A/N: For some reason it didn't work when I tried to update this yesterday, and I didn't notice. Oops. Well, I'm happy (or maybe sad) to say that I've finished compiling my KH3 thoughts together. It only took me 20,000 words to figure out how I felt about it. Expect to see some more work around that series coming out eventually! Also, I told you to prepare for a long fight chapter. Hold onto your seats, everyone.
Don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you think! It's really great to hear from y'all reading along :D
Laws of Attraction
One month was all it took.
One month into the new school term, and it was finally Pyrrha's turn to take on combat practice on her own. Each day, throughout the combat lecture, two students at a time were tested in a mock battle under Professor Goodwitch's stern supervision; and each day, one out of each pair would walk away a victor. The other would be given extra sparring sessions after class, which was a trial no one wanted to endure- not if the sparring partner was the strict blonde's riding crop, after all.
The redhead had managed to avoid being on center stage in the combat ring for months, but it seemed her luck was finally running out. It took all she could to hold her tongue when her picture flashed upon the large screen above the stage, a hushed murmur arising amongst the students.
This was the first time the exchange students would be seeing her spar, too.
She felt every muscle in her body tense as the glances cast her way increased, the crowd following her with their eyes while she slipped out of the stands. Nora, Ren and Jaune all patted her on the back as she walked by, murmuring comforting words of support. She didn't miss the looks they shared with one another, either- the looks of concern that painted their faces.
They knew that she didn't want to be in the spotlight. A part of her felt ashamed that they knew of her fear, that they remembered her breakdowns after her previous public bouts. And yet, there was another part of her that felt safe, and warm, and loved as they whispered promises to meet her in the locker room after class. They would keep her grounded, even if she lost grip of everything.
It was in moments like these that she couldn't help but love her team.
The second screen finally projected the face of her opponent, however, and all of her nervousness melted away.
"Pyrrha Nikos and Cardin Winchester!" Professor Goodwitch called, her face betraying no sense of concern despite the previous issues between the two students and their respective teams. "You are up. Head to the change rooms, grab your armour and weapons, and be back in five minutes."
"Yes ma'am," the two called, Cardin's voice bitterly booming overtop of Pyrrha's quiet resignation. Without a word of complaint, Pyrrha walked over to the adjacent hallways and into the locker room. Her forehead felt permanently furrowed as she found her way to her locker- which was, thankfully, on the opposite side of the room to Cardin's- and began pulling on her gear.
And yet, the fear and trepidation that had previously been building up in her core had vanished. Her heart, which had begun to beat more and more erratically with every step she took towards the locker room, settled down the instant she realized who her opponent would be. It was a strange feeling- to be so nervous, and yet so instantaneously calmed by knowing that her opponent would be Cardin, of all people.
While she had let him go after their conversation in CRDL's room, she had yet to truly forgive the boy. There was a part of her that, despite her understanding that it wasn't appropriate, wanted to pick a fight with him for putting her, putting Jaune, through that torment. And now, here was her perfect opportunity to fight her best fight against the weak-minded bully.
As she stalked her way back onto the stage, she felt an almost predatory swell of emotion rise within her. Miló and Akoúo slipped into her hands, and as the spotlight began to shine onto center stage, the house lights dimming and the audience disappearing into the darkness, Pyrrha didn't feel a shred of nervousness anymore. This wasn't a fight in front of an audience who could reject her for her skills. This wasn't a fight against someone whose respect she so desperately wanted to earn. This was a fight that was long, long overdue, against someone who deserved to be taught a lesson; after all, no one had the right to project their own personal problems onto others through harassment. No one.
Still, the right part of her mind couldn't justify entering a match in order to personally attack her opponent. She had learned to fight in order to defend others, not to hunt them down. I'll compromise- I'll end the fight quickly, and that way I can enjoy victory and cause him as little pain as possible.
The words which had been carved into her soul since her childhood began to play in her mind once more as Cardin emerged onto the stage as well, poised for the fight.
For it is in passing that we achieve immortality.
