Notes: This chapter was updated on 03/01/16.
Let the Games Begin
Almost hidden among the large crowd of colorful and excited students stud a young girl cloaked in a bright red hood. The girl slowly moved through the crowd of students behind a group of two girls who seemed to be her teammates. When two of the girls in front of her stopped to speak to a couple of new faces that they would likely be grouping up with for the up coming battle, the red hooded girl tried to squeeze in between them but failed. Realizing that her teammate's attention had been absorbed by the new faces and her efforts to squirm through them was futile. She decided a different tactic was in order so she stud up on the tips of her toes in an attempt to gain a better view. It wasn't an easy task to accomplish for her however given her exceptionally small stature in comparison to her fellow pares. Mind you it wasn't as if she was short for her age but rather she was at least two years younger than most of her fellow schoolmates. This was due to her being moved ahead two years for several months earlier. Luckily for her that one of her teammates was rather short for her age and she is able find a good vantage point. While her eyes tracked across the room they came to stop on a familiar pink bow connected to an equally familiar head of curly red hair surrounding an even more familiar small freckled face. Sure enough standing among the crowd was none other than on of the hooded girl's best friends known as the synthetic girl Penny. Penny was standing in the middle of another group of unfamiliar faces. The hooded girl had heard that she had gotten her own teammates when she came to Beacon and guessed that at least a few of them had to be a part of her new team. Then the red hooded girl opened up her mouth as wide as she could and threw her hand up in the air in a waving motion before calling out to the girl in a joyful tone. "Hey Penny, over here!" The synthetic girl's head spun around moving back and forth in sweeping motion until her eyes flicked up towards the red hooded girl's location. When the two's eyes met they both lit up and the synthetic girl quickly broke away from her group and began to make her way through the crowd waving her hand in the hooded girls direction.
"Salutations Ruby!" Penny shouted as she approached.
Then the red hooded girl known as Ruby Rose quickly became a blur of motion zooming around the human blockade that had been completely halting her progress only moments before. Once she closed the distance between herself and Penny she leapt into air and into the now open arms of the synthetic girl before her. Despite the ridicules speed in which Ruby had moved and how little warning Penny had been issued before hand, she easily plucked Ruby out of the air and pulled her into a tight nearly bone crushing embrace. "Oh Ruby, it is so good to see you again!" Penny exclaimed.
"Ah… Penny.. too… tight… can't breathe!" Ruby said before quickly being dropped on to the floor.
"Oh Ruby, I am so sorry! I guess I still don't know my own strength yet." Penny said nervously.
"Oh it's completely alright, look no harm done." Ruby said as she picked herself up of the floor and began dusting herself off. "I can't believe we got put on the same team together! Even if it will only be for this tournament I know we will have a lot of fun together!" Ruby cheered. before placing a finger on her chin like she was lost in thought. "With that said, I didn't even think you were back in Vale yet since you didn't come to the meet up yesterday. Did something happen?" She asked in a slightly worried tone.
"Yes, it is sensational! We're going to have so much fun Ruby friend." Penny agreed.
Ruby then place a finger on her chin like she was lost in thought. "With that said, I didn't even think you were back in Vale yet since you didn't come to the meet up yesterday. Did something happen?" She asked in a slightly worried tone.
"Wait a meet up?" Penny asks in a slightly confused tone before taking a moment to play back the record of the last talk she had, had with Ruby.
Penny's Head
Ruby: "Hey Penny, so you're heading out I'm guessing?"
Penny: "Yes unfortunately as part of the agreement with my father I must return home to Atlas for regular inspections and repairs. Is there anything I can do for you before I leave Ruby friend?"
Ruby: "Oh, well I was just wondering do you know what day you will be getting back from Atlas? Because I was thinking that once you got back we should all meet in the cafeteria and go have some fun together. Kind of like a welcome home party!"
Penny: "That sounds wonderful Ruby, I would love to go! I should be back in three days time if everything checks out."
Ruby: "Alright great! I guess we will see you then, don't forget ok."
Penny: "Don't worry friend I don't forget."
Recording ending
Penny's eyes flickered as she came back to the present and her hands quickly flew upward to grip the sides of her head in dismay. "Oh no, I am so very sorry Ruby! A lot of unexpected things happened yesterday and I was so busy that I didn't have time to check my records. Can you forgive me?" She asked in a disheartened tone.
Ruby simply reached out and grabbed hold of Penny's hands and gave her a warm smile while she held them in a comforting manner. "Come on Penny, you don't need to worry about it so much. I am not going to get angry with you over something like that. Besides it's a bit of a long story but, yesterday turned into a complete mess for us too so it's probably a good thing you weren't there." Ruby said while trying to hold back a laugh.
