Blake was exhausted. It was difficult enough gathering information on the White Fang. Now she had to constantly look over her shoulder for any signs of the ones after her and Jaune. She knew Jaune was twisted, but this was beyond her. Roman Torchwick was acquainted with him. And the girl he once loved, Cinder, was planning something big for the Vytal Festival. Jaune was going to do something for the grand bout, so what could Cinder be planning? She didn't exactly get to ask about that. Ever since that night, Jaune has been ignoring her.
No, he was just busy. Now that he and Pyrrha were dating, along with how Weiss is actually choosing to stay in the same room as him, he had much more on his plate.
What could she do about him? The White Fang were working with Torchwick, who was working for Cinder. Jaune could be her golden ticket to figuring out what Cinder and by extension, the White Fang are planning. Jaune was still bad news though. Getting involved with him was the worst decision she had ever made. She should've just left him in that alleyway. Then he wouldn't have known about her heritage and her affiliation with the White Fang.
But now she knew he was connected with someone dangerous. Potentially more dangerous than the White Fang. Blake massaged her temples, stressed over how she should go about this.
"Oh, hey Blake," Jaune greeted. Blake looked over to see him walking towards her with Pyrrha. "Heading to class?"
"Yeah..."
She turned and began walking towards the arena. She was a good paces ahead of them and didn't dare look back.
Jaune felt a little uneasy when he spotted Professor Goodwitch. She had her little microphone clipped onto the collar of her shirt with her scrollpad in hand. She still had bandages around her throat and couldn't quite speak the same as before. Not yet, he'd hoped.
"As you're all aware..." Her voice echoed via the speaker system. "The Vytal Festival is coming up, which means it's time to evaluate who will be competing this year. You'll all be scored primarily on your ability to work as a team. After all, the first few rounds are team matches."
Jaune's eyes narrowed. He wasn't aware of that and felt stupid for not realizing sooner. He'd been so fixated on the one-on-one matches.
"Hopefully you've all utilized your time to figure out new strategies to work effectively as a team," she continued." I don't wish to see any tricks or heavy reliance on a single member. Am I understood?"
Jaune chuckled when he noticed Pure shifting a bit.
"Which is why we'll be focusing on team matches for the next few weeks. All of the leaders of their respective teams received the scheduled matches, so you have an idea on what to expect from your opponents."
He at least knew the matches were random during the tournament though. And he never received any message like this...
"Something the matter?" Pure asked.
"No, it's nothing," he dismissed. "Did you receive the schedule from Ruby by any chance?"
Pure fished for her scroll and handed it over to him. He dialed in her passcode and opened the scroll to her messages.
Remember, we're facing Team ABYS tomorrow! Stick to the strategy and we'll be just fine.
He scrolled up to find the schedule. He did his best to ignore whatever strategy her team had in store for them. He appreciated how Pure didn't seem to mind how he was casually scrolling through her messages.
"I take it that as your loving boyfriend, I won't be your primary target, right?"
"Wouldn't it be a compliment to target you first, Mister Trickster?"
True. He's already established himself as a bit of an unconventional fighter. It'd be practical to have your best fighter swiftly take out someone like him first before he could try anything. He hadn't planned anything for a team fight and he hasn't worked with his team in combat. He was confident in their skills as fighters, so the team matches didn't really worry him.
"I suppose I'll have to step up my game for you then, Pure."
Jaune loosened the straps of his armor as he came out of the changing room. He spotted Ren in there with him, but didn't bother trying to make conversation. As fun as it sounded to develop some semblance of friendship with a half-naked man as your junk was hanging for the world to see, Jaune didn't really know anything about the quiet guy.
The stage was set. Across it were the other combatants. The remaining members of RRNN were huddled up, likely discussing strategy. His own team members kept a certain distance from one another as they walked towards his end of the stage.
Blake and Yang didn't say anything, avoiding eye contact with him.
"You didn't think it'd be important to discuss strategy?" Weiss asked.
"In my defense, I actually didn't know about these team spars until a few minutes ago," he admitted. "I have faith in all our abilities though. Besides, I'll be distracting Pure for the majority of this fight." He winked. "I mean, how could she ignore me?"
