When the sun rose over the final day the training Huntsman and Huntresses had to spend in the reserve, spirits weren't exactly high. Though seeing spirits roaming around wouldn't seem too out of place as most of the students looked like the walking dead, unable to rest in peace.
On one side of the camp site inside of a technologically advanced tent Ironwood and Goodwitch stood holding their scroll communication devices. On the other end of which was Professor Ozpin sitting in his office.
"I see. So that's the situation." Ozpin clasped his hands together as he gave a serious look at the two-academy staff. "I suppose we should be thankful that no serious harm befell any of the students. Speaking of, how are Miss Nikos and our two trainers' doing this morning?"
"Miss Nikos never sustained damage that her aura wasn't able to handle. Physically she's completely fine." Goodwitch explained. "As for Mr Emblem and Miss Navy, their Pokémon did the fighting for them. Kai did take one of the creature's attacks but compared to Pyrrha he got off relatively unscathed."
"Oz. I think we need to bring focus to the Goliath in the room." Ironwood suddenly cut in. "We are dealing with an unknown Grimm possessing an aura. Something that in all of Remnants history has been nothing more than inaccurate speculation. And right now, we are in the middle of its territory, with a large group of young Huntsmen in training. We need to consider our options, either we evacuate immediately or…" Ironwood stopped in the middle of his suggestion, holding his tongue and lowering his gaze.
"Or General?" Ozpin asked, although he already had an inkling of what his answer might be.
"…Or we launch a combined assault while it's still recovering."
Goodwitch's eyes widened and she took a dominant step forward. "Have you gone mad James?! These children are inexperienced! Physically and mentally exhausted! For God's sake the whole reason we brought them out here was just to scout the area and collect biological samples."
"The reason they are here is to find and locate any clues of what created this strange landscape. Wouldn't you consider an unidentified Grimm in an area primarily secluded of them worth investigating further."
Goodwitch went to Ironwood, getting close in his personal space. "But not with the students! With professional Huntsman. Your soldiers even."
Ironwood turned in response to face Glynda inches away from her face. "With how long it will take to put the jobs on the board and for professional Huntsman to arrive, we can't guarantee the Grimm will remain in the immediate area. And you and I both know that sending foreign military personal into an unoccupied area of Sanus unaccompanied will only cause political tension."
"As though your current actions in letting classified military equipment fall under extremist hands and be used to tear through the kingdom's streets wasn't tense enough."
"You're bringing that up now!"
"Enough!" Ozpin's shout immediately stopped the two bickering, bringing their attention to the monitor featuring the Beacon headmaster. "For the benefit of the doubt I will assume that your argument just now was as a result of the two of you struggling from lacking your recommended hours of sleep. However, despite that we need to remember just exactly who or what is our enemy here."
Ozpin's words seemed to break through as Ironwood and Goodwitch's looks began to soften against one another. Their feelings of animosity and annoyance slowly dissipating, while Ozpin clasped his fingers together on his desk.
"James. Glynda. You two are both down there and have more details and experience on the situation that me. As such I believe the decision is best left in your hands, whatever your conclusion I will support it. But James, need I remind you that not only are you deciding the role of our academy's students…but also Leonardo's and Theodore's as well."
Ironwood listened to Ozpin's words and remained stern. "I know Oz. I know."
Ozpin nodded from his side of the screen before the transmission ended, Ozpin's office disappeared leaving only a screensaver showing either Beacon or Atlas Academy's logo respectively. With Ozpin gone Ironwood gave a pained sigh as he rubbed the temples of his head, from behind him Goodwitch stared at the general with an apologetic look.
"I apologise for what I said earlier. That was uncalled for." Goodwitch apologised.
"No Glynda, it was called for. Just not right now" Ironwood turned around to see Goodwitch with a cold serious, stare. "I need some time to think."
Ironwood walked past Goodwitch to exit his tent for some fresh morning air. The surprising warmth that the plateaux provided blew across the tundra General's face, partially waking him up. Ironwood crossed his arms and walked around his tent with his head held low as he strategically considered his next move. As a General he knew more than most that sometimes one must be willing to lose a battle to win the war. However, he also knew that this was the first and perhaps only time this Grimm was willing to show itself in front of people, let alone Huntsman who at the very least had all passed gruelling entrance exams to show they had a high level of combat experience…Well all except for two.
Ironwood began thinking about how convenient it was that Kai and Robin were the one's that managed to fight back against that thing. While a three-time reigning national champion at combat such as Pyrrha Nikos didn't stand a chance. Then there was the video he saw on the Paladin's black box showcasing the brutality of Lucario's Mega Evolution, and how Qrow apparently witnessed Robin's Pokémon handle a deadly assailant who had already defeated-
"…"
A raspy sound interrupted Ironwood from his concerned thoughts when he looked towards the edge of the camp, into the dark trees that marked the entrance to the wild. For whatever reason his Huntsman instincts made him edge cautiously to the entrance, while pulling out his revolver to explore its depths. Unknown to the glowing blue eye that watched his movements in the shadows.
"Alright Chesnaught! Use Seed Bomb!" Robin ordered, swiping her arms forward. "Tyrantrum! Use Rock Slide to block!"
Inside of the plateaux away from prying eyes, Robin's intense training was already in session between two of her powerhouses. Chesnaught stomped his feet on the ground and puffed up his cheeks, spewing a large spray of incendiary seeds at his opponent. On the other side Tyrantrum raised his large above the tree line, making large boulders materialise in thin air that fell at high speed in sync with him jerking his head down. The falling rocks fell in front of the path of the grass move, each seed detonating on impact and making the rock move fall apart and send pieces of debris flying. A couple of the seeds managed to pass through a small opening reaching Tyrantrum and blowing up in his face making him cry out and lose his balance, forcing him to take several steps back to regain his footing.
Robin clenched her teeth at the result of the moves, her eyes shifting to Tyrantrum. "Tyrantrum! You left too many openings! Go again!"
Tyrantrum roared, preparing another Rock Slide while Chesnaught prepared another Seed Bomb in his cheeks. The physical moves clashed again sending chunks of rock flying past by Robin's face, which showed her regular serious expression faulting from the tiredness in her eyes. Another chunk of rock went flying over Robin's shoulder, that moments later broke against a hard-flat surface that made a metallic clang. The strange sound was picked up by Robin's ears, making her turn around to the source of the sound; Pyrrha holding her shield out.
"Hello! I thought you were here considering the noise." Pyrrha causally greeted.
Robin looked at the Huntress with an annoyed expression. "Well in case you haven't noticed, I'm busy. And right now, I'd prefer not to be disturbed."
