Hey everyone! I'm back with a new chapter, though I really need to take a break, I just can't stop! Anyways, here's the review responses!
zykwuanmartin Chapter 9: I'm glad you found this story too! Welcome, and I hope you enjoy your stay!
Essiter1987/MereC55 Chapter 10: Glad you both enjoyed the cliffhanger! Here's what you both have been waiting for!
And with that, lets begin the last part!
Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by RoosterTeeth
Remnant's Greatest Loser
Chapter 11
Loss of Self-Doubt Part Four
Jaune's POV
I saw the surprise in Qrow's eyes as he blocked my swift attack. I knew not to see it as any more than a minor inconvenience for the man, his battle instincts too sharp for anything worth exploiting at the moment. I disengaged briefly before charging back in, testing his defenses. Every thrust, jab, slice, strike or slash was blocked, parried or dodged with a practiced ease. Only natural against a Huntsman of his caliber, though I could sense he was still holding back a bit.
In my normal state of mind this may have brought forth a myriad of emotions, none of which were useful in this conflict. So instead, I analyzed Qrow's fighting style while using slightly more aura to augment the force of my strikes.
As we continued to trade blows, our speed slightly increased, Qrow holding back less and less each time. After the initial first blow however, his face showed that he was still in control, that this fight was simply a warmup-
(Analysis complete.)
Until it wasn't.
I saw his eyes widen as one tiny hole in his defenses became evident, him slightly favoring his right leg, and he realized I knew it.
(Possibly purposeful opening, seeing as Qrow Branwen does not appear to be worried, lack of perspiration and any emotion beyond mild surprise on his face being evidence of this. 'Shock and Awe' will be required to properly break his stance.)
I disengaged once again, choosing not to fall for the possible ruse, which was confirmed by a small smile on the man's face.
Sensing a temporary lull in the fight, Qrow spoke up.
"Damn kid, where have you been hiding this? I figured you had some kind of mental trigger that needed to be pushed or something but..."
He let out an appreciative whistle.
"You're just full of surprises aren't you."
I heard frantic and excited whispers from the three people watching us, aware that I've made a decent impact so far. However, this was not enough, not yet.
As if in response to my thoughts, I felt the stamina potions that I ingested earlier taking effect while in this enhanced state. My aura increased in potency as well as in amount, though at a smaller scale. It was probably due to my body not being at peak performance for my age just yet. However...
The tightness in my lungs, that I lightly infused with aura to keep the airflow wider for longer had eased.
My eyes, made sharper from the aura I infused into them, was requiring less effort to maintain.
I felt an urge momentarily consume my thoughts as my stomach gurgled audibly.
Intense hunger. My metabolism was kicking in at full force, which means...
My emotions momentarily overtook my logical mind, tears forming around my eyes, flickering between grey and gold without realizing it.
"I'm... I'm..."
I lifted my hands, slightly shaking as I felt myself breathe full breaths without the help of aura, or an inhaler, for the past 10 years.
Qrow's smirk dropped off, looking concerned.
"Jaune... you ok kid? You... do know I'm not trying to 'kill' you anymore right?"
I heard Ruby, Yang and Taiyang call out to me from the fence.
"Jaune! Are you ok? Do you need us to stop this, cuz we will! I'll Rose Rush you right outta there!"
"You've proved enough just now, you know that right? We don't want you to burn yourself out! Trust me, I know from literal experience!"
"If Qrow went too far, just say the word! We can call it here if you need a break! You've more than earned it!"
I smile softly at their concern, understandable, yet unnecessary. I manage to let go of my heightened state, returning to normal for a few moments.
"N-no, no I'm ok," I say in a louder voice so everyone can hear. "Better than ok! I feel... free."
To demonstrate, I close my eyes, breathing in deeply, and exhale for as long as possible.
"See? I can... I can breathe, really breathe y'know? No cough, no phlegm, no tightness, nothing! Without an inhaler or aura to help me!"
I open my eyes, looking at Qrow, still standing a fair distance away, able to see the surprised look on his face, then I turn to the others a bit further off. Tears beginning to stream down my face.
"I can... s-see you. All of y-you, so clearly now, I d-don't need aura for my eyes, or g-glasses... I..."
My voice breaks, needing to fall silent lest I break down right there.
I look up to clearly see Ruby, hands over her mouth, big silver eyes glistening with tears, her muffled sobs echoing from the fence to my ears. She seemed to be crying tears of joy, maybe relief. I had a feeling like she wanted to just Rose Rush me into oblivion.
