Hi everyone, welcome back! Before we start, I just wanted to say that yes, I've seen the start of RWBY Volume 9, and it's off to a pretty good start so far. I'm really looking forward to what's coming in the future. Again, I currently have no plans as to whether or not I'll include any elements from Volume 9 into my story yet, I'll need to see the whole thing in its entirety before I make any solid choices.
And I'm going to say this right now… I am not going to include any DC characters in this, including all the Remnant-versions from the comics, that'll just include too many plot elements into my story that will make it into a huge mess. Sorry to disappoint some, but this is strictly a Sonic/RWBY crossover. Thank you for understanding.
Now, with all that being said, let's get started.
Back to the Ghost Town
Sonic and Shadow both ran at their typical speeds towards the abandoned settlement that was once Mountain Glenn, while at the same time, the dropship that carried the rest of their respective teams, along with RWBY, JNPR, and Oobleck flew above them with all sixteen individuals communicating with one another via comm-devices.
"Aww, I thought we were done with Mountain Glenn!" Ruby complained.
"The past often has a way of coming back to haunt you." Knuckles told her.
"That is one rather pessimistic yet accurate way to put it." Oobleck said.
"So, we've never been to Mountain Glenn before." Jaune said, referring to himself and the rest of his team. "What can we expect to find there?"
"A lot of ruined buildings and probably just as many Grimm." Blake answered.
"Thought you guys already cleared out most of them." Yang said towards Rouge and Omega.
"Maybe, but since Eggman blew up holes in the subway system last time he was here, it probably led the way for a whole bunch more." Rouge answered.
"Bring it on! We missed out on Mountain Glenn last time, now Team JNPR's gonna take it by storm!" Nora declared enthusiastically, causing Ren to shake his head with a slight smile.
"Merlot Industries." Shadow got right to the point. "What do you know about it?"
"Ah yes, it was a research and development corporation founded and led by one of the finest minds in this world, Doctor Merlot." Oobleck began. "Its primary focus was the development of artificial intelligence and genetics. But when Mountain Glenn collapsed, it too fell."
"I remember hearing that name before." Weiss recalled. "During the early days of the Schnee Dust Company, my grandfather did meet with people from Merlot Industries a few times."
"And now someone is using their technology to try and sabotage Beacon, maybe even capture Grimm." Tails said.
"Do you think it may be Doctor Eggman?" Pyrrha asked. "Mountain Glenn was his base of operations."
"Doubtful." Sonic said. "This is too subtle for him. Plus, he never returns to his old bases."
"Are you sure?" Ren asked.
"Eggman's always been the type to throw out the old stuff and build something new." Amy replied.
"While he leaves everything behind to gather dust, call it all 'obsolete junk'." Rouge added.
"That is quite a waste." Oobleck commented with disapproval.
"Agreed." Omega added. "Although just because Eggman himself isn't directly involved with the recent incident, does not mean there is no connection."
"That's why we're going back to Mountain Glenn to see for ourselves." Sonic said. "And it looks like we're here."
No sooner than the blue Hedgehog said that, they had indeed arrived at the ruined settlement. Sonic and Shadow both ran a bit further ahead to try and scout for an ideal landing zone and happened to find a big enough clearing for their group. When they stopped, Sonic waved towards the incoming dropship, prompting it to slow down. It descended to the ground and allowed all aboard to step out before the ship itself took back the skies and flew back to Beacon.
"Everyone here?" Sonic did a quick headcount. "Yep, we're good."
"And you did not bring any pets along this time?" Shadow questioned, narrowing his eyes at Ruby specifically.
"No! I left Zwei back at Beacon! For real this time!" Ruby raised her hands defensively. Shadow seemed to buy it as he quickly dropped it.
"Where to, Professor?" Pyrrha asked Oobleck.
"Doctor." He corrected. "And I believe the best place to start is with the building's main headquarters." He pulled out an old map. "If this map is accurate, it should be located at the center of town, roughly two to three kilometers from our current position."
"Why not just drop us off there, then?" Jaune asked.
"Because if someone is there, they could see us coming if we got closer." Tails answered.
"Then perhaps we should split up." Ren suggested. "We're too big of a group."
"Quite correct." Oobleck agreed. "As there is a total of sixteen of us, we'll split into eight groups of two. We'll divide and go different routes and make our way to the building. Keep in contact with one another, and be mindful of any Grimm or prying eyes. We do not know what we are dealing with here. Ruby, you will come with me."
"Actually…" Knuckles spoke up. "How about Ruby comes with me?"
There was some surprise and confusion from some of the other students, notably Ruby and Yang.
"Is there a particular reason?" Oobleck asked.
"Just have a few questions I'd like to ask her." Knuckles answered and paid a brief glance towards Sonic, who knew immediately what this was about.
"Yeah, I think it'll be fine." Sonic said. "Yang, you can tag along with me. Everyone else, just take your pick."
"I don't see any problem with it." Ruby seemed to accept it with little issue, but Yang had a suspicious look in her eyes as her gut told her there was a bit more to it than either of them let on.
"Very well then." Oobleck accepted as well. "Jaune, you will come with me then."
"Okay, but why me?" He asked.
"Because, and take no offense by this, compared to some of the other students present, your combat prowess is…"
"I suck at fighting?" Jaune deadpanned.
"I wouldn't use those words specifically…" Oobleck commented.
"It's fine, I get it." Jaune said. "If we get into trouble, I could use some help."
Both Pyrrha and Tails were glad to see that Jaune was at least willing to accept that he would need help if things got out of hand, but his confidence could still use some work. He has improved a great deal and he didn't seem to be giving himself enough credit. They may need to talk to him a bit more later, but the mission took priority.
"Very well. Everyone, pick your partner and get a move on." Oobleck instructed. "We'll all regroup just outside the main building."
With that, the large group split up into eight pairs. The pairings were Sonic and Yang, Ruby and Knuckles, Jaune and Oobleck, Tails and Weiss, Blake and Rouge, Nora and Amy, Ren and Omega, Shadow and Pyrrha. It wasn't an issue finding partners, though Weiss was quick to pick Tails and made sure to keep her distance from Rouge while also making sure she had all her belongings, to which the bat gave a teasing grin and shrug in response before they all went in separate directions.
While Yang was glad that she wasn't paired up with Knuckles, as that would be very awkward to say the least, she felt a similar feeling being around Sonic, mostly because this was going to get back into a subject she didn't want to talk about. She saw Sonic deliver a homing attack to a Beowulf, taking it down instantly before landing in front of her.
"Ya know, fighting these guys isn't all that different from smashing Badniks." Sonic commented. "Only difference is they don't leave a mess to clean up. I mean, aside from collateral damage, but you get the idea."
Yang gave an audible sigh. "You can skip the small talk. I know that you wanted to come with me to talk about my crappy Semblance."
Sonic's smile faded as he looked with seriousness and concern. "Well, kinda. But it's not the way you think."
"I've handled myself for a long time, most of my life, I've been getting along just fine." Yang said irritably.
"Yeah, I know the feeling." Sonic said.
That was not the reaction Yang expected, and that is what caught her attention, as was Sonic's intent.
He drew out Caliburn before continuing. "I didn't always use a sword. In fact, most of my life I never used a weapon. Never needed one. I can break the sound barrier any time I want, and my body is a living projectile that can smash through solid steel. When you first met me and my friends, you saw me take down a Goliath without a weapon, right? So… you gotta ask…"
"Why even use a sword?" Yang wondered. "I kinda just thought you wanted to be a part of the whole weapons-thing we got going on."
"Kind of." Sonic answered. "But a while back, I had to use a sword. And when I first picked it up, I was pretty terrible at it. Had no clue how to use a sword."
"Couldn't have been that bad." Yang commented.
"I made Jaune's swordsmanship look like Weiss'." Sonic said to at least give her an idea of how terrible he was.
"…That's… that sounds… really awful." Yang was having a hard time picturing it.
