For readers, here is the list of Soul Pacts, Keyblades, and Team Attacks:
-SOUL PACTS
Kirito:
-Second Form (Max)
-Cloud Strife (Max)
-Snow Villers (Max)
-Deku
Asuna:
-Second Form (Max)
-Tifa Lockhart (Max)
-Lightning Farron (Max)
-Cure Beat/Suite Precure (Max)
-Pyra & Mythra
Yui:
-Second Form
-Yuna (Max)
-Sakura Kinomoto
-Yuna X-2
-KEYBLADES:
-Kingdom Key (Sora)
-Elucidator (Kirito)
-Lambent Light (Asuna)
-Hero's Origin (Sora)
-Shooting Star (Sora)
-Dark Repulser (Kirito)
-Rising Legend (Kirito)
-Miracle Smile (Asuna)
-Changing Future (Kirito)
-Favorite Deputy (Sora)
-Ever After (Sora)
-TEAM ATTACKS & SOUL RELEASE:
-Donald Flare (Donald)
-Donald Meteor (Donald)
-Goofy Bombardment (Goofy)
-Yui Cyclone (Yui)
-Trinity Guard (Goofy & Donald)
-Trinity Bounce (Donald & Yui)
-Trinity Tower (Yui & Goofy)
-Donald Summon (Donald Lv. 1 Soul Release)
-Goofy Cooking (Goofy Lv. 1 Soul Release)
-Candy Shower (Candy Lv. 1 Soul Release)
City of Vale, Highway
Blake, Sun, Goofy, and Donald had reached the highway above part of the city, Goofy still using his shield as a mode of transportation for himself and Donald. They veered around the cars, while Blake and Sun leapt from cars along side them, as the mech with Roman Torchwick was in pursuit of them.
"We gotta shake him off!" Sun exclaimed.
"I got this!" Donald called out, "Keep steering, Goofy!"
"Got it!" Goofy replied, and Donald readied his staff. He began shooting Fire spells at the mech, doing very minimal damage as it continued to charge at them. He tried a Blizzard spell to freeze or cause it to slip, but it evaded the attack. Finally, Donald tried a few Thunder spells. This time the attack did do something, and it was short-circuiting slightly enough to slow down.
"Way to go!" Sun cheered.
"I got this!" Donald declared, downing an Ether to replenish his magic energy, before ready to use Thunder again, until the mech kicked one of the cars on the highway towards him, causing Goofy to veer off to avoid getting hit with the flying car.
"It's gonna take more than us to stop it!" Blake told the group, looking to one side, "Looks like help is on the way!"
Donald shook himself out of the sudden avoidance of cars to see who she was talking about; Yang and Neptune were driving in from behind, in pursuit of the mech. On the tops of the energy railings of the highway, Asuna and Kirito were grinding along, with Candy on Asuna's shoulder, watching the scene take place. Donald grumbled as he didn't want to rely on them, unleashing Thunder spells onto the mech, slowing it down, but still not enough to stop it.
"We got to slow it down on our end!" Yang told Neptune.
"On it!" Neptune agreed.
"We got it from here, too!" Kirito shouted, summoning his Dark Repulser Keyblade, while Asuna summoned out her Magical Smile Keyblade. Kirito focused and shouted, "Shotlock: Gleam Burst!" He shot a cluster of purple energy spheres that struck the mech, causing it to falter.
Neptune was about pull out his weapon as Torchwick started to purposefully barged into cars to send them flying in front and behind him. Goofy panicked as he avoided all the oncoming falling cars, while Donald held on with one hand while shooting Fire spells with the staff in his other hand, refusing to give an inch. Meanwhile, Yang bob and weaved her bike around the crashing cars, while some cars hit the guardrails, damaging them and causing the grind path ahead to break apart for both Kirito and Asuna.
"Kirito!" Asuna shouted, leaping up and focusing, before using her Airstepping technique to quickly go from flying car to flying car before striking the mech with her Keyblade, while Candy jumped off and started punching with her energy gauntlets, doing some damage to it, before Torchwick shook the two of them off, sending them back on the railings to continue the pursuit via grinding. Kirito had used Airstepping to hop from the cars to get around the damaged parts of the guardrail before getting back on again.
One the path was clear, Neptune brought out his gun again, and shot the mech, before leaping off of Yang's bike, transforming his weapon into a trident and stabbing it onto the mech. It didn't slow it down as he intended, and was struggling to hold on.
Sun and Blake stopped on a couple of trucks as Sun shouted, "Neptune, hold on!" He placed his palms together, and summoned out a pair of light clones of himself, who went in and struck the mech, before he came in with his quarterstaff, intending to strike the mech. However, Torchwick shoot Neptune and his weapon off, tossing them at Sun, causing the pair to fly off the highway, falling to the ground below.
"Guys!" Kirito shouted, watching them fall, fearing their safety.
"They'll be okay!" Yang answered up at Kirito, "Focus on Torchwick! We can't let him get to Blake or your friends!"
Kirito looked to Asuna and Candy, the former nodding in assurance to her boyfriend to trust Yang's words, before they continued to grind on the path ahead. Blake, Donald, and Goofy's safety were first.
"Soul Burst: Lightning Farron!" Asuna shouted after downing a Soul Recovery, unleashing the power of her friend, transforming her Keyblade into her Blazefire Saber. She transformed it into her gun form, and begun firing Ruin shots down at the mech. Donald continued firing spells at the mech, while Goofy and Blake made sure to keep distance from the mech.
The battle became a pursuit as Blake and Goofy were the ones being chased, while Donald kept firing from his position, while Yang drove from behind, and Kirito, Asuna, and Candy continued their grinding pursuit on Torchwick in the mech. The attacks the mech made mainly involved its bulky and armored body, and sending cars on the road flying about, trying to knock down Goofy and Blake, or strike Yang from behind, or damage the guardrails to slow down the grinding trio. There was no way of safely getting close to the mech, except firing from a distance, or for Kirito & Asuna to use Airstepping to get in close when he flings a bunch of cars to strike a few times before getting flung back.
"Blake, we're in position!" a voice on Blake's Scroll called out after a few minutes. Goofy looked ahead, and saw the white hair of Weiss Schnee had appeared on the bridge, readying her rapier. As Blake, Goofy, and Donald passed her, she twirled around, and stabbed her rapier into the ground, creating a sheet of ice. Torchwick's mech saw it, and slipped up on it, tumbing off the highway, and onto the open empty ground below, where Sora, Ruby, and Yui were in position. Everyone on the highway jumped down, united as one, with all of Team RWBY & Team Keybladers together. Asuna's Soul Burst with Lightning ran out, and her weapon turned back to a Keyblade.
"We're finally together!" Sora cheered.
"So these are all your friends?" Ruby asked him, which he nodded.
