"Alright class, we're having a bit of a surprise field trip. Tomorrow morning, we'll be setting out by airship to visit Beacon for a couple days. They'll be playing host to a beginners tournament, limited to first year students at entry level combat schools. Everyone will be going, as spectating will be a good way to see how other students have utilized their unique abilities. If you want to compete, however, see me after class to sign up. You will need a partner as well. For what? We're not sure. They're keeping that bit a secret."

With those words, Taiyang dismissed class.

Interesting. A tournament. Seems rather last minute if they're just now informing us of it.

And you have to form a pair? What for? Normally you'd think they'd simply fight together, but the way Taiyang put it, this wasn't the case. He didn't know "for sure."

But who would I pair up with? I definitely wanted to compete, and there was definitely someone who would agree, but I'm not sure I wanted to spend even more time with her than I already do...

"Silva! Come on! I already signed us up!" Yang waved down from near the doorway, and had a stupid grin on her face.

Well, never mind then.

Sighing, I made my way towards her.

Ever since our fight, she's been even more friendly than normal. I started to reciprocate, in an attempt to make an actual friend, but that only made her more excitable. She started to drag me wherever she pleased.

It was exhausting, honestly. The girl had more energy than she had any right to.

"Silva! Hurry! We have a lot of work to do before the tournament tomorrow!" She whined, as I moved to walk even slower.

"You know how I feel about being rushed, Yang." As soon as I reached her, she linked our arms together.

"Come on! We need to get to town quickly. We have so much to do." She dragged me along, making way for the shuttle that would take us to the town in the center of patch.

"Town? Yang! We still have class!" What was she thinking? Last I checked, she had been specifically told by our dust studies teacher to never miss a class again. That teacher was not someone to take lightly.

But, I wouldn't protest too much. At this point, I was merely throwing that out there to make myself look like the responsible one. I did extensive research on the world as a whole during my time before Signal, and I found these classes to be, more or less, pointless to me.

The only two I cared for were Combat, and Qrow's Weapon Creation class. For now, we were just learning the basics. Every week he would give us a new set of blueprints, and we'd have that week to make the weapon.

It was all prep for when we made our weapons next semester.

"Forget class. The tournament is way more important!" Agreed. But, we can't exactly prepare if we don't know what we'll be facing.

...

After getting on the shuttle to town, the driver obviously used to Yang skipping by this point, Yang started to get serious.

"Alright, Silva. Not that the stuff Signal gave you doesn't look good, but it doesn't."

What?

"So, we need to get you some proper combat gear. If you're going to be my partner, you need to look awesome. Not that you don't already! But, you know... yeah."

"While I don't disagree, I don't have to money to spend. Once Taiyang starts to ease up with the errands, I'll get a part-time job in town to buy some. Until then, I'm out of luck." I told her, already having made this plan before.

I'd expect by the beginning of next semester, I'd be able to talk Taiyang into letting me spend my time making money. A proper set of gear was crucial to hunters-in-training.

"Oh, don't worry about that." Yang waved off, flashing a card that had Taiyang's name on it. "I have that covered."

Wait... Is she telling me that Taiyang will be paying for all of this? Does he know about this?

"Does he know about this?" I voiced my thought.

"Of course not. I swiped it from his office. He just leaves things lying around. Don't worry, I do it all the time."

Oh, I'm not worried. If anything, this makes it even better. Taiyang, unknowingly, will be paying for all of my things...

"I won't settle for anything less than the most expensive stuff."

She smiles. "I knew you'd be fun."

Shopping with Yang? Not as much of a chore as I originally thought it would be.

She was rather reasonable, and true to her word spent the entire time trying to figure out what gear would be best for me.

None of the typical store-to-store nonsense. She knew what to look for, and if some place didn't have it, we were gone. Efficient, and quick. A girl after my own heart.

Well, okay. Maybe not. Still kind of gross.

"It'd be best if we could get everything at the same place. You and that bow need to be able to get around quickly, so light material is a must. It'd be best to have any protective gear concealed under clothes, so enemies don't expect any armor." She summed up, as we entered another store.

Yang was more intelligent than people gave her credit for. She liked to have a good time, and slacked off in class, but when it came down to it she could be quite serious.

Dependable, and strong. A perfect partner, though I could do without the teasing.

