Team LNTC

Chapter Thirty-Two: Volume Three

Round Two

"Man, those last matches were insane!"

Teams LNTC, RWBY, and JNPR met back at the fairgrounds, sitting at a picnic table with trays of food before them.

"Yeah, especially Team Azure; those guys were ruthless!" Jaune declared. "They wiped the floor with the opposition!"

"They're determined to reach the finals, that's for sure." Nirnasha remarked.

Both Nikos twins nodded, both knowing how the four members of Team AZRE fought, back in Sanctum Academy.

"I think Team Almond is the most unique." Loki spoke up. "Their Semblances seem to work well, when they're working together, although they might be useless, on their own."

"Team Bioshock is already at the top!" Weiss declared proudly. "My cousin has always shown great leadership!"

"Favoritism much." Yang remarked with a chuckle.

"Team Solar Flare is doing good, too." Blake pointed out. "I can certainly tell Sun looks forward to facing his cousin in the finals."

A lot of teams besides our friends are making it." Ruby chimed in. "Even Emerald's team is advancing."

"With Cinder winning that match all by herself!" Loki added. "In shorter time, no less!"

"Which means we'll need to up our game!" Yang declared. "Can't risk falling behind the competition!"

Taking a sip of his drink, Turoc saw Penny out of the corner of his eye near one of the game stalls.

"Be right back."

Quickly excusing himself, Turoc made his way over to the robotic girl, "Hey there, Pen!"

Penny turned to Turoc with a big smile, "Friend Turoc! I'm so glad to see you!"

The two hugged before Turoc spoke, "Hey, I saw your team progress to the second round."

"Yes, well, General Ironwood has a lot of expectations for me." Penny nodded.

"You, not your team?" Turoc raised a brow.

"The General wants me to fight on my own, to show Atlas' dominance." Penny explained. "My teammates don't even bring their weapons into the arena."

"That doesn't seem fair at all." Turoc frowned. "Have you talked with them about this?"

Penny frowned in turn, "They…aren't really my team; more like people hired to be around me by the General's orders."

Turoc thought about it for a moment before speaking, "That's not how teammates should treat each other; they're supposed to work together and come to understand one another." He then pointed a thumb at himself. "I should know; my team and I were perfect strangers before we got to know and understand each other and become basically family."

Penny considered these words for a bit before giving her answer, "I understand your point, Turoc, and I'll see about speaking will Ciel about it, since she's accompanying me in the second round."

"That's the spirit!" Turoc smirked.

Just then, Ciel Soleil approached, "Ma'am, our match is set. We should make haste if we're to be on time."

"Guess I shouldn't keep you." Turoc said. "Until we meet in the winner's circle."

Taking Penny's hand, Turoc gave a light kiss on the knuckle, making Penny giggle before the two young women left, the fox faunus returning to his group.

"What's up, Turoc?" Jaune asked.

"Wishing your girlfriend luck in the doubles rounds?" Yang teased with a smirk.

"Not girlfriend yet." Turoc waved it off. "But yeah, I was, as well as giving her some much needed tips on interacting with her teammates; they seem more like coworkers than friends."

"Nothing wrong with that." Nirnasha nodded.


Penny walked with Ciel down the hall of the coliseum, reaching the common room before Penny looked over at her companion.

"Hey, Ciel?" She spoke. "Can I ask a favor?"

"Of course, ma'am." Ciel nodded.

"I know Ironwood said that I'm supposed to represent the strength of Atlas." Penny said. "But I feel it would benefit our academy better if we both contribute to the match together."

While Ciel seemed blank for a moment, she also gave it some thought before speaking, "I understand your reasoning, but the General asked me only to support you when necessary."

"That's exactly what I'm asking." Penny said. "Besides, you ARE supporting me, by aiding me in combat and showing that you're capable yourself."

Ciel thought this over for a bit before nodding, "Very well; I will support you as a teammate."

