96

Chapter 96: A Rose by Another Name

Beacon Academy

"You fought another giant robot without me!?"

Ruby cringed back from Nora's wide, twitching eyes. "I mean, technically it was the same giant robot we fought before. Just… with a Grimm controlling it."

"That's even cooler!" Nora cried skyward, throwing the scroll in her hands into Jaune's fumbling grasp. She collapsed dramatically to her side, falling against Ren's shoulder as she moaned mournfully. "I'm never gonna fight a giant robot."

Ren just patted her back mechanically, eyes never leaving the path before them.

Yang snorted at the sight, shaking her head. She felt a twinge of annoyance at the light slap-slap against her shoulders as her braid swayed with the motion. It wasn't uncomfortable, really, just… unfamiliar.

After the chore of dragging themselves out of bed that morning (heartfelt conversations aside, three measly hours did not a good night's sleep make) Yang had been too groggy to not laugh at Weiss's red, gobsmacked face when the Schnee first caught sight of her hair. Weiss's stuttered attempts to defend herself only ended when Yang cut her off with a surprise kiss, only adding to the Passion-tinged Feelings Weiss had failed to stomp down.

Weiss had a thing for done-up hair. Who knew?

The giggles this prompted from Ruby and Blake only cemented her choice to keep the braid up for the day. That… and the thought that, just in case she and Blake had messed up and undoing the braid unleashed a horrific frizzy nightmare, she'd rather that happen after classes with time to fix it, versus walking into class looking like Remnant's most muscular hairball.

Just behind her, Jaune and Pyrrha hunched over Blake's scroll, wide-eyed. Yang grinned over at Blake as they watched the partners' befuddled reactions, Blake stifling a snicker as Jeune kept rewinding the footage over and over again.

"So…" Jaune droned, eyes still locked on the footage of Speedymore and Cryoknight sitting beside each other on the dockside. "Just to clarify: Ruby, you and Weiss can both summon super strong, super powered, super durable Grimm on command." He glanced toward the Bumblebee pair with a strained grin. "And Blake and Yang most likely can do the same thing?"

"Yep!" Ruby chirped as Blake took her scroll back. "Pretty cool, right?"

Juane nodded rapidly, eyes a little too wide. "Oh, yeah, totally! Just, uh…" His gaze darted between the RWBYs, lingering pleadingly on Blake and Weiss. "Any chance you won't be doing that during the tournament?"

Blake and Weiss glanced at each other, then looked down the hall, very pointedly not meeting Jaune's eyes. Jaune let out a muffled whimper, turning trepidatiously to Ruby and Yang, only for Nora to pop up in his way with an excited gasp. "Any chance you will!?"

Ruby and Yang locked eyes. Yang rose a curious brow. Ruby looked thoughtful. Then the sisters turned back to Nora, flashing determined grins.

Nora honest-to-gods squealed. "Ooooooh, I take it back! You let me fight those summons, I'll be your best friend forever!"

Ren let out a tired sigh, a slight grin on his face as he watched Nora practically dance down the hall celebrating. Next to him, Jaune let out a mournful moan. "Oh, we're going to die."

Pyrrha patted him sympathetically on the shoulder. "We've got time to try and figure something out." She looked around Jaune to smile kindly at the RWBYs, a faint glint in her eyes. "Especially since they were so kind to let us know about all their abilities."

Ruby jolted slightly at her words. She heard Weiss and Blake let out small sighs behind her, grinning sheepishly back at them. "Uh… oops?"

Weiss let out a slow breath through her nose. "It's okay, Ruby," she muttered, annoyed. "We didn't think about it either."

Yang just laughed. "Hey, we're the biggest butt-kickers in town. We got to give everybody else some kind of chance, right?"

Pyrrha just smiled back. "If that's how you want to see it," she allowed, her smile growing a little wider. "Honestly, with all these twists and turns you keep throwing at us, this is the most excited I've been for a tournament in a while."

Yang smirked back. "We'll be sure not to disappoint then."

Talk died down as they entered the Combat Room proper. Professor Goodwitch was already up on stage, making a few last-minute notes on her tablet before looking up at the incoming students.

"All right! Everyone quiet down and gather around! We have a lot to go through today before practice begins." She waited for everyone to get into some semblance of organized before continuing. "Before we get started today, there are three orders of business we must first address." She eyed the quieting students critically until silence filled the room. "Firstly, I'd like to introduce a late-coming team to this year's First-Year class."

The RWBYs and JNPRs jolted slightly, looking to each other as light muttering sprung up from the back of the class. They quieted down when Goodwitch motioned towards the observation deck stairwell, four figures walking down to join the crowd of students. Ruby shared matching grins with her team at the new arrivals.

Goodwitch went on, the massive monitor above her flickering to life, four greyed-out headshots lined up on display. Goodwitch motioned her hand to each girl as she spoke. "Please welcome Team Leader Penny Polendina-"

Penny gave the large group a bright smile, waving cheerfully. "Salutations, everyone!" Above them, Penny's portrait lit up, backed by lime green.

