Early morning waves crashed against the shore. The sun, just now cresting over the horizon that is the Pacific, slowly raises itself into the sky. An ocean breeze blows as the seagulls squawk. As the tranquil nature of a beach slowly passes by, even with the occasional bag of trash scattered about, two beings race across the golden grains under this orange morning sky.
Six legs sprint through the seashore, two belonging to a human and four to a canine. The two beings keeping pace with each other throughout their sprint. The human, Sarina, now ten years older, has grown quite a bit. Her light blonde hair has grown out to half way down her back and she's maturing quite well. For the other being running alongside her, it was a creature of darkness, a monster, a demon, a creature of Grimm and her best friend. The Grimm wolf that she accidentally created a decade ago now had grown with its mistress. Now she stood at a height of 1.3 metres while on all fours, black fur continually contrasting with a white bone mask and spikes along with burning red eyes. Even at the wolf equivalent of adulthood, Sarina's Grimm wolf had all the energy of a newborn pup and the ferocity of a seasoned adult. It made their runs a lot more enjoyable.
"A… Al… Alright Fenris. I think that's enough for today." Sarina panted as she slowed to a stop. Her Grimm slowed and stopped just ahead of her looking no worse for wear. As Fenris looked back to Sarina with a smug look on her muzzle. "Yeah yeah, you won, ya big fuzzball." She said once her breath returned with cold heat and a small smile.
Looking back to where they were headed, Sarina and followed by Fenris could begin to see more and more trash piling up the further they looked. It was sad and disgusting really. It stopped anyone from coming closer which is a shame from what she heard from her dad. It seemed real nice back when he was younger.
Moving her attention away from the trash, Sarina noticed how high the sun was now. "Oh no. We're gonna be late." She realized with wide eyes. Fenris also noticed and had a quick mental conversation with the girl. "Yeah, come on!" Fenris then bolted into a sprint. Not a second later, Sarina grabbed onto one of her bone protrusions and hoisted herself onto the Grimm's back. The pair then booked it at full speed toward the school, hoping to god they weren't late.
Ever since Fenris was big enough to be ridden, that's what Sarina did. She was about ten, six years after she got her Quirk, when they had their first ride. The neighbors were used to seeing the large wolf at the Yoru household by that point and had all seen the two girls grow together. It was only a matter of time until they tried it.
It was also around that time when Sarina got her first glimpse into a world of heroes and villains unlike anything she's ever seen. A world of new solutions and bloody evolution. A world where victory is in a simple soul. A world of Huntsmen and Huntresses. The world of Remnant.
"Sarina, dear! Can you come here please!" Her mom called to her in a sing-song tone.
"COMING!" Sarina called back, running into the living room with a still growing Grimm wolf in toe.
When she arrived, the young girl could see her mom standing in the middle of the room with a devilish smile on her face, hands behind her back and a look of mischievous joy.
"Mom?" Sarina asked, not liking that look. Nothing ever good happened when she had that look.
"You know Sarina, I think you're old enough now." Eisig sang again. For Sarina this was turning creepy.
"Old enough for what?" Sarina asked, internally pleading for nothing bad but expecting the worst.
"This." Eisig said, bringing around what she was hiding behind her back into view.
What she was holding was a big, multicoloured box. Upon closer inspection however, Sarina could see letters and people. Slowly stepping closer to see what it was, her eyes bulged making her mom smile even more and burst out laughing. She ignored all that and squealed in joy. What her mom had in her hand was RWBY: The full collection.
"HAHAHA ahhh. After so long, I knew that'd be your reaction." Eisig managed to get out
between laughs, wiping a tear from her eye as well.
"You mean I can finally see my Quirk!?" Sarina excitedly asked.
"Yep." Her mom popped, "If you want to become a hero, you're gonna need to know what you're able to do." There was something mumbled off at the end that Sarina picked up.
"What was that?"
"Oh nothing. Want any popcorn?" Her mom reassured, moving the conversation away from her slip up.
"Ooh! And something for Fenris too!" Sarina called as her mom went to the kitchen.
"I still don't understand why you named her that." Eisig said, shaking her head with a smile on her face.
"Fenrir, where I got the name, is the big wolf from Norse mythology. And besides, just look at Fenris, she's ginormous!" Sarina explained, gesturing to her own Grimm wolf's size.
