Chapter 12

Glynda was in a difficult position. Ozpin wanted his new students and allies tested, and the only way to do that thoroughly was for them to engage in combat. Glynda was in charge of setting up practice matches, so the task fell to her. The problem was that these newcomers were an unknown quantity. Most of them were not even trained in what the people of Remnant would consider typical martial arts. Even the intensive set of classes they were enrolled in would not get them to where they needed to be overnight. Those that were trained in some sort of vaguely normal forms of combat had in general never faced off against a proper Hunter or Huntress. Normal students varied widely in skill, and unbalanced contests could be dangerous. Still, it would do no good to have the newcomers just fight each other. Glynda decided she just had to throw them in the ring and see what happened. Today was the day.

"For our next match, we'll see what a pair of our guests can do." Glynda announced to the class. "Sun Wukong and Labrys Ariadne, please prepare for combat." Neither needed to do anything special to prepare, so they both made their way to the combat floor of the amphitheater.

"You're Blake's friend right?" Sun asked. "We never really got a chance to talk, but you seemed nice enough."

"Yeah, you seem okay too." Labrys said, not really sure what else to say.

"That's one heck of an accent." Sun said. "Where are you from? You sound like some of the guys back in Vacuo."

"Uh, I'm from…" Labrys started.

"Alright then, you know the rules." Glynda said. "Fight until I tell you to stop, or one of you concedes."

"We'll talk later." Sun said. He slid his weapon out from under his shirt, and the four segments aligned, snapping into place to form a staff. Labrys swung her axe off her back and around in front of her. Sun thought she looked unusually nervous for a practice match.

"Begin." Glynda commanded.

*Recommended Music: Spirited Girl (Persona 4 Arena Soundtrack)*

Sun ran toward Labrys and leapt into the air, holding his staff high over his head. He slammed it down at Labrys with all his might, but she easily blocked the strike. She swung her axe at Sun but he back flipped out of the way. He charged again, planting his staff to vault at Labrys, kicking her with both legs. Though one hit her squarely in the face and the other made solid contact with her chest, she did not budge. Labrys stepped back with her right foot and swung her axe underhand with tremendous force. Sun blocked with his staff, but the force of the strike sent him flying across the room. He slammed back-first into the wall and fell to the ground. Sun staggered back to his feet. His whole body ached. He looked up at the scoreboard to see that his aura was almost half gone. He had blocked the swing, but the force of the impact with the wall had been immense. Another hit like that and the fight would be over. Just as he was regaining his composure, Labrys rushed at him.

Even Labrys was surprised by the result of her attack, but now was her chance to follow up and finish the fight. She charged across the circular area at Sun as some of the students in the crowd cheered. He was trying to hide it, but the pain was clear in his face. Images flashed into Labrys' mind of a room much like this one, a place that had witnessed much pain and suffering. Thoughts of Yakushima filled her mind, thoughts of the other units she had fought and killed, some of them her friends. It was all too much. She stopped abruptly and dropped to her knees, letting her axe fall to the floor beside her. She was not capable of shedding tears, but she could and did cry.

Sun was shocked. The unstoppable juggernaut he was fighting suddenly fell to her knees and started to sob. He approached carefully, staff at the ready. Could it be some sort of trick? Did someone this powerful need to use a trick? This was the opening he needed to win the fight, but he did not know what to do. The other students watched in stunned silence. Sun could feel their eyes upon him. He raised his staff, preparing to swing it at Labrys' head. He started his attack but stopped just short of hitting her. He just could not bring himself to strike this crying girl. He folded up his staff and slid it under the back of his shirt. "I forfeit!" He shouted. He knelt beside Labrys and put a hand on her shoulder, but he had no idea what to say.

Aigis leapt from the seats to the combat floor and joined Sun at Labrys' side. "I-I-I-I…" Labrys stammered as she continued to cry.

"What's wrong with her?" Sun asked. "Is she going to be okay? Was it something I did?"

"It is a long story." Aigis replied. "Do not worry, you have done nothing wrong." She gently pushed Sun aside and hugged Labrys. "It will be alright."

"What is going on?!" Glynda asked with a mix of anger and concern. "We're going to have a discussion with the headmaster right now." She motioned to the door with her riding crop. "Now!" Aigis helped the still sobbing Labrys to her feet and they left the amphitheater. Glynda turned to the rest of the students who were still in shock. "Class dismissed!" She followed Aigis and Labrys out the door.

Glynda described to Ozpin what had happened. He sipped his coffee, his face not betraying his thoughts. "I'm sorry if I got us in trouble." Labrys whispered to Aigis.

"Do not worry." Aigis assured her. "I am sure he will understand."

"How can we trust them to protect this place and the students if they can't even complete a practice match without turning into an emotional wreck?!" Glynda shouted at the conclusion of her explanation. "We need professionals, from Remnant. We need people we know and trust. Using these outsiders is too dangerous."

