This is a work of fiction using known works as a base for me to build off of. There will be characters from works that you will recognize, but please be aware they may be OOC (out of character) due to a history I intend to impose on the characters.This means their thought process and actions might not match up to what you expect. After all, this will ultimately be my interpretation of what I think they would do in my story.If anyone of you finds my work offensive or inadequate, I apologize for I probably won't care. That being said, feel free to correct grammar mistakes that slips past me, provide constructive criticism, and above all else, enjoy reading.
Chapter 1: Departure
With steady breathing, the two sprinted through the forest in silence lest they give away their position to their pursuers. Alas, their efforts were deemed useless as the sound of more footsteps joined their own in the darkness. She rose a delicate eyebrow to her companion to ask about their next course of action. A tilt of his head confirmed her thoughts as she proceeded with Plan B.
Her body seemingly disappeared as she sped forward, her unique ability leaving only rose petals in her wake. It would certainly leave a trail, but that hardly mattered since her companion had slowed down to deal with their enemies. She knew he was capable but prayed that he dealt with them quickly as she secured their escape route.
A few minutes passed before she finally arrived at the objective. A wooden gate stood alone, tall as a building, connected to nothing but a control panel installed on a podium next to it. A frown settled on her face as she skidded to a stop. The Gaia Gate was one of the few gates that led to the other dimensions, and it was the only one that was located so far from the capital. The reason they wanted to use it was because the other gates were being guarded by the rebels. This one wasn't supposed to be guarded.
"Hehehe. Well, if it isn't the Crimson Harvest. You know, when I was told to prevent stragglers, I didn't expect to catch a big shot like you. It must be my lucky day."
The large, rugged man slowly stepped forward. He was huge, towering over her easily. Eight feet if she approximated correctly. She wasn't short by any means. Ever since she was reborn in Neotopia, she took the form of when she was in her prime, but her height was still average among legends. Many of the people here were gigantic. Besides, she once decapitated a crow the size of a skyscraper when she was 14, so she wasn't nervous in the slightest about a man who wanted to posture. In fact, she was kind of insulted at how relaxed he seemed despite his words. Although, she supposed he should be given some credit. He hasn't relaxed the muscles in his shoulders after all. The woman's eyes wandered over his body as she silently took note of any distinguishable features to help identify the foe in front of her.
He wore a black tank top, black pants, and combat boots to match. Her sensors indicated he had no weapons other than his fists, but it was the mask and tubes that gave him away. The black mask covered his entire head and left no openings for the mouth. The area where his face should've been was white while the place where a human's eyes was supposed to be was red. On his left hand was some sort of device that contained a doping liquid. The tube from the device connected to the back of his head. Bane, from the DC universe, was a B-class threat. Not a small fry, but enough to stall for backup.
"What the matter sweet thing? Gonna cry for help?" taunted one Bane's henchman.
Unlike Bane, she did not recognize them from the legends she knew that were registered in the system. Their bodies held the familiar presence of Neotopia though, so they couldn't have transmigrated.
Must have reincarnated at most 2 weeks ago, she concluded. I do hope my tendency of not checking current events doesn't come back to bite me.
The image of a certain white-haired heiress popped into her mind, admonishing her for being lazy and too reclusive.
It also explained the arrogance and disregard they held for her. When you live in Neotopia, you learn not to underestimate anyone quickly.
"Stay on guard, pipsqueaks. She in the top 300. Anyone on the leaderboard are freaks of nature."
Bane certainly did after Jubei wiped the floor with him. You don't steal a cat's fish after all. Blake would never let her forget that.
A flick of her wrist pulled the hunk of metal stored on the holster on her back to the front. A twirl of the wrist and a pulse of aura later, it transformed into the familiar form of Crescent Rose in its scythe form. Since time was of the essence, there was no reason to waste words with the brats. The liquid stored in Bane's device was a foreign mixture that emanated magic and was definitely not the supposed venom from which his legend spoke of. She would clear the field of the grunts first, then deal with the doping brute later. In response, Bane activated the device, but it was too late. By the time the liquid would make it to his body, she would be finished with them. He should've started doping when he realized who she was. Another evidence of his leftover arrogance he failed to get rid of.
Her semblance was speed after all.
Rose petals scattered as her form blurred from moving too fast for the naked eye to see. Her aura and mana flowed into her scythe, strengthening the blade while increasing its reach respectively. A quick spin cleaved 5 people in half, their blood spraying into the air proving her true to her moniker. Of the remaining grunts, 3 stood in shock while two prepared to defend themselves. She commended the two in question. At least they were not foolish enough to believe they could retaliate. A fruitless endeavor, however.
More blood sprayed as the remaining grunts were cut by the invisible blades of wind she had casted simultaneously during her last attack. With her sensors confirming their deaths, she turned to the man that let his supposed comrades die without defending them.
