Chapter 4: Thunder Crash
"Looks like this will be Aura Rose's first real battle!" Ruby called out as she finished strapping on her helmet. She had quickly changed out of her school uniform, and instead wore a black pilot suit with red accents. She looked to her left as she ran to Steel-1, and saw Hayato running to Steel-2. Jaune was already strapped into Steel-3 by some laboratory staff, a perpetually confused expression on his face.
"W-Wait! What about me? What do I have to do with this?!" Jaune cried out, still wearing his school uniform. Hayato seemed to ignore the panic in Jaune's voice as he configured the autopilot for Steel-3.
"All you have to do is listen to what I tell you to do," was the scientist's response as Ruby jumped into Steel-1's cockpit. After a second, the engines of each machine kicked on and the hangar crews left the danger area as the machines prepared for launch.
"What do you mea-" Jaune started, but was cut off as the machines catapulted forwards. He was slammed back into his seat as each machine entered a separate tunnel that twisted and turned, before suddenly experiencing a dramatic increase in speed once theyhit a straightaway.
In just a few moments, the machines exited the complex from a cliffside, the tunnels hidden by a powerful waterfall that the jets crashed through into open air. Jaune was shouting the entire time, still just as confused as to what was happening as before.
"Ruby! What the heck is going on?!" He shouts out, to which the younger girl laughs in response, her blood pumping as they begin flying to their destination. A fierce grin made its way onto her face when she looked at the screen showing Jaune's face.
"We're about to go save Vale!" She called out, her grin fierce and wide as she looked at the sky around them. Looking at the other screens, she finally found the one showing Hayato in his cockpit. "Wait, Doctor, why are you piloting Steel-2?"
"In a real situation, it's best to be as close to fully manned as possible," A woman's voice chimed in, another screen showing the laboratory staff in the command room. She wore a red headband, and seemed to be just around the same age as Hayato.
"Correct," said the aging pilot, "Even if Steel-2 requires 2 pilots to be at full function, every person counts. The combined machines draw upon the aura of each pilot to kickstart a reaction in the dust reactor cores," he explains.
"Oh, so more people means more aura, which means a bigger reaction!" Ruby said as she pieces it together. Jaune was still utterly confused, but seemed to slowly be getting used to the current circumstances.
"Alright, uh… Pyrrha did say I had big aura reserves…" The young man muttered, slowly reaching to grasp the controls, "Is that why I was chosen for this?"
"Partially," Hayato stated with no elaboration. He seemed to have small beads of sweat forming at his temple, some kind of strain being put on his body.
"Hayato, be careful…" Came the woman's voice to Hayato's personal console in Steel-2, "you could reopen those old wounds if you go too far."
"I'll be fine, Michiru," Was his calm response as he input a destination out in the sea off of Vale's coast. "Just monitor Arc's condition, I will worry about myself," he told her, then quirked a brow, "Check Rose's vitals too, but I doubt I had to remind you…"
Michiru gave a slight nod, and his gaze softened. Even with how old they both were getting, he could still see the resemblance between Michiru and her sibling… minus the silver eyes that only one had inherited and, unfortunately, took to their grave.
"Genki would be happy to know I'm still watching over the family," Michiru muttered as she looked to the screen displaying Ruby, unbeknownst to the teenager.
The trio flew out over the open ocean, aiming to intercept the oncoming threat early. Jaune still had no idea what he was doing, but Ruby was verbally guiding the troubled youth through the controls. He was learning, albeit slowly.
"And if we combine into Aura Zeus… just use what Pyrrha has taught you. I have a feeling you'll fit right into it," was the end of Ruby's advice. Really, a bunch of it was equating the controls to a video game, but she correctly guessed that Jaune played enough of those to kind of understand what she was saying. At the mention of Pyrrha, his resolve seemed to harden itself.
