Wow, it's been ages since I've updated. All my editors vanished, but that's not the reason it took so long. I kept getting distracted with other stuff and told myself: "Oh, I'll work on it tomorrow." I kept repeating that over and over until months passed and barely any writing was done. I sat my ass down and began to write a little each day until I was back in the groove. The important thing gained from this is that you need to get into the habit of writing. If you're use to writing a bit every day, it just becomes easier and you make progress. Don't make the same mistake I did.
Also, BenFang 322 has done some reviewing and did a good job. His style is a litter different, so we worked together to bring this chapter and hope you all enjoyed it. There were a lot of comments for this chapter and I debated just skipping it since the update took so long, but you guys help keep me inspired and motivated. So thank you all for your patience. Also, a common thread seems to be people wanting to see Emerald become paste.
TechnicalJoker: Oh for sure. It's going to be glorious.
fuyuki365: Maybe. Glynda would have to be shorter. Poor Emerald though.
D. : There are a lot of problems with Academy City that even Remnant wouldn't like.
Takedo: Yes, but remember, he had his reflection up constantly. Now he can't and has to do things manually. Ruby is going to fall even harder if that's possible. Neo is just awesome this chapter.
calderoneric758: Nora's going to kill you for that comment.
Dracul666: It's all going to happen soon. The Grimm have nothing on him.
Kuvukiland: English. The multiversal language. I figured if they wanted to do something secret, I would specifically mention Japanese. You'll have to see what happens due to Emerald's actions.
FabledLife: Maybe. I'm not a professional and every character will be off a little since I didn't originally create any of them. You have to accept that from novice writers in fanfics. But yes, hormones affect people. I vaguely remember the Illegal Grail War.
TykkiMikk: Yeah, but the others don't know it. Last Order to them is a kid with a past she's not supposed to talk about. Accelerator won't talk about it, and as you said, Touma won't mention it because it involves his friends unless he had to. Pissing off Accelerator is a learning situation.
KingAllen: I don't think so if I go by what I established already. Dust doesn't work on Touma do to his hand.
Guest: Kevin is going to meet a more powerful dragon(s).
Mrcrazyman94: I have a plan for why it works this time. I think he will open up more about his personal life, rather than just the basic stuff of his world after certain events. Yeah, it's hard to write him opening up so easily. He can act like a normal person, mention a few random adventures, but won't go into what he has done.
WriterAdam: You seem to know what's coming.
Ahsoei: After what's about to happen, it will open up that possibility to learn more.
Stitches: I doubt I will do a multi crossover as two is hard enough to give both sides adequate time.
VGBlackwing: I have a reason why it will work this once.
Fernandamichelleraya: Slice of life scenes are great. Accelerator isn't used to feelings and he's not a normal high school boy, just like he always wanted. I understand that. I'll try to mix up the groups a bit.
JumpingToaster: Yeah, if I post the original comments, this section would be looooong. I wish I could post a lot of longer responses to people, but this way at the least, I can answer some basic questions and let them know I appreciate their time to comment.
Don Orbit: Touma would babysit Last Order. What kind of trouble could a small girl and the most misfortunate guy alive get in… to…? (Notes ideas.) Never mind. Ruby got hit hard into the friend zone. She needed to be more aggressive. With an active lifestyle, you need to eat more calories. Yeah, you should never date a partner in a team. Worse decision ever.
Not A Criminal: That is… a great idea.
Temsen: They have not. I've been trying to decide that for ages.
SlothDGod: Silver I think the story was? It involved Jaune learning his Aura to become stronger and actually found a way to break his aura off and form it into stuff. Since Aura is light, he found what laid beneath it and created some darkness he called 'Lore' I think? It was similar to Grimm energy.
AMTT94: Sorry, I have to. Lots of stuff came up.
Meep fanmeepster: Touma is used to making food from little and in large quantities. Not 5-star cuisines, though he does make it taste good. Well, when you aren't fighting monsters 100% of the time, you can focus on weapons and technology.
G119: Why not both? Sexed and embarrassed to death.
zerofire210: Corona virus has been difficult in some ways, as I'm stuck in the house more. Drives me crazy some days.
Mr. X: 1) Yang has shotgun gauntlets. 2) Mercury told Cinder and Emerald it was impossible after seeing him at the bar. 3) He actually mentioned he had an idea for Shattered Vale: After Dark Spinoff. But we all joke everything is as dead as Darkness.
Guest: Touma flies through the air to save Emerald. I like it.
Guest: My original plan for Touma to affect the villains and have a lot of people see him as one, while Accelerator becomes the hero.
Lovecrazyhedgehog: I am not a bumblebee shipper. I like Blake x Jaune in my personal ships. Or Lancaster as a second. Well, Accelerator doesn't have Aura yet. Wonder if someone will unlock it and what it will do? It is a reflection of his soul, damaged as it may be.
Xeno01: I don't think Accelerator would say that.
Illuusio: I don't think either of those will join the team. I think I know who I want later on.
Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.
"Thank you for coming, Mr. Kamijou." Ozpin welcomed as Touma entered the office. The headmaster sat at his desk with Eliza sitting in one of the two other chairs available. "Please, take a seat. As promised, I've called you here to tell you of the progress made in regards to your situation."
"Unless it's along the lines of 'we're finished and ready for you to go home,' I probably won't understand most of what you tell me," Touma joked, falling into the only available chair.
"We could have had Accelerator sit in," Eliza replied with a knowing smirk. "Do you think he would pass on the information?"
"…No," Touma sighed. He knew she was right. "It hasn't been very long. Have you guys made any breakthroughs?"
"I've gone through all the research we were able to recover," Eliza told him, looking at him with a dead stare. For the very first time, he clearly saw the bags underneath her eyes. "The good news is the research is sound, so the hardest part is actually setting everything up. We couldn't salvage any parts from Merlot's base, so everything will have to be made from scratch."
"Ah… that means it's going to be more than a couple days, huh?" Touma muttered, trying and failing to laugh in spite of the poor situation.
"Yes, it does… Did you honestly believe it was going to be that easy?" Eliza asked, raising an eyebrow. She was more used to dealing with Accelerator than this boy. A realist at the best of times.
"…No," Touma paused. "But that doesn't mean I can't have some hope."
Ozpin merely chuckled at the boy's response.
"More to the point," The headmaster started. "If we had managed to salvage Merlot's equipment, we might have had the machine operational by the end of the month. Now? We'll have to build all of the equipment ourselves, while keeping it secret from certain individuals. Eliza here is going to fund most of this through some research grants, while I've diverted some of Beacon's discretionary funds to aid her where I can."
For some reason, Touma felt like Glynda was going to kill Ozpin when she found out.
"We have the blueprints," Eliza cut in, noticing Touma's expression. "That saves us years, possibly decades, of research and development. There are, however, other complications. Once we complete the device, we'll need to attune it, which is the stage that Merlot was on. From what we're able to gather, he discovered there are multiple universes. That means we'll have to find yours out of countless others."
Hearing her words, Touma froze.
"Is something wrong?" Ozpin asked, a small frown upon his face. Touma wasn't sure if he was frowning because of his response or due to the implications of Eliza's words, but it really didn't matter.
"N- No… Everything's fine," Touma shook his head. "I was just, uh, remembering something…"
Worlds that were so much like his own, but different in so many ways. Laughter as a single girl did everything she could in an attempt to break him. Fighting through nightmares as everyone that he knew and loved had turned against him. The countless deaths he experienced only to be revived again and again.
Touma quickly pushed those memories to the back of his mind, a slight shiver running down his spine.
"I see…" Ozpin replied, studying the teen before him. Touma's expression told him that the boy was deeply distressed about something, but without prodding further there was simply no way for Ozpin to know. His best guess was that Touma was worried for his friends and family back home.
Ozpin truly felt sorry for the boy and his companions. Remnant was not their world, and they were trapped here due to the actions of another.
"If you say so, Mr. Kamijou," He changed the topic. "I'm sorry to tell you, but we don't have any more information for you today. We will, however, do our best to keep you informed when we do have more to tell you."
"We mostly wanted to let you know the information we downloaded and decrypted was usable," Eliza continued. "After all, some good news is better than no news or bad news, right?"
"Oh, definitely," Touma agreed. "If you ever need help with this stuff, you should contact Accelerator. I know he's, uh, a bit rough around the edges…" Eliza let out a small laugh at Touma's statement. "…but he's really smart and would definitely be able to help you with any calculations needed."
