Here is the twenty-third chapter in this series released in keeping with my self-imposed upload schedule for this series. The Sports Festival has been confirmed despite the attack on the USJ but it's still 2 weeks away so that means one things for the aspiring heroes at U.A. High School, it's time for some intensive training. That is all the administrative stuff I have and while there are no questions that need answers there are two guest reviews to respond to which I will do now. Do keep the reviews and PMs coming as I always like hearing how much y'all are enjoying my work.
To Guest (guest), as always thank you for your support and review. Yup, I didn't realize it until I had a bout of insomnia and ended up down a VA research rabbit hole that Aizawa, along with Recovery Girl and one other VA changed in MHA's English dub with all three changes happening either between season 1 and 2 or early into season 2 itself though there is likely to be another VA change in season 7 due to health reasons as well but that won't be known until season 7 comes out. I won't be referencing Recovery Girl's but I'll be referencing the other one when it happens as it occurs a few episodes into season 2 and was done for health reasons though what they were aren't clear as he certainly continued his biggest role (Usopp in One Piece) and has since returned to MHA as Re-Destro. Aizawa's new VA is Solid which is surprising I know, he also voices Clover Ebi in RWBY and Torchwick in Ice Queendom but he wasn't the first choice there, the first choice had to pull out because of cancer so he donated his entire salary for Torchwick to colon cancer research (original Torchwick VA isn't a professional and no longer associated with Rooster Teeth as he was one of the ones involved in their toxic work climate so he wasn't in Ice Queendom). The Captains have been introduced in terms of who they are though still only Nozel and Yami have been seen in the fic so far but soon others will appear. I won't answer the question about Nero, I'll leave that one until it becomes more relevant. Do keep reading and enjoying my work.
To KGBeastboy (guest), thank you for your suggestions, I'd never really thought about the normal branch students getting offers from Quirk Knight Squads and Huntsman agencies but they are eligible so who knows plenty might if they catch the right eyes. Seeing as 5 of the Captains at the start of Black Clover also voice first year U.A. hero students (4 in Class A and 1 in Class B) in the dubs I'll probably have those offers as references, as well as maybe offers for some like Shoji, Pony, and Ojiro who share VAs with Magic Knights. Only one of your suggestions shares a VA with the suggested Captain and it's the one I've already referenced while you did get one to the right Squad and is a reference I'll be making as soon as the U.A. character has spoken more. The other 4 Captains do have MHA roles with two being Hassaikai members (except episode 4 of Black Clover as Nozel is voiced by Bakugo's VA then but only in that episode apparently) and two being Pro Heroes with Yami being the obvious one there. As for the other suggestions, well you'll have to wait and see for the offers to come out to see who gets what but that's a fair bit off, the Sports Festival arc's going to be pretty long in both chapters and words. Do keep enjoying and reviewing my work.
That is it for this pre-chapter note which means that it is time to sit back and enjoy the twenty-third chapter in Black RWBY Academia.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these three great franchises.
Chapter 23: Sports Festival Training
"Er, what's going on? Why are you all gathered outside our classroom? This is kinda creepy, you know that right?"
The questions were asked by Ochaco as Class 1-A was dismissed for the day following a standard hero laws and ethics lecture that afternoon rather than actual training. They'd have two weeks to train for the Sports Festival, which they'd been told that morning was still on, so this class was going over some of the various laws they'd have to follow as heroes and as such was also part of the Hero Course so took place during that allotted time of the day. Given the USJ incident it made total sense that they'd have this class right after it so that they knew more about hero laws going forward.
Now, though, class was over and as such it was time to head back to their respective homes to start their own preparations for the Sports Festival. Unfortunately, the moment that Ochaco had opened the door to leave the classroom they'd been greeted by what looked like the entire collection of other first year students from the General Studies Course along with at least some from the Business and Support Courses as well.
"Do you lot have some business with our class?" Ida asked the gathered students. "If so please state it right away so that we can address it forthwith or else leave as we must return to our respective residences on time as is befitting U.A. students."
"Just move, why are you blocking the doorway? I won't let you lot hold me captive in here." Mineta asked worried, his nerves had been frayed by the USJ incident and it was still too fresh in his mind to get over it though he did at least see the benefit of this as with his height he could get low and crawl out and maybe get some panty shots on the way, or even better get the super rare and lucky commando girl, all while his phone was at the ready of course. "Actually never mind, just stay there as I escape he, he."
"That doesn't sound good." Nero said as she walked up to grab Mineta's backpack before he could be Mineta and do something perverted that would no doubt embarrass the class and was almost certainly borderline, if not outright, illegal. "Best to heel you before you do anything bad."
"But…" Mineta began but shut it at a glare from Nero as he wasn't exactly sure what the usually expressionless, disappointingly flat, girl in his class might do to him.
"Morons, these people are scouting out the competition." Bakugo said as he calmly walked towards the doorway a slight frown on his face. "We did just survive a real villain attack right at the start of our time at U.A. so they no doubt want to see us with their own eyes as we're going to be seen as the ones to beat which is just how I like it."
"Bakugo, don't antagonize them." Mineta said his fear back now that Bakugo was being, well, Bakugo though Nero kept a hold of him regardless. "That's not a good idea."
"Just so long as he doesn't explode anyone it will be good." Izuku added and he really hoped that Kacchan didn't do that though it was an unfortunate possibility.
"Probably too late for that." Weiss said with a sigh, the chip on Bakugo's shoulder from coming fourth in the entrance exam wasn't getting any smaller after the announcement that the Sports Festival would go on as scheduled so such a challenge would only rile him up. "Best to just leave it be and hope the burns aren't too bad."
"At least now you know what a future pro and the future number 1 hero looks like so take a good long look." Bakugo said as he stopped in the middle of the doorway so that the other students could clearly see him. "Now move it, you bunch of useless extras."
"Bakugo, you can't go around calling people extras." Ida said swiping his hand at the explosive boy while most of the class freaked out a bit at that as they were still getting used to Bakugo's lack of respect for basically anyone who he didn't see as worthy. "Just because you don't know who they are doesn't mean you can call them extras. Be polite and introduce yourself to them."
"Apparently he can." Noelle said as Bakugo just ignored four eyes. "Guess we've got a target on our back for another reason now. Not only are we the class who survived a villain attack but we're the class with this rude guy in it."
"Meh, I just care about beating Yuno." Asta said simply while Bakugo continued to ignore them though Asta was at least on his hit list due beating him in the entrance exam. "That's my goal, the rest can challenge me but they won't stop me."
"Typical Asta." Noelle said with a sigh though it was at least admiral that he cared so much about his rivalry with Yuno.
"Well, you're a rude one, aren't you." A girl with piercing blue eyes, long, wavy red hair that was slightly parted over her right eye and a slender but curvaceous build that was clearly on display in her uniform and a mature grace to her that went beyond her 15 or so years, said giving Bakugo a cool look clearly not intimidated by him in the slightest. "And here we're told that heroes are supposed to be kind and nice people no matter the branch they serve. Clearly you lack that, can't see someone like you rising to number 1 of any branch with that attitude. Is it just you that's the ass or is it the whole course who're a bunch of ego maniacs?"
"No it's just Bakugo we promise." Asta said to the girl as he stepped forward to try and diffuse the situation. "The rest of us are good people, he's just a little rough around the edges that's all."
