Evolution
Chapter 1: Beta
The Grimm are creatures of darkness and destruction, beings that lack a soul, and seekers of destroying Humans and all their creations. Early on, it seems like they would succeed; however, Humans rose up with a special form of energy known as dust. With it, Humans managed to drive back the Grimm. During that time, Humans experienced great times of peace and eventually formed their own kingdoms. As Humans managed to survive and prosper, the creatures of darkness still roam the land of Remnant, growing stronger, more vicious, more ruthless, and becoming more with the darkness.
In the Emerald Forest, two young men are observing the happenings that have been taking place. One looked at the damages in the forest, seeing dozens of destroyed trees, marks on the broken ones, and the unidentified skeletons lying on the ground. The other guy was looking at the humongous footprint left in the ground, using his tools to measure it.
"Hey, have you figured out what could've caused this?" The first guy asked. His friend showed him the footprint, only getting a whistle from him.
"Damn, that's a big foot; do you think a Grimm did all this?"
His friend stroked his chin in thought. He looked at footprint again and found a white skeleton piece. It didn't have the features of a Grimm exoskeleton, but since it was found in a Grimm invested forest, it could be.
"We need to see about it," he finally spoke up.
"Yeah, I'll take a picture of it," the first guy told his friend. He nodded as his friend took the photo with his scroll.
"Let's show it to the headmaster."
The friend nodded, but before they could advance, a pack of Beowolves and an alpha appeared from the bushes and trees. They growled at the duo menacingly, looking for blood; but there was something off about these Grimm, something that went unnoticed by the duo.
The first guy smirked. "Ah what good timing; I could use a break."
He and his friend took out their weapons, but the first guy charged in immediately. His friend merely sighed and followed him.
At Beacon Academy, a highly prestigious school where students with the aspiration to become hunters and huntress attend to learn the fundamentals and how to keep the world peaceful, the sister team RWBY and JNPR were eating lunch while doing their usual antics.
"So Pyrrha, how's Vomit-Boy's training going?" Yang asked. Jaune shot her a look at the embarrassing nickname, causing Yang to laugh more.
"It's going great; he's come a long way. He has the offense and defense down, but he's having trouble with using his own aura," Pyrrha explained. That's when the bubbly and energy potent Nora mysteriously appeared in between the partners.
"Ooh! I know! How about Ren teaches Jaune; I've watched him ever since we've been together. Well not together-together, but as friends, not that you're not handsome; I mean you are, really handsome and…"
"Nora; I think they got it," Ren stated in his calm demeanor. Nora giggled and saluted.
"Yes Ren."
"But yes, I don't mind helping you out Jaune," Ren replied.
"Thanks Ren; I appreciate it," his leader said. Ren nodded with a smile.
"So, did you all hear about the new people arriving today?" Yang asked.
"I think they're already here, but just exploring the school," the stoic Blake spoke up while looking at her book. Ruby just finished another plate of cookies.
"What do you think they're here for?"
No one had an answer.
"Hey look over there by the entrance," Nora said. Everyone did as such and saw two mysterious people walking through. They were about the same height, but the one with medium length hazelnut hair and azure eyes was a little taller. He wore a sleeveless black and red karate gi and a barely noticeable black belt. He had two black wristbands and a pair of black and red karate boots. The guy beside him was a lot more mysterious. He had regular navy blue zip able jacket with a green hood. Even though it was draped over his head, one could still see his black hair. His pants were a pair of brown Khakis and his shoes were navy blue sneakers. Even more mysterious was the fact that his only face feature was his red eyes. The sister table stared skeptically at the duo.
"Who are those two? I've never seen those two before," Weiss commented.
"Maybe they're the new people," Jaune suggested.
"You could be right; I doubt anyone knows who they are," Yang responded.
"Maybe they're new students," Ruby said. Nora got a devious smile across her lips.
"Let's test them; see what they're made of."
"Nora; I don't think that's a good idea," Ren commented.
"I love it," Yang stated, picking up a knife. She chucked it at the guy in the karate gi, who was talking to his friend.
"I'm telling you man, creating a field is much harder than it seems. You have a lot of attributes to include, like radius, number of enemies, and distance. But when you master it,"
He suddenly smirked and swiftly raised his right arm, catching the thrown knife.
"Nothing can sneak up on you."
He combined his aura with the knife and kunai threw it back at the sister table. Ruby quickly ducked, but Jaune was hit instead by the hood.
"AAAH!" he yelled as he flew back towards the wall and hung there by his hood. The others had a surprised expression as they saw the guy give them a side glare, still smirking. The two continued walking away. Jaune however, remained stuck and couldn't pull the knife out.
