Chapter Text
Previously, on Paragons of Virtue and Glory…
The third exhibition match is JNPR vs MMAT. Things go differently than the previous matches, as MMAT actively chooses to retreat into the jungle behind them. There, Momo Yaoyorozu sets up a plan to stall and wear down the Hunters.
Jaune Arc, despite being viewed by many as the weak link of his team, actually commands well. While he is initially caught in a pincer action by Hagakure and Ojiro, he manages to fight his way free to aid his partner, Pyrrha Nikos. Working together, and trusting his teammates Ren and Nora to handle the rear defence, they push through the barrage intended to push them into a planned trap.
As Yaoyorozu decides to call to withdraw and regroup, Yuga Aoyama suddenly starts acting strangely. He discovers his Semblance, but it appears to be a dark altered personality that can affect others through his laser attacks! Nora Valkyrie and Toru Hagakure are both struck, and Lie Ren is badly injured. Despite the pleas to stop, this ‘Negative’ version of Aoyama is fully determined to win. By any means necessary.
“PLAY”
Twenty Miles away from the border to Beacon
The beowolf pack, only about a dozen strong, were heading south. The Alpha of the group hadn’t picked up on any trace of humans nearby for over two days. It didn’t bother or concern them. Their mission was always the same; Find people, kill them, and reduce their creations to rubble. Wash and repeat.
Suddenly the pack stopped. The Alpha lifted it’s head and looked towards the west. The others followed suit, picking up through their senses attuned to negative emotions, something in that direction that stood out like a bonfire in the pitch black. And surrounding it was an increasing sense of fear. The Alpha considered this. It knew that human habitation was in that direction. It knew that the defences were strong. It also knew that every other Grimm for miles around would have picked up on the exact same thing. It weighed whether it was worth changing course, before deciding it wasn’t. But that surge of negativity didn’t immediately go away. As the pack moved on, they and every other Grimm could feel it, and remained aware of it.
Ozpin & Ironwood
The headmasters were both sharp of eye. With the smoke dispersing and the laser barrage over, the cameras placed within allowed them and the audience to properly see, but for Ozpin and Ironwood, they immediately felt a measure of concern. When Creati started signalling to her opponents that something was wrong, they took notice. Ozpin was on his feet already even as he watched. “I’m going to contact Bart and Peter. This match needs to stop right away.”
Ironwood nodded even as he kept watching how the boy named Aoyama was behaving. ‘It’s a Semblance, of that I have little doubt… but I wonder if it’s somehow like mine? I’ve seen and heard of other Semblances that can affect a person’s personality, or even others through their use, but I don’t think I’ve heard of something quite like this.’ He didn’t say this aloud, but he did decide on his own course of action. “I’m contacting the security teams. We’ll call this match void and get the students inside and secure where we can investigate further.” Ozpin acknowledged Ironwood’s decision, even as he made his own call. With no need for further hesitation, Ironwood began sending a message, but even as he did he kept watching through that one camera that was in position to see. Even as he gave the order, Aoyama had fired his Navel Laser at both the opposing team, and his own! Nora Valkyrie took the brunt of it as she grappled with Hagakure, but it looked like they were both changing like Aoyama. ‘Can it affect someone even if they’re not directly hit, so long as they are in physical contact?’ Ironwood wondered.
And then things got worse. They could imagine the collective gasp from the audience of watching student Hunters, as Lie Ren was hurled from the jungle to crash back in the centre of the arena, arm broken, and crying out in agony. He turned to Ozpin, who saw it with horror in his eyes before he steeled himself. “James, I believe we might be needed down there.” It was a bold move, as normally Ironwood would leave this purely to the security personnel. But with now a number of unpredictable variables, he understood why the other headmaster would go down himself.
“I believe you might be correct,” He said standing up, and without further discussion the two began to hurry for the stairs.
All Might & Gale
He had been asked to watch over Gale for a bit, while Tai took his dog for a walk. And at first the match looked to be perhaps less exciting for the young Faunus girl, as the action moved into the jungle, where the cameras they had access to were less able to show the action. The moment that Lie Ren came flying out though, Gale gasped, her hands over her mouth and her extra dog ears fully upright and alert. Toshinori’s instincts kicked in, and he picked the shocked girl up and held her in his lap. “Fear not, young Gale, it’s going to be okay.” He said as softly and as reassuring as he could manage, despite not knowing for sure.
“But…! But he’s hurt!” Gale said.
“Yes, I saw that as well,” Toshinori said, looking Gale in the eye, and making sure her eyes were on him. “The medics will see that he’s alright, and if necessary Young Uraraka can use her Recovery power on him. But Gale, being a hero or a huntsman is a difficult and dangerous job. Sometimes even in training, people get hurt. I wish it didn’t happen, but it's a risk we all have to prepare for. What’s important right now is not panicking, and remain calm.”
She bit her lip, her back to the window so she couldn’t see what happened next. “Like with how we’re supposed to avoid the Grimm?” Toshinori nodded.
“Yes, but it applies beyond that too.” Toshinori glanced past her for a second and then focused back on her. It was better if he could move Gale away and not see the fight ongoing. “Think of it like this; When bad things happen, who should you listen to? The person who is calm and knows what they are doing, or the person who is making knee-jerk reactions at almost every little development?”
“...I guess I’d want to listen to the calm person more.” Gale said, and Toshinori managed a smile.
“Exactly. Now, I don’t know what’s happening for sure down there in the arena, but I know we can help everyone better if do what we can to not panic. So how about we go do some drawings, and I’ll send a message to Grumpy Cloud to let us know how everything is?” Gale’s face twitched, a small smile threatening to emerge.
“I thought Eraser Head didn’t want to be called Mr Grumpy Cloud?” Toshinori patted her head in response, while smiling as best he could to put her at ease.
“I won’t tell him, if you won’t. So shall we do some drawings?” Gale nodded biting her lip, trying hard to be brave and take the retired hero's words to heart. Toshinori purposefully carried her away from their seats and the windows, making sure she didn’t see the chaos occurring. ‘Aizawa… please make sure the students are okay!’ Toshinori thought as he pulled out some paper and pens for Gale, before grabbing his scroll to send a quick message.
