Ladies and gentlemen! Hunters and Huntresses! People and animals, and all other forms of life in any world, making its first foray into the world of Remnant, welcome one and all to the one, the only, studio of lyokoMARVELanime! And now, here's your host, the man, the myth, the legend, the crossover crafter, the epic builder, the author behind the studio himself, lyokoMARVELanime!
[audience applause as author runs out on stage before plopping down in his usual desk chair]
AN: Hey everybody! Pretty exciting huh? It is our first ever RWBY story, after all, and I doubt anyone has any reason to not be excited.
Weiss: So much for being a while before you finally made something. I thought you weren't going to have us show up in any of your stories for a long time or something.
AN: No what I said was that the earliest time you guys would appear would be as special guests in one of my Kingdom Hearts story series, at that time, but, lucky for you guys, I did manage to find a way to get you guys into your own story a little sooner, or more accurately, your own one-shot series.
Blake: What're you talking about?
AN: Okay, so it's like this: I've been juggling around various different ideas for stories I could do for you guys, but none of them really seemed to hold much weight, just seemed like the sort of thing that would be a one-and-done, or were just flat-out too silly to ever be taken seriously by anyone, including me. It was honestly starting to seem like I would never come up with anything other than what I had planned for you guys in my two KH series, until one day, it finally hit me.
Ruby: One of Yang's punches?
AN: Funny. Very cute and funny. No, the solution to the whole problem. Why try to make one big story right away, when I can test the waters with a simpler series of short stories? Namely ones in which the heroes of RWBY meet and team-up with various characters and heroes from other series. And thus, RWBY Meetings was born!
Yang: So what? This like a sounding board for you to use in order to figure out which ideas you should push forward with in the future or something?
AN: Partially. This will consist of a variety of different stories. Things like AUs where the guest stars exist in the same world as the rest of the RWBY cast, where the reverse is the case, the old classic heroes traveling to another universe bit, or even series where the world of RWBY is actually just another planet in the same universe as the guest star heroes'. You may even see some sneak previews of things that will come later on down the line in one or two of my other stories that may or may not feature Team RWBY and their friends, like the Kingdom Hearts storylines that I mentioned earlier. I'll do my best to specify which one each short story is before you guys get into things, like today.
This time around, we will be seeing an AU where our special guest stars exist in the same world as RWBY, and what better guest stars to kick this off than the group that helped give me the inspiration for this one-shot series? Ruby, care to do the honors?
Ruby: Sure thing! Ahem...Today Team RWBY meets the Scooby-Doo Gang!...Did I do that right?
AN: Perfectly. Now on with the show everyone! And please, try to go a little easy on me. As I mentioned this is my very first ever RWBY fanfiction, so I really don't know if I've done good or bad with it.
I do not own anything from any of the RWBY franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story.
The Scooby-Doo Gang
After helping to stop all the Grimm that had invaded during the breach, you would think that the Huntsmen and Huntresses would take some time off for a while. It would make sense, since after a fight like that, anyone would need to rest up, repair their weapons, replenish their supplies of Dust, and for the younger generation, start preparing and planning for the upcoming Vytal Festival Tournament. However, that is not necessarily the case, for life always continues to go on, and wherever there is a need for so much as one Huntsman, there would always be work for the defenders of Remnant. You need not look for any further proof than the fact that Beacon Academy's very own Glynda Goodwitch was currently aboard a Bullhead that was flying out into the main city of the kingdom of Vale on one such job, accompanied by none other than the team of Huntresses-in-training that had been at the center of the battle right from the start: Team RWBY.
While she may come off as indifferent to most of her students' plights and needs to be kids for a while, Glynda did in fact understand why Ozpin would want the students to have a chance to be kids, and part of that would include allowing the four girls to rest up after that particular battle. Sadly, the world was not privy to allowing such things, and thus, she had been forced to call upon the four to aid her in this newest job. Not that it seemed to bother the youngest student to ever be enrolled at Beacon Academy, but then again in her experience with the young girl, Glynda would have found it stranger that Ruby Rose was not excited about any variety of Huntress work. Although, looking over at Ruby as they flew to their destination, Glynda could not help but feel that Ruby was particularly excited about this job for some reason that she could not fathom.
To say she was not the only one to notice would have been a blatant statement of the obvious, but it was no surprise to anyone that she was not the first one to try and get Ruby to settle down. "Ruby, will you calm down," Weiss Schnee practically ordered. "We can't let our client think that we're amateurs getting our first job, so you could at least try to show some form of professionalism."
"Oh come on, Weiss! This is our second official job as Huntresses," Ruby happily reasoned, once again proving immune to her partner's otherwise cold attitude.
"It's not going to be something like the job at Mountain Glenn, though. We're just guarding a random museum," one Blake Belladona pointed out. Sometimes Glynda was surprised by just how jaded the young Faunus girl really was, but then again, given what she had heard about the girl from Ozpin, it was no wonder that she would not share the same spark of energy as more than half of her team did. At least, not to the same extent.
"Yeah, a museum about cool monsters and mysteries that have been around in all the kingdoms for ages," Yang grinned to her partner. "You can't tell me that you wouldn't like getting a look at all the exhibits that talk about all the cool stories and legends that have either been proven to be true or false over the years. Besides, you do remember that there's going to be a very special group of VIPs at this thing, right?"
"Indeed. The foremost and most famous group of mystery solvers in the kingdoms will be in attendance. More than that, they'll have donated a few items of interest from their previous cases to the museum as well, so I'm sure you can all understand why we must ensure that nothing happens to either them or the museum itself while we are here," Goodwitch instructed. She of all people knew the kind of damage these girls could do, so she felt she was justified in making it clear that they needed to tone it down a lot in case a fight were to break out.
It was hard to tell whether or not any of her words actually registered for Ruby, because the girl was still bouncing around in place like she knew she was about to get the best present ever the minute they landed. "I just can't wait until we get there," Ruby cheered. "Not to mention the fact that you guys will get to meet some old friends of mine!"
"Ruby, we're not going there to meet some of your classmates from Signal," Weiss immediately pointed out.
"Oh, these guys didn't go to Signal with me. They were our neighbors years ago before they moved away, but now, they're going to be coming back to town for the museum's big opening," Ruby revealed.
That surprised the white and black colored members of Team RWBY, because as far as they knew, Ruby had always been very socially awkward around people, so to hear that they would be meeting up with friends of hers from so long ago was surprising to say the least. Then again, it was not like they really knew that much about Ruby and Yang's lives when they were growing up, so who was to say that their leader was not a little different back when she was little? Before they could ask Ruby for some more details about these friends of hers, the Bullhead finally came down to land at their destination, and the four students and teacher all jumped out to meet with their client.
Said client was actually standing right at the entrance of the museum, a very massive building that was definitely the textbook image of what people would first think of when they pictured such a location, and he smiled right away upon seeing the five. The man in question was a tall, rotund man, dressed in a grey suit that made him look like he was someone from high society like Weiss, and wore half-moon spectacles that rested on his crooked nose. "Ah, Professor Goodwitch, I presume," the man greeted with a smile.
"Yes, and I take it you're the museum curator," Glynda inquired in return.
"That and the proud owner of the Mystery Museum. Doctor Ernie Grey, at your service," the curator confirmed with a smile as he shook hands. He then looked to the four girls with Goodwitch and asked, "And who might these young ladies be?"
"One of Beacon's finest first year teams, Team RWBY," Goodwitch introduced. It was hard for the four to tell if she really meant that or if she was just saying it, but then again, they were not going to complain about receiving such a compliment. "Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladona, and Yang Xiao-Long."
"Ah, a pleasure to meet you all," Doctor Grey nodded.
"Likewise, Doctor," Weiss nodded in return, while the others gave their own variety of greetings, some of which made the Schnee heiress once again wish two of her teammates were a little more well versed in proper etiquette.
"So Doctor, what exactly is your field of study," Blake inquired.
"Well, technically I'm a history buff, but in all honesty, I study all things involved in mythology. Not just the old legends, mind you, but all manner of mysteries and creatures. Why, I've even theorized that some of the fairy tales we've told as children may actually be clues to a much greater truth than we've ever known," the doctor explained.
