AN: Changed Blake's haircut from last chapter. I actually agree with one of the reviews: I don't like her with a bob cut. So, she gets a high ponytail instead. Imagine Yoruichi Shihōin's hairstyle from Bleach.
10. The Vytal Festival Tournament
"I hope you're watching, Summer." Taiyang smiled to himself as he set up a small feast for himself and his guest. "Our little girls are gonna be showing off their stuff at the Vytal Festival today."
Knock knock!
"Coming!" It had taken a lot of convincing, but he finally got the stubborn bastard to come over and watch the tournament with him. "It's good to see you're finally here, you dusty old crow."
The man standing at his door frame didn't respond, holding up a finger as he drained his hip flask dry.
"Ahhh~." The drunk wiped his lips. "It's good to see you too, Tai. Now let's watch those little brats kick some ass!"
There were only a few things in the world that ever got the unlucky owner of Misfortune motivated: booze, family, and missions. Luckily, Tai had two of those things on hand.
"Whoa!" Qrow blinked. "Where did their team get that armor?"
Tai didn't know what his brother-in-law was talking about until he saw his girls on TV. Every member of her team was decked out in gear, each set personalized to suit the wearer.
Ruby's armor was light, painted in the same scheme as Crescent Rose: crimson red, jet black and solid gray. Gray shin and arm guards interrupted the monotonous black of her pants, changing to crimson knee and elbow guards, only to change back to plates of dull metal protecting her thighs and upper arms. Sleek overlapping red plates made up her shoulder guard, gleaming beneath the light of the morning sun. Even her skirt had added layers of protection in the form of red layered plates. A red-black steel-leather jerkin offered some protection for her torso while hindering little to none of her movements.
"Oh Oum!" Tai blinked. "Where did they even get the money for that?!"
"She's not the only one! Look!"
Had he been standing, Tai would've collapsed.
Yang, his sunny little dragon, had dressed up to look the part. Dull gold and red matched the pattern of Ember Celica. The sleek metal helmet, designed to look like the mythical Wyvern, protected her head. A small opening at the back allowed her hair, tied in a ponytail reminiscent of Raven's own style, to flow out behind her. A heavy chest plate, layered like the underbelly of a dragon, protected her torso. Sleek shoulder pauldrons offered her protection without hindering the full movement of her shoulders, tapering off to a pointed elbow guard.
What caught his attention, however, were the metal greaves on her shins. Styled exactly like her gauntlets the heavy boots were plated in segments with a noticeable firing mechanism just beneath where the calf would be located. Her thighs were given a far thicker appearance than usual, with two noticeable protrusions on the outside of her thighs, likely where the ammunition or fuel for her greaves' were stored.
"Oum, they look like they're going to war!"
"At least now, you don't have to worry about someone hurting your little girls!"
"Well, sure, but… how did they get all of that gear?"
"..."
"..."
"You don't think-"
"If the next words out of your mouth involve a sugar daddy of some kind, someone's gonna die."
x-x-x-x-x
"Ladies and gentlemen, give a warm welcome for Beacon's Team RWBY!"
Ruby waved at the crowd, responding to the applause with vigor alongside Yang. Weiss's quiet smirk was quiet, yet confident. Blake, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to listen to that ever present urge to run and get the hell out of dodge.
"And their opponents: Team ABRN from Haven!"
Even with the older team glaring down at them, none of them were intimidated. They were definitely nervous, but not because of the team before them. Who wouldn't be nervous when they're being broadcasted to the entire civilized world? With all that on their minds, they still couldn't help but feel bad for the opposing team. Had the team from Haven been facing someone else, perhaps they would've made it to the second round. Unfortunately, Team RWBY wasn't as inexperienced in terms of combat as their ages would suggest.
"Now, for those who are new or haven't been paying attention, the tournament is divided into three brackets: teams, doubles, and singles!" Professor Port explained. "Round one's winning teams will nominate two of their members to fight in the doubles round, and the winners of the doubles would then nominate one of the two members to represent them in the singles round! The winners of those singles would then face one another for one last fight to determine the victor of the 40th Vytal Festival Tournament!"
