[5/14 - Morning]
Getting dressed, he stepped out of the dormitory room and immediately ran into Team Ruby, who were still yawning as they exited their own room, clearly not fully awake. After all, it was only eight in the morning.
He glanced briefly at his Scroll after exchanging pleasantries. There was only one class today, but it was the longest of the three subjects: Combat and Application of Aura, taught by Professor Goodwitch, running from nine in the morning until noon.
From what he had heard from Pyrrha during their shared dinner with Team Ruby and Team Juniper last night, the first year would focus heavily on one-on-one training and sparring, a structure she was informed of prior to the start of Beacon.
Meeting up with Team Juniper along the way to the cafeteria and doing their best to ignore the sleepwalking Nora, who kept badgering him with finger jabs at his side, they managed to grab a light breakfast. It was enough to stave off hunger without overfilling their stomachs before the class ahead.
Entering the large arena that would serve as their classroom for the foreseeable future, he was immediately grabbed by an enthusiastic Ruby. Before he could react, a sudden tug from her hand pulled him forward, and the next thing he knew, he was seated, back in reality, with a trail of rose petals marking where he had been moments before.
He glanced over at Ruby, who gave a sheepish laugh. That was uncomfortable, to say the least; it felt as if his entire body had been deconstructed and reconstructed in a single, dizzying moment. Never again, he swore to himself just as Yang leaned over and gave him a playful noogie.
"You survived Rubes' Semblance. Not bad, Gray-Gray!"
"..."
The nickname was just horrendous. It seemed that Team Ruby had the same verdict, as they showed their displeasure with boos (Ruby) and exasperated headshakes (Weiss and Blake).
"You have no humor! Try to roll with it, Gray-Gray! Get it? Because we're in an arena? Hah!" Yang added, proud at her pun as she playfully punched him in the shoulder. Hard.
His eye twitched. That pun was as bad as his nickname. And the punch hurt.
Nora, still sleepwalking, suddenly perked up and raised her fist.
"Queen Nora has spoken! You are now named Gray-Gray, as long as my title as the monarch of Vale remains true!"
Lie Ren sighed as he shook his head. "Nora, Vale hasn't been a monarchy for centuries."
"Pshhh," she replied, puffing out her chest, "your Queen has issued a decree! Obey it, or else your heads will roll!"
Jaune, who was seated above, had a nervous look on his face as he scanned the arena. "Still sparring, huh? With live weapons. Fighting other people. It's a bit nerve-wracking." A hand placed itself on his shoulder as he turned to face his partner. She gave a gentle smile.
"It will be fine; it's what we've trained for, after all."
He stared at the arena for a second before chuckling with nervous energy, darting his eyes away. "Yeah... What we trained for."
The two sister teams continued bickering for a few minutes until Professor Goodwitch walked into the arena, her commanding presence silencing everyone as she strode to the center of the arena, her heels clicking on the tiled floor.
Slowly scanning the room, taking in the eight assembled first-year teams, she allowed herself a brief nod at the full attendance.
"Good morning, everyone. Today will be your first lesson on Combat and Application of Aura. As the name suggests, this class will primarily focus on combat."
With a flick of her finger on the Scroll in hand, a holographic screen appeared above the arena, displaying diagrams and course details.
"In this first semester, we will be emphasizing one-on-one combat." Her gaze swept across the eight teams, ensuring every student was attentive. "These matches will not only allow the faculty to evaluate your current proficiency, but they will also give you insight into the techniques and fighting styles of your peers, knowledge that may prove invaluable in future missions."
"And do not take these spars lightly, because we will be using this class as the gauge for your team's budget for the month. Your performance in this class will determine your team's monthly budget. Each one-on-one match will earn your team points based solely on your effectiveness in combat."
She tapped her Scroll again. A new hologram replaced the previous diagrams: a leaderboard with empty slots.
"How well you perform will directly influence the resources available to you," Goodwitch explained. "On average, a team's monthly allocation is 5,000 Lien, not including Beacon's facilities."
