Arc III: Chaos Named

Chapter 23: Super Smash Huntsmen

With closed eyes, Jaune sighed and mentally willed away all distractions, focusing instead on the dull, rhythmic beating of his heart. It was considerably harder since his brain was running on overdrive and with the blood coursing fast through his veins, the silence he hoped for was simply replaced by a thundering pulse in the darkness.

But he would not falter.

Controlling instinct required willpower and the discipline to hone it, skills which he arguably had ample opportunity to train for over the past several weeks. Instead, as the footsteps drew closer, Jaune thought back to his training sessions with Link; the warrior ghost skillfully parried or evaded every slice, commanding razor senses that allowed him to adapt at a moment's notice.

Link would thrust forward to take advantage of his opened, stunned guard, but Jaune was quick enough to roll away and gird himself for the next attack. His knees nearly buckled under the sheer amount of force on his shield, but as his opponent unleashed a flurry of strikes, Jaune held and waited...waited for just the right...time…

With a yell, blue eyes snapped open and he thrust out his shield, deflecting Pyrrha's bronzed sword away and sending her stumbling back. Jaune rushed in to press the assault -

But she was a champion for a reason. An uppercutting slice just barely grazed the edge of her chin, and as Jaune slashed from the side, she ducked, rolled behind and cast her shield towards the back of his knee. Jaune hissed and stumbled, allowing Pyrrha to catch Akoúo and dash in, closing the remaining distance. With a yell, she leapt and angled her sword down for his face -

And an almighty crang resounded through the arena. Jaune winced at the pain lancing through his shield and up his forearm, though having a knee on the ground steadied him from falling over. Grunting, Jaune suddenly burst upwards with a yell, launching her away and giving him space, though Pyrrha landed gracefully and replied with a frown.

"You're not going to get anywhere if you only defend, Jaune. We both know I have the stamina to outlast you."

He huffed and drew his sword back. "Just trying to think of a winning strategy."

"I see. Well, then," Pyrrha shouldered her shield and transformed Miló into its rifle form. "Best start thinking fast."

The cracks of gunfire forced him to bring his Aura up and shield in front, catching the shots as he charged into the fusillade. Jaune found himself dancing from side to side dust rounds ricocheted around his legs, but he closed the distance all the same and forced Pyrrha to transform it into its spear form. She drew it back with both hands, but as she began to swing, he could feel the instinct take over; for a moment, red and gold were blonde and green, and experience presented opportunity. With his halberd drawn back, Link would either thrust the butt forward or swing for his side. Though the spear was more agile, a side slash was slower and cumbersome, leaving him with one choice by virtue of elimination.

Giving a silent cry, Jaune swung and chambered Pyrrha's jab, giving him space to rush in and elbow her hard in the jaw. They stumbled back and Pyrrha instinctively lashed out, but without missing a beat, he ducked and used momentum to land a grazing slash along her thigh.

Pyrrha recovered quickly, however, suddenly pressing against his shield with her own and locking them both in a battle of first to fall.

Jaune audibly gulped and felt a small inkling of fear trickle down his back when he saw the fires of competition alight in her eyes.

"Uh oh, now I've done it. Looks like I set her off."

"Hmm. Not bad," Pyrrha smiled. "You almost had me for a moment there."

"Thanks. I try," he replied, grimacing when she forced him a step back. "Um, maybe I should try less...?"

"Whoo, Pyrrha! You got this, girl! Kick. His. Butt!" agreed with his sentiment from the sidelines, and he craned his neck just a fraction to see Nora waving her arms by the wall. Ever the polar opposite, Ren was the picture of serenity from his spot on the bench beside her, though when they made eye contact, the raised eyebrow which the ninja offered served to only dampen his spirit.

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, guys. Just don't mind my ass getting handed to me and - waahhh!"

Widening his eyes in surprise was the only thing that he could do as Pyrrha took advantage of his distraction by hooking a leg behind his and flipping him over. Stars and sparks of Aura immediately burst into his vision as he landed hard, and when he came to, he found her kneeling with a smirk and the edge of her sword at his throat.

"Yield, Jaune."

"..."

"...for the record, I blame Ren."

"For the record, it wasn't me who looked away when I shouldn't have," Ren sighed as the other half of their team walked over. Taking Pyrrha's hand up, Jaune scratched the back of his head in an embarrassed fashion. "Though I'll admit that perhaps it was something to do with Nora being our resident crowd of one in here."

Nora squealed in glee, further proving her partner's point. "Because it was awesome, Renny! First, she was like hah, then he was like bam! And then whoosh and kapow, and ahhhh! So cool. I mean, we all knew that Pyrrha would win," she added with a guilty laugh, earning an unimpressed pout from him. "But I mean...you looked pretty epic! All you need now is a horse and then boom! You're a knight in shining armour."

Jaune chuckled and looked away. "I mean, I'm not the best, but..."

"And you!" Nora continued with a sly grin, grabbing Pyrrha by the shoulders and shaking her back and forth. "From the way you dodged and flipped him over...and what was that look when you pinned him to the floor? My, my, seems like someone's getting a little excited!"

Pyrrha turned a brilliant shade of red and steadfastly refused to look at him. "A-ah, I'm sorry. I suppose I got a little carried away."

Ren merely raised an eyebrow again and silently stared, to which the champion shuffled her feet with an embarrassed laugh.