"Everyone, focus!" Weiss told them, indicating the mech that Torchwick got to its feet again.
"You kids are becoming a big pain in my day!" the bowler cap man told the team, stabilizing the mech, while everyone got their weapons ready.
Suddenly, they heard a guffawing from above, and saw someone had also dropped in from the highway above, landing on the opposite side of the heroes from where the mech stood. It was Pete, but he was driving something. It wasn't a mech, but a convertible car, and one that was half the size of the mech. It was a mixture of black, purple, and silver, with the front looking like his face was on it, wings for ears and on its back. It had spikes on the sides, thick tires, and a pair of metal hatch doors on the back of it. Pete was sitting in the driver's seat, his face sticking up over the black front windshield.
"What's that?!" Yang asked, shocked.
"Pete?!" Goofy gasped.
"You like my new set of wheels?" Pete asked, "Brings back old memories of racin' in Disney Town. But this time, I'm gonna run you chumps all down!"
"Great! Looks like we got two dangerous vehicles to deal with at once!" Kirito growled as they prepared to face both Torchwick and his mech, and Pete and his car, which was called the Brute Enforcer.
(Insert 'Adamas Amalee ver.', TV version)
Music intro
(Rushing through black darkness, glittering shards of light pass by. As music starts, the three main Keyblades suddenly shoot forward like shooting stars, circling around from a distance, then crossing one another, shining brightly, forming the logo of the series.)
I'm trying to understand it but it's making me numb
(Left half of Sora's serious face, the other half hidden by the teeth of his Kingdom Key.)
This swirl of karma leaving such a bitter taste on my tongue
(Right half of Asuna's determined face, the other half hidden by the Lambent Light's teeth.)
'Cause I know the pain and sorrow, it has only begun
(The upper half of Kirito's face, with glaring eyes, the lower half hidden by the Elucidator's teeth.)
Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa
(Flashing through the faces of each hero; Donald, Goofy, Yui, Mickey, Riku, Leafa, Kairi, Axel, and Kayaba.)
Now I'm surrounded by my enemies, but luck's on my side
(In the dusty fields of the Keyblade Graveyard, the camera pans around the circle of the six main heroes as they ready their weapons.)
So I shatter through the walls and change the course of the tide
(In the same field, the camera pans the opposite way around the six other heroes as they ready their weapons.)
Can't stop this surging fate like a volcano set to break, Take a breath until you're set to
(Allies of the multiple worlds they will or have visited pan across the screen, finally ending with the silhouettes of the four Lost Princesses of heart, with the one in the center opening her hands to reveal a bright light.)
face that voice of fear. That god of death that's always looking down on you
(Philia stands on a lone green hill, staring at a card with the picture of Castle Oblivion on it. She feels a hand behind her, and looks to see Flair and Hinata standing behind her, giving assuring smiles, with Tinkerbell coming out of her pocket, and Samson giving a thumbs up.)
"Do you believe yourself?" I won't stop til I've won
(Maleficent and Dr. Temna stand together, with Pete and Tears next to them, and a swarm of Heartless and shadowed foes ready to strike.)
A glimpse of that bright future that's just begun!
(Xehanort's maliciously smirking face appears, as he and fifteen others float together in a circle. Screen splits in half as half of Heartless Oberon and Gouxus take the screen, their eyes shining from yellow to violet.)
Shining like a diamond, The emotions in your heart reflect like crystal
(The six heroes team up together, taking down Heartless, Nobodies and Unversed that come across their path with their weapons, skills and magic.)
As we vow an oath that will ignite your light and mine - And we will rise!
(A Demon Tower nearly falls on top of the six, but they get away, with Kirito, Asuna and Sora in the air, performing Soul Bursts and Keyblade transformation, creating Cloud's Buster Sword, Asuna's SAO Lambent Light, and Sora's twin guns, unleashing a sword beam, ice spears, and magic shots as one.)
So many times I've gotten back on my feet to make it to this moment
(A group of dark energy orbs shoots down the trio from a cliff above, hitting them into the ground. The attack comes from Xehanort, Heartless Oberon, and Gouxus.)
It's time our prayer that's waiting in the dark. Is set free so light the spark and let it shine!
(Sora, Asuna and Kirito get back up on their feet, shaking off their injuries, and raising their Keyblades as they charge forward, beams of sunlight shining upon each of them as they all take a leap at the Organization XVI, with their friends, the other heroes, including Roxas, Xion, Recon, Terra, Aqua and Ven, joining them from behind.)
"Freezerburn!" Ruby shouted, as she shot herself away from her teammates, while Blake did the same. Weiss summoned up a sheet of ice as Yang shot into the air, twisting around to face the ground.
"Back off!" Kirito shouted to Team Keybladers, and they scattered as Yang hit the ice, creating a large amount of mist that consumed the area.
"A smokescreen? That should help us!" Asuna spoke up.
Just then, red lasers started appearing from the mech, detecting the presence around the battlefield. "Heh! You chumps think that'll do anythin'?" Pete asked, before doing a donut on the spot, clearing the mist around him. However, Sora, Ruby, and Goofy appeared, with Goofy doing a discus throw with his shield, banging off the hood of the vehicle, while Sora and Ruby did a united strike at Pete. However, their attack was blocked off by a barrier that surrounded the driver's seat. Pete laughed before he drove straight at the pair, knocking them backwards.
"A barrier, kuru?!" Candy gasped.
"Guess we can only target the car itself." Kirito understood as he suddenly noticed the red lasers from the mech aim towards him, and he raced out of the way as it fired its gun from its arm, which was strong enough to create a small crater in the ground.
Asuna, Weiss, and Blake dashed around the mech, trying to confuse Torchwick from hitting them. However, Donald went up front and personal, smiting with Thunder to do some more damage. However, the attack wasn't able to faze him, as he created a shockwave with a stomp of his foot, causing Donald to be sent backwards. He then aimed with his gun at him, and fired. Fortunately, Yang snatched him and ran out of the way before he got shot.
"You got a death wish?!" Yang demanded, holding him by the collar.
"I got this!" Donald answered, releasing her grip on him, and going after the mech once more. Yang was incredulous at his daring, and decided to help him.
Torchwick, at this point, turned to fire at Asuna and Weiss, who dodged getting hit, before Blake and Yui leapt in and struck two of its targeting sensors on the mech's face, damaging them, before backing off. They came to a halt as the four girls gathered together, while Donald charged in, with Yang right behind. "Donald!" Asuna shouted, before seeing the mech shoot its guns at him, knocking him backwards once more, tumbling along the ground before the team.
