YuGiOh: RWBY Chronicles

by MaxGundam1998

Anna Yuno was just a normal girl who aimed to be a pro-duelist. She then had the fateful encounter with four special cards, known together as RWBY. She now fights an unknown force that threatens her world, and she must duel alongside her new partners to defend it. Go beyond the limit!

26. Chapter 20: Awakening

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Yu-Gi-Oh, and they both belong to their respective owners.

RWBY belongs to RoosterTeeth

Yu-Gi-Oh belongs to Konami

A Quick heads up before we start. Another fanfic writer, Kazierthewriter has made a react fic to my own story, with having RWBY characters react to my own story. He already has the prologue and chapter 1 out at the time of this chapter's upload. If you're interested, go check it out. I recommend it.

Enjoy the read.

Yugioh RWBY Chronicles Chapter 20

Awakening and Secrets

(Yuno Residence)

"Wait. You mean to tell me that River Sticks, the guy I tutored, defeated the Grimm that was strangling me…"

"Yes." Ruby replied.

"…and he used Grimm-Type monster cards…"

"Mhm." Weiss nodded.

"…and the only thing he did was give you the 70-dollar check he owed for our last lesson?"

"Apparently so. Blake checked the money, and it's clean. No traps, poison or anything." Anna said.

Right now, everyone was in the living room, explaining what had just happened at the plaza. Victoria was silent, with her mouth gaping open, in disbelief. She then slumped back into the sofa, taking a moment to think while readjusting her glasses. "That is…quite a tale."

"So, how long have you known River?" Blake asked.

"Well, I wouldn't say I know him that well, but I began tutoring for him about 3 to 4 weeks so far. We go to the same college, but we're in different programs, meaning we don't we see each other so much. I decided to take up a tutoring job to earn extra money. River so happened to be the one of the few students who asked for my help." Victoria said.

"Weird how things turned out, huh? So, what kind of person is River?" Yang asked.

Victoria face then immediately made a grimace, letting out a pained groan.

"Oh, Gods. He's the annoying type, isn't he?" Weiss said, hoping she was wrong.

"Oh, trust me, he could be worst. The things that bother me the most about him is his carefree attitude, the fact that he is super sloppy in multiple categories, and he seems to know it, but doesn't care, nor mind it. He just…just…ARRRGH!" Victoria clenched her fists, and tried to calm herself down.

"Great. I can't wait to see him again." Weiss retorted.

"He didn't seem that bad to me. He's was actually friendly to us." Ruby said.

"I know. River isn't a bad guy. He just tends to rub some people, like me, the wrong way. Other than that, I don't know much more about him. I just knows he works at the pizza place, we go to the same university, and that's all I know." Victoria said.

"Regardless how we feel towards him, he has the Grimm Duel Monster cards. That makes him very dangerous regardless." Blake said.

"He doesn't seem to be hostile. He doesn't even know the fact that we're huntsmen. You would think that a person using Grimm monster, let alone have a Grimm-Spirit would know about Huntsmen, and Remnant." Ruby said.

"I'm willing to bet that the thought didn't even crossed his mind in the first placed, considering how Victoria described him." Blake said.

"I don't blame him. A lot of things fly over my head occasionally." Yang said.

"Still. How did he get a hold of them within a single day? We hadn't encountered any other Grimm type duel monsters, until now, so it would stand to reason that they were created not too long ago." Ruby asked.

"Regardless of how he got them, anyone using Grimm Duel-Monster cards is a big concern. You just don't get those cards. He must of have either claimed them via connections, or he just knew where to look." Blake said.

"Or, he could have found them on accident." Ruby suggested.

"Highly unlikely." Blake said.

"Might as well go ask him ourselves. Victoria. Is it okay if you take us to him tomorrow? If he has Grimm Monster cards, then maybe he might know what they are doing Remnant." Weiss said.

"I'm all for it. For now, let's go to bed. I'm beat." Yang said, stretching out her arms.

"Should I call him tomorrow to let him know that we're coming?" Victoria asked.

"No. If there is a chance that he's an enemy, it's probably best to come unannounced, just in case." Weiss said.

"So, what are we going to do if he's home?" Anna asked.

"That's easy, Anna. We're going have to take his deck." Yang said.

"I agree. Grimm are creatures who solely focus on killing humanity. It was already bad enough when they became human-like, and gain intelligence. The last thing we need is some random guy running around collecting them! You saw what he did with that Cerberus Grimm." Blake said.

"I'm actually amazed that he managed to turn him into a pair of nunchucks. Aside from weapon transformation and all that, are we all in agreement that we should pay River a visit tomorrow?" Ruby asked. Everyone nodded. "Good. We'll head out tomorrow!"

"Girls. I should remind you that River has doesn't anything wrong to us yet. So, before we resort to violence, let's try to have a civil conversation. We pull out the decks as a resort option. Understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Everyone said.

"Speaking of decks, I should probably give you this." Ruby said, pulling out a card.

Anna grabbed the card and her eyes flew wide open. "Isn't this your dog?" she asked.

"Uh huh. Zwei can now be a part of your deck. At the HERO base, he picked up a couple of new tricks." Ruby said.

"This is great and all, but are you really okay with me using your dog in duels?" Anna asked.

"Don't sweat it, Anna. Our history teacher, Professor Oobleck, turned him into a flaming fire ball of destruction, and destroyed a battle-train sentry gun." Yang said.

Victoria and Anna had dumbfounded expression on their faces, as they then immediately turned their attention to the corgi that was napping on the couch. Victoria wondered how a dog could ignite itself on fire. Anna imagined a warrior shooting flaming fire-ball corgis out of a gun. She questioned why she even imagined that in the first place.

"Yes, I know it hard to believe. Just trust us on this one. Oh, by the way. Try to avoid having both Zwei and me on the field at the same time, please? I would feel more comfortable if you did." Blake said.

"Ok. But I'm not making any promises." Anna said.

(Remnant: Emerald Forest)

Back in Remnant, everything was still frozen, with the exception of three. In the forest, Joanne the Pirate Zombie, Kirin the mechanic and Penny the Robot made camp and were talking about their current situation.

"Okay. Allow me to clarify your statements. The Grimm have invaded another world. Said world revolves a card game. The Card Game is connected to a spirit world, meaning there are of total of three world involved. Also, Ruby and her friends have been transported to the Card Game world, turn into tiny people, and are cards themselves. Then, there is Anna who uses their cards to fight the Grimm, who also uses the cards as their weapon. Furthermore, the Grimm froze the entire world of Remnant as part of their plan. Correct?" Penny said.

"More or less." Joanne said.

"Makes perfect sense to me!" Penny exclaimed.

"Wow. You took all of that in easily." Kirin said.

"Well, your arguments were supported by the fact that I was fighting alongside some strange red-colored knights, with blade-guns not too long ago." Penny said.

"Oh. So, you met the Igknights. Fearsome bunch, they are." Joanne said.

"Igknights? Oh! I get it! It's a play on the word ignition!" Penny said, giggling.

Joanne and Kirin then turned to each other. "Odd little lass, isn't she?" Joanne jested.

"I agree. In fact, I don't think she's a real girl." Kirin said, staring at Penny with a blank look.

Penny froze after hearing that, but was still smiling. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm a real girl as I can be."

"Nope. You're a robot." Kirin said.

"…That is absolutely ridiculous. Why are you making a ridiculous claim?"

"Penny. I'm have a compulsive obsession with any kind of machines. That lead to me becoming a mechanic. And during my time as a mechanic, I created this gizmo on my arm here which not only allows me to scan any piece of machinery I would like, but it also detects any other machinery within a certain radius. Strangely enough, it keeps telling me that there is one close by. And it can't be Joanne, because she is a magical voodoo zombie-pirate."

"She ain't wrong. So, is gear-head right, girly?" Joanne said, reaching into her coat to grab her flask.

Penny was silent for a moment, as then let out a sigh. "She is correct. I am in fact a robot. Do you think differently of me now?"

"Eh. Not really. In our line of work, you see a lot of different things. In short, you're just an average day super-fighting-robot-girl to us. But that's a good thing. I mean, who wouldn't want to be saved by an adorable super-fighting-robot-girl?" Joanne said.

"People who are afraid of a robot-uprising?" Penny said.

"…Fair point. But I believe a majority of folks would agree with me. *hic*." Joanne said

"For crying out loud, Joanne. Would you please stop drinking!? Your breath already smells bad as it is. That alcohol is just making it smell even worst." Kirin said, pinching her nose.

"It's none of your business, Gear-head. So, would you kindly stay out of it?" Joanne said. She took a couple more gulps from her flask "*Burp*".

"Would you at least mind your manners in front of our new friend?" Kirin said.

"Friend? We're friends now?" Penny asked, earnestly.

"Uh…I suppose so. Just as long as I don't get too chummy with me." Joanne said.

"Oh, how wonderful! So, what's our first activity as good friends?" Penny asked cheerfully.

"Well, how do you feel about going up against an entire Intellectual-Grimm Army, thwarting their operations, with some spirit world shenanigans involved?" Kirin said.

"I was thinking more along the lines about talking about boys, trying out make-up, and gossiping, but that works too." Penny exclaimed.

"Splendid. Although, I have to admit. Whoever built you sure did a fine job with the inner mechanisms. Also, I don't know how to describe it, but you seem to be radiating with, I don't know, life?" Kirin said.

"Oh. I'm actually the first robot to have aura. Normally found in huntsmen and huntresses, my creator was able to figure out how to make me the first synthetic lifeform to create an actual aura." Penny explained.

"Hm. Props off to however that dude is. I would love to meet him. I wonder what he's like?" Kirin said.

"I bet he's the type of guy that would make shoes that would make you dance. Heh, heh." Joanne said, chuckling.

"W-why is that the first thing that comes to your head? Seriously. This guy built a living super-fighting-robot with in-built life-generating-something-powers, and the first thing that comes to your head, is tap-dancing-shoes?" Kirin questioned.

"I don't know. My brain just thought it. Which is odd, because I think I might of rotten a while back." Joanne said.

"You think!? You've dead for over at least 300 years. Your very existence defies almost all forms of sciences!" Kirin said.

"Two words, Gear-head. Magic Voodoo. Trust me. I've dealt with it in the past. You know, witch doctors, a cursed treasure I accidently stole that made my body slowly disappear within 9-days, a standard witch, group of witch-sisters, the witch that cursed me making me into what I am today, and that's just the tip of the ice-berg. Although, I never realized that I've dealt with that many witches before." Joanne said, reminiscing over her past experiences with dark-magic.

Before anyone could ask her questions, they all heard a beeping noise coming from a communicator device on Penny's right wrist, and she proceeded to answer it. "Salutations. This is Penny speaking."

"Nice to know you kept it. Do you remember who I am?"

"Oh, your Ethan Fire! No wait. It was Ethan Hono. Sorry about that. I accidentally translated your last name." Penny said.

Lu's voice was then heard from the communicator. "Actually, he gave himself that last name. His real last name is…" following with a loud smack sound "*SMACK* Ow, ow, ow, ow. I should of saw that coming."

"It's good that you remember me, Penny. Anyways, are you with anyone else?" Ethan asked.

"Mhm. I'm with two new friends. Joanne, and Kirin. They say that they're Huntresses from another world. Also, one has claim to be an undead-pirate." Penny said, while Joanne just shrug.

"…Well, at least you aren't alone. But enough chit-chat. Penny. Is it okay if I ask you to do something for us? It's going to be really dangerous, but it'll help your pals if it makes you feel any better." Ethan said.

"Really!? I'll be glad to! Penny reporting for duty and combat ready!"

"Glad you're on board. Here's what I need you to do."

(The Next Day: Emerald District)

It was sometime around 11:00am in the morning, and the Emerald District was quiet as ever. Not that many people were walking around the streets, making the area feel desolate. Right now, Anna, Victoria and team RWBY had just arrived at River's apartment complex and were standing in front of his room. Normally, Anna would be in school right now, but Victoria decided it would be best for her to at least take another day to recover.

"I still can't believe you actually come here almost every week to tutor this guy. Doesn't it get dangerous around these parts?" Anna asked.

"Oh, don't be silly, Anna. It's not as bad as a lot of people make it out to be. It's just not a popular place to live in." Victoria said.

"Reminds me of the lower areas of Atlas. Are the people living here somewhat friendly?" Weiss asked.

"Eh. I would say that they are neutral. Shouldn't we get on with this?" Victoria asked.

A man then walked by them. "Oh. Hi, Vicky."

"Hi, Roger." Victoria said, politely waving at the man.

After that moment passed, there was a moment of silence. Anna then took a deep breath and approached the door. She then raised her hand and knocked on the door, only for it to immediately swing inward, with a loud creaking noise.

Everyone then stared into the dark doorway. "So, who wants to go in first?" Ruby asked.

"Maybe you should, Ruby. I mean you're the leader of the team, which means that you should lead us." Anna said.

"Hey. Wouldn't Blake be a better candidate go in first. She is the stealthiest amongst, and an ex-White-Fang member." Weiss said.

Blake then shot a narrow gaze at Weiss. "I meant that as a compliment." Weiss retorted, as Blake rolled her eyes.

"Why are we treating this like Death-Stalker den? It's just an apartment complex!" Yang exclaimed.

"Maybe it's because there could be Grimm Duel-Spirit dwelling in this apartment complex. Especially a Death-Stalker variant." Blake said in a sarcastic tone.

"Can we all just go in just get this over with. I'm already getting anxiety from all this talking." Anna said.

Eventually, everyone then proceeded to enter the complex, and the first thing they noticed was a putrid smell coming from, everywhere.

"Oh, my goodness!" Anna said, pinching her nose. "You weren't kidding when you said it reeked in here!"

"Actually, it's been worse." Victoria said, wiping a tear from her eye.

"WORSE! This place smells like the inside of a dumpster. No, it's even worst dumpster! And I know because I got tossed into a dumpster before!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Really?" Anna asked.

"Don't ask. But seriously. It feels like my nose is about to fall off." Ruby said.

"Like you're one to talk. I got a Faunus nose! Our sense of smell is heightened!" Blake said, annoyed.

Weiss searched the room, and spotted the window. Having enough of the horrid stench, she took out her weapon and used one her glyphs to open it. The fresh air, made the room slightly bearable. "Why are we even barraging in here to begin with? Couldn't we have waited just outside?" she asked.

"The door was already opened, and signs like that mean that a person*squish*..." Anna stopped talking and looked down at her left-foot. Underneath it, was a half-eaten pizza slice that was soaking up spilled soda. "You girls are so luckily you don't step in this room. It's a minefield of filth."

"Anna. Please do us a favor, and stop reminding us about it!" Yang said. She then spotted the kitchen, which was actually a bit cleaner than the rest of the household. There was a table that was cluttered with textbooks, notebooks, an old laptop, energy-drinks, and an empty bowl with ice-cream residue.

"*whistle* That's a lot of caffeine. Even though he lives in the definition of a pig-pen, it looks like he takes his education seriously. I mean, this amount of energy drinks is enough to make Nora go, well, something." Yang said.

"I'll commend him on that. It's nice to know that River has some decent qualities." Weiss said.

Meanwhile, Ruby checked the fridge out of curiosity. "Hm. A cold pizza slice, a half-eaten box of Chinese take-out, a granola bar, two frozen microwavable meals, one water bottle, a bucket of fried chicken with only five chicken wings left, two eggs and a banana. Between Uncle Qrow coming home drunk and moody, and this refrigerator, I'll say they're equally sad."

"That has to be an achievement." Yang remarked.

"*Meow*"

Everyone then turned around to see a Bobtail-cat perched up top on a pile of clothes, which were on the bed. It was just staring at everyone in the room, turning its head seeing the different faces.

"Since when did River get a cat?" Victoria asked.

"You mean it wasn't here before?" Anna asked.

"No. Not at all. Every time I visited, I never heard nor saw this cat. Which is weird, because the last time I visited him, was two days ago, in the night, and I didn't see the cat." Victoria said.

"Which means he just got it yesterday. I don't see the big deal. Look. Clearly, he's not home. Why don't we just call him and ask him to meet up later. He was probably in a rush and forgot to close the door completely. Sooner we get out of here, the better it'll be for our noses." Weiss said.

"I think we're all in agreement." Blake said, as everyone raised their hands.

"*sigh* I suppose so. I guess we should have done this in the first place to avoid coming to this stink hole." Victoria said.

Victoria then took out her phone and dialed River's number. While waiting for the call, everyone heard not one, but two phones ringing in the room. Anna immediately check her D-Tablet to make sure it wasn't coming from her, and team RWBY did the same with their scrolls, but none of them were ringing. After listening carefully, they all noticed that the ringing was coming from the drawer, next to the bed.