"Shut it loudmouth." Bakugo roared at Asta but Asta just ignored him.
"See." Asta said gesturing his thumb at Bakugo. "A little rough around the edges but the rest are good."
"Some are overly arrogant but it's not because of the Hero Course." Nero said. "While one is a perverted little gremlin who you should stay away from but he's an exception."
"Hey." Both Noelle and Weiss said while Mineta took Nero's words as a compliment though she didn't notice it.
"I wasn't referring to you two." Nero said which got her a look from several of them. "Fine, I was but both of them are better now, right Asta, Ruby."
"Yeah, Noelle's great." Asta said with a smile turning back and giving it to Noelle. "Don't worry, you're nothing like you were when we met."
"Weiss isn't like she was at the start of the year at all." Ruby added smiling at Weiss just like Asta was smiling at Noelle while the girls went bright red. "Don't let your start define you because you've shown you're better than that."
"See, it's just Kacchan that's like this." Izuku said while Bakugo just growled at all this, especially Deku's words. "Not the rest of us."
"Yes please ignore Bakugo, Miss…" Ida said bowing slightly.
"Scarlet, that's my family name so you can call me that." The girl, Scarlet, said before looking to Bakugo. "So you know, Bakugo was it, plenty of the people here who are with me in General Studies also wanted to be heroes but didn't make the cut in the entrance exam for various reasons. I didn't, I don't have the Quirk for it after all and I must focus on my siblings first so getting a top tier education while running our family's restaurant is what's best for me. The Hero Course would take up too much time from that, but plenty of people here are gunning for a spot in the Hero Course."
"What do you mean?" Asta asked turning back to Scarlet. "Also helping your siblings is so cool, I've got several back home as well though they're all younger so I have to look after them as best I can, which I will when I start making money as a Quirk Knight. I can tell that you're the big sister type so it's great that you help out."
"Thank you, glad to see that one of this class isn't an egotistical jackass." Scarlet said with a note of appreciation in her voice at his words that put Noelle on edge. "As for what I mean, it's simple, any student who does well in the Sports Festival and who isn't in the Hero Course can get the chance to transfer into it at the end of the year. It's become even more desired after your homeroom teacher began to offer a recommendation to a student who'd usually fail the entrance exam but is worthy of the Hero Course and thus deserves the chance to get in via recommendations. That kid is in Class 1-B so they're going to get a visit as well because of him but you lot made a name for yourselves already so you're the big targets."
"Oh I see." Asta said as the others thought on Scarlet's words.
"I don't think you fully do, er…" Scarlet said.
"Asta, just Asta." Asta said with a smile. "I've got no family name."
"Asta, nice name by the way." Scarlet said with a smile back at Asta as he did seem to be a genuine and kind guy, a smile that did not make Noelle happy one bit though she didn't know why. "And what you don't get is that the 25 spots in each Hero Class are set so if someone is good enough to transfer in then they'll have to transfer someone out to make room for them. Some of my classmates will be scouting you lot but some will be actively going after you lot but won't reveal themselves until the Sports Festival so you'd all better bring your best. Consider this a declaration of war from those who won't speak up about it."
That really shocked some of the class as the girl didn't come off as hostile, just rather blunt and straightforward in how she addressed things. She wasn't the one coming after them, apparently, but she was making it clear that there were others out there after both hero class. Regardless, she didn't wait for a response from them before she turned and left, her classmates parting to let her walk away.
"Hey, Class 1-A, don't forget about us either." A loud voice yelled out as Scarlet was leaving and they tuned to see a kid with silver hair and a mask like design around his eyes yelling at them as he jumped up and down to get their attention. "I'm from Class 1-B and don't think we're going to be forgotten about just because you fought some villains and got known for it. All you are to us are a bunch of brats who aren't better than us no matter what you think. Don't forget that we have the student who topped the entrance exam in our class this year so we're going to prove that we're better than you lot."
"Great another loudmouth who hates us just because we were attacked." Izuku said as Ochaco got worried by it.
"I really want to slam my sword into him." Asta said, he'd understood Scarlet's words as best he could but this kid was just a brash loudmouth. "And shut him up with it."
"Save it for the Sports Festival." Noelle said. "But I agree with you there, he's too loud and needs to be shut up. Only you can be that loud, Asta."
"Right, wait what?" Asta asked suddenly confused.
"Ignore it." Noelle said and Asta did just that.
"That kid is the only one of your class on my radar, I'll beat him and prove I'm better than him." Bakugo said before he walked out as the loudmouthed kid kept yelling at him. "The rest of you extras aren't worth my time at all."
"Hey, don't just leave without a word Bakugo, it's your fault they don't like us it seems." Kirishima said. "So be a man and do something about it."
"I made it clear already; these people don't matter to me." Bakugo said dismissively. "The only thing that does is that kid who topped the entrance exam when I should have done so. I don't care about the rest of them, I'm going to beat all of them and win the Sports Festival. Tell that pretty boy who got the top score in the entrance exam that I'm coming for him personally, the rest of you are nothing but extras who will fall behind me as I ascend to the top."
"Hey, I'm coming for you Bakugo." The loudmouth roared as Bakugo just walked away without another word. "Don't you ignore me and walk away like that you hear me."
"Shut up Tetsutetsu, you're making this worse for us in general and me in particular." Yuno said appearing behind Tetsutetsu and grabbing him by the back of the collar to drag him away. "I'm the one he challenged and I don't care about it. My one and only rival in the Sports Festival is Asta and I'll beat him, there's no need for you to make this any worse than it already is. If you want to beat them so bad then shut it and let your actions talk for you."
"Damn, I hate and respect how manly that exit was." Kirishima said as Yuno didn't even bother to address Class 1-A while he dragged away his classmate. "Same with that kid who got the loudmouth away, so manly as well."
"You said it." Sato said. "It was rather manly with how he handled it and Bakugo's challenge. Not sure why Asta's his target though."
"Regardless, we have to beat them; Bakugo was right there." Tokoyami said. "And it looks like Asta here has a specific rival as well."
"Yeah that's just Yuno, he can be so cool when he doesn't realize it but he's always been like that." Asta said with a grin. "Glad to see he challenged me publicly because I'm not backing down, I'm going to beat my rival this time."
"Still, Bakugo made us everyone's enemies." Kaminari complained. "Now they're going to be coming for us."
"That's right, I don't want to be enemies with them." Mineta complained. "All these dumb students will be coming for us, how can I show off to the ladies that I'm worth their undying attention, love and all that comes with that. Why does Bakugo have to prevent that?"
"Is it just me or does this seem to be something from the boys only." Noelle said. "Because all those challenges were from boys."
"Yeah it's a guy thing." Jiro said. "Some caveman BS no doubt."
"Testosterone is one hell of a drug." Nero said. "So it's not a surprise but they aren't wrong in that we need to be ready and do our best in the Sports Festival, minus the pointless dick measuring contest if course."
"Well if it comes to dick measuring then I'm…" Mineta began before Tsu suddenly slapped him with her tongue before he could finish and Nero swiftly knelt down and briefly placed her hand over his mouth which then flashed blue and when she removed it he couldn't open his lips no matter how hard he tried.
"Woah what did you do?" Weiss asked. "I'm not complaining mind you, just impressed and relieved."
