GKC: What's up, everyone! This is GKC here bringing you the next chapter of Remnant's Climax Heroes! In case you're wondering about the last chapter, it was set after the events of The Badge and the Burden. They didn't really time stamp the series so… we're basically just going with our guts.

Jaune: And now I can finally be the star!

GKC: Sure… for only four episodes.

Jaune: HEY! I get great character development later on!

GKC: Jaune, I think me, Fen, and the audience can all agree… that RT made you into a joke.

*Jaune starts to whimper as he curls up into a ball and begins to cry*

GKC: Right… so while Jaune's crying away his sorrow, let's do a disclaimer. Fen and I do not own, except our OCs, RWBY or Kamen Rider. All rights belong to their respective owners.

GKC: Let's get this party started… HENSHIN!


Chapter 5: Jaundice, Hybrid Fight


[Sparring Arena]


It had been roughly one week since the Taros Incident in Beacon Academy. Since then, everyone who had been involved merely believed that those possessed had probably eaten or drank something bad and gave them alternate personalities or made them even weirder than usual.

"Haaaaaaaaaa…" Kurogasa sighed a bit depressed as he was sitting on the sidelines.

Orpheus, who was strumming his harp, noticed his partner's expression, "What's wrong with you?"

"I still feel violated from being taken over by Sieg…" Kurogasa groaned.

"Eh, could be worse. You could've been taken over by either Urataros or Ryuutaros. Sieg is… pretty tame compared to them."

"You don't understand. I acted prim and proper. That's not me. It's like I'm back home at the Schnee Mansion and Jacques beating everything into me…"

"Dude, relax!" Aaron chided his teammate as he situated his gauntlets and boots onto his hands and feet. "Growing up in a mansion with a jackass for a foster dad is nothing compared to the nightmare I had to go through on the… other side." He said with a shiver while referring to his time in the White Fang.

"Easy for you to say, the old coot wears a clip-on tie! A CLIP-ON TIE!"

"Two words…" Aaron spoke, staring at his team. "Sienna… Khan…"

"…I bet you were making her 'roar'…" Kurogasa muttered. An uncomfortable silence permeated between the members of Team JOKR when they noticed their leader had nothing to say.

"No way… YOU ACTUALLY TAPPED THAT!?" Orion gawked.

Aaron rubbed the back of his head, "To be fair, I got caught in a hot spring by accident and… one thing led to another and well…" The crimson-eyed teen had the decency to blush as he chuckled sheepishly.

"Was she a scratcher?" Orpheus asked.

"Scratcher, screamer, and squirter."

"NOW I'M THE ONE FEELING CHEATED!" Kurogasa shouted in anger. "NO WONDER THE WHITE FANG WANTED TO KILL YA!"

"Well, there were tons of reasons why they wanted to either catch or kill me but… that's a story for another time."

"WHATEVER!" Kurogasa threw his hands in surrender before storming out of the arena. "It's not fair…" He muttered before leaving completely.

Aaron watched as Kurogasa left then scratched his head, "Is he jealous that I scored first? Because it wasn't fun for me. That tiger Faunus… she's a super freak in bed."

"Well, good things seem to happen to those that are older and more handsome." Orpheus pointed out.

"Maybe we should save this story for later… after all, we are in the middle of Combat Class." Orion stated.

"Oh yeah…" Aaron said quietly. "Hey, look! Jaune's up next!"


LINE BREAK


Lunchtime… pure chaos of food and students. And Nora was regaling her friends one of her many tales.

"So! There we were, in the middle of the night…" Nora began.

"It was day," Ren corrected.

Nora looked to Blake Belladonna, paying no attention as she was lost in her book, and Yang, who is hanging on her every word with her hands cupping her face, "We were surrounded by Ursai..."

Ren corrected his friend while holding a coffee cup, "They were Beowolves."

"Dozens of them!" She screams as she stands at the table of both Team RWBY, JNPR, and JOKR where Weiss is ignoring Nora and filing her nails, Ruby and Pyrrha are listening politely, and Jaune is messing with his food.

"Two of 'em." Ren corrected.

Nora continued to rant while Ruby and Pyrrha now look at a distant Jaune with concern. "But they were no match... And in the end, Ren and I took them down and made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs!"

Ren sighs, "She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now." He explained to his friends and teammates.

"Well, wouldn't be the first time we've heard something crazy," Orion admitted as he sipped his juice box.

"Jaune? Are you okay?" Pyrrha asked.

Jaune snapped out of it, turning back towards them. "Huh? Oh, yeah! Why?"

"It's just that you seem a little… not okay…" Ruby said rather sheepishly.

Jaune noticed as the others stop their distractions and stare at him, mostly his brother, partner, and his first friend in the school. "Guys, I'm fine. Seriously!" He tried to convince them.

"Jaune… I'm your twin brother and even I know that was a lame excuse." Orion said dryly.

"Well…" Jaune said as he holds up a thumb while laughing nervously until his attention is focused on the members of Team CRDL. Said team was picking on a rabbit Faunus girl, who was only trying to enjoy her lunch.

"Jaune, Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school!" Pyrrha said.

"Who? Cardin Winchester? Nah… He just likes to mess around! You know, practical jokes!" Jaune tried to pass off.

"He's a bully." Ruby pouted.

Jaune scoffs, "Oh, please! Name one time he's 'bullied' me."

"Okay, then allow me to remind you," Aaron said as he cut into his meatloaf.


LINE BREAK


Jaune is seen on the way to class as Cardin is going the other way down the hall. When the two passes, Cardin knocks his arm into Jaune and makes him drop his book, then continuing on his way with his hands out as if daring anyone to challenge him.

"Ah, come on!"


LINE BREAK


Jaune and Cardin are about to pass through a doorway, but Cardin clicks on Jaune's sheath and extends it into its shield form as he's going out, causing him to run into his own defense and have it block the exit.

Jaune grunts in frustration as he tries to lift his shield back out. "Come on…!"


LINE BREAK


Glynda is in the locker room with several students, gesturing at the devices. "Each of you will be assigned one rocket-propelled locker to store your weapons and extra armor. Additionally, your locker can be sent to a custom location based on a six-digit code."

Hearing this, Cardin looks at Jaune - standing between him and the only open locker in the room - and the cliché plays itself out as Cardin quickly pushes a shocked Jaune into the small dark space and closes the door on him, pressing random buttons on the pad right after that.

"What?! No, wait, wait! You've gotta get me out of here! Please! Don't! Don't! Don't do it!"

It was too late to protest when the locker scrunches down and launches up with a burst of blue fire coming from its base. Cardin watches as the locker slowly soars across the sky.

"Ahhh, coooome oooooooon…!" Jaune cried out as he was still in the locker.


LINE BREAK


Jaune laughed nervously trying to play it off as they all focused on him. "I didn't land far from the school!"

"Jaune, you know if you ever need help, you can just ask," Pyrrha said sadly.

"Ooooh!" Nora thought on an idea as she gets up from the table and presents her diabolical plan with a not-entirely-sane grin. "We'll break his legs!"

"I second that!" Orion added.

"Guys, really, it's fine! Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to me; he's a jerk to everyone." Jaune said. They all looked over as the laughter grew louder, mixed in with cries of pain from the rabbit girl when one of her ears was tugged on by Cardin.

"Ow! That hurts!" The rabbit girl whimpered as she struggled. "Please, stop…"

Cardin continued laughing as he turns to his cronies. "I told you it was real!"

"What a freak!" Russel guffawed.

Cardin finally relents, and the girl stands up and hurries off, her head bowed and hiding her face from the watching table of heroes.

"Atrocious. I can't stand people like him." Pyrrha frowned in disapproval.

Blake felt the same way as he glared daggers at them. "He's not the only one…"

"It must be hard to be a Faunus," Yang said sadly, leaning her head on her hand.