"Her partner, Ilia Amitola-"

Ilia scanned the class warily, cracking a slight grin when her eyes met Blake's encouraging grin. "Good morning," she greeted simply, her headshot lighting up a sandy orange.

Goodwitch eyed the slowly twirling parasol below her for a moment, before pointedly ignoring it. "Neopolitan Rose-"

Neo gave the group a low curtsy, grinning sharply as her portrait glowed neon pink.

"-and her partner, Ciel Soleil."

Ceil stood stiffly at attention, hands clasped behind her back, as her eyes roved uncertainly over the students. "An honor to meet all of you," she greeted with hidden strain, her picture lighting up cyan.

Goodwitch tapped her tablet, the screen above her flashing the girls' initials below their photos. "Students, please welcome… Team PINC!"

Polite applause sprung up from the crowd, some more enthused than others. Teams RWBY and JNPR were more than happy to make up the difference.

"Girls, if you please, join your fellow students."

The newly minted Team PINC quickly left the stage, all (save Neo) mindful of the curious looks turned their way. Ruby was quick to wave them over, the four newcomers quickly sandwiching themselves between teams RWBY and JNPR. Yang grinned at them, offering a high-five to Penny, which was exuberantly accepted. "Welcome to the circus," she quipped, shaking out her now numb hand. "Officially, now."

Ilia let out a nervous laugh. "Certainly feels that way," she admitted. Blake bumped her shoulder gently.

"Stick with us," she said. "You'll find your footing pretty soon." Her confident tone coaxed a more genuine smile out of Ilia, some of the tension bleeding out of her.

Which quickly returned when Nora poked in between them. "Yessiery! You'll be kicking butt beside us all before you know it!"

Ciel leaned back from the enthusiastic girl, her eyes darting to the mass of students, taking in the bright colors and exotic weaponry around her. She tried to stay stiffly at attention, looking more uncomfortable by the second as she realized she was the only one doing so.

"Ciel."

She nearly jumped out of her skin at a voice right beside her. She somehow hadn't noticed Ren come up to her side. The stoic boy offered her a sympathetic look.

"Beacon's… a lot," he admitted, glancing towards Neo purposefully leaning into Jaune's personal bubble, the heterochromatic girl grinning both at Jaune's resulting blush and Pyrrha's unsure frown. Ren then gave Ciel a slight smile. "But you can get used to it."

Ciel blinked at him, her eyes trailing from him to the perceived craziness surrounding them. She swallowed thickly, returning a tentative smile.

"All right, quiet down," Goodwitch called out, getting everyone back on track. "Next, a reminder that this year's first round of Hunter-escorted field assignments will be coming up soon. I advise all teams to consider the strengths and weaknesses of your members, to select a mission that best reflects the type of team you plan to become."

Ruby blinked in surprise. This was the first she'd heard of "field assignments." Though, none of the other students seem surprised, not even the JNPRs

…Granted, with the funk she'd been in the previous week, it wouldn't surprise her if the info had just gone in one ear and out the other.

Ruby stomped down her inner irritation as Goodwitch went on. "Lastly, as I'm sure you're all aware by now, the Vytal festival is fast approaching, and with it the inter-school tournament. Despite recent setbacks, the festival is indeed going on ahead. However, in the goal of preparing better security and safety measures, it is being pushed off by one week."

A course of groans and worried whispering sprung up from the students. Looking around at his team, Jaune hesitantly raised his hand. "Does this mean we're not getting next week off?" he asked, the groans springing forth anew.

Surprisingly, Goodwitch just heaved a deep, shoulder-raising sigh. "No, Mister Arc, you will still be getting next week off." That shut the sea of students up. Goodwitch met their wide eyes with a tired stare. "After a lengthy discussion between the faculty of all the Academies, it has been decided that your school break for the tournament shall be extended through the following week to the new tournament date."

Stunned silence built in the hall, soon swallowed by excited cheers. Ruby beamed at her team, meeting Weiss's silent shock and Blake's bemused grin. Yang pumped both fists into the air, shouting out over the buzz, "Hell yeah!"

The crack of a whip echoed through the hall, silencing the celebrations as Goodwitch's weapon rested at her feet. She gave them all a mild glare. "I would remind you all that this time is not meant to be a vacation. It is intended to give you ample time to complete your Hunter-escorted missions and strategize for the tournament. As that time has now been doubled, it is expected that your performance in both shall be nothing short of exemplary." Her eyes roved over the crowd, meeting with that of certain students. (Ruby tried not to take it personally that she was among them.) "Do I make myself clear?"

A droning "Yes, Professor," filled the air. Goodwitch gave them all another once over, before straightening her posture, satisfied. "Good. Does anyone have any questions?"