"O-okay, moving on," he interrupted, desperate to keep their minds out of the gutter. "Nora, Ren, why don't you guys go another round? Have some fun. I need to sit back, take a break and make sure my arms won't fall off the next time I swing a sword."

Nora smiled mischievously to Ren and cracked her knuckles, while the latter somehow managed to appear even more haggard. "For a moment I thought I heard 'punishment' instead of fun. Besides, I don't think it would be good to overdo it when our match is just in a couple of days, and we've already been at it for a while."

They all looked at the wall-mounted clock on the other side of the area, which spelled 22:26 in bright red digital numbers. Ever since he finished calling his family several hours ago, a last-minute training session in one of the gym's many training arenas ensured that all the calories they gained from dinner with Team RWBY went right out the drain. When he and Pyrrha entered the room, Ren and Nora were already in the thick of it, ending with a close victory for the latter and then followed by a team battle between the two sets of partners. While it wasn't surprising for him and Pyrrha to have won that match, their friends did manage to pull off some moves that took out good chunks of Aura from them both and making the fight much more interesting overall.

Hence the necessity for a quick, sharp mind in combat, though it seems you are already aware of your aptitude for it.

Jaune shrugged as his teammates chatted in the background. "Yeah. Maybe it's because of all the strategy and fighting games I played with Irene and Iris growing up. Heh. And they say you can't learn anything useful when playing video games."

...whatever the reason beforehand, you have practical experience to build from as well. Most of your enemies in the field have been Grimm or monsters, but we both know that you'll be facing people in the near future. Ren and Nora fought shrewdly against you and Pyrrha. Your teamwork is adequate for your year, so why don't you consider investing in that for your upcoming match?

"Investing in...tha - wha? Huh? What's up?"

"I asked if you were okay," Pyrrha repeated, and Jaune noticed that they were all looking his way with curious expressions. "You looked like you were spacing out."

Jaune scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I kinda was. What were you guys talking about?"

"About how we can best adapt to whoever we face in two days," Ren answered, continuing his train of thought. "Realistically speaking, I feel that we work relatively well together, but mainly against non-human opponents. Chances are that this will be a whole different beast for us when the time comes."

"Whatever comes our way, Renny, we're gonna beat'em down for sure!" Nora grinned, rubbing her hands together. "I honestly just can't wait, but Renny's right. We don't have much experience facing other teams."

Pyrrha tilted her head in thought. "And I don't suppose Team RWBY would agree to a spar as well since we might find ourselves facing each other in fours or twos."

"Right, and chances are that other people would say the same if we asked," Jaune sighed, before grabbing Ren's scroll from his hands and fiddling with the arena settings. One beep and several clanking sounds later, a training droid emerged from a maintenance door at the far end of the arena and slowly walked over to stand still in the middle.

"Ren, Nora, can you guys do that move you did to me and Pyrrha?"

The two partners looked at each other for a second, shrugged, then simultaneously deployed their weapons. Pyrrha took a step back in the interest of self-preservation.

"Okay, but this may sting a bit."

Jaune's hand met his face. "I meant the droid, Nora."

"Heehee, just joking!" she chuckled as they skipped away. Taking a moment to compose themselves, the two assumed battle stances and paused before suddenly dashing forward in a burst of energy. The arena then erupted in a cacophony of gunfire and explosions as Ren and Nora circled around and dumped bullets and training grenades onto the poor bot, and right as they met back up towards the rear, Ren took a sprinting leap at his partner, to which Nora spun and launched him high above. Firing on the way down, the ninja smashed hard onto their fallen foe, which by now was little more than a pile of pulverized circuitry.

A few seconds of silence passed before Pyrrha spoke up. "...yup. That's just as destructive as I remember it."

Jaune nodded, briefly remembering with a shudder when the two pulled off that maneuver on them earlier. "Yeah. The question is, how viable can that be once we pit that against others?"

"We won't know for sure until we actually fight them," Ren replied, holstering his pistols and walking back over with Nora. "If anything, we'd have to be well covered to actually try it since it takes two of us."

He looked back towards the droid, eyes narrowing as his gaze hovered over it and filtered through various thoughts and possibilities.

"Hmm...disruptive and violent for sure, but I know Nora can launch him farther than that. Maybe he can use that as an escape route as well?"

"Lien for your thoughts, Jauney?"

"I was just thinking back to how big the arena was back at the opening ceremony," he remarked to Nora. "You can easily launch someone across if, say, one of us was in trouble on the other side and we needed backup real quick."

Pyrrha placed a hand on her chin in thought. "Perhaps as a sneak attack as well? Maybe if we split up the enemy team, Nora can launch Ren as we're distracting our quarry."

"Heh. I like the sound of that! But how will we know when to do it though? And how are we gonna prevent them from knowing too?"

He snapped his fingers the moment it came to him. "Code names," he replied, pointing to the ginger and her ninja. "How about we call this...Flower Power? Nora brings the power, and Ren, you bring the...the..."

"Flower? That will truly strike fear into the hearts of our enemies," Ren deadpanned, though he didn't outright disagree. "I suppose if it works, it works."

Jaune smiled and nodded. Rudimentary, perhaps, but definitely workable. Looking back, he wished that more focus was given to team-level practice in combat class, but since first semester focused mainly on individual combat skills and not every week promised a field trip to the Emerald Forest, Goodwitch and the other teachers made it clear that they were expected to hone their teamwork in the rings outside of class hours.

After all, time, like dust, was a finite resource. The thought caused him to glance towards the clock, and upon seeing that they still had about a half-hour left before their reservation finished, now seemed as good a time as any to take up their advice.

