Chapter 17: The Victor

Oasis General Hospital

"How bad are you hurt, Sis?" Qrow asked.

"It doesn't hurt," Raven growled. "I'm fine."

She was not fine. The bullet that had embedded itself in her shoulder was far from a lethal hit, but Raven was still badly hurt. When she struggled to get up from the bed, she stumbled on her foot and collapsed gracelessly to the floor. "Gah…" she mumbled, putting her hand to her forehead. Her teeth were clenched in pain, sweat was dripping down her visage, and her face had gone worryingly pale.

"There must have been something on the bullet," Qrow concluded, his voice strained as he desperately tried to stay calm. "There's no other way Sis would ever go down to a little injury like this." He took a deep breath, as if collecting himself. "Looking at her right now, I doubt it's life threatening, but she'll be fucked up for a few days at least. Maybe if we do a blood test we'll find out what happened…"

Tai shook his head, a look of utter dismay on his face. "This is insane," he muttered to himself. "Why? Why the hell would General Fox - the guy who leads the whole world's military - be working for the bad guys? And a headmaster of the Academies, too?! None of it makes any sense!" Angrily, he thrust his clenched fist into the wall, creating a noticeable dent in the woodwork.

"C-calm down, Tai," said Summer, gently putting her hands over her friend's shoulders, hoping that he wouldn't cause any punishable property damage in his anger. They had enough problems right now as it stood. "Look, I already gave you guys an explanation of what happened. Argent said…" Briefly, she once again recounted what the general had told her about the relics and the Ouroboros Project.

The silence that filled the room after she finished was abruptly broken by Raven coughing. "The relics…" she muttered as she wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "So they do exist after all. And you say that one of them is hidden somewhere in Shade Academy?"

"Yeah." Summer nodded. "And the general said that one of the relics was stolen from Atlas Academy...so I guess we can assume that the other two Academies each have one of these 'relics' hidden somewhere in them - and that includes Beacon." She could hardly believe she was saying these things. Ancient artifacts of power hidden beneath the four Grand Academies? It was like something out of a fairy tale she might have read to Autumn before bedtime.

"Relics? What the hell are these 'relic' things anyway?" Tai asked, sitting down heavily on a nearby chair, his face still bearing an expression of both confusion and frustration. "And how can we even trust what that Argent Fox guy said - he tried to kill us, dammit!"

"But he didn't finish the job - he could have at least just tossed us in jail," Qrow muttered. "Guess he got cold feet."

Why Argent hadn't finished them off was honestly the least of Summer's problems at the moment. She had gone to the general for answers, and while she'd technically gotten them, she felt as though she'd only ended up with more questions than before. "Do you…" She began hesitantly. "Do you guys think we should tell Headmaster Ozpin about all this?"

"Yeah! Of course we should!" Tai insisted. "This is huge! He's got to know about it!"

"Would the old man even believe us, though?" Qrow grumbled, looking down at the floor.

I don't really know, Summer admitted in her head. I'm not sure what exactly we're supposed to do from here...but I think it's at least worth a shot to tell Ozpin about this. We can at least trust him...right? A sharp pang of despair rang through her as she realized that after this, there really was no way to know for sure who they could believe. A student was one thing, but a military general and a headmaster both also working for some sinister conspiracy? Who knows if even more people we know aren't what they seem.

"...We can sort out this mess at a later opportunity." Raven suddenly spoke up again. "There's still the matter of the Vytal Tournament. We can't simply forfeit our spot when we're so close to our victory!"

Tai stared at her. "C'mon Rae...I wanted to win, too, but...is that really so important right now?"

"Even with the information we've learned, I doubt there's anything we can really accomplish with it in our current position. And I'm not particularly hurt - I can still fight. Urgh!" She stumbled again, clutching her shoulder in pain as she grimaced. Raven was biting her lip, and a drip of blood was visible near the bottom of her mouth.

Her brother sighed. "Yeah…'not hurt', my ass. Hate to say it, but there's no way you're going out into the arena in that state." Finally, Raven sat back down in a sign of defeat, her fists clenched in anger at her side. An atmosphere of gloom was pervading the hospital room.

