Chapter 48: Round One
In which Team Caiman meets their match, and a new contender enters the fray.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the first match of the first round of the illustrious, expectation-defying, critically-acclaimed VYTAL FESTIVAL! I am your host, Professor Peter Port of the finest pedagogical establishment on the face of Remnant – the one, the only Beacon Academmmmmmy!"
"An' I'm Qrow."
Cheers erupted across the humongous stadium as fans exploded with excitement at the long-awaited beginning of the most popular event in Remnant.
"Thank you, Professor Branwen! Now, allow us to begin our commentary for this introductory round. The rules are simple. Two young teams of hunter trainees shall duke it out in a randomly generated arena until all the members of one are eliminated, via ring knockout or aura entering the red. That's 20%, by the way, for all you normies out there. The first round will consist of full teams, the second shall consist only of two members, and the semi-finals and finals shall be mano-a-mano. Now that the formalities are done, let's count it down! Ten–"
"One. Fight."
Coco Adel, someone, someone else, and some other guy stood before Emerald, Cinder and their make-believe team. She knew their powers, their weapons, their styles, and everything else of value, but the names of the two lunks and the rabbit weren't memorable enough to care for. The leader, on the other hand, was someone Emerald had taken care to commit to memory. Primarily because she'd given Emerald some words of advice on what to do in bed with Cinder, but also because of her aptitude as a huntress. But mainly the first one.
Adel offered them some kind of sappy good luck wish before the arena shifted into two different types of terrain around them. On Team Caiman's side was a marshy wetland ripe with bogs and dead tree stumps, but no significant cover. That was going to bite when Coco pulled out her minigun.
"Looks like the Caimans are in their element, eh Professor Branwen?"
"Piss off, I'm in withdrawal."
The other half of their stage turned into a wide sulfur spring. Emerald had to cover her nose as the fumes wafted towards her. Dust, everything about this stunk, literally.
The buzzer rang, and Sharp Retribution/Telepathy, was thrown by Fulcrum/Memory Wiping at them. Emerald tried to shoot him with her sickle guns as he flew towards Team Caiman, but the big guy had launched him too fast. Sharp Retribution/Telepathy slammed into Cinder and wrapped his arms around her, hooking his gauntlet blades together behind her back and knocking her into a pond. She retaliated by tearing apart his aura with repeated flaming jabs to his chest, but Sharp Retribution/Telepathy didn't let go. Without any defenses, his aura rapidly sunk to the low yellow, but hers wasn't even scratched. What's their game? Adel wouldn't send her man in with a strategy this dumb.
A frantic hailstorm of minigun bullets rained down on the two of them as they struggled on the floor. The judges called out Fox (guess that was his name) for aura loss, but his arms were hooked around Cinder and neither could move even if they wanted to. Cinder cried out as her body was buffeted by explosive Dust rounds, wreaking even more damage due to Adel's Semblance, Hype. It was a bold move, casually throwing away one member of their team just to use his defeated body as a restraint against her leader.
Emerald threw her sickle chains at Adel to stave off the attack, but Anesidora/Photographic Memory threw her own hard light sickle chains in the way, tangling the weapons together. Emerald tried to pull her sickles back, but Anesidora/Photographic Memory mirrored her exactly. Try as she may, Emerald couldn't make the Faunus budge. The Mistrilian thief packed a powerful and versatile semblance, but in a straight fight where only raw strength mattered, she was a one trick pony. Emerald was good, but only good. Beacon housed the exceptional.
A flash of gray zipped past her, and Mercury Black descended upon Team Coffee. Good. This is why we brought you. Earn your keep. Cinder was a powerhouse on her own, but one against four was not good odds. She always had Emerald and her semblance, but it wouldn't be enough against a full cadre of professional third year hunter students. They needed extra muscle, and Marcus Black had been all too willing to offer his son's services.
"Velvet Scarlatina is eliminated via ring out. A truly staggering display by Mercury Black of Haven. I'm a Beaconite through and through, but even I'll admit that young Mister Black is going to go far."
Coco Adel converted her minigun back into a handbag and swung it to block Mercury's offensive as Fox's aura fell down to just above breaking. Cinder reached around her back and melted the very steel in his weapons. Now free, Fox glumly retreated from the fight. He'd held Cinder down until the moment Coco was distracted by Mercury, and not a second sooner. Technically, he should have left the ring as soon as the judges called him out, but they would excuse it since his clawed gauntlets were hooked to one another behind Cinder's back. He could claim that he was stuck and therefore unable to retreat. Adel's hustle was toeing the line of what was tournament legal, but she, her team, and both judges were from Beacon, and Vale was hosting the festival. They weren't going to disqualify their own students, especially when–
"Fucking fashion chick kinda cheated, didn't she? Eh, Pete, ol' buddy ol' pal?"