"I heard he's been studying Dust, so maybe… " Eliza started to trail off. "Hmm… When we work with Grimm energy, his opinion may be beneficial, since he knows about as much as I do on the topic. Think you can warn him that I may request his assistance?"
The grin on her face worried Touma. It was like she knew it would annoy the albino, and was doing it for fun.
"Er, sure?" Touma reluctantly accepted. He knew he was likely to regret this. "Anyways, I guess I'll see you two later?"
"There is one last thing before you go, Mr. Kamijou," Ozpin interjected, his tone growing more serious. "The man named Wellen Fischer has not made a move since his interactions with Team RWBY. Despite this, as you know, he's been able to utilize the magic of your world to control the Grimm. That fact alone makes him a serious threat. Understand this, Mr. Kamijou. The threat that Mr. Fischer poses towards the settlements means that he is a wanted criminal. If he cannot be captured, I will ensure that he is eliminated."
Touma gulped, hands moving into the shape of a fist.
"I… I understand," the boy admitted, his knuckles turning white. "He chose that path, and I can't tell you how to run your world— The situation here is entirely different than the one back home."
He paused for a moment before a look of decisiveness and determination covered his face.
"I'll promise you this though... If I meet him, I will stop him, guaranteed."
Ozpin stared at the boy for a moment before a shadow of a grin appeared on the man's face. Standing before such overwhelming odds was something the man could respect. He nodded to the boy's words.
"Good to hear."
"If that's it, sir. I'll take my leave."
Once the door was shut and Touma was sure he was far enough away to not be overheard, his fist met the wall.
"Shit!" He bellowed, continuing to punch the wall, as his body slowly moving towards the ground. "Every single time we get a clue in the right direction, another issue keeps popping up!"
He had been hoping for more, even if deep down he knew it wasn't going to be that easy. Touma let out a long sigh.
"Such misfortune…"
After a couple deep breaths, the boy calmed himself and stood up from the floor.
"I shouldn't worry," Touma muttered to himself. "Things always tend to work out in the end if you keep moving forward and don't give up. Ozpin and Eliza are trustworthy and are working hard to get that gate built. I'm sure Academy City or the church is working on this too. Accelerator's too valuable for the city to ignore him. Heh…"
He chuckled for a moment.
"Not like anyone would care about a level 0 like me anyways... except for maybe Index..."
At the thought of his roommate, Touma felt a pang of sadness hit him. He wondered if she was okay without him to take care of her. Then there was the tiny former magic god, who was bound to be pissed at Touma for getting thrown into another world and leaving them. He supposed there would be two people who would miss him then. Well, as long as they were safe and fed then he probably had nothing to worry about. It's not like it would be the first time he was stuck away from home, after all. It would just be the longest...
The good news was, hopefully, through Index the church may be able to replicate Wellen's spell that tore through the veil between worlds.
"Heh. Veil and Vale."
Touma let out a small chuckle before putting a vague smile on his face. Moping around wasn't going to help anything. If he was stuck here, he would do what he could. If fate wanted him here? He would just make the best of it. Besides, he had a promise to keep.
He could imagine it now. The sad look upon Ruby's face, the disappointment in her beautiful, innocent silver eyes if he didn't keep his promise. If Ruby were ever to look at him like that, Touma knew it would hurt even worse than that one time he got shot.
Or that other time he got shot… Or the other, other time he'd been shot… twice.
Trying not to remember the pain of having hot metal imbedding itself in his skin, he walked through the now familiar halls of Beacon. He'd been here long enough some of his classmates actually greeted him as he made his way to the locker room. Touma supposed that was partially due to the reputation he was somehow managing to build.
After all, who didn't like watching bullies like Cardin get punched in the face? Also, it was rumored that he was the only one who could control Accelerator to some degree. Not that he could. It was just a rumor.
Reaching into his locker, Touma pulled out the wrapped arm guards Ruby had made for him. He slipped the dark red equipment on, once again admiring how light they were.
"She really went all out," Touma muttered, truly amazed at how talented that young girl was. "She even made sure that I would be able to access my right hand..."
He lightly presses the switch in his palm, letting the piece behind it slip back into the compartment on his forearm, giving his hand and wrist free range to move however Touma desired. Having any form of equipment that he didn't improvise on the spot was something new for him, and yet he knew that if he ever wanted a real weapon, Ruby would go above and beyond to make him one.
"I really should thank her again. Hmm… Maybe when I meet up with her and Weiss later…" The boy thought aloud, glancing at his Scroll. "If I hurry, they shouldn't be too far."
Activating the tracker for Ruby's Scroll, he left Beacon's campus to find them.
Walking into Vale with Neo, Pyrrha has no idea how many of her life choices she would end up regretting.
In the past, the champion always tried to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Knowing Neo, however, and knowing exactly what the small girl was capable of, kept Pyrrha on her toes.
Simply being in Vale without her friends was nerve wracking, and Pyrrha knew that the only reason her nervousness wasn't as obvious as it otherwise would have been was due to her time spent as the Invincible Girl. Being in the spotlight for all those years had taught her how to hide all of her feelings, and how to wear a mask of sorts. A smile she would always have to adorn, no matter how annoying a fan was or how tired she felt.
As Pyrrha had learnt at a young age, appearances where everything.
She wondered if Neo would behave if she thought Pyrrha wasn't intimidated by her.
Little did Pyrrha know how much she was underestimating that multicolored demon in human skin.
"There?" Pyrrha asked to verify, as the girl she had just been thinking about stopped and pointed. "Are you sure?"
Neo nodded confidently and waltzed over to the building.
There was nothing the champion could do but sigh as she followed her into the clothing store. Trying to stop Neo was futile. Pyrrha had seen firsthand how much Touma struggled to get her to follow basic requests. It was best to allow her to do what she wanted and only fight her on the serious issues. After all, there was nothing inherently wrong with Neo's desire to shop for clothes.
Even if the store that she had chosen was one that only carried top brand names and customized all of their orders.
Pyrrha knew places like these all too well.
"Welcome!" The female attendant said, smiling and looking at Neo. Her smile never reached her eyes. Neo's outfit suited her, but it wasn't what rich people would consider proper. "May I help you-…? P- Pyrrha Nikos?!"
The clerk's eyes widened at the sight of the Invincible Girl.
"Hello!" Pyrrha greeted, once again wearing that perfect, artificial smile. The same smile she had worn thousands of times before. "I hope we aren't interrupting anything."
"No, no, no!" The woman gasped, shaking her head. "Of course not, Miss Nikos. Is this, um, lovely lady here with you?"
The attendant gestured to a now grinning Neo, who found the clerk's sudden panic and confusion amusing. It was obvious why Neo wanted Pyrrha to come with her.
"Yes," Pyrrha answered. "She's a classmate from Beacon, and we were hoping to find some new dresses for Beacon's upcoming dance. Would you be able to assist us?"
"It would be an honor!" The woman assured her, gesturing for them to follow. "Please, Miss Nikos, follow me. I'll show you our best selection, and if you see any design you like, we have tailors in house that are ready to make any needed adjustments."
"I appreciate it," Pyrrha replied politely. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for, so I'm open to any recommendations that you might have."
The clerk's smile widened even further at the opportunity.
"I'm sure we'll be able to find something that fits someone of your status and physique. It won't be an issue at all."
At the words, Pyrrha's lips tightened ever so slightly.
Not that she would ever tell someone like the clerk, but she hated it when people treated her differently due to her status and fame. All Pyrrha wanted was to be able to go out, shop, and be treated like any other customer who was looking for a new dress that would impress the boy she liked.
Was that really so much to ask for?
Of course, Pyrrha knew that day would never come. The moment the paparazzi smelled even a hint of Pyrrha liking someone, it would be headline news, and while she was sure that she could handle it, she also knew that it wouldn't be fair to Jaune.
"I'm sorry Miss, do you need something?"
Pyrrha jolted back to the present as she saw the woman staring in annoyance at Neo, who was busy gesturing. The woman obviously didn't understand sign language. The frown on Neo's face was clear to see, her eyes narrowing in mild anger at the woman's ignorance.
Luckily, Pyrrha caught on and stepped in before a problem could arise.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but Neo isn't able to speak. She's mute," Pyrrha told the woman. A small, sudden sense of shame and guilt started to emanate from the clerk's body. It didn't help that Neo looked like she was on the verge of tears, seemingly insulted by the insensitivity of the woman.
