Screw It, I'm Going Out to Find It!

Chapter XXIV: Dance Off!

The shot from the dial clipped past his shoulder, but his aura took the hit. Jaune knew that if he kept this up though, he would run out of aura soon enough. Dipping below the surface, he surged forward and launched his attacker against a tree. Another came after him from behind, but he dropped into the surface entirely before he could be struck. Blake joined in, flipping over the DJ she was fighting to kick over the one that flanked Jaune.

When the G.O.A.T. attacked, Wyper decided they couldn't waste time on him. With a portion of the Shandians left behind, enough that the rest couldn't be pursued, they kept going. The sun hadn't been up too long, but Jaune wasn't sure how much longer he could keep going. The DJs weren't particularly strong, but no one could keep fighting forever, not without rest.

Blake noticed him beginning to lag behind, and fell back herself to join him. After a few glances toward him, she made up her mind. Hooking an arm around him, she dragged him away from the fight. Jaune only got one more shot off before they left.

***

Satori was more of a challenge than they had initially expected. Ruby's speed could only carry her so far with lights flashing into her eyes. Not to mention, the man was surprisingly fast for a human ball. He moved loftily around and even seemed to be able to predict what they were about to do. He had called something like 'mantra,' but whatever it was, it gave him an edge they didn't have.

Ruby watched Ren get knocked back, protecting himself with Stormflower crossed in front of him, but the force of something in Satori's gloves was too much. He had some sort of weapon there, and Ruby was determined to disarm him. She used a slanted root like a ramp with her semblance to launch herself into the air. Pivoting mid-flight wasn't easy, but she needed to angle herself enough to attack his gloves.

A light flashed in her eyes, she felt a force hit her gut, and she was slammed back against a tree. All the while, that taunting disco music kept playing and the man kept laughing.

"We can't keep rushing in," Ren admonished after helping Ruby up. "We need some sort of plan."

Ruby grit her teeth. She knew he was right, but it was one thing to say it and another to follow through. Her mind raced through many possibilities and ideas, most of which led to nowhere fast. Then it clicked. "We need to get just one of those gloves off. If we can do that, I have a plan."

***

Oobleck stared at the letter incredulously before setting it back down onto his desk. They were claiming him, of all people, to be a poor headmaster. Did they not realize how hard he had fought tooth and nail for their academy to be at least functional. Well, they had gotten to that point at long last, but it seemed Vale had differing ideas. In all honesty, it shouldn't have been as much of a deal as it was. The council of Vale did not have authority in Beacon, something Ozpin had been quite fond of; however, it wasn't impossible to strongarm him through Vale's connection to the academy.

He stood and paced the room, which would look more frantic to one not used to the movements of those at Beacon. At the moment, they had only sent him a threat veiled as a complaint, but soon it could be much more. From the council's view, the options were simple: step down from his position as headmaster, or be forced to step down. However, Oobleck would not give up so easily. No; not when he had already invested so much into this academy. For years, he had worked as a professor, kindling the spirits of the next generation and guiding them on the path to becoming huntsmen. Now, he had spent restless nights, pushing himself beyond what any normal person should bear, and he had come out on the other side having success.

That begged the question of how it was he should fight this. Any other academic facility might cower beneath the might of the council, but Beacon was not like other academies. While it would be reckless for it to be at odds with Vale under normal circumstances, Beacon was a place of change and it was in the middle of one of its largest changes to date. That did not mean he could afford to be careless here. One wrong move and he might lose his support or enter a stalemate, and a war of attrition was not one Beacon could win. This required a balance of show and restraint.