GKC: What's up, everyone! This is GKC here bringing you another chapter of Remnant's Climax Heroes!

SR: With DragoKnightSR and Kamen Rider Duelist!

KRD: And now it's time for Kuro to s*** his pants.

Kurogasa: Oh shut up! It's General Ironwood, how could I not be scared!?

GKC: You want the blunt version or the few chapters back that got you pissing your pants.

Kurogasa: …

GKC: Hm, speechless. That's a first. Usually, he's on an angry rant.

KRD: There's a first for everything. Anyways, shall we get going?

GKC: Hai, hai. It's time to get this started.

Disclaimer: Same thing.


Chapter 25: A Night Out


We last left our heroes with Team RWBY, JNPR, JOKR, and Koa finishing the most epic of food fights the entire multiverse had ever seen. There is no one and we mean no one that could ever replicate the epicness that had every sense of the words: food fight. To be perfectly honest, it was a food war. All in all, it was fun and games as they were still kids. And as Ozpin said, they won't be able to have that role later on down the road. So it's best they play the part now while they can.

As of right now, Aaron had just gotten out of the shower, having a towel wrapped around his waist when he heard his Scroll vibrating on the nightstand.

"Huh? Who could that be?" He pondered as he checked who the caller was. "Tukson?" He wondered, before pressing the call button and brought the Scroll to his ear. "Hey Tukson, what's-"

["Aaron, it's bad…!"] He heard Tukson grunting, as if in pain. ["They… they found me…"]

"Whoa, Tukson, are you okay?" Aaron said worriedly.

["You and your sister… are in danger. The White Fang… sent Emerald and Mercury. Wherever you guys are, you have to get out of there!"]

Aaron narrowed his eyes, "Where are you? Do you need help?" He asked the puma Faunus.

["A bullet to the shoulder is nothing."] Tukson said. ["They think I'm dead, but I don't know. They might come back. I already got two bags and a ticket to Vacuo. I may need you and your sister's help getting me out of Vale."]

"I'll come to get you, Tukson." Aaron informed the Faunus.

["Thanks. And be careful."] Tukson said, before hanging up.

"Dammit…" Aaron cursed. Of course, he knew Emerald and Mercury were sent to kill him, but the strange part was that he survived. How he did was anyone's guess.

"Everything okay?" Blake asked, as she just noticed Aaron with the Scroll in his hand.

"It's Tukson… they got to him."

"What?" Blake gasped in horror. "Is he-"

"He's still alive. Injured, but alive." Aaron informed his sister. "We're going to go get him and help him out of Vale."

"But then that means- oh Oum, no… nonono…" Blake shook her head as she fell to her knees holding her head.

Aaron crouched down and placed his hands on the cat Faunus's shoulders, "Blake, look at me!"

"They're here… they're already here… something big's going on… I just know it…" Blake ignored her brother.

"Blake, get a hold of yourself!" Aaron said, shaking her, making the cat Faunus look at him. "Whatever is going on, I'll take care of it. But right now, the White Fang isn't our priority. It's Tukson. We need to get him out of Vale."

Blake seemed to nod at this. "O-Okay…"

"Good girl. Now go get ready. We'll go to his place as soon as we're ready." The crimson-eyed brawler said. The cat Faunus nodded before leaving his room. The moment she did, Aaron picked up his Scroll and called the rest of his teammates. "Guys, we have a problem and I need your help."


LINE BREAK


Team JOKR arrived at Tukson's Book Trade on their Rider Machines. Blake sat behind Aaron while Koa was seated behind Orpheus. They all got off of their motorcycles and took off their helmets as they looked left and right to make sure no one was following. They all saw that Tukson's Book Trade was closed at the moment. With everyone nodding, they all went inside, while also making sure that no one was watching. Other than the disheveled bookshelves from the fight, everything else seemed normal.

"Tukson? Are you here?" Aaron called out.

"In the back!" A voice called out.

Aaron narrowed his eyes before he turned back to his team, "Stay here and keep watch. No idea if there's a lookout watching this place." He looked at his sister. "Blake, let's go."

"Right." Blake nodded before the siblings went over to the back.

"Didn't think it would turn out like this," Kurogasa said. "I guess it's kinda true about cats having nine lives."

"Probably not the best time to joke about that." Orion pointed out.

"Hard to believe he actually survived the attack. You would think an assassin would be more efficient." Orpheus commented.

"Yeah, either that or Mercury's an actual shit shot when it comes to being a Bayonetta reject," Kurogasa added.

"Who's Bayonetta?" Koa pondered in confusion.

Orpheus patted the Greeed's head, "Let's just say that she's someone you don't wanna mess with."

