PYRRHA


Pyrrha felt weightless and grounded at the same time. Her body streamed with sweat as she moved furiously. Her body snapped into an advanced guard before lunging into a series of ferocious strikes. At this moment, alone, she was at her peak. The world around simply vanished. There were no worries, no fear, and no complicated emotions. She stepped back, disengaged, and rolled away. She flowed from a retreat into an advanced thrust. She had always taken to combat training. It felt right, like it was what she was made for. The long arduous labor and monotony of repetition allowed her to truly become herself. There were no adoring fans, no expecting tutors, and trainers. There were no Grimm. She kicked at the air. Her muscles tightened in frustration as her focus slipped. She pushed through, trying to retake that high from only moments prior.

'Faster!' She commanded herself, trying to will her body to respond to her demands.

The calmness of her training turned into something more primal, angrier. She had always been a sore loser; it was why she trained herself to the point of actual exhaustion. It never showed itself in competition, after all, she never lost. But this was different. She had lost outright. A surprise attack had left her unconscious and in turn, someone else had to protect her. She threw herself back into a perfect somersault. It was infuriating. Not the fact that Jaune had saved her, she was indescribably grateful. But that for all her effort and ability, she had been taken out in an instant. 'So much for the invincible girl.'

That stupid nickname was far more trouble than it was worth. A mocking title, given by an old teammate and a few classmates in her Mistral Regional Tournament days that had unfortunately stuck. 'So, what if I don't like to lose? So, what if I just happened to be a bit stronger than others? What's wrong with that?'

She was the perfect girl after all. The model figure for advertising companies, promotional videos, and cosmetic commercials. Her face was plastered all over Mistral like some kind of idol. She landed a powerful punch on a training dummy.

'I couldn't do anything!' The follow-up kick tore the dummies head from its torso.

After she had woken up in that sterile white room, her chest tightened, and she was overcome with sheer panic. She tried desperately to get out of the bed, but the medical attendees on standby had to hold her down until she regained her senses. She had even slipped, and her semblance slammed a metal tray into a nurse's head. She had apologized profusely afterward.

She wasn't allowed to see Jaune, they only told her he was in critical condition but alive. She had stayed in that room for three days after waking up, alone and scared. Nora and Ren, bless them, had come to see her on the day of her release and stayed by her side until they made it back to their new dorm. She had simply wanted to lay down, her head felt like it was splitting open, aura couldn't do much for the pain. Though the wound was healing.

The party waiting for her had been wonderful. It was only a few bare items. A blanket and sheets turned into streamers, and a table had been dragged into the center of a room with a single cupcake and candle atop. Nora's excitement was certainly contagious and despite her mixed feelings and ever-growing headache, Pyrrha laughed for the first time in days. Then Professor Ozpin had come in. Milo tore into another dummy. Its stuffy body was flung across the room.

'Me leader?' She trembled at the idea. 'I can't lead anyone. I couldn't even protect my new partner.'

It was by sheer luck Jaune was alive at all. He had taken the worst of it all. She doubted that mutated Grimm had done all of that. Jaune was far more adept at fighting Grimm than any other student in that Initiation. When he spoke of them it was with such heated passion and certainty. When he fought those Beowolves in the forest he became someone else entirely. She couldn't forget that sharped focus in his eyes. It was nothing like when he trained with her that morning. He had been aggitated at best, but there was no hint of such rage anywhere during their sparring. He had almost seemed like a Grimm himself in that clearing.

'Three separate fractures. A broken hand. Broken ribs. A broken leg. And burns across his face and arms. Yet all I have is a mild headache.' Milo spun in her hands, slicing through the air.

It felt good to push herself so thoroughly. Even with the thoughts muddling her focus, there was seldom else she loved as much as training. The sense of release and exhaustion felt so good after days of inactivity and worry. So, she went on. She thrust, sliced, rolled, and hit. Time seemed to fade away; an hour, two hours. She went on until at last her knees buckled and her breathing came out in short raspy bursts. Her hair was matted with sweat and her training clothes were soaked thoroughly. Pyrrha knew her aura would help relieve some of the burnings in her muscles, but she relished in this moment, it was like a high. She had beaten out all those troubling thoughts, and all her anxieties if even for just a few blissful moments.

She took her time setting everything in the training area back into its proper place. She was in no hurry to leave. Classes had finally been scheduled and all new freshmen cleared for the beginning of their first term. All books, tools, and clothes had been measured, bought, and prepped. They would finally begin their tenure here at Beacon Academy tomorrow. Well almost everyone.

