Ok, a new chapter is here. I will just say this, I'm sorry if it has been a longer wait than usual but you must all remember that I do not update by a schedule. I try to get it done quickly but I also don't rush myself. I hope to be able to update my other stories soon since they have been pretty neglected in favor of this one lately.
Note that there is reference to Ash's age in this chapter and it contradicts the show stating that Ash is still ten. I have a headcannon on Ash's age and I ignore that comment at the beginning of unova, so please don't try to correct me on that.
I once again want to thank my beta reader sagitarius for helping me with my grammer, punctuation, sentence structure, and really anything that needs work.
Pokemon is owned by Nintendio while RWBY is property of Rooster Teeth.
Chapter 6: True Identity
Ash blinked as he looked around. There was nothing but darkness, no matter which direction he looked.
"Where am I?" Ash questioned. He was silent for a moment before he realized he had spoken. "I can talk again?" he questioned. He looked down at himself and was surprised to see he was human again. The trainer felt a strange mixture of happiness and confusion at this seemingly sudden change.
"Why?" Ash heard a deep voice question with sadness. He looked over to see a large crystal in the middle of the darkness with a blue, bipedal pokémon that he had never seen before kneeling in front of it with a look of sadness on its dog-like face. "Why didn't you let me help you?" The pokémon cried silently.
"Ash…" A sad voice took Ash's attention away from the new pokémon and he stared at the yellow creature that was crying a few feet away.
"Pikachu?" Ash questioned as he approached the electric mouse pokémon.
"Why did you have to go and do something so stupid?" Pikachu whimpered as tears fell from his eyes.
"Pikachu what are you talking about? What did I do?" Ash questioned. He tried to reach for his weeping starter pokémon. But when his hands reached him, they simply went through him. "What? What's going on?" Ash questioned as he tried to reach Pikachu again, but was still unable to touch him.
"You seem to be having a hard time understanding your situation," Ash heard what sounded like a deeper, distorted version of his own voice. He turned to find a beowolf standing nearby, staring at him with its glowing, orange eyes. Ash stared. The creature's body was somewhat hard to make out in the darkness of the place they were in, but he was still able to see what he felt for sure was a smirk.
"…Who are you?" Ash questioned. The beowolf's expression shifted and Ash felt sure that its smirk grew wider at his question before it responded.
"Who I am should be obvious. But since you don't seem to understand you can call me…Nash," The beowolf said before approaching him. Ash looked up at the beowolf that was now staring him down before it spoke again. "Let's talk."
"Talk?" Ash questioned suspiciously. His experience with beowolves had not exactly been positive so far, though none of them had been able to talk.
"Yes. I'm quite disappointed with you to be honest," Nash said as he circled the wary pokémon trainer. "If only you hadn't been so foolhardy. Maybe I would have actually had a chance," Nash's words only confused Ash. He didn't have any idea what this creature was talking about. "On the other hand, if you hadn't gone and done that, I would most likely be just another mindless beast; so I suppose I should thank you. But still couldn't you have used up just a bit more aura when you were fighting those humans so that I could have the pleasure of ripping them apart?" The mental image brought on by Nash's question almost made Ash sick. But something that the talking beowolf had said did catch his attention.
"What do you mean by that? Who are you?" Ash asked, trying to keep his cool in the face of Nash's infuriating smirk. Nash chuckled in a knowing way before settling back to smirking at Ash.
"It's actually very simple Ash," Nash said as he got closer to Ash until the two were mere inches from each other. Nash's demeanor suddenly changed from that of a smirking jokester to a cold intimidator. "I'm what should have happened when you died," Ash felt shivers run down his spine at Nash's voice and words.
"What do you mean by that?" Ash questioned shakily. Nash stared into Ash's brown eyes with dead, orange ones before he silently began to back off. Ash managed to regain his composure and began calling after the retreating beowolf. "Hey! I asked you a question! Answer me!" Ash's calls fell on deaf ears as Nash faded into the darkness.
