Platina scuttled backwards on the ground as the two menacing figures slowly approached her. Lazurite spun his weapon in his hands and water from the river churned and followed him onto land. The girl named Obsidian drew a katana, which was connected to her scarf at the hilt.

"Um...yeah, n-nice to meet you," she stuttered, "but it's way past my bedtime, so, um...bye!"

She rolled backwards and sprung up to her feet, then turned and began running. After only a few steps, a wave of water swept her feet out from under her. She tripped and fell to the ground. Gripping the handle of Platinum Eclipse, she extended the chain and slashed out at Lazurite. Obsidian stepped in front of the attack and caught the kusarigama by the handle. She grasped the scarf that was connected to her weapon and threw the blade at the downed Huntress. The katana slashed across her face and swung back into her hand.

Tina tried for a second to pull her weapon free from the other girl's grasp, but Obsidian held on tight. Platina quickly pulled out the second half of Platinum Eclipse and dug the blade into the ground. She glared at Obsidian and began to retract the chain of her weapon, which tugged the other girl along with it. Once she was within reach, Tina threw her leg forward and tried to kick at the girl, but she let go of the weapon and deftly rolled to the side. She raised Platinum Eclipse up and fired at Lazurite, but he slashed the shot away with his polearm.

The water lost form around Platina and she stood back up. Obsidian approached her side and took a swipe at her. Platina blocked it with her blade, but the force of the swing caused her to stumble back into the center of the area. Platina kept her guard up as the other two slowly rounded her. A stream of water churned at her right, Lazurite stood menacingly in front of her, Obsidian approached from her left, and they all cornered her against a shipping crate behind her. She stowed one half of her weapon and extended the chain of the other half.

"So, you're sure you won't just let me go?" Tina nervously laughed.

Obsidian dashed forward and attempted to slash at the blue-haired girl, but Platina raised her chain in defense. She quickly ensnared the katana and retaliated with her own blade. Obsidian bobbed and weaved away from the attacks with startling precision, then she delivered an uppercut to her opponent's chin and freed her sword from the kusarigama's grasp. The blade of a polearm came slashing towards Platina's torso, but she ducked underneath Lazurite's attack and attempted a sweeping kick at Obsidian's feet. The girl gracefully stepped out of the way and countered with a kick of her own; knocking the Huntress to the ground.

Platina scrambled to her feet and began swinging her kusarigama in circles. She threw the blade at Obsidian, but the attack was sidestepped. She tried again to strike her at a distance, but she avoided it once more. Obsidian threw her katana at her in retaliation. Reflexively, Platina caught the weapon and yanked on the scarf, dragging Obsidian closer. She jumped up and kicked her opponent, which sent her stumbling back.

As Obsidian raised her head, her scarf fell from her face, revealing a dark patch of hair covering her lower face and neck. Two spider-like fangs rested at the sides of her mouth. Platina stepped back in surprise. The spider faunus frustratingly pulled her scarf back to her face. She gripped her katana and took a step forward.

"Calm yourself, Obsidian." Lazurite spoke out, stopping her advance. "She isn't going anywhere. Just maintain your focus."

The faunus stared at him momentarily before responding. "Yes, sir!" She declared.

"I have to get away," Platina began thinking to herself, "but Lazurite's Semblance is keeping me cornered." She took a second to focus on the Telepathy link she made with him.

"Master of Tides - it lets him control water near him. It's a little like May's Semblance." She thought. Her gaze shifted over to Obsidian.

"The way she moves...she's dodged most of my attacks. She knows what I'm doing, somehow. If I can figure her out, maybe I can create an opening and get out of here." She thought. She diverted her Semblance's focus over to her other opponent.

"Web Weaver? She can see what my next move is?" Her eyes widened. "It's not mind reading. She's seeing a glimpse of my fate? That's possible?"

Obsidian raised her sword up and glared her opponent down. Platina gripped Platinum Eclipse and brought it to her chest.

"You know what? That's fine by me. Go ahead and focus on your Semblance." She declared in her own mind. The two dashed towards each other and raised their weapons. "Because if I know what you see...then I can beat fate!"

Platina raised her blade upwards. In Obsidian's thoughts, she saw a projected image of her slashing down at the faunus. Instead, she grasped the handle of her weapon and threw it at her side. The weight slammed into Obsidian's ribs and knocked her aside. She regained her footing and thrust her blade for a stab, but Tina sidestepped the attack and shoved her back. She extended her chain and tried to trip Obsidian. Using her Semblance to foresee the attack, Obsidian jumped away from the attempt, but Platina's Telepathy kept her one step ahead. She quickly recalled her weapon and slashed out even further, where Obsidian had retreated to. The chain wrapped around her ankle and pulled her to the ground. Platina gathered her weapon again and shouted confidently as she slashed down again at the prone girl.

A wave of water slammed into her torso as Lazurite raised a hand towards her. The force of the wave pushed her back and knocked her to the ground. Lazurite stepped up to Obsidian while keeping his cold gaze on Platina.

"It's no use," Platina realized, "if I stop using Telepathy on Lazurite, I won't be able to protect against Master of Tides..."

"So, you figured out my Semblance, huh?" Obsidian rose from the ground and wiped her brow.

"It won't matter." Lazurite spoke up. "You can't win this fight, you can't escape from us, and thanks to our signal jammers, you won't be able to call for help. "

Obsidian pulled her scarf down to reveal her spider features once more. "Congratulations, you've tangled yourself in our web." She added with a sinister smile.

"I need help," Tina thought as she stood up, "They're not gonna let me get to a place where Tiffany can see me. If I yell for Reese, they'll know she's coming..."