"Good." Penny smiled. "Also, no need for the 'ma'am' stuff. Call me by my name and treat me as a friend."

Ciel seemed conflicted about this, but nodded, "Alright…Penny."


Meanwhile, Teams RWBY, JNPR and LNTC were sat in the stands, all members eager to watch the action unfold.

"Man, I can't wait to see Penny in action!" Loki declared.

"I bet she's gonna do super awesome!" Ruby chimed excitedly.

"I wonder what her teammate's fighting style is like." Nirnasha wondered.

Turning towards the arena, the two members of Team CRDL, Russel Thrush and Sky Lark, stood some distance away from their opponents, Penny Polendia and Ciel Soleil, the ladder holding what looked like a Tavor TAR-21 assault rifle.

"Ooh, classic!" Loki remarked.

The arena soon shifted into a lava and mountain biome.

When the timer went off for the match to begin, Ciel immediately raised her rifle and opened fire, Russel swinging his daggers in a blur as he deflected the bullets as he charged in, Ciel soon switching her rifle to automatic fire, forcing Russel to utilize his Dust, sticking one of his curved daggers into the ground to cause a rock wall to rise from the ground, blocking the shots, while Sky Lark, who was taking up the rear, the tip of his halberd pressed against the ground before he pulled the trigger, the recoil of the rifle mechanism installed sending him flying as he made to swing downward, Ciel gracefully sidestepping, switching her rifle into the form of a talwar saber before slashing forward, forcing Sky to block with his halberd before then jumping back in a defensive position.

Russel tried to flack the dark-skinned girl, but took notice of a whirring sounds behind him, turning to see Penny standing behind him with her Floating Array's deployed from her backpack, all swords aimed at him before launching forward, Russel raising his daggers to block, although the speed of Penny's swords made it much harder to block, let aloe counter attack, so he activated the secondary function of his knife, which projected barrier from the hilt of the knife, blocking the swords, although Russel winced from the strain of having to endure the assault. Powering through, Russel got close enough to deliver a swing, only for Penny to block with one of the swords before delivering a swift kick to the midsection, sending the boy back some.

Sky spun his weapon between his fingers, blocking the bullet fire from Ciel, although some managed to get through his defenses, witling his aura bit by bit, before he thrusted forward, only for Ciel to switch her rifle back to its saber form and delivering an upward slash, finally pushing his aura to the red.

Soon enough, Russel fell from exhaustion from the onslaught of Penny's swords, his aura entering the red.

"Way to go, Penny!" Ruby cheered.

"Atta girl!" Turoc cheered.

"Man, who knew Ciel could fight." Loki said.

"I certainly didn't." Cenric shook his head.


After the match, Penny and Ciel returned to the common room, both satisfied with the effort they put in.

"Thank you for agreeing to fight beside me, Ciel." Penny said with a smile.

"Happy to do so." Ciel nodded. "But, are you sure that it was okay? The General…"

"He'll understand." Penny assured. "Besides, the whole point of having teams is to work well with others."

Just then, the door to the common room opened up, revealing Ironwood as he stepped in.

"Penny, Ciel," He said. "I'd like to congratulate you both on a job well done." He turned his attention to the dark-skinned girl. "Especially you, Ciel. You certainly take a lot from Specialist Schnee."

"Winter has been an excellent teacher, sir." Ciel nodded.

"Although, I do remember specifically saying that Penny should be the one displaying Atlas' strength." The General said with a frown. "Care to explain why you went against my orders?"

"I felt it wasn't fair for my teammates to stand by while I did everything." Penny explained. "They worked so hard to get to where they are now, to show that they have what it takes to be Huntsmen, and I don't want to rob them of that."

Ironwood stood with a blank expression, Penny and Ciel waiting anxiously for a reply, before the General sighed.

"I see your point, Penny." He said. "Sometimes, I focus so much on the bigger picture that I forget to focus on the smaller things."

"Sir?" Ciel said with a confused look.

