I do not own RWBY or any of the characters.

Round One

Fox hated his luck. Round one of the tournament and he couldn't imagine a worse matchup. On one side of the arena, the random terrain selection system had decided to make it a desert. One the other, an arctic ocean. It had essentially become a beach where you either froze on one side or baked on the other. And now, Fox found himself and his team scrambling over glaciers to fight a team of staff-wielders. Fox's current opponent, a ginger boy with bright blue eyes and red and orange clothes, was particularly annoying, since his weapon could be used as a bladed staff and an assault rifle at the same time.

Fox flipped to the side as a stream of bullets flashed past him, lunging and blocking the other end of the staff with his sword. He caught the front again as the guy tried to swing back the other way, then, Fox spun, hurling his opponent. His opponent drove his staff into the iceberg, skidding to a stop. Fox spun his weapon into a bow, drawing and firing instantly, only for his opponent to flip over it, grinning.

"Thank you," Fox grinned.

His opponent's eyes widened as he turned, watching the arrow explode against the glacier beside Ava's opponent. Ava, being lighter than the others, was having trouble standing on her own feet. So, Fox had decided to give her a hand. Her opponent, a guy with bright green hair and his staff broken down into a pair of nunchucks, flipped into the air before crashing back down, standing and glaring at Fox. Fox winked at him and flipped over his own opponent's staff, spinning and slamming a kick into his opponent's head, sending him skidding across the ice, his staff tearing along it in an attempt to slow him. Fox turned, pushing off and skating to the edge of the ice before leaping off of the side, landing on the metal center before rolling, standing in the sand. A moment later, Ava landed beside him, her briefcase in her hand. She sighed, stomping her feet a couple times to make sure she wouldn't slip. After a moment, Fox and Ava's opponents landed in front of them.

"Yeah," Fox said. "Following us here was a mistake."

Ava raised her briefcase, Fox stepping backward, and a moment later the briefcase had expanded into a a pair of silver gauntlets with a piston on either side of her fist, then a metal plate shaped like the front of a fist in front of her fists. Fox smirked, leaning on his swords.

"Sick 'em," Fox smiled.

Ava darted forward, slamming a fist into her opponent's abdomen, the pistons kicking outward and launching her opponent backward. He smashed through the corner of a glacier, shattering it before flipping into the barrier around the outside of the arena, being beaten by ring out. Fox's own opponent shouted in surprise, swinging at Ava, only for her to duck under it, then slam her other hand into his abdomen as well. He also went flying and was eliminated by ring out. Fox smiled, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Well done," Fox smiled. "I knew you could do it."

"Well I didn't train with you and Wulfe for that long for nothing," Ava said.

"Train with us?" Fox snorted. "You mean you trained us."

Ava smiled. "That too."

Fox watched as Wulfe leapt into the air suddenly, his opponent leaping at him with his staff, currently with an axe blade of ice stuck to the side of his staff. Wulfe grinned as hid opponent swung at him, Wulfe driving his claws into the blade and flipping over it. Then, he flipped, slamming his hands together. A moment later, his claws' laser sent his opponent crashing down in the center, his Aura depleted, eliminating him from the tournament. Then, Leon crashed down on his feet and one band beside him, growling in rage. In the air above them, Leon's opponent, a man built like the White Fang Lieutenant from the warehouse speech, fell toward him, his staff pulled back to attack. Leon snorted, spinning his massive, blocky sword that had a flat, sharpened tip, and making the tip split in half, a barrel extending before he held the pommel, a semicircle of metal curving away from the blade, against his shoulder, the top of the sword's current lower finger guard popping up, the end of the other finger guard having a small circle on it as a sight. Then, he raised the weapon and squeezed, a massive report sounding as his anti-material rifle bullet crashed into his opponent's chest, depleting his aura instantly and hurling him into the barrier.

"Nice," Fox said, Leon glancing at him.

"Thanks," Leon said after a tense moment. "He was too fast for my sword, so I figured I'd try my rifle."

