Chapter 2, onward. If you're wondering about the lowering frequency of all updates to my stories, it's because I got into Dwarf Fortress, and I'm trying to get me some pet Capybaras and Hippos in it. I'm also finishing up the hard rewrites for FnR, upt to chapter 10, and finally finishing the soft rewrites up to chapter 18. But I'm trying to get the everything else written, since I have the basic outlines for all my current fics and the ones I've planned for the future. This fic is just for fun in the meantime...mostly.
Rewrite Edit: So, I got quite a bit of criticism for this chapter. And yeah, I'll address it later when I get to the next chapter. I'll also address the main push for the rewrite in the first place, but that'll be when I upload the next one as well. I hope that this soft rewrite will clear things up and fix what was wrong before, but I won't mind if anybody is still dissatisfied from it.
Thank you to followers and favoriters: SirScrabbles, KingAllen, jaydher13, thealmightykoala, Spartan3909, r3d3v3, GrimmjowTaichow, EternlDusk, Benny Farr, bartek5552, jrocker105, Everpeach, The unknown23, Red Robin15, mobster21, Lord Michael Demiurgos, LightnessXdark, Lord-of-Walruses, Ecko072, entron, Allen1996, nicsiferticehurst, Ninja Bat Master, Dovahkiin4, zero1991, all lonely, suppes1, duncanquan007, Droyenes Uzushaki, TJTV, NekoElder, LordMark78, olakeace3225022, YuNaru19, Remzal Von Enili, F4LL3N1, passin'by, RogalDorn, jjjack787, colboltdragon, NanoBotE, Val'Hor, grimmouse197, banksnw, JM252011, Dragon9082, DevilHistory, Bman66, cerxer1, Vail Ryuketsu, Draegoon, Random Nerd Otaku, Dr. Hagrid, Kail Blade, def3nstrator, knockoff, yikai11. teo, nyanodesu, TheWingedBeatle, Athreya, Luffy327, jcollet2000, Tio Brony, EspyLacopa, MasterChief09, marsolino, Dark079, S3vEn, 0hka, shakeablefoot, RoxasJoStar, onyxorphe, Noivad Neao-Nefarious, The Grim Blade, Cdrik Fournier, BlindAsABat95, dave123456789, Gamind and Readnig 4ever, and Lord vishap.
Disclaimer: The Following is a fan-based PARODY crossover. Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, and Dragon Ball Super are all owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Shueisha and Akira Toriyama. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, Warner Bros. Japan, and the late Monty Oum.
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Two years since I had found greater society.
Two whole years.
I had gone from a sheltered christian youth to a space monkey in the span of a day, and roughed it out in what I thought was an ice age planet for two years. And now I was working in a mine digging up what was probably poisonous and/or radioactive rocks.
...I was very okay with this. It was better than my old life, and this was better than being blown up with the other Saiyans, and this place is probably so off the grid that even the Frieza Force wouldn't know about this place. I just had to lay low until I got strong enough, then plan everything in the event that they eventually come around.
I offhandedly adjusted my helmet which had fallen forward after I had struck a particularly hard area of rock. As an afterthought, I brushed bits of rubble off my uniform, which consisted of a short-sleeve shirt and jeans.
The SDC was pretty minimalist when it came to workers, to the point that some people around me didn't even have shirts or helmets at all. I honestly felt bad, since I could barely fit my ridiculously spiky hair into my own helmet, and I wasn't allowed to just give it to somebody else.
Sure, work conditions weren't the best...but I had ways of passing time.
Cha la, head cha la! Egao URUTORA ZETTO de! Kyou mo AIYAIYAIYAIY-
"Oi, what are you even humming?"
I blinked in confusion as the foreman walked over to me, and I quickly put my pickaxe down. "I was just humming some songs I like."
"Well hum something different, you filthy monkey!"
"I actually bathe every morn-"
"This is a Dust Mine, you sing work songs like everybody else!" the foreman growled.
A dog-faunus poked his head out from behind a nearby rock. "Uh, s-sir, we don't actually know any work songs…"
The foreman was taken aback when several of the other Faunus workers, as well as some of the human workers, nodded shamefully. The man gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, before turning away from all of them with an angry growl.
"I don't care if you don't know any work songs, make one up and start singing it! If you don't you'll all get your pays docked...not you though," he motioned to several of the human workers. "You'll get paid in full."
"C-Can he even do that?!" one of the Faunus cried out.
"You lot are animals, I can do whatever the hell I want! Now get to singing!"
I blinked as the foreman left and went back to striking around spots of solid dust. "Does anybody know any work songs?"
"N-No, I have no idea," a bird faunus said tiredly.
"If I knew, I'd tell ya," one of the humans said as he pushed a wheelbarrow around. "I don't think it'd be a good use of our time to sing anyway."
"I know a good song!" another human cried out.
"Oh boy, here we go…"
"Hey, come on! It's a really good one," the human said cheerfully. "Hell, go ahead and sing along if you feel like it."
"Alright, go ahead and sing it."
The human laid his pickaxe down and cleared his throat. "I get no kick from champagne! Mere alcohol, doesn't thrill me at all! So tell me, why should it be true...that I get a belt out of youuuuuuuuu~!" the human began snapping his fingers as a few began humming alongside him. "Some get a kick from cocaaaaiiiiii-"
"Hold up! What is that?!"
Several of the singers shrank back at this. "It's uh...a song…"
"I think we're supposed to sing a work song," one of the faunus deadpanned. "Y'know...Swing low, sweet chariooooootttt~!" he sweatdropped at the deadpan looks he was getting. "What, you've never heard that one? What about the...the...the Camptown one!"
"Camptown?"
"Yeah, you know that old one!" another faunus cleared his throat. "Camptown ladies sing dis song, Doo-dah! Doo-dah! Camptown race-track five miles long, Oh, doo-dah day! Gwine to run all night! Gwine to run all day!"
"No, that's a terrible work song!" one of the other faunus cried out. "Hey, Artie is the strongest here, and he was the one humming! Maybe he knows one!"
"Du-waah?" I blinked as several animal-people leaned towards me expectantly. "Uhh...where I come from, we don't really sing when we work…"
"Pfft, and where do you come from anyway?"
Don't say Vegeta, don't say Vegeta!
"Sadala."
DARN IT MOUTH!
"Huh, funny name that one is...you sure you don't have any songs to sing?"
"...M-Maybe one? I dunno, I'm not much of a singer-"
"Just sing already, Artie!"
"Okay, okay!" I laid my pickaxe down and cleared my throat.
"Sooooooooommmmmeee...people say a man is made outta mud. A strong man's made outta muscle and blood. Muscle and blood, and skin and bone~a mind that's weak, and a back that's strong…"
A couple hours later
"And that's why Jacques sent me to check on production. Out of all the dust mines on Solitas, this one seems to be the most productive."