Aaron and Blake marched into the back area of the shop, following a trail of blood that was left on the floor. The two of them looked at each other then nodded before they saw a door that was slightly opened. They each took a side of the door and then… with an unseen signal, they burst through the door, weapons aimed and surprising the puma Faunus.

"Geez, scare another life out of me, why don'tcha…" Tukson groaned as his shoulder was heavily taped with bandages showing a red spot on his shoulder.

Aaron lowered his gauntlets, "Sorry about that, old man." He said with a sheepish grin.

"Are you okay?" Blake asked, putting her weapon away and rushing over to him.

"I've been through worse, but I'll live." Tukson said.

"Well, that's a relief." Aaron helped the puma Faunus by draping one of his arms over his shoulders, "Come on. We're getting you out of here."

"My bags."

"I got it. Kuro! Get over here!"

"Coming!" The samurai of the team said as he rushed over to the back. Tukson pointed to said bags that were in the corner and Kurogasa grabbed them. Once they got what they needed, they all went out to the front to meet up with the rest.

"Come on, old man. Just a bike ride to the airship and you'll be out of Vale." Aaron told the Faunus as he shuffled him onto the back of Orion's motorcycle.

"Thanks, Aaron," Tukson grunted as the two got up. "You and Blake should be careful. The White Fang could be tying up loose ends."

"Pfft!" Koa scoffed. "Big deal, Aaron and his friends handled much worse. Take me for example!"

"Uh… who's that?" Tukson asked.

"Long story." Orpheus waved off.

"Hey!" A voice shouted as they turned to see a bunch of Torchwick's henchmen, riding on motorcycles before they suddenly opened fire with AK-47's, causing them to take cover.

"Shit! Go! Go! Go!" Aaron shouted.

"Dammit, are we really doing this FF7 style!?" Kurogasa groaned as Orion and Kurogasa gunned their Rider Machines and drove off with Tukson and his belongings in tow.

"Everyone else, keep those guys off of Tukson!" Aaron ordered as he mounted his Machine Kurenai, revved the engine while Blake climbed on behind him, and took off after his teammates. One of the bikers tried to get close to Aaron and Blake, who both kicked the drivers into a garbage can. "Crazy bastards!" He gritted his teeth as he kept his right hand on the accelerator while his left hand was out with the blade of Blood Moon jetting out in retaliation. He then gasped in surprise as more henchmen on bikes began to split up. "Damn they're splitting up! They'll try and cut off our friends."

Meanwhile, Koa saw one of the bikers approaching and used her monstrous strength to smash the front of the bike sending it flipping over. One of the goons' firearms lands in her lap, much to her confusion.

"The Hell am I supposed to do with this?" Koa said confused as the henchmen kept coming.

"Just keep 'em off our backs!" Orpheus shouted. Koa kept fiddling with the gun until she found the trigger and began firing wildly.

"WOAH!" Koa directed the gun towards the henchmen, which took a few bikes out. "So this is what shooting a gun is like."

"Orion, how's he holding up!?" Kurogasa shouted.

"Still good but I'm not sure all this strain is good for his injury!" Orion responded as he avoided the machete of one henchman then used his fist to smash the front wheel of the enemy bike, sending his pursuer crashing into a wall. "We don't get these guys off us then he might bleed out."

Suddenly as they came onto the freeway they heard the sound of large machinery. Everyone looked towards one part of the freeway and to their surprise, they saw a stolen Spider Droid that was on tank treads. It suddenly jumped and landed on their road as it treads along. "CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP! WE'RE RELIVING FINAL FANTASY 7!" Kurogasa shouted.

"Anyone understand what he's saying?" Koa asked the others.

"We're basically living a video game moment!" Orpheus shouted.

"Gun it guys!" Aaron shouted as they all revved their engines and went faster. "Orion, you're gonna have to be our impromptu Cloud!"

"What!?"

"Your sword's the size of the Buster Sword!"

"Don't worry, I'll help!" Koa said as she tossed away the gun and turned into her Greeed form.

"Orion, give Tukson to me!" Kurogasa said.

"You sure!?"

"Just hurry!"

Orion helped Tukson onto Kurogasa's bike, then nodded to Kurai as he drew his weapon. "Alright, let's get chopping!" He declared as he drove his bike alongside the Spider Droid and slashed it with his Lunar Divide. Kurai then leaped off of Orpheus' bike and channeled her turtle half to make a big shell form to crash into one of the droids treads causing it to veer off course.

"Take this!" Orion shouted as he stabbed the Spider Droid with his sword and as he drove by, he dragged his blade across its body to add more damage. "Kurai, aim for the head!"

