I sit on the seat by the window, placing my bags besides me.

Well, I guess "seat" isn't the right word for it, since they look much like benches.

Unlike the planes I'm used to, this world's airships don't have a row of seats for its passengers to sit on, but instead leaves much more empty space with places to sit placed across the walls.

In a way, it reminds me of a hospital waiting room.

Someone approaches me, and I turn to look at them.

Said person is a girl, wearing red—

Oh, it's just Ruby.

"H-hi!" She greeted me, seeming surprised that I turned to look at her. "You're the one from last night, aren't you? What was it, uh…"

Ah, right, I didn't get to tell her my name.

Now that I think about it, "Gates" is a pretty odd name to have.

So I spent all night coming up with an alternate name that still sounds similar.

From now on, my name is…!

"Geiz. We never got to introduce ourselves properly, huh?"

I reached out my hand, which she shook. "Ruby Rose. Nice to meet you!"

"Heh. Yeah, I know." I smiled, and we released our grips on each other's hands.

"So, uh…" Ruby sat down next to me. "You got accepted to Beacon too?"

"Ahaha…" I scratch the back of my head, laughing nervously. "I guess so, yeah."

"Kinda sucks, doesn't it?" Ruby looks down, like she's reminiscing something. "Suddenly getting moved ahead, leaving all your friends behind… How do you feel about it, Geiz?"

Goddamn, that question caught me off guard.

"Ah, I didn't really go to any school before this—"

I blurted out those words without thinking.

Dammit, I shouldn't have said that!"

"Whoa, really?" Ruby asked, shocked. "What did you do to get accepted, then?"

"i…"

Shit, I'm not a very good liar, am I?

"Ruby?"

I hear someone call out Ruby's name, interrupting our conversation.

Oh thank god.

The source of the voice is a rather tall girl with long, golden hair and lilac eyes. She wears a tan jacket that bares her midriff, a yellow top underneath with a logo resembling fire. She also wears a brown belt around her waist, layered above a pair of black mini-shorts with some sort of white cloth hanging from behind, complimenting her brown knee-high boots and orange socks. Around her neck is a scarf, also colored orange, and on her wrists are a pair of oddly-shaped yellow "braces".

"Yang!"

Ruby stood up, only to immediately receive a tight bearhug from the other girl.

"Oh, I still can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!"

Baby sister…?

So I guess she's Ruby's older sister?

I know, doesn't take a genius to figure that out, but—

They look so different, it's kinda hard to believe.

"P-please stop…" Ruby pleads, gasping for breath. Her sister immediately releases her death grip, and looks at the red girl's face.

"But I'm so proud of you!"

"Really Sis, it was nothing."

"What do you mean? It was incredible!" Yang exclaims. "Everyone at Beacon is going to think you're the bee's knees!"

"I don't want to be the bee's knees, okay?" Ruby fidgeted with the tip of her skirt, looking down at the floor. "I just wanna be a normal girl, with normal knees."

"But you are special."

"Well, considering you stopped a robbery almost entirely by yourself…" I stepped in the conversation. "Yeah, I don't know much about how things work around here, but even I'd say that's pretty special."

"Not you too, Geiz!" Ruby glared at me. "Also, you helped!"

"A friend of Ruby?" Yang smiled at me, stretching her hand out at me. "Yang Xiao Long, nice to meet you."

…"Ruby Rose" and "Yang Xiao Long". Maybe they're adoptive siblings?

"Ah, I should've introduced myself earlier, sorry." I shook Yang's outstretched hand. "Geiz, nice to meet you too."

"Geiz? That's an odd name." Yang tilted her head. "Not from around here, are you?"

"Nope."

"Travelled far then, have you?"

"Preeeeeetty far, yeah." I better think of a way to end this conversation before she asks further questions. "It's a long story."

Yang opened her mouth, but she was interrupted by the sound of a news reporter from a holographic screen nearby.

"The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa."

The screen showed a mugshot of a male criminal with orange hair…

"That's the guy from yesterday, isn't he?" I turned to Ruby.

She nodded. "Yup, no doubt about it."

"Oh yeah, just what kind of things were you two up to last night?" Yang crossed her arms, looking at the two of us. "You didn't tell me anything about this yesterday, Rubes!"

"Ahaha…" Ruby scratched the back of her head.

The news channel changes topics, now talking about a civil rights protest led by a group of people called… Faunus?

It seems this "Faunus" group is made up of people with animal features – like ears, tails, and stuff.

I guess there's more to this world than I thought. I'll have to look into it later.

"In other news, this Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when the members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony—"

The news was cutoff, replaced by a hologram of Glynda.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon." The hologram greets us and the other students. I can't tell if it's pre-recorded or not.

Yang raised her brow. "Who's that?"

"Oh, the huntress from yesterday." I said. "What was her name again…"

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch." The hologram introduced herself.