Aizawa & Goodwitch
Shota felt his scroll buzz, and chanced a look to see it was from All Might. ‘Gale safe and distracted. Look after students. Let me know when it’s over.’ Shota read and put away immediately. He was glad that All Might had that handled. One less problem to worry about. Himself and Goodwitch meanwhile, now had over twenty students who were seconds away from trying to leap down and intervene themselves.
“This is bad,” muttered Midoriya through his teeth, while those around him stared in shock and horror. The green haired successor was on his feet and he wasn’t the only person doing so.
“Just what the hell is going on?” Bakugo yelled. He looked ready to try and jump down into the arena, but Kirishima stopped him by grabbing his arm.
“Hold up, Bakugo! We don’t know for sure what’s happening! Manly as it would be, we can’t just jump in blindly!”
“He’s right, Midoriya.” Asui said, whilst her tongue had wrapped around her team’s leader’s waist as he looked to be about to jump down himself. Midoriya looked back with worried frustration, even as Asui gently pulled him back, Tokoyami even using Dark shadow to gently assist.
“We can’t just do nothing.” He said at an even tone, even as Bakugo wrenched his arm free of Kirishima’s grip. Before either boy could try and jump over again, Weiss spoke up.
“Even if you want to help, jumping down from here is unwise due to the hard-light shield!” The class A students all turned to look at her and the other Huntresses. Even though they were shocked and wanted to help, they were all in agreement with Weiss. Even Sun was nodding.
“Hard-light shield?” Midoriya repeated, confused.
“What’s that?” Uraraka asked. Weiss fixed her with a measured glare, not unlike the one’s Goodwitch could give when delivering a lecture.
“In order to protect the audience, which can include civilians with no Aura," Weiss stated pointedly, "the hard-light shield is kept active whilst a match is in play to prevent accidents from stray shots, as well as to catch competitors in the tournament, if they’re flung out of bounds. Trying to jump down from here would mean hitting the shield…”
“...and while I have no doubt Bakugo and Midoriya amongst others could break through,” Sun added, “even I know that could shut the whole thing down completely.” Weiss gestured to Sun with a look that clearly translated to ‘What he said!’
“Which amounts to the same problem if they chose to shut it down remotely,” Ruby said, clenching her fist. A few others in their section also understood.
“Dropping the shield would put the rest of the audience, the student body at risk,” Iida said aloud, his face grim. “I see, so the only way to intervene is to use the entrance tunnels to the arena.”
Bakugo began marching away, “Fine! If we can’t blast our way from above, we’ll go the damn long way! Stand around and fret if you want to, but I’m heading…” Aizawa stepped in his path, his Quirk active.
“You’ll do no such thing.” He pointed down to the situation that was already escalating, “right now, we have active Pros to handle this. I won’t risk any more of you getting caught up.” Goodwitch came up to his shoulder, as she put away her scroll. “Myself and Goodwitch are heading down. You are all to stay here, unless the situation changes and it becomes necessary to evacuate. In which case, I’ll expect you to help the other Beacon students in ensuing that there isn’t a panic.” Bakugo gritted his teeth, but turned his head away in acceptance.
“Class rep,” Goodwitch spoke up, adjusting her glasses even as she drew her weapon, “Ensure all the students safety. Miss Rose, and Mr Wukong that goes for you as well!” All three heard her loud and clear.
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Understood!”
“You can count on us!”
Goodwitch gave a brief proud smile at them, before turning her head to look at Eraser Head. “Ready whenever you are,” she said, and that was enough for him, as they rushed for the stairs. Both of them moving as quickly as they could.
‘Hold on all of you! Yaoyorozu, Arc! Hold on a little longer, we’re coming!’ Aizawa thought as he leapt down the stairwell at breakneck speed.
[Cue Opening – Save the Day]
Episode 22: Negative!
The Past, Beacon, Teacher’s Lounge
“Be candid with me, Aoyama,” Aizawa said, “how are you doing? Really?” Yuga stopped posing, and let his unaffected vain smile drop slowly. He took a deep breath, released it, and then took another.
“...I miss my parents. I worry about them a great, great deal, sir.” He admitted. He looked down, and let his hands touch the belt he largely had on nearly all the time. “When my Quirk came in, and it was discovered that my body wasn’t really suited for it, they searched high and low to find my belt. Because of this, I feel like I can pursue my dream.” He looked up at his teacher who was listening attentively. Yuga’s face let his sadness show, let the mask he wore almost day in and day out slip away. “This, is the only thing I currently have on me from them, before we came to Remnant.”
“Are you talking about this with your classmates at all? Or the counsellor?” Aizawa asked. Yuga looked away, a little ashamed.
“Non. At least… not my classmates. They have so many other worries, and it is easier to distract myself along with them, than burden them with my woes. I don’t wish to disturb too much. Though if I had a chance, perhaps I could arrange a surprise to keep the others morale up. I have been wanting to get some samples of the delicious cheeses they have here.”
Aizawa reached out and rested his hand on Yuga’s shoulder. “I won’t push you to talk more with your team, and your fellow classmates. But I ask that you at least try. Sharing your pain isn’t necessarily adding to their burdens, it’s making you stronger, more connected. You might find it helps them as well as yourself . ”
“I… I will try. Merci.” Yuga said softly. Aizawa gave him a small pat on the shoulder and then released and sat back in his chair.
“Is there anything else you would like to talk about, or would you feel better discussing some ideas to help with your training?” Yuga sat up a little straighter, hands on his knees.
“Training, sir.” he answered. But inside his head, as Aizawa talked, his mind whispered. ‘I want my family to be safe. I want them not to worry. But if we can’t go back…. If we’re forever on Remnant... would it be so bad? Could I still pursue my dream? To shine for others, and stand amongst my amazing peers as their equal.’
‘Can I… be a hero here on Remnant, too?’
The Present. Amity Colosseum Arena
They were pinned by a sustained laser blast, and the intensity of the laser seemed to be getting stronger, as Jaune and Pyrrha had to dig deep not to lose their footing against it. ‘I didn’t think Aoyama could sustain a laser of this strength for so long!’ Jaune thought, gritting his teeth. ‘Normally he’d have to stop to take some kind of a break to relieve the pressure on his gut. Is he really that committed to beating us that he’d go this far?’
They needed a distraction, something to break his concentration. Jaune thought about using his ‘Dazzler,’ or as Nora called the upgrade, ‘The Stun Shield,’ but with the pressure he was under, he doubted it would work for very long. Then a thought occurred. “Creati! Can you repeat that arrow shot you did at the very beginning, but with a Flash-bang?”