"With pleasure!" Kurai responded as she took another leap and channeled her crocodile half to deliver a powerful roundhouse kick to the machine's face. The sheer force from the kick dented the robot's face and turned it 180 degrees. "She shoots and she scores!"

"Blake, you got this?" Aaron asked.

The cat Faunus nodded, "Yeah!"

"Alright, take the wheel!" Aaron said as he jumped off of his motorcycle, letting Blake quickly take it and readied his Blood Moon. "Here comes the final blow!" He leaped off the bike and lunged at the damaged Spider Droid, rearing his blade back before slashing down with a battle cry. The force from the blow cut deep into the machine's metal body until the blade sliced right through it in half. Aaron kicked off the sliced mech and landed back on the Machine Kurenai behind Blake just before the machine exploded.

"Alright, let's get out of here!" Kurogasa shouted before revving the engine and sped off.

"Wait for us!" Orion yelled, driving after him as the rest followed.


LINE BREAK


After driving for quite a while, the group arrived at the airfield with their cargo in tow. "Thanks for the crazy lift everyone. I can take it from here." Tukson said.

"You sure?" Aaron asked. "Blake and I can escort you all the way to Vacuo and make sure everything else doesn't go wrong."

"Something tells me you two are needed here with your friends."

"Well, if you're sure," Blake said. "Just… be careful."

"And try not to get another bullet in ya, old man." Aaron joked. "You're not young enough like you used to be."

"You get at my age and we'll see if you'll talk like that." Tukson grinned. With that, he carried his bags and went towards the Bullhead, headed for Vacuo. Blake and Aaron watched as their former caretaker left the kingdom of Vale, sharing a hug as they realized that their friend was leaving them for good.


LINE BREAK


The next day…

A large and unnerving ship descended upon a landing pad. Two Bullheads fly by as there were ant-like swarms of people on the paths around Beacon. The Atlesian Air Fleet arrived with the two Bullheads that carried its students and as they did, Team RWBY and JOKR were there seeing them come in, though Kurogasa was looking less than thrilled.

"Great… he's here…" Kurogasa groaned.

"I hate Atlas…" Aaron spat as he glared heatedly at the Atlesian airships. "Bunch of stuck-up elitist snobs if you ask me."

"Hey, at least Ironwood's decent." Orion said.

"He thinks of everything as a dick measuring contest…" Aaron deadpanned.

"What kind of contest?" Ruby tilted her head, causing Aaron to realize his mistake and cover his mouth.

"Uh… a milk drinking contest! Yeah, sometimes guys like us take milk drinking contests!" Aaron quickly corrected with a sheepish chuckle.

"Yeah, only the milk's-" Orpheus was about to finish, but Aaron elbowed him in the gut very hard. "Ow…"

"Shut up, right now…" Aaron grumbled.

Yang, who had her arms crossed over her bountiful bosom, looked at her friends with a bored expression, "So… why should we care if Atlas arrives? We already know that with the Vytal Festival coming up, other schools will be coming to Beacon."

"Uh… well, some… development about the uh… you-know-what, happened last night." Aaron said, as he looked at Blake.

"Y-Yeah, we're just making sure none of those people aren't hidden amongst the crowd." Blake added.

Just then, a man escorted by two robots got off of the main Atlesian Flagship as he stepped down the ramp and onto the ground. He wears a white overcoat, with a gray undercoat, black sweater, a red necktie and a white glove on his right hand. His suit pants share the same color as his overcoat and are tucked into silver boots accented in gray. His hair is black, with some gray areas, while his eyebrows are solid black. He has a strip of silver metal above his right eyebrow.

This was Jame Ironwood, General of the Atlesian Military and Headmaster of Atlas Academy.

"GENERAL IRONWOOD, SIR!" Kurogasa saluted as his body suddenly straightened and stiffened so badly like a wooden plank.

'He actually did the salute!?' His teammates mentally shouted in disbelief.

"Kurogasa. Good to see you again." Ironwood nodded at him.

"You as well, sir! It's been a long time!" Kurogasa shouted again, only for Weiss to smack upside the head. "ITE!"

"Will you calm down!?" Weiss scolded.

"Sorry…" He slumped in defeat.

"Hello, Miss Schnee." Ironwood greeted the heiress as she nodded in acknowledgement, before looking back to Kurogasa. "So these are your friends then?" The General looked at the group behind Kurogasa.

"Yes sir." Kurogasa nodded. "These are Aaron Jaeger the team leader, Orion Arc, and Orpheus Rhythm." He introduced his friends. The General raised a brow as he saw Koa looking at her scroll. "Oh, and this is Koa. Psst, Koa, get off your Scroll…" He hissed.