The girls were all silent upon hearing that, until Yang and Ruby both let out a short laugh as the latter stated, "Come on, Doc. Fairy tales being real? That's just silly."
"Yeah. I mean, imagine if something that the Tale of the Four Maidens was real. That'd be just crazy right," Yang chuckled.
"Yes…Yes, of course it would. There's no real reason to believe otherwise," Goodwitch nervously agreed, her eyes jumping this way and that in a skittish manner that peeked a few people's curiosity.
"Well, it is just a theory, but you have to admit, any mystery is an enticing one. After all, it is only human nature to try and solve a mystery when clues are put before them," Doctor Grey pointed out. "Why, the VIPs for this museum's grand opening can certainly attest to that, given their mystery solving success."
"If you don't mind my asking, Doctor, just who are these VIPs that everyone keeps mentioning," Blake finally asked. Not that you could blame her, as the only thing she knew was that they were supposed to be a group of mystery solvers with a major reputation.
"Why that should be quite obvious, my dear. It's none other than Mystery Incorporated," Doctor Grey revealed.
"Wait a minute. Mystery Incorporated? As in the group of amateur detectives that are otherwise known as the Scooby-Doo Gang," Weiss questioned, not noticing how Ruby soured a little at the word amateur only to brighten up a little more upon hearing the mystery gang's alternate name.
"The very same. I take it you've heard of them," Grey asked.
"Who hasn't? They run across more mysteries by accident than any human or Faunus alive," Blake pointed out.
"Please. They're not that impressive," Weiss scoffed. "They're just a bunch of overly curious teens that get in over their heads while getting involved in things that they should leave to professionals."
"Uh, Ice Queen," Yang muttered as she subtly indicated both themselves and the rest of their teammates.
"It's not the same thing," Weiss tried to protest.
"Hey, Mystery Inc aren't amateurs. They all know full well what they're doing, and they've got all the smarts and skills necessary to trap any ghost, goblin, or ghoul that's causing trouble," Ruby defended in almost an instant. She then turned a little sheepish and said, "I mean, maybe they can't handle a Grimm, but everything else…"
Just before the conversation could go any further, the group heard a car pulling up, and turned to see that pulling up to the curb was none other than the famous, green, blue, and orange-flowered van that Mystery Inc was known for: the Mystery Machine. When the van finally came to a stop, out came none other than the members of Mystery Inc themselves, all smiling with excitement, but none more so than their group's famous Great Dane, Scooby-Doo. "Well, look at that," Doctor Grey muttered. "They're actually early. And here I was thinking that they would end up late, given what I've heard about how their travels normally cause them to get lost while on the way to wherever they're going."
"All right, gang, looks like we made it at last," Fred Jones declared with a smile. "The Valean Museum of Mystery."
"And it looks like we got here early like we were hoping," Daphne Blake noted as she glanced around to see the lack of people that were parked there.
"Naturally. After all, we weren't taking directions from Fred's GPS or Navigator Shaggy," Velma Dinkley pointed out while adjusting her glasses.
"Hey, like that's uncalled for Velma," Shaggy Rogers retorted. He then pulled out a folded up map and added, "Besides, can I help it if I can't read Old Mistralian?"
"Old Mistralian? That's a Valean map," Daphne told her friend.
"Well it's all Old Mistralian to me," Shaggy insisted before tossing the map back into their van.
"Reah. Really Rold. Heheeheeheehee," Scooby agreed with a short laugh.
Upon seeing the group, the folks from Beacon all gave off pretty typical reactions. Goodwitch maintained her professional visage and showed no visible signs of what she was thinking, while Weiss just stared in awe at the group before them. Blake on the other hand had made it a point to hide behind Yang upon seeing the mystery solving group's dog, as usual, while Yang just grinned widely as if she was expecting something funny to happen at any moment. It was Ruby's reaction that actually drew the most attention though, as the red reaper immediately bounded towards the group of five with excitement dancing in her eyes.
"Scooby! Shaggy," Ruby cheered as she waved to the two members that she had called out, making them both turn to face her.
"Like hey! Look it is," Shaggy started to say with a grin, only to stop short when his best pal suddenly took off like lightning.
"RUBY," Scooby cheered as he bounded over to the Huntress-in-training and happily jump-tackled her.
"Oof," was the first thing that came out of Ruby's mouth when the Great Dane landed on her, and the next thing that came out was nothing but laughter when Scooby started happily licking her. "Ah-hahaha! St-stop it! C-come on, Scooby, that tickles," Ruby playfully protested as she scratched the talking dog behind his ears.
"Doggone it, Scoob, I told you on the way in that you couldn't just tackle Ruby like that now. You're not a puppy anymore like you were when we last saw her," Shaggy scolded, but from the smile on his face, it was hard to tell just how serious he was being.
"Roh. Rorry," Scooby apologized.
"Hey, don't worry about it, Scooby. I'm just so glad to see you guys," Ruby reassured her two friends. "Did you miss me? Did you miss me?!"
"Reah, Reah! Ra role rot," Scooby barked in return.
"Like he's not kidding. There were some days after we first left that he was crying at night over the fact that you weren't just down the street anymore," Shaggy revealed.
"Reah," Scooby moaned miserably.
"Aw, that's so sweet, Scooby," Ruby cooed as she gave the big dog a huge hug.
At that point, Weiss and Blake finally snapped out of the trances they had fallen into upon seeing their leader not only talking to members of Mystery Inc so casually, but also being greeted in return in the manner that Scooby had. "Wait a minute, wait a minute," Weiss interrupted. "Are you telling us that the neighbors you mentioned on the way here were Mystery Inc?"
"No, not all of Mystery Inc. Just Scooby and Shaggy," Yang revealed before digging into her pockets and pulling out an old photo. She had a feeling that this would come up, so she made it a point to be prepared. Looking at the picture, Weiss, Blake, and Glynda all saw an image of a very small Ruby Rose happily playing with a much younger Shaggy and a puppy Scooby-Doo, and even as Yang explained it, they were still having a hard time processing it. "The three of them were the best of friends for about as long as any of us could remember, until Shaggy's parents got a new job over in Vacuo. Scooby's actually a big reason why Ruby likes animals so much."
"Yep. Scooby's my second favorite dog," Ruby proudly declared.
"Rey! Recond ravorite," Scooby demanded.
"Sorry, Scoob, but Zwei's always gonna be my first favorite. Owner's prerogative," Ruby pointed out.
"Roh. Rokay rhen," Scooby agreed, no longer having any problem with the label.
As the two old friends continued to talk, Doctor Grey came along to speak with the rest of Mystery Inc. "I'm just glad you all made it, and can I just say that I am so thrilled that you're donating your collection of mystery souvenirs? They'll be a huge hit in the Mystery Solvers exhibit."
"Trust us, the pleasure is all ours," Fred reassured the man as he led the doctor to the Mystery Machine. "We've been meaning to get rid of a few of these old things for ages now."
Upon opening up the back of the van, a large load of those very items came spilling out. Everything from the costumes of the old Scooby villains, to various contraptions that the villains had used to aid in their creepy capers, and even the supplies that were used in the traps that Scooby Gang used to capture those very same villains. Unfortunately for Weiss and Blake, they were standing a little too close to the Mystery Machine at the time, and ended up being accidentally buried underneath all of it, much to the Scooby Gang's embarrassment. "Uh…whoops. I guess we should've warned you about that," Daphne sheepishly apologized.
"Gee, you think," Blake asked as her head popped up out from underneath the Pterodactyl Ghost costume.
After digging herself out, Weiss could not help but take notice of the items that were not monster costumes and had to ask, "I can understand keeping the costumes, but why are you keeping all of this old junk?"
"Hey, those traps aren't junk! They're innovative creations that are perfectly designed for all forms of monster catching," Fred insisted.
"Freddie's a little sensitive about his traps," Velma quickly excused as she helped the two buried girls out from under their collection of old souvenirs.
"Oh no worries. Ruby's kinda the same way when it comes to her scythe," Yang reassured the smart one of the gang.
