Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and/or scenes from the show RWBY, which is trademarked by Rooster Teeth, and the video game Persona 3, which is trademarked by Atlus. I do not, in anyway, claim ownership over the characters, the world, the story, or any other aspect belonging to either one. This story should not be, in any way, considered canon. This story is written strictly for entertainment and not for profit.
Warning: This story will exhibit slight differences in character behavior since I will be taking the liberty to fill in blank points in the pasts of various characters. As such, expect that many characters will not behave exactly as their canon selves. I will attempt to keep their core personalities intact, but slight changes will be unavoidable.
Warning 2: With the ongoing status of RWBY, it's to be expected that many of my ideas will, at some point, go against what is canon, such as when more of each character's respective pasts are revealed. I will do my best to incorporate what I can, but expect that many will be blended with my own ideas or perhaps even ignored completely if incorporating it will be detrimental to my existing story plans.
Ugh… This was supposed to be out over a month ago but my computer's hard drive chose that moment to act up. Replacing it wouldn't have set me back a lot, but the shop I usually go to for repairs and parts had, apparently, moved to a different city and the other shops in town had poor reputations (purposely messing up something else so I come back for another repair job, stealing minor parts from the laptop/computer and replacing them with cheap and low quality ones, making up new things that need to be fixed so customers spend more, etc…). Don't have any friends who are good with computers and I don't trust myself to do a DIY fix.
It took me 3 weeks before I could travel to that other city just to get my computer fixed and the hard drive replaced with a new one (SSD, yay!).
That delay lost me lots of inspiration though so it got delayed even more than it should have been. Hopefully the quality didn't suffer any.
This should be the last 'calm' chapter before we start ramping up the excitement again. Enjoy!
Chapter 19 – The Calm Before
January 15, XX14
"And, that will be all for today," announced Professor Goodwitch, a half-second before the bell rang that signaled the end of their Combat Class. In front of her, two first-year teams stood parallel to one another, each member of the team facing one from the other, as they finished hearing the blonde teacher's evaluation of their fight. "Since no team's skills seem to have degraded since last term, we will move on from team combat beginning next week. Being outnumbered will no doubt challenge many of you, so prepare yourselves accordingly."
Her tone was one they all recognized as dismissal, so everyone rose from the bleachers and exited the combat arena. Some hurried, wanting to enjoy the beginning of their weekend, while others walked out at a casual pace, chatting with friends and teammates. A select few, however, walked with slumped shoulders as though walking towards an unpleasant fate.
"Cheer up Rubes." Ruby just whimpered in response to her sister's consolations. "It's not like you failed that badly." At the reminder, the fifteen-year-old looked about ready to burst into tears. "Come on, you'll make up for it next time. Who knows? Maybe you'll even be the top student by the end of the year."
"Please don't lie to her." At those words, Yang had to hold back a growl, but didn't stop the frown from forming on her face. Walking up to her partner's side, Weiss gave the blonde a sideways glare. "At the very least, give her a reasonable goal to aim for."
Whatever Yang was about to say was cut short when her mind processed the heiress's words, her face frozen in a strange mix of anger and confusion. Seeing this, Junpei chuckled while Yukari blinked in disbelief. "Looks like you broke her. Huh, never thought I'd see that happen."
"Least it's not like back in Japan," said Junpei, turning back to Ruby with a smile. "We had our scores posted out in the hallway for everyone to see."
"Wait, what?" The outcry came not only from Jaune, but Nora and Ruby as well.
The Japanese teens chuckled and laughed openly at their reactions as even those who hadn't reacted verbally shot them curious looks. "It's said to foster a sense of 'competition'," explained Fuuka. "Of course, it doesn't always work out that way. But, usually, the threat of humiliation is enough."
Two of the three shuddered, glad that Beacon hadn't employed such a policy. The thought of having the entire school see their barely passing and failing scores was enough to send a shiver down their spines even as they thanked whatever deity out there was watching out for them.
The third… "Who cares? I'll just break their legs if they laugh at me."
Ignoring the byplay going on, Weiss turned her attention to Ruby, who suddenly looked like she wanted to run. Noticing this, the heiress took a deep breath and slowly let it out, allowing her expression to relax. "Calm down," she said to her partner. "You failed one class, one. Even then, it wasn't by much." She held up a single finger as though her tone was not enough to emphasize the word. "And even if you just barely passed two others, that's still better than outright failing most of our classes. Just try not to go back to old habits and you'll be fine."
Around them, a handful of their friends who noticed the interaction allowed a small smile to grace their faces even as they continued to converse with their own teammates. While still a rare sight, it was no longer that much of a surprise to see Weiss being so… lenient with her partner.
And despite being less than a week since it started, a few had even started placing bets on what she would do next. Not that the heiress had any knowledge of such happenings, of course.
The first time it had happened, the day they had seen the results of their exams, Weiss had consoled Ruby, telling her that one failing grade did not automatically make her a failure as a Huntress. Ruby had outright accused the heiress of being an imposter, much to everyone's combined amusement and confusion. After managing to convince her partner of her identity, in a very indignant manner that only Weiss was capable of, she had asked to speak to Ruby and her team in private.
Nobody outside their team knew the specifics of the conversation – even Ruby respected her partner's privacy and kept it from Yang – but they were at least given a general outline. Weiss promised to be less overbearing and demanding while doing her best to help Ruby with her studies. It went without saying that this was only if Ruby took her studies, and Weiss's advice, more seriously instead of tossing them aside just because they were inconvenient.
There was much more that had been said in the privacy of their dorm room, but all else was kept between the four members of Team ASYR.
Despite this, however, Yang was still somewhat leery of the heiress. Specifically, how long her promise would last. Such was her concern for her sister that nothing anyone said could convince her otherwise. Not even Mitsuru.
Yang clearly hadn't wanted to make that compromise. However, Mitsuru's argument that Ruby would never grow if she was always being protected, and Ruby's reminder that Yang herself had tried to tell her the same thing on the day of the initiation, had been enough to get her to agree, however grudgingly.
At most, Mitsuru had gotten her blonde teammate to promise not to directly interfere with Team ASYR's dynamics unless her sister asked for assistance. Of course, it had taken a well-made argument from Mitsuru as well as a promise from Ruby that she would go to Yang things ever got out of hand.
It was clear that Yang had only begrudgingly accepted that compromise, but Mitsuru's argument that Ruby would never grow if she was always being protected, and Ruby's reminder that Yang herself had tried to tell her the same thing the day of the initiation, had been enough to get her to agree.
Needless to say, Weiss was left uninformed of these arrangements. Mitsuru, however, was more than certain that the Schnee heiress suspected such a thing regardless.
And the reason for Ruby's current dilemma was also the first step of Weiss's promise.
"If you wake up early and do well enough tomorrow, we can finish up before lunch and your Marksmanship class," said Weiss, dutifully ignoring how everyone was still amused by her recent change. "That way, you can still take the afternoon off instead of having to study the whole day."
The beaming smile on Ruby's face told Weiss that she had made the right choice. While she would never admit it, a part of her was ashamed that it had taken her so long to realize, or rather understand, something so simple. That she and Ruby, despite sharing the same goal of becoming Huntresses, were two vastly different people with equally different worldviews and methodologies. A fact that applied to everyone in the school, she realized and accepted not too long ago.
Their personalities. Their goals. Their priorities. Their backgrounds. Their upbringing. There was simply very little that was similar between them asides from their goal of becoming Huntresses. And, even then, Weiss was certain that their reasons were just as different as their color schemes.
It was something she had always known on a superficial level. However, understanding, let alone acknowledgment and acceptance, had eluded her. As… limited as her experiences were due to her upbringing, it simply hadn't occurred to her that spending every minute of one's time productively was not the only way to achieve something. All it had taken, much to her surprise, was a conversation with the youngest member of their group the second day of their break.
So over the two-week break, she went over everything she knew about her partner and tried to come up with a way to ease the process of studying.
Her fascination – obsession, really – with weaponry was of little use since she was doing very well in her Advanced Weapons Design class and, Grimm Studies and Combat class aside, would have little impact on her other classes, present and future.
Her love of certain treats and sweets, while potentially useful as a bribe, was not as helpful as it sounded. Ruby wasn't exactly a dog who could be taught tricks by giving them treats whenever they got it right. That, and Weiss didn't want to provide evidence of any sort with regards to the preconceived notion that she hated faunus. Treating a human like a pet? An animal? Especially when a faunus was part of their little clique? That was a nightmare waiting to happen.
Her goal of becoming a Huntress? Weiss had already pointed out that their lessons were necessary for that. And while Ruby had become much more determined to study, determination wasn't enough by itself.
In the end, Weiss targeted the one thing she could reasonably take in exchange for Ruby's failure. Her free time.
Granted, she couldn't literally occupy all of Ruby's free time with extra studies. She wouldn't do that even to herself. Instead, she would just hold it hostage. Starting tomorrow.
"Do we really have to go over all of them?"
"Yes Ruby, we do." Weiss simply rolled her eyes and pointedly looked away, remembering what happened the last time Ruby had put on that teary, pouty face and aimed it in her direction. Had it not been for Fuuka speaking up in defense of her idea, she might have caved in and let her partner have things her way.
'That sort of manipulation should be outlawed,' she thought, doing her best to not even glance at her partner while she had that look on her face. "Your electives aside, you barely passed History and Geography and failed Social Studies," she recapped as their group finally left the building and stepped outdoors to make their way to the dining hall for dinner. Then, after a very brief pause, she added, "You did come close to passing however, so it's hardly a lost cause."
The look of relief that appeared on Ruby's face, wiping away the downcast expression at the reminder of her failure, earned the mental, and most certainly more dignified, equivalent of a victory cheer in the heiress's mind. "But even if you passed Grimm Studies and Combat with flying colors," she continued, paying minimal attention to the other conversations around her, "It never hurts to go over the few things you did wrong while recounting what you did right. That way, you'll be more likely to remember both in the future. You'd be surprised how often someone can get things wrong even after doing it right once."
"Don't worry Ruby."
The younger teen nearly jumped when a hand landed consolingly on her shoulder left. Turning around, silver met brown-gray as she came face to face with the one person in their group who was shorter than her, discounting a barefoot Weiss. "Aigis and I will be there to help."
Weiss mused that, if not for that little detail, she would have been concerned over the possibility of Ruby simply up and leaving in the middle of their studies. And with her Semblance of Speed, Weiss had little hope of catching her once she got going.
"Thanks Fuuka. Oh, hey, maybe we can go watch a movie in the afternoon. What do you think?"
With her partner calmed down and suitably distracted from the impending study session, Weiss turned her attention - discreetly, of course – to the one standing to Fuuka's left. Now if only she could come up with a solution to that problem as well.
With a quiet sigh, she pushed that issue out of her mind. At least for the moment. 'One thing at a time.'
January 16, XX14
A heavy, dull sound echoed throughout the nearly empty library, followed by a soft shushing sound from elsewhere, followed yet again by a quiet giggle.
"You're still not used to studying for this long, are you?" Fuuka asked, not even bothering to mask her giggles while softly patting Ruby's shoulder.
The brunette mumbled out a reply, unintelligible due to the low volume and the fact that her face was currently planted on the book she had been reading. Aigis had gone to help Weiss bring the borrowed books to a table off to the side where the librarian, or someone else working in the library, would collect and return them to their proper places after checking for damages.
Clearly they had little faith in a student's ability to keep things organized.