"Right," Pyrrha agreed. "Perhaps we should create our own partner-based attack as well? We still have time to spare, so why don't we spend some to figure out and practice some strategies?"

"Already ahead of you," Jaune nodded, unsheathing Crocea Mors once more as various ideas sprung to life in his head. Though it wouldn't do to injure himself before the fight, he wasn't about to let this opportunity pass him by. It was his responsibility to help his team succeed, and deep down he promised himself that by the time they take the stand in two days, it would be a different and better kind of JNPR that would fight and emerge the victors. One that Link would approve without a doubt, and maybe even one that Team RWBY would be jealous of.

He almost smiled at the thought of the four girls laying into them after pulling next level, impressively coordinated plays, and how they could perhaps beat Yang by having Pyrrha tank her hits while Ren continually wore the blonde down with gunfire, or how Nora could negate Weiss' dust with her grenades -

So many possibilities with a versatile team. All that was left was to figure out how to use it.

"Okay, so Pyrrha, remember that thing when we take our shields...? I think we can tweak it up a bit, and here's how..."

x==)======+

"...and it seems we have another exciting bout ahead of us! Wouldn't you agree, professor?"

"Doctor! And we do indeed, Peter! From the home crowd, we have Team JNPR facing off against Shade Academy's Team BRNZ in merely the latest of this tourney's epic and flashy death-defying fights. Who will win, and who. Will. Lose?"

"Hohoho! Isn't that the question of the hour? Let's start by taking a look at our brave gladiators..."

As Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck began a quick introduction of his team for the crowds, Ren schooled himself to remain calm, plastering a neutral expression for the cameras. The roar of the thousands around simply faded into a dull, brown noise, and while he admitted to the slightest bit of stage fright upon entering the arena, seeing their opponents standing opposite and his friends beside him did his Semblance's work in steadying his nerves.

And the fact that their two teachers were now hyping up their match and rallying the crowd?

He and Nora had come a long way from wandering the Mistrali countryside, and though this was just the latest in a series of new experiences, it'd be a lie if he said that even he didn't feel a little fired up. The world didn't have to see, though, so all he let slide was the most subtle of smirks as his attention gradually refocused on the words of the emcees.

"...may all rise for the Kingdom of Vale's national anthem, sung by our very own Cassidy Williams."

Ren sighed and straightened his back as the audience, particularly the sections comprised mainly of Valean citizens roared their approval, and idly noted a massive flag of the Kingdom's crossed axes upon a wreath passing across the crowd.

"Colours weave into a spire of flame..."

x==)======+

As the young brunette singer sang with a powerful voice, all Nora could do was stand in both respect and barely contained excitement as the crowds joined along. A part of her felt quite fortunate being at the very centre of the arena since the melody reverberated through open air in such a way that made her realize that if music revealed the depths of one's spirit, then she was surrounded by the soul of the kingdom.

While others knew only her usual upbeat personality, one of her greatest joys was to be still, quiet and immerse herself in music. It was when the smiles dropped and the energy faded away when she took the time to reflect on the past and the strength her, Renny, and now Jauney and Pyrrha needed for the future. Even Team RWBY was not privy to this side of her, but standing beside her best friends, ready to fight a match which, win or lose, they all stood together in the end against the darkness?

Nora didn't know what came over her, but something stirred that same vulnerable, beautiful feeling within her soul out here, in public. Taking the song and everything around her at once, it was grand. It was epic. And eventually she caved in, holding Magnhild at attention and passionately singing the chorus as any one person around them, content to lend her part in the song of courage that carried the hopes of generations present and yet to come.

"...distant sparks called to a past still unnamed..."

x==)======+

Jaune's grip tightened on Crocea Mors as he watched the timer on one of the giant screens, programmed specifically to end with the conclusion of the anthem. Each number ticked away with a heavy bass, no doubt meant for dramatic effect but also making his heart pound with trepidation.

Glancing around, he just barely spotted the familiar red, white, black and gold in the front row at the other end. Just like how they watched Team RWBY then, everyone across the four corners of Remnant would now bear witness to their progress in the sword. Be it a vacationing family of civilians sitting in the nosebleeds to his own half a country away, the time finally came to show the world just who Jaune Arc was and how the progress he made in becoming a huntsman.

Thinking about that...didn't terrify him as much as he thought it would.

What stage fright remained was duly stifled with the realization that after several months of blood, sweat and tears, his younger self would be damn well proud to see him here. He wouldn't have made it this far without the help of his friends and mentor, and standing in an official student huntsman tourney lent a distinct sense of recognition that would've been harder to find anywhere else.

Jaune sighed, feeling the Triforce's power simmer just below his glove as if recognizing his thoughts. The reminder of his duty anchored him back to reality, though for once it felt less of a burden and more of a distant goal that aligned with his. But right now, he needed to mentally prepare for the fight and push past his fear. After all, as Link once said a long, long time ago, a sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage.

Fortunately for him, it just so happened that he carried one piece and his friends more than made up for the rest.

"...bear this torch against the cold of the night..."

x==)======+

"Search your soul, and reawaken the undying light!"

