GOMU GOMU NO!~ Hi everyone, I know everyone is waiting for the team's reveals, and I promise to deliver in the next chapter.
First and foremost, I don't know if I'll be able to resume my usual 1-4 day upload schedule as work has hampered me quite a bit. I intend to keep the chapters at an average of 4,000 words though, so no fear for word count.
Second, Rotten Punks in City Z will also be on the backburner for a while as I just don't have the time to write two stories at once. I apologize and hope you understand.
With that, cheers everyone, and happy reading!
"Impressive, it looks like they all made it out of there in one piece." Ozpin adjusted his glasses and sighed.
While impressive and confident, the faces of naivety and arrogance were unmistakable. Already a few combinations of students threatened to strain their shared future and classes, but the headmaster tried to look at the glass as half full instead of empty.
"Glynda, has Heracles reported back yet?"
The blonde instructor flicked a finger against her tablet screen.
"Yes, it appears the Deathstalker has been neutralized, and the energetic professor is personally leading the six students back to our location as we speak."
Ozpin nodded with a smile. Though he curled a brow as the tablet of his friend buzzed.
"Is something wrong Glynda?"
A frown marring her fair complexion, the stern teacher furiously tapped her device, but nothing she did seemed to appease her.
"The video feed of the six students and their Grimm encounter was not recorded after they entered the ruins. I don't know what caused the electronic interference, but after the Deathstalker fell off the bridge our cameras managed to come back online."
Ozpin tapped his cane. This would be a development he and the staff would elaborate on another day.
"Please keep a tab on the incident Glynda. For now our priorities lie on returning our students to their new home for the next four years."
Twirling his weapon, the headmaster called for all his first years and their assigned partners to enter the bullheads. With the puffs of dust exhaust flowing into the air, the proud teens let out a sigh and plopped their tired bums on the cushioned seats. Some dozed off from fatigue, but a select few shrugged off their eyebags and indulged in conversation. Most notably, a blonde brawler who was keen on establishing new friendships for both herself and her socially awkward sister.
"So, which kingdom do you hail from? The robes you got on look like Mistralian ware." Yang patted the shoulder of a young stoic teen with a magenta tint contrasting his overall ebony locks.
The boy turned to meet his new acquaintance with a neutral expression, but the ginger-headed girl next to him jumped at the chance of conversation.
"I'm Nora Valkyrie and this is my best friend Renny, while he might be a little quiet, he's really nice once you get to know him!"
Nora patted Ren on the back and pushed him forward. While he did roll his eyes, his visage shifted to a gentle one when he introduced himself. He also waved to his partner to join, but Mercury was already chatting with a couple of male students and simply nodded in his direction before turning back to his group.
"Well, this is my little sister, Ruby, she's a huge weapon fanatic and adores the book series, Sora the warrior of the sea." Yang's words earned the attention of almost every teen in the room.
Soon enough, the entire bullhead was filled with comments and praise about the noble hero along with the dastardly commanders of Germa 66. Yang puffed her chest and smacked on a grin, and even Ruby pushed past her awkward social barriers and enjoyed mingling with the other students when Sora was the subject of interest.
"So which commander is your favorite, Ruby? Mine's gotta be Winch Green! He's the coolest when he crushes gigantic boulders with his hands!" Nora clapped her hands and jumped up and down, the Valkyrie's energy skyrocketing as a cluster of students roared in agreement.
"Winch Green is cool, but it has to be Sparking Red for me. The way he bursts into the battlefield and how he takes charge of any dwindling situation is incredible! It's a shame he's a villain, but he does have a cool tattoo on his right arm." Ruby gushed at the chance to be herself, and Nora seemed more than happy to pop her socially awkward bubble as the two prattled on about their favorite books and characters.
"That's it, Rubes," Yang grinned as she and Ren discussed the potential scenarios Sora would find himself in when the second movie came out.
With the bullhead swelled with joyful banter and emotion, one particular heiress couldn't help but scoff at the idiotic simpletons around her.