"You still did well though," replied the teal-haired teen. "I'm sure Weiss will give you the afternoon off."
The black-clad girl shot up in her seat, her face bright and eager as she turned a beaming smile onto Fuuka. "Really?"
"And what would you do if I said we'd be coming back after your class?" The smile immediately turned teary at those words. Ruby turned around, slowly, as though fearing what she would find when she did. And there, standing with her arms crossed and a frown on her face, was her partner, arms crossed and heeled shoes tapping on the floor impatiently. "Well?"
"But Weiss… You… I…"
Seeing how close her partner was to tears, Weiss sighed and let the frown fade into indifference. "Good thing it was just a hypothetical question, wasn't it?" A victorious grin briefly flashed onto her face, just barely long enough to be seen. Unfortunately, neither her words nor the grin seemed to pierce Ruby's despondency. It took the heiress a moment to realize why.
Fuuka was just a hint faster. "Ruby, she was only joking." Of course, Weiss wouldn't have used those exact words. "The study session is over for today."
"Re… Really?"
The whimpering and whining sounded so piteous to Weiss that she almost felt bad for trying to make the joke in the first place. "Yes, you dolt. We can continue this another time once we see where else you're having difficulties." Left unsaid was that she would spend the time between now and then going over how their session today went just to see how she could further systemize and streamline Ruby's study habits in a way that her partner didn't need someone watching over her shoulder the entire time. "Now, you better get going if you want to eat properly before your class. We ended up taking a bit longer than expected."
Glancing up at the clock, Ruby gasped. She only had half an hour to go before her Marksmanship class. Or rather, she had half an hour to eat an early lunch and then go to her class, if she didn't want to have to eat afterwards. "OhDustIgottagothanksFuukathanksWeissthanksAigisI'llseeyoualllater!"
The words came out in a rush, not helped at all by her use of her Semblance to stuff her study material in her bag and then grab them all in a brief, grateful hug before dashing out of the library, nearly knocking over a pair of upper-year students who were about to walk in through the door. Weiss was in a similar situation, the suddenness of the embrace, however brief it was, combined with Ruby's speed nearly sent her sprawling to the floor. It was only a pair of hands on her shoulders that kept her steady and on her feet.
"Are you alright?" Gloved hands carefully helped her regain her balance, their grip on her shoulders far gentler than steel had any right to be. "I'm sorry. I'll speak with Ruby later about being more careful."
"No, that's fine," Weiss replied with a sigh, pulling away from Aigis to collect her belongings from the table, but not before nodding in gratitude. She was equally grateful that she had already packed away her own belongings, else they might have been scattered all over the place after her partner's departure. "I'll speak with her myself later."
The three remaining members of Team ASYR left the library soon after, making their way back to the dorms to put away their study material. Once inside their room, however, Fuuka and Aigis allowed their eyes to stray to the wide window occupying most of the wall, taking in the sudden changes that had taken over the academy just a few days ago.
"Is snow really all that interesting to you?" Weiss asked, noticing their wandering gazes. The question had been on her mind since she first noticed their behavior the other day but had only thought to question them now. "Then again, I recall Mitsuru mentioning that she hadn't seen snow in several years."
"Not every area of Japan receives snowfall during the winter, and some don't even have it every year depending on certain factors of a given year." Fuuka informed the heiress. "I've lived in Iwatodai my whole life and I only remembering it snowing twice. The first time, it snowed for about a month. The second, a few days on and off for a few weeks."
"This is my first time seeing it," Aigis admitted at the same time. Weiss turned to her with a bit of surprise on her face while Fuuka nodded with understanding. "I'm… not sure what to think just yet."
The heiress nodded in response to the answers she received. "Well, Vale and Mistral are similar enough in that not every part of the kingdom sees snow every year or even the entire season, but the northern part of Anima is always covered in it, and Solitas has snow year-round."
"I guess you must be a bit tired of it then, having grown up with it your whole life."
Surprisingly to the two Japanese, Weiss shook her head but had a small smile playing on her lips. "I've always been fond of the snow, even before I realized that our family's crest was actually a snowflake."
Their conversation trailed off as they went about putting their belongings back in its proper places. Books were returned to the shelves above their respective desks, while notebooks and scraps of paper with notes on them were placed on the desks themselves to later be reviewed and organized.
While Weiss was in the middle of organizing her things, she heard soft footsteps approaching her. The hesitance in them was clear. And between the two other people in the room, only one would be reluctant to approach her.
"Uhm… Weiss?" She looked over her shoulder to find Aigis, fidgeting in place as she spoke. "May I… ask you something?"
The heiress nodded. "Of course," she replied neutrally. "Just let me finish up here."
It didn't take her much longer to organize her belongings, during which she tried to puzzle out what her team leader wanted to ask her. Unfortunately, there were just too many possibilities at that moment. She could have just wanted to ask about something school related but, at the same time, she could have finally mustered up the courage to question Weiss's behavior towards her. It could even be anything in between from the trivial to the most urgent.
With the last of her study material put away, Weiss no longer had any reason to delay, having already given her word. "So," she began, walking off to take a seat on her bed. "What did you want to ask?"
Whatever it was she wanted to know, Aigis seemed more hesitant now than she had been moments ago. Near the other side of the room, Fuuka watched on curiously but seemed content to merely observe. After what felt like an eternity, the blonde android finally began to speak.
"I… I was… wondering…" Weiss waited patiently, forcing herself not to speak lest she discourage Aigis. "You mentioned that something happened… Something that made you reconsider how you approached the issue with Ruby's studies."
"I assume you want to know more about it?" It was hardly a question given that it was the most logical conclusion one could come to. "Well, I suppose it's hardly a secret," she continued at Aigis's hesitant nod. "I simply had an... interesting conversation with Ken."
December 27, XX13
"Ken?"
The brown-haired boy turned his head, looking away from the imaginary target he had been focusing on to discover that a certain heiress had just entered the training room. "Oh, good evening Weiss," he greeted, lowering his spear to properly face the white-haired girl. "Are you here to train too?"
"I am," she replied cordially, glancing around the area. "Though I'm surprised to see you here without your team."
Ken just shrugged. "I needed some time to myself after Nora took me to five different arcades today and challenged me to just about every game she could."
"I… see." Truthfully, however, she wasn't entirely certain what he meant, having never been to an arcade before. She had heard of it in passing, but did not have a complete picture or understanding of it, or what exactly went on inside one, asides from the fact that it was a place for low-class entertainment. "Well, don't let me keep you from your training. There's more than sufficient space for us both."
The two trained well into the night, exchanging no words and focusing solely on their individual training regimen.
For Weiss, it was a regimen that combined those from her private instructors, and the one her sister had given her the last time they had conversed. Tonight, however, she had chosen to focus on her glyph formation speed as well as the number. Solely using glyphs to propel herself around the training area, she bounced from one to the next, forming each one as fast as she could and shortening the distance between any two glyphs.
Now and then she would fail to form one in time when the distance was too short and end up flying through an incomplete glyph. She would take note of how many she formed and how short the distance was between them, committing it to memory, then she would begin the exercise anew. Hardly the most glorious of abilities, but mobility was a key factor in any battle. And when fighting against those with greater mobility, such as Ruby, she would need as much of her own as she could possibly manage.
For Ken, it was a combination of basic drills and suggestions from Akihiko and Pyrrha for new movements to test out and practice. In addition to being far more dexterous and adept with her weapon, she was also far more knowledgeable than his friend and partner with regards to the use of a spear due to the slight similarities to Miló's javelin form as well as her tutor's much longer one.
Tonight, he was practicing using both ends of his weapon, striking with one end then flowing into the next movement with the other as a bludgeon. The movements that Pyrrha recorded on video for him to copy lacked the showmanship he had often seen on television, but that hardly mattered. What he needed were practical skills, after all, not flashy movements that would get him, and his friends, killed.
His movements were slow and clumsy, clearly lacking familiarity and practice.
Then again, that was why he was training in the first place. One set of movements to gain familiarity, then another to prevent monotony, and yet another. Then he would begin again from the first set, taking note of how it felt this time around and how long it took him to complete the movements.
Again and again, the same movements repeated until he barely even thought about his movements. No longer did he need to remind himself of which foot went where and how far, or how and when his torso and arms needed to move in relation to his footwork. His breathing slowly evened out, inhaling at just the right moment, just the right amount, and coming out with a sharp sound just as his spear was swung or thrust.
For nearly two hours, the pair trained in relative silence, shouts of exertion and the random beat of their footwear meeting the ground were the only sounds echoing in the training hall.
They finished their workout at roughly the same time, Ken taking a seat on the bench about a minute after Weiss did. Again, neither said a word to the other, one busy mentally running through what she needed to improve upon while the other was busy cooling down and chugging down a bottle of water.
The silence was broken minutes later when one turned to the other. "Could I ask you something?"
"… of course."
Ken set his bottle of water down on the bench and turned to properly face the Schnee heiress. Or as best he could while remaining seated. "Do you… like it here?"
Weiss was taken aback by the question, not at all expecting it. Then again, she wasn't entirely certain what she had been expecting from the twelve-year-old next to her. Whatever it was, it clearly wasn't that.
"Do I… like it here?" she parroted, wondering if she'd heard wrong. Ken, however, repeated the same question.
"O-of course I do," she responded, sounding more certain than she felt. "Why would you ask that?"
The younger boy shrugged. "I guess it's because I've never really seen you smile. It almost feels like you don't really like being at Beacon. Or that you aren't enjoying yourself."
Weiss was about to deny any truth in that statement but suddenly paused, a thoughtful look appearing on her face as she considered his words. The heiress turned away from Ken, looking towards the center of the training room with a faraway gaze. The spear-wielder let her have that moment to herself, seeing from her expression that the answer wasn't as simple as either of them thought.
"Does it…" Ken refrained from urging her to answer, waiting patiently just like everyone in SEES had once done for him. "Does it really seem that way to you?" Much to her dismay, a nod was the response she received. "I see."
She took a slow, deep breath, holding it for a handful of seconds, then releasing it slowly. Composure regained, she turned to face Ken once more. "I can't say I dislike Beacon." This time, her words and tone matched her inner thoughts. "As for enjoying myself, it's not as if I'm here to have fun."
"Of the four Huntsman Academies, Beacon has long since been hailed as the best in every regard," she began to explain. "It's one of the reasons why I decided to come here rather than attend Atlas Academy. And I plan to take things as seriously as I can if I'm going to be the best I can be, and to make the most of my time here."
"But…" At his clear reluctance, Weiss did her best to give him an encouraging nod, keeping her expression as passive as possible. He took a quick calming breath before giving voice to what was on his mind. "But doesn't that stress you out? I can't imagine having to go to school and not enjoying it even just a little."
"It's not as though I don't do anything in my free time but train and study," she corrected gently. "I do take time off for myself during the weekends just like everyone else."
"That's… not really what I meant." Ken took a moment to collect his thoughts. "It… wasn't easy for me, getting here I mean. Junpei-san was probably the only one who had more trouble than I did, but I don't think it was as bad as everyone said it was."
Weiss wasn't sure why the subject had suddenly turned from how much she liked and enjoyed Beacon to how difficult it was for Ken to get accepted, and possibly to maintain his place, in Beacon. However, she didn't have the heart or the will to force any answers out of him. It was… there was simply something about the situation that made her want to just listen patiently.
"It still isn't easy," he continued, unaware of the heiress's thoughts. "There's only four core subjects I have to study for, but at my age and level back home the teachers wouldn't really ask us to read so far ahead between each class, if they even actually expected us to read ahead at our age."