They were startled as Donald struggled to get to his feet again, while they heard Pete's car honk, as it barreled at Kirito and Candy, only for them to be saved by Ruby, who dashed in with her Semblance and pull them out. Pete spun about as Sora and Goofy had already leapt into the air, unleashing the Goofy Bombardment on the hood. Pete grimaced, but opened up the hatch doors on the trunk of his car, summoning out turret cannons, shooting lit-fused bombs from them, which hit the floor near Goofy and Sora's position, detonating and sending Goofy and Sora flying.
"We gotta work together as a team to stop both of them!" Asuna told the group as Ruby, Kirito and Candy appeared, while Sora and Goofy fell towards them, getting to their feet again. She used a healing spell on all of them, helping the group recover.
"As long as I finish the job, I'm fine with it!" Donald argued.
"Donald, it doesn't matter who finishes it up, as long as it's done!" Kirito argued. He was saying this out of consideration, since he knows what happens when greedy people try to get the last strike bonus on bosses in games.
"Let's go, team!" Ruby told everyone, "Checkmate on the robot!" Blake and Weiss understood the reference, and charged together.
"Yang, with me on the car!" Kirito told her.
"Yeah, I got it!" she answered as she shot herself towards Pete's ride with her gauntlets, with Kirito running behind.
"Let's go, Sora!" Ruby told the spiky-haired boy.
"You got it, Ruby!" Sora answered, following Yang and Kirito's lead.
"Candy, Yui, Donald, cover fire!" Asuna shouted, sharing a hi-ether with all of them, recovering their magic, while Goofy raced to pursue Weiss and Blake. The four started shooting their long-ranged attacks and magic at both targets.
Weiss and Blake began doing back-to-back strikes with their weapons, causing the mech to back off, while damaging its targeting sensors, both from their attacks and Donald and Asuna's magic. It tried to stomp down on Blake, but Weiss used a glyph to give the cat girl the footing to back off quickly. The mech then produced a salvo of rockets to shoot at the two girls, but Goofy came in and blocked the attack with his shield, sending him flying. Blake used her ribbon on her weapon, tossing it at Goofy, grabbing him by his free arm to stop him from flying further, giving him a chance to land on the ground safely.
On the other battle, Kirito and Yang did a series of strikes at the car, who retaliated by doing a donut spin that they managed to back off and avoid. Ruby and Sora shot forward, before backing off as the former shot her weapon, while Sora switched to his Kingdom Key, and pointed it at the vehicle, before shouting, "Shotlock! Ragnarok!" He blasted a series of light salvos at Pete, bombarding him with the attack. He shot more bombs from the turrets on the car's back. Fortunately, Candy's magic bomb and Yui's Tornado ended up destroying the bombs prematurely, detonating them, and sending the two of them flying.
"Weiss, right?" Asuna asked, feeling a Team Attack forming, "Let's move quickly on them!"
"As long as you can stick to the plan." Weiss responded, and the two performed their Team Attack, 'White Lightning'.
Weiss produced a time dilation glyph at their feet, increasing the speed of their attacks. They placed their weapons together as they summoned glyphs and platforms of light around the mech. They then used their heightened speeds to bounce off the glyphs, striking the mech from multiple directions. Finally, the appeared from above, Weiss summoning a larger glyph. Asuna merged her magic with Weiss's ice powers, and summoned an ice sword from they glyph, sending it crashing down onto the mech, doing major damage to the mech. They landed together, twirling their weapons and holding them to their sides, with Weiss saying, "Perfection, as always."
Donald charged in after their attack, much to their shock, unleashing ice spells to damage at it, which didn't do a lot of damage. "Fall already!" Donald shouted.
"Your squawking is getting on my nerves!" Torchwick barked back, transforming one of his guns into a fist, and punching Donald into a cement support beam holding the highway above, creating a crater with his body. He crashed to the ground afterwards, unconscious.
"He is even more reckless than when I first met Ruby!" Weiss snapped.
"Donald is trying too hard!" Asuna pointed out.
"Incoming!" Blake shouted, getting Weiss and Asuna's attention as they saw Blake had planted her feet on Goofy's shield, before he pushed her forward just as she pushed off his shield, the combination launching her with such speed, that when she sliced with her sword, she cleanly took off one of the mech's arms, much to Torchwick's ire. Score one for the team.
Meanwhile, Kirito, Yui, Candy, Sora, Yang, and Ruby were tackling Pete as he was behind the wheel of his car, which drove about the field, trying to bash at them or slash them with the spikes and wings on the vehicle, or shooting bombs from the trunk, even trailing them whenever it did charging rams to detonate a second later. Pete was out of control and dangerous, making it difficult to get a hit on the guy.
"We can't slow this guy down, kuru!" Candy exclaimed as she and Yui ran out of the way as Brute Enforcer almost hit them, the gust from his dash making them fly.
"Strike him when he stops his dash!" Kirito called out, running in as the car came to a halt, spinning about. He unleashed his Sonic Leap Sword Skill, getting in close very quickly, slashing his vehicle with his sword. This was followed by Yang launching in and unleashing a flurry of punches that detonated with each punch.
"Hey, quick damaging the paint job!" Pete hissed, before driving the car forward, going to one of the support beams. Kirito saw it and flipped off, but Yang wasn't able to react in time, and was forcefully bashed through the beam by Pete's car.
"Yang, kuru!" Candy exclaimed.
"That really looked like it hurt!" Sora noted, worried it was too much damage.
"Don't worry. It'll be okay!" Ruby assured him, "With each hit, she gets stronger, and uses that energy to fight back! That's why she's special!"
"So, the more damage she takes, the stronger she gets?" Sora understood, as the team witnessed Yang get to her feet, her hair igniting in flames as her eyes became red.
(Insert 'Die' from RWBY Vol. 2 OST)
Pete smirked as he drove at her again, with Kirito racing in to try and save her. However, she stopped the vehicle with her bare hands, barely skidding back a foot along the ground. Kirito came to a halt as he, Sora, and Yui were stunned, while Candy just looked excited, already use to such intense strength from her PreCure friend back home. Pete hit his head on the steering wheel of his car from the abrupt stop, shaking the injury away as he looked to see Yang's red eyes, before with one punch, she sent his car flying, spinning out of control until it hit another support beam.
Asuna backed away from her fight with Torchwick's mech, startled at her power. I should probably get my own boost, as well. Soul Burst! Tifa Lockhart!" She bursted with the power of the brawler's energy, transforming her Keyblade into gloves for her to fight, before adding, "Soul Armament!", putting on Tifa's attire on again. She launched at the mech as Weiss was blasted back by a missile barrage, while Goofy protected Blake from the other missiles. It then pulled back its turret, transforming into a fist, and brought it towards the pair, but Asuna came in and used a Dolphin Blow technique, doing a reverse somersault kick that summoned a dolphin that parried the mech's attack, knocking the arm up.
"Guys!" Asuna shouted to Blake and Goofy.