The number hit the room like a shockwave. Yang let out a low whistle, leaning forward. "That's enough to buy that high-end mod kit for Bumblebee…"
Ruby, practically vibrating, whispered, "So many gun mods..." Her eyes sparkled as Weiss nodded with a composed but approving expression. "As expected from the finest academy in Vale. It's only natural Beacon invests this much."
Clerval just... stood there with a blank expression. How much was a Lien worth...? He'd have to check that after class.
Goodwitch paused, waiting for the murmurs to fade before resuming.
"The team that earns the highest number of points will receive an increased allocation of 7,000 Lien, while the team with the least amount of points will in turn receive 3,000 Lien. Our headmaster is of the opinion that competition is healthy. Especially in our line of work."
A ripple of energy spread through the class. Students straightened in their seats, exchanging excited looks. Professor Goodwitch, who noted the excited looks, tapped her Scroll once more.
"With the explanations out of the way, let's start our first spar of the semester. Sky Lark and Clerval Grayson, you have five minutes to prepare and report to the arena floor."
He was chosen?
Under the encouraging words and gestures from both teams, he rose to his feet and met eyes with his sparring partner for the day, who stood at the same moment as if on cue.
He had never seen the person before in his... admittedly a few-day existence, but Sky seemed to be confident in his abilities, as he walked to the door leading to the locker room with a relaxed, almost smug smirk on his face.
Without wasting time, he followed after him, the two stepping into the locker room to prepare for the upcoming spar.
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He was thankful that he still had a fresh set of combat clothes on hand; his previous pair still bore scratches and tears from the Initiation. Making a mental note to get them repaired later, he secured his sword in its sheath and fastened the Evoker holster snugly to his hip, checking that everything felt balanced and ready.
Just as he took out everything he needed from his locker, Sky, who was minding his business, suddenly approached. With a sharp bang, his locker was slammed shut by his sparring partner's arm.
"Saw what happened during your Initiation," Sky jeered, his voice dripping with mockery. "Not only did you almost fail because you couldn't even find a partner, but you nearly died from a couple of Grimm too? What a joke!" He shoved his shoulder roughly against Clerval's as he turned to make his way back to the arena.
"At least give me a challenge, you failure! Don't want the Professor lowering my evaluation just because you can't perform for me!"
With a flick, Sky's halberd in his hands whipped through the air and latched onto the magnetic holster behind his back before he exited the locker room.
Clerval stared at the closing door of the locker room. A second later, he simply chose to ignore the rude remarks, turning away to double-check his gear.
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On the arena floor, standing beside Sky, Professor Goodwitch observed from the spectator seats, casually tapping on her mobile device.
"Students," she began, the attention of all the students present shifting to her.
"As this is your first time witnessing the main event of our Combat and Applications of Aura class, I will explain the rules. Pay close attention, as this will be covered only once."
Above the arena, holograms of both Clerval's and Sky's portraits appeared with their names, ages, weapon choices, and a green gauge.
"We will be using the Vytal Festival Tournament format for these sparring matches. Each fight will last a maximum of 15 minutes. Victory goes to the combatant with the highest Aura remaining. However, if a fighter's Aura drops into the red zone, the match is immediately forfeited, and the opponent is declared the winner."
"Keep track of your Aura usage throughout the fight. While you'll learn to instinctively gauge your Aura in future classes, for now, it's highly recommended to monitor it through your Scroll for those who have not learned the ability to gauge it without one."
He took out his Scroll from his pockets and tapped into the built-in Aura Tracking application. From what he understood, there was a technology within the Scroll that could track one's Aura. It was similar to how a messaging app can only be linked to one Scroll number at a time.
The app's interface was straightforward enough. A long, glowing green bar stretched across the screen, representing his current Aura level. Below it, detailed metrics displayed his total Aura count in precise units, the rate at which his Aura recovered per second, and even a feature that estimated the recovery time based on the percentage he selected.
He had no clue how much 74 units of Aura was, though.
