Heat Culture 026

The fact that Jaune and Blake had been intimate was an impossible thing to hide, and Jaune expected things to become awkward with their new friends from Haven. More so with Sun rather than Neptune. But other than surprise, Sun didn’t appear to let this new development faze him too much. He still hung out with them every chance he got, and while he didn’t single Blake out as much as he used to, he was still friendly with her.

Though Jaune couldn’t claim that things between himself and Sun weren’t a little bit weird, that was just the way things were.

It was about as good an outcome as Jaune could hope for. He liked Sun, and jealousy aside, it wasn’t as if he wanted to ‘get back’ at him or anything like that. There was no such motivation there, it had been purely insecurities on Jaune’s side. He’d have preferred that Sun never knew that Jaune and Blake were now an item but their enhanced senses made that an impossibility, so it was just something Jaune was resigned to.

So yeah – things turned out pretty good, and on top of that, it was the opening day of the Inter-School Tournament. It was tradition for the hosting school to participate in the opening match. It was also tradition for the opening match to be a singles bout.

Apparently everything was randomized, the only conditions were that the same school didn’t compete against itself until at least the third round. That went for teams, duos and singles. Before that, it would always be one school versus another school, and opponents were selected by computer generated randomization.

Jaune didn’t doubt it, and he was sure that all of the matches had probably been selected prior to the opening ceremony. There was no need to wait until the day of to run the calculations.

But who they decided to put on first was well within their control. They might have been put together by pure chance, but no one would convince him that their placement in the schedule was anything but carefully selected for the most impact.

They had to pick a local student for the first bout, and who better than the world renowned champion, Pyrrha Nikos?

Jaune watched as his partner strapped her armor on, looping the leather binds around her toned thighs and calves. Miló and Akoúo̱ were rested on the bench beside her, sharpened and polished to a fine shine. If Jaune looked close enough, he was sure he’d be able to see his own reflection in the face of her shield.

He was meant to be in the stands with everyone else but Pyrrha had wanted him to accompany her as she got ready, and Jaune wasn’t about to turn down such an earnest desire. And not just because he got to watch his ridiculously sexy partner undress in front of him and put on her combat attire, though that was certainly a plus. In the next locker room over, her opponent was getting ready, a girl from Shade Academy.

When her greaves were in place, she stood gracefully and looked at him expectantly. “So?”

Jaune laughed. “So what? You look amazing, as always.”

Her ears twitched atop her head, her fluffy tail swishing around excitedly. Some of the fur had grown back where she’d cut away the singed portions, so it looked a lot better than before.

“Thank you,” she chirped, happier than he’d ever seen her. “Can you pass me my weapons?”

Jaune leaned over and picked them up, holding them out for her. Pyrrha swung the shield around onto her back before sheathing the blade underneath it. Looking her up and down, Jaune frowned. Something was missing.

“Where…” he began, only to trail off as Pyrrha pulled out her red sash and held it out to him. “What do you want me to do with this?”

She rolled her eyes playfully. “Help me put it on, silly.”

Jaune accepted the long piece of cloth, rubbing his fingers against the silken material. It was bright red, much like her hair, and much softer than he realized.

“Uh,” he looked between the sash and her waist, uncertain. “Is there a special way to put it on?”

She giggled. “Here, you take the end and wrap it around me,” he followed her instructions, looping it around her waist so it draped across the top of her hips. “Then you take the longer part and wrap it in the opposite direction.” When that was done, she said, “And now you tuck that first part under – that’s it,” his knuckles brushed over her hard abs, and he watched as her skin peddled with goosebumps. Jaune felt his mouth go dry when he looked up and saw her eyes. “That’s it. Now continue wrapping the rest around.”

They were standing close, almost chest to chest as he wrapped the sash around her waist several times. Her hands fell to his and helped guide the last part, tucking it through and out the other end. When they let go of it, it tumbled down the side of her leg to about knee height.

“There,” she said, and then leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Jaune met her enthusiastically, and she moaned as their tongues dueled briefly before pulling back, fingers on his chest. “Okay, that’s enough. If we do any more, I’ll be late and they’ll send someone to find me.”

Her cheeks were flushed and it made her look more beautiful than she already did. “So – what was this all about?”

