WaterDragonMaverick here with the newest chapter of my RWBY Original Character fic, "Sideline: Another Story". In this chapter, we'll be seeing more backstories for characters as Sunset continues to use her Semblance. We'll get some insight into these characters and why they do what they do. Not only that, but we'll also see some setup for the Vytal Festival Tournament which will begin in the next chapter. So right now, I think that it's time that we got into the chapter.
Get ready!
RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and was created by Monty Oum (R.I.P)
I only own my own characters made for this story
Vale and Beacon Academy were getting everything prepared for the Vytal Festival, which was only a few more days away. The fairgrounds were being set up, students were getting some last-minute training in, and officials were making sure that everything was in order. Fragment Hunter was in the dining hall of Beacon having breakfast with Team RWBY and Team JNPR. "Only a few more days until the tournament," Silver said with a big smile on his face. "This is going to be so awesome!"
"Somebody must be happy after their 'quality time' with a certain girl," Cereza remarked as she referred to the afterparty for Bianca Coloratura's concert and how Silver was the last member of Fragment Hunter to return to the dorms.
"Wait, he did what," Weiss asked in confusion.
"You know how we told you guys that Bianca had a thing for Silver," Slate told the other two teams. When they nodded in reply, Slate continued his explanation. "Yeah, turns out that Silver spent the night with Bianca after the concert and party."
"Way to go," Yang congratulated the Wolf Faunus with a light punch at his shoulder.
"Lucky sonuva," Vinyl said with a smile and a hint of jealousy.
"Anyway, is everyone here psyched for the tournament," Rua asked as she changed the topic.
"I'd say that we are," Blake replied.
"Same here," Jaune added as he spoke up for Team JNPR.
As the group of twenty discussed the tournament and any possible opponents they would face off against, their attention was soon drawn to a nearby table where some people were laughing. Looking in the direction of the cruel laughter, everyone saw Team JADE from Mistral's Haven Academy surrounding a few students. Jet, Aoi, and Envy were laughing at the students they were picking on while Duke only rolled his eyes and took the students to the infirmary. "Those three are so much worse than Cardin was earlier in the year," Pyrrha remarked as she glared at Team JADE in disgust.
"Oh, we know," Slate said as he placed his thumb against his scarred cheek, remembering his battle with Jet, Aoi, and Envy. Glaring at the three with hateful eyes, he soon turned his attention to Azalea. She was hugging her legs and trying to look away from her old bullies just before she felt something hit the back of her head. Everyone at the table saw that Aoi threw a bowl of oatmeal at Azalea, which got all over her uniform and hair. "As much as I want us to retaliate, we don't want to get on Goodwitch's bad side before the tournament," Slate voiced as he looked at the other members of Fragment Hunter.
"Come on, Lea. Let's get you cleaned up," Layla told her friend/teammate.
As most of the table left to help Azalea or get more training in, the only ones still there were Sunset, Ren, and Nora. "Nora, I know what you're thinking, but don't. We should avoid getting into trouble," Ren stated to his childhood friend.
"Hey, how exactly did you guys meet," Sunset questioned as she looked at the two.
"Well... It's a loooong story," Nora said as she rubbed the back of her head and looked at Ren.
"You don't have to tell me, you know," Sunset reminded as she focused on using her Semblance to search Ren's mind and memories despite Ren's quick warnings. When she did, she saw a village in Anima called 'Kuroyuri' where Ren lived with his mother and father. Soon, Sunset saw a younger Ren first encounter a homeless Nora when she was being picked on by some local children and treated her like a stray animal. "Man, I can't believe that Nora was like that," Sunset thought to herself as she continued watching. While Ren was too afraid to do anything about them, his father showed up and Nora ran away when the bullies were distracted. After searching through Ren's mind some more, Sunset soon saw that Ren's hometown was under attack by Grimm and one of them was much more horrifying than the others. "Wh-what is that thing," Sunset said to herself as she saw the Grimm in Ren's memories.
As the attack progressed, she saw Nora and Ren cowering during the Grimm attack and that Ren was having a panic attack from everything that happened. Sunset watched as Ren's Semblance was unlocked during the extreme stress of everything happening to Kuroyuri, which allowed him to calm down and mask his emotions to avoid being detected by any of the Grimm. As he reached Nora, Ren hid the both of them from the Grimm and watched them leave the building the two children were hiding underneath. Sunset only looked on at Ren's memory as he reached for a wooden hammer and handed it to Nora to help her feel better. With that emotional moment between the two, Sunset exited Ren's mind and panted heavily as she collected herself. "I told you that you might not like what you saw," Ren stated. "Still, are you okay with what you saw?"