"I think we should at least hear what they have to say first." Ozpin advised. Glynda rolled her eyes. "Please, tell me what happened, or more importantly, why it happened."

Labrys opened her mouth as if to speak but could not find the words. It appeared as if she would start crying again. "Please, this is very painful for my sister." Aigis said. "Allow her to wait outside while I explain."

Ozpin nodded and gestured toward the door. Labrys exited under the angry glare of Glynda. "Alright then, what's this all about?" Ozpin asked.

"My sister and I are the only two remaining units of our kind, but there was once many of us." Aigis explained. "She was made as part of a series, the 5th generation. As part of the development of Labrys and her sister units, she was forced to fight other units to the death. The units were allowed to interact with each other outside of combat, and several developed what could be described as friendships. In effect, my sister was forced to kill her friends, including one unit she had formed a particularly strong attachment to. The theory behind the action was both to test each individual unit's combat effectiveness and to induce the emotional stress required to awaken a Persona. To make matters worse, the destroyed units' minds were effectively implanted in her so as not to waste the combat data those units had amassed. An unfortunate side effect of this was to force her to experience not only the emotion associated with taking the life of a friend, but that associated with being killed."

Ozpin shook his head. "That's barbaric." He said. "It pains me just to hear it. What do you think caused today's incident though? Surely there must have been some trigger. I assume she has performed normally in other combat situations."

"I cannot say for sure, but in my view the conditions she was placed under today were analogous to those she experienced in the past." Aigis replied. "The combat area had a similar layout, and she was in combat against someone she is acquainted with. It must have triggered memories."

Ozpin sipped his coffee. "I'm very sorry she had to go through that. You can go." He said after a brief pause. Aigis bowed respectfully before departing. He turned to Glynda. "Labrys should not participate in future practice matches. You should also consult the others to ensure there are not further complications."

"We're letting them stay?" Glynda asked with surprise. "We can't rely on them. There's too much at stake."

"You may be right." Ozpin said. He stood and walked to the window, gazing out at the campus. "Unfortunately, they're the only ones who can get to the bottom of this. We just have to hope they're up to the challenge and assist them in any way we can."

"I must speak with Ruby and Yu." Aigis said.

"They're at the practice range." Blake said without looking up from her book. "I think Weiss and Naoto are there as well."

"How did it go with Ozpin?" Yang asked.

"I explained the situation and he was very understanding." Aigis replied. "Unfortunately, Professor Goodwitch still appears to oppose cooperation with us. She does not trust us and is unwilling to rely on our assistance. Ozpin is harder to read."

"Oh well, there's no point worrying about it." Yang sighed. "Just as long as he didn't kick you out, we should be fine. He's already been much more helpful than I would have expected."

"I am concerned about Labrys." Aigis admitted. "It seems her memories are causing her more pain than I expected. I knew it troubled her, but I thought the experiences we had with the Investigation Team had helped her to accept and overcome the past. She accepted her shadow and I thought that would be the end of it. I guess it was wishful thinking."

"What happened to her?" Yang asked. "If you're not comfortable discussing it with us, that's alright, but I'd like to know."

"She was not the only unit of her series." Aigis explained. "As part of improving her combat effectiveness and inducing her Persona to awaken, she was forced to kill all her sister units. That included at least one unit she considered a close friend."

"That's far worse than I expected." Blake said, putting her book down. "Is there anything we can do? Would she want to talk to us about it?"

"I do not think that would be helpful." Aigis said. "I do not think she wants to discuss it, as that no doubt brings back very painful memories. She has not even talked to me about it. I only know what happened from records I had access to. She has never given a full account to me or anyone else as far as I know."

"It might hurt, but that could be exactly what she needs." Yang suggested. "I know it helped us overcome the pain related to facing our own shadows."

"I have to agree." Aigis said. "But I will not force her. I am confident that she will talk to us when she is ready."

"You're not that bad but your footwork really needs improvement." Weiss said to Naoto. "Your feet should be further apart and you need to move more." Weiss stood beside Naoto and demonstrated proper positioning.

Naoto did her best to imitate Weiss' form. "It's been so long since I've practiced." Naoto admitted. "It feels quite awkward." She held her sword at the ready as Weiss moved opposite her.

"Alright then, try to hit me." Weiss said. "Remember to keep moving." Naoto lunged and Weiss sidestepped the strike, knocking the blade aside before launching a thrust of her own. Naoto deflected it with her blade and their swords locked together. Weiss twisted Myrtenaster, pulling Naoto forward and off balance. Naoto tried to recover her footing but found Weiss' blade at her throat before she could recover. "Your feet still aren't keeping up. If I pull you, you need to step forward before you lose your balance. If your feet are out of place it doesn't matter what else you do."

