RWBY: Moon Reflection Chapter 29: Crimson's Suspicion

The late afternoon sun stread through the towering glass panels of the coliseum as eight participants stood in the center of the grand arena. The crowd roared with excitent, their voices echoing through the massive stadium. Professor Oobleck sat in the comntator room along Professor Port, his usual frenetic energy tempered by the weight of the final rounds.

"Ladies and gentlen!" Oobleck's voice rang out, amplified by the arena's sound system. "The final rounds will implent a randomization process right before each match to ensure fairness and prevent contestants from preparing ahead of ti. This approach will test not only their combat prowess but also their adaptability in the heat of battle! Just like true huntsn!"

The large scoreboard above the arena lit up, displaying the eight participants' nas. The randomization process began, the nas spinning and flickering until they ca to a halt.

"Yang Xiao Long versus rcury Black!" Professor Port bood from his comntator's box. "Contestants, please prepare yourselves! The rest of the participants, kindly leave the arena!"

As the remaining participants filed out, Yang stood confidently, rolling her shoulders and flashing her trademark grin. Across from her, rcury wore a sly smirk, his stance casual but his eyes sharp.

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The match began with a burst of energy. Yang charged forward, her fists blazing with fire as she unleashed a barrage of punches. Her Ember Celica's shotgun blasts punctuated her attacks, forcing rcury to dodge and counter with his powerful, precise kicks. His tallic boots fired bursts of energy, keeping Yang at bay and matching her power.

The crowd erupted in cheers and gasps as the two fighters traded blows, each showing incredible skill and endurance.

Crimson leaned forward slightly, his eyes darting from Yang's movents to rcury's counters. "She's getting impatient," he muttered to himself as Yang pressed harder, her attacks growing more aggressive.

The turning point ca when Yang activated her semblance. With her aura at its peak, she absorbed rcury's last attack and retaliated with a series of devastating punches that left him no room to escape. Her final blow sent him flying across the arena, ending the match in her favor.

The crowd erupted as Yang raised her fist in triumph, a victorious smile lighting up her face.

As rcury got to his feet, his expression relaxed, he began walking toward Yang. She turned her back on him, waving to the cheering audience. As he approached, she suddenly froze, her smile fading into a look of surprise as she looked at him. Her eyes flicked to him, then narrowed in anger.

Without warning, Yang delivered a powerful punch to rcury's knee, sending him collapsing to the ground.

The entire coliseum fell into stunned silence.

On the ground, rcury clutched his knee. His voice cracked as he cried out, "Ah! My Leg! Why would she do that?!"

The screens above the arena displayed the scene repeatedly, showing Yang striking rcury unprovoked. The audience gasped, murmurs of disbelief spreading like wildfire.

Atlas soldiers rushed onto the field, surrounding Yang, who stood frozen, her expression a mixture of confusion and frustration. Erald ran to rcury's side, screaming for a dic as she cradled his "injured" leg.

Monts later, Yang was escorted out of the arena by the soldiers, her protests unheard over the chaos. rcury was carried away on a stretcher, Erald by his side, still shouting angrily at the officials.

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Back in the stands, Ruby and Weiss stared at the scene in disbelief.

"Yang wouldn't do that…" Ruby whispered, her voice trembling.

Blake's fists clenched. "How could she?"

Crimson remained silent, his frown deepening. His sharp mind replayed the events in his head: Yang's surprise, her sudden anger, and rcury's exaggerated cries.

"rcury didn't say anything to provoke her," Crimson muttered, his voice low. "And his screams… they felt off. People in real pain don't act like that."

Blake turned to him. "What do you an?"

"Soone who breaks a limb doesn't just cry like that," Crimson said, his tone thoughtful but firm. "There's a desperation and suffering that cos with it. For one, he didn't even shiver from the pain."

Blake frowned. "It looked pretty real to ."

Crimson didn't answer imdiately, his eyes fixed on the retreating figures of Yang and the soldiers. He had seen countless people lose limbs or suffer serious injuries, and he knew all too well how they behaved in such monts.

"It doesn't matter now," Crimson replied, not sparing her a glance.

