Disclaimer: I do not own either RWBY or Star Wars
"Begin." The stern voice of Glynda Goodwitch resounded throughout the arena.
At this signal the two combatants sprung into motion.
Yang's fists swung out with powerful strikes, yet they were easily evaded by the more agile and cunning Ren.
In return Ren's strikes hit true several times, Yang not being as capable of dodging or blocking.
But she endured the blows, protecting her vitals and receiving the other hits.
The bodacious blonde's style was rough and heavy, more suited for brawling or fighting Grimm, tanking blows and retaliating with heavy strikes.
And Wayle immediately saw why Yang lost against Neo.
But Ren was not Neo.
While he may be quick and agile, his blows were soft, and while Yang might have felt them, she could endure them.
He also had poor endurance.
And that was his undoing in this spar.
He tired out before Yang did, and failed to avoid one of her strikes, which knocked him off his feet instantly.
But simultaneously Yang collapsed, having endured too many hits, sporting several bruises and most likely a few fractures.
It was a draw.
And the reason was simple.
They both relied too heavily on their Aura and Semblances in fights. While neither were poor fighters, they both lacked something.
Yang lacked actual skill, instead brawling it out, which might serve against lesser foes, but against equals… Not good at all.
Ren on the other hand lacked physical strength or endurance, his physique lean and wiry, excellent for acrobatics, but not for enduring or hitting hard.
Both of them made up for these weaknesses with their other abilities. Ren's Aura infused martial arts were deadly, while Yang's ability to grow stronger the more she was hurt made for a dangerous combination with her capacity for taking punishment.
But when they couldn't use them… They were less than effective.
And as the day drew on, many a person had to face that they were reliant on their powers.
Ruby could barely use Crescent Rose without her Aura, and Weiss was woefully immobile without her Semblance. Nora… somehow did fine, her fighting style barely impacted, a fact that boggled Wayle's mind.
Jaune did surprisingly well, although he had been training extensively under Pyrrha, who was quite fine even without Aura or Semblance. Blake also did well, showing that she was quick and agile, with no hesitation to strike at her opponent's weak spots, remnants of her dark past.
It gave Wayle, and most likely Glynda, a good overview of where the students lacked ability, and where they might would be fine.
The problem was, did they themselves realise these things?
-Break—
"Wow, Pyrrha! Your spar with Wayle was quite the sight." Yang said excitedly as she gave the redhead a thumbs up.
"Thank you Yang. He is an opponent not to be underestimated, something I forgot." Pyrrha responded with a wry smile.
"Forgot?" Jaune asked confusedly.
The Amazonian beauty hummed in confirmation. "I should have known, having seen it from the very first day that he was in peak physical condition. Yet, I thought that he would be weak without his power." She shook her head sadly. "I didn't think he was so capable in hand-to-hand combat."
"Worry not Pyrrha. You were quite the opponent yourself, any less and they would not have lasted even half the time." The person being spoken about quipped in as he moved up to join them.
"Are you being serious?" Ruby asked curiously.
"There is only so much I can do to supress the abilities provided me through the Force. Regardless of my will I see slightly into the future, although most people would only think it is good reflexes." The young lord looked apologetic.
"Really, so you were using that precognitive ability of yours?" Weiss looked at him accusingly.
"It is an ability that comes with being Force Sensitive. It matters not if you are trained in the use of the Force or not, you will still have that ability. I am truly incapable of completely ceasing to use it, as it is as much a part of me as is breathing or seeing. I am sorry, but at the same time it speaks highly of your skill to be able to last so long without getting serious, and if you had been more on guard I would not have been able to take your weapon. You should simply have spun away the moment your strike landed." He said honestly.
"Don't worry, I wasn't expecting you to know such a technique. I completely and truly underestimated you. I'm sorry." The bronze clad girl bowed apologetically.
The gesture caused Wayle to chuckle mirthfully, while the rest just sighed.
-Break—
"So Wayle Tyran does not have any simple weaknesses to exploit then?" A voice spoke up, the source shadowed, leaving only a vague outline.
"It seems so. We might have to resort to sacrificing pawns-"Another voice spoke up, the owner once again shadowed so that only an outline could be seen.
"No. That might only leave him even more uncontrollable. He has already shown tendencies towards disregarding authority, and if what we know of him is of any value. Angering him will only invite disaster. It might be better to move around him for now, altering our plans to avoid involving him, or interfering with him." Yet another voice spoke up, the same circumstances surrounding the owner as the rest.
"Speaking of which." A fourth voice spoke up. "Has any clear connection between him and that group been established yet?"
"No." The second voice responded. "While it might be the obvious answer, there has as of yet been no clear confirmation on the matter."
"And to compound matters further, our attempts to insert agents has as of yet been fruitless." The first voice added.
"Any idea why?" The third voice queried.
"It seems like they have a very competent, and alarmingly insightful person in charge of new recruits." The until now silent fifth person spoke up.
A moment of silence fell in the room these people were gathered in as they pondered the situation.
"How about the other matter? Is the information correct?" The third voice suddenly said questioningly.