Upon mentioning Ruby, everyone turned to see that the red reaper was actually playing around with Scooby at the moment, and getting him to do all kinds of tricks that even the Scooby Gang had never seen him do before. When they noticed the box of Scooby Snacks in her hand, it all instantly became clear though, because there was nothing that Scooby would not do for a Scooby Snack. Still, it was surprising how much the two got a long, and Weiss ended up unable to stop herself from asking the big question. "So, if Ruby's such good friends with Scooby and Shaggy, how is it that they never decided to become Huntsmen like her?"
"Like that's easy. Because we're cowards," Shaggy replied with a surprising amount of pride.
"Reah! Rowards," Scooby nodded.
"What're you talking about? You guys are two of the bravest people I've ever met," Ruby protested. "You woulda made great Huntsmen."
"Well to tell you the truth, Rubes, the idea kinda like soured for us after that little prank that Yang pulled on me and Scooby that one Halloween," Shaggy admitted.
"Oh, right. That makes a lot of sense," Ruby nodded with a sheepish and very apologetic expression. "I'm still so sorry for that. I tried to tell her that it was a bad idea to get all those Grimm dolls and costumes, but…"
"Hey, it was all in good fun," Yang insisted. "Besides, Scooby handled it like a champ."
"Really," Ruby, Shaggy, and Scooby all questioned, clearly indicating that they remembered it very differently than the blonde.
"All right, now students. Perhaps you can help Mystery Inc with getting settled in and moving their items into the museum while I have a few words with Doctor Grey," Goodwitch instructed, breaking up the socialization time so that they could get down to business.
"Yes ma'am," Ruby saluted in return. "Come on, Team RWBY, let's get to work!"
With that said, the Beacon professor and museum curator headed off into the museum while Ruby, Scooby, and all the rest of their friends started gathering up stuff that they could take inside. As they were working, Shaggy leaned over to Yang and asked, "So like, how confusing is it with your team and your sister having the same name?"
"Eh, not as much as you'd probably think," Yang shrugged.
As it turned out, Mystery Incorporated was actually being given their own wing in the Mystery Museum, hence the reason why they were VIPs for the grand opening, so there was no shortage of places for them to set everything up. Of course, it turned out being a little hard to pick and choose just what they would be donating, at least in some cases. "No, we can't give up that trap! It has a very special place in my heart," Freddie insisted.
"That's what you said about the last five. Besides, how good can they really be after they've already been used," Yang questioned.
In other cases, it was a matter of figuring out where the best placement was, and a certain member of Team RWBY was not really helping all that much. "I still say that you shouldn't put this one closer to the window. With the way it lights up, it'd make someone think that there were people inside while the museum is closed," Weiss insisted.
"Well it's still better than your idea. You want to stick it in the middle of the room," Daphne mentioned.
"It's called the Ten-Thousand Volt Ghost. I'd think that would make it one of your more dangerous enemies, so it only makes sense that it would have such a place of honor," Weiss argued.
Meanwhile, Blake and Velma just shook their heads at each of their teammates. "This is getting to be a little silly," Velma muttered.
"Hey, be glad that you don't have to live with your group twenty-four-seven," Blake argued, keeping a wary eye on where Scooby was still playing around with Ruby and Shaggy.
Velma raised an eyebrow at the cat Faunus, and then asked, "Is it normal for all Faunus to fear the natural enemy that their animal traits are derived from?"
"It really depends, to be honest," Blake shrugged, only to pause when she realized what Velma just implied. "Wait, how did you…?"
"Simple deductive reasoning, Miss Belladona," Velma explained. "Your eyes have a subtle glow to them not dissimilar to that of a cat's when they are prowling through the dark, and your aversion to Scooby being two of the more obvious clues. Of course, the most obvious was how your bow moves in response to your mood at a given time, which indicates that you're hiding your animal trait, most likely a set of ears underneath it."
Blake could only stare at the girl that everyone considered to be the smart one of the Scooby Gang, unable to believe that she had figured all of that out in barely more than a few hours, before she finally just said, "You're good."
"Naturally," Velma grinned with pride.
At that point, Weiss let out a small shriek that made everyone worried, and they all rushed over to see what was wrong. When they saw the problem, some of them were left a bit disgusted, while the others just gained deadpan expressions. "Why in the world do you have an old, empty box of dog treats," Weiss questioned.
"Rey! Rhat's rot a rox of rog reats. Rat's a rox of Rooby Racks," Scooby corrected.
"Yeah, and a very important box of Scooby Snacks," Shaggy added. "Like it's the very first box of Scooby Snacks that Scooby went through over the course of all our mysteries."
"And you kept it," Weiss questioned.
"Naturally. Why would you throw out a box of Scooby Snacks," Shaggy asked like it was the silliest thing he ever heard.
Daphne motioned for Weiss to come closer and whispered, "Be glad that's the only box they ever kept. It's also the box of the very first Scooby Snacks, so getting them to part with it at all was especially hard."
The only thing that Weiss found stranger than what she just learned from the redhead was how Ruby was quietly snickering to herself for some strange reason. She shrugged it off in favor of the weird matter right in front of them though. "And why would you be donating this at all?"
"Because it needs to be immortalized forever," Shaggy insisted.
"Reah, reople reed to know rhat Rooby Racks rare rhe reatest racks rever, rand relp rolve rysteries," Scooby declared.
"Right," was all Blake could say before subtly rolling her eyes a little. Weiss on the other hand was not so polite, and made sure that everyone could tell she was not in agreement with that.
"On the bright side, we've just about got everything set up and ready," Fred reassured everyone.
"And without any problems either," Velma agreed.
"Were you expecting there to be a problem," Yang asked.
"No, it's just that usually whenever we go somewhere, this would be the point where some horrible monster or ghost shows up and tries to ruin everything," Fred reasoned.
"Like no way, man. Not this time. The only monsters I want to even hear about are the Grimm, and only if they're in simple stories or new reports," Shaggy insisted, not noticing that something was coming up from behind him.
"Ruh, R-Raggy," Scooby stuttered.
"Not now, Scoob," Shaggy waved off. "Seriously, this time, we're avoiding all manner of creeps and haunting, and therefore, avoiding any chance of you guys making me and Scooby the bait for any traps."
"Uh Shaggy," Ruby nervously tried to say.
"Just minute, Ruby," Shaggy insisted before starting to return to what he was saying, until he realized that both Ruby and Scooby were looking particularly freaked out, along with everyone else. At that point, he could only come to what conclusion. "Like, there's some really creepy monster thing right behind me, isn't there?"
"Ru-huh," Scooby whimpered in reply.
Shaggy slowly turned around and found himself face-to-face with a creature unlike anything that any of the group had seen before. Whatever it was, it looked a lot like a man, but it shared many features that were common amongst the Grimm, namely the inky black skin, bone-like armor and spikes, and the Grimm mask with red markings and glowing, orange eyes. With the whole group now facing it, the creature let out a savage, shrieking roar that caused the entire room to shake, and the reactions that everyone had was instant.
"ZOINKS," Shaggy screamed as he turned and booked it out of there.
"RIKES," Scooby hollered along with his best friend while running for it.
"Jinkies," Velma exclaimed.
"Jeepers," Daphne gasped.
Fred just stood there for a moment before he slumped over and muttered, "Dang it! I still don't have a catchphrase."
"Let's hit this thing with everything we've got," Yang determined as she readied her gauntlets.
"No, wait! We can't use our weapons in here without damaging any of the exhibits," Blake reminded her.
"So then what should we do," Weiss asked.
"Follow Scooby's lead and run for it," Ruby suggested.
Not seeing many other options, the girls and the rest of the Scooby Gang all just shrugged and ran from the creature just as it was taking a swipe at them. Not that it really did any good, considering that this Man-Grimm thing, because it was easily chasing after them not even a second later. Luckily, Ruby had no shortage of ideas, because once they were cleared of the room, she turned to her partner and shouted, "Weiss, block the door!"
