Chapter 2: Welcome to Beacon
"Hey! You there! I think you bums are on the wrong ship!" The voice of one of the airship's occupants drew the attention of Onewa, Whenua being too engrossed in the history textbook provided to notice.
"Last I checked, this is the airship to Beacon Academy." The Toa of Stone replied.
"Exactly! It's Beacon Academy, not the Beacon Homeless Shelter!" The unnamed boy replied. Onewa growled in annoyance. It wasn't the first time that the Toa's... less than clean looks had drawn negative attention aboard the airship, and it was grating on the Stone Toa's nerves.
"Look, we're here via a personal invitation from Ozpin himself, so why don't you just leave us alone?"
"Yeah, and I'm Mr. Schnee in disguise. Just get off the ship, this joke got old really fast."
With that, Onewa snapped. Activating his Kanohi Komau, he took control of the boy's mind. It was surprisingly easy, as the boy was rather dimwitted. Although, to be fair, it was quite easy to tell from the kid's haircut alone.
In a matter of moments, the kid had stripped to his boxers and was singing 'I'm a little teapot', while doing a ridiculous dance that Onewa had seen some children performing in one of the parks around Vale.
Eventually, the entertainment value wore off and Onewa cut the mental connection. The boy stopped, panting from exhaustion.
"I've got mind control powers. Don't mess with me." The Toa of Stone whispered as he walked away, Whenua offering a look of sympathy as he followed his stone counterpart. After all, the boy hadn't been the only one ever subjected to the Kanohi Komau's power.
The two Toa resumed their search for their counterparts aboard the airship, this time getting a lot less negative attention, although Onewa drew some nervous looks from the crowd.
"... The robbery was led by notorious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information relating to his whereabouts, please contact the Vale police department. Back to you, Lisa!" The sound of a news broadcast drew Whenua's attention. The holo screen briefly showed a picture of a younger, scruffier, and roughed up Roman Torchwick.
"Thank you, Cyril. In other news, the recent Faunus civil rights protest turned dark after members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony. It was later found out that the disruption was used to distract law enforcement in order to allow a White Fang force to break into the Vale City penitentiary, leading to the escape of several highly dangerous criminals, including the recently interred Adam Taurus. The once peaceful organization has turned increasingly violent-" The holoscreen changed into a projection of the huntress the two Toa had encountered the day before while fighting Torchwick.
"Hello, and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future huntsmen and huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and training to protect our world." With that, the woman's holographic form faded.
"Look! You can see Signal from up here!" A familiar voice called out, causing Onewa's head to turn towards the source.
Ruby Rose stood there, hands pressed against one of the airship's many windows. A taller girl with a mane of long golden hair walked up behind her. The taller girl placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder, saying something that Onewa couldn't quite hear. The two Toa walked up to the pair.
"Hey, Ruby, have you seen anyone named 'Vakama Garnett' around here?" Onewa asked.
"Huh?" The girls spun around, eyes on the two boys approaching them. "Oh, hey Onewa! No, I haven't seen anyone named Vakama, but I'll keep an eye out." Ruby said.
"Who are these guys, sis?" The taller, golden haired girl asked.
"Oh, right! I never got a chance to tell you! Yang, meet Onewa and Whenua." Ruby replied.
"How did you meet them, and is there anything going on between you three?" Yang asked.
"Yang! There's nothing 'going on' between us! They just helped me fight Torchwick last night!"
"Torchwick? As in Roman Torchwick? When were you planning to tell me that you had a run in with one of the most wanted men in Vale!"
"I never had the chance to!" Ruby said, but Yang's attention had already shifted back to the newcomers.
"So, Onewa and Whenua, is it? Your names sound pretty similar. Are you guys brothers or something?" She asked.
"We're not brothers, just friends. Have you seen anyone named Matau or Nuju, by any chance?"
"Are they friends of yours?"
"Yeah."
Yang's response was cut short by the sound of groaning. The four students looked around to see a blonde haired boy wearing white armor over a black hoodie begin to make gagging noises as motion sickness took hold. The boy sprinted off to find a trash can, but didn't make it in time, spraying vomit all over the floor.
"Eww, Yang, you have puke on your shoe!" Ruby screamed.
"Grossgrossgrossgrossgross!" Another nearby boy began to scream, as the boy who threw up tried to find a trash can before a second wave of vomit would exit his mouth.