"Sometimes to save others, there are prices we must pay," Spoke the voice that Ash had been hearing since he had become a beowolf. He looked to see the blue, glowing silhouette of what appeared to be a man with spiky hair, under a hat and a cape draped over his back. Ash was about to question the silhouette when suddenly, its form began to shift changing into that of a massive bird that let out a loud screech.
"I thought you guys weren't sure about helping Ash," Ruby said as she looked over Ash's unconscious form.
"I admit we were feeling a bit conflicted at first but…" Yang glanced over at Blake and Weiss with a smile. Weiss looked away while Blake gave her own smile.
"You are our leader and we trust your judgment. If you say this beowolf is different, then we believe you," Blake explained. Ruby caught a glance of a smile on Weiss' face and couldn't help but smile herself.
"Don't forget us," Jaune jumped into the conversation. "You may not be a part of our team. But you are our friend and we trust you as well," The rest of team JNPR nodded in agreement with their leader's statement.
"Our teams are a team!" Nora chimed in while Ren and Pyrrha had their attention on the-now stirring-beowolf.
"I do believe our new friend is waking up," Ren commented while Pyrrha walked over to look at Ash. She was very curious about this creature that had done what she had thought for the longest time was impossible.
"My head…" Ash mentally groaned as he regained consciousness. "What was that dream? I can't remember…"
"You're awake," Ruby's voice startled Ash before he looked up to see the fifteen year old girl looking over him with a small smile. He made a grunting noise as he pulled himself to his feet and looked at the people all around him. Ash and Ruby stared at each other for a moment before Ruby frowned and lightly clonked Ash on the head. The other hunters-in training winced and eyed Ash carefully-as if they expected him to turn feral on them-but, to their surprise(and relief) the beowolf simply rubbed its head and made a bit of a whimpering sound. "That's for worrying me! What were you thinking? Trying to take on Team CRDL with that low aura reserves?" The group of seven watched in astonishment as Ruby scolded a beowolf like one would a small child.
"Well…it didn't really take long for his aura to recharge…" Pyrrha said after getting over the shock of what had just occurred. Ash eyed the red haired huntress cautiously before walking behind Ruby. "Hey, don't worry. I won't hurt you," Pyrrha said calmly as Ash watched her from behind Ruby. Ruby sighed before moving aside.
"Really Ash, my friends don't want to hurt you," Ruby said before gesturing towards her friends with a smile. Ash stared at them as they stared back at him. Deciding that he was done being scared, he took the initiative and approached Pyrrha.
"See, no problems," Pyrrha said before she petted Ash's head. Ash felt slightly annoyed at being petted but accepted the contact.
"I almost can't believe it…" Jaune said before he cautiously walked over to his teammate. Pyrrha stopped petting Ash and backed off a bit when Jaune approached Ash. The two looked at each other for a moment before Jaune spoke. "So um…sorry about that whole mess back in the hall…" Jaune apologized somewhat awkwardly. Jaune felt intimidated by the gaze Ash was giving him, but calmed when the beowolf's facial expression seemed to soften and it patted him on the shoulder.
Ash had decided he didn't need to fear these people. Ruby was aggressive towards him at their first meeting and he had ended up being friends with her. Besides he was in a strange place, in a body that was not his own, or even human-or pokémon. He probably could use all the help he could get.
"Ok, everything's forgiven. We're all friends. Happy sappy-blah blah blah-Aren't we forgetting one little important detail?" Weiss questioned in an expecting tone-which was only met by blank stares. Weiss sighed in annoyance before continuing. "Tell me Ruby. What exactly do you plan to do now?" Weiss questioned her team leader.
"What I was planning to do originally. Get Ash some food," Ruby answered enthusiastically. Ash gave a howl of approval-in all this excitement he had almost forgotten how hungry he was. Weiss did not look satisfied with Ruby's answer.
"Ok, fine. Feeding him is one thing. But what do you plan to do after that?" Weiss asked critically. Ruby looked unsure of how to respond to Weiss' question.
"…Ruby, what were you planning to do with him?" Blake suddenly asked. All eyes fell on Ruby who looked a little nervous as she prepared to answer.
