The food court outside Amity Colosseum was alive with chatter, the air thick with the smell of sizzling skewers and fried dumplings. Team RWBY and Team NOVA stuck together, trays in hand, looking for a spot to sit.
"Man," Jaemin muttered, biting into a rice ball, "kind of weird watching everyone fight while we're stuck on the sidelines."
"You mean, while I'm stuck on the sidelines," Hyunwoo corrected, adjusting the strap of the brace on his ribs. "You three could've joined if you wanted. No one was stopping you."
"Uh-huh," Jisoo said flatly, munching on fried bread. "Like we'd ditch you to play gladiator."
Jiwon, calm as ever, simply added, "We're not here for trophies. We're here to watch, learn, and be ready."
Before the conversation could go further, a familiar voice called out.
"Well, look who it is."
Emerald and Mercury approached, trays of food balanced casually, their smiles practiced but thin. Emerald's gaze swept the group before pausing on Hyunwoo.
"I heard you've been in the hospital," she said, voice honey-smooth. "Rumors about a broken arm and... an eye?" Her tone made it sound like idle curiosity, but her eyes lingered a second too long.
Jaemin's jaw tightened. Jisoo stopped mid-bite. Even Ruby shifted uneasily, but Hyunwoo only leaned back, smirking faintly.
"Rumors exaggerate. Arm's fixed up. Eye's covered because I'm going for the mysterious look," he said dryly. "Figured it works better than a festival hat."
Yang barked a laugh. "I knew it! You're leaning into the pirate thing."
Emerald chuckled, though her eyes stayed sharp. "Well, glad to see you're still standing. Wouldn't want the Festival to lose its excitement."
Weiss, ever the diplomat, cut in smoothly. "Speaking of excitement, I hear you and Mercury are the ones continuing in the doubles round. An interesting choice."
Mercury leaned against a nearby post, smirk widening. "Guess we'll see how interesting when we're in the ring."
Ruby forced a smile, a little stiff. "Well... good luck! May the best fighters win."
Emerald smiled politely, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Of course."
They drifted off a moment later, leaving behind a silence that sat heavy on the table.
Jaemin broke it first, rolling his eyes. "Friendly, aren't they?"
"They're watching us," Jisoo said quietly, her voice almost lost in the noise of the food court.
Hyunwoo adjusted the strap of his brace again, eye narrowing under the patch. "Then let them watch. We'll give them nothing."
He set his tray down, dusting crumbs off his lap as he glanced at Team NOVA.
"Also," he said, tone casual but his expression steady, "it's about time you guys moved too. I'll give the group briefing when we're back inside. No excuses."
Jaemin groaned dramatically, leaning back in his chair. "Man, I thought this was supposed to be a vacation. Eat, watch a few fights, maybe nap—"
"You nap, we miss the briefing," Jisoo cut in without looking up from her drink.
Jiwon simply nodded once, already on his feet. "We should head back. JNPR's match is next."
_____
The group packed up, weaving through the busy festival crowd until the shining colosseum once again towered over them. Screens above the entrance already flashed with the match-up: TEAM JNPR vs. TEAM BRNZ – Shade Academy.
"Big crowd for this one," Jaemin muttered, craning his neck at the flood of spectators pushing inside.
Hyunwoo moved to follow his team... when his scroll buzzed sharply at his hip.
He slipped it out, the green glow of a new message flashing across the screen. The sender's name made him pause.
Ozpin.
Hyunwoo Kim, if you have a moment, please come to my office. There are,.. some matters we must discuss before the next match.
Hyunwoo stared at the words for a beat, then slid the scroll back into his pocket.
"...Tch. Figures."
"What's up?" Jaemin asked, noticing the hesitation.
Hyunwoo waved him off with his good hand. "Nothing. You three head inside, watch JNPR crush their opponents. I'll catch up."
"Hyunwoo," Jiwon said calmly, eyes narrowing. "Where are you going?"
"Brief detour. Someone higher up wants a word."
"Higher up?" Jaemin blinked, then lowered his voice. "...Don't tell me it's the old man in green?"
Hyunwoo smirked faintly beneath his eyepatch. "Who else?"
With that, he turned away, heading toward Beacon's staff tower while the rest of NOVA disappeared into the crowd.
Hyunwoo stepped into the tall, polished tower, the quiet hum of machinery and the faint echo of festival cheers from outside lingering in the background. The elevator ride carried him up to Ozpin's office, where the familiar circle of windows bathed the room in sunlight.
Inside, Ozpin stood near his desk, hands folded neatly over his cane. Glynda stood off to the side, arms crossed, her sharp eyes narrowing as soon as Hyunwoo entered. Ironwood, massive in presence, occupied the far side of the room, his posture rigid as ever.
