Graceful

Jeanne launched herself at Gray. She took leaping steps that carried her quickly across the stage. Gray anticipated a charge and began twirling his staff around to build a little momentum. Just as Jeanne made it to just in front of him, he twirled his staff faster, as if he were about to strike, only to side step at the last second. Gray dodged a slice from Jeanne’s sword at the right time and brought his staff in to strike her right side. His attack connected with her ribcage, just under her breastplate. Jeanne winced a little but struck out with her sword horizontally. Gray ducked under the path of the blade and backed away with a couple quick leaps.

The new distance between them didn’t last long as Jeanne chased him down. She went for a more diagonal slice this time, and Gray deflected, only for Jeanne to follow up with a series of quick strikes while holding her ground. It looked like she was trying to avoid another side step from Gray by not overly committing to a charge.

Gray managed to parry and deflect most of her attacks, except for one that nicked him in the shoulder. It wasn’t enough to slow him down or anything. It was just a little too close for comfort.

At this point of the fight, barely a few seconds in, Gray was really just interested in seeing how the girl fought. He was waiting to see what he was up against and very quickly realized that Jeanne was quite an offensive fighter. Or, at the very least, he might have riled her up enough before the fight that she lost her cool.

That didn’t seem likely to him though. Her demeanor in this encounter seemed very measured and experienced. Even now, her face looked dangerous, yet also calm. As a warrior should.

Gray took his turn to go on the offensive the moment he saw her slow down a little. He struck and she parried, only for him to hit her arm hard in a back swing with the other end of his staff. He struck again, she deflected, and Gray hit her elbow with a thwack.

They exchanged more attacks with Gray having the advantage. He would catch her by surprise a number of times with his mobility and reach, even hitting her across the face one time. This made her flinch and she stepped back with her sword at the ready to try and take any more hits.

Gray didn’t chase her. He stood in place and watched to see what she would do.

They stared each other down for a few seconds before Jeanne stepped forward, her sword pointed at him. She stabbed at his chest, keeping enough distance to parry any of Gray’s strikes. Gray flicked away all of her attacks but didn’t have the reach to attack back. The moments where Jeanne got almost close enough for him to strike, she managed to either get out of reach or brace herself and roll her shoulders with the hits, softening the blow. All while still keeping her sword between him and her.

Clever girl, Gray thought to himself. She’s adapting quickly to my style.

However, at this rate the fight would turn more into a battle of attrition. And they didn’t exactly have time to see who would get tired first. Gray, for one, didn’t want to miss lunch break.

She stepped forward again to poke at his defenses. She used fast, quick strikes to threaten his face. She took full advantage of her short sword and her two-handed grip to maneuver her blade like a striking snake. Gray managed to block and deflect all of them, but even he noticed how she was getting faster with each strike.

It took all his stamina to keep up with her, and she still managed to keep a decent amount of distance from his range. She would dart forward, strike, then back off before he could counter, then dart back in again.

Gray was going to have to get in close somehow. He might have to take a gamble.

Gray felt for his Aura and molded it around his body and his staff. He sharpened the air along the edge of Obscurity. He bolstered his stamina by breathing evenly, even as he sharpened the air around his own body. He stepped forward and his own strikes came quicker. His staff whistled through the air and his limbs burned as they began to blur.

Jeanne seemed to notice the change in Gray and tried to match his pace but didn’t expect what would happen next.

Suddenly, Gray unleashed a barrage of dizzying strikes and twirls. Short and sharp contact with her blade, then wide sweeping hits that threatened to unbalance her stance. She had to fight to keep her sword between them. He then switched it up to vertical twirls and strikes that knocked her blade up and down.

She realized too late that she had been taking steps back as Gray had been advancing. Just as she tried to halt his advance Gray seemed to dash forward straight past her defense. His staff blurred before striking her hard in the chest, sending her stumbling back. She lost her footing and began falling, but then committed to the momentum and rolled back and onto her feet again.

When she came back up Jeanne immediately brought her sword up to defend, but no attack came. Gray just stood and watched again. They were in another standstill.

