章 795: 138
Chapter 138:
Yang and Sun were sprawled out on their backs, lying at opposing angles to one another, so that their heads were practically right next to each other, their legs extending in separate directions. Both of them were gasping for breath, their bodies completely soaked with sweat.
Up above, the screens were displaying the reason for Sun's victory. With the arena's cameras able to filter out the worst of the flash that had blinded most of the onlookers, the moment the match was decided was able to be recorded, then broadcast for the benefit of the audience.
Sun's staff hadn't been knocked out of his grip, he'd let it go, allowing Yang's punch to knock it away. Even though the recoil of her shot was threatening to reverse their positions again, Sun's inability to use his staff to hold Yang in place had resulted in them drifting apart. However, right as Yang had been about to punch out to alter her trajectory, Sun had brought his hands together and engaged his own Semblance.
The flash that had blinded the audience had been the appearance of a pair of glowing, golden clones of Sun. One appeared between him and Yang, kicking downwards to force her down, while the other appeared in a position to catch Sun's body, right before he would have made contact with the ring. The impact had disrupted Sun's control, and the clones had vanished in an explosive flash, just as quickly as they'd appeared, the two flashes having overlapped, which had enhanced their intensity to the degree that the onlookers had lost sight of the pair.
As a result, Yang had hit first, with the clone Sun had used to arrest his fall holding him up just long enough for him to ensure that, before it disappeared, and Sun was sent into a tumble that resulted in him landing in his current position.
"Dang it!" exclaimed Yang, smacking her right-handed gauntlet against the surface of the arena in frustration.
Sun, for his part, was wheezing furiously, his eyes nearly on the verge of exploding out of his skull, his body tingling and trembling from a combination of exhaustion, nerves, and disbelieving excitement. "Holy cow! I can't believe that worked! That was close!"
Yang's brief display of frustration was the only one she allowed herself. The bitter feeling of loss swamped her. But she knew better than to allow it to overwhelm her. It wasn't easy. The sheer closeness of the outcome; and the fact that she'd been almost certain of her victory, when Sun had turned the tables on her for the final time; combined to compound her frustration. Still gasping for breath herself, Yang collapsed her left gauntlet, covering her eyes with her forearm, largely to keep the audience from seeing the tears that were welling up.
For the next couple of minutes, all they could do was lay where they landed, both of them unable to find the wherewithal to get up. They remained sprawled out, while Port and Oobleck relayed a play-by-play of the final deciding moves of the match.
Finally, it was Yang who found the strength to get up first. With the Semblance-empowered hit she'd landed, she'd knocked Sun's Aura down below hers in a single go. As a result, she was in better shape than he was at the moment. She knew they couldn't stay down for long, or the tournament staff would come out to move them. Rolling over slowly, she planted her hands against the floor, then slowly forced herself up, her arms burning with the exertion. Still, with a pained groan, Yang managed to push up off the floor, and sit on her knees, before working one foot beneath her, and pushing herself all the way up into a standing position.
It wasn't easy. Her arms and legs were already beginning to feel stiff as they wound down from her intense exertions from before. Standing fully upright, she swayed back and forth a little, before managing to find her balance. Then Yang lumbered over to where Sun was still laying. Grunting, she bent down, grinning as she extended a hand down to him.
"Need help, Champ?" asked Yang teasingly.
Sun grinned back, then took her offered hand. Yang nearly found herself toppling over on top of him, but managed to find it in herself to rise back up, pulling Sun up along with her. With her help, Sun was able to get to his feet. The two of them stood there for a few minutes longer, now holding each other up as they worked to get their breathing slowed down, and bring their trembling limbs back under control.
Grinning wider, Yang wrapped her arm around Sun's shoulders, hugging him. Sun's arm went around her back, returning the gesture. The two of them grinned up at the audience, waving their free hands at the spectators, taking a moment to bask in the cheers and applause, as the audience celebrated Sun's victory and Yang's sportsmanship.
Blake looked down at the pair, a fond smile on her face. She'd been unable to bring herself to cheer for one over the other. The sight of them both looking so happy after the end of the match was enough to relax her, assuring her that there were no hard feelings, despite both of them fighting tooth and nail to the absolute last fractions of a second of the match. However, even as she watched, she could see the faint shine of the lights off the moisture gathering at the edges of Yang's eyes. Yang was putting on a brave face. But Blake could see that her partner was only just barely holding it together.
She moved to stand up. I should-
Her train of thought was cut off by the feeling of Sasame's tail brushing along her arm. Glancing over, she saw Sasame smiling warmly at her.
"Why don't you go give Sun-kun the reward he deserves," she suggested. "Leave Yang-chan to me."
Blake's smile warmed. "That might be for the best," she agreed.
After they'd found the strength to stand and walk on their own, Yang and Sun headed for separate locker rooms. Watching from the screen, located in the lounge of the room she was in, Ruby realized that Yang was heading towards the opposite one.