Swiping out her sword with an easy flourish, Weiss immediately used the Dust loaded in it to block the entrance with a thick ice wall as requested. She doubted her cold blockade would last long, but she was sure that it would hold for a good long time. Just a second later, the beast actually passed through the ice like it was not even there, and after letting out another roar resumed chasing after them, and with little other options, Weiss and Ruby quickly turned and ran as fast as they could. Since they were still not too eager to risk damaging the museum, Ruby looked to her sister and Blake after running a fair distance, and gave them a quick nod. The two girls both nodded in return, and immediately spun around to fire on the Man-Grimm, taking careful measures to not accidentally hit any part of the building or exhibits as they went.
With all the commotion, it was no surprise that Goodwitch and Doctor Grey eventually came in from wherever they were, with the former looking more than a little miffed while the latter just looked concerned. "What in the name of Oum is going on down here," Goodwitch demanded.
"Like you don't wanna know," Shaggy informed the professor as he and Scooby ran past, surprising Goodwitch a little.
"Some freaky man-like Grimm just showed up out of nowhere and is chasing after us," Weiss informed the professor.
"It can't be," Grey muttered in fear just when Glynda was about to call out the heiress on her claims. At the sound of another loud roar, they both turned and stared with eyes as wide as dinner plates at the sight of the very beast Weiss had just mentioned. "The Grimm King!"
Not wasting any time with questions that could be answered later, Glynda drew her riding crop and waved it at the beast, conjuring up a bit of her powers so that she could blast the beast back down the hall it had come from. "Girls, I suggest that you use whatever means are at your disposal to deal with this creature," Glynda ordered.
To Team RWBY, that meant that they could go all out, and they each quickly drew their respective weapons so that they could open fire on the Grimm King. Under all the blasts of various types of Dust ammo that was hitting it, the monster had instantly cowered in fear before it turned and made a run for it, and it was not until it was long gone that the girls finally stopped shooting. With the creature gone and their ability to speak without needing to shout over the sounds of gunfire now restored, Velma stepped forward and asked, "Just what was that thing?"
"I was afraid that this may happen," Doctor Grey admitted a short time later when everyone was gathered in his office. "You see, when I purchased the land necessary that I would build my museum upon, I got it cheap because it was said to be the resting place of a terrible creature. The Grimm King."
"Th-th-the Grimm King," Shaggy and Scooby stuttered as they held onto each other.
"Yes," Doctor Grey nodded as he retrieved a book from one of his shelves. "The story goes that there was once a man who found a way to seize control of the Grimm, but in order to do so, he needed to bathe in the pits of darkness that they were spawned from. Sadly, he never realized that doing so would transform him into a creature that was neither human nor Grimm, nor did he realize that doing so would upset the true ruler of all the Creatures of Grimm."
"True ruler? Who's that supposed to be," Weiss asked.
"Legend has it that it was, or perhaps even is a terrible witch with dark magic, who would like nothing more than to see our world burn as it drowns in hopelessness and despair. One who has fought time and again with a great warrior who's lived many lives through many different people," the doctor replied, not noticing that Goodwitch was suddenly getting a little nervous.
"Do you think that could be true? I mean, what if this warrior is someone we all know," Blake reasoned.
"It's not Professor Ozpin! He's just a normal huntsman and headmaster," Goodwitch suddenly insisted in a panic, surprising everyone. When she noticed how everyone was looking at her weirdly, she quickly composed herself and coughed, "I mean, as fascinating as this is…we should really focus on the important matter. This Grimm King you were talking about?"
"Right. Sorry. One mystery at a time," Doctor Grey insisted. "Anyway, as punishment for his crimes, this witch cursed him to forever walk Remnant as the hideous beast he had become, and made it so that he would always need to either slay a powerful Grimm, a virtual army of smaller Grimm, or bathe in those horrid pools of darkness in order to continue living in human form. Naturally, no one could do such a thing, and he became a horrible monster that was far worse than even the most powerful off all Grimm. According to legend, it took a team of huntsmen comprised of hunters and huntresses from all the kingdoms to finally defeat and kill him, but before he died, he managed one last bit of contact with his human side, and swore he would have revenge on all those who dared to cross him. Not just the witch, but the huntsmen that had slain him as well for giving up on him, and if not the actual hunters, then their descendants."
"Like, I'd hate to be those guys," Shaggy remarked.
"Reah, re roo," Scooby agreed.
"Yes…about that," Doctor Grey coughed uncomfortably. "I'm afraid that you and Scooby are two of those descendants, as is a member of Team RWBY."
"Oh, me and my big mouth," Shaggy moaned in sorrow, while Scooby just groaned unhappily.
"And just which one of my students is this descendant," Glynda inquired.
"Isn't it obvious," Doctor Grey inquired as he looked to Team RWBY's leader. "I mean, she has a very glaring clue as to the fact it's her." Ruby just glanced down at the floor while scraping her foot around in a small circle. "Namely the same thing that would make her perfect for dealing with terrible and dangerous Grimm that no one else can handle." Now Ruby was biting her lip out of worry. "A certain fact that has to do with silver eyes?"
"Ahem, season finale. Can't do it yet," Ruby whispered with a small cough.
"Either way, it looks like at least part of that legend is true, because that was the Grimm King's ghost just now," Yang pointed out as she indicated the door behind her from over her shoulder.
"Oh please, that is just ridiculous," Weiss scoffed in disbelief.
"Of course it is, considering that the nonmaterial embodiment, or essence, or organism, that's seen as a specter, wraith, or apparition has been scientifically proven to be a sheer myth," Velma agreed.
"Uh…what," nearly everyone in the room asked. The only ones who did not were Glynda, Doctor Grey, and Weiss.
"In other words, there's no such thing as a ghost," Weiss simplified, having understood it all without any trouble.
"Exactly," Velma nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, but does the ghost know that," Shaggy asked.
"RI don't rhink so," Scooby shook his head in the negative.
"Ghost or not, someone definitely doesn't want this museum to open or something," Ruby pointed out. "Why else would it have shown up now, just before the grand opening?"
"Maybe he wanted to complain about the ghoulish service," Yang joked. "Eh? Eh?"
In response to the blonde's pun, Blake face-palmed, Weiss and Glynda rolled their eyes, the latter unnoticeably so, Fred and Daphne just stared, Velma groaned, and Scooby, Shaggy, and Ruby all frowned while giving her several thumbs down. "Rhat ras rerrible," Scooby stated.
"I think that was almost as scary as the monster," Shaggy commented.
"Swing and a miss, Sis," Ruby agreed with both of the other two.
"Everybody's a critic," Yang sighed in false sorrow.
"And the only things my critics will have to say will be bad because my grand opening will become a grand closing," Doctor Grey stated.
"Not while we have anything to say about it," Ruby promised. "Right Professor?"
"Indeed, Miss Rose. We'll see to it that this creature, Grimm King Ghost or not, will not impede your museum's opening tomorrow, Doctor," Goodwitch promised.
"Oh boy. I think I know what's going to come next," Shaggy groaned.
"RI know rit is," Scooby cried.
"Well gang, it looks like we've got another mystery on our hands," Fred declared. "And this time, we've got a few huntresses to help us out."
"Really," Ruby cheered, quickly turning from serious huntress to excited child in less than a second.
"Yep. After all, you all know this city and a good number of its people better than we do. We'd love to have your help in this," Daphne confirmed for her.
"If it will hurry things along in bringing this obvious criminal to justice, I suppose it couldn't hurt," Weiss agreed.
"I'm in," Blake agreed.
"Yes! We get to team up with Mystery Incorporated! This is going to be so awesome," Yang cheered.
"Not to worry, Mystery Inc. Team RWBY has got your backs," Ruby promised.
With that declaration, the girls all exchanged a group high-five, while Mystery Inc did the same amongst their group, with two exceptions. "You know, I'd love to help with this, but like, me and Scooby actually have an important appointment to keep," Shaggy said.
"An appointment? For what," Velma questioned.
"What else? The next flight out of here," Shaggy exclaimed.
"Reah," Scooby agreed, and the two instantly turned to start running for the exit. They only ended up running in place as Fred and Velma grabbed them both by the back of Shaggy's shirt collar, and the back of Scooby's collar.
Mystery Inc was about to break out the Scooby Snacks or some other method of persuasion to keep the two chickens from leaving when Ruby moved to stand before Scooby and said, "But Scooby, do you really want to leave me and my friends to solve this all by ourselves? Or even let that big mean monster hurt me by leaving?"