"Hmph, what's so great about Sora the warrior anyway? It's just an overrated series for an action-obsessed fanbase."
The heads of every student snapping to the cold tone, Weiss gulped when all eyes landed on her.
"Ah, I do agree that most movie producers are nothing more than greedy men eager to empty the pockets of Sora fans with poor cinematography Ms. Schnee!" Called a pompous voice.
Of all the people to come to the rescue, Roman was the last person Weiss expected to cover for her. Strutting over to his bewildered partner, the heir of the RDI tipped his bowler hat with a hesitant smile. Roman needed to play his cards right, to have an army of angered Sora fans preaching for the downfall of his partner, no matter how annoying she could be, would put a dim light on potential connections he'd try to establish in the span of four years.
"It's true that many producers have attempted a contract with Sora's author, but I doubt a great man such as Basil H. would accept such shoddy contracts."
His lie satisfying the majority around him, Roman curled a brow at a speculative stare being sent his way from the corner of the bullhead. Emerald's partner, Blake was her name, looked like she was trying to burn a hole through Weiss' head with her narrowed amber eyes.
Roman coughed into his fist and whispered to his snobby partner to keep her negative thoughts to herself. Calling to the noble group he'd been chatting with beforehand, Roman bid a polite adieu and left the white-haired princess to pout by herself.
"Huh, Roman's really good at persuading the numbers isn't he, Minty?"
Huddled in the southern corner of the bullhead, Jaune, Emerald, and Blake sat on a vacant sofa. Despite his outgoing nature, Jaune had already earned himself the title of 'awkward weirdo' among his fellow classmates. With little influence on the matter, the blonde teen accepted this cruel nickname and focused his attention on the saddened heiress whom Roman had protected.
"Well, it makes sense that he can rally people with his silver tongue. We've seen how uncle Crocodile conducts business with his peers and investors, not to mention how tricky his ice-cream-themed daughter can be when she wants something." Emerald sighed.
"Hm, that's true... Hey, Minty?"
Jaune's head swished back and forth, his ocean eyes on high alert for any potential eavesdroppers, he raised an open hand to his cheek and whispered. Emerald tilted her head at her brother's nervous show and peered to her left to see if Blake was still beside her. Her crimson eyes landing on her introverted partner who'd scuttled away to read a book in another corner, Emerald rolled her eyes and motioned for Jaune to continue.
"Now that we have a chance, I've been meaning to ask, does Ms. Long remind you of someone?" The blonde asked.
"Hm, you mean that rude tribe leader papa had to deal with when we first met in Vacuo?"
Jaune nodded. "It's been bugging me ever since her eyes switched from lilac to blood red. I've done a few tarot readings as well and deduced that there's an 82% chance that she's related to Ms. Branwen."
"So, what does that have to do with us?" Emerald grumbled.
"Well, we've both met Ms. Rose, and Ms. Long said the little reaper is her younger sister. I'm not one to judge a book by its cover, but like us, I don't think the two of them are related by blood."
His sister cupped her chin and puffed her cheeks. "Okay, so what if they're not blood-related? What are you trying to say Jaune?"
"I'm just saying that maybe we shouldn't bring up the grumpy tribe leader while we're at school or around Ms. Long and Ms. Rose. Unless either of them brings up Ms. Branwen of course."
"If that's all you wanted to say then you should have just said so. Why do you have to be so elaborate for a simple explanation?" The mint-haired sibling deadpanned at her brother's sheepish shrug.
"I get it from dad?" Jaune chuckled.
"Hi, Jaune!" Speaking of the young rose, Ruby blitzed over to her blonde cohort in the span of a second with her hands clasped behind her back.
The Hawkins siblings stepped back at the sudden presence, but quickly recovered and greeted their friendly acquaintance.
"Hello, Ms. Rose," Jaune said politely.
