To say that the last hour or so weighed on Jae's mind was the epitome of an understatement; The fact that Ozpin held a very old and very powerful artifact relating to his genetic past, the frightened look on the teachers' faces when they stopped him from grabbing it and then there was that new voice that called to him from the sword….Or himself, he still wasn't sure. If he had the choice to, he could've voiced what concerns he had to the others for a good idea but unfortunately with the Sword being a highly kept secret from the public; He was sworn to secrecy even now to stop him from talking about it even to his team.
However there was also the Tournament that had continued while he had his moment away from people which meant that he ended up missing a vast majority of the Doubles with only catching the latter part of Penny's fight, though he was happy that he could cheer on Yang and Weiss for their matchup against Team FNKI. "YOU GOT THIS!" He yelled out to them and even though he couldn't see them, the two were blushing a little in embarrassment at his support.
"Aw, ain't that cute~, is that your bf up there~?" Neon teased Yang as she ducked and weaved under the blonde's swings; "Because I gotta admit…He is kinda cute, hope you don't mind me borrowing him after the match~" She added to further rub it in.
"You keep your hands off of him!" Weiss yelled at her as she deflected Flynt's trumpet blast with her Air Dust. "You weren't even interested until he supported her!"
"Not true~ But he could use someone from Atlas to show him a better time than you two~?" Neon kept going since she wasn't exactly going for subtlety.
"Hate to burst your bubble there, we saw him first AND beat ya to it~" Yang smirked to drive it back on her. "Plus knowing him, you're gonna be waiting in line~" She then moved to shoot a rocket shot at Neon as the buildings became more unstable in their side of the arena.
Jae in the meanwhile had to deal with the uncomfortable feeling of being stared at, some being out of jealousy when they overheard that this guy somehow managed to bag both Yang and Weiss but also being jealous once other people got a better look at him.
"Okay…I could use a little help right about now…" Jae internally pleaded as they seemed to inch closer to the seats he was saving by keeping his hands on them. "S-Sorry, saving these!"
"Oh hey, thanks JaaEEEE~!" Nora thanked him but felt herself squirm a little and blushas she felt something press into her butt instead of the plastic seat. "What's the big…Oh…" She narrowed her eyes but noticed that the embarrassment wasn't at being caught.
"N-Next time try to give me a heads up before you sit down…" Jae grumbled as he pulled his hand away while Ren did the more sensible thing and waited for Jae to move his other hand away.
"How about you don't have a hand placed where a butt sits?" Nora fought back while pouting a little as she sat back in her seat. "So, how's it look down there?" She asked him as she tossed a popcorn piece into the air and ate it.
"Well, Weiss got knocked out to save Yang from a double attack…and now she's…uh oh." Jae explained but his expression of pride turned to recognition as Yang started to glow a burning yellow and her eyes turned red, he remembered that look very well after the blonde temporarily reshaped his face during training.
"Yeah, I think they're done for." Ren mentioned as he sucked soda through the straw of his giant drink while Yang both sent Flynt Coal flying and Neon was turned into a fireworks display after an unfortunate slip into a geyser.
"And with an amazing finish, Team RWBY progress to the Finals! Please hold for a few minutes while our last match of the Doubles gets underway with Team JNPR from Beacon and Team BRGD from Haven!" Port announced as everyone was dismissed briefly for the intermission and went to go get snacks.
"Looks like you two should get moving, but don't worry about things! You guys'll definitely kick butt!" Nora encouraged them as Jae and Pyrrha both headed down towards the waiting area. "And we'll talk later about the butt squishing thing!" She yelled out to Jae who went red in embarrassment and explained to Pyrrha as they rounded a corner.
"You go on ahead…I think I'll catch up with Ruby before we start." Jae mentioned when he saw the younger Rose girl waving at him to come up and join her and Penny.
"Of course, try not to be too long." Pyrrha smiled a little and gently kissed his cheek before heading down towards the waiting room; Ever since the two made their vow to look out for each other as THE definitive couple in the polycule, the redheaded Nikos girl was more confident and happy than she had ever been.
