Hi everyone. I told you I would have the main story updated quickly. I am really enjoying this plot and am very excited to get the Volume 2 arc going, as I've got big plans for it. Things might be similar to the canon, but we will begin to see parts of the story veering off due to the influence of the Sonic characters here. It'll all make sense as the story goes along. Now, with that being said, let's get started.
We're In This Together
Tails sat in his own make-shift laboratory that he had set up for the study of Dust as well as the Grimm liquid sample that remained contained in the sphere of his own design. Currently, he seemed to be analyzing the ground up forms of Fire and Lightning Dust through a special microscope.
"Hmmm, there is definitely an energy charge contained within these crystals… but it appears inactive for the moment."
"More than likely, Dust activates upon its use and is rendered inherit when spent." Shadow said as he and Omega were in the lab with the young Fox.
"I was hoping from analyzing it's molecular structure, we could find a way to use Dust to destroy the Grimm liquid." Tails said as he pulled back a bit. "But we've tried shooting Dust munitions into it, only to get absorbed and vanish completely."
"The people of Remnant have been living with Dust and the Grimm for thousands of years. They've likely already tried similar tactics." Shadow assumed.
"Perhaps the utilization of Ice Dust to freeze the liquid and render it into a solidified state." Omega proposed. "Solid objects are easier to destroy."
"I tried that." Tails answered. "The ice just froze around it, creating a shell that only contains the liquid, and eventually that gets eaten up to." He glanced toward the black liquid sample on the table. "I even tried analyzing the liquid itself and I couldn't find anything. There's no molecular structure, no solid matter underneath, it's just… one black mass of nothing… the best way to describe this stuff is like a liquid black hole. It literally eats anything that touches."
"And yet it is able to produce the Creatures of Grimm." Shadow said. "So, there is clearly more to it. Perhaps something related to magic…"
"I hate magic…" Tails sighed annoyingly. Tails was a scientific genius and while he had enough experience to know that magic existed, magic itself was difficult to understand in the fact that it's always changing and has different uses. It's even more unpredictable than the Chaos Emeralds.
Wait… The Chaos Emeralds!
"I think I got something!" Tails snapped his fingers, getting Omega and Shadow's attention. "Well, two somethings, actually. And they both involve using the Chaos Emeralds. The first, would be to use Chaos Control to warp the Grimm liquid away to another location, some place where it can be overwhelmed and not the other way around. Let's say… the center of the planet, or even the surface of the sun! If Remnant is like our world, then this planet's core would be over nine thousand degrees Fahrenheit, same with the sun!"
"No living entity is capable of surviving that sort of temperature." Omega seemed to follow along. "Perhaps if the Grimm liquid were transported to those locations in small portions, it would lead to its destruction."
"Perhaps, but we would need two Chaos Emeralds minimum to pull off something like that, and we only have one at the moment." Shadow said. "Though, I will admit I had a similar idea myself… where we would use Chaos Control to transport the Grimm Pools into the vacuum of space. With no oxygen and no sustenance to feed off of, the Grimm Pools could theoretically freeze from the inside out."
"The Grimm themselves have shown that they are capable of freezing solid. So, it is a possibility." Omega granted.
"And that leads to my second idea." Tails continued. "We do only have one Chaos Emerald, right? Shadow, maybe you can use a 'fine-tuned' Chaos Control to combine certain Dust crystals and create a new type of Dust?"
Shadow looked at Tails curiously as he continued along.
"The two hottest known natural Dust crystals are Fire and Lightning; the first has a maximum temperature of slightly over a thousand degrees, not enough to completely evaporate the liquid like the planet's core or the sun's surface would do. While lightning is five times hotter than sun's surface, but it doesn't even last a full second, not enough time to do any real damage. Maybe if we combine the two with Chaos Control… we could maybe create a new type of Dust… maybe Plasma Dust… one that can burn at the same temperatures we talked about for longer periods of time… long enough to destroy the Grimm pools!"
"Hmmm, perhaps…" Shadow did find the idea intriguing. "Chaos Control warps time and space, but using it on an atomic based level like your suggestion would require a great deal of precision. Perhaps we could pull it off with one Chaos Emerald, but I can't say for certainty that it is guaranteed."
"Agreed." Omega put in. "This would require more advanced equipment than what we currently have at our disposal."
"Yeah, good point…" Tails rubbed one hand down his face. "Vale is nice and all… but if we were in Atlas… we might have had the materials we needed."
Tails' scroll then lit up, he answered it upon seeing who the caller was. "Hey Sonic."
"Yo, Tails. Oz wants all of us to meet him in his office." Sonic told him. "Apparently that General Ironwood guy from Atlas is arriving and Oz wants us all to meet him. Oh, and he's also got a giant fleet arriving too, so don't freak out and think Eggman's invading when you see all their airships flying in."
"Got it. We'll be there soon." Tails hung up. "Huh, speak of the devil."
"The leader of this planet's only military and head of the Atlas Academy." Shadow commented as they prepared to leave. "I suppose a meeting was inevitable."
"Atlas is the most technological advanced kingdom on this planet." Omega said. "I shall see for myself how advanced their weaponry is, and if it will assist in Eggman's total annihilation."
Both Teams Sonic and Dark were in Ozpin's office with the Beacon Headmaster himself, as well as Glynda, looking out the window to see the Atlesian military arrive at the docks for Beacon, in the form of several flying warships, including a giant flagship.