I started to pick through the clothes. First, and foremost, we were looking for something "cool." As she pointed out earlier, any protective gear we got would be concealed under whatever clothes we picked out. As such, we needed the clothes first for reference.

It was then, in the back of the room, I noticed something.

A silver jacket, lined with white fur around the collar. It was open in the front, and had nothing to close it. There was also a hood that came out from inside the collar, itself not lined with the bold colored fur. The hood was black, and the entire coat looked to be quite form fitting.

I like it.

Looking around, I found a pair of silver pants that matched to jacket well. The pants had black buckles lined along the legs, and also looked to be form fitting.

A found a pair of plain black combat boots, and they were incredibly light.

Alright, so I think I know what I want.

Walking up to the front, grabbing a plain green shirt along the way, I began to talk to the attendant.

"Can you put this," I flash my emblem, a black circle with silver stars positioned in a way reminiscent of Orion's Belt, "on this shirt?"

"Of course. It'll only take fifteen minutes. We have a press in the back, and it's a rather simple design." I smile, and after handing the shirt over, collected the clothing items I found earlier.

"Yang, we got my clothes. Only took three stores. They'll be finished with my shirt in fifteen minutes, so let's find some armor to fit under this stuff before then." I called out.

She flashed her dad's card, and we made our way to the store that every student of Signal was familiar with. They carried everything the students might need. Armor, dust, ammunition, the whole nine yards.

"Alright, look for something light. It doesn't have to be incredibly effective or anything, as normally I'll be fighting from a distance, but I want something decent."

With that, we separated. I looked around the store as a whole, not immediately going for the armor. In a years time, I would probably be frequenting this place. Might as well see what they have now.

Dust lined the walls, and ammunition of all kinds filled several shelves. Everything from BB pellets for practice, to massive shells that looked similar to what a tank would fire.

The combat gear was located in the back, next to a rack of already assembled weapons. Yang was picking through the armor, so I decided to see if I could get any ideas for when it came time to build my bow.

I still wasn't sure the direction I should go when it came to close combat. I could make the end of the bow into blades, but that seems rather crude. I don't know how practical it would be, so I'd have to test the concept at a later date.

For now, I brainstorm. Is there something else I could do? Are there anyways that I can improve the bow in general? Modernize it, if you will?

I was looking around, when something caught my eye.

A round ball, made entirely of metal. It fit into the whole of my hand, and was rather heavy. Seemed to weigh roughly twenty five pounds.

"Huh..." I let out, before smiling.

I may have an interesting little idea.

Deciding that I'd buy it, I walked over to Yang. She was holding what seemed to be a rather light material in front of her, not taking any particular form.

"Silva, look at this. It's super light, and the material is resistant to piercing. It won't protect you much in the way of blunt force, but you shouldn't worry to much about a claw or something piercing it, unless something lands a direct it." She showed me the material, and I decided to buy some.

I could line the inside of my clothing with the stuff, and that should protect me from glancing blows. It's not much, but it should do.

After purchasing the items, we went back to pick up my shirt from the store. The next step was to find a tailor that could mend my clothes, which was hard considering how tough the material was.

"Alright, this isn't going well. We've been walking around for an hour, and no luck. I could try my hand at it, but there is no way I can finish by tomorrow. I fight from a distance, so armor isn't my biggest concern. I say we just settle for what we have, for now." I reason.

Honestly, it wasn't that big a deal. There was no point worrying about it too much. It was mainly a precaution against Grimm. I wasn't worried about lethal blows from fellow students.

"Alright, that should be fine. I just wear normal clothes myself, so you shouldn't worry too much. In the mean time, let's eat! I'm starving." Yang slung her arm around my shoulders, and started dragging me towards the nearest restaurant.

I was finding myself growing rather fond of the blond. It had only been a few weeks since our fight, but I've felt like I've known her for years.

Her personality was just as straight forward as her combat style. Everywhere she went, smiles were spread, and she had a way of drawing in the attention of the room.

She was born for the spotlight, and seemed to revel in it.

A perfect companion given my goal of standing at the top of the world. Only the highest of stages would be appropriate.

This tournament was just the first step, though. I understood I had a long way to go. Yang taught me that. Even among the people my age, I could be beaten.

If I wanted to accomplish my goals, I needed more practice. More experience. I needed to broaden my horizons, to better understand this world.

