I closed in on Fox, keeping the flow of aura steady to my legs, too much and I'd burn it out.

My fist slipped past Fox's guard, fist narrowly skimming past his jawline. His arm crooked over mine, and my head whipped back, only narrowly avoiding his fist. I had to twist it to the side to avoid the elbow strike that scraped behind it. Sweat flicked off of his arm as it snapped back.

I stepped in, fist driving for the hollow of his stomach. I felt it connect, but Fox hardly reacted beyond gritting his teeth. I followed with a cross aimed for his head, and he deflected it with his forearm, guiding it off course.

That same motion, his other arm went crooked at the elbow, and swept around at me in a feint. It was followed by the real strike, a scything heel kick. I turned, catching it, tensing my aura in an effort to strengthen my guard. The instant the pressure let off, my fist snapped out in a scribe-counter, catching Fox in the lower ribs.

His leg rebounded off my guard, and his momentum shifted. With my side to him, he pushed in, taking my punch, pivoting his other knee into a strike at my lower back. I tried to shift my aura, but was forced to eat it. Couldn't react fast enough.

My aura glowed, but stayed up, and my head flicked to the side, narrowly avoid the follow-up fist.

His leg began to retract, and I pushed in, driving my shoulder into him, shifting the balance. He pulled an arm up to guard, and ready the other into a counter punch. I intercepted it, pivoting my shoulder up, snapping my elbow into his chin. His counter punch went wide. I kept the pressure up, focusing my aura into my legs, my calves, and sprang up and in. My knee finding purchase in his stomach where my fist hadn't before. A huff of air left Fox as he backpedaled, giving me the space to touch down again. I eased off the aura in my calves, knowing I was running a fine line, and kept pushing. I closed the distance, re-entering the fray with a flicker jab, scraping Fox's cheek as he narrowly pivoted away. My other arm flickered out as the first retracted, forcing him to stay on the defensive. Each quick extension drawing a hiss of breath from me. I couldn't keep a constant attack up forever, but each second I wasn't relying on my aura was another it had time to recoup.

After five of those jabs, Fox stopped running. He pivoted through another of the jabs, spinning a roundhouse kick angled at head height. I narrowly managed to dip under it, hearing the muffled wind as it ripped past my helmet. I pressed in again, arm coming up in an upper cut.

Fox pivoted, arm craning around in an elbow strike.

My punch immediately evolved into a clamshell, as I felt his elbow collide and scrape off my forearm. Coming an inch shy of my face. My free arm snapped up in a counter punch, finally landing a square hit on his head. It was a light one, but a blow to the cheek is a blow to the cheek.

We both backed off again, guards raised, taking a split second to gauge each other. I felt no worse for wear, but I could feel fatigue building in my limbs, the places I'd been heavily relying on my aura. Like a dull, drained feeling. I wouldn't let it stop me.

Fox held himself with practiced ease, keeping from showing weakness. To the untrained eye, at least. I could see the way his shoulders were beginning to sag, the weight he was breathing with. A good sheen of sweat on his arms and brow, shirt drenched.

Hadn't thought I was pushing back that hard, but perhaps I had been.

Fox's weight shifted and he pitched forward, ready to start swinging again. I dipped forward to meet him.

"WATCH OUT!"

A blur of black and red met Fox first. Careening with abandon into his side and sending him to the floor. The blur spun and sprawled out next to him, coalescing itself into the familiar shape of a teenage girl. Her massive red scythe cartwheeling a few yards away, before clattering and skittering to the floor.

Fox and Ruby stayed on the floor for a moment, visibly dazed. Then Ruby began to pick herself up, head wobbling as she looked around, silver eyes blinking blearily.

"Oy, he's mine." I groused "Stick to your own."

"I tried to warn you." Ruby grumbled rubbing her head.

I turned my attention away from her, and back to the place I knew she'd been thrown from. Yatsuhashi was standing there, blade now locked with Weiss's. Well, less locked and more blocked. Where Weiss used a toothpick, Yatsuhashi used a slab. His sword at a crooked angle, clearly recovering from a swing and having only just caught Weiss' attack.

"Watch where you're throwing people, you might hurt someone." I said.

Yatsu nodded, retracting his blade from the lock, with Weiss mirroring the action. He bowed slightly at the waist, indicating he was ending their current session. I couldn't tell if that counted as a surrender or not, but given that he initiated it, I was willing to count it that way.

Just a little past him, I could see Coco in a similar position with Yang and Blake. Only instead of locked blades and flying teenagers, it was a scene of raised fists and flailing purses. Yang was in a stance, now relaxing out of it, fists at the ready, with Blake beside her, blade drawn and pointed at Coco. Coco meanwhile had a very… odd stance. It wasn't that it wasn't a viable one, just strange. Too big for what she was doing and wielding, meant for something larger and heavier. Her bag was hoisted overhead and, by the nature of gravity, was now dangling limply. If she'd remained in motion that probably wouldn't have been the case. All that combined though, made me wonder how heavy that thing actually was.

Seeing the pause in the action however, the three of them decided to follow suit as well. Though Coco notably didn't bow like Yatsu had, so she was less inclined to admit defeat.