Now, if it were anyone else asking that, Scooby probably would have exercised his usual level of cowardice and said yes before making a run for it, but given just the fact that this was Ruby Rose asking him, he just could not find the heart to do so. Never mind the fact that she was giving him a sad puppy face, and when Ruby gives you a sad puppy face, you just have to do whatever you can to make her smile again, especially when you are Scooby-Doo. "Rokay, re'll relp," Scooby sighed in defeat.
"What're you doing, Scoob? We can't stay if we're on that ghost's hit list," Shaggy protested.
"Rut Raggy, Ruby reeds us," Scooby pointed out, waving a paw at the sad face that was still on the young Rose's face.
Looking from his best pal to Ruby, Shaggy knew that he was beat, and just groaned, "Like, I hate it when you're right about this stuff."
"YAY," Ruby cheered happily, hugging her two friends in thanks afterwards. Despite the warmth it gave them though, Shaggy and Scooby were still shivering in fear of what was going to come next.
Investigating the scene where the group first encountered the Grimm King's ghost was the first order of business, obviously, and what they found there was almost next to nothing. The only thing that they did find in there was a strange little cube on the ceiling near where Weiss's ice barrier had been, but she figured it was just a fancy new security camera of some kind. Aside from that, Daphne did stumble upon an odd puddle of goo near one of the janitor closets that Shaggy and Scooby immediately thought was some kind of ghost slime, much to Weiss's annoyance and Velma's skepticism. They did find a potential suspect though: the old man that Team RWBY had seen running the Dust Till Dawn Dust shop and several noodle stands. Surprisingly, he was hired as a janitor for the museum until its opening, and he was not happy about the fact, since he came there hoping to be hired as a caterer for the grand opening. Given how bitter he was about the way that the curator had said that noodles were not a food he would want to serve at his grand opening, it was no wonder that he was now on Mystery Inc's list of potential suspects.
They soon found another suspect after leaving the museum to better investigate the area around it, and in the form of three familiar students who were visiting from Haven Academy. "Oh hey! It's Cinder and her friends," Ruby smiled as she rushed over to say hi. "Hey you guys,"
"WE'RE NOT EVIL," Cinder quickly exclaimed out of surprise as she tried to hide a chart of some kind from view.
"What," Ruby asked.
"I mean…H-hello, Ruby. What're you doing here," Cinder politely asked while trying to hide the otherwise devious look in her eyes.
"My team's on an important mission to figure out who wants to close the Museum of Mystery," Ruby explained as the rest of her team came over.
"What brings all of you out to the city," Yang asked.
"Nothing really. Just taking in the sights for the most part," Emerald casually shrugged. She then leaned in close so that she could whisper, "We're mainly doing it together because we can't really trust Mercury to behave himself and not do something weird while we're out."
"That makes sense. We've actually been doing the same thing with Blake. The difference being to make sure that she doesn't run away at the smell of fish," Weiss said in a rare moment of teasing, earning her a small shove from the cat Faunus.
Cinder then looked to who else was with the huntresses-in-training, and quickly became more nervous as she almost immediately recognized them. Still, she did her best to play it cool, and asked, "And…who're your friends?"
"Oh, this is Mystery Inc. You've heard of them, right," Blake asked.
"Only by reputation," Cinder admitted.
"Was there any specific place you were looking for out here? Scoob and I actually used to be Ruby's neighbors, so we visited Vale a lot with all of our parents," Shaggy revealed.
"Well…not really. Nothing for anything evil, of course," Cinder replied with a near stutter. She then caught sight of Scooby sniffing at the chart she was attempting to hide. "Um, th-that's…That's just our map! Of the city. Which we need, because we've never been to Vale before now. Never at all."
"Hey, Scoob, you really shouldn't be sniffing at people like that," Ruby lightly scolded.
"Rorry," Scooby apologized as he backed off.
"Well, nice running into you, but we've gotta get going," Cinder said before she and Emerald made a run for it, just as Mercury was coming back over.
"Hey guys, I've got that canon you said we'd need for the big evil plan…" Mercury started to announce, only to trail off at the end when he noticed that his teammates were gone and only Team RWBY and the Scooby Gang were left. "Uh…I mean…the confetti canon for the party that we were going to throw…for when we win…the Vytal Festival Tournament. Yeah, that's what I meant! Bye!"
Just like that, Mercury was also gone, and the others could only stare in the direction that the three had departed in, before Velma finally hummed in thought and muttered, "There's something awfully suspicious about those three."
"Like what," Blake asked.
"Yeah, they seem pretty normal to me," Ruby shrugged.
"They are students from another school, so it would make sense that they would be a little odd compared to people around here," Weiss pointed out.
"Trust us; they're cool," Yang reassured them.
Mystery Inc was not so sure, but they decided to take the girls' word for it and moved on. Not that they were really able to scrounge up too much about the whole thing, but they did find a few interesting things at the bank regarding Doctor Grey's more recent purchases. Some of them could have been written off as money that was spent for the sake of the museum, but there were other things that did not make any sense at all. What was even weirder was that they did not ever seem to run into the monster again. At least not until they had returned to the museum in an effort to see if there were any other exhibits that had been attacked.
Velma had figured that they should go back to the museum to ask if Doctor Grey had any other information on their ghostly quarry, but Scooby and Shaggy were not too eager to go back inside, and they were making it very clear to everyone. "No way am I going back in there when there's a chance we could run into that ghastly ghoul of Grimm-man. Like, I don't know if you've forgotten, but me and Scoob are two of the guys that thing wants gone," Shaggy reminded everyone.
"Reah. RI'm rot roing reither," Scooby insisted.
While some of Team RWBY thought it would be a good idea to have someone outside to guard the entrance, just in case, Mystery Inc knew better than to leave Shaggy and Scooby on that kind of guard duty, and felt that it would be better to bring the two chickens inside with them. So, they quickly broke out their tried and true method of getting Shaggy and Scooby, or at the very least Scooby to agree to go along with them. "Would you do it for a Scooby Snack," Velma asked.
"No way," Shaggy denied.
"Ro ray," Scooby agreed with his friend.
"How about two Scooby Snacks," Velma offered.
"Uh-uh," Shaggy once again refused.
"Ru-uh," Scooby added. "Re ran't be rought rhis rime."
"Yeah, you can offer us a whole box of Scooby Snacks, but we're not going in there to possibly be Grimm King Ghost bait, and that is final," Shaggy informed them.
"Well then, how about a whole box of Vale-exclusive Scooby Snacks," Daphne asked.
"With Milk," Fred added.
That seemed like the thing that would break the two for a minute until they found their resolve again and just turned away with their noses up and their arms crossed. "Wow, I really thought that would be the thing that got them. It usually works at this point," Daphne admitted.
"If they don't want to go in, we should just leave them here. They'll come racing in after realizing that they're out here all alone, right," Blake asked.
"Somehow, I highly doubt it. Unless the Grimm King were to appear here just a minute after we had all left," Velma replied.
"Well what're the chances of that happening," Weiss questioned.
"If you knew these two, you'd be surprised," Daphne informed the heiress.
Just then, Ruby stepped forward and pulled something out from behind her back as she sang, "Oh Scooby~. Look I've got for you."
Scooby took a small sniff of the air, and then opened one eye to see what it was that Ruby had. When he did, he fully turned to Ruby and asked, "Ri-ris rhat…?"
"Yep. I made them special as soon as I heard that you were gonna be visiting," Ruby revealed, shaking the plastic container of what looked like more Scooby Snacks, but there was something of a more homemade look to them.
Upon hearing that, Scooby instantly grew excited as he clapped and cheered, "Roh roy! Roh roy! Ruby's Rooby Racks!"
"Ah-ah-ah," Ruby quickly denied, pulling back the container just as Scooby was reaching for it. "Will you be brave if I give you one?"
"Reah! Reah," Scooby promised without a second thought.
"And fearless?"
"Ru-huh, ru-huh!"
"And go into the museum with the rest of us?" That made Scooby pause for a second, until Ruby added, "So that you can keep me safe while I keep you safe?"
