Chapter 17:Clash on the Mountain
Team JNPR stood at the base of a particularly imposing mountain, their gazes sweeping over the rugged terrain as they strategized for the upcoming challenge. Across the field, their opponents Team BRNZ mirrored their stance, their expressions determined and focused on the task ahead. The air crackled with anticipation and excitement as both teams prepared for the ultimate test of skill and strategy.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Team RWBY and their companions had gathered to watch the match unfold. The energy in the air was palpable, a buzzing mixture of excitement and tension. The rustle of clothing and murmurs added to the lively atmosphere. Yang, always one for playful teasing, nudged Bazett with her elbow and a mischievous glint in her eye. It was clear that everyone was eager for the battle to begin.
Yang couldn't help but let out a chuckle as she recognized Bazett. "So you're the one that Vomit boy used as a lap pillow during the breach," she quipped.
Bazett's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment as she remembered when Jaune had used her as an impromptu lap pillow and how it had been broadcast live. She still couldn't live it down at Chaldea. Mash, meanwhile jerked a bit and gave Bazett a betrayed look filled with envy. This caused Fou who had been nesting atop her head to reposition and tap her head in light irritation at being moved.
Ruby resisted the sudden urge to pet Fou and found herself wondering just what kind of animal he was.
At the same time Cinder and her team were also watching the match preparations with great interest. Cinder's eyes honed in on Jaune seeing one of the greatest threats to her plan. "See if you can uncover which two members will advance to the doubles round." She ordered
"Use your friendship with team RWBY if you have to. While Nikos's sembelence is known to us we are in the dark about the rest of her team. We can't plan accordingly if we are in the dark about this.
Mercury leaned forward eagerly, a sly grin playing on his lips. "This should be entertaining. Let's see what the golden boy and his team are truly capable of."
As the beginning of the match neared, Cinder's team readied their scrolls to record and analyze every move and tactic used by both teams. With each bit of information gathered, they knew it could prove invaluable for their plans.
With the countdown coming to an end, team BRNZ wasted no time and sprang into action with practiced ease. Seeing that JNPR was seemingly still in the middle of their discussion Brawnz surged forward intent on eliminating them in one strike. Unluckily for him, June had seen him coming from the corner of his eye. After giving his team a series of hand signals, he pulled out his P90 and gave Brawnz a brief lesson on the consequences of acting without thinking. Moving forward while keeping up a stream of fire he then engages the rest of the team in close-quarters combat. Mindful of the fact that he would be at a disadvantage in a prolonged fight with three brawlers.
"I need to hurry up and deliver their surprise before they overwhelm me via sheer momentum."
Jaune moved with fluidity and precision against his three opponents, his sword a blur of silver steel. Each strike was calculated and deliberate, seamlessly transitioning into the next as he simultaneously strategized his next move.
The brawlers were overconfident in their numerical advantage, rushing in with reckless abandon to overwhelm Jaune. But amidst the chaos of battle, Jaune deftly planted a grenade on one of the members of BRNZ without them even noticing. A sly smirk graced his lips as he taunted, "Hold onto this for me, would you?" before swiftly disengaging and rolling away.
The grenade detonated with a controlled explosion, sending shockwaves through the air. The targeted BRNZ member's aura flared brightly before quickly diminishing, while the other two were thrown off balance by the blast, their coordination shattered momentarily.
Not wasting a single second, Jaune took advantage of their disorientation and tactically retreated up the mountain to rejoin his team.
As he reached the top, May from Team BRNZ spotted an opportunity for retaliation. Her reputation as a sharpshooter preceded her as she took aim, steadying her rifle against the uneven ground and firing at Jaune. The shot was well-aimed, meant to catch him off-guard just as he was about to reach safety.
However, Pyrrha's ever-vigilant eyes caught sight of the imminent danger. With a flick of her wrist and the use of her semblance, she deftly deflected the bullet at the last possible moment, causing it to ricochet harmlessly off a nearby rock. Jaune glanced upwards and nodded in thanks to Pyrrha before continuing his sprint towards safety.
Rejoining his team at the top of the mountain, Jaune's chest rose and fell with slightly labored breaths, but he was ready to continue the fight. With their strategic position secured, Jaune prepared to fortify their position and plan the next steps.
In the stands, the crowd reacted with a mix of shock and awe at the display of tactics and skill. Team RWBY and their Chaldean companions exchanged excited commentary about the intensity of the match, while Cinder's group observed with cold interest, analyzing every move for future reference.