Her grip around Platinum Eclipse became shaky and a bead of sweat began to drip down her face. As her two opponents approached her, she took another step back. She grit her teeth, pulled out the other half of her weapon, and aimed the two firearms up at the members of Yokai.

She fired a barrage of Dust at her foes. Obsidian deflected the shots away with her katana. Lazurite raised his hand up and commanded a wall of water to flow in front of him. Obsidian gripped her scarf and threw her sword at Platina, knocking one of her guns aside. Lazurite took advantage of that split-second drop in Tina's guard; firing his weapon and knocking the kama out of her grasp. He stepped out of his cover, spun his naginata once, and plunged the blade into the ground.

"Our turn." He said.

Obsidian dashed forward and began slashing at the Huntress, but Platina carefully sidestepped and guarded against the assault. Lazurite crossed his arms and sent a stream of water out to lash out at the blue-haired girl. Aided by the harrying water, Obsidian broke through Platina's defenses. Leaving his weapon behind, Lazurite stepped into the fray.

He balled his fist and delivered a hefty left hook to the Huntress' jaw, and before she could recover from the blow, Obsidian struck her with her blade. Lazurite kicked at her knee, causing her to stumble right into a downward slash from the other girl. She quickly jumped to her feet, but Lazurite hurled another powerful punch to her temple. Obsidian delivered a kick that made Platina stagger and lose her grip on Platinum Eclipse. Lazurite reached out and grabbed her by the jacket collar.

"L-let go..." She groaned as she clawed at his arm.

"As you wish." He replied.

A surge of water jetted out and carried Platina across the battlefield; slamming her into the side of a metal shipping crate with a thunderous bang. She slid to the ground and sat down, wincing in pain as she glared up at Lazurite and Obsidian. Her body crackled with an electric blue Aura.

"Alright, Reese had to have heard that." She sighed, "I need you...please hurry."


Lukas and May stood silently in the doorway of the visitation room, glaring at Yoshio as he sat smugly in his seat. A vein bulged on May's forehead as she ground her teeth in anger.

"Bastard..." She growled.

"May, we have to get out-" Lukas choked on his words as May ripped the revolver from his hand.

She aimed it up at Yoshio and fired a few rounds of Dust at him. He kicked his chair back to narrowly avoid the first shot, then he rocked himself back into place to dodge the following round. He gripped the table and flipped it onto its side; ducking behind it for cover from the remainder of the volley. Lukas glared at May with a tired look as she continued to fire the weapon.

"Alright, fine then; I'll look for a way out while you keep him busy!" Lukas half-shouted over the bang of the gun.

He stepped away from the door and began down the hallway altered by the Semblance. May stepped toward the cowering Yokai member with bated breath as she waited for him to show his face again.

The table was lifted slightly from the ground as Yoshio gripped it by its legs. He dashed forward; brandishing the table as a makeshift shield. May reactively fired the weapon twice, and the firearm clicked harmlessly as the final round was expended. Yoshio rammed into May with the table and shoved her onto the ground outside of the room. As May recovered from the blow, she glanced up and saw the man reaching for the door. He took hold of the handle and slammed it shut; the lock on the door latching once it was closed. May stood up and banged her fist on the door.

"Hey! What's the matter, you scared?!" She yelled through the small barred window on the door.

Through the bars, she saw the face of Yoshio sneering at her with a mocking look. She grit her teeth in frustration. Within her lungs, a spark of heat manifested. For a moment, she juggled the spark within her breath, and it began to grow into a greater blaze. She opened her mouth and exuded a cone of flames from her maw into the room. She maintained her fire breath for a moment, then she stopped and glanced inside to witness the damage.

Yoshio dropped to the ground and narrowly avoided the attack. He rose again and chuckled at the Huntress. May began to pull on the door's handle in an attempt to force it open. The door wouldn't budge in spite of her best attempts.

"Having fun?" Lukas' voice called out. She glanced to her side to see the black-haired boy approaching her. "How'd you let him throw you out already?"

"Hey, you're back here, which means you didn't figure out the maze yet." She retorted.

"Look, that was literally my first time around. Besides, these hallways all look the same. There's no distinguishing marks or any other way to tell anything apart." Lukas said in a low tone.

"Great, so what, we're stuck here?" May asked, frustrated. She raised the firearm above her and debated if she wanted to send it flying to the ground.

"I thought of a way out," Lukas spoke up, "but I needed something to make marks in the walls or leave a trail. I was going to use the Dust from the guard's gun, but you had other plans with that. That ice wall used up all the Dust I brought with me."

May lowered her arm, exhaled deeply, and relaxed her body. After a few deep breaths, she looked up at her teammate.

"I'm sorry, I lost my cool. How do you know that would work?" She asked.

"I think the secret to beating his Semblance is lying right there." He nodded over to the unconscious prison guard. "No other guards are roaming the maze. Yoshio's Semblance must have activated once that guard entered the room. He stayed right there when we went through the maze once, which might mean things that were in the room with us can be left in the halls to leave a trail of breadcrumbs, so to speak."

May's eyes widened at his explanation. She took a final deep breath that fueled the determined fire in her eyes.

"Lukas, I can make a trail. Let's get going." She declared.

"Wait a minute," Lukas called out, stopping her before she marched down the hall. "You go ahead and find a way out of here."

"What are you talking about? Just come on, we don't have time." She argued.

"This Semblance isn't like any I've seen before. I'm...worried that if he's left alone he might have more tricks up his sleeve. If he has some way to change the maze, we'll never make it out.

"Change the maze? Ugh, this Semblance is too damn much for my brain to handle." May groaned as she held her head. "What are you even saying?"

"I'm saying that maybe you had the right idea; one of us should keep him busy." Lukas shook his head and sighed before continuing. "You're no match for Lazurite, but you, Tiffany, and Reese should at least be able to get that idiot out of there."

