Chapter 1: From the Spark
"Good morning Andrew." The yellowish-orange glowing AI named Apex greeted his creator who was groaning, having that an AI just interrupted his peaceful slumber. The AI removed the mechanical covers of the room's windows, letting the morning sun, shine into the mansion's windows.
"It is currently 7:30 AM, I'd suggest getting up immediately, for you should make preparations." Apex advised Andrew, who just groaned again, this time, a bit louder before mumbling.
"Fiiiiineee...ugh…" Andrew groaned as he climbed out of his bed consisting of light brown bed sheets and a white mattress. Andrew rubbed his eyes to rub off the wax that was sticking to his eyes as he entered the bathroom and scratched his black hair. Andrew turned on the white sink and splashed his face with water several times before drying himself with a red towel. He then pulled out a toothbrush and began brushing his teeth. When he was done he rinsed his mouth with water before walking out of the bathroom and out of the room.
"So Apex, what's new today?" Flame asked as he walked down the stairs from his room.
"You currently have 3 emails regarding advertising, and the results of your application for Beacon Academy have been sent to you through the mail." Apex explained.
"Beacon, huh? Well, what does it say?" Andrew joked with the AI who continued to answer his question.
"Of course, you have been accepted to the academy, given that you have assisted the Headmaster in various ways. You will be departing for Beacon tomorrow. There will be a Bullhead waiting for you at the airport that will depart at 10:30 AM." Flame chuckled at that.
"Really? Guess I better start packing?" Flame joked as he and Apex left the room.
What Apex said about Andrew assisting the Headmaster was indeed true. The young billionaire helped finance the Headmaster's academy after donating 1.5 Million lien to the school when he was 14 years old. In return, the boy asked to take on missions assigned by the Headmaster until he turned 17 so he could attend Beacon Academy, which the Headmaster, Ozpin, gratefully accepted. Since then, Andrew has been taking in missions with other Huntsmen.
Many words could describe Andrew: Prodigy, billionaire, genius, playboy, inventor, pyromancer, firebender, and so on. In fact, he helped build the Atlesian Knights and Paladins for Atlas and weapons too. But Andrew's proudest creation was the making of his own hunter suit. He built it so that it could enhance his pyrokinetic abilities and physical attributes and could withstand extreme conditions including breathing underwater. The suit also consisted of a nano hand-cannon that could be activated and shoot omega laser beams that incinerate anything in its path. The majority of the suit was bright red, with dark red stripes and yellow accents on the chest plate, shoulder pads, and gauntlets.
(Imagine suit is a MK IV from Halo Wars but with the descriptions)
Andrew, codenamed "Flame," is known as a hero in towns and cities that he single-handedly protected from hordes of Grimm and White Fang, which were a terrorist organization of Faunus. Because of this, Flame was given many sponsors and even took part in being in food commercials and advertisements for other products. Flame didn't really like it, but again, he was in it for the money.
_
After eating a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and milk cooked by Apex, Flame walked into his workshop where his suit was standing in the middle. He deactivated the suit by pressing the center of the chest plate.
The suit began to glow bright red before shrinking and turning into a red ball of light. The red light then entered a triangular arc reactor which stuck to Flame's shirt.
"Well, I guess I'd better start packing. Apex, be sure to remind me of what I need to bring for Beacon." Flame said to the AI.
"Got it," The AI replied. The AI then disappeared from Flame's side before activating an Atlesian Robot powered by Apex. The robot proceeded to walk to Flame's room to pack clothes and other essentials.
Flame pressed a button across from the workshop entrance. Just then, the wall next to the button began moving as it shifted. The wall broke in two as the walls moved back an inch before one of the walls moved upwards while the other one moved downwards, showing a large room containing weapons and guns Flame built years beforehand.
As Flame walked deeper into the room, he passed many guns, gauntlet guns, gauntlet swords, hybrid weapons, mechashift weapons, and rocket launchers. Flame reached the end of the weapons room where he came face to face with his personal weapons that were his best creations.
The weapon that stood out from the other weapons in the room was the Dragatana, a red-bladed katana with a dark gray handle containing yellowish-orange fire dust. This katana was Flame's pride and joy, a weapon that Flame had been through many drastic experiences with. Flame remembered the day he used the katana to fight off an army of Grimm that was attacking his hometown, wiping away the entire army with his swift swings and slashes.
Flame grabbed the handle of Dragatana and did a few practice swings before holstering the sword onto his back where there was a magnetic weapon carrier that locked the weapon in position. As he walked back to the room entrance, he grabbed a MA40 Assault Rifle, 2 pairs of Magnum pistols and a light blue energy sword, a weapon that Flame discovered during his travels. He made a mental note that he'd return to his house another day in case he needed some other weapons.
Flame walked out of the room and pressed a button, closing the doors to the room. The walls moved so that the room would not be in sight. As Flame walked out of his workshop, Apex walked up to his creator, holding two medium-sized suitcases, each with duffle bags hanging onto the handles. A backpack was also slinged around Apex's shoulders.
"I have packed a set of clothes for you, including your sleeping clothes. Your electronics are in the backpack. Everything else that you need is in your luggage." Apex explained. Flame smiled and thanked the robot.
Today was the day to set sail for Beacon Academy. Flame walked towards his private jet, which was just to the left of the boy's house. The private jet's engines began roaring as Flame walked closer to the jet.
"Apex, be sure to set the house to lockdown until I return home." Flame commanded as he boarded the plane. Apex obeyed and set the house on lockdown and deactivated his robot body before reuniting with Flame as an AI.
The windows of the small mansion were now covered by dark metal. The gates of the mansion slammed shut as the mansion activated its sensors. Flame built it so that anyone who tried to enter Flame's home uninvited, would be met by a series of bullets from turrets that were hidden from sight.
As the jet flew away from Flame's mansion, the boy looked at his house one last time through a window before turning around to view the inside of his jet. Inside the private jet consisted of many seats and tables. There were also drawers containing snacks, drinks and food.
After Flame finished eating a bag of chips, he spoke to Apex. "Apex, I'm going to take a nap, be sure to wake me up when we arrive at the airport."
"Got it Flame." Apex replied as Flame leaned back on his seat, and closed his eyes.
"Flame, wake up." Apex told Flame, as the boy slowly opened his eyes. He looked out the window to see that they had landed outside the airport. Flame got up from his seat and stretched, before carrying his luggage and leaving the jet.
As the doors opened, he spotted a white-haired, pale-skinned girl wearing a white dress and jacket standing in front of Flame. He recognized the girl as Weiss Schnee, a friend and heir to the throne of the Schnee Dust Company (SDC). He smiled as he walked up towards the heiress, who also smiled back.
"Good morning Liao." Weiss greeted the young billionaire and bowed in respect. Flame pulled Weiss's chin up and looked at the heiress with a bright smile.
"Come on Weiss, enough with the formalities. Also, Flame is fine." Flame joked, causing Weiss to slightly blush.
