Here is the new chapter, I don't know if it is any good, but that's not new, I saw the new developments in the latest episode of RWBY, I'll need to think about how the plot can be incorporated without derailing the story, I did say I wouldn't necessarily follow cannon after episode 14, but I don't want to just ignore this…those who have watched episode 15 know what I'm talking about, those who haven't: go watch the episode.
RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, Pokémon belongs to Nintendo.
Chapter 2: What did I see?
Team RWBY had made it back to Beacon without much difficulty; they only ran into an ursa, which wasn't very hard to kill with all four of them. Now they were all in Professor Ozpin's office as the headmaster looked over the herbs.
"Excellent work Team RWBY," Ozpin complimented before taking a small sip from his coffee mug. "Though the time it took you to find them was longer than expected, you also brought back far more than we were expecting."
"We would've finished sooner if Ruby hadn't-" Weiss began but was cut off by Blake elbowing her.
"If she hadn't, we wouldn't have found the herbs when we did," Blake whispered to Weiss. She didn't look happy about being elbowed by her teammate. But decided not to make a fuss about it; mentally conceding that Blake was correct.
"Hard to believe they were all underneath one tree," Yang whispered to her teammates. Blake and Weiss both nodded in agreement, but Ruby seemed to be lost in thought.
"Well, that is all that needs to be said. You've all done well. You may retire until your next class," Ozpin stated. Yang, Blake, and Weiss nodded in understanding, but Ruby was still not paying attention to what was being said; something which Ozpin took notice of. "Except for Miss. Rose," hearing her name spoken by the headmaster caused Ruby to snap out of whatever trance she was in.
"Wait, what?" Ruby questioned, suddenly regretting not listening to what was being said. She noted that her team mates were all giving her different looks: Yang had a look of worry, Weiss just looked annoyed, and Blake was…sort of hard to read, but Ruby was sure she could detect some sympathy from her.
"I would like to have a word with you," Ozpin said to Ruby, with his usual neutral expression on his face. Ruby felt very nervous under Ozpin's gaze. "Alone," Ozpin added, glancing at the other three members of Team RWBY. The three got the hint and turned to leave, with Yang giving her sister an assuring look before exiting the room. Ruby watched her team leave before turning back to Beacon's headmaster.
"Tell me Ruby, is something bothering you?" Ozpin questioned. Ruby was surprised by his concern, having expected a scolding for not paying attention. Ruby took a deep breath before answering.
"Yes, err, I mean no, I mean," Ruby sighed as she tried to get her thoughts straight. "I'm sorry sir, I've just got something on my mind," Ruby said. Ozpin nodded before going behind his desk and sitting down on his chair.
"Is this something you would like to talk about?" Ozpin asked. Ruby thought about that question. At first she wanted to say no, but perhaps Ozpin would have some answers for her. He was the headmaster of Beacon; surely he must have known a lot about grimm.
"Well…do you think that it could be possible for a grimm to be able to use aura?" Ruby questioned quietly, but Ozpin was able to hear it. He just looked at her for a few moments, seemingly in thought, before he finally gave a response.
"…Ruby, you do realize what you are asking, correct? If a grimm were able to use aura, it would need a soul; something the creatures of grimm do not posses," Ozpin said. Ruby was disappointed that Ozpin had simply repeated what she had already been told instead of giving her some kind of new info.
"But…maybe it could be possible," Ruby muttered. Ozpin could tell that it was more than simple curiosity that had caused Ruby to ask this question, and her response to his answer all but confirmed it.
"I know and have seen many things Ruby, but I do not know everything. The world has many mysteries yet to be revealed. If you find something that no one can give you an answer to, perhaps you should be the one to find the answer yourself," Ozpin stated wisely. Ruby wasn't sure what to say in response to that. She simply nodded and left the room, feeling more confused than before; thoughts of that strange, blue eyed beowolf still fresh in her mind.
Aura…
Aura…
The power of aura!
Ash didn't know what he was feeling. Aura, that was all he could think about. That word meant something, but what? Ash continued to wander around, all while thinking about his current predicament. He had seen people, but did that mean there was civilization nearby? They could have been as lost as he was. He really hoped he didn't cause them too much trouble by taking one of those sandwiches.
Then again, what kind of person attacks wild pokémon with a mechanical scythe? Or whatever that was. It didn't even seem like something that Team Rocket would try. And the way she looked at him when she first saw him; like attacking him on her own-hunting him-was the most natural thing in the world to her. That didn't sit well with Ash. Just where was he? Was he even in Hoenn anymore!?
Ash stopped moving for a moment and took a look at the sky; it was clear and would be a while before nightfall, but he wasn't sure what to do. He was honestly surprised that one sandwich he took was keeping him going. He guessed that maybe this pokémon that he had become-a beowolf-might have been able to go longer without food than a human could.
