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Baked Alaska vs. Checkmate
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The apologies of others grant me no reprieve.
Nor will they give me strength.
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The sound of breaking glass pierced Weiss' ears, after stabbing through another one of Neo's mirror clones.
It must have been the tenth since their duel began. And like so many times before, the culprit reappeared at a distance—twirling her umbrella over her shoulder without a care in the world.
The pink-haired girl managed to avoid every attack thrown at them. Always smiling, as if finding their opponent's struggles amusing.
On the other hand, Weiss was absolutely vexed by what was going on. Neo was unharmed, yes—but so was she. Her enemy made no offensive attempts, never took advantage of any openings, never countered her failed attacks—and there was no shortage of opportunities.
Why?
Why is she toying with me?
Is she trying to make me waste my Dust?
What on earth is she up to?!
The more time passed, the more unwound Weiss became. Even now, she plotted her next move, but Neo simply stood her ground, patiently waiting to see what her opponent would do next. It was driving Weiss insane.
"Grrr…"
The fencer tried to shake her frustrations and go on the attack again. She cast several Glyphs—some midair—surrounding Neo and left them to hover. Following that, Weiss fired off six light projectiles. Neo opened her umbrella to shield herself in response.
Some of the shots bounced off, but others exploded on impact. None of them doing any damage, but that wasn't Weiss' goal.
Good. Looks like she's not a clone.
Next, she conjured a Glyph under Neo, which launched them into the air. Even with the sudden elevation, the petite girl kept a playful composure.
With numerous Glyphs still surrounding Neo, the stage was set. Weiss would blast back and forth between the floating launch pads. She would assault Neo from all angles, making mincemeat of her target, while they were still suspended midair.
The fencer moved through the first Glyph and instantly shot towards the girl…
Neo locked eyes with Weiss and deciphered the next move. The needle point of her parasol reached out to match the oncoming Myrtenaster's exactly. A high-pitch screech rippled the atmosphere so violently, it caused momentary deafness.
Weiss and Neo were repelled by the impact, each landing on a Glyph. The platforms activated automatically, causing both combatants to fire back and forth past each other in rapid succession. Every thrust and slash was met with a mirror opposite.
On the final encounter, Neo caught Weiss' sword in her right heel—and with her left, stomped down on the other without a hint of mercy.
Weiss' vision blacked out with an abruptness.
…
It was dangerous goings, but Weiss barely managed to hold on to her consciousness. The taste of iron filled her mouth as blood began to pool in her gums.
When her vision refocused, she saw Neo still regarding her with amusement. Her prized rapier now in the other girl's hands. Neo's eyes shifted colors, always watching, never initiating the first move.
Weiss remembered Yang speaking of her once. It was after they fought during the events of Breach.
Yang told her team she constantly felt one step behind Neo. That the tiny combatant was too fast to keep pace with.
The intel was vague at best, but Weiss committed it to memory. She had pride in her own high-tempo style combat. Her speed wasn't the same level as Ruby's, but it was still something she boasted. Coming into the fight, she was ready to match Neo in kind.
But her assumptions were off the mark…
It wasn't speed that defeated Yang or what was beating Weiss now.
It was Neo's dexterity.
The girl ducked and weaved as if they could see the future. Every time Neo defended, the force was displaced and redirected harmlessly, or evaded completely. It was like fighting water for lack of better comparison.
And it wasn't just physical dexterity where Neo exercised dominance. There was a mental aspect to it.
Possibly worst of all, Neo muddled Weiss' concentration. The fencer's already ineffectual attacks grew more dull as the fight went on. Her attack timings fell off. Her normally graceful technique became sloppy. She couldn't count how many times she lost track of Neo, only to find them waiting in her blind spot.
Weiss touched the blood on her lips.
The kick she received wasn't serious. It stunned her, but the wound itself was superficial. Neo even gave her time to recover.
This is ridiculous!
As if to taunt Weiss further, Neo began playing with her Myrtenaster. Swishing it around and thrusting it through the air, like it were some curious stick. They made mute little "ooh" and "aah" expressions. If the girl could giggle aloud, they would likely be doing it at this moment.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!" Weiss raged, no longer able to keep her anger in check.
Neo flashed an impish grin and pointed to the explosion in the distance.
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X
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"Come on, Blake. I'm getting bored here~" Yang taunted, while casually strolling towards her former partner.
Blake popped out from her hiding place and fired a few violet rounds. Two bullets missed by a mile, while the other flicked up some dirt near the other's feet.
Yang continued to walk, unfazed.
Next, Blake pitched her Gambol Shroud with its strap attached. The gun passed her target and fired off a round, causing the weapon's extension to wrap around Yang. It was a capture technique.
A capture technique Yang had seen a thousand times over—and predicted.
She frowned, grabbed a hold of the strap, and gave it a sharp pull.
Blake was jerked off her feet. Her body flew, head first towards her former teammate, who leaned back for a weighted haymaker.
She closed her eyes, as Yang swung.
The punch's motion caught inside an ice-sculpted Blake, while the original somersaulted back. To the Faunus surprise, Yang blasted through the clone, sending shards of frost in every direction. The boxer stepped through the sizzling mist and into the face of her former partner. She winked and let loose a jet-powered fist.