Pyrrha bit her lip shyly. “Just a little fantasy of mine… I’ve never had anyone help get me ready for a tournament before, so I thought…”

Jaune smiled. She was being really cute right now, he wanted to pinch her cheeks.

“All I did was watch you get dressed.”

“You put my sash on,” she countered.

“I suppose I did,” he conceded. “...Maybe next time, I could do more.”

Those emerald gems she called eyes glittered. “I would very much like that.”

Outside of the locker room, they were greeted by Professor Goodwitch – and Nora, of all people.

Nora took one look at the pair of them and snorted. “See? I told you they were being lovey-dovey in there.”

Goodwitch looked equal parts amused and exasperated, shaking her head. “You’re cutting it close, Ms. Nikos. Please control yourself.”

If possible, her cheeks turned even redder.

Jaune rubbed his neck sheepishly as she turned her attention to him. “Mr. Arc, seeing as you are… no longer needed, please accompany Ms. Valkyrie to your seats.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Kick ass, Pyrrha,” Nora shouted as Pyrrha was led away. A teacher from Shade Academy appeared from further down the hall, escorting Pyrrha’s opponent.

She looked to be their age with lightly tanned skin, curly black hair pulled back from her face into ringlets, and sharp brown eyes that instantly locked onto them as they approached. A long, slim tail peaked out from under her armored skirt. Some type of feline? Perhaps from one of the larger cat species. She was pretty, or would be if not for the arrogant expression on her face. Somehow she appeared even more haughty than Weiss did.

She didn’t say a word as she passed by, looking away with a dismissive huff. Nora gave her the middle finger but she didn’t see it, following the path that Goodwitch and Pyrrha had taken.

“Pyrrha’s going to crush her,” Nora said confidently.

Yeah, well – Jaune wasn’t going to argue against that. The odds were heavily stacked in Pyrrha’s favor. If he were to check the gambling sites, she’d probably be some absurd favorite.

“What were you doing here with Professor Goodwitch, anyway?” Jaune asked as they began making their way to the stands. The closer they got, the louder the rumblings of the crowd became. They were already becoming restless, excited for the start of the tournament.

“We thought someone should come down and make sure you two weren’t about to embarrass the entire school,” Nora teased.

“We weren’t doing anything,” Jaune defended.

“Uh-huh,” Nora grinned. “Suuuure. Listen, Pyrrha’s gonna win this thing, Jaune-Jaune. We all know it. The only way she loses is if – let's say, a certain blond haired boy decides to exhaust her before she goes out to fight. If you fuck her brains into mush, she won’t be able to kick their asses.”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“Am I? You think I can swing my hammer around after you blast me between the legs with that cock of yours?” her hand cupped his crotch and squeezed, and Jaune hated that his cock responded by swelling. “See what I mean? This thing is uncontrollable.”

“Shut up.”

“The fate of Beacon’s success rides on whether you can hold off on breeding her star pupil, and god’s know Pyrrha won’t be able to stop herself, so it falls on your shoulders. If Blake gets called up today, do you really think she’ll win?”

“What’s wrong with Blake?”

Nora snorted as if she couldn’t believe his audacity. “Jaune, she couldn’t even walk straight at breakfast. I think you dislocated her hips.”

Much like Weiss, Blake had taken to ambushing him but not in bed like the heiress had. She’d waited until his morning jog to pounce. He had a feeling that Blake had a thing for being fucked outdoors because every time they got together, they’d been outside. That first time had clearly unlocked some kink she had.

Including the blowjob she’d given him in the middle of the night, on the roof of the dormitory. Jaune could still feel the phantom pleasure of her rough tongue lashing the underside of his crown, her desperate lips slurping obscenely as he fired down her throat, almost choking her.

Shaking his head, he scowled at Nora. “She wasn’t that bad.”

“She was limping!”

Okay, so maybe she was that bad.

“So are you saying no sex for two weeks?”

Nora paused.

“...I wouldn’t go that far.”

Jaune tried not to let her see his grin.

“I’m just saying that you need to pick your spots better, that’s all. Not before fights,” she raised a finger. “Not before breakfast,” another finger raised. “Actually, let's just remove the entire morning and afternoon. Only sex at night but only until nine o’clock.”