"Getawayfrommegetawayfrommegetawayfromme!" Ruby continued to scream as the boy stumbled towards her.
Whenua looked up from his book, distracted by all the commotion. Spotting the vomiting boy, he walked over and smacked the boy upside the head with the history textbook. The boy took the hint and stumbled off, while Yang got the vomit off her shoe. The two girls sprinted away from the vomit puddle, while the toa walked calmly in a different direction.
A few minutes later, the airship pulled up next to the Beacon docks, and the students poured out. Whenua saw 'Vomit Boy' running out of the ship, disgorging his remaining stomach contents into a conveniently placed trash can.
Whenua scanned the crowd exiting the airship, looking for any other Toa. He soon spotted Nuju's telescoping optic, and motioned to his partner, indicating his find.
The two Toa made their way towards the area where Whenua spotted his icy teammate.
Vakama gasped in awe as he laid eyes on Beacon Academy. While it was far from being the largest structure that the Toa had ever seen, its unusual aesthetic gave it an appeal of its own. He unknowingly took Nokama's hand in his own, his teammate making no objection towards the gesture.
A nearby explosion ruined the moment.
Vakama's head spun around, seeing a white clad girl, screaming at another girl who was wearing a black skirt and a red hood. A glint showed a tiny vial of dust spinning away from the pair. It spun through the air, before landing at the feet of... Vakama stiffened in shock.
A black haired girl, wearing a black bow in her hair, picked up the vial. It was the girl from the train.
Nokama recognized her as well, judging by her short gasp. They watched the girl walk towards the white and red pair, carrying the vial in her hand. Vakama activated his Kanohi Huna, its power extending to Nokama through physical contact. They walked up behind the black and white clad girl, listening in on her conversation.
"... heiress, actually. Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee dust company." Vakama's ears perked up at the mention of the company. "One of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."
"Finally! Some recognition!" The white clad girl said, smugly.
"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners." The girl in black continued, much to the the chagrin of 'Weiss'.
"What? How dare- The nerve of..." The heiress spluttered, while the smaller red clad girl giggled. Weiss snatched the vial of dust out of the black haired girl's hand before storming away.
"Are we interrupting something here?" Vakama asked, dropping the cloak. The red cloaked girl let out a startled squeak, while the black haired one turned around, gasping at the sight of the two fighters she had encountered on the train.
"Wha- What are you doing here?" The black haired girl asked, her voice taking on a much higher, more panicked tone.
"We just wanted to talk." Nokama replied, steering Blake away from the other girl. Her voice was pleasant on the surface, but held a hidden edge.
After checking for anyone listening in, the black haired girl spoke.
"If this is about the White Fang, I am no longer affiliated with them."
"I don't care about your affiliation. What I care about is the fact that you almost killed my partner." Nokama replied, steel creeping into her voice.
"Why do you think I left? I joined the White Fang back when it was a peaceful organization, dedicated to bringing equality between Faunus and Humanity! I left because I didn't want to use my skills for needless bloodshed any longer."
"Judging by your skill, that was not your first time seeing combat. Why did you only leave now?" Vakama asked.
"I have never killed anyone. I did not like how the White Fang was stealing from and attacking companies that treated Faunus poorly, but it got results, so I went along with it. However, when Adam, my oldest friend in the organization, asked me to kill you, I decided that I had enough. We get nothing but hatred if we stoop to the level of the monsters our enemies think we are." Blake replied.
"You still didn't answer my question. Why are you here, at Beacon?" Nokama asked.
"I guess that I wanted to atone for what I did. I want to put my skills to good use by becoming a huntress."
"Hey fire-spitter!" The voice interjected into the conversation. Vakama looked around for the source, spying a green haired, red eyed boy wearing a brown, open vest over a green shirt.
"Matau? Is that you?" Vakama asked.
"The one and only!" The Toa of Air zipped over, a white haired boy with a telescoping optic replacing one of his eyes following close by.
"It's good to see you two again!" Vakama said as Nuju, dressed in a white overcoat, walked over, arms crossed.
"Likewise." Nuju replied curtly.
"What about us?" Another voice sounded out from nearby.
"Onewa?' Nokama asked.
"Whenua's here too." Onewa replied.
The six Toa Metru gathered in a circle, exchanging greetings. Then, as one, their fists all came together.
"It's good to have you all back." Vakama said.