The red-tipped reaper twiddled her thumbs and puffed her cheeks. The magician in training found the scene rather endearing, but little did he know of the young girl's true intentions. A smirk marring her features, Ruby skipped to the side to allow a bubbly valkyrie to veer her attention towards a new target.
"You're it, Ruby!" Nora cheered and rammed Jaune in the stomach with open arms.
The blonde teen winced, despite her petite size, Nora was a hidden powerhouse without a doubt. His feet skidding across the metallic floors, Jaune dug in his heels and hunched his posture, and came to a stop in the center of the bullhead. Exhaling, he flashed Nora a weary smile and patted her shoulder.
"You should be more careful Ms. Valkyrie, you could have hurt somebody."
Nora bit her lip and clapped her cheeks.
"S-Sorry Jauney, Ruby, and I were playing tag and I got carried away."
The head of the hyperactive ginger veering to her shoes, Jaune rubbed his neck and chuckled.
"No need to apologize, at the end of the day no harm is done. Just consider it a blessing that I'm the one you ran into."
Nodding furiously, Nora beamed a wide smile and snagged Jaune by the wrist. She looped back to grab Emerald, then dragged the two Hawkins siblings to where her best friend Renny and his spunky partner resided.
"I'll give you ten points for stopping that crazy shrimp." Mercury grinned as Nora pouted at him.
"I apologize for my friend's antics, Jaune, I promise that I'll do my best to restrain her when we're in public..." Ren shot Nora a stern glare and the Valkyrie whistled in another direction. Secretly, however, the magenta-tinted boy was curious about his blonde cohort. Stopping Nora, even though she was only playing around, was no easy feat. Which meant Jaune must have quite a bit of muscle underneath his baggy ruffle-collared attire.
"All passengers, please prepare yourselves for landing, we are within Beacon grounds and will arrive at the boarding platforms momentarily." Announced the pilot from the bullhead speakers.
The motors of the bullhead whirring to a halt, the airships docked near the courtyards of the school and opened their
"All first-year students please refrain from leaving the academy grounds. We will announce the teams in the next hour. Do as you may and relax until you are called, but I expect perfect attendance from all of you for this special occasion. The second and third years will be patrolling the area as well, so I'd recommend you be on your best behavior. That is all." Glynda announced as she and her fellow instructors followed their headmaster off the bullhead and into the school.
Jaune watched as groups of students strolled merrily side by side with their respective partners. His posture slumped, the blonde boy could only sigh as he dragged his feet into the courtyard.
"Hm..."
"Is something on your mind, Fox?" Coco, the stylish fashionista adored by every student at Beacon, tilted her sunglasses at her perplexed teammate.
The young man in question had dark skin and dark, messy copper hair that has a long fringe with a cowlick. A sleeveless, muted orange zipper vest with black lining and a high collar with a pair of black jeans, and brown, laced shoes to match it. His arms riddled with scars, ebony gloves covered his hands which contrasted his pale white eyes. To finish it off, several small pouches lined his maroon belt that held his dust bullets for his bladed tonfas: Sharp Retribution.
"Hello, Remnant to Fox!" Coco snapped her fingers and her partner flinched in turn.
"Why are you staring at that awkward blondie, do you know him?"
"Maybe, I think it happened seven years ago when I was still in the Kenyte tribe..." Fox hummed.
The copper-haired student cupped his chin, racking his brain for a memory long past, a peculiar individual flashed to the forefront of his mind who looked like Jaune, but this figure was much older and stoic.
Under the blazing sun of the desert, two opposing met with the same goal in mind. Scavenge the bountiful oasis they'd found and harvest its resources.
"Hoh? It looks like your numbers have lessened since the last time we met." A proud tribe leader smirked as she eyed the gathered crowd before her.
Only a few familiar faces popped up from the crowd, not to mention the manpower of the Kenyte tribe had been reduced to a strange mix of teens and children with canisters and shovels in hand. For the adults, they possessed weapons, as if they were bodyguards and guides for the young ones.