Seconds ticked passed in easy silence. Yang smirked, giving Ember Celica a cursory once-over for the training she knew was about to-

"I have one, ma'am."

Yang's head snapped towards the unexpected voice, and she wasn't alone. Her brows shot high at the speaker.

Goodwitch seemed equally surprised, though it showed only in the slight hiking of a single brow. "Yes, Mr. Winchester?"

Cardin gave the professor a strained smile (the boy may have been a punk, but even he was smart enough to know to be polite to the teacher's faces). "I was just wondering if there were any restrictions on what a student could or couldn't do during the tournament."

Perplexed looks abounded as Goodwitch peered at the boy. "The rules are clearly stated on the school's website, Mr. Winchester, but a quick summation would be that during combat, each student is only allowed to bring into the arena their academy-approved weapon and must compete only with it and their Semblance."

Yang's eyes narrowed when Cardin's smile turned to a smirk. "Only 'their' Semblance, ma'am?"

…oh, you dick.

Yang's fists clenched at the murmur Cardin's question caused. Half of it was genuine confusion. The other half… well, she could feel eyes starting to fall on her, as did her team given the various degrees of Shock, Worry, Indignation that started rolling off them. She caught Jaune giving them a wide-eyed worried look, Nora instead opting to give Cardin a death glare.

The thought had certainly crossed her mind about how Team RWBY would do in the tournament thanks to their Affinity. That is, they'd probably stomp everyone they went up against and have fun doing it. She wasn't expecting that someone would call them out on it.

Goodwitch frowned lightly. "To what are you implying?" Yang had to hand it to her. If she didn't already know the Professor knew all about their Affinity, she never would have known the woman was feigning ignorance.

Cardin gave her a (fake) innocent look. "Ma'am, I won't name names," he said as he clearly shot a glance towards Team RWBY (which Yang met head-on with arms crossed and eyes red.) "But there've been rumors all over school for weeks now, especially after last weekend, that someone, somehow seems to have access to more than one Semblance. I was just curious what kind of restrictions said students would be put under if true."

Yang grit her teeth in frustration, both at Cardin's brazenness and at seeing Ruby start to wilt into her cloak. Weiss laying a supportive hand on Ruby's shoulder eased her ire a bit, as did Feeling that the Schnee was just as pissed as she was. Blake seemed caught between anger at Cardin's words and worry for the sheer amount of eyes quickly falling on them.

Though, Cardin was getting an equal amount of attention from certain parties. Team CFVY were staring daggers at the boy, Yatsuhashi and Velvet both putting their hands on Coco's shoulders to stop their leader from opening her mouth. Penny and Ceil were both frowning at Cardin like they couldn't make heads or tails of him, while Ilia merely gave him an unimpressed glare. Neo was visibly shaking with mirth, shaking her head at him with the most disbelieving expression. A shocking number of Faunus in the room were giving Cardin equally unimpressed looks, a fact he was slowly becoming more aware of, his smirk slipping to an annoyed scowl as he started catching the eyes on him.

"And why would they be restricted?"

The calm commanding voice drew everyone's attention back to the stage, several people blinking as Goodwitch's words processed, the woman in question calmly meeting Cardin's eyes.

Cardin seemed lost for a moment as he registered the professor's question. "E-Excuse me, ma'am?"

"The Vytal tournament is, by design, an opportunity for you students to show off all your skills to the people you will one day be protecting." She looked out at the sea of students, her eyes not lingering on anyone before falling back to Cardin. "That said, if such a student had such a power, why would we prevent them from demonstrating it?"

"B-But…" Cardin's facade cracked, a trace of anger slipping through as his eyes darted back toward Yang and her team. Ignoring his team's worried looks, Cardin threw his arms out in frustration. "Ma'am, they'd be impossible to beat otherwise! You expect us to go out and fight against the team that has ten times the power we do? How the heck is that fair?"

Yang could feel her blood boiling. True, they hadn't exactly been hiding their extra power, but they hadn't been purposefully showing off either. Thanks to Cardin's little speech, he very likely might have painted a target on their backs that hadn't been there before, and not just from other students. If students tell friends and family, then those people might tell other people, and after all the mess with Adam and Weiss's dad, they did not need-

"Fair?"

That one single word, the sheer disbelief it contained, stopped Yang's thoughts dead.

Goodwitch stared down at Cardin with an intrigued look, like he was some kind of strange plant she'd never encountered before. "Your argument for restricting a powerful student is that it wouldn't be… fair."

Cardin had the decency to look nervous, realizing that he had clearly said something wrong, even if he wasn't sure what. "Y…Yes?"

"Hmm… I see." Then, to the surprise of all, Goodwitch snapped her scroll closed, placing it in her hands behind her back as she looked over the crowd again. "Mr. Winchester… where are you right now?"

…uh oh. Despite being the utter tool she saw him as Yang felt a twinge of sympathy as Cardin paled under Goodwitch's not-glare. "Um… in Combat Class?"

