Hello, everybody! WaterDragonMaverick here with the newest chapter of "Sideline: Another Story". Last time, our heroes joined Bianca Coloratura for a photo shoot and there were a few things aside from the characters in nice outfits. Veronica Moonstone (aka Rouge) was in the studio with the group, Bianca's concert is approaching fast, Azalea had her first real kiss with Slate, and Bianca gave Azalea a few outfits as a late present for getting into Beacon. With all of that happening, we'll now move onto the next chapter where Fragment Hunter helps Bianca with her concert. However, things can go wrong with major things like these. Let's see if Fragment Hunter can help keep everything under control.
Crank it up to 11!
RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and was created by Monty Oum (R.I.P)
The only things I own are my own Original Characters.
The next few days passed by quickly as Fragment Hunter dealt with their classes and training in time for the Vytal Festival Tournament. However, they also made sure to practice their musical skills as Bianca's concert was tonight. Packing up their instruments, Fragment Hunter prepared to head out to meet up with Bianca and get set up for the show. "This is going to be an amazing night for everyone," Celadon stated as she helped Cereza and Vinyl pack a keyboard.
"I'll say," Silver replied as he put his guitar in a case. "We're going to actually perform in front of a crowd with Bianca alongside us."
"Should I splash you with ice water now or later," Lapis asked with a teasing smirk when her team leader mentioned the Dove Faunus, causing him to blush with embarrassment as he glared at her.
"Okay, okay. Enough messing with Silver and his obvious crush on a pop star," Slate told the others to calm them down.
"NEVER," exclaimed Rua and Vixen as the former put another guitar in a case.
"We need to get going if we want to make sure everything is set up," Azalea said as she grabbed a few pairs of drumsticks.
"By the way, Azalea. When we were at the studio, I couldn't help but notice your emotional state after Slate went to check up on you," Sunset telepathically said to the Cow Faunus. Realizing what Sunset meant, Azalea began to blush a bright pink and turn away from her friends. "Me and Pinkie won't tell the others and I'm sure that your dad only told your mom about what we think happened," Sunset stated to Azalea.
The Faunus girl groaned internally as she heard what Sunset told her. "This is so embarrassing," Azalea whispered to herself. "Can we just leave now," she asked her friends as she turned around to see the others had finished packing their instruments. "Thank you. Rua, you know what to do."
"Hold on," Sunset said to everyone as she held out her hand. "I've been practicing my Semblance with Vinyl and I think I figured something out. You wanna demonstrate," she stated before asking Vinyl to help out. Getting a nod in reply from the blue-haired music lover, Sunset held out her hand before both Vinyl and herself briefly flashed a purplish-red color. When that happened, Vinyl disappeared in an instant with the same kind of flash that Rua creates when she uses her Semblance. After a few seconds, Vinyl returned and was now laying on one of the beds. "I can actually bestow Semblances to anyone I want. It's almost like I share the Aura that I connect with," Sunset explained. "But, I'm sure that you'll have the same problems as I did with using more Aura than the original person does."
"That's still a marvelous discovery," Celadon remarked. "It'll save up quite a bit of time for traveling if we need it. And it will be a good way to confuse enemies."
"So cool," Silver stated in awe over the information.
"Well, we shouldn't waste time here," Sunset said. "Let's get going!" Hearing their de facto leader's instructions, Fragment Hunter grabbed all their stuff and teleported out in a flash of light.
Fragment Hunter soon reached the venue for the concert and immediately saw Terracotta keeping watch over the back entrance. Looking up at the building, the teenagers also saw Ventus keeping an eye out from on top of the roof. "Well, looks like security might be okay for tonight," Cereza remarked as she saw the two Faunus Huntsmen guarding the area against any possible intruders.
"There you all are," Terracotta said as he noticed the group and opened the back door for them. "Bianca's waiting inside."
Stepping inside with their equipment, the members of Fragment Hunter explored the backstage area of the concert hall. As they walked around, they saw stagehands getting everything set for the event and avoided a few as they passed by with items in their hands. Reaching the stage, the teenagers began to setup their equipment when Bianca saw them. "Hey, guys! Do you have everything you need," Bianca greeted and asked as she approached Azalea, Silver, and Rua.
"Yeah, made sure of it," Vinyl replied as she walked up to the Dove Faunus.
"Great! This concert's going to be a success. I can feel it," Bianca said as a stagehand with dirty blond hair and glasses passed by them with a Scroll in his hands. "Oh, I almost forgot. Before you came to help me, Kurenai had the little contest for a fan to hang out backstage for the concert. She should be here any moment."
