"So he really does have white hair..." Aqua murmured, and as soon as someone came out from the shadows of the opposite archway.
Of course, she had already seen what Rio looked like on the jumbotron, but, well, it was still quite the surprise up to see up close, if only because of that tell-tale appearance that most everyone on Remnant would be able to recognize.
But, surprisingly, he wasn't a Schnee.
At least, his last name said he wasn't.
Aqua held such fleeting curiosity as the boy came fully into view.
Wearing a black and blue cloak that hugged a slender frame, and with a silver blade gently jostling with each step taken, Rio Amakawa made his approach with a smile, if a small one. That was to say, it wasn't arrogant, but... nor was it pleased, either.
Yes.
It was just the small polite little smile of someone who clearly wasn't expecting this turn of events, but resolved themselves to see it through all the same.
And if nothing else, even that level of composure was impressive, especially for someone so young.
In any case, the boy stopped in front of them, and suddenly feeling compelled to do so, Aqua was about to offer some words of greeting, if only because, first and foremost, she was the adult in the situation.
Though, she didn't get the chance.
After all, surprisingly, and with his head dipped, it was Rio who ended up beating her to it.
"It is an honor to be able to stand before those of such considerable strength and renown. Should you care to remember it, my name is Rio Amakawa."
Aqua blinked.
She had expected any number of things from their student combatant. Nervousness. Heaps of self-confidence. Callousness even. But this? Someone so polite and well-mannered? That wasn't quite what she had envisioned in her head.
"Oh?" Teale quirked a brow in amusement.
Grey even snorted. "...And here I was expecting some cocksure teen with an ego," the man grunted, an interested smile tugging at his lips. "But at least you have manners kid, I'll give you that."
"You're joking, right?"
Of course, that was when someone scoffed.
Rouge had a gleam in his eye, and with his arms crossed in front of him, the chakrams glinted dangerously amidst the sun's glare. "Sure he isn't just buttering us up for when he loses?" he asked, even going as far as to lazily aim one at the boy.
Rio's lowered head didn't so much as twitch.
"After all, when he gets his ass kicked, it'll be 'as expected' and nothing else, right? If he wants to save a little face, why wouldn't he suck up to us beforehand?"
"R-Rouge!" Aqua stammered, whirling on the man.
Rouge being his usual self with no one to hear but them was one thing, but to say such things straight to a kid...
"You can't just—"
"Actually, it's alright."
Rio finally raised his head, but rather than looking at the slightly surprised Aqua, he was instead fielding Rouge's skeptical stare with an unbothered one of his own, and with a half-smile even.
"Honestly, this entire situation is more than I expected. So... while I did intend to show proper respect to you all... it would be a lie to say the pleasantries weren't also used as a way to mask my own nervousness... sorry if I came across as too full of myself."
Or so Rio decidedly apologized, but with the kind of calm and methodical consideration that didn't suit the age of the one speaking in the slightest. Thus, it was only natural that those listening, that is, those adults in their late twenties, were sequestered into a not only long but very much stunned silence.
At least, that was only until Grey broke it by a bark of a laugh, amused.
But because that was all he did, that just caused the slight humiliation already present on Rouge's face to pinch together even more.
After all, the red-haired man very much did not have the expression of someone who had found Rio's deferential attitude and subsequent apology as a win.
Yes; looking away with a click of his tongue, Rouge now looked like he wanted to be anywhere else.
"A-And that's okay!" Of course, Aqua took this chance to snap out of her own shock, stepping in magnanimously. "To be nervous, I mean!"
She looked at Rio, cerulean eyes abundant with sincerity.
"It's completely understandable to be like that over something like this. You might have all these people watching you, but don't think of them at all. Just... think of the people you care about. Those are the only ones who should matter. You want them to see you in the best light, right? So just do your best! Tell them that you did the best you could, and if they truly are your friends, they will be proud of you."
The woman placed a hand over her chest.
"We aren't planning to hold back, but even then, know that no matter the outcome, this will be an experience to grow stronger from."
Or so Aqua finished passionately, holding a hand to her chest, and with a friendly smile on her face.
In reality though...?
It had felt like nothing but hollow lip-service had just spewed from her mouth.
Not because she didn't mean the words she said.
She did mean them.
But still, because they clashed with the fact that she had to say them while knowing full well that this would only end one way for the boy, with a bitter defeat...
Aqua minutely shook her head.
She could only hope he was able to gain something worthwhile from this, however small.
It was horrible to think, Aqua knew, but she wasn't so heartless a person that she would find pleasure in fighting against an opponent who was still in training.
The only true solace she could take from this was the fact that Rio would still have a chance to shine in the actual tournament, no matter what happened here.
Thinking about it that way, they were helping him by offering hands on training against more experienced opponents.
Of course, Aqua was unaware Rio didn't have a team.
Still, her excuse was almost enough to make her feel better.
Almost.
That being said, distracted by her thoughts, Aqua failed to notice the state her words left Rio in, that is, how the boy was staring at her almost unblinking, his composure slipping a bit in the way that those amber eyes of his were slightly widened.
"...That's our resident cheerleader for you," Teale suddenly muttered off to the side with a grin.
Of course, since Aqua was also their resident mother-hen, she naturally heard that, and with a twitch of her eyebrows, was quick to send the man a short but willful side long glare.
Still, she looked back to Rio, somewhat expecting him to have seen through her words, and maybe even the less than pleasant thoughts that had been behind them.
However.
"...I see."