"I guess this is my chance to repay her kindness and effort," He mumbled to himself, adjusting his grip on the controls. He and Pyrrha had become much closer ever since dealing with Cardin, and he had begun feeling that the deal they had come to was very one sided in his favor. He had to repay Pyrrha for everything, and this could be just it: using everything she's given him to protect everyone.
"We're close," Came Hayato's voice, interrupting Jaune's thoughts. When the two teenagers looked ahead, their jaws nearly dropped at the site.
"What the… we're fighting a hurricane?"
The swirling clouds ahead of them moved at unnatural speeds even for a tropical storm, sheets of lightning danced across the sky as they approached. As they got closer Ruby's trained eyes spotted something among the clouds. Well, multiple somethings.
"Are those Feilongs?" Ruby breathed out, the serpentine forms of the rare Grimm moving within the clouds like the wind itself. Jaune took an audible gulp as he saw the size of each serpent, and wondered just what brought them here.
"Aren't they supposed to be farther south than this? And closer to Anima instead of Sanus?" He asked Hayato, who was looking more towards the center of the storm. The older pilot narrowed his eyes, analyzing the situation.
"That is why we are here, something else is behind this, and I have a good feeling I know what," Was Hayato's response. Jaune and Ruby were both about to ask what he meant, but were cut off by a sudden transmission appearing on their screens. At first there was static, then they were met with a face that could only be described as REALLY weird.
"This is your end, Jin Hayato! My master finally returns to claim his rightful place as this world's savior!" The person cried out in two distinct voices at the same time. Ruby could also now confirm that their face is NOT, in fact, a very well done mask.
"Baron Ashura! It has certainly been a long time, how long? Ten years?" Hayato shot back, a strange smile on his face. Ruby and Jaune both watched in confusion, trying to figure out just what exactly was happening. "I'm surprised you aren't going for Kabuto first! Allow us to send you back to Hell, where both you and your master belong!"
This 'Ashura' laughed in response, and the camera zoomed out to reveal them in some kind of cockpit.
"Try as you might, you won't be able to defeat this creation, Emperor Doublas!"
As if on cue, and it likely was, a massive flash of green lightning revealed from within the clouds the shadowed form of a massive Grimm dragon, one who had two heads and a body not too dissimilar from a Feilong with a wingspan to match. It was much more than just an Alpha Grimm, and Hayato just smiled at the challenge.
"Rose! Arc! Follow my lead!" He shouted out, accelerating Steel-2 ahead of the others as the swarm of Feilong became aggressive to their presence. Ruby instantly followed his command, and Jaune was pulled along for the ride due to the autopilot.
"But that's way too much!" Jaune cried out after being slammed back into his seat. He had resolve, but doubt was quickly planted at the sight of Emperor Doublas's mere shadow.
"If we give up, everyone in Vale is finished!" Ruby countered, dodging a Feilong that came directly at her. "Remember what we're fighting for, Jaune! This isn't just us, it's to protect everyone, Pyrrha too!"
Protecting everyone… the very reason why, deep down, Jaune had wanted to become a huntsman. Most of all, the one person he wanted to protect more than anyone else as of now was…
"Pyrrha…" He mumbled to himself, remembering her smile when she accepted his plea for help, not that she knew Jaune could see it, "...Let's go!"
The three machines quickly made their way to the wild tempest, dodging beams and bodies from the collection of Feilong as they approached. Making a quick turn, Steel-2 turned with the wind, and the others followed.
"Move with the wind, avoiding debris and Grimm is much easier that way!"
Massive bolts of green lightning sparked along the wind currents, narrowly missing the machines as they made their way closer and closer to the eye of the storm. The lightning was originating from the center, likely produced by Emperor Doublas, and ended up striking other Grimm when they missed the trio. Any Feilong struck by the lightning was instantly fried and fell dead to the ocean.
As the trio got close, Hayato pulled a lever and activated a routine in Jaune's Steel-3. Ruby knew what he was going for, and lined herself up appropriately with a smile on her face.
"CHANGE, AURA DAWN!"
