Amity Colosseum's mountain biome being bombarded by several explosions all around the area. Russel, Shortwings in hand, is running from the mayhem before spinning around, ready to face his opponents, who turns out to be the familiar face of Penny and her beret-wearing teammate. With an ever-present smile and simple arm movements, she summons six floating swords from Floating Array and rears them back before launching them in a ring at Russel, who barely manages to duck behind a rock to protect himself.
Wasting no time, Penny does the same thing with another group of blades, homing in on the other CRDL teammate Sky until he uses Feather's Edge to vault over another stone for defense. The two exchange a worried look at the sight of their rocks still pierced with multiple blades, and Penny grins in combat-ready fierceness as she looks to her partner,
who simply taps her watch as if hurrying Penny up. Wasting no time, Penny raises her hands like a puppetmaster and uses the near-invisible strings attached to each hilt to lift the giant rocks up in the air, with the screaming Russel and Sky still hanging on.
Bringing her arms down to her sides, the stones come crashing to the ground as well, leaving Penny's opponents in the grass. Her swords come back to her pack as the buzzer rings.
Oobleck: (over the broadcaster's system) And victory goes to Penny and Ciel of Atlas!
Penny: Thank you for a wonderful time.
The two victors turn to leave the stadium as Russel feebly reaches out, only to get hit in the head by an errant stone.
Watching from the stands, Ruby Rose sees them start to walk away and excitedly gets up form her seat with the rest of her team to meet them at one of the exits.
Ruby: (catching up and spreading her arms as she calls out) Penny!
Penny: Ruby! Rex!
She tackles her friends into a hug that leaves 3 of them on the ground.
Ruby: (grunts, then groans weakly) Why...
Rex: Ouch...
Penny: (gets up energetically and gestures to the other girl) Rex, Ruby, this is my teammate.
Ciel: Ciel Soleil. (bows formally)
Ruby: Hi! I'm Ru-
Ciel: Ruby Rose. 15. Hails from Patch. Leader of Team RWBY. Status: Questionable.
Ciel turns to Rex.
Ciel: Rex Venti. 16. Hails from Patch. 5th member of Team RWBY. Status: Optimistic.
Rex: Okayyy...
Ruby: Sooo... Penny! You two were incredible out there. How do you keep control of all those swords? It's so cool!
Ciel: Penny? I believe it is best if we move on to our next location.
Penny: Could we have just a minute to talk?
In response, Ciel checks the time, then takes a step back and nods, starting the countdown.
Ruby: So is she... your friend or...
Penny: Well, in a way. She's like Blake, but if Blake was ordered to spend time with you.
Ruby: Oh. So, Weiss.
Penny: Precisely.
Ruby: (lowering her voice) Does she know about... y'know...
Ruby: beep boop bop, does not compute?
Penny: Oh no. General Ironwood doesn't really want anyone to know. There was an incident with a magnet, but I was able to play it off.
Rex: Well, how did you do that?
Flashback to the Vytal Festival grounds with Ciel and Penny, who's wearing a large sun hat.
The wind picks up and lifts the hat from her hair, revealing the aforementioned magnet on her skull, and Penny quickly shoves the headgear back on before Ciel turns back around. The story causes Ruby and Penny to laugh about it in the present for several seconds.
Penny: Rex, Ruby, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about two about. (glances over at Ciel before leaning in and whispering to both Ruby them) I want to stay at Beacon.
Rex: What?
Ruby: Penny, they'll never let you do that.
Rex: Yeah, what would your father say?
Penny: I know, but I have a plan.
Ciel: It's been precisely one minute, ma'am.
Penny: I'll talk to you more soon, Ruby. Rex.
The two Atlesians leave, but Penny turns to give a wave of farewell to Rex Ruby, who does the same.
Port: (coming back over the stadium speakers to announce) Our next match will begin in 15 minutes!
Ruby: (suddenly looking really excited as she clasps her hands together) Oh my gosh, that's right! It's time for-
Yang: (stretching out her arms) Well, now it's our turn!
Weiss: Just remember to keep proper form.
Yang: (chuckles) Alright. (her tone shifts to talk strategy) You're from Atlas. What could we expect?
Weiss: Well, seeing as their Kingdom, academy and armed forces are all merged as one, I think we can expect strict, militant fighters with advanced technology and carefully rehearsed strategies.
At that very moment, a rainbow zooms past the two surprised Huntresses-in-training, coming to a stop opposite them, revealing a pigtailed Faunus girl with roller blades and a cat tail swishing around her weapon next to a young man wearing a fedora and sunglasses, holding a trumpet in one hand.
Weiss: ...Or whatever they are.