"I sealed his mouth shut." Nero said. "Should keep him quiet for a bit. I'll unseal them when he calms down and promises to behave."
"You can do that?" Noelle asked as all the girls looked at Nero in amazement.
"Yup, if something can be opened or closed then I can seal or unseal." Nero said. "Sealing may look a little simple on the surface but someone once taught me that there was more to my Quirk than that so I've worked hard to master it and as you can it came in handy there. Admittedly that was the first time I tried to seal someone's mouth shut but Mineta makes a good guinea pig for it."
"Yeah and in the future that will come in handy." Mina said glaring at Mineta. "I'm sure of it."
"Theoretically I can seal other things shut as well." Nero said as she looked down at Mineta. "Bear that in mind because you're going to be my test subject for some of them if you annoy me. I'll unseal your mouth now but not another word until all us girls are gone, got it pervert?"
Mineta just nodded and Nero bent down to unseal his mouth. Clearly that had startled him enough to keep it shut as they all left the room, the peanut gallery outside had left by now as it was no longer entertaining, and they all began heading back to their homes.
The school had two weeks before the Sports Festival started and it would be on live TV so they were performing for the nation if not the world. To add to it they didn't know what was going to be in it until it started so they had to be ready for anything. That meant that it was time to start training in earnest.
"Come on Weiss, really challenge me." Ruby said as she burst out of her Quirk and twisted in the air to land on her feet and slide along the ground of the training room that Weiss had which covered a good quarter of her fancy penthouse apartment to create. "This is training for the Sports Festival; we've got to take it seriously."
"I am, you're just that good using only your Quirk to evade mine." Weiss pointed out as she dismissed the glyphs that Ruby had just easily slalomed through with her Quirk. "And if you haven't noticed my Quirk isn't the best offensive one without Dust being added to, which I won't have access to and even if I did I couldn't channel properly without Myrtenaster, especially as my Quirk hasn't Awoken yet like my sister's and mother's have."
"And?" Ruby asked quirking her eyebrow at Weiss. "Neither is mine but I can still use it in combat, stop giving excuses. You know that Huntresses like us are too reliant on our weapons and not as much our Quirks for the most part. That's the good thing about the Sports Festival is that it forces us to adapt to learn to use our Quirks more on their own."
Weiss couldn't disagree with that assessment as she faced down her best friend in her training room. It was the day after their class had been challenged and the two weeks of intensive training for Class 1-A, and Class 1-B for that matter, had begun as they got ready for the Sports Festival and they prepared to live up to that challenge they'd received.
As part of that training Weiss had invited Ruby around to her penthouse for some training together. Of course they'd need to do their own training and probably train with others in the class as well over that time.
That said it was clear to all that Noelle could only fully train with Asta at the moment due to her still shaky offensive control, not that Weiss would deny her friend any time with her totally nonexistent crush, but for today it was just the Huntresses which was just what Weiss wanted as she enjoyed alone time with Ruby. It also made up for her bailing on Ruby's plans the other day but that was beside the point.
To ensure that they properly trained they applied the conditions of the Sports Festival to their training today, and for the rest of the week for that matter. That meant that they could only wear their PE kit, though footwear was a bit more open and Ruby for her own reasons wore her black combat boots with her PE kit while Weiss stuck with the pink sneakers most girls wore.
In addition to having to wear their PE kits, as Huntress track students they couldn't use their weapons in the Sports Festival, Dust if they used it, or even any other items they made for themselves with their support licenses. The Support Course could use what they made but only if they made it themselves however the Huntresses couldn't and in general the other courses couldn't use gear either.
There was one exception to this, if you had a support item that was specifically designed to deal with an issue regarding your Quirk and you filled out the proper paperwork to get your item approved for use in the Sports Festival. In their class that meant Aoyama's belt and Noelle's wand and satchel pack thing were items that could be used if they sorted out the paperwork which both apparently had.
In Noelle's case the girls knew it was a good idea given her lack of control could cause issues if it happened again in the middle of the Sports Festival but they didn't get Aoyama's belt. Right now, though, that wasn't relevant as they focus on their own training.
"True, I shouldn't make excuses, you're right there Ruby." Weiss agreed. "My fighting style does use my Quirk but it is more in conjunction with Myrtenaster and the Dust I infuse into it as a means of supporting my swordplay so I've never really had to focus on using it otherwise."
"Yeah I can tell but it's a good thing I have trained extensively to just use my Quirk so I can give you some pointers though I'll admit my combat experience without Crescent Rose is lacking." Ruby said. "So how about a little sparring session to end our training Weiss? You verses me until one of us yields, a good way to train I'd say."
"Well there is a chance that we may face off against each other so we should get used to fighting each other." Weiss said as she set herself. "So fine, come at me Ruby and back up your words because I'm going to give it my all to stop you."
"With pleasure." Ruby said with a grin before she pushed off the ground and began to sprint at Weiss.
Speed was Ruby's greatest strength, both girls knew it, so Weiss acted right away to create a glyph right in front of Ruby as she ran and several on the floor behind her to speed up her own retreat as Ruby evaded the first glyph that was in her way. Ruby did this with a leap up and bursting into her Quirk to clear it in a simple arc that used as little of her Quirk as possible.
The moment she was clear of the glyph, Ruby reformed and then burst again to shoot straight at Weiss rather than keep up with the arc. It was a change in her style and one that Weiss realized allowed Ruby to not only preserve her stamina as there was only a certain amount of times Ruby could use Petal Burst in quick succession but to also make sharper midair movements.
Of course Weiss wasn't going to allow that to affect her own plans as she created a line of glyphs in Ruby's way in such a way that there were too many for her to burst around using her splitting technique and not enough space between the glyphs to slalom through them or reform between the glyphs to reset her Quirk's time limit. Even if Ruby managed that Weiss would just sandwich her between them using her glyphs as blunt objects, the best way she could use them offensively at the moment.
Naturally, Ruby wasn't stopped by this as she split herself into three pieces to get around the glyphs with one part on each side and the third above them. She kept this up for as long as she could manage before moving up to reform on that one as Weiss held her ground as she couldn't back up anymore without limiting her own movements.
However, before Weiss could create another glyph to get in Ruby's way, Ruby placed her right foot on the edge of the glyph right below her and used it to leap right at Weiss. The move surprised Weiss as she'd not expected Ruby to actually use her glyphs against her and Ruby took that brief moment to burst into her Quirk again and shoot right at Weiss, her leap towards the Schnee heiress ensured that her speed was maxed out in the right direction.
It was a good tactic and Weiss realized that she'd not get a glyph in the way and braced herself, her eyes on the swirling red vortex that was Ruby and waited for her to burst out and attack as Weiss was sure that Ruby wouldn't hit her head on with her Quirk as Weiss had seen Ruby use that tactic before. She was right and at the last moment Ruby burst out and twisted her body in the air to pivot around her hips and bring a kick right at Weiss's head.
In theory it wasn't a bad idea but Ruby had telegraphed her movements too much and Weiss could see the kick coming in from her left side and got her left arm up, a smaller than normal glyph appearing on her forearm to intercept the kick as a shield. Ruby's foot hit it and bounced off but she didn't let it deter her as she rolled with the rebound from Weiss's block, spun her body in the air, and kicked again at Weiss's other side only for Weiss to get her arm up there as well and block that as well with a glyph on her right arm this time.