"Jae!" Penny smiled widely as she used her deceptively strong body to tackle Jae in a hug, however unlike with Ruby; Jae was strong enough to handle the sudden embrace. "It was incredible to see your fight in the preliminaries and even more so with your limited skillset." She praised him as she accepted his gentle pat on her head.
"Heh, thanks but you should make sure to tell everyone else, it wasn't just me down there after all." Jae pointed out as he let go of Penny and waved to Ruby; "Plus you guys were just as awesome; Penny with her swords and Ruby being an awesome leader with her tactics."
Ruby blushed a little at the praise and tried to downplay it while Penny nodded; "Indeed, though I did have something that I wanted to talk to you about, I had told Ruby about it too." She explained as she glanced back to see Ciel Soleil eyeing the group with one eye on her watch. "I wish to stay here…At Beacon."
Jae raised an eyebrow; "Penny…I'm really happy that you wanna come here to join us as friends but are you sure that the General and the others will let you?"
"I have my own idea about how to do it, you do not need to worry about it." Penny reiterated to try and assure the two that she had this under control.
"It has been one minute…Ma'am." Ciel stiffly pointed out as she marched back in to stand alongside Penny but stopped to take stock of Jae as he wasn't there when they met Ruby. "You are new here."
"Uh yeah…I'm J-"
"Jae Cielo, Age 17/18, Added information…Interesting." Ciel began her undressing of what Jae was like she had done with Ruby but for some reason, she had little to mention about him.
"I'll be sure to watch your match next." Penny remarked as she casually leaned up and kissed Jae on the cheek before leaving with Ciel; Leaving Ruby shocked and a little pink in the cheeks while Jae looking equally as surprised along with being as red Ruby's cape.
"Uh…Jae? What was that about?" She asked with some faint hint of curiosity and mostly confusion at seeing Penny being that forward.
"I uh…I'm just as surprised as you on that one." Jae mentioned as he rubbed the spot where she kissed, clearly as surprised as she was. "Well, she did say that she was made with an Aura…So she technically has a soul…Maybe somewhere she feels actual feelings."
"So how many does that make now?" Ruby asked as she looked at Jae; "Because Yang said you guys were dating…Weiss didn't say anything but she blushes whenever she sees you now and then there's Pyrrha…"
"Ruby, what exactly are you trying to ask?" Jae asked as he faced the shorter girl and noticed the mixed face she made.
"Ever since I got back here, you've been hanging out with everyone and we've barely had time around each other…Are you…tired of me?" Ruby asked as she felt like she was getting sidelined from seeing her friend.
"Ruby, I could never get tired of you…Things just got pretty crazy since you went home to Patch." Jae reaffirmed as he tried to explain to Ruby; "Well…I guess the better way is to talk about this later, it's kind of a long story."
"Will Team JNPR's Jae Cielo and Pyrrha Nikos please report to the arena immediately!" Port's voice echoed on the intercom as the match was about to start.
"Okay…Just remember that we're still friends regardless of what things are, okay?" Ruby decided to try reassuring Jae as he turned to walk off; "And make sure you go get 'em!"
——In the Arena——
Jae and Pyrrha stood in the centre of the arena and waited for their opponents to show up; The latest talk he had with Ruby plus the other stuff weighed on Jae's mind with the force of a ten ton metal weight. The threat that was supposedly coming, the revelation that the Demon King truly existed and the possibility that he would be taking up his broken sword, though he was quickly brought out of his hazy thoughts when Pyrrha placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.
"We'll be fine, we have each other's backs remember?" Pyrrha mentioned with a soft and encouraging smile that reminded Jae of why Pyrrha was one of the first girls that he developed feelings for and potentially more.
"Yeah…With you around, I feel like I can kick butt more than certainly!" Jae said with that confident smirk growing on his face.