The difference in culture was, once again, made clear, but Ken's perspective on things wasn't one that she could relate with. Even prior to Beacon, she'd been expected to spend her free time wisely. If she wasn't reading ahead as instructed by her private tutors, she was learning the family trade. If she wasn't occupied by either one, she was learning more about high society and how she was to behave around them as befitting a Schnee.
Combat lessons came later but the expectations were not, in any way, lower. If anything, the standards had been set much higher as though to discourage her. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on the perspective, she had accomplished all that had been asked of her and more. Therefore, her father could do little to keep her from attending Beacon, as they had agreed upon when she had first brought up the matter.
The thought that any educational facility, or one who worked at one, would not push their students to do their utmost best was unimaginable. It practically went against what it stood for to allow their students to be so lax with their studies. Though she supposed it did explain Junpei's own attitude towards his studies. Or, at least, the stories she had heard from before he and SEES came to Beacon made more sense.
"But, you know…" Weiss refocused her attention and found Ken looking up at her with a soft, innocent smile on his face. It was a smile that brought to light just how young he really was. "I don't regret coming here. For every one thing that makes my time here difficult, there's at least one other thing that's enjoyable, something that makes my troubles worth it."
"And if I say that the fulfilment of my ambition is all I need to know that my own troubles are worth it?" she asked in turn.
"Is it?"
For some reason, Weiss found herself unable to respond. Or, rather, the obvious response she wanted to give refused to reach her lips.
Thankfully, Ken did not push the issue, nor did he give any indication of what he thought of her silence. Instead, he finished off his bottle of water, rose off the bench, and picked up his spear where it lay against the wall. Before he left, as he was obviously intending to do, he turned back to the white-haired teen with that same smile. "Even if it is, I don't think there's anything wrong with having fun, especially not when it's something you really want to do."
January 16, XX14
"To be honest, I hadn't expected something like that from him," Weiss admitted at the end of her short tale.
By now, Fuuka was seated on her bed, just across from Weiss, while Aigis was still standing in the same place, listening intently to the answer to her query. Both were silent for a moment, digesting the events that was recounted.
"Ken-kun is… mature for his age," said Fuuka, breaking the silence with a bit of uncertainty and hesitance. Then a small smile brought her lips quirking upwards. "It's just that he tries too hard at times. We try to remind him now and then that there's nothing wrong with acting his age, but he doesn't like it when people treat him like a child so he tries to behave older than he is."
"I don't think there's anything wrong with that," replied Weiss, thinking back to her own childhood. "Even with how relatively peaceful Japan sounded like, and even if he wasn't aiming for a career hunting down Grimm, I think the sooner someone grows up and prepares for the world the better. Even without the Grimm, it's never too early to be the best you could be."
"I suppose we'll just have to disagree on that," Fuuka replied with soft laughter. "I think that it's because the Grimm exist that people should take their time to enjoy their life, their childhood, while it's still there. Life is short, yes, but I think that that just means we need to enjoy what time we do have. While I would prefer to live a long and full life, a short life filled with regrets would be unbearable for me."
Weiss couldn't exactly agree with that sentiment, so she just nodded and agreed to disagree, as Fuuka had suggested. Even if she didn't agree, however…
"Regardless, that conversation with Ken eventually led me to think and realize that Ruby is more like him, and you, than myself. So I needed to approach her studies in a way that appealed to that way of thinking."
Aigis spoke up at that moment, having remained silent the entire time since she had asked her question. "Rather than restricting her free time, you allow her to spend her free time as she wishes with the caveat that her studies are finished. I see."
A pale eyebrow twitched, not that anyone else had noticed it. When worded that way, it sounded like she had manipulated Ruby into studying by taking her free time hostage and with the promise to release it once her studies were done. She hadn't, of course. Ruby's free time was hers to spend as she wished. Weiss had just commandeered some of that time to dedicate to helping her partner with her studies.
Now if only she could fully believe her own rhetoric.
The soft chime coming from the green Scroll in Fuuka's pocket broke the silence. After a quick check, its owner turned to her two friends and teammates. "Everyone's already at the dining hall," she said, answering the unspoken question with a short giggle. "I guess we were too caught up talking to notice the time."
"Well, let's not keep them waiting." Weiss rose to her feet and made a quick check to make sure she hadn't left anything behind. Then she frowned. "Or maybe we can let them wait a while. I'm all but certain that blonde brute's going to accost me again. Maybe I should pick up Myrtenaster from my locker first."
"Yang's just worried about Ruby," placated Fuuka, but felt no true heat in the heiress's words beyond the hint of irritation. "I'm sure you'd be worried about your sister too if anything like this happened to her."
The heiress scoffed as Aigis opened the door and led the way out. "Please. Even if something did happen, Winter is more than capable of handling things by herself. Unlike a certain someone. You won't believe what she did the other day."
Fuuka suppressed a smile as they left the dorm. The heiress might have been complaining, but her tone lacked the intensity and animosity it once held just a few months ago.
"… n't get me started on that sister of hers. I've had it up to he…"
Well, with regards to Ruby at least.
Still, an improvement was an improvement all the same. Fuuka was sure that, someday, once they got over their negative feelings for one another, Yang and Weiss would be very good friends. After all, they both wanted what was best for Ruby. Right?
January 17, XX14
"You want us to… fight?"
Mitsuru turned her head to the left, then to the right, looking at the reactions of the rest of SEES where they stood in a line next to her. Most look confused as well, but Akihiko, as expected, looked excited at the prospect of an actual fight. And from up in the viewing area, the voices of their teammates drifted down to them. She could hear the confusion and excitement, though their voices muffled by the thick, transparent barrier that surrounded the combat area,
"That's correct," replied the Headmaster, who stood between and in front of Professor Goodwitch and Professor Fair. "Now that we've covered your Personas' various abilities, and determined that its usage brings no unexpected reactions with Aura, I feel it's time we put it to a more rigorous test. Moreover, besides from the initiation, we have yet to see you fight as a group the way you are accustomed to and I want to see how capable you are against opponents not of the monstrous variety."
"I see," came the redhead's response, but her tone was laced with suspicion that her face did not convey. "And are we to fight one of you three?"
Ozpin shook his head, his countenance becoming more serious for some reason. "Before I reveal your opponents, I do have one thing I must confess. Know, however, that I did not tell you this sooner out of malice or any ulterior motive."
When all of SEES nodded, albeit after an extended moment of thought and uncertain glances, he took a quick breath and spoke. "Beacon's initiation, as some may have already realized, was intended to separate those who are truly ready to walk the path of a Huntsman from those who are not. School records, recommendations, psychological profiles, reputation… all these and more are taken into consideration when choosing who to allow into the school. However, none of these things can tell me how you will fare in the face of true danger."
"Thus the initiation."
Ozpin nodded at the redhead's conclusion, noting that all the other members of SEES and, surprisingly, all their newfound friends seated above them had come to the same one. Or had a few figured it out and enlightened the others? "Correct." He put that thought away for the moment as it didn't really matter. "Most combat schools would often bring their students on a brief trip to see the Grimm up close. A few would even allow them to fight, though this is rarely done until their final year. And, even then, teachers would be close by to ensure that the worst does not come to pass."
"Here, however, we take away every safety measure and allow the students to progress on their own merits." He paused, letting the severity of the situation sink in, then allowed a ghost of a grin to show on his face. "At least, we try to create the illusion of things being that way."
Their reactions were as expected. Surprise and shock for the most part, great incredulity and disbelief for a handful, and… one who seemed to have expected it? "You don't seem surprised to hear this. Why is that, Ms. Kirijo?"
"It's was simple to figure out, really," she began, throwing small, amused smile in his direction. "A quick check that day out of curiosity revealed that none of the students died. Many were injured, some heavily, but that is to be expected. And, even in the past, less than a handful have ever perished, if there were any, during the exams in any given year. It was only suspicion on my part but your words just now confirmed it."
After a gesture to continue, Mitsuru took a deep breath and resumed her explanation. "I suspected that the forest was under surveillance, likely the other professors and perhaps some volunteer or hired Huntsmen, to ensure minimal casualties. While you may be trying to weed out those who are unprepared or unfit, that does not mean you wish for them to perish to learn their lesson. And even if they fail, Beacon always starts its initiation at least a week before all the other academies, likely to give those who failed a chance to attempt to enter one of the other academies."
Several eyes looked in her direction, some surprised, though none of those eyes belonged to SEES. Some of them just rolled their eyes in amusement, as though Mitsuru figuring things out was something they should have expected, while others just accepted it and looked thoughtful at the information she had released.
Either way, Ozpin smiled and acknowledged, once more, the great intellect held by the former heiress. "Correct, on most points. You were, however, mistaken on one point." His hands, which were clasped behind him, signaled his deputy, who tapped her Scroll upon seeing it. "Rather than Huntsmen, we had some of your fellow trainees monitoring the area both as a precaution and as additional training."
He could see the gears turning in her head, the pieces of the puzzle slowly being pieced together as all the information was collected, sorted, and put together. "That," he continued with barely a pause, "Brings us to what I wanted to tell you. As you may have guessed, some teams, two in this case, were near the relic site and were, therefore, present to see your fight."
As one, sixteen pairs of eyes turned to him intently, all wide for one reason or another. Not that he could blame them, given the circumstances. "However," he cut in before anyone else could speak. "I had already spoken to them before the test ended and have sworn them to secrecy. If they had broken their word, I'm certain we would have heard talk of your Personas long before today."
There was a mix of relief and concern at his words but, for the most part, they seemed content to know that the secret hadn't been completely exposed.
Mitsuru took a breath, about to question the Headmaster on the identity of the two teams who had witnessed the use of their Personas, when a familiar sound reached her ears. The heavy clunking of shifting gears, and the sound of large and heavy metal parts sliding against each other.
All eight teens spun around, the remaining eight up above craning their heads or stepping closer, eyes wide in surprise to find the doors to the combat area opening. And, when the doors finally opened, four people stepped into the arena, causing eyes to widen further and jaws to drop.
"Hey Yukari, fancy meeting you here." A gloved hand rose up, casually waving in the direction of the brown-haired, pink-clad archer.
"YOU?!"
Coco Adel, leader of Team CFVY, just grinned cheekily in response. Next to her, Velvet Scarlatina smiled nervously, hoping her friend and leader wouldn't aggravate things too much. On the two ends of the line, Fox Alistair and Yatsuhashi Daichi remained silent, as they typically did, but gave small smiles and nods to those among their underclassmen that they were familiar with.
A soft chuckle interrupted Yukari before she could begin the rant that most everyone seemed to have predicted by now. "So that's it." All eyes turned back to Mitsuru, whose shock had worn off sooner than most and was replaced by amusement and understanding. "Now I see why you were so insistent on training with us."
"Yeah, well, I wanted to keep it all a surprise so I didn't say anything," Coco replied, that same grin on her face that infuriated Yukari to no end. "Wanted to see how you kids reacted when I went out and said that I knew your little secret."
"Kid? Ain't Mitsuru-senpai older than her?" Junpei asked no one in particular but was mostly ignored as everyone else kept their focus on the two team leaders.
"I assume they are to be our opponents then?" the redhead asked without delay, having already seen through everything now that all the information was within her reach. "If that is the case," she continued before the Headmaster or the other two professors could respond to her query, "Then you'll be disappointed to know that you won't be able to witness our full might."
