Beta-ed by xenosaiyan
"I activate my trap card, Skill Successor," Yang announced, her third facedown flipping up to reveal an image of Lava Battleguard gaining strength from Swamp Battleguard. Hot Red Dragon Archfiend was engulfed in a flame-like aura (ATK 1800), the gargoyle dragon defiantly staring down Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's oncoming double attack.
Yang Xiao-Long: 2200 Life Points
The mystic lightning crashed into the muscular demon, Follow Wing flaring to prevent its destruction by battle as Bumblebee danced to avoid the cast-off electricity.
Yang Xiao-Long: 400 Life Points
"When Skill Successor is activated on the field, I can target one monster on my field and boost its attack by four hundred until the end of the turn," Yang explained.
"So I don't have enough damage to take you out in one turn," Blake growled, Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon losing Drummerilla's boost as the Battle Phase ended (ATK 3000). "Of course, if you were taking this seriously, I wouldn't have had enough to take you out anyway."
Yang looked at her partner with a profound sadness, her eyes fading from red back to purple. "Are you really not hearing anything that I'm telling you with this duel, Blake? Anything that your monsters are trying to tell you?"
Blake gritted her teeth and slammed her final card into her duel runner's disk. "I activate Pendulum Storm!"
Crack! Two thick lightning bolts smashed down through Blake's Pendulum Scales, Radish Horse and Odd-Eyes Valet obliterated in a thunderous crash. Fierce winds shrieked around the cat faunus in the tempest's wake, a cyclone racing around her duel runner, even making it difficult for her to stay upright on her shaking vehicle.
"Grr… every card in the Pendulum Zones is destroyed and in exchange, I can destroy one spell or trap on your field," Blake shouted, struggling to keep her duel runner upright against the force of her own spell. "So say goodbye to your Follow Wing!"
The tornado screeched across the field and shredded Follow Wing, the golden glow fading from Hot Red Dragon Archfiend's wings. Since Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's effect protection would expire at the end of her turn, she had to get rid of Yang's protection for her ace as well. With its attack points cut down by more than half, Blake could take one hit by it so that she could recover and take it down if it was vulnerable.
"I end my turn!" Blake yelled.
Yang frowned, Hot Red Dragon Archfiend's flaming aura fading (ATK 1400). "You got rid of Odd-Eyes Valet. That has a good defense ability. You sure you wanted to get rid of it?"
"Take your turn."
Yang sighed and shook her head as she drew for her turn. "Okay. Hard way it is. I activate Monster Reborn and revive Red Lotus King, Flame Crime. You know the deal when it's special summoned. You take four hundred points of damage for each Fire-Attribute monster on my field."
Red Lotus King, Flame Crime cackled back onto the field, kneeling on a sideways card in defense mode. The devil conjured a fireball in its palm and hurled it at Blake, the cat faunus' duel runner swinging back so that Bumblebee rocketed ahead around the corner.
Blake Belladonna: 2800 Life Points
"You alright?" Yang called back.
"I'm fine!" Blake insisted. "Make your move!"
Yang sighed. "Hot Red Dragon Archfiend activates its special ability. "All other face-up attack position monsters on the field are destroyed. Absolute Power Blaze!"
The dragon's claw lit with a hellish fire. Finally uttering its trademark thunderous roar, Hot Red Dragon Archfiend slammed its fist down into the track, and a wall of blinding flames tore across the asphalt, washing over Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Performapal Drummerilla. The Fusion Monster and Pendulum Monster shattered into shards of essence, their aura bodies scattered to pieces by the burning conflagration.
"Gaaahhh!" Blake wailed, her sluggish reflexes struggling to keep her runner from smashing against the inside wall of the track. Her vehicle wobbled as Bumblebee zoomed away, accelerating ahead of the cat faunus by more than half a lap.
Only the golden motorcycle to whip around and slide to a stop, her wheels screeching as she halted in the road. Yang killed her runner's engine and stood up, pulling her helmet off as Hot Red Dragon Archfiend and Red Lotus King, Flame Crime faded from the sky.
Duel Cancelled. No Result.
Blake's eyes widened, using the large stretch of track to come to a stop herself. The cat faunus ripped off her helmet and leapt off her runner, stomping towards her partner. "What the heck are you doing? We're not done!"
"Yes, we are," Yang declared, stone-faced and immovable in the face of her partner's rage. "You're in no shape for this, physically or mentally. I launch the final attack, you might get smashed against the wall."
Blake smacked Yang's helmet from her hands, her amber eyes livid. "Final attack? Do you know how to take anything seriously for five minutes?! Your archfiend was the only monster you had that could attack because of its ability. You couldn't beat me this turn!"
"I had two Skill Successor traps in my graveyard. The one that I used and the one I sent to the grave with Red Lotus King, Flame Crime's effect last turn," Yang reminded her, unaffected by her partner's aggression. "You know the card. What does it do in the graveyard?"
"As long as it's not the same turn it went to the graveyard, you can banish it from your graveyard on your turn to increase a monster's attack points by… eight hundred," Blake shouted, only for her voice to trail off as everything clicked into place in her mind. "... you had two in your graveyard. That's sixteen hundred points, putting your dragon back at its original three thousand. You had game on board. And I… I didn't even notice."
The dark-haired cat faunus suddenly felt woozy, stumbling over and leaning over on Bumblebee. Yang put a gentle hand on her shoulder, balancing her partner as she nearly heaved.
"You took Yatsuhashi and Professor Goodwitch's lessons from your Promotion Exam to heart. You're not blaming your monsters anymore, you're not holding back," the blonde comforted her friend. "But you're not a weapon, Blake. Neither are they. You can't live your whole life on the battlefield."
"I… I don't need my whole life. I just… I need to stop them. I have to stop the White Fang," Blake stammered. "I have to fight them."
"Why?" Yang asked. "I'm not asking you to stop. But why not slow down, catch your breath?"
"Because if I slow down, I don't know if I'll be able to start again," Blake confessed, shuddering as she finally let out the truth, tears pricking from her eyes. "You think I don't get why Weiss had to pull out? That I don't know what every member of the White Fang has been through, what suffering is driving them? Perry was my math tutor, Banesaw baked me a cake for my twelfth birthday party. Ilia was my best friend for years. And Adam…"
Her lips curled, unable to figure out how to feel, terror from The Blood-Soaked Bull's attack on Patch mixing with nights of youthful passion and lust that wouldn't have been out of place in her Ninjas of Love books. Her fingers clenched and cramped, the turmoil running its course through her, necessary but grotesque as she felt like she was about to vomit. All the while, Yang stood at her side, letting her work through as needed, standing by her all the while to aid her if asked. Blake felt Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's spirit reaching out from her Extra Deck, gently mewling at her side, like Zwei had done for many of them when they were feeling down during the semester break.