Sonic made a slight chuckle. "I was so bad that bad guy I was fighting didn't even think I was worth his time. So, he left. Yeah, it was that bad."
"Then… why even use a sword?" Yang asked. "Why not just smash him your usual way?"
"Because the dude was immortal." Sonic answered.
"Immortal?" Yang questioned, wanting to make sure she heard that right.
"Or… technically he had a scabbard that made him immortal, but you get the idea. And the only way to stop him was with a magic sword. There was literally no other way. So, I had to learn how to fight with a sword. My old way wasn't working, and it wasn't easy changing things up, especially with the guy who taught me. He was really strict, and he called me 'Knave the Hedgehog', it's basically a novice knight. At first, I blamed it all on him, calling him a bad teacher. But… given the fate of a whole world was at stake, I really had no choice. So, I buckled down, and I learned. One of the things about going with the flow Yang, is that you gotta be willing to adapt. Not everything's gonna work out the way you want it too and you can't keep using the same thing over and over."
Yang had listened to what Sonic said, and what he said did make sense, but it was still a tough pill for her to swallow. So, she crossed her arms and looked away. "You make it sound so easy."
"Because your way has worked for you for years." Sonic went on. "Just as mine has for me. But importantly, it's protected your sister. And I get that too… it's how I've protected Tails for so long. Just as Ruby is your sister, Tails is like my kid brother. We're not related by blood, but I practically raised him on my own too."
That caused Yang to turn around in surprise. "By yourself? W-what about his parents?"
Sonic's smile faded. "Poor kid's an orphan. Didn't have anyone growing up really."
"And your parents…?" Yang asked.
"Never knew mine." Sonic began, but he smiled slightly. "Though, there was someone who did raise me. An owl named Long Claw and she was really cool. But…" His smile faded once more. "…Knuckles told you about what happened to his family, right?" Yang only nodded in response. "Well, Long Claw was friends with the Echidnas, and when marauders were about to attack Angel Island to steal the Master Emerald, Long Claw flew to help them. But she never came back. I didn't find out the reason until after I first met Knuckles and we stopped Eggman from doing the same thing. So, I basically grew up alone."
Yang saw the sad look in Sonic's eyes and instantly felt empathy for him. She'd seen that same look before, whenever she looked at her own reflection after Summer's disappearance.
"I learned how to take care of myself." Sonic continued. "And then I met Tails, another orphan who was alone. So, I took him in and practically raised him. With my speed I could not only handle myself, but I could also take care of the little guy with me. And, while we did have trouble over the years fighting Eggman, and we'd making new friends… having some else come along and tell you the way you're fighting is wrong after all that… yeah, it's frustrating. But… he was right. I had to learn something new and change the way I was doing things, but you know what? I'm glad for all that. Because not only did it make me stronger, it also gave me a new friend." He walked towards her and reached out to rub his hand down her arm. "I get what you're going through, Yang. I really do, and so does Knuckles. He just wants to help, that's all. And I know that accepting that kind of help isn't easy… so, take your time and at least think on it. But, hey… you're not alone in this."
While it was true that she could still feel her frustrations, as this talk didn't make them all disappear, Yang could tell that Sonic was being sincere and honest with her. Listening to his story made those troubles of hers just feel a tad bit lighter. And the way he spoke to her, how understanding he was, it reminded her so much of Summer. While she already trusted Sonic and saw that he was cool, the fact that she could relate to him on such a personal level suddenly made all her inhibitions lower around him.
A genuine smile formed on her face. "Thanks, Sonic."
"Anytime." He smiled back.
"And… hey. About… Longclaw… I… I'm sorry." Yang said sincerely.
"Thanks. I appreciate that." Sonic said with a genuine smile as he put his arm on her shoulder before smirking. "Now, let's go find some bad guys and Grimm to beat up. Deal?" He offered his fist to bump.
Yang chuckled as she bumped her fist to his. "Deal."
Ruby fired Crescent Rose to gun down a Beowulf while Knuckles smashed another that tried to come at them from behind as the two made their way through a narrow crossing toward their destination. Ruby so far hadn't said much of anything to Knuckles, though she had a feeling that anything they talked about would surround what happened between him and Yang, she wasn't quite sure how to say anything or what exactly to say to him. So, it made things a little awkward.
Seeing how Ruby hadn't said anything yet, Knuckles decided to break the silence and get to the point. "Ruby… we need to talk about Yang."
"About how she fights?" Ruby replied.
"Partly, but it's also about your dynamic with her." Knuckles said, causing Ruby to look in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"You're not treating her like you are Blake and Weiss." The red Echidna explained. "You treat them like your teammates, but you're treating her like your sister."
"Well, she is my sister." Ruby pointed out.
"But you can't have that role with her on the battlefield." Knuckles said. "I heard from Yang about what happened with your biological mother, how after she passed away your father shut himself down for a time. So, am I right to assume that Yang was the one who raised you?"
Ruby shuffled nervously a bit before answering. "…Well… Dad has gotten better. And Uncle Qrow… he's helped a bit."
"But it's mostly been her." Knuckles said, to which Ruby gave a single nod. "Look, you two seem to have a good relationship with each other and that's a great thing. I'm glad you had someone to look after you. But you can't have that same kind of relationship when you're on the battlefield. Yang might be your older sister and the one who raised you, but you are the leader. And that means you gotta take charge this time, whether it's in the middle of a fight, or training and trying to improve yourselves. You can't play favorites with her."
"I didn't think I was…" Ruby said shyly. "Have I been doing something wrong?"
"Not wrong." Knuckles assured. "It's just, being a leader is not just being supportive of your teammates, even though that is an important part of it. It's also being critical. If something happens, if you notice a way that your teammate is acting or how they handle themselves, it's important to address that and find a way to improve. You remember how Blake almost ran herself ragged trying to investigate the White Fang? You saw that she needed to stop and rest and were quick to help address that. You have to be willing to do the same with Yang, too."
"Is that what you were trying to do with Yang before? You thought the way she was using her Semblance was wrong?" Ruby asked.
"She purposely lets herself get hurt, and even if that makes her stronger, it's only temporary." Knuckles explained. "Not only that, if she's unable to actually hit back, then all that gathered energy is wasted and she wears herself down for nothing. Her temper is also a big part of it, if she loses herself in her anger, she can't focus, and it makes her sloppy and predictable in a fight. These are things that you as a leader have to look for and be aware of, even if she is your sister."
"Sonic told me that being a leader was about listening and compromising with your teammates." Ruby recalled.
"And he's right, but that also has to work both ways." Knuckles said. "Your teammates have to be willing to listen and compromise with you, that's how me, Sonic, and everyone else do it, and you have to do the same thing here. If you're only supportive and not critical, your whole team will get stagnant, you won't get any stronger."
Ruby took a moment to let all that sink in. After her talk with Sonic, she was able to compromise with Weiss at the beginning of their first semester after having such a rocky start. And after learning Blake was once part of the White Fang, Ruby was able to find a compromise and extend a hand to her as a friend and teammate, and even she stepped in when Blake exhausted herself when investigating Eggman and the White Fang. It was hard to imagine herself doing that with Yang… but after seeing her lose her sparing match with Knuckles… maybe she should start doing what Knuckles said.
"…I… I think I get what you mean, it's just…"
"Hard?" Knuckles finished for her. "I get it. Look, when this mission is over… at least sit down and try to talk with Yang for a bit. You did the same with Weiss and Blake, now it's time to do that with her. Not as sisters, but as teammates."
Ruby gave a single nod. "Okay, I'll try."
"Good." Knuckles nodded with a smile. "But there is something else I've been wanting to ask you about Yang. I heard how your uncle was the one who trained you how to fight, but what about her? Because from what I gathered, they didn't exactly do a good job."
"Well…" Ruby didn't quite answer right away. "Dad gave her a few tips and showed her some things… and some of the teachers at Signal did say some things…"
"Wait… hold on one sec." Knuckles stopped her. "Are you telling me that nobody trained her?"