I approached Ruby, extending a hand to her and hauled her to her feet. She was surprisingly light, I knew she was small, but this was the first time I'd actually had to pick her up. Barring initiation, anyway, when I'd had to drag her behind me. It was almost deceptive really, even for her size she seemed light. Like lifting a sack mostly filled with air and a few sheets of paper.

An extreme exaggeration, but accurate.

Guess I needed to start giving her extra portions at dinner too.

Now back on her feet, Ruby dusted herself off and sauntered off to collect her scythe. Meanwhile, I turned my attention towards Fox, who'd recovered enough to be sitting upright and was leaning back on his hands. I extended a hand out to him, much like I had Ruby.

He stared at it for a moment, strange thing for a blind man to do, then shook his head, choosing to stay on the ground, chest and shoulders heaving in slow, large motions. He was trying to catch his breath in a controlled manner, if I knew it well enough. We'd been going hard and fast with it, so no surprise he was feeling winded on the other side. Now that he was stopped though, I could actually take stock of just how hard he'd been pushing. Despite his controlled breathing, he couldn't hide the sweat that was rolling off of him. Now that he'd stopped moving, it started collecting him in a veritable sheen and rolling to the floor in sizable droplets. His coppery vest was splotched into a darker shade where it roughed his chest.

I couldn't tell if he was pushing so hard for my sake, or just putting on a show.

"Damn, looks like you broke mine." I said "Thanks, Ruby."

"I said I was sorry." Ruby grumbled, walking back with her weapon.

Coco approached and looked at her partner for a moment, then to me. "Guess you weren't joking about being a fast learner, kid."

"Swift Learner-" I corrected "-and I'm not there yet. Gotta say, wasn't expecting Fox here to burn out so quickly."

Fox shot me an unamused look, and began to get up.

"Real smooth kid, bashing the people helping you." Coco said, looking at me over her shades.

"You know that's not how I meant it." I shot back "I know he's capable, I just assumed he had the endurance to keep up. He's done well enough the past couple times we've sparred."

Now back on his feet, Fox moved around to Coco. The sweat on his skin now almost rolling off him. His head swiveled to Coco, then back to me.

"Most guys in your weight class would be pretty much done by now." Yatsu cut in, voice deep and rumbling.

"Thought we cleared up that I'm not exactly a slouch when it comes to this stuff?" I groused

"And you're saying we are?" Coco asked, tossing her bag over her shoulder.

"Nothing as such." I defended "But I was expecting him to keep steam a bit longer than this. All the PT and aura training in the world, you shouldn't be winded after just a few minutes of punching."

"We do more with our days than just help you y'know." Coco said "Some of it involves getting less time to rest."

"Yeah, 'cause I've got no idea what that feels like." I shot back.

Coco gave me a dry look, then rolled her eyes.

"While I'm more than willing to keep going-" I continued "-I can also understand if Fox needs a minute. Going at it full force like we've been can get pretty taxing."

Fox gave me another look, maybe a bit annoyed. Then he looked away again, towards one of the walls some yards away. A smirk stretched across his lips, and he shook his head.

"No?" Coco asked.

I shrugged "Hey, if you need a breather I won't stop you. I'll just steal Yahtzee from my teammates."

Yatsuhashi quirked an eyebrow at me, mouthing the word I'd just called him.

"Whaaaa- we've got dibs!" Ruby chirped, motioning to herself and Weiss.

"Should've thought about that before letting yourself be turned into a little-girl shaped bullet." I snarked.

Ruby's cheeks turned a few shades red and puffed out slightly. Before she could actually get anywhere though, Yatsu tapped her on the shoulder. Ruby looked up at him, and he nodded at her solemnly, before he turned his head back towards the wall too. Then he turned to address me. "I think your teammates need the practice as much as you do." Yatsu said "Gonna decline."

"Just like that?" I asked.

Yatsuhashi smirked, and said nothing else. Leaving me to draw my own conclusions.

Fact of the matter was, Fox wasn't going to be able to jump right back into the fight. At the very least he needed to catch his breath. He was going to need to consider hydrating if he kept sweating the way he was. Yatsu was the next immediate option, either him or Coco anyway. If he could take two of my teammates at once, then I could stand to learn a lot from fighting him. Even just mixing things up by sparring with him was a start. But if he was pulling himself off the roster, then that left Coco. Frankly, I knew less about how Coco fought than I did Yatsu, but she didn't strike me the same way Fox or Yatsu did. She was certainly keeping up with Yang and Blake, but given the requirements of how I was fighting, there wasn't a guarantee she'd be up to snuff. Yatsu had size and raw power on his side. Coco had lady stilts and a handbag. For all I knew she could kick my ass, but she outwardly didn't show it.

As I mentally debated my course of action, I let my eyes drift about the room. As I did, I found them lingering towards the wall Yatsuhashi and Fox had been looking towards.

Velvet was leaning against it, squatting really, twiddling her thumbs. She looked withdrawn, sullen, and… well, frankly, she looked bored.

Which caused an awful idea to form in my head.

"… A'ight then." I said, motioning toward Velvet "Oy!"

Velvet blinked and looked up at me.

"Get over here and fight me." I said.