"Oh don't worry, I won't be here long. I just came here to thank you for last night." Pyrrha explained.
At Pyrrha's reasoning, Robin looked away. "You have no reason to thank me, Kai was the one who was able to find you. And it's not like I actually managed to stop that thing, all I did was help ward it off for a minute before it escaped."
"That may be true, but you were able to help everyone much more than I was." Pyrrha gave a sympathetic smile. "I'm not entirely sure how things work in your world, but here victory isn't always defeating your opponent. It comes from protecting those in danger, and that's what you did for me last night. Despite only attending Beacon for a few weeks you're already on your way to becoming a great Huntress."
Robin didn't respond to Pyrrha's positive comment, instead looking at Chesnaught and Tyrantrum. The latter with his tongue sticking out of his massive jaw, waiting patiently for Robin to issue another command and the former getting distracted, looking at the fluffy clouds in the sky above him.
"Maybe…but I'm not trying to becoming a great Huntress. I'm trying to become a great Pokémon Trainer. And in order to do that I need to battle and win against as many strong opponents as possible. So if I just let them flee-" Robin looked back around to face Pyrrha. "How am I meant to grow and gain experience from that?"
Pyrrha was left partially stunned from Robin's response. She didn't know much about Robin or the Pokémon world but from what Kai and his team were like she didn't expect something like this.
Robin huffed, looking away again. "Your silence is all the answer I need. Now please leave, I'm sure when you thank Kai, he'll be much more unbearably modest than I am."
Pyrrha kept looking at Robin, gaining a more serious look at the trainer. "Well for what it's worth Robin. I think that you are already incredibly strong, whether you see yourself that way or not. And coming from someone who has been treated at the top of the ladder…it's rather cold up there. I've found lowering rungs much more pleasant to be on. With people there to hang on with me."
"And coming from someone slowly working their way up the ladder. I'll make sure that I won't ever fall down the rungs once I've made it up there." Robin answered coldly approaching her Pokémon. "Enough slacking you two! Let's get back to training! And this time I don't want either of you letting the other deal so much as a scratch, understand?!"
Chesnaught and Tyrantrum re-affirmed Robin with their cry's in response as they prepared to train once again. Pyrrha watched the trainer and Pokémon get ready before turning away and walking back towards the main camp. Unaware to the odd movements in the trees and grass around her, as though something was making them rustle.
In the darker parts of the plateaux where the overhead light cast shadows over the ground, shadows that layered themselves on top of each other becoming thicker, denser, darker. One extra shadow was different, this shadow kept moving, constantly layering itself over one patch of shadow before layering itself onto the next. The shadow of General James Ironwood.
Ironwood's steps crunched against the dry ground, breaking fallen twigs and scattering rocks as he kept walking forward towards…something. Though he was too proud to admit it, even to himself he wasn't entirely sure why he had come out this far. It was more than just the privacy, or the fresh air, for some reason he felt he had to keep going. As though there was something he was meant to find out here, something almost right in front of him.
The sound of movement to his side suddenly made him jerk away, pointing his gun straight at the ground. All he saw was a brief rustling of grass before complete stillness and silence. He continued staring at the grass before exhaustedly lowering his gun and sighing.
"Perhaps Glynda was right. Maybe I am losing my mind." Ironwood looked away towards the way he came and took a step back down the path. "If I'm beginning to lose it then perhaps it might be best to leave now. Even if we can't secure this thing now, out here it shouldn't be able to do much harm and now that we know of its existence, then I'm sure Oz will be able to convince the council to send Huntsman over to search for-"
"… …"
A black blur leaped out of the darkness, brushing past Ironwood's face. Ironwood barely had time to react but felt time slow as his gaze locked eyes with a glowing blue eye from the mysterious figure that soon sped away from him, deeper into the trees.
Ironwood quickly realised the situation and his basic instincts kicked in; he ran. Charging down the path the shadowy figure took, he kept his eyes and ears open in case this was some elaborate trap. Then again despite older Grimm being more wise than younger ones, traps were never really something the Grimm were known too well for.
Ironwood leaped through to a wider space, one with more light and a clearer view of the oncoming terrain. And right near its edge was the black figure floating over the ground, maintaining a steady lead ahead of the general in whatever shadows it could find. Ironwood grunted as he used his left arm to grab a second black revolver which he aimed behind him, pulling the trigger.
The sound of the gun firing made the mysterious black figure quickly shift to the left the shot. However, the figure stopped in confusion unable to hear or see the corresponding bullet. The mysterious figure looked behind itself to see a clear area with no sign of Ironwood anywhere. The sound of wind whistling directed the figure's attention upwards where its glowing eyes widened. Falling through the air was Ironwood with his grip tightened around his black revolver, pulling the trigger a second time to shoot a purple Gravity Dust bullet, using the recoil to shoot himself towards the ground like a meteor being pulled by the planets orbit.
The mysterious black figure jumped back in time to avoid Ironwood's fist impacting the ground, his impact making it crack. Not wasting time Ironwood threw his black revolver up and grabbed its barrel, swinging its grip horizontally at the figure making it dodge again. Missing the swing, Ironwood raised his white revolver positioned under his left armpit aimed at the evasive figure. Ironwood fired his weapon shooting an explosive round straight into the figure's chest, sending it flying back onto its back.
It placed its clawed hand onto its chest and prepared to get back up only for its eyes to meet Ironwood's above it, with his white revolver pointed for his head. "Just what are you?"
"…" The black figure growled as its body quickly sunk into shadow that squirmed further away into the plateaux.
Ironwood raised his weapon and began firing rapidly at the shadow only for it to weave in and out of its shots, as it quickly exited the area into another one. Ironwood ran in pursuit, pushing away tree branches that got in the way to find a closed off area. The tall rocky wall of the plateaux, which housed the entrance to a pitch-black cave. A cave that the shadow quickly hid in for sanctuary.
Ironwood breathed in and out repeated, catching his breath as a realisation dawned on him. This thing…had ran from him. Just now, and last night. For whatever reason it didn't want to take its chances with him, and now he knew where it hid.
Ironwood placed both his guns back in their respective holsters and pulled out his scroll, calling a number as he turned his back and walking further away. "Glynda. I've found it. And I have a plan on dealing with it once and for all."
While Ironwood walked into the previous area to talk with Goodwitch, a shadow crawled its way out of the cave. Rising up to take a skinny form the figure looked out to see Ironwood leave seemingly unfazed from the bullet to the chest. Instead its gaze was one…of expectation.