The audience quieted down so low that Professor Branwen's inconsistent breathing could be heard over the loudspeakers.
"What Professor Branwen means is that…"
"…is that still bear-huggin' someone when you've already been eliminated is bullshit, and we all know it. Rules say you leave when your aura goes. I vote we call the match here with victory to Team Cinder on account of their opponents being little bitches."
The sound cut off, and the combatants paused as the judges presumably spoke between themselves. Emerald wasn't going to turn down a free victory, even if it was currently four on two in her favor. Now that Branwen had called it out, it would be difficult for Beacon to sweep it under the rug.
The speakers crackled back on. "After much deliberation, we've elected to pause the match until a board of rev–"
"NO!"
Cinder, aura in the very low yellow, had screamed so harshly that even the judges could hear it from their box. Her face was fuming with barely-concealed fury.
"Er, uhhh…Miss Fall, this would most likely be to your team's advantage to–"
"NO! I'm going to win, and I refuse to let some limp dicked professors pause it for a committee to tell me what I already know. I will not win by technicality. Keep fighting!"
"I suppose that if both teams are–"
Cinder was already tearing into Fulcrum/Memory Wiping with her dual blades. The two collided and fell into a pocket of marshland as their blades met. Emerald recalled her sickles and chose to join Mercury in dealing with Coco. He was good, but the fashionista had some tricks up her sleeve. Right before he was able to land a kick that probably would've been a knockout, Adel drove her purse into the ground and set off a Dust explosion. Both were knocked back, but Mercury splashed into a boiling hot pool of water.
Emerald shot Adel in the back and made herself appear two feet to the right when she turned around. Adel converted her handbag into a minigun and let loose a stream of Dust bullets at the illusion as Emerald closed the distance between them.
"That's Yatsuhashi Daichi, down and out after a brutal beatdown from Cinder Fall. Miss Fall has amazingly managed to topple the titan without sustaining a single hit! I daresay her aura is teetering on the brink of red, and a single blow might…"
The buffoon droned on. Now face to face with Adel, Emerald drove the butt of her sickle-gun directly into her enemy's nose. As Adel stumbled backwards, she wildly swung the rotating barrels of Gianduja. A stray bullet caught Emerald, and the blast sent her flying into the force field protecting the audience. One bullet wasn't normally much, but for someone whose semblance amplified the impact of Dust, it was killer.
Lucky shot…
"In a surprising turnaround, Miss Adel has managed to eliminate Emerald Sustrai at nearly full aura. Can Team Coffee turn this around, Professor Branwen?"
"Shuddafuqup, Pork. Damn, I could use some coffee right about now. Where's that white-haired wizarding-world fuck and his caffeinated thermos when you need him?"
Emerald was out of the ring, but she wasn't out of aura. Looking at Coco's eyes, she activated her semblance and made Mercury turn invisible as he snuck out of the hot spring and towards the unaware girl. To the audience, it must've looked like she was too disoriented or distracted as he advanced towards her from the right. Mercury's mechanical leg shot towards her exposed head. It was over.
Adel caught his foot.
Impossible! Nobody can see through my semblance! She must be cheating!
Coco looked directly at Emerald, pinched her nose with her free hand, and winked.
The smell! I can make her see and hear anything, but Mercury must be stinking like a skunk Faunus after taking a bath in a sulfur pool.
Adel pushed Mercury away, aimed Gianduja, and let loose. Mercury brought his legs up to his chest in a desperate attempt to block his body from the attack, but the semblance-enhanced Dust bullets ripped through the aura-less limbs and peppered his body.
"Atta girl, Coco! Kick his– ahem, I mean, Team Coffee has miraculously managed to turn things around, bringing a four to one advantage down by half. With Miss Fall's aura down to its last dregs, I'd say this match is in the bag. Rather, in the bog! Ohohoho - ouch! Qrow, I say, sheathe that sword at once!"
Coco cautiously reloaded her gun with the extra ammunition on her bandolier sash as Cinder stared at her from across the arena in the bogs. Adel trained her minigun on Cinder but hesitated. From that distance, a clear shot was unlikely. The two girls' gazes met as acrid vapors rose from their environments. The audience was completely silent, enjoying the suspense like the brainless sheep they were.