"Miss Nikos, Mr. Winchester, are you ready?" Professor Goodwitch called from her place beside the stage. They both nodded, eyes flashing steel and gazes clashing, sending sparks throughout the room. If she had focused, she would be able to hear the hushed, awed murmurs echoing through the audience as the viewers realized just how intense this match might be; however, her attention was focused solely upon the larger boy's stance, the menacing, hooked mace he twirled cockily in his hand, the smug grin adorning his lips.
She closed her eyes, breathing in, out- 1, 2-
"And," the blonde called, "begin!"
Immediately, Cardin leapt forward with a cry, swinging his mace down upon where Pyrrha stood. Instinctively, she took a step to the side, crouching low to the ground and analyzing his movements.
Cardin is big. Uncoordinated. Off-balance. Strong, but not as strong as some of the others I've fought. She swept her leg out to the side, tripping the boy up as his momentum pushed him forward. He flailed, staggering a few feet ahead as she righted herself, staring him down coolly.
"Oh, you wanna play that game, Nikos? Too scared to fight head-on? Fine. I'll play that game," Cardin hissed, spinning his mace in his hands once more before running at her.
Pyrrha didn't respond, focused on the match before her. There was no point in stooping to his level of petty taunts. Instead, she braced herself for his attack, holding up Akoúo to block his next blow- he's nowhere near as powerful as someone like Coco, she thought wryly- and knelt low, rushing forward to catch him in a tackle. Her attack caught him off balance, and she was able to lift and flip the boy head-first over Akoúo so he slid onto the ground, disoriented.
Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death.
Not allowing him to regain his balance, she opened Miló up to its blade form and sliced across his body once, twice, three times, not hitting hard enough to dent his armour, but still putting enough force behind each blow to knock him farther off balance. His expression was quickly morphing into one of panic and fear.
She grinned, feeling a rush of heady joy fill her mind. Cardin's Aura gauge was beeping already, hovering dangerously close to the red zone. This match was already over.
I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee.
Finally, she spun Miló around in her hand, shifting it into a javelin. With an expertly timed twist, she brought it down upon Cardin's wrist, causing the surprised boy to drop his mace with a yelp.
Got you. As he stooped to pick it back up, she slammed her shield into his face, kicked the mace away, tripped him back onto his knees with the same kicking motion, and spun to a standing position with Miló's blade pointing straight at Cardin's neck, peeking into an exposed chink in his armour.
The boy nearly squeaked as his Aura gauge finally registered the quick onslaught of blows, and Professor Goodwitch stepped forward, eyebrow raised. With a few quick taps on her Scroll, the room's lighting system brought the audience back into view and removed the spotlight upon the stage. "Well, that was… efficient," she finally commented, voice dry and mildly amused. "Miss Nikos is the winner."
"Bullshit!" Cardin screeched, face growing purple. He slammed his fist onto the ground before staggering to his feet, pointing an angry finger at Pyrrha. "You think you're so great? You think you could really beat me in a real fight?"
Pyrrha raised one brow pointedly, suppressing a satisfied smile spurred on by the cheers and wolf whistles which were coming from Team RWBY and Team JNPR's section of the audience. "I believe I just did," she replied amiably, but her eyes were hard. "Why? Do you think I need to prove it again?"
"That will hardly be necessary," Professor Goodwitch interjected, clearly disgruntled by the boy's outburst. "Cardin, you will refrain from-"
"Cardin, I told you to-" Pyrrha heard Jaune's voice call desperately from the audience.
"If you're so great, then fight me again. I bet you think you're so great, you could destroy me, huh? You probably think you could take my whole team, huh?" He was seething with hatred by this point. "Hell, fight my whole team. You'll never beat us," Cardin steamrolled over Jaune and Professor Goodwitch, baring his fangs menacingly. His face had taken on a nearly-bluish tinge in his rage and shame.
"Cardin, please, I'd gladly fight your whole team," said the girl under her breath automatically. Pyrrha took a step back, surprised by the words which had slipped unconsciously from her lips. Where had that come from? That wasn't what she had intended to say at all!
Unfortunately, Cardin heard exactly what she had said. "Oh yeah, Nikos? Alright then." With a glare, he turned to Professor Goodwitch. "Excuse me, but little Miss Nikos here-" he jabbed his thumb rudely over his shoulder back to Pyrrha, "-wants to fight my entire team. Apparently, someone thinks she can take us all on." Sneering at the redhead, he added, "And I'd just hate to not let her have her fun."