A growl caught Ash's attention. Ash looked at the source and had to step back as he was approached by a large creature; another pokémon he had never seen before. Ash noted it shared many similarities in body structure with an ursaring, but it was covered in black fur, with jagged bone-like spines sprouting from its back. It also had what looked like a white mask over its face, with red markings; a very similar one to that of the beowolves'. In fact Ash could see a lot of similarities between his current form and the form of this new creature.
These thoughts were cut short by a roar and a quick swipe from the large pokémon's paw. Ash didn't have time to dodge and was knocked right into a tree. He groaned, which sounded more like a weak growl, before looking up at the growling beast that now towered over him. It looked at him in a way that told Ash it wanted to murder him. A second strike came, but this time Ash was able to dodge, which resulted in the wild beast's claws getting stuck in the bark of the tree. Ash felt some relief but knew he had to move.
The ursaring-like pokémon easily pulled its claws from the tree and glared at Ash with the same eyes that the beowolves had: red that lightened to orange, and then yellow as it got to the center of the eye. They looked menacing and Ash could see nothing in them but mindless killing intent. What kind of pokémon was this?
"It's not a pokémon."
Ash nearly stopped when he heard the strange voice echo throughout his…mind? No it didn't quite feel like his mind, but the voice had come from somewhere. Ash didn't have much time to focus on this though as he was once again attacked by the raging pokémon. It took another swipe, but Ash dodged before jumping over it and attempting to run away, only for it to chase after him.
"It's not a pokémon, and neither are you."
There was that voice again, and this time it was clearer. Ash could make out that it was a male voice, older than him, probably an adult. The message was also clear, but Ash didn't understand. How could his current form and the one he was facing not be pokémon? What else could they possibly be? Ash didn't ponder this for long. It didn't matter what they were. Right now what mattered was getting away before this thing killed him. Despite his attempts to get away, Ash soon found himself cornered at a large cliff. He turned back and saw the beast approaching him. Seeing no other choice, Ash rushed forward to jump over it again, but this time he was knocked back into the hard stone of the cliff.
Ash managed to pull himself back up. This wasn't good. It seems he wouldn't be able to pull that off again unless he could catch the creature off guard. What was he supposed to do?
"Don't hold back, harness your aura."
There was that word again: aura. He knew it meant something, but he couldn't remember! But still, that voice gave Ash some confidence. He glared at the creature he was facing. It growled, and Ash growled back. The creature charged, and Ash held out his hands, stopping the beast right in its tracks. His claws gripped the creature as hard as he could, and was now pushing it back; his hands glowing blue as he did, and with one strong shove, Ash pushed it to the ground.
The creature looked up and into Ash's blue eyes, and Ash looked back into its red ones and saw…nothing. Ash didn't know how to explain it, but past the general look of anger, and desire to kill, there was just nothing. But Ash didn't dwell on this. He let his instincts guide his actions as he held his arms back and an orb of blue energy formed between his palms. With a quick thrust of his hands, the orb launched forward and struck the ursaring-like beast right in the head.
Ash just stood there for a few moments, breathing heavily. He gently tapped the head of the now unconscious creature and took a quick step back, in case it wasn't as out as it seemed. But the creature made no move to get up; its only motion was its slow breathing.
Ash gave a relieved sigh. He was glad that was over, but what was that voice he had heard? It sounded slightly familiar, but he couldn't identify it. And what was that thing he had done to make that orb? Was that some sort of attack?
Ash's ears perked up as they picked up the sounds of many creatures moving amongst the trees. Deciding that it would be a good idea to leave, Ash quickly ran off, hoping he could find some way out of this forest soon, and away from these creatures.
Ruby gave a bored sigh as she exited Prof. Port's class and started heading to the mess hall. Alongside her were her teammates and other friends: Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren; team JNPR. While Ruby was normally bored by Prof. Port's lectures, she had thought that of all classes, grimm studies would be the one to get answers from, but she had decided not to ask. She heard nothing interesting from what she could pick up on the lecture on 'how to properly decapitate an ursa' or whatever. She was sure if she asked she would just get the same 'grimm can't use aura, they have no souls' stuff she heard from both her team, and Prof. Ozpin.
Ruby didn't know what to think. She was told what she saw was impossible, but she couldn't just forget it. What she felt wasn't something that could be described, but she knew it was aura. These thoughts continued to plague Ruby, even as she sat down at teams RWBY and JNPR's shared lunch table and began to silently nibble on a burger.
"Ruby!" Yang's voice suddenly cut through Ruby's train of thought and she looked over at her sister who had a concerned look.
"Um…Yang?" Ruby questioned. She noticed that all the other occupants of the table were giving her looks that either conveyed concern, confusion, or both.
"Don't you 'um Yang' me. We have been trying to get your attention for like ten minutes, and you were just sitting there with that creepy, blank look on your face!" Yang's outburst made Ruby feel slightly guilty. She didn't mean to worry her friends, or sister.
"I'm sorry, it's just…that beowolf," Ruby said with a sigh. Yang, Weiss and Blake immediately understood exactly what Ruby was referring to. The members of team JNPR on the other hand did not understand what Ruby meant.