"It's a bummer alright," Tai muttered glumly. "We finally got so close to the top, and now we're just gonna have to give up. I don't like it, but I guess there's just nothing we can do about it anymore. N-not that it's your fault, Rae…" he added hastily at the end of that statement, nodding at Raven.

Suddenly, Summer spoke up. "I can go, then. I'll take Raven's place," she said, trying to sound as loud and firm as possible, which was a bit redundant considering her teammates were already in earshot. They turned to stare at her in surprise. "Huh? Are you serious?" Qrow asked incredulously.

Despite herself, Summer felt a slight pang of hurt at her partner's disbelief. She tilted her chin up and continued. "Raven and I were the ones who fought in the doubles round. If we say she got injured fighting off some bandits, I should be allowed to take her place."

"It's true that that's legal as far as the tournament rules go," Raven admitted, looking up at Summer. Her eyes were slightly narrowed and her jaw was clenched, and Summer couldn't tell if the dark-haired girl was glancing at her in admiration, resentment, or if she was just in pain from her wound. "But...are you certain about this? I mean no offense to you, but you won't stand a chance against Psycha. I could have at least used my portals, but you…"

Summer winced. "I-It's true that I don't have any strategy against her," she muttered, "But it's better for me to try than for us to just give up now. It's just like Tai said - we've already come so close." She nodded firmly at her teammates, making it clear that she wasn't going to take no for an answer this time. "I'll find a way somehow. I'm sure of it. Remember, Psycha's nothing but a cheater - a one-trick pony. Against real skill, she'll lose every time."

"...No point in convincing you otherwise, huh?" Qrow was grinning now. "Knowin' how deceptively stubborn you can be, I see no reason not to let you try. Just don't get your ass kicked, alright?" Summer caught herself smiling back at him, happy to have his approval. "You've got a deal," she said.

"Hell yeah. Now that's our Summer," Tai chuckled. "Forget forfeiting the match - never give up the fight, am I right?"

Raven hesitated for one noticeable second, but eventually acquiesced, giving Summer a curt nod of approval. "I'll be counting on you," she said. "If you think that you can pull off this victory, then I expect nothing but the best from you...leader." Summer detected a hint of bitterness in her tone even as she said it. She really wishes it would be her up there in the arena, doesn't she…

Summer heard the chiming of a bell, and looked over to the clock on the wall, where the hour hand had just struck twelve. In less than an hour, the final match of the Vytal Festival Tournament would begin. It's now or never. Summer turned back to her teammates, who were all looking at her expectantly. "Alright," she said. "I promise I'll win and teach that Psycha girl a lesson - no matter what it takes!"

Amity Coliseum

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls..." Professor Lawrence's voice pierced through the thick, hushed silence of the audience, who were waiting with bated breath for the long-awaited match to begin. The excitement in the atmosphere was almost tangible as he continued his announcement: "Welcome, one and all, to the final battle of the tournament! It's been a long time coming, but when the elimination bell rings during this match, one of the two contestants here in this arena will be declared the champion!"

Cheers erupted as the spotlights surrounding the arena turned to focus their bright glares on the two young women standing in the center of the floor. Summer took a deep breath, instinctively closing her eyes shut as the light fell onto her. She could hardly believe this was actually happening, but she'd made her choice. Forcing her thumping heart back down into her chest, she raised her head to face her opponent on the other side. Psycha was staring at her apathetically, her visage no emotion that could possibly honour Summer with a hint of acknowledgement. The robotic bird, Bubble, sat meekly on her shoulder and chirped happily as its owner gave it a light pat on the head.

"From Shade Academy, we have Psycha Osmov of Team PLSM! Daughter of Sigmund Osmov, one of the finest investors the Kingdom of Vacuo has ever seen, and she'll be working to make him proud today! And so far in the tournament, she's proven herself to be practically untouchable! Let's see if that streak maintains itself for the finale!" As Lawrence mentioned her father's name, Psycha's face twisted itself into a deep scowl.