Flynt: Hey! You Weiss Schnee, right? The heiress.
Weiss: I am.
Flynt: I take it you're pretty good with Dust, then?
Weiss: (shrugging humbly) I do my best.
Flynt: Yeah, my dad was good too. Owned a little Dust shop of his own. Till your father's company ran him out of business.
Weiss: Oh. I'm sorry to hear that.
Flynt: (sarcastically) Sure you are.
Yang: Hey! Why don't you-
Neon: Hey! Why don't you? (drops her unflattering imitation as she points at Yang, smiling) That's what you sound like!
Yang: Uh...
Neon: Hey! Where'd you get your hair extensions?
Yang: This is just my normal hair.
Neon: Ooh, really?
Yang: (getting annoyed now) Yeah! Is that a prob-
Neon: (cutting her off) You should try rollerblading sometime! It's super fun! It'd probably take you a while, though, since you're so... you know, top-heavy.
Yang: (looks down at herself as the holographic roulette begins) Excuse me!?
Ruby: Oh, here we go.
Luke: (stands up) Is she calling my girl fat!?
The field opens around the four combatants, and up rises the volcanic area, sandy desert, steaming geysers, and ruined buildings.
Port: Three! Two! One! Begin!
Right as it starts, Flynt raises the instrument to his lips and blows, issuing forth a sound wave that blows both Weiss and Yang back from the force. Weiss is able to create a glyph under her to stop sliding back, but doesn't see Neon spinning into the attack and useing it to push herself forward so she can charge at Yang in a rainbow burst of speed and push her into the city portion.
Flynt stops blowing as Weiss readies her Myrtenaster, a second passing until the musician starts playing again. This time, Weiss uses darker glyphs to move her forward through the cone of waves, making another one to get closer and closer so she can land a blow. Suddenly, however, Flynt stops playing, and Weiss is forced to move forward, earning a kick to the back as she slides past. She crashes through a red Dust crystal, and Flynt grins when he sees her lying in the area now spouting pillars of fire.
Back in the ruined city, Neon manages to roll ahead of every blast from Ember Celica, skating on the railings and making faces at an irritated Yang. She continues to flip and slide over any terrain in her way, all the while repeating a mantra to herself.
Neon: Never miss a beat! Never miss a beat! Never miss a beat! Never miss a beat!
She eventually comes down to the ground and charges at Yang, becoming a rainbow blue while hitting the blonde multiple times. Yang grits her teeth, unloading the spent shells in her gauntlets, as Neon smirks and cracks her glow sticks, turning them blue. She comes forward again, dashing past Yang before she even realizes that her right leg is now encased in ice.
Neon: (giggles) Hm-hmm!
Neon: Look! (smacks her butt for emphasis) Now you're bottom-heavy, too!
Getting quite irate now, Yang slams her foot down and frees her entire leg, but is unable to stop Neon from freezing her left arm now. She sees Neon rollerblading on rails and through archways, gaining distance until she speeds forth and kicks Yang back into a wall, cracking it behind her.
Neon: You should cool off! Get it? Because you're angry.
Not appreciating the pun one bit, Yang smashes her arm against the wall, once again shattering the ice and the structure itself.
Meanwhile, Weiss and Flynt are facing each other in the burning section, Weiss gesturing all around her with the blade and spinning wildly to summon four glyphs that shoot out an equal number of large ice chunks headed straight for her enemy. Flynt looks down and smiles, leaping forward onto his knees and blowing his horn just as a column of flame erupts right in front of him, diverting the fire to melt each of Weiss' frozen projectiles.
Flynt: (getting back up as he twirls his trumpet) Too bad all that money can't buy you skill.
Weiss grimaces at him before revolving her hilt to use a white type of Dust. She aims a stream of wind at Flynt, who matches her power with his own blowing, creating a standstill until Weiss uses a mere gesture to form several more glyphs around the field.
She quickly bounces off each one, striking Flynt with each attack, until she puts his foot down and starts playing once more. Weiss is still propelling herself around, but nothing prepares her for a second Flynt appearing next to the first, and then another, and another after that, each color-coordinated musician joining their waves of noise together to send Weiss flying back.
Jaune: (amazed from his spot watching the fight) Whoa!
Port: (turning to Oobleck in the announcer's box, both equally shocked) What's this?
Oobleck: It appears young Flynt has just activated his Semblance! And quite a remarkable one at that. Ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on Flynt Coal's Killer Quartet!
The Flynts flip their hats around to the audience, then look up at the scoreboard to see Weiss and Yang down to half their Aura levels, but still in the game. He steps forward, absorbing each of his duplicates as he prepares to finish this.