Amity Colosseum erupted in a chorus of cheers as Pyrrha calmly drew her sword and shield. A beautiful song, and its message equally so, but as her focus drifted from the holographic timers to the mountain behind and their opponents in front, a strange sensation began to wash over her. It felt foreign, yet undeniably familiar, and as they stepped towards the arena centre, it was then she realized what it was, and why she felt it rearing its head now -

The passion for competition, that is. Maybe it was because she wasn't competing for her family name or personal glory? This wasn't sponsored by Pumpkin Pete's, and neither ambitious father nor jealous younger brother judged from the sidelines. That was all a world away and back, and now, she entered the ring for the first time in months not as Pyrrha, prodigy champion of the House of Nikos, but as Pyrrha, student of Beacon and member of Team JNPR.

Accepting that reality was enough to make her smile as Professor Port began the countdown from his spot in the emcees' box.

"...and I hope you're ready as we start the very first match of the day! Best of luck to Teams JNPR and BRNZ," Port's voice boomed from the speakers, to which she narrowed her eyes and changed her sword to its spear form. "On my mark. Three..."

The rest of the two teams drew their weapons and assumed battle stances.

"...two..."

Pyrrha's eyes locked on to those of the dark grey-haired teen directly opposite, who met her gaze with an ambitious one of his own.

"...one..."

"Come on, guys!" Jaune cried, flourishing his sword at their opponents. "For JNPR!"

A loud buzz rang throughout the arena, and then the crowds roared as seven students immediately broke ranks and charged.

It only took a couple of seconds for both teams to cross the distance, and with yells of fervour both sides crashed in the centre of the stage. Pyrrha cursed under her breath as the boy directly to her front dashed and leapt into her shield with an armoured knee, while his brunette teammate followed up with a flying punch from his saw-like gauntlets. That same brawler was immediately forced back as Jaune rammed him away with his shield, and as Ren and Nora dealt with the other fighter, she quickly found herself facing him alone.

In other words, favourable odds.

"The great and mighty Pyrrha Nikos," her opponent replied with a smirk, going for a feint left then suddenly sweeping low for her feet. Grunting, she hopped onto and over him, throwing her shield while he was exposed, though he proved just as agile and caught it before it could damage him.

"Listen. You better be as good as people say you are, 'kay? Make this fun for both of us."

His words, challenging and enticing, were enough to ignite that competitive flame as she replied with a grin of her own.

"Deal."

Gripping her spear with both hands, the two charged each other once more -

"Roy! May! Do it now!"

"On it, Brawnz!"

The enemy team leader immediately dove right at the last second, making way for a duo of flying wrist saws. Surprised, Pyrrha barely deflected both with her spear and subtle use of her Semblance, but the opening allowed May Zedong to land several shots, each sparking off her Aura. Hissing in pain, she watched Jaune force Roy Stallion to disengage up ahead, and in the treeline near the back of the stage, a glint of light that gave away BRNZ's fourth teammate.

"Jaune! Sniper in the trees!" Pyrrha called out before ducking under a haymaker, to which Brawnz used the momentum to spin and aim for her gut with the side of her shield. She slammed her spear into the floor to block it, then flipped it up into his chin to stumble him. Brawnz backflipped as she swiped with the butt of her spear, though Pyrrha simultaneously transformed it so right before he could land, he dropped her shield when he was blown away by rifle fire.

"...and an excellent play by Pyrrha Nikos sees Brawnz Ni stunned and drained of Aura! Though he's not out of the fight just yet, how will Team BRNZ manage as their team leader recovers - oh! Down goes Lie Ren of Team JNPR in a flashy display against Nolan Porfirio and May Zedong..."

Gazing left, she watched Ren stumble back, courtesy of the sniper's well-placed aim, which the red haired boy followed up by driving his electric baton deep into Ren's ribs. Placing her rifle upon a groove in her shield, Pyrrha fired away as she regrouped with Jaune to shield Nora as the latter fireman carried Ren back behind the safety of a large boulder.

"You okay, Renny?" Nora asked with concern as she placed him against the stone. The ninja nodded silently, quickly reloading his machine pistols before taking her hand up.

"Jaune, we need to do something about that sniper. Even if we can match the rest of them, we're gonna get picked apart if we can't stop them."

Their team leader poked his head over the side, then swore and drew back the second after as the rock next to his face burst in a shower of lead and shrapnel.

"Yeah, no kidding. Pyrrha, can you get a bead on her?"

She took a quick peek herself, noticing that the tree where she last spotted the sniper girl was now empty. What Pyrrha did see, however, were the three fighters of BRNZ charging for them across the arena, followed by a flash and familiar crack of gunfire from the other side of the forest.

"No, but she's by the far left now," Pyrrha grunted as she sent several shots downrange, forcing BRN to take cover. "She's too dug in for me to get a good shot. Your orders, Jaune?"

The blonde quickly looked over once more then released an aggravated sigh. "Okay, well we're gonna have to take her out. Ren, I want you to -"

Another loud crack rang overhead, though for once it wasn't due to gunfire - a small thundercloud began forming atop the mountain's summit.

"Huh. Atlesian technology at it's finest."

"- follow me and Pyrrha, then go around and hunt her down. " Jaune finished. "And Nora, you thinking what I'm thinking?"

The ginger hefted her hammer and gave him a quick salute. "Heehee, you got it!"

"Alright, guys. Break!"

Nora immediately dashed off to the side, while the three of them immediately leapt over the top. A shot skidded off the side of her circlet, but Pyrrha forced herself to grit through the ringing and keep running. Moments later the two teams collided once more, but as she began to trade blows with Roy, who she quickly found smart enough to fight while slowly retreating, she steeled herself for the certainty that this wouldn't end as quickly as they thought after all. While she was confident in matching one, or even two of them at once, they proved resilient and far more coordinated than expected.