"Wow, guy sure knows how to make an entrance." Sonic commented.
"Yes, Ironwood certainly loves bringing his work wherever he travels." Glynda said in a tone indicating she didn't quite approve.
"Well running an academy and a military makes him a busy man." Ozpin said.
"Aren't there supposed to be students coming from Atlas due to that Vytal Festival?" Amy asked. "We already saw some people from Haven show up."
"Students from the academy are one thing, but soldiers from the military are something else entirely." Glynda replied, something Shadow as in silent agreement with.
"Yeah… I did some reading on Remnant's history, specifically that Great War." Knuckles said. "Wasn't it agreed by the Kingdoms to get rid of all their military power so they can't wage war again?"
"To put it simply, yes." Ozpin confirmed.
"So why does Atlas have one?" Knuckles questioned. "They get this planet's most advanced technology as well as an army? That doesn't quite seem fair."
"There is also the fact that Atlas originated from Mantle, which was one of the aggressor Kingdoms alongside Mistral that started said war." Shadow added.
"Yeah, it does seem kinda controversial, don't you think?" Rouge put in.
"You are not the first to think that." Ozpin explained to all of them. "But this decision was not made by Atlas alone. All the other Kingdoms' councils talked it over and agreed on the compromise, in which the Atlas military would operate freely within its own boarders and seek explicit permission from the other councils when operating within the other Kingdoms, and even then, they are under supervision."
"I guess that sounds kinda fair." Sonic said with a semi-accepting shrug, while Knuckles and Shadow seemed a bit more concerned.
"Professor, if General Ironwood is also one of the Headmasters, does that mean you told him about us?" Tails asked Ozpin.
"I have indeed." The Beacon Headmaster confirmed. "And that is why you are all here, to discuss our next move since your enemy has made his appearance." There was a small alert on his desk, telling them that their guest had arrived. "Come in."
The door opened to reveal General James Ironwood, who greeted his fellow Headmaster with a smile. "Ozpin!"
"Hello, General." Ozpin stood straightforward.
"Please, drop the formalities." Ironwood said as he and Ozpin shook hands. "It's been too long, and Glynda… it has certainly been too long since we last met."
"Hello James." She nodded with a stoic expression.
Ironwood then looked a bit more serious as he addressed the other occupants of the room. "And you must be the aliens I've heard about."
"Yep, Sonic the Hedgehog and friends at your service, General." Sonic gave a finger salute, while his friends all nodded, acting professional.
"Yes… you've made quite the impression on my team, the Ace Ops." Ironwood told him.
Sonic winced slightly. "Sorry about that…"
"But that's in the past now, and it's not why I'm here." The general said.
"You're here to talk about Eggman." Shadow got right to the point.
"That is correct." Ironwood confirmed. "Ozpin told me of your recent encounter with him."
"Is that why you brought your army?" Knuckles gestured toward the fleet outside the window.
"A dangerous individual with advanced technology is threatening our entire planet. A response has to be prepared." Ironwood said seriously.
"Before we begin making any sort of plans for war, I feel it is best to discuss what we know so far in order to devise an appropriate counter." Ozpin suggested.
"Good idea." Amy nodded as Tails pulled out his data-pad, the Miles Electric and showed a recording of their recent fight against the Egg-Cerberus.
"Eggman's already begun utilizing Dust into many of his weaponry, he even said this machine of his was a prototype." Tails explained. "We destroyed it, but he may have more dangerous weapons already being built."
"I remember reading from Ozpin's reports how this one was built by Eggman." Ironwood gestured towards Omega.
"Omega doesn't work for Eggman anymore." Sonic quickly said. "He's on our side."
"Eggman must destroyed. All machines created by Eggman will be destroyed." Omega said for emphasis while clutching his metallic fist.
"You're sure?" Ironwood questioned.
"We checked him over, the big guy's good." Rouge confirmed, giving a friendly pat on Omega's back.
"This Omega seems to have his own will and even thinks for himself." Ironwood noted. "Are there any other similar machines in Eggman's army?"
"No." Shadow shook his head. "Most of his Badnik forces are simply drones and obey their programing."
"There is one other robot named Gemerl, but like Omega, he's on our side now." Amy added. "He's back on our world."
"But there is one robot in Eggman's army that's quite a pain on his own." Knuckles said as Tails brought up the image of said robot, getting the attention of Ozpin, Ironwood, and Glynda.
"He's called Metal Sonic, and yes he looks like me." Sonic began to explain. "Eggman had him modeled after me, trying to replicate my power."
"Does this Metal Sonic have the same abilities as you?" Ironwood asked.
"He can move as fast as me thanks to that jet-engine in his back, but he's got all kinds of different stuff packed into him." Sonic answered.
"Metal is among Eggman's deadliest robots." Tails added. "I wouldn't be surprised if Eggman would try to upgrade him with Dust too."
"From what we've heard, you were able to secure one of those Chaos Emeralds from your fight against Eggman." Glynda recalled.
"That's right." Rouge nodded. "Eggman was using as a back-up power source for his prototype. But I doubt he'll be using the others for the same thing."
"Do you have this Chaos Emerald with you?" Ozpin asked.
"Yes." Shadow confirmed, keeping an eye on the headmaster.
"May I?" Ozpin offered his hand, hoping to get a closer look at it.
All eyes set on Shadow as he seemed rather hesitant and reluctant, something his friends and allies easily picked up on. But Shadow did pull out the green Chaos Emerald and handed it to Ozpin.
