Chapter 10

"The second round of the competition will feature two teams of two battling against each other!" The voice announced after a few minutes of silence. "Teams, select your competitors!"

"My sister and I will handle this." Aigis volunteered. "The four of you need rest."

"What about me?" Jaune asked.

"You are inexperienced in fighting shadows." Aigis said. "You should observe our fights and learn. I am sure your skills will be tested in time." Jaune was disappointed, but Aigis was right and he was not going to argue. Aigis and Labrys stepped forward to indicate their participation in the coming battle.

"Who will face this pair of mechanical maidens?" The voice boomed. "This is surprising! They will be opposed by another pair of robots!" Two individuals stepped into the light across from Aigis and Labrys. One looked just like Labrys, save for a deranged expression. It was clearly a representation of her shadow. The other was clad in black armor and wielded an axe, though it was much smaller than the one used by Labrys.

"No way!" Jaune exclaimed. "Aigis and Labrys are robots!?" Team RWBY looked at him like he was an idiot. "I thought they just had weird armor." His explanation did not change their opinion.

"Metis?" Aigis was shocked. Metis was originally a physical manifestation of Aigis' emotions and played a prominent role in a shadow incident before being reunited with Aigis. Aigis knew this Metis was nothing more than a shadow clone, but it was still surprising to see her after all this time. All shadows were manifestations of the subconscious, so Metis must have come from Aigis' on mind. Did Metis and the circumstances that generated her still have that much of a hold on Aigis? There was no time to figure that out now.

"Which team of automatons will come out on top?" The voice shouted as the crowd roared. "Let's get round two under way!"

*Recommended Music: Heartful Cry -In Mayonaka Arena- (Persona 4 Arena Soundtrack)*

"Can you handle your shadow?" Aigis asked.

"Yeah." Labrys replied confidently.

"I will take care of…the other one then." Aigis said.

The buzzer sounded and the fight was on. For a moment, the combatants stood still, taking stock of their opponents. Aigis aimed her hand guns at Metis, forcing her to make the first move. Shadow Labrys laughed and charged at Labrys while Metis dove out of the way of Aigis' incoming fire. Shadow Labrys unleashed an underhand swing of her axe which was blocked by Labrys, though it was powerful enough to life her off her feet. The shadow immediately leapt after her, swinging her axe wildly. Using the rocket boosters on her own axe, Labrys repeatedly dodged out of the way of her shadow's attacks until they both landed.

Aigis continued to shoot at Metis as the latter darted side-to-side while attempting to close the distance. A few of Aigis' bullets struck their target, but they did no discernable damage. Metis got close enough to strike and swung her axe horizontally at Aigis. Aigis blocked the attack with one heavily armored forearm, and used her other arm to grab her new spear. She spun toward Metis, knocking Metis' axe aside with her spear before lunging ahead. Metis dropped under the thrust and with a kick, swept Aigis' legs out from under her. Aigis stopped her fall with her free hand and used her spear to block Metis' axe as it slammed down at her. Aigis pivoted on her arm and kicked Metis in the chest, sending her staggering backward.

Labrys and her shadow simultaneously swung at each other, their axes smashing together in a shower of sparks. The two separated and Shadow Labrys summoned her Persona Asterius. The Persona had the appearance of a chained Minotaur engulfed in flames. With a wave of its clawed hand, the bestial Persona unleashed a wave of fire at Labrys. She ducked, using her axe as a shield, and managed to endure the attack. Labrys summoned her own Persona Ariadne who laid circular glyphs on the ground around Shadow Labrys. The shadow took a careless step, hitting a glyph, and spectral spears shot up from the ground, tossing Shadow Labrys into the air. Labrys leapt at temporarily helpless her shadow and flipped vertically into a swing of her axe. Before she could land the hit, Asterius grabbed her in one of its claws and threw her to the ground. A floating red string surrounded Asterius before closing tightly around it. It roared in pain as Ariadne's attack dug into its flesh. Seeing her Persona under attack and feeling the pain, Shadow Labrys charged at Ariadne and with a mighty horizontal swing, sent the Persona tumbling. Nearing the limits of their endurance, both withdrew their Personas.

