Chapter 12 - Clash of Spears

—1 Month later—

Cardin stood, his mace slung over his shoulder as he peered down upon the fallen knight with a grin. The boy's sword being the only thing preventing him from collapsing onto the floor as he gasped for air while using it to support himself.

Grunting, Jaune's figure shivered as he willed himself to a stand, the crippling whiplash quickly setting in as he straightened. With a guttural cry, he made a mad dash towards Cardin with his sword hefted pathetically above his head, he attempted a downward strike but was denied by his body as his legs tangled, causing him to trip and fall flat on his face.

A wry chuckle choked its way from the ginger bully, shoulders loosened as he eagerly awaited Jaune's recovery to achieve the scene he hoped for most. As if to grant his wish, Jaune scurried to his feet and hungrily resumed his charge, rushing the teen as he whipped his blade upwards, completely missing his mark due to Cardin sidestepping and following up by slamming his boot into the blonde's side, sending him tumbling across the arena with a gasp of pain.

"You can do better than that, can't you Jauney boy?" Cardin taunted, slowly making his way towards the grounded Arc.

Jaune gritted his teeth and abandoned his shield as he clenched his blade with a shaky grip before RUSHING Cardin like a crazed dog. He raised his sword and swung downwards with all his might at the taller boy, but was denied as a metallic clang resounded, Cardin's mace immovable as he clashed against Jaune, eliciting a prolonged grunt from the blonde, his knees nearly buckling beneath the pressure as Cardin slowly overpowered.

"This is the part where you lose." Cardin smirked, irking the blonde even further who replied with an angry shout, "Over my dead bo-"

However he could not finish as a knee embedded itself into his midsection leaving him winded, his hands instinctively grabbing the pained area before he slumped to the ground.

Cardin raised his mace above his head as he loomed over the blonde, poised to deal the finishing blo-

"That's enough, Mr Winchester." Goodwitch frowned, her tone giving off a stern finality. Cardin scoffed as he lowered his mace and turned away.

Glynda made her way to the front of the stage, tapping rapidly on her tablet-like scroll as she spoke, "Students, as you can see, Mr. Arc's aura has now dropped into the red," She began, now facing the hall of the seated students.

"In a tournament style duel, that would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle. And that the official may call the match." Shifting her gaze towards the still downed blonde, she advised, "Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now, please refer to your scroll during combat." Jaune, although reluctant, opened his scroll.

"Gauging your aura to decide whether it is an appropriate time to attack or if it would be better to adapt to a more... Defensive strategy."

Jaune sighed.

"We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a beowolf, now would we?"

"Speak for yourself." Cardin mumbled from his seat in the stands.

Exhausted, Jaune stammered to his feet with unheard thoughts floating freely through his mind as he made his way over to his teammates.

Pyrrha eyed Jaune, a look of pity forming on her face as she spoke, "Jaune, are you alright?"

"Yeah...I'm fine." Taking a seat next to the amazon, he donned a dejected smile.

Glancing at her scroll, the professor found that there was enough time for another round of sparring. Humming in thought, she adjusted her glasses and addressed the chattering crowd.

"It appears we have time for another round." Glynda announced, scanning the sea of students, "Any volunteers?"

After a beat of silence one hand rose.

"Ah, Ms. Pyrrha Nikos. Anyone else?" She asked again, her jade eyes scrutinizing the students, their reactions were... Expected, to say the least.

"Fight her? No way! She's a monster!"

"That's the Pyrrha Nikos! She has never lost a fight, no way in remnant am I going up against her!"

"There's a reason why she's called the invincible girl!"

"I'd prefer to keep my bones unbroken, please…"

"Heh, what are you so afraid of? Just because she hasn't lost yet doesn't mean you cant beat her."

"Mhm….Why don't you go and try then rando, or are you scared as well?"

"Firstly, I am not scared… I'm just… a little under the weather is all!"

"Secondly, I am not a rando!"

"Uh huh, aaand what's your name?"

"....." "Thought so."

Pyrrha sighed, lowering her gaze. Having so much talent was hard at times, because of it, no one would talk to her much less spar. Perhaps she should have downplayed her abilities a little...

"I'll go, Professor." A calm voice sounded from within the crowd. Pyrrha's ears perked up as her eyes snapped towards the source.

Glynda peered into the crowd; her gaze briefly lingering contemplatively before speaking, "Very well Mr. Yuki, step forward."