'I should check in on him again, make sure he has everything he needs.' Pyrrha thought as she drank from her bottle. 'Maybe a shower first though.'

She rounded up all her gear and with one final thorough check felt satisfied that everything was in its proper place. She would hate to leave a mess for someone else to clean up. The training area itself was just an extension of the main gym in the academy. A separate room filled with dummies, equipment, and matted flooring with the space to allow for students to go through routines and more complex simulated combat.

With a light hum on her lips, she exited the combat training area. The windowpane in the far corner showed that the sun had long since set, if she were lucky there might be a chance to grab some leftover food from the cafeteria. Pyrrha caught sight of a shock of blonde hair, throwing itself against a heavy bag near the opposite wall. Powerful heavy hits shook the chain holding the weighted bag and sent it flying in different directions. The blonde-headed girl was growing animatedly more frustrated that the bag kept moving.

Pyrrha stood there awkwardly watching the exchange. A part of her wanted to help, to offer her support. But another part of her was terrified of trying to intrude, especially since it looked like the girl was working through some things. She knew the girl in passing but hadn't had the chance or frankly the courage to introduce herself. Meeting new people was always a coin flip for her. They either tried to befriend her simply because of her status and popularity, or they completely wrote her off as a pompous idol, barely a real person in either case.

'You promised yourself to try again.' She rallied herself. 'This won't be like Mistral; I won't let it.'

With a deep breath, she collected her courage and strode over to the other girl. Squashing the last of her fears she spoke as confidently as she could. "Hello there! Would you like me to hold the bag for you?"

'Good start!'

"Hm?" The blonde girl stopped her assault on the bag and turned to face Pyrrha, her golden hair tied back into a ponytail. Her bright lilac eyes showed confusion and a hint of suspicion.

'Oh! Bad start.' It was too late to stop now; she had already set herself out on this mission. "Well, that is if you'd like me to. I wouldn't want to intrude."

The other girl's stare lingered for another moment before she spoke. "It's Pyrrha right?"

"Yes, that's me." Pyrrha nodded, the uncertainty already spreading through her.

"Names Yang, I hear you already met Ruby," Yang offered her hand. "She was talking about how she met the Mistral Regional Champion, nice to meet you."

The hopefulness she had built up crumbled in an instant. The entire reason she had moved to another continent was for the chance she wouldn't be recognized so readily. She wanted to live like a normal high school girl, not a celebrity. She had already been dismayed when Weiss Schnee had attempted to befriend her before initiation. Weiss was certainly pleasant but the entire reasonings for her interest were exactly what Pyrrha desperately wanted to avoid. It had been different with Jaune, but that was a special circumstance. They had gotten along through strict technical training and communication. It was very rarely anything past Grimm talk and combat theories.

"Yup that's me." Pyrrha gave a smile she didn't feel, a well-practiced one.

"I'm actually done with the bag, but would you mind a bit of sparring?" Yang said. Catching her breath she removed the training gloves and flexed her fingers. "It's the first night I've been here without any restrictions. I wanna let loose a bit you know?"

"I can certainly understand that." Her body was worn out and she doubted she could perform at top form. However, she wanted to get past this roadblock. She wanted to be more than her name. "But I'm sorry I am a bit worn down myself, I don't think I can live up to expectations at the moment."

"Ah don't worry about it, though I'd love a chance to go all out against you some time." Yang chuckled.

Pyrrha wilted further.

Yang took a long gulp from her water. "Y'know, I saw you during Initiation. I haven't had a good chance to talk to you with everything that's been going on. But I want to say thanks. For what you did at the end there. I can't think of many other people I've met who would stay behind to cover for us. It was really brave."

Pyrrha waved her off. "It was nothing like that, I simply followed Jaunes lead, and I really didn't do much."

"Still a lot more than most would. So, is he your official partner?" Yang asked, quickly changing topics. She seemed satisfied with her workout and began to collect what little things she had.

"Yes, he is," Pyrrha answered. "If I remember correctly yours is Blake, is it not?"

"Sure, if you can call this being partners," Yang grumbled as she threw her few items into her workout bag. "She's almost never around. Wanna grab a bite?"

"I'd be delighted." Pyrrha was still uncertain about whether Yang was asking out of friendliness or motive. But was optimistic to see where this path led.

The two girls made their way out of the gym and into one of Beacon's many long corridors. The school was truly a spectacle, with pristine walls and large canvassing glass. It felt truly like a castle taken out of a child's fantasy. The late evening also meant far few stragglers in the hallways, leaving both girls particularly isolated. Pyrrha found herself struggling for words. She had never been the best at small talk and found it impossible to get her mouth moving. Yang on the other hand, ever one to avoid prolonged silence jump-started back into a conversation.