"And from Beacon, we were originally going to have Raven Branwen of Team STRQ, who's been shown so far to be peerless in her mastery of the sword. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, she will be unable to participate today, and bravely taking her place is her teammate - Summer Rose! Let's see how well she fares against Miss Osmov, shall we?" The perpetual cheering of the audience grew louder.

Psycha gave a heavy sigh, that unpleasant scowl remaining on her visage. "Your friend with the red sword might actually have been fun to crush," she said, glancing at Summer in disgust. "But you? You're not even worth the effort. So much for a silver-eyed warrior...blowing you to pieces in one shot would be giving you too much credit."

"If that's what you think, why not fight fair and square for once?" Summer retorted, the words rushing out of her mouth before she could even think of them. Without hesitating, she added: "Or maybe you're just too scared of me?"

Psycha's eyes widened. She glanced at Summer with the same disposition of someone staring down at a particularly fat cockroach scuttling across their floor. "Why you-"

"And without further ado, the final match is about to start!" Lawrence shouted over the speaker, cutting her off. The center platform rose into the air, and Summer slowly drew Phoenix Heart, ready for battle. No matter what happened now, she could take solace in knowing that her words had struck a nerve with the arrogant Shade girl.

With a loud clang, the platform fell into place. The audience's cheers turned to silent anticipation. "Three...two...one…" the professor announced. "And...begin!"

Immediately, Psycha raised her hand, her Aura manifesting itself as a orb of green energy in her palm. Bubble lifted itself off her shoulder and flew high into the air, chirping loudly. Summer pulled back her bow and fired off an arrow, but Psycha leapt to avoid it, clenching her fist and crushing the orb of Aura. The bird was surrounded by the energy and began growing huge again, and soon it was large enough that its owner could ride on its back. Gritting her teeth, Summer tried to bring it down with multiple fire arrows, hoping to melt its steel body, but they simply bounced off the metal creature's own Aura as it took to the skies.

Once the bird had reached the upper barrier of the arena, its massive frame almost completely blocking out the sky, Summer could hear Psycha shout a command from atop its back. The bird's beak opened and a bright light emanated from within, the heat radiating off of it warming Summer's body even at such a long distance. If I get hit by the blast, it's over for me, she thought, recalling Team JADE's defeat. She aimed her bow at the ground, and as she saw a red flash out of the corner of her eyes, she fired an explosive arrow to propel herself into the air.

It wasn't a moment too soon, as an explosion rang out from beneath her, practically singing the bottom of her feet as she soared upward with her bow clenched tightly in her hands. Below her, the blast had covered the pristine white floor of the stadium in smoldering black gunpowder residue. The monstrous bird levitated high above her, and turned its enormous head in Summer's direction with a rumbling, mechanical growl. "You think you're clever, don't you?" Psycha yelled, pointing her finger at Summer with a dramatic flourish. "Fire again, Bubble! Burn her to ashes!"

Summer was beginning to lose momentum. Any second now, the kinetic force that had propelled her upward would run out, and she'd fall, painfully, all the way back down to the stadium floor. And the bird's beak was already charging back up for a second blast, this one looking to be no less deadly than the first. Now's a better time than any to try these out...Summer thought, reaching into her pouch and retrieving a large arrow with a flickering red light on its side. She loaded it into her bow and, after shooting a quick glance at the bird's mouth above, fired the arrow at a slight diagonal.

The arrow detonated mid-flight, less than a second after leaving her bow, propelling Summer upward yet again. These arrows were a newer, more advanced model that she'd purchased from a weapons shop in Oasis. These explosive projectiles were composed of more volatile Dust than the ordinary model, and could thus be manually detonated by transferring one's Aura into them.

As the blast sent her flying, the bird fired another massive beam that she barely managed to avoid. The deadly light flashed right before her eyes, and she felt a wave of heat wash over the front of her body. Swallowing her fear, Summer looked up, and saw that she was getting closer to her destination.