"Yeah," Sunset replied. "It's just... That's a lot to take in. Good thing that you two had each other after all of that," she said to Ren and Nora. "I can see why you fell for him in the first place," Sunset telepathically remarked to Nora, which made the energetic girl of Team JNPR giggle in embarrassment and dismiss Sunset's claim. "But, what exactly is their deal with why they pick on Azalea," Sunset muttered to herself as she glared at Jet, Aoi, and Envy.
After cleaning herself up and changing her clothes, Azalea was moping in her team's dorm. Wearing one of her larger sweaters, she curled up into the fetal position and hid away in the article of clothing. While she did so, her family's dogs whimpered as they placed their paws on her in an attempt to get her to react. "Azalea's not here, guys. She's in Sweater Town," the Faunus girl told her pets. Drei was the first to try and get Azalea to show her face by leaning against her. When she looked at the corgi, he began to roll around on his back and request a tummy rub from Azalea. The Faunus only laughed at her dog's antics and scratched at Drei's belly. "Thanks. You guys always helped me out back home," Azalea told the three canines.
Azalea sighed as she stopped scratching Drei's belly and started petting Dante's head. "I'm tired of those three always picking on me more than anybody else," she stated as she referred to Jet Pitch, Aoi Lobelia, and Envy Sinn. "Those jerks are just pathetic bullies that go after me because they see me as a scared girl," Azalea continued to rant as her eyes began to turn red and Dante began to growl at the mention of Team JADE. "Jet, Aoi, and Envy can all go to Hell with everything I've been put through," she exclaimed until Diana licked her face to calm her down. "Hahaha! Stop it, Diana," Azalea laughed as her eyes changed back to their usual green color and she tried to push away the dog. Azalea's attempt to stop her dog proved fruitless as Dante and Drei joined in and licked at Azalea until she bumped into her dresser. Hitting the piece of furniture, Azalea felt something fall onto her lap and saw that it was the music box that Valencia gave her. The three dogs looked at the box in curiosity as Azalea stood up and sat back down on her bed. Remembering what Valencia suggested, Azalea thought about opening the music box.
Sunset was still thinking about Team JADE and why the three bullies exclusively chose Azalea as their favorite victim. With her pet gecko on her head, Sunset sat and mediated in order to try and clear her mind. At first, meditation wasn't something Sunset would've done on her own. However, she decided to take it up on the suggestion of Terracotta Gaia, Nocturne Celeste, and Yatsuhashi Daichi as a way of helping to hone her Aura and Semblance. After another minute of meditating, Sunset exhaled and decided what she was going to do. Focusing her Semblance to search for Team JADE as she walked through the courtyard, she eventually found the team from Mistral. "Gotcha," Sunset muttered to herself as Phoenix made a little chirping noise.
Jet, Aoi, and Envy were sitting around a walkway with the black-haired male chewing away at some gum while Aoi looked at her reflection in a compact. Envy was leaning against a wall when she noticed Sunset approaching them. "Well, if it isn't Milk Truck's friend," Envy said as Sunset stood in front of the three bullies. "What do you want?"
"I'm just here for some answers," Sunset stated as the three students from Mistral surrounded her. "Like why you three keep picking on Azalea," she exclaimed as she grabbed Jet's wrist. Activating her Semblance, she dived into Jet's memories to find anything relevant to her question. Entering Jet's mind, Sunset saw a slightly younger Jet standing over the dead bodies of his parents as members of the White Fang attacked a number of shops that banned Faunus. Sunset watched as Jet fell to his knees and clenched his fists hard enough that his nails made his hand bleed. "Well, it seems that you aren't over the fact that your family died to the White Fang," Sunset remarked as she released Jet from her grip.
"What," Jet shouted in surprise at how Sunset knew about his family.
"Now, how about you," Sunset asked as she grabbed onto Aoi's shoulder and searched through the girl's head. Entering Aoi Lobelia's mind, Sunset saw scenes of the girl's family belittle and hate Faunus whenever they encountered them. Watching all the negative opinions of the Faunus from other people, Sunset saw that Aoi began to think in the same callous way. "Well, you're just one of those types of people who grew up with racist opinions and hate everywhere. Your parents are just disgusting human beings and so are you," Sunset said as she glared at Aoi.
Aoi was shocked at what Sunset was saying, but didn't do anything about it as Envy reacted first. "Alright, how is it that you know these things," Envy shouted as she lunged at Sunset to try and use her Aura Drain Semblance. Sunset acted quickly and dodged the girl before placing Envy into an armlock so she could safely enter the final bully's memories. Looking in Envy's mind, Sunset saw Envy when she first encountered Azalea at Sanctuary Academy. As the memories progressed, Sunset watched as Envy looked at Azalea doing well in classes and embracing her parents when they came to pick her up. The bully only scowled as she muttered to herself and Sunset listened to Envy's thoughts. "Why does that horned freak get to have the good life? She has a family, that body, and a real home. While I'm completely on my own because nobody cares about me! That Dairy Cow has everything that I don't," Envy's thoughts echoed before Sunset exited the girl's mind.
