Amity Colosseum
With a night consisting of a nice walk, fancy dinner, and not so sophisticated drinking at a shady bar, Link's date with Velvet Scarlatina was a massive success. But the next day is already steering towards a downhill path as now the lone huntsman in training must face off against Pyrrha and Jaune of team JNPR, his close friends and two individuals he trains with often. Currently, the blonde swordsman sits in a bland, pasty white room, waiting to be allowed inside the arena, alongside his opponents. The only notable things about the room he sits in is a sitting area and two Atlesian Knights standing by
(I suppose this was bound to happen at some point.) Link sighs loudly and topples over the seat, his eyes focused on the ground, but his mind is nowhere near ready. (Still, I can't help but think this matchup is happening too soon.)
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Hm?" Link jolts in shock, sits up, and waits for the entrance to the area to open. Soon enough, he realizes the knocking is not for the arena, instead it is the door to enter the room he is in
Wooooosh!
The sliding door reveals Weiss Schnee of team RWBY, she walks inside, accompanied by human Atlesian soldiers as she approaches the one person team
"Weiss?" The blonde turns his head. "What are you doing here?"
"Excuse me?" Weiss scoffs. "How about a simple hello to start?"
"R-Right." Link sighs and solemnly nods. "My apologies. Hello Weiss."
"Much better. Hello." She grins. "I used my connections to come here and see you before your match. Traditionally, nobody would be allowed to see you before your match, aside from an official."
"Yes, that makes perfect sense." He smiles back. "My intention was not to be rude earlier, I am simply confused. Out of all the visitors I could have expected, you would have been the last one."
"That's… Understandable, as much as it hurts." Weiss nods as she walks closer to him and sits down next to the one person team. "Nothing is wrong and there is no emergency, I just wanted to come see you before your match."
"Really?" Link raises an eyebrow in confusion. "Well… That's nice of you. It is nice to see you again, seeing a familiar face before I enter the fight of my life should help with my nerves."
"You're nervous?" Weiss' head whips to her left in shock. "But you have never been scared of a fight, as far as I know."
"The fight is not what scares me." He shakes his head. "It's who is in front of me. Pyrrha and Jaune mean a lot to me, I would feel the same way if I had to face you and Yang in this round. Sparring is one thing, but an official match where we are not holding back is different."
"I understand." The heiress nods. "You didn't look right after you abruptly left us during our meal, I knew right away I wanted to speak to you before the fight commenced. Using my last name may not be morally right, but this felt like the right thing to do."
"Hm… I appreciate that." Link turns to her, nods, smiles, and gently places a hand on her knee. "Thank you for coming to check on me. I admit, I do need to work on dealing with my emotions better."
"Yes you do." Weiss smacks the hand on her bare leg in slight annoyance
"Ouch!" Link recoils in an over dramatic way. "Don't injure me before my match."
"Be quiet." She rolls her eyes and turns her head away, to hide the smile forming on her face. "My point is that you have friends and professors that are willing and happily available to help you. Please come to us if you need to talk."
"I know and you're all amazing for showing me so much support." The blonde boy smiles. "And hey, as long as you feel like you are doing the right thing, use the Schnee name to your advantage."
"Thank you, I really do not need your assurance but-!" Weiss stops herself. "Sorry, that was mean."
"Weiss Schnee? Apologizing?" Link's jaw drops
"Are you trying to get on my bad side?" She turns to him and glares
"I thought I already was." He chuckles
"Shush." Weiss scoffs, then crosses her arms. "You are lucky I am even thinking about you right now. I could be sitting with my team right about now, rooting for Pyrrha and Jaune to beat you."
"Well, I'm glad you're here instead." Link closes his eyes and gently smiles at her
"O-Oh." Weiss nods, impressed by the blonde's kindness. "I see."
She weakly smiles to match Link's gentle smile and the two friends remain this way for a short while as silence consumes the room. After fifteen seconds of exchanging smiles, Weiss clears her throat to end the silence and resume their conversation
"Answer me honestly, Link…" She begins. "Do you think you're well enough to go out and compete? If you do not want to, it is okay to withdraw."
"I am not sure if you are only talking about what happened during lunch or how I am feeling daily." Link opens his eyes, but his smile remains. "But I will answer you honestly, Weiss. I am okay to go out there and compete today."
"Then can you tell me why you stormed off the way you did during lunch?" Weiss narrows her eyes. "You did know I was paying right?"
"Oh really?" Link nods his head. "You can pay for lunch again next time, or maybe dinner?"
"Stop, I'm serious." She shakes her head. "Although, yes I would easily and gladly pay for another lunch… Or dinner."
"That's nice." He grins. "I should not have 'stormed off', I apologize."
"And the why isssss…" Weiss leans closer, expecting an answer any time now
"I speak with confidence when we talk about facing each other, regardless of it being in the first round, doubles, singles, but the truth is this." Link nervously tugs on his pants with his left hand. "I do not like the idea of having to fight you guys, any of my friends. Even a friend who is not as close, like Penny. It really got in my head and I did not like how it made me feel."
"Oh. You know, I was expecting a horrible excuse but-!" Weiss chuckles, "That tells me you have a heart." She proceeds to rolls her eyes again
"Thank you." He nods. "For more than the compliment. You really have surprised me-!"
"Miss Schnee!" An Atlesian soldier steps forward, interrupting the conversation. "Time is up, the miscreant will be going into the arena very soon."
"There is no need to call him a miscreant!" Weiss rapidly stands up and glares at the soldier
"Hey."
Link stands up, grabs the girl's left elbow with a tender grip and gives her a soft, assuring squeeze
"It is okay, that does not bother me." Link smiles. "Maybe if I was in a worse mood, but this talk has been nice, do you agree?"
"You know what?" Weiss shoots the soldier a mean scowl before turning to her friend. "Yes, I agree. It has been very productive."
"Good." He slowly lets go of her, after making sure she is calm. "I hope you enjoy the match, I promise to do my best. Pyrrha and Jaune will not make it easy for me, but neither will I for them."
"I'm glad to hear that, I think this match will produce one of the finalists, may the best huntsman or huntress win." Weiss beams in excitement
"Do you want me to walk you back to your seat?" Link raises an eyebrow. "I can run back here as fast as possible."
"No no, just no." She giggles. "But thank you for the offer. You need to stay here and focus."
Weiss turns around and walks off, the sound of her clicking heels consume the room as she slowly makes her way to the door
Wooooosh!
The sliding door opens, but the clicking heels stop and the heiress of the largest dust company in Remnant turns around to look at the one person team one more time
"Link?"
"Yes, Weiss?" Link smiles
"Good luck out there." She smiles, nods and promptly walks off
Wooooosh!
