(A/N) Please excuse me while I rant for a second.

*rant start*

Are we really still talking about the Pyrrha fight?

I'm honestly baffled. I cannot begin to understand why it's such a sore topic for some of the readers. It's getting way too much attention for something used as a character introduction arc. If people were getting mad at how the fight itself was written it would be a different matter. "It's too short!" or "So-and-so was a deus ex machina!"

Nah. It's "Jaune lost."

Who gives a flying fuck.

A lot of reviews are arguing that the outcome of the fight weakens the integrity of the characters' development, such as Pyrrha not being anything more than the "invincible girl" or Jaune not being able to move on from Jeanne's death.

Uh, yeah? That's the point. They weren't supposed to. Other stuff happened, yes, but completely resolving their primary character conflicts was never part of the plan.

I've taken it upon myself to make sure that Pyrrha doesn't end up like she did in RWBY. One of my biggest issues with RWBY is how Rooster Teeth handled her character. Not only is she nothing more than "the invincible girl", she's not even that at the end of volume 3. They took away her one defining feature without giving her anything else to keep her head above water. And for what, to show how strong the Maiden's powers are? Power levels in general went to shit after that.

If Jaune won that fight (a fight he had no business winning, to begin with, mind you) then I would have stolen Pyrrha's only defining feature before I could build her character beyond that. After the instant gratification of Jaune winning, I would have lost my chance to extend her beyond what she is and no one would give a rat's ass about Pyrrha again. I can't let that happen because I need her as a recurring character for the rest of this fucking story, so you might as well enjoy her while she's here.

There you go. I genuinely wanted to keep this to myself, because I went out of my way to make the fight sound like it was a tossup that could have gone either way despite knowing that half my plans for the future of this story would implode if Jaune won.

*rant end*

Sorry bout that lol. All that said, I appreciate my readers, and all the reviews y'all leave for me (even the ones that make me want to pull my hair out sometimes) because it lets me know that people care about this lil thing I've written.

I'm not trying to say, "Don't give me bad reviews!" *angry face*

I enjoy reading criticisms just as much as words of encouragement. My field of study is like 90% learning how to use criticisms in a positive manner. Please continue to question what I do, and I'll do my best to use your words to improve myself as an author.

My frustration here is purely over how drawn-out such an insignificant matter has become.

MOVING ON, I'd like to get some words in concerning the future of this story, as well as the coming chapters. I make my distaste for the direction RWBY is taking no secret, and as such I will pretend that nothing after volume 3 exists other than some Lore and characters.

As for the coming chapters, welcome to initiation, fellas. I thought RWBY's initiation was kinda cute when I saw it the first time, but I'm sick of it and it wouldn't suit this story at all. Initiation is different.

This author's note will precede the chapter by a few days (assuming that I'm not being too ambitious). I would have posted it attached to the top of the chap like I usually do, but it's a little long and I didn't want it getting in the way of actual content. That, and there are fewer chances of readers skipping it over this way.