"T-That's wonderful!" the foreman said in awe. "I mean, we've certainly tried to make sure our workers have more...incentive to increase production, but one worker in particular has covered more ground than we would have thought. He even opened up several new veins as well-"
"It also seems that this specific site has seen a rise of Grimm attacks," the SDC executive said offhandedly. "And as we're looking to cut corners, we'd prefer it if we didn't have to hire Huntsman."
The foreman and his assistants sweatdropped at this statement. "W-Well, you see, we seem to be getting by on help from the military alone, so I don't think we need to worry-"
"Pardon my interruption but...is that...singing, coming from the mine?"
The foreman blinked before furrowing his brows. "I...yes, I believe that is singing, sir."
The SDC executive took a deep breath, then began briskly walking through the mine entrance, the exasperated foreman and several assistants in tow. The sight they were greeted by was a mass of humans and faunus interlocking their arms with one another while singing.
"You move sixteen tons, whaddya get?! Another day older and deeper in debt! Oh death don't ya come cause I can't go! I ooooweeee maaaaaah sooooooooooooooooooooooouuuuuullll…to the company store!"
The SDC exec took exception to the song in question, and already a vein began popping in his forehead. The forman noticed his impending rage and silently backed away to spare himself from the man's wrath.
The executive stomped forward with a snarl. "What the hell are you animals doing?!" the mad glare he sent to the singing workers almost seemed like he could burn them to cinders. He pointed to several faunus workers that had been singing. "You, you, you, you, and you! You're all going to the pits."
One of the faunus paled as security personnel surrounded the group. "N-No! I don't wanna go in with the Beowolves!" the faunus worker's cries were joined by the others as they were dragged off. "Not the Beowolves! No, not the beowolves!"
The SDC executive looked on as the faunus were removed, then he turned back to the now pale human and faunus workers with a vicious sneer. "Now then, who was the one who started the singing," his eye twitched as the workers eyed several spots behind him unsurely. "And do not lie to me about it. No upstanding member of the upper management would ever allow such a thing."
The workers shuffled in place nervously for several seconds, before parting the entire crowd to reveal the person responsible. The monkey 'faunus' that had been thrown under the proverbial bus blinked in confusion when he finally noticed the stares he was getting.
"Wait, who's getting the axe?" Athur asked confusedly.
"You're the one who started the singing?" the executive asked darkly.
"Uh...well, technically-"
"I don't care what your excuse is! Your pay is docked!" he snapped his fingers angrily towards the security personnel. "Give him 100 lashes! 50 across the front, and 50 across the back!"
"Yessir!"
The monkey-tailed boy held his hands up defensively as he was surrounded. "H-Hey, wait a second! This is all some big misdemanding."
"You mean misunderstanding?" one of the armored men asked.
"Yeah, that!"
The only response Arthur received was an ineffectual punch to the face. When he didn't react, the other guards pulled out whips and lashed him across the chest, to no effect. As the SDC enforcers attempted to understand just why they couldn't damage the young boy, the oblivious executive was already chewing out the foreman.
"Well now, here I thought you had everything under control," he held his hand up to keep the foreman from speaking. "No excuses! Regardless of whether or not you're overachieving in regards to your quota, you cannot allow your workers to dilly dally!" the executive tilted his head in thought. "Speaking of which...where is this golden worker you mentioned? The one that's been opening up new veins left and right?"
"Uhh...y-you're having our security team beat him, sir," the foreman said nervously. "Well...attempt to, at least…"
The executive looked back at the monkey-tailed boy in shock. "Him? That buffoon?"
"Yessir, he's been a great asset for the past couple of years," the smaller human said weakly.
The executive pursed his lips in thought, tilting his head towards the monkey-tailed boy as his men argued over the proper method to beat the child. The human let out an annoyed huff as he turned back to the foreman.
"And do you have proof of this?"
"W-We have it on video?" the smaller human said unsuredly.
"Wonderful, I'd like to see-hold on a tick," the executive turned back to the boy with a glare upon realizing he was unharmed. "What are you imbeciles doing?! He's supposed to be covered in his own blood!"
"We tried sir, but it's like his skin is ridiculously thick or something!" one of the guards cried out.
"Yeah, I've been told that," Arthur replied weakly. "Actually, one of the girls said I was 'dummy thick'. I still have no idea what that means though…"
"Just hit him harder!" the executive cried out.
"We tried that! Our whips broke!"
"...You're joking, right? For real?"
"No, we're not," another guard deadpanned.
The executive puffed his chest up as his face turned red with rage. "Wonderful! Just bloody wonderful! Give me that!" he pulled the remaining unbroken whip from one of the guard's hands. "If you want to get something done, you have to do it yourself…"
*THWACK*
*CRAACK*
The executive blinked in shock when he realized the metal whip he had attempted to use on the boy had cracked apart and dented upon impact with the skin. The monkey-tailed boy yawned loudly and tilted his head.
"So, you done? Cause I wanted to get back to work...maybe spend time with the one or two friends I have…"
"...You brought this on yourself, boy," the executive said darkly as he narrowed his eyes at the boy.
"W-Wait, brought what on mysel-"
The human held his hand toward the boy as a red glow surrounded it, and his mouth twisted into a vicious smile that stretched ear-to-ear.
"Pain!"
And that was all Arthur knew from that point on. Every fiber of his being was suddenly assaulted with the sensation of excruciating pain that seemed to have no end. Just the weight of it forced the poor 'faunus' to the ground, as though some invisible force was pulling him towards the earth.
"H-How?! How are-"
"Biokinesis," the SDC executive said flatly. "Whatever your Semblance, or the strength of your Aura, it doesn't matter when compared to my Semblance. I can force your body to do things on the molecular level…" he leaned down to the boy's eye level with an evil grin. "Not that a monkey like you would understand those words."
"I...I kinda understan-Aagh!"
"I can force your muscles or brain to lose oxygen," the human said boredly as he wiggled his finger. "I could simply stop your heart if I wanted to…"
"G-Gaah!"
"I think this would be a more sufficient punishment though," the executive purred as he flattened his palm. At this, several long slash marks appeared across the boy's torso, causing the 'faunus' child to growl in pain. The human released his victim and stalked towards him, then pressed his foot on the boy's chest. "Just one more thing I need to do...I'll need to get it through your stupid, insolent skull that you aren't to cause probelms…"
*CRAAA-*
*squeak*
"...What...the?" the executive tilted his head when he heard this, not sure if he was imagining things. "What the hell was that?"
*squeak*
"Oh gods, that's hilarious!" the human let out a mad laugh.
*squeak**squeak**squeak**squeak**squeak*
"Hahaha! This is amazing!"
"Uhh...sir…" the foreman said weakly.
"Hmm? Oh, right," the SDC executive snapped his fingers towards his guards as he lifted his foot off of the boy. "Take him to the infirmary! I want to have words with him later…"
I felt awful.