Now with Weiss gone, the room goes silent again as the human Atlas soldiers follow her, leaving the lone swordsman in a room with two Atlesian Knights
(Maybe Weiss really is changing. I figured she had positivity and warmth inside her, attending Beacon is slowly bringing it out.) Link smiles and paces back and forth, deciding not to sit and relax his body, instead opting to keep himself loose and ready, (Although, with an idea as to how she was raised and brought up, Weiss cannot be blamed entirely for her rude nature and attitude. Her parents and the influences around Weiss did not do right by her.) He sighs and feels the sensation of a tight knot in his stomach, guilt. (I suppose that is my fault as well for being quick to judge her after our initial meeting and conversations. Now I feel bad and should apologize.)
Link shuts his eyes and shakes his head in disappointment, he unknowingly zones out as the larger doors in front of him open, signaling that he must now enter the arena. Despite having a good conversation with an unexpected friend, the blonde boy is back to square one mentally…
Moments Later: Amity Colosseum Arena
"The most highly anticipated match up yet in my honest and unbiased opinion. Link and Pyrrha Nikos of Beacon have been matched up in the doubles round! And we cannot forget about Mister Arc as well!" Professor Port exclaims
"Of course. Some might look at him as an up close spectator but he could really disrupt the game plan Link has for his teammate." Doctor Oobleck chimes in
The two highly respected professors continue speaking and building up the match. Meanwhile, in the arena, Link is staring directly into Pyrrha's eyes and pays absolutely no attention to Jaune, which offends the other blonde swordsman
(I can't get these thoughts out of my head, this is all unfair. Why them? And why now? What is going on?) The blonde boy in green inhales, shuts his eyes, and angrily shakes his head
"Looks like you were foreshadowing, Link." Pyrrha flashes an angelic smile. "If we did not meet in the singles round then this entire tournament is rigged. Looks like the process has been sped up."
The terrains in the arena begin to randomize, with holograms on every side of the arena spinning rapidly
"Indeed." Link opens his eyes and nods. "Although, I wish we did not have to fight at all."
"Agreed." She mumbles
"When was any of this said?" Jaune asks
"Earlier, when I was running late and ran into Link at Beacon." Pyrrha giggles. "You owe Jaune and I lunch for jinxing us, Link."
"Mhm." Link nods and shuts his eyes again
DING!
With the randomizing coming to a close, the terrains in the arena begin to emerge: A frozen land of pure snow with one big mountain in the middle. The next biome is city ruins with two crumbling buildings surrounded by rubble and scraps of metal. Immediately following, another forest, but this one with smaller and thinner trees in comparison to previous fights. Lastly, a flat savannah with only one big tree and no tall grass in sight. The foundation of the fight is set before the participants, spectators in the arena, and viewers all around the world, with the selected battlegrounds being a lot of open space and no room for hiding
"Whoa, check it out." Jaune gazes at the four terrains in awe
"They are quite the spectacle." Pyrrha smiles
Link does not say a word as he opens his eyes, and immediately his eyes are drawn to the snow, having never experienced or seen snow in his life
"However…" Pyrrha's attention turns back to her opponent. "We must stay focused, Jaune. Nobody in the tournament should be underestimated, especially Link."
"R-Right!" Jaune furrows his brows and grins, seemingly ready for the fight to commence
The one person team continues with his silence, but shuts his eyes for a third time now before looking up into the sky and quietly exhaling
In the crowd
"There you are!" Ruby happily throws her arms in the air as Weiss returns to her seat
"Did you really get lost trying to find the bathroom?" Yang smirks
"N-NO!" Weiss plops down on her seat and crosses her arms. "Hmph!"
"Well you didn't miss much, the match is moments away from starting." Blake mumbles
"Good." Weiss nods. "This is going to be very good."
"You can say that twice." Nora pokes her head in between the heiress and silver eyed girl, with a mouthful of popcorn. "I've already had Ren buy me snacks… Twice!"
"Have you been stress eating?" Blake asks
"No." Ren shakes his head. "She can eat plenty and still be hungry."
"I see." The faunus nods and turns back to the arena
"Uh oh." Ruby's eyes squint and remain on her close friend. "Check Link out, he has that look again. Cool, calm, but cold and calculated at the same time."
"Yeah, but last time it was just to intimidate team SLVR, so I don't get the need for it this time." Yang rubs her chin. "Link already knows Pyrrha isn't scared of him, so what does it mean this time?"
"It will be interesting to see what kind of Link and Pyrrha we'll get, they have always teased being in combat against each other due to their countless sparring sessions. Now that it's actually going to happen in a real setting." Nora stops and sighs
"Is your question will they go all out?" Blake mumbles
"Yup!" Nora nods while swiftly stuffing her mouth with more butter popcorn in a ridiculously large container
"There's no doubt that Pyrrha will, all of them will." Ruby giggles in excitement. "Including Jaune too, this match is going to be awesome!"
"Shoot, you're right sis." Yang sighs. "We have only been focused on Link and Pyrrha that we forgot Jaune is in the match."
"Are you guys worried about him at all?" Blake turns back to the two JNPR members in the crowd
"Normally? Nope!" Nora shakes her head. "Buuuuut…"
"But what?" Ruby turns around
"Welllll, you see…" The orange haired girl bites her tongue and does not continue
"Ren? Care to explain?" Yang asks
"She is talking about the fact that Link, Jaune, and Pyrrha combined have sparred together the most times. In class and out of class." Ren mumbles. "Nora and I are worried that Link knows Jaune's every move, which will not go well for him."
"You should be worried." Weiss abruptly pitches in her unnecessarily negative comment
"What's that supposed to mean?" Nora raises an eyebrow
"How will Jaune fare against Link? That is what it means." She frowns. "I know he has a safety net with Pyrrha being by his side, but will he be forced to rely on it constantly?
"Ummm, maybe?" The normally perky girl speaks with uncertainty. "N-No. I hope not."
"I agree and it would be a bad decision that will cost team JNPR the victory if Jaune does just that." Weiss coldly mumbles
Returning to the arena, Jaune and Pyrrha draw their weapons and get into their fighting stances, waiting for the match to officially begin. On the other hand, Link opens his eyes and looks directly at Jaune, a grin appears as he has a plan in mind that could majorly aid him in defeating the duo
"Hey." Link smiles warmly at Jaune. "Make it easy for yourself and stay out of this fight between Pyrrha and I. Have a seat nearby in the meantime, it's going to be a good one."