"Got it!" Blake and Goofy answered, the former having her weapon is kusarigama form as she and Goofy threw their weapons at the hinge of the mech's arm, the combined attack slicing off the arm, crashing to the floor.
Torchwick got angry and kicked Asuna backwards, but she was caught by one of Weiss's glyphs, causing her to drop on her feet to the ground. "Pete, a little help, if you don't mind?!" Torchwick asked, "We are in a bit of a partnership!"
"Let's break these bozos!" Pete answered, driving away from his opponents to get to Torchwick's side. He hopped his mech onto the car, its feet positioned on either side of the driver's seat. Pete activated the booster rockets on his vehicle for the extra boost with the weight on it, charging at the large group, who evaded out of the way. Pet then began dropping bombs as he rocketed about, while the mech began firing salvos of missiles as they drove around. The combination created a storm of explosions all about the field that struck all of them at least once, despite doing their best to avoid the assault.
"We gotta stop them, somehow!" Ruby exclaimed as she ran.
"And how do we do that?" Weiss asked.
"Ice Flower!" Ruby answered, readying her sniper rifle. Weiss responded by creating a glyph in front of Ruby's weapon, preparing to turn her attacks into ice. Sora and Yui saw what they were doing, and decided to make their own Team Attack, unleashing Yui Cyclone, sending a series of small tornadoes to home in on the oncoming tag-team villain attack. Ruby shot her attack, mixing in with the tornadoes, creating cold winds that froze up the tires and parts of the mech, causing it to come to a halt, making the mech crash and fall off the car.
"Guys, now!" Sora and Ruby shouted together, as they looked behind to see Blake, Goofy, Kirito, and Asuna charge in, Blake throwing her weapon at the mech once more, only for its flailing legs to kick it to one side. Fortunately, Yang held onto the ribbon as it spun around to where Yang was, who caught it, and started to carry herself with it, using her gauntlets shotgun function behind her to boost her speed. At the same time, Goofy helped Kirito and Asuna jump high enough to get a good view of Pete's Brute Enforcer. Kirito leaned back as Asuna tilted forward, their feet connecting together, before Kirito pushed Asuna off, launching her straight at the vehicle.
Both charging girls raised their fists with their momentum, and unleashed a devastating punch as one, though Yang's was far more lethal, as she completely destroyed the mech, causing Torchwick to come toppling out onto the ground. Meanwhile, Asuna struck the hood of the Brute Enforcer with such force, Pete was jettisoned out of the driver's seat, sending him flying out over near Torchwick landed. The dent in the car's hood from Asuna's punch was deep, and the car smoked from the damage it took. Both machines were mangled.
Torchwick got up onto his feet, brushing his jacket as he grimaced, "Just got this coat cleaned."
"Says you." Pete muttered, massaging his head, as he fell head-first to the ground, "These chumps were a lot tougher than we thought."
Just then, they heard the sound of a gun cocking, and saw Asuna and Yang together, before the latter fired off a pair of kinetic bolts at the two grounded guys. However the attack was stopped when two more people showed up, blocking the blasts with an open umbrella and the flat of a claymore. It was Tears, and the multicolored-hair girl that was on the sidelines at the White Fang meeting.
"Honestly, this is why you never send in a man to do a woman's job." Tears scoffed, twirling her blade behind her back, while the other girl saddled her umbrella over her shoulder.
"That was merely a greeting." Torchwick responded, "But your timing couldn't be more impeccable."
"Save it." Tears scoffed, before looking to the group, "As for the rest of you, I think it's best you stop interfering with our goals! Even with a large group like before, you won't be able to defeat us that easily!"
"And what makes you say that?!" Sora demanded as the team gathered up together, minus Donald, who was sitting where he had crashed before.
"Because the darkness of this world is FAR more abundant than the last." Tears answered, pointing her claymore forward with one hand, "Here's a little taste of it! Go, Dark Hybrids!" She summoned up a dark portal in front of the group, and out came a couple of wolf-like monsters. They were black-bodied, with purple appendages and white skull-like faces, their snout showing the Heartless symbol on it, spikes going down its back, claws on its hands and feet, and bone-like blade weapons going down their lower arms, poking out a ways from their elbows.
"Heartless?!" Goofy asked.
"No. That's a Grimm...I think." Weiss noticed.
"That's a Dark Hybrid!" Yui noticed, "She mixed both Heartless and Grimm together!"
"Like that Akanbe before." Asuna muttered to herself.
"Give her a round of applause." Tears mocked Yui, "And there is a lot more where that came from!"
"But for now..." Torchwick intervened, "Ladies. Gentlemen. Ice Queen..."
"Hey!" Weiss barked, being the target of the name.
"...it's been a pleasure. Neo, if you would?" The girl he addressed bowed to the group.
"Fat cat, clean up your mess!" Tears told Pete. He grumbled at being called such a bad name, raising his palms up, magically making his broken-down car disappear with magic. Tears then summoned up a Corridor of Darkness, and she and Pete walked through it. "Let's head back to those forest temple for now." she finished as they disappeared.
"Come back!" Sora shouted, racing forward, as Yang charged at Neo and Torchwick, taking a swing at them. However, the Heartless Grimm hybrids got in their ways, taking swipes at the pair, causing them to back off before getting swiped. Neo and Torchwick's bodies suddenly shattered like glass as they vanished like the other pair, and the team heard the sound of turbine engines above. They looked up and saw an aircraft taking off, with all four characters appearing in the carrier section of the aircraft, its doors open as they looked out at them before they flew off into the distance.
"They got away!" Sora growled.
"We got more important matters at hand!" Yang growled, swapping out her empty ammo for a new batch, while the rest of the team joined their fight against the pair of Dark Hybrids. The wolf monsters charged at them, swiping while unleashing elblow slashes with their arm blades. They were bulky and strong, but the pair of teams were able to clear the pair, despite their exhaustion from their last fight.
"Those look like Beowulves, but they're way more powerful than that." Blake muttered, looking to Kirito next to her, "Do you know those two girls before?"
"The tall one, we've met a couple times." Kirito answered, "But the short girl, no."
"Then it looks like Roman's got a new henchmen." Yang stated, her eyes and hair going back to normal.
"And they're working together with our enemies." Asuna added, "With those Heartless Grimm hybrids added to the picture, it's gonna be more difficult."
"We thought it was just the White Fang and Torchwick. Now, it's something more." Ruby muttered.
"I think we have our new friends to thank that." Yang argued, looking to the members of Team Keybladers.
"We're not the ones who brought them here!" Yui defended.
"Didn't say you were." she replied.
"But you weren't exactly the... key, to our success." Weiss stated, making a pun with their Keyblades.
There were groans from the other girls, with Yang saying, "No. Just, no."
"You do it all the time!" Weiss argued.