"I forget the whole point of teams, being so focused on individual strength." Ironwood admitted. "So focused on you, Penny, I've been ignoring even Team Bioshock and Iceberg, two of our most promising teams."

"Don't forget Funky." Penny added.

"What I mean is that one should never take their teammates for granted." The General said. "So, while it's fine to rely on yourself, never turn away support from your comrades."

Penny and Ciel smiled at this before the General spoke, "You've still got three more matches before the singles rounds. Be ready."

"Yes, sir!"

With the girls out of sight, the General soon began walking down the hall, before feeling a sudden jolt of pain in his right shoulder before it went away, instinctively rubbing said shoulder.

"Does it still bother you?" Glynda asked as she approached.

"A little, yeah." James nodded. "The phantom pain still lingers."

"I can understand that." Glynda said. "Come, I have something to help with that."

James followed her, his thoughts returning to the prior conversation.

'I just hope you choose your friends carefully, Penny.' He thought. 'I don't want you to end up like me.'


Soon enough, it was time for the next match to begin, with Cenric and Nirnasha going in the doubles match, both young men ready for the match before the announcement went off.

"All fighters report to the arena!"

Both men nodded before moving outside to the arena, their opponents standing several feet from them; both were young women that seemed identical, with different color outfits and hair. Their eye color were a dark lilac color, the one with long, blonde hair and chocolate colored skin, sporting a small tank top over her large bust and a pair of booty shorts, while the other had short black hair and dressed more conservatively, wearing a long-sleeved shirt and long pants, both wearing claw tipped boots and gauntlets, as well as having faunus traits, the blonde having what looked like a wolf's tail, while the dark-haired one had a cat's tail.

"Our opponents won't be able to keep up, Adolpha." The cat-tailed girl said to her partner.

"Our unison is matched by none, Catherine." The blonde, Adolpha replied, a toothy grin. "Although you cannot deny their attractiveness."

"Quite the catch, sister~" Catherine said with a purr, licking her lips.

"Aaand they're flirts." Cenric said with a roll of his eyes. "Just our luck."

"Say, would you be interested in some fun after this?" Adolpha said, her gaze locked on the spartan. "Perhaps make the loss you're about to suffer less hurt."

"Not interested, as I'm already taken." Cenric stated firmly.

"And I am already spoken for myself." Nirnasha nodded. "And we won't be the ones losing today."

The wolf-faunus only shrugged as she and her partner readied their gauntlets, "Your loss, big boy~"

Cenric pulled out his shield and hammer before taking a stance, while Nirnasha readied his sickles, the arena changing into a jungle biome, as the countdown for the match soon started.


"Adolpha and Catherine." Turoc declared. "The most talented third years that rely on joint unison to overcome foes."

"They always prefer fighting together." Pyrrha nodded. "Even in Sanctum, they always found each other."

"An interesting pair." Blake nodded. "Although, I kinda feel uncomfortable about the fact that they look like me and Yang."

"Hey, you're right!" Yang nearly gasped. "Look! Blonde even has the same eye color as me!"

"Yours are more lighter shade though." Ruby pointed out.

"Regardless, the boys are gonna come out on top!" Loki declared, having full faith in them.

When the buzzer went off for the match to start, the twins were the first to move, dashing forward in perfect unison, the claws of their gauntlets sticking out, as the two jumped, the two boys jumping to the side to dodge the claws sinking into the ground, Nirnasha switching his sickles to their submachine gun forms and opening fire, but Adolpha threw a hand up, switching one of her gloves to its shield form, blocking the bullets, Catherine jumping off her shoulders and aiming to deliver a powerful ax kick, but Cenric managed to jump in the way to block with his shield, and while he managed to stop the attack, he still felt the force behind the kick.

Adolpha wasn't going to stand by, of course, as she dashed forward, aiming to swipe her claws across his abdomen, but the spartan managed to jump back before firing his shotgun, the wolf-faunus raising an armored arm to block the blast. Taking advantage of this momentary distraction, Catherine planted both feet against the shield and pushed, dropkicking him some distance before landing on her feet with the grace of a cat, before firing a crossbow bolt from the crossbow one her gauntlet, nailing Cenric in the abdomen, and while it didn't draw blood due to his aura, it still chipped his aura a bit.