His teammate is still giving trouble to Yang, using a ramp to outrun her now red-eyed opponent.
Neon: Ooh! Flashy eyes! Y'know, you're actually kinda pretty when you're angry.
Yang: (shaking her head, eyes going back down to purple. She propels herself forward using her shotgun blasts) Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!
Weiss is getting back up and sees her sword, reaching out to it only for Flynt to step on the blade. She looks up at him before their attention is drawn to their partners.
Yang: Get back here!
Neon: (rolling around Yang in a lazy circle) I wasn't trying to say that you should go on a diet, I was saying you really need to go on a diet!
Yang: THAT'S IT!
Neon: (one more quick clarification for good measure) You're fat.
Rin: Okay, I'm getting sick of her right now.
Briana: The only thing I want is for that bitch to shut up.
Flynt looks back at Weiss before deciding to focus his attention on Yang, once more becoming four fighters and ready to blow her away. Weiss looks through the clones and sees Yang completely distracted, as well as a pool of lava bubbling away right in front of him/them. Without pause,
Weiss jumps up and knocks the original into the magma just as it erupts several feet in the air.
Yang: (noticing what just happened) What?
Rex: Nooo!!!
Ruby and Blake: Weiss!
Port: It appears we have a double knockout on our hands!
Oobleck: In fact, it looks as though Miss Schnee's Aura has been completely depleted! She sacrificed herself to take out Flynt! Wait a minute. What's this!?
"This" turns out to be Flynt, wobbly and almost at his limit, but standing back up from the smoke.
Port: Ladies and gentlemen, Flynt Coal remains standing!
Briana: (Bangs her fists) Dammit!
Elena: Yang, you're our only hope.
Flynt begins walking toward Yang, a look of pure anger on his face.
Neon: You did it, Flynt! Don't worry about her, she's easy! But kind of annoying.
Port: (as Yang finally reaches her breaking point, fists clenching and ground trembling) Ooh, looks like Yang's angry! And you wouldn't like her when she's... upset.
Her scream of rage combining with the group of lava bursts from the rocks, she punches out several shots at the two opponents, who manage to dodge the blasts.
Flynt: Yo, Neon, go!
He blows again and helps Neon rush forward, and Yang meets her in the waves of sound, using her shots to keep her from being pushed away as she attempts to get a hit on the girl. Failing that, she leaps out of the noise and blasts the ground where Neon is, then launching herself back to create some space. Her blasts almost gets Flynt, who's forced to change the direction of his tune and direct Neon elsewhere, still avoiding the blasts and even rolling on the debris being formed, though with a noticeably more shaky stance than usual.
She rolls up on a ramp made from the debris into the geyser biome. Yang lands on the ground away from her and runs right at Flynt, rocketing forward even as he uses his Semblance once more to deliver a fourfold attack. Shooting behind her, however, provides the necessary boost to finally get close and clap her hands over the mouth of the trumpet. Less than a second of silence is broken by the musical backfire right in Flynt's face, becoming one person for the final time as he's knocked on his back and the buzzer rings.
Oobleck: Oh, sour note for Flynt!
Yang slides back from the blast, searching for her remaining opponent as Neon tries avoiding the geyser spouts.
Neon: Never miss a beat! Never miss a beat! Never miss a...
At that moment, her front wheels catch on a crack in the ground, losing her balance and causing her to shed a few quick tears.
Neon: ...beat?
Time catches up as she pitches forward, trying to roll up in a ball only to get caught in the blast of a geyser. She's helpless to do anything as Yang smirks, fires off a single shot,
and hits her screaming target in an explosion of sparks and smoke, as well as a third buzzing sound.
Yang: (continues to look enraged until she blinks her eyes back to purple and realizes something) Weiss!
She runs back into the fire section and kneels next to her ash-covered teammate.
Yang: Weiss! Are you okay?
Weiss: I may not be singing for a while.
Yang: You know, I'm not sure that was proper form.
Weiss: Oh, ha ha. (suffers another coughing fit)
Neon: WHAT!? We lost? We lost? Team FNKI lost? That was... that was...
Neon: ...amazing! Oh my gosh, you guys were super crazy awesome! We should definitely party together sometime, right Flynt?
Flynt: (getting back to his feet) That was a gutsy move, Schnee. I dig it.
Yang and Weiss smile at the good losers and see the rest of their team coming to the injured heiress' side.
Blake: Good job, you two!
Ruby: Yeah!
Rex: You both did well!
The team stays like that, cradling Weiss in their arms and soaking in the cheers of the crowd. Briana and Luke looked at each other and nodded that their up next. They we standing across two people. Team RWBY, JNPR, and the audience were cheering for them.
Rex: You got this, Luke!