"Isn't Yang-ch-er-senpai coming here?" asked Natsuki curiously.
"I was hoping to congratulate her on a sen-sa-tional match," added Penny.
Ruby sighed. "Yang probably just doesn't want us to see her being uncool," she said.
Penny and Natsuki looked at her in confusion.
Yang entered the locker room, which was presently being used by the three boys, who'd been the contestants outside her friend-group. All three of them glanced at her as she entered. Yang saw the one who'd been wearing the broad-brimmed hat give her a slight nod, a gesture mimicked by the hooded boy. The boy in white armor, appeared to lose interest, already turning his attention back to the screen.
At least they weren't saying or doing anything. Yang figured that they knew well enough how devastating it was to be the loser on a stage that big...no matter how good a fight she'd put up beforehand.
Soaked with sweat, Yang headed for the showers. Once inside, she turned on the water, and turned up the heat, allowing it to soak into her muscles, soothing them after her furious exertions before. For several minutes, she couldn't even bring herself to wash properly, merely leaning against the wall, bracing her forehead against her arm, her tears mingling with the water running down her face. Finally, she exited the shower in her robe, taking her clothes to the laundry and entrusting them to the attendants, before heading to a section of the locker room where she could sit down and be alone.
Except that someone had other plans.
"Yang-chan..."
Yang looked up, her eyes widening at the sight of Sasame. Yang figured one of the boys must have let her in. Sasame watched her with a soft smile.
Yang sniffled, trying to stifle her tears. Sasame's response was to close in and enfold Yang in a hug. Yang always found it odd how Sasame's hugs, coming from someone so small, could be so all-encompassing, even before her tails divided to wrap around and completely cocoon Yang in their warmth and softness.
"It's all right, Yang-chan," said Sasame, lifting herself up to kiss Yang on the forehead. "You did so very well, and you can stand proud."
Yang shuddered. "I-I know, but..."
"You put your heart and soul into that match," said Sasame. "It's only natural that losing, despite how much heart you put into it, would be painful. You aren't immature or weak. That's why I'm here."
"Huh?" grunted Yang.
"Cry for now," said Sasame. "Your sadness, your bitterness, and your pain; let them bleed away, so that, when you return to the others, you can greet them with that brilliant smile of yours."
"Thanks, Sasame-nee," said Yang.
"What are big sisters for?" asked Sasame rhetorically, smiling as Yang cried herself out in her embrace.
"Hey, Ruby," said Sun, entering the room. "Sorry about Yang."
Ruby gave Sun a relaxed smile. "You shouldn't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. Both you and Yang were great out there."
"I'll say! That was amazing!" gushed Natsuki, her eyes sparkling. "I can't wait to fight you!"
"Assuming you do," Sun countered with a wry chuckle.
"Well, if I fight you, I'll look forward to it," declared Natsuki, prompting Sun to laugh, then ruffle the hair on her head. Natsuki squealed in protest, but otherwise made little effort to dislodge him.
A tone from the door signaled a visitor. Going to see who it was, Ruby broke out into a grin, before letting her into the room. A second later, Sun looked up, his eyes widening at the sight of Blake.
"H-hey..." he said.
"Congratulations," said Blake, walking up to him.
"But...what about Yang?" asked Sun, wrapping his arms around her waist as she got close.
Blake draped her arms around his shoulders. "Sasame's taking care of her," she said.
"Oh..."
Blake smirked, then blushed. Then she sighed. "Well, I suppose that you deserve a reward for doing so well. Beating Yang is no small feat."
"Yeah?" asked Sun. "What kin-?"
Before he could finish his question, Blake's arms tightened their hold, which she used to pull herself closer, pressing their lips together. The next thing Sun knew, they were locked in a deep kiss. His own arms tightened, pulling Blake's lithe form up against his body, allowing him to feel the entirety of her assets.
"You smell," said Blake, finally pulling out of the kiss.
"Nah," countered Sun with a wry grin. "You smell...I stink."
Blake rolled her eyes, while Ruby and Natsuki giggled at the cliched joke. "Dork," muttered Blake under her breath. Then she pushed him away. "Go get showered. I'll wait for you out here."
"Yes, Ma'am," said Sun, saluting, before heading for the showers.
The other girls, who'd watched the whole thing, blinked, feeling as though a spell had been broken. Ruby and Natsuki broke out into identical blushes, while Penny seemed completely unconcerned.
"I wonder who's gonna be going next?" mused Penny, looking at the screen.
The inner-ring was already in the process of being replaced. It sank down through the opening in the floor that it normally covered, dropping down and sliding away to the side, out of view. Then, from the opposite side, a new one emerged, then rose up to occupy the original space. Despite how quickly and easily the ring had been switched, there was still going to be a thirty-minute intermission between matches. Spectators would have the chance to use the restrooms and visit the concession stands, without having to worry about missing a minute of the next match, while the pairing wouldn't be announced until right before.