"Dad did… kinda." Ruby still didn't have a solid answer. "I know she tried to train me… but I was never really a puncher…"
"I'm not asking about you, I'm talking about her." Knuckles clarified. "How exactly did your father train her?"
"I remember watching them a few times, him showing how to punch… but I'm not a brawler." Ruby explained. "So, I can't say…"
"He taught her to fight. That's all?" Knuckles questioned. "What about her overreliance on her Semblance? Or her temper? He didn't say anything about that?" When he saw how Ruby didn't provide an answer right away, it immediately told him no. Which only caused him to look with concern. "And you're uncle? Did he train her?"
"No… At least I don't think so…" Ruby answered, sounding a bit unsure.
"Why not?" Knuckles questioned, looking very serious.
"Well, their fighting styles are different." Ruby tried to explain. "Yang's a brawler, and Uncle Qrow's more of a weapon's master like me…"
"Even if that's the case, any veteran fighter would still have some kind of advice to give." Knuckles said before looking with concern. "Ruby… this is very serious. You might have had Yang to help raise you, but who did Yang have? Her dad shut down, but what about your uncle? Where was he?"
"H-he works…" Ruby stuttered, not quite sure where Knuckles was going with this, but it made her feel a bit nervous. "He's a Huntsman and… he takes jobs across Remnant…"
"He's still gotta be home sometime!" Knuckles stated.
"Not really…" Ruby answered.
"How often is he home. Answer me. Honestly." Knuckles said seriously.
"Maybe… once a year or so…?" Ruby rubbed her arm nervously.
"So how was he able to train you if he's only home once a year?" Knuckles questioned.
"He became a teacher at Signal when I enrolled there." She answered.
"Did Yang attend that school too?"
"Yeah. She was two years ahead of me." Ruby replied.
"So… there was a time where he was around you more often than normal. But he spent that all with you and not her?" Knuckles was starting to get a little irritated.
"Well… I mean I was total garbage before he trained me…" Ruby tried to say.
"That's not important right now!" Knuckles stated. "From what I gather, your uncle neglected Yang and that could be the reason she's the way she is with her fighting. She didn't have anyone. Maybe your father did help teach her to throw a punch, but it doesn't seem like he taught her anything else! He didn't guide or mentor her or tell explain to her the flaws in how she fights. Yang raised you, yes. But nobody raised her, or weren't all there, and that could be the source of all of this!"
Ruby had never actually thought about that. She always thought Yang was already good on her own, she seemed to take their father's lessons in strides, so she never really questioned it. But with everything Knuckles said to Yang at Beacon and now here, it really made Ruby ask herself. Why didn't Qrow train Yang? They barely interacted at Signal, in fact, most of the time he was there was mostly spent mentoring and teaching Ruby, he barely even talked with some of the other students. And the second she was enrolled in Beacon, he quit the academy. This really left a lot of questions in her head that she didn't quite know how to answer.
"So… what do we do?" Ruby asked. "How do we fix this?"
Knuckles could tell that Ruby was confused and didn't have a solid answer, which he didn't expect her to, but this was still a very serious matter. And while he didn't have a solid answer either, there was still one thing they could do.
"For now, have that talk with Yang like I said about finding a way to compromise with her." Knuckles said a bit more calmly. "Work at making your team stronger. It won't solve everything, but it's a good first step. And, if you get the chance to see your uncle again, find out the reason why he didn't seem all that focused on Yang."
That did make sense. Ruby never really questioned her uncle all that much, just like with Yang growing up, he seemed to know what he was doing. But now, maybe it was time to start asking questions. She was the leader of a team, and her sister was one of her teammates. They had to get stronger, and if questioning Qrow was one of the steps to finding a way to help Yang, then that's what she'll do.
"Okay, I will." Ruby said a bit more firmly, causing Knuckles to smile.
Sometime later, all eight groups had made it to the area surrounding the main facility that was once the headquarters of Merlot Industries. It was a rather tall building, probably the tallest in the abandoned settlement. But just like everything else, it was in near ruins. The area in front of it was flat and open, almost like a parking lot, so there was no further cover. Each of the groups of two were hidden in various spots surrounding it before checking in.
"We have found the facility." Oobleck said, referring to himself and Jaune as they hid in an alleyway. "All groups, report in."
"We're here, Doctor." Ruby said from another alley as she stood alongside Knuckles.
"Ready and waiting, Doc." Sonic responded as he and Yang had hidden underneath a hole in the foundation of one building.
"We're on one of the rooftops." Tails reported as he and Weiss stood at the top of one of the smaller buildings, keeping themselves low to the ground to avoid being spotted.
"Same here." Blake and Rouge were in a similar position on the building next to them.
"We have a clear view on our side." Pyrrha and Shadow watched from a window on the east side of the area.
"Hammer Harpies ready and waiting!" Nora said as she and Amy were inside another building, being closer towards the ground.
"We're in position too." Ren reported as he and Omega hid behind an old barricade. "No signs of any Grimm or possible enemies."
"I can't believe the facility has withstood the years… a shame." Oobleck said as he looked at the old building. "Still, Doctor Merlot would've never let something like this hinder the progress of his work. I can only imagine what we'll find inside."
"Don't be so quick to enter." Shadow warned. "The building may look stable, but the possibility of it collapsing is still real. Omega, can you detect any enemy signals inside?"
"Scanning." Omega observed what he could. "No Badnik signals detected. However, there is movement in the lower floors." He zoomed in with his optics to get a better view. "They are Grimm."
"How many?" Shadow questioned.
"Over four dozen at first glance." Omega confirmed.
"There's no way we're going to sneak in with all of those things in there." Knuckles pointed out.
"Then we'll just have to go in swords blazing." Sonic smirked as he drew Caliburn.
"I can behind that." Yang loaded up Ember Celica.
"Yes… given the circumstances, stealth is not an option." Oobleck agreed.
"Omega, shoot a flare. Draw the Grimm outside." Shadow ordered.
"Affirmative." The former Badnik fired a flare straight upward, which exploded in a flash of red light.
The sudden bust of light drew the attention of the creatures of darkness inside the abandoned facility, causing them all to emerge through the broken openings that were once windows revealing a great many Beowolves, Ursai, and Creeps, all of which roared as they entered the opening.
Sonic was the first to attack, striking with a bladed homing attack to cut down one Ursa and appear around several Grimm before unleashing his Blue Tornado attack to suck in several and send them flying in all directions. While airborne, Ruby and Pyrrha configured their respective weapons into their rifle modes and shot down several Grimm that were airborne before they could even hit the ground. Already seven Grimm were decimated before the rest of their conjoined party entered the fray to quickly deal with all the remaining Grimm while they were still confused.
Yang punched and fired Ember Celica into two Creeps and one Beowolf to punch and blow them to smitheries. An Ursa was about to come at her from behind, but Blake had already leapt down to impale Gambol Shroud in its back before using her Shadow Semblance, combined with some fire Dust, to leave an explosion behind and finish off the Ursa. The two exchanged nods and smiles before standing together.
Tails had kept Weiss airborne as she swung and thrusted Myrtenaster to send waves of flame, ice, and electricity to clear out at least five Grimm before landing. One Beowolf was about to attack them, but Tails performed a Spindash to plow through it and take it down instantly. They were quickly joined by Oobleck and Jaune as four Creeps were about to go on the attack, Oobleck had drawn Antiquity's Roast and activated its flame-thrower mode to burn away the two front most Grimm, while the two Creeps at the back were able to advance. Jaune charged to meet one, using his shield to block its claws, and when it opened its mouth for a roar, Jaune lunged Crocea Mors down its throat and out the back of its head, yanking it out just as it disintegrated. The last Creep was quickly smashed by Oobleck in the side of its skull, using an extra boost from the flamethrower for some additional momentum.