Jaune frowns in disgust, grips his weapons 'Crocea Mors' tightly, and clenches his jaw. These actions widen the smile on Link's face, as he knows the light taunt has worked
"I wonder what his plan is?" Pyrrha thinks carefully upon hearing the one person team's words. "Is it to make Jaune overly aggressive? Or to force him to make mistakes… Then use that to take him out early?"
Professor Port clears his throat as he slowly leans into the microphone before announcing the chilling countdown the three participants in the arena are dreading…
"THREE!... TWO!... ONE!... BEGIN!"
"RAH!" Jaune dramatically bends his knees, digs his heels into the ground, then takes off with a massive jump, and charges at Link head on!
"No Jaune don't-!"
"Too late!"
Link meets Jaune in the middle and simply tugs on his shield, blocking a powerful slash with ease. The blonde boy in green smiles, spins in place, grabs his sword, and with a swift, rapid slash, collides his beloved sword into Jaune's! The impact and clang! That is heard is more than only sound, as it sends Jaune's sword flying wildly into the flat savannah a fair distance away front hem
"B-but-!" Jaune gasps. "How-!"
"There's plenty you haven't seen from me Jaune, I suppose you did not see it all during our sparring sessions on the rooftops." Link's smile drops to a weak grin. "Now you will get to see what I have not been able to show you back then!"
Link spins again, slashing Jaune across the chest and with a slick leg sweep while mid-spin, drops him to the ground. He lifts his sword in the air and rapidly brings it downwards, but Pyrrha recklessly jumps in between them and lifts her shield as Link makes contact, only for both of them to turn in sync and exchange the same sequence, this time Pyrrha striking with her weapon Miló in its shortsword state, while the one person team defends with his shield. Link narrows his eyes and notices Jaune jumping back up to his feet, he thinks quickly and throws Pyrrha off balance by directing his shield downward after she lands a strike. Next, the blonde speeds past the red haired girl, aiming to strike Jaune a second time. But suddenly, his sword flies out of his hands with a brief black glow, making it seem like the blade slipped out of Link's hands and conveniently landing right in front of Pyrrha who steps in front of it, guarding it from its owner. Having used her semblance 'Polarity' but subtly to not showcase the true strength of her special ability
"But when..." Link stops, sighs and drops his shield to the ground. (That's why she jumped in without a plan, to make contact with my sword and shield. Dangerous but rewarding.)
…
In the crowd, Ruby and Yang gasp in shock, Blake's expression changes to one of worry, and Weiss narrows her eyes in frustration of Link's decision
"Why would he do that? His defense relies entirely on his shield!" Ruby nervously taps her feet on the concrete below them. "W-Well, mostly. He is quite agile and can dodge very well
"Pyrrha's semblance." Weiss mumbles. "She made contact with his weapons and now if she really wants to, she can take them out of his hands for the rest of the fight."
"Oh yeah." Yang chuckles. "Maybe now we'll really see that semblance in action."
"And why would you want that?!" Weiss snaps. "Without his weapons, it will be harder for Link to win!"
"Hey! Whoa whoa whoa!" Yang leans away from the angry heiress. "I meant for entertainment's sake, I am not rooting for Link to lose… And clearly neither are you!"
"I-!" She frowns. "No comment."
"Wowww, maybe there is hope for you two being friends after all." Yang grins
"Oh ha ha, we have gotten along… As of late." Weiss sheepishly turns away in embarrassment
"It counts for something." Blake turns to her teammates and weakly smiles. "Now, how does Link win this?"
"That's a veryyy good question." Nora leans forward with a big smile on her face. "And I think I know."
"You do?" Ruby raises an eyebrow
"Yep!" The orange haired girl inhales deeply, building suspension as her eyes widen, until it is time to reveal her answer. "He doesn't win."
"Nora!" Ren narrows his eyes. "She's being serious!"
"So am I!" She groans
Blake smacks her lips but maintains her smile, Ruby giggles, Yang smirks, and Weiss sighs, but the team of four are more than amused by Nora's humor and belief in her team
In the arena, Link balls up his fists, thinks fast and quickly attacks Jaune with a slow but powerful straight left hand to the jaw, that levels the other blonde and sends him crashing to the ground, backside first
"Polarity may prevent many things, but hand to hand certainly is not one of them!" Professor Port shouts. "What quick thinking and an incredible job adapting by Link!"
(This will definitely be a difficult one, I need to find a way to bring my weapons back into the mix.) Link jumps back to create distance as Jaune regroups with Pyrrha, neither huntsmen or huntress having left the neutral platform yet
"Jaune!" Pyrrha firmly speaks
"Y-Yes?" He holds his jaw in slight pain
"What is our next course of action?" Pyrrha turns to her leader. "Do you have anything in mind?"
"R-right!" Jaune stutters and fumbles over his words momentarily as he thinks of something. "Let's spread out, keep him guessing!"
"You got it!"
Pyrrha and Jaune go their separate ways, with the latter running directly into the savannah. His teammate on the other hand, takes multiple steps back to aim her rifle and fire multiple rounds at Link! But the agile student is light on his feet and whether it be by zig zagging, sidewards rolls, sliding, and jumping, the blonde boy takes every course of action to get closer and closer to the powerful huntress in training until…
Grab!
Now inches away from each other, all time feels like it has stopped as Link places his hand on the barrel of Pyrrha's semi-automatic rifle, and stands inches away from her
"Hey." Link gently smiles
"I know this is not what we wanted yet, but do not go easy on us." Pyrrha smiles back as her rifle transforms into its javelin state, slightly cutting her opponent's skin and lowering his aura in the process
Link ducks and slips incoming swings and jabs from the javelin, meant to distance away most opponents or used to attack from long range, but the one person team tests his luck and succeeds in forcing Pyrrha to miss with his evasive maneuvers. Beacon's top ranked rookie however, maintains her composure and keeps her sights on Link, the javelin swiftly transitions back into its shortsword state after no success with the long range weapon. Her sword and shield fluidly slide into her hand and forearm respectively while she takes her stance. Pyrrha extends her legs at arms length, right leg is slightly in front of her left, torso is slightly twisted to the right, shield raised up to the girl's chin. Her right arm rises, elbow up to the ear, aligning the blade to be level with her shield. Lastly, Pyrrha's head lowers, chin tucked, most of her face covered with the exception of her vibrant green eyes
(I know you will not go easy on me, Pyrrha.)
The blonde has a narrow stance and a raised guard as Pyrrha charges forward to apply pressure with fluid horizontal swings and occasional jabs but the sequence proceeds as expected. Link widens and lowers his stance to duck and slip every slash and jab perfectly, until finally his perfect evasion strategy is foiled as the shortsword strikes Link's left shoulder
"Well played." Link grunts and shuts his eyes in pain, then dramatically drops to one knee and loudly sighs. I don't feel motivated to fight you, Pyrrha. I want to beat you and prove who is the best first year, but it doesn't feel right."