"Right, it was Glynda."

Yang let out an "Oh.", and the hologram continued speaking.

"You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."

And with that speech done, the hologram disappears.

"Oh wow, look! You can see Signal from up here!" Ruby suddenly said, dragging Yang to the window. "I guess home isn't too far after all!"

Yang wrapped her arm around her little sister's shoulders, smiling. "Beacon's our home now."

I… guess the view is pretty good, yeah, though I have no idea which part is supposed to be "Signal".

A sudden gurgling noise caught me by surprise, and I look behind to the sight of a boy with blonde hair hunched over, his hand covering his mouth, who then proceeds to run to the back of the ship.

Gross.

Yang rolled her eyes. "I guess the view isn't for everyone."

"It was a nice moment while it lasted." Ruby chuckled. "I wonder who we're gonna meet… I just hope they're better than Vomit Boy."

I look down, noticing something off.

"Uh… Yang?"

"Yeah, Geiz?"

I clear my throat. "I don't know how else to put this, but… It seems you have some puke on your shoe."

"Ahh! Gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross!"

"G-get away! Get away from me! Get away from me!"

"Hey, hey, don't try to wipe it on me either!"

"Damn."

Beacon Academy certainly wasn't what I expected.

The view from the ship was incredible, yes, but seeing the giant castle-like structure up close is entirely something else.

"The view from Vale's got nothing on this!" Yang said, taking in the view. I nodded, but Ruby's attention seems to be occupied with something else.

"Ohmygosh, sis! That kid's got a collapsible staff! And she's got a fire sword!" Ruby squealed, staring at the weapons of the other students around us.

"Easy there, little sister. They're just weapons!"

Ruby took that statement very seriously, quickly turning around to face her sister. "Just weapons? They're an extension of ourselves! They're a part of us! Oh, they're so cool!"

"I dunno, those weapons look pretty normal compared to… You know, your red, giant mechanical portable scythe."

"Aw, thanks, Geiz!" Ruby smiled at me. "It's also a gun, by the way."

"Seriously? No way!"

"Well, why don't you just swoon over your own weapon, Rubes?" Yang asked. "Aren't you happy with it?"

Ruby took out her weapon and unfolded it, turning it to a giant scythe which she proceeded to hug. "Of course I'm happy with Crescent Rose! I just really like seeing new ones. It's like meeting new people, but better…"

Okay, I think this girl's got a few loose screws in her.

"By the way, Geiz," Ruby turned to look at me, putting her scythe away. "I don't think I have seen your weapon yet. What's it like?"

My weapon?

…I don't have any.

I guess the Driver is the closest thing to it, but I still don't really feel right using a department-issued equipment for a combat school.

"Ahaha, it's kinda hard to explain," I laugh off her question. "Maybe I'll show you later."

"Aw, you're no fun."

Yang sees this as a sign, approaching her sister and putting an arm around her. "Alright, why don't you go try and make some friends of your own?"

"But… why would I need friends if I have you and Geiz here?"

"Well… Actually, my friends are here, gotta go catch up, 'kay see ya bye!"

And with that, Yang dashed off with a group of students who just suddenly appeared behind her.

"Wait!" Ruby called out. "Where are you going? Are we supposed to go to our dorms! Where are our dorms? Do we even have dorms?!"

Ruby's questions are left unanswered, as Yang and her friends are now nowhere to be seen.

"Holy crap, they ran off so fast I couldn't even see how they look like." I told her. "Alright… So where do we go next?"

She sighs. "Beats me…"

"Come on, chin up." I pat her shoulder. "An incredibly talented man once said, "Keep moving forward", and that's what we shall do."

That seemed to cheer her up a bit, and we continue walking. "Oh, really? What was this incredibly talented man's name?"

"Uh… I'm pretty sure it starts with M…" I try to think of a name, but nothing comes up. "Okay, fine, I just made that up. Don't interrogate me about my fake-believe man and his pretend wisdom."

Ruby chuckles, then subsequently trips, falling into a trolley cart full of briefcases, causing them to scatter all over the place.

"What are you doing?!" A girl yelled at Ruby, presumably the owner of the briefcases.

"Uh, sorry…" Ruby apologized, slowly getting up to face the girl.

Said girl is pale-skinned, with long white hair pulled back and tied into a ponytail. I can only describe her attire as "fancy" – a white strapless dress with gradation from white to pale blue, and some sort of cardigan over it, the inner side being red.

"Sorry?! Do you have any idea how much damage you could've caused?!"

Oh man, this is going to turn out ugly.

"Give me that!" The cranky girl snatched a case from Ruby, and grabbed a vial of something red from it.

"Uh..." Ruby stares at her, confused.

"What are you, braindead?!" The girl yelled angrily. As she does so, the vial in her hand started to shake. "Dust! Fire, water, lightning, energy!"