Knuckles jumped forward, both Galantine blades pointing outward while he spun himself, creating a drill-like attack that pierced through three Beowolves and an Ursa, coming to a stop just before all four Grimm fell apart. Three more Beowolves were about to leap at him, but Rouge had already flown in and threw out Purple Hearts to slice the throats of the outer two Beowolves while they were still airborne, and thrusted both her heels into the face of the one in the middle, shattering its skull and landing gracefully as Purple Hearts returned to her.
Amy and Nora leapt into the middle of at least eight different Grimm, but both came back-to-back as they drew their respective hammers and allowed their enemies to get in close.
"We'll do what Sonic just did. I'll send them flying, you handle the rest." Amy told her friend.
"You got it." Nora nodded just as all eight Grimm encircled and rushed them.
Amy had jumped over Nora and spun her Piko-Piko around rapidly to generate a tornado-like effect. While Nora was safe in the center of the attack, the eight Grimm were sweapt up and sent flying straight up. Nora grinned as she converted Magnhild into its grenade launcher mode and fired a single explosive shot to destroy all eight Grimm in one hit.
"Hammer Harpies!" Amy and Nora both declared as they clanged their weapons together.
Omega and Ren both fired to take down a line of Creeps that were heading their way. Omega switched his arterially to Ice Dust and opened fire towards the ground to create multiple ice-spikes just as many of the Creeps crossed the path, only to be impaled and skewered in every way possible. Three more remained as they used their armor to break through the ice and get in close, but Ren was quick to deal with them, moving in to slice rapidly with StormFlower at the one in the center and cut it down. He fired both his grapplers into the sides of the remaining two and pulled them in before jumping to allow the two to smash into each other before landing on top and finishing them off with precise slices.
A total of six Grimm remained close to the main building as Shadow calmly walked towards them, spotting the Alpha Beowolf that had yet to exit and remain perched on the windowsill of the fifth floor. The Alpha howled as the five Ursai that were under its command went to attack Shadow. However, the ultimate Lifeform simply drew Arondight in one hand and let Chaos Energy surge in the other before zipping past each Ursa with his usual speed and leaping into the air just as they all exploded. The second he spotted the Alpha Beowolf, Shadow boosted forward with his air-shoes to impale the Alpha with his sword and flipped it over himself to send it flying outward while he landed in the windowsill and finished the Grimm off with a Chaos Spear directed toward its head.
"Is that all of them?" Jaune asked as most of them regrouped.
Sonic did a quick sweep around the perimeter before checking back. "Yep, that's all of em."
"Well done, everyone. Well done." Oobleck congratulated.
"Yay! Go teams!" Ruby cheered.
As most of them seemed to celebrate, Shadow remained in his position at the fifth floor's windowsill. However, he heard a faint and repeating beeping noise from deeper inside. Turning briefly, his eyes widened in surprise to see a bomb attached to one of the supporting pillars that was already flashing.
"There's a bomb!" Shadow warned as he leapt out the window.
*BOOM!*
Multiple bombs exploded throughout the lower levels of the tall building, as well as the basement. This caused the ground underneath everyone, as well as the building itself, to collapse, sending everyone falling. And with the building's rubble about to collapse on top of them, neither Rouge nor Tails could fly and pull everyone out.
Acting quickly, Sonic and Shadow were the first to move as the ground collapsed, using their respective speeds to zip from rock-to-rock and grab whoever they could. Sonic spotted Pyrrha being the closest to him and was quick to grab her with one hand she fell while also reaching out to Amy with the other. Knuckles tried to glide as best as he could, making his way closer towards Yang and Weiss as they instinctively latched on to him. Omega used his jet boosters to try and stabilize himself while Ren fired one of his grapplers to hook onto Omega's shoulder.
Shadow was quick to grab the screaming Jaune as he was the closest to him and then zoomed in to grab Ruby. Tails flew down to catch Oobleck while Rouge did the same for Nora, who held out her Magnhild to allow Blake, who was nearby, to throw out the tether of Gambol Shroud to hook onto the pole of the hammer.
When all was said and done, the building that was the Merlot Industries headquarters had been almost completely destroyed, leaving nothing but a pile of rubble that had sealed up the hole that had been formed as the ground collapsed above everyone.
Underground, there appeared to be a large pile of rocks and debris that would have crushed the group of individuals underneath. Fortunately, Weiss had erected a large Glyph to keep those around her in one piece. This included Sonic, Omega, Pyrrha, Yang, Knuckles, Ren, and Amy. Though the heiress appeared to be struggling as this was the largest Glyph she had conjured and had a hard time maintaining it.
Acting quickly, Knuckles, Yang, and Omega used their strength to begin pushing and smashing all the debris around them. Once she saw that most of it had been cleared, Weiss gave one lunge straight upward with her Glyph to push all the debris above her away. She nearly collapsed, but Sonic was quick to catch her.
"You good?" He asked.
"Yeah… just… need to catch my breath." Weiss took a moment to collect herself, but she was surprised to see his smile.
"Hey, that was some quick-thinking back there. Nice job." Sonic congratulated.
A genuine smile formed on her face. "Well, I did learn from the best."
"Thank you." Sonic nodded as Weiss was able to stand up straight. "Is everyone alright?"
"I believe so." Pyrrha said as everyone gathered closer. "But it seems we've lost half our party."
"Omega, can you track any of the others? Like through their scrolls or comms or something?" Sonic asked.
"Affirmative. I am picking up eight signals nearby, likely our allies." The former Badnik reported, causing everyone some relief to know that their friends were alright. "However, the depth of this subterranean level as well as outside interference will make it difficult to pinpoint their exact locations."
"Sonic? Sonic, do you read me?"
"It's Tails." Amy recognized as Sonic accessed his own communications and put it on speaker for everyone else to hear.
"I read you buddy. You good?"
"I'm alright." Tails responded. "Ruby, Shadow, Jaune, Blake, Rouge, Nora, and Oobleck are all with me. We're a bit shaken up, but we're all good."
"What exactly happened back there?" Yang questioned.
"Shadow said there was a bomb." Ren answered. "Likely a trap."
"Shadow is suspecting it was remote detonation, and Rouge seems to agree with him." Tails reported. "Meaning, there was somebody watching us."
"Now a stunt like that definitely reeks of Eggman." Sonic commented. "But weird we didn't get any monologues."
"We'll worry about that later." Pyrrha said. "Our focus right now should be regrouping with the others."
"I agree, that's probably our best option." Weiss said as well.
"Alright. Where are you guys, now?" Sonic asked Tails.
"We're not that far from Eggman's base while he was stationed here." The young fox answered.
"It doesn't seem like there are any pathways from where we're standing." Ren observed.
"I can make a pathway." Knuckles commented. "Omega, can you navigate us to where their talking about? Even if you don't have a fix on their location, you do remember where that base is, right?"
"Correct." Omega confirmed. "Based on the trajectory of our fall and our current depth, the base is less than a kilometer from our current location."
"Alright. You tell me where to go, and I'll do the digging." Knuckles said.
"Looks like we got a plan." Sonic said. "We'll meet you there, Tails. Be careful."
"You too. Doctor Oobleck also wants me to remind you to keep an eye out for any subterranean Grimm."
"We can manage. See ya soon." Sonic signed off. "Well, let's get going."
"Can you really dig your way there?" Yang asked Knuckles.
He smirked at her confidentially. "I have years of experience. Omega, which way?"
"That direction." Omega pointed toward a nearby wall as Knuckles approached it. "Continue slightly downward at an angle of thirty-six point two degrees and you should reach our allies location within the hour."
"Got it." Knuckles nodded before spinning his arms rapidly like a pair of wheels, his fists held outward as he quickly carved his way through the stone. With his strength, digging through solid stone was almost like drilling through soft drywall.
Yang, Ren, Pyrrha, and Weiss all blinked as they saw Knuckles making a tunnel for them all at an incredibly face pace with Omega right behind him to provide navigation.