With the gem in his hand, Ozpin could practically feel the power just by looking at it. It was unlike anything he felt before, though not as powerful, it was still a unique experience to say the least.
"Extraordinary…" He said, handing it to Glynda so she may analyze it herself. "And this is one of seven Emeralds?"
"Yep." Sonic answered. "Pretty powerful stuff right there." He said as Glynda handed the Chaos Emerald over to Ironwood.
"And Eggman has the other six?" The general questioned.
"That is correct." Omega responded.
"What sort of abilities does these Emeralds possess?" Ironwood questioned again, still holding the Chaos Emerald in his hand, causing Shadow to eye him very carefully.
"Their power varies and changes depending on how their used." Tails explained. "More than often, they can be used as a power source, only a very select few individuals can use the Emeralds themselves without any kind of machines."
"Right now, it's just me and Shadow." Sonic said. "There's another guy but he's not available right now."
"Is there a possibility these Chaos Emeralds can be used in tandem with one's Semblance here on Remnant?" Ozpin asked.
"No idea." Knuckles answered. "But we'd rather not take the chance. As powerful and useful as the Emeralds are, they can also be dangerous if you don't know how to handle them right."
"I suppose that would make sense." Glynda accepted.
"But what exactly can you specifically do with them?" Ironwood asked the Hedgehogs.
"Well they can enhance mine and Shadow's powers, and there's also Chaos Control…" Sonic began.
"Chaos Control?" Ozpin asked.
"Warping of time and space. It's how we were able to get to Remnant." Shadow explained. "The extent of Chaos Control is limited based on the number of Emeralds one has. A single Emerald can allow you to teleport to a specific location, but that's it."
"And if one were to have all seven?" Ironwood asked.
"We'd be talking like major planet-size warping." Sonic answered. "It took the power of all seven Emeralds to transport Eggman's entire armada here. That should give you an idea."
Ozpin and his associates exchanged glances. That certainly was concerning, the ability to warp space-time to such an extent.
"If you are capable of teleporting with this Emerald, can you not simply use it to reclaim this space station that Eggman took over?" Ironwood asked, still holding the Chaos Emerald. "Or even go to Eggman directly."
"We'd have to know Eggman's exact location." Tails answered. "We can't just say 'hi, please take us to Eggman' and get zapped right to him."
"And I've tried to get back to the Ark with it." Shadow added. "Eggman has likely used the other Emeralds to establish some form time-space barrier that disrupts the Emerald's power and prevents us from teleporting up there."
"Though we can use an Emerald as a power source for a ship and fly directly up there…" Amy added.
"But since Eggman probably has his whole armada guarding the Ark, it would be next to impossible to get up there in one piece." Rouge finished.
"So… that's it then?" Ironwood sounded more than a little disappointed. "We can't get to him?"
"We can't get to the Ark." Sonic clarified. "Eggman's probably still here in Vale, and if he isn't, he'll come back. He's got something planned and he's the type to see it come to light with his own eyes. He'll show up again."
"When Eggman returns, he will be destroyed, as will anyone who sides with him." Omega said.
"I see…" Ironwood seemed to understand. "I'll have the military prepared…"
"I wouldn't do that." Knuckles interrupted.
"Excuse me?" Ironwood questioned.
"You got the right idea, but the second he sees a fleet of warships shooting at him, he'll call down more of his own. Eggman's always been prone to escalation, and he doesn't care about collateral damage." Knuckles explained.
"James, I would have to agree." Ozpin spoke up. "Two advanced armies waging open war with each other would insight a mass panic, not to mention the aggression resulting from the conflict itself. And we all know what that would bring clawing to our boarders."
"Yeah, sorry General." Amy apologized. "If it weren't for the Grimm, we'd be more than happy to have your soldiers work with us."
Ironwood knew they were right. The Grimm always made things more complicated than they needed to be. But just because they were right, didn't necessarily mean he liked it.
"I'll keep the military on standby at the academy." Ironwood said. "But if things escalate, and it proves to be beyond your control, I will deploy them. I understand the risks of drawing in the Grimm, but I will not stand idly by while a madman threatens our entire world."
"And that's fine." Tails said. "If we need help, you'll be the first one we'll call."
"But until then, I feel it is best that we allow Sonic and his companions to handle Eggman, as they do have the most experience with him." Ozpin said.
"That said…" Shadow glanced towards the general and held out his hand. "The Chaos Emerald."
It sounded more like a demand than a request. Ironwood didn't particularly like how he was addressed. It was something of a tense standoff that caused everyone to eye the two with caution, hoping things wouldn't escalate.
"Of course." Ironwood nodded as he handed the Emerald back to Shadow. "You are the most experienced at using it. But, if you happen to find any of the others, I expect you keep the rest of us in the loop."
"Fair enough." Shadow accepted, causing the tension to vanish, much to everyone's relief.
"But, while we're on the subject, I think we might have a way to get rid of the Grimm Pools." Tails revealed, catching everyone's attention.
"You were able to find something?" Glynda asked, remembering how she helped them secure a sample for study.
"Two possible options." Tails explained. "The first and simpler way, if we manage to find more of the Chaos Emeralds, would be to use Chaos Control to teleport all the Grimm Pools away, specifically to the surface of the sun or center of the planet where they would burn away from the intense heat, or into the void of space to freeze from the inside out. The second, would be to use a more refined and precise Chaos Control to combine certain types of Dust and create a new type… specifically Plasma Dust."