"She has a scroll-pad she can communicate with, if you don't understand sign language or her gestures. It might be a little awkward at first, but she's a friend of mine so I hope you can be accommodating."
For a moment, the woman's face turned sour before immediately shifting into an appeasing and gentle smile.
"Of course, Miss. We don't discriminate based on medical situations," The woman assured her. "As long as she's here as a paying customer, everyone here at our store will do the utmost to ensure that she receives excellent service."
From her tone, Pyrrha could tell it that implied the store would discriminate based on other things. She could only hope that it was something vaguely more innocent, like political status and wealth, rather than something illegal like a customer's race. If it wasn't, she would leave immediately, even if she was forced to drag Neo out with her.
Neo raised an eyebrow before shrugging. As long as she got what she wanted, it didn't matter to her. The three of them walked through a few isles before Neo gestured that she wanted to look around by herself before receiving any more help from the woman, promptly walking off once they got the message.
Suddenly, Pyrrha found herself alone with the store's clerk. Before the silence could get awkward, the woman started to speak again.
"Well then, Miss Nikos, has anything caught your eye so far?" she asked Pyrrha, trying to impress the girl, perhaps even gain a reputation with her. "If not, we could start with some of the popular trends and go from there."
"Let's do that," Pyrrha agreed. She was fully aware of what the worker was trying to do. Trying to gain influence and popularity by using famous clients like herself was something that many people before the woman had tried, and it was something that many after her would try to as well.
At Pyrrha's agreement, two more female workers appeared and began to take her measurements, ensuring her that the dress she chose would fit perfectly.
Having been through such a mundane task many times before, Pyrrha stood still, allowing her eyes to scour the store before settling on Neo. For once, her companion was actually doing what she said she would do, wandering the store and examining dresses, looking for something special.
Neo stopped in front of a display before light shimmered around her. A copy of the dress within the display suddenly appeared her lithe form.
She had used her semblance to preview the dress without even needing to properly put it on.
Both Pyrrha and the workers that surrounded her stared at the girl in a mixture of jealousy and wonder before returning to the task at hand. It was such a frivolous use of her ability to cast illusions, and yet it would save countless hours of actually trying on the dresses and looking at herself in the mirror to make adjustments.
Pyrrha envied her in that regard. Some dresses were such a pain to put on and take off, let alone move around in. Oh, what women sacrificed for beauty.
Truly, men had it easy.
"How about this one?" The main attendant had asked, bringing Pyrrha's attention back to reality.
She eyed the dress in the woman's hand. It was form fitting and left her arms bare, but after examining it closely for a moment, she shook her head.
"I'm looking for something… a little more…" Pyrrha failed to get the words out. Thankfully for her, the clerk understood exactly what it was that the Invincible Girl was trying to say.
"Something a bit more daring, but still modest enough for you to wear at public affairs?"
"Yes, that's it." Pyrrha replied, nodding gratefully.
"I see… Of course. Just a moment, Miss Nikos."
The woman handed the dress in her hands to one of the two assistants. "Put this away, for me."
She turned towards the other assistant.
"Bring me the dresses from displays 14 and 18. Quickly." The assistant bowed her head before dashed off immediately.
"Now then, Miss Nikos, I have a few ideas that I think you will absolutely love. How do you feel about a shoulderless, backless dress, with modest but ample cleavage?" She started before pointing at Pyrrha's physique. "With your figure, you'd leave the whole room breathless. All of those boys simply won't be able to keep their eyes off of you."
"I don't need that anything like that," Pyrrha blushed. "I'm not trying to attract the whole room."
'She's right. There's only one guy that she's after!'
Those very words appear in the air, in bright pink no less, which attracted both Pyrrha and the attendant's attention. While Pyrrha's face paled at the words, the clerk, to her credit, remained focused on her job.
"Ah, Miss Neo," She said. "Has everything so far been to your satisfaction?"
Neo grinned, pointing a thumb over her shoulder towards the worker who was preparing her chosen outfit. While Neo could freely adjust her illusions, the actual dress would still need to be tailored to fit her.
"You know, Miss Neo, your semblance really is quite amazing," the female employee told her. "I can think of any number of customers who would be delighted to have you work your magic. If you're ever in need of a job, I'm sure that we would be able to accommodate you."
Neo laughed, brushing off the woman's offer. Neo could only imagine the reaction if the woman knew who she really was.
"So, is it true? Is there really a boy at Beacon that's managed to catch Miss Nikos' eye?"
Pyrrha could only stare in horror at the exchange happening before her. Everyone, even the Invincible Girl, had a limit to how much gossip they could handle.
'Yup!'
"Oh my," The employee gushed, releasing the inner teen within her. "Who is it? What're they like? Is he wealthy? Handsome? Oh who am I kidding, he must be handsome to attract someone as amazing as Pyrrha Nikos."
As the worker continued to ramble on, Pyrrha could feel herself growing flushed. She wanted to say something, anything, to interject but a combination of horror and embarrassment held her back. Her private life was something she had never really discussed before, especially not in public.
Back home, during interviews, she always tactfully diverted the conversations towards something tamer or less personal, even using things like constant training and schoolwork as an excuse whenever necessary.
Of course, that was in part due to her manager, who, while not directly stating it, told her that being single would guarantee her increased popularity amongst her age group. Her manager had said that while the girls would look up to her as a strong female role model, the guys would follow her career for other reasons. Nevertheless, that's a topic for another time.
"It's not what she's implying," Pyrrha finally managed to say, taking a moment to try and collect herself.
As it would turn out, such efforts were futile. Neo, in all her wicked genius glory, displayed a downright devious smile towards the four time champion. In an instant, light shimmered around the smaller girl, enveloping her in the way her semblance always did.
Replacing the sight of the ice cream themed little devil was the love of Pyrrha's life.
Immediately she noticed that it wasn't the Jaune she was used to seeing.
Make no mistake though, this Jaune was even better.
Instead of the lanky blonde's iconic blue jeans and Pumpkin Pete hoodie, Jaune was as bare as the day he was born. The only thing protecting his modesty being a still damp towel around his hips. Instinctually, Pyrrha's eyes feasted upon his glistening skin and rippling muscles, reminding her of the sight she saw after a long night of training with him.
Indeed, his body was even more chiseled than she remembered; looking like it was crafted from the finest of marble, whilst his golden locks seemed even smoother than the most expensive of silk. The way that the light surrounding him contoured his body bordered within the realm of the impossible, giving him an almost holy aura. Pyrrha could feel herself heating up, and if not for the fact the Pyrrha was fully aware this was one of Neo's illusions, she was sure that she would have jumped on him then and there.
Pyrrha wasn't the only one enjoying the sight, however.
"Oh my…" The clerk had whispered softly, needing to cover her mouth to hide her raw desire. The same too applied to all of the nearby employees who were peering over, trying their best not to get caught. Some of them even fell over at the sight, even causing a nearby display to topple over. Luckily for them, it didn't break.
"I- I can see why you're looking for something so special, Miss Nikos." The clerk finished, still struggling to compose herself.
At the sudden stimulation pricking her ears, Pyrrha finally snapped out of her stupor.
"S-stop!" She exclaimed, trying to wipe the embarrassment from her face. If anyone were to look at her now, they would see her face was as bright red as her hair.
The ice cream devil was feeling kind though, and so, like glass, the illusion shattered, revealing a wholly satisfied Neo.
"P- Please, don't do that, Neo," Pyrrha begged before turning to the employee. "We- J- Jaune and I aren't like that! The two of us are just on the same team, that's all!"
Turning her head, the employee looked towards Neo, who was now sporting a disappointed frown. The look in her eyes and the look on Pyrrha's face told the clerk that she needed to know.
"I see," The woman smiled, "Don't worry. I remember what my first crush was like as well. I promise you Miss Nikos, today we'll find you the perfect outfit so you two will be like that."
Accomplishing what one might have thought impossible, Pyrrha blushed even harder.
Ah, what it's like to be young…
"No!" Yang cried out, snatching the modest dress from Blake's hands. "Come on, Blakey, what'd I tell you? You need to show off those goods of yours!"
Blake gave her a deadpanned look.
"I'm not dressing up like a prostitute."
"It won't be that bad, Blake," Yang started. "Don't be afraid to live a little. You just need to show off a bit of those beautiful legs and that bellabooty of yours, and boys will be crawling over each other for a chance with you!"