"Did you not learn your lesson the last time you encountered us? Perhaps we were too lenient in your punishment Ms. Branwen." Growled the leader of the Kenyte's.
He was a lean tan man, with short spiky hair and a brown goatee. A sleeveless orange vest bearing the emblem of his faction covered his torso, with a pair of green combat pants and a white bandana wrapped around his left bicep. He wielded a long spear and slammed the end of it into the sand as he glared at the haughty on the other side of the oasis.
A young Fox peered around the legs of the adults. His trembling fingers struggled to hold his large canister, but he was determined to prove himself capable, despite his disability, and would stick with his fellow Kenyte's to the bitter end if need be.
The tension in the air increasing by the second, weapons were raised as the teens and children were ushered behind their respective elders. However, before any blood could be spilled, a tall man with pale skin, crimson eyes, and long golden locks walked up behind the Branwen leader and snagged her by the collar with a gloved hand.
"Hold it, Ms. Branwen. Is reducing our numbers necessary in this situation?" The blonde man curled a brow as his fellow tribe leader shot him a look of betrayal.
"Hawkins, what are you doing, and why is your sword still strapped behind your back?! Can't you see that we've got a fight on our hands?!" The ravenette shouted.
The leader of the Kenyte tribe raised a hand and ordered his warriors to step down. No one knew what was going on, but whoever this Hawkins person was, he didn't seem to carry the same aggressive behavior of his superior.
"I don't participate in raids that are unfavorable for us. From my tarot readings and calculations, I've deduced that there is a 65% chance of our tribe suffering casualties. Do you really want to take that chance and suffer more criticism from your subordinates?" The blonde man grumbled.
"As your leader, I order you to participate in this battle!" Raven screamed.
"And as your elected co-leader, I rebuke the need for pointless violence." Hawkins calmly replied.
Least to say, the members of the Kenyte tribe felt their jaws slack at the brave display of the supposed co-leader of the Branwen tribe. He didn't seem to fear Ms. Brawnen at all, in fact, he appeared to be annoyed by his fellow leader's childish antics.
"To take a life on this day would only bring our tribe misfortune. You may not like it when I defy your rule, but I do recall that you enjoy my accurate predictions, no?" Shuffling a deck of cards, Hawkins narrowed his eyes at his fellow leader as if challenging her to deny his advice.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Raven snarled.
"I was never a fan of jokes," The magician grunted back.
His stoic gaze turning to meet the bewildered expressions of his potential adversaries, Hawkins raised both hands and cleared his throat.
"While we may have arrived at this oasis at the same time, the Branwen tribe is in desperate need of water. We will allow you a total of 40% of all the resources the area has to offer, but only on the condition that you keep your weapons sheathed and holstered. I warn you, if you refuse this peaceful resolution, the chances of your tribe surviving a full-scale battle are only 32%."
The Kenyte leader thrust his blade in the sand and stroked his goatee. His dark brown eyes perusing the bandaged subordinates of his tribe after the devastating sinkhole took half its numbers under the sand. Needless to say, morale was at an all-time low, and when things started looking up, disaster struck in the form of low supplies. Calling his closest friends to a huddled meeting, the Kenyte tribe leader weighed the pros and cons of Hawkins' proposal.
As her rivals bickered between one another, Raven found her fingers wrapped around the bandana on Hawkins' neck. Pulling the magician down to eye level, Raven's blood-colored pupils burned with indignation.
"Why are you being so nice to them Hawkins? Forty percent of the entire oasis when we can take everything it has to offer? What on Remnant has gotten into you?"
The blonde man pushed off Raven's hold and focused his stoic gaze toward the Kenytes. He couldn't explain why, but when he saw there were children at stake his stone heart cracked, just a teensy bit, but it was enough to coerce Hawkins to make peace instead of war.
"Let's get a move on while the day is young. We shouldn't waste energy with petty banter, besides the chances of the Kenyte leader accepting my advice is 70%." Hawkins smirked.