It felt like hours before Blake finally regained control of her breathing, the lights of the turbo duel track burning down on her back. It felt like hours, if only minutes in reality, more before she found herself finally able to speak again.
"Sienna… she was my aunt, my idol. Poised and elegant. Strong, ambitious, and endlessly dedicated to whatever cause she thought was worth fighting for. Our people's cause. The cause… I still want to fight for," she murmured. "Adam no longer fights for it. Torchwick and whoever he's working for definitely don't. But the others? I know Ilia just feels trapped. I don't think Sienna doesn't even know what's happening. They're willing to kill, but they're not out for blood like Adam is."
"Then why didn't you go to them?" Yang asked, not demanding or accusing, merely asking to let her partner voice an answer. Any answer, since she needed one to help her. "When you ran away from him, why did you come here to Beacon? Why not Mistral or Menagerie?"
"I was afraid. Adam is a hero to so much of the White Fang. What if they sided with him over me? I wasn't sure if I was on my side," Blake admitted, her tears leaking down her cheeks. "I'm a coward. I ran away."
"Generally speaking, running away from the abusive ex is what you're supposed to do," Yang reminded her. "You did nothing wrong."
"I ran away!" Blake roared. "Didn't you hear me?! Ilia, Banesaw, Perry, everyone, my friends, my family I left them behind! I left them at his mercy, to be pawns in his game of spite! And now I'm going to go back and crush them like they're monsters? Like every other hunting duelist that ever beat all of us when the police or the councils gave the word back during protests?"
That was the blunt fact of the matter. Blake idolized the ideal of a hunting duelist as much as the next person, but she was also vividly familiar with the reality of the profession, glorified mercenaries necessary to hold off the Grimm but otherwise merely tools of those in power. Her first bloody nose had come from a hunting duelist whose team was brought in to break up a peaceful White Fang protest by the Vale police back in the day. A third of her father's scars came from that demonstration, as well as some of his mugshots when he kept that same huntsman from doing worse to her.
She knew that there were kind and righteous hunting duelists like her current teachers and Mr. Xiao-Long, but a few good apples did not an orchard make. And she would be putting her old friends at the mercy of that poisonous garden that'd already ravaged their lives, with her as a new withering tree in it. And yet, what was the alternative? Let them carry out whatever mad plot Adam and Torchwick had them working on? Pass the buck to some higher authority that would treat them like animals, casually putting them down instead of giving any offer for surrender or arrest?
No. For once, she couldn't run away. She had to take responsibility and stop them herself. But knowing that, and having the will to go through with it were two very different things.
"If I slow down, if I take the time to bask in my pretty little paradise, what then?" she demanded of Yang. "Do you think I'll be able to bring myself to stop my friends then?"
"The way you were dueling, I don't think you could stop them now," Yang replied. "I wasn't going all-out, Blake. Whoever we find at Mt. Glenn will."
The blonde reached into her Extra Deck and removed a card from the very back, one she'd never touched since the start of the semester. She held it out to her partner, like a sugar cube to calm down a horse that might spook at any moment.
Blake chuckled, an exhausted, empty thing as she wiped the tears from her face and took the card. "Level ten, thirty-five hundred attack, three thousand defense. It's impressive. I'm surprised you've never brought it out before."
Yang flashed her a wry smile. "Look at the summoning conditions."
Blake glanced down, only for her eyes to widen at the inscription. "Two tuners? You can summon it? Without magic?"
"Not yet," Yang shook her head. "Dad always told me that it doesn't take magic, but back in the day, I couldn't bear to wait, and train patiently to hone my technique. Tried to brute force it with my semblance 'till I was blue in the face. I wanted to be like him and my mom so badly."
"Your mom?" Blake queried, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Your dad told me that he only ever saw one other person do it. I guess if anyone could manage it, it'd be a Signer who was also a Silver-Eyed Warrior."
Yang's face shifted then, the steady air she'd been projecting since the start of their duel flickering, like a bonfire suddenly reduced to a candle. Her forehead crumpled, pensive and considering, weighing her words. Something in what the dark-haired girl had just said had surprised her, though the cat faunus had no idea what. Now her partner's guard was up, a decision before her about how to proceed, with Blake's well-being likely at the forefront of her mind.
It was likely that care that finally caused her to let her guard back down, a sigh of fear fleeing her lips as she steeled herself for her next words.
"Not that mom. Summer Rose, Ruby's biological mom, never double tuned. She had her own specialty called Accel Synchro," the blond revealed. "The other person who can double tune is my biological mom – Raven Branwen."
Blake's hand cramped, the Synchro Monster in her hand falling from her locked-up fingers as she gaped at her partner. "Raven… Branwen?"
"Yup."
"Your dad… slept with Raven Branwen?"
"My dad married Raven Branwen," Yang clarified, stroking her chin in pondering thought. "Actually, Vale had some polygamy laws on the books back when the Grimm were doing a real number on the population. They might still be married even after he and Summer tied the knot. Might have to check that later."
"Your dad married Raven Branwen!?" Blake squawked. "H–how?!"
Yang shrugged. "He never told me that part. My uncle either. Heck, I didn't even know Summer wasn't my biological mom until after she was gone. After that, well, little kid me wanted answers and wouldn't stop at anything to get it. Found a picture of a cabin I thought was linked to her, waited until dad was out, and took Ruby along in my desperate quest to do what I thought I had to do. Long story short, there were no answers, just lots of Grimm. If our uncle hadn't shown up, we'd be dead as doornails."
"You went in full force and nearly lost everything for it," Blake surmised, quickly deducing the story's relation to her own situation. As well as how much courage it took to open up to her about it.
"I'll find her someday. Make her tell me why she left me, why I wasn't good enough to stick around for. Why she went to all the trouble of getting the team together to make a special card for when I was born, only to take it with her when she left," Yang confessed, kneeling down and retrieving her double tuner Synchro Monster. "But I learned I can't throw away what I have for what I want. I want answers from Raven, but I am Summer Rose's daughter. I need to be worthy of that. And as that mess I caused at The Club showcased, it's a skill that takes constant maintenance."