"What's her name," Rebecca asked.
"I think it was 'Lucy Diamond' or something," Bianca answered as the group heard footsteps and saw a new girl arrive at the stage. She was 5'6" with pale skin, blonde hair that reached her shoulders, and her eyes were light blue. She was wearing a military bodysuit, a black jacket with a white collar and sleeves, and a skirt that was decorated with white swan-like feathers. The back of her jacket also had a swan emblem with diamond-shaped feathers on its wings. "Are you the contest winner," Bianca asked as she stepped toward the girl.
"I am. My name is Lucy Diamond," she greeted the Dove Faunus with a smile and turned to see Fragment Hunter. "Hey, I remember you all from Beacon. Oren and Raduga were talking to you before the dance a few times. Plus, I've seen some of the matches you were in during training."
"Well, it's nice to finally meet you, Lucy," Sunset Blaze said as she waved to the Atlesian girl.
As the group talked and set their equipment, the stagehand with glasses snuck away to a secluded corner in the backstage area. Pressing on the button of the earpiece her wore, he spoke to somebody with it. "Technician to Sticky Fingers. Come in, Sticky Fingers," the young man said.
"I read you, Technic. What's up," a voice said into the earpiece.
"We've got some old friends and I'm sure that a few of them might mess up our plans for tonight," the bespectacled male told the person he weas speaking with.
"Old friends? Hmm, this'll be more fun than I thought. Don't worry, Oliver. We can plan around this. We'll just need a better distraction," the voice replied.
"Alright, Sombra. I just don't things spiraling out of control," Oliver said before he left the corner he stood at and went to the control box for the stage lights.
After setting up everything and doing their soundcheck, Fragment Hunter waited for Bianca to change clothes for the concert. Lucy Diamond was speaking with them about a number of things involving classes at Beacon before Bianca arrived in her new outfit. The Dove Faunus wore a sparkly baby blue cocktail dress with no back so that her wings were free to move, a pair of silver-colored heels, and she wore a necklace with her angel-winged heart emblem on a pendant. When everyone saw her, Silver could only just stare before Vixen pulled on his tail to snap him out of his trance. Seeing his teammate snickering to herself after returning to his senses, Silver walked up to Bianca to speak with her. "That's a very nice dress you have on," he said.
"Aw, thank you," Bianca replied and kissed Silver on the cheek, which left a pink lipstick mark on his face.
"Well, at least you're not stumbling around like a drunken fool like last time," Rua stated with an amused smile while Silver blushed at Bianca's sudden kiss.
"Shut up," Silver bluntly told his teammate while the other members of Fragment Hunter laughed at what happened.
"We're about ready to start. The crowd's getting pretty big," Azalea said as she looked out at the audience with a hint of nervousness in her voice. "Hey, I see Team RWBY, Team JNPR, and a few others from school out in the stands," she told the others as she looked out and saw a number of familiar faces. Seeing several of her classmates, friends from the other Academies, and even a few teachers from those schools, Azalea's growing stage fright seemed to calm down. As she continued to view the crowd, she noticed somebody familiar that didn't go to any of the four Academies. In a dark corner of the concert hall's auditorium, a young Raccoon Faunus with black and gray hair was walking by people in order to get by them. Seeing his tail, Azalea soon recognized him as the boy who wanted to dance with her back at Beacon. But thanks to Sunset, she learned that the boy was Smoke Shadow, the phantom thief that Fragment Hunter tried to stop once before. Instead of a trenchcoat, the Raccoon Faunus wore a blue hoodie to blend in with the crowd. "What's he doing here," Azalea whispered to herself as she saw the thief politely help some women to their seats before walking through one of the walls with his Semblance when he thought nobody was paying attention to him.
"Who's here," Rebecca asked as she saw Azalea lingering at the curtain.
"Sombra's back," Azalea told Fragment Hunter.
"Who," Lucy Diamond questioned as she was the only one in the group that didn't know of the phantom thief.
"He's a thief that we met before and tried to stop one time," Slate said to the girl. "Why's he here?"
"I doubt it's for anything casual," Sunset remarked. "We need to keep an eye on him. Anybody who's not playing or helping with the show will search for him, got it," the flame-haired girl instructed.
"Right," Fragment Hunter said as Azalea, Rebecca, and Cereza all went to search for Smoke Shadow.