With a small smile on his face, one that looked more relaxed than it had been previously, Rio was looking at her. No, it just seemed like he was. Because actually, it didn't even feel like she was being stared at, at all, not with how far off those twin ambers looked all of a sudden; taking on a forlorn gleam even...
"Thank you." But then Rio said that, and the small air of sadness in that gaze vanished along with it. "What you just said cleared away my remaining uncertainties. In return, I'll try not to disappoint."
Aqua blinked.
"ALRIGHT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE HAVE WAITED LONG ENOUGH!"
But anything else Aqua might have said in response was drowned out by the loud voice that suddenly rocketed through the stadium.
"The match between our very own Vale Huntsmen and Beacon Academy Student will begin soon! On one side we have our new white-haired transfer, RIO AMAKAWAAAAAAAA~! GIVE THIS YOUNG MAN A ROUND OF APPLAUSEEEEEEEEEE~!"
On cue, and only after the smallest of pauses, a deafening deluge of sound slammed into the arena, spectators no doubt cheering from all corners of Amity's floating structure.
Even if the people should have low expectations from the student about to face off against four huntsmen, that still didn't take away from the idea that they might win.
People believed in underdog stories for the possibility, not because of practicality, after all.
"AND LET'S NOT FORGET ABOUT HIS OPPONENTTTTTTSSSSSS! Led by Aqua Keeyes and her teammates Grey Stone, Teale Nightshade, and Rouge Flare! Team ARGT (Argentum) will not be showing Rio any slacccccckkkkkkkkkkkkk~! NOW! FIGHTERS! ARE YOU READYYYYY~!?"
The crowd roared even louder.
Now, this should have been enough for Aqua to snap back to attention to prepare herself, but she couldn't get what the boy had just said out of her head.
No, I can't think about that right now.
With a shake of her head, Aqua forced herself to shift into gear, as her teammates had already done the same.
She held her rapier aloft, trusting it to offer her the steeling her nerves needed.
It worked just as intended, as she shifted her legs into a low crouch, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
She focused on the battle in front of her, no, more like she forced her brain to hone on her surroundings, as she had been taught and trained to do.
Even if he was a student, it wasn't okay to let her guard down, for her own skills or for her opponent.
Yes, all of them squared off against Rio, a four on one scenario that should have left anyone weak in the knees.
Should.
"The hell..." Rouge suddenly growled, an unpleasant expression on his face. "Even after he said all that, he's mocking us by not even drawing his weapon...?"
It was as Rouge said.
Rio stood across from them, making no inclinations to draw the sword which rested at his hip.
That wasn't to say he didn't move, however.
But all he did was shift one foot behind him, and only slightly too, as if in preparation for something.
Additionally, the amber eyes that were once docile and kind, suddenly changed on a dime, boring into them with a kind of impassive seriousness they couldn't say they were expecting.
That was to say, the polite boy who had greeted them had completely vanished.
Now, Rouge was quick to assume this was arrogance, but...
He's taking this seriously, Aqua realized.
Her heart soared at the thought, if not at the faint approval lifting it up, then because of the boy's unassuming final words finally making sense in her head.
He would try not to disappoint.
"Three...!"
He would be giving it his all, so Aqua would have to do the same.
The woman took her own breath, before looking to Rio's eyes again, but this time in the attempt to pin down what kind of strategy the boy might employ.
And yet, those halting ambers began shifting between all of them, with meticulous slowness too, no doubt running his own quiet analysis. But ultimately...
They stopped at one person.
"Two...!"
"...!?"
And the man in question realized it too, slightly bristling under the boy's stare. Furthermore, Grey's weapon even went as far as to tense, his grip tightening around the handle.
Grey? Aqua questioned, slightly baffled. Does he think getting rid of the heaviest attacker will give him the advantage? That's not a bad strategy, but even if he does land the first hit somehow... it's not like Grey can't tank it.
Wasn't that obvious just by looking at the man?
Besides, all four of them would just end up collapsing on him immediately afterward.
Still, as if to further antagonize her thoughts, Rio chose that moment to reach for the hilt at his waist, even if he still made no move to remove it just yet. Of course, the white haired boy also made no sign of looking away from the large man.
"One, anddddddddddd...!"
By now, her teammates realized Rio was solely staring at Grey, most likely incorporating that into their own strategies.
Aqua would do the same.
The second Rio lunged for Grey, she would go for his legs and try to knock him off balance. If she knew her team, which she did, Rouge and Teale would immediately move in for the flank, trusting that Grey could endure the hit.
Aqua quickly exchanged wordless glances amongst them.
Naturally, they didn't need to speak to understand what the plan was.
Having fought together as long as they had, they were able to move like a well-oiled machine.
As much as Teale was easy going and sometimes indecisive, Grey with his stoniness, or Rouge being sarcastic and rude to the point of insanity, they were still her team, and she trusted them with her lives.
So right as the intercom crackled for perhaps the final time, her legs tensing in anticipation, a beat passed, and then—
"BEGIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!"
Everyone charged Rio at once.
—Which was why they were all caught completely flat-footed when Rio looked at Aqua at the last second and threw his sword straight at her.
Ah.
And even as a professional Huntsman, she could barely keep up with the speed at which the blade came hurdling at her. There was no time to dodge. There was no time to even think of doing so.
With a mild yelp, all Aqua managed was a lackluster attempt at drawing her weapon to her face, desperate to somehow block the incoming projectile in time, a projectile that was someone's sword for crying out loud.
Still, it was all she could do to try for this awkward parry, resigning herself to losing a bit of aura if she failed, bracing for the moment when—
The gleaming silver sword flew past her completely, rustling her hair.