"Link…" Pyrrha's eyes well up initially, but the corners of her mouth rise and the doubt leaves her body. "You almost got me."
Pyrrha raises her shortsword in the air, then brings it down with sharp speed, aiming for Link's head!
Clap!
However, before the weapon can make contact with the blonde boy's head, the sound of hands slapping together is heard…
"One second too soon and Miss Nikos' weapon would've caused some serious damage, but an amazing last second catch by Mister Link prevents it!"
Link with both hands pressed together over his head, catches the weapon, suddenly pulls back to snatch it from Pyrrha's grasp, rises to his feet and thrusts his leg forward for a rapid side kick directly to the girl's midsection! Link's attack lands successfully against the talented student's gut, and right before her shield comes into play. The kick's preciseness and moments makes Pyrrha stumble wildly, thus sending her crashing to the ground
"I should have known you would see through it." He chuckles. "Maybe if I was fighting Ruby… And sorry for lying."
Link takes Pyrrha's weapon, gives it a test swing with an upwards slash, walks ahead a few feet, picks up his shield, then transitions into a defensive stance: left leg extended back, right leg bent and slight forward, forward, shield raised, sword by his hip
"Two can play that game." Pyrrha grins
"No you don't!" Link frowns
The blonde boy sprints at Pyrrha, but she is one step ahead as she runs and quickly picks up Link's sword before her opponent can get to and stop her
With opposite weapons, the two students collide metal!
CLANG!
But immediately, issues are apparent as Pyrrha is too slow with her swing, generating little power. Meanwhile, Link is too fast and also fails to create any significant power with his rapid strike. After some sloppy exchanges, Link, who quickly picks how to swing his new temporary weapon, seemingly manages to get the better of Pyrrha with the speed advantage. He uses the shortsword against its owner and strikes her hands, forcing her to let go of his blade. However, Pyrrha keeps up with him and at one point, majestically spins into Link, almost as if they were slow dancing rather than fighting. The red haired girl winks at her opponent, as she gets close to steal her shortsword back. First, by wrapping her hand around the blade, followed by a small leap, and capped with a double footed kick directly to Link's chest! In mere seconds, the momentum shifts to Pyrrha, with her kick to the chest separating the two once again as Link falls hip first onto the metal floor, while she executes a fluid mid-air corkscrew twist, soon repositioning herself to elegantly land feet first
…
Team RWBY, alongside Nora and Ren watch in silence as the two hyped up students finish their sequence of sloppy swings and badly timed attacks
"It hasn't been fast but I must say the technical skill, finesse, and adjustments have still been quite impressive." Weiss smiles. "Despite Pyrrha's superior grades and skills on paper, Link is keeping up and even getting the better of her sometimes."
"Can't argue there." Blake nods, "The way Link fights is so inconsistent, we are all used to fast paced fighting, but he can keep up with the fast paced exchanges, while being able to make the fight slow whenever he wants to. And it works to his advantage..." She chuckles. "He has made us look like fools in sparring before."
"H-Hey! We weren't awful! We were…" Weiss shakes her head. "Simply not prepared for Link's style. We have come a long way since that first spar."
"Definitely." Ruby giggles. "Now we're all badasses who can stop Grimm attack's from destroying an entire city!"
"Right on!" Yang smirks, beaming with happiness. "Though it does hurt my ego a bit to admit that we still have some catching up to do if we're ever going to be as good as Pyrrha or Link."
"I must admit you are very correct." Weiss sighs, but smiles nonetheless. "Pyrrha is flawless. And Link? He's so... Great."
"Whoa!" Ruby snorts in amusement. "Did Weiss just compliment Link more than once today?"
"SHUSH! I did no such thing!"
"We alllll heard you." Nora leans forward and nods her head to a handful of students around them, visibly laughing
"MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS PEOPLE!" Weiss barks assertively
Returning to the fight, after landing perfectly on her feet with the
shortsword back in her grasp, Pyrrha retreats to the Savannah biome with Jaune, thus allowing Link to regroup and pick up his weapons once again, with the kick sending him flying to the ground, and the weapons scattering away. Once he rises to his feet, picks up said scattered weapons, and composes himself, Link, now with the opportunity to pick a terrain of his choosing, opts to make a run for the crumbling buildings
(It's obvious Jaune is too brash but I can't exactly take him out when Pyrrha will not leave his side.) Link stays within the shadows of one of the collapsed brick buildings, he narrows his eyes when realizing his breather will be short, now that his opponents are entering the terrain. (Will Pyrrha blatantly show what her polarity can do and force me to fight differently? Or will she continue this untouchable invincible girl facade that has almost everyone fooled?)
"...I am sure of it, Jaune." Pyrrha mumbles, her voice fades in towards the end of her initial sentence for the one person team. "The forest is too small to hide and the frozen land does not offer many spots for cover, he has to be here."
"Let's find out then..." Link mumbles whilst sneaking around the entire building, creating more space and distance between himself and his opponents
Following this short stroll, he reaches for his hip, digs his hand into the brown pouch on his belt, and pulls out a hookshot, last used to scale a large tree. Link aims for a rusty pipe near the roof of the building. The lone student attempts to make as little noise as possible while he fires, piercing the metal, and flings himself onto the frail triangular rooftop with the hookshot. Although, when he immediately lands, some of the tiles cave in on impact, which forces the blonde boy to slow down when scaling the roof. Seconds pass before Link gets in a good position, he draws his bow as Pyrrha and Jaune fixate on the ground floor of the same building. Pyrrha has her main weapon in its rifle form and aims inside the dark structure, waiting for any sign of the opponent to show himself. Jaune on the other hand, remains outside, with both his sword and shield held tightly
"Now." Link notices Jaune alone and pulls back on his steel bow, carefully aiming at his back
The blonde boy fires the arrow! But it is miraculously shot and destroyed midair by Pyrrha, who rapidly spins and shuts down the attack with her precise aim. Link frowns and unknowingly reveals his position when he completely stands and fires another arrow, this time aiming low for Pyrrha's leg! She kneels with her shield and blocks it, leaving Jaune to fend for his own. Within five seconds after firing a single arrow, Link's bow turns into its double crossbow state, then promptly to the thin, semi-automatic rifle. Two shots are fired at Jaune, who stands firm with his shield raised, but the rifle shots have more speed and power than expected! The impact knocks Jaune off his feet and send him crashing to the ground back first
"You're mine now!" Link jogs forward, then leaps off the rooftop, and comes crashing down on Jaune, his left leg extended, a side kick intended for the JNPR's leader's head, until…
Boom!