"Likewise!" Onewa said. Blake and Ruby watched the events unfold, confusion apparent on their faces. Nuju caught sight of the two.
"Ruby I know, but who's the other one?" He asked.
"Oh, she's Blake. Nokama and I had a... run in with her shortly after we arrived." Vakama replied.
"I don't want to ruin the moment, but shouldn't we be going somewhere?" Blake asked the group.
"She's right. We can save the reunion party for after the induction ceremony." Nokama said.
Slowly, the group proceeded into an auditorium. It was already filling up, with new students walking in every second.
"Ruby! Here! I saved you a spot!" Yang's voice rang out, drawing Ruby away from the group. Blake drifted away shortly afterward. The Toa sat down two rows behind where Ruby was being confronted by a certain white clad heiress. After a few seconds of continuous speech on the girl's part, Nuju's optic began to twitch.
"Matau, cyclone." The Toa of Ice growled to the green haired boy next to him.
Two rows ahead of him, Weiss Schnee yelped as a particularly powerful gust of wind sent her flying several feet into the air. She faceplanted in the spot where she was standing earlier several seconds later.
The squeak of a microphone stopped the surrounding students from laughing. Professor Ozpin cleared his voice.
"I'll... keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft, and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your lives to the protection of the people. But I look among you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose and direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."
The professor stepped away from the microphone, while Glynda took his place.
"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." The huntress said, simply, before walking away.
"Is it just me, or did the man seem a little... detached from reality?" Whenua asked.
"That he did. It's probably because he's given the same speech many times before. Trust me, I've done the same back in Ga-metru, and Mata Nui knows I've become slightly detached over the years." Nokama said.
"You look-seem just fine to me, Water-sister." Matau said.
"You know what I mean, Matau." Nokama replied.
The students left the room, heading their separate ways. The Toa proceeded to the locker room, where they would store their weapons when they were not in use. It felt strange, relinquishing the weapons that the Toa had kept by their side ever since they first picked them up in the Great Temple. Nonetheless, they still placed their weapons in their lockers.
About an hour later, dinner was served. It garnered different reactions from each Toa. Vakama and Nokama stared at it as if it were par for the course, Onewa and Whenua, on the other hand, stared at it with eager anticipation, although Whenua made an attempt to keep himself composed. Nuju looked at it with detached interest, while Matau was testing out the aerodynamic properties of some of the fruit present, hurling tomatoes at Yang, who managed to catch them all in her mouth regardless of how hard Matau attempted to curve them with air manipulation.
"Would you all stop staring at your food and just eat? It's kinda freaking me out." A certain scraggly haired blonde boy who was sitting at the same table said.
"Yeah, whatever. Just try not to throw your meal up all over us, Vomit boy." Onewa replied.
"Hey, my name's Jaune Arc, not vomit boy, and I only threw up because of motion sickness, which is not a problem here!" Jaune Arc replied.
"So how are you finding Beacon, Jaune?" Vakama asked.
"I don't know, it's just so much for me to take in, ya know? I mean, I don't really know anyone here all that well, what with none of my old friends being here."
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll make new friends here." Nokama said.
"Yeah. After all, my mother always said that strangers are just friends you haven't met yet, and this school is full of strangers."
"Hey, do you mind if we sit here?" A new voice cut into the conversation. Vakama turned to see a group of three students, two girls and a boy, each carrying a tray of food.
"Feel free. There's plenty of room after all." The Toa of fire replied.
"Thanks. I'm Tigris, by the way. Tigris Black." The boy, who had a pair of thin orange stripes in his hair, said.
"Pleasure to meet you." Onewa said.
"What are your names?" Nokama asked the two girls.
"I'm Layla and she's Robyn." Layla, the taller of the two girls, said. Both girls, however, were rather short, and Vakama noticed that Robyn had black feathers mixed in with her hair.
"Did you three know each other before coming to Beacon?" Whenua asked.
"Yeah, Robyn's my sister, and we know Layla from our time at Flagstaff academy." Tigris answered.
"Are those feathers in Robyn's hair?" Nuju asked.
"Yeah, Tigris and I are faunus. I'm surprised that you guys haven't made any comments regarding that fact." Robyn said.
"Were we supposed to? I mean, faunus are people just like us, after all. Just because you have differently shaped ears or a tail doesn't make you lesser beings or anything." Jaune said.