Blake managed a weak laugh, the faintest of smiles rising to her lips. She shuffled back to her duel runner, collecting all her cards from her duel disk. She combined her Extra Deck together, her Fusion Monsters and her Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon facing her from the very bottom.
"I am sorry," she promised them. "You're not my weapons, you're not my sins. You're my friends."
Odd-Eyes' card gained a faint glow, his spirit practically leaping for joy at her tender words. Most of her Fusion Monsters preened with satisfaction at the beginning of her recovery. Even Gatling Ghoul, though not yet convinced of her sincerity, did feel like he was challenging her to defy his expectations.
Blake turned back to Yang, her partner grinning. "Thank you. For this."
"What are partners for?" the blonde replied with a sunny smile. "You gonna get some rest before the mission?"
"I… I'm gonna try," Blake said. "I… I can't promise I'll make it to the dance."
"That's fine. Just rest. Curl up in the room with the steamiest book you got. Remember, we'll all be out for the night," Yang winked. "Well, Ruby and I will. Weiss might be in the room, maybe the library."
"Weiss," Blake groaned. "I need to apologize to her."
"Join the club," Yang sighed. "Hopefully she'll come and have fun at the dance. But I don't think she'll join in the tag-duel. She's not in the mood for a duel for fun."
"A duel for fun," Blake murmured. "I can't remember the last time I did that. Heck, I can't remember the last time I could do that."
Yang gave her a firm pat on the shoulder. "Last time is not next time."
Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon glowed brighter at those words, his excitement and joy radiating through the card's dust matrix. If he was manifested, he'd probably be gleeful dancing at the idea of the tag duel, a match for fun and nothing else. Although…
"Uh, I'm glad you're excited Odd-Eyes," Blake nervously said. "But, you do realize that the tag duel is in public? In front of scores, maybe hundreds of people? Even if I did take part, I couldn't use you without outing myself as The Odd-Eyed Bandit."
Odd-Eyes' brilliant glow froze mid-pulse. The rest of her deck sniggered at her ace's sudden realization.
The dragon with dual-colored frantically restarted its shining, pleadingly reaching out past Blake's deck. Perhaps unsurprisingly, another glow soon started pulsing out from Yang's Extra Deck.
The blonde pulled out Clear Wing Synchro Dragon from her cards, her violet eyes narrowing at her shining silver dragon. "Ah, okay? You getting any of this?"
"You're not?" Blake inquired, admittedly only getting Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's side in full and bits of Clear Wing's emotions herself. Odd-Eyes pleading with his sibling to help with a way to let him partake in the tag duel, which would require Clear Wing to take part too. Meanwhile, the silver dragon was exasperated with the more energetic monster, but warm and willing to help. Honestly, it felt kind of like when Ruby begged Yang for pocket money for cookies or strawberries.
But also…
"I think… Clear Wing will let you summon it at the dance," Blake translated, smiling at her partner. "I can't speak for afterward, but I think after what you did today… you're growing on her."
"I am?" Yang blinked, utterly stupefied as she stared at her dragon. "But… what did I do?"
A wry smile spread over Blake's mouth at her partner's befuddlement. She shook her head and took hold of the Beacon training duel runner she'd been using, guiding it back to the garage as she contemplated how to spend her rest. She knew what way would work for sure…
… but after everything she'd put her monsters through, perhaps it was time she took a chance for them.
RWBYRWBYRWBYRWBYYUIGOHYUGIOH
"Ren, I'm just gonna come out and say it: you are one of my best friends. These past few months, I feel like we've really bonded. Even though you don't say much. I mean, you're really quiet. To be perfectly honest, apart from Nora's disturbing anecdotes, I don't know that much about you personally, but darn it, I consider you to be the brother I never had!"
"And I, you," Ren replied, keeping pace with his team leader as they marched down the hallway leading to Professor Oobleck's classroom.
"So you'll do it?" Jaune inquired, tentatively hopeful.
"I imagine Nora would be quite upset if we didn't," Ren assured him. The Obelisk Blue boy's pink eyes flickered down towards his deck box. "And I must admit, it is… heartening to see you put so much thought into helping Pyrrha."
"I concur," Astral chimed in beside the blond Ra Yellow, the Team JNPR members really the doorway to the duel history and regular history classroom. "Your plan seems quite logically sound–"
"There's gotta be something I'm doing wrong! Come on, doc! I can Xyz Summon other monsters, why is this Number giving me so much trouble? It's supposed to be an easy one!"
"Even an 'easy' Number is a potent monster, Mr. Winchester. You should not disregard the progress you've made so far either. If you continue at this pace, you'll be able to manifest it soon–"
"I don't need to just manifest it! Dad said he wants me to be able to bring out Heraldry Crest by Vytal Festival! I need to keep up and be worthy of the family collection. I can't be weak!"
"You're not weak, Mr. Winchester. In fact, given the strides you've made in your behavior since you first entered this academy and your rising grades, I'd say you've become quite strong."
"... not strong enough. Thanks, doc. I'll make sure Sky gets that makeup report he owes you in."
Cardin Winchester stomped up to the doorway, only to come up short when he saw Jaune. The blond leader of Team JNPR froze and stared at his former bully, Ren's completely stoic body not helping the awkward atmosphere. Astral was very glad to be invisible for the moment.
"Uh, hey… Cardin," Jaune stuttered. "We… did not hear any of that. Right, Ren?"
"My hearing is minimal," Ren declared.
Cardin scowled, glaring at Jaune. "You remember what I said back during your Promotion Exam?"
"Uh, not any specifics," Jaune admitted. "I got concussed a lot during that duel."
"The Vytal Festival," Cardin growled. "You and I have unfinished business, and we're gonna settle it there. One duel, one-on-one. And you better not pussyfoot around using your Number like you did against that Haven guy. I want your best and nothing less. Got it?"
"Got it? Got it! Good," Jaune nervously replied, flashing a thumbs-up.
The redheaded team leader scoffed at his meager response. He stomped past him and Ren, and off into Beacon's halls.
"He seems to have gotten friendlier," Astral observed. "He didn't push you as he left."
"Thank goodness for small miracles," Jaune mumbled.
Ren nodded, Astral's eyebrow listing up at him.
"Ah! Mr. Arc! Thank you for coming," Doctor Oobleck called out, spying Jaune and Ren at the door. "Please, come in."