Goodwitch slowly nodded. "Indeed. And why are you here?"

"To… learn how to fight?"

"Towards what ends? Why are you here, learning how to fight?"

Cardin seemed flummoxed for a moment, finally growling out, "To… become a Hunter! Why else would I be here?"

Goodwitch quirked a brow at his outburst but went on without comment. "Correct. You are here because you signed up to become a Hunter." She looked out over the entire class. "That is why you are all here. Now, would anyone like to inform me what the occupation of a Hunter entails?"

She was met with absolute silence, most of the class suddenly too intimidated to speak up. Yang smirked a bit as she watched Weiss's head swivel from face to face, likely checking to see if anyone would answer before she did so herself.

Surprisingly, someone did. "Yes, Miss Soleil?"

Ceil swallowed as she slowly lowered her hand, eyes darting at all the unfamiliar faces turning to her. She jumped when Neo lightly jabbed her elbow into her side, giving an encouraging nod toward the stage. Ciel pursed her lips before speaking. "To defend the civilian population of the kingdoms from threats of both man and Grimm."

Goodwitch gave an approving nod. "Correct. Now answer this: when is a Hunter's career finished?"

It was silent for a moment before a few hands went up, Yang's among them.

"Before you answer, be aware that simply stating 'when they retire' is not the correct response."

…Yang slowly lowered her hand, swatting lightly at Ruby's shoulder to make her stop giggling. She was not alone, as it was soon obvious that no one had an answer.

Goodwitch nodded regardless, like she was expecting such a response. "Well, allow me to inform you all: the correct answer is, 'A Hunter's work is never done.'" There were a few eye rolls and audible groans, which earned a rare smirk from the professor. "Yes, yes, the phrase has been quite beaten to death through recruitment rallies and such. However, that makes it no less true. By coming into this business, you all have accepted that you will follow this path until, barring an unfortunate end…" Her eyes narrowed slightly as she stared Cardin down. "…you quit."

Cardin's eyes shot wide, then narrowed in turn as he scowled, his face flushing. He bit his tongue as Goodwitch held his glare, for once his brain working harder than his mouth. "I… I am not a quitter," he finally ground out, shortly tacking on, "Ma'am."

Goodwitch rose a brow. "That is good to hear, Mr. Winchester. For the sad truth is, despite our valiant efforts… the Grimm are not going anywhere." She lifted her gaze from him to speak to the room at large. "Even so early in your careers, I'm sure you're aware that no matter how many Grimm we cut down, there will always be more behind them. They are a threat that will not stop, that will give no quarter. Simply put, it could be argued that the act of fighting them in the first place is, itself, impossible." She lifted her arms, gesturing out not just to the room, but to Beacon itself. "And yet, here we are."

She turned back to Cardin, her eyes both intense and demanding. "You claim that fighting someone with multiple Semblances is impossible, Mr Winchester? My response to that is thus: if you are unwilling to face the impossible… you should find a different career." She leaned forward a little. "Have I made my point clear?"

"...crystal, ma'am," Cardin grumbled, his eyes boring a hole into the floor at the professor's feet as he grit his teeth.

Goodwitch watched him for a moment, then gave a sharp nod. "Good." She looked back at the crowd. "With that said, if any of you here have so little faith in your skills… you have two weeks until the tournament. Use them."

A chilled silence fell over the Combat Room. Yang swallowed down a lump that formed in her throat. She could still feel eyes falling on her and her team, still saw confusion and worry on the faces of several students. But just as equally she saw fresh determination in others, a glint in their eyes that promised to rise to the challenge.

Maybe the tournament won't be such a cakewalk after all, she thought to herself, both worried… and excited.

"Now that that's been covered," Goodwitch jumped right back to where she left off like nothing happened, leaving most of the students scrambling to pay attention. "We still have 3 days of classes this week, and I plan to make the most of them. Today's focus will be on inter-team synergy. You never know when you'll encounter another team while in the field and have to develop a combat dynamic on the fly. We'll start with assigning random teams together."

As Goodwitch started rattling off team names, Ruby wilted slightly where she stood. Next to her, Yang chuckled. Even without the Link, she could feel the exhaustion radiating off her little sister. "Relax, Rubes," she whispered under Goodwitch's droning. "It's just training, not a marathon. Heck, there's a decent chance we'll know whoever we're paired up with and-"

"Team JNPR and Team PINC. Team RWBY?"

At the singular call of their name, the RWBYs looked up in surprise.

"As one of your members has not yet been cleared for combat and Team PINC needs to acclimate to our curriculum, today I'm assigning you as surplus combatants for them and Team JNPR." Goodwitch looked over her glasses at them. "I trust you can handle such an assignment?"

Ruby stepped forward, standing a little taller. "You can count on us ma'am," she chirped.

Goodwitch merely nodded before continuing with assigning teams.