He stared down at May for a moment before retrieving the security pass and tossing it over to her.

"Go save your friend." He said as he used his Semblance to teleport into the room.

As Lukas engaged the Yokai member, May turned towards her escape path. She retrieved one of the yellow bags of chips she bought from the vending machine.

"He'd call this the dumbest smart idea ever." She mumbled to herself as she opened up her snack.

She rushed down the hall and took the first two turns she remembered being correct, then she came to a four-way split where the hallway continued in all different directions. She reached into the chip bag and grabbed a few onion ring-shaped snacks; crumbling them into a powder. Remembering that taking a right brought her back to the room, she stepped forward and left a trail of crumbs behind her.

As she continued down the hall, she came back to the room with the unconscious guard and the fight going on inside. She hurried down the path again and came back to the same split hallway. Gazing ahead, she saw a trail of chip crumbs on the floor.

"Thank God, he was right." She breathed a sigh of relief before licking her fingers and turning left.

Slowly, meticulously, she navigated the halls and left a trail of crumbs in the hallways that led to failure. After many times of turning a corner and arriving at the starting point, she rounded one final turn and ahead of her saw the gated exit that lead into the waiting room.

"Finally," she sighed, "I'm on my way, Tina."

She stepped forward but stopped herself just before she was home free. Looking back into the empty halls, she thought of the boy trapped in the Semblance with her.

"I should probably go get that jackass." She sighed to herself before turning back into the twisting maze.

Making a wrong turn on purpose, she arrived at the same room she started the ordeal. For a moment, she was thankful that she was still within the Semblance. She quickly used the keycard to unlock the door and charged into the room. She saw Lukas throwing a flurry of punches and kicks at his enemy, only for Yoshio to dodge and weave away from them carefully; seemingly to toy with Lukas and waste time.

May went into a full sprint at the Yokai member and leaped towards him with her knee lit ablaze. Yoshio was taken aback by the Huntress' sudden appearance. Her knee attack struck him across the face and sent him flying into the wall.

"Lukas, I found the way out, let's go!" She shouted. Lukas stared at her in wonder for a second, then he nodded and the two headed for the door.

"Wait just a damn minute!" Yoshio called out. He scrambled to his feet and jumped at the Huntress trying to escape.

Instead of trying to dodge, May turned around and leaped towards him. She reached out, grabbed him by his greasy hair, and slammed his face onto the knocked-over table. As he recoiled from the hit, she balled her fist and engulfed it in flames. She put all of her strength into one more punch that hit him square on the nose. His body impacted the back of the room and he once again fell to the ground.

"That's for making me waste my snacks!" May yelled while glaring at him in a burning rage. She turned back to her teammate and they promptly fled the room.

Lukas followed May as she led him to the trails she created with her food. Lukas glanced at an empty, discarded bag of chips and back at the Huntress.

"That's both the dumbest and the best plan you could have come up with." He shook his head.

"That's what I'm saying! Anyway, you should feel bad for questioning me earlier." She joked.

As they pressed forward, they heard rapid footsteps falling hard behind them. They glanced back and saw Yoshio in a dead sprint trying desperately to catch up with them.

"Hey...stop..." They heard him choke out between labored, panicked breaths.

May ground her foot into the concrete as she stopped dead in her tracks; turning towards the man scrambling towards them.

"You want some more?!" She yelled at him.

Once again, she fostered an ember within her breathing and charged it into a greater blaze. When the swirling flame reached its apex within her throat, she opened her mouth and released a cone of flames into the narrow hallway. Yoshio skitted to a halt as he saw the dragon's breath-esque attack engulf his path. Just before the wave of flames reached him, he dove into another hallway to barely avoid the fire. He got up and patted out a lick of flame that caught onto his pants. Looking around, he saw an unconscious guard and the room he activated his Semblance in.

"I can't believe he fell for that!" May laughed as they neared the end of the maze.

"That was really clever, especially coming from you." Lukas replied in a surprised tone.

"Can't you ever give a straight compliment?" May sighed.

Lukas and May rounded the final corner and bolted towards the door that led to the lobby. As they closed the gap to their freedom, they began to feel a strange pressure between them and the winding hallways they had been escaping, which slowly grew until it felt as though the very space around them was severing. After a moment of the air seemingly ripping itself apart, the hallway returned to normal. The two stopped for a moment and recoiled from the uneasiness. The faint sounds of ringing telephones, whispering visitors, and quiet footsteps replaced the eerie silence that had been cast in the maze.

"That must mean that we're out." Lukas sighed with a faint, relieved smile.

"Come on, we gotta hurry then." May declared firmly, grabbing onto Lukas' wrist and dragging him along without sparing another second.

Unlocking the door using their stolen keycard, they burst out into the lobby. A few visitors gasped at their sudden appearance, and an attendee behind the counter jumped up in surprise, causing them to drop their coffee on the ground. They dashed towards the next set of doors and bashed them open. The night air filled their lungs as they began sprinting into the city.

"I can't believe we actually made it out!" May exclaimed.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her scroll. As soon as she raised it to face her, the screen lit up and Tiffany's name appeared at the top. She accepted the call and put it on speaker.

"Hey Tiff, we-" Her words were cut short as a panicked voice came through.

"May! Thank goodness, you finally picked up!" Tiffany panted, "Platina's in trouble! I-"

"We know," Lukas cut in, "Yoshio knew we were coming, and he told us Lazurite's with her. Meet us there, you got it?"

"Tiff, did you call Reese?" May asked.

"I sensed that she went to go help her, but I can't connect to their scrolls! Reese's Aura just took a big hit and Platina's is going crazy!" She explained.

"Sensed?" Lukas repeated.