"I… I know…"

I sigh. "Look, I apologize for my- No, we apologize, alright? Just… calm down, maybe take a few deep breaths."

Obviously my words aren't getting through her, so I decide to just help clean up the mess.

As I pick up the cases, I hear the sound of Ruby sneezing, immediately followed by an explosion—

Wait, what?!

"Unbelievable! This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!"

I'm starting to wish I went with Yang instead.

"Ugh, you complete dolt! What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little too young to be attending Beacon?!"

"Well, I…"

"This isn't your ordinary combat school. It's not just sparring and practice, you know!" The ponytailed girl continued to berate Ruby needlessly. "We're here to fight monsters, so… watch where you're going!"

"Hey, I said I was sorry, princess!" Ruby yelled back, finally fed up.

The vial the girl in white was holding fell to the ground, rolling until it stops at the feet of a black-haired girl nearby. She wears a black buttoned vest with coattails, with a white, sleeveless undershirt underneath. She also wears white shorts, connected to her black-purple stockings that matches her black boots.

What catches my attention is the ribbon on her head, though. For some reason, it reminds me of cat ears.

She's kinda cute.

The girl in black picks up the vial, and walks over to Ruby.

"It's heiress, actually." She calmly stated. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world.

So she's named Weiss. Fitting.

That statement caused Weiss to smile smugly. "Finally, some recognition!"

"…And also the same company infamous for its controversial labor forces, and questionable business partners."

Damn, this girl doesn't hold back.

"Good grief, cut it out already, you three." I place the cases gently on the cart, careful to not make another explosion. "There, happy now?"

Judging from the expression on her face, she's far from happy.

"Tch. Tell your absolute dolt of a girlfriend to be more careful next time."

She angrily storms off, but not before taking the vial from the black-haired girl's hand.

"She's not my girlfriend!"
"He's not my boyfriend!"

We both yell almost at the exact same time, but to no avail.

I turn back to find the black-haired girl gone, and several men in formal suits pushing more carts in the direction where Weiss went.

Right, she's a rich girl, I guess it's to be expected that she has personal butlers helping her carry her stuff.

"Man, what a rough first day…"

Ruby collapses to the ground, lying on her back.

I nod. "Yeah, I really wish I went with Yang instead—"

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

After spending several minutes lost, Ruby and I finally found ourselves on the auditorium, along with Jaune Arc – AKA Vomit Boy – who we met along the way.

"Ruby, Geiz! Over here!" Yang called out to us, waving. "Saved you two a spot!"

"Oh! Hey, w-we gotta go! We'll see you after the ceremony!"

And with that said, Ruby runs off.

"Hey, wait!" Jaune sighs. "Where am I supposed to find another nice, quirky girl to talk to?!"

"Don't worry bud, plenty more fish in the sea." I lean in close to Jaune's ear, whispering something to him. "Like that red haired girl just behind you – I'm not an expert, but I think she's into you, man. Also she has been following us for a while now and frankly I think it's kind of creepy. Okay, bye!"

I pat him on the back, and run after Ruby.

"Yikes! Meltdown already?" Yang said in disbelief.

"What's going on?" I jump in, taking a seat next to Ruby.

"Ruby said she exploded right after—"

"Yeah, I literally exploded a hole in front of the school!" Ruby interrupted. "And there was some fire, I think some ice…?"

"Are you being sarcastic…?" Yang asked, still not believing what her sister is saying.

I laugh. "No, no, I can confirm. I was there when she, uh, blew up."

"I wish I was being sarcastic! I tripped over some crabby girl's luggage, and then she yelled at me, and then I sneezed, and then I exploded, and then she yelled at me again, and I felt really, really bad, and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me!"

During the entire time Ruby ranted, I could see Weiss creeping behind Ruby, moving closer by each passing second.

Oh crap, here it comes—

"You!"

Ruby jumped out of her seat, straight into her older sister's arms. "Oh god, it's happening again!"

"You were lucky we weren't born off the side of the cliff!"

Aaand there she goes. I'm starting to get sick of her voice.

"Oh my god, you really exploded." Yang deadpanned.

"Can we please not have this again?" I interrupted the girls. "It was just an accident."

"I promise I'll make this up to you, okay?" Ruby sighed.

Weiss pulls out a pamphlet from nowhere, titled "DUST for dummies and other Inadequate Individuals", and then holds it right in front of Ruby's face.

Weiss took a deep breath, then started speaking—

"The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company product. Although not mandatory, the Schnee Family highly encourages their customers to read and familiarize themselves with this easy to follow guide to Dust applications and practices in the field."

Holy terms of use, Batman.

"You really wanna start making things up to me?"

Ruby tilts her head. "Absolutely?"

Weiss shoves the pamphlet into Ruby's hands. "Read this and don't ever speak to me again."