“So I have a curfew now?”

“...if it is after nine, then you have to be gentle – or maybe just foreplay.”

Once Nora got on a roll, it was hard to stop her. This conversation continued all the way until they exited the hallway and entered the arena itself. Every school had one, and while it was sometimes used for training and other events, this was its main function. The stands were packed with students from all four Huntsmen Academies, as well as invited family members, select members of the government and media. It was ‘only’ a competition between schools but it was a massively popular one, so it received global coverage. While the public couldn’t buy tickets, there was a raffle they could enter to win seats, and the final section of the arena was filled with those winners.

The atmosphere was electric and Jaune felt the hairs on his arms stand on end, the roar of the crowd vibrating in his chest. The students of each school were separated into sections and they quickly made their way over to the Beacon section, spotting Yang and Ruby among the crowd as they appeared to be bickering about something.

Jaune spotted Cardin on the way up the stairs, attempting to appear uninterested as he leaned back in his seat, arms crossed, but Jaune could tell by his expression that he was looking forward to what was to come. He even spotted a small flag clasped in one of Cardin’s hands, tucked against his side. It was a red triangle on the end of a thin stick with Pyrrha’s face on it.

Jaune smirked.

Even Cardin was getting into the spirit of things.

Many more of those flags were being waved around, a sea of red rippling as Jaune and Nora ascended to their seats. Whatever it was that Ruby and Yang were arguing about was cut short when they arrived. It couldn’t have been anything serious because they were both smiling, Ruby patting the seat between her and Weiss.

“Jaune, sit here,” she said.

Nora nudged him, grinning. “Go on. I’ll be right behind you.”

They were arranged in two rows. Yang, Ruby and then the offered seat, followed by Weiss. Behind them were Li, an empty seat, Blake and where Pyrrha would be sitting, if she wasn’t about to engage in battle. Jaune slipped by Weiss and sat down while Nora found her seat.

“You didn’t distract her too much, did you?” Weiss asked immediately.

Nora laughed loudly.

“I didn’t distract her at all,” Jaune replied. “Do you really think Pyrrha would allow me to throw her off her game?”

Weiss tsk’ed. “Don’t underestimate how needy she is, Jaune. You’ve seen what happens when that mask falls away and the real Pyrrha Nikos appears.”

“I bet she looks just like Weiss,” Yang ribbed, pulling an exaggerated face. “Like this? Or maybe like this,” she squashed her face so her lips looked puckered.

“I only ever appear perfect in his eyes,” Weiss sniffed haughtily. “Don’t I, Jaune?”

“Sure,” he said, enjoying the way her eyes glittered happily as he agreed with her.

Yang scoffed. “His opinion is unreliable. We’ve been throwing so much pussy his way, he’ll agree with anything.”

She wasn’t wrong, though she didn’t have to put it so crudely.

Ruby rolled her eyes. “Okay, Yang. No need to brag.”

Jaune felt a hand on his shoulder, and turning back, he saw Blake leaning forward. Her heat had been mostly dealt with, even in such a short time, but those lidded eyes told him that she was still feeling the embers simmering in her belly.

“How was she?” she asked. “Pyrrha, I mean.”

“Relaxed,” he said. “Ready.”

There was a sudden ripple, whispers erupting as someone stepped out onto the field. That someone was Headmaster Ozpin, the man casually walking out into the middle of the arena. The cause of the whispers was obvious; he was the most famous human in the world.

In his hand was a microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, and like magic, the arena became dead silent. It was quiet enough that you could hear a pin drop, even with the thousands in attendance. “We are gathered here today to witness the rising stars of the Huntsman community, the future defenders of our world. Please, give a warm welcome to our competitors.”

Like a switch had been thrown, the roar of the crowd returned as Pyrrha and her opponent walked out of the tunnel, side by side. The large screen above showed a close up of their faces; Pyrrha appeared perfectly calm, composed, while the other girl was tense, features slightly narrowed. There was none of the arrogance from earlier, the weight of the moment upon her.

Their names appeared on the screen, as well as their aura bar.

“Gwen Darcy,” Weiss read out. “She is about to be humiliated.”