Jumping back, Cenric switched his shield to its railgun form, taking a shot at the cat faunus, but Catherine quickly cartwheeled to the right, dodging the shot, before jumping back to her sister.

"You okay?" Nrinasha asked his spartan teammate.

"I'll live." Cenric scoffed before taking his battle stance.

The twins smirked, Catherine licking her nails, "Ready to show them our true strength, sister?"

"Indeed, sister." Adolpha said, showing teeth.

Both girls got down on all fours, their aura flaring up, much to the boys confusion, before it quickly turned to shock, as the two quickly dashed in, jumping up and spinning like airborne torpedoes.

"DOUBLE ANIMAL FANG ATTACK!"

With that declaration, the two faunus spun headfirst towards their opponents, Nirnasha and Cenric quickly jumping back, the spinning torpedoes crashing into the ground before continuing their pursuit, Cenric turning and raising Vordr to defend, taking the full front of the assault, although the attack was chipping away his aura.

'What kind of Semblances allows them this much power?' Cenric questioned in his mind. 'Some form of speed increase, like Ruby's? Levitation?'

Regardless, he needed to end the fight before he was to be eliminated, Cenric began using his Semblance, taking hold of Catherine's gauntlets and greaves, slowing her down, then reaching out and grabbing her by the collar and threw her to the ground before quickly taking aim with his rail-shield, firing and hitting her in the chest, the force behind the shot sending her flying out of bounds and eliminating her from the match.

Nirnasha summoned several Ghost Arms to grab at Adolpha, pulling her down before he created a necro-glyph n front of his face, releasing a spectral scream that sent a sound wave that sent the wolf-faunus flying out of bounds.


"Yeah, what'd I tell ya?!" Loki cheered, jumping out of his seat. "I told ya they'd win!"

"Yay! Go Team Lunatic!" Ruby cheered along.

"As if there was any doubt!" Turoc added with a smile.

"Man, those two rock!" Jaune added.

Nearby, Cinder watched the action, her eyes locked on Cenric, knowing that he used his Polarity Semblance.

'Twin to Pyrrha and a temper, I see.' She thought to herself before smirking. 'He will be a more suited pawn than his sister.'


Returning to the common room, both Cenric and Nirnasha had sat down to rest before they would reunite with their friends.

"You fought well, Nirnasha." Cenric commented his teammate. "I can only count on one hand of people that fight as well as you."

"Thanks, and same to you, Cenric." Nirnasha returned the compliment. "From what I heard and the footages I've seen, I can see why people consider you the war to Pyrrha's peace."

"Sure, my sister may be more intelligent, but my strength surpasses hers." Cenric smirked.

"Careful, your hubris is showing." Nirnasha teased.

Both boys chuckled, before Nirnasha asked, "Can I trust you with a secret?"

"Of course." The spartan said. "Why?"

"There's someone I want you and the others to meet." Nirnasha explained. "She's someone I've been meeting frequently, and I have become romantic with her, and I believe that having a larger friend group can help with recovery."

"Recovery?" Cenric repeated with confusion. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you more, once we meet with the others." Nirnasha said. "Just promise you'll keep this a secret between friends."

"Of course." Cenric nodded.

Nirnasha let out a sigh of relief, hoping this idea can help Amber.


And new chapter is out! I figured it was time for the others to meet Amber to help with recovery. I really had fun writing the two opponents for Cenric and Nirnasha's doubles match, since I kinda based their fighting style off of Kiba from Naruto.

Then there was Ciel participating alongside Penny in the doubles rounds. I've based my version of the fight on moguera's fight in the Lost Rose, with their permission, of course.

Nothing much to add, but I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter regardless! Reviews are greatly appreciated!