"Well…I guess I didn't think about it too hard…" Ruby said as she tried to think of an answer. "…He can stay with us!" Ruby suddenly exclaimed excitedly. Ash looked surprised at Ruby's declaration while Weiss on the other hand looked rather unhappy.
"Oh yeah, great idea: Keeping a pet beowolf-how about absolutely not!" Weiss exclaimed before she began continued. "Even if it is a special beowolf with a soul or whatever, we still don't know if it's dangerous or not! Also not to mention how much trouble we'll get into if we're found out!" Weiss finished her rant with a deep breath as she tried to calm herself down. Weiss noticed Ruby was frowning.
"We won't have a pet beowolf," Ruby stated. For a moment Weiss thought she had gotten through to Ruby-until she continued. "We will have a friend. Ash is intelligent. Once I find a pencil and some paper you'll see," Ruby insisted. Weiss still didn't seem to agree with Ruby's sentiments.
"It's a horrible idea Ruby. Come on guys, back me up!" Weiss called to her friends and teammates only to see Yang and Nora petting an annoyed looking beowolf while Jaune, Blake, Ren, and Pyrrha watched in amusement-Weiss' eye twitched.
"Come on Weiss lighten up, he's like a puppy," Yang laughed-Ash did not like being called a puppy, but since he couldn't talk there wasn't much he could do about it.
"A puppy with razor sharp claws, fangs, and the ability to rip people to shreds," Weiss muttered under her breath.
"If this beowolf really is an intelligent being then we probably should find some way to help him," Blake said while she watched Ash pull himself away from the two girls who were petting him and hid behind Ruby-Blake held back the urge to laugh when Ash stuck his tongue out at the-now pouting-Yang and Nora.
"Everything will be fine," Ruby said before she took off her cloak and held it out to Ash. Ash looked at the cloak before hesitantly taking it and putting it over his body-wrapping it around himself to conceal his features. "There. Nobody will ever know," Ruby said confidently. Ash didn't feel as confident about this as his companion seemed to be, he looked over at Beacon and stiffened at what he saw. Ruby looked at her companions to see their reactions but was confused by their looks of fear. Before she could ask them what they were so freaked out about she found out herself-from a voice that sent a chill down her spine.
"Nobody will ever know what, Miss Rose?" Ruby slowly turned around and whimpered slightly when she saw Glynda Goodwitch, staring down at her critically.
"Why can't anything just go smoothly?" Ruby internally cried.
"Well?" Glynda questioned as she waited for Ruby's response. Ruby nearly panicked as she tried to think of a response.
"Nobody will ever know…that my friend here has acne!" Ruby blurted out. Weiss, Yang and Ren facepalmed at Ruby's response, while Jaune, Blake and Pyrrha looked concerned. Nora did not seem to be paying attention and was looking up at some birds in the sky.
"Acne?" Glynda did not sound convinced. Ruby nodded while patting Ash on the back.
"Yes, terrible acne! I loaned him my cloak so nobody would see!" Ruby insisted. Ash looked at Ruby quizzically but when he noticed the older woman's eyes on him he quickly nodded to her. Glynda glared at Ash for a moment, he felt very nervous under the gaze of the strict looking woman. He gave an internal sigh of relief when she turned her attention back to Ruby.
"Well. I have come to escort you, your team, and team JNPR to Prof. Ozpin's office, immediately," Glynda announced. This statement caused a wave of shock to wash over the group of friends.
"Why? Are we in trouble?" Jaune asked nervously. He backed up a bit when the teacher glared at him.
"If you must know there was a bit of a concern about your-supposed-recent actions that was brought to our attention. I assure you it is probably nothing but Prof. Ozpin insisted he speak with you," Glynda said explained.
"Concern? Recent actions? What do you mean?" Weiss questioned.
"Something about you defending grimm, or something," Glynda said with a roll of her eyes, the prospect was absolutely ridiculous to her. Contrarily the group of hunters(and one beowolf) were almost at the verge of freaking out.