"Look, uh," Yang stepped in between the two. "It sounds like you two just… got off on the wrong foot! Why don't you start over and try to be friends, okay?"

"Great idea, Yang."

"Yeah! Great idea, sis!" Ruby clears her throat, then holds out her hand. "Hello, Weiss! I'm Ruby! Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies!"

Ruby turns her face and glares at me, and I have no idea why. Does she want me to introduce myself too?

As if reading my mind, she nods.

"Uh… Name's Geiz. Nice to meet—"

The sound of someone clearing their throat echoes across the room, followed by the feedback noise of a mic.

It's Professor Ozpin, standing on stage with Glynda besides him.

"I'll… keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction." Ozpin pauses, looking at all the students across the room, before continuing. "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

True to his word, the speech was brief. Ozpin leaves, and then Glynda takes his place in front of the mic.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

"He seemed kind of… off." Yang said.

"It's almost like he wasn't even there." Ruby agreed.

Yeah, Ozpin is definitely an odd man alright. There's more to him than meets the eye.

Which reminds me, I still need to ask him how he knows what a Kamen Rider is.

"Alright, shall we go to the ballroom?" Ruby asked us. "I'm a liiiitle tired."

I unfold my sleeping bag, the one that I got from Ozpin since I didn't have any personal belongings of my own.

I stretch my arms, then immediately crash on top of it, facing the ceiling.

Dunno why, but I feel really tired for some reason.

"It's like a big slumber party!" Yang exclaimed, plopping down on her sleeping bag next to Ruby, who seems to be occupied with writing something.

"I don't think Dad would approve of all the boys, though." Ruby replied, still focused on whatever she's doing.

"I know I do!" Yang grinned, checking out the guys around us – most of them shirtless. She then turned to me, disappointed, "What's wrong? No show?"

I sigh. "Unlike some people here, I actually do prefer sleeping with my clothes on, thank you very much."

Right, I wasn't shirtless like most of the other guys. I had a plain white shirt on, along with a pair of trackpants.

In any case, it feels great not having to wear my tracksuit-like uniform.

"That's too bad, I was particularly looking forward to it." She winks at me, then turns her attention to Ruby. "Hey, what's that?"

I feel heat rushing to my cheeks, but I quickly shake it off.

"A letter to the gang back at Signal. I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going."

"Aw, that's so cute-!" Yang is interrupted by a pillow straight to the face.

"Shut up! I didn't get to take my friends with me to school." Ruby complained. "It's weird not knowing anyone here!"

"What about Jaune? He's… nice!" Yang said, probably half-heartedly. "And there's Geiz, too! There you go! Plus two friends! That's a two hundred percent increase!"

Ruby shifts, turning on her back. "Pretty sure Weiss counts as two negative friends. Back to zero…"

"There's no such thing as negative friends! You just made two friends and one enemy!" Yang is interrupted once again, this time by a pillow that looks like a dog. "Look, it's only been one day. Trust me; you've got friends all around you! You just haven't met them yet!"

"Yeah, Yang's right." I turn to Ruby. "Remember what Jaune said earlier?"

"Jaune…?" Ruby tries to recall, then her eyes light up, her voice's pitch changes in an attempt to impersonate Jaune, "All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people—"

This time, it was my turn to throw a pillow at her face.

"No, not that one!" I snatch the pillow back, placing it below my head. "Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet… or something like that. Well, I guess technically Jaune's mom said that, but you get the point."

Ruby sighs. "Fiiine."

The sound of someone striking a match and lighting a candle catches our attention, and we turn to look at the source.

It's… the cute black-haired girl from before, her back leaning against the wall, eyes focused on a book. Besides her is a small wooden stand, and the aforementioned candle illuminating the area with its fire.

"That girl…"

"You know her, Ruby?"

"Oh yeah, she was there during the Great Ruby Explosion Incident, wasn't she?"

"Shut up!" Ruby angrily throws another pillow at my face – which is fine, I deserved that. "But uh… yeah, she saw what happened this morning, but left before I could say anything."

"Well, now's your chance!"

Yang grabs hold of Ruby's wrist – and mine too for some reason – before dragging us off towards the girl.

"Hellooo~" Yang sings, causing the black-haired girl to put her book down. "I believe that you three know each other."

Ruby turns to face the other way, crossing her arms.

Meanwhile, I just awkwardly wave at her.

"Aren't you the girl that exploded?" She asked, then turned to look at me, "Oh, and you're the guy that had to clean up the mess."

"H-h-hey there. I'm Geiz."

Very smooth, me. Way to go!

"Uh, yeah, my name's Ruby. But you can just call me… crater…" Ruby trails off, cancelling her joke last-second. "Actually, you can just call me Ruby.

"Okay."

And with that, the girl turns back to her book.

I feel bad for bothering her, but—

Yang pulls us both to the side, whispering.