Yang patted Ruby on the back with a laugh. "See!" she said, looking over to catch Penny's wide smile and Neo's mischievous grin. "Penny and them'll know what's what and take it easy on us. And, hey, now you can ask Penny to brainstorm on what's going on with your Semblance."

Ruby gave her a skeptical side-eye. "You really think Penny knows my Semblance better than I do?"

Yang snorted. "No." She glanced around to make sure no one was listening in (ignoring Weiss's warning glare as Goodwitch prattled on). "But she's an awesome sci-fi Android with a supercomputer for a brain. Maybe her sensors picked up something us mere mortals wouldn't notice!"

Ruby giggled at what she knew was only half a joke. "Maybe. But even with all her robotiness, I doubt watching me run around let her know I could teleport."

"What do you mean you knew I could teleport!?"

"I-I thought it was obvious!" Penny called out, her voice keening over the clashing metal as she and Ilia's blades met. "Though technically it's not teleportation as much as-ugh!"

Ruby grit her teeth as the Faunus's blow pressed Penny's weight harder against her back, a kick from Ilia cutting the android off. "Penny, my whole life, I've thought my Semblance was superspeed just like my mom's-" Ruby broke off as she ducked left out of the way of Gambol Shroud.

Given that Weiss had not yet been cleared for proper combat, it had been a little awkward figuring out how Team RWBY would slot into a fight between JNPR and PINC. After some brief arguments and infighting (Weiss did not like being sidelined, no matter how much logic there was in doing so), they settled on Ruby and Blake teaming with Penny and Ilia to do the assignment as intended, mixing and matching with the JNPRs along with Penny and Ilia, given the two already found a decent Semblance of partner synergy. Meanwhile, Yang took Neo and Ciel on by herself so the two could practice how to fight properly as partners.

So far, it was going well… save for Ruby and Penny's high-speed interrogation.

Said speedster felt Penny roll with her, the leaders tumbling to the side as Blake's attack sailed through the space where their heads used to be, Ilia bringing her blade up in a panic to block the wild swing. Ruby and Penny rolled through to their feet, the speedster rounding briefly on the Android. "-and that's all you've ever seen me do with it! How did you figure I could teleport from that?"

"Mostly your sudden loss of mass."

"My what!?"

Ilia watched the two bicker in disbelief, panting for breath. "How can they fight and talk like this without missing a step? I'm getting exhausted just listening to them."

Blake gave a fond snort. "Well, I'm pretty sure Penny doesn't have to breathe. As for Ruby, normally her mind is moving faster than her mouth. A fight is the one time the two sync up." She glanced to the side, her grin widening. "Yang's the same way, just in reverse."

"I heard that, Kitty Cat!" Yang's laughing voice came from the next ring over, followed by the dull thud of metal on leather. "You're lucky you're cute!"

Weiss sighed from her place at the sidelines between the two battle rings, sitting cross-legged as she shifted her focus between both battles, trying to recreate the Instinct Sharing they had somehow regained. "Yang, please reign back the flirting until we're out of class. I'd rather not spend the evening cleaning Professor Peach's beakers again."

"I must concur!" Ciel replied, red-faced as she ducked under Yang's lazy punch, stumbling slightly when Neo suddenly lept over her head for a counterattack. "It seems like a very informal subject to be discussing during training!"

Neo just laughed silently, using the momentum of Yang blocking her kick to flip over the blonde, causing her cousin to bend over backward avoiding the thin blade popping out the end of the parasol.

Yang grinned at the mischievous smile on her 'cousin's' lips. "And take away all my fun? Neo's right, Ciel. You gotta learn how to loosen up!"

Ciel's face reddened further. "I… I just don't want us to get in trouble!"

"Try not to worry about it," Jaune said from the side, nursing a bump on the side of his head gifted by an overenthusiastic Nora, Ren giving him a once-over as their partners swapped with Blake and Ilia to give the Faunuses a break, given how the speedster and the Android didn't seem even close to slowing down. "After a while, you just kind of tune it out."

"You got something to say, Vomit Boy?" Yang called out between dodging sword swipes.

"Nothing worth another black eye!"

"Ha!"

Ciel glanced towards the other side of the Combat Room, seeing Goodwitch give their hodgepodge group nothing more than a cursory glance before moving on to other students. She let out a small groan of defeat. "This is nothing like what I thought a Hunter's Academy would be like," she moaned forlornly.

"Join the club," Weiss quipped from the sidelines, her eyes focused on Yang's movements, her head subtly moving along with every duck and dodge.

"...wait… wait, just… everyone, time out!"

Everyone looked over at Ruby's sudden yell. Yang blinked as she watched Ruby march towards their Battle Ring like a girl on a mission, dragging a bemused Penny by the arm. Pyrrha and Nora trailed after them, Pyrrha looking rather stunned.

Weiss climbed to her feet, she, Yang, and Blake meeting Ruby halfway to form a loose circle between the rings. "Ruby, what's wrong?" she asked in concern, voice lowering to avoid eavesdroppers.

