The hum of the training room's fluorescent lights seemed to emphasize the tense silence of the watching students. On the vast, open training floor, a brutal duel was reaching its end.
Jessica Stone, of Team JNPR, leaned forward, her breaths coming in ragged, rapid gasps. Her right hand gripped the hilt of her sword, its golden Aura blade glowing faintly, while her left held her shield defensively out in front of her. The shield itself was chipped and scored, a testament to the one-sided beating she had endured.
The cause of her fatigue, a massive man named Cardin Winchester, stood poised to strike, his sneer a cruel counterpoint to her exhausted expression. With a guttural grunt, he swung his large mace, which was equipped with a fire Dust crystal. The crystal flared to life with a crackle of heat and a flash of red light. The mace slammed into Jessica's shield, the force of the blow amplified by a concussive burst that sent a shockwave through the air. Jessica's arm screamed in protest. Her shield flew from her grasp, and she staggered backward, losing her balance and falling to the hard floor.
"Come on..." Jessica whispered to herself, her voice barely audible as she struggled to pull in a lungful of air. She pushed herself back up, a new wave of determined energy flooding her. With a desperate cry, she charged at the man who had knocked her down so easily.
Cardin simply laughed, a loud, grating sound that bounced off the walls of the training room. He easily reflected Jessica's attack, his mace slamming into the girl's stomach with a sickening thud. The blow was so forceful it knocked the wind out of her. Jessica fell to the ground a second time, clutching her stomach and gasping for breath.
Cardin looked up at the holographic board, a smirk spreading across his face as he noticed Jessica's Aura meter ticking down into the red. But despite her Aura's dangerous decline, she slowly pushed herself to her feet once more, her body screaming in protest. With a newfound resolve, she charged at the big brute again.
Seeing her coming at him, Cardin simply stepped out of the way, his mace sweeping out to trip her with a casual flick of his wrist. Jessica hit the floor with a hard thud, and in a flash of raw frustration, she slammed her fist into the ground before getting up again. Her sword was a blur as she charged at Cardin, swinging with all her might.
Cardin effortlessly blocked the attack, using his mace to deflect the blade with a loud clang. The force of the counterattack sent Jessica sprawling back to the ground.
"This is the part where you lose," Cardin sneered, standing over her.
"Over my dead-" Jessica started, pushing herself up again.
But before she could finish the sentence, Cardin's foot shot out. He kicked her hard in the gut, sending her flying to the ground one last time. Jessica landed on her back, holding her stomach and gasping for air as Cardin raised his mace for a final, finishing blow.
"That's enough," a voice, clear and cold as ice, rang out across the training floor.
Cardin snarled, his eyes darting from Jessica's prone form to Professor Glynda Goodwitch, who stood between them, her crop in her hand. She hadn't even moved, yet a subtle telekinetic push had stopped Cardin's mace mid-swing. The blonde brute lowered his weapon with a grunt of frustration, and Glynda addressed the class.
"Students, as you can see, Ms. Stone's Aura has dropped down into the red. In a tournament-style duel, this would indicate that Jessica is no longer fit for battle and that the official may call the match," she started, her gaze sweeping over each student.
Her stern eyes then landed on Jessica. "Ms. Stone, it's been weeks now. Please try to refer to your Scroll during combat."
Jessica frowned, her eyes drifting down to the back of her shield, where her Scroll was mounted. She looked at the glowing screen, seeing her teammates' Auras glowing green, a stark contrast to her own, which was now dangerously low.
Glynda continued, her voice firm. "Gauging your Aura will help you decide when it's appropriate to attack or when it's better to move to a more defensive strategy. We wouldn't want you to be grabbed by a Beowolf, now would we?"
"Speak for yourself," Cardin muttered to himself, picking up his mace and stomping off the training floor.
"Remember, everyone! The Vytal Festival is only a few months away. It won't be long before students from other kingdoms start to arrive in Vale. So keep practicing! Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale," Glynda announced to the entire room, her voice a stern, clear command.
The bell rang and all the students started to head to the cafeteria.
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The cafeteria was alive with the clatter of trays, the murmur of a hundred conversations, and the cheerful bustle of students getting lunch. They found a large, round table and settled in, enjoying the brief respite until the next class.
Nora, as usual, was in the middle of a story. "-and it was hundreds of Beowolves!" she exclaimed, her hands flying animatedly through the air.
Ren, taking a sip of his soup, calmly interjected. "There were ten."
Nora's shoulders slumped into a pout. "Oh, you're no fun."
Meanwhile, Ruby's attention was drawn to a more somber sight. She noticed Jessica, sitting quietly and pushing her food around with a fork. It was strange. Before, Ruby wouldn't have cared about anyone's personal drama. She was too focused on her own problems. But after finally letting her guard down with her own team, she felt a new sense of empathy, a genuine concern for others. She even saw Alex from Team AROW talking to Yang and Blake, her own teammates listening intently, and for a fleeting moment, her thoughts drifted to Weiss. She saw her, nose deep in a textbook, furiously scribbling notes. Ruby found herself wondering what a fun thing to do with just Weiss would be. A faint blush crept across her cheeks at the thought, and she shook her head, turning her attention back to Jessica.
"Hey, Jess, you okay?" she asked gently.
Jessica's head snapped up. "Huh? Oh, yeah! Why?" she said, her voice a little too high and a little too quick.
Ruby just shrugged. "It's just you seemed a little distracted... and not okay."
Jessica's forced smile faltered, her frown returning. She looked up, realizing that not only was Team JNPR staring at her, but so were all of Team RWBY and Team AROW. She laughed nervously, her hand going to the back of her head to stretch her neck as a nervous habit.