"Haven't seen that before." Ruby said as she pushed against the block rather than let her foot bounce off it but Weiss had the secure footing on the ground and was able to push Ruby back despite Ruby having greater physical strength than she did as Ruby being in the air made it easier for Weiss to push back against her. "Creating them on your body is a good idea."
"I usually don't have to do this but you're better than I am at close combat so I have to adapt and protect myself." Weiss said as Ruby spun in the air again with an impressive defiance of gravity and Weiss clenched her right first, it was nearer though she was left handed so more dominant with that hand, and a glyph appeared over it smaller than the others but large enough to show that it was effectively a battering ram of sorts. "And they can boost my own meager skills somewhat."
With that Weiss punched put, her control over her glyphs allowing her to speed up the punch via her mental command of her glyphs as she threw it though it was clear Weiss lacked any skill with martial combat. Ruby didn't underestimate that though as she arced her back while sucking in her gut to evade while bringing her arms forward and grabbing the edges of the glyph with her hands and pulling her legs to it to place her feet on it and stabilize herself in the air. This was what she needed and she knew that she had Weiss now.
"Not bad but you should consider some close combat training." Ruby said as she pulled herself forward on Weiss's glyph before she suddenly burst into her Quirk from her position before Weiss could react and used the split she could create to get around Weiss and reform right behind her back and wrap her arms around Weiss's waist, left hand on her right wrist as she held tight and pulled Weiss to her thus pressing Weiss's back to her chest. "But the moment I got a grip on you I won this."
All Weiss could do was let out a yelp of surprise before Ruby jumped up with Weiss in her arms and burst into her Quirk to spin them up in a red and white spiral that spilled the corresponding rose petals out before Ruby burst them out as she reached the ceiling. Unlike the last few times that Ruby had done this with Weiss, she wasn't holding Weiss in her arms like a princess but rather she had both her feet firmly planted on Weiss's chest and knees up showing Weiss that when she was in her burst Ruby could truly dictate how the they were positioned relative to each other when she reformed.
Ruby didn't say anything but grinned at Weiss as she held that pose for a moment before she pushed her legs down hard and thus pushed Weiss down to the ground below as fast as her leg muscles could manage it. Weiss didn't scream, though she did let out an indignant yelp, and was blasted back.
Only Weiss's extensive training allowed her to quickly create a large glyph behind her back and then control it to break her fall without any issues other than the boot prints on her chest. Still she'd been send down a good 3/4ers of the way down to the ground and as she was looking up she saw all that happened above her.
That was because Ruby hadn't been idle after she pushed Weiss down to the ground. No, she'd expected that someone as talented as Weiss would break her fall with out issue so Ruby pivoted in the air after her push to face down towards Weiss and moved her legs behind her so that now her feet were planted on the ceiling. She then pushed off it with all her strength and shot down at Weiss as she just managed to stop her fall. Ruby didn't give her a moment's pause as she bust into Petal Burst as soon as she was away from the ceiling and shot down even faster at Weiss.
Between the push off, gravity, and the sheer speed Ruby could muster with Petal Burst, Weiss didn't have time to get a glyph up to block Ruby's attack. Weiss needed to focus on protecting herself and just managed to create a glyph at the last moment over her chest right as Ruby reached her.
It wasn't a moment too late as Ruby slammed into the glyph with a boom that to Weiss's surprise managed to crack her glyph. Still it held which meant that she was protected from breaking her ribs though she was winded and her control over her glyphs was broken causing them to vanish and she and Ruby plummeted the last few feet to the floor below with Weiss again getting pinned this time between the floor and Ruby who was still in her swirling vortex.
Only when that was done did Ruby reform and Weiss was greeted with a close up sight of Ruby's startling, and to her somewhat mesmerizing, silver eyes right in her face. Weiss gasped at that and only then did she realize the position that she was in and that her sudden shortness of breath wasn't just because Ruby was basically nose to nose with her or that she'd been winded by Ruby's impact with her glyph.
No, that was because at that very moment Ruby had Weiss pinned to the ground and was straddling her as she pressed her body to Weiss's chest to chest with her left forearm on Weiss's throat pressing down enough to make it clear that Ruby had Weiss right where she wanted her. In fact the only thing part of Ruby that wasn't touching Weiss was her right hand and arm as Ruby had her palm on the ground next to Weiss's head to support her.
"Do you yield Weiss?" Ruby asked as she pressed down a little more on Weiss's throat for emphasis. "Surely you realize that you can't win."
Weiss did realize that but she had a few more pressing problems to deal with. Mainly that in this position it was impossible not to feel Ruby's surprisingly comfortable weight on her, her position straddling Weiss's hips, or the fact that Ruby clearly wasn't small up top as Weiss felt them pressing right into her chest despite the sports bra that Ruby was no doubt wearing under her top. To make matters worse, and a hell of a lot more confusing for Weiss, the slight choking Ruby was giving her felt a lot better than Weiss would ever admit to.
All this combined let to a very uncomfortable situation going on below Weiss's belt that made her glad she was a girl because if she was a guy it would be painfully clear to Ruby what was going on there. Thankfully Ruby didn't notice so Weiss was spared a whole lot of embarrassment, least of all the fact that she was feeling this because of her best friend who just so happened to be the same gender as her thus adding to Weiss's already growing confusion.
"I yield." Weiss said quickly he voice a little ragged from the choking she was dealing with. "You win Ruby."
"Yay!" Ruby said ecstatic at Weiss's surrender as she removed her arm and sat up, still straddling Weiss, and raised her hands to the sky. "I beat Weiss in a sparring match!"
"Yes you did but um Ruby." Weiss said as she looked to the side and felt her face heat up for some reason likely due to her own embarrassment at what was going on down south for her. "Not that I mind this because I don't but, er, could you maybe get off me and help me up?"
"Huh, oh right sorry." Ruby said as she got off Weiss, which Weiss didn't actually like and didn't know why, and got to her feet before she bent down to offer Weiss her hand. "Here, take my hand."
"Thanks." Weiss said taking Ruby's hand and letting her friend help her up before letting go of Ruby's hand even though she didn't really want to as it felt oddly comforting to hold Ruby's hand. "That was rather impressive at the end even if it was pretty unorthodox."
"You think?" Ruby asked with a smile. "I knew that I needed speed to get past your glyphs there but I wasn't sure how much I'd need. That and I had a feeling that something a little out of the box would work best so I'm glad to see that it worked though I won't have a ceiling to work with in the Sports Festival so I've got to remember that. I hope that I didn't hurt you too bad."
"Just a lot of bruises, nothing a hot bath can't solve." Weiss said as she gingerly felt over her chest. "That glyph I got up just before you hit me probably saved my ribs but it didn't mean that it didn't hurt. Still, we're Huntresses, we should be able to handle pain."
"True and right now a bath does sound heavenly." Ruby said. "Um, do you have a bath large enough for multiple people? It would be nice to have a bath after this, and a shower of course, because I'm all sweaty and it would be inconvenient to other commuters to travel back home like this."
"Oh, right, um yeah the bath in my room is easily large enough for a few people to enjoy comfortably and can maintain its temperature." Weiss said going red at Ruby's offer though she rationalized that as the fact that despite it being normal in Japan for girls to bath together, she'd not actually bathed with another girl before, well other than her sister and that didn't count. "And we use special water that is the same as some of the best hot springs in the country which will really help so yeah let's do that. I only have one shower though so you're going to have to wash yourself first and then I will as you get in and start to soak. I'll sort out towels and drinks for it."