"You're unbelievable..." Weiss sighed. "Nora is a heavy hitter, so I believe it'd be best for Blake and I to handle her while Yang handles the other two. I hope you don't mind, Yang. You know Ruby's style and to be frank, I think you can handle Ren no problem."
Yang simply nodded before taking her place on the stage.
"Let's just be quick about this," Blake said.
Jaune watched as they all got into a comfortable stance, weapons drawn. Jaune did the same and had Crocea Mors in both hands, a bit unnerved by the look Pure gave him from across the stage. Pure was like a completely different person in a situation like this. The rush of emotion made him smile.
"If both teams are ready..." Goodwitch said. "Then begin."
Weiss and Blake immediately sprung into action as Jaune approached Pure. He heard Yang's gauntlets go off as his blade clashed with Pure's. She tested the waters and tried to overpower him, but backed off once he put his back into it. She transformed her weapon into its spear form, keeping him at a distance. He drew his gun and clicked his teeth when she covered herself with her spear.
Jaune then closed the distance, firing a few rounds to force Pure to obscure her vision. He drew in a sharp breath when he came face-to-face with the end of Pure's rifle. He felt the round fly past his head, making his ears ring. He grimaced and slammed his weight against her shield. Pure elegantly flipped over him, back-stepping a bit before firing more rounds at him.
He already had his gun away and shield out when she made her move.
"You want to have sex tonight?"
Pure coughed and shook her head before returning to a more serious demeanor.
"Now? You're an eager girl, Pure."
He sheathed his blade and clipped it on his belt as he removed his armor. He then reached for his shirt, revealing his glory for all to see.
"What do you think you're doing, Jaune!?" Pure shrieked.
"Professing my love, silly."
Pure's face matched the shades of her hair as Jaune stepped a bit closer.
Jaune stopped in his tracks when the ground next to his foot blew up.
"Not on my watch, buster!"
Jaune spat as Nora turned her attention on him, firing grenades in his direction. What were Weiss and Blake doing!? Both of them were supposed to be distracting Nora. They should've been running circles around her with their superior mobility.
He felt his stomach drop when he heard the buzzer going off, indicating someone was out.
"Yang Xiao-Long has been eliminated via ring out."
Jaune couldn't help but growl in frustration as Ruby and Ren nodded at each other, now fixated on Weiss and Blake struggling. He wasn't able to see it, but Blake's legs were encased in a mass of ice as Weiss tried hacking away at it with Blake's weapon. He caught Weiss's weapon by Yang, out of bounds and beyond Weiss's reach.
He wasn't sure what happened, but the coordination between the members of RRNN must've gotten the better of his team. He couldn't do anything but watch as Ren fired his weapon at the black and white duo. Blake could only defend herself until the buzzer went off, indicating her aura levels have dropped too low as Ruby blurred past Weiss. Weiss did her best to defend herself as she returned fire at Ruby, only to be flanked by Ren.
"I wouldn't get distracted, Jaune!"
Jaune turned just in time to block a strike from Pure. She locked blades with him as Nora approached. He adjusted his footing and used Pure's momentum to put her between him and Nora. Nullification wouldn't do him any good if Pure could handle him without her semblance. And he didn't want to risk injuring her by nullifying her aura - there'd be no point.
Something heavy slammed into him from behind as the buzzer went off.
"Weiss Schnee's aura reserves have been depleted."
Jaune heard her groan as he gently helped her adjust herself. With his sword drawn, he ran a finger along the blade as the entirety of Team RRNN stood before him, weapons aimed at him.
"I don't suppose you'll all agree to a draw?"
So it's been... a while...
I can only apologize again and again with how I've been gone for so long again. Work, my book, and my YT channel have been taking up my time and then I remembered my fanfics.
But yeah. I can at least assure you all I'll keep working on these stories. And the next chapter will come much sooner compared to last time, that's for sure.
I'm currently working on a book that I'm sure you'd all like if you enjoy RWBY. It's still being worked on, but I'll leave a link to it once it's published. As I've mentioned, I also have a YT channel I've been wanting to continue, so if you enjoy my writing style and humor, maybe you'll enjoy it as well. The channel's name is the same as my pen name, so take a look and support me if you'd like.
Can't wait to get the next chapter out though.
Until next time.
-Colure