Blake simply turned her head before moving on to another dress, trying to ignore the blonde's words.
"Besides, have you seen the way you dress? You're already showing off enough skin that I might mistake you for a call girl."
Before Yang knew it, a display pillow flew through the air and hit her square in the face.
"You're no fun," Yang huffed, returning the pillow to its proper place.
Honestly, Blake thought. It's not like I actually need a new dress or anything.
She continued searching for one anyways. She knew that even if she thought she didn't need a new dress, or plan to even go to the dance, it would make her friends feel better. Let them know that she was safe and sound, right at their side.
Besides, she told herself, It could be worse. Yang could be making puns, or I could be here with Neo instead.
A shudder ran down her spine at the thought of the little demon.
Yeah, much worse. Releasing a sigh, Blake turned back towards her partner.
"Look Yang, I appreciate what you're trying to do. Really, I do," Blake assured her, "I just a lot on my mind right now, and I'm really not in the mood for sex jokes today, okay?"
Yang's expression softened.
"I know, Blake," Yang comforted, pulling the ravenette into a small hug, "Listen. Life can suck, a lot even, but sometimes you need to take a break. Especially after everything you've been through recently. So why don't you just let mama Yang lead you around for a day, and have some fun?"
"And your payment is entertainment at my expense?"
"Exactly. See, now you're getting it!"
Even though Blake was rolling her eyes at the words, she couldn't help but let a small smile rest upon her lips.
As the two continued to browse through different dresses and designs, she gradually found herself getting more and more into it, and a small part of her had wondered what a certain spiky haired boy might think of them.
"How's this one look?" Her friend asked as she exited the changing room.
Yang was wearing an ornate white dress. The design was simple but elegant, managing to show off Yang's figure without betraying her modesty. Blake even thought for a moment that she looked more pure or innocent.
"Great. You look great." Blake said honestly. Yang's grin grew a mile wide at her response.
"Aw, thanks, Blakey! I knew you had it in ya!" She said before going back to put on her regular clothes.
"Sure. Whatever," Blake brushed off, returning to her small selection of choices.
Blake knew she wouldn't actually wear the more risqué designs she'd picked out, even if certain thoughts couldn't help but invade her mind. One dress in particular did manage to catch her attention, however.
It was a pleasing shade of black, made from Mistralian silk, and showed a healthy amount of leg and shoulders without being too embarrassing. She imagined herself wearing it, how it would manage to flatter her more eye catching assets while hiding her more modest ones. And, how a certain spiky haired boy might react if he saw it.
As she daydreamed of the expressions the boy of her desires might make, the look on his face and what he might do to her when she showed it to him, a certain unpleasant thought invaded her head.
Adam.
At the thought of her former lover, the color drained from her face.
Memories of Adam came rushing in, and the more she thought about Adam, the worse she began to feel. Already, her head was starting to ache.
Soon, Blake was shaking.
A minute later, her chest felt like it was being crushed.
Seeing Blake's pained expression, a nearby worker tried to ask if she was okay.
Blake couldn't hear them.
Despite the immense pain she felt, her thoughts were still attached to her friends and Adam.
She still hasn't told her team the truth about her ex-boyfriend.
She had talked about how he was once her leader and mentor in the White Fang, but she never did reveal the truth about how close they once were. Before, she had told herself to wait for the right moment rather than reveal everything all at once. Now? She could only curse at her past cowardliness.
I need to tell them. I need to tell Yang. About Adam. About everything. She deserves to know.'
Yang must have noticed her friend's pained expression because the second she exited the changing room she was by Blake's side.
"Not enjoying the selection here much, huh? Wanna look at that one place downtown? I hear they've got some great stuff." She half joked, hoping to ease her friend's worries.
When the young Faunus girl never responded, Yang frowned before waving away the concerned worker.
Regardless of what the rest of team RWBY or anyone else thought about her, Yang wasn't an idiot.
Sure, she's had her fair share of moments where she's done something stupid but losing Summer had forced her to grow up fast. With how badly their dad had taken it, if she hadn't then no one would have been there to take care of Ruby, and raising Ruby had given her the same skills a mother might have, including the ability to know when someone close to her was hurting inside.
That's how she knew there was something wrong with her friend. Not only could she see it, she could feel it. Unfortunately, she could also feel that it wasn't the type of issue that she couldn't just force out of her.
It would require a more delicate approach.
"Are you okay?" Yang said softly, trying her best to bring comfort to her friend rather than push her further over the edge.
It took a few moments but eventually Blake whispered a response.
"No..."
"Do you wanna talk about it?"
"Yes…" Her partner said even quieter than before. Blake felt like her throat was seizing up, choking her.
"Come on, Blake. Let's walk around for a bit." Slowly, Yang led her friend out of the store.
Her partner simply nodded her head, unable to utter another word.
Soon, the two were at a quiet, empty park that Yang knew. Once they double checked that they were alone, far outside the range of any potential eavesdroppers or cameras, they sat together in the grass. For a moment, neither spoke, opting to stare at one another, Blake still shaking.
Yang was the first to break that deadly silence.
"It's okay Blake, just take a deep breath. There's no one else here, just you and me. You're safe, I promise."
After a couple deep breaths, Blake relaxed, even if only by a fraction of a percent. It'd have to do.
"Do you remember what I told you about Adam?" Blake said, quiet as a whisper.
"Yeah, that he's a massive dick, right?"
For just a moment, Blake almost managed to smile. Taking another deep breath, she continued to tell his-… no, she shook her head, their story.
"There's a lot more to it then what I told you guys back then, and about my relationship with Adam…"
Once she started, Blake found herself unable to stop. Somehow, it actually felt easier to share everything the second time. Talking about it with Touma had given her strength, a strength she didn't even realize she had.
She did her best not to leave out a single detail, going from the day her and Adam had met all the way up until the moment she ran away because, despite the pain that remembering everything brought her, she was determined to tell Yang, her best friend and partner, all that she could. Even how their relationship developed and broke.
The longer Yang listened, the more her expressions changed. Surprise, shock, horror, anger, disgust; All of them were present within the swirl of Yang's emotions.
"Aaaargh! That- That BASTARD!" Yang roared, absolutely furious, eyes turning to a burning red.
"Shhhhhh!" Blake went, a finger up to her lips. "Please, Yang, calm down! We're still in public, remember?"
"S- Sorry," Yang said, her eyes slowly returning to their original lilac. "I just can't stand guys like that. I mean, he used and manipulated you! He abused your feelings for him and forced you to do whatever he wanted! That's evil, Blake. I just… I don't want that to ever happen to you, or anyone else, ever again."
"I know that Yang," She assured her. "I know that what he did was wrong…"
There was a moment's pause.
"It's just… I was blinded by my feelings for him. I loved him with all I had, but… The Adam I see now, he's not the Adam I saw before. He's changed so much…" Her voice was starting to crack and her eyes were starting to water. "I- I know that he's become a monster but… but now I keep looking back and ask myself if it was my fault! I keep wondering if I could have saved him or stopped him before it was too late! There's still a part of me that thinks that maybe, just maybe if I'd stayed things would be— Y- Yang?!"
Without any warning, she was held firmly in the blonde's tight embrace.
"No!" Yang told her firmly.
It was such a simple word and yet, in that very moment, it felt as though it carried the weight of the entire world.
"Don't you ever think like that!" Yang continued. "Adam's responsible for his own actions. You were just another one of his victims but you found the strength to leave him, so don't ever think like that again, you hear me?"
"Yes," Blake managed to whisper, tears now fully pouring out of her amber eyes. "Thank you."
The two sat there for a moment, just enjoying the comfort of each other's embrace. Blake continued to cry into Yang's shoulder, while the blond massaged the feline Faunus' back.
"I'm glad you told me all of this," Yang stated, ending their embrace. "Do you want to tell Ruby and Weiss?"
It's not that the blond wanted Blake to continue hiding things from their friends, but she understood that Blake must have been exhausted after everything that had happened today. In the end, it was her choice to make, not Yang's.
"Not right now," Blake murmured. "But I promise I will. I just need some time."
"You shouldn't keep them waiting," Yang chastised. "If I were you, I would tell them as soon as possible."
"You… You're right… I- I'll talk to them tonight," Blake promised with a sigh. "It looks like Touma was right. I already feel better after telling you."
"Oh?" Yang smirked. "When was this? Was it during your late night rendezvous?"