"Are Ruby and Yu here?" Aigis asked as she walked in.

"They're at the firing range." Naoto told her. She turned back to Weiss. "It's hard enough to figure out what to do with my sword. I don't have time to think about my feet." Aigis headed for the firing range while Weiss continued to instruct Naoto.

Yu pulled the trigger and the recoil forced the rifle against his shoulder. The bullets struck all over the target as he struggled to control the gun. "Unless you're just trying to force an enemy into cover, don't spray like that." Ruby suggested. "If you're actually trying to hit anything you need to use short, controlled bursts. Look down the sight, exhale, and gently squeeze the trigger. The gun should almost surprise you when it fires. After four or five shots, release the trigger, breathe and repeat."

Yu took a deep breath and let it out. He aimed at the center of the target and squeezed the trigger. The recoil pushed the gun against his shoulder. Five shots peppered the target, the first hitting the bull's-eye, the rest making a line upward from there. "I don't think that was much better." Yu sighed. "The recoil's too strong."

"I think we need to adjust the stock." Ruby said, examining Yu's form. "It might be too short. Maybe a foregrip would help too."

"That won't be necessary." Aigis said. She had silently been watching for a few minutes. "You need to hold the gun closer to your body." Yu held up the rifle and Aigis pushed it into proper position before adjusting the angle of his right arm. "There, try again." Yu unleashed a short burst at the target, resulting in a tight grouping.

"Thanks Aigis." Yu said. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to let the two of you know that things went well with Ozpin." Aigis replied. "He was very understanding even if Professor Goodwitch was not."

"How's Labrys?" Ruby asked with concern. "She was in really bad shape the last time I saw her."

"Her memories can still be very painful." Aigis said. "She has calmed down, but given the traumatic nature of her past, this problem may very well recur."

"Do you think the shadow will try to exploit that?" Yu asked.

"I am sure of it." Aigis answered. "We will need to be very careful."

"What about her past is so painful?" Ruby asked. Aigis gave a brief explanation of Labrys' past. Ruby looked to be on the verge of tears herself. "Is there anything I can do?"

"If Labrys decides she wants our help, we will help." Aigis said. "Until then, we just have to wait."

Ruby, Yu and Aigis arrived back in the real world after visiting the Velvet Room. "We found Ren!" Nora shouted. Even though it was well past her bedtime, her excitement was clear and she could not stand still. She did not appear tired in the slightest.

"We can use the Persona Uriel now that we've rescued Pyrrha." Ruby reported. "How is she doing by the way?"

"She's resting." Jaune replied. "She really wanted to join us, but I convinced her she should wait until she's 100%. I don't think she'll actually be able to sleep while we're out, but Labrys is keeping her company."

"I thought that after what happened today Labrys should take some time off as well." Aigis explained. "Perhaps she and Pyrrha can help each other overcome their respective difficulties. Where is Ren located?"

"Ren's in the library." Rise answered. "We'll explore the tower while you rescue him."

"Let's do it!" Nora yelled, jumping for joy with her arms over her head.

*Recommended Ambiance: All scenes in Ren's world should be experienced in perfect silence.*

"It's really quiet here." Nora observed. Ren's world had the appearance of a peaceful garden with shallow ponds and various flowers lining a winding path defined by bushes on either side. There seemed to be no sound at all – no animals, no wind rustling the plants – and even their footfalls sounded muffled.

"I can't say I'm surprised." Blake said. "I get the feeling Ren would love to spend time in a place like this. This would be a great place to study or read or just meditate."

"It all seems so peaceful, but I can feel a darkness about the place too." Yang warned.

"That's no surprise; this is a shadow world." Weiss said. "Even if it is a quiet and peaceful place, there are bound to be shadows including his here."

"I wonder what his shadow will be like." Ruby pondered. "Nora, do you have any idea?"

"No clue." Nora replied. "I don't know what would bother him enough. Whatever it is, I'm going to crush it!"

"So we don't have any unpleasant surprises like we had with Jaune, what kind of powers does you Persona have Nora?" Weiss asked. Jaune frowned at the insult but said nothing. Even he thought his Persona was disappointing, even if it did have useful skills. "Is it vulnerable or resistant to anything?"

"It has physical attacks and healing abilities." Nora answered. "I don't think it has any resistances or weaknesses. It's got an Almighty attack as well." She paused for a moment. "What's the problem with Jaune's Persona?"

"It doesn't have any attacks." Weiss replied. Nora could not stop herself from giggling.

Jaune had had enough. "It has some useful abilities!" He protested. "It can boost our strength, speed and defense, and it has abilities that reflect attacks."

"He did pretty well against Pyrrha's shadow." Ruby defended him. "With him supporting our attacks, we'll be really powerful."

"Yeah, it'll be great as long as he doesn't have to fight on his own again." Weiss mocked.