Suddenly, the pile of clothes began to move, causing the cat to jump off of the bed. From the clothes emerged known other than River, still wearing his Pizzeria Uniform. His hair was a mess, eyes barely open, and drool sliding down the side of his mouth. He then slowly extended his right arm outward to the drawer and attempted to grab the phone, as his hand fumbled around the multitude of items. He then weakly brought the phone up to his ear and answered it.

"Hi. You've have reached the phone of River Sticks. I'm currently unavailable at the moment. Please. Do not leave a message after the beep. I probably won't notice it or forget about it. Also, if you need to contact me, call back within the next four to five hours, and I might pick up. Unless you're Mordecai, you can call back immediately. Thank you. Have a somewhat decent day. Bye." River said in a drowsy voice.

River hung up his phone, and his body fell back into the bed, and his phone slide out of his right-hand, falling to the floor. He then began snoring loudly.

"Wow. J-just, wow." Weiss said, shocked.

"I know. It's hard to describe, but it feels, bad." Blake said.

"Are you sure he's the guy who beat a Grimm in a duel?" Victoria asked.

"Yes. I know it's hard to believe, but this is the guy." Yang said.

"ACHOO! *snort*" River sneezed.

"Should we wake him up?" Anna asked.

"I don't know. Something is telling me waking him up would be like poking a sleeping Ursa." Ruby said.

"Eh, I'll do it. We came this far. Might as well go all out." Yang said. She then went over to a cupboard, and grabbed a paper-bag. After blowing it up with air, and keeping the open end sealed up, she slowly approached River's head, while balancing herself on top of the drawer.

"I don't know why, but I feel like we should take cover." Weiss said.

"I feel the same way. Yang is a spark, and River is dynamite." Blake said.

After that, everyone else, took a step back and hid behind the kitchen-countertop. Yang then slowly positioned the inflated paper-bag over River's head, and positioned her right palm next to the side of it. She then reeled it back and slowly moved it to get the right positioned. When she was ready, she winked and slammed the paper-bag hard enough to causing a loud popping noise.

The noise caused River's eyes to shoot wide open, and scream out of shock. He then quickly reached under his pillow, and pulled out a handgun with a silencer attached to it, and immediately fired seven-shots, in a circular motion. When he fully opened his eyes, he saw seven-bullet holes in his apartment walls, in different places.

His head quickly turned in different directions to see if there were any threats to identify. His eyes then sighted Yang, who had retreated behind the kitchen countertop with everyone else, who were now lying flat on the floor, with their hands over their heads.

"Whoever you are, come on out with hands in the air. I still have five shots left in here, and one of them may find its way into your skull! So, do us both a favor, and take the easy the way out. You get to live, and I don't have to clean up your brain juice off my walls." River said in a slightly deep voice.

"River! It's us! It's us!" Victoria quickly said, as everyone then came up with their hands in the air.

Upon seeing the group, River had a confused look on his face. "Vicky?" Then he turned to Anna. "Vicky's sister? Wait. Don't tell me. It was…eh…what was it? Annabelle?"

"Just Anna." Anna stated.

"Darn it. So, close. Oh, and your Spirit Girls are here as well." River said.

"Hi again." Ruby said, waving.

"Uh…Nice place you got here." Yang said.

"Yeah. It isn't much, but it works…Hold on." River then pointed gun back at the group, causing them to instinctively raise their hands into the air. "Why are you all in my apartment?" he said in a menacing tone.

"Why do you sleep with a gun under your pillow!?" Weiss asked in turn.

"I don't know. Maybe for situations where idiots try to break in and rob me?" River retorted.

"Fair point. But we didn't come to rob you! I don't think anyone in their right minds would want to rob this place!" Weiss said.

"And we didn't break in here! The door was already opened when we got here. Although we did let ourselves in, but we were just concerned if something happened to you." Anna quickly said.

River was silent, and had a piercing gaze. He then got up from his bed, and approached Anna. He then crouched down to see each other eye-to-eye. "Look me in the eye, and tell me that you're telling the truth." He said softly.

"I'm…telling *gulp* the truth." Anna said, as she focused hard.

"…Eh. I'll take it." River said in a relax carefree tone. He then took out the ammo-clip from his gun, and placed them both on the countertop. He then went over to his door, and checked it. "Hm. I was tire last night. I guess my brain wasn't functioning well."

"*Meow*"

River then turned around and saw that the cat was now looking up at him, constantly meowing. "Alright, alright. I'll get you some chow. You're lucky I was next to the convenience store when I found you." He said, as he walked to one of the cabinets.

"So, what's so important that you have to barge into my apartment without permission?" River asked, grabbing a can of cat food.

"Sorry. First of all, thank you for helping us yesterday." Blake said.

"I helped you?" River asked.

"Yeah. When you duel against that Cerberus Grimm. He chocked and knocked out Victoria." Anna said.

"Did he now? To be honest, I was just in a brawling mood. You know. Just an itch for a fight." River said. He began looking for a can-opener opening every drawer and cabinet.

"Actually, we came to talk to you about that. What happened back there? After you won, you, absorbed him. And got Nunchucks. How did you do that?" Ruby said.

"Mmmm…It's Jackie's thing." River said. He then finally found the can opener in his kitchen sink, and gave it a quick rinse.

"You mean that Grimm Spirit you used during the duel? How did you two met?" Blake said.

"That's private." River said.

"Ok. Will you at least tell us how you got those cards? We all know they aren't normal cards." Weiss said.

River was silent for a moment, as he knelt down and called his cat to give him his food. After petting his head, he rose and thought about it. "It's a secret. Also, does anyone want coffee?" he said, heading towards an outdated coffee maker.

"I-I'll take a cup." Victoria said.

"River. It's important for us to know where you got those cards." Yang said in a serious tone.

"And why the heck should I tell you, who barged into my room without permission, regardless if my door was locked or not. Not to mention that you woke me up rudely in the morning." River said.

"It's 11:45am." Blake stated.

"It is!?" River said, shocked, as he took pause realizing that it was almost noon. "Geez, I must have been working hard last night. As I was saying, give me a good reason why I should tell you my secrets, and private thoughts. Oh, and do you want cream, sugar or milk in your coffee?" he asked.

"I'll take cream and milk please." Victoria said.

"We're sorry for what we did, but the truth is that those cards are dangerous. They're from another world." Ruby said.

"Aren't all duel monsters from another world? And sometimes a world within another world? Or even a different alternate reality. Heck, the D.D. dudes are literally from a different dimension." River asked.

"Yes, but the Grimm weren't originally a part of the Spirit World. They come from a place called Remnant, and that's where we come from as well. They are monsters that kill any humans they come across, and now they invaded both this world and the Spirit world. Grimm cards have never existed until now. Meaning you hold, what could be, some of the most dangerous threats to humanity." Ruby said.

"Eh. Ok." River said, as he poured coffee out of his pitcher into a coffee mug.

"Ok? Why are you acting so carefree about this!? Our world is in danger, and that is all you have to say?" Weiss asked.

River said nothing. He only grabbed the coffee mug and gave it to Victoria. "Look. I understand this sounds like a massive, galaxy size problem. But I don't understand how I come into this. I just have Grimm cards. How am I involved with this?" He said, swishing the contents of the coffee pitcher.

"I think the quickest explanation for all of this is that we want to know why you have those cards. You would have to obtained them through unconventional methods, which in turn makes you suspicious. Meaning that…" Blake said.

"Hold that thought." River said. He then took a long look at his coffee pitcher, put it up to his lips, and began chugging it. He then stopped and exhaled. "Ah man, that's the stuff!" he said, and proceeded to go back to chugging. Everyone else just exchanged confused looks with each other.

After he was done, he gestured Blake to continue. "Meaning that you could be against us, and you may not have a choice to pick a side. Plus, it's dangerous for anyone to use cards that were created through unknown means. So, you could say that we're also concerned for your safety and well-being. Are those good enough reasons?" she asked.

River scratched his chin as he thought about it. "Reasonable, but not good enough."

"River, please! This is really important! We…" Anna said, but was interrupted.

"Look. I get it. You got your own fair share of problems, and it sounds like they're a hand-full of problems. But this whole shindig I have going on with the Grimm-card has nothing to do with you. I'm not telling you what we're doing, but trust me. Tt's completely independent and separate from your own situation. I know how badly you want to understand what the heck is going on with me and the Grimm, but it's a personal and private thing. Sorry, but I'm a closed book. However, I can assure you that I won't be getting in your way. As long as you don't get into my business, and I don't get into your business, we're cool." River said, smiling.

"River. This is important to us. Mostly to them, since their home world is in danger. Anything you might know may be helpful to us. Plus, as their duelist, it's also my concern that you may become our enemy future whether you want to or not." Anna said.

"She may be right River. Grimm are known to be ravenous monsters. How are you not sure they'll use you?" Victoria asked.

"Girls, I keep telling you. There's nothing to worry about. They aren't going to brainwash me in my sleep. We respect each other's boundaries. Unlike some folks." River said, with a smug smile at the group.

"Again, we're sorry. Where are your Grimm Spirits, like that Jackal dude?" Yang asked.

"In a special place. Any-who, I appreciate your concern. At least I think it is concern, but I'm not letting the cat out of the bag. Some people just have secrets that they don't want to share. Who doesn't have personal parts of their lives they don't want to share? Heh, heh." River said, chuckling.

Blake had an uneasy look as she knew where River was coming from. Yang patted her on the shoulder to help ease her. Anna was doubting herself. She too had secrets she didn't want others to know. However, she immediately discarded any doubtful thoughts that plagued her mind, and looked directly at River with a fierce gaze.

"What's with the fierce gaze?" River asked.

"River. I get that you may have some things you don't want to share. But what we're dealing with here is, bigger than what you can imagine." Anna then took out her deck and held it up. "I challenge you to a duel, River! If I win, then you'll have to tell us everything you know about the Grimm-Spirits and through that duel, I'll shall determine the true nature of your deck and yourself."

"Yeah, I decline." River said, uninterested.

"Good. When do you…wait what?" Anna asked confused.

"I decline. I turn down your challenge." He then paused and looked around the apartment. "Has anyone seen my cat?"

"Wait. I don't understand." Anna said.

"It's…exactly what it sounds like. As the one being challenged, I have the right to say yes or no. I said no." River said.

"But why?" Anna asked.

"Well, there are a couple of reasons. One, I'm not really in the mood. Two, why the heck would I play for those kinds of stakes? Three…It's just two reason." River said.

"You dueled against a Three-headed dog-monster, risking your life in the process." Blake said.

"That was because I was interested in that. This here. Not so much. Don't get me wrong. It's not that I think you're weak, or not worth my time. Ok, maybe a little of the latter, but I'm just not, what's the word…interested in dueling. Sure, it's fun, but I see it mostly as a quick time-killing activity, whenever it doesn't involve Grimm." River said, shrugging.

"T-that's unimaginable." Anna said, shocked.

"Why is it?" River asked.

"As a duelist, I saw the passion you had in that last duel. Clearly you have the honor of one." Anna said.

River only blinked a couple of times and was silent. He then pulled up a chair from the table and sat down, twiddling his thumbs around for a while. After a short pause, he then began laughing hysterically, struggling to breath.

"Gahahahhahahahhh-ahahhahhhahahahhahaahhhaaaa."

"What's so funny?" Weiss asked in an unamused tone.

"S-sorry! It's just, it's just. Ha-ha. Me, HONORABLE!? P-p-passionate!? GA-AHAHA! AAaaaahhhh. Girl. That's like saying that garbage smells decent." After saying that, River's eyes opened wide. "THE GARBAGE!"

River then got off his seat and ran over to the trash can. He flipped over the flap-door, and reached his hands into it. To everyone's surprise, he pulled out the cat they saw earlier.

"Of course, you would go into trash. Why wouldn't you go into the trash? Alley cats are literally dumpster divers." River said. He then sniffed the cat, immediately reeling back his head. "Ugh. Looks like somebody needs a bath."

"Uh…we're in the middle of something?" Victoria said.

River then turned his head and just remembered that he still had guests. "Bath time will have to wait." He said, letting the cat onto the ground. "Ah. What a rascal. Named him Mack. What were we talking about again?" he asked.

"You declined our duel, and laughed at us for calling you and Honorable/Passionate Duelist." Ruby said.

"Oh, yeah that! That is hilarious. Look. I'm not passionate about the game, or what you call a true duelist. Okay, I'll admit, I did enjoy dueling against Martial yesterday, but not because I enjoy the game. It was mostly, an inner urge to rampage. To look death right into the eye, and cause some destruction. I live for a thrill, and nothing is more thrilling than fighting wildly, and freely without restraint." River said in a chilling tone.

Silence filled the room as some were shocked or frighten by River's sudden change in tone. Ruby held tightly to Yang, as she stood in front of Ruby, out of a sisterly love. Blake stepped back, as she did not like being reminded of such violence. Weiss only glared intensely, as her opinion of River was not getting any better.

Anna began shaking, as she felt herself trembling. She knew nothing about this man, but there was something about him that made him frightening. She clenched her fists, to feel safe, and tried to avoid showing fear on her face. Victoria placed her hand on her sister's shoulder to help ease her nervousness.

"But hey. That's just me. Now look. I've probably said this before, but what I do has nothing to do with you, and what you do has nothing to do with me. We live out our lives how we want, probably meet up with each other and make some small talk, and we're all happy. End of story. Done. Final. So, you girls want some lunch? I can order a pizza." River said.

"River. You're making it more evident that it's not a good idea to leave you unsupervised. I…" Anna said.

"Look, kid. Just give it up. I'm going to duel you, okay!? I'm not in the mood. You're making really hard for me to be reasonable." River said.

"No."

"Wha?"

"I'm not giving in. Not to you." Anna said with a fierce look. She then marched up to River, and looked directly into his eyes. "Me, give up? Look, River. I'm not backing down from this. We're going to duel, and I won't take no for an answer." She said.

River stared down at the fifteen-year-old, and had a startled look on his face. He then looked up and saw that all the members of team RWBY had the same look on their faces.

"Alright then. You wanna go? Let's-a-go! Let's do this thing!" River said, in a pumped-up tone, clapping his hands hard, in an attempt to rile up the group.

"Now we're talking. Prepare for defeat, River!" Yang said.

"Oh, you think you're going to win? We'll see about that! Out the door! To the roof! We're dueling!" River said, as he opened up the door to the apartment.

"Bring it on, team RWBY will defeat your Grimm deck! And as team leader, I'll make sure of it." Ruby said.

"Ladies first." River said.

"Go on. We'll follow." Weiss said.

"Ooh. The Ice Queen does not hold back. But in truth, I need to lock my apartment door when everyone gets out. So, come on out." River said.

"Just you wait, River. You'll regret telling me to give up." Anna said.

"I seriously doubt that." River whispered to himself quietly. Eventually, everyone exited the door, while trading back trash talk and insults.

"Team RWBY. Get ready to serve justice!" Ruby yelled.

"Yeah!" Weiss, Blake, and Yang cheered.

Just as soon as everyone was out, River quickly slammed the door shut and locked it shut. "*whew* I dodge that bullet." He said to himself.

Meanwhile, on the outside, everyone just stared in shock of what just happened.

"Did he just…?" Yang questioned.

"I think he did." Blake yelled.

Victoria then walk towards the door and pounded as hard as she could. "River! Aren't you going to duel my sister?" she asked.

River then began to speak from the other side of the door. "Sorry about that. I just realized that I had work to do. College essays. Math. The usual. So, uh, take care and have a good day." He said.

"Wait! What!? River! Accept my challenge! Are you scared to face me!?" Anna yelled.

No answer. "River!" Anna yelled banging on the door. Still nothing. "I'm not leaving!"

Victoria then placed her hand on Anna's shoulder, causing her to quell her rage. "Anna. It's no use. I don't think he's in a mood to talk now."

"But…"

"No 'buts', young lady. Clearly, is not the time for a duel. Also, don't you remember what the doctor said? Avoid dueling. I'll come back tomorrow, and have a more civil talk with him. I do have a tutoring session with him tomorrow. I think it's best to avoid conflict with him. He's…random. Plus, I think he was unnerved with you after you snapped at him." Victoria said.

Anna tried to figure out a counter argument against Victoria, but her icy glare her sister made it hard to concentrate. Out of frustration, she kicked the ground and pouted.

"Are you really giving me attitude?" Victoria scolded.

"Sorry. *sigh* I'm going to hang out Zack. He invited me earlier today." Anna said.

"Mind if I tag along? I don't really have anything else to do today." Victoria asked.

"We wouldn't mind. It would be nice to see team JNPR. In fact, we haven't seen them ever since, well, you know." Ruby said.

"It's fine, Ruby. Come on girls. I think I need a break from all the action." Anna said.