In that fraction of a second, Aqua's mind blanked.
Then she heard the scraping sound of steel against steel to her right, and Grey, with his large sword close to his face, the large width almost completely obscuring him, had quite the expression on his face as the sword cleanly grazed the outside of his cheek.
Rather, it skimmed the top of the layer of aura that existed not even an inch beyond it, which now had a bleeding blue diminishing effect to it.
But...
That was it.
He... He gave up his weapon... for just that?
Just for an attack that was a near miss.
Aqua couldn't understand the point.
But, he clearly looked at me in that final moment, didn't he? So why did he switch—
"Rouge, lookout!"
"Wha—?! Shit!"
That's when Aqua was reminded of something.
She had looked away from her enemy.
After realizing that, it all happened in less than a second.
Two cries of panic.
A loud impact.
And an even louder one after that.
And then, silence.
Aqua's brain, left crisscrossed with this strange auditory information, chose to give up on sound entirely and trust her sight instead.
That was why it made no sense when she finally snapped her head back to the other end of the arena, only to find it empty.
Rio had vanished from sight.
Or.
That was what she thought until a flicker of white and then black tugged at the corner of her vision, where Aqua, after having turned with deliberate slowness, found the white haired youth not even a few meters beside her, leg slightly suspended in the air.
No, wait, why was he standing where Rouge should be?
"Ro—Rou—Rouge is out of boooooouuuuuuuunnnnnnnnndddddddddddssssssssssssssss! R-Rio Amakaka has three opponents remaininnnnnnnnnggggggggggg!"
…
…
…
The crowd was silent.
Not a peep could be heard.
Not when everyone just sat in their seats, too stunned to speak.
A number of people even dropped food and drink on the ground, and for the people who had been trying to film the fight, their scrolls were quick to follow. Not that they cared. Not when countless eyes could only continue looking at the arena before them and nothing else, an arena that now held four people in that octagonal ring, as opposed to the initial five.
It was not four huntsmen and zero students, however.
No.
There were three huntsmen and one student.
One more beat passed.
And then.
"RENNY DID YOU SEE THAT...?!"
Hundreds of nearby students must have jumped out of their seats the moment Nora's excited scream tore through the deafening silence. Of course, since the rest of Team JNPR and RWBY were included in that, they also found themselves stiffening slightly.
"Yes, yes, Nora. I saw."
Well, not Ren.
He was aloof, as he typically was when it came to all things Nora.
Nonetheless, since the orangette's patented energy also served as the perfect buffer to snap all those nearby out of their own stunned silences, it wasn't just their part of the stadium that suddenly became noisy all at once.
"T-T-That was so cooooool! Rio just...! And that guy could only...! A-And not even five seconds in...!"
Of course, among them was Ruby, eyes sparking as she sprung out her seat. Also, as per her usual, her words didn't seem capable of keeping up with the speed of her thoughts. Although because she was still plenty fascinated over what she just saw, her next words were asked with almost breathy curiosity.
"D-Did we know Rio could move that fast?"
That was a good question.
Rio could fly, at his admission, but without seeing it, without even knowing what such a thing looked like to the common observer, could they have even guessed that the boy was capable being just as fast as Ruby?
Yang clearly hadn't, silent and ambiguous shock still stuck in freeze-frame on her features.
Naturally, she was just as taken aback as everyone else.
Well, the blonde had known Rio was somewhat skilled.
No, he definitely was.
During their fight, he had avoided her strikes with ease, always keeping her gauntlets just out of reach by use of his sword, and if not that, then his footwork.
But, it wasn't enough to say Rio was skilled because he had a good grasp of the basics.
No, having a good grasp of the basics is what made him skilled in the first place.
His 'tussel' with those third years demonstrated that perfectly.
But that was nothing compared to what he just displayed here.
Of course, the others felt the same.
"..."
As she had been doing ever since the fight started, Blake's silent golden eyes continued to watch with interest as Rio, from his position next to the blue haired woman, finally lowered his attacking leg, but only so he could leap backwards into a clean flip, push off the ground with one hand, and bound right back to his side of the arena.
Why, if not for the fact his white hair and black cloak fluttered innocuously with the movement, it would even be easy to believe he had yet to even do anything.
Of course, there was also the expression on his face.
Courtesy of the jumbotron, rather, the all-too-intentional close-up aimed right at him, the boy's face was visible for all to see. And yet, rather than his eyes being narrowed in subtle triumph, secret delight, or anything else in between...
There was nothing like that.
Rio expression continued to remain utterly neutral.
No... it was the kind of attentive calm that forewent indifference, approaching patience instead.
It definitely wasn't the kind of face you would expect to see from a sixteen year old who had just sent a huntsmen ten years his senior flying out of the arena, and with the devastating momentum of a high speed kick.
But again...
It's not indifference, Blake noted. And it's not him being dismissive either.
Rather, Rio was just un-distracted.
He was still looking at his opponents and only his opponents.
And, if he did feel any sort of ease or cockiness because of what just transpired, well, he didn't show it at all.
And that, if nothing else, even from up where she was, Blake found slightly intimidating all on its own.
And she wasn't the only one who thought so.
As such, Pyrrha couldn't do anything about the spark-like focus that suddenly ignited in those forest-green eyes of hers.
Drawing his sword in the blink of an eye... coalescing it with the kind of supernatural green that could only be his semblance... shooting it like a bullet towards the man with the large sword... but only so Rio could use that moment of disarray to launch an unmitigated attack at the opponent least capable of defending against it...
In other words, it had been a flawlessly executed bait and switch.