"I'll leave you to this," Ren told his leader. "I'll get Nora ready for the dance."
Jaune nodded, his teammate splitting off as he and Astral made their way down to the professor's desk. Doctor Oobleck pulled out a cardboard box from under his desk. When the leader of Team JNPR arrived before him, the coffee-addicted hunting duelist handed him a card from within.
"Uh, professor, I'm flattered, but I'm pretty sure teachers aren't supposed to give students gifts–Is that a limited-edition Gagaga Samurai foil?!" Jaune squealed, dashing over and snatching up the offered card from his professor's hand. "They only made fifty of these after the Ancient Lands special!"
"That they did," Doctor Oobleck laughed. "I hear it cost your sister quite a bit of lien."
Jaune blinked, looking up. "My sister?"
"Yes, this is not a gift from me. You are quite correct about the ethical guidelines on that count, Mr. Arc," the professor confirmed. "This is a present Saphron got you for your last birthday. My apologies that it took so long to get to you."
"A present for my last birthday–"
Jaune's face froze, his body going rigid. Astral didn't blame him, his own brow furrowing in confusion too. After all, Jaune had gotten a birthday present from Saphron for his last birthday, or at least a package he had assumed was it.
The package that had contained Astral's key.
"Yes, apparently the mail convoy was attacked by a Grimm horde. Such things can happen when packages are being sent across kingdoms, especially when hunting duelists have to be sent out to retrieve as many as possible from the wreckage," Doctor Oobleck explained. "Apparently she was trying to send me something, but somewhere along the line, I was sent your birthday present by mistake. I didn't even realize it until I called up your sister to tell her about your promotion and she asked if I'd received some sort of key from her."
"Key?" Jaune mumbled, his hand rising to graze his shirt, Astral's key strung on a bootlace beneath it. "Saphron was trying to send you… a key?"
"Yes, an artifact she discovered on a dig, evidently called The Emperor's Key according to her. She wanted to send it to me for further study due to a suspected connection with Number Cards, an area of expertise of mine," Oobleck said. "Though now she seemed rather frantic, asking if I could send it back. I had to tell her I never received it."
"You never received it…" Jaune mumbled, fondling the pendant through his Ra Yellow uniform. Slowly, he started to reach for the necklace's shoelace, ready to reveal the monitor to the teacher.
Only for Astral's ghostly palm to appear before his hand. "Don't."
Jaune looked like he wanted to respond and discuss the matter further, but with Dr. Oobleck right there, his options were limited. So he just stowed Gagaga Samurai away in his pocket and bowed to his professor. "I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble, professor."
"Doctor. And don't worry, Mr. Arc. This is in no way your fault. I'm just glad we were able to get you your birthday present," his teacher smiled at him. "I must say, you've come a long way since the start of this year. It is a privilege to watch each of my students grow and you have been no exception."
"Thank you. I'll try to keep it up," Jaune said.
He hurried back out of the classroom and hugged the hallway's wall, looking up at his ethereal partner. "Why'd you stop me?"
"Why did I stop you?" Astral repeated. "Why were you going to reveal the key to the doctor?"
"Why not?" Jaune shot back. "You heard him. Saphron wasn't trying to send it to me. You got stuck with me by mistake."
"Your logic assumes that your sister was aware of my existence in the first place," Astral pointed out. "We have no evidence of that fact."
"Does it matter? Your goal is to get your memories back, to learn who you are," Jaune argued. "Who do you think is gonna be able to help you more? One of the most respected hunting duelists on the planet who's an expert in Numbers, which definitely have some sort of connection to you? Or me, who at best can only provide you a meatsuit to get dragged into problems you shouldn't have to deal with?"
Astral tilted his ghostly head to the side, quizzically. "Your question is irrelevant."
"What?!" Jaune exclaimed. "How is that irrelevant? That's the most logical I've ever been."
"It is not. You are struggling under the weight of your poor self-image," Astral brushed off. "Even still, it is irrelevant. This is not a matter of being worthy. This is my choice."
Jaune gaped, the familiar words stopping his mind in its tracks. He found himself only able to look down and away, a conflicted miasma upon his face. "Yang meant those words in a very different context."
"And yet, it applies to this one as well," Astral proclaimed. "If your choice is that you are no longer satisfied being my partner, then that is another matter. But if that is the case, I request that you entrust the key to Pyrrha rather than Saphron or Dr. Oobleck."
Jaune raised his palm into his gaze, closing it into a fist as he took in all his turmoil. "If you still want my help, then I'll give it. I just hope you're making the right choice."
"I have faith that I am."
Jaune chuckled with ironic amusement. "Where's the logic in that?"
Though he couldn't say he wasn't honored by Astral's trust. Him and Pyrrha, even at his worst, had always believed in him. No matter his doubts, he could not shirk when they needed or desired his help.
Still, he couldn't deny that those doubts only seemed to grow. Not just about himself, but now about the key, this Emperor's Key. Mr. Xiao-Long's warning about Professor Ozpin learning Pyrrha had Number 101 was at the core of his worry, but his concerns had only been pricked further since their return to Beacon. First the key's reaction during Pyrrha and Ilia's duel and transporting the pair inside it, now this? Saffron sending an artifact to her old colleague Dr. Oobleck made sense, but why was she so suddenly asking for it back? And could a Grimm attack really cause such a discrepancy as him and the doc's packages to get mixed up?
"Hey, Jaune! What's with that scrunched look on your face?"
"Huh?" Jaune gasped, raising his head as the familiar voice roused him from his contemplation, spotting a familiar Obelisk Blue and Slifer Red marching towards him. "Oh, hey Ruby! Weiss! What're you guys doing here?"
"Weiss thinks Professor Oobleck might know something about my eyes," Ruby explained.
"He's one of the foremost experts on history and archelogy on Remnant," Weiss said. "Knowledge of magic might not be widespread, but if anyone might have picked up on hints of it throughout the ages, it'd be him."
"A logical and wise deduction," Astral smiled.
"What're you doing here, Jaune?" Ruby inquired. "I thought you were even with Nora in grades this semester. No need for extra credit assignments."
Weiss cocked an eyebrow. "Being even with Nora in academics is not something to aspire to. Extra credit could be very useful if that were the case."
Jaune chuckled nervously. He pulled his new Gagaga Samurai foil card from his pocket and showed it off to his friends. "Long story. I'll tell you later, but the short of it is that I've got this now. My sister sent it to him to give to me."