"'Plasma Dust?'" Ozpin questioned.
"Plasma is the fourth state of matter." Omega said. "It rangers at temperatures of eleven thousand to fourteen thousand degrees Fahrenheit. Such an extreme temperatures, if used correctly, could burn away at the Grimm Liquid."
"But while we have a Chaos Emerald, we don't have quite the equipment needed for such delicate and precise work. If we were to get something from Atlas though… the most advanced Kingdom in Remnant… we might be able to have something to work with." Tails said, looking to Ironwood.
"You believe you can create a new form of Dust, one that can destroy the Grimm Pools?" The general questioned.
"I'm not saying it's guaranteed, but I'd say it's at least an option worth exploring." Tails replied.
"Hmm, using Chaos Control to simply teleport the Grimm Pools off the planet does seem like the simpler option." Ozpin commented.
"Egghead has all the other Chaos Emeralds." Rouge said. "He might be slopy when handling them from time-to-time, but there's no guarantee we can get one."
"Right, the Plasma Dust option might be a bit more difficult… but if we put in the work, we can probably pull it off." Amy said as the rest of Teams Sonic and Dark seemed to be in agreement as well. Even Ozpin and Glynda did see the potential benefits in pursuing this type of option.
As for Ironwood, the thought of actually destroying the Grimm Pools was certainly a tempting one. For years, the people of Remnant have tried and failed to destroy the source of the monsters that constantly plagued them. Though there was no guarantee here, he had made several choices where the favorable option still wasn't guaranteed, and more than once, he and his allies were able to pull it off, or at least find something to gain from it. Even if this Plasma Dust was created and it still wasn't able to destroy the Grimm Pools, it would at least give them more advanced weaponry to combat the Grimm, which would at least make the conflict easier.
"We didn't have any of the equipment with us when we arrived in Vale." The general said. "But, I can make the arrangements to have said equipment transferred over to Vale, if it'll give you what you need."
"That would be awesome!" Tails beamed.
"Even if there is no guarantee it'll work, it will at least allow us to create more means to fight the Grimm, so I do agree this option is worth exploring." Ironwood said.
"Great." Sonic grinned. "In the meantime, we'll keep looking for Eggman. If we find him and need back-up, we'll call."
"Please do." Ozpin insisted. "He is your enemy and we'll trust you to handle him, but Remnant is our home and we will fight to defend it."
With that, Team Sonic and Team Dark both left the office, though Shadow paid one small glance back inside as he saw Ironwood moving close to Ozpin and Glynda to speak. He had a sense the three of them had something else they needed to discuss, something they didn't want him or his comrades to hear about, and it made him a little suspicious. But if he pressed too much, it would only lead to friction and resistance between their respective groups, so he would let them be for now. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to be keeping an eye on them.
Once they were all gone, Ironwood addressed his comrades. "You still haven't told them about her, have you?"
"No. At least… not yet." Ozpin replied, indicating he was considering telling them.
"But Oz… if what they say is true… and these Chaos Emeralds are really that powerful… we may be able to find a way to defeat her!" Ironwood said.
"And I won't deny that possibly, but like everything else that involves her, we need to step carefully." Ozpin said.
"Eggman is prepared to launch a full-scale war against our whole planet. You really don't think she'd find some way to use it to her advantage?" Ironwood asked.
"Oh, she most certainly would, I can guarantee that." Ozpin confirmed. "But we don't know what that is quite yet."
"Sir… you know I trust your judgement." Glynda spoke to Oz. "But given how they've defeated such strong opponents in the past, perhaps we would have more to gain by letting them in the loop."
"I don't doubt their strength, but I don't doubt Salem's either." He replied. "I've been fighting her longer than anyone on else on this planet… I know her. Even if Sonic and his friends can match her raw power, her cunning isn't to be underestimated. She will find some way to use this situation to her advantage. I'm not saying we shouldn't let Sonic and his friends in on it, I'm only saying that we need to be careful. We need to see more of how they'll handle situations like this."
Truth be told, there was indeed a part of Ozpin that wanted to tell Sonic and the others about Salem. Perhaps their power, and especially that of the Chaos Emeralds, could tip the tide in their favor. Maybe even find a way to stop her permanently. But, he also knew first hand what Salem was capable of, and as strong as they all were, Sonic and his friends were still rather young… and could be prone to Salem's manipulation if she handled her cards right. As much as he hated to admit it, and wanted to see the best in people, he also had to keep an eye out for the worst in them too.
"Until I say otherwise, we don't speak a word of her toward them. Understood?" Ozpin told two of his closest confidents.
"Yes sir." Glynda accepted as even Ironwood nodded.
"I have to see to my men and make a call to Atlas about that getting that equipment they need." Ironwood prepared to leave, but he stopped just outside the elevator and turned around. "I hope you know what you're doing, Oz." He said before leaving.
'As do I, old friend.'
Meanwhile, Teams RWBY and JNPR were in Beacon's library, with the former team playing the advanced strategy game 'World of Remnant.' Ruby currently played as Atlas, Yang was Mistral, Weiss was Vacuo, and Blake was Vale. Currently it was Ruby's turn as she tried to think of her next move, while Yang eagerly awaited. Weiss looked a bit confused, having some difficulty understanding the game itself, while Blake seemed to have her mind focused on something else at the moment.