And the fact that such a strategy was one that Pyrrha had employed countless times in her own matches...
The red haired girl smiled faintly.
So, Rio's strong after all.
She had always had the suspicion he was, but without seeing him fight, and with her only basis being his demeanor, his gait, and even the way he walked, she couldn't be sure.
But, as it stands...
Pyrrha's eyes fell on Rio, and her next thought couldn't have belonged to just her.
Now, he's at even more of a disadvantage.
The white haired boy was now irrefutably un-armed, after all.
Of course, that wouldn't have been an issue for Pyrrha, since she could have just used her polarity to send her weapon flying right back into her hands. Technically, anyway. After all, whether in fairness or cunning, she wouldn't go about revealing her semblance in such an overt way, not in front of hundred of thousands, if not the millions of people this was being broadcast to.
She wondered if Rio had similar reservations.
But then that white haired boy's weaponless figure slipped into a vague but deliberate combat stance, and such idle thoughts were gone from her mind.
"That bastard..."
She heard Yang snipe that from a few seats over, and yet it was with the kind of grin that didn't contain any real heat whatsoever.
After all, even someone like Pyrrha, who didn't center her skills around unarmed combat but still knew more than most; even she could see the ease in which Rio fell into form.
The experience there.
Naturally, Yang had almost certainly noticed the same.
Yes; even without a weapon, Rio didn't look put off in the slightest, nor did the meticulous calm on his face start to wane. Rather, he just continued to silently stand there, almost as if waiting.
Of course, the reason why was not lost on them.
After all, the clock was already ticking.
All he had to do was wait it out.
...
...
...
On the other side of now three opponents, Rio's attention should have been on them and no one else.
Should have.
Out of the corner of his eye, and only after the man finally pushed himself to his feet beside the him-shaped crack in the wall, Rouge proceeded to glare at him throughout his entire trek towards the arena exit.
And... with quite a bit heat, too.
Rio sighed imperceptibly.
No, he could worry about that later.
Instead, Rio's eyes lingered on something else.
The wall that was slightly damaged.
Any normal person should have been unconscious after a kick like that, and if not, then surely upon flying straight into solid concrete. And yet, like it was merely excessive contact and nothing more, Rouge got up in short order, and without even the need for any kind of medical attention or stretcher.
In other words, the man's aura had been up.
But at the same time...
62%. That's how much of Rouge's now grayed out aura-readings remained on the monitor above.
Even while holding back at the last second, to think I still knocked off almost half.
Well, it was good to know, if nothing else.
He didn't want to worry about killing his opponents, after all.
For all he knew, a high-powered kick could have broken a rib, or worse, caused internal hemorrhaging.
Of course... the same goes for me.
Rio flexed his fingers, still feeling the effects of the Strengthening Art he had applied to himself, one that not only bolstered his defenses, but his offense too.
And yet, it wasn't like aura, a kind of protective shield that stopped any and all danger.
No, it just made his body more durable.
That said, if someone cut into his skin just right, or with just enough strength, or even if Rio didn't remember to consistently recast the strengthening itself...
Regardless. The white haired boy shelved the thought, focusing back on the fight. Just now, I got lucky.
He was talking about Rouge.
The man, as it happened, had an intrinsic weakness that would have been a waste not to exploit.
Aqua, Teale, and Grey—they were all wearing solid clothes that protected their bodies, not quite armor, but enough for their skin to have a slim layer of defense before aura even came into the equation.
Rouge, however, was the exception to this, as his stomach was plainly exposed in what Rio could only assume was some kind of fashion statement?
Anyway, Rio was able to land a solid hit because of it.
Of course, after him, Aqua's gear was the second lightest, as her form-fitting black underclothes pressed thinly against her skin. Nevertheless, had he gone for her that time, things would not have played out the same.
Not when Grey would have most assuredly gone in to block him.
No, Rio had needed to disrupt Grey's movements for a time, but also have one person in between the hulking man to prevent him from quickly aiding his teammate with his solid defense. And since they had been positioned as follows: Teale, Grey, Aqua, Rouge—there was only one person completely out of his range.
But now was not the time to get caught up in analytics.
Rio still had three opponents remaining.
And just because his situation had improved if only by a little, that didn't suddenly mean he could take the rest of the fight easy.
After all...
"..."
"..."
"..."
Those three had been looking at him warily for a while now, even going as far as to close ranks, should Rio decide to launch another surprise attack, not that he would.
Still, that didn't seem to stop Grey from suddenly looking at him from across the concrete, and with a smile flashing teeth.
"That was a nice ploy kid, really that was grand. But, you do realize you won't be able to do something like that again, right?"
Rio didn't answer immediately.
Still, he eventually smiled back, if only faintly.
"I'm aware. I had only the one chance."
"But was it really worth losing your weapon over?" Teale asked this time, pointing his spear straight at Rio in the case the boy made to rush him. He was not about to be caught off guard again. "Surely you don't think you can go hand to hand with all three of us..."
"If not, then I suppose it'll be my loss," Rio replied simply, and with somewhat of a shrug, as if to say it couldn't be helped.
Teale scoffed.
Still, for some reason, he was grinning, same as Grey.
Perhaps it was because this fight was already shaping to be more interesting than he had hoped.
By the way, their other team member had been silent this whole time. But this was not because Aqua was still frazzled over what had just happened. No, it was because as team leader, she had already been busy formulating a plan.
"We're going to go with Anti-Tank," Aqua suddenly ordered, and without even missing beat, too. "Teale, Grey, get ready."
Of course, the woman wasn't just shouting random words.
