Chapter Text
Pyrrha took deep, steadying breaths as she stood in the middle of the locker room, mentally preparing herself for the match ahead. Harsh fluorescent lights washed out the blue and grey paint on the lockers and cast hard-edged shadows in the far corners of the room. A moment of peace…
Theatrics Like the calm before the storm…
As if to punctuate the thought, the silence was broken by three sharp raps on the locker room door. “Come in!” Pyrrha called out, opening her eyes and looking in the direction of the noise. The doorknob turned, and the door swung open, revealing the grinning face of Pyrrha’s manager.
“There’s our Invincible Girl,” he said with a chortle as he stepped in. He was a short, rotund, jovial man dressed in a green jacket and wearing a chequered tie and too many rings. “Everyone’s eager to see you fight today. Ready for your match?”
Sanguine [Easy: Success] Let the words wash over you. You’ve heard them before, you know how to school your expression. No need to let them see.
“I am, yes,” Pyrrha confirmed, managing to keep a friendly smile.
“Excellent!” he said, clapping his hands together. “Remember who you’re up against. I know you’re used to victory, and I’m sure today will be no different. But this is the championship match. You’re one of the finest fighters in your age bracket Mistral has ever produced, but so is your opponent,” he cautioned.
Empathy [Medium: Success] The Jovial Manager seems more nervous than usual. No doubt he has more money riding on this than usual…
“I remember,” Pyrrha assured him. “I certainly don’t intend to lose my last tournament match,” she added, trying to inject some levity back into the conversation.
“Of course not, of course not,” her manager agreed. “Right, let’s not waste any more time. The crowd awaits!” he declared, turning and pointing dramatically into the air. Pyrrha huffed, herself unsure if it was a noise of amusement or mild annoyance, before following him.
The two of them walked through the tunnels below the Mistral Colosseum, dodging the occasional member of staff rushing to and fro. The pair halted briefly in the mouth that led out to the arena proper, waiting for the signal from a staffer with a clipboard and a headset. Beyond the tunnel, obscured by glaring sunlight, Pyrrha could already hear the excited chatter of the crowd. She knew it would only get louder as soon as she stepped out.
“Alright Nikos, you’re up,” the staffer said, waving her forwards.
“Break a leg!” her manager called after her as she walked forwards, out into the light. The roar of the crowd was almost deafening. It slammed into her like a wall of sound, reverberating somewhere in her chest. Quickly blinking the dazzling sunlight from her eyes, Pyrrha glanced around the stands, marvelling briefly at how packed the arena was. Just about every seat was occupied.
Conceptualisation Fifty thousand souls in the stands. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions more watching from home. This is an event that will be remembered.
Theatrics Time to give them the show they came for, madame. Play to the crowd.
Pyrrha took a deep breath, before raising her arms out to her sides as she walked towards the middle of the arena, posing dramatically for the crowd. They ate it up, the roars and cheers renewing as she approached the centre, her opponent doing much the same.
Despite her reservations about her nickname, and her dislike of the pedestal her fame put her on… She’d be lying to herself if she denied that she lived for this. The rush of endorphins as the adulation of the crowd washed over. The adrenaline of the clash. That primal desire to fight and win.
As she neared the other competitor, she took a moment to take his measure. He was tall, taller than her by a good few inches. His weapon played to his height advantage, a long halberd with a fire dust crystal embedded in the tip. He wielded it with an easy confidence, twirling it around himself as the two closed to talking distance.
“Nikos,” he greeted her with a nod and a smirk. “Ready to lose your perfect record?” he asked.
Invincible Girl We have lost count of the number of people who thought they could beat us. We know the number who were correct, though, don’t we?
Encyclopaedia [Trivial: Success] The answer is none, by the way.
“I’ve been ready for years. I’m still waiting, though,” Pyrrha replied with an easy smile. Her opponent gave an amused snort, flourishing his halberd one more time before setting it in a ready guard. Pyrrha did the same with her weapons, raising Akoúo̱ in front of her, bracing Miló in its spear form against it.
“Contestants, are you ready?” a voice boomed out over the PA system. Pyrrha nodded to signal her readiness.
“Ready!” her opponent called.
“Begin!”
Kinetic Trigonometry [Formidable: Success] You’ve studied hours of his fights. You know every single one of his opening moves. Every block, every counter. He’s already lost. He just hasn’t figured it out yet.
The steps of the fight played out in her mind, as if they’d been choreographed ahead of time. Each beat, each clash of their blades. Each advance, each retreat. Some flexibility would be required, of course. It wasn’t foresight. Just experience, training, and no small amount of prodigious talent.
Kinetic Trigonometry First, advance three paces, then jink to the left…
Pyrrha closed the distance as he levelled his halberd. A blast of flame loosed from the tip of his weapon, but Pyrrha was already moving to evade before the attack even came. She advanced into melee range before he could fire another bolt of fire, and jabbed at him with Miló.
The jab forced him on the backfoot, pivoting and bringing the haft of his weapon up to fend off the point of her spear. He then retaliated by thrusting the spiked reverse end of his halberd at her face. It was a move she’d seen him use a dozen times, and on pure instinct moved her head to the side to avoid it.