I just wanted to lay low and not have my new home get a bad case of explosions, and now I'm covered in cuts and down a pint or so of blood...so, not too much unlike some events from my old life. That's just the most pleasant thought...alongside the fact that I'm apparently a living squeaky toy. Never thought that'd be something I'd have to live with.
"And that should be the last of them," the grey-haired ram faunus said as he finished securely bandaging the last of the bloody slash marks marring my torso. "They should clear up in a few days or so...they'll definitely scar though. Make sure you don't do that thing you do...with...your muscles…"
"You mean flexing?" I asked the doctor weakly.
"Yes, that," he said flatly. "Keep from doing it and you might not reopen the stitches I had to put on some of the more serious ones."
I patted my chest gently as a small sigh escaped my lips. "Thanks doc, I really appreciate it. Now how soon can I get back to work? I wanna open up a new dust vein for a pay bonus."
"Do I need to strap you down to that bed, Arthur?" the faunus stood up, and began rummaging through his cabinets. "Because I'll do it, ya hear!"
"N-No, I'll take it easy on the job, alright!" I cried out, waving my hands in front of myself defensively.
"Good! Now then…" the doctor grabbed a nearby clipboard with a defeated expression and jotted something down. "I'm going to have to make my report to the foreman. Just sit tight and-" the doctor frowned as a small noise echoed from a nearby closet. He let out a short sigh before slowly walking over and opening the closet. "Fiona, sweetie, how are you doing?"
"I-I'm fine, dad…"
"Wonderful! Perhaps you'd like to stop eavesdropping on us from within the broom closet, no?"
There was an extended silence, then a heavily muffled and annoyed sigh. Emerging from the closet was a girl maybe a year or so older than I was, with white wool-like hair, sheep ears in place of human ones, and bright green eyes. One flat look from her father had her wincing externally at his growing exasperation.
"Hey Fiona!" I waved cheerfully. "Why were you in the closet? Only brooms are supposed to live in there."
The sheep-girl sweatdropped, but returned my wave nonetheless. "H-Hi Artie...yeah, I was cleaning...t-the brooms, that is."
"Huh, I guess even brooms get dirty…"
"Fiona, since you're such good friends with the young man, perhaps you could keep him company while I'm out?" the doctor tilted his head as the girl blushed. "Seeing as I have to make sure the foreman is up to speed."
Fiona's blush grew darker as she began stammering. "I-I, well y-you see-I was just-he's a-I don't want to-"
"Perfect, it's settled then!"
The ram faunus moved towards the door, leaving his still stammering daughter behind. As he walked out the door, he gave the sheep-girl a small wink. Fiona's jaw dropped, and I swore she almost looked like she would faint.
She decided to facepalm and moan instead. "Oh gods, he's so embarrassing…"
"He doesn't seem so bad...and I'm not just saying that because he bandages our wounds," I said sheepishly.
"...Y-You know, you don't have to listen to what he said," the sheep-girl said shyly as she took a seat next to my bed.
"What, so I don't have to take it easy at work?" I sat up straight, a goofy smile decorating my face. "Cause if I open up a few new veins, they'll have to undock my pay-"
"I...I meant the flexing thing…" Fiona's blush darkened for some strange reason.
"Eh, I'll probably go back to working out once this all clears up," I patted my chest gently before sighing. "You know, I haven't seen you around in a while."
"Oh yeah, mom and I haven't been working in the kitchens for a few weeks cause we were in Mantle," the sheep-girl bit her lip and wobbled slightly. "We were just...seeing the sights, enjoying the culture-"
"You look like you're about to explode," I said nervously. "You sure you're feeling okay? I mean, you always look like you have a fever, but today it's worse than usual…"
Fiona shook slightly before taking a deep breath. "I signed up to join Atlas Academy!"
"...Oh, the Huntsman school? That's cool!"
"I know, right?! If I get accepted, I can start training...well, better training than I have now," the sheep-girl twiddled her fingers shyly. "But I'm actually gonna be a Huntress! Maybe I'll even join the military!" Fiona clasped her hands together as a wistful expression graced her face. "I can actually make something of myself, instead of working at a dust mine while waiting to die my bosses get bored of me!"
"...Yeah, sounds neat," I said blankly.
"Eep! I didn't mean to-I mean, I meant that...you see I-"
"Relax, Fi. I'm gonna quit too, once I get old enough," I laid back on the bed with a tired expression. "I mean, it's not like I want a bunch of guys to beat me up for the smallest little mess up...I don't even know why I let them do it…"
"Hmm? What was that last part?"
"Oh, nothing, just talking to myself," I said with a shrug. "Still, the whole Huntsman thing, that's pretty new. What brought it up?"
"The Grimm they keep in the pits," the white-haired girl said solemnly. "You remember last year, when they escaped, right?"
"I remember that…" I said slowly. "I had to carry a bunch of people on my back. You and your parents included."
Fiona blushed at this. "Y-Yeah, I definitely remember that part…"
"Also, I had to carry Adam," I scratched the back of my head sheepishly. "The guy was grouchy the whole time, it kinda made the mood worse."
"That's just how Adam is," the sheep-girl shrugged. "So, what do you think about it?"
"Well, he's not a bad guy, if I'm being honest-"
"I meant signing up for the Academy," she giggled. "Seriously, it would be so cool! Once we actually get past the junior academy, we could go through initiation and get placed on the same team. We'd be Team...something with an A and an F in it."
"Nah, I'm good."
"...Eh?!"
"I'm not interested in being a Huntsman," I said offhandedly. "Sure, I like training and fighting, and if there was ever a tournament around I'd enter, but it's just a hobby...mostly."
"So...never a chance?"
"Unless that General guy walks through the door and asks me personally, no," I cupped a hand to my chin contemplatively. "Sure, it sounds fun, but it's just not for me."
Fiona tilted her head curiously. "So, what were you planning to do anyway?"
"I was gonna move to Menagerie, start a farm, and make money off of it."
"...You want...to start...a farm?"
"Well yeah, Menagerie doesn't have a lot of farms, and the desert could have fertile pockets. I could corner the market with a new superfood."
"I don't think kale can grow in the desert," the sheep-girl deadpanned.
"...Yes, kale. That's...that's totally what I meant," I looked away nervously as confusion spread across her face. "So, you applied? What next?"
"I take a bunch of written tests, then I get a physical, then a combat test...should I be worried about those?" Fiona clasped her hands together as her shoulders sagged. "I mean, considering the...obvious...you don't think things will be more difficult, do you?"
I sat up straight and patted her head. "Fi, if the worst does happen, and you get past it, then nothing can stop you from your dream."
Her fuzzy ears perked up as a cute smile stretched across her face. "Artie, thank you! Thank you so much!" the sheep-girl wrapped her arms around me and nuzzled my bandaged chest. "Just knowing that you believe in me, that's more than I could ask for!"
"...Y-Yeah, don't mention it."
"...This is painful for you, isn't it?"
"Y-Yeah, they still sting a lot," I said with a wince.