"Huh?" Koa said looking at him before her Scroll gave off a game over sound. "Awe nuts…"

"You'll have to excuse her. She's… a special child." Kurogasa muttered to Ironwood.

"I resent that!" Koa huffed.

"I see." Ironwood chuckled. "I hope you kids aren't giving Ozpin a hard time are you?"

"N-No sir! Not at all!" Ruby waved her hands frantically.

The General eyed Ruby for a moment and gave her an amused grin, "You're not a very good liar, are you?"

"What do you mean? Ehehehehe…" Ruby laughed nervously. "Okay, there was that massive food fight the other day."

"Must be quite the tale." Ironwood chuckled. "In any case, it was nice meeting you all. If you'll excuse me, I'll be heading to Ozpin's office." He said, before taking his leave, walking off.

"Wait, General Ironwood, sir!" Kurogasa called out as he rushed towards him, making the Headmaster of Atlas stop. "Um… I forgot to ask. How's… Mom doing?" He asked nervously.

The man flinched a bit before answering, "She's… fine, last time I visited the Schnee manor."

"I see." Kurogasa sighed sadly, looking down. "Was she…"

"No."

"Okay…" Kurogasa muttered. "Sorry, I just…"

"I understand. Don't worry, I'll still keep an eye out for her." Ironwood assured, placing a hand on the samurai's shoulder. "I promise."

"Thank you." Kurogasa nodded, before Ironwood left again.


LINE BREAK


Meanwhile…

Azrael continued his scheming in his lair… time and time again, his plans have failed. Every time he turns one of those Rider's friends into an Alter, they still manage to thwart him at every chance. He was especially seething from his last plan. He was sure that by turning Weiss into the Valkyrie Alter, her brother's spirit would be broken. But no… it was the opposite. He held onto his faith and it was rewarded when Weiss somehow managed to reverse herself back to normal by her own free will, just as how Kurogasa reversed himself from being Another Gaim by free will. He was missing something. But he just couldn't figure out what.

"If only I could use my bloody Driver again. But that cursed fool took it all away back then…" The hooded man cursed as he looked at the Monster Grimoire. "What could I possibly be missing…?" He wondered. He kept thinking about it, more and more. But then… it finally hit him. "Of course… the answer is right in front of me the whole time." He said.

Team JOKR was an outside force, because of this, the events of Remnant had deviated from the original course, not to mention that without their Rider powers, they were merely nothing more than regular humans. Well… copies of regular humans, but who cares about technicalities? The only way to correct this outside interference, is to counter it with another outside interference. That's right. Azrael must summon someone from their world in order to counter them. And in order to do that, he needed to delve inside their memories. Find people from their world who truly despised Team JOKR.

"Now all I need is the right accomplice." Azrael said with a smirk.


LINE BREAK


Teams RWBY, JOKR, and JNPR had gathered in the library for a study session. Well, JOKR and JNPR were studying while RWBY was playing a popular board game, Remnant: The Game. We see Weiss, Yang, Blake, who is obviously distracted, and finally, Ruby, who has been contemplating her next move.

"Hmmmmm… All right… All right!" She said, before pointing at Yang. "Yang Xiao Long, prepare your kingdom for battle!"

Yang thrusts her elbow down as she balls her fist. "Bring it on!"

"I deploy the Atlesian Air Fleet!" Ruby said as she slaps her card down on the table. Yang feigns a look of shock. "Looks like I get to fly right over your Ursai and attack your walls directly!" She said, making noises like airplanes flying and bombing as she makes a bird with her hands.

Yang feigned indignation as she pointed at Ruby. "You fiend!"

"And since Atlas is part of Mantle, my repair time is only one turn." Ruby peaks her head up. She gives a look of surprise as Yang can be heard laughing arrogantly as she raises a card.

"Pretty sneaky, sis, but you just activated my trap card!" The blonde shows her card to a visibly distressed Ruby, "Giant Nevermore!" Yang said as she slams the card down on the table. "If I roll a seven or higher, fatal feathers will slice your fleet in two!"

"I swear if this were Duel Monsters…" Kurogasa sighed.

"Yang would easily be Pharaoh Atem." Aaron finished as he scribbled down notes and diagrams in a separate notebook that contained mechanics for different items.

"What's that?" Orpheus asked.

"Items that I'm planning on building for our arsenal. Azrael and his minions are gonna get stronger so I'm going to think three steps ahead and build more equipment." Aaron answered.

"Yeah, but he's basically you." Orion pointed out. "The way I see it, that's a double-edged sword."

"Well, I don't see you coming up with any bright ideas. Stick to your own business and let me work."

"I'm just saying, that's all." Orion said. "At least take that into consideration."

"Nooooo! My fearless soldiers!" Ruby cried out.