Blake blushed for a second before nodding.
"Look. I know this wasn't easy," Yang put a hand on Blake's shoulder. "I promise you that the next time I see that bastard Adam, I'm going to punch him in the face for you."
"Just make sure to avoid his sword," Blake warned, a small smile present on her face. "He uses it to channel his semblance and absorb energy."
"His sword?" Yang asked incredulously. "Not his body?"
"Yup," Blake nodded. "He needs to channel his semblance through a weapon of some kind before he can gather up energy, but he can do it indefinitely and he's able to release the stored up energy almost instantly."
"I call Hacks! That's bullshit! He doesn't even have to feel pain!"
Blake couldn't help but laugh at her friend's reaction. Seeing that she put a smile on her friend's face, Yang felt satisfied with herself.
"Yang?"
"Yeah, Blake?"
"How about we go back and look at some more dresses? Maybe I do need something new to get a certain someone's attention."
Yang's jaw fell for a moment, gaping at the girl.
"That's my girl! Come on, I've got so many ideas for you to wear!"
"It's your reward for not making any puns." Blake teased.
"You've got to be kitten me!" Yang gasped. "It was that easy? Let's go, I wanna get changed right meow."
"And now we're going back to Beacon."
"Aw, come on, Blakey, I was just yanking your chain. You know, tugging on your leash a little."
The teenage Faunus turned away, pretending to ignore her friend's joke as she walked away, though a smile remained present on her face.
"You must be Ilia Amitola." Cinder said to the brown-haired girl kneeling before her, eyeing the girl's dark skin and the blotches that marred it. "Welcome. You were told why you're here, correct?"
"Yes, Ma'am," Ilia replied, gulping, as her own eyes digested the sight before her. Cinder Fall. The very woman who had strong armed Adam and the White Fang of Vale into a partnership. Just thinking of the implications were equal parts impressive and frightening. "I'm here to act as the fourth member of your team in the Vytal Festival Tournament."
"Straight to the point," The woman mused, rhythmically tapping the wooden frame of her bed. "Good. I enjoy it when my tools are so well trained. However, there is a time and place for such candor."
Lifting himself up slightly on his bed, Mercury Black started to laugh. Ilia tried her best to ignore him, cringing slightly at Cinders comment.
Confidently, the woman stood from the bed, looking down upon the girl. "I'm sure that you're aware of Adam's recent… struggle, yes?"
"Of course, Ma'am." There was no way that Ilia hadn't. Adam's loss at the hands of a human spread through the White Fang like wildfire. "There's a student here that managed to defeat him."
"Did he ever tell you how?"
"No Ma'am. He's been… uncooperative in that regard."
Mercury's laughter increased further.
"Looks like the big bad bull didn't wanna reveal he was just a little bitch who ran with his tail tucked between his legs." He taunted.
Ilia glared daggers at him with white hot fury. Even though she'd only just met him, Ilia was sure that she hated the gray haired teen. She couldn't believe how openly racist he was for someone who was supposed to be working with the White Fang.
There's no way he doesn't know what he's saying…! She thought, teeth clenched. After all, while Adam might not have one, many Faunus did possess a tail. Even historically, comparing them to mere animals like that had been done for centuries as a way to dehumanize the Faunus. In the other human's eyes, it somehow justified their racism and prejudice.
"Adam's more of a man than you'll ever be!" She wished she could say more, but Ilia had promised her enigmatic leader to play nice. Cinder was an anomaly, and until they knew more, the Fang did not want her as an enemy.
"Ooo, looks like this doggy has some bite to her." Mercury cleared his bangs with his hand, his cold grey eyes staring directly into Ilia's brown ones. "I was worried for a moment. I thought you might not be good enough for the job, but if you keep that up I'm sure we'll get along just fine."
"Fuck off!" Ilia spat.
Mercury just laughed again for a moment.
"Yep, I'm sure you and Emmy will end up best friends too."
"That's enough," Cinder warned with a small fire in hand, massaging her head with the other. "I already have enough headaches having to deal with you and Emerald. I won't accept having a third child to take care of."
After regaining silence, Cinder dismissed her flames.
Swallowing, Ilia spoke again.
"Do you really have a plan for taking down the entire festival, and show the rest of the world that the White Fang should be taken seriously?"
"Of course I do, dear girl," Cinder smiled. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't so sure of myself, would I?"
"But I heard that the boy who beat Adam-…"
A raised hand from Cinder halted the girl's words.
"I'm aware. We've been keeping tabs on him," The woman stated sternly, not giving Ilia a single hint as to what they had learned. "Mercury here has even managed to infiltrate their little group."
"Honestly wasn't that hard," The boy laughed, moving closer to the teenage Faunus. "All I had to do was help them out a bit when your group acted like a bunch of idiots. After that, we shared a few drinks, and I convinced the guy that Blake has this huge crush on him."
"You did WHAT!?" Ilia froze, shock coursing through her veins.
"You got a problem?" Mercury questioned her. "What, are you just trying to defend your former friend, or was there something more to it? Let me guess, you two shared a bed together? Bathed together? Got any hidden pictures of her?"
"S- Shut up, you creep!" Ilia shouted, her skin shifting between a plethora of shades of red and pink.
Mercury could already tell that he was going to love teasing this girl.
"Silence."
Instantly the two of them went quiet.
"As Mercury so elegantly shared," Cinder snared, "We're aware of your past history with Blake. While this might be considered a massive risk, if we play our cards right that it could be a valuable asset."
Unsure of how to respond, Ilia remained silent.
Unable to accept such a response, Cinder decided to press the issue.
"Tell me, Ilia," Cinder looked her square in the eyes, "What do you think of Blake? She was your former friend, after all."
Clenching her fists, Ilia took the bait.
"She's a traitor."
"Continue," Cinder commanded.
"She abandoned the White Fang," Ilia spat, "She gave up on our cause! Our mission!"
"Exactly," Cinder smirked. "And do you know what we do to people like that? How we handle such traitors?"
Mercury ran a finger across his throat.
Silently, Ilia nodded.
"So then if she were to get in our way, to try and prevent us from reaching our goal, would you stop her? Kill her?"
Eyes growing cloudy, Ilia responded.
"Of course, Ma'am," She said with renewed confidence, voice barely beneath that of a shout. "She might be a strong fighter but I can handle her… I've been training this entire time too!"
"Of course you have, Darling," Cinder whispered into her ear with false kindness. For just a single second, she stroked the girls face, bringing the young Faunus a small sense of comfort.
"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that," Cinder continued. "If you want, you can even visit her. Just don't forget whose side you're on. After all, all we need you to do is maintain your cover until after the festival. Until then, just lay low and don't let your emotions betray you."
"But, what should I do when she asks me why I'm here?" Ilia questioned.
"Isn't it obvious, dear girl? You lie to her. Tell her that she inspired you to leave the Fang and follow in her footsteps, if you want. It doesn't really matter as long as it's something believable. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Ma'am. I understand. I won't fail you."
"Good." Cinder sat back down on her bed. After seeing Cinder sit, Ilia asked the final question on her mind.
"What about the boy, the one who defeated Adam? What should I do if he tries to stop us?"
"It's simple. We've been observing him for some time now, and are in the process of learning all of his secrets. Until we're sure that we know his weakness, you are not to engage him unless absolutely necessary. Now then, when Emerald returns, have her show you around."
"Understood," Ilia agreed with a nod. "Umm… Do I have permission to leave, Ma'am? I need to see the Deputy Headmistress. I've been told I'm supposed to fill out some forms for arriving late."
"Of course. You're officially free to take your leave. Try not to keep her waiting, either. I hear she's the grouchy type."
Putting her bag on the only remaining bed, Ilia quickly left the room.
"She's going to be a huge liability, you know that right?" Mercury called over to Cinder immediately. "She and Blake have too much history."
"Yes, I know. Just what the hell was that stupid Faunus thinking, sending someone so obviously compromised!" Cinder growled. "I know they're short on troops, but for Adam to send someone that he knows has a personal history with one of our targets? He's making a mockery of my plan!"
"And she so has a crush on her too," The teen snickered. "That's gonna be fun."
"This isn't a laughing matter, Mercury!" The woman snapped. "All it takes is one simple mistake, and everything will be ruined! Tell Emerald when she gets back that she'll be responsible for watching her."
"I could watch her," Mercury volunteered, a wicked grin smearing his face.
