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Chapter Text

For those new here: Hello there! Once upon a time, I was bored and after reading some fanfics, I’ve decided to make this. Why Angry Birds and RWBY? One word: COLORS.

This story will have some characters and maybe some plot elements, experiences from the various media such as games (Epic, Classic, Space, etc), Comics, (IDW’s comics such as Angry Birds Transformers and Super Angry Birds), the Toons Cartoons and the films ato be mashed up to a somewhat “Aligned Continuity” with my own lore.

Characters that don’t appear often will appear: Mighty Eagle, Tony, Mighty Dragon, and the crowd favorite…Ice Bird! People like him…right? Right?!

The only characters as of this writing I don’t know how to add is Ruby (Angry Bird, mind you, look it up in the Angry Birds wiki) and Zeta.

If you noticed, Chapter 1 has a (S1) label on it, aka Season 1, not Book 1, me no likey Book Season titles. Whenever it’s a new season, like S2 (Season 2)  at the chapter title and vice versa, I’m going to add something new or do some tweaking such as new looks, hopefully that’s something you can look forward to.

For those who remember this fic: Hello again! What happened? To put it simply, I made an error, like accidentally stepping on a landmine and it exploded in my face metaphorically. So… Revamp! I wanted to do it anyway.
Some scenes will be slightly tweaked, or a major rewrite, Nothing major.

Anyways, RWBY and Angry Birds belong to Rooster Teeth and Rovio respectively, I do not own them. I don’t earn money writing this, I waste money and time doing this.

Anyways enjoy the (new and slightly improved) story.

(Earth)

Earth, the only planet full of life. Or is it? Who’s to say?

Anyways, have you heard of the Pacific Ocean? It’s the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions! But did you know it also has another name? According to another “intelligent” species, they name it: The Pigicific Ocean. Where does that species reside? Well, head extremely far away from large islands, probably around 29 miles, then navigate through all that thick fog,  and you will see an island- with a large mountain in the shape of a rather round legless pig, and the large water body in the shape of a scrambled egg sitting at the bottom of the mountain, making the scene look like the pig was about to devour the egg whole.

What’s this strange island, you ask? This is Piggy Island -  which was obviously occupied by hundreds and thousands of green spherical pigs, sporting various nature-defying environments such as trees resembling slingshots.

Well, these pigs just so happen to like to eat eggs. But where do they get their eggs? From birds. But unfortunately, this island is also home to their rivals, you surely know them, The Flock- Also known as the Angry Birds.

These flightless birds are constantly at odds with those Bad Piggies, ensuring their eggs, their future generation, will never become pig chow. Come to think of it…where are they now?

(South Beach, Piggy Island, Earth)

“Everyone ready?!” Jay asked as he snapped on his goggles before looking down at his brother.

“...Ready!” Jim shouted, snapping on his goggles as well. “Ready bro?!” he asked his other brother, who was carrying them both.

“I’m always ready!” Jake replied, already wearing his goggles.  “Ready big guy?! Jake turns to Terence, reading his reaction.

“…” Terence remained in silence, wearing goggles as well.

The four birds jumped off the makeshift springboard and landed in the water, causing  waves with the height of an average door to briefly appear. As the waves died down, The Blues rose above the water, laughing at each other.

“That was fun!” Jake commented.

“Hey, where’s Terry?”

Before anyone could answer Jay, the largest crimson bird suddenly floated up, lifting the blue triplets by the head.

“Oh, There you are!” The Blues giggled.

Elsewhere, the pink bird Stella, was perched on top of a coconut tree while peering through a telescope. Her friends, Willow, Poppy, Luca and Dahlia had written to her yesterday that they were all coming to Piggy Island to visit her.
“Come on…Come on…Where are you all?” Stella muttered anxiously under her breath, scanning the shorelines.

Under the same tree where Stella was, Hal was relaxing in the shade while playing his beloved banjo, along with Matilda, Bomb and Hal’s orange little buddy, Bubbles, all sitting next to Hal, enjoying his performance as Bomb and Matilda hummed along, while Bubbles whistled along to the tune.

At a not so far distance away from the coconut trees, a red bird was resting in his chair, with an umbrella and sunglasses to protect himself from the sun, with a cooling coconut drink to boot. This is Red, the leader of The Flock, and the protector of the Eggs. Next to him were the 3 eggs, all of them having the same beach setup as Red, even with mini versions of the coconut drinks next to them.

“The Pig’s attempts to steal the eggs seem to be reducing...” Red thought to himself as he looked at the eggs.

“Chuck went to jog around the island, Silver is on one of  her daily flights , and the rest are enjoying themselves. It’s nice for them to not interrupt us for onc-”

“RED!” “RED!”

Red’s sip of refreshing coconut water was interrupted by a female voice calling out to him.

“What’s wrong?” Red asked as Silver landed gracefully on the sand.

“I was scouting across the skies as per usual, but Pig City was empty! Even the Pig Castle! I searched everywhere! There’s no sign of them at all!”

“Calm down first, Are you sure you couldn’t find any pigs there?” Red asked, getting a confirming nod from Silver.

“Not even him?”

Silver shook her head.

“Is there any sign where they might have gone? A clue perhaps?” Red asked.

“W-Well there seems to be signs of a struggle, a lot of scattered stuff, but all of them seem to lead towards the Castle. It’s like there’s some sort of… giant vacuum inside.” Silver replied.

Red paused for a moment, before removing his sunglasses and turning to his friends.

“Everyone! Listen up!” Red commanded, getting everyone’s attention.

“Silver has reported that The Pigs have suddenly vanished! We’re not sure where, but we will find them! Terence! Go after Chuck and tell him to meet us at the Castle! Hal! Bomb! Matilda! The three of you will investigate Pig City in the north, south and east areas respectively! Blues! Bubbles! The four of you will investigate the west side, where their military base of operations is! As for me, I will investigate the Castle with Silver.”

“Stella, can you-”

“Sorry, I can’t go with you.” Stella interrupted. “I promised my friends that I will be the first bird they will meet! And a promise is a promise!”

“I was just  going to ask you to take care of the eggs in our absence…” Red said as he showed her the three eggs next to him.

“Oh, that I can do. Put 'em there!” Stella instructed as she hopped off the coconut tree and landed on the soft sand.

“Everyone ready?!” Red asked his team.

“Yeah!” all of them shouted in unison.

“Let’s go!” Red said as he disappeared in a cloud of dust, the others soon then followed him, except for Terence, who hadn't moved from his spot.

(Pig Castle, Interior)

“You’re right, it does lead inside…” Red said as he and Silver entered the pig castle, observing the litter strewn around the place.

“So…where do we start?” Silver asked as she stared curiously at a nearby statue of King Pig.

“No need to! I’ve already searched the place!” Chuck reported as he suddenly appeared behind Silver and Red, surprising Silver a little.

“I’ve-combed-the place-like-three-to-four-times-already! So-what’s-the-plan now?” Chuck asked quickly, his words almost stringing together and becoming incoherent.

“Well…I do remember they have something behind this chair….” Red said as he hopped towards the chair, using his own body to push the throne aside.

“Help me out!” Red commanded as Silver and Chuck assisted their leader, shifting it away to a considerable distance away from its original spot.

Pushing the throne revealed a secret laboratory full of chemical containers of various colors, electrical devices and random doohickeys like: a giant potato battery, a King Pig doll, and a banana peel submerged in a beaker of water with a straw and umbrella on it. But in the center of the lab, surrounded by a lot more litter, stood a giant brass ring portal. It was already activated, with an eerie purple spiraling portal that cackled with purple electricity scattering in various directions, causing the portal to shake violently.

“Chuck...gather everyone. ” said Red sternly.

(Later)

“Um….what exactly are we looking at?” asked an uneasy Hal.

“A space portal, no doubt.” Red replied as he studied a green blackboard plastered with many blueprints, the largest one detailing the design of the portal.

“While you, Matilda and Stella were away, the rest of us went through this exact portal to space.”

“Oh? You guys went to space? What was it like?” Matilda asked curiously.

“...” explained Terence.

“That pretty much sums it up.” Jim remarked.

“It was beautiful!” Jake added.

“This one seems like a personal project of…What was his name again?”  Red asked as he tried to remember the creator’s name.

“Who?” asked Chuck.

“The one with the mustache and the bowler hat?” Red gestured.

“You mean Chef Pig?”

“No, He has a Chef hat.” Red pointed out, shaking his head.

“Then… I’ve got nothing.” Chuck sighed.

“Anyways, these portals will take us anywhere out of this world, they can be a bit unpredictable at times.” Red explained before noticing something, or rather someone, was missing.

“Hey, Where’s Stella?”

“Oh, She’s still waiting at South Beach.” Chuck explained.

“WHAT?! You guys check the place, I’ll be right back!” Red instructed as he stormed off with a huff.

(South Beach)

“Stella?! Stella?! Where are you?!” Red called out, only to find the place deserted. The chairs and umbrellas were gone, along with the eggs.

“Where could she be…?” Red said with increasing worry, since he usually gets restless when he’s not with the eggs.

“Where could they have gone to?” Red asked himself as he went to search elsewhere.

(Later, Pig Castle)

“Found anything?” Red shouted as he entered the castle, his echo being the only reply.

“Um…hello? Guys?” Red called out, there was still silence.

“Guys…This isn’t funny! Cut it out!”

“You called?” A female voice asked behind him.

“Gah! Stella…you’ve got to stop sneaking up like that!” Exclaimed Red.

“Hehe…sorry. I was looking for everyone until I heard your voice. By the way, where is everyone?”

“Beats me.” Red replied as he entered the now empty lab, with Stella behind him.

“I believe I have an idea.” Stella remarked as she noticed some silver colored feathers on the floor.

“How can you tell?” asked Red.

Stella used her beak to gesture to the green blackboard; one of the blueprints had a hastily scrawled on red arrow, which dragged on and stopped right at the portal.

“Whatever happened to them must have happened to The Pigs as well.” Red remarked.

“And whatever’s beyond that portal, it’s going to be real messy if they are involved,” said Stella.

“Wanna jump in?” she suggested.

“But who’s going to look after the eggs?!” asked Red anxiously.

“Don’t worry, my friends agreed to take care of them in my absence. Trust me, they got experience, Golden Island has Pigs too!” Stella assured Red.

“If you say so…'' Red reluctantly agreed  with a sigh.

“Its is settled then… HERE-GOES-NOTHING!!'' Stella yelled, dragging Red with her and hopping into the portal. 

“W-Wait! Wait ! Wait! I’m not ready-!” Red didn’t have time to protest before he was engulfed by a flash of white and purple.

(???)

“Oh…my head…” Red groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, finding himself in some unfamiliar alley.

“W-Where even am I?” Red muttered as he got up, leaning next to a wall as he massaged the back of his head with his hand.

“Wait a minute…” The realization hit him like a truck. To confirm his suspicions, he slowly stood up, noticing that he seemed remarkably taller.

“What in the…” Red muttered as he looked down at his strange new look. He wore long white track pants, along with red and white shoes and a red hoodie. He also wore a belt, with a long red-colored sword slotted in.

“That’s cool, I guess.” Red thought to himself as he admired his new sword.

“Well…at least I’m not Optimus Prime Bird…What turned me into this?” He continued, poking the flesh of one of his arms. “But now I look like one of those…what’s the term…Oh, right…humans.”

Deciding he needs to look for the others and figure out where he was, he walks out of the alley, thankfully remembering how to walk.

As he walked out, he happened to notice a silver-haired teenage girl, but she had wolf ears and tail, looking different from the other humans.

“Excuse me…” Red asked as he approached the girl, causing her to flinch a little.

“...Do you mind telling me where I am right now?”

“U-Uh…um…you’re in the City of Vale?” The girl replied meekly.

“That confirms I’m on another world,” Red thought to himself as he thanked the girl and waved goodbye to her.

As Red walked around the city in the evening, he took in the sights, sounds, and smells, all of them being new and mesmerizing to him. Even some of the people here had animal features,  such as tails or ears, like the girl he met.

Knowing he still had to find his friends, he quickly shook his head to keep himself focused.


(Night)

“Where are they?…” Red growled, clutching his growling stomach.

He still couldn’t find his friends, his legs now hurt from  walking, and his stomach was now complaining about not having dinner.

As he continued to trudge through the night street, he happened to notice his own reflection on a shopping window. “Hmmm… I’ve never actually seen what I look like now.” He thought to himself as he studied his face, noticing his eyebrows were still the same, but what was different was that he now had red hair, and his hairstyle seemed to closely resemble his head feather style.

“I don’t look half bad…” He remarked to himself as he touched his own face.

Before he could continue admiring his reflection, The sound of a sudden explosion booming in the distance jolted him away from the window.

“An attack?” Red thought to himself as looked at the source of the smoke and hurried over.

“I hope it's those Pigs, at least I can squeeze an answer out of them.”


When he managed to arrive at the scene, he noticed that next to a store called “From Dust Till Dawn'', there were several unconscious men in black suits and red ties, along with red swords and red glasses that were strewn around, along with a crushed cigarette on the ground for some reason. But that wasn’t important right now as he noticed on the rooftop of a building, an airship was hovering above the rooftop while pillars of fire erupted.

“What's going on?” Red asked himself as he spectated the distant battle, noticing that there was also a purple glow in the rooftops, then the pillars of fire flashed again, and the glow and fire alternated with each other in a series of purple flashes.

Red planned to use the fire escape ladder on the building to get to the rooftop, but a black tar-like liquid dripping out of the airship stopped him in his tracks as he watched the black liquid dripped into a large and somewhat harmless puddle- until a black arm popped out of the puddles.

The puddle shrivels away, with ten tall and lanky humanoid black monsters, emerging where the puddle once was. They had a long black tail with a large white stinger at its end, sharp elongated claws and a white horned skull on its face, resembling a mask. Worst of all, they noticed Red in front of them, slowly walking towards him until they stopped, seemingly studying him.

Acting quickly, he drew out his sword and assumed a battle ready pose.
“Don’t fail me now.” He said to his sword before he gave a battle cry and charged forward, while four of the black humanoid monsters got down on all fours and charged at him with a loud screech.

One leapt towards Red and swiped at him with its claws, But Red quickly parried the attack with his sword, assuming a defensive position as the claw assault continued as he noticed two more were heading towards him. He quickly ducked the claw swipes and slid underneath the monster’s legs, grabbing the tail in the process. With a grunt, he swung the tail around, dragging the monster with him as it yelped in pain. Red spun faster and faster until he released the tail he was holding on, causing the monster to fly and crash into its buddies.

While they were disoriented, Red gave another loud war cry as he leapt into the air and brought down his sword onto them, slicing through them like a hot knife through butter as he watched them dissipate.

“Huh?” Red looked in confusion as the monsters evaporated into nothingness, before he heard a loud scream from behind.

It was a large monster, it seemed way more buff and taller than the monsters Red fought, just about to take a bite out of a thug who regained consciousness and was now screaming for help.

Acting fast, he quickly shouted, sending out a red shockwave that hit the head of the larger monster, disorienting it as it dropped the human it was holding as the thug scrambled to safety, leaving his still unconscious mates behind.

While it was disoriented, Red charged towards the large monster, plunging his sword into the chest, causing it to roar in anger as he continued on the attack, getting behind and striking his sword multiple times in the back.

“You ugly menace.” Red grunted as he drove his sword deep into the monster's head, causing it to roar in anger as its body started to separate, causing Red to hop off as he watched the monster separate itself into the rest of the 6 black humanoid monsters.

“Let's finish this.”  Red said determined as he readied his sword, the last 6 monsters snarling angrily at him as they all charged towards him. With a loud cry, Red spun his body, slicing off all 6 heads in one clean slash.

Red felt his heart pumping erratically as he watched the last of the monsters dissipate, before turning back to the rooftop where he saw the airship flying away, along with two unknown figures on the rooftop, upon squinting, he could see a black-haired young girl in a black dress and red cloak, and a blonde woman in a white blouse and a black skirt with a black and purple cape. Upon noticing that the two females were about to turn around, Red quickly dived behind cover in the form of a nearby car. He was in a different world. He didn't want to attract too much attention and/or trouble to himself, so he put on his hood and hid himself in the alley shadows.

Hungry, tired, and starting to lose hope, Red decided to head back to the alleyway that he woke up in to rest and recover, curiously gazing up at the shattered moon, wondering who or what caused this.
As he returned to the alleyway, he found some scattered cardboard for some protection against the cold night, so he placed some on the ground while he wrapped the rest around himself to the best of his ability.

“At least when I have feathers or a metal body, I have some resistance against the cold…this body doesn’t have any resistance!” Red thought to himself as he shivered, trying to sleep.

(LATER)

No matter how much effort Red put in to put himself to sleep- whether it was shutting his eyelids extra tight or counting sheep- the cold night air and his constantly grumbling stomach hindered his efforts.

Unable to take it anymore, he decided to get up for a walk to warm himself up, until a man suddenly appeared right in front of him. 

The man had tousled silver hair, wore a black suit over a dark green, buttoned vest and a green shirt. He also wore black shoes and long, dark-green pants, and wielded a cane.

“Hello there.” The man greeted. “I assume you’re not from around here?”

“Uh… Who are you?”  Red asked cautiously.

“You can call me Ozpin,” Said the middle-aged man. “What’s yours?”

“Red.” Red replied.

“Just… Red?” Ozpin asked as he raised an eyebrow.

“Yep. Just Red.” Red nodded.

“Well then, … Red. You seem famished, would you like to come with me? I know a good place to eat. My treat.” Ozpin offered with a small smile.

“Um…I’m sorry, but your offer seems a bit fishy.” Red said as he crossed his arms. “Is there something you want from me?”

“Actually…yes.” Ozpin admitted. “But I assure you, I just want to know more about you, especially about your performance against the Grimm. I have experienced many things, having lived a long life, but I have never seen someone with a voice-based semblance before. Consider the meal as a sign of my goodwill.”

Red still thought that it felt like a trap, and Ozpin might seem like the sneaky type, like Chef Pig, but his loud grumbling stomach caused him to reluctantly sigh and nod his head in agreement.

“All right, lead the way. Try anything funny and you’ll get quite the retaliation.” warned Red.

“Thank you, follow me if you please. Do you need a ride?” asked Ozpin.

“I can still walk, just lead the way.” Red told him.

(Somewhere)

“What do you think? The food they serve here is excellent, don’t you think?” Ozpin asked.

“The salad is not that bad,” Red admitted as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Maybe they could add more olives.”

“I’ll tell the chef about it later,” said Ozpin. “Now…would you mind telling me your story? You appear to be a Huntsman, but I don’t see your face in any of the kingdom records.”

“Um…well…to put it simply…I’m not from around here…” Red said nervously.

“Is that so? Would you mind telling me more? No matter how far fetched your story may be, as long as you speak the truth, I’ll believe you.”

“Ok then, This might take a while…” Red said as he began to tell his story.

Well? Any thoughts on the reboot? Is it better than the original? Kinda meh? Or do you hate it for some reason? Feel free to comment.

Also, this fic is available in Fanfiction, Wattpad and AO3 (Archive Of Our Own), so you can read whichever is accessible for you.

Next, I would like to introduce something called BSOTM (Bird Side Of The Moon) Shorts, which are short stories about the Flock or someone else, before or after chapters. The great news is that the next part would be a shorts segment before Chapter 2, so you can get a taste of it before I add more of these. (Hint: Where are they now?)

Anyways take care of yourself and see you at BOSTM Shorts.

Chapter Text

Hello there!
Welcome to BSOTM Shorts, also known as Bird Side Of The Moon Shorts, which is a bunch of stories mashed together, there is honestly not much to say.

Anyways, Hope you guys like it!

First Steps

Darkness. All he could see was darkness. It was like the darkness around him was a blindfold and earmuffs at the same time, hindering his vision and hearing, until he started to hear voices.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" A voice echoed, which sounded like a man talking.

"Hey! Are you alive or dead? Helloo~?!" Another voice rang out, sounding like a young boy.

"Wake up! Please!" Another one called out to him, resembling the voice of a little girl.

And then there was a blinding flash of light.

As Chuck opened his eyes slightly, he saw a man, a young boy and a young girl, all three with slightly tanned skin staring at him with worry.

"He's alive!" The girl cried in joy as he started to lift himself up.

"I told you he's not dead!" The little boy remarked.

As Chuck opened his eyes fully, taking a moment to observe his surroundings. It was definitely not Piggy Island's beaches by the looks of it. And the humans before him, they look…different, having a wolf tail and wolf ears.

"You gave the three of us quite a shock here, falling from the sky like that! But thank goodness, you seemed unharmed!" The man spoke.

"Falling from the sky…?" Chuck wondered himself as he looked down and stared at his hands, finally realizing his new height and look.

"Woah…" Chuck murmured to himself as he quickly took a good look at his new body, as he noticed he was now wearing
a yellow short-sleeved shirt, along with black jogging shorts, yellow and black running shoes, along with black fingerless gloves.

As he continues to marvel at his new looks. He suddenly remembered what happened. The portal went haywire in the Pig Lab, everyone got sucked in, and the last thing he knew was the sense of falling, and then ... darkness.

"You can call me Chuck. Can you tell me where I am exactly?" Chuck asked sheepishly.

"You're in Menagerie." The man replied. "You can call me Gray. And these are my children, Lyco and Lana." Gray said as he introduced his son and daughter respectively.

"I was in the sea with my children, bringing home my catch when suddenly there was a flash of purple light, and we all saw you falling out from the sky! You're lucky you didn't hit the water… but what happened to you exactly?!"

"Do you have a teleportation Semblance?!" Lyco asked enthusiastically, although Chuck has no idea what a "Semblance" is.

"Mr. Chuck just recovered from his experience, please give him time to think." Lana told her family.

"Well…" Chuck began, although he hates telling lies. "I do have a friend who has one, he accidentally teleported me here by accident, sorry for surprising you three. Can you tell me how to get back?"

"It's quite alright really, but seeing as you're a human…I assume your home is somewhere out there…right?" asked Gray.

"You could say that." Chuck said as he gazed at the ocean and the setting sun. "But aren't you humans too?"

"No, I'm a Faunus actually. Anyways…it's getting dark, we should get somewhere safe." Gray suggested.

Before Chuck could ask what he meant by a "Faunus", three medium sized black wolf monsters emerged from the lush vegetation and surrounded the wolf family and Chuck.

"Beowolves!" Stay with me!" Gray instructed his children as he took out his fishing rod and assumed a battle stance as his children hid behind him for safety, with Chuck assuming a battle stance as well, clenching his gloved fists.

One of the Beowolves lunged towards Gray and swiped its claws at him, but was met by a quick whip of Gray's rod to the head, causing it to fall back in recoil with an angry snarl.

Meanwhile, Chuck found himself facing off against the remaining Beowolves. A Beowolf lunged at him, but he dodged it and ran circles around them. Using his speed, he sent out a flurry of punches, disorienting them, before tackling them towards each other simultaneously, making a loud crack as their skulls collided with each other, causing them to disintegrate as Chuck looked in shock and confusion.

Just as he was about to turn around and help Gray out, a large white claw with four talons that are as sharp as knives stopped him in his tracks, which came from a large black spider-like creature with a white skull and red eyes, snarling at him.

"Spiders…why did it have to be spiders…" Chuck muttered to himself as the spider monster gave another loud snarl, swiping its tail claw at him, which he avoided by pivoting left and right with his speed. He tried to punch it, but the spider anticipated it and curled the claw on its tail into a fist, sucker punching Chuck in the face, promptly sending him flying. Fortunately, Chuck managed to recover by performing a back handspring before hitting the ground, facing the spider once again. Just as he was about to try to attack the spider again, he noticed a slightly thick and yellow metal baton with black stripes on the ground,which seemingly dropped out of him when he was sent flying.

Chuck noticed a bright yellow button on the baton, so he picked it up out of curiosity and pressed it, causing the front of the baton to spark to life, creating a long rope made of pure blue electricity.

"Hm…could be useful…" Chuck muttered as he brandished the electric whip at the spider-like monster, in which it hissed and charged towards Chuck.

Just as the claw is about to reach Chuck, he uses the electrical whip to snag the claw, before driving it deep into the creature's skull, causing it to screech in pain before falling limp as it disintegrated shortly after.

The monster now dealt with, Chuck ran towards Gray, where he found the wolf Faunus dealing with two more spider monsters, so Chuck launched his electric whip, binding the two monsters together and then launched them upwards, much to Gray's surprise. Lowering himself to a sprinting start position, Chuck then leapt into the air, turning into streaks of yellow and black as he delivered a series of punches and kicks in the air, before spinning his body into a corkscrew and drove the monsters, feet first, onto the ground with a loud crash.

As Chuck stopped spinning and leapt away from the crater, he noticed the monsters dissipating.

"Everyone alright?" Chuck asked as Gray tended to his children.

"Still in one piece." Lana replied. "I didn't know you were a huntsman! Our older sister always wanted to be one!"

"Uh…yes…I am…" Chuck said with a thumbs up and a smile. "But anyways…we really gotta go, like what your father said."

"Oh, right. Follow our dad! He knows the way!"

(Later)

"Woah…" Chuck gasped softly as he followed Gray and his children through the bustling streets of Menagerie, he heard friendly chatters, saw houses in various shapes and sizes, and saw Fanus with different animal features like ears, horns and even tails, which made him wonder why he wasn't like them when he noticed a Fanus with bird wings. Even with the friendly atmosphere, he still felt like he was being watched somehow.

"Where exactly are we going?" asked Chuck.

"To the Chieftain's home. He can help arrange a transport to take you back home." Gray answered as he pointed to a large house, which made Chuck widen his eyes in surprise.

"Impressive, huh?"

"It sure is!" Chuck replied as he gave a whistle of approval.

After walking down the long main street and through the large forecourt at the front of the house, they made it to the door, which Gray used the large metal rings to knock three times before letting go. After a while, a woman with black hair and cat ears opened the door and noticed Gray and his children.

"Ah, Gray! Your wife and I were just talking about you! Who's the man behind you?" She asked curiously.

"Hello, Ms Belladonna, his name is Chuck, he ended up here in a little accident, so I was wondering if your husband can arrange a transport to send him back. Come on kids, be nice and greet your host." Gray beckoned his children.

"Hello Ms Belladonna." Both Lyco and Lana greeted with a bow.

"Greetings." Chuck said with a respectful bow of his own as well.

"Kali is fine, really." The female cat Faunus insisted. "Please, come on in."

Kali Belladonna said as she moved aside for Gray and his children, along with Chuck, to enter her home, before closing the door herself.
(END)

Where Am I?

"Oh…my head…" Silver whined as her eyes flickered open. She was apparently lying down in a forest, evident by the grassy ground, the lush vegetation and the tall trees, and she could see a hand, which somehow belonged to her.

"Huh…what?" Silver wondered as she widened her eyes in curiosity as she got up into a sitting position and noticed her changed body. Now a human, she wore a silver sleeved shirt with a black sleeveless open front vest. She also wore black shorts and black bracelets along with gray and black shoes.

"Cool…" Silver muttered as she observed her new body, which reminded her of her time as Windblade Bird, but with no metallic robot body.

"How did I end up like this? Oh..right…the portal…where did it take me exactly?" Silver wondered as she stretched her arms and glanced around.

(Elsewhere)

Bomb slowly picked himself up into a standing position, noticing his new look via a small puddle. Bomb now had dark skin, wearing a black T-shirt and black army pants, along with a gray undershirt, gray socks and black shoes.

"Cool…" Bomb commented after giving a whistle of acknowledgment.

"Woah, double cool." He said after noticing his muscular build as he used his hand to feel his muscles.

"Now…where did everyone go?" Bomb wondered to himself as he began walking forward, with Silver walking in the opposite direction of where he was going.

As Bomb walked through the lush forest, he tried to call out to his friends, with Silver doing the same as well. Bomb felt his stomach rumbling and attempted to pacify it. "There, there, I'm sure there's food somewhere…" Bomb told his stomach, but he still heard rumbling and so he tried to rub his belly, until he heard loud aggressive squealing noises.

When he looked up, he saw a large black creature rolling towards him. FAST.

Acting quickly, he dodged aside as the creature continued rolling, smashing through obstacles in its way.

"What the heck was that?!" he said out loud as he witnessed the destruction that the creature brought.

Meanwhile, as Silver was trying to call out to her friends, she heard rumbling sounds coming from behind her, turning around to catch the black creature by the tusks just in time as it rolled right at her, causing it to stop in place and squeal angrily at her. With a glare, Silver leapt into the air, still holding onto the tusks of the boar-like creature as she spun it around and around in the air, until tossing it down into the ground belly up, before landing on it with an axe kick, causing it to squeal in pain before dissipating, leaving a bewildered Silver to stare at the small crater where it once was just as she hopped off.

"Now what kind of monster did I just deal with?" Silver wondered aloud to herself, stroking her chin.

(Later)

It was getting pretty late, Bomb and Silver managed to find some wild berries as sustenance during their scouting, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't find anyone, except for some strange looking but hostile black monsters, similar to the boar-like monstrosity that Bomb and Silver encountered. To conserve energy, they hid from them as discreetly as possible.

Feeling rather chilly, Bomb decided to start a fire somewhere. After finding a safe spot, he managed to find some twigs as firewood and placed them in an area where it did not seem to have any monsters running around, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to start a fire, causing him to slam into the firewood frustratingly. The moment his fists touched the pile of twigs, his hands briefly flickered with flames. Upon contact, the firewood immediately burst into flames.
"Yow!"
Fortunately, he already moved his hands away to avoid any potential burns.

"Well, at least I got a fire started." Bomb told himself.

Elsewhere, Silver managed to find a safe place of her own, and started a fire without any trouble, resting her head on a log as she gazed at the starry skies, wondering to herself on her next course of action.

"Maybe I could make a compass, or look for a river, that's where people usually are for a water supply, minus the fact I can't find any, and there's monsters lurking around here…"

"Oh well, the plus side is that I got something to fend for myself if these monsters try anything funny." She told herself as she raised her arms, revealing the black bracelets on her wrists. Activating them, the bracelets projected white double-edged blades, which gleamed in the dark like moonlight.

After a bit of resting by the fire, both Bomb and Silver decided to get some shut eye for the night, so they climbed the highest tree they could find, taking some time to gaze at the broken moon, leaving them to wonder what or who caused it.

After some meticulous quick building, they made a makeshift blanket out of clean leaves woven together to protect themselves from the cold, as they closed their eyes and slept, dreaming of uniting with their friends, with Bomb sleeping on one side of a tree branch, and Silver sleeping on the opposite side.

(END)

Snow Birds

"Be stealthy. Don't make a sound." That's what I told myself to do.

Don't get me wrong, I like doing this gig, I've done it for a long time. Way longer than you can think.

Even while wearing my pink t-shirt with a light pink skirt and white shorts, along with my black knee high socks with pink and white sneakers, or even my pink twin ponytail hair, I'm still undetected by anyone in the air traffic control room, I'm like a invisible ninja, except I totally am an invisible ninja.

Oh right. Introductions. Hiya! If you can't tell already, the name's Stella! What am I doing inside an air vent? Well…

To make a long story short, (since I don't really like long stories anyway) Bubbles and Matilda and I ended up on some roof of a honestly pretty neat mansion! Not sure what kind of mansion this is, but it's pretty big with some cute snowflake symbols adorning the place! But somewhat cold from the weather outside. Why did I meet them and not Red? Beats me.

After I woke up and noticed my new change, I wasn't really shocked by my body's new transformation, I was used to being a humanoid robot after all. So I carried my friends (both were still out cold for some reason) to somewhere else besides the large manor. There was some security here and there but I managed to slip through them all, with nothing but a boy and a woman on my shoulders! Amazing right?