On the outside, Eisig was thoroughly amused with her daughter, letting a small chuckle escape at Sarina's enthusiasm. On the inside she was reflecting on just how large Fenris actually was. She could probably reach the size of the Hound by the time Sarina reaches high school. The popcorn finished as she was thinking and Eisig got some bowls and treats.
Soon the mother daughter pair were snuggled up with a furry, and heavy blanket covering them. Fenris' bone plates could be as hard or as soft as Sarina wanted, which was nice.
"You got it in?" Eisig asked to the affirmational nod of her daughter, "Alright. Sarina, welcome to the world of RWBY."
Back in the present, the wolf and girl were weaving their way through the streets, narrowly avoiding other bystanders as they raced forward. Having had to race back home so she could change and get her things, they were cutting it close. Luckily for the duo, they could now see the school closing in.
"Yes, we're gonna make it." Sarina cheered in relief seeing that she'd make it. That is if…
BRINNNNNNGGGGGG
They made it before the bell.
"NO! Hurry Fenris!" The wolf pushed itself harder at her mistress' words. Now running faster than the passing cars and the wind battering against them, Sarina could see the school gates closing. "Damn it. Fenris, keep going. I'll see you later girl."
Fenris pushed on, quickly approaching the gate. In all honesty, this wasn't the first time the pair were late because of their runs and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Because of their repeated tardiness, the two had a plan in place for such an occasion, and it was...
"NOW!" Sarina shouted. Right before the wall, Fenris lept high into the air, clearing the gate and fence in a single bound. Now that they were on, or more appropriately, above private property where the Public Quirk Use laws had limited control, Sarina lept from Fenris in mid air, calling her Quirk to action.
Just as Salem has control of the creation and lives of the Grimm on Remnant, Sarina has those same abilities on Earth. That control also extends to the death, or in this case, dismissal of Grimm for a time.
Now clear of her Grimm, Sarina pulled back on what she created. Fenris transformed into a rapidly disintegrating husk of ash, picked up by the wind in less than a second. For Sarina herself, her fall led into a practiced roll. Once she was back on her feet, she dashed into the building, hoping to not be reprimanded too hard. Unfortunately she wouldn't be so lucky.
"Yoru, you're late, and for the fifth time this month might I add. Once more and action will be taken. Am I clear?" Her teacher admonished.
"Yes sir, it won't happen again." Sarina bowed.
"Good, now get to your seat, you've wasted enough time as is." He said, returning to his lesson as Sarina skittishly slinked into her seat. "As I was saying before, you're all ten months away from high school. That means career aptitude tests." Lectured the teacher, "Now I know most of you will be aiming for a hero course of some kind, UA being the most prestigious of them all. Even if the lot of you want to go to UA, I must warn you, as you should be aware, of their 0.2 percent or 1 in 500 acceptance rate. That brings us back to the aptitude tests. No matter what, a backup plan will be your saving grace. Now fill out this questionnaire that will give you suggestions for other potential careers. You have the rest of the period to complete it."
Sarina wasn't fully paying attention to the teacher as he spoke. Instead thinking about her future and absentmindedly filling out the survey in front of her. It was only ten months from entrance exams and the start of high school for her and that meant training. Thinking back on it, RWBY helped in that regard. Getting to see combat training, even if fictional, gave her something to work with and the results you could gain with hard work. And the lack there of if you didn't, or more specifically, hadn't.
"Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now. Please try to refer to your scroll during combat. Gauging your Aura will help you decide when it is appropriate to attack or when it is better to move to a more... Defensive strategy."
Those were the words of Glynda Goodwitch. Huntress and teacher at Beacon academy. In the hour and a half of RWBY Sarina has seen at this point, she was already in love with it. Heroes and Huntsmen weren't as different as she imagined, from what her mom said anyway, protecting the people from the forces of evil and leading them to peace and victory.
"We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Beowolf, now would we?"
Sarina took that moment to summon a small grimm puddle in her hand, the pool creating a small beowolf in her palm.
"You wouldn't do that to Jaune, would you?" She said with a sly smile.
The beowolf, in line with it's mistress' desires, performed an exaggerated shrug, forcing a giggle from the two girls. Sarina for her Beowolf's response and Eisig for her daughter's use of her Quirk.
"You've really come a long way with the Grimm already." Eisig reminisced, noticing Sarina's progress with her Quirk.