"Eh, most of them were probably androids." Yang shrugged.

Ruby sniffled, "Goodbye my friends, you will be avenged."

"Not until I draw my rewards! Which doubled this round thanks to the Mistral Trade Route!"

"Bah!"

Meanwhile, Nora was snoring and talking in her sleep. "Oh. Have pancakes." Pyrrha in the meantime clears her throat and then confiscates a comic book Jaune was reading, trading it for a textbook.

"Oh, and what's this? The Smugglers of Wind Path?" Yang asked smugly.

"Bah! Bah, I say!" Ruby cried out.

"I say, it looks like I'm taking two cards in my hand!" Yang said. As Pyrrha reads Jaune's comic, a Nevermore player piece is tossed over Jaune's shoulder. Another piece bounces off of his head.

"Have you no heart?" Ruby moaned as she collapsed on the table, groaning. "Nooo!"

"Well, Weiss, it's your turn." Yang said.

Weiss looked really confused at what she had to do. "I have… absolutely no idea what's going on."

Yang slides up beside her and puts her hand on her shoulder. "Look, it's easy! You're playing as Vacuo which means that all Vacuo-based cards come with a bonus."

"That sounds dumb." Weiss deadpanned as Yang started looking through Weiss' cards.

"See, you've got Sandstorm, Desert Scavenge… Oh, oh! Resourceful Raider! See, now you can take Ruby's discarded Air Fleet-"

"Nooo!" Ruby cried out.

"-and put it in your hand!" Yang said, placing said cards in Weiss's hand.

"Okay."

"And since Vacuo warriors have an endurance against Natural-based hazards, you can use Sandstorm to disable my ground forces and simultaneously infiltrate my kingdom!" Yang added, before pointing a finger at Weiss. "Just know that I will not forget this declaration of war." She said, pulling away and returning to her seat.

"And that means…"

"You're just three moves away from conquering Remnant!" Ruby moaned out.

Realizing this, Weiss stands and a thunderclap accompanies Weiss' overjoyed psychotic laughter. "O~hohohohohohohoho, yes! Fear the almighty power of my forces! Cower as they pillage your homes and weep as they take your children from your very arms!"

"Weiss, you're doing it again…" Kurogasa deadpanned.

"She becomes a totally different person once she gets into character…" Orpheus mumbled.

"Trap card…" Yang said.

"Huh?" Weiss said surprised as Yang shuffles the pieces on the board, Weiss' pieces disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Your armies have been destroyed."

Weiss slumps in her chair, cries, and whines. "I hate this game of emotions we play."

Ruby hops into Weiss' lap. "Stay strong, Weiss! We'll make it through this together!"

"Shut up!" Weiss said, hugging Ruby. "Don't touch me!"

Yang puts her arms up behind her head. "Alright Blake, you're up!"

Snapped out of her thoughts, the cat Faunus looked at her partner in confusion, "Oh, um, sorry, what am I doing?"

"You're playing as Vale, trying to conquer the Kingdoms of Remnant!"

Blake nodded, "Right."

"Is it just me or is Blake distracted as of late?" Orion asked Aaron.

"It's because of the White Fang." He answered while sketching out a weapon design. Suddenly, Koa popped over Aaron's shoulder to look at the design.

"Hey whatcha making?" Koa said, making him jump in shock.

"Something not for you." Aaron said in mild annoyance. "Go play with your toys or something, Koa. I'm busy right now."

Koa puffed her cheeks as she slid down, hanging her head as she headed back to the dorm.

"You didn't have to be rude to her, dude." Orpheus chastised his leader.

Aaron sighed while rubbing his eyelids, "Yeah, I know. I've been going over this stuff for too long."

"Hey! Can I play?" Jaune asked as he approached the table.

"Sorry Jaune, we've already got 4 people." Ruby said.

"Besides, this game requires a certain level of tactical cunning that I seriously doubt that you possess." Weiss waved off.

"Uhh, you attacked your own naval fleet 2 turns ago." Yang pointed out, with Weiss looking annoyed.

"Bring it on, Ice Queen! I'll have you know that I have been told that I am a natural born leader!" Jaune declared.

"By who? Your mother?" Weiss countered.

"Pffffffffft…" Orion snickered.

"What are you laughing at!?" Jaune snapped at his twin brother. "Mom says I'm a great leader! A-and Pyrrha!"

"Hello again!"

Jaune then begged with both hands folded together. "Come on, let me play your hand for a turn!"

"I'm not trusting you with the good citizens of Vacuo!" Weiss denied.

"Why not? You've trusted me with way more important stuff before. I mean, you told us all that Blake is secretly a Fa-"

Before he could finish that last sentence, Pyrrha darts over and slaps a hand over Jaune's mouth. "Fun-loving person, whom we all admire and respect."