Ahem…anyway…I bought them to rest on a bench, which they still haven't woken up yet. So I decided to study their new looks to pass the time.

Matilda now had a new pretty appearance, with white hair, along with a white skirt with black and pink lines along the skirt, with a white sleeved crop top with mostly black and pink shoulder straps. She even wears shoes that are a mix of white, black and pink, which kinda reminds me of neapolitan ice cream, except neapolitan ice cream has brown chocolate, not black liquorice.

Bubbles wore the cutest wear I've ever seen: He wears an orange hoodie with long black shorts along with orange and black shoes. He also wore a black futuristic visor with blue lenses. He's also carrying a large red and yellow boombox on his back.

After a while, both of them managed to wake up from their sleep, and so I gave them a full run-down on what happened. After that, we all tried to figure out where we were, do a little looking and walking around, but we couldn't find anything, apart from the really cool futuristic look of the city that got me and Bubbles excited. Oh yeah, the city was apparently named: Atlas.

After some discussion and planning , I've decided to do some infiltration onto the airport with Bubbles' boombox to do some good ol' eavesdropping. But so far…I heard a bunch of names other than Atlas, and wrote them all down in my brain. Schnee Dust Company, (Dust here is a valuable resource? Who knew?) Vacuo (Sounds like Vacuum in my head for some reason), Mistral, Vale, and many more.

After doing enough snooping, I snuck out of the Atlas Airport undetected and reported back to Matilda. It seems that while I was away, She and Bubbles tried to look for our friends in this floating city, but found no dice. Bummer…

I suggested to them that we can start our search at Vale, since there's a huge shipment of "Dust" to be shipped here, which means we can sneak inside and secretly hitch a ride in one of those big fancy airships. I bet The Blues and Silver are going to have a blast in this place! Granted I can find them that is.
(END)

The Hooded Wanderer

Let me tell you a story…

On a sunny afternoon, all was quiet and peaceful in a small but quaint little village. All was well.
Suddenly, the sun dimmed, darkening the sky as various black monsters with red eyes with bone masks on their faces, emerged from the darkness, quickly shrouding the village in fear and panic.

Some of the brave villagers, with weapons brandished with whatever they could get their hands on, attempted to defend their home, but it proved to be ineffective, as they were quickly overwhelmed. Just as all hope seems to be lost, He arrived.

Playing a tune from his peculiar string instrument that was unfamiliar to many, he happened to witness the destruction of the village by the savage beasts, but said nothing as he stepped forward to bravely challenge the beasts.

This enigmatic stranger wore a long black cloak with a dark green hood. He also wore a long-sleeved shirt and long pants that are white along with a brown belt and dark green shoes.

All of the monsters charged at him one by one, but with a glint of his eyes, he drew out his pistols and moved with the grace and swiftness of the wind, dispatching the monsters one by one with his speed and precision.

It may seem like the battle was over, but it seems like the monsters have one more trick up their metaphorical lack of sleeves. It was a very large monster, way larger than the houses of the village. It had a large black slug-like body, with various monsters coming out of its slimy body. The monster also had a large white bony and spiky shell to protect itself, which makes it resemble a snail.

Acting fast, the stranger delivered justice to all of the spawned monsters before facing the giant snail-like monster. Despite its large stature, its movements were surprisingly nimble as it attempted to ram the stranger with its body, but the stranger also had a trick up his sleeve to even the odds.

Avoiding the monster's attacks with his incredible mobility, he spun his body faster and faster, eventually creating a tornado which grew into twice the size of the monster, plucking it off the ground as it was sent flying high into the air. Higher and higher the monster went, until he stopped spinning. Gravity is a cruel mistress, as the monster was sent falling to the outskirts of the village, cracking its shell wide open as it quickly vanished soon after.

The monster threat now quelled, the village cheered for their hero, asking him what reward he would like as a form of their gratitude. The stranger, however, gave only a smile and asked for directions to the nearest settlement.

After giving him directions, The villagers offered to arrange transportation for him, but he politely declined, preferring to walk alone while enjoying playing his favorite instrument.

And so he turned and walked into the setting sun. His cloak trailing behind him as his music lingered in the air.

And that's how the legend of the The Hooded Wanderer was born.
(END)

Sunny Side Up (AKA The Time Jake Found Some Sunflowers)

"Wake up, Mr Sleepyhead." a voice called out in the darkness.

"Wake up Mr Sleepyhead~" The voice called out to him again. As he opened his eyes, he could see a boy with blue hair, wearing yellow goggles with round red-orange lenses on his head, smiling at him.

"Rise and shining~"

"I must be dreaming. He thought, so he closed his eyelids, ignoring the boy.

"Wake wakey~ cheese and bakey~" The boy told him, causing him to open his eyes again as the boy gestured him to get up.

"This dream is rather persistent, maybe if I close my eyes and ignore him, it'll go away." He told himself as he drifted back to sleep again.

"WAKE UP! JIM!" The boy shouted as he grabbed Jim's head and shook it aggressively.

"Ok! Ok! I'm up! Please tell me this isn't a dream! And who are you?!" Jim shouted back.

"This isn't a dream, and I'm Jake, you can pinch yourself to be sure, but before you do that, take a look at this." The boy, now identified as Jake, pulled out a small mirror from one of his pockets, displaying Jim's reflection.

Making sure it wasn't a dream, Jim pinched himself hard on the cheeks to be sure, hurting himself immensely.

"Guess I'm not dreaming. At least we have matching looks." Jim commented as he looked at his new body, wearing an ice blue long-sleeved shirt, navy blue shorts, a cyan belt and also red sneakers.

"Very stylish, methinks." said Jake before he turned around and shouted.

"Yo, Jay! Jim's back!"

"Ah, you're finally awake." Jay said as he approached the two.

"How was your sleep?"

"Shaken." Jim replied, shaking his head.

"Anyways…" I went ahead to do some scouting while Jake was taking care of you." Jim explained as he tossed some berries to Jake. "As you can see around you, we're in some kind of forest."

"As for any kind of civilization, I did manage to find some kind of lone wooden cabin a few miles ahead." Jay continued as he pointed to the direction where he found the place. "Hopefully we can ask whoever lives where we are right now."

(Five Minutes Later)

"Ooo~ Sunflowers!" Jake exclaimed as he ran over to take a closer look at the sunflowers outside the cabin.

"You better not touch them!" Jim told his brother as he walked towards the door with Jay behind him.

"So…what do I ask?" Jim asked as he knocked on the door.

"Maybe where we are, is there a way out or something?" Jay suggested.

A blonde man then opened the door, eyeing the three blue brothers curiously.

"Can I help you?"

"Sorry to bother you…" Jim started. "But we kinda got lost playing around here. Can you give us directions back to the city?"

"City?" You mean the City of Vale?" The blonde man asked.

"Yeah, our parents dropped us off here to play. We got a little carried away as you can see." Jay explained.

"Well, since you're in Patch, you can go take a ship there, the docks should be west of here."

"Ah, thank you! Our brother here thought it was north!" Jay said.

"Guilty as charged." Jake said with a sheepish smile.

"Anyways, thank you sir!" Jim said as he waved goodbye to the man as he and Jay walked away, while dragging Jake by the sleeves.

"Come on, Jake, Matilda can get you some sunflowers when we find her." Jim told him.

"Nah, I'm just lazy today." Jake reported.

"Will there be transport fees to take a ship?"

"Pretty sure there's one." Jay replied. "We'll just sneak on board to Vale, hopefully we can find the others here."
(END)

Well…do you like it? Should I do more BSOTM Shorts like these? Feel free to comment. Anyways, We'll head back to you scheduled stories with BSOTM Chapter 2! Until then…see ya!

Chapter Text

Whew…that’s a lot of turbulence…” Chuck muttered to himself as he hung on for dear life at the roof of an airship, going to who knows where.

“Talk about a cheap flight- no food, no beverages, no entertainment or movies…Views’ great though.” Chuck noted to himself as he kept him occupied and motivated to hang onto the airship. Chuck had combed through the entire City of Vale several times, but ultimately found nothing. Hopefully, this airship he had snuck onto was headed somewhere he actually hadn't investigated yet.

After the airship passed through several clouds, Chuck set his sights onto a rather large castle, near the cliffs, widening his eyes in awe. It was  Beacon Academy, the Huntsman Academy of the Kingdom of Vale.

                                                        ~

Red stood at the balcony at the highest point of the academy, watching some airships landing near the academy. Ozpin instructed him to wait outside as he needed to attend to some matters.

“Mr. Red.” A feminine voice called out to him. Turning around, he saw a blonde woman stepping out of Ozpin’s office. She wore a white blouse and a black skirt with a black and purple cape, along with glasses, along with black boots, one of them having a short riding crop attached to it. Upon closer inspection, Red realized that this was the woman he saw last night, which he hid from previously to avoid potential trouble.

“Ozpin is ready to see you.”

As Red stepped inside, he could see Ozpin’s office had the theme of clock gears, as they in what appears to be a clock tower, evident by the large clock face window, along with the the sound of spinning gears.

“Welcome, Red.” Ozpin said, sitting on a clock gear chair next to a clock gear table.

“Did you rest well?”


“Hard to sleep for a moment, but it was more comfortable than sleeping outside. Thanks for your hospitality.” Red replied.

“You're welcome.” Ozpin said with a warm smile.

“Now…let’s pick up where we left off…” he continued before putting on a serious expression. “Please, take a seat.”

“Right.” Red said as he sat down, putting on a serious face of his own as well.

“If I could recall correctly… you told me that you and several of your friends came from another world, using some kind of portal, presumably made by your enemies, The Bad Piggies, which you suspected have arrived here for their own nefarious purposes.” Ozpin summarized what Red told him last night.

“Pretty much.” Red told him. The moment I took my eyes off them, they all disappeared. And when I tried to follow them, I ended up in what was it…called…? Oh right, Remnant, which is here. Plus, I now look like this, with no bird features on me like feathers or a beak, like that wolf girl I met yesterday.

“In Remnant, we call those Faunus. They may be similar to Humans, but they share certain traits with animals to differentiate themselves.” Ozpin explained.

“I see.” Red acknowledged with a nod. “Is there any way you can help me find my friends? I’m worried that they don’t have the same luxury as me. If we can find them, we might be able to locate those Bad Piggies and bring them back.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Ozpin replied. “Can you tell me more about your friends?”

(Elsewhere)

“Coast looks clear…” Chuck muttered to himself as he leapt out of a bush and climbed on top of a tree stealthily for an aerial view thanks to his speed.

“I could start by going to the west of here… or maybe there…” Chuck thought to himself, planning out a route for his scouting run.

“Or I could start by looking at the highest floor, all the way to the lowest f-huh?”

Chuck’s planning was interrupted when he saw a black-haired young girl in a black dress and red cloak and a blonde armor-wearing boy with blue jeans walking and chatting.

“Why are they walking away from the crowd?” Chuck wondered to himself.

Feeling rather curious, Chuck used his speed and stealth skills from his time as Bumblebee Bird to get closer to them.

“Hey, where are we going?” The girl asked.

“Oh, I don't know. I was following you,” replied the blonde boy.

“Y-You think there might be a directory? Maybe a food court? Some sort of recognizable landmark? Is, uh... Is that a no?”

“That's a no.” The girl replied.

Deciding to help them, Chuck snuck up behind them, and said: “Hello there.”

The sudden greeting caught them off guard as they whipped their heads around with widened eyes.

“Woah!” The boy shouted as he jumped away from the man a short distance.

“Um…h-h-hi?” The girl greeted back.

“What are you two doing over here? Why aren’t you following the others?” asked Chuck.

“You mean the other students?” The girl asked.

“Yeah?” Chuck replied, while thinking to himself: “This castle is a school?!”

“They were walking in that direction, with that many students, it wouldn't be hard to miss.” Chuck continued as he pointed to the direction the students went.

“Thank you so much professor!” The girl said as she grabbed the blonde boy by the hood of his hoodie and ran towards the direction Chuck pointed out, disappearing in a flurry of petals as the boy’s screaming voice gradually get softer.

“That girl has some impressive speed…” Chuck wondered aloud to himself as he kneeled down to study the petals in bewilderment.

“That boy also got nice clothes too…Anyway…” Chuck continued as he got up, staring up at the highest point of the castle, having made up his mind.

“Time for a little rooftop run.” He said to himself as he sped off.

(Ozpin’s Office)

“Don't worry Red. If what you said about them is true, I’m sure they can take care of themselves.” Ozpin assured a distressed looking Red, doing some research of his own on his computer.

“If you would like, I can arrange a team of huntsmen to assist you in searching for your friends. Who knows, they might even be closer than you thi-”

“Excuse me, are you the person in charge of this place?”

Ozpin slowly turned around to see a lanky man in yellow, apparently coming from the back window of his office. “Yes, and you are?” Ozpin questioned.

“I’m Chuck and I’m looking for- ”Chuck stopped mid speech to see a surprised Red.

“Red?!”

“Chuck?!”

“Oh my goodness! I thought you were dead! Or went to the pig’s side!” Chuck cried as he embraced Red with a hug.

“There’s no way I’m doing that, and you can stop hugging me now. ”Red demanded as he gently pushed him away.

“Well…I’ll say that’s a good start to finding your friends.” Ozpin stated.
“If I may, Mr Chuck, how did you hear about Beacon and got here?”

“This school is a beacon?” Chuck asked, scratching his head.

“The name of the school is Beacon Academy, or Beacon for short.” Red corrected.

“Oh.”


“Never mind that. As for how I got here, I first ended up in a place called Menagerie. The people living there had various animal features. I then took a boat to somewhere called Vale, and did some exploration in the city,  then hitched a ride on top of those cool looking airships and ended up here. The feeling of the wind on your face is really great.”

“Interesting…” Ozpin commented. “While you were explaining how you got here, I’ve just received reports of multiple robberies across the City of Vale. All of them were thwarted rather swiftly, due to sabotages done to them such as missing tires on their vehicles, stolen items being swapped for something else or gone missing, some of the criminals responsible even have traces of itching powder on them.”

“Itching powder…?” Red asked as the realization hit him as he looked at Chuck.

“That means that they might be in the city.” Chuck said as well, giving Red a look of determination and nodded.

“One moment please.” Ozpin interrupted as he took out a small white rectangular device from his desk drawer, with a yellow diamond-shaped button in its center.

He placed it on his desk and pressed the yellow diamond button, causing the device to open and deploy a translucent panel, transforming itself into some kind of holographic tablet, surprising both Red and Chuck.

“This is a scroll,” said Ozpin. “It functions as a map and a communicator. You can use it to contact me anytime, such as for transportation or backup.”

“Thanks.” Red said as Ozpin folded the scroll back to its closed state and handed it to him. “Speaking of transportation, can you arrange some transportation to take us to the city?”

“Of course.” Ozpin replied with a nod.

“I wish you both the best of luck. In the meantime, I’ve got to give a welcome speech to the new students.”

With a nod, Red and Chuck stepped out of Ozpin's office and made their way to the lift. As they entered the lift and waited for the lift to take them down, Red turned to Chuck and asked:“What’s Menagerie like?”.

“Oh, I’ve got a lot to tell you. I’ll tell you my story and you tell me yours?”

“Deal.” Red said with a smirk.

Chapter Text

(City Of Vale, Night)


It was a quiet night in the city of Vale, where the shattered moon shone its moonlight at the streets, but it seems not all desire the quiet peace at this hour.

Several men in black suits and red ties suddenly came bursting out of the door of a store, carrying large duffel bags of containers and glowing gems of various shapes and colors.

“Come on, move it! We still have plenty of other stores to rob! Get into the vans before the cops arrive!” the leader ordered as the men hastily made their way to their black van, unloading their bags of loot before entering the van, with the leader getting on the driver’s seat, turning the key in the ignition. The van’s engine briefly sputtered, coughed, before suddenly falling silent.

“Hey! why aren’t we moving yet?!” one of them yelled out with urgency.

“Maybe we’re out of gas?” someone else suggested, glancing to the front of the van to take a look at the gas level displayed.

The goons inside the unmoving van were suddenly interrupted by a faint sizzling noise coming from beneath the dashboard. The leader crawled under the steering wheel, trying to get a closer look at the source of the noise, reaching into the narrow space and pulled out a rather small object, its fuse burning brightly and emitting smoke.

“What the?!” “Why is there a cupcake near the gas pedal?”

(Elsewhere)

“Where are they? This is getting tiring…” Chuck gasped for breath as he  dragged his feet to a bench at a nearby park, where Red was resting and trying to figure out how to use the scroll Ozpin gave him.

“Sorry Red, still no sign of them. This city is definitely larger than Pig City back home.” Chuck reported.

“No dice for me either, but patience is a thorny berry to swallow.” Red replied.

“But Red- we don’t eat thorny berries, it would hurt our tongues.” Chuck pointed out.

“Never mind that!” Red shot back. “The point is, I’m sure they are around here somewhere if we just keep on looking.”

“Easy for you to say.” Chuck said, pacing around frantically. “It’s not like we were given something convenient like some kind of beacon-”

*BOOM*

“I think it just did.” Red said, quickly hopping out of his seat and putting the scroll back in his pocket.

Back at the scene of the crime, the van was now decorated in black soot, the roof now replaced with a big gaping hole. The occupants of the van were sprawled around the pavement, with some of them starting to wake up, groaning and clutching their heads and limbs

“Hey, why are y’all sleeping here?” The goons turned to see a young boy, wearing an ice blue long-sleeved shirt, navy blue shorts and a cyan belt. He also wore red sneakers and yellow goggles with round red-orange lenses on his head. The young boy was smirking at the men,  with his arms on his waist.

“The road is so cold and hard at night, I don’t think it makes a good sleeping spot.”

“What are you doing here this late? Go home!” The leader said as he walked up towards the boy, who was now apparently fully recovered from  the blast.


“I guess you liked the little surprise that I gave you. It had a real kick to it, didn't it?”

“What do you mean by th-...” the leader trailed off, realizing that a mere kid just sabotaged them, all by himself. Alone.

“You've got quite the nerve, blue, I’ll give you that.” The man clenched his jaw in anger, brandishing out his red sword.

“Get him!” the goon barked at his recovering comrades.

“Can’t catch me!” The kid in blue taunted the men before dashing off with the men in pursuit.

The men kept running and running- they didn't exactly know how long they were. Their rapid footsteps skidded to a halt in a long alleyway, as they lost all signs of the little prankster they had been chasing.

“Damn his speed semblance, I think we lost sight of him!” one of the goons yelled out in anger and frustration. 

“He must be around here somewhere, he can’t beat us all alone, split up and find him!” another goon called out. 

Before they started to split up, a huge white bag dropped down from above, enveloping the goons with white powdery flour.

“What the!? It's an ambush!” exclaimed one of the goons as he drew out his gun.

“Wait!! *cough* don't shoot! the *cough* *cough* flour will explode!” one of the goons cried out, coughing from the flour. 

“Where are you, dammit?!” *cough* another goon yelled, trying to look for the kid in blue. He turned around to see suddenly, a pair of round red-orange eyes staring at him, grinning like a cheshire cat.

“Think fast, chucklenuts!”

Among the floury chaos, flashes of blue blurs along with various grunts and pained screams filled the hazy flour environment until the dust eventually settled.

Shocked to see many of his comrades on the floor, and being the last goon left, He whipped out his gun and sword, darting his eyes around in fear. Before he could even do anything else, he felt something blunt pressed on the back of his forehead.

“Turn around and you’re dead.”

The lone goon glanced out of the corner of his eye to see silhouettes of three kids riding on each other’s back, the kid on the top wielding a bow and aimed something on his head.

“You can’t kill me with that toy of yours.” He said with a growl. As he was about to use his gun to shoot them, he was swiftly knocked out with a swing of a blue high tech bow on the head.

“We weren’t planning to, but okay.” Jay said before getting off his brother’s shoulders. “Another robbery stopped successfully! You did a great job  baiting those bad guys here!” Jay complimented Jake.

“Hey, doing dangerous stunts is what I do.” Jake replied.  “But all of us did a great job too! You're the one who made this plan, Jim made and snuck in the bomb, and I did all the stunts.”

“Couldn’t agree more! It was all worth it when it went boom!” Jim admitted.

“And you’ll be very glad it did.” The blue triplets turned to see a lanky man in yellow, although the Blues knew the only person/bird to have this kind of hairstyle.

“Chuck!” The Blues screamed in joy, giving Chuck a big group hug.

“Where-” “Were-” “You-” “man?” “We-”  “Were-” “Having-” “So-” “Much-” “Fun-” “And-” “You-”  “Just-” “Missed-” “It!” The brothers cried in unison, finishing each other's sentences.

“Don’t worry boys, I’ve had my fair share of fun.” Chuck said as he ruffled the hairs of the blue triplets.

“But it’s time to retreat to somewhere safe.” Red chimed in, using his thumb to jerk towards the direction where sound of police sirens heading towards them could be heard before whipping out his scroll.

“What’s that game console thing you’re holding?” Jake asked.

“Scroll, kind of a phone.” Red explained as he contacted Ozpin.

“Hey Ozpin? I found them. Requesting pick up.”

(Later,  Beacon Academy)

“You sure this is a school? Looks like some kind of palace here.” remarked Jake as they walked towards the office door.

“Yep. Not just any regular school though.” Red explained. “It’s used to train the students here to fight the monsters that are plaguing this planet.”

“So…how did you end up here exactly?” asked Jay.

“Someone found me and took me in.” Red said as he knocked the office door and opened it, revealing Ozpin sitting at his desk, sipping from a coffee mug.

“This is Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon Academy.” Red explained as he introduced Ozpin to the children.

“Welcome to Beacon.” Ozpin greeted with a smile and a nod.

"I take it that you are Red’s companions." 

"That's right! I’m Jim!"

“I’m Jake!”

And I’m Jay!”

“But you-” “Can also call-” “Us by-”

“The Blues!” The brothers said in unison with a smile, putting their arms around each other, causing Ozpin to chuckle a little.

“I’m Chuck by the way.” Chuck chimed in.

“I assume these are a few of your friends?” Ozpin asked Red.

“Correct. Which leaves us six more to locate.” replied Red, crossing his arms.

“I trust that Red has informed you about what I shared with him?” Ozpin asked his friends next.

“Well, he told us about the planet with the broken moon called Remnant…” Recounted Jim.

“And this place is a school where experienced students can train to protect others by fighting against monsters.” Added Jay.

“Correct. Allow me to show you the rest of the world of Remnant.” said Ozpin as he typed in several commands on his computer, causing a hologram of Remnant globe to appear in the center of the office, surprising The Flock present.

“Woah!” Jay gasped in fascination and awe.

“Hey, this kinda looks like our home planet! Albeit smaller than ours.” Jim pointed out.

“Earth, right?” asked Ozpin as Red nodded his head.

“Is it just me…or do the regions look like sauce stains on a napkin?” Jake asked, earning confused looks from everyone.

“Probably just you.” Jim replied.

“Back to our topic at hand…” Ozpin interrupted as he pointed out.

“As you can see. This is Remnant, consisting of four separate kingdoms. Mistral, Vacuo, Atlas, and lastly, Vale, the kingdom we all are in right now.” Ozpin said as he pointed out the kingdoms respectively.

“What about that little island over there?” asked Chuck as he pointed to an island.

“That’s Menagerie. The island where you ended up before you got to Vale.” Answered Ozpin.

“You told us that’s where those Faunus people live, right?” asked Jim.

“Pretty much.” Chuck replied.

“And I assume this island is related to those black monsters?” asked Red, pointing to an island which looks like a black dragon.
“Unfortunately.” Ozpin said seriously. “It has no official name, but it is believed to be the home territory of said black monsters: The Grimm. While they reside through all of Remnant, millions more can be found in that island. Anyone who has ventured inside has never returned.”

“Black monsters? So those black spiders with claws on their tails are Grimm too?” Chuck asked.

“I beg your pardon?” Ozpin asked again.

“In Menagerie, I encountered some black spiders with red eyes and a white skull, with a long tail that has a large white claw with four talons. I’m telling ya, they look sharp!” Chuck emphasized.

“I’ve never heard of this Grimm before.” Ozpin remarked.

“Just like that Grimm that I faced…” Red noted as well.

Suddenly, a soft knock can be heard coming from the office door.

“Come in.” said Ozpin, as the door opened and a glasses-wearing blonde woman stepped inside.

“Here’s the scrolls you requested, Ozpin.” With a wave of her riding crop, she gently placed the scrolls on the desk.

“Thank you.” Said Ozpin. “Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Glynda Goodwitch, a professor here at Beacon.” Ozpin said as Glynda greeted them with a bow.

“I would like to express my gratitude for your actions last night.” Glynda said as she turned to Red. “If it weren’t for you, the city would have been in danger from those unknown Grimm.”

“You're welcome.” Red said simply.

“Um…excuse me? Glynda Goodwitch?” Jay suddenly interrupted.

“Yes?”

“How did you make them float?”

“With my Semblance.” Glynda explained.

“Your outward appearance?” Jim asked with a confused tone.

“Does that mean I have to be like that to get powers?!” exclaimed Jake.

“No, not that kind of Semblance.” Glynda told him with a soft chuckle.

“Semblances are special abilities that one develops from their Aura. As for Aura, it is the manifestation of a person’s soul, kind of a life force that runs through every living being on Remnant; humans, animals, even plants have Aura as well." Glynda continued to explain the word “Aura” , reminding The Flock about Matilda.

“Does The Grimm have Aura?” Jim asked.

“No.” Gylnda answered, simply shaking her head.  “They lack a soul, which is what separates them from the living beings of Remnant.”

“Like zombies…” Jake whispered to Jim.

“Quiet, knucklehead.” Jim whispered back.

“What about this thing?” asked Jay as he took out a small blue crystal from his pocket and showed it to Glynda.

“That’s Dust.” explained Glynda.

"As in, the kind of dust that gathers on unattended things and gives you sneezing fits?" Jake asked. 

"No, not that type of dust." Glynda shook her head and chuckled again. “In Remnant, nearly every advancement in science is thanks to the study of Dust, which is simply crystalized elemental power, such as fire, ice, lightning and many more. It is used to power our cities, our vehicles, devices and even weapons to battle the Grimm.”

“Speaking of Grimm…” said Ozpin.

“We need more information regarding the Grimm that the both of you have faced against, as we do not know what it is, and there is no information about it even in the database.”

“Well…this might take a while.” Chuck remarked.

Chapter Text

RWBY and Angry Birds belong to Rooster Teeth and Rovio respectively

(In a dormitory room of Beacon Academy)

"Beowolves, Ursai, Wyverns, Nevermores, Death Stalkers, Boarbatusks…" Jay muttered as he read various data of monsters on his scroll. "That sure is a lot of Grimm monsters."

"Teehee!...they all look like they are ready for a halloween party!" Jake commented, lying down on Jay's bed, and peeking at what Jay is reading.
"I suppose… some of them even resemble animals, like a giraffe or a bird." said Jay.

"Is there a Grimm that looks like a cat?" asked Jake.
"Well…" Jay hummed thoughtfully as he scrolled through the data logs. "There's the Sabyr, it looks like a sabertooth tiger."
"That's it?!" Exclaimed Jake. "No lions?! No leopards?! No common Felis Catus?!"

"Maybe they do exist." Jay suggested. "It's just not recorded at the moment."
"When's the rest coming back?" Jake whined, rolling around the bed before face planting onto the floor. "I'm bored!"
"Once the others are done with whatever business they have there." Jay replied as he looked towards the door. "I wonder what they are up to."

(Elsewhere, in another dormitory nearby)

"Just press the button!" Jim instructed.
"It's not working!" Red exclaimed.
"You sure you pressed it hard enough?" Asked Chuck.
"I did!" Red replied exasperatedly.
"I think it's better if you guys investigate it yourselves." Red suggested as he opened the door, stepping aside for Jim to enter.

"Huh…" Jim suggested as he pressed the button, but no response.
"Maybe it's the internal systems?" Jim wondered aloud as he lifted the lid of the water tank, studying the mechanisms inside.
"Ah…there's the problem." Jim announced. "This button has issues!"
"That explains why I can't flush." said Red.

"We've spent an hour figuring it out…" Chuck said with a tired sigh.

(Later)

"Welcome back!" said Jay as he saw Red, Chuck and Jim entering their dorm.
"What took you so long?!" Jake exclaimed, rolling around on the floor.
"We've spent an hour teaching Red how to flush a toilet." Jim said simply.
"How am I supposed to know that there's a problem with the flushing mechanism?!" Red retorted.
"Maybe we should ask Hal to take you on a world tour when we get back home." Chuck suggested.
"Never mind that. We've gotta meet up with Ozpin, remember?" Red reminded.

(Flashback)

"Thank you for the information. Glynda here will escort all of you into your dormitories for rest and recovery." Ozpin told the present members of The Flock.
"What will you do?" Asked Red.
"I'll warn my associates of the unknown Grimm threat. There may be more of them we haven't encountered yet."
"But surely there is something we can do?" asked Jay.
"Well…I have an idea for both Red and Chuck specifically." said Ozpin, pointing his pen to both of them.
"Tomorrow, there will be a special test for our first year students when they enroll here, as a way to test their Semblances, their weapons, their fighting styles, and the ability to cooperate and work as a team."

"So it's an entrance exam?" Asked Jay.
"No. The students enrolled here have already passed the academy's entrance exam." replied Ozpin.
"Think of it as more like an individual assessment. Red and Chuck will be also taking the test so that I can assess their capabilities."
"But what-" "About-" "Us?!" The Blues cried out.

"I'm sorry. But we cannot allow young children into the test." Glynda told them strictly. "The test is rigorous, and the students there have to fight the Grimm dwelling in the assessment area. Also, the students taking the test are at least seventeen years old."
"We're-" "Not-" "Kids!" The Blues shouted defiantly.
"We can fight!" Jake whined.

"Yeah! We fought plenty of monsters too! Aliens, zombies, werewolves…" said Jim.
"Do they exist in your world?" Gylnda asked, turning to Red and Chuck. "I thought those things existed only in fiction."
"Oh, we have them alright, just not as common as those Grimm monsters infesting your world." explained Red.

"Trust me when I say this, but The Blues, they fought them before and won several times more than I can count. They have exceptionally good teamwork and are strong on their own. Their appearance may be young, but their minds and bodies are mature." Chuck said as well.
"I suppose I could make some exceptions…" said Ozpin.
"But sir…!" Glynda protested.

"I know, Glynda." Ozpin told her. "But how else are we going to prove that they are capable of fighting the Grimm on their own? Red and Chuck already vouched for them. Despite their lack of Aura, I can see the fire of determination in their eyes. I'm sure I can work something out for them to partake in the test."
"I wish we had an aura though…" Jay muttered. "It honestly sounds cool."
"Well...there's a method." Ozpin revealed.
"What do you mean?" asked Red.

"There are certain individuals who are capable of unlocking the Aura of another if they have yet to do so." Ozpin explained, offering his hand.
"Conveniently, I am one of those individuals. Would anyone like to try?"
"Well…It doesn't hurt to try." Red said with a simple shrug as he stepped forward, allowing Ozpin to place his hand on his forehead, causing a green energy field to manifest all over his body as The Blues and Chuck watched with awe and bated breaths.

But despite all of that green light show, nothing was manifesting from Red.
"Curious…" Ozpin said as he studied his own hand that he used to touch Red's forehead.

"I can definitely sense a soul. A selfless and courageous soul in fact."
"To be fair, we're not from Remnant, hence no Aura." Jim pointed out.
"Fair point." Ozpin accepted with a nod. "Back to the topic at hand…"

"You can stay in Beacon as a base of operations and we'll provide the materials you need. In return, you'll help us with The Bad Piggies and the emerging unknown Grimm."
"Sounds like a plan." Chuck nodded in acceptance.
"Good. Now, get some rest." Ozpin instructed. "You're going to need all the energy you can get tomorrow."