Some of the students mumbled beneath their breaths, questioning his sanity as the majority exchanged looks of either shock or confusion.

"Is he serious right now bro?"

"I hope not."

"I mean, he looks pretty built... he's probably good at fighting too."

"Tsk tsk, the gods have forsaken him."

"Like how your parents forsook your name?"

"...And if I smack you then I'm the bad guy."

The minority, however, cheered on the pink-ette.

Yosuke nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. He knew this would be an interesting matchup and also an opportunity to gauge his teammate's skill against human opponents.

"Do your best out there, Toño!" Aria cheered, smiling as she gave him a thumbs up.

"Y-You've got this! I-I believe in you!" Ruby chimed in, cupping her mouth in embarrassment from her seat at the front. She had never spoken to the guy before in her life so it was bound to be embarrassing, especially since he didn't even acknowledge her.

Taking a seat, Ruby looked almost as red as her namesake while covering her face with a groan. "Hey, he probably didn't hear you, look, I'll try." Yang snickered as she stood up and cupped her mouth aswell, "Don't get stuck, bubblegum!" She yelled at the pink-ette who glanced her way before proceeding to ignore her.

She knew she wasn't exactly his friend— a matter of fact they hadn't even spoken once. But damn, the worst he could do was say no. Taking a seat, Yang stared ahead as her face began heating up, "Well that was embarrassing."

Saya crossed her arms in front of her, peering up at her mirror with a pensive gaze.

Pyrrha Nikos was strong, everyone knew that. She was the winner of the Mistral Regional championships four times consecutively so it was only right for her to be a bit worried. But, she was confident in Toño's strength aswell.

With a sigh and a slight smile, she cheered, "Be careful." She said, shifting her gaze to the stage.

Toño felt his lips quirk into a small smile as he ruffled her hair and stalked off, "I know."

Pyrrha's eyes skimmed across the crowd, bubblegum pink meeting emerald green, 'Another spear user? This should be interesting.' A small smirk crept up face as they made their way onto the stage.

"I never thought anyone would want to spar against me, especially you. Seeing as you usually shy away from sparring." Pyrrha commented while readying her shield as she lowered into her stance with her spear held tightly in her grip.

Toño snorted while shifting into his own stance, "Don't get the wrong idea, I only want to test my abilities against a strong opponent, and you just so happen to be the perfect candidate."

"Alright children, you know the rules." Professor Goodwitch said, "Whoever's aura drops below 15 loses. Standard Battle rules apply."

"You may begin whenever you are ready."

Pyrrha chuckled lightly, locking gazes with Toño as she slowly circled him, her eyes narrowing in anticipation, "I see. Then, let's have a good fight."

"Hn." Toño's smirked as he lowered himself even further into his stance. The dark fabric of his attire tightening against his skin as he carefully analyzed his opponent.

Silence enveloped the duo as they analyzed each other, searching for any weaknesses in the other's stances.

Without warning, Pyrrha launched the first attack, closing the distance between them in an instant as her weapon Milo swung horizontally. Toño reacted swiftly, driving his lance into the ground simultaneously blocking the strike and using the weapon as a pivot to propel himself into delivering a powerful dropkick to Pyrrha's shield as a metallic ring clapped the atmosphere.

Pushing off her shield, he landed gracefully on the ground before swiftly advancing while spinning his spear around his neck, easily transitioning into a downward diagonal swing. The clash of metal reverberated through the room as Toño's spear wielding hand recoiled, having met Pyrrha's shield, providing her the opportunity to thrust her spear forward.

Taking advantage of the recoil, Toño twisted his body, narrowly evading Pyrrha's thrust and flowing into a back heel kick that just barely missed Pyrrha's temple as she snapped her head back.

Halting her assault, her lips twitched, "You're pretty good."

Toño distanced himself with a smirk, his spear aimed towards her, "Of course I am." Before rushing forward once more.

The two fighters engaged in a mesmerizing exchange, their weapons clashing and sparks flying across the battlefield. After several seconds of intense combat, they separated to reassess their positions.

Pyrrha stalked Toño, her sharp jade orbs scanning his form for any vulnerabilities. Jumping back, her spear transformed into sniper mode as she took aim and fired.

Toño's eyes narrowed as he began spinning his spear like a propeller, deflecting the sudden series of bullets. However, he found himself gradually being pushed back by the relentless assault.

Gritting his teeth, Toño evaded another shot by ducking and rolled to the side to avoid yet another. Pyrrha smirked, genuinely impressed by Toño's combat skills and agility.