"Oooo! A limited-edition foil Gagaga Samurai!" Ruby squeed, dashing over to him with stars in her silver eyes. "They only made fifty!"
Jaune's smile grew a bit more genuine at his fellow team leader's excitement. "I know, right?"
"You're so lucky! Can I hold it–"
"Ehem," Weiss cleared her throat, glaring at her partner and gesturing towards the history classroom. "We're here for a purpose."
"Right, right. Gotten figure out how to use my not-normal eyes so I can be not-normal knees," Ruby sighed, making her way for the doorway. "You coming?"
Weiss preened and made to follow her friend, only to pause suddenly, mid-stride. The Schnee heiress glanced over Jaune, specifically focusing on the center of his chest, where under his chest hid The Emperor's Key.
"Actually, Ruby, are you okay talking to the professor alone?" she asked. "I want to get Astral's thoughts on my… my current pondering."
"Your current pondering… oh. Sure thing," Ruby nodded, apparently understanding what her partner was asking even as the spirit's own face twisted with confusion. "Though why Astral?"
"You can give me the simple perspective, but I think you can agree that you are limited in the angles you can help me dissect my dilemma from," Weiss explained. "I believe Astral's more logical understanding may provide an additional avenue."
"He is really smart, mysterious, and glowy," Ruby surmised, before shrugging with a smile. "Okay. Have fun!"
With that, the girl in the red hood strode into Dr. Oobleck's classroom. "Ms. Rose! To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Weiss took a deep breath and looked Jaune in the eye. "Can you… Is there any way that you won't be able to listen in? What I have to talk about is… very personal."
"Sorry. But unless I'm asleep or unconscious when he takes control, it just switches which one of us is ghosty," Jaune apologized. "I mean, I could try taking some sleeping pills or–"
"No, that's not necessary," Weiss shook her head, her blue eyes twinkling with a vulnerability he'd rarely seen from her. "Can you just… not mention any of this to anyone?"
Jaune chuckled, flashing her the most reassuring smile he could. "The Grimm will tear me limb from limb first."
It was strange. Here he was, being asked by the girl he had a crush on to switch bodies with his partner because she'd rather ask him for advice. With how he'd been feeling, he should have felt terrible, she was asking him to just act like he wasn't there after all.
But, she was also placing her trust in him to keep her secrets and keep his silence. It wasn't what he'd wanted her to trust him with… but it was something she'd chosen to trust him with. And he realized that he would be honored to support his friend in whatever way she needed from him.
He nodded to Astral and his spectral partner floated into his body. Jaune's spirit lifted out of his form, watching one of his eyes turn red while the other turned an even brighter blue. After that, he floated off into the wall, as far as he could from the key.
Just because he didn't have a way not to hear the conversation didn't mean he couldn't give them whatever privacy he could.
RWBYRWBYRWBYRWBYYUGIOHYUGIOH
Astral sighed as he watched Jaune's spirit float into the wall. He truly wished his partner could understand his faith in him more, could have his outsider's view on how far the scared boy from Ansel had come.
But for now, another friend had requested his aid.
"How can I be of service?" he inquired to Weiss.
The heiress brightened up a bit when she saw his eyes had supplanted Jaune's, her pale face calming a bit. "Like I said, I need a mature and logical perspective on my current indecision. Are you aware of what that is?"
"To an extent, I believe," Astral replied. "You are concerned about your ability to do good as a hunting duelist after your experiences with the White Fang as well as your team's safety in the face of your escalating investigation. Is that accurate?"
"Essentially," Weiss confirmed. "Ruby, simple child thinking she has, pointed out that even if being a hunting duelist is being part of a flawed system… there are always Grimm. They don't have a tragic backstory that my family is directly or indirectly responsible for."
"They do seem to predate your father's predatory business practices," Astral noted, a fond smile crossing his borrowed lips. "I am glad to hear she has helped you feel better."
"She has," Weiss smirked, briefly looking after her partner in Dr. Oobleck's classroom before taking a deep breath and managing a more austere look at the borrowed blond body. "But while I may now recognize that holing myself up in the library looking for an answer that may not exist isn't strictly the best thing for my mental health, it does not change the conundrum before me. My team is going after the White Fang. They're willing to venture all the way into the bowels of Mt. Glenn to do it. They're not going to force me to come with them, but they're still walking into a dangerous situation."
"Are they able to walk into such a situation?" Astral asked. "Jaune has been looking into the away missions after the dance, and there don't seem to be any assignments near Mt. Glenn for first-years."
"There aren't. But between those three, I somehow doubt that will stop them," Weiss scowled. "They're not going to tell Professor Ozpin about the intel we gathered, so my only options are to either join them or let them face the danger without my help, which means they could get hurt when I could have saved them. Or in Yang's case, she might hurt someone who doesn't deserve it when I could have stopped her."
Astral blinked in confusion. "I don't understand. There seems to be a clear option before you to both ensure the White Fang is dealt with and prevent harm to your team."
Weiss' eyes widened, excitement filling her face. "There is?! What?"
"Tell the headmaster about the White Fang's presence at Mt. Glenn yourself."
"What?!" the heiress exclaimed. "N–No! I can't do that."
Astral cocked one of Jaune's eyebrows. "I do not see why not. By all analyses, it would accomplish your goals with no significant downsides to your agenda. Your team would understand, even Blake, and it would put more experienced hunting duelists on the case, would it not?"
Weiss crossed her arms and pouted indigently. "Yes, it would put more experienced hunting duelists who would answer to Ozpin on a case that includes Ilia Amitola."
"Ilia? Why would you be concerned about her–"
"Because she has an Over-One Hundred Number. More importantly, she knows that Pyrrha has an Over-One Hundred and that you exist," Weiss hissed in a hurried, irritated voice. "If any other hunting duelist team encountered her and she used Number 103, it'd be entered into the Police's Public Database. Ozpin would go after her, which could lead him to Pyrrha, Jaune, and you. Not to mention from how rattled Mr. Xiao-Long was when he learned of Number 101, I am concerned that Ilia herself may not deserve whatever the headmaster would inflict on her. Did you not realize that?"
"I did," Astral refuted, though he still gaped in shock at her, his red and blue eyes gaping at her in utter and complete awe. "But I did not realize that you would consider such a risk to be a significant deterrent."