"It seems that Arc likes to fight rather unconventionally." She mused
Nora, her muscles rippling with exertion, used her strength to rearrange the massive boulders into a defensive formation. "Let's give them a warm welcome if they decide to visit!" she declared triumphantly, her hammer swinging with effortless grace as she positioned the heavy stones. After she had completed this Jaune moved his way over to her and whispered "Nora, please tell me that you have some gravity dust grenades on you,"
"Don't be silly, fearless leader. You know I never leave the house without them," Nora replied with a smirk.
"Okay, that's more than a bit concerning. But we'll talk about that later. For now, I need you to change your loadout so when Pyrrha locates the sniper, we can introduce them to the concept of anti-gravity and fill them with bullets."
As he finished speaking, a bullet impacted the boulder they were taking cover behind. Jaune quickly brought his P90 above the boulder and blindly fired a burst in the general direction of the shot.
"Ren, I need you to take half of my grenades and lay traps along the other sides of the mountain. We have to force them to head right towards us. If they manage to catch us by surprise... well, we're fucked," Jaune said grimly.
Ignoring his team leader's use of profanity, Ren took the offered grenades and set about laying traps as instructed.
Meanwhile, Pyrrha having been filled in by Nora was now stealthily seeking out the sniper while everyone else provided cover fire.
Jaune seemed to struggle with something before abruptly nodding his head.
Popping up out of cover he exclaimed
"It's over team BRNZ we have the high ground."
The only reply he got was a barrage of rounds impacting his shield as he reentered cover.
"Was that really necessary Jaune?" asked Ren having retuned and taken cover at an adjacent boulder.
"Yes" came the hurried reply
Pyrrha located the sniper. Signing back to Nora, she relayed the position of their target. Nora gave Jaune a thumbs-up and carefully readied one of her gravity dust grenades.
Jaune gave a quick nod towards Nora. That was their signal. Nora threw the gravity dust grenade in an arc over to where Pyrrha indicated the sniper was. As soon as it had left Nora's hand the team got ready.
"What's happening?" came Brawnz's confused voice over the sound of gunfire as he observed his sniper teammate suddenly getting pulled high in the sky by an unseen force.
JNPR immediately sprang into action, their weapons firing a relentless barrage of bullets at May. She was unable to defend herself against the overwhelming firepower and the disorientation of being weightless. With each hit, her aura weakened and dwindled away. Finally, as the gravity dust wore off, she crashed to the ground with a thud, her aura breaking and leaving her out of the fight.
As the remaining members of team BRNZ ascended the steep slopes, they were met with a barrage of cleverly placed traps set by Ren. The first few members advancing triggered the wires, causing small but powerful explosions that shook their aura and halted their momentum. Shouts and confusion erupted as they tried to regroup, giving Team JNPR the perfect opportunity to strike.
From her vantage point high above the battlefield, Nora unleashed a relentless onslaught of attacks. Her grenade launcher rained down explosive rounds on the eastern flank, sending shockwaves through the terrain and forcing Team BRNZ to seek cover from the chaos.
On the western front, Pyrrha and Jaune moved in perfect harmony. Pyrrha used her Semblance to manipulate the metal buckles and weapons of their adversaries, disarming them temporarily and causing disarray among their ranks. Meanwhile, Jaune expertly landed precise shots, further draining the aura reserves of Team BRNZ's members.
With both flanks compromised and their forces scattered, Team BRNZ found themselves in a dire situation. Their attempt to regroup and push forward was met with a fierce counterattack from Team JNPR. Seeing an opportunity to end the match, Jaune rallied his team for a final push.
"Let's finish this together!" he called out, receiving determined nods from each member of Team JNPR. In a coordinated effort, they converged at the center where the last few members of Team BRNZ were making a desperate stand.
The final confrontation was swift and decisive. Under the combined might of Team JNPR, the remaining fighters of Team BRNZ were quickly overwhelmed, their aura levels plummeting to critical levels. With the sound of the buzzer signaling their defeat in the tournament, victory was declared in favor of Team JNPR.
As the triumphant cheers and congratulatory words died down, Jaune and his team found themselves approached by Cardin and his team. The sun beat down upon them, casting harsh shadows on their faces as they stood in the fairground. Cardin extended a hand to Jaune in celebration.
"Nice work out there, Arc. You guys were impressive," he said with a smile.
Jaune shook his hand firmly, returning the smile. "Thanks, Cardin. You've come a long way yourself."