"Ok then lead the way Weiss." Ruby said heading to the door and Weiss blinked before slowly following her out, she was in a little more pain than Ruby having lost that sparring match, in fact she doubt Ruby was in any pain as Weiss hadn't landed a single blow on her, so she was slightly slower because of that and certainly not because of what Ruby had suggested. "I still don't know my way around your place after all."
"Well you've only been here once before so it's understandable." Weiss pointed out as she hurried to catch up to Ruby and take the lead. "So just let me sort this out, alright."
"Cool, thanks Weiss." Ruby said with a smile at her that Weiss returned.
It didn't take long for Weiss to lead Ruby to her room, it was a large room very much in Weiss's style with a massive four poster bed that had white sheets and curtains and was made from an expensive white wood, a large vanity set next to it, walk in closest, and a white leather ottoman at the base of it. It wasn't as large or ostentatious as Weiss's room at the family mansion but it was still almost as large as the apartment Ruby shared with Yang and Blake so she was impressed.
Weiss just left Ruby to marvel at it and tried not to think of Ruby in her bedroom or why that made her nervous as Ruby was just her best friend and a girl so it shouldn't matter at all before she went to the large ensuite bathroom and entered it. Usually she'd ask Klein to draw the bath but Weiss had learned how to do it on her own should she need one at night and began to run it using the program that would turn off the water as soon as it reached the right level.
As it filled she went to the thermostat and set the temperature at the perfect degree for healing and then went to a closet in the room to get out some spare towels and set them on the sink. When that was done Weiss exited to find Ruby just standing there her eyes wide as she continued to look around Weiss's bedroom.
"The bath is running; it will shut off at the right level and the shower is next to it." Weiss said getting Ruby's attention. "I've taken some towels out for you so just give me your clothes and I'll have them washed while we bath as you didn't bring a change of clothes, did you?"
"Yeah didn't think this through." Ruby admitted rubbing the back of her head with an apologetic look on her face before she unzipped her top and shrugged it off. "Thanks Weiss, I'll make it up to you."
"No, it's, er, fine." Weiss said as she looked away though at least Ruby was indeed wearing a sports bra under her top. "Don't worry about it. You can borrow some of my clothes if we still need to wait for yours to dry."
Ruby just smiled at that as she stripped down right there in Weiss's room and then entered the bathroom as Weiss went to her closet to get some spare clothes for herself and to see what might fit Ruby though the real reason for it was so that she didn't see Ruby naked. She didn't know why she tried so hard to avoid that, they were both girls so it shouldn't be an issue, but for some reason Weiss felt bad about the idea of seeing Ruby naked. Besides, she was about to have a bath with her so it wasn't like she wouldn't nor that Ruby would see Weiss naked.
That brought a whole host of other thoughts to Weiss's mind that she really didn't want to deal with like how she was really glad that she'd fully groomed herself and shaved her legs and armpits the night before as she heard the bathroom door close and the shower start to run. With a sigh of relief, Weiss walked out the closet and set up some clothes for herself and Ruby to relax in on her bed as Ruby's were washed, picked up said clothes to be washed, and headed to find Klein while also stopping in a hallway bathroom to make sure she was fully clean up after what Ruby's choking had done to her on the way.
As always Klein was more than accommodating, it was why she loved him, and agreed to wash Ruby's clothes right away before helping her with the sports drinks and other things she'd need for the bath that Weiss took back to her room. For his part Klein just smiled at his little snowflake, she was becoming a better, more independent, and more compassionate woman from this change and Rose was a great influence on her, maybe more than Weiss was willing to admit in some ways but Klein kept that to himself as he set to work.
Naturally, Weiss knew none of this as she got back to her bedroom and heard the shower stop almost as soon as she got into the room. She waited a moment before calling out to the door.
"Ruby, are you done with the shower?"
"Yeah I'm done, you can use it Weiss." Ruby said through the door and Weiss heard Ruby get into the bath with a slight splash followed by an audible sigh of relief. "Oh this is fantastic! It's just what I needed. Hurry up and join me Weiss."
Weiss just smiled at that and entered the bathroom though she pointedly didn't look to the bath where she knew Ruby was. Instead she put the drinks on the sink counter and then turned to face the shower as the door closed and stripped down quickly, putting her clothes in the hamper she kept in the bathroom for laundry, he's wasn't a pressing as Ruby's laundry and quickly got into the shower.
Even though she'd not used a public bath or bathed with another girl in private, Weiss still knew that it was the polite and right thing to do to thoroughly wash yourself before getting in a communal bath. As such Weiss did just that as she thoroughly washed her body to make sure she was clean and that any issues from before were now fully gone before washing her long hair.
When she was done she got out, tying her hair up in the process so that it wouldn't get in the bath, she picked up the drinks and finally turned to the large bath she had to see Ruby just lounging in it, arms to the side and on the edges and smiling as she soaked in the warm water. Ruby's eyes were closed and thankfully the water was up to just under her armpits so Weiss didn't see anything as she slowly got in and sat down a little envious of Ruby's short hair as it didn't get into the bath and must be easy to wash but it was a look that Weiss knew she couldn't pull off.
What Weiss didn't know was that Ruby had closed her eyes so that Weiss wouldn't realize that she was staring at the heiress for a few moments after Weiss got out of the shower. It had been hard not to stare though.
Ruby still had her own issues on that front to clear up though her issues were more due to never really addressing, or for that matter having, them so she had no idea where to start on that front. Meanwhile, Weiss's were more because she was in denial over how her mind and body were telling her things that were not in line with societal expectations regarding romantic relationships so she was instinctively in denial over them.
Regardless of what Ruby was dealing with she couldn't deny to herself that Weiss was stunning and seeing her fully naked, even if she had to close her eyes to avoid staring, really drove that home to her. She'd dwell on those things another time though as right now she did plan to enjoy this bath and have a nice chat with her bestie.
"Here, this will help." Weiss said as she handed Ruby the bottle as she stepped into the bath before settling herself in the warm water that almost immediately started to do wonders for her bruises. "You need to replenish fluids after all."
"True, thanks Weiss." Ruby said with a smile as she opened her eyes and lent forward to take the bottle before leaning back and opening it to drink a good portion of it as Weiss leaned back herself and sigh of her own at the relaxing bath she was in. "Yeah I needed all of this."
"Don't you have a bath back home?" Weiss asked.
"Yeah we've got a decent sized one that Yang, Blake, and I use out in my family's place in Patch and the apartment I live in with Yang and Blake has a bath but it's only big enough for one person at a time so nowhere near as fancy as this." Ruby said. "So this is nice to relax in with my bestie. Also Blake usually hogs the bath to read in while Yang hogs the shower so I don't get to use it much. Odd given that Blake's got cute kitty ears on her head which is her heteromorph trait so you'd think that she'd not like water but she's fine with it so long as her ears are covered."
"Huh, I didn't notice the one time I met her though she was helping me avoid those vultures, I mean reporters, so that was my focus at the time." Weiss admitted not that it bothered her as she took a drink herself. "Well I do enjoy a good bath though I don't usually have anyone to share it with."