Undeterred, she fired another shot, this time hitting her target right in the head.

She got the first hit.

Toño grunted as he was flung back by the impact, his body flickering with a faint red glow as he rolled to his feet. Without missing a beat, he resumed circling his opponent while skillfully blocking and redirecting the incoming bullets.

This exchange continued for a while before Pyrrha switched back to spear mode. She quickly charged at Toño, who responded by rushing to meet her halfway as they clashed with a flurry of blows. Pyrrha had the advantage, deftly evading a thrust to her gut and countering by clutching the outstretched weapon and pulling Toño in for a clothesline with the impact of the attack causing him to cough and tumble backward, effectively disarming him in the process.

Dropping his spear and kicking it to the side as she approached her pink-eyed foe, Pyrrha spoke, "What will you do now that you don't have your weapon?"

Toño snorted while rising to his feet as he raised his fists, "I don't need a weapon to fight."

"We'll see about that."

Dashing forward Pyrrha launched a series of quick thrusts, her spear almost a blur as it pierced the air. Using agile footwork and unorthodox body movements, Toño dodged and weaved through each strike, some occasionally grazing his skin, depleting his aura, but it was still enough to keep his opponent at bay.

Pyrrha swiped her spear at Toño's midsection and followed with a forward thrust, but the pink haired teen stepped back and to the side to dodge the strikes, forcing an opening as he slipped in close and unleashed a devastating uppercut.

Without hesitation, Pyrrha adjusted her shield, successfully blocking the punch. However, before she could fully recover, Toño followed up with a powerful right hook aimed at her jaw.

She narrowly avoided the blow by ducking but before she could even react, Toño had followed that follow up with his right foot slamming into her cheek, transitioning into a dastardly back spin kick to her chest that sent her hurtling backward and rolling across the ground.

As Pyrrha came to a stop and rose to her feet, a faint hint of surprise flickered in her eyes. However, it quickly transformed into a smirk as she observed the aura gauge:

Toño Yuki: 87%

Pyrrha Nikos: 90%

'This is even more enjoyable than I anticipated,' Pyrrha mused to herself.

—In the stands—

"Toño is holding his own remarkably well against Pyrrha. He's able to keep up with her, even though she isn't going all out." Ren remarked, his gaze fixed on the battling pair.

"Wow... I knew he was good, but I didn't expect him to be that good!" Nora exclaimed, gesturing dramatically towards the stage as she voiced her astonishment.

Jaune watched in silence, sighing inwardly. 'Look at that guy, going toe to toe with Pyrrha, while I can't even lay a finger on Cardin...'

'I still don't understand why Professor Ozpin chose me as the leader. I just feel so... inadequate.' Jaune pondered, his gaze lowering to his open palms. 'No matter how hard I train, I'll never be as strong as Nora, as fast as Ruby, or as smart as Weiss...'

'You're supposed to be a leader dammit...' He clenched his fists, releasing another sigh. 'Why do I even bother trying anymore...'

Ren glanced over, his eyes falling upon Jaune's frowning face. "Hey, are you okay?" He asked, concern evident in his voice.

Jaune looked up, caught off guard. "Huh, me? Yeah, I'm fine!" He replied, forcing a somewhat awkward smile as he placed a fist against his chest.

"Are you sure?" Ren inquired once more, his gaze lingering on the blonde.

"Y-Yeah, never been better!" Jaune smiled.

But it was another lie.

Lately, he'd had been doing that a lot—pretending everything was fine.

"Alright." Ren said, shifting his attention back to the ongoing battle.

How much longer could Jaune continue living with this continuous facade? He wasn't even supposed to be at Beacon. How long before his friends discovered the extent of his deception?

'I'm not sure if I can handle it...' Jaune mused, his eyes returning to the intense fight unfolding before him, oblivious to the cerulean orbs that secretly observed him from the crowd.

'Jaune seems...troubled. Is the constant bullying finally getting to him? Or is it something deeper, more personal?' Yosuke wondered, his eyes shifting back to the duel. 'Perhaps I should speak with him about it once this is all over.' Yosuke resolved in his mind before promptly returning his gaze to the stage.

—Pyrrha's POV—

Incredible.

Toño's nothing short of incredible.

He's still holding his own against me and even pushing me back despite having been disarmed earlier.