Fox and Yatsuhashi smirked at that

Velvet's eyes lit up instantly.

Coco's, on the other hand, narrowed at me.

"Fox needs a break, you and Yahtzee are clearly preoccupied-" I explained "-and you've got Velvet constantly sitting on the sidelines. Let her go a few rounds, there's no harm in it."

"… Kid, remember that thing about Velvet being off limits?" Coco asked, gaining a more serious edge to her voice

"Oh, I remember." I nodded "I also remember you not giving much of a reason as to why you had her sitting on the sidelines while everyone else got to do something."

"Cool." Coco said, keeping the edge "Do you remember the part about not showing all of your tricks and tactics too?"

"Of course, I even agreed with the sentiment." I said "However, having Velvet sit out the entire time is kinda ass-inine."

"Language!" I heard Weiss and Velvet say in near synch, prompting them both to look at each other.

"Not a swear word, look it up." I corrected "While I agreed it's important not to go showing off to everyone who asks, there's a caveat to that. Going too far in the opposite direction is just as bad."

"We still train, just because she's sitting on the sidelines now doesn't mean she's not training later." Coco said.

"You can hardly say either one is comparable." I said "What happens when Velvet winds up out of practice with her actual weapons and skills, because she's forced to keep them under wraps at all times?"

"That's not going to happen." Coco answered, a smirk on her lips.

That irked me instantly. Maybe Coco knew something I didn't, more likely than not she did, but the implication of such a statement was galling.

"… Ok, if I wasn't sure about wanting to fight her before, I am now." I deadpanned "Because I don't think you're taking the position you're in seriously."

That immediately got a rise out of CFVY. Fox and Yatsu's brows crept up towards their scalps, while Velvet tried to cover the look of surprise on her face with her hands.

Coco raised a brow at me in dangerous fashion, light reflecting off of her shades. "You want to repeat that, kid?" She asked in a less than friendly fashion.

"It's one match." I continued, not deterred in the slightest "If I can turn out all of her tricks in a few sparring matches, they were never good tricks to begin with."

Coco's jaw loosened at my rebuke of her subtle reproach.

"Aside from which, the skills you don't use are the ones that rust and dull." I continued, doing a few minor stretches "The place you don't want to find out you've got a dull knife is when you need to cut yourself free."

"So you're calling her dull?" Coco asked, incensed.

"Nothing of the sort." I said "If anything by fighting me, she's prepping for the eventuality everyone faces: in an active field, you can't keep something hidden forever. By sparring with me, you limit how many people actually knows what she can do, you help keep her from getting rusty, and ensure what she does stay quiet a little longer."

"That's what we're here for." Coco said "She trains with us-"

"-And eventually she grows accustomed to the way you fight." I interrupted "She sees and learns your tricks, grows complacent, and you facilitate any future issues she might have."

"That's not how it happens." Coco shot back.

"It is actually." I said "Without introduction of outside variables, stagnation is an inevitability. In the short-term, training like how I am with your team, learning to use my aura, stagnation is less of an issue. But training over the course of years, like you're liable to experience as a team? That breeds it like rats in an alleyway."

Again, Coco said nothing. But I could see even Fox and Yatsu were starting to get a little miffed with me now. I could see my teammates silently cautioning me to stop, looking at me like I was an idiot. But I was getting what I wanted, and saw fit to continue. Frankly, there was another reason I was doing it.

"Honestly, it just seems more like you don't trust in her skills all that much." I ventured, smirking, knowing what I was building to was liable to bite me "Specifically, by forcibly keeping her sidelined, you're insinuating that she's the weakest member of your team. Implying that you can't trust in her abilities, can't trust her to help, can't trust her to take care of herself, or just all around don't have confidence in her. Which becomes a vicious cycle when her not being able to keep herself sharp causes her skills to rust, and make those assumptions and fears a reality."

"Kid." Coco said, and I could hear the irritation in her voice.

"Topping all of that off-" I finished "-just judging by the reactions she had, did you ever stop to ask what she wanted to do, or did you just make those calls for her?"

Coco's jaw popped open, and she looked at me in bewilderment. Fox and Yatsuhashi looked a smidge angry but begrudging. Velvet, on the other hand looked completely dumbstruck by the sudden turn of the conversation.

"So, which is it then?" I asked, pushing one more of Coco's buttons.

Coco regarded me for a moment. On the surface she looked calm, but I could read her well enough, those sunglasses didn't hide much. She was staring me down with cold calculation. Almost reminded me of Goodwitch, in a way.

Then she turned to Velvet, smiling. "Y'know what Vel?" She asked "I've changed my mind. Kick his ass."

Velvet's eyes widened, and a bewildered smile spread onto her face. She stared at Coco for a moment, before turning to look at me.

"Well?" I asked, smirking "Think you can put up a fight?"

Almost as if I had flipped a switch, Velvet's smile gained an edge to it that could cut glass. Not malicious, strangely enough, more a show of determination, possibly excitement. I'd seen it sported enough around the wasteland, and had maybe worn it myself once or twice.

It was a little out of place on her, given the times we'd interacted. But I knew she could bite if pushed enough.