"I'll explain later, but it's part of my Semblance." She continued. "You two...your Aura just disappeared for me. I-I thought you died!" The two of them stopped running for a second.

"...Are you crying?" May questioned as she listened to the sniffles coming through the speaker.

"I was so scared..." Tiffany whimpered.

"This is an awkward call..." Lukas groaned to himself. "Look, it doesn't matter now, just meet us at the port!"

"Right!" Tiffany agreed before hanging up.

The two Huntsmen tapped on their Scrolls and gazed skyward. Among the infinite expanse of stars, two red lights appeared in the sky above the mountaintop towering over Mistral. The lights soared overhead, and the roar of rockets crescendoed as they flew closer. Two metal lockers jettisoned downward and embedded themselves into the concrete with a crash. The doors swung open and offered the sword Memento and the battle axe Amber Storm to the students.


The crash of waves hitting against concrete roared as the mobsters towered over the beaten Huntress. Platina took in a sharp inhale of salty water as she pushed herself to stand up, but the spider faunus dashed closer and delivered a kick to Platina's temple. She let out a pained yell as she was knocked to the ground.

"Please, just make this easier on yourself." Lazurite sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Obsidian took hold of Platina's arm and pinned it behind her back, then she planted her foot on her head to push her face into the ground. Without the strength to fight back, she looked up at the blue-haired man. He was pacing back and forth slowly, seemingly swaying with the riverside wind. He took notice of her staring and glanced down at her.

"Don't glare at me like that, kid." He shook his head. "You put me in this position."

"Hey, listen-" Platina spoke up as she wrestled with Obsidian's grasp, "I get it okay? If you let me go, you won't see me again."

"Nice try kid, but no." He spat. "You need to learn that you messed with the wrong people. I don't like hitting women or children, but I'm not above putting a nosy brat in her place."

A blur of color flew onto one of the metal shipping containers behind Lazurite. He didn't seem to notice, but Platina's focus shifted to a small figure atop the crate. A faint mess of mint green hair poked out into the air. Using her hoverboard, Reese silently hopped from one crate to another to get behind her enemy.

"Thank God, she's here!" Tina thought to herself ecstatically.

"What do you think?" Lazurite turned his head to his subordinate. "Should we introduce her to the Patriarch?"

While they were distracted, Reese backed up as far as she can and pressed her feet against the metal. She took off and began running towards the edge of the crate; holding her hoverboard down at her feet as she did so.

"I wouldn't think she's worth his time." Obsidian shook her head.

Reese leaped into the air above the menacing leader. She planted her feet on the board, took hold of the side of it, and spun herself around once to generate momentum for an attack. She plummeted towards Lazurite, flashing a triumphant smile as she positioned her feet to activate the board's pulse blast.

Lazurite delicately raised a hand in front of him and crossed it over his shoulder. He beckoned the water to follow his motions, and a wave rose into the sky. Resse gasped as she plunged into the surge of water. Her hoverboard flew off to the side, but the churning tide caught her and suspended her in the air. Lazurite waved his hand again, and the torrent rushed to his side, dragging the skater along with it. It whipped her around and slammed her into the side of a shipping container with a deafening metallic bang. She recoiled in the air and fell to the ground, her body skipping twice on the concrete before coming to a stop. A crackle of mint-colored Aura flashed across her. She lay motionless as the water receded back to its master. Tina's mouth hung open as she stared in shock at her friend, struck unconscious with a single, incredible blow. Lazurite slowly turned to face his ambusher.

"So this is your friend, Reese, then?" He questioned in a low tone. "I was beginning to get a bit impatient waiting for her. It was foolish of her to go along with you."

Platina gasped as she took in what he said. "During that first fight...nobody said her name." Her voice quivered and her eyes widened. "H-How do you know her name?"

He jerked back towards the pinned Huntress. "You really just don't know what you're up against, do you?" He growled. "You thought you could just get away with your harrying? I just did some digging on everyone there that night. It wasn't hard to figure that you were students, especially once Valenzuela showed himself."

He slowly marched back towards his weapon, still embedded in the ground, and placed a firm hand on it.

"My informant gave me all the information I could ever want about you, your friends, and even your family in Windpath."

An image of August flashed in Tina's mind and the blood drained from her face. Lazurite yanked his blade out of the concrete and held the weapon at his side.

"Within Yokai, I've earned a nickname," Lazurite murmured just loud enough for Platina to hear, "'Umibozu.' A Grimm of legend that would destroy ships and drown sailors. The living wrath of the sea...a reputation I have to uphold." He gripped his naginata and strode over to the unconscious teenager.

"Wait, stop!" Platina cried out in panic. "Please, you don't have to do this! You can still do the right thing!"

"They call me the Umibozu of Yokai for a reason!" He bellowed. He swung his polearm downward and sliced a chunk out of the ground. "I bring death to anyone foolish enough to tread Yokai's waters. To defend my honor as a Yokai Captain, I'll make an example out of her!"

The looming shadow of the Umibozu encompassed Reese and almost swallowed her presence with its menacing energy. Platina shuttered as fear enshrouded her mind. She felt her heart jump into her throat and her vision nearly went white. She placed her free hand on the cold concrete and pushed up with a sudden, desperate strength. Obsidian curled her fist and struck the blue-haired girl's head twice, but she shrugged off the blows. Tina barely wrestled herself to her knees against Obsidian's grasp. She planted a foot on the ground and shoved her opponent away. Obsidian lunged and reached out to grapple her again, but Platina balled her fist and hurled a heavy punch to the face in retaliation. The faunus stumbled for a second, then thrust her leg forward to kick the Huntress. Platina caught her boot with one arm and held onto it with a crushing grasp.

"You're not…" Platina growled between rapid, distraught breaths, "getting anywhere near her!"