Ducking beneath a high kick aimed at my face and reaching out, I grabbed his leg. Instinctively thrusting my spear, Milo, towards him, and to my surprise he grabbed it and pulled me in as he wrapped his other leg around my neck.

Meeting his gaze, I noted the grin on his lips as his fist came crashing down onto my face. Sending a wave of pain through my nose as I wince from the blow and subconsciously releasing his leg. Suddenly, I felt another limb wrap around my neck, and before I knew it, my world was spinning and then—

Thud

I found myself on my back, skidding across the ground and staring up at the ceiling.

When was the last time someone gave me such a fight? I admit, I'm not going all out, but every time I do land a hit, he responds with a strike of his own, somehow evading my attacks and outmaneuvering me. Even now, he has managed to get me onto the ground.

It's kind of frustrating going up against an opponent like him...

But, I would be a liar if I said I wasn't enjoying this, even if just a teeny bit.

"Impressive." I chuckle, kipping up to my feet and glancing over at the boy a ways away, a small grin etched on his face, mirroring my own.

"You've certainly earned my respect, Toño Yuki."

"Unbelievable...Did the invincible girl just acknowledge someone???"

Shocking. I know.

"WOOHOOOOO LEZ GOOOOOOO TOÑO!!!" Aria yelled.

"C'mon Pyrrha! Whoop his ass!" Nora shouted as she punched into the air from her seat in the stands.

Haha, Nora can be such a handful.

But, I guess I should do some ass whooping.

"From here on, I'll be going all out. Be ready, Toño Yuki," I declared, lowering into my stance with Akouo at the ready and Milo poised to strike.

"That makes two of us." Toño replied, flicking his weapon into his arm as he aimed it towards me with a foxy grin.

Does he mean he wasn't going all out just now? I guess this is going to be a lot more fun than I thought.

Currently, I have the advantage, but not by much.

His aura is at 74% compared to my 81%. The battle has only just begun you know.

Smirking, I morphed Milo into its sword form, I rushed forward. Toño jumped back, his weapon morphing into a rifle as he squeezed the trigger. Raising Milo, I cleaved through the bullet in one swift motion...

Or so I thought.

The bullet...hit me.

'Strange... I'm sure I cut it just now... How did I miss? Did it move? Is it his semblance? Does he have a semblance similar to mine perhaps?'

Another bullet approached, and this time, I effortlessly cut it in two.

'Was it a fluke?'

Pausing, I raised my head, peering into Toño's barrel as he fired a few more rounds. Shifting Akouo in front of me, I successfully blocked the incoming projectiles and I stood my ground for a few seconds before peeking out.

He stopped firing.

Good.

Dashing forward, I swung Milo with practiced grace prompting him to raise his weapon and block the strike. Snapping my leg forward, the appendage slammed into his gut, pushing him back. Regaining his composure, he swung his spear downward as I raised Akouo to block, resulting in a resounding clash.

I swung at his feet, but he evaded my attempt by hopping and landing a few feet away before charging in again.

He swung horizontally, I blocked. I thrusted forward, but he dodged. Each and every attack was countered by the other almost perfectly. However, as the struggle continued, his strikes seemed to gradually falter under my relentless attacks and greater experience.

Ducking beneath a thrust, I swept his legs off the ground causing him to fall. Stepping forward, I reared my leg back before swinging with all my might as my foot slammed into his raised guard. The impact sent him skidding across the stage before flipping to his feet.

Giving him no time to rest, I dashed forward with Milo hung overhead before hurtling it towards him. He rolled to the side, just barely avoiding it, but he was too slow to react to my fist that slammed into his face, causing him to grunt as his head snapped back.

Gripping him by the collar, I reeled him in as I swung my fist again, but he denied me another chance as his legs coiled around my arm, simultaneously stopping my punch while effectively bringing me to the ground.

'An arm lock? Sorry, but that won't work on me,' Gritting my teeth, I rose to my feet with great effort and cocked my other fist much to his ire.

Swinging my fist, it slammed into the stage beside his head as he barely dodged. Grabbing my hand, Toño kicked me in the gut and flipped me onto my back before mounting me and flinging a relentless flurry of heavy blows into my raised guard.

'If this continues my aura will run out... I'll have to use my semblance.'

Stretching a palm towards Toño, I wait. He gave me a look of confusion as he slowed his assault. Smirking, I pull my hand back and with it followed a thud then a pained groan as Toño was sent crashing across the arena.

