Team STIK (Strike)

by Aragon365

One born without the power to make a difference. Another gifted with an incredibly powerful dual semblance. One who wishes to live up to his elder brother. And a faunus whose anger makes him almost as brutal as the Grimm. At Beacon Academy, these four unlikely souls would meet, and forever change the face of Remnant. These are their exploits. (Discontinued)

5. Initiation

A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry for the wait, but I made this Chapter extra-long, just for you guys! Enjoy!

Edit (11/6/18): Not much to really edit out other than the mid-chapter A/Ns, which should hopefully make this story overall much less annoying to read through, in addition to clarifying and rewording a few things here and there.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or My Hero Academia. They belong to Monty Oum, Kohei Horikoshi, and their respective publishing companies.

I do not own the cover image

Chapter 5: Initiation

When Izuku woke up, he was very, incredibly, dangerously close to Yang's face. He knew that he was a rowdy sleeper, and that he often shifted around while he slept, but this was just ridiculous. Luckily, he had woken up first, and managed to back away, his face as red as a tomato. Holy crap. That was WAY too close for comfort.

Izuku, now fully awake, rolled up his sleeping bag and placed it back with the others, and ate a breakfast consisting of toast, sunny side up eggs, and panca- did that girl just inhale all the pancakes I put on my plate?

The girl in question had short orange hair and turquoise eyes. Her clothing was a mix and match of some sort, with different colors and themes. She wore a collared black vest that ended at her waist, and her emblem, a hammer with a lightning bolt, was on the back. Under the vest were two layers of clothing, colored red and light-blue respectively. She also had a turquoise bow at the back of her skirt, and a white sleeveless top that formed a tiny heart shape between her cleavage and collarbone, with a white detached sleeve on each arm. She had matching fingerless gloves on each hand, and sported a pink skirt that started at the waist and ended mid-thigh. Her shoes were a mix of pink and white with pink laces, displaying her emblem on their soles. In addition, she also wore armor that began at the middle of her shoulder and neck and ended by her waist. She was shorter than Weiss, but that girl used heels, so at a base height, the bubbly girl next to him was most likely taller.

"Nora, what have I told you about eating other peoples food?" A boy with a soft-spoken voice asked the redhead, now identified as Nora.

The boy who'd minorly berated Nora had a long black hair tied into a ponytail that ended midway down his back with a magenta streak on the left side that was the same color as his eyes. He wore a dark green, diagonally-buttoned, long-sleeved tailcoat that was red on the inside, with black and gold trimming and pink cuffs. The trimming went down the right side of his torso and formed a black collar. He wore a black, long-sleeved shirt beneath the suit, and light-tan pants with black shoes. The two couldn't be more different, and yet...

"Sorry, Ren. You know how I am during breakfast and all. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah-" Nora then began to try and form a plan with the now named Ren. Something about bribing Ozpin and... sloths?

It was safe to say that Izuku lost interest in the conversation at about that point. Now finished with breakfast, thanks in no small part to Nora, he went to the bathrooms to brush his teeth and change into his hunter's outfit, during which he was nearly tripped by Bakugou.

When Izuku went to his locker to retrieve his weapons, he heard a familiar voice call out his name. One that he actually needed to hear. Or didn't, depends on your perspective.

"Hey, there you are, Greenie!" Yang greeted as she ran up and placed him into a headlock. "Where were you this morning? You were gone when I woke up."

"I-I-I was getting ready!" Izuku managed to spit out after slipping out of her grip, still embarrassed about the earlier situation the Yang was still oblivious of. The fact that Izuku had managed to get out of her grip had impressed the blonde, since even Ruby couldn't get out of her headlocks when she managed to grab her sister. But she ignored those thoughts as Izuku continued, "I-I woke up before you and I thought about waking you up too, but that would've been rude and you looked like you were having a nice dream and-"

"Whoa. Slow down there, Greenie. Don't wanna give all the answers at Mach Speed now, do we?" Yang attempted a pun to cheer the freckled boy up.

What surprised her was that she heard a small, stifled chuckle from Izuku when she said it. No way! Does he like my jokes?! I have to make sure!

"I mean, even a Flash of Light takes Time to Travel." Izuku's chuckles were louder that time. Holy crap! He likes my jokes!

"You actually like my puns?!" Yang yelled in surprise, though it was more than a little forced at that point, since she'd basically provided herself with all the evidence she needed to answer her own question. And his reaction was perfect.

"O-o-of course I do! P-people say that I have a bad sense of humor-"

"That's bullshit! They just don't appreciate the genius that goes into the puns some people make!" Yang put her arm around Izuku's shoulder, causing him to flinch, though she didn't seem to notice. "Thanks for appreciating my puns, Greenie. Not a lot of people do that."

"Y-you're welcome." Izuku said before hearing a familiar red reaper suddenly gasped and yelled, "OH MY OUM, THERE ARE TWO OF THEM!"

Ruby was standing in front of an open locker, her collapsed scythe now in her hands, and her eyes now cartoonishly white and the size of dinner plates. How was this possible? No one knew.

Izuku decided to ask the obvious question of "Two what?" To which Ruby responded, "PEOPLE I KNOW WITH HORRIBLE SENSES OF HUMOR! AND ONE OF THEM'S MY NEWEST FRIEND!"