"How did they find out!?" Was the general thought that went through the minds of the members of teams RWBY and JNPR, when they all came to the same conclusion: "CARDIN!"
"I expect you to report to Prof. Ozpin's office immediately," Glynda stated, sternly, noticing the lack of action from the thinking hunters-in training.
"Yes, we will, right away!" Ruby quickly announced. She turned to Ash and pointed towards the school. "Could you please go back to my team's room and wait for us to return?" Ash looked at the large building. He wasn't sure if he could navigate his way back to the room Ruby had left him in before. Mostly because being chased around some place wasn't the time when you would be taking note of the building's layout-not that Ash held that against Ruby's friend-but he didn't need to worry about that-or perhaps he should be worried.
"No. You're friend-who I might add I do not recognize as one of our students, even with the cloak in mind-is coming with you to meet Ozpin," Glynda's tone offered no argument.
"I just wanted something to eat!" Ash mentally lamented as he, Ruby and her friends were led towards the building by this woman who held an air of authority.
The walk to Prof. Ozpin's office was a long and silent one. All of the human members of the group wondered what exactly the headmaster of Beacon academy would say to them when they stepped before him. While Ash…Ash still wasn't sure what was happening, but a thought had come to him during the time they were following Glynda.
"If this Ozpin person is a professor, maybe he can help me. If I can just get a pencil and paper," Were Ash's more positive thoughts on the situation. Of course there were also the thoughts of being killed or imprisoned, and also the hunger that still pestered him. But the young boy turned beowolf tried to keep those thoughts at the back of his mind and remain positive.
If Ash was to be honest with himself, he would have to admit that if he didn't know how to remain positive in rough situations, he would've quit being a pokémon trainer after the first day. But here he was now. If only he knew what happened to his friends. They were together and then the staff released Luca-
"Ash!?" Ruby broke the silence when she noticed the disguised beowolf had begun to clutch his head in what seemed to be agony as his body shook.
"There was a name! Lu…Luca-I can't remember! Why can't I remember that name! Why can't I remember what happened to me!?" These thoughts coursed through Ash's mind along an erratic pain that made it impossible for him to concentrate.
"Ash what's wrong with you!?" Ruby's worried voice made it through to Ash as he tried to pull himself back to reality. He blinked as he saw the concerned face of Ruby looking right at him, before glancing over the expressions of the other members of this small group. The expressions ranged from concern to just out right confusion. It was clear that Ash's episode had also caught the attention of many of the passing students.
Glynda eyed the cloaked person called Ash. There was something not right about him-she could tell that much. But she wasn't going to try to figure him out right now-she would leave that to Ozpin. She noticed the attention the students around them were giving them and sighed.
"Move along. There's nothing to see here," Some of the students looked unsure, but decided not to question what had just happened with the cloaked person and to just keep walking. Despite the heavy tension they all felt not another word was spoken until they got to Ozpin's office.
"Teams RWBY and JNPR, please come in," Ozpin said neutrally as both teams-plus Ash-entered his office and stood before him.
"Prof. Ozpin…what is this about?" Ruby questioned, though she already had a pretty good idea what it was about. Ozpin stood up from his chair and looked over each of the people in front of him before his eyes rested upon the one he did not recognize.
"Look, sir. Whatever Cardin or his teammates said about us-"
"Calm down Miss Long," Ozpin cut off Yang's words. Yang looked like she wanted to finish what she was saying but didn't argue and took a deep breath. Ozpin's eyes returned to Ash who had noticed and grew nervous. "Who might you be?" Ozpin questioned. Ruby jumped in to answer.
"That's my friend Ash. I'm sorry that I brought him here without permission!" Ruby exclaimed frantically. She nearly did a facepalm once she realized how panicked she was-she was supposed to be making Ash's appearance lesssuspicious. The headmaster however did not seem to notice Ruby's words and continued to focus on Ash.
"Take off your hood," Ozpin said-it was not an order but a simple request.