Penny quickly returned her friends smile before pulling her into another tight but slightly less lethal hug. "Thank you Ruby, you really are a great friend." She said softly.
"Your… welcome… Penny." Ruby managed to force out.
The two were finally pulled out of their own world by the sound of a soft female voice calling out to them from the direction of Ruby's teammates. "Oh, so this must be the famous Ruby Rose I have heard so much about. You are quite fast aren't you? I almost didn't notice you zip by us a moment ago."
Both Ruby and Penny turned to face the source of the voice. When Penny noticed who it was her smile widened while Ruby's expression became much more inquisitive. Standing before them was Penny's teammate Ember Wieldings and following behind her was George Bolt and Ruby's teammates Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna. "Greetings and Salutations friends!" Penny greeted with a wave.
"So you know these two Penny?" Ruby asks while motioning to Ember and George.
Penny nodded vigorously before stepping between Ruby and her teammates and motioning to Ember. "Allow me to introduce you, this is Ember Wieldings. She is one of my new teammates. She is a really nice person." She said before looking over at Ember and motioning towards Ruby "This Ember this is Ruby, the friend I told you about. She is also a very nice person."
Both Ruby and Ember exchanged a smile while they reached out to shake each others hands. "It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Rose. Thank you for always looking after our teammate." Ember stated in a warm tone.
Ruby chuckled. "Just Ruby will be fine and your welcome!" She responded before she glanced up and noticed a long tail wagging behind the small girl. "Oh, you're a faunus?" She inquired.
The question caused Ember to lift an eyebrow. "Is that a problem?" She asked hesitantly.
Ruby glanced past Ember towards her two teammates Weiss and Blake who exchanged a knowing look. Then Ruby shook her head and gave Ember a bright smile. "Nope, it's not a problem at all! It's a pleasure to meet you Ember!"
"Gees Ember you should be careful. If you keep that act up they might just mistake you for a good girl." George cut in with a chuckle.
Ember promptly silenced George's heckling with a swift elbow jab to stomach. George slouched over and let out a groan of pain while he took a few slow shaky steps backward griping at his chest. "Sorry about that, his name is George you can just ignore him. He isn't very important after all." Ember stated with a straight face and a smile.
"You're so cruel!" George groaned.
"Right… Well it's nice to meet you George." Ruby said as she gave a concerned look to the blond boy curled up behind Ember. Also Ruby couldn't help but notice the boy's odd appearance. He looked like a faunus but not like any she had ever seen before. There were certainly animal features that she could recognize but she had never seen them all mashed together like they were on George. Perhaps his parents were each a different type of faunus and he inherited traits from both of them. She wondered to herself.
Ruby was pulled from her thoughts by yet another new voice. This time it was a much deeper male voice. "Somebody you know Penny?" The voice asked. Instantly recognizing the voice Penny spun around see Axel approaching them.
Coming along with Axel Ironwood was her final teammate the still silent Ruin Rustwhel. Penny quickly responded to Axel's question by going back introductions. "Yes Axel, this is Ruby Rose. She is the leader of Team RWBY and one of my best friends here at Beacon. We talk to each other about everything. And she has been a great help to me during my time here."
Axel nodded along until something seemed to catch his ear. Then he gave Penny a suspecting glance before he spoke. "Oh well that's nice but, what did you mean exactly when you said the two of you talk about everything?" He inquired in a serious tone.
In response to Axel's question at least half the group seemed to freeze in place and focus intently on the pair, either because they were suffering from complete confusion or had full understanding of what Axel was implying. That's when Penny recalled the fact that as part of her fathers agreement with General Ironwood that she wasn't to share her identity as a synthetic person to anyone who didn't need to know. And of course it was part of Axel's job here at Beacon to make sure it stayed that way.
Penny began to speak nervousness was making it difficult. "Ye, yeah, you know its just girl stuff. Yeah girl stuff, like what cloths to wear, what shops we should visit, and umm about cute boys. *hiccup*" The moment Penny finished speaking she let out a loud hiccup and her hands shot up to cover her mouth.
"Penny did you just hiccup?" Axel questioned her in a confused tone.
"No, do... *hiccup* don't be silly Axel. Why would I do that?" Penny forced out while still holding her hands over her mouth.
"Penny, are you hiding something from me?" Axel questioned while leaning forward to look Penny in the eyes.
"I… I.. am not *hiccup*." She responded.
