A/N: This chapter was getting too long, so I decided to split it between this and the next. Let me know what you think! PMs/reviews are loved, as always :D
Laws of Attraction
The amphitheatre felt just as large and imposing, if not even more so, than the day they had been placed into their teams. I can't believe it's only been less than a week since then, Pyrrha thought to herself glumly, barely able to keep her expression neutral. The air was filled with excited chattering as they all made their way up the rows between neon-blue markers, trying to find the best seats to watch the practice matches.
That was what they were there for, after all- now that Professor Oobleck had given them their first quick taste of weapons classification, it was time for what they had all been waiting for- combat.
None of that excitement reached Pyrrha. Her eyes were trained upon Jaune's heels, and every few steps, she would hold out her hand and raise her eyes, trying to reach him. Unfortunately, he seemed to be lost in his own little world, the raincloud from the previous class still hanging over his head as he trudged along.
Nora placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Pyrrha," she smiled, to which Pyrrha smiled weakly back. Unfortunately, the wrinkles in her forehead felt perpetually engrained upon her face as she followed after Jaune, the blond refusing to turn and face her.
"Did I do something I shouldn't have?" Pyrrha finally whispered. Was standing up to Cardin not the right thing to do? Should I have let him bother Jaune?
Seeing how depressed he was, she almost felt like she should've ignored Cardin's rude interruption. With Jaune's broad shoulders so small and hunched over, she could envision it perfectly in her mind's eye- the towel-cape she had seen so bravely tied around his shoulders had somehow been ripped off, leaving nothing but a dejected child. And yet, she couldn't make sense of it. Had it been her fault that he was like this? What had she done wrong? Together, they had already established that he hadn't known about Auras- had it been such a big blow to his ego that the others had been just like her?
The orange-haired girl shook her head. "Maybe Jaune isn't feeling well?" she offered. "Either way, you didn't do anything wrong, Pyrrha." Unfortunately, Nora's eyes gave away every emotion, just as usual- and now, Pyrrha could read the doubt and uncertainty burning in her pale blue eyes. The answer wasn't enough for the redhead- how could she accept not knowing if this awkwardness was her fault? It gnawed at her, building into something that the redhead couldn't name, but somehow knew she needed to fear.
However, there was nothing they could do at the moment. The seats in the stands were calling them, and begrudgingly, Pyrrha allowed herself to be pushed into the front row looking down over the stage and projector screen. She crossed her legs, settling her weapons upon her lap, desperately trying to keep the anxiety down inside. Closing her eyes, she breathed, in, out-
And let everything go, placing her old, familiar mask back onto her face. Although the creases in her forehead were still visible, she knew that the relaxed smile which rested upon her lips looked natural. At least, that was what her mother had always told her, when she wore this same smile- it was good enough for the press. Good enough for class, too.
But Jaune still refused to look at her, keeping his eyes trained upon the figure of Professor Goodwitch waiting expectantly for the students to settle down. Pyrrha sighed internally, but kept her gaze upon the blonde woman- there was no point trying to speak to Jaune now.
The lights in the amphitheatre dimmed, and a lone spotlight appeared to highlight their instructor. "Alright, students, settle down," Professor Goodwitch called, flicking one long, luscious blonde curl out of her round, thin-framed glasses. Turning her snub nose up to look at the rows of energetic first-years, she smiled, prim and businesslike as always with her riding crop and pencil skirt. "You all know what you are here for, correct?"
A series of exuberant cheers and wolf whistles from the audience barely fazed the stern woman, the professor merely raising a bemused brow at the excitement dripping from the students. "Well, you are in the right place for that, after all," she began. "This hall will be your practice chamber for the next four years. You shall have controlled sessions here to master the combat skills you honed in your previous schools, along with learning to incorporate Aura protection, management, and Semblance use into your combat style to make you all proficient Huntsman and Huntresses." The audience was rapt, eyes shining wide in anticipation. She smirked slightly in response. "It shall not be easy, but follow my teachings, and you will succeed."
"Yes ma'am," the students chorused, everyone sitting at the edge of their seats. Pyrrha followed suit, feigning her own excitement, biting down the unease creeping back up into her throat.
Combat practice had never been very positive for her in Sanctum- what were the chances that she'd enjoy them here? It had never done anything for her, other than serve to isolate the redhead from other students further. Breathe, Pyrrha, she scolded herself, it's okay.
Crossing her arms, Professor Goodwitch scanned the room. "You all seem quite excited." When a few students nodded enthusiastically, she turned, beckoning to the eastern wing of the stage. On her cue, a few shadows began striding towards the spotlight which was focused upon Professor Goodwitch, their figures unidentifiable in the darkness. Soon, however, they reached the professor, entering the light coolly to face the freshman.
Two figures now stood on either side of Professor Goodwitch. The first was a tall, slender young woman, dressed so fashionably that it clashed with the rest of the armour-clad room. A pointed black beret sat upon perfectly coiffed brown hair which turned blonde in a gentle gradient at the ends- however, the simplicity of her hairstyle was thrown by the sharp sunglasses she wore, blocking everything but a confident, strong grin on her face. Her entire outfit shone, from what, Pyrrha couldn't see- but from the distance they sat at, it was clear that in her heels and with the sleek black handbag hanging off her shoulder, she was ready for some business.
The other member to join the stage was a dark-skinned young man, red hair like a beacon under the spotlight. He stood silently with his bare arms by his sides, but Pyrrha could see two long, curved blades attached to either wrist, ready to be put to use. Although his expression was fairly neutral, Pyrrha couldn't help but focus upon his eyes which scanned the room- pure white, without emotion.
"Woah, who the heckie are these guys?" Nora asked loudly.
"Nora," Ren hushed her quietly, immediately causing the girl to cover her mouth with her hands.