"So, what brings you here? Lemme guess, you're attending Beacon as well?" Flame asked Weiss who smiled as she replied.
"Indeed, it's great that us both are attending one of Vale's most prestigious schools." Weiss spoke with confidence in her tone as they walked to the airport. Flame was walking to the Bullhead that was meant to set sail for Beacon until Weiss spoke.
"I was thinking that since you're here, you can come to my private jet that's also heading to Beacon, if you like." Weiss, who was blushing and looking to the side, invited the young billionaire. Flame pondered on the invite for a moment before accepting it.
"Sure, I guess I'll ride with you." Flame replied, causing Weiss to smile. She then walked towards Flame to help him carry his luggage.
"Here, I'll help you carry your suitcase." Weiss said as Flame gave his suitcase to the heiress. The two rich teenagers then proceeded to walk to Weiss's private jet where there were a few armed Atlesian soldiers. The pilot of Weiss's private jet walked up to greet Flame.
"Sir, this is Flame. He's a good friend of mine and is a noble prodigy." Weiss introduced her friend to the pilot, causing Flame to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment before firmly shaking the pilot's hand.
"Greetings, sir. I'm happy that you are flying with us to Beacon." The pilot spoke as he smiled at Flame. As Flame and Weiss walked to the private jet, Flame let Weiss walk inside before him.
"Ladies first." Flame told Weiss, who lightly chuckled at Flame before entering the jet with Flame tailing behind.
It had been five minutes since the jet left for Beacon. Flame and Weiss sat on opposite sides from each other. Flame continued to look through the window, trying to think of what way he should socialize with Weiss. He turned back to face Weiss, who turned out, was looking at Flame the whole time.
"So Weiss, I guess I should say congrats to you for making it to Beacon." Flame told Weiss who smiled and nodded.
"I should say the same to you Flame. Us prodigies need to stick together, right?" Weiss joked, causing Flame to blush a little and chuckle.
"'Prodigy' would be an overstatement. I guess I just got lucky." Flame stated. Weiss shook her head at the boy before speaking.
"Nonsense. You're indeed a young genius and hero. You created your own suit that was meant to benefit you when you fight. Besides that, you've also invented numerous useful inventions that are being widely used across Remnant." Weiss explained, causing Flame to become embarrassed again. He lightly chuckled.
"I guess you're right...oh right! Speaking of inventions, can I show you my latest one?" Flame asked. Weiss accepted. "That would be delightful."
"Apex, come on out." Flame called, puzzling Weiss. Before Weiss could ask who Flame was talking to, a small, orange humanoid entity appeared next to the right side of Flame's head, surprising the heiress who slightly jumped in her seat.
"Hello, Miss Schnee. I'm Apex. An artificial intelligence created by Flame's genius." Apex said as he introduced himself to the heiress. Weiss observed the AI and was amazed.
"That...is...amazing, Flame!" Weiss complimented. "H-how did you create something like that?" Weiss asked Flame who smiled.
"What you're seeing of Apex is light energy created from lines of coding. General Ironwood allowed me to use an AI as part of my research as reward for a mission I had in Atlas. I enhanced Apex's coding, allowing him to do many things, but I think it is best we do not test his abilities here." Flame explained.
Weiss nodded in agreement, wondering if Apex had the ability to crash her private jet. The thought of it happening frightened her. She quickly shook her head to snap out of it.
"So Flame, have you considered what team you'd be in?" Weiss asked Flame. Flame pondered on the question for a moment.
"Actually, I was planning on winging it. As long as my teammates don't bug me whenever I'm working on my projects or other stuff, I'm fine with whoever I'm paired up with." Flame answered Weiss who nodded, waiting for the right time to talk again.
"Well, I was considering that you and I could join together as a team. I can think of another person who would deem fit to join us." Weiss said as she looked at Flame. Flame tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "Really? Who?" Flame asked.
"I learned that Pyrrha Nikos is also attending Beacon. She could be a valuable teammate." Weiss replied. Flame widened his eyes a little.
"Pyrrha Nikos? The four time Mistral regional champion?" Flame asked Weiss who nodded. Flame bit the nail of his thumb as he thought about partnering up with the champion before speaking.
"Sure, we could ask her to join, but what's more important is the teams' chemistry." Flame told Weiss. Weiss gave Flame a puzzled look, raising an eyebrow. "Please explain." Weiss told Flame who continued.
"Sure, pairing up with you, Pyrrha and some other really skilled person may bring some good benefits, but you can't forget about the team bonds. I've done my research, and it proves that it is better to be paired with people that would work well with you rather than pairing up with someone who seems to have similar high stature and great talents." Flame explained his reasons while Weiss continued to listen.
"Let's say that we do get paired up with Nikos and another student who's also really good. But the problem is that we constantly argue and are always viewing everything as a competition against one another since we're trying to become better than the other. We'd be nothing but another lame team with members who are only looking out for their own wellbeing." Flame explained.
"I've dealt with stuff like this first-hand, trust me, I know." Flame told Weiss, ending his explanation. Weiss nodded in understanding. Flame grabbed a tablet from his backpack, turned it on, typed in a few codes, and started scrolling through a list of first-year students of Beacon.
"But, if you want to pair up with me and her, then I'd suggest we look for an additional member who fits the criteria." Flame said as he looked at a profile of a student through his tablet.
"Huh, this one's interesting." Flame said as he pressed on a name, slightly surprising Weiss. "Really? What is it?" Weiss asked. Flame showed Weiss the profile of the person's name that he chose.
"Her name's Ruby Rose. She's 15, and she graduated from Signal Academy after skipping two grades. Her older sister, Yang Xiao Long, who's 17 was also one of the top students to graduate from Signal." Flame explained the profiles of the students. Weiss listened.
"We also have Cardin Winchester from the Winchester Weapons Industries, oh wait nah. Turns out the guy got several detentions for bullying. Who else? There's Hunter Solamin who ranked top in speed at Gem Academy, Jaydin Ford who's a top student from Talon Academy and graduated with top marks, Kaycee Galaway who just won the Vacuo Regional Tournament a second time before coming to Beacon..." Flame kept rambling through his list of recommended recruits.
"Oh sweet! Jaune's here!" Flame spoke in excitement. "Jaune? You mean the 'Knight'?" Weiss asked Flame. Flame smiled before answering. "Yep, Jaune the Knight."
Jaune, whose full name is Jaune Arc, was Flame's best friend. The first time they met was when Flame took a trip to Ansel, Jaune's hometown, for a mission from Ozpin. He met Jaune when they worked together to fight off a horde of Grimm attacking the village. Ever since then, they've been in contact with each other, worked together on missions, and shared stories regarding their adventures. Jaune later went on and became a local hero for many towns and villages, being called the 'Knight'.