The liquid had almost made it to his head. It was moving much faster than she anticipated. With a pull on the trigger, a sniper round shot out the head of Crescent Rose, propelling her even faster towards Bane. Her scythe arced above her head as she swung it down onto-
"Ruby, watch out!"
With reflexes honed through her struggles, she faded into a stream of rose petals in order to narrowly dodge a counter sent by Bane. His reaction time was surprisingly on par with her own.
His fist powered through the petals, sending a gust of wind due to the force behind the attack. The petals flowed through the air with grace before her body becoming corporeal once more. A thin line of blood dripped down the side of her mouth. The woman rested a hand over her stomach where a bruise was no doubt forming.
"Penny, what happened?"
The familiar voice of the A.I. resounded in her head.
"I believe we have been misled. He had already had a small dosage injected manually through a needle in his arm. The empty syringe located 24.7 meters to your left supports this hypothesis."
A quick flicker of her eyes confirms her statement.
"I'm a bit more concerned about the fact he was able to hurt me while I was nothing more than a bunch of petals. I'm generally immune to magical and physical attacks."
"I believe it must have something to do with that strange liquid itself. If the opportunity presents itself, please secure a sample Ruby."
"Assuming we have such luxury."
As it so happened, Bane had succeeded in doping. His body got even bigger than before and turned an unhealthy shade of purple. He took deep breaths, no doubt reveling in his newfound strength.
"Hahahaha. Yes, so much power. Amazing.."
"According to my sensors, his power is at least 2.13 times his normal state. Speed is 1.76 and flexibility has decreased by 8%. Calculating best course of action..."
"In the meantime, let us start some mid-fight banter."
"I'm surprised myself. You have acquired quite the impressive stock of steroids. Would you be so kind as to tell me where you got such a thing? I'm fairly certain I would know if that particular drug was on the market."
Bane let his arms drop down to his side as a smirk made itself visible despite his mask. He seemed even more arrogant than when the fight started.
"I'm sure you would want to know huh. Too bad little lady. Company secret."
"A unique drug crafted by the rebels huh. Given that only he had it out of everyone here, it must be in short supply. Although, it might not be so short if someone like Bane has it."
"That's just too bad then."
"Indeed, with this you're definitely no match for-"
"I meant for you rebels," Ruby interrupted. "I was under the impression you people wanted to be a threat, not put out a grand show of mass suicide."
He noticeably was grinding his teeth, disliking the amusement she made apparent in her tone.
"What are you talking about?" he demanded.
"Your body can't handle the strain it's putting itself through. Sure, you're strong now, but the longer you stay in this state, the worse the aftereffects."
"Naturally, power comes with some sacrifice. A small price to pay for overwhelming strength."
A snort escaped her before she could stop it.
"Is that mask crippling you too or is that the effects already taking place. Get that cotton out of your ears and try to recall what I just said. You're going to die if you keep using it."
"And I think you're full of shit. Did you forget where we are? This is NEOTOPIA, land of immortal legends from all walks of life. No matter what happens to our bodies, it'll heal after a good night's sleep."
Ruby slapped a hand to her forehead.
"Holy Dust, you're a moron. That rule no longer applies to you, fool. You're a rebel of Neotopia. Your soul will no longer reincarnate here. As far as Neotopia is concerned, you will either no longer exist or be a cripple by the next sunrise."
His body grew still as the gravity of his situation sunk in. As he contemplated his blunder, Penny's voice relayed her conclusion.
"By my calculations, we have an 89% chance of winning if we stall long enough. Once the strain on his body becomes too much, it would be a simple matter to cut him down, retrieve a sample, and secure our escape route. With your speed, such a task would be the most effective."
"Effective for the battle, maybe. However, he's not the only one we have to worry about. Don't forget his role was never to take us down, but to slow us enough for whoever they sent to deal with us. It would be more effective to catch him off guard after calming him down, or better yet, convert him."
"Forgive my rudeness, Ruby. However, I do believe the chances of converting him to our side is too significantly low to be a favorable course of action."
"You misunderstand, Penny. We don't need him to be on our side. We just need him to be neutral. Just watch."
She gave her friend an imaginary pat on the shoulder in her mind as Bane woke up from his slump.
"Even if that's true," he began, "that would just mean I no longer have anything to lose."
"Oh, but you do. Tell me Bane, what do you think this is?"
Her two delicate fingers withdraw a single green bean from her dimensional inventory. To the naked eye, it might look no different from something you find on a plate of food, but anyone from Neotopia would know it as a...
"A senzu bean from the Dragonball universe! Where did you get that from?!" Bane yelled.