Eyebrows rose in curiosity as the Headmaster pondered those words. Slightly behind and next to him, Professor Goodwitch's eyes narrowed slightly. "You make it sound as though they are below your current level of abilities."
Then, much to the surprise of a little over half the room, Mitsuru nodded to show her agreement with the blonde professor's words. "Indeed. I may not know their precise capabilities, but I'm quite certain that four members of SEES would be enough to achieve victory."
Rather than be affronted by the words as others might have, Coco's laughter, instead, rang out. When she lowered her gaze, pulling her sunglasses down a bit to look Mitsuru directly in the eye, everyone saw the fire in her chocolate colored irises. "Well now, that sounds like a challenge. You sure you can take us on with just four? 'Cuz, even after what I saw during the initiation, I think you couldn't take down all of us even with all eight of you. Bet you couldn't even take down one of us."
"I suppose that means you accept the terms for this fight then." Uneasy looks were traded between several members of SEES. Even Chidori had broken her usual reticence to stare at Mitsuru in curiosity, wondering what her fellow redhead was thinking.
The cocky grin on the brunette's face more than told everyone her answer before her words did. "Sure, why not? Just be ready to come at us all at once when we win the first match."
"Then it's decided then," the Headmaster cut in, drawing SEES's attention back to him. "I'll leave you to decide who will fight."
The Headmaster then walked over to the side of the room to join Doctors Mores and Blackthorne, their constant presence every testing session an absolute must. Professors Goodwitch and Fair made their way to the combat platform, presumably to officiate the match. And, no doubt, to ensure no permanent harm came to SEES due to their lack of Aura. Team CFVY walked towards the combat area as well, Coco flashing the other eight teens a taunting grin while Velvet shot an apologetic smile in Yukari's direction. And, finally, the eight members of SEES formed a circle, six pairs of eyes turning to their two seniors.
"So… how we doin' this?" asked Junpei.
"Hm… How do you think we should do this?" Mitsuru asked him in return, catching him off-guard. In fact, it caught everyone off-guard. Even Akihiko, who tended to know what the redhead was planning most of the time. Clearly this was not one of those times. "You've been attending both the Leadership and Tactics classes with us so surely you've learned something. I want to see just how far you've come."
It was both a challenge and an order from the leader of SEES. And, once he realized that, Junpei couldn't help but grin inwardly and rise up to face it.
The first thing he did was to glance over at Team CFVY and look them over. The only two who were visibly armed were Fox and Yatsuhashi.
Fox had what appeared to be reddish-bronze gauntlets on his hands with long blades attached near the back. Unlike traditional gauntlets, however, the pair he wore only covered the front of his fist and the outer side of his arm, the whole thing held in place by a brace on his wrists and, if Junpei's eyes weren't mistaken, a bar held in his fist. He couldn't quite remember the name of the weapon, but it seemed to resemble a bladed version of what policemen on TV sometimes used.
Yatsuhashi's weapon was far simpler but no less deadly or effective. A massive, double-edged, curved blade that was as tall as the young man wielding it. The fact that he was easily the tallest in the room didn't escape Junpei's notice, nor the fact that he was holding it up with one hand. Two-toned, with gleaming copper for the main body and a golden sheen on the bladed edges, and a sharp hook on the end that curved back then back again towards the hilt, it was a simple weapon that was no doubt effective in the young man's hands.
Velvet seemed to be unarmed, but that didn't mean a thing in Beacon. Yang, Ren, and Akihiko were accomplished fighters with just their fists so Junpei knew better than to underestimate an unarmed fighter. In fact, it only made her more dangerous since there was no way to disarm her without being literal.
And Coco, the team's leader, only seemed to have her handbag with her. That, itself, was very telling. Unless she was just that confident that she could fight them while carrying her personal belongings, he was willing to bet that her weapon was either inside the bag or, as improbable as it was, was the bag itself. Not that the latter made sense to him.
Still, this was Beacon. He'd seen enough strange weapons to last him a lifetime. A handbag wasn't that bizarre any more. And given the track record of the weapons he'd seen over the past few months, he'd bet anything that it transformed too, though he had no idea as to what weapon it shifted to.
Unfortunately, none of that really helped him come up with any ideas. What he did know was that they were no match in a straight up fight. Aigis could only do so much by herself after all. SEES specialized in ranged attacks and fighting Shadows. Human opponents, especially those more experienced than them, were a vastly different matter. Three close-ranged opponents, all of whom had Aura and could tank more than a couple of hits from their Personas, could take them out quickly if they weren't careful.
The leader, Coco, was mostly an unknown. For all Junpei knew she might have specialized in Dust-based attacks similar to Weiss, or had a combat style that heavily revolved around her Semblance. That sort of unknown information, as he had learned through experience and in class, was dangerous.
The only other known factor he could see was…
When he finally turned back to the rest of SEES, he had a manic grin on his face.
"Wonder how they're gonna pull this one off."
"You don't trust Mitsuru?" Blake asked her partner, who was watching SEES discuss something, probably their battle plan. "I doubt she would have made that claim if she didn't know what she was doing."
"I'll admit," Ren interjected before the blonde could respond. "I have my own doubts. Mitsuru is a skilled leader, tactician, and strategist, and Aigis could possibly match second years in a straight fight, but…"
"There are too many unknowns," continued Weiss, her answer supported by nods from Ren and Pyrrha. And, after some thought, Blake nodded as well, seeing the heiress's point. "Unless Mitsuru knows what Team CFVY is capable of, Semblance included, there are just too many ways this could go wrong. And she already admitted to not knowing their capabilities. I'd like to think that they could have won with all eight of them, but the one year gap is quite significant, especially since they, barring Aigis, are near the bottom of our year in terms of physical ability."
"The use of their Personas will help even things out, but I feel that the battle is still in Team CFVY's favor," admitted Pyrrha, frowning a bit at that thought. But as much as she wished for her friends to attain victory, she couldn't help but look at things with an objective eye as she was wont to do when it came to a fight. "In a fight where neither side is aware of the other's capabilities, the winner will be the one who can adapt faster. But that's not the case here."
By now, everyone's attention was one the Mistralian Champion. With her vast experience fighting other people, dismissing her insight would have been the height of foolishness. "They may be seasoned warriors against the Grimm, but their lack of experience against other people will be detrimental in this fight. Semblances can be unpredictable and even subtle. If they get caught off guard even once at the wrong moment, their entire plan may fall apart."
"On the other hand, Team CFVY is already aware of their Personas and some of what they can do. Unless they've forgotten about it, they'll already have an idea of what to expect and can plan accordingly. If they were fighting them eight-on-four then they may stand a chance. But with equal numbers?" Pyrrha's frown deepened in thought for a moment, then she shook her head. "Their chances would be marginal at best. Unless they can catch CFVY off guard and then take at least one of them out of the fight before they recover, the fight will be an uphill struggle for them."
Everyone, save for Weiss and Pyrrha, frowed at those words. The only other exception was Nora, who pouted sulkily like she had just been told at the breakfast line that they had ran out of pancakes.
"That… might not be entirely right." Seven pairs of eyes looked up hopefully when Blake spoke. She flinched back at suddenly being the center of attention, but steeled herself, for more than one reason, as she met their expectant gazes. "Let's… just say that their plan is going to be a little… unorthodox."
All eyes strayed upwards, departing from her amber eyes and moving towards the obvious mark of her faunus heritage, watching it twitch at the attention and matching the slightly uncomfortable look on her face. And when their gazes wandered back to the combat area, they found Mitsuru discussing something with Coco, to which the latter nodded and made a 'whatever' gesture with her hands. And when the red-haired leader of Team KYBT walked away, they could see the predatory gleam in her eyes despite the pleasant smile on her face.
"O~okay…" came Coco's bemused drawl, one hand pulling her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose to further reveal her confused yet amused expression. "When you asked if you could use any member of your group, I didn't think you meant this. Or that he'd use up one of your four slots. You sure about this? I don't mind giving him a free slot."
"We're sure," Akihiko replied confidently, cockily some might say, while standing in front of the other three that had been chosen to fight. "Like Mitsuru said, we only need four to win. That includes him."
The fashionista didn't look convinced, not that anyone could blame her, but she didn't argue. After all, a victory was a victory regardless of their opponent. "I just hope you realize that it won't be enough."
"We'll see." The smirk never left Akihiko's face as he rejoined his group, taking his place next to Aigis and in front of the other two.
"Is everyone ready?" Professor Goodwitch cut in, looking over both teams with a critical eye, more so SEES's unusual fourth member. A chorus of affirmatives rang out, one of which made a member of the other team flinch. "Then…"
Both sides tensed, ready to move according to their respective plans. The two leaders grinned confidently due to an advantage they had that the other quartet didn't seem to have realized.
"… Begin!"
Within the next few seconds, three things happened in quick succession. And from her position at the back of her team's formation, Coco saw it all happen.
First, three people dashed forward. Fox and Yatsuhashi took point for their team, immediately engaging Aigis in battle, the girl's expression was cold and focused, at odds with the casual, black school uniform and the normally neutral expression she wore. The sound of shattering glass came a split second before the clashing of blades, Athena's massive form materializing above their heads even as Aigis held off the two teens, the pistol used to call forth her summon returned to its holster in the blink of an eye.
Second, two more Personas were summoned in quick succession. The majestic Caesar, its sword raised up as though to proclaim its imminent victory, and the mystifying Hecate, neither fully man nor beast but no less regal and fierce in appearance. It was only through the Headmaster that she was even aware of their names, though he had kept their precise capabilities to himself. At the very least, they had glimpsed enough during the initiation to know to watch out for long-range attacks.
Third, a white blur dashed to the side to circle around them. And its destination was exactly as they'd overheard through Velvet. Upon seeing this, said faunus dashed in the opposite direction to maintain her distance from the knife-wielding Koromaru, keeping the three people engaged in a fight between her and the white devil.
Two pairs of brown eyes, one a deep chocolate brown and the other a lighter shade, locked onto each other, the owner of the latter nodding to the former. With a grin, Coco turned to the fight in front of her and the distance to the dog that was carefully attempting to get around it. "Right about… NOW!"
All at once, Velvet jumped into the fight, engaging Aigis with her bare fists, while Fox and Yatsuhashi dashed away from the blonde, the former intercepting Koromaru while the latter dashed past his opponent and went for Akihiko, who had taken a defensive placement in front of Chidori. It was curious that the Personas that had been summoned had yet to do anything, but if the trio of first-years wanted to underestimate them then they were welcome to it. Coco and her team would just have to show them the error of their ways.
Aigis Arisato. The so-called Untouchable Girl. She had to admit, the girl wasn't half bad. Her skills were, in a single word, phenomenal. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought that the blonde was a veteran Huntsman with decades of combat experience.
Her attacks were crisp and polished, every single step and swing calculated down to the smallest motion to avoid any excess movements. Her defenses were tight and unmoving, guarding every possible avenue of attack and only leaving openings where Velvet couldn't possibly strike. The girl even took the phrase 'dodging by a hair's width' very literally. Not even the 'prodigies' and 'geniuses' she had encountered and heard of could fight with such precision and fearlessness. And that was compounded by the fact that she didn't have Aura to protect her if she made even the slightest miscalculation.
Who had trained this girl? Where had she honed her skills to such a remarkable degree? Why was she the only one who was at that level?
So many questions, but not the right time for it. She's just have to find out after she beat them down.