"Ya better be able to back those words up! B'cause we're gonna make your jaw drop, pretty boy!" A girl around Pyrrha's height would call out to Jae in a noticeable farmgirl twang in her voice as she hoisted what looked like a studded Kanabō club over her shoulder; Just from a basic glance she had a mop of brown hair tied up in a short ponytail and pink eyes to go with her freckles along with a slightly curvaceous figure that earned her a few cheers clad in a light blue dress called a cheongsam along with white pants, brown boots and a pair of bronze armbands. Though the oddest thing to stick out about this girl were her ears, they seemed to resemble pig's ears sticking out of the messy part of her hair.
"Yeah, we may be nice but the way we're gonna kick your butts is gonna be not…so nice?" A second girl tried to add to the smack talk; she was equally freckled but she had forest green eyes and a big goofy grin that made her look blissfully happy to be meeting new people. She wore a green jacket over a silver chestplate that covered her from shoulder to navel along with one leather glove and one fully metal gauntlet that had multicoloured nodes around the wrist. She however was standing out because she stood taller than even Yatsuhashi at around 7 foot 5 and built like a tanker truck.
"Hang back…Yer Pyrrha Nikos, right?" The shorter girl asked as she found herself staring at the redhead with what seemed like barely restrained excitement.
"I am, it's very nice to meet you two, even if we have to compete." Pyrrha said with a polite smile and bowed in a sportsmanlike manner.
"Aw man, this is great! Not only do I get ta compete but I also get to meet ma idol!" The Faunus girl cheered with the faintest limit of squeeing. "I uh…hope this ain't too forward a'me but you uh…Yer kinda one of ma crushes when I got to Haven."
Pyrrha blushed a little, she was used to a lot of people admitting to her being a crush for them, both men AND women but she always seemed to find it flattering each time. "W-Well, thank you…"
"Uh, Bay…We should probly focus on winning the match before you start to gush." The taller girl tried to divert this back on track as she stretched herself out.
"R-Right, sorry Gia…"
The arena around them finally stopped spinning as the biomes were formed: They had the Forest and the Mountaintop Biome on Gia and Bay's side while Jae and Pyrrha's side had the Ocean and Ice Biome on their side.
"We now have Jae Cielo and Pyrrha Nikos from Beacon vs Bay Orkus and Gia Tarza from Haven! 3, 2, 1! BEGIN!"
Bay rushed forward to take on Jae and collided with the boy in a Club vs Hammer stalemate as they swung and clashed with each other in heavy strikes. Slowly rattling the trees in the Forest Biome that they fought in with each collision, "Yer not too bad with that whammer, prettyboy!"
"The name's Jae! And same to you…You hit like a truck!" Jae retorted and pushed off with the head of the hammer to round up another swing.
Gia meanwhile rotated the band around her wrist before it started to glow orange and aimed at Pyrrha to start peppering her with powerful Fire Dust shots. "Can't hit me from all the way over there, Ms Nikos!" She yelled while trying to trash talk her.
Pyrrha rolled and evaded around each shot that she blasted at her and started to return fire with her rifle; Aiming to target her arm to get her lowering that heavy looking gauntlet.
Suffice to say after a few shots that stung her; Gia lowered her arm to defend herself but slammed a finger down on a black looking orb when Pyrrha rushed in with her spear while pushing her fist into the ground.
Pyrrha had to backstep when she saw a large wall made of solid stone rise out of the ground to separate the two girls. "Clever…"
"Not too shabby, huh?" Gia grinned as she then reared her arm back and let the gauntlet covered fist smash the wall into dozens of fragments like a blast from a shotgun.
Pyrrha had her split second to raise her shield to push forward and block the oncoming shrapnel and then got into close quarters with Gia; The taller girl was bigger and stronger than Pyrrha was but the spear wielding redhead was faster and used it to jab and strike Gia until she slid under her legs and tripped her.
The Giant girl tumbled to the ground and left Pyrrha enough time to swing a light but still focused kick to Gia's head and knocked her out of the match.