"Say, where's your brother?" Ruby asked Weiss.

"I don't know. Last I saw, he was storming off mad for some reason." Weiss shrugged.

"That's a bit of a story," Aaron said, rubbing the back of his head.

The girls looked at the leader of Team JOKR in confusion.


LINE BREAK


"Dbegsyzywgggesinzbvrgshshvrrgeudjbd…" Kurogasa grumbled incomprehensibly as he kept walking. Things never really went his way ever since the semester started. White Fang trying to kill Weiss, Bat Imagin trying to kill him, landing miserably at the Initiations, and recently being possessed by a haughty and demanding Swan Imagin. It's been nothing but bad things sent his way. He managed to find a bench in the courtyard and sat down while hunched over. "Huuuuuuuh, what the heck am I doing…?"

He let his mind wander as he looked at his hand, wondering if he was even meant to belong here. As he was lost in his own thoughts, a person was walking towards Kurogasa.

"Excuse me?" A timid, feminine voice spoke. Kurogasa turned around to find a bunny Faunus with light brown hair and ears looking at him.

"Huh? Oh, you're… Velvet, right?" Kurogasa recognized since she was the one that picked him and Weiss up to come to Beacon Academy.

"Y-Yes." Velvet said timidly, "You're Kurogasa?"

"Yeah, that's me." Kurogasa nodded. "What brings you here?"

Velvet looked away gripping her arm as her eyes shifted to the ground. "N-no reason…"

"Hm?" Kurogasa tilted his head in confusion. "No reason at all? You sure?" He then noticed something on one of Velvet's ears, which she tried to cover. He had a general idea of what it could be, knowing how Faunus everywhere are treated; a bruise and a bad one at that. "Your ear… it's bruised. Are you okay?" Kurogasa asked as he stood up and tried to get a closer look at it. Velvet, however, shied away, "It's okay. I won't hurt you." He assured. Velvet seemed a bit hesitant, due to the fact he was human and she was a Faunus, but she nodded slowly after a while. Kurogasa examined the bruise, which covered most of her ear. "Have they been pulling on it?"

Velvet nodded somberly, much to Kurogasa's ire. He was wondering who would dare bully a nice girl like her. And he knew exactly who it was.

"It was Cardin Winchester, wasn't it. Team CRDL?" he asked. Velvet looked away, answering his question. "I thought so. Alright, I know exactly what to do."

"Huh? Do what?" Velvet asked.

"I'm gonna go confront him. You stay here." Kurogasa said before running off to find Cardin. There was a bit of time before lunch was over, so this was the perfect chance.


LINE BREAK


*WOOSH! BAM!*

The doors to the cafeteria swung open as all the students towards the entrance and saw Kurogasa marching over to Cardin. "HEY, ASSHOLE! I GOT A BONE TO PICK WITH YOU!"

"What'd you say?" Cardin snarled.

"You heard me," Kurogasa said as he got in the taller boy's face. "Why did you pick on Velvet, pulling her ears like that? She's done nothing wrong to you!"

"What's it to you, shrimp? Got a thing for the animal?" Cardin snarked while his teammates chuckled.

"She's a second-year, your senior, and you have the nerve to pick on her because she's a Faunus!? Who the hell do you think you are!?"

"Me? Hm, well…" Cardin suddenly pushed Kurogasa as the boy landed on the ground. "I'm bigger than you and you're just a little kid raising his hackles like a dog."

"Excuse me," A voice spoke while a finger taps Cardin's shoulder. When the bully turned to face the guy who would dare touch him, he was met with a fist striking him in the nose. The assailant is revealed to be Aaron, who was busy popping his knuckles while giving the leader of Team CRDL a dry look. "I don't like it when someone pushes my teammate or bullies girls. So… my team and I are going to break your freaking faces in."

"Why you-!"

*WHABAM!*

Cardin didn't voice out his cry of pain and his eyes went soulless as Kurogasa who managed to get on his feet, used his fist at full force to give him a nasty low blow to his balls. If one could hear, they would have heard the sound of his tailbone cracking before Cardin fell to the ground while holding his crotch.

"And you give me shit about hitting a guy in the nuts," Aaron deadpanned.

"That's it! Get them!" Russel shouted as he lunged to tackle Aaron before he was grabbed from mid-air by Orion, who was holding up the rogue by the collar of his vest. "Oh no…" He whimpered.

"Oh yes," Orion said with a bright grin.

In a split second, Russel was sent flying as he screamed before crashing into the garbage.

Orion wiped his hands together as if removing dust unaware that Dove Bronzewing was holding up a tray to hit the Arc twin with, before an apple hits him right in the face, knocking him out. The thrower is revealed to be Orpheus, who was tossing an apple up and down.

"You're out," Orpheus said casually.

The members of Team JOKR looked at Sky Lark, who wanted to join in before he noticed the unconscious forms of his teammates then looked back at the four teens. "You know what… I'm just gonna… lay down on the floor." The blue-haired teen said as he dropped down to the ground.

"Smart choice," Aaron said.

"What is going on here?" Glynda's voice shouted as she came over to the scene.

"They started it!" The members of Team CRDL gestured to Team JOKR, who all flinched when the woman leveled an icy glare at them.

"My office… all of you!" She told both teams, who wisely followed the angry blonde woman while everyone else watched in silence. Though Cardin was dragged by his teammates because he was still holding his crotch in pain. Once they had left, the students continued their meals, except for Team RWBY and JNPR.

"Aww…" Nora whined. "I was hoping to see some broken legs."

"Well, Cardin's got a broken crotch." Yang pointed out. "And that's way more satisfying."

"They're still getting detention for starting a fight, you know," Blake pointed out.

"No doubt about that." The rest of her friends admitted.


LINE BREAK


"Just what were you boys thinking about starting a fight?!" Glynda scolded as she paced in front of them who sat in their chairs, Cardin having a pack of ice between his legs.

"Hey, that asshole started it by picking on a girl!" Kurogasa gestured to Cardin.

"Language, Mr. Kururugi," Glynda warned the boy.

"They were picking on Velvet, pulling her rabbit ears!"

"And do you have evidence?" The Deputy Headmistress inquired.

"Well, the entirety of the cafeteria," Aaron pointed out.

"I see," Glynda glanced at the members of Team CRDL before looking back at Team JOKR. "Then why did you not inform a teacher? Or myself?"

Neither of the boys had a good enough answer for her.

"Would you have really dealt with it?" Kurogasa asked suddenly. "Because I've seen too many things in my life that involve people getting hurt and pleading for help to those who are obligated to help and they don't do anything about it and wash their hands over the situation."

The blonde woman rubbed her forehead, "Honestly… boys and their testosterone levels." She glared at the two teams. "As of this moment, you will all serve two weeks detention with me after the Forever Fall field trip is over. For now, you will be writing a 100-page essay to me for causing trouble."

The teens groaned in lamentation.

After she dismissed them, Team CRDL left first but not before sneering at the members of Team JOKR, who glared right back at them. When Team JOKR returned to their dorm, they instantly complained about the essay.

"Man, this is bullshit," Orion whined with his head face down on his desk. "Why'd we get stuck with a dumbass essay?"

"Not to mention single-spaced!" Orpheus added. "And front and back which only counts as one page so technically it's 200 pages!"

"Well, we did start a fight. Besides, it could be worse." Aaron pointed out.

"Don't jinx it, man!" Orion exclaimed. "Besides, we all know whose fault it is."

"Shut up…" Kurogasa muttered as he kept writing.

"Dude," Aaron spoke, looking at the samurai of the team. "We get that you did it because you wanted to help Velvet but did you really think that course of action through?"