Ruby yanked Penny into the circle, pointing at the startled Android in disbelieving distress. "Penny just said my Semblance isn't really superspeed!" she hissed out.

The remaining RWBYs turned as one towards Penny, making the Android squirm under their confused gazes. "That's not completely accurate. I merely stated that superspeed is an aftereffect of her Semblance, just not her Semblance itself."

The other's responded with slow blinking. "And," Blake eventually started. "You just know this… how, exactly?"

"Ruby asked me if my… robotiness gave me any insights on how she seemingly gained teleportation powers. But what she described as her Semblance doesn't match up with what I've already analyzed from it."

Weiss's brow pinched. "You've… already analyzed Ruby's Semblance?"

Penny nodded sharply. "Yep! In fact, I've analyzed everybody's Semblances."

That sent startled glances bouncing between the groups, even from Penny's team. "Why…?" Ilia asked in trepidation.

At that, Penny's eyes lit up, quite literally. "'Know today's allies' strengths and weaknesses by heart," she stated, her words sounding like a quote. "For you know not who tomorrow's enemies may be.'" Her eyes dimmed back to normal, a proud smile on her lips. "My father is a fan of old Mistralian philosophy and worked a great deal of it into my core programming."

Her smile lessened as she took in the faces of her friends, each ranging from perplexed (Ruby and Nora) to distressed (Pyrrha and Ciel).

"Then, every time you've seen us fight," Blake said uncertainly. "You've been looking for a way to take us down?"

Penny's eyes shot wide. Her mouth opened instinctively to contradict Blake's words… only to slowly close, an almost panicked look on her face as her cheeks tinted neon green. "That was not my intention," she strained out, her voice tight, almost fearful. "I… I don't choose to analyze your skills like that. It's hard-coded into my systems. When I witness a fight it just… happens."

Silence fell over the group as they processed this new information, broken up only by the shouts and metallic clashes from the surrounding fights.

"So…" Yang drawled, a single brow raised. "You're not bad… you're just wired that way?"

Penny blinked at her nonchalant tone, her eyes darting from Yang's face to the others. "That's… I suppose… yes?"

Young stared at Penny for a few moments, brow arching higher. Then… "Okay!" she said loudly, shrugging carelessly as everyone around her startled. Smirk back in place, she asked, "So, what'd your 'super-cyber-analyzing' figure out about Ruby's Semblance?"

"Wha- whoa, whoa!" Ruby threw her hands out, putting herself into Yang's view with a frazzled expression. "Yang, you… you really think we've had my Semblance wrong all this time? After I taught you three how to use it?"

"And are we just going to breeze past how Penny's just analyzing us… always?" Weiss asked abashedly, sending an apologetic look Penny's way.

Yang fixed Weiss with an amused look. "One, I can't get mad at something she can't control. We've told you about Uncle Qrow's Semblance before, right?"

Weiss blinked at the change of subject. "He has… a literal Aura of bad luck around him, right?"

Yang nodded. "Yeah, but he can't turn it off. It gets diluted a bit the more people he's around, but things tend to get screwy if he stays in one place too long. It can suck, but I can't get too mad since he can't control it." She jabbed a thumb Penny's way. "So it'd be real crummy of me to get pissed at Penny for just existing."

Weiss wilted a little, glancing toward Penny in remorse. Penny just smiled in understanding, it turning more thankful when she looked back at Yang.

"Second," she shot Ruby a sympathetic look. "I know it might suck, sis, but it is possible we've been wrong all this time. I mean, Dad and Qrow had my Semblance misdiagnosed for years."

Ruby's face screwed up in a despaired pout that lasted all of three seconds. Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When her eyes opened, her face was a mask of determination as she turned to Penny, ignoring the concerned looks Weiss and Blake sent her way. "Okay, then… if my Semblance isn't super speed… then what is it?"

Penny bit her lip, visibly upset at having distressed her friend, but answered honestly. "This is just a hypothesis, mind you, but from what I've observed when you activate your Semblance, your body undergoes a… transformation of sorts."

Ruby blinked blankly. "I… transform?" Her team looked equally perturbed, Weiss bringing her hand up to bemusedly inspect it.

Penny grimaced. "In a sense. You know how when your Semblance activates, your body blurs around the edges?" At Ruby's nod, she continued. "That blur happens because, from what my sensors have observed, your body starts to vibrate at such a high frequency that… it loses cohesion. Essentially," she clarified at everyone's baffled looks. "Despite appearing as a defined shape, your Semblance shakes your body to pieces. Down to the molecular level."

Dead silence met her, the RWBYs thunderstruck. The JNPRs and PINCs were equally gobsmacked. One by one they turned towards Ruby, the girl herself staring bug-eyed at Penny. "Okay," Yang said slowly, looking pale. "That's… a bit more crazy than I expected."

"How… how would that even work?" Blake asked shakily. "How could… that… even result in superspeed?"