The morning light beamed down over Kai's side as he paced backwards and forwards. His mind focused entirely on last night, on that figure, that shadow that attacked. The way it fought, how if fought, why it fought. Why? That was the question echoing over and over again in his mind.
Far to his side back at the tent, Slurpuff was sniffing in Kai's direction smelling his concern to increase her own. "Slurp…"
Slurpuff sniffed again, her head perking up upon catching the new scent approaching her. Sniffing again she turned her head to see Team RWBY walking up to her.
"Hey Slurpuff! Are Kai and Robin around?" Ruby cheerfully asked.
Slurpuff shook her head. "Berry parfume left earlier to train her team's parfume. And Kai parfume…" Slurpuff sighed looking back at him pace. "Kai parfume hasn't ceased thinking about last night's parfume."
"I guess those rumours were true, Kai and Robin really did face off against something." Blake realised.
"Can we talk to him?" Yang asked.
Slurpuff turned back to face the girls. "Your parfumes are welcome to try. But I am afraid Kai's parfume may be too distracted for him to hear you. He wouldn't even eat the parfume I made this morning."
"Aw, don't cry. I'm sure we can snap Kai out of whatever he's going through!" Ruby confidently declared.
Slurpuff blinked in confusion, turning towards Ruby. "Hmm? What do you mean Rose parfume I am not-" A sudden wet sensation across her cheek made Slurpuff stop talking. She rubbed the area with her paw to see a tear on it, making her yelp in surprise. "Huh?! My parfume is acting up again?!"
"Right. Well if you'll excuse us." Yang abruptly ended their conversation with the meringue Pokémon, walking with her team to speak to Kai.
The four girls stopped in Kai's shadow as he continued to pace back and forth, lost in his own little world. "…"
"Kai, it's us. You know, Team RWBY. Can we talk?" Ruby politely asked, to no response.
"Kai? Hello! Remnant to Kai!" Yang stepped forward waving her hand in Kai's face. Kai didn't respond, he just turned around and walked the other way to carry on pacing. "Huh? Maybe Slurpuff had a point."
Weiss decided to walk forward, getting in the way of Kai's current pacing path. "That's enough Kai. We have come all this way to talk to you, and we don't deserve to be ignored by-"
When Kai was ready to walk into Weiss, he subconsciously walked around her to continue his pacing. Weiss turned around in confusion, to see Kai's back walking away from her. "…You?"
Blake and Ruby looked at Kai's movement, questioning how he was able to completely ignore the outside world. "I know Kai's been through a lot, but does he really need to ignore us like that?" Blake asked.
At the comment Blake felt a certain burning gaze from beside her, she looked to her side to see Ruby pouting with a judgemental stare. "What?"
Staring at her reclusive teammate, Ruby gazed up at Blake's bow suddenly getting an idea to get Kai's attention. Catching up to Kai as he turned around and began walking back, Ruby reached her hand out.
"Sorry Kai, I just need to borrow this for a second." Ruby snatched Kai's fedora off his head holding it in her own hands.
Kai continued pacing as normal, but soon began to slow down his pace. Coming to a complete stop Kai raised his arm to pat the hair on top of his head. His eyes suddenly becoming more alert, and his posture straightening up as Kai frantically shook his head left and right to find his hat.
"Gah! Where is it?! Where is it?! Did the wind blow it off?! How long has it been missing for?! Why did it-?!"
"Uh hum!" Ruby coughed getting Kai's attention. "Your hat's right here Kai. See?"
Kai looked down at his treasured clothing accessory and quickly grabbed it with both hands, securely placing it back on his head where it belonged. "Phew. That was a close one, thanks Ruby." Kai looked around seeing the rest of Team RWBY watching him closely from nearby. "So, when did you all show up?"
Team RWBY all stared blankly at Kai with white circular eyes in response to his complete ignorance of the four. "Wow." Blake commented.
Kai stared at the four with a peculiar look. "What is it? Is there some dirt on me? Why are you all staring at me like that?"
Eventually Weiss snapped out of her gaze, shaking her head. "It's nothing Kai. We just came here because we wanted to talk to you about last night."
"Last night?" Kai suddenly remembered his previous thoughts of the black figure he and Robin thought. "Right, that. Honestly that whole encounter has just been stuck in my head."
"Yeah, we kinda noticed." Yang pointed out.
"It's just…" Kai paused for a minute trying to think of the right words. "Have you ever seen something that you recognise despite never seeing it before?"
"Not really…" Weiss answered. "Maybe you're just overthinking things. It doesn't help that we're all a little sleep depraved."
"Maybe. But I can't shake this feeling, like I'm one piece away from solving a jigsaw puzzle that will show me a clear image of everything."
Blake stepped forward. "Look Kai, I know where you're coming from and if you think there's a bigger picture to this whole thing then it's worth considering. But it shouldn't come at the cost of what's right in front of you, it's unhealthy."
Kai turned to look at Blake. "That's a little odd to hear coming from you Blake. You know because of your whole crusade, thing."
"Well recently someone helped shed some things in a new light." Blake smiled thinking back on her meaningful talk with Ruby. "Maybe what's best for you right now is to take in the present moment instead of wondering about what if's and instead about what is. At the very least you should bookmark it for later."
Kai thought on Blake's words and he had to admit she had a point. Just like how Robin last night snapped him out of his spiralling thoughts, maybe it was worth listening to Blake now and doing the same.
"Yeah, I guess you're right Blake. This place is making me a little stir crazy, maybe it would be a good idea to bookmark things for later and-!"
Kai gasped and his eyes went wide, his body going completely stiff. Team RWBY noticed his sudden change and cautiously approached him. "Kai? What is it?"
"Bookmark…Book…" Kai suddenly smacked his palm on his forehead. "That's it! The nightmares. The environment. Things that remind you of the Grimm but aren't. That is IT! That's why all of this is familiar! And if I'm right then…then…Oh Arceus…"
"Kai did you finally figure something out? Or are we going to have to call for some help?" Yang cautiously asked.
Kai excitedly turned around to face Yang. "Yes! Maybe! Partially! I just need to check something! Something that's been right in front of my face the whole time!"
"Wait a second. You mean you have seen something like this before?" Weiss asked.
"Not seen. Read." Kai quickly ran off towards his tent passing Slurpuff on the way.
The meringue Pokémon sniffed the air, perking up curiously in response to her trainer's sudden epiphany. Following Kai inside of the tent she saw him rummaging through his yellow rucksack looking desperately for something.