Scooby was still thinking that over until he asked, "Rwo racks?"
"Okay, two snacks it is, but that's the final offer," Ruby conceded, getting a nod from the dog in return. She then pulled out the snacks in question and tossed them up so that Scooby could catch them in his mouth, which he did, despite an attempt at interference from Shaggy.
"What…what just happened," Freddie asked, not really sure how Ruby got Scooby to agree with some homemade Scooby Snacks.
"Yeah, I'd have thought that Scooby would've gone for a special version of Scooby Snacks like what we offered," Daphne agreed.
"You didn't go special enough, because nothing beats the Scooby Snacks made by the original creator of said treats," Yang revealed, surprising everyone.
"Are you telling us that Ruby's the one who created Scooby Snacks," Blake asked in surprise.
"Yep," Yang confirmed, popping the "p" at the end. She glanced over at the three friends before whispering, "She was actually trying to make some of our mom's cookies for Scooby one day, but ended up getting the recipe wrong. Turns out that Scooby actually loved them, and Ruby had been making them for him ever since, or at least until Scooby and Shaggy moved away. When Ruby found out that Zwei and other dogs loved the snacks just as much, she convinced our dad and Uncle Qrow to help her sell the recipe to a big company, but only on the grounds that they call them Scooby Snacks in honor of the friend that she first made them for."
"Aw, that's so sweet," Daphne cooed with a smile.
"A little odd, but I'll admit, that is actually very nice," Weiss confessed, even though on the inside she was just as touched as Daphne.
With that little matter settled, the group quickly headed back into the museum to find Doctor Grey, but when Fred knocked at the door to the curator's office after they had arrived, the door opened to reveal none other than the Grimm King himself, much to the gang's horror. "I guess the doctor isn't in right now," Shaggy nervously chuckled. "RUN!"
Both mystery solvers and huntresses-in-training were making a mad dash away from the Grimm King as fast as they could, while the ghostly monster in question roared and chased after them. Eventually, they had all split up into several smaller groups, with the monster making it a point to chase after Scooby, Shaggy, and Ruby. It almost seemed like it was being set up for a trap, with those three as the bait, but if that were the case, it would have to have been a trap that was heavily improvised and made right there on the spot. Still, it did not keep Shaggy and Scooby from screaming their heads off as they ran, and they could be heard even over the noise of Ruby firing pot shots at the Grimm King using her sniper rifle.
Eventually the three ducked into another room and slammed the door shut behind them. The Grimm King did not let a closed door stop him though, and instantly bashed the door in, but before it could even set foot in the room, Ruby shouted, "WAIT!" Surprisingly, the monster did stop, and then took the time to look around the room. On the far ends of the room, Shaggy and Scooby could be seen huddled on top of a couple of tables, while in the middle of it, Ruby stood upon a chair with her hand out as a silent command for the ghost to stay where it was. "The floor is lava," Ruby declared.
"Huh," the monster grunted in confusion, wondering if the girl was seriously playing this game with him right now.
"Like you heard Ruby, Grimm King! The floor is lava," Shaggy insisted. "Trust us; you do not want to question her about it."
"Reah. Rit'll rend radly for you," Scooby added.
"Grimm King, I know we have our differences, but please hear me out. The moment you step through that door, you'll be burned alive," Ruby dramatically declared.
The Grimm King was not going to listen what it believed to be part of a childish game, and just started to enter the room like anyone else would have, only to flinch back when its foot was actually burned when it touched the floor in the room. "RAGH," the Grimm King cried out in pain before jumping back.
"I tried to warn you," Ruby shrugged in return. "The only way to cross now is if you learn the ways of Parkour, balance, and…" Before Ruby could finish, the Grimm King leapt up and clung to the ceiling with its claws, snarling at the three as it went. "I mean, well…that's just cheating," Ruby grumbled before drawing Crescent Rose in sniper mode and taking careful aim. "But then again, this could be considered as such too."
One shot from Ruby's sniper, and the Grimm King dropped from ceiling and back down to the floor, where it let out a yell of pain as it scrambled to reach the nearest raised surface, which was actually a nearby display case that it could barely keep itself on top of since it was so small. Seeing this made Scooby and Ruby snicker at the monster a little, until it leveled them both with a glare that caused them both to go quiet again. "Don't worry. We'll guide you out as best as we can," Ruby insisted. "Just make sure you don't step on the floor or that display table over there."
The monster looked to the table that Ruby mentioned, and quickly nodded in return, following her instructions as it moved across the room. The Grimm King quickly noticed that it was not getting any closer to the three, much to its annoyance, and eventually realized that the only way to do so was to jump onto the display table that Ruby mentioned. Not wanting to waste anymore time, the Grimm King ended up deciding to chance it and get on and off the table as quick as it could, and made the jump. When it landed though, it was surprised that it was not harmed at all, and that surprise caused it to slip off and onto the floor, where it was further surprised by the fact that it was normal again.
Seeing this new development worried Ruby a little, and she quickly turned to look at Shaggy and whispered, "Any time now."
"Like, it's not working," Shaggy whispered back as he fiddled with a remote control.
The Grimm King noticed this and immediately stomped over to swipe the control from Shaggy. Reading the label, the Grimm King saw that it was a floor temperature control system, and it immediately roared in anger for the three making a fool of it. "YIKES/RIKES," Shaggy and Scooby respectively hollered, getting ready to run again.
"WAIT," Ruby shouted again, making everyone freeze, though the Grimm King did so with a glare. Ruby then pulled out her Scroll and said, "What? A chase scene needs good music, and I've wanted Scooby to hear this song I found online once for a while now." After tapping a few commands on her Scroll, Ruby found the song she was looking for, and instantly hit play before quickly saying, "Okay, now we can run."
The second Ruby had started the song and spoken, she grabbed hold of both Scooby and Shaggy, and used her semblance to get them all out of the room in a flurry of red rose petals, much to the Grimm King's roaring rage. His attempts at chasing after the three though only served to help him cross paths with Yang and Daphne.
Scooby-Dooby-Doo, where are you? We've got some work to do now.
"Oh, hello there," Yang waved in greeting before grabbing Daphne and using her gauntlets to blast them both away just as the Grimm King was about to slash them. At first it seemed like it missed both girls, but a second glance would allow one to see a few blonde hairs floating down to the floor, much to Yang's…displeasure. One angry roar and a burst of fire later, and the Grimm King was sent flying away from the girls, courtesy of Yang's semblance. "Don't mess with a girl's hair, you jerk!"
"Yeah, you tell 'im, sister," Daphne agreed with a smirk and a flourish of her own red locks. That prompted the two girls to exchange a low-five with each other before they decided to make a run for it before the Grimm King could get up again.
Scooby-Dooby-Doo, where are you? We need some help from you now.
When the Grimm King did rise again, he shook his head a little before settling his dazed eyes on Velma and Weiss, the latter of which was currently holding down the beast with one of her glyphs. Velma then handed a mixture of Dust that Weiss had allowed her to make, and while the Grimm King just looked at it in confusion, the two girls raced away and slammed the door shut behind them while covering their ears so that they could block out the sound of the explosion that followed after their exit.
Come on Scooby-Doo, I see you. Pretending you got a sliver.
Looking back in the room again allowed the two to see the Grimm King in an ashened state, prompting an impressed smile from Weiss. "Nice work," the heiress told Velma.
"If you think that was good, you should've seen some of the stuff I came up with before I finished elementary," Velma replied. She then looked back to see the monster shaking off the dust from the explosion and said, "Jinkies. We should run now."
"A very apt suggestion, Miss Dinkley," Weiss agreed before using another glyph to speed up their movements and help them get away faster.
But you're not fooling me, 'cause I can see, the way you shake and shiver.
The monster tried to chase after Velma and Weiss, but soon tripped over an unseen wire being held by Fred and Blake. Turning to the two, the Grimm King growled deviously at them before lunging forward to slash, only to miss them both thanks to Blake's semblance.
You know we've got a mystery to solve, so Scooby-Doo be ready for your act. Don't hold back!
Blake kept using her shadow clone ability to evade the Grimm King's swipes, much to its growing frustration until it finally ended up overreaching and slamming its head into a wall. When the monster dazed for the moment, Blake looked to Fred and asked, "You just happened to have some trip wire in your pocket, because?"