She did a few basic stretches as she sauntered away from the wall and towards me. As soon as she got close enough, I slipped into a stance and half expected her to immediately spring into action. When she didn't, but rather just casually slipped into a stance herself, I couldn't help but ask. "What, you're not going to spring at me like Fox did?"

"Why would I do that?" Velvet asked, tone sincere and stance not dropped.

"Just par for the course." I said "He was willing to do it to catch me off guard. Wasn't putting it past you."

Velvet looked at me curiously for a moment, then gave me a bright, disarmingly earnest smile. "It's just a sparring match. No reason it shouldn't be fair."

Coco barked a laugh at that, and I noticed Yatsuhashi and Fox were smirking again.

"… Well, thank you for being up front about it." I said, nodding "Let's see what we can learn, shall we?"

Velvet's head dipped, and she slipped into a proper fighting stance. As good a signal as I was going to get. I shot forward preparing to close-

There was a boot in my face.

Before I could even react to it, Velvet literally sprang at me. Launching herself from a standing position, she cleared the remaining distance between us in a blink. Leg lashing forward in a flying kick. There wasn't even a second to react.

The kick connected.

My world went liquid and blurry as all 130 some-odd pounds of Velvet collided with my helmet. By the sheer physics it was enough to knock me off my feet. Whatever momentum she'd added to it just sent me flying back. I didn't go far, ten, maybe fifteen feet at most before I tumbled across the ground. By the time I tumbled to a halt, I was only half way through untangling train of thought from the hit. Taking a hit like what Velvet gave was no small feat. Like taking a punch from a Supermutant, and I knew what that felt like.

I at least had enough presence of mind to immediately try and pick myself up. Unfortunately, my rattled brain misinterpreted the motion for me being drunk. My lack of coordination making the initial attempt to rise turn into a half panicked flailing motion. With me getting to my knee before falling back on my ass.

I couldn't help but hear Coco laughing. The others might have been too, but I couldn't really tell.

It took me a moment to collect myself enough to process what had happened. Another half second after that to check my aura. Strangely enough, it hadn't broken. Either she'd hit me softer than it'd felt or I was getting stronger.

She seemed to hit me pretty hard, so maybe it was a good sign.

I righted myself enough to take in my surroundings. Velvet was a couple yards away still, maintaining her stance and looking down at me.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

It took me a second to respond. Was worried if I tried to rush, it would come out sounding slurred, make the damage look worse. "That was a cheap shot." I answered.

Velvet gave me a guilty smile. "Sorry."

"What for?" I asked, slowly staggering back to my feet "You gave me a chance to get ready, you were more than fair."

"You gonna be ok Six?" Ruby called from the sidelines.

"I'll be fine." I called back, rapping my knuckles against my helmet "Though I'm gonna need to put some padding in this thing if you people are gonna keep sucker punching me."

"You sure you want to keep going kid?" Coco asked, snickering.

"What kind of question is that?" I asked "You think just because I got kicked in the head-"

I immediately shot towards Velvet, closing the distance in a blink. I cocked my right arm back in a straight, channeling my aura into it. The moment I was in striking distance, I let it fly for Velvet's head.

Her eyes sharpened instantly, her head snapping to the side as the punch whiffed her. My arm snapped back, and the other swung low on a crook, connecting in about the area of Velvet's liver. It was a firm hit, likely backed by aura, but Velvet shifted with it. A side effect of her smaller frame and lighter weight, took a lot less to push her around.

As the hit twisted her, she pivoted, returning the strike with a kick to my side. I shifted my arm, blocking the strike. She rebounded immediately, twisting the other way around. I let my guard shift to my other arm, ready to intercept. Her leg connected with my arm again, but this time carrying to weight or force. I felt it slide off my guarding arm as Velvet sprang into the air, body spinning, other leg scything high.

I dipped back, watching the heel of her boot pass through the empty space where my head had been. Ripping through the air with bone breaking force.

Gravity took hold and brought her back to ground as I got my footing, and dove in. I was starting to get a feel for how she fought. She seemed inclined to her legs. There was a lot of power to be had in strikes with your legs, leverage. Velvet had the right build for it too. Her smaller frame made her quick, and she was much leaner than Yang, Fox, or the couple dozen White Fang I'd knocked around. What she lacked in power, she could clearly make up in agility.

But there's a massive flaw with a kick-based fighting style that no amount of aura could overcome: mobility. If your legs are off the ground, or your strike robs you of ease of movement, you're a sitting duck. Making it a gamble: either they're getting knocked off their feet, or you are.

If that was something I had to teach Velvet, I had no qualms doing it.

Velvet swept her leg low as she rose up, trying to swipe mine out from under me. I hopped over it, using the momentum to try and drive a knee into her chin. I barely grazed her chin before returning to ground, gliding seamlessly into a hard right straight. Velvet weaved to the side narrowly avoiding the strike, and I could see her leg reeling back for another swing.

My right arm reeled in as my left flicked out, bopping her on the nose. Her prepared kick transitioning into a back step. I pushed in further and kept her on it. Letting my arms flicker out in two and threes, irregular. Keeping her from getting set into a rhythm, while I learned the way she moved. Starting noticing her tells, the way her shoulders pivoted when she was about to dip. How her legs swayed and feet flitted as she weaved. I could see that she was skilled at least, a sign she had at least practiced well. Just not well enough. After keeping her on the defensive for a spell, I had enough to work with.