Fiona pulled away with a horrified expression, and clasped her hands. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I forgot that you-I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine, I'll manage to get through it," I said with a wince. "I mean, if I reached my big goal in life, I'd be hugging the heck outta you too."
"So you'll give me a hug when you get that big successful farm in the desert?" the sheep-girl asked hopefully.
I chewed the inside of my lip at the question as a vision of myself flashed through my mind, surrounded by a flaming golden energy. Then I saw a split second of blank teal eyes and fiery golden hair blink into my vision. I shook my head and turned back to my friend with a big, goofy grin.
"Uh, sure, when I get that farm," I said shakily. "If I ever get to that point and all…"
"Hey, you believe I can be a Huntress. I'm sure you can be a great farmer. Whatever your big dream is, you can do it!"
A soft smile spread across my face as I took her words in. "Thanks for that, Fi. I'm glad you-"
The two of us flinched as the door to the medical ward was thrust open to the point of slamming into the wall. The foreman and the suited human from earlier barged into the room with a small security detail, followed by Fiona's visibly terrified father. The unknown man cocked his head to the side when he noticed the now scared sheep-girl.
"What is she doing here?"
"Uh, she's my daughter, sir," the doctor said weakly. "She's friends with the boy, and she just wanted to check up on him-"
"And which section of the mines does she work at?"
"Uh, she doesn't work in the mines, she works in the kitchen," the foreman said dumbly.
"If that's so, then why is she here?" the strange and intimidating human pinned Fiona down with a vicious glare. "I see...I could care less about how your kind goes about mating, but it won't be on our company's time," he snapped his fingers at the ram faunus. "Get her out of here, and leave us. We have much to discuss."
The sheep-girl stood up shakily, clenching her fists. "L-Listen, I was just-"
"Alright dear, that's enough of that, let's get back to work now," the doctor said quickly.
"B-But dad-"
"Fiona, now!" the ram faunus hissed.
The girl's shoulders sagged defeatedly as she followed her father out the door. The security personnel let out small grunts and huffs when she lagged just a bit, prompting her to run out. Once we were truly alone, the suited human turned to me with a saccharine smile.
"Hello there young man..." he said with a sickeningly sweet voice. The human leaned forward and placed a hand on my head, gently running it through my hair in a very disturbing way. "I'd like to have a word with you."
"...I need an adult-"
"I am an adult."
One week later
*DING*
I seriously wonder why I didn't beat any of those humans to a bloody pulp. I mean, I know they're weaker than me, and I wanna fit in, but maybe it's working a bit too well. Being forced to work while I was turned into a living biology lab subject after a huge misunderstanding...it just isn't right.
Of course, if I complained to anybody else that'd just be preaching to the choir, now, wouldn't it?
My plan was just to act like a weak and helpless faunus, and hide my power as best as I could, so that Frieza or worse didn't come over and blow the place up. This is one of those days where I figure maybe it isn't worth it and I should just find and join the Frieza Force. Although...maybe Zamasu was onto something...wait, what was I doing before my monologue?
Oh right! Opening up one of those Dust veins I sensed.
*DING*
"Hrrrrk…"
Okay, definitely not in that spot...I knew I sensed it somewhere…
*DING*
"Grrrrrr…"
Okay, not there either. Maybe it's-
"If you hit the wall one more time, I swear I'll..."
I turned to see a red-haired boy around my age standing next to me, wearing the regular 'uniform' just like myself and the other miners. His blue eyes were narrowed at me with annoyance, and as he turned away from me, he slicked his hair back to reveal curved, black horns.
"Oh, heya Adam!" I said cheerfully. "How long have you been there?"
"Since you started hitting the wall with your pickaxe," the bull-horned boy said hotly. As he turned back to sneer at me, his eyes widened upon seeing the sleeves of my shirt. "Are you wearing bandages beneath that? You're still injured?"
"Yeah, that scary guy in the suit wants me to keep working," I said with a shrug. I noticed the redhead's expression softening slightly, and I returned it with a smile. "He said that I should open a few new veins, and then I might get my pay undocked and maybe some time off."
Adam turned away with a small huff. "How can you even sense them?"
Don't mention Ki Sense, don't mention Ki Sense!
"You know what, I don't want to know," the bull faunus growled. "These humans...they should be strung up by their toes. We're down here being abused, and nobody ever pays attention because of those damn Schnees!"
"Aren't some of the other guys here humans too?"
"You see how they're treated, right? If they mess up, it's just a 'misunderstanding', or it's a 'minor offense'," Adam clicked his teeth angrily as he whacked the stone wall harshly with his pickaxe. "If we make one tiny mistake, we get beaten. One of these days, they'll wish they didn't push us around…"
"Yeah, what goes around comes around, as they say," I shrugged blithely.
"Exactly! One day they'll get what's coming to them," the bull-horned boy sighed tiredly. "All we can do here and now is make sure we don't crumble beneath their whims."
"Y'know, it's nice that you're always looking out for the rest of us...y'know, everybody who doesn't have facial hair yet," I said cheerfully. "I mean, whenever one of us is mistreated, you're always there to make sure we're alright, and you help us out…"
"I...n-no I don't!" the redhead growled hotly.
"So, you haven't been hauling the bits of dust I've been chipping off over to that minecart behind us?" I asked cheekily.
Adam sweatdropped at this. "I...alright, fine! So I've been helping you, what of it? You're injured, you need the help."
"I'm just glad, that's all," I went back to chipping pieces of dust off the stone in front of me. "It's good to know you're helping. You really are a good person, so thanks."
The bull faunus blinked at this before sighing. "Don't mention it, Basil…really, don't. I have a reputation to uphold."
"Sure, sure," I said offhandedly. "I won't ruin your image, you prickly cactus you."
"Don't call me a cactus, Basil!" Adam cried out indignantly.
*DING*
I furrowed my brows as a slightly hollow sound erupted into the air. It was soon followed by a strange crackling that sent shivers down my back as my Ki Senses honed in on the energy behind the stone wall.
"Oh hey, I found the Dust vein," I said cheerfully.
"Oh no…"
"Yeah, I'd be backing up just a bit. Depending on the type of Dust, it could explode and stuff," I raised my pickaxe above my head and took a deep breath. "Alright, be ready to grab somebody for this."
*DIIIIIINNG*
*CRAAACK*
Electricity sparked as I tore through the stone, arcing around my pickaxe and zapping the area around us. The discharge grew to the point that if I didn't have a Saiyan hairstyle, my hair would definitely be standing up. Eventually the discharge dissipated to a point, but the arcs of electricity still danced around the glowing yellow stone.
"Oh hey look, it's a Lightning Dust vein," I said dumbly. When I looked back at Adam, I saw that his hair was standing up due to the electricity...and he was facepalming. "Oh...hehe, sorry about that."
"You took out the entire wall...how do-you know what, I don't want to know," the redhead turned away with an angry huff. "I'll go and grab the foreman...please do not open it further, you'll just make it worse."