"Very well. I would like to make sure Zack isn't causing too much trouble for our friends." Weiss said.

"Still unsure about him?" Blake asked.

"He is a loose cannonball and takes pride in being crazy. Of course, I'm still unsure about him." Weiss said.

"I don't know about that. If you ask me, I think he fits in perfectly with them." Yang said.

(Inside the Apartment)

While Anna and Victoria were talking to each other, and leaving the premises. River was at his table, with a pencil in his hand, staring down at an assignment page. He had a puzzle look on his face struggling to complete it. He then saw his phone lying on the table nearby. He then traded looks back with his assignment paper, and his phone.

"Ah, whatever. I need a break." River said. He then put down his pencil and proceeded to pick up his phone to play a standard endless-runner game.

Just then, a spirit began to take form behind him, and it was none other than the Hyksos Runic Jackal. Or Jackie. "Are you sure that was a wise action?" he asked.

"Don't sweat it, Jackie. I'll get back to work…soon. Besides I've finished my other assignments, and the online as well, despite my computer being a piece of junk. Literally, I found that in the junkyard. I'm surprised I actually got it to work." River said.

"While your laziness is a problem, I'm referring how you just slammed the door shut in front of their faces. You do realize those Spirits are from Remnant. Right? RIGHT!?" Jackie asked, exaggerating the last part.

"Yeah, yeah. Big whoop. Heck, they can be from outer space, and I wouldn't bat an eye. We got our gig. She has her own gig. End of story." River said. Right now, his character in game was starting to speed up.

"Okay. I get it that you just want to focus on our life. But why did you get so aggressive, that caused you had to slam the door shut all of a sudden?" Jackie asked.

River then paused his game and gave Jackie a deadpanned stare. "Did you see the look on Vicky's sister's face when I told her to give up?" he asked.

"Not really. At that time, I was watching your cat entering your closet, and then napping on your clothing. I questioned its choices of why it would choose human clothing as a bed. Especially your clothing." Jackie said.

"Alley cats don't have high standards. They take what can, and just roll along with it. Cat standards aside, the look on her face was, how should I put it, intense." River said.

"So? All the Grimm have been intense. Heck. Even Squirt looks even more intense than her." Jackie said.

"Well, it's more of the fact of how she reacted to me telling her to give up. I know being told to give up doesn't sound nice and discouraging at times, but she took it like it insulted her very existence. That's not a normal reaction. She's got issues. And I don't want to get mixed up with those issues. Once I get involve that, it will lead to one thing to the next. A chain-link of issues that with the first issue resolving last." River said.

"Isn't that an exaggeration?" Jackie asked.

"Jackie. I already have my own problems to deal with. Next week's exam, the writing assignment due next week, my job, the other better jobs that we do that Mordecai gives us. Also, there's that work meeting going on next week. So, as you can see, I'm schedule is even more booked than a library." River said.

"And here you are playing on a smart phone." Jackie said.

"I'm taking a break." River retorted.

"You took 20 twenty consecutive-breaks two nights ago, and did so every 10 minutes while doing your assignments." Jackie said.

"I have a bad work ethic." River said.

"Should you try and improve it?" Jackie asked.

"I am. I'm just getting results slowly." River said.

"Of course, you are. Aside from that, I still think you should at least have a small conversation with Victoria." Jackie said.

"And why do you think that, my faithful companion?" River asked, focused more on his running game.

"Well, for one, I doubt you're going to do anything productive today, or tomorrow. Also, it may prove useful to become acquainted with them. Afterall, I heard that the most successful humans have the most social contacts." Jackie said.

"Hm. Good point. Got any others, because if you give it another push or two, I might reconsider it." River said. He then took a quick glance at his assignment paper, and decided to continue working on it.

"Okay then. I actually came prepared for this. Some of the Grimm are actually in agreement with me." Jackie said.

"Really? Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to hear their opinions. So, what did our fellow companions had to say?" River asked.

"Well, Claymore says it would be nice to get some exercise, and he's wants to fight someone new. Martial says he would like a crack at Anna. Squirt thought it be best to get it over with. Prime said he would like to get acquainted with the group, thinking he get more test subjects, which is creepy. Nee-chang and Nee-Sang believed you were being too rude, and needed settle things in a more civilized manner, whatever that means. And the list goes on." Jackie said.

"First of all, they barged into my apartment, began asking me questions, and Anna just stormed up to me about whole giving up topic. In my defense, I just don't get involve with their crazy shenanigans. If I was being rude, then what were they being?"

"Okay, I'll give you that, but aren't you already involved with crazy stuff from the jobs you get from Mordecai?"

"That's the thing, Jack. That's literally my job. That's technically normal for me. This situation however is different."

"So, you're telling me if there was some form of benefit that you can receive out this, you would consider talking to them." Jackie asked.

River paused and thought about it for a moment. "Maybe. Oh, by the way. Is this sentence grammatically correct?" he asked, pointing to a certain area on his paper.

"I believe so. However, the previous sentence is missing a comma in this spot, and a specific word here is not present." Jackie said, pointing at the errors.

"Ah, thanks for that."

"As I was saying, I have suggestion. If you participate in this event, you may be able to, um…how do humans say it again? Kill two chickens with one pebble."

"It's 'kill two birds with one stone'."

"So, what? A chicken is a type of bird, and a pebble is a type of stone. It's basically the same thing. But enough that. If you decide to participate in this event, you may be able reap some crucial benefits. You know what I'm talking about, right?" Jackie said in a sly tone.

River was quiet, as he placed his pencil down on the table, and turned to Jack with an intrigued look. "Congrats, Jackie. You managed to get my attention. Now let's see if you can keep it." he said with a cocky smile.

(Jewel City Main Plaza)

At the plaza, the group had just met up with Zack, Mia and JNPR, and were currently having a standard burger with fries' lunch. As of now, they were up to date of what has happened on Remnant and Anna's loss. Victoria on the other hand went to do some errands in the area. As they sat at a nearby table to eat, they told their friends of what happened yesterday

"So, in short, River Sticks is a dude with a Grimm-Type XYZ deck, somehow tore his way through a darkness barrier, dueled a Grimm-Spirit Cerberus that wielded nunchucks, and not only did he win, he added the Cerberus to his deck, and somehow got nunchucks." Zack said.

"In nutshell, yes." Anna said.

"This guy sounds dangerous. I mean, anything involving Grimm is dangerous." Jaune said, sounding nervous.

"But dangerously fun, from the way you described how he acted." Nora said, sounding excited.

"Danger is danger, Nora. Regardless if it's fun or not." Ren replied.

"True. But it only seemed like he was interested in fighting the Grimm. Plus, didn't you say that he rejected your challenge?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yeah. I'm actually still in shock from hearing that." Anna said.

"To be fair, you did barge into his apartment, woke him up rudely, and almost got shot." Ren said.

Yang scratched her head, just being glad that no one got seriously hurt.

Zack meanwhile took a bite out of burger, and decided to voice his thoughts. "Regardless if he wanted to duel you or not, you can't exactly force him to do it. I mean, our enemies have been forcing us to duel against our own free will, putting our lives on the line, and forcing him into a duel he never agreed to without his consent would make us as bad as the Grimm who have been forcing us to duel. We duelists must respect the personal boundaries of other duelists, whether they want to duel us or not."

Everyone was silent and just stared at Zack with astonished looks. "What? I may be crazy dude, but I have a decent amount of common sense and knowledge of how the world works."

"Really? Because it would a lot better if you started showing that other side of yourself a lot more often." Weiss said in a smug tone.

"Hey!"

Everyone then began chuckling as Zack rolled his eyes.

"Ah, lighten up, Zack. You do make a good point though. I should respect River's boundaries and decisions for now. I mean he hasn't done anything that is threatening us. We should only act against him if he does something that would hurt us or Remnant. We already got our hands full with…the Revenants…and Grimm." Anna said softly.

Everyone could tell that her loss against Siren was still on her mind. Team RWBY tried to get her talk about it, but every time they tried, she would clam up, and give only vague answers and a small smile. Afterwards, they decided it would be best for her if she decided to talk about it of her own free will. An awkward silence then filled the surrounding area.

Zack was the first to break the silence. "So…uh, how are you doing after you lost, and almost got killed?" he asked.

Mia then proceeded to stomp his foot, with as much force as she could.

"YEEOWCH!"

"Don't be insensitive! Clearly anyone would not feel good about that!" Mia exclaimed.

"No, guys. I'm alright actually. Just a little worn out these days. Nothing serious." Anna said, forcing a smile on her face.

"Don't worry, Anna. When people face death, it changes them in certain ways, and sometimes they don't know it." Mia said.

"I said I'm fine guys. I'm fine."

"You sure?" Zack asked.

"Yes, Zack. I am."

"Positive?"

"Definitely." Anna said, sounding sterner.

"Ok…So, has anything been…" before Zack could finish his sentence, Mia delivered a swift elbow strike to his gut, shocking everybody.

"GUAAGH!" Zack then fell sideways and laid on the bench, with his hands over his stomach.

"*sigh* Zack. When a woman doesn't want to talk, THEY DON'T WANT TO TALK!" Mia shouted.

"I was just concerned." Zack said, gasping for breath.

"So, changing the subject, if you don't mind me asking, what were the Revenants like?" Jaune asked.

"We don't know really. They seemed like humans, but at same time they weren't." Ruby said.

"I think dead giveaway is the fact that their eyes are all black, instead of white. It's like they're dead, but alive." Yang said.

"So, are they zombies?" Nora asked.

"No. Far from it. Joanne is a zombie. Whatever they were, aren't." Weiss said.

"Well, regardless if they're dead or alive, it felt like that witch lady was playing with us in the palm of her hands." Ruby said.

"You said her name was, Malisha. What were the Revenants like anyways?" Pyrrha asked.

"Terrifying. It's like she was towering over us. I didn't get a chance to fight her, but I could tell she was skilled." Yang said solemnly.

"You should be lucky. Her magic felt like it was tearing away at our souls. I still get shivers fighting them." Weiss said.

"I managed to beat her, but another Revenant was able to defeat us. I think it was the one that attacked us when we went to see Red." Ruby said.

"Red?" Mia asked.

"He's a Duel-Spirit, from another alternate dimension, and currently in a war against a very evil power, and was in our world gathering resources, while sending a lot of duelists he defeated to the hospital with burns. He also gave us the Duel-Boards, and weaked Anna in a Turbo Duel." Zack said.

"Did you really had to add in that last part?" Anna asked in a deadpanned tone.

"Interesting. And you guys just left him alone? I don't want any more problems on our plates." Mia said.

"Well, it was either go up against him, or become human-kabobs. Fun fact; we chose the option that didn't involve us getting skewered. Plus, he didn't seem like a bad man. So, we'll burn that bridge if our paths cross again." Jaune said.

"Alright then. Good enough for me. Changing the subject, Mia built me this really cool deck!" Zack said.

"I hope you appreciate it. I had to rack my brain to build him a well-functioning deck." Mia said.

"And I appreciate you for helping me." Zack said.

"You better. Do you know how hard it is to mix Masked, Elemental and Hunter HEROES, in the same deck? I don't want to hear any complaints from you, Zackery." Mia said.

"Alright, alright. Now, then. Who's in the mood for a duel?" Zack asked, reaching for his deck.

Before anyone could respond, Mia gave him a light punch in the arm. "Zack. Remember the real reason why we're here with Anna today." She said, making direct eye contact with her brother.

"Come on, just-."

"No."

"But…"

"Nuh-uh."

"Just one…"

"Zip it!"

"Please?"

"Zackery Crazy Aegis." Mia said in a condescending tone.

Zack tried to argue against her sister, but Mia kept on shooting him down, as well as giving him an unwavering glare. Finding it harder to form words, Zack eventually caved in. "Fine."

He then reached down to the backpack that was next to his chair, and took out a folder. "Here you go, Anna. It's the homework that you missed in the last two days. Also, I should probably let you know that we have a couple of exams coming up next week. Mia suggested that we take the time to study."

"Oh, gee. Thanks, Zack. Now that you've mentioned it, with all of the crazy things that have been happening to us so far, I almost forgot about our studies." Anna said.

"I forgot how boring they were." Zack said.

"Now that's negative talk there, mister." Mia said.

"Don't worry, Zack. We promise we would help. Afterall, we are still technically students. It would be nice for us to exercise our minds." Pyrrha said.

"Not the most exciting thing to do but I guess it wouldn't hurt to study." Jaune said.

Ren and Nora nodded in agreement, although Nora had a less enthusiastic nod. Anna then turned her head to team RWBY.

"Fine. We'll help. I suppose since you are helping us saving Remnant, the least we can do is help you with your studies." Ruby said.

"Just don't expect much from me and Rubes. Weiss and Blake are mostly going to be helping you the most." Yang said.

"Nonsense. Both you and Ruby made remarkable progress with your studies. I'm sure the both you can help Anna to a certain degree." Weiss said.

"Aw. Thanks, Weiss. That means a lot." Ruby said.

"Your welcome. Now then. What's the subject you need to review?"

"Let's see…we need to review…for the History test. I feel sleepy already just thinking about it." Zack said somberly.

"I know how that feels." Jaune said.

Mia then got up from her chair and stretched her body. "Well, I'll just leave you all to your studies. I'm going to see what's going on at the Duel Arena." she said.

"Hey! How come you're going to see duels, while we're studying?" Zack shouted.

"There are many reasons why, but I'll just give you three. One: I already finished my studies and all of my homework. Two: we're in different grades, so the material you're studying is way ahead me, hence making me not an ideal study partner. Three: I can spend my free time however I want, so, I'm using it to check out the arena for entertainment. See ya." Mia said, walking away with a smug smile.

Zack only had a deadpanned look on his face. "Each time she shows her smug side and uses it on me, a part of me dies inside." He said.

"That's Mia for you. Smart and smug." Jaune said.

"So, are we going to get started with our study plan or not?" Blake asked.

However, before they could get started, Anna then saw her sister running towards the table. "ANNA! ANNA!"

"Victoria? What's the matter?"

"I *huff* got a call *wheeze* from River." Victoria said.

"What!? River? As in River Sticks?" Ruby asked.

"Pffft. Sticks." Nora said, holding back her laughter.

"Yeah. He called me a while ago saying that his friends were able to convince him to accept your challenge. Also, he said that if he won, that we would have to follow his victory terms." Victoria said.

"So, what will we have to do if we lose?" Blake asked.

"He…told me that I couldn't tell you. You won't die or anything, nor will he take your deck, but he told me I couldn't tell you, otherwise he wouldn't duel you." Victoria said.

"And that doesn't sound ominous at all." Blake said.

"Can't you just tell us whether if it's serious or not?" Blake asked.

"He said I couldn't tell you that as well. He said that if you had the fear of the unknown, you would duel as if your life was on the line and more seriously." Victoria said.

"So, are you going to accept, Anna? If you lose, River might make you do something embarrassing, something hard and arduous, or anything. I think it would best if you think through this carefully." Ren said, advising caution.

"Just to let you know, we're fine whether you decide to go through with this or not." Blake said.

"You're the duelist. It's your call." Yang said

Anna took the time to collect her thoughts. Not knowing what will happen does scare her a bit, but she knew this could be her only opportunity to learn more about River, the Grimm Duel-Spirits, and possibly more. "I'll do it."

"Alright then. Team RWBY! Prepare for battle!" Ruby yelled triumphantly.

"YEAH!"

"Hey guys, I don't mean to ruin the hype, but aren't we supposed to be studying for our history test?" Zack asked.

"You have a test?" Victoria asked in a more serious tone.

"Y-yeah." Anna replied.

"I see. Well, the duel is tomorrow. So, for now, I suggest you start working that brain of yours. After you're finish, then you can go focus on building your deck." Victoria said.

"Ah, fine. Education is important after all."

(?)

Anna found herself walking through a dark void. Strangely, there was nothing. No nightmare, no cryptic Ruby. Just empty vast darkness. She then felt a presence behind her, and quickly turned around. She was a dark silhouette. The same one she saw before in previous dreams.

"Who…are you? What are you?" Anna asked.

The silhouette only raised her head, and pointed at Anna. There was a flash light, and it immediately engulfed the area.

(Reality)

Anna immediately awoken from a nap she was having, in her sister's car. Right now, it was close to 7:15pm. River had decided to have their duel at one of the pier docks in the Aquamarine district, and Victoria was driving the group there in her car. Zack however was unable to come, as he had family business to attend to.

"Hey, Anna. You feeling pumped?" Yang asked.

"Not really. I just woke up. Give me some time to find my senses." Anna replied.

"Well, hurry it up. We need you in perfect condition if you want to defeat River and his Grimm deck." Weiss said.

"You don't need to tell me twice."

"Don't worry, Anna. You're a smart girl. I'm sure you can beat him." Ruby said.