"Unfortunately, the rest of the world doesn't seem to see it that way. I wish it were so, but most humans seem to think of us as little more than animals, and the White Fang does nothing to disprove the stereotype." Tigris replied.
"Nokama and I had a run-in with the White Fang while on a train on business. Their intentions are noble, but their methods of carrying them out are counter-productive." Vakama said.
"I knew I recognized you two from somewhere! You two were the ones that caught Adam Taurus! Your pictures were all over the news for a couple of days!" Layla piped up.
"That was you? Damn, you two must be good fighters to even have stood a chance against him! Where did you get your skills?" Tigris asked.
"The six of us all trained at Spotlight Academy. That's how we all know each other." Nokama said, remembering the falsified transcripts that Ozpin had given to them.
"Spotlight? Never heard of it, but it must be good." Robyn said.
"So what do you guys know about initiation? I heard that you have to wrestle Ursi, but my sources aren't all that reliable." Layla asked.
"You're wrong. I read the school handbook that they gave out after the speech, and it's not that." Whenua replied.
"School handbook?" Everyone else at the table asked at once.
"Yeah, Goodwitch gave it out after she finished speaking. Apparently, they drop you into the Emerald Forest to recover relics. It mentioned something about a 'landing strategy', which I assume is the method you use to slow your fall, as the handbook mentioned nothing about parachutes." Whenua replied. Jaune noticeably gulped.
"So, how are we dropped?" He asked.
"It says something about a cannon." Nuju deadpanned, having used his optic to scan the book. Apparently the prosthetic possessed its own form of X-ray vision in this universe.
"WHAT?" Everyone at the table shouted, drawing a few odd looks.
"He's joking. It's actually a catapult." Whenua replied.
"Not funny." Jaune said.
"No, really. You are catapulted into the forest via a spring loaded plate." Whenua said. Jaune groaned.
"What am I supposed to do, then? All I've got is a hand-me-down sword and shield! I never trained for this!"
"That's what friends are for. I'm sure Vakama could catch you, his disc launcher does double as a jetpack after all, and Matau can manipulate air currents, so he could slow your fall." Nokama said.
"Thanks for the offer, but I don't want to force myself into a possible partnership with you and drag you guys down with me." Jaune replied.
"Jaune! Don't put yourself down so much, you remind me of Vakama back in the day! You're at this school because the instructors obviously thought that you had what it takes to succeed here. If you weren't able to complete the test, you wouldn't be sitting here, talking to me, period. Now lift up your chin, and take pride in the fact that you are here at this academy!" Nokama said. Jaune did exactly as she said, a smile slowly forming on his face. Only Nuju caught the brief flash of guilt that came before the smile.
Soon, dinner ended and the students went their separate ways once more.
After the sun set, the Beacon initiates gathered in the ballroom, carrying various bits of sleeping equipment. Vakama and Nokama had already changed into a pair of red pajamas and a light blue nightgown respectively. Nuju and Matau had their own sets of night clothes, but Onewa and Whenua did not. Thankfully, Nokama had bought some spares for herself and Vakama, and had generously given them to the two Toa in need. Whenua had begrudgingly accepted Nokama's spare, although the glowing pendant around Onewa's neck may have had something to do with that decision. He put on the grey nightgown in a dark corner before quickly hiding himself in his sleeping bag. Unfortunately for him, a certain blonde girl had already taken several pictures of him with her scroll.
Matau had flown up to the ceiling of the room, stringing up his bedroll to form a crude hammock in the rafters. His motivation for doing so was revealed shortly afterwards as various fruits began to fly down from said hammock with near perfect accuracy.
Nokama watched several boys attempt to show off their rather inadequate musculature with disinterest. The monotony of the scene was broken by Jaune Arc walking across the room, wearing a set of pajamas that Nokama had only ever seen in the little kids' section of the stores she had visited.
The boy winked a Yang, who was lying on a bedroll a few feet away from her. Just as Jaune was walking away though, a banana flew down from above with near perfect accuracy, sending the blonde haired boy sprawling.
Nokama looked up to see Matau's grinning face leaning out of the hammock that he had strung up. Said face was hit by a pillow shortly afterward, courtesy of a student with a particularly good throwing arm.
As this was Beacon, the situation quickly devolved into a free-for-all pillow crossfire.