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She was skilled, but if the best she had to offer were a few basic kicks then that wasn't going to do.

I put the pressure on, feinting a strike to her jaw, while my other arm flew in for another liver shot.

I regretted it instantly.

Instead of dodging, and trying to slip into another kick, Velvet slipped in. Getting close enough that I could see the daring little smile on her face.

Then her fist crashed into the underside of my jaw like a sledgehammer.

My head snapped upward, and long practiced instinct took hold. I was suddenly the one on the back foot, trying to understand what'd just happened. Quickly adjust myself so I didn't lose ground.

The moment I stepped back however, Velvet stole the momentum. She came rushing in on me like a coiled spring let loose. Her other arm repaying my previous liver shot with interest. My aura flashed brightly at the hit, but held despite its frailty.

I pulled my arms up in a guard as my mind tried to play catch-up.

Almost like a switch had flipped, Velvet had changed. Everything about the way she'd been moving was different. All of the tiny motions I'd noticed before were erased, moving in new, unrecognized patterns that may as well have been chaos right then. Her stance had shifted completely, shifted upward. Instead of being kick focused, suddenly she was inclined to throw hands at me.

Which she proceeded to demonstrate.

Velvet pushed in close, fist flicking out, probing my defenses. It was followed immediately, and without hesitation, by a straight that slipped between my guarded arms. Her smaller fist easier snaking through and connecting with my diaphragm. Hitting with all the force she'd had before. If I hadn't been trying to switch gears, I might have been better about slipping it.

My aura glowed again as her farm immediately snaked back out of my guard. Even as my stomach felt like it was trying to upend itself, I tried to take control back. Switching seamlessly into a Scribe Counter to try and push Velvet back.

She gracefully slipped around the outside of the punch, delivering a hook on the way around.

My aura shattered, and my body wrenched to the side, flopping to the floor again. This time I was able to react properly however, almost immediately rolling and springing back to my feet. A wave of exhaustion washed over me, but didn't slow me down. I was ready for her to keep going.

When she didn't, I was at least assured that my sparring rule with Fox still stood. Aura broke, the swinging stopped.

Recognizing that she didn't immediately jump in to attack me, I allowed my guard to relax.

"Hardly been five minutes." Coco called with a smirk "You sure you want to keep going?"

"Do I look like a quitter to you?" I called back.

"Don't let her get in your head Six!" Yang called.

"Nothing to worry about, there's not much up there anyway." I answered.

That earned a chuckle out of a few of them. I could see Velvet was amused by it at least, as I sauntered closer, steadily trying to will my aura back to strength in the back of my mind. Trying to make it more habit than conscious action.

Velvet looked at me, a deceptively sweet smile on her face. "You're sure you want to keep doing this?" She asked, reiterating her teammate's statement.

"Why not?" I challenged "You seem to be getting a kick out of it."

Velvet's smile added a flash of teeth, and an amused edge. I was glad she was enjoying herself at least. I'd learned something important though: Velvet knew more than one fighting style. That made her more dangerous to be sure, made reading her that much more difficult. There was no telling how many different ways she could strike. I'd only seen her punching and kicking, but she'd switched between them without issue. That seamless transitioning made her all the more dangerous, and spoke volumes about what skill she had.

Beware the bunny indeed.

"Well?" Velvet said, easing back into a stance "C'mon then."

"Gimme a sec." I said, holding up a hand "I just need-"

My aura flared back to full, and I launched myself at her. Velvet's eyes snapped wide and she slipped to the narrowly avoiding the heel kick I'd aimed at her ribs.

My leg snapped down and planted itself, and I pivoted on it, bringing an elbow strike around and catching Velvet in the cheek. Her head snapped to the side, and I continued to push in. I followed the elbow with a kick to her side, a roundhouse if my terms are right. It connected hard, and knocked Velvet off balance.

She tumbled and sprawled with it, coming back to her feet and facing me as readily as I'd anticipated.

So I'd kept on her, launching at her in a flying kick. Give her no space or time to respond. She only narrowly avoided catching my boot to her sternum, dipping to the side at the last moment. Had I connected, that probably would've done a number.

Despite missing my target, I landed close enough to turn and spin into a heel kick. Forcing Velvet to put up a guard this time. I felt her arms give under the impact. Then they shifted, diverting the kick off, using the momentum to spin into a kick of her own. I slipped under it as my leg came back down, then closed in, a hook angling for her ribs.

Kicks weren't my specialty, I preferred my fists, but I recognize their uses.

The hook connected, and I felt Velvet shift under the weight again, drawing a hiss of air. She sprang off her planted foot, using her kick's momentum to direct herself away. I stepped in, sending a straight towards her head. It whiffed, passing by one of her ears as she dipped down.

As seamlessly as before, she shifted from kicking to boxing, coming to meet me with an uppercut. I weaved to the side of it, narrowly avoiding the blow. Undeterred, she twisted at the waist, spinning her elbow towards me in a strike reminiscent of the one Fox was so fond of.