Ruby found herself somewhat hoping that she didn't have to face any of her friends so early on. Thirty minutes later, she was shocked when her wish was granted, when the selector showed her facing off against Athos Elwood, the young man with the broad-brimmed hat.
Stepping out into the ring, Ruby faced her opponent, noting the young man's outfit, consisting of a leather vest of sorts, fastened together by several belts, over a more mundane black vest, and a white shirt beneath that. The boy exuded a refined air, which suggested an elegant style of combat. Were she to guess, from the way he looked and the nature of his Aura, Ruby supposed that the young-man's style was similar to Weiss or Winter's. Supporting that supposition, she couldn't help but notice the handle of a sword protruding from his left hip. As their stage rose up into the air, Ruby saw him draw it, revealing the sword to be a basket-hilted schiavona, bearing a pair of colored lines up its length. One was red, while the other was green.
"Well," he said in a lilting tone, "I've heard a great deal about you. You're the one who fought Pyrrha Nikos to a draw."
"Th-that's right," said Ruby, blushing slightly. It was jarring to be reminded that she was still somewhat famous for that.
"Truly, I'm envious," said Athos, smiling. "I had hoped to face her in the Mistral Regional Tournament, but I missed my chance."
"You did?" asked Ruby.
Athos' smile took on a rueful quality. "I entered against her in her third run of the tournament. However, I was eliminated before I had the chance to fight her. Sadly, circumstances kept me from participating in the next one. After that, well...it was time to make sure I was ready for my entrance into Haven."
"That's too bad," said Ruby. "But, you could still spar with Pyrrha, while you're here. She'd love to have an opponent who's willing to fight her seriously."
Athos laughed. "Yes, I can imagine she has precious few of those, these days. Although, now that I'm facing the person who gave her the most difficult battle of her illustrious career, I find myself wondering...if I defeat you, then can I say that I have surpassed her?"
"Hmm...?" Ruby canted her head in confusion.
Athos laughed again. "Come now, don't think you can fool me. You may have never squared off in an official match since that first one, but I know that the two of you have fought again, most likely several times. There's no way Pyrrha, or someone dedicated enough to match her in the ring, would be willing to leave things at a mere draw. The question then is, which of you is currently ahead of the other."
Ruby smiled impishly, finding herself liking her opponent quite a bit. He was friendly and perceptive, which meant this was a match that they would both enjoy. "I'm sorry, but that's a secret," she said.
That got yet another laugh from Athos. "I can imagine that you would keep it secret. After all, any such information leaking would undoubtedly cause trouble for the two of you. I suppose I will have to find out, when I challenge Pyrrha later."
"I hope you do," said Ruby, grinning.
Port and Oobleck began the countdown. Ruby and her opponent readied their swords. When the countdown finished, they rushed straight for each other.
The match proved to be an exciting one. Athos' swordsmanship was exceptionally refined. His sword might not have had the sheer versatility that Weiss' blade, with its rotating selection of Dust-types, did, but he still made excellent use of the wind and fire-Dust that ran through the fullers carved along the blade's length. Much to Ruby's surprise, Athos' primary approach to using Dust was to combine fire and wind in an explosive fashion. But, rather than using them to attack directly, the reaction was instead used to enhance the speed and power of his slashes.
His situational awareness was impressive, and his form was excellent. All told, he made for a formidable opponent, and Ruby was somewhat surprised that this was someone who hadn't lasted long enough in the Mistral Regional Tournament to face Pyrrha. But, then again, perhaps it was that loss that had induced him to hone his skills to such an extent.
Ultimately, however, he was no match for her. Ruby didn't have the heart to tell him that he wasn't a match for Pyrrha either, though she suspected that he would certainly give her a good fight. Their match was furious, the pair moving swiftly back and forth across the ring. While Athos had no way of keeping up with her Shukuchi, he was still composed enough to anticipate her moves, and have his blade in position to counter when she used it to try and outmaneuver him.
In the end, much to her surprise, Ruby was forced to split her swords to defeat him. Athos continued to put up a good fight. However, he ultimately wound up overwhelmed by her speed and power, particularly when she began to bring her lightning into play. A few minutes after the match had begun, it ended with Ruby standing over him, Athos' muscles spasming as crackling arcs of red lighting ran up and down his limbs, his Aura reduced to the point where the match was called in her favor.
Sheathing her sword, Ruby bent down to offer the young man a hand up. Athos accepted gratefully.
"Thanks for the great match," she said.
"You're quite welcome," said Athos. "I hope we get the chance to meet again."
"I'm sure we will," said Ruby.