"Wait! Prof. Ozpin that's not necessary!" Weiss tried to say-whether she trusted Ash or not she didn't want Ozpin to find out that Ruby had been harboring a beowolf.
"He's shy!" Nora blurted out. The other team members were probably going to say some things of their own but all went silent when Ash reached for his hood.
Ash wasn't sure why he was doing this. There was a good chance this man would kill him when he saw what he was. But if he was a professor-as those around him had been calling him-then he might be one of the only people who could help him. He just hoped he would give him a chance to explain-if he could even get a pencil and some paper.
Ozpin watched silently as the strange person took the hood of the cloak-which Ozpin noted belonged to Ruby-down to reveal his face. Ash took a defensive position when Ozpin's eyes widened but the man quickly held up his hands up to show he meant no harm.
"So it's true," Ozpin said with a hint of astonishment in his voice. Ruby and her friends watched nervously-except for Nora, who didn't seem very nervous-as Prof. Ozpin walked over to the now calming Ash and appeared to be inspecting him. "I didn't think it was possible. But I sense your aura," Ozpin finally said before backing away from the beowolf and going back behind his desk. A few moments passed as Ozpin took a sip from his coffee cup and the other occupants of the room simply stared at him.
"...Yes?" Ozpin finally questioned, surprising all present that he knew they wanted to ask something.
"Um…well with all due respect, sir…you don't seem very shocked by this," Weiss stated uncomfortably.
"And how would you expect me to react to this?" Ozpin's question was spoken in the same even tone that he usefully spoke in. Nobody seemed to have an answer for him so he continued. "While I don't know how this creature exists I can't deny that it is here," Ozpin stated.
Ash felt confused but also relieved. This man did not look like he intended to do him any harm. Now he just needed to get him to help with his problem. Ash opened his mouth and released a strange grumbling noise. He quickly put his hands over his mouth as Ruby and her friends stared at him oddly.
"Idiot! You can't talk!" Ash mentally berated himself. He needed to find another way to communicate here. Ash thought for a moment before he remembered how he communicated with Ruby before when they were in the forest. Ash used his claws to form a square shape before he held out one of his hands as if he wanted something. Confused stares were all around.
"What is he doing?" Ozpin asked.
"No idea…Ruby?" Yang turned to her sister, hoping for an answer but Ruby looked clueless. Ash grew annoyed before he started moving one of his fingers over his hand in a scribbling motion. After a second Ruby was able to figure out what he needed.
"Wait! He needs a paper and a pencil!" Ruby concluded. Ash nodded happily at Ruby's understanding.
"Is she serious?" Weiss questioned-she still had a hard time believing a beowolf could write; even if it had a soul.
"I've got a pen!" Nora announced while holding up a pink pen with a top that looked like the head of a hammer.
"Nora, why does your pen look like a hammer?" Ren questioned but got no answer. Ash took the pen and looked at Ozpin who was looking through one of his desk's drawers.
"Here you are," Ozpin said while handing Ash a piece of paper, which he gratefully took.
"You all can't be serious," Weiss muttered in disbelief.
"Weiss just let them finish," Blake scolded. Ash took the top off the pen and let it drop to the ground-Nora gave a whimper but was ignored-Ash thought for a minute on what he should ask before he decided. He quickly scrawled something on the paper before handing it back to Ozpin who looked at it curiously.
"Well what did he say?" Yang asked as the group all looked at Ozpin in anticipation. Except Weiss-who still didn't look like she was buying this-and Nora-who was still staring at her pen's top laying on the ground while whimpering. Ozpin looked at the paper with a lost look on his face before he read it.
"Have you seen a…pikachu?" There was silence. Just nothing but silence for that moment as everyone tried to understand what the beowolf with a soul had just written.
"I'm sorry…what?" Pyrrha was the one to ask the question that everyone was thinking.
"It's legible?" Weiss questioned in surprise(Ok, almost everyone was thinking.).