As if on queue, the opposition broke from their circle and put away their weapons.
"Very well, we accept these terms, but on one condition." The Kenyte leader put his hands on his hips as the edges of his lips curled upwards.
"What is your name kind, sir?"
The name of the man drowned by loud mumbling and cheerful banter, Fox dropped his canister and nudged his way through the crowds of adults. He might not be able to see, but Fox wanted to clearly hear the voice of the man who helped his downtrodden tribe. Luckily, he managed to wedge himself beside Copper, his adoptive father and the only man in the tribe who didn't see his blindness as a disability and tugged on his pant leg.
"Copper, what's the name of the man who helped us?"
His father ran a hand through his hair and grinned from ear to ear.
"His name is Hawkins, the magician, I wonder if he can do a real magic trick." He chuckled.
Fox asked if he could meet him, but Copper warned that getting too chummy with another tribe member could be dangerous, no matter how friendly they seemed. Instead, Copper opted to give Fox a physical description of the man who'd prevented a bloody battle.
Long golden locks that reached past his shoulders, with a narrow pale face and thin triangular nose, and wore the typical Branwen tribe attire. However, in Copper's opinion, what stood out most about the man was his crimson eyes that shined like gemstones. That, and he appeared to be shuffling colorful cards while announcing numbers and scenarios.
"Hello, Fox are you still in there honey?" Coco snapped her fingers in front of her partner's face and brought him back to the world of the living.
"Hm... Hey Coco, where did that awkward blonde boy go?" Fox shook his head and activated his aura reserves. While blind, Fox possessed a skilled level of perception in regards to the mystical soul energy that allowed him to identify the quantity of a person's aura reserves and even sense the connections they held such as familial ties.
Jaune's white aura off his radar, Fox turned to his partner for assistance.
"Didn't you hear the announcement from the courtyard speakers? All the students and staff are gathering in the auditorium for the team names and leader reveals. So get your butt moving because I don't want to miss out on the first year's impressions." Coco grinned and sauntered away with a giddy sway in her hips.
As for Fox, he made a mental note to find the blonde boy and confirm if his suspicions were true later before briskly following his partner's footsteps.
"So, Ozpin, have you concluded the assigned leaders for the new teams?"
Glynda's heels clicked across the headmaster's office, as the silver-haired man eyed the transcripts on his desk. Each student had a unique quality to offer, some more than others, but each individual deserved the chance to prove themselves. That's why Ozpin was in dire need of an Advil to soothe the thundering headache in his skull.
Due to Heracles' bountiful kindness, the beetle-themed professor had an extra student among his homeroom class. Case and point, a blonde student by the name of Jaune F. Hawkins. According to his files and transcripts, the boy possessed no experience in any combat school despite Signal Academy being within reasonable reach.
Then again, the praise and favorable descriptions from the happy huntresses did well to compensate for his shortcomings. The same could be said for his sister, but her test scores before the physical initiation were already impressive. Scoring an average of 85% in all her tests, she proved to be the smarter of the Hawkins siblings with her brother rounding out at 77%.
However, there was a particular subject Jaune stood out in. Peter Port, the instructor in charge of Grimm studies and military strategy, was over thrilled to have three students, Jaune among them, achieve a perfect score on his exam. This lead to Ozpin giving the young blonde's transcripts the stamp of approval despite having all first-year seats taken.
"Hm, I believe I have Ms. Goodwitch. However..." Ozpin trailed off and stood from his seat. Twirling his cane, he curled a brow at the transcript belonging to the student named Blake Belladonna.
"Yes, Ozpin, what is it?" Glynda asked impatiently.
"Hm, never mind, we will discuss it at a later date. I believe we have a new batch of students to attend to don't we?" The headmaster chuckled and tapped the button of the elevators with the tip of his cane.
Glynda nodded and pulled out her collapsable tablet. While she had her doubts about the team leaders Ozpin had assigned, she did her best to put on a positive face and followed him toward the auditorium.