Chapter 4: Street Lights (I still hang around)
"He needs therapy, but thankfully, it's sold by the bottle in aisle 10."
Sparring with Dove had become a part of Robin's daily routine at this point. Which meant he was getting his ass handed to him on a daily basis now. Today was no different. With a maneuver too fast and too complicated for Robin to even comprehend, Dove had managed to disarm him and sweep his legs out from under him within a minute.
How? He had been improving steadily; he had even managed to get in a few hits every now and then. But now? Now, it just felt like he had hit a wall.
As he lay on the ground gasping for breath, Dove walked over and offered him a hand up, which he gladly accepted, getting pulled to his feet by the other boy. The two had been training outside, which allowed them to hobble over to one of the many benches dotted around campus.
Finally, Robin found the ability to speak. "How?"
Dove raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"
"How in the hell did you get so good?" Robin asked.
"I guess I was just born this good," Dove said, blank-faced.
"You serious?" Robin asked
"Nah, I'm fuckin with you." He said with a laugh. "I did it the same way you are right now, lots of training."
"Well, I know that much, but I feel like-." Robin started.
Dove, however, cut him off. "Like you're hitting a wall like you aren't improving anymore?"
Robin sighed. "Is everyone in this academy a secret mind reader or some shit?"
"Nah, this just happens to everyone somewhere along the way. It happened to me when my uncle was training me. It happened to him when he was training. It probably happened to Sky and Cardin as well. You're just experiencing it now cause you're a late start." Dove said.
"It that obvious, huh?" Robin asked.
"Robin, if you didn't have Cardin and your dust, you would have flunked out of initiation. If I weren't sure they had huntsmen waiting in the wings to respond to anything too out of control, I'd have said you were on the fast track to dying." Dove crossed his arms.
Robin went silent for a moment and then decided not to mentally process that information. "Well, what do I do about it? I've hit this wall, and you said it happens to everyone, so surely there's a way around it."
"You keep at it." Dove held his hands up to forestall any complaint. "That wall is what separates the huntsmen from guys swinging a sword around for fun. It means you are on the verge of getting it. You see, most people hit it and give up, but if you want to be something, you have to push through."
"I think I get it," Robin said slowly.
"You don't," Dove responded quickly. "But you will. Which is why it's important to keep whatever is motivating you in mind. So… why do you fight Robin?"
Robin stared. Not at Dove. Not even out into the distance. It was like his eyes existed but didn't really function. Not looking at something far away or up close. Robin, at this moment, has eyes. And that's the most charitable description of it.
"I ain't really want…" He shook his head. No, that wouldn't work. Try again.
"I grew up far away from Vale, a small town. You probably.." Probably what? Where was he going with this?
Robin has eyes. They see nothing.
Dove spoke instead, his voice soft, while laying a hand on Robin's shoulder. "We all have ideas. About what we are and what we want to be. But ideas are not enough. They need to be tested, broken, and then reforged again. It's okay to not know what you're fighting for right now. So long as you find it."
Robin took a long, shuddering breath. Hearing Dove's attempt at reassurance somehow did the opposite of ease him. He just felt more tense and silent.
"I fight for my family, for Vale. It's not exactly an original answer, I know, but it's why I fight. In the short term, I want to win the Vytal Festival, ya'know? Vale hasn't had a win in years, so I want to be the man to bring it home." Dove gave a quick pat on Robin's shoulder as he stood up. "You owe me now; you better tell me what you are fighting for when you figure it out."
"You got it," Robin said softly.
"Good." Dove smiled. "Now, you lost that spar. You owe me a lap."
Robin stood from the bench and groaned halfheartedly, though his heart wasn't in it—time to start running.
-2-
The team huddle was a time-honored tradition. Perfect for quick planning shit out and keeping away unwanted ears from said plan. It could also be a sign of desperation, a sign of 'oh fuck oh shit.' Today, it was the latter. The reason for CRDL's team huddle? One Pyrrha Nikos who was patiently waiting across the sparring arena from them.