I pulled my arm up in a guard, immediately blocking it, and counter punched. She slipped it again, but I got closer this time, narrowly scraping her brow. Enough to draw blood if she didn't have an aura.

As Velvet slipped, she pivoted again, her knee rising to dig into my stomach. I weaved, and the knee missed, but the momentum carried her as she spun into a high heel kick. I dipped back and watched her foot pass in front of my eye again. As soon as it cleared my head's air space, I pushed back in, delivering a hard-straight to the side of her head. Catching her right on the ear.

Velvet hissed again, and I made to overwhelm her as the spin of her kick turned her away from me. She kicked backward in a Mule kick, but I saw it coming a mile out, and slipped around it. Her head turned to face me as I did, and my left shot out in a straight jab. The slight angle of her face was enough to find purchase, landing a cleaner, harder hit. She took the hit like a champ and dipped down, preemptively avoiding any follow-ups.

She was growing predictable again.

Instead of following with another solid strike, I flicker jabbed. Sending several softer, probing punches in her airspace instead. A couple missed, but the rest landed, light blows connecting with the side of her head, her neck and shoulder. But even those lighter blows carried mass to them. Velvet's opening kick had only been so devastating because she'd thrown all of her weight behind it. By sheer physics, my light punches were probably in the ballpark of her heavies.

So, when I applied my aura to one of my stronger blows, the results were somewhat expected.

As Velvet turned to face me, I stole the last chance she was going to get to turn that bout around. I stepped in low, pushing my aura through my shoulder and leg. Pitting my power against her weight.

My uppercut caught her under the chin in much the same fashion she had me. Unlike me, all of that force caught under a mass that was roughly half my own weight.

Velvet launched upwards off the ground. Clearing the fifteen, nearly the twenty-foot mark, before careening back to earth. At about the crest of the flight, she had enough presence of self to control her descent, and twisted. Landing in a way that softened the impact, left her ready to spring back up, I noted. But she stayed down for a second, and I let her. In a real fight, that might've been the moment to run in and stomp her into the ground. But she'd paid me the courtesy of breathing room, so there was no reason to deny her it here.

Still, I kept my fighting stance as I approached and looked down at her. "Having fun?" I asked.

Velvet flashed me a toothy smile that made my stomach do a dance. The kind I'd expect from someone like Nora. "Absolutely."

She shot off the ground, and I was ready for her. Her knee came up in a high strike, head high, but came short of connection as I back stepped. Then her calf pivoted upward, turning the knee strike into a flip kick. It made up the difference in distance instantly, forcing me to sidestep or take another blow to the chin.

Velvet quickly came back to ground and we rushed into each other. She leapt into a roundhouse kick as I came in with a hook. I let the hit connect, gambling that her hitting me successfully would slow her down, give time for my strike to connect.

I proved right on both counts.

Her hit connect into the space beneath my ribs, and my hook caught her on the shoulder, causing her to flinch.

Before she could retract her leg, my free arm snapped down over it, trapping it in place. Not missing a beat, Velvet jerked at the hips and changed her angle. Trying to angle her knee parallel to my chest, try to slide out, I imagine.

Right as her knee began to bend, I took my free hand and drove it into the space above her knee cap. Forcing it to straighten out. I then stepped in, applying pressure, forcing it to naturally lock-up.

Velvet's eyes widened as I forced her to hobble backwards for a step. If she didn't, she'd hit the ground, and that'd either count as a loss or, at the very least, a less than advantageous position.

I prepared to sweep her remaining leg out from underneath her, when she decided she didn't like being pinned down. Sprang up, used the leverage my trapping her provided, and slammed her free foot into my diaphragm. Unlike the last time she did it, I tasted bile at the back of my mouth. With her other foot now planted on something solid, me, Velvet jerked her leg free and fell to the floor. Quickly rolling over and springing to her feet.

I bit back the bile, and took a swing at her the moment both feet were on the ground. I got a good shot on her cheek, but she rolled with it. Stepping back to buy herself room, her gaze suddenly hardened.

I rushed in.

I knew how she fought now. Boxing, kicking, grappling- it didn't matter. She had skill, but it was going to take a lot more than that to make a difference.

My fist flicked out, aimed for her head-

The image of her deflecting the strike shot through my mind.

Before it even had a chance to register, Velvet's arm was out, moving in concert to my in-flight jab. It twisted at the elbow, turning perpendicular to my fist. They collided, her arm turned, and my punch was deflected as I continued to sail forward.

Her other flew in quick and sharp, catching me on the side of the jaw.

My head rang as my off-hand rose up and batted her arm away fruitlessly after the strike. I tried to follow it with a Scribe Counter, but Velvet deflected it just as easily as she had the first, following with another shot, this time to my nose. Even with my mask protecting me, the impact was still fierce. I recoiled, watching her movements, gauging her next attack. The way she was standing, the shift in her weight, the slant of her arms and legs. Experience said another kick, high and hard.

Velvet moved, my guard came up-

It scythed low into my knee.

The moment it connected with my leg, I had the involuntary reaction to take weight off it and spring back. My eyes left Velvet for all of a moment, down to my leg, making sure I wasn't missing something.

