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"TAKAAKI!"
Blossom—and the rest of the student body for that matter—were awoken to a shrill scream of a young woman. Blossom sat up to see her dressed like royalty in a short gold dress with poofy sleeves that hung off her shoulder, paired with purple, elbow length fingerless gloves, thigh-high purple stocking with gold ankle boots. She had some purple leather belts around her waist carrying pouches filled with who-knows-what. The most striking accessory she wore was a small golden tiara on her redheaded hair.
She strutted from the girls side and marched right into the next room where the boys slept. It was the next day, so the separation restriction was, probably, lifted; if not, well it seemed like this girl didn't really care if it was or wasn't.
It was no surprise who this girl was. Given the golden attire, her regal appearance and mannerisms, and the all important "M" insignia on her person, she was Himeko Morebucks, youngest daughter to the wealthiest family in all of Remnant.
Once she was on the boys side, she had found who she had been looking for, and stomped toward his sleeping body.
"TAKAAKI! WAKE UP!"
The boy let out a loud groan. He slowly lifted his arm from his face to see the golden girl standing above him with her hands on her hips and an expected stare.
"Um...Good Morning?" She said as though he was the one who was supposed to say it.
Takaaki merely grumbled incoherent words and sat up. He had messy dirty blonde bed hair with sleepy, crystal blue eyes. Like most of the boys, he slept shirtless along with a pair blue and grey plaid pajama bottoms; he had a long, enormous scar trailing up and down his spine, and a dark grey dog tail on his backside. It wagged a bit once he was fully awake.
Takaaki yawned, but Himeko paid it no mind.
"Can you believe we've been in Beacon for a whole day? This place isn't Atlas, but it has its charm, so I'll give it that, but couldn't they at least give us a proper place to sleep?! You know I have strict sleeping requirements! I barely slept a wink without my "Ambient Music Radio"; not to mention your spine condition! How could they expect us to sleep on the floor?!"
On cue, Takaaki reached to his right to retrieve a high tech, simple and expensive-looking spine brace. He attached the metal device onto his back, along his spine, as though he has done this several times before. The device started at the top of his neck and ended at the base of his spine, right before it touched his tail. Once his brace was secured, Takaaki began his morning routine, with Himeko following behind and talking his ear off.
In the restrooms where students performed their personal hygiene routines. Takaaki brushed his teeth while Himeko kept talking.
"Ugh! But whatever, I guess. Like I said, this place has its charm. It's absolutely a perfect place for us to train together. Atlas Academy wasn't going to cut it! ….racist hypocrites….Ugh! I couldn't possibly imagine attending school without you! I'll be an absolute wreck."
Back in the ballroom where students were gathering their things. Takaaki rolled his sleeping bag while Himeko fixed her hair into pigtails.
"Not to mention, we've been friends for SUCH a long time. It's just impossible to imagine not attending a Huntsmen Academy together, you know? I mean, look at us. Me: the heiress to a wealthy fortune, and you: a skilled fighter and the perfect student. We are the perfect team. Bar none."
In the dining hall where students partook in lovely servings of assorted breakfast foods. Takaaki was eating his stacks of pancakes while Himeko….kept talking.
"OH! Speaking of teams! Have you heard the rumor about there being teams?! Some say it's teams of four, others are talking about pairs, but it doesn't matter, we have to make sure we're on the same team, if not, one of us HAS to be paired up with Robin Synder! She's a fighting prodigy! If one of us pairs up with her, we'll be unstoppable! ….but that's only if we're not on the same team together."
In the locker rooms where students gather their weapons and equipment from their assigned lockers. Takaaki sat on the bench sharpening his blades while Himeko, with her weapon strapped to her back, continued to talk while pacing in front of him.
"Now, we just need a strategy. Back-up plans in case, she isn't on a team with us. I mean, why wouldn't she? She'll be missing a perfect opportunity to become absolutely popular if she's not with us. We just have to convince her to join us. But how….do you think she'll take Lien?"