“I can try!” Yaoyorozu said, her huntress bow ready as she used her Quirk to make a specialised arrow. She notched the fabricated missile and drew Kagome’s hard-light string aiming high.
“Pyrrha,” Jaune said through gritted teeth, “distract him a moment. Your discus…” Pyrrha needed no further instruction. She tapped her Semblance and suddenly her newest weapon flew from her belt, and went out and wide. The attacking blonde’s eyes went to it immediately, and that was all the opening Yaoyorozu needed. She fired the arrow, and it went up and then curved as it came back down, landing right next to her target’s foot, and a piercing flash of light lit up the jungle completely.
Aoyama… no, Negative, cut off his laser, blinking furiously, while holding his sabre in front defensively. Thanks to their shields, Jaune, Pyrrha and Yaoyorozu only suffered some ringing in their ears. Unfortunately Jaune’s relief at having the pressure drop off disappeared due to two things. The first was an audible crack that could be heard even past the ringing in everyone’s ears, and as he regarded his shield he saw the upgrade that had been put in to blind enemies, or act as a spotlight in the dark, had been damaged under the onslaught. ‘Oh come on!’ Jaune inwardly groaned, only to see a shadow that was not made by the jungle trees. He looked up, and was knocked off his feet by Negative Nora! This would be the second thing that kept him from finding some relief in the situation; her hammer slamming into his shield, and her stepping on his chest, pinning him to the ground with one foot.
“Naughty,” Nora said, raising her hammer to strike again, only for Pyrrha’s Akouo to strike her and knock her toward Aoyama, pushing both to the floor. Both Pyrrha’s shield and discus returned to her immediately afterwards.
“Now!” Yaoyorozu said as she drew her string back and released another arrow. It said a lot about how charged Nora was, that she was back on her feet in less than a second, and using Magnhild to try and deflect Yaoyorozu’s shot! The arrowhead detonated on impact and the pair were engulfed with steam!
A stray laser barely missed Yaoyorozu’s head, as Pyrrha pulled her away at the last second. “We need to regroup!” Pyrrha stated firmly. Yaoyorozu nodded, making a small shield on her arm to deflect a few more light shots sent at her.
Jaune groaned, but pulled himself up and with his shield between him and the Negative pair, made it to the others. “Let’s go! Get Ojiro and Ren!”
“Hold it!” They’d barely started running when they saw Hagakure holding Ojiro hostage, a kunai to his throat, and pinning his other arm. “We came to win this match. And win we shall. Drop your weapons or… WooAAAGHH!” Hagakure had overlooked one essential limb when trying to hold Ojiro. She’d ironically overlooked his Quirk. Concentrating his Aura to protect himself, he wrapped his tail around her and lifted her away, the kunai scratching at his throat, but other than leaving a thin red line, his skin wasn’t pierced.
“Sorry Hagakure, I hope you’ll forgive me after this,” Ojiro said as he whirled around before tossing the Invisible Girl away.
The three shield bearers ran to him. “Can you move? We need to move!” Jaune insisted. Somewhere in all of this chaos he swore he heard either Port or Oobleck declare the match void and over, but it looked like Negative and those affected by his power were still eager to fight. Ojiro nodded as he rubbed at his neck.
“Yeah, I can move. Let’s go!” They wasted no further time. As they ran, lasers and even grenades were fired upon them, but soon they were out of the jungle, and they saw…
“Ren!” Jaune almost stopped dead, and it was only the fact the others kept going that made him do so as well. But his friend and teammate was on his side, biting back his pain, cradling his right arm. The group gathered defensively around him. Jaune glanced at the holographic display that showed their respective Aura levels. Ren was in red, while Jaune still had the most from his team, but was down into yellow. Pyrrha was also in yellow, a little under half. Yaoyorozu was still just in the green, and Ojiro was around half. As for those now under the effects of ‘Negative,’ Aoyama was just under half, Nora was just above, and Hagakure was the lowest, coming close to red.
He noticed Yaoyorozu looking as well, and they shared a worried glance. “We need to get Ren medical attention,” she said, “and get out of the arena.” Jaune nodded, keeping his shield aimed towards the Jungle, knowing they could be set upon at any moment. Pyrrha did the same.
“Looks like we might have some help there,” Ojiro had knelt by Ren’s side but pointed to the edge where the two environments connected. It looked like three or four squads of Atlas security troopers were coming. A medical team was also with them.
“Hold on Ren, we’ll get you out,” Jaune promised, as Ojiro tried to help him sit up. Ren looked like he was fighting hard not to yell out, assuming he hadn’t already from pain.
“Nor… Nora… What happened to… her?” Jaune wasn’t sure this was the best time to give an answer to that, even if he understood why Ren would ask that right now. He simply tried to guard as best he could while Yaoyorozu was signalling the teams for help.
“He has a broken arm, and possibly other injuries!” She said as the medics, a woman and a man, got close enough with a fold out stretcher.
“Okay, stand aside so we can do our work now,” the man said, brusque but not unkind.
Then the chaos started again. A beam of sickly black and green light shot out of the jungle and swept across the field, and it was only due to those holding shields that their group, plus the medics were not struck. But the security teams were. They were knocked down, but after a moment, steadily picked themselves back up, beginning to take on Negative appearances themselves. “You have got to be kidding me!” Ojiro bit out in frustrated horror, as those they were depending on for aid, now became reinforcements for their opposition. Jaune felt the same, but was trying to find a way out.
“We’re too exposed!” He said, “We need to get some kind of defensible position!” He ducked his head behind his shield, even as the Arena security began opening fire on them!
Yaoyorozu knew what to do. “The Sandstorm village!” She passed her own shield to Ojiro, while making some flash-bangs and tossing them at their aggressors. “It’s the closest place with some kind of cover!” Jaune chanced a quick look, and saw that the winds manufactured to make the zone more difficult had dropped.
“Ojiro, help the medics move Ren!” He ordered, “Pyrrha and me will keep you covered with our shields!” His partner nodded. Despite how things had worked out, it was something they could do that would give them some breathing room.
“I’ll provide covering fire,” Yaoyorozu said, drawing Kagome once more and releasing an arrow almost straight away.