(End of flashback)

"Oh yeah. Are we late to the party?" asked Jake.
"Still got twenty minutes." Jim answered as he checked the time on his scroll. "The Emerald Forest isn't that far from here."
"What are we waiting for then?" Chuck said as he jogged on the spot. "Let's go!"
"But what about breakfast?" asked Jake.
Chuck hesitated for a moment, before declaring: "After breakfast!"

(Later)

Unsurprisingly, Chuck got there first with his insanely fast speed. He was about to greet Ozpin when he saw several students in the air and falling to a forest. He also could have sworn he heard someone familiar screaming.
"Uh…hey Ozpin!" Chuck greeted. "Why are you launching them into that forest?" He asked as Red arrived next, followed by The Blues.
"Good morning everyone." Ozpin greeted as he took a sip from his mug that he was holding.

"This is the Emerald Forest, where we do the initiation of new Beacon Academy students here."
"Upon being launched inside, they'll fight their way through various Grimm to a temple to retrieve an artifact there, which all of you will be doing the same as well. However, you do not need to retrieve the artifacts as these are how we determine the team. Just make your way to the temple and return to the cliff. We will be closely monitoring your fighting styles, as well as getting a better grasp of your capabilities. You may choose to help the students if you wish."
"However, just as they must learn to work with others, it is also important for them to handle themselves," Glynda added.

"This test-"

"Is for the students to prove their capabilities fighting against monsters and work as a team, we get it. Relax, we'll help them out as little as we can." Chuck interrupted, causing Red to lightly bonk Chuck on the head with annoyance as Ozpin chuckled a little.
"Yes…that's correct." Glynda stated. " Ozpin and…I…." She said with some hesitation, looking at the blue triplets in particular. "Trust that all of you will perform well in this test. Here, wear these." Glynda instructed as she handed them several badges that resembled that of a green clockwork cog.
"We'll use these to track your locations in case of any sign of danger. Any questions?"

"Why do the students need to be launched into the forest there?" Jim asked as he put on his badge. "Can't they just…I don't know… jump down from the cliff?"
"There are multiple scenarios in which a Huntsmen or Huntress ends up falling from great heights." Ozpin explained.

"This method is a way for them to swiftly come up with a landing strategy in which they won't get injured, or worse, die, from said fall."
"Do we have to hop on those springboards?" Asked Red.
"That won't be necessary." Ozpin replied. "Since I believe that all of you are very experienced fighters, I'll allow you to enter the forest by any means. But you're welcome to try out the springboards if you would like to."

"Alright! Let's do this!" Chuck exclaimed.
"To-" "The-" "Temple!" The Blues exclaimed.
Chuck ran far behind to get a running start, before he dashed towards the cliff, jumping through the air shouting, "Waaahoo!" and entered the forest first, riding the momentum.

Jim hopped onto Jay's shoulders first, before Jay did a back handspring with Jim in his back, before Jim used his arms to launch himself and Jim into Jake's shoulders, forming a human tower. Continuing the momentum, Jake did a front flip near the edge of the cliff, before Jim used his arms again to spring themselves into the air, with the brothers screaming, "Weeee!", entering the forest next.
Red decided to try the springboards the students had used. After setting the springboard back to its original position, Red stood on the springboard, preparing himself to get launched off.

After a long period of awkward silence, the springboard didn't launch Red. With a confused look, Red closely inspected the springboard he's standing on, but there seems to be nothing wrong with it. Until…

*CLICK!*

Red screamed for dear life as he was launched into the forest last.

"Good luck, everyone." Ozpin said before sipping from his mug.

(Emerald Forest)

Red continued to scream as he was still falling. Worst of all, he's about to hit a rough landing, in the form of an incoming tree.
"No! No! No!"
"Face!"

"Arm!"

"Bottom!"

"Ribs!"

"Giblets….Ow!"

Red groaned in pain as he got up, rubbing his head from the rough landing. Just then a deep, rumbling roar echoed throughout the environment, causing Red to instinctively draw out his sword.
"Guess I better get going." Red to himself as he sprinted towards the source of the noise.

Slicing the shrubbery, Red found a pack of wolf-like Grimm, the tallest one, presumably the leader, gave a loud howl as Red also saw that a nearby tree was set alight, the fire covering a half of the tree and growing every second.

Jumping immediately into action, he let out a war cry, unleashing a red shockwave that hit the nearest wolf-like Grimm, causing it to be launched towards the other monsters, knocking them all down like a row of bowling pins. Seizing the opportunity, he gave an uppercut to another Grimm monster by the jaw, who just happened to dodge the shockwave, causing it to get launched high into the air for some time before it fell to the ground with a loud *CRACK!* and disintegrated.

Following up with a few swings and slices of his sword, he granted the rest of the fallen Grimm the sweet release of death.

Aiming for the rest of the Grimm, Red chopped the tree down with his sword, causing it to collapse before hopping on to it and ran forward, causing the fallen tree to roll faster and faster, extinguishing the flames by the sheer rolling speed and leaving behind a charred trail before hopping off, crushing the rest of the monsters as he watched them dissipate.

Oddly enough, he could not see a large dissipating corpse, which means the larger Grimm must have escaped. For something so large and deadly, it does escape from danger rather stealthily.

"Hey! You!"

Turning around, he could see a white haired girl with an off-center ponytail and a white strapless dress, who looked kind of angry and annoyed. Next to her was the black short-haired young girl in a black dress that he saw earlier, and she had stars on her eyes after seeing the stunts Red did.

"Who exactly are you?!" The white-haired girl questioned rudely, causing Red to frown slightly. "What kind of Semblance just lets you just shout your way through a pack of Grimm and send them flying?! You are clearly no ordinary person! And this place is private property of Beacon Academy! I know I didn't see you on the cliff with the other students, and you look like an adult! So where did you come from and what are you doing here?!"

"Wait-a-minute…didn't I see you in the City of Vale yesterday?" The black-haired girl asked.
"To answer your question first…" Red started, turning to the white-haired girl. "My name is Red. No, that's not my semblance, I don't have an aura. Also Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon, asked me and several of my teammates to participate in this test. Here's the proof." Red said as he presented the badge to the two girls.
"Secondly…to answer your question…" Red continued as he turned to the black-haired girl. "Yes, that was me. Didn't I see you on a rooftop with Glynda while there's an airship flying around?"

"Yeah! That was me!" The girl replied, "Not sure why you ran away, but what you did was so awesome! You were like, Slice! Slice! Slice! And defeated six Grimm in just one swing!"

"You could say I'm a skilled fighter." Red said with a shrug.
"The both of you know my name, what's yours?"
"I'm Ruby Rose! But you can call me Ruby!" Ruby said with a smile.
"And that's Snow Queen over there." she said with a sneer, using her thumb to point at the white-haired girl, who gave a loud scoff in response.
"My name is Weiss Schnee and it'll be wise for you to respect my name!" the girl, identified as Weiss, said angrily.

"Like I said…Snow Queen…" Ruby told Red.
"Also, how can you not have a Semblance at all?!" asked Weiss. "Don't you have an Aura?!"
"I have neither an Aura nor a Semblance." Red simply replied.
"W-W-How is that possible?!" Weiss questioned again.
Red thought carefully for a moment, before saying: "Would you believe me, if I told you I'm not from Remnant?"

(Elsewhere)

"If I were a temple, where would I be…?" Jim muttered, resting on a tree branch to get an aerial view."Probably north of here." said Jake as revealed himself, hanging upside down from a tree branch.

"If I were that temple, I would be very cranky, with so many monsters and animals violating me. I might have to learn how to cough up sawdust as a defense mechanism."
"Hold on guys." Jay interrupted as he motioned to his brothers to take a look at the direction he was pointing to.
"Someone's coming."

It was a young man, trekking through the forest's tall grass. He wore a dark green long sleeved tailcoat, as well as white pants and black shoes. He also has black hair, with a single magenta streak on his left side.
Sensing something amiss, He stops in his tracks, eyes narrowed as he turns around to see looking around him a huge black serpent-like Grimm rising up from the grass behind him, swiftly surrounding him with its large, hissing body.
Adopting a fighting stance, he quickly leaped out of the way as the Grimm attacked him with its long fangs, the snake's mouth hitting the ground but instantly coming up again to smack him down with its snout.

Landing safely with a back handspring followed by a crouch, he retaliated by drawing out two green pistols with sickle-like blades before jumping up and firing at the creature, spinning in a corkscrew motion.

The serpent hissed in pain by the gunfire as it tried to attack him with its snout again, but he anticipated it and dealt a swift kick to the snout, causing the Grimm to get knocked down, earning him a free strike on the Grimm using the blades on his weapon before the snake recovered and tried to bite him again, but he flipped over it quickly and drove the blades into its head. He was about to deal the killing blow to the Grimm but another hissing noise stopped him in his tracks.
He turned his head behind to see a white serpent-like Grimm about to bite him but dodged away from the Grimm's attack in time with a roll. The black Grimm serpent, fully recovered, flowed together with the white Grimm serpent.

Turns out, both Grimm serpents share a body, with one half the black serpent's body while the other half was the white serpent's body.
As the young man and the large Grimm prepared for round two, The monster let out an ear-piercing hiss, detaching itself into two separate serpent-like Grimm, causing the young man's eyes to widen.

Before round two could start proper, a barrage of arrows of blue energy struck the snake monsters in their faces, some of the arrows even pierced their eyes, dazing them and surprising the young man further as a cupcake lighted with a fuse flew between the two Grimm heads, enveloping the them with fire and smoke causing the heads to explode, with their slowly disintegrating bodies falling to the ground.
Left slightly stunned at the giant disintegrating corpses, the young man quickly shook his head to get a hold of himself. There are other things to deal with right now. Turning around to track the travel trajectory of the bomb and the arrows, he found three young boys in blue sliding down a tree like a firepole.
"Guys, I think our ammo is running out." Jay said to his brothers.

"But aren't our arrows energy based?" Jake asked with a confused look.
"No, not the arrows, it's our bombs. We're really going to need to make more of these once we get back." Jay replied.
"Did you three do this?" The young man asked the Blues.
"Yep, we did. We thought you might need a hand." Jake told the young man.

"You were the one that went trigger-happy and threw that bomb upon seeing that two headed snake." Jim pointed out to Jake. "We were supposed to only interfere when someone is in extreme danger."

"How is a giant snake not a huge threat?!" Jake protested.
"I could handle it myself, but thank you for the assistance." the young man said.
"What is that thing anyway?! It has two heads!" Jake exclaimed.

"That's a King Taijitu." The young man explained. "Although I've never seen it split itself up."
"Wow, that's an intriguing name. Speaking of names, I'm Jim." He said, offering his hand.
The one behind me is Jay and the one that you talked to just now is Jake. You can also call us by The Blues. What's yours?"

"Ren." The young man said simply as he shook Jim's hand.
"What are you all doing here? This place is dangerous." Ren told the blue-haired boys.
"We know, Ozpin the headmaster told us already." Jay revealed, showing Ozpin's badge to Ren.
"He asked us to take this test with the others. And as you can already see, we can take care of ourselves."
"I see…" Ren seemed to accept with a slight nod.

Before The Blues and Ren can continue their conversation, the sound of a poor imitation of an animal's call entered their ears from the canopy above them. An orange-haired girl then appeared, hanging upside down from a tree branch with a smile practically glued on her face.
She wore a black sleeveless dress with a white shirt over it, along with white detached sleeves on both her arms and pink fingerless gloves. She also had a pink skirt with a white layer underneath and white boots with pink laces.

"I still don't think that's what a sloth sounds like." Ren told her.
"I agree. Babies make squeaking noises." Jay commented.
The girl appeared to ignore The Blues for a moment, lightly tapping Ren's nose with a "Boop."

She then leapt down from her spot and turned towards The Blues. "Hi there. Aren't you guys a bit too young to be here?"
"They're invited by the headmaster to take this test with us." Ren explained as Jake showed his badge to her as proof.

"Oh…" the girl nodded with understanding. "Oh! Silly me! I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Nora, Nora Valkyrie." The girl identified as Nora pulled Ren in, wrapping her right arm around him. "And this is my best buddy Lie Ren! but everyone just calls him Ren!"
"I already told them my name." Ren pointed out.

"Well, now with introductions out of the way… aren't you all the cutest kids ever!" Nora squealed loudly as she gave a big bear hug to the blue triplets.
"Oh…that's some strength you got there." Jim remarked.
"You could say that again…!" Jay remarked with a wheeze.
"I feel like I'm a teddy bear." Jake added.

"Nora, let them go, you might suffocate them." Ren told Nora.
"Just a little longer." Nora replied as she continued to hug The Blues, but relaxed her hugging strength a little, providing some comfort for the blue triplets as they waited for Nora to let them go.
Ren breathed a sigh as he looked at Nora still hugging the blue triplets.
Looking at where the King Taijitu's corpse once lay, he couldn't help but wonder how it was able to split itself up. But that had to wait for now. There are other matters that need to be taken care of.
"This will certainly be interesting." He told himself.

(Back to that red guy)

"So…you're basically an alien?" Ruby asked Red as he led her and Weiss through the forest.
"That's the gist of it." Red replied. "I know it sounds far-fetched, but I'm literally living proof here, a person without a Semblance or an Aura."
"Not at all! My mom used to read me a lot of stories, so I'm kind of used to it. But hearing you're from another world where you have no Grimm sounds like a place I would like to visit!" Ruby said rather enthusiastically.

"That'll be for some other time. We got a temple to go to." Red told her.
"Weiss? You ok back there?" Red asked, seeing that she is lost in her own thoughts.

"Y-Yeah…I'm…f-fine…" Weiss said with a slight stutter.
"It's just…there's so much information to process from what you told us."
"We can take a small break if you need-"

"And be at risk from more Grimm attacks and further delay our trip to the temple?! No way!" Weiss interrupted angrily.
"That's some quick recovery." Ruby remarked.
"Speaking of temples, do you even know where we are going?! It feels like we're walking in circles." Weiss ranted.
"Red! Red!" A familiar voice called to him as a streak of yellow caught up to him, surprising both girls as Chuck skidded to a halt in front of Red.
"What's up?" asked Red.

"I found the temple and-" Chuck reported before seeing Ruby.
"Oh hey!" Chuck greeted with a smile. "Remember me, little red?"
"Of course I did!" Ruby exclaimed. "You were the one who pointed me in the right direction at Beacon!"
"Right direction?" asked Red.

"She-got-lost-so-I-told-her-where-the-other-students-were-headed." Chuck quickly explained.
"Speaking of…where's the yellow boy?" Chuck asked as he looked around.
"Jaune? I don't know, we were all launched in random directions, and he was launched last, so I didn't see where he went." answered Ruby.
"Chuck, this is Ruby, Ruby Rose. Ruby, meet Chuck, one of my friends." Red introduced. "The girl with the white hair is Weiss Schnee."
"Do you not have a Semblance or an Aura like Red?" Ruby asked curiously.
"Well, not to brag…but I'm fast." Chuck replied as he crossed his arms.
"Ooo~ how fast can you go?" Ruby asked with stars in her eyes.

"Very fast, I can assure you. Tell you what, since I found the temple, I can take you both there. Don't worry, it's only a few miles from here." Chuck offered.
"Only a few miles?!" Weiss questioned. "You made it sound as if it was a walk in the park!"
"It is. Here, let me show you." Chuck said as he grabbed Weiss and hoisted her up in his right arm, much to her shock. "Wait… what are you…?!" She questioned as Chuck also hoisted Ruby up in his left arm.

"Please keep your hands, arms, feet and legs inside the speed-ride at all times for your safety. Thank you for your cooperation. If everyone's ready…three-two-one-go!" Chuck said before zooming through the forest, albeit slower because he's a bit worried that the girls may not be able to handle his speed.
As Red looked into the direction Chuck went, while hearing Ruby's screams of enjoyment and Weiss screams of terror getting distant, he wondered to himself: "The Blues weren't even that excited when riding on Chuck. I guess I better catch up to them."
After finishing his train of thought, he crouched down, before dashing off.

(Two minutes later)

Chuck reached the temple with his passengers before coming to a skidding stop. "Thank you for riding Chuck's speed-ride. I hope you have a nice day." He said as he set the girls down as Weiss fell flat on her knees with swirly eyes while Ruby zoomed up to Chuck with a loud squeal.
"That was awesome!" Ruby ranted excitedly. "You moved so fast! Like…way fast! Can I even go that fast? We're both fast! We can be fast friends!"
"Fast friends…that's a nice ring. Put 'em there." Chuck chuckled to Ruby's comments, offering his fist for a fist bump.
Ruby, fought back a squeal of delight as she fist bumped Chuck.

"Your semblance is speed based?" Chuck asked.
"Uh-huh! It's called Petal Burst! It allows me to move fast! Like this!" She said as she demonstrated her Semblance by dashing around the area before returning to where she originally was with bursts of red petals.
"Ta-dah!"

"That's cool!" Chuck complimented with a thumbs up, before noticing Red arriving at the temple.
"You ok?" Red asked as he noticed Weiss on the ground.
"He got us here so quickly… crossing a few miles in a short time…" She said to Red. "Just how fast is he?!"
"Like what he said: He's very fast. But statistics-wise, I'm not quite sure, Chuck's speed hasn't been properly measured yet." Red replied, looking up to see Chuck waving at him.

"Since we're at the temple, aren't you supposed to grab some sort of relic here?"
"Right." Weiss said as she stood up, deciding to focus on the test at hand.
Heading into the broken ruins of a rotunda, where stone pedestals lined around the rotunda.
"Hmm…Grimm attack?" Chuck asked Red as he examined the ruins.
"Probably." Red said simply.

Weiss walked towards one of the stone pedestals and found a white chess piece resting on it.
"They're chess pieces…" Weiss remarked as she noticed some of the relics on the pedestals were white, while others were black.
"Some of them are missing. Some of the students must have gotten here first." Red said as he observed some of the empty pedestals.
"Let's pick the horsey!" Ruby exclaimed as she grabbed the white knight chess piece. "Why?" Weiss asked. "Because I love animals!" Ruby replied, causing Weiss to roll her eyes. "Fine."

"So that's how Ozpin determines the team." Red said.
"How so?" asked Chuck, tilting his head in curiosity.
"Don't you see? The pawn, knight, rook and bishop have two pieces. Since Ruby and Weiss have the white Knight piece, whoever gets the other white knight piece will pair up with them." Red explained.

"Ruby!"

Chuck, Red and the girls turned to see a golden-haired young woman, wearing a tan jacket and black shorts waving to Ruby, accompanied by a black-haired girl, wearing a black buttoned vest with coattails, along with a white sleeveless high necked crop undershirt and white shorts.
Upon seeing the blonde young woman, Ruby used her own speed to shoot herself toward her.
"Yang!" Ruby appeared in front of her.

"See?! I told you!" She shouted, pointing to Red. "He's real! Red is real! I told you so!"
"Of course I'm real, I'm standing right here." Red stated.

"Okay, okay, I get it! You were right!" The young woman named Yang said, holding up her hands defensively. "I'm sorry for doubting you and thinking he was imaginary." Hearing that made Chuck snicker, causing Red to glare at him.
"You know her, Ruby?" questioned Red.

"She's my sister!" Ruby replied. "Yang, meet Red. Red, meet Yang."
"Sister?" Red asked as he approached Yang. "I don't see any resemblance here. Is one of you adopted or something?"

"It's something else." Yang said quickly for some reason as Red looked at her with a raised eyebrow, before giving a nod in acceptance. "Alright then."
"Hello there, I'm Chuck, a friend of Red. And you are?" Chuck greeted the black-haired girl.
"Blake." The girl told him simply.

"Nice to meet you. I hope we can work together someday." Chuck said as he extended his hand.
"Likewise." Blake said as she shook Chuck's hand.

After the brief chat, Yang and Blake went to collect their relic, which also happened to be a white knight piece.
"Oh yeah…it's all coming together…" Chuck whispered with a smirk.
"I can see that." Red whispered back with a smirk of his own.
"How many of you are there?" Blake asked the two men.
"Not counting me and Chuck, only three others. At least in the forest." Red answered. "I wonder how they're doing."

The group of six suddenly heard a series of explosions, causing them to turn in the direction of the forest where several trees were knocked down to reveal a pair of Ursai, with Nora and Ren riding on one and The Blues riding on the other.
"Yee-haw!" Nora cheered as she fired her weapon in the shape of a grenade launcher into the back of her Ursa, causing it to explode as she flipped and landed gracefully on her feet while Ren landed face-first on the ground. At the same time, Jake took out his bow and swung it down hard to crush the skull of the Ursa that he and his brothers rode before the brothers leapt out of the Ursa and Jake landed on his feet, followed by Jay who landed on Jake and lastly Jim, landing on Jay and Jake, forming a three person tower.

"That was-" "Fun!" "Let's do it again!" The Blues exclaimed.
"Let's never do that again." Ren said, causing The Blues to chuckle and help him get up on his feet.
"Nora?" Ren asked as he looked around for her whereabouts.

"She's already gone." Jim gestured to the ruins where Nora noticed a white rook piece and took it in her hands.
"I'm Queen of the Castle! I'm Queen of the Castle!" Nora sang, balancing the white rook on her head.
"Nora!" Ren exclaimed, causing her to stop singing.

"Coming Ren!" She ran back happily to join her partner, while most of the present group looked somewhat perplexed at what just happened. "Did they just ride in on an Ursa?" Blake asked. "Seems so." Chuck replied.
"Hey Red! Hey Chuck!" The Blues greeted their friends in unison as they ran toward Red and Chuck. "New friends?"
"You could say that." Red replied.

"I see that you have new friends as well." Chuck noted as he pointed to Ren and Nora.
"Yeah! Nora and Ren here are very fun to talk to! Especially Nora, she's like a jumping bean in a hot pan of oil, hot sauce and firecrackers!" Jake stated before turning to the other first-years present. "Hello everybody! I'm Jake! The one above me is Jay and the one above Jay is Jim. You can also call us by The Blues! Ren and Nora, meet Red and Chuck!"

"Hello." Ren said simply, while Nora waved energetically.
"Aren't you three too young to be fighting monsters?" Weiss asked, earning a blank look from the brothers.
"In case you haven't noticed, we have the same badges that Red and Chuck wore." Jim pointed out as the triplets pointed to their badges simultaneously.
"They may be young, but they compensate for their age with great teamwork and a big bag of tricks." Red told Weiss. "Maybe you can learn something from them."
"Hmph!" Weiss stormed off in a huff as she turned away from Red, which caused him to scratch his head. "Was it something I said?"
"Beats me." Chuck said with a shrug.

"Aren't you all the cutest triplets ever!" Yang said while ruffling the hairs of the blue triplets, while Ruby is busy staring at the bows on the triplets' backs.

"I've never seen a bow like that before…where's the ammunition? What is it called? How does it work? What kind of Dust does it use? Can it transform?" She wondered to herself.

A loud high-pitched scream suddenly sounded off throughout the entire Emerald Forest, getting the attention of everyone currently in the ruins. "Whoever's making that wailing banshee noise, quiet down! Jake said angrily.
"I could have sworn that voice sounds familiar…" Chuck said aloud.

(Somewhere)

In a cave in where the loud screaming originated from, a girl with and ponytail wearing golden armor with a black skirt rushed out right before a black monster crashed through the hole, roaring and waving its scorpion-like claws as a familiar looking blonde armor-wearing boy with blue jeans, hanging on for dear life from the stinger of a Death Stalker, a scorpion-like Grimm, calling for help and continuing to scream.
"Help! Pyrrha! Help! Pyrrha, this is not the relic! It's not! Do something!" Jaune sobbed and pleaded to the red-haired girl, identified as Pyrrha, as he still hung on for dear life at the tail of the Death Stalker.

"Jaune! Whatever you do, don't let go!" Pyrrha shouted as she got out her javelin weapon, pointing it at the Grimm to her distance.
Before anyone made a single move, a blur striked at the side of the Death Stalker's tail, causing the scorpion monster to snarl painfully and flail its tail, causing Jaune to lose his grip on the stinger and fall. Before he fell onto the Death Stalker's back or Pyrrha could attempt to save him, the same blur quickly ricocheted from a nearby tree and caught Jaune, before landing onto the ground while carrying Jaune, away from the Death Stalker.
It was a girl that looked as young and probably as short as Ruby. She wore a silver sleeved shirt with a black sleeveless open front vest. She also wore black shorts and black bracelets along with gray and black shoes. She has silver hair with black undertones, the longer ends of her hair pointing behind her in an upwards direction.
"You ok?" The girl asked Jaune as she set him down.

"Dizzy, but I think I'll live." said a giddy Jaune.
"Who are you?" Pyrrha asked curiously, before she was interrupted by the Death Stalker's roar of anger.
"I'll introduce myself later, but now we need to go! Both of you! Head there and wait for my signal! I'll buy you guys some time!" She told the two, charging towards the Grimm, drawing out double-edged white blades that projected from her black bracelets, to parry the claw strikes of the Death Stalker just in time.
"Ok, we're now here…now what?!" Jaune questioned.

"Get ready!" The girl shouted out while using her blades to try to push away the large stinger of the Death Stalker from her face.
"Get ready for what?" Jaune asked, getting a nervous look.
After successfully pushing the stinger away and retracting her bracelet blades, the girl then hopped onto the stinger, before she did a front flip onto the ground and performed a front handspring to launch herself into the air, falling between Jaune and Pyrrha.

"Jump!"

The girl shouted as Jaune and Pyrrha followed her command, with the girl using her momentum to spring up and grab Jaune and Pyrrha by the back collars, before quickly jumping from one tree to another.

"How are you able to do that?!" asked Jaune as he screamed again.
"One word: Physics!" The girl replied with a smile as she quickly hopped away from the Death Stalker, with Jaune and Pyrrha in tow.
"Why are we running from a single Death Stalker? We should be able to take it on three on one." Pyrrha asked the mysterious girl.
"Did you see who's following us?" The girl asked back.

Looking at the Death Stalker following them, she could see another Death Stalker following the first one close behind, while there are several other Grimm monsters, way ahead of the Death Stalker due to themselves being faster.
"I stand corrected," said Pyrrha.

(Back to the boys and students)

"Hey Red, maybe I should investigate the source of the noise, someone could be in danger." Chuck suggested.

"Alright Chuck, go see if they need any- ".

"Look out from above!"

Everyone looked towards the sky to see a silver-haired girl towing Jaune and Pyrrha and falling towards them. They quickly made way as the girl let go, allowing Pyrrha to land on her feet, while Jaune tripped as he landed and fell face-first on the ground, followed by the unknown girl landing on her feet.
"Thanks for the save." Pyrrha commented.

"You're welcome." the girl nodded with a smile.
"Yeah…thanks." Jaune groaned, his face still in the dirt before he pushed himself back up.
"Did that girl just fall here carrying two people by herself?" Jay questioned.

"Ok, now who are you supposed to be?! You look like a student but I didn't even see you on the cliff!" Weiss exclaimed.
"Oh, my name's Silver. Nice to meet you." The girl introduced herself with a gentle bow, taking Weiss by surprise by her politeness.
"Wait…Silver?!" The Flock looked at her with shocked expressions.

"Huh? How do you know my name… WAIT-A-MINUTE! Red?! Chuck?! Blues?! Is that you?!" Silver suddenly exclaimed, pointing to each of them respectively.
"It is us!" The Blues exclaimed with joy as the brothers gave Silver a hug.
"So, you ended up in this forest after you were sucked right through the portal?" Red asked.
"Yeah, did Chuck tell you that?" asked Silver as she gently pushed the blue children aside.

"Chuck told me first-." Red's explanation was interrupted as the ground shook a little, putting everyone on high alert.
"I've spotted a whole bunch of monsters from the air and they're all coming here! We better get out of here, pronto!" Silver warned.
"How many are we talking about?" Yang asked.

Her answer came in the form of a sudden wolf-like howl as a massive pack of Grimm consisting of wolf-like Grimm, much larger and stockier wolf-like Grimm and boar-like Grimm, and even several spider-like Grimm, which Chuck quickly noticed.
"Fifty total, tops." Silver answered Yang's question as all the students looked surprised and even a little bit nervous while Chuck, Red and The Blues had serious expressions on their faces.

"Beowolves…Ursai, Boarbatusks and…w-what even are they?!" asked Yang as she noticed the spider-like Grimm whipping their clawed tails around.
"Hey, those were the monsters I fought before!" Chuck quickly noted.
"Yeah, your description fits them perfectly." Jay added.
"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.
"Remember that night at the City Of Vale where I fought an unknown Grimm?" Red replied. "This is another one of those unknown Grimm, and Chuck has fought them before."

"My…what sharp claws you have." Jake remarked as he gazed at the claw on its tail.

The horde encircled the whole area, separating The Flock and their student allies from the rest of the forest. The one that appeared to be leading appeared to be the very same Beowulf that Red had encountered before.

"Oh, great, Wolffy is back." Red growled as he recognized the large wolf Grimm.
"Oh hello, sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances. I'm Chuck. The angry guy in red is Red, while those three blue boys are The Blues, you'll always see them together." Chuck greeted.

"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Pyrrha." Pyrrha greeted back.
"Wow, so formal." Chuck noted mentally.

"Please tell me someone has a plan." Blake said nervously as she drew out her weapon, which appears to be a sword. "Maybe if we all stand together in a defensive-" Pyrrha suggested, but Red held up his hand to stop her.
"Go, my friends and I got this."

"What?! Are you crazy?!" Weiss exclaimed. "There's so many Grimm!"
"We fought thousands before." Silver commented as she walked forward along with Chuck and The Blues to join Red while activating her bracelet blades.
"Thousands?!" Jaune exclaimed.

"Look, you don't have to worry about us." Chuck assured them, whipping out his yellow nunchucks as a long rope made of pure blue electricity sparked to life, connecting to the ends of the two sticks."Your test was just to get those relics and make it back to the cliff. Ozpin only had us come here so he could see what we can do, and we plan to show him that."
"Good thing too. I'm itching for a fight." Jim said as he drew out his bow.

"I've counted 10 hidden cameras in this area, plus the five hidden cameras on our badges. Which means Ozzy has 15 pieces of evidence on how good we are." Jay reported.
"Good, cuz the show's starting." Chuck said with a smirk as he waved his nunchucks around.
"Are you really sure you can take them all?" Ruby asked with concern.

"Ab-soul-lately!" The Blues turned back and gave a thumbs up while using their free hand to put on their goggles.
"Just sit back and enjoy the show. Food, drink and flash photography is strictly prohibited." Jim told the students.
"Ready or not…It's Chuck-time!"

Chuck shouted before going on the offensive first, using his speed to tackle his way through a group of Beowolves and a couple Ursa, before appearing in the center of a pack, taunting the Grimm by blowing a raspberry, before forming a large tornado by spinning his body rapidly in place, which sent all of them flying.

As gravity did its work to disorient the Grimm, Chuck followed up by Chuck using his nunchucks and his speed to whack various areas of an Ursa before using the electrical "rope" to wrap around the Ursa tightly, causing it to disintegrate within a few seconds. Whether it was by excessive electrical shock, lack of oxygen or both, is up to you.
Chuck continued on the attack by jumping up and spinning horizontally in a corkscrew motion to generate a propelling force of wind to push back several Grimm.

Meanwhile, Jay grabs onto Jim by his feet, who is also holding on to Jake's feet, and begins swinging them around and around to gain momentum. After a few spins, Jim lets go of Jake as he flies towards the oncoming horde of the spider Grimm.