"So? Just because we have horrible senses of humor doesn't mean we're bad people, Rubes." Yang calmly replied. Ruby began a retort before realizing the futility of such a statement, saying, "You have a point. But no more of those Oum awful puns! Please!"

"That'll never happen and you know it," Yang said with a Cheshire grin on her face.

Ruby gave a chuckle before saying, "I know. Just old habit."

"You seem much happier this morning." Izuku pointed out, seeing as Ruby's demeanor was much happier and energetic than she had been the previous day.

"Yep! No more awkward small talk or getting to know you stuff. Today, I'm gonna let my sweetheart do the talking." Ruby then squished her face against the side of her weapon and let out a small cooing sound. Izuku didn't know whether to call it cute or weird. He decided to stick with cute, just to be safe.

Yang then tried to get Ruby down from her fantasy world and explained, "You're not gonna be the only one at Initiation, Ruby. You need to branch out and meet more people if you want to mature at all."

"Uuugh, you sound like dad." She then put her pride and joy in its holster and continued, "First of all, what does meeting people have to do with fighting Grimm? And secondly, I don't need other people to help me grow up. I drink milk." She stated the last bit with a little too much pride.

"Well, a lot actually." Both the girls turned to Izuku, wishing for him to elaborate his point, although Yang's casual gaze caused him to blush ever so slightly, just a tad below noticeable. Izuku decided to ignore the strange feeling and began to explain what he meant. "Knowing someone's personality type and what plans they're more likely to go along with can lead to more strategic variety on the battlefield, and knowing their flaws can better help you strategize how to make up for them. In short, if you know your team inside and out, you'll be able to come up with a plan for almost any situation on the spot!"

The two looked at Izuku with blank expressions for five straight seconds before Yang put her arm over Izuku's shoulder once more and said, "How did we not find this guy sooner?!"

Probably because I never went to a combat school.

"Okay, so there are strategic advantages, but what you just described could take years. Can't I just be on your team, Yang?" Ruby asked.

"M-maybe you should be on someone else's team," Yang said as she began to stroke her golden mane of hair, more than likely a nervous habit.

"My dearest sister Yang, are you implying that you do not wish to be on the same team as me?" Ruby asked, staring at Yang with a glare that would've made All Might shiver with nervousness.

Sensing the tension building between the two, as well as the fact that he no longer had a place in the conversation, Izuku slowly backed away before seeing Jaune, trying to find his locker with little luck. He approached his friend and asked, "Can't find your locker?"

Jaune turned and answered, "Yeah! My stuff's in locker 636. Do you happen to know where that is?"

"I think it's that one." Izuku pointed to his left, and sure enough, clear as day, were the numbers 636 printed in white on the locker's door.

"Oh thank you so much! You're a lifesaver!" Jaune thanked him before speeding over to his locker and retrieving his sword and armor.

"No problem."

Then Jaune peaked behind Izuku and saw the beautiful white angel that had so delightfully pointed him out the other day. She was talking to a red-headed girl in bronze armor, trying to work out a deal of some sort. If I step in there now, I may be able to get her on my team!

Jaune then walked towards where the girls were talking, seemingly not noticing the storm clouds behind her head that Izuku did. He then did the sensible thing and entered with the spooniest line he could think of, "You know what else is great? Me. Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you."

"You again?" Weiss spat out in annoyance.

The redhead, desperate to get out of the earlier conversation, said, "Nice to meet you, Jaune!" in the cheeriest voice she could muster. Unfortunately for her, Jaune simply pushed her aside to try to convince Weiss to be on his team. Izuku decided to ignore the conversation to better examine the redhead.

She wore her hair in a waist-length ponytail, curled slightly into a loose ringlet, and had vivid green eyes. She also wore light-green eyeshadow around the far upper corners of her eyes, and was actually taller and quite muscular compared to most of the other girls Izuku had seen; and while Yang was very lean, her muscles weren't nearly as pronounced as the redheads. Her top consisted of two layers. The top layer was a light-brown, strapless top split divided vertically with some bronze patterns. It was likely quite stiff, maintaining its shape without support; and this layer also had riveting or small, round embroidery on the sides, indicating heavy stitching. The bottom layer was a low bronze V-neck. She also wore an elastic, black, A-line mini skirt and brown opera-length gloves on both arms. She wore a red ankle-length drapery that wrapped around her skirt. There was a small circular bronze plate by her right hip opposite two pouches with both connected to a belt. The plate bore a red shield and spear emblem. She wore a bronze circlet headpiece that could be seen above her ear and under her bangs, and a pair of small, green, teardrop-shaped emeralds hung from her circlet on thin chains. She also sported a large bronze gorget around her neck, and a bronze bracelet on the upper half of her left arm. She also had elaborate bronze greaves that started below her mid-thigh, continuing downwards into her boots and a pair of cuisses that begin mid-thigh and end slightly above her knees. She donned a bronze bracer on top of the sleeve on her left arm and her high-heeled boots were brown with bronze trim, matching her skirt and sleeves, and reached up to her mid-calf.

I could swear I've seen her somewhere before. But where? Izuku thought to himself, and then got his answer when he heard Weiss practically yell, "She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!"

Oh yeah! Now I remember!

Jaune suddenly gasped at this revelation saying, "That's you?! They only so that for start athletes and cartoon characters!"