"In case you don't believe me I-" Flame stopped talking as he fell from his seat and onto the ground. Weiss, who was surprised by the sudden occurrence, quickly got up from her seat and ran over to help Flame, who was breathing heavily on his hands and knees. His right hand clutching the center of his chest as sweat began to drop from the side of his head.
"Flame! Are you okay!?" Weiss asked as she grabbed Flame's shoulders. Flame desperately grabbed his backpack and unzipped the front. He reached into the backpack and pulled out a box containing several small tablets of took out one of the tablets before closing the small box and quickly placing it on a nearby table. He then pulled up his shirt where there was a small circular reactor. The sight of the reactor that was attached to the center of Flame's chest shocked Weiss.
"Flame..." Weiss could only say so little. She noticed that blueish-greenish veins were present around the reactor on Flame's chest. Flame turned the lid of the reactor to clockwise, opening the reactor. He then pulled out a small metal slab that was burnt from the reactor before replacing it with the metal slab he pulled out from the box. He then closed the lid of the reactor and rotated it counterclockwise, locking the reactor in before pulling down his shirt.
Weiss quickly ordered her servant on the plane to get a glass of water, which the servant brought back in an instant, seeing the current situation. Weiss grabbed the glass of water and gave it to Flame who drank down the water. He then placed the empty glass on a table while he caught his breath. Weiss put a hand on Flame's shoulder to comfort him.
"Thanks, Weiss, for the drink." Flame thanked the heiress as his breathing calmed. But Weiss still had questions, after what she had seen.
"Flame...is that a reactor in your chest?" Weiss asked Flame who nodded in response.
"Yeah, it's what keeps my body running." Flame said as he leaned back on his seat.
"I-I don't understand, I'd get that you invented robots and many other things, but why do this to yourself? The reactor on your chest is...killing you..." Weiss asked Flame. Flame narrowed his eyes at Weiss.
"It's not like I wanted to do this to myself. I had no choice..." Flame replied. He sighed before continuing his story.
"When I was 14, I just started taking missions from Ozpin. One of these missions consisted of finding and obliterating a White Fang hideout. I thought it'd be one of those hit and run missions, but I was wrong." Flame told his story as Weiss kept listening to her friend's tragic past.
"When I got there, it turned out that the hideout had been preparing for my arrival. I managed to take down the hideout, but I got wounded in the process…" Flame paused as he took a breath and continued.
"Their leader, I did a quick research on him and his name was Adam Taurus...he was there and he...he stabbed me in the heart...left me to die..." Weiss widened his eyes in horror. She could not believe that Flame went through something so drastic at such a young age.
"Luckily, Atlesian troops found me and took me to Atlas where I had to undergo surgery. When I woke up, I was told that my heart was failing, and that the reactor implant was the only way for me to stay alive..." Flame finished his story as he clenched his right hand into a fist but stopped when Weiss placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Weiss had a saddened, sympathetic look in her eyes.
"Flame...I'm...really sorry you went through all of that...I-I never should've brought it up..." Weiss apologized as she looked away from Flame. The young boy sighed.
"Don't worry. I've had plenty of time to reflect on this, so I'm pretty much used to it." Flame replied to Weiss. Weiss looked back at Flame with a sympathetic look.
"Flame, what were those metal slabs that you placed in your reactor?" Weiss asked Flame.
"Palladium." Flame answered with only one word. Weiss looked at her friend in shock. Palladium was one of the rarest, most expensive metals in Remnant. Even her family had a hard time getting their hands on such a rare metal.
"These palladium slabs are by far the best that I can use for my reactor right now. I know that this thing is killing me. I've tried every single combination and every permutation, but none of them came close to palladium." Flame sighed as he finished his story.
"I'm still looking for ways to stop this thing from killing me from the inside out. The doctors advised me to take surgery to get it out, but I don't want to risk it." Flame said as he rubbed his temples. "For now, I'm just planning on fighting until I die."
Both Flame and Weiss did not speak for a while until Apex appeared next to Flame.
"We are approaching Beacon Academy." Apex announced. Flame and Weiss got up from their seats and looked out from a big window. As the clouds cleared, they were amazed by the architecture of the school. The school looked as if it were a fortress, with a very high clock tower.
"Amazing..." Flame said. Weiss agreed, for no word could exactly compare to the structure of the school.
As Flame and Weiss left the private jet, with two servants behind them carrying their luggage, they talked mostly about business, expensive items they bought, and also team pairings. Suddenly, they heard crashes behind them. They turned around to see that a small dark-red-haired girl was on the ground, with the cases of dust vials. Before Flame could speak, Weiss spoke first in a raging tone.
"Hey! Watch where you're going! These dust vials don't fix themselves!" Weiss yelled at the black-haired girl. Flame quickly recognized the gothic-dressed girl as Ruby Rose, the same girl who skipped two grades at Signal Academy.
"Weiss, that's-" Flame said, but got interrupted by Weiss again as she continued to berate the young girl.
"Do you know how expensive these are!?" Weiss yelled as she held out a jar of dust and was waving it in front of Ruby's face. Flame noticed that Ruby's face began to scrunch up before sneezing. The next thing he knew, he was thrown backward when an explosion occurred right in front of him.
"Oof!" Flame grunted when he landed on his back. He slowly got up from the ground and watched as the dust cleared, he saw that Ruby was lying in the center of a crater, with several cases of dust that were next to her. The moment Ruby realized what had happened, she desperately apologized.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!" Ruby continued to say, but despite the apologies, Flame swore he would see a vein pop from the heiress's head.
"Look...what...you've...DONE!" Weiss yelled in anger. But before she could scream at Ruby any further, a hand was placed on her shoulder. Weiss turned around to see Flame giving her a nonchalant, calm look.
"Weiss, the girl's already told you she's sorry. You don't have to keep berating her." Flame told Weiss, who stuttered as she tried to reply.
"B-but, she..." Weiss stuttered, only to be interrupted by Flame. "But nothing. Your dust vials are replaceable. Just call in another set from the SDC. If you can't, then I'll help you get them." Flame offered his assistance to Weiss.
"N-no, it's okay...I'll just go get another set..." Weiss muttered before dispersing off into another direction. As the heiress walked back to her jet, Flame spotted a raven-haired girl with a large bow on top of her head, glaring at the heiress from a distance. When she turned and stared at Flame, she widened her eyes and slightly gasped before hastily walking away.
'Who is she? Why do I feel like I know her from somewhere? I swear, she looks real, REAL familiar...' Flame thought to himself. He then called out his AI, Apex, who appeared next to him.
"Apex, do a quick profile search on that girl with the large black bow." Flame told Apex. The AI first disappeared as he morphed in lines of code with its hands to do a quick search on the girl before reappearing.
"That girl is Blake Belladonna. She's the daughter of Ghira and Kali Belladonna. She was reported missing 6 years ago and is a member of the White Fang." Apex explained. "If I may add, she is currently in a relationship with Adam Taurus, another White Fang member..." He noticed that Flame's face was as still as stone. He waved a hand in front of Flame's face.