Later that day
*POP*
Ahh, back home...and by home I mean my landing spot. As I made my trek towards my former cave home that my Attack Ball was held in, I heard a loud grumble behind me. I took a deep breath, smiled, and turned around.
I gave a small wave to the gaggle of Grimm behind me as I stalked towards them. "Hey there guys, how's your health plan?"
"RAAAAAAWWWWWWRRR!"
My face broke out into a mad grin as they charged towards me. "Apparently it's great!"
The first wave, unsurprisingly, didn't last very long. The second and third waves didn't fare much better, but the subsequent packs that charged in after them did so more cautiously than the ones before them. Judging by the way they dodged my ki blasts, they were some of the few that had managed to survive facing me from beforehand.
It seems I was getting sloppy.
The ones that had wised up to me in the past clearly didn't know about my new afterimage technique, and found themselves swiftly removed from existence. That only left the new faces to handle...and by new, I meant weird saber-toothed tiger grimm, and some strange lion-bird-scorpion creatures.
Easily handled by a few more ki blasts, to the point that I couldn't believe how boring it was. They literally charged right at me without a lick of sense in their attacks. The flying lions were a bit harder, since I hadn't adapted to fighting while flying just yet, but strafing the area did more than enough to get the message across.
And that left the last one...where do I begin?
"You're a big one, aren't you?"
"Grrrrrrrr…"
I had seen images of Beringel, and the gorilla-like grimm always moved around on all fours and had a definitive ape look. This one was twice the size of most Beringel, and had a more human-like body and gait. Around its head, shoulders, chest and back were spikes of ice that formed some sort of armored mane.
"So, you're bigger than the other ones I've fought so far," I smirked as the ape-like grimm stalked towards me. "That means you can take a lot more punishment, right?"
"OOOOOOROOOWWWRRRRR!"
"I'll be taking that as a 'yes'," I called out cheerfully. I held a hand towards the best and charged energy beneath my palm. "BIG BANG ATTACK!"
The blast of greenish energy hit home, shrouding the area in front of me in a mass of smoke and debris. I tilted my head, waiting for a response from my opponent, and sighed when nothing happened.
"Now I'm just annoyed. Guess bigger isn't always better," I held my hand up and harnessed a ball of energy, humming at the sensation in my palm. "I still can't get used to this...also, I thought it'd be blue or something...maybe pink. I feel kinda like a pink kind of guy-"
*FWOOOSH*
*CRAAAACK*
It was the fact that I had dodged just a few centimeters that I had survived the giant hand that had tried to smash me into the ground. It didn't crush me, but the force flung me back into the air for several feet before I righted myself. When I looked down, I saw the giant Beringel staring up at me with a blank expression, half of it's entire head missing.
"You're missing half of your face, how are-" I blinked as a mass of worm-like shapes emerged from the destroyed half of the Yeti's head. "What...the...frick?!"
At this, the sasquatch-like grimm dissipated completely, leaving behind the massive tentacle grimm that had been using it as a host. When it began to coalesce into another shape, I felt a shiver running up my spine at the disgusting sight.
"That is...just wrong…"
Eventually, the creature transformed into a giant snake-like monster covered in bone armor. It opened its face to reveal a thick head with a wide, sucker-like jawless mouth filled to the brim with serrated teeth. Along its neck, two more heads quickly sprouted.
"Wonderful! Alright then, second verse, same as the first," I held my hand out and charged up my Ki. "BIG BANG ATTACK!"
*VWOOM*
My initial smug grin fell when I saw that, while its heads were completely destroyed, they quickly regenerated. In fact, after destroying all three, six more simply appeared in their places, some with horns or larger and sharper teeth.
"A-Aww, you gotta be kidding me! It just gets stronger?" I dodged an attack from one of the leftmost heads and narrowly evaded strikes from the others. "Okay, new plan...I'll see if I can't grab it and throw it into the ocean."
I flew straight towards the Grimm's 'stomach', and grabbed what I could. While its skin was mostly slippery, there was enough bone armor that I could get purchase on it and begin hoisting it into the air.
Or, I could have, if it didn't use its tail to fling me away. I lifted myself from the mass of rocks that had fallen onto me, and flew forward while charging up as much energy as I could.
"Oh, to heck with this! I'll just blow it up!" I fired dozens of Ki blasts at the creature, all missing it completely.
The monster blinked in confusion with its primitive eyes, before realizing that the blasts of Ki I had fired were not meant to hit it. Each head attempted to poise itself towards the floating balls of energy, hoping to block the attack.
All I did was cock my head to the side, and hold my hands out. "HECK-oh, screw it for one...HELLZONE GRENADE!"
*VVVVFWOOOOOOOOOOWWWW*
*CHAAABOOM*
And yet again, my cocky smile faded when I noticed that it still wasn't dead. It was, however, in the process of regenerating most of its lost body mass, which finally let me get a good look at it.
It wasn't actually one grimm, but thousands upon thousands of smaller worm-like grimm that all formed a single monstrous shape and acted as one. I touched down and stalked towards the creature while charging energy in my right hand, keeping my left free just in case.
My foresight was spot on, as the monstrous head that had been hiding quickly struck and tried to swallow me whole. I jammed my hand into the roof of its mouth and used my feet to keep its jaw, or lack thereof, open.
"Hey, if you get reincarnated, here's a tip for you...pick on somebody your own size. You might actually get a fair fight!" I held my hand up slightly as I took a deep breath. "Galick Gun...FIRE!"
*VWOOOOM*
With that, the strange grimm was blown to kingdom come and completely vaporized. Any straggling worms I missed were swiftly dealt with through appropriate application of many Ki blasts.
"Okay, disregarding...that entire experience," I shivered slightly as I held my hand out to lift the rock blocking my cave to the side. "Time to get started."
I floated towards my Attack Ball, and opened the hatch, grabbing my scouter and the bag of senzu beans. I opened the bag and dumped the beans into my hand, frowning slightly at the number.
"Only 12 left...so, only two more times for now," I replaced the beans back in the bag, save for one, and put on the scouter. "I know I can sense energy, but it's always good to know my power level...at least, a semi-accurate reading. I feel like getting rid of the parts that let the Frieza Force track me must have made this thing work differently."
*BEEP*
"Yeah, 67,000 is just plain ridiculous," I said as I pulled the scouter off and put it away. "I mean, I know I've gotten a bunch of Zenkai in the past few years, but over 50,000? Doesn't make sense…"
I stared at the single senzu in my palm with a smirk. "Speaking of Zenkai, Imma get another one real quick."
I pocketed the senzu and floated out of the cave, quickly placing the rock back in front of the entrance, then placing two fingers on my forehead. A few seconds and a popping sound later, I found myself directly over an endless ocean far removed from Solitas.