The medics, despite the chaos and the fact that students were now giving them orders, adapted quickly, with the man giving quick instruction to Ojiro with carrying the stretcher (and was happy the boy had some basic knowledge of emergency first aid), while his partner did what she could to make sure Ren was secure and stable before moving.
In less than a minute, the party moved towards the desert environment, chased by shots the whole way, as the security teams began to establish a perimeter. A few aimed guns at the stands, but knew it was pointless to do so while the hard-light shield was up. Instead they held ground, while the highest ranking officer walked over to the Jungle.
There, Negative watched and waited.
…
Negative frowned. He had hoped to overwhelm the others and claim victory swiftly. In truth, he did not know the full capabilities of himself at this point. When he turned Nora and Hagakure, that was more an instinct (as well as luck, for Aoyama had wondered on and off for a while if his beautiful laser could actually hit someone who passively bent light around them, even if they were wearing clothes). He noticed an opportunity, and his body acted. Knowing he could turn others, even those not directly struck so long as they were touching, and they were by default aligned with him was good. So when he saw the security teams, he knew exactly what he had to do. One broad sweep of his Corruption-Beam (as he was starting to call it, already dismissing Nega-Laser) and now he had more people who followed his orders.
The head of the security teams (what was his rank? Captain? Sergeant? Major?) came over and saluted. Well this was also good to know; those who were switched to negative were not just in automatic alignment with himself, but also automatically deferred to him as in charge. “What are your orders sir?” The man in (former) white asked. Negative looked into the stands, and noticed that he could not see either Eraser Head or Professor Goodwitch.
“The huntsmen and Eraser Head are coming. Keep them and the others from interfering, for as long as you can.”
‘Don’t do this’ a voice in his head pleaded. ‘Stop, I beg of you! I don’t want this!’ He ignored it. The voice was a distraction. Instead, barely acknowledging the soldier’s compliance, he moved back into the cover of the jungle and found his… well he supposed he could now call them his lieutenants. Nora held her weapon in grenade launcher mode, awaiting the chance for more violence. Hagakure was bruised, and battered, but still determined as she recovered Ambush, and reloaded.
“We don’t have much time.” Negative said. “I suspect that the teachers will get involved in the next few seconds, and I highly doubt the security teams will be able to delay them for too long.” He pulled out from a pouch hidden behind his back and under his cape, a small container with cake slices within. “We must also watch our Aura. It seems that turning others consumes more of mine, and I will need to save it for when we can use it most effectively. Sato passed these on to me for when the match was over, but at this time, I say we need it now. Bon appetite. ”
“ Don’t need to tell me twice, ” Hagakure said, snatching two cake slices for herself and scoffing them down, the yellow-white shimmer affect that came from Aura preserve passed over her body with every bite. Negative and Nora swallowed their slices quickly as well.
Nora looked beyond the trees, towards the desert. “So what’s the plan? If we’re not careful, the professors and Eraser Head will come after us if we try and assault Jaune and Creati’s position.” Negative nodded.
“That’s why you and I will stay in the jungle. There are still some traps that were not triggered, that we can use to help make it more difficult for anyone to strike at us, and we have plenty of cover to make an ambush.”
“ And what of me?” Hagakure asked. Negative smiled in response, even as the voice in his head was screaming to stop and end this before someone else got seriously hurt.
“Ah Invisible Girl, I have a task that you can do. Knowing our friends, I think it likely that they will attempt to come for us in a desperate attempt to end this. But if you could try and encourage them to hurry up, or simply find a target of opportunity… well, I leave it entirely to you how to handle it.”
Creati
They found a building to occupy, with a single door, and boarded up windows. The village had few solidly built buildings, the rest mostly make-shift tents and pavilions. “That’s because in Vacuo, permanent settlements are rare,” The female medic explained when Momo had mused on this as they selected their cover. “As someone who was born there I can tell you, the nomadic life is generally better for survival. Outside of Shade and a few other places, there’s little point to staying in one place when it can be worn down by the Grimm.”
Jaune had looked pensively around at the environment as he stepped inside the door, and then closed it. “Dr Oobleck talked about this in class. The other kingdoms really... screwed Vacuo over prior to the Great War, didn’t they?” The Vacuon Medic gave him a knowing look.
“Yes, but this is hardly the time for a pity party. For one, we need to see to your teammate. Second, we didn’t bring balloons.”
“A party without balloons, and no cake?” Her partner was shaking his head as he knelt next to Ren. “I officially hate this party.”
Momo trusted that the medic’s banter was their way of coping with the unexpected stress of the situation. They were moving together, understanding what the other needed. So since Ren was being tended to, she turned to the others who could stand. “This is my fault, I should have acted sooner when I realised something was not right with Aoyama.”
Pyrrha came over and rested a hand on her shoulder. “There was no way any of us could predict he would manifest a Semblance like that, or what it would do.” Momo appreciated that, even as Pyrrha looked to Jaune. “Right now, we need to decide what to do next.”
“We can’t leave things the way they are.” Jaune said, sheathing Crocea Mors and looking at the shield, wincing as he examined how Aoyama’s laser had damaged his ‘Dazzler.’ “Ideally, the teachers and Pros will be all over this, but if they end up getting struck as well…” He trailed off, and they all shivered at the idea of more people they trusted being taken over and turned against them.
Ojiro leant against a wall, while also keeping an ear open in case he heard someone approaching. “What I don’t get is how a Semblance could make someone do that? Aoyama has always been a little vain and self absorbed, but he’s also shown more depth. If it wasn’t for him being willing to sacrifice himself during the license exam, firing his navel-laser into the sky for all to see, at least half our class wouldn’t have gotten past the first test. So why does his Semblance make him like this?”
Ren grunted, and despite the medics telling him to lay still, he spoke up. “Some Semblances… can affect emotions, or even how people… think. My ‘Tranquillity’ is like that... in suppressing and cloaking myself… and others in calm, that makes us... invisible to the Grimm.”
Momo cupped her chin in thought. “If that’s the case, then perhaps Aoyama has some dark side of himself he has suppressed, and his Semblance developed from that, and manifested a whole other personality.”
Jaune peaked out the door. He could hear gunshots, and the sound of the audience crying out in confused uproar. “If Aoyama is the source, then we need to take him down.” He said firmly. This got everyone’s attention. “If the effect that’s making everyone negative comes from him, then it should end if his Aura breaks.”
“That’s a plan,” Pyrrha agreed, but with some nervousness. “so how do we do that, exactly?”