Theredheadd, Izuku thought her name was Pyrrha, awkwardly replied, "Yeah. It was pretty cool. Sadly, the cereal isn't very good for you."

Izuku then lost interest in the conversation and began walking towards the exit of the locker room to look for the Initiation site. Then, his danger sense that he'd been built up during his training with Toshinori kicked in, as he sensed an object being hurled in his direction. Izuku caught Jaune by his hood, which was being skewered by a red and gold javelin. He then pulled the javelin out and tossed it back to the thrower, which, surprisingly enough, was Pyrrha. Then Izuku looked at Weiss, who had the smuggest look he'd ever seen plastered on her face. Even Bakugou was tamer than that.

"I suggest that you not throw that around in here." He calmly said to Pyrrha, "Someone could get hurt. And Ice Queen... why are you so Cold?"

Weiss then facepalmed and walked away as fast as she possibly could, again frustrated at the situation she'd managed to find herself in. And that nickname... it was so infuriating!

Then the loudspeaker sounded, "All first year students, report to Beacon Cliff for Initiation. Again-"

"Way to go with the pun there, Greenie!" Yang exclaimed as she and Ruby walked up to him and Jaune, who was still on the floor. Yang, deciding that she was in a teasing mood, asked Jaune, "Havin' some trouble there, Lady-killer?"

"I don't get it." He sort of answered. "My dad said that all women look for is confidence. Where did I go wrong?"

"I'm not sure that's all women look for in a potential relationship, Jaune." Izuku hesitantly answered, not really knowing a lot about relationships himself.

"Really?"

"You bet your ass, Jauney. If all we looked for was confidence, I would've run of with the first jock I saw."

"Come on guys. Let's get to the cliff." Ruby said as she left the room, the others trailing behind her.

(Beacon Cliff, 9:13 am)

Izuku was now standing on a plate with Beacons sigil on the face of it, and he was very nervous. He could see Bakugou in his hunter's outfit standing about a dozen people apart from him. He wore a black parka lined with spikey red fur that ended right below his jawline. Underneath was a red t-shirt with the kanji for EXPLOSION written in black, dark jeans held up by a spiked belt. His boots, with various black and red designs, completed the outfit.

On his hands were gloves that covered his hands entirely, the back parts being black and the palm faces being red. Attached to them were a pair of men's bracelets, a single small spike jutting out of them along the direction of his forearm. His ears were down, as if he were anticipating something huge. Izuku shook his attention from his bully and turned towards Ozpin, as did the others who weren't paying attention previously.

"For some of you, it has been years since you began to train to become warriors, while for others, this is merely the first step. Either way, your skills will be evaluated today, in the Emerald Forest."

Then Goodwitch took over, "Now, I'm sure that many of you have heard several rumors about team assignments, so allow us to put an end to them. Each will be given teammates. Today."

Ozpin took the reins once more, "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone that you can work well with. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the next four years."

"WHAT?!" Bakugou practically screamed at Ozpin. Izuku thought he heard Ruby say that exact same thing, but if she did, she was more than likely drowned out by the sheer depth of Bakugou's voice.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the Northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die."

Well... that was certainly morbid.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of the Initiation, but our staff shall not intervene. At the end of the path, you will find an abandoned temple, containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will then guard that item, as well as your standing, and be graded appropriately.

"Are there any questions?"

Jaune raised his hand and began, "Yeah, um, sir-"

"Good." Ozpin cut off Jaune mid-sentence, not really wanting to answer questions. "Now, take your positions."

Everyone on the cliff then took some sort of preparation stance. Ren simply held his bladed oozies out in front of him, while the boy in armor next to him took on a sumo stance. Yang put her hands in front of her in a boxing stance, though not before putting on a pair of kickass Aviator Sunglasses, and Ruby simply kept her right hand hovering over where her scythe was held. Izuku himself had his gloves and vambraces at the ready, his hands at a slightly lower angle than Yang's. Jaune, however, kept his hand raised and again asked Ozpin, "S-sir? I-I've got a question."

The other students began to launch as he continued. "So this... landing strategy thing... what is it? Are you dropping us off or something?"

In a monotone voice, Ozpin simply answered, "No. You will be falling."

"O-oh. I-I see. So, um, did you hand out any parachutes for us?"

Nora was then launched, her face and voice full of glee. Ozpin answered, "No. You will be using your own landing strategy." just before Ren was launched, the boy in armor soon afterwards. Izuku could've sworn Yang winked at him and Ruby just before she launched, making him blush ever so slightly. Seriously, what is wrong with me today?

"So, um, what exactly is a landing strategyYYYYYYYYYYYYY-" Jaune was launched before he could finish his question. Now only Izuku remained on the cliff.

Ozpin held the slightest smirk as he told Izuku, "Toshinori wishes you luck."

Before Izuku could even process what was said to him, he was flung through the air and into the forest, Ozpin still holding his smirk as he watched the soon to be students begin their descent in to the Emerald Forest.

I know that this is technically a test... but if this isn't satisfying to watch, I'm not sure what is.

By Oum, I love my job.

(Above the northeastern part of the Emerald Forest, 9:16 am)

Izuku, still processing what Ozpin had said, had seemingly forgotten that he was, in fact, flying through the air at Mach Speed. Now that he was aware that he was falling, he proceeded to enact his landing strategy. Once he was below the tree line, he used the grappling hooks he had in his vambraces to grab onto the trees, swinging down like a certain spider-based huntsman he'd read old comic books of.