"Come on. Come on. Please tell me I didn't forget to pack it. Please tell me I didn't forget to pack it!" Kai murmured to himself before he reached his hands deep inside one of his bags sections to pull out 'The Findings of a New World', flipping through its pages. "Okay, so if I go back to this section here…"
Slurpuff slowly walked towards Kai, sniffing the aged paper before Kai stopped and looked at the familiar page.
September 7th
…
Recently I have been suffering terrible nightmares, I cannot remember much; just a dark figure chasing me and my worst fears coming to life. Was it a Grimm? No matter, I must push these thoughts aside to continue my journey home.
Kai turned to the next few pages seeing the torn and scribbled entries that looked as though they were written by a mad man. A feeling that he was beginning to relate to. Placing his fingers on top of the paper he could feel slight indentations of letters or characters that had been pressed down by a writing instrument.
Kai frowned. "It could just be a coincidence, but I need to be sure. I need to know what this author wrote in these pages." Kai breathed in and out. "My Perception might be able to help but I've never tried using it on something as specific as this before. Plus, right now I feel way too flustered and confused to feel scared or panicked enough to get my semblance to work."
Slurpuff whined, pushing her head against Kai's hand to get his attention. "You have pushed your parfume too hard lately Kai parfume. Just rest your parfume this once."
"I know Slurpuff but right now I can't rest." Kai replied, he looked over to his sleeping bag where he came with a sudden solution. One that made him lower his gaze as his fedora cast a shadow over his eyes. "Then again getting some rest…might be just what I need…" Kai exhaustedly approached his sleeping bag and lay on top of it. "Slurpuff…I need you to do me a big favour."
Slurpuff curiously looked at her trainer. "My parfume is always prepared for whatever you wish to apply it to Kai parfume."
"Good. Because I need you to stay outside. I need to go to sleep…"
Slurpuff dramatically gasped, quickly walking to Kai. "But Kai parfume! If your parfume drifts to sleep then-!"
"I'll have nightmares. Yeah, that's the idea." Kai stopped Slurpuff as he sighed. "If I have a nightmare as bad as the one on the first night it should be more than enough for my semblance to push itself to read those pages and prove what I'm thinking. I hate to say this but this is the only way…as much as I wish it wasn't." Kai looked at Slurpuff with a saddened expression. "Which is why I need you to stay outside until I'm really struggling. Then wake me up and I should have my suspicions confirmed or denied. Can you do that for me? Please?"
Slurpuff lowered her head and sniffed. She did not like the idea of having her trainer, the human she loved most in this world subjugate himself to his own personal torture, but if it was what he really wanted then as his Pokémon she would loyally obey. "I will Kai parfume. I will ensure no parfume will befall you more than necessary."
Kai managed to smile before lying on his back. "Thank you Slurpuff…You know…I really do…enjoy…our chats…"
With the exhaustion from staying awake for hours on end getting to him along with personal comfort, Slurpuff walked out of the tent allowing Kai to entre a deep sleep. A sleep so deep that he didn't hear or feel the vibrations of his scroll in his pocket.
One by one, students felt their scroll begin to buzz and light up with an incoming call. Upon looking at the screen they saw the caller ID showcasing Ironwood's name and profile picture leading to a certain amount of confusion as one by one people answered the call. From Ironwood's end he saw the number of people answering his call increase, however he remained quiet until over a hundred Huntsman in training had answered. Taking a quick breath and remembering his words he began.
"Students. I am sure that despite my efforts, I have done little to distil the anxiety and fear you must be feeling. Whether you witnessed it or not, I am sure that many of you are on edge of after the attack last night. That creature…that Grimm is one that we have not identified. However, it is one…that we have located." Ironwood briefly paused letting the students take the information. "Which is why today, should you choose to accept, you will not be acting as students in training but as fully fledged Huntsman ready to fight back against the forces of darkness."
Walking back into the main camp, Pyrrha was listening to the announcement in both surprise and a serious concentration. She momentarily looked up from her scroll to see the rest of her teammates doing the same.
Goodwitch's icon suddenly appeared next to his. "I know that while some of you may be excited, and others nervous. None of you will be doing this alone. Hopefully the General and I should be able to handle this creature ourselves and you all will merely be guarding the perimeter to prevent an escape. But I know better than to lie to you all like that."
Throughout the campsite several other teams including Team SSSN, CRDL, RWBY, even Mercury, Emerald and Cinder were listening in on their speech.
"We have very little to go on and believe me, I wish there was another way. However, when dealing with the unknown, sometimes the best way to move forward…is to take the first step. Even when it seems uncertain. I will not force any of you to leave should you feel ill-prepared. But know that as Huntsman, what you're feeling right now, will not go away. Every day when you put yourselves out into the field, out on missions, out to battle. That feeling will always follow you."
With two Pokéballs in one hand and her scroll in the other. Robin casually returned Chesnaught and Tyrantrum, before putting her sole attention on her scroll. Her determination growing with each passing second.
"But that feeling is not there to hinder you." Goodwitch continued. "Rather it is there to keep you alive. To make you fight harder, fight smarter, fight better. So, when we ask you to join us today, do not let your feelings push you back. Use them to push not just you, but to push all of us forward!"
In the camp Ironwood and Goodwitch's words were beginning to inspire and rally up the students. Waking them up and filling them with confidence and assurance in each other as they looked to each other for support. And before the message was finished, they all began to group up and walk together.
"Your scrolls are currently being sent a location where we will meet up, in front of the Grimm's lair. Once you arrive, we will inform you of our tactics and strategy going forward. And once we are all clear…we will put an end to this nightmare. Once and for all."
With those last words Ironwood ended the call, and the scrolls suddenly portrayed a map of the plateaux with an area marked with a red dot. The groups of students saw this and began walking in the direction, ready to fight and prove that their training was paying off.
From outside of her master's tent Slurpuff observed the students leaving en masse. The strange sight, along with what her trainer was putting himself through making her sniff the air concerningly. "I smell a troublesome parfume wafting from ahead…"
The crowds of training Huntsman ready to step up to perform was increasing drastically. Packed together in the area Ironwood and Goodwitch marked, they were eagerly awaiting a chance to prove their worth and fight back against the monster that had been tormenting them each night. Amidst them all near the front, Robin stood with her hand tightly clenching a Pokéball in her hand. She couldn't help but think of the nightmare she had to go through, and the fight with the figure from last night. The memories making the grip on her ball tighten.
"Hey Robin!"
Robin's focus was taken away momentarily at the call of her name, making her look around the dozens and dozens of strangers in curiosity.
"Yoo-hoo! Over here!"
The second call out managed to direct Robin's attention to who was calling her name. She saw Ruby pushing through the pack of students with the rest of her team close behind her.