"There's a time and place to make a joke." Yang argued, as she and Blake walked away, with Kirito, Yui, and Goofy following behind.
"Well, at least I'm trying!" Weiss stated, stomping behind, while Asuna chuckled nervously at the moment.
"Wait, where's Sun and Neptune?" Ruby wondered as she followed behind the group.
Meanwhile, Sora and Candy wandered over to Donald, who was frowning as he still sat in the same spot. "Donald, are you okay?" Sora asked.
"Why do you care?" Donald asked.
"Hey, I do care!" Sora defended.
"You been pretty upset since we came to this world, kuru." Candy pointed out.
"Come on. We should catch up with everyone." the Keyblade wielder told him.
"Why should I come along?" Donald asked, furling his arms, "It's not like I'm able to do anything!"
"Donald, how can you say that?!" Sora asked, surprised he was giving up so easily, "You are doing so much to help us!"
"Yeah, except finish the job!" the anthropomorphic duck huffed, standing to his feet abruptly, "Why can't I do one simple thing like that?!" He stomped past Sora and Candy, going to the others, while Goofy and Kirito watched him pass.
"I don't get it. Why is he saying he's not doing enough?" Sora asked, walking over to the their side, "He's always been there in a pinch to save us when it mattered. He's an important friend as he is a great ally in the battlefield!"
"Hm..." Kirito thought for a minute, before looking to Goofy, asking, "You probably know what's going on, right?"
Goofy looked to Donald, wondering if it was okay for him to say what he was thinking, before deciding it was best to say, and answered, "Donald was just upset because he doesn't get to shine like you fellers, calling himself an 'extra'."
"He doesn't get to shine?" Sora asked, watching him leave.
'So it's basically saying he doesn't get the final attack bonus in the game.' Kirito mentally understood, 'Or something like the biggest damage bonus.'
"I know where he's been, kuru." Candy muttered, looking a bit sad as she recalled past memories, "I remember when I felt I wasn't helpful and only causing problems to my friends, kuru."
"What did you do to get over that?" Goofy asked.
The fairy smiled happily as she replied, "My friends appreciated everything I do, despite my faults, and are happy that I am part of the team, kuru! You guys think the same, right, kuru?"
"Of course we do!" Sora answered, kneeling down to her, "You are a great friend and reliable ally against the Heartless. Goofy and Donald are the exact same, as well! No one in our team is an extra."
"Right. We all have an important role to play in the team, no matter how big or small it is." Kirito finished. Candy looked very pleased, whiled Goofy blushed and rubbed the back of his head, chuckling in embarrassment.
"Hey, guys!" Asuna called out, getting the boys and girl's attention to see her, Yui, Donald, and Team RWBY waiting for them. Sora smiled, and led the group back to them, mentally noting that he should prove to Donald how important he is to the team.
"What took you so long?" Weiss asked.
"We were just talking." Sora answered, deciding not to make it obvious what they were talking about, before changing the subject and asking, "So, where do we go from here?"
"We were just discussing that, but suddenly..." Asuna muttered.
"We got a call from school." Yang answered, "Seems like Professor Ozpin wants to see us up in his office at school."
"Does he know where we've been?" Blake asked, "That we've been searching for what the White Fang and Roman Torchwick are doing?"
"Nah. Like, I know the professor's pretty mysterious and stuff, but he wouldn't be able to know EXACTLY where we've been...right?" Yang's last word made the others sort of hesitant.
"Well, he did mention to bring your new friends along." Yui pointed out, "It's like he knew we were here."
"Yeah, we're in trouble, aren't we?" Yang muttered.
"Probably?" Ruby replied, shrugging at the assumption.
Team Keybladers looked at one another, assuming that whoever this Professor Ozpin character was a rather mysterious person. "I don't like getting called to the principle's office like anyone else, but I think we should go along with." Kirito stated.
"Agreed." Asuna responded, "Let's go to your school together."
"Awesome!" Ruby replied, glad they weren't chickening out on the request, "Then next stop: Beacon Academy!"
Beacon Academy
It took an airship trip to get from the city to the school the huntresses-in-training attended. During this time, the team got to know what the school was all about. It was one of the four big Huntsmen Academies around the world, each academy in their respective kingdoms; Beacon Academy in Vale, Shade Academy in Vacuo, Haven Academy in Mistral, and Atlas Academy in Atlas.
When they arrived on the stone pathway to the school, they saw the rather medieval-esque design to the school, the red banner flags showing a pair of axes crossed together, which was the kingdom's emblem. There was a large tower in the center of the academy, with a green glowing light shining at the top.
The heroes were in awe at the sight of the place. "You go to school here?!" Sora asked, amazed
"Beacon Academy is among the best schools to go to in the world." Weiss informed them, "As it is among the four academies in the world, it has produced many well-known Huntsmen and Huntresses. Almost all of the students must pass combat schools or get special recommendations in order to be invited to one of the schools. Ruby is an example of this."
Sora looked to Ruby, who stated, "Yeah, I ended up getting into Beacon two years earlier, thanks to Professor Ozpin."
"So you're that talented?" Asuna asked, amazed at her achievement.
"I...just got lucky, I guess." Ruby answered, not sure if she really made any big accomplishments to get where she was at.
"But hey, she's slowly becoming a great team leader!" Yang noted, pulling Ruby into a one-arm hug, "I'm so proud of my sister!"
"Yang, stop it!" Ruby answered, feeling embarrassed at her praised, this got some chuckles from Sora, Asuna, and Kirito.
They wandered through the campus, getting some looks from students that passed by, before reaching the elevators that led them all the way up to the principle's office. When the elevator doors opened up, the team entered into the circular professor's office, which looked like it was built into a clock tower, complete with a face of a clock on the floor, and multiple turning cogs and gears along the sides and above the room, with the rest of the walls being glass, showing the night sky about them, along with the moon, which looked like a part of it was broken off in pieces, like the moon in Sonic's world. There was a desk on the other side, both it and the chair were also mechanic and gear-based. There were also two people there waiting for the group, one standing next to the desk, and the other sitting behind it.
The one who stood on the side was a middle-aged woman, blonde hair tied in a bun with a curled strand to one side, green eyes, ovular glasses, and an hourglass figure. Her attire was a white long-sleeved pleated top with a open hole just below the neck, exposing a bit of cleavage, cuffs that frilled at the end, a dark purple, high-waisted pencil skirt with bronze buttons, black stockings, knee-high dark purple boots with bronze heels, a cape with a black exterior and a purple interior, stylized into flames at the bottom, and a bronze tiara embroider on the back of it, with bronze beads below it. Her attire was complete with teal gem earrings and a pendant on her collar.