"BANZAI!" Jake cried out as he tackled one into the spiders and began brawling with it, scratching, punching, kicking and various violent ways Jake could think of as he gathered the rest of the spider monsters and Grimm into a ball of dust, along with some black disintegrating ashes rising out of the ball.
"Hey! Spare us some spiders to play with!" Jay called out.

"Heads up!" Jake said before kicking two spiders out of the dust ball of violence. Grabbing the tails, Jim and Jay swung the spider's around, using them as bludgeoning weapons to clear out the remaining nearby Grimm and the other spider Grimm that Jake might have missed.
A Boarbatusk rolled towards Red, but he waited in anticipation just in time to grab its tusks just before it rammed him. Using his strength to halt the advance, he slammed the Grimm to the ground repeatedly to disorient it before jumping up high, and with a war cry, threw it to the ground forcefully, leaving behind a large crater, before bringing his sword down on its head, causing it to disintegrate.

Another Boarbatusk tried to charge and ram into Chuck, but he quickly side-stepped away from its rolling path. As the Boarbatusk was turning around to ram Chuck a second time, Chuck noticed a long vine hanging from a nearby tree, which gave him an idea.

Acting fast, he grabbed the vine and tied the vine on two nearby trees in the rolling Boarbatusk's path. As the rolling Boarbatusk made contact with the vine, pulling it back. Chuck held his breath as the vine looked like it was on the verge of breaking, but his fears were put to rest when the Boarbatusk was launched back by the elastic vine.
"Strike!" Chuck cheered as the redirected Boarbatusk knocked away several Grimm like a game of Bowling.

While Red screamed and slashed, Chuck darting around the area giving a flurry of nunchuck strikes to the Grimm, and The Blues mopping up the remainder of the Grimm from the area with their bow-sniping skills, Silver found herself face-to-face with the larger Beowolf that lashed out its claws at her, which she parried with her arm blades.

Pushing away the claws with her strength, she deactivated her blades and executed a breakdance kick to the legs, causing it to lose its balance and fall on its back. While it was down, Silver leapt into the air while activating her blades and stomped hard on the chest of the large Grimm, crushing its ribs to ensure that it didn't recover and separated its head from its body.

"Damn I'm good." Silver remarked as she watched the larger Grimm dissipate.
When Silver killed the large wolf Grimm, the remainder of the horde fell into a state of confusion and panic, running around like headless chickens or looking dazed, not that it really mattered since there were only three Grimm monsters remaining.
"Want to do the honors, Chuck?" Red offered.

"Don't mind if I do!" Chuck accepted with glee as he vanished in a blur of yellow, engulfing the remaining Grimm with several rapid punches, kicks, blue sparks and nunchuck strikes before headbutting the last spider Grimm, cracking the skull as it fell to the ground.

"That's all, folks!" Chuck shouted triumphantly while stepping on the recently killed Grimm as it started to disintegrate, The Blues and Silver giving a four-way high five to each other, while Red stood beside Chuck awkwardly, until Chuck noticed Red and offered a fist bump to him, in which he reluctantly accepted.

The students could only look in shock and amazement, wide and circular eyes with dropped jaws.

"Whoa…" Yang was rendered speechless.
Jaune did not say anything as his mouth dropped widely.
"That was over fifty Grimm… and they made it look like nothing…!" Weiss stuttered.
"Seems like they have taken on many foes before." Ren commented.

"THAT WAS AWESOME! ENCORE! ENCORE!" Nora cheered with a wild and joyous look on her face.

"Silver even took down the Alpha in record time… twelve seconds in fact…impressive." Blake remarked.
"I agree, they were very impressive indeed." Pyrrha added.

Ruby said nothing, but her silver eyes sparkled at their performance, a smile clear on her face. Her heart beating as fast as the thoughts and emotions racing through her mind.
"Maybe you can learn something from them." Red's words echoed in her head.

However, the peace was short-lived as a loud roar was heard from the forest as the same giant scorpion Grimm that Silver, Jaune, and Pyrrha encountered made its grand entrance, breaking its way through the trees to hiss at the group. Followed by the other one.

"Oh no… not that thing again…!" Jaune said with slight despair as his face paled.

"It's a Death Stalker!" Weiss stated seriously.
"Great! We can have twice the fun!" Nora said with glee as she brandished her weapon, which transformed from a grenade launcher to a hammer.

As if things couldn't get any worse, a loud, ominous sound echoed through the air, freezing everyone in place — even the Death Stalkers.

"W-What was that?" Jaune stammered.

"It sounded like a... meow?" Jim remarked.
Then, without warning, two massive Grimm descended from above, their landing shaking the earth beneath them. Both creatures were cat-like in form, their bodies large, round, and black. They stood on two powerful legs, their upper bodies completely devoid of arms. Their skull-shaped helmets were marked with intricate red patterns that resembled cat whiskers, along with glowing red eyes, with a short tail that resembles a medieval mace.

The two Grimm hit the ground with bone-shaking force, sending a shockwave that rattled the trees in the forest and the earth as the nearby Death Stalkers were sent flying into the air by the impact.
Before anyone could react, the first cat-like Grimm lunged forward with blinding speed, its jaws snapping shut around the nearest Death Stalker.

The creature was lifted into the air, its body twisting helplessly as the Grimm's fangs sank deep into its exoskeleton. The Death Stalker's legs flailed in a final, futile struggle before its body was crushed completely like a used soda can. In moments, it began to dissipate, its form vanishing into black mist as the Grimm's jaw grip tightened.

The second cat-like Grimm followed suit, pouncing up to bring its jaws down on the other Death Stalker, its sharp teeth piercing through the creature's defenses. Within seconds, the second Death Stalker was reduced to nothing but black smoke.

"Did that Grimm just eat one of its kind?!" Weiss cried out.
"It looks larger than a Goliath." Pyrrha winced as she gazed at its humongous size.
"Finally! A cat Grimm!" Jake said with glee as he raised his fist high.

"This battle will be legendary!"

"You guys get what you need! We'll distract them!" Red said as he turned to the students.

"What?! But we can help you!" Yang protested.

"No, he's right." Weiss pointed out. "We didn't come here to fight these Grimm. We were sent here to retrieve the relics and make it back to the cliff."

"Yeah, there's no point in fighting where we don't have to." Ruby added.
"And we're fighting another unknown Grimm, which might be a bit troublesome since there's two of 'em." Chuck pointed out.

"Run and live, that is an idea I can get behind." Jaune said with a relieved smile.

"It's more like a tactical retreat to fight another day, but that counts too." Jim remarked.

"But are you guys sure you can handle this?" Ruby asked The Flock. "Fifty Grimm is one thing, but two giant unknown Grimm…"

"Don't worry about us. You guys just worry about passing." Red told them.
"Jaune…was it?" Red asked the blonde armored male, who currently has a sword and a shield equipped.
"Yes?" Jaune asked.

"On my signal, you and Pyrrha head into that temple and grab a relic there. They're plenty of them, so you can choose one to bring back, but don't take too long. Once you're done, The Blues will escort you out of the Emerald Forest, aka those blue-haired triplets." He said, pointing to The Blues.
"Do I make myself clear?"

"Absolutely sir!" Jaune said with a quick salute. "Grab the relic fast and follow The Blues out of here!"
"The rest of you will also follow The Blues out of here, while me, Chuck and Silver will distract the other." Red instructed.
"Dibs on the right one!" Jake declared.

"What even is the signal?" asked Jaune.
"Wait for it…" Red said as he put one of his hands behind his back, allowing Jay to toss a cupcake bomb to him.
"Now! Go! Go! Go!" Red shouted as he tossed the cupcake at the two giant Grimm as the explosion blinded them, causing them to let out another loud ominous meow of anger and pain, buying the students some time as Red unleashed his red shockwaves and Chuck lashed his electrical whip at one of the giant black cat monsters, getting its attention as it chased the running Silver away from the cliff, with Red and Chuck following behind her.

Meanwhile, Jaune headed inside the temple and grabbed the white rook piece for him and Pyrrha before joining the rest as The Blues launched bombs and fired arrows at the other cat Grimm to get its attention, causing the two Grimm to split off in different directions.

(Team Blue)

"We're almost there!" Jay shouted as he noticed the cliff from where they started. The only thing separating them was a series of ruins, the structure similar to an ancient castle, along with a vastly deep chasm.
However, the giant cat Grimm jumped high into the air and landed in front of them, letting out its loud and guttural meow, effectively blocking the path and forcing them to split up and take cover in the ruins.

"He cheated! He's supposed to chase us, not jump ahead of us!" Jake protested.
"I don't think it cares about sportsmanship or warrior honor." Jim remarked.
"If it wants to play dirty, then so do I!" Jake said as he leapt out of the ruins to open fire at the Grimm, distracting it long enough for it to chase Jake and create an opening.
"Does anyone here know how to boost us?" Jay questioned the students.

"Get on!" Weiss said as she summoned two white circular glowing glyphs resembling a snowflake with a wave of her rapier.
"That's cool. In the literal sense." Jay commented as he got on one of the glyphs. "I know what you mean." Jim told Jay as he got on the other, before Weiss thrusted her rapier forward, sending the glyphs in the direction of the cat-Grimm with Jim and Jay riding on them like hoverboards.

As the rest of the students ran on the stone bridge, they happened to glance to the far right at the sound of another loud ominous meow and saw the Goliath chasing Red and his friends.

(Team Red)

Red, Chuck and Silver ran far enough where the students were, so they couldn't get mixed up in their own fight with one of the cat-Grimm, but close enough to see the action and check on things. The three then came to a complete stop and turned to face the stampeding Cat-Grimm, who bulldozed through several trees, large rocks and even other Grimm rather easily.
"Silver! Get ready to launch me!" Red ordered before turning to Chuck.

"Chuck! Distract it!"

"One Grimm, shaken and stirred, coming up!" Chuck joked as he used his speed to run around the cat Grimm, causing it to stand in place, any attempts to move or jump were immediately dealt with by Chuck's electrical whip.

With the giant Grimm stuck, Red ran towards Silver and jumped, landing on Silver's hands where she sprung Red to the sky and towards the cat monster's face, with Red drawing out his sword at the ready.

Red's sword collided into the center of the Grimm's outer skull with enough force to even crack the skull by a little bit, but it wasn't enough to do any major damage which Red noticed when he landed.

"Barely hurt that thing!" Red noted.

In retaliation, the Grimm lifted its mace tail before swiftly slamming it down to shake the ground with enough force to trip Chuck up, before pouncing towards Chuck with its black toothy mouth wide open with surprising agility despite its large mass.

However, Silver was faster to help as she had already pulled Chuck away from the Goliath's bite and tossed him towards it, allowing him to land on its back, where Chuck proceeded to pound its backbone with a flurry of kicks, while Red did the frontal assault by unleashing his red shockwaves onto the skull in the spot where he attacked in an attempt to crack the skull wider, while Silver employed Chuck's tactic by using her speed to run around, stabbing it with her arm blades to get an opening.

(Back to Team Blue)

As the students ran across a stone bridge, another loud ominous rang through their ears.
"I thought The Blues took care of it?!" Yang questioned.
Without warning, another giant cat-Grimm broke through the bridge, breaking off a large piece of it and separating the students.

Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Jaune, and Nora ended up on the side near the tower with Ruby already pulling out her weapon to shoot the flying cat Grimm as it flew away.
"They fly now?!" Ruby shouted as she noticed the black fleshy wings on the back of the flying Grimm cat.

"Seems that way!" Weiss said as she summoned two glyphs, and spun it around, faster and faster until it started rapid-firing icicles at the flying cat Grimm like a minigun.
Jaune looked back to see Blake, Pyrrha, and Ren facing off against the giant Grimm that The Blues were trying to distract, but it ignored the blue brothers this time as The Blues chased after it, firing arrows and cupcake bombs at its back to grab it's attention but to no avail.
"Incoming!" Jake shouted.

"We gotta get over there! They need help!" Jaune said.

Nora ran to his side with a nod. "Let's do this!"

"Yeah… but…" Jaune looked down into the chasm, noting the extremely wide gap. "I can't make that jump!".

Nora just smirked as she launched him into the air screaming with her hammer like a game of golf before she leapt into the air and slammed it into the ground, shattering a part of the bridge as Jaune made it to the other side.

Nora then positioned herself on top of her hammer and fired a grenade to send her soaring over the gap as well, using the momentum to launch herself forward and slam her hammer into the giant cat Grimm. She saw its mouth about to open, but fired a grenade again to push her off and knock the Grimm further into the ground and avoid the bite.

This action however, ended up pushing Blake off the edge and into the chasm. But she quickly threw one of her swords, embedding the blade into a piece of the bridge, where she used the ribbon attached to swing herself under the bridge and vault herself toward the giant flying cat monster, producing a shadow-clone to further close the gap, where she sliced at its face repeatedly with her other sword.
Afterwards, she produced another shadow-clone to land on the flying Grimm's back, rushing down and slicing again before leaping off from its mace tail to land on the perch of the castle ruins, joining Ruby, Yang, and Weiss.

"It's tougher than it looks!" Blake said.
"Then let's hit it with everything we got!" Yang stated as she punched her fists together, causing the yellow gauntlets she was wearing to hiss to life.
Back with Jaune's group, the giant cat-Grimm continued chasing them, its earth shattering footsteps causing what remained of the bridge that they stood on to collapse.

"We gotta keep moving!" Jaune told them as the seven quickly ran up the collapsing bridge, right as it pounced right at them. But Pyrrha moved her shield to block the bite, with Jaune using his shield to assist. They both pushed back to clear the way to allow The Blues to lunge forward and delivered three bow strikes to the head, before leaping out of the way to allow Ren to rapid-fire at the Grimm's face with his weapon.

Nora followed up by firing more grenades from her grenade launcher, which the cat Grimm used its skull on its head as it tucked its head to minimize the damage. While the Grimm was lowering its head, Pyrrha threw out her javelin weapon, which embedded itself in one of the giant cat's eyes. This caused it to meow in pain, swinging its thick tail around which struck Ren, sending him flying and crashing into a nearby pillar. "Ren!" Nora exclaimed.

Noticing the giant cat near the chasm, along with the spear in its eye, Jaune suddenly got an idea. "Pyrrha!" He shouted to get her attention.

"Done!" She saw his intent and threw out her shield like a frisbee, causing the Grimm to stumble backwards as the shield returned to its owner, keeping up the attack, Pyrrha kept throwing her shield, knocking the Grimm further and further, until it was close to the chasm.

"Nora! nail it!" Jaune ordered.

"Heads up!" Nora converted her weapon into its hammer mode and leapt toward Pyrrha, who used her shield to boost up Nora, just as she fired another grenade. The combined momentum sent the girl flying high into the air with a laugh before coming back down. She fired again to provide a bigger boost as she spun around, gathering more momentum before slamming her hammer into the skull, driving the Grimm closer to the end of the bridge and into the chasm, but it wasn't enough as the cat Grimm headbutted Nora, sending her flying back to where Jaune and Pyrrha is.

"Eek!"

"Get out of my way! Everyone move! Get out of the way, I need to get through!" Jake suddenly shouted, causing Jaune, Pyrrha and Nora to turn around. Both Jim and Jay were holding onto both ends of a vine they found, with Jim pulling himself back like a slingshot as he dug his feet into the ground, aiming for the giant Grimm.
"Banzai!" Jake shouted as he launched himself, with Jaune and the two girls stepping away just in time to narrowly avoid the whizzing human bullet.

"Hiyah!" Jake shouted as he drove his feet onto the giant Grimm's skull, cracking it a little. "I'll be taking that!" He said as he plucked out Pyrrha's spear from its eye, before delivering a powerful flash kick to the Grimm with enough force to send it falling into the chasm as it gave it one last ominous meow. However, The moment Jake landed back on his feet, the remainder of the bridge started to shatter and crumble. "Oh carp! Move! Move! Move!" Jake shouted.

Acting fast, The Blues used their speed to jump over to the other side, while Nora used her hammer to launch both Jaune and Pyrrha over the collapsing bridge just as Nora converted her hammer into its grenade launcher mode and launched herself over with a grenade shot. All three landed near The Blues and the recovering Ren before they collapsed in exhaustion, with Ren, Jake and Jaune landing face-first, Nora sitting down, along with Jay and Pyrrha on their hands and knees and Jim lying down on the grass, staring at the blue sky.
"I believe this belongs to you." Jake mumbled as he held up Pyrrha's spear.

(Back to Team Red, I wonder how they're doing?)

Red, Chuck and Silver were starting to get weary from attacking and dodging the Grimm's attacks while the giant cat Grimm showed no sign of tiredness, continuing to spring around with its mace tail while stomping around making earthquakes as if it was a child throwing a tantrum.

"I don't think we can hold out any longer! Should we retreat?" Chuck shouted as he tried to aim for the Grimm's eye with his whip.

"No! We have to distract it as long as we can until our new friends can retreat s-WOAH!"

Silver barely had time to react when the Grimm's tail suddenly knocked her around, dragging her along for the ride.
"Silver!" Red and Chuck cried out.
The silver-haired girl hung on, stabbing her blades onto the tail, but the gigantic Grimm only meowed in anger before shaking its tail vigorously, causing her to lose her grip, and falling down onto the ground before the Grimm turned around and pounced right at her.
Silver closed her eyes, expecting sharp pain and a swift end to her life, but she oddly felt nothing, only hearing a voice calling out to her.

"Silver! Are you ok?!" a somewhat familiar voice rang in Silver's ears.

"W-Whuh? Am I…dead?" Silver murmured as she slowly opened her eyes to see a large dark skinned man with a muscular build delaying the inevitable bite by holding onto both sides of its mouth.

The man wore a black T-shirt and black army pants, along with a gray undershirt and gray socks. His hairstyle is a short ponytail with a yellow end on the long end of the ponytail, resembling a fuse.

"No you're not! Don't you recognize me? It's me, Bomb!" The man looked at Silver with worried eyes as he continued to hold the giant Grimm back.

"Bomb! Good to see you, big guy!" Silver exclaimed, grateful that she wasn't dead.

"This cat monster's defenses are too tough! Think you can break it?"

"I'll...t...try!...Distract it!" Bomb groaned as the monster meowed angrily.

"Will do!" Red, Chuck Silver all acknowledged with a nod, invigorated that a friend has come to their aid. Silver leapt onto the cat monster's face, using one of her blades to dig into the skull while using her other blade to stab repeatedly in its face. "This is for almost eating me!"
Red and Chuck ran literal circles around the Goliath with Red running in the clockwise direction while Chuck ran counterclockwise as the both of them unleashed their melee attacks to try to throw it off balance, which seemed to be working as the giant Grimm started to sway a little as it attempted to regain balance.

(Blue Team, with an annoying flying Grimm cat.)

Ruby, Yang, and Blake fired their long-ranged gun attacks from their own respective weapons, while Weiss swung her rapier to send projectiles of fire, ice, and lightning at the incoming flying cat monster.
"Huh? Who's that?" Ruby questioned as she noticed an unfamiliar man holding back the bite of the giant Grimm with his hands in Red's side.
"I heard Silver calling him Bomb. Must be another one of Red's friends." Blake replied.

"How do you know that?" Weiss questioned. "Better yet, how can you hear her from this distance?"
"I just have good hearing." Blake replied simply.
"Do you think he's called Bomb due to his explosive personality?" Yang joked as she continued to fire from her gauntlets.

"Let's focus on the Grimm for now." Weiss ordered. "Fight now, talk later!"
The flying Grimm seemed to pass by or tank several of the attacks before flying down to ram the supporting pillars of a nearby tower, causing the entire structure to collapse.

But the girls remained calm as Yang smashed her through the debris with her strength, Ruby dodged around the debris with her speed, Weiss shielded herself with her glyphs while Blake used the ribbon on her weapon to propel herself, similar to a grappling hook as the girls landed on the bridge.

"None of this is working!" Weiss noted, which made Ruby take notice of Blake using Gambol Shroud's ribbon, as well as Yang standing on a broken pillar, firing shotgun shots from her gauntlets at the circling Nevermore, along with remembering the crazy stunt that Jake did.

"I have a plan! Cover me!"
Yang continued to fire multiple shots from her gauntlets at the flying Grimm, and even scored a lucky shot at the side of its face. But this only angered the beast as it flew at Yang, with its mouth wide open.

She used one arm to keep its upper mouth from closing before firing several shots with her free hand down its throat. "I-" "Hope-" "You're-" "Hungry!" she shouted.

Seeing the giant Grimm is about to crash onto the cliff wall, Yang leapt off just in time, causing the giant flying cat-like monster to crash land into the cliffside before landing on the platform that Ruby, Weiss, and Blake were on.

Following up, Weiss used her Glyphs to slide herself quickly across the bridge, before using another Glyph to propel herself upward and lunge her rapier into its mace tail, creating a cluster of ice that kept the flying Grimm grounded as it tried to free itself. Weiss then flipped backwards and used another Glyph to propel herself back to the main group.

Standing on a pillar, Blake threw out her swords, one embedded in a pillar as Yang caught the other and embedded it into another nearby pillar. Ruby then fired her weapon to propel herself upward and land with the back of the scythe on the ribbon, her own feet on the weapon as well, while Weiss conjured a black Glyph to pull Ruby and the ribbon backwards, creating a massive slingshot.

"Of course, you would come up with this idea." Weiss commented, readying herself.

"Think you can make the shot?" Ruby asked.

Weiss only smirked confidently. "Can I?"

Ruby looks at Weiss in confusion. "Can y…"

"Of course, I can!" Weiss shot back.

Ruby loaded up her weapon, reading another round of shots, while also combining her own Petal Burst with Weiss's Glyphs, causing the black Glyph to turn red before they let loose.

The Glyph turned white as Weiss shot Ruby straight toward the Nevermore with an extra boost provided by Ruby's Petal Burst. She continued to fire from her weapon to close the gap before transforming her weapon into a scythe, and spun her body while swinging her scythe to resemble a buzzsaw, faster and faster until…

*SLICE!*

Ruby sawed the Grimm in half, causing The Blues, who recovered in time to witness everything, to cheer loudly.
"Woo! Go Ruby!"
Weiss quickly created a long line of large Glyphs under Ruby, leading straight to the top of the cliff, which allowed her to land gracefully at the bottom glyph, and climbed the glyphs like they are a flight of stairs using her speed, before jumping up and doing a backflip and landing gracefully at the cliff.

(Back to Team Red)

"Come on Bomb, it's your time to shine. You can do this, blow up! BLOW UP!" Bomb said to himself as the Grimm meowed angrily at him.
"Don't you say anything other than meowing?!" Bomb questioned angrily.
"Come on, think of surprise parties!" He told himself.

The end of his ponytail started smoking.

"Yoga poses!"

Sparks started flickering on the yellow end of his ponytail as if it was a fireworks show.

"A cat monster that is going to chomp me if…I…don't….BLOW UP!"

Bomb is shaking madly as if he had a seizure as his ponytail suddenly bursts into flames and his natural black eyes briefly turned red, which Chuck quickly noticed.

"TAKE COVER! HE'S GONNA BLOW!" Chuck called out to everyone as he used his speed to carry Red via piggyback, and Silver by carrying her in a cradle position, since she was shorter than Chuck, and bolted.

*BOOM!*

With his speed, Chuck managed to get out of the blast zone just in time, reaching the cliff as he set Silver down and Red got off Chuck.

Shielding their eyes from the bright flash, and feeling the sudden gust of wind, the students opened their eyes later to see a huge crater on the ground, where Bomb and the Grimm once were, now replaced by a big pile of ash that covered the crater, not only that, but the explosion burnt numerous trees, along with a huge dark mushroom cloud hanging in the sky.

"'Incoming!" A smoking soot-covered Bomb shouted as he flew in the air before having a rough landing at the top of the cliff and ended up lying down on his stomach, next to the shocked Ruby, who managed to dodge out of Bomb's flight path just in time.

Jaune's group looked in shock and amazement. "Wow…" The blonde boy looked in awe, while Pyrrha and Ren looked at the aftermath of the explosion in shock. Nora had been rendered speechless with stars in her eyes after seeing such a huge explosion, while The Blues were helping themselves to some wild berries.
"Anyone hungry for some wild berries?" Jake offered.

"Holy…" Yang muttered as she stood with Blake and Weiss, the former holding her hands over her bowtie for some reason.

"H-He…l-literally exploded...!" Weiss stuttered.

"Hence his name…" Blake said.

Bomb dusted most of the soot off him when he turned to see Ruby, who held her hands near her cheeks as her silver eyes sparkled and a squealing sound was heard from her mouth, like she was ready to explode with joy.
"Uh…hi?"

"That… was… AMAZING!" Ruby practically screamed. "How'd you do that?! That was so cool! Oh, that's why you're called Bomb! I've never seen anyone being able to literally explode! And you managed to kill the unknown Grimm! You're awesome! All of your friends are awesome!"

"We sure are, now let's get out of here!" Bomb said with a hearty laugh.

(Beacon, Auditorium)

"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark… the four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces." Ozpin announced. "From this day forward, you shall work together as Team CRDL, led by Cardin Winchester."

Following an applause from the audience, the newly formed Team CRDL stepped away and allowed Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren to step up next.

"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie… the four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR, led by Jaune Arc."

"H-huh? L-Led by…?" Jaune did not expect to be made leader, but Pyrrha smiled, while Nora leapt at Ren with a hug.

"Congratulations, young man." Ozpin told him.

Pyrrha gave Jaune a friendly punch in the shoulder, but this knocked him down onto the ground, much to her surprise and the amusement of the audience before they stepped off and allowed the final team to step up.

"And finally, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long… the four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose."

None were more shocked by that than Ruby herself, even as her older sister pulled her into a hug.

"I'm so proud of you!" Yang said with joy.

At the same time, the ceremony was witnessed by The Flock as they stood from the highest part of the auditorium, away from the audience. Though the rest of Beacon would probably come to know Red and his friends at a later date, it was still best to let the newly formed RWBY and JNPR have their moment, they deserved it after all.

"Teams RWBY and JNPR, huh? It does have a nice ring to it." Bomb said.

"I've got a feeling that we'll be working more with them in the future." Red said.

"What makes you say that?" Silver asked.

"Call it a hunch." Red replied.

"Speaking of hunches, can we speak outside for a moment?"

"Alright then." Silver nodded her head as she motioned Chuck, Bomb and The Blues to follow them.

The Flock walked out of the auditorium and further away, and since all of the students and professors were in the auditorium, it was extremely quiet and empty.

"So you and Bomb somehow ended up in the Emerald Forest, while I ended up in the City of Vale, and Chuck and Blues ended up in Menagerie

and Patch respectively. " Red summarized after listening to Silver and Bomb's recap of their first time in Remnant.
"I didn't know the forest had these… monsters called Grimm. but I did find out about these bracelets later which helped in firewood and self-defense." Silver recounted as she activated her arm blades for her friends to see.

"I have similar experiences as you, Silver." Bomb said. "For the wood, I can handle it without any weapons, while lighting the fire is another issue entirely, until I realized I can do… this!" Bomb's hands suddenly burst into flames, surprising the rest of The Flock.

"Woah! That's new!" The Blues watched with awe.

"I know right?" Bomb said as he blew out the flames on his hands like extinguishing a candle. "But why were there only a few monsters that attacked us while those students kept getting attacked by them like they were magnets?"

"For the reason why fewer monsters attacked you, we were told that in this world called Remnant, that living beings here except Grimm, have some sort of life force called Aura, which attracts these monsters. And since we are not from this world, we all don't have Aura." Red explained to Silver and Bomb.
"And since we don't have Aura, I guess it's harder for them to detect us." Silver summarized.

"Speaking of worlds, we all went through the same portal back in Piggy Island, but how did we end up in different areas of Remnant? And why would they go to this crazy world instead of somewhere else in our home world?!" Chuck exclaimed.

"Hmm…" Silver thought out loud to herself, tapping her chin.

"My first theory is that since we keep stopping the pigs' schemes every time on earth, they might have decided to do their schemes in another world, so they ended up here in Remnant, out of our reach. How they got the portal is a mystery since neither Professor Pig, Foreman Pig nor Dr. Pig are capable of making such a device even with their combined efforts. How the portal went haywire and sucked everyone in is also a huge mystery for me. I hope the portal doesn't become too unstable."
"Not sure about it, when Stella and I entered the lab when you guys vanished, the portal seemed pretty stable." Red recounted.
"That's very odd indeed." Silver remarked.

"What's your second theory?" Bomb asked.

"Hey, you! Yes, you! I'm talking to you!" Silver suddenly shouted angrily to no one in particular, while pointing to the ceiling, much to The Flock's surprise and confusion.

"Don't think you can hide from me, coward! I can literally see you! You ain't fooling no one! I know you are there playing with some magic thing that can alter history with your immature hands! Stop playing with that thing, come down here, say you're sorry and fix this mess right now!"

"Uh…" "Silver?" "You okay?" The Blues asked with concern.

"I'm fine, Blues. That was an experiment for my second theory: There is a greater being that has the power to manipulate events that are happening to us. But since nothing happened after my ranting, it might seem a little far-fetched." Silver explained.

"The first theory seems more reasonable. Anyways, Silver, Bomb, have these scrolls as a welcome gift to Beacon Academy from Ozpin, the headmaster of this school. Chuck and The Blues already have their own scrolls." Red said, handing two scrolls to Bomb and Silver.

"These things are called scrolls? Pretty weird to give the name of an ancient piece of paper to a high tech communications device." Bomb remarked as he carefully examined the scroll.

"Interesting...I might be able to give it a few tweaks and upgrades to this." Silver commented as she also examined her scroll.

"You can do that?" Red asked with a raised eyebrow.

"My dear friend Red, I'm deeply offended by your remark. I was raised by pigs, allowing me to learn the piggies' building talents, and when the Eggspark crashed in Piggy Island, we were introduced to highly advanced technology that we have difficulty using. Sure, our old friend Astrotrain was kind enough to teach us about the new technology, but it was Windblade, Nautica, Heatwave, Bluestreak and Bumblebee that learnt about the technology quickly and helped out the remaining Autobirds that are still struggling. You should still remember which Autobird is who. Right, Optimus Prime?" Silver replied sarcastically in front of Red's face with crossed arms.

"Sorry that I asked." Red said with a sigh while lowering his head in shame. "You can try doing that at our dormitory apartment." Red continued, using his thumb to point behind him.

"Apology accepted. Lead the way." Silver said with a smile.

Hello everyone! I know it's been really long, I've been busy with things lately. It might be slow, I'm well aware, but rest assured, I'm doing my absolute best!
I've decided to include Bomb's fiery powers from the Super Angry Birds comic along with his natural explosive abilities because not only does it seem cool, it also highlights why Bomb has no weapons: HE IS THE WEAPON, IT'S IN THE NAME. (But I might give him one day)

As for Silver, I like the concept of her being a physics and gadget expert from the movie, being a "Looping Legend" and according to the game lore of Angry Birds 2, she was raised by The Pigs that can build a heap load of things. Seriously, have you seen what they can build? (The Jet plane built in IDW's Angry Birds comics being an , I took it seriously. Don't judge me.)

Silver could go for being a tactician as she did in the movie, so I've decided to give her bracelet blades "borrowed" from a "chipmunk".

If you're wondering who Dr. Pig is, he is known in games such as Friends and Fight! for creating monstrous creations such as The Blob and the giant monster pigs respectively, kind of like a mad scientist. He seems like an interesting character so I added him in.
So…what do you think of the new Grimm I introduced so far? In case you guys forgotten, I made a list:

Chapter 1 (Launching Off To A New Adventure):

Tall and lanky humanoid Grimm, with a long black tail with a large white stinger at its end and sharp claws, and can somehow combine into a larger and buffer form

BSOTM Shorts 1:

Spider Grimm with a tail that has a large white claw with four talons on its end. (First Steps)
A giant snail Grimm with a large white bony and spiky shell, can produce more Grimm from its body (The Hooded Wanderer)

Current Chapter: A giant cat Grimm with a rotund body, has two legs and is armless, has skull-shaped helmets marked with red patterns that resemble cat whiskers, has a mace tail…and EATS GRIMM! (also, they fly now)

I might need to name them soon, but if you have the chance to name them, what would you like to name them? Feel free to comment.
Anyways, I feel like I've written enough for now. Have a good night everyone.