"Of course I would," Weiss snapped. "Actually, if you knew it would be a threat to your well-being, why would you even suggest that I do that?"
"You asked me for advice on how it would affect you and your wellbeing. You are my friend, so I thought it only responsible that I give you the best council I could without bias or agenda," the spirit replied, his smile softening into one of amazement and adoration. "I see now that I was incorrect and apologize. Your compassion and consideration for others, it is truly a thing of rare beauty."
"Please," Weiss snorted, frowning at herself in despair. "I'm the 'Ice Queen', remember? Even people I've never met before call me that."
"You have exacting standards, it is true," Astral replied. "But you also hold yourself to them, hold yourself to be better. Considering with your background you could be like your father and get away with whatever you'd like, it is even more admirable that you choose to hold yourself accountable."
"Oh," Weiss squeaked, a light pink coloring her cheeks for some reason as she looked up at the spectral being possessing her friend. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Astral nodded, as earnest a smile as he could manage painted on his partner's lips. "I do not know if there is a way to improve upon the flaws of the current hunting duelist system. But I have faith that you will be one of its shining stars of virtue should you continue down this path."
For some reason, Weiss' cheeks only grew pinker at his heartfelt compliment. Curious. He would have to do further observation later to see if this was a more widespread phenomenon amongst humans and faunus.
"Gosh darn it!" Ruby exclaimed, mopping out of Doctor Oobleck's room. "Nada! Nothing! Nope! Who's the other guy you were thinking of asking about laser eye powers, Weiss?"
"What?!" Weiss suddenly screeched, whirling around to face her partner. "Oh, that, right. Well, if Professor Oobleck has no knowledge of the Silver Eyes, it is possible that Professor Ozpin might."
"A logical assumption," Astral noted. "If the headmaster trained your mother and has some knowledge of magic as Mr. Xiao-Long's comments about him knowing of the Over-One Hundred Numbers suggest, it is possible that he could know how to access your eyes' Creation Magic."
"Great!" Ruby cheered. "Let's go talk to him!"
The leader of Team RWBY made to race down the hall, but her partner caught her mid-charge, snagging her by the red hood and arresting the silver-eyed girl's charge.
"You realize that his already busy schedule is even busier this time of year when he's arranging hundreds of away missions for students from all over the world?" Weiss lectured her teammate as Ruby was choked by her cloak. "He can't meet with us now."
"Then when do you plan to meet with him?" Astral inquired.
"At the same place my father forces a meeting with all the people who claim to be too busy to talk to him," Weiss smirked. "At a party."
RWBYRWBYRWBYRWBYYUGIOHYUGIOH
Yang had to admit, even with all the plates she had spinning to ensure her friends' mental and emotional recovery, she did throw a damn good party.
The Beacon ballroom gave her a brilliant canvas to start with, lots of marble and Mistralian-style pillars surrounding a central floor. Supported by the pillars was a second floor of viewing balconies surrounding the central floor, food tables (containing plenty of cookies for Ruby and whoever else wanted it) on top of them and under them. Meanwhile, a stage was set up at the far end of the central floor, a Heartland Entertainment Hardlight Dust projector set up atop it and ready to go. In short, plenty of space for everyone who wanted to dance, who wanted to watch the duels, and of course the ones dueling on the floor.
"Okay, fog machines are set up and ready to flood the floor with a push of a button, and the sound system is working perfectly. Everything's in place," Sun read off a clipboard, tapping a pen held in his tail against the side. He leaned in to Yang's side as they looked over the swarm of people gleefully enjoying themselves on the ballroom floor. "The randomizer is also ready to go, the two match-ups you wanted locked in… well, locked in."
"Fantastic," Yang grinned, the two blondes sharing a victorious fistbump by the greeting podium. "Thanks for helping me set all this up, dude. You sure you don't want help with your tie?"
Sun, having changed from his usual outfit into a black dress shirt that was only partially buttoned up enough to conceal his abs, tilted his head and glanced down at the white tie loosely strung around his neck. "I don't think it'll help, Yang. Seriously, I tried everything."
"Here. Let me."
A pair of lithe, muscular arms slinked over Sun's shoulder and gripped his tie. With a slick setup and a sharp tug, the white garment was firmly tightened around his neck.
"Oof! Hey–actually now that I see it that does look better," Sun remarked, turning to face his helper. "Thanks, dude–Homina Homina Homina."
It spoke to how much Blake's mood had improved in the days since her and Yang's duel that she merely flashed a sly smirk at Sun's stunned words. Perhaps she understood no harm was meant by it, just an instinctive reaction to the sight of her in an elegant black and purple dress with Gambol Shroud ready for battle on her arm. Yang was halfway to swooning herself.
"Glad to be of help," Blake teased, only for a more serious expression to overtake her. "Sun, about how I exploded at you in the courtyard. I'm sorry."
"No worries. I get it. You were going through a lot," Sun smiled at her, glancing over at the dance floor with a sparkle of hope in his eyes. "Though, if it's alright, would you… want to dance?"
Blake's smile floundered a tad. "Maybe a dance. But Sun, I'm flattered but I just got out of a relationship that was… not healthy for me. You're a good guy, and any guy or girl would be lucky to have you. But I am not in shape for anything romantic right now. I have to get my house in order before I take on that responsibility with anyone. I'm sorry."
Disappointment flickered over Sun's face, but he kept a bright and genuine smile on his lips nonetheless. He patted Blake's hands still on his tie, gently guiding them off. "No worries. I get it. I take it by Gambol Shroud that you're gonna be dueling tonight?"
Blake cradled her duel disk and took a deep breath. "That's the plan."
"And you're gonna kill the plan and have a fantastic time," Sun assured her, patting her on the shoulder. He flashed a thumbs-up at Yang. "Gonna get everything ready, boss."
"Thanks, man," Yang said. "I'll join you soon."
Sun nodded and scampered off. Just in time for a gasp of shock to draw Yang and Blake's attention to the entrance. Standing there was Weiss, who'd gasped, in a resplendent white gown inlaid with pearl and next to her was Ruby in a–
Yang's eyes widened in horror and panic. "What have you done?! What have you done to my adorable baby sister!?"
Weiss rolled her eyes at the blonde's outburst. "Oh please, like you didn't expect me to get her a new outfit when you told her to show me that bullethole-ridden travesty."
"I expected you to get her a new outfit!" Yang protested. "Not a suit! Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for someone with Xiao-Long genes to be around large amounts of people?"