'White Fang...' Flame thought to himself.
'White Fang?' Flame questioned what he just heard.
'WHITE FANG!' At this point, Flame was clenching his fists in anger as he looked at the raven-haired girl who was walking away.
"Flame!" Apex called out to his creator. Flame snapped out of his trance as he looked at the small, bright orange entity. "You must have been angered. Was it something I said regarding Blake being a White Fang member?" Apex asked Flame who nodded in reply.
"Apex, add Blake Belladonna to my suspect list. Make sure that whenever we're around her that we're careful at all times." Flame told Apex who nodded. "Consider it done."
Flame walked over to help Ruby up but saw that a blonde boy wielding a big dark greatsword on his back, wearing a long white and yellow-striped jacket that had two yellow arcs, beat him to it.
"You okay?" The blonde boy asked Ruby as he helped the girl up. Flame walked over to the two students and saw the blonde to be his best friend Jaune.
"I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc, what about you?" Jaune asked the girl. "I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose." the gothic-dressed girl replied.
"Jaune!" Flame yelled as he walked over to his friend and Ruby. "Fancy meeting you here man!" Jaune smiled as he and Flame did a creative handshake before fist-bumping each other.
"Hey Flame, great to see you here too! Also, I'd like you to meet Ruby Rose." Jaune introduced the girl to Flame who shook her hand. "Name's Andrew. Andrew 'Flame' Liao." Flame introduced himself to the young girl who was shocked that she was shaking the hand of a famously young billionaire.
"Did you seriously just blow up?" Flame asked, making Ruby blush in embarrassment and scratch the back of her head while laughing a little.
The three students began walking to the school as they compared notes and got to know more about each other. Jaune had seven sisters, with him being the only son in the family. Ruby talked about how she stopped a robbery, which was also the day Ozpin invited her to Beacon. Flame talked about several missions he went on after revealing to them that he took missions under Ozpin.
"So...I have this..." Ruby spoke as she pulled out her weapon as it mechanically unfolded into a red scythe. Jaune smirked at the weapon as he and Flame observed the giant weapon.
"Hybrid of a scythe and sniper rifle I assume? Lemme guess...0.50M?" Flame asked Ruby who squealed happily.
"Yes! I call it Crescent Rose! What about you guys!? What weapons do you have!?" Ruby asked in excitement. Flame allowed Jaune to go first as the blonde knight pulled out his greatsword from his back and stabbed it to the ground.
"Ruby, say hello to Ultima." Jaune introduced his greatsword. "Brief summary, it can turn into a big shield, gun, and divide into two swords." Jaune said as Ruby looked closely at the weapon, stars forming in her eyes as she zoomed around the sword.
"Wow! It has more than 2 forms!? Amazing! I need to note this down!" Ruby said as she kept looking at the weapon.
"I can explain the details later. Now I think it's Flame's turn." Jaune said as he pointed a finger at Flame. Ruby then quickly shifted her gaze at Flame who chuckled as he unsheathed his Dragatana from his left leg, the red blade shining from the sunlight. He spun the Dragatana clockwise with his hand before giving the handle of the katana a firm grip.
"This is Dragatana. It's an aura-based weapon in which I use my semblance with. Basically, the more energy the blade gets, the sharper and hotter it cuts through things." Flame explained as he pressed a small switch on the bottom of the katana handle, igniting the blade in flames.
"The flames increase the blade's ability to cut through anything." Flame said. He then pressed the switch of the handle again, making the flames disappear as he decided to let Ruby hold the katana for a moment. When Ruby got the katana in her hands she began making dramatic sword stances and began swinging the sword around.
"Hiya! Hiya! Hiyyaa!" Ruby exclaimed as she swung the katana around, causing Flame to laugh along with Jaune who facepalmed himself and smiled. Ruby then gave the katana back to Flame before he continued explaining his small arsenal.
"Alongside my Dragatana, I also have these long-range weapons." Flame said as he pulled out his MA40 assault rifle and his pair of Magnum pistols which were holstered to the outer side of each leg.
"The rifle bullets have a special element, depending on the color I mark them. Red is for explosives, blue is for ice, which I don't use often, light blue is for stun rounds, and pink is for paintball rounds that stick to the victim for a while, immobilizing them. My pistols shoot titanium bullets packed with red explosive dust." Flame said as he finished explaining. Suddenly his smile turned into a frown, realizing that they had wasted time talking to each other rather than walking.
"Crap! We need to get going! Ozpin's speech is starting soon!" Flame exclaimed as he began running, signaling Jaune and Ruby to follow him. "Come on!" Flame yelled, "Auditorium's this way!"
Flame, Ruby, and Jaune finally made it to the auditorium, where many other students were present, talking to each other. As the three students walked into the auditorium, Ruby spotted a blonde girl smiling and waving at her.
"Hey, Ruby! Over here! I saved you a spot!" The blonde girl who was wielding yellow gauntlets in her arms yelled at Ruby to come over to her. She then turned to Jaune and Flame.
"Sorry, but I gotta go, my sister's over there waving at me! See ya!" Ruby said as she walked to the blonde female. Just then, Apex appeared next to Flame's head.
"The blonde female you are seeing is Yang Xiao Long, daughter of Taiyang Xiao Long, a professor at Signal Academy. She's currently on a winning streak of 54 wins and has not lost a fight since entering Signal." Apex explained to his creator. Jaune listened, hoping to be able to obtain any useful information in case he encountered Yang.
"Her semblance allows her to store energy, increasing her physique. She is Ruby Rose's half-sister." Just when Apex finished his explanation, a female voice called out to Flame's friend.
"Jaune!" A redheaded girl came running towards the blonde knight. She ran and hugged Jaune, surprising Flame.
"Oh! Hey Pyrrha! Fancy meeting you here! Oh right, I want you to meet my friend Flame!" Jaune said as he introduced the famous female athlete to the billionaire huntsman-in-training. The redhead's green eyes then aimed at Flame.
"Name's Flame, I'm Jaune's friend." Flame said as he shook Pyrrha's hand and smiled at the famous athlete.
"Pyrrha Nikos, I've heard so much about you from Jaune here," Pyrrha said as she introduced herself. Flame looked at Jaune with a puzzled look as the blonde knight laughed and scratched the back of his head. "You don't say?" Flame asked.
As Flame, Jaune and Pyrrha were talking amongst themselves, they realized that many people were watching them and whispering to each other, and it surely did not make either of the three celebrities comfortable.
"Holy crap, it's the Knight! Do you think he'd notice me?" A girl in the crowd asked.
"The Invincible Girl AND the Firebender are here? Damn! No way I can surpass them." A boy in the crowd whispered to his friend.
"Seriously, aren't there enough rich kids in Beacon now? First is that Schnee girl and now it's that billionaire boy!" Another student in the crowd whispered.
"I wonder if Flame will notice me if I bumped into him." A girl whispered to her friend as they were both blended in the crowd.