Everyone looked nervously at Blake who obviously looked annoyed that her secret was out.

"Right. That." Jaune laughed nervously before bowing as Pyrrha walked away. "Ladies, enjoy your battle."

"'Sup losers." A familiar voice said as Sun appeared holding his fingers in a "peace" sign, and standing next to him was Neptune.

"Hey Sun!" Ruby greeted.

"Ruby, Yang, Blake… Ice Queen."

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?" Weiss complained.

"Cuz you do act rather cold to people." Orion deadpanned.

"I never got a chance to formally introduce you to my old friend." Sun said, gesturing to the blue-haired man.

"Uhh, aren't libraries for reading?" Neptune asked.

"Thank you!" Ren said, throwing his hands up.

"Pancakes!" Nora randomly said, waking up.

"Shut up. Don't be a nerd." Sun said to his friend.

Neptune shook a finger at Sun. "Geh, geh, geh, geh! "Intellectual", okay? Thank you." He corrected, before looking at the others. "I'm Neptune."

"Right. So Neptune, where are you from?" Weiss asked.

"Haven." Neptune said, approaching the heiress. "And I don't believe I've caught your name, snow angel."

"Um, I'm Weiss."

"Are you kidding me!?" Jaune asked incredulously.

"Pleasure to meet you." Neptune greeted.

"Hey back away from my sister," Kurogasa warned, standing up, shooing his hand away from taking Weiss's.

"Ok ok, I can take a hint." Neptune said as he held up his hands.

"I never took you as the board game playing type." Sun said to Blake, looking at her.

"Right, well, I think I'm done playing actually. I'll see you guys later." Blake said, before standing up and leaving the library, making everyone look at her, some of them looking worried, especially her brother.


LINE BREAK


Meanwhile, back in Team RWBY's room, it was now late at night as Blake sits with her knees folded to her chest on her bed while the shattered moon shone out in the darkened sky. Voices can be heard echoing in her head.

"Brothers of the White Fang, why are you aiding this scum?"

"The White Fang and I are going in on a joint business venture together." Torchwick said.

The sounds of battle including slashes, grunts, gunfire, and Torchwick's laughter was just something she couldn't forget. She also remembers the talk she had with Ozpin that night.


LINE BREAK


Flashback

"Well, this has certainly been an eventful evening." Ozpin said as Blake is sitting in an interviewing office as Ozpin enters. Blake quietly acknowledges his statement. "I'm sure that after a night of thwarting attempted robbery, you probably just want to go home and take a nap. But, I was hoping that maybe we could have a chance to talk."

"Of course." Blake nodded.

"Wonderful. As you know, in order to enroll at my academy, students must first pass a rigorous entrance exam. Most applicants spend years of preparation training at one of the many combat schools around the world. You are one of the few that did not. And you passed the exam with flying colors."

"Aaron and I were raised outside the kingdoms." Blake answered. "If you can't fight, you can't survive."

"Well, you and your brother have most certainly survived, Blake. I admire both of your drives. And I am proud to run a school that accepts individuals from all walks of life. Rich, poor, Human…" Ozpin sips his coffee. "Faunus…"

That word made Blake glare at him.

"Why do you wear that bow, Blake? Why hide who you are?"

"You may be willing to accept the Faunus, Professor Ozpin, but your species is not." Blake said.

"True, but we are continuing to take strides to lessen the divide." Ozpin replied.

"With all due respect, you need to start taking some larger strides. Until then, I'd rather avoid any unnecessary attention. I want people to see me for who I am, not what I am."

"And what are you?" Ozpin retorted.

Blake looked confused. "I don't understand what you're asking."

"How did you know the White Fang would be at the shipyard tonight?"

"I didn't. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time."

"You wouldn't have been the first. But what happened tonight was not an isolated incident." He said, as he showed a tablet form of the scroll showing all of the Heisei Primary Riders and JOKR fighting Azrael and his minions. And the fact that Oma Zi-O used his power to knock away all of the cargo containers like cardboard boxes. "Especially with something like this."

Blake pursed her lips into a thin line.

"I may be your headmaster, but I am also a Huntsman, and it is my sworn duty to protect this world from the forces that conspire against it." Ozpin frowned in concern. "Blake, are you sure there is nothing else you would like to tell me?"

Blake was silent for a bit before nodding, "I'm sure."

"Very well. Thank you for your time, Ms. Belladonna." Ozpin said as he stands and heads to the door. He stops and turns to Blake. "If you ever need to talk to me. Please, don't hesitate to ask."