The person who was sitting behind the desk was a middle-aged man with messy gray hair, small brown eyes, black eyebrows, and black shaded spectacles. His attire was a dark green buttoned-up vest underneath a black suit, a green cowl with a silver cross pin on it, black dress pants with a black belt with a gold buckle, black shoes, and a gray-stemmed cane with an intricate top to it.
The team approached the two adults as the woman started, "You have a lot of explaining to do on what you were involved in-!"
The man raised hand to stop her, saying, "It's all right, Glynda." he looked to the nervous members of Team RWBY as he stated, "I'm sure there is a perfectly good explanation as to why they were embroiled in a battle with an Atlesian Paladin and a vehicle in the middle of the city. But first..." he looked to the seven new faces, "I welcome the seven of you to Beacon Academy. My name is Professor Ozpin, the headmaster of this establishment. This is the deputy headmistress, Glynda Goodwitch. Please, forgive my abrupt summons. I know it must be confusing."
"Not as confused as to how you knew we were there." Yui muttered.
"May I ask for your names, please?" he asked the group. The seven introduced themselves to the two heads of the school, and Ozpin continued, "It was hard not to notice the extra members that were with Team RWBY, as well as the two students of Haven Academy, that were creating quite a stir in the city. But I was rather intrigued when I heard something else; That you wield Keyblades."
The seven members of Team Keybladers looked startled as Sora asked, "You know about the Keyblades?!"
"How do you-?" Asuna started.
"This is not the first time I had encountered that weapon in the past." the headmaster explained, "A long time ago, I knew of a young lady who wielded a similar weapon, when the Heartless originally invaded."
"A young woman?" Kirito echoed, "Was her named Mistress Gretinal? Cause, she's the one who guided us here."
Ozpin paused, before answering, "No. It was a different person by the name of Berthonda." The name surprised Kirito and Asuna even further. Berthonda was Leafa's ancestor, but she lived a long, long time ago. That begged the question; How old was Ozpin, anyway? Team RWBY looked confused at the whole conversation they were having.
"But let's move back to the main reason I brought you here." Ozpin continued, "You're here to get rid of the current Heartless situation in the kingdom, correct?"
"That's right." Asuna answered for the team.
"And, what have you learned about it, so far?"
"We know that a couple of our enemies are working together with some villains in this city." Asuna explained.
"What's more, they have advanced versions of the Heartless, mainly Cyber Heartless and Heartless-Grimm Dark Hybrids." Kirito added.
"Heartless-Grimm hybrids?" Glynda asked, startled.
"That is much different to what they were before." Ozpin muttered.
"Sorry, but I'm kinda lost." Weiss interrupted, "If those things called the Heartless appeared before, why hadn't we ever heard about them?"
"Heartless are...unique entities." Ozpin answered, "They only appear under certain conditions, and this is only the second time they appeared in Remnant. But one thing is for certain; Only those who band together with Keyblade wielders can defeat them. Once you cut out the source of who is making them appear, they should vanish once again."
"Okay, so I guess that means we need to find Roman Torchwick, the White Fang, Pete, or Tears, and stop them on whatever they're doing with the Heartless, right?" Ruby summed up.
"That's pretty much what we do." Sora answered.
"Then let's stop standing around, and go look for them!" Donald huffed.
"Do you know where they might be, Donald?" Goofy asked.
"Well, uh..." Donald started, but wasn't completely sure. Blake thought about what happened at the White Fang rally, and about a project they were doing in the southeast.
"I will leave it to you to solve the mystery of where they are." Ozpin told the group.
"Now, as for the four of you, Team RWBY..." Glynda addressed the four girls, pulling out a riding crop and snapping it down onto her other hand, "While I was planning on putting the four of you to give a written explanation of what took place tonight and put you under house arrest..." Ruby gulped in fear at what she had planned. The headmistress sighed as she answered, "...Ozpin has instead decided to look the other way. But on the condition that you will join these seven in searching for the source of the Heartless. No excuses! Is that clear?"
The four looked to one another, before looking to their new allies, before Ruby lead the four smiling as she answered, "Loud and clear. We'll finish what we started."
"Very good." Ozpin responded, "For tonight, you should rest up. We'll set up a room for the seven of you to sleep in tonight. Tomorrow, the two teams will continue your investigation. And it would be best not to let anyone know of this situation. No need for unnecessary worry." The team nodded in response to this, and Ozpin added, "Oh, and do make sure you clear this up before the Vytal Festival Dance. Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao Long, we still need the two of you to set it up, since Team CFVY is unable to do so."
"We know!" Yang answered with a raised fist.
"We won't let you down." Weiss finished.
"Very good. You are dismissed." the headmaster finished, and the teams went to the elevators, going back the way they came.
"I don't know why you are allowing Team RWBY to join in this investigation." Glynda told Ozpin, "And as much as I don't want it, shouldn't we inform General Ironwood?"
"Even if we did, he couldn't do anything against the Heartless." Ozpin answered, taking a sip of his coffee from a cup he had next to him. He placed it down, looking at the elevators as he stated, "All we can do is believe in the light in their hearts, both in the girls, and in the Keyblade wielders. The question is are they up to the task?"
Moments later, Team Keybladers were given a couple of dorm rooms to sleep in. They were close to where Team RWBY's dorm room was at. It was a simple designed room, and they had all the necessities they needed to spend the night, along with access to the kitchens to cook food. Each room had four beds to sleep in, so Sora, Kirito, Donald, and Goofy shared one room, while Asuna, Candy, and Yui had another room.
"You guys all set up?" Yang asked the team, when they came back together in the hallway.
"Yep. We're all set." Sora answered, "Gotta say, the rooms are really nice."
"Hey..." Blake looked at their crew, noticing one person was missing, "Where's Donald?"
"He's staying in his room. He's still salty." Kirito answered.
"He really can't get over the fact he couldn't finish off either Pete or Torchwick?" Asuna asked.
"I wish we can do something to let him know how important he is to the team, but I don't know what to do?" Sora muttered.
"Hey, if there's something we know about, it's that everyone is important in a team." Yang answered.
"It's why teams are formed in academies in the first place." Blake answered.
"Even if the teams are unexpected and not what you hoped for, it ends up working out for you in the end." Weiss finished.
"You mean like how you didn't like the fact I was the team leader, and you weren't in the same team as Pyrrha?" Ruby reminded her.
"Oh, and let's not forget the fact that you were also with a faunus, and a former White Fang member, at that." Yang bluntly added, looking to Blake, "No offense."
"Trust me, I remember how she felt, and I was kinda in the same boat, working with a Schnee." Blake shrugged off the statement.
"Okay, okay! You don't have to remind me! I got over that!" Weiss argued, "And please don't bring up THAT again, either!"
"What are you talking about?" Yui asked with curiosity.
"Nothing!" Weiss responded, walking away, "In any case, we should at least eat something before we go to bed!"
"Too bad the cafeteria is closed." Yang noted.
"No problem. You said there was a kitchen here." Asuna recalled, "I can make something for everyone."
"You sure?" Ruby asked.
"Sure. As thanks for joining us in the investigation." Sora answered.
"Asuna's cooking is great, kuru!" Candy told them.
"Let me help. I know my way around a kitchen." Yang told Asuna, who nodded in approval. Together, they made their way to the kitchen.
When they arrived, they ended up bumping into a pair of people who came out of the kitchen. It was a boy and girl, the boy with black hair that was tied in the back, with a strand of magenta hair on his left side, and magenta eyes. His attire was Chinese-style, a green and black long-sleeved tailcoat that was red on the inside and had pink cuffs, a black shirt underneath, white pants, and black shoes.
The girl had short orange hair and bluish eyes, and a physically fit figure, like Yang's. Her attire was a white vest top with a heart-shaped cutout over her chest and a heart symbol on the back, a black sleeveless shirt underneath with blue and red accents in the front, a metal armor frame wrapping around her shoulders, chest, and waist, white detached sleeves with pink gloves, a pink skirt with a white layer underneath and a blue bow on the back, and pink and white shoes.
"Hey Ren. Hey Nora." Ruby greeted the pair.
"Heeey, RWBY!" the girl named Nora greeted excitedly.
"We just got done eating. We're heading to bed." the boy named Ren explained.
"Where's Jaune and Pyrrha?" Ruby asked, looking into the kitchen, "I wanted to introduce all of you guys to our new friends."
Nora, at this point, had blitzed around Ruby to look at the six with them, asking, "Are you guys from another school? Are you participating in the Vytal Festival?"
"Sorry, but no." Kirito answered, tilting back as she got in his face.
"These guys are members of another team, called Team JNPR." Blake explained to the heroes.
"And these folks are here to deal with a threat in the Kingdom of Vale." Weiss explained, "Professor Ozpin requested that our team would join forces with them to investigate it and take care of it."
"Ooh, what kind of mission?" Nora asked eagerly.
"Well, we're searching for-." Sora started, but Goofy and Ruby came in and stopped him.
"Sora, the professor told us not to tell!" Goofy reminded him.
"Sorry, but he told us not to say anything." Ruby apologized, laughing off the situation.
"Not say anything about what?" said a voice, and two more people appeared onto the scene. It was another boy and girl. The boy had short blonde hair and blue eyes, and a sort of average build. He wore a black hoodie that was orange on the inside, with metal plating on his chest and arms, blue jeans, black and white tennis shoes, orange vambraces, leather gloves with metal pieces on the backs, and two belts crossed across his waist, with a satchel attached to his right side, and a sword and sheath on his left side.
The other was a rather beautiful girl, with long red hair tied in a ponytail, with a gold circlet in her hair, green eyes, and like Nora, had a slim muscular physique. Her attire was a brown and gold corset, exposing her shoulders and a slight bit of cleavage, a large bronze gorget around her neck, a black miniskirt with a red sash that flowed down to her right side, held by a thin black belt with a gold buckle and metal piece on her side. She had armor from her thighs down, leather heels with long collars. Her arms were adorned with black long-sleeved gloves, an arm bracelet on her upper left arm and an armor piece on the lower part of the same arm. Attached to her back was her weapons; a circular shield and a shortened spear.
"Jaune! Pyrrha!" Ruby greeted, waving to them.
"Hey, guys. You guys up late, too?" the boy named Jaune asked.
"Yeah. You guys, too?" Ruby asked.
"Just training on the roof again." Jaune answered, looking to Pyrrha.
"You have been getting better." she replied, looking to the new faces, "Who are these people?"
"I'm Sora." the young boy greeted, "These are my friends Kirito, Asuna, Goofy, Yui, and Candy."
"Whaaaaat?!" Nora asked, diving down and quickly grabbing the startled Candy into her arm, "You are actually alive?! Oh, you are so cute and adorable I just wanna cuddle you and squish you till you pop!" She hugged the small fairy tightly, causing her eyes to bulge out.
"You...just might...kuru!" Candy gasped.
"Nora, easy." Ren stopped her, causing her to loosen her grip, allowing Candy to gasp for air.
Kirito looked to Pyrrha for a moment, before looking to Asuna, asking, "Is it just me, or does she kinda remind me of Erza from Fairy Tail?"
"You know what, I was thinking the same thing." Asuna agreed.
"Well, I could use a shower." Jaune muttered, "I'm gonna go on ahead. Nice meeting you guys!"
"Thanks. Nice talking to you, too." Sora answered.
"Have a good evening." Pyrrha told the group, before walking behind Jaune.
"We should turn in, as well." Ren told the group.
"Goodnight!" Nora finished, and they followed behind.
"They're quite a group, huh?" Asuna muttered.
"Jaune and Pyrrha... Ren and Nora..." Yui muttered, "Are they couples?"
"It does seem like it, doesn't it?" Yang answered, "Too bad Jaune is too focused on Weiss." She looked to the said girl, who huffed as she looked away.
They went into the kitchen, and Asuna and Yang went to work on cooking for the team, with Ruby and Yui joining in as assistants to help them out. The others sat down to talk a little bit about themselves, with Team Keybladers making sure they didn't say anything odd or made team RWBY realize they were from another world. Finally, the chefs had the food ready, which ended up being homemade pizza, and they served three of them for the group to share.
"This is so good!" Ruby exclaimed with stars in her eyes.
"Dang, Asuna. I had no idea you were such a great chef!" Yang noted, "No wonder we left it you to direct us in the kitchen."
"I never get tired of her cooking." Sora mentioned.
"Thanks, everyone. Just make sure to eat it before it gets cold." Asuna told them.
"That won't be a problem." Goofy chortled, taking a munch on his slice.
"So, we should get back to talking about where our enemies are at." Blake spoke up, getting the team back on track. They all realized that they still hadn't figured that part out, yet.
"Agreed. As much as I love Asuna's food, we do have to deal with plans for tomorrow." Kirito pointed out.
"We know they do have plans taking place in the southeast of Vale, according to the rally we were at." Blake pointed out, looking to Goofy, who nodded in agreement.
"But remember something Tears said before they left?" Asuna recalled, "She said something about forest temple, right? That's something to go on."
"Got any ideas on where they might be talking about?" Sora asked Ruby.
"Well, the only temple I know is the one we were at during our entrance examination." Ruby recalled, "The ones in the Emerald Forest."
"That is the only 'forest temple' I know of, too." Yang agreed.
"Then that's where we should investigate." Blake answered, "We can't let them get away!"
"Easy. We don't even know if these are the ruins they are talking about." Weiss made a fair argument, especially when she added, "If there was any news about the White Fang in the Emerald Forest, the school would've learned it, by now. Right?"