Chapter Text

It was the middle of the night as the shattered moon shone over a mountain range near the quiet Kingdom of Vale. While at the top of one of the mountains, a loud battle was going on, although it ended quite swiftly. Several Grimm consisting of Beowolves, Ursas, Griffons and a few Boarbatusks experienced the cruelty of Mistress Gravity.

A lone surviving Beowolf landed near the cliff of the mountain top from the attack. It roared in anger as it struggled to get back up only to be silenced permanently by a skull-cracking blunt strike.

The mysterious figure, covered only by shadows and darkness, watched as the Beowolf disintegrated, before walking towards the cliff and took some time to gaze at the city below him.

“That's a whole lot of Grimm. This must be the City Of Vale, I wonder if they’re here.” The stranger said to himself before hopping down the cliff to slide down the mountain, heading towards the city and leaving the last Grimm survivor to its slow death as it began to disintegrate.

(Morning)

Weiss slept peacefully in her bed, the golden rays of the morning sun streaming through the open dorm window. The gentle breeze stirred the air as she let out a soft yawn, stretching languidly. Her eyes fluttered open…

Only to be met with the piercing screech of a whistle from Ruby, shattering the morning calm.

“RISE AND SHINE, TEAM RWBY!” Ruby’s exuberant voice followed the assault on Weiss's ears, causing her to tumble out of bed, crash landing onto the floor with an undignified thud.

“Ruby!” Weiss snapped. “What in Remnant is wrong with you?!”

“Now that you're awake, we can officially begin our first order of business!” Ruby exclaimed to Weiss, fully dressed in her Beacon uniform.

"Excuse me?" Weiss questioned as she got up and brushed herself off.

“Decorating!” Yang chimed in, sauntering over with an armful of colorful pillows, posters, and other knick knacks.

Weiss's only reply to that was: "What...?"

“We still have to unpack,” Blake added as she hefted her suitcase, only for it to burst open, scattering all her stuff across the floor. “…And clean.”

Weiss' eyelids lowered due to lack of enthusiasm, only to be knocked back by Ruby's whistleblowing once again.

"Alright! Weiss, Blake, Yang, and their fearless leader Ruby have begun their first mission! Banzai!" The little red riding hood declared while pumping her fist into the air.

“Banzai!” Yang echoed.

“...Banzai…” Blake mumbled, though her tone was far more subdued.

Weiss, meanwhile, let out a long, weary sigh, lowering her head.

The four girls immediately began to decorate their dorm room. Yang began to hang up posters of boy bands and movies, Weiss put up various portraits along the walls, after having gotten dressed in her school uniform.

Blake was putting her books onto a shelf, but she froze momentarily when she picked up a book titled, “Ninjas Of Love”, her eyes darted around to check her surroundings, and in one fluid motion, she slipped the book into a hidden nook between two plain spines, then returned to her task as though nothing had happened. 

Ruby tried to adjust the curtain around the window with her weapon, only for the scythe's blade to catch the fabric of the curtain, resulting in a sharp slice cutting through the material.

(Moments Later)

The girls admired their finished handiwork, but as their eyes swept across the room, the initial pride was quickly replaced by collective realization.

The beds had been haphazardly pushed into the center of the room, stacked in a chaotic pile. The floor beneath was buried in a clutter of furniture, decorations and stray items, leaving no room to walk.

"This isn't going to work," Weiss pointed out with a frown.

"It is a bit cramped," Blake remarked.

"Maybe we should ditch some of our stuff?" Yang suggested.

"Or..." Ruby’s silver eyes lit up as an idea struck. "We could ditch the beds... and replace them with bunk beds!"

"That sounds incredibly dangerous," Weiss stated flatly.

"And super awesome!" Yang grinned, pumping her fist in the air.

"It does seem efficient," Blake added with a small nod.

Weiss hesitated, clearly unconvinced. "Maybe we should put up a vote."

"I think we just did," Ruby declared confidently. Blake gave a thumbs up, Yang flashed a double-rocker gesture, and Weiss stood with her fists clenched at her sides, clearly outnumbered.

With a reluctant sigh, Weiss joined her teammates in constructing the bunk beds. Surprisingly, the task was completed in record time, but the results still left much to be desired.

The bed on the right wobbled precariously, supported by uneven stacks of books at each corner. The other bed hung from the ceiling by a makeshift system of ropes, with a tattered sheet acting as a drape.

"Objective: Complete!" Ruby said, seemingly pleased with their work.

“It doesn’t look safe at all…” Blake commented dryly.

"Yeah…we'll probably need to get someone to help later." Yang noted.

"Okay…" Ruby accepted. "But right now, our second order of business… classes." She said as she took out her schedule book. "Now, we have a few classes together today, at nine we've got…"

"What?!" Weiss suddenly exclaimed. "Did you say nine o' clock!?"

Ruby blinked. "Um…?"

"It's eight fifty-five, you dunce!" Weiss shouted before she dashed out of the room without another word, causing the door to collide against the wall with a loud bang as she ran down the hall, alerting the newly formed Team JNPR that resided in the room across the hall.

"Um…to class!" Ruby said as she, Yang, and Blake ran out to catch up with Weiss.

"C-Class…?!" Jaune stuttered in panic as he tried to run out as well, only to trip and fall. Fortunately, Pyrrha was there to quickly pull him up before his face met the floor. "We're gonna be late!" Jaune said before running after Weiss with Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren running after their leader.

(Elsewhere, while Teams RWBY and JNPR were busy running off to classes.)

Jim opened the door to their dorm and stepped out in his usual attire, followed by Jay, who was busy brushing his hair with a green comb, and Jake, who came out last to close the door behind them. Together, the three brothers made their way toward a nearby dorm.

As they approached, Jay noticed that the door to the dorm was slightly ajar.

“Um… why’s the door open?” Jay asked cautiously, glancing at his brothers.

“Let’s find out!” Jake replied nonchalantly, pushing the door wide open and stepped inside, followed by his brothers.

Inside, the brothers’ eyes immediately landed on a medium-sized rectangular wooden table cluttered with books and blueprints scattered across its surface. Near the center of the room, beside the window, stood a large light-green wooden workshop bench. A small potted plant rested on its surface, adding a subtle touch of life to the workspace. Various tools were spread out on the bench, with Red’s red sword, Chuck’s yellow nunchucks, The Blues’ blue bows, and Silver’s bracelets piled on top of each other.

On the left side of the room was another large wooden rectangular table, though this one was white and much larger than the other. The left side of the white table was stacked high with books, including an open one detailing information about Aura, while the right side had more books, an empty orange mug, and a large, currently inactive computer. Silver was slumped on the table next to the keyboard, fast asleep.

"Wakey wakey, cheese and bakey! Rise and shine, Silvy!" Jake sang in a playful tone, gently rocking Silver awake.

"Mm... I’m... not a... student..." Silver groaned, still half-asleep, lifting her head off the table and leaning against her chair with her eyes still closed. But suddenly, her eyes flickered open, and she found herself staring straight into the eyes of the three blue triplets.

"How did you guys get in here?!" Silver yelled in surprise.

"You left the door open," Jim explained, while Jay quickly moved to emphasize the point by closing the door in front of Silver and locking it.

"Damn it..." Silver muttered under her breath, grabbing the mouse on the desk and shaking it. The three computer screens flickered to life as she got the machine awake.

After a few swift clicks, Silver reviewed the footage from the cameras she'd installed earlier that day.

"Whew, no one came in," she sighed in relief before slouching back in her chair. “So, what do you guys want?"

"We’re curious about your progress," Jim replied. "Cool lab, by the way!"

"Technically, it’s more of a workshop, but it works too," Silver said, gesturing to the room around them. "I’ll tell you guys about my progress later. I’ve just woken up."

"What do-" "You want-" "For breakfast?" The Blues asked in unison, already heading for the door.

"Something small and light will do," Silver replied, standing up and heading towards the bathroom at the back of the workshop. "And wake up the others while you’re at it."

The Blues nodded eagerly before leaving the room to head to the cafeteria, while Silver stretched and yawned before disappearing into the bathroom.

( Some Time Later…)

“These doughnuts aren’t bad,” Silver remarked after tasting the ones The Blues had brought back from the cafeteria.

“Alright, first things first. After some discussions with Ozpin last night, I’ve managed to settle on which rooms we’re getting,” Silver said as she opened a computer file showing the dorm room plan for The Flock. The image displayed four squares labeled Dorm 1, Dorm 2, Dorm 3, and Workshop, with some of the group members' names placed in each square.

“Red, Chuck, Bomb, and Hal will be in Dorm 1, also known as the Men’s Dorm. You three will be in Dorm 2 with Bubbles, in the Kids’ Dorm. The girls and I will be in Dorm 3, the Ladies’ Dorm, while Terence will be residing in my workshop.”

“Is it because he’s too big?” Jim asked.

“In a way, yes. But the real reason is that Terry prefers to sleep alone, and I don’t think the school’s beds can support his weight. So, I’ll be making a custom bed for him once we find him. I’m also sure he wants to learn more about Remnant, so he can use the workshop’s computer for that.” Silver explained.

“How long did it take you to set all this up?” Jay asked.

“Around two hours for the woodwork, four hours for tweaking the computer and scroll that Ozpin was kind enough to provide since my tech skills are a bit rusty, and finally one more hour to analyze the weapons before I fell asleep,” Silver answered.

“Speaking of weapons analysis, here’s what I’ve found so far,” Silver said as she used the computer to open a file containing various 3D models. She then opened another file that displayed a 3D model of Red’s sword, titled “Red Saber.” Moving over to the workshop bench, Silver carefully moved The Flock’s weapons and her scroll from the workshop table to the computer table, with a little help from The Blues.

“I’ll start with Red’s sword,” Silver said, taking out Red Justice. “Sadly, I didn’t find anything too interesting.” She sighed, returning Red Saber to its black sword carrier. “It’s just a regular, but cool-looking sword. I do have some ideas for upgrades when I have the time.”

“Why is Red’s sword named Red Saber?” Jim asked.

“Have you forgotten that people name their weapons?” Jake reminded his brother.

“Oh yeah.”

Silver chuckled at the brothers’ conversation as she took out Chuck’s nunchucks next.

“For Chuck’s weapon, it utilizes his movements, like his fast spinning of the nunchucks, to generate the electrical 'rope' of his weapon, which stores the excess charge.”

“Does this mean Chuck can just keep swinging as long as he keeps moving?” Jake asked.

“Yes, kind of like a feedback loop.” Silver said, as the computer displayed a 3D model of Chuck’s nunchucks, named “Thunderbolt”.

“Chuck’s weapon also has a ‘second mode,’” Silver said with a smirk as she connected both nunchuck sticks together and pressed a button, causing a long electrical rope-like projection to shoot out of one end.

“Woah! An electrical whip!” The Blues squealed in awe as Silver turned off the electrical whip and separated the sticks.

“Also, it seems that the further apart the nunchuck sticks are, the longer the electrical rope will be. I’m not sure of the maximum length, but I’ll stress-test it when I have the time,” Silver remarked, placing Thunderbolt back on the table.

“Next are your weapons, which you guys named ‘Triple Trouble.’” Silver said, as the computer displayed three similar 3D models of the weapons. 

“The design of your weapons is kinda cool and impressive. All you need to do is pull the plunger, aim, and release it to fire an energy arrow. It’s like a simple bow toy.”

“Your weapons can even ‘shrink,’ making them easier to carry around,” Silver explained as she pressed the plunger on one of the bows. The limbs folded inward until they clicked together. She handed the compacted bow back to Jim and repeated the process for the other brothers’ bows.

“To activate your weapons, just open both limbs of the bow, and the plunger should pop out immediately, ready for use.” Silver explained.

“And lastly, my bracelet blades,” Silver said, as the computer displayed a 3D model of her activated bracelet blades. “I call them ‘Stormfall’. Like Red’s weapon, it’s nothing fancy, but the plasma blades are light and cut through metal extremely well, perfect for some projects I have in mind.”

“How do our weapons produce that kind of energy?” Jim asked, curious.

“Well… I have a theory,” Silver said, pointing to the 3D model of her activated bracelet blades on the screen. 

“Each of our weapons seems to generate and store energy through movement. Whenever we use them, take your bows as an example. Whether it’s pulling the plunger on Triple Trouble or swinging your bows as a bludgeoning weapon, the kinetic energy from our motions is captured and stored in a battery. But, as I mentioned, it’s still just a theory since I can’t exactly take apart our weapons to study them. They’re too complex, and Beacon doesn't have an X-ray machine.”

“I really hope we can find the others soon,” Jay remarked, glancing around. “It feels pretty empty without most of our friends here.”

“Yeah, me too,” Silver replied, nodding in agreement.

“By the way, you guys know about Dust, right?”

“Yup, Ozpin told us all about it.” Jake said as he nodded his head.

“From my research, Dust is used as a power source for most of their technology, even as ammunition. So far, I’ve only managed to grasp the basics. I’ll need more time before I can implement it as upgrades to our weapons. However, I’ve discovered one pretty major flaw.”

“A major flaw? But isn’t Dust the primary source of energy for this planet?” Jake asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“Yes, it is,” Silver replied, “But the flaw is similar to non-rechargeable batteries. It’s a one-time use. Once the energy is exhausted, it becomes inert and completely useless, with no way to restore its energy.”

“Wow… that’s kinda lame,” Jake said with a disappointed expression.

“I might be able to find a method to make Dust reusable, but it’ll take more time to analyze and study it.” Silver added.

“Alright boys, I’ve shared enough info. I’ve got things to do,” Silver said as she walked to the door and held it open for The Blues to leave.

“Aww! Can’t we stay a little longer? Please?” The Blues begged, putting on puppy dog eyes.

“Sorry guys, no can do,” Silver replied, shaking her head. “ But … if you do something for me, I might reconsider...”

“Name it,” The Blues said in unison, their expressions shifting into a determined glare.

“Help me return Red and Chuck’s weapons, and deliver this to Ozpin,” Silver said, holding up a thumb drive.

“Deal!” The Blues responded enthusiastically. Jake quickly grabbed Red Justice, Jay took Thunderbolt, and Jim swiped the thumb drive from Silver’s hand. Without missing a beat, the three brothers dashed out of the room as Silver watched them go with a smirk.

(Elsewhere…in a lecture hall to be more precise.)

"Monsters! Demons! Prowlers of the night! Yes, the Creatures of Grimm have many names," Professor Port began, his booming voice filling the room. "But I merely refer to them as 'prey.'" He paused, awaiting laughter at his jest, but the class remained silent. If anything, the only reaction was Ruby jolting awake from her nap, startled by his sudden volume.

"Uh... and you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy," Port continued. "Now, as I was saying… Vale, as well as the other three Kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world. Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces. And that's where we come in: Huntsmen, Huntresses…" He winked at Yang, earning a visible eye roll from her. "Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves. From what, you ask? Why, the very world!" He finished dramatically.

"Yeah!" One lone student cheered from the back. The class turned to stare, and he quickly sank back into his seat, face flushing with embarrassment.

Port cleared his throat, undeterred. "That is what you are training to become. But first, a story. A tale of a young, handsome man: me!"

As Port launched into yet another monologue about his "young glory days," Weiss glanced to her left and noticed Ruby hunched over a piece of paper, her pencil moving rapidly.

Weiss raised an eyebrow. Ruby taking notes? Unlikely. Her suspicions were confirmed when Ruby let out a muffled snicker, revealing the paper to her teammates. It was a poorly drawn caricature of Professor Port, a round figure with stick limbs, a mustache, and stink lines emanating from him. Beneath it, Ruby had scrawled the words "Professor Poop."

Ruby blew a quick raspberry, causing Blake to smirk and Yang to burst into stifled laughter. Weiss, however, was less amused, glaring at Ruby with thinly veiled irritation.

A loud cough brought their attention back to Port, who was now wrapping up his tale.

"In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity! I returned to my village, the beast in captivity, my head held high, celebrated as a hero!" He bowed. "The moral of this story is that a true Huntsman must be honorable, dependable, strategic, well-educated, and wise."

As Port continued his lecture, Weiss’s glare intensified, directed at Ruby, who seemed completely uninterested in paying attention. Instead, Ruby appeared engrossed in her childish antics, further fueling Weiss’s growing frustration.

"So, who among you believes they embody these traits?" Port asked, his gaze sweeping across the room.

Without hesitation, Weiss shot her hand into the air. "I do, sir!"

"Well then, let's put that to the test," Port said, turning towards a cage from which low snarls emanated. "Step forward and face your opponent."

Weiss swiftly changed into her Huntress attire and readied her weapon, assuming a poised combat stance with her sword aimed directly at the growling cage.

"Go Weiss!" Yang cheered enthusiastically.

"Fight well." Blake added calmly, waving a small flag with RWBY written on it.

"Yeah! Represent Team RWBY!" Ruby cheered loudly, throwing both fists in the air.

"Ruby! I'm trying to focus!" Weiss snapped, shooting her leader an icy glare.

"Oh… uh… sorry…" Ruby said, her tone sheepish as she lowered her arms and slumped back into her seat. 

Weiss let out a sharp sign, her shoulders stiffening as she turned her focus back to the cage. "Honestly," she muttered under her breath, gripping her weapon tighter.

"Alright, let the match… begin!" Professor Port declared, slicing the lock off the cage with his weapon.

A Boarbatusk Grimm barreled out of the cage with a roar, immediately charging at Weiss by rolling towards her. She quickly dodged, rolling to the side, and retaliated with a precise strike at its flank, but her blade failed to penetrate its tough, armored hide. The Grimm turned back toward her, readying itself for another attack.

"Ha, ha! Wasn't expecting that, were you?" Port chuckled, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

Weiss sped toward the oncoming Boarbatusk, thrusting her rapier directly at its skull. However, the Grimm’s tusks caught the blade, trapping it as Weiss struggled to regain control, hanging onto the hilt as she was tossed around by the monster’s force.

"Bold, new approach. I like it!" Port remarked, watching with amusement.

"Come on, Weiss! Show it who's boss!" Ruby cheered.

Weiss shot a glare at Ruby, but before she could react, the Boarbatusk twisted its head and wrenched the sword free from her grasp. Her weapon flew through the air, landing far from her as Weiss was sent sprawling back by the creature's powerful tusks.

"Oh-ho. Now what will you do without your weapon?" Port asked, clearly entertained.

Weiss gasped, barely managing to roll out of the way as the Boarbatusk charged toward her, slamming into a desk behind her as Weiss reclaimed her weapon.

"Weiss! Go for its belly! There's no armor underneath!" Ruby called out.

"Stop telling me what to do!" Weiss snapped as she shot a glare at Ruby.

Ruby winced, but Weiss was too focused on the fight to notice as the Boarbatusk rolled into a ball and sped towards her again. In retaliation, Weiss conjured a Glyph in front of her, stopping the Grimm’s advance and sending it tumbling onto its back. With a loud war cry, she leapt into the air, landing on another Glyph that propelled her forward, before driving her rapier deep into the Grimm's underbelly. The Boarbatusk squealed before falling silent and disintegrated.

"Bravo! Bravo!" Port clapped, clearly impressed. Weiss stood up, catching her breath, while Ruby watched her with a frown.

"It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress-in-training!" Port continued, his voice booming. "I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings and stay vigilant! Class dismissed!"

With a glare, Weiss hurriedly walked to the exit, passing her teammates.

“What's with her?” Jaune questioned, watching her storm off.

Yang and Blake exchanged looks, both sharing the same confused expression.

With a worried glance at her teammates, Ruby quickly got out of her seat and hurried after her.

"Weiss!" Ruby called out, catching up to the heiress in the hallway.

Weiss spun around, facing Ruby with an icy glare. "What?"

"What's wrong with you? Why are you being-?"

"What's wrong with me?!" Weiss interrupted. "What's wrong with you?! You're supposed to be a leader, and all you've been so far is a nuisance!"

Ruby scoffed, taken aback. "What did I do?"

"That's just it!” Weiss snapped back. “You've done nothing to earn your position! Back in the forest, you acted like a child, and you've only continued to do so!"

“Weiss, where is this coming from? What happened to all the talk about working together? I thought you believed in acting as a team!" Ruby questioned with a mix of confusion and sadness. “We worked together in the forest, didn’t we? I mean, we made it through because we had each other’s backs! Even Ozpin must’ve seen something in me, or he wouldn’t have made me the leader!”

Weiss crossed her arms, her glare unyielding. "Ozpin may have seen potential, but that doesn’t mean you’re living up to it. So far, you haven’t shown any leadership qualities to me other than being a nuisance!"

"If that's how you intend to lead this team, then I'm not sure I want to be a part of it," Weiss continued coldly, her arms crossed tightly against her chest. "I've studied, I've trained, and quite frankly, I deserve better."

She turned her back on Ruby, taking a step away. Ruby instinctively reached out as if to stop her but hesitated, letting her hand drop as Weiss delivered her parting shot.

"Ozpin made a mistake."

As Weiss disappeared down the hallway, Ruby’s gaze dropped to the floor, her chest tightening with a heavy sense of hurt. She stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do.

"Wow, I didn’t know she was that cold," 

Ruby turned to see The Blues standing at the corner, their expressions varying from concern to worry. Jay stepped forward, his concern etched clearly on his face, while Jim and Jake looked uneasily in the direction Weiss had stormed off.

“I wonder if she’s even colder than our icy friend?” Jake remarked.

“Beats me.” Jim replied with a shrug.

"W-What are you guys doing here?" Ruby asked, her voice shaky, doubt and unshed tears evident in her eyes.

"Come on, Ruby. I think it’s time we had a little chat." Jay said, motioning for Ruby to follow them.

(Meanwhile)

Deciding she needed some fresh air, Weiss stepped onto a balcony, where she found a red-haired man in long white pants and a red hoodie standing there, gazing at the sunset.

Feeling something amiss, Red turned his head around to see Weiss standing across him, staring at him.

"Oh. Hey there, Weiss," Red greeted. "Foul mood?"

"How can you tell?" Weiss replied with a soft sigh.

"Your face just screams it," Red said, motioning for her to come closer. She hesitated but then joined him, standing beside him as they both gazed at the sunset.

“So, Weiss… what’s on your mind?” Red asked as he leaned casually against the balcony railing.

Weiss sighed, her shoulders tensing. "I should have been the leader of Team RWBY. I’ve spent years training. I’ve worked so hard. And yet, they chose Ruby, of all people.”

"I can see why you’d feel that way. You’re not wrong, Ruby doesn’t have your level of skill or experience," Red said after a moment of silence.

Weiss turned to face him, a flicker of vindication lighting her eyes. "Finally, someone who gets it."

“However,” Red began, stepping away from the railing to meet her gaze directly, “There’s something holding you back, which could explain why you’re not the leader.”

“Holding me back? What are you saying?” Weiss demanded, narrowing her eyes.

Red held her gaze, his tone steady. “Your attitude, Weiss. When things didn’t go your way, what was your first instinct? To criticize Ruby. To question Ozpin’s decision.”

“How dare you-” Weiss started, but Red raised an eyebrow, cutting her off.

“Do you see what I mean? You were so focused on what you thought you deserved. And when things didn’t go your way, you ranted and complained.”

“That’s not even remotely true,” Weiss said defensively, briefly looking away.

“Prove me wrong.” Red challenged, crossing his arms.

Weiss opened her mouth but stopped herself as if she was suddenly silenced. Her gaze faltered, and she looked away once more, shoulders slumping slightly.

“Leadership isn’t about being perfect, Weiss,” Red said, his tone gentle but firm. “It’s about listening, understanding, and adapting as a team. Look at Yang, she’s happy that her sister is the leader, and Blake doesn’t seem to have an issue with it either, and life goes on. Instead of fretting about what you don’t have, savor what you do. Don’t aim not to be the best leader, but the best person you can be. You can use your experience to help Ruby grow, being second-in-command is still an important leadership role. Who knows? There might be more to Ruby than meets the eye.”

For a moment, the only sound was the faint breeze as Weiss processed his words. Finally, she spoke, her voice quieter, “I see…thank you, Red.”

“You’re welcome.” Red said with a small smile.

 “By the way, is there a leader among your group of friends?” Weiss asked, glancing at Red curiously.

“Take a guess.” Was Red’s only reply.

“Silver seems smart and strong…” Weiss ventured.

“She hates being a leader,” Red replied, shaking his head. “Ask her to step up, and she’ll turn red for minutes.”

“Chuck and The Blues are too reckless,” Weiss mused.

“That I can agree with.” Red nodded in approval..

“What about Bomb?” Weiss suggested.

“Nope. He says it’s too stressful.” Red explained as he shook his head again.

Weiss tilted her head, studying him. “That leaves you. Are you the leader?”

Red kept his gaze on the horizon and answered with a heavy tone, “Yes.”

“You don’t sound like someone who enjoys it.” Weiss observed.

“I don’t,” Red said simply. “But sometimes, someone has to hold things together when everything’s falling apart.”

“So you volunteered… even though you didn’t want to?” questioned Weiss.

“Sometimes it’s not about wanting it, it’s about being willing to carry it when it matters most.” Red replied.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Weiss said as she nodded slowly.

“Don’t forget to help Ruby, alright?” reminded Red.

Weiss turned to him, her expression resolute. “I promise.”

(Back to Ruby)

“Wow… She might’ve been a little too harsh,” Jim said after hearing Ruby’s story.

“All I see is Weiss fighting well and complaining,” Jake added. “What makes her think she’s leader material?”

The Blues had taken Ruby to a rooftop to talk in private, giving her a moment to collect herself before she recounted what had happened.

"Was she right, though?" Ruby asked quietly. "Did Ozpin make a mistake in making me the leader?"

"Uh…I don’t know…" Jay replied, shrugging. "You’ve only been the leader for a day.”

“You haven’t even done any missions yet.” Jim added.

“And your team was just formed recently,” Jake chimed in. “Seems a little too early to start doubting yourself now.”

Ruby looked down, her voice faltering. “But what if I make a mistake on a mission? What if something happens and-?”

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” The Blues suddenly shouted in unison, cutting Ruby off and startling her.

“Stop right there, sister.” Jim began, his tone firm but encouraging.

"It’s good to think ahead and plan, but every action has consequences, some good, some bad. If you keep overthinking like that, you’ll start believing every decision could lead to a screw-up, and that’ll overwhelm you, fast.  Just know that some things will always be out of your control, but it doesn’t mean you can’t adapt and fix them. Like Red always says, "We do what we can. We manage what we cannot.”

Jake stepped in, crossing his arms. “Weiss might’ve been rude, but she’s not wrong. You’re the leader now, which is kind of a big deal, and it’s something you’ve gotta take seriously eventually.”

“Do you have a leader?” Ruby asked.

“Red’s the leader,” Jay replied. “He didn’t win a vote or anything. He just stepped up when we were in a mess,” recalling how Red had taken charge during the time they needed to retaliate when the pigs stole their eggs.

“Oh yeah, the whole ‘poached eggs’ situation,” Jake added with a grin.

“Poached eggs?” Ruby asked, confused.

“It’s a joke among our friends,” Jim explained, waving it off. “Don’t worry about it.”

“All of us have a part to play.” Jay explained. “Red’s the leader, keeping us on track. Chuck’s the speedster with quick thinking, both in his brain and his feet. Bomb’s the one we turn to when we need some serious muscle. My brothers and I? We’ve got a big bag of unpredictable tricks. And Silver? She’s our tactician, always thinking several steps ahead. Each of us brings something different to the table, and that’s what makes us strong.”

"Did you know our team name is 'The Flock'?" Jake asked Ruby.

Ruby tilted her head, a bit puzzled. "The Flock? Isn’t that… like, a group of birds?"

Jim chuckled. "Exactly. It’s a bit of a metaphor. Like a flock of birds, we all rely on one another to get through whatever comes our way."

Jay grinned. "Yeah, we stick together and rely on each other, even if we’re a little chaotic sometimes."

“That’s putting it mildly.” Jake mused.

“Anyways, You’ve got to be like that with your team too. Being a leader isn’t just about calling the shots. It’s about being there for your teammates, making sure they know you’ve got their backs. You need them as much as they need you.” Jim chimed in.

“And you gotta be honorable, dependable, strategic, well-educated, and most importantly, wise.” Jay added.

“That’s what my boring Professor Port said.” Ruby remarked with a slight chuckle.

“Your professor might be boring, but he’s got a point,” Jay replied.

“Same with Weiss, her attitude may be a bit much, but she does have a point. We overheard that she studied and trained to be the best, so she definitely has more experience. Asking for her help and advice wouldn’t hurt. Despite everything that’s happened, I’m sure you and Weiss can come to an understanding eventually.”

“And in the worst-case scenario that she’s still stubborn, we have ways to convince her,” Jake said with a sinister grin, smashing his fist into his palm.

“You mean talking to her... right?” Jay questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course, I was. I wasn’t implying anything violent.” Jake replied with an innocent smile.

Ruby smiled, grateful. "Thanks, guys. I really needed this."

“You're welcome.” “That’s what-” “Friends do.” the blue triplets said, finishing each other’s sentences as usual.

“If you need anything, just give us a holler.” Jim added.

“Anything?” asked Ruby.

“Yes? Unless we’re somehow not getting through you.” Jake replied.

“Something on your mind?” questioned Jay.

“Do any of you or your friends know anything about building bunk beds?”

(Night)

The shattered moon cast its pale light as Ozpin gazed out the back window. Suddenly, his view was obscured by a blur of yellow that zipped into the room, coming to an abrupt stop in front of his desk.

“You called, Ozzy?”

“Yes.” Ozpin replied calmly, “Though I was expecting your friend, Red. And for the record, you could have used the front door.”

“Red’s-a-little-busy-with-something, so-here-I-am. And-I-thought-you’d-lock-the-door-at-night, so…” Chuck said in rapid succession.

“I do leave it unlocked,” Ozpin replied. “All you need to do is knock.”

“Anyways, I believe I may have an idea of where your other comrade might be.” Ozpin continued.

“Really?” Chuck asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Yes, I’ve received reports from multiple villages across Vale,” Ozpin explained. “According to witnesses, Grimm attacks were thwarted rather swiftly by a ‘Performing Traveler’ who spoke in an unusual manner and asked for directions to The City Of Vale.”

“Interesting…” Chuck said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “I think I know who that might be. Thanks for the tip. I’ll go pick him up.”

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. “Do you even know where to-”

Before he could finish, Chuck was gone.

“Hm.” was Ozpin’s only response. With a slight shrug and a sip from his mug, he returned to his work, unfazed.


(Meanwhile)

As Weiss entered her team's dorm, she was surprised to see the bunk beds they had hastily constructed earlier now appeared much more stable. They weren’t just stacked on top of each other or suspended by ropes; the bed legs were properly fixed and nailed together with precision, and the beds even had ladders for easy access to the top bunk, resembling actual bunk beds.

She noticed Yang and Blake sleeping on the right bunk, with Blake on top and Yang on the bottom. Weiss also saw a sheet draped over the top bunk of the left bed, with soft light flickering beneath it. Climbing the ladder as quietly as possible, Weiss lifted the drape, not surprised to find Ruby asleep. What did catch her off guard was the sight of Ruby holding a pencil, surrounded by notes, books, and an empty coffee mug.

“Had she really been studying this late at night?” Weiss wondered to herself.