At the sight of the girls, Robin's expression dropped. "Oh. It's you four again. What do you want this time?"
"Uh, hello to you to." Yang remarked.
Ruby stepped forward. "We haven't seen you at all this morning. After last night we just wanted to know if-"
"I'm fine. You shouldn't worry about me." Robin quickly dismissed before Ruby could finish. "Right now all I want is to take that thing down for good, and get out of here."
While Robin was talking, Blake looked past her trying to find someone. "Have you seen anyone else like Kai or Sun? We're trying to find everyone and group up."
Robin shook her head. "Can't say that I have. By the time I arrived people were already getting swept up and moved around. I doubt that you'll find anyone else."
"Hey! We found you, didn't we?" Yang pointed out.
"So, you really haven't seen Kai or even heard from him. He seemed really sure that he had figured out something just a few minutes ago." Ruby explained.
Robin's interest was suddenly reignited. "What do you mean Kai figured something out?"
While the five girls chatted, at the front of everyone Goodwitch stood with Ironwood. Looking out at the assembled group, Ironwood looked to Goodwitch who gave him a reassuring nod, letting him know that everyone who wanted to be there had arrived. Nodding back in confirmation of the message, Ironwood stepped forward to address those he was about to fight alongside.
"Students please! May I have your attention?" Ironwood exclaimed to all of the students before Robin's question could be answered. "You have all been kept waiting long enough. Within the next few moments, this mission of ours will be set into motion."
The students were all captivated by Ironwood's commanding presence, taking in every word he was saying regarding their plan. "Earlier this morning, I had a chance encounter with this creature. During which I was able to injure it and drive it off towards the cave entrance that is just beyond this clearing. The plan is simple, Ms Goodwitch and I will head in first and attempt to take this creature on our own. In the event that it tries to flee, you all must stand together and keep it contained. You are permitted to use whatever means you have available, just as long as it doesn't inhibit or harm your fellow Huntsman standing beside you." Ironwood stood firm and scanned the large crowd he was talking to with a serious stare. "I cannot guarantee that this will be easy, or that none of you come out unscathed. But what I can promise you is that when this is all over, the scourge that is in these lands…will be no more!" Ironwood declared, pulling out his white revolver and raising it high for everyone to see that he was ready to go in.
"I couldn't have put it better myself."
A chilling voice suddenly halted any and all feelings of confidence in an instant. Thick nimbus clouds approached from behind the Huntsman, blocking the sun and casting a thin shadow across the entire plateaux. Under the shadow the silhouettes casted by people began to camouflage themselves and fade, all but one. Ironwood's shadow only seemed to darken and blacken as it began to suddenly change shape. Transforming from that of a man to a thin, wispy figure that peeked a glimpse of above with a blue eye.
Ironwood began to feel a crawling sensation across his skin as though something were standing right behind him. Turning around he witnessed the mysterious figure emerge out of his shadow, his body taking form. Ironwood pointed his weapon at the growing threat but for some reason, he felt unable to pull the trigger allowing the mysterious black figure to fully expose itself.
Floating above the ground, its two sick like appendages poked from underneath it to let it stand as the dark shadows that hid its figure began to disappear revealing more to its form. The spiky growth around its neck becoming bright red, the wispy plume on its head turning snow white, and the rest of its figure maintained a black colour though now it looked less like the night and more like pitch-black skin.
The figure fully emerged to see the scared Huntsmen faces. "You all need…to go away."
Meanwhile in a far-off place, deep in the depths of a cold isolated cave, the atmosphere was still. Large rock formations were scattered across the uneven terrain. Stalactites and stalagmites pointing straight ahead, sections of rock that connected the floor to the ceiling like misshapen columns. And oddly enough in some areas there were rope bridges and old railroad tracks worn away by time.
The barren, empty cave seemed devoid of any and all life. At least until a fast-paced set of footsteps clanged against the metal of one of the railways, along with an exhausted panting sound. Sounds immediately followed by rumbling and scraping caused by the stampede of Ursa Major charging forward.
Running as fast as possible against the oncoming army of darkness was Kai in poor shape. His breath was heavy and rapid, his eyes frantically shifting all over the place looking for escape, his attire heavily damaged with patches scratched, dirtied or ripped off. Most notably his right shoulder that looked as though something had taken a large bite. From his current state Kai had no aura, no semblance, no weapon…and he was missing his precious family of Pokémon and his treasured grey fedora.
Glancing over his shoulder Kai saw the Grimm getting closer, making him grunt. "Don't you all have something better to do, like I don't know…NOT TRYING TO KILL ME?!"
The beast's ravenous snarls and roars answered Kai with a resounding no. Turning his head back around to face in front of him, Kai narrowed his eyes to help him see through the darkness, noticing the rails splitting off into two separate paths for him to take. Kai gritted his teeth as he looked left and right between his two options as the time to make his choice was quickly fleeting from him.
"Left? Or right? Left? Right…?" Kai shuck his head and focused, looking over to the side. "Left!"
Making his choice Kai turned and ran to follow the rusted railway that went towards the left side of the cave. Kai ran out of view of the Grimm, looking over his shoulder once again to make sure that he avoided them. He almost felt relieved…until he turned back around. Kai's eyes widened in fright and surprise when up ahead he saw that the railway and the very ground he was running on suddenly disappear as he approached a sheer cliff. Kai stuck his arms out and tried to stop in place, his feet clumsily moving forward in an attempt to desperately keep his balance and stop himself from falling to certain death. Inches before the edge Kai managed to stop himself in place, giving him a perfect view of the lightless abyss underneath him.
Kai looked down and gulped, sweat dripping against his cheeks. "Okay…things look bad but…if I just catch my breath…"
Shrieking howls from the distance, made Kai choke on his own breath. Turning around the corner, the hoards of Grimm charged after Kai in even greater numbers than before. Their bloodthirsty charge made Kai momentarily forget his surroundings and take a step back, putting the back half of his foot over the abyss as pebbles fell off the edge entering the abyss without another sound.
Kai's heart was pounding, lodging itself in his throat. Fear overcame his body and he froze in place unable to act as the Grimm made their final push. The ground suddenly cracked under Kai's weight, making him look down to see cracks quickly form and interconnect with one another. Before Kai could comprehend what was about to happen, the edge of the cliff Kai was standing on broke off from the main chunk or rock. Kai felt his body being lifted up of the slab, before feeling weightless as he fell into the abyss his vision of the Grimm on the edge the last thing he could see before entering complete darkness as he screamed before his demise.