Jeanne was breathing a little heavily. Though, it didn’t seem like she was on her last legs.

Gray, himself, let his Aura relax a little. Keeping up that state for too long could be taxing.

Gray noticed Jeanne glance at her wrist. She immediately darted her attention back to him.

She was most likely checking on her Aura reserves. Gray didn’t check on his. He didn’t really see a point. Especially since he’s used it so often and in different ways, he felt like he knew when he was running low. The stunt he pulled might have worn through a chunk of his reserves but he still felt like he was in the clear.

A long moment passed before he saw Jeanne change her stance. She brought her sword closer to her right side and held it vertically, parallel to her body. Her footing shifted a little too, though he couldn’t figure out why she made the change.

She stood there and seemed to dare him to make a move.

Yeah, she was definitely going to try something.

Alright then, Gray would do the honors.

He approached with a steady charge, ready to stop the moment Gray got too close. He got close enough and swung Obscurity. Jeanne blocked and Gray attempted to swing the other end of his staff to crack against her left elbow. This time she took the hit with barely a wince as she braced for the contact. Then she swung her sword and they exchanged a few blows. His counters seemed to work, even though she took them like a champ.

Gray was in the middle of swinging for her shoulder when something sent off alarm bells in his head.

Jeanne’s left hand wasn’t on her sword. She was holding it one-handed and her left was moving to her scabbard. She grabbed a metal loop on its side and her scabbard came away from her hip.

Gray had been committed to his attack so he didn’t think he would have time to counter whatever she was doing. Almost in slow motion Gray watched as his staff whacked against her arm. In the same breath something large and white filled his vision a second before he felt an impact from head to hip.

Gray was thrown across the floor, landing a few meters away.

His Aura took most of the impact but he did feel a little ache from the hit, and before Jeanne could capitalize on his state of weakness he rolled and flipped away from her. He landed on his feet and quickly eyed the situation.

Jeanne now stood with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other.

There was only a small moment of confusion from Gray before he made the connection between the scabbard and the shield. Both were white with a little bit of gold trim, only now there was a symbol of a sword flanked by two stylized flowers emblazoned on the face of the shield.

The only thing that made sense was that the scabbard had Mecha-shifted into a shield. Which would explain why she had a short sword instead of a longsword. One was easier to use one-handed than the other. It would also explain why she was so quick with it too.

Now, how to deal with this? Gray had a number of ways to combat a situation like this, but would they show good sportsmanship? Considering the tools he had at his disposal, probably not. In a fair fight it would just look like he cheesed it. In a real life or **** battle with a real enemy however, all things were fair. In a fight with a girl in the middle of class? Probably best to play by the rules. Especially since Gray had a thing for this girl.

So, Gray took his dagger Haze and attach it to Obscurity. The extra sharp edge would help him whittle down Jeanne’s Aura shield better than blunt ****. He would have used it earlier but he wasn’t sure how serious he could have been. Now that he knew how serious and strong Jeanne was, he could go at her and not worry too much.

He saw Jeanne eye his new sharp attachment. He could already predict the thought process going through her head. She might very well be wondering if he would be using a lot of stabbing moves, now that he had a sharp weapon. He almost chuckled. No, no, things wouldn’t be that simple.

Without wasting any more time Gray leaped forward.

Jeanne braced herself and stood her ground.

Gray breathed deeply and felt his Aura respond to his will.

They both made contact, Gray stabbing for the part of Jeanne’s head that he could see, and Jeanne blocked with her shield. She then tried to strike him with her sword but he parried. Jeanne then went for another shield bash but Gray quickly brought his staff to defend, while keeping his footing deliberately loose. The contact **** him backwards, and he went back with quick steps.

That took him out of range of her sword swipes.

Gray went back in and swung against her right side. She deflected with her sword then went for another bash, only to find that Gray was back on his quick feet. Whatever **** she applied to her shield was absorbed by the bounce in his legs. The only damage she was doing was blunt **** to his Aura, but that wasn’t doing anything to his balance.

Back in his old school, Lantern, Gray had briefly tried learning some boxing. He didn’t particularly have any talent for it so it didn’t last long. However, he did pick up some useful lessons from that experience.