"What are you two doing?!"

"I don't know, help me!" Ruby whispered back.

Yang lets us go, and we return to our previous stations.

"So… What's your name?" Yang turns to the girl, smiling.

Distracted once again, she sighs. "Blake."

"Well Blake, I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister!" Yang introduced herself. "…I like your bow!"

"Thanks."

I think all we're doing is just further irritate her at this point.

"It goes great with your… pajamas!"

"Right…"

Ruby laughs uncomfortably, but it doesn't stop Yang from continuing. "Lovely night, isn't it?"

"Ah yes, Yang," I change my tone of voice, sounding a bit more dramatic. "It's lovely! Almost as lovely as the book that she—"

"—will continue to read as soon as you leave." The black-haired girl interrupts, taking the words right out of my mouth.

"What's it about?" Ruby asks. "Your book."

"Well… i-it's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body."

Huh, I think I've watched something similar to that… except the guy had four other souls, five in the movie special.

"Oh yeah, that's real lovely!" Yang remarks sarcastically.

"I love books." Ruby said, not minding her older sister. "Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters… They're one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress."

Ruby's words managed to snatch a small laugh from Blake. "And why is that? Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"

"Well, I'm hoping we all will. As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books… Someone who fought for what was right, and protected people who couldn't protect themselves."

That's… really admirable.

In a way, it reminds me of the Kamen Riders.

Warriors who fought against evil in the shadows – not for justice, but for humanity.

I have to live up to their name—

"That's… very ambitious for a child." Blake's smile turns to a small frown, "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale."

"Well, that's why we're here. To make the world a better place."

She really takes this Huntsman thing seriously, huh.

"Oh, I am so proud of my baby sister!" Yang pulls Ruby close, hugging her in an embrace.

"Cut it out!" Ruby yells, clearly disapproving of this forced sisterly bonding.

Blake laughs. "Well, Ruby, Yang, and Geiz, it's a pleasure to ha—"

This wholesome scene before me was quickly interrupted by—

"What in the world is going on over here?!" Weiss storms on, wearing pajamas – like everyone else, I guess – and starts scolding the four of us. "Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep?!"

"Shh! Guys, she's right! People are trying to sleep."

I sigh. I don't want to put up with anymore of this.

"Oh, so now you're on my side!"

I'm going back to bed.

"I was always on your side!"

"Yeah, what's your problem with my sister? She's only trying to be nice!"

"She's a hazard to my health!"

Annoyed, I throw Ruby's pillows at the three of them, just as Blake blows out her candles, causing the room to go pitch dark.

I couldn't sleep, though, no matter how much I tried.

So now here I am, sitting by the statue of Beacon, taking in the fresh night air.

I look up at the night sky, and for the first time it hit me—

The sight of the moon isn't that of the one I'm used to.

It seems to be… broken into pieces? Shattered. A large portion of it exists in the form of floating, broken fragments held by what I assume is the moon's gravity.

I wonder what caused it to end up like that…

I'll ask the others later, I guess.

For now, I should probably go back to sleep.

I turned to my left, only to be greeted by a hooded man in a swamp green-colored long coat. In his hand is a really thick book, though I can't make out most of the details due to the darkness.

"Oh ho," The man stopped me in my tracks. "What are you doing out here, my old friend?"

"…Do I know you?"

The man opened his book, his eyes scanning the page for information. "Ah, according to this book, you are still suffering from slight memory loss... My bad."

He seems suspicious.

"Who are you exactly?"

"My name is Woz, loyal servant of his majesty, the overlord." He answers. "According to this book… Soon, you shall come face to face with my king – a meeting that will not end well for you."

"What…"

"My apologies, but that's all the time we have for now."

"Hey, wait!"

I blink, and the second I open my eyes, he's gone.

Just who was that guy…?

"A meeting that will not end well for you."

His words continue to linger in my mind even as I finish my breakfast.

"Nora, I don't think sloths make a lot of noise."

"That's why it's perfect! No one will suspect we're working together!"

In the corner of my eye, I see the couple again. A man in green clothes and a short, ginger-haired girl wearing a pink/white dress—

If I had to describe their relationship, from what I've seen, it would be "harassment" with the man on the receiving end.

Seriously, the girl has been annoying him with pointless stuff ever since I got here – no, even earlier, ever since I woke up.

I'm glad I'm not him, at least.

I chug down the glass of milk, and with my breakfast finished…

I guess I should go to where they store the lockers.

I open my assigned locker, finding my briefcase inside.

Just to be safe, I peek at its contents a bit—

I see the Driver and the watch, so I'm good.

I take it with me and slam the doors shut.

Alright, with that done—

Ruby and Yang seems to be in the middle of a conversation as I approach them.

"Mornin', you two."

"Hey there, Geiz! Ruby here seems awfully chipper this morning." Yang pointed at her little sister.