"Princess." Takaaki spoke for the first time all day addressing Himeko by her personal nickname.
Princess stopped her rambling and turned her attention to her childhood friends. "Yes?"
Takaaki finished sharpening the blades of his claws before retracting them back into his gauntlet. He was fully dressed in his gear; a grey blue skin-tight, turtleneck shirt underneath a dark blue and grey combat hoodie, blue camouflage pants, and black boots. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbow for the pair of bladed-retractable gauntlets he wore. On his belt, he carried extra cartridges of blades, ammunition of dusts, and few extra combat knives, for worse case scenarios.
He scratched his messy hair. "If I remember her semblance correctly, she will benefit from the near endless supply of dust you have. Offer her that instead."
Princess thought it over and squealed in excitement. "Ahh! YES! That's perfect! Back-up plan secured! Taka, what would I do without you?!" He shrugged, chucking under his breath. "Now we just need to properly introduce ourselves."
Princess turned around and saw the infamous Robin Synder talking to a girl in blue with blonde pigtails. Takaaki stood up and grabbed Princess on her arm and spoke quietly. "Woah. Do you know who that girl is?" He pointed at the blonde.
Princess squinted her eyes for a second. Takaaki rolled his eyes.
"That's Bluebird."
Princess gasped. "No way! What. Are. The odds?! Bluebird AND Synder going to the same academy?" She giggled. "I think we hit the jackpot." The two smirked and performed their secret handshake.
The duo walked toward Bubbles and Robin passing Mike and Blossom along the way. Blossom was double checking to make sure she was properly equipped with all of her ammunition, blades and dust before she closed her locker. She turned around and saw Mike finishing loading bullets one of his gunblades before hoisting it with its twin on his back.
"So….have you thought about who you would like on your team?" Blossom asked.
Mike rolled his eyes. "I would rather not be in a team, if at all possible."
"What? Why?"
He shrugged. "I work better alone anyway. Besides, they'll just...slow me down."
Blossom frowned. "What if I'm on your team? Are you saying I'll slow you down?" She put her hands on her hips and stared him down.
"Look, don't take this the wrong way, but you don't look like you'll handle well in a fight—much less here in this academy." He folded his arms.
She scoffed. "Says you! I can totally fight circles around you." If Blossom was the most confident in anything, it was her abilities in combat. She was really good at studying her opponents and finding their weakness very efficiently. It was what got her into Beacon in the first place!
"What? You wanna bet on it?" He rolled his tired eyes. Blossom was nice and really cute, but there was no way a girl like her would—
"Alright! Bet!" She said catching him off guard. Was—was she serious?
"Wait—you're serious?"
"Of course I am! You insult a lady's skills in action, then be prepared to eat your words." She challenged him.
A flicker of red and blue flashed across Mike's eyes for a moment at her words, but he blinked and his eyes were back to grey. "Alright, how about this? If one of us takes down the biggest, baddest Grimm before the end of the semester, then the other has to…" Mike paused for a seconding as he thought of something perfect to bet on.
Blossom snapped her fingers and whispered in Mike's ear her idea of the winner's spoils. Mike's flashed a chaotic, heterochromatic red and blue at the mischievous words she spoke. He grinned; he loved bets, especially when the reward is as equally as whimsical as the bet itself. "You're on!"
They agreed with a handshake each vowing to be the victor.
"Boy, aren't you two excited." A gentle voice broke the duo from their agreement. Blossom and Mike turned around to see the brunette beauty in leather armor they met yesterday. Next to her was the infamous Himeko Morebucks, who looked pretty annoyed that her conversation was interrupted. The brunette smiled at Mike. "You two must be ready for the initiation, correct?"
Mike's shoulders sagged as his vibrant, colorfuls returned to their dull grey color. "Um…." He shrugged. "...I guess…"
"You guess?!" Himeko interjected.