"I said 'have you seen a pikachu.' That's what it says," Ozpin stated firmly. The confused looks Ash was getting did not sit well with him. Did these people not know what a pikachu was? He didn't know about a lot of region's pokémon before he saw them so he supposed that was a possibility. But that wasn't going to be much help to him. Ash held out his hand, gesturing for Ozpin to hand the paper back to him. Ozpin got the message and did before Ash started writing again.
"Perhaps you could start by telling us how you got into the Emerald Forest," Ruby suggested.
"He's a grimm. They're supposed to be in the Emerald Forest," Weiss countered Ruby. But Ash had already taken Ruby's idea and ran with it. He needed to figure out what had happened to him and where he was. It took a bit longer for him to write this than it did the first message. But after a few minutes it was done and given to Ozpin. Ozpin cleared his throat before he began reading.
"My name is Ash Ketchum. I am a pokémon trainer from Pallet town in the Kanto region. I am eleven years old and last I knew I was currently traveling in the Hoenn region with my friends; Brock, May and Max. I don't know what happened. It seemed like I was human one day and a beowolf the next. I don't know how I got in the forest," Ozpin finished reading and slowly put down the piece of paper.
"…Ash?" Ruby spoke. Everyone was at a loss. Nobody knew how react to what was written on that paper. "You're…human? And you're eleven?" Ruby finally said. She didn't know what to think about that. He was just a child! And she had tried to kill him when they first met! Ruby was starting to feel sick.
"You…were a human?" Yang questioned as she stared at Ash.
"That's impossible," Weiss muttered. Humans didn't turn into beowolves! But on the other hand in her view a grimm who could use aura, read, and write should have also been impossible. Ash could see that what he wrote was a lot to process. Even for the professor who had read the message-So much for figuring out what had happened to him…
"…Maybe you could explain a little more," Ozpin said before handing Ash another piece of paper-the one he had been using was practically out of space-Ash took the paper hoping he could at least find out what region he was in but Ozpin's next words froze him in his tracks. "Perhaps you could mention what a pokémon is?" It seemed like such a simple request to Ozpin. But to Ash it nearly sent his whole word crashing down.
"Yeah…what is a pokémon?" Yang was the first to regain coherency after the reveal of Ash's-supposed-true species and age. But Yang's curiosity on what exactly a pokémon was diminished when she saw that Ash was trembling.
"Ash…" Ruby stopped her own panic when she noticed Ash's. She approached him cautiously and Ash's eyes quickly darted in her direction. "It's ok Ash. Just write down what's wrong," Ruby suggested as calmly as she could.
"Write down what's wrong? Everything's wrong!" Ash's thoughts were not heard by the people that surrounded him in this room. But that didn't matter, his expression said everything. Ash was lost, more lost than he had ever been. And this time he was alone. How could anyone not know what a pokémon was? How could creatures like the beowolves and the other monsters in the forest exist? How could a place like this exist!? He couldn't take it.
Ruby barely blinked. It happened in a flash. One moment Ash was standing in the middle of Prof. Ozpin's office-a piece of paper and Nora's pen in hand-the next he had gone barreling out the door, knocking Nora, Ren and Weiss over in the process.
"Not again," Ruby sighed sadly before going after Ash while everyone else was trying to get a hold of themselves after that outburst. It was too dangerous for him to be running around by himself, especially when he was in a state of emotional distress.
Ash wasn't sure where to go but he somehow ended up outside. Leaning against one of the walls of the massive building he found himself crying. He couldn't help it. For the first time in a long time Ash found himself feeling truly helpless. He may have been in the body of a monstrous beast, but inside he was still a child. A child who had lost his way and felt he had nobody to turn to.
Ash's thoughts were just utter chaos. How could this happen? Where in the world was he? Why couldn't he remember!? Why couldn't he remember what happened before he got here!? He knew that there was something missing from his memories, but couldn't figure out what it was.
Ash wasn't aware that he was being watched by several students-several freaked out students. The students weren't sure what to make of what they were seeing: a beowolf was just sitting on the ground in the courtyard, wearing a red cloak with the hood down and crying. To most of them this would probably be considered impossible. A couple of them were thinking they might be seeing things and wondering if beowolves could even cry. Whatever was thought none chose to attack at that moment; a fact Ruby was thankful for when she found she managed to find him.