"I hope he's not hurt too bad," Fox said as the desert and ocean dropped away, the normal floor returning. "Come on. Let's get some food."

They walked out of the arena, heading to a noodle stand a ways away. As they arrived, Fox had to cover his mouth, seeing Blake literally drooling over a bowl of noodles topped with a half a dozen fresh tuna. However, before she could eat it, Weiss's card was declined and the shop's owner reached out to take it back.

"It's alright, sir, I'll pay for her," Fox said, sitting down beside her.

Blake turned to him, expression somewhere between the same as she had given the fish, a look of adoration, and a look of appreciation. He smiled as he handed over the money, also getting himself a massive bowl of pasta. The others sat with him and he payed for theirs as well. Just then, Team JNPR arrived.

"Maybe I can help the rest of you," Pyrrha said.

"Pyrrha!" Ruby cheered.

"Aw, you don't have to," Yang said.

"I think you all earned it after that fight," Pyrrha said. "You guys did awesome too."

"Thanks," Ava smiled.

"Yeah, seriously, your weapon is awesome!" Yang smiled.

"Thanks," Ava smiled.

"Speaking of fights," Fox said. "Hey Pyrrha, do you happen to have a recording of any of the other fights?"

"No," Pyrrha said.

"I do," Nora said. "Here."

She tossed him her scroll. Fox caught it, pulling it apart and watching the screen.

"Are you looking for someone in particular?" Jaune asked as his team got the same bowl of noodles that Fox's team and Ruby's team had gotten.

"Me and Ruby's friend from the CCT tower," Fox said, skipping through the fight he was watching to the next, then the next.

Finally, he stopped, staring. Blake leaned over, watching over his shoulder.

"Oh, that's Emerald's team," Blake said.

Fox paused it as one of Emerald's teammates stepped into it, slamming a kick into one of their opponents.

"Ruby," Fox said. "Come here."

Ruby walked over and looked over his shoulder.

"Who is that?" Fox asked.

"He name's Cinder," Ruby asked.

The girl on the screen had an open tan vest, dark grey pants, and bandages around her waist and chest under thee vest. She also had fingerless black gloves, and her black hair swept over her left shoulder. Fox pressed the edit button on the video and drew on a rough mask on Cinder's upper face and a black shirt.

"Look familiar?" Fox asked.

"No way," Ruby breathed. "Cinder? No! It can't be! It's got to be a coincidence."

"We'll see," Fox said. "I'll just have to fight her."

"Good luck," Yang said. "It was Emerald and Mercury that got chosen to continue."

"I never said I'd fight her in the arena," Fox said. "No rules, no prying eyes. At least, until the fight's underway."

"That's a bad idea," Blake said.

"It's fine," Fox said. "I can handle her."

"At least don't fight her alone," Blake said, worriedly. "Especially if you're right."

"I'll fight with him," Ava said.

"No," Fox said. "I'm facing her alone. I'll do it while Team JNPR is fighting."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Pyrrha asked.

"No," Fox said. "But it's the best idea we have."

"Be careful," Pyrrha said. "We'll help you after our fight if you need it and are still fighting."

"I shouldn't be," Fox said. "But thanks. You guys ready for your fight?"

"Of course!" Nora said. "We've got a world-renown fighter on our team, one of us that's basically a ninja, I can bench five of me, and Jaune...We've been preparing all year, our weapons are awesome, Glynda barely yells at us anymore, and uh...Jaune!"

"Are you going to take that?" Ren asked.

"She's not wrong," Jaune said miserably, head down.

"I'm kidding," Nora said. "He knows I'm kidding."

"What's with you?" Fox asked.

"I think I might throw up," Jaune groaned.

"Oo, aim it at the enemy!" Nora said.

"That's disgusting," Ren said. "But if you feel the urge..."

"Got it," Jaune said.