"Maybe if I pretended to spill water on myself next to Jaune, he'd notice me..." Another girl said.
Flame noticed that after they heard what the girl said about spilling water, Pyrrha grabbed Jaune's arm as she wrapped her arms around it, causing Jaune to blush madly.
'So they're a thing.' Flame thought to himself as he smirked at Jaune and Pyrrha.
"We should find another spot from here," Pyrrha said as she clung to Jaune's arm. Flame agreed and nodded.
"Yeah, I'll see you two later, I'll catch up with you guys sometime." Flame said as he began walking away from Jaune and Pyrrha who were both walking the opposite direction of Flame.
"You befriended Andrew 'Flame' Liao AND The 'Knight' of Remnant!?" Yang asked as she grabbed Ruby by the shoulders and began shaking her back and forth. Yang looked at Flame and Jaune and licked her lips seductively. She looked at Flame. Although he was wearing a red sweater, she could tell Flame was really talented. She then focused at Jaune but frowned when she saw Pyrrha was clinging to Jaune's arm.
The auditorium began to darken as the lights dimmed. The Headmaster of Beacon, Ozpin began walking to the edge of the stage where there was a microphone.
"I'll...keep this brief…" Ozpin said. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge-to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose – direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."
At that, Ozpin finished his speech and left the stage as the lights began to turn back on, lighting the room. Flame decided to take another route and follow Ozpin. As he was heading to the auditorium, Flame spotted the raven-haired girl with the bow on her head staring at him with a sympathetic look before quickly looking away.
Ozpin looked out the windows from his office which was the tall tower in Beacon Academy. Sounds of the large clock outside of the tower ticked and tocked as Ozpin took a sip of his white mug with coffee in it. The elevator that was across from him dinged as the doors opened and the sounds of a person walking could be heard. The elevator doors closed as there was silence in the office.
"Greetings Mr. Liao." Ozpin said as he continued looking out the window since he spotted the reflection of Flame through the glass. "What can I do for you?"
"Hey, Oz..." Flame greeted the former Headmaster. "It's...about the teams..." Before Flame could continue, Ozpin interrupted him.
"Mr. Liao, teams will be divided into four people in one team. The first person you meet during the testing of Initiation will be your partner for the next four years in Beacon." Ozpin explained the system of teams as he walked to his desk and sat on his chair, going through a small stack of papers next to him.
"I-it's not about that, well it IS about teams but not exactly..." Flame said as he looked for the right words to tell Ozpin. "I can't be in a team." Flame said.
"Mr. Liao, despite all that you have done for this school, and for your job as a 'huntsman' at the moment, I'm afraid I cannot leave you to go through Beacon all by yourself without reason," Ozpin said as he placed both hands onto his desk, interlocking his fingers as he looked at Flame.
"You haven't truly gotten to know these students, despite having the ability to view their backgrounds, and I am sure that whomever you are paired up with, will give you their utmost support," Ozpin said.
"Oh yeah? How are you sure that neither of those people down at the auditorium is jerks, cheaters, or just straight-up scumbags? How are you sure that neither of them could be spies sent by some evil organization to gain information, which I already had one suspect in mind when I got here?" Flame asked as he held up one finger.
"Those people down there, none of them realize what they're signing up for. They don't know a thing or two about her, the Queen. Instead, they're signing their death warrants in which they haven't realized." Flame continued.
"I've already told you many times, Ozpin, and I will say it again," Flame said as he held up his fingers. "I work alone. I don't cooperate with others when given a dangerous situation because I don't need their help. I don't need nor want anyone's help. Not anymore." Flame said to Ozpin with a venomous tone.
Sighing, Ozpin asked Flame. "Mr. Liao, may I ask why you do not wish to cooperate with me? Why won't you let me give you a team to lead?" Flame looked down to the ground as he clenched his fists.
"It's because I had a team once..."
Flame, along with multiple people from the Halo Program, in suits just like him but different in design and color, were sitting in a locker room, talking and laughing at each other. Flame and his best friend Alison, who was wearing a suit just like Flame's but black, were leaning back on the wall watching the others goof off. Flame tells Alison a joke regarding the others as she chuckles.
"A team with the best training, the best equipment..."
Flame and his team including Alison worked together as a duo as they mercilessly fought the White Fang, taking down hundreds of White Fang members.
"...and despite everything that they had that made them the best..."
As Flame and the others begin walking to the Bullhead for another mission, he looks at Alison who was looking at Flame with a sympathetic look before turning away as she walks in the opposite direction of the others, confusing Flame.
"...they still lied, and stole, and tore each other to pieces!"
Flame, bloodied and wounded, was on his hands and knees, after an armor-piercing bullet hit him in the right him were the dead and bloodied bodies of his teammates and friends. He looked up and glared at Alison as she walked away, moments before Flame fell unconscious.
"So tell me Ozpin...How am I supposed to trust a team of naive huntsman-wannabes when I couldn't even trust the people that were closest to me!?" Flame asked the Headmaster as a small tear came down from his left eye.
A mere silence covered the room as each person seemed to be waiting for the other to say something. Ozpin pitied the young boy who has been through so much pain at such a young age from the Halo Program, a secret organization only very few people knew about that took in children at a very young age and trained them to become supersoldiers, where it resulted in Flame refusing to work in a team and instead, complete tasks by himself.
Finally, Ozpin decided to make a deal with Flame. Ozpin looked at Flame before clearing his throat and speaking. "Very well Mr. Liao. I shall let you determine whether or not you want to have a team throughout your next four years in Beacon. But if you decide to change your mind about it, I'll give you a team after the Initiation Exam tomorrow."
Flame nodded at this before turning around and walking to the elevator. As he entered the elevator, he looked back at Ozpin as they both looked each other in the eye before the elevator doors closed.
Flame leaned his back on the elevator walls as he took a moment to think about what Ozpin said about teams. Ever since the downfall of the Halo Program, Flame's teammates and friends from the program began dying one by one, making him one of the few members of the Halo Program who were still alive.
Many people would say that it is best to not indulge in the past, but the past is what kept Flame moving. Flame was to this day, on a mission for revenge against Alison, remembering the day when she killed a majority of his teammates. The day the Halo Program fell. He could still remember that wicked smirk that the blonde girl in the black suit gave Flame the last time they met when she killed his friends and wounded him.
"When I find Alison..." Flame spoke to himself as he looked at his right hand and clenched it into a fist. "I'm going to make her suffer for what she did..." Flame said as flames of anger were in his eyes.
"You're not wearing your onesie anymore?" Flame joked to Jaune as they walked to the auditorium where multiple sleeping bags were placed in a variety of areas. Instead of a light blue onesie with the face of a bunny in the center, Jaune was just wearing a black shirt and dark blue shorts.