He then stuck his landing with a tight roll, only to be greeted by a very large Beowolf, which stood up on its hind legs and began to howl at a pitch so loud that he almost had to cover his ears mid-descent. Izuku quickly ran up to it and activated his semblance.

One for All, Full Cowl! 5%!

His veins underneath his skin glowed a bright green, electricity rolling off of him in small bursts. Using the extra strength he'd gained, Izuku punched the Beowolf's head clean off, it's body dissolving into black mist as it fell to the ground. Another Beowolf, even larger than the one that he had just killed, likely an Alpha of some kind, howled so loudly that this time Izuku had to cover his ears to keep his hearing intact.

This howl was cut short when it was promptly stabbed in the back by another student, a boy just a few inches taller than Izuku. His hair was split in color, the right side being completely white, and the left practically blood red. His eyes were heterochronic, the right eye a dull gray and his left a vivid blue so sharp it could likely see your soul. Over this same left eye was a burn scar, one that was likely more than a little painful when he received it. The outfit he wore was even plainer than Izuku's, a simple open blue jacket over a white t-shirt, with simple blue pants and reinforced white boots to complete the outfit.

In his right hand was a slender, curved blue saber, and, if the ice on the dissolving Alpha's back was anything to go by, utilized ice dust for its attacks. On his right hip was another saber, a stark contrast to the other, since it had a golden guard, hilt and a polished black sheath; as compared to the silver guard and hilt of the other. He then sheathed his open blade into a white sheath at his left hip, and a few nicks could be seen along the length of it, while the other sheath remained perfectly smooth and clean. Had he never used his other sword before? Izuku wouldn't know the answer to this question for a while.

The boy then jumped off of the dissolving Alpha's back and walked over to Izuku, and bluntly asking in a monotone voice, "I assume that you are my partner?"

Izuku, now realizing that they had made eye contact, straightened himself from his earlier stance, deactivating his quirk. He then extended his hand to the boy and greeted him properly. "Y-yeah, I suppose I am. My name is Izuku Midoriya. I hope we get along."

The boy across from him looked at his hand for a moment in hesitation, before taking it with a firm grip and shaking it, stating his own name, "I'm Shoto Todoroki. Likewise."

"S-so, where do you think we are?" Izuku asked once they finished with their introductions.

"Most likely in the northeastern part of the forest. That's where I think we were launched." Shoto then looked skyward. "It's still morning, and the sun is to our left," he pointed left for emphasis, "so that would mean we're currently facing north," he pointed straight ahead. "If we want to get to the temple, we'll probably have to go... that way." he pointed midway between the arc his hands had previously made, pointing directly northwest, which, ironically, was the exact place the temple was located.

"I-I see. Your navigational skills must be incredibly accurate if you could tell where we were from a few glances at the landscape in midair." Izuku praised Shoto.

Shoto, being the person he was, replied, "It's just a heightened sense of awareness, not much else." He then started walking in the direction he'd pointed at earlier. "If we're going to make a good grade, we should retrieve our relic as soon as we can."

"A-ah! Right!" Izuku said as he caught up to Shoto, the silence between them slowly making the trek to the temple very awkward. Crap! How am I supposed to start a conversation with this guy?!

Then, to his surprise, Shoto began the conversation. "What was that semblance? I don't believe I've ever seen one similar to it before."

Izuku, happy to have a topic of conversation, even if it was his semblance, began to explain with the cover story that Toshinori had drilled into his head. "It's called Full Cowl. It allows me to enhance my strength, speed, and damage resistance a hundred fold when I use it to its full potential."

"I'm sensing a but..."

"But... the first time I did use it at full power, I broke my right arm in twenty-eight places. It took a full day of aura treatment to get it to heal properly." Izuku shuddered as he remembered he day he first managed to use One for All. So much pain...

"So your own semblance is self-destructive then?" Shoto asked with a bit of concern in his voice.

"N-n-no! I have a safe way to use it. I can limit myself by setting mental barrier percentages. As I am right now, I can only use about five percent of my full power without hurting myself."

"I see." The conversation was again replaced by silence, though for a much shorter duration, since Izuku hesitantly decided to ask, "W-what's your semblance?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"W-w-well, I just thought... since I told you about my semblance, you would at least tell me something about yours."

Shoto thought it over for a moment, then deciding that it was only fair given the fact that Izuku had essentially told him everything about his semblance. May as well do the same.

"You've probably noticed by now that I'm heterochronic, right?" Izuku nodded wordlessly. "Well, the research into a certain theory regarding semblances was proven correct seventeen years ago... by my birth. I have two semblances. I can freely manipulate ice and fire."

"Whoa! Really?! That's awesome!" Izuku shouted with glee.

"Quiet down. The whole forest is gonna hear us if you keep yelling like that."

"Sorry. It's just, there are a lot of studies into the nature of semblances, but the heterochronic theory is one of my favorites." Izuku explained, managing to contain his excitement.

"It may be for outsiders, but, as the first recorded person on Remnant to have two semblances, it made for a rather... challenging childhood." Shotos grip on his white sheathed saber tightened, obviously bringing up some bad memories.

Izuku, knowing all about having a rough childhood, decided not to pry. If talking about this made his new partner uncomfortable, then he would respect that and leave it alone. Then he asked another question.