The avian monstrosity screeched, and its wretched, mechanical howls piercing into Summer's ears at such close proximity. It flapped its enormous wings, sending a thundering blast of wind rushing toward her. Summer screamed as she was violently flung back, her white cloak fluttering roughly against the wind. This isn't good - at this rate, I'll get thrown out of the ring! She looked behind her, seeing that she was flying at breakneck speed toward the stands, and stretched out her legs behind her, bracing herself for impact. She collided with the barrier feet-first, and much to her embarrassment her skirt flew up slightly, leading to hushed gasps and whistles from the male spectators. Grunting, Summer launched herself off the barrier and quickly propelled herself up with another arrow, narrowly avoiding a third blast from the mechanical bird. She could hear the weak crackle of the barrier behind her as it strained to contain the force of the beam.

"Hrahhhhh!" With one more 'arrow-jump', as she liked to call it, Summer finally launched herself within range of the bird. She reached out and barely grasped the tip of one of its sleek metal wings, and clumsily dragged herself onto it. "Knock her off!" she heard Psycha yell, and the bird began to shake its wings furiously, forcing Summer to make a leap of faith. She made a forward jump off of the wing and landed, with a roll, onto the bird's main body, where Psycha herself awaited her. Gritting her teeth in irritation, venomous hatred enveloping her arrogant face, the Shade girl stared down her opponent and finally drew her own weapon - a crimson whip made from strands of Dust, crackling with flames as she swung it with a flourish.

Below the two Huntresses, the crowd was cheering. They'd likely expected that Summer would get slaughtered immediately, and were already impressed at her lasting this long against Psycha's bird. "It seems Miss Rose is putting up quite a fight!" Professor Lawrence announced enthusiastically, his voice booming around the stadium. "Perhaps she will finally end Miss Osmov's untouched winning streak!"

"You hear that? They think you could possibly beat me," Psycha hissed. "I can't forgive this - you've already shamed me just by not playing your part and losing!" She swung her weapon wildly, and Summer leapt back to avoid the lashes. She retaliated with several arrows, but Psycha easily swatted them to the side. Yelling, Summer split Phoenix Heart into its two blades and charged headfirst toward her opponent, hoping to knock Psycha off balance.

To her surprise, it actually worked. Psycha's eyes widened in shock, as if she hadn't expected Summer to make such a reckless approach, and stumbled backward while aimlessly swinging her flaming whip. Summer felt the weapon's sharp sting her several times, but her training had made the pain ignorable. She swung her blade, striking Psycha in the chest. "Ugh!" she grunted, reaching out a shaking, panicked hand to block Summer's next strike. The girl's whole body was trembling in fear, as if she'd never had an opponent directly confront her like this. "Bubble! Spin!" she yelled as she fell pathetically onto her side.

Summer felt the surface below her feet shift, and she started to lose her balance. She looked down and saw that the bird was rolling onto its side in an attempt to shake her off. Quickly, she started running in the opposite direction to avoid falling off, while Psycha simply stood up and watched her, not affected by her bird's spinning at all. I just need to get rid of the bird somehow! Summer thought. She ran toward the right wing, holding up her sword and thrusting it into the metal feathers, trying to keep her footing all the while.

Unfortunately, the blade simply bounced harmlessly off the wing. Summer tried firing a stream of bullets into the hard steel, but they had no visible effect, either. "Hah!" Psycha sneered, approaching Summer with her whip in hand. "You really thought it would be that easy? My precious Bubble is made from the finest steel in Vacuo - not even a bomb blast can bring him down!" She swung the whip, and Summer leapt desperately to avoid the lash. If I can't destroy the bird, I'll just have to try something else to get Psycha off of it. She pressed her mind for something - any idea that could work.

"Why don't you just give up already, huh?!" Psycha swung her whip again, and Summer jumped upward, changing her weapon back into a bow and propelling herself up with an explosive arrow aimed at the bird. "Dumbass," the Shade girl sneered. "I already told you that wouldn't work!"

As she flew, Summer sensed that she was getting close to the upper boundary. She turned herself around and, propelling herself off the forcefield, flew downward in the direction of the bird's right wing with the speed of a human torpedo. She switched to sword form and plunged both blades into the robotic limb as she crashed into it, the sheer force of the impact finally making a dent in the machine's hard shell. The enormous bird was knocked off balance, lurching to the side as it screeched in pain. Psycha stumbled but quickly regained her footing. Summer was once again barely hanging onto the bird's wing, pulling herself back up with an effort.