Both teams had openly disregarded the rules, and nobody seemed to care as long as the spectacle went on and remained flashy. Of course, the Valean onlookers had no way to know that Emerald used her semblance from beyond the ring. If they did, Emerald would've bet her bottom lien that Team Caiman would be disqualified immediately and sent home in shame by the same judges who'd tried to justify Fox's actions. It wasn't about what was fair; it was about protecting one's own interests. Emerald had learned that the hard way on the streets. Those who had wealth enough to feed the entire city lashed out like animals when they caught a starving thief pocketing their wallets.
"Ladies, perhaps you two could, um, resume the fight?"
The two veteran team leaders both seemed to be waiting for the other to make their play. Coco had the upper hand with her higher aura, and she was crafty enough to not enter Cinder's terrain where a trap lay for sure. She'd already dipped into the bullet reserves on her bandolier, so she couldn't afford to waste any Dust firing from halfway across the stage. Cinder, on the other hand, wasn't moving. She seemed so still that one might think she wasn't breathing. Emerald had faith in her commander, though. Cinder always won. Cinder was perfect.
"GAAAH!"
Coco fell headlong into a scalding lake with an arrow in her back. Glass shards shimmered away from behind her. There stood Cinder, bow in hand, and Neo. The little freak seemed unnervingly happy as she watched Coco boil alive until the buzzer sounded.
"That's a match, ladies and gentlemen, and let me say – what a match it was! Quite the rollercoaster to kick off the Vytal Festival. Now, the next battle will be held in after a thirty minute pause to allow for the cleaning of the stadium, so remember to…"
Now that Team Caiman had advanced to the doubles, they wouldn't need all four members.
Mercury had pulled his weight, bringing down the rabbit Faunus and taking the heat off Cinder by distracting Adel. Neo had disappeared until the last second to steal half the glory of victory from the woman who deserved everything.
Emerald decided that Mercury would get to live.
"You shoulda seen me! I was kicking ass and taking names and kicking the ass' name! Oh, it was crazy. So, first, Cinders all 'Oh Noes!' Emerald was weak sauce, Neo had already fucked off somewhere by this point, so it was down to Merc to save the day. I kicked this Faunus girl in the cooch – instant knockout – then Em and I–"
"It sounds like quite the achievement, Mercury."
"Oh, you shoulda seen it. Man. Whew, that was a rush."
"Was the fight recorded?"
The boy fumbled to pull out his scroll in his haste to pull up the video for Morrighan. The poor fool was so easy to manipulate. Morrighan expected to be out of this cell before the tournament ended. In the moment, though, she was genuinely happy for his presence. Without any way to move, she'd been limited to humming songs Melion had known just to pass the time. That was quite difficult, especially with the muzzle, but at least it had lured Mercury here.
Mercury beamed as she watched the video. He'd surprisingly taken her existence in stride and seemed more enthused by having someone all to himself to talk to. Perhaps it was a power fantasy to control someone who was tied down and at his mercy. Perhaps he lacked a mother figure and was projecting after finding out she was female. Perhaps he was simply deranged. She wouldn't be surprised, given his history. She knew everything there was to know about Team Caiman due to their involvement in the Queen's plans, even though none of them had known of her. Melion was actually a cardinal architect of the original plan involving the White Fang, and his memories of the children he'd selected for it had passed on to her.
The video showed Mercury being knocked out of the ring, but Mercury's smile never faded. Morrighan scrunched her brow.
"You are pleased with the results even though you were overpowered?"
"Well, yeah. I took down one third-year academy student and knocked around another. For someone with no formal training, that's pretty good. One and a half of theirs for one of me. Good trade. Net positive."
"I'm surprised at you, Mercury. I would've though you wouldn't care for your team's victory if you weren't part of it."
"Nah. Maybe Neo's a creep, Cinder's cuckoo, and Emerald's an uppity toad, but they're all I've got. My experience in the field of interpersonal relationships is limited to them and my dad."
"And me."
"Yeah, yeah, and you. The girls are not great, but they're leagues above Marcus, so I'll stay with them as long as I can. And I guess I'm feeling a little camaraderie over our win."
"I believe I understand the feeling. Thrace and Kraken were rough around the edges, but nothing made them feel more like brethren than a hard-earned victory."
"Thrace? Kra– you have a team?"
"My father had one. It has fallen upon me to fill his spot now that he is perished."
"Do you want to?"
Yes. She wanted to. She needed to. She existed to.
Mercury clearly wanted her to say no.
"No."
"Dude, that sucks. Marcus insists that I'm going to pick up the reins and become a hitman when I'm ready, but I never really wanted to."
"What did you want to do? Become a huntsman?"
"No. I'm good at fighting, but I always was passionate about DJing."
Morrighan stared at him.
"Nah, I'm messing with ya. I want to be a bounty hunter."
"I see. You certainly have the talent, if your fight is any indication."