"Don't be so nervous," Nora said. "The worst that could happen is we lose. Then it's just a few more years of walking around the school with everyone knowing we're failures. Our friends will slowly abandon us to preserve their social status. We won't be able to show our faces in class. No one will sit with us at the cafeteria. Ren and I have no parents so we have no home left to go to. We'll be officially renamed Team LOSE-iper!" She began to make something between a laugh and a dramatic sob, everyone sighing as Nora slammed her head down, keeping it there.

"So, yeah," Ren said. "We're feeling pretty good."

"Don't fret," Pyrrha said, resting a hand on Nora and Jaune's shoulders. "If anything we should be looking forward to a fight with actual guidelines, and not...well, murderers."

"Yeah, don't sweat it," Yang agreed. "We've all faced way worse before."

"Let's see," Blake said, holding up a hand to count on her fingers. "Grimm invasions, violent extremists, a destructive sociopath."

"And that's all while we were still in training!" Ruby said. "Oh, imagine what it'll be like when we graduate!"

"Maybe then I'll be able to pay for a meal," Weiss said.

"Would Team JNPR please report to the battlegrounds immediately," Professor Port, one of the two announcers, said over the intercom.

"Yes," Professor Oobleck, the other announcer, agreed. "Like they were scheduled to several minutes ago."

"Well," Pyrrha said. "Looks like this is it."

"Hey Nora," Fox said, Nora looking up at him. "If all else fails, just pretend one of them asked Ren out on a date before you could."

"It's not like that!" Nora and Ren both said.

Several of the others laughed as they turned, following Jaune and Pyrrha toward the arena. Fox sighed, pushing himself up.

"I suppose I should go too," Fox said.

"You sure you don't want us coming with you?" Blake asked.

"I'm sure," Fox said.

He walked away, walking around the fairground first, the others all heading to the arena. After a few minutes, his scroll buzzed. He opened it, seeing a message from Wulfe. He opened it, seeing a short video of Cinder in the stands. He watched, seeing her holding a popcorn kernel. Then, as he watched, the kernel popped. He blinked, backing the video up and zooming in on it. This time, he could see her fingertips glowing gold, barely. He growled, putting his scroll away and walking to the arena. Inside the arena, Jaune's team was struggling against their opponents, the match seeming fairly even. Fox looked around, seeing Emerald and Mercury, who Cinder had been standing behind, then spotting the bitch herself. He walked around behind them, then down the stairs to stop behind Cinder, resting a hand on her shoulder and leaning forward.

"You look much better without a mask on," he whispered, Cinder tensing instantly under his hand. "Perhaps we should talk somewhere a bit more...private, wouldn't you agree?"

Cinder nodded and stood, gesturing for Mercury and Emerald to remain where they were. Then, she walked away, Fox following. They walked to a maintenance door and then through it, following the hallway a ways before stopping.

"So, you actually did recognize me," Cinder said. "Impressive. How'd you know?"

"You didn't change your hair, and your eyes are a pretty unique gold color," Fox said.

"I see," Cinder nodded, swinging her arms and forming her swords. "Impressive. Of course, you do realize that I can't allow you to walk away now, don't you?"

"You do realize that my team, and Team RWBY, were watching you, right?" Fox asked. "They saw me walk away with you. Which means, that if I walk out of here without you, it's over because I won. And if you walk out of here without me, both teams, along with Team JNPR, will know that you kill me, and will come after you. And even if none of them can beat you, they know a certain someone who can."

Cinder glared at him angrily.

"Face it, Cinder," Fox said. "Your plan's ruined. You can't walk out of here and still continue your plan, because everyone will be after you. And since I'm willing to bet that you at least needed to make it to the singles rounds, your plan's impossible. We're still in the team matches."

"You're pretty smart," Cinder smirked. "Smarter than I gave you credit for. I actually have to admit, I didn't plan for this."

"Well, I guess that just proves which of us is better," Fox said.

"Shall we?" a voice behind him asked, Fox spinning to see the girl with pink and brown hair.

"Yes, Neo," Cinder said. "We shall."

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