"Dude, come on. You know I'm not gonna make myself look embarrassed in public." Jaune replied as he and Flame began walking to their sleeping bags that they placed next to each other. They walked back to the area where they laid out their sleeping bags and saw Pyrrha, who was wearing a white T-shirt and short red shorts sitting and waiting for them.
The sight of Pyrrha's sleepwear made Jaune blush red, which Flame took notice of and chuckled.
"Hello!" Pyrrha greeted Flame and Jaune as they arrived at their sleeping bags. "Hey, Pyr." Jaune replied as they sat down and leaned onto the wall behind them.
"Soooooooo...you guys feeling a bit scared about Initiation tomorrow?" Jaune asked Flame and Pyrrha. "Relax man, from what Ozpin told me, during Initiation, you need to grab a relic and run back to the cliffs where we're gonna be dropped off from." Flame replied. "Imma just fly to the temple and back. Simple as that." Flame said.
"How is it you know this much about Initiation Flame?" Pyrrha asked. "Oh right, yeah I began taking missions from the Headmaster when I was younger, so I guess being under his wing has its perks, including knowing how Initiation's gonna work tomorrow." Flame answered.
Flame then noticed from across the room that Blake began walking out of the auditorium as she turned to the right and disappeared. Flame decided to take this time to find and perhaps 'interrogate' the raven-haired girl.
"'Scuse me guys, I'll be right back." Flame told Jaune and Pyrrha as he got up from his sleeping bag and began walking out of the auditorium, heading to the direction where Blake went.
"Apex!" Flame called out to his AI as he began running towards the direction that he remembered Blake running. He tapped the center of his chest as his suit began to cover him. "I need you to activate the active camouflage in the suit!" Flame told Apex as he began to turn invisible.
Blake walked to one of the balconies of the school as she walked to the end of the balcony and leaned on the stone railings and crossed her arms. She stayed in that position as she looked at her new school that shone under the shattered moon above. She remained silent for a moment as a gust of wind flew by before speaking.
"You can show yourself now." Blake said to what it seemed like it was only her who was on the balcony.
Or was it?
A figure in a red suit came into view right behind Blake as the person was near the door that led out to the balcony. The person aimed a magnum pistol at the back of Blake's head.
"Blake Belladonna," Flame said as he deactivated his suit, making it disappear as he showed his face. "A cat Faunus behind that bow...Daughter of Kali and Ghira Belladonna, who was the former leader of the White Fang, now currently a mayor in Kuo Kuana." Blake flinched at this, shocked that Flame knew so much about her parents.
"You're a member of the White Fang, and Adam Taurus's right-hand woman." Flame said as he slowly walked towards Blake, with his magnum pistol aimed directly at the Faunus's head, glaring into the Faunus's eyes with anger.
"Just to let you know, I'm not racist when it comes to Faunus, but I do hold a bad grudge against your organization, and you sure as hell are not an exception." Flame said as he stopped walking towards Blake as he was now several feet away from her, still aiming the pistol at Blake's head.
"Now start talking, and maybe, I won't take you to the authorities." Flame finished as he waited for Blake to speak. Blake turned around to face Flame as she gave him a sad, sympathetic look.
"I don't want to fight you Flame..." Blake told Flame who raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I know...what Adam did to you that day...and I'm sorry that hap-"
"Don't you dare apologize!" Flame angrily yelled at Blake who flinched at Flame's tone. "You were there when it happened! You watched as your damn lover boy stabbed me in the heart!" Flame angrily ranted at Blake.
"I watched as you left me to bleed to death in my pool of blood! So don't you dare give me that bullshit talk, saying that you're sorry!" Flame yelled at Blake, finishing his rant. His hand holding his pistol aiming at Blake, began to shake in rage.
"Flame, I'm no longer a member of the White Fang, I may have cut ties with them, but I know the locations to their hideouts. I can help you find Adam..." Blake spoke as she slowly walked towards Flame.
"I don't exactly know the specific location of the White Fang's, but I can help you, as long as you don't pull the trigger..." Blake continued speaking, but Flame still did not believe her.
"And why should I trust you?" Flame asked Blake. "Because I know about Adam. I used to look up to him like a brother...but when he revealed his true colors...I couldn't bear to see Adam constantly spread violence and kill innocent humans. That's why I left...I came to Beacon to get away from all of this...to start a new life." Blake answered honestly. Suddenly, Apex appeared next to Flame.
"She's telling the truth, Flame. Her heartbeat was steady the whole time she was talking." Apex said to Flame. Flame sighed as he slowly put down his gun and holstered it to his thigh. He looked back at Blake and sighed.
"Very well then. You're not lying, but that doesn't mean we're on good terms either. You help me hunt down the White Fang and Adam Taurus, and I'll be sure to not kill you on the spot." Flame said as he turned and began walking out of the balcony.
"Get some sleep, Initiation's tomorrow." Flame said as he opened the door and closed it as he went back to the auditorium where everyone else was already asleep.
Today was the day for the Initiation Exam. Students were busy preparing for their test as they were strapping on armor, checking their weapons, and talking to each other. Flame was already geared up and ready and walking next to Jaune as they were trying to find his locker. They walked past a dark-haired boy who was wearing a long green tailcoat and white pants and a redheaded girl wearing a pink skirt who was talking about the sound that sloths make.
Weird.
"Seriously! Why is my locker number 636!?" Jaune asked Flame as he complained about how far his locker was while they were walking. Everyone was currently getting their weapons from the lockers as people began leaving the locker rooms for Initiation.
"Not my problem." Flame said as he checked the magazine in his MA40, making sure he had a full set of bullets for Initiation before holstering the rifle onto his back. They stopped when they reached Jaune's locker but saw Weiss and Pyrrha blocking the locker as they were talking to each other.
"Hey Weiss!" Flame called out to the heiress who looked at Pyrrha and smiled. "Hey, Flame! Great to see you! Oh, who is this guy?" Weiss asked as she pointed at Jaune who raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Weiss, this is Jaune! The same guy I told you about!" Flame said as he introduced Weiss to his friend. Jaune and Weiss then shook hands as they greeted each other.
"Weiss Schnee. Flame here has told me a lot about you." Weiss said. Jaune chuckled as he smiled at the heiress. "I aim to impress," Jaune replied.
"Anyways," Weiss said. "I was recently talking with Pyrrha about joining us as a team. Perhaps Jaune can join too, from what I've heard about him from you." Flame looked at Pyrrha who smiled and waved at Flame. He then looked across his shoulder to Jaune who raised an eyebrow in confusion. Flame then shrugged.
"To be honest, I don't mind who I'm paired up with as long as they don't bother me. But I've already told the Headmaster that I don't plan on being in a team." Flame said, causing the others to widen their eyes in shock at Flame. Flame continued explaining.
"I told Ozpin about my current conditions about whether or not I would want to join a team. He said that he could let me fly solo for now until I decide whether or not I want to have a team or not." Flame said. Before any of the students could say anything, they were interrupted by a person talking through a loudspeaker.