With a casual, unhurried pace, Coco unslung her handbag from her shoulder and held it in her left hand by the shorter strap, eyes locked onto the form hovering over Aigis and Velvet. With practiced ease, her stance shifted just as the tiny handbag released its contents and shifted into her weapon of choice, her other hand catching and gripping onto the trigger as it popped out from the back.
Her grin widened at the looks of shock she received from the spectating underclassmen, then it shrank just a little bit at the nonplussed reaction from Mitsuru. Either she had already known, or she was just that good at hiding her reactions. Regardless, however, she had a summoned Semblance to destroy.
She raised the front of her weapon, a large gatling gun with six rotating barrels and an equally large drum magazine holding hundreds of bullets, and aimed it at the summoned construct. Yet, despite the imminent danger, it continued to hover there without doing anything. Was it perhaps controlled directly? Perhaps the fact that Aigis was too busy fighting Velvet meant she couldn't control it at the same time.
Ultimately, it didn't matter. She'd take it down all the same.
The soft whine of her weapon powering up and the barrels beginning to spin reached her ears as her finger depressed the trigger. It only took a few seconds before the barrel was spinning fast enough for the bullets to start flying. But, in that short moment, the tables turned.
Two of the three Personas, Aigis's and Akihiko's, simultaneously raised their weapons up towards the ceiling while Chidori's snapped its whip to the side with a loud crack. Then, all eight combatants were covered in a blue glow, though the one over Coco and her team was slightly darker in shade. At the same time, a shimmering white dome appeared briefly over all four of their opponents, much like a passing light shining over a round, reflective surface.
Coco watched as Yatsuhashi finally reached Akihiko and Chidori, who had retreated near the opposite end of the combat arena, a costly mistake as it brought them too close to the edge. The tall boy swung the flat side of his blade at Akihiko's side. Although, judging by the speed of his swing, he was holding back quite a bit just as they'd discussed. They wanted to beat them, not kill them after all.
Off to the side, Fox finally caught up to Koromaru, who had been nimbly avoiding him with contemptuous ease. The dog was preternaturally agile, far more than anyone would have expected. If there were any doubts left in her mind that he was accustomed to combat, there were next to none now. Though he hadn't attacked her rust-haired teammate just yet, he could have easily done so several times now.
And, finally, the very first bullet left the chamber of her weapon, followed soon after by over a dozen more.
But then…
"Wha-?!" Yatsuhashi, despite his size and bulk, was suddenly sent stumbling to the side just as the air around Akihiko flashed.
"UGH!" Fox suffered a similar fate when his fist struck Koromaru, losing his footing and nearly falling over as though he had been struck.
And Coco's bullets proved ineffective when the Persona's shield spun in her direction to block her shots, sending stray bullets flying in random directions.
Frowning at the sudden and strange occurrences, the leader of Team CFVY made a quick reassessment just as a yellow glow, once again a darker shade for her team, covered the fighters. "Okay, so it's not gonna be that easy." Her frown only deepened when the spear-wielding Persona suddenly charged at her, shield still in place and deflecting her bullets.
Aigis parried a kick then ducked down as Velvet leaned back further, left hand touching the ground, and brought her other leg around for another kick. The faunus pushed off the ground with her hand to avoid the retaliatory slash, then immediately brought her other hand up, catching the blonde's glowing yellow fist at it came at her face.
The unexpected force behind the blow shocked her just as much as the glowing did, launching her up and away, her hand stinging and tingling from the impact. She landed on her feet several meters away, shaking her hand once, then twice, but Aigis was already closing the gap. The blonde's weapons were at the ready and she possessed a cold, machine-like look in her eyes.
What had that glow been? That was the second one that she had seen, the first being blue in color, and the only change seems to have been a sudden increase in strength. That didn't even count the strange dome that briefly appeared over her opponent's body, or the fact that she and her team had glowed briefly as well, though with darker shades of blue and yellow.
"I knew I should have argued more," she muttered softly to herself just before Aigis came within striking range.
Before the fight began, Velvet was beginning to wonder if agreeing to the Headmaster's request to fight the group called SEES had been a good idea. And before that, she had gotten into a small debate with Coco, trying and failing to convince her friend and leader that it wasn't a good idea. 'Trying' being the operative word.
It wasn't just the lack of information on their opponents. They'd faced worse in that regard and they were aware of the group's Personas as well as some of its capabilities. It wasn't even the fact that Koromaru, the paradoxically cute yet terrifying dog, was actually part of the fight. Well, it was a large factor, given that she occasionally found herself nervously glancing in his direction to make sure that Fox was still keeping him busy, but it wasn't the most important one.
No. The most significant issue she had was that, despite their Personas, SEES was physically inferior to everyone else in the school. They had seen the results of the physical exam that Professor Goodwitch gave every first year. SEES was ranked at the bottom of their year in just about every category, with a few outliers like Akihiko and Mitsuru's hand-eye coordination.
Aigis was the only one near the top, standing at fifth place overall out of their entire year, and the only one who could not be considered inferior right off the bat. And even then, she still lacked Aura. One single blow could prove disastrous, possibly even life-ending if fortune turned against them.
It was why Velvet had volunteered to fight the highly skilled blonde. As the one who would undoubtedly engage in close combat, Aigis was in the most dangerous position. Having her face off against Velvet, an unarmed fighter, minimized the possibility of severe injury. Not only that, but it also got Velvet away from Koromaru, aided by their wait-and-see approach by sending Fox and Yatsuhashi to delay Aigis while they observed how the white dog moved.
And that brought up the one thing that disappointed Velvet greatly. They had forgotten her faunus heritage. And her ears were quite obvious too. Thanks to that, she had overheard every single detail of their plan.
Aigis would charge forward to engage whoever Team CFVY sent to fight first. Akihiko and Chidori would hang back and use long-range attacks when the opportunities come, likely when nobody was close to their targets. Koromaru would circle around and use Velvet's obvious and unnatural fear of him to knock her out of the fight as quickly as possible.
A simple plan, but an effective one. At least, if she hadn't overheard it. Much as she might not have wanted to fight, she agreed with Coco on one point. They would teach them the consequences of being overconfident. Better for them to learn that lesson here, while in training, than on the field with the Grimm or less scrupulous foes like criminals.
Now inside Aigis's attack range, Velvet lashed out with a roundhouse kick before the blonde could attack. And, for the first time since the pair of them began to fight one another, Aigis outright blocked the kick with her forearm.
Velvet had been holding back. It was too be expected, after all, since she didn't want to hurt the girl too badly. Even so, the power behind the kick was more than enough to knock out a grown man. Strong as Aigis was, she shouldn't have been able to just stop the kick so effortlessly.
Compounding her surprise further, a white flash came from where her shin met Aigis's forearm. A split second later, she felt something striker her from her opposite side, pushing her away from the blonde. Yet she wasn't a second-year student nor one of her year's top fighters for no reason. She spun to the side, slamming her right foot down on the ground, and transferred her momentum to the rest of her body. Her clockwise spin continued with her right leg acting as the fulcrum, allowing Aigis's blade, having lashed out just as the flash occurred, to pass unhindered where her head had been, and brought her other leg up to strike Aigis's unguarded flank.
Only, rather than hurting the girl, the place where her leg struck barely even budged. In fact, it almost felt like she had just kicked solid steel with only her Aura preventing her from being hurt. In that instant, Aigis wrapped her right arm around the faunus's leg, trapping it in place, while her left hand went to her thigh. Just as she realized what the blonde was about to do, a green glow covered them. And, yet again, the one that surrounded her was darker in coloration.
All of a sudden, Aigis seemed to be moving faster than she had been earlier. Before she could react, Velvet found herself thrown to the side by the hands on her leg, the force behind the throw sending her flying. She barely managed to tuck herself into a ball to cushion her fall, rolling along the ground for a moment to regain her bearings then skidding to a stop in a three-point pose.
"Okay! What the HELL is going on here?"
The shout from Coco caught her attention, but she dared not turn her eyes away from the rapidly approaching blonde. Velvet quickly rose to her feet and dropped into a fighting stance, noting that her movements seem sluggish while Aigis was definitely moving faster. Or, rather, she seemed to be moving in fast forward.
Had that been what the glows meant?
Velvet recalled that Aigis's punch seemed notably stronger after the yellow glow had covered her. Just now, she seemed to be moving faster after the green glow had come and gone. The blue glow and the white flash, however…
Yellow for strength and green for agility or speed. The only incident left unaccounted for was the fact that Aigis had taken two blows without so much as flinching, one of them somehow causing her to be hit despite the absence of an attack. So… durability perhaps? And one that… returned or reflected an attack? Was that even possible?
Unfortunately, she no longer had time to think for the blonde in question was already halfway through a punch while Velvet's limbs felt less responsive, reacting slower than normal, even though she could see herself moving as fast as usual.
No… that wasn't right either. It was something else, but she couldn't place it nor did she have time to think on the matter further.
Unable to raise her arm up in time to stop the punch, the rabbit faunus leaned to the side just as the trench knife's knuckles landed on her cheek, lessening the force.
Or it was supposed to.
Again, the force of the blow, compounded by her slowed reflexes, led her to taking what felt like the full force of the blow. Her head snapped to the side just as the other hand came in to striker her now open flank. Velvet stumbled back just as Aigis leapt back. She briefly wondered why the blonde hadn't capitalized on the opportunity, only to realize the answer when a hail of bullets shot up the ground that they had been occupying just then.
"Coco!" She shouted out while turning to her leader with a scolding glance. She may have been using rubber bullets, but that didn't mean it still wouldn't hurt. Especially that many bullets.
The look of reproach on her face turned into one of concern and confusion when she found Coco, Fox, and Yatsuhashi running in her direction. Much like with Aigis, all three of them looked like they were moving in fast forward. And yet, that made no sense to her. Why would SEES grant them something beneficial while doing the opposite to her alone? She was missing something, she was sure of it.
Right now, they were clearly on the back foot. But, seeing the look on Coco's face, she knew that she was going to start taking SEES seriously.
It took her a moment to realize that she was grinning ever so slightly at the thought of letting loose.
"Think they've realized it yet?"
Much like Team CFVY, the quartet of Persona-users regrouped after having fended of their respective opponents.
Koromaru's natural agility and his instincts honed from fighting Shadows had allowed him to easily defend himself from the equally agile Fox. Athena's Masukukaja and Caesar's Masukunda combined completely tilted the battle in his favor.
Akihiko and Chidori, fighting at close and mid-range respectively, held off Yatsuhashi, who was no doubt dumbfounded by his inability to inflict any visible damage on Akihiko as well as the boxer's unexpected strength. Where the soft-spoken giant would have normally dominated the fight, Matarukaja and Marakukaja, as well as their respective weakening counterparts, all but neutered the teen's offensive and defensive capabilities to the point that Akihiko wouldn't have needed to defend himself at all. And all the while, Chidori's axe, spinning and flying around on its chain, would strike Yatsuhashi from his undefended flank or rear to open up opportunities for Akihiko.
A glance up at the screen showed that they had taken his Aura down by half. No doubt the young man was surprised they had managed such a feat with the large difference in skill and ability.
As for Coco and Velvet, Aigis had done an exemplary job holding them both at bay. The switch from Fox and Yatsuhashi to Velvet had been unexpected, but it had ended up in their favor in the end. Coco's gatling gun, which still threw all reason out the window with how it shouldn't have fit into a handbag of that size, was useless against Athena's shield, and Velvet, for all her skill, was clearly no match for a living fighting computer.
