Chapter 22

Litchi's Clinic

"Sorry guys, I don't know anything about that. I only heard about it later, I mean, I really… kinda going AWOL right now." Said Makoto.

"Awol? What's that?" Asked Ruby.

"Absent without leave. Meaning she's playing hooky, only a lot more serious." Explained Weiss.

"Well, I'm still technically on a mission, but I'm just… not doing the mission right now, and… not reporting in." Said Makoto.

"Does this have something to do with Noel?" Asked Blake.

Noel and Makoto looked at each other. "Sorry guys, but it's for your safety. This is our mass."

"Okay, do whatever happening with the city, the ship crush, Noel, has anything to do with Yang?"

"I don't know… look, I'll talk to a friend, I'm not promising anything, okay." Said Makoto.

"Thanks!" Said Ruby, happy.

"I'll contact you if I find anything."

After that, they decided to leave, but Blake wanted to stay behind.

"I still have something to check with Makoto, I'll meet you back at the dorm."

"Okay, see you then." Said Ruby.

"Wait." Said Noel. "I need to go do some shopping anyway, I'll walk with you halfway."

Once Ruby and the others left, Blake turned to Makoto. "I talked to a person named Bang Shishigami."

"Yeah?" Said Makoto, didn't understand where she was going with this.

"He said… claimed he's the formal leader of the Ikaruga ninjas." Blake put out a book. "He also gives me this."

"Ah… yes. I remember now. The author of the self-published book "The True Story of the Ikaruga Civil War: The War for Justice and Liberty". He even got a website, where he teaches people carpentry and ninjutsu."

"Is what is written in this book true?"

"Not sure. Haven't read it myself."

"It's said here that the reason for Ikaruga's independence was because of the inequality between those who can use Ars and those who can't."

"It was more than that. But yes, that was the main driving force behind the war."

"So there are people who can't use Ars?"

"Well, of course. It's mostly genetic, and sometimes from mutation."

"And you discriminate against them for not being able to use Ars? For something they can't change?"

"I don't discriminate against anyone. At least try to. And the circumstance here is more inevitable. Think about it, almost everything in the Hierarchical cities is run on Seithr, and only Grimoire can control Seithr, and only Ars users can use Grimoire, so of course those who can use Ars will get left behind."

"What about machines? Why not make things everyone can use?"

"There are people who are trying to bring Dust base technology back to the Embryum."

'People like Sector Seven, who I also don't trust.' Thought Makoto.

"The posses is slow, our society is built on Ars after all, but this Joints Tournament could help. If our relationship with Atlas improves, more of Atlas' technology could come in."

'But that's Dust technology. And that means… Faunus labor.' Thought Blake.

"So in the end, it's all the same. If it's not race, then it's something else."

"I never said we were perfect. And I never said I agreed with everything the NOL does. And I'm not defending what NOL did."

"It said the NOL destroyed the Hierarchial city of Ibukido, a base of the Ikaruga faction,with this Take-Mikazuchi thing."

"A Nox. I don't know all of the details, I was still a student back then."

"A Nox? A Nox can destroy an entire city?"

"It can't be used willy nilly, but Gigas, Take-Mikazuchi, is the most powerful of the Nox, used by Nine herself. Before that day, before they used it on Ibukido, I have no idea NOL even possess it. Honestly, the whole war was weird."

"What?"

"Oh no… it was nothing. Just talking to myself."

'Why did the event escalate so quickly into a war? Why did the war drag on for six years? Why did NOL use Take-Mikazuchi on Ibukido? Even after Ibukido was destroyed, we still fought for four more years! Why? Most of the people of the Ikaruga faction can't even use Ars!'

Looking at Blake, disappointed, Makoto realized something. 'Were you hoping, that the Hierarchial Cities would be some kind of beacon of equity for Faunus.'

"Hey, walk with me." Said Makoto.

"What?" Blake Confused.

"Just around Orient Town. Eat something from the street vendor. My treat."

"I…"

"Come on."

With a little persuasion, Blake went out with Makoto.

Orient Town- rode back to the dorm

As Ruby walked, she remembered something.

"Oh, oh, by the by, Noel, do you have a sister?"

"No… Why?"

"Because, yesterday, we met someone who looks just like you."

Neol suddenly felt uncomfortable. "Probably just a coincidence. I'm an only child."

"Wait." Said Weiss. "I remember Makoto said that you were adopted."

"No… I-"

Noel suddenly stopped, and looked in front of her. Ruby and Weiss followed her gazes, and saw-

"Tsubaki…"

Other side of Orient Town

"Nice huh?" Makoto said, eating a hot meat bao.

"Yeah, what kinda meat is this? Asked Blake.

Makoto looked over at the street vendor. "Bat meat."

