Hey everybody. I just got back from school and had a less than pleasant conversation, so I need to write before I rip my own hair out. I hope everybody is having a good week. Anyway on to Chapter 15!

Chapter 15: Showdown

I had managed to fall asleep the night before and I was now standing in Combat training. Glynda was explaining the new rule that the top five fighters would be fighting either two opponents or one of the other top five fighters from now on. She tapped at her scroll and five faces appeared on the screen above her. Pyrra was first, followed by Yang, then Ruby, I took fourth, and Weiss was behind me at five.

Weiss stood up in outrage and turned to me. "You! I challenge you right now." She turned back and walked up onto the platform and waited for me. I looked up at her for a moment before sighing and following her up onto the stage. Leave it to the heiress to be mad about her ranking.

I stood across from her and Glynda erased the other faces on the monitors and displayed our aura gauges, before walking off the stage. Weiss leveled her weapon and waited for me to draw mine. The two halves that protruded from my wings were against my back, I was still getting used to the sensation of having them there.

"Fair warning, I've changed my fighting style back to what it was a long time ago. You haven't seen me fight the way I can now." I drew the two poles and held them at my sides. I saw her face change to curiosity before I slammed them together. The staff spun in the air for a moment as the ends shot out and I grabbed it again as Goodwitch called a start to the match.

Weiss placed her hand over the revolver chamber and spun it until white glyphs spread up the blade. She drew it to her face and lunged forward. White, unrelenting force. I moved to dodge, but she put her feet down and a glyph appeared beneath her feet and she vanished. I managed to hear her behind me a split second before she struck out at my back. I ducked out of the way, not fast enough. I felt the blade glance off the top of my right wing and I was thrown forward.

I rolled to my feet as she kept on me and I swept her feet out from under her with my staff. She hit the ground as I got to my feet. Weiss recovered quickly as well and was ready to continue moments after I was.

"Hang in there Weiss!" Ruby said from the sidelines. Weiss kept her eyes forward and charged again, I didn't wait for her to get to me and shoved my spear in her direction sliding my hand to one end to get as much range as I could. She blocked it, the white dust adding force to her block, pushing my spear away and striking at my core. This time I dodged and grabbed her hand, knocking her weapon away before kicking her away and lunging forward.

She made a hand motion and ducked as a glyph appeared in front of her and completely deflected my attack. I staggered back and she took that opportunity to make another Glyph that allowed her to almost teleport over to her sword. Spinning and changing the revolver cylinder before righting herself and stabbing it into the ground, sending ice in my direction.

Damn, how fast is she? I rolled to the right and charged forward. We exchanged a few blows before her blade glowed red. My next strike sent half of my staff flipping through the air as the red dust surrounded her like a shield momentarily. I didn't hesitate, thrusting the remaining half forward in my hand and hitting Weiss in the stomach. It wasn't a heavy hit, but it was hard enough that she lost her balance.

I followed up, using the remaining half as a blunt sword, to knock her legs from beneath her and pinning her sword hand under my foot. She gasped in pain and released her sword from her grasp, just long enough for me to kick it across the floor. I'm slipping, I feel like I'm not consciously dictating my movements anymore.

Letting go of her arm I kicked her away and retrieve the other half of my staff. "Hey!"I turn to find Ruby on the stage with her scythe drawn. "That was cruel. You didn't have to kick her that hard." I looked passed her to Weiss and saw that she was clutching her side. I tilted my head, confused. But I didn't kick her that hard; just enough to deliver a finishing blow… didn't I?"

Yang was beside her, with her gauntlets ready as well. Did I really hurt Weiss that badly? I turned toward them and opened my wings with my hands like I did against Pyrra. I reconnected them to the wings and stood ready. Common then, I'm waiting. I narrowed my eyes at the thought and Ruby wasted no time.

I barely saw her movement as she appeared beside me and swung her scythe, catching me in the stomach and staggering me before she started twirling it around herself, delivering strong fast strikes that I barely had time to perceive. After a few moments of the onslaught she kicked me away. What was I thinking trying to take her on…? I've seen how fast she can move. I got to my feet wearily, slightly disoriented from the speed of Ruby's attacks. That's why it would be fun.

Without thinking I stood and rushed forward, drawing my wings for attack. I struck out and tried to make contact with Ruby, but she was already behind me. I spun with my punch and tried to find her, only to be met with a high powered bullet in the shoulder. My aura flared to protect me as she fired shot after shot. I drew my wings around me to defend myself from her bullets. Focus use your semblance to track her, not your eyes.

Taking a deep breath as bullets ricocheted off my wings I closed my eyes and cast my awareness all around me. Yang was helping Weiss, and Goodwitch was watching everything unfold along with the rest of the observers. She wore a neutral look as she watched. Ruby stopped firing and charged me again. I can see you now. I thought with a smirk as I unfolded my wings and struck out at where she was.

Again she dodged my attack and moved to my right, I turned and met her with a strike of my own and made contact with her scythe as she blocked it. She hesitated for a moment as she blocked my attack and I used that moment to deliver a kick to her back, sending her forward towards Yang.