Footwork was perhaps the most important part of a fight. Master the use of your legs and you could get in and out of your opponent's range before they could effectively counter. And so, that’s what he did. Back and forth he would go, strike and test her defense, then dance back, taking any hits with their **** diminished.

Jeanne must be getting very confused after a while. She had definitely been hitting him, but all her hits after that first initial bash were somehow softer than the first. She must be coming to the realization that fighting a quarterstaff user was a little bit tricky.

There was one thing that she could do to turn the fight in her favor but Gray didn’t particularly want her to figure it out. He did have a counter for it but he’d rather not use up ammo either. So, after another quick jab at her, and another attempt to strike at him, Gray backed off and started to circle her.

Jeanne was **** to follow or open herself up for attack. She turned with Gray and even took her own circling steps.

Gray didn’t attack. He let the tension build while keeping his distance. Eventually Jeanne had enough and advanced with a steady run. At the same time Gray charged. They met in the middle before Jeanne could fully register that Gray had moved faster than her. Her instinctual response was to ready her shield. Although, due to the slow circling they had been doing, Gray was a little too far to her right, so she had to overcompensate and brought her shield in closer to her right side.

Gray didn’t expect her to make a rookie mistake like that. He still used it to his advantage, though.

With her shield covering much of her vision, Gray relied heavily on his Aura and quickly side stepped out of her field of view. He also ducked low, caught her shield edge with one hand and pulled. Before Jeanne could understand what her mistake had cost her, Gray stabbed at her side, just under her armor.

Jeanne’s Aura sparked and took most of the ****. Gray’s dagger, Haze, scraped against her. It didn’t penetrate the skin but it definitely depleted a chunk of her Aura reserves.

Gray didn’t push his luck and retreated before she could bash his head in. And just in time too. Jeanne retaliated by swinging wide with her shield to get him away from her. It didn’t connect as he had rolled back and away.

He came back to his feet and watched as Jeanne was breathing heavily. There was a strained look on her face, whether from pain or irritation Gray couldn’t tell.

Jeanne didn’t wait before charging at Gray. It wasn’t a reckless charge either. She didn’t scream in anger or swing wildly. Even if she might have been irritated, she still kept her cool and closed the distance.

This was what Gray was a little worried about. Fighting someone with a sword and shield combo was doable, provided he maintained a distance while fighting. Now that she seemed determined to close the distance Gray was going to be on the defensive, and that could be dangerous for him. His maneuverability won’t matter much if he can’t keep Jeanne in a suitable range.

The next few moments made Gray thank whatever powers that be that he had thought to train so extensively with his Aura. He put every bit of energy into his limbs to try and block, deflect and parry Jeanne’s sword while also walking backwards with his best footwork to avoid her shield. Even with his air-cutting Aura-enhanced limbs Jeanne managed to keep up, and even threaten Gray’s personal space.

Jeanne came at him like a stubborn bull. Every attack was quick yet measured. There were no wasted movements. Just a well-oiled machine. Her blade came too close to his face a number of times. He felt her shield brush uncomfortably close to him. He didn’t bother to count how many times he felt his Aura take a small hit. He was trying to come up with something to level the playing field.

He needed to take a risk. That or use his dust ammo in his staff or one of his tools. Though, she probably wouldn’t give him enough time to try. Regardless, if this kept up there was a big chance he could slip up. Either that or she would get tired, and Gray wasn’t going to wait and find out.

He decided to try and go on the offensive. It was going to be difficult since Jeanne was already in her stride, but he didn’t see any other choice. So, he sacrificed some hits just so he could threaten her face with some close swipes. Predictably, she blocked with her shield but he kept on trying.

It felt like a very awkward fight, with her chasing and him running backwards. In actuality, it probably didn’t last very long for the audience. But for Gray it felt like it had gone on long enough.

Just as he was thinking that, he saw his chance. Jeanne had slowed down and put more effort into protecting her face. Her shield arm was locked in place. Gray didn’t give her enough time to counter him. He grabbed the top of her shield and launched himself above her. His feet left the ground and he flipped in the air over her, turning so he could see her from above.