"Well knowing what I can do really helps." Sarina said. Her mother couldn't disagree with that. Knowing what she can and can't do right off the bat meant she could work on control more than experimentation.
"We still don't know if you're only limited to Salem's power though." Eisig noted, "There could be more we still don't know."
"I know." Sarina sighed, disintegrating the Beowolf and crushing the ashes, "But even if there isn't, if this is all I have, it's enough for me." Her caring words went to the wolf on their laps, taking in the pets she was receiving from her mistress and her mother.
"Can't disagree with that. Let's keep watching and see if you can find anything interesting." Said Eisig, pressing play again.
Sarina's musings of the past were however interrupted when a muffled boom came from behind the room, the classroom behind them. It was unfortunately the case that hearing these concussive explosives was a regular thing to watch out for. The cause, one Katsuki Bakugo, the pride and joy of Aldera Junior High, the one they were grooming to go to UA because of his Quirk. The one who would make the name Aldera great.
The other kids groveled at his feet, hoping for any chance that they could be his friend. It was only those who were kids of pros that didn't see him the same way. Unfortunately their numbers were low and as such ignored him. Even she knew any fancy semblance or Quirk was only as good as the user. And even if Bakugo was good with his Quirk, he couldn't work on a team.
Once the shock of yet another explosion went away, it was back to normal class work. Finding her survey complete, work finished and homework done before anybody else, Sarina was back to her thoughts. Absentmindedly creating a small Ursa, she smiled at her creation and was brought back to her first Grimm experiments.
After the time in the doctor's office and once her mom was ready, Sarina went about experimenting with what she could do. As the young Fenris was her own pride and joy, she sat these experiments out. Like the doctor had before, her mom and dad guided her through how to call upon her Quirk. Like earlier that week, a small stream of reddish black goo fell from her hand. It stayed like that for a while, the family wondering what to do next. Fortunately, her mom with her RWBY knowledge suggested Sarina imagine an animal in the puddle. She did that and a Grimm with the appearance of a kitten clawed its way out of the goop.
"Aww." Sarina cooed once she got a view of the white masked cat.
"It's adorable." Her mom said, feeling better now with the idea of a Grimm reality.
The kitten stood waiting as Fenris approached it. Sniffing the new Grimm, the wolf found it was like her, linked to Sarina, and decided to let it be. Sarina then scooped up the kitten into her arms, much like Fenris before, to the surprise and shock of the feline.
"Now I don't want to be that guy," Anomeshi said, the attention of his wife, daughter and Grimm on him, "but I don't think we have room for more and more pets." He stated, gesturing to their house. A good size for the family and Fenris but not much more.
"Hmmm, Sarina, do you think you can find a way to dismiss the Grimm?" Eisig asked.
"I think so Mommy." Sarina responded, looking back into herself for that feeling.
It took some searching but eventually she found it. As she imagined and felt it, her Grimm were like balls of darkness ready to bend to her will. Right now, there were two of these balls. One was a slightly bigger, familiar ball and the other was a smaller, less familiar ball. She said as much, relaying the information back to her parents.
"The cat must be the smaller ball." Eisig said, looking between the two Grimm and their minimal but still noticeable size difference. "Try manipulating the cat." Sarina did as told, reaching out for the smaller ball.
As soon as the girl's consciousness grabbed it, the ball felt solid but malleable. Deciding to see what she could do, Sarina began to squeeze. It didn't feel as if the ball was being crushed nor did it feel strained, the darkness just let it happen. Back in the real world, the kitten began to evaporate, it's ashes taking to the wind and out an open window. As soon as it was gone…
"AHH!" Sarina gasped, a hand shooting to her chest.
"SARINA!" Both her mom and dad called, rushing to her side.
"Uh-uh-uh-uh… No… no more, sleep, now." Sarina panted out before slipping to unconsciousness.
After she woke up, Sarina and her parents decided to not overextend herself like that again. Summoning and de-summoning really took away her energy. Fortunately like any other Quirk, so long as she practiced and trained, it could become better. Within a few months, Sarina could do six summons or de-summons in one day. A year and it was twenty. Now with a decade of experience, she could summon fifty Grimm in a day. She limited herself to fifty because she hadn't tried any more than that. But if this kept up, she could one day create an army in an instant.
