Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, Zelda, Kid Icarus, Pokemon, Final Fantasy, or any other franchise alluded to or included in this work (I don't own the background music either). All I own is this work and my OCs (these include Aris, Oleana, Nash, and any Grimm ideas I come up with).
Pit and Aris had arrived in the homeland of one of their friends. This place was known as Gaia, or at least, this planet was. It was fueled by a magical force called the Lifestream, which flowed throughout the inside of the planet.
The duo found themselves emerging from a Portal Shrine atop a cliff, which overlooked an abandoned city that surrounded a reactor plant of some sort. Aris remembered that this was the Mako reactor that his friend had invaded before meeting him.
"Isn't that Midgar?" said Pit.
Aris nodded. "It looks...abandoned. Why did everyone leave?"
"I dunno." Pit shrugged.
"Let's save the questions for later," said Aris. "We need to find Cloud."
"Assuming he's willing to go with us."
Aris nodded. "You're probably right. He is a former mercenary, after all. He'll probably expect some form of paycheck."
"Let's hope he'll come with us," Pit said.
Aris nodded a third time, and the two of them set off for Cloud's place of residence on Gaia.
One trip to Cloud's home later...
BGM: Littleroot Town - Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire
The Hylian and the angel eventually reached the town of Nibelheim, which had been rebuilt after JENOVA's defeat.
Townspeople milled about, some making their commutes to work, others doing their jobs. Aris and Pit received a few waves from the townsfolk upon their arrival; clearly some remembered who they were.
Aris turned to Pit. "Now we just need to find Cloud."
"I wonder if he'll remember us," said Pit.
The two of them started searching Nibelheim, and eventually ran into a woman with long, dark hair and a black skirt. This was Cloud's childhood friend, Tifa Lockhart. She'd been a part of their adventure.
Tifa lit up when she saw them. "Aris? Pit? Is that really you?"
Pit nodded. "You bet every bone in your body it's us!"
Tifa ran over and hugged Pit, then clapped Aris on the shoulder. "How have you guys been? I haven't seen you in a while."
"We're doing fine," Aris told her. "Listen, have you seen Cloud? We're looking for him."
"Cloud?" Tifa thought for a moment. "He told me he was going for a walk outside of town. Why do you ask?"
Pit scratched his head. "It's a long story."
Tifa shrugged. "Go ahead, I've got all the time in the world. I'd love to hear what you rascals have been up to since I last saw you."
Aris breathed in and out. "Okay, I'll tell you."
From there, Aris told Tifa of his adventures. He told her about his trip to the Pokemon world, and introduced her to his team. Tifa really seemed to take a liking to Pikachu and Gallade.
He and Pit then told her about their trip to Remnant, and their time at Beacon Academy.
Once they were finished, Tifa spoke. "So, Beacon fell to Grimm?"
Aris nodded. "And Pit and I are assembling a group to go back there and avenge the fallen. Pyrrha's death can't be in vain."
"So, that's why you're looking for Cloud?"
Pit nodded. "We figured he'd be up for it."
Tifa smirked. "I dunno about him, but I sure am."
Aris gasped. "You wanna come with us?"
"You bet your ass I do!" Tifa put her hands on her hips. "If Cloud goes, I go, too. He's my best friend, and I want to keep him out of trouble."
Pit laughed. "You really care about him, don't you?"
Tifa averted her gaze, the tips of her ears turning a faint shade of red. "Y-Yeah."
A new voice spoke up. "Tifa, I'm back!"
Aris and Pit turned and looked. About ten feet away from them was a familiar young man with spiky blonde hair and clad in a black outfit. Strapped to his back was a colossal single-edged blade. This was unmistakably Cloud Strife.
Cloud's eyes widened upon the sight of Aris and Pit. "You guys! What are you doing here?"
Pit and Cloud bumped their fists together. Aris gave the mercenary a high-five. "We came here looking for you," Pit told him.
"Why?" Cloud seemed confused.
Tifa explained the situation to him. Cloud seemed intrigued. "So, the two of you went to this place called 'Remnant,' and you were accepted into a combat school called Beacon Academy, which was destroyed."
Aris and Pit nodded. "And we're trying to avenge the death of one of our friends there."
Cloud sighed. "I know how you feel, ever since what happened with Aeris."
The Hylian was confused. "Me?"
Cloud laughed. "No, not you. The other Aeris, the girl."
"Oh!" Aris snapped his fingers. "Aeris with an 'e', right?"
"Yes." Cloud nodded. "I still miss her to this day."
Tifa put a hand on his shoulder. "We all do, Cloud."
Cloud turned back to Aris and Pit. "So, why did you come looking for me?"
"We wanted to know if you were willing to tag along for our adventure," Aris replied. "Tifa said she wanted to, but if you want to stay behind, then there's no shame in that. Especially if you're still recovering from the fight with JENOVA."
"No, no," said Cloud. "I've recovered. I live a relatively normal life now, but if adventure calls, I answer. Count me in."
Pit cheered. "Yes!"
"Shall we get going, then?" Aris said to the party.
"Hold on," said Pit. "We need a team name. Like how Tifa's terrorist group was called AVALANCHE. We need a team name."
Aris looked at the angel. "You mean, like the team name we had at Beacon? Team ALPN?"
Pit nodded. "You bet! Ready to be a leader again, Aris?"
Aris smiled. "It would be an honor to lead my friends into battle."
"Okay." Pit thought for a moment. "The first letter of the team name has to be an A. Tifa's last name is Lockhart, so the next one could be an L. I could be P, and then Cloud could finish us off with an S. Everyone, how does team ALPS sound?"
Tifa pumped her fist into the air. "Sounds good to me!"
Cloud nodded. "Creative naming. It has an initial for each of us, with Aris's being first since he's the leader."
"Oh, that's how teams were named at Beacon," said Aris. "There was a girl named Ruby Rose who led team RWBY."
Tifa raised an eyebrow at him. "A girl, you say?"
Aris nodded, feeling a blush form on his face. "Y-Yeah. Ruby Rose was her name. I met her on our first day. It was her first day, too. The two of us...we were pretty close. Very close. And, yes, we were dating. She's my entire world, and I really hope she's alive and well."
"Aw," Tifa said, smiling warmly. "You two must've been an adorable couple."
"Oh, they were, believe me," said Pit. "They were a better match than peanut butter and bacon."
"When did the two of you realize your love for each other?" asked Cloud.
"I don't know when it happened for Ruby," said Aris, "but I know when it happened for me. Ruby and I were walking through a city called Vale, and Ruby almost got hit by a truck. I hadn't told her about my being from another dimension yet, nor had I shown her my Pokemon. But I knew I had to do something. So, I sent out my Lapras, and had him use Ice Beam to stop the truck. Thinking Ruby wouldn't accept me, I returned Lapras to his PokeBall and ran away. I don't know where Ruby went from there. Between then and when I met up with her again, I mentally reprimanded myself for being so stupid. At that moment, I realized that the reason I sacrificed my secrecy to save Ruby was because I loved her. I confessed to her at a dance a few days later."
"She sounds like a wonderful girl," said Cloud.
Aris nodded, feeling a tear trickle down his cheek. "She's the best one I've ever met."
Tifa patted Aris on the back. "Well, let's haul ass to Remnant and see her again, lover boy."
Aris nodded. "Let's go."