"I am quite impressed." Weiss said with a blank expression as Ren nodded in agreement.
As she saw Knuckles work, Yang couldn't help but think back to her sparring session with him. Once again, it was clear just how much of a gap in strength there is between the two of them. His words and her loss at his hands still weighed quite a bit on her, but when she felt a pat on her back, she turned to see Sonic giving an assuring smile, which caused the weight inside her to lessen, if only slightly as she smiled back.
"Come on, let's all stick close." Amy encouraged the group as they all quickly went down the newly carved tunnel.
"And keep our eyes peeled for anything else that may be down here." Pyrrha added as she kept Milo and Akouo handy.
Meanwhile, the group consisting of Shadow, Ruby, Tails, Jaune, Oobleck, Blake, Rouge, and Nora had arrived at the old underground base that Eggman had once occupied before he breached Vale.
"So… we just wait for everyone else to show up?" Jaune asked.
"That seems like our best option." Tails confirmed. "We know how to get back up to the surface from this point."
"Yes, but we should also tread lightly." Oobleck advised. "Ever since our last tussle with Eggman, the abandoned subway tunnels have opened to the wild forests on the surface and deep caves, which will have allowed more Grimm to wander inside. Do be careful."
"Kinda hoping that they do show up." Nora said. "After almost getting buried alive, I need something to smash!"
"Maybe we should check to make sure. Scout the area." Ruby advised.
"That sounds like a good idea." Blake agreed.
"Alright. Ruby is with me; we'll scout the northern area." Shadow instructed. "Rouge, you and Blake take the south. If you spot anything worth noting, notify us immediately."
"You got it." Rouge nodded.
"The rest of us will try and find some shelter." Tails said as they went into their respective directions.
Blake and Rouge used their respective agility and skills to maneuver their way through and around some of the old buildings before making their way to a railroad track, not big enough for trains, but more something built for mining carts, and proceeded to walk on it while observing the area around them.
"Eggman didn't do this place any favors." Blake commented, kicking a small rock in her path.
"Yeah, he's not the type to think of the long-term." Rouge said. "It's one of the reasons most of his plans blow up in his face and we gotta clean it all up."
Blake's own natural night vision allowed her to see the darker areas more clearly, but so far, she hadn't spotted anything other than some old ruins. "We haven't seen a single Grimm down here. That's kinda odd."
"Didn't you say you found cages in the Emerald Forest?" Rouge recalled. "Like someone was trying to capture Grimm?"
"Yeah… but I don't know how they'd be able to do it." Blake said. "Catching one or two Grimm would be one thing… but with all the Grimm that Doctor Oobleck said might be here, it would be impossible to try and capture that many without causing collateral damage!"
"Fair but still… this is kinda worrisome." Rouge said just as the two came to a stop right before a massive pit, one big enough to house a whole building. "And so is that."
"I can't see anything down there." Blake tried to focus her night vision.
Rouge even picked up a rock and dropped it down, using her heightened hearing to try and listen to the sound of it landing. But even after several seconds, she hadn't heard anything. She still didn't hear it, which suggests that it was well outside her hearing range.
"That's pretty deep." Rouge commented. "Probably don't wanna fall down there."
"Let's try and meet up with the others." Blake suggested as the pair walked away. However, unbeknownst to them, they were being watched from several small holes in the ground beneath them, by several pairs of glowing green eyes.
Shadow and Ruby came towards the side of one of the more natural cave formations in this underground terrain. However, an animalistic sound came from within had caught Shadow's attention, prompting him to raise his hand and silently tell Ruby to stop. He turned to her and placed his finger over his mouth with the motion to keep silent, which she nodded in understanding as she drew Crescent Rose. The pair kept close to the side of the wall and peered around the corner to the source of the noise.
It was a Beowolf, but it was unlike any they've seen before. It was larger, more muscular, almost having the same stature as an Ursa. It also appeared to be glowing green with green spikes coming from its back and green eyes. But what stood out the most was that it had three heads! This Beowolf had three heads with one in the center, and two others on its shoulders.
"Does that Beowolf have three heads?" Ruby questioned in a shocked whisper.
"It appears so." Shadow kept calm but narrowed his eyes in seriousness.
"Why is it glowing?" Ruby asked.
"I don't know. Stay here, I'll handle it." Shadow instructed as he stepped forward, getting the attention of the three-headed Beowolf.
Its right head was the first to spot the black Hedgehog, prompting the other two to turn towards him and roar at him aggressively before charging. However, Shadow closed the gap sooner with a homing attack to knock it off balance and proceeded to lay several across its body before skidding to a halt behind it. He turned around and looked serious as he saw the three-headed Beowolf already back up on its feet and not the least bit damaged.
"It's tougher than normal." Shadow commented before throwing a Chaos Spear through its chest, piercing and creating a large hole. However, what happened next was a surprise to both Shadow and the observing Ruby.
The hole was quickly sealed up and disappeared like it was never even there.
Regeneration?! Shadow didn't see that coming. There were no records of the Grimm possessing the ability to regenerate from a wound like that. Shadow suspected this may have to do with this particular Beowolf having three heads and those glowing green crystals. The Beowolf was about to attack Shadow, only to roar in pain as it was shot from behind by Ruby using Crescent Rose's rifle configuration. But even with all the broken armor and open wounds in its back, the three-headed Beowolf had healed even from that and turned around to try and rush Ruby.
"Go for its hind legs!" Shadow shouted to her.
No time to question it, Ruby drew her weapon's scythe mode and sped forward with Petal Burst, slicing at the Beowolf's hind legs to trip it up and knock it on the ground, lying flat on its belly. While it was down, Shadow had teleported right above and drawn Arondight to slice and decapitate all three of the heads in one strike before sliding to stand beside Ruby, where they watched as the Grimm exploded. Shadow noticed a faint green liquid substance as the creature had exploded, but it vanished into the air a second later, leaving not a trace left.
"What was that?!" Ruby questioned. She gave a startled yelp as Shadow picked her up bridal style and sped away with his own natural speed.
It didn't take long for the Ultimate Lifeform and his passenger to meet up with the others, including Rouge and Blake, near the middle of the abandoned base.
"Wha… guys?" Jaune was surprised by their sudden appearance.
"Everyone! There was a Beowolf! With three heads!" Ruby exclaimed, speaking in a panicky tone. "It was glowing green, and it can heal and it…"
"Ruby, slow down. We can't understand." Blake said to her.
"We encountered a Beowolf that had three heads as well as the ability to regenerate." Shadow said calmly yet seriously.
"A three headed Beowolf?" Tails questioned with everyone else looking in surprise.
"Nonsense. A Beowolf only possesses one head." Oobleck said. "In fact, the only Grimm in existence that do have more than one head are the King Taijtu and the Ziraph, which is confirmed to have three heads, but that particular breed of Grimm is native to the harsh desert environment of Vacuo."
"Well, this Beowolf had three heads and it could heal." Shadow revealed. "A Chaos Spear right through its chest and it regenerated in a matter of seconds."
"Even when I shot off its armor, it still grew back!" Ruby added. "It was even glowing green!"
"Green?" Nora questioned.
"Regenerating?" Jaune questioned as well.
Rouge's hearing then picked up something. It was the sound of digging, and it was coming from the ground all around them. "Heads up! We got company!"
Her warning came just in time as multiple holes exploded outward from the ground surrounding the group and multiple Grimm began to emerge from it. But just like the three-headed Beowolf, these Grimm were clearly different from any they've faced so far.
The ones that appeared to have dug all the holes were Creeps. They too glowed green with multiple green spikes along its backs. They were larger and beefier, but what stuck out the most was that each of them had curved tusks coming from the sides of their necks, stretching out to the tips of their horned armored heads, something akin to what the Boarbatusks had. And emerging from the holes just behind these mutant Creeps were several more three-headed Beowolves. All and all, there appeared to be a total of fifty, maybe even sixty of these glowing green Grimm as they had surrounded the group from all sides.