"…" Kurogasa remained silent as he stopped writing. "No… and honestly, part of me wanted to vent out from this morning. I'm sorry…"

The team leader shrugged, "Eh, we all have those moments. Truth be told, I was waiting for a chance to bust Cardin's nose in. You getting pushed was the perfect reason. Anyways, let's get this essay done as quickly as possible then get ourselves ready for that trip to the Forever Fall forest."

"And two weeks of detention after that," Orpheus added.

"Well, I didn't say it would be all 'sunshine and roses'." Aaron retorted. The team continued to chat while they worked on their essays. Aware of the events that were about to unfold but unaware of the third party about to intervene…


LINE BREAK


Meanwhile…

"Hey Velvet, everything okay?" Coco asked as she and the rest of the team were at their usual meetup. The rabbit Faunus squeaked in surprise when she noticed the looks her team was giving her.

"Oh, um… y-yes, I-I'm fine." She stuttered.

Her partner, Yatsuhashi, looked at her with a raised brow, "Are you sure, Velvet? You seem… what's the word…"

"Anxious?" Fox said via his telepathy Semblance.

"Yes, that's the one." The gentle giant nodded.

"I… well…"

"Was it Cardin again?" Coco frowned, knowing how Velvet was such an easy target to people such as him or other people that have a prejudice against Faunus. The bunny girl lowered her head in shame with her ears drooping to mimic said expression.

"You know, if you told us, we would be there to help you, Velvet," Yatsuhashi told his friend. "No one picks on our teammate."

"Agreed," Fox nodded via telepathy. "We can always prank their asses."

"But… someone else took care of it." Velvet said. This surprised her teammates.

Coco lowered her shades and stared at her best friend, "Oh? And who was it?"

Velvet felt her cheeks burn a cherry red when she thought back to the younger boy who helped her, "I-it was one of the First Years… from Team JOKR."

The fashionista had a sly grin on her face, "Really? And which of those cute boys turned out to be your knight in shining armor?" She teased.

"Coco, It's not like that!" Velvet panicked. "He… just stopped Cardin from messing with me."

"And you now have a crush on him. Aw, little Velvet found a boyfriend." Coco teased.

"I told you it's not like that!" Velvet huffed.

"The blush says otherwise." She giggled.

"Fox, Yatsu, help me out!" Velvet whined.

"Hmph…" Fox smirked.

"Did you… try asking him out?" Yatsuhashi playfully teased for once.

"Not you too!"


LINE BREAK


Three days later, classes were in session. Particularly the class being hosted by Professor (DOCTOR!) Bartholomew Oobleck. A few members from RWBY, JNPR, and JOKR shared the same class. Blake and Weiss from RWBY. Jaune and Pyrrha from JNPR. Orion and Orpheus from JOKR. Unfortunately, they also had to deal with Cardin Winchester from CRDL as well.

Currently, the students were listening to a lecture from Oobleck about the Great War, particularly about the Faunus. Although, Jaune seemed to have different priorities… such as sleeping in the middle of class.

"Yes! Yes, prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution-more popularly known as the Faunus War-" Oobleck zooms up to the front of the class and the map covered in papers behind his desk. "-humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie." He then points at the map of said-area with his stick, then zooms off to the side for a sip of his coffee before appearing in front of the desk. "Now! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events! Why the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day!" He zooms around the classroom more, sipping his coffee again before continuing to zoom and talk. "Now! Have any among you been subjugated or discriminated against because of your Faunus heritage?"

Some of the students raise their hands. Velvet, after a moment, does the same.

"Dreadful, simply dreadful! Remember, students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence!" Oobleck said as he takes another sip of his coffee "I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to White Fang! Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorize to be the turning point in the third year of the War?" A hand was raised. "Yes?"

Weiss spoke evenly, "The battle at Fort Castle!"

The teacher nodded, "Precisely! And, who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces?"

Unseen by the professor, Cardin flicks a paper football at Jaune's head, causing him to wake up.

The blond looked back at the brute in annoyance, "Hey!"

Oobleck zooms over into Jaune's face, "Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent! Excellent! What is the answer?"

While Oobleck and Jaune weren't looking, Orion quickly slips a piece of paper in front of his twin brother and whistles innocently.

"Um, the answer is…" Jaune hesitates as he looked around for a decent response but then he discreetly noticed the paper on his desk. "Night… vision…?"

Oobleck stares at Jaune for a few seconds before exclaiming, "Correct! It seems you are paying attention, after all, Mr. Arc. Moving on!" The hyperactive man quickly zoomed around the chalkboard, writing down different points in history as well as future assignments for next week.

Jaune glanced at his brother, who merely gave him a thumbs-up.

"That was good of you," Pyrrha smiled at Orion.

"Hey, we twins stick together. That's how we roll." The baseball cap-wearing teen said as he laid back in his seat in a nonchalant manner. However, Cardin frowned in suspicion. There was no way someone like him knew the answer. The guy was a slacker!

The class bell rang, signaling the end of the session as Oobleck turned to face his students. "That's all we have for today but we will be picking this up tomorrow! Mr. Arc, Mr. Winchester, please stay a moment. I need to speak with you."

Orion and Jaune paused mid-step as they looked at the green-haired man in confusion.

"Ah, pardon me. I sometimes forget that you're twins. Mr. Jaune Arc, I mean." He corrected himself. Hearing his name, Jaune groaned while his brother patted him on the shoulder as he left the classroom. Once everyone had left, Oobleck faced the two boys. "You two have been struggling in my class for the past few weeks. I'm not sure if it is due to a lack of interest or something else, but it stops right now. You've worked hard to gain entrance to this school, and we only accept the best of the best, so I expect you to act like it. History is important, gentlemen! If you can't learn from it… you're destined to repeat it. But… it seems you Mr. Arc won't be repeating history."

This earned him a surprised look from the blonde. "While I was skeptical that you were paying attention in class, I was honestly surprised you got the right answer. Usually, I find you just dozing off like most of my other students. Still, your grades are suffering in this class so I'll have to come up with some extracurricular activities. Now not to worry, they won't be essays, but you are required to do the work. Understand?" Jaune nodded furiously at that. He then turned to Cardin. "As for you, Mr. Winchester, I expect an essay on my desk for the next twenty pages in your textbook by tomorrow. Am I clear, boys?"

"Yes, sir," Jaune and Cardin replied in unison. Cardin eyed Jaune, knowing who he was gonna deal with.

"Good, now run along!"

Meanwhile, outside of the classroom, Weiss passed by her fellow students to return to her dorm room until…

"Um… Miss Weiss?" Velvet called out. Weiss stopped and turned around confused.

"Yes?"

"Um… have you… seen your brother? I… need to speak with him."

"Why? Did he do something reckless again?"

"No, no. Nothing like that. I… wanted to thank him… for the other day."

"For what?"

The rabbit Faunus fidgeted under the icy gaze of the Schnee heiress, "F-for… helping me…" She stuttered.

Weiss blinked. "Oh, you mean…"

"Yes…" Velvet said shyly. Weiss's eyes softened at that. She knew her brother was one to help others, so it was understandable.

The heiress then said, "You can find him in his dorm room or in the training hall."

"Thank you." Velvet said, bowing quickly before going on her way.

"Did I scare her?" Weiss looked to Blake.

Blake looked at her teammate with a dry look, "You're the daughter of one of the leading factors of Faunus labor that has caused problems for Faunus everywhere. What do you think?"

"A simple yes or no would have sufficed…" Weiss pouted, before walking on her way. Blake sighed at her teammate. While her family has been known for questionable methods, Weiss herself never had any intention of scaring the rabbit Faunus. Her thoughts drifted back to that moment she argued with her parents and the days she witnessed her brother being ridiculed by the White Fang…


Flashback


"I forbid you from joining the White Fang!" Ghira exclaimed. "Do you have any idea how much damage they caused ever since Sienna took over?!"

"But dad, you can't deny that they get results!" Blake retorted.