"Well, I guess that explains why you're called 'Envy'. You're jealous of Azalea," Sunset stated as she and Phoenix glared at Envy. "All three of you are just pathetic. Azalea's done nothing to any of you and you pick on her just to make yourselves feel good."
"Why is it that you think you know us," Jet angrily questioned as he tried to punch Sunset, but Phoenix jumped onto his face to distract the boy while Sunset moved to the side.
"I'm not going to tell you," Sunset replied with a glare as Phoenix jumped off of Jet's back and landed on his owner's shoulder. "Just know that if you go up against me or any of my friends in the tournament, you're going to be in a world of hurt."
"Oh, I'll show you 'hurt', bitch," Aoi snarled as her eyes turned red and she was about to use her Laser Vision Semblance.
"Hey, what's going on over here," a female's voice asked.
Turning to see who it was, Sunset recognized the girl as Emerald Sustrai from Haven Academy. With the new arrival, Team JADE left to return to their dorm while Sunset stayed behind. "Hey, thanks for that," Sunset said to Emerald.
"No problem. Why were they about to attack you, though," Emerald replied before asking another question about the scene she stumbled upon.
"Those three are just bullies who have been picking on my friend since before any of them went to Beacon or Haven. I'm sure that Azalea could handle herself against them in the tournament," Sunset explained.
"Well, it's a good thing I showed up when I did. Otherwise, none of you would've been in the tournament," Emerald said.
"Yeah. Well, I'll see you around," Sunset told the girl as she walked away. "She seems nice. But... something doesn't feel right with her," Sunset thought to herself.
Emerald waved to Sunset as the two parted ways, but she soon stopped when the second girl was out of sight. "Getting friendly with the other students, are we," a male's voice said from behind a pillar.
"Shut up, Mercury," Emerald told the male as he walked into her view. "I think Cinder will want to hear something," she added as the two went off to their dorm.
Azalea held the music box in her hands as she sat on her bed, thinking about what could be inside and what song would play. Before she could decide what to do, the door opened up and Slate walked inside. "Hey, Azalea. Have you seen Pinkie around? I've been looking all over for her," Slate asked his partner.
"Not lately," Azalea replied as Slate closed the door behind himself. The gunslinger of Team FCSA saw the music box in Azalea's hands and the hesitant look on her face. Sitting down next to her, Slate placed his hat on her head and smiled to silently reassure Azalea. Azalea shyly smiled back before she finally decided to open the music box. When she did, she and Slate saw a figurine in the box that resembled a large and powerful warrior. The figure had a bodysuit, an armored vest, and a mohawk, all of which gave it more of an intimidating look. However, the figure was sitting peacefully with birds surrounding him and resting on his open arms. The music box played a beautiful and emotional song that sounded like it focused on the feelings of a reluctant warrior about to go into battle against a deadly foe. Slate, Azalea, and the dogs all listened to the tune while the former two looked at the figurine.
"Man, your cousin gave you a really nice music box," Slate said as the song ended. "You know, that figurine kind of reminds me of your dad." Looking out of the window, Azalea saw that Terracotta was meditating outside and birds began to fly down close to him, landing on his horns and shoulders. Watching the sight in front of her, Azalea looked back at the music box and snickered at the comparison Slate made. Slate watched with a smile as he saw Azalea's mood improve and took his hat off of her head. "There's that smile I love to see", Slate thought to himself as he and Azalea looked at each other before kissing.
Azalea enjoyed the kiss with Slate until Dante barked to snap the two out of their trance. Quickly separating at the noise, they soon heard a knock on the door. Opening it up, they saw Ventus Gaia on the other side. "Azalea, everything's nearly done with what you wanted. You wanna come and check it out," the Falcon Faunus said to his niece.
"I'll be there in a minute, Uncle Ven," Azalea told the Huntsman. As he headed down the hallway, Azalea turned to Slate and spoke with him. "I wanted his help with some things to prepare for the tournament," she explained as she closed the music box. "I'll be back later. Can you take Dante and the others out for a walk? They might help you find Pinkie."
"Sure thing, Azalea," Slate agreed and was thanked with a kiss on his cheek before Azalea headed off to follow her uncle.