She gently nudged Ruby awake, who was startled by the sudden appearance.

"W-Weiss! I... I was studying, and then I fell asleep, and I..." Ruby stammered, but was silenced when Weiss placed a hand over her mouth.

"How do you take your coffee?" Weiss whispered, removing her hand.

Ruby blinked, somewhat confused. "Uh... I... I don’t..."

"Answer the question," Weiss insisted.

"Cream and five sugars!" Ruby answered in a hushed tone, making sure not to disturb Yang and Blake.

"Don’t move," Weiss ordered, before swiftly returning with a fresh cup of coffee and handed it to Ruby. "Here."

"Um, thanks, Weiss..." Ruby said, appreciative but still confused.

"I noticed the bunk beds look a lot sturdier now," Weiss remarked. "Did you fix them?"

"No, Silver did," Ruby replied.

"Silver? The silver-haired one who's friends with Red and the others?” Weiss asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep, that’s her," Ruby confirmed. "She's ridiculously smart. Honestly, she might know more than all the teachers at Beacon combined. You were right about the beds being a safety risk, so I asked her to help. She also mentioned we should meet her tomorrow during lunch. She’s got something she wants to show us."

Weiss took a deep breath, before looking at Ruby with sincerity. “Ruby, I owe you an apology. I didn’t give you a fair chance to prove yourself as a leader, and I let my frustration get the better of me. I was wrong to doubt you like that.”

Ruby looked up from her notes, a bit surprised by the apology. “I… I should apologize too. Weiss, I’m really sorry for acting immature earlier. I know it made you doubt my ability as a leader.”

Weiss nodded, accepting Ruby’s apology with a small smile. “It’s okay. I’m glad we can talk about it. I just want you to know that I believe in you. You have what it takes to be a good leader, Ruby. And I’ll be the best teammate I can be.”

“Thanks, Weiss. I promise I’ll do my best as your leader.” Ruby replied.

"Good." Weiss nodded approvingly.

"Now, about that answer on your notes..." Weiss pointed to something Ruby had written. "That’s wrong, by the way."

Ruby quickly corrected it with a nod as Weiss climbed down from the bunk bed and made her way to the door, before pausing. “Hey, Ruby...?”

“Yeah?” Ruby asked, looking up.

"I always wanted bunk beds as a kid," Weiss said with a small smile, then gently closed the door behind her.

Ruby returned to her notes, a contented smile creeping onto her face.

Looks like Jay had been right after all.

(City of Vale)

The mysterious figure, still deep in thought, quietly browsed through the magazines at a Dust shop.

“No answers…” he muttered to himself, turning the pages.

Suddenly, the door slammed open, and six thugs in black suits, red ties, and sunglasses stormed in. One of them, holding a gun, barked at the frightened shopkeeper. “Don’t move a muscle!”

As the other thugs began emptying the shelves of Dust, one of them noticed the hooded figure standing in the distance.

“Put your hands where I can see them!” the thug ordered, striding over to the figure.

The hooded stranger, lost in thought, didn’t respond.

“Hey, I said hands in the air! You got a death wish or something!?” the thug yelled again as he approached the figure, roughly turning him around. The hood fell back to reveal a man with green hair, staring up at him with confusion.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

“I said, put your hands in the air, now!” the thug threatened.

“Are you… robbing me?” the man asked.

“Yes!” the thug shouted.

“Oh.”

Moments later, all six thugs were hurled through the front glass window, crashing into the black vans parked outside. The sound of shattering glass echoed as more thugs poured out of the vans, all dressed in the same black suits with red ties. They stopped in their tracks, eyes locked on the uncloaked man standing unfazed in the doorway.

"Get him!" one of the thugs shouted, prompting the others to charge forward with machetes, pocket knives, and even firearms.

The green-haired man tilted his head, a wry smile forming. “All of you against just me? Seems a bit unfair… for you.”

With a flick of his wrists, he drew out two dark green pistols and fired with pinpoint accuracy, disarming every thug in a matter of seconds.

Before they could recover, the man spun on his heel, his body twisting faster and faster until he formed a massive green tornado. The whirlwind pulled the thugs and their discarded weapons into the air, tossing them skyward.

The tornado dissipated as quickly as it had formed, raining down thugs and their weapons. As he witnessed the rain of men, the sound of screeching tires drew the man’s attention, and he spotted one of the black vans speeding away.

“Oh no, you don’t.” he muttered, unleashing a flurry of shots at the van’s rear tires. The bullets punctured them with ease, forcing the vehicle to screech to a halt.

As the remaining thugs stumbled out of the van, attempting to flee on foot, the man hurled one of his pistols like a boomerang, striking each thug in the back of the head, knocking them unconscious before returning to his hand.

The pistol returned neatly to his hand, and the man surveyed the wreckage with a casual glance. “Now, what exactly were they trying to steal?” he murmured, crouching by one of the cases.

Opening it carefully, he revealed an assortment of Dust crystals, glowing in a kaleidoscope of colors. Picking up a red crystal, he inspected it closely, feeling the warmth it radiated.

“First these expensive-looking crystals are being sold at cheap prices, and now people are stealing them? Why?”

“That’s because they’re not just simple crystals,” a familiar voice replied.

The man turned to see Chuck standing nearby, arms crossed.

“Hey there Hal, the cloak looks good on you.” Chuck said with a smirk.

“Chuck! Good to see you, mate!” Hal said with a grin, placing the red crystal back in the case and shutting it.

“Good to see you too, Hal,” Chuck replied. “Enjoying Remnant so far?”

“So this place is called Remnant? That explains the broken moon.” Hal said as he glanced at the broken moon.

“And nein, this place hasn’t impressed me yet. Where are the others?”

“Well… so far, we’ve got Red, Bomb, Silver, and The Blues. We’ve set up a base of operations, but we couldn’t find the others yet. Let’s scoot first, I’ll explain on the way.”

With that, Chuck dashed off, and Hal followed close behind, as the sound of approaching police sirens grew louder.

(Beacon Academy, Next Day)

While most of the students were in the cafeteria having their lunch, Teams RWBY and JNPR brought their meals to Silver's lab, as she had invited them over yesterday.

“Where’s Red and your other friends?” Ruby asked, setting down her plate next to Yang, which held an impressive four-foot pile of cookies, on the table Silver had arranged for the teams.

“The Blues and Red are testing something I’ve been working on, and Chuck went out for a jog,” Silver said, her eyes momentarily fixed on Ruby’s cookie stack in astonishment.

“What about me?” Bomb asked, gesturing toward himself.

“You just met our new friends, so you’re here to get to know them better, and for them to get to know you better.” Silver explained.

“Speaking of getting to know each other, I’m sure you all have plenty of questions for us,” she added with a knowing smile. “Like where we come from, right?”

“But… are you sure you’re okay with telling everyone… about that?” Ruby asked hesitantly, glancing at Silver with concern.

“Huh? What do you mean by that?” Jaune asked, sitting between Pyrrha and Ren as he looked between Ruby and Silver with curiosity.

“Yeah, sis, what’s with the secrecy? It’s not like they’re aliens or something.” Yang teased, causing Weiss to look at Silver with equal unease.

“Since we all fought together in the forest, Red and I trust all of you. Red felt that the teams we teamed up with deserve to know more about us.” Silver explained.

Silver then took out her scroll from her pocket, pressing a few buttons. A holographic globe of Earth appeared from a projector placed on the floor, an invention Silver had built herself, for everyone to see.

The teams stared in awe as the globe materialized, quickly realizing that the continents on the hologram globe didn't look like anything they recognized. The map didn’t resemble Remnant at all, and many of the continents appeared to be marked with rectangular pictures.

“What kind of map is this? This isn’t what the continents look like at all,” Blake remarked, squinting at the unfamiliar shapes.

“That’s because this is the map of Earth, a planet similar to Remnant,” Silver explained.

“Wait… you mean to say you’re actually from another planet?!” Yang blurted out, her expression a mix of disbelief and excitement. Blake and Team JNPR looked between Silver and Bomb, clearly stunned. Ruby and Weiss exchanged a knowing look but remained silent, already familiar with the basics.

“In a way, yes. We’re from another dimension,” Silver replied casually with a nod.

“We do have an alien friend. He’s just not with us right now.” Bomb added.

“What are all those?” Jaune asked, pointing to a white rectangle with a blue cross.

“Those are flags of countries. The one you’re pointing to is the Finnish flag of Finland,” Silver answered with a small smile.

“As you can see, Earth is very different from Remnant. There are many countries, each with its own culture and history.” Silver continued before pressing a few buttons, and a globe of Remnant appeared beside Earth’s globe, allowing the teams to compare the two.

“Now that I think about it…” Silver thought to herself. “Remnant’s map looks like someone took a look at a stained napkin and called it a map.” She shook her head to clear her thoughts before pressing a button to close the comparison and replaced it with a large 3D model of a certain island.

“Why does this island’s mountain resemble a pig?” Pyrrha asked, eyeing Hogs Head Mountain.

“That one over there looks like a scrambled egg! Yummy!” Nora chimed in, pointing excitedly at Desert Island.

“This is Piggy Island, our home,” Bomb explained.

“And this is us,” Silver said, pulling a photo from her pocket and placing it on the table. It showed Red and The Flock in their original limbless forms, along with the eggs in their comfy nest.

“No way!? You’re all birds?!” Ruby exclaimed, eyes wide as the teams studied the photo, while also wondering: “Is that why they call themselves The Flock?”.

“What kind of birds are you guys?! It looks like something out of a cartoon!” Yang added, equally surprised.

“Awww! The Blues look even cuter than before! Who’s that small orange bird? And what about the big red fluffy one?!” Nora squealed loudly, pointing at the photo.

“How do you go from this to that? Better yet, if you’re all birds, how are you not Faunus?!” Weiss asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.

“Guys, settle down! I’ll answer your questions one by one, but let me introduce my friends properly first!” Silver said, pressing a few buttons on her scroll. She tapped the button that brought up Red’s file, which the projector displayed him in his original form.

Chapter Text

Hoo boy, another BSOTM Short!

File: Red Leader

“First up, we have Red. If you guys didn’t know already, he’s our leader,” Silver explained to Teams RWBY and JNPR as they gazed at the holographic projection of Red’s round original form.

“He might not look like much, but he does carry a voice of authority.”

“You can say that again,” Jaune added, recalling the time Red gave him instructions in the Emerald Forest.

Silver chuckled. “He’s a softie at heart too. Please don’t tell him I said that, though. He’ll chew me out if he hears it.” Silver added as she opened another file, triggering a video to play.

“And… action! Say hi to the camera, Red!” Silver’s voice came from off-screen in the video.

“Um… hello?” Red said awkwardly, giving the camera a small wave as he sat in a chair in Silver’s Lab.

“Eh… good enough, I suppose,” Silver’s voice responded. “Say something for our new friends.”

“Like…?” Red asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Anything! Just say anything that comes to mind!” Silver urged.

Red paused, thinking for a moment before turning back to the camera. Taking a deep breath, he said, “Here’s my advice: Be strong enough to be gentle.”

“Wow, very Prime of you,” Silver teased in the background.

“Cut it out,” said Red as the video ended.

“Wow, that’s... deep. Like, really deep.” Ruby commented before munching on a cookie.

“Perhaps. Let’s move on.” Silver said as she pressed another button, showing a holographic of a yellow cone-shaped bird.

File: Yellow Speedster

“Normally, this video was just supposed to be Chuck introducing himself,” Silver explained as she pressed the play button on her scroll. “But he insisted I show you all this as well.”

“Hello everyone! Chuck’s-the-name, speed’s-the-game! I-like-you-all-a-lot, I-can-tell! Say, how-much-wood-do-you-think-a-woodchuck-could-chuck-if-a-woodchuck-could-chuck-wood?”
Chuck greeted in a rapid-fire burst in the video.

There was a brief pause before Silver’s voice cut in dryly. “Can you please speak slower?”

Chuck winced, rubbing the back of his head. “My bad… Lemme try again…”

“Hello again, Teams RWBY and JNPR! I’m Chuck!” Chuck greeted at a slower pace this time.


“As you guys can tell already, I’m fast. How fast? That’s what we’re going to find out today!”

The video then transitioned to Silver holding her scroll in view of the camera, standing in the Emerald Forest. “For this experiment, I’ve modified my scroll to track Chuck’s movements and measure his speed. Now, I’ll connect it to this device…” She gestured toward what looked like a high-tech camera. “To get an exact reading.”

“Whenever you’re ready, Chuck! Give it everything you’ve got!” Silver called out after finishing setting up the device.

In an instant, Chuck became a blur of yellow, zipping past the device. The camera displayed a reading of 3704.4 kilometers per hour, accompanied by a faint boom.

Fortunately, Chuck was far enough away from Silver to avoid causing any potential harm to her or anyone else. The only casualties of the sonic boom were, presumably, some unlucky Grimm monsters in the vicinity.

“Nice numbers,” Silver commented offscreen just before the video ended.

“I heard from Red that there are speed-based Semblances,” Silver remarked as the video ended. “But how fast do they usually go?”

“Well, they’re nowhere near breaking the sound barrier, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Pyrrha answered. “Definitely not three times the speed of sound.”

“I couldn’t even imagine going that fast. I’d probably faint!” exclaimed Ruby.

“Oh, don’t worry, Rubes,” Yang chimed in, ruffling her little sister’s hair with a grin. “I’m sure you’ll get faster one day.”

“Thanks, sis…” Ruby replied with a small smile forming on her face.

“So… any more questions about Chuck before I move on?” Silver asked, her gaze shifting to Nora, who was eagerly waving her hand in the air.

“How does Chuck move so fast, especially when he’s such an adorable little bird?” Nora inquired.

“We all can move fast actually, Chuck is just faster.” Silver replied with a smile. “But to answer your question, we actually hop from one spot to another so rapidly that it looks like we’re sliding across the ground! I like to call it ‘micro-hops.’”

“If there are no more questions, we’ll move on to our third member,” Silver said as the projector displayed a holographic image of three small, round birds stacked on top of each other.


File: Brothers Blue

“And here we have Jim, Jay, and Jake, also known as The Blues!” Silver announced. “They may be young and mischievous, but their teamwork and creativity are nothing to scoff at! Their pranks have helped both them and us out several times before.”

“How are we supposed to know who is who?” Jaune asked

“I don’t think I have the best answer for that,” Silver replied with a shrug.

“It’s hard to tell them apart since they’re virtually identical in both personality and appearance,” Silver continued. “But after living with them for so long, I just rely on my intuition. It’s never steered me wrong, not even once. I guess what I’m trying to say is, you have to be really close to them to find out. Any more questions?”

“Are they the youngest in your group?” Blake asked, raising her hand.
“Second youngest, actually,” Silver answered. “We have someone who’s slightly younger than The Blues, but I’ll talk about him later.”

“Between you and The Blues, who’s the smartest?” Ruby chimed in with a question of her own.

Silver paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “I’d say we’re on equal ground, though their teamwork might give them a slight edge over me. Just a little,” she admitted with a playful smirk.

“Any more questions?” Silver asked, scanning the room. The students all shook their heads, signaling they were ready to move on.

“Alright then,” Silver said, opening another file on her scroll. A video began to play on the holographic display.

“Hi, kids!” The Blues greeted in unison, waving excitedly in the video filmed in Silver’s lab.

“We’re-”

“The-”

“Blues!”

“I’m Jim!”

“I’m Jay!”

“And I’m Jake!”

“We always stick together-”

“-and never squabble!”

“Who says?”

“Well, maybe you’re right… but it’s fun when we do that!”

“Kids, always remember to be observant!”

“Think sharp and fast too, like a flying knife! There’s always a way!”

“And never give up! No matter the obstacle, we’ll crush every bone in their body and make them regret ever picking a fight with us! Mwa ha ha!”

“I think that’s a wrap…” Silver’s voice chimed in from the background as the video ended.

“Y’know, I’m starting to like these brothers.” Yang remarked with a grin.

“Who doesn’t?!” Nora said enthusiastically. “They're so cute! I just wanna hug them!”

“And they’re quite adventurous.” Ren added. “Didn’t you already hug them in the forest?”

“But I wanna hug them again!” Nora whined.

“If no one else has any questions, let’s move on.” Silver announced as she turned to Bomb.

“Wanna introduce yourself first, or should I introduce myself first?”

“I’ll do it.” said Bomb as he placed a yellow mug onto a nearby table, before clearing his throat as Silver opened a file, causing the projector to show a model of a round black bird.

File: Explosive Temper

“Hi…I’m Bomb. Sometimes when I experience extreme emotions, especially anger, I…blow up. Literally. I explode. Like a Bomb.”

To emphasize his point, Bomb imitated a bomb falling and exploding.

“Hence the name,” he said, pointing to himself with a small smirk. “Any questions?!”

“How are you able to explode without injuring yourself?” Nora asked, raising her hand eagerly.

“That’s fast. Allow me to explain,” Silver interjected with a grin. “ “Someone I know hypothesized that when Bomb is usually angered, His body conveys shockwaves thoroughly, so that the energy chemical compounds produced in his body by the food he eats, releases in the form of explosions that do not affect him at all, but rather anything in his blast radius, hence the explosion. Or… it could just be magic. Take your pick.”

“I’m going for the magic option,” said Jaune.

“There’s no such thing as magic,” Weiss retorted with a roll of her eyes.

“Well, your Aura and Semblances do seem pretty magical to us,” Silver remarked.

“I suppose so, considering there’s no Aura or Semblances on your planet,” Pyrrha added thoughtfully.

“I’m still going with Silver’s first hypothesis. It’s more logical, no matter how far-fetched it sounds,” Weiss stated firmly.

“Since Bomb is done with his introduction, it’s about time I introduce myself,” Silver said, stepping forward. She opened a file, and the projector displayed a holographic model of a silver-colored bird.

File: Looping Legend

“As you already know, I’m Silver, which is kind of obvious because of my silver hair. I’m also pretty smart. I built all the wooden tables you see in this dorm and even this projector."

“And our bunk beds!” Ruby interjected excitedly but quickly covered her mouth, realizing she had interrupted. “Oh…sorry….”

“Nah, it’s fine, really,” Silver replied with a small smile.

“You guys have bunk beds?! I want a bunk bed too!” Nora exclaimed with enthusiasm.

“We don’t need bunk beds,” Ren stated flatly.

“But it’s fun! And Jaune is our leader, not you!” Nora whined before leaning in extremely close to Jaune, making him visibly uncomfortable.

“Can we have bunk beds… please?” she pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

“Um… Pyrrha?” Jaune stammered, turning toward her.

“It’s your choice. You are our leader, after all,” Pyrrha replied with a small smile.

“If it isn’t too much trouble…” Jaune said hesitantly, glancing at Silver.

“Not at all,” Silver replied with a chuckle. “I’ll get to work on it when I have the time.”

Nora cheered loudly, while Ren sighed in resignation.

“Prepare yourselves for the lightning round, because I’m about to introduce our other friends who aren’t with us at the moment but have definitely made it to Remnant,” Silver announced, opening several files on her scroll. Holograms appeared of a white, egg-shaped bird, a round pink bird, a small and round orange bird, a large crimson bird, and a green bird with an extremely long beak than the rest of The Flock.

“The white’s one’s Matilda. You could say she’s the caretaker of our group, always looking out for us with her motherly presence. But cross her, and you’ll be in a world of pain.”

“Next, we have Stella, the pink one. Boy, I’ve got a lot to say about her. She has her own circle of friends outside of our group, is pretty athletic, and has a bubbly personality to match. But don’t let that fool you, she’s ruthless and deadly when she needs to be. That’s how she is, sweet on the outside, fierce on the inside.”

“The little orange one is Bubbles. The youngest among us! He’s got a sweet tooth to match his sweet personality.”

“And this large crimson bird is Terence. He might look intimidating, but I assure you, he means well. Although he’ll never tell you himself because he rarely speaks. Maybe like, once in a blue moon.”

“Once in a blue moon?” Jaune asked, confused.

“It means very rarely, yellow boy,” Silver replied with a smirk.

“Yellow boy?” Jaune repeated, even more confused.

“Apologies. Your name, Jaune, means ‘yellow’ in French, a language on Earth,” Silver explained.

“Oh, okay then,” Jaune said with a small nod.

“Lastly, we have Hal. He’s very friendly and down-to-earth, usually preferring to avoid conflict.” Silver continued.

“Hey, Silver, did you notice something?” Bomb asked suddenly, getting her attention.

“You mean the colors?” Silver replied, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah. Red, Chuck, The Blues, me, and you all wear clothing that matches the colors of our feathers,” Bomb pointed out.

“Which means it’s safe to assume our other friends wear the same colors too,” Silver added with a nod.

“You do have a lot of unique and good friends.” Pyrrha remarked.

“If only we could meet them all…” Yang added.

“Well, we are working on it.” Silver replied. “But seeing how Bomb and I met you all in the forest, maybe they'll come to us.”

“So...what’s Piggy Island like?” asked Ruby.

“Is it full of piggies?!” Nora asked eagerly.

“Well, the island offers a lot of stuff, like rare ores in caves, clean and fresh water bodies and rivers, and most importantly, pigs. Round green pigs.” Silver replied.

“There’s so many of them, so many in fact, no one could even keep track of how many there are.” Bomb added.

“And the reason why we’re here.” Silver added with her expression turning serious.

“What exactly did they do?” Ruby asked with a hint of uneasiness.

“A lot of things actually.” an unknown male voice entered everybody’s ears, although the two birds at heart recognised that voice immediately.

“They are mostly mean, rude, greedy and mischievous. They steal resources for self gain, and their crimes don’t stop there. ” Hal continued as he stepped inside Silver’s Lab.

“Hal?! Did you just arrive here?” Silver asked him. “Nah mate, I arrived in Beacon last night, didn’t Chuck tell you guys?” Hal asked, only to see Silver and Bomb shaking their heads.

“I see. But anyways- Chuck told me to see you, so here I am.”

“You can sit here, while we wrap things up,” Silver said as she pointed to the stool next to the workshop table.

“You must be Hal.” Weiss said as she turned to Hal.

“That’s me,” he said with a gentle nod. “And you are…?”

“Weiss Schnee,” she replied, her tone polite but confident.

One by one, the rest of Team RWBY and Team JNPR followed suit, introducing themselves.

“Now where were we….” Bomb said to himself as he turned back to the students. “Ah yes, the Pigs! They like to steal our eggs, resorting to a lot of schemes and strange contraptions.” Bomb added.

“You mean the eggs in the picture you showed us?” asked Ruby.

“Yep, those are the ones.” Bomb said with a nod.

“Whose eggs are those, actually, like who’s the mom and who’s the dad?” Yang asked curiously.

“Well…it all started when Red found the eggs at a very young age…” Silver started.

(Moments later)

“Wow… no wonder he’s the leader.” Ruby remarked after hearing Silver’s story.

“And an admirable one at that,” Pyrrha added.

“To mature so quickly at such a young age…” Weiss pondered, recalling what Red had told her yesterday.

“Which is why we were protecting the eggs in the first place. Most of them are literally too stubborn and single-minded to care about anything other than eggs,” Silver explained, crossing her arms. “Speaking of which, they recently built some kind of contraption, a portal. It was so volatile, it sucked us all in and brought us to Remnant.”

“That wasn’t just a portal, it was a space wormhole,” Bomb clarified. “An alien friend of ours has the natural ability to create those.”

“And the Pigs tried to replicate it?” Silver asked, raising an eyebrow.

“They did. Technically, they succeeded,” Bomb admitted with a shrug. “But considering it went haywire and dumped all of us here, I wouldn’t exactly call it a success.”

“Is that why all of you turned into humans?” Yang asked.

“Most likely,” Bomb nodded. “These wormholes can take us to all kinds of places, they can even change you along the way. When I went to outer space once, I gained a cool new look with the ability to fly and breathe there!” he added with a wink.

“That must be nice.” Weiss commented with an intrigued expression.

“It is! The view is incredible! There are countless planets to see and explore,” Bomb said with excitement.

“If only I could go to space too…” Ruby pouted, crossing her arms. She had heard about the beauty of space from books and her mother’s stories, and hearing Bomb describe it made her a little jealous.

“If he ever visits, you can ask him,” Silver said, smiling. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind taking you along. Even I’d love to go to space without worrying about oxygen or fuel, or Dust in your case” Silver told Ruby.

“If I remember correctly, Dust becomes inert when it leaves the atmosphere, which is why no one in Remnant has been to space before, right?”

“Yep.” Ruby said with a small nod.

“Are there any alternate energy sources that Remnant uses besides Dust?” Silver asked, tilting her head.

“The power generated isn’t sufficient.” Blake answered simply. “There’s also flying Grimm attacks to consider.”

“Ah, I see…” Silver said, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

“But back to The Pigs,” she continued, her tone shifting. “Despite their simple-mindedness, they’re incredibly resourceful and so numerous they can overwhelm armies if underestimated.”

“So…they’re like the Grimm?” Jaune asked hesitantly.

“Silver did say there are a lot of them,” Ren added.

“Exactly. They’re everywhere on Earth. The last thing we want is for them to occupy Remnant entirely, especially since this place already has more than enough to deal with,” Silver said firmly.

“Grimm?” Hal asked, plucking a few notes on his banjo.

“Monsters that occupy this planet,” Bomb explained. “They come in many varieties and are probably more dangerous than the Pigs.”

“I’m guessing they’re black and scary-looking?” Hal asked.
“You encountered them?” Silver asked curiously.

“Yep. Took them out pretty easily. Although, I did run into a rather large one. It looked like a snail, and produced smaller monsters from its slimy body,” Hal answered.

“A giant snail that spawns more Grimm?” questioned Ren.

“Well, at least snails are slow,” Jaune said somewhat optimistically.

“Not this one. It was fast, really fast,” Hal corrected.

“So many that you can't count them properly… and there’s a variety…” Silver muttered to herself.

“Something on your mind?” Bomb asked, noticing her thoughtful expression.

“I was just wondering how similar the Pigs and the Grimm are.” Silver replied. “The Grimm have those massive Alphas that lead them, and the Pigs have their own leaders.”

“Oh yeah. Corporal Pig, Foreman Pig, Chef Pig, and, of course, King Pig,” Bomb said with a nod.

“Exactly. So, it got me thinking…What if the Grimm has some kind of leader too? Someone intelligent, capable of directing them?”

Blake furrowed her brow. “The Grimm can't be controlled. It’s impossible.”

“There have been attempts to do so before,” Ren added. “And all of them ended in failure.”

“Perhaps…” Silver said, her tone cautious. “But what if the Grimm's leader isn’t controlling them in the conventional sense? What if they’re connected somehow…like they share a deeper bond that makes control effortless?”

“You’re suggesting the Grimm might have a central figure?” Bomb asked.

“Exactly! If bees and ants have a queen, why not the Grimm?!” Silver gestured for emphasis. “Like a hive mind of sorts!”

Weiss frowned, her arms folded. “I’m pretty sure we would know if something that big and important existed.”

“Unless their existence is being hidden deliberately by higher ups,” Silver pointed out, “To avoid widespread panic, and to prevent the Grimm from being drawn to said panic...”

The room grew silent for a moment as the weight of Silver's theory sank in.

Then, the bell rang, its sharp chime breaking the silence and signaling the end of the lunch break.

“Well, looks like we’ll have to put this theory on hold for now!” Silver said, offering a small smile to the otherwise bleak situation. “Stop by and visit whenever you have time, alright?”

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY and Angry Birds

“So…you’re saying your giant Grimm actually, nay, genuinely looks like a snail?” asked Jim as he twirled a digital pen between his fingers.

“Positive,” Hal answered. “Its white shell has spikes, a lot of spikes. I’m not sure how sturdy the shell is, but as long as the shell cracks, no matter the damage, it instantly dies.. Also, one question…”

“You mean about the Grimm?” Jim asked, sketching away in his scroll.

“No.” Hal answered simply. “I mean what are we doing here?”

“What do you mean?” Jim looked at Hal in confusion, tilting his head.

“I mean what are we doing in the Auditorium?!” Hal clarified, motioning to Beacon’s Auditorium Hall.

“The show, Uncle Hal!” Jake called out excitedly. “Come watch with us!”

Curious, Hal walked over to where Jake and Jay were seated to see an oncoming sparring session, glancing upon an exhausted Jaune in the distance.

With a loud battle cry, Jaune got up and charged at a very tall young man wearing armor with burnt-orange hair, but the tall armored man effortlessly dodged, causing Jaune to stumble in surprise.

Capitalizing on the opening, The man used his mace to send Jaune flying back, disarming him of his shield in the process. Now armed only with his sword, Jaune made another desperate attempt to strike. Their weapons clashed, but the tall armored man quickly gained the upper hand, forcing Jaune to the ground.

“This is the part where you lose,” the man sneered.

“Over my dead-” Jaune’s words were cut short as the orange haired man delivered a brutal knee to his stomach. Jaune dropped his sword and collapsed in pain, groaning as he hit the floor.

The tall armored young man raised his weapon, ready to deliver the finishing blow, when the buzzer suddenly sounded.

“Cardin, that’s enough!” Glynda Goodwitch’s voice echoed through the auditorium, causing the individual identified as Cardin to relent and back off as Glynda came onto the stage, tapping her tablet.

“As you can see, Mr. Arc’s Aura has now dropped into the red. In a tournament-styled duel, this would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle, and the official may call the match.”

“Mr. Arc, it’s been weeks now. Please try to refer to your Scroll during combat. Gauging your Aura will help you decide when it’s appropriate to attack or when it’s better to move to a more... defensive strategy. We wouldn’t want you to be gobbled up by a Beowolf, now, would we?” Glynda said to Jaune as he remained on the floor, dejected.

“Speak for yourself…” Cardin muttered as he picked up his weapon and walked away.

“Remember, everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away! It won’t be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing! Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale!” Glynda reminded the students, getting everyone, especially team RWBY, very excited.

As the bell rang, signaling the end of the session, students began filing out of the auditorium. Jaune stayed on the floor, his head hung low in shame, while Pyrrha Nikos watched him with a concerned expression.

“Vytal Festival? Tournament?” Hal wondered aloud.

“It’s an international festival held every two years in one of the Kingdoms of Remnant.” Jay explained.

“The combat tournament is where students from the various Huntsman Academies, like Beacon, compete to see who’s the best. Probably used to train the students, like some kind of sports festival.

“Sounds like fun.” Jake remarked with a smirk.

“Jake, you do know that's for the students only.” Jim reminded him.

“I know that! But we have been fighting Grimm for days! A sparring match against another human would be nice for a change!” Jake exclaimed, flailing his arms around.

“But wouldn’t it be unfair if we went into the tournament?” questioned Hal. “Since…y’know…we’re more experienced fighters and all that.”

“Or…” Jim cut in, spinning his digital pen between his fingers, “we could fight against each other, like that arena thing Terry held back on Piggy Island. You know, with the banners and everything.”

Before Jim could say more, he noticed Hal, Jay, and Jake had gone quiet, their attention focused on the stage. He followed their gaze to see Jaune still lying on the ground, head hung low, looking utterly defeated.

“What’s going on?” asked Jim as he joined Hal and his brothers.

“Y’know…I’ve been wondering about Jaune,” said Hal. “He has a sword that allows him to strike faster than a mace and a shield to protect himself, but he still lost despite all those advantages.”

“Maybe yellow boy is still learning, this is a school after all.” said Jay.

Perhaps.” Jim remarked. “Anyways…what do you think of my sketch?” asked Jim as he presented the drawing on his scroll.

“Close enough.” remarked Hal.

(Later, Beacon Cafeteria)

“So! There we were, in the middle of the night…!” Nora began her story in a dramatic fashion to her teammates of JNPR and Team RWBY, along with Silver, Bomb, and The Blues as all of them sat together for lunch.