Aigis and Metis circled each other carefully, weapons at the ready. Metis suddenly leapt backward and summoned her Persona Psyche. It had the appearance of a butterfly with sickly thin wings at the head, with an elegant dress at the tail. It unleashed a blast of wind at Aigis, but she summoned her own Persona Pallas Athena. Psyche's attack broke on Pallas Athena's shield before the latter charged, spear first, at the former. Psyche barely dodged the attack, but found itself behind its attacker. A blast of ice into the back of Pallas Athena caused it to slam into the ground as Aigis doubled over in pain. She withdrew her Persona as Psyche attacked her directly. She dove to the side, firing at the Persona as Metis cried in pain. Metis withdrew her Persona as well, leaving just the two mechanical maidens to fight each other hand-to-hand. They were dangerously evenly matched.

"I didn't think I'd have to do this, but I guess I'll have to pull out all the stops." Metis said. "Neo-Orgia Mode engaged!" Metis' body charged with power as her safety limiters disengaged. She ran straight at Aigis with incredible speed, and Aigis was only just able to dodge the incoming axe as Metis rushed past.

"Orgia Mode engaged!" Aigis shouted. With her own limiters disabled, she could just about match Metis' speed and power.

Metis swung her axe vertically at Aigis who blocked the attack with her free forearm. Aigis slid her spear into position and fired, but Metis dodged as the spear extended to twice its normal length with tremendous speed and force. Metis kicked the spear aside, spinning Aigis ninety degrees, and slammed her axe into Aigis' side armor. The armor cracked subtly but held, allowing Aigis to shoulder-block Metis, pushing her back. Aigis jumped back to increase the distance and fired at Metis, but her bullets had no effect. Metis charged and swung her axe horizontally. Aigis dodged and dive-rolled forward, putting her behind Metis. She whipped her spear around, aimed it between Metis' shoulder blades and fired. The spear tore through Metis, accompanied by the deafening screech of rending metal, punching clean through her torso and pushing her Plume of Dusk out through her chest. Metis went limp, collapsing to the ground in a heap as Aigis withdrew her weapon. Metis dissolved and disappeared.

Labrys and her shadow struggled to gain the advantage, trading blows with their axes, most of which were blocked. With Orgia mode activated, Aigis was close to overheating and if she was going to help Labrys, she had to do so quickly. She summoned the Persona Ishtar. It had the appearance of a beautiful but horned woman clad in a flowing white gown. "Labrys, get back!" Aigis shouted. Labrys tried to gain some separation, but her shadow was just as capable of hearing the order. Shadow Labrys refused to give Labrys and space, staying close and pressing the attack. With only moments left before she would be disabled, Aigis could not wait any longer. A bolt of electricity from Ishtar surged through Labrys and her shadow. After writhing for a few moments, both dropped to the ground, motionless. Shadow Labrys dissolved and disappeared.

"Aigis and Labrys have won!" The voice shouted. "But at what price?" Aigis overheated and dropped to her knees as her systems shut down and restarted, smoke pouring from the discs on the sides of her head. Labrys lay motionless where she had fallen. "The final round will take place in just a few minutes. Can they possibly be ready?"

Ruby and Yang dragged Aigis away from the combat area while Blake and Weiss did the same with Labrys. Ruby used the Persona Kikuri-Hime to try to heal Aigis, but it had no effect. Blake used her Persona to heal Labrys who soon regained consciousness, but was still clearly damaged. "I can't heal Aigis." Ruby said with concern.

"She's overheated." Labrys informed her. "There's nothin' to heal, she needs to cool down." Labrys winced as she stood, clearly in pain.

"Who was Metis?" Yang asked.

"Metis is, in some ways, my shadow." Aigis said, her systems coming back online. She stumbled but managed to get back to her feet. "I faced her a long time ago." Aigis walked over to Labrys and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright? I am sorry."

"I'll be okay." Labrys assured her less than convincingly. "You did what you had to, there's no need to be sorry."