Her stance was different. The shift and pitch and twists of her motions subtly but noticeable different from a second ago.

The Velvet launched at me again, throwing a one-two combo I'd have expected from someone like Yang.

My legs didn't move, I'd been caught flat-footed. My guard went up, and I deflected the first punch, rolling it to the side as I weaved through the second.

Velvet seamlessly flowed into a backwards wheel kick, catching me across the stomach. Which then flowed smoothly into an elbow strike, catching the side of my head.

My aura flared and broke, weak as it was, and I spun to the floor. The elbow to the face knocking me for a loop.

Velvet backed off. Gave me room to recover.

Almost as soon as I hit the ground, I was unconsciously working on my aura. I pushed through the exhaustion of it breaking and poured energy back into it.

I shot to my feet as it flared back to life, dragging even more of my stamina with it. CFVY had already been surprised by how quickly I'd been able to call it back in the first place. But given the surprise in Velvet's eyes, I got the impression that she, at least, hadn't thought I could recover it that quickly. Being frank, neither did I. But there was something different to it this time.

It felt much frailer.

I shot towards Velvet again, diving into a Legion Assault.

Once more Velvet weaved through the strike and met me, this time with an uppercut.

She hit home, forcing my momentum upward and sending me end over end. My aura shattered again almost instantly, and this time I took almost the entire brunt of the hit. It didn't hurt as much as getting punched by the likes of Yang or Waylon had, when my aura was broken. But it sure as hell didn't tickle either.

I flipped backwards, end over end, touched down against the mat, tumbled, and came to a crouch.

Velvet was on me instantly, her dainty fist less than an inch from my face. Her face was flushed and her breathing was starting to get heavy.

"Stop." Velvet said, a touch breathless "You're going to hurt yourself."

"Kinda the point, isn't it?" I said back, even and steady.

Velvet fixed me with a flat look, and stepped back. Allowing me the room to stand up. I took it, and eased back onto my feet. The fight was over, for the moment.

I looked down at the rabbit-eared girl, appraisingly. This little bout of ours had put her in a new light for me. "You… are deceptively dangerous." I admitted.

Velvet flushed further at the praise. "I try as hard as my teammates."

"Yet you let guys like Cardin pick on you?" I asked.

"… No point in fighting off everyone who doesn't like Faunus." She answered "I'd never get a moment of peace."

"Difference between not taking people's shit and getting into fist fights." I groused, but shrugged "But I get what you mean, at least. Guilty of it too."

"Still think she's weak kid?" Coco called, satisfied smirk on her face.

"What was that?" Ruby asked, starry eyed "That was awesome!"

"That was why Velvet is off limits." Coco said "We're not protecting her from you, we're protecting you from her."

"Cute." I groused. I also doubted Coco was being completely honest. Although I believed Velvet was far more dangerous than first glance would suggest, I doubted that was Coco's only reason. I was certain part of it was protectiveness, as well as recognizing the importance of secrets. I didn't believe for a second that I'd seen the full extent of what Velvet could do, not with what she was pulling at the end. She was kicking me around like an empty tin of beans. I had no illusions she could've done it at any time either.

"So, what was that about being rusty?" Coco asked, stepping closer "I wouldn't be calling her dull now, would you?"

"I wasn't to begin with." I clarified "Only thing I was doing was questioning your decision as a leader without the context I have now. Clearly I had less to worry about, but I stand by my point."

"And that was?" Coco drawled.

"That being forcibly kept to the sidelines isn't good. Eventually, the things you don't polish will rust." I motioned to Velvet "She may not be victim of it yet, but a lack of caution will lead to it happening anyway. I never disagreed with the way you were going about helping your teammates, just how steadfast and heavy-handed you were in doing it."

Coco fixed me with a bland look. I couldn't tell if she was listening to what I had to say or not, but at this point, if she wasn't listening, it was on her.

"I'm grateful you're helping me." I admitted "In the few sessions and days we've been doing this I can already tell I'm miles ahead of where I was. But training applies to more than just me. I get that you're protective of what your team can do, and encourage caution in exercising your talents. But you still need to exercise them. Otherwise, all the secrecy ain't worth a hill of corn and beans."

Coco continued to stare me down for a moment, before lowering her glasses down the bridge of her nose. She looked at me over them. "… Do you rehearse that kind of speech before hand?"

I looked at her curiously "No, why?"

Coco smirked "Just curious, kid. Still, you lose some points for the fact that you still lost."

"In what regard?" I asked "If you mean the fight, then yeah, I lost. But considering my main goal had been to just spar with Velvet in the first place, I'd say I won on the war."

Coco's smirk lost its cocky edge, and I got to see the look in her eyes with her glasses down as they were. I believe the word is flabbergasted, but shocked works as well. Apparently, it hadn't occurred to her that I was playing her like a fiddle before this whole fight started.

"R-right." Coco said, sliding her glasses back over her flustered eyes.

"Stay sharp sweetheart. You've got a lot to learn yet." I said.

"Can we begin sparring again?" Weiss asked, still standing on the sidelines and looking a touch bored. Drumming her fingers on the pommel of her toothpick. "Riveting as this is, we've only got so much time before class ends."