“We can’t leave the medics and Ren alone.” Momo stated firmly. “We will have to split our forces, since we can’t tell if any of our friends will still attack non-combatants and injured.”
“And the longer this goes on, the risk of others getting as injured as Ren increases as well.” Pyrrha gripped her weapons tighter.
“And if the effect doesn’t end once Aoyama’s out?” Ojiro asked tentatively. There was a beat as they considered that.
“…We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Jaune said, putting as much strength into his voice as possible. “Right now, Aoyama wants to face me and Pyrrha. I think he’s still thinking of winning the match. Everyone who is opposed to that is in the way, and subject to either being turned or taken out. So we need to take the fight to him. Give him a target to focus on.”
Momo could feel a plan coming together. “Alright, if I were Aoyama, I would want to stay in the cover of the jungle. There’s still some traps we set up that didn’t get tripped, so he’ll likely trust in those for security. Therefore, I have to go, since I know where they are.”
“I’ll go with you,” Ojiro said firmly. “I’ve got enough of my Aura left to use my ‘Hyper-kinetic’ ability at least for a few seconds. That should be enough to keep Nora back a bit when she attacks.”
Jaune and Pyrrha shared a look. And then they spoke together. “I’ll go!” They blinked, and then tried again. “No, I should… You have to… How?!” they exclaimed at the same time. The Vacuon medic snorted in amusem*nt.
Momo stepped between them. “Jaune, why do you think it has to be you who goes with us?” She asked, and he looked back with determination.
He began to count off his fingers. “First, I’ve still got plenty of Aura. I may not be Midoriya, but I can use what I have to help tank hits with my shield, and given that Aoyama when he gets serious, can blast his lasers through several feet of solid concrete with a single blast, we need that defence.” He left unsaid the fact that if Aoyama went that high, he wouldn’t be able to tank that many. “Second, Aoyama and I aren’t the best fighters. But while he picked his weapon to help him sparkle more, I have yet to see him actually seriously put the time in to learn how to use it. I may not be as good as my friends, but I’ve put in more work with my blade than he has, and I’m confident that if I can get close I can disarm him just as well as anyone else here.” Momo blinked, and quickly glanced at Pyrrha who seemed just as surprised at how well Jaune had actually thought this through.
“Finally; Pyrrha. She is the best of us. I’d trust her with my life any day. That’s why I want her guarding Ren. If we head out and this place gets attacked, there is (no offence to the rest of you) nobody better suited to defending. If we don’t find Aoyama in the jungle, and he’s somehow gotten around us, I’d bet money he couldn’t touch Pyrrha, but the sound of a fight should give us enough notice to come back to help out. And if we go, and he only sends out say, Hagakure, for a sneak attack, that means one less person to fight for us, and with this environment, even if she’s naked…”
“Wait, why would she get naked?” The male medic asked perplexed, only to get shushed by his partner.
“...The sand around here will giver away her position from her footprints. If I’m here, I’m willing to bet that Hagakure could lead me by the nose and get the drop on me. That won’t happen with Pyrrha.”
“There’s also the security… teams.” Ren said, wincing as he did so. “They might… be sent to take us. I agree with Jaune. Pyrrha would be best.” Jaune silently thanked his injured teammate for agreeing with him, Meanwhile, Ojiro and Momo seemed far less on the fence than before.
Jaune stepped closer to his partner and put his hands on her shoulders. “Pyrrha, you are the best of us. That’s why I need you to make sure Ren and the medics are safe. Can you be their guardian while we smack some sense into Aoyama?” She smiled at him, and gently rested a hand on his.
“You can count on me, Jaune.”
Momo looked away, a small pang of jealously in her chest, but she forced it down and cast it aside. She cared for her friends more, so she focused on the task at hand. “Okay. So we have our team. And I have an idea that can turn the tables.” She pushed aside the hem of her cloak, and began using her Quirk. “We’ll stop Aoyama, end this battle, and save our comrades in one fell swoop!”
“While you’re at it,” The Vacuon medic spoke up, “is there any way you can contact the higher ups to let them know what’s going on? Just in case?” Momo blinked, even as she continued to drop materials out of her waist.
“You’re right! My scroll!” She touched her chest above her heart, and in a flash her scroll appeared in her hand. She tossed it to Ojiro. “Please, contact Mr Aizawa and Professor Goodwitch, let them know our situation and our plan!”
Eraser Head
He had to give the men and women from Atlas credit. They had great discipline, better training, and situational awareness than most police officers he’d worked with over the course of his career. And they were certainly better than the majority of low brow villains he’d faced. He still had a few pointers he could give them for when they came around, and were no longer under the effects of whatever this power was. Shota thought all this even as he dodged a salvo of gun fire from five men, before tripping one up with one of his new scarves, and then sweeping the man into his fellows.
Shota liked to keep people guessing. Only the principal, Power Loader, and the support company who made his scarf back on Earth, knew how he made it levitate and hover when he activated Erasure. Midoriya had theories, and at least one came close, but Shota wasn’t about to tell. He also liked to make it unclear whether his capture weapon was one scarf but with multiple ends (like a cat-o-nine-tails whip) of if he had a number of scarves wrapped around his neck and face.
He had lost his iconic weapon at the docks. Yaoyorozu had made a temporary recreation out of slightly different materials, but now he had two new scarves. Mulberry said he could help make more, but these two were more than enough. Both had Dust woven into them, which after exhaustive practice that pushed the Pro to soul shock, he could utilise with a measure of extra focus and will. The first, and most likely his default, was Gravity Dust. Using his Aura to interact with that allowed him to recreate the effect of making it hover and become loose and ready. It also had the benefit of making those he wrapped up, either trapped by the sensation of opposing gravimetric forces, or made lighter, so he didn’t have to expend more effort to throw people about than he usually did. The second, after much deliberation with both Mulberry and Rose, was ice. He chose that for the reasoning that if he could freeze up a person’s arms or legs, or even their weapons with a light coating of frost, it would further impact their mobility, and capacity to fight back. Rose still hoped he would get other scarves with different Dust types, but that would be time and resource consuming, and Shota Aizawa was not going to wear nearly ten different scarves. Two would more than suffice.