"It worries me that the only one of us in shape to fight right now is Jaune." Blake observed.

"I won't lie; I'm not thrilled about it either." Jaune said. "Those looked like really tough fights." He turned to Aigis and Labrys. "It's so cool that you're robots! It's like a comic book!"

"Now it's time for the final round!" The voice announced. "Our victors will take on the one and only Pyrrha Nikos!"

"The shadow is on the next floor." Rise reported. "It's got to be for one of us, I can feel it."

"It sure smells familiar." Teddie added. "For some reason it gets me really worked up!"

The Investigation Team carefully ascended the stairs to the next floor. Again they found a large dark area. "Alright, come on out so we can kick your ass!" Kanji challenged the unseen enemy.

"Hohohohoho." The shadow laughed.

"I'd know that laugh anywhere." Yukiko sighed.

The lights came on to reveal Yukiko's shadow doppelganger, the one she had faced in the TV world, sitting on a throne atop a set of stairs. "My princes have finally come." The shadow said. "There are so many of you this time! How exciting!"

Yukiko marched forward, boldly challenging her shadow. "I've had enough of you!" She shouted. "I've changed. I'm not helpless anymore. There's no place for you."

"Have you really changed that much?" The shadow asked. "It's hard to tell. You're still living in Inaba, hanging around with Chie and fated to take over the family inn."

"It's all by choice." Yukiko countered. "It's not because I feel like I'm bound to do it. I make my own fate, all on my own."

"Is that so?" The shadow asked. "Who are you trying to convince? Me or you? You can rationalize it however you want, but you're the same as before. It's not surprising though. Even if you wanted to make your own way you couldn't. You've been trying to learn to cook for over a year now, and you still can't make anything that won't make people sick. What else have you been working on? Nothing! You're hopeless. You're going to coast along with your assigned fate, or you'll try to change it and fail. That's all there is to it."

"At least I'm trying." Yukiko shot back. "That's a hell of a lot more than I would have done before. I don't just sit around feeling sorry for myself anymore. I'm going to keep trying, and even if I fail, I won't give up."

"Oh come one now." The shadow said. "Just admit it. You're just learning to cook so you can snag a man. Who would want a woman who can't cook? Maybe you can find a man who can turn things around and save you from your boring life."

"I don't need a man!" Yukiko screamed. "I don't need anyone! I can do anything I set my mind to, and I don't need anyone's help to do it!"

"I've got to give you credit, you sound confident." The shadow taunted. "I'll give you a chance to back that up." Suddenly, a metal cage appeared out of thin air and dropped down around Yukiko and her shadow, cutting them off from the others. "You say you don't need anyone, so fight me alone. We'll see just how independent you are."

"I've defeated you before, I'll do it again." Yukiko said.

"I must warn you, I've learned a new trick." The shadow taunted. "Tsukuyomi!" A Persona appeared above the shadow. It had the appearance of a man wearing a black and white striped suit and cape partly covered by a grey and red overcoat. A crest that looked like melted metal rose from its golden-masked face. It wielded a black sword with a similar melted-metal appearance. Yukiko recognized it as Sho Minazuki's Persona. "Still think you can handle me all by yourself?"

"Let's do this!" Yukiko shouted. "Sumeo-Okami!"

Labrys examined the cracks in Aigis' armor. "I'm gonna' have to wait until we get back to the dorms to fix this." She reported. "I don't think you should fight if you can help it."

A spotlight illuminated the center of the combat area. Pyrrha stood there, looking somewhat confused. "Pyrrha!" Jaune called, rushing toward her. He slammed into an invisible barrier.

"There is a shadow here too." Aigis warned.

Another figure joined Pyrrha in the spotlight. It appeared to be Jaune. "That's not the real me!" The real Jaune shouted, banging on the invisible wall. Pyrrha took no notice of the commotion.

"Jaune, what are you doing here?" Pyrrha asked. "What's going on?"

"I just came to see you do your thing." Shadow Jaune replied. "You're a world-famous fighter; I thought I'd see for myself."