Yang wasn't much better, her bottom lip quivering, her almost sky blue eyes wet, looking ready to spill at any moment. She too looked like she wanted to give me one of her bone crushing hugs.
Taiyang had a relieved, proud look in his eyes, coming up to his daughters, who turned their pent up emotions on him, crying into his arms.
And lastly, Zwei, the little corgi, just looked at me, tail wagging, but mouth still closed, giving me a sharp nod with a small snort from his nose, as if to say:
"I knew all along you had it in you."
Shaking my head a bit to clear my thoughts, I turned back to Qrow, who seemed to be furiously wiping his eyes.
"I'm actually starving! I've never felt this hungry in my life! Which means I can... properly eat, put on muscle and get stronger! And I can... I can..."
I felt my aura surging again, my emotions dimming, my focus returning to what I was here for.
My eyes unknowingly shifting back to a sparking gold as I said:
"I can definitely... truly... fight."
Qrow had a genuine smile on his face.
"Damn right you can. Now then..."
Qrow changed Harbinger back into its scythe form, brandishing it with a flourish.
"How about you take me through those different weapon types again?"
While still holding the longsword in my left hand, I summoned the spear to my right.
"Despite my more favorable condition, I still have a small amount of aura to work with. Do you mind if this demonstration is a bit more... abridged?"
The Branwen laughed for a moment, then got into his stance, preparing to charge.
"Not at all. The abridged version sounds much more fun!"
At that, we both charged at each other, weapons clashing instantly, going back into a familiar pattern. Since Qrow was using his scythe form this time, I had to analyze his stance once again, using my sword and spear to keep him at bay, deflecting his momentum with each parry I made, but not quite fast enough to overwhelm or disarm the man.
Analysis of this stance was more difficult, considering that being a scythe wielder demanded agility, centripetal force, and unpredictable movements to throw off the opponent. There were a few moments where I had to sacrifice a slight dent to my aura from negligible strikes to non vital areas just to avoid being knocked down or disarmed.
Slowly but surely however...
(Analysis complete.)
Another whirling swipe came from the side.
(Flow with the hit, reduce it's momentum.)
I did so, allowing me to go into a spin of my own, scoring a slight knick to Qrow's black coat.
I didn't bother rejoicing on my first hit, the follow up was more important.
(Switch the sword for the axe, time it just right...)
The switch was practically instantaneous, almost like my sword morphed into the axe mid swing, just under another spinning swipe-
(Hook, line and sinker.)
And Qrow's weapon was stopped in its tracks, the axe hooking into Harbinger's curved edge.
This caused Qrow's eyes to almost bulge out of their sockets.
"How did you-"
I wasted no time speaking, choosing to let my spear speak for me, planning to sweep the older man off his feet.
It was not to be however.
I felt the slight change in temperature as fire dust was being activated just below Harbinger's blade.
The shotgun.
(Disengage. Use aura to leap into the air.)
I obliged, letting my axe disappear as I made an aura enhanced jump a few feet in the air, just missing the point-blank spray of fire dust bullets. Time slowed as I made the ascent, looking down on my opponent, left arm outstretched.
(Time for the bow.)
A longbow appeared in my left, and I quickly notched the spear into it, eyes glowing a brighter gold as I infused it with more aura than it could handle.
(Release...)
I immediately shot the spear arrow at my opponent, who was already moving back to dodge. But whether he dodged, blocked , or batted it away, it wouldn't matter because as soon as it came close enough-
(Boom.)
My eyes widened, triggering the explosion of the unstable aura inside, knocking the veteran Huntsman back as I landed in the same spot he was blown back from, already dashing forward through the smoke in pursuit.
Qrow was already flipping in midair, landing back on his feet as he too dashed at me, Harbinger back in sword form once again. I summoned my Bo-staff to deflect his vertical slash, hoping to kick him back, but he had the same idea, we both flipped off each other's outstretched boots, reengaging. I flipped and deflected his attacks while he continued to parry right back, trying to throw in feints to get me to overextend.
Since I had long since analyzed both of his stances, I didn't fall for any misdirecting movements, his experience and overall stronger physicality keeping me from getting the upper hand.
(Speaking of hands...)
I switched from the staff to the Gauntlets, using a palm strike to push Qrow back, adding in some aura infusion for good measure. I got into a stance reminiscent of a character I played in Kingdom fighters 3.