Professor Goodwitch narrowed her eyes, glancing back and forth between the two competitors. Pyrrha groaned, covering her eyes with her hand in exasperation as the professor debated what to do.
At last, the woman asked, "Pyrrha, is this true?"
Well. I can't back down now. "It… would certainly be a… an entertaining challenge, Professor," Pyrrha replied carefully, forcing her tone to remain neutral.
Professor Goodwitch sighed, brushing back a few meticulously-groomed curls out of her face. "I see," she responded. "Well then. Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark, please get ready for this match. You have five minutes."
The corresponding boys stood up with devilish grins and cackled their way out of the stands. Pyrrha sighed and shook her head tiredly – when were they going to learn?
A light touch on her back brought her attention back to the world. The older woman murmured in her ear, "Are you certain about this, Miss Nikos?" she asked, uncharacteristically gentle.
Pyrrha immediately put on her mask, smiling comfortably at the professor. "Of course, I'm looking forward to it," she responded, voice neutral.
Despite still clearly being skeptical, the woman backed off and took her place back on the side of the stage. As she did so, the four boys emerged, clad in their armour and holding their weapons ready from one side of the floor. They smirked at one another, clearly excited that they have the opportunity to face her altogether.
"Kick their butts, Pyrrha!" Nora and Ruby screamed from the sidelines, earning a disapproving stare from the stern Huntress. Pyrrha's lips drew up in a small smile, but the amusement was cut short from a cursory glance at the audience.
Everyone was staring at her, exchange students and locals alike, slack-jawed and horrified.
Well. This is the opposite of creating a stir, but… her eyes flashed back to JNPR, to Nora cheering, Ren watching carefully, and Jaune clasping his hands tightly together, eyes narrowed, biting his lip, brows drawn up in a worried scowl. He was scared for her. I don't want the others to watch me, but I can't let my team down.
She kept her gaze locked on her opponents. They clearly thought that they were about to win this.
Not if she had anything to do with it.
With another heavy sigh, Professor Goodwitch announced, "If both sides are ready, take your places. This match will end when all students on one side have had their Aura's depleted."
She closed her eyes. The black box pulsed in her chest, moaning, trying to scream out – the sound was, thankfully, silenced as the house lights dimmed once more, and the spotlight flooded Pyrrha's senses until all she could see was Team CRDL. There was no longer an audience to bother her, not again. It was just her and Cardin and his goons, and the same rush of adrenaline spiked within her.
If someone had asked her later, she would deny it vehemently- but in that moment, she was truly excited to be able to face CRDL once and for all. Her battle mask was on, heart steady, black box tucked away.
"Begin!"
Instantly, Dove and Sky rushed towards her, Dove flipping agilely over her head to attack her from behind. Without even blinking, she block Sky's halberd with her shield, locking the blade with the crescent hook carved into her shield and wrenching it from his grip while she parried Dove's bronze short sword. Russel came up from behind Cardin with a wild cry, leaping into the air to thrust one of his daggers into her back. She calmly took a step backward and pivoted around, twirling Miló around to send Russel's blades flying out of his weak grip. Throwing out her shield towards Dove, she managed to clip him square on the forehead with the metal disc, and he collapsed onto the ground.
And that leaves Cardin as the momentary problem, she thought as she turned and began to stalk towards him slowly, feeling every muscle in her body tense and relax with every step. He snarled, but there was a sheen of sweat already coating his face, a certain pallor tainting his complexion from their previous match. His Aura had already been depleted down to just above the red zone, since five minutes hadn't been enough to recover his energy.
"Don't ask for a rematch again, okay?" she murmured quietly before striking. She switched Miló into a javelin and parried a blow from his mace, ducking underneath the large weapon. She twirled around, swinging Miló up and around to strike the weak points in Cardin's gauntlets once more to weaken his grip. He attempted to block and attack on his own, but she was too quick- in a few steps, she had landed more attacks upon him and managed to leave him flailing in the center of the stage. Leaping upwards, she brought down her javelin onto Cardin- unfortunately, the boy managed to move out of the way just in time, leaving the weapon to collide with the floor in a loud bang.