"Uh, guys? A little help here please," he said. Pyrrha couldn't help but laugh as she stepped up first.
"Oh come on Jaune; it can't be that tough."
She tried her hand at it; but she couldn't even budge it.
"Huh? What the?"
She pulled harder, even putting her foot against the wall; but again, it wouldn't budge.
"See? Not so easy is it?" Jaune questioned.
"Step aside and let the queen show you how it's done," the brawler Yang stated. She grabbed the knife and attempted to pull it out; but even she couldn't. Yang, the brawler of team RWBY couldn't even pull the object out. Everyone's mouths dropped in shock. Even Nora was astonished.
"No way, not even Yang can pull it," Ruby stated.
"Wait, I got it; I got it," Yang responded. She tried even harder, using the same method as Pyrrha, but with the same failure results.
"Alright, fuck this."
She pulled out her gauntlets, Ember Celica, and pounded her fiery fists together.
"Okay Vomit-Boy; don't move and you won't get hurt."
Jaune gulped a little spit as he watched his friends back away.
'I'm going to die now.'
He clapped his hands together and prayed after seeing Yang flare her aura.
'Oh great Monty Oum; please spare me. I promise to stop being such a goofball, just please let me live.'
Yang lunged forward with her fire fists and punched the wall, without hitting Jaune in the process. Said Jaune closed his eyes and waited for death, only to notice it didn't come. He opened his eyes and saw his faithful partner hovering above him. He was still a little traumatized and thought the pain happened so fast that he died immediately.
"Wow, I knew Heaven had pretty angels, but I never thought they would be so beautiful," he stated. Pyrrha quickly turned scarlet.
"J-Jaune, you're not dead," she told him.
"Huh?"
He sat up, noticing the rubble around him and the giant gaping hole in the wall.
"So I'm really not dead?"
"N-No, you're alive," Pyrrha replied, her face as bright as her hair. Jaune rose to his feet and dusted himself off. That's when he froze. He looked at the blushing Pyrrha, the smiling Yang and Nora, the still calm Ren and Blake, and the glare giving Ruby. Jaune's face slowly turned red as well.
"Um, you all heard what I said didn't you?"
"Yep," Yang responded, patting him on the back with a happy smile. Jaune and his partner made eye contact, but quickly looked away still red.
"Changing the subject," Ruby spoke up adamantly. "Who were those guys?"
As if on cue, the intercom turned on with Glynda Goodwitch speaking.
"Attention all students, please report to the auditorium for a very special announcement. I repeat, all students report to the auditorium; and teams RWBY and JNPR report to Ozpin's pffice afterwards."
"Uh-oh, do you think it's about the wall?" Yang asked.
"No, I'm sure we're being rewarded for all our good deeds and hard work," Weiss responded sarcastically. Ruby beamed with happiness.
"Really?"
"No you dunce!" Weiss exclaimed. "Of course it's about the wall."
Ruby pouted as she followed her team and sister team to the auditorium. Every student at Beacon was present; and in the center stage, the headmaster Ozpin and his partner Goodwitch was standing. Everyone got quiet for Ozpin to make the announcement.
"I'll keep this brief. The reason why I have gathered you in here today is because of the crisis going on. There has been strange Grimm activity going on as of late. They have become more aggressive and more threatening. We have yet to find the cause of these changes; and so, we have enlisted the help of two individuals. These two will help figure out the cause as well as help in classes where the main teacher is absent. I expect you all to show them the utmost respect."
The students began chatting to others about what they just heard. As they did so, Professor Goodwitch called the entities up.
"Well, let's see who they chose," Pyrrha said. They saw the people take the stage; but their response was to drop their mouths and expand their eyes.
"I knew it!" Nora yelled. The individuals happened to be the mysterious guys from before. Focus mostly went to the one in the hood, but the unveiling was still a shocker.
"Would you be so kind as to introduce yourselves?" Goodwitch asked them. The one in the karate gi spoke up.
"Ahem, HEEELLOOO students of Beacon; I first want to say that it's an honor to be here and to meet you all. My name is Raiden Matsumura. The guy next to me is Mizu, who forced me not to say his last name. Anyway, I hope that we can all get along; furthermore, what Ozpin said about teachers being absent. What that means is, when a teacher is investing out investigating something, Mizu and/or I will take their place for that time being. Most of the time, it will be us two in field. Our time here isn't permanent, but we at least want to leave behind some memories. Well at least I want to."
He looked at Mizu before continuing.
"That's all I have to say; thanks for listening."
There was a loud round of applause. Mizu and Raiden turned to Ozpin and Goodwitch.
"Thank you for letting us help."