Professor Goodwitch smiled wider, albeit more wickedly now. "Meet some of your upperclassmen, Coco Adel and Fox Alistair, from Team CFVY," she announced. "These two are in their second year of training- should you have any concerns, these two are an excellent resource."
The two calm figures by her side nodded nonchalantly, but said nothing, although the woman, Coco, gave the audience a haughty smirk when her name was mentioned.
Stepping forward to the audience, the professor finally smiled fully. Peering up at the intrigued crowd of freshman, still sitting upon the edges of their seats, she said, "So, to start us off- which one of you will be facing off against your mentors?"
And immediately, everybody flew back into their seats, pressing themselves as far into the backs of their chairs as they could. No one would want to face off against older students, especially not on the first day of combat training- and in front of the whole class, to boot!
No one… except Pyrrha. The redhead blinked as she looked around her, realizing how terrified the rest of her peers looked. She hadn't moved an inch, so focused upon keeping her mask on while watching the spectacle below that she had missed the cue. Now, sitting at the edge of her seat still, her heart fell as she realized just how many eyes were trained upon her. Oh- oh no.
"Well, this is a pleasant surprise," Professor Goodwitch said invitingly, gesturing with her riding crop for the girl to come down to the stage. "Miss Pyrrha Nikos from Sanctum. We've all heard of your achievements, I'm sure- this shall be a fitting introductory lesson to the way we run combat sessions here."
"Um, no, I-" Pyrrha tried protesting, but the green eyes staring her down through wire-rimmed frames were not budging. No, this isn't what I wanted!
"Ooh, c'mon Pyrrha, you can do it!" Nora cheered, clapping her hands excitedly. Ren flashed her an encouraging smile, and Ruby and Yang clapped excitedly in the row behind them. However, when she looked at the blond sitting on her right side, Jaune still didn't meet her eyes, although he did now where an expression of slight curiosity. Forlorn, Pyrrha felt herself stand up, straighten her shoulders, and made her way to the end of the row, maintaining a pleasant smile on her face the entire time.
As her feet hit the stage, the only thing left filling her heart was a constant cry of, What have I done?
The redhead entered the spotlight, squinting as she adjusted to the brightness. Now that she was closer, she could fully appreciate Coco and Fox's imposing statures- Fox's arms were covered in long, angry scars from battle, and the glimmer Pyrrha had seen upon Coco's outfit had not come from rhinestones or gems, but from long ammunition belts, the rounds large enough to presumably tear through flesh without an issue.
Professor Goodwitch looked quite content with Pyrrha's 'volunteered' appearance. "Today shall be just a quick match- it shall be focused upon the use of Aura displays. Take out your Scrolls, everyone."
Complying, Pyrrha could hear the bodies of her peers shuffling while everyone pulled out their own Scrolls.
With a wave of her riding crop, the projector screen above the stage lit up, displaying the details for a new application. "Download this program from the network," she directed. "When you do, allow your Scroll to scan your face- facial recognition is all it requires."
The dull murmur of confusion rose slightly as the students, including Pyrrha, did as commanded. The app was easy to find, and all the access codes required of a Beacon student were on the projector screen. In just a few minutes, everyone in the class had settled back down, quiet pings filling the air to signal that the setup had been completed.
Before the redhead could protest, the professor took her Scroll, holding it up to catch the signal from the projection screen- and suddenly, Pyrrha's student ID photo was displayed along with a full bar labeled "Aura Strength".
"As a Huntsman, one must learn to be wary of your Aura," the professor began her lecture. "As you fight, your Aura will protect you- but at a cost. Checking on your remaining Aura levels is vital in preparing a proper strategy in combat." Strutting to the other side of the stage to address the other half of the students, she continued, "In these practice sessions, once your Aura is depleted, the match will automatically end. You are not to continue combat once your opponent's levels have dropped into the red zone. The match will also end should myself or any other supervisor demand it of you. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes ma'am," the group intoned, excitement starting to fill the air once more now that everyone had realized what was about to happen.
Pyrrha Nikos, versus upperclassmen who had already survived a year of missions with Beacon Academy.
The redhead gulped, not out of fear of combat, but for the audience. She didn't want to be singled out- why was this happening to her?
Unfortunately, Professor Goodwitch was not paying attention to her growing distress. "And with that, this match shall be a short demonstration of how the Aura bar will deplete, and how one can monitor that. Once Miss Nikos, Mr. Alistair or Miss Adel lose a third of their Aura, this match shall be a draw." As she spoke, she sent signals from Fox and Coco's Scrolls to the projector, their faces cropping up on the screen as well. "Well, you three. Take your places."
At her words, the entire stage lit up, completely blocking out the faces of those in the stands. Calmly, Coco and Fox walked to the other end of the stage and settled into their ready stances – Fox keeping his body low to the ground, blades drawn up to slash and shield; and Coco, grabbing her purse from her shoulder and leaning onto one leg, her confident smirk only growing wider.
Pyrrha sighed, closing her eyes. Her mask was strained upon her face, the anxiety almost like tangible bile in her mouth. Something about this was so, so wrong, but the sense of unease refused to present an explanation for its presence. But there was no time for debate, no time for a struggle- this was a match, and with Professor Goodwitch's expectant gaze boring holes into her skull, she knew there was no escape.
You can do this, Pyrrha. You always can. It didn't matter if she would be facing her seniors, as intimidating as they were- in her heart, Pyrrha knew that she would hold her ground. She'd never lost, after all. She willed Miló and Akoúo to her hands, shifting Miló into its sword form, placed herself in her battle stance, and breathed deep, in, out, 1, 2-
And her battle mask was on, determination glinting in her eyes, rising pulse rate silenced by her will to win.
"And… begin!" Professor Goodwitch called, leaping back to the shadows as the match began.