation on her face. "I can crush Arc, blindfolded."
"Love you too," Jaune muttered.
"I mean you can't!" Ruby elaborated. "If you win, it will be a draw! That means Jaune has to drink poison…"
"It's a health drink," Ren mumbled.
"…and I have to give up cookies for, like, ever! You have to let Jaune win! It's only buying our friends ice cream!" Everyone blinked in surprise. They had actually forgotten that promise until she mentioned it. Weiss looked at her leader closely, her face unreadable.
"So?" Weiss asked.
"Weiss!" cried Ruby indignantly. "I can't go a couple days without cookies! I'll die!"
"No, you won't," Weiss told her. "It will do you some good anyways to eat healthier options." She turned back to Jaune, but there was a trace of amusement on her face. Ruby slumped down on the bench in the front row and looked defeated.
"Nice try, sis," Yang laughed and patted her head. "You are not getting out of this." Ren and Blake both shook their heads.
"Good luck, Jaune!" Pyrrha called out. "Remember, keep your shield up!" Jaune nodded.
"Crush her!" Nora cried out, while putting Ren in a choke hold because she was so excited.
"Go big bro, MISAKA adds giggling as MISAKA likes to call you that." Weiss's eye twitched slightly.
"Jaune!" Ruby called out. "You have to win, for both of us! If you win, I'll give you one of my cookies!"
"Wow, Ruby," Yang burst out laughing. "That could have been a marriage proposal coming from you." Ruby's face turned bright red and she hid under her hood.
"Traitor!" Weiss yelled angrily at her leader.
"Sorry!" Yang yelled back, but she really wasn't. "I'm going to side with Ruby. Jaune's the underdog here." Weiss grumbled and held out her rapier. Jaune could see the murderous gleam in her eye.
I'm dead, Jaune thought to himself. He heard a click as the dust canister in Weiss's rapier rotated. Her weapon glowed red for a moment before a wave of fire erupted from it when she jabbed it into the ground. Jaune jumped to the side to dodge, since his shield would not have been very useful. As soon as he landed and adjusted his feet, Weiss was already on him and delivered several jabs at his torso. Two were blocked by his shield, but one of the blows slipped passed his guard and hit his other shoulder. He flinched slightly, but the pain receded because of his aura and he swung his sword at her. She parried his clumsy blow effortlessly and struck him twice more. Weiss was a very technical fighter and liked to deliver fast and precise blows. Jaune stumbled back and pushed forward with his shield to try to unbalance Weiss. His move stopped her assault by making her step back, but he heard another clicking sound. Shit! He sidestepped immediately because of his experience and that saved him, though he suddenly felt cold.
A strip of ice jetting from the ground had formed where he had been a moment before.
Weiss had moved about ten feet away, grinning. Jaune's left leg was trapped in the ice. His quick thinking was the only thing that saved him from being completely frozen. The issue was, he could not move and Weiss knew that. A white glyph appeared behind her and she raised her rapier. Jaune quickly struck the ice with his sword, but he wasn't going to break it fast enough. The glyph Weiss summoned would propel her at high speeds in a straight line. Ten feet would be covered in an instant. As soon as she started to move Jaune panicked. He didn't know why he reacted that way, maybe it was all the times Weiss had smacked him around in other matches, but he knew he didn't want to get hit by a glyph propelled strike. His body reacted before he thought about what to do.
He threw his shield, as she close in on him.
The action shocked Weiss. The downside to Weiss's glyph boost was she could only travel in a straight line and had a hard time reacting because of the speed. Her rapier hit the shield and diverted her attack, but she still kept going. Her head hit the edge of the shield and momentarily stunned her, so she forgot Jaune was still in front of her. She crashed into him with enough force to free him from the ice. Jaune's shield clattered to the ground in the distance, while Weiss and Jaune tumbled to the ground. Jaune landed on his back and winced at the pain from the collision. Weiss didn't fare much better and grunted after smashing into his chest plate. Jaune opened his eyes and saw Weiss was on top of him, her face a few inches from his.
"Now kiss!" Yang cheered. Everyone was so focused on the fight, they had all rushed to the front row. Last Order was standing on a bench a couple rows back so she could see, but no one noticed the training room door open and four guys snuck in.
Yang's words snapped Weiss back to reality and she sat up on Jaune. Her rapier was still in her hand, as a result of her extensive training to not let go of her weapon. Weiss had been practicing since the Boarbatusk instance on their first day. She raised her weapon to bring it down at Jaune, when he swung his sword by instinct. He hadn't planned to hit Weiss in the side with the hilt of his sword, but there wasn't enough time to turn the blade at her. She gasped in pain as he hit her and she rolled off him. Jumping to his feet, Jaune tried to press his advantage and swung his sword down at her. He briefly saw his moment of victory and hoped Weiss would finally start treating him with respect. As he brought his sword down, she raised her own rapier and grinned.
Another glyph appeared between them.
