In the arena, Tsutsumi and Pyrrha stepped out together as the morning sunlight poured through the entrance of the hallway behind them.
The two quickly made their way onto the battlefield, standing side by side as they turned their attention toward the pair already waiting for them.
"Ya sure know how ta take yer time. Making us folk wait fer ya."
The girl who spoke was about the same height as Pyrrha. She rested what looked to be a massive studded club across her shoulder while speaking with a noticeable farmgirl twang.
She had messy brown hair tied into a short ponytail, bright pink eyes, and a face covered in freckles. Her slightly curvy figure earned a few cheers from the crowd, and she wore a light blue cheongsam over white pants, along with brown boots and a pair of bronze armbands. The feature that stood out the most, however, was the pair of pig-like ears sticking out from the messy hair atop her head.
"Yeah! We may be nice, but the way we're gonna kick yer butts is gonna be... not so nice?" the second girl added, attempting to join in on the smack talk.
Like her teammate, she had freckles, but her forest-green eyes and wide, goofy grin made her look more excited to meet new people than to fight them.
She wore a green jacket over a silver chestplate that protected her from shoulder to navel, along with one leather glove and one heavy metal gauntlet decorated with multicolored nodes around the wrist. What made her impossible to miss, however, was her size. Standing at nearly seven feet five inches tall, she was even taller than Yatsuhashi and built like a moving fortress.
"Hang on..." the shorter girl said as she stared at Pyrrha with barely restrained excitement. "Yer Pyrrha Nikos, right?"
"I am." Pyrrha smiled politely before giving the two a respectful bow. "It's very nice to meet both of you, even if we have to compete against each other."
"Aw man, this is awesome!" the Faunus girl blurted out, barely holding back an excited squeal. "Not only do Ah get ta compete, but Ah also get ta meet ma idol! Ah, uh... hope this ain't too forward or anythin', but... yer kinda one of ma crushes ever since Ah got ta Haven."
Pyrrha could only smile awkwardly.
She was no stranger to people admitting they had a crush on her, whether they were men or women, but somehow she still found herself feeling flattered every single time.
"W-Well... thank you."
"Uh... Bay..." the taller girl said with a helpless sigh while stretching her arms. "Maybe we should focus on winnin' the match before ya start gushin' over her."
"R-Right! Sorry, Gia..."
At that moment, the arena finally stopped rotating as the battlefield settled into place.
Bay and Gia's side was made up of the Forest and Mountaintop biomes, while Tsutsumi and Pyrrha found themselves with the Ocean and Ice biomes on their side.
"And now, we have Tsutsumi Ryoko and Pyrrha Nikos from Beacon versus Bay Orkus and Gia Tarza from Haven!" the announcer shouted. "Three! Two! One!"
"BEGIN!"
Bay rushed straight toward Tsutsumi, a rather bold decision, all things considered.
Before she could even reach him, Pyrrha stepped in front of him and caught the incoming strike with her shield. The impact sent a shockwave through the Forest Biome, rattling the surrounding trees.
Form Ride: Surtr!
At the same time, Gia rotated the band around her wrist before opening fire with powerful Fire Dust shots aimed at both Tsutsumi and Pyrrha.
Bay immediately jumped back as several blazing fireballs shot toward Pyrrha. She calmly raised her shield and blocked every one of them.
"Can't hit us from all the way over there, Mrs. Nikos!" she shouted, trying to get under Pyrrha's skin.
After firing another volley, Bay retreated to Gia's side.
"Gia, be careful. The pretty boy's the archer."
Since the Vytal Festival was being held in Vale, Beacon had naturally opened its doors to students from the other academies. Because of that, many of them had already witnessed Team TNPR's combat strength during the training exercises.
Most of the time, Team TNPR stuck to the same strategy.
Tsutsumi would remain at the back while raining down arrows or energy bullets on the opposing team, leaving the others to hold the front line.
That was exactly why Team LAPP had been so shocked during the previous round.
They had prepared themselves to deal with a barrage of projectiles. What they had not prepared for was those arrows and bullets suddenly turning into explosive grenades.
Pyrrha smirked before rolling backward to create some distance.
Before Bay or Gia could react, the once-clear sky was suddenly bathed in a blazing orange glow.
Everyone instinctively looked up.
A woman clad in a black dress was falling from the sky, carrying an enormous obsidian greatsword that left a trail of molten orange flames behind it.
"Laevateinn!"
She crashed down between the two Faunus girls, and a massive pillar of fire erupted into the sky.
Pyrrha raised her shield, bracing herself as the scorching heatwave swept toward her.
Even from where she stood, she could see both Bay and Gia being thrown through the air by Tsutsumi's attack.
Their Aura meters instantly dropped below half after being caught in the center of the explosion.
"What the hell was that?!" Bay shouted as she struggled to her feet.
The battlefield had transformed into a blazing wasteland.
The ocean and ice had completely evaporated. The forest had been reduced to ash. Even the mountains had begun melting into rivers of glowing magma.
From within the sea of flames, a lone figure slowly emerged.
A woman with short crimson hair walked forward while dragging a massive greatsword far larger than herself. Black horns protruded from her head, making her look less like a Huntress and more like a demon stepping out of the inferno.
Gritting her teeth, Gia forced herself back onto her feet and opened fire at Tsutsumi as he steadily approached.
The fireballs slammed into him one after another.
Yet between his Aura, Reinforcement Magecraft, Cursed Energy, and Reverse Cursed Technique, the attacks accomplished absolutely nothing.
He walked straight through the explosions without receiving so much as a scratch.
