"Aiyah!" Blake yelled as she and Cloak were sparring together, going all out as she spun to try and trip him. He bounced on his hand while still blocking with his katana, jumping up high to shove her back down and have her fall on her stomach. She moved to block before pulling his leg from under him, both getting up as they continued their spar. He shot his tongue out to try and grab her hilt, Blake simply tugging his tongue and making him fall with a kick to the shin.
"Grenin!" He growled as he bounced back and they went strictly to a sword fight, the metal scrapping loud and visible sparks leaving the metal. Cloak's eyes narrowed in pride with his figure starting to distort. Blake hummed as she looked around, multiple Cloak appearing around her in Double Team as they all leap up. She simply smirked with her ears flattening.
More battle cries left the backyard of the lab as Yang and Cecil watched with shocked looks, Yang squeezing her water bottle blindly before spitting out her water. Nora, Thor, and Magnhild had stopped in their fights with the bigger Pokemon gawking at the sight. Pyrrha, Ares, and Helios looked in utter awe as they were cleaning the largest Pokemon in the lab. Ruby, Weiss, Ren, and Jaune watched from the outside as Weiss looked ready to faint. Crocea and Crescent had their jaws dropped as they looked out at the spars too, Crescent's ears flat as she held her staff shakily.
"Lu." Samuel remarked quietly as he looked at the two, having been hanging around on the roof for some fresh air. He had finally been sent on a couple more missions, but his pay was raised. He had been watching them since they started their spar, and while very quick, they certainly knew how to fight.
Blake and Cloak's arms were shaking as they tried to push the other's blade away, the Double Team tactic failed very quickly. Cloak had the height advantage while Blake had a better stance, Cloak eventually putting his blade away as he let out a huff.
"Hah, I win this one!" Blake exclaimed as Cloak smiled from her excitement, Blake putting her katana away as they walked over to their outside spot. It was a simple bench against the wall with their satchels and snacks. Cloak plopped on the ground as Blake sat on the bench, the two still level as Cloak chugged down his water. Blake drank hers more calmly with Cloak quickly going to his Wishiwashi chips. She snorted as he caught some on his tongue since he was eating too fast. "Calm down Cloak, no one is rushing you to eat. We don't play with the critical Pokemon until 1."
"Grenin." Cloak muffled out as he was still eating his chips, Blake laughing before going back to her own snacks. She glanced up as she heard Thor let out a loud battle cry, throwing a Druddigon across the whole yard as it yelled in fear. Cloak rolled his eyes as Blake looked in disappointment. Then again, the Pokemon seemed happy with the, flat out brutal spars, so she couldn't say anything. She had seen plenty of the spars, and knew they could get a lot worse than that. Or Nora's Pokemon could do a lot worse to others if she let them go loose.
"You know, we never played the one-word game with the new people." She stated calmly as Cloak sat up, croaking to her as she glanced. "Game time?"
"Grenin!"
"Okay, any changes with the people we know?"
"Nin nin." Cloak shook his head as he now ate his chips one by one.
"Alright. What word describes, Pyrrha?"
"Greninja, grenin."
"Humility. For a champion her age, she's very humble about her victories and strength. What about Ares and Helios?"
"Greninja ninja gre."
"Ares is pretty arrogant. And Helios?"
"Ninja."
"Cloak, language!" Blake snarled as Cloak's nose wrinkled in anger, his arms crossed with his eyes narrowed sharp. "Pick an adjective, not an insult."
"Grenin."
"You know what? Moving on." Blake shook her head as she grabbed up her trail mix. "What about Milo and Akouo?"
"Greninja ja."
"They are pure innocence. Um, Nora?"
"Greninja gre."
"Adjective. She can't be a hormone."
"Virile does fit, though she's a girl, she's a tough one. Um, Thor and Magnhild?"
"Gren greninja nin."
"Both are overwhelming. What about Ren?"
"Gre?" Cloak questioned as he cocked his head in Blake's direction. She hummed while glancing around, pointing towards the lab's orchard as Cloak quickly found the boy and his Sceptile.
"Easy Lotus, we don't need to over-effect the growth pattern of the plants." Ren warned as his Sceptile was looking at some of the trees, slowing by one before resting their hands on the base with green light emanating from their palms. Lotus used Aromatherapy as the tree visibly got healthier, fruits blooming on the branches as Cloak dropped his water bottle in shock.
"Gren?"
"Ren was assigned to maintain Pokemon's health alongside Ozpin in terms of proper diet, as well as trying to make new berries that completely boost a Pokemon's health. Can you get a word off of him now?"
"Gren… greninja."
"Peaceful, especially since he and Nora are close friends."
"Grenin?!"
"Yes, somehow. Okay, Jaune."
"Nin."
"You can still be nice!" Blake retorted as he lifted his head in pride. "What about friendly? He is friendly to people."