Gray witnessed her shocked expression as she tried to track him with her eyes. A little too late she tried to turn with him, but Gray was already in the best position.

Gray brought his staff down, letting gravity power most of the strike, and connected it with Jeanne’s head. There was a loud thwack, her head was knocked down, time seemed to slow for the whole class, and Gray felt both exhilaration and worry. He was still falling; the fight hadn’t ended yet and he was already wondering if he went too hard with that strike.

Time went back to normal the moment his feet hit the ground. He skipped back a couple steps, in case Jeanne somehow managed to counter. Yet, nothing happened.

Everything was silent. The class held its breath. Glynda, off to the side, wondered if she should call the match.

Jeanne was slightly hunched over, yet still standing. Gray couldn’t see her face. He watched for what felt like hours, yet must have only been seconds.

The crowd was beginning to mutter. Glynda stepped forward.

“Ms. Arc, are you alright?” The Professor asked with concern.

Jeanne seemed to stir. Her breathing seemed to be under control, if a little labored.

“I’m fine.” Came her reply. Gray could hear a little of her exhaustion, but that paled next to the determination in her voice.

She finally straightened up. Jeanne looked dead straight at Gray, her vision not at all wavering.

Gray noticed a slight bruising on her forehead, near her right temple. He Aura was working to clear it up as he watched. Also, her hair seemed to be mussed up, but otherwise she seemed perfectly fine, if a little winded.

Damn, this girl had some balls, Gray thought, praising Jeanne. If she was this strong, and she likely never beat Pyrrha before, then how strong was the Mistral Champion?

Gray shook the thought away when he noticed that Glynda had stepped away again. The fight was still on. Gray took this moment to finally glance at his vitals. He looked at his wrist, where his scroll was attached, and noted that his Aura reserves were at just below half. Not exactly the biggest cause for concern. They did have a particularly fierce fight after all. He reckoned that she was roughly the same.

A mechanical whirring sound made him look up and tense.

Jeanne’s shield... turned back into a scabbard.

Gray looked on confused.

She stood there, sword in one hand and the other holding the metal loop of her scabbard. Then her scabbard began to shift again. It elongated, the tip now reaching to the floor. The opening at the top expanded and divided. Jeanne then sheathed her sword, hilt first, into the opening. Hilt first!

Gray was stunned to say the least.

Gears must have begun moving inside the scabbard because the hilt was being pulled further inside. The top edge of the scabbard reached the swords cross guard and seemed to pull it along. The cross guard travelled up to about halfway up the length of the swords blade before stopping. The scabbard’s opening then locked into place before Jeanne spun her weapon with a flourish and ended in a ready stance.

The girl now stood there with a spear held up and pointed straight at Gray.

Ah, so that was the spear she mentioned. Gray thought dumbly. Mecha-shift was an amazing thing.

He pulled out Murk and clipped it into place at the other end of his own weapon to make Dusk Light – Gemini. Not nearly as cool of a process as Jeanne’s but Gray could live with that. He spun his weapon too. Only, his looked lazy. His eyes, however, were hyper focused on the blonde girl across from him.

A moment later Jeanne rushed in. Gray flexed his Aura once again and stepped forward just as she reached him. She stabbed towards his head with her newfound range and Gray was **** to dodge to the side. He brought his staff up to knock her spear back. With deft control Jeanne pulled her weapon back and stabbed again. Gray stepped to the side and blocked again.

Gray then took a swipe before she could pull back. Jeanne brought her spear up to deflect it, only for Gray to step close into her personal space. She tried to step back to keep her spear between them but Gray kept chasing. He **** the issue by attacking her with quick swipes with both ends of his staff. The pointy ends hit close but Jeanne used her spear like a staff to defend.

Both their weapons clacked and clanged as they danced across the stage. Jeanne managed to catch her stride, even as she used her spear as a staff instead of how she probably intended. They both stopped dancing in a one-sided way. Jeanne was no longer losing ground from trying to keep her spear between them. She spun her spear around much like Gray was doing.