They parted amicably, returning to their respective locker rooms. Ruby was greeted by enthusiastic congratulations from her friends. After taking her shower and handing her clothes off to be laundered, she settled in to wait with the rest of them, until the next match was called.
When the selection was announced, Penny jumped out of her seat with an excited whoop. Her opponent was Sunil Karim, the young man in the hood. The pair approached each other in the ring. As the inner-ring rose up into the air, Penny deployed Floating Array, while Sunil, like Athos, drew a sword. However, as Sunil's weapon cleared the sheath, revealing a curved, single-edged blade, a second blade, about half as long, unfolded from halfway along the weapon's length, sporting an inverse curve, so that Sunil now held a sword with a sickle extending from about halfway along it.
"What a weird weapon," said Natsuki.
"Yeah!" agreed Ruby, leaning forward eagerly. The more unusual a weapon seemed, the more likely it was to do something completely unusual. For her part, Ruby couldn't wait to see what that was.
Unfortunately, she didn't get much of a chance. As soon as Oobleck gave the signal to begin the match, Penny proceeded to wipe the floor with Sunil. She completely overwhelmed him with a barrage of attacks, the sheer ferocity of which completely belied the giddy smile on Penny's face, looking to all the world like a child, gleefully playing her favorite game.
Poor Sunil was clearly outmatched. Barely a minute after the match's beginning, he was sent tumbling out of the ring, with no hope of recovery. The sheer speed and decisiveness of the match made Ruby and Natsuki wince.
"Ouch!" commented Sun, sitting with Blake nestled up against his side, his arm wrapped around her.
"I feel sorry for him," commented Blake.
"Me too," agreed Ruby.
"Wow...Penny-chan sure is strong," noted Natsuki.
Ruby nodded. It wasn't the first time Natsuki had seen Penny fight. She'd been able to watch Penny's round in the doubles, after all. But Penny's display of strength in this match in particular had been nothing short of stunning.
"She's gonna be a tough cookie, come next round," said Sun. "I wonder which of us is gonna fight her?"
That remark triggered a realization from Ruby, prompting an excited gasp from her. She'd just realized that, with this, it had been assured that Natsuki wouldn't be fighting her and Penny. Assuming Natsuki won her match next, that would mean that all four of them would be going onto the next round.
It also meant that they knew who Natsuki's opponent in the next match would be. The white-armored boy named Lloyd Harford was apparently from Atlas. Ruby wondered if Penny knew anything about him.
"Oh yes, I do know about him," said Penny cheerfully. "He is a most distasteful individual."
"Uh..." Ruby didn't know how to respond to that last line, not when Penny delivered it in the same peppy tone she always used, with a complete lack of feeling to match the wording of her statement.
"He's the leader of Team Lindworm," explained Penny. "He used to be one of Ciel's suitors."
"Let me guess...hard feelings because Ciel picked Rain," said Blake.
"Yep!" agreed Penny cheerfully. "He comes from a wealthy family, so his weaponry is all state-of-the-art. He says he doesn't have to train, because he can pay for whatever weapons he needs. He used to brag to Ciel about his money all the time, when he was trying to get her to date him."
Reminds me a bit about how Cardin used to be, thought Ruby, remembering Cardin's overtures towards her, during that unpleasant period where he'd been trying to woo her, offering to use his connections as a member of the Winchester Family to get them into exclusive places in Vale.
"Sounds like a creep," said Natsuki.
"Oh, most certainly," agreed Penny, as peppy as ever.
"So what kind of weapon does he use?" asked Sun.
"I'm not sure," admitted Penny, prompting surprised looks from the others. "He has several, and he changes them according to what he feels like using."
Thinking about it, Ruby called up the recordings of the previous matches Team LNWM had participated in before. In the team round, Lloyd had been wielding a sword with an alabaster blade, which appeared to demonstrate an impressive ability to utilize hard-light-Dust, producing flashing arcs of energy to attack, and shields to defend. In the doubles round, he'd used a futuristic rifle, also all white, to fire high-speed shots that packed an impressive punch, their speed such that his opponents had been unable to avoid them.
"Sounds like the kind of guy who's a pain to deal with," said Sun, watching the recordings on the holo-screen. "If he can change up his armaments like that, then he can keep people from getting a solid idea of how he fights. Plus, he could have a weapon for any situation."
"That's one way to put it," said Ruby, frowning. "But the real reason is he's just showing off."
She could tell. The technical capabilities of the weapons he utilized were impressive. But, just from watching those two matches he'd fought in, she could see that he was haphazard in his use of them. Their capabilities were so substantial that they would be difficult to counter on their own. However, he completely relied on them. From the way he responded to incoming attacks, and how he attacked, she could see that he'd invested little to no effort into understanding the full nuances of what his weapons were capable of. In fact, from what she saw, both of the previous matches were won by virtue of his teammates picking up the slack for him.
