Guess who's back? And way faster than before! Feels nice to not have to feel bad about uploading a chapter so long after the previous one. I hope you're all doing well! Love you guys, hope you've all been well. Life's been fun over here, been playing games, writing, and hanging around. If any of you have read my first story, Clockwork Soldiers, which focused on Coeur Al Aran's Jaune from Not This Time, Fate and Relic of the Future, then you might be interested in hearing that I've got another Couerverse project in the works. More details soon. But enough about that, the only thing on my mind here is bringing more chapters of this fic to all of you!
So let's get it started!
Beta: Wolfy
Art: Gyanguirus
Chapter 6 - Deadline
For the first time in what felt like ages, Jaune walked through the stadium's halls with his head held high.
It had been about a month since he'd first started training with Ruby, the memories of their joint lessons still fresh in his mind. Since then, they'd met up almost every day to work on each other's weaknesses in the gym. After months of feeling like he hadn't been getting anywhere, Jaune had begun to see progress at an almost alarming rate.
Ruby had been as good as her word. In their second session she came back with a massive list of moves from her friend. Jaune didn't want to jinx anything, but the moves fit like a glove. Over their painstaking training sessions he'd greatly expanded his moveset with moves like powerbombs, new suplexes, some new strikes, and a whole new perspective on brawling. If he had to pick a favorite, it would be a tie between the Atlesian suplex and a DDT. The Atlesian suplex was right up his alley, a move where you linked your hands around someone's waist from behind, then launched yourself backwards, arching your back and dragging your opponent in tow to slam them into the mat.
When he'd asked why it was called an Atlesian suplex, Ruby just shrugged and said that wasn't the important part.
The other move he'd grown to appreciate was the DDT. A devastating attack where you get your opponent in a facelock. A hold where you grabbed them in a headlock from the front. Then let yourself fall on your back, spiking their head straight into the canvas. His brawn allowed him to generate plenty of force as he fell.
He'd even gotten the chance to spar with Ruby! It was incredible. She was so much faster than him, and created angles in her striking he never saw coming. While she still won most of their practice matches, he was getting better and better at catching her. She'd called him a fast learner the first time they'd trained together, and she certainly wasn't wrong.
He was making great strides, and for the first time in a long time, he felt content.
The slam of a door shook him out of his jovial reflection session as someone pushed past him, a Styrofoam plate in hand. That's right, I should probably get back to it, he mused as he grabbed a pair of stainless steel tongs as he began the ritual once again. The ritual of course being collecting post match snacks for Ren and Nora. He'd come to the show tonight. It had been a few weeks since he'd last shown up, and he knew they needed any support they could get. After all, time was flying and the tag tournament his dear friends were working towards was almost upon them.
He chuckled as he stacked more than a few strips of bacon on one side of the plate. Nora's gonna be ecstatic, he mused. Tonight was breakfast for dinner at catering, his barbarian friend's favorite.
He pushed open the door with his hip, nearly losing his balance as he toted the two plates in his arms. It only took a few minutes to find them, relaxing in their typical hangout spot by the women's locker rooms. Why it was their typical spot was obvious. Nora took forever to change. The two were making light conversation, completely oblivious to him being there. I mean, what kind of surprise would it be if he told them he was coming?
Ren saw him first, his best friend had always been the most perceptive of their group, sending him a sincere smile. Nora looked confused as she glanced in his direction, before a grin spread across her face that was so radiant it could power a city for weeks on end.
"JAUNE!" She screeched as she jumped back and kicked off the concrete wall, sending her rocketing towards him at a speed he'd grown to expect. He braced himself as he felt her slam into him with a loud THUD, her bone crushing arms wrapping around him in an affectionate embrace. It was a testament to how long he'd fallen victim to her power hugs that he didn't even drop the plates.
"Hey Nora." He groaned as he handed over her plate. "Surprise."
She suddenly pouted, her left hand on her hip as she gave him a disapproving glance. "You should've told us you were coming."
Ren spoke up with a small cough. "Then it wouldn't have been much of a surprise, Nora."
"Doesn't matter!" Nora decided as she looked back to Jaune. "Thank you for the food! How long have you been here? Did you see our promo? Did ya?"
Jaune playfully punched her shoulder. "You bet I did. You two have gotten so good. You'll be ready for the tournament for sure."
Ren's right hand came up to rub the back of his head. "I hope you're right, Jaune. To be perfectly honest, I'm a little worried. It's almost time."
"How long until it starts?" Jaune asked. "I've got a vague idea but I don't have the exact details."