I've been rather narrow minded this entire time, thinking myself better than everyone, when that obviously wasn't the case. I could still lose. I could still fall.

I could still die.

But, with Yang, I worried less about that. One of the things they've been pounding into our heads since we started Signal was the value of friendship. The value of making allies.

When hunters-in-training transitioned from combat school to a hunting academy, like Beacon, we were placed on teams. Upon graduation you didn't necessarily have to stick around with those people, but you would likely do it anyways.

After all, you were more likely to survive if you had someone watching your back. Plus, after four years together, teams become more like families than anything.

So, I started to think a bit differently. I still wanted to be the best, but I'd go about it differently.

Teams are more marketable anyways.

Walking into the restaurant, Yang was quick to order. With her being native to patch, she was rather familiar with the local businesses. Keeping it simple, I went with a burger.

"Alright, so what's the plan for tomorrow? We're going to win, obviously, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared."

"Well, Yang, obviously you weren't paying much attention in class. There's nothing to do, really, the tournament is a bit of an unknown. I would guess something special is going to happen, if not even Signal was informed of the exact details."

We fall into casual conversation, which consist mainly of Yang talking for the both of us. It was an easy pace to get caught up in. She really was the kind of person you just wanted to let talk, regardless of how terrible some of her jokes could be.

There's no way it wasn't on purpose. It had to be.

I stood in front of the mirror, wearing my newly purchased clothing.

We were told to leave our uniforms behind, as today we "weren't students of Signal." Today, we were just huntsmen-in-training, as were all the other students coming in from around the world.

Apparently, the tournament was rather large. People from just about every combat school you could imagine were showing up, though the smaller ones were limited to just one pair of representatives.

Signal was fortunate to be the local combat school, as every student was allowed to attend. Everyone else was only allowed to bring the competitors.

Made sense, thinking about just how many students would come otherwise.

I was happy with the clothing. Incredibly so.

I stood, pants snug against my legs. The buckles held my quiver quite well on my right leg, and on my left hip the metal ball hung inside a pouch.

My jacket was on, hood up. The shirt underneath had my emblem plastered right in the middle. It was framed by my scarf, tightly tied around my neck.

All of this was finished off by my boots, pleasantly light. They would allow me to move quickly, easily. Just the way I liked it.

My bow, on the other hand, hung plainly on my back. It was an eye sore, really. I had to make sure my bow was collapsible when I made my own.

Anyways, back to the clothes. I liked them. I'd carry these things with me for the entirety of my hunting career.

Well, maybe not these exactly. I'd definitely grow, as I was only thirteen. When getting them tailored proved to be ineffective, I'd replace the clothes with replicas. I'd get them custom made if I had to.

I now had a look, and the last thing I wanted to do was change it. I need to stick with one thing, and let people get familiar with it. You can almost think of it as a brand.

"Silva! Let's go, the airships leave in th-" She stops, seeing me in my new clothes for the first time. "Wow."

"I'll take that as a complement." I chuckle, pulling the hood off to reveal my mess of brown hair. It was starting to get a bit too long for my liking, and the ends were beginning to curl.

"You should. It's not every day someone's able to stop me mid sentence like that." She winks, before turning around.

Today was the day. I would make myself known on a bigger stage. The tournament was televised, so should we win, I might even become a household name.

"Well, enough flattery." I flash a smile as I pass her, opening the door. "It's time to win us a tournament."

The trip to the airship was uneventful. Taiyang joined us along the way, and began praising his daughter a bit too much for my liking.

"Alright Yang, are you ready to show everyone what it means to be the best? Not everyday you get to show the world just how amazing you are."

I understand being a proud parent, but come on. Aren't you supposed to try and prevent boosting your kid's ego like that? Sure, I guess I shouldn't be talking about ego, but I'd call my situation unique.

"Will you two stop? It's seriously gross."

This wasn't the time to just joke around, enjoying yourself. We needed to focus.

"Stop being so serious all the time, Silva. Live a little!" Pulling me closer, she jumps back into the conversation.

Ugh. When did I become the serious one? I came into this place with a storm of fireworks. Maybe I should pick the people I associate with better. With these two, my whole "trouble maker" persona can't exist.

Someone has to be the responsible one, after all.

Maybe I can find a happy medium. Still have a little fun.

How would Yang like helping me set a little something up for her dad?