"Thanks, M. It would be a shame to waste my skills, and I do enjoy the adrenaline of a good hit. I don't particular care whether I'm killing folks or hunting 'em down for a reward, but what I do know is that my father's an assassin, and I refuse to give him the satisfaction of seeing me be one too. Let's just say that this apple wants to fall as far from the tree as possible. I want to roll down the hill onto the freeway where I fall into a truck hauling pears and go to the pear orchard and–"
"Why not just kill him?"
"Kill my father?" Black's eyebrows raised, and he scoffed. "Tried it. Woulda done it, but the freakshow turned up before I could pull the trigger. White Fang grunts as far as the eye could see, Roman Torchwick, I think I even caught a glimpse of Emerald and Cinder in the background. They needed Daddy Dearest alive to kill Jacques Schnee and his wife, so they stopped me. I got this as a reward from Pops." Mercury tapped on his left leg.
"I would be able to kill him."
"I figured you'd offer at some point. If not that, you'd promise to divulge the location of a secret trove of buried treasure or grant me three wishes. Sorry, Morrighan. I'm not that gullible."
"I'm serious. Believe me, the death of a single human mercenary would be child's play to me. It took five trained hunters to bring me down."
"I shoulda known that no one would actually care about me. Well, I'll be seeing you. Or maybe I won't…who knows?"
The cyborg stuffed his scroll into his pocket and turned the door's handle. The cruelest irony was that Morrighan meant what she said. She'd be happy to kill Marcus Black. It even coincided with the Queen's orders to disrupt the White Fang, a plot entrusted solely to the horsemen. Sadly, there was no way to convince Mercury.
"Mercury! I'm not trying to trick you!"
"I think we're done here."
"Wait. If…If you move further in the tournament, let me know. I can't even move around, and talking to you is the only thing keeping me from going insane."
He turned to look at her. Even if he was fully aware of Morrighan's scheming, he still had complete control in this situation. She doubted he would give up the chance for earnest conversation in the future given how isolated he was.
"Thank you for taking off my muzzle. Please, come back and visit."
"I'll think about it."
The airship touched down in the courtyard of Beacon. Onlookers made way for the might of the Atlesian military. As was expected of an inferior student body in the face of a superior military force.
Perhaps the Valeans have finally learned what the word respect means.
The ramp descended, but a war scythe stabbed through the paved walkway in front of her before she even set foot on the campus.
Then again, maybe they haven't.
"Was wondering why Jimmy started ringing a bell in the middle of the tournament. Now that the Ice Queen's come running, I suppose that answers that."
Winter knew who was goading her, but the mysterious attacker's identity was revealed not by his unique scythe nor his voice. She didn't even have to look at him to identify Qrow Branwen. The stench was so pervasive that she'd smelt it on the flight over.
"For your information, Qrow, I'm not–"
"Excuse me, it's Professor Branwen. Doctor Professor Branwen, actually."
Winter kept his eyes forward, refusing to turn for the deplorable waste of training they called a huntsman. "Qrow, I refuse to–"
"Ah ah ah! You're the one always getting on my back about not calling General Electric by his rank."
Winter sighed. "Very well. Professor Branwen–"
"That's Mister Doctor Professor Branwen to you! Now, I've got something urgent to tell you. It's a real great surprise!"
"I have nothing that I wish to hear from you."
"But…but…but…my surprise for you!"
"Qrow, I care not for your baboonish surprises. Whatever you've got in store for me, please throw it into the nearest fireplace and shove the ashes as far as you can reach up your–"
"Alright, you heard the woman. Ruby, find that fireplace, wouldja? Blake, go get some lube. Weiss, you'd better get in your stretches in now. It's not gonna be pleasant for either one of us, but we gotta do what we gotta do. Specialist's orders."
Winter straightened her coat and rotated her entire body 145 degrees. Sure enough, Qrow Branwen stood surrounded by five young women – a blonde and a Faunus both trying to contain their laughter, a positively delighted child in a hood, and Winter's own mortified sister. Penny Polendina, the fifth, was staring off into the middle distance. She must have been accessing the CCT.
"Wowzers. I just wanted to introduce some of my students to a respected work colleague, but it turns out she's a huge pervert. Run, kiddies, run from the freakishly unprofessional Atlas skank!"
"Weiss. Greetings."
Weiss corrected her posture. "It is good to see you as well, Win–"
"HOLY MOTHER OF DOORKNOBS! IT'S WEISS' MOM!" The jubilant hooded hoodlum disappeared, and Winter found herself surrounded by a tornado of rose petals. The girl reappeared just before dizziness consumer Winter, then began to hop up and down wildly.