Pyrrha is nearly forced to crouch all the way down as she stands in front of Jaune, shield raised. She blocks the attack and completely absorbs the impact. Link grunts and kicks off the shield with his single leg attack, promptly landing back on his feet with a flip while Pyrrha falls to the ground, backside first from the momentum of everything
"Pyrrha!" Jaune frowns and menacingly points his sword at Link. "That's enough Link! The games are over."
"Then bring it on, Jaune!" Link leans forward and smiles daringly
He glares at the back of his left hand, shuts his eyes, inhales, exhales, and concentrates deeply. Seconds later, all of his clothes, weapons, and triforce on the back of his hand glow with a faint but visible yellow color, which could deceive someone to believe it is aura, and is a familiar sight seen from Link before. Meanwhile, Jaune lets out a roar and sprints at Link full speed, ready to strike! However, before he can even make it to the one person team, he suddenly disappears!
"What the-!" Jaune shakes his head and erratically turns in multiple directions, attempting to locate his friend, but current opponent
SLASH!
Link reappears and strikes from behind with a horizontal slash, not even giving Jaune a chance to react or turn as the attack staggers and drops him to one knee. Regrettably for Jaune, when he rises to his feet and turns… There is no sight of Link, yet again.
"Hey." Link mumbles as he 'appears' behind his opponent yet again. "Keep up with me."
Jaune angrily turns and falls for the same trick yet again, with Link's sudden increasing speed being too much for the novice huntsman as he continues to take slash after slash, while missing all of his attempts to attack or block. When Jaune turns to his right, Link is on his left, and when turning to pinpoint the one person team, he was already behind him, on the opposite side. Finally, after taking multiple hits to his back, midsection, and both shoulders, Jaune plants his feet and spins in place with his sword fully extended, hoping to finally catch Link with a strike for the first time in the match
"It seems that Mister Link has really gotten into Mister Arc's head!" Professor Port loudly shouts. "He is slashing at absolutely nothing!"
"Huh!?" Jaune shakes his head in pure frustration as Professor Port's words are precise
Link connects and perfectly lands all of his offense, but Jaune could not even get a single strike to even graze the one person team. And their auras change because of this as well. Starting with Link's being at a solid eighty-four, while Jaune's plummets all the way down to fifty-five
"Let's just stop fighting now, Jaune." Link mumbles. "The real fight is between Pyrrha and I. However, there is no doubt in my mind that you will catch up one day."
"Y-you..." Jaune grips his sword and shield tightly
"I am glad you stood up to Cardin and his team, after how they were treating you last semester. But that took long enough." Link shakes his head. "Perhaps… Professor Ozpin appointed the wrong leader for team JNPR, considering that-!"
"SHUT UP!"
Jaune attempts the same approach for a third time with a direct charge: One powerful vertical slash aiming for his enemy's head… Blocked! A direct jab to the chest… Also blocked! A surprising charge forward, attempting shield bash, a move picked up from Link, but that is side stepped. The lone one person team manages to stay one step ahead and his game plan is coming to fruition
"Jaune!"
Pyrrha's voice is heard as she jumps back into the mix, coming in between the two huntsmen. She blocks his sword with hers, right as Link was going to make contact with his sword seconds away from stabbing Jaune's midsection
"Alright, I think it's time to get rid of one of you." Link narrows his eyebrows, knowing he must act quickly
And in those few seconds, he decides the best course of action is reaching out to Pyrrha, firmly grabbing the shield on her back, and launches her over his head. Although, the toss is not very far as she quickly lands on her feet. Link then raises his left hand, turns his wrist, and aims the back of said hand at Jaune
"Stop it Link!"
Jaune nervously looks at the big holographic screen showcasing their auras, his will definitely go into the red, or deplete all together if he takes what Link calls the 'triforce slash'
"If you aim for me, you leave yourself exposed and Pyrrha will make you regret it!" He looks back at his teammate with worry in his eyes
"R-Right!" Pyrrha's sword and shield fluidly move to her hand and forearm, ready to attack
"Good point."
Link considers the predicament he is in, in front of him is Jaune, the weaker of the two, who is out of his league. Behind him is Pyrrha, his biggest threat, with a clear opening to strike if he targets her partner and team leader
"I see.." Link nods, only to grin seconds later. "I'll take my chances!"
"No!" Pyrrha rushes forward without thinking and fails to spot the grin on his face
Link shoves Jaune and turns to Pyrrha who leaps and slams into Link with a heel strike to the head, but strangely, he willingly takes the attack. However, next comes a shield throw from Pyrrha, launching her perfectly designed and powerful defensive weapon directly at Link's chest. He acts quickly and raises his shield with both forearms behind it, making sure to use all his strength to block the shield launch is blocked, but the impact sends him sliding backwards regardless
"What's his plan?" Pyrrha frowns while she runs at Link once again, her shield perfectly flies back into her left forearm almost as if it were a boomerang
"Pyrrha stop!" Jaune calls out. "He's-!"
"Too late!" Link reveals his left hand is aiming at her when he lowers his shield, and Pyrrha runs directly at him in a straight line, making it easier to catch her
Pyrrha thinks fast k and attempts to backflip away from Link, knowing the beam of light that fires from his hand has a small range. Unfortunately for her, the two triforces, one bright and magically glistening, the other dim and glimmering, are already in front and behind her
"Got you." Link softly smiles, "I am still fighting emotionally, but this time it has been more calculated, wouldn't you agree?" He chuckles whilst the large, golden energy triforces slowly rotate in place, withstanding every bit of offense from Pyrrha in her attempt to break free. "Give it up Pyrrha, a large man three times your size with unimaginable strength could barely free himself from those."
"Then I'll make you set her free!" Jaune stands behind Link, panting hard with his weapons drawn
"Respect." Link turns to him, setting all his attention on the JNPR leader, "You never give up, despite not being on the level of someone like Pyrrha and regardless of how much I have outclassed you." He nods. "Your big heart is undeniable."