That was a thought in of itself, Sarina remembered as she pet the small Grimm before her. The ring of the bell interrupted her thoughts as it signalled the end of class. Fortunately for her, the rest of the school day went by much faster. Classes were normal but forgettable, and lunch was hanging out with her friends. They did always coo over the Grimm when she created them.
In what felt like no time at all, the day was over. Walking out of the building, Sarina skulked away from the rest of the teens to… get in a run. No one could claim public Quirk usage if no one saw her use her Quirk. Quickly finding a secluded area at the back of the school with no one around, Sarina double checked her surroundings before bringing forth a Grimm pool in her hand. Normally this would only create miniature Grimm but luckily for her, she could make a bigger pool. Flipping her hand over, the pool of darkness splashed onto the ground, more liquid pouring out of her hand. In just under a minute the pool stretched a metre high and a metre wide. Perfect for her needs.
Bringing feelings of joy and comradery to the forefront of her mind, the pool began to bubble in turn. Another few seconds later the ever growing bubbles blew away to reveal Fenris looking back at her.
"Hey, Fenris. Who's a good girl? You are!" Sarina babied, snuggling up to the giant wolf's dog-like tendencies as said wolf leaned into the rubs and pets with a panting tongue. "Schools done so you know what that means..."
Fenris jumped around a bit before scooping her mistress up from underneath. Sarina took to the air for a moment before safely landing right on the Grimm's cleared back.
"HAHAHA. I missed you too, now let's get going." Sarina cheered. Fenris howled with her before setting into a sprint. As the pair sprinted off, if they were a second or two later, they would have noticed a notebook falling ungracefully from the sky into the koi pond nearby. But for them, that didn't matter.
Half an hour later, Sarina and Fenris were racing through the outskirts of the city. With not many people around and wider areas to run, they found it the perfect spot to be together. Finding their favorite park, the two can lay there for hours on end just looking at the clouds peacefully passing by.
"So Fenris… It's been about ten and a half years now since we met." Sarina said as the two laid out on the grass. The wolf made a sound of agreement that only her mistress could understand and it had apparently been funny enough to get a laugh out of her, "Ten years with you, you big fuzzball. Ah it's just so peaceful out he-"
BOOOOM!
"-re. What in the brothers name was that?!" Sarina shouted in absolute shock.
Coming over the buildings, smoke began to rise. It looked like something normal, a villain attack most likely but then there was Fenris who seemed to take a more aggressive stance. Immediately she rolled onto her legs and growled towards the explosion with her fur on end. The only time she did that was…
"Bakugo." Sarina said with a scowl, if he got himself trapped in a villain attack, he'd need someone with a spine to bail him out. Quickly mounting Fenris, "Let's go!" The two dashed off again.
The pair were bobbing and weaving their way through the running crowd as those who didn't want to be anywhere near a villain attack ran away. She couldn't blame them, she's seen what villains can do before and it's not pretty. More explosions came as the two ran, even as they approached the chaos, screams began to overpower the destruction.
"Gah, how far away is this?" Sarina ranted as they leapt over a group of people.
Fenris responded with a dismissive growl, announcing her own gripes with the idea.
"I know, I know, but this has gone on for longer than it should. The heroes should have finished it by now." Sarina noticed, wondering just what was going on. "Just keep running, we'll figure out what to do when we get there."
In truth, Sarina wasn't sure what she'd do. It's the heroes job to save people but with how long the two of them have been running and still hearing explosions in the ever closing distance, she wasn't sure what they were doing. Finally seeing the flames ahead, Sarina was shocked just seeing the heroes standing around in front of the crowd. To their credit, some were helping clear out civilians and dealing with the fires but the others were just standing around. Aura would really do some good here, she thought.
Slowing to a trot and then a walk, the pair could hear some of the other bystanders speculate on the slimy villain in front of them.
"Wait, I'm confused. Isn't that the villain All Might was chasing early today?" Someone asked.
"All Might?" Sarina muttered in confusion. Directing Fenris closer to the crowd, Sarina needed to know what happened.
"What, All Might?! No way he lost, where is he?" Another asked.
"Well can someone call him or something?" A third questioned.
"Seriously, why hasn't he shown up to help the heroes?" the second said again.
"Alright, Fenris." Sarina said, hearing enough. The pair went back towards the other side of the street, away from the action to get a better view than from behind the crowd.
Now with a good view of the fight, Sarina could see that the villain that everyone was talking about was covered or made of some kind of slime. Something not too dissimilar to her own Grimm pools when they're more viscous than normal. Shaking that thought away, she could also see it had someone hostage.
