Destiny No More

Chapter 48

Pyrrha did her best to sidestep and avoid all of the citizens as she ran through the crowd, but despite her efforts, she still had a few minor collisions that very nearly knocked people to the ground. There wasn't time to apologize however, and Pyrrha pushed on; careful not to lose sight of her target.

The girl was easily recognizable of course, her pink and brown hair sticking among the crowd of regular citizens, but her short height made it hard to keep an eye on her. She easily hid amongst the crowd, and they could only track her due to her still having Coco's Scroll and Fox's semblance. The shorter girl moved through the crowd with ease, barely causing even the slightest bit of commotion as she ran. Meanwhile Pyrrha and Team CFVY had to force their way through, all the while watching as their target got farther away from them.

"This isn't working." Velvet sent, having just narrowly avoided running into a mother holding her baby. "Chasing someone through a crowd looks so much easier in the movies!"

"We're losing her!" Fox was the worst off; his lack of sight no doubt making the chase all the worse.

"We'll never catch her like this." Coco sent. "Split up, Yatsu take Fox and circle around on the street. We'll try and chase her towards you."

Neither of them argued, Yatsuhashi and Fox quickly separating from the group. Pyrrha, Velvet, and Coco each skid to a halt at the crossroads having lost sight of their target. The path split into several different areas; each packed with people. Pyrrha frantically looked between the crowds, hoping to spot any kind of clue.

"Shit, Fox, which way did she go?" Coco frantically asked.

"I'm not sure, there's too many people."

Pyrrha heard Coco curse softly before turning towards each of them. "Split up, keep in touch if you see anything!"

Pyrrha and Velvet nodded back to her before turning, each going their separate ways as they tried to navigate through the crowds. She received a few odd looks from people, no doubt wondering why she seemed so panicked, but she was gone before they could say anything.

She shook her head in frustration, none of this made any sense. The girl had managed to steal Coco's scroll, and if she could get that close without being noticed, why had she shown herself? The message was clearly meant to taunt her, so was this the same? Was it all a game to her?

Pyrrha growled softly under her breath, her eyes frantically looking around the crowd. It just didn't add up, what was the girl doing following her in the first place if she was going to blow her own cover?

There was a flash of pink hair in the crowd that caught Pyrrha's eye, and a moment later she saw the short girl looking back at her with a smug smile. The look in her mismatched eyes could only be described as amusement, or maybe satisfaction, but it only served to anger the former champion further. She was tired of playing people's games, of being misled and led down paths of failure.

She had managed to cover roughly half the distance before the girl took off once more, this time moving down a side alley with significantly less people. Pyrrha cleared the last remnants of the crowd just as the girl rounded another corner.

Sending a quick warning to her friends of her plan, Pyrrha spared a brief glance behind her to make sure no one was watching before turning back in the direction the girl had run. She took a deep breath, felt the familiar warmth around her eyes, and she leapt off the ground.

Controlling the Maiden powers was still difficult for her, and she hadn't yet grasped the more nuanced aspects of it. Flight was one such thing that didn't come easily to her. Despite Glynda's help, and advice from Ozpin, she had yet to master the seemingly simple matter. Her attempt at levitating quickly gave way to a rapid ascent as she launched herself to the top of the building.