End Flashback


LINE BREAK


"Blake?" Aaron's voice said, catching the Faunus's attention. "You okay?"

"Aaron." Blake said as her brother sat next to her on the bed. "No, I'm not."

"You're still thinking about that?" Aaron asked, to which she nodded. "You realize you don't have to take the burden alone, right?"

"I know, it's just…"

"Blake…" Aaron said, as he pulled his sister for a side hug. "You can depend on me. I'm your brother. And the rest of the teams are here for you too. It doesn't make you weak to ask others for help."

"It… doesn't?" Blake asked.

"Of course not. We humans and Faunus can only do so much by ourselves." Aaron said. "Nobody does anything without help, Blake. It doesn't make you any less of a person to simply ask."

The cat Faunus stared at her brother in awe before she returned the hug, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Thanks, Aaron."

"Anytime, kitten." Aaron said, utilizing Blake's childhood nickname that he would give her when they were little.

"Don't call me that…" Blake pouted.

"Should I call you, Koneko-chan then?" Aaron teased.

"I will hurt you."

"Shutting up now."

Just then Team RWBY and the rest of JOKR are shown entering their dorm room.

"Ugh, we should have never let him play!" Yang groaned.

"You're just mad cuz' the new guy beat you!" Ruby pointed out. "See, if you had just attacked when I told you none of this would have happened."

"Looks like even the great Yang can't accept defeat." Kurogasa sighed.

"Like you're one to talk." Orpheus pointed out.

"That's different." Kurogasa pouted.

"So Blake." Weiss began. "Is everything okay? Lately you've been quiet, antisocial and moody. Which I get is kind of your thing, but you've been doing it more than usual. Which quite frankly, is unacceptable. You made a promise to me, to all of us, that you would let us know if something was wrong."

Blake sighed, "Honestly, there is. I just don't understand how everyone can be so calm."

"You're still thinking about Torchwick?" Ruby asked.

"Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it. Something big is happening and no one is doing anything about it." Blake said.

"Ozpin told us not to worry. Between the police and the Huntsmen, I'm sure they can handle it." Yang said.

"Yeah, but this is the White Fang we're talking about." Orion said. "Aaron and Blake know them better than we do."

"And me!" Koa pointed out.

"Yes, you too…" Orion deadpanned.

"Okay, between blowing up nightclubs, stopping thieves, and fighting for freedom, I'm sure all of you think that you're all ready to go out and apprehend these ne'er-do-wells!" Weiss stated.

"Uh, who?" Ruby asked confused.

"But let me once again be the voice of reason. We're students! We're not ready to handle this sort of situation!"

"Well yeah, but…"

"We're not ready!"

"And we may never be ready." Aaron said, standing up. "Our enemies aren't just going to sit around and wait for graduation day. They're out there, somewhere, planning their next move, and it's coming. Whether we're ready or not."

"And we already had our fair share of getting jumped when we least expect it." Kurogasa said.

"Okay, all in favor of becoming the youngest Huntresses and Huntsmen to single-handedly take down a corrupt organization conspiring against the Kingdom of Vale… say aye." Ruby raised her hand.

"That was a mouthful…" Orpheus mumbled.

Yang pumps her fist enthusiastically and points at Blake. "Yes! I love it when you're feisty!"

"Well, I suppose it could be fun." Weiss shrugged.

"None of you said aye!" Ruby pouted.

"Alright then, we're in this together!" Blake nodded.

"Let's hatch a plan!"

Yang "Double-guns" at Ruby. "Yeah!"

Ruby then gasps as she freaks out. "I left my board game at the library!"

Weiss facepalmed. "We're doomed."

"Yep." Orpheus agreed.

"Don't worry, I'll get it." Kurogasa waved off, before going out the door, but then a second later, he immediately came back in and slammed the door shut. "On second thought, Ruby, we'll get it later!"

"Awww, why?" The young Rose whined with a cute pout.

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" Aaron questioned.

Kurogasa immediately went up to his leader and whispered, "This is where Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury shows up. They see you, Blake, and everyone else, we're screwed." He hissed.

"You saw them?"

"They just turned the corner and are now coming down the hall right now." He whispered.

"Don't worry Red, I'll pick it up for you later." Koa said to Ruby as she walked in drawing.

Aaron narrowed his eyes, "Did they ever see our faces before?" He whispered back.

"Given how Azrael's most likely in cahoots with Salem, we can't take that chance." Kurogasa added. "And we can't let them target Pyrrha either…"

"Alright, we'll be cautious around them. Act like we don't know anything about them. If Azrael really did tell them about us, we can't let them know that we're on to them." Aaron stated.

"What are you all whispering about?" Yang asked.

"Plans." Aaron looked up. "Initial ones to be exact."