Catching up with Ventus, Azalea heard her uncle ask her something. "You just wanted to explain something to your boyfriend?" Before she could deny that Slate was her boyfriend, Azalea thought to herself about how Slate was always there for her and that she enjoyed it when they were together. "Come on, let's go meet up with Jimmy," Ventus told Azalea as they went to go see General James Ironwood.
In the dorms that the transfer students from Mistral were staying at, Emerald and Mercury were speaking to their 'leader', Cinder. "So, these three students all have hostility toward this one girl," Cinder asked as she finished hearing Emerald tell her about Team JADE's encounter with Sunset Blaze.
"Yes. Apparently, most of Team JADE has been harassing Azalea Calla Holstein since they went to combat school," Emerald told Cinder.
"Isn't Azalea that Faunus with the nice rack," Mercury asked out loud. "The one with the enormous Huntsman for her dad?"
"Ah yes. Terracotta Gaia could be a problem, but he doesn't know a thing about our plan," Cinder stated. "He has also just been focusing on his daughter and her friends."
"Still, I feel sorry for the poor sap who tries to get a date with that Dairy Cow," Mercury joked as he laid down on the floor.
"Think we can use that Team JADE to our advantage," Emerald asked Cinder.
"Perhaps," the black-haired woman said with a devious smirk on her face. "For now, we should get ready for the tournament. All of Remnant is going to be watching."
After getting her new equipment from Ventus and Ironwood, as well as talking with Penny for a little since she was with the General, Azalea returned to her dorm room to see that she was alone. Reaching underneath her bed, she pulled out the bag that Bianca had given her after the photo shoot and looked inside. Thinking about everything that has happened since she came to Beacon Academy, Azalea turned to look out the window and saw a butterfly pass by. Looking at the insect and her reflection in the glass, Azalea had a determined look in her eyes as she pulled her baton out of her pocket. "Things are going to be different now," Azalea said to herself as she looked at Gladion.
Hearing her Scroll ring, Azalea answered the device to see that the rest of Team FCSA was calling her. "Hey, Lea! Slate said that you and your uncle were doing something. Are you finished yet," Layla asked as she was to first to speak between the four.
"Yeah. I just got back to the dorm after some training with him," Azalea replied as she opened the window a bit for some fresh air. "Where are you guys?"
"We're checking out the fairgrounds. Things are coming along quite nicely," Cereza said. "Slate's here with your dogs and his sister. You want to come join us?"
Azalea looked at the bag on her bed and thought to herself before answering her team leader. "I'm good. I'm going to make sure I have everything ready for the Vytal Festival."
"Okay, then. We'll see you later," Cereza replied and ended the call. With the call ended, Azalea started to remove her sweater and began to try on her new outfit from Bianca after turning on her music box. As she did, a butterfly flew through the open window and landed on the music box as the song played once more.
With this chapter finished, we're all set up for going into Volume 3 of RWBY canon. It's almost time for the Vytal Festival Tournament! What will be in store for our heroes when it's time for battle? Stick around to find out how they handle everything Volume 3 gave us.
First up, I wanted to show off the motivations for Team JADE's antagonistic members for a while. So, having Sunset using her Semblance to learn of why they're such jerks made sense.
I also wanted to add that scene with her reading Ren's mind and memories about Kuroyuri for two things. One, Fragment Hunter won't be going on the same journey as Team RNJR in Volume 4 and I wanted them (or at least Sunset) to know about Ren's past. Two, it's a symbolic thing because of what's to come for Beacon.
As for Emerald showing up to stop a fight between Sunset and Team JADE, I wanted to give a good reason for one of the matches that Cinder will rig as she did with several of the other battles in the tournament. Having Emerald and/or Mercury learn of Team JADE's antagonistic behavior toward Azalea made sense for what I have in store for the battles I'm going with.
Now we move onto the music box from Valencia Stonehaven. Now, the figurine in the box may seem familiar to some anime/manga fans. That's because the figure is supposed to be based on Android 16 from Dragon Ball Z. And the music used for the box is supposed to be from Dragon Ball Z as well. The song is a music box version of "Unmei no Hi – Tamashii VS Tamashii", better known as "Day of Fate – Spirit VS Spirit", thanks to Dragon Ball Z Abridged by TeamFourStar. A music box version of the actual song was used during the end of their 60th episode of DBZA and I thought that it was beautiful, so I wanted to use it for an actual music box in this story.
The next chapter will focus on the beginning of the Vytal Festival before going into any of the real matches. After Chapter 40, we'll start the actual tournament. If you're all wondering what Azalea's new outfit is going to be, you'll need to wait for it. Until then, make sure to leave a review of what you thought about the chapter. Leave some nice words or some helpful advice.
Until next time, WaterDragonMaverick signing out!