A whirl of a black, gas-like substance seeped through Tina's pores and began to enshroud her body. It spiked and shuttered across her skin and clothing, almost resembling TV static. The air around the two seemed to grow cold, and Platina's strength began to grow.

She pushed Obsidian back and dashed forward. She raised her fist and uppercut the girl into the air, then quickly kicked her in the stomach on her way down. Her body skipped once on the hard concrete before she crashed into Lazurite, who attempted to catch her with the shaft of his weapon. Platina sprinted to their side in a burst of unnatural speed. Lazurite whipped his head around to meet the menacing figure of the changed Platina looming just over him in the air.

"Shit!" He thought to himself; drawing Obsidian close to his body and raising a wave of water to block a kick Platina threw out.

The water shield burst open and her shin slammed into his face; sending both him and the girl rolling on the ground several feet away. For the first time, Platina towered above her two opponents. Lazurite swept up his weapon and transformed it into its rifle form to quickly fire off three rounds at Platina. The Huntress crouched down onto all fours and dashed toward Lazurite like a bear; evading the Dust. She jumped up and clawed at his torso, then she took a swipe at his legs which caused him to fall to the ground. He kicked at her and used his Semblance to pair it with a blast of water. His attack crashed into Platina's chest and she skidded back.

Obsidian jumped up and approached the changed girl. Platina lunged forward and balled her fist for a strike. Obsidian saw an echo of Platina's movements; the projected image making contact with her cheek.

"Alright, she saw her fate." She calculated, "I'll be ready for whatever attack she throws out instead."

Platina leaped forward and, without a change of action, sent her fist careening into the spider-like features of Obsidian's face. She stumbled back with a pained groan and stared at the girl in shock. Her Semblance showed her an image of the girl lunging her her again. She prepared to evade, but a wave of water gently picked her up and carried her away from the girl; narrowly saving her from the attack. She floated up to Lazurite's side and was gently placed down.

"Be careful, don't get too close." He said in a concerned tone.

"Did she know I was trying to trick her?" The faunus thought to herself.

She carefully observed Platina from a distance. She braced her katana; preparing to defend against another charge attack, but the girl shrouded in black kept her distance. She took notice of Platina's eyes, which were wide open and rapidly glancing between Obsidian and her boss. The blackness that shivered across her body looked to her like hairs standing on end, reminding her of a cornered animal.

"Hey, say something Reese." Platina spoke up, her voice shaking. "Please, just tell me you're alright." She kept her eyes glued to the pair as she pleaded with the unconscious girl.

"No, that's not it. She wasn't using her Semblance." She realized. "Whatever happened to her, she's not thinking straight...she's terrified."

"What's the plan then?" Obsidian spoke up.

"Honestly," Lazurite began in a low tone, "it's time for us to go. We've done all we can here."

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"I'm sure that her friends are on their way." He answered. He fished through his pockets and handed her a set of keys.

"Get the airboat started. You'll understand soon enough. Her path will cross with ours again."

"Yes, sir." She nodded, took the keys into her hand, and retreated towards the stationed boat.

Lazurite stepped forward and marched towards Platina. As he approached, she took a step back and raised her arms in defense.

"Stay back." She warned.

He quickened his pace and gave her a piercing stare. He brought his naginata back and swung it forward with all his might, using his Semblance to unleash a blade of water that cut through the air. Platina wrapped her body around Reese and braced for impact. A gunshot rang out through the air and a flash of pink and red blurred into the fray before an eruption of steam replaced Lazurite's blade of water.

Suddenly, Lazurite was staring down the barrel of a shotgun that poked out from the cloud of vapor. The trigger was pulled and a burst of Dust ripped across the Aura of his face. Spiky pink hair and sharp amber eyes emerged from the haze as May rushed forward. Hosting a ball of flames in her fist, she decked Lazurite across his jaw. As he recoiled from the hit, she racked Amber Storm and fired at his knee. He buckled from the blast and lost his footing. May uppercut him into the air with her fire fist, then she quickly racked Amber storm again and shot downwards to send herself skyward. She transformed her weapon into an axe and fired again, slashing at the Umibozu with a vicious strike.

He raised his arms defensively and resisted as much of the attack as he could. As he fell back to the ground, he formed a bed of water beneath him to barely cushion his fall. Working his Semblance overtime, the liquid beneath him churned into a small, roaring rapid that he used to surf over to the airboat. He gracefully hopped on and lowered himself into cover.

"Step on it!" He barked at the girl.

Obsidian grabbed hold of the steering stick that jutted out on her left and pushed it as far forward as she could. The fan roared and the airboat lurched onto the water's path. As it sped off, a blast of Dust connected with the hull and burdened it with a clinging sheet of ice. Lazurite focused again on the pier, where he saw a crouched Tiffany gazing through the scope of Noble Reach.

She held her breath momentarily and squeezed the trigger twice more, rotating its cylinder and sending two more rounds of Ice Dust towards the boat. Lazurite grasped the air and the river churned upwards; blocking the shots. He then squeezed his fist tighter and the stream's flow quickened. The rapid carried the airboat quickly out of view, and the pair of Yokai members made their escape.

Air whirled around as Lukas appeared in the once-empty space of the pier. Tiffany rose to her feet and turned back to where Platina and Reese were, followed closely by May.

"Tina, are you-" May began, but as her friend came into view, she stopped in her tracks and lost her words.

The black mist shuttered across her body still. She stared wide-eyed at her team, who gawked back with confused looks. Platina looked down and her hands and took in a sharp inhale.

"No," she whimpered, "no, you weren't supposed to...this wasn't supposed to-" She struggled to choke the words out as her mind began to race.

"I need to calm down," she pleaded with herself, "just breathe. Maybe they didn't see anything."