"So, you're from Mistral, right?"

"Well, I'm actually from Argus, I attended Sanctum Academy and would travel to Mistral for events and competitions," Pyrrha responded.

"And you came all the way here? I heard Haven was a top-of-the-line combat school, why not go there?"

"There were," Pyrrha paused, "extenuating circumstances."

"Must be so cool to travel across the world. I went to Signal Academy on Patch, this is my first time being anywhere away from home. How are you holding up so far?" They turned a corner.

"It's been wonderful, really. There have been so many wonderful new experiences already, and I've already made great new relationships." Pyrrha finally felt a flow to the conversation, grateful that Yang had taken the lead. "Even with the events of recent days, I am truly excited to attend Beacon."

"It's been a crazy few days for sure. Who would've thought it'd turn out like this from the get-go? Can't imagine what's next." Yang said, and Pyrrha found herself nodding in agreement.

They finally arrived at the cafeteria. A massive open space lined with rows of tables. Much like the other facilities at Beacon, the cafeteria was first-rate. It offered students a variety of foods from across Remnant with a top-of-the-line staff. Even in the late evening, the room was filled with the different delicious scents of freshly cooking food and seasonings. Pyrrha felt her appetite grow simply from coming into the room.

"Smells great right?" Yang voiced Pyrrha's thoughts exactly. "This is the first time I've been here with someone else. Wanna grab a seat?

"I'd be delighted. But I was planning to fetch something for Jaune as well, and I'd hate for it to get cold." Yang shrugged in response.

The cafeteria was still in session even now. Older students returning from or going to mock battles, simulations, and even missions came to grab late meals. Official Huntsmen and Huntresses sat in their own corners of the cafeteria, and a few instructors made their rounds, ensuring students conducted themselves accordingly and grabbing late-night snacks. The two girls made their way into line.

"So how is the big hero? Ruby said they finally let him out of critical, also said he took a real beating out there." Yang asked.

"That's one way to put it I suppose. He's stable for now but completely immobile." Pyrrha recounted. "Apparently, he got into trouble with the head nurse on duty after he woke up. He tried to get up and leave, they had to bring in other staff to hold him down and sedate him."

"You're kidding," Yang said in disbelief.

Pyrrha simply shook her head. "When Ruby and I saw him, he had been strapped down, he's completely bandaged and is on strict bed rest until his Aura helps repair some of the more serious damage, he was not, as you'd say very coherent. Now that I think of it, I haven't seen Ruby around the medical wing lately, is everything alright?"

Yang ran a hand through her hair as they moved to the front of the line. Pyrrha placed two orders for takeout, and Yang did the same. Receiving a number, they found a seat and waited. It wasn't for another few moments until Yang sighed. "Yeah, everything is fine. Ruby and Weiss are working through some things, so the dorm is constantly filled with their bickering. I couldn't take it anymore and went for a workout."

"Oh, I see." Pyrrha was once more at a loss for words, it felt rude to pry any further and she didn't want to tread over any unspoken boundaries.

"Oh well, it'll all work out soon enough." The frustration that had been present moments ago was tucked away behind a confident grin and easy dismissal.

"I'm sorry for intruding." Pyrrha apologized, it was a terrible habit she had somehow picked up during her celebrity appearances, it was something she truly did hate.

"Nah don't worry about it. Besides were all practically one big team and all. I'm surprised you guys haven't heard all the arguing, being next door to us and all."

Pyrrha couldn't help but let out an awkward chuckle. Team JNPR had in fact heard the constant fighting but no one dared try to mediate in Team RWBY's affairs. It had reached a particular boiling point when Nora eventually got fed up with a late-night argument and threatened to break down the door and give them all a piece of her mind, Ren had talked her down of course but the problem still persisted.

"If I may, perhaps a team meeting would help?" Yang snorted in response.

"A nice thought but you'd have to get Blake into the room and keep everyone calm enough to have a conversation. I doubt it'd get that far."

Pyrrha relented and apologized once more she had been boldened by Yang's acceptance as them being one big team but now she was regretting stepping out of line.

"Thanks for the advice though, we'll figure this out in our own special way, Ruby might be the most stubborn person I know so it's only a matter of time." Yang's signature smile made Pyrrha feel a bit more reassured.

"Number 46 and 47!" That was them. Receiving their food, they made their way back through the cafeteria and into the hall.

The medical wing was on the opposite side of the academy from the dorms. Pyrrha assumed this was the end of their nice chat. She was surprised to see Yang following her stride as she rounded the corner.