Ruby gave a small-but slightly pained-smile when she saw Ash sitting by a wall and crying.
"He is human…" Ruby muttered before waving to the students who were staring at Ash. "Please leave, I've got this," She assured. A couple of students were reluctant to just leave, but it was generally considered a good idea to them to get away from this odd seen. Once the area had cleared out Ruby carefully approached her distraught friend. "Hey."
Ash looked up with his vision slightly blurred from his tears to see Ruby's kind smile. Ash wiped some tears from his eyes and gave a few sniffles.
"I bet you're really scared right now," Ruby began in a calm voice. Ash stared at her for a second before slowly nodding. "You're in an unfamiliar place. You've become something you're not. Nearly everyone you've met has tried to kill you," at that last comment Ruby felt a bit of guilt as she was included in that list. Ash didn't seem to give any reaction though. Ruby was considering leaving; thinking she may have brought up what was a bad memory for Ash, but was surprised when he reached out and hugged her.
Ruby at first didn't know how to react to this new sign of affection. She was surprised but soon she calmed and hugged him back and began softly stroking his head as he cried into her shoulder. It felt weird to be comforting a creature larger then herself in this way. But it was as she had realized earlier: Ash was a child and he needed support right now.
"You don't have to face this alone you know. I may not know what exactly happened to you or really how to help you. But I can try my best," Ruby explained as Ash's cries began to die down before he broke away from the hug and looked at Ruby with an unreadable expression. "You know…I may have a big sister, but I've sometimes thought about what it would be like to have a little brother," Ruby commented and Ash looked a bit confused. "How about until we figure out how to get you home and fix this you can be my little brother, and I'll be your big sister?"
Ruby's idea was…different to Ash. He had never had any brothers or sisters and this girl he had only met the other day was offering to be his big sister, and help him through this predicament he found himself in. He was touched-to say the least-he couldn't truly say if he and Ruby had a genuine bond yet. But in his current emotional, state Ruby's offer and her kind smile resonated to Ash. He couldn't help pulling her into an even tighter hug then before.
"I guess that's a yes," Ruby said happily as she hugged her new little brother back. Ruby really didn't know why she was so compelled to help this out of place creature so much. Perhaps it was guilt for how she had reacted to him when they first met. Perhaps it was just sympathy towards a young boy who was simply lost and scared. Either way Ruby internally swore that she would be the best big sister she could.
"This is awesome!" Ruby and Ash suddenly felt both themselves pulled into an even stronger hug and looked to see Yang smiling at them. "Now I've got a little sister and brother!" Yang cheered.
"Yang? Where did you come from?" Ruby questioned in confusion and embarrassment.
"Same place as all of us," Ren stated as he and the rest of their teams came by while all smiling(except Weiss…)
"The beowolf is your brother now! Does that make you and Yang part beowolf!?" Nora questioned excitedly. Jaune looked confused at Nora.
"Weren't you just freaking out about that pen of yours?" Jaune questioned. Nora gave Jaune a cheerful, yet clueless smile.
"What pen?" Nora asked without, changing her tone. Jaune wanted to say something in response to that but stopped when he saw Ren shaking his head.
Ash smiled at all of these people. Yes Ash was lost, but he was realizing now that he was not alone.
"Well then, if you're all settled," Ozpin's voice spoke and everyone looked to see said headmaster standing behind them. "There are some things that need to be discussed," Ozpin stated. Ash didn't know what he meant by that but his thoughts soon returned to something that he had been trying to satisfy all day; his stomach-which gave a loud growl. Everyone blinked as Ash grinned sheepishly. Ozpin couldn't help but smile. "We can discuss it over lunch."
Ash may have seemed a bit…OOC at the end to some, but you need to remember the situation he's in right now.
The next few chapters will probably be less about advancing the plot and more about character bonding and adjusting. But who knows, we might see Nash again soon…