I got up, picking up Milo—the reason why Toño's on the ground— and peered up at the screen.

...

Ha, interesting.

—Toño's POV—

A sharp pain surged through my body as I struggled to my feet, exerting alot of effort. Standing to full height, I noticed that Pyrrha wore an amused expression, her mouth turned slightly upward.

My curiosity piqued, I followed her gaze.

Toño Yuki: 67%

Pyrrha Nikos: 70%

I smirked internally.

Seeing her aura so low must be new to her. But that much should be expected when up against me.

Peering into the stands, inside the crowd I saw my sister spectating with that pensive gaze, her hands crossed infront of her as well.

...No, I shouldn't get complacent. I'm not guaranteed to win. Her skills and title are more than enough proof of that.

Ontop of that, I lost more aura than her which shows that even though I've been training for so many years, I'm still not strong enough.

But she has the strength, skills and experience to back it up. Prodigies really are incredible-

Pulling my from my thoughts, Pyrrha's spear thrusted at my chest. Sidestepping the attack, I retaliated with a quick jab at her face which she dodged before tackling me to the ground.

"If you like the ground that much, how about a closer look?" Promptly snapping my hand around her neck and securing her in a headlock, I squeezed hard. But, with a simple flip, she slipped out of my grasp and landed behind me.

Reacting swiftly, I rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding her spear as it pierced the floor. She repeated the action a couple more times, forcing me to roll further.

Seeing an opportunity, I reached out and grabbed the shaft of her spear, using it as leverage to lift my hips off the ground with a powerful kick aimed for her head, but she easily grabbed my leg and used my momentum against me, throwing me across the stage.

Performing a mid-air flip, I managed to land on my feet and immediately resumed my charge. Scooping Protector from the floor, a growl escaped my lips as I swung it in a low arc, only to have it effortlessly parried by her raised shield. I followed up with a frontal kick to her midsection, pushing her back slightly before spinning my spear and striking from above.

But Pyrrha dodged it, leaving me to strike air. Gritting my teeth, I spun into another downwards strike, but she blocked it again and my eyes instantly shrank.

'She's adapting.'

Pushing me off, she cocked fist her fist and swiftly struck my cheek with her shielded arm, causing my vision to blur as I dropped to one knee. Gripping my hair, she delivered a knee strike to my face before spinning into a devastating back heel kick to my temple, sending me tumbling across the ground.

Grunting while flipping to a knee, I dug my spear into the stage and slowly skid to a stop. Looking up, Pyrrha had already closed in with me now staring down the barrel of her weapon. 'Dammit!' Flinging my head to the side, my free hand instinctively snapped up to the underside of her gun; pushing it upwards as a loud clap resounded.

Grabbing her ankle and pulling it towards me, I forced her off-balance as I reared my fist back.

But she was expecting that.

She took advantage of her downward momentum and unleashed a devastating haymaker with her shielded arm, her attack landing just a fraction of a second faster than mine as my fist grazed past her chin. Pyrrha's fist slammed into my cheek, causing me to wince at the sudden explosion of pain as my head rammed harshly into the stage with my legs hovering in the air.

My vision blurred momentarily as my head pulsed with a dull ache. Time seemed to slow as black dots gradually clouded my vision.

She's strong, insanely strong. Against someone like her, my training seems almost useless… but if I can't beat her…What kind of brother would I be?

I'll try- no, I'll win this.

—3rd Person POV—

With renewed determination, Toño felt a surge of strength as his aura and adrenaline kicked in. Time slowly reverted back to normal and with it followed his blurred vision.

Taking advantage of his awkward position, he forcefully crammed his foot into Pyrrha's exposed neck. Forcing her to both knees, but he wouldn't stop there. His core tightened as he pressed his leg further into the Amazon's neck and forcefully dragging her to the ground with him. The crowd collectively gasped as the invincible girl's head hammered hard into the ground.

Kipping to his feet, Toño acted quickly, swinging his spear in a quick downward arc with the blunt edge slammed into her ribs causing her to cough harshly as she ragdolled backwards, disarming her in the process.

'That should do some damage. But I don't expect it to be a lot.' Toño thought, his eyes never once leaving the amazonian redhead as he clutched his spear.

Dashing forward, he was immediately forced to stop as Pyrrha's weapon bolted towards him from behind, forcing him to dodge as the weapon sailed past him.

Still lying on the ground, the Invincible girl fired two shots at the boy, the first seemingly deviating off course just before it reached while the other ricochet off Toño's spear.