When their dad had worn a tux to his first PTA meeting, there'd nearly been a stampede to give the girls a new stepparent and several people had ended up in the hospital with injuries from the ensuing violence. When Yang had worn a suit to a dance just to prove that she could pull one off (and damn could she pull one off), several boys and girls had tripped down the Signal gym's bleachers at the sight of her, with the band having tripped off the stage and accidentally caused a fire. Uncle Qrow had been present on both occasions and he'd barely been able to keep everyone alive, muttering about "Stupid semblance… plus blond bastard's stupid genes…".
Yang admittedly hadn't caught all of his cussing on the matter, but she knew enough to know that someone of their family wearing a suit, however sexy as hell, was dangerous. So as stupendous a figure as Ruby cut in her black and crimson pinstripe number, it might have actually been better if she'd worn the Bargain Bin dress.
"You know, you were right about that Mermaid place, Weiss. This thing is so breathable," Ruby basked, still feeling out having a formal outfit that she actually liked. "And look, no death stilts!"
"I do think you would have looked better in them like the tailors said," Weiss argued, though she did flash a smug look of pride at her partner. "That said, you do look quite good."
"Of course she looks good! Everyone looks good in suits and she's my sweet, adorable little sister! Her Xiao-Long hotness powers have been activated!" Yang panicked, her violet eyes flicking about the second-floor balcony. "Come on, we gotta make sure nobody accidentally walks off the balconies while they're distracted by the sight of her."
Weiss scoffed. "Please, I've seen my sister premiere at her debutante ball. If no one was hypnotized into such things by her beauty, then no one here aside from maybe Pyrrha stands a chance–"
"Woah, that girl looks good in that suit–Ah!"
Yang squeaked as she whirled around to the sudden shout of distress, one she recognized as coming from Sun's partner Neptune. Fortunately, she was able to sigh in relief, as while the blue-haired boy was indeed flailing in the open air after having walked off in his stunned stupor, Pyrrha was behind him, her grip around the back of his collar as she hoisted him back onto solid ground.
The blonde let out a sigh of relief before turning back to Weiss, whose lips were pursed in consideration. "That… that's an isolated case."
Blake glanced at Ruby, who was oblivious to the entire thing and the lustful stares she was receiving from passersby as she happily played with her fancy sleeves. "I mean, it is Neptune. According to Sun, he does have a weakness for beautiful women–"
"Salutations, Ruby!" Penny excitedly greeted. The perky Atlas redhead rushed into the ballroom, leaving two escorting Atlas soldiers in the dust as her pale green dress flowed behind her. "Are you ready to have fun at this recreational social even–Eeeeehhhh!"
The Obelisk Blue came up short, her feet digging a metallic shriek into the floor as she stopped before Ruby. Her emerald eyes went wide at the sight of her friend in her fine red suit. In the bright lights of the ballroom, it almost looked like purple static was flickering across Penny's bright green irises.
"Oh, hey Penny," Ruby waved, only to look at her friend's eyes with concern as she remained frozen. "Are you okay?"
"A critical error has occurred. This program will now shut down. Would you like to send a report?"
Blake cocked an eyebrow. "Send a report?"
"Is this flirting?" Weiss asked, her face twisted in befuddlement. "I know I'm no expert in flirting, but this seems like it could be flirting."
Ruby laughed nervously as her friend remained stalled, snagging Penny by the arm. "Well, catch you guys later, we're gonna go talk Link Monsters and find a good spot to watch the Tag Duels, plus find Professor Ozpin for silver eye advice, okay, bye!"
"Would you like to send a report?"
"No, no, at least no until we find the general," Ruby muttered before whisking Penny away from the crowd in a burst of her semblance, rose petals floating in her wake as the scrambling Atlas escort troopers groaned with exhaustion. The uniformed men sagged to their knees and panted for breath before turning and doing their best to figure out which way the two girls had gone.
Weiss and Blake blinked in stupefied and flummoxed confoundment. Yang had no more idea what had just happened than her teammates, but if her experience with their family wearing suits to public functions had taught her anything… well, she hoped Ruby knew she didn't have to move too fast with Penny. The night was meant to be magical, but they still had years of school to enjoy their blossoming relationship in its own time.
Though speaking of a magical night…
Yang glanced up at where Pyrrha was, the elegant champion having turned to Jaune, who'd brought a backpack with him to the dance. A backpack he was currently placing the Invincible Girl's duel disk into as he weathered her glare.
"Good on you, Vomit Boy," Yang smiled proudly at her fellow blond.
Her gaze shifted to the stage's hardlight projector and then to Weiss and Blake. "Looks like everything's in place."
"Yes, including those repugnant fog machines of yours," Weiss sneered. "I see you failed to include doilies in your preparations. What is this, a proper dance or a flea-ridden circus?"
Yang grinned and bore the snide cattiness. She'd earned Weiss' ire and she'd bear it for as long as she had to, even if that was forever. She wanted to be forgiven, but she could take it if she wasn't. Being team ace meant she bore the weight of whatever came, in a fight or emotionally. Because as long as she did, the others could work out whatever they needed to without the stress.
"Circus. Fitting choice of words, Weiss," she said, rubbing Ember Celica on her wrists and turning to march for the stage. "The fun has just begun."
RWBYRWBYRWBYRWBYYUGIOHYUGIOH
"So you lied to me?"
"I'd prefer the term 'exaggerate'-"
"Yes, he did."
"And you let him," Pyrrha growled at Astral, the spirit wincing as she glared at him and Jaune, her duel disk zipped up in the backpack her leader had brought to the dance. "You lied to me about having me in the tag duel and you had Astral, Ren, and Nora cover for you."
Jaune sighed, slinging the backpack around his back as viewing railings rose on the second floor of the Beacon ballroom, the chamber entering duel mode as Yang and Sun stepped onto the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen! May I have your attention, please!" Yang called out through her microphone, drawing every eye in the room with her bright charisma and glittering golden dress. "I'm Yang Xiao-Long and on behalf of Beacon Academy, welcome to this year's Beacon Dance!"
A round of applause went off among the crowd, everyone's distracted gazes encouraging Pyrrha to stomp away while she might not be noticed. Only for Jaune to scamper after her, standing in the Invincible Girl's path.
"Get out of my way, Jaune," Pyrrha demanded of him. "I'm not going to waste time here when I could be doing something useful."