"What? Lots of people carry wires in their pockets. Besides, a lot of the best traps use trip-wires," Fred reasoned.
Blake was not sure how to argue with that, and did not even get the chance to as she saw the Grimm King starting to get up again. "Hope you've got such a trap in mind, because he's not going to stay down for too long."
Freddie was silent for only a second before he smirked and said, "Actually, yeah. I do have a plan. Come on, let's find the others and hope Scooby, Shaggy, and Ruby will be able to lure it into the trap without us asking."
"You really do use those two as bait a lot, don't you?"
"At this point it's just normal. Besides, those two do run faster than any of the rest of us."
And Scooby-Doo, if you come through, you're gonna have yourself a Scooby Snack! That's a fact!
"I think we lost him guys," Shaggy said as he and the other two came into the room not even three seconds after Blake and Fred had left.
"RI rope so," Scooby panted.
"Aw don't worry. There's no way that loser is gonna find us after the way we ditched him," Ruby reassured them, only to turn around and see the monster right in her face. "Shaggy, what's that word you always say again?"
"Zoinks," Shaggy supplied.
"Thanks," Ruby nodded. "ZOINKS!"
Scooby-Dooby-Doo, here are you. You're ready and you're willing.
Ruby was then at the head of the group as she led the race to escape from the Grimm King chasing them, not knowing that they were heading right to the location where Fred and the other girls were setting up the perfect trap to capture the monster.
If we can count on you, Scooby-Doo, I know you'll catch that villain.
Once the three had run past him, Fred saw the monster coming and began pushing on the large barrel he had retrieved and shouted, "Blake, now!"
Upon pushing the barrel down the ramp, Fred just had to sit back and watch as the Grimm King ended up with the cylindrical container under its feet, and was soon stumbling to keep from falling off. Not that he had too much success, given that Blake shot Gambol Shroud over to the other wall so that she could use its ribbon to get the beast to spin off of the barrel and into the next wall where Weiss was already waiting to hold it down with one of her glyphs. With Weiss pinning the Grimm King in place, Daphne, Velma, and Yang all took the chance to fire the net guns that Fred had retrieved from the Mystery Inc wing of the museum, and just like that, the Grimm King was all wrapped up in the trap.
"Nice work, gang," Fred praised as he came over, while Shaggy, Ruby, and Scooby just panted in exhaustion from all the running that they just did. "We've caught our monster."
"Yeah…Hurray," Ruby panted. She then looked to her two childhood friends and asked, "Is it always like this for you guys?"
"Somehow, yeah, pretty much. Like we can't run into any monsters without me and Scooby being the bait for them at some point," Shaggy groaned.
"Reah. Rhy's rit ralways rus," Scooby grumbled, earning him a sympathy pat on the head from Ruby. Of course, she also offered another one of her homemade Scooby Snacks to help make it better too, and that did get Scooby's spirits up a little bit.
A short time later, the gang had gathered outside the museum with Team RWBY and Professor Goodwitch, with the Grimm King still tied up in the collective nets, and they were all ready for the moment of truth. "Now to find out who really wanted the Museum of Mystery shut down," Fred determined as he grasped the Grimm King's head and pulled it off, revealing the face of…
"PROFESSOR OZPIN," everyone exclaimed in shock.
"Now just a moment," Glynda dismissed, knowing her boss was back at Beacon this very moment, and she immediately pulled off this mask to reveal…
"RAVEN BRANWEN," everyone exclaimed in shock.
"Hold on," Yang waved, believing that there was no way this could have been her mother. Her hunch proved right, as she pulled off the face of her mother, revealing that it was yet another mask, and that underneath was none other than…
"JACQUES SCHNEE," everyone in shock.
"Just a minute! How would that even be possible when my father's all the way in Atlas," Weiss pointed out. Once again, this too, turned out to be a mask, and she pulled it off to reveal…
"ROMAN TORCHWICK," everyone exclaimed in…oh, you get the idea.
"Okay, as great a nemesis as he is, we all know for a fact that Torchwick's still locked up on General Ironwood's ship right now," Ruby pointed out, pulling off this mask as well, and revealing the face of…
"Like do we even need to act surprised or guess that this is also a mask? We all know that it isn't actually Summer Rose," Shaggy stated before anyone could gasp in shock at the face of Ruby's mother.
"Agreed, and before we bother with anymore masks, I can confidently confirm that the man behind the Grimm King's ghost is none other than," Velma began to say as she reached for this most recent mask and pulled it off to reveal the true perpetrator. "Doctor Ernie Grey."
"WHAT," nearly everyone other than Glynda exclaimed, the latter of which maintaining a calm, professional demeanor save for a widening of the eyes.
"But how? I mean, he was with Professor Goodwitch when the Grimm King first attacked us," Blake pointed out.
"It's the same reason why the Grimm King was able to pass through Weiss's ice. Because it was just a holographic image," Daphne explained as she held up the square object that they had found earlier. "What we first thought were security cameras were actually holographic projectors meant to create a three-dimensional image."
"The latest in Atlesian imaging technology at that," Velma cottoned on.
"But how did he stick to the ceiling when he had us cornered," Ruby asked, gesturing between herself, Scooby, and Shaggy.
"Easy," Velma replied as she pealed back more of the monster skin to reveal a mechanical suit underneath. "This suit is designed using technology similar to that which is used in Atlesian mechs and battle suits, and with a few modifications, it would allow Doctor Grey to have the strength necessary to survive a battle with a huntsman, if necessary, and perform various feats that he felt he needed to perform in order to better sell his monster story."
"But why did he even do it," Yang asked.
"Because this museum was going to make a mockery of what it was supposed to be educating others on," the doctor answered angrily. "I wanted the exhibits to display the true elegance and air of suspense that all mysteries in history have, but the people up above me decided that we should make everything seem like it was just something out of stupid kids' show and nothing more."
"That's why he was making all those purchases and transfers at the bank," Daphne continued. "He wanted to make sure he had enough money saved up in various different fake companies so that when his little Grimm King scheme caused the museum to close down, he could easily purchase it and remodel everything the way he wanted."
"So then why request us to act as security for the event if he was going to go to all this trouble of shutting it down," Weiss asked.
"The word of average civilians is one thing, but if a team of huntsmen, or in this case huntresses were to see the Grimm King for themselves, his story would have more ground to stand on," Fred explained.
"Like yeah. Anyone could make the mistake of thinking something was a Grimm when it actually wasn't, so what better experts to confirm that there was a monster Grimm like that than the world's biggest experts on the subject," Shaggy reasoned with Scooby nodding along.
"And I would've gotten away with it too," Doctor Grey snarled. "If it weren't for you meddling kids, those crazy huntresses, and that dumb dog!"
"And don't you forget it," Ruby grinned proudly along with the rest of her team and the Scooby gang.
"Reah," Scooby agreed before high-fiving Ruby with one of his front paws, much to everyone's amusement.
The following night, the Museum of Mystery's grand opening went off without a hitch, and nearly everyone in Vale was in attendance. Team RWBY and Professors Goodwitch and Ozpin were even invited along as guests of honor for their commendable service in assisting Mystery Inc to capture the Grimm King so that the opening could take place, and they were all dressed to impress. Of course, despite the honor bestowed upon them, Ruby was still complaining quite a bit about having to wear heels again, but given her trouble in walking in said shoes, you could not blame her.
"I don't really understand why Doctor Grey would find any of this childish," Weiss eventually commented at one point during the party as she looked around, studying the various displays in the wing they were all gathered in at one point. "This all seems pretty standard for a typical museum."
"And they are," the temporary curator and museum board representative informed the Schnee heiress and her group. The man in question being an average sized man with brown hair and rather bright eyes behind black-rimmed glasses, and was dressed to the nines in a dark blue suit with a white dress shirt and a dark red tie. "But compared to what Doctor Grey had in mind, this would probably seem very watered down."
"How so," Blake questioned.