Jaune hit the glyph and felt his entire body being pushed backwards. She had used the acceleration glyph against him instead of herself. This knocked him twenty feet away and on his back. She stood up and swung her rapier down. Another wave of ice jettisoned from the ground. This time, she hit her mark and trapped Jaune. His sword fell to the ground and she started to walk towards him. "N-now, Weiss," Jaune stammered, trying to sound casual. "There's no need for violence. I'm beaten." She grinned up at him and jabbed him many times with her rapier. It took a while, because of her limited strength and Jaune's large Aura reserves, possibly she prolonged the torture for fun, but she brought him down to thirty percent.
"I win," Weiss stated and walked away from him.
"You could let me out!" Jaune called out to her, but she ignored him. When she reached the others, she smiled at Ruby. "No cookies for you."
"You are so meeeaaannnn!" Ruby cried and curled up into a ball.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha yelled and rushed to save him from his icy prison.
"He almost had you," Blake told Weiss and pointed to her Aura. She was at sixty-two percent. It was a respectable margin, but not good enough for a perfectionist like Weiss.
"I let my guard down," she admitted. "That was my fault. I should have expected the dolt to panic." In order to improve, she had to learn from her mistakes. Weiss turned to Yang. "And you need to stop with your stupid comments."
"Whatever," Yang replied with an eye roll, as Jaune and Pyrrha joined them. "If he had kissed you, I bet your brain would have stopped working and he could have won easily."
"Then he would have been castrated," Weiss answered simply, refusing to give Yang any reaction.
"Which I would prefer did not happen," Jaune added.
"You did really well," Nora congratulated him. "Throwing your shield to disrupt her rhythm almost worked. If she had been a normal dust user without glyphs, you totally would have won."
"You didn't let up when she was down," Ren added. "That is a key to fighting them."
"You fought well too," Ruby said to Weiss, but her tone was a little flat. "Though, your performance is going to make me suffer."
"It's not that bad," Weiss sighed. "But maybe now you will learn to not make bets about your teammates."
"It was only a friendly wager involving ice cream," Ruby protested.
"And it cost you cookies," Blake commented from behind her book.
"So what now, Fearless Leader?" Nora asked. "We heading to Vale for fun? I'm ready for more excitement, and I'm also kind of hungry after all this exercise."
"I suppose," Jaune said with a shrug. "Unless anyone else has a-…"
"Let MISAKA go! MISAKA yells angrily as MISAKA struggles futilely against your grip." Everyone spun around and saw Cardin, along with the rest of TEAM CRDL; Russel Thrush, Sky Lark, and Dove Bronzewing. Cardin held Last Order up in the air one handed by the back of her collar and she was thrashing around. All of them had their weapons and armor on their persons. They must have been planning to practice when they saw the others.
"CARDIN!" Jaune roared. "Let her go!"
"Chill, Jauney-boy," Cardin laughed. "I'm just saying hi to your sister. She seems to have gotten the wrong impression of me when we first met."
"She got the right impression!" Ruby yelled. "You are a bully." The rest of Team CRDL laughed.
"You have a lot of nerve," Yang said and slammed her hands together while her gauntlets cocked themselves. "Be prepared to taste dirt."
"I think they are going to attack us for no reason, Cardin," Russel mocked and turned to his leader.
"They are pretty violent," Cardin agreed.
"I'm about to show you how violent I can be!" Nora yelled and tried to charge forward. It took Ren, Blake, and Pyrrha to hold her back. Weiss stepped forward.
"You know you can be expelled over kidnapping," she pointed out. Her voice was calm, but the tone was easily at zero degrees Kelvin. "Assuming you aren't hospitalized for the rest of your time at Beacon." She drew her rapier.
"Threatening to hospitalize other students can get you in trouble too," Dove laughed. "We aren't doing anything except talking."
"MISAKA is warning you, MISAKA says threateningly. If you do not let MISAKA go, you will be killed."
"By who?" Cardin laughed.
"Him, MISAKA says triumphantly as MISAKA points to your downfall." Everyone turned to look where she was pointing. A lone figure was standing at the entrance to the training room and looking at Cardin. He had white hair, red eyes, and a slightly burnt black and white shirt. He also had a murderous aura around him that was almost tangible. Malice and anger radiated off him so great, the others could feel it beginning to burn. He started walking forward and the floor beneath him began to crack. Cardin and his team did not recognize him, but the others did, especially Team JNPR. They had actually seen him fight. After a second of stunned silence, Nora finally spoke.
"Break their legs, Accelerator!" He paused and looked at her for a moment.
"Okay," he agreed. "But I'm not going to stop there."
Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.
Current Ship Names:
Yang and Touma: Fistbump / Golden Dragon
Ruby and Touma: Blossoming / Black Rose
Blake and Touma: Nine Lives / Bad Luck
Emerald and Touma: Shattered Illusions / Illusion Breaker
Twins and Touma: Triple Threat
Cinder X Touma: Through the Fire and Flame
Accelerator and Weiss: Cold and Calculating / Ice Vector
Accelerator and Yang: Road Rage / Short Fuse / Way of the Dragon
Accelerator x Ruby: One-Way Rose
Accelerator x Blake: Twilight Arrow
Carin's going to die, or at least be hospitalized. The ending also made me realize, would Nora x Accelerator ship be "Broken Bones?"