"That's not the point! They used violence as a way to get those results, we don't! All it does is breed more hatred between us and them! Why can't you see that?"

"Humans won't accept us as equals unless we make them see!" The cat Faunus yelled. "They treat us like second-rate citizens and I hate it!"

"Even so, you cannot use force!" Ghira retorted. "Don't think for even for a second that I don't feel the same way as you do! I'm just as upset as you are, but I don't let those emotions take over me. There's a fine line when it comes to doing what's best and what's right and the White Fang has blurred that line!"

"So you and mom would rather stand at the side while others suffer at the hands of humankind?" Blake gritted her teeth before she blurted out, "You're nothing but cowards!"

"Blake!" Kali gasped in horror. The Belladonna girl pausing when she realized what she had said to her father. Ghira looked at his daughter in shock and visibly hurt.

"Blake…?" Aaron muttered as the family looked to see the adopted boy standing in the hallway, looking shocked.

"A-Aaron!?" Blake gasped when she noticed the look on her brother's face.

"Is that… what you really think of humans? Of me…?" Aaron said.

"N-no, Aaron! That's not what I-" She tried to reach out to her brother but he stepped back, avoiding her touch.

"You should probably stay back… I need to be alone." Aaron said before running off.

"Aaron, wait!" Blake called out as the guilt began to settle in.


End Flashback


Blake shivered at the memory. The way she hurt her brother in such a way was unbearable. He stayed away from her for a week before Kali coaxed him back to talking with his sister again and the two made amends. Unfortunately, there was a bit more tension between Blake and her parents, especially when the girl persisted in wanting to join the White Fang. Shaking the thought off her mind, she went on to her next class.


LINE BREAK


Later that night, Pyrrha had taken Jaune to the roof.

"Pyrrha, I know I'm going through a hard time right now, but I'm not that depressed," Jaune said as he looked over the edge of the roof, to the confusion of Pyrrha. "I can always be a farmer or something…"

The realization hit her with horror as if she drank a gallon of coffee. "N-n-no!" She panicked, dashing to push Jaune away from the edge. "That's not why I brought you up here!"

"It isn't?"

"Jaune, I know you're having a difficult time in class and that you're still not the strongest of fighters, so… I want to help you!"

"Wh-what?" Jaune looked surprised.

"We can train up here after class where no one can bother us!"

"I don't know, I…"

"Jaune, everybody needs a little push from time to time. It doesn't make you any different from the rest of us. You made it to Beacon! That speaks volumes of what you're capable of!"

"She's right, you know." Orion's voice said as he approached him. "Are you seriously gonna give Pyrrha a history lesson about our lineage as warriors and that you're not good enough? Newsflash: you are good enough."

"That's easy for you to say, Orion," Jaune said bitterly. "You're just like dad and our grandfather."

"Bro." Orion looked at him seriously. "Don't sell yourself short. You're capable. Because this is what you've always wanted to be. Sure, things don't go your way, but that doesn't mean that it makes you less of a man if you ask for help. Even I ask for it when things don't go the way I want it to. Opportunities are open to you. You just have to walk through the door. Trust me."

"YOU DON'T GET IT!" Jaune yelled, surprising both Pyrrha and Orion by the blonde's sudden yell. "But why wouldn't you? You've got a cool Semblance which makes you into a superhero. Me? All I can do is swing a sword and get my butt kicked! Do you have any idea how it feels to be a second wheel to your friends!?"

"No, and I probably won't know," Orion said. What he does know is that he's trying to save his brother from Cardin whom he knows is listening from his window sill below and will try to blackmail him. "But that doesn't mean you have to beat yourself up over it. You have the potential, I can see it in you. I know it. And no matter what happens, you're still my brother. Nothing can and will change that."

"Oh sure, I get that, especially since you got accepted into Beacon and I had to cheat my way in!" Jaune retorted.

'DAMMIT!' Orion cursed in his thoughts.

"You… what?" Pyrrha said shocked.

"I mean I didn't go to combat school, I didn't pass any tests. I didn't earn my spot at this Academy!" Jaune said. "I lied! I got my hands on some fake transcripts, and I lied!"

Pyrrha looked to Orion, "Did… you know about this?" She noticed the guilty look on the boy's face when he looked away. "But why?"

"I'm tired of being the lovable idiot, stuck in the tree while his friends fight for their lives! Don't you understand? If I can't do this on my own… then what good am I?"

"Jaune-"

"Just stop! I don't want help! I don't want to be the damsel in distress! I want to be the hero!"

*POW!*

Pyrrha was shocked when Orion punched his brother to the ground. "No… that's you being a selfish prick, you ungrateful ass," With that, he stormed off. He then picked took out his Scroll and called a number, or rather several numbers at once. "Guys, it didn't work. Cardin's gonna blackmail him…"

["So what now?"] Kurogasa asked. ["If we try to fight CRDL during the trip, we're screwed."]

["We can't really do anything but watch over him. Remember, this is the time in which Jaune has to grow."] Orpheus pointed out.

["Plus, I'm pretty sure that if Orion interferes then Cardin might threaten to expose Jaune. Considering he knew about the fake transcripts, Orion would suffer the consequences as well for being an accessory to fraud."] Aaron added. ["We'll just have to hope Jaune will make the right decision."]

"Hope? More like pray." Orion sighed.


LINE BREAK


The next day…

The members of Team RWBY, JNPR, and JOKR had gathered together in the library during a free period to have a study session but there seemed to be a problem… particularly the sudden lack of a blonde white knight.

"Has anyone seen Jaune?" Ruby asked.

"Nope!" Nora answered.

"…" Orion remained silent with his arms crossed, feeling rather irritated.

"Pyrrha?" Ruby looked to the spartan girl, who looked sullen as she wordlessly messed with her notebook. "Pyrrha, are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh… I'm fine." She answered softly.

"You sure? You don't look like it." Yang pointed out before Blake nudged her in the ribs. "What?"

"Pyrrha, we're only asking because we've been hearing from other students that he's been hanging out with Team CRDL," Ruby stated.

"I'm sorry, what?" Pyrrha looked surprised.

"Yeah, they're acting way too friendly with him," Kurogasa said, though just thinking about it didn't paint a good picture either way, because one it was the usual bullying tactics or two… that other possibility should never be spoken of… unless he wanted to throw up in his mouth a little.

"That's weird." Nora raised an eyebrow.

"I know," Kurogasa immediately agreed.

"If Jaune wants to hang out with those brutes then let him," Weiss said while filing her nails. "It isn't our business if he befriends them or not."

"Still… why would he want to hang with CRDL… unless…" Pyrrha began, as she tried to rack her brain for answers.

"We'll keep an eye out for him," Aaron said. "It's the best we can do at the moment." Pyrrha could only nod at that.

"But speaking of looking out," Orpheus smirked turning to Kurogasa.

"You're really not gonna leave me alone about it, are you…" Kurogasa deadpanned with a sweatdrop.

"What is it? Tell me, tell me, tell me!" Ruby said excitedly.

"Remember the rabbit Faunus that was being bullied by Cardin and his goons?" Orion said. "Well, Kuro here now has a crush on his… what was it again? Senpai?" He smirked as well.

"Sen… pai?" Ruby tilted her head at the term.

"Shut up…!" Kurogasa hissed, with a blush. "It slipped, okay?"

"Oooh, spill everything! I wanna hear this." Yang said enthusiastically.

"Alright, here's how it all started…" Aaron said as his mind drifted back to that particular moment.


Flashback.


After the call with Orion…

"I have a bad feeling about it." Kurogasa sighed. "So much for trying to change things…"

"Well, we can't change every little thing." Orpheus pointed out.