"As long as you're a member of Team JNPR, it's your duty to support the team however you can, right?" he countered with a gentle smile. "Then you have to stay."
"Now then, I hope everyone's enjoying the party, because the main event you've all been waiting for is about to start!" Yang's voice echoed, the hardlight dust projector flashing the two screens of a randomizer above the stage. "Every team leader has submitted two members to the pool to represent them. We've put them all in the same kind of randomizer that'll be used for the Vytal Festival Tournament! Now, let the Tag-Duel Showcase begin!"
"You just said you didn't actually want me in the tag duels," Pyrrha pointed out. "What good could I possibly do by staying here?"
"Round One! Team RWBY vs. Team JNPR!"
Pyrrha's eyes flicked towards the randomizer's screens, Blake and Yang's faces across from Nora and Ren's. On the stage, the real Yang passed the mic to Sun as she hopped down, joining Blake on one side of the main floor. On the other side, Nora skipped out onto the dance floor in her pastel pink dress, Ren striding out after her in his ivy-tinted suit.
Jaune strode to the second-floor railing. He offered an inviting hand back to Pyrrha as the lights glittered around him, flashing through Astral's spectral body to make him appear as an angelic prince. Despite herself, the redheaded Mistral girl felt her heart speed up as her cheeks blushed red.
"I was really looking forward to cheering everyone on at the Promotion Exams with you. And since I'm not dead right now as an eighth of the school still claims I was after my match with Mercury, want to make up for lost time?" he offered her. "I think cheering on Ren and Nora is a crucial task to support the team, don't you think, Astral?"
"A critical task," the spirit concurred. "An excellent display of logic, Jaune."
"Thank you. I've been working on how to say it all day."
Pyrrha stared at her team leader's offered hand, feeling as if in a dream. Everything she'd wanted, to stand with her friends without always being the one dueling in the spotlight.
'You want so badly to be normal. To be just another smile in the crowd. You're not. And you shouldn't want to be.'
"But I do," Pyrrha murmured, too soft for Jaune or Astral to hear among the hubbub of the crowd and the whizzing of the specialized hardlight dust projector below. Ilia's words hissed through her mind like a cold wind, a denouncement of the desire she held nearest to her heart.
And yet, it was just one night. She'd be venturing out to the frontier to do whatever good she could post-graduation. Surely, she could spare one night to pretend she was just a girl in the crowd, being offered a chance to support her friends, side-by-side with the boy she liked. Couldn't she?
Either way, Pyrrha reached out and took Jaune's offered hand. With a shared smile of softness between the three partners, Astral escorted them to the railing as the central floor's hardlight barrier rose.
RWBYRWBYRWBYRWBYYUGIOHYUGIOH
"The showcase is starting. First match is RWBY vs. JNPR," Emerald communicated through her hidden earpiece, her and Mercury (and Mercury's stacked plate of food) hiding in the shadows of the ballroom as they spied on the central floor and the audience observing it. Especially two particular spectators on the second floor. "Ozpin and Ironwood are here, though the general doesn't seem to be looking to stay long."
"Is Nikos dueling?" Cinder inquired from the earpiece's other end, waiting to begin her infiltration of the Beacon CCT Tower and implant the Black Queen Virus.
"No. The Ritual pair."
"Hmm. Weak choice by that leader," Cinder critiqued. "The Odd-Eyed Bandit can't bring out her dragon in public without revealing her identity. Without Nikos, it's unlikely the match will distract Ozpin and Ironwood long. Signal when you and Mercury are called up."
"Yes, ma'am," Emerald replied, the line clicking off.
Mercury tossed a cookie into his mouth from his huge plate of food. "Guess we're doing the waiting game."
"Looks like," Emerald remarked, watching as Sun tapped the microphone as Blake and Yang, and Ren and Nora deployed their duel disks.
"Alright, everyone! Let's get this started!" the blond monkey faunus announced. "The lot of us? We're hunting duelists. Most of us are gonna go out and kick Grimm or crook butt. But there's also the option of hitting the Entertainment Duelist circuit, putting on shows and competing in tournaments to keep people's negativity down. Of course, since that crowd's started accepting hardlight dust constructs instead of stronger aura constructs, the SDC and Heartland Corporation have come up with some angles to spice things up for the audience."
Sun snapped his fingers and the stage's hardlight projector flared to life, reflectors extending similar to a duel disk's field spell tech. The area contained by the dust barrier suddenly transformed Blake, Yang, Nora, and Ren raised up on elevated platforms. A rainbow trapeze jungle was formed out of candy-colored pillars, trampolines, and the kind of giant rings that acrobats leapt through. Throughout the entire new area, several cards floated in clear spheres of light, some listing about while other anchored in small crevices or knooks.
"The heck is that?" Mercury wondered.
"It's a circus, idiot," Emerald explained, recalling his dad probably never took him to one. "The Acrobatic Circus, I think."
"Let's have some fun tonight, folks!" Sun called, to rampant cheers from the crowd. "The duelists will kick their way across the ground and fly across the air of this field with their monsters! Fix your eyes upon the newest evolution of Entertainment Dueling! Ladies and gentlemen…"
"Action duel!" the tag-teams shouted along with the monkey faunus emcee.
Blake & Yang: 8000 Life Points
Nora & Ren: 8000 Life Points
Ah, my hatred for leaving a 'Part 1' hanging strikes again, leading this chapter to get written very quickly. Don't count on the next chapter being this fast, but I'm glad that I was at least able to complete this story's adaptation of 'Burning the Candle'. If for nothing else then Tag-Duels are a lot to plan, and I don't expect an Action Duel version to be any easier. Side note, do not expect Action Duels to be a regular thing in this story. The tech is very much only in an 'Entertainment' stage and nowhere near combat usable.
But yeah, lots of fun stuff this chapter, with Blake, Pyrrha, and Weiss's recoveries continuing to be ongoing as Yang's plans to help them start to bear more fruit. All of them start to open up more about their inner struggles while Astral finds himself aiding both Jaune and Weiss in critical moments. And Ruby rocks her new suit, but now has to figure out a way to quickly fix Penny before anyone starts brushing it off as just the weird girl from Atlas being weird again.
Next up: Blake & Yang vs. Nora & Ren is an epic Tag-Duel!
Remember to check out and add to this story's TVTROPES PAGE! I check my stories' pages often and I always enjoy it when they grow. :)
Thank you for Reading! I hope you enjoy what comes next!
Go Forth and Conquer!