Weiss sounded oddly pleased about that fact.

“Do you know her?”

Weiss shook her head. “No. But the more people Pyrrha dominates, the greater my victory will be when I defeat her. Then the world will see that I am more than her equal,” she turned then, her eyes meeting his. “Then you will see.”

“You don’t have to prove anything to me.”

“Even so. You once said that I had the best chance at beating her, and I took that to heart. I will not let you down.”

She was being completely serious.

“You’ll cheer for me, won’t you?”

“Uh… I mean, she is my partner…”

Those crystal blue eyes bore into him.

“But… sure, I’ll cheer for you.”

He’ll cheer for both of them. More than anything, Pyrrha would be ecstatic if someone could push her to the limit. And Jaune had meant every word he said back then; Weiss had the tools to be that person, if she used them correctly.

“Excellent.”

“Weiss, stop being weird,” Ruby complained. “The fight is about to start.”

Weiss glared at her partner. “I’m not being weird.”

The ground rumbled as the battleground shifted from a plain grassy field to one filled with towering rocks, and a wide river cutting through the middle of it. Jaune swept it with his eyes, spotting several areas of note. Beyond just the change in elevation, there were many dead spots, areas you could hide and lose your opponent. The river also added a unique component, creating a rather wide gap between the two halves of the battleground.

There was very little open space other than the area immediately surrounding the water. Someone like Ruby would excel here with her sniper rifle, able to perch up high and turn the middle of the battleground into a death box. Jaune had no idea what weapons Gwen used, but Pyrrha could also use her rifle to great effect here.

Not that he believed she would.

Jaune had a feeling that she was going to go straight for the kill.

Pyrrha was going to make a statement. Professional fighting was more than just the fight itself. It was the entertainment factor, it was the narrative. These students knew who she was. Most of them had probably watched her fights in recordings, or live on television. The ones from Mistral may have even seen her in person, at some point, and knew.

Now it was time for the rest of them to know.

There was a countdown, starting at five. Everyone held their breath, and Jaune leaned forward, deafened to the commentators as they created some last second hype.

When the countdown hit zero, it began.

Gwen didn’t stand a chance.

Akoúo̱ flew swiftly, the circular shield cutting through the air with a hum. Pyrrha had thrown it so fast, it resembled no more than a red and bronze blur. Gwen managed to avoid it, ducking her head at the last moment but the surprise on her face was clear across the massive screen detailing their battle. Within a blink, Pyrrha was on her, a flurry of strikes that quickly broke through any paltry defence Gwen could muster. Pyrrha flowed from movement to movement, each attack perfectly executed, her body in sync. Gwen reeled as she was picked apart, a punch finding her chest, a foot kicking out her knee before an elbow slammed into the side of her head. Tumbling across the ground, she tried to find her footing, her hands flashing with a handful of small knives but they tumbled from her fingers as Pyrrha broke her guard with a flying knee.

It was brutal. Any movement Gwen made to counter was met with a vicious strike. Pyrrha didn’t even bother reaching for her sword, pummeling the girl from Shade with her bare hands. Whenever Gwen tried to create distance, Pyrrha followed like her shadow, not giving her space to breathe. Stomping on her foot, she trapped her, unloading with a magnificent combo that would make even Yang envious.

The crowd was on its feet already, the air filled with shouting, the cheers roaring through the stadium. It was like Pyrrha was feeding on the energy, her movements becoming faster, a chambered kick lifting Gwen off her feet as she folded around it, blasted into one of the towering rock formations.

Dust and stone scattered, and there was a moment of anticipation as the first lull in the battle occurred. A quick glance at the big screen showed that surprisingly, Gwen still had more than half her aura.

She had a lot of aura, it seemed. That wasn’t going to help her here. It was only going to prolong her beating.

As the dust began to settle, she appeared in a flash. Knives flew, thrown at Pyrrha with pinpoint accuracy, a half dozen attempting to turn her into a pin cushion. She could have moved out of the way with a swift sidestep but that wasn’t her style, Pyrrha leaping towards them and corkscrewing her body in an acrobatic twist, the blades passing within a whisker. Landing in a crouch, she parried a kick as Gwen tried to press her false advantage, stupidly giving up whatever distance she’d had.