She glanced up at her team, who kept still and quiet. Without her realizing, she began to use Telepathy, and their thoughts sang aloud in her mind.

"Her Aura's going crazy! What's happening to her?!" Tiffany's panicked inner voice cried.

"What the heck's going on?! What's with all that black stuff?" May struggled to come up with an answer that made sense.

"It's just like what happened to her in Shi No Mori..." Lukas analyzed with a narrow gaze.

"They know!" Platina felt her heart pound faster in her chest. "Breathe, breathe!" She frantically reminded herself.

Her deep breaths began to turn into panicked gasps for air. Her throat tightened until every breath became a fight for oxygen. She became light-headed and dropped to her hands and knees; gripping her jacket where her racing heart was.

"I can't breathe!" She screamed within her own mind.

"Tina, what's wrong?!" May's muddled words were drowned out by white noise and projected voices assaulting Platina's psyche.

She rolled onto her back and gazed up at the night sky as she fought for air. A creeping blackness appeared at the edge of her vision, and soon the stars disappeared as she faded into unconsciousness.


The stale air of Haven Academy's infirmary hung still as the teammates all sat around the bed where their leader rest. The quiet scribble of a pencil on paper was the only sound breaking the silence. The nurse pushed up her glasses and sighed.

"Okay, so just to make sure I got the story right." She began, looking up at the team. "The five of you were at the pool, and everything was going fine until you climbed up the diving board, slipped, and fell to the concrete; landing on your head and knocking yourself out."

She pointed a pen at Reese, who was now conscious. She held her newly bandaged head and slowly nodded.

"Yeah, I wasn't being careful." She admitted while avoiding eye contact.

"Miss Steel saw this happen and rushed to your side." She continued, biting the pen's base. "Out of concern for you, she suffered a panic attack so severe that she passed out? Then you three brought these two here?" Her eyes shifted to the other members of Team Platinum.

"Yep." May nodded.

"Sure did." Tiffany agreed.

"Mmm hmm." Lukas confirmed.

The nurse removed her glasses and tucked them onto her jacket. She scribbled something down on her clipboard before looking back up at the group.

"Well luckily it seems like your Aura protected you well; nothing more than a minor concussion. With some rest, you should be fine." She sighed. "It must have been one intense panic attack for her; I've never seen someone pass out because of one. She should be awake soon though."

"Thank you for everything." Reese gave her a tired but thoughtful look.

"Of course," the nurse smiled as she rose from her seat, "I have some paperwork I need to fill out. When she wakes, come get me."

She yawned as she walked out, leaving the group of students to their own. The conscious members of Team PLTM shifted their gaze towards Reese. She returned the glares as the tension in the room grew.

"So when are you guys gonna stop staring at me?" She asked in an annoyed tone.

"When you start being honest with us, Reese." Tiffany shook her head with a disappointed look.

"I already told you, I don't know what's going on any more than you guys." She argued.

"Don't give us that crap!" May snapped as she shot up from her seat.

"You've had a soured look on your face ever since you woke up." Lukas pointed out, "You know more than you're letting on."

"You'd have a soured look if you got hit as hard as I did." She argued, rubbing her head.

May marched towards the green-haired girl, grabbed her by the neck of her hoodie, and pulled her close.

"Aren't you her friend too? Why aren't you concerned about what we told you? Why're you only worried about yourself right now?" She growled. Reese grabbed her arm and shoved her off.

"Who said that?!" She yelled back. "I'm worried to death!"

"Guys, please don't fight!" Tiffany demanded as she shot up as well. "We have enough on our plate already."

May dropped back into her seat and held her head in her hands. Reese sat down and crossed her arms.

"Listen, we're sorry Reese." Tiffany apologized. "We were just hoping you knew what was going on, since you've known her a lot longer than we have."

Reese shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Eventually, she let out an exasperated sight and dropped her head.

"I do know what's going on." She admitted.

"Alright, well why did you lie to us?" Lukas questioned.

"Because it's really not my place to tell you." She answered. "If she trusts you guys, she'll tell you herself. If she doesn't...she'll most likely leave Haven Academy."

"Leave? Why would she need to leave?" Tiffany asked, confused.

"Well..." She began.

A sharp inhale filled the room as Platina suddenly shot up from the bed. All heads turned towards her as she awoke. She looked around wide-eyed at the group of her peers. The girls surrounding her all put on relieved smiles.

"What happened?" She breathed shakily.

"You passed out," May explained as she stepped up to the bed, "we took you to the nurse's office. Thank goodness you're okay." She sighed in relief.

"How are you feeling?" Tiffany asked.

"I'm fine, I think." She answered. She gasped and continued, "Lazurite and the girl, what happened to them?"

"They got away." Lukas responded, "You got lucky though, it could have been a lot worse."

"Are you hurt, Reese?" Her concerned gaze shifted over to her friend.

"I'm fine, Tina." She reassured her as she rubbed her head. "Just got a cartoonishly large bump right here. Anyway, let's call in the nurse."

"You should rest, I'll go get her." Tiffany volunteered. She got up from her seat and stepped over to the door.

"Wait," Lukas called out before she could swing the door open, "not yet. We have a lot to discuss." He clamped his hands together and brought them to his chin.

Platina glanced at Reese with round, scared eyes. Without a word, Reese returned the stare with a face of sorrow. Tina looked down at her hands and gripped her blanket tightly.

"You all saw it then?" She whispered.

"We don't really know what we saw." May replied quietly.

"Well, you all had your guesses." She weakly laughed with a solemn expression. "I guess you deserve to know..."

The gazes of all her teammates fixated on her. Reese shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Platina sat in silence for a moment, then shook her head and sighed.

"It's unbelievable, really." She began. "I've had this...condition ever since I was a kid. People were scared of me for a long time because of it."

