Chapter 50: Fiery Green
With Raven, Neopolitan, and Emerald sitting in front of me, the mint-haired girl asked me.
" So, what did you want to talk about, Silva?"
Neopolitan and Raven also looked interested in what I had to say as I called them to the table in the airship. I then explained my plans.
" I plan to head to Atlas after the tournament is over, and I am going to be staying there a while, and I want to know what you three want to do."
Raven asked me as she probably guessed part of the reason why I was heading there.
" Are you going to grab "that" under Ozpin's nose like you did with the other item?"
" If I can, yes, plus I want to design my weapon with all of Atlas' available technology."
Raven guessed correctly that I wanted the Staff of Creation as a backup plan to have before I considered confronting Salem as I wanted a means to deal with her if reasoning with her failed. I saw a bit of me in Salem; if I were put in her situation with a loved one's premature death before getting a happily ever after like having children or otherwise, I would likely do anything to get them back, consequences be damned if I felt I could succeed. However, I did not pity her as she did not need it because she reaped what she sowed, and her actions after her failed scheme resulted in humanity's destruction.
Emerald then asked me curiously, and Neopolitan also looked like she wanted to know what we were talking about.
" What are the two of you talking about?"
" That's something I am not ready to tell you about just yet."
I answered Emerald honestly, as depending on things that have been played out, the knowledge of Salem or Relics could become irrelevant in the grand scheme of things one way or another. Emerald looked like she still wanted to know but kept quiet, and Neopolitan stared at me with a silent demand to tell her anyway, but I ignored her stare. Raven then said.
" With Atlas' security, I can't go as James Ironwood knows my face, and I rather not deal with him."
" I figured as much; what about you two?"
As I asked Emerald and Neopolitan, the tri-colored girl immediately responded with a conjured sign.
" Am in!"
Emerald thought about it for a few moments and replied.
" I would like to see if Atlas lives up to its reputation."
Okay, with those two on board with my trip to Atlas, I then asked Raven.
" What do you plan to do, Raven?"
" I plan on gathering enough Lein to pay off my bounty, but after that, I'm not sure."
Emerald then asked Raven as she answered my question in surprise.
" Wait, you have a bounty?!"
Neopolitan also looked surprised at Raven having a price on her head, and the black-haired bandit shrugged off their questions. With all that out of the way, I can't wait to see how tomorrow turns out.
***
The anticipated finals of the Mistral Regional Cup were met with a great deal of fanfare by the audience in the arena, and Stan, the master of ceremonies.
" PEOPLE OF MISTRAL, THE FINALS YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR ARE ABOUT TO START SOON. WHO WILL BE VICTORIOUS, MAI, WHO CAME OUT OF NOWHERE, OR PYRRHA NIKOS, WHO HAS BEEN MOSTLY BREEZING THROUGH THE TOURNAMENT."
Before the final match started, both participants were gearing up in separate dressing rooms. Pyrrha was both excited and nervous as she saw Silva's battles and had no real counter against his speed, especially since her Semblance Polarity wouldn't work against him since he had no metal on his body and used his natural claws as weapons. Silva, on the other hand, mostly felt assured of his victory since he knew how Pyrrha usually fought with her Semblance, and he was still holding back a lot. He was now internally debating on what to do against Pyrrha. Suddenly two men in black suits entered his dressing room, and one of them said to Silva as he was on guard.
" We have come with an offer you can't refuse if you know what's good for you."
The other suit continued with racist slurs about the said offer.
" Now listen up, you dumb animal, your betters have placed a fair bit of money on the redhead, so take a dive with some loose change added to your pockets, and everyone walks away happy."
Silva blinked once, then twice as he processed what he had just heard and erupted with laughter at them. The two suits didn't take kindly at some perceived lesser life form laughing at them.
" What's so funny, you worthless-."
The suit didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as he was implanted into the wall behind him from Silva's swift attack. The suit had Aura, but it broke instantly, and Silva told the other one with a smile.
" I must thank you, really. You helped me decide on what I was going to do for the finals."
Silva's casual smile morphed into a cruel one as he drew out his claws for the enemy in front of him and said.
" No more holding!"
Silva decided to make a point to whoever decided to send some two-bit thugs at him.
***
Silva and Pyrrha stood across from one another, and the redhead greeted the snow leopard faunus with a smile.
" I look forward to facing you, Mai."
" Silva."
Pyrrha looked confused at what Silva just said, and he explained.
" That's my actual name, Silva. As I entered under the other one for some giggles."
Pyrrha looked confused and asked.
" Why would you do that?"
Silva shrugged nonchalantly in reply to Pyrrha's question. Stan then started the match.
" LET THE FINALS FOR THE MISTRAL REGIONAL CUP BEGIN!"