"Yep! No more awkward small talk or getting-to-know-you stuff." Ruby said, stroking her weapon in her arms. "Today, I get to let my sweetheart do the talking."

She sighs happily, holding her magical gun-death-scythe like a new-born human baby.

"Well, remember Ruby, you're not the only one going through initiation. If you want to grow up, you're going to have to meet new people and learn to work together."

"Oh, you sound like Dad!" Ruby yells. "First of all, what does meeting new people have to do with fighting? And secondly, I don't need people to help me grow up. I drink milk!"

Ruby crosses her arms triumphantly, saying such a thing with a huge amount of confidence.

"But what about when we form teams?" Yang asks.

"Um, I don't know, I-I'll be on your team or something… Geiz's works too, I guess."

"Maybe you should try being on someone else's team?" Yang suggests, stroking her hair while doing so.

"My dearest sister Yang, are you implying that you do not wish to be on the same team as me?"

"What? No! Of course I do, I just thought…" Yang gestures to me, requesting for backup, to which I just shrug. "I don't know, maybe it would help you… Break out of your shell!"

"What?! I don't need to "break out of my shell"! That's absolutely ridiculous!" Ruby turns to me. "Right, Geiz?!"

"No comment." I say flatly.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately." Glynda's voice echoed from the speakers.

I turn around to see Jaune on the ground, bound to the wall by a spear that impaled his clothes.

"Holy crap, what happened to poor Jaune over there?" I change the subject.

"It was nice meeting you!" The red-haired girl from before removes the spear as she leaves the room.

"Likewise…" Jaune sighs, slumping against the locker.

"Having some trouble there, lady-killer?" Yang rubs the salt in his wounds as we approach him.

Jaune puts his face in his hands. "I don't understand. My dad said all women look for is confidence! Where did I go wrong?"

"Snow Angel probably wasn't the best start." Yang told him as she leaves.

Snow Angel?

Ah, probably something Jaune used to flirt with Weiss.

I felt bad, so I extended my hand to Jaune.

"Come on, young man, we've got an initiation to attend."

Ruby walks out next, and I follow behind, carrying Jaune and what's left of his self-confidence.

"So what made you think she was into me?" Jaune whispered to me as we made our way to the cliffside.

"Uh, I don't know… The fact that she kept staring at you the whole time, maybe?"

"Maybe because I look like such a goof—"

"Okay, shut it, save the self-deprecation for later."

We arrive at Beacon Cliff – a cliffside overlooking a dense forest.

There are silver plates stationed on the ground, which all the students are standing on.

Except me.

I couldn't find an empty one. Everyone got to them first.

Well, I guess I'll fail the test—

…

Glynda gestures at me to stand beside her, filling me with hope, and so I do what she says.

Ozpin walks forward, and starts speaking.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

Next, it was Glynda's turn. "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams – Allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates…" She pauses, adding a bit of suspense. "…today."

"What? Aw…"

Ruby sighs.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." Ozpin takes a sip of his coffee, as Ruby groans in the background. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

"Whaaaat?!" Ruby screams, shocked.

Ozpin ignores her, and continues. "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path… or you will die."

What.

What the fuck kind of Headmaster is Ozpin?

"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

Jaune raises his hand. "Yeah, um, sir?"

"Good! Now take your positions." Ozpin completely ignored him… harsh. "Oh, and due to the odd numbers of students present, and since he was the last student to be accepted into Beacon, your friend Geiz here will participate in a different initiation test by himself."

Oh boy.

Eh, I should've known it wouldn't be that easy.

"Uh, sir, I've got um, a question. You're like, dropping us off, or something?" Jaune asks, as his friends start getting catapulted to the sky one by one.

"No, you will be falling." Ozpin calmly answered.

"Oh. So like, did you hand out parachutes to us?"

"No. You will be using your own landing strategy."

"Uh huh. So um, what exactly is a landing strategy—"

…Jaune was catapulted before he could even finish his question. Unlike the others, who soar through the sky gracefully, he just swings his limbs and fumbles through the air like a baby bird who just learned how to fly.

"…So you enjoy this sort of thing, don't you?"

He smirks, taking another sip of his coffee, enjoying the thrill that is "putting his students in grave danger".

What a sicko.

"Alright, so what you got for me, Ozpin buddy?"

"Oh, right." Ozpin hands me a tablet-like device, with multiple footages playing simultaneously on it. "That is a Scroll – your first task is observation."

"Excuse me?"

"Observe. You've never fought a Grimm before, have you?"

"I… believe not." I answer. What's a Grimm again?

"Exactly." Ozpin then takes another sip, "I believe you've already received enough training before you came here."

…Yeah, I remember going through training, but I'm not sure for what.

"Which is why I want you to just sit here. Observe how a Huntsman or a Huntress does things, and how they fight back against the Creatures of Grimm. Maybe learn from them."