"The only advantage he has over us is that he acts unpredictable. Be ready for anything." Blake said.

"Thanks for the pep talk." Anna said. She then reached for her duel disk to make sure it was working properly. "Ah dang it!" she said, as she smacked it a couple of times.

"What's the problem, Anna?" Yang asked.

"It's my duel disk. The extra deck count says I have fifteen cards, but I only have fourteen cards. Whenever I try to put in a new extra deck monster in, it says I go over the limit. Why did it have to malfunction at a time like this?" Anna said.

"Don't sweat it, Anna. You got us four. The original Synchro Huntresses! We're strong, fierce, and we look good while doing it." Ruby said, as her teammates cheered in agreement.

"Uh…girls. I don't mean to interrupt, but we're here now." Victoria said.

Pulling into the parking lot, the group got out of the car and went to the designated place where River asked to meet. After taking a long walk to pier 17, the group saw River, wearing his orange trench coat, over his Pizzeria uniform, next to his moped with a pizza box in one hand, and a half-eaten slice in the other. Victoria only rolled her eyes at the sight. What caught the eye of team RWBY was who was standing next to him. It was the Runic Jackal, and getting a closer look at him, they could the strange aura emanating from the monster.

Jackie then noticed the group, and nudged River on the side getting his attention.

"Oh. Hi there. Want a slice?" River asked, holding the pizza box towards them.

"I'll pass." Anna said.

"Don't mind if I do." Yang said, quickly snatching a slice and taking a huge bite out of it. "Mm. Pineapple. Not bad."

"Yeah. I like pineapple on my pizza sometimes. It has a nice texture, and the sweetness makes it taste good in my opinion."

Jackie then noticed that Weiss and Blake were staring intensely at time. "Is there something on my face?" he asked in a stern tone.

"No. We're just cautious. You are technically a Grimm." Weiss said.

"Not to mention a Grimm with human intelligence, which makes you more of a threat. I can tell that you're wiser than the other Grimm we fought in the past." Blake said.

"Hey. Cut Jackie some slack. He's the reason why I'm dueling you guys in the first place." River said, as he folding the next slice, and stuffing the whole in his mouth.

"You convinced River to duel us? Why?" Ruby asked.

"I tend to look at the bigger picture, while he looks through a narrow scope. I saw some benefits to accepting this duel for our own self-interest." Jackie said.

"Yeah. What Jack said. By the way, Vic. You didn't tell them about my terms, right?" River asked in a more ominous tone.

"N-no. I didn't." Victoria said meekly.

"Good. When I win. Oh, ho, ho. I'm going to take advantage of that victory every way possible." River said smirking.

The smirk did make everyone else feel uncomfortable, while Victoria just bit her teeth. It made Anna feel a little bit a of anger towards him. "Don't forget about our win condition. If we win, you have to tell us everything about the Grimm cards and yourself. Deal?" Anna said.

"Why not? I suppose we're fighting on equal terms. At least I think they're equal. A man's personal secrets vs. the things I want." River said. He then took another bite out of his pizza slice, and thought about it. "Hm. I don't know really. Anyways, let's just start the duel now."

"Agreed. To a good duel." Anna said, holding out her hand.

"You sure you want to shake a hand that's covered in pizza grease? How about a fist bump instead?" River asked.

Taking him up on the offer, Anna curled her right hand, and slightly tapped River's knuckle. The two then went to opposite areas of the docks. River grabbed a couple of napkins to clean his hands, and proceed to wipe off any remaining grease off of his shirt, pants and coat, before attaching his duel disk to his arm.

"Let's see if we can have some fun today."

The Anna then attached her D-Tablet to her deck case, and the two duelists stared at each other. One with a serious gaze, while the other had a carefree fun smirk.

"Hey, Anna. Just a fair head up. I tend talk smack during fights or duels, so if I end up saying something that offends you, don't take it personal. I do it with almost everyone." River said.

"It's normal to talk smack in duels. Some are bit more harsher than others

"DUEL!"

"Duel."

Turn 1: River Sticks
Anna Yuno: 4000LP vs River Sticks: 4000LP
Anna Yuno Hand: 5 vs River Sticks Hand: 5

"Since you challenged me, I'll make the first move. I'll start by summoning Dagger Beowolf in attack mode."

Dagger Cougar
[LV: 4] [Attribute: Wind]
[Grimm/Effect]
[ATK: 1600] [DEF: 1500]

The Grimm monster that appeared, had the resemblance of a humanoid cougar, wearing pitch-black assassin garments, with a black hood over its head. As the name suggested, it wielded two small daggers in each of its paws, and it had more daggers wrapped around its body each sheathed away. The cougar took on an offensive stance, ready for combat.

"When Dagger Cougar is summoned to my field, I can special one Grimm type monster from my hand with 2000 or less attack points. Why not go with the classic Saber Beowolf?"

Next to the Cougar, the Metal arm Beowolf emerged, and swung his sword signaling his appearance.

Saber Beowolf
[LV: 4] [Attribute: Dark]
[Grimm/Effect]
[ATK: 1700] [DEF: 1400]

"Saber Beowolf's effect now activates! When summoned to my field, I can add one level 4 or lower Grimm-Type monster from my deck to my hand. I'll add Shaolin Monk-E to my hand. Next, by discarding one Grimm-Type monster from my hand, I can special summon him to my field. As for the card I'll discard, I'll pick my Hare Interceptor." River said, as the martial-arts fighting monkey appeared on the field.

Shaolin Monk-E
[LV: 4] [Attribute: Earth]
[Grimm/Effect]
[ATK: 2000] [DEF: 1000]

Hare Interceptor
[LV: 5] [Attribute: Interceptor]
[Grimm/Effect]
[ATK: 2200] [DEF: 2300]

"I now overlay level 4 Shaolin Monk-E, Saber Beowolf and Dagger Cougar to build the overlay network!" River shouted.

The three Grimm monsters then turned pure forms of energy and flew into a black hole that appeared in front of River's field creating a massive explosion of light.

"Creature of magical knowledge. Raise your blade and invade this realm. I XYZ summon! Appear! Hyksos Runic Jackal!"

Hyksos Runic Jackal
[Rank: 4] [Attribute: Dark]
[Grimm/XYZ/Effect]
[ATK: 2800] [DEF: 2100]
OVU: 3

Jackie then arose to the field and swung his sword outward and took on a steady posture.

"He already brought out his ace monster. He's dead serious about this." Ruby said.

"Are you sure? It doesn't look that way. It's more like he's welcoming us to attack." Blake said, trying to read his face.

"Dagger Cougar's effect activates! When I use it for the XYZ summoning of an XYZ Grimm-Type monster, I get to draw one card from my deck. I'll set three cards face-down and end my turn. Come and get me." River said, with a cocky smile while gesturing both his arms.

"Face me if you dare." Jackie said, pointing his blade at the opposition.

Turn 2: Anna Yuno
Anna Yuno: 4000LP vs River Sticks: 4000LP
Anna Yuno Hand: 5+1 vs River Sticks Hand: 0

"It would be our pleasure! I summon Gear Saw Huntress – Serra!" Anna declared, as the Huntress appeared on the field, striking a combat pose.

Gear Huntress – Serra
[LV: 3] [Attribute: Earth]
[Warrior/Effect]
[ATK: 1700] [DEF: 1200]

"When I normal summon Serra, I get to normal summon a Huntress or RWBY-Soul monster in addition to my normal summon, and I'll play Necro Huntress – Muerta!" Anna said, as Muerta appeared on the field.

Necro Huntress – Muerta
[LV: 4] [Attribute: Dark]
[Spellcaster/Effect]
[ATK: 1600

"Since I control a Huntress monster on my field, I get to summon RWBY-Soul Yang Xiao Long from my hand."

"Alright! Time to heat things up!" Yang said as she jumped into the battlefield.

RWBY-Soul Yang Xiao Long
[LV: 1] [Attribute: Fire]
[Warrior/Tuner/Effect]
[ATK: 500] [DEF: 500]

"You brought your heavy hitter! Now I'll show you one of mine! I tune Level 1 Yang, with Level 3 Serra and Level 4 Muerta!"

Yang then jumped into the air, and turned into a green ring, which then surrounded Serra and Muerta's body, outlining them orange and turning them into a total of seven stars.

1 + 3 + 4 = 8

"Great burning soul that rampages through battle! Ignite the path to victory! I Synchro Summon! Rise Up! Yellow Flame Huntress – Yang Xiao Long!" Anna chanted.

A pillar of fire then erupted from the ground and immediately dispersed revealing Yang in all of her flaming splendor. She then extended out her Ember Celica Gauntlets and slammed her fists together, creating another explosion in the background.

Yellow Flame Huntress – Yang Xiao Long
[LV: 8] [Attribute: Fire]
[Warrior/Synchro/Effect]
[ATK: 2800] [DEF: 1900]

"Battle! Yang! Attack Runic Jackal!" Anna yelled.

"On it!" Yang then rushed into the battlefield and used her shotgun blasts to propel herself forward.

"Sick her, Jackie!" River commanded.

"As you command." Jackie then readied his blade and charged as well.

Yang was the first to throw out a punch, as Jackie quickly moved his right, and swung his sword downward. Yang then rolled to the left, and began went in for an uppercut, but Jackie immediately jumped back, avoiding the attack. Jackie then jumped into the air, with his sword overhead, and brought it down. Yang quickly raised her arms in cross like guard, using her Ember Celica's to block the attack.

"I play the Quick-Play spell card, Red Dust – Fire Element! This card increases Yang's attack points by 800! Furthermore, since Yang is battling a monster that has more than 2000 attack points, I can destroy one spell or trap card on your field! I choose the one in the center. Blast right through him!"

Red Dust – Fire Element
[Spell: Quick-Play]

Yellow Flame Huntress – Yang Xiao Long: 2800ATK + 800ATK = 3600ATK

Yang gauntlets were then engulfed in fire, as she felt her strength rising. She then began pushing against Jackie's sword, as her eyes turned red. Jackie was then overpowered by Yang strength, and she then grabbed him by the right arm, swung him around, and threw across the field. Jackie then crashed into the center face-down card. Yang then loaded her gauntlets and began firing a barrage of shotgun blast at Jackie, creating a dust cloud that covered the field.

When the smoke cleared, Jackie was no longer there, leaving River by himself.

River Sticks: 4000LP – 800LP = 3200LP

"Wow. You weren't kidding when you said you were serious." River asked smiling.

"You're just realizing that right now?" Anna asked.

"Well, I did expect you to be enthusiastic about you beating me, but it feels like…like…hm…ah forget it. I can't find the right words to describe you right now. But something feels off about you. I just don't know the right word that fits with you." River said.

"From the way you're talking, it sounds like you want to play psycho-analysis with Anna instead of dueling us." Yang said in a serious tone.

"…I'm thinking about it. Oh, and for the record, this duel isn't going anywhere until you continue your turn. If it helps, I'll shut my mouth until you finish." River said, slapping his right hand on his mouth in a playful gesture.

"I appreciate it. I'll set two cards face-down. Turn end."

Turn 3: River Sticks
Anna Yuno: 4000LP vs River Sticks: 3200LP
Anna Yuno Hand: 0 vs. River Sticks Hand: 0+1

"Now that was quick. Didn't had to keep my mouth shut for that long. My move now." River said, drawing his card.

"The counter attack begins now! I play my face-down! Birth by Hatred!" River shouted.

Birth by Hatred showed a black-pool of Grimm, with a powered up Alpha Beowolf rising up, looking furious with a red aura glowing around him.

Birth by Hatred
[Trap: Normal]

"If I have no monsters on my field, and you control at least one monster with 2000 or more attack points, I can summon two Grimm-Type monsters with two different levels and summon them back to my field with their effects negated! I'm bringing back Dagger Cougar and Hare Interceptor!" River said.

On River's field, two black geysers then sprouted on from his field as both Dagger Cougar and Hare Interceptor were revived.

"Birth by Hatred has another effect! Once the monsters are revived, I can pick one of the monsters that were revived by this effect to make the other monster's level match. In this case, I'll make my Dagger Cougar's level the same as Hare Interceptor's, which is Level 5!"

Dagger Cougar: LV: 4 + 1 = 5

"Once that's done, I must perform an immediate XYZ summon for a Grimm-type monster!"

"Well go ahead! Do your worst, River! I'll take on any Grimm you throw at us!" Yang shouted, throwing up her fists.

"Oh, I am going to make you eat those words. I overlay Level 5 Dagger Cougar with Level 5 Hare Interceptor to build the overlay network!" The two monsters then turned forms of energy and entered a Black Hole.

"Transform and terrorize! Appear! Rank 5 Bunny Panzer!"

Bunny Panzer
[Rank: 5] [Attribute: Earth]
[Grimm/XYZ/Effect]
[ATK: 2600] [DEF: 2100]
[OLU: 2]

From the explosion of light, a mechanical warrior appeared on the field. Its main body was made out of a black metallic body with red linings. The main chest piece resembled that of a tank, with the Grimm symbol engraved on the front. It's arms and legs were mechanical, with forearms resembling massive gauntlets with built in tank treads, and with similar built leg armor. Almost every mechanical part of the body resembled some part of an Advance Battle Tank. On its back were two tank cannons that were attached to its back, with a booster rocket hiding underneath. What was more noticeable was that the head unit resembled that of a robotic rabbit head, with two red sharp glowing optics, a metal engraved snout, and two metallic ears, sprouting from the back of the head.

In short, it was a humanoid-robotic-rabbit-tank. The Grimm identified as Bunny Panzer threw out multiple punches, and slammed his right mechanical foot on to the ground, cracking it, as it glared intensely at its opponents.

"Is that a robot with a bunny head?" Blake asked.

"Yeah. I know this appropriate to say stuff like this, but he looks kind of awesome. He looks like he's part tank, and part rabbit. It's really cool." Ruby said.

"Since when were Rabbits and Tanks a best match?" Weiss questioned.

The new Grimm and River ignore their comments as they continued on with their turn.

"Dagger Cougar's effect activates! When used for as XYZ material for a Grimm-type XYZ monster, I get to draw one card from my deck. Next up, Bunny Panzer has a continuous effect. For every Overlay Unit on the field, Bunny Panzer gains 200 attack points for each one. Since there are currently two overlay units on the field, that's an additional 400 attacks points you have to worry about." River said.

Bunny Panzer then held out it arms as the tank treads on its arms began to spin, and created sparks, powering up. Anna only narrowed her eyes, bracing herself for the assault, while Yang raised her fists.

Bunny Panzer: 2600ATK + 200ATK + 200ATK = 3000ATK

"Systems all green. Claymore ready to sortie. On your command." The Grimm identified as Claymore said.

"Good to know, Clay. In fact, let's call in some reinforcements! I play my remaining face-down! XYZ Reborn! Now I can wake up a Grimm-Type XYZ monster in my graveyard! Since there's only one option, I'm bringing back my Hyksos Runic Jackal! Then XYZ Reborn becomes an overlay unit for the revived monster!" River said.

A portal leading to the graveyard then appeared as Jackie then jumped out of it, and the XYZ Reborn trap card became an overlay unit for Jackie.

"I then activate Runic Jackal's special effect! By using one overlay unit, I can target one special summoned monster on your side of the field, and halve its attack points! Only one monster on your field, so only one option."

XYZ Reborn
[Trap: Normal]

Hyksos Runic Jackal: OVU 0

Yellow Flame Huntress – Yang Xiao Long: 2800ATK – 1400ATK = 1400ATK

Jackie then held up his sword, using it to absorb an overlay-unit. His sword then began to glow, as multiple runes then appeared on it. Once it was filled with energy, he then quickly pointed it at Yang. "RUNIC BIND!"

The sword then shot an out ray of yellow energy, colliding with Yang's body. Yang held back her screams of anguish as the runes inflicted pain throughout her entire body and also weaken her.

"Looks like, I'm in a real bind. Ok, I'll admit that was too easy for a pun…argh." Yang said.

"Puns aside, River still hasn't attack yet." Blake said.

"Now let's rock! Jackie! You're up first!" River shouted.

Jackie then nodded. Rune then lit up on his body, as he then somehow warped to Yang's position. Giving her no time to react, Jackie then used his sword and swung upward, sending both himself and Yang into the air. He then delivered a furious combo of sword attacks in mid-air. He then swung his sword downward, sending Yang flying down to the ground. The impact created shockwaves, that then damaged Anna.

Anna Yuno: 4000LP – 1400LP = 2600LP

"Don't forget. Since Yang lost more than a 1000 attack points, Jackie gets a second attack with halve the damage." Rivers said, holding up two fingers.

"That was just one *cough* attack!?" Yang exclaimed.