Dove, having recovered from his blow to the head, jumped in front of his leader and managed to block the javelin as Pyrrha threw it at the orange-haired boy. She quickly kicked the blond's feet out from under him and caught Miló, transforming it into its rifle form.
Sky came up from behind a crumpled Dove, swinging his halberd with much less bravado than before. Don't they quit? She had to admire their tenacity as Sky growled at her, exhaustion clearly building on his strained features. Pyrrha quickly fired a round at the boy and brought her weapon back into its sword form, holding up both her shield and sword to fend off a heavy blow from the larger boy.
He's clumsier than the rest, she realized. Picking up on that instantly, she began to hit him over and over again with both sword strikes and rifle shots, twirling her weapon in between to confuse the already-dazed boy. Eventually, she was able to throw him off enough to land a solid hit onto his stomach, and Sky flew back across the room, crying out in pain.
Cardin managed to parry her next few blows, even managing to muster up the strength to generate an incredibly powerful attack. She was able to dodge it, but the splinters of concrete from where the mace landed flew like shrapnel throughout the room. As Pyrrha blinked to avoid the cement dust from getting into her eyes, Cardin swung his mace again, hitting her shield hard enough to push her back across the stage and make her arm tremble slightly from the impact.
Her arm twitched and shook as she tried to shake the strain from it, feeling the impact rattle her bones. Thankfully, her Aura was already ready to go to heal her, and it barely left a dent in her overall bar onscreen.
When she came to a halt, Sky tried attacking her from behind, Cardin locking her in a pincer attack from the front. She jumped into the air, twisting her body to avoid the halberd and block the mace. Using her momentum from her fall, she swept Sky's legs out from underneath him and rolled back to her feet, narrowly avoiding a straight punch from Cardin.
The boy was slow to get back to his feet, and the detached, calculating part of Pyrrha's mind understood instantly. They're all vulnerable. Before the taller leader could straighten up, Pyrrha rolled across his back. Sky was back on his feet, so she threw Akoúo like a discus at Cardin, the rebound clipping Sky on the head as well before flying into the air. Pyrrha jumped high, twisting around to catch her shield midair, landing squarely on Sky's back. The boy let out an audible oomph and lay still, gasping upon the floor. His Aura buzzed into the red on the projector screen.
She glanced upwards at the remaining three boys, all of whom were back on their feet, surviving on the last dregs of energy left. Pyrrha nodded determinedly, running forward and catching Russel with a tackle with her shield.
As she traded a few blows with Dove, she absentmindedly noticed, Wow. His swordsmanship and agility is clearly superior to the rest of his team. He dodged another attack, and she had to bite back a grin. After all, he can keep up with me. She cleared him away quickly with a high kick, leaving only Cardin behind once more.
The larger boy let loose another powerful attack, but it was too slow to actually hit the girl. She spun away, transforming Miló into a rifle again and pumping round after round out while the others still fought to gain their bearings. Cardin's eyes widened imperceptibly, and Pyrrha felt a rush of strength fill her, seeing how close victory over the other boy was.
Her attacks never made it to Cardin, though, as Russel managed to get back on his feet and block every bullet she sent their way. Before she could retaliate, he jumped towards her with a kick that knocked her off balance.
Stay focused, Pyrrha, she chided herself. Suddenly, it was a dance of blades and her shield. Russel and Dove had managed to recover enough to lay one final onslaught upon her, and all she could see was the flashing of metal and the glinting of steel to indicate where to move. Her body was on autopilot as she logically thought of how to dispose of the two boys. They're not giving me space to breathe. All I need is one opening…
And just like that, the opening came. Out of nowhere, they stepped back just enough to give Cardin enough space to attack her once more, not wanting to take all the glory for themselves. That was all the opportunity she needed; when he came for his second strike, she was able to knee him in the face, knocking him out of whatever rhythm he could've maintained. After a few more quick blows, Cardin was gone again.