"I think we should." I agreed "Apologies, didn't expect a detour like this."

"You kidding? I want next fight!" Yang shouted.

"… I think that depends on what Velvet wants." Coco said after a moment, before turning to her teammate "What do you want to do Vel?"

Velvet looked at Coco pensively for a moment, then to the wall, then to my teammates and hers, then me. She then nodded to herself. "Can I keep sparring with you?"

"Don't see any reason why not, assuming Fox doesn't mind?" I said, looking back towards the shorter of her male teammates

Fox, still visibly sheened with sweat, just smirked and waved us off. Either he'd had his fill, or was alright with Velvet taking over for a while longer.

"Boo!" Yang called playfully.

"No whining you can have Fox instead." I shot back.

Yang paused for a moment, before a sunny smile slipped across her face. Fox, meanwhile, looked like I'd just tossed him under a runaway train.

"I'll take it." Yang said, bopping Fox playfully on the back. Playfully being hard enough to wrench his shoulder forward. "C'mon, let's fight!"

Yang started back towards her portion of the room, with Fox and Blake in tow. Ruby and Weiss, meanwhile, returned to their former position with Yatsuhashi. Which left Coco with me and Velvet.

"Guess you should get back to it then, before someone starts complaining." I said.

"I guess." Coco shrugged "You know it'll be unfair if I do, right?"

"Who cares whether it's fair or not, it's training." I said, before leaning in conspiratorially "Don't go easy on them."

Coco smirked "Whatever floats your boat, kid."

"…"

For reasons I didn't want to dwell on, that statement irked me.

But, Coco gave me a friendly smile and a nod before turning to Velvet again "Kick his ass 'till he can't walk straight."

Velvet's cheeks puffed slightly, and she gave her leader a determined nod.

Coco then turned and sauntered back towards her teammates and mine. Holding her arms out in front of her as she meshed her fingers and cracked her knuckles.

I looked to Velvet. "You got good teammates. Touch protective, but good."

Velvet gave me a warm smile, and nodded "We've been through a lot together. They can be a bit overboard though…" She bowed slightly "Thank you for getting them to let me spar, it's been a while since I had the chance to really try and push myself."

"My pleasure." I nodded back "I'm enjoying myself so far."

Though I'd accomplished my goal, there was no point in stopping. Frankly, I'd gotten what I'd wanted out of this already, everything past that was just a bonus. Something was weird about Velvet, I'd met few people who fought with that much skill. None so young, or so unpredictable. The girl was an enigma.

Frankly, it made want to fight her more.

"I am too." Velvet said, an uncharacteristically sneaky smirk on her lips "I'm liking your Tabasco."

I rolled my eyes and focused on pulling my aura back. It was starting to wear me down. Putting it back to strength multiple times had that effect. Though that last break had taken more out of me than it normally did. Like I'd tried to push too hard and hurt myself. Was going to need to keep an eye on that, keep it from happening again…

'… Tabasco?'

My aura shimmered around me as I looked at Velvet. "Did… did you just quote Navy Hale?"

Velvet's eyes shot wide with a start, and her mouth drew tight. "W-what? No! I don't even know who that is!"

"That so?" I asked coyly "Because that was a pretty niche reference you just made."

"Niche…?" A bead of sweat rolled down Velvet's forehead that I was almost certain wasn't from sparring.

"Mm, next you'll be telling me you kill Yetis for fun, or asking me to move this along so you can go tangle with a Great White." I prodded.

"I- I wouldn-…" Velvet began to say, then stopped, as a thought seemed to occur to her, from my perspective. She began to look at me with increased scrutiny. Likewise, I looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to draw her own conclusions.

Her eyes widened again, perhaps sparkling a little this time. "Do… Do you read Navy Hale?"

"Of course." I answered "It's a riot, and the art's pretty decent."

A smile of thunderstruck amusement graced Velvet lips. Her eyes wrinkled at the edges as she continued gauging me. "… How far along are you?" She asked pursing her lips.

I shrugged "Far enough to know your smooth hands couldn't make a shark cry if you tried."

Velvet's smile redoubled into a daring grin "Well, you smell like Patchouli and couldn't handle a bloody steak, much less me."

"You're an entitled hippy-" I shot back "- And you may be fast, but you can't out run my fists."

Velvet got back into a fighting stance, smile now fierce "Why don't you prove it, and fight like a Mann." She challenged.

"Gladly." I said, getting back into my own stance "I'll endanger you like I've endangered dozens of other animals!"

"…" Velvet gave me a bland, almost unamused look.

"… That was a quote." I defended "You can't tell me-"

Velvet leapt forward and punched me in the chest, sending me down onto my rear with a *whuff*.

I looked back up at Velvet indignantly. She, in turn, leered down at me with a smile so smug I'd have expected to see it on the likes of Coco or Goodwitch. But there was a genuinely amused, pleased edge to it. "There, there, have an eagle."

I felt a smirk stretch onto my face. "Alright then-" I shot to my feet "I'll just beat you to death with my own damn HANDS!"

We began trading blows like gamblers cash chips.

She kicked my ass for the rest of class.