"Why would a beowolf get you like this? You can take down those guys easily," Jaune reasoned. Ruby didn't know what to say in response, but didn't get much of a chance to before Nora decided to jump into the conversation.
"Oh I know! It got her with a sneak attack and she never got proper revenge, so now she can't stop thinking about it!" Nora exclaimed while pointing at Ruby. Ruby frowned at this idea and tried to counter Nora's claim, but Nora decided to speak up again before she could. "No wait, that doesn't sound right! It must have been this crazy different colored beowolf, like there's only a one in eight thousand one hundred and ninety two chance of it being that different color! So since you saw it and it got away you need to-"
"Nora, I really doubt that's it. Where do you even come up with this stuff?" Ren questioned with a bit of a sigh at his friend's wild ideas. "Perhaps she was just overwhelmed," he suggested. Ruby tried to speak but was interrupted by Weiss.
"That's not it," the white haired girl stated calmly. "Ruby tried to fight this one beowolf, and it ran off. She thinks it used aura," Weiss's explanation came off as slightly condescending to Ruby. Though she knew her claim came off as impossible to those who didn't see or feel what she did, it still irritated Ruby that her team did not believe her.
"A beowolf used aura!?" Jaune exclaimed in shock, dropping his burger back onto his tray.
"No Jaune, Weiss said she thought it used aura, that would be impossible," Pyrrha corrected her team leader while picking at a gelatin-like substance on her tray with a spoon.
"Yes, I'm sure Ruby was just confused by the strange behavior of the beowolf. That was probably caused by it being without a pack for some reason," Blake stated. A banging sound caught the attention of the table's occupants. They looked at an irritated Ruby who had slammed her fists on the table.
"Could you all stop talking about me as if I was not here?!" Ruby exclaimed while glaring at her friends, who all looked somewhat nervous under her gaze. "I know what I saw isn't exactly normal, but you guys weren't there! I know I wasn't mistaken!" Ruby's voice was filled with certainty, despite the fact that in reality she really wasn't sure what she saw.
"But…Ruby, it's impossible," Yang said while putting her hand on Ruby's shoulder. Ruby's head visibly drooped.
"I know…but…it just…uhg!" Ruby threw her hands up before getting out of her seat and walking away while her friends watched with concern, none of them sure what to say, if anything.
"She sure seemed upset," Jaune voiced his concerns after Ruby had left the mess hall.
"Don't push it. She looked like she had a lot to think about, and people telling her she's wrong isn't going to help her," Ren stated. Yang felt like she should have gone after Ruby, but had to agree with Ren's reasoning. There wasn't really much she could do to help Ruby feel better about this right now, not without lying herself. She just hoped that this would not escalate and that Ruby would forget about this soon.
Ruby laid in the top of the makeshift bunk beds she and Weiss shared, her eyes wide open. The remainder of the day had not been well for Ruby, or her friends. Occasionally one of them had tried to talk to her, but she dodged them each time. Ruby did not feel like talking. Not when her own feelings on this matter had not yet been solved.
Getting out of the bed, Ruby looked at her teammates, all sound asleep, before looking out the window. She didn't know why, but she felt like she needed to do something. She needed some kind of closure, or else she would never be able to move past what had happened back in the Emerald forest with that beowolf. She looked down at her pajamas' crude depiction of a beowolf. There was no way she could ignore this. She made a decision. She grabbed her cloak, and stepped out the door.
"This is something no one can give me the answer to," Ruby stated, remembering what Ozpin had told her earlier. She grabbed Crescent Rose on her way out the door. She made her way through the halls and eventually outside and into the courtyard. She looked at the statue that had a clear depiction of a beowolf before looking in the direction of the Emerald forest. "If I want answers, I need to find them myself."
Ash ran through the dark forest. Sounds could be heard coming from every corner. He desperately wanted to stop and sleep, but nowhere was safe. He was only kept going by that blue energy that filled him, but Ash knew that eventually, even that would fail him.
"You are wasteful with your aura. You must learn to utilize it properly."
Ash growled at the strange voice. It kept doing that to him: it would just come out of nowhere and make some comment that Ash didn't understand, and then remain silent. Ash really wished he could still talk, if for no other reason then so he could just scream at that voice to tell him what the heck it was talking about.
Ash stopped for a moment and looked up at the full moon. A feeling filled Ash before he let loose a howl filled with all his frustrations. His howl was met by many others. Ash's glowing blue eyes widened as he soon found himself in the familiar position of being surrounded by other beowolves. Ash looked from one snarling face to the next; there was nothing to distinguish them. Knowing he couldn't run, he gave a growl as he prepared to fight.
Well that's that, review if you want, constructive criticism is helpful, and I am not offended by it.
I do know several areas where I need to improve, I could probably stand to expose some of the characters other than Ash and Ruby, and I feel like I may be having trouble with that.
Also, for those who may have noticed that the only grimm have been beowolves and ursas, don't worry, that will not last, I even have a plan for Ash to fight a Boarbatusk(flashbacks will happen) how, why, and when is yet to be seen.
Ok, see you next time.