"A solo bath can be very nice in its own ways but there will no doubt be times were we share as a class." Ruby said. "So get used to it because communal baths and hot springs are bound to be in our future be it with the class or at Beacon when we're Huntresses there."
"I do look forward to that, it would be nice way to relax after a day of training or hero work." Weiss admitted. "And I've got a lot to catch up on when it comes to training. You're hand to hand is pretty impressive."
"It's alright but it's not as good as Yang or my dad would want it to be." Ruby admitted. "I'm a weapons nerd who specialized in the scythe which requires a lot of training to master while both of them specialize in hand to hand combat. Dad is the only one I know who can beat Yang in it as he trained her, so both are masters in mixed martial arts."
"What kind of martial arts do they know?" Weiss asked. "I know my sister is quite proficient in some stuff like Krav Maga but it's more due to the more militaristic training that goes on at the Atlas Agency than anything else. She's by no means an expert from what I've heard."
"Yeah both Yang and dad are more than proficient in something like Krav Maga." Ruby said. "You name it and they can probably do it. I know for a fact that Yang's got pretty notable distinctions in karate, wushu, Muay Thai, taekwondo, jujitsu, as well as Krav Maga and she's got nothing on dad as he knows more such as judo and even capoeira though Yang's fighting style is apparently too rigid for something as fluid as capoeira."
"Damn that is impressive." Weiss said her eyes wide at the list that Ruby had given her. "No wonder you've got some skills in it. For me it's mainly swordplay, Winter taught me a lot there as she's gifted in blade work both one handed and duel wielding as her sword can split in two but other than Krav Maga she's not great at hand to hand and certainly not at the level needed to teach it the way she can teach swordplay. Also, her Quirk has also Awoken and she uses it better than I do in battle."
"Awoken?" Ruby asked confused. "I've never heard that used before though you mentioned it earlier I think."
"I did because both my mother's and sister's Quirks have Awoken." Weiss said. "A Quirk Awakening happens it happens when the Quirk's user goes through an emotional event, usually a life or death situation, where your Quirk grows to a new level of strength and may or may not gain new aspects to it."
"Huh that sounds pretty cool." Ruby admitted. "Though hard to achieve and I'm not sure the stress is worth it."
"Under normal circumstances it probably isn't." Weiss said. "But these days it's super rare though and thanks to the restrictions on Quirk usage and how hero training works it's practically unheard of. My sister is considered one of, if not the only, heroes in any branch with an Awoken Quirk. That said, it's a little bit of a cop out as one strange aspect of the Schnee family Quirk is that it has a lower than normal threshold for Awakening. That much is clear seeing as my mother's has Awoken as well though I don't know how or when that happened but it was likely because of my father while mine hasn't. I know what will happen when it does but I've not faced the right situation yet."
"That sounds like a lot to deal with." Ruby said trying to process what Weiss had told her. "Seems like Glyphs is a bit more complicated than it appears."
"It's more that it's rather strange as it's an entirely hereditary and dominant Quirk, the only known one out there from what I've heard." Weiss said. "All of the Schnee bloodline have it and nothing seems to influence it so my mother doesn't have anything tied to her mother's Quirk and thankfully I don't have anything tied to my father's while both Winter and my younger brother Whitley have the same Quirk as me and my mother which we all got from our grandfather at least."
"Interesting." Ruby said. "But Quirk inheritance is a strange thing when you think about it. Mine comes from my mother's side and is a transformation class Quirk while Yang's is from our father's side and emitter Class. It's just another difference between us that causes people to not realize that we're sisters. Then you get heteromorphs, who usually have mutant class Quirks, who actually have emitter or transformation class ones like Blake and Tokoyami who both have emitter class Quirks. I never really paid much attention to it as it's biology which is my weakest science but it can be quite fascinating."
"There are some strange theories out there regarding the continued evolution of Quirks such as the Quirk Singularity Theory but that was proposed some 70 years ago by an utter crackpot without any evidence who's likely long dead from what I've heard." Weiss said. "But you are right, the science of Quirk inheritance is rather intriguing especially when you remember those old school Quirk Marriages that they thankfully outlawed, I think at least."
"Even if they're illegal they're bound to still be happening." Ruby said. "Something like that is too tempting to not do."
"Very true even if it is disturbing to me and that's coming from someone who's the product of a purely name based marriage but I won't get into that." Weiss said sadly. "One thing that I am really starting to learn about Quirks now that I'm training to be a Huntress is that I need to have more training with pure Quirk use like you do."
"Honestly I wouldn't have this kind of control without my recommendation." Ruby said looking down as she took another drink before continuing her tone a little muted. "Without that I would still be using it as a supplement to how I fight with Crescent Rose and not seeing it as its own thing that I can use to my advantage even without Crescent Rose in my hands, so I am grateful for that."
"You've come a long way since we first met, Ruby." Weiss said with a smile that caused Ruby to look up at her. "You're really embracing what you earned and you should because you truly did earn that recommendation and your subsequent place at U.A. that came from it. I know that you'll show it in the Sports Festival, it's clearly going to be of great help to you."
"True, I'm glad for it and while there are still lingering doubts about it and how I got here you've helped me a lot in seeing that I did deserve it and shouldn't feel like an imposter." Ruby said causing Weiss to flush a little at that. "Plus without it I'd not be ahead of my training for the Sports Festival as I needed to train my Quirk hard for several months for the recommended exam."
"If I recall that practical was pure Quirk control, right?" Weiss asked. "Momo has said a little about it but she's not really gone into detail about how the exam worked."
"Yup, I wasn't allowed my weapon like you were during the normal exam, I know that a Huntress track student can use a weapon there thanks to Yang and Blake, as the recommended exam's practical was an obstacle course designed to test Quirk control, usage, and creativity." Ruby said. "So I had to train Petal Burst to be able to use it as best I could and it really helped me in that course. Other than the bridges between the mountains I used it to overcome obstacles like crossing a lake rather than going around it or scaling a mountain without needing to use robes and I'd have never thought of using it for that purpose without the recommendation. Now I see the value in using it for such purposes so I will."
"As will I in time, this is just the first set of training in using Glyphs for more than just platforms, shields and accelerator pads." Weiss said. "But Ruby, promise me one thing for the Sports Festival."
"What?" Ruby asked as their eyes met.
"That if we have to face off in battle you don't hold back just like you showed you wouldn't when we sparred today and I will do the same." Weiss said. "Because while we will help each other out if we can, at the end of the day only one can win and I don't intend to lose as I do have my own pride that is similar to Bakugo's in that I wanted to get the top score in the entrance exam for normal students and didn't, so I must try to make up for that by winning the Sports Festival. That means that we will be rivals at some point and we should treat each other as such."
"Ok deal, you're one Weiss." Ruby said with a grin. "I showed you today that I can beat you so you're already behind me."
"And I fully intend to overtake you Ruby." Weiss said grinning back. "So let's give it our best and go plus ultra."
Ruby nodded and then downed her drink which caused Weiss to laugh before she took a more measured drink of her own drink and they really began to relax. The training had been hard that day and it would only get harder but both girls were ready for it and the Sports Festival to come. Now, though, they just relaxed in the bath together and began to chat about inane things because that's just what best friends did. Hopefully, the others in the class were doing well with their training as well.
"Come on Noelle, attack me like you mean it!" Asta said as another ball of water that she'd blasted at him veered off to the side before it could even get in range of his large sword. "You can't keep missing like that."