"No." Before he'd even had a chance, Cinder already shot him down. "Emerald might be able to resist stabbing you in public, but Ilia clearly isn't used to such a job requirement. The last thing we need right now is for her to blow our cover because you made some stupid joke."
At the Cinder's comment Mercury decided to grow serious for a moment.
"She's definitely too kind, I mean, did you see the look on her face when you were asking her about Blake?"
"Yes… You're right about one thing, Mercury. Ilia most certainly has feelings for the girl."
"This wouldn't even be a problem if Neo would have just stayed as our teammate." Grumbled the teen, laying back down on his bed.
"As true as that may be, her current position is far more valuable," Cinder reasoned. "Even if she's still unsure as to what his true capabilities are, she remains the closest chance we have to figuring that boy out."
"Do you think he trusts her?"
"It's hard to tell. He still hasn't told her how he beat Adam, but so far it seems like he hasn't told anybody. If anybody was told, however, I'd wager that Blake is the one most likely to know."
At Cinder's statement, the teen let out a sigh.
"Look, I'll see what information I can scrape together," Mercury promised. "But I can't just walk up and ask: Hey Touma, you mind telling me how you made Adam cry like a little bitch?"
"Quite…" Cinder paused for a moment. Now that Ilia was gone, there was one more thing that she wanted to discuss. "I've been putting more research into the so-called 'Japan' and 'Academy City'."
"Oh? What've you managed to find?" Mercury asked, his interest piqued.
"As far as I can tell, they don't exist anywhere on all of Remnant." Cinder said it clearly, without any hesitation.
At the words, the gray hair boy moved to stare directly at her.
She smiled.
Now she had Mercury's full attention.
Walking through the Emerald Forest alongside Ruby and her friend Penny, Weiss found herself growing increasingly annoyed with each step they took.
"Ugh!" She shouted, "Why do we need to walk so far!?"
"Well, friend Weiss, that is because of a lack of Grimm within the vicinity," Penny explained. "This is most likely caused by the large number of students who come here to hone their skills on a regular basis."
"Yeah!" Ruby supported. "It's totally not like we have some kind of Anti-Grimm thingy back at Beacon that makes them all wanna run away."
Despite the cold glare that Weiss gave her at the comment, Ruby wouldn't turn away. She was proud of herself for reminding her partner of Touma's amazing passive ability to repel the creatures of Grimm in the areas around him. Not that Penny knew any of that. It was a super important secret, so Penny wasn't allowed to know. Even if it made Ruby feel really bad for not telling her. Especially since Penny had shared her biggest secret with Ruby.
Nope, Ruby needed to keep her promise and let it remain a secret.
Speaking of the super big and important secret, no one seemed to know why Touma's arm was able to repel the Grimm. Ruby, however, had her theories.
Chief among them was that thing she'd seen during their mission. A freaking dragon! Touma must have been involved with it somehow as no one on Remnant should have a power like that. The main problem was it disappeared, meaning that either Touma has the ability to summon and desummon a dragon, or it was invisible around him. Either way, how cool was that!
Well, it probably wasn't invisible. There was just no sign of it anywhere outside of that one time, and it was way too big to be hiding somewhere in Beacon anyway. Still, if he had the ability to summon a dragon like that why wouldn't he say so? Actually, Ruby could kind of understand why. Despite how awesome the thought of a dragon was after the fact, Ruby could still occasionally see its monstrous figure haunt her dreams.
Ruby's main theory, after seeing the beast, was that it wasn't Touma the Grimm were afraid of. It was the dragon. Maybe the creature emitted some kind of scent or pheromone to mark its territory, and wherever Touma went the scent followed? To Ruby, that was both a bit cool, and kind of gross. She had seen nature shows after all, and knew exactly how animals tended to mark their territories.
If only she knew how Touma summoned it.
"I suppose you're right," Weiss sighed, knowing not to say anything that could potentially blow their secret. Even if Penny was trusting to a fault, and wouldn't question anything they said anyways. "Still, I resent all of this walking. Even if we're mostly fine due to our Aura, it's exhausting."
"You're just grumpy because of your lady stilts." Ruby accused, Weiss turning flush at the statement.
"Yes, friend Ruby," Penny agreed. "Those heels do seem very uncomfortable for hiking like this,"
"Hey! I'll have you know that these boots were designed and handcrafted for Huntress activity and combat," Weiss defended against the accusations. "Besides, look! Ruby's tired too."
"Well, maybe just a little," Ruby sheepishly admitted, her pale face turning a light red. "But it's nothing I can't handle. Just a bit more exercise than we expected, that's all."
"Would either of you like for me to carry your belongings, friends?" Penny asked.
"No Penny, that won't be necessary. Besides, aren't you tired too?" Weiss inquired, suspicions raised. "After all, you're carrying several swords on your back, and you haven't had any water."
"Penny just, uh… Has a lot of stamina! Yeah, she's just really good at endurance things like this." Ruby quickly chimed, hoping to placate Weiss' suspicions.
"Yes… Hic… Due to the harsher terrains of Atlas, I'm used to things like this… Hic…"
At the response, Weiss' found herself unsatisfied. Regardless, she dropped the issue. It wasn't her concern anyways. Even if Penny was a bit odd, and socially awkward to boot, she was still Ruby's friend. Something that could be considered strange in its own right. After all, the girl was terrible at being social in relation to anything other than weapons.
If Ruby wasn't so socially inept than Weiss had no doubt in her mind the girl would have confessed her feelings to Touma by now. At least Weiss was able to say clearly how she felt about Accelerator.
He may have pushed her away, but the simple fact she'd told him how she felt brought her confidence.
Now all she had to do was break down that wall Accelerator erected between them.
That was a part of the reason she'd even agreed to come out here with Ruby and Penny to begin with.
She did feel a twinge of guilt at the thought. Her partner brought her out here as a friend, attempting to do something nice for her. Instead, here Weiss was planning on ditching the poor girl for another attempt at Accelerator.
Weiss knew it was wrong, and she internally promised herself to treat Ruby better in the future. Maybe take her out to that new weapon store that she had been talking about recently, or something. Weiss was sure that her team leader would enjoy it. She could manage to sit through one day of running around with Ruby if it would make her feel better.
Besides, Weiss told herself, It's not like I'm just completely abandoning her. Penny will be here to keep her company after I leave.
Interrupting her thoughts Weiss heard Penny shout.
"Incoming Grimm, two o'clock!"
Ruby's Crescent Rose shifted into its scythe form, while Weiss raised her rapier and stood in position. Rustling the trees, a pair of Beowolves came rushing towards them.
"I got it!" Ruby said, blasting forth at the beasts, a trail of rose petals behind her. Suddenly she was above the Grimm, her massive scythe angled perfectly to sever their heads. With a single swing, they were gone. As she landed on the ground, she brushed a single strand of hair from her eyes. "Ta dah!"
"Excellent work, friend Ruby!"
"You didn't leave any for us."
"Hehe, sorry," Ruby sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "I'll leave the next ones to you guys. Oh, but maybe if we find a huge pack, we can work on some cool team teamwork exercises! Remember the White Rose formation?"
"I do," Weiss chuckled. Despite the somewhat childish names she gave them, Ruby's combo attacks were pretty well thought out. "Are you sure we should practice something like that in front of Penny though? What if she ends up as one of our opponents in the Vytal Festival?"
"It's fine. Penny won't memorize our strategies or anything, right Penny?" Ruby defended.
"I'm sorry, Ruby, but if I watch you practice I'll most likely have it memorized," The ginger girl apologized. "I promise I'll try to not take advantage of anything I see today."
"See, Penny's safe!" The silver eyed girl declared. "Come on, Weiss! It'll be fine."
"Okay, okay, fine," Weiss relented. "Besides, I do want to see how she fights with all of those swords of hers."
"They're attached to ultra-thin cables I manipulate," Penny explained. "The cables are incredibly durable, made with the best resources that Atlas has to offer."
"The best resources Atlas has to offer?" Weiss questioned. "Aren't you just a normal student? I know Atlas students are offered extra support, but giving a single first-year top of the line resources?"
"Ah, well, um… That's because-…"
"Wait, Penny! You shouldn't give everything away like that. Weiss isn't nice like us. She'll probably be thinking of counter strategies the second we get back." Ruby interjected, rescuing her friend from Weiss' inquiries.