Wasting no time, Toño quickly rolled away from the grounded girl to gain some distance as he breathed heavily, 'What is this girl?' His eyes narrowing at the redhead warily.

"Well, that was…unexpected." Pyrrha chortled, using Milo as a stand, she slowly rose to her feet once more, "Who'd have thought you would keep up with me and even manage to deplete my aura to such an extent." She said, peering up at the aura gauge.

"No one has ever lasted this long against me in a spar. I'm impressed, truly."

Toño Yuki: 32%

Pyrrha Nikos: 38%

She smiled softly, standing to full height as she stared down her pink opponent.

Spinning his weapon, he stepped forward into an attacking stance, "Well, I'm not like everyone else."

"That's true." She snorted.

The crowd sat in stunned silence, their mouths agape as they watched the two fighters stand before each other, save for the cheers of their respective enthusiasts.

Pyrrha's jade orbs skimmed across the sea of students, noting their shocked expressions, 'I don't blame them for being surprised, this is the first time I've faced such a formidable opponent… However…'

'I'm the one at a disadvantage...but regardless, I won't lose.' Toño frowned, clutching his spear as he lowered into his stance, determined rosy orbs peered into resolute spheres of verdant green.

"It seems we are on the same wavelength." Pyrrha chortled, entering a stance of her own.

The two wielders of the spear stood before each other, their eyes narrowed as they gripped their weapons. The two stood silent for a moment, as did the crowd of students.

Silenced gripped the arena before suddenly- Pyrrha dashed forward, her spear morphing into a sword as she pulled closer to her target whose lance had transformed into its rifle form and began raining bullets upon the charging Amazon.

With clean and precise movements she deflected each round of pellets all the while pushing forward through the relentless onslaught and rapidly approaching her target.

Ducking beneath her shield, she cocked her hand behind her head before hurling Akouo towards Toño in an arched motion. He reacted swiftly, using his transformed gun to shoot it away, but the momentary distraction provided Pyrrha the opportunity to lunge at him, releasing a heavy downward punch with her shield upon his shoulder; the force of the blow bringing him to a knee as his aura dive-bombed.

With a grunt of effort, he grabbed her hand and rolled onto the ground, punting her into the air and unleashing a barrage of bullets at the airborne Amazon, rapidly chipping away at her aura.

Toño huffed, seeing Pyrrha landed on her feet a ways away, before glancing up at the aura gauge with a wince.

Toño Yuki: 21%

Pyrrha Nikos: 34%

Firing a bullet at the Amazon, Toño's weapon morphed into a spear as he dashed forward. Pyrrha dodged the bullet while still rushing to meet him halfway and calling Milo back into her grip mid sprint.

The two lunged forward as they swung, their weapons seemingly a blur to those in the audience as the two fighters engaged in one final decisive dance, each strike being countered by a heavier blow from the other.

Pyrrha sidestepped a stab aimed for her stomach, the pink-ette's spear grating against her armor as she crashed the butt of her sword into his nose; further lowering his aura. Toño staggered with a wince as he gripped the outstretched hand, pulling Pyrrha in and cracking her across the face before heaving her over his shoulder and slamming her into the ground.

The impact of the fall caused her aura to skydive, dropping it to 17% while Toño's was at a waning 16%. The one to land the next attack would be the winner of their bout and Toño was determined to come out on top.

But he wasn't the only one set on winning.

Toño raised his spear and Pyrrha lifted her palm to the skies, beckoning her shield —Akouo— to react to its master's calling.

The round metal hovered just above the ground before shooting off with speeds no less than that of sound as it rushed towards its master's outstretched hand. As Toño went to put an end to the battle, his spear was denied the opportunity as it was swiftly met with Pyrrha's now shielded arm.

Toño's eyes widened slightly as Pyrrha swung her sword wielding arm, forcing him to dodge and flip back a few paces.

Toño frowned as he rushed forward again, with the intent to end it once and for all; matching his energy, Pyrrha responded with a smirk as the two rushed to meet each other halfway, the sea of students cheering at the top of their lungs as the spar reached its climax.

The duo rapidly closed in, pink and black meeting gold and crimson, their spears but mere inches from the other just moments before they cla—

Ringgggggggg

"That's enough." Glynda announced, her wand in hand as she stalked onto the stage next to the two combatants who were frozen in place by none other than the blonde mistress herself.