"Hyunwoo," Ozpin greeted, his voice calm but weighty. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."
Hyunwoo tilted his head, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Festival's going on out there, and you're dragging me in here. Must be important."
Ironwood's expression was grave. "It is. We've detected abnormalities in Amity's systems. At first it seemed like routine interference... but further scans confirmed it."
Glynda adjusted her glasses, stepping forward. "A virus. Planted deep inside the operating core that runs both the Colosseum's systems and the festival's broadcast network. The most concerning issue is with the match-making protocols."
Hyunwoo frowned slightly. "Match-making?"
Ozpin nodded. "The system that randomly selects match orders and displays combat data. It has been tampered with. If left alone, it could bias or manipulate the results entirely."
Ironwood's jaw tightened. "The problem is... removing it. The virus isn't simple code. It's entangled with the operational framework. If we rip it out too forcefully, we risk damaging the system permanently. The tournament could collapse before it even ends."
Hyunwoo leaned back against the wall, eyepatch half-shadowed. "So what you're saying is—you're stuck. Can't delete it, can't ignore it."
"Precisely," Ozpin said, his calm voice carrying a thread of steel. "We can mask its effects for the time being. But the longer it lingers, the more control whoever planted it will have."
"Cinder's work," Hyunwoo muttered under his breath. "Figures."
Glynda's eyes flickered, sharp enough to catch it, but she didn't comment.
Ironwood stepped closer, his metal hand tightening into a fist. "We need a way to quarantine it. Limit its spread until we find the source. And—" He paused, glancing briefly at Hyunwoo. "—you've had... experience with this enemy. Your input could be invaluable."
Hyunwoo gave a dry laugh. "First my arm, then my eye, now you want me to babysit your computer system too? What's next, General? Replace Ozpin's coffee machine?"
Ozpin allowed himself the faintest smile, though his tone remained serious. "Jokes aside, Hyunwoo... your instincts have kept us one step ahead of her plans more than once. I'd value any insight you have."
Hyunwoo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Alright. But I'll say this—whoever planted this isn't some amateur. If you think you've seen the worst of it, you haven't. If the system itself starts to fight back when you touch it, you'll know I was right."
The room fell quiet for a moment, only the distant echo of cheers from the Colosseum filling the air.
Ozpin finally broke the silence, voice low and deliberate. "Then we prepare. And... we decide how much we are willing to risk."
Hyunwoo exhaled slowly, dragging his fingers across the edge of the desk before speaking.
"I don't know how to get rid of the virus," he admitted flatly. "But... we can prevent the effects, keep them as minimal as possible."
Ironwood's brow furrowed, his metal hand tightening at his side. Hyunwoo fixed his one good eye on him.
"General. As I said before—summoning all of your machines will make it worse. I understand you want to prepare for the worst... but if that virus spreads to every one of your robots, you're handing her an army without firing a single bullet."
The silence stretched for a beat. Glynda's lips pressed into a thin line, as though she wanted to say something, but she let Hyunwoo finish.
"You can summon your real soldiers instead," Hyunwoo continued, tone blunt but steady. "People can't be hacked. Aura can't be hijacked. If you keep flooding Vale with androids, it won't be the protection you're imagining—it'll be the perfect disaster waiting to happen."
Ironwood's jaw clenched. "You're asking me to risk my men's lives. To send flesh and blood where steel should stand in their place."
Hyunwoo shrugged slightly, not backing down. "I'm asking you to stop giving Cinder a loaded weapon. You know it as well as I do—if those machines flip mid-battle, you won't just lose soldiers, you'll lose civilians. Thousands of them."
Ozpin finally spoke, voice calm but firm. "He has a point, James. The very thing designed to protect could become our greatest liability."
Ironwood looked away, his frown cutting deep lines into his face. The weight of command showed in his eyes—caught between trust in his technology and the bitter truth Hyunwoo laid out.
Glynda finally adjusted her glasses and spoke, her voice sharp but measured. "Then it's settled. We limit the deployment of Atlesian Knights. Human soldiers will take priority on patrols and defenses. That will at least narrow the potential damage."
Hyunwoo leaned back in the chair, a faint, wry smirk tugging at his lips. "See? Sometimes old-fashioned works best."
Ironwood didn't answer right away. His fists unclenched, and he gave a curt nod. "Very well. I'll reorganize the security detail. But if this goes wrong..." His eyes met Hyunwoo's. "...the responsibility won't be on Atlas alone."
Ozpin, with his usual calm smile, interjected softly. "Then we'll carry it together."
___
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