Blake almost spat out her food! Unlike the person behind them, who spat everything out.

"What!" Said the person.

"Jaune, you alright?"

"Jaune?" Asked Blake.

"Blake? Lieutenant Nanaya?" Said Pyrrha, surprised.

…

"I was just kidding!" Makoto said, laughing. "It's just chicken."

"Why did you even joke about that?" Asked Jaune.

"Oh, you know how they said "it tastes like chicken" right?" Explained Makoto. "Well, they said the same about bats."

"Does bat really taste like chicken?" Asked Blake.

"Wouldn't know. Never have bat before." Said Makoto. "I mean, they kinda look like rodents. Like, are you comfortable eating monkey?"

"I guess you have a point…" Said Jaune.

"But I read once that bats are actually more closely related to monkeys than rodents." Said Blake.

"Really?" Said Makoto. "But still-"

"Please, spar with me!" Asked Pyrrha suddenly.

"Pyrrha?" Wandered Jaune.

'This might be my last chance to fight against an Ars Magus. To learn anything about Ars.' Thought Pyrrha.

Makoto looked over at Blake for a moment. "Alright."

"Thank you! Lieutenant!" Said Pyrrha, happy.

"Ah, just call me Makoto, I'm not on the clock right now."

"Thank you, Makoto."

"But, you said no before." Said Jaune.

"Well, Tsubaki said no, and she's not here right now. And as much as I love my friend, she can be a little too stickler for the rules."

"Okay… if you said so…"

"And you will be the one refereeing." Said Makoto. "And lookout, you and the Jaune."

"What!" Said Blake and Jaune.

"Your scroll can keep track of your Aura, right? You can connect to each other's scrolls and help keep track of our Aura level."

"Yeah, but it's not that accurate…" Said Jaune.

"We'll fight unit, let's see..." Makoto thought a little. "Until Aura level reached 80%."

"What about you? You don't have a scroll, right?" Asked Blake.

"Actually, I do." Said Makoto. "For work. I am working for the intelligence bureau."

"Of course." Said Blake.

"And… where can we fight…" Makoto. "I rather not go the dorm… so…

The Swearer

"So, you're fighting in the swearer…" Said Nora, looking around.

Jaune called Ren and Nora, and asked if they wanted to come, and of course, Nora rushed there immediately with Ren. Blake did the same, but for some reason, she couldn't reach Ruby or Weiss.

'I hope nothing's wrong…' Thought Blake.

"Yeah, of course. I presume you want to use the gun form of your weapon, right? Well, we can't have bullets flying around where civilians live."

"Right, good point." Said Jaune.

Makoto drew a big circle. "Alright. You guys watch yourselves. We'll try not to hit you with a stray shot, it'll be a nice challenge. Don't hit the bystanders."

"Yes!" Said Pyrrha, excited.

Makoto put her hand on her black coat, and with a single pull, she pulled off her uniform, revealing a revealing combat outfit!

"Good god in heaven!" Said Jaune and Ren.

"Y… you going to fight in that?" Asked Blake, didn't where to look.

"Yeah, got a problem?"

"Nope, you are allowed to dress however you want." Replied Blake.

"Alright! Let's go!" Said Nora.

In The "Ring"

COMET CANNON!

Makoto created an energy ball in front of her with her left, and then pouched it with her right fist, sending the energy ball flying towards Pyrrha, Pyrrha countered by firing a shot at the energy ball, destroying it. When she turned her attention back on Makoto, she was gone. Pyrrha looked up and saw Makoto in the air, fist ready, Pyrrha thrusts her spear up, and-

Puff!

Makoto's body turned to smoke, and out of the smoke came three Makotos! Two in the air, one on the ground! Out of instinct, Pyrrha attacked the one in the air closer to her first, but that Makoto just turned to smoke, and that was when the Makoto on the ground entered her space, too close to attack with her spear, Pyrrha raised her shield, hoping to stop Makoto from attacking, but Makoto wind up her punch, and hits the shield! Sending Pyrrha flying back, hitting the well.

Outside of the Ring

"Pyrrha!"

"The Aura absorbed the impart. She'll be fine." Said Blake, Reassuring Jaune looking at her scroll.

'Clone? An energy ball And that punch… Which one is her Semblance?' Thought Blake. "Incredible."

"Are you sure she is an intelligence officer?" Asked Ren.

"Yeah, she should be an ass kicking officer!" Said Nora.

Even Tsubaki never did understand why Makoto insisted on joining the Intelligence Department, as she could have more success as a Praetorian Guard. Each branch required different qualities, Zero Squadron was loyalty, Praetorian Guard was combat abilities, and the Intelligence Department was, of course, information gathering and analyzing. Tsubaki didn't want to think badly of her friend, but Makoto was not a… perfect student, when she said she wanted to be in the Intelligence Department, Tsubaki not only had to tutor her for six months straight, but also forced her to stay awake during studies. To this day, it was still a miracle that Makoto got accepted into the Intelligence Department.