"You stupid bitch!" Psycha screamed, swinging around her whip in a maniacal frenzy, not even properly aiming at Summer. "Fly, Bubble! Shake her off! Send her flying! Let her break her stupid fucking neck when she hits the ground!" Her fist began glowing with Aura, and the bird glowed too. Slowly but noticeably, it began to shrink, until it was just small enough that it could fly around the arena while still carrying the weight of the two Huntresses. The wind blew against Summer's body, and she could tell that she wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.

Thinking quickly, she drew an ice Dust arrow from her pouch and rammed it forced into the steel beneath her feet. The projectile detonated, freezing her legs in place. She then switched to bow form, firing off a stream of arrows in Psycha's direction.

"Tch…" she snarled, deflecting the first three projectiles but being unable to stop a fourth from striking her in the chest, taking off a large chunk of Aura. "Get away from me, you little whore!" the Shade girl screeched. "You don't have the right to lay a single hit on me! You're not worthy of me - NO ONE is worthy of me!"

By now, she'd utterly lost it. Psycha ran at Summer with her whip, the Dust strands comprising the weapon hardening until they formed a thin Dust rapier. She seemed to have forgotten about her plan to shake her opponent off the bird's back. Summer used her blades to parry her strikes, while struggling to pull her feet out of the ice mound. Finally, with a pained grunt she broke free, kicking Psycha in the stomach as she brought down her blade on her.

Snarling, Psycha reached out and grabbed her by the hair, leaning in and savagely clamping her teeth on her shoulder. Summer let out a yelp at the sudden pain, stumbling backward and losing her balance. Her enemy took the opportunity to give her a hard shove off the back of the bird, leaving her dangling on one arm from the bird's beak. As she hung on for dear life, Summer felt a wave of heat as the machine opened its jaw, and she found herself staring down its glowing gullet. Oh no.

"And that's what happens when you think you can cross me," Psycha said smugly, walking with a self-assured, triumphant gait, moving to stand directly above Summer. She bent down and smirked in her face, with her composure fully restored. "You've wasted my time and my patience, stupid girl. Time to take responsibility for what you've done!"

Funny, I wanted to tell you the same thing. Summoning all her remaining strength, Summer pulled herself up, grabbing Psycha's foot and dragging her down with her. The two girls plummeted down into the air, and Summer could hear the ominous screech of the bird as it prepared for another blast, too late to stop the process. She put her arms around a struggling Psycha and used her as a human shield, bracing herself for impact.

Up close, the sound of the explosion nearly shattered her eardrums into fluid. White light filled her vision even as she closed her eyes, and her body went limp as she let go of Psycha and felt herself fall, the wind pushing up against her as she torpedoed downward, headfirst. The ear-piercing noise still ringing in her ears, Summer fought to regain her focus while still in freefall, finally forcing her eyes open with a sudden gasp. The ground was rushing up to meet her, getting closer and closer by the second. All her senses instantly returned to her, and she quickly fired an explosive arrow at the ground, breaking her fall - mostly. She fell clumsily onto the side, pain rushing into her abdomen as she collided with the arena floor. "Ugh!" she grunted.

She stumbled back to her feet. In front of her, the giant bird lay mostly unharmed but completely motionless. Once its owner had been rendered unable to control it with her Aura, it had simply shut down. Psycha was now banging her hand on its head, shouting angrily, her clothes covered in ash. "Get up, dammit! I-I still have Aura! Get up and destroy that Rose girl, NOW! What's wrong with you, you worthless piece of scrap metal!?"

Summer limped toward her slowly, swords in hands, her feet dragging across the floor as a light pain shot through them with every step. She took several pained gasps as she shot a glance at the scoreboard, seeing that both Huntresses' Auras were only slightly above elimination range. As she got close, Psycha turned around to face her, hatred in her eyes. "This wasn't supposed to happen," she hissed, holding up her whip. "You were supposed to lie down and lose like a good little peasant. Why couldn't you just know your place, huh?"