Jackie then jumped over to Yang and slammed his sword onto Yang, knocking her down onto the ground. He then began slamming his sword repeatedly over and over again, inflicting as much pain as he could onto Yang. He then stabbed his sword into the ground, and then heaved it upwards, sending Yang flying into the air, as she then crashed down onto the ground.

Anna Yuno: 2600LP – 700LP = 1900LP

"Yang!" Ruby cried out.

"Isn't that a bit excessive for 700 points of damage!?" Weiss said.

"Hey. You wanted to duel us, and this is how Grimm fight. We aren't pulling any punches. And speaking of punches, why don't I have Clay show you his?" River said.

On that command, Bunny Panzer, whose name is also clay, made a mad dash towards Yang. At first, Anna was shocked of how something that bulky could move that fast, but she immediately reacted.

"I play my face-down! Defense Draw! Now the battle I take is reduced to 0. I get to draw one card." Anna said.

"But your monster will still feel the damage!" Bunny Panzer/Clay shouted.

Anna's eyes widen, as Bunny Panzer continued his assault. He then struck Yang with an upwards punch, then a left kick, staggering her. He then crouched inward, as he reeled his right fist back. The treads then began spinning, building up energy.

"RISING RABBIT!" Clay then delivered an upward flying upcut, sending Yang flying into the air, as she let out a scream of pain.

"Eh. That wasn't as fun as it would be. I guess I'll just end my turn with a face-down. I did my worst. Can you top that? Come on. Entertain me!" River said with arms open.

Yellow Flame Huntress – Yang Xiao Long: 1400ATK + 1400ATK = 2800ATK

Anna only scowled at River, but then noticed that Yang was getting back up. "Just ignore him, Anna. Besides. He made the mistake of leaving me out on the field. I'm ready whenever you are." She said, giving Anna a wink and a thumbs up.

Anna formed a soft smile, but quickly put on a serious face, determined more than ever to fight. However, she still felt hesitant.

Turn 4: Anna Yuno
Anna Yuno LP: 1900LP vs River Sticks: 3200LP
Anna Yuno Hand: 1+1 vs River Sticks Hand: 1

"My turn now. I draw!"

"Hold it right there! I play my face-down. Grimm Provocation! This card allows me to select one Grimm Type monster on my field, and my opponent has to attack it with any monsters if possible. Also, it's the only monster you can attack, and if it so happens to leave the field via battle or by any of your card effects, your turn automatically ends."

"Alright then. I activate my trap card! Dust Management! While this card is on my field, you can't negate the effects of my spell cards! Next, I'll use Dust Management's effect! During my main phase, I can add one Dust Quick-Play spell card to my hand. I'll add Black Dust – Gravity Element to my hand." Anna said.

"Dust? Been a while since I've seen it. Brings back memories." River whispered to himself.

Dust Management
[Trap: Continuous]

Black Dust – Gravity Element
[Spell: Quick-Play]

"I'll play two cards face-down. Time for a counter attack! Yang! Attack Bunny Panzer! There may be no spell or trap card for her to destroy, but since she's battling a monster with 3000 or more attack points, she gains attack points equal to the difference of 4000 and my current life points. So that's an extra total of 2100 attack points. Anna declared.

Yang only let out a smirk, she then slammed her fists together. She then began running towards the Grimm, and used her gauntlets to propel herself forward. Her hair also began to glow with fire, as her power increased.

Yellow Flame Huntress – Yang Xiao Long: 2800ATK + 2100ATK = 4900ATK

"Alright! Now we got a brawl! I activate Bunny Panzer's effect! Whenever an attack is declared involving a Grimm XYZ Type Monster, I can use one overlay unit, and have that monster gain 1000 attack points until the end of the battle! However, both of the battling monsters can't be destroyed by battle or card effects for the rest of the battle. Do your thing clay!" River shouted.

Clay then grabbed one of the overlay units that was circling him, and crushed it, causing an orange aura to glow around him. "TRANSFORM!" he shouted. His head then detached from its main body, and morphed into a miniature robotic humanoid rabbit, but with less tank parts. The main body, then began to shift shape as well, turning into a sleek black battle tank, with two mounted cannons, and four separate treads on the corners of the tank, but it was the size of a ridable toy car, a bit bigger though. It also had a cockpit in the front of the chassis, which then opened up, as the mini robot rabbit quickly entered. The Battle Tank then started up, as the sound of race-car engine could be heard. Clay then slammed his foot on the accelerator, igniting the rocket booster on the rear of the tank, speeding off into battle.

Bunny Panzer: 3000ATK – 200ATK + 1000ATK = 3800ATK

Bunny Panzer began firing cannon rounds at Yang, but Yang immediately weaved right and left, using her gauntlets for extra mobility. She then leaped into the air, and dived straight towards the charging tank, landing a clean punch on the haul. The impact caused the tank to flip into the air, but it immediately transformed back into its humanoid form, landing on its feet, and immediately ran towards Yang, as the two then grappled each other, and traded blows with one another.

"As cool as your transforming machine tank is, I still have more att…" Yang was about to say.

"I know, I know. You have attack points, and you know what? Go ahead, have more attack points. For you see, Clay has another, and the last the one if you're wondering, effect. Any battle damage I take involving Bunny Panzer is also inflicted onto you."

Yang and Clay ran at each other one last time, as they then threw out their punches performing a cross counter on each, landing a blow square on each of their faces. Cross counter created a shockwave that damaged both Anna and River.

Anna Yuno: 1900LP – 1100LP = 800LP

River Sticks: 3200LP – 1100LP = 2100LP

Yellow Flame Huntress – Yang Xiao Long: 2800ATK

Bunny Panzer: 2800ATK

"Looks like you're dangling from a string from my point of view." River said.

"I still life points and cards. I'm still in this." Anna said.

River merely chuckled. "That is some bravado that you got there. It makes a good bluff."

"Bluff? What are you talking about?" Anna asked.

"He's trying to get in your head, Anna! Just focus on winning." Ruby said.

"Uh...Of Course. I end my turn." Anna said.

Turn 5: River Sticks
Anna Yuno: 800LP vs River Sticks: 2100LP
Anna Yuno Hand: 1 vs River Sticks Hand: 1+1

"Yeah, you can fool everyone else with that 'I'm fine' look. But that flinch in your eyes gives it away. I wonder. Can I crack the mystery of you? Or will I accidently defeat you before I get the chance? Only one way to find out." River thought to himself, drawing his card.

"I'm going to skip my main phase, and go directly to combat! Attack Yang, Jackie! Then I'll use Bunny Panzer's effect! By using one overlay unit, I can give a battling XYZ Grimm type monster 1000 attack points. Now I know you're probably going to stop this since you have couple of face-downs, but I'm still going give you a friendly reminder that you'll lose if you don't stop this. Are going to stop it?" River asked.

Hyksos Runic Jackal: 2800ATK + 1000ATK = 3800ATK

Bunny Panzer: 2800ATK – 200ATK = 2600ATK

"I doubt you'll be saying that when you're about to lose! I activate my face-down! Black Dust – Gravity Element! This card forces your jackal into defense mode, so the attack is not happening!" Anna said.

"Alright. That's cool, but let's be honest. Almost everyone saw that coming. On with the battle. Now then, I'll have Bunny Panzer attack Yang! As for the reason why, I'm activating the effect of Eel Blader from my hand! During the battle phase, whenever a Grimm-Type monster battles an opponent's monster, I can discard this card have that monster gain 1200 attack points. However, if the targeted monster is Grimm-XYZ-Monster, I can attach it as an overlay unit instead. Also, Bunny Panzer gains 200 attack points now that he has an overlay unit!"

Eel Blader
[LV:3] [Attribute: Water]
[Grimm/Effect]
[ATK: 1200] [DEF: 1200]

Bunny Panzer: 2600ATK + 200ATK + 1200ATK = 4000ATK

Bunny Panzer: 1 OVU

Unlike most of the Grimm Spirits, Eel Blader was a black moray eel, but the eel body was contained within a mechanical suit, with tesla coils extending from the back. The main body was nothing but black, to red circular eyes, and sharp teeth. The suit was thin, resembling that of diving gear, and there was a water helmet, on the top, showing that it required water to breath.

"Hey, Yang!" Bunny Panzer's head then detached from the transforming main body. However, this time, treads extended outwards into four mechanical legs, that dug themselves into the ground. Now Bunny Panzer was now a heavy artillery cannon turret. The mini Clay then descended from the sky and landed int the cockpit of the turret.

"Chew on lead!" Within the tank turret, the aiming system had placed Yang within the crosshairs, and Clay immediately pressed the button, firing a black tank round.

"I discard Steam Jessica from my hand in order to raise Yang's attack points by 1100!" Anna yelled.

Steam Huntress – Jessica
[LV: 3] [Attribute: Water]
[Warrior/Effect]
[ATK: 1100] [DEF: 1100]

Yellow Flame Huntress – Yang Xiao Long: 2800ATK + 1100ATK = 3900ATK

"Oooooh. Two hundred points off. That's got to sting." River said.

Jessica then appeared on the field and loaded her gun with a steam mixture vial, and fired it at the cannon fire. Upon contact, the missile began to corrode, but it wasn't enough. The cannon round then reached Yang, causing a massive explosion, creating a small mushroom shape smoke cloud, leaving nothing else behind.

Anna Yuno: 800LP – 100LP = 700LP

"Looks like you're in a tight spot. Sure, you don't want me to turn the difficulty down to easy mode for you? I don't normally do stuff like that, but I'll make an exception. It seems like you desperately need it." River said.

"Don't mock me! I play my face-down! Huntress Revenge. Thanks to this card, Yang gets to come back to my field with her effects negated. In return, she gains halve of the attack points of the monster that destroyed her! Bunny Panzer has 4000 attack points right now. That means she gets 2000 attack points!" Anna said.

Huntress Revenge
[Trap: Normal]

The card then shot out a blazing blast of fire, and tunneled its way into the ground. It then reemerged from the ground, and then dispersed, revealing Yang, surrounded by a blazing aura. Her face was nothing more than her glowing red eyes and a glaring look.

"I'll crush all of you." Yang said in a menacing tone, while cracking her knuckles.

Yellow Flame Huntress – Yang Xiao Long: 2800ATK + 2000ATK = 4800ATK

"Hm. She's a feisty gal. Nothing wrong with that." Clay said, reverting back to his humanoid form.

"Unless she sends a shot-gun punch at you." Jackie said.

"I'm just saying."

"I fought tougher. I'll just end my turn. You're up." River said.

Turn 6: Anna Yuno
Anna Yuno: 700LP vs River Sticks: 2100LP
Anna Yuno Hand: 0+1 vs River Sticks Hand: 1

"My turn now. Draw…Hey, River. Why are you looking at me like that?" Anna asked.

"What do you mean?" River asked.

"I don't know what it is. But it feels like you're trying to stare directly into my soul." Anna said.

"I suppose you could word it like that. I'm…observing you. I might as well see what makes you tick. Make the best out of any situation you find yourself in. Now then. Are you going to start dueling, or are we just going to talk all day?" River asked, while smiling slyly.

Anna tighten her grip, as she felt uneasy with the River has been acting. From the beginning, she felt like he was toying around with her. She immediately slapped her cheeks to help herself refocus.

"Yang. Attack Bunny Panzer! I'll use the second effect of Dust Management! By banishing Black Dust – Gravity Element from my graveyard to use its secondary effect! It negates your Bunny Panzer's effects and its halves it's attack points! Run them through, Yang!" Anna yelled.

"With Bunny Panzer's effect negated, that Mechanical Grimm won't be able to deal damage to Anna.

Bunny Panzer: 2600ATK – 1300ATK = 1300ATK

Yang immediately dashed towards Bunny Panzer, while the effects of the Gravity Dust, began weighing his body down, making it harder for him to move. Yang then began delivering a barrage of shot gun blasts, landing critical blows onto the mechanical Grimm. She then reeled her fist back and delivered the final blow, causing another flaming explosion.

"And that's game!" Ruby cheered.

"Not yet, Ruby. Look." Blake said.

When the smoke cleared from the field, everyone then saw that there was a light-blue electrical dome surrounding River.

"I forgot to mention this. Although you negated Bunny Panzer's abilities, Eel Blader's effect was still in play. If he happens to be attached as an overlay unit to a Grimm Type XYZ monster, I take no battle damage involving that monster. As a result, I'm still kicking." River then proceeded to kick the ground a couple of times as joking gesture. "See. My kicking leg still works." He said, slapping his right thigh.

Anna only scowled, while Yang moved back to her field.

"Deep breathes, Anna. Anger will cloud your judgement." Weiss said.

"I know. But he won't just won't stop mocking me." Anna said.

"Just power on through him. That's what I'm here for." Yang said in a menacing tone.

"That trap card scares me. Why does it work like that?" Blake thought to herself.

"I'll end my turn with one card face-down. Bring it on, River. I'll take on anything you decide to dish out." Anna said.

Turn 7: River Sticks

Anna Yuno: 700LP vs River Sticks: 2100LP
Anna Yuno Hand: 0 vs River Sticks Hand: 1 + 1

"You better hope you can, because I still have cards in this deck that can tear you apart. Better yet, why not do it from within? I'll first summon Crane Crane in attack mode."

Crane Crane
[LV: 3] [Attribute: Earth]
[Winged Beast/Effect]
[ATK: 300] [DEF: 900]

On the field, a red mechanical crane appeared on the field. The only difference was that its neck was that of mechanical construction crane.

"That monster is a walking living pun. Hah. How funny." Yang said.

"Crane Crane's effect activates. When I normal summon this monster to my field, I can revive a level 3 monster from my graveyard with its effects negated. I'll bring back the good old Eel Blader." Crane Crane then tilted its neck forward, and its head then descended into a portal leading to the graveyard, from a string pully contraption. It then proceeded to pull up Eel Blader.

"Now about the whole thing about destroying you from within, how about I build overlay network with Level 3 Crane Crane, and Level 3 Eel Blader?" River said.

Crane Crane and Eel Blader then turned into forms of energy, and ascended into the sky, entering another black hole in the sky.

"Break both mind and body! Corrode the very essence of life! I XYZ summon Rank 3, Plague Veil Crow!" River chanted.

Plague Veil Crow
[Attribute: Dark] [Rank: 3]
[Grimm/XYZ/Effect]
[ATK: 1800] [DEF: 0]
OVU: 2

The clouds changed colors to a hue of dark purple. From above, what appeared was a ghastly figure. The Grimm had a humanoid form, but looked frail. It was in fact a humanoid crow Grimm, as shown with its talons, with each of them equipped with sharp blade attachments. It wore a black tattered cloak, concealing most of its body and beneath it was a purple robe. On its back were two black feather wings. Its hood concealed most of its face, revealing only it's break, and two red eyes that glisten from the darkness. In its hands, was a sinister looking scythe, and it appeared to have pulsing flesh on it, and glass red eye ball, as the attachment. The creature descended to the ground, and gently touched the ground. It then raised its finger and pointed it at Anna.

"Your soul shall rot."

"That's a creepy looking scythe." Ruby said, slightly terrified.

"Forget the scythe. Everything about this Grimm is disturbing." Blake said.

"Wait a minute. How come he didn't summon that drilling shark?" Weiss asked.

"What do you mean?" Victoria asked.

"Yesterday, he played a rank 3 Grimm monster that could wage direct attacks. Not that I want Anna to lose, but since Anna only has 700 life-points, wouldn't he just summon that other monster and try to go for game?" Weiss asked.

"That is a very good, question, Weiss." River responded. "It because your duelist keeps looking at that trap card."

Anna faced showed slight shock, after River mentioned that last statement. "Yeah, you keep glancing at it, once I made my previous remark about destroying you from within. After that, every action I took, you would glance at that card from time to time. It either tells me that it's either a protection card, or a destruction card. Either way, you seem like you are really hoping you can spring that trap card open. So, I might as well try playing along."

"This guy flip-flops from being a laid-back dude, to a cold-blooded killer. It's scares me a little. Not to mention there's still something strange about him." Blake said.

"I thought that was obvious from start?" Weiss said.

"I'm talking about a different strange. This sense feels familiar. But I just don't know why."

"Maybe the Grimm duel monster cards give him a strange aura. Not our kind of aura, but a Pseudo Aura instead." Ruby said.

"That is a good is a hypothesis, Ruby. However, we have to deal with his new monster now." Blake said.

Anna remained silent, but she was a bit rattled within. She continued to retain her stern look, and at the same time, tried not looking at her face-down. She felt her eyes shift towards her, but immediately focused them forward.

"Ok, Doc. Let's, get, poisonous." River said.