Then, the three teams' gazes shifted to a nearby table where Team CRDL sat. The four bullies were mocking a young girl with bunny ears, pulling on her ears and sneering at her.
"Jess, Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school," Ruby said, her voice low and filled with a rare, quiet fury.
"Who? Cardin Winchester? Nah, he just... likes to mess around! You know, practical jokes! Hilarious jokes!" Jessica stated, her words tumbling out in a rush.
Ruby shook her head. Her new, terrifying power, the "beast" that stirred within her, began to growl, making her clench her fist. She hated seeing people get hurt. "He is a bully, and don't forget that it's harassment when he picks on you cuz you're a girl" Ruby said with a snarl.
"It's fine really! Name one time he's been bullying me!" Jessica challenged, her voice filled with a desperate need for a lie.
The memory came to her in a painful, rapid-fire succession.
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The cafeteria was loud and crowded. Jessica was walking with a full tray, trying to find her team, when a foot suddenly shot out in front of her. Cardin's foot. She stumbled, falling face-first into an open trash can.
"Gah! Oh, come on!" she whimpered, her body covered in discarded food as loud, grating laughter echoed from the CRDL table.
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In Professor Oobleck's class, the lecture droned on about ancient ruins. The hum of the projector and the quiet scratching of pens was all that filled the air. Cardin took a straw, put it between his lips, and shot a piece of chewed gum at the back of Jessica's head. He kept shooting, one after another, a silent barrage. Jessica felt the pings on her hair, and when she reached up to touch it, she discovered her hair was filled with used gum.
"Oh, come on..." she sighed in exasperation, running her fingers through her gum-filled hair.
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The training room was filled with the rhythmic clang of lockers opening and closing. The air hummed with the energy of students gathering their gear and weapons. At the front of the room, Professor Glynda Goodwitch stood with her riding crop in hand, explaining the intricacies of the locker system. "Each of you will be assigned one rocket-propelled locker to store your weapons and extra armor."
Jessica stood in front of her open locker, not just listening, but examining. She ran her hand over the cool, sturdy metal, her mind already buzzing with ideas about its construction. She loved building things from scratch, and the sophisticated engineering of the locker was a marvel. She just wasn't expecting what came next.
A dark shadow fell over her. Before she could react, a strong shove from behind sent her stumbling back. She landed clumsily inside the locker, the cold metal clanging behind her. It was Cardin Winchester. A cruel smirk was plastered across his face.
Glynda's voice, oblivious to the drama unfolding, continued her lecture. "Additionally, your locker can be sent to a custom location based on a six-digit code."
"Wait! No, no!" Jessica pleaded from inside the cramped space, her voice rising with panic. "You've gotta be kidding me! Don't do it!-"
Cardin just laughed, a loud, grating sound that filled the locker room. He didn't dignify her with a response, his eyes fixed on the small keypad beside the locker door. He pressed a button, and the door slammed shut with a sickening thud, plunging Jessica into immediate, total darkness.
She heard the mechanical click of the locks engaging. A low, whooshing sound began to fill the space around her, a rumble that grew into a deafening roar. She felt a gut-wrenching lurch as the locker lifted off the ground, shooting into the air.
"Damn it! Come onnnnnn!" Her desperate screams were swallowed by the rush of wind, her voice lost to the cold, empty sky.
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Back in the bustling cafeteria, the clatter of trays and the low murmur of conversations filled the air. But at Team JNPR's table, the atmosphere was strained. All eyes were on Jessica, who sat picking at her food, a fresh bruise blooming on her arm.
"It's fine," she said, her voice flat, trying to dismiss the unspoken questions. "I didn't land that far from the school."
Ruby leaned forward, her brow furrowed with concern. "Jessica, you know if you ever need help, you can just ask," she offered, her voice soft and genuine.
"I can always break his legs!" Nora exclaimed, her fork held like a miniature spear.
Jessica let out a heavy sigh, the sound filled with an exhausted frustration that went beyond the day's events. She slammed her hand on the table, making the utensils jump. "Guys! It's fine! Really! Besides," she said, her voice rising in a desperate plea for them to drop the subject, "it's not like he's only an ass to me; he's a jerk to everyone!"
As if on cue, a sudden cry of pain rang out from a few tables away. They all turned to see a girl with long rabbit ears on her head, her hand pressed against her cheek. Cardin Winchester was holding her by one of her ears, pulling hard with a malicious grin on his face.
"Ow, that hurts!" the bunny girl whimpered, her ears twitching in fear.
Cardin pulled harder, his grin widening. "Please... stop," the girl whined, tears starting to well in her eyes.
"See?" Cardin laughed, gesturing to the girl's ears. "I told you they were real!"
"What a freak," Russel snickered, his voice dripping with venom.
With a final, contemptuous tug, Cardin let go. The girl, her ears drooping and her face flushed with humiliation, quickly walked away, leaving Team CRDL to their cruel laughter.
"Atrocious," Pyrrha announced, her voice tight with disgust. "I can't stand people like them."
Blake's hands, which had been resting on her lap, clenched into a tight, white-knuckled fist. "You're not the only one," she said, a low, controlled fury in her voice.
"It's not fair to the Faunus," Yang said, her expression hardening with empathy. "I feel so sorry for them. And I definitely can't stand them being treated like this."
The conversation had turned from her pain to the injustice of the world, and Jessica couldn't handle it. She was tired of fighting. Pushing her chair back with a scrape of metal, she stood and walked away from her team. She could feel their concerned stares on her back as she went, but she just kept walking.
She approached the trash can and dumped the rest of her meal, a defeated "ugh..." escaping her lips. Unbeknownst to her, Cardin Winchester was watching the entire exchange, his grin never leaving his face.