"And in true Nikos fashion; Pyrrha Nikos floors Gia with a flurry of well timed attacks for a Aura level knockout!"
Jae smirked as he retracted Behemoth; "Looks like your friend got floored, ain't too late to back out and forfeit." He teased her as he then went for a quicker option by summoning up Titan Fang but stopped when he saw Bay using her Semblance.
"My word…I don't think I've seen this kind of Semblance in use before….Ms Orkus's Semblance is unique in that she pumps Aura through her body to partially expand and grow her limbs to larger sizes!" Oobleck commented as Bay reared back a fist that was the size of a truck.
"Okay, that's awesome…." Jae thought before quick drawing Grendel to take the hit in a defensive stance to build up energy as Bay layered punch after giant punch.
"Then you're gonna love this'un~!" She yelled out and drew back two giant fists to swing a hammerblow down on him like she was trying to squish a bug.
"Don't need much to do this but better safe than sorry…" He thought as he pushed off his front foot and hit her in the midsection dead centre, the explosive force of his attack plus the built up energy he accrued from blocking to knock Bay off of her feet and into a tree. "Pyrrha! Time to show off Ippon-Datara!"
Pyrrha turned to look after she saw Gia topple; "Right!" She then yelled out as she sprinted over with her weapons drawn towards Jae and then hopped like she was about to ram into him.
Jae smirked as he then summoned up Mezzalom and used the cables to wrap around Pyrrha's arm and spin her like it was a hammer throw; letting her spin faster before launching her shield first like a human rocket.
Bay barely managed to shake her head back into focus when she saw the bronze shield getting closer and closer; "No ya don't!" She yelled out and started to make herself bigger and bigger until she reached the size of Gia and enough to stop Pyrrha by grabbing her but still ended up getting pushed back by the force.
Jae smirked however as he pointed up; While Bay was distracted by Pyrrha's sudden and very quick approach, the girl was more focused on using her Semblance to anchor herself but neglected to see the full picture as Behemoth dropped out of the sky in Warhammer form and knocked Bay out for good as she collapsed to the sound of the buzzer.
"What a way to cap off the doubles rounds from Ms Nikos and Mr Cielo! They emerge victorious and earn their place into the finals!" Oobleck announced from the stands as everyone cheered for both Jae and Pyrrha but also giving some encouragement to Bay and Gia.
"No hard feelings?" Jae asked as he held a hand out to Bay with a smile; "Your Semblance was awesome and you nearly got me a few times back there."
Bay hesitated; Thinking that this was another jerk trying to rub it in but she could see that there was no malice on him at all and he was genuinely happy to have gotten to do this. "Heck no! That was actually pretty fun….Though I coulda done without that hammer to the noggin." She accepted and took his hand to get to her feet with a new friend.
While the others took off to go join friends and hang out for the rest of the time, Pyrrha was called up towards Ozpin's office; "You wanted to see me, Professor?"
"Yes, I wanted to congratulate both yourself with your recent victory in the Doubles…You've both done well to get as far as this." Ozpin explained as he offered a small smile.
"Thank you Professor…Honestly, I don't think either of us could've been able to get this far without our whole team." Pyrrha mentioned with her usual humble attitude but found the sentiment to be less than agreeable with a new voice.
"Honestly, it's the other way around…I'm pretty sure if you and him weren't on their team, those other two wouldn't have gotten so far." Qrow grumbled as he stepped out to join Ozpin.
"Please excuse him, Qrow here is a trusted colleague and a teacher." Ozpin explained before Qrow interrupted with a clearing of his throat; "Well…Former teacher anyway…But that aside, I think there's a question that still needs to be answered for you and for Mr Cielo."
"W-Wouldn't it be simpler to have him here as well if it involves him in this tournament too?" Pyrrha asked in confusion as she looked to Qrow and then to Ozpin. "Besides…I don't think we ever actually discussed it quite yet."
Ozpin nodded as he leaned in for what would be the question in everyone's head; "So…Who would you like to nominate out of you two?"