Ozpin took a sip of his coffee. "We should be thanking you. I also received the photo you took. So far nothing has turned up about."
"We'll keep checking things out; our biggest evidence might still be in the Emerald Forest," Raiden replied. The two were about to leave, until someone yelled out,
"Hold it!"
Attention shifted to the leader of team CRDL, Cardin Winchester.
"I don't think these two here are teacher ready. They seem more like helpless students to me."
"Mr. Winchester, who are you to tell what people are?" Goodwitch interrogated.
"If they're really who you think they are, then why don't they have a match against me and my partner?" Cardin challenged.
"Mr. Winchester…"
"We accept," Raiden interrupted. Glynda looked at him.
"Professor Ozpin, Goodwitch; a teacher's job is to educate their students. Please allow us to teach them a little lesson."
"Hmm, while I see the meaning in your words, I will not allow a fight to start," Ozpin rejected.
"And I understand why you feel that way; however, wouldn't it be better if you knew what we're capable of; to see if we deserve to teach these students?" Raiden asked again. Ozpin took another sip of coffee.
"And how do you think these students would respond to two strangers beating on their schoolmates?"
"We won't know until it happens; and if it makes you feel better, we won't even use our weapons," Raiden responded. Ozpin and Raiden had a stare down, but in the end, Ozpin nodded.
"Very well, I will allow this; however, this is strictly a one time thing. Any succession of this will result in consequences."
"We read you loud and clear," Raiden said, smiling happily. Cardin and his partner, Dove Bronzewing, walked to the stage and stood across from Raiden and Mizu. Raiden smirked and cracked his knuckles, as Goodwitch did her magic on the scroll. The monitor showed the four guys' picture and aura gauges at full health. Raiden looked at Mizu.
"Sorry for dragging you in this?"
He shook his head and too cracked his knuckles. The two faced their opponents.
"Taking us on without weapons huh? You must either be confident, or completely stupid," Cardin insulted. Raiden crossed his arms while Mizu unfolded his. Raiden started chuckling.
"People make mistakes all the time; it's just the way we are."
In a more cold tone, he continued with an evil smirk.
"Challenging us is by far one your biggest."
Raiden and Mizu jumped away from each other to give the other room. Cardin took out his mace while Dove took out his Bo staff.
"You are all aware of the rules; once your aura reaches the red zone, you're out. If your teammate reaches red, then the entire team is out. Now once the countdown hit zero, you may begin," Glynda notified. She started the countdown, causing the tension to increase. As soon as the number hit zero, Cardin lunged at Mizu and Dove charged at Raiden.
Cardin raised his mace and brought it back down, but Mizu swiftly sidestepped out of the way and threw a punch in retaliation. Cardin placed his weapon in line of fire, hoping to stagger his opponent; however, Mizu flared his aura and continued with the attack. It made contact and knocked Cardin back, surprising him by the sudden strength. Mizu rushed him, and Cardin swung the mace horizontally. Mizu jumped over it, grabbed Cardin's wrist, and kicked him in the face, back flipping off the impact.
Dove swung his staff downward, but it was stopped cold by Raiden's kick. Raiden then kicked it aside and executed a tornado kick, hitting Dove in the face. He retaliated by swinging left, but Raiden ducked as he extended his leg and performed a leg sweep, knocking Dove off his feet; but he kept going as he rose slightly and threw another kick, hitting Dove in the face once again. He slid across the ground, his gauge going down into the yellow zone.
Raiden looked at Mizu, who continuously dodged Cardin's relentless onslaught. His hood was ripped on several places, exposing more of his jet-black hair. Not going unnoticed by Mizu, he knew exactly what Cardin was aiming at.
"I'm going to see what you got hidden under that hood," Cardin declared. "If it's something important, then I'll enjoy exposing it."
Raiden called out to his friend. "Mizu, just show everyone; you aren't the only one. And if anything happens, you know I'll help you out. Don't worry about it and just take it off."
Mizu's red eyes met Raiden's azure. The two stared at each other before Mizu nodded. He finally pulled his hood back, exposing his full head. Everyone except the professors and Raiden gasped as they saw Mizu's black hair shine against the light. Along with it, a few small scars were shown across his cheek; but the most surprising feature was the pair of wolf ears twitching on top of his head, signaling that Mizu is a Faunus, a wolf Faunus. Mizu pulled his sleeves back and showed everyone his unnatural razor sharp wolf claws. His red eyes pierced through Cardin, who smiled and chuckled.
"I figured there was something about you; but it turns out you really a freak, trying to hide your freakish heritage."