“It was day,” Ren corrected his friend before sipping from his mug.

"We were surrounded by Ursa…!" Nora continued, with Yang, Bomb, and The Blues listening intently to her story, while Blake seemed more interested in reading her book and Weiss was busy filing her nails. Jaune didn’t seem to be paying attention to anything, just sadly picking at his food, much to the concern of Ruby, Silver, and Pyrrha.

"They were Beowolves," Ren corrected again.

"Dozens of them!" Nora exclaimed as she stood on the table.

"Two of them," Ren corrected yet again.

"But they were no match! And in the end, Ren and I took them down and made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa-skinned rugs!" Nora finished proudly.

Jay raised an eyebrow. "But since Grimm disintegrate upon death, how were you able to sell the skin of it?"

“Killjoy!” Nora stuck her tongue out at Jay before getting off the table and sitting down next to Ren.

"I regret nothing!" Jay shot back, sticking his tongue out as well.

“Sorry, she's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now,” Ren apologized.

“Wait a moment… she might be onto something…” Jake muttered.

“If we know what Grimm feels like, we can make a replica that feels like actual Ursa skin! And we can make Ursa-skinned rugs and be rich!”

“Yeah!” cheered Nora.

Ren sighed. “Please don’t encourage her.”

“Hey, Silvy, where’s the rest of your friends?” Yang asked Silver.

“Oh? You mean Red, Chuck, and Hal? They’re in the Emerald Forest helping me with something.” Silver answered. “Speaking of which… I wonder how they’re doing right now…”

(Emerald Forest)

“I took my eyes off you two for one second… and you started a forest fire?!” Red shouted exasperatedly.

“It was an accident!” Hal cried, using his cloak to smother a burning shrub. “I didn’t know the fire Dust chip that Silver made was that volatile!”

“I-can-vouch-for-Hal!” Chuck blurted out, speaking rapidly as he sprinted around the burning trees in circles, drawing out the oxygen with his speed. “After-all-this-is-a-prototype!There’s-bound-to-be-some-hiccups-here-and-there!”

Red let out a long sigh. “Let’s just put them out before it spreads any further. Also, remind Silver to tone down her Dust chips so we don’t accidentally burn down another forest.”

(Back at the Cafeteria)

“I’m sure they’ll be fine.” Silver said with a slight shrug.

“Silver?” Ruby asked, munching on a cookie.

“Yeah?” Silver responded, tearing off a piece of steak with her teeth.

“What do you and your friends usually eat?” Ruby asked with a raised eyebrow.

Silver swallowed before replying, “We’re omnivores, but we mostly prefer to be vegan.”

"Jaune… Are you okay?" Pyrrha asked, trying to get his attention.

Jaune didn’t seem to notice at first until Silver, who had been sitting next to him, gently nudged his arm and let out a short whistle.

"Huh? What? Oh, yeah. Why?"

"It's just… you seem a little… not okay," Ruby remarked.

Jaune glanced around and saw nearly everyone giving him concerned expressions. He quickly tried to put on a brave face. "Guys, I'm fine. Seriously! Look!" He forced a smile and gave a thumbs-up.

“You’re really-”
“Not convincing-”
“Anyone, Jaune.” The Blues said in perfect unison.

"We all know Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school," Silver said seriously with folded arms.

“Who? Cardin Winchester? Nah… He just likes to mess around! You know, jokes!” Jaune waved it off, but everyone remained unconvinced.

"He's a bully," Ruby said bluntly.

"Him and his entire team," Bomb added with a huff.

“Jerks.” Jake muttered.

"Oh, please! Name one time he's 'bullied' me," Jaune scoffed.

"He knocks down all your stuff whenever you pass by in the halls," Ren pointed out.

"There was also the time he put up your shield, and you got stuck in the doorway," Nora added.

"And that one time he shoved you into your locker and launched it," Yang chimed in.

"Well, at least Silver and my bros were able to use the slingshot we made recently to get you out," Jim recalled.

“Told you it wasn’t a bad idea,” Jake quipped.

Jaune sighed as Silver leaned forward slightly. "Jaune, you can ask us anytime if you need help. That's what friends do."

“Besides, we don’t bite!” Jake added.

Silver blinked at him before turning back to Jaune. “That too.”

Jaune let out a nervous chuckle. "Guys, really! It's fine!" He insisted. "Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to me. He's a jerk to everyone."

"Ow! That hurts!"

The group turned to see Cardin and his team harassing a long brown-haired female Faunus student with rabbit ears, pulling on them while laughing.

"Please, stop!" she pleaded, but to no avail.

"Told you guys it was real," Cardin sneered, tugging harder.

“Those jerks…” Jake growled.

“Hold on. I got a better idea,” Jim said, turning to Jay. “Still got the smoke bombs?”

Jay smirked. “Fresh batch.” He pulled one out and handed it to Jim, who grinned back.

“Alright, here’s the plan.” Jim quickly whispered to his brothers, who immediately giggled in anticipation.

“This is where my skee-ball throwing practice pays off.” Jim muttered to himself as he took aim and hurled the smoke bomb right at Cardin’s group, engulfing them in blinding fog.

"What the hell?!" Cardin coughed, his grip loosening on the rabbit Faunus's ears. The girl covered her eyes and mouth, trying to shield herself from the smoke.

Seizing the opportunity, The Blues leapt into the chaos, goggles on.

"Hey! What’s going on?! Cut it out!" Cardin shouted, his team stumbling in confusion.

Jim and Jay emerged from the smoke, pulling the Faunus girl with them to safety. Jake came out last, snickering to himself.

As the smoke quickly cleared, the cafeteria erupted into laughter.

Team CRDL was stuck against the wall, suspended in midair by their underwear, which had been yanked up and pinned by a sticky green slime.

“WHAT THE HELL?!” Cardin bellowed, thrashing in an attempt to break free.

“Told you they wore silly underwear.” Jake muttered under his breath as he removed his goggles.

Yang, Ruby, Nora, Silver, and Bomb burst into laughter, while Ren, Blake, and Pyrrha smirked at the expertly executed prank. Weiss simply rolled her eyes and continued filing her nails, unimpressed.

Meanwhile, Jim and Jay had already taken off their goggles as they gently guided the Faunus girl to an empty seat at their table. She turned slightly, curious to see what had happened, only to quickly turn back and shield her eyes with her hands.

“Oh…ok…I…I love you guys even more now…!” Yang said in-between laughs.

“Thank you. I call this masterpiece: Intimidateurs Suspendus,” Jake said, making an "OK" gesture with his hand.

“It means Suspended Bullies. Pretty poetic,” Jim added.

"D-Did you do this?" asked the rabbit Faunus.

"Yep." Jake confirmed with a wide grin and a nod.

“You're welcome, by the way.”

“You could say we saved your bacon. Figuratively of course.” Jay added.

“T-Thank you…” The girl said meekly.

"Say… you’re Velvet, Velvet Scarlatina right?" Jim asked.

"Yes." the girl identified as Velvet replied as she slightly nodded her head. "Is this alright? Me sitting with all of you?"

“It’s alright, really.” Silver insisted. “We don’t mind.”

“Where’s your team?” asked Bomb.

“I-I went to have lunch first…they’ll join me later…” Velvet replied.

“Sorry for what happened, it must be hard for you.” Silver said, her tone sympathetic.

“I’m used to it…” Velvet said sadly with a lowered head, causing Blake to deepen her glare.

“That’s not healthy, you know. You’ve got to learn to defend yourself other than the Grimm. It wouldn’t be pleasant getting yourself hurt physically and or emotionally before fighting Grimm, right?” Silver remarked as she handed Velvet an apple.

“I-I suppose so…thank you.” Velvet said with a bow as she accepted the red fruit.

“Anytime.” Silver said with a nod and a smile.

“Or if you want, I can add more sticky goo! One sticky goo lasts for around 30 minutes! Wanna extend their ride to an hour?!” Jake chimed in with a wide grin plastered on his face, taking out a small bottle of green slime.

“Yeah! Make it four hours!” Nora cheered.

“N-No thank you!” Velvet quickly said, shaking her head aggressively.

“Oh. I’m right here if you change your mind though.” Jake offered.

“See that, Jaune? It’s okay to stand up for yourself.” Bomb told him.

“As Silver said, being hurt in the body and the soul could make you unfit for a Grimm fight. Besides, if you need help, there are a lot of people you can approach, like us!”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Jaune said indifferently as he stood up with his tray and walked away, much to the group's concern, especially Silver and Pyrrha, who both exchanged a brief glance, their eyes silently communicating concern.

(Later at Night, Silver’s Lab)

“What do you mean my magazine almost burned down the entire forest?!” Silver exclaimed, staring at Hal with wide eyes.

“It’s true, unfortunately.” Hal sighed as he dusted soot off his cloak before pulling out one of his pistols, Doubletwister. The weapon, along with the Fire Dust magazine, was now heavily damaged, its surface blackened and scorched.

Silver’s eyes widened further as she carefully took the gun from his gloved hands, inspecting the burn marks and melted sections. “Oh dear… what happened…?” she muttered in disbelief.

“I’m not sure,” Hal admitted. “At first, the gun started firing incendiary rounds, just like you intended. But then, all of a sudden, the whole thing started heating up fast. I could barely hold it, and that's with my gloves on.”

Silver furrowed her brow, already running calculations in her head. This shouldn't have happened. The Dust magazine was designed to regulate heat output while converting the Fire Dust inside into energy. Was the heat converted from the Dust too much for the magazine?

“I panicked and threw it before it burned my hand, but the second it left my grip, the whole thing burst into flames!” Hal explained. “The moment it hit the Grimm I was aiming for, it turned into a massive fireball! And, well… you can guess what happened next.”

Silver exhaled sharply, pinching her brow as she processed what she’d just heard. “Okay, okay… so it overheated, ignited mid-air, and then detonated on impact… Maybe the powder form of Dust allows more energy to be released than the crystal form…? I should definitely ask someone about this later…maybe Weiss or Pyrrha…”

“Speaking of which…” Hal gestured to Silver’s humming Scroll on the workshop table as Pyrrha’s name flashed on the screen.

Curious, Silver carefully placed Hal’s gun onto the table, before picking up the Scroll and answered it.

Pyrrha: Sorry to bother you Silver, but is Red with you?

Silver: It’s fine. And no, Red’s busy with something, perhaps I can help?

Pyrrha: Very well. Can you meet me at the rooftop of the student dorms later? I need your help with something.

Silver: Student dorms? Sure! See you there!

“Someone wants to see you?” Hal asked just as Silver hung up and slipped her Scroll into her pocket.

“Yep. I’ll repair your weapon later, sorry about that.” Silver replied as she walked towards the window of her lab.

“It’s fine, take all the time you need,” Hal said, watching her open the window. “Going out by the window?”

“It’s much faster than the lifts.” Silver grinned, activating Stormfall.

Silver made her way up the dormitory, using Stormfall to climb. The ascent took some time, but she finally reached the rooftop, pulling herself up just as she saw Pyrrha lead Jaune onto the roof.

“Pyrrha, I know I’m going through a hard time right now, but I’m not that depressed.” Jaune said as he looked over the edge of the roof, much to Pyrrha’s confusion. “I can always be a farmer or something…”

Pyrrha’s eyes widened in horror. “N-N-No!” she stammered before quickly rushing forward and pushing Jaune away from the edge.

“Jaune, I know you’re having a difficult time in class, and you’re still not the strongest fighter, so… I want to help you! With Silver!” Pyrrha exclaimed.

“What…?” was Jaune’s only reply.

“We can train up here after class, where no one can bother us!” Pyrrha offered.

“I can also help you with your training and schoolwork,” Silver added. “I may be an alien, but Remnant is similar to my Earth, and I’ve gotten a pretty good idea of how things work around here. So if you need any help, I’ll be more than happy to. Same goes with the rest of my friends.”

“You think I need help?” Jaune asked, sounding somewhat offended.

“N-No! No. That's not what I meant,” Pyrrha stuttered.

“But you just said it… both of you.”

“Jaune, everybody needs a little push from time to time,” Pyrrha said.

“It doesn't make you any different from the rest of us. You made it to Beacon! That speaks volumes about what you're capable of!”

“Pyrrha’s right, Jaune,” Silver added. “Even though I’m the smartest on my team, I still ask others for help. Red even asked for help as a leader. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. And as a team, you can help each other overcome them. As Pyrrha mentioned, you’re in Beacon, which means you must have remarkable skills to have been accepted here.”

“You're wrong… both of you. I-I don't belong here…” Jaune said, lowering his head as he turned away from them.

"That's a terrible thing to say! Of course you do!" Pyrrha stated firmly.

"No! I don't!" Jaune exploded, turning back to face them. His sudden anger left Silver and Pyrrha looking surprised and confused.

"I wasn't really accepted into Beacon," Jaune admitted before quickly turning away again.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Silver asked cautiously.

"W-What do you mean?" Pyrrha added, worry evident in her tone.

"I didn't go to any combat school! I didn't pass any tests! I didn't earn my spot at this academy!" Jaune shouted as he faced them once more. "I lied! I got my hands on some fake transcripts, and I lied!"

"What? But... why?" Pyrrha questioned in shock.

"Cause this is what I've always wanted to be!" Jaune began. "My father, my grandfather, and his father before him were all warriors! They were all heroes! I wanted to be one, too…I was just never good enough.”

Pyrrha approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Then let me help you!”

"Yeah Jaune!" Silver told him. "Let us help you! You can get stronger, and we can help you with that right here and right now!"

"I don't want help!" Jaune exclaimed. "I don't want to be the damsel in distress or the sidekick! I want to be the hero!"

"Jaune…" Pyrrha tried to talk to him.

"I'm tired of being the lovable idiot, stuck in the tree while his friends fight for their lives, don't you understand?!" Jaune's voice wavered with a mix of anger and sadness. "If I can't do this on my own… then what good am I?!"

“But your performance at the Emerald Forest…” Silver said as she tried to reach out to him, but Jaune pulled away.

"Just… leave me alone… Both of you. Okay?"

"If… that's what you think is best," Pyrrha replied softly, her voice filled with sadness as she turned to walk away.

Silver walked slowly toward the edge of the rooftop and paused, closing her eyes for a moment as she let out a deep, measured breath.

“Jaune, I hope you know what you are doing. You don’t have to suffer through this alone. I’m here if you change your mind.” As she finished speaking, Silver opened her eyes and gave Jaune one last look before gracefully leaping off the rooftop.

Jaune looked down dejectedly, regret gnawing at him. He wanted to do this his way. He needed to. But now, he was pushing away the only people willing to help him.

"Oh, Jaune…" a familiar voice rang in his ears.

Jaune whirled around, eyes widening. "Cardin?!"

"I couldn't help but overhear you and your little friends from my dorm room." Cardin said with a chuckle. "So, you snuck into Beacon, huh? Gotta say, Jaune, never expected you to be such a rebel." He said with crossed arms.

Jaune felt his heart lurch. "Please, Cardin! Please, don't tell anyone!" he begged, desperation creeping into his voice.

"Jaune, come on. I'd never rat out a friend like that!" Cardin smirked.

Jaune blinked in confusion. "A… A friend…?"

Cardin moved closer, slinging an arm around Jaune’s shoulder, before tightening his grip like a vice. His hold was just shy of choking, enough to make Jaune squirm.

"We're friends now, Jauney boy. And the way I see it, as long as you're there for me when I need you, we'll be friends for a long time." He finally let go, letting Jaune stumble forward, gasping for breath.

"That being said…" "I really don’t have time to do those extra readings Dr. Oobleck assigned today. Think you can take care of that for me, buddy?" Cardin said as he ruffled Jaune’s hair roughly before standing back up, his sadistic grin never fading.

Jaune’s hands clenched into fists, his whole body shaking. But all he could do was nothing.

"That’s what I thought." Cardin laughed, stepping onto the edge of the rooftop. "Don’t worry, Jaune. Your secret’s safe with me." With that, he disappears into his dorm, leaving Jaune alone.

Jaune didn’t need to be a genius to understand what had just happened. His freedom, his choices, Cardin had them in his grip now. And there was nothing he could do about it.

He sank to the ground, frustration and despair crashing over him like a wave.

But Jaune wasn’t as alone as he thought. Someone had been watching. And they weren’t going to let this slide.

(Two Days Later…)

In the late evening at Team JNPR’s dorm, Pyrrha glanced out the window with a gloomy expression, while Ren polished his weapon on his bed and Nora bounced absentmindedly on hers.

"How come Jaune's been getting home so late?" Nora asked curiously.

"He's become rather scarce ever since he started fraternizing with Cardin," Ren answered, putting his weapon away.

"That's weird." Nora looked down, still bouncing on her bed. "Doesn't he know we have a field trip tomorrow? We need our rest!" With a dramatic twirl in midair, she flopped onto her bed, landing on her back.

"I'm sure our leader knows exactly what he's doing," Pyrrha said, her tone sharp with bitterness, causing both Ren and Nora to exchange uneasy glances.

"Mmm... I guess so," Nora sulked.

Outside the dorm room, Jaune had overheard everything. He hesitated, guilt twisting in his gut. He wanted to walk in and talk to them, to explain himself, but with everything weighing on him, how could he? Could he even face them at all? He sighed, turning to walk away.

As soon as he rounded the corner…

He bumped into something tall.

Jaune yelped, stumbling back as his eyes trailed up to meet a pair of intense, black eyes.

The man before him was tall and broad, his physique solid and imposing. His hairstyle, eerily similar to Red's, was a darker shade of red. He wore a slightly damaged, bright maroon sleeveless vest and black long pants, the ends frayed as if worn from use. His presence alone sent a shiver down Jaune's spine.

Jaune swallowed hard. “T-Terence…?” He asked, remembering the name from Silver’s briefing.

The man said nothing but gave a subtle nod.

Jaune tried to step back…

When a burlap sack was suddenly yanked over his head.

“W-Wha-?! Hey! Let me out! Oof! Ow! What the-?!”

With effortless strength, Terence hoisted the sack over his shoulder and walked off into the night.

“C-Come on, man, at least say something…! Where are you even taking me?!” Jaune cried as he kicked and flailed inside the sack.

(Somewhere)

After a brief struggle of getting out of the sack, Jaune crawled out to see his sword and shield on the floor right next to him, with tall trees surrounding him.

“I… I'm in the Emerald Forest again…?” Jaune muttered as he quickly picked up his weapons. Jaune didn’t have time to process what happened before he heard an ominous but familiar meow.

Jaune’s breath hitched as the sound echoed through the eerie quiet of the Emerald Forest. He stood frozen for a moment, sword and shield raised in anticipation, eyes darting around for the source.

Then, the ground rumbled, and four massive figures emerged from the shadows, their red glowing eyes fixated on him. Jaune’s heart immediately sank.

With no time to think, he jumped and rolled out of the way to barely avoid the unknown cat Grimm’s tackle, also barely avoiding a bite, a tail swipe and another tackle from the other three.

The giant cat Grimms stalked forward, their massive bodies dwarfing Jaune as they circled him around. He gripped his sword tighter, trying to steady his shaking hands.

With an ear-splitting meow, one of the Grimm lunged at him, its jaws snapping shut just inches from his face. Jaune barely had time to react, parrying with his shield as he was then thrown back by the sheer force.

The other three Grimm moved in, one swiping with its massive mace tail while another charged straight at him, its fangs bared. Jaune’s breath came out in ragged gasps, as he slashed at them with his sword, but they kept dodging with ease. He blocked their attacks, but their immense strength kept knocking him around like a ball in a game of pinball, disorienting him. How was he supposed to take them all on?

“Help…!” Jaune yelled, his voice desperate as he barely managed to avoid a bite from one of the giant Grimm. He wasn’t sure if anyone could hear him, but at this point, he didn’t care. His strength was running out, and he could feel himself slipping.

“Why do you need help?” a deep and firm voice rang through Jaune’s ears.

“W-What…?” Jaune looked up to see Terence sitting on a thick tree branch glaring at him with his arms crossed.

“Why do you need help?” Terence repeated. “You rejected your friend’s help. You even said it yourself. You don't want to be the damsel in distress or the sidekick. You wanted to be a hero, Jaune. Prove it.”

“I… I can’t do this alone…” Jaune whispered to himself, his breath ragged.
“I…thought I could do this by myself…but I can’t…I’m weak…I’m…a failure…”

As the giant Grimm lunged toward him with a loud meow, Jaune’s shield was barely holding, and his sword was too sluggish to counter the attacks. He braced himself for the inevitable, eyes squeezed shut in preparation for the blow.

Then there was silence.

Jaune hesitated, confusion washing over him. He was… still alive? Slowly, he opened his eyes…only to be met with Terence’s piercing gaze, kneeling right in front of him. Jaune yelped, stumbling back in shock, his heart hammering in his chest. Looking around, all of the Grimm around them were gone. No sounds of retreating, pain or even disintegrating Grimm, as if they suddenly vanished into thin air.

"Am I weak?" Terence asked, his deep voice unyielding.

Jaune swallowed hard. "I…" His voice faltered as he looked down at his trembling hands.

"Tell me… am I weak?" Terence repeated, folding his arms.

“N-No?” Jaune hesitated, slowly lifting his head to meet Terence’s gaze.

"If helping someone means they’re weak, then does that make me weak?"

"The red-haired girl who wanted to train you… was she weak? How about Silver? Are you saying she is weak too?"

"N-No…" Jaune muttered after a moment of silence.

"Then set things right." Terence told him.

"But Cardin knows I used fake transcripts!" Jaune protested. "If I stand up to him… he'll have me expelled."

Terence’s glare deepened.

"Then leave."

"W-What…?" Jaune’s breath hitched, unsure if he heard correctly.

"Admit your mistakes, and you can still walk away with some dignity." Terence stated, his tone unwavering.

“Confront the coward, or admit and leave. You have a choice to make. Make it soon.” Terence said as he turned around and walked away.

"Hey wait-” Jaune was about to stop Terence but he had already disappeared, and in a literal blink of an eye, somehow he was back in the entrance door of his team’s dorm, like all of this was just a nightmare.

Jaune was left alone with his thoughts, but was interrupted by the ringing of his scroll. He picked it up and answered, seeing the caller was none other than Cardin.

“Hey! It's your buddy Cardin! I know you're probably busy with that Dust project I gave you, but I'm gonna need you to go out and get me a bag of Rapier Wasps. And make sure they've got some really big stingers! It's important, so don't screw this up!”

Jaune hung up on his scroll with a tightening grip. Terence told him to make a decision, and he knew what to do.

(Next Day, Forever Fall Forest)

Teams RWBY, JNPR, and CRDL, along with their classmates, walked through the vibrant red forest, led by Professor Goodwitch. The towering crimson trees and golden sunlight filtering through the leaves made for a breathtaking sight, and more than a few students, particularly Ruby, couldn’t help but admire the scenery.

“Yes, students, the Forest of Forever Fall is beautiful,” Glynda stated. “But we are not here to sight-see. Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing so.”

She came to a stop, and the students behind her followed suit, except for Jaune. Struggling under the weight of a large case stacked with six empty glass jars, he failed to notice and accidentally bumped into Cardin. The bully scowled, while Jaune, feigning ignorance, simply whistled an off-tune melody.

"Each of you is to gather one jar’s worth of red sap," Glynda continued, raising a jar filled with the pinkish red liquid as an example.

"This forest, however, is full of the Creatures of Grimm. Although an advance team has already been sent in to clear them out, do not let your guard down. Stay close to your teammates at all times," she instructed.

Ruby and Yang exchanged knowing glances, already suspecting who this “advance team” might be.

"We will rendezvous back here at four o’clock. Have fun."

As Glynda departed, the students split off into their respective teams. Jaune tried to escape towards his own group, albeit poorly, his movements far from subtle.

Cardin, noticing immediately, grabbed him by the back of his collar. "Come on, buddy, let's go!" he said with a smirk, steering Jaune away, much to Pyrrha’s sadness as she watched, before quickly turning away to join her teammates.

After distancing herself from the students, Glynda arrived at a small clearing where the advance team consisting of Red, Silver, and The Blues, were waiting.

"There are considerably fewer Grimm here than expected," she observed, scanning the eerily quiet forest. "Almost as if there are none at all. I appreciate your assistance in this matter."

"You're welcome," Jay replied with a grin. "We were all craving a little action."

"Yeah, Beacon's getting kinda boring. No offense," Jim added with a shrug.

"A little exercise outside doesn’t hurt," Red agreed before glancing at Silver. "Still not sure why you insisted on tagging along, though."

"I wanted to see how my friends are doing. Don’t you want to check in on them too? Besides, I could use a sample of that tree sap for myself." Silver replied with folded arms.

Jake let out a lazy yawn. "I still crave more violence. I enjoyed the sweet, beautiful sounds of Grimm injury and death. It sounds like the popping of popcorn."

Everyone, including Glynda, gave him a look of confusion and worry.

"What…?"

"Never mind that," Glynda said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I assume you called me here for something else?"

"Right," Silver said, motioning for her to follow. "This way."

Moments later, the group finally arrived at their destination: a large, black, tar-like puddle sitting in the center of a small, desolate clearing that starkly contrasted with the vibrant forest surrounding it.

"I see, you have found a Grimm Pool." Glynda observed.

“Grimm Pool?” Jake asked.

“These pools appear all over Remnant,” Glynda explained. “We still don’t know where they come from or how they’re able to spawn the Grimm, but this is where they always emerge.”

“Like those unknown Grimm I fought in the City of Vale? I saw the flying ship dropping some black liquid that spawned them.” Red asked.

“It seems most likely.” Glynda answered with a nod.

"Any way to remove them?" Silver asked.

“Unfortunately, no,” Glynda answered. “There’s no known way to remove them. Any attempts to destroy them have all failed.”

Noticing a small rock nearby, Jake picked it up and threw it into the pool with all his might. The rock sank instantly, into the black liquid without a sound, much to his surprise.

"No matter how large, anything that makes contact with the pool is consumed entirely. Even Dust," Glynda stated grimly.

“Like a liquid black hole…” Jim muttered, studying the pool carefully.

“Everything has a weakness, even black holes,” Silver said, snapping several pictures with her scroll.

“If I could somehow acquire a small sample of that liquid… I might be able to analyze it.”

“How?! You can’t lift it with something physical since it’ll just get eaten! And even if you did, how would you store it?” Jake retorted.

Silver brainstormed for a moment before turning to Glynda. “Miss Glynda, does the pool respond to gravity?”

“Just Glynda is fine. And yes, it does,” Glynda confirmed. She demonstrated by using her crop to lift a small portion of the black liquid into the air via her Semblance, suspending it for a few moments before releasing it. The liquid splashed back into the pool, rippling ominously.

“If Remnant has the technology, I should be able to create a gravity-altering device,” Silver mused, jotting notes on her scroll.

“Gravity-altering device?” Glynda asked, intrigued.

“Tractor beams, zero-point energy fields… you get the idea,” explained Jim.

“In other words, I should be able to design something that can lift a small portion of the Grimm liquid without making physical contact, allowing me to analyze it safely,” Silver elaborated.

“Our most advanced scientists have been studying Grimm and their pools for years,” Glynda said, her voice hopeful. “If you can find a solution, it would be greatly appreciated.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll do everything in my power to—" Silver suddenly paused, her attention snapping to something across the pool. "Excuse me for a moment.” Without waiting, she walked over to investigate.

Kneeling down, she traced her fingers along the ground. “Tracks… A Grimm must have emerged from here.”

Jay crouched beside her, inspecting the marks. “Must be a large Grimm for such a large footprint.”

"They’re fresh too… which means it must have… emerged recently…" Jake’s voice trailed off as the realization sank in, everyone exchanging serious looks.

“Spread out and search the area.” Red commanded. “If one has emerged, others may have as well.”

(Elsewhere)

Team CRDL lounged lazily against rocks, trees, and the ground, barely lifting a finger as they waited for their “errand boy”. After what felt like forever, Jaune finally trudged back to them, his arms trembling as he carried six full jars of red tree sap. With an exhausted groan, he set them down in front of the team before collapsing face-first onto the ground.

"Hey, great work, Jauney boy!" Cardin jeered, standing up along with the rest of his team. "That wasn’t too hard, was it?"

Jaune groaned dizzily, his voice hoarse, his body still on the ground. "I think I'm allergic to this stuff…"

"Great, great, great," Cardin dismissed quickly, barely paying attention. Then, smirking, he continued, "So, Jaune, I bet you're asking yourself, 'Why did my buddy Cardin ask me to collect six jars of tree sap when there’s only five of us?'"

“That is one of the many questions I have asked myself today, yes.” Jaune said with a nod, his body still sprawled on the ground.

Cardin smirked as Jaune slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. "Well, come with me, and you'll find out."

Cardin smirked as he led his team and Jaune a bit closer toward some of the other students, perched behind some cover where they saw that the others appeared to be handling themselves well in gathering tree sap. Ren passed a full jar of tree sap to Nora, before she quickly chugged it all down.

"Cardin, wh-what's going on?" Jaune asked nervously.

"Payback." Cardin glared as he punched his fist on the ground. "Since those blue brats who hung my underpants are nowhere to be seen, I'll just have to settle for one of his little friends that they hang around with. That red-haired know-it-all, thinks she's so smart, she'll do."

"Alright, boys..." Cardin said with a smirk, pulling out a cardboard box marked with a large "W" on its sides. From inside, a hostile buzzing noise filled the air.

"Last night, old Jaune here managed to round up an entire box of Rapier Wasps, and now, we're gonna put him to work."

As he spoke, Cardin grabbed Jaune by the wrist and yanked him to his feet, barely giving him time to steady himself before shoving a jar of red sap into his hands.

"Now, according to one of the essays you wrote for me last week, these nasty things love sweets," Cardin continued, his tone dripping with amusement as he watched Pyrrha finishing her sap collection.

He leaned in closer, voice lowering to a menacing whisper. "Hit her with the sap. Either that, or I'll have a chat with Goodwitch, and you'll be on the first airship out of Beacon."

Jaune stared at the jar in his hands, then turned toward his group. Pyrrha, oblivious and smiling, continued her work.

"The red-haired girl who wanted to train you… was she weak? How about Silver? Are you saying she is weak too?"

Terence’s voice echoed in his head.

“Confront the coward, or admit and leave. You have a choice to make. Make it soon.”

Jaune's grip on the jar tightened. I understand now.

"Well? What are you waiting for?!" Cardin huffed impatiently.

"No."

Cardin raised an eyebrow. "What did you just say?"

“I said no!”

Before Cardin could react, Jaune hurled the jar straight at his face. The impact sent a splash of sticky red sap across his head and chest.

"You-!" Cardin sputtered, but before he could finish, Jaune grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved his face into the box of Rapier Wasps.

Cardin’s muffled scream filled the air as the angry insects swarmed him, stinging relentlessly. Even with his Aura protecting him, the sharp jabs of pain were still unbearable. He flailed wildly, desperately trying to swat them away.

Jaune took a step back, but he barely had a moment to catch his breath before the rest of CRDL grabbed him, slamming him hard onto the ground. Jaune grunted in pain as Cardin, his face red and swollen with welts, loomed over him with anger in his eyes.

"Oh, you've done it now," Cardin growled, shaking with fury. "That wasn't very smart, Jauney-boy."

“I'm gonna make sure they send you back to mommy in teeny tiny pieces.”

“"No… the real mistake was ever submitting to you.” Jaune said as he looked at Cardin with fury. “I don't care what you do to me...but you are not messing with my team.”

Cardin blinked, momentarily caught off guard. Then his scowl deepened.

"What? You think mouthing off makes you tough? That you're some big, strong man now? Coward?"