Ruby: Go beat them, Briana!
Nora: B, make sure to break their legs!
Yang: You can do it, babe! Woooo!!!
Port: Luke and Briana of Beacon versus Sleet and Violet of Shade!
Briana: (Takes out Galatine) Let's show 'em what we've got!
Luke: (Takes out Arondight) This time, we're not gonna go easy on ya.
The stadium was then divided into 4 areas: a murky swamp, a volcanic area, a mountain area, and an ice field.
Violet: I really like you, cat boy. Maybe we should hang out some time.
Luke: Sorry, but I'm already taken.
Port: Three, two, one.... Begin!
Briana and Violet ran at each other, her swords and her daggers ready, with Luke running after Sleet and clashing their swords back to back. Briana jumps back and runs to the ice field as Violet chases her. Violet activates her Semblance creating an ice trap on Briana's leg.
Briana: What the hell?! That's playing dirty!
Violet: All's fair love and war.
Luke: B!
Sleet: Don't worry about her. You scrap with me!
Luke: I like to see you try, peach fuzz!
Sleet changes his sword to a bow and uses three arrows at Luke as he backflips himself out of the way. But Sleet shot his arrow one last as Luke ducks and gets back up.
Luke: Ha! Missed!
Sleet: (Smirks deviously) I never miss. (Snap his finger)
Luke: Huh? (The arrow goes to the tree, the iceberg, and the lava mountain.)
Briana: (Breaks out the ice) Luke, behind you!
It was too late that the arrow shot him in the butt he let out a scream.
The audience winced and oh'd even Team RWBY, JNPR, REBL, & SSSN looked away.
Blake: Luke!
Rex: Dude!
Yang: Baby!
Rin: What the hell was that Semblance?
Elena: It's Attraction. Sleet's Semblance can attract his arrows anywhere and send it to the opponent.
Rex: So it's like a magnet?
Blake: That's one way to put it. (Looks to her brother in worry)
Luke: (Gets the arrow off his butt) Ow! Damn, you sure got good aim.
Sleet: I told you, I never miss.
Luke: Let's see you miss this!
Luke punched his fists as his arms glowing orange and a scar appeared on his right forehead. He punched the ground creating an earthquake sending Sleet up in the sky. Luke jumps up to his level and strikes him in the muddy swamp.
Oobleck: Looks like Luke Belladonna activated his semblance making the ground shaking!
Port: I'm shaking in my boots just by watching.
The scene changed to Briana and Violet. Briana touched the big ice by using her Semblance, Gravity. She throws it at Violet which she nearly dodged as Luke comes up to her.
Luke: I say we should combo them.
Briana: Yeah, it's our only shot. Frenzy!
Luke and Briana rush to Violet and Sleet making an infinite loop. Both of them were confused, they couldn't concentrate their movements. Briana and Luke activated their semblances. Briana sent Violet and Sleet up in the sky by strucking her Galatine in the ground. Luke jumps in the sky and striked both teammates down with his Arondight. This caused an explosion that sent them away and took off their remaining Auras.
Oobleck: And with that, Briana and Luke win the match!
The crowd cheered for them and they heard Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Team REBL, were cheering as well.
Luke: Phew! That was a big rush.
Briana: But it was worth it, right?
Violet: I'll admit, you both weren't half bad.
Sleet: She's right. Sorry I shot you in the ass. No hard feelings?
Luke: I'll recover. Still, that hurt.
Briana: Hope we can fight you guys again!
Later on that evening in a certain Beacon dorm room, Cinder is sitting on her bed looking through files on her Scroll. Emerald is lying on the floor also playing with her own device, and Mercury is doing push-ups beside her.
Cinder: (eyes widening in surprise, followed by a smile) Oh.
Emerald: What?
Cinder: Oh nothing. We're just going to be making a slight, hmm... alteration in the plan.
Mercury: What does that mean?
Cinder: It means that this will be even easier than we thought.
Within the headmaster's office at twilight, Professor Ozpin is facing the window, his back to the elevators when the doors open and Qrow steps inside, approaching his desk with coffee mug in hand.
Qrow: You know, he's making you look like a fool.
Ozpin: His heart is in the right place. He's just... misguided.
Qrow: Sometimes, I'm not even sure he has a heart.
Qrow: So, have you chosen your guardian yet?
Ozpin: Maidens choose themselves. I simply believe I've found the right candidate. Ever since the day I met her, I had the feeling she would be the one. She's strong, intelligent, caring... but most importantly,
As he lists these qualities off, Pyrrha is seen entering the elevator of the CCT tower.
Ozpin: she's ready.
She turns just when the doors close on her ambiguous smile.
END OF PART 33