"What was Weiss like as a baby? Which was it, immaculate conception or a stork? Is Weiss super mean because you kept all the niceness? Is that a dual bladed sword?"
"Ruby." Branwen snapped, and the monster was back at his side in a blink. "This is Winter Schnee. She's not Weiss' mother."
"Ok. So let me get this straight. You're telling me she's a robot, like Penny?" Ruby asked, eyeing Winter suspiciously. "A CyberWeiss? A SchneeBorg?" A finger pointed accusingly at Winter. "Answer me, cruel machine of war!"
Weiss cuffed the girl's head. "She's my older sister, you dolt. Winter, I apologize so much for my team leader. She ate a cookie before we came here, hence the sugar rush."
"A cookie? Just one?"
The blonde one scoffed. "One's enough for my Rubaby."
Winter fixed her eyes on her sister and assumed a more serious face. "Weiss, I managed to review your performance during the match against Team Auburn on the flight over. I must say, poor show."
Weiss' smile dropped.
"What are you talking about?" protested the blonde. "Ice Queen kicked ass."
"Was your aura at 100%, Weiss?"
No answer.
"Then I fail to see why you feel that you deserve praise. You let your team down, sister. I also see that you are not fighting with Myrtenaster. Would you care to explain?"
Weiss wilted even further and spoke softly. She was unable to meet Winter's frigid gaze with her downcast eyes. "It was destroyed during initiation."
"And now you fight using a misproportioned caricature of obsolete mining equipment. Do you actively wish to spit on our heritage, or are you simply inept?"
The hyper one did her best to look formal. "Madam, I know your robot daughter is kind of prickly and rude, but she's more than pulling her weight as a huntress. Trust me, I'm the leader of Team Rainbow."
"Then your headmaster is daft to trust a child with such responsibility."
Weiss suddenly regained her ability to look Winter in the eyes. "Hey, don't you talk about her like that!"
Winter backhanded her sister.
Rather, she tried to backhand her when Qrow caught her arm.
"Who stuck the CCT up your ass, Winter?"
"Let me go. This is a family matter between me and my disrespectful sister."
"No, it's someone hitting one of my students." Qrow squeezed Winter's forearm so hard that her aura began to lightly crackle.
"I am a member of the Atlesian Specialist Corp," Winter gritted out through her clenched teeth. "If you do not unhand me this instant, I will be forced to defend myself."
"I'd like to see you try. You ain't got no authority here. Ironwood's a guest of the council, not the man in charge. Beacon's running security on this show, which means you're in my territory. So lay another hand on any one of my students, and I'll beat you into the ground and laugh about it over a non-alcoholic beverage when ol' Jimmy fires you for acting outside your jurisdiction."
Winter growled but pulled her hand back. This was not how she envisioned meeting her sister after all this time apart. Weiss normally treated her with reverence; Beacon and Vale were clearly bad influences on her. Nevertheless, Qrow was right about her authority ending when she crossed into Beacon's airspace. Besides, she was almost late for her meeting with the General.
Winter pushed past Branwen, scowling at Weiss as she did. The horrid ten year old leader was no longer chipper, and her hand now rested on the crude facsimile of Harbinger that was slung on her back. Heh, as if a Valean child could stand against an Atlesian Specialist.
Winter stepped towards the Faunus and gestured toward her luggage on the airship. "Please have my bags delivered to my quarters." She held out some lien chips. "Here, as a tip."
"Oh, you cannot be serious," it said.
"Yes, yes, I know it's a lot of money. I am a Schnee, dear. There'll be another twenty if you can have the bullhead refueled. And scrubbed down."
Omake
Doctor Professor Branwen: Excuse me, it's Professor Branwen. Doctor Professor Branwen, actually.
Doctor Oobleck: Not bad, kid.
Next Chapter: Round Table – In which allies disagree, bonds are broken, friends fight, and darkness creeps ever closer.
Author's Notes
It never sat right with me that Team Coffee died so easily. I get that they were cannon fodder to show how cool Mercury and Emerald are in a fight, but I just wanted them to have a brief moment of success before still violently getting curb-stomped.
Also, Fox isn't getting character-assassinated as a cheater or something, I promise. It will be explained, like, tomorrow.
Tournament judge Qrow has Aizawa energy, especially when paired with 'Present Michael' Port.
Hmmmmm…Mercury x Grimm lady confirmed. But have they sex?
Also, Winter is going to be semi-comedically out of character in this one. I know she's secretly a specialist with a heart of gold even though she bitchslaps the god-fearing shit out of her sister in her first on-screen appearance, but here, she's just there to be character growth for Weiss.
Happy rats, and don't do crime!