"…Alright, understood. What about my grades, though? Or my team?"

Ozpin shrugs. "Eh, I'll take care of it, don't worry."

This guy…

I think around… 20 minutes? Half an hour? has passed.

In that amount of time…

The red-haired girl – apparently named Pyrrha – has saved Jaune from falling to his death, resulting in them partnering up.

Ruby partnered up with Weiss, I feel bad for her.

Yang punched some bears to death, and after doing something so awesome she partnered up with Blake.

The man in green, Lie Ren, has just kung-fu'd a giant snake to death before partnering up with Nora, the girl who constantly harasses him.

I don't know what kind of lesson I'm supposed to take from this, other than "Holy shit, my friends are all a bunch of badasses".

A few more minutes have passed.

It was all a blur, but…

Everything went down the shitter.

Jaune got thrown 50 feet into the sky by a giant scorpion, Ruby and Weiss are stuck on a giant bird, Nora and Ren are riding a giant monster bear—

Okay, that last one is cool, I'll admit that.

"Hey, you sure they're gonna be okay?"

"Maybe…" Ozpin takes a sip of his coffee that he just refilled, "Maybe not."

"Seriously?" I ask. "Even if one of your students were near-death you still wouldn't interfere?"

"Nope."

This guy doesn't take his job as Headmaster very seriously, does he?

I turn back to my tablet – er, Scroll – to find Ruby has jumped off and abandoned her partner.

Okay, this is getting dumb.

I'm done thinking about it.

Two of my friends have been thrown off the sky by giant monsters, and I can't just sit here and do nothing but watch, after all.

"Hey, Professor Ozpin," I gesture to one of the silver, pressure-plate catapults, whatever they're called, "Those still work, right?"

"Yes, they should still be functional," Ozpin grins, sensing what I'm about to do. "Go ahead and use it, if you wish."

I grab the Driver from by briefcase, and equip it on my waist. Of course, I take the Ridewatch too as well.

"Alright—"

I take a few deep breaths.

Before I could fully prepare myself, the pressure plate activated on its own, the momentum launching me high into the sky—

"WHOA, HEY!"

Crap, maybe transforming mid-air will break my fall?!

I can't think straight right now, but I gotta try-!

I press the button on my watch, causing it to announce its name.

[GATES]

In a panic, though, instead of inserting the watch into my belt, I pressed it not once more, but twice—

[TIME MAZINE]

My red-colored vehicle, the Time Mazine, appears out of nowhere and catches me before I could hit the ground.

And by catch, I meant, "I fell inside and crashed on the cockpit".

Way to go, me.

After reorienting myself and regaining my balance, I speed off towards the northern end of the forest.

…

I arrive in just a matter of seconds…

It feels like I'm cheating, but only a bit.

From up here, I can see Pyrrha being chased by the giant scorpion, and a giant bird flying in the distance, about to swoop in on the ground—

Oh right, if I remember correctly…

I input some commands into the screen, causing the "CHANGE MODE" button to show up.

Alright, here I go-!

I pull the steering handles all the way to the back, causing the screen to light up green, after which I let go.

"Robo Mode!"

The Time Mazine changes appearance – instead of a weird, futuristic giant speeder, it now looks like a giant humanoid robot, albeit a little bit on the bulky side.

With the Robo Mode activated, the Time Mazine then thrusts forward, delivering a punch that causes the giant bird to crash into the forest.

Holy crap, that was awesome.

I then land near the group, before hopping out of the cockpit.

I fail to nail the landing though, and stumble a bit once my feet hit the ground.

"Sup." I try to regain my balance, leaning my hand against the Time Mazine. "K-Kept you waiting, huh?"

"Ohmygosh!" Ruby's eyes sparkled, and she immediately approached me—er, my robot to be more precise. "You had a giant robot?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?! Is this the weapon that you told me about—"

"Okay, okay, calm down, questions later!" I restrain Ruby from probing the robot any further. "I believe we have an objective to accomplish…?"

"He's right. There's no sense in dilly-dallying." Weiss motioned to the temple, where chess pieces have been placed inside it, atop pillars of rocks. "Our objective is right in front of us."

"Right. Our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the cliffs. There's no point in fighting these things."

I have a feeling that these guys will still do it anyway, for no reason other than to look cool.

"Run and live – that's an idea I can get behind" Jaune said.

I don't think I need to pick a relic anyway, since I'm not a part of this test, but…

Eh, it wouldn't hurt.

…

On the ground, I find a grey-colored pawn. Compared to everyone's gold and black chesspieces, this one looks a bit out of place.

Whatever, I guess this will work as my relic.

"Time we left!" Ren shouted to everyone, and I took that as my signal to run back to my giant robot.

"Let's go!" Ruby waves to the others. They start running forward, except Yang, who seems to be staring proudly at her sister.