"Less than two months!" Nora crowed. "I can't wait. We're gonna crush it." She finished, slamming her fists together, her muscles flexing under the pressure.
"Dang right you are." Jaune agreed.
"Thank you for the affirmation." Ren nodded, but Jaune couldn't help but notice there was something troubling his friend. He sent him a pointed glance.
"Entrants for the tournament have started being published." He sighed, realizing Jaune wasn't going to drop the subject. "Our competition is fierce."
"Who're you worried about?" Jaune inquired, kind of curious himself.
"Sun and Neptune are coming." Nora said as she rocked back and forth on her heels, sipping at her orange juice. "I haven't fought him in so long! It's going to be just like Shion again." Jaune struggled to suppress a laugh. Sun had regaled him with horror stories about his experiences grappling with Nora Valkyrie when they'd been residents of the infirmary together. If only Sun could see how excited she was now.
Well, if he did, Jaune doubted his blond friend would show up to the tournament.
"Velvet and Coco put out their announcement earlier this week." Nora remarked. "I've always wanted to have a go at them. Do you think Velvet would let me touch her ears?" Jaune didn't think so.
"Don't forget Dee and Dudley." Ren added.
Nora stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry. "Fat chance. Those two are so injury prone I wouldn't be surprised if they got called for a doctor's stoppage coming down the ramp." Ren rolled his eyes affectionately at Nora's unique way of phrasing her observations.
"They are strong opponents, yes." Ren agreed as he took a bite of a waffle, "But they're not who I'm most worried about."
Jaune quirked an eyebrow. "Who?"
"There's going to be a team from Evernight competing." He confessed, his expression complicated. A gasp slipped from Jaune's lips.
"You're serious?" He asked, not quite believing what his friend had said. Ren gave him a curt nod.
There's no way, Jaune thought as he processed Ren's words. The VWC never worked with Evernight. They were one of those wrestling promotions you didn't mess around with. Matches there were downright brutal, and fighters are encouraged to do whatever it takes to win. Heck, the company had been started by Salem, a woman who was once co-promoter with Ozpin for the VWC. They'd had a massive falling out that shook the industry. Salem left to start her own company, and Ozpin elected Ms. Goodwitch as his new partner.
"Why now?" He asked, at a complete loss. "And do you have any idea who they are?"
"Because they're coming to take our company over!" Nora wailed dramatically. Jaune rolled his eyes as she giggled. "But nope. We don't know. But I tell ya Jauney, the rumor mill has been churning away."
Ren hummed his agreement. "That's right. The word around the locker room is they're bringing a few wrestlers on to our roster. Probably to try and win a few VWC championships. Flynt said he'd heard Salem paid Ozpin a hefty bag to bring them over. As for the second part of your question, the only name we're pretty sure of is Cinder Fall. But Flynt seemed convinced there was a tag team headed for the tournament, too."
Nora flashed him a lopsided grin. "I think they're just jealous about us getting Pyrrha." She jeered.
Jaune reflected on their words. Nora actually had a solid point. It would be a great idea to send over a strong star to stop Pyrrha's momentum. He didn't know anything about Cinder Fall, but if she was coming from Evernight, and entering the singles division, he would make sure to steer clear of her. His face must've shown what he was thinking, as Nora busted out laughing.
"Looks like Jauney's afraid of Cinder. What happened to my fearless leader?" A sheepish smile spread across his face.
"Hey, I'm just trying to not get sent back to square one. I'm really putting in work here."
Ren looked him up and down. "I can tell. You seem more…confident." Of course he'd notice. Jaune couldn't help but preen a little.
"I've been training with a new partner recently; she's really helped me out." Nora's eyes widened.
"A new tag partner?" She gasped. He shook his head.
"Nope, just a partner." Nora let out a quiet boo. She didn't pout for long though. "Ruby, right? You brought her up a few weeks ago."
"That's her." Jaune agreed. "I've really been getting better."
"That's great to hear, Jaune." Ren said sincerely as he bowed his head at him. "It's about time your fortune turned for the better."
Jaune smiled, warmth bubbling up in his chest. He didn't deserve these two. "That's right. Things are finally looking up. A little more time and I'll be ready for anything!" He said, throwing a fist to the sky. Nora cheered along with him.
"Is that so?" A woman's voice said from behind him. It was a familiar one, stern, yet kind. Jaune made sure to straighten his hoodie as he turned to face her.
"H-Hi Ms. Goodwitch, it's good to see you."