"Perfect! Now then…" I clasped my hands together, then formed them into a triangle. "Let's see how much this gives me…" I closed my eyes and charged up, opening them with a fierce gaze directed towards the water. "Shin...KIKOUHOU!"
A few hours, several blasts, and lots of dead sea life later
*POP*
I fell back onto the ground hard, flinching at the feeling of the impact. Pain, pain pain pain! Everything was pure pain and exhaustion, nothing else existed, not even my own heartbeat was registering...which was a bad thing.
Everything blurred as my vision flashed to darkness, and the blood pounding in my ears stopped and started at intervals. Every moment of this felt like it was cracking my mind apart, and it was terrifying.
"S-Senzu...gotta get the...senzu…" I moved a clammy hand towards my pocket weakly, and grabbed the bean inside. With a small flick, the senzu fell into my mouth. "Oooh man...that's the good stuff."
I let out a sigh of relief as my strength returned, and sat up shakily. My breathing came out in deep, ragged gasps as I tried to regain my bearings. Once the pain had finally passed, I felt a sense of calm spread through me.
"Woah man, scary...whew, I managed to last longer than the last time," I let out a small grunt as I stood up. "Definitely got a Zenkai there...I'll check it out later, but it was worth it. Now...where the flip am I?"
When I had teleported, I had honed in on the general area of a Ki signiture I was familiar with. Obviously it couldn't be the foreman, he'd beat me like a dog. And Fiona was out of the question, since it wouldn't look good if I just teleported into a girl's room.
For some reason, I had popped into a random alleyway somewhere in the middle of the miner camp...that left only one other possibility.
I set out of the alleyway just in time to bump headfirst into somebody right as they were walking by. Thanks to the increased sensitivity I had from nearly dying, as well as the high from my Zenkai...well…
"Damn it! Watch where you're going you piece of shi...oh, it's you," Adam stood up with a grunt. "What are you even-"
I grabbed the redhead by the shirt and sent him a murderous glare. "Watch where I'm going?! You watch where you're going, huh?! You are the living equivalent of a participation award!"
"..."
"...Oh, spit!" I dropped the bull-headed boy and backed as a horrified expression spread across my face. When I noticed him looking away from me, I held my hands up defensively. "Adam, I am so sorry, I didn't mean it-"
"T-That...that cut surprisingly deep, if I'm being honest with myself…"
This! This is why I've been trying to keep my Saiyan nature under wraps.
"I...I didn't mean it, I was just-"
"No, no, I get it. You must have had a rough week," Adam let out a tired sigh and began to walk away.
"H-Hey, where are you going anyway? And-what the heck?! Is that a sword?!" I pointed to the katana sheathed to his belt.
"...N-No, it's definitely not a sword," the redhead denied. "And I'm just...out jogging, that's it! I'm out jogging!"
"With a sword strapped to your belt?"
"But it's not a sword," Adam said lowly. "And you...can't see me…"
"Adam, I can see you just fine."
"I'm a ghost!" the bull-horned boy said. He waved his hands towards me in a mystifying way. "Wooooh, I'm the ghost of all your regrets and fears, wooooh!"
"Okay, first of all, you don't look like an exploding celestial body or a freaky white and purple lizard person-"
"Wait, what?!"
"And third, I may be an idiot, but I'm not stupid!" I finished.
"...Alright fine, you caught me! I'm going out to train in Kenjutsu and Iaijutsu."
"Ian-what-now?"
"Iaijutsu! It's the art of quickly drawing one's sword in order to make a quick counter-attack or surprise attack against an unsuspecting enemy," Adam drew his sword almost too fast for me to track. "I've been training with it for a few years under my master, and soon I'll take her sword as well."
"You're going to steal her sword?"
"N-No, I was gonna challenge her for it," he said weakly.
"Oh...that sounds cool. Mind if I join in?"
"You wish to train in Kenjutsu? I didn't think you had it in you-"
"No, I wanted to see if there were other people who could train me in martial arts. You know, where I can break somebody with my hands and feet."
"And why should I help you?" the bull-horned boy growled. "You just called me the 'living equivalent of a participation award'. Hasn't really endeared me to you."
"I said sorry! Plus, you almost called me a piece of spit," I held my hands out defensively. "Please?! Please please please please please pleas-"
"Quiet!" Adam held a hand up and sent me an annoyed glare. "If, and I can't stress this enough, if you stop making noises with your mouth, or any part of your face, I'll let you follow me. Maybe the other three will take you as their student."
I let out a small squeal as I clasped my hands together. "So, just zip my mouth, right?"
"Yes, zip it and never open it again."
I made a zipping motion over my mouth, and smiled happily at the redhead. His shoulders sagged as a bead of sweat ran down his face, and he turned away from me. I slowly followed him through the back alleys of the camp, and straight into the tundras of Solitas.
After a few hours of walking, I was half tempted to ask him if we were there yet, before remembering the deal we had. Eventually, we came upon some large building surrounded by walls in the middle of the tundra, with a visibly worn road leading towards it.
Adam held his hand up in a 'halt' signal, before pointing two fingers towards the entrance. Upon realizing my utter confusion, he let out a low grumble before turning to face me slightly.
"Crouch low, be quiet, and follow my lead," the bull-horned boy hissed.
I nodded and shuffled through the snow behind him, quietly following him around to the back of the building. At the back was a pavilion, with several benches beneath the large wooden roof already occupied by a few individuals.
One of them was a blue-dressed pink-haired woman with fox ears, who sat down enjoying a warm cup of hot chocolate. I only focused on her because Adam silently approached her, then charged while quickly drawing his blade. Her response was to quickly block with her own blood-red katana.
"I see you're still using that old thing," she said boredly. "Would you like some cocoa, Adam?"
"I'm here to take Wilt, Tamamo-sensei!"
"Just gonna get right to it, huh?" the fox-woman pushed the redhead back with a large amount of force, and stood up. When Adam charged her again, she jumped up and made a downward slash, pushing him back once again. "So, what should today's lesson be?"
"Humility!" Adam growled.
"Oh, that's what I always teach you when I defeat you, kiddo. Give me something new," the pinkette misdirected several more strikes as the redhead pushed her further back from her mug of cocoa. "You've been practicing at that camp, right? You're still pretty slow, you know that~?"
"Be quiet!"
Adam made a sweeping slash towards his mentor's legs, which she narrowly dodged with a high jump. As they clashed blades once again, a loud chuckle erupted from nearby, causing the two to look over.
At a nearby table were three more faunus dressed in some strange robes; one was a serene looking red-haired man with a lion tail, looking on in amusement as the two sword-users duked it out. the other an elderly green-haired man with a tortoise shell on his back, who was staring at me with a curious expression.
And finally the man with razor sharp teeth and pointy blue hair who continued to chuckle. While his grin was unsettling, it didn't seem like a malicious or evil grin...rather...something else.
"Do that again, I didn't get a good look!"
"Good look at what, exactly?" the fox-woman growled.
"Your panties!" the shark-toothed man held his hands up to demonstrate. "The hem of that skirt is really short."