The eyes of the Grimm, known as Doc, lit up. He then opened up his break, and let out a high-pitched screech, as a purple vapor was spewed from it. Soon, the entire field, was cloaked with a purple haze. Anna then felt a little dizzy, but it was minor. However, the flames surrounded Yang began to die down, as her pupils then dilated, and her hands moved to her mouth. She then began gagging and coughing violently, barely standing up. Her rage also subsided.

"Yang! What's wrong!?" Anna yelled.

"I…I don't feel so good. I can't…feel anything." Yang said, weakly.

"That's the passive effect of Plague Crow. As long as he's out on the field, he negates any of your card effects that would change attack or defense points, levels, attributes, type, and even names of any monsters on the field. That means no level manipulation, no modifications, no power up, no de-buffs, no re-naming. Nothing!" River said.

Anna only scowled as the burning rage from the trap faded away.

Yellow Flame Huntress – Yang Xiao Long: 4800ATK – 2000ATK = 2800ATK

"If you think it's bad now, we can make it even worse. I activate Plague Veil Crow's effect! By using one overlay-unit, all monsters on the field, other than himself, gain one Plague Counter. Infectious Breath!" River yelled.

Plague Veil Crow OVU: 1

Plague Veil Crow then destroyed one of the overlay units with its scythe, and breathed his poison breath into the air. The toxic cloud then slowly permeated through the air, as a glowing purple mark appeared on Yang's neck, and one on Jackie's chest. Yang suddenly felt a like it was harder to breath, as she began breathing heavily and holding her chest. Soon, the pain began spread through her body.

You couldn't tell since Beaks can't make smirks, but the Crow was smirking "It won't kill you. But you will be wishing it did. Any non-Grimm type monsters with a Plague counter will 500 attack points for each. However, Grimm-type monsters will instead gain 300 attack points. But that's not the best part. For you see I have another effect. For every plague counter on the field, I gain 300 attacks points. Since there are 2 counters on the field at the moment, I gain 600 attack points."

Yellow Flame Huntress – Yang Xiao Long: 2800ATK – 500ATK = 2300ATK
1 Plague Counter

Hyksos Runic Jackal: 2800ATK + 300ATK = 3100ATK
1 Plague Counter

Plague Veil Crow: 1800ATK + 300ATK + 300ATK = 2400ATK

"So, he gets power up his units and power down our units? That's really nasty." Ruby said.

"Not to mention he's locking down any effects that let Anna changed the properties of not only her monsters, but his own cards." Blake said.

Everyone else began feeling tension in the air, as River prepared for another assault.

"Before I attack, I'll use this card first. Xyz Treasure. For each XYZ type monster on the field, I can draw one card from my deck. Since I have two XYZ monsters on my field, that two extra cards for me." River said. XYZ treasure showed a group of pirates discovering a glowing treasure chess. Both Runic Jackal and Veil Crow glowed with a golden light for a moment, allowing River to draw his cards.

Xyz Treasure
[Spell: Normal]

"I'll switch Jackie back to attack mode, and attack Yang for the win! 3100 minus 2300 is more than 700 for the record." River said sinisterly. Jackie then drew his sword, and jumped into the air, as he then held his sword overhead, and was about to bring his sword down onto Yang.

"I play my trap card! Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! This card negates your attack, and I can play it face down on my field for later use.

"Nice save. Unfortunately for you, I still have Doc." River said. Plague Veil Crow, now named Doc, readied his scythe, and quickly dashed to Yang's position. He then began swinging his scythe in a more brutal manner. For the finishing blow, the began spinning his scythe in and upwards circular motion, striking Yang with multiple blows. Instead of shattering, Yang instead dissipated into black dust.

Anna Yuno: 700LP – 100LP = 600LP

"Yang!" Ruby cried out.

"What happened?" Anna said.

"I'll tell you what happened. Monsters destroyed by Doc are removed from play instead. In addition, whenever a monster with Plague Counter is destroyed, I can move that Counter to any other monster on the field. I'll move it to, Plague Veil Crow. And that's another 300 attack points.

Plague Veil Crow: 2400ATK + 300ATK = 2700ATK

"Now I think that's enough destruction for one turn. I'll set a face-down, and let us see what you can muster up. If you have anything to muster up in the first place." River said.

Turn 8: Anna Yuno
Anna Yuno: 600LP vs River Sticks: 2100LP
Anna Yuno Hand: 0+1 vs. River Sticks: Hand 1

"Arrgh. I'll show you. I'm not giving in. Draw!"

"There's that strange anger again." River said to himself.

"I play Graceful Charity!" Anna said, drawing her cards. "I'll discard White Dust – Ice Element, and Yellow Dust – Lightning Element. Next, I'll use Dust Management's third effect. By returning four Dust Quick-Play spells that are in my graveyard or banished back to the deck, I can send this card to the graveyard and draw three cards from my deck. I return, Red, White, Black and Yellow Dust back to my deck." Anna said. The dust cards were then placed back into the deck, as the duel disk gave the deck a good shuffle, and push out the top three cards for Anna.

Upon looking at her cards, she saw something in the corner that piqued her interest. "When I control no monsters on my field, I can special summon RWBY Soul – Ruby Rose, from my hand." Anna said.

"Time to avenge my sister!" Ruby cheered. However, she immediately gagged after inhaling the toxic air. "Anna. Hurry up and get rid of that crow! My lungs are dying."

RWBY Soul – Ruby Rose
[LV: 3] [Attribute: Wind]
[Warrior/Tuner/Effect]
[ATK: 1400] [DEF: 700]

"In a second, Ruby. Next, I'll activate the spell card Huntress Soul! With it, I can summon Necro Huntress – Muerta from my graveyard. And with her effect, I can add one Huntress or RWBY Soul – Monster from my deck to my hand. I'll Noir Huntress – Lalah to my hand, and I'll immediately summon her." Anna said, as Lalah appeared on the field, twirling her pistol.

Noir Huntress – Lalah
[LV: 4] [Attribute: Dark]
[Warrior/Effect]
[ATK: 1600] [DEF: 1400]

"I now tune level 3 RWBY Soul – Ruby Rose, with level 4 Noir Huntress – Lalah!" Anna yelled. Ruby then jumped into the air, and turned into three green rings, which then outlined Lalah's body, turning her into four stars.

"Descend in flurry of petals, and dance a magnificent battle! I Synchro Summon! Appear before us! Red Rose Huntress – Ruby Rose!"

3 + 4 = 7

Red Rose Huntress – Ruby Rose
[LV: 7] [Attribute: Wind]
[Warrior/Synchro/Effect]
[ATK: 2500] [DEF: 2000]

Ruby then appeared on the field and spun her scythe ready for combat. Unfortunately, due to Plague Veil Crow's effect, Ruby couldn't get her power up.

"Oh. Cute and deadly. That's a neat combination. Although I don't think it's going to be enough."

"You're right, River. It's not. That's why I'm calling in some back-up. Whenever I successfully synchro-summon a monster to my field, I can summon, this card from my hand. Come on out, Zwei!

"Zwei!?" Ruby said shocked.

At first, nothing happened, but then the Grimm then notice something hurdling towards them. Before they could react, a flaming fireball struck Plague Veil Crow (Doc), square in the chest, knocking him down. When the smoke clear, Jackie then looked down to see a black-fur corgi sitting on Doc's stomach, panting.

Huntress' Aid Zwei
[LV: 1] [Attribute: Earth]
[Beast/Tuner/Effect]
[ATK: 100] [DEF: 100]

"Arf!" Zwei said, as he then proceeded to run to Ruby.

"That was something." Jackie said.

"Is that suppose to be a dog, or a cannonball?" Doc asked, he slowly got back up.

"Zwei! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" Ruby said, petting Zwei on the head.

"Surprisingly, Zwei has a couple of effects. If I summon him using his effect, I can negate the effects of one face-up card on the field. But that's not all he can do. I now tune level 1 Zwei, with level 4 Muerta." Anna declared.

"A puppy tuner. Now that's an oddity." River said.

"I thought dog monsters were normal in this game." Jackie said.

Zwei then leaped into the air, and turned into one green, which then outlined Muerta's body, turning her into four stars.

"Heart of a warrior! Soul of a wolf! Howl and defend your cherished ones! I synchro summon, Huntress' Guard Zwei-Ki!"

From a pillar of light, a claw cleaved its way out revealing a bi-pedal, black and white fur, wolf creature. It wore black karuta armor (samurai armor), with hints of blue, on its upper body, arms and waist guard, that had a hole in the back for his tail. He also had a muscular body, showing that he had immense strength. Within his right claw-hand, a dual-staff Kanabō materialized, and Zwei then spun the staff overhead, and threw it down, cracking the floor.

Huntress' Guard Zwei-Ki
[LV: 5] [Attribute: Earth]
[Beast-Warrior/Synchro/Effect]
[ATK: 2000] [DEF: 1700]

Ruby slowly turned her head, to the Warrior-Wolf that towered over her. In turn, the creature who is supposedly Zwei, looked down at her, with glaring eyes, only growling softly. "Zwei?" she asked softly, somewhat scarred.

Zwei slowly crouched down to see Ruby, eye-to-eye. After a brief pause, he then licked RWBY right in his face. "ARF!" he barked loudly, as he wagged his tail and panted.

"Haha. Good boy." Ruby said, relieved that Zwei is still himself. Even when he got turned into a massive wolf-warrior.

"It still freaks me out that we found a card like that a while ago." Blake said, feeling a bit uneasy.

"Well, as long as Zwei is okay with it, it's fine with me. Ruby did bring him on a field mission once." Weiss said.

Back to the duel, Anna analyzed the field and commenced her plan of attack.

"Since your Crow's effect is negated, Zwei can use a couple of his effects. First, for every monster in the graveyard, with the 'Huntress' in its name, Zwei-Ki gains 100 attack and defense points. Right now, I count a total of five cards. That means 500 extra points for Zwei." Anna said, as Zwei howled in his new form.

Huntress' Aid Zwei-Ki: 2000ATK + 500ATK = 2500ATK
1700DEF + 500DEF = 2200DEF

"I activate Zwei's other effect! Once per turn, I can target one other Huntress Synchro-Monster on field and raise that monster's attack and defense points by 1000, and until the end of the turn, that monster can't be destroyed by battle or card effects! Go! Zwei Riser!" Anna yelled.

Zwei then spun his dual-club in a circular motion, and then slammed one of the ends into the ground. A triangular multi-color rune appeared beneath Ruby, empowering her.

Red Rose Huntress – Ruby Rose: 2500ATK + 1000ATK = 3500ATK
2000DEF + 1000DEF = 3000DEF

"Huh. Neat." River remarked.

"Only downside is that the monster with the boost can't wage a direct attack. However, I won't have to. I'm having her attack your Runic Jackal! Ruby's other effect activates! When battling a monster with 2000 or more attack points, I can attack another monster! Ruby! Take out both Hyksos Runic Jackal and Plague Veil Crow!" Anna yelled.

Ruby only smirked as she then used her semblance to rush towards both of the Grimm. Both Jackie and Doc readied their weapons and charged forward as well. Ruby began swinging her scythe in a circular motion, parrying each of their attacks. She then used the centripetal force she generated in combination with her semblance to propel herself into the air. She then transformed Crescent Rose into its sniper configuration, and fired a sniper rounds at each of the Grimm, staggering them. She then descended from the sky at a rapid speed, slicing through both of the Grimm Xyz monsters, shattering them.

"Since I kept Eel Blader on Plague Veil Crow, I talk no damage from that battle." River said.

"However, Ruby destroyed two monsters, meaning you take 500 points of damage." Anna said.

Ruby then fired a shot a River, dealing some damage. River only stepped back a bit, and only grunted, shrugging it off.

River Sticks: 2100LP – 350LP – 500LP = 1250

"This will finish it! Zwei! Attack River directly!" Anna yelled.

Zwei let out a ferocious howl, as he sprinted towards River, spinning his club.

"I play my face-down! Wrath Guard! Whenever I'm attack directly, for each Grimm XYZ monster in my graveyard, I reveal one card from the top of my deck. Then, if there happens to be a Grimm type monster among them, I can reduce the damage by that monster's attack points, as long as I banish that monster. Since there are a total of three Grimm XYZ monsters sleeping in the grave, the equals three cards!" River said, as he quickly drew the top three cards of his deck.

Wrath Guard show an Asura Ursa using its many arms to block multiple swords, axes and lances attacks from multiple directions.

Wrath Guard
[Trap: Continuous]

"Wow. Only one monster. And the it's the very last card. I guess stuff like this tends to happen in games like these. But it should be enough. One of the cards happens to by my Primate Witch-Doctor, with 2000 attack points, so I'm only taking 500 points of damage from this attack! As for the rest of the cards, they go to the graveyard." River said.

Primate Witch-Doctor
[LV: 7] [Attribute: Dark]
[Grimm/Ritual/Effect]
[ATK: 2000] [DEF: 2500]

The Primate card then burned away with a purple fire, surrounding River with a purple aura. He then spread his legs to the side and bended his knees just a bit, staring down Zwei's battle form with no hesitation. Just as Zwei brought down his club, River quickly raised his right arm, and blocked the attack causing a purple shock wave to spread through the dueling area. Zwei kept on pushing forward, while River stood his ground, and both sides weren't backing down. River then let out a battle cry, and managed to push off Zwei, creating a gust of wind around him, forcing Zwei back.

River Sticks: 1250LP – 500LP = 750LP

Zwei then jumped back to Anna' side of the field, growling at the fact he couldn't get the win. Ruby the proceeded to pet him on the head, which instantly made him happy. Thought she had stand on her toes to reach his head. Everyone else was trying to look past the dust to see what River's condition was. What they saw next shocked them.

When the dust clear, River was standing up smirking at the group. However, what caught their attention was his head. Apparently, his black hair, was now shifted to the side, as it was literally hanging off of his head, revealing more of his orange hair that was underneath. River was unaware of this, as he then cracked his neck to both sides, causing the black part of his hair to fall off. After the group's eyes followed the black wig that fell to the ground, they then looked back up to River's head to see two cat-like orange ears sticking out of from his head.

River's face then turned to confusion. "Is something the matter?" he asked, still unaware of what just happened.

Anna slowly pointed to the ground next to him. When River looked down, and saw the black wig. He slowly reached his left hand to his head, and felt his exposed newly exposed ears. "I, uh, accidently super-glued them to my head. I was attending a comic con. I did a cosplay of an MMO RPG." He said, chuckling.

"The last comic con was two months ago." Victoria said.

"Yeah. It's that bad. They've been super-glued to my head for two months." River said in a calm tone.

"Don't play dumb with us, River. You're a Faunus." Blake said. She then took off her bow, revealing her ears as well. "I know a Faunus when I see one. Especially your scent."

River only let out a sigh. "Dang it. I knew I should of have used tape. Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag. Or tiger in this case. I'm actually a Tiger-Faunus. But tigers are considered feline."

"How have I not known this? I'm technically his tutor." Victoria asked herself.

"Maybe his horrible hygiene prevented you from getting a good look at him." Blake said.

"Wait. If you're a Faunus, then that a means you're from Remnant!" Ruby shouted.

"I guess." River said. Surprisingly, he seemed okay that his secret was out in the open.

"What do you mean 'I guess'?" Weiss retorted. "Being a Faunus, means you're from Remnant! And if you're from Remnant, you should know a Grimm is! Everyone from Remnant knows what a Grimm is. Even toddlers! And here you are using Grimm-Spirit monsters, which happen to be even more dangerous than the Grimm that Huntsmen fight on a daily basis! That's not even including the advance types!" she said, taking deep breathes after her rant.

"Feeling better?" Blake asked.

"Yeah. I needed to get that off my chest." Weiss said.

River on the other hand pondered about the thought. "Your point?"

Just as Weiss was about to go on another rant, Anna raised her hand to stop her. "I think what Weiss is trying to say is that this you being a Faunus raises even more questions about you. Questions that might have answer to our situation." She said.

"Look. It doesn't matter if I'm a Faunus or from Remnant. I don't really care about that. The only thing that matters to me is what I do with my life, right now. But I did agree that if I lose, big emphasize on the word 'if', that I would spill some of the beans. I mean, this whole Tiger-Ear thingamajig isn't really a big issue. It's only an issue if you want to make it an issue. But enough chit-chat. We're in the middle of duel, so let's keep the party rolling." River said.

Anna narrowed her eyes, realizing there was now more on the line for this duel, and more to River's story.

"My Wrath Guard has another effect. For each level that the banished monster had, I add one wrath counter to the card. My witch-doctor has 7 levels. Everyone here knows basic mathematics, so yeah. You get the point." River said.

A small rectangular gauge appeared in front of the Wrath Guard card, and filled up to seven blocks.

"Well, are you going to do anything else with your turn? It is still your turn if you have forgotten." River said.

"Y-yeah. I'm finished with my turn." Anna said, being more on guard.