No, this was something only she, and by extension the rest of her team, would know.
Not that Rio wasn't able to figure out what purpose such an innocuous word served, if only that it was clearly a battle tactic or stratagem of sorts. In fact, in passing he was told Team RWBY did the same thing.
Regardless, the three of them instantly got to work.
The countdown was ticking after all.
With no delay, Aqua and Teale both rushed him concurrently, quickly entering his guard with a series of thrusts and stabs that their weapons were built for.
It should have caught the boy off guard.
However, Rio was already in the midst of leaping backwards, avoiding the first two, cleanly sidestepping another, and right when it was becoming clear he was the one being put on the defensive, he spun, ducked under a sudden sweeping blow from Teale, and then began backpedaling once more, just in the complete other direction, no longer being pressed towards the arena's edge.
And.
This persisted.
Rapiers stabs and spear thrusts rained down on him in abundance, but was ultimately made fruitless by Rio nimbly positioning his body out of the way of every single one, left and right, right and left, forward and backwards, and again and again, showing the kind of agility that could not, should not belong to someone so young, and with so little experience.
And yet, that wasn't quite true, was it?
In any case, what Rio was doing actually wasn't so impressive.
After all, while trying to avoid two weapons at once was certainly no easy task, and even though it required all of his focus lest he make a mistake, it was made somewhat simpler by at least one fact.
A spear and a rapier.
Fundamentally, stabbing was ALL they could do.
And naturally noticing this as well, rather, how obviously telegraphed their blows were to their ridiculously slippery opponent, Aqua and Teale's faces began to become tinged with faint flickers of frustration.
That said, Teale suddenly adopted a change in his fighting style, and even his outward appearance.
The man spun his spear to and fro, and surprisingly, an electric field of energy suddenly began fizzing to life all around him. Sparks even shot off his body, which in turn caused the spear in his hand to crackle with electricity as well, as if absorbing, no—imbuing itself with the external power.
Now, both Aqua and him instantly both bounded on him again, but this time, Rio noticed that Teale was moving much faster.
What a useful semblance, Rio mused, this time dodging another thrust only by a hair, one coated with an electric charge.
When three more of those followed, Rio had to forgo evading and launch his own attack. In one clean movement, he leapt, spun, and kicked the point away from his body.
Away from his body, yes.
But not someone else's.
The spear clanged loudly as it collided right into a separate weapons' incoming thrust, its blue haired owner's eyes widening as far as they could go as Rio's well-timed parry not only knocked Teale's weapon off course, but sent it straight into the incoming path of Aqua' shooting star of a rapier.
"...How did you know I was there?" Aqua asked as she broke off, and even though she tried for a smile, she was really just still trying to reign in her shock. "And how are you this good? Are you a prodigy?"
"I don't think I'm quite that impressive," Rio answered after putting his own distance between them. "And, anyone can see someone coming from behind when looking at a reflective surface, right?"
Aqua, Teale as well, stopped in their tracks, and there was a brief moment where confusion battled for dominance on those uncomprehending frowns of theirs.
Then, Aqua's face changed at once.
"Teale..."
The woman was suddenly looking at Teale with wide eyes.
No, not at him, but the man's weapon, or rather, the triangular shaped spearhead which was just large enough to serve as an impromptu hand mirror.
Now, it was only barely possible to make out her blue and black figure in the blurry surface, but still, an outline could be seen, and that was enough.
"...How old are you again, kid?" Teale asked, suddenly looking at Rio with a very interesting mix of astonishment, yes, but just as much unease, too.
But Rio only smiled, slipping back into a defensive stance.
The fight continued, with another bout of clashes ensuing.
Or rather, Teale and Aqua occasionally clashed with each other, on account of Rio purposely redirecting their attacks with that same uncanny agility.
Still, they didn't let up on him, even in spite of the lack of progress they were making in breaking through his guard.
And eventually, Rio began to find this a bit suspicious.
This was especially the case when, upon stepping into the guard of one of Aqua's stabs, he noticed something off.
Why is she so tense?
Along the bare and sleeve-less part of her arm, specifically her bicep, the soft muscles there were extremely strained. Now, that wasn't odd per say, not when periodic thrusts from a rapier all but required that of her. But even more than that, the rest of her body as well; it was unnaturally stiff.
Fighting was a constant state of stressing your body, yes, but keeping your entire body tense all throughout was an easy way to lose energy, and quick.
Teale, too, was the same.
Even the man's knuckles were whitening because of the grip he had on the spear.
Are they simply ensuring they'll land a good blow against what they believe will be my aura? Rio wondered.
No.
Their attacks were pure offense and nothing more, but rather than trying to get a hit, it was closer to say they were just one-sidely rushing him as best as they could.
In other words, it wasn't the kind of strategy he'd expect from veteran warriors.
Actually, if anything, it was like they were stalling for—
"EVADE!"
Rio's thoughts were proved correct as a loud shout suddenly roared behind Teale and Aqua. Not even a second later, the two instantly retreated without reservation, just in time for Rio to see a foot long steel blade hurdling towards his body in a well-timed horizontal slash.
Grey's sword.
The older man had waited for a moment when Rio was dealing with both Aqua and Teale and distracted. Why he hadn't done it immediately was likely for his team's benefit, to have them get used to Rio's fighting style.
Anti-tank, she said?
Aqua and Teale played the role of the distraction perfectly with their agile movement and quick hits while Grey would switch in at the right moment with a heavy swing.
Thinking about it, it was a remarkable strategy when dealing with a fast opponent.
But Rio had no time to praise them, as his situation was rather dire.