"Oh, I'm sorry I assumed we were going opposite directions."

"It's a long way from the medical wig to the dorms. I figured you'd maybe like some company."

"Well, I wouldn't want to trouble you."

Yang threw an arm around Pyrrha's shoulders with that still confident grin. "Don't apologize so much, friends help friends."

"Friends?" The word didn't sound quite right on her lips. "I didn't know," Pyrrha stumbled, "well I didn't think- "

Yang cut her off. "Ruby told me about your conversation the other day. Anyone who's willing to help her out is pretty good in my book."

Pyrrha was still uncertain about how these formalities worked, but she was finally starting to feel that maybe, just maybe coming to Beacon wasn't so bad an idea after all.


Hey! A lot sooner than expected huh? Well since a rough plan has been made I've found it a lot easier to write. So hopefully more chapters in far less time than before. This chapter is a bit different, it's not very action-packed and I worry it may drag but I really wanted to get some insight into Pyrrha and am curious as to your thoughts. Does it flow alright? Are the characters in line do you feel? Also is the story doing too much telling and not showing? These are my biggest concerns and I really want to hear your guy's feedback. After all, we are in this together. I want to hear from you so I can in turn give you something great in return. Regardless I really hope you guys enjoyed and next chapter we finally get to revisit young Jaune so I'm pretty excited. Until next time please take care!

SentinalSlice

I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say that you are close to what I want to do with some of these characters. Making Pyrrha the leader was a last-minute decision that I really felt good about. As you said it can really offer some great dynamics and growth for both characters. Also, I hope that the disarray is coming across alright, I have an idea of how I want it to come together but don't want to use these characters as tools for that to happen. I am always a bit scared of character interactions but want to steer clear from telling rather than showing. I was always curious as to why Yang never got something like a dust gauntlet, I mean her armaments use rounds for their attacks, right? What could she do with something like fire dust infused? Port is going to be a fun time. A fun time, maybe not so much for readers but just writing his long-winded monologues makes me happy. And lastly, I want to challenge Jaune mentally and physically, his beliefs should be tested and redefined, you know before it all goes to hell. Thank you so much for the review and I hope you stay well.

Ravell Aqim

Thank you so much for your kind words. Embracing Multi-POV was a hard decision, but I really like the flexibility it allows me. I also hope that those interactions stay semi-on point this was my first attempt at Pyrrha and I hope it came out well. I wanted to try and build her character as a separate entity from Jaune, and I think there is enough trauma in her past to create depth to her always cheerful attitude. Picking Pyrrha as leader was another hard choice but I really like the dynamics I think I can pursue with both Jaune and Pyrrha here. Thank you so much for the review and I hope you enjoyed it!

main882

Slowly but surely, step by step.

Theanimemaster9000

Thank you so much for the review. I hope this interaction between Pyrrha, and Yang was alright. I really want to try and lay out some groundwork for these characters before moving into the more serious plot-heavy segments. I hope it was alright, I know not too much has happened in these last two chapters, but I hope the payoff works well. Thank you again and I hope you enjoyed it!

CriticaofRandomness

I hope the council is pleased with its finding thus far.

The character interactions are the most fun and the scariest parts to write. I really want to add depth to some of these characters and I hope what I have so far is working towards that. Thank you so much for the review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. Take care!

Kabuto S. Inferno

There is a particularly fine line between canon and original that I want to uphold. At least until a certain point, in which case I plan to diverge wildly. However, in these beginning stages, I want to keep to narrative events with original ones lightly sprinkled in so I can develop our main cast. I feel there's a lot of preexisting material that can really add layers to these characters. Ruby's trauma with her mom, Yang's abandonment issues, and torn between forced responsibility and longing for freedom. Weiss is an entire Psychology textbook ready to go. And of course, in this chapter Pyrrha and her troubled past in Argus. Jaune is the lynchpin, and his trauma is the one I want to reflect on other characters. This version of Jaune can really identify with characters like Adam, post-Fall Neo, and even Cinder. Different traumas lead to revenge and its consequences. Of course, not many are quite as rageful as our blonde knight nor will be beaten as thoroughly. I have a flashback chapter coming next and am excited to hear your thoughts.

As for his semblance, I hope you find the results to be satisfying. Thanks so much for the review and please take care!

TheSlySage

I am so sorry to hear about your cat and I am glad I could help in any way. Your kind words really helped me push this chapter out and I hope you enjoyed it as well. Thank you so much for the review and I really do hope you are feeling better, please take care.