Instead of Jeanne losing ground, they now went back and forth, giving and taking ground as they gained or lost the advantage.

Gray could feel Jeanne speed up her attacks and responded in kind. His Aura worked hard to cut the air around his arms. Jeanne somehow kept up with him, even as he could see the strain on her face.

Back and forth they went, trading blows, attacking and defending, spinning their weapons, aiming for weak spots, sacrificing hits so they could block another hit. It almost felt like time had slowed down for them. No matter that their movements were likely difficult for others to keep up with, to Gray it was like they were swimming. Or dancing in slow-motion.

It was a dance, and the both of them were entranced, following along to a choreography that neither of them had practiced, and yet they somehow knew deep down.

Everything was in focus. Gray saw Jeanne with such clarity. He could see her determined eyes and the sweat drops running down her face. He could see the movement of her spear and how much **** was being put into it. He could feel her shift her weight as she prepared to hit him. He could even feel where the Professor was standing, not too far away, watching with a serious and stern eye.

Gray could even feel the crowd, the noise up until this moment had been a constant loud rumble. That rumble had been easy for him to ignore. Now though, the noise seemed almost like a low buzz, their cheering had also slowed down from Gray’s perspective.

Instinctively, Gray somehow knew that Jeanne was also locked into this state of hyper awareness. Both their perceptions heightened to a state of **** focus. There was no time to be surprised or intrigued, though. Their minds were locked into this dance. All that mattered was defeating the other.

Gray struck at her face. Jeanne deflected. She then swung at his midsection. He spun his staff and smacked her spear away. She took that momentum and spun around to try and sweep his legs. Gray hopped over her spear and swung his staff down on her face. She stepped back at the last second and his staff sliced through air. Jeanne countered by striking up diagonally. Gray ducked his head to the side and stabbed forward. Jeanne brought her spear down hard and deflected his weapon to the side. Jeanne then swung the opposite end of her spear to clip his shoulder. He couldn’t move out of the way in time but sliced up against her arm. Jeanne ignored the cut and knocked against his staff once more.

Back and forth they went, like two toy spinners in a bowl. That was an old game that kids used to play. However, those toy spinners would eventually slowdown from repeated contact. Yet, Gray and Jeanne just seemed to keep going.

The air felt incredibly tense with the graceful **** taking place. The crowd looked on in amazement and the scene felt like it could go on forever.

But, of course, it had to end at some point.

Gray felt that time come when his Aura sputtered from one of Jeanne’s attacks. The energy of his Aura had become visible. It wasn’t depleted, just very close.

He needed to end things quickly.

The fight wore on. Gray tried harder to hit Jeanne more times than she could hit him, and he succeeded. Mostly. He did hit her many times more than Jeanne hit him, however, not once did he see her Aura sputter, or even fizzle.

It was confusing for Gray, but he didn’t let that distract him.

The fight wore on and Gray’s Aura shield was becoming more and more visible. He was getting ****, but nothing seemed to work. He could feel himself tiring but he couldn’t let himself waver. He at least needed to see Jeanne’s Aura before losing.

He hadn’t given up; he just knew that was how this fight was going. His instincts were telling him so. He still wanted to leave his mark though. So, he clung on and kept fighting. Even as his arms grew heavier. His Aura couldn’t maintain the technique he was using. His breathing became ragged and sweat was pouring down his face.

An attack slipped past his defense. Jeanne’s spear cut his chest. Gray’s Aura depleted with the sound of broken glass.

Time stood still for a moment. Jeanne’s spear hung suspended in the air, her hands keeping it there as she registered what had happened. Her eyes took in the destabilized Aura shattering around Gray.

Gray couldn’t help but stare back. There was little shock, but what shock he did feel was from the sudden pain from her attack. To be expected really. Also, he hadn’t seen even a small glimmer of her Aura. That was a little disheartening.

Time came back with a shudder as a wave of exhaustion swept of Gray. He fell to his knees and dropped Dusk Light. He stopped himself from falling on his face using his hands. Lead seemed to fill his limbs and all he could do was breathe hoarsely.