"Will all first-year students make their way to the Initiation Exam? I repeat. Will all first-year students make their way to the Initiation Exam?" The speaker called out, revealing it to be a female person, judging by the voice. Flame recognized the voice to be from Professor Goodwitch, the headmistress of Beacon and turned to the others before smiling.
"Guess that's our call. I'll see y'all at the exam." Flame said as he walked away from Jaune, Weiss and Pyrrha, who pondered on Flame's decision on not being in a team.
'Seriously? Launch pads?' Flame thought to himself as he was currently standing on a small platform on a cliff, next to Jaune who was standing at the last platform along with several other students. Ozpin and Goodwitch, who was wearing glasses, a black dress, and a purple cape were standing off to the side.
"For years you have trained to become warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Ozpin said as he looked at the row of students standing on platforms. "Your goal in this exam is to obtain the relics in the forest and return to the cliffs. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path...or you will die. Also, the first person you meet in the forest will be your partner for the next four years." Ozpin finished his speech as he nodded at the woman next to her to activate the platforms.
"So it's that simple?" Flame asked Ozpin who looked at him and smiled. "That simple." Ozpin said as he took a sip of coffee from his mug. Flame looked at Jaune who also looked at him as they both shrugged. Flame tapped his chest as he activated his suit. "Seems legit. Mind if I go first then?" Flame asked. Ozpin smiled as Flame's platform threw him into the air. Using the jets under his boots and his pyrokinesis, Flame soared through the sky at high speeds.
"He made a suit that flies!?" Ruby exclaimed as she looked at the flying billionaire who began disappearing into the clouds. She had so many questions to ask Flame when she saw him again. Across from Ruby, Weiss also gaped at Flame as she was impressed that her genius friend could create such a suit. The other platforms then began launching the other students who were surprised since they were too distracted by the sight of Flame's flying suit.
Flame continued flying in the air as he activated his location seeker in his helmet visor. "Apex, start looking for any abnormal structures that aren't trees or caves." Flame said to Apex as Flame's visor formed into a grid of the Emerald Forest's landscape. The map of the landscape drew into a small area as it showed temple ruins.
"Flame, there's a huge temple ruin to your right. I'm activating the trackers so you can stay on the path." Apex said as a moving arrow and a red circle appeared on the map in Flame's visor came into view, with the arrow being Flame and the circle being the location he was heading towards. Flame increased the speed of his thruster jets in his suit, causing a small shockwave to explode behind him as Flame accelerated in speed.
"Got to find Yang. Got to find Yang!" Ruby thought to herself as she continued to run through the forest. "But I should probably look for Flame instead! I must know the secrets behind the suit!" Ruby said as she started to run faster, thanks to her newfound motivation.
'Drat! I need to find Flame and Pyrrha and Jaune!' Weiss thought to herself as she was running through the woods. She raised her rapier as she summoned glyphs to enhance her speed. She then bumps into Ruby, as it turned out, she was running in the opposite direction.
"That's for touching my hair!" Yang yelled as she finished off the last of the pack of Ursa Grimm that ambushed her in the forest. Yang breathed heavily as she tried to calm herself down. She then heard the sound of leaves rustling from behind her. She turned around to see Blake emerging from the bushes, with her weapon out.
"So! I guess we're partners now!" Yang exclaimed as Blake made a small smile. "Yeah, we're partners now." Blake confirmed feeling a little relieved that she was not paired up with Flame, knowing that the suited huntsman could kill her anytime. The thought of it made the cat Faunus shudder.
Jaune and Pyrrha worked together as they obliterated a pack of Beowolves that attacked them, with each person guarding each other's back. Jaune slashed Ultima across two Beowolves, bisecting them from the torso down. He turned swiftly as he swung down at a Beowolf's head. Pyrrha swung her golden, circular shield like a frisbee as it rebounded and knocked a Beowolf off its feet before hitting another. She activated her polarity semblance as she controlled the shield's direction before catching her shield.
"Well, guess that's the last of them." Jaune joked as he finished off one last Beowolf of the pack before turning to Pyrrha who smiled.
"We should go now. The temple ruins should be from the west of here." Pyrrha said. Jaune nodded in agreement as both celebrities began walking in the direction towards the temples.
"You think Flame will be there?" Jaune asked Pyrrha who shrugged. "By the time we're there, he'll probably be gone by then." Pyrrha replied, having witnessed Flame flying at immense speeds back at the cliffs.
"Approaching the temple ruins in 3...2...1...we're here." Apex called out to Flame as Flame descended onto the temple ruins, using his thrusters to prevent him from falling and crashing as he safely landed onto the ground. He walked to the temple ruins as he saw several golden chess pieces standing on some white pillars. He saw that none of the chess pieces have been taken yet, indicating that he's the first one to have arrived. Flame decided to grab a King chess piece that was in the center of the pillars as he walked away and activated his thrusters.
"Well, guess it's time for me to head back to the cliffs." Flame said as he shot himself upwards towards the sky with his jet thrusters. Suddenly, Flame's visor began beeping as a red dot with an eye emblem symbolizing a threat came into view.
"Flame! You've got a Nevermore coming at you!" Apex called out as Flame was flying in the air. "Where!?" Flame began to slightly panic since he could not see the Nevermore. "I don't see it anywh- OH CRAP!" Flame yelled as a Nevermore swooped down at Flame from the clouds. Flame dived downwards to avoid the Nevermore's attack.
Flame activated his hand cannons and sent a series of projectiles of orange plasma at the Nevermore. The Nevermore tilted to the sides to dodge the attacks and continued to follow Flame.
Flame changed direction as he headed back to the temple ruins, with the Nevermore tailing behind him. Flame turned back as he sent micro-missiles from his suit at the Nevermore. The Nevermore screeched as the missiles exploded when it hit the Grimm bird, as it tried to remain flying in the sky. The Grimm bird screeched in anger at Flame as it resumed chasing Flame.
"Flame, the others have gathered together and claimed the chess pieces." Apex said. Flame continued flying, trying to outmaneuver the Nevermore. "Make sure that the Nevermore keeps its full attention on us!" Flame said as he flew into the temple ruins. The Nevermore unleashed a wave of feather projectiles at Flame as he flew around pillars for cover. He then flew under the pillars holding the temple bridges as the Nevermore sent in another wave of feathers at Flame. Flame quickly landed on a bridge and gathered as much aura as he could with his semblance to create a large fireball to burn the Nevermore as it was flying straight towards him. Flame then sent the fireball straight at the Nevermore as it screeched in agony while burning away.
"Threat eliminated." Apex told Flame who nodded. "I'd suggest returning to the cliffs with the King chess piece to complete your exam." Apex said as Flame activated his thrusters and flew into the air, returning to the cliffs. Suddenly something sharp hit Flame from behind, causing Flame to fall. "Armour's been pierced!" Apex yelled, "Attempting to rebalance thruster directions!" Apex called out, but Flame was too distracted by the pain of whatever hit him from behind as he violently crashed onto the ground outside of the temple ruins.