"There is now little doubt as to the veracity of the information. She is behind the White Fang's recent activities." The fifth voice once again provided.
"To think our past sins would come back in such a manner…" The second voice said softly, with trepidation.
-Break—
"My Lord." The voice of a young female Faunus came from the kneeling figure displayed over his communicator.
Wayle had received a call from one of his spies, and currently he stood in a secluded location with Latune standing by just behind him.
"Speak." He commanded.
"The White Fang are currently targeting an Atlesian facility located in Vale. More exactly in Forever Fall. I believe they are targeting the Paladins stored there." The spy informed calmly.
"A facility in Forever Fall…" Latune's soft voice floated in from behind him, with a hint of thoughtfulness apparent in it.
"Yes." The spy reaffirmed her previous statement. "My Lord, what are your instructions?"
Wayle stood in thought for a while. It would be beneficial to prevent such an operation, but…
"Master. Let me go there." Latune suddenly spoke up.
"Hmm?" He gave her a questioning look.
"I know that facility, and there are a few things there that I want." The girl kneeled.
"Oh, things that you want?" The young Sith grinned. "Very well, Latune, you may handle the issue as you see fit. See it as a test of your abilities."
"Yes my Master! I will not fail you!" She lowered her head further.
Wayle turned back to the spy. "From now on Latune is in charge of your mission. Heed her commands as if they were mine." Wayle's voice dropped into a darker range, authority lacing his every word.
"Y-yes my Lord!" She responded quickly, if with a bit of a stutter.
Wayle ended the communication.
"Go my apprentice. Crush the ambitions of the White Fang."
The young girl set out without a word.
"Now then." He looked off into the distance.
Then he smiled.
-Break—
He had seen her.
She hadn't dared get close enough to hear anything and he had still seen her.
But he was still far away, if she ran now she could…
Something was wrong. There was something off with the Wayle Tyran standing there, it was… insubstantial, like an…
She activated her Semblance and started running. Hopefully it would give her a few…
She felt a hand grab onto the side of her head, violently pushing her into a nearby wall.
'How…?' She thought dazedly.
Her mirror image had yet to be shattered, so how?
As she foggily caught sight of that person's dark smirk the answer came to her.
Just like she had seen through his illusion he had seen through hers.
It was that simple. And she had missed it.
More so, he had known for an extended period of time.
"Not bad. As expected from someone who saw through Cloak without training how to." His voice floated into her sluggish mind.
She shouldn't have been hit that hard… so why was she still out of it?
"But it seems you were naïve. No… You were careless. And you underestimated my skill in noticing people." He bent down so that his face was level with hers. "You see, as long as I am conscious I can notice any being within a certain radius. And here in Remnant, what with all these different Auras… It is quite convenient."
She couldn't quite understand what he meant.
She tried to shake of her grogginess, flaring her Aura as well.
It restored some alacrity to her mind.
Even so it was too late, as she felt her head be held between two strong hands.
Then a disturbing feeling unlike any she had felt before, violating her very being, her very core… She flared her Aura, trying to drive it out, yet it did nothing to stop it…
Then she blacked out, her consciousness fading as her mind failed her…
-Break—
"Neo! You're back! Find something interesting?" A slightly high-pitched man's voice rang out in the slightly run down shack he had hidden in.
She paused. She couldn't think of anything interesting she had found…
And yet she was certain she must have… So why?
"Huh? What's wrong?" The orange-haired man noticed her pause.
She started slightly, then shook her head.
"Nothing? Is nothing wrong, or did you find nothing of interest?" Roman asked for confirmation.
She waved two fingers in his direction.
"Both? Okay then… If you say so."
She slumped down into a sofa, feeling unusually tired…
Why did she feel like there was something…?
But no matter how much she tried she couldn't figure out what.
She heard the criminal mastermind muttering somewhere off to the side…
She filtered him out as she leaned her head back, closing her eyes in thought.
She thought back to her day, yet couldn't find anything that made her think it was worth informing that man about…
Had it been something related to that oh, so, amusing Xiao Long? Or that little girl working with Wayle Tyran…?
She felt a slight tug in the back of her mind, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out why.
She reopened her eyes to watch Roman enter the room again, seemingly in thought.
"It looks like I'll run out of money at this rate…" The flamboyant man muttered. "Might need to steal some…"
For some inexplicable reason she felt a twinge of annoyance.
Sure, there were times when the man could annoy her… But was this really one of them?
The man sighed. "Neo… would you mind helping me acquire funds…? Neo?" She heard his voice near her.
"Hey! Don't just-"He shouted something, but was cut off.
She just stared blankly at him.
He had deserved it…
Author's notes: Nope, nothing wrong here. Move along, move along. So, what did you think? Good? Bad? Just speak your mind, and don't hesitate to ask if something confuses you, or if you feel I did something wrong. Or both. Neo is a bit tricky at times, there is no confirmation on whatever or not she can speak, and she has as far as I know never made a single sound in the entire series. And for some reason writing mute characters isn't easy. Who would have known?
Well, I hope you enjoyed and that you have a nice day.