"I don't blame you. With all of these rumors of teams, it makes it all the more exciting." She smiled.
Blossom gasped loudly as her brain finally clicked at the sight of the brunette. "OH MY GOSH! You're Robin Snyder!"
Robin blushed at the recognition. "Yes. It was rude of me to not introduce myself before. It's nice to meet you." Again, her attention was mainly on Mike.
Mike Believe, however, raised his eyebrows at her. "...who?"
Mike's words make all three girls freeze in their spots. Blossom was in pure shock, Robin was in a happy surprise, while Himeko was in anger.
"...y-you're kidding, right Mike?" Blossom asked.
Mike rolled his eyes. "What? Look, I'm sorry if I offended you, but I genuinely have never heard of you." He defended.
Before Robin could assure him sincerely that it was okay, Himeko stepped in. "Are. You. Kidding. Me?!" She shouted. "This is Robin Synder!"
"Hello again." Robin waved nervously.
"She graduated top of her class at Sanctum!"
Mike shrugged. "...so?"
Blossom stepped in. "Mike. She's won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in row! She set a new record!"
"...and…?"
Himeko stomped her foot angrily and yelled: "She's on the cover of every Lucky Captain Rabbit King Nugget box!"
Then it clicked in Mike's brain. He had remembered seeing a girl on the cereal box almost every morning. He blinked, eyes blue and red, and pictured Robin's face around the iconic red breakfast cereal.
"Oh yeah...now I remember." He blinked again, eyes back to grey.
Robin nodded. "Yep! That's me. Unfortunately, the cereal itself isn't good for you."
Himeko huffed. "UGH! How do you not know a person like her?!"
Mike frowned. "Look. I said I was sorry, alright? No need to make a big deal out of it."
"He's right. No need to make a big fuss about it." Robin agreed, jumping in the middle.
"Whatever!" Himeko scoffed. Before anything more was said, the intercom above their heads played with Ms. Bellum's voice echoing throughout the building.
"Attention all first-year students. Please report Beacon Cliffside for initiation. Again, all first year students must report to Beacon Cliffside immediately."
Himeko turned her nose in the air and began marching away from Mike and Blossom. "Come on Robin. We shouldn't waste our time here. You still need to meet my friend Takaaki. You'll love him."
Robin waved at Mike and followed after Himeko. "It was nice meeting you! Again!"
Mike sighed. "Likewise…"
"Boy. That could have gone better." Blossom nudged him playfully.
"How else was that supposed to go?"
Blossom giggled. "C'mon! Let's start initiation, so I can win this bet!"
Mike grinned as the two began running out of the locker rooms and out of the building. They followed a group of other first year students along a path that led them far away from the academy property. Faculty members guided the new students toward the cliffside; the lush, finely cut grass and manicured lawns gave away to the wild nature. The stone walkway they walked one disappeared for a dirt path, and the winds picked up reminding students of the high altitude.
Students lined up on silver tiles one-by-one. In front of them stood the Mayor and Ms. Bellum. Blossom stood on a platform next to Mike and looked out over the cliffside. Before them was a massive forest that stretched on for miles. She couldn't see anything on the forest floor, because the trees were so close together. Anything could be lurking in that forest.
Once all of the students were lined up and accounted for, the Mayor cleared his throat after taking a slip of his morning coffee. Everybody, who were whispering and talking amongst themselves, were immediately silenced to hear what the Headmaster had to say.
"Good morning. I hope everyone slept well." He greeted. Again, his voice wasn't as jolly as Blossom remembered when she first met him. "Today is certainly an exciting day. For years, you have studied and trained to be warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated, here, in the Emerald Forest."
Ms. Bellum stepped up with her tablet in hand. "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors of the assignment of "teams". Well, let us put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates…today."
The students' excitement came to an abrupt end at Bellum's words.
Blossom could feel the worry amongst the other students.
"These teammates," The Mayor continued. "Will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So, as a personal suggestion, it would be smart to pick someone you can work well with."