"I wouldn't cheat like that!" The heiress scoffed indignantly. "Besides, unless we were to face each other in the first round, we'd still be able to learn about her secrets anyway."
"It's okay, Ruby," Penny assured. "I don't mind. If we learn about each other's abilities now then we would be able to fight each other at full strength later, would we not?"
"Woah, you're totally right Penny! If we know what we can do now, we won't have to worry about it later."
Weiss rubbed the bridge of her nose, but decided to just agree with them.
"Hmm… I suppose that makes sense. Still, we should find some more Grimm instead of standing around here. I'm sure you'll want to see some of my Dust skills in exchange, right?"
"Weiss here is our best Dust user," Ruby proudly beamed. "She can do all kinds of cool stuff, like make these big walls of ice, or summon fireballs, or even do this awesome gravity things to send us flying!"
Weiss felt a strong desire to face palm, if for just a brief moment.
"Oh yeah, go ahead, Ruby. Why don't you just tell her everything?"
"Okay, so there was this one time when—"
This time she did.
"I was being facetious, Ruby!"
"Feet-cious?"
Weiss could only sigh at the girl's innocence.
As the three girls moved onward, they continued the friendly antics. Each of the three were here with a goal. Ruby wanted everyone to have fun while they waited for Touma. He'd messaged her that he was on his way a bit ago, so she tried not to let the group move too fast. Hopefully they would see him soon. Weiss was fine with this, as she was hoping to 'accidentally' have the group stumble across Accelerator. She gently pushed for them to walk in the direction she believed he would be in.
Penny was just happy to be here and spend time with Ruby.
Eventually, they did run into more Grimm.
Penny performed an amazing display with her swords, flaying a pair of Ursa like it was nothing. The strings attached to her blades were so thin that, even when she was staring right at them, Ruby had a hard time seeing them. Maybe if her eyes were enhanced like those of a Faunus it would have been easier?
Well, regardless, due to her lack of focus she had nearly been attacked from behind. Thankfully, a wall of ice erupted from the ground, engulfing the Grimm.
"Pay attention to your surroundings!" Weiss reprimanded, moving past the girl with the assistance of one of her glyphs.
"Thanks for the save, bestie!"
"No." Weiss rejected, piercing another beast.
"Yes." Ruby whispered, pumping a small fist into the air before beheading the frozen Grimm.
For these huntresses in training, a few Ursa were nothing. Even when more Grimm joined the fray, the trio barely broke a sweat. The only reason they were even that tired was due to their trek through the forest surrounding them. As Ruby ended two of the last few Grimm near them with her rifle mode, a sudden sound echoed throughout the trees. Suddenly, her whole body froze.
It was a scream.
It roared with a primal rage, gaining the attention of every single thing within the Emerald Forest.
"What was that?!" Weiss called out, hands trembling slightly.
Penny's answer shocked them.
"I believe that sound was a human crying in pain."
"T- That was a human?" Ruby stuttered. She couldn't believe it.
It was just too monstrous to be human, and yet she knew that Penny wasn't one to lie.
The mere thought of what might cause a person to cry out like that made the girl shudder.
"Look!" Weiss pointed. "The Grimm, they're all heading towards it."
She was right. Every Grimm still remaining that was close enough to hear the sound turned and started running towards it.
While the Grimm were generally attributed as mindless beings, most were aware of one thing. They were attracted by negative emotions.
If they were all heading towards that sound, and Penny's declaration was accurate, it meant there was someone injured and now in extreme danger.
Because of that realization, they knew there was no other choice.
All three of the girls ran after the Grimm, hoping to make it before it was too late.
As far as Accelerator could tell, the Grimm never learned.
No matter how much faster they were, how much stronger they were, or much larger they were, before his reflection it made no difference.
Simply put, this made everything much easier for him.
Now that he didn't need to worry about improving the personal shield device, he was free to pursue more interesting ventures such as his continued studies into the more advanced properties of Dust. Once he had managed to gain a better understanding of the laws that the volatile substance operated under, he began to investigate with more elaborate experiments.
That's where today brought him, attempting to experiment on the properties of multiple combined Dust reactions.
"About fucking time!"
The scrawny teen stood before a pack of angry Beowolves, his face painted with annoyance rather than the standard fear.
"Do you bastards have any idea how much fucking time I wasted trying to find you!"
One of the Beowolves rushed towards him, attempting to slash at the teen with its giant claws. Before it could even reach him, the bones within the creature's arm were shattered against his reflective barrier. Despite this, the creature continued its futile attempts to slaughter Accelerator.
This was why the boy found the creatures of Grimm to be useful.
Their immense durability, and the fact that no matter how much damage was dealt to them, unless you killed them, they would continue to struggle.
One after another, the rest of the monsters continued to crash down upon him, and, one after another they all had their forelimbs destroyed.
Truly, Grimm made the best test subjects for the boy.
Moving towards one of his crippled test subjects, he pulled out a blue Dust crystal covered in yellow Dust powder.
"Now tell me if this causes you any slight discomforts," Accelerator laughed at the mindless creatures. "I need to know exactly how well this works!"
Holding the Dust crystal in front of him, he waited for one of them to charge at him again. It was a short wait. Manipulating the Dust's vectors like he'd done so many times before, he captured the creature within a prison of ice. Hearing the crackle the shortly followed, Accelerator smirked. Electricity roared outwards from the icy cage, completely frying the soulless creature.
"Hmm…" Accelerator pondered, staring at the now disintegrating corpse. "So by covering it with the powdered Dust I can add the effects to the Ice Dust, but it doesn't really change the composition, huh. All it does is add a delayed lightning burst. Interesting, though not quite what I was hoping for…"
Despite the satisfaction it brought him to see the monsters electrocuted, he had been hoping for something new instead. Something more like the reaction that the combined Dust Pyrrha used against him caused, where the mixture had turned his clothes magnetic.
It was one thing to just add a second effect to the Dust, but another thing entirely to properly mix them together. Unfortunately, the only one that he could ask about such a thing was Weiss.
The thought of the heiress made him frown. He ignored the other Grimm's attacks, letting them kill themselves against his barrier instead.
"She does know more about the theories behind it…" Accelerator shook his head at the thought. "Tch…"
There was no way that he would ask her anything beyond the basics questions that could be discussed in front of the others. She'd already gotten the wrong idea about him earlier, somehow managing to believe that he actually had some kind of crush on her.
It was impossible for him to like someone like that. Unthinkable that someone might actually desire to be with him. Not after everything that he's done.
Last time he tried to explain himself, she went and misunderstood everything. Or maybe she didn't.
Maybe she was just as stupid as everyone else.
It was hard to tell.
"Argh! I hate this stupid fucking place!"
As he shouted his hateful words he couldn't help but take his feelings out on the surrounding area. Soon he toppled all the trees surrounding him.
Of everything that had happened to him so far, there was one thing that pissed him off more than all others. It wasn't being transported to this god forsaken world, nor was it all the stupid brats around him that tried to show him kindness. It wasn't even the worthless Grimm that threatened the very world itself. No, the one thing that pissed him off the most wasn't even that damn hero!
It was that fucking quack doctor!
That stupid, sadistic bitch had ruined him! Ever since she used that crazy healing method of hers, his body had been producing all kinds of hormones. Every morning he woke up with a hard on, and his mood swings were out of control. Accelerator could only thank whatever god that watched over him that Worst wasn't here too. If she was, things would only be even more intolerable.
He could try and use his ability to manipulate his hormones, but that could cause all sorts of other issues. Especially since he couldn't even leave his power active in his sleep anymore after the healing technique had been used on him.
Though that's not to say it hadn't improved his condition.
A part of him wondered what would happen once he returned to Academy City. Would he try and reconnect himself to the Misaka Network? If he did, would his ability's strength increase even further?
The second the thought struck mind, he shook his head.
No, that's not me anymore… I'm already the strongest. There's no reason for me to try and become a level six again. Once the portal's done, we're out of here. All that'll happen once we're gone is those idiots will start to feel sad.
Without even realizing it, the sad face of a certain heiress came to the forefront of his mind.
"Fuck!"
He kicked the ground, destroying more of his surroundings.
Why do I care so much about what happens to that fucking Ice Queen?
Accelerator couldn't understand it. Sure, Last Order loved her like family, and sure, she was useful when it came to explaining things about Dust, but Accelerator didn't care about people. Things like love at first sight were something only idiots believed in.
They barely even knew each other.
They didn't even have that much in common.