"With that explanation out of the way," Professor Oobleck gestured to the students down below on the Lava-Ice arena, "are both teams ready?" With a collective thumbs up, he activated the aura board, allowing the audience to track every team member's aura levels. "Begin!"
A lot of things happened in the first two seconds of the engagement. First: Crescent Rose slapped Reese from the central platform straight to the edge, nearly taking her out-of-bounds. Second, Yang drove a fist right into Arslan's guard, sending her flying into the lava half of the arena. Third, two Gravity Glyphs pulsed to life beneath Bolin and Nadir, sending them airborne before they could react.
"And the fight starts off with a bang!" Port commented. "Team RWBY had wasted no time engaging Team ABRN! Ms. Chloris's hoverboard was the only thing that saved her from being knocked out of bounds within the first two seconds, but it could do nothing against the shocking amount of aura she lost!"
"Meanwhile, in the lava corner, we find the teams' two brawlers going at it like there's no tomorrow!" Oobleck grinned. "Yet, even with her martial prowess, Ms. Altan is constantly on the defensive against the aggressive Xiao Long!"
"Right you are, Oobleck!" Port nodded. "And with Bolin and Nadir free falling, they're in for a world of pain the moment they land!"
"While the grounded members of Team ABRN are doing their best to buy time and regroup, Team RWBY hasn't let up on the offense! A quick snap from Ms. Belladonna's chain sends her sickle straight for ABRN's airborne members!"
"What's this?!" Port exclaims. "Ms. Belladonna's flying sickle had been diverted by a pinpoint shot from Ms. Chloris! The aim and coordination for such a feat! Goodness gracious!"
"She'd bought her teammates some time, but the shot had left her wide open!" The crowd gasps as they finally catch onto what Oobleck had noticed. "Ms. Rose took the split second Ms. Chloris had taken to save her teammates and capitalized on it!"
"In two strikes, Ms. Rose had sent Ms. Chloris out-of-bounds!"
x-x-x-x-x
"Holy shit!" Qrow laughed as he and Tai cheered. "The little squirt fucking did it!"
"Look at her go!" Tai clapped enthusiastically as he watched his youngest daughter dart around the battlefield in a cloud of petals. "She's barely even draining her aura!"
In Qrow's miserable life, there had only been a few rare moments of genuine happiness, ones that etched themselves into his mind. This had been one of those moments.
As he was celebrating with Tai, he noticed something that concerned him. While he'd taught that little girl practically everything she knew, there was something in the way she moved that he didn't recognize. She didn't just blitz across the map, headed straight for her opponents, as he would expect of his hyperactive niece.
No. She took to the shadows, hiding herself and only moving between the pillars of ice or red-hot rock in quick bursts of speed, even using sending out diversionary clouds of petals to confuse the enemy of her true position. Someone had been teaching her. He couldn't quite decide if he should shake that person's hand and thank them for teaching his niece or whip out Harbinger and threaten him for taking away the chance for him to bond with the Little Red Ridinghood.
Maybe both? Both sounded good.
x-x-x-x-x
"With Ms. Chloris out of the match, there is nothing stopping Ms. Rose from coordinating with her teammates to overwhelm their opponents!" Port roared, the crowd cheering along with him.
"And would you look at her go!" Oobleck commented. "What looked like a turnaround for Team ABRN had become a distinct advantage for Team RWBY!"
Arslan could hardly believe what she had gleaned from the stadium's aura board. As much as she would like to assist her teammates, she was too busy defending herself against RWBY's blonde bomber to even come to their aid. The girl wasn't just fast, but strong to boot. Every punch, every kick struck with the force of a Goliath.
Just when she thought she got a moment of reprieve after blocking a devastating double hammerfist, her instincts screamed otherwise. The blonde's armored kneecap slammed into her ribs and aura, sending her skipping across the lava field and straight onto the ice field.
"And with that, Ms. Atlan has been drained of her aura!"
"Damn it!"