"Oh no. It can't be..." Sarina uttered when she saw that. Fenris remained silent, looking off to the side while her mistress was distracted. "Alright, you know what to do…" Her intentions understood, Fenris shook off what she was looking at before refocused onto the villain and lowered herself into a sprinting start, waiting on her mistress' word. Right as Sarina was about to charge, to the surprise of everyone including herself, a kid raced from the crowd towards the villain before she could.
"No you idiot! Stop, you're gonna get yourself killed!" one of the heroes called.
"Fenris, now!" Sarina immediately ordered as the Grimm launched after him. Accelerating to top speed in less than a second, the pair bounded straight over the crowd to the surprise of those who saw.
"Not this brat again. Huh?" The villain groaned when he saw the kid but paused as he saw a flying wolf being ridden leap above the crowd. Shaking himself back, the villain returned his attention to the boy, "Your toast kids!"
As the boy in front ran and distracted the villain, Sarina took this opportunity to gain some Grimm pool in her hands. "Go!" She yelled, launching herself into the air as Fenris continued to run. Throwing down a pool to either side of her, a pair of Ursa were summoned from within and charged forward with her will.
The kid leading the way then took off his backpack and threw it at the villain's eye. That stunned the villain enough for the kid to begin grasping at the kid held hostage. From the back, Sarina swore under her breath at seeing it was indeed Bakugo trapped within the slime.
"Kachaan!" The green haired kid yelled as he clawed at the villain.
"What the hell? Why are you here!? " Bakugo yelled back.
"I don't know, my legs, they just started moving!" The first kid explained.
It was at that moment that Fenris and the two Ursai joined the fray. Fenris leaping over the kids with teeth bared and the Ursai grabbing the two sides of the villain trying to pull him apart. The villain cried out in pain as the wolf locked it's maw down on his other eye and with its momentum, tore it off. The Ursai continued to hold him in place allowing the clean tear to hurt even more.
"Damn muts!" The villain screamed in pain, lashing out towards the Grimm and Sarina. She was just able to get away but not without a scratch before the tentacle whipped by and smashed into the concrete.
While being helped in more ways than he could imagine, the green haired kid kept his tear covered eyes on Bakugo, not noticing what was going on behind him. "Kachaan, I couldn't just stand there and watch you die."
From where Sarina stood and recovered, more Grimm pools in her hand if needed, she could hear the last part and knew that this kid could be a hero, maybe even a huntsmen with that kind of courage. After running in like that, she was expecting he'd say something like that. For her though, she saw the villain target the kid again. "From behind, Fenris!"
"Just a little bit longer kid then I'm done playing wit-Uhrg!" As the Villain was recovering himself, Fenris bit down hard on his back, the Ursai pulled with all their might, Bakugo created a massive explosion and…
"I Really am pathetic." As the dust cleared, the three kids, the heroes, Grimm and the rest of the crowd could see a fist connecting with the slime. A fist that belonged to none other than...
"All Might..."
There he stood, the number 1 hero with a smile on his face and sense of justice greater than no other. Everyone was shocked, even Sarina's momentary pause stopped the Grimm's advance.
"I told you the traits that make a great champion! But I see now that I wasn't living up to my own Ideals!" He snapped out of the slime that covered his fist. "Pros are always risking their lives. That's the true test of a hero!"
Now the villain was really angry. Cocking back a tendril he shouted, "Damn you All Might!"
"DETROIT!"
"Fenris! Now!"
"SMASH!"
As All Might threw his signature punch with his other hand grabbing hold of the two boys, Fenris grabbed hold of the villain in her jaw and leapt into the middle of the smash. It was unnecessary though as the force of the punch ripped through everything in its path. As the villain was trapped in the wolf's maw, he got the brunt of the damage, destroying every bit of slime not holding onto something. The Grimm were destroyed in an instant as one second they were there and the next they weren't.
Being the next closest to the explosion, Sarina was launched back until she could throw out her Grimm pools and lock herself down with a Seer and it's long tentacles. As for everyone else, they were being blasted by the wind. Mt. Lady covered civilians with her arms as the other heroes linked up to not get blown away themselves. Even a cyclone began to form from all the power All Might put into the smash.