Russel immediately came up to fill the gap. By this point, a vague sense of annoyance was starting to break through her mask- how many times do I have to down them?- but she kept on going. If she had been the spectator for the fight, she may have been impressed by how seamlessly the boys interwove their attacks with one another, stepping in to protect anyone who had fallen out of sync.
After knocking Russel aside once more with a quick throw of her shield to his face and a swing of her weapon, she was able to knock Dove back with a stab of her javelin. Distantly, she noticed the sound of Russel's Aura buzzing down to the red. Two down, two more to go. With grim satisfaction, she watched Russel whimper on the edge of the stage, clutching his face in pain.
The blond immediately twisted his blade into a rifle, firing a few rounds her way as his final stand. She charged onwards, catching Akoúo and protecting her face. She tried to strike him down with her sword, but he was able to dodge, landing lithely a few meters away from her.
Dove managed to stay on his feet, but was promptly knocked down into the red by Cardin's backhand as their team leader ran forward for his biggest attack yet, which tore up the ground until Pyrrha's feet. The sight of him taking out his own teammate would have sent her into a guilty fit of giggles, but in her current state, she was solely focused on the boy before her. The girl managed to avoid the blow by a hair, flipping backwards to escape it. Cardin ran around to face her, but Pyrrha simply sighed. This battle had gone on for long enough.
Cardin raised his hand to strike again, but Pyrrha intercepted him, unleashing a flurry of blows upon his haggard self. Eventually, she was able to knock him into the air. The girl pushed off the ground and jumped up after him, raining more attacks down mercilessly. As Cardin flew backwards from the impact, Pyrrha held Akoúo to her feet with her Semblance and kicked off of it, using it as a springboard to catapult herself forward towards Cardin.
Switching Miló into a javelin for the final time, she grabbed Cardin's helpless form, caught his neck in a chokehold using the shaft of Miló, and threw Cardin down headfirst into the ground with a force so strong it shattered the area around where he landed.
His Aura buzzed down to the red. It was over.
She alighted upon her feet, tucking away her weapons and breathing in deeply. She shut her eyes, allowing the world to disappear for just a moment as she prepared herself for what she was about to face.
Everyone saw me. They all know I took a four-man team down on my own. They're going to talk, they're going to gossip. Some of them won't be happy. Her heart seized at the thought, but she squashed it down. And I'm going to have to be okay with that. My team will be happy, and that's all that matters right now.
Professor Goodwitch's methodical footsteps echoed throughout the room as the lights began to brighten up once more, the spotlight focused upon the stage fading away. "And that's the match," she announced calmly, utterly unsurprised by the result.
Cardin spit to the side, hands clutching his ribs. His menacing glare was now wracked with pain as he groaned, "Lucky shot," before collapsing onto the floor, exhausted.
Without even acknowledging the injured boy's prone position, the Huntress simply stepped over his body as she approached the redhead. "Well done, Miss Nikos. You should have no problem qualifying for the tournament."
Pyrrha bowed slightly, smug satisfaction filling her veins. Although she had never felt smug after winning a match- her opponents generally made her feel terrible after each victory, after all- seeing Cardin lying on the ground, bitterly pounding the smooth floor with his fist in frustration, made her heart sing with satisfaction. It was a public victory which felt long overdue. A part of her was ashamed of that feeling. However, all she had to do was recall the image of rapier wasps in her mind, and the shame faded in an instant. "Thank you, Professor."
Tapping her Scroll cannily, Professor Goodwitch continued, "Alright, now I know that's a tough act to follow, but we have time for one more sparring match." Glancing around the audience, her eyes honed in on one particularly quiet student. "Any volunteers? Ms. Belladonna?"
Blake slammed her book shut, staring at the professor with wide-eyed innocence, as if she hadn't been ignoring the whole day of matches in favour of reading.
The blonde sighed. "You've been rather docile for the past few classes. Why don't you-"
To everyone's surprise, it was neither a teammate nor a friend who came to Blake's rescue. Raising his hand from the other side of the auditorium, a slate-haired, dark-eyed boy called, "I'll do it."
Adjusting her glasses, Professor Goodwitch affirmed, "Mercury, is it? Very well, let's find you an opponent."
The boy stood up, lazily drawling, "Actually, I wanna fight…. Her."