Jaune initiates the fight once more but his fatigue and aura loss are obvious; these factors are not aided when Link stops using his speed to confuse his opponent. The one person team collides his sword with Jaune's shield, then pivots to his left, rapidly spins, and slashes the leader of team JNPR across the chest, making him stumble and nearly loses his footing. Determined not to give up, Jaune clenches his jaw, winds up an attack, charges at Link, and swings his sword like an axe! The powerful and telegraphed strike is not dodged, instead Link stays put and blocks it with his shield, only using the power of his right arm to do so
"You did very well Jaune, but this fight is over now!" Link overpowers the taller swordsman and knocks him back with a rapid side kick to the gut
The blonde boy in green takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, exhales, reopens his eyes, and takes off! Link sprints at Jaune, who attempts a spinning slash, only for the one person team to lower himself closer to the ground, then fully drop and roll under the attack! The roll ends with Link behind Jaune, and now it is his turn to strike. He begins with a powerful two handed slash to the back, then digs his heels into the ground, plants his feet, and with a low jump, leaps over and lands in front of Jaune, striking his head with the hilt of his sword! Link slides over to Jaune's right side next, and the confused team leader is met with quick one handed strikes, a quick combination of a vertical swing, backward slash, and jab! Jaune groans, grumps, and recoils in pain with every attack, he attempts to swing his sword or raise his shield in order to time the attacks, with little success regrettably. And it does not stop there as Link ducks a wild sword slash, shifts to his left, and lands a powerful strike to the stomach after Jaune leaves his torso wide open
…
In the crowd of students and professors, Ruby loudly gasps, drawing the attention from her team, Nora and Ren, as her nerdy side kicks in when she recognizes what Link is doing to Jaune
"I know what those are!" Ruby gasps. "They are similar to the moves he uses! That big combination of slashes he calls the triforce slash. Just wayyyyyy more methodical!"
"You're right." Weiss nods, her eyes widen. "And despite the slower nature, they are still very fast strikes, Jaune doesn't even see him or the attacks coming."
"This is getting hard to watch." Yang rubs her left arm nervously. "C'mon Link, just wrap it up already and let's see you and Pyrrha go at it again."
"Ren? Nora? Any thoughts?" Blake mumbles
"N-No…" Nora sighs. "Link is pretty good, I cannot deny that.:
"Indeed." Ren whispers
Continuing, Link signals the end by kicking Jaune towards Pyrrha with a side kick to the ribs, the helpless JNPR leader lands flat on his back, and unwisely rushes to get back up. Link nods at Jaune out of respect before sprinting at him! When he gets close, the one person team slides and carries over the momentum, as he spins and lands one more big diagonal strike, starting from Jaune's right hip, traveling up his midsection, across his chest and all the way up to his left shoulder. The impact sends Jaune off his feet and flying directly into Pyrrha
SMASH!
The two students instantly crash through both triforces, exactly like what happens when a stone is thrown against a window, shattered glass follows. Pyrrha out of instinct extends her arms and catches Jaune, going along with him for the ride as they fly through the destroyed city terrain and back to the neutral arena platform
"Just like that, Jaune Arc of team JNPR is eliminated!" Doctor Oobleck announces to the crowd and people watching all over Remnant. "All her teammate could do was watch and now Miss Nikos is all on her own."
Link glances at the screen, his aura was down to seventy-eight, Pyrrha's aura is still in peak condition at eighty-nine. Then, there is Jaune, who's aura is drained all the way down to seven
"Now that he is out of the way." Link speedwalks towards them and stops just a few feet away, choosing not to attack as Pyrrha rolls Jaune over on his back. "Let's give the people what they want to see."
"Okay!" Pyrrha narrows her eyes and rises to her feet, as both of the girl's weapons slide back into each hand with the usage of her semblance
Link reaches into his pouch of what is primarily projectiles and sometimes his hookshot. This time, instead of a smoke bomb or a throwing knife, he pulls out the pink, shiny pendant given to him by his deceased friend, exhales and shuts his eyes, taking a brief moment to remember the innocent girl
"Please don't break my heart and all me this is also part of your mind games." Pyrrha's eyes water. "I know you attempted to lie to me earlier and riled up Jaune, but I do not not think you will stoop this low."
"No, of course this isn't a mind game. The more you and I have gotten to know each other, the more it has made me..." He stops and frowns. "The more it makes me wish I told Ray how much more I appreciated her, it feels like I barely did."
"You cannot say that." Pyrrha shakes her head and rubs her eyes. "And you cannot make yourself believe that either. Ray knew how much you loved her, she knew how much she meant to you."
"I hope you are correct." Link sighs and slips the pedant back in the brown pouch. "Not a day passes where I don't imagine her alongside me, learning from you, the most talented huntress Beacon has to offer. It makes me sad and, in some ways... Angers me."
"Link." Pyrrha looks around nervously. "Do you still blame yourself?"
"Yes." Link reaches to grab his sword and shield again. "You guys, my dear friends… Can tell me it was not my fault and I am happy that you believe that, but it was my fault. I said I would protect her, I promised her father that I would defend her with my life. But when disaster struck, I was the only survivor."
"I must ask. Was it your intention to let your emotions out during your match?" Pyrrha mumbles. "So far your mind games have been brilliant but now the games are over, right?"
"The mind games… I apologize for that. I knew they were not going to win me part of the fight, and I hoped to at least get rid of one of you." Link shakes his head, "And… I was hoping to not unleash these pent up emotions on the fight at all, none of you deserve it, but I couldn't suppress them." His eyes flash gold for a split second, but for the first time ever, he resists with ease
"Then I must do everything I can to not be on the receiving end whilst winning for my team." Pyrrha takes one step forward, readying herself for takeoff
"Good luck my friend." Link jogs forward and jumps in the air, soon coming down and lunges towards his opponent with a dashing strike
Pyrrha, light on her feet, dashes to her right, avoiding a powerful strike. She rushes at Link with tremendous speed, her main offensive weapon in its javelin state and aims for Link's chest from a short distance. Each jab, no matter how powerful, fast, or in which direction they all went, are all blocked by the powerful shield that somehow has never taken any damage or suffered dents. Link raises his sword as he slams his shield into the final incoming javelin strike, which slightly stuns Pyrrha. Taking advantage of her vulnerability, the blonde boy rapidly lowers his left arm, nearly connecting with a powerful slash if not for Pyrrha's shield being raised and taking all of the impact from the strike
Boom!
The powerful attack combined with the block and collision of metal, sends Pyrrha sliding across the neutral platform, her feet skid on the ground in an attempt to slow herself down. However, before she gets any time to compose herself, there are multiple arrows with streaks of gold energy flying at her. She sidesteps! Zig zags! And rolls away! Dodging most of the arrows fluidly, before transforming the javelin into its semi-automatic rifle form, jumping in the air, and firing the weapon directly into the ground, sending her flying into the air and avoiding the rest of the arrows
"What an amazing escape for Miss Nikos!" Professor Port sings his praises. "Despite her athleticism, it would have been nearly impossible to avoid ALL of those arrows."