"Don't you think I don't know that Dorksta!" Noelle countered the frustration clear in her voice. "For some reason I still struggle with this ok. I've gained some control but this is still hard for me."
It was a week into the training for the Sports Festival and Noelle was on campus in a large, empty, gym that was just concrete training with them like she'd been doing most days this week. The place was called Gym Gamma according to Asta and Nero who'd cleaned it a few times as part of their student jobs, and usually they wouldn't be here until later in the semester but they'd gotten special permission to use it for their training.
Pretty much from the start of the training period she'd decided to train with Asta and Nero for the Sports Festival. Admittedly there were times were she just wanted to be alone with Asta though whenever she thought on that she got self-conscious about being alone with him for some reason so she was actually glad that Nero was here with her as well even if she occasionally got irrationally jealous of the other girl for reasons that Noelle didn't understand.
The reason behind training with them was simple, Asta was pretty much the only person who could reliably help right away if Noelle lost control of her Quirk again. She'd not had an issue like during the battle trial which was good but as an added precaution they used this location for the training as there wasn't much water around for her to lose control with and what water there was was under concrete so it would be harder for her to pull it up though not impossible. It had been Noelle's control issues that had allowed them to get permission to use Gym Gamma so they opted to stick with it.
Noelle knew that she needed to get better control over her Quirk, she'd always known that, and for the first time in her life she was getting there, she knew it. The first step had been her support item to assist in focusing and to an extent suppressing her Quirk, which she'd filled out the paperwork for the afternoon they were challenged, a challenge that she'd felt more personally because of that redhead for some reason, so that she could use it in the Sports Festival.
As her Quirk control was proven to be weak and that the item helped with it, along with the fact that her range was still unknown so she might be able to access the water in the pipes of the stadium, it had been approved for her to use in the Sports Festival. She'd have to make sure her water pouch was always full of course but that was on her and Noelle knew that she'd do just that.
Regardless, being able to use her item had really pleased Noelle as now she had a way of fighting though that led to the next issue she had to deal with, the fact that she still couldn't actually fight. Sure she'd gained some control over her Quirk and could now use it defensively to protect from most projectile attacks, and even offensively to hit inanimate objects with blasts of water from her wand as she called her item but there was one thing she still couldn't do, hit another person.
She wasn't sure why but every time she blasted water at Asta or Nero during their training sessions she'd had the same issues as she'd always had, they veered off to the side and harmlessly splatter just as it had done today. It was supremely frustrating to her that despite all her training and improvement Noelle still couldn't get this aspect of her Quirk under control especially because once she did manage to do this she'd be able to really start to work on improving and getting stronger with Hydromancy. The sheer power of her Quirk had so much potential to do good in the world she just needed to control it first.
"There's likely some subconscious reason for it." Nero said as she got up from a concrete bench that had been made out of the wall on one side of the gym and began to walk over, her bare feet making a slight noise on the concrete as she didn't bother with shoes while in her PE kit so that she could her feet as well though Asta and Noelle did of course wear sneakers with their PE kits. "You still have a week to figure it out Noelle but you should try to do so before the Sports Festival. For now, take a break, let me spar with Asta a little as we both could improve on this stuff."
"Yeah I know, I can hit things that aren't human but humans seem to be an issue for me for some reason." Noelle said looking at her wand before lowering her hand. "I promise I'll sort it out, I have to if I want to be a Quirk Knight after all."
"I know you will." Asta said with a smile as Noelle walked to the bench. "You've got this."
"Of course I do Asta, I'm a Silva after all." Noelle said with a flick of her pigtails as she walked past Nero not looking at Asta as a blush formed on her cheeks that Nero didn't miss but by this point Nero was just enjoying the denial show Noelle was going through when it came to her not so subtle feelings for Asta. "Now improve yourself, you need it as well and Nero is the best in the class to train this aspect of your Quirk."
"Don't worry, I got this." Asta said with a grin as he hefted his large sword that he had out for Noelle's training and kept out for his training with Nero. "I'll hit my target this time."
"Let's see Asta." Nero said as she set herself before him but leaving herself enough room to close and attack as soon as the training began. "Because if you're going to be the Wizard King one day you've got to maximize your Quirk's potential."
This part of their training was beneficial to both Nero and Asta though for Nero it was more so that she could better aid Asta in achieving his dream while for Asta it was to improve with his strange and powerful Quirk. The whole purpose was simple, Asta had to land a hit with one of his swords on Nero's Quirk factor while she had to get close enough to touch him and use her own Quirk on him thus helping both of them.
For Nero it was obvious why she needed it, her Quirk was one that required physical touch to work. As such during her training she would face both Asta and Noelle either individually or at the same time and try to get close enough to place a hand or foot on them so that she could activate Sealing. What she did when she activated it depended on where she touched them and what she could seal as soon as she did so it really helped her get close without taking a hit and perfect the more nuanced aspects of her Quirk.
For Asta it was even more important that he mastered this because unlike most people Nero's Quirk factor was concentrated in specific parts of her body rather than being their whole body, in her case her hands and the souls of her feet. For Anti-Quirk to work Asta needed to hit either the Quirk itself, what was being controlled by a person's Quirk, or best of all someone's Quirk factor for it to work.
In Noelle's case that was any water under her control was fair game to be nullified so that one hit from his sword would ensure that the water no longer be under her control if he hit it. Conversely, if his swords touched her body it would produce the same results. Meanwhile, for Nero he could negate what she'd sealed if he could touch it with his swords or her power if he hit her Quirk factor.
That was the big thing about hitting someone's Quirk factor, if Asta did land a hit on it then that person couldn't use his or her Quirk for a few moments though the duration depended from person to person it seemed and Asta had yet to figure out what factors were involved in determining how long a person's Quirk could be nullified for. Regardless, even a few moments of nullification was a game changer in battle and while for most it would work fine as for most their Quirk factor was their whole body, for some like Nero with localized Quirk factors it was a lot harder.
That was why it was important to train against her as it increased his precision while also driving home the point that for as strong as Anti-Quirk was, there were limitations to it that Asta had to work around if he wanted to improve. Well that and the fact that some of the strongest in the class like Bakugo also had localized Quirk factors so it was critical that Asta learned to land his sword on localized Quirk factors.
As such, the training with Nero was important and Noelle took a seat and pulled out an energy drink that she'd brought, she always provided plenty for their training as they needed them to rehydrate and it was safer than bringing water given her Quirk, and opened it to watch the show. So far Asta hadn't managed to land a shot on Nero's hands despite several sparing sessions as the girl was surprisingly nimble and agile it turned out and with Sealing she could make sharp cuts with her footwork that most couldn't manage.
Over the last week Noelle had learned from training that Nero's 5th place in the entrance exam wasn't just because of all her rescue points even if she'd gotten 59 of them. That was because the girl was actually surprisingly talented at combat and had a crafty mind that thought out of the box so she probably could have gotten more points on the entrance exam if she'd done more than protect Asta the entire time.
For this sparring session, however, Nero just rushed Asta to meet him head on without a word to begin it, a tactic she'd not used but she didn't have much of a choice as Asta had also rushed at her, sword out to his side and yelling his charge as he used his strong leg muscles to close in on Nero as quickly as possible. As such her best course of action was to meet him head on.