In the Ring

'I was too careless, I didn't think she would actually punch the shield.' Thought Pyrrha, getting up. 'And another thing, what was that pause? When she wind up her fist, she had an unnatural pause.'

Once Pyrrha reentered combat stands, Makoto charged towards her, and with a Puff! Spitted into three again, Pyrrha aimed her rifle at the one running towards her on the ground-

BANG!

This time, Makoto blocked, and the two in the air disappeared.

"Bingo."

'A coincidence?' Thought Makoto.

Pyrrha gave chase, and with a puff, Makoto spitted again! One jumped into the air, while the other two ran and came at Pyrrha from both sides. Pyrrha stopped, and then charged at the Makoto to her right!

'So she has figured out how to tell my copies apart.'

Makoto dispelled her clones, and focused on Pyrrha, she rushed in, and when Pyrrha thrust her spear, Makoto lowered her body, dodged the attack, and aimed at Pyrrha's guts, but Pyrrha lowered her shield to intercept the punch, the moment Makoto's fist made contact with the shield, instead of blocking, Pryyha knocked her fist away with the shield, and then changing her spear into a sword, and thrust at Makoto!

"STOP!" Said Makoto suddenly, with her right hand out.

Pryyha stopped, and turned to Blake and Jaune.

"I Lost." Said Makoto

"Huh? But your Aura-" Protested Nora.

"I can't dodge that attack. I lost. Anymore will only be a waste of energy. And she got her final match tomorrow."

"Oh come on, that's so anticlimactic." Said Nora, unsatisfied.

"But she won… Pyrrha won!" Said Jaune, happily.

"That wasn't a match, that was a lesson." Said Blake suddenly.

Makoto: "Huh?"

Makoto's duplication has no physical properties. She uses leaves as a medium, but in the end, the clones are just projections, holograms. On the ground, the clone can only appear running, which was why Makoto preferred creating them in the air, which is what Makoto did first.

When Pyrrha dispelled the first Makoto clone with her spear, she realized that the clone had no physical properties, which is why the second time, she targeted the Makoto on the ground.

On the third time, Makoto created only one in the air, and one on the ground with her, but by then Pyrrha had figured out that the clone are just essentially smoke and mirror. All she had to do was listen for footsteps.

"The point of your clone-"

"Asteroid Vision."

"What?"

"I call that move, Asteroid Vision. Cool huh."

Blake, shook her head with a sigh. "The point of Asteroid Vision…Was not to deceive the opponent, but to temporarily confuse them."

'Not bad.' Thought Makoto.

"Yet you use it too early, too much and leave it out too long. You were just trying to teach her, teach us something weren't you." Said Blake.

"What? This was a lesson! But lessons are boring!" Said Nora, unhappy.

"You're half right." Said Makoto. "I just wanted to have some fun, It only became something of a lesson after a while, I thought it'll be fun."

"What?"

"What? I'm not some sensei, I don't plan things out." Said Makoto. "And I never actually expected Pyrrha to figure it out during the match." Makoto turned to Pyrrha. "Good job."

"Why? Why teach us how to tell the different between illusion?"

"Other than for fun? A little more combat knowledge never hurt no one."

"That it?" Asked Jaune.

"Of course."

"Lieut- I mean Makoto, was that Asteroid Vision your Drive?" Asked Pyrrha.

"Well, I guess it's time for another lesson." Said Makoto "In battle, it doesn't matter what's a Drive and what's an Ars, fixating on that will get you killed."

"Right! I understand!"

"And no, Asteroid Vision is not my Drive, is an Ars."

"Incredible…"

"Oh! What about that energy ball thing!" Asked Nora.

"Let the girl have some privacy, okay?" Said Blake.

"Thank you, Blake. I mean, in the end, we are on different sides. There's no telling what might happen in the future. We might even have to meet on the battlefield."

"That's a bleak thought." Said Jaune.

On their way out

"That was fun." Said Makoto.

"I guess…" Replied Blake. "Did you spar with Pyrrha for me? To cheer me up?

"Look, while I may be consider an adult, I'm only a few years older than you, so we don't have that much of a life experience difference. So sorry if I don't have any wisdom to give you. But, if you have any more weight you need to off load, I'm all ears!"

"Thanks."

Just then, a glowing ball of light flew towards them, and Blade immediately went into a combat stance.

"No, wait." Said Makoto. "It's from Noel."

The ball of light hovered in front of Makoto, and began to speak.

Noel: "Makoto, I met Tsubaki, I think we might be able to talk it out!"

"Oh no."

To be continued