Glynda Goodwitch was as well put together as ever. She was dressed in her classic black two-piece suit, her hair tied up in a perfect braid. Not a single thing was out of place. That wasn't what got his attention though. Her emerald green eyes roved over him, a mysterious sparkle twinkling in her irises.
"Likewise Mr. Arc. It's been far too long. I was just about to contact you."
His heart skipped a beat as he stared at her, vaguely aware of Nora and Ren leaning closer as they continued to eat their dinner. Glynda didn't reach out unless there was something serious going on. "What about, ma'am?" he croaked nervously.
"You have a match." She said, her dry tone undercut by the excitement in her eyes. "Ozpin and I booked it this morning."
Lightning shot through his veins as he took a shaky breath. Already? Well, it had been a month and some change since she'd put him on break. But he had a match! His heartbeat roared in his ears, the anxiety of his long awaited return washed away by the sheer excitement at the idea of returning to the ring in front of a sold out crowd.
"You mean it?" He asked, not quite believing what he'd heard. She finally cracked, giving him a beautiful smile. "Thank you Ms. Goodwitch. I won't let you down. I promise."
She let out a light chuckle. "I haven't even told you when it is, or who you'll be facing." Ah, that was right. He was getting a little ahead of himself. He sent her a look of anticipation.
"It will be Jaune Arc versus Yuma at our tag tournament go-home show." She announced, waiting expectantly for his reaction. He liked the match up! The go-home show was the stadium show the Monday before the tag tournament's opening ceremony on Friday. That meant he had about a month and a half to get ready. His thoughts drifted to his opponent. Yuma, huh? I can work with that. Yuma was a member of the White Fang's group, a bunch of faunus wrestlers that did everything together. They were great promos, and even provided decent social commentary on the treatment of faunus.
They were also great wrestlers. Being a former intercontinental champion, Yuma was certainly no slouch. He'd held the belt back when Adam Taurus was world heavyweight champion and racked up quite a few title defenses. Thankfully unlike his boss, Yuma was firmly a midcard superstar. Not quite good enough to enter the main event scene, but nowhere near a jobber. As a midcarder himself, Jaune thought it was a solid match up.
"Sounds great to me. Thanks so much for the opportunity." He said, bowing his head slightly in gratitude.
"I'll leave you three now," Glynda said tactfully. "Make sure you're prepared Mr. Arc, this could be quite the bounce back for you." She was right. A solid win over Yuma could put him into a storyline with the White Fang. While the VWC was wholeheartedly a sport, the audience tended to be far more engaged when a story was told alongside matches. That's what the promos were for. Getting people to care. A feud with the White Fang meant battles on the microphone just as much as fights in the ring.
'Have a great night Ms. Goodwitch, thanks again." She sent him a slight smile, before her classic stern expression set in, heels clicking as she paced down the hall. They waited a few moments until she was out of sight, then Nora let out a massive whoop.
"YOU'VE GOT A MATCH!" She cheered, the sound echoing through the concrete stadium. She swept him into another hug, this one much more gentle.
"I have a match!" He exclaimed back at her. Ren laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Congratulations, Jaune. This is a huge opportunity. I couldn't think of someone more deserving."
He gave Ren a fist bump, before his hands flew to his head. "I've gotta tell Ruby!" He said, grabbing his scroll from his pocket and sending her a quick text. "We're going to have to hit it hard if I'm going to be ready."
"Yuma won't be an easy opponent." Ren reminded him. "But I know you can persevere."
"Awwww," Nora began as she hooked one arm over Ren's neck and one over Jaune's, pulling them close. "Look at you being so supportive."
Jaune gave a light chuckle. "Guess we'll all be busy that week. Me with my return and you two with the tournament. We may have started out as rejects from a school in the middle of nowhere, but look at us now."
Nora squeezed him against her, her voice soft. "We're a long way from bussing tables, huh?"
"Thank god." He agreed, pulling away after a few moments. "Well, I should probably head back. It was great to see you two. I'll be sure to stop by more often."
"You better!" Nora teased. Ren echoed her sentiments. Jaune gave them both a quick hug before he made his way to the exits and into the crisp night air.
/
Hanging out at the performance center was becoming routine to Jaune. Thankfully, this time it wasn't to utilize their well-stocked gym, which was a nice change of pace. He told Ruby to find her way to one of the building's coolest features. The mock stadium.