With equal ease, she side-stepped his follow-up attack, a swift overhead swing of the halberd’s head, transforming Miló to its spear form as she did so. She hopped in place to avoid the hooked spike on the opposite side to the axe blade as he dragged the weapon back towards himself. He blinked, frowning as she evaded that without even looking.
To his credit, he didn’t let his lack of success slow him down. He levelled his halberd and lunged forwards swiftly enough that Pyrrha was forced to use her semblance to nudge the point of it just past the side of her corset. She returned the favour, stepping inside his guard and slashing twice across his chest. He managed to recover his weapon in time to block the second swipe, but not fast enough to launch his own attack before Pyrrha was out of range again.
The fight progressed in much the same way, the running commentary from the announcers filtering into the background as it ever did. Her opponent would attack, and Pyrrha would deflect or evade with ease. Sweat started to bead at his brow as it slowly dawned on him just how outclassed he was.
And then the moment Pyrrha was waiting for came. Rather than launching into his next pattern of attacks, he hesitated. And then Pyrrha struck. Nimbly stepping inside his guard again, she rammed the lip of her shield into his chin, snapping his head back. As he reeled, Pyrrha slashed at his gut with her sword. She then wound her arm back, jabbing down at his clavicle over the top of her shield.
Pyrrha didn’t give him a moment to try to recover his lost momentum. She was merciless as she pressed her advantage, striking at both of his wrists to disarm him before shoulder barging him in the chest. As he staggered back she swiftly advanced, extending Miló and sweeping his legs from under him.
Physical Instrument And… Now! Kick him into the air! Show off that athleticism!
As he fell, Pyrrha rolled under him and kicked upwards, planting both feet in his gut and sending him skyward. An acrobatic twirl returned her to standing before she leapt up after him, using her shield as a platform in midair to gain more altitude. She flipped over as she drew level with him, bringing her heel down on his back as she spun.
The kick sent him back down to the ground, impacting heavily and groaning. The air was then driven out of his body as Pyrrha landed on his back, right between his shoulder blades. Pyrrha somersaulted forwards, twisting around and raising her guard as she landed. She needn’t have bothered, she realised, as her opponent failed to rise.
“And Pyrrha Nikos wins!” the announcer declared as a klaxon sounded, alerting her to the fact his aura had been depleted. She relaxed her guard, standing upright and smiling contentedly, satisfaction at another victory washing over her.
Invincible Girl Yes, bask in it. This is your moment. Your triumph. Let them know it was Pyrrha Nikos who walked away as a champion.
Theatrics Nay, madame, nay! Be magnanimous in victory. There have been braggarts enough in this arena. Humility will please them more, and let you rest easier later.
Opting to take the latter’s advice, Pyrrha returned her weapons to her back before giving a short, grateful bow to the crowd, hands clasped together at her waist with her eyes closed. That done, she opened her eyes again and turned to her opponent, who had managed to roll onto his back with a groan.
Pyrrha smiled faintly before walking over to him and offering him a hand. He looked up at her for a moment before taking it, letting Pyrrha help him to his feet. “Congratulations, Nikos,” he said, grimacing as he arched his back, rolling his shoulders to try and alleviate some of the soreness. “You’ve got some moves,” he added.
“Thank you,” Pyrrha said, her smile growing. “You were pretty good yourself…”
Encyclopaedia [Trivial: Failure] You have no recollection of his name, despite the fact it has been said over the PA system at least five times during the fight.
She tailed off as she failed to remember his name. She tried not to let that fact show on her face, hoping he would write off her odd pause as a mere vocal stumble. After a moment of awkward silence, he seemed to do just that, holding out a hand to shake. Pyrrha took it, shaking firmly.
She then glanced to one side, seeing a few of the tournament organisers stepping into the arena, carrying a trophy with them and tailed by a press team. “Better go get your trophy, ‘Invincible Girl’,” her opponent said, giving her a grin despite his loss.
“Right,” Pyrrha said with a nod, releasing his hand. Her smile faltered slightly, the elation of victory fading somewhat at the idea of the media circus that inevitably followed her wins.
Volition [Challenging: Success] It’s just one more. You’ve done this three times already, and you have a lot more experience than when you started. Smile for the cameras, say what you need to, then it’s done.
Pyrrha steeled herself, shoring up her resolve before walking forwards to meet the approaching horde of cameras.
A few months later, Pyrrha once again found herself in a locker room and about to collect her weapons. Though, this time it was under very different circumstances. Professor Ozpin’s words were still rattling around inside her head as she approached her locker.
Invincible Girl 'Wasted energy in need of direction’? Doesn’t he know who the hell you are? You’re Pyrrha Fucking Nikos, and you’re about to get your chance to show everyone here what that means.
Pyrrha shoved the arrogant thought aside as she reached her locker and opened it. Inside, waiting for her, were her weapons. Akoúo̱ and Miló, her companions on the field of battle. She smiled slightly at the fond memories the sight of her freshly-polished weapons called to mind. However, memories weren’t the only things stirred as she looked at them…
Je Ne Sais Quoi No one is saying that the shield is actually talking. That would be absurd. It must be mere imagination, but...