Just as he slid his Scroll back into his pocket, a sharp tap from the professor's own Scroll activated something nearby. Instantly, a large dome of translucent energy shimmered into existence, enveloping the entire arena.
"Fighters, get ready for combat."
At her command, they both unsheathed their weapons. Clerval's sword drew free, his other hand on the grip of his Evoker, and Sky tightened his hold on his halberd. Separating, they each took twenty steps away before Professor Goodwitch started the match.
"Begin!"
The arena exploded into motion with the clash of steel, deflecting Sky's explosive strike with a well-timed parry of his own. Slashing forward, Sky responded by taking a step back, giving Clerval a second to breathe as he got his stance ready to intercept another attack.
Without hesitation, Sky lunged forward, unleashing a rapid flurry of thrusts, slashes, and sweeping kicks. Even without his memories, his reflexes were razor-sharp, narrowly dodging every hit with minimal movement.
This body sure knew how to fight, he quickly thought before focusing back onto the match as he exploited an opening with an upwards slash, forcing Sky to dodge and disengage.
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Up in the spectator seats, the spirited members of Team Ruby and Juniper were busy cheering for their honorary 5th team member, waving banners and shouting with enthusiasm. Meanwhile, the quieter, more reserved group observed with strategic focus.
Pyrrha, the most skilled among the two teams, was the first to speak, her eyes tracking every exchange of blows.
"He fights simply."
Not that it was bad, per se; it was just an observation. Sky's style was showy, with each strike having a touch of flair, confident spins and sweeping kicks in his movements. On the other hand, Clerval's had no unnecessary flourish. "Bland and basic" were the words she would use, and judging by the murmurs around her, it was what most of the spectators were thinking as well.
Weiss crossed her arms, her brows knitting together. "Ruby said that he fought well, but this display is just… lackluster."
"His hand keeps drifting to his pistol. He's had multiple openings to use it, yet he doesn't," Blake observed, finally closing her book enough to give the spar her full attention. Sitting beside her, Ren added thoughtfully, "He may be conserving ammunition for a more decisive moment."
"Whatever his reasoning, this performance is disappointing," Weiss huffed. "Given his reported decision-making and leadership, I expected someone of far higher caliber."
Yang leaned over the back of her seat with a grin. "Weiss, did you just praise someone? Is the Weiss-Cream finally melting?"
"What?! Absolutely not! I can give praise when it's earned, thank you very much! And don't call me that!"
Ruby, who had been busy cheering, overheard them and offered what little she knew.
"Oh, that gun is special—"
Before she could finish, Jaune suddenly shot to his feet.
"Woah, what's he doing—?!"
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Finding an opening in the prolonged stalemate, Clerval slipped to the side, narrowly avoiding another sweeping kick from Sky before backpedaling a few steps to create distance. The spar had dragged past the three-minute mark, and despite the fatigue beginning to creep into his limbs, Clerval found the experience enlightening.
His Personas had advised him to avoid relying on them for this spar to get a true feel for fast-paced combat against human opponents, and he was grateful for the guidance. Grimm were predictable, driven by instinct and easy enough to dispatch once you understood their patterns.
Humans, however, were far more complex. They adapted, feinted, improvised. Fighting them required sharper instincts and far greater focus. But as the spar grew longer, Sky's stance was starting to falter. Subtle cracks appeared, a misstep in his footwork, inaccurate timings. Neither of them had managed to land a clean hit after all this time, and the prolonged strain and frustration was beginning to bleed through his confident posture.
"Why. Won't. You. Fight. Back!" His sparring partner snarled, punctuating each word as he fired another barrage of attacks with his halberd, desperately trying to break his guard.
But he only breathed in deeply as he shifted just enough to let each strike slip past him by inches. A tilt of the shoulder. A slow deflection with his sword. A half-step retreat. Another minute passes before, with a loud clash of metal against metal, they disengage yet again for the nth time.
He had finally understood Sky's ticks and tricks.
[Summon us. It is time to train using our powers.]
Odysseus whispered as Clerval finally unholstered his Evoker.
[Bring me forth.]
[Let me strum out the full potential of your power with my touch...]