Despite the change in tactics it was clear to Noelle that Nero had planned for this kind of engagement because the moment Asta began to swing his sword she leapt up into the air with a graceful leap to get above the sword's swing and avoid blocking it with her hands. However, she did something Noelle hadn't expected, she willingly let one of her Quirk factor locations be nullified.
Nero did this by planting her right for right on the flat of Asta's blade, the strange sword his Quirk made nullifying the Quirk factor in her right sole but she didn't need it as she pushed off the blade and flipped in the air, twisting as she did so that when she landed she'd be facing Asta, her hands coming down to grab him under the chin. The move was elegant and almost avian in nature showing that Nero clearly had no issues moving in the air it seemed.
The willing sacrifice of one of her 4 points that she could use her Quirk took Noelle by surprise though that was more because Noelle didn't have a localized factor so she didn't understand this kind of strategy than anything else as unlike Nero she couldn't afford to be hit by Asta's sword at all. However, to Nero this was a necessary sacrifice in order to get her hands on Asta and she was better with her hands than her feet anyway so to do this and use Asta's sword, and own momentum against him, would be to her benefit.
Nero's plan was simple, get her hands under Asta's chin and pull him back with her as she fell to the ground. If she could pull him to the ground to start using Sealing on him the better but if not, which given Asta's stout frame and muscle mass in comparison to her own slender one with a lot less muscle was a possibility, she'd just kick him and use what she could with her left foot before using her hands. It was a good plan, the only problem was that Asta was ready for it.
He'd seen Nero's moves over the last week and the way she'd evaded his sword before, though using the flat of the blade as a springboard was new, so rather than try to correct himself as she pushed off his sword he rolled with it and let go of his big sword as he bent head down and crouched, moving forward as Nero twisted over him so that rather than grabbing him under the chin her hands she just brushed her fingers through his hair. The moment Asta felt her fingers on his hair he countered and the rend in the air that signaled his Quirk's activation appeared with the handle of his second, smaller sword.
In one smooth motion Asta grabbed the sword in his hand pulled it out of wherever it came from and turned as Nero fell to the ground to land on her feet, swiping it at her side in a smooth, powerful, motion. As he expected, Nero's instincts kicked in and she twisted and got her hands up to intercept the blade rather than take the blunt edge to her side as she knew she couldn't avoid it before she realized her mistake but by then it was too late as the blade slammed into her palms.
Nero let out a gasp of pain as Asta slammed the blade into her hands with a lot of force and pushed through it to toss Nero's small, light, frame to the side and complete his spin by facing where Nero would end up. Nero hadn't landed on the ground yet and she had no way to brace for it as she felt her hands go numb other than a throbbing bruise on her palms where the blunt edge of the sword had made contact with her skin and she was hurled back. Before she even hit the ground she knew that her Quirk had been nullified in her hands leaving one factor available to her, her left foot.
Ideally, Nero would have landed on it and used her Quirk to seal her foot to the ground and stabilize herself while hopefully not breaking her ankle form the sudden halt in the process but the blow had fully thrown her and she hit the ground ass first and rolled over it to avoid injury. Given the roll she probably would have ended up out of a ring if there was one, and if not, well Asta made it clear she'd lost by following her and placing the tip of his sword on her side when she came to a stop and the moment the point of the sword made contact with her body Nero felt her energy begin to drain from her.
"Yield." Asta said simply.
"Yeah, I surrender, you got me there." Nero said and Asta smiled before dismissing his sword and leaning down to offer her his hand. "Not bad using my natural instincts against me. When it comes to a hand based Quirk factor that's a really good tactic."
"Yeah, I figured that if I could get the right angle on you that you'd instinctively put your hands up to defend yourself." Asta said as Nero took his hand with hers, a contact Noelle didn't like and Nero could feel the glare from where she was but it wasn't romantic at all so she didn't care, and let Asta haul her to her feet before she let go right away though she was a little unsteady due to having less energy than before thanks to whatever that smaller sword did when it made prolonged contact with a person. "As you noted it's human instinct to do that so it's the best way to land a hand based Quirk factor. I did that to Shigaraki after all though clearly he got his Quirk back shortly afterwards as he was going to use it on All Might."
"It's hard to explain." Nero said as she began to walk to Noelle with Asta falling in next to her. "My hands are numb now in a sense. Not like I can't feel them, I can as there's going to be a bruise on my palms from that blow, but I know that I can't use my Quirk and that feels strange to me. It's slowly returning but I don't think I can use my hands to seal or unseal anything for a few more moments. My right foot is almost back so I think the edges of your swords are more effective than the flat of the blades."
"Makes sense, Asta does cut through Quirks it seems while his bogger blade can reflect a Quirk with the flat of it." Noelle said as they reached her and she offered them drinks which they took. "But Asta finally landed a hit."
"He did but he needs to get better so we'll resume this tomorrow but I need to recover and take a hot bath after that." Nero said as she opened the drink and took some. "So I'll take my leave. You should practice a little more Noelle and Asta can keep you company and make sure nothing goes wrong with your Quirk."
"That's a good idea." Asta said with a nod as he too opened his drink and drained half of it in a few gulps. "But after a moment's rest."
"Of course but I'll take my leave." Nero said as she turned and headed out to go change and shower before heading back to the special housing she and Asta lived in for a quick shower followed by a long bath though not before noticing the happiness and then denial flash through Noelle's eyes as she was left alone with Asta so she couldn't resist as she left. "Behave yourselves you two."
Noelle spluttered but Asta just looked confused before taking another drink and shrugging it off as he took a seat next to Noelle who flushed at the closeness but didn't move away from him. He needed a break so they'd take it and then get back to training because the Sports Festival was coming up and they needed to be ready for it. After all, everyone else in the Hero Course would be so they had to be as well and they fully intended to be as the Sports Festival drew ever closer to them.
Izuku ran along the Takoba Municipal Beach that he'd cleaned up as part of his training to receive One for All as the sun set deep in thought. The Sports Festival began tomorrow with the events for the first years and he was as ready as he could be for it even if he still lacked control over One for All. It was at the Sports Festival where Izuku was going to announce himself and live up to what he inherited from All Might no matter what and tomorrow was when he'd do it. All his training was coming to this moment and he was ready for it.
He wasn't the only one as the rest of the class was also training hard for the Sports Festival so Izuku was ready for them as well as all that was to come along with all the changes that would entail from their coming actions. At long last the U.A. Sports Festival was on them.
Another fun training chapter with the challenges made to Class 1-A thrown in at the start though with Shinso now in Class 1-B from the start of the year that part was handled by someone a little different. I wasn't sure how to bring her in or how much I'll use her but she's here and I'm sure Noelle isn't happy with the budding rise of a new rival for her totally non existent crush on Asta. Still, that has to be put off because it's time to train for the festival but that training is now over and thus it is time to start the Sports Festival at long last, as well as enjoy a few nice moments of bonding and friendship along the way of course. This is going to be a nice, long, arc as I've adapted the two franchises to it as best I can and made the needed changes to get everything to fit smoothly so stay tuned for what is to come. That is all that I have for this chapter, however, so I will leave it off here. If you like this story please follow, favorite (this story and me) to keep up with it and leave a review or PM, your support is what helps motivate me to keep up this work and any questions posed before the next chapter is uploaded I will try to answer. Until next time.
Stringdog