If someone like him is the leader, then he must give his teammates a lot of headaches, Ruby thought ruefully.
"I wonder what he'll use this time," mused Natsuki, before grinning. "This is gonna be fun."
"Just be careful," said Penny, sincere worry entering into her voice. "He's a jerk."
"Okay," said Natsuki.
A few minutes later, Natsuki stepped out into the ring. Lloyd approached her from the other side.
He was a fair-skinned young man, a pair of bright-green eyes looking out from beneath a head of light-brown hair, swept over towards the right side of his head, with a streak of blonde decorating the front and center, before leaning over to the right with the rest.
He was wearing orange-pants, with matching lacing running up the sides of his torso, running over what appeared to be a shirt with a gray front, and black on either side. The shirt disappeared beneath the distinctive white plates of his armor, which covered his chest, shoulders, and back, rising up to encompass his neck as well. Detached pauldrons covered his shoulders, while he also sported guards on his elbows, both worn over the long, black sleeves of his shirt. Metal plates rested over the black gloves that covered his hands. There was something like a headset, running over his ears, before extending back behind his head, also white, but with blue lines running along its length. Aside from that, on his left wrist, he wore a watch with a glowing blue face, similar to the one that concealed Ciel's weapon.
As soon as Lloyd saw Natsuki, his expression morphed into a disdainful scowl. "Well, it would seem that I drew the short straw then. There's certainly nothing worthwhile about fighting an interloper like you."
"Interloper?" Natsuki raised a finger to her chin, tilting her head in confusion.
"You come out of nowhere, no background, no pedigree, nothing...and think that you have the right to compete here?" asked Lloyd. "This is nothing more than an insult to those of us who worked to be worthy of the right to enter this sacred space."
"I didn't realize it was sacred," said Natsuki.
Lloyd bared his teeth. "Of course not," he said. "That being the case, I suppose it is up to me to expel you. It's bad enough that you've gotten this far. However, you shall progress no further."
"If you say so," said Natsuki with a shrug.
Lloyd's lips pulled back in a sneer. "Now then...allow me to demonstrate what true superiority looks like."
The ring lurched slightly, then began to rise up. Natsuki drew her swords. Lloyd, on the other hand, reached over with his right finger, tapping the screen of his watch. A holographic interface appeared, hovering in the air over its screen. "In anticipation of facing Penny during the tournament, I took the liberty of having this prepared for the finals. After studying her weapons, I had the best engineers develop this to be completely superior in every respect. There is no hope that a mere pretender, like you, could ever stand against them."
Natsuki hadn't been able to see it, because it was out of her view, but the armor of Lloyd's back featured something that hadn't been there during his previous matches. They were bulbous, ovular pieces of white metal, almost looking like growths on his back. After activating his watch, they detached, separating from one another, and rising up into the air. As they did, their forms unfolded, enlarging slightly, but also extending in one direction, giving them slightly-curved, teardrop shapes. Instead of tapering to a point, each narrowed end terminated in what looked like the barrel of a gun.
They hovered in a loose arc behind Lloyd, who smirked, one finger poised over the screen of his holographic interface.
"That's cool!" said Natsuki, grinning.
Lloyd grunted, his smile faltering at the realization that Natsuki seemed completely unintimidated by his advanced weaponry.
In the audience, Ciel looked on with narrowed eyes, her hackles rising at the sight of Lloyd. While she couldn't hear him from this distance, she could tell that he was talking down to Natsuki and, otherwise, being his usual smug and condescending self.
"Ugh...Harford's still an ass, I see," grumbled Weiss.
"He is," agreed Ciel.
Weiss grimaced at the sight of the young man, remembering him all too well from those days where she'd been forced to be a part of Atlas' social scene. The Harford Family were independently wealthy through their connections to a number of industries, to the point that they were second only to the Schnees themselves in overall capital. They held the largest amount of stock in the SDC of any of the independent shareholders, giving them considerable clout within the company as well. Because of that, he was one of the people her father had suggested she approach...for a relationship.
However, Weiss had found Lloyd to be an utterly detestable young man, probably the most straightforward example of how being born with a silver soon in one's mouth could lead to the development of the worst personality traits. Considering how she'd been at the beginning of the year, Weiss, had understood that she'd been arrogant. However, Lloyd would have put her old attitude to shame.
Of course, that immense wealth meant that the Harford Family didn't necessarily see sufficient incentive in joining with the Schnee Family that they felt the need to push Lloyd into a relationship with her, much to Weiss' relief.
The other relief was that Lloyd had been fixated on Ciel...although Weiss imagined that Ciel would hardly count that as a relief on her part.
No one was quite sure what had prompted Lloyd to fixate on the daughter of a military family. Perhaps he had seen Ciel with her, back then, flat and disinterested attitude as a challenge for him to overcome. Or perhaps he had simply found her pleasing on an aesthetic level, and had simply sought to to claim Ciel's particular beauty for himself. Either way, Lloyd had gone to substantial lengths to try and draw Ciel's interest, usually by flaunting his wealth.