While the three Huntresses-in-training went off, Bianca turned to the rest of the group. "Well, we can let them handle it. For now, we have a show to put on," the Dove Faunus stated as she put a microphone headset on. The members of Fragment Hunter all got into position as the curtain raised to reveal the band to the audience. "Hello, everyone! I'm so glad that you could make it here tonight," Bianca said to the audience. "The band I first hired for this benefit concert couldn't perform tonight because they were hurt in the Breach, but I was lucky enough to run into an old friend who has friends that are in a band of their own. I'd like to introduce tonight's guest band from Beacon Academy, Fragment Hunter!"
Bianca was doing her introductions for the start of the concert while Azalea, Rebecca, and Cereza searched the backstage area for any signs of Smoke Shadow. "Where would he be," Cereza asked as Rebecca looked around the catwalks.
"I don't know," Azalea said as she looked in the darker areas. "He probably stole everyone's wallets when I saw him earlier and left."
"Maybe not," Rebecca said as she jumped down to the floor and revealed one of Smoke Shadow's calling cards. "This was just left here. Look at what's written down."
Cereza took the card from Rebecca and read it aloud. "Hmm... 'Greetings to the members of Fragment Hunter who have discovered this little clue. I'm sure that you're wondering why I'm here. Am I pickpocketing the audience? Am I after something else? Am I just doing this to see Firebird or that beautiful Azalea again? I'll leave that for you to decide while I accomplish what I need to do. Be on the lookout for anything else that you know is involved with me. Your mysterious phantom thief adversary, Sombra.' Leave it to a phantom thief to do this kind of thing," Cereza remarked after she finished reading the card.
"Girls, I think we need to find out if Tremor or that Rouge girl are here as well," Azalea stated as she thought over what happened the last time they encountered Smoke Shadow.
"Just what I needed," Cereza dryly said as she remembered her battle with Rouge when she and the others went to rescue Azalea. "That shapeshifter could be anyone here."
"We should focus on finding more of these calling cards," Rebecca told Cereza. "Split up and find what we can."
"I'll go check the crowd for anyone suspicious," Azalea voiced as she used her Semblance to turn invisible. "You two keep looking around here for anything," she stated as the girls heard her footsteps walking away from them. Azalea soon made her way to the auditorium and looked around for Smoke Shadow or any of his three allies that she remembered from their old hideout. "Okay, they would've likely snuck in with Sombra's Semblance if they didn't disguise themselves," Azalea thought to herself as she heard Bianca and Fragment Hunter playing 'This Will Be the Day'.
Soon, she saw Smoke in the audience and he excused himself between several people, pickpocketing them as he passed. Following after him, Azalea stayed invisible until she saw Kun Agate, the muscle of Sombra's group that went by the alias 'Tremor'. Messaging Rebecca and Cereza, Azalea told them about where she last saw Smoke Shadow before she followed after Tremor when he went the opposite direction of the Raccoon Faunus. After hearing Bianca and the others go through a few other songs, Azalea realized that Tremor was going around in circles before he spoke up. "You know, you actually give Smoke a run for his money in stealth," Tremor stated as he turned around to look at Azalea's direction. "But, I've been friends with him since we were kids, so I can tell when somebody's following me."
"That would explain why you kept going in circles," Azalea said as she revealed herself.
"I never did get that rematch yet," Tremor told Azalea as he put on his Drill Bit Knuckle Dusters and got into a boxing stance.
Cereza and Rebecca read the message Azalea gave them and headed for where the girl last saw Sombra. Soon, they ended up in the catwalks of the backstage area and started looking for any sign of Smoke Shadow. "Find anything yet, Rebecca," Cereza asked as Fragment Hunter played 'Gold' with Bianca.
"I think I did," the member of Team SAFR replied as she noticed a calling card with Smoke Shadow's emblem underneath a coil of rope. "Let's see... 'Looks like you're following me if you made your way here. Just so you know, my way tends to be indirect and challenging at times. Make sure that you can handle it if you can.' Is he sending us on a wild goose chase," Rebecca questioned after reading the note on the card.
"Maybe... But we need to see what he's up to," Cereza remarked. Making their way through the catwalks, they watched the concert below and saw that their friends were doing well. Vixen was even using her illusions to create special effects for the performance that impressed everyone watching. "The concert's going well. But I think that something may happen," Cereza said before the catwalks began to shake a bit. "What was that?"
Cereza's question was soon answered when the doors slammed open and Azalea came crashing through onto the stage with Tremor walking toward her. Everyone was surprised by the sight and Fragment Hunter was about to help their friend when they saw her stand up and pull out her weapon, Gladion. "That all you got since last time," Tremor asked Azalea as he charged up his Semblance and created a vibrating field around his fists. "Then again, your friends had to deal with me for a while before you joined in."