Penny glanced at each of them, shrinking into herself. "Because, as far as I can tell… you know how when you're at full speed, you appear engulfed in a mass of rose petals?"

"Yeah…?" Ruby droned hesitantly.

"Well…" Penny reached into her pocket, retrieving her scroll. She opened it and her eyes glowed green, data flashing across her irises, mirrored on the scroll's screen. The words 'Transfer Complete' flashed on the screen, Penny's eyes dimming back down as she held it towards Ruby. "Watch."

Ruby took the scroll tentatively. She felt her team closing in over her shoulders, curiosity overriding their trepidation. The others crowded around, either peeking around their peers or watching from the scroll's translucent side. The screen showed a still frame of Ruby in her PJs and red cloak, Crescent Rose in her hands as she stared distressingly off into the distance, the wingtip of a then-to-be-named Speedymore barely poking into frame. The image was slightly tinted green by an energy lance firing from the top of the screen, a play icon blinking at its center.

"This is from Weiss's kidnapping," Penny explained. "It's the clearest view I can think of for what I'm talking about."

Ruby nodded absently, hitting play. The clip was short, just a few seconds of Ruby standing in Penny's view, then blurring around the edges and vanishing in a storm of petals. The petal storm streaked a ways down the clearing, dissolving to reveal Ruby taking a knee to aim at the wild summon.

Nothing seemed abnormal to anyone, but before they could voice this the clip restarted. Only this time in slow motion, zooming in so Ruby's body filled the screen. They watched as Ruby's body slowly started to blur, the first few petals falling from her skin. She turned to run, the footage slowing further, then…

"...what the hell?" Yang breathed, leaning in closer.

Ruby could understand her confusion, along with the perplexed murmurs forming from the others. She… didn't quite understand what she was watching. The footage was slowed to the point that her body was barely moving, just a hint of motion toward her first running step. But what drew the eye was her skin. A pattern slowly faded into view across her skin, an ovalish pattern crisscrossing her pale flesh, then extending over her clothes and weapon.

Then the pattern lifted away, breaking apart to become dozens, then hundreds of rose petals. As the petals lifted to reveal a second layer underneath, Ruby's arms, legs, and face quickly lost definition as the girl slowly dissolved into an ocean of red rose petals. Becoming just a humanoid outline of crimson red before breaking apart entirely. The sea of petals then shot away as one, sparks shooting between them as they skimmed the ground, the footage jumping back to full speed as they traveled until they reached their destination. Penny's vision zoomed in again, and though the details were lost, all could see the petals coalescing back into a humanoid figure, converging until Ruby stood there once again, a few wayward petals drifting around her.

"That's the transformation I spoke of, Ruby," Penny explained, though all eyes remained on the scroll as it played again. "When you become that… swarm of petals, you lose all sense of mass and ignore all slowing factors such as wind resistance, which lets you achieve ludicrous speeds. I'd have to witness it myself to be sure, but I think what you and Weiss believed to be teleportation was instead you pushing your Semblance to the extreme, and taking her and Winter along for the ride."

Weiss looked up, wide-eyed. "You're saying that she… that we can do that to other people? Break them apart… and then put them back together?"

Penny nodded slowly. "So it seems. It would only make sense that you can extend it to other things." A few more heads came up to look at her, and a slight grin returned to her face. "Otherwise, every time you used Ruby's Semblance you'd leave your clothes and weapons behind."

Weiss's cheeks reddened at the thought, a bark of laughter startling from Yang. Blake turned from Penny to Ruby, frowning at the cacophony she felt from her. Confusion, Frustration… the hint of Excitement lightened her worry a little, but permeating it all was a sense of Disappointment and Loss. "Ruby?" She put a hand on Ruby's shoulder, squeezing gently. "Are you okay?"

Ruby blinked rapidly, jolting from her thoughts as she looked at Blake. "I…" She felt Weiss and Yang turn to her and let out a shaky breath. "It's just…"

"Mad you're going to have to relearn everything, sis?" Despite her jokey tone, there was visible concern in Yang's eyes.

Ruby huffed. "Well… yeah. I don't even know how to start training with this. But… it is really cool! Once I figure out exactly how it really works, there's a lot of things we could do with this!"

"But…?" Weiss probed gently.

Ruby held her gaze for a moment, then looked back down at the screen.

"...superspeed was Mom's Semblance," she finally murmured. "I'm… I liked that I shared that with her."

At that, Yang's eyes shot wide, her mouth parting slightly. Concern flooded her face as she Felt Ruby's Melancholy. Her hand found its way to Ruby's shoulder, drawing her attention. Yang gave her a supportive smile. "Y'know she'd love it, right?"

After a second, Ruby smiled back. "Yeah. I know. It's…" She heaved a great sigh, Feeling Tired. "It's just another change I've got to deal with."