Straining to look up at the display board, her eyes confirmed what she already knew. While hers had already dropped nearly to zero, Yang's had barely taken a hit. Across the way, the boys on her team hadn't been doing that much better for themselves.
Bolin had made the mistake of choosing the Schnee to be his opponent. With the way she carried herself and her rapier, he thought it would've been an easy victory. Use his bo staff to keep her at bay, and he'll be just fine.
What a fucking mistake that had been.
He thought she would come at him in a frontal assault. He got that part correct. What he didn't expect was how fast she could move. With his back to the lava field and his front to the ice, he thought lack of traction would've hindered her movements.
Such notions were beaten out of his skull when Myrtenaster slammed past his neck in the time it took him to blink. He'd barely brought up his staff in time, but it did little to stop the girl's momentum. Dashing right past him, she left his line of sight in a blur of white.
Countless hours of training kept him from standing still, saving him yet another chunk of aura as the thin blade whistled through the air where he had just been a moment before. Backpedalling and turning, he swung out with his staff, buying him a few precious moments to catch his footing.
Off to the side, he caught a glimpse of Nadir trading blows with Team RWBY's catgirl. It seemed luck had not been on their side, not since the beginning of the match. He knew Nadir was no pushover with his sword, yet watching the exchange between the katana wielder and his friend, he knew Nadir was outmatched.
"Eyes on your opponent!"
The call from the white-haired heiress snapped him out of his funk, just in time for him to catch the edge of her blade on his neck. Had his aura not been up, there would've been a bloody cheshire smile carved into his neck. It was a monstrous effort to use his staff to block the lightning-fast slashes and jabs from the petite girl. A vertical spinning sweep of his staff sent the rapier away. It should've been the perfect moment to strike!
So what a surprise it was when he found himself on his ass, staring up at the cloudless blue sky.
"Ooh!" Oobleck winced. "That has got to hurt! And Ms. Schnee pushes her advantage! A quick application of Ice Dust was all it took to end her fight!"
Encased from head to toe in ice, there was no leverage to be had. Unless she decided to free him, Bolin knew he was screwed. The only way he could conceivably get out would be through Nadir. If he could-
Crash!
Any further thoughts were tinged with disappointment as Nadir crashed into the ice block that held him. The distinct sound of breaking aura meant only one thing:
"And with that, Mr. Shiko has been eliminated!" Port announced. "In a sweeping victory, Team RWBY had eliminated Team ABRN without losing a single member!"
x-x-x-x-x
"Naruto?" Cinder blinked. "What are you doing here?"
Mercury and Emerald left the two of them alone, but not without a parting smirk and glare respectively.
"You didn't think I was going to let you go out there without wishing you good luck, did you?"
It was sweet, cheesy, and definitely something she expected from what was basically a high school romance.
"Right," she rolled her eyes, smiling. "Like they even have a hope of winning against us."
"So you don't want me to wish you good luck?"
"Well, I didn't say that, exactly~."
She got an exasperated eyeroll in return. She couldn't leave that sass go unchecked, now could she?
Grabbing him by the back of his head, she pulled him down for a searing kiss. A gloved hand returned the favor to her bottom, palming her cheek and squeezing. The moment she gasped, his tongue slipped past her lips. All too soon, he moved away, leaving her not quite satisfied, but more than content with what she'd received.
"If you could beat the opposing team on your own," he whispered into her ear, "I'll do that thing you like with my tongue."
Her eyes glazed over as she remembered the absolutely devastating head he'd given her. She chewed her lip, eyeing him as he pulled back just enough for her to see his eyes.
"Get out of here before your clothes end up on the floor."
"Yes, ma'am." He left, but not before she grabbed his collar and stole another kiss.
"You can stop hiding now, Emerald." The illusion around her subordinate fell away, revealing a scowling visage. "Jealous?"
"N-No! Of course not!"
"Uh huh."
She paid the stammerings of the mint haired girl no mind. Sashaying hips brought her past an amused Mercury. His eyes were definitely following her hips, but she paid it no mind; he knew better than to entertain such thoughts.