"Oh dear…" Oobleck looked with worry.
"What are these things?!" Jaune exclaimed in a panic.
"Are these like the Grimm you guys saw?" Blake asked Ruby and Shadow.
"Yep." The young leader of Team RWBY answered meekly.
As most of the group looked incredibly nervous, Shadow had Arondight drawn with a serious expression on his face as he looked to the glowing Grimm in front of him. "Let's go."
Knuckles had punched a hole through the wall as he and Omega were the first to emerge with Sonic, Yang, Pyrrha, Amy, Ren, and Weiss right behind them.
"Alright we made it." Sonic addressed everyone. "Now let's try and…" However, he and everyone else looked in surprise to see what was unfolding before them. All their other friends were in the middle of a chaotic battle with what appeared to be Grimm, but upon closer inspection, they could all see that these Grimm were not like any they've seen before.
"Are those… Grimm…?" Weiss questioned.
"Why are they glowing?" Yang wondered as well.
"Alert! Enemy approaching from above!" Omega warned, prompting everyone to move forward as something fell from the ceiling and landed at the spot they once were. They were immediately on-guard but were shocked at the monstrosity that stood before them.
It appeared to be a Deathstalker, and just like all the other Grimm in the cavern, this one too was glowing bright green with several glowing spikes across its armored body. It even had a glowing green stinger on its tail. However, what stuck out the most was that where it's face normally would be, there appeared to be a Beowolf-like Grimm attached to it, or rather it's upper half that seemed to have the Deathstalker body beneath acting as its lower half. It also had scorpion-like pincers for arms as opposed to claws, in addition to the massive pincers on its sides, giving it a total of four sets of claws.
"W-what in the name of the Brother Gods….?" Pyrrha stuttered in fear.
"Is that a Deathstalker mixed with a Beowolf…!?" Amy exclaimed.
The second Ren saw this monster of a Grimm, his eyes widened to the point where they were almost circular. This monster… it looked just like… Before he knew it, he saw fire and heard the deathly screams of countless men and women, as well as the horrible sound. The sound of a demonic shriek that he heard as a child.
Ren was knocked out of his trance as Amy tackled him out of the way from the lash of the monster's lower claws as everyone else backed away. Omega was the first to open fire on the monstrous Deathstalker-Beowolf hybrid with his semi-automatic weapons, and Yang followed suit with her Ember Celica to fire short-ranged blasts. The monster raised its lower and larger claws to shield itself from the worst of the damage. While it seemed focused on them, Weiss and Pyrrha moved along the sides and fired long-ranged with the former's Dust and the latter's rifle-mode. This prompted the monster to rapidly turn and slash its claws toward Pyrrha while trying to slam its tail on Weiss, but Sonic was able to zoom in and pull Weiss out of the way while Knuckles stood in front of Pyrrha to punch and bat away the claws, allowing the two to step backwards and gain some distance as the monster roared again.
"What the hell is that thing?!" Yang exclaimed.
"It appears to be a Grimm." Omega answered, taking a brief scan of it. "There is an unknown chemical agent circulating throughout its body, suggesting that this one has been modified and mutated." Omega turned around and scanned the battle that the rest of their friends were caught up in. "That same chemical agent is located within each of the Grimm in this area."
"Mutant Grimm?" Weiss questioned. "Is that possible?"
"No time to question it!" Sonic stated, taking charge. "Alright, you guys all go and help the others! Knuckles, we'll keep this thing busy."
"You got it." The red Echidna quickly stood alongside the blue Hedgehog.
"Amy, when you find Tails, you tell him to come back us up. I think this bad boy is gonna take some team effort." Sonic instructed.
"Got it, be careful Sonic." Amy nodded in understanding. As everyone else turned around to join their friends, Amy noticed that Ren was still staring at the monster with a pale expression on his face. "Ren!" She shook him by the shoulder to get his attention. "Are you okay?"
"F-fine…. I-I'm fine." He tried to steady himself before focusing on the task at hand. "We should go."
Though greatly concerned, Amy nodded in understanding as she and Ren turned around to catch up with everyone else, leaving Sonic and Knuckles alone to face the monster before them.
"Alright ugly, let's see what you can do." Sonic grinned before they charged at the mutant Grimm hybrid.
Jaune was pinned to the ground as a mutant Beowolf leapt on top of him and tried to bite down on him. Jaune had his shield up to protect himself against the mutant's claws, but its triple heads made it hard to avoid the razor-sharp fangs that were about to descend onto his face. However, Shadow rammed the three-headed Beowolf in the side to push it off before zooming forward to slice all three of its heads off and kill it.
"Don't stay in one place for too long!" Shadow told Jaune as he stood up. "If necessary, stand with someone can fly and stay airborne! Keep your distance from these things!"
"R-right. Thanks." Jaune nodded as Shadow sped off. He then noticed Tails had flown up to avoid the lunge of a mutant Creep before performing a spin dash directly down onto it's back, though it did damage the mutated Grimm, it didn't destroy it as it's injuries were quickly healed. When it turned back to face Tails, Jaune used this moment to charge forward and plunge Crocea Mors into the side of its neck. He gave a yell as he pulled his sword upward to almost completely decapitate it, though it still hung by some strands and looked just barely alive. Tails decided to finish it off by performing another spindash through its torn neck to completely tear the head off and finish it.
"Thanks, Jaune." Tails told him.
"Maybe we should stick together." Jaune said, following Shadow's advice.
"Good idea." The young fox agreed as he picked up Jaune and flew some distance from the ground to avoid several more mutant Grimm that were approaching them.
Nora and Ruby stood side-by-side, Magnhild and Crescent Rose both converted into their respective long-ranged weapon modes as they fired into a line of incoming mutant Grimm. While Nora's explosives did manage to take down a few of them, there were still many coming their way, and Ruby's rifle barley did any damage that wasn't quickly healed. The young red-clad Huntress-in-training noticed how they weren't getting anywhere like this and glanced upward and noticed all the stalactites and an idea came to her.
"Nora, shoot up at the ceiling!" Ruby told her as she fired Crescent Rose up breaking off some of the hanging spikes and causing them to fall. Already they began to crush and impale several of the incoming mutant Grimm.
"Oh, I see where you're going with this." Nora shot a single grenade from Magnhild straight upward to blow up a large piece of the ceiling and cause several large rocks to fall down and crush the remaining mutant Grimm that were charging their way. "Simple yet destructive. Nice." Nora smirked as she pointed with approval towards Ruby.
"Don't thank me yet." Ruby converted Crescent Rose into its scythe-mode as a three-headed Beowolf and two Mutant Creeps approached them from behind. "We're not done."
Oobleck fired Antiquity's Roasts point-blank on a mutant Creep, unleashing as much flame as he can to push it back, but it was able to push forward despite the burns and ram into Oobleck to knock him down. However, Rouge flew in from above to grab it by its tusks and haul it upward, exposing its underbelly, which Blake took advantage off as she rushed and sliced Gambol Shroud, sliding past it to sever its neck and cut its head off completely. Rouge let it go just before it exploded.
"Thanks for the assist, ladies." Oobleck congratulated.
Blake smiled but was caught off guard as a three-headed Beowolf attacked and pounced on her. Rouge and Oobleck were also attacked by two other mutant Beowolves and were unable to provide any kind of help. The Faunus girl struggled to push the large mutated Grimm off her as all three sets of its snarling teeth were about to barrel down and tear into her flesh.
However, a yell had drawn its attention as the next thing Blake saw was a flash of yellow and a powerful force to push the mutant Beowolf off her. Blake looked up in surprise to see Yang had arrived, having knocked the mutant Beowolf to the ground and quickly pinned it down, where she proceeded to pound into all three of its heads, firing Ember Cecilia with each punch to further crack up each of the heads until all three were shattered. Yang stood up and turned around just as the mutant Grimm exploded behind her, almost dramatically as she walked over to Blake and offered her hand.