"I can deal with you myself," Azalea said as she glared at Tremor.
Everyone was wondering what was going on and a few of the Huntsmen and Huntresses were about to intervene when they heard somebody speak up. "Oh, now this is one great show! A band of students from Beacon playing with Bianca Coloratura before the Vytal Festival is one thing, but this is something else," the voice said and revealed themselves as Smoke Shadow. "A planned battle as the performance goes on is just perfect for the upcoming event! Does anyone else agree with me," Smoke stated before asking the crowd. The Raccoon Faunus' charismatic nature convinced most of the crowd that Tremor's entrance was part of the show, but a number of warriors in the audience were still cautious.
Fragment Hunter themselves were about to say something when Bianca addressed everyone first. "That's right! Why not have a mock battle to show off what you may be able to see in the Vytal Festival Tournament?! I'm sure that you'd all love to see what the members of Fragment Hunter are capable of since they're all competing in the tournament," Bianca stated. "And don't let her shy looks fool you. Azalea has a fiery spirit that's ready to ignite and burn." Hearing Bianca's words and seeing her gesture to continue playing, Fragment Hunter started to play 'I Burn'.
"I love this song," Tremor thought to himself as he charged toward Azalea with a shout and threw a haymaker at her. Azalea narrowly dodged the punch and countered by striking at Tremor's arms with Gladion, but the tattooed brawler powered through and threw another punch. Hitting Azalea in the stomach, Tremor knocked her into the air and followed up with another punch that had sent her flying again. Quickly switching the Dust setting on Gladion, Azalea swung her baton behind her and created a gust of wind that sent her flying back toward Tremor. Kicking the criminal in the head, Azalea continued her assault by kicking at his face and chest before jumping off and landing back onto the stage. "Pretty good," Tremor complimented as he shook off the damage.
Azalea and Tremor continued to battle each other as the song continued, trading blow after blow. Azalea soon changed up her weapon's Dust setting to Fire and started to slash at Tremor with a blade of flames, damaging him more. As Tremor blocked or dodged the attacks, his Drill Bit Knuckle Dusters began to spin and he caught Azalea's baton in the drill bits. Disarming his opponent, Tremor punched away at Azalea more before he channeled his Semblance once again. As everyone watched, they saw a large drill-shaped field appear around Tremor's arm. "Oh, that looks like it'll hurt," Azalea thought to herself. "But, let's see if he can actually hit me with it," she remarked internally as she remembered the first time she defeated Tremor.
Sensing what Azalea was planning, Sunset relayed the fighter's plan to the others and told them to either shield their eyes or not look at Azalea. As Bianca and Fragment Hunter took precaution, Azalea activated her Semblance and unleashed a burst of light that blinded everyone who wasn't prepared for it. As the audience and Tremor tried to cover their eyes, Azalea rushed toward the boxer and grabbed at his head. Pulling Tremor's face down, she delivered a few knee strikes that dazed him further before performing a suplex and putting him in an armlock just as the song ended. When everyone's vision returned to normal, they saw the outcome of the battle and were amazed at what they could now see. As the crowd applauded, Azalea looked on and nervously smiled at the numerous people staring at her and the band. "That was an excellent fight! Just marvelous," Smoke Shadow said as he walked up to Azalea and Tremor. "If this is the kind of thing we can expect in the Vytal Festival, then we better be on the lookout for this lovely girl," he told the audience. "Well, I don't think this guy is going to be doing any encores for the time being. Let's get him out of here. You've been a wonderful crowd! Goodnight," Sombra declared as he threw down a smoke bomb that covered himself, Tremor, and Azalea. While the Cow Faunus coughed to clear out any smoke she accidentally inhaled, everyone watched as the smoke dissipated to reveal Smoke Shadow and Tremor had vanished along with it.
"That was my line," Bianca called out as she stepped forward to check on Azalea. "But, he was right. You've been a wonderful audience and I'm hoping to enjoy to Vytal Festival with all of you! We're Bianca Coloratura and Fragment Hunter! We'll see you all next time," she said to the crowd. She, Azalea, and the rest of Fragment Hunter all waved to the audience as the curtain closed. Hearing the audience applauding from behind the curtain, Bianca turned back to the others and voiced her concerns about what happened. "What was with that? Wasn't that Tremor?"
"Yeah. And the Raccoon Faunus was Smoke Shadow," Sunset told her.