"Hmm, alright…" Ruby got a good look at her cards and made her move. "Yang Xiao Long, prepare your kingdom for battle!"
"Bring it on!" Yang accepted the challenge.
"I deploy the Atlesian air fleet!" Ruby announced dramatically, causing Yang to gasp in the same fashion. "Looks like I get to fly right over your Ursai and attack your walls directly!" She even made sound effects for emphasis.
"You fiend!" Yang proclaimed.
"And since Atlas is part of Mantle, my repair-time lasts only one turn." Ruby gloated.
Yang chuckled evilly. "Pretty sneaky sis, but you just activated my trap card!" She revealed, causing Ruby to give a squeaky gasp. "Giant Nevermore!" She slammed her card rather hard on the table. "If I roll a seven or higher, fatal feathers will slice your fleet in two!"
"But if you roll a six or lower, the Nevermore will turn on your own forces!" Ruby reminded.
"That's just a chance I'm willing to take." Yang grinned.
Yang did end up rolling nine, much to Ruby's comic horror. As Yang went on to decimate Ruby in the game, JNPR sat at the table behind them. Ren was in the midst of reading his own book while Nora was sleeping on the books in front of her, complete with a snot bubble. Jaune was reading one of his comic books, until Pyrrha gave a cough to get his attention. She then confiscated the comic and handed Jaune the book he was supposed to be studying, much to his dismay, while Pyrrha read the comic herself with a smile.
Back with RWBY, their young leader was comically crying as she pretty much lost the entire game in that one move.
"Well Weiss, it's your turn." Yang told her.
"I have… absolutely no idea what's going on." Weiss revealed.
"Look, it's easy." Yang slid over to her and tried to explain it. "You're playing as Vacuo, which means all of Vacuo-based cards come with a bonus."
"That sounds dumb." Weiss said.
Yang briefly went through Weiss' cards. "See, you've got sandstorm, desert-scavenge… oh, oh resourceful raider! See, now you can take Ruby's discard air fleet…" Ruby cried again at that. "And put it in your hand."
"Okay…" Weiss was still having trouble following.
"And since Vacuo warriors have an endurance boost against natural hazards, you could use sandstorm to disable my ground forces and simultaneously infiltrate my Kingdom." Yang revealed, before pointing at her with a playful scowl. "Just know, I will not forget this declaration of war."
"And that means…" Weiss, for some reason, still couldn't quite figure it out.
"You're just three moves away from conquering Remnant!" Ruby said in comic sobs, still reeling over her loss.
That caused Weiss to laugh like a dictator in humorous fashion. "Yes! Fear the almighty power of my forces! Cower as they pillage your homes, and weep as they take your children from your very arms!"
"Trap card." Yang grinned.
"Huh?"
Yang moved the pieces around. "Your armies have been destroyed."
Weiss sat down and began to comically sob just like her leader and partner. "I hate this game of emotions we play!"
Ruby leapt into her arms. "Stay strong, Weiss! We'll make it through this together!"
"Shut up! Don't touch me!" Weiss cried, while holding Ruby close.
"Alright Blake, your up." Yang turned to her partner, which seemed to snap her from her thoughts.
"Huh…? Oh… Um… sorry, what are we doing?" She asked.
"You're playing as Vale, trying to conquer the Kingdoms of Remnant." Yang reminded.
"Right…" Blake said, still not appearing to be all there.
"Hey, can I play?" Jaune asked, walking up.
"Sorry Jaune, we've already got four people." Ruby apologized.
"Besides, this game requires a certain level of tactical cunning that I seriously doubt you possess." Weiss told him.
"Uh, you attacked your naval fleet two turns ago." Yang pointed out to the heiress.
"Bring it on, Ice Queen! I'll have you know that I've been told I am a natural born leader!" Jaune boasted.
"By whom? Your mother?" She questioned.
"And Pyrrha!" Jaune stated.
"Hello, again." The redhead herself waved to the team.
"Even Shadow said so!" Jaune added.
"Really?" Weiss was skeptical, as were Yang and even Ruby.
"Yes." Jaune insisted.
"Shadow the Hedgehog?"
"The very one."
"Black and red fur, soul-piercing eyes, anti-social and perpetually angry, and may possibly have a lack of faith for humanity in general. He told you that you were a natural born leader?"
Hearing Weiss' skepticism, as well as seeing similar looks from Yang and even Ruby, seemed to get through to Jaune.
"Okay, okay. He said I was a leader and had a responsibility to uphold because of it." Jaune confessed.
"That sounds more like it." Weiss accepted.
"Come on! Let me play your hand for a turn!" Jaune pleaded.
"I'm not trusting you with the good citizens of Vacuo!" Weiss stated.
"Why not? You've trusted me with way more important stuff before." Jaune said. "I mean, you told us all that Blake is secretly a F…"
"Fun loving person!" Pyrrha quickly interrupted, rushing to cover Jaune's mouth. "Whom we all admire and respect!"
Jaune chuckled nervously, realizing what was about to happen, and winced upon seeing Blake's harsh glare. Though it wasn't as intimidating as Shadow's, nothing was more intimidating than that, it was enough to defuse Jaune's argument.
"Right… That. Ladies? Enjoy your battle." He bowed and prepared to leave with some form of dignity.
"Sup losers." Sun had just arrived, giving a wave to the group with his friend Neptune right behind him.
"Hey Sun." Ruby waved back.