"EEP! You pervert!" the pinkette pulled away from her clash with Adam and pulled down her skirt. "Wearing this today was an accident!"
"There are no accidents," the old turtle-man said sagely.
"Technically there are no 'mistakes'," I chimed in. "Just happy little accidents."
"Didn't I say no talking?!" Adam hissed.
"Well, we're already here...also, you're fighting that woman with the sword," I motioned to the fox-woman. "So...is there somebody here who knows martial arts."
"Kid, you're in luck!" the blue-haired man darted over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "You want martial arts? The boys and I got martial arts coming out of our ears! You name it, we got it!"
"Really?! Cool, what types?!"
"We got turtle-style, we got lion-style, we got crane-style, we got panther-fang," the shark-toothed man turned to look at me with a wide grin. "And of course, we've got my personal favorite...shark-style-"
"Don't listen to Bruce, he's always touting his 'shark-style' like it's the most powerful," the lion faunus's deep voice boomed out. "While I won't brag about my lion-style, it's everything you'd need if you're looking for raw power."
"Now, now, raw power alone does not always win the battle, Mufasa," the old tortoise-man called out. "In order to master the art of war, you must also master the art of peace. To achieve victory through war, you must master strategy, and strategy can only be mastered through peace."
"Oogway isn't wrong. You'd do well to learn from him one of these days, red," the fox-woman sheathed her blade and tapped the bull-horned boy on the shoulder playfully. Then she turned to me with a curious expression. "Also, do you mind telling me who this is?"
Before Adam could introduce me, I beat him to the punch. "Hiya, I'm Arthur. I work at the mine with Adam, and I bumped into him by accident while he was sneaking out to come here."
"...I see," the pinkette tilted her head in curiosity. "And you came here to learn martial arts?"
"Yup!" I said cheerfully, popping the 'p' for emphasis. "Adam and I are pretty good friends-"
"You called me a living participation award," the redhead grumbled.
"Didn't I save you from some rampaging grimm a few months ago?"
Adam folded his arms with a huff and began grumbling to himself. The fox-woman ignored the redhead and darted over to me, pulling me into a near bone-crushing hug. I ignored the shark-man's hooting as I tried to catch my breath while I was suffocated into the pinkette's large chest.
"It's so nice to meet you Artie! I'm Tamamo, Adam's Kenjutsu teacher," Tamamo removed me from her cleavage with a giggle before motioning to the others. "The big, gruff lion over there is Mufasa, the old turtle is Oogway, and the pervert here is Bruce."
"Oh, she's callin' me the perv?" the shark-toothed bluenette grumbled. "Takes one to know one, doesn't it love?"
"Shush, you!" the fox-woman waved her sword at the man angrily. She turned back to me with a sheepish smile. "So, you're really sure about learning martial arts?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, I love training, I love it like nobody's business," I noticed the elderly turtle-man's muted expression. "I've been working out for years because of that. And I figured mastering a martial art would let me know if all that hard work paid off."
"Is that so? Hmm, interesting…" Mufasa stood up and walked over to me, leaning into my personal space with a curious expression. The lion faunus laid his hands on my shoulders and felt them out, then gently grabbed me by the chin and tilted my head two and fro. "Yes, very good! There's quite a bit of potential here."
"Perhaps there is…" Oogway hummed. "But simply inspecting him won't do. Young...Arthur, was it? If you truly wish to learn, there are many tests you must go through-"
"Are they written tests?"
The turtle-man blinked at me owlishly. "N-No, I don't think there are any written tests-"
"Because I can read or write very well. Heck, big words kinda confuse me just a bit."
Adam sputtered in shock. "You can't read?!"
"I can, just not very good. Writing is pretty off too," I rubbed the back of my head nervously. "Can I just skip the tests and beat up that Alpha Megoliath hiding behind the wall behind us?"
"Yes, I suppose we-wait, what?" Oogway tilted his head in confusion. "What was that last part?"
"The Alpha Megoliath, hiding behind the wall right behind us. Can I just beat him up as my test?"
Bruce let out a barking laugh at my remark. "Hahahaha! Megoliath! Oh, this kid is a riot!" the shark-faunus wiped tears from his eyes before patting me on the head. "Kid, if you beat up this 'Megoliath', we'd have to train you on the spot."
"Master Bruce, please do not encourage his delusions," Adam groaned.
"Aww, don't be so sour, Adam," Tamamo giggled. "You brought a little jokester to the dojo. We needed that, it's always so stuffy here."
I ignored the group and walked over to the nearby wall, then tapped on the metal. "Hey, big guy! Come on out!"
No response.
I tapped again. "Come on, you're not fooling me. I know you're there!"
"...Paaawoooo."
"Yes I do! Now stop hiding!" I backed away from the wall and held my hands out in a beckoning pose. "Come on out and face me!"
There was dead silence for several seconds, then a loud and deep rumbling sigh echoed from behind the wall. Immediately after that, a massive black elephantine creature with spiky bone armor, protrusions, and tusks walked through the metal wall like it was a piece of tissue paper. The ancient grimm stared me down with a vicious glare and let out a loud, annoyed trumpetting in my direction.
"Ho-ly shit!" Bruce wheezed out. "How did we miss that? How did the kid even sense that?!"
"Same way I sense dust veins," I said dumbly.
"Arthur! Get back!" Adam cried out, unsheathing his sword while stalking forward. "I'll fight it off-"
"Adam, no! Let us handle this!" Tamamo growled. "We're the ones with training, and we know how to use our semblances. Just get Arthur out of the way-"
"Alright big guy! We doing this or what?!" I called out.
"Oh...Adam, I'm so sorry about your friend," the fox-woman said solemnly.
The demonic pachyderm snorted in anger and charged forward, lowering its head to level its tusks to run me through. I simply yawned into my palm, held a hand out towards its right tusk, and leaned forward. I hummed as I felt the grimm 'impact' into me, and chuckled as it attempted to push me back.
"Seriously? The Yeti I fought earlier actually had a strategy," I said boredly as the giant proboscid dug its feet into the ground in a feeble attempt to push me back. "I really did have my hopes up too…"
"What…"
"The…"
"Fuck?!" Bruce, Tamamo, and Adam cried out in unison.
"Oh, right! Just let me handle this, okay?"
My fingers clenched around the grimm's tusk, and I lifted the beast into the air, smirking as it's eyes widened in shock and terror. I threw it a few feet up before grabbing it by it's dangling trunk, and swung it around in the air before slamming it into the ground. Before the creature could right itself, I lifted it back into the air and slammed it back down onto its back like a turtle.
"Alright, now...where's it's neck anyway?" I tilted my head as I grabbed behind the creature's ears. "Aha, found it! Now I just gotta twist-"
*CRACK*
"There we go!" I held my hands to my hips with a cheerful smile as the ancient grimm began to disintegrate. I turned back to the group behind me, and was greeted by wide-eyed, shocked expressions. "Oh right, you guys were watching...so, do I get martial arts training now?"