Pyrrha’s first strike slammed into Gwen’s sternum, driving the air from her lungs. Her eyes bulged as aura flashed, and then a follow up palm strike hit her in the throat. Gagging, she could do nothing as Pyrrha grabbed her arm and turned sharply, bracing her legs and throwing her hip into Gwen’s, executing a perfect throw.

She slammed into the ground with force, desperately gasping for breath. And then Pyrrha was on top of her, mounting her dominantly and raining down blow after blow. She tried to defend herself but Pyrrha’s fists broke through, hitting her in the face repeatedly, time after time, her head rocking back.

“Fucking hell,” Yang said.

Gwen’s aura dropped steadily, utterly under Pyrrha’s control. One last ditch effort to brace her feet against the ground and throw Pyrrha off only resulted in her following along, letting the momentum carry her to the side before she slipped around and locking the other girl in a choke hold.

Gwen thrashed wildly, clawing at Pyrrha’s arm but she might as well have been clawing at steel. Wrapping her legs around the girl’s waist, Pyrrha pulled tight, choking her out in front of thousands of people.

“And the winner of this bout – PYRRHAAAAAAA NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII—KOS~!”

Pyrrha released her hold as the crowd became unglued, rolling to her feet to wave. Gwen was out cold, motionless as medical personnel rushed onto the field to check her.

It had been a complete dismantling. A clear statement.

Pyrrha Nikos meant business.

Weiss scowled, eyes focused on her rival with intensity.

“Welp, might as well give us the trophy now,” Nora boasted smugly.

“Awww, I wanted to see those knives more,” Ruby pouted. “Pyrrha beat her too fast.”

Yang shook her head, “She’s going to tear through the other schools.”

“Scared?” Nora poked her in the back, right between her wings.

Yang scoffed. “As if. If she wants to throw hands, I’m down.”

She looked excited. Classic Yang.

Emerald green eyes found him among the sea of people, her expression familiar. Jaune had a pretty good idea what she wanted to do after all of this was over, that look unmistakable. Li noticed it and began giggling.

But there was still a long day between now and then.

The next fight was announced, a student from Atlas and Shade. While they went to get ready, Pyrrha vanished down the tunnel and returned shortly, finding her seat, dressed in more casual clothes and freshly showered. People were staring at her openly, whispering and pointing.

Nora raised her hand, waiting expectantly and Pyrrha smiled, giving her a high-five. Nora beamed before lunging, locking her up in a massive hug, lifting her off the ground.

“That was the best,” Nora gushed. “You beat her ass like she owed you money.”

Yang snorted. “That’s one way to put it.”

“That was very impressive,” Blake said quietly.

Weiss rolled her eyes. “It was passable.”

Ruby snickered. “Weiss, it was incredible!”

“An incredibly brutish showing, perhaps,” Weiss sniffed. “Suitable for riffraff, I suppose.”

“Suitable enough to deal with you,” Yang ribbed.

“As if. If you think you’ll have your way with me like you did with that girl, you’ve got another thing coming,” Weiss glared at Pyrrha. “The time has come for someone to put you in your place, and that someone is me.”

Pyrrha smirked. “Oh? I’d like to see you try, Weiss. Really, I would.”

“You won’t be smiling when I rub your face in the dirt.”

“Think you can handle getting your pretty little fingers dirty? You might break a nail.”

“If I break them, it’ll be on your face.”

Jaune sighed as the two fox girls bared their teeth.

“And there they go,” Blake said dryly.

“Stop being dumb,” Ruby complained. “You can vent later, Weiss, the next match is about to start!”

Between each round, the battlefield changed. The rocky outcrops were replaced by lush forest, and then by a desert plain. Rolling hills, icy fields, a small lake with minimal footing, they had everything. The terrain could be just as important to their victory as their own skill for some. There was a girl from Haven, a spider faunus who ensnared her opponent in a series of webs, using the dense trees as a way to ambush her prey effectively. Another used the desert sands as a form of cover, creating clouds to obscure their movements. Perhaps in the most unlucky turn of events, Neptune ended up on the lake stage. He spent half of his match petrified of falling in but still somehow managed to secure the victory, even with the handicap.