I relaxed my body, making myself more fluid in my motions, only putting just enough energy into specific body parts that were needed for the situation.
Qrow paused slightly, trying to get a feel for the new flow of combat, before going for a leg sweep. I almost lazily jumped over his sweeping leg, but putting extra force in my feet as I held the vertically facing sword's tip between my legs and twisted us both, we both spiraled to the ground.
The Branwen almost dropped his weapon from the unexpected screw attack, but quickly righted himself and barely dodged a palm strike directly to the face, as I immediately landed hands first and pushed off with aura to land upright almost instantly.
He quickly retaliated with a forward thrust that I barely dodged, before I felt the telltale pressure of the shotgun about to fire once again. I back flipped out of range, though some of the spray clipped my side, signs of my body starting to tire. I switched to my daggers, throwing them at the Huntsman center mass. He deflected them as he continued to rush me, but had the sense to leap over them as they immediately zipped back towards me, attached by nigh invisible aura strings. I caught them in a reverse grip, rushing forward. Just as he was about to hit me with an over head slash, I used aura to slide underneath him between his legs, hitting his aura around his rib cage on both sides.
He winced, but weathered the blow as he immediately flipped his weapon between his legs to fire the shotgun, which I barely avoided outright, though my back got slightly scorched in the process as I flipped over the blast. At this point, my aura was nearly gone, but I had one more weapon left to showcase, and it wouldn't be right to leave it out.
While I was no longer wheezing, I was still breathing heavily, sweat dripping down my face in buckets, my eyes flickering between grey and gold. I slowly stood up as Qrow slowly turned to face me, a couple beads of sweat on his face, breathing through his mouth a little, but not too worse for wear.
"Damn kid! You actually made me break a sweat!"
I let loose a small smile.
"That ... was the... goal I set... for myself."
The younger Branwen nodded in approval.
"A fine goal, especially since I was going all out."
Though I was practically shouting for joy at this news, I only showed my excitement in a wide smile.
"That's... great to know Qrow. I'm almost out of aura, but I have one more weapon to end things with."
I manifest my own Warscythe, twirling it like Qrow would, before letting the blade rest over my shoulder.
I flare the remnants of aura I have left, only managing to keep one eye gold at this point.
"Will you honor me with one more clash, Qrow Branwen?"
Qrow smiled softly, Harbinger switching to scythe form once more.
"The honor is mine, Jaune Arc."
Facing each other, we step back several paces, twirling our weapons in front of us in almost an exact mirror copy of the other, before we held them in both hands, business end to our backs, legs bent, eyes staring forward.
At an invisible signal, we both shot forward, I used the last of my aura to turn myself into a black and gold whirling dervish, while Qrow used the last of the shotgun bullets to spin himself in a similar fashion. The bladed wheels of death met in the middle, the screech as the two collided was almost deafening...
Then the two blasted apart, sending the both of us backwards, both flipping to land on our feet... though only one remained standing.
I was the first to fall to one knee, my weapon vanishing back into my necklace, the fight finally over.
"Guess that's... my loss then...," I panted.
Qrow nodded.
"But I expect that doesn't bother you too much does it."
I shook my head, flecks of sweat flying from my hair and down my face as I tried to catch my breath, wet locks getting in my eyes a little.
"Not at all," I say, a big smile on my tired face. I learned so much today... especially about myself! To think I had that power inside me all along! And I wouldn't have found it... if it wasn't for you Qrow. So... thank you for giving me this chance... it means the world to me."
Qrow's eyes widened at what I said, and I could have sworn I saw his eyes get wet before he quickly turned his head away, chuckling awkwardly.
"Ah man, allergies are really kickin in this year aren't they?"
I try to rise on both feet, my legs a bit wobbly from the exertion, before I trip over myself and start to fall.
"jaaaaAAAAUUUNNE!"
I hear my name being called as I fall, getting louder very quickly till I feel something firmly hit my chest, a slight scent of strawberries and gunpowder hit my nose, realizing this could be only one person.
"Hey Ruby, guess you caught me again huh?"
I felt her nod slightly as I lowered us back to the ground, maybe leaving it wasn't the best idea just yet.
I felt wetness on my shirt, realizing she was crying, arms tight around my waist as she sobbed in a similar way that I did just earlier that morning.
Qrow had already discreetly walked off toward the fence, probably to try and smooth things over with Taiyang and Yang, who might have been pretty pissed at him for the... beginning parts of this fight.