"H-How?!" Adam wheezed out. "How did you get so strong?!"
"Oh, well first I started with 100 pushups, 100 situps, 100 squats, and a 10 kilometer run each day for 3 years, and then I just increased the intensity from there," I tilted my head and cupped a hand to my chin in thought. "I think I'm at 5000 each, and 100 kilometers, every day for the past couple of years. And I always make sure to drink plenty of juice."
"5000 pushups, situps, and squats?!" the redhead cried out. "Why?! At what point did you decide to go overboard like that?! Don't you know anything about moderation?!"
"...What is this...moderation, you speak of?" I asked slowly. "Is it...some type of food?"
"Of course that's your response…" the bull-horned boy groaned. "Why did I even ask?"
"A-Alpha...Megoliath…" Tamamo said weakly, looking between me and the now near completely disintegrated grimm. "D-Dead?"
"Yeah, I was kinda holding back 'cause I didn't wanna make it an instant kill," I shrugged. "If I had used my full strength, I would have just thrown him into the sky."
"That was...holy shit kid!" Bruce shook his head in awe. "That was insane! You sure you need trainin', kiddo?"
"Uh...yeah, I think I'd like to learn all I can," I said cheerfully.
"Really? You wish to learn, yet you have all the power in the world," Oogway hummed thoughtfully. "There is nothing we could teach you, young man."
"...You sure about that?"
"Positive," Mufasa closed his eyes and tilted his head. "You have nothing to learn from us, Arthur."
I cocked my head to the side with a frown, and took a deep breath before crouching slightly. Then I charged the old turtle with my Saiyan speed, becoming too fast for most normal people to see. I let a few clumsy punches fly in the green-haired man's direction, to which he dodged each one. As I began to force him towards a wall, he pulled a strange metal bar from his belt and expanded it into a massive staff.
A few seconds later, and I was clutching my face in pain. "Agh! Did you just hit me with a-Ooof!"
Predictably, Oogway had used my momentary lapse in judgement to jab his bo staff into my solar plexus, knocking the wind out of me. From there, the old turtle easily kicked my feet from beneath me and pinned me to the ground with his weight.
While the others seemed to have varying expressions of shock and anger at my random attack, the green-haired man simply eyed me with curiosity.
"Tell me, why did you attack me?"
"To make a point," I grunted as I tried to lift myself off the ground. "I may not be the brightest bulb, but I know that strength won't do me any good if I don't know how to use it."
Oogway bit his lip as a chuckle emanated from his throat. "My, my, you're certainly full of surprises," the old tortoise lifted his foot off my chest and helped me up. "I certainly didn't think someone your age would be so wise."
"Uh, I'm not actually that smart-"
"You misunderstand, Arthur. Wisdom does not mean intelligence, it simply means you are more sensible and aware," Oogway tilted his head as a soft smile graced his lips. "Think of it this way; there are many smart men, but just because they're smart, doesn't mean the mistakes they make and the reasons they make them are any less stupid. A wise man will be aware of both."
"Oh...thanks, I guess," I said shyly. "So, when do I start?"
"Well, we'll still need to do some tests just in case, but…" the green-haired man looked back to the spot where the Megoliath had been. "I think it's pretty set in stone."
"Of course, we'll have to let you know the rule too," Mufasa said offhandedly.
"Oh! Oh! Lemme guess...there are no rules?"
All of them gave me bewildered looks.
"N-No, we have a lot of rules," Bruce said confusedly. "Who trains in martial arts without rules? That's just ridiculous!"
"...Ah...I see...that makes sense."
"I think there is much we have to discuss...but first," the old tortoise turned away from me with a chuckle. "I think we have some hot cocoa to finish. Would you like some?"
"Would I like some? If there's one thing I love more than fighting, it's food," I said happily.
"Well, obviously you'd need a lot," Bruce drawled out. "I mean, the energy to power that semblance? You'd need to be a bottomless pit to get it."
"...S-Semblance?" I asked dumbly.
"Your Semblance is the unique ability gifted to you and powered by your Aura," Adam groaned. "Seriously, how can you have it and still not...know...you don't have it do you?"
"No, not really," I shrugged. "That was just my normal strength from hard work," I tilted my head as the group gaped at me in shock. "Is there something wrong?"
"You beat...an alpha grimm...without Aura?!" Adam croaked.
"It seems we have to fix that then," Mufasa mused. The lion-man walked up to me and placed his palm on my forehead. "It is through peace that we achieve strength. Through this, we gain the wisdom to improve and persevere. Infinite in distance, and unbound by strife, I release your soul, so that it may be tempered in adversity."
And then, I suddenly felt very dizzy. Everything flashed green for a split second, and it took me a moment to realize that I was glowing with energy. It wasn't Ki, I knew that for a fact, it was something...alien to me.
"W-What is this?" I churned out weakly.
"Your Aura," Adam grunted. "It's the manifestation of your soul, and the greatest weapon we have against the creatures of grimm. Defense, offense, and everything you couldn't do before, all are possible with Aura...well, I mean, you were already strong and fast enough without it, but still…"
"...So, I do have a soul then," I said softly.
The bull-horned boy's lip curled up in anger. "If anybody ever says that to you again, I'll bash their skulls in."
I wonder how Frieza would respond to that. Probably a genocide, he usually responds with a genocide.
"Adam, calm down," Tamamo said gently. "It takes strength to fight back against such a thing, but greater wisdom is gained through peace."
"I...you're right, Tamamo-sensei…"
"It's still good to know you care about me," my face broke into a cocky grin as I tilted my head at the redhead. "You prickly cactus, you."
"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT CALLING ME A CACTUS, BASIL?!"
Alright, second chapter done. I'm still unsure about the 'pairing', moreso because that's a few dozen chapters out, but I've laid out a couple of options already. Now then, onto the reviews.
lazyguy90: It won't really affect him too much, but he'll have to endure some things to fit in. You'll see his epic 'I quit' moment in the next chapter though, after a timeskip.
SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta: Oh yeah, I totally forgot about that. He'll do the correct ones next time he uses it.
Kevin J Rosario Cruz: I'm trying to go for 'sheltered kid from backwater family with no social skills/real understanding of the world'. It'll be elaborated if I ever put out character sheets on my characters.
Draegoon: This is the last one of those too. No more after this, just the quadrilogy with these boys. Any other fic I make will be so removed from this 'shared multiverse', that it'll be like they're social distancing.
verycoolname: I mean, I'd imagine Kakyoin wouldn't like it...but then again, the amount of people killed by trucks who get reincarnated is extremely disproportionate, since more people get killed by trucks permanently than they do reincarnated from it. Only Kakyoin can say a gay, blonde vampire fisted him and left him all wet right before the end.
Thank you again, and just like always, please leave any thoughts, questions, and constructive criticism in your reviews.