But before they could engage in any further pleasantries, Cardin wasted no time getting to business. "Hey, listen. If we end up facing Team RWBY, got any tips for us?"
Jaune nodded, understanding the importance of preparation. "Sure, let's break it down."
Jaune began his detailed analysis of Team RWBY's fighting styles and strategies. His voice was clear and thoughtful as he spoke.
"For Ruby," he started, "her speed and petal burst are her main assets. The key is to evade her until she tires out or engineer a situation where she has to help a teammate, then take her out when she's distracted." He paused, considering another important factor. "Also, if you manage to separate Ruby from Crescent Rose, you'll effectively neutralize one of her biggest advantages in combat. Throw her weapon out of the arena if you can. Without it, she's reliant on her abysmal close-quarters combat skills. If she's the last member standing, adopt a close formation with overlapping fire and slowly whittle down her aura."
Cardin nodded eagerly, taking notes of Jaune's advice.
"For Blake," Jaune continued, "her shadow clones can be a problem. Use area-based attacks to destroy them. Flashbangs are particularly effective since they can disorient her due to her heightened Faunus senses leaving her vulnerable."
Blake, listening from nearby with her arms crossed, frowned. "You're giving away all our weaknesses, Jaune."
Jaune gave her a playful shrug. "Yeah, I am but to be fair he asked me to."
"And lastly," he said, turning his attention to Weiss, "prevent her from using her time dilation glyph at all costs. Keep her busy and limit her ability to assist her teammates." His gaze drifted towards the white-haired heiress who was standing off to the side, watching them intently.
"Weiss is a formidable opponent with her skilled use of glyphs," Cardin admitted, scribbling down notes in his notebook. Jaune nodded in agreement, adding, "If she manages to get your team in her time glyph then it's all over." And as for Yang she relies heavily on aggressive bursts of energy and dealing return damage via her semblance. Hit-and-fade tactics are the most effective against her. Keep her at a distance and wait for her aura to deplete. Which given the spread of her shotgun gauntlets is no easy task. If needed, try to provoke her into tunnel vision, maybe by going after either her partner or Ruby but be careful as it can backfire."
Yang couldn't help but roll her eyes at Jaune's strategic advice. "Thanks for giving away all our weaknesses, Jaune."
"You're welcome, Yang." Jaune couldn't help but reply.
Ruby's expression was one of surprise and trepidation as she asked, "What about if we have to face you?"
Cardin's lips curled into a sly smile as he eagerly waited for Jaune's predictable response. Jaune simply smirked and replied, "Oh, that's easy - just don't."
Blake's brows furrowed as she questioned Jaune, "Wait, how exactly do you know the attacks and capabilities of our team?"
Jaune replied confidently, "Well, you didn't really try to keep it a secret. Plus, all matches are recorded and available to the public. And most importantly, we've spent time together, allowing me to get a better grasp on your abilities as both a team and individuals."
A flicker of trepidation crossed Cardin's face as he asked warily, "Did you do the same thing for my team?"
"Of course I did," Jaune answered casually. "I made profiles on everyone in our year. Still working on the visiting teams though."
Cardin shifted uncomfortably, not liking where this was going.
"Jauney boy, you scare me sometimes," he exclaimed with a sigh.
Nora chimed in teasingly, "Yeah this is nothing, you should see him before he's had his morning coffee."
"I think I'll pass on that," came Cardin's dry response. "I don't need trauma first thing in the morning, thanks."
"Oh, come on. I'm not that bad," Jaune protested with a laugh.
"Yes, you are!" Bazett and Mash declared in unison.
And just as they finished speaking, a high-pitched cry of "Fou!" pierced the air.
"Don't even start with me, Fou," Jaune groaned playfully. "You're one to talk with you raiding the candy supply almost every other week. Do you have any idea how many times I've gone to look for my favorite candy only to see a trail of wrappers?"
"Fou, fou, fou!"
"No, I will not calm down. Please tell me what crime have I committed against the great and terrible Fou to be treated this way? Jaune asked the candy thief perched atop Mash's head
Amidst the banter and chaos, Yang struggled to make sense of what was happening in front of her. Jaune, it seems understood and could converse with Fou. She suddenly realized that she had no idea what Fou even was – a dog? A cat? A fox?
"Hey Jaune," she interrupted the argument. "What kind of animal is Fou anyways?"
Jaune simply replied with a smile, "Yes."