"Ruby, Yang, Blake, Ice Queen…" He greeted
"Why does everyone keep calling me that?" Weiss questioned.
"I never got a chance to formally introduce you to my old friend." Sun continued.
"Uh, aren't libraries for reading?" Neptune asked.
"Thank you!" Ren pointed out.
"Pancakes!" Nora exclaimed upon waking up from her slumber.
"Shut up, don't be a nerd." Sun told him.
"ep-ep-ep. Intellectual. Okay? Thank you." He turned to the group. "I'm Neptune."
"So Neptune, where are you from?" Weiss asked.
"Haven." He revealed.
"Ah, the same Academy that this juvenile claims to be a student of." She said, refering to Sun.
"Hey, it's the real deal Ice Queen! I even got my student ID!" Sun pulled out his card and handed it to Weiss. "See?"
"Hmm, looks forged to me." She brushed off.
"Oh, you are just no fun." Sun pouted, while Weiss was tempted to smirk from her own tease.
"Well, I don't believe I've caught your name, Snow Angel." Neptune walked up toward the heiress, trying to act cool.
"I'm Weiss." She introduced formally, much to Jaune's comic shock.
"A pleasure."
Sun then moved close to Blake. "I never took you for the board-playing type. So, where are your other friends? Ya know, the ones not from around here?"
"They're busy, and I've got stuff to do to." Blake said as she stood up and walked away. "I'll see you guys later."
Most of the group looked in the direction she walked off to with concern or curiosity. "Women." Nora shrugged.
However, Ruby seemed to have a good idea what was on Blake's mind and that also gave her another idea of where she was going.
Night had fallen as both Teams Sonic and Dark had met up in the room assigned to the former team.
"Okay, time to get situated." The blue Hedgehog began. "Eggman's back, he's using Dust, and he's apparently got the White Fang on his side. What's our next step?"
"Before we begin, I feel we should address the eavesdropper." Shadow said, standing next to the window, which he swiftly opened and grabbed a certain cat-Faunus by her wrist and pulled her in. She tried to wrench her wrist free, but Shadow kept a firm grip on her.
"Blake?" Amy asked in surprise as Shadow finally let go. "What are you doing here?"
"Eggman's using the White Fang and she's a former member, so of course she wants to get involved with this. Isn't that right?" Knuckles looked towards Blake with a knowing expression.
The Huntress-in-training gave a defeated sight. "Yes."
"Look we get it, it's personal for you." Tails tried to tell her. "But you shouldn't…"
"Shouldn't what? Shouldn't get involved?" Blake interrupted him. "Shouldn't let a deranged madman use the White Fang and give them dangerous weapons? Making them even more dangerous and hurting innocent people?!"
"Which would further increase discrimination toward the Faunus, and you wish to avoid that, correct?" Shadow assumed, causing Blake to narrow her eyes at him. While what he did say did hold true, she also did indeed want to stop Eggman because it was the right thing to do.
"Species and race are irrelevant. All that side with Eggman will be destroyed." Omega declared, clenching his metallic fist.
"Glad to see you aren't xenophobic, Omega." Rouge commented.
The door suddenly slammed open to reveal Weiss with Ruby and Yang right behind her. "See?! I knew it!" The heiress declared, pointing toward Blake.
"Actually Weiss, Ruby was the one who guessed it." Yang corrected.
"Well… regardless… It still doesn't change the fact how unacceptable she's been acting." Weiss then spoke to Blake directly. "You made a promise to me, to your team…" She gestured towards Ruby and Yang in addition. "…That you would let us know if something was wrong."
Blake gave a defeated sigh. "Okay, fine. I want to help in stopping Eggman!"
"Why didn't you just tell us that?" Ruby asked.
"Because she feels responsible with the White Fang being directly involved." Knuckles answered for her. "Regardless though, that is also the reason you're part of a team, so you don't have to bear it alone." He said to Blake.
"Yeah, I seem to recall us holding our own against a giant three-headed robot dog that shot fire, lightning, and ice." Yang added looking to her partner. "You know we can help you Blake, so please let us. We're not just your team, we're your friends."
"Guys… I…" Blake wasn't sure what to say at first.
"Hold it!" Nora suddenly rushed in, much to everyone's surprise. "If you guys are talking about fighting giant evil robots, then you better include us! We wanna fight giant evil robots too!"
"What Nora means to say is…" Pyrrha walked in with Jaune and Ren beside her. "We heard what has been happening with this Doctor Eggman and the White Fang, and we'd like to help if we can."
"Geeze, everyone's getting involved in this, huh?" Sonic said with a smirk.
"Guys, look all of you…" Tails began. "We appreciate you wanting to get involved and yes, we've seen you what you all can do in a fight… but fighting Eggman is not like fighting the Grimm, it's way more dangerous."
"I will have to agree with Tails on this one." Weiss agreed. "While it is true that we did help in thwarting that Eggman at the shipyard, we're students, we're not ready for this sort of situation."
"You're not just students, your children." Shadow pointed out. "Natural talent or combat prowess does not automatically prepare you for war. You all lack experience. Though Belladonna may be the exception given her past, she could also be too emotionally invested in this…"
"What's so wrong with that?!" Blake exclaimed, causing Shadow to turn to her with a solidified glare that seemed to render her silent.