He'd gotten there a bit early to set everything up, so he elected to relax against the ropes and take it all in. The room was massive, with a few small rows of bleachers framing the ring. Upon closer inspection, they weren't just seats, but a high tech stereo system used to simulate crowd sound. Vale's branch of the VWC certainly had its perks, and the most noticeable was its incredible tech. His eyes drifted to two microphones lying at his feet, the keys to today's lesson.
Ruby, for lack of a better phrase, had been killing it with her training. While she'd spent her weeks broadening his horizons with every type of move he could imagine, he was hard at work helping her improve her charisma. They'd gone out to networking events, festivals, and even the occasional ice cream social. That one was Ruby's favorite. She'd darted around critiquing people's ice cream choices. She nearly died on the spot when someone showed her their black licorice flavored cone. They laughed about it in the car afterwards. The two had gone to these events with the sole purpose of having Ruby meet and talk with as many people as possible. By now, she'd started to reap the rewards of her practice. Her awkwardness went from off-putting to endearing, her fear devolved into mere nervousness.
That being said, Jaune was no miracle worker. It had only been a month, and Ruby was a prodigy in more ways than one, but real progress took time. She still had an incredibly long way to go, especially if she wanted to perform in front of a crowd.
Speaking of his silver eyed friend, he'd woken up earlier that morning to a barrage of congratulatory texts from her on the news of his return match. He glanced at his scroll to look over a few of them.
Ruby: OMGGGG. YOU GOT DIS
Ruby: U WILL BE READY FOR SURE
He couldn't help but smile. Spending time with Ruby was something he genuinely looked forward to, and as time went on, he'd begun to consider her as a close friend. He didn't really have too many, so any friend was a close one at this point, but that didn't change anything.
"Hi Jaune!" Ruby's voice called out from across the room. "Sorry I'm so late, I got lost trying to find this place." She said sheepishly. Jaune glanced down at his scroll.
"Ruby, you're a minute late." He deadpanned. She flushed.
"Every minute counts when you're pursuing greatness!" She said dramatically. Jaune looked her up and down as she shifted from left to right, her hands patting her thighs erratically. He'd begun to be able to identify one or two of Ruby's nervous twitches.
"Are you excited for today's exercise?" He asked, already knowing the answer.
"You bet." She said shakily. All that practice and she hadn't quite figured out how to fake confidence. A grin tugged at Jaune's lips. While she was definitely nervous, the way she bounced on her heels betrayed her excitement. After all, it was a big day.
"Then let's get to it. Promo practice it is." He bent over to scoop up the microphone at his feet and tossed it to her. She caught it gracefully and turned it over in her hands. Her eyes seemed to trace over each inch of it, the hunk of metal stamped with the VWC's logo.
"Been a while since you've held one of those, huh?" He teased. She fixed him with a fierce pout, poised to retort, then she paused. A mischievous smirk wormed its way across her face as she spoke again, her voice a lot deeper.
"Been a while since you've won a match, huh?" She said, fighting hard to stop herself from giggling as she spoke in what he assumed to be a poor imitation of him. If anyone else had said it, he would've taken offense. But he only laughed, stepping forward to playfully shove her shoulder.
"Ooh burn." He remarked, as he rubbed the back of his head.
"You had it coming." She joked back, sticking her tongue out. It was moments like these where she reminded him of Nora. He really had to bring Ruby to the show one day to meet Nora and Ren.
"Back on topic. Promos." He started as her brow furrowed, listening intently. "Pretty simple exercise on paper, but a lot harder in practice. I'm sure you've seen plenty of them on TV." She nodded. "Well, I want you to just try and do that. Do it like you're on TV. I want you to give a promo telling me who you are."
Ruby blinked. "Who I am? I'm Ruby, not much else to say." Jaune gave her a questioning look.
"There's a lot more to you than just being Ruby." He chided. "Ok let's try this instead, tell me why you deserve to be on the main roster."
Ruby looked like she appreciated the specificity of his request. Like he'd said, the exercise was simple. He'd asked around a few members of the roster that had taken the TV tryout test. This was one of the possible promo prompts they'd used.
"I'm going to give you say, ten minutes to get ready, then we practice. You've got this." Ruby gave him a determined look as he handed her a pen and paper to brainstorm.
"I got this." She agreed quietly as she headed for one of the bleachers and began to write.
As the minutes went by, Jaune couldn't help but worry. Ruby hunched over her once full notepad, surrounded by a graveyard of dead ideas. Or more specifically, balled up pieces of paper she'd discarded throughout her allotted time. Like clockwork, every two minutes she'd growl at the ceiling and tear another sheet off and chuck it with the rest. He desperately hoped she'd get something down, but as the numbers on his timer finally counted down to zero, Ruby stomped back to him, empty handed.