Pyrrha couldn't help but smile. It'll be interesting, alright, and if BRNZ wanted some fun, then by the Brothers they're gonna give them the time of their lives.

x==)======+

Dashing hard for the tree line, Ren could feel the whizz of the bullet as it streaked by his face, forcing him to dive for cover against the first tree he reached. Taking a moment to gather his breath, he watched as Jaune and Pyrrha held their own in the centre of the arena; the champion deflected and parried Roy's blows with ease, while the former tanked a solid punch by Brawnz to his shield. The BRNZ team leader followed up with several quick jabs before Jaune deflected the last, though the brawler spun with the momentum to deliver a roundhouse kick to his jaw.

Ren instinctively felt the urge to return and help out - and had to physically stop himself when he watched Nolan break off and chase after Nora - but Jaune recovered as Pyrrha attacked Brawnz from the side, and he repaid the favour by slicing Roy before he could rush her.

"Alright, focus...let's not get distracted," Ren thought as more thunder cracked through the stadium air. "Nora can handle herself, and I trust Jaune and Pyrrha to do the same. Now, unless she's a chameleon faunus or has a cloaking Semblance, she wasn't exactly wearing clothes that blend in..."

Checking that the coast was clear and using his Semblance to steady his rapidly beating heart, Ren immediately dashed from tree to tree, taking care to be mindful of his surroundings as he zoned in on where he last heard the shots. Gripping his pistols tightly, he slowly peeked around another tree -

And instantly drew back as the bark exploded in a shower of splinters. It distracted him long enough that by the time he rounded the corner and returned fire, his machine pistols were too inaccurate to engage her at range.

"Tch, so much for stealth. Unluckily for you, I'm one of the most patient people you'll ever meet, and fortunately for me, I'm willing to get my hands dirty, even if it means I owe Nora pancakes for this."

Ren reloaded and immediately sprinted into the open and in between hard cover as May sought to land a kill. While it at least meant that his team no longer had to worry about an errant shot, the chances of him not just getting hit, but the amount of damage sustained would be much, much higher.

If every shot counted for a sniper, so did every step it took an assassin to reach their target.

He eventually came to a stop after doubling back, then around the edge of the forest in an attempt to sneak up on her. Crouching behind some shrubs, Ren narrowed his eyes and scanned his surroundings in search of his quarry.

And after what felt like forever, he eventually spotted the girl's red and white jacket not too far away, concealed rather well atop the higher branches of a taller oak tree.

Ren holstered a pistol, grabbed a nearby fallen branch and then dashed as fast as he could silently go. He was also thankful that Professors Port and Oobleck were kind enough not to out his position as they focused on Jaune and Pyrrha, but now that they were in the thick of the woods, just enough ambience was muffled that any sort of sound in the forest would be heard from those who keenly listened.

"...perfect..."

He came to a close enough stop where he could just barely make out the grey-blue of her eyes as she frantically searched for him, and right before she could leap and change position -

A twang caught her attention as he chucked the branch into the trunk of a nearby tree. To her credit, May reacted instantly as she brought her sniper rifle to bear, but a quick look into the scope had her panicking to turn the other way.

All she saw was the hookshot embedded on the branch above and the tiniest smirk Ren allowed himself as he zoomed in for the kill.

x==)======+

Nora cheered as Professor Port announced that Ren took down the sniper, then grunted as she blocked Nolan's oncoming elbow. As the thunderclouds grew above the summit, the battle to climb the mountainside became a literal one as the baton-wielding fighter intercepted her along the way. It proved an effective distraction as well since the guy was not just skilled, but quick and silent in an uncanny reminder of her partner, especially with his street smarts to close past her weapon's effective range.

Only difference was he had the cardio to easily keep up, which annoyed her to no end and considerably slowed her ascent.

With a loud cry, Nora swung her giant hammer in a wide arc, to which Nolan hopped over and smacked the back of her head. With an aggravated cry, she quickly jabbed the tail of her weapon towards his face, to which he deflected it and swooped in for a swipe at her knees. Nora managed to backflip in time, but it nearly proved a miscalculation as she found herself teetering over the ledge.

Nolan surged forward to fully force her off. He missed as she leapt for another higher ledge, and then another, continuing the game of cat-and-valkyrie as the two slowly drew higher.

A sigh of relief was quickly replaced by a grunt when she finally reached the top as Nolan followed shortly and slammed his baton into her guard. Nora forced him away and almost over the edge of the small, flat summit, but it was a dangerous position nonetheless; despite her advantage in strength and melee range, her opponent was nimble and slippery. He caught on quick and knew how to find his way past her defences. Open air it may have been, it was like wielding a claymore in a small room, where a smaller weapon's greater dexterity had twice the precision in landing a cleaner hit.

In short, the chances were now pretty much even.

A quick glance towards Nolan several feet away revealed an impassive expression, but knowing Ren, she was able to see that he reached the same conclusion. With thunder above and resolve within, the two fighters charged at each other once more; Nora struck first by shoulder checking the boy, to which he recovered admirably and spun with the momentum. A cross slice with his baton missed as she rolled forward, bringing her dangerously close to the edge, but it gave Nora enough space to bring her hammer smashing down hard upon the ground.