"It's possible, yes," Mitsuru replied, watching Team CFVY converse from her place outside the hard-light walls of the combat area. "For now, assume that they are aware of our Persona's abilities and act accordingly."
"Wonder how they'll react if they knew we knew they were listening in."
"Coco'll probably throw a fit," Yukari replied to Junpei's thoughts. "And she'll probably have a conniption if she ever learns we can communicate this way." A round of snickers and chuckles came through their Fuuka-provided link as the thought of the normally cool and sassy girl throwing a tantrum. "Get ready though. Team CFVY is easily one of the top teams of their year."
The team inside the arena sobered up at that reminder, knowing that their earlier victory was a result of the element of surprise. While the boost provided by their Personas would remain useful, the knowledge of what they were would lessen the overall impact. More so once they realized that the boost was temporary.
"Here they come," came the warning from Fuuka, the 'words' reaching the team just as Team CFVY broke apart from their planning session.
Coco hung back, her weapon making her the only choice for long-range support. The other three rushed forward, Velvet leading the charge with the other two following closely to either side. Aigis, after receiving a nod from Akihiko, called forth Athena with her Evoker then charged forward as well.
Sharp blue eyes spotted Yatsuhashi eyeing the spear-wielding Persona while Velvet and Fox looked straight at her. Their intentions were obvious and it was as close as possible to one of their many predictions.
"Well, we saw this coming," Junpei muttered, his 'voice' coming through the bond softly. "You guys got this!"
"Man, I thought you guys had it in the bag there."
Not long after the fight and subsequent debriefing with the professors had ended, all five teams left and had commandeered one corner of the lunch room for themselves. Being a Saturday, most students were outside the campus and, as such, obtaining privacy was a small issue for the group of twenty despite being in the dining hall.
Sitting on opposite sides at the end of the table were Team CFVY and Team KYBT, with Junpei and Akihiko respectively sitting next to the two teams alongside their own. The only one sitting apart from her team was Aigis, who sat between Akihiko and Ren. Across from her, Ken was doing his best to convince Nora that he had had enough of arcades during the end-of-year break.
Most of the hype, and disappointment, from the fight had bled out while the usual trio of Aigis, Mitsuru and Fuuka were being debriefed earlier, so conversation for most of them had turned back to plans for the rest of the day. Only those at the end of the table were still discussing it.
"Close, but you shouldn't have let us regroup and figure out your abilities," Coco answered in response to Junpei's comment, taking a sip of her iced tea. "You caught us by surprise, but once we understood how they worked it was easy enough to come up with a plan of our own."
"That, and you forgot, or didn't realize, that I could hear you," came Velvet's accented voice, her eyes glancing upwards towards her ears. "I may not have heard anything about your abilities, or that you were going to use them, but your plan might have worked better at the start if I hadn't known ahead of time."
Junpei chuckled sheepishly, hand reaching behind his head. "Ahaha… about that…"
When he failed to properly respond despite the curious looks he was getting, Yukari sighed and turned to face Velvet. "What Stupei's trying to say is that he did remember. It's just that he was trying to be clever about it by letting you overhear and thinking we'd still win by surprising you with the stuff we didn't talk about out loud." There were snickers all around even as the aforementioned teen just turned away with a light blush of embarrassment.
"Still, gotta admit that bringing in Koro-chan was pretty clever." The archer grinned in the direction of the rabbit faunus. "Even while you were fighting Aigis, your eyes just kept going to Koro-chan like you were afraid he'd suddenly be right next to you."
"He was quite… elusive." It was Fox who answered, the white-eyed teen speaking up from across Velvet with his soft, gravelly voice. "Even before your Semblances made it all but impossible."
"That said, where does a dog learn to fight like that?" Yatsuhashi asked, dark eyes scanning the nearby members of SEES for answers. "Was he trained specifically to fight?"
This time, Akihiko provided the answer. He explained how he had been out on patrol that night, keeping an eye out for possible stray Grimm that wandered into the city, when Fuuka, their coordinator, contacted him about a possible sighting. He related the tale of how the Grimm was already dead by the time he arrived and that Koromaru had been responsible for its death but had to be taken to a veterinarian after the fact.
And it wasn't just Team CFVY who was listening intently. Up until that moment, none of the others had thought to ask about how Koromaru had joined SEES. They had questioned his Persona, yes, but never his circumstances. So the tale being told was as interesting to them as the quartet of second-year trainees.
"And he stayed afterwards?" the large teen asked in conclusion before Akihiko could.
"Wanted to return the favor, I guess," the boxer responded with a shrug, not wanting to go into how Aigis had been the one to translate Koromaru's 'words' that night he joined them. "He's stuck with us since then, even going out to patrol the city with us at night."
Velvet shook her head in amusement and disbelief. Now that she wasn't directly in Koromaru's presence, she didn't so much as flinch or freeze from the thought of him. And, with a clearer head, she found the tale quite endearing. "I still find it hard to believe how long and how much you've all been fighting the Grimm," she commented, realizing, or rather now better understanding, that they had been fighting mankind's enemies much more than even the fourth years in terms of sheer quantity, even if not in the length of time. "Not even recent graduates can claim to fight the Grimm nearly every day."
"And that's on top of your schoolwork and regular day-to-day affairs," she added quickly, remembering Yukari's tales of how they had to struggle at times to balance the many aspects of their lives. "I don't know if I would have been able to manage it all if I was in your place."
Next to Mitsuru, Yukari was somewhat regretting sharing so much. Not because she didn't trust Team CFVY, but because she was having trouble remembering just how much she had shared and what, exactly, she had said. And, more importantly, she had not always relayed to the others just what she had shared. Most of what she told her new friends were true, but a few impromptu improvisations had been needed along the way.
One such adjustment was how often they actually fought the Shadows and how many they fought. She had told them that SEES went out to cull the nearby Grimm multiple times a week to prevent any from straying into the city, or gathering in force. A handful to a dozen of Grimm per outing was a far cry from the several dozens of Shadows they faced during a single visit to Tartarus.
Yet another was how they were given special exemptions from morning classes the day after a long training session or any unexpected event related to their 'part-time jobs'. However, schoolwork still had to be turned in at the proper time and any lessons missed would not be repeated, leaving SEES to manage their own studies so as not to fall behind.
One slip of the tongue, or a thoughtless and stray comment, from one of the others would draw suspicion on Yukari's tales. And despite how she acted at times, Coco was sharp and observant as befitting her position as team leader. She would no doubt catch the inconsistencies and, given her personality, would just 'casually' bring it up right in front of everyone rather than confront Yukari about it in private, forcing her to reveal her lies.
"Junpei probably had the most trouble with that," provided Akihiko. "He wasn't exactly the most studious back then. Not that he is now anyway."
"Hey, I heard that."
"You were meant to," the boxer shot back at the other teen, a challenging grin on his own face. When Junpei just grinned in response, he turned his attention away. "I think it's because we still had all the regular stuff that we managed. A way to unwind after everything."
"And also a constant reminder of what we were fighting to protect," finished Mitsuru.
Any other time and Yukari would have pointed out that it hadn't always been that way. However, it wasn't the time for that, nor were they in the right place to bring up something so personal. She tuned out the rest of the conversation, idly noting that Velvet seemed to glance in her direction for a moment before turning back to her conversation with Mitsuru.
'A constant reminder of what we were fighting to protect.'
She held back a bitter chuckle at those words. Not at the one who had spoken or the words themselves, but at the truth left unspoken underneath it all. Back then, long before they learned the truth from Ikutsuki and, later on, Ryoji, their reasons for fighting wasn't simply the preservation of all human life or even anything remotely close to such a selfless and heroic goal.
Yukari fought to uncover the truth of the past.
Junpei fought for recognition and to be something beyond ordinary.
Fuuka fought because it gave her a purpose of her own choosing.
Mitsuru fought for her father, her family.
Akihiko fought because he found it thrilling and challenging.
Aigis fought because it was what she was created to do, her duty.
Ken fought because it brought him closer to his goal.
And while she wasn't absolutely certain of his initial reason, she was at least certain that Minato had not fought just to save people. If anything, his reason was probably something that would make her palm her face in exasperation. Or perhaps embarrassment. Or both.
Likely both.
Beneath all that, far beneath in some cases, they fought because it was the right thing to do, even if some of them might have done so simply because it was the choice that was expected of them rather than because they sincerely wanted to do what was right. Yukari, if asked, wouldn't pretend that she had any such noble goals at the beginning. If not for the possibility of achieving her own desires, she would have preferred to leave the fighting to someone else and ignore anything that had nothing to do with her.
She couldn't be sure that she wasn't the only one who felt that way, but the possibility of there being another who felt the same as her was not zero.
And yet, as they faced one obstacle after another, facing truths and lies from all sides, they slowly began to question themselves. As they gained one thing only to lose another, they began to question what they were truly fighting for. As they accomplished their goals only to realize just how badly they had failed, they began to question if the path they had taken to that failed achievement was even worth the price they had to pay.
What use was the truth if you had no one to share it with?
What did recognition matter when it came from people you didn't care for?
What was a purpose without true motivation driving it?
What was a family you did not truly interact with?
What was a challenge without a proper goal?
What was a duty without the understanding of its purpose?
What was a goal that ended in nothing but emptiness?
What was the point in fighting when they had nothing to fight for?
It was only after losing everything that they realized just how much they had forgotten they had.
The normalcy granted to those who did not lead normal lives. The mundane to balance out the excitement. The calm to shelter them from the storm when it became too much.
Friends and family. Two groups of people held deep within their hearts yet laying forgotten as other, seemingly more important things became the focal point of their lives, the sun which their every decision and action revolved around.
Looking back, it seemed so long ago that she could barely bring herself to trust anyone in SEES, least of all Mitsuru, the Kirijo Heiress herself. And now the two of them were friends in every way that mattered. She might even go as far as saying that the redhead was her best friend, and not just because her old friends were gone now.
Mitsuru had confided in her more and more as the days and weeks passed since that day by the river. Told her things, secrets, about herself that she had never told anyone else. How she often used to dream of the night she first summoned her Persona, and how the dream turned into a nightmare as her Persona never appeared. How she worried that her father saw her as a disappointment more and more with each failure and setback up until Minato's arrival. She had even spoken of how she sometimes experienced a hint of jealousy towards Yukari herself, wishing she could be just as open and free around her peers as the archer was.
And she, in turn, had confided in the older girl. Yukari told her of her original goal, admitted that she just wanted to find the truth behind her father's death. She told her of the pain she went through the years after his death, the rumors that plagued her family wherever they went. She even spoke of the anger and jealousy she felt towards Mitsuru and her father, how she felt that it was unjust that the man whose family was responsible for the death of her own father continued to live while many others had died.
Despite the rocky beginnings, the unexpected bond that had formed between them under the twilight sun by the Kamogawa had only grown stronger with each passing day. It was almost hard for her to imagine what sort of life she would be leading now had she not confronted Mitsuru that fateful day.
Glancing around the table, Yukari could hardly believe how much their little group had changed and grown. The fact that there was twice as many of them now, even if half the group were still in the dark about many things, still boggled her mind at times. Never would she have thought that they would, in a sense, expand their group, especially not with people who knew nothing of the Dark Hour.
She couldn't even blame it on the fact that they were teammates, all but forcing them to interact with one another. Despite the many rough patches and edges, Yukari could honestly say that all their new friends were decent and likeable people. Even Weiss, though it had taken quite a long time for her to see it.