Mizu didn't respond to his insults, causing Cardin to laugh more; but it was cut short when three swift but powerful punches make contact with his face. He crashed to the ground, his aura gauge whittling close to the red zone. Mizu looked at his partner, who unleashed a barrage of kicks. Dove could barely defend himself as Raiden hit every single opening that was bare. Dove attacked, but Raiden kicked it aside and then kicked him in the stomach. He gasped for air as his aura went down to match Cardin's level, causing Raiden to narrow his eyes.
"Let's finish this."
He finally threw his first punch to Dove's gut and then added seven more to the same place. He elbowed him in the chest and finished with a backflip kick to the chin, sending him flying back and crashing into Cardin. Mizu narrowed his eyes this time and charged at the two with his claws out. He dashed right past him, clawing them in the process. He stopped, pivots, and rushed them again, repeating the process five times. He stopped once more and leapt towards them, slashing his claws into an X and leaving its silver streak. As Cardin and Dove's aura gauges decrease to almost zero, the two fell to the ground.
They were still alive due to the duo's team attack, but badly injured. Mizu shot Cardin a glare as he walked back to Raiden. The two fist bumped and saw medical people take the challengers away. Soon, a loud and enthusiastic round of applause erupted from the audience. Raiden waved to them as Mizu put his hood back on.
Ozpin stepped up to speak again.
"I hope you all enjoyed the spectacle; it was certainly a sight to behold," he stated. "Now that you've witnessed these two in action, I hope you all will allow them to teach you new things. Well that's all for today; you are all dismissed."
Raiden and Mizu stood back to back with their arms crossed. After Ozpin finished his announcements, the two followed the professors out. The students left the auditorium as well, but the sister team remained behind.
"Wow, that was amazing; those really kicked Cardin's ass. This is going to be a fun experience," Yang spoke up first.
"I know! I want to fight them now," Nora beamed.
"They do appear to be rather capable team," Weiss stated. Her partner responded.
"Oh come on Weiss, you saw how strong those were; I was amazed at how well they work together. Who would've thought Mizu was a Faunus; I want to touch his ears now."
"Guys? Shouldn't we be heading to Ozpin's office?" Jaune reminded them.
"Oh yeah that's right; we better get going," Ruby replied. Yang groaned as she and the others headed to the headmaster's office; however, Blake remained as she thought back to the fight. She heard what Raiden said, but mostly thought at how in sync the two were.
"Blake, hurry up," Yang called out. She ran to catch up with her friends, still thinking to the match. The two teams walked into the headmaster's office, only to be greeted by the new duo that arrived.
"Hello there," Raiden greeted. Mizu simply waved with his hood still draped over his head. Ozpin spun in his chair with his favorite mug in his hand.
"Ah, team RWBY and JNPR; just the teams I wanted to see."
"Um, is this about the hole in the cafeteria?" Yang asked rubbing her long hair. Ozpin took a sip of coffee.
"No, I just have a request of you; but now that we're on the subject, what happened in the cafeteria?"
"Um well," Yang delayed, looking at Jaune to bail her out.
"It was when you tried hitting me with that knife," Raiden spoke up. Everyone looked at him surprised.
"Your attempt failed when I caught it and threw it back, only for Mr. Arc to be the unlucky one. So when you all tried pulling it out, none of you couldn't and so ended up punching a hole in the wall to solve the problem."
The teams were both incredulous and amazed.
"Isn't the first time I did it; and what do you expect from an investigator?"
Ozpin cleared his thought to get everyone's attention.
"I called you eight in here because I want you all to show these two around Beacon so they know where everything is located. With the Grimm problems, I can't do it, or have any other professor do it."
"So we're basically their guides," Ruby said.
"Yes Ms. Rose; I want you all to help them memorize the place," Ozpin answered.
"Okay, we'll do it," Yang accepted. The others agreed with her.
"Excellent, now, I have some important matters to attend to," Ozpin said, leaving the office.
"Thank you for helping us out," Raiden spoke up gratefully.
"Don't mention it. Beacon is a huge place after all," Pyrrha replied. Raiden nudged Mizu's arm.
"Say thanks at least man; I mean they are willing to help us."
He nodded and took off his hood to reveal his face again.
"Thank you; your help is much appreciated. You have our thanks."
A/N: The end of chapter one guys; I hope you like my first RWBY fanfiction. Please be gentle with the reviews; I don't mind criticism, but don't be harsh please. Again, it's my first shot at this. I am very nervous about this, which is very unlike me. I do want to know if I got anything wrong, like personalities or something. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I also want to thank Fanfic Bros, TheRadioShower, and The Flippant Writer for beta reading this; I hope their help was enough. Chapter 2 will be uploaded soon. Bye!