I rubbed her back in soothing circles, since it was something my sister used to do for me when I cried like this, hoping it would help. I spoke softly to her.
"I'm gonna guess... that you blame yourself for how badly I got hurt huh."
She sniffled, nodding her head against me in confirmation.
"Because you brought Qrow to help me in the first place?"
She nodded again.
"I see. If I was in your position, I'd probably feel the same way."
Ruby's arms squeezed a little tighter in response.
I sigh at that, thinking about what Taiyang said earlier.
"All of that stems from... the fear of loss, doesn't it. The fear of losing me?"
A sharp gasp came from Ruby as she pulled her face back from my chest, looking at me with a mixture of fear and denial, her silver eyes slightly bloodshot from crying.
"N-no! I don't, I'm not like, I didn't mean..."
I smile sadly at her.
"I know you're not. But we all feel it sometimes, don't we. It's only natural in situations like this. What matters..."
I gently wipe the new tears starting to form from her eyes.
"Is that we don't get consumed by it right? It's not good to bottle it up of course, it needs to be felt for awhile. And I'll comfort you till it passes if you need me to. As long as you don't let it fester, or any of the other cool stuff your dad said."
Ruby snorted despite herself, giving me a watery grin.
"W-what do you mean, D-dad never says cool stuff."
I smile at that.
"I guess that's your uncle's thing huh?"
Ruby pouted a bit at the mention of him.
"Yeah... but I'm a little mad at him right now... for obvious reasons."
"Yeah, that does make sense. Just... try not to be consumed by that either alright? After all..."
I looked at her with a big grin.
"Wasn't I the coolest loser ever?"
Ruby laughed a bit through light sniffles, her eyes shining with what looked like happiness, and maybe a bit of pride.
"Yeah, you really were. You were so amazing with your eyes all glowing gold n'stuff, landing a few good hits on my uncle, using all the weapons so quickly, it was so cool."
I blinked at this.
"You said my eyes... glowed golden?"
"Yup! With like, little bolts of lightning in the gold part, it was really something!"
"Huh."
"You think it might be your semblance?"
I shrugged my shoulders, though it hadn't crossed my mind till now, that could be a possibility.
"Maybe you're right... Though I wonder what I'd call it..."
"Call what?"
We looked up to see Yang and Taiyang walking up to us, with Qrow trailing a little behind, rubbing what seemed like a slightly swollen cheek. Zwei even showed up, coming up to me, pushing his nose under my hand for a pet, seems like it'll be a routine for the little guy.
Ruby looked up at them, a sunny smile on her face.
"Me and Jaune were discussing what to call his semblance!"
Yang and Taiyang seemed intrigued, while Qrow looked a bit contemplative.
Yang spoke up first.
"Semblance huh? Guess that explains the golden eyes thing! I gotta say, you really do that whole 'world's greatest loser' shtick justice! But uhm... I just... I'm more happy you're ok Jaune. You had us... w-worried y'know..?"
Yang's eyes were a wet light blue, looking like she was trying hard not to cry.
I smiled softly at this.
"Sorry for the trouble. But I promise..."
I hold a fist out to her.
"I'll work harder from now on... so you won't have to worry beyond a regular amount. Best I can do."
Yang blinked at my declaration, then chuckled a bit in response.
She bent down a little to return the fist bump.
"Guess that's the best I can expect... from a loser like you."
Taiyang spoke up next, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
"As interesting as unlocking your Semblance and this bonding moment is, maaaybe we can discuss this inside? Maybe even a bit of food for the kid considering..."
There was a low noise of a stomach growling in the background for awhile now, and it took a moment to realize it was coming from... me.
Suddenly feeling a bit faint, I weakly grabbed my stomach.
"Eh heh, s-sorry about that..."
Yang and Taiyang helped me get back to the house, since I was far too weak from hunger. Ruby was flitting back and forth, eyes filled with concern for me and awe for how well I did against her uncle.
To make amends for the first half of Jaune's evaluation, Qrow ended up paying for takeout for everyone, which made his wallet significantly lighter. But hey, he said it was worth it for his niece's smiles, which may or not have been due to a certain look he was getting from two blondes with smiles that didn't reach their eyes.
Eating before now never felt so... amazing! Anime tears poured down my cheeks as I enjoyed a multitude of food for the first time in my life!
Ruby patted my back with a satisfied look on her face.
"Don't you worry Jaune, now that you can properly enjoy food, I'll make sure to introduce you to the good stuff!"