"Both of you," she addressed them sternly, "stay back and don't do anything."
"Huh?"
"Excuse me?"
x-x-x-x-x
"Focus on the tournament. Focus on the tournament."
She repeated it like a mantra in her mind, but she could no more follow those directions than she could ignore the pain in her heart. For the past week, she had been watching as Naruto seemingly slipped further and further away from her. Their training sessions were tense and uncomfortable, going their separate ways as soon as she could no longer continue. The lunches they used to have together with their team was replaced with an empty seat and unspoken looks.
Never before in her life had Pyrrha loathed someone like she did Cinder Fall. She hid that anger and annoyance behind a mask of professionalism as Naruto returned to them, smiling as he stood with them in the locker room.
"Look at her go, ladies and gentlemen!" Professor Port exclaimed. "Ms. Fall is single handedly fighting off the entirety of Team AQWA!"
"In a single attack, she'd already eliminated AQWA's long range support, leaving her uncontested at a distance!" The excitement in Oobleck's voice was mirrored by the audience's resounding cheer.
"Right foot first, keeps her left side closest to the enemy," Naruto pondered. "Left handed for her Semblance, but seems ambidextrous. Kinda like..." He shook his head. No need to bring up such thoughts.
All of his ruminations went unnoticed by their team's redhead. Nothing else mattered as she glared towards the hard light screen in the locker room. It seemed as if even fate, the gods, or whoever was in charge of the universe was laughing at her. Any superheated metal loses its magnetism, rendering her Semblance useless.
Cinder was her kryptonite.
"She's done it!" Porter laughed in disbelief. "Ms. Fall had defeated Team AQWA on her own!"
It took all of her self-control to keep from lashing out. She wasn't angry at Naruto or even at Cinder, but at herself. The discipline that had served her so well throughout all her life had become a double-edged sword, keeping her from acting on her feelings until someone else had come forward and taken her place.
"Alright, team." Naruto pushed himself away from the lockers, smiling with glee. "Let's show 'em what we can do."
Pyrrha wasn't as excited for the first round as she would have normally been. Mostly because she wouldn't be the one doing the fighting; Nora was.
"And now, for the third match, we have Beacon's Team NPLN vs Vacuo's BRNZ!"
Naruto smirked as the enemy team showed up on the Forest-Mountain field. He couldn't help but offer a silent apology to the team for the beating they were about to experience.
"Nora?"
"Yea, Cap?"
"Smash."
x-x-x-x-x
"He said it!" Nora squealed inwardly. "HE FREAKING SAID IT!"
"Can I get a boost?"
"Pyrrha?" Naruto glanced towards the redhead.
"Up?" Akoúo̱ slipped from her back and onto her hand in a single motion.
"Up."
Nora licked her lips, as her blood rushed through her veins. Already, she could feel her heart picking up.
"C'mon, c'mon! Announce the start of the match already!"
"Are both teams ready?"
She could hear the enemy team shuffling while hers remained perfectly still. She would be alone in this fight. There would be no help, no backup. At least she didn't have to protect her team. How lame would that be if her badass captain said, "Oh yea, you gotta protect the rest of us. We'd better not lose a single aura point."
Pfft. She'd probably smack them out of the arena herself!
"Then begin!"
Pyrrha ran forward, only to turn her back to the enemy team. The crowd was probably confused as hell, but oh well. They didn't matter.
A running leap landed her atop Akoúo̱. She could feel her armor lighten as Polarity took hold. Aura crackled and popped as her armor's capacitors discharged. Hands clenched, quads tightened. The rocky mountain terrain shattered beneath the combined force of their muscles. Even Akoúo̱, bolstered by Pyrrha's aura, pinged ominously.
But none of that mattered.
"Ms. Valkyrie had taken off like a rocket!" There was a quiet lull in the commentating as the announcers finally realized what Team NPLN was doing. "And the rest of her team was doing nothing! They hadn't even changed their positions! Were they planning something or were the team members an illusion?"