Just that they were both smarter than their peers and that they were lone wolves. Even that last one was debatable. Weiss was too attached to little red to be a true lone wolf like him.
Even if he had a hard time rejecting Ruby too.
She was just too similar to Last Order for him to properly ignore the little red riding hood.
"Even if I did like her, it wouldn't work out."
Saying it out loud didn't make him feel any better. If anything, he felt worse. It was like a weight on his shoulders that he couldn't reflect. Rather than try and understand these new feelings, Accelerator turned to something more tangible.
The complete and total annihilation of his enemies.
Following the continuously growing scent of emotions rolling off of him, more and more Grimm had gathered around the teen. In response, he laughed.
"I guess it's time to slaughter a few more insects, isn't it!"
Kicking off the ground, Accelerator sped towards his new victims.
Emerald hated to admit it, but she was impressed.
If she hadn't known better, there was no way that she would have considered the scrawny albino she was observing as a threat. Of course, she had seen firsthand what he was capable of when he decimated the four time undefeated champion Pyrrha Nikos in combat class, alongside the rest of the students.
His Vector Manipulation semblance was the real deal.
More than that though, there was something hidden deep within his blood red eyes. Something that just screamed murderer. Even Mercury had admitted to seeing as much.
That's why, when Cinder ordered her to observe him, she decided to hide in the distance, observing him from a pair of binoculars instead.
He won't stop talking to himself… Do all boys just yell out a bunch of swear words when they're alone?
Aside from wandering around hunting for Grimm, he didn't seem to do much. There weren't that many Grimm nearby it seemed.
This meant Accelerator was forced to travel farther and farther to find more Grimm.
That was exactly what Emerald wanted.
The primary goal of her observations was to see how to break the poor guy. His ability rendered any level of frontal assault useless, so if physical attacks were off the table then that only left mental ones. The only reason she was alone out here was to ensure that no one else would be able to interrupt them.
Emerald's semblance allowed her to induce hallucinations and affect the target's senses, but it wasn't perfect. If she let her concentration slip, then he might be able to tell it was fake.
That's why her plan was to let Accelerator tire himself out before she tried to attack him.
If his body was tired, the mind wouldn't be operating at peak efficiency either. That would leave his defense wide open for Emerald to take advantage of. No matter how powerful someone was, they were only one person. The second they grew tired, they were bound to make mistakes.
It did surprise her when he wielded Dust with his bare hands though. Even fully licensed Huntsmen didn't take such risks.
How does he do it? Almost everyone needs to use their weapon in order to use Dust like that… What part of his semblance lets him do that? Cinder will definitely want to know all about it.
Silently, Emerald continued to watch Accelerator as he tore through the Grimm by the dozen. Previously he was letting them come to him, but now it seemed like he was actively rushing towards them. The weirdest part was, it seemed as though all the Grimm in the area were going to swarm him like he was some kind of tracking beacon.
Maybe all of his cussing was for a reason? Perhaps he was trying to attract them with a bad mood. It would make sense since they were attracted to negative emotions.
After what might have been twenty minutes or so, Accelerator stopped slaughtering the Grimm. He staggered for a moment, the remains of his Dust supply finally fading away. It looked as though he was about to turn around and head back towards Beacon.
"Looks like it's now or never," Emerald muttered to herself, attempting to gather confidence.
After a few moments she used her semblance, concentrating hard on the teen within her sight.
"Worthless trash," Accelerator spat, kicking the remains of the final Grimm. "So useless that you can't even learn how fucking useless you are."
Taking in a deep breath, he felt his lungs burn.
Not only had the Dust weakened his body, but it had weakened his mind as well. Now using his ability for too long caused him headaches, while his body began to collapse from the exhaustion. Why the Dust had affected his body in such a way warranted further study, but there was only one other person that could be experimented on in Remnant.
There was no way in hell he would subject Last Order to any more experiments.
"Are you finished? MISAKA asks as MISAKA's reveals her presence."
Accelerator turned in a heartbeat as a thought raced through his head.
There's no way the brat could be here!
And yet, that was indeed her voice he had heard. His eyes shot wide open when he saw the girl waving at him from next to a tree.
"Brat?!"
"MISAKA wanted to see you, so MISAKA snuck out to follow you, MISAKA giggles as MISAKA brags about her stealth abilities. MISAKA was worried about you."
Before Accelerator could process the stupidity of the statement he had heard, a Grimm stepped out from the shadows behind Last Order.
His heart stopped. Why hadn't he heard or sensed the beast approach her?
Without any time for Accelerator to think, it raised its monstrous claws.
With a single swipe, Last Order's head came clean off. Her body collapsed, bright crimson blood spurting from her neck.
Everything felt so surreal, like time had moved to a halt.
Logic was something easily overwritten by emotions. Even the most intelligent people in the world have made mistakes when riled up. Especially when they were exhausted, both physically and mentally.
Once emotions have swept through your mind, it becomes almost impossible to make rational decisions or distinguish between falsehoods and reality.
Perhaps if Accelerator hadn't been tired from today's experimentation, or perhaps if he didn't need to deal with the strong influx of new hormones, he might have been able to think rationally. He might have noticed that something about this entire scene was ever so slightly off. After all, there was simply no way that Last Order could have been there beside that tree.
But Accelerator was tired from all of the experimentation, and he did have to handle the strong mood swings and hormones that the Dust treatment had provided. Logic, even for someone as intelligent as him, was easily thrown out the window in the face of a situation such as this.
That's why Accelerator felt something inside of him snap.
It was like something sharp had been stabbed deep inside of his brain, severing every rational thought that the boy might have had.
His ears heard something like that of fruit being smashed into a bloody pulp.
Crimson liquid began to pour from his eyes, tainting his face with the scent of rust.
All he could taste was disgust.
Like a beast, Accelerator let out an unintelligible roar.
It was so inhuman that Emerald froze when the sound reached her.
It felt as though his very humanity itself was torn right out of his very soul, leaving only a monster inside his empty husk of a body.
"It definitely looks like he broke… No, keep concentrating!" She told herself.
She knew that if she were to stop now then it would all have been for naught. He would realize that it was nothing more than an illusion, and that someone had caused it.
Emerald focused further on the illusory scene she was showing him.
Concentrate! Let the blood spread further, splatter all over the ground…
Suddenly, something that neither she nor Cinder could have predicted had occurred.
From Accelerator's back poured a substance blacker than the Grimm, swallowing the very light around him.
Slowly, it took the form of two vague wings that closely resembled tornadoes, ripping his surroundings to shreds. Emerald could feel a deep anger escape him. It felt as though the world around him would shatter at his fury.
"What the hell is that!?"
The words that left her mouth were barely more than a whisper.
Anger. Hatred. Malice. Loss. Those and every other negative emotion were radiating off those continually growing dark wings and the air around the boy.
Emerald could feel them threaten to swallow her sanity.
She was able to hold onto herself just long enough to notice the effect his darkness was having on the Grimm. They swarmed to him in numbers larger than she had ever seen in her entire life.
These negative emotions were a beacon to them.
"Time to go," Emerald muttered. "It's way too dangerous to stay here now, but I know Cinder will want to know about those-…
Her words were choked out by a sudden realization.
Accelerator was looking directly at her.
"No…!" The young spy whispered.
It shouldn't have been possible. She was too far away, too well hidden. Despite those facts, it was true. Accelerator was staring directly at her.
Instantly the area surrounding him exploded, those black wings tearing everything to shreds.
Trees were reduced to splinters, boulders turned to sand, and Grimm foolish enough to approach him were erased from existence without so much as a trace.
Witnessing the sight, she began to understand exactly what it is that those wings were.
Or, at least she thought she did.
Those wings, those pure black twisters were power. Raw unfiltered power formed from an unfathomable hatred. A hatred that she had helped create.
Before Emerald could wonder further, Accelerator had begun to move towards her.
Emerald felt paralyzed.
With each step, the ground beneath him shattered.
To Emerald, this truly monstrous power was far beyond Cinder's understanding. Far beyond anyone's understanding.
By the time the demon wearing human skin had gotten close to her, he was smiling.
If she was any less afraid, she might have noticed that her lower body was now soaked in urine.
Unfortunately for her, she was that afraid, because it was in that moment that she knew:
She had royally fucked up.
Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish to ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.
BenFang322: It's my first time working with Dark, so I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I look forward to editing for Shattered Vale from now on. Thank you for reading!