Soon, we arrived at the airships, and Taiyang went his own way.

"Yang, over here!" A group of girls called out, waving her over.

"Well, Silva, I'll see you later. We'll meet back up once we get there, yeah?" I waved her off, and took a seat in the corner.

It wouldn't be a long ride. By airship, it wouldn't take any longer than an hour to arrive at Beacon.

Not even a minute in, and the two annoyances were already here.

"Been spending a lot of time with Xiao Long, haven't ya?" Crim and Naiv. The wonder twins.

Teenage jealousy really is a petty thing. Sucks having the perspective I do. It would be so much easier if I was just like them, worrying about what they did. Makes these conversations unbearable.

"Yeah." I answer plainly, before pulling my hood over my head. I wouldn't sleep, but I'd act like I was. Sometimes, you just wanted to be left alone. It drained you, pretending the way I did.

I valued any time I was left to my thoughts. I could just be me. Not Silva. Not who I was before. But me. The both of them.

"We're talking, you know." Naiv yanks my hood off, glaring at me.

I valued that time, and these two were taking away from it.

"Look, if you two want to be assholes, fine. Save it for the tournament, though. Wouldn't want to waste all your good lines, would we?"

"Oh? Competing, are you? Tough luck, because we'll be taking the win." Of course I'm competing. Yang is, and I'm pretty much the only person she'd take as a partner. These guys will go through incredible lengths to try and ignore the attention she gives me.

"I'll be sure to tell Yang you have no faith in us. I'm sure she'd love to hear it." I smile.

Unsurprisingly, they seemed shocked at this. I was her partner? What? It was getting annoying, really. Like they just couldn't believe she hung around with me. We've been here for two months at this point. It's nothing new.

"Yang! You hear that? Too bad for us, but looks like these guys will be taking the tournament!" I called out, and the two boys grew red before fleeing to a different room in the airship.

Sighing, I laid back, hood once again shielding my eyes.

Everyone has been going in assuming this to be some sort of fighting tournament, but I keep thinking back onto what Taiyang said in class. They were keeping what the partners were for a secret.

So, by extension, the contents of the tournament itself were also a secret. We could be doing any number of things.

Most Grimm killed over a three day period, which was how long we'd be staying at Beacon.

It could be some sort of survival exercise, throwing us into the wild for a couple days and seeing who ended up being the best off. Gathering food, setting up camp, things like that.

It could even be multiple things.

Whatever it is, a direct competition is the obvious answer. With this being advertised as a tournament, a winner will have to be announced. That does somewhat limit the options, but not really. Dancing could be considered a contest, after all.

I just hope it has nothing to do with tests. If so, I really shot myself in the foot by tagging along with Yang.

Whatever. It's not like that'll happen. The tournament will be televised, so it'll be something interesting to watch.

More than anything, though, I worried about my own performance. I trusted Yang. She seemed to come through when it mattered.

I needed this to be something I was good at. If I turned out to be the weak link, the entire world would see it as the blond brawler carrying me through the tournament. I couldn't let that happen.

After all this time spent trying to build up my image, I'd hate for it to be ruined like that.

...

"Go back to your friends, Yang." I let out annoyingly, feeling a sudden weight crash into my lap.

"You're my friend too, you know. Come on, stop being so boring over here. Come hang out with us." The girl hasn't stopped in her attempts to get me to hang out with a group of her friends.

Every time she goes out with them, an invite is shot my way. I'd never accept though. That's just opening the doors to even more requests.

"I'd love to. I really would. But you caught me at a bad time. Super busy and stuff. My sleep isn't just going to catch up on itself, after all."

I make no move to shrug her off of me. I don't even look up from under my hood.

I don't have to. I know she is straddling me in as suggestive a way as possible. I know she's twirling her hair with a lone finger, batting her eyelashes in a way unfitting of her age.

I know she's doing it for all the wrong reasons, too. I learned rather quickly that Yang enjoys making people, specifically boys, uncomfortable in whatever way she can. Finds it funny or something.

The shyer the guy, the more enjoyable she found it. For those that attempted to reciprocate, however, she immediately lost interest.

So, my unique approach. I found ignoring her to be the best thing to do. I couldn't stop her, but I could annoy her. And, boy, did it get under her skin. Recently, she has 'upped the ante,' if you will. Gotten more bold in her actions.