It had the effect of stumbling Nolan as the force of the impact spiderwebbed across the stone. Leaping with a cry, Nora followed up by a leaping thrust to spear him off, forcing him back dangerously closer to his side of the edge, and rushed in for the kill without missing a beat -

A move Nolan prepared for as he dove straight for her hammer. His initiative was enough to surprise her as her hammer missed him by a mere inch, and as she was still recovering, he spun and delivered a solid blow to her knees, knocking her over onto the flat of her back.

Thunder boomed as Nora grunted and rolled to avoid a sweeping kick, though Nolan caught up to her right as she could stand back up, locking them both in a battle of will.

"Yield, Valkyrie," Nolan growled as he fully leaned into their duelling weapons, still aware of her superior strength. "You're tenacious and I respect your strength, but I think you've met your match with me."

"That's nice of you...to say!" she growled and forced him a step back. At the same time, she had to stifle a smile as an idea took root in her head. "You too, mister. But you see, I have a question to ask of you."

Nora and Nolan rushed each other once more, trading blows and dodges in a whirlwind of strikes and parries. Nevertheless, she kept her focus on his attempts to break past her guard and the clouds above. Instinct alone carried the day as she finally managed to jab the haft of her hammer out and catch his parry, bringing them back to square one.

"And what exactly might that be?"

"Well, you remind me an awful lot of my partner," Nora replied with a smile. "You're both pretty quiet and patient, and he always has that same boring look on his face when we're all out having fun."

Nolan merely raised an eyebrow.

"But I know him, and if I know him, I might know you. And knowing you both..."

A clap of thunder boomed as she suddenly loosened her grip and whacked him with the butt of her hammer, surprising Nolan and spinning him around. With a smile, Nora held him in a headlock while the boy desperately tried to break free by beating her knees.

But even as he switched on his baton's electricity and charged her own Semblance, it would be a mere drop in the bucket for what was about to come.

"...you'll like nothing better than riding the lightning!"

Nora cheered victoriously and raised Magnhild up to the sky, and the Gods answered her cries as their judgment fell upon the mountain.

x==)======+

"...and in an electrifying display, Nora Valkyrie takes out Nolan Porfirio and proves herself the queen of the castle!"

"Shocking indeed, Peter!" Doctor Oobleck replied as a select few in the audience groaned, while he thought he heard Yang somewhere cheering in approval. "Her Semblance lets her produce, as well as channel, electrical energy straight to her muscles! This allows her to jump explosively into the air, wield her mighty hammer, or in this case, use herself as a lightning rod and burn Mr Porfirio's Aura away!"

Jaune smiled at their professor's commentary as he ducked under Roy's kick and sliced upwards, landing a decent hit across his chest, but was unable to follow up as Brawnz dashed out of nowhere to avenge his dazed teammate. Though he actually felt the smallest amount of Aura drop from the brawler's punch despite his shield taking the brunt of it, the pressure was instantly relieved as Pyrrha appeared and blew him away with a flying kick.

"Two down, two to go. Brothers, I think we can actually win this one."

Focus, Jaune. Keep your head in the game.

"Don't worry. I don't think I can't," Jaune replied and exhaled heavily, flourishing his sword as Roy charged him once more.

"Pyrrha! We got this here. We end this now!"

Vaguely he heard Pyrrha's shout over his own as he rushed to meet Roy head on, tanking the teen's running punch and then perfectly parrying the following one, leaving him open to the assault. A thrust and slice from the side missed as Roy weaved around and blocked the last attack, after which he found himself at the mercy of Brawnz falling straight for him with an axe kick.

He was thankful to have rolled out of the way just in time as the floor where he once was burst in a shower of dirt and debris, though he had no time to celebrate as the powerful brawler charged right for him. He wasn't just strong, he was also scarily fast; perhaps not to the same level as Yang, but there was serious weight behind every punch and kick, enough for the blonde bombshell herself to begin trying just a little.

Jaune barely managed to dodge right from a jab, and then bring his shield up against a cross. Brawnz's claw gauntlets raked down its surface with a horrible sound akin to a chalkboard, then rammed his shoulder to break through his guard. A kick for his face was easily ducked before he used the momentum to spring into a roll that took him behind and landed several slices to his exposed back.

Remember Pyrrha's words. You cannot defend against him forever.

"Ugh, no need to tell me twice," he growled back, before hopping out of the way as Roy fell back against Pyrrha's assault. Brawnz immediately joined in and for a few, if not cool seconds, she expertly managed to hold off both of them, but an errant saw that Roy shot into the air returned and hit her from behind, distracting her long enough for Brawnz to kick her away.

"...if they're gonna work together, we might as well do the same. If anything, this is the perfect opportunity to test it out too."

"How are you feeling?" came out instead as he came to stand beside his partner. "These guys have some pretty solid teamwork."

"Hmm," she replied, not once taking her narrowed eyes off Brawnz in front of her. "That's not to say that we don't, however."

Jaune nodded as the two slowly approached them, ready to react at a moment's notice. "Agreed. Remember what we came up with in the training arena? Do you think that…?"

This time spared a glance and nodded with determination. "Yes. I say we try it out."

"Alright then. Let's go set it up," he replied as he flourished his sword dramatically behind him. "Break!"

The two swordfighters immediately broke ranks and charged, meeting them in the centre of the arena. Pyrrha immediately ducked and slid along the ground in a graceful dodge to Brawnz's punch, while he tanked Roy's saws and landed a running thrust into the brunette's hip. Not to be outdone, Brawnz immediately wheeled for him and lunged with claws deployed, but he rolled out of the way in time to both miss it and allow Pyrrha to fire off several shots into their backs.