Noticing her friends discomfort Ruby quickly began to pat Penny on the back. "What you got the hiccups again? Gees, want me to get you a glass of water or something." Penny's hiccup's were caused by a programming error so neither the pat on the back nor the water would do anything to help her get rid of them but both Penny and Ruby already knew that. The question was if Ruby's ignorance act would be a good enough to get Axel to drop the subject. And when Axel leaned back and gave them both a smile it seemed like it did the trick, at least for the time being anyway.
"Right, it's a pleasure to meet you Miss Rose. I am Axel Ironwood. Since you're a team leader yourself, I trust that you will take good care of my teammate while you're out there?" Axel posed his statement as a question.
"You can count on me! We're totally going to win this thing!" Ruby cheered happily while flailing her arms around like she was fighting off the air itself. The strange action of course caused Axel to raise both his eyebrow and his doubts. However Penny seemed happy so he chose to keep any doubts he had to himself.
Then a girl with long blond hair crept up behind Ruby and pulled the hooded girl into a powerful hug. "That's the spirit sis!" The blond girl cheered before unwrapping one of toned arms from around the smaller girl's waist to deliver a hearty nuggy to her head.
"AHHH, Yang!? Not you too! Let go, quit it!" Ruby shouted as she frantically tried to shake off her attacker.
"Come on you asked for this and you know it." Yang retorted.
Ruby finally managed to pull herself free and turned to face her sister with a confused and slightly annoyed expression. "Dear sister what are you implying? I have done nothing to warrant this kind of abuse."
Yang let out a wicked chuckle before responding. "You don't think so? What about that declaration of sure victory you just made huh? That was rather bold of you, don't you think sis? I mean you do realize that we will be on different teams today right? And on top of that I have the invincible girl on my side. So even if you some how managed to take your big sister down, as unlikely as that outcome already is. Do you really think you can beat Pyrrha?" Yang asked with a dismissive tone in her voice.
It was clear to Ruby at this point that Yang was just trying to rile her up and she had half a mind to just ignore her. However Ruby never liked to back down from a challenge and Ruby rarely felt more in her element then on the battlefield so she was more than willing to let their sibling rivalry ignite. "This game isn't just about strength Yang! Its team work and tactical thinking! Both of which are areas you my dear sister are rather lacking in last I checked. So yes, I do believe our team will thrash yours Pyrrha or no Pyrrha!" Ruby declared before turning towards Penny. "Isn't that right Penny!?"
"I am combat ready Ruby!" Penny responded while giving Ruby a quick salute.
Then Yang burst into a fit of laughter before speaking. "Well then, in that case I wish you both the best of luck." She said before redirecting her gaze towards the other two members of Ruby's team, one Russel Thrush and Sky Lark both of team CRDL. And both of which were standing away from the group rest of the group talking amongst themselves. "You are going to need it." She declared.
"Oh you will see! I will show you how lucky you are to have had a leader like me!" Ruby roared before the two members of team CRDL had finally decided to join the group. Of course their sudden interest in the group wasn't in getting familiar with their teammates but rather they were wondering what all the racket was about and came to check it out. So after a quick explanation, they had a quick laugh at their new leader's antics and then their focus moved towards the blond bombshell who was challenging them.
Russel moved towards Yang with a determined look in his eyes and pointed his finger in her face. "Listen here Blondy. I wouldn't underestimate us if I were you. You may regret it."
"We will just have to wait and see then wont we." Yang retorted dryly. It was clear she wasn't intimidated by Russel's words.
A few moments later and most of team JNPR and team CFVY had returned from refreshment run they had been on since the end of the team announcements. Of course eight people weren't needed to get the group all the food and drinks they needed. However because of the luck of the draw the two teams would be sharing most of their teammates with the other so it just seemed like it would be a good chance for them to mingle on their own a bit.
Team JNPR was considered an oddity among the teams in Beacon. Their leader a young man by the name Jaune Arc was far from what you would call a good remodel. It's not as if he was a bad guy or anything. Rather he was known for being a kind hearted and fun loving guy. The problem was that Beacon was a combat school and he was far from the best fighter. And his academic grades also left something to be desired. Luckily Jaune's teammates were very supportive and because of their efforts he has shown great improvement over the course of a single semester. And the person most responsible for his improvement had to be Pyrrha Nikos, also known as the invincible girl. Her strength and skill were considered to be completely unmatched among the other students in her year and she was also known to be quite patient and understanding. In other words Pyrrha was the type of person who would never give up on somebody easily. These traits made her the perfect teacher for Jaune.
