*Disclaimer; I do not own 'RWBY' and/or 'Digimon'. All rights reserved to their respective owners. So, with their mission now given to them by Ozpin, RWBY and JNPR are on their way to what they hope are finally some answers.*
The Bullhead finally made it's way over Emerald Forest, more accurately a small clearing in the dead center. The pilot, familiar with the area told the group that's as far as she could fly the craft without running into Grimm. Ruby thanked the pilot as she, her team, and JNPR exited the aircraft. "Alright guys," Ruby said, as she deployed her Crescent Rose. "The temple that we're looking for is just north of our position. Stay together as a group, and keep an eye out for Grimm. Shouldn't be hard. It'll just be like initiation."
As the group began their trek, Weiss felt someone tug on the sleeve of her coat. Turning toward the source, Ice-Blue eyes met Lilac. "We need to talk." Yang whispered. Whatever it was about, it was obviously serious to the blonde.
"Okay. What about?" Weiss and Yang still stuck close to the group, though they stayed in the back so they can hold the conversation quietly.
"What... how do you see Ruby?" Yang asked, earning a surprised expression from the Heiress.
"What do you mean?" Weiss asked, nearly blushing. Yang saw the shade of pink, though, and pressed further.
"Weiss, I'm going to be blunt about this so try to answer me as well as you can." Yang took a deep breath, before finally speaking up. "Blake and I have seen the way you've looked at Ruby, especially back in the library. Do you... are you in love with my sister?"
Weiss was definitely taken aback by the question, let alone what Yang had just said. Thinking back on the events that have transpired, including the time the Heiress has spent along the brunette's side, Weiss could only come up with a single answer. "No."
Yang, this time around, was taken by surprise. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Weiss began. "I'll admit. When Ruby and I first met, she was a complete dolt, never took her role seriously, and was beyond childish. Over time, though, I've come to learn the hard way that the reason as to why Ruby was chosen to be a leader and get admitted early on into Beacon was because of her exemplary skill in the battlefield, and how smart she truly was when she tried. This soon developed into admiration, and yes, at first I may have developed something for her. But, I only saw her like the little sister I never had. Therefore," Weiss said, placing a hand to her chest. "I'm doing whatever it takes to be the best teammate I can be for my best friend." Unbeknownst to Weiss, her pocket gave off an ominous glow.
As the group came across a small clearing near the outskirts of Emerald Forest, Weiss felt a small warmth in her combat skirt's pocket. Feeling for the source, Weiss and Yang were quite surprised to see the former's Digivice began to glow. "What the-?" This suddenly caught the attention of the group, stopping them in their tracks, and focusing on the Digivice in Weiss' hands. Said device suddenly began to now levitate in midair, encasing itself in a grey bubble. Immediately after, both Team RWBY's and JNPR's devices performed the same actions.
Ruby's device encased itself into a blue bubble, Blake's went into a purple, Yang's went into an orange, Jaune's into a gold, Nora's into a hot-pink, Pyrrha's into a white, and Ren's into a green. The bubble's then maneuvered themselves until they were placed around the edges of the clearing, slowly lowering toward the ground. The reaction was immediate, as holographic lines formed themselves into a jagged, triangular pattern surrounded by zigzag lines.
"What is all this?" Ruby was the first to ask.
"Step forward, children." Hackmon said, suddenly appearing out of thin air in front of the group. He stood in the exact center, carefully observing the children.
"Wait, what happens if we do?" Jaune asked, not completely trusting the situation.
"Simple." Hackmon explained. "You will reawaken an ancient temple that has been buried in this exact location for seventy-five years. Afterwards, your Digivices will be returned to you. You will enter the center, and I will walk through the rest." As Hackmon said this, a small tremor was set off, and a platform began to form just beneath the Digimon's feet. A large, Triangular-shaped structure rose from the ground, appearing as those seen in ancient Greek writings. Along side it sat eight pedestals, each with their own insignia on the face.
"What... Is all this?" Pyrrha spoke up.
"Yang Xiao Long," Hackmon spoke, catching the blonde's attention. "Step forward." Yang hesitated, but eventually stepped past the blue lines toward Hackmon. "You show bravery and courage even in the face of danger. You stand up for those that can't defend themselves, and protect the ones you love." Hackmon jumped from the roof of the structure, to a pedestal with a picture of the sun. "Please step forth, place your Digivice upon this pedestal, and accept the Crest of Courage."
Yang followed Hackmon, and did as instructed. The Digivice began to glow, ejecting what appeared to be a necklace colored orange. "Interesting." Yang said, grabbing hold of the chain, and pulling the necklace close. "Thanks, buddy." Yang said with a wink and smile.
Ignoring the teasing, Hackmon moved onto to the next pedestal, this one with a blue, two-pointed symbol. "Ruby Rose." Ruby didn't need Hackmon to finish the sentence before using her Semblance to zip over. Clearing his throat from the suddenness, Hackmon continued. "You are innocent, pure, and, most importantly, kind at heart. You do anything you can to befriend those you see are in need of one. Please, place your Digivice upon this pedestal, and accept the Crest of Friendship."
Ruby wasted no time, as she practically dropped her device onto the stone, earning a 'be careful, dolt!' from Weiss. Just like Yang's, Ruby's device glowed before ejecting a necklace similar to Yang's, except it was blue. Ruby quickly grabbed hers and eagerly placed it around her neck, showing it off to her older sibling. "Not bad, sis." Yang congratulated.