"I don't think so, Peter!" Oobleck offered his two cents. "As far as I know, no one on Team NPLN has an illusionary Semblance!"
x-x-x-x-x
"That team is confident in their abilities, bordering on arrogance."
"Not quite, James." Ozpin leaned his head against his fist, smiling down towards the Arena. "For them, this isn't about winning; it's about putting themselves to the test."
For anyone else, it would've been an impressive mindset to have, perhaps a bit too mature for kids their age, but for Naruto, it was quite normal. Ozpin didn't know if that was a good thing or not. On one hand, his drive to better himself, his team and to shoulder every burden that came his way was exactly what Ozpin needed in his fight against Salem. On the other hand, it meant they couldn't enjoy their childhood to the fullest.
Boom!
Even with the hard light barrier surrounding the observation booth and the distance between them and the Arena, every single person within the room could feel the impact.
"It's a good thing shock absorbers were installed beneath the ring," Glynda sighed.
"Agreed," Ozpin smiled.
During that brief exchange, Winter and Ironwood were gawking at the devastation wrought down below. A single strike from the girl's hammer had displaced several tons of dirt, rock, forest and foliage. The only thing that gave away the efficacy of the strike was the aura-tracking board.
"A single air-strike was all it took to knock out Ms. Zedong! Had Team BRNZ not scattered beforehand, their entire team would've been wiped out!" Applause followed Oobleck's announcement, the crowd absolutely shook by the destruction brought about by Nora. "Without their long-range support, Team BRNZ is left with three frontline combatants!"
Ironwood couldn't take his eyes off the fight below. Even before the dust had settled, Nora blitzed the remaining team members.
"Visibility is finally back!" Port exclaimed. "And it looks like Ms. Valkyrie's running straight for her next target: Mr. Ni!"
Barely slowing down, Nora spun on a dime. Magnhild slammed into Brawnz. One second, he was coughing his lungs out, the next he was doing his best to stay conscious.
"And he's outta there!"
Ironwood was rather impressed with the young Huntress-in-training's abilities and decision making. While the fight was far from over, he could tell that she had already won. With their team leader out of bounds and their long range support down for the count, there was nothing the other two members could do; they hadn't even recovered from Nora's earth-shattering attack yet.
"Thoughts, Winter?"
"Strong, fast, decisive," Winter listed. "She has her priorities straight: eliminate the ranged support, then pick them apart one by one. She has already won this match, General."
"And all of it, without her team lifting a finger since the start of the match." Ironwood regarded Ozpin with a smirk. "You wouldn't mind lending Team NPLN to me for a few missions, would you?"
"That is a decision you would have to run by Naruto," Ozpin shook his head. "I may be their Headmaster, but they hold Naruto's opinion in high esteem, akin to your relationship with Winter, I presume."
"Hmm."
"Chances are, Team NPLN and Team RWBY would be a package deal," Ozpin elaborated. "Naruto had taken young Ruby under his wing, training her in the fighting techniques of his people. Even Yang had diversified her martial arts, including more kicks into her usual brawler style."
"They are an impressive team," Ironwood conceded. "Even as they are now, I think those two teams could beat even the third years."
"Hmm!" Ozpin snorted into his coffee. "If you mean Team RWBY and Team NPLN minus Naruto, then yes. But with Naruto in play, I doubt even some of our finest Huntsmen could win."
"I have yet to see the young man in action, so I will withhold my assessment for now." Ironwood regarded his friend, thinking over Ozpin's words. "But for you to speak so highly of him…"
"Heh. Let's just say, you haven't seen him fight yet."
x-x-x-x-x
"Oh fuck~!"
Her fingers found purchase in his golden hair, her nails digging lightly into his scalp. She prayed he wouldn't hear or remember the keening whine that left her lips. It was a pathetic sound, one that sounded far too much like begging.
She hated it. Cinder Fall didn't beg.
"Tell me what you want."
"Fucking bastard!"
She couldn't even muster up the air to curse him out loud. Every time she breathed in, his tongue would dive in just a little deeper, his fingers brushing against her clit a little harder. Every little thing drove her closer to the edge.