…
Kai wasn't quite sure how long he had been falling. Minutes. Hours. Days. It hardly mattered though and quite frankly Kai was numb to it all. He honestly had stopped feeling. Pain. Fear. Joy. Determination. Kai had stopped feeling everything. His eyes seemed lifeless and dull, with his eyelids heavy on top of them. Until out of nowhere he hit the bottom.
The shock rushed through Kai's nervous system like lightning, the impact against the back of Kai's body crushing his bones. The feeling like he had been hit head on by a speeding car. Kai's eyes burst with life as he opened his mouth wide and screamed deep into the emptiness. But nobody heard.
Kai's grunts of intense pain were muffled by him clenching his teeth, his breathing now harsh and pained as though every breath scratched his lungs. His senses suddenly coming back all at once completely overwhelmed the seventeen-year-old making him struggle to hold on as his eyes began to go misty.
But then, seemingly a miracle. Light began to trickle into the bottom of the cave from above. The warm sensation providing a small pleasure to Kai in a moment of intense pain. He squinted getting adjusted to the sudden change in lighting before Kai gasped.
"S…Sir…?" Kai muttered in-between pained breaths.
Lying across from Kai at the bottom of the cave was another figure. It wasn't light enough for Kai to see them properly but he could at least make out their silhouette.
"S…Sir! Are you alright?!" Kai tried to move but felt a sudden sharp pain overcome his whole body, making him yell. "I…I can't move! I-I've lost…my friends…my Pokémon…my fam…my famil…" Kai struggled to speak as everything became too much for him. "Please! I need help! Sir please!"
The light that entered the cave continued to get brighter and brighter allowing Kai to get a better view of the person next to him. Features such as him being an older middle-aged man with brown hair and the shape of his rounded face. His articles of clothing and any accessories and finally with enough light Kai could recognise his face.
He gasped. Kai's pupils suddenly shrank to nothing as he stared dead ahead of him. "No…" Kai's breathing began to become extremely frantic, becoming more like wheezing as tears quickly began to fall from his eyes. "No. No. Nononono! No! NO! NO! PLEASE GOD NO! NO! I'm…I'm sorry! I'm so-so…I can't! I CAN'T! PLEASE! I CA-! I CA-!"
Kai's anguish and despair finally came to ahead as he could now see what was hidden in the abyss. And what he saw in this light was infinitesimally worse than whatever the darkness had to offer. He finally let it all out as he screamed in pain…with a sweet smell overwhelming his nostrils.
Kai's eyes suddenly flashed open with a blue hue. Lurching upwards, Kai took a large gap of air as he could feel his heart pounding rapidly as though a Tauros was running across his chest. Through Kai's blue Perception he could see the inside of the tent in greater detail than normal, the information rushing through his brain like a supercomputer and giving him almost an out of body experience to understand his surroundings.
"PAAAARRR~!"
The loud high-pitched cry rang through Kai's sensitive hearing like an explosion, making Kai recoil from the sound. Kai's nose crinkled as the sharp aroma from before burned the inside of his nose as he struggled to take all his senses in.
"Agh! Relax Kai! Relax! Don't fight back…open your senses up…let it flow…let it flow…" Kai took another sharp inhale allowing the smell to visualise himself in his Perception forming a misty trail that lead to a large concentration placed next to his bedside.
"Kai Parfume! Please wake up Kai Parfume!" The cry began to soften and become more familiar.
Kai's Perception adjusted itself to allow the large mass of information to flow freely, giving Kai a more controlled, more focused and more clear view of everything as he turned his head to get a clear view of Slurpuff.
"Slurpuff…You're…Crying again…" Kai panted.
Slurpuff murmured at what Kai said, making her put a paw to her eyes to see that she had in fact been crying. A fact that only made her gape and stare at the tear with a comedically over the top look.
Kai groaned as he felt his head ache. "Slurpuff…there's not much time…until I calm down…the book…"
Kai got himself up, the sensation of his back leaning up being felt in every hair and every skin cell along his back side. When he got up, Slurpuff had already carried the book over already on the torn and scribbled pages. "Thank…you…now please…let me be right…"
Kai's eyes looked at the pages and he narrowed his eyes in concentration. Placing his right hand on the pages he felt for any imprints or indentations left over from the original writing that may have remained after all these years, and soon the words magically began to appear in his vision.
September 29th
GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!
THE NIGHTMARES WON'T STOP!
WHAT IS THIS?!
Kai flickered across the pages seeing several similar messages and drawings that mimicked the appearance of the mysterious figure Kai had faced.
"So it did come from my world…But what is it…?" Kai asked himself as he turned another page.
October 19th
Today I have exited Mt Coronet and have discovered a new settlement by the name of Celestic Town. This town is home to myths and history as old as the region itself, and it is here that I may have found an answer to my curse. The locals here seemed to recognise my exhaustion and my dreams, comparing them to what is known as a mythical Pokémon. A rare and powerful Pokémon that while not as powerful as a legendary Pokémon, could still rival them. This particular one has chosen to possess my sleeping thoughts and can only be exorcised using a mysterious item obtained from the Lunar legendary Pokémon. It seems even unintentionally I keep learning about these powerful creatures. Apparently, the reason for this is that it is the counterpart to the myth that has taken a hold of me. The creature known as-
Kai finished the final word and felt his heart momentarily skip a beat. He probably shouldn't have been so surprised given he had seen legendary Pokémon with his own eyes before, but the realisation still hit home all the same.
"Oh no…" Kai murmured turning to Slurpuff. "I understand now Slurpuff. I understand everything. I finally know why."
Slurpuff waddled closer to her trainer's side. "Then what should our parfume do?"
Kai paused for a moment before his eyes shone bright. He got up on his feet and stepped outside of his tent and stepped outside where his ears twitched. In the silence of the camp and with knowledge of what to look for, he could hear the sounds coming from the plateaux that only strengthened his determination.
Kai managed a serious smile. "That's easy Slurpuff…We're going to save everyone." Kai pulled the rest of his Pokéballs off his belt and brought the remaining five of his team out. "Listen guys, this is gonna sound crazy but I need you five to do something."
The combined forces of the Huntsman academies were currently left speechless, by the few words that the black figure spoke.
"No way…" One Huntsman in training muttered.
"Did that thing…just talk…" Another Huntress in training finished.
The black figure stared at the dozens upon dozens of different people that had come to kill it, its vision scanning the various faces. The cocking of a gun near its head made it casually turn its head to see Ironwood aiming his weapon at it, while still keeping an eye on the army of students.
"This is the last time I'm going to ask. What are you?" Ironwood asked in a sinister tone.