"No, but… it could make things easier for them and us." Kurogasa said. "Not to mention… all the events that will come up later on. Like Cinder and everyone else…"

"Dude, relax," Aaron said as he sat in his seat while balancing a pencil on his nose. "We know what happens. We have the powers of Kamen Rider. There's nothing we can't handle."

"I hope so. But once Cinder plants that virus, Beacon is done for." Kurogasa said. "Meaning one of us goes with Ruby and intercepts her before she does."

"Relax! We know what happens, we can handle it. Geez, did anyone ever tell you that you're paranoid?"

"Not my fault that I want to fix the faults the show had…" Kurogasa pouted. "There were actually good arguments I couldn't ignore, no matter how much I tried to enjoy it for what it is."

"Oh my God, you're one of those…" Orpheus rolled his eyes.

*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

The three of them looked at the door. Who could be knocking this late at night? Kurogasa volunteered to open the door and when he turned the knob and pulled the door, it was…

"Velvet?" Kurogasa blinked surprised as did Aaron and Orpheus.

"Whoa, what now?" Aaron exclaimed in shock.

"For some reason, I do not feel quite as surprised." The musician muttered.

"Hello, Kurogasa." Velvet greeted.

"Er… hi." Kurogasa said. "What brings you here?"

"I… asked your sister where you were and… I wanted to thank you… for the other day."

"Huh? Oh, that." Kurogasa said. "It's… uh… it's really not a big deal. I'm just… glad I could help. Plus, you're a second-year and were disrespected by Cardin and his posse. I can't stand it when people do that to their seniors."

"Technically, we helped," Aaron interjected.

"Yeah, what are we, chopped liver to you?" Orpheus retorted.

"Still… thank you." Velvet smiled a bit.

"It's no problem." Kurogasa shook his head. "If there are any other problems, just come to me. I'll look after you, Velvet-senpai."

"Sen… pai?" She blinked with the confusion from the honorific.

"U-Uh, sorry, a force of habit. Uh… where I'm from, it's what I call my seniors in school." Kurogasa stuttered.

"Oh, I see. That's pretty interesting." The Faunus smiled softly.

"Whoa, is Kurogasa flirting with an older girl?" Aaron whispered to the musical archer of the team.

"Eh-yep," Orpheus answered.

"So… I'll see you around?" Kurogasa asked.

"First class. Yes." She nods.

"Okay. I'll see you then." Kurogasa said making Velvet nod with a smile before leaving. Kurogasa then turned to his friends who just stared at him. "Don't… say a word." He muttered darkly.

"Oh, we didn't have to say anything. Your face says it all, lover boy." Aaron snarked with a sly grin.

"To think that you would go after a girl two years older than you…" Orpheus smirked. "You definitely have a thing for older women."

"It's not like that!" Kurogasa shouted with a heavy blush. His teammates chuckled at his embarrassment.

"Sure, it isn't," Aaron and Orpheus laughed all the same.


Flashback End


"And that's how it went." Aaron finished explaining.

"Oh~," Ruby said after a minute, "…what's a senpai?"

"Think of it as a senior in school or an upperclassman," Orpheus explained. "It's to show respect to those that are above your station."

"Oh~ okay."

"With all of my hate Aaron, with all… of my hate…" Kurogasa grumbled irritably.

"We love ya too, buddy," Aaron said with a cheeky grin.

"So, little Kuro is interested in bunny girls, huh?" Yang gave the younger boy a teasing smirk. "And an older one too. I never would've guessed."

Kurogasa responded in the best way possible, by tossing fruit at her head. Yang got hit and rubbed her forehead grumbling.

"You kinda deserved that, Yang," Ruby told her sister.

"In any case, the Forever Fall field trip is coming up," Blake spoke after she placed a bookmark into her current reading material. "It might do Jaune some good to have an outdoor environment."

"Good point, Blake. Alright, let's finish up on studying and go over what we can for Professor Peach's class." Aaron suggested. The rest of the teens nodded in agreement, focusing back on their studies. All the while, they prepared themselves for the coming field trip in the Forever Fall forest.


LINE BREAK


Later that night, Jaune had managed to give Team CRDL the slip after they were done 'hanging-out' but he felt guilty for leaving his team and for yelling at his partner and brother. Ever since Cardin had found out that he faked his transcripts, the bully had made it his goal to make his life miserable and even threatened to expose him if Orion tried to fight back. He walked towards his dorm room but stopped to eavesdrop on his teammates' conversation.

"Jaune still hasn't come back," Nora said worriedly while bouncing up and down her bed. "How come he gets home so late?"

Ren, who was checking over StormFlower, replied to his childhood friend. "He's become rather scarce since he started fraternizing with Cardin."

"That's weird… Doesn't he know we have a field trip tomorrow? We need our rest!" Nora proclaimed the last part by doing a flip and landing on her back on the covers of her bed.

"I'm sure he knows exactly what he's doing…" Pyrrha said angrily.

The team was unaware that Jaune had been listening to them the entire time and could only look away with guilt. He quietly closed the door and prepared to walk away before he jolted in surprise when he heard…

"Hey, Jaune!" Ruby greeted her friend in her pajamas and giggles at his reaction. "Long time, no see! Did you lock yourself out again?"

"Oh, uh nope!" Jaune said nervously as he brought up his Scroll. "Got it!"

"So! Where have you been lately?" Ruby asked.

"I, uh…" The blonde knight tried to come up with something before he sighed and lowered his head. "I messed up. I did something I shouldn't have, and now Cardin has me on a leash, Orion can't help me, and Pyrrha won't even talk to me, and…" He breathes heavily through his nose. "I'm starting to think coming to this school was a bad idea." He pressed his back to his team's door and slides down to the floor in depression. "I'm a failure."

"Wrong."

"Huh?" Jaune blinked in surprise along with Ruby before they notice the approaching form of Team JOKR's leader, Aaron Jaeger, dressed in his own pajamas.

"You're not a failure, Jaune," Aaron stated. "If you were a failure, you would've been kicked out of Beacon for failing the initiation. But you're here right now."

Jaune stared at Aaron in surprise. He looked down in guilt over how he's been treating his team.

"He's right," Ruby spoke up, getting Jaune's attention, "You've got a team now, Jaune. We both do. And if we fail, then we'll just be bringing them down with us. We have to put our teammates first, and ourselves second. Your team deserves a great leader, Jaune. And I think that can be you."

"So take this bit of advice, dude. Time to nut up, or shut up." Aaron advised while he helped Ruby up and the duo left the blonde to think about what they said.

"You know, that's a really weird saying," Ruby said, oblivious to its actual meaning.

"Trust me, I know the meaning behind it. Jaune just has to figure it out." Aaron stated.

"I guess…" Ruby said whilst shrugging.

"In the meantime, you should get to bed, little Rose. We got a big day tomorrow and we don't want you falling asleep on us." Aaron said before a sly grin appears on his face. "Unless you want me to get Orion to carry you?"

Ruby turned bright red before hitting his gut a few times. However, her punches did nothing but amuse Aaron as he simply patted her head like she was a child.

"You're just so easy to tease," He said with a snicker.

She puffed her cheeks angrily, but this only made the young girl look pretty cute. All the while, Aaron laughed as the younger girl continued to pout even after they returned to their separate Team Dorms.


LINE BREAK


In the Forever Fall forest, the sun was raised overhead, shining its rays down upon the crimson leaves that make up the entirety of the trees. Glynda turned to her class, who were all staring in awe at the beautiful scenery.

"Yes, the Forever Fall Forest is indeed beautiful but we must stay on task," Glynda said sternly to her students.

Teams RWBY, JNPR, JOKR, and CRDL followed the Vice Headmistress deeper into the forest though Jaune was lagging a bit behind since he was carrying all of the empty glass jars. Each team was supposed to fill their jars with the sap that came from the trees.

"Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing so," Glynda informed her students.