Summer didn't bother answering her - she wasn't worth it. She raised her sword. "You said you had Aura, right? Then you can still fight. You're right that I'm not that strong...and I'm definitely nothing compared to Raven when she's serious. But even I can stand my ground against a faker like you."

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut the hell up!" Psycha ran at her, and the two began fighting. Psycha swung her whip with a wild, unfocused frenzy, occasionally changing to her rapier, while Summer parried and blocked her attacks while waiting for her chance to retaliate. In truth, it could hardly be considered a fight. Within a minute, Summer dealt the final blow, and Psycha collapsed to the ground as the elimination bell rang.

The audience cheered with all the energy and resonance of a bomb going off. Summer could hardly make out the words that Professor Lawrence was saying as he announced her victory, with a slight tinge of bitterness that a Shade student would not be winning the tournament while at home, as the exhilaration of her victory was flooding her mind, blocking out all other sensations. She simply stood there, staring blankly, as the center platform slowly lowered itself back down and attaching itself to the rest of the floor. The rush lasted for several minutes, before finally being broken by Tai's ecstatic "You did it!" as he ran out onto the arena, followed by the Branwen twins. "Knew you could do it, Summer! That was the coolest damn thing I've ever seen!"

"Heh. Gotta admit, that was pretty badass." Summer looked at Qrow, her eyes meeting her partner's for a moment. Qrow flashed her a sheepish smile, not his usual awkward, sarcastic grin but rather a genuinely happy smile that Summer wasn't used to seeing. Beside him, Raven shot her an approving nod. "Well done, leader," she said curtly.

Once Psycha had been forcibly dragged, whining and complaining, out of the arena (after returning Bubble the bird back to its miniature size and putting it in her pocket), an unfamiliar man with a slightly hunched back, graying blonde hair and milky blue eyes walked onto the arena floor. The whole audience went silent as he approached Team STRQ.

"That's Professor Thane," Tai muttered to Summer. "Shade's headmaster. I've heard he was way better as a Huntsman than a teacher, though."

"My congratulations, Team STRQ." Headmaster Thane said, his voice terse and polite as he presented Summer with a large golden trophy in the shape of the Vytal Tournament's emblem: a wide crest resembling a set of wings, with a spear, axe and sword all mounted upon one another - the iconic symbol of a Huntsman's will and strength. Several men approached to present Team STRQ with the very oversized cheque for one hundred thousand Lien.

Finally, Thane retrieved a strange circular object wrapped in silk from within the folds of his uniform and handed it to Summer. "And for this year's tournament, as a commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of the Great War…" he declared, "I am proud to present the winning team with the sacred medallion once owned by the King of Vale himself. May you treasure this artifact of Remnant's proud history!"

The audience cheered again. Curiously, Summer held the trophy around one arm and unwrapped the mysterious medallion that Thane had given her. It was a piece crafted out of fine copper, beautiful yet slightly rusted on the sides. She didn't recognize the pattern that was engraved on the medallion's surface - it appeared to be that of a lotus flower, its petals melting into the water. This...once belonged to the great warrior king himself…!

She looked up at the stands, at all the people cheering for her and her team's victory, a wide grin spreading across her face. The reality of her victory had only just set in. Her other friends were happily calling out to her from their seats, yelling so loudly that Summer could actually make out their voices. "That was excellent, Summer!" Heather cheered. "Yeah! You sure showed her!" Latte laughed. All of Team STRQ stood tall and proud, savouring their accomplishment.

The rest of the day passed in a flash. It was right as the afternoon was about to end, and the sun was looming over the west horizon, that the four Huntsmen made their way to a small expanse of forest on the boundary between the Oasis and outer Vacuo. Team HTHR and Team LIME joined them, and Latte was the one who held the camera. Snap. Summer did her best to not blink as the photograph was taken.

"This is quite good," Raven said approvingly, holding the memoir in her hands. Summer agreed; the trees and light-coloured sky behind the four of them created a nice contrast. Though she felt a tinge of annoyance that, standing next to her three teammates, it would be hard for anyone to tell she was the team leader just from this picture.

Tai gave Qrow a painful nudge. "Geez, why so serious, man?" he asked, pointing at the dark-haired Huntsman's noticeable scowl. "You look like we're about to go to war!"