The people he just tripped up were suddenly picked up via telekinetic force and hurled bodily into another group. Goodwitch was implacable, and demonstrating great reflexes and tactical awareness. It was actually great working with her. He’d use his capture weapons to pull their opponents off balance, and in the moments where they focused on him, she used her Semblance to great effect and send them flying. There was already a collection of unconscious armoured men slumped against the arena wall, their Aura broken, and thankfully no longer with the ‘negative’ effect.
It was to his annoyance that the teams soon adapted, and started pulling back in the face of the pair, opening up more space for them to use their guns, some heading for the jungle while others went for the Sandstorm Village. If they made into either, it would be a pain to dig them all out.
There was more gunfire, but this time from behind. He glanced over his shoulder quickly, and saw that the headmasters had actually joined them, as well as Port and Oobleck, and a team of robotic Atliesian Knights! Ironwood’s face was thunderous as he looked upon the people who operated under his command, now unwillingly turned. He levelled a hefty looking pistol as he marched forwards, almost uncaring of any fire heading his way.
Aizawa didn’t know how far Ironwood was prepared to take things here. The Atlas headmaster was military, but Shota did not like the idea that the General would willing sacrifice his own men without hesitation. He found a way to get close to the man. “Glad for the back up,” he said, choosing to be polite, “but be careful with your shots. Once their Aura breaks they go back to normal we’ve found.”
Ironwood nodded. “Thanks for the update. That makes things a lot easier.” He scowled at the jungle. “Ozpin and I think this might be Aoyama’s Semblance, but it’s out of control. We need to get to him.”
Shota gritted his teeth. “At the very least my Quirk will cancel his. But I need to see his body to do it.”
“Then we’ll work to give you that chance,” Ozpin said as he charged forward, faster than Shota thought possible for the man. While not the same speed as Oobleck (currently using his thermos as a flamethrower as he fought alongside Port and Goodwitch) Ozpin was quick! He charged into one team, and with the skill of a master fencer, disarmed and immobilised all ten people in almost half as many seconds! Aizawa felt he shouldn't have been surprised to see that Ozpin's cane was his huntsman weapon, or that Ozpin himself was a capable fighter. Aizawa's own boss was a talking animal for crying out loud, and while not physically imposing, he knew better than to underestimate Nezu based on appearence.
His scroll buzzed. He hoped this was important. “Cover me a moment.” Ironwood did as requested, standing guard as he laid down fire with cold efficiency, Aizawa pulled out his scroll and opened it up to find a message from Yaoyorozu. He quietly read aloud; "Aoyama overcome by Semblance personality; Negative. Valkyrie and Hagakure under influence. Ren and medics guarded by Nikos in village. Going to try and stop him. Be warned, traps in forest. Don’t get hit." ‘This doesn’t feel like Yaoyorozu… more likely she had one of the others send the message for her,’ Shota put the scroll away. He looked about, and he saw three people dash from the Sandstorm village towards the Jungle. Jaune Arc in front with his shield up, Yaoyorozu just behind with her own shield, and Ojiro.
“What are they doing?” Ironwood said, seeing them as well. Shota gripped his capture weapons a little tighter.
“Nikos is guarding medics and injured in the village. The rest are trying to end this themselves. Yaoyorozu did make traps for the match, so wondering in blindly could be problematic.” Shota made a decision then. “I’m going in after them. I’m trusting my back to you.” Ironwood smiled and nodded.
“Go, we’ll see about rounding up my men, and getting the injured clear.” Shota barely let him finish before racing away, dodging left and right. He wouldn’t let the students face this without support.
Emerald & Mercury
The students didn’t understand what was going on. They didn't really understand what was happening when the camera feeds began to clear. Then Lie Ren was violently ejected from the jungle, followed by the commentators hurriedly declaring the match over, and for everyone to remain seated and calm as security and medical teams did their jobs.
Mercury watched as suddenly a mixture of teens who had been previously fighting each other, came rushing out of the jungle, looking like they were being chased. Security and medical personnel did arrive sure, but then a freaking sickly looking laser beam struck the Atlas teams, and now they had some kind of spooky glow up. Then they started firing on the people they came to help There were shouts of confusion and outrage, amongst the students. There were some who panicked, only for their fellows to rally and pull them together.
The infiltrators looked at each other. “That looked different from the laser that Sparkles normally does,” he said lowly, “so I’m guessing… some kind of Semblance?”
“But one that sets him against his own allies?” Emerald sounded sceptical, but not truly dismissive. This was valuable intel, and they needed to learn more. ‘A power that corrupts others to fight for you? Cinder will be very interested.’ She made sure to take some footage of what she could see with her scroll.
“If I was Sparkles,” Mercury said to himself, “I’d be looking to tag a few of the teachers. That would really give him control over this battle. I wonder if that means he has a limit for the number of people he can affect?”
“Well, I’m betting that it’s going to end soon,” Emerald said, “got eyes on three of the unaffected fighters running back to the Jungle, and looks like that Eraser Head Pro is on their tail.”
Negative
And here they come, as predictable as anything. After all, it isn’t in a true hero’s nature to leave somebody who needs saving behind, or to run from a villain. Negative waited, and considered who had come for him. He saw Yaoyorozu, which was troublesome, albeit expected, since she knew all the traps he was counting on to help keep him safe. He saw Jaune Arc, and that was a surprise. He expected him to stay back and look after his injured teammate. He thought they would have sent Pyrrha Nikos.
Briefly he considered how Hagakure would do against the champion, but left that alone. It was all or nothing now. Either they succeeded or they failed. He also continued to ignore the voice in his head, cheering the others arrival, begging to be saved.
“Mon frère, really? I exist because of you. I am here because you were afraid. Afraid of so, so much. And you were afraid that you might lose this match for your team. I am here… because you went beyond and set me loose. So it’s a little hurtful when you cheer for our defeat.”
He said this under his breath, but the voice within heard, and quieted. Silent through guilt. Deal with that later. Negative noticed the last member was Ojiro. Plain yet dependable Ojiro. He still hadn’t drawn his sword, the most it did was serve as form of shield for his back. Then again, Negative/Aoyama hadn’t really made use of their sabre. An ancient quote from ages past came to mind that made him chuckle, and he decided to paraphrase.
“Oh by all means come closer. I want to hit you with my sword.”
Judging they had come close enough to start, he took a breath, and then unleashed his Navel Buffet… And then he began to grimace, as not only did Jaune use his shield to block his attack, it now had a shiny reflective coating that made his lasers bounce off! Yaoyorozu also had much larger shield, of similar design to Nikos’ own, with the exact same reflective surface.