Pyrrha blinked owlishly at the finger pointed directly at her, narrowed eyes almost accusatory in its weight. She took a moment to catch her breath. "Me?" she finally blurted out. The boy smirked but said nothing, just as silently unnerving as he had been the day Pyrrha had met him on their way to Vale the previous weekend.
Propping a hand upon her hip, the professor stated bluntly, "I'm afraid Miss Nikos has just finished the match." She frowned, disapproval painted all over her face. "I recommend you choose another partner."
Something's… not right here, she realized. Pyrrha turned back to Professor Goodwitch for a moment, waving away the concern. "No, it's fine!" she insisted. Facing Mercury once more, she flashed a friendly smile, although she could feel that it didn't reach her eyes. "I'd be happy to oblige."
Mercury ambled down the steps, and in a few minutes, re-emerged from the locker room hallway wearing his normal combat gear. Pyrrha frowned, taking in his clear lack of a weapon – nothing was standing out to her as actually providing any danger to her.
She shifted her body so that he could only see her profile, using her hidden hand behind Akoúo to direct her Aura out of her. Closing her eyes, she sent out a wave of her power, her dark Aura spread so finely-thin across the stage that no one would be able to see it. With it, she pulled on Mercury's form lightly, testing out his armour to see if there were any concealed weapons.
There was a distinct pull from his boots. Pyrrha withdrew her Semblance immediately, examining what looked to be normal combat boots from under thick lashes. Similarly to Yang's bracers, there were ammunition rounds around his ankles, implying that the boots also could be used to fire projectiles. Martial artist. He's wearing reinforced boots, but... something was still wrong, however. The pull on her Aura from his boots was too strong to simply be weighted shoes, even ones with an ammo chamber.
Mercury smiled lightly, but his gaze was calculating, sizing her up from head to toe with every casual step. Finally, he reached the center of the stage and stood at the ready.
For the third time that day, she sighed, breathed in, out- 1, 2- and slid her combat mask back on.
She didn't have any time to continue pondering the situation, however, as Professor Goodwitch took her place for the third time that day with Pyrrha on the field. "If you two are ready… begin!"
Mercury made the first move. He took a few steps forward, transitioning into a spinning high kick. Pyrrha blocked it with ease and swung Miló's sword down across his standing leg with the flat of her blade, knocking him to the floor. The boy pulled himself back up quickly, somersaulting and flipping away from her to create more distance between them.
Pyrrha stood, keeping her eyes carefully locked on his. For someone with so much weight in their boots, the blow to her shield had been exceptionally light, exceptionally… hesitant. She couldn't put her finger on why it bothered her so much. Something about this whole thing is wrong. He's too calm. He's… testing me. Straightening up, she reset her stance and began her own charge.
Meeting him halfway upon the stage, she began trading blows with the boy- his kicks, light and quick, meeting her shield over and over again. Clearly, he was agile enough to evade or block every swing of Miló with his boots, but his heart clearly wasn't into the offensive. Instead, his eyes remained locked on hers, boring holes into her. It reminded her more of dancing, of waiting for a partner to signal the next move, than it did a sparring session.
Finally, Pyrrha grit her teeth and caught an opening, rushing forward and pushing him back with Akoúo. Mercury slid backwards, holding his stance and pushing so hard into the concrete floor with his metal boots that it caused sparks to appear. She paused, waiting to see what he would do next.
Instead of coming at her immediately, he simply nodded, conceding to her strength with an impressed expression on his face. Is he even remotely serious about this? Something about how casual it all was infuriated her.
Suddenly, the boy leapt upwards and began unleashing a flurry of powerful kicks upon her. Caught off guard by his sudden seriousness and increase in strength, Pyrrha hastily stepped back, blocking the hits as they came and frantically moving backwards to gain some distance. With a tumble, she managed to clear some space between them, and she shifted Miló in her hands so she could wait defensively.
He was on her immediately, raining down blow after blow. However, he managed to whip her blade out of her grasp, and it was only her quick block that prevented him from kicking Miló across the room and into the stands. Grabbing it once more, she attempted a counterattack- however, he was too quick, and his next series of attacks knocked the blade clean out of her hands, impaling it into the ground.