Baron Ashura watched as the machines combined, scoffing as they twirled their wand and made the tip briefly glow. The storm dispersed in an instant from a single powerful flap of Doublas's wings, revealing Emperor Doublas as the cause of the storm.
At the same time, the machines slammed together and began the combination process. Steel-2 quickly transformed to reveal red eyes as a black cape shot out from its back which seemed to hide its flight mechanism. Steel-3 collided with the rear of the machine and extended out a pair of arms that had bladed forearms; gun barrels were also visible on its wrists in addition to clawed fingers. Steel-1 collided with the bottom and transformed into a slender pair of legs made for quick movement.
Seeing the full combination now, it was clear that Emperor Doublas still had a size advantage, but it was no longer quite as severe. Still, it was troubling that it hadn't seemed to react to their combination at all.
"So that is your new toy, how disappointing!" Baron Ashura shouted with a smile, "In terms of looks, it pales in comparison to Aura Corvid where intimidation is concerned!" The two faced creation began to laugh, but was cut off when Aura Dawn suddenly vanished from their sight.
Sucking their teeth, Ashura ordered Doublas to move and began flying through the air in search of the trio. Hearing a sonic boom, Emperor Doublas screeched in pain as a cut made itself evident on its breastplate. The only evidence of an attacker was a blur that constantly moved just on the edge of the giant Grimm's vision. Ashura growled and waved their Bardos Wand, the Grimm's eyes glowing as well while it unleashed an earth quaking roar. Its body began to emit electricity before unleashing it in every direction, extending its wings out in fury.
Green lightning arced from every Feilong present to another, simultaneously creating a minefield for Aura Dawn to navigate and killing off the Grimm swarm.
In the cockpit of Aura Dawn, Hayato was calm and collected as he navigated the mess. Ruby also had her eyes staunchly forward, but Jaune was yelling in terror the whole way. Seeing the extended wings of Emperor Doublas, Jin Hayato grinned fiercely at the mistake and maneuvered Aura Dawn appropriately. He moved in a fierce zigzag motion and extended the forearm blades by a large amount, gaining height before diving down.
"Panther Claw!"
He completely severs one of Doublas's wings, the dragon roaring in pain as it begins plummeting towards the ocean. The colossal Grimm adjusts itself midair to dive underwater, and disappears beneath the waves. Just as Hayato wanted.
"Arc, you're up!" He called out, wiping sweat from his brow. His old injuries were starting to get to him.
"What?! Why me?"
"Aura Zeus is the form best equipped for underwater combat. Rose is no good underwater, and Dawn is best for aerial combat," Ruby explained, giving Jaune a smile, "You've got this, I believe in you."
Upon hearing that, Jaune closed his eyes and took a deep breath, remembering what he's been telling himself. For Pyrrha.
"...Alright, let's do this!"
"Good," Hayato replied, pressing a pink button, "OPEN GET!"
Aura Dawn split into three again, the machines diving towards the ocean just as a glow emanated from the depths.
"Dodge!"
Twin beams of energy split the ocean, Emperor Doublas was still determined to kill them after all.
The machines maneuvered expertly around the attacks, and began lining up for combination. At the same time, the depths began to glow again. Remembering one of Aura Zeus's capabilities that Ruby mentioned to him, Jaune didn't stop the combination.
"CHANGE, AURA ZEUS!"
The ensuing combination was so violent that it sounded like thunder to Jaune's ears. As his controls shifted, he noticed that he remained seated compared to Hayato's full motion tracking setup in Aura Dawn. However, his arms were now attached to several wires that tracked his upper body motion.
Aura Zeus was bulkier than both Rose and Dawn, but also seemed to be shorter and more armored. It was still bipedal, but the lower sections of its legs were replaced with treads and advanced hydraulics hidden by armor. Its body had some kind of cannon in its gut, with large harpoon guns attached to the shoulders. The arms looked strong enough to lift anything, an it was likely that the hands had enough crush force to turn anything to dust.