She wrapped her arms around me, pressing her face into the crook of my neck. "Let loose a little, will you?"

May as well throw her a little bone, I suppose. She was extra confident today, and I didn't want to see how much further this went. I would already have to deal with damage control due to this "public display of affection."

It would be on my terms, though.

I finally look up from under my hood, ignoring the fluttering of her eyes. "Tell you what. Recently, I've been getting a bit annoyed with your dad, yeah? How about we come up with a way to screw with him? Sound like fun?"

She instantly brightens up, showing me that she hadn't expected anything from me. She had likely already given up on any sort of reaction from my side, and everything she was doing was for the spectators.

"Like what?" Excitedly, she abandons her efforts and gets off of me. She begins to bounce in the seat next to me, already shifted into a completely different mood. It was rather impressive, really.

"Well, I was hoping you could tell me that. As far as I can tell, the only thing he really cares about is you, and that other daughter of his. I can't find any particular thing that might bother him, so maybe you can shed a little light on the subject. What would annoy him more than anything?"

Recently, he has really increased my work load. Every day, I've had some sort of task I needed to complete. Whether it be running into town to pick something up, or running all the way to his house just to leave a note on the door for when his other daughter got home.

I've never met her, only knowing her name to be Ruby, but I prayed for the girl. Having to put up with family like this, I imagine she could easily turn out to be quite the annoying character herself. Hopefully she lucked out.

After pondering for a moment, a wicked grin spread across Yang's face. Leaning in, she proceeded to whisper something in my ear...

Oh, hell no. No, no, no.

Gross, gross, gross.

I refuse.

"Yang! I'm not going to-" Looking around, my voice droping to a whisper. "-pretend to date you. Why would that even be a big deal?" It didn't even take a second for me to realize exactly what I said.

Why would it even be a big deal? Well, for one, Taiyang did send me to stalk his daughter on my first day.

Sure, it turned out to be set up in the first place, but he then proceeded to mention that it was something he had actually done in the past.

So, basically, he was a typical over protective dad.

"Think about it! He would flip if he thought I was dating someone. And for that someone to be you? Someone who not only lives in his office, which I visit regularly, but also is going to be sharing a room with me as my partner? I think he may just have a heart attack."

Well, sure, I guess that makes sense. But still. I don't think I feel comfortable pretending to date someone so much younger than me.

'Not younger.' I seemed to remember, still finding it difficult to acknowledge that I'm physically a kid.

...wait, what? I seemed to have just brushed over something rather important.

"Sharing a room?" I questioned.

I definitely didn't remember that part.

"Yeah, the people competing will be sharing a room with their partners. We'll be housed in a separate wing from the visitors. Don't you remember? It was on the sign up sheet."

No. I don't remember. Because you signed up for me.

Well, shit.

I guess that clears up a few things. No camping out, first of all. Unless the rooms are simply meant to store our things for a single night. But, I doubt that.

I mean, I don't know what I expected the sleeping arrangements to be. I wasn't expecting anything, really. Just not something I thought about.

"So, what do you think? We can tell him we were pretending after the tournament. I just think him worrying about us sleeping in the same room will be hilarious."

...Well, why not? So long as I didn't have to kiss her or anything, it should be fine. We can let the rest of the students know after telling Taiyang about it. I'm sure they'd be quick to believe us, with the track record Yang has with making trouble.

"Fine. But don't expect me to do anything special."

"Oh, come o... Wait. You agreed? You agreed! We've had a breakthrough! You're not boring!" Yang briefly started clapping, before going dead silent.

She seemed to be considering something, before an evil glint flashed in her eyes.

"Yes! Of course I'll go out with you!" She shouted out, before tackling me to the ground.

So, going right for it, then. I could already tell this was a huge mistake.

I didn't even have the benefit of having Taiyang around to see his face. No instant payoff.

The declaration got an immediate response from everyone else, though. Within the minute, I had little doubt the entire school would know.

"Alright. Enough of that." Getting up, I dusted myself off.

I could see scrolls out all around me, ready to start taking pictures. She really made quite the event out of it. Couldn't be bothered with simply dropping it into a conversation with her friends, I suppose.

"Don't get shy now. We may have just become official, but you know more than anyone some of the stuff we've already done." She winked.

...

What is she doing?