Chuuni Shield OWO, what's this?!
Pyrrha shut the locker swiftly, stopping just short of slamming it shut. She sighed heavily, closing her eyes and pressing her forehead against the locker door. It’s still like that? she thought helplessly.
“Ah, hello?” Pyrrha opened her eyes as she heard a voice to her right. She turned, and then looked down, seeing a short woman with white hair and a matching, large pair of wings. Blue eyes shone up at her, a scar running across the left one. She smiled as Pyrrha met her eyes. “Hello! I’m Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” she said.
Pyrrha blinked, taken off-guard a little by the enthusiastic greeting. Then a moment later, her mind caught back up.
Empathy There’s something there. There’s an intent to her approach. She wants something, but what?
Pyrrha studied her for a fraction of a second more, trying to puzzle out what the small woman in front of her wanted. She’d spent almost half a decade surrounded by people who in another life would have been sharks. People who wanted something from her. It should have made figuring out Weiss’ agenda easy. However…
Perception [Medium: Failure] All you can see is the fact that she’s a different species to you. That’s literally all. You’ll have to run with that.
“You’re a faunus.” The words spilled out of Pyrrha’s mouth unbidden. Weiss blinked twice, quickly, whatever train of thought she was riding thoroughly derailed by the blindingly obvious observation from Pyrrha. Then her brow furrowed slightly, and she huffed.
“Yes, I had noticed. Why is everyone so fixated on that?” she asked, folding her arms angrily, wings flapping once in agitation behind her.
Empathy [Challenging: Success] Her anger, whilst real, is a front to mask her hurt. You’ve barely said three words and you’ve already managed to upset this woman. And for some reason, that fact hurts you a little more than feels normal.
Pyrrha winced at the realisation. “I’m sorry. I’m a little tired from the flight. I’m Pyrrha Nikos, it’s nice to meet you Weiss,” she said, trying to cover her misstep as she extended a hand. Weiss hesitated for a moment before taking it and shaking it, relaxing fractionally.
Pyrrha’s thoughts, and attempts to relax, were interrupted by the abrupt arrival of a blond-haired boy wearing white armour and a black hoodie. He interposed himself between the two of them, flashing Weiss what he clearly thought was a charming grin. “Hey. I’m Jaune Arc,” he introduced himself.
Encyclopaedia The memory of this one hunched over a bin and expelling the contents of his stomach flashes across your mind.
Weiss blinked, looking up at him as an eyebrow slowly arched. “Charmed,” she said dryly, folding her arms again.
Undeterred by Weiss’ less than enthusiastic reply, Jaune continued. “You know, I hear we’re going to be forming teams today. If you want, I’m sure we could work together? I’m sure we’d make a great team,” he continued, leaning in towards Weiss. Pyrrha caught a flash of discomfort in the smaller woman’s eyes as he did so.
“Actually,” Pyrrha said, leaning between the pair. “I think teams are made of four students each, so…”
“Uh huh, uh huh,” Jaune said, glancing briefly at Pyrrha before focussing on Weiss again. “So we’d need to find two others… No big deal, I’m sure they won’t get in our way too much.”
Invincible Girl Who does he think he is? This… This Vomitous One, to breeze past you?
“So, what do you say, Snow Angel?” Jaune asked, getting a little closer to Weiss, causing her to lean away from him, wide-eyed and clearly uncomfortable.
Empathy [Easy: Failure] His intentions are laid bare. Lurid designs dance in his mind. A lecher of the highest degree!
“Okay, that’s a little close. A little help, Pyrrha?” Weiss asked, her eyes darting to Pyrrha.
Invincible Girl The Small One requests your aid! Do you dare refuse the call, to be a hero?
Half Light Remove him. You don’t like seeing him that close to her, with those sorts of intentions in mind. Physically remove him from her presence, do it now.
In a single fluid motion, Pyrrha pulled the door to her locker open and retrieved Miló. It extended into a spear, and Pyrrha wound her arm back, ready to throw.
Ravenous Weapon Yes! Unleash violence! I will sing through the air and impale this upstart! I will drink deep, gorging myself on his lifeblood! Let loose, now, so that I might—
Pyrrha hurled Miló like a javelin. The tip pierced through Jaune’s hood, carrying him away from Weiss with a startled yelp until he met the far wall, the weapon pinning him to it by his hoodie.
Ravenous Weapon You missed! Damn your eyes, girl, you missed! Retrieve me and try again!
“I’m sorry!” Pyrrha called after him as he groaned in pain. Weiss looked at her, gratitude clear on her face. She was interrupted before she could speak, however, as the PA crackled.
“Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation please? All first-year students report to Beacon Cliff. Thank you.”
“... Thank you,” Weiss said once the announcement was over, turning and walking quickly out of the room. Pyrrha blinked, before shrugging and making her own way out, collecting Miló on the way out, ignoring it as it ranted away.
“It was nice meeting you,” Pyrrha said to Jaune as she passed him.
“Likewise…” Jaune groaned.