“That is the match! Jeanne Arc wins.” He heard the Professor announce.

The class erupted into roars and cheers. Some students even stood up to clap. The noise washed over Gray. He was too busy feeling tired.

Upon hearing the announcement, and subsequent applause, almost like her strings were cut, Jeanne brought her spear down and supported herself with it. Her arms and legs were shaking and her own breathing was labored.

Both Jeanne and Gray were so lost to their respective exhaustion that they couldn’t pay attention when Glynda addressed the class. The class finally quietened down after she let them get it out of their system. The professor then said a few things. Whatever she said just flew over the heads of both combatants.

Gray just watched as his sweat dripped from his nose and onto the floor below. Time blurred for him until a hand touched his shoulder. He looked up into the face, and swinging breasts, of Professor Goodwitch. He leaned back onto his feet, his breathing still rough.

Gray immediately saw that the room was empty. Or, rather, almost empty. Besides himself and Glynda, Jeanne stood close by. Her weapon was put away and she stood on slightly unsteady feet. She was watching Gray with a complicated expression. She seemed a little hesitant but an excitement was dancing behind her eyes.

Well, she did win. Of course she would be excited.

Besides her, no one else was there. The whole class had left. Without him realizing it. How much time had passed?

“Are you alright, Mr. Farran?” Glynda asked him. Her naked hanging breasts caught his attention again. However, he was too tired to really care about them.

“Yeah, I’m just exhausted.” He told her. “Where did everyone go?”

“The bell rang and I dismissed them.” She explained, surprising him. He hadn’t even heard the bell. How out of it was he? “I also told your teams to go to lunch and to not bother you both so soon after that fight.”

He found himself nodding. Made sense. He wouldn’t want to be crowded by his team after losing.

“Do you think you can stand, Mr. Farran?”

In answer, Gray lifted himself up on shaky legs. Glynda grabbed his weapon from the floor and handed it to him. She eyed him up to make sure he wouldn’t fall over and nodded to herself when he didn’t.

“I would just like to say, to the both of you,” Glynda Goodwitch began, including Jeanne who was still off to the side. “That you both fought admirably. More than I could have expected from the first fight of the year. You both were exceptional and very skilled, no matter that only one of you was victorious.”

Her words meant well, but that didn’t stop Gray from feeling a pinprick of disappointment.

“You should both be proud and I’m looking forward to teaching you more in the four years you’ll be here.” Glynda continued. Jeanne lost the hesitant look and nodded her head at the Professor. Gray nodded too. “Now, I’m sure you both want to just lie down and sleep the rest of the day away, but you do have one more lesson, plus you probably don’t want to miss lunch either. Go and have a shower and try to get something to eat before lunch period ends, alright?”

Gray’s stomach growled at the mention of food, much to his annoyance. Jeanne giggled a little, but her hesitant demeanor was coming back. She was rubbing her arm while trying to face Gray. She wasn’t really succeeding though, since her eyes couldn’t really stay on him.

“Off you go. You know where the locker room showers are.” The Professor said with finality. She shooed them off and they both turned around to head to the locker room.

They walked side by side and Gray could feel the awkwardness coming off of Jeanne like its own kind of Aura. They made their way down the short steps of the stage and headed towards the doors before Gray felt the need to activate his Semblance just to get away from the awkward feeling.

He stopped and sighed in relief when Jeanne carried on and into the locker room. Gray wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about losing. Sure, it stung, but it’s not like he hadn’t lost fights before. And it wasn’t about losing to a girl either. He had lost a couple of fights to girls back at Lantern. No, it was more that he felt unsure about something in that fight with Jeanne. Yet, he didn’t know what it was.

Thinking of something, Gray looked back at the raised stage in the combat room and stopped.

His eyes turned wide.

He was looking at the holographic screen above the platform. The screen that would let the audience know about the combatant's vitals. It would show how much Aura they had left.

Gray stared in disbelief.

His vitals showed that his shield had been broken. His Aura reserves had been depleted to zero percent. That much he knew.

Jeanne’s, on the other hand, said her Aura shield...

It was at forty nine percent.