"You could be emotionally compromised." Shadow told her. "If you feel you must involve yourself with this, simply tell us all that you know about the White Fang and we can put that information to use. You don't need to get involved, none of you!" He told the students. "It's not just a matter of whether you can defend yourselves against Eggman's forces, it's being responsible for the people who will get caught in the crossfire!" Shadow then paid a glance towards Jaune, silently reminding him of his lecture about responsibility beforehand, something Jaune himself remembered all too well.
"Maybe he's right…" Jaune confessed. "Maybe we're not ready for this."
"Awe, you're no fun!" Nora pouted.
"This isn't a game, Nora." Ren reminded her.
"We do not need unnecessary personnel." Omega voiced his opinion. "Those that can contribute to Eggman's destruction are welcome. Those that cannot, should not interfere."
"There's also how weird Eggman's been acting lately." Rouge pointed out.
"What do you mean?" Yang asked.
"Involving small fry like that Torchwick looser, even the White Fang…" Rouge explained. "Yeah, they might benefit if Eggman supplies them with advanced weapons, but how does he benefit from this?"
"Maybe Eggman wants some extra help?" Ruby tried.
"He already has an army of robots, and he can build plenty more." Knuckles replied. "He doesn't even need the White Fang, so why even bother involving them? He could easily destroy them if they tried to interfere with them."
"And that's another thing, none of this fits Eggman's M.O." Tails added. "He's always the type to aim big, going for the global takeover route or even universal. Look at what he has right now; he's got his Egg-Fleet, a giant space station in orbit, and the other six Chaos Emeralds. You'd think he'd probably already make a declaration toward all of Remnant or something? But he hasn't. Honestly, if Eggman were to target a specific Kingdom, it would be Atlas. It's most advanced Kingdom on this planet…"
"And the only one with a military." Amy added.
"Maybe he's being cautious." Pyrrha suggested.
"Cautious?" Sonic found it hard to laugh at that. "Dude's anything but cautious. Does a giant three-headed robot dog say 'subtly' to any of you?"
"That monstrosity was pretty much the exact opposite of subtly." Weiss said.
"Exactly." Sonic said. "And we still don't know why Eggman even came to Remnant in the first place. What's here that he could want?"
"Maybe Dust?" Yang suggested. "Didn't you guys say you don't have that where you came from?"
"The Chaos Emeralds alone are way more powerful." Rouge said. "I can definitely see Eggman wanting to use Dust, but it's not something worth moving his entire empire over for. The Doc may be crazy, but there's always a reason behind what he does."
"There is also the possibility of him using the Grimm." Shadow said.
"The Grimm can't be controlled, it's impossible." Blake put in.
"There have been those that have tried to before, and it all ended in failure." Ren added.
"Still won't stop him from trying." Knuckles said. "But even if he does want the Grimm and Dust, the way he's going about it now still isn't how he operates."
"Yeah, we're missing half the pieces of the puzzle." Sonic began to think. "Like… what if somebody else is involved?"
"Somebody else?" Jaune questioned.
"Like… somebody who might be bigger than the White Fang…" Sonic assumed. "Somebody who knows Remnant and all its secrets…"
"If that is the case, they'd have to be pretty big to get Eggman to team up with them." Tails commented. "He's formed alliances in the past or even tried to control giant monsters… so somewhere around that level."
"I'm pretty sure we would know if someone or something that big ever existed on this planet." Weiss pointed out.
"Unless their existence was purposely hidden away to avoid a panic and attract the Grimm." Pyrrha seemed to follow along. "That would make sense."
"Okay…" Jaune was looking more than a little nervous. "This whole thing is starting to sound a bit too big for us."
"Which is why you should not get involved." Shadow insisted to all the students.
"Agreed. I repeat. We do not need personnel who will only slow us down." Omega said. "Top priority, destroy Eggman and all who assist him. Your compliance is not mandatory."
Sonic got a good look at each of the students, particularly in their eyes. Many of them, particularly Weiss, Jaune, Ren, and even Pyrrha seemed to be reluctant in providing any other form of assistance. Ruby, Yang, Nora, and especially Blake looked like they wanted to get involved and help, but Sonic also got the sense that even those reluctant still wanted to help for one reason or another, if only to help their friends and teammates.
"Well… if they really want to help, maybe we should let them." The blue Hedgehog said with a grin, much to the surprise of everyone present.
"What?!" Shadow exclaimed.
"Sonic…!" Knuckles protested.
"Look, these guys are gonna get involved even if we say, no." Sonic said before turning to the students. "And don't deny it, I can see it in your eyes. Half of you really want to get involved, and the half would probably jump in anyway to help out." He turned back to his friends. "And if we work together, we'd stand more of a chance winning and less of a chance tripping over each other if these guys go on ahead and don't communicate with us."
"That is true…" Amy admitted.
"But, I agree that Eggman is dangerous." Sonic turned back to RWBY and JNPR. "Team RWBY may have helped us before with that last robot, but he'll probably bring in something twice as big for the next round. And he won't care if you're kids, he'll still try to blow you up either way. So, if you guys are serious about this, then you gotta listen to us when it comes to Eggman. Does that sound fair to you guys?"
All eight of the students exchanged glances with one another, silently contemplating what Sonic said before Ruby spoke up excitedly.
"Okay… all in favor stopping a mad scientist and a robot army from conspiring against and conquering the entire world of Remnant… say aye!" She proposed while raising her hand.
"Yes!" Yang pumped her fist.
"I suppose, if we're working together…" Weiss accepted with a shrug.
"Of course, I'm in." Blake said with determination.