"Greninja ninja gren gren ja."
"Yes, he very openly flirts with Weiss, but he's still a nice guy."
"Greninja."
"Cloak!"
"Ninja!"
"His word is friendly, okay?" Blake asked as Cloak simply hissed in response, taking a handful of chips as Blake rolled her eyes. "You really need to learn to be nicer to other people."
"Greninja." He grumbled while resting his head on the bench, though his eyes squinted in happiness as Blake moved to where her head rested on his. "Greninja, nin?" He croaked quietly while pointing at her book.
"You can read too."
"Greninja ninja."
"Okay, okay." She sighed as Cloak growled happily. "War was inevitable. War was unstoppable. War was closing in on us, and we could do nothing to stop it."
Meanwhile…
Ozpin took a sip of his coffee as he was writing signatures with his other hand, Beacon laying by his chair as the paper stacks were a lot less. Having more assistants around the lab was a blessing. His work had decreased so much and he actually had free time! Course Glynda's ideas always gave a benefit in some way. Seems like she'll be getting more vacation days, though I doubt she'll use them. He thought as he continued signing the papers, pausing as his door was knocked on.
"Yes?"
"Professor Ozpin, there's some people here looking to be assistants. Seems they're a bit late for the interviews."
"Let them in. We still need a few jobs covered around the lab. Are, any people who can have a degree?"
"One sir."
"Perfect. Let them in." He smiled as Glynda huffed before walking away from his door, Ozpin setting his mug down while dropped his pen on the other papers. What caught his attention from the incoming footsteps, was the metallic clinking to the floor. Maybe one of them was wearing, very literal steel-toed shoes? His attention focused back to the door as the first person to walk in was the owner of that noise. Ozpin quickly understood the source of the noise.
A young man with natural gray hair walked in as he wore a gray-black partial-zip jacket and black pants. His simple sneakers gave a little glimpse to the metal composing, for now his feet and calves, having a simple ball joint for the foot. His gray eyes looked bored with his hair unkept, wearing fingerless gloves with a silver Pokeball on the palms.
Two women followed as one had a stronger sense of maturity, the younger having a darker complexion compared to the others. Her mint hair was cut above her shoulders in a straight fringe, though a twisted braid of long strands of her peeked in sight. She wore a dark green crop top with metal bands around her biceps, having white shorts to her knees and dark brown boots meeting her shorts. Sharp red eyes glanced around the room and the various items scattered around, Beacon sitting up with the two certain presences as Ozpin tapped his foot to Beacon's shoulder.
The seemingly oldest had black hair past her shoulders with it draping over her left shoulder, wearing golden Pokeball earrings that shined like her own golden eyes. She wore a black choker with a silver heartbeat pattern across it. An off-shoulder, yet sleeved red dress draped down to her knees with black frilling on the skirt and sleeve ends. Gold patterns covered the arms and collar as her Pokeball belt had a blue feather attachment to the right. She wore jeweled flats that resembled that of stained glass.
"Hello. Are all of you wanting to apply as assistants?"
"Yes we are. My name is Cinder Fall. These are my friends, Mercury Black, and Emerald Sustrai."
"Wonderful to meet you three. Now, do any of you have experience with working with Pokemon? Raising your own, or working on Pokemon farms."
"We have our starters if that's anything." Mercury huffed as Cinder shouldered him roughly, the boy still looking annoyed as Emerald took a step back.
"May I ask what your starters are? Specifically, any from Anima?"
"I got a Wartortle."
"Great! If you're alright with us doing so, we'd like to research your Pokemon to see if it possible for Blastoise to Mega Evolve. It would also help if we could study your starters as well, ladies, as we might be able to discover new Mega Evolutions."
"I wouldn't know, Duster is still a basic Pokemon, and a preemie right now."
"Preemie?"
"Her egg hatched too early."
"Well if she needs anything, our medical wing is top of the line. I'm sure we could fix any problem she gets." Ozpin stated as Cinder's grip on a Pokeball seemed to tighten.
"So what jobs are there?"
"If anything, right now we need more people to bring the newly hatched Pokemon around town. Expose them to town life and larger crowds. We also need people keeping eyes on food supplies for the Pokemon and being ready to go shopping whenever. We have been needing someone to help in the medical wing, healing moves can't fix all injuries for the Pokemon and Jaune doesn't fit the qualifications. Ms. Fall, you wouldn't happen to have any degree near mechanics, would you?"
"Sorry sir, no."
"Hmm." Ozpin hummed before looking back at Mercury's legs. "You seem to know a bit about mechanics." He remarked as Mercury grumbled under his breath, tugging his pantsleg down in anger. "It's alright, nothing to hide. But you do maintain them, don't you?"
"Cost too much to go to a mechanic every time, so I know how to work a wrench."