The violent bang echoed the woodland area.
Blake's body smashed into the ground and bounced off, like a cheap rag doll. Her body stopped only when it landed face first into the dirt a few yards away.
She barely mustered the willpower to stand back up. Her hand went to the side of her face, causing her to flinch. The cheekbone, where Yang's fist landed, was already starting to swell and bruise.
Blake squinted at the approaching footsteps.
"—Y'know, this won't be much of a fight if you don't at least try."
Yang stopped and rested her hands on her hips. The look of disappointment obvious in her posture.
"I WON'T FIGHT YOU, YANG!" Blake shouted.
"Then, you'll lose. And then, what?"
"…" Blake tossed her Gambol Shroud at Yang's feet. "I won't fight you."
Yang stared at the weapon with pity. She bent down and picked it up, like handling something delicate. Masa's affection towards weapons seemed to have rubbed off on her a bit. It was hard to imagine a time she viewed them as little more than tools.
"You really shouldn't treat Gambol Shroud like that."
"How can you side with them?!" Blake ignored Yang's words. "After everything they've done! After all the people they've hurt?!"
"They're who I need."
"And not us?!"
"I did need you. But not anymore."
"…I don't understand…"
Tears swelled in Blake's eyes. She wiped them away angrily, paying no attention to the sting in her cheek.
"But why them?! They're the ones who killed Pyrrha! They helped the White Fang! They brought the Grimm down on so many innocent people! It's because of them there's a war going on! And you're joining their side? After what they did to you?!"
"They're just trying to make their own way in the world. Like you, or me, or anyone else," Yang's voice came with an uncanny, almost detached tone.
"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?!"
Yang blinked softly and remembered back to the day they recruited her. Hearing Emerald and Mercury's reasons. Not just what they said, but the way they said it. The sincerity they showed when they spoke of Cinder.
"I wonder how many people I'd kill if it was for you, Blake…"
"Yang…?"
"I'd tear the Schnee Dust Company apart, if Weiss wanted to escape it bad enough."
"That's not the same thing!"
Yang's eyes gleamed redder—like shining bloodlust of a dark omened star.
"I'd burn the world if it meant protecting Ruby."
"You're not the same as them!" Blake cried.
"Maybe," Yang flashed a twisted grin. "Maybe, not."
"Yang… Please…"
"Let me ask you something, Blake. What do you actually want?"
Blake blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean, 'what do I want'? I just want you to be saf—"
"Why do you want me to be safe?"
"Because I care about you!"
"I can guess you're out here to hunt down Adam."
"Because he hurt you!"
"And that's supposed to make me feel better, all this you're doing?"
"I-I…. I never want to see you hurt like that again. I'll do anything to...!"
Blake bit her lip remembering the moment Yang's arm was severed. The guilt she carried with her since, lurched closer. It consumed her thoughts and made her skin feel cold.
"Blake. It's stupid to think I won't get hurt again," Yang said sympathetically. "It's stupid to think you can protect me or make me feel better."
"What?"
"I'll get hurt again. Maybe worse than last time, and the next time after that. And that's okay. It's…kind of my destiny. My life."
"Yang…"
"It's taking a while to learn, but I'm starting to get that our lives are built on stuff like that. That's how we grow. How we learn—and how we become stronger."
She walked to Blake and pressed Gambol Shroud into her hands.
"And if you can't fight me…"
Yang walked past with a steeled, emotionless resolve.
"…You can't save me.
And you can't give me any strength either."
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X
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Yang stepped into the clearing where Neo and Weiss fought.
She observed them both, measuring them up. Weiss was bleeding from her lip, but almost all her Aura was intact. Neo looked as prim and playful as ever. It brought a crooked cheer to Yang's mood.
"Tradesies!" Yang called to her partner.
Neo obliged and threw Myrtenaster carelessly to Weiss' feet.
When the two crossed, they high-fived, as if switching in a tagteam wrestling match. Neo entered the forest where Yang had come from. At the same time, Yang took the place where Neo once stood.
"Been a while since our last scrap, huh, Weiss?" Yang glowed, while cracking her knuckles.
"Hmph."
The revolver on Weiss' Myrtenaster spun and clicked. All the psychological damage Neo inflicted dissipated in an instant. Her demeanor honed with icy cold sharpness on her new opponent's arrival.
Yang and Weiss dropped into their respective fighting stances. A distance of twenty feet separated them.
The two stared at each other. A tense moment passed—then another…
As if reminded of something, Yang's features softened. Her eyebrows raised and she walked leisurely to Weiss. Her former teammate couldn't fathom what she was thinking and readied to attack.
Just when Yang entered striking distance, she stopped. With an air of dignity and respect, Yang leaned forward and bowed.
Weiss was briefly dumbstruck, before her expression eased as well. She drew her sword up in salute, in accordance with a fencer's match etiquette.
For all the sparring they had done during their days at Beacon, this would be the first time they faced each other in serious combat. They wanted to do it justice.
With their rituals complete, they dropped into fighting stances once more. Yang reached out her lead fist and Weiss extended her sword.
Both weapons tapped with a satisfying ring.
And so, they christened the beginning of their match…