Platina averted her eyes from her team; reluctant to continue. Behind her unmoving grimace, her thoughts seemed to wander in an endless expanse.

"I wish I could say I knew what happened; give you guys a straight answer," She sighed, "but it's complicated. I was seven, and I was still living with my real parents in Higanbana. We were poor...but we were happy." Platina paused for a second while gazing off into space.

"I got really sick one day, but we didn't have the kind of money to take me to an actual doctor. It was getting really bad, so my dad took me to some kind of back-alley doctor who said they could help. I...really don't know what they did to me. They put me under and then...I just remember everything hurting. I was still unconscious, but the pain was paralyzing."

"Platina..." Tiffany murmured with a saddened tone.

"That's terrible." May shook her head.

"What changed about you then?" Lukas asked. "What exactly did we see?"

"Don't push her Lukas." Reese condemned.

"It's fine, Reese." Platina assured. "When I woke up, I was out on Higanbana's streets. There was a crowd surrounding me, and they all looked really scared. I didn't know how I got there, so I was confused. I looked down and...there was blood all over me." Her voice quivered as she continued, "I was standing over a body."

Her teammates sat in stunned silence at her story. Platina shuddered as she spoke of her past. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"I couldn't explain it, but I felt what changed. I feel its presence. It's a Grimm." She finished.

"A Grimm? Hey, you're not serious, right?" May stammered. "There's no way that's possible, right?"

"That's pretty outlandish." Lukas agreed.

As the other two questioned the idea, Tiffany slowly stood up and raised her hand to her chest. "I...I think I believe you." She nodded.

Everyone's attention shifted towards her. Lukas lowered his head and crossed his arms.

"Because of your Semblance?" He asked.

"Yes. Clairvoyant lets me sense people's Auras at a distance. I can also see the presence of a Grimm as a mesh of black and red. That's what I meant when I said her Aura was going crazy. When I focused on her..."

"No way." May gasped as she looked back at Platina.

"It's true." She confirmed, "Nobody treated me the same after that, so I ran away. It feeds off of my negative emotions, so I have to really suppress those feelings. If I don't, people get hurt..." Her body tensed up and her fearful expression worsened, "people die."

There was a long, uncomfortable moment of silence as everyone in the room absorbed the information. The pit in Platina's stomach grew with the tension, and she refused to meet anyone's gaze. Finally, May sighed and spoke up.

"Well, I bet that's a load off your chest." She laughed awkwardly.

"I suppose we'll all have to keep your secret now, right?" Tiffany guessed. Platina looked away with a pained expression.

"I'm sorry..." She began, "but you'll have to go on without me. I can't stay here."

"What? Wait, why?" May questioned.

"I came to this school to try and become a hero, but...I can't do that if people are afraid of me. Now that you know the truth, you'll never look at me the same again. It's only a matter of time before more people find out." She croaked.

"Tina, that's not true!" May popped up with an agitated glare.

"Yes, it is!" She rebutted. "Don't you understand, May? If I'm not careful, more people...more people that I love will get hurt!"

She brought her knees to her chest and buried her face in her legs.

"I'm a monster." She sobbed in a muffled voice.

Lukas lifted his head and spoke up. "Is there something that I'm missing then? What about her?" He nodded towards Tiffany. "She knows, but she doesn't look at you differently, does she?"

Platina tilted her head towards her friend. They shared a moment of reminiscence, then she shifted her gaze back towards the boy.

"Besides August...Tiffany is the only one." She said.

"Then you're wrong on two counts." He shook his head.

"That's right," Tiffany jumped in, "not everyone is going to look at you like that. You're not a monster."

May knelt down and locked eyes with her. The pink-haired girl hesitated for a moment, then she gave her a sincere look.

"I do understand." She said in a near whisper.

"You guys..." Platina murmured as her eyes welled up. May stood up and stepped backwards toward her other teammates.

"You're the first friend I made here, Tina. I want to keep it that way." She said with a smile.

"I guess I don't know you as well as I could." Tiffany added. "I'm hoping we can become good friends, and I look forward to the rest of our time together here. Your secret's safe with me."

Platina smiled at the remark. She shifted her focus towards Lukas, though she tried not to stare at him. He analyzed her with a somewhat deadpan face. May reached out and socked him on his arm. Platina dropped her face and shook her head.

"You don't have to say anything." She muttered.

Lukas rubbed the arm May struck and looked up after a moment. "It's a terrible thing that happened to you. I'm sorry." He stated plainly, yet sincerely.

Platina took a moment to look around at her teammates, though her teary eyes made her vision blurry. She wiped her eyes and gave them a warm smile.

"Thank you, guys." She laughed slightly.

Reese shot up and lunged towards her friend, putting her in a tight bear hug. She laughed boisterously as she squeezed her tight.

"Reese!" Platina detested, though she couldn't help but laugh a little too.

"Crazy to think you've made such good friends already." She remarked with a sigh. With a laugh, she added, "And Lukas."

"That's enough for tonight, I think." Lukas stated as he rose from his seat. "You should rest."

His cloak whipped around as he turned to the door. Before he reached the exit, the door flung open and a dark skinned girl with platinum blonde hair strode past him; approaching the two girls by the bed.

"Okay, so did you really expect to fool me by stuffing your blanket with pillows?" Arslan shook her head.

"Arslan!" Reese gasped, "Haha, you'll never believe this crazy thing that happened at - okay, never mind, it's the worst cover story ever." She sighed as she gave up on the attempt at deception.

Arslan lunged towards Reese and wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace. Reese choked for air as Arslan held on to her.

"Shut up, okay?" Arslan sighed, "I'm just glad you're alright."

"You're not...mad or anything?" Platina carefully chimed in.