Soon the wind returned to being a breeze and everything began to calm down, rain began to pour. Both boys were knocked unconscious and Sarina was sure to join them soon. The debris that had now fallen to the ground didn't do her any good either as she now bled in a few places.
Realizing the villain was defeated, cheers erupted from the crowd and praise for the great number one began flooding in. It took some effort, but All Might raised his fist in victory getting an even louder cheer in return.
"O-Oww." Sarina cringed as she lowered herself to the ground. With the last ounce of strength she had, she created another pool to get Fenris back after she was destroyed. The wolf when it returned held its head hung low but gave Sarina something to lean on for the time being. The two found their way to the floor just in time to get chewed out by the heroes.
It was there that she learned that the other boy, Izuku Midoriya, was friends with Bakugo and that they actually went to the same school. For Sarina, she was ripped a new one for public quirk use and reckless endangerment but was luckily let off with just a warning. Though even when reprimanded, she did get a few comments on her Quirk, mostly from Midoriya when he wasn't being reprimanded himself.
"S-So Yoru, t-that's your Q-Quirk." He stuttered through.
"Firstly, I prefer Sarina, my mom's from the west. Secondly…" Sarina corrected before looking at Fenris fondly, "Yes, yes she is." She said as the wolf snuggled into her.
"W-Wow. T-That's a really amazing Quirk. I-I can't believe we h-haven't met before." Midoriya praised.
"Yeah. Though I spend most of my time with Fenris here." Sarina curtly explained.
"I-If It's okay, what are those white parts?" Midoriya questioned.
"Bone-like exoskeleton." Sarina answered with a shrug, "They're just like that."
Before Midoriya could ask another question, a hero approached the two. "Alright you two, you're clear to go. But don't let this happen again. Am I clear?"
"Y-Yes sir!" Midoriya immediately answered.
"Yeah. Come on Fenris, It's getting late. We've still got our evening run to do." Sarina said while being pulled up by the Grimm and hoisting herself up onto her back. "I'll see around then?" Sarina asked.
"Y-Yeah." Midoriya responded.
With that settled, Sarina patted Fenris behind the ear who understood it was time to go. And with that they sprinted off again.
"I can't believe I just spoke with a girl." Midoriya uttered, stunned by his actions. Shaking that away, he too made his way for home.
"Dammit, I knew I should have worked on a weapon. I wasn't even in the line of fire and I still got hit." Sarina ranted while laying on Fenris' back as they walked through the orange skyed neighborhood. Having cooled of and reflected from their run, Sarina was realizing just how stupid that little stunt of hers was. "What would have happened if I actually got hit?" So deep in her rant, Sarina didn't notice Fenris' ears perk up. "Like seriously, what was I thinking? Aura doesn't exist, so everyone's vulnerable. Quirks are way too random for anything. I just, Ughh. You know?" As she asked Fenrir at the end of her rant, Sarina finally took notice that Fenris was following her ears now, going in a direction away from home.
"Fenris?" She asked quietly.
The wolf didn't verbally respond. Looking down an alley before going into it as an answer.
"Not good, got it." She muttered to herself, shifting from laying on her back to her stomach. "What do you hear, girl?"
The pair then slowly walked through the maze of alleys and streets. While Sarina couldn't hear what Fenris was following, she trusted the Grimm and her senses. After a minute, Sarina could begin to hear someone talking but couldn't make it out. Fenris seemed to hear it however as what she heard justified this chase.
A slight whimper came from the wolf causing concern for her mistress. "Fenris, what's wrong." The wolf didn't answer, instead redoubling its effort to find the source. Sarina cared for her Grimm and seeing her like this worried her. Keeping her eyes and ears open, the first words became clear.
"I deem you worthy of my power. My Quirk is yours to inherit." That stopped the pair where they stood.
"What?..." Sarina quietly said. Apparently whoever this man was talking too asked something similar as a mighty laugh roared across the neighborhood.
"You should see your face right now!" The man continued laughing. "Don't worry I'm not gonna force this thing on you." Sarina and Fenris slowly sneaked towards the sound. "Listen well, young man. This is your choice. Do you want to accept my awesome power or not!"
"Okay… this is someone crazy." Sarina quietly noted, keeping her voice down and continuing forward still.
"There are a couple things you should know about my abilities." The man said, becoming serious. "Journalists always guess my Quirk is super strength or some kind of invulnerability. When people ask in interviews, I always make a joke and dodge the question. That's because the world needs to believe that their symbol of peace is just a natural born hero like any of them… But I'm not. There's nothing natural about my ability."