The group stops, and Jaune, grunting and carrying the large case of empty glass jars, tries to catch up with them and ends up bumping into Cardin. The bully scowls at Jaune, who attempts to feign innocence by whistling tunelessly.

Glynda holds up a jar filled with red sap, "Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap. However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here at 4 o'clock. Have fun!"

Pyrrha watched as Jaune walked with Team CRDL, which saddened her a bit. She turned to Ren, who was trying to keep Nora from hogging all the sap.


With our poor hero Jaune, he is begrudgingly doing the work of Team CRDL while the jerks lay about lazily. After gathering enough red sap to fill up the glass jars he carried with him, he returned to the group of bullies then promptly collapsed on the ground.

Cardin smirks, "Hey, great work, Jauney boy! Now that wasn't too hard, was it?"

Jaune looked up cross-eyed and sounding dizzy, "I think I'm allergic to this stuff..."

Cardin rather pays it no mind as he lets him up, "Greeeeat, great, great. So, Jaune, I bet you're asking yourself, 'Why did my buddy Cardin ask me to collect six jars of tree sap when there's only five of us?'"

Jaune nodded while still exhausted, "That is one of the many questions I have asked myself today, yes."

"Well, come with me, and you'll find out."

The young Arc twin moans and gulps in worry after he sits up.

After following the rest of Team CRDL, he walks over to the edge, and Jaune's eyes widened in surprise when he realized that he was looking at Pyrrha from a distance along with the rest of his team as well as Teams RWBY and JOKR.

"Pyrrha? What about her?" Jaune asked his bullies.

"Little redhead know-it-all, thinks she's so smart. Alright, boys..." Cardin reaches behind his back and pulls out a cardboard box with a large "W" written on its sides that seemed to be buzzing. "Last night, old Jaune here managed to round up an entire box of Rapier Wasps, and now, we're gonna put him to work."

Russel grabs Jaune by the shoulder, who barely laughs in nervousness.

"Now, according to one of the essays you wrote for me last week, these nasty things loooove sweets." Cardin said as he glared at Pyrrha, who was just finishing her sap collection. "I'm thinking it's time we teach her a thing or two."

The members of CRDL get up. Cardin offers his hand to Jaune, only to painfully yank him up on his feet and shove the jar into his grasp.

"And you're gonna do it."

Jaune looked at the bully in confusion, "Do what?"

"Hit her with the sap!" Cardin said as he leans in close to Jaune's face. "Either that, or I'll have a chat with Goodwitch, and you and your brother will be on the first airship out of Beacon."

Jaune looks down at the jar of sap in his hands and then up at the four grinning teammates waiting to see what happens. Jaune turns towards the group and aims his throw at an oblivious and smiling Pyrrha, trying to steel his nerves and shaking hand to do the deed, but ultimately steels himself for what he's about to do.

"...no."

"What did you say?" Cardin inquired.

Gripping the jar tightly, Jaune in a rare fit of anger, said. "I said... NO!" He turns and throws the jar at Cardin, instantly recoiling his hands to himself as he looks at Cardin's breastplate covered in sap. The other team leader, however, just looks at himself and laughs darkly.

"Oh, you've done it now..." The bully said with a promise of pain.

Jaune humorously laughs to himself once more with his hands still raised in an attempt for defense as Dove Bronzewing and Sky Lark grab Jaune's shoulders and pull him in.


[Meanwhile…]


Pyrrha sighed sadly, thinking about Jaune as she looked upon Nora, who had been eating a large amount of sap.

"Pyrrha, you alright?" Her cousin, Orpheus asked as he came over with two jars of red sap in his hands.

"Oh, uh, yes I'm ok," Pyrrha said with a quick smile, "just thinking."

Orpheus eyed his cousin, knowing that she was lying as he crossed his arms. "Pyrrha…" He said sounding like a stern older brother.

Pyrrha sighed, knowing that Orpheus knew her too well, "Ok, I'm worried about him…"

"Him?" The musician raised a brow before realizing who his cousin meant, "Oh, you mean Jaune. What about him?"

"He's been hanging out with Team CRDL, and it's been bothering me for a while," Pyrrha said with a gripped hand to her chest.

"Pyrrha, look me in the eye and tell me that you don't believe he's doing it willingly." He stated.

"I…" Pyrrha said, before looking away.

Orpheus shook his head, "Pyrrha, you shouldn't worry that Jaune is hanging out with a bad crowd because we all know that he's too soft-hearted to act like a jerk." He pointed out while placing his jars of sap in his case. "Besides, I have a feeling that Jaune might surprise you. What you see in him… I will never know."

Pyrrha looked down, before looking back at her cousin, "Thanks. I really needed to hear that."

"No problem." The auburn-haired musician nodded.


Back with our poor friend Jaune, he was being beaten up mercilessly by the four bullies leaving him black and blue.

"You know that wasn't very smart, Jauney boy."

Cardin then lifted Jaune up by his collar into the air. "I'm gonna make sure they send you back to mommy in teeny tiny pieces." He threatened.

"I don't care what you do to me..." Jaune said with an acceptance that he wouldn't be getting out of this unscathed before he looked at Cardin with fury evident in his blue eyes. "...but you are not messing with my team."

Despite being momentarily surprised by Jaune's sudden change in attitude, Cardin growled, "What? Do you think talk like that makes you tough? You think you're a big strong man now?"

Jaune smiles in defiance. An enraged Cardin roars and raises his fist again, but just as the hit connects, a bright light shines from Jaune, and when the white fades, Cardin is crying out in pain as he holds his hand. Jaune, now back on the ground but completely healed, looks confusedly at his hands as they faintly glow white. While he stares, though, Sky Lark kicks Jaune in the back and gets him on his stomach, but he looks up and glares at the approaching bully.

"Let's see how much of a man you really are..." Cardin snarled but just as he said this, a low growl is heard, and a surprised Team CRDL turns around and sees a large paw crash onto the scene, belonging to a huge Ursa Major with dozens of jagged spikes sticking out from its wide back. It leaps forward and stands over the terrified students, lifting its head in the air to smell the sap on Cardin's breastplate. It lands back on its forelegs and roars at Cardin while his teammates heroically flee.

"That's a big Ursa!" Russel yelled as he, Dove, and Sky fled for their lives.

Cardin is rooted to the spot when the Grimm swings its claws and knocks him sideways, revealing Jaune cowering behind him. The Ursa continues to sniff, uninterested in Jaune and following its nose to Cardin. He watches as it towers over Cardin, who gets his wits and pulls out The Executioner only for the monster to swipe it away to Jaune's feet. He looks conflicted, wondering whether to fight or run away.


Meanwhile, the roar of the giant Ursa is heard by the members of Teams RWBY, JNPR, and JOKR, who were still collecting sap on the other side of the forest.

"Did you guys hear that?" Ruby asked after getting up with a concerned expression.

Suddenly, the remaining members of Team CRDL are seen running the other way from the roar through the other students.

"Ursa! Ursa!" Russel shouted while looking back before he bumps into Yang, who lifts him up by the collar of his vest.

"Where?!" Yang demanded.

Knowing from experience to not anger the dragon, Russel gestured behind him. "Back there! It's got Cardin!"

Pyrrha dropped her jar of sap in shock, "Jaune!"

"I'm coming, baby brother!" Orion yelled as he charged into the treeline.

Aaron shook his head, "I'll get him. Kurogasa, Orpheus, check the perimeter for any Grimm."

"Got it," The samurai nodded before he and his partner got out their weapons then went off into the forest to search for any wandering Grimm.

Following her fellow team leader's example, Ruby turned to her sister, "Yang! You and Blake, go get Professor Goodwitch!"

Yang dropped Russel as she and Blake nod before heading out to find the teacher.

Pyrrha looked to Nora and Ren as she and Ruby activate their respective weapons, "You two, go with them! There could be more!"