The last singles bout for the day before the doubles began was Yang versus a girl from Atlas called Ciel Solell. Everything from the way she moved to how she dressed screamed military, and there was something about her that was… dangerous. It wasn’t until they showed a close up of her face that Jaune saw that her faunus traits were her eyes. Her pupils were large, ringed by gold, and when she removed her small cap to readjust it, he spotted feathers within her short hair.

She was a bird faunus like Yang, a type of eagle, just with different traits.

Yang quickly found out that her opponent wasn’t someone you took lightly.

Ciel’s weapon of choice was actually two; a pair of large magnum revolvers outfitted with revolving Dust chambers. They actually appeared comically large in her hands, and Jaune doubted that without aura, she’d be able to fire them at all. The battlefield for their fight was a mixture between the forest and the rolling green hills, with a small cave network passing through the hill to the other side.

When the fight began, Yang exploded into action, crossing the grassy hill and closing the distance within the blink of an eye. Ciel barely reacted, simply reaching for her belt – and then there was a bright flash of light that had many in the audience flinching away, and covering their eyes.

“What was that?” Nora swore.

Nothing good.

Yang took the brunt of the blinding light, and recoiled, shouting in pain. Jaune blinked through the spots in his vision and watched as Ciel fired at her, point blank, and with a roar, Yang was blasted with a powerful fire Dust round that sent her careening back.

“Yang!” Ruby shouted.

Ciel pressed the advantage, the Dust chambers spinning to blue. Ice rounds slammed into Yang’s body, encasing her in ice. Another switch and purple gravity Dust rounds punched into Yang’s face, the force shattering the ice and sending her tumbling across the arena.

Her aura dropped dramatically, straight into the yellow.

Jaune leaned forward worriedly, hands clutching at his knees. The match had only just started and Yang was already in a bad spot. Ciel kept her distance, clearly preferring to fight at mid to long range. It gave her some time to recover.

“Those Dust rounds are powerful,” Weiss commented, frowning. “More than usual. They’ve been enhanced in some way.”

“Semblance?” Pyrrha asked.

Weiss nodded. “Possibly – or the Dust has been modified artificially. Mixing Dust types creates new types of Dust, but not if the ratio dramatically favors one over the other. In that case, you can enhance the qualities of the dominant Dust. Combustion Dust, for example – if mixed with ice in small quantities, you can create a volatile ice type that detonates much more violently. The rate of freeze is much more dramatic, as well.”

When Yang gathered herself, they could see that she was pissed. Her golden hair flared brightly, her eyes bleeding crimson.

“She needs to be smart about how she approaches,” Li said, and it was as if Yang had read her mind because that is exactly what she did.

Yang dashed forward, the ground cratering beneath her feet before leaping high, taking to the sky. Her brilliant wings unfurled, carrying her up, up, up – until she was shielded by the sun, high above her head. Ciel opened fire, trying to hit her, but much like everyone else had been blinded by her earlier trick, she was now the one being disadvantaged.

Ciel moved, darting for the forest but Yang was faster, falling from on high like a comet. Her fist was wreathed in flame, her hair a golden trail behind her. She hit the ground with a resounding crack, dirt and stone fracturing as the entire section of the battlefield was upturned, heaving from Yang’s fury. Ciel managed to keep her footing, the shockwave throwing her against the rattling trees before Yang appeared in a flash.

She couldn’t aim in time though she tried, her magnum discharging but the bullet missing by an inch. Yang’s fist slammed into her chest with punishing force, Ciel’s cry of pain swallowed by the sickening sound. The tree behind her splintered as she was sent through it, and then she passed through another, and another. Woodchips flew in all directions as she cartwheeled out the other side, guns flying from her limp grasp. By the time her body stopped rolling, her aura wavered before shattering in a shower of blue light.

There was a moment of suspended silence, and then the air was filled with a roar as people began cheering.

“And the winner of this bout – YAAAAANG XIAO LOOOOOOOOONG~!”

“Woooo~!” Ruby began clapping wildly. “Way to go, Yang!”

Jaune released his hold on his knees, stretching out his fingers. He’d been way too tense.

And then – “Do you think Ciel will let me look at her weapons if I ask nicely?” Ruby asked.

Everyone started laughing.