Yet she could never quite reach it.
"N-Naruto!"
He didn't say anything, but she could see it in his eyes. That smug, teasing look he gave should've pissed her off, but in her current position, that wasn't an option. Hard to have your anger be taken seriously when the person you're angry at is making you pant like a bitch in heat.
"More!" She pulled his head deeper into her sex. Much to her dismay, he barely increased his pace. "N-No! Just-! Let me cum!"
She knew what he wanted from her. She knew the exact words that would give her what she wanted. Unfortunately, it meant swallowing her pride. Time was not on her side. Every minute that passed by fractured her willpower ever so slightly. Every kiss and lick he gave only stoked the flame within her. Still, she held out.
Until she couldn't.
"P-P-Please!"
He was a bastard, that much was true, but he didn't hold back whenever she said the magic word. Targetted, leisurely licks became passionate, mind-numbing movements. How a tongue could reach so deep, she didn't know, but she didn't have the brain power to think on it.
"Fuck!"
Her climax slammed into her like a freight train. Everything else became meaningless as she rode the orgasmic high. Control over her body went out the window. Slender thighs clamped down on her lover's head. Had his arms not been wrapped around them, she might've suffocated him then and there.
The first thing she was aware of after calming down was the little kisses on her inner thighs. Bleary amber eyes regarded him with annoyance as she greedily swallowed every breath she could.
"Bastard." He paid back her cheek by pressing a sharp canine to her clit, forcing a sharp gasp from her.
"All you had to do was ask." She yelped as he pulled her off of his shoulders. "Cute."
She would have blushed, but as it stands, her cheeks were already red from the torturous heaven he'd put her through. Now, pressed between the wall and her lover with her legs over his shoulders and his sex pressed to hers, she bit down on her lip.
He was still teasing her!
"As soon as I get the feeling back into my legs, you will pay for this, Naruto!" The soft kiss he gave her silenced any further threats or protests.
"Then let's make sure that doesn't happen, ne~?"
Maybe, just maybe, letting him take control wasn't the worst idea in the world. She just hoped there was no one in the dorm halls to hear them going at it.
x-x-x-x-x
"This tournament has been an absolute spectacle!"
"Right you are, Peter!"
"And we haven't even begun the final round yet!"
"Will the final members from each winning team make their way to the arena!"
The crowd spoke amongst one another, confused by the deviation from the usual tournament proceedings. Emerald didn't care in the slightest. Not when Cinder was sitting right next to her, gingerly crossing her thighs and wincing with every movement, yet still smiling like the cat that ate the canary.
"You two are insatiable."
"Why, I have no idea what you mean."
Truth be told, she didn't know how to feel about this… mission. Cinder had become too involved in it. Developing a long term relationship with the mark? How long before the mask became the real person? What if she developed actual feelings for the blond?
It was a disaster waiting to happen. Even she knew better than to go after someone when the chance of getting caught was too high. Right now, it was practically guaranteed they would be caught one way or another. With nothing to be done about their current situation, she shelved it for the time being. Her attention turned back to the four students gathered down below.
Mercury Black.
Pyrrha Nikos.
Yang Xiao Long.
Penny Polendina.
It was a strange sight to see. Were it a free-for-all fight between the four of them, she would bet her money on the Spartan. With her Semblance and the fact that the other three students were geared up in metal armor or relied on metal weapons, it would be an easy win.
"Normally, the tournament would end in a series of one-on-one battles until only a single competitor remained," Oobleck explained. "However, this year, we have a different approach to the Tournament."
"As you may know, the Vytal Festival is held in the memory of the Great War, which ended eighty years ago, when the Vytal Treaty was signed," Port explained. "Earlier this year, one of our students proposed a different ending to the Tournament. Rather than fighting one another, they would, instead, be fighting a stronger opponent, to symbolize unity and cooperation!"
"In a four-on-one challenge, the remaining winners must defeat an experienced, certified Huntsman!"
"..."
"..."
The big titty blonde's words summed it up best in Emerald's opinion.
"What the fuck did he just say?"