"Uh, okay?" The buxom blonde blinked a few times in bewilderment.

Aaron coughed into his fist to draw attention, "In any case, if we're going out to do this then we'll need new outfits."

"I asked Coco to come up with some designs." Kurogasa grinned.


LINE BREAK


Flashback

"Can you make these?" Kurogasa asked, bowing and presenting pieces of papers that had designs to Coco. And two particular ones for him he made specifically.

"You… designed these?" Coco asked, pushing her sunglasses down slightly to look at the piece of papers more clearly, with a raised eyebrow before looking at Kurogasa.

"Yeah, took me a while trying to figure them out." Kurogasa said.

"And what do I get out of this?" Coco asked.

"I paid for all your designer clothes for the next few weeks." Kurogasa said, before also presenting to her the latest designer handbag. "Plus, I got a 75% discount on this baby. Don't ask how. The negotiations were brutal."

"Oh my gods, is this pure Mistralian silk?!" Coco said, feeling the bag.

"Brought to you by the lovely folks of Argus." Kurogasa grinned.

"And you said you got a few weeks worth?!" Coco said excitedly.

"Y~ep,"

"Lemme see the goods first. All of them." Coco said with her arms crossed.

"Follow me." Kurogasa gestured as they both went on their way. Unbeknownst to them, the rest of Team CFVY looked on at the exchange.

"Kurogasa is selling Coco new clothes?" Yatsuhashi said scratching his head.

"Yup." Velvet said simply.

"That's a first." Fox said telepathically.


LINE BREAK


"Here we are. As promised." He said, as he led her into the Rider Base and showed her a large metallic crate, all with a lock and key of course. When he opened it up, Coco's sunglasses tilted to one side showing nothing but the finest quality of fabric from Mistral and even from Atlas.

"My friend, you have yourself a deal."

"Pleasure doing business with ya." Kurogasa said. "Who knows? Maybe in the future, I can help you start your own fashion line."

"Wouldn't that be the dream?" Coco mused.

"We'll see. But for now, all of this is yours." Kurogasa said.

"Gotcha." Coco nods. "I'll get to work right away."

End Flashback


Aaron looked at Kurogasa with a neutral expression. "You brought Coco… into our headquarters…"

"Uh, yeah? I mean we did have that Japanese feast we all cooked that everyone was invited to." Kurogasa said.

"You realize who she is, right?"

"Yeah~ and?"

"You know what? I don't care anymore. Our base is no longer secret so… I don't care."

"Good, we're all in agreement. I gave those outfit designs a few days back so we'll have new outfits done by tomorrow."

"Are they gonna be any good?" Orpheus pondered.

"Hey, in Atlas, it pays to have good connections," Kurogasa said. "Besides, I took all of your personal tastes and aesthetics into account."

"And just like that, my good mood is gone." Aaron said dryly at the mention of Atlas.

"I suddenly have a feeling that you were watching us too much, dude." Orion told the samurai.

"Dude, that's harsh. For the record, I'm-"

"We know." Orpheus rolled his eyes. "But just in case if you were… there are some things that I'm not comfortable with."

"I'm proud of my manhood. Be proud of yours." Orion patted Kurogasa on the back.

"Yeah, okay…"


LINE BREAK


While the young heroes were preparing themselves for a later excursion out into Vale, a different type of phenomenon began to rear its unnecessary head down an abandoned alleyway. An orb of darkness formed as it molded and took shape. If one could see, it was almost as if a pool of darkness, the very pool that made Grimm was being made. But no, it was far worse than that.

Rising from the pool came a shadowy armored figure with bat-shaped wings on their back. The helmet they wore resembled a beast with bug-like red eyes that glowed in the darkness. Another factor about the individual was the object around their waist…

…a hauntingly familiar belt buckle in the shape of a dragon with glowing red eyes.

"Finally… I have made it." The figure mused before chuckling darkly. "This time… Remnant is mine."


GKC: And we shall call that an end to the chapter.

SR: And boy oh boy it's gonna get crazier. Who is this mysterious figure? What dark plans does he have for our brave heroes?

KRD: You'll have to find out next episode! Until then, roll the clip!


PREVIEW

Announcement: Jikai! Remnant's Climax Heroes!

Ruby: Everyone remembers their roles?

Orion: Hey, isn't that Penny?

Torchwick: I'm offering you the chance to fight back against those running our kingdoms!

Sun: HEEEEEEEEELP!

Aaron: Now… let's begin the experiment.

Next Time: Midnight Clash!

?: RABBIT AND RABBIT!


GKC: And with that, we say peace out to all of you. Don't forget to wash your hands regularly. COVID-19 is gonna be here for quite some time.