"We've been trying to find him all throughout the concert," Cereza said as she and Rebecca jumped down from the catwalks. "Just what was he up to?"
"Who knows," Rebecca stated. "Maybe this was all a distraction for something?"
"But for what," Vixen questioned.
In the basement of the concert hall, Tremor was eating a candy bar that Smoke Shadow gave him while they pulled out a Scroll and spoke to Oliver Electrum. "So, did you and Rouge manage to get what you needed," Sombra asked his friend and teammate.
"Well, that distraction you provided helped out quite a bit," Oliver said on the other line. "She was able to get me the Scroll I needed from one of the visiting Atlas soldiers. Luckily, he was given high enough clearance to protect the scientist we're looking for."
"So, you said that you put something in his Scroll that will jump to the science guy's," Tremor asked for clarification.
"Precisely," Oliver replied. "The app I placed on his Scroll will allow me remote access to the scientist's Scroll, which will allow me to access the files I need for our project. When it's complete, our field work will be so much easier and I'll be able to keep up with you three."
"All this because we found the scrapped remains of one of those Atlesian Paladins by the highway," Smoke said. "I'd say that you need to get a hobby, but this already is one. At least it gives us some cool new gear," he remarked.
"I just need to get some more information on the Paladins themselves. That way, I can modify the remains of the prototype and fix it up to my own plans. It's going to take some time, but it'll be worth it," Oliver told the two.
"Good to know," Tremor said as he finished his snack. "So, should we meet up at the safehouse?"
"Not just yet," Oliver told them. "You two need to lay low for the next while. I'm sure that Fragment Hunter is going to try and find you. Plus, I saw the security that was hired for the concert. Terracotta Gaia was guarding the backstage door."
"Oof, that would've been a rough fight if he was involved," Smoke said as he heard the news. "Good thing I came in from the side with my Semblance."
"I have a drone keeping an eye on him and the other Huntsman on the roof. I'll give you the signal for when you can leave. Until then, just try to stay out of trouble," Oliver instructed the two.
"No problem, Hermit. We'll see you later tonight," Smoke replied as he and Tremor ended their call. "So, video games until the coast is clear?" Tremor pulled out his own Scroll and the two began to pass the time.
Backstage of the concert hall, Fragment Hunter had just finished packing their instruments and Bianca had changed back into her regular sweater and skirt. "Well, I say that we should head back," Sunset told the others. "It's been a long day and I'd like some rest soon."
"Oh, but there's this afterparty I was going to invite you all to," Bianca said. "It's at the hotel I'm staying at."
"There's an afterparty," Celadon asked excitedly with stars in her eyes.
"Yeah. If any of you want, you can come by tonight," Bianca told the teenagers as Terracotta and Ventus walked up to them.
"I say one more night of fun will be good for all of you before the tournament," Terracotta stated.
Fragment Hunter thought it over and decided that it would be fun to join the after party. "Great! Oh, some of the guests will probably have formal wear, so you may want to change if you're coming," Bianca said.
"Guess a few of us are out," Rua said as she looked at the group. "Unless you want us to wear our outfits from the Beacon Dance."
"That means I'm out," Vinyl replied. "I'll catch some sleep instead."
"Who is going with me, then," Bianca asked. Azalea, Slate, Sunset, Celadon, Silver, Rebecca, and Lapis all raised their hands while the rest chose not to go. "Okay. I'll see you all there in a little bit. Bye." As Bianca left to talk with Lucy Diamond, the members of Fragment Hunter all went back to Beacon Academy with Terracotta and Ventus. With the concert a success, the group had the rest of the night to enjoy before they continued their last days of training and preparation before the Vytal Festival Tournament.
Alright then, Fragment Hunter has finally helped with the concert and after a few more chapters, we'll be moving into the Vytal Festival arc. For now, we just have the appearance of Smoke Shadow and his gang scheming something which used a fight between Azalea and Tremor as a distraction. By the next time they appear, that plan will be revealed.
Next up, we have the afterparty for the concert for some character introductions and interactions. It'll be important because one or two characters will actually help set up something for the first battle of the tournament. You'll find out just what exactly when we get there. As for now, I'll just give you a hint that they were in the audience.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter enough because I would LOVE to get going and reach the Vytal Festival soon because I've been planning out the fights for it. Which is why I introduced the last member of Team GLOW from Atlas, Lucy Diamond. As for what she can do in a fight, you'll have to wait and see.
I also wanted to show another aspect of Sunset's powers at the start because it's going to a be useful, if draining ability in and out of battle.
Until next time, WaterDragonMaverick signing out.