"Shut up," Qrow retorted. "That's just my face, pal. You got a problem with that?"

Summer couldn't help but laugh, taking in the sight of all her friends around her. I can't wait to tell Autumn all about this… Right now, all the young Huntress wanted was for days like these to last forever…

Osmov Labs, Kingdom of Vacuo

In a small, dark room, lit only by the dim blue glow of the computer screens serving as the walls' only decorations, the two men surveyed the results of their current day's work. One of them was short in stature, with a generous snowy white beard and a shaved, round head, an almost childish wonder in his yellow eyes. The other was tall and thin, with flat gray hair and a sallow face that betrayed no emotion other than a strict frown. Both men were among the top inventors in all of Remnant, and they were working on their latest masterpiece.

"This could be it, Sig!" The bearded man whispered, eyeing the object that lay in the pod before them - a body of steel in the shape of a human, though lacking any distinct features. "This might be the breakthrough we've been looking for - thanks to your help, of course."

"Thanks are unnecessary, Joseph," Sigmund Osmov replied icily, as his eyes remained unmoving from where they were. "It was through our combined efforts that the avian prototype proved to be a resounding success, even if its owner proved herself to be as disappointingly lacking as ever. It was no surprise that the push to develop a fully human body would be approved so soon."

Joseph chuckled good-naturedly. "Come now, old friend, give yourself some credit now and then. And as for Psycha, I'm sure she did her best. Making it to the finals of the Vytal Tournament is no small feat, I am sure."

"We must find a suitable donor for the Aura transfer," Sigmund continued, ignoring Joseph altogether. "And it must be done discreetly, of course. With the model's current specifications, I hypothesize the most efficient specimen would be a young fe-"

He was interrupted by an angry yell from somewhere in the hall behind him. A second later, the door burst open, and Psycha stomped into the room with her fists clenched and teeth gritted. A security guard ran in after her. "P-Professor Ozmov! Professor Polendina! Please forgive me!" he stammered. "I tried to stop her, but she-"

"Dad!" Psycha snarled. "I-" she stopped herself, her voice suddenly breaking off as she hung her head down pathetically. There was a moment of dead silence.

"...What is it, girl?" Sigmund asked dispassionately, not looking in his daughter's direction. "Speak. Or has your tongue become as feeble as your mind?"

"I...perhaps I should go," Joseph Polendina said, shooting a hesitant look at Psycha. "I need to go pick up Penny from school. I'll see you tomorrow, Sig." As he passed by him on his way out the room, he whispered "Don't be too harsh on her" in his friend's ear. After a moment, the security guard nervously left the scene as well.

Father and daughter were the only ones remaining. "You shouldn't be here," Sigmund finally said.

"Dad…" Psycha sobbed. She looked up at her father, eyes full of tears. He was still standing with his back to her. "I tried my best. Even though you were always busy, a-and it made Mom so sad...y-you still helped me any way you could, and I got so close, but…" her voice cracked, and she gave a pathetic sniffle, snot dribbling from her nose. "I'm..I'm sorry…"

Sigmund gave a heavy sigh, and finally turned to face her, a look of utter disdain on his face. "I don't need your apologies. I need results, and you failed to deliver once again. Thus, you no longer have anything to offer me."

"But-"

"When you begged me to let you be a Huntress, I allowed it, since it was your mother's wish as well. After that foolish woman had drunk herself to death, I took care of your needs. When you were failing your courses, I used my connections to propel you to the top of your grade. I even helped you unlock your Semblance, and gave you the perfect weapon to utilize it. And even still, you have nothing to show for it." The professor's voice was tinted with scorn as he glanced down upon his daughter's kneeling form. "And you wonder why I want nothing to do with you anymore?"

He didn't wait for her reply, and turned back around to face the pod. "No matter. Prototype B0-BL was a success. I have no more need for it, so you can keep it. Consider it a gift, if you will. Now, get out of my sight."

Silently, Psycha got up and, holding back her tears, made her way out of the room.