Mercury looked from Pyrrha, back to the blade, and back to her. He smirked, heavy-lidded and enjoying himself far too much. Pyrrha suddenly felt as if an oily film had covered her body, unease growing at an alarming rate. Something's wrong. I need to end this, now.
He let loose one final spinning kick before she could blink, giving her no time to move away. The world fell apart before her eyes, adrenaline causing everything to shift into slow motion, the realization that she wouldn't be able to raise Akoúo high enough nor fast enough to block the blow safely, setting in. Her hand reached out in front of her, but she knew that it wouldn't be able to block the blow without causing grave injury.
So, she did the one thing she knew she could do- raising her now-empty hand, she felt her Aura rush through her body and forced it towards her opponent. Automatically, it gravitated to the metallic pull of his boots, and she used her Semblance of polarity to push the boot just out of her way.
To all others, it looked like she had barely dodged the blow. Mercury was clearly not expecting her to raise his leg with her Aura, and was thus knocked off balance- he fell to the ground, back facing her, leaving himself wide open.
Like lightning, she retrieved Miló, charged the boy with her shield, and knocked him back a few meters. As he righted himself once more, he turned away, not even bothering to watch as she continued her attack.
And then, the most surprising words she had ever heard during a match escaped his lips. "I forfeit."
Her eyes widened, emergency brakes immediately kicking in as she tried to stop her onslaught, finding herself almost stumbling as she came to a stop beside him. A gasp inadvertently escaped her lips, her battle mask slipping off. Disgust filled every pore as she watched him from the corner of her eye, the boy straightening up nonchalantly as if he hadn't just been in the middle of a match.
"You… don't even want to try?" she protested, looking at the boy in shock.
Mercury shrugged, nonplussed. "What's the point? You're a world-renowned fighter. We're obviously leagues apart."
She frowned. Not a single word from his lips sounded sincere. Why would he have picked a fight with her, especially after seeing her match with Cardin and his team, if he knew he was going to forfeit the moment the battle began to pick up?
Professor Goodwitch, who had been standing on the side, announced after a beat, "In that case... Pyrrha Nikos is the victor of the match... again."
Pyrrha propped a hand up onto her hip, shifting her weight as she tried to read his expression and contain her disappointment. The discomfort in her heart only grew when Mercury's expression shifted from wry understanding to a smug sneer, the boy gazing up at her through heavy-lidded eyes that knew too much. About what, Pyrrha didn't know.
She narrowed her eyes, keeping her shield raised. She didn't want to find out, either.
In light of his forfeit, the blonde changed Mercury's Aura status from green to red, indicating his loss on their grading record. Professor Goodwitch then added sternly from the sideline, "Next time, you may want to think a little harder before choosing an opponent."
All cocky bravado, Mercury waved a hand and called over his shoulder, "I'll be sure to do that," before sticking his hands in his pockets and sauntering off.
Right on cue, the school bell rang, signalling the end of the classes for the day. The professor called out to the retreating students, "That is all for today. The losers need to see me at 6 pm sharp for your supplementary training. And remember, the dance is this weekend. But you all have your first mission on Monday. I will not accept any excuses."
At the mention of the dance, a few students perked up, but other than that everyone continued to file out of the room, excited to enjoy their evening at last.
After Mercury joined his teammate Emerald, however, Pyrrha continued to stand on the stage, shuddering. There was something so predatory in his eyes, something dark which she had never seen before in any of her opponents. Her mind flashed back to her previous meeting with Mercury and his friends on the airship, the thought sending a shiver down her spine.
Lost in her thoughts as she wandered back into the locker room, she didn't even notice Ren, Nora and Jaune following behind her while the last of the students filed out of the larger room behind them. Skipping towards her, Nora waved frantically, practically beaming with pride and excitement. "You absolutely destroyed them, Pyrrha!" she shrieked, throwing her arms around the redhead.
Pyrrha took a step back to balance the sudden weight of the lithe girl hanging off of her shoulders, arms tightening around her neck. The words sent a mixture of pride and unease through her heart – clearly, her team was immensely pleased with the result of the matches that day, but the fear that they would leave her behind like all her other opponents would never really go away. However, she wasn't able to hide the doubt which instantaneously filled her expression, nor the surge of guilt which welled up inside as she realized that Ren and Jaune had seen her trepidation. "It was nothing," she laughed unsurely.