"Blake, are you okay?"
The cat-Faunus looked at her partner in awe as she accepted her hand with a grateful smile. "Yeah, thanks."
Meanwhile, Oobleck and Rouge also received assistance as Omega fired Ice-Dust ammunition into the side of the mutant Beowolf that was fighting Oobleck, where it all suddenly exploded in the form of ice crystals from inside the monster and almost completely obliterated it before it exploded. Omega then appeared from behind the mutant Beowolf that was attacking Rouge, grabbed it by its leg with one hand, hauled it over to slam it onto the ground before firing point-blank lightning beams to destroy the heads and kill it.
"Thanks for the assist, Omega." Rouge thanked.
"You are welcome. Observation, these mutated Grimm will only be destroyed if their heads are removed, or their bodies are almost obliterated completely." Omega reported.
"Yes, we figured that much through observation." Oobleck commented as they saw more of their friends and allies join the fray.
Weiss and Ren joined Ruby and Nora as the former erected a Glyph underneath two mutant Creeps and infused it with her Gravity Dust to send them flying into the air, where the other three students fired their gun-configurations to tear through the mutant Creeps and destroy them.
Tails and Jaune had found themselves back-to-back as two Mutant Beowolves approached them from both sides, but before they could attack, Pyrrha and Amy had just arrived. Pyrrha used her Milo and Akouo to block and parry the claw strikes from the three-headed Beowolf that she was fighting before flipping backwards and tossing her shield like a frisbee to decapitate all three heads in one strike. Likewise, Amy had performed a Tornado-Hammer attack on the other mutant Beowolf to send it flying into the air before slamming the Piko-Piko on to the ground to vault herself straight up to it and while it was still airborne, she landed on its belly and swung her hammer all across its faces with such speed and strength that by the time they landed, all three of its heads had been smashed to paste, killing it.
"Are you two, alright?" Pyrrha asked Jaune and Tails.
"Yeah, thanks again Pyrrha." Jaune replied.
"Tails, Sonic and Knuckles are fighting some kind of Deathstalker-Beowolf hybrid and need your help!" Amy told her young fox friend.
"On it!" Tails flew to assist his oldest friends, leaving the three to deal with a line of Mutant Creeps that were quickly approaching them. Though they were more than ready to keep fighting, facing that many mutated Grimm was nerve wracking to say the least. Fortunately, Shadow would appear in front of them to lead the charge and provide assistance.
Sonic zipped left and right, forward and backwards, to avoid the shots of glowing green acid that shot from the mutant Deathstalker's tail. The acid was so corrosive, that the second it touched the ground, most of it was instantly melted away.
"Great. This thing shoots acid." Sonic deadpanned before zipping away right as Knuckles charged forward and tried to leap towards the Beowolf body with a punch, but the lower right claw was quickly brought up to block the punch, though the force of Knuckles' strike did appear to severely damage the claw, allowing Knuckles to push past it and then change his target to the armored lower body, pounding on it with his right fist while hacking at the bone armor with his left Galantine blade.
This allowed Sonic to get in close and from behind, drawing Caliburn to slice toward the Beowolf head, but its upper body suddenly turned a full one-eighty degrees, much to Sonic's surprise and disgust. Even as he tried to slice at the Beowolf, landing on the Deathstalker body, it was able to block each of his strikes with its upper claws before the abomination leapt upwards and landed down hard to shake off Sonic and Knuckles, knocking them both to the ground.
"Man, that thing is tough and smart." Sonic commented as they stood up, only to watch any damage that it did sustain quickly heal, even the bone-armor that would normally be scarred when damaged on a normal Grimm was patched up.
"Anything we can dish out, it just heals from!" Knuckles stated. The mutant Deathstalker-Beowolf hybrid was about to advance on them again, but Tails suddenly flew in at high speeds to land a devastating kick on the Beowolf's face, knocking the whole thing off balance. Tails the proceeded to fly literal circles around the Beowolf body and deal all kinds of punches and kicks before finishing with a spin-dash to the face and landing in-between his two partners and teammates.
"Nice entrance Tails." Sonic smiled with an impressed whistle.
However, neither Tails nor Knuckles were celebrating as the monster's body quickly healed from all the damage Tails had done to it. It then proceeded to shoot more globs of acid at them from its stinger, prompting all three to move and scatter.
"We're wasting our energy trying to fight it like this!" Knuckle said as he dashed and avoided a glob of acid. "We have to separate the Beowolf part from the Deathstalker!"
"Even if we did, I think the Deathstalker part might still live!" Tails commented as he flew up and over the acid that was shot toward him.
"Do you know for sure?" Sonic asked as he zoomed the same way, avoiding the acid with little trouble.
"No, but I'm not willing to take that chance!" Tails replied.
"Then we have to obliterate it completely! Or at least damage it so bad that it can't regenerate!" Knuckles said.
"I think I know how we can do that!" Tails began. "When we first came here, Blake and Rouge scouted out and found a deep pit! We can toss it down there and crush it underneath some debris!"
"Sounds like a plan!" Sonic said. "Lead the way, buddy!"
"Follow me!" Tails prompted as he flew in a certain direction, prompting Sonic and Knuckles to follow him with the massive mutant Grimm hybrid roaring and giving pursuit of its intended targets.
Meanwhile, Teams RWBY, Dark, JNPR, Amy and Oobleck, all came together as they were completely surrounded by twenty mutant Grimm on all sides. Nearly all of them were exhausted, having used everything they could to wipe out about two thirds of the horde they were facing, but they barely had enough energy to stand.
"Guys… I… I can't keep this up…" Jaune said.
"There's too many… and I'm just about out of Dust…" Weiss commented.
"Gotta… keep fighting…" Yang tried to stand firm.
"I'm afraid that we cannot win this fight." Oobleck said gravely. "We must find a way to withdraw."
However, while Shadow did see this as a problem, he also saw their current position with the enemy surrounding them as a chance to wipe them out completely. But they had to pull out all the stops here.
"Is this all the remaining Grimm?" Shadow questioned.
"Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are probably still fighting that Deathstalker-thing but… I think so…" Amy confirmed.
"Rouge, Omega, Chaos Inferno!" Shadow ordered. The reformed thief and former Badnik both nodded in understanding as Team Dark backed into the center of their encirclement. "All of you! Hit the deck! Now!"
"What are you…?" Blake questioned.
"No time! Flat on the ground! Now!" The Ultimate Lifeform exclaimed.
Startled by his harsh tone, as well as seeing how they had no other alternatives, Teams RWBY and JNPR, along with Amy and Oobleck, all quickly fell to their fronts on the ground with Ruby, Blake, and Jaune even covering their heads, not knowing what was about to happen but felt like they had to do so.
Just as the mutant Grimm were about to advance on them, Rouge picked up Omega by his head and flew up slightly and directly above Shadow as he drew out the green Chaos Emerald.
"Chaos Control!"
Right as he said that, a white light shined outward from their whole encirclement, freezing time around the mutant Grimm, while also keeping all their allies around them safe and preventing them from being frozen in time. Omega then unleashed all his power, including much of his loaded Dust, into the laser cannons in his arms and unleashed giant purple energy beams, while turning his whole body counterclockwise, obliterating everything within range. Because the beam was lined with Fire, Ice, and Lighting dust, there were explosions of fire and ice crystals, and surges of electricity as well. In two or three turns, all the mutant Grimm were completely blown away, leaving nothing left.
Time then resumed its flow, but all the students, as well as Amy and Oobleck, were unaffected by that due to being so close to Shadow when he initiated the Chaos Control, and had seen everything as they slowly stood up. Rouge had set Omega down as he let himself cool off.
"Warning. All weapons systems overheated. Use of Dust in Chaos Inferno attack was too much for my internal systems. Further improvements required." Omega reported.
"Cool down, Omega. You've done enough." Shadow told him.
"Just like old times, boys." Rouge smiled towards them as she patted Omega on the shoulder.