Switching back to her sword, they both brought their shields up as they charged when Roy let loose his saws once more. The four of them clashed in the centre, engaging in their deadly dance of swords and claws, but as they slowly whittled down Brawnz and Roy's Auras faster than theirs, it was then that Jaune spotted a golden opportunity.

With a grunt, he ducked and delivered a spinning kick to Roy's gut, causing the boy to hunch over and fire off his saws in a desperate attempt to ward him away. But he wanted to end it here and now; Jaune gritted his teeth through the pain as one of the saws glanced off his shoulder, leaping over the fallen teen's frantic attempt to tackle him, and smashing down with a perfectly executed jump attack that he knew would make Link proud.

But with his bloodstream filled with adrenaline, he ignored his professors announce Roy's defeat as he kept his eyes on Brawnz's mad last dash. With a cry to meet Ni's own, he charged and flourished Crocea Mors behind him, ready to end it once and for all -

And ducked right as the flying saws returned, hitting the teen full force and knocking him into the air for just a second.

"Pyrrha, now! Arkos!"

With their yells combined and Courage flaring, Jaune and Pyrrha leapt after the stunned team leader, and with almighty force slashed their way through in opposite directions, delivering a flying X-shaped attack that ended with them landing dramatically and the other unconscious and bereft of Aura.

And for several seconds, Jaune breathed heavily and nearly collapsed as he slowly stood back up, but as he turned to face Pyrrha - who he found equally as breathless - the ringing in his ears and burning on his hand began to dissipate, only to be replaced by the cheers of a jubilant crowd and the excited voices of his professors announcing their victory.

"...is JNPR! Team JNPR of Beacon has claimed victory and will now be progressing to the second round of the Vytal Festival!"

x==)======+

Excitement bubbling in her veins, Ruby zipped away from the shop counter with her Semblance, leaving behind a trail of rose petals as she plunked into her seat beside Weiss and nearly spilled her free whole milk refill on her partner.

"Ugh, watch it, you dolt!" Weiss replied as expected, fixing her a stern look that she had long since become immune to. "You wouldn't want to waste your drink when you just got it, would you?"

"Heheh. Sorry, I just can't help it," Ruby returned elatedly, and the pure contentment that was splashed across her face was enough to thaw the ice queen's heart by the tiniest amount. After all, to say that the day had gone swimmingly would've been an understatement. Firstly, the cafeteria restocked on the whole milk, which finally allowed her to eat her Pumpkin Pete's the way she wanted to. Then she spent a good chunk of the morning chilling with Penny, showing the girl her favourite video games that she brought from home, and by the Brothers! Ten minutes in and she was already better than her and as good as Yang!

Speaking of friends, she couldn't help but grin again as she thought back to the others they met on the way to watch the first match of the day. Part of her felt guilty for forgetting some of their names, but they and Emerald, the aptly-haired girl she talked the most to, were just so nice and considerate! She didn't even know that she dropped her wallet until she returned it with a smile!

Amidst the volume and festive energy of the carnival grounds, all the happy little wholesome thoughts were enough to make her sag satisfied in her seat. They were undeniably lucky to have snagged a table the moment one became free in the food court, and the moment Team JNPR appeared from the crowds, she made sure to give them nothing less than a hero's return.

And now she raised her glass alongside the rest of them when Yang proposed a toast.

"To the champions of the first match of the day! Cheers!"

"Whooo!"

"Winner winner, chicken dinner!"

"...mhmm..."

"Oh, come on, Blake! Don't be such a sourpuss, eh? Ehhhh~?"

The aforementioned teenager rolled her eyes at Yang's cheeky smirk before replying with what honestly looked like effort.

"Kampai!"

Giving one final cheer 'round the table, RWBYJNPR drank their toast and set their cups beside their empty plates. Seeing all the food laid out beforehand was deliciously majestic to behold, and one she couldn't help salivate at as Yang took pictures to save the memory for later. Be it a bowl of Ramen for Blake, porterhouse steak for Jaune or chicken salad for her partner, the vendors that set up shop served food that tasted as good as they looked, providing them with a lunch worthy of champions.

The conversations that followed was nothing short of hearty, either. Tales were told and jokes were had at everyone's expense, and by the time they finished lunch, Ruby couldn't help but take a quick glance around to savour the moment. Yang and Nora were the life of the table, bouncing off each other with hilariously outlandish stories while Jaune, Pyrrha and even Ren listened with rapt attention, though the latter did his best to maintain his uninterested façade. Blake leaned back and closed her eyes in blissful silence, still savouring the miso of her lunch, while Weiss looked confused as she tried to make sense of whatever details blonde and ginger spouted a mile a minute.

In the end, she was unable to hold her comfortable smile back any longer as she basked in the high of the moment, and indeed, of the entire week.

"...hey Rubes! Remnant to Ruby, are you there?" Yang laughed, waving a hand in her face and startling her. To her horror, she noticed that she happened to be staring at Jaune when she spaced out, even if she didn't intend to look at him. "Do I spy competition over the rights to Vomit Boy? Step up your game, P-Money!"

"Guh! Nope, nope, nope!" she shook her head furiously as her sister roared in laughter and her fellow blonde chuckled in good nature. "I-I'm sorry! I was just thinking of other things, and I didn't know I was looking at you, a-and I...I -"

"It's okay, Ruby," Jaune replied, scratching the back of his head. "We were just talking about this upcoming Friday. Are you down or not?"