The voice of an unfamiliar presence echoed from the depths of his soul. The thought of what Igor mentioned surfaced. The bond he had forged with Weiss must have brought forth a new Persona from the Sea of Souls...
His grip on the Evoker tightened as he lifted it, barrel aimed skyward. The instant Sky saw the pistol, his stance shifted instinctively, guard raised and tensed, preparing to deflect any bullets that might come his way.
But his face morphed into a shocked expression once Clerval leveled the barrel of his Evoker at the side of his head. A rush of power surged through him, radiating from deep within as the cold touch of metal pressed against his temple.
He distinctly heard the startled, almost fearful shouts of his teammates and audience from the seats above. A small, involuntary twitch curled the corner of his mouth before he let the power radiating inside of him burst out.
His finger squeezed the trigger.
A blinding blue pillar erupted as his head jolted to the side as fragments of blue glass seemed to shatter from within, spilling out into the air. The glass shards converged and slowly formed a figure of a voluptuous woman.
As the shine dimmed down, the blue pillar faded, revealing a woman with blue skin, floating gracefully behind him, draped in white garbs, and teal-colored scarves drifting elegantly around her arms and back.
"Apsaras, Bufu."
The Persona of the Priestess Arcana obeyed, twirling gracefully in the air as the temperature fell rapidly throughout the arena. Sky, mesmerized by the floating woman above Clerval, didn't immediately notice the sudden drop in temperature until a fellow team member screamed at him.
"Sky, man, DODGE!"
Snapping out of it, he barely rolled to the side as ice crystallized instantly at his previous position, then shattered outward in a violent explosion of frost shards. The fragments scattered across the arena floor, forcing him to scramble to regain his footing.
[Now, while he's down!]
[Hit him with a One More!]
Taking the advice from Pixie, he quickly raised his Evoker before firing another "bullet" through his head, the second Ice Spell hitting true this time as ice condensed and exploded on Sky's exact location.
Gray energy flickered across his sparring partner's body as he staggered backward from the impact. The Aura gauge hovering above them shifted drastically, Sky's bar dropping into the yellow zone.
[When a chance shows itself, use utility Skills to thine advantage.]
"Sukunda."
Sickly, emerald-green energy fired from Apsaras' palms as it struck true, bypassing Sky's Aura and entering deep into his body. As he shook off the damage from the Bufu, he let out a roar and charged forward, but his speed was noticeably slower compared to his earlier performance.
[And while he's weakened, finish him with one fell swoop.]
Summoning Apsaras once more, Clerval sidestepped the halberd thrust aimed at his face, the weapon whistling past just inches from his head. Ice crackled and spread rapidly, encasing Sky in a solid block, freezing him mid-strike. With a swift, fluid motion, he swung at the immobilized opponent.
Shattering the ice, the slash connected, sending Sky hurtling several feet through the air.
Skidding across the arena floor after tumbling, he could only groan in pain as a loud sound blared throughout the arena grounds.
"Mr. Lark's Aura has hit the red zone; thus the match is forfeited. The winner is Clerval Grayson, of Team Ruby and Juniper!"
[That, is how a Persona User fights.]
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A/N: Sorry for missing the 27th Feb update. It's becoming more apparent that Fridays just don't work for me, so I'm changing my upload schedule to:
Wednesday: Take a Deep Breath, Deep Breath
Saturday: Take a Deep Breath, Deep Breath
Sunday: The Butler Who Can Bend Fire
I'll be posting Take a Deep Breath, Deep Breath twice a week until it's caught up to my patre0n's free tier chapters, which will be quite some time (at the time of writing this, they currently have up to Chapter 22).
Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
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A/N (2): Each fic will have their own NEXT UPDATE section to avoid confusion.
NEXT UPDATE: 1 March, Sunday
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Please consider supporting me on my Patre0n where I post advance chapters and new story ideas not on any websites yet.
Your support, even if it's only for a month or even a whole year, helps me dedicate more effort and resources to writing more of my work!
patre0n.c0m/damaine_n
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