Ruby hit the ground and rolled to her feet unfazed. She let loose three shots from her scythe before charging again. Each shot hit me, but I stayed focused on Ruby as she zipped around me and struck from behind. It was a high enough strike that I was able to duck under it fast enough to avoid it entirely, before gripping her scythe to keep her in place and delivering another kick. Damn her range with this thing keeps her out of my reach unless I use my staff. Then I guess that's what I'm going to do.

My kick wasn't powerful but it gave me enough time to fold my wings over my chest and draw and connect the two segments of my staff together. After she recovered her footing and attacked again I managed to match her attack for attack. I blocked and dodged her strikes before counter attacking and she did the same.

This girl has ridiculous endurance. After a minute of high speed combat and constant moving we were evenly matched. She couldn't hit me anymore now that I was focused solely on her and her speed kept her out of my reach. If I didn't have the years of training that I've had I would have been beaten by now. But where she had natural talent I had experience, and 13 year of constant, non-stop training.

My semblance was also a huge help. If not for it I wouldn't be able to keep track of her. I tried every chance I had to land a hit on her, but to no avail. As far as I could tell she did the same. Finally she broke away and narrowed her eyes at me.

"You may be a good fighter, but I won't let you get away with hurting my teammates." She clicked the release on her magazine and it dropped to the ground. She reached into the pouch on her belt and replaced the spent magazine with one that bore a cross. What are you up too?

She repositioned herself into a crouch, holding her scythe behind her before pulling the bolt and loading a bullet into the chamber. When she moved she pulled the trigger. My aura flared to defend me from her scythe as she shot past me. I spun to find her again, but she had changed direction and pulled the trigger again, striking me again as she sped by. Her strikes were devastatingly powerful and her speed had doubled if not tripled. I could keep up with her with my semblance, but my body couldn't move fast enough.

Suddenly she was hitting me from all sides as I heard the sound of her firing madly. With each gunshot, she was landing a strike on me again and again. I opened my eyes then and looked up to see my aura gauge plummet from full, to half, to the red. There was a momentary lapse where I was able to see her before she fired once more and I was thrown off my feet. I hit the ground and lay motionless.

Ruby walked over to me and placed the edge of her scythe next to my neck. "Hopefully that teaches you restraint. Don't ever hurt my teammates or anyone that badly during practice." She walked away and picked up her magazine before closing her weapon and placing it on her back before walking off the stage. The bell rang and everyone started to leave.

I lay there for a while, waiting for my mind to clear. What happened? I was expecting to become wilder when fighting, but I didn't think I would lose control of my body and mind. Ozpin appeared above me after a moment, sipping his coffee as he stood beside me. I could see my knives in his hand.

"Well that didn't go very well for you did it. After watching that I am concerned that you may have lost your abilities. Or perhaps fighting other hunters and huntresses is not what you are good at. I assume that your geared towards fighting many opponents that you can attack without holding back." I looked up at him and narrowed my eyes in thought. "There is a great difference in fighting the creatures of Grimm and fighting pears in friendly contests. On one hand you can perform at your maximum potential and destroy your opponents because if you don't they will destroy you. On the other, you're stuck to a set a rules, those rules hold you back and allow you to only fight till the other forfeits or someone tells you to stop." He took a sip of his coffee.

"But, then why are Pyrra and the others able to transfer between the two seamlessly. It isn't an obstacle for them." I said curiously.

"Because they have been trained through a program that teaches them to fight other humans and Faunus before monsters. I never taught you how to fight other humans or Faunus. All you know is how to fight monsters. Like you have seen with Miss Schnee here today, you are vicious and don't think through your motions as you used to with the knives. You let the motion take you and while that will lead you to victory, it can also get you into trouble during friendly contests." He held up my knives. "I won't hold it against you if you want to go back to using these, until you graduate."

I looked at the knives and stood up slowly. "I thought I was at my best with those because I crafted them myself. But I was limiting myself. With this staff I feel more capable, but at the same time I feel wild and uncontrollable. I must learn to master the instinct to destroy." I disconnected the spear and locked them into the wings before folding my wings around my body again. "If I'm going to be a 'pioneer' for future generations of hunters and huntresses alongside Pyrra and Ruby, I must master my mind and body as they have." I shook my head at that. "No I have mastered them; I just need to bring them back into line. Otherwise Weiss won't be the only person I hurt."

Velvet and Shay immediately entered my mind. "Are you talking about Velvet and Shay?" Damn you Ozpin, you always know what I'm thinking at the worst times. "Velvet can take care of herself, Ike; she has proven that over and over again. I would worry more about Shay. You may love her, but she can't defend herself against you if you were to lose yourself." He put the knives into his Jacket pocket and turned to leave. "I suggest you wait to see her again, until you are under control, but I'll leave that decision up to you." And with that he left. Leaving me alone, and if I didn't hurry, late for my next class.

Alright, so I'm going to bed know, because I fell asleep while writing this chapter. Let me know what you think in the reviews, your likes and dislikes as well as any concerns or phobias you may have. Goodnight world, Eternal out.