It was about an hour later that she found herself back in that wretched building, Shade Academy, filled with unworthy lowlifes and degenerates. Just being in the same vicinity as all those mediocre peasants for three years had nearly driven her mad, but it had been worth it in the end. It would all be worth it...that was was Psycha had believed.

When she opened the room to Team PLSM's dorm, she saw Locke sprawled out on his bed, rummaging through a pin-up magazine with a moronic grin on his face. Storm and Moss sat in front of the TV playing Grimm vs Hunters 2: The Reckoning. Empty beer bottles were strewn all across the floor.

"Ahaha! Tough luck, Moss!" Storm laughed as his King Taijitu strangled Moss' Archer-class Huntsman and crushed his head, popping it like a crimson red balloon. As she watched, Psycha imagined the bowsman's head replaced with Summer Rose's. "Looks like you owe me fifty Lien!"

Moss was shaking her head. "I still have a higher KD ratio," she pointed out. "You're the one who has to pay up." She and Storm were focused on the TV screen, and Locke was still ogling some bikini-clad supermodel who probably had anorexia. None of them had noticed their leader's arrival.

Psycha stomped into the room, and immediately thrust out her foot and smashed the television screen with a sickening crash. Storm and Moss both yelped in indignation and surprise. "Ps-sycha?" Moss asked, her eye widening in astonishment. "Oi, what the fuck was that about, huh?!" Storm yelled.

Their leader didn't answer. She simply grabbed whatever was in her proximity - a bottle, a textbook, anything - and flung it against the wall with all her might, screaming furiously. She herself couldn't make out what she was saying - all she registered was her own venomous fury and the sound of glass breaking all around her.

"Psycha, c'mon!" Locke ran up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Look, losing sucks and all, and it's pretty un-heroic, but that's no reason to throw a tantrum. Just..calm down, ok?" Psycha just shoved him away, and struck him in the face, savagely, with a beer bottle. Locke fell on his back, bleeding from his forehead, and behind her she heard Moss scream.

"'Calm down'? Is that all you have to say?" Psycha screamed. "You're all useless anyway. You've never done anything or gotten anywhere without me carrying you. None of you have any right to tell me what to do! Maybe if I'd been on a team that wasn't made of worthless, simpering morons, this wouldn't have happened to me!"

She heard a loud sigh from somewhere behind her. "...What an eyesore," a familiar voice said. It was Harriet, standing in the doorway, having seemingly appeared from nowhere.

"...You." Psycha walked up to the Faunus, her face clenched in hatred. "You promised me that I'd win! I've had to put up with you ordering me around like a stupid animal for too damn long! I bet all you've been doing is holding me back, not helping me! That's it, isn't it? Well, I don't give a shit about your stupid 'Grandmaster' nonsense anymore - I don't need you anymore!" She reached out to grab her throat.

Harriet easily swatted her hand aside, as a set of sharp steel claws jutted out from her arm gauntlet, almost piercing Psycha's throat. She aimed her claws at the other girl, expression unmoved. "'Need' me? You overestimate yourself," she said, as an aura of dark energy emanated from her arm. "I'm afraid that you still have a part to play in all this - and you will go along obediently."

"And why the hell would we do that?" Storm asked angrily, sparks flying from his body.

"Because you've already seen what my master is capable of giving you. Surely you are all aware of your own weaknesses...and in this unfair world, those weaknesses prevent you from achieving any of your dreams. What you need is a teacher to nurture you, and grant you the ability to fulfill your heart's desires. To become a hero who opposes the corrupt and powerful…" Harriet nodded at Locke, who had gotten to his feet, coughing up blood. "...to find the strength to protect those close to you…" she turned to Storm. "...and to be accepted as an equal by others." She smiled at Moss.

"I…" Psycha muttered, her gaze turned away from the rabbit Faunus. She wanted to strike her, to make that bitch know her place, to show her how foolish she was for thinking she could ever control or tempt her. I don't need...a teacher...I can do everything on my own…! But she didn't move, and her mouth felt as dry as sandpaper.

"You still have a chance - all of you. To be strong, and to be feared," Harriet murmured, her voice a gentle whisper. "Accept my offer, and the Grandmaster will welcome you with open arms."