"I'm sorry Jaune. I couldn't do it, "she muttered. "The words just wouldn't come out and every time I wrote something down it sounded stupid in my head and nobody likes a stupid promo so I got rid of it and then I had to start again and I had nothing to say when the timer stopped and the time limit freaked me out and–"
"Ruby," Jaune interrupted before she ran out of air, "It's okay. I'm still new at this too, maybe I shouldn't have given you a time limit." She stroked her chin.
"I don't think that's the problem. I just don't know what to say." Jaune pondered her issue for a few moments as he racked his brain for a solution. She said she didn't know what to say, but she'd written plenty down before she discarded it. There just had to be some good stuff there.
"Maybe it's not that you don't have anything to say, but you're overthinking it." Ruby inclined her head.
"You think so? That doesn't sound like me."
Jaune couldn't help but chuckle. "Ruby, you could be the poster child for overthinking."
"Then why does Weiss always call me empty headed." She groaned as she rubbed her face with a hand.
"Weiss?" He'd seen her name pop up in Ruby's contacts. Ruby looked surprised.
"I never told you? She's my bestie better than the restie!" She beamed in a singsong voice. Jaune snorted at the goofy catchphrase.
"I thought I was your bestie." He complained dramatically. She giggled.
"You'll have to fight her for that title. She may be a teeny bit bossy, mean, and snooty. But she likes me a lot." She bragged before raising an eyebrow at him. "But…if you help me practice my promos you could get a title shot."
"I'll keep that in mind." He joked, "But back to business. I say to heck with the notepad. I want you to say your promo to my face, right here, right now." Ruby fidgeted uncomfortably.
"But I'm not ready."
Jaune gave her a reassuring look as he punched her shoulder lightly. "I promise I won't judge." Ruby didn't look like she believed him, which struck him as odd. She was pretty trusting usually. Regardless, she went for it, raising the microphone to her lips.
"I deserve to be here, because I've worked really hard. I've worked at the performance center for months, I've been training since I was a little kid, and I want to be a champion. A long time ago I watched my first VWC episode and I really, really, really wanted to be a wrestler. It looked really cool, and I like cool things, y'know. Cool things are awesome and people like them, so I think people will like me. Cause I'll be cool too. Trust me." she rattled off, quickly losing her train of thought. Jaune made sure not to make a face, or show even the slightest indication that he didn't like her promo. A mistake like that would be a death blow to Ruby's already shaky confidence.
But unfortunately. It really wasn't the best promo. Not that he expected it to be good, but there was a lot of room for improvement. Thankfully, that's why he was here. He put his hands together in a "T" shape.
"Time out."
Ruby paled as she let the microphone drop from her face, freezing in place. "What's wrong? Did I mess up? I'm sorry I just lost track and–"
"Hey it's okay," He assured her, "Really it's–"
"It was bad wasn't it? I'll do better I swear." She continued, anxiously chewing at her lip as she wouldn't meet his eyes.
"Ruby!" He said a bit more forcefully, snapping her out of her rant. "It's okay, really. I'm not mad. I just have a few pointers."
Ruby nodded thankfully, having calmed down a bit. "I'm all ears."
Jaune stroked his chin. "You were a little rambly. I know that's kind of your thing sometimes, but people really like it when you go slow." Just as Ruby went to interject, he continued. "You don't have to go super slow, but you need to speak clearly. Second, you need to throw in some dramatic pauses. The point of a promo is to rile up the crowd. Get them invested. They won't have time to get invested if you're throwing words out there at lightning speed."
Ruby looked at the ceiling as she pondered his words. "I thought I was doing that, like the people on TV do. I guess I was going a bit faster though." Jaune clapped a hand on her shoulder.
"I hear that. You think you're going slow, but you're really just kind of panicking and time feels different. Try talking slower than you think you need to. It makes a difference, trust me."
Ruby gave him a thumbs up. "Where'd you learn how to do this stuff?"
Jaune shrugged. "I grew up with seven sisters and a champion for a Dad. If I didn't know how to talk so people would listen, I would've starved."
A cross between surprise and respect flashed across Ruby's face. "Seven?! I can barely handle one."
That's right. Ruby had a sister. She didn't talk about her much when Jaune was with her, but he'd seen text messages from "Sis" flash across his friend's screen. Ruby always said she'd love for Jaune to meet her, but they never ended up setting a date. Jaune shook his head as he brought his mind back to the task at hand.