As for the other two members of Jaune's team there was Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. The two of them at first glance would seem to be complete opposites. Lie Ren has always been a soft spoken and methodical thinking type while Nora Valkyrie had always been more of an energetic and bubbly girl. However despite their conflicting personalities the two of them always seemed to get along quite well. Almost to the point that many have begun to suspect that there is some kind of romantic involvement between the two of them. Of course if you were to ask either of them about the matter they would quickly shoot it down with something along the lines of "We're not together, together, because that would be weird right?"
The members of team CFVY on the other hand were considered to be quite the powerhouse. Which did make, after all they were second year students. Since Beacon Academy is usually the starting point for most huntsmen's field training, a single years worth of training and experience could make a world of difference on the battlefield. And because they were the only second year team in their bracket they were without a doubt a threat to be reckoned with in this tournament. However team CFVY wasn't just any run of the mill second year team. Their team leader Coco Adel was a bit on the wild side. Some have called her brash and others have downright called her crazy. Despite this Coco was skilled enough to become a crowd favorite during last years Vital Festival Tournament. And on top of that Coco and the rest of her team are one of the few teams in her year to have a flawless mission success record. With all that under her belt it's hard to question her skill or her leadership skills.
As soon as team JNPR and team CFVY had arrived and distributed their provision the whole group sat down to enjoy their meal. After a few more minutes the room around was even more alive with excitement and long winded chatter. And of course this group was no different with greetings and gloating abound. Finally after what seemed like forever the headmaster Professor Ozpin returned to the stage and stepped before the microphone gaining the attention of the room before he even said a word. Regardless he felt the need to clear his throat before addressing them. "Well, you all seem quite excited to get started which is good but, I want you to remember that this isn't all fun and games. This will after all be a live fire combat exercise. And as such the danger of injury or even death is an always present possibility. So we have taken measures to minimize potential injury with these." He stated as he lifted his arm to show everyone a small wristband. "You will all be given one of these special wristbands. This wristband will monitor your aura reserves with greater accuracy than even your scroll. Now is everyone following so far?" He asked.
After a moments pause he continued. "Of course these bracelets will be an important part of the game itself as well. You see this event is meant to test three things. The first thing is your ability to adapt. The second thing is your ability to think tactically. And the third thing is teamwork. You must be able to quickly assess an ongoing battlefield on the spot. To accomplish this we have decided that it would be best to keep the players in constant motion. That is where the bracelet comes in. As I stated it will be monitoring your aura and when your aura falls below 75% your wristband will turn red. When this happens you are advised to return to your base which is marked with your color and flag. After doing so the wristband will turn green and you can return to battle. The same will hold true for 50% and 25% as well. However if at any point your aura falls below 10% you will be seen as unfit for battle and will be benched for the remainder of the round. Is there any questions?"
In respond to Ozpin's question a student in the middle of the crowd raised their hand up in the air and shouted towards the stage before being called on. "Yeah, what happens if we don't notice the light of the wristband has turned red?"
"I wouldn't worry about that, it will be sure to remind you." Ozpin said as a devilish grin came to his face. "Now as you may recall the game is won by simply taking the opposing teams flag and returning with it to your own base. One thing you should know though is that you aren't allowed to carry your own team's flag. Trying to do so will result in a penalty. So you will all be given a code that you can enter into a control panel attached to your own flags flagpole. If the code is entered correctly the flag will return itself to your base without you needing to hold it. Other than that you are allowed to defend and attack in any way you see fit. That means any weapons and equipment you can carry on your person are fair game. And of course semblances are fine as well. Now with that out of the way I wish you all good luck." Ozpin stated before turning away from the crowd and walking off the stage.
A moment later and Professor Goodwhich stepped back onto the stage to reveal what they had all been waiting for. That being the tournament's first round pairings of course!
Round 1: Leader George Bolt, Blake Belladonna, Weiss Schnee, and Ember Wieldings Vs Leader Ruby Rose, Penny, Russel Thrush, and Sky Lark.
Round 2: Leader Juane Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Velvet Scarletina, and Yang xiao long Vs Leader Coco Adel, Axel Ironwood, Ruin Rustwhel, and Nora Valkyrie.
Round 3: Stand in Leader Dove Bronzewing, Yatsuhashi Daichi, Fox Alistair, Lie Ren and Vs Leader Sun Wukong, Neptune, Emerald Sustrai, and Mercury Black.
When the announcements were over the whole room erupted in a mix of cheers and battle cries. This was the moment many of them didn't know they were waiting for until it had come and now they were ready to dive in head first and test their skills.