"Symbol of peace? Okay, not crazy, insane."
The man continued, "I wasn't born with this power, it was a sacred torch that was passed onto me from someone else."
"The Maidens?!" Was the first thing Sarina thought of. That was the only thing she could relate to what the man was saying.
"Someone gave you this Quirk? No way." A familiar voice said now that they were closer. A voice that Sarina just met an hour ago.
She held her tongue, instead gasping like the now revealed Midoriya.
"Yes way! And you're next. I can give you my abilities." The man continued.
"Wait, hold on, this is a lot to process." Midoriya stuttered, "It's true there's a lot of debate as to what your Quirk actually is, nobody's ever figured it out. It's one of the world's greatest mysteries. People are constantly talking about it online. W-well the idea of passing on a quirk or inheriting it just doesn't make any sense to me, I've never heard anything like that before. Powers are supposed to be unique to each individual. I mean since the first superpowers no one's ever been able to just give someone else their power like a present, that's crazy! If this is true, it would cause us to rethink everything we know about Quirks to begin with."
"Uhh, sounds like you're overthinking this whole inheriting thing." The man that Sarina couldn't believe she was considering sane deadpanned, "STOP NERDIN' OUT! You'll have to adjust your reality and accept this new truth! I can transfer my Quirk to someone else. And that's just one facet of my secret abilities."
Now, Sarina and Fenris have made it to the corner where the voices were coming from. "All right, moment of truth." Honestly, it made the girl nervous. If they took a step forward, that'd be it. Either step forward and accept what… All Might? That's what their only 'symbol of peace' is saying or turn around and forget the crazy ramblings of an old man. There was no way that could be real and Sarina knew it, that is until she remembered Remnant. The truth was not reality. The shadow war between Ozma and Salem spanning millennia, hidden behind the monikers of covered over history and forgotten stories.
She couldn't believe she was seriously thinking about following a show with what to do now. But then there's her entire Quirk, her Grimm, her Fenris. It's all a mirror of that very same show. The question now was should she, or should she not. With her decision made…
"The true name of my power… Is ONE FOR ALL." A gleaming light shown from the hand of the skeletal man.
"One for all?" Midoriya asked.
"Yes. One person improves the power, then hands it off to another person. It continues to grow as it's passed along. It is this cultivated power that allows me to save those who are in need of a hero. The truth behind my strength." All Might explained.
"But why would you choose to give me a gift like that?" Midoriya questioned. "What if I can't live up to it?"
"I was on the long hunt for a worthy successor. And then, I watched you jump into action with that girl as the rest of us stood idly by. You may just be a Quirkless fanboy, but you tried to save that kid. You acted like a hero."
As the number one said that, Midoriya was nearly in tears of joy.
"Seriously, you've got to stop crying so much if you want my Quirk. Come on kid."
He did as he was told and held back his tears, now standing resolute, "Okay I'll do it, YES!"
"No reluctance, that's exactly how I figured you'd respond." All Might said with a humored smile.
As the two were standing there…
CRUNCH!
The two men instantly turned to the sound with ghostly white looks of fear. Before them, two more beings looked back at them. All eight eyes moved to the ground where the noise came from. A broken stick the culprit, snapped by a black and bone covered wolf paw. Riding the black and white boned covered wolf was a girl who looked absolutely horrified with herself. She could only say one thing
"Uhhhh… Hi." Sarina said, scrunching herself as small as she could into her shoulders.
And we're back with more Grimm Hero: Salem. I feel I've got enough feedback to continue this for a while. As we pick up in the beginning of the chapter, it's a bit of a back and forth between past and present. This felt like the most appropriate way to give these dumps of exposition in a way that works into the story.
As for the later part of the chapter, nothing is isolated. I debated whether to have Sarina participate in the slime villain incident but upon further writings, it makes sense in a sense. Now I hope I made Sarina's reaction to All Might's revelation believable and had her hold enough doubt for it to, again, be believable in the story. Along with this, Sarina is shown and will be shown to be rather athletic when it comes to agility, reaction time and the like. When you're racing against a giant wolf nearly every day, you'd tend to get fit.
Pieces of a larger puzzle are being laid, if you can figure it out or want to spitball ideas, the review section is always available. Thanks for the support so far and until next time, keep reading.