There had to be less than a second before Grey's blade met his body.
He didn't know how much damage it would do to him should it hit, nor did he know how his strengthening would match to scale, but he didn't think it would be pretty either way.
Rio tensed, getting ready to move, feeling Aqua and Teale's eyes on him all the while as they had already landed and repositioned themselves.
The moment Grey's attack made him react in any way, they would instantly capitalize on that and sweep in and clean up.
While he had already shown himself capable of dodging their light attacks before, being on the backfoot and doing so was something else entirely.
This was always going to be the risk of fighting so many people.
One could not do anything when your opponents cut off all your escape routes.
So.
As the blade was a mere hair's breadth away from his chest, Rio performed the best counter he could think of. He didn't jump backwards instinctively in defense, nor did he try to throw Grey's blade off course with his own body weight.
He just... let the blade hit him.
The silent surprise that suddenly lit up each one of their faces wasn't something Grey, Teale, and Aqua could have helped even if they wanted to. Certainly not when witnessing an escape route that was too sacrificial to even be called a valid strategy.
Regardless, with a grunt, Grey felt his blade connect.
Just, it didn't turn out to be Rio's body.
And nor was it some soul bound barrier or strengthening either.
No, instead, it hit something just as solid, even though 'it' was technically formless.
Yet because this 'something' still held considerable force, and because it was more than powerful enough to stop even that mammoth of a sword dead in it's tracks, Grey felt like his eyes had every right to suddenly go as round as they did.
After all, right in front of the boy's chest, where the blade had undoubtedly struck dead center, was a small, condensed ball of green, a sphere, and one that had numerous near phantasmal arcs continuously swirling and fluctuating within.
So naturally, when Grey's massive sword slammed into this iridescent phenomenon, one that even now trembled with the kind of directionless force that was almost bursting at the seems with energy, what happened next was perhaps expected.
The man's blade bounced backwards like a ball hitting a wall.
Rio's affinity over wind arts was that powerful.
But since it was somewhat of a double edge sword as well, the white haired boy was in no way immune to sudden backlash of energy that was created as result. After all, two opposing forces had just slammed into to each other, and the ensuing shock-wave was more than powerful enough to set one thing into motion if nothing else.
The law of inertia instantly knocked both their bodies backwards.
Now, the force had been lessened on Grey's side, since he had used the sword to mitigate most of the force applied.
However, the same could not be said about Rio.
With no other choice, the boy had to take the full brunt of the energy with his body instead.
And it was like being hit by a train.
So Rio wasn't just sent skidding along the pavement. He flew up and backwards, and insanely fast too. Yes, straight towards the boundary of the arena, and with no signs of stopping.
Now, Rouge's circumstances had gave birth to a certain conclusion amongst all those watching, that there was no way to recover from being flung through the air in one direction, least of all without a weapon.
So, as Rio got ever so closer to the line that in crossing it would signify his loss, there shouldn't have been anything he could have done.
Really.
There shouldn't have.
"Wha—?"
Gaping, Grey's cry of surprise spoke for all of them.
Of course, Aqua and Teale looked no different.
How else could they react to the quite frankly baffling sight in front of them, where Rio, in the apex of his flight, and right before he crossed the line outside of the bounds, had not only somehow righted himself with a mid-air back-flip, but used it to place his foot on the AIR BEHIND HIM, to which his entire body stopped and his knees seemed to bend under the strain.
It was as if he had actually landed on something.
Like something was actually there.
But, technically, there was.
"You're shitting me..." Teale muttered, a strange mix of disbelief and astonishment strangling his tone.
After all, Rio's boots had found purchase on a small green pocket of swirling energy, the same phenomenon as before.
Now. Without seeing a single dust crystal being used, this could only mean one thing. A semblance. His ability to manipulate wind was all but assumed at this point.
But knowing that did not help.
Rio attacked.
Using the wind as a spring to rush back into the melee, the white haired boy performed an axe kick on Grey with speed that bordered on frightening, where even that large man had to quickly place two hands on either side of the flat of his sword to prevent himself from faltering—
CLAAAAAAANNNNGGGG!
But falter he did.
With a reverberating impact, the kick slammed into Grey's sword like a bullet, but with power far more destructive than any dust round sold on Remnant. And as such, the man immediately sank to one knee under the blow's violent strain. Why, it spoke to Grey's skills that he had been able to even 'catch' the attack at all.
Still, Rio's black boot did not let up, getting increasingly heavier by way of the on and off strands of wind that whipped at his white hair and cloak.
"Kh...!"
Grey grit his teeth.
His guard was slowly falling, and it was only a matter of time before the weapon was pushed down and out of the way, where he would be left defenseless against another attack.
Of course, that was why it was initially a little strange when Rio promptly gave up, vaulting over the man.
But when such an action had him just narrowly missing Aqua's beam of a stab, intent on piercing his side, it made sense.
Aqua and Rio both landed at around the same time, both skidding across their respective sides. Still, no one made a move to rush back towards each other.
Instead, the huntsmen just regrouped.
Once more, they were being cautious.
After all, once again, Rio had proven that with a single opening, he could put even someone as stalwart as Grey on the back foot, and with considerable ease, too.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason why they came together. Teale and Aqua, the ones that had been tasked in relentlessly rushing Rio for a time, were taking this moment to try to regain lost stamina, measured breaths aplenty.
Of course, the one who had been forced to dodge such an assault should have been in the exact same boat, if not more, but...
Rio just stood there, waiting.
No, perhaps the correct word was that he was 'unhurried'.
After all, unlike them, his goal wasn't to drain the aura of his opponents.