"Why don't you use your left sword?"

Shoto spun around at Izuku, a look of surprise on his face. "How could you tell?"

Izuku was immediately shrank under the rather intense glare that Shoto was giving him, stuttering out, "I-I-I'm s-sorry. I-it's just that, your other sheath had a few scratch marks on it, and the black one looks like it's never been used before."

Shoto then gradually calmed down after about ten seconds of silence, following it up with, "I'm sorry. Not a lot of people can figure out that much by just a few looks at a pair of sheaths."

"It's just a heightened sense of awareness, not much else." Izuku quoted Shoto's earlier line, now much calmer since the tense atmosphere had passed.

"I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

"Yes you did."

(Beacon Cliff, 9:57 am)

"Our last pair has been formed, sir." Glynda Goodwitch informed Ozpin, swiping her screen to the camera facing the pair she was referring to. "Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. Poor boy. I can't imagine them getting along too well.

"Still, he's likely better off than Ms. Nikos." She swiped to the camera facing Jaune and Pyrrha. "I don't care what his transcripts say, Mr. Arc is not ready for this level of combat.

"Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough." She finished as she closed her Scroll. "At the rate everyone is going, the pairs should be at the temple in just a few minutes. Speaking of, what did you use as relics this year?"

Ozpin continued looking at his Scroll, ignoring Glynda's question. Then a voice came from behind them, saying, "He decided to use chess pieces again. Seriously, what is with you and your obsession with that game? It's almost as bad as your coffee addiction."

The man saying that line was none other than Shota Aizawa, a man who, despite his normally relaxed attitude, was known for being rather strict with his students. He had shoulder length, unkempt black hair, a few strands dangling in front of his face. His beard was half shaved, giving off a rather lazy personality at first glance. His outfit was a plain black, long-sleeved shirt and pants, a dark grey belt with a few pouches for various dust tools, and black combat boots completed his outfit. While he may have looked very tired, Glynda knew that the man actually had severe Insomnia, and got as much sleep as he could, whenever he could. Even when he was teaching a class. He'd never talked about the condition, and, if his attitude was anything to go by the only one to actually know why was-

"Come on, Aizawa, lighten up on the headmaster. Do you know how hard it is to plan Initiation every year?"

Speak of the devil. Here was the man who supposedly knew the reason behind Aizawa's Insomnia, as well as a plethora of other secrets fellow hunters had entrusted him with, Toshinori Yagi, better known to the public as All Might, poster boy of the Big Four and, more than likely, the strongest huntsman to ever live. He wore a suit that was several sizes too big for him, but this was because he was currently in his true form. When he did transform, the suit would likely just barely contain his power forms massive figure. Said suit was a bright yellow with thin black lines running down it, over a blue tie and white dress shirt.

"I am. He uses chess pieces a lot. I know that we have a few different locales for Initiation, but he's used them for the last five years in a row."

"Don't judge my love of chess because you can never beat me at it, Mr. Aizawa. And I do not have a coffee addiction." Ozpin said before taking a sip from his mug.

Oh really? Everyone else there inadvertently thought at the exact same time.

Toshinori let out a heavy sigh as he opened his own Scroll, deciding to monitor the pair that, as of that moment, required his undivided attention. The pair was comprised of Shoto Todoroki, the son of his own self-proclaimed "rival", and Izuku Midoriya, his apprentice.

Though only a few people, Ozpin included, knew that last fact.

He began to observe them in silence, as Glynda and Aizawa were once again at each other's throats for... whatever reason they kept fighting.

(Abandoned Temple, 10:09 am)

After a long and actually rather talkative walk, Izuku and Shoto had finally come across the ruined old temple that they been searching for. In the center were stands with what appeared to be... chess pieces on top of them? Okay.

Izuku and Shoto walked down from the hill they were on, and were then greeted by Yang and Blake. Izuku decided to get a better look at Blake, since before he'd only ever seen her in passing.

She was fair skinned with amber eyes and long black hair. A ribbon was tied with a large bow on the top of her head, and she wore purple eye shadow in a cat's-eye style. She wore a black buttoned vest with coattails and a single silver button on the front. Underneath this is a white, sleeveless, high necked, crop undershirt and white shorts with a zipper on the front of each leg. She also wore black, low-heeled boots and full stockings with a color gradation of black to purple at her ankles. An emblem of a flame was visible on the outside of both thighs just below her shorts in white. On her left arm was a detached sleeve with a silver cuff around her bicep, and black ribbons are wrapped around both forearms. A small, loose scarf was wrapped around her neck and a gray magnetic backpack was strapped to her back, hidden by her hair. In short, she looked, and acted, like a ninja.

Yang, being as boisterous as she was, was the first to greet them. "Sup, Greenie. Who's your partner?"

Izuku slightly blushed when she looked at him, answering, "This is Shoto Todoroki. And we're fine, thank you for asking."

"Hey, Midoriya. Come over here."

"Coming!" Izuku came up the temple steps, noticing that they actually had a few different options as to the relics. However, one pair in particular caught his eye. Twin white kings.

"So, which one do we choose-" Shoto abruptly stopped when he realized that Izuku had already taken the white king out of instinct. "I'm not even gonna ask how you got there that fast."