She tilted her head curiously. "Down for...?"

"Winners night out!" Nora replied excitedly, wearing a smile as bright as the sun. "There's gonna be a TV show and cartoon expo that night -"

"- and a video game tourney down by the Game-Dium -"

"- with widespread discounts on dust and weapons upgrades throughout town -"

"- and a concert by the Achieve Men!" Yang finished excitedly as the rest of them listed a plethora of events they were interested in that Vale was apparently hosting for the weekend.

Though they all sounded awesome, a girl had her priorities, and Ruby clutched a hand to her heart in dramatic fashion. "You had me at discounts."

"And you had us at concert!" a familiar voice replied, and she turned to find three familiar figures making their way over with a smile.

"'Sup, guys and gals!" Sun greeted with finger guns for all, receiving a chorus of replies from the eight of them before his eyes finally landed upon a certain cat faunus.

"'Sup, Blake," he winked, earning a good-natured eye roll as he stood confidently at the head of the table. "Heard you guys were gonna see the 'gun show'. Mind if we tag along?"

"Do we?" Yang laughed, making sure to flex from her spot at the other end. "Anyone who can compete can come with us!"

"Good!" Neptune replied, narrowing his eyes at his partner. "Because I'm not missing another chance to see the Achieve-Men!"

"Come on man, you know that wasn't my fault! Besides, it was hard enough to find an excuse to sneak out, and..."

Penny Polendina rushed to her side as Sun and Neptune kept bickering in good fun, and all the more so when Yang and Nora eventually caved and joined in.

"Friend Ruby! I heard that there were various weapons and ammunition on sale this weekend! Will you help me expand my arsenal so I can become a more powerful huntress?"

"Um, yeah!" Ruby nodded, content to listen with a smile as she continued to talk excitedly about all the things she couldn't wait to do with her friends, while conveniently ignoring the two Atlesian soldiers standing somewhat awkwardly a short distance away. But as Sun continued his not-so-subtle attempts to woo her teammate, and the rest of their teams either listening patiently or laughing at Yang and Nora's heavily embellished yet entertaining tale, she found herself looking once more to her fellow team leader, only to find him in the process of doing the same.

Jaune smiled and shrugged as if to say "it is what it is" before returning his attention back to Nora and Yang. She didn't fail to notice him shifting ever so closely to Pyrrha, no doubt meant to listen better to the story, but as she turned back to Penny, one thing remained crystal clear.

From waking up and winning tourney matches, to spending time with her friends and killing Grimm to save the lives of others -

It was all that she signed up for and just another day in the life of a huntress.

/ AN \

Welcome all to the second chapter of Arc III!

Firstly, a quick life update: work began to increase on my end over the past week, so while at this point I can still commit to a roughly slightly-longer-than-biweekly upload schedule, it's not set in stone and chances are that some of the upcoming chapters might take longer than usual to upload. Hence the delay in uploading this one, but I'll try to make things work where I can. As usual, any updates will be posted regularly on my profile, and once again, thank you guys for being patient.

Now, back to the story! Even with the fight scenes, it continues with the happier, optimistic tone set with the previous chapter, which is the atmosphere that'll be carried into the next one as well. While I was debating putting a couple more reminders here and there of the heavier issues (eg. the villains' plans) that arose in previous chapters, I wanted to make the good times be the best they can be for the eight of them before things take a turn for the worse. Even if this normalcy is only a couple chapters at most, there'll come a point where they'll all wish things were like the way it was now - good times don't last forever, after all. The descent into chaos becomes all the more satisfying when you climb to the highest peak.

In any case, thanks for sticking around! Constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated.

...and if anyone's interested, I main Ike and Ganondorf, and I've been trying to practice Snake without spamming projectiles, lol.

Cheers all, and hope to see you guys next chapter!

Roy4: Glad to know you liked it! Jaune's family will play a much more significant role in the future, but for now, there's (most of) his family in all their glory. Definitely very blatant with who I based them off of too, lol.

And I definitely felt your pain when Pyrrha died in the episode. Especially with the way she said goodbye to Jaune...

Cheers, and hope to see you next time!

Fyr RedNight: Thanks! Glad you liked it. Hope to see you soon!

Greer123: Thank you! Man's gotta make up for lost time somehow. Take care and stay safe as well!

Spartastic 4: Hehehe thanks! Glad you liked them both. And don't worry, more of the Zelda plot will be coming soon. The good times they're having right now won't be forever, and when it starts, it all goes downhill from there...

That, and I have to say that I'm with Adm Hipper on this one. I love American style hot dogs too, but bratwurst...? Give me a nice, cold lager with a plate of that and I'm a happy camper for the night, lol.

In any case, thanks and hope to see you next time! Best of luck to you as well.

Guest: Thank you! Glad to know you enjoy it. Hope to see you next chapter!

Hot-poter: Heh, a Lie Ren with the personality of Penny Polendina. Wouldn't that be a scary sight for Nora's eyes, lol.

And yes! That was the point I wanted to make, actually. Looking back, I think that I could've clarified better why Jaune felt offended at Link's suggestion (eg. he visualized himself for a moment doing something brutal to disable Ruby's legs like slicing a tendon), but otherwise, yes. Link's reminding him of the reality that all options must be on the table to win a fight, especially when the stakes of said fight is life or death. It's a necessary constant considering their line of work.

In any case, thank you and hope to see you soon!

The Legend of Zelda and RWBY are the respective properties of Nintendo and Rooster Teeth.