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Yang sat in the small room where she'd been detained for hours, her fiery temper dulled into a weary silence. Despite her insistence that she had acted in self-defense, no one seed willing to believe her. Every ti she repeated the story, it felt like her words were falling on deaf ears. Finally, the authorities released her under the condition that she remain confined to Beacon's dorms until the end of the festival; they attributed her attack to nervousness and adrenaline.

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The next day, Crimson walked briskly down the hallway leading to his sisters' dorm. As he approached the door, he noticed General Ironwood exiting the room. The general paused briefly, his steely gaze locking onto Crimson for a mont before walking away without a word. Crimson didn't linger on the encounter, instead pushing open the door and stepping inside.

Inside, he found his sisters and their team looking downcast. Ruby, sitting on the bed, perked up at his arrival, but her enthusiasm quickly faded when she noticed the serious expression on his face.

"Yang," Crimson called, his voice firm yet gentle. "Tell what happened."

Yang looked up at him, her eyes heavy with a mix of anger and fear. She recounted the events for what felt like the hundredth ti.

"I swear, Crimson, he attacked first," Yang said, her voice trembling. "He threatened and then made the first move. I just defended myself!"

Her words only solidified the growing suspicion in Crimson's mind. He held his chin, his brows furrowing as he began piecing together everything he'd seen and heard. He filtered out the sounds of the room, diving into his own thoughts.

Images flashed in his mind: Yang's match, the CFVY team's duel, Qrow's cryptic warnings, and a mory from the night of the party. He rembered the woman with golden eyes glaring at him while dancing with a silver-haired man. rcury.

When he ca back to the present, he found all four girls watching him intently. Yang's voice cut through his thoughts.

"Do you believe ?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Crimson t her gaze, his expression softening as he smiled warmly. "Of course, I believe you.

Yang's shoulders sagged in relief, and the tension in the room seed to lift slightly.

"Do you know where rcury is now?" Crimson asked all of them.

Ruby was the one to answer "I heard he rushed back to Haven academy along his team to be with his family "

Crimson nodded and without hesitation, Crimson pulled out his scroll and dialed a number. After a mont, Qrow's gruff voice answered on the other end.

"Crimson? What's up?"

"Uncle, I need your help" Crimson said, his tone serious. "I need you to get Headmaster Ozpin and General Ironwood to talk to . This is important—it's about the infiltrator at the communications tower. And the people you all are on guard against"

Qrow's face beca serious as he said in a gruff voice. "This is no joking matter"

Crimson only nodded while looking at his uncle

"Fine. Go straight to Ozpin's office. I will get Jas" Qrow said and hung up.

Crimson ended the call and turned to his sisters and their team. The bewildered looks on their faces told him they had questions, but he didn't give them the chance to ask.

Looking at Yang, he smiled again. "Everything will be okay" he said confidently before turning and walking out of the room, leaving the girls in stunned silence.

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As Crimson walked out of the room, he encountered Team JNPR, who were coming to check on Yang. Jaune was the first to speak. "Is she doing okay?"

"Not too good. Go inside and check for yourself," Crimson replied, not wanting to waste ti with idle chatter. He then walked away.

A minute later, as he exited the dorm, he heard footsteps running behind him, followed by Pyrrha's voice. "Crimson!"

He stopped and turned to look at her. "Yes?" he asked, his tone calm but curious. He couldn't imagine what she might want from him at a ti like this.

Pyrrha stood there, looking nervous and hesitant. "I… I'm confused and don't know what I should do. I…" She stopped mid-sentence, as if trying to piece together her thoughts.

Seeing her uncertainty, Crimson quickly surmised that this conversation could take a while. He decided to cut it short for now. "I'm sorry, Pyrrha," he said, his tone polite but firm. "I need to see Headmaster Ozpin and General Ironwood imdiately. It's an important matter. If you don't mind, we can talk later today. I promise I'll listen to everything you have to say then."

Pyrrha hesitated but then nodded with a weak smile. "Of course. Thank you."

Crimson gave her a small nod before turning and continuing on his way with purpose.

As she watched him disappear down the hallway, Pyrrha lingered for a mont, hoping she wouldn't have to wait long. She felt Crimson was the only one she could truly confide in—he was different from anyone else she had ever t, and she felt as though he might truly understand her.