Izuku gave a silent smile, while also pocketing the marble white king. Then, as he and Shoto were about to join Yang and Blake, they heard an incredibly high-pitched scream at a pitch that only dogs and cats should hear.

"Some girl's in trouble!" Yang immediately presumed. "What do we do?"

"HEADS UUUUUUUU-" Ruby screamed as she fell from the sky, Jaune careening into her as she fell, and causing both of them to crash into a nearby tree, Ruby landing on a larger branch and Jaune hanging upside down from another branch.

"Did your sister just fall from the sky?" Blake asked in surprised monotone.

"And where did Jaune come from?" Izuku asked in a more concerned voice.

Then, before they even had a chance to process what had just happened, an Ursa came charging through the forest looking ample for a fight... until it fell down a few seconds later, the damage from an earlier battle with Nora now taking its toll. Nora herself was on the back of the Ursa, and loudly complained, "Aww, it's broken."

"Nora!" Izuku heard Ren take the loudest tone he'd ever heard from the quiet boy. "Please, never do that again." But she was already gone and at the temple before Ren had even finished, deciding to pick a white rook. Izuku could've sworn he heard her singing before Ren called her back.

"Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?"

"I-" Yang began before, suddenly, Pyrrha came running with a Death Stalker right behind her, dodging its claws as it swept at her. Then, as if by the good graces of the gods, she was saved from her chase by a Qiang that had embedded itself partway through the Death Stalkers head, the owner of which then yelled, "NOW, BAKUGOU!"

"I KNOW, DAMNIT!" The angry tone of a very familiar dire wolf Faunus rang through the entire area, and the owner of said voice jumped on top of where the spear was embedded and, using his semblance as a booster, slammed his fist onto the spear, running the Death Stalker clean through, killing it in the process.

"Did that girl run all the way here with a Death Stalker on her tail?"

"And did Bakugou actually decide to work with someone for once?"

"LIKE HELL I DID! I DIDN'T HAVE A CHOICE!" Bakugou said above the slowly dissolving corpse of the Death Stalker, pulling the spear out and tossing it to the boy who approached them, who Izuku recognized as the one from the other night.

He wore a blue tinted chest plate and shoulder guards with symmetrical, angular designs with the word Ingenium on the back of it, over a long sleeved, midnight blue shirt and white dress pants. His greaves were tinted the same color as his armor, though they for all their design suggested flexibility more than anything else. His blue hair and eyes, combined with his massive physique, seemed to indicate a naturally born live combat strategist.

Ruby then got down from the tree, trying to hug her sister before being oh so rudely interrupted by Nora jumping in the middle.

Yang had finally had enough, and both literally and figuratively exploded. "AAAAAAAAAAARRRGH! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! COULD EVERYBODY JUST CHILL THE HELL OUT FOR TWO SECONDS BEFORE SOMETHING CRAZY HAPPENS AGAIN!"

.

..

"Umm, Yang..." Ruby gestured upwards. Izuku followed her arm, and saw Weiss hanging off of a Nevermore's claw for dear life. "HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME?!" Weiss exclaimed as she tried to not let go of the only thing that kept her from death.

"I said to jump." Ruby excused herself.

"She's gonna fall." Blake and Shoto synched in the same monotone they'd used throughout their conversations.

"She'll be fine." Ruby replied.

"She's falling." Ren pointed out not half a second later.

After Jaune tried to do a heroic catch, failed epically, and ended up being caught by the blue armored boy, who'd briefly introduced himself as Tenya Iida, the group was now all together. Then another Death Stalker came charging out of the woods. Seriously, what are the respawn times on those things? Twenty seconds?

"Great, the gang's all here! Now we can die together!" Yang yelled out sarcastically.

"I don't know whether to laugh at the joke or point out the fact it was incredibly morbid." Izuku quietly deadpanned.

"Not if I can help it!" was all Ruby said before dashing headfirst at Death Stalker before anyone could protest or offer backup. The Death Stalker simply swiped one of its massive claws at Ruby, and while it was only a graze, it was enough to make her veer off course and crash.

Ruby was alright, roughly standing and yelling out to the others, "I'm okay!" Then she heard the Death Stalker behind her. Ruby managed to fire off a warning shot, which got her far enough to dodge its claw, then folding up her scythe and running back to the temple.

Yang started to run over to her out of concern that she might not make it. What neither of them saw was the Nevermore from earlier, which began to make razor sharp feathers rain down from the sky. Izuku, still having the same impulsive drive that had driven him to save Bakugou that day, ran after Yang with Full Cowl 5% activated, and just barely managed to reach her in time to block and deflect some of the incoming feathers.

"Ruby!" Yang yelled out, her voice filled with fear. Izuku looked in the same direction, and saw Ruby about to be skewered by the Death Stalkers tail. Crap! I won't be fast enough to get there in time!

Then, a white blur shot past him, before stopping in front of Ruby, revealing it to be Weiss, as she stabbed her sword into the ground and summoned a glyph, making a pillar of ice protrude out of the ground, freezing the Death Stalkers stinger in place.

Izuku, now assured that Ruby was safe, turned his attention to Yang, who was simply staring at what had just happened. He tapped her shoulder, and, once he had her attention, asked her, "Can you stand?"

Yang silently nodded, accepting Izuku's hand up. He then gestured to Ruby and said, "Go get her. We'll meet you back at the temple."