While this incident was happening, Azrael materialized over the forest with the transformed Kaijin Gallery in hand. "Hm, let's see…" The devilish man looked down at the teens as they squabble all over the place. "This will be the perfect time to try out a hybrid monster but what will I choose?" He opens the grimoire and searches the pages before he settles on one. "Perfect! One, two, and… poof!"

When he touched the image on the book, black ichor began to pour out until it dribbled onto the ground then began to take shape into a monstrous form coated in darkness.

"And so the game begins…" Azrael chuckled menacingly.


Back with Cardin, the bully tried to escape the Ursa Major but the Grimm wasn't letting its meal escape that easily. It leaped over its prey and swiped its claw at the boy, sending him to the ground.

"Crap! Crap, crap!" Cardin panicked as he attempted to crawl away.

Aaron, Orion, Pyrrha, Weiss, and Ruby arrived on the scene with their weapons activated for a fight.

"Oh, no!" Pyrrha gasps in shock.

The girls were about to intervene before Aaron outstretched his left hand, stopping them. "Hold on!" He commanded.

They watch as the Ursa leans over the helpless victim, raising its paw and swiping it down... only to be blocked by Jaune's shield, Crocea Mors. He struggles to defend a stunned Cardin from its attempts to lean on him, but Weiss lifts Myrtenaster as she prepares to go help.

Pyrrha quickly intervenes to stop the heiress, "Wait!"

Jaune takes the shield out from the Ursa's paw and slashes at its stomach, causing it to lash out and try to crush him. He rolls out of the way and jumps over its swipe at his feet, but he is unprepared for when it launches a claw at him in midair. He lands far away, yet is immediately back on his feet and passing Cardin as he charges again. The Ursa knocks Jaune behind it when he tries for a leaping attack, and he looks at the Scroll in his shield to find out that his Aura level is in the red. He grows angry again and starts to run at the Ursa as it also begins to dash towards him.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl when Pyrrha sees that Jaune has left himself completely open to the Ursa's attack, and lifts her hand out to him, gathering dark red energy in her arm. Just as the Ursa is about to hit him, the glow surrounds Jaune's shield and makes it lift up to block the swipe. Jaune uses the surprise defensive move to lean on the ground, push his shield back up, and swing his blade which cuts through the Grimm's neck. The head falls to the ground followed by the body.

Pyrrha smiles at Jaune's achievement even after she stopped using her Semblance. Ruby looked completely surprised, "Uhhh... What?"

Weiss stared at the redhead in amazement, "How did you...?"

"Well, Ruby has her speed, you have your glyphs, and the boys have their armors. My Semblance is polarity." Pyrrha explained to her friends.

"Whoa, you can control poles..." Ruby said with awe.

Aaron facepalmed, 'How does she get poles from out of that?'

"No, you dunce! It means she has control over magnetism!" Weiss corrected her team leader.

Still impressed, Ruby whispered to herself, "Magnets are cool, too..."

"Guess that's why you've got such a magnetic personality," Orion said with a chuckle while eliciting groans from those around him. "What?"

"Dude…" Aaron shook his head. "Just… no…"

"Screw you guys! That was gold!"

Pyrrha giggled in amusement as the boys continued to argue and made to leave, which Weiss had noticed.

"Wait, where are you going?" She asked.

"Yeah! We gotta tell them what happened!" Ruby added.

"We could... Or perhaps we could keep it our little secret?" Pyrrha suggested with a grin.

"I don't have a problem with that. Jaune needs this win right now." Orion agreed after he and Aaron ended their brief argument.

"In the meantime, let's give the guy some closure. A few words with the bully he just saved are gonna be private." Aaron stated.

"Right, let's-" Pyrrha was about to say before she and her friends cried out when a series of explosions erupted around them, forcing them from the cover of the trees, which Jaune and Cardin noticed.

"What the heck!?" Cardin exclaimed.

"Grimm attack?!" Ruby wondered with panic.

"No, something else!" Aaron said with a serious expression.

The gathered teens watched as a shadowy, monstrous figure began to leave the tree foliage. When it left the cover of the shadows, it revealed itself to be a strange creature in a black bodysuit that was coated in white-red armor with needle-like extensions forming from the armor. Its head is oddly avian-like but it still possesses a lot of needles. The most disturbing factor about the creature… was the Grimm mask that rested on its 'face'.

"Is… that a Grimm?" Weiss asked, unsure of what to make of the monster.

"Doesn't look like any Grimm I've ever seen before," Ruby replied, readying Crescent Rose for a fight.

Orion glanced at his team leader, "Is that the Needle Smash?" He whispered.

"Definitely looks like it. But… something feels wrong with it." Aaron replied quietly. "It's almost like… it was mixed with a Grimm."

The hybrid kaijin roared before it ran at the teens with its claws. Pyrrha immediately stood between her friends and the monster with her shield raised to defend them but the Needle Smash Grimm slammed its way past her, sending the redhead flying since she was unprepared for its surprising amount of strength.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune cried out with worry for his partner.

Weiss rolled the chamber in her weapon until it was set to Ice then slammed it down to release a stream of icicles at the hybrid but the Grimm crossed its arms together then spreads them out, releasing a barrage of needles that shatter Weiss's attack.

Ruby tried firing her sniper rifle but the Dust rounds did nothing against the Needle Smash Grimm's tough hide.

"Oh man, nothing's working! How can we beat this thing?" Jaune exclaimed after helping Pyrrha up.

Aaron sighed while furiously rubbing the back of his head, "This is terrible…" He said to himself before he calmly approached the monster. "Making me do all the work to get rid of this thing."

"Hey, don't just stand there, idiot!" Cardin yelled.

"Quiet from the peanut gallery!" The crimson-eyed teen shouted as he focused his Semblance to channel his Aura around his waist until it materialized into the Build Driver.

"Huh?" Jaune, Pyrrha, Cardin, and Weiss looked at the belt in confusion.

"EEEEEEEEE!" Ruby squealed with stars in her eyes.

Aaron reached into his pants pockets and pulled out two bottles, one red with an image of a rabbit and a blue one with an image of a tank.

He smirks as he held both bottles in his hands. "Sā, jikken o hajimeyou ka?" He said in Japanese before shaking the Fullbottles until he twisted the caps then slotted them into the Build Driver.

RABBIT! TANK! BEST MATCH!

The Needle Smash Grimm didn't look like it was going to wait for Aaron to transform and tried to attack him but it was stopped by Orion, who came in swinging his greatsword against the monster hybrid.

"Sorry, can't let you interrupt the best part!" The older Arc twin said before breaking through the Grimm's guard and cutting its chest.

While Orion distracted the monster, Aaron grasped the cranking lever on the Build Driver and began to turn it several times as a cranking, mechanical tune played. Two pipes began filling with red and blue liquids flowed into two frames that held armor pieces, each colored red or blue respectively. Once it settled and the Snap Ride Builder completed the two halves, the JOKR team leader entered a stance as the belt declared.

ARE YOU READY?

"Henshin!"

The two halves merged onto Aaron, completing the transformation with steam. He now stood clad in a black bodysuit with red and blue armor. The red half of the armor being themed after a rabbit while the blue half was themed after a tank. A techno-rock musical theme played as the Build Driver announced the name of the armor.

HAGANE NO MOONSAULT! RABBITTANK! YEAHHH!

Aaron Jaeger had now become the mix-matched Rider of science, Kamen Rider Build.

Ruby was squealing in awe at the armor, the stars in her eyes shining brighter.

Build slides his right index finger across the tank barrel that acted as his helmet's right eye, "Shōri no hōsoku wa kimatta!" He says the last part by flicking his hand.

"That… is awesome…" Jaune said with awe.

"Woah…" Weiss said, seeing his new form.

"How the hell does a rabbit and a tank count as a 'best match'?" Cardin asked no one in particular.