The machine dropped like a rock, just as the glowing ocean unleashed its fury. Two beams once again split the sea, but then combined into one powerful concentration. Jaune faced the onslaught with little fear, crossing his arms as the beam made contact. A whirring noise rang out to his left, and a gauge was rapidly filling.
"Aura Zeus has the ability to absorb energy attacks! You've got nothing on us!" Jaune shouted, facing the monitor depicting Baron Ashura's shocked face as they plummeted into the ocean. Aura Zeus landed directly on top of Emperor Doublas's chest, cracking the bone armor. The Grimm roared in anger slithered out from underneath the metal titan.
"You aren't getting off easy!"
Grabbing the Grimm by the tail, Jaune swung it around. Turns out that Aura Zeus had a waist that could rotate 360 degrees with little issue, which added power to the swing. Letting go, Doublas collided with a rock wall and screeched in pain. The sea dragon slithered through the water just as easily as flying for it, and seemed to try and escape.
"Monstro Harpoon!" Jaune shouted, swiveling to face the fleeing dragon. A brief beep was the only sign of a targeting system before two harpoons launched from the shoulders at nigh imperceptible speeds and hit their mark, piercing Doublas's back and one of its necks.
"N-No… Doublas!" Ashura shouted, panicking at the imminent loss.
"Reel it in!" The blond teenager shouted, slamming his palms together as the gauge to his left began rapidly draining, "and how about I return the energy you gave us?!"
The harpoons slowly pulled the struggling Grimm back, and Aura Zeus slammed its palms together as energy began building in its hands. As it was pulling its hands away from each other, energy arced from between its hands and began taking a solid form. Hardlight dust allowed the energy to keep its shape, and it formed into a giant blade.
"PLASMA THUNDER SWORD!"
Jaune grasped onto the hologram depiction of the weapon he had created, and smiled. This all felt amazing. He hardened his gaze, bringing himself back to the battle at hand. Looks like it was taking the harpoons a while to reel in Doublas on their own…
"You won't get away!" He shouted, then held out the blade in front of him.
"Typhoon Cannon: Whirlpool!"
The cannon in Aura Zeus's stomach activated, and a visible suction force created a massive current that drew everything in front of Zeus in. Doublas couldn't beat the current, and was rapidly drawn in.
"THUNDER…" Jaune began as Doublas drew closer and closer, struggling all the way. He readied himself, and swung when the Grimm was at just the right distance. He also accelerated Aura Zeus forwards as fast as it would go, adding further power to the attack. "...CRASH!"
Swinging the blade vertically, he split Emperor Doublas cleanly through the middle. It now resembled the regular Feilong that it probably once was.
"D-Doublas..!" Ashura whimpered out, then began growling, "You will pay for this, Jin Hayato. You and the children you send out to fight Ozpin's battles!" The screens returned to normal, the lab staff looking confused as to what happened.
Hayato looked to Michiru's screen, a questioning glance on his face.
"Sorry, we couldn't track down the origin of the signal in time…" She said, shaking her head.
Hayato gave a quiet sigh, shaking his head as well.
"No matter. What matters now is that we can definitely beat Doctor Merlot for good with this machine," He said, a nostalgic smile sneaking its way onto his face, "and after we deal with Merlot… Salem."
Ruby and Jaune were celebrating the victory, talking animatedly about the battle. They were oblivious to Hayato's conversation with Michiru, and it will likely remain that way for a while until he deemed them ready for the truth of this world. If anything, Baron Ashura's return made one thing clear to the pilot turned scientist.
He would need to find pilots for Aura Dawn soon.
Author's Note:
Sorry about the wait since the last chapter, got pretty busy with my training. I already have a decent outline of what I want to happen next chapter, so it should probably be done relatively soon.
Man, strangely enough it was Aura Zeus that I had the most trouble figuring out in terms of abilities. Also, I gave y'all a bit of a sneak peek at Aura Dawn this chapter, hope it was enough to raise some anticipation at its full capabilities.
Until next time!