"No, of course I'm not." Arslan replied as she released Reese from her grip. "Also, I'm sorry if I came off as too controlling. I'm just trying to make sure my friends aren't getting hurt."

She stood up, took a step back, and rubbed her hair into a mess before continuing.

"I realized that Reese is trying to do the same thing. If she's gonna run out there and fight crazy fights for you, I think it'd be better if I watched out for her. Otherwise, it'd be my fault if she got hurt again." She sighed.

Turning around, she faced Lukas and gestured out an open hand. She stared at him with sharp, bold eyes.

"So if you'll have me, I'll do what I can to help." She offered.

Lukas shifted uncomfortably as he pondered the offer, then he looked away as he smiled wearily. He rested his hand on his forehead and let out a light chuckle.

"At this rate, we should just recruit your whole team." He laughed.

"That's a great idea!" She laughed along with him. "We can build a whole freaking army!"

"Hey, wait, I was just being facetious." He quickly reverted to his serious self.

"Holy crap, did you just laugh, Lukas?" May stared at him is awe.

"You're hearing things." He dismissed the idea as he cleared his throat. "Anyway, I'm getting tired as hell, so I'm heading back to our room."

As he reached for the handle, the door creaked open once again. A bold yellow beak revealed itself as Professor Hawk Valenzuela stepped into the room. A set of silver eyes appeared behind him as Professor Arsenic Myrtle stepped forward. Hawk's piercing yellow eyes analyzed everyone in the room.

"Will I ever get to leave this room?" Lukas asked himself quietly. May awkwardly whistled and the rest looked away and scratched their heads.

"I failed to realize how much of a listening problem the lot of you have." Hawk sighed.

"Haha, what do you mean, Hawk?" May laughed unconvincingly. He shook his head.

"We know where you all were tonight." He condemned.

"What? How did you know?" Tiffany gasped.

"Professor Luna told us she was suspicious." Arsenic chimed in. "It turns out that Platina isn't a very good liar."

The group of teenagers turned their gaze to Platina, who gave an awkward smile and rubbed the back of her head.

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble." He clarified. "We've been meaning to talk to you about this."

"You...have?" Tiffany tilted her head.

"Coal Augite..." Hawk began, "That man has been on our radar for years, but only recently has he become a major concern. His involvement with Yokai warranted investigation."

"But for some reason, Headmaster Lionheart doesn't approve of our pursuit of him." Arsenic added. "Honestly, we're not sure if we can trust his judgement anymore."

"We figure with whatever relation to him you have, you're not going to stop." Hawk eyed the boy with the black cloak. "It would be easier to work together with you - against Lionheart's wishes. I want to extend our hand in alliance. If we must keep you away, arresting him will prove impossible."

Lukas tensed up and raised his head. "What choice do I really have? I guess the list of people I reluctantly ally myself with is growing." He muttered.

Hawk smiled and prepared to respond, but Lukas' commanding voice cut back in.

"But there's something I want to make perfectly clear." He boomed. He ripped Memento from its scabbard and held the sword low to the ground. "This isn't going to end with him in prison. He's my blood, and this is my revenge. His final breath is mine."

Eyeing him down, Professor Valenzuela gently placed his hand on the hilt of the sword that rest at his hip. He took in a deep breath and eyed the boy with his piercing gaze.

"Under normal circumstances, that wouldn't be something I'd allow. However, given the individual we're dealing with, extreme measures might need to be taken. I'll leave it at that." He concluded.

Lukas lowered his guard and returned his sword to its scabbard. Hawk cast his hand aside and turned away to face the door.

"Even with all that said, it may be quite a while before we can do much of anything. The Vytal Festival in Vale is in a few days. I plan on staying here and investigating further. If there's anything you'd like to share with me before you depart, come find me."

He squeezed past Arsenic and marched out of the room. Arsenic leaned against the door and eyed the students for a moment before speaking up.

"Get some rest, you guys." He stated plainly before closing the door.

As the latch on the door clicked shut, Arsenic turned and hustled down the hallway. He chased after his fellow teacher and slowly inched closer to him.

"I still don't like this, Hawk. I told you that we should keep them out of it. This isn't what they signed up for."

"We're not like Lionheart, Arsenic. We're not dropping them off on some battlefield. Besides, Lukas would sooner die than let this go." He responded, "It'll be safer for them this way. We're going to protect those children, I swear to you."

"I hope you're right, for all of their sake." He responded.

Hawk stopped his stride, turned around, and narrowed his gaze at Arsenic. "What do you make of the rest of it?" A moment of silence passed before the answer.

"A Grimm trapped inside of a person?" He pondered as he ruffled his hair, "I've heard rumors of Grimm that have the ability to possess people, but I've never heard of anything like this." Arsenic answered

"Do you think you could cure her?"

"You've seen what my eyes do to the Grimm. If I tried anything, it could outright kill her."

"I certainly wish to avoid that outcome. What should we do if she becomes a danger to others?"

"We'll figure something out. I'm going to keep an eye on her and try to make some sense of it."

"Alright, you watch over them in Vale, and I'll keep an eye on things here." Hawk agreed.

"Do you think Coal will make another move soon, now that he knows we're on to him?" Arsenic asked.

"It's not Coal that I'm looking out for." He clarified as he marched away. Arsenic looked on as Hawk disappeared down the hallway.

"I hope that we're wrong about Lionheart." He thought.


Miscellaneous Notes #1 Grimm Cloak; A creature of Grimm was fused within Platina as a child, and its power can sometimes manifest as black smoke surrounding her. Whenever Platina intensely feels negative emotions, such as fear or grief, the Grimm draws itself out in a seeming attempt to escape. The resulting affliction increases Platina's strength and speed, but can also hinder her thought process as the Grimm tries to take over.