He could hardly be blamed for his shock. Senzu beans were a top-class healing item even across all the universes. Most senzu beans were monopolized by the Saiyans while the few that went on sale were sold for an obscene amount of money.
"Did you already forget who I am. I am Ruby Rose, the Crimson Harvest, huntress of Grimm, baker extraordinaire, leading figure of research for all things Magi-Tech weaponry. I am number 267 on most powerful legends leaderboards and number 15 on most influential. If you gave me enough time, I could design a weapon that would solve whatever monster issue you have. Whether they be Grimm, ghosts, fairies, demons, angels, Personas, etc. I am also the woman providing you with a way out. So, what will it be, Bane? Will you waste your life away attempting to chase me down as I literally dance around you until you collapse from your stupidity never to reincarnate as Bane ever again? Or will you accept this offer that very few will ever get to have in exchange for your neutrality."
He stood there silent for a moment before replying.
"Fine. You got yourself a deal."
He walked up to her and reached out for it, but she withdrew her hand. He immediately tensed his muscles.
"Ah-ah-ah. Not just yet. I also want that vial you got there full of your new steroids. And not anything you got in reserve. I specifically want the one you're using right now."
"Tch. Fine."
He turned off the device on his hand and pushed a button, detaching a vial of said purple liquid. Ruby gladly exchanged with a small smile on her lips. They were both aware of the senzu bean's value after all, and neither had the intention of going back on their word at this point. To do so would break a law of Neotopia, and this law applied regardless of being an accepted citizen of Neotopia. She placed the vial into her dimensional inventory, planning on dissecting it later with Penny.
"A pleasure doing business with you," she said as Bane quickly chewed and swallowed the bean. His body pulsated as the energy healed the damage done by the liquid.
"I suggest you and your buddy get out of here as soon as possible." he said, ignoring her pleasantry. "When I sent the message that someone arrived at the gate, they said they would send backup. Last time I checked, the guy they were going to send was the Reverse-Flash."
A frown marred her facial features. That wasn't good. In a speed vs speed match-up, she would no doubt lose to someone who can run faster than the speed of light.
"Wait a second, Eobard Thawne died already though. He shouldn't be able to come back, even with his ability to manipulate time. Neotopia's laws are absolute."
Bane shrugged uncaring.
"Don't know. Don't care. I did my part and didn't ask. The fact is I'm even telling you this is to ensure the fact you see me as a neutral than as an enemy. For now. How you deal with him is your problem. Now, I gotta make myself scarce before he shows up."
With that said, Bane began jogging into the forest, disappearing in the darkness. Ruby walked to the podium next to the Gaia Gate and began manipulating it.
"Penny."
"I know, Ruby. If someone like the Reverse-Flash was sent after us he would have arrived long ago. However, my sensors indicate that there is nobody present other than you, our partner, and Bane. He left something out in his information, and it's highly suspicious."
"He wouldn't dare do anything to risk getting hit by chaotic lightning. I'm certain the Reverse-Flash has been dead for a while now. The fact he is back means someone has worked out a solution around Neotopia's laws, but it must not be perfect. I can think a multitude of things. Perhaps when Eobard died, someone was ready to capture his dying soul and seal it somehow, therefore making it so he technically didn't leave Neotopia yet. Although without any evidence, we can't prove anything. Perhaps-SHIT!"
"What is the matter Ruby?"
"For some reason, the podium is damaged. It must have been when Bane threw that powerful counter. The shock wave must have damaged it."
"But wouldn't that mean Bane would have been struck by lightning? You're not allowed to break the gates under any circumstances."
Ruby sighed exasperatedly while running her hand through her hair and moving her bangs behind her ear.
"It's damaged, not broken. Damaged gates will simply regenerate and heal itself over time, but that would take too long. As it is now, I've already set the destination, but it can't open the portal. For the love of Dust, I should've cut his arm off before letting him eat a senzu bean!"
Before she could come up with a solution, however, alarms began to go off in her head.
"Incoming, Ruby! Single presence rapidly approaching!"
She turned just in time to see a yellow blur come to a stop in front of the clearing. His eyes scanned the field while his mouth moved. His voice gravelly as he questioned her.
"Strange. I count ten bodies. There should be eleven. What happened to Bane, woman?"
A wry smile appeared to mask the nervousness in her heart.
"Hmm. I don't know. He had quite the interesting ability. I found myself curious, so I just had to figured out what."
Not a lie, but not the truth either. She considered it compensation for the free information Bane gave her. What he did with that chance was up to him.
"In fact," she continued, "you seem to show some similar qualities now that I think about it."
Reverse-Flash stood there in front of her, alive despite what the database said. His skin from what she could tell was also purple. It also had noticeable lines and cracks along the skin, as if they were a bunch of paper stuck together. The damning detail that told the truth was the eye though. What was normally a white sclera in a human was black instead.