He'd tried to appeal to her with expensive gifts, glittering rings and jewels of the highest quality. When Ciel had barely batted an eye at that, he'd invested some of his capital in having the most advanced weapons and equipment possible designed for his personal use, showing them off, attempting to lure Ciel in with the promise of having access to similar equipment for her Huntress ambitions. Ciel had avoided the hook quite neatly. By that point, she'd already met Piper, who had helped her to build Gram Vajra. Even without the advantage of personal attachment, Ciel's weapon was, albeit subtly, more advanced than anything Lloyd's money had been able to buy.
Sadly, however, Lloyd's obsession wouldn't be thwarted so easily. He'd even gone so far as to follow Ciel into Atlas Academy, not even bothering with Combat School and more than the bare minimum of personal training, getting through the entrance exams and Initiation with a predictably expensive and powerful weapon. Much to Ciel's relief, they had ended up on completely different teams. However, Lloyd wasn't one to let that deter him.
Of course, by that point, Ciel had met Rain. For his part, Rain had been more earnest and considerate in how he'd courted Ciel. Unlike Lloyd, he'd never tried to flaunt his family's wealth, or play on their status as nobility. Instead, he'd relied on the tried and true method of spending time with her, getting to know her, and gradually wearing his way through her stoic manner, while managing the balancing act of accomplishing that without going so far that he came off as intrusive. He respected Ciel's boundaries, and always treated her with respect and care, something that had won her over...which Lloyd hadn't liked in the least.
"I guess he probably made your life hell," said Weiss, glancing at Rain.
"He tried," said Piper, giggling.
"He challenged me to matches, whenever the opportunity came up," said Rain.
"Sounds like Cardin at his worst," commented Jaune.
"You're not wrong," said Weiss.
Indeed, she could say quite definitively that Lloyd was Atlas Academy's version of Cardin, only without him benefitting from the slice of humble pie that Cardin had been served at Beacon, courtesy of Sasame and, later, Jaune. Nor did he have the benefit of a teammate who was stronger than him, who demonstrated more integrity, to serve as an example of proper behavior for an aspiring Huntsman.
"I remember watching his last couple of matches," said Ren. "His teammates had to bail him out fairly often."
"Of course they did," scoffed Piper.
"They don't mind?" asked Nora incredulously.
"Even if they do, they keep their mouths shut," said Ciel.
"Yeah," agreed Piper. "They're less his teammates and more his toadies."
"Upon being assigned to his team, Harford wasted no time," Rain explained. "He was quick to offer them the full benefit of his personal wealth to obtain whatever they desired, be it expensive components for their weapons, or the highest caliber Dust."
"It wasn't long before they got a reputation for buying their way through the ranks," grumbled Piper. "Heck, if I didn't trust the faculty so much, I'd probably guess that Lloyd tried bribing them to fudge his grades too."
"The thought undoubtedly occurred to him," said Ciel, "though he also knew that acting on it would only get him thrown out."
"And he did all this 'cause he was obsessed with you?" Nora asked, giving Ciel a worried look.
"More or less," said Ciel with a sigh. In an uncharacteristic betrayal of nervousness, she began to rub her right hand up and down her left arm. "There were times when he could be quite...forward...to the extent that I would have been genuinely worried about the prospect of ever being alone with him, if he weren't a complete pushover without his weapons."
In all honesty, coming to Vale for an extended period had been a relief, as it had given her a break from Lloyd's harassment.
Rain reached over, resting his hand over Ciel's own, prompting her to relax. The pair shared a smile.
"He hasn't given up, has he?" asked Weiss.
"No," said Ciel, frowning. "But there isn't much he can do now."
"Well, hopefully, Natsuki'll thrash him," commented Oscar from the row behind them, having listened to the entire conversation.
"Is he strong?" asked Setsuna.
"It depends on his choice of weapon," said Rain. "Back at Atlas, he went through the trouble of preparing a host of weapons, tailored to any opponent he might wind up facing. It could make him extremely difficult to fight."
"But he doesn't have that opportunity here," noted Pyrrha.
"He does not," agreed Rain. "So then, Ms. Shinomori's ability to overcome him will likely be decided by the compatibility of his weapon against her particular skills."
"It's going to be an uphill battle," said Piper, her eyes narrowing as she watched Lloyd deploy his weapons. "Those things are autonomous attack drones. He must be imitating Penny. They might look small, but they'll pack a wallop, and they'll be able to attack independently from any direction." Her eyes narrowed even more. "On top of that, they're wireless, so they'll have even more freedom of movement than Penny's Floating Array. She's gonna have to keep on her toes in order too..."
Then the sound of the countdown reached their ears.
"Begin!"