"Alright, keep those tips in mind and we'll start again. You got this, Ruby."
Ruby in fact, didn't have this.
Over the next hour things were more of the same. She definitely showed improvement, especially in her lines, but her sentences would run on, she'd trip over her words, and if she messed up even the slightest thing, she'd shut down. It hurt to watch. It was so obvious how much she wanted this, and it wasn't like she wasn't trying her heart out. Around hour two she made a bit more progress. She wasn't mispronouncing words, and she was getting a knack for the timing.
The biggest issue though, was her delivery.
"I think I know what you need to work on the most." He started cautiously. "It's not what you're saying, you're getting really good at that. It's how you're saying it."
Ruby looked at him, frustration clear in her expression. It was hard not to find it adorable. She looked like a puppy right after you took its favorite brightly colored chew toy. But this wasn't the time for fun and games.
"What do you mean "How I'm saying it?"" She asked, exasperated. "I'm saying it how I would say it."
Jaune shook his head. "I mean that it doesn't sound like you believe what you're saying. You're going through the motions. A lot of people struggle with that. They say what on paper is a great promo, but their tone isn't there. The fire isn't there. There's no intensity, so the audience thinks they're phoning it in, and gets distracted."
"How the heck am I supposed to do that?" She asked, running her hands through her hair. "I can't even get through it normally. What kind of advice is that?"
Jaune flinched. He wasn't upset at her remark per se, heck, he'd said the same things when he struggled to learn her flying knee the first time. She was feeling something he knew all too well. Anger and pain at failing to do something others found simple. He didn't hold it against her at all. Despite him not acknowledging it, her eyes softened.
"I'm sorry, Jaune. I know you're trying to help and I'm acting like a kid but–"
"It's fine, you've been making great progress. Maybe we should call it here and try again tomorrow–" He suggested, but she cut him off before he could finish.
"NO!" Ruby blurted out, eyes wide. "I'm going to do it. I'm going to get it right. I promise I'm not going to mess up again. It's going to be perfect. I promise it's going to be perfect." She said, waving her hands, but something was off. It wasn't like her normal gestures. Those were wild and animated, usually accompanied by her classic tenacious grin. These were more like she was frantically trying to calm him down.
"Ruby–" He managed before she cut him off again.
"We can stay here all night if you want. I'll get it right this time, you can count on me." Jaune's brows drew down in worry. Something was wrong. He knew Ruby had anxiety about speaking, but this was more than just anxiety. She kept assuring him things would be fine. But they really didn't look fine.
It almost looked like she was having a panic attack.
"I know it has to be perfect–" She continued, the spiral she was now trapped in dragging her down deeper. "I'll make it perfect."
He stomped forward and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Ruby, you need to calm down. It's just an exercise it doesn't have to be perfect–"
"It does," She protested, trembling in his grip as she dragged in ragged breaths. "She said it had to be–"
"RUBY!" He yelled, giving her a light shake. Her eyes, which were wide and wild a few seconds ago, were now concentrated on him.
"Y-Yeah?"
He shot her an alarmed look. "A-Are you okay?" Ruby gave him a crestfallen look as she slipped out of his grip and sat down, her forearms coming to rest on her knees.
Jaune leaned over her, concerned. Ruby was made of stern stuff. He'd never seen her like this. Even when she froze up during her networking practice, she'd snap out of it pretty quick. At most she'd stammer or sweat a little bit. This was new. "What just happened?" he practically demanded. He made sure to keep his voice calm and gentle though. She looked up at him, her silver eyes dull.
"M'sorry, Jaune. Maybe I wasn't ready for this." she murmured, a hand coming up to rub at her eye.
Jaune sat down next to her. He was no stranger to a nervous breakdown. Lavender, his younger sister, suffered from them when she started high school. Thankfully, he picked up a few habits from taking care of her. He scooted closer to Ruby. "That's fine. You're okay. I'm here. Nothing bad is going on. We're in the PC. We're just training." He said, forcing his voice to be as soothing as he could get it.
Ruby took a few deep breaths before she looked at him, her face burning red.
"Sorry you had to see that Jaune. I must look like a total loser." Jaune shook his head.
"You have nothing to apologize for. Things are scary sometimes. I get it. Take all the time you need." He said as he handed her his water bottle. They sat there in silence for a few minutes, Ruby occasionally sipping from the metal bottle. Curiosity burned in his head like a candle, slowly eroding his patience. Finally, he broke the silence.
"Stop me if I'm saying too much but, who is she?"
Ruby let out a quiet hum. "Who?"
