Chapter 38

"That's right." Aero wore a neutral smile, readying his spear and taking his stance. "Thank you for the opportunity to battle."

Russel looked back at him, confused by his casual attitude. "...What?"

"You may begin." Glynda announced, raising her left hand.

Russel wasted no time, immediately drawing his daggers, he playfully twirled before his expression turned into that of a sneer. Darting forward, he made his way toward Aero, turning to the side to narrowly avoid a thrust from his opponent's spear. As Russel closed the gap between them, Aero's expression became focused. Pulling the spear close to his body, he held it vertically with the blade pointed towards the ceiling. As Russel stabbed his daggers forward, Aero shifted his weapon side to side with minimal movements knocking his opponent's thrusts to the side. He watched his opponent, taking a step back with every step forward Russel took to maintain a set distance.

Russel soon became impatient, giving a low growl. Planting his feet, he prepared to lunge himself at his opponent

However, this is what Aero had been waiting for. Slightly rotating his weapon to the side, he aimed the bottom of the spear at his opponent's leg before firing the grappling claw just as Russel sprung forward. As his opponent leapt, Aero swiveled to the side fiercely tugging his weapon upward.

"WhaAAAAAAAAA!"

Russel cried out in surprise as he was thrown into the air flailing around until Aero yanked the chain downwards slamming him into the ground. Immediately, Aero ran forward to take advantage of his downed opponent, slashing his mid-section just as Russel threw one of his daggers at him. This caught Aero off guard as he didn't think his opponent would so easily release his weapon. The dagger hit his chest, and Russel took this opportunity to roll to his feet and pry the claw off of his leg.

Pressing a button on his spear the chain immediately retracted back into the weapon as his opponent recovered his thrown dagger.

"HAAAAAAAAAAA!" Russel grit his teeth sprinting forward towards Aero not wanting to give him enough time to recover his chain. Lunging forward, Russel used this momentum, tucking himself into a ball. Holding a dagger above and below himself, he whirled towards Aero like a large saw blade. Aero pulled his spear in to guard against the blades. But unexpectedly, Russel changed his position at the last second. Kicking out with his legs, both feet slammed squarely into Aero's chest, the sheer force of it throwing him back and sending him crashing into the wall.

Russel watched with satisfaction as his opponent grunted pulling himself from the wall, a little shaky on his feet. "Had enough yet?"

Aero chuckled, steadying himself once more. "That was a good kick." He cracked his neck, a wide smile breaking across his face. "I had forgotten how much I missed the heat of battle. I guess a person's nature doesn't change so easily..."

He bolted forward, swinging his weapon at Russel who blocked it. Pressing the button on his spear twice in rapid succession, he reversed the direction of his swing. The first button press fired out the claw from the bottom of his spear, while the immediate second press stopped the claw mid-fire allowing it to dangle a single foot from the end of the weapon.

"Wha?!" Russel was caught off guard as the improvised claw flail cracked him across the head. He was quickly forced on the defensive as Aero whirled his spear around. Alternating his attacks from the blade of his weapon and the claw acting as a flail, throwing him off with the straight and curved trajectories.

"Whoa!" Nora elbowed Jaune as she pointed down to Aero on the stage. "I've never seen him do that before."

"You and me both..." Jaune muttered in surprise, the three of them watching Aero battle Russel. With one last crack of the claw flail, Russel was sent tumbling to the ground.

"You..." Russel grit his teeth in embarrassment, casting a glance at Cardin up in the stands. Cardin sneered as he looked down on his teammate. Forcing himself up, he tensed his legs, once more shooting his entire body forward and rotating like a saw. Aero's eyes narrowed, taking a hand off of his spear, he pointed at his incoming opponent. "Huh?" Russel couldn't help but cry out in surprise as he collided with a transparent barrier that suddenly appeared in front of him, stopping the student in his tracks. Immediately after, another barrier appeared behind him, the two pressing together and pinning him midair.

"No way..." Jaune couldn't tear his eyes away from the fight, as Aero had somehow frozen his opponent into the air. The transparent barriers were only visible to Russel, since he was close enough. "He has a semblance?" But as Jaune looked to see Aero's expression, it wasn't one of shock or surprise as one might have when first unlocking their semblance. Aero's face didn't change in the slightest, unphased by the turn of events as if this was expected. In fact, he wielded his new power with calm and expertise as if he were completely used to it.

Nora let out a loud gasp, a large grin on her face as she watched.

Aero meanwhile pressed the button on his weapon twice once more. The first press retracting the chain, and the second firing it again. The chain wrapping around the stuck Russel, the transparent barriers disappearing, only having lasted a few seconds. And with another press, Russel was reeled in flying towards his opponent. Aero ran towards the tied up Russel coming at him. Gripping his weapon tightly, he struck with a thunderous blow, their combined speeds crashing into Aero's opponent and briefly creating a shockwave. Russel let out a weak groan as he sailed upwards before crashing to the ground like a broken kite, his aura entering the red.

"That's enough!" Glynda announced, stepping in. "You two may return to your seats."

Russel immediately grumbled, picking himself up while holding his stomach and getting off of the stage, but Aero hesitated, looking at his aura gauge on the screen.

"Instructor Glynda, I can keep going."

"I beg your pardon?" the blonde woman asked, turning to him and quirking a brow. Aero pointed to the screen showing he still had two-thirds of his aura.

"We can continue to battle until our aura enters the red portion of the gauge, correct? That means I can keep going."

The teacher narrowed her eyes at his unusual response. "What are you playing at?"

"Nothing. This is my first time coming up since the school year started right? Why don't I make up for lost time?" In truth however, Aero was simply enjoying himself. Having grown up with constant training, it had become routine to him. And while he quite enjoyed his peaceful time as Nathaniel, there was always that constant itch for battle in the back of his mind he felt needed to be scratched. One that he had been reminded of after taking down the robbers in that other world.

"Really?" Ms. Goodwitch hesitated, there wasn't really any harm in Aero continuing right? If he wanted to keep going, so long as it didn't cut into her lesson time it should be fine. "...very well." she acquiesced. "Does anyone want to-"

"Right here." No sooner had she spoken when Cardin immediately volunteered, and moving to the front of the class before anyone else had a chance to say anything. "If he needs an opponent, I'll gladly help him out."

Glynda turned to Aero. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Of course." he nodded, turning to Cardin who wore a sinister smile. "Thank you for this opportunity." he said, giving a light bow to his opponent. "I wish you well."

Cardin for his part merely raised a brow in confusion before readying himself. "Whatever." he snorted.

"Begin!"