"Ooowwwwww…." Flame groaned as he was lying on the ground, having created a small crater under him along with a small pile of dirt behind him after the crash. He slowly sat upwards, placing his hands onto the ground to keep himself balanced. He looked up to see Yang looking down at him, with her arms to her waist, smiling at Flame.
"Just dropping in sparky?" Yang joked as she stretched out a hand to help Flame up. Flame chuckled and grabbed her hand and pulled himself up. He reached to his back where he felt something sharp pierce his armor and pulled it out of his back with a grunt to see what hit him and saw that it was a large black feather and threw it to the side. He looked around him to see Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Jaune, Pyrrha and two other students run towards him and Yang, with Ruby being the fastest.
"Flame! Flame! Flaaaaameee!" Ruby yelled as she jumped at Flame and clung to his arm. "Why didn't you tell me you're the huntsman with the suit all over the news!? What else can it do!? Tell me tell me tell me tell me tell meeeee!" Ruby kept speaking while Flame tried shaking her off of his arm.
"Ruby, get off!" Flame said as he tried to push Ruby off of him, but the little rose refused. "Never! Not until you reveal to me the secrets of your suit!" Ruby said as she pouted. Weiss ran up behind Ruby and wrapped her arms around Ruby's waist, trying to pull her off.
"You dunce! You can't just do something so immature like that!" Weiss said as she tried pulling Ruby off of Flame.
After everyone calmed down, they started talking amongst themselves to get to know each other more. The other two students were a boy and a girl named Ren and Nora. Ren had dark hair with a pink line running down the front of his hair. The guy wore a long-sleeved green tailcoat with black stripes and wore long white pants. He had a pair of green SMG guns with blades pointing downwards that he called Stormflower. The guy seemed to be a calm and collected individual.
Nora on the other hand was the complete opposite, because of her hyperactive attitude. She had reddish-orange hair along with a pink skirt, white boots with pink accents, and a black and white shirt with a heart symbol on her chest. Her weapon was a large hammer that could mechashift into a grenade launcher.
"Well great knowing y'all, excuse me, but I have a Nevermore to kill." Flame said as he activated his thrusters and flew into the air, straight towards the giant bird Grimm. He pulled out Dragatana from his sheath and slashed across the Nevermore's head, completely separating it from the bird's body as it crashed down to the ground.
"Woooooaaaaahhhh..." Ruby awed at Flame's suit. The others were also amazed that Flame defeated the giant Nevermore with just one swing from his katana. Weiss, Pyrrha and Ren were extremely impressed.
"Race y'all back to the cliffs!" Flame joked as he began to fly away. The rest of the students began running the same direction that Flame flew to. Ruby used her speed semblance as she wanted to chase after Flame to know more about his suit.
"I'm back!" Flame yelled at the cliffs to Ozpin and Goodwitch as he deactivated his suit and landed in front of Ozpin. He took out the king chess piece from his pocket and tossed it to Ozpin who caught it with one hand. Ozpin smiled back at the young genius.
"Congratulations Mr. Liao, you have officially passed the Initiation Exam. Welcome to Beacon. Again." Ozpin said as he shook hands with Flame. "Y'know I could've just skipped grades, right?" Flame joked at Ozpin. "Of course, but I believe it is about time you expanded your circle of trust." Ozpin advised Flame who rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine, I'll consider it." Flame said to Ozpin who nodded. "Good," Ozpin said. "Please retreat back to the school auditorium where there'll be a ceremony dedicated to the new first-year students." Ozpin said. Flame nodded at this and turned and walked away.
"Poor boy." Goodwitch said as she looked at Flame who was walking away with a sympathetic look. "He's been through so much pain at such a young age. Assigning a team for him will not be a cakewalk." Ozpin could not help but agree with Goodwitch's statement. "I agree, but I believe it is about time Mr. Liao learned to trust others again. It would be best for us to place Flame as a reserved team member." Ozpin said to which Goodwitch nodded.
Flame sat down in an empty seat in the silent and empty auditorium. All of the sleeping bags that were once there were all gone, replaced by rows of chairs and space in the center to walk around. Flame decided to take a seat in the front row as he tapped his techno-gauntlet as an yellowish orange screen came into view on the gauntlet, Flame tapped several buttons on his gauntlet to make sure his suit was still functional after he fell and crashed from being pierced by a Nevermore in the air. After putting in a few more codes, Flame deactivated his gauntlet as he pulled out his scroll to play Remnant Kombat, a multiplayer mobile game that had brutal graphics.
As Flame was in the middle of playing his game, he saw that several students had started entering the auditorium. He paid no mind and resumed playing his video game until he was slapped on the back of his head by someone. Flame turned around to see Yang looking down at him frowning.
"You know you could've stayed and helped us?" Yang said to Flame to just raise an eyebrow in confusion. Yang rolled her eyes. "We got into a fight with two Deathstalkers when you ran off!" Flame chuckled. "Actually, I flew off. Besides, I knew about your backgrounds when you studied at Signal Academy, so you should've been fine." Flame said before focusing back on his scroll as he continued playing his game. Yang decided to just brush it off as she sat on a chair behind Flame, next to Ruby, Weiss and Blake. Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren later came into the auditorium and sat next to Flame.
"Took you long enough." Flame joked at Jaune as they fist-bumped. "Hey, I'm not as smart as you dude. I'm only a talented tactician." Jaune joked, causing Flame to scoff at the understatement. More and more students began to fill up the seats of the auditorium as people began talking amongst themselves, most of them talking about whether they passed Initiation or not. Finally, the students stopped speaking as Ozpin and Goowitch walked onto the stage to announce the results.
"As I call your name, please walk up to the stage. Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark, please approach the stage." Ozpin spoke. Four students then stood up from their seats as they walked to the stage. Ozpin called out to the students whose names he said.
"Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark, you will be known as team CRDL, led by...Cardin Winchester." Ozpin said as Cardin nodded at the Headmaster before leaving the stage and returning to their seats. Ozpin continued with the team pairings. He paired up Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren as team JNPR and assigned Jaune as the leader. Ruby was assigned as leader of team RWBY consisting of Weiss, Blake, and Yang. Ozpin then announced that Flame would be a reserved member for both teams RWBY and JNPR because of his chemistry with the others. The speech went on as Ozpin congratulated other teams including team TYTN, RNGD, WYLD, MPCT, ZYNK, LNCE, and so on. Flame was about to doze off when he heard a name he'd never thought he'd hear again after so many years.
"Alison Tex, Lance Hektor, Mike Walker, and Jennifer Olive, together you are team ALMO, led by...Alison Tex." Ozpin announced. But in the crowd, those words were laid in deaf ears for Flame as he focused his raging eyes at the blonde girl that was responsible for the fall of the Halo Program.
To be Continued
Chapter 2: Flames of Vengeance