Yang sped off towards her sister without a second thought, and Izuku jogged towards the temple, collapsing his shield in the process. Bakugou, being the impatient person he was, yelled at the girls, "HEY! HURRY THE FUCK UP! WE DON'T GOT ALL DAY!"

He was then smacked on the head by Iida, saying, "Can you not see that they are having a moment, or are you too dense to understand that?!"

"YOU GOT A DEATHWISH, FOUR EYES?!"

Izuku walked over to his partner and asked, "How long do you think we'd last with them on our team?"

"An hour. At best." Shoto stated in blunt monotone.

Well, that's not an entirely inaccurate statement. At the rate they're arguing, we'd have even less time than what Shoto suggested, and he was probably being generous.

"Uhh, guys... the Nevermore's circling back. What do we do?" Jaune asked with a shaky voice.

"Well, there isn't much point in staying here any longer. Our objective is right here." Weiss stated.

"She's right. We just need to grab three more of these and head back to the cliff. There's no point in fighting these things."

"FUCK THAT NOISE!" Bakugou yelled at the top of his lungs. "I HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH LANDING ON A PACK OF BEOWOLFS, BEING PAIRED WITH FOUR EYES OVER THERE, AND TREKING THROUGH AN OUM DAMMNED FOREST TO FIND A PIECE OF SCULPTED PORCELIN! I NEED SOME FUCKING STRESS RELIEF, AND NOBODY HERE IS GONNA STOP ME!"

The forest itself was still from Bakugou's rant. Several seconds passed before someone dared to make a sound. "Strategic retreat, then?"

All eyes snapped towards Izuku when he finished his suggestion. He flinched at all the attention he was suddenly getting, and barely managed stuttered out his plan, "J-j-just because w-we don't have t-to fight the G-Grimm d-doesn't mean t-t-that we can't. I-I saw an o-old bypass n-not too far f-from here. M-maybe we could u-use it to b-b-bottle neck them?"

"Great idea, Izuku!" Ruby exclaimed not a second later. Everyone else, including a very livid Bakugo, agreed to the plan Tenya, Ruby, and Jaune then grabbed their pieces, before Tenya exclaimed, "The artifacts have been retrieved! Now, let us hurry back to Beacon!"

The group of twelve then began running in the direction of the old bypass that Izuku had stated earlier, the Death Stalker only a hundred yards behind them and the Nevermore still looming ominously from above. As if adding insult to injury, the world then decided that they didn't have enough to contend with, and saw fit to send four full packs of Ursa. Seriously, where the hell do these things keep coming from?

"Get to the pillars and set up ambush positions!" Izuku yelled to his comrades, all of whom obliged except for Bakugou, who had to be dragged there by Tenya. On the way there, it was discussed that they needed to take care of the Nevermore first, then the Ursa, and finally the Death Stalker, seeing as the Nevermore could attack from range and was the deadliest opponent there. The Ursa, while not as strong as the Death Stalker, easily outnumbered them two to one, so the Death Stalker would have to be saved for last.

Speaking of, said Ursa packs and Death Stalker were currently chasing them out of their cover, leaving them no choice but to run towards the ruined tower the Nevermore was currently perched on top of. Nora and Tenya pulled out their weapons, Nora's was a grenade launcher and Tenya's was a sniper rifle, and they began to spray the bird in a hail of bullets, causing it to veer off course more so than if just one of them was shooting it.

The Death Stalker, now having nearly caught up to the group, tried to swipe for Tenya and Nora, but was promptly stopped by Ren and Blake, who managed to hold it back with their blades, and then Bakugou, surprisingly enough, used an explosion induced punch to push it back even further. The two shooters were then retrieved by Weiss and Shoto, who sent an ice wall at the Death Stalker for good measure, and they began to once again run for the tower. However, the bridge was then destroyed when the Nevermore came circling around and crashed through it, leaving Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Jaune, Nora, Shoto, and Bakugou on the side with the tower, and Pyrrha, Ren, Blake, Izuku, and Tenya fighting the Death Stalker and Ursas.

"Crap! We need to get over there!" Jaune yelled to the others when he saw the trouble the other half of the group was having.

As if on que, a temporary bridge of ice sprouted along the length of the destroyed bridge before Shoto began to run across, yelling back to them, "Hurry up!"

Realizing that they now had a way across, Jaune, Nora, and Bakugou ran over the bridge towards the others, though Bakugou in particular had a bestial gleam in his eye has bared his fangs in a cruel smirk.

Jaune the yelled to the group, "Half of us need to take the Death Stalker, the other half have gotta handle the Ursa Packs!" Before he and his group began work on the afore metioned Grimm.

Not needing any more direction, Izuku's group jumped over and slid under the Death Stalker, dealing with the backup that it had oh so kindly summoned. Izuku fully extended his arm blade and bringing his small circular shield to bare, reflecting a glancing blow from an Ursa, stabbing it in the chest before slashing the blade out through its side. He then turned and smashed an Ursas skull with a Full Cowl 5% enhanced shield smash. He slashed at another, tendons, the jugular, and several arteries were all cut open before it fell.

Izuku was the greeted by an Ursa Major, who roared with such a force that he actually felt himself being pushed back a few feet. Nevertheless, he sheathed his arm blade and shield, and, using Full Cowl, used a two-handed hammer strike on the Ursas head, but it wasn't enough to kill it. He then grabbed its white bone mask, and, in a God of War-esque fassion, pulled the mask clean off, putting the Grimm to permanent rest.