A quick glance showed that said heiress was scowling lightly at something Ruby had said, though Fuuka's giggling let her know that it wasn't anything serious else she would have been playing mediator already. The fact that she was tolerating it with barely any words was already a massive improvement for the girl who once snapped at, or just walked away from, every little thing that displeased her.
A part of Yukari wondered just what had changed and when, but at the same time she hoped that the development continued. Weiss was, as far as she could tell, not malicious. Selfish and self-centered to a great degree, yes, but not consciously malicious.
As she considered all this, she failed to notice a pair of brown eyes constantly shifting in her direction, watching her with concern and a hint of longing.
"…enth town to have been discovered in this state by the investigating Huntsmen. The suspect of the incidents has yet to be identified beyond their use of a bladed weapon with the ability to cut through even stone and steel with seemingly little to no difficulty. The council has further increased the reward for any information leading to the cap-"
The voice of the newscaster was cut off as the television was switched off, a slim, gloved hand setting down the remote on the desk. The black-haired woman leaned back into her seat, her eyes shut deep in thought. When they opened once more, bright, electric blue eyes turned to the corner of the room where a certain red-haired man was lounging around on a sofa.
"What do you think?"
"I think we need to send someone to take care of whatever's causing all that trouble. Or at least get some clues to pass on to someone who can."
The response came without the usual playfulness that he usually dealt out when speaking with others. Instead, his entire demeanor was serious, and his brown eyes were narrowed in thought. Gone was the infuriatingly playful man that dealt with the day to day operations. In his place was a man with a sharp gaze whose tone brooked no argument.
"Not you?" Shade asked, a slightly raised eyebrow the only sign of her surprise.
Thantos shook his head, crimson tresses swaying lightly with the movement. "No. Whatever or whoever's causing all this trouble is invisible to my Semblance. Unless I'm better than them in a fight, I'll likely end up on the casualty list. Normally I'd be up for a fight like that, but right now you're calling the shots until this little contract of ours is over. Doubt you'd want me running off to a likely death."
The raven-haired woman didn't refute his words. They were true after all. Even if he were the only person in her employ who could possibly defeat the cause of the Anima Massacres, as the news was calling it, he was far too valuable and necessary at this point in time. He was the lynchpin in her current plans, and would be for the next year or so. Until those plans were accomplished, she could not allow his contract to be terminated prematurely.
"Were you able to learn anything of import at the very least?"
The redhead nodded, his expression a complex mix of somber and excited. "Just one thing. Whatever is causing all this, it's not human."
January 18, XX14
"And that's the end of the match."
Both excited and disappointed shouts and murmurs immediately broke out once the thirty-minute match ended. Exactly as she had predicted. Then again… Glancing over at the trio who had just fought a two-on-one battle, anyone could have predicted that reaction based on who the fighters were as well as the conclusion of the match.
Since that very first fight between them, everybody had been anticipating a rematch. And yet, Glynda had chosen not to give it to them at any point. In her opinion, it was much better for her class as a whole for the two top students to face the other students rather than each other. They were here to learn, after all, not to watch exciting matches.
This time, however, was one of the few exceptions.
Off to one side, the partnership of Aigis Arisato and Fuuka Yamagishi stood side-by-side, one sweating slightly and breathing heavily while the other looked as fresh as she did prior to the fight. To the spectating students not in the know, it must have made her seem so much more formidable, so much more untouchable, to see that she did not seem even the least bit tired after such a grueling match.
To the other side, standing across from the duo, was Pyrrha Nikos. Pyrrha, however, looked nothing like she usually did after a fight. Her hair was completely matted with sweat, loose strands plastered all over her face even as her ponytail had begun to come loose from her vigorous movement the past half-hour, her breathing labored. But, despite her disheveled and exhausted appearance, her guard and stance never faltered up until the match had officially ended.
And even when it did end, she continued to stand tall refusing to show just how badly she had been pushed. In fact, her face relaxed into a satisfied smile despite the craving, the desire, that Glynda could see in her eyes. It seemed that her choice in combatants was good for more than one reason if the girl could smile like that when no other fight gave her the same satisfaction.
While her image as unflappable had no doubt been broken a second time, the fact that she still had not been hit would only further booster her reputation as 'Invincible'. After all, of those in their year, only a fool would think that they could have done better in her place.
It was clear that the redhead had learned much over the past few months since her last fight with the blonde android-in-hiding.
The first time they fought, Aigis's surprising display of skill nearly pushed Pyrrha to defeat. Even if it would have been by ring-out, it would have been the first time the Mistralian Champion faced defeat by someone in her age group.
This time, however, the two fought on more even grounds by virtue of a better understanding of one another's skills and abilities.
But if she were being honest, Glynda would say that Aigis, being what she was, would be the first to achieve victory in a one-on-one, no-holds barred match. Whether it was through sheer skill or with their respective Semblances, the mechanical maiden had too many advantages and far too many abilities for just one person to overcome.
Here and now, where both had restrictions, some self-imposed, they were mostly evenly matched. That is… until you threw in the only other person to last longer than five minutes in a fight against Pyrrha Nikos.
While lacking the offensive ability of either of the other two combatants, Fuuka Yamagishi possessed excellent defensive abilities, enough to make up for her lack of offensive prowess in some regards. And, meager as it was, adding that little bit of firepower was more than enough to tilt the scales.
Throughout the entire fight, Fuuka provided nothing more than ranged support, utilizing the well-concealed firearm within her gauntlet shields. Even so, her timing and shot placement was impeccable. At no point did she shoot when her partner was in the line of fire, nor were the angles of fire in any way detrimental to the blonde android, either offensively or defensively.
As a result, Ms. Nikos found herself truly challenged by the duo who, individually, put up more of a fight than any other student in their year. Together, they were a menace in a way that Glynda was absolutely certain the young champion had never faced before.
Gunfire closing off her retreat just as dual knives came in from the front or her flanks. Bullets aimed right where her foot was about to land, forcing her to stumble awkwardly just as she was on the attack. Her xiphos and shield occupied by blades just as a gun unleashed their payloads at her open flanks.
Never before had Glynda seen a more perfect display of teamwork and coordination from any student, past or present, first year or fourth. Even veteran Huntsmen needed years of training and experience, working solely with one partner the entire time, to achieve such a level. And yet…
And yet, as amazing as it was, it was not something gained solely through hard work and experience.
Fuuka Yamagishi's ability to communicate telepathically, even in the middle of a fight, combined with Aigis Arisato's advanced combat ability made for an incredibly dangerous pair. Glynda had no doubt that Aigis had been directing the shorter girl, telling her where to aim and when to shoot, while no doubt manipulating Pyrrha's placement on the battlefield to her advantage, leading her to where she needed the redhead to be while making it look as though the support coming from Fuuka was due to her own judgment.
Not to say the girl was foolish or incapable, but at the level the aces fought she would have been hard-pressed to make such choices on her own with the necessary swiftness and decisiveness. Left alone, she may have ended up failing to act on the very brief openings, or even working against her own partner were she to fire at the wrong location or time.
But she made no such mistakes. And, as a result, The Invincible Girl was hard-pressed to keep herself and her Aura pristine and damage-free.
A few more minutes later, once the three combatants had returned to the seating area, Glynda addressed the students to begin her lecture.
"I'm sure many of you came to class today with one of two expectations. The one who was outnumbered would lose, perhaps even after putting up a valiant fight, or the lone fighter would be skilled enough to overcome the odds and achieve victory. And some likely expected these outcomes even for those as skilled as Ms. Arisato and Ms. Nikos."
The silence was very telling, as was how a few students turned away slightly from the aforementioned pair. "It's not an unreasonable conclusion. Those two are, by far, the most common ways for such a fight to end. But there are times when neither skill nor numbers can tip the scales. Ms. Arisato and Ms. Nikos are nearly even in terms of skill, so the addition of Ms. Yamagishi should have led to a loss on Ms. Nikos's part."
Glynda took in everyone's expressions, noting who expected the aforementioned outcome as well as those who expected the redhead to win despite being outnumbered. Knowing how her students thought gave her insight into what they felt was more important in such a fight, skill or numbers.
"However, as you've just witnessed, the disadvantage of numbers was not enough to bring about her defeat. Yet, at the same time, even her skills were not enough to turn the tables on her opponents. And that," she hardened her tone, eyes darting around once more to see if anyone had yet to understand. "Is the true purpose of our current lesson."
"I expect an essay from each of you no later than the end of our class on Friday." The groans were expected, though she really wished the students wouldn't be so melodramatic about it every single time they were given work to do outside the classroom. Ignoring them, she continued. "Pay close attention to each and every fight we will have this week. I want you all to share your insights. Whether they are positive or negative, objective observations or merely personal opinions, barebones or detailed, anything will be accepted provided they are your own thoughts and insights regarding the fights. Nothing more, nothing less."
And now came the confusion. Just like it did every year. Such an assignment, one with lenient requiements, was not one they would have expected from her.
This was their first true test of what they've learned since their entry into Beacon. Practical ability or theoretical knowledge alone could only carry someone so far. One needed both, as well as a deeper understanding of them, to truly advance and succeed as a Huntsman.
People like Lilianna Harding, Weiss Schnee, Lie Ren, Oliver Imness, and, surprisingly, Jaune Arc, possessed more of the latter than the former. For all their theoretical knowledge, she could see that they lacked in practical application of what they knew. And even when they could apply that knowledge, they tended to lack the creativity to go beyond, to travel outside the path that has already been set out for them.
Others like Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose, Cardin Winchester, Lorenzo Uaine, and Basil Carinae were the opposite. For all their abilities in combat, they possessed some measure of difficulty grasping the theoretical side of combat, often relying on skills and instincts developed through training. While not inherently wrong, certain paths were closed off to them that were open to their counterparts.
Their essays from the first major examinations gave Glynda insight into their thoughts, but that had been as individuals. Or rather, a large majority answered the questions from the perspective of an individual rather than from that of a team member. It was a glaring flaw that was all too common for first years, one that she needed to correct before they fell deeper into that way of thinking.
But, at the same time, she needed to show that, while teamwork was all well and good, they should not neglect their individual skills on the basis that their team was there to make up for their shortcomings.
It was a pitfall as much as the other.
Too many times in the past, she had seen great teams failing because they were unable to compensate for the lack of a single member of their team. They had developed their skills around one another, each one developing along a certain path so as to better provide a service to the team that the others could not.
One example she could vividly remember was a team that divided themselves into four separate roles. One to draw attention and engage in close quarters, one to strike from the shadows, one to strike from afar, and one to create openings for the team.
The theory behind it was sound. Each member played their role perfectly to the point that no words needed to be spoken for plans to form. The movement of one, once seen by the others, determined how the rest should follow. The slightest change in combat was a sign for everyone to see and comprehend in ways their foes could not.
Yet in that perfection lay their weakness.
Like the well-oiled machine they were oft compared with, removing a single piece, no matter how small, was more than enough to put a halt to its operations. One member becoming incapacitated, or a single weapon or tool in their arsenal going missing, was all that it took for the entire team to crumble.
The two-on-one matches would, as it did every year, provide her the final key in her understanding of her students. She had seen how they fought as individuals. Seen how they fought as partners, as pairs, and as a team. Now she would see where they excelled along that spectrum once the scales were uneven.
Hence, the fight between Pyrrha, and Aigis and Fuuka.