The second Oobleck's voice reached his ears, Lloyd smiled a little wider. He took a second to savor the anticipation of seeing how the girl in front of him struggled against his advanced technology. His finger moved towards the holographic interface hovering over the watch on his left arm, preparing to touch the command to activate his new weapon's attack program...
But Natsuki was right in front of him. Lloyd's eyes widened. He hadn't even seen her cross the distance between them. One second, she had been several meters away. In the next, she was suddenly right in front of him. There was a flash from the lights above glinting off the steel in her right hand, the kodachi lashing across her body to strike his right arm, knocking it away from the interface before Lloyd could touch the command key, while also stinging him with the sensation of her weapon's edge biting into his Aura.
Reflexively, Lloyd reeled back, trying to get away. He needed some space. However, just because Natsuki had prevented him from activating his weapon through the holographic interface didn't mean that Lloyd was out of options just yet. He could also activate his weapon verbally. He'd wanted to make a more casual display, but simply speaking the attack-command would have to suffice in this situation.
There was another flash from down below, this time coming from beneath Natsuki's right arm. Her left-handed Kodachi darted upwards, and Lloyd tensed, expecting to feel its point piercing into his Aura. However, Natsuki's thrust halted just a few inches away from his neck and chin. With the shorter length of her left-handed weapon, and the fact that she was thrusting from under her right arm, Natsuki must have misjudged her reach, so her attack had fallen short.
However, before Lloyd could fully articulate that, he saw Natsuki smile. "Shakuran Entei!" The point of her kodachi flashed, and a blast of flame erupted outward, engulfing Lloyd explosively. The heat seared his body mercilessly, and he found himself screaming as he was thrown backwards off the edge of the ring...leaving his weapons still hovering around the space where he'd been standing. A second later, the buzzer sounded.
"...Or he could go down like a total chump, before he could do a thing," said Piper, her eyes widening.
"From how you described him, I'm a bit surprised," said Miyu, now joining the conversation. "Surely there were individual matches where he had similar issues."
"Well...yeah...but not right away," said Piper.
"Even if an opponent can best him, it usually is difficult to get around whatever weapon he might be using," added Rain. "I do not believe most other people are capable of closing as quickly as Ms. Shinomori is."
"In any case, it's a relief that he's out of the tournament," said Ciel, letting out a sigh.
Natsuki watched with a disappointed frown as the paramedics loaded Lloyd on a stretcher, carrying him out of the arena. His face had been blackened by soot, even though her flames hadn't ignited all that much on his body. The medics had been quick to assure her that he wasn't actually injured, more mentally shocked. It appeared that the fact he'd been defeated so quickly and easily had temporarily stupefied him.
She glanced over at one of the other medics, who had picked up the floating drones Lloyd had deployed, and was now carrying them off, along with the stunned boy. "Aww...I never got to see what they did. I guess I should've gone easier on him. Oh well..."
With that, she turned back towards the locker room. With her victory, the tournament quarterfinals were officially over.
Yang coughed into her hand self-importantly, before raising a glass. "And so...with the quarterfinals out of the way, let's officially congratulate everyone who made it into the next room."
She and all the others raised their glasses. "CHEERS!"
It was a substantial surprise that, after the quarterfinals had concluded, Yang had proposed that everyone assemble in the common room of Beacon's resident dorms, where they could celebrate the end of the round. Whatever Sasame had done to comfort her had apparently worked wonders, and Yang didn't display an iota of frustration at her being ousted from the tournament by Sun.
As such; RASP, RYNB, CPPR, MNPS, and SSSN; along with Ashley and Sasame; had all adjourned to the common room, and were sharing a round of refreshments.
To that end, Jaune had produced a pitcher of a crystal clear, ruby-tinted liquid from the refrigerator to pour for everyone. It proved to be sweet and tart drink, tasting vaguely of cranberries and other juices, while having a surprisingly rich mouthfeel.
"What is this?" asked Ruby, downing her portion with a gusto.
"Punch," answered Jaune, pouring her another glass
"What's in it?" asked Pyrrha, enjoying her portion with small sips.
"Cranberry juice, apple juice, lemon juice, black tea, allspice...and a secret ingredient," said Jaune teasingly.
Immediately, Ruby was in front of him, eyes narrowing accusingly. "Okay, out with it! What's the special ingredient?"
Jaune grinned. "It's one of your favorite things...milk."
"Huh!?" Jaune was the focus of several confused gazes. However, Yang chuckled and swirled the liquid in her glass, recognizing what Jaune had done.
"Milk?" Ruby stared at the clear liquid in her glass, scarcely imagining that anything so clear could have come from a white, opaque fluid like milk.
"Dang, Jaune," said Yang. "I didn't realize you knew about milk-washing."
"Yeah, it's something I learned from the family," explained Jaune. "Though I tweaked the original recipe to make it non-alcoholic."