Yang put in her two cents.
"Now hold on there Rubes! If we leave it up to you to teach the loser about the good stuff, his teeth will rot out of his face within a year!"
Ruby looked rather offended at this statement, her silver eyes narrowing.
"Oh, and your choices are sooo much better? I bet you're gonna show him stuff that'll give him a stomach ulcer within 6 months!"
Yang looked like she got slapped, purple eyes shocked at her sister's blasphemy.
"Hey now! Just because you've got a weak stomach doesn't mean he does!"
"I do not! I can handle spicy food just fine! It's you who doesn't have the taste buds to handle sweetness!"
"Oh I can totally handle sweet food! I bet I can eat that strawberry shortcake over there with no problems!"
"Oh yeah? Will I can definitely eat that macho burrito with ghost peppers in it!"
I looked between the two sisters, about to speak up to stop them, when both Qrow and Taiyang gave me a look, shaking their heads.
"Best to let them carry on I'm afraid."
"Yeah, brats are too far gone to see reason at this point."
I sigh and shake my head, hoping they won't go over board.
"More importantly," Qrow said, eyes looking thoughtfully at me. "I was thinking about what you and the Pipsqueak were talking about earlier, your Semblance. Was today your second time using it?"
I thought about it for a moment, and remembered that night in the forest 4 years ago.
"Yeah, I guess it is. Though it was definitely not as strong as it is now."
Ruby and Yang perked up at this, their eyes on me despite still eating their extreme dishes, both starting to wince from the negative effects already starting.
"What brought it out specifically," Tai asked, blue eyes thoughtful over steepled fingers. "Was there some kind of trigger?"
I closed my eyes for a moment, remembering both situations it was triggered in.
"I think... the trigger was... being in a dire... deadly situation."
My eyes opened at this, a small smile grew on my face.
"Yeah! That's perfect! That's what I'll call it!"
"Hmm? Got a name already? Let's hear it then," Qrow said, intrigued despite himself.
"Dire Trigger! It's perfect, describes how it activates, and it's got that cool bit of edge to it y'know?"
Qrow shrugged his shoulders.
"Eh, guess it's not the worst name you could come up with. Better than Combo Meter at least." Qrow seemed to be making a dig at Tai's semblance name, who folded his arms, slightly pouting.
"Oh, and Bad Luck is soo much better huh?"
"Damn right it is! It describes what it does, its efficient, and it's got a cool factor to it!"
"Well so does mine!"
"You literally named it after a character's special attack from Kingdom Fighters 1."
"And you got yours from the first slot machine you ever won at, cuz it was never a winner for anyone else!"
"Which proves it has a perfect story behind it!"
I watched as the four of them got engrossed in their squabbles, good natured ribbing at its finest.
Ruby was currently guzzling down a gallon of milk, face red and sweating from the spicy food, while Yang had some kind of heat pack on her forehead, face scrunched up in pain from 'brain freeze' or whatever.
"arf."
I looked down and saw Zwei, lightly jumping into my lap, tail wagging, briefly watching the proceedings, before snorting and curling up, as if this was nothing he hadn't seen before.
I lightly stroked the fur on his back.
"Guess this is the average day at the Xiao-Long household huh?"
"wuff."
After the excitement died down a bit, I felt myself growing tired after all my body went through today, so I asked to be excused to take a nap for awhile. Taiyang led me to a guest room that Qrow sometimes used when he rarely spent the night. It had a bathroom and shower as well, which I had full access to.
My sore muscles got the relief they needed from the exertion that I almost never put my body in before, excited that I'd actually be able to get stronger from this, now that my body can properly absorb nutrition.
I did my bathroom rituals, then put on my hoodie pj's, ready to fall asleep after a long day.
(It's still only Saturday too. Didn't realize how much could happen in just a few hours.)
My musings were interrupted by a buzz on my scroll. I picked up and realized it was Saphron, her smiling face showing on video chat.
"Heeey my little Jaybird! Just checking on ya! Settling in Vale alright?"
She appeared to be at work, still wearing her scrubs, most likely on a quick break.
I smiled widely at her.
"Oh you will not believe the day I've had so far. Let's just say... Loss of self-doubt was only the beginning."
And that's it! Hope I did a halfway decent fight scene, longest one yet I believe. Anyway, next chapter will segway from the Xiao-Long household to the Field Exams, where our resident half-blondie will run into some... interesting people. Read and Review! Peace!