The black figure growled. "I have not come here to fight human…Should you comply that weapon you wield will not be necessary."
"That wasn't an answer." Ironwood pressured, tightening his grip.
"I assure you human…firing that weapon will do more harm against you than it would me." The figure gestured at its chest, specifically the area Ironwood shot before. There was hardly a sign that it did any damage. "Believe me. I detest having to face you, as much as you are facing me. But there are those among you, that must be taken care of."
A cracking sound on the other sound of his head made the figure glance back to see Goodwitch pointing her riding crop on the other side of the figure's head. "For something that claims not to fight. You seem quite comfortable making threats on our lives."
The figure shook its head disappointedly. "I do not lie, unlike you human. I have come not to fight…but to bargain."
The strange request made Goodwitch and several of the students raise a brow in confusion. "…And just what are you bargaining for?"
"If you leave this place and never return, I will spare your lives. However, I require something from you. The ones responsible for trapping me in this place." The figure explained, looking away from the two qualified educators and towards the crowd of students. "I want…" The figure pointed one of its claw like fingers into the crowd. "HER!"
The path the finger pointed to, went through rows and rows of students until it pointed directly at one student in particular. The student with the Pokéball clutched in her hand.
"Robin?" Ruby murmured by her side.
Robin just stared at the figure's gesture, as it lowered its arm. "The two among you who capture my brethren and use them solely for their selfish desires! For entertainment, violence and power! They must stay! The rest of you…" The figure turned to look Ironwood dead in the eye. "Must go away!"
Ironwood and Goodwitch were left stunned by the mysterious figure's ultimatum, but more so on what it said. "What do you mean?"
"I know you humans are ignorant…But is it not obvious?" The figure mocked before looking at Robin. "I'm sure you have figured it out. Go ahead. Bring out that device that you so called trainer's use and let everyone know the truth!"
Robin leered at the figure. To be honest she had her suspicions since fighting it last night but now those thoughts were all but confirmed. "So, this was what Kai figured out. Honestly the worst part about this is just how obvious this is in hindsight."
"What are you talking about? What's obvious?" Weiss cautiously asked.
Robin reached under her mini dress into her shorts pocket, and pulled out her Pokédex holding it in front of the figure.
"Wait that's-?!" Blake started to say in realisation.
The Pokédex beeped. The figure had been identified.
-Darkrai, the Pitch-Black Pokémon. It is rumoured that on nights of a new moon it chases people and Pokémon from its territory by causing them to experience deep, nightmarish slumbers-
When the Pokédex finished its audio log, everyone was rendered still. The mysterious black figure having finally been identified exhaled.
"So…You know what I am, what I am capable of and what I desire. Now choose! Relinquish the trainer's and leave or face your demise!" Darkrai threatened insistently.
Still trying to piece together neither Ironwood or Goodwitch were ready to respond, let alone any of the students, most of which had seen glimpses and heard rumours of Pokémon outside two mysterious trainers' but had never seen one in the wild. In the moment of decisiveness one decision was made, when Robin started walking forward to confront the nightmarish Pokémon.
"Well it's hardly a choice. Two people against over a hundred. If you think that I'm so weak that I need to rely on strangers for support then I'll be sure to prove you wrong." Robin explained, stepping up.
Darkrai glared at her. "Amusing…Here you are trying to save your fellow kind. And yet when it comes to those you have captured and used for battle; you choose to abandon them and runaway."
Hearing those words, Robin flinched and stiffened her posture. "How could you-?"
"Know…I have the power to influence the dreams of those near me. I know their dreams and their fears. And those disgusting emotions you feel, guilt, envy, lust, fear…I have seen it all." Darkrai bowed his head. "However, despite the feelings I harbour for you. I will accept your-"
In the midst of the students, rose petals suddenly flew up above many of their heads. A powerful wind suddenly blew towards Darkrai making him instinctively look its way. At the head of the oncoming force was Ruby running at top speed with her semblance, unfolding Crescent Rose from her hip and using her momentum to empower her strike. With slightly widened eyes, Darkrai leaped away from the swing leaving Ruby to only cut the air before Darkrai landed on both its legs.
"What are you doing?!" Robin asked in surprise.
Ruby confidently looked at her back. "My job as a Huntress!"
Darkrai looked at the display and growled. "Insolent human. This matter does not concern you."
Ruby stared directly at Darkrai. "Look, I admit I don't really understand Pokémon all that well. But I made a promise to help my friend and his Pokémon that I'd help them get home. So, I'm not going to let you trap them here with you!"
Before Darkrai could issue a response, a gun was fired. Darkrai reacted barely to shift to its right, making the shot miss and hit the ground to his left.
"Let me make something clear to you Miss Navy." Ironwood began to say as he walked forward to Darkrai. "I enlisted you as a member of Atlas academy which also makes you a part of Atlas' military. And in our ranks, we can accept making a pre-emptive attack, we can accept holding our defences, we can even accept a tactical retreat. But what we cannot accept…" Ironwood raised his revolver at Darkrai with a more serious, more prepared stare. "Is unconditional surrender. No matter who or what the enemy is. So as noble as your action might seem, as your headmaster and future general I cannot authorise it."
Robin stared at the Atlesian general and Beacon student who put their lives on the line to save Robin making her scowl. "I wasn't surrendering you know. I plan on beating this wild Pokémon. After all defeating a mythical Pokémon-" Robin threw the Pokéball up, sending out Chesnaught who stamped the ground and gave his cry. "Is the mark of a true champion!"
Darkrai glared at the three who dared challenge it and sighed. "So, you have chosen to oppose me rather than flee…How disappointing. I really did wish this wouldn't resort to violence."
"Like I care what you think. I'm ending this now! Chesnaught use Hammer Arm!" Robin commanded.
Chesnaught's thick arm began to glow, as he charged forward to deal a super-effective attack. "Chesnaught Chesnaught! (This is for the bad dreams you gave my trainer!)"
Darkrai sympathetically closed its eyes in thought. "I am sorry, my brethren. But you are leaving me with no other option." Darkrai opened its eyes open and stretched out its hand, forming a completely black sphere.
"Woah Robin! Watch out, it's-!" Ruby warned.
"Don't worry, Chesnaught is a fighting type Pokémon. A dark type move like that isn't very effective. Once it makes a move it will be wide open." Robin confidently explained.
"A pity then…That this is no attack!" Darkrai threw the sphere forward. "Dark Void!"