"Impure World Reincarnation Technique.." she said in disgust. It turned out her theory was correct after all, and the worst part was that the same factor that crippled Bane doesn't affect Reverse-Flash since he would just regenerate anew. Fantastic.
He scoffed in response.
"Don't compare me to that fool. You might hold yourself highly among the rabble but in front of me you are way out of your league, woman. Now, die."
Suddenly, he was in front of her face. A tilt of the body and a burst of rose petals later, she rolled on the ground before correcting her posture with Crescent Rose in her one hand.
"Ruby!"
"Calm down, Penny. I turned into petals just in time. He got my left arm though and I don't think he'll give me the luxury to reform."
Reverse-Flash zipped right back, but this time she was prepared. A pull of the trigger sent her clear out of the way and putting distance in between them. Her mind went into overdrive as the world slowed as her perception quickened.
"He's slower than I expected. Is it a side-effect of being alive when he should not?"
"I believe so. The laws of Neotopia must be constantly at work trying to correct the anomaly. It must be the reason why he's nowhere near as fast as his prime. Whatever that drug is doing, it's the only thing keeping him in this world."
"That makes my job easier, then. I'll use my eyes since my body can't keep up. However, I might lose a limb in the process."
"Don't be so sure, Ruby. 26.5 meters, 24.3 degrees to the right."
A familiar, pineapple-shaped head popped into view, his shadow rapidly approaching directly from Reverse-Flashes blind spot. Ruby schooled her expression to prevent anything from showing on her face lest she give anything away. Instead she called forth the familiar power residing in her body. Silver flames flickered into existence around her eyes. It was a power that purged evil, and Reverse-Flash, a dead man that was somehow alive in a zombie-like body, fit into that category just fine. Reverse-Flash pressed onward with an open palm intending to cut her head off, but froze when the shadow behind him connected.
"Shadow possession jutsu: Success."
A bright light manifested itself. Its warmth would envelop its allies in reassurance and its enemies in pain.
"Nooooooooo!"
His screams echoed into the night. As the light faded away, Ruby's vision revealed a frozen stone statue of Reverse-Flash forever sealed and never to be woken again. Immediately after gathering her bearings, she dashed away while reforming her previously destroyed arm. Not a moment later, a rainbow-colored lightning bolt came down from the heavens and struck the stone statue, obliterating it completely. Not even dust was left. She sighed in relief before taking out two senzu beans and throwing one to her partner. The man caught it with ease, and they promptly began eating to replenish lost stamina.
"Too close for comfort. Thanks, Shika."
He nodded in reply. He tilted his head towards the gate.
"Lets hurry up and get out of here before more come."
She sighed in frustration as the problem from earlier resurfaced.
"We can't. It's damaged. I put in the coordinates, but it won't open."
"It looks open to me."
She whipped her head so fast she was pretty sure something cracked, but she hardly cared at that point. There, before her, was a functioning dimensional gate with its swirling void. The only difference was that the gate itself was covered in some kind of purple mist, and the normally white center was now black.
"I didn't open that gate."
He blinked. "Are you saying someone is trying to open from the other side?"
She ran up to the podium with no sense of calm whatsoever. The pineapple head swiftly followed.
"Not intentionally it seems. Earlier when I was fighting, Bane accidentally cracked the podium. I was able to input the coordinates but was unable to open the gate. Whatever is happening on the other side, it's coincidentally triggering the gate on this side. This is a golden opportunity since nobody will be able to follow us once we go through it. When we do and the podium regenerates itself.."
"The coordinates we used will be lost." he finished. "Then let's go."
"Wait. Eat this." she tossed him a red bean.
"What's this?"
"Red senzu bean 2.3. Unlike the regular senzu bean that restores our body, this will take energy in our body and store it inside a core inside of us. I highly doubt the gate is stable, and unlike normal where we can cross through just fine, we might find that our bodies contradict the laws of the universe we're heading into. It might force our bodies to adapt to their laws. That could kill us. This senzu bean will allow us to form a safeguard that will act as a protector as well as automatically heal any injuries we get in the meantime."
"Amazing. How did you get this?" he turned the bean with his fingers to closer examine them. They look the exact same as regular senzu beans except red.
"Created them myself. Bulma helped too. How did you think I got so many senzu beans?" A smug look on her face.
He rolled his eyes but did not reply. Now was not the time. They could discuss it more later. There was no guarantee this gate stayed open any longer after all. After swallowing it, he stepped up to the gate while confirming one last time.
"You put the coordinates in correctly, right?"
It was her turn to roll her eyes.
"Yes, we're going to the "My Hero Academia" universe." a wry smile replaced it "Are you ready to be a hero, my lazy ninja?"
"Sigh..Always gotta have the last word."
"You know it!"