That said, Rio glanced at the monitor off to the side.
His aura was still in the green, just five percent having been taken off. It seemed despite having blocked Grey's cleave with his wind, the shock-wave alone had still managed to damage him slightly.
Well, it was an acceptable amount of damage to have escaped that situation.
Of course, there was also the matter of how in the world Remnant's aura sensors were able to give a number to the magical power he had running through his veins, not aura, but Spirit Arts.
But again, it wasn't something he would figure out just wondering about it, and least of all now.
Rio's eyes slid over to the time, where a large clock read [ 13:45 ] and dwindling. His gaze lingered there for a moment longer before checking the aura levels of his opponents, too, not that he was surprised by what he saw.
He saw three full bars.
Actually, no.
Grey was just like him in the way that a scant amount had been drained. This was likely because he had nicked him with his thrown sword right at the start of the match.
In other words, Rio had yet to land a single proper counterattack.
But technically, that wasn't exactly necessary now, was it?
If he didn't see fighting head on as the most optimal strategy, he did not have to do so.
In fact, even if he ignored the timer win condition, he didn't even think fighting against three armed huntsmen bare handed was very efficient of him in the first place.
Not without being more proactive in separating them, anyway, Rio thought.
Of course, there was also 'that' option.
But as quickly as the thought came, Rio dismissed it.
If worse came to worse, he would employ that fail-safe, but not before. After all, revealing such a card now would serve no other purpose than to just make his opponents more wary of him, or rather, more than they already were.
And speaking of...
Rio looked back to his opponents, seeing them inch closer to him while moving their lips faintly, even if he was too far away to hear.
He didn't know what they were planning, but either way, he wouldn't be able to endlessly perform the same actions if he got cornered again. No, he would have to try something different,
Rio blinked, a sudden idea coming to him, but rather than embracing it, he stewed on it, although... not because he thought it would fail. No, it would most definitely ensure he lasted a while longer. It was just the matter of employing that would be quite the hurdle.
Mentally... that is.
Well, it should be fine.
Rio let out a tiny sigh.
Of course, in the very next moment, he vanished.
Naturally, no such thing happened.
But that's just what it must have looked like when he flashed forward with as much of his wind arts as he felt comfortable displaying. Still, the next thing he knew, he had already closed more than half of the distance between him and his target.
Of course, Aqua's cerulean eyes widened almost instantly, not expecting the sudden one-sided attention. Still, she readied her rapier to intercept him, her teammates doing the exact same.
But they were a beat too slow.
Rio was already upon her.
Hardly flustered however, Aqua's demeanor hardened as she poised a strike straight for Rio's chest. The blow came sailing, but the boy avoided it with an agile leap at the last moment, landing deftly behind her. Still, Aqua was already rearing for another thrust, and one that came with biting force.
Rio ducked underneath it, at the same time noticing Teale approaching fast with his spear poised to strike.
And by now... Grey would be in his blind spot.
So, predictably, Aqua made to jump away and attack from a different angle.
But.
"W-Wha?"
Rio stopped her by placing a hand on her waist.
No, rather than say she was stopped, the second she began to move backwards, the white haired boy merely retreated right along with her, and with unnatural closeness too.
Aqua, now confused but no less serious, tried to shake him off once more, pivoting left but then darting right this time. But still, before she even started moving herself, Rio had already started travelling with her again.
And all the while, the hand never left her waist.
"W-... What are you doing?"
Aqua's face grew hot unconsciously, either because of the proximity of the face stepping in line with her, or the fact that, despite it, the white haired boy, while smiling apologetically, didn't so much as give her a glance.
No, his eyes were on Teale and Grey.
The two men had completely stopped in place.
Naturally, it must have been quite the strange sight to everyone else, where two huntsmen were not only robbed of their momentum and attacks just like that, but also the confidence required to do so in the first place, the fear of hitting their teammate by accident a very realistic concern.
Of course, even though slightly baffled, that didn't in any way diminish the fighting spirit of Aqua herself.
Forcibly halting her breathing, she stabbed an elbow in his direction so he couldn't read the timing.
Still, Rio simply tilted his head to evade it.
After a few more unsuccessful blows, she tried to spin around him. But somehow Rio spun right along with her, even somehow avoiding the jab sent at him while she did so. And even more mortifying, he once again placed his hand on her waist.
Aqua's frustration grew by the second, and whether it was because of indignant sounds, or the ambiguous heat beginning to warm more and more of her face, Rio chose that moment to open his mouth.
Of course, even then, and even despite the small hesitant little smile on his face, rather than looking at her, his twin ambers were seemingly much more occupied in keeping both Teale and Grey in his periphery.
"I don't know if you were aware of this Miss Aqua, but women actually have far more potential than men when it comes to fighting. Do you know why that is?"
With a grimace, Aqua ignored him, that is, in favor of trying to stab into his arm with her rapier. Of course since such a thrust was not only well telegraphed, but so close that the length of the blade had a hard time perfectly centering on his body, Rio simply batted the steel edge away like it was a toy.
She made to kick him next, maybe even use it to force him then herself backwards, but it struck nothing but empty air as a result of the white haired boy suddenly getting even closer, so much so that their chests were nearly touching.
In other words, not only was nothing working, but the boy's closeness was making complicated attacks difficult.
And Aqua could no longer pretend she wasn't getting more and more flustered as a result.
W-What even is this situation?
The expression on her face made it obvious that was what she was thinking.
But more than that, she could not understand how Rio was able to so easily predict her moves, and with almost zero distance between them. When fighting in close proximity with someone, it made it that much harder since the attacks should be harder to predict.