The sphere shot at Chesnaught at blinding speeds he couldn't react to. It collided with his large body, encapsulating him in a thick darkness instantly. Disappearing as quickly as it appeared, Chesnaught stood momentarily…before falling to the ground with his eyes closed and snoring.
"He's…asleep?!" Robin gritted her teeth, pulling out Chesnaught's Pokéball. "Damnit! After how aggressive it fought last night, I hadn't considered it knowing a status move!"
"And now an innocent Pokémon must suffer, due to its trainer's abuse." Darkrai glanced at the large Huntsman crowd. "I'm done putting up with your kind invading these grounds. It's time I put an end to this."
Ironwood fired a shot from his revolver aimed at Darkrai, only for him to disappear in an instant and reappear elsewhere as though he were glitching through reality. Turning around to face his new position, this interaction repeated again two more times before Darkrai disappeared once more, this time for good.
From the Huntsman crowd, students looked everywhere trying to find the Pitch-Black Pokémon.
"Where did it go?!" Yang cried out amongst the confusion.
A dark shadow overlapped the students, making Blake look up and widen her eyes. "Yang…"
Yang looked at Blake before l following her train of sight, her eyes widening at the shared sight. Floating high above their heads in the middle of the air, Darkrai hovered menacingly with his arms raised high. Concentrating an incredibly large Dark Void above his head.
"I will make your last conscience thought be this human's…I could have done this too you the last time we crossed paths. However, I wanted to offer you something that no human has ever offered back…mercy." By the time the Huntsman in training, and even the professional Huntsman educators realised. It was too late. "Dark Void!"
Darkrai thrust its arms down making sphere after sphere of Dark Void's rain down from above in a nightmarish volley. Sphere upon sphere crashed on against the earth, landing on Huntsman and Huntresses over and over again. Many began to panic and make a pointless attempt to flee only to be taken down one by one.
Goodwitch looked up at the status move pouring down and used her semblance to form a telepathic glyph that shot extrasensory bolts to fight back, only for them to not even effect the move. Goodwitch was left shocked in the face of defeat as she was taken down by the move, toppling to the ground. Ironwood looked on in fear at the overwhelming might the mythical Pokémon showed, able to completely ignore aura and incapacitate an entire army of trained Huntsman at once. The memory of it running away suddenly coming back into his mind.
"That thing…it played me…" Ironwood gasped before he too was hit and put into a nightmare filled coma.
Screams of panic and desperation filled the area, despite the training that these young individuals went through they had never been prepared for anything like this. The cries of those who tried to run, the cries of those who tried to fight back, the cries of those who were defeated quickly ceased. An eerie silence filled the plateaux as no sound seemed to stir. From the sky Darkrai looked down at his work before moving his attention to the remaining individuals.
Robin and Ruby uncovered themselves and looked at their surroundings, completely horrified. Hundreds upon hundreds of people from all corners of the world, that had been accepted into the most elite Huntsman academies that were offered. Were all down. Bodies sprawled out with faces and groans signifying that their nightmares had already started as both random and friendly faces were left defeated.
Ruby looked around and gasped at one of the familiar victims. "Jaune!"
Ruby ran over to him and grabbed the knight's shoulders. "Come on Jaune! Wake up! Wake up!"
"…"
No response came from the Huntsman in training. Upon closer inspection Pyrrha, Nora and Ren, his teammates, all of them were also trapped in their own minds.
Robin slowly walked up to Ruby, taking time to see the sprawled-out scene. Team CRDL, Team SSSN, even people from Atlas she recognised such as Ciel and Riley. All of them were down.
"I…I heard rumours…but…I thought they were just fake scary stories…Like the bogeyman or the monster in the closet." Robin murmured.
From above Darkrai slowly descended back down to ground level. "For years you peculiar Huntsman have come here. To research. To explore. And I allowed you. But had I known just how easy it would be to stop you…I would have done so, much sooner." Darkrai looked towards Robin. "No matter. Once this trainer has been dealt with, the other will be easy enough to find."
Robin turned around and readied another Pokéball. "Don't act like you've won yet! Not when you still have an opponent in front of you!"
Darkrai scoffed. "And who might that be?"
"Us!"
The new voice took Darkrai and Robin's attention to see Weiss, Blake and Yang, all awake and all ready to fight.
Ruby looked too and beamed at her teammates. "Guys! You're alright!"
"We just managed to avoid his attack. Barely." Blake explained.
"But now that we know what we're dealing with, we can properly face it head on." Weiss exclaimed, pointing her rapier's tip at Darkrai.
Robin looked at the huntresses pessimistically. "What are you all doing?! Against a mythical Pokémon you all have no chance! Just look around you!"
"So what? Fighting impossible odds against dark monsters that are stronger than us. That's what Huntresses have to do every day!" Yang pointed out.
"And it's not like we haven't had to face a Pokémon before. We do have some experience." Weiss explained further.
"We know how it looks. But if we just gave up at whatever danger was thrown on us, we'd never be where we are today." Blake argued back.
Ruby made it over to her team, readying her weapon with them. "So, it doesn't matter how tough it seems! We won't run away! We won't give up! And we won't lose!"
Robin looked at the four girls she had met in this world. And although they seemed completely out of their depth…she couldn't help but admire their determination to go against the odds like she had tried to do for years. "Well I can't exactly stop you. So, don't try to get in the way." Robin pulled held her Pokéball in her hand outwards, ready to throw it.
Darkrai just blankly stared at his five female opponents. "…It appears even in this mysterious place. Humanity continues to be stubborn in the face of defeat." A dark aura began rising off Darkrai's body. "I gave you a choice. A choice to leave. A choice to leave this land unsullied but now you have left me with no choice."
The wind began to pick up and leaves in the trees began to rustle, along with some other more peculiar life-like sounds. Before Darkrai shot forward off the ground at blazing speeds. "This land! SHALL BE YOUR FINAL RESTING PLACE!"
So the mysterious enemy that has been inflicting Huntsman with nightmares and hiding out in this strange section of the mountains was Darkrai...to the surprise of I'm gonna guess five people. But just because you saw it coming, I hope I made its reveal impactful and terrifying. Team RWBY certainly never had to put up with an opponent like this in the cannon.
Now normally this is the part where I either apologise for taking so long to post about a new chapter, or tell you all a fun tidbit about my story or recent interests. However as I'm sure I don't need to tell you, something much more serious has come up.
First of all, me and my family are currently fine and healthy. And I hope that all of my readers are too. Adapting to COVID-19 has been a challenge for many of us. And while I can't do much if writing this story helps to alleviate some boredom and anxiety you may be experiencing then I'll do my best. We're all in this together.
So until next time this is Kallerston, signing out!