"That… was… AWESOME!" Ruby squealed.
"No kidding…!" Yang grinned. "You wiped them all out!"
"Boom! Buh-bye Grimm!" Nora said enthusiastically while Jaune's jaw dropped.
"What exactly did you do…?" Weiss questioned, though she herself was beyond amazed at how easily Team Dark wiped out that many super strong Grimm.
"I used Chaos Control to halt time around the Grimm, while Omega unleashed all his firepower to wipe them out while they were frozen." Shadow explained.
"Our own little Team Blast. We call it Chaos Inferno." Rouge grinned.
"Well… it was certainly… something alright..." Weiss couldn't find the words.
"That was incredible…" Pyrrha looked in awe.
"There were at least twenty of them… and now they're just gone…" Ren was in just as much awe as everyone else.
"You… you people never cease to amaze…" Blake was beyond stunned as an awed smile formed on her face. Suddenly she, Yang, and Weiss were pulled into a group arm-lock by their young and excitable leader.
"We so have to get our own Team Blast!" Ruby declared.
"Us too! I've already got ideas!" Nora had done the same, pulling in Jaune, Ren, and Pyrrha.
"Hold on, we're not done yet." Amy got everyone's attention.
"Quite correct. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are currently dealing with the last of these monstrosities." Oobleck said. "While I am confident that they will succeed, we must regroup so we can best go over what we have just discovered."
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles sped down the path that their youngest teammate had directed them toward with the Deathstalker-Beowolf mutant hybrid right behind them, making sure to keep at a speed that allowed them to maintain a safe distance, while also keeping their enemy's eyes on them so that it wouldn't wander off and attack their friends.
They then found the pit that Tails had directed them toward. Sonic looked down with a whistle. "That is pretty deep."
"But even if we do get it down there, what's to stop it from climbing back out?" Knuckles asked.
"Those stalactites up there." Tails pointed up to the spikes that hung from the ceiling that was only twenty feet above. They saw the mutant Deathstalker-Beowolf quickly catching up to them. "Knuckles, you do the same thing you did in the Emerald Forest with the Goliath. Dig and drill underground near the edge to destabilize it. Sonic, you and I will knock out the spikes up top to skewer this thing."
"Either it's crushed or impaled by the spikes, or gets smooshed in the fall." Sonic smirked. "Now that's using your head. Let's get it done!"
"Here it comes!" Knuckles warned as their monstrous foe was already on top of them. Just as it swung its lower claws at them, the trio initiated their plan. Knuckles quickly dug underground while Sonic and Tails performed a multitude of spin-dashes upward to begin shaking up the stalactites and loosened them from the ceiling. Knuckles worked as quickly as he could to dig up and down, left and right, and began to shake up the ground underneath the Deathstalker-Beowolf hybrid. Due to the size of this area being much smaller compared to what he had to do with the Goliath, the process was being done much more quickly for him.
Sonic and Tails had already managed to break off many of the large spikes from the ceiling, causing them to fall on the large mutant Grimm. Most of them fell around to trap it, while a few were able to pierce through various parts of its body, even its lower left pincer was broken off, causing it to holler in pain. Seconds after that, Knuckles had emerged from the ground ten feet away from the ledge as Sonic and Tails landed beside him. The echidna's work was done as the edge was already breaking apart, causing the Deathstalker-Beowolf hybrid to lose its footing, the broken spikes all around it quickly caved in, further pinning and trapping its already partially impaled body before it fell into the abyss below.
The trio of Team Sonic took a second to look into the pit, but the darkness made it impossible to see what had happened. Though they did hear a loud crash a second later.
"There's no way that thing could have survived. Its body was too damaged even before the fall." Tails said. "And all the rocks around it would have crushed whatever was left of it."
"Alright, group high-five!" Sonic grinned as he raised his hand, earning smiles from Tails and Knuckles as they exchanged the three-way high five.
"Guys!" They heard Ruby call to them as they turned around to see her and the rest of their friends quickly running to catch up and join them. "Did you get it?"
"We got it." Sonic confirmed as they all regrouped.
"Shadow, Rouge, and Omega were able to finish off the last of the mutants." Pyrrha informed.
"In the most awesome and badass way possible!" Nora grinned.
"And with you guys all finished, I think it's clear who won today." Yang said proudly.
"Don't be so quick to celebrate, this isn't over." Shadow stated.
"Quite correct. We have many unanswered questions." Oobleck began. "Who reprogramed the security network? Who set that trap? And where in the world did those mutated Grimm come from?"
"Eggman?" Weiss assumed.
"I don't think so." Amy shook her head. "Eggman's always used tech, but we didn't see any here."
"Eggman's expertise lies with technology." Omega added. "Rarely does he indulge in biology or mutations."
"Do the Grimm even have biology?" Rouge asked. "Last time I checked, they don't even bleed."
"But… if Eggman isn't responsible for this…. Who is?" Blake wondered, leaving the group to look more than a little concerned.
"Another question. What should we do now?" Ren asked Oobleck specifically.
"We must return to Beacon and report what we found to Professor Ozpin." Oobleck answered. "Whatever is happening now, I fear we are only scratching the surface."
Out of everyone present, Jaune appeared the most nervous. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
Done.
Let me tell you, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter! I especially loved the fights here! I'm sure many of you have noticed that I went a little creative with the mutated Grimm because those in the games weren't all that special. The mutant Beowolves all had three heads, the mutant Creeps had large tusks like those of Boarbatusks, and we even saw a mutant Deathstalker that appeared to have a Beowolf attached to it. Yeah, expect to find more twisted mutant abominations soon.
Another thing to take away were some of the talks at the start of this chapter, which I also enjoyed writing.
Sonic was probably the best one to talk to Yang about her current predicament, understanding what it's like to have a hard time adapting and changing your usual way of doing things, the events of 'The Black Knight' being a prime example of that. But also, the responsibility of looking after a little sibling. I'm sure you've noticed I borrowed some of the origins from Sonic's movie counterpart, specifically Longclaw. But unlike the movie, where she died fighting the Echidna tribe, she died fighting alongside them to protect the Master Emerald. I added Longclaw because I felt that was a way for Sonic to connect with Yang in losing a mother-figure and it seems to have worked. While Yang still has issues with Knuckles right now as not all of her problems are fixed, it's still a way for her to open up a bit, which is a good first step in the right direction.
And of course, there was the talk with Knuckles and Ruby, in which he pointed out that while it is good for Ruby to support Yang, she can't support her like a sister on the battlefield. Ruby is the leader, so that means she can't treat Yang the same way she always did while they were growing up. Just like what she did with Weiss and Blake, Ruby has to find a way to talk and compromise with Yang so they can establish a team-dynamic with each other, which I feel wasn't properly addressed in the canon. And there's also the fact that Yang didn't really have a teacher to help her address her issues. While it was said by Ruby in Volume 3 that Taiyang was the one who taught Yang, he didn't seem to really do a very good job. In fact, it only seems like he taught her how to fight, and nothing else. That's not proper training because Yang had a significant problem with her overreliance on her Semblance as well as her temper. That was something Tai should have addressed, something Knuckles takes issues with, and he didn't. Not until after she lost her arm in the main show. Something else Knuckles appears to have taken issue with is how their uncle Qrow only seems to focus all his attention on Ruby and rarely attends Yang, at least in terms of training. This talk has caused Ruby to question some of the actions of her uncle, something she's never done up till this point, or even in the canon. You can expect some of this to be brought up again when we get to Volume 3 when Qrow makes an actual physical appearance. And given how RWBY/JNPR are starting to become suspicious of Ozpin alongside Teams Sonic and Dark, once they see that Qrow appears to be working pretty closely with Ozpin, that'll leave Ruby very concerned.
I'm really looking forward to writing the next few chapters as our heroes investigate more into the mutant Grimm. Expect plenty of action in the next few chapters. Until then, stay safe and stay healthy out there.