So how is he—...
Aqua suddenly froze.
Then her eyes lowered to the hand on her waist.
Rio only continued, however.
"The explanation is a bit awkward... but the female body is a lot more flexible than a male's. This is because women have wider hips due to childbirth. That in turn allows them to move their bodies better. Of course, in the same way, by placing my hand like this, I can know when your abdominal muscles will tense up preparing for a kick, whether you're about to go left or right, or even when your waist is about to pivot to use your arms. It's actually a lot harder than one might think to move the rest of your body without moving this key area."
The white haired boy talked in this explanatory manner, as if he was just casually having a conversation, as if he wasn't currently being watched by millions of people worldwide as he nearly stood chest to chest with one of his opponents.
Clearly, that wasn't on the boy's mind in the slightest.
Aqua on the other hand...
"W-What are you saying?! A-And why do you know all this!? I don't even know all this!"
Rio's lips twitched.
"Ah, see, my grandfather had quite the soft spot for his female students when he taught them martial arts. He would always brag about how they were better than me because of how their body picked things up. At the time, I definitely thought it weird and unfair, but..."
Rio's feet changed direction as he swerved his body to the right, narrowly avoiding the butt of her rapier that would have slammed into his midsection.
Of course, the hand was quick to return.
"Well, as you can see, it can be used against you quite effectively."
"A-Are you saying I was doomed from the start because I'm a woman!? This is sexual harassment!" Aqua cried, face now unashamedly red.
"I-Is that the case after all? I thought the waist was a pretty safe area... well, it's embarrassing for me too. Ah, I haven't really done this with anyone else, if that helps?"
"It doesn't—kya!?"
Rio suddenly moved quickly to the left and dipped his head out of the way, and because he did, Aqua moved with him instinctively, which ended up saving her as a spear came flying at the two of them, missing both Rio and her head narrowly, but ripping through strands of her long silky blue hair.
Of course, this caused Aqua to blink.
Wait, why did I move with him so readily, and like it was the most obvious thing...?!
No.
More importantly.
"Teale...!?"
"S-Sorry! He's practically dancing with you! What am I supposed to do!?"
True to what Teale shouted, and with visible awkwardness at that, with Rio's hand on her waist like that, and with them moving in conjunction with one another, it really did look like they were rhythmically swaying from side to side, even if the occasional attack came from her and her teammates.
Still, at this comment, Aqua's face reddened even further.
"H-He's not! I-I mean I'm not! I mean—" Her voice was unnaturally starting to rise in pitch. "L-Look, I'm trying okay...!? What am I supposed to do, suddenly stop being a woman?!"
"W-What are you even talking about?" Teale shouted back.
Then there was Grey, stony face gone, looking between Rio, Aqua, Teale, and his own huge-ass sword, but with the kind of stark confusion that said he had never once witnessed what he was currently witnessing before.
Well, anymore then this, and unforeseen problems might arise, so...
Or so Rio suddenly thought with a strained smile.
Effectiveness aside, Aqua was a woman, thus, for various reasons, it definitely wouldn't do for him to be touching her indefinitely, not for the next ten minutes anyway.
Yes, a proper five minutes had now passed since the start of the match.
[ 10:05 ] the timer read.
Regardless, in the next moment, Rio broke off from his hold on the girl and jumped away, gaining a fair bit of distance from the rest of the team. Of course, much to the surprise of Aqua who he had so suddenly abandoned.
At that exact moment, however, the stadium intercom crackled to life, Oobleck's booming voice chiming in with intensity.
"Ten minutes remaininggggggg! Rio Amakawa keeps on surprising usssssssss~! And just as the rumors suggest, he likes to surround himself with girls, no matter the ageeeeeeeeeeeeee~!"
...Eh?
Completely losing focus on the battle for a moment, Rio suddenly found himself looking up and staring at the jumbotron on one of the stadium walls.
It was a close up of him in real time, his side profile specifically.
No, more importantly, there were words floating below his head.
But the second he saw them, his brain reset.
[ Lady Killer~! ]
Yes; those two words were made up of pink letters, hearts shooting from all sides.
.
. .
. . .
You cannot be serious...
Now, in light of such a thing, Rio did not know what face he was making right now. Actually, that wasn't true at all.
He saw his current expression perfectly.
His brows were furrowed, and while he wasn't quite scowling, the vague line of his lips certainly made it close, but most of all, his reddish orange ambers suddenly had a dead look to them.
In other words, it matched exactly how he was feeling.
Still, Rio shook his head with a sigh.
The fight in front of him took precedence.
But?
Rio had definitely been distracted just now.
That was to say, if there was ever time to launch an attack on him, that would have been the time. But as his gaze returned to his opponents, he quickly found out why no such event had occurred.
Both Teale and Grey had long since regrouped with Aqua.
No, they were practically crowding around her, almost protectively as they glared at him. Ah, no, it was just Teale who was doing that, even if it looked strangled between uncertainty. Grey, on the other hand, looked bemused. Bemused but serious.
Rio tried to keep a straight face at this.
He failed once he locked eyes with the woman behind her two teammates, however.
Rather, he failed because he couldn't do so.
Lock eyes that is.
The second he tried, Aqua quickly looked away, face red. But it wasn't just that that caused the strange look on Rio's face. No, it was the fact that she was hugging her own waist, and with both hands too.
As if...
As if she actually thought it would be stolen from her if she wasn't careful.
More than that, her weapon wasn't even held up in any sort of combat position, which told of her current mental state.
Perhaps...I went too far.