Pyrrha aims her rifle and fires multiple shots at Link while she descends! The first bullet strikes his leg perfectly and forces him to sidestep as a bullet strikes the ground and sends debris into his face. Link turns around and rolls as he successfully dodges the bullets
"I have to get her down quicker." He frowns and reaches for his hookshot again
He aims and fires it directly at Pyrrha's leg, similar to how he used it on Skylar from team SLVR in the first round. But Pyrrha acts quickly and blocks the piercing blade with her shield. Then, she takes her rifle, transforms it into its shortsword state and cuts through the chain connecting the blade and base of the hookshot
"Dang." Link growls, tosses the hookshot back into his bag of projectiles and sprints at Pyrrha before she lands on the ground
Pyrrha finds herself on the back foot as Link blitzes her with two speedy horizontal slashes, one is dodged but the second lands on her stomach. With this brief success, he stamps forward, extends his arm, and jabs! Aiming for Pyrrha's chest, but she evades just in the nick of time. Link's eyes follow her as he throws a wild slash at his opponent, but she ducks and emerges beside him. The former smirks and spins in place, bringing his sword back across his body, and is seemingly moments away from successfully striking her. Pyrrha gasps at the incoming sharp metal coming her way, but she jumps and elegantly backflips over the spinning slash. The tall girl sighs in relief and attempts to look at the screen, hoping that her aura has not taken too much of a hit. However, Link is already in her face with both hands clutching onto the handle of his sword, blade in the air. The one person team brings the sword down on Pyrrha's only a split second later, but she blocks it in the knick of time! Requiring both sword and shield, as she flips her offensive and firmly plants it against her defensive weapon, to add strength, stability, and to withstand the force of the strike. Pyrrha pushes back as the two struggle to gain superiority despite Link being the stronger person, physically
"You left yourself... Open!" Link brings his left leg up and sidekicks Pyrrha on the right side of her midsection
"Ahh!"
The fleeting kick sends Pyrrha flying back and crashing onto the cold platform on her left shoulder. She momentarily rolls on the ground until coming to a complete stop
"Hm." Link grabs his boomerang and exhales deeply, his eyes flash gold, making it clear that he is in control before launching the wooden weapon full force at Pyrrha, with plenty of momentum and a strong gust of wing streaking behind it
Pyrrha stands and shields herself in time, the boomerang collides against the shield, but the force and speed makes Pyrrha stumble, whilst the boomerang perfectly returns to its owner. Link glances up at their auras on the screen, fifty-five for him and forty-two for Pyrrha
(If I can continue with unpredictable attacks, I may be able to end the match with some aura to spare,) Link draws his sword and shield and runs at Pyrrha, who suddenly turns to her left and gasps, but something was off... As only she looks horrified
"My word, what on earth is Mister Arc doing?!" Professor Port rises from his seat, slamming a fist on the table. "He is already eliminated and cannot participate in any more combat. His safety is very much at risk right now!"
(What?) Link's sprinting comes to a swift end, he looks around but none of the attention is on him, it is on Pyrrha and Jaune, who is on his feet and slowly making his way towards his teammate, with a combination of stumbling and limping
"J-Jaune?!" Pyrrha nervously turns to her leader, then loudly gasps as in her eyes, her close friend and leader is bloody and struggling to breath. "W-What happened to you?!"
"Y-You're all hurt! W-Why is this match s-still… Going?!" Jaune incoherently shouts as in his eyes, the red haired girl is on one knee and also bloody from multiple stab wounds. "A-Are you okay?!"
"What are you saying? I am perfectly fine, Jaune." Pyrrha raises both eyebrows in shock
What comes next is shocking to Link and Pyrrha as the team JNPR leader falls to his knees and begins interacting with 'Pyrrha', who he believes in lower to the ground on one knee, when she is actually standing upright and directly in front of him
"Jaune!" Pyrrha falls to her knees alongside him and gently begins setting her leader to the ground, flat on his back. "I-I-! I Don't know what happened, but we need to get you some medical assistance."
(I don't know what the hell is going on, but her guard is down... this is my chance to finish it right now!) Link tightly grips his sword, hesitant over his idea to strike. (I normally would not approve of attacking while an opponent I respect, let alone Pyrrha, has her back turned. But she's my toughest opponent yet, so I need to take this chance.)
Link puts away his shield slightly crouches into a stance, re-tightens the grip on his sword with his left hand, shield firmly on his right hand, left leg extended backward, and right knee bent, in a lunging position. The triforce on his left hand lights up, followed by the rest of his weapons, clothes, and eyes. But something is wrong when he does take off instantly
(What's happening?) Link shuts his eyes and calmly breathes multiple times, still contemplating if he wants to attack or not, but when he opens his eyes… His options are thrown out a window when he sees none other than Adam Taurus, the self proclaimed leader of the White Fang, standing in front of Pyrrha and Jaune and looking down at them both
(N-no! Why is HE here?!)
Immediately following this revelation, his golden eyes glow brighter than before, but little did he know that it is only going to get worse, as what he calls 'the demon' emerges rapidly. The creepy, twisted lining shoots out of his eyes, covering his cheeks, jaw, ears, and spreading further down his neck while his skin is overpowered with a bright, pasty, white color that glows and makes him look like a carefully designed, pristine puppet, not a person
Meanwhile, in another part of the audience, Mercury Black, Emerald Sustrai, and Cinder Fall watch the match with slight intrigue. Having already done their scouting on Link and Pyrrha, two of the strongest first year students at Beacon, this is merely a throwaway match to the three villains
"I can't believe this is actually working. H-Hold up-!" Mercury mumbles as Emerald tries to focus, despite already holding her head in pain. "Wait a second. Guys… What is that? What is he about to do?"
"It appears we're going to have to push this as far as we can." Cinder firmly says before leaning closer to Emerald, and whispering more than a couple of words in her ear
"B-but-!" Emerald shakes her head. "I already struggle with two minds! I don't know if-!"
"Unless you cannot handle it." Cinder glares at Emerald. "Quit now and we can cut ties with each other."
"N-NO! I can handle it. You can count on me!" Emerald keeps her focus on Link then back at Pyrrha and Jaune, her eyes begin to twitch in a very unstable way
With her manipulative semblance, 'Hallucinations', the mint green haired girl continues to fool every student in the arena. Beginning with Jaune, she changes the way Pyrrha looks in front of him, going from the strong, vibrant, powerful huntress, to a weakened, bloody victim of a fight that has gone too far. Next, Emerald changes the way Jaune looks in front of the green eyed, red haired girl, and with the JNPR leader already injured and damaged from the fight, making him appear bloody and near death was a piece of cake. As for Link, it is the evil group's association with Adam and the White Fang that aids them, knowing Adam is a mortal enemy of the blonde one person team. Additionally, with how much he loves and values his friends, having a hallucination of Adam appear in front of Pyrrha and Jaune nearly sends him over the edge…
Back to the fight, Link opens his eyes, but for the first time since Vale was attacked by Grimm, the demon appears to be in control
(NO ST-!)