Red Rose Huntress – Ruby Rose: 2500ATK/2000DEF

Turn 9: River Sticks
Anna Yuno: 600LP vs River Sticks: 750LP
Anna Yuno Hand: 1 vs River Sticks Hand: 1+1

"Alright then. Here I go. I'll play Pot of Greed first. Two more cards in the hand should be nice for me." River said as he drew two extra cards.

"You know, aside from the fact of you noising around in life, and getting personal with me, I'm finding this duel somewhat enjoyable. Although, it seems like you're taking this way too seriously." River said.

"I'm not just dueling for my own sake. I'm doing it for team RWBY. They're counting on me." Anna said.

"I get where you're coming from. These Grimm dudes. They're the best thing to happen in stinking life. However, all fun things must come to a close. I play the spell card Monster Reborn! Now, return! Hyksos Runic Jackal!" River shouted.

Monster Reborn
[Spell: Normal]

A black portal then appeared on River's side of the field, as Jackie once again appeared on the field with his sword at the ready.

"And now the finale! I activate Wrath Guard's final effect! If I control a Grimm-Type XYZ monster on field, I can send this card to graveyard, and destroy all my opponent's face-up monsters, whose attack points are less than 400, times the number Wrath Counters on this card. With a total of seven-counters, all monsters with 2800 attack points or lower, are destroyed! And the best part is for each monster that gets destroyed by this effect, you take 300 points of damage for each!" River said, clenching his right hand.

"No way!" Anna yelled in disbelief.

"Jackie. Let it rip." River said.

The trap card, dissipated into red dust, and transferred its power to Jackie. The Grimm immediately sheathed his sword, and began running towards Anna's side of the field. Once he was midway, he then stuck out two fingers forward from his right hand, and began sliding at high speeds, while leaving behind a trail of red aura.

"WRATH RELEASE!" both River and Jackie yelled. Once Jackie came into contact with Ruby and Zwei, the attack caused a red explosion of energy to erupt from Jackie's body, destroying everything within its range, as Ruby and Zwei were instantly destroyed.

"Ruby!" Blake cried.

"Zwei!" Weiss cried out.

"Anna!" Victoria cried out.

Jackie then jump back to his side of the field, as River waited for the smoke to clear. Suddenly, two gunshots were heard on the battlefield, as two bullets came flying out of the smoke, striking River in the chest twice, causing him to stagger backwards. River held his chest in pain, and was glad there was no actual blood. Looking up, he saw that the shots came Noir Huntress – Lalah.

"With Lalah in my graveyard, I can b-banish her to negate the damage that I would receive, and re-direct it back to my opponent. Furthermore, when Zwei-Ki is destroyed by battle or by an opponent's card effect, I can revive one Huntress Synchro monster from my graveyard. I'm bringing back Ruby Rose!" Anna said, as Ruby returned.

River Sticks: 750LP – 600LP = 150LP

"Then I'll just take her out again! Jackie! Attack Ruby Rose!" River yelled.

Jackie into the air, and quickly performed an overhead swing, directed towards Ruby. Just having return from the graveyard, Ruby didn't have time to react, as she then crossed her arms out of instinct.

"RUBY!" Anna yelled out of fear.

However, when Ruby opened her eyes, she saw that Jackie's sword was right up in her face, as Jackie himself had just stopped himself from landing the blade and smirked. "Except for the fact on the turn I use Wrath Guard's destruction, I can't wage an attack. For now, I'll set one card face-down, and end my turn." River said.

Jackie then sheathed his sword and returned to River's side of the field. Anna took a deep breath, feeling relieved that Ruby was going to survive the turn.

"That was a sick joke." Anna said.

"Hehe. Sorry. I was just curious to see how you would react. Besides you still have that Scarecrow. You could have just negated it if it were for real." River said.

Realizing that, Anna scowled and smack herself on the forehead.

"I'll just set two cards face-down. Now go on. It's your turn, and it might be your last." River said.

Turn 10: Anna Yuno
Anna Yuno: 600LP vs River Sticks: 150LP
Anna Yuno Hand: 1+1 vs River Sticks Hand: 0

Anna looked at her deck, and wiped away the sweat on her forehead. She knew she had to draw, but for some reason, her hand wouldn't move.

"What's wrong, Anna? It's your move. Have any thought about giving up?" River asked.

After hearing those words, Anna looked up with eyes filled with rage. "Of course, not! Don't tell me to give up!" she shouted.

River on the other hand didn't seem phased, but rather intrigued. "You know what's unusual? The amount of anger you display at anything of resembling the words 'give up', it's not normal. Sure, I get it. Nobody really likes getting told those words. However, whenever the idea is mentioned to you, it's like your entire inner world is threaten." He said.

"What are you trying to say?" Anna asked.

"Sorry. It's hard for me to find the proper words. I'm not really good at talking about stuff like this. But if I had to summarize it…you're directing that anger towards yourself." River said.

"W-what are talking about? Anna just doesn't like being told that." Ruby said.

"Who doesn't?" River replied. "You can tell anyone those exact words, or re-word it in a way, and the response will be somewhat negative. It's just that you on the other hand, you reply extremely negatively to it, but not to the person who told you it. Instead, you're yelling at yourself." River said.

"What are talking about? That doesn't make any sense! Why would I be mad at myself!?" Anna yelled back.

"For starters, it's the way you duel, or the way you act. You eyeball each of my actions, worried, that I'm going do something really bad." River said.

"Isn't that normal in a duel?" Anna replied.

"Yeah. It is. Being nervous of your opponent's actions is quite normal. However, that's the only thing I mostly noticed. Sure, you have your 'motivated' moments. But it was mostly you just being nervous. Or should I say scarred?" River said.

"What's it to you!?" Weiss said.

"Weiss?" Anna said.

"The way Anna duels have nothing to do with what this is all about. We're dueling because it's the only way to get answer out of your mouth! You didn't even want to duel us in the first place! So, why did you take a sudden interest in her attitude right now?" Weiss yelled.

River only chuckled. "Ah. Funny thing. The reason why I didn't want to duel you guys, is because of that exact attitude. When I declined to duel in the first place, it was just because wasn't really in the mood. But just when you yelled in my face, for telling you to give it up, I didn't want to duel you even more. Look, there's no gentle way to say this, so I'm just say it. YOU GOT ISSUES, KID!" River shouted, but not with anger.

Anna only scowled, as she couldn't find the words to argue back at River.

"I don't want to sound like a jerk, but whatever this is about, I don't want to get involve with your issues. Once you get mixed up with one person's issues, even the tiniest ones, you get mix up in a whole-wide string of them. No offense, but I got my own stuff to take care of." River said.

"Then why the sudden change of interest?" Weiss asked.

"At first, when we started dueling, I was just curious to see where it would go, and how you would play. But, the more I observed, the more noticed your behavior. You flinch whenever your monsters get attacked. You take a couple of steps back whenever I summon a new XYZ monster. Each turn you take is like you're struggling to keep the upper hand. No, I say desperate is a more accurate term." River said.

"Arrgh. Who do you think you are? Some kind of psychoanalyst!?" Anna said, raising her voice.

"Actually, I am majoring in psychology. So, I would say, forty percent." River said.

Blake then turned to Victoria. "You didn't mention this." She said.

"I didn't think he would use it in a duel." Victoria replied.

"Actually, most of it actually to me being part Faunus. I have heightened senses. I can see the little detail of my surroundings. From my experience, it really makes big difference whether you get to live, or die. You want to know the littlest detail I found about you?" River said.

Anna was only silent, breathing heavily, as sweat ran down her face.

"I think I'll just tell you. The fear in your eyes. The way you flinch. Big bravado bluff. You're scarred, but not of giving up, but considering it." River said.

Anna only gritted her teeth. "No. That's not true." She said.

"Oh, but it is. Your anger. It's not directed towards the person who tells you it. It's directed towards yourself, for even thinking it. You put on façade to show others you're not fazed by the fact, but in reality, you're just suppressing thought."

"Shut up." Anna said.

"Oh, come on. You're showing resistance. That means he's hitting the screw on the coffin." Jackie said.

"It's nail on the coffin, Jack. But he's got a point. Such strong denial is a sign that it's somewhat true."

"No. You're wrong! I would never consider that option!" Anna yelled.

"Oh. Sure, that's what you tell yourself. To trick yourself you never thought those words, you scream to drown it. Overtime, the more you think of something constantly, more you believe it."

"No. No! Stop talking!"

"Ironically, yelling at me doesn't help prove your point. It only solidifies the fact that my theory might be true."

Anna's head began to hurt.

"In summary, you consider the idea of giving up. And that's what you're afraid. The fact that you will, out of your own free-will, give up. That'll you cave in, and accept failure. That, is what you're afraid of." River said.

"I said…SHUT UUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!" Anna screamed to the top of her lungs.

*THUMP*

A pulse of pain then shot through Anna's entire body, and then all went to her head. She immediately got on her knees, and held both of her hands to her head. She began groaning in pain, grunting, and struggled to breath. She then let out a wail of pain, as she grasped her head tighter with her arms, as her scream echoed through the piers.

"Anna! What's wrong!?" Victoria shouted, out of concern.

"Geez. I knew she wouldn't take it well, but this is something else entirely." River said, dumbfounded by the scene.

"To be fair. You may have gone a bit far." Jackie said.

"Maybe." River replied.

Anna then reeled back her head, as she felt herself lose consciousness. Just then, another pulse of pain surge through her body, as she then dived deep into her mind.

(Anna's Mind)

Soon, Anna found herself standing in a dark void. There's was nothing within it. A blank dark space. She then felt something powerful behind her. When she turned around, she saw a shadowy silhouette, with ocean-blue colored eyes. At the same time, both Anna and the silhouette reached out to each other with their hands, and when they touched, a pulse of energy rippled from between their palms.

(Real World)

In the real world, Anna's body remained motionless after her screams ended for a short period, with her head drooped forward, eyes wide open. At that moment, her hair suddenly grew and spread outwards, growing up to almost Yang's hair length. She then slowly rose from the ground and for some reason, she seemed to be taller, and her chest was slightly bigger as well. When she raised her head, her ocean-blues eyes were sharper, and she had a serious look on her face, being cold as stone. Apparently, Anna's appearance had change entire, taking on the form of a young woman in her twenties. Surprisingly, her clothes also grew along with her new physique.

Everyone was stunned by her transformation, as everyone was speechless.

River felt a strange aura from emanating from the woman is supposedly Anna. "Now that's either fastest puberty phase I've seen, or it's something else entirely." he said.

"River. Her hair got longer. She grew taller. Transformed from anger. She's like one of those kung-fu monkey-alien-men from outer space. Remain vigilante. She might fire energy blasts at us. Like that turtle laser." Jackie said, as he readied his sword.

"Wrong series, Jack. But I won't argue with vigilante part." River said. "Either way, that isn't the same Anna from before. She doesn't look angry, nor nervous. Just…just…uh…I don't know the right word for this. Wild perhaps?" River thought to himself.

Meanwhile, the woman who is supposedly Anna tried to moved her arms, and felt discomfort. "Argh. This jacket is way too tight." She spoke in a deeper, but matured voiced. She proceeded to take off the purple jacket, and wrap the sleeves around her waist, and tie it in a knot.

"Ah. That's much better. It's nice to have free arms." She said, smiling, and swinging her arms in a circular motion. She then took a look at the field, and her hand, taking note of the situation.

(Yugioh Vrains OST: Duel with Anger)

"Heh. Let break some limits. Draw!" Anna said. Some reason, the card seemed to have a small glow.

"Soul Connecter Huntress Athena! Attend to me!" Anna said.

The monster that appeared was a woman, concealed in white robes that was connected with a small yellow chain, wearing a cloak that came with a hood. She had light green hair, and two green eyes. She wielded a staff that contained a small multi-colored orb on the tip, as six spheres of different colors orbited around her.

Soul Connecter Huntress Athena
[LV: 4] [Attribute: Light]
[Spellcaster/Effect]
[ATK: 1500] [DEF: 1400]

"I don't recognize her." Blake said.

"Forget the duel spirit. What about, Anna!? She…she…she just changed completely from a girl to a woman!" Weiss exclaimed.

Victoria on the other hand, was still in shock from seeing her sister's transformation. However, nobody else noticed, but Ruby was still silent from the experience. She hasn't even reacted what's happening.

"Athena's wisdom is grander than all. By discarding one card from my hand, I can revive one Huntress with 2000 or less attack points monster from my graveyard, with its effects negated. At the end of the turn, that monster will return to the graveyard. Return to battle, Huntress Guardian Zwei-Ki. Sacred Renewal!" Anna said.

The sphere surrounding Athena, then began to glow, as she began murmuring a mystic chant. A black portal leading to the graveyard then opened up, as Zwei in his warrior form jumped out, a spun his club ready for battle again.

"The monster revived by this ability can't declare an attack, and is banished when it leaves the field. However, that doesn't matter. I activate Athena's second power. By releasing Athena, I can send monsters on my field to the graveyard to perform a fusion summoning of a Huntress monster." Anna said.

"A fusion monster? Since when did she have a Fusion Monster!?" Weiss exclaimed.

"I don't know. But judging by the look of things, Anna, only has two monsters to fuse. Ruby and…Zwei!?" Blake said in shock, as she immediately to try process that last sentence.

"Ruby! Are you okay with this?" Weiss yelled. However, there was no response.

"Ruby! Hello? I'm speaking to you."

Ruby only remained silent, as she seemed only focused on the battle at the moment.

Anna only smirked, eager to play her new card. "I fuse Red Rose Huntress – Ruby Rose, with Huntress' Guardian Zwei-Ki!" Anna said.

Athena then rose in the air, as the orb in her staff began to glow, and the spheres around her flew away from her and surrounded both Zwei and Ruby, who were unphased by what was happening. The spheres then began to spin rapidly around the two, as they then turned into tiny particles which were the color of their attributes, as they then began to mix together.

"Spirit of the wolf. Soul of the Warrior. Stand together as a new legend. I Fusion Summon! Transcend Dimensions! Crimson Thorn Huntress, Zwei Rider Ruby!" Anna yelled.

Crimson Thorn Huntress, Zwei Rider Ruby
[LV: 10] [Attribute: Wind]
[Beast-Warrior/Fusion/Effect]
[ATK: 3500] [DEF: 2300]

When the light dissipated, Zwei emerged as a gigantic quadrupedal wolf, wearing red armor from head to tail, with spikes sticking out of the shoulder, and a sharp blade attached to its tail. There was also red armor on his lower legs, but allowed him to retain high mobility. What's more, was Ruby who was mounted on Zwei. Her attire was also different as well. She was adorned with black metallic chest plate armor, with red lining, and the center piece resembled the face of a wolf. She also wore armor wrist gauntlets, and leggings, all in the deep shade of crimson. She also wore a battle tiara on her head. In each of her hands, were two Crescent roses, but they each had a shorter grip, making them resemble medium size sickles. The weapons also retained their mechanical parts, showing that they had an alt. mode. Zwei then let out a battle howl, as Ruby pointed her new weapons at her enemies. No one didn't say anything, as they were all stunned form what they were seeing.

River on the other hand looked amused. "Oh. Now this is getting interesting."

"I think I'm the only one who's concerned that we're going to have a bad time." Jackie said to himself.

"Moving to battle phase. Ruby, Zwei. Run them through." Anna said coldly.

Ruby then immediately raised her weapons and snapped the reins. "Onward, Noble Zwei!" she yelled, aggressively.

Zwei then let out a battle howl, and began charging towards their enemies, as Ruby readied her weapons.

"I activate one of Ruby's effects. Whenever she attacks a monster with 2000 or more attack points, she gains 1000 attack and defense points for this battle. Hunter's Eye!" Anna yelled.

A glint appeared in both Ruby and Zwei's eyes, as they pinpointed the weakest parts of Jackie's body, and prepared to strike in the specific locations.

Crimson Thorn Huntress, Zwei Rider Ruby: 3500ATK + 1000ATK = 4500ATK

"I play a face-down! Grimm Counter Attack! Whenever a Grimm type monsters is the target of an attack, I can destroy the attacking monster. In addition, if attacked monster is a XYZ monster, I can have that monster gain 1500 attack points until the end of the turn!" River yelled.

Grimm Counter Attack
[Trap: Counter]

Hyksos Runic Jackal: 2800ATK + 1500ATK = 4300ATK

Grim Counter Attack showed Bunny Panzer blocking an attack, and preparing to deliver a fatal uppercut to a knight. Jackie then unsheathed his sword, and swung a flash of energy towards Ruby and Zwei. However, Athena appeared in front of them deflecting the blast.

"Hate to break it to you, but…oh what am I saying? I would love to break it to you. Any monster that was fused by Athena's effect can't destroyed by card effects. As of now, your monster's attack points may be 4300. But Ruby's is 4500. With only 150 life point left, this attack will be enough for me." Anna said.