The room fell silent with disbelief before collective groans and unsatisfied boo's echoed across the room, the most distinct of which being the groans of Nora, Yang and Aria, voices booming in unified discontent.

"Awww, it stopped just as Toño was gonna win too." Aria pouted, not taking much of a liking to the idea of the match ending so… abruptly.

"Nuh uh, I'm sure Pyrrha would've beat his ass if the bell didn't ring." Nora grinned almost devilishly smug as she eyed the tan blonde.

"Boo!!! Why'd you stop the match?!" Yang cupped her mouth, doing a thumbs down gesture with her other hand.

"I'm sure we can all agree that match was fire. I'd definitely use all my allowance money to watch that again." That one rando nodded proudly (whispers: who's the rando talking to?)

"Again! I'm not a rand—"

"Settle down students, I know you are all dissatisfied with the results of the bout and I sympathize with you in that regard. But, the ones who are sure to be the most dissatisfied are the two combatants yet they aren't reacting like the rest of you." Glynda commented before narrowing her eyes at the noisy crowd. The aforementioned huntsmen-in-training were a lot more than just dissatisfied with the premature outcome of their bout, afterall, they were giving it their all and for the match to end like that was enough to get even the calmest of persons agitated.

"You two displayed remarkable skills in your bout, though regrettably, you were unable to decide the winner due to time constraints." She said, flicking her wrist, releasing the two from the intangible bindings of her telekinesis.

Suppressing a scowl, Toño attached his spear onto his back as he glanced over at Pyrrha, locking eyes with the red-headed warrior who donned an enigmatic expression as she spoke.

"That was rather…" "Annoying." Toño finished her sentence as he crossed his arms in front of him.

"Yes...It was." Pyrrha smiled wryly, eyeing Milo and Akouo as her hold on the weapons tightened ever so slightly, 'It's been years since I've been able to go all out against an opponent like that. It honestly felt… refreshing. So it truly is disappointing that I was unable to end the bout how I would've wanted it.' She thought to herself with Milo reverting back to its spear form whilst they made their way off the stage.

"Regardless of the ending, I enjoyed our match. I hope to face off against you again in the future." Pyrrha smiled, glancing over at the pink-ette.

"Hn, next time I'll win." Toño grinned.

"Bold words, Toño Yuki. Be sure to live up to them." Pyrrha smirked slightly as she deviated to her team.

"I will." Toño replied as he made his way towards his teammates, receiving stares ranging from that of awe at his prowess to jealousy of his strength and quite possibly his looks.

"Sparring against Pyrrha and almost coming out on top is no small feat. Congratulations Toño." Yosuke commented with a nod as his lips curved into a smile.

"True dat." Nodded Aria

"You did good." Saya added

"Thank you, everyone….this truly was our Jujutsu Kaisen." Flowing with the wind, Toño moved to a gentlemanly bow, somewhat catching the trio off guard before straightening himself to the sound of Aria's cackling followed by Yosuke's chuckle then finally… Saya's smile.

The sight of his sister's smile, in turn, brought a smile to his face, and in the end…

He too chuckled at his actions.

"Speaking of, I think you deserve a reward soldier!" Smiling brightly as she approached the bubblegum prince, Aria bounced on her feet with each stride, evident confusion shadowing the boy's features.

Sighing, Toño went along with it. "Oh? And what might this reward b—" Lips as soft as silk pecked his cheek, stunning the poor boy; not at all failing to surprise a couple others.

Including…

"Oh my…" That one rando gasped.

"Thank you for your service, comrade!" Aria beamed, bringing her hand to salute as she donned a toothy grin; her eyes crinkling into a closed eye smile as the pink giant stood silent, his head hung low.

Eying the blonde with a knowing look, Saya could feel the beginnings of a storm, figuring that her brother would most definitely retaliate with a strike of his own.

And that he did.

Toño's knuckles smacked the shotgun wielder upside the skull as she swiveled in mock hurt, her hand reaching for her forehead as she tumbled, rolled- danced-cried, and plopped to the floor with a single ray of sunlight highlighting her fallen figure.

"Hn. Do that again and you'll be sure to get more than just that." Toño huffed.

Sitting up, the now revived blonde rubbed her neck as she chuckled awkwardly, "Aww, it wasn't that bad~"

"Pfft..." "I'm pretty sure the next step was marriage, not putting her in a casket." Saya stated matter of factly, eliciting a playful snort from her older twin.

"Whatever you say, idiots."