Hackmon then proceeded to move to a grey colored pedestal. This one had a cross with pointers jutting out the corners. "Weiss Schnee." Weiss, showing more carefulness than her partner, made her way to Hackmon. Once there, the Digimon continued. "You have always been by your partner's side since enrolling into Beacon. Not only that, but you make sure she stays focused, and corrects her on her wrongdoings. Lastly, you vowed to be the best teammate you could to her, despite your shortcomings. Please, place your Digivice upon the pedestal and accept the Crest of Reliability." As Weiss placed her device upon the pedestal, receiving a grey colored necklace, Hackmon then moved onto a pedestal colored purple.
"I'm next!" Nora nearly shouted, before being stopped by Ren.
"Nora." Was all Ren said to calm the bubbly hammer-wielder.
"Blake Belladonna." Hackmon said, earning an 'aww' from Nora. Hackmon moved towards a pedestal with a purple color. The symbol was that of what appeared to be a pair of glasses, except one lens being larger than the other. Blake stepped forward, presenting her Digivice. "You are quite intelligent for someone your age. You posses years worth of knowledge and experience, both in and outside the battlefield. Not only that, but you have also presented yourself as a tactician. Please, place your Digivice, and accept the Crest of Knowledge."
"It's almost like an awards ceremony." Jaune said, as Blake was given a purple colored necklace.
"Next, is Jaune Arc." Hackmon said, causing the blonde knight to jump at his name suddenly being called, and moved to a golden pedestal. The pedestal, itself, had a symbol representing what can only be described as the sun wearing a cape. He then presented his Digivice. "At first, you showed no promise coming to Beacon. In all honesty, it was a joke." At this, Jaune felt rather downcast, but then his expression changed to that of determination. "And that is the face of one who shows Hope. Place your Digivice upon the pedestal, and accept the Crest of Hope."
As Jaune placed his device on the pedestal and received his gold crest, Hackmon moved onto the pink pedestal. This pedestal had the insignia shaped into a heart. Realizing it was inevitable, Hackmon made eye contact with Nora Valkyrie, and nodded. Imagine everyone's surprise when the most hyper-active pink girl in all of Beacon simply walked over to Hackmon. Clearing his throat once again, Hackmon addressed Nora. "Nora Valkyrie. You're hyper, but at times calm. You express yourself in ways that not many people do, and your heart is filled with love. Perhaps with someone in particular." Nora coughed, pointedly looking away from Ren. "Place your device upon the pedestal, and receive the crest of l-" Hackmon was taken by surprise when Nora almost slammed her device onto the pedestal and practically snatched the necklace by the chain before it fully rose. If one were to take a closer look at Nora's face, they could tell that she was quite embarrassed, but smiled.
Hackmon then proceeded to move to another pedestal, this one white in color. The insignia was shaped to be that of a eight-pointed star. "Pyrrha Nikos." As Pyrrha stepped forward, she presented her Digivice. As she was doing so, Hackmon felt as though they were being watched. Not by Ozpin, but by something sinister. Despite this, Hackmon continued, keeping his guard up. "You have always been a shining beacon in the darkness that surrounds this world. Time and time again, you've always given others hope and understood their feelings. Please, place your Digivice upon the pedestal, and receive the Crest of Light."
And, lastly, Hackmon moved to the final pedestal. This one was green in color, and bore an insignia that was shaped as a teardrop. "And, finally, Lie Ren." Ren stepped forward, presenting his Digivice to Hackmon. "You have always been honest and forthcoming with your emotions. You are quiet, yet modest. Always looking out for others rather than yourself. Place your Digivice upon the pedestal, and receive the Crest of Sincerity." As Ren had finished grabbing the green necklace that emerged from the device, a large, shadowy figure dashed out of the treeline aiming straight for the boy.
Ren didn't even have time to blink, before Hackmon shifted between him and the intruder. "Agile as always, aren't we dog?" The intruder didn't wear a mask, yet his robe and outfit was all black. His hair was tied up into a ponytail, but centered near the scalp.
"Gennai!" Hackmon yelled, as Gennai's sword and Hackmon's horn locked and parted ways. The new intruder, Gennai, was shot back, his sandal-covered feet sliding on dirt before coming to a complete stop. "Why have you come here?!"
"Isn't it obvious, fool?!" Gennai declared, opening his arms to show off his presence while still holding his sword. "I'm here to stop you all before you become Digi-destined!"
"Wait, what?" Ruby spoke up, catching the man's attention. "But, why? What did we ever do to you? And, who are you?"
"Oh, how rude of me." Gennai said sarcastically. "My name is Gennai, little girl. And, I have orders from higher up to stop you all."
"How? If you're here to stop us, then you must be working for the bad guys."
"I'll show you." Gennai said, before charging Ruby, catching her off guard. She didn't even have time to deploy Crescent Rose before receiving a boot to the stomach. Thankfully, her Aura caught the blow, but she was still launched against the temple's wall. It was then that Hackmon intervened, diverting Gennai before he could attack again.
"All of you, to the center of the temple!" Hackmon ordered.
"But, what about you?!" Nora asked, deploying Magnhild. "We can help!"
"No, he's too powerful! To the temple, now!" Hackmon deflected another blow.
"Come on, guys!" Jaune called out, picking up Ruby's unconscious body. "We have no choice!" Just as Jaune and the others finally made it to the center of the temple, Gennai managed to outmaneuver Hackmon.
"Your Digivices are mine!" Gennai said, before dashing toward Jaune. Everyone closed their eyes, waiting to be struck.
...
...
...
Jaune reopened his eyes, only to find Gennai being unable to hit them due to some force field blocking his attacks. "Damn." Gennai grunted.
"We're leaving." Hackmon said, reappearing next to the group, and giving Gennai one last glare. "Now." With that, the Temple's pedestals glowed a rainbow of colors before everything was encased in a white flare. Gennai shielded his eyes, obviously not wanting to go blind.
When the light had finally died out, Gennai was left alone, the Temple gone as well.
"Digi-destined scum."