Jaune chuckled, despite the pain. “Coward? At least I’m not the one who got stuck on the wall with his underwear in the cafeteria, or the one trying to humiliate someone who has nothing to do with this. If you're so tough, why not do it yourself?"

Jaune's eyes locked onto Cardin's, his voice calm but firm. "So let me ask you, who's really the coward here?"

"Let's see how much of a man you really are…" Cardin growled, curling his fist before swinging it forward.

The moment his fist made contact, a blinding flash of light erupted around Jaune’s body. Instead of hitting flesh, Cardin’s knuckles slammed into something impossibly solid, sending a sharp jolt of pain up his arm. He yelped, stumbling back as he clutched his now-throbbing hand.

His teammates fared no better. The intense light forced them to recoil, crying out as they shielded their eyes, their grips on Jaune weakening as they collapsed to the floor, groaning in pain.

As Jaune slowly pushed himself up, he found that his wounds were completely healed, and his hands were now faintly glowing white, much to his confusion.

Before Jaune could even process what had happened, a deep, guttural growl rumbled through the air. A massive Ursa Grimm, its wide back bristling with jagged spikes, emerged from the shadows. With a thunderous leap, it landed on its forelegs and let out a deafening roar.

Cardin stood frozen, along with Juane. Cradin’s teammates? They immediately bolted, their panicked screams echoing through the forest.

"That’s a big Ursa!" one of them yelled out.

The beast’s roar carried far, reaching the ears of Team RWBY and the rest of Team JNPR, who were still gathering sap on the other side of the forest.

“Did you guys hear that?” Ruby asked with concern as she quickly stood up.

Before anyone could respond, a scream caused them to turn to see Team CRDL running for their lives.

"URSA! URSA!" One of Cardin’s teammates screamed before accidentally bumping into Yang.

"What?! Where?!" Yang demanded, effortlessly hoisting him up by the front of his shirt.

"Back there! It’s got Cardin!" the terrified student stammered, still kicking his legs as if trying to run midair.

“Jaune!” Pyrrha gasped, her jar of sap slipping from her hands.

Then, like a bolt of silver lightning, Silver landed beside Yang, startling everyone. Without hesitation, she yanked the terrified student from Yang’s grasp and yanked his face dangerously close to hers.

“What did you do…?” she asked, her glare sharp enough to cut steel.

“I-I d-didn’t do anything!” the young man stammered with wide eyes.

Silver exhaled sharply before dropping him unceremoniously onto the ground.

“I’ll deal with you later.”

"Damn… Silver’s got strength," Yang remarked with a whistle of approval.

"They call themselves Angry Birds for a reason," Blake added.

"Yang, you and Blake go get Professor Goodwitch, try and find Red too!" Ruby commanded.

“You two! Go with them! There could be more!” Pyrrha told her teammates.

Both Ren and Nora nodded as they took out their weapons before running after Yang and Blake.

"Weiss, you're with us!" Ruby told her partner, as she, Silver and Pyrrha activated their weapons.

Meanwhile, Cardin desperately swung his mace, hoping to create some distance between himself and the Ursa. But the massive Grimm batted the weapon out of his hands with a single swipe, sending it flying into the dirt.

Cardin froze, terror gripping him as the Ursa loomed over him. It let out another deafening roar before raising a claw high, ready to strike him down.

Before the fatal blow could land, Jaune intercepted the attack with his shield. With a determined grunt, he shoved the Grimm back, forcing some distance before swiftly drawing his sword to go on the offensive.

Meanwhile, Silver, Ruby, Weiss, and Pyrrha arrived on the scene, witnessing Jaune attacking the Grimm. Just as Weiss was about to step forward to assist Jaune…

"Wait!" Pyrrha raised an arm, stopping her.

"Huh? Why?" Ruby asked, confused.

Silver hesitated at first, unsure, but after a moment of thought, she gently tapped Ruby’s back to get her attention.

"Hold up, Let him shine." Silver whispered.

Ruby looked at Silver with confusion before shortly realizing what she meant, giving a small nod before turning to Weiss.

"Let’s stand down for now. If anything bad happens, we’ll step in."

Weiss hesitated for a moment before letting out a reluctant sigh and lowering her rapier.

"...Understood."

On the other side, Red and The Blues arrived just in time to witness the fight. Silver quickly made a series of hand signs, signaling them to let Jaune have his moment. The Blues exchanged glances before shrugging and plopping down on the ground, pulling out a handful of wild berries to snack on.

"Pass me some," Red muttered, settling beside them.

Barely dodging a claw swipe and blocking another claw swipe just in time with his shield, Jaune wrenched his shield free to retaliate by slashing at its stomach, causing the Ursa to roar in fury and attempted to crush him with its limbs, but Jaune managed to roll to the side just in time, then leaped over a second strike aimed at its legs, only to be caught off guard as the Ursa lashed out midair.

The blow sent him skidding across the dirt, but he pushed himself up immediately, shrugging off the pain. His gaze flicked to a stunned Cardin for only a second before he gritted his teeth and charged again.

He went for a leaping strike, aiming for the Ursa’s head, but the Grimm was faster. With a brutal swipe, it sent him flying behind it. Groaning, Jaune scrambled to his feet, his eyes darting to the Scroll display on his shield. His Aura was in the red, which means he has to end this now.

Clenching his sword, he sprinted forward with a war cry just as the Ursa did the same, both of them barreling toward each other in a final clash.

However, everyone saw that Jaune’s shield was held down, leaving him completely exposed. He wasn’t going to make it!

Acting fast, Pyrrha thrusts her hand forward, dark red energy crackling around her arm. The energy surged into Jaune’s shield, lifting it just in time to block the attack, just as the ground trembled violently, knocking everyone off balance.

The Ursa staggered mid-strike, its massive claw swinging just inches from Jaune, missing entirely due to the quake’s force. Jaune’s eyes widened in surprise, but he didn’t waste the opportunity. With a loud war cry, Jaune swung his sword straight through the Ursa’s neck. The beast’s head hit the ground, followed by its body collapsing in a heavy heap.

Ruby, Red, Weiss, and Silver looked toward Pyrrha in surprise and amazement.

"Uh… what?" Ruby asked, eyes wide.

“How did you…?” Weiss wondered, equally stunned.

"Was that your Semblance?" Silver asked with curiosity.

"Yes. My Semblance is Polarity. It grants me control over metals." Pyrrha smiled confidently.

“A living magnet? Interesting…” Silver mused to herself quietly.

“Whoa, you can control poles…” Ruby said, impressed.

“No...It means she has control over magnetism.” Silver corrected her.

“Magnets are cool, too...” Ruby murmured, causing Silver to chuckle softly.

“Wait, where are you going?” Weiss called out to Pyrrha, noticing her walking away.

"Yeah! We gotta tell them what happened!" Ruby added.

“Nah, no one’s seriously hurt. I think it’s best we keep it to ourselves,” Silver said with a smile, falling in step beside Pyrrha.

“But what... or rather who, caused the earthquake?” Weiss asked, brow furrowed as she and Ruby joined them while Silver paused, turning her gaze toward the distant forest. “I wonder…”

Meanwhile, a bruised Jaune sheathed his sword before approaching Cardin, offering his hand.

Cardin, still covered in sap, took his hand and was lifted back to his feet.

"Holy crap… Jaune!" Cardin exclaimed, still in awe.

Jaune’s expression hardened as he stared Cardin dead in the eye.

“Don’t ever mess with me…my team…and my friends…ever again. Got it?”

Cardin, now visibly intimidated, nodded slightly. Jaune turned and walked away, leaving Cardin frozen in thought, as Red and The Blues continued to observe from a distance.

“What a show!” Jim commented, grinning.

“Quite so, my good chap!” Jake added with a smirk.

“Verily! Though it’s a real pity that Cardin fellow is a coward on the inside,” Jay mused, shaking his head in disappointment.

“You boys done?” Red called out, prompting the blue brothers to get up and follow their red leader.

(Later That Night)

On the roof of the dorm building, Jaune stood at the edge, gazing into the distance at the glowing lights of Beacon. His grip tightened around his Scroll, having sent a message to a certain pair of people, hoping they would arrive.

“No Cardin tonight?” Pyrrha mused as she approached his side. “I thought you two were best buds?”

“Something on your mind, Jaune?” Silver added, stepping up beside Pyrrha.

“Pyrrha... Silver… I'm sorry. I was a jerk,” Jaune admitted as he turned to face the both of them. “Both of you were only trying to be nice, and... I had all this stupid macho stuff in my head-”

“Jaune! It's okay!” Pyrrha reassured him with a warm smile. “Your team really misses their leader, you know.”

“Though, I’m honestly surprised how quickly you changed your mind,” Silver mused, tilting her head.

“Just experienced some giant-sized hard knocks…” Jaune chuckled weakly, rubbing the back of his head. Silver sensed something but chose not to push further.

“You should come down!” Pyrrha said as she made her way toward the roof exit. “Ren made pancakes! No syrup, though. You can thank Nora for that!”

“Yeah, Jaune! Ren’s pancakes were really great!” Silver added, following after Pyrrha.

“Wait!” Jaune called out, making both girls stop and turn to him in mild confusion.

“I know I don’t deserve it after everything that happened, but... would you still be willing to help me? To help me become a better fighter and a Huntsman?”

Pyrrha turned away for a moment, a small smile creeping onto her face before she turned back. Without warning, she strode up to Jaune—and suddenly shoved him to the ground.

“Hey!” Jaune yelped, caught off guard.

“Your stance is all wrong. You need to be wider and lower to the ground,” Pyrrha said, standing over him with her arms on her hips.

She then extended a hand toward him, which Jaune accepted. As she pulled him up, they lingered for a moment, holding on and grinning at each other.

“Let’s try that again,” she said with a smirk.

“Well... I’ll leave you two to it. I’ve got work to do.” Silver said with a smirk, turning to leave. “But if you need more help, I’ll be at the lab, or just a scroll call or text away. Chuck and Red are both eager to teach you, so you should probably visit them sometime.”

With that, Silver opened the rooftop door and left, leaving Jaune and Pyrrha to continue their training session.

(Later)

Silver let out a long, lazy yawn as she walked toward the door of her lab. Just as she was about to reach for the doorknob, she froze.

“It was you… wasn’t it?” Silver asked, her voice calm as the figure behind her emerged from the shadows.

“Hey, Terry.” Silver greeted. “Where’ve you been?”

“...”

“Oh… I see…”

“...”

“But… do we have to…?” Silver sighed, rubbing the back of her neck.

“...”

“But you see what he’s capable of, with enough training-”

“...”

“I’m sure Ozpin knows what he’s doing, even if it seems highly dubious.”

“...”

“Yes, he’s the headmaster, and also yes, I can sense it, even without my Cityspeaker abilities.”

“...”

“Ok then…follow me.” Silver said with a heavy sigh, motioning for Terence to follow her.

(Ozpin’s Office)

“Ozpin?” Silver asked as she knocked gently on the door.

“Come in.” Ozpin said within his office as Silver opened the door and walked inside, followed by Terence.

“I see you have found another friend of yours. Terence, I presume? Welcome to Beacon. I am Ozpin, Beacon’s headmaster.” Ozpin stood up and offered his hand to shake, in which Terence nodded his head and accepted his hand.

“A silent one, is he?” mused Ozpin.

“His silence can sometimes speak volumes.” Silver said with a small smirk.

“Is there something else you want to tell me besides the return of a friend?” Ozpin asked Silver as he sat back down.

“You knew Jaune Arc used forged transcripts to enter Beacon at the beginning…didn't you?" Silver asked after a moment of hesitation.

"I didn't realize it immediately upon his enrollment," Ozpin answered after much consideration. "But after witnessing his performance in the Emerald Forest, it became quite clear. When you've taught at an academy like this for as long as I have, you become familiar with the signs. It's something I've seen before, and it doesn’t take long to piece it all together."

"I can tell," Silver said. "You seem to have extensive experience."

"I was planning to expel Mr. Arc without hesitation, but seeing his performance, and the way he’s bonded with your team, I’d say he has massive potential. Despite his many flaws, with the right guidance and training, especially from your group, I believe he could be the first student who sneaked into this school for personal reasons and came out with a much better outlook on life."

“...”

“Does Terence have something to say?” Ozpin asked, raising a brow at Silver.

“Yeah, he’s just clarifying that you’re giving Jaune a chance?” Silver answered.

“Simply put... yes, I am.” Ozpin replied before sipping his mug.

"Is that all you two wanted to see me for?" Ozpin asked.

"Well... there is one more thing..." Silver said.

“Oh...?”

“Are you planning to make us Hunters and Huntresses?” Silver asked.

“I am, but for people from a different world, I have to pull some strings to make IDs for everyone, although most of your friends haven’t been reunited yet.” Ozpin admitted. “I also want to test the capabilities of you and your teammates.”

“Did we pass?” Silver asked.

“With flying colors, no less.” Ozpin replied. “However, I am rather curious about one thing.”

“Which is?”

“Your ability to teach.” Ozpin answered as he clasped his hands together, setting them on his desk. “Your team must have great teachers to inspire others and train them to the best of their abilities. I was wondering if one of you could be a professor for a day at Beacon.”

“Well... I have some ideas, but I’ll let you know when I have a definite answer. It’s getting late anyway.”

“Indeed. Good night, Silver.” Ozpin said with a small smile.

“Good night.” Silver responded with a small bow before grabbing Terence’s hand and guiding him out of Ozpin’s office, leaving Ozpin to his work.

“Come on, Terry, lemme show you where you’ll be sleeping.”

“...”

“Yep.”

“...”

“Of course! The lab has a computer you can use, but do it in the morning. We need rest.”

“...”

(Bonus BSOTM short: Jingle Yells)

“Is everything set up yet?” Hal asked from his scroll, standing on a cliff.

“Almost done setting up the Soundblasters.” Bomb reported as he and Chuck were in the Emerald Forest busy setting up two large red speakers in place, plugging in various wires.

“Soundblasters armed and ready to fire!” Chuck announced as he pushed the “On” button of the speakers as they hum to life.
“Good! Now Head back, wouldn’t want you to-” Hal said before he turned around to see Chuck waving at him.

“Where’s Bomb?”

A strained grunt answered Hal as Bomb slowly pulled himself up over the edge of the cliff, his arms trembling. With one last heave, he dragged himself onto solid ground, rolling onto his back and lying there.

“I’m…h-here…” he gasped.

“You good?” Chuck asked as he approached his exhausted friend.

“Yeah…” Bomb replied.

“Good, wouldn’t want you to miss this.” Chuck said with a smirk as Hal handed the scroll to him.

“What audio are we playing exactly?” inquired Hal.

“You’ll see. Put these on.” Chuck instructed as he handed out three yellow noise-canceling headphones to Hal first then Bomb, before also putting one on himself.

After ensuring that everyone, including himself, were ready to go, Chuck pressed the triangle button on his scroll.

I don't want a lot for Christmas

There is just one thing I need

And I…!

Don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree

I don't need to hang my stockings there upon the fireplace

Santa Claus won't make me happy with a gift on Christmas Day

I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know~

Make my wish come true!

All I want for Christmas is you!

"Man, it's been so long, I almost forgot how lethal Red’s singing is," Chuck chuckled, pulling off his headphones as the song ended, silencing the speakers.

“Especially when it's so freaking loud!” Hal remarked as he and Bomb reviewed footage of the Grimm in the Emerald Forest from the scroll, wincing as they witnessed several Grimm retreating from the horrible noise. Some of the flying Grimm disintegrated mid air, and the unfortunate many that were too close to the noise or couldn’t escape in time collapsed and disintegrated.

“Well, it was a great success!” Let’s pack up and report to Silver once she comes back!” Chuck said with a satisfied smile.

(In an airship that is on its way to the Forever Fall Forest)

“Achoo!” Red sneezed suddenly.

“Ge-” “Sun-” “Dheit." The Blues said to Red.

“Why do I have an unnerving feeling that someone is bad-mouthing me?” Red said as he wiped his nose with a piece of tissue provided by Jay.

“Oh, I’m pretty sure nobody’s bad-mouthing you.” Silver assured Red before looking away with a small smirk.

Chapter Text

Team RWBY, along with Chuck, Red and The Blues, were strolling through the streets of Vale, admiring the colorful streamers and balloon decorations. They also watched as an elderly man in a red apron hung up a bright sign that read: “WELCOME TO VALE!” in bold red letters.

"The Vytal Festival! Oh, this is absolutely wonderful!" Weiss exclaimed in amazement.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much, Weiss," Ruby remarked. "It's kinda weirding me out..."

"How could you not smile?!" Weiss said, turning to face her. "The Vytal Festival is dedicated to the cultures of the world! There will be dances! Parades! A tournament! Oh, the amount of planning and organization that goes into this event is simply breathtaking!"

"You really know how to take a good thing and make it sound boring..." Yang sighed, arms crossed.

"Quiet, you!" Weiss shot back.

“Did Silver really kick you out just because you were cooped in your dorm for so long?” Chuck asked Red.

“Yep. She said I need to breathe more outside air often, even though I go for Grimm fighting in the Emerald Forest regularly.” Red said with a shrug.

“Maybe she wanted you to have some peacetime for yourself.” Chuck said with a chuckle.

"Isn't this festival supposed to be like an anniversary for a war or something?" Jake asked.

"Actually, it’s to celebrate the end of the Great War," Jim clarified.

"To commemorate the peacetime, every two years, each kingdom takes turns hosting the festival. It just so happens that this year, Vale is the host."

"That’s nice and all, but why are we here?" Chuck asked as the group approached the docks. "Are we fishing?"

Ruby plugged her nose. "Ugh, it smells like fish."

"I don't see any fish though..." Jake said as he wandered around, peering over the docks into the water.

"I've heard students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today," Weiss explained. "And as a representative of Beacon, I feel it’s my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom."

"She wants to spy on them so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament," Blake translated flatly.

"You can't prove that!" Weiss retorted with a scoff.

"You know... Silver’s lab is usually open," Jay added casually. "She has also built a sword training dummy recently. You could try it out instead of wasting your time stalking people. That’s creepy and sort of disrespectful."

"I’m not—!"

"Wait a minute! What's going on over there?!" Jake interrupted, cutting Weiss off mid-outburst.

Everyone turned toward where Jake was pointing — a shop down the street, its windows shattered and the doorway covered in yellow police tape.

Curious, Team RWBY, along with the red leader, the blue brothers, and the yellow speedster, walked over to get a closer look.

“What happened here?” Ruby asked a detective in the front, writing some notes.

“Robbery. Second Dust shop to be hit this week. This place is turning into a jungle.” Answered the detective as he walked over to his partner.

"Thanks to the witnesses, all of the stolen Dust was recovered, but not the thieves though. They escaped with some kind of smoke bomb. Is there anything else that is stolen?” The detective asked his partner, which the group overheard.

“Nothing else. They left all the money again.”

"This doesn't make sense…who needs that much Dust?"

"I don't know, an army?"

"You thinking the White Fang?"

"Yeah.” His partner replied as he took off his sunglasses. “I'm beginning to think we don't get paid enough."

“White Fang…?” Red muttered.

“Some kind of Faunus organization.” Jay answered. “We did stop some of these robberies-”

"You wouldn't have happened to encounter some degenerates in the White Fang, wouldn't you?" Weiss asked, causing Blake to narrow her eyes.

"What's your problem?"

"My problem?! I just simply don't care for the criminally insane." Weiss replied.

"The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths." Blake said while crossing her arms. "They're a collection of misguided Faunus."

"Misguided?! They want to wipe humanity off the face of the planet!" Weiss shot back.

"So then they're very misguided!" Blake shot back in kind. "Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale!"

“Blake's got a point. Besides, the police never caught that Torchwick guy I ran into a few months ago... Maybe it was him.” Ruby remarked.

“You mean that wanted criminal we saw on television last night?” Red clarified.

“Yep. Could be him.” Ruby said with a nod.

“Also…I haven’t finished yet…” Jay added sharply with crossed arms and narrowed eyes.

“The robbers we stopped in those Dust robberies were not Faunus, but rather thugs who wore funny hats, ties and sunglasses. Seems far-fetched, but seeing how the thugs and that Roman criminal have the same sense of fashion, they could be working for him. Now I’m finished.”

"That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum. Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal," Weiss snapped, her words only fueling Blake’s growing anger.

Jake winced. "Okay, that might be a bit too much, even for my standards."

"Yeah, I agree. That's not necessarily true..." Yang added, frowning slightly.

"Hey! Stop that Faunus!"

Hearing the cry for help, everyone rushed over and spotted a monkey Faunus with a golden tail running down the length of the boat. As the two sailors closed in, he leapt onto the edge and sprang off, landing on the dock and taking off again.

"Thanks for the ride, guys! Haha!" He told them before jumping off and hitting the dock running. 

"You no-good stowaway!" One of the sailors shouted. 

"Hey! A no-good stowaway would've been caught! I'm a great stowaway!" The monkey Faunus shouted back, using his monkey tail to hang on a lamppost while he peels back a banana.

He was about to enjoy his banana but a rock was thrown towards his face, in which he managed to dodge in time.

 "Hey! Get down from there this instant!" One of the detectives from before shouted, earning a banana peel to the face as the monkey Fanus perched himself on the lamppost to laugh in amusement, before leaping off and running up the stairs with the detectives in pursuit. 

As he runs past Team RWBY and The Flock, he looks towards Blake and gives her a wink before running off, leaving her confused. 

"I’ve seen better pranks done by the marmosets.” Jake remarked.

"Well, Weiss, you wanted to see the competition, and there it goes~" Yang said teasingly.

"What?! Chuck! Chase him!" Weiss ordered — but Chuck was nowhere to be found, leaving behind only a dotted silhouette where he once stood.

"Huh." was all Red and The Blues said in unison.

"Ugh! Never mind that! Quick! We have to observe him!" Weiss cried, taking off running, with Ruby and Yang following close behind.

Meanwhile, Blake stood frozen, lost in thought.

"Uh, Blake, you okay there?" Jim asked, gently snapping his fingers to try to get her attention.

"Remnant to Blakey?" Jake added.

"Blake?" Jay called.

"H-Huh? W-what? O-Oh... I-I'm fine. Let's go," Blake stuttered as she shook herself back to reality and sprinted after her teammates.

"I wonder where Chuck ran off to," Red muttered as he and The Blues jogged after Blake.

Just as Weiss rounded the corner, with Ruby, Yang, Red and The Blues close behind, she accidentally bumped into someone, knocking them both to the ground. She quickly scrambled up and looked just in time to see the monkey-tailed Faunus leap onto a building and disappear from her view.

"No! He got away!"

"Uh… Weiss?" Jim said, getting her attention as he pointed down. Following his gesture, she realized she was on top of another girl—who was smiling. which startled Weiss enough to make her scramble to her feet.

The girl had bright green eyes, fair skin dotted with freckles, and short, curly orange hair with a pink bow at the back. She wore an old-fashioned white blouse and a gray pinafore dress with green stripes, along with black thigh-high leg pieces attached to matching shoes.

"Salutations!" the orange-haired girl greeted cheerfully, still lying flat on the ground.

"Um… hello…" Ruby replied.

"Are you alright?" Red asked, offering her a hand.

"I'm wonderful! Thank you for asking."

"But you're lying on the ground..." Jim pointed out.

"Yes, I am," the girl replied simply.

"Do you need help getting up?" Red asked, extending his hand further.

"Thank you. I accept your offer," she said, grabbing his hand as he helped her to her feet. "My name is Penny. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"My name is Red," he replied, as the others took their turns introducing themselves.

"Hi Penny, I'm Ruby."

"I'm Weiss."

"Blake."

“Jim!”

“Jay!”

“Jake!” The Blues chirped in rapid succession.

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Yang asked, earning an elbow from Blake. "Oh, I'm Yang."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Penny repeated with a bright smile.

"You already said that," Jim pointed out.

Penny paused, then nodded. "So I did!"

“Well, sorry for running into you,” Weiss apologized before the group turned to leave.

“Take care, friend,” Ruby added with a wave.

“She was… weird,” Yang commented.

“We’ve had weirder friends in our adventures,” Red noted.

“That’s putting it mildly…” Jay muttered.

“Now, where did that Faunus riffraff run off to…?” Weiss wondered aloud—only to stop dead when Penny suddenly appeared in front of them.

“What did you call me?” she asked, startling Weiss and everyone else, who looked back and forth in disbelief.

“How did she…?” Red whispered.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t think you heard me!” Yang quickly apologized.

“No, not you.” Penny walked past her, getting unusually close to Ruby and Red. “You.”

“Me?” Ruby and Red said at the same time.

“Both. You called me friend. Am I really your friend?”

“Y-Yeah, sure! Why not?” Ruby said awkwardly, ignoring her teammates’ frantic head shakes and desperate hand-waving.

“I see no harm in that,” Red added with a firm nod.

“Sensational! We can paint our nails, try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!”

“I’ll pass on that,” Red replied, wincing slightly. “But I can introduce you to others who might share your interests.”

“Oh, I’d love to meet your friends!” Penny beamed.

“So… what are you doing in Vale?” Yang asked.

“I’m here to fight in the tournament,” Penny replied.

“Wait… you’re fighting in the tournament?” Weiss asked.

“I’m combat ready!” Penny declared, saluting proudly.

“Forgive me, but you hardly look the part,” Weiss said, skeptical.

“Says the girl wearing a dress…” Jake muttered, prompting giggles from his siblings.

“It’s a combat skirt!” Weiss snapped, arms crossed.

“Yeah!” Ruby zoomed to Weiss’s side and shared a low-five with her.

"Wait a minute…” Weiss said as realization hit her, before walking over to Penny and grabbed her by the shoulders. “If you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed... rapscallion?"

"The who…?" the orange-haired girl asked in confusion.

"The filthy Faunus from the boat!" Weiss said as she presented a poorly drawn picture of Sun Wukong to Penny.

"Why do you keep saying that?!" Blake questioned.

"Huh?!" Weiss said as she turned her attention to Blake.

"Stop calling him a rapscallion! Stop calling him a degenerate! He's a person!" Blake exclaimed.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Would you like me to stop referring to the trash can as a trashcan?! Or this lamppost as a lamppost?!" Weiss argued as she  let go of Penny to motion to the objects around her.

"Stop it!" Blake shouted.

"Stop what?! He clearly broke the law! Give him time; he'll probably join up with those other Faunus in the White Fang!" Weiss argued back.

"Stop being such an ignorant little brat! Not every Faunus is part of the White Fang!" Blake growled, her fists clenching.

"How dare you talk to me like that, I'm your teammate!" Weiss argued.

"You are a judgmental little girl! The mere fact that you would sort that Faunus boy with a terrorist group solely based on his species makes you just as much of a scoundrel as you believe him to be!" Blake argued back.

Before the argument could escalate further, Red drew his sword, Red Saber, and slammed it into the ground, producing a harsh clang that silenced everyone as the air went still.

“Enough.” Red said sternly.

“This is neither the time nor the place. We can settle this back at Beacon. Understood?”

Weiss and Blake both scowled at each other, then muttered in reluctant unison, “Fine.”

“Good…let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” Penny asked, popping up behind Ruby with a bright smile, much to everyone’s surprise.

“Back to-” “Beacon Academy.” “Wanna join?” The Blues asked, finishing each other’s sentences as always.

Just as she was about to answer, her scroll buzzed to life. She quickly pulled it out, skimmed the message, and put it back in her pocket.

“Apologies! I’ve got somewhere to be. Bye!” she said quickly, vanishing in a flash before anyone could respond.

(Beacon Dormitory)

"How long do you think this silence is gonna last?" Jim asked, glancing between the tense figures.

"Maybe five minutes... or ten," Jake guessed, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the scene.

Nearby, Jay, Ruby, and Yang stood in uneasy silence, watching Weiss and Blake stare each other down from opposite ends. In the middle, Jay and Red stood between them, trying to act as a barrier, both literally and figuratively.

"Tensions still high," Jay whispered to Red.

"I’m well aware," Red replied quietly, his gaze steady.

Drawing a slow breath, Red stepped forward and cleared his throat. The sound echoed enough to draw every eye in the room.

“I’ve read and heard of the White Fang’s actions. But before we pass judgment…” He looked towards Weiss, his voice calm yet unwavering.
“Weiss, what made you believe the White Fang are beyond redemption? And what of Faunus like Velvet, those who strive to become Huntresses, who walk the same path as you?”

“Fine. You want to know why I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particularly trust the Faunus?” Weiss said as she leaned against the bookshelf by the window.

“It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War, as in actual bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember. And ever since I was a child, I've watched family friends disappear…board members executed…an entire train car full of Dust, stolen. And every day, my father would come home, furious. And that made for a very difficult childhood.”

With that, she slammed her fist against the shelf, the sound echoing through the room.

The others, even Blake, stared at her in stunned silence, sympathy evident in their eyes

“Weiss I-”

“No!” Before Ruby could walk over to Weiss to comfort her, Weiss turned around, ignoring her and marched straight towards Blake, eyes blazing.

“You want to know why I despise the White Fang? It's because they're a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers!”

“Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!” Blake shouted back in retaliation.

With that outburst, the tension in the room was replaced by stunned silence as everyone turned to Blake.

“I…I…”

Without another word, Blake turned and bolted out the door, nearly colliding with Silver, who jumped back just in time, startled.

“…What happened over here?” Silver muttered in confusion.

“Blake, wait! Come back!” Ruby cried out as she ran over to the door, only to meet Silver in the hallway.

“Ruby, what exactly happened here?”

“Um... well...” Ruby hesitated, struggling to find the words, until she felt a tap on her back, turning around to see The Blues waving at her

“Allow us,” Jake said, stepping forward with his brothers.

“Cat got-”  “Out of-”  “The bag,” They whispered to Silver.

“You mean...?” Silver asked with narrowed eyes. The triplets nodded in unison.

“Looks like your cityspeaking skills aren’t completely gone,” Jay added with a grin.

“Pretty sure this has nothing to do with that,” Silver whispered back, glancing in the direction Blake fled.

“I need you three and Terry to look into this, I’ll go after Blake.”

And with that, she turned and sprinted after Blake.

(Beacon Courtyard)

After a moment of running, Blake arrived at a statue of an armored Huntsman with a sword and a hooded Huntress wielding an axe, both poised above a Beowolf Grimm. She stopped at its base, trembling as she reached up and slowly loosened the bow from her hair. As it fell away, her Faunus cat ears twitched freely in the open air. She wiped away a tear, her vision blurry from emotion.

“Blake.”

She spun around in surprise to see Silver standing there, her expression gentle with concern. Blake instinctively turned to flee, but Silver dashed in front of her, spreading out both of her arms, blocking any means of escape.

"Wait…please…” Silver said calmly. “I just want to talk."

Blake froze, hesitation evident in her eyes.

"I already knew you were a Faunus."

“…How did you know?” Blake asked softly, avoiding her eyes.

"You know, there's something about soaring through the sky all day, seeing everything from a distant height, that makes one a keen observer. I guess you can say that it takes an animal to know an animal. No offense." Silver answered gently, lowering her arms. "But I didn't know you were part of the White Fang."

"...Not anymore…"

“I can tell. But if you’re willing... I’d like to hear your story.” Silver said, her voice low and empathetic. “You look like you’re carrying a lot on your shoulders.”

Blake looked up, unsure. “Why? Why do you even care?”

“Because I’ve seen what it does to people. When they keep their pain locked up. Everyone needs someone to listen.” Silver paused. “Tell me yours, and if you want, I’ll share mine. Sounds fair?”

Blake hesitated, then looked away. “…Not here...”

“Anywhere you want,” Silver nodded, her tone unwavering.

"Mind if I tag along too?" A third voice spoke up, surprising Blake, but Silver showed no sign of surprise, instead putting on a slightly annoyed expression.