By providing a fight where neither teamwork nor individual skill was enough to succeed, she would plant that seed in their hearts and minds. She showed them a fight that broke the conventional ideas of one succeeding over the other.
But it wasn't enough. It was never enough. She would need to provide even more fights like the first. Fights where neither side could succeed or where one just barely eked out a victory after an arduous struggle.
She needed to shake their foundations, to challenge the deep-seated beliefs, and show them that there were many paths open to them if they simply opened their eyes and minds just a little bit wider.
Then, and only then, could she truly begin to teach them. And only when they realized that the old ways they had gotten used to were not enough, only when they accepted and came to terms with this fact, could they truly begin to learn from her and the others.
January 20, XX14
"Today, we will be moving on to study the Grimm of other regions within the kingdom of Vale."
That announcement from Professor Port elicited no true reaction from the students outside of a few nods, or the focusing of eyes from the more attentive and studious. It was of no concern to him, however. He was very much used to such reactions from his students.
"Please be sure you are sitting with your respective teams while I bring out the materials for today's class."
Peter turned around before he even finished speaking. He didn't need to see them to know that many were no doubt confused by the sudden change of behavior though he could hear that they were moving to obey his orders.
He was supposed to be the blowhard. The overly verbose, braggart who spent his lessons telling overly embellished tales about his past accomplishments to the point where no part of the tale seemed believable any longer. Certainly, some parts of his tales could be taken as lessons, such as where he struck the Grimm or how he killed them, but those were far and few in between despite how useful those little tricks were. No doubt some have noticed those little details to take note, but he was certain they were in the minority. And no doubt they had been expecting another lesson of a similar vein.
Unfortunately, today they would begin to learn that it was foolhardy to take anything at face value. Even their own teachers.
He picked up a small stack of folders from his desk and proceeded to hand them out to the students, announcing loudly that they were not to open them just yet. Some clearly thought he was trying to be dramatic once again. And, again, he let them think as they pleased.
"Now then," he began once all the teams each had a folder, his legs taking him to his desk where he picked up several more folders. "Inside, you will find your task for today. I have some unexpected business I need to attend to so I'm afraid you will have to do without any of my heroic tales for today." And cue the poorly suppressed groans and eye-rolling, equally suppressed by his boisterous laughter, as he turned to leave. "You may begin whenever you're ready. I will be back at the end of the class to collect your work."
He reached the exit of the classroom just as they opened the folders and pulled out several sheets of paper. He was already outside, the door already closing behind him, when the first murmurs of confusion reached his ears. Through experience, even the sharpest of his students would take at least a minute go through all the papers and review the tasks he had left them. And before the end of that minute, he would be long gone from the area.
It was time to show them all why Beacon has consistently produced a large majority of the most skilled Huntsmen and Huntresses across all Remnant.
January 22, XX14
"Ugh… Anyone else think that dying would be better than this?"
"Isn't it too late to switch sides, Junpei-kun?"
Junpei chuckled, Chidori's joke and her wry smile lightening his mood somewhat. And where they normally would have asked, their two teammates just passed it off as the inside joke it was, far too tired and exhausted to even wonder what the joke was about.
"What's up with the professors this week?" groused Jaune, collapsing onto the bed as he final threw out the question that's been on everyone's minds since Professor Port's last 'lesson' two days ago. "Did someone do something that got them all mad at us or something?"
"I suspect that this is how it was meant to be since the beginning," answered Pyrrha, turning around in her seat as she addressed her partner. "After all, Beacon Academy has always been hailed as the best for those wishing to become Huntsmen and Huntresses. I can't say for certain why they would suddenly raise the difficulty in this manner, rather than gradually increasing it or doing it from the beginning. But if this pace continues, then students will have no choice but to keep up."
"Sink or swim, huh?" The muttered response was accompanied by a weary sigh.
"I suppose that's one way to put it," Mitsuru replied with some amusement at Yukari's oversimplification of the matter. "For Beacon to be able to consistently produce only the most skilled, this level of difficulty is barely the minimum needed. I suspect that the higher years are pushed just as hard as we are right now. In fact, it's likely even harder for them. The closer they get to becoming full-fledged Huntsmen, the higher the expectations and, thus, the harder they are pushed."
"I knew it was gonna be tough," said Yang, voice slightly muffled from where she was lying prone on her bed, head turned slightly to the side and half-covered by her pillow. "But I didn't think they were gonna raise the bar this soon."
"Well, it is Beacon," threw out Blake, lounging on her bed with a novel on her lap to help her unwind. "I'm actually surprised they didn't stick to these standards from the start."
"Probably not to shock the students too much," said Yukari, pulling out a fresh change of clothes as she prepared for a shower. "I was talking with Velvet earlier and she said that even the pace set at the start of the first year is faster and more demanding than what basic combat schools set. I'm guessing the first few months was to just get us used to it before they really started pushing."
"I'm surprised Beacon still has a hundred percent passing rate," came the comment from Ken as he set down his notebook on the table.
Ren, who was busy giving Nora a massage for some reason, glanced over at their team's youngest. "I think being put into teams has something to do with that. Even if one person wasn't capable enough, there are three others to help them improve. And since an incomplete team cannot move up to the next year, someone would have to be incredibly inconsiderate to choose to drop out or not even put in the effort."
"Ooooh… Right there Ren. Mmmmm… Harder…"
"P-Peer pressure h-huh?" Ken muttered, ignoring the way Nora seemed to be purposefully making her words sound…
"That's part of it," Akihiko threw in with a nearly inaudible grunt of effort, one arm curling a dumbbell with several weights on each end. "The other is that there's no way out without a lot of consequences down the line." Seeing the curious expression on Ken's face, he took a moment to switch arms before continuing. "If you think about it, the only way to drop out without having to confront your team would be to just up and leave during a trip to Vale. You'd likely have to leave behind everything you couldn't carry without making others suspicious too. But if you do that, what does that say about you?"
Ren hummed in agreement while Ken feel deeper into thought. "In addition, combat schools teach the basic things that all people need to learn, but focus heavily on what someone needs to know to become a Huntsman. Unless that person learns another trade, their skillset would already lean heavily towards fighting. And unless they strike out on their own, any employer who wants someone combat capable is going to do a background check to make sure they aren't hiring someone incompetent."
"And their failure at Beacon will show up on record," concluded Ren, the young spear-user's eyes brightening in realization and understanding.
"Precisely. It won't matter how far they got. The fact that they quit is going to make them seem questionable and unreliable to the eyes of anyone they want to work for."
Ruby nodded along to her partner's words, understanding just what she was trying to impart as the idea was similar to something her uncle had taught her in the past. "Someone who quit once just because things got hard is probably going to quit again the next time it happens, unless he's had a change of heart."
"And people don't change as easily as one might think," Weiss responded with a smile and a nod, satisfied that her younger partner was able to follow along.
"Really?"
Or maybe not. The heiress withheld a sigh and prepared to answer when someone else spoke up first.
"I think," Fuuka began to say to Ruby, "That what's hard is wanting the change enough that you actually go through with it. Without the right motives, it's easy to slip back into old habits. And as we get older, our beliefs become more deeply rooted and harder to change."
That she could agree with at least. Though it seemed that her partner still wasn't entirely convinced that people didn't change so easily. At least, not in any significant way.
"In any case," she cut in before their conversation could be further derailed. "Your essay is fine, for the most part, but I believe you can do better." Weiss ignored the pout on her partner's face, and pointed out the parts of the essay that she had encircled with a pencil. "Try to expound these parts more. The thoughts and ideas you presented are decent, but the supporting details defending them aren't enough. You'll need to add more to show why you feel this way about this particular subject."
"Furthermore…"
Fuuka slipped away, giggling at the dejected look on Ruby's face at the mere thought of redoing even a small part of the essay, let alone what seemed like a third of it. As she rejoined Aigis, who was just about done preparing her things for the next day, she whispered a brief encouragement for the youngest member of their team.
The soft words went unheard in the midst of Ruby's groans and Weiss's somewhat gentle urging. Even so, Fuuka couldn't help but allow a smile to grace her face as she and Aigis stepped out of the room. Whatever happens, she knew, without a doubt, that they would be fine.
January 29, XX14
"Any idea what this is about?" asked the blonde boy.
"Not a single clue," Junpei replied with a shrug, his demeanor showing that he was more curious than anything else. "Sounded pretty important though."
"I'm quite certain it goes without saying that being called to the Headmaster's Office is something reserved for important matters," came the opinion of their Mistralian teammate.
"It's gotta be," spoke Ken, walking alongside Team JACN with Koromaru trotting along next to him. "It wasn't just your team that was called."
And indeed, Team JACN wasn't alone on their trek to Beacon Tower, which housed both the CCT and the Headmaster's Office. As they neared their destination, they could see the members of the three other teams that had been called converging towards the tower.
Once they all arrived in front of the tower, and even during the elevator ride up to the office, a majority of them were unable to stop themselves from asking one another if they knew just why they were called. And much like Junpei earlier, no one among them had even the slightest hint. Even Mitsuru, who often knew more than the rest of them, was unable to come up with any reasonable explanation.
Once the four teams reached their destination, however, they were met in the adjoining room by none other than the Deputy Headmistress herself.
After a quick headcount to ensure that they were all present, the statuesque woman nodded in satisfaction. "I apologize if the summons disrupted any plans, but something has come up that, apparently, could not be put off until later."
"What is it?" Mitsuru asked without any fanfare.
"SEES has a… visitor." At those words, Professor Goodwitch's face scrunched up slightly as though she had tasted something unpleasant but was trying not to let it show. The students, on the other hand, looked more than a bit interested while a few members of SEES had widened their eyes in realization as though they had figured out who the mysterious visitor was. "She has also come with a… mission request for you."
And the earlier confusion returned along with much more muttering and excitement, though Mitsuru and Akihiko continued to look unperturbed, wondering just what their benefactor was planning this time.
Seeing that no questions were forthcoming, their combat Professor continued. "Given that you are still trainees, and that first years are only allowed on missions towards the end of the year, any such requests are usually turned down or passed on to another team. However, she was quite persistent and insisted that she speak with you directly."
"Normally, we would not even entertain such an idea without a proper reason. However, the fact that she is, for all intents and purposes, your patron, the Headmaster has agreed to make an exception this once and allow her to, at the very least, relay her request to you."
Without further ado, Professor Goodwitch opened the doors behind her, allowing the sixteen students, plus Koromaru, to enter the office. The group had barely stepped into the room when they stopped, half of them doing so for a different reason than the other half, while the blonde professor walked past them all to stand by the Headmaster as she usually did.
"Greetings. I am glad to see that you are all doing well."
The half of the group that comprised of SEES allowed smiles to grace their faces, surprised that their visitor was, indeed, who they expected it to be.
"Elizabeth-san."
And here we have it. After half a year since the last update, and many misfortunes along the way, I've finally managed to churn this out.
I hope it was as fulfilling for you all to read, just as it was fulfilling for me to write and finish at long last.
Not much to say here other than that this is the start of one of the few planned story arcs that I've been wanting to get to since I first started writing this. The next chapters should come faster than recent ones since most of the scenes for this, while unwritten, have been playing in my head over and over again the past few months due to excitement.
Also, with the release of RWBY: After the Fall which features Team CFVY, the fight in this chapter may or may not be edited in the future. I may or may not read it, though I may look up the details of what happened online, as well as any new details regarding Team CFVY.
As always, please leave a review. Love it or hate it, I want to know what you all think, whether of the story as a whole or just this chapter.
Until next time everyone.