Takaaki and Princess exchanged looks.
Blossom could hear Mike groan next to her. Meanwhile, Blossom was hoping she would be assigned to him.
"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after you land will be your partner for the next four years."
Oh.
Shit.
Blossom could feel her world crumbling apart. As her heart raced several miles a second, her brain was scrambling on a game plan, but she was coming up with nothing! She had to stop formulating, because the Mayor continued with more important instructions.
"After you have found your partner, make your way to the northern end of the forest." He pointed toward the other side of the forest. "You will be met with opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path…or you will die."
Reality finally settled in. This was a Huntsmen Academy; a school designed to train young warriors to fight against the forces of Grimm and any opposing threat that disrupts the peace. These schools are dangerous, only four exist in the entire world, one in each kingdom. It was common accorance for injuries and broken limbs to happen-heck, Blossom remembered all of the times her sister was in the infirmary after several dangerous missions, and that was only her first year.
It wasn't common that students were reported missing or dead while attending these schools as well. The life of a Huntsman was a life that demanded sacrifice, including their own well-being. These schools offer intense training to prepare the students for such a life, but nothing can prepare anyone for the unexpected. Death was something Blossom experienced young in her life, and she would do all that she could to prevent from experiencing it again.
Her fantasy shattered when the students heard the resonating roar of Grimm from below. Several shook in their spots, while others swallowed their fears and held their stance. Blossom suddenly felt nauseous. Her bow suddenly felt heavy. She wanted to throw up, but clenched her fist and pushed it all back.
Breathe, Blossom. Breathe.
"You will be monitored and graded during your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene."
Blossom looked back at the teachers who escorted them. Surely enough, they were not carrying any weapons or wearing any special armor; just their faculty uniforms.
"At the end of the path, you will find an abandoned temple containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will recognize that item, as well as your standing, and grade you accordingly. Now, any questions?"
No one raised their hands.
"Good. Now, take your positions."
The Mayor and Ms. Bellum stepped to the side as Ms. Bellum typed several keys on her tablet. One by one, the tiles underneath their feet sprung up catapulting students up into the air, over the cliff, and toward the forest below. Blossom stood at the far end next to the Mayor and she could hear the tiles activating on the other side slowly getting closer to her position. She saw students getting tossed in the air, but all of them were prepared. The green Faunus girl was launched, followed by Bubbles, then a blue boy with a tail, and then Himeko; soon, it will be Blossom's turn. She had to think of a landing strategy and fast.
She remembered learning about it in Signal Academy, and only practiced it once. A lot of Huntsmen would be called for duty, and deployed by aircraft. To save time from landing, and potential lives, Huntsmen would jump off and land into the battlefield using their own resources. She read that most aircrafts do not to slow down or lower their vehicle for any means necessary; especially during a Grimm attack. She remembered Berserk talked about her landing strategy after falling from several miles in the air.
Blossom gulped and readied her stance. Mike nodded at her. "Good luck."
Blossom nodded back. "You too." She said as she watched his turn at being launched into the Emerald Forest.
"Good luck, Miss Primrose." Blossom turned around to see the Mayor behind her giving a warm and jolly smile. He raised his mug to her. "I'll be rooting for you personally."
That was all she heard before the tile below her clicked and sent her high in the air. The wind rushed past her and for a short moment, Blossom was flying. She wanted to scream, flail her arms in the air, and pray something would catch her from falling, but there was a rush that flowed through her body. A sudden burst of adrenaline exploded within her as she gazed at sight before her. She was so high in the air, higher than she ever dreamed of being. Her head felt light and all of the nausea and anxiety she felt before vanished in an instant.
She screamed.
In excitement.
In pure joy.
This was the start she had always dreamed of, and she couldn't start feeling fearful now.
She felt herself losing altitude quickly, so she launched her body forward while taking her weapon from her belt.
This was the day she had been waiting for.