"And the prosthetics themselves?"
"Yeah. Not sure I'll be that great with working on all the, bulky machines that keep them breathing."
"Oh, no, we have someone for that. We need someone to work on Pokemon prosthetics." Ozpin stated with a small smile as Mercury blinked with the comment, looking a bit more pleased than annoyed. "We currently have a Pidgeot that needs a replica wing from a bad trainer, and a few more Pokemon here that will eventually need to have amputations. Would you be will to work with our resident mechanic to get some more lessons in and help?"
"Sure, yeah, that works."
"Good. And if you ladies are okay with it, I'd for you two to help manage supplies around the lab. You can all start today."
"Really? That's all it took?" Emerald asked as Mercury had a similar look of confusion.
"It's how it often is. Although Samuel is usually the one helping me decide who is welcome in the lab, Beacon is just as good a source of eyes." Ozpin smiled as he patted Beacon's side, who sat up with a small growl as Mercury stepped away in shock. "Don't worry, he doesn't bite. Now, Ms. Fall, down the hall to the right is Ms. Goodwitch's office. You can talk her with and figure out the whole supplies list, then you can meet the other assistants outside. I still need to talk with Ms. Sustrai and Mr. Black."
"Alright sir, thank you." Cinder nodded as she walked out of the office, Samuel glancing at her in surprise before pausing as he saw Emerald and Mercury.
"Who's the Lucario?" Emerald asked with Samuel walking in, growling something to Ozpin as his finger tapped on the desk.
"This here is Samuel. He is one of my major assistants in the lab as he helps keep an eye on people's ambitions, interests, and inner wants. He's able to read auras and get the real intentions of people with a simple glance. But I didn't need him to see that the two of you don't have that clean of records." Ozpin stated with a neutral look as Mercury flinched notably, Emerald simply tensing as the grip on her own wrist tightened. "I have good memory when it comes to criminals around my lab, since I currently don't want them getting any ideas. So, I remember those cheap wanted posters about you, Ms. Sustrai."
"Money's hard for me." Emerald murmured as she looked at the ground, Ozpin keeping an eye on both of them as Beacon stayed seated up.
"The same goes for you, Mr. Black. I've seen your wanted posters too." Ozpin added as Mercury looked away too. "I also remember that neither of you came to my lab to get a starter, yet you say that you have starters. I don't think it possible for you to go to another town, or country, to simply get a starter, when there is one nearby where you keep your residence. So where did you get your Pokemon?"
"My old man, he had his own farm. Not exactly cleared or legal." Mercury huffed as he had a more remorseful look, Ozpin leaning back in his chair with Samuel straightening.
"Marcus Black." He breathed as Samuel let out a small growl from the name. "Do you know why I know his name?"
"Because he bred Pokemon illegally?"
"Because he used that as a cover to find rival breeders and kill them." Ozpin gritted as Mercury shuddered from the fact, Emerald looking to Mercury in shock as he looked just as surprised.
"What?"
"I had Samuel go on several missions to study him and his, attacks. He'd have meetings with breeders to try and make "alliances" and either the breeder backed away quick enough, or there was one less competitor and leaving him more money. He'd also use it occasionally to kill targets assigned to him. Bring them a starter, let them walk away a bit, then kill them. What was your father like in your eyes?"
"Crazy drinker and sketchy salesman. Not an assassin."
"He didn't train you?"
"He taught me to fight, but…"
"He kept it secret enough. I'm sorry that you had to grow up in that kind of environment, Samuel told me he was not very peaceful."
"Professor Ozpin, why are you bringing all of this up?" Emerald asked in worry as Mercury kept tugging at his jacket collar. "If we're not getting jobs, then okay."
"You are getting jobs. You're also getting a place to stay, clean clothes, food, scrolls and Pokedexs, anything you really need to survive a healthy life. But I am bringing this up because I am putting trust in you that you will drop your lives of thieves. That nothing in my lab goes unmarked or missing. I don't want my other assistants coming up to be and saying that they are missing their wallet or scrolls. And I don't, ever want to see any of you on the news or in wanted posters, again. I am giving you a second chance; I would recommend you use it very well. Do the two of you understand?"
"Yes sir."
"We understand."
"Good. You can meet the other assistants outside, and make sure you set good examples of yourselves around certain people. Yang and Nora tend to have outbursts." He warned as he went back to signing papers, Mercury and Emerald sheepishly leaving the office as Samuel growled something to him. "I would prefer you keep an eye on them, but it seems their current guardian is Ms. Fall. Speaking of, any bad senses in her?"
"Lucar lucario."
"Hmm, rare that a grown adult has few bad intentions. What's the worst of hers?"
"Lucario rio, lucar lucar." Samuel muttered hesitantly as Ozpin's eyes widened.
"Then let's hope neither mentioned my conversation to Ms. Fall."