Chapter 23: The Decision


The crowd was shocked, At one moment, Pyrrha and Penny was fighting a grand battle, both having amazing control over their semblance and great weapon usage and then only a few moment's after. Penny was defeated as not in a average way but actually being truly defeated for good as she was torn to pieces by what Jaune could think was Pyrrha releasing her Semblance around her that somehow controlled Penny body as it was twisted in places that would be torture for any human... If it was human, Penny seemed to have machinal part's and no blood which confused and horrified the crowd and the viewer's of the station. 

A women voiced echoed through the stadium, monologuing about the trust in huntsman academy, Not long after her speech ended, The alarms through the town and the Cross Continental Transmit System or known as the CCTS or simply CCT was then shutdown as not a single connection was able to be used, The Grimm arrival was what caused the alarms to trigger as hordes of civilians charged out of the stadium and ran to the bullheads to escape.

"Pyrrha!" Nora yelled as a large nevermore came into view, crashing headfirst through the passive Grimm barrier's with full force and dived with tremendous force down where Pyrrha sat crouching, staring in pure horror at the realization of Penny, her opponent death... Ruby friend death.

"What did I do....?" She thought, yet she could only come up with a single answer that burned her soul to even admit, "I killed her..." With Pyrrha mind being full distracted and her body sensors being all over the place by her emotions and mentality, She did not notice the diving Nevermore that was planning to make Pyrrha her first meal.

Jaune eyes widen as he leaped over the bar and tried to reach Pyrrha, His eye's widen as he realized that he would not be able to reach her in time, "Pyrrha!" He yelled, trying to get her attention but atlas it would but a worthless goal until... "DONT TOUCH HER!" Ruby yelled with a somber but angry tone as she was staring down Pyrrha while using her aura mixed with her semblance to cause a hurricane of rose pedals, rushing towards Pyrrha and tackling her out of the way of the Grimm.

Pyrrha snapped back to reality and looked around shocked and confused as then a loud "BOOM" shockwave was heard and felt by everyone as the Nevermore Grimm hit the hard ground, Shattering it from the impact alone, "Ruby?" Pyrrha taking notice of Ruby presence beside her, Would began tearing up and her body quivered softly as her voice was traced with panic and sadness, "Im sorry..." She had knew Penny to some extant by Ruby showing Penny to everyone during the few days that had passed since the start of the tournament. 

Pyrrha had known that Penny was close to Ruby despite how much Ruby seem to take a breathe of relief when she leaved, There was a look of happiness when they were together, a special bond of friendship that not many friends would have but now... Pyrrha had taken that away from Ruby.

"It was not your fault... It was the ones who caused this... Their fault...." Ruby clenched her teeth as she wiped her tear from her eye and spoke out with multiple stutter's but her thoughts was clear, She was mad and sad, not only at Pyrrha but the Grimm and whoever caused this to happen.

The Grimm that appeared to not have died from the impact of the dive, roared a loud screech, Ruby acting fast would grab one of Penny sword and prepared to hold the Grimm off and wont let it harm Pyrrha.

Right as the Grimm charged off from its original position and at Ruby and Pyrrha, A loud crunch was heard as Jaune was right beside of the head of the Grimm and send a devastating blow to its head as it recoiled back and crash into the ground to its side, Landing safely to the ground and walking to Pyrrha and Ruby, He stopped beside of Ruby who looked at him from the side as he pat her shoulder, He had no words to exchanged to Ruby about what just happen which Ruby seem to be in the same position, He continue to walk to Pyrrha and reached down as Pyrrha told a few moments to stare at his hand before taking his hand as he helped her up.

"Our fight have yet to start, we still got Grimm to beat down" He commented with a serious tone as Pyrrha taking some breathes in to calm herself would go onto and nod at her leader, There was no time to stay and regret, Grimm is here and...

"We must continue forwards, That is what a huntsman must do"

The Nevermore that Jaune had punched was still alive when additional students arrived. Utilizing their rocket lockers, they launched themselves at the Grimm, pinning it down. As they grabbed their weapons and delivered a coordinated assault, the Nevermore was defeated before it could recover. Ruby took charge, rallying everyone with a plan to protect the people and eliminate the Grimm. Their destination... Beacon but Jaune had other plans.

Exiting the stadium, they met with General Ironwood, who presented the students with a choice... leave or stay and fight. Unsurprisingly, the students, driven by a shared determination, chose to stay and confront the looming threat.

As they prepared to board separate bullheads, Jaune addressed his team. "I will head into Vale and protect the people there. I need you all to stay at Beacon." However, his team vehemently rejected the idea, insisting on staying together to protect one another while combating the Grimm. Jaune continued to resist until their ship landed at the docks.

"Jaune!" Sun hurried over, his eyebrow twitching with evident concern. Jaune, noticing Sun's agitation, inquired about what had happened.

"Ruby! She... Dammit!" Sun explained, his agitation evident. Ruby had leaped out of the ship, landing on one of the Atlas battleships. As Sun recounted Ruby's apology for her impulsive decision, Jaune looked up at the chaotic scene in the sky. "Ruby... Be careful" he whispered, his concern evident.

Turning to take another ship to Vale, Jaune felt a firm grip on his hand. Pyrrha, troubled and unsure, held on tightly. "It will be fine, Pyrrha" Jaune reassured her, trying to instill confidence. However, Pyrrha's unease persisted. She couldn't articulate why, but she just wanted to be close to Jaune in this critical moment. A sense of foreboding lingered.

"Jaune... Stay... Please..." she pleaded, her eyes reflecting her worry. Jaune's gaze softened, and he smiled, his determination shining through. "Don't worry, Pyrrha. Even if something bad happens, I'll be fine. We Huntsmen never stop moving forward!" he declared with pride, his resolve unwavering. Confident that he could overcome any obstacle as long as he had everyone, Jaune remained resolute. He still had his loved ones and his pride to save everyone, and nothing would deter him.

Pyrrha's eyes widened slightly as she witnessed the pure and unwavering confidence in Jaune's words. His assurance made her heart skip a beat. Slowly, she used her other hand to gently cup his cheek. "I know... I am sorry for not having enough trust in you" she apologized, realizing the importance of putting faith in her partner, her leader... her crush.

In that moment, everything else faded into the background. There was only one thought in Pyrrha's mind, and she couldn't hold it back any longer. "This is why I love you, Jaune Arc" she whispered before softly kissing Jaune's lips. Caught off guard, Jaune took a moment to process, but soon he reciprocated, and they shared their first tender kiss, a moment that transcended the chaos surrounding them.

The tender scene left Nora in tears, and the emotions weren't limited to her. Other students were also moved by the unexpected display of affection. However, the peaceful moment was abruptly interrupted when a Beowolf Grimm charged towards them with its sharp claws. Nora swiftly switched to her hammer and knocked the Grimm away.

"Don't ruin the moment!" she exclaimed with raw passion. When she turned back to the group, they were looking at her with nervous smiles and sweat.

"It was the Grimm's fault!" Nora cried out in defense, attempting to deflect any teasing that might come her way. Chuckles circulated among the group, but Jaune's gaze remained fixed on Pyrrha. He had found another reason to come back alive, and his true answer was none other than Pyrrha Nikos.

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