Build then began to gather energy in his red left leg, which had a spring design to it and hopped towards the Needle Smash Grimm. By using his own momentum, Build lashed out with a right hook that slammed directly into the hybrid's Grimm mask. The hybrid recovered, extending the needles on its fingers to create a blade that it began swinging, forcing Build to duck and weave.

"Aaron, be careful!" Ruby called out to her friend.

"What do you think I'm doing!?" Build comically retorted before he ducked from a slash that nearly took his head off. "Oi, oi, that was way too close. Better get my weapon out too." The moment he said this, tubes emerged from his Driver until they came together to form a drill-like weapon that almost looked like a sword. Taking the Drill Crusher into his right hand, the Rider pulled the small trigger in the handle, causing the drill to spin. Build blocked the Grimm hybrid's next few strikes then stabbed it with the spinning drill sword. Sparks flew off the hybrid as it then began firing spikes at Build as well as his friends.

"Crap!" Build reached onto his Fullbottle carrier and slotted in a cyan Fullbottle with a diamond image on it into the Drill Crusher then pulled the trigger. The drill blade began to spin rapidly as a coating of diamond appeared around it.

READY, GO! VORTEX BREAK!

Build exclaimed as he slashed his powered up weapon, which sent out a wave of diamonds that acted as a shield and an energy projectile to block the needle spikes. Meanwhile, his friends were comically dodging the spikes, but Ruby's cape got pinned to a tree by a few of them.

"Ruby!" Jaune cried out.

"I'm okay!" The girl replied as she tried to tug the spikes out.

Seeing the defenseless girl, the hybrid Grimm tried to attack her but Build stood in its way. "Oi, oi, your dance partner is me, jerk!" He chastised the monster as he slashed it with the Drill Crusher. The sparks flew off it as a bit of black mist squirted from its exposed wounds. "Ew…" The Rider cringed in disgust. This left him wide open for an attack as the Needle Smash Grimm swung its blade, striking Build in the chest as sparks flew from his armor. The force from the blow sent him rolling until he stopped on his back. Build got up and noticed that the hybrid staggering from all his wounds.

"Aaron, this is your chance!" Orion called out to his leader.

Build looked back at his friends (and Cardin) and nodded before he focused back on the hybrid, turning the cranking level as he prepared his finisher. The spring in his Rabbit Foot Shoes activated, pushing the Rider into the air while a diagram shaped like a ramp appeared in front of him with a clear line to the Grimm.

READY, GO! VORTEX FINISH!

"Haaaa!" Build exclaimed as he slid down the equation with his right foot out as the tank tread soles pulsed with blue energy. When the Rider struck the hybrid monster, the treads spun, grinding against its body. After he passes through the monster, Build lands on his feet and begins to walk away from it while the Needle Smash Grimm twitched as electricity crackled around its body before it released its final death cry and exploded in a wave of green flames and black mist.

With the monster destroyed, the Rider removed the Fullbottles in his Driver, which canceled his transformation. Aaron approached the group with a bored look on his face. "Next time, don't make the star of the show have to clean up your mess." He turned on his heel and left. "See you!"

"Uh, does anyone else realize that Aaron seemed different?" Jaune asked his friends.

"Oh yeah, that's a side effect of his Semblance," Orion answered, earning him looks from everyone. "Well, depending on the armor he wears, he sort of gets a different personality and a quirk. What we just saw was a little bit of arrogance."

"So he's even more of a freak…" Cardin scoffed.

"SHUT UP, CARDIN!" Everyone present shouted, scaring the bully.


[Beacon]


It was nighttime at the academy and all those present were resting comfortably in their beds, save for two people.

Jaune stood atop the roof of the dorm building in his school uniform, unaware that Pyrrha was approaching him in her own school uniform.

"No Cardin tonight?" She asked as she came up to his side. "I thought you two were best buds?"

Jaune turned to face her, "Pyrrha... I'm sorry. I was a jerk! You were only trying to be nice, and... I had all this stupid macho stuff in my head-"

"Jaune! It's okay!" Pyrrha assured her leader, getting a smile from him that she returns. "Your team really misses their leader, you know." She walks off toward the exit. "You should come down! Ren made pancakes! No syrup, though - you can thank Nora for that!"

Jaune smiled but held out his hand towards his partner, "Wait!" The Invincible Girl stops and turns to look back at the blonde. Jaune immediately went sheepish. "I know I don't deserve it after all that happened, but... would you still be willing to help me... to help me become a better fighter?"

Pyrrha turns around so a worried Jaune won't see her satisfied smile. She goes up to Jaune and suddenly pushes her leader to the ground.

"Hey!" Jaune whined.

The redheaded girl stood over him with her arms on her hips as she began her evaluation, "Your stance is all wrong. You need to be wider and lower to the ground." Pyrrha offers her hand out to the boy, who smiled and graciously took it. As they grin at each other, the girl says, "Let's try that again."


[Vale]


Meanwhile, Roman was smoking a cigar while looking over dust shipments that were arriving in Vale. As he was studying, two figures approached him from the shadows.

"Hello, Torchwick," The voice of Azrael reached the man's ears. "Late-night studying?"

The criminal mastermind jumped and nearly dropped his cigar before he caught himself, "Geez! Don't sneak up on me like that! Nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Oh, Roman," Azrael waved his finger like he was treating a misbehaved child. "You should know better than to assume I wouldn't do that."

"Anyone ever tells you that you're an ass?" Roman deadpanned.

"Oh, all the time." The hooded man produced his Kaijin Gallery and gave it a firm pat. "I should hope the enforcers I gave you were to your liking."

"I'll admit, I was skeptical about these things but…" The orange-haired criminal trailed as he motioned to a group of Riotroopers moving or collecting Dust crystals. "They definitely are of better quality then the last batch of lackies I had under my payroll."

"Glad I could provide some form of assistance," Azrael smirked. "I trust your progress is going well?"

"With the added help plus the business arrangement, we have with the White Fang, I guarantee that we'll pick all of Vale clean of its Dust supplies in a manner of two months."

"Hm, well, better than nothing. In the meantime, I'll try and keep that woman off your back, eh?" Azrael patted Roman's shoulder and returned to his companion. "Come on, we've still got some work to do."

His shadowy companion grunted in reply and followed after the hooded man, leaving Roman by himself.

The criminal took a puff from his cigar then returned his attention back to his planning, "Bunch of freaks…" He muttered to himself.


A/N: And that's the end of the chapter!

Jaune: Whoa! Grimm and kaijin hybrids!? That's definitely gonna be a problem in the future.

GKC: Oh, no doubt. Wanna know what the worst part is?

Jaune: What?

GKC: That was just a prototype.

Jaune: What do you mean?

GKC: Allow to explain, my dimwitted blonde friend! You see when Azrael summoned the hybrid, it was still relatively new to its power. It hadn't fully adapted, so to speak. By combining two different creatures such as a Grimm and a KR monster, you get a hybrid. However, that was actually the first hybrid ever summoned and as such was not used to the changes that the black tar that formed the Grimm was able to provide. Hence why it was named a prototype. This counted as a field test for the newly-evolved Kaijin Gallery's hybrid monsters. In the chapters that are to come, each iteration of a hybrid will be stronger than the last. Eventually, even the strength of the Heisei Riders might not be enough.

Jaune: That's bad!

GKC: Oh, don't be such a baby. You're not the one fighting them. But in any case, time for the preview for the next chapter. ROLL THE CLIP!


Announcer: Jikai… Remnant's Climax Heroes!

Aaron: I've finally completed our secret base!

Roman: Time for a little nightly shopping, eh, Neo?

Blake: This has turned out to be a weird evening.

Next Time: I am Vengeance! I am the Night!

Thug: W-who are you!?


GKC: And with that, I say to you… Peace out, everybody!