Yang hummed in sympathy. "Yup." Her lips curled into a slow grin. "Y'know Dad's gonna freak, right."

Ruby snorted. "Oh, definitely. Same with Uncle Qrow." Suddenly, she stiffened. Her smile turned mischievous.

"Uh oh," Yang said, even as her grin widened. "What are you thinking?"

Rather than answering, Ruby looked off the side. "Hey, Neo?"

Surprised, Neo cocked her head in question.

"How do you think Uncle Roman is going to react to us getting another superpower?"

Neo's eyes went wide, flashing from brown and pink to sheer white. A wide grin crept on her face. Yang started snickering as she realized where Ruby was going with this.

Ruby was absolutely beaming. "Any idea on the best way for us to tell him?"

Neo started rubbing her hands together, shoulders shaking as she cackled silently.

Yang started laughing in earnest. "Oh, that's perfect!"

Weiss let out a small groan, sharing a bemused look with Blake. "Is it bad I only just realized there are now three of them?"

Blake could only shrug, unable to remove the small smile from her lips. "Could be worse. At least she's on our side now."

Weiss tilted her head from side to side, weighing her thoughts. "I suppose that's true," she conceded.

Despite the lightening tone, Penny still looked at Ruby worryingly. "I'm sorry if I caused you distress, Friend-Ruby."

Ruby just shook her head, smiling. "No, you have nothing to apologize for. I asked you for help. Besides, if I really have been using my Semblance wrong all this time, it's better for me to find out now." She then grunted to herself with a pout. "But now I have so many questions! I mean, me and the girls can see each other when we're at super speed! How does that work when we're apparently just big bunches of petals?"

Penny shrugged helplessly. "That I can't help with. I can only tell you what is happening to your body physically. Why it happens and how you perceive it is outside my capabilities since, as my father puts it, 'Semblances break science'."

Yang snorted. "That sounds about right. Still, right now you know more about Ruby's Semblance than we do. Any chance you'd be willing to help us figure things out?"

Penny brightened instantly, grinning widely. "Absolutely! I'm always willing to help my friends!" Her eyes then slid to her teammates, and her enthusiasm pulled back a little. "As long as it doesn't interfere with increasing my own team's skills, of course."

Ilia snorted slightly. "That's fine with me, Penny. Honestly, given everything we've gone through, I think we're all going to be stuck with each other while we're here at school. We might as well help each other out." She looked towards Neo and Ciel. "That sound okay, girls?"

Neo gave a quick nod, already busy typing something on her scroll. Ciel hesitated for a moment, looking over everyone before trying for a smile. "I suppose… gathering allies would make the school year go smoother?"

Ilia quirked a brow but still grinned. "If that's how you want to see it."

"And you know we'll help you out, Ruby!" Jaune piped in, rubbing the back of his head. "Even if it's just being there as extra punching bags."

Ruby brightened with every word, going to speak before hesitating. Her eyes darted between Jaune and Pyrrha. She gave them a shrewd knowing look. "Are you offering that just to help me, or to give you guys a better chance in the tournament?"

Jaune and Pyrrha locked eyes, then turned back to Ruby. "Yes?" they admitted sheepishly, Jaune more than Pyrrha.

Ruby snorted, which turned into a full-blown laugh. "That seems fair." She looked out across her Mates and friends, smiling brightly. "I-"

"Teams PINC, JNPR, RWBY?"

Everyone jolted at the sudden commanding voice. Somehow without their noticing, Goodwitch had come to stand just a few paces away from the group. She looked them all over critically.

"I believe you all had a sufficiently long enough break? If you would, please continue with your training."

There was a beat of dreaded silence, before a hasty chorus of "Yes, ma'am!'"s sounded as everyone scrambled back to their correct combat rings. Ruby still flashed everyone a smile, muttering a quick "Thanks, guys!", as she rushed to her place beside Penny, Crescent Rose unfurling back to battle position. Goodwitch watched them all get back to their proper places before nodding in satisfaction, returning to her pacing around the Combat Room.

Yang watched her go with a groan. "Sometimes I wonder if she has a second Semblance with how often she just appears."

Ren snorted lightly as he came up beside her, joining her as Jaune and Ceil took up arms across from them. "At this point, I wouldn't even be surprised."

Yang chuckled in agreement, readying her gauntlets for combat. She opened her mouth to respond-

Btz.

She paused as she felt her scroll buzz in her pocket. It wouldn't have been so strange except that just about anyone who would text her was already in the room. That left disturbingly few culprits. She signed to the others to hold on a second, pulling out her scroll and looking at it. She froze at the name flashing at her.

Her eyes darted across the short message. Then again to make sure she had read it right.

Instantly Ruby, Blake, and Weiss looked over at her in concern. Weiss, being closest, asked first. "Yang? What is it?"

Yang swallowed thickly. She let out a slow breath. "It's… from Raven. She says she's free to talk tonight." Her face twisted in confusion. "And that she wants to…spar?"