"When you were spiraling." He said cautiously, "You said she wanted it to be perfect." Ruby's face fell.
"Oh." she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"It's okay," he assured her, "You don't have to say anything."
"It's fine. She was someone I used to train with." she said morosely. "I don't talk to her anymore. Wouldn't accept anything less than perfection." Ruby grumbled. "She…she wasn't a good training partner."
Jaune could tell she didn't want to elaborate further. After a few more moments of silence, he stood up and held out his hand. Ruby looked up at him, before grabbing it and hoisting herself up.
"How do you feel?" Jaune asked, still a bit worried.
Ruby gave him a nod, flashing him a brittle smile. "Better. Sorry again, that happens every now and then. It's been a long time since the last one, though."
"Gotcha," He nodded, making a mental note. "You wanna get out of here?" Ruby shook her head.
"I really did mean it when I said I wasn't done. I want to try again. Besides, I've got a ride." Jaune gave her a questioning look.
"Are you sure? I mean, I'm okay with it if you are, but I don't want to stress you out."
Ruby pouted at him. "I'm not some nervous wreck, Jaune. It was one time!" She protested. Jaune let out a relieved breath. If she could banter, she was going to be okay.
"If you're sure." He teased.
"You're gonna hold this one over on me for a while, aren't you?" Ruby groaned. Jaune sent her a wink.
"Maybe."
"You're the worst," Ruby said, her smile a bit more real now. "Any last tips before we jump back in?"
Jaune considered her request. What Ruby needed was to be authentic. She didn't need to paint herself as a character to root for. She didn't need to convince the crowd to like her. The fans want something new.
"I need you to speak from the heart. I want you to give me the good and the bad. Show me your struggles. Your dreams. I need to hear it all. What you think you lack in ability, you make up for in passion. I knew it since the first time we really talked, after my goodbye promo. I saw it in your eyes. You got this." He finished, giving her a shove to the chest, a classic hype-up move.
Ruby gave him a determined nod, hoisting the microphone to her lips.
From there, she showed much more improvement. They spent another hour there, and Jaune had to admit, he was beat.
"Why don't you go for one more attempt, Ruby. I promise I won't judge you. Just go for it. Speak from the soul."
Ruby took a deep breath, letting her eyes drift shut, before she began to speak.
"Hi…again. It's good to see you guys. You all know me by now. You've seen me test in front of you twice before." She stated, gazing at where the test's proctors would be. "And I'm uh, guessing you're wondering why I'm back, doing this whole thing again." she said sheepishly.
Jaune nodded. Solid start, if not a little shaky. Every good promo needed a hook.
"But you're not alone. I don't even know why I'm up here again. It would be so easy to throw the towel in and just give up." she said, a forlorn expression on her face. "I mean, why not? Two failures in a row is hard to come back from." she stated, her eyes fixed on the floor. Jaune couldn't help but worry, she was leaning into a bit of self-deprecation.
"But I'm not going to." She said, letting her eyes drift shut. The silence was palpable. Jaune nodded his head at her use of a dramatic pause, curious to see where she was going with this.
"I'm not going to!" She said louder, stomping one foot. "B-Because I have people who believe in me, and if there's one thing I'm not going to do, it's LET THEM DOWN!" She yelled, her voice reaching a crescendo as she finished her sentence.
"I'm going to make my dreams come true, with or without you guys saying yes. I've never given up before, and I'm not going to start now! I have the skills, I have the training, and I have the practice. I'm no worse than anyone you have on the show!" she rattled off, "I will prove to you I can be like the others!" She exclaimed, gripping the microphone so hard her knuckles went white. "I'll show you all I can tangle with the best. That I can hold my ground on the main roster." She ranted, stomping back and forth across the canvas, her energy so potent he could tell she couldn't sit still.
"I deserve to be here! And if you just give me a chance, you won't regret it. I promise." She finished, taking a few deep breaths as she let the microphone drop.
Jaune gaped at her. "Ruby…that was–"
"Not good?" Ruby asked, visibly deflating.
"Ruby, that wasn't just good, that was amazing!" He said jumping off the bleachers and bounding up to her. "Where the heck did that come from?"
The excitement in Ruby's eyes was back in full force, the light in her irises dancing like flames. "Y-You mean it?"
Jaune nodded emphatically. Truthfully, the promo was decent. It was a little short, and there was a bit of tonal whiplash here and there, but compared to where she was when she started, it was a massive improvement. And in only a few hours! If they kept working at it, she might just be able to deliver a great one. "What changed?" he inquired.