"He wanted to showcase every detail that went into all these mysteries, and some of them were rather…gruesome to say the least. As in the type of thing that should not be shown in a public place, and would be more likely to scare away visitors to the museum than they would attract them," the man explained, and given how he had shivered a little at the thought, the huntresses figured that he was still putting it very mildly for their sake, so they decided to not ask him to elaborate further.
"I'm just glad that the museum board was able to find you in time for the opening, sir," Ozpin commented as he joined the conversation.
"Oh please, Ozpin, no need for formalities. Just call me Dave," the temp curator insisted with a smile.
Meanwhile at the same time, Yang was having another talk with Mystery Inc, all of whom were dressed to impress like the rest of the guests. Of course, the only member of the gang that was currently missing at that time was their famous dog, but Yang did not really care about that at the time. "I still can't believe we really got to solve a mystery with you guys. It was so awesome," Yang almost cheered.
"Oh trust us, Yang, the pleasure of having a team of huntresses like you and your friends around was all ours," Fred reassured the blonde.
"It's almost sad that we're going to have to leave tomorrow morning," Daphne admitted.
"Yeah, but there's always another mystery to find somewhere along the road," Velma reminded her.
"Man, I wish you wouldn't remind me of that," Shaggy moaned.
"Well, you know, you guys could always stay here. I mean, being on the road all the time must get pretty boring, and I'm sure that if anyone really needed you guys, they could easily call you if they had a set location or number to reach you at. Hey, maybe you could even set up a cool headquarters somewhere in Vale, or even over on Patch," Yang offered. She then paused for a brief moment before she finally admitted the real reason for trying to get the gang to stay. "Plus, I know that Ruby would really miss having Scoob and Shag around, and would hate to see them leave so soon after being away for so long."
"It is a tempting offer, Yang, but I don't think we're ready to put down roots anywhere just yet," Fred declined with an apologetic smile. "We may be famous, but there are still people out there who don't have a high opinion of us, so why not stay on the road until we can show just how serious we take mystery solving to everyone?"
"Besides, a mystery is our mistress, and we must heed her sweet call," Velma added.
"But you never know; we may end up running into you guys again someday. Maybe while you guys are on another job, or even because we needed the extra help or decided to come back again," Daphne reassured the blonde. "Plus, I would love to have a little girl-to-girl talk with you about hair care and stylists, because yours is great."
"Right back at ya, red," Yang grinned in return.
"Like, hey, where are Ruby and Scooby anyway," Shaggy asked.
His answer came soon enough when the mentioned pair suddenly appeared before the whole group with large grins on both their faces. "Hey guys! Check this out," Ruby told everyone. "Scooby still remembers some of the old tricks I taught him before he left, and I want you guys to see them in person."
"This oughta be good," Yang grinned while everyone in their two groups gathered around.
"All right! Ready Scoob," Ruby asked.
"Ready Ruby," Scooby saluted in return.
"Okay! Play…Beowolf," Ruby commanded.
At once, Scooby stood up on his hind legs, and started not only posing like the mentioned Grimm, but also doing a very accurate, yet still silly impression of the mentioned monster. He went back and forth before everyone, growling in the same way as the werewolf-like Grimm, and even swung his front paws around like a Beowolf did its claws, much to everyone's amusement. If the others thought that was the only thing though, Ruby quickly proved them wrong.
"Now, play Ursa!"
Hearing that command, Scooby quickly stood up a little straighter while trying to make himself look a little more buff than he actually was and began roaring similar to the bear-like Grimm, while repeating his earlier actions, only this time making sure that it was in tune with the style of an Ursa. Seeing this made everyone go from barely suppressed laughter to full-blown chuckles, including the more subdued members of the two groups. Even Glynda Goodwitch could not help but smile a little at the humorous sight of this dog pretending to be a ferocious Grimm, and doing an impressive job of giving an accurate impression at that.
"He's crazy," Blake giggled after a few minutes. She may not have really warmed up to Scooby just yet, or really any dog in general, but she would admit that Scoob was starting to grow on her a little more now.
"Oh, you haven't seen anything, yet," Ruby promised. She then turned back to Scooby and said, "Now…NEVERMORE!"
Breaking character, Scooby dashed away so that he could get a running start, and then leapt into the air, flapping his arms like wings to stay aloft as he cawed just like the bird Grimm Ruby had named. Seeing his impression was one thing, but watching him actually stay up in the air like he was definitely impressed everyone quite a bit, seeing as they were not really sure how he was staying up without any extra assistance. "That…That shouldn't even be possible," Weiss eventually protested. "He can't possibly have any of way of flying around like that!"
"Ri ran't," Scooby asked while still in midair. "Ruh-oh."
Just like that, Scooby dropped from the air like a lead, making everyone flinch a little when he hit the floor. Thankfully, the dog was not hurt, but he was a bit miffed over the fact that his little show was messed up in the way that it was if his grumbling was any indication. "How do you like that," Shaggy commented. "The fun's put on ice by an ice queen."
"Hey," Weiss snapped on instinct.
"Well to be fair, it was stopped Weiss cold," Yang punned in return, and this time, the others all laughed, but Yang had a feeling that it was more out of pity, or due to the pout Weiss gave in response to the joke.
Scooby also giggled for a minute before he shared a look with Ruby, and he was soon receiving an affectionate rub on the head for the next thing he said, "Scooby-Dooby-Doo! And Ruby too!"
AN: Well, there you have it. A simple short story that is one and done, and featured a good number of gags and memorable moments from both series as well.
Ruby: But why have Scooby and the gang as our first special guests anyway?
AN: Weren't you paying attention earlier? I said that it was because they helped give me the inspiration for this series. That old cartoon that I mentioned I was watching, was actually the series entitled "The New Scooby-Doo Movies", a series in which the Scooby Gang met various guest stars in each new episode. Anyone from Don Knotts, to Batman and Robin (The Adam West version to be specific), the Speed Buggy, the Three Stooges, and all sorts of other famous folks from back in the day. Seeing all that and thinking of all the various ideas I was having for RWBY stories at the time and the trouble I was having in trying to pick one to run with gave me the idea of doing this story, and now...here's the result.
Weiss: I must admit, this was rather impressive, but I can't help but notice that it did not seem quite as serious as our regular series.
AN: Well, someone who had heard about my troubles in deciding on how to proceed with a story like this recommended that I try and mix in a little bit of the silliness from RWBY Chibi when I did a RWBY story, and while I was thinking of doing such a thing to keep things from getting too serious, at least as much as I could, it definitely helped to reassure that doing so would be a big help here. Plus, what kind of Scooby-Doo adventure would this be if it was all completely serious.
Yang: I kinda liked how Ruby was childhood friends with Scooby and Shaggy, and how you made it so that Ruby was the original creator of Scooby Snacks.
AN: Well, the idea just seemed to click so well that I just had to run with it. Plus, you have to admit, little Ruby with puppy Scooby-Doo is a pretty cute image to think about.
Ruby: He's not wrong.
Blake: Just promise that our next team-up won't have any dogs in it. [nervously glances around for any sign of said animals, namely Zwei and Scooby]
AN: I can make no such guarantees.
Yang: Oh! What about that whole moment when you had the classic Scooby-Doo theme song going?
AN: Yeah, that was my first attempt at putting the lyrics for my imagined background music into the story, so let me know how well I did with that, please? Along with telling me how good or bad my first attmept at a RWBY fanfiction went, or at least the first chapter.
One more thing, I'm not taking any requests for team-ups at this time. I've got more than enough ideas on who Team RWBY and their buddies can meet at the moment, so I must politely ask that you all please wait a little bit before you begin asking me for people to have them team-up with. Thank you.
Now, normally, this would be the part where I'd say that we move onto the preview or something, but in this case, I can't do that, because I have no idea what little adventure is going to come next in this story. It could be one featuring the characters you can probably see in the cover art, or it could be someone else entirely, like a certain web-swinger and his pals, or a dark knight from another comic book company. Hey, it could even be the last thing you would ever expect to see. Only time will tell who, what, and where Team RWBY and their friends will end up dealing with in the next short-story/chapter, so until then...
Please read and review, and I'll see in the next colorful adventure!
Weiss: Really? "The next colorful adventure?"
AN: Shush! It was the best that I could think of right on the spot!