“ Very clever.” He bit out. And then he had to duck!
Jaune now had a new attached belt to his waist, holding a number of throw-able daggers that he was using instead of his sword. Yaoyorozu had also drawn a bola from her body and was throwing it at him. He just managed not to lose his sword when he went to swipe the capture weapon away (and suddenly he realised that bringing a sword to a fight where he didn’t really know how to use one, was a very poor choice, even if it was better than no weapon at all!). Still he had his own ace.
“Valkyrie!”
She rocketed from above, a wordless battle-cry on her lips, her hammer ready to come down upon the trio’s ranks like a thunderbolt! And yet, Negative was once more surprised, when Ojiro actually leapt to meet her, drawing his own blade!
Of course! His Semblance; Hyper-Kinetic! He didn’t know if Ojiro in that state could really go against Valkyrie and win, but he couldn’t have him mess things up either. Negative would have to take him out!
Jaune
Blade met Hammer and Jaune could swear he felt the shock-waves from the impact through his body. He’d certainly hear the ringing in his ears for a bit. ‘Focus Jaune, keep your eye on Aoyama! If he tags anyone else, it could be game over.’ He raised another throwing dagger, and promised himself, before his new gear was finished, he’d already be proficient in the art of throwing blades.
“What was the trap you were trying to lure Pyrrha and Ren into?” He asked Yaoyorozu as lasers bounced off their shields. He wasn’t sure how much material she had made today, so he hoped she wasn’t hitting Quirk exhaustion. Yaoyorozu, from behind her shield, began pointing, even as the fighting between Ojiro and Nora carried on to the point that trees were being felled, either from blunt force, or sharp steel edge.
“To our left, I had a weighted net and flash-bangs set up to go off. I was counting on that to slow you down enough for us to properly wear down your team’s Aura from a distance.” Jaune nodded, understanding the logic. She pointed in the other direction. “To the right and circling round, was mostly alarms, and quick trip hazards, intended to slow and alert us to someone coming from that direction.”
Jaune frowned. “So why is Aoyama using the same strategy as before?” Momo winced, even as she ducked her head down behind her shield and dug her feet in.
“While I don’t wish to talk badly of my classmates, Aoyama has rarely been one for coming up with a strategy by himself.”
There was another clash behind him, as Nora tried to defeat Ojiro. Jaune couldn’t afford to turn his head too much, or he’d lose sight of Aoyama. “You’re not... getting past me... so easily,” Ojiro said, panting heavily from the sounds of things.
Nora then spoke, and it put a shiver up Jaune’s spine. “You are made of soft flesh and bone. I am made from abandonment, terror and rage. I will break you, plain looking Tailman!” Jaune forcibly focused on only what was ahead, though he hoped that later, when this was all over, he could try approaching his teammate and ask her about that.
Then a new voice spoke up, and Jaune had never felt so happy to hear the man known as Eraser Head. “You’re not breaking anyone Valkyrie!” There was an indignant squawk as clearly Nora got wrapped in the Pro’s scarf.
Yaoyorozu without missing a beat, called out and pointed with a free arm. “Mr Aizawa! Toss her over between those trees!”
He did so without question, and then Jaune saw his teammate flying through the air past him. She landed right where Yaoyorozu said her weighted net trap was. Oh, and of course the flash-bangs. It clearly worked as shortly after Nora landed there was a number of sharp bangs, bright light, and a scream from her. “OH GODS! MY RAGE HAS BLINDED ME!”
“Great! We got this…!” Jaune nearly crowed, when he saw Aoyama/Negative break from cover, and clearly about to fire off another Navel Buffet. But he wasn’t aiming at Jaune and Yaoyorozu. He was aiming at Aizawa and Ojiro! If he hit one or both… Jaune dropped the dagger he had been preparing to throw, and put everything he had into his Aura to get him ahead of the attack. Because it didn’t matter if Aizawa could cancel a Quirk, if the attack had been already fired!
He didn’t see Eraser Head’s eyes flash red behind his googles, or his hair rise up as he did so. He didn’t see the short torrential downpour of energy sent his way by Negative, determined to get a hit in. He only knew that he blocked some shots, and some shots struck him!
Just before he was overcome with darker thoughts, Jaune Arc was genuinely surprised when one of the lasers fired against them, somehow shot back from another angle and struck Negative right in his face, shattering his fancy red shades.
Eraser Head
He kept his gaze on Aoyama, cursing himself for being too late to use his Quirk before the boy could fire (did that mean that Aoyama had improved his reflexes and speed? It would have been nice to see that in class more). Jaune Arc hit the floor, his Aura fluctuating between pure white and twisted green black, before it’s natural state asserted itself. Aoyama’s Aura broke shortly after getting hit by one of his own lasers, and the boy went into immediate soul shock. Before he hit the ground, Eraser had his Ice scarf around him, frost collecting where the cloth made contact. “Arc, Ojiro, Yaoyorozu! Are you hurt at all?” Ojiro walked up and shook his head. He seemed out of breath, possibly winded, but he looked all right. Eraser glanced towards Yaoyorozu who hadn’t answered. She had walked over to check on a groaning Arc.
“I’m all right. It’s just… we got him by pure luck.” She looked at him, with wide, if tired, eyes. “One of those lasers bounced off Jaune’s shield, and struck mine. I only prepared this reflective sheet for our shields to help counter his laser. It was not our plan to turn his own power against him. It was… just luck.”
“That’s fine.” Eraser released his Quirk, and pulled off his goggles. He needed his eye drops, but he kept his eyes on the form of Aoyama, finally looking back to normal. “While relying on luck alone isn’t something I will advocate, that doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate it when the wind blows your way.” ‘And what a way,’ he thought. ‘Arc moved to protect me and Ojiro, and one stray laser out of all the others fired against us, bounced off his shield, struck Yaoyorozu’s, and was reflected right back at Aoyama! If they told me that had been their plan, I wouldn’t have believed it.’
“Ojiro, can you check on Aoyama, while I see to Arc?” The tail Quirked boy nodded and moved forward, while Aizawa sank down and looked at the slowly recovering huntsman-in-training.
“What’s… happening?” Arc asked shaking his head, and blinking. “Did we win? I think I took a hit…” Aizawa rested a hand on his shoulder.