Calling him a juggernaut at this point would hardly be an exaggeration. Combined with one of Surtr's abilities, Twilight, he was practically unkillable for as long as the skill remained active.
Realizing her attacks were completely ineffective, Gia tried to switch tactics. She never got the chance.
Tsutsumi casually swung his greatsword. A massive wave of fire surged forward.
Gia instinctively raised her armored gauntlet to block, but the overwhelming force blew straight through her guard and launched her completely out of the arena.
"Incredible! Staying true to Team TNPR's overwhelming style, Tsutsumi Ryoko has scored an Aura knockout with a single attack!"
Professor Port's excited voice echoed throughout the stadium.
Tsutsumi and Pyrrha slowly turned toward Bay before calmly walking in her direction. Their crimson hair swayed in the scorching wind while flames danced around them.
Tsutsumi's massive blade scraped across the charred ground, leaving behind a glowing trail.
Watching the two redheads slowly approach through the burning battlefield, Bay felt a chill run down her spine despite the unbearable heat.
Gritting her teeth, she activated her Semblance.
"My word! I don't believe I've ever seen a Semblance quite like this before!" Oobleck exclaimed. "Mrs. Orkus channels Aura throughout her body to temporarily enlarge parts of it, dramatically increasing both their size and strength!"
Bay's right fist rapidly expanded until it was nearly the size of a truck.
"Is that all?" Tsutsumi asked without slowing down.
Bay roared as she threw one gigantic punch after another, trying to crush the two of them as they effortlessly moved around her attacks.
With a furious yell, she raised both enlarged fists high above her head before bringing them crashing down like a hammer, determined to squash them in a single blow.
Pyrrha suddenly stopped. She calmly raised her rifle and aimed directly at Bay.
The instant those massive fists began descending, she pulled the trigger. A blazing slash shot through the air, cleanly slicing across Bay's enlarged arms.
Bay cried out in pain. Before she could recover, the Dust round struck her square in the forehead. Her Aura shattered, and she collapsed to the ground just as the match-ending buzzer echoed throughout the arena.
"What a spectacular way to conclude the doubles round! Pyrrha Nikos and Tsutsumi Ryoko claim victory and secure their place in the finals!" Oobleck announced as the stadium erupted into applause.
The audience cheered loudly for Tsutsumi and Pyrrha while also applauding Bay and Gia for their efforts.
With the match over, Tsutsumi and Pyrrha left the arena together, planning to meet up with the rest of their team and enjoy the remainder of the tournament.
Not long afterward, Pyrrha was summoned to Ozpin's office.
"You wanted to see me, Professor?"
"Yes." Ozpin smiled warmly. "First, I wanted to congratulate you on your victory in the doubles round. Both you and Mr. Ryoko performed exceptionally well to make it this far."
"Thank you, Professor." Pyrrha smiled modestly. "Honestly, I don't think I could have made it this far without my entire team."
"Honestly, I'd say it's the other way around." Qrow's voice interrupted as he stepped out from the side of the room. "I'm pretty sure if you and the kid weren't on the team, those other two wouldn't have made it nearly this far."
"Please excuse him." Ozpin sighed. "Qrow is a trusted colleague... and a teacher."
Qrow cleared his throat.
"Former teacher," he corrected. "But that's not important right now. There's still a question that needs answering, both for you and for Mr. Ryoko."
Pyrrha blinked in confusion.
"W-Wouldn't it be simpler if he were here too, since this concerns him as well?" she asked, looking between Qrow and Ozpin. "Besides... I don't think we've ever actually talked about it."
Ozpin nodded before leaning forward slightly.
"So... What is your favorite fairy tale?"
After first leading Pyrrha to recall the old fairy tale The Four Seasons, Ozpin finally revealed the truth behind it.
The Maidens were real.
And so was their power.
"We're telling you this, Pyrrha Nikos, because we believe you are the next person who should inherit the Fall Maiden's power," Ozpin said, meeting her eyes with a serious expression.
"We?" Pyrrha repeated in confusion.
As if answering her question, the elevator chimed and its doors slid open.
Ironwood and Glynda Goodwitch stepped out together.
"Sorry we're late," Ironwood said as he adjusted his tie.
Pyrrha instinctively took a step back.
"W-Wait... what is all this? Why are all of you here?"
It wasn't exactly a strange reaction.
Just moments ago, her headmaster had told her that one of the fairy tales she had grown up hearing was actually real, and now he was saying she was supposed to inherit one of its powers.
Anyone would have a hard time believing it.
"You already know who we are," Glynda said as she walked forward. "We're still the same headmaster and teachers you met when you first arrived at Beacon."
"Turns out we've got a bit of a part-time job," Qrow added with a shrug.
"We're the ones responsible for protecting this world," Ironwood continued.
"And now..." Ozpin looked directly at Pyrrha once more.
"We need your help."
Pyrrha could barely find the words to respond.
The weight of everything she had just heard settled heavily on her shoulders, leaving her standing there in stunned silence.
Unsure of what to say, she quietly followed as the four adults led her toward Beacon's deepest secret.
The hidden Vault beneath the academy.
The elevator slowly descended before finally coming to a stop.
When the doors opened, Pyrrha stepped out alongside the others into a long, dimly lit corridor.
The quiet hallway stretched far ahead of them, lit only by rows of faint lights embedded in the walls.
As they continued deeper inside, Pyrrha noticed a young woman lying unconscious within what looked like a metal sarcophagus connected to a network of large machines.
"Is that...?" she asked quietly, unable to take her eyes off the sleeping girl.
"The current Fall Maiden," Ozpin answered.
"Amber."