"Not unless I use this! Dark Stasis! By banishing one Grimm Type Monster on my field, I can gain life points equal to that monster's original attack points. I banish Hyksos Runic Jackal!" River yelled.

Dark Stasis
[Spell: Quick-Play]

Dark Stasis showed the Primate Witch Doctor surrounded in a purple veil, putting him in a deep trance. A dark purple dome then appeared around Jackie, as the Grimm was then suspended in mid-air, and unconscious.

River Sticks: 150LP + 2800LP = 2950LP

"I'll give you some credit for saving your monster. However, you don't have enough life points to survive a direct attack! Bring him down, Ruby!" Anna yelled.

"You're forgetting about one thing, Anna. I still got one trick up my sleeve. I activate the effect of my Hare Interceptor from my graveyard. If I'm attacked directly, I can summon this card from the graveyard, and place him in defense mode!" River said.

And just like that, Hare Interceptor raced out of the graveyard, and stood between River and Ruby. Zwei then performed a swipe attack, sending the monster flying into the air, as Ruby jumped into the air and used a flurry of slashes, destroying the monster. River smiled at the fact that he survived, but it immediately vanished when he heard Anna chuckling.

"Fascinating. Even after all that, you're still standing. Color me impressed. Although, I'm far from finished. Since Ruby destroyed a monster in battle and sent it to the graveyard, you take 200 points of damage for each of that monster's levels. Hare Interceptor has a total of five levels, meaning you take 1000 points of damage." Anna said, smirking.

Ruby then transformed her two Crescent Roses, into two rifles, and began firing a barrage of bullets onto River, who shielded himself from the attack.

River Sticks: 2950LP – 1000LP = 1950LP

"Also, since I used a Red Rose Huntress – Ruby Rose, as fusion material, I gain a special ability. After destroying a monster in battle, I can make an attack on another monster on your field. Problem is that there are no monsters on your field. Pity. On the other hand, I have another option. I can look at the two cards of my deck, and place one of them on the bottom, and the other in my hand. I'll set one card face-down, and end my turn." Anna said.

At this moment, everyone was focus on the duel, and how it will end.

Turn 11: River Sticks
Anna Yuno: 600LP vs River Sticks: 1950LP
Anna Yuno Hand: 0 vs River Sticks Hand: 0+1

River gave out a smirk. "Now this is an interesting turn of events. Who would of thought that the little scared girl had a side like this? Tell me. Who are you exactly?" he asked.

Anna said nothing, as she only maintained a stern look on her face. She then straightened out her hair, and then gestured her right hand, telling River to come at her.

"Action over words. I like that. My move now." River then held out his hand, as an orange aura surrounded him. His orange hair began to glow, and his eyes lit up. He then began clenching his hand, until it was ready.

"Draw!" he said, as an orange aura surrounded the card. "During my Standby Phase, Dark Stasis return Jackie back to my field and becomes an overlay unit for him." River said, as Jackie was then freed from the purple veil.

Hyksos Runic Jackal: OVU 1

"Now I'm going to use Jackie's effect, to cut your monster's attack points in half!" River said.

Jackie then absorbed the overlay unit into his sword, and casted a runic spell form his sword. "Runic Bind!" he yelled.

The spell came in contact with both Ruby and Zwei, as their bodies now how runes on them. However, they were unphased by them, and looked normal as ever.

"I'm afraid that won't be happening. While the other effects of your Jackal are still in play, Ruby's last ability prevents her own attack and defense points being changed by any other card effects other than her own." Anna said.

"Nice trick. Here's mine. I'm summoning my own steed. Grimm Beast - Frozen Bicorn!" River shouted.

GB – Frozen Bicorn
[LV: 4] [Attribute: Water]
[Grimm/Effect]
[ATK: 1000] [DEF: 2000]

Above River, the sky turned bright blue, as the temperature began to drop. From the sky, the sound of hooves were head, as everyone looked up, to see a Grimm resembling a bicorn, descending from above. Like most Grimm, it was colored black, with red eyes, and bones on its legs. However, it had light-blue streaks on its body, and a magenta colored main, and its two horns glowed with light-blue glow. The creature then kicked its front legs in the air, letting out a feral neigh.

"When this card is normal summoned to my field, I can destroy one spell or trap on my opponent's field! In addition, for Grimm XYZ monster on my field, I can destroy an additional card. I'll take care of both your face-downs! Freezing Blight!" River said. The horns of the bicorn began to glow with a light blue color, as it then fired tow spheres of ice magic towards both face-down cards. Upon contact, the cards froze, and shattered into little ice bits.

"After that, Frozen Bicorn equips, Runic Jackal! When equipped, it adds 1100 attack points." Rivers said.

Jackie then jumped into the air, as he then mounted the bicorn, and grabbed the reins. He then pulled out his Khopesh, and it then extended into a longer version of it, changing to a light-blue colored ice-element.

Hyksos Runic Jackal: 2800ATK + 1000ATK = 3800ATK

"Here we go! I attack with Runic Jackal! Now my Bicorn's other ability can activate! Whenever the monster it's equipped to battles an opponent's monster, I can attach the top card of my deck as an overlay unit to that monster, and if doesn't units to begin with, I can add two instead! Also, when this card attacks an opponent's monster, your monster's effects are negated, and Runic Jackal gains 500 attack points for each overlay unit on it! Go for the final blow, Jack!" River yelled.

Hyksos Runic Jackal: 3800ATK + 500ATK + 500ATK = 4800ATK

"Ruby Rose. Your blood shall stain my blade! Hayah!" Jackie said, snapping the reins, causing the bicorn began galloping towards Ruby and Zwei.

"Every rose has sharp, deadly, thorns. I am no exception. Charge, Zwei!" Ruby said, in a soft but aggressive tone. Zwei then let out a battle howl, and charged as well.

The two mounted warriors, then crossed their blades with one another, as their steeds circle each other, before sprinting off, and then circling around as the two dashed at each other, while Ruby and Jackie kept crossing their weapons. Jackie had a longer weapon though, as he quickly used the longer reach to strike at a longer distance, disarming Ruby of one of her weapons, and he then went in for the final blow while her guard was down.

"I activate the effect of Ambush Huntress Kaguya, who I discarded, from my graveyard. By banishing her from my graveyard, I can set a Huntress Spell or Trap card from my graveyard onto my field. I'll set the card you destroyed a while back. Huntress Advance Reversal." Anna said.

Tactics Huntress Kaguya
[LV: 3] [Attribute: Dark]
[Warrior/Effect]
[ATK: 0] [DEF: 2100]

Kaguya was a woman with black hair, that was tied up with a red ribbon in the back. She wore a black combat vest, with four pockets with Kevlar padding beneath, with a long black sleeve shirt underneath. She also wore black combat pants, with a belt that contained multiple knives and pistols. Her only armament was a black riot shield, with a slot to insert her pistol. She had two red eyes, and a cold look on her face.

The new huntress quickly threw out a device that quickly implanted itself in the ground. It then projected a hologram of a set card.

"In addition, the card can be activated immediately after being set. As they say, better now than later, so, here's my trap! With this card, whenever a Level 5 or higher Huntress monster is being attacked, attacking monster's attack is negated, and then my monster immediately battles the monster that attacked it, and gains 500 attack points. Then for the remainder of the turn, my monster can't be destroyed in combat nor by effects. But that doesn't really matter. What truly matters is the fact, that now I'm the one attacking, meaning your Bicorn's effects are no longer in play. Also, since Ruby is attacking, she gains 1000 attack points instead. That means your Jackal can learn how to play dead." Anna said.

Crimson Thorn Huntress, Zwei-Rider Ruby: 3500ATK + 500ATK + 500ATK = 5000ATK

Hyksos Runic Jackal: 4800ATK – 1000ATK = 3800ATK

Just before Jackie's sword made contact with Ruby, Zwei quickly used his back to propel Ruby into the air, as the sword went in between the two of them. Ruby then morphed her weapon into gun mode, and unloaded a full cartage of bullets onto Jackie staggering him. Zwei then ran over to the other side, as Ruby landed onto of him, and immediately charged. Ruby then stood up on Zwei's back, and readied her weapons as a trail of rose petals came off her cape. She then swung in weapon in a circular motion, landing a furry of blows onto Jackie, as the Grimm then shattered in an explosion.

River Sticks: 1950LP – 700LP = 1250LP

"Ruby's effect now activates! Since she destroyed your Jackal. You take 400 points of damage for each of his ranks. Since he had four ranks, that's 1600 points of damage for you, and one victory for me." Anna said, giving off a small smile.

Ruby then aimed her weapon at River and fired a single bullet.

River only laughed. "I may not be winning this fight, but neither are you." He said.

"What!?"

"Frozen Bicorn doesn't take defeat to lightly. When the monster he's an equipped to is destroyed by my opponent, you take 300 points of damage for each of that monster's rank. That's means 1200 points of damage for you. Revenge is a dish best served, ice, cold." River said.

Jackie then reappeared on the field in an astral form. He then held his sword in the reverse position, and sent a shockwave of ice energy towards Anna. Both the shockwave and bullet passed each other at the same time, as both Anna and River were both struck with by their opponent's attacks. Neither screamed, as they both stood their grounds, bracing the impact of each attack.

Anna Yuno: 600LP – 1200LP = 0LP

River Sticks: 1250LP – 1600LP = 0LP

Duel Over
Draw

Both Anna and River slouched over as they both breathed heavily. They both looked at each other, upset that neither of them could win.

A feeling of fatigue then came over Anna. "Damn. I'm a bit out of shape. This body is really out of shape. Anna really needs to exercise. Heh. Funny that I need to sleep after…waking up…for some time…" Anna then fell to her knees and then forward as she found herself in a deep slumber.

As for everyone else, Yang had just reappeared, and saw that Weiss, Blake and Victoria were still in shock staring. "Hey! Guys! Snap out of it." Yang said, snapping her fingers in front of each of their faces.

Victoria was the first to come to, as she saw her supposed sister lying on the ground. She immediately ran over to her sister, and turned her over. Once again, she could not believe her eyes, as she was staring at the face of a completely different person. Yet, she could feel that it was still her sister.

"My god." Was all she could say.

Blake, Weiss and Yang then came up. "She looks fine. But this…this is completely strange." Blake said.

"I've heard of semblances altering one's appearance. But this is whole new level." Weiss said.

"Wait. Where's Ruby and Zwei!?" Yang said.

Everyone then looked around to find Ruby and Zwei sleeping on the ground, next to each other. Ruby then reached out her arm and brought Zwei closer to her, as the two slept peacefully.

River then approached the two and knelt down. "Huh. One moment, you're a badass wolf rider. The next moment, you're snuggling with doggie. Life sure is strange." River said, as he hesitantly picked the two up and brought them over with the group.

"So, would you like me to put them in the car?" River asked.

"I'll do it myself. Blake. You take Ruby. I'll take Zwei." Yang said, as she yanked Zwei away from River.

"Sure. I'm good with that." Blake said, as she picked up Ruby's body and carried her to the car.

Victoria then stood up and looked River directly in the eyes. River only scratched his head, as Jackie then reappeared behind him. He then nudged him in the shoulder. "Listen…about what happened. Sorry about going ham on your sister. I might of taken it a bit too far there."

"No. It's fine. I think this is something I needed to see." Victoria said.

"It was something we all had to see." Weiss said.

"Well, thanks. Look. I don't know what's going on with you, your sister, and her multi-colored hair friends, but I hope it works out for you in the end. I mean it." River said, patting Victoria on the shoulder.

"Thank you, River. I appreciate it. Although you could have gone a little easier on her at the end." Victoria said.

"I bring out my A game and all strength for anybody. Nobody is an exception. Although, I'll be little bit more sensitive in the future." River said.

"Uh, River. Now that the duel is over, what are you going to do about the win conditions?" Jackie asked.

"Oh, yeah. We got a draw. So, how does this work? Do I pay for half of my cat's vaccine shot, and you pay the other half? Or do I just get the two free studying sessions off?" River asked.

"What are talking about?" Weiss asked.

"The win conditions. If I won, Victoria would pay for cat's vaccine shot, and our next two lessons are free. So, which is it?" he asked.

"How about we both fulfill both ends of our conditions?"

"Why not? We both win that way."

"That's it?" Weiss said.

"Yeah. I don't know what else I want. Well, was thinking about her paying for this Korean BBQ restaurant that opened up, but my cat's health comes first." River said.

"Speaking of cats, you got a lot of explaining to do yourself." Weiss said, pointing at her own head.

River then looked up at his head, and realized that his Faunus ears were still exposed. "Want to talk about it over KBQ? We can split the check."

"As long as you uphold your end of the bargain, I'm ok with anything. Although I don't trust you completely. So, don't try anything funny." Weiss said.

"Relax, Huntress. You have nothing to fear. We have business with, unless the situation demands it. Also, you fought well. It was nice to have something fight." Jackie said.

"As much as I hate to say it, I must thank you as well. I because of you, I've seen the fundamentals of a Grimm-type deck. This will be helpful in the future for us." Weiss said, coldly.

Jackie and Weiss then stared intensely at each other as the silence between them, creating tension in the air.

"Anyways, I have get going now. I have a morning shift tomorrow, and I still need to do some homework." River said.

"Which wouldn't be an issue, if you didn't play on your phone for five hours, last night." Jackie said.

"Shut it, Jack." River said, sounding annoyed.

"Yeah. I agree. I need to take care of Anna. As for when we'll talk about your ears, when's a good time?" Victoria asked.

"Hmm. Is two days from now good?"

"That works. Goodbye, River. Have a nice day." Victoria said.

"Alright. See you around." River said, as he turned around, and walked away.

"Actually, River. Is it okay if you can help me carry Anna back to the car? She bit heavier in this form."

"Ah. Sure. I'll be glad to." River said as he ran over. Although, he was unsure of what to do. "Uh, Should I grab her by the legs? I'm not sure if that I'll be okay or not…"

"Just lift her up!" Victoria said.

"Sorry!"

Weiss couldn't do anything in her miniature state, so she decided to keep an eye on River. River noticed, as he then looked her, then at Anna, then back to Weiss. "You know, if fifteen-year-old girl can get a chest like that in her twenties, there's probably hope for you." He said.

Weiss said nothing as her stare only intensified, while pulling out her weapon, with the tip of the sword gleaming.

"Sorry. I crossed the line there."

"This is why you'll never have a girlfriend, or get married. At all." Jackie said. He then held his hand out in front of Weiss. Hesitantly, Weiss in turned slapped it.

"You just had to word it like that."

(Red Demon's Noodle House)

In one of the booths at the restaurant, Ethan was sitting in one of them, with another person sitting across from him. A female.

"So, that's the situation. You got all of it?" Ethan asked.

"Mhm. Sounds like you and your friends found themselves in the biggest pickle in the universe. I suppose you're here to ask for my help with the matter in some way." A woman said, in a proper tone.

"Yes. You're the only person I can trust who can effectively help me." Ethan said.

"Aw. I'm flatter that you think of me like that. Don't worry, Ethan. I'll help you. But is okay if you do something for me?" the woman asked.

"I suppose it's fair."

"Great! Is it okay if I can meet these Huntresses? I would love to get to know them, as well as my fellow members. Also, since this is technically their world problem, they have a right know." The woman said.

"Very well. Thank you, Sabrina." Ethan said.

End of Chapter

Author's Note

Whoo boy. I know it's been a long time, but it's finally out. I apologize for the overdue post, but here it is. I hope you all enjoyed it. Now a couple of things to announce.

First off, if you haven't seen the message at the top, a fanfic writer, known as Kaizerthewriter is doing a react fic with RWBY characters watching my story. To be honest, I'm really happy that this actually happened. If you're interested in stories like that, I suggest you give it a read.

Second. This one is about OCs. I know a lot of you have submitted your OCs, and asked me if they can be in the story. At first, I didn't know what to do at the time, because I really can't say no, but at the same time, I didn't know how to work it with my story. That is why, I'm going to group them all up at once. One of my new characters Sabrina is going to manage them within the story. The reason why I'm doing this is because, I have a lot on my plate, and I know that some of you want me to include your OC in my story, and this is how I'm going to do things. The next chapter will introduce these OCs. I'll try to do my best to give them care. If any of you are against this method of including OCs in my story, PM immediately so I can scrap the idea.

Please PM me to submit your OC. You have until June 30th, 2020, to submit an OC. Any submissions past this deadline will not be presented in the next chapter.

I really don't want to say anymore, as I just want to get this chapter posted immediately, so that's all I'll say for now. As for the reviews, I'm a bit tired to answer them, but I appreciate the thoughts of everyone. I all hope you have a wonderful day.