"Yang Xiao Long! What do you think you are doing?!" Before I could even react, a hand clamped down onto my shoulder. I tried to wriggle out, but to no effect. I was trapped.

"Dad! You just missed it! Silva finally asked me out. It took a while, but he finally saw just how awesome I am."

Oh.

Looking over my shoulder, I came eye to eye with Taiyang.

He did not look happy.

Seems my guess of the news taking a minute to spread was a bit too conservative.

Yang was loud, after all. Entirely possible Taiyang just so happened to be nearby.

Also possible that he was purposefully nearby. Still don't know if he completely gave up on the whole 'following his daughter' thing.

"Oh? Did he now?"

I think my shoulder is breaking.

"Yes, he did. Now, if you'd excuse us, my boyfriend and I need to discuss our sleeping arrangements. You know, for when we get to our shared room."

Oh, god. What kind of monster did I just let unleash? Was I going to die?

"Hhhmm!" I grunted out, feeling a snap in my shoulder.

"Better let you kids get to it, then."

Well, whatever the case, looks like it worked. At the very least, I'd get some enjoyment out of Taiyang's frustration.

"Oh, thank goodness. The bathroom has a lock."

We were currently dropping our things off in our room. It was small, obviously used for guests and not students, and had two beds.

"Oh, come on. Do you not trust me?" Yang asked, acting offended.

Did she even need to ask?

"Of course I don't. Now, come on. We have an assembly to get to. They'll be explaining exactly what this tournament is."

There were too many unknowns for my liking, and the sooner that was remedied, the better.

We left the room and made way for the auditorium, where everyone was supposed to convene. I could already see students around that I was unfamiliar with, assumed to be foreigners.

Most everyone we would encounter will undoubtedly have a lot of confidence, seeing as every other school could only send a limited number of representatives. Some of the smaller schools even being limited to a single pair.

Beacon itself was quite the sight. Very reminiscent of castles from back on Earth. The architecture was simply incredible, it was almost like a physical representation of Vale's pride.

Ever since the little incident on the airship, we've been getting looks from our fellow Signal students. The looks varied, but there were two rather consistent takes on our 'relationship.'

Shock, and envy.

It made me feel a little better that a fair amount of the envy came from other girls, wishing to switch places with Yang.

That was kind of off set by the fact that I had to put up with this entire situation to begin with, though. I just had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't the one being punished, but it was Taiyang.

And those two pricks from earlier, I suppose. Crim and Naiv were oh-so-pleasantly upset by the entire situation. It was for the best, though. I guess Yang literally never sparing them a glance didn't exactly take.

It wasn't log before we reached the auditorium, with what looked to be well over a thousand seats facing the stage.

"Silvy! Let's sit over there!" Yang started to drag me before I could even register that stupid nickname that I've never heard her call me before.

"What are you doing?" I attempted to break free, to no avail, before I noticed Taiyang sitting in the front row, staring at us.

Man, she's pretty good at this.

"We're going to go sit next to Dad, of course." She replied with her ever present smile.

It was rather evil, really. Sitting next to him was definitely the best way to piss the guy off.

It was a little off putting to be perfectly honest. This was supposed to be me getting back at the guy for what he's made me put up with, but rather quickly it has turned into Yang's little project.

At this point, I didn't have to do anything. I simply let Yang take the wheel, her knowing the best ways to get under his skin.

It made sense, though. She definitely seems like the one to be making the decisions in a relationship, and I've always been one to just go with the flow, even in my past life. It's just easier that way.

"Yang. Silva. Nice to see you two getting along so well." Came the father's attempt at a genuine response.

Yeah. He really was just a typical dad, wasn't he? It was hard to find someone comfortable with his daughter dating, but you'd rarely get 'violent' ones. No, he feigned support, and that's all you could really ask for.

"We have you to thank for that! Oh, I just wonder how we would have gotten along if you hadn't made Silva your assistant..." Was Yang's response.

I could barely keep my laugh in at that one. Putting the blame on him. I could only imagine what he was thinking.

Just as he was about to respond, I zoned out of the conversation.

In the corner of the room, I noticed a gray haired man enter alongside what looked to be the most physically attractive woman I've seen since coming to this world. And she was tall.

God, being thirteen sucks.

I shifted my focus back to the man, though. It was only a year ago, so the memory was rather fresh. That was the guy who came to see me in that jail cell, after my little "outing," as he so delicately put it.