"I'm flattered, but I don't have any idea what this place is or how I got here." Pyrrha admitted. She thought Jaune was acting a bit strange. "I'm glad you're here though. We should leave; I'm sure the others are worried."

"I bet you're glad I'm here." Shadow Jaune laughed. "Since we met you've been desperate to spend time with me."

Pyrrha was shocked. "Well, you're fun to hang around with." Pyrrha said. "You're a good friend."

"But you wish we were more than just friends." Shadow Jaune taunted. "It's a shame that's not going to happen. I'm much more interested in Weiss, or, well, any other girl."

"Jaune, what's wrong with you?" Pyrrha was getting angry but tried hard to not show it. She clenched her fists, digging her nails into her own skin.

"You should be used to it though." Shadow Jaune continued. "Nobody wants to be with you, at least not on terms you can accept. Sure, some people are attracted to your fame or you wealth, but they're not attracted to you. You're too intimidating. I might be the only person who doesn't feel that way, but I'm not interested all the same. I guess you'll be alone forever."

Something about this Jaune did not feel right to Pyrrha. "You're not Jaune." She accused.

"You're clever." Shadow Jaune said. "I will give you that. You're a great fighter. You're also doomed to die alone."

"That's not true." Pyrrha protested. "I'll find someone. Jaune is at least willing to be my friend."

"Why don't you just accept that he doesn't really care about you?" Shadow Jaune said. "He hangs around with you because it helps him. You're teaching him how to fight, and as long as he's nice to you, you won't reveal his secret. It's a purely parasitic relationship. He'd be dead without you. What do you get in return? Heartbreak."

"It's not true!" The real Jaune shouted, banging on the barrier.

"I don't think she can hear or see us." Blake observed. "You're going to hurt yourself if you keep doing that."

"That can't be true." Pyrrha said. She was not so sure. She could not find a hole in this Jaune's logic. She had spent her time chasing after Jaune, but he did not even seem to notice. He did gain a lot more from the relationship than she did, and keeping it going was certainly in his best interests.

"You will be alone forever." Shadow Jaune said. "Your life will continue to be one of unending sorrow. After all these years, surely you know that. The sooner you accept it, the better off you'll be."

Pyrrha tried to conceal her emotions, but she could not stop herself from crying. Maybe this Jaune was right. Maybe she was fated to a sad and lonely life. She dropped to her knees and hid her face in her hands as she cried.

"Well then, I think I've seen enough." Shadow Jaune said. "I'll put an end to your misery." The shadow drew its sword.

The real Jaune was filled with rage and fear. He took a few steps back from the barrier and charged at it with reckless abandon. To his surprise, it was no longer there. He stumbled into the spotlight with Pyrrha and Shadow Jaune, not sure what to do next. "Pyrrha, don't listen to him." He said.

"This is quite a surprise." Shadow Jaune said. "This gives me the opportunity to make sure Pyrrha dies alone. All I have to do is eliminate you." The shadow melted into a black blob before reforming by taking on Pyrrha's appearance. "This form should be suitable."

"It's time for the final round of the competition!" The voice boomed. The crowd roared. "We have Jaune Arc versus Pyrrha Nikos! The winner will be crowned champion of our tournament, the loser will die!"

Jaune backed up nervously. He could not imagine fighting Pyrrha, and could definitely not imagine defeating her. "Guys, what the heck am I going to do?" He asked the others.

"We're trapped behind the barrier." Ruby said. "It came back after you crossed it. You have to do this!"

"Use your Persona." Yang advised. "What kind of attacks does it have?"

"Attacks?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah, like physical attacks, or ice or fire." Yang replied.

"It doesn't have any attacks." Jaune admitted. "It has some abilities that can make me and my allies stronger, but it doesn't have any attacks."

"He's doomed." Weiss said, shaking her head in disappointment. Blake elbowed her in the side. "I mean, you can do it…" She said without enthusiasm.

"Come on Jaune, you always wanted to be the hero." The shadow said. "Slay the monster, save the girl! Who'd have guessed the girl would slay you?" Jaune drew his sword and shield, holding them in fighting position. He was shaking.

"Let's get this fight underway!" The voice yelled.