As Nora finally released her, Ren reached out a hand and clasped her shoulder warmly. "You know that you don't have to take this all alone," the boy said kindly, and instantly, she felt his soothing presence bring down her jittering nerves, still rushing with adrenaline from the battle. "We're here to help."
As Jaune reached an arm up to sling around her shoulders, the three of them nodded emphatically towards the tired girl, and Pyrrha felt her heart melt yet again. Although, whether it Jaune's touch warming her from head to toe, the team's support, or Nora's impish grin at her closeness to the blond which was causing the heat to well up inside her core, Pyrrha didn't know.
"You're not alone, Pyrrha," Jaune murmured. "And also, after that match- Cardin for sure won't be bothering any of us anytime soon."
She laughed again, but this time, it was true, heartfelt. "Thank you, all of you. But don't worry about me- neither a random match with exchange students, nor a bout with Cardin and his friends, are enough to bring me down." She held up a triumphant fist, flexing her arm to show off her muscle like a bodybuilder. "I think I was able to represent our team and show them a thing or two."
"Indeed," a calm, calculating voice from behind smoothly replied, startling the four students. Professor Goodwitch, who had been punching in scores and comments onto her Scroll since dismissing the class, strutted up to them casually by the doorway. "Miss Nikos, I do have something I would like to ask you, however."
Slipping out of Jaune's touch, albeit a bit reluctantly, she stood at attention before the strict Huntress. "Is there anything I can do to help, Professor?" asked the girl.
Pulling up an email onto the main menu of her Scroll so the group could see, Professor Goodwitch explained, "You see, there's an exhibition match between combat school students who are aiming for Huntsmen Academies next year. The organizers would like some current Huntsmen- and Huntresses-in-training to come, as there will be some media coverage and interviews." Her eyes flashed, although her normally stoic expression did betray a hint of pride as she smirked and added, "Professor Ozpin assured me that you had agreed. Since you are currently sitting in the top of your class amongst your peers and fellow combatants, I was hoping you would be able to go as a representative of Beacon Academy."
A pang of discomfort hit her stomach, and Pyrrha barely contained the wince that instinctively hit her. Memories of the numerous promotions she had participated in due to her mother's meddling over her years in Sanctum filled her with disgust. She had completely forgotten that Professor Ozpin had asked her a while back if she could provide some material for the advertisements for Beacon, but now, she regretted ever offering her voice. She hated interviews.
And yet, she had already given her word. Pulling on a tight-lipped smile onto her usual, pleasant mask, she nodded once. "I'd be happy to. Thank you for the support."
Professor Goodwitch smiled and nodded curtly back before turned on one stiletto heel and striding away purposefully.
In her wake, Jaune, who was standing slack-jawed after that conversation, murmured, "Holy cow. You really are iconic, huh Pyrrha?"
She looked away from the blond. "It's just the outfit that's iconic," she muttered ruefully. "The outfit, and the name. Not me, not really."
Nora looped an arm around Pyrrha's, tugging the girl gently out of the hall. "Famous or not, you're going to kill this interview! And afterwards, you're going to come home and be our little Pyrrha, just as usual. And that is a fact."
Ren snorted lightly as the two boys trailed behind. "Not exactly little, but Nora's right."
"Of course!" Jauned beamed, clapping Pyrrha on the shoulder. "Just 'cause you were on Pumpkin Pete's doesn't make you a stranger."
The redhead snorted. "Of course that fact is the one you remember," she chuckled, her unease melting away again. It was the silliest thing she had ever really done in her career as a publicity stunt, and yet, she wasn't upset whatsoever that that would be what Jaune brought up, nor was she surprised that it was the one accomplishment in her life which he had latched onto.
"Either way," Jaune continued, "let's go get dinner! I'm starving."
The others chorused in agreement, and Pyrrha could only go along, trying to push down the silly smile threatening to take over her face, all memory of her fight with CRDL and Mercury disappearing in their wake.