"Well, I just kinda did what you asked. I spoke from the heart." she said simply. "It just kind of clicked."
Just like his brain did with his shoulder tackle, or what he now called, the "Arc Rush". She'd slaved away for three hours with menial progress, but it finally sunk in, and he couldn't be happier.
"Well you nailed it! You have to hang on to that "Bet on that." stuff. That was gold." He said, raising his hand in a high five. Ruby slapped it, laughing as she leaned forward to give him a hug.
"Thank you Jaune, for being patient. Heck, just for doing this in general. A lot of people would've given up by now."
"Sorry Rose, but you're stuck with me for the long haul." He laughed as he patted her on the back. Ruby's scroll started buzzing, and she dipped her hand into her pocket. She promptly froze, all satisfaction and pride wiped from her expression.
"Oh no…" she squeaked.
"Everything okay? Who's calling?" Jaune asked, worried. They'd already had a long day, what could possibly be next?"
Ruby slid her finger across the screen and held the device to her ear.
"H-Hi Weiss…"
Despite the fact that he was several feet away, Jaune could hear the voice on the other side quite clearly.
"RUBY ROSE WHERE ARE YOU?!" a female voice screeched through the receiver. Ruby let out a strangled "Urk!"
"Sorry, Weiss, I just kinda maybe sorta lost track of time. And my scroll mighta been on silent."
"I'VE BEEN WAITING HERE FOR ALMOST AN HOUR!"
Jaune tried not to laugh as Ruby attempted to talk down her friend, it looked far more like an operative defusing a bomb than a girl talking to her "bestie". Ruby finally went for the closer.
"SorryWeissI'llberightheregottagoBYE!" She finished as she hit the button to hang up. Jaune burst out laughing as Ruby buried her face in her hand.
"I'm not getting any leftover cake tonight." She whined.
"Cake?" Jaune asked, confused.
"Weiss works at a cafe. She usually brings back leftovers for me. Except she probably won't tonight, because I'm an hour late." She grimaced. "I gotta go, Jaune. Sorry I couldn't train you today. But don't worry. I've got something planned for us." she said ominously, a sneaky smirk slithering across her face.
Jaune quirked an eyebrow. That couldn't be good.
"When do you want to give it a go?" He asked. Ruby shrugged playfully.
"It'll happen when you least expect it. Trust me." Jaune gave her a suspicious glance.
"Suuure."
Jaune watched as Ruby began to make her way to the door, satisfied that they'd had another successful session. They really did work well together. She just got him. When they wrestled together he felt a connection, and when they worked together outside the squared circle, they made magic too. In this wild task of bettering themselves, he couldn't have asked for a better partner.
A tag partner? Nora's teasing words echoed in his head. Watching her leave reminded him of how lonely life could get. He had Ren and Nora, sure. But Sun was still gone, and he didn't have too many other friends. Maybe it was just Nora's incessant suggestions, but he found he didn't quite dislike the idea.
"Ruby?" He blurted out before he could think. She turned around, freezing in the middle of putting her blocky headphones on.
"Are you a fan of tag team wrestling?" He inquired, waiting for her response. She gave him a startled look, obviously caught off guard by his question. She was silent for a few moments before she spoke.
"Nope. Not one bit. I don't watch it, I like singles wrestling. Only singles wrestling. Why do you ask?" she rattled off robotically.
Jaune couldn't help but deflate a little. It's not like he was asking her to be his partner or anything. In truth, he was putting out feelers, seeing if maybe she might be open to it. It hurt a little bit that she shut it down so fast. But, that was fine. She was her own person after all.
"No reason. Have a great night." He beamed, forcing a smile. She waved at him before passing through the PC's door.
Oooh tag team crumbs! To any of you who may be concerned about the lack of wrestling in the past few chapters, don't worry, there's going to be A LOT coming up. Trying to work on character interaction for now. But give it a few chapters and you'll be drowning in more wrestling matches than you could ever ask for!
Since some wrestling moves are a bit difficult to explain (Working on improving it!), and even harder to visualize, I've decided to add a bit of an index to the end of each chapter with wrestling moves mentioned within each chapter. If you have trouble visualizing the moves, try looking up the name if you have trouble.
DDT
Atlesian Suplex - Real name is German Suplex
As always, thanks for your favorites, follows, and especially reviews. You guys are the ones who motivate me to keep learning and keep improving as I continue down this journey of writing my first story. I can't thank you guys enough, and I hope you're excited for more!
-Curbizzle