Huh.

Noticing my staring, Taiyang seemed to forget his anger. "That right there is Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon. You'd do well to remain on his good side."

He was obviously referencing my first encounter with Signal's headmaster.

Not sure what was really worse, though. After all, the first time I met this guy was while I was sitting behind bars.

"The woman?" I asked, still interested. I may not have a chance with her given my age, but damn if I still didn't want to know her name.

"Glynda Goodwitch. A real scary one, she is. I'd say the same about her good side, but I find it rather difficult to keep from angering her." He replied simply.

I could only imagine why.

The next few minutes were filled with students filling in, before it looked like everyone had arrived. It was time to figure out exactly what we'd be doing.

"Greeting, everyone. My name is Ozpin, and I am the headmaster of Beacon Academy." His voice rang out, aided by the the speakers.

"You have all gathered here for the tournament that my school will be hosting. We've kept any specific details about the competition secret up until now, but worry not. We'll explain everything briefly."

The man seemed rather unenthusiastic given just how large an audience he had.

"Before that, though, allow me to welcome you all. Each and every one of you have taken the first step in a journey that will last for the rest of your lives. Being a huntsman isn't just a career that you can retire from whenever you'd like. It is a title that you will carry to the grave."

At this, I smiled. It was true. Hunters could retire and settle down, just like anyone else, but it was different. They would always be hunters. In times of emergency, they would be the first to be called upon, and at the same time were the last line of defense against the ever growing hordes of Grimm.

"For these next few days, we want to convey the fact that you can't be prepared for everything. At a moments notice, you could be attacked, and be at a severe disadvantage. The tournament is based around this."

Well, I didn't like the sound of that.

"As you might have already suspected, this will be a combat tournament. You will fight each other, alongside your partner, in a bracket. However, each round will be vastly different from the last."

Okay, fighting. Yang and I should be confident. Depends on what he says next.

"How will they be different? Well, basically, each individual match will have a random set of rules. For example, the first match would be fought entirely unarmed. The second, with one of the partners blindfolded. These are mere over simplifications of what the rules will actually be, but that will be the basic premise." He concluded, stepping away from the mic.

Well, that's pretty interesting. He said it was simplified, so I wonder what the actual 'modifiers,' if you will, would be?

"The remainder of the day will be spent however you wish. The training rooms will be open, and the cafeteria will serve food until nine tonight. I suggest you finish any last minute preparation you might need quickly. With that, you are dismissed." Came Glynda, briefly stepping up to the mic.

"Exciting, isn't it?" Yang asked, genuinely interested in this tournament. It was nice to get passed the show she put on every once in a while.

"Yeah. It is."

The tournament would begin tomorrow morning. It would wrap up completely in three days, and there were roughly one hundred pairs of actual competitors here. The majority of the crowd was made up of Signal's general student populace. Everyone came, wishing to see the tournament themselves.

Until then, though, I would rest. Yang would definitely try to rope me into training, but I would refuse. What we needed was to be at one hundred percent in the morning.

"Time to show the world just how great we can be."

Authors Note: Well, that was a long one. Just a nice little set up for a tournament arc. As you can see, the world of Remnant is already a little different. A tournament like this, specifically for beginners, isn't likely to exist. Well, not on this scale, at least. However, I think it would be rather boring if I didn't have any original events of my own. One of the biggest flaws I notice in these OC stories is the main character simply following canon.

If nothing changes because of your character, don't you think that makes him out to be rather insignificant?

That being said, you can expect a large amount of original content. I plan on 'following' canon, in the sense that Cinder and all that stuff exists. How will I go about it? Not even I'm sure, to be perfectly honest. In an attempt to write as organic a story as possible, a lot of what I write is on the fly. I have a few points that I predetermine that need to be hit, but in between those it just happens. I sit down, and write. Don't like it? Delete, and retry. I feel this to be the best method, given how I think.

Does that take away from the magic? Don't worry, I do have something I'm aiming for. The journey is just a little less... concrete.

As for the whole Yang thing, I thought it might be fun to write. Taiyang just seemed so fun to mess with. With how I made his character out to be, something like this would really throw him for a loop. Not used to being on the recieving side of things.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Thanks for the reviews! Keep it up! Nice to know I'm doing well. Even nicer to know I'm doing poorly.

Until next time!

~YeOldDoorHinge