“Aoyama’s down, and if you listen, you can hear that there’s no more gunshots in the background. Which means that it’s over.” Jaune heaved a sigh of relief, and Aizawa gave him a rare smile. “You all did well.”
Before anything else could be said, there was a heart-wrenching scream from amongst the trees. Nora Valkyrie was wailing and openly weeping in emotional agony, and clearly on the verge of having a panic attack. “REN?! REN, I’M SORRY!” Aizawa removed his hand.
“Yaoyorozu, stay with Arc. I’ll handle this.” And with that he was moving, towards the sobs and cries of the strongest member of JNPR. It didn’t take him long. Nora was trying to pull off a thick weighted net, and normally she could have done so with only a little trouble. Her own emotional state however, was inhibiting her more than the net itself. “Hang on!” Aizawa called as he moved towards her, glad to see that like with Aoyama, there was no trace of negativity. “I’ll help. Stay still so I can get you out!”
Nora listened, or maybe ran out of energy as she collapsed to her hands and knees, sobbing. Aizawa grimaced. The fight might be over, but the aftermath and the memories of what happened were going to be hard for all those involved. He finally got the net off of her and knelt by her. “Valkyrie. Can you stand?” She looked up at him and her face was heart-breaking.
“I hurt him,” she whimpered. “I hurt Ren. We… we’ve been together… he’s all I have!” Fresh sobs overtook her, and Aizawa started rubbing her back, and giving her clear instruction on how to breathe.
“He was hurt, but he’ll be okay.” He assured her. “Medics are with him as we speak. And it wasn’t your fault. Nobody would blame you for what happened, not even him.” Nora sniffed, and wiped her face with her arm.
“Mom abandoned me,” she said mournfully, like she felt like confessing to expel her guilt. “Wondered around before I got to the village he called home. Then an Elder Grimm attacked and killed everyone else. We only survived because of his Semblance. We’ve been together ever since.” Hearing this, it suddenly made sense to Shota why Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie were always together. They had both lost everything but each other, and now Valkyrie was wracked with guilt for hurting the person who meant the most to her.
“Valkyrie... he’ll be okay.” Shota gently insisted, “and I think it will make him feel better to see you now that you’re back to normal.” Nora nodded. And then froze. Her teary eyes widened.
“Oh no... Toru! Where is Toru?!” She grabbed Aizawa by his costume, and nearly pulled him off balance (the girl forgot her own strength too often). He tried to get her to slow down, but Nora would not settle. “You don’t understand! Aoyama sent her after the others, to either help drive them here, or act on her own initiative! So where is she?!”
A chill ran down his spine. He didn’t have an immediate answer. Assuming that once Aoyama’s aura was broken, everyone who was affected was released, what had Toru Hagakure been doing all this time, while they’d been fighting here?
Toru Hagakure. Minutes ago
She watched, quietly and patiently, as Yaomomo, Arc and Mashiro left the building they’d taken shelter in. And then Pyrrha Nikos came out and stood on the roof, looking out as a sentry.
Toru wondered what her next move should be. Negative had expected and even wanted the group to come to him, and by and large they had. If Pyrrha wasn’t following, it meant she had someone to protect. So Ren, and maybe one or two others. She moved behind the nearest tent, and started to strip. “They call you the Invincible Girl. They all look to you like you’re All Might. Untouchable. Unbowed. But I wonder, Pyrrha Nikos; how would a girl who’s beaten every opponent she’s been able to face, handle a foe she cannot even see?” Her clothes were folded in a pile, and Toru was grateful that the winds that had initially been blowing had been shut off. She looked back, holding only a belt of glass-like kunai. “How would the Invincible Girl fare, against the Invisible Girl?”
[Cue Outro]
2nd Outro for Season 1; Part 13 – Aoyama
[Class 1-A, and teams RWBY and JNPR are all sitting on the grass outside Beacon. It is night, and fireworks are going off in the sky before, and around them. All are dressed in their respective school uniforms.]
(From Left to right, Front Row: Sero, Kaminari, Ashido, Hagakure, Asui, Mineta, Ruby, Midoriya, Uraraka, Nora, Ren, Tokoyami, Koda. Second Row: Bakugo, Kirishima, Yang, Blake, Weiss, Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, Jaune, Pyrrha, Iida, Jiro, Shoji, Sato, Aoyama, Ojiro. Far Back – Standing: Aizawa, All Might, Ozpin, Goodwitch.)
[In a doctor’s office, his parents stand nervously behind their son. A young Aoyama looks at the doctor with some trepidation, hands clasped in front of him and tight to his body.]
[Present day. Aoyama pulls back the curtains around his bed in the morning, already sparkling himself.]
[Aoyama speaks about ‘Amour’ with Ashido and Nora, whilst all three watch at a distance, Midoriya and Uraraka, Jaune and Pyrrha, and Yaoyorozu too.]
[Close examination of Sparkle Sabre. He wields the weapon in practice with a flourish, before demonstrating how he can reflect beams of his Navel Laser from it.]
[He watches his friends, both 1-A and Beacon having fun together, before having a moment where he looks away sad and down. A mental image of his ‘Negative’ self stands behind him.]
[Back at the Fireworks, Aoyama reveals the belt on his person, and adds to the fireworks display by shooting the odd laser into the sky. This is actually enjoyed and appreciated by everyone.]
Next Time, on Paragons of Virtue and Glory:
[Hagakure: Oh No! Pyrrha look out! My negative self is out to get you! ]
[Pyrrha: It will be okay, Toru. We’ll all be fine. Plus, I look forward to the challenge!]
[Hagakure: Huh?]
[Pyrrha: It’s true that I have never fought an invisible foe before. Let’s give this fight our all!]
[Hagakure: Wait, why are you excited about this?! And what about the rest of the matches? Will they continue after everything? Is Aoyama okay after all that happened?]
[Pyrrha: No more hesitating, I’m coming for you Toru! I hope you’re ready!]
[Hagakure: Waaaaahhhh! Next time: “Seen & Unseen – Invincible Girl vs Invisible Girl”]
[Pyrrha: There’s an unexpected reveal that shocks the cast! Come on Toru, let’s get in the spirit of things! Go Beyond!]
[Hagakure (running away as fast as she can): PLLUUUUSSSSS Ultraaaaaaa!!!!!!]