"I vote we surrender." Robin put forward his plan first.
"That's an option?" Sky asked, sounding somewhat hopeful.
"What, no, guys. We are not surrendering." Cardin said.
"Do you have the ice packs on hand to make that call?" Robin asked.
"I do!" Dove interjected cheerfully. "And I say we are fighting this one out."
"Fucking kill me, please," Sky said.
"Oh, don't be such a baby," Robin commented.
"What the fuck do you mean? You were the one who suggested surrendering." Sky sputtered.
"Yeah, but I wasn't whining about it," Robin said.
"I'm going to fucking strangle you one day," Sky said.
"Please do," Robin said.
"Damnit, now you gone and made it weird," Sky said.
"It's a talent," Robin spoke and opened his mouth to begin saying something else but was cut off.
"Get it together, you idiots. We have a fight to win." Cardin said.
"We aren't winning this," Dove added cheerfully.
"We have a fight to fight." Cardin corrected.
"Well then, what's the plan? Because if you haven't noticed." Robin broke from the huddle to point at Pyrrha in front of the entire class. "She could kick our collective asses with a hand tied behind her back."
Pyrrha, for her part, gave a smile and a wave. "Hello!"
Robin, through some act of God, or perhaps the several knocks he had taken on his head, managed not to say something stupid. Instead, he simply returned the smile and wave. "Hi!"
He then swiftly turned back into the team huddle. "So, let's hear it, boss man."
Cardin looked each of them in the eye for a moment, murmuring something under his breath before he spoke loudly. "Got it. Pyrrha is a tourney fighter, more suited toward one-on-one engagements. So, Robin, you got your bag of tricks, right?"
"That I do." Robin nodded.
"When the match starts, throw a smoke grenade, obscure her vision. Then, Dove, you are the most skilled. You move forward and engage her head-on."
"I can only buy you all a few seconds alone," Dove said seriously.
"That's all we'll need. While she is distracted with you, me, Sky, and Robin will move around to a flank, jump out of the smoke, and try and bog her down in the number of opponents she has to deal with." Cardin finished with a nod to himself. Looking towards the other three for approval.
"That's actually not a bad idea," Robin said.
"Sure, might as well go to our deaths with a plan," Sky said.
"I'll try my best to make this work," Dove said. "But I promise nothing on the holding her off aspect."
"Alright then, let's go, team." Cardin held his fist out in front of him. Dove quickly followed up, and then Sky did. All of them looked up expectantly at Robin.
Robin could only sigh, "Y'all are a bunch of nerds." However, he put his fist out as well, to the apparent delight of the rest of his team.
One team fistbump later, the huddle broke up, and it was time to get shit done.
Goodwitch, who stood somewhat amused off to the sidelines. "Are you four now ready?"
Robin snapped off a lazy two-fingered salute. "Yes, ma'am."
"Very well, you may begin on three," Goodwitch said.
At her words, the atmosphere of those in the arena shifted. Pyrrha's friendly smile dropped as an almost blank look came over her face while she brought her shield and spear up.
"One!" Goodwitch shouted out.
It was fucking terrifying, but Robin didn't have time to consider that as he unsheathed his sword and lowered himself into a combat stance. On either side of him, Dove and Cardin did the same.
"Two!" Goodwitch shouted.
Behind him, Sky began to glow as he infused his aura and semblance with his armor.
"Three!" Goodwitch spoke, and then everything faded away as Robin focused.
His body responded on pure instinct, grabbing a red smoke from his coat, ripping the pin out, and tossing it forward. Red smoke billowed out and obscured the entire arena. Dove wasted no time and charged onwards alone, which was Robin's cue to enter the smoke alongside Cardin and Sky.
The trio moved through the smoke as the sound of blades clashing began to sound out. He used the sound to guide himself into position and then broke out of the smoke. The sight that greeted him was one out of a storybook.