"That's considerate of you," said Ruby, smiling sweetly at him.
While Beacon students were usually exempt from the normal age restrictions regarding the consumption of alcohol, it seemed that there was no way Glynda was willing to extend that so far as to allow a fifteen-year-old to drink. As such, Ruby had been informed by the Deputy Headmistress, very early on, that she would have to wait two more years before she was permitted to consume alcohol. Of course, it went without saying that their guests from Leng, as well as Oscar, were not permitted that privilege either.
For her part, Ruby didn't mind all that much. She'd never fully understood the appeal of liquor, for all that it had made her uncle do some rather silly things that stood out in her memory. It helped that, amongst her friends, Yang was the only one likely to frequent the bars with any degree of reliability, everyone else having particular reservations about going drinking too often, to say nothing of the fact that absolutely none of them ever wanted to see what a drunken Nora was like.
She found herself standing alongside Sun, Natsuki, and Penny. Penny was the only one not holding a glass, for obvious reasons.
"Wow...so all four of us are in the next round," said Sun, grinning. "It's kinda weird that all of us are friends. You'd think it was pretty contrived."
"I guess we're all just that good," said Natsuki cheerfully.
"We are Sen-sa-tional," added Penny, grinning. "I can't wait to face one of you in the ring next."
"It's not until the day after tomorrow though," Ruby pointed out.
Penny's smile didn't falter in the slightest. "It seems we will have to wait."
The others laughed.
They began to mingle with the rest of their friends. As they did, Natsuki noticed someone in a green coat slipping outside. Setting her now-empty glass aside, she moved to follow him. She found Oscar out in the hallway, his own hands empty. As she closed the door behind her, he turned and smiled.
"Hey, congrats on winning," he said.
"Thanks," said Natsuki, folding her arms behind her back and edging closer.
"I was a bit worried for a moment. Ciel and her teammates were building that guy up into someone I was worried about." Oscar shook his head, smiling ruefully. "I should've known better than to think you couldn't handle it."
"I'm glad you worried about me," said Natsuki, advancing a couple of steps, until they were almost face to face.
Finding her so close made Oscar a little nervous. His cheeks turned red, and his eyes darted, but ultimately settled on meeting Natsuki's. He found himself returning her smile.
"You know...if we do this...it's gonna be hard to keep it up," he pointed out. "After the tournament, you'll be going back to Leng. I don't think we'll be seeing each other for a while."
Now it was Natsuki's turn to avert her eyes for a moment. "Yeah...that's gonna be tricky."
"I understand what Auntie Em was talking about now," said Oscar softly.
"About what?" asked Natsuki, turning her eyes back to Oscar curiously.
"About thinking about what comes after..." said Oscar, sighing a little. "She must've seen this coming. And she probably understood where that would leave us."
"I guess she did," said Natsuki. "Family is pretty amazing, huh?"
"They can be," said Oscar, chuckling.
"Even so...do you still want to try?" asked Natsuki.
"I...I do," said Oscar. "I have my doubts though."
"You do?" Natsuki's smile wilted.
"Not about you!" said Oscar quickly, holding up his hands. "I kinda doubt myself."
"You do...why?" asked Natsuki.
"After the festival is over, we'll go our separate ways," Oscar pointed out sadly. "I mean...time and distance like that...I don't know if...if I have that kinda strength."
Natsuki's smile returned, with a sly quality to it. "Oh, I think you do."
"Y-you do?" stammered Oscar, looking at her in surprise, with a hint of nervousness.
Natsuki's smile widened. "After all, even though you only knew her for a couple of days, you really carried a torch for Ruby-chan, didn't you?"
"I-I..." Oscar's blush multiplied exponentially, threatening to spread across his entire face, before he grimaced and turned his eyes away from her. "Why do you have to bring that up again?"
"I'm not teasing you!" said Natsuki quickly. "It's just...even with that little, you had feelings that held on through all the years, even grew stronger." Her smile became warm. "So...I know you aren't the kind of person who'll just forget someone else so easily. If you and I do this, I know you'll hold onto your feelings for me for at least as long as you would for Ruby-chan."
"O-oh..." Oscar's blush spread anyway.
Natsuki grinned, then closed the final distance between them, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Oscar found his arms going around her waist, pulling her slender form up against his own.
"So...in that case..." said Natsuki, her voice growing husky, "...what I need to do...is make sure I leave an even bigger impression than Ruby-chan did."
"H-how?" stammered Oscar, though he was fairly certain that he already knew the answer.
Natsuki didn't say anything more. She simply leaned in, pressing her lips against Oscar's own. This was no swift peck, but a lingering kiss, one that Oscar found himself returning, his arms tightening their hold to press himself closer still. In that moment, all thoughts of the tournament, and everything else going on faded into the background...and there was only the two of them.
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