Nuju had been the one who threw the pillow, and that had made him a target in the rapidly escalating conflict. Several fluffy pillows flew towards him, each one unique in its own way. Activating his Kanohi Matatu, he telekinetically stopped each and every one of the soft projectiles, the pillows hovering in the air around him. Then, they all flew outward simultaneously, knocking everyone around him off their feet, including a certain invisible Toa of Fire.
Nuju looked across the room, spotting Onewa building himself a fort using his enemies' ammunition. Nuju also noted that the Toa of Stone had torn up the floorboards in his sleeping space, using the planks to build a makeshift catapult. The Toa of Ice sprinted towards the fortification, hunkering down next to his stone counterpart. Just then, the Toa of Stone fired his contraption, sending a veritable tide of pillows at those that would besiege fort... did the pillow fort even have a name?
Nuju continued pondering that particular great thought as he used his telekinesis to stop incoming fire, redirecting incoming pillows at the enemy.
Suddenly, with a loud 'SMACK!', a pillow hit him in the back of the head, sending Nuju to the ground. The Ice toa looked around for the source, only to see a grinning Vakama raising the fluffy weapon for another strike. That was when Nuju dropped the telekinetic field protecting the fort, causing a storm of pillows to slam into the startled fire toa. Vakama fell into the catapult, just as Onewa fired it once again. The fire toa was sent flying across the room, right towards a certain golden haired girl. Yang deflected two incoming pillows with powerful punches, raising her leg for a kick just as Vakama came into range.
The blow hitting him in the stomach, Vakama flew back towards the fort he had just been ejected from, slamming into the catapult. The result was an explosion of pillows and broken planks flying everywhere. Vakama groaned, before succumbing to the embrace of unconsciousness. He missed the battle's stunning conclusion.
A boy wearing a green tailcoat with a stripe of pink in his hair was caught in crossfire, a telekinetically redirected pillow waking him from his slumber. A red haired girl sleeping next to him suddenly stood up, rage apparent on her face.
"NOBODY HITS MY REN WITH A PILLOW BUT ME!" The girl screamed, as the boy, Ren, groaned and tried unsuccessfully to fall back asleep. The girl leaped towards Onewa and Nuju's pillow fort, only to take a cat-shaped pillow while in transit. Getting up from the ground, she looked around for the thrower. Her eyes fell on Ruby and narrowed in rage while Ruby smiled sheepishly.
Needless to say, Ruby wouldn't be getting up for the rest of the night.
Finishing with her first victim, Nora Valkyrie raised her weapon, a giant sloth shaped plushie, and charged the pillow fort. Said fort was now occupied by a whole lot more people than just the Toa of ice and stone. Spinning the stuffed sloth, Nora deflected the hail of pillows that were desperately thrown at her.
"BOW BEFORE QUEEN NORA! I'M QUEEN OF THE CASTLE NOW!" Nora cackled as she leaped into the air, slamming down into the middle of the fort, sending pillows, students, and catapult remains flying. Most students were knocked out by the impact with the floor. The remaining few, Nuju and Onewa included, shakily rose for one final stand. At least, it would have been an epic final stand if it weren't for a pillow to slam into Nora from above, knocking her out.
"You may be the Queen, but I'm the true king!" Matau shouted triumphantly, before several telekinetically thrown pillows smacked into him and his exposed hammock. With Matau dealt with, the remaining students laid down their weapons and either collapsed from exhaustion or stumbled back to their beds.
In her chair at the edge of the room, Blake looked up from her book.
"Oh..." Was all that she could say as she beheld the scene before her. She turned and blew out the candles next to her, walking over to her bedroll.
Glynda Goodwitch was not at all pleased when she later walked into the room to ensure the students had fallen asleep.
A/N: It's a much shorter chapter this time around, as there wasn't as much to fit in this time around. Originally, I planned to combine this one with initiation, but it would have taken forever to get ready and I have other fics to update as well.
Next chapter will be composed of Initiation, team formation, and will introduce another character brought in from the Bionicleverse. Specifically a dark hunter. No more information will be given out about her.
In addition, one OC from each of the Toas' future teams has been introduced. Namely Tigris, Layla, and Robyn. Weapon-wise, I've already decided on their loadouts, and their weapons will be revealed next chapter. Hopefully my imagination didn't fail me when I was dreaming them up.
Enjoy the new chapter. Nora commands you!