Dove and Pyrrha were locked in combat, and for just a moment, they looked to be equals. Blows were being exchanged at a rate Robin couldn't even keep up with mentally. Strangest of all, however, were the serene, almost peaceful expressions on the faces of both of the fighters. It was as if they were enjoying a sunny afternoon picnic, not locked in the most intense fight Robin had ever seen.
And he was supposed to jump right into the middle of that—joy of joys. Cardin, however, shared none of his hesitation and rushed forward like a charging bull.
It's said no plan survives contact with the enemy, and this was no exception. As the ginger boy rushed forward, Robin could have sworn he saw a slight black hue surrounding Cardin's armor. Pyrrha seemingly just danced out of the way as Cardin veered off course, right into Dove. Dove attempted to brace, but Cardin was the tallest and strongest of almost anyone in their year. The two were sent flying as they stumbled out of the ring in a mess of limbs. Ring out. Not even a minute in and a half, the team was already down.
Sky took one look at the scene and sighed, accepting defeat but still charging forward anyway. His semblance-lightened armor allowed him to almost fly as he lunged forward. Only to be met halfway by a shield bash from Pyrrha, which spiked him into the roof of the arena, taking almost half of his aura off. The fall back to the ground took the rest.
So suddenly, Robin found himself in a one-on-one with Pyrrha fucking Nikos.
"You know." She suddenly spoke, ever so slightly amused. "It isn't too late for you to surrender like you proposed to your team earlier."
"You heard that?" Robin asked
"I think the whole room heard the first part of your conversation." She confirmed.
"Well… shit. Sorry, my morals are flexible but not that flexible. 'Sides if I gave up now, I'd never heard the end of it." Robin said.
Something approaching a glint of respect entered her eyes as she brought her shield back up, preparing for the clash to come. Robin flourished his sword, tensed his muscles, and then… tossed his sword like a javelin at her. Rushing forward right after he did so, his fists held up.
The suddenly confused girl quickly batted aside the thrown sword. Only to be hit dead on as Robin tore off his coat and tossed it at her as well. He continued to close the gap as he heard chatter alight from the stands.
Cardin shouted out. "Robin, what the fuck are you doing?! Just surrender at this point!"
Robin didn't have time to respond, but an unexpected source spoke up: Jaune. "He's beginning to believe!" Much to the dismay of his teammates.
"That's my line, asshole," Dove spoke, without any real heat.
Robin shook his head to ward off the distractions and then closed the distance right as Pyrrha managed to tear his coat off of her face. Every muscle and tendon sang as he swung his left arm and just barely managed to catch her on the chin. Her head snapped to the side with the blow and for a single moment. Robin was on top of the world. The entire class had gone silent.
Robin attempted to follow up with another punch, this time from his right. Only to find his hand caught by her arm. And then she reared her head back and drove it forward. Robin's vision blanked, and the next thing he knew, he was on the ground outside of the arena, with his team around him.
"Hey," He started slowly. "I got a good hit in, didn't I?"
"You're a magnificent idiot, you know that, right?" Cardin said while helping Robin to his feet.
Goodwitch stared at the four, half annoyed and half amused, then began listing off criticism. "Ms. Nikos, you allowed yourself to be caught off guard by an… unconventional strategy. Make sure it does not happen again in the future. Mr. Dubois, I heavily recommend not divesting yourself of your weapon in the middle of combat next time. Mr. Winchester and Mr. Lark, if you plan on charging in the future, you may want to consider your trajectory next time."
She paused and looked at the clock. "I had planned to allow for an additional spar this class, but we appear to have run out of time. Class is dismissed."
Robin allowed himself to be dragged out of the room by his team. Barely noticing the dirty look sent at him by an unfamiliar boy with gray hair.
AN: Really feeling the energy again, getting back into the swing of things. Also holy shit FF ladies and gents, we bouta hit 100 followers on this story, pretty fuckin cool if I do say so myself. Hope y'all enjoy, call out any mistakes, and have a wonderful day!