"Yes. Let's get this guy!"
The familiar, but dark and twisted voice chuckles as Link's body in the same stance. Meanwhile, not too far away from them Pyrrha is still frantically checking on Jaune, while 'Adam' stands in front of them. Initially, he stands still like a statue, but then he begins to unsheathe his sword
"Jaune?" Pyrrha mumbles, while her shaky hands tend to her close friend. "H-How did this happen? You were only depleted of your aura from the fight against Link. How are you so injured?"
"Ngh!" Jaune groans as he places a hand on her chest, directly above her heart
"I n-need to get you out of harm's way." Pyrrha turns to glance at Link, but her eyes widen with shock as she sees the golden eyes, white complexion, and lines across his face, neck, and chest
"DIE WHITE FANG SCUM!"
The demon's dark voice speaks as 'he', in control of Link's body, takes off with incredible speed, intending to attack 'Adam'. Ironically, with the same move the blonde boy copied and made his own, by watching the white fang leader closely during his days as a mercenary
(NO!)
Link internally fights for control with the demon, to the point where bright golden energy surrounds his entire body and flashes brighter than ever before. It is blinding to the naked eye, and the sound of a swift flash is heard, right as Link is a couple of feet away from striking Pyrrha and Jaune
…
The villainous group, posing as a team of students from Haven Academy watch with smirks on their faces as their plan is working to fruition. Mercury and Cinder nod in approval, while Emerald begins to bleed from her nose, blood slowly trickling down both nostrils
"Go em!" Mercury nudges his friend's arm
"S-Shut up!" Emerald narrows her eyes as far as she can before suddenly passing out, her head violently slams back against the seat, going completely motionless
"Emerald!" Mercury's head snaps to her in concern, but the corners of his mouth slowly perk in a weak smile when he sees Cinder with a wide grin
"An added bonus to our plan, job well done Emerald." Cinder nods, despite knowing the girl is unconscious for the time being
Inside the arena, disaster is about to strike when Link, manipulated and forced to act against his will by an entity beyond his control, approaches Pyrrha and Jaune with blazing speed
"NO! SOMEBODY STOP LINK BEFORE HE CAUSES SERIOUS DAMAGE TO MISS NIKOS AND MISTER ARC! This is-!" Doctor Oobleck stops speaking as a flashing light suddenly engulfs the arena, "What on earth is going on down there!?"
The bright, flashing light is none other than Link, who internally battles for control and unknowingly blinds the entire arena with his own power, that even he is not aware of. Regardless of this, the blonde boy ends up regrettably executing his attack, while he gets rid of the Adam hallucination, he also strikes Pyrrha's back regrettably. The one person team finishes his attack positioned directly across from the JNPR duo, even stepping foot into the frozen land with his sword across his body to show that he has taken a swing
(That was too close. I took control right as the demon struck, and if he were to have chosen the amount of power in the attack, Pyrrha might be…) Link stops himself, promptly looks back at Pyrrha, who slumps over, then drops front first onto the ground right on top of Jaune, but something else is horribly wrong as the audience gasps in horror, rather than celebrating the victory…
"Why are these cameras still on, cut them off, now!"
(Huh? What's going on?) Link fully turns around and walks back onto the main neutral platform
However, the second he takes a step towards the unconscious Jaune and Pyrrha, the four terrains are withdrawn and the entire platform is set back to normal. Then, out of nowhere, multiple Atlesian Knights are seen rushing towards the three students, alongside two human Atlesian soldiers
"Link of Beacon! Stand down, immediately!"
"W-what!?" Link grabs his shield and spins around frantically, his eyes fixated on the screen as it replays the events that just transpired moments ago. "I don't understand…"
The replay of the final sequences shows Jaune being care for by Pyrrha, neither of them are actually bloody in the replay, and are futilely attempting to cover up each others 'wounds', But this is when Link executed his attack, mainly connecting with Pyrrha, only slightly grazing Jaune. The problem now is that with the 'demon' in control, Link appears to have murderous intent whilst lunging forward. Following this, the flashing gold light blinded everyone in attendance and those watching from the comfort of their home's, academies, bars, and more, right as the attack made contact, leaving nothing but doubt in the air. Lastly, when the bright, flashing light wore off, Link is seen standing in front of Pyrrha and Jaune, who were both already on the ground, leaving the general public and those in attendance to assume Link nearly killed his opponents
(But I saw Pyrrha go down with my own eyes, Jaune was already out of the picture too, how the-! NO! It can't be…) Link spins around like a maniac, desperately looking for the culprit, but before his search can be completed, the Atlesian Knights and two soldiers get closer to him with their guns drawn
"Lower your weapons!"
(Grrr. Now I have to deal with Atlas military to top it off…) Link frowns, grips his sword tightly, and the urge to fight again nearly crosses his mind, until he feels a warm presence looming over his shoulder
"Don't do it, silly." Ray's majestic voice rings throughout the angry student's head. "Don't give them any more reason to see you as a monster, please."
(Ray. You chose the worst time to show up.) Link opens his eyes, but unfortunately his friend and her voice are long gone, while he is still in this chaotic situation. "Okay."
Ultimately, the one person team surrenders the only way he knows how, returning his sword back to its scabbard and slotting his shield right on top of the blade. The Atlas soldiers remain in their circle around Link and direct him towards the exit, and he reluctantly follows. Confused and angry, Link stops to look at the end of the match one more time. Seeing Pyrrha front first on the ground completely motionless pulls on the heartstrings of an already emotionally damaged person
"I swear I held back! She isn't hurt, right? Pyrrha!"
Link slams an elbow into one of the Knight's heads, then barges through two more Atlesian Knights as he races towards the team JNPR duo. He outruns the Atlas military soldiers, soon falling to his knees when he reaches them, to the point where his sudden reappearance scares away four medics who have just arrived at the scene. Link reaches to turn Pyrrha over, but more Atlesian Knights and soldiers are called in, they surround him with weapons drawn, and fingers on their triggers this time
"We will not ask again!"
(What have I gotten myself into?) The blonde boy looks around the colosseum, his eyes searching for Velvet, Ruby, Weiss, or any of his friends, but his sight is blurry and he cannot locate anyone. The world feels like it is opening up the ground to swallow him whole, as the Atlas military soldiers and Knights seemingly tower over him. Link puts both hands over his temples, then runs his hands through his hair in frustration while starting to piece together who was behind all of this chaos…