Pyrrha got into her stance while Silva kept himself open. The fiery redhead was on guard, and the snow leopard faunus to his opponent.
" I am going to come at you with everything I have, so please respond in kind, Pyrrha."
Pyrrha smiled at the challenge and replied excitedly.
" Certainly!"
Silva's atmosphere changed; he was no longer treating this like a game or a spar. He created a sphere of destructive energy with his Semblance Emission in his paw, then grasped it. The sphere became a massive polearm that represents Silva's ideal weapon, a polearm designed to face giant Grimm like Wyverns and Leviathans. Pyrrha saw the huge weapon formed in his paw with her mouth slightly open in shock and took a step back. Silva chose this method to show Pyrrha just how far he could push his Semblance and inspire her to do the same. Silva found out he could shape the destructive energy into what he wanted with trial and error to find the limits of his original Semblance.
Silva then swiped his conjured weapon at Pyrrha, and she raised her shield to block the attack but to no avail. The spartan girl was sent flying, and over half her Aura reserves was depleted from that one attack. Pyrrha skid across the arena but stopped herself from getting a ring out by planting her javelin into the floor to stop herself. Silva went after her to end the match quickly because, despite the power of his attack, it rapidly depleted his Aura; he could only maintain his conjured weapon for several minutes at most. As the snow leopard faunus swung at the redhead, she learned the first time to dodge the conjured weapon and not block it.
Pyrrha rolled to the side from Silva's horizontal slash, but his attack flowed into a circular slash that scrapped the redhead regardless. Pyrrha's Aura meter almost reached red, but all it would take was one more attack to end the match. The redhead was completely surprised at how one-sided the fight was and was at a loss as to what to do next. Silva didn't give Pyrrha a moment to think as he swung down at her, and the redhead froze as she knew she couldn't win. Even Raven would be hard-pressed to beat Silva without using her Maiden Magic.
The buzzer rang, signaling the end of the finals in an anti-climatic fashion. The host was dumbfounded at the short and one-sided match. Silence filled the arena, and Silva walked over to Pyrrha as she was on her knees, devastated that all her training meant nothing against her opponent's pure power. Silva then got down on his knee and advised her.
" I figured out your Semblance; you know. Instead of using it subtly like you have been doing, why not push what you could do with it as I have with mine."
Pyrrha snapped out of her loss and considered Silva's word briefly. She realized he had a point as the redhead saw how far the snow leopard faunus pushed his Semblance and how easily he defeated her. Pyrrha thanked Silva for the advice.
" Thank you; I will take your advice under consideration."
" I hope you become far stronger in the future to fulfill your goal in life."
Silva wished her well and left the arena without picking up the cash prize or trophy as they meant nothing to him.
***
At Xiao Long/Rose residence.
Ruby watched the TV gapping at Silva's match and, after a moment, exclaimed excitedly.
" THAT. WAS. AWESOME!"
She started chattering away excitedly as she gushed over Silva's conjured weapon and even started browsing the CCTS on her Scroll for similar weapons and how to make something similar with technology instead of a Semblance. Qrow was stunned at his nephew's strength and said out loud.
" Damn, Silva really grew from when I didn't see him."
Taiyang nodded in agreement as he felt he wouldn't likely win against his sort of stepson if he used that technique. Yang overheard her uncle and asked.
" Silva? As in the same Silva that saved my and Ruby's life?"
Taiyang looked at his brother-in-law with a look that said, you started this. You can finish it. Qrow shrugged; aside from Silva's relation to Raven and banditry, nothing else is really a secret. Qrow then explained to his blonde niece as the little cookie monster was lost in her own world.
" Yeah, that Silva, he probably entered with that ridiculous name for sh*t and giggles."
Ruby then called out as she heard her uncle cuss.
" Swear jar, pay up, Uncle Qrow!"
Qrow rolled his eyes and dug out some Lein from his pocket to put in the swear jar Ruby had, then continued explaining to Yang.
" Plus, I am thinking of picking up Silva to have him attend a combat school like you and kiddo here."
Yang didn't recognize Silva at first as he grew far larger than she remembered or ever expected, but with her uncle's confirmation, she started to recall everything she could about him. Ruby then begged her uncle.
" Can you please, please, please, bring him over? I got to know how he constructed that massive black polearm for reference!"
Qrow smiled at his youngest niece and couldn't really refuse her, and Yang also added.
" I would like to see him again to catch up and see how he has been."
Yang kept the letter Silva wrote and still didn't know what he lied about and wanted to know regardless of the years. Qrow agreed and told them.
" Sure, I will bring him over, but I need to catch him first. Speaking of which, I need to make some plans to head over to Mistral soon if I am going to invite him over."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone