A/N
So admittedly, nothing much will be happening this chapter. But from here onwards the story will be shaped in a similar fashion to what happened in canon, although with a different spin on it, especially Sun Wukong and Penny's introductions and Blake's troubles with the White Fang. The final however, will be entirely of my own making.
Hunting Grounds, Beacon Academy.
The ground dropped straight down in dramatic fashion a few feet behind her, forming only one side of a vast and open pit through which a network of deep green hedge walls wormed around one another, dizzying the eye in the way they were jarringly arranged.
She barely batted a eyelid at the absence of noise coming from down there, even factoring in the presence of a number of captured Grimm running amok in the maze.
Goodwitch indicated Professor Port, his wide grin actually visible despite his distinguished moustache. "Professor Port's finest specimens will be your final opponents, everyone. But be warned, they gave the veteran Hunstman and Huntresses who caught them a run for their money.
Clearing her throat, she addressed her gathered students. "Once this day is complete, the combat trials and by extension, the majority of your day-to-day lessons-" Glynda's eyebrow twitched only barely before her eyes slid over to the strained expression on Jaune, clearly visible even though the boy was packed in with his teammates and other classmembers.
Jaune glanced around at all of the eyes directed in his direction before voicing his question. "So... is this some kind of exam thingy?"
Over Weiss's barely contained groan Goodwitch gave a slow nod. "Yes Mr Arc." She allowed herself a small groan herself. "A exam thingy." She ignored the amused glint in Ozpin's eyes as he sipped his coffee and stepped back, allowing him to move forward in full view of everyone.
"These final combat trials are tailored to each team's myriad strengths and weaknesses. Team Ruby. As the team to have shown both the most growth and potential from this class, you will be first to undertake this... exam thingy. And for speaking up, Mr Arc and Team Juniper will be also be tested." Ozpin raised a eyebrow and looked at Ruby's raised hand. "Yes Ms Rose?"
Ruby chuckled nervously as she scratched her cheek, ignoring the pointed look Weiss gave her. "So... this might be a bit late to ask, but... where are our weapons? We checked our lockers and-"
Ozpin grinned evilly as several cylindrical shapes shot down from the clear morning sky, thudded into different sections of the maze with thunderous impact, riling up the Grimm contained within. Ruby paled a little as her mouth hanged open while Ozpin sipped his coffee. "Oh. Here and there."
Despite Ruby's internal worry about Crescent Roses condition, or the fact that they landed so far away, next to her Yang just cracked her knuckles and neck in anticapation, getting a look of amusement from Pyrrha and Nora nearby. "So what are we waiting for?"
Blake raised a eyebrow as the only one who noticed Professor Port shouldering his Blunder-Axe and salute the entire class before hopping down into the maze with a jubilant cheer.
Ozpin once again grinned evilly as he held up a scroll, swiping once across its surface. "Your objective is to find your weapons and contain every Grimm inside the the maze before Professor Port does. Off you go."
"Professor Port, what-" Yang's face fell for a brief moment before a hidden springplate emblazoned with the academy symbol shunted her upwards with a surprised yelp. Blake stared wordlessly at where her partner had once stood before quickly steeling herself before she too was launched upwards.
Ruby and Weiss instinctively shifted towards each other, with Ruby's plate missing her feet by inches to spare. At a frown from Ozpin the one they both stood on catapaulted the two girls into the sky.
The headmaster tilted his head at the worried look on Jaune. The boy chuckled nervously as he very slowly inched to the side, in the hopes Pyrrha wasn't standing on a hidden plate.
Jaune's eyes flicked downwards as his heel tapped against the corner of a metal plate buried in the grass. He glanced at Pyrrha. She gave him a nervous grin.
Ozpin sighed as he swiped his scroll again, preparing to launch the four of them into the maze as well. "Team Juniper. You'll be competing against Team Ruby."
"That headmaster is a dirty scoundrel!" Weiss shouted at the top of her lungs, all the while clinging onto Ruby for dear life as they both hurtled towards the outer section of the maze, nearing the tops of the hedgerows forming the walls.
"Weiss, is now really the time?!" Ruby squeaked, catching a glimpse of the ground rushing up to meet them.
Just as the tallest blade of grass was inches below the tip of her nose her descent was abruptly halted as someone grabbed her foot "Gotcha!" She opened her eyes as she dangled upside down, blinking up at Yang.
Nearby Weiss bent her knees and tucked into a roll, grunting as she faceplanted into a hedgerow. Cursing under her breath she shook her head and stumbled towards them, holding her nose.
"Yang, put me down." Ruby's head spun as gently placed her on the grass, laying there for a few moments as her heart stopped pounding before getting to her feet with utmost care. She breathed a sigh of relief as she looked around. "Where's Blake?"
As soon as she voiced the question a group of Beowulfs began howling deeper in the maze. Yang grinned nervously. "Probably running from them. We found her weapon as soon as we landed. She'll distract them while we find ours."
"Then we'll get to mine first and-"
"Ruby." Weiss gave a annoyed grunt, her voice thick and muffled as she held her bleeding nostrils. "We need to get my weapon first. With my semblance we can get to her in no time."
"I suggest you start moving, girls!" The three of them started, whirling around to look down the outermost part of the maze, staring in shock and awe as Professor Port saluted them, moving further into the maze with a net filled with beowolfs and ursa behind him. "I've already bagged a few of my specimens! Now to catch that wily Mantis!"
Yang narrowed her eyebrows, watching him disappear. "There's no way I'm letting a old man beat us." She turned to Ruby. "We'll find Weiss's first."
"Right."
The three of them set off through the twisting passages and bends, keeping their eyes on the general direction one of the lockers landed closest to them. The sounds of Professor Port's laughter echoed amidst howls and snarls and the periodic boom of a gun or bone-shattering thud of a axe in the dirt.
Yang saw it first, skidding to a stop in a intersection of clear paths, the one to their side opening into a spacious garden filled with crimson flowers, disturbed and shredded by the grey cylinder sticking out of the ground at a angle in the center, resisting a curious Ursa's attempts to open it.
It sniffed at the air, making the three of them pause before it grunted and went back to scratching the smooth metal trying to pry it open. They glanced at each other trying to figure out how to get past it when a shadowy blur flickered over the field of crimson flowers, a black rope trailing behind it. The Ursa growled but backed away too late as loop after loop of rope wound around its legs and mouth.
The creature loosed a muffled roar in surprise as Blake flickered into view in front of it, a bundle of rope looped over her arm and her sword sheathed on her back. It lunged for her, tightening the ropes even further and causing it to topple forwards, unable to break free or move far.
Blake sidestepped the captured Ursa and moved to the locker, banging on its front to pop open the shaken door. She smirked at the three of them as they approached, Weiss getting there first and grabbing Myternaster from inside the locker.
She experimentally spun the revolver chambers, checking each of the dust cartridges before giving a nod of thanks to Blake. "Not bad."
The raven-haired girl wasn't done as she tossed a pair of brilliant golden gauntlets over to a surprised Yang.
"Awesome work!" Surprise changed to uncontained excitement as Yang slipped the Ember Celica's over her arms, putting her fists together and nodding her appreciation to Blake.
"So, you guys've got all of yours, we just need to find Crimson Rose and then-"
A girlish scream rang out over the maze, interrupting Ruby.
Yang frowned. "I've heard that scream before."
Jaune rolled underneath the beowolf as it lunged, swiping at him from both sides and managing to snag some of his golden locks. He rubbed his head as Pyrrha shoulder checked the beast into the ground, quickly getting on its back and slamming its head down into the ground several times until the Grimm cried a short whimper.
Pyrrha arched a eyebrow as she pulled him to his feet.
"What? It nearly took my head off." Nora waved in his direction after batting a beowolf into the sky, while Lie Ren had just finished downing another pair. They both came over.
"It's okay, Jaune, my dad screams like a girl too!"
"Thanks, Nora."
She sighed while moving towards the locker sticking out of the ground nearby, opening it up and pulling out Milo and Akouo with a grin. Pyrrha frowned. "I was certain that there were two lockers that landed here."
"Huh?" Jaune raised a eyebrow and looked over his shoulder, seeing the other locker embedded in a hedgerow. "Oh, it's just over-" Suddenly the contraption whined and squealed, bucking around as its thrusters flared up. He yelped and dove to the side as it rocketed by, slamming a unwary beowolf into the ground and bowling over several of the curious pack as they moved towards Pyrrha and Jaune.
When they caught sight of the two they snarled and snapped their jaws, howling all at once before spreading out across the garden and surrounding them on all sides. Jaune and Pyrrha carefully scanned the crowd of baying Grimm, while the locker continued to thrash around with the hapless beowolf hanging on for dear life.
The creature's frenzied pawing tore open its compartment, depositing Jaune's sheath-shield and sword on the ground before the locker rocketed out of sight, carrying the beowolf into the distance.
"We need to figure out how to catch them." Lie Ren said, raising his Stormflowers and aiming them at the beowolves.
Jaune nodded as he drew his sword and unfolded his shield, keeping it rigid like Pyrrha taught him to. "It won't really matter if we get torn apart. We can't beat them on our own!" On his other side Pyrrha grimaced for a moment, before nodding her agreement.
"We can deal with these ones and link up with Ruby and her-"
Four girls yelled and screamed in unison off in the distance. Jaune blinked twice, watching as Ruby and her team either crashed through or were thrown over the top of the hedgerows. Yang shielded Ruby with her body as they hit the ground, while Weiss and Blake managed to land on their feet.
The beowolves howled and snarled at the newcomers.
"Glad you could join us!" Nora hummed as she hefted her hammer onto her shoulder, narrowing her eyes and smirking.
Ruby rubbed her head as she got to her feet, awkwardly grabbing Crimson Rose from her back and unfolding it out to its full length. "Yeah..." A gargantuan shadow loomed over the garden the eight of them stood in. The beowolves silenced their baying as a huge creature thudded down among them, tossing a few like ragdolls.
As its furry wings folded in, the clawed ends of its six legs dug into the ground, supporting the bulbous and shiny abdomen and armored thorax. The antennae on its head swiveled in their direction as it looked down at them with six red eyes, its car-sized pincer jaws snapping together with a loud and terrible series of clicks.
Jaune narrowed his eyes, sharing a nod with his team before looking at Ruby. "Care to lend a hand?"
She tilted her head and gave him a wry look, brandishing Crimson Rose. "You bet."
As it roared the eight of them immediately scattered in all directions, but not straying far enough to get separated or hemmed in without being helped. Jaune quickly scanned the roving beowolf packs Ruby and Weiss held at bay, while Nora kept the mantis distracted by swinging her hammer at its legs.
He worked it out and called out to Pyrrha and Yang.
"Pyrrha! Yang! Stun the big one!"
Even before he finished his sentence both girls closed in on the mantis from either side, Pyrrha banging her shield to get its attention while Yang closed in for a few strikes on its legs before dashing back to avoid a swipe, allowing Pyrrha to slash at it once it focused on the blonde brawler.
A few beowolves had sighted him and he was forced to run, avoiding their snapping jaws and swiping claws as best he could. He lost his concentration and sight of the two girls after long, and it didn't take much for him to work out another kink in the plan.
"Blake, Ren. Round up the beowolves!"
"On it!" Lie Ren launched a kick at one of the beowolves chasing him, sending it down with a yelp as Yang blocked one's jaws with his shield, loosing several kicks into its stomach to force it off-balance. He growled as he tackled it to the ground, bashing it with the shield until the beowolf lost consciousness.
Lie Ren helped him up before running of to join Blake, having finished roping together a pack before weaving around the slashes of a pair. Blake slashed back at them, holding them at bay and dancing backwards. Suddenly her back hit the hedgerow, filling her with surprise as she ducked down to avoid wicked claws.
She managed to return her own just as something tugged on her hair for a moment before pulling free, sending a sensation of sweet and utter relief down from two points on her had. Her eyes widened as she felt the air on them, for a moment forgetting where she was.
Then she remembered her secret.
Blake's eyes flashed as she flew straight at the beowolf, ramming her blade right through the back of its skull. The creature loosed a surprised yelp before a dying whimper escape its maw and it toppled forwards, he r prized black ribbon fluttering in the breeze while entangled in the Grimm's outstretched claws.
"Blake, need some help!"
Her eyes widened as she noticed Jaune's frown, before he turned to block a blow from the Bisector's claws. She quickly pulled the ribbon free, tying it back onto her head and running back to the fight. "C-coming!"
The mantis hissed, its wings rattling as it beared down on Weiss, ignoring Pyrrha's attempts to distract it with her shield as it lashed a spindly leg out her. Weiss grunted as it caught her in the belly and sent her flying back, nearly hitting Ruby in the process.
"Watch out, Weiss!" Ruby quickly raised Crimson Rose to block the mantis's claw as it crashed down, gritting her teeth as she noticed Jaune and Pyrrha being forced back by its other claw.
"This thing isn't going down!" Weiss hissed at Ruby.
Ruby grimaced. "I don't know what to do-"
"What are you doing!" Weiss squeaked as Yang grabbed the back of her collar together with Rubys, grinning eagerly at both of them.
"Giving you guys a boost!"
"Could have said something sooner!" Weiss yelled back, before looking ahead and brandishing Myternaster as she and Ruby rocketed just above the ground, firing shots from Crimson Rose and tracing gravity glyphs underneath them to stay on course.
The huge mantis's many legs shifted in unison, a forest of spindly shadow. They caught each other's eye and nodded. Ruby loosed a yell as Crimson Rose's crescent edge sliced through the legs on one side as easily as it would through butter, black fluid flying everywhere as Weiss did the same on the other side, Myternaster's razor-thin edge glowing a silvery white.
Above them the black beast toppled to the ground, madly swiping at the air and writhing around as the two of them emerged out the other side, rolling to a stop on the ground.
They looked back as Jaune and Pyrrha both slammed their shields into its exposed thorax, cracking it in several places and diving to the sides to make room for Yang. The blonde uppercutted the mantis, loosing a fiery shotgun blast that snapped the creature's head upwards.
As she kicked off its chest and landed near Ruby and Weiss, she blowed a loose golden bang out of her eye and straightened.
"Could have warned us." Weiss hissed.
Yang winked. "It worked didn't it?"
The three of them watched as Jaune pointed his sword at the mantise's bulbous head as it loosed several slow clicks and shrieks. "Nora! Smash!"
The wide grin the short girl flashed him unnerved Jaune just a little. "Can do, boss!" With that she bounded forwards, trailing her hammer behind her with a look of glee. The mantis futilely swiped at her, only for a hammer swipe to knock the limbs into the sky.
Her hammer swung with meteoric speed into the underside of the mantis's jaw, easily shattering the black chitin and completely separating its head from its broken body, at the same time unleashing a explosive wave of cherry pink energy. The impact kicked up a dust cloud from the sheer force alone.
The dust settled, revealing the absolutely pulverized remains of the once grotesque insectoid giant. Nora proudly stood in pride of center, bouncing up and down and clapping her hands despite the gigantic hammer she held onto.
Jaune shared a glance with a paled Ruby. "Remind me not to get on her bad side."
A pair of strong hands pushed in between him and Ruby, belonging to Professor Port as he stumbled to a stop, breathing heavily as he leaned on his blunder-axe. His mouth hanged open at the destruction wrought in the area and the beowolves either knocked out or struggling in a heaped pile of their brethren.
"The Bisector! The jewel of my specimens, no!" Professor Port sunk to his knees, moustache deflated as he stared with a forlorn expression at the bisected pieces of what used to be the Bisector. Yang cleared her throat nervously as she patted him on the back.
"Uh... there there?" Yang glanced at the others and shrugged.
Ozpin stepped off a platform of rock being levitated by Glynda Goodwitch, and gave all of them a nod. "Well done."
Auditorium, Beacon Academy.
"Team Ruby. Team Juniper. You have all shown excellent martial ability and prowess, and easily adapted to the numerous trials the Academy has put you through. Be they academic..." Ozpin glanced at Jaune, while Goodwitch shot the headmaster a pointed look. "Or extracurricular. As such, it is very difficult to say which team is more effective or potent than the other. Both of you have completed the trial."
The entire class clapped heartily for the two teams, filling the auditorium with a resounding echo.
Pyrrha beamed, elbowing Jaune in the side while Nora practically bounced from foot-to-foot in her excitement, glancing at Lie Ren every once to poke the slight smile he had.
Ruby basked in the sweet golden glow of victory before being interrupted by Yang accidentally hitting her as she pumped her fist, hopping in the air. Weiss rolled her eyes at the display before looking down at the floor with a slight smirk, while Blake stayed quiet and still.
As the clapping died down, Jaune noticed Cardin and his team hadn't bothered clapping. He tried not to focus on it, putting all of the bad blood between them behind him.
Ozpin adjusted his glasses. "That isn't all." The crowd whispered to each other, shifting a little as curiosity got the better of them.
"Team Cardinal... you have also shown great unity and teamwork during your own trial. A key trait among Hunters and Huntresses." At the front of the crowd, Cardin visibly frowned in confusion, looking at the other members of his team as they scratched their heads.
"Okay..." Yang lowered her arms as she raised a eyebrow, keeping her voice low.
"What's professor Ozpin thinking? Cardin and his team are just a bunch of brutes." Ruby hissed and clenched her fist before seeing the conflicted look on Jaune.
He glanced at her. "Maybe Cardin's changed."
Weiss folded her arms and snorted. "They still can't beat us though."
Glynda Goodwitch loudly cleared her throat as Ozpin loosed a quiet sigh. "Despite your excellent combat and skills records, it has been decided that you will not be representing Vale alongside Team Ruby and Juniper. That is all."
Jaune frowned at the devastated look on Cardin and the looks of anger and outrage coming from his team. He glanced at Professor Goodwitch, not failing to notice the knowing look she directed at him and Pyrrha. "That was harsh." he muttered.
Weiss heard him. "Not harsh enough I say."
Ozpin came forward. "The end of these trials marks the end of your day-to-day lessons, everyone. You've earned your rest. And I hope you all experience everything the Vytal festival has to other. Dismissed."
The crowd cheered as they splitted apart into their groups, each going out through different exits of the auditorium, with Cardin and his group the last to leave.
On the stage, Ozpin nodded at the eight of them before moving off with Professor Goodwitch, their footsteps echoing together.
Jaune's yawn broke the silence. "I'm beat, heading back to the dorm to catch some sleep sounds good?"
"What about food, Jaune?"
He loosed a sigh. "Yeah, I forgot about that. Food it is, Nora. The rest of you coming?"
Pyrrha nodded. "Fine. After that I'm taking you up to the roof for training."
Nora sniggered at the look of despair on Jaune. Yang ruffled his hair as she came closer. "Food sounds good." She followed them off the stage, glancing back at Ruby and Weiss to see if they were coming.
Ruby started to follow Weiss after them before stopping herself.
"Hang on." Ruby turned around, nodding her chin at where Blake stood, still quiet with her eyes on the floor.
Weiss sighed and waved her arm as she left the stage after the others.
Ruby slowly made her way to Blake, unsure if she even wanted help. She steeled herself with thoughts about being there for her team in all situations, and stopped in front of her. "Uh, Blake? You've been pretty quiet since we got here. Aren't you excited? We're gonna be representing Vale in front of all of Vytal!"
"I am. Don't worry, Ruby... I'll catch up with you guys."
She smiled as convincingly as she could to reassure Ruby. "Oh..." Ruby smiled back after a long pause. "Okay." She lingered for a while, eyes darting around before she turned and walked off the stage.
In the huge dark space Blake lingered for a moment, nervously reaching her hand up to the top of her head for a few moments before stopping herself and sighing.