"Not unless they do it in secret." Kirito answered, "In any case, it's the most likely area to go to."
"We'll need an airship to get there." Weiss told them, "We should ask Professor Ozpin if he could take us there."
"Sounds like a plan." Kirito answered, finishing up his meal.
"Great. Let's be sure to prepare for tomorrow, right?" Sora asked, to which everyone agreed. With that, they went back to their dorms to fall asleep.
Sora, Kirito, and Goofy entered their room to see Donald quickly get underneath the sheets, and pretend to fall asleep. They weren't so easily fooled, as they saw him scramble in. "Come on, Donald! Why are you like this?" Sora asked.
"Leave me alone!" Donald huffed.
"Goofy already let us know why you've been moody since we came to this world." Kirito told him. All he got was inaudible grumbles and frustrations from Donald as he hated the fact Goofy told them everything.
"Donald, you don't have to finish off opponents to be important to us." Sora argued, "You've been an important friend and comrade since the day we met!"
"Yeah? Then why don't YOU get knocked out, so that I can finish the job?!" Donald demanded.
"Oh, come on, Donald. We don't get knocked out all the time." Goofy pointed out.
"YOU may not as much. You're the captain of the guard!" Donald argued, "But I'm..."
"You're a wizard, so your defenses aren't nearly as great as everyone else's." Kirito argued, "You're better off in the rear, anyway. But I've noticed you tend to get in close when you get riled up. That is always a recipe for disaster." Donald didn't want to say anything, as he knew he was right.
"You don't have to do big things to make achievements. Just the right ones." Sora told Donald, "Remember, Herc wasn't a true hero because he did big things. He followed his heart, doing the things he thought were right, and became a hero because of that."
"Sora's right." Kirito agreed, "Plus, remember Diabel in Twilight Town? The reason he got killed is because he tried to obtain the last attack bonus from a boss monster, but got overconfident and got struck by a surprise attack. Everyone worked together to defeat the boss monster, even its minions. Everyone did their fair share of damage to take it out, and we cleared the boss of that floor."
"See, Donald?" Sora asked, "Plus, other people did the same thing. Like Jack Skellington, Mulan, Candy, Philia..." he stopped himself, as he suddenly realized he said a name that he didn't expect himself to say.
"Philia?" Kirito asked, "When did you remember her doing that?"
"I...I don't know." Sora answered, "Why did I say her name, anyway?"
"I think we need a little shuteye, tonight." Goofy told the group.
"Agreed. We need to be refreshed for tomorrow morning." Kirito answered, going into his top and shorts, hanging the rest of his clothes up. Donald didn't reply to anything the others said, but was frowning at his pillow, thinking about it all. He was frustrated, but he didn't want it to get the better of him.
The next morning, the two teams grouped up together again, having a breakfast as a team. Donald did seem to lighten up a bit since last night, but he was a bit stubborn, nevertheless. Still, he was at least talking to both teams, so that meant something. As for permission to be brought over to the Emerald Forest, Glynda Goodwitch appeared and gave them the approval they needed, allowing an aircraft to take them over to the edge of the forest.
They were outside in the courtyard, where the said carrier aircraft was waiting for them, as was Glynda and Ozpin. "I wish you luck." Ozpin told the team, "If what you said is true, and someone is able to fuse Grimm with the Heartless and their dark powers, then that could be far more disastrous for our world."
"Trust us. We won't let you down!" Sora assured him.
"And Team RWBY, please be sure to help any way you can." Glynda told the girls, "And try not to make any irrational choices again."
"We'll try." Yang answered, the expressions from the girls proving to be non-convincing.
"The ship will drop you off at where you started your entrance exams." the headmistress informed them, "Be sure that you are ready with your landing strategy."
"Landing strategy?" Yui asked, looking to Goofy and Donald, who shook their heads, unsure of what he meant.
The team boarded the ship as Ozpin finished, "And one more thing to you all." They all turned to him as he said, "I believe Berthonda said this to me before; May your hearts be your guiding key."
"May our hearts..." Blake started.
"...be our guiding key?" Ruby finished.
Team Keybladers understood the words, and Asuna nodded in response. "We'll follow them to the letter." she replied, as the doors to the aircraft closed, and they were sent flying towards the Emerald Forest.
Emerald Forest
Fifteen minutes later, the eleven young fighters were dropped off at a cliff that overlooked a sea of trees below, with signs of ruins off in the distance. In front of them was what looked like metal square platforms with some sort of device attached to it, and railings dividing each platform.
"Come on!" Ruby told the group, making their way over to the platforms.
"Um...couldn't we get into the forest itself?" Kirito asked.
"There's no place to land, from what I can see." Goofy pointed out.
"Come on! Take a position!" Yang told the group, the members of Team RWBY already on their own platforms. The seven heroes divided up, with Candy staying with Sora this time around.
"So, what is this suppose to be?" Asuna asked, looking at the platform.
"It's how we enter the forest from here." Yang answered.
"Just make sure you have a landing strategy, and we'll find each other when we enter." Weiss answered.
"Yeah, but what do you mean by 'landing-" Kirito's question was cut short as there was a winding of gears and a click, and suddenly, Ruby was sent flying off into the forest first. The stunned members of Team Keybladers watched as Weiss was immediately launched a second later, followed by Blake, then Yang. Kirito was shot after them, followed by Sora and Candy, Yui, Goofy, Asuna, and finally Donald. They all screamed and hollered as they were flung into the sky. Their destination; the ruins. Their mission; first to survive the landing. Secondly, to get to the ruins and seek out the enemy's base of operations.
Meanwhile...
Inside a secret part of the ruins, Tears and Roman Torchwick looked at a scroll, where they could see the team of heroes taking off from the cliff to the Emerald Forest thanks to a hidden camera they planted at the cliff.
"Well, Little Red and her cohorts are persistent, if not anything else." Torchwick scoffed.
"Oh, dear. Looks like they're heading to seek out where we are." Tears noted, her tone not hiding the sarcasm.
"You do know this is all your fault for giving them a big hint as to where we are." the bowler-capped criminal pointed out, twirling his cane as he turned and walked away.
"Oh, I know." the lavender-haired girl replied, looking towards her partner in crime, "After all, the best kinds of traps result in a slip of the tongue." Torchwick looked back at her, smirking. He knew she was planning this. Tears smirked maliciously as she finished, "Come to us, heroes of light. No matter how hard you shine, only the survivors can live in the endless darkness of the world. The the best survivors are the ones who steal the lives from everyone else, especially when they can control the said darkness."
"Ain't that the truth." Torchwick agreed, grinning at the plan they had set out.
Next Time on Sword Art Kingdom III:
Trapped & Divided! A Team Effort!