The others had finished with their packs as well. Bakugou's area was littered with fire, and Tenya's had several bullet holes scattered about. Shoto barely even looked phased as he sheathed his blue saber, his area covered in ice. They the rejoined with the others just in time to see Ruby and her group behead the Nevermore with a finishing move that amazed even Bakugou.

Then... another roar resounded throughout the bypass. But it wasn't from the sky or the ground behind them. It came from within the canyon beneath the bypass.

A dragonesque creature emerged from the depths of the white canyon. It was an Orochi. A serpent of the darkness.

Ruby was still up on the cliff, while her team was still on the ground. They were exhausted. They would not survive.

(A/N: You Say Run OST from HeroAca)

"Ya damn Fractured wannabe! Why would they take someone like you when they could have me?!"

"I'm sorry kid, but you'll likely never have an Aura, much less a Semblance."

"Izuku, I'm so sorry. So, so sorry."

These phrases and thousands of others that had been said to his throughout his life surged into him all at once. Then he decided something.

I will not be afraid anymore!

Izuku then activated Full Cowl once more, jumping between the remaining pieces of the bridge in an attempt to get the Orochis attention. It worked, as said Grimm began to shoot fire at Izuku from its gapping maw. He managed to dodge them, thought they began to destroy what was left of the bridge. Seeing an opportunity, Izuku began jumping off the debris, moving faster than he had before.

Then, he saw the Orochi begin to tire. It was on its last legs, affirming that it was much younger than other Orochis, but it was still stronger than the Nevermore that Ruby's team had fought earlier, even if it was by just a small margin. Seeing his chance, Izuku held his gravity on the most airborne piece of debris, above the Orochi, and thought, One for All! 100%

He didn't know this, but as he activated his full power, the whited of his eyes turned black, and his irises began to glow a bright and vibrant green. Using all the power, he could muster, he launched himself at the Grimm, and, using his right fist, slammed into it. After a full second, he pushed his strike through once more, beheading the Grimm and killing it. However, herein laid another problem.

He had broken his arm in several places, and his left foot was fractured. And he was free falling.

However, before he could even prepare to launch his grappling hook, a certain blonde managed to blast herself over and catch him, and his partner had made a bridge of ice for her to land on.

"What the hell was that , Greenie?! What did you just-"

"It's his semblance. It's a power booster. But... he can only use five percent of its full power without hurting himself."

That was all Izuku heard before he blacked out into a dark, dreamless rest.

(End Song)

(Beacon Auditorium, 5:30 pm)

When he reawoke, his arm and leg were both healed, thanks in no small part to Peach Shuzenji, the school nurse and granddaughter of the Recovery Girl, a huntress who possessed an incredibly rare hereditary semblance named Recovery, which allowed her to heal almost any injury, though it was entirely dependent on her own stamina.

Yang, Shoto, Jaune, and Ruby were the closest to his bed, concern obvious within their eyes. Tenya, Blake, Ren, Nora, and Weiss were behind them, content that he was now awake. Bakugou was in the back of the room, being dragged there by Tenya and not wanting to even look at Izuku.

Izuku, seeing that they wanted some answers, gave them the explanations that Toshinori had drilled into his head, though Bakugou was less than convinced of it. He would have to talk to him about it later.

And so, here Izuku stood, his arm still in a cast, as it hadn't healed all the way, with Shoto, Bakugou, and Tenya, his new team. He didn't have high hopes of getting to lead it, but at least he had people to confide in now. Even if one of them was Bakugou.

The teams he remembered being named were CRDL, led by Cardin Winchester, who was the boy in plate armor that he'd seen earlier, JNPR, led by Jaune Arc, who was surprised at actually being named the leader of a team, and RWBY, led by Ruby Rose, who was just as surprised as Weiss when she was named the leader. Yang just hugged her sister, while Blake held a slight smile in the backdrop.

And then came their naming.

"And finally, Shoto Todoroki, Tenya Iida, Izuku Midoriya, and Katsuki Bakugou. The four of you retrieved the white king pieces. And so, from this day onwards you shall work together as Team STIK. Led by... Shoto Todoroki."

"WHAT?!" Bakugou shouted before he lunged at Shoto, and failing to harm the boy when he was restrained by Iida.

"It looks as though things are shaping up to be... an interesting year." Ozpin muttered to himself before sipping his coffee.

(Elsewhere in Vale, 10:34 pm)

Roman stood in front of a map of Vale, various districts and stores highlighted and closed off.

"We're gonna need more men." Before taking out a cigar and his signature lighter, lighting it and letting out a puff of smoke.

"Not to worry, Roman. I can help you in that aspect."

Roman whipped around to see a man in a black shirt and pants, his body covered in fake hands, one obscuring his face. His hair was gray, though he did not sound old, and his red sneaker completed his outfit.

"And why should I trust you? Who are you, anyway?"

"I am Tomura Shigaraki. And we are the Lodge of Criminals."

Tomura gestured behind him, and sure enough, there were dozens of people behind him. However, the way they got in wasn't what concerned him. It was what Tomura said next that he paid attention to.

"What do you need us to do for you... boss?"

A/N: Hello! I hope you enjoyed! Be sure to review and ask me any questions you may have!

See you in the next one!