"I guess…" Jaune said somewhat nervously before looking toward his team. "But if you guys don't want to…"
"I'm totally in!" Nora raised her hand enthusiastically.
"Agreed." Ren nodded.
"Looks like it's settled." Pyrrha said before looking to her partner and leader, silently saying she was in too.
"Alright, we're in too." Jaune said with a smile, speaking for his team.
"None of you said 'aye'…" Ruby said, looking away.
The rest of Sonic's friends seemed to be onboard as well.
"If we're all working together, it would make it easier." Tails put in.
"And we have seen what they can do in the Emerald Forest." Amy added.
"Sure. At least this way we won't trip over each other." Knuckles accepted.
"I will accept any terms if it hastens Eggman's destruction!" Omega declared.
"Try and keep up, kids." Rouge teased.
"Why isn't anyone saying 'aye'?" Ruby muttered.
However, the only one who hadn't quite yet accepted all of this was Shadow. Though he understood the logic in Sonic's thinking as keeping these students with them would make it easier to keep an eye on them, there was still plenty of risk involving themselves.
"Before you start getting ideas of being this world's youngest saviors, there is one thing that you must accept." The Ultimate Lifeform spoke up, gazing at the students. "We cannot guarantee your safety here. This isn't a class, what we're about to do and the choices we make could mean the difference between life and death, for ourselves and everyone else around us. If you are able to contribute, fine. But, if you can't keep up with us, prove to be dead weight, or the whole situation becomes too dangerous for you, then you are out. That is non-negotiable. If we say you are out, that is final. No arguments. If you can't accept that, I'll personally tell Ozpin what you are planning so you don't get involved. Do you understand?"
The way Shadow said all that and his tone didn't quite sit well with many of them, especially Blake. But at the same time, they all understood what he was talking about. They had more experience with Eggman and would probably know how far he'd take things and if it would be too dangerous for them. Exchanging looks and nods with one another, they silently came to an agreement.
"We understand." Ruby accepted, offering her hand to Shadow. "We'll follow your lead."
Shadow could tell that the youngest girl here meant it. With that, he gave her hand a brief shake.
"Alright, so let's get started." Sonic grinned, coming to the center of the room. "Let's put our heads together so we can come up with a plan to take down egghead, together." He placed his hand in the space in front of him, followed by Tails, Knuckles, and Amy. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang were next, with Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren following them, and finally Shadow, Rouge, and even Omega.
"Ah yeah baby! This makes us a team!" Sonic the Hedgehog declared.
Meanwhile, in a separate building that had been set up for all the exchange students from the other Academies for the upcoming festival, Cinder and her team, currently dressed in Haven Academy uniforms, had unpacked the last of their things and settled into the dorm.
"This is nice." Emerald commented. "Way better than sleeping out on the street."
"Don't get too used to it. We'll be burning it to the ground soon enough." Mercury said. "Right Neo?"
Neopolitan was also among them, having used her Semblance to give herself a disguise. Currently, she bore the appearance of a fair-skin girl with green eyes and black hair tied back in twin tails. She simply waved her hand to brush him off.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I mean Mary Poppins." Mercury snickered, addressing Neo by her alias, earning a glare from the mute girl. "Where'd the Doc even come up with an alias like that? It's kinda cute."
Neo responded by 'slicing' her thumb over her throat, silently telling him to shut up.
"You know what's kinda funny?" Mercury continued. "If you went by your real name and we had a team name like what those other dorks have, we'd be called Team CEMN. Get it?"
"Mercury, that is disgusting!" Emerald scowled, with Neo silently agreeing, tempted to attack Mercury just to keep his mouth shut.
"Yesh, sorry for having a sense of humor." Mercury shrugged.
"Enough." Cinder stated, causing them to drop whatever sort of argument they were having. "We're supposed to not cause a commotion and stand out. So, let's at least pretend to get along. Alright, Mary?"
Neo rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in reluctant acceptance.
"Speaking of standing out, what are we gonna do about the blue rodent and his friends?" Emerald asked.
"Nothing for now." Cinder replied. "We'll be cautious, but at the same time… we'll keep a close eye on them like everyone else. We'll learn what it is that makes them so special… so powerful… and take it away." A sinister smile formed on her faces as her eyes glowed brightly.
Done.
Well, this chapter turned out shorter than I had expected it to be. But I'm nonetheless glad about how it turned out.
Tails is coming up with an idea of creating a new type of Dust, Plasma Dust to be specific, in trying to find a way to eradicate the Grimm Pools.
Teams Sonic and Dark have formally met General Ironwood, who has brought the Atlas military with him in response the threat of Eggman. Ozpin is still reluctant to tell them about Salem… given how long he's been waging war against her and all the people who left and/or betrayed him when they learned the truth, it's easy to understand why he feels that way. Though he is considering it, he's also being cautious. As for whether that will come back to bite him, you'll just have to see.
We also got RWBY and JNPR now working alongside Team Sonic and Team Dark in trying to find out what Eggman is up to. You can expect JNPR to have a bit of a more active role in this arc because of that.
Cinder and her team (along with Neo under the alias of Mary Poppins, which Eggman totally gave her on purpose LOL), have infiltrated Beacon under the guise of Haven Students, much like in the canon. And while Cinder is being cautious with Sonic and his friends, she also greatly underestimates them.
The next chapter is where the action begins to pick up as the investigation begins. Until then, stay safe and stay healthy out there. Peace out.