The group runs ahead, heading to a series of abandoned structures made from stone. I follow behind from above.

After a rumble mid-air with me, the giant monster bird retreats and dives into the direction of Ruby and the others. It crashes into the structure, destroying it, but the girls manage to reach the higher bridge on the top just below the cliff.

On the other side of the area is Jaune and his group, fighting against the giant scorpion. I don't think they're having that much problem though, so I fly over to Ruby's direction instead.

...

From below, Ruby waves, beckoning me to come closer.

She gestures to the cliff, then to the giant bird, then hits her fist against an open palm.

…Yeah, I think I get the gist of what she's saying.

I fly the Time Mazine to the direction of the bird, grabbing its wings from behind. With all the force the machine can muster, I then pin the bird against the cliff, using the robot's arms to restrict its movements.

Ice starts to form around the tip of the bird's tail, chaining it to the rocks. I take that as my time to let go, and so I back off.

I press a button on the screen, causing the cockpit's hatch to open, letting the air blow past my face.

I pull out my watch, twisting the dial down. With that done, I press the top button using my index finger, causing the watch to announce its name.

[GATES]

I insert the watch on the right side of the driver. The sound of a ticking clock started to play around me.

A big, energy structure resembling a digital clock materialized behind me, spinning to the tune of the clock's ticking.

I slam the button on top of the Driver, causing it to dislodge and turn counterclockwise a few degrees.

"Henshin."

With that call, I push the Driver down with my right hand, causing it to spin even further until it eventually reaches its original position.

The sound of a bell rung out, followed by a short, electronic jingle—

[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~ GATES!]

Bands that looked like watch straps appeared, circling around my body as it formed the base of my armor. As they disappear, three big, yellow hiragana characters flew into my helmet, forming the word "Rider".

I stretch out my hand, and a red, holographic digital clock flew out from my Driver before materializing as a weapon.

[ZIKAN Z-AX]

[OH NO, AN AXE!]

The red, mechanical axe appeared in my hand, and I waste no time. I remove the watch from my Driver and insert it on my weapon.

[FINISH TIME!]

Now to wait for the right moment…

Meanwhile, it appears that Ruby is on some sort of makeshift catapult made from Blake's weapon, held in place on the other side by Yang.

In an instant, Ruby is sent flying towards the bird, thanks to the tension from Blake's weapon and Weiss' magic circle.

Her scythe catches the bird's neck in its blade, causing them both to hit the cliff wall. A series of white circles appear up the wall, creating a path for Ruby to dash through.

Ruby continues to run up the cliff, dragging the bird's helpless body behind her.

As she reached the top, she leaps up, launching herself into the air.

"Now!"

I jump on the Time Mazine's fist, and it makes a throwing motion, launching me into Ruby's direction.

[GATES! ROUGH CUTTING!]

"Haaah!"

Landing on the bird, I ready my weapon, the size of its energy blade increasing as I swing it upwards. Eventually, it reaches a size big enough to cut the giant bird's body in half, causing an explosion of black feathers that rain down around us.

And for added overkill, Ruby even went as far as decapitating the bird's head right before the explosion. Talk about cold.

Jumping off the bird's carcass, I land into a roll on the cliff, with Ruby following in suite.

We turn around, taking in the view, even if it's ruined by all the black feathers and the very real disembodied bird head not far from us.

"Well, that was… certainly a thing." I remarked, the rush still getting to my head. "Though when I think about it, my help was pretty unnecessary—"

"What are you talking about?!" Ruby shook my shoulders, an excited look on her face. "That giant robot was so cool! And this armor you're wearing! And that weird looking, but still cool ax! I can't believe you kept everything a secret from me all this time!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Calm down! Stop shaking me so much, I'm going to fall off the cliff at this rate!"

A/N: Here's Chapter 2! With the obligatory initiation chapter done, we can finally move on to the more interesting stuff next time.

I originally wanted this to last even longer, up to the point where Geiz meets up with the next Legend – but I decided to split it into two instead. It would've dragged on for far too long otherwise!

Onto replies!

Night Rogue: Ahaha, yes, I'm quite aware of that – I watch the show too, you know. I know the official name is Kamen Rider Geiz, but there's a reason why I'm using "Gates" which will be explained later on. Honestly though, I agree with you – "Geiz" does look and sound cooler than "Gates".

And to the others, thank you so much for your support! I honestly didn't think that I would receive this much, haha.

With that said, I hope you enjoyed reading this, and thank you for making it all the way to the end.

Reviews of all kinds are appreciated, so please leave one and have a nice day!

Next up:

"Kamen Rider Fourze! Let's settle this mano-